Adagio Dazzle slowly walked through the park with her head hung and her arms flopped down by her sides. She had lost everything at Canterlot High, and she believed that there was no way to recover from the humiliating defeat that she and the other Dazzlings had suffered.
A few days after the event, she had come to terms with her new mortal form. But even so, she was still sulking. She missed being a siren very much. She missed the days when she and her two sisters could sing to get whatever they wanted. Be it money, praise, or even magic. And now that it was gone, she felt like she had hit a wall.
"Three months have passed and I'm still not comfortable with having to eat this bland human food to stay alive..." she whispered to herself as she trudged along the path towards a wooden fence that blocked off the pond. "All this stuff like fries, hot dogs, burgers—it just makes me want to barf sometimes." With a simple groan, she slumped down by the fence and buried her head in her arms. "I just wish that I'd never gone to Canterlot High in the first place!"
"Rough day, huh?"
Adagio quickly pulled her head from her arms and noticed a heavily tanned girl with plain green hair and pink headphones approach her. She was wearing a dark purple outfit with a bow, a tartan skirt, and a simple pair of black trainers. She was carrying a large bag around her shoulders.
"You don't know the half of it," Adagio scoffed as she addressed the girl. "My day—heck, the past few months have gone right down the drain for me."
"C'mon. It can't be that bad, can it?" The girl laid her bag down by the fence and propped her back against it, using her hands as a headrest. "Everyone has their off days."
"Listen. I was once a highly respected singer," Adagio shot a minor glare at the girl while she was getting comfortable. "I had everything I could have ever wanted, but I needed more. We needed more. So we tried to pit ourselves against some other boys and girls in this town, and from the way it ended, it looks like our career is over..." She looked down at her neck, seeing how barren it was.
"Sounds pretty bad to me, if you're this upset about it." the girl lightly messed with her hair.
"Pretty bad? I was downright in tears about the wretched thing!" Adagio's eyes lit up as she slammed the ground with her fist. "We all were! You don't understand how bad it is to climb so high, only to fall so far when you fail!"
"Hey. I'm no shrink, but I think I know what's up with you." The girl kneeled down to look Adagio in the eyes. "You've got the look of someone who's lost something important and just isn't coping well with the loss, right?"
"Oh, how could you tell?" Adagio spoke in a very sarcastic tone. "It's my face isn't it? It's a very old face."
"No, no! Your face is actually rather beautiful." The girl waved her hands in front of her face. "It's actually the way you're curled up into a ball and about to cry that lets me know you're a bit grumpy." She crawled up next to Adagio and sat down. "C'mon, dude. You can tell me all about it."
Adagio took a deep breath and looked her in the eyes. "I once had a rather beautiful pendant. A plain red gem that hung around my neck. It wasn't much compared to other jewels you'd see in the shops, but it was still mine, and I loved it with all my heart." A smile creeped onto Adagio's face, but it quickly vanished when she sighed. "But then, during a Battle of the Bands, it got destroyed. The noise was so loud that it shattered like glass."
"It must've been really special if you're acting this way about it..." The girl took the headphones off and slipped them into the bag. "Did you ever try fixing it?"
"I did for a while. But after a few attempts—and admittedly some useless glue—I just gave up and threw it away. There's no way that I'll ever have something as precious as that ever again..."
"Hmm. I know how you feel about losing stuff." The girl looked outwards and saw the sun sink just below the buildings, throwing the park into a dusk purple shade. "Everyone's gotta lose something. Like even I've lost a pair of headphones before."
"What's your name before we go on?" Adagio asked.
"Name's Lemon Zest." She held out her hand for a handshake. "And you?"
"Adagio Dazzle." She returned the handshake. "It's nice to meet you, Lemon."
"It's good to see you too, Adagio."
There was a brief silence before Adagio got back onto her feet and said, "It was nice to get to meet you, but before we go on, I have to ask you something. What are you even doing here at this hour, Lemon?"
"Oh, I was just coming to my favourite chill-out spot for a bit." Lemon looked out into the darkened pond beyond the fence. "It's pretty quiet here. The perfect place for me to take a load off if I'm having a bad day. Have a look for yourself."
"What's the point? It's not like—" Adagio slowly stood up and was at a loss for words once she saw the peaceful serenity of the pond in its full splendor. The golden water shimmered radiantly in the sunset, and even the leaves around it had a distinct glow about them "—Oh my..."
"Yup. It's pretty great, huh?" Lemon smiled as she gently put her left foot on the fence and put her arm on top. "Truly takes the weight of the world off your back."
"It does..." Adagio was almost lost in the beauty of her surroundings that she almost forgot about what her problems were, until her eyes slowly looked down again. "But back to the more important manner. Why are you so eager to help me out, Lemon? I mean, I was very negative towards you at first, so why should you want to help me out after the way I treated you?"
"I just hate to see a pretty face like yours act all down in the dumps," Lemon smiled. "No-one, and I mean no-one likes to lose stuff. But if you keep on acting miserable, then you just end up making things worse. You can't just keep crying over spilt milk, y'know?"
"If that spilt milk was a one-of-a-kind gem with magical powers, then I think it's definitely worth crying over." Adagio's head was hung once again.
"Wait. You're familiar with magic too?!" Lemon's eyes lit up as a massive grin plastered itself onto her face. "That's so awesome!"
"Wh-what? You know about that?" Adagio stumbled backwards and almost hit her head on the ground.
"Well, duh! Didn't you see what happened back at the Friendship Games?" Lemon pulled out her phone and tapped on an app to bring up some photographs of the event. "Here. I managed to grab some shots for you." She handed the phone to Adagio.
"Umm... how do I use this?" Adagio looked at the phone from each side and even checked underneath it to see if she was missing anything.
"Oh, it's simple. Just put your finger on the screen and slide. Like this." Lemon put her finger on the picture and did a simple flick to the left, switching the image instantly. "How come you don't know how to use a phone, Adagio?"
"I guess me and my sisters have been a little, what's the word? Reclusive?" Adagio slid her finger across the screen multiple times, showing the event and another girl using it to transform in full detail. "So Equestrian Magic still exists here, and it's not just me, Aria, and Sonata who wanted it? How curious..."
"Alright, Dagi. Mind if I call you that? I think I know the root of your problems." Lemon Zest put the phone away and stood up, leaning against the fence again. "That gem you had was magic, right?"
"Yes." Adagio stood up herself and mirrored what Lemon was doing.
"And because it was destroyed, you're just as human as the rest of us, right?"
"Uh huh. Where are you going with this?"
"You know, dude. Having magic has its perks for a while, but then you end up being pushed against the wall by the rest of your classmates and blackmailed into releasing it to almost destroy the world." Lemon Zest looked at the stars as they started to appear in the darkening sky. "Maybe it's better if you don't have magic and instead just try to live life as a normal person."
"How could you say that? You're not a siren who was turned into a human after losing to Sunset Shimmer and her friends." Adagio raised her eyebrows at that statement.
"No, but at the same time, I'm not a lonely scientist who was pushed too far by Abacus Cinch and the other Crystal Preppers into turning into a winged monster and then lost to Sunset Shimmer and her friends as well." Lemon wrapped her arm around Adagio's shoulders. "The point is, with magic, it's an uphill battle to try and maintain it. Without it, you don't have to worry about some kinky supernatural forces and demons. You can just take life at a normal pace, y'know?"
"Yes, but when you look back at all of the upsides of magic, you start to ruminate on all of the good times you had, and what you did to lose it at the end." Adagio gently placed her hand on Lemon's chest. "Me, Aria, and Sonata have all been in deep thought about our lost pendants, and out of three of us, I think I'm the only one who hasn't become the angriest person on this world, or a blubbering baby who drowns herself in colouring books to try and find happiness again."
"Your friends sound nice too, Adagio, but they're going through the same kind of problem. They're denying the fact that they're human too." Lemon Zest pulled her headphones out of her bag and tapped a few buttons on one of the sides. She eventually found the song she was looking for and pushed the play button before giving it to Adagio. "Here, Dagi. I think you'll like this."
"Alright then, but again, I don't see how this is going to help." She slipped the headphones onto her head and listened to the music.
Instead of being a pop song like the ones she had come to know and love, it was instead a series of calming and peaceful reverbating notes accompanied with ocean waves. The music gave Adagio a sense of comfort, and made her slip into a state of serenity. She thought back to the days when she used to have everything, and when her sisters were actually happy too. She had a number of different memories as the song progressed, and each and every one made her smile. She closed her eyes, becoming completely encompassed in the calming noise.
"I mostly play rock songs, but I do keep some audio therapy songs on there for people who are having a bad day," Lemon Zest said from the background. "Just give yourself into the peace. Let go of the past, and move on. Don't stop moving, or the grief will overtake you. Keep pushing. Keep moving forward. And most importantly, keep on smiling."
After a few more minutes of listening to the music, it came to an end and Adagio took the headphones off. "Wow, Lemon Zest. I had no idea you were into this kind of thing, especially given that you mostly like rock."
"Well, I don't usually like sitting around in one type of music. Sometimes, I like to spice it up a little," Lemon took the headphones back and put them away. "And just like I like to try different types of music, I think you should try out some different things of your own, Adagio."
"Like what?" Adagio asked.
"I dunno. Just take some more vacations, try doing some new stuff, or just make some new friends." Lemon looked out across the fence towards the pond again, which was only starting to disappear under the darkening night. "And who knows? You might just find a new outlook on your life."
"I might just have to try that out sometime," Adagio's voice had perked up a lot since they had started their conversation. "Thank you, Lemon Zest."
"Sure thing, Dagi. And please, you can call me Lemon for short," she said.
The two of them looked out at the pond together and saw some fireflies emerging from the bushes to graciously glide across the water and illuminate the area. As the insects all flew in beguiling patterns, Adagio and Lemon both felt much warmer on the inside. They looked at each other and smiled, watching the bugs dance in the air.
"So, are you free tonight, or do you have stuff to do with your sisters?" Lemon asked after a long period of silence.
"I don't really have anything planned, now that you mention it..." Adagio responded. "Aria and Sonata can handle themselves fine on their own, and their schedules have been pretty empty since the Battle of the Bands. What did you have in mind?"
"Well, I'm part of this super-awesome nightclub where we have dance competitions each Friday. Y'know, to find the best dancer in Canterlot?" Lemon Zest reached down to pick up her bag and opened it up. Inside was a vibrant pink shirt with a black skirt and light green dancing shoes. "So far, I'm the reigning champion of the dancefloor, and I'm always accepting challengers. Maybe you could be my next opponent."
"Dancing, eh?" Adagio thought about it for a few seconds before she had an answer. "Might as well. After all, singing and dancing are quite similar for expressing yourself, and if I can be good at one of them, then why not both?"
"Awesome! It'll be great to see you on the floor, Dagi!" Lemon beamed as she zipped the bag up and slung it back around her shoulders. "C'mon! I'll even show you the way!"
"That's very kind of you, Lemon."
And with that, both Adagio and Lemon strolled through the darkened park towards the city.
Later, Lemon Zest and Adagio Dazzle arrived at the nightclub. It was two storeys tall with the words "Pop Locker" in neon lights. There was also a queue with red velvet rope to each side and a bouncer standing by the front door to let people in, most of whp, were geared up with rave necklaces and other bright clothes.
"That's an awful long line, Lemon." Adagio looked at all of the people waiting to get into the nightclub.
"No sweat, Dagi." Lemon shrugged as she stepped up to the bouncer. "I got this."
"Name?" he asked before noticing who he was talking to. "Oh! Lemon! How are ya doing, honey?"
"I'm fine, Strong," she said. "This is my friend. Adagio Dazzle. She's my plus one tonight."
"Well, if you're with Lemon Zest, I don't see why I can't let you both in." He stepped aside and unhooked the rope by the door. "Come on in, ladies. Have a nice evening."
"You too. Strong," said Adagio as the two of them walked into the nightclub.
Adagio and Lemon walked through a small and tightly packed corridor towards a curtain. They then went through the curtain and saw the true splendor of the club. There was a massive dancefloor with tiles that constantly changed colour, lots of leather couches that circled the many tables, and a bar which was serving a few guests. Everyone who was at the club looked like they were having a great time.
"So, we're gonna have our little contest in a few minutes." Lemon walked Adagio over towards a number of rooms by the bar. "Do you just mind if I change real quick?"
"Sure. Go ahead," Adagio gave Lemon a pat on the back as she walked into the room with her bag.
It took a few minutes for Lemon Zest to get changed, but she quickly slipped off her old Crystal Prep uniform and threw it into the nearby bin. She wasn't a student of Abacus Cinch anymore, and she was so glad to be able to get out of it and into clothes that suited her more. Sighing in relief, she got dressed into her dancing clothes and shoes very quickly, slipped her headphones on, turned on her favourite song, and started to rave her way over to the door.
"Aww yeah!" Lemon burst out of the room banging her head. "Now this is more like it!"
"So, are you ready?" Adagio tapped Lemon's shoulders while she was raving.
"Huh?" Lemon turned to face Adagio. "Oh yeah! I'm super-ready, Dagi. I'm just getting myself pumped for the contest. That's all."
Adagio merely chuckled. "You've gotta be one of the strangest girls I've ever seen, Lemon."
"Yeah. But as a wise guy in history class said, 'what fun is there in making sense'?" Lemon ran towards the stage. "Follow me, Dagi! We're gonna kick this contest off with a bang!"
Adagio followed Lemon Zest behind the DJ table where the two of them met the head of the nightclub. He was dressed in a black business suit which glowed at the sides, and shades that shimmered in the bright lights of the club. He had a wide grin on his face as he stepped forward to get a closer look at the girls.
"Lemon Zest! The Queen of the Dancefloor! It's nice to see you again!" He shook hands with her before he did the same with Adagio. "And I presume this is your friend?"
"Yes, Break. This is Adagio Dazzle." Lemon stepped next to her. "She's come to try out some dancing, so I was thinking we could spice up the contest a bit with a little exhibition match."
"I've got no quarrel with that. It's always nice to see a newcomer come on to the dancefloor," Break said. "And what an honour, isn't it, Adagio? You're not even entered into the contest yet, and you're already going up against the queen herself! You must feel great, huh?"
"Oh I do. I really do." Adagio pulled Lemon closer. "Let's just say that I wouldn't even be here tonight if it wasn't for Lemon Zest and her kind and thoughtful words."
"Well, either way, the contest starts ten minutes after this match, if you want to join that too." Break pointed towards a small sheet that was over by a table to the side with people already putting their names down on an entry sheet. "It's free to enter, and the first place dancer wins a free meal, a winner's certificate, and a chance to face Lemon Zest on the floor. So who knows? You could very well dance with her twice tonight..."
"We'll just have to wait and see." Adagio smiled.
"C'mon, Dagi! You'll be great out there tonight! I promise." Lemon gave Adagio some pats on the back.
All of a sudden, the music stopped, the lights dimmed, and Break walked out onto the dancefloor where a single spotlight shone on him.
"Ladies and gentlemen! It's that time of the week again!" he announced once he had been given a microphone. "It's time for..." He pointed towards the crowd.
"Pop Locker's Poplock Party!" Everyone cheered and whooped as the lights around the stage burst into life once again as a musical jingle echoed across the club
"That's right! It's time to get on down and strut your stuff to find out who is the best of the best, the possible new King or Queen of the Dancefloor. Because the winner of this tournament not only gets all the glory, but they get to dance with the one, the only, the undefeated... LEMON ZEST!"
Lemon was hastily bathed in the spotlight as she danced down onto the floor and did some rapid dance moves. She shook her hips as she walked forward and wiped her brow rhythmically to the music while stomping in a pattern. All the while, the club's theme song for her played until she posed on the final note, hearing the crowd cheer even more for her.
"Thank you, ladies and gentlemen." Lemon Zest waved to her audience as their applause started to die down. "Now, before we get started, I want to make a quick little anouncement. Tonight's tournament will have a little exhibition match. The actual tournament will start a few minutes after that, so make sure you stick around.
"But for now, I wanted to invite my newest friend onto the dancefloor." She turned to face the stage where Adagio was obscured by some small slivers of darkness. "She was a total downer until I came and cheered her up, she's gotten so much happier since I had a little talk with her, and above all, she's got a real cute face for a girl. Let's give a big hand for Adagio Dazzle!"
When she heard her name called, Adagio walked down onto the floor where she too was cheered by the crowd. At long last, she was receiving the adoration that she and her sisters had wanted ever since they came to the human world, and she didn't even need to sing to get it. She remembered what Lemon had said earlier, and was now taking it to heart as she waved to greet each of her new fans.
"Now then, these two will battle under traditional tournament rules," Break announced as both Lemon Zest and Adagio Dazzle took their positions on the dancefloor. "Both of them will dance together, but they may not make contact with or try to sabotage each other. They can use any kind of moves they want, just so long as they impress the crowd. At the end, the person who impresses the audience the most will be the winner."
"You ready for this, Adagio?" Lemon asked.
"Yeah. Bring it on." Adagio got into a starting position and folded her arms.
"Now then. Let's pump it up, shake it out, and poplock, as we give you Adagio Dazzle and Lemon Zest!" Break left the floor and walked up to the DJ booth where the DJ, a white girl with blue headphones, chose the song for the dance-off.
Within seconds, a dubstep beat enveloped the nightclub, and Lemon Zest was already moving to it. She stepped to the left and right in response to heavy notes, while in the lighter ones, she was moving her arms and legs in perfect sync with each other.
As Adagio looked on, she knew that she had to dance too. She stepped forward to the beat and rhythmically strutted across the dancefloor, flexing her arms and performing light heel spins after eight beats. It was only basic stuff, since the song was just beginning.
The song eventually increased in tempo, and both Adagio and Lemon very quickly upped their game. While Adagio began to stretch her legs and perform some bizarre and complex movements that would've taken weeks to learn, Lemon Zest did a run-off which was followed by a couple of cartwheels, and a few breakdance moves.
The dance battle was long and tough, and both Adagio and Lemon were sweating heavily. Then the final verse of the song came up, and the girls did their final moves. Adagio finally resorted to using the best moves she had learned from her time in the human world. She did a perfect split, before she jumped back up, somersaulted, and landed with another perfect split onto the floor.
Lemon's finishing moves were much harder to do. She started by putting her hand on the ground and revolving around it. She then transitioned onto her back and used nothing more than her legs to spin her around, gradually getting faster and faster until she ended laying down on her side with her head propped up by her arm.
The song finished, and both Adagio and Lemon were breathing heavily in their final poses. Both of them were still smiling after all of the moves that they had done throughout the dance, and the crowd was cheering even louder than before.
"That was actually pretty good, Adagio." Lemon was the first to speak once they both stood back up and walked up to each other. "You've got some funky moves, y'know?"
"Thanks, Lemon." Adagio wiped the sweat from her brow. "You're quite amazing too."
"And hey, it doesn't matter whether or not you win or lose. What matters is that you had fun while doing it." Lemon gestured for another handshake. "And even if the crowd decides over me instead of you, that should only compel you to keep going. You'll only get better if you really devote yourself to this kinda thing."
"Yeah. I will." Adagio took Lemon's hand. "Friends?"
"Friends." Lemon shook hands with Adagio, and the crowd's cheers continued.
The two of them walked off of the dancefloor, smiling as the members of the crowd all came up to congratulate the both of them for an amazing dance-off. They both accepted all of the praise and gracefully high-fived and shook hands with all of the people who were rooting for them.
After all of the time she had spent in the human world, Adagio Dazzle finally had what she had always wanted and more. Not only had she found the love and adoration that she and the other Dazzlings had craved since their arrival in Canterlot, but she now had a new best friend to help her out through thick and thin.
For once after her defeat at CHS, everything was looking up for Adagio, and it would only get better from there. As soon as she got home, she would tell Aria and Sonata about the time she had at Pop Locker, about the love that the three of them wanted, and about her first real friend.
