Rules of Engagement

“We’re going where?”

Rainbow Dash grinned widely as she took a turn into uptown Canterlot.

“Strip club!” Dash said cheerily. “The good kind, too; a real upscale sorta place.”

I stared, wearing a wry grin, and laughed. “And we’re going to a strip club… why?”

“Because butts and titties?” Rainbow replied as if the answer were obvious. “C’mon Sunny, you’ve been in the middle of a dry spell since we broke up and that was what? A year ago?”

“Hey!” I grumbled, “I get some action every now and again.”

“Doesn’t count if it’s got batteries, Sunny,” Rainbow replied with a smirk.

I rolled my eyes. Rainbow wasn’t wrong, my romantic prospects hadn’t exactly been leaping to the fore. Part of it was my schedule, of course. After the girls and I had graduated we had all opted to attend Canterlot University together. I, along with Twilight, had both chosen to pursue majors in advanced sciences and computing which took up a great deal of my time. I love the work but it definitely meant I was spending an inordinate number of my evenings alone in the lab.

Since high school I had dated only sparsely, my last relationship being with Rainbow Dash herself and, as it turned out, putting two hyper-competitive, stubborn personalities in close quarters for extended periods of time resulted in some serious issues. It had nearly torn us apart as friends and we both had agreed to step back from anything romantic with one another in the future.

Of course, that did mean that my prospects had suddenly gone from narrow to all-but-zero.

“So your solution to my romantic woes is… a strip club?” I said in an arid voice. “Really?”

“Hey, don’t knock it,” Rainbow shot back with a grin, “the girls workin’ the tables and poles have more skill than half the ladies in my classes.”

“I’m not denying that,” I replied. “I’m just not sure how this is supposed to get me a date.”

“What it’s supposed to do,” Rainbow said, “is get your feet back in the water, alright?”

“Who says I need to?” I asked grumpily.

Rainbow sighed. “C’mon Sunset, I know we didn’t work out, like, romantically,” she said a little apologetically, “but we’ve always been the closest of our friends, and I do, y’know, still love you and all that junk. I know you, Sunny, and I know that you’re lonely.”

I sighed quietly as Rainbow slid into the parking lot of what looked like a large and well-kept lounge and settled back in the seat, wrapping my arms around myself as I stared out the window.

“I’m not lonely,” I said, after a moment.

“Bullshit,” Rainbow shot back, “c’mere.”

Rainbow unbuckled and reached out, taking my hand and pulling me closer. For a moment I resisted but my heart wasn’t in it, and instead I just leaned in to Rainbow Dash.

For however else our differences and similarities had defined our relationship so contentiously, I could never deny how beautiful Rainbow is. Her hair was shorn short to a pixie cut but kept the gorgeous prismatic shades, and her body was as fit and toned as one would expect of someone who had earned a full-ride soccer scholarship. Especially now, dressed in a low cut top with hip-hugging jeans and a ribbon choker that matched her eyes. So when Rainbow pressed her lips to mine I didn’t resist or pull back, I leaned in and shivered at the sudden affection.

Rainbow’s lips had always been astonishingly soft for someone who spent so much time outside running. The same was true of her hands, small and petite as they caressed my cheek and down my neck.

Pulling away, I let out a small moan of irritation. Rainbow was right, I was starving for affection, even with all of my friends.

Friends were nice but… it wasn’t what I needed or wanted at the moment.

“Still a good kisser?” Rainbow asked with that infuriatingly cocky grin of hers.

“Ugh, yeah,” I grumbled. “Maybe it has been a little while.”

“I’m not askin’ you to find your one-and-only, okay?” Rainbow said as she leaned back into her own seat. “I’m saying both as your friend and as someone who loves you like crazy: you gotta have some fun, have a few drinks, get a lap dance, and maybe get laid.”

“Dash…” I sighed. “I… I really wish we’d worked out, y’know?”

“Me too, Sunny,” Rainbow replied in a melancholy tone. “But it doesn’t always go like that, right? We’re still friends and I’m not going anywhere, okay? And I want to see you happy.”

I leaned over and kissed Rainbow warmly on the cheek.

“You’re the best, Dash.”

Rainbow smirked. “Don’t I know it, now let’s get in and watch some hot chicks dance naked.”

“You’re also a dog,” I said with a laugh.

“Woof.”

We got out of the car laughing and made our way up to the entrance. A bald, heavy-set man in a dark suit with slate gray skin stood at the front and I briefly wondered if we were in the right place, but Rainbow flagged him down before we were even halfway there.

“Hey, Backstage!” Rainbow called out. “How’s it going big man?”

Backstage gave Rainbow a wide grin as she stepped up to him and knocked her knuckles against his.

“Damn good, Dash,” Backstage replied, his voice a deep, basso growl. “This your friend?” He gestured to me, and Rainbow nodded. “Lookin’ good Miss Shimmer, Rainbow talks about you a lot.”

I blushed and ran my hands down my jeans. I was dressed modestly in my favorite two-tone white and black shirt with my divided-sun mark on the front. It was cut low and showed off a nice amount of my collar which I always thought looked nice. Over it all was my black leather jacket, the one that Rarity had made for me as a graduation present. It was gorgeous and still like new even after a few years of wear.

“Hopefully she only tells you the good stuff,” I said with a grin, holding a hand out.

“Aw y’know, the usual barfly stuff,” Backstage boomed, taking my hand. “Talkin’ ya up, reminiscing ‘bout your old adventures, gettin’ hammered and ugly-crying ‘bout how she never treated ya good enough.”

“AAAAAAAAAHHHHSHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUP!” Rainbow slapped her hands frantically over Backstage’s mouth, blushing furiously while I laughed.

“You two are good to go on in,” Backstage said with a deep chuckle, thumbing towards the entrance. “Remember the rules; no slurs, no fights, and hands off the dancers.”

“We’re all here for a good time, Stage,” Rainbow said, grinning. “Thanks for getting us in my man.”

“Thanks for gettin’ me those season tickets,” Backstage shot back. “My wife and I love college football.”

“Oh I know,” Rainbow replied as she grabbed my hand and pulled me along past him. “A little Pinkie told me.”

“Shoulda known,” Backstage grumbled good-naturedly, “damned if I can figure how she knew, though.”

Rainbow Dash and I both shared a knowing grin. “It’s Pinkie Pie,” we said in unison.

Canterlot, being one of the largest cities on the continent next to Detrot and Fillydelphia, has its share of gentlemen’s clubs, although only a certain few of them deserved the title. The North End, as it was known regionally, was widely considered to be the ‘wealthy’ part of Canterlot and so had the best of the best on its streets.

Among those locales, The Last Note was largely considered to be the best. Enough to expect a fifty dollar cover charge which Rainbow’s favor had let the both of us duck past as we slipped through the crystal-glass double doors. The instant the pair of us were in the building we were surrounded by the rhythmic beat of music, a remixed track of one of the latest pop-punk singles that was flooding the radio waves.

The light was a little dim, just enough to be relaxing, and the music wasn’t so loud that it was obnoxious.

At least, not until you got to the dancing platforms and by that point nobody cared about how loud the music was.

“Wow,” I muttered as I blatantly stared up at a pair of gracefully gyrating women.

They were bare-chested and beautiful, with perfect hourglass figures. Their generous hips down to their thighs were covered by provocatively swaying veils of colored fabric. If one stared hard enough it was clear there was nothing beneath the veils, either.

“No way those are real,” Rainbow said evenly.

I swallowed a little dryly. “Oh they’re real alright.”

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “How would you know?”

“I haven’t gotten laid in months, Dash,” I said grimly, “so I’ve spent an alarming amount of my down time looking at internet boobs.”

“Huh… fair enough,” Rainbow replied with a shrug. “How ‘bout that one?”

I followed Dash’s finger to another, shorter girl who was executing a relatively impressive acrobatic routine on a pole near the center of the room.

“Definitely real,” I confirmed, “see how they swing and sway, but hang a little when she’s right-side up?”

“Yeah?”

“That’s how you know,” I said with a smirk. “Even good fakes are a little too perky, a little too firm, and a little too… solid.” I surveyed the rest of the dancers with a growing grin. “Pretty sure all the girls in here are the real deal, they all pass the ‘real ones go squish’ test.”

“Ugh,” Dash groaned and stared at me. “Tell me you didn’t seriously devise a scientific theory on how to check a boobs… what’s the word for realness?”

“Veracity,” I replied a touch defensively, “and Twilight helped!”

Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow. “Specs or Princess?”

“Both,” I mumbled.

“NER~DS,” Rainbow crowed before slapping me on the back as I blushed furiously. “Anyways, I’m gonna go ogle some dude-butts on the other end of the lounge. I’ll be in the softboi section if you need me.”

“No one's safe when you’re around, huh?” I said with a laugh. “I’ll stick to the ladies, thanks.”

“Sweet, meet up in an hour?” Dash asked, already backpedaling away.

“Sure thing, Dash,” I yelled, waving as I made my way towards a bank of dancing platforms with comfortable-looking easy chairs in front of them.

This was more my style; watching in comfort and relaxation as beautiful women swung their hips for my enjoyment. A part of me wondered if, back in my good old bad days, I would have installed a place like this once I had taken over the world.

“Probably,” I answered myself with a smirk.

“Here ya go, Sunny,” a light voice chirped next to me. “On the house.”

A drink was set down on the table next to me, and I smiled.

“Ooh, piece-a candy,” I said delightedly as I picked it up and took a sip.

I had barely gotten the first mouthful as I turned to the person who had brought it to me, which made me spit it out in a spray that splattered the floor beside her.

“SONATA DUSK?!”

“Ssh,” Sonata chided me with a frown. “You’re gonna bug the dancers if you’re screaming all the time.”

The youngest Siren sister had her arctic blue hair in her usual neat ponytail and was dressed in a sharp black vest buttoned to just under her deceptively impressive bust that covered a crisp white blouse. Clean black slacks hugged her hips and legs in a manner that I would have found fetching if I weren’t busy gibbering incoherently as I stared down at my drink and wondered idly if it had been poisoned.

“It’s safe,” Sonata said, answering my silent question. “Like I said, it’s on the house. All of your drinks are so long as you promise not to try and make trouble for us.”

I eyed Sonata carefully. “You’re bribing me? Why? What are you three doing here?”

Sonata sighed, then nodded for me to follow her as she walked back the way she’d come. I looked after her, a little uncertain, but decided I wasn’t willing to let the blue-haired Siren out of my sight, so I followed.

Sonata made her way through the crowd to the bar and slid comfortably behind it where she started dutifully cleaning glasses with a soft cloth in a manner that suggested years of habit and practice.

“We’re not doing anything wrong,” Sonata said after a moment, “but as soon as you walked in we knew we would have to convince you of it because you’d never trust us off the bat.”

I grimaced. “I’m willing to believe you three have turned over a new leaf, actually. I just find it kinda suss that you opened with a blatant bribe.”

Sonata rolled her eyes and chuckled. “Ye~ah, blame ‘Dagi for that one, it was her idea. Bribery and blackmail are her default settings.”

“Okay, that I believe,” I admitted before taking another sip of her drink. “And wow, Sonata, you make a killer G&T.”

“It’s my specialty!” Sonata chirped happily.

“Alright so… three Sirens lose their magic rocks and flee CHS years ago,” I counted off as I nursed my drink, “only to open a classy strip joint and take up bartending?”

Sonata frowned. “It’s a lounge and club, excu~se you. And what’s wrong with that anyway? Girls gotta eat.”

“Eat?” I raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

“Just because you broke our heartstones doesn’t change the fact that we eat emotional energy,” Sonata said a little brusquely while sticking out her tongue. “It just means we can’t use our magic anymore. Besides, we’re stuck here now… we figured this was a good middle ground.”

“So you all just… work here now?” I asked, trying to dial back my suspicion.

Whatever I had originally thought of them, I found myself genuinely believing that they were just trying to make a life now. After all these years they’d had plenty of time to make trouble and, as far as I knew, they never had which was worth some grace in my book at least.

Besides, I had gotten a second chance, right? Didn’t the Sirens deserve one too?

“Yupperino!” Sonata said happily. “Adagio runs the ship and sings at the main lounge stage on Wednesdays and Fridays, and as you can see: I tend the bar!”

“I assume Aria does security?” I asked with a smirk.

I could definitely see Aria doing bouncer work.

“Nope!” Sonata answered cheerily, “now c’mon, we made sure to reserve you a center front row seat.”

“Uh… thanks?” I said in confusion as I was pulled along in Sonata’s wake. “Front row seat to what, exactly?”

Rather than answer, Sonata continued to tow me through groups of people, slowly making her way towards the central section of the lounge where an imposing door loomed flanked by an even more imposing woman with a dark orchid complexion in a suit with a shorn scalp save for her high red mohawk. I had noticed the area earlier but ignored it because it was roped off with its own set of separate security; clearly marking it out as the VIP section of the establishment.

“Hey Temp!” Sonata said cheerily as she approached, her arm locked with mine. “Got a VIP by order of The Lady.”

The guard stared down at me with sharp piercing eyes the color of ice, and I froze like a rabbit under the gaze of an alpha wolf.

“Sunset Shimmer, meet our head of security,” Sonata said, gesturing to the Amazonian woman.

“Tempest Shadow,” she said in a thick Marexican accent, “ibuenas, welcome.”

I felt my mouth go dry as I stared up at the gorgeous and very muscular woman and I worked my jaw to get a greeting past my increasingly uncontrollable blush.

“Sit on me.”

“Cómo?” Tempest raised an eyebrow.

“U~h, n-nothing,” I stammered, “p-pleased to meet you.”

Tempest nodded sharply before stepping to the side and moving the thick rope along with herself, permitting us into the area.

“Thanks Temp!” Sonata sang as she trotted past, pulling my still-dumbfounded ass behind her.

“Of course, Miss Dusk,” Tempest replied, nodding and closing the rope behind us. “Enjoy the show, Miss Shimmer.”

“I already am,” I mumbled as we passed Tempest, my eyes lingering for a moment before turning my gaze to Sonata. “I would willingly die under that ass.”

“Right?” Sonata said with a massive grin. “Tempest is dumb thicc. We tried to get her to dance but she gets really embarrassed.”

“I would kill a man to see that beast of a woman blush,” I said, laughing.

“It. Is. Adorable,” Sonata confirmed with mock severity.

Laughter bubbled up from both of us as we moved through the short hallway, and I found myself truly enjoying Sonata’s company as we approached the muted hubbub of activity ahead. The younger Siren was surprisingly fun to be around and had a certain joie de vivre that was infectious; as if everything was lighter and more amusing around her.

“Hey, Sonata?” I said as they approached a set of double-doors.

“Hm?” Sonata looked over at me curiously.

“Let’s be friends, okay?”

For the first time that evening Sonata looked genuinely wrong-footed as she stared with her jaw hanging slightly open.

“W-why?” Sonata asked finally, her voice far more subdued than before.

I raised an eyebrow and smiled crookedly. “Because I’m having fun talking to you?” I said with a small laugh. “And I’d really like to keep doing it if that’s, y’know, cool with you. I think I’d like hanging out with you is all.”

“Really?” Sonata asked quietly. “You don’t think I’m… I’m annoying?”

“One of my best friends is on a permanent sugar high,” I deadpanned, “and I would die for her, so no, Sonata, I don’t think you’re annoying.”

For a few moments we both stood silently outside the doors to the main VIP lounge. It was long enough that I started to become a little concerned.

“Sonata?”

“Call me ‘Nata,” Sonata said suddenly. “I… I don’t have very many friends; basically just my sisters, a couple of the dancers who can put up with me, and Tempest of course, and they all call me ‘Nata.”

“Not ‘Miss Dusk’?” I joked, elbowing Sonata lightly in the ribs.

“That’s just Tempest being a stickler,” Sonata said with a grin, “she’s really laid back once she’s off the clock and has a couple of shots of tequila in her.”

I licked my lips. “I wouldn’t mind doing a couple of shots of tequila off her.”

“You are thirsty, huh?” Sonata jabbed, and I rolled my eyes.

“I’ve been on like an eight-month dry spell here, alright?” I groaned, “and now I’m suddenly surrounded by a regiment of incredibly hot women.”

“Aren’t like, all of your friends gorgeous women?” Sonata asked with a chuckle.

“Don’t remind me,” I grumbled before raising a hand and counting off: “Rarity and AJ are attached at the hip, Pinkie is way too high energy for me, Rainbow and I crashed and burned, I love Fluttershy to death but she is a freak in the sack and it honestly kinda weirds me out, and the only thing Twilight gets hot under the collar for are quantum differentials,” I sighed as I waved a hand, “which I totally support! But it doesn’t help the fact that nobody has calculated my derivatives in nearly a year.”

“Wow, talk about whiffing,” Sonata said, patting me gently on the shoulder. “Let’s get you in there though, show’s about to start!”

“What is this ‘show’ you keep talking about?!” I asked as Sonata pushed me through the door. “Also, about what you said to Tempest: who is ‘The Lady’ exactly? Adagio?”

Rather than answer her question, Sonata pushed me through the small crowd to one of the front row seats in the center column.

“Uh, occupado,” I said with a doleful grin as I realized all of the front seats were taken. “I can sit somewhere else.”

Sonata scowled and walked past me towards the guy sitting in the center chair.

“Sir, this seat was reserved,” she said evenly.

The guy turned, his complexion was powder blue with fair blonde hair, and annoyance writ across his face.

“And?” He snapped. “I paid good money to get in here, and all the other good seats were taken.”

“Then you should have come earlier,” Sonata replied through gritted teeth. “Now move.”

“Shove off,” he replied before turning back to the stage.

“Hey, ‘Nata, it’s fine,” I said quietly. “I can just-”

Sonata cut through the rest of my words by swiveling on her heel, putting her fingers to her lips, and letting off two sharp whistles.

The guy barely had time to look up before Tempest was sweeping past us with a distressing level of stealth for someone so huge.

“Temp,” Sonata said with an ugly scowl as she jerked a thumb over her shoulder towards the guy in the hair, “yeet this freak.”

“Hey wai-!”

“As you say, Miss Dusk,” Tempest replied sharply.

Before the guy could reply Tempest had a grip around his throat and was dragging him bodily out of the seat towards the exit. All he could do was flail uselessly and gurgle as I watched him be ejected from the VIP section and, presumably, the Last Note itself.

“Ugh, I hate those guys,” Sonata grumbled with her hands planted crossly on her hips. “Entitled pricks.”

I snorted and laughed at that. “Has customer service gotten any better over the past centuries?”

“N~ope,” Sonata replied with a dry smirk. “Now, take a seat and I’ll let ‘Dagi know we’re good to go! Enjoy the show!”

“Uh, sure,” I said, still a little uncertain but not willing to disobey as Sonata pranced off behind the curtains.

Especially not after that display.

Settling into the chair, I let out a quiet sigh. It was a really comfortable chair, and it was practically a double-wide. Two people could easily fit on any of the few center chairs, though I wasn’t entirely sure why. I wasn’t complaining though, as it gave me plenty of room to lean back and relax.

A few moments later the lights dimmed further until most of the room was shrouded in low light. The curtains rose to reveal an ornate catwalk stage with a gleaming silver pole in the center, answering my question as to what kind of show it was.

Most telling, though, was the figure at the head of the stage.

Adagio Dazzle, leader of the Sirens, lead singer of the Dazzlings, and my own one-time nemesis, lifted a thin, filigreed microphone to her perfectly full lips.

“Good evening, all you lovelies.”

I shivered.

As an age-old songstress, Adagio had always had a powerful voice, perfectly tuned to whatever it was she was doing, but the one she used tonight could’ve melted glaciers.

“I’m not that desperate, I’m not that desperate, I’m not that desperate,” I changed quietly to myself. “I am never booty-calling Adagio Dazzle-level out of options, even if she does have an ass like unf.”

If only my libido was buying that line.

Adagio was in spectacular form, wearing a long curve-hugging violet evening gown that hung from her neck, leaving her graceful shoulders bare and exposing just enough of her prodigious bust that what was left to the imagination kept everyone looking and her whole gorgeous body was framed by the most meticulously lovely poof of blazing orange hair. She looked older than when we had first met at the Battle of the Bands, but then so had Sonata, thinking back. It was more subtle with the youngest Siren sister, though, and Adagio did not do subtlety when it came to her appearance.

“Okay Sunset, distractions…” I muttered to myself. “Calculate pi, count primes, imagine dudes, anything but-”

“We have a very special guest joining us for tonight’s show,” Adagio continued, her voice smoky and sultry as she paced the stage like a predatory cat. “Someone to whom I, personally, owe a great deal…”

“Adagio Dazzle don’t you dare,” I hissed under my breath as my eyes went wide.

“Ladies and gentlemen, assuming any of you fit the bill,” she jabbed lightly, earning a smattering of laughter of the crowd as she approached the end of the stage to where she was nearly in front of me, “please join me in welcoming my old friend, Sunset Shimmer.”

The light that had been illuminating the stage and focusing on Adagio suddenly shifted to its focus to me, where I was sitting ramrod straight in my chair looking, and feeling, anything but comfortable. Adagio descended from the stage like a Greek Goddess from her lofty perch to hold out a hand for me to take, which I did because to do otherwise would make me look like a degenerate troll.

“Smile and wave, dear,” Adagio whispered as she pulled me close.

“Adagio, I will end you,” I snarled around the grin I was plastering over my face while I waved to the crowd of people staring at me.

Adagio smile turned shark-like. “I'm just protecting my sisters and my home, Shimmer.”

Before I could respond, Adagio lifted the microphone back to her lips.

“I’ve known Sunset since high school, my lovelies,” she continued, “and I can honestly say that I wouldn’t have any of this, or you, if not for her.”

I was actually a little impressed at how true that was and how grossly it misrepresented the actual events. Of course, the idea that Adagio wasn’t capable of twisting words into whatever contorted shapes she needed them to be in was laughable. I, myself, was quite capable of it after years of practice as Queen B of CHS, and Adagio was infinitely more practiced.

“So,” I said through the corner of my mouth as I kept a smile plastered on my face while the smiling group of people in the room applauded riotously. “You’re the ‘Lady’ who made me this offer I couldn’t refuse?”

Adagio chuckled as she lowered the microphone from her mouth, smiling affably to the rest of the crowd. “Oh Nodens, no,” she replied sotto voce, catching me off guard, “I’m a lady, Shimmy darling, I’m not The Lady.”

“Then who-”

“At any rate!” Adagio exclaimed, the microphone back at her lips as she grinned at the crowd. “You didn’t come here to listen to ramble about the old times,” with a surprisingly effective flick of her wrist, Adagio toppled me back into my chair as she turned around, and I stared directly upward to keep from staring at Adagio’s generous… assets… as she walked back to the stage, “you came here to pay homage to the real star of the house!”

I lowered my gaze and raised an eyebrow. Adagio was referring to someone other than herself as the star? That seemed completely out of sorts from the borderline megalomaniacal Siren that had nearly drained an entire school of its magic, and sanity, in a single night.

The lights dimmed as Adagio ascended to the stage and stepped to the side, and a soft rustling sound from above clued me in that the curtains were about to rise.

“May I present, for your viewing pleasure,” Adagio said in a husky voice, “LADY BLAZE!”

The music began and, if I’m being honest with myself, I had genuinely expected some remixed nightcore version of an REO Speedwagon song. Instead, I got a drum intro leading into a lively electric guitar as the curtain raised, revealing the familiar, and unfamiliar, form of the last Siren sister.

Aria Blaze.

I all but retreated back into the chair as I stared. Of all people to claim the stage as a stripper, the belligerent Aria Blaze had probably been somewhere near the bottom of the list near Maud Pie.

But holy shit did she claim it.

Where Sonata had a sort of youthful, svelte cuteness to her that seemed to transcend whatever age she looked, and Adagio had the full, seductive figure that pleasantly haunted the dreams of men and women alike, Aria was on a completely different spectrum.

Lithe, athletic, and toned; the middle sister of the Sirens was a vision of long, lovely legs, slender arms, and graceful shoulders, with a waterfall of purple hair shot with streaks of brilliant aquamarine that caught the light and tumbled down her slender neck.

Every inch of her was shown off by her outfit, too, if one was generous enough to call it that but given where I was sitting, namely in the heart of a glorified strip club, I figured certain allowances had to be made.

There were no cherry-red platform heels, sequined thongs, or any of the other gauche offenses to fashion that would have had Rarity in conniptions. Aria was letting her gorgeous body do all the talking for her and it had a lot to say.

Aria had a lime-green ball cap, spotted with band badges, pins, and safety pins pulled low, and a thin, sleeveless, black denim jacket, equally pinned and badged, cut off in a fashionably ragged punk manner at her midriff over her bright teal top which was cut even higher, showing just a hint of the lower half of her breasts, which I hated to admit were my ideal size; just slightly more than a handful. Her entire lower half was bare except of a simple purple thong, showing off what Aria probably considered, and which I wholeheartedly agreed, to be her best assets: her legs.

Delicate loops of thin gold dangled from her wrists and ankles, and she was barefoot as she slowly sauntered down the stage with a smoky smile on her face and her eyes fixed on me while the opening of the song trailed into a low, male voice, and all I could think as Aria got closer was:

‘Oh no… I like this song.’

And then Aria began to dance.

Her cap came off first, whipped off and sent sailing off the stage to land cock-eyed onto my head in a single flick of her wrist. The bill hung low and slightly obscured my shocked expression, and I had just enough time to consider how much practice Aria probably had at that move before she began swaying to the music, and at the word ‘Low’, her body dropped in smooth liquid motions. She moved perfectly to the strike of every beat, and more and more I realised just what it was I had forgotten about her.

Aria was a Siren. Music was in her blood and it showed. In moments she was on the floor of the stage and the way she writhed, legs spreading and closing, back arching, and the way what little clothing she still wore tightened around her made it feel as if she were speaking directly to me without using words or even sounds.

Her twisting body, shining faintly with sweat and a faint scent of perfume said: ‘I know you’re watching me, Sunset’ and the smile on Aria’s face, and the look she was giving, just reinforced it the message. Her body and her eyes said: ‘I know you’re watching, and I know you won’t stop… I know you want me.’

I bit my lip as Aria slowly rose and suddenly her jacket was off. That, too, landed with me, in my lap this time, and I felt my mouth dry up a little at the way Aria’s whole body just shone on the stage under the faint aqua and crimson lightning.

Then she touched the dance pole.

“Oh shit,” I muttered as I watched Aria’s whole body casually flex and lift, one-handed and one-armed, into the air.

Aria was suddenly upside down as her balletic legs curled around the pole near the top. The crowd hooted and crowed, but I could only stare in silent shock as I watched Aria coolly defy gravity while she rhythmically swung, spiraling down the pole with her whole frame rolling with the beat and melody of the song.

She was halfway down the pole when her top came off, and I couldn’t properly account for when it had happened. All I knew was that I was watching Aria exquisitely writhe her way down the pole, spinning slowly around and around, and then suddenly I got a face full of warm, and very distinctively scented crop-top tossed at my head which impacted with a dull fwumpf.

I swallowed thickly as pulled the top off of my face, still staring as Aria finished her descent, achingly slowly, until her upper body was draped across the stage, her legs still fetchingly locked around the pole showing off the definition and muscle of her lower half, while her hair billowed out around her like the gloaming light of dusk spilling over the ocean from the horizon. Aria sprawled enticingly; legs up, arms out, and her back arched like a spent lover on rumpled silk sheets as she stared out at me, and I made a mental note to start putting money away for silk sheets.

Swallowing hard, again, my brain had a traitorous thought:

‘Aria probably has silk sheets,’ I shuddered at the image. ‘I wonder if she’d let me use them.’

The song trailed off and the spell was broken as the lights dimmed, dousing the stage in darkness. Suddenly having my mind back in place, I let out a slow, shaky breath, and realised, vacantly, that Aria’s hat was still on my head. I went to move but my arms protested loudly; I was so tensed up that I’d been gripping the arms of the easy chair until my knuckles had gone white, and a distinctive warmth between my legs told me that I was definitely in need of some female company at some point soon.

Or at least a new pair of underwear.

“W-well that wasn’t so bad,” I said quietly to myself as I began the laborious process of prying my fingers off of the armrests of the chair.

Then the lights began to come on again, very slowly, and smoky guitar chords began to play accompanied by a different male voice singing in a low, seductive voice, leading to another thought, this one neatly mirroring the one I’d had at the beginning of Aria’s first performance.

‘Oh no… I goddamn love this song.’

My eyes widened as the stage took on a dull, rosy luminance, revealing the mostly-naked Aria curled up in an almost sleepy manner on the stage with her flawless back towards me and stirring in tune with the vocals. Slowly, languidly, Aria rose and turned her head to glance over her shoulder in a way that made my breath catch hard in my throat as bright, violet eyes meet my own aqua ones.

Then Aria winked as a bewitching smile traced over her cupids-bow lips, and my mouth went entirely dry.

“Oh no,” I whispered.

Rolling and turning on the stage, Aria prowled across the stage on hands and knees, her long, elegant fingers placing themselves slowly and purposefully with every motion as she pulled herself closer and closer to the edge until she was flowing down, cat-like, to the ground where she continued to stalk on all fours straight towards me.

“I don’t think this is who Rainbow had in mind when she suggested I get a lap dance,” I whimpered under my breath.

Aria lifted herself achingly slowly onto the chair, her hands settling on my thighs to give herself leverage, and making me shiver almost violently at the touch, as I was suddenly quite certain I knew why the chair was roughly sized for two people as Aria began straddling me.

‘Written’s Quill,’ I swore mentally, ‘she smells so good.’

Aria interlocked her fingers and stretched, hands over her head, showing off every inch of her body as her supple, toned form shone under the gentle red lights. I licked my lips as I stared at the pale, perfect fuchsia complexion, and the faint droplets of sweat that clung to her from her exertions.

“Like what you see?” Aria whispered, finally speaking in a soft, nearly inaudible voice as she reached out and ran her hands through my hair, gently kneading and pulling before letting go.

But not before a small moan escaped my lips, making Aria’s faint smile grow.

“Why are you doing this?” I asked breathlessly as the song continued and Aria rhythmically ground her enticing hips against my lap.

Aria’s smile was seductive and predatory in equal measure as she answered.

“Because seeing you like this,” Aria said in a throaty voice, “seeing Sunset Shimmer staring at me, wanting me, and aching to touch me?” A rich chuckle bubbled out of her as she seizing a hank of my hair, earning another soft moan as she pulled me forward, burying my face against her chest. “This is more satisfying than sex.”

I barely heard Aria’s gloating voice, my nostrils flaring and suddenly clouded with Eau de Beautiful Woman, coincidentally my favorite fragrance.

Then I was pushed away, my back pressed against the back of the chair with both of Aria’s hands against my shoulders as the Siren leaned forward. I felt Aria bury her face against my neck, and I shuddered as I felt a faint brush of lips against my bare flesh.

“Tell me you want me,” Aria whispered.

“Oh, come on.” I groaned.

Then I felt the feather-soft touch of a warm, wet tongue trace its tip against the side of my neck, right over my jugular, and a much louder, far more embarrassing noise left my lips.

“Say it,” Aria encouraged, and I could hear the shit-eating grin on her face as she moved to the other side of my neck. “Say it or I stop.”

‘Shit, you could get out of this right now… just say nothing… just… just…’ I thought silently. ‘All you have to do is… is just…’

I let the words tumble, low-pitched and reticent, from my lips.

“I want you, Aria.”

The instant the final word left my lips Aria tensed almost violently, and I felt a shiver rippled through Aria’s slender frame. Before I could say anything or ask if Aria was alright, the Siren had practically lunged forward and fixed her mouth over the lobe of my ear, her sharp canines catching the softest parts between them.

I let out a stifled, rattling cry, as I gripped the armrests of the chair so hard that I swore I was about to tear the arms clean off.

‘Holy shit, is this a lap dance or foreplay?’ I thought, my face blazing red as Aria pulled away and stared down into my eyes.

There was an utterly indescribable look of something very similar to hunger in the light of Aria’s violet eyes. Her eyebrows were up, and her beautiful eyes wide, and I had the stray realisation that Aria wasn’t wearing any makeup.

She really was just this perfect.

“Again,” Aria demanded in a hushed voice.

One of Aria’s hands moved to my neck, then up to my chin, gently pushing my head up as Aria pulled my jacket and shirt aside to lower her mouth to my bare clavicle, and I shuddered again.

‘How does she know right where to go for?’ I thought with a tiny whimper as I felt that warm, velvety tongue against my skin again.

“I w-want you, Aria,” I whispered again.

There was that tense-and-shiver again as Aria scraped her teeth against my skin, and I bit my lip to keep from crying out.

In the distance, the song trailed to an end and Aria pulled away, staring down in that inscrutable manner at what must have been my violently blushing face.

“Stay,” Aria commanded before getting up from the chair.

That wasn’t a particularly hard command to follow given that I did not trust my legs to hold me up right now. Instead, I pulled out my phone and shot a text to Rainbow letting her know that I was kind of… busy, but safe, and might not make our meetup.

Rainbow Dash’s response was, predictably, ‘WOO GO GET SOME’.

Sighing, I glanced up from my phone to see Aria and Adagio speaking in hushed tones. Adagio looked… strained, for lack of a better term, and Aria looked entirely immoveable on whatever it was she was arguing for.

The people were beginning to file out, talking animatedly, and I could understand why. The performance had been relatively short but extremely memorable. Aria’s stage presence was commanding, and her movement was...

I swallowed dryly.

Very, very nice.

“Fine, do what you will!”

I heard Adagio snap and turn on her heel, stalking away from her younger sister, and I blinked in confusion as Aria grinned like a cat who’d caught a mouse under its paw and was considering how exactly to play with it. Of course, it was only as Aria started to turn and regard me again with those sharp, fever-bright eyes of hers, that I remembered that I was the mouse.

Aria stalked back over, her body swaying with its natural charm, and I marveled at her ability to maintain an air of almost regal dignity whilst wearing less fabric than a cloth handkerchief.

“You’re staying,” Aria said firmly.

I raised an eyebrow, “I… uh… y-you told me to stay, so-”

“That’s not what I meant,” Aria replied with a small smile as she moved forward and leaned down, her hands covering mine on the arms of the chair as she leaned down until our noses were almost touching.

“The night,” she said simply.

“H-Huh?”

“You’re staying the night,” Aria clarified, her grin almost carnivorous. “With me.”

I swallowed again.

“I am?” I squeaked.

Aria nodded, “unless you don’t want to, that is,” she said as she stood up and stretched again, letting me get another good, long look. “I can’t force you after all… so I’ll just go into the back there,” Aria pointed out a small door to the side of the stage, “where my room is, the second on the left down the stairs,” she turned back and grinned again at me, “and you can follow me back if you want to.”

“W-” I felt my throat close up as my eyes roved up and down Aria’s enchantingly limber body, and I took a deep breath to steady myself. “Why?”

Aria leaned in again until her lips were an inch from my ear, and her tongue darted out to lick along the edge of it earning another squeak from me before Aria finally answered.

“Because the only thing better than knowing you want me,” Aria explained in a husky voice, “would be having you under me.”

She nipped at my ear before pulling away and turning, swinging her hips with an exaggerated sashay as she moved to the door and through it, shooting a single, confident glance back at me before vanishing and leaving the door open invitingly.

“You don’t have to go through that door, Sunset,” I muttered to myself. “You can get up, go outside, go home, change your panties, and then… fuck… I dunno, rub one out and go to bed lonely again.”

I closed my eyes in annoyance, then stood up, only belatedly realising I was still holding the bundle of Aria’s clothes, and that her hat was still perched on my head, albeit shakily.

“Well… I can’t just… take her clothes,” I said quietly. “And I’m… I’m not going to just throw them on the floor… that’d be rude. I should return them.”

I looked up at the door and let out a slow, shuddering breath.

“Y-yeah, I’ll… return them, and then…” I felt another fiery blush cover my face. “Ooh… s~hit,” I swore as I started towards the door. “There is gonna be a special place in Tartarus for me after tonight.”

I shut the door behind me.