Adagio was asleep when it happened, but it was shocking enough to shake her from her short, fruitless slumber.
She couldn’t believe what she was feeling. It was a buzzing, a sort of vibration, beneath her skin, intense enough to wake her from her nap. It was a feeling that had no equivalent, no imitator. It could only be her pendant. The magical artifact had a very distinct energy, and there could be no confusing it for another. The sudden buzzing in her core caused her to shudder, let out a small, breathless gasp. Adagio tried to maintain a calm facade, scanning her fellow Siren for any reaction.
Sonata was sitting beside her on their old, dingy couch, the wrong way up and kicking her feet idly as she flipped through her cell phone, no doubt talking to one of those damned Rainbooms. Adagio loathed Sonata’s ability, her willingness, to forgive those girls for what they did. If she had even a modicum of her original power, she would be doing anything she could to get revenge on the girls who had taken everything from her.
“Where’s Aria?” asked Adagio, her voice slightly shaky. Sonata didn’t look up, and she certainly didn’t have the expression of someone who had just been run through with lost, powerful magic.
“Bathroom,” said Sonata, tweeting or Snapchatting or some other idiotic thing Adagio had neither the time nor patience for. “What’s for dinner?”
Adagio ignored her companion, instead rising from the couch and slipping out of their living room. The Dazzling’s apartment was small, just barely enough to accommodate the three. Their kitchen and living room occupied much of the same space, there was but one bathroom among the three, and Aria and Sonata had to share a bed (much to Aria’s annoyance). Despite the small size of the abode, Adagio found herself feeling as if the bathroom was on Mars as opposed to just down the hall. She could feel that energy, once familiar and now totally foreign, weighing her down. She could hardly walk. Her hand trembled as she knocked on the bathroom door, hor ordinarily firm and authoritative raps now weak and shaky.
“Can you give me, like, two minutes without breathing down my neck?!” Aria’s sharp replay came brashly, harshly, and mostly out of nowhere, as per usual. Adagio hardly spoke to Aria today. She hardly ever spoke to her cohorts if she could get away with it. It wasn’t necessarily because Adagio didn’t like them, though she wasn’t exactly fond of Aria all of the time. No, Adagio avoided chatting with her comrades because they served as a reminder to her mistakes. Every sentence they shared served as a monument to her failure. It was maddening.
“Hurry up,” said Adagio, as calmly as she could. “I need to go. Now.”
“I’m coming, I’m coming.” Adagio only had to wait a minute or so before Aria opened the door, looking irate but otherwise indifferent.
“What?” said Aria flatly.
“Are you feeling okay?” asked Adagio. Aria snorted and rolled her eyes. As if Adagio cared about her enough to ask.
“I was only in there for, like, two minutes,” scoffed Aria. “And what do you care?”
“Just… You’re not feeling anything strange?” asked Adagio. She ordinarily would have remarked about how rude and snippy Aria was, but she currently had bigger fish to fry. “Nothing different?”
“Ugh. What are you even talking about?” asked Aria. “Different how? Like Shark Week? Cause I don’t think that’s any of your business.”
“Just… Ugh, nevermind. Let me through.” Aria rolled her eyes, but did as she was told, stepping past the Siren that once led them on the path to glory. Adagio knew that Aria must have despised her for how spectacularly she had failed. If she had any recourse, any sort of contingency whatsoever, she’d take Sonata and leave Adagio to starve on their own. But, for now, she was stuck with Adagio, a fact that the Siren leader was acutely aware of.
Adagio gave this little thought as she pushed into the bathroom, slamming the door and locking it behind her. She stared into the mirror, her formerly luxurious, voluptuous yellow-orange hair now a flat, tangled mess. The dark circles under her eyes were only growing more pronounced with time, another product of the Rainboom’s meddling. Her Siren biology didn’t allow her the luxury of proper sleep, nothing more than twenty or so minutes at a time, but the loss of their magic left her feeling lethargic, drowsy. Deprived of the one thing her mind craved more than anything. She hated what she saw in the mirror. The Adagio that looked back at her wasn’t the brilliant tactician, the seductress performer. The Adagio that looked back at her was a failure. A disappointment. An incompetent has-been who couldn’t achieve the simplest of goals to provide for the two Sirens under her leadership.
Adagio slipped her hand into her pocket, her thin, dainty fingers wrapping around a cool, smooth fragment. She pulled it from the depths of her pocket, holding it in front of her face. Ever since the Battle of the Bands, no fewer than six months ago, the little shard of Adagio’s gem was a dull, dusty red, a far cry from the stone’s original scarlet glow. It had grown cold, devoid of the bubbling warmth that it used to contain. The gem had lost all of its luster, its majesty. All of its power.
When Adagio brought the small shard to her face, it began to glow. The gem adopted a deeper red, giving off light and heat in equal measure. It wasn’t as bright as it had once been, nor was it as warm, but it was definitely an improvement on what it had been when it originally shattered. Adagio couldn’t believe what she was looking at. It was impossible, yet, there it was.
Her gem was alive.
A rare grin developed on her features. She grabbed a brush and her blow-dryer, as well as some hair spray, then got about taming the beast that was her unkempt mane. As she worked, she could barely contain herself. This was her chance at redemption. Her opportunity to rise from the gutters of defeat. For the first time in over six months, she would be performing, feeding, hunting.
And she vowed to look her absolute best while she did so.
Adagio trembled as she smelled the familiar, long-missed aroma of negative energy. She breathed it in, trying to get every scrap of it that she could. It sent shivers down her spine, knowing that it was back. She was back. Or, at the very least, she was on her way.
She still couldn’t sing, but manufacturing some negativity was simple enough without a musical number. The cafe she had chosen to hunt at was fairly crowded, and Adagio’s predatory instincts were second to none. She found her marks almost as soon as she stepped into the cafe; a couple sitting near the rear of the bustling establishment. The man was unexceptional, just some boring twenty-something hipster. It was his date that caught Adagio’s attention. Her designer clothes, purse, and shoes screamed overcompensation for her decidedly average face and figure. Adagio couldn’t quite make out what the woman was saying from across the cafe, but she could tell that she wasn’t happy. Her body language, the disinterest and lack of focus on the man’s face, the way she snapped to get the his attention, it all made it very clear what was going on.
Adagio waited until the girl rose from her seat, no doubt to make a trip to the restroom. Here, Adagio saw her opportunity and took it. She crossed the room, scribbling on her palm with a pen as she did. She hid the pen, and the writing, as she approached the man. Adagio waited a moment for him to carelessly move his cup and hurried past. Just to plan, she bumped his arm, spilling coffee all over her tights.
“Jesus!” Adagio recoiled as if she hadn’t expected it, doing a good job of playing the clumsy ditz. She knew her sessions spent analyzing Sonata would pay off. “Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry!”
“What? No, don’t be, you’re the one who got all messy.” And, just like that, he had fallen into Adagio’s trap. “Here, let me get that for you…”
Adagio let the man attempt to dry the spilled drink with a napkin. This would be even easier than she thought.
“Thanks. I’m Adagio, by the way,” she said, offering her hand to shake. The man accepted the handshake, smiling at her.
“Dustin. Nice meeting you.”
With that, Adagio began her attack. She slid into the seat across from him and turned up her charm, masking the cold, unfeeling hunger she felt with cute charm and idle, irrelevant smalltalk. When she had Dustin locked in the flow of conversation, she transitioned from smalltalk to overt flirting. It took a few tries, but she managed to hook him with this as well. He bragged about his band, which Adagio mentioned she’d love to see one day. She took note of his tattoos, innocently asking if the ones on his neck had hurt and pretending to be impressed when he assured her that they didn’t. She inquired as to if he had more, and if she could see them. Adagio wasn’t interested in this man in the slightest. She didn’t care about his band. She didn’t care about his tattoos. She saw Dustin as little more than a snack. Little more than prey.
Adagio was leaned over the table, gripping Dustin’s bicep in faux-adoration when his girlfriend arrived, and the reaction was just what she had expected.
“What the hell?!” Adagio turned coyly, pretending to be shocked to see the girl standing there. “What the hell is this?!”
“Oh, damn, Ivy, it’s not what it looks like,” sighed Dustin. If Adagio were to guess, this sort of thing happened often.
“Um, what is that supposed to mean?” asked Adagio, excellently imitating annoyance. “And who is this?”
“This is his girlfriend,” snarled Ivy. “Or at least, I was when we walked in. That might be changing any minute now.”
“Girlfriend? You never said anything about a girlfriend!” Adagio looked aghast, but actually had to fight to keep the grin back. “I’ll have you know, I’m not some hussy side-piece!”
“What? No! No, no, we were just talking,” said Dustin. “Ivy, I swear, that’s all this was. I spilled my coffee, I apologized, and we starting talking. I was just being polite!”
“Yeah, right. So polite that you just had to give me your number and beg me to call you?”asked Adagio. Though she had her back to Ivy, she could feel her fuming. “I should’ve known this was the case. All men are the same!”
“I did not give you my number!”
“So now I’m a liar?” Adagio turned and flashed her palm to Ivy, who was so angry that she probably wouldn’t have noticed that the phone number on Adagio’s hand was wrong even if she had a good look at it. “Sorry, sister, but I think you’re in need of a new man.”
“You said I had nothing to worry about! But I knew it, you’ve always been checking out other girls! Am I not enough for you?”
And, with that, Adagio had captured her prey. She gave one last unheard apology to Ivy, moving away from the drama as she inhaled deeply, drawing in that precious, intoxicating negative energy. She felt the familiar heat flood her veins, her blood begin to simmer. This was what she had been missing these past six months. Fire. Power. Though the meal was meager by Siren standards, it was also the first morsel she had been able to consume in over six months. To Adagio Dazzle, this was Thanksgiving Dinner.
As Adagio went for the door, overjoyed to know that, somehow, her powers were returning, she heard a voice that made her breath catch in her chest.
“Adagio Dazzle. I’ve been wondering when we’d run into you again.”
Adagio turned, doing nothing to hide her contempt from the girl who had ruined everything for her. She stared Sunset Shimmer down, wishing that she could get her hands on the Equestrian reject. The hate that Adagio felt for the other girl knew no bounds, could hardly be summed up in a single sentence. It was without end, evergrowing in scope and intensity. Adagio didn’t just want to beat Sunset anymore. She wanted to do to Sunset what Sunset had done to her. Adagio wanted to take everything from her.
Then, out of nowhere, her spiteful scowl melted into a grin.
“I’ve been wondering much the same, Sunset Shimmer. Been keeping out of trouble?” asked Adagio, looking Sunset up and down. She worked at the cafe, as evidenced by her green hat and apron, but she seemed to be on break. Five minutes was all Adagio would need.
“I try. And yourself?” Sunset’s tone was suspicious, yet yielding. Adagio realized that Sunset was trying to go easy on her, and that made sense. She’d be a massive hypocrite not to give a former villain a second chance. Adagio made note of this weakness and strategized on how best to exploit it.
“Oh, you know, I’ve been busy. Starving to death is something of a full-time job, so I’m afraid I don’t have much time for bids to take over the world,” said Adagio casually. Still, Sunset winced. She showed pity. She was weak.
“What are you even doing here?” asked Sunset. “Can you… Can you still eat and drink and stuff?”
“We don’t need to, but we can. If we have the taste for it. Otherwise, there’s not much point. The only way for our kind to truly sustain ourselves is with our pendants. So thanks for smashing them.” Adagio rolled her eyes. “I was attempting to get a coffee, but this line…”
“What do you drink?” asked Sunset. Adagio raised a questioning eyebrow. “I’m just getting off my shift, but I can run back in and make you one. What do you drink?”
“Cappuccino, half-caf, nonfat soy.” Adagio gave a superior smirk. “Think you can handle that?”
“Think you can sit tight without trying to brainwash a barista?”
“Depends on how good the coffee is.”
Sunset smirked, which was a beautiful sight to Adagio. It was time to begin the “long hunt”, so to speak. And, just like with Dustin and Ivy, Adagio was supremely confident that she would capture her prey.
“The hell are you going?” asked Aria, stopping Adagio at the door.
“While it’s none of your business, I’m going out. Sunset is having me over for movie night, if you absolutely must know,” said Adagio as she slipped on the jacket she had borrowed from Sunset. It wasn’t particularly cold, save for the occasional November breeze, but Adagio knew that Sunset liked to see her wear it. She had learned a lot about Sunset Shimmer in the five months since the two had started “dating”. One such thing was that Sunset had a bit of a macho side, and she enjoyed being on the traditionally male end of their relationship. In attempt to appeal to that, Adagio found herself doing things she wouldn’t ordinarily do, such as ask to borrow the hoodie she was currently wearing.
“Ugh. I thought you, of all people, would be holding a grudge,” grumbled Aria. “She’s the reason we’re stuck in this dump.
Adagio hadn’t told her fellows about her returning powers. It was something that simply didn’t concern them. Adagio thought that, almost as much as them underestimating their opponents, it was dissention and lack of focus in the Dazzling ranks that contributed to their downfall. As such, Adagio decided that she was the only one smart enough to achieve the goals she had set, so she was the only one who was deserving of the power. Once all of the pieces were in place, when there was no opposing them, Adagio would share her power. But, until then, there was no use in bringing it to their attention.
“We can’t be bitter for the rest of our lives,” said Adagio, knowing full and well that what she said was untrue. “There may come a time when you need a friend like Sunset Shimmer. Besides, she’s cute. I may have a weakness for tough girls like her. I’ll probably be spending the night, so don’t wait up.”
“Blech. Whatever.”
Aria’s disinterest was nothing new, and Adagio was far too busy with her own plans to worry about what Aria had to say. She simply grabbed her keys and proceeded out of the apartment.
It was a short cab ride from Adagio’s apartment to Sunset’s, and Adagio was scheming the whole way there. Her seduction of Sunset Shimmer was going off mostly without consequence, though there was one particular hurdle Adagio was having difficulty overcoming. Sunset made a promise to herself that she would not touch Adagio for any extended period, which was problematic. Adagio was all for the slow, methodical approach to hunting, but there came a point where “slow and methodical” became “stagnant and stalled”. She had put in so much effort, and it seemed to be amounting to nothing. She had played nice, pretended to fall for Sunset, even got herself a human job to maintain a facade of normalcy, and yet, she still hadn’t tasted her revenge. If Adagio wanted to conquer Sunset, she'd need to move their relationship along.
Sunset had explained, time and time again, why she was so distant on a physical level, and, if Adagio put herself in the position of someone as empathetic, irrational, and weak as Sunset, she could understand why. Sunset was concerned about her new empathic powers and her inability to consistently control them. She was deathly afraid of accidentally reading her girlfriend’s mind and breaching her privacy, a fact that Adagio saw as both an advantage and an obstacle. On one hand, the chances of Sunset discovering Adagio’s true intentions were decidedly low without Sunset’s mind-reading abilities. On the other, Adagio needed to connect with Sunset on a physical level. That would be when Sunset would be at her most vulnerable. If Adagio wanted Sunset, she'd need to get the girl to lower her guard.
She kept this in mind as she knocked on the door to Sunset’s apartment. The door opened, and they went about their usual ritual; They hugged, careful not to touch their bare skin for too long. Sunset even pecked Adagio on the cheek; these brief moments of contact were typically safe, especially when Sunset was as calm as she was now. The more in-check Sunset’s emotions were, the easier it was for her to control her powers.
“Heya, babe,” said Sunset. She stepped out of the way to let Adagio into the apartment. “Sorry I couldn’t come get you. My bike just wouldn’t start.”
“Don’t worry about it. I don’t want you over at my place, anyway. The less you have to interact with those leeches I call my friends, the better,” snorted Adagio. “Sonata would embarrass me just by virtue of her being a brainless idiot, and I’m pretty sure Aria is actively attempting to sabotage my love life.” Sunset snickered, and Adagio responded appropriately with a small smile. Truthfully, she felt no joy. She could mimic it well enough, put on that sheepskin to lull her target into a false sense of security, but it didn’t change the fact that Adagio was a wolf. A hunter. She had no room in her mind for such trivia as a girlfriend. She was far too hungry.
“Please, you should see how Rainbow and AJ act when they notice I’m on the phone with you. They’d be so happy with themselves if they managed to break us up.” Sunset journeyed deeper into the apartment, with Adagio on her heels. They fell into their usual flow; Adagio laid herself on Sunset’s bed, waiting for her “girlfriend” to approach. From there, Adagio would do what she did best: flirt and seduce.
“Still don’t trust me? Makes sense,” hummed Adagio. “I did attempt to brainwash you all and take over the world. A bit of… trepidation would make a lot of sense.”
“Nah. They’re just jealous that they’re not the resident lesbos anymore.” Sunset stooped down next to the bed, digging through her DVD collection. “Plus, they’re overprotective. They’d act this way no matter who I was dating. Don’t worry about them. They’ll come around eventually. What are we watching?”
“Something trashy, romantic, and cheesy, if you’ve got it,” said Adagio. Sunset chuckled, but found a movie that fit Adagio’s description and slipped it into the DVD player. She flopped down onto the bed, resting her head on Adagio’s stomach, and started the movie. They watched in near-silence for about an hour, save for a few quips and shared chuckles, when Sunset turned her attention from the screen to the woman she was laying on.
“You know, you could probably get them to come around a bit sooner,” said Sunset. “I’m sure if you sat down with them and just hung out for a bit…”
“Sunny… I just don’t know if I’m ready. I can’t face them yet.” Adagio had been expecting this little suggestion from Sunset and had a retort prepared. By this point, she knew Sunset like the back of her hand, knew how to mold her like putty. She knew exactly how to get the appropriate reaction. “I’m so… It’s just… What if they don't see me the way you do? What if they don’t forgive me? What I did was awful, and I don’t know if even deserve their forgiveness.”
“Don’t be silly. Of course they’ll forgive you. They forgave me, didn’t they?” said Sunset. Adagio noted Sunset’s solid reasoning, recognizing it as a potential threat for future plans. Luckily for her, she was playing the role of the insecure girlfriend, and that role allowed her to ignore solid reason and logic such as Sunset’s.
“It’s not the same… You’re a human,” said Adagio. She caught a glimpse of Sunset’s bemused expression and quickly corrected herself. “Or you’re close enough. You’re something they understand. But me? They won’t understand me, because I’m not like them. I’m… I’m a monster.” Adagio let out a wistful sigh, wholly manufactured and extremely convincing. “I just… I don’t want you to have to choose between me and them, especially since I know who you’d pick.”
Sunset turned suddenly, placing her hand on Adagio’s shoulder. The two locked eyes, with Sunset staring forward with powerful intensity. If Adagio had any genuine feelings for Sunset, she might have even felt moved by the affection, the love in her gaze.
“Stop it. You are not a monster. And my friends would never make me pick them over you. If they did… Well, those aren’t people I need as friends, anyway.”
Adagio couldn’t believe it. She knew her influence was hard to shake, but Sunset was actually talking about renouncing her friends for this relationship. Sunset had really fallen for her, hard, and it amused Adagio to no end. The heart was a strange thing, somehow making a person incredibly strong and exceedingly weak at the same time. Adagio currently only saw the latter in Sunset, her blind, senseless, stupid infatuation nothing but a disadvantage. It was almost a shame, what Adagio intended to do. Sunset would have made a good servant, a perfect little brainwashed puppet.
But Adagio had learned from her mistakes, and she would be leaving no room for error this time around.
“You… You don’t mean that,” said Adagio, looking away. “I couldn’t ask you to risk that. They’re your friends, they helped make you what you are. I don’t deserve to—”
“Shut up!” Adagio pretended to be shocked that Sunset raised her voice, but that was her plan all along. At a certain point, emotions tended to blend into one another, until it was impossible to distinguish anger from love. “I won’t let you do this to yourself! I did the same thing you did, and I beat myself up over it for ages! For months, I hated myself for what I did! I won’t let you do that, not when you’re trying so hard to be better than before. You deserve better than that! I don’t care if I can’t hang out with my friends for a year, nothing is worth losing you!” Sunset wiped a tear from Adagio’s cheek (an extra touch of authenticity on behalf of the Siren). “You’re not a monster. You’re just like me.”
It got quiet for a spell, during which Adagio’s mouth stood slightly agape. She trembled her lip, forced herself to tear up, and formed her lips to tell a lie. The one lie she never told, the one lie she was saving for just the right moment to tip Sunset over the edge.
“Oh my God…” breathed Adagio. “I am… So in love with you…”
And, just like that, Sunset’s reservations vanished. She leapt onto Adagio, pinned her to the bed, and latched her lips onto her’s. Adagio was genuinely shocked at first by Sunset’s forwardness, but soon allowed herself to melt into the kiss. This was it. She could feel her gem whispering, calling out to her. She could smell Sunset’s energy, even taste a lick of it every time she brushed Sunset’s tongue with her own.
There was a flash of white, freezing Adagio in place. She felt claws at her brain, yanking out noise and color in a torrent of stimulus. Emotions bubbled to the surface, feelings Adagio had been masking. Loathing. Aggression. Irreverence. Hunger. When the light died out, Adagio suddenly found herself on top of Sunset, her hand loosely wrapped around her throat.
“B-babe?” said Sunset shakily. “W-what was that?” Panic was the dominant expression on her face. But Adagio knew there was more. She could taste it. Sunset was afraid, confused, but still, on some level, oblivious to Adagio’s betrayal. It was pathetic. “That was… You’re so angry. But why?”
Adagio said nothing at first as she squeezed Sunset’s throat, clenching her airway with a power that wasn’t entirely hers. Sunset, shocked from the sudden glimpse into Adagio’s mind, couldn’t respond until it was too late. Adagio’s grip was secure and, as she squeezed, Sunset felt herself getting weaker. She could struggle less and less in her lover’s hold, unaware as to what exactly was happening. Her magic was hemorrhaging from her body, flooding into Adagio at a startling pace. Soon enough, Sunset would be but a husk of her former self, while Adagio would have enjoyed the best meal she’d had in years.
“Ada…! What are you…” Sunset grabbed at Adagio’s hands, fruitlessly attempting to pry them from her neck. “S-stop!”
“You let your guard down, Sunny,” said Adagio mockingly. “You let me into your heart. That is your downfall, Sunset Shimmer. Your heart is too big and your brain too small. That’s why I’m here, sapping the life from your worthless, pathetic body.”
“A-ada…” gasped Sunset. “But… your gem is…”
“Shattered, thanks to you. I kept but a sliver of it.” Adagio pulled the gem shard from her pocket so Sunset could see it; it shined almost as bright as it did before, giving off a faint glow. Her eyes began to glow much in a similar way to the gem in her hands, the energy in her core building and mounting. “But it started back up. I imagine it had something to do with those geodes that you found at your camp. Something about activating them brought more Equestrian magic into this world. Not a lot, mind you, not enough for you to notice. Just enough for my precious little gem to fire itself up.”
“You… I can’t breathe…”
Adagio released her grip of Sunset’s neck, feeling the new magic slither through her veins. She could taste Sunset’s power, and it was just as incredible as she could have hoped. It bubbled in her veins, filling her core with fire. Adagio grabbed Sunset by the shirt, pulling her close until they were almost touching noses.
“Do you know why I lost to you last time, Shimmer?” asked Adagio rhetorically. “It wasn’t because of your unbreakable bond with your friends. It wasn’t because of my arrogance, not entirely. It wasn’t even because of that hail-mary save you managed at the Battle of the Bands. No, my sweet, darling Shimmy, you won because I held back.” Adagio traced her Sunset’s face with her finger, lovingly caressing a woman who she saw as nothing more than a meal. “I showed you mercy. I wanted you brainless, doing my bidding, breathing. But now… Now, I won’t allow you the mercy of being my slave. Now, you are going to feed me your magic and, when that runs out entirely, your life.”
“But… I… I thought…” Sunset struggled to speak, both because of the overwhelming emotion and because of the energy she had lost at the hands of the woman she loved. “I thought you…”
“You thought I what? Loved you? Don’t make me laugh!” Adagio slapped Sunset playfully across the face, lapping at her remaining magic as she did. “Sirens are incapable of something as foolish as love. It serves us no purpose. Mimicry and seduction, however, work wonders for capturing prey. Like you, Sunny, baby. My lovely little Shimmy.” Adagio spoke the words Sunset had heard over and over these past five months, but they were loaded with venom. She released Sunset, letting her fall down onto her back. “I tricked you. I got you at your most vulnerable. When you were at your weakest. Then, I struck.”
“No… I trusted you,” breathed Sunset. She tried to push herself upright, immediately collapsing under her own weight. “It can’t be true…”
“You were wrong, Sunny. I am a monster. But that’s a good thing. I’m a predator, a hunter, while you are prey.” Adagio pecked Sunset on the cheek, tasting some of her remaining magic. It was so satisfying, burning hot. Heavy. Almost viscous, like molasses, and just as sweet. “I said I won’t allow you the mercy of servitude, that I would suck you dry, and that still holds true. But I thought of something. You took everything I had, so it’s only fair that I do the same to you. So, I think I will allow you to serve me for a bit. At least until you’ve seen everything you know and love crumble into dust.”
“W-what…?”
“I think I’ve changed my mind, Sunny, baby,” said Adagio. She grinned a savage, starving grin. “I think I am ready to meet your friends now.”
Sonata watched the door, chewing on her fingernail nervously. She hadn’t seen Adagio in almost a month, and she was growing worried. She had bombarded Adagio’s cell phone with texts inquiring as to when she’d be returning. Despite Adagio’s assurances that she would be back soon, that Sunset was sick and needed Adagio at her side, Sonata worried. Though she was over a thousand years old, she was a baby by Siren standards. Ever since meeting Aria and, eventually, Adagio, Sonata had grown accustomed to an older, wiser Siren guiding her. She needed to be led. She wasn’t used to being alone. It made her feel small, pointless. Stupid.
“She’s not coming back.” Sonata nearly jumped out of her skin. She was so focused on the door that she didn’t notice Aria slink up behind her. “So stop waiting for her.”
“She said she’d be back,” said Sonata quietly. She didn’t just hope that she was telling the truth. She needed it to be. “Adagio’s never lied to us before.”
“She’s never had a stupid girlfriend, either,” huffed Aria. She crossed the room and tossed herself onto the couch, laying her feet on Sonata’s legs. “Never left me in charge before. Never left for so long.”
“Sunset is sick. She needs Adagio.” Sonata wasn’t sure why she was so confident in that. She had absolutely no reason to believe Adagio. Aria had warned her that she was a cold, deceitful, manipulative creature by her very nature. For all Sonata knew, this was some sort of mind game. “We can share her.”
“Whatever, airhead. Don’t know why you’re so interested in her coming back anyway. Not like she’s done anything for us lately.” Sonata knew Aria didn’t mean to sound so angry. Despite what she might say, she knew that Aria was just as worried about Adagio. “She’s barely keeping this roof over our head. We need to start thinking about… An exit strategy, I guess you could call it.”
“You… You wanna leave Dagi?”
Aria sat up suddenly, staring boldly at Sonata. Sonata trembled in fear as Aria approached, growing nearer and nearer as her expressions became more and more intense, not stopping until Aria was glaring from just a few inches away from Sonata’s face.
“She left us, you idiot.” Aria whispered, but her voice was far more terrifying to Sonata than if she was shouting at the top of her lungs. “She left us because she never cared about us, just like I always said she would. Don’t you get it? She only stuck around with us because she needed us. And now, she doesn’t. So she left.”
“But… She’s like our sister…”
“Listen to me, and listen good! She was never our sister, not even our friend! So stop depending on her! Get it through your thick, empty skull! I’m all you have now, so you better get used to it. You hear me?” Aria grabbed her comrade firmly by the shoulders. “It’s just me and you now. The way it should’ve been to start with. Just the two of us.”
“Well… You have always been there for me,” admitted Sonata.
“Damn right, I was.”
“But Adagio has been there for us, too. We can’t just turn our backs on her.” Sonata was, by her nature, a follower. She was simple-minded, easily-frightened, and malleable, but she felt herself gripped by this sudden defiance. Sonata didn’t care what Aria thought. Adagio was their sister, and she wouldn’t give up hope in her.
“How can you be so damn stupid?” growled Aria. “Can’t you see that life has done nothing but suck since we met her?” She rapped on Sonata’s forehead, half expecting to hear a hollow thunk with each hit. “Think about it, nimrod. In Equestria: She failed us. Here: she failed us. And now, when we’ve got no magic, no way home, when we barely have a roof over our head… Nowhere to be seen. What part of that says that she has our back?”
“You just need to trust her,” insisted Sonata. “She’ll be back. She won’t leave us. She can’t. We’re all she has left.”
“No! It’s just you and me, Sonata. We never should’ve let Adagio into our duet, and we damn sure shouldn’t have let her take lead. She might be a Siren, but she’s not one of us.”
“But—”
“But, nothing! I’ve put in too much work keeping you alive to let you throw away whatever is left of your life over some selfish, big-headed, megalomaniac who couldn’t give two shits about anyone but herself!” Aria wrenched her eyes shut, damning herself for the tears that were running down her face. This wasn’t supposed to happen. When she originally met Sonata, deep in the oceans of Equestria, their relationship was meant to be entirely business. Siren magic worked better the more members they had in their performance, and Aria saw Sonata as an opportunity to increase the fruits of her labor.
That was over a thousand years ago, and, ever since then, Aria couldn’t help but feel responsible of Sonata. The two struggled to get along at times, most of it due to Aria’s short temper, but they were a duet. A team. They were a sisterhood, just the two of them. Not Adagio, not anyone else. Just the two of them.
“She left us for dead,” hissed Aria. “She left us all alone, and you wanna look out for her. What about me, huh? If you’re watching her back, who’s watching mine?”
“I am. I can look out for both of you. We can look out for each other,” said Sonata adamantly. “We are sisters, Aria. Whether you like it or not.”
“Are you really picking her over me?! After all I’ve done for you, after all we’ve been through together?!” Aria stood up, throwing her arms in the air. “I’ve given up everything I got in life for you! And you keep taking her side! You always took her side! What about me, Sonata, what about—”
“What about her?!” shouted Sonata. Aria froze, turning slowly to face her sister-by-blood with fury etched onto her features. “What about her, Aria?! I’ve always had you and you’ve always had me, but Adagio never had anyone! She’s never had any family before, so we’re all she has! If you can’t give her a chance, look out for her, maybe it’s you who’s the selfish one!”
Sonata stood, huffing angrily for a moment. Her bravery evaporated almost at once, as soon as she saw Aria’s pure anger, shooting daggers with her icy glare. Aria had this cold, dead look in her eyes that was infinitely scarier than a frown or a sneer. It froze Sonata’s blood, chilling her to the bone.
“Who the hell do you think you’re shouting at?” breathed Aria. Immediately, Sonata lost all fire in her voice. She stammered as Aria slowly made her way to her, fists clenched and hands trembling. “You think you can just talk to me like that?”
“A-Ari, I’m sorry, I just… You’re not being fair,” stuttered Sonata meekly. Aria grabbed her by the collar, pulling her up from her seat. “Ari, you’re scaring me…”
“I’m selfish? Me? I gave up my home for you. My family. My tribe. My future.” Aria pulled Sonata up higher, dragging her to her tiptoes. Sonata was terrified, babbling like a child, trembling in fear. “Everything I had, I gave up to protect you, you damned ingrate!”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it!” squeaked Sonata. “I take it back, I don’t know what I’m talking about, I’m sorry!”
“I’ve done everything for you, and you think you can just talk to me like that?” growled Aria. She locked eyes with Sonata, taking in the terror and regret on the younger Siren’s face. Aria took in a deep breath and released her grip on Sonata, which caused her to drop back onto the sofa. She let out a huff, then dropped onto the couch beside Sonata. “How did things get this bad?”
“Things will get better,” promised Sonata. “We just need to stay strong. Stick together.”
“It’s not that simple, stupid. We can’t get along on good vibes. We need to figure something out,” said Aria as she raked her hands through her hair. “I suck at this. Planning ahead.”
“That’s why we have Adagio.”
Aria gave no response. It always annoyed her when Sonata decided to be intelligent, especially when the two were arguing. There Aria was, getting into a groove and successfully beating Adagio’s name into the dirt, and Sonata just had to go and point out the obvious. Sonata always seemed to be stupid only when it inconvenienced Aria, which she found to be thoroughly annoying.
There was a click at the door, which snatched Aria’s attention away from her angry musings. She and Sonata watched as the door flew open and Adagio stepped in. Immediately, Aria grew suspicious. Something about the way Adagio carried herself was off. The way she seemed to flow into the room, the pace in which she moved. Her posture, her gait. Aria couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but she could tell that something wasn’t right.
“I’m home,” said Adagio, swinging the door shut behind her. “Glad to see you two haven’t burned the place down yet. I’m almost proud.”
“Dagi!” squealed Sonata. She jumped from her seat and leapt onto Adagio, wrapping her arms around her. “We were so worried! Where have you been? What took you so long? Why didn’t you call?”
“Down, girl, heel,” said Adagio, holding her arms up. “I told you, Sunset has been sick. Part of having a girlfriend is good bedside manner.”
“Where’s your coat?” Adagio looked up to see a very suspicious looking Aria, arms folded over her chest.
“I beg your pardon?” Adagio looked down at herself as if she didn’t even realize that she was missing her jacket.
“It’s the middle of December. You’re trying to tell me you made it all the way from Sunset’s apartment to here with no coat?”
“Mh-hm. Sunny was feeling nauseous and she had a bit of an accident on my jacket. I was barely outside, anyway. I stood inside until my cab arrived. And since when did you care about my well-being?”
“Since you vanished for a month and then turned up like you just ran to the store for milk,” said Aria. “Where have you been? For real.”
“I told you, I was with Sun—”
“Look, you can bullshit me all you want, I don’t really care.” Aria crossed the room and jabbed her finger at Adagio’s chest. “But don’t fuck with her. If you’re gonna go off to wherever the hell, doing whatever it is you do, then fine. But don’t lie to Sonata. She deserves better than that.”
Adagio peered at her cohort with a strange amusement, which annoyed Aria to no end. The superiority, the self-assurance, the sheer condescendance on Adagio’s face was blood-boiling. If Aria could get away with punching her square in the jaw, she would have. But she could see Sonata out of the corner of her eye, watching and praying that this confrontation ended peacefully.
“If you think I need to lie to you, then you are severely misinterpreting the nature of our relationship,” said Adagio. “I assure you, I was with Sunset. Hell, I wasn’t even away the whole time. I came back three or four times over the month to fetch things from the apartment. If you were never up and about to see me, that’s your problem.”
“Hmph… Whatever. Next time you decide to fall off the face of the Earth, just stick your big head through the door and say hey every now and then,” said Aria, trying her hardest to calm down. “Stupid over here was worried about you.”
“Ari was, too,” said Sonata, sticking her tongue out. “She just has a funny way of showing it!”
“Heh. Well, if it makes you two feel better, I’ll be sure to keep you totally in the loop of my goings-on.” Adagio cracked a devious grin. “Starting at the top of the month, I took Sunny to bed, slowly got her undressed, and proceeded to—”
“Ew! TMI, Dagi!” Sonata clamped her hands over her ears. “Lalalalalala, I’m not listening!”
“Moron. Well, I’m going to go settle in. Later, we should head out to grab a bite to eat,” said Adagio. “Sunset brought me to this incredible bistro downtown. It’s no negative energy, but, as far as human food goes, it’s quite edible.”
“You’re offering to take us to dinner?” asked Aria skeptically. “You never invite us anywhere. What has you in such a good mood?”
“I was under the assumption that you agreed with Sonata on my story being too much for your virgin ears,” said Adagio with a smirk. “But, as I was saying, Sunny has this incredibly sexy pair of—”
“Can it, big head. Just… Go do what you’ve got to do. Me and Sonata need to get ready.”
“Of course. See you.”
Aria watched Adagio head for her room, unable to shake this gut feeling that there was something off about her. She turned to see if Sonata had similar suspicions, only to find that she still had her hands firmly in place over her ears. Aria yanked Sonata’s wrist away, snapping the youngest Siren back to reality.
“Alright, here’s what we’ll do,” said Aria, her voice barely audible. “We can stick with Adagio. Watch her back, keep the Dazzling trio going. But only until I figure out what’s going on with her. If I find out that she’s up to something fishy… I’m taking you and getting the hell out of here, okay?”
Sonata stood quiet, knowing that this wasn’t the time to make things difficult by talking. She simply nodded. Aria nodded in turn, then turned for her bedroom. She needed to get ready for dinner, as well as her scouting mission.
She didn’t know what Adagio was up to, but she vowed to find out.
Adagio grinned as she strolled up to Sunset’s front door, key in hand. She stuck the key into the door and unlocked it, stepped in and slammed it shut behind her. She sauntered through the apartment, eventually coming to Sunset’s bed. She sat down next to the hardly-moving mass of sheets were her next meal rested, waiting patiently for Sunset to wake up.
This was it. Adagio could barely keep the grin back. She was about to end any chance at opposition to her power. It took her longer than she would have liked, roughly eight months, but the results were certainly worth it. She pulled her gem shard from her pocket, basking in its scarlet glow. The gem, and Adagio herself, both were stronger than ever before.
Eight months. All it took was a bit of planning, dedication, and eight months worth of patience, but Adagio had finally redeemed herself. No one could call her a failure now. She had accomplished more alone than she ever could have hoped for in her trio. And, soon, she would have even more.
Sunset stirred, a low groan escaping her throat. Adagio grinned, turning slightly to get a better look at Sunset. She seemed so frail and fragile, which was appropriate. Despite how tough and confident she seemed, Sunset was always weak. Now, she had the look to go with it. Adagio had broken that facade, exposed what Sunset truly was.
Prey.
“Rise and shine, Shimmy,” cooed Adagio. Sunset flinched, but could say nothing. “I’m back, my dear. Did you miss me? Because I’ve missed you. I’ve been looking forward to this day for quite some time now.” Adagio pulled her phone from her pocket, navigated the menus, and eventually landed on the gallery. She selected the first image and showed it to Sunset, taking in the horror, the disgust in her eyes.
Applejack was sprawled out on her back, her normally piercing emerald eyes dull and lifeless. Her mouth was slightly agape, giving her the expression of someone struggling to comprehend a difficult equation.
“I got Applejack first. She didn’t even know what happened,” whispered Adagio. Sunset wrenched her eyes shut, unable to look. “Open your eyes, Sunny. Open your eyes. Open your eyes, Sunset.” Adagio snapped out with her magic, slashed at Sunset’s will, until her eyes slowly crept open. “I want you to see just what I did to your damn friends.
“With the strength I took from Applejack, the rest were easy. Rainbow Dash was next. I broke into her house while she slept.” The next picture reflected this, being dark and grainy, but there was no denying that it was Rainbow Dash. A hand was prying her eyelids open to allow Sunset to see her dull magenta eye. “Now, I had Applejack’s strength and Rainbow’s speed. What chance did your friends have?”
Adagio continued, showing Sunset pictures and explaining to her just how she had conquered them, sucked them dry, crushed them beneath her boot. She showed Pinkie, half a cupcake in her mouth when she had hit the ground. Fluttershy, her animal friends surrounding her, poking her lifeless body in an attempt to stir their master. Rarity, her make-up smeared and ugly, splayed out clumsily on her sofa. Finally, Twilight Sparkle, her glasses snapped in two and shoved unceremoniously onto her face.
“It didn’t have to be this way,” said Adagio. She snickered at Sunset’s silent tears. She wiped them from her face, then planted a kiss on her cheek. “If you would’ve just given up the first time, your friends would still be alive. You’d be mindless puppets, sure, but you’d be alive. But now… They’re dead, Sunset. I killed them. I killed them, but not before I drained them of everything that made them special. Their Equestrian magic, their special powers, they belong to me now! And now… You’re all that remains of the Rainbooms.”
“You’ll… Regret… This…” croaked Sunset, barely able to get the words out. The pain she felt, physical and emotional, was debilitating. Adagio chuckled, framing Sunset’s face with her hands.
“I doubt that, sweetheart,” said Adagio with a laugh in her voice. “Eight months of work, and I finally get everything I could have asked for. My pendant’s power. The Rainbooms. You. How does it feel, Shimmer, to fail so spectacularly?” Adagio shook her head. “I know just how it feels, actually. It feels awful. Like you’ve let everyone you’ve ever cared about down. It makes you want to die. So, Sunset, I’m willing to give you what it is you want. All you have to do… is ask. Just ask, Sunset, and I can end your pain. Just say the word…”
Sunset closed her eyes, trembling in her bed. Adagio smiled with the purest of contempt, waiting for her prey to finally give herself up to the master hunter. Finally, Sunset opened her eyes, staring pleadingly at Adagio.
“P-please…” she croaked. Adagio grinned hungrily, her eyes glinting bright crimson. She grabbed Sunset by the throat and, making sure to maintain eye contact, squeezed tightly. She wrung Sunset’s neck, like a farmer to a chicken. Fire flooded Adagio’s veins, bubbling beneath her skin. She watched with trembling excitement, ecstasy almost, Sunset’s bright blue eyes dimmed and dulled until all of the light behind them was gone. Adagio stared into those lifeless, glassy orbs and gave a shaky laugh. It was over. She had won.
“I fucking knew it.”
Adagio froze, slowly turning around. She swore under her breath. So consumed was Adagio with her revenge, with her hunger, that she failed to realize that she had picked up a tail. Aria was clearly unhappy with Adagio, but Sonata seemed nothing more than confused. While Aria crossed the room boldly, angrily, Sonata watched timidly from the doorframe, like a child watching her parents argue.
“That was sloppy, old girl,” muttered Adagio, shaking her head slightly. “You let your guard down…”
“Idiot didn’t want to believe it, but I knew you were up to something,” said Aria, her voice trembling. “We've been starving this past year, and you've been hoarding it all for yourself!”
“N-no… It’s not like that…” whispered Sonata. “No, no… There’s some sort of explanation…”
“When were you gonna tell us that the magic was back?” demanded Aria. “When were you going to tell us that we didn’t have to starve anymore?! If you were gonna tell us at all, that is.”
“Of course I was going to tell you,” said Adagio calmly. “I was just waiting for the right time.”
“When?! When is the right time?!”
“When nothing could go wrong. When I had already won. When there was nothing that could stand in between us and everything we’ve ever wanted.” Adagio gave a small smile to her fellows. “And that time is now. The Rainbooms are gone. Their magic is mine. Ours.”
“You knew we were starving. You knew how hungry we were, and you still didn’t share,” said Aria. “Sonata could’ve keeled over any day. She’s younger than us, weaker than us. She isn’t used to conserving energy and fasting like we are. I still don’t know how she managed this long with no way of sustaining herself. Any of these days could’ve been her last, but you didn’t care about that when you were stuffing your face with magic, did you?” Aria felt Sonata grab her shoulder and shook free of her grasp. As far as Aria was concerned, the time for logic and reason was over. Now was the time for blind rage. “How long have you known? When did you get your powers back?”
“The day I met Sunset Shimmer at the coffee shop,” answered Adagio. She had no reason to lie anymore. No reason to fear the truth. “Around eight months.”
“Eight. Fucking. Months. What if Sonata didn’t make it eight months?”
“But she did.”
“What if she didn’t?”
“She did, and that’s what matters. I didn’t conquer the Rainbooms by worrying about what-ifs,” said Adagio. “I won. Sonata is still with us. No harm done.”
“Are you really that up your own ass? No one is that stupid and arrogant! These things matter to us! You can’t just keep it from us, you idiot!” Aria shoved Adagio, barely nudging her shoulder.
“Don’t touch me,” said Adagio sharply. “You’ll end up regretting it.”
“We needed to know that shit, Adagio.” Aria didn’t listen and shoved Adagio again, this time sending her a step back. Adagio gave a dark chuckle, devoid of all humor. It was the laugh of a giant being pestered by a gnat. “You should’ve told us! We would’ve told you, you stuck-up bitch!” She took a step forward, attempting to push Adagio a third time.
Adagio had moved fast, far quicker than Aria could have processed, and her grasp was stronger than she would have thought possible. Aria knew that Adagio was using but a fraction of her strength, but even that little portion of her power was enough to hurt her wrist.
“Don’t. Touch. Me,” said Adagio. Aria recoiled involuntarily at the sight of Adagio’s eyes, glowing and angry scarlet.
“Fuck, your skin… I can feel the magic in you. It’s burning me,” gasped Aria. She tugged her hand free, but she suspected that Adagio allowed her to do so. She massaged her wrists gingerly, her flesh raw and red from even that brief contact with Adagio. She had become more powerful than Aria ever thought possible. “Jesus, that hurt…”
“Apologies. I don’t know my new strength,” said Adagio. She glanced down at her hands, part of her beyond pleased at her power. “I nearly took the door off of my cab here. I feel like I’m in a world of cardboard.”
“No kidding. So… What now?”
“Hm?”
“Are you going to share? Or was almost breaking my arm your way of telling me to go fuck myself?”
Adagio wasn’t sure why she was hesitating. The plan was always to share the power. She didn’t need it all, and withholding it would result in the death of the last two of her kind. She would be alone in the world, all for her own selfishness. There was no use in that. Adagio’s choice was clear, her mind made up from the very beginning.
“Come here, nimrod,” ordered Adagio. “I’ll try not to hurt you too bad.”
“Hmph.” Aria offered her hand to Adagio, who grasped it gently. “I guess I should thank you.”
“You’ve gotten along just fine without doing it this whole time. Why start now?”
“Shut up. I’m trying to be nice.” Aria could feel the heat creeping into her, crawling through her body, and she shuddered. “I… I’m a big enough Siren to admit that I made a mistake. I misjudged you. I almost took Sonata and left.”
Adagio stalled, her eyes going a bit narrow at her associate. Aria was so enthralled with the power flooding her veins, she didn’t even realize the glare she was receiving.
“I beg your pardon?”
“Heh. Yeah. I got it into my head that you were just straight up abandoning us,” admitted Aria. “So I told Sonata that we’d leave if I found out you were up to something. Which, I guess, you were, but… I probably should’ve trusted you more. So… Sorry, I guess.”
“Where would you have gone?” Adagio tightened her grasp slightly. “There’s nowhere to go.”
“I was gonna run to the Rainbooms. Tell them our problem.” Aria winced as she spoke, Adagio’s grip growing tighter with time. “I figured they would’ve taken us back home once we told them that you went AWOL. Thankfully, it didn’t come to that.” Aria let out a tiny gasp of pain. “Geez, could you loosen up a bit? That hurts.”
“Heh. You were so determined to be right that you were willing to ally yourself with the ones who had taken anything from us.” Her words were loaded with disdain and venom, but Aria could barely notice that. She was too focused on the burning, searing pain in her hand as Adagio squeezed it tighter and tighter.
“N-no. I didn’t want to be right. I was hoping you’d prove me wrong. Sonata really cares about you,” said Aria. “And I care about her. So I guess that means I’m stuck with—”
Her sentence morphed into an anguished howl, almost entirely drowning out the cracking sound of bone shattering. She dropped to one knee, fruitlessly trying to pry her hand from Adagio’s vice-like grip. Aria slapped and clawed at Adagio, then looked up into her furious, glowing crimson eyes. Adagio smiled vilely down at her, drinking in Aria’s fear.
“Well, you should have stuck with your gut,” hissed Adagio.
“What the hell are you doing?! Let me go!”
“Don't act so surprised, Aria. It was bound to be this way.” Adagio squeezed even tighter, pushing Aria further down to the ground. “It was always going to turn out like this. These things happen, when the main lead moves on from a trio to a solo act. The backup dancers get left behind.”
“B-backup—!”
“Yes, you twit, backup dancer. We were never a team. We were not an equal-wages group. Your job was to feed me and, if you are lucky, I'd bless you with the scraps! Who do you think you are, turning your back on me? As if you’re anything without me!”
“Dagi, stop!”
Adagio’s head snapped to the left, her gaze locking onto Sonata, who was briskly making her way across the room. She grabbed at Adagio’s wrist, trying to tug Aria free to little success.
“What are you doing?!” snapped Aria. “Get out of here!”
“No! I won’t let this happen! We’re a family and I won’t let you tear us apart!” Sonata weakly flailed her fists against Adagio’s chest, like a child throwing a tantrum. “Stop it! We don’t have to fight!”
Adagio dropped Aria’s hand, turning her attention to Sonata. The air went solid, the tension mounting. Sonata stared down Adagio defiantly, seemingly oblivious to the fact that Aria had done much the same thing and emerged with a broken hand for her troubles. Adagio wasn’t sure if Sonata was brave or just incredibly stupid, nor was she certain if there was even any difference.
“What are you doing?” Adagio was genuinely taken off guard. What could Sonata possibly hope to accomplish?
“I’m saving The Dazzlings! We’re a trio, doesn’t that mean anything to either of you?!” shouted Sonata. “Because, back home, they taught me that your fellow musicians aren’t just people you sing with. They’re your sisters! And, when it comes to sisters, you don’t get to choose who you get and you don’t get to run off and leave them behind. You’re stuck together! And I’m not going to let you two just fall apart because you’re stubborn!”
“You’re still a child,” said Adagio, her concentration legitimately thrown. She calmed herself a bit to address Sonata, as she usually needed to in order to make her understand. “You’re talking about things you couldn’t possibly hope to understand. Stay out of this.”
“No! I may be a child and I may be dumb, but even I know that there’s nothing more important than family!” Sonata jumped onto Adagio, hugging her tightly, as if attempting to squeeze the hostility out of her. The fire in Adagio’s blood burned, but that didn’t deter the youngest of the Siren. “You’re my sister, Dagi. I won’t let you turn your back on us. I love you.”
“Sonata…” Adagio spoke quietly, embracing her sister-by-blood gently.
“I love you, Adagio,” repeated Sonata. “We love you.”
Adagio broke the hug slowly, pulling free from Sonata. She caressed her sister’s face in her burning hands, staring into those big, round, purple eyes, shining with tears. Sonata gave a small, watery smile to Adagio, baring her heart with just her expression. With her tears, she showed Adagio love. Respect. Kinship.
Weakness.
“Sonata.” Adagio ran her hand down the side of Sonata’s face, stopping at her chin. “I’m sorry for hurting you. I assure you, that was not my intention.” Sonata’s face glowed with joy, her expression morphing instantly to terror as Adagio grabbed her around the throat. “But I don’t love you. I never have. And you’re a fool for loving me.”
Adagio forced Sonata to the ground, slamming her head against the floor with a sickening crack. Aria let out a shout and leapt for Adagio, colliding with a wall of shimmering orange light. Adagio held her hand in Aria’s direction, solidifying her stolen barriers into a wall of unbreakable diamond, much like the original wielder of the power.
“You were never my sister,” hissed Adagio. “You were never anything to me but a meal ticket.” She squeezed tighter around Sonata’s throat, sapping the life from her while Aria could do little more than sit and watch. “Before, you were a necessity. I needed you to feed. When we lost our magic, you became dead weight, but I still kept you. Now, because of Aria… You’ve become a liability.”
“D-dagi…” gasped Sonata. “D-don’t do this… I lo—”
There was a sick crack, like the splitting of a thick tree’s bark, followed by a quick, sharp crunch as Adagio mercilessly forced her hand down, crushing Sonata’s throat in her hand. Sonata let out a guttural groan, sputtering as blood filled her lungs. Aria screamed, tears flowing freely as she fruitlessly pounded at Adagio’s barrier. She slung swears and threats at Adagio, none of which managed to register. Adagio was far too focused on her meal.
Sirens didn’t typically feed off of each other’s energy, so tasting Sonata’s life force was new to Adagio. It had a much different taste and feel than she expected. Whereas draining the life from her former victims felt like magma flowing through her veins, Sonata’s energy froze her blood in her veins. The chill was numbing, breezing through her before her core began returning the fire to her blood.
“No!” Aria stumbled forward, Adagio’s barrier having been dispelled by the caster herself. She ran past Adagio, dropping to her knees to grab Sonata’s hand. Her skin was cold as clay, clammy with sweat but devoid of any warmth. “Wake up, stupid, please wake up!”
“She tasted different,” noted Adagio, pacing the room in thought. She didn’t intend to anger Aria, for she had no reason to. She simply thought aloud, voicing her observations simply for the sake of voicing her observations. “Smoother than a human. More… Ethereal and mild. Like she was barely there… Fascinating.”
“Nata, please…”
“And that sensation. The chill.” Adagio shuddered. “Like nothing I’ve ever experienced.”
“I’m sorry, Sony.” Aria trembled, clutching her sister’s hand tightly. “I couldn’t save you this time… I’m sorry…”
“I wonder if we all taste like that,” mused Adagio. She let out a sigh, then began to walk her way back to Aria. “If it’s any consolation, I doubt she suffered for long. I tried to be efficient about—”
“Efficient?!”
Aria let out a bestial shout before turning and jumping onto Adagio, clawing at her face angrily. Adagio batted her away effortlessly, grabbing Aria by the collar and slamming her onto her back. There was a dull crack, which Adagio presumed to be Aria’s ribs breaking.
“You tried to be efficient?!” Aria could barely speak, the wind knocked out of her. “She was your sister!”
“No. No, she wasn’t.” Adagio dropped to her knees beside Aria, laying a hand on her chest. “She was an idiot who thought Sirens were capable of things like love and family. She thought, just because she managed to shake free of her instincts, her bloodline, that I would do the same. She lowered her guard, got too attached, and died for it.”
“She loved you… And I did, too,” coughed Aria. “I never said it. Too scared to be seen as weak. But I needed you. You were my sister, too.”
“Hm. Then you’re just as stupid as she is. Was.”
“Maybe. Or maybe we’re smart enough to see what even you couldn’t. That we needed each other.”
“I don’t need anyone, Aria. I think I proved that over these past eight months, wouldn’t you agree?” said Adagio. “Without your help, I took down the Rainbooms. Without your help, I got my revenge. And, without your help, I will take this world and make it my own. You may have needed me, but I most assuredly don’t need you.”
“You’re going to regret this,” wheezed Aria. “One day, you’re gonna look back at what you did to me… What you did to Nata… And you’re gonna realize how badly you fucked up.”
Adagio didn’t reply. What did the opinion of a dead woman matter to her? She knew that she had nothing to prove to Aria, no reason to make her see the truth, so she didn’t bother trying. She just wrapped her hand around Aria’s throat and squeezed.
Adagio shuddered. Her blood ran cold. And, unlike before, it stayed that way, not growing warm again.
