Ardent Orangeby BlueMoonHarlotChaptersNo Rest For The Ones Who Are Not ComplacentYou Call It Chivalry, Never Pull A Punch For FreeNothing New, Repetition, Living Groundhog DayLive My Life A To Z, Fill Up All The VacanciesNo Rest For The Ones Who Are Not ComplacentPhweeeoooooo. Spitfire let out a low, lengthy whistle. Like steam from a kettle, Fleetfoot knew what it meant. But not why it was happening. She ran the last minute back in her head. Morning debrief with Spitfire. Normal day planned, no surprises to anypony that mid-ranking ‘bolt evaluations were underway this week. Rainbow Dash touches down. “Captain, ma’am,” salute – bearer business had come up. It happened – bearer business meant bearer business, and the team was well past clear on that priority. Confirmation from Spitfire, and a salute as she took off east towards Canterlot, as Fleetfoot and Spitfire watched. So what was up? Spitfire turned to her. “First Lieutenant Fleetfoot, you and Second Lieutenant Soarin will be in charge today. Run the drills, check one another’s blind spots.” Fleetfoot stiffened at the formal address. “Ma’am?” Spitfire faced back east. She raised a hoof and twice tapped the arms of her sunglasses. The captain’s damned talent for thermal version. Fleetfoot frowned and looked back east too, catching the last glimpse of Rainbow Dash vanishing behind a cloud bank. No contrail. “Spit?” “The thermals, Fleet. Use your wings.” Fleetfoot shut her eyes and breathed in a sigh. She let her instincts touch her magic, and the sky filled with the blues and reds of breezes and heat before she even opened them. She squinted back towards east. That path of thermals Dash chose to fly through did feel instinctually like it blew east – but her magic was telling her that they started to curl south hardly a furlong south – back home to Ponyville. Rainbow of course could fly direct if she wanted to, but she rarely flew with a cap on her mana. A faster flight path to Canterlot was right there within her aura’s sight, just 20 degrees north. Rainbow Dash loved faster. Fleetfoot blinked. “Damn it, captain.” Fleetfoot huffed. The next question was directed at the hot red flare in front of her, not at the disappearing pegasus. “Why?” Because the problem wasn’t that Spitfire was right. The problem wasn’t that she was always wearing those damn sunglasses, so you’d never know if she was judging just your flight or judging your magic. The problem was that she couldn’t have just trusted a mare who saved the world, and checked anyway. “Because it’s my job, lieutenant.” Spitfire turned south, to an even stronger south wind, and flared her wings. “This evaluation’s just getting started.” She shot off. Fleetfoot slammed her stupid eyes shut as the cannon of pegasus magic flared in her face. “Buck, buck, buck!” She flailed. “I bucking hate Mondays!” Bite the bullet Put the money in the bank Slapstick knife through the gullet I’m the poison you drank Adagio stared apprehensively at the lyrics Sonata had written into the group chat a moment ago. Sonata beamed a sunny smile in her video window. “This fucking sucks”, Aria groaned over the call. Sonata frowned and opened her mouth. Adagio started grimacing. Gift-giving free-styling classes had been a slight miscalculation- “At least I’m not in a rut, you slut, you dumb mutt, sniffing all the butt-” “Oh my gaaAAWWWD-” Adagio Dazzle, conqueror, destroyer, exile, battle of the bands loser, moron, terrible leader, pop star on hiatus - couldn’t slam the deafen button faster if she tried. She closed her eyes, pinched the bridge of her nose, and sighed into her palm. Getting older was weird. Distance from her sisters was weird. The swapping of priorities of not-so-sacrosanct machinations to a mundane, adult human life was weird. Her eyes opened and wandered around The Final Sun. An hour past lunch on a Monday, her fourth bar was quiet aside from the din of a mellow jukebox. They’d thought well ahead and made roots for themselves. Time-tinctured concoctions had been an easy investment centuries past, providing for ventures both before and after The Battle, and aside from working electronics to reignite their music, she spent most of her days making deals or working hands-on across her businesses to still have a grip on the wheel of something, anything. Changes in her peripheral vision had her looking back down at her tablet. Aria and Sonata had actually stopped fighting and were waving at the screen for her attention. They were smiling now that she was looking. She tapped to unmute. “Hey,” said Aria. Adagio let out a breath as Sonata smiled sheepishly. “Hey," stated back Adagio. Sonata closed her eyes and smiled with her chin resting in her hands. “My bad.” She paused for a bit while Aria and Adagio looked on. “I am having fun with it all, people are still getting a kick out of my tunes. But it makes me happy to stick to music too. It was nice,” she opened her eyes, “even with you two at each other’s throats.” Aria rolled her eyes with a smile, fidgeting around with a guitar. Adagio let the tension out of her posture and smiled back more sedately. “I’m glad new stuff is working out for you too.” “Yeah yeah. And its good to see you behind another bar, really. I know you’re happier when you get to manage something.” “Sure, sure. And the backup gigs are going good?” “They’re working out at least.” Aria twanged a string. She frowned, and moved to tune a peg a little. Adagio’s smile grew, watching happily as Aria zoned out for just that little bit to fix it. Seeing her sisters doing well despite her mistakes did make her happy. Fighting over the direction of the band a few years back had been a series of hiccups her family had finally gotten over a few months back, and even if she wasn’t working in music now, she was glad they got to. Aria figured out the tuning and smiled. “I kinda worry about it, Dagi,” Adagio and Aria looked up. “That you haven’t gone crazy.” The two looked back at her, questions already in their eyes. “No, I mean,” Sonata started waving her hands around in front of her face. “Like. I mean. Because of all this splitting up and settling down. Like.” Aria was blinking a lot. Sonata mumbled out a now muffled “ahaha, shit, aaah….” Adagio didn’t really. Know. How to respond to that. She tilted her head to the side in befuddlement. It wasn’t much, but it was enough for her untied work ponytail to roll on down to long, flowing hair. “Oh no,” added Aria. Her eyes shot open. She hid her mouth behind the guitar head. “Wh-, what?” Despite the screens between them, her sisters were doing the best impression they could of two busted siblings hesitantly making eye contact with each other. It was almost nostalgic. Aria finally went first. “Remember Morgan Le Fay, Adagio?” How could she not remember her time as Morgan Le Fay? They’d found humans with magic for the first time – nothing strong enough to get home, but enough to be a real challenge. And they’d had their fun, so much fun, really! “Of course I do.” Her mind spun through decades of machinations, growth in their earthbound siren magic, and battles of blade and sorcery. “But what happened next, Dagi? I think that’s what ‘Nata means.” Adagio paused. As they always did, the humans passed away. Morgan and Merlin, and the knights of the round table faded to legend. Even now, it was still a series of bittersweet memories, no one ever quite amassing so much power and so much magic directly towards them at once. “I mean, they all died.” “Yeah. You were at the top of the world, Dagi.” “Yeah?” Sonata was poking her index fingers together. Aria was grimacing. “What?” “Dagi, um. “ “The Prench and Braytish wars, Dagi.” “What about the Prench and Braytish wars?” “Dagi.” Aria frowned. “What?” “Dagi.” Even Sonata turned stern. Befuddlement turned cross. “What??” “The affairs, Dagi, and all those podunk town tours, -” “This is ridiculous. You two are ridiculous! I did not go crazy from decades of power and success and, and decide to-” Sonata and Aria’s expressions were stretching thin. “Flirt my way – into –” They were grimacing even thinner. “All of those beds, for centuries, causing diplomatic incident after diplomatic incident just to, uh, ah. Shit.” There was a pause. Aria was trying to make eye contact only with Sonata through the screen again. Adagio stared a thousand yards through her tablet. “Do you two both really think I did that because I got bored?” “Well, siren chaos food, and all, but, I mean,” Sonata did a hand-wavey thing for the umpteenth time that call. “Seven hundred years?” Aria was less hiding behind her guitar head and more so using it as something to bang her forehead against. “Well.” Adagio blew out a breath. She tossed her hands up. “I probably won’t do something like that again, since you two warned me, I guess!” “I sure hope so!” chimed back Sonata. “I sure hope so,” Adagio repeated.She put her hands down. The three looked at each other. The pause stretched out. “Well! I’ve got to get back to work!” Adagio threw out. Aria snapped out of her fugue. “Who’s going to come in your bar for a drink at... Two forty on a Monday?” “Well, me, for starters!” The pause came back. “Alright. Nice talking to you two,” managed Aria. “Yeah! Yeah.” Sonata chirped. Adagio flipped her tablet over face down and laid her forehead into it. “Dagi, you have to hang up first.” No one responded. Two hanging up noises soon beep-booped from the call. Adagio propped her head back up in her hands. It was still weird. You Call It Chivalry, Never Pull A Punch For FreeSpitfire crashed through the storm front and let the shakes sort through her thoughts. She’d handled her weekly debrief with Princess Twilight earlier today, this morning in fact – Thorax, as well as some undisclosed special guests would be taking up the princess’ time after day court. Rainbow Dash had a few tells when something was up – not being chatty was a primary one, even if she was meant to keep anything clandestine. She caught the contours of a cloud bank with her wing and slowed down closing in on Ponyville. Rainbow Dash also played her cards very close to the chest for other ponies’ sake – that was another type of tell, now, at least. Some events had flown right under Spitfire’s nose until her bump up in clearance had given her a chance to read up on past bearer activities. But curt directness from Dash? Yeah, there she went. The rainbow contrail swerved through the east side of Ponyville, right to the Crystal Castle. Spitfire fumed. The best part of her job was being a hardass to cocky rookies – the worst part was being a hardass to her friends. Even if Dash had helped her time and time again. She sighed and flew toward the castle after a minute. Eyeing it up, she closed in on the trail that had beaten her there. The heat had dispersed across the building, but an upper crystal window still weakly resonated from the powerful flight magic that had blazed through it. Touch down, second floor. A path of doors blown ajar indicated a clear path. Spitfire looked around for any signs of a welcoming committee. Nothing happened. Yeah, security was still horrible. She settled for a brisk trot through the doorways, following the trail of dissipating flight magic through the hallway. The tall mirror in the center caught her eye first. Stacks of machinery, gold on steel on paper on gold shined before her. New. Alright. A set of makeshift looking lockers aligning the wall to the side. Then, Rainbow, who was writing, into a book? Spitfire blinked and processed that. She cleared her throat. “You know Sergeant, I recall Princess Twilight debriefing me in Canterlot Castle this morning. Not sure you’ve got the right place.” To her credit, Rainbow only paused for a split second to look over her should before resuming and finishing her writing. She dropped her pen on the desk. “The hell, captain?” “Hell, cadet?” “It’s uh, like Tartarus.” She rubbed the back of her head. She furrowed her brow. Blinked. “What’s this about, Spit?” Spitfire drew closer. “You feinted off towards Canterlot and swung here. Don’t play dumb.” Rainbow Dash took in a breath before responding. She’d grown calmer over the years. Good. “It’s still bearer business. I didn’t want to bug you with details,” Rainbow Dash frowned. “Now you.” Spitfire shifted back from her accusatory stance. “It’s evaluations week, Dash. You’re up for promotion.” “Yeah, and bearer work comes up when it comes up.” Rainbow went to secure a set of saddlebags out of the lockers. “And you followed me here? You off duty or something?” “Far as I’m concerned, the field’s a fine place for evaluation.” Rainbow Dash frowned. She flipped the last latch on the bags. “Can’t just bring you on a job because of work, Spit. Even if you’re supposed to keep an eye on me.” Spitfire looked at Rainbow Dash head on. Yeah, cool, this was a great mistake so far. Couldn’t wait to report to the Princess of Friendship about it next week. She fidgeted, as they stared at each other for a moment. No one needed to know she really, really didn’t want to hurry back to a full shift of work after the princess made her get up three hours early. She rubbed the back of her head. “Could you bring me as a friend?” Rainbow Dash smiled. She looked at the mechanical tornado, and back to Spitfire. “You are cleared for Paradigm stuff, right?” “Faithkeeper rank, actually.” Rainbow Dash’s eyes widened. She gave a half-hearted, “well, alright” shrug and thwacked a control panel with her wing. The mirror surface rippled as the machinery came to life. The sunglasses came down. “Am I the only damn pony who keeps their eyes tapped in for thaums?” “The eggheads use goggles,” Rainbow pointed out with a wing, while the other finished penning an extra line into the journal. “I haven’t had to do any work on the mirror myself.” She turned to Spitfire. “So, fall in, wings closed, we’ll meet bearers on the other side.” “Other side?” “Yep,” Rainbow smirked. Then, more seriously. “It’ll feel like a crash, but you’ll be okay. Start with your eyes closed, balance on your back hooves and take it slow.” And then she walked right through the mirror. Spitfire stared. A series of heavily redacted state documents were starting to click. She followed. Everything was so muted. Spitfire could see Rainbow’s aura through her eye lids, but like it was boxed in tight near her heart. She slowly opened her eyes – the sky still hazed red with heat, but faintly, and up to a much shorter range than she was used to. She tried to flap her wings, and her back muscles flexed meaninglessly. Alarmed, she took a very deep breath. “Yeah, welcome to Earth.” Something that looked like Rainbow Dash crossed with a diamond dog clothed in sportswear grabbed her shoulder and shook her a little. “Your wings’ll be fine.” “Is this hell?” Rainbow Dash barked up a laugh. “No, we’re just not on Equus any more. Earth, like I said. How’s the crash treating you?” Spitfire ran her eyes over herself. No injuries, just differences. She recalled Dash’s pre-portal precautions and flexed. Her new body made some sense, like a tornado had thrown her into free-fall. But she was standing. “Am I some kind of, bad, dragon?” Rainbow barely stifled a laugh. “No, we shouldn’t run into those today.” She let go of Spitfire. “Just treat your foreclaws like small wings, and you can grab onto anything. Eyes up, balance your head back, march in twos. Give me your claw.” Rainbow Dash held out her hand and waited for Spitfire to meet her halfway. She didn’t. “They call them hands, here.” She looked up at Spitfire’s hesitation. “Rainbow Dash, you are married.” Rainbow slumped forward, and rolled her eyes. “They’re not literally your wings Spit. Come on.” She grabbed her and started walking. “We’ll be meeting the other bearers over the next hour or so, everypon- everybody else’s schedules didn’t line up the same.” A silence filled the air as they walked. Spitfire was faced with more questions than she knew she had time to ask. Equestria had been growing more diverse in the past decade, but this was still a whole new species evidently comfortable with motor carriages blazing past them at the speed of airships. “Everyone’s really muted here, what’s that about?” “Huh?” “No magic. I can see everyone’s keeping it so boxed in.” She paused. “They’re shaped like cutie marks.” Rainbow looked at her uncertainly. “It’s rare here. Only happens when people are intense, or emotional, and you usually need an artifact for it. You’re still casting?” Spitfire shrugged. “I’m always intense, Dash.” “Yeah. Okay.” Rainbow slumped and considered it for a bit. “But the artifact?” Dash looked Spitfire over. Her uniform had made the trip as a more casual military suit, emblazoned with Spitfire’s cutie mark and rank but much fewer of the badges. Her aviators shone bright with polish, but also bright with… “Spitfire. How much did you spend on your sunglasses?” Spitfire didn’t miss a beat. “Gotta have my shades, Dash.” If she had a coffee she’d be sipping it. Gold chains and she’d be repping bits. Salt lick and she’d be getting lit. “Fuck, you’re cool.” “I know.” The walk continued, leaving behind the school and suburbs for a stretch of businesses. The foot traffic died down. Heavier shade chilled out the summer sky. “What’s with the chest teats?” “What? I dunno, dude.” Spitfire poked her own with her free hand. “That’s like, sex, dude, don’t do that.” “What?” “I don’t fucking know dude, just don’t. It’s like grabbing your plot in public.” “Oh. Great.” Adagio drew herself out of her drink as the dulcet bell rang welcoming new guests. She gathered herself for a charming greeting, then blinked. It’d been years, but she hadn’t forgotten those faces. She turned stern and stared Rainbow down with a tense look. “What’ll you have?” Unphased, Rainbow Dash ordered two Apple Family ciders. Adagio raised an eyebrow the smallest titch, calculatingly. Spitfire looked back and forth between the two quickly. It was the kind of look you didn’t think much of if you’d been here a while. It was the kind of look you did think much of if you hadn’t been here a while. Talent agents made the same face – not all of them, just the most dangerous ones. “Six bucks.” Spitfire blanched. Adagio glanced at her, then at the big three hanging above her on the menu. There was a pause. Shortly, six dollar bills, and three bits were placed on the counter between Rainbow and Spitfire’s efforts. Adagio looked right at Spitfire. “Uh. Ah.” Adagio saw the frantic wingspeak formed by the blue one’s hand for “not clear, not clear”, feigned flummoxation at the coins, glanced at the bills again and went to pour them their two ciders. “New in town?” she tossed out. Adagio smirked at the facepalm she could hear over filling the drinks. They settled for a booth by the bar. “So you’ve been coming through the mirror a while?” Rainbow sipped her drink. “Yeah. Applejack more than me.” Sip. “An Apple needed our help, a few of them really.” “They’ve moved over here too?” “No, they’ve always been here on this side. The magic mirror’s like, well, a magic mirror. Mirror universe and stuff. It was symbolic or some shit when Starswirl made it way back, unlocked the dimensions and everything.” “Seriously?” “No, I’m fucking with you,” Dash smirked into her drink. Spitfire rolled her eyes. “Fuck if I know how it works, but this world’s been around like ours is forever.” Spitfire frowned. “Lax drinking laws, though.” She looked back at the barkeeper. The cutie mark at the heart of her aura was shattered, a ruby gem still glowing, but in sharp, uneven pieces. Was she hurt? Violent? Could marks just feel like that? This felt so much ruder than reading flight magic. “What do you mean?” Spitfire turned back and blinked. “She didn’t card you.” “Huh. Yeah. I mean, I have one over here just in case.” She pointed across the table. “Military uniforms get you respect over here all the same, so lucky you.” “Hmm.” Spitfire sipped her cider. The first breath of a buzz approached her, but in a different way from back home. She rolled her new hand-wings around the handle. “You keep saying ‘fuck’ instead of ‘buck’, am I missing something?” A familiar, third voice joined in. “No, she’s just gotten worse over here. Potty mouth.” Applejack slid into the booth and went for Dash’s drink. “Yeah, they don’t really ‘buck’ over here, they ‘fuck’ over here. Something about how they never kicked trees” – she looked low towards Applejack – “or, you know, got all kicky during it.” She got a curt bop on the head. Spitfire sipped her drink. She drew it out. She narrowed her eyes at the pair. To the point of the matter, hopefully. “So you called off work for a date with your wife?” Rainbow let out a breath, and frowned. Spitfire let out a breath, mock sternly. Then smiled. “Just fucking with you, Dash.” “Hah!” Applejack bumped Rainbow’s shoulder and cheered. “No, but she wishes.” Applejack passed the mug back to her and turned to Spitfire. “There was a bit of a surprise last night, and today we’re pulling a plan together with Twi. The other two will be along soon after they figure out what’s wrong with their car, and we can head out.” “Emergencies happen,” sipped Spitfire. She looked at Dash. This would’ve been harder to grapple with in the past for sure. Ace fliers had been cut from the team plenty of times by her hoof, either for ego or lack of cooperation. And she was in charge, because she could do it, be the one thing their wings couldn’t take them past. But Dash had shown she was better than ego. Spitfire chugged away at her drink. What she couldn’t afford to share was how stuck she was on figuring out what kind of balance to judge Rainbow by, with how often Rainbow’s casual commitments, and bearer commitments overlapped into saving Equestria. Laying all that out to Dash would be a red card on her own neutrality, and the neutrality of the observations on how Dash managed all that if Dash herself knew how it all worked. She knew Dash could handle the day to day, but not whether she’d reasonably make it to the day to day was such a headache. “Lot of cloud gathering there, captain. Bit for your thoughts?” Rainbow retrieved her mug from her wife. Spitfire frowned, let out a breath. She turned to Applejack. “We squabbled over it at the mirror: short of it is that ducking out of promotion evaluation periods is bad, and I followed her to see what was up.” “Huh.” Applejack eyed her uniform. “Bit of a hardass move there, ma’am.” “Yeah, well, it’s my job to be a hardass.” Spitfire rumbled out a heavier sigh and started clumsily rubbing her forehead with her free hand, looking at Rainbow. “When you flew your excuses by me tight-lipped, and swerved on off into a southbound thermal, towards Canterlot instead of Ponyville for -” Spitfire reflexively tried to make wing quotes – “’bearer business,’” - her stupid hand-wing things spilled her drink everywhere. “Shit.” She didn’t know what she was listening for any more. They’d all figured out where the portal was, eventually. But everyone who came through seemed to be Canterlot’s best – which itself was maybe saying something about them all barely being adults – but Canterlot’s best meant the mirror was likely in Canterlot, and without magic she’d just get locked up over there, and if she got locked up that’d be terrible for her sisters, so what the fuck in Noden’s name was she even meant to do with- Clatters and a swear erupted from the table. Adagio glanced up at the two old faces hopping up to handle the mess, and noted the dismal mood showing all over the new one’s posture. She looked back down to the mug she’d evidently been over-cleaning the hell out of. She placed it down and exhaled out a sigh, took in a breath. The new one came up to her with two empty mugs and a tenner. “Rough day for the third wheel?” Spitfire huffed. “Yeah, worse. I’m her boss.” “Oh?” Spitfire sat down and waved a hand. Adagio began refilling a mug with cider. “Yeah.” Spitfire drummed her hands on the counter top. Thought about what to say. Wasn’t her first nosy barkeep, but sure as the winds the first bipedal one. “She’s got another job that’s been getting more important than this one, for a while now. She likes it, it’s fine, that’s fine, whatever.” She frowned. “Just a stupid time keeping the friendship and the boss stuff separate. Always has been.” Adagio moved on to the second mug and fixed her eyes on Spitfire. Nudged up an eyebrow. Play the cards, play the stupid cards. Relate to her. Find her vulnerabilities. Snatch her secrets up. Fuck. The deluge of the prior phone call and her head sprinting in circles all washed over the hunt. She abandoned her ladylike posture and slumped, just enough. Two eyebrows raised from behind the sunglasses. Adagio smiled. Her classic house of con cards came tumbling down. Someone sharper to play with. Better prey were more fun to chase. “Been there before. Lately too. Know how you feel.” She set the mug down in front of Spitfire, started to embellish. Like usual. Right? “People I look after being happy, satisfied. Not getting that looking out for them -” oh, she was quavering a little, that would really sell it, great – “doesn’t switch off when you want it to.” She swallowed something back. Spitfire grabbed the mugs. “Spitfire.” Adagio looked at her, raised an eyebrow. Spitfire pointed at herself. Nodded, too. Her tension fell away. “Adagio.” The breath came out more relieved than she expected. She looked back at the booth. Yeah. No, those weren’t the Rainbooms. Mirrors from back home, like the damn princess. The anger would show on her face soon – move. “Can I get you anything else?” She noticed that she just, didn’t want to play it up like she usually did. “I need something darker, yeah. Just, ah.” Spitfire looked at the menu. Barkeep was not doing hot. Yeah. Yeah. Wow. She recognized nothing on the menu. “A dark beer. Whatever.” Blew out a chuckle. Adagio went for another mug. “Germane Stout’s pretty good. For a beer.” She glanced down at the ten. “You’re short, though.” Spitfire paused, tilted her head a titch, grinned. “Have I mentioned that your mane looks lovely today?” Oh. Oh no, they both thought. One, in deep concern, for realizing she’d just played the cool mare instead of asking Rainbow for more money. The other, with glee, for realizing Spitfire had just played the cool mare instead of asking her friend for more money. She grinned back. “That usually enough to get you a free drink, hun?” The sunglasses came off. Orange eyes met amethyst. “The unrelenting charm usually helps.” A lesser lady may have swooned off the extra dollar Spitfire owed her. Adagio kept playing. This was incredible. “Mm hmm. Can’t say I’m in short supply of that myself.” Adagio leaned down to eye level with Spitfire, resting one arm along the counter, the other propping up her face with a lean into her hand. “Got anything else?” “Flying. Lessons?” Spitfire’s smile was breaking. “Spitfire.” “Yesssss?” Adagio smiled, ever, so, demurely. It would have come out eventually anyway. “Just give me the bits.” Nothing New, Repetition, Living Groundhog DayAdagio Dazzle, head of the Dazzlings. Low ranking, but still present on the Threats to Equestria, Past, Present and Future list the princess had prepared following the Battle of the Bell. Seductress, ex-sorceress and evidently, a fastidious flirt. Reviewing the report over and over in her head was the only thing keeping her stone faced as she retreated to the occupied booth. A pink-faced Rainbow grabbed her mug and started drinking immediately. While Applejack took hers, raised it in thanks and took a sip before setting it down. Spitfire gave Rainbow an eyebrow raise, then directed her sunglasses at Applejack. “Well, shucks ‘Fire, Dashie wasn’t trying to hide that she was up to no good.” Applejack wrapped an arm around Rainbow Dash. “She was just embarrassed instead.” “Jackie...” Applejack smooched Rainbow on the cheek. Her blush got way worse. “It’ll make more sense when the rest get here,” she turned to Spitfire. “Shouldn’t be too long now, I reckon, lest Dash forgot to put gas in their truck.” “Hmm.” The feather did that mean? Spitfire looked back at the bar. Adagio was tapping a screen and had an ear out in their direction. “How’s that Tempest Shadow mare doing these days?” Applejack frowned, in contemplation more than anything. “Still up north, helping out the crystal expeditions, I guess.” “Starlight Glimmer?” “Still the school principal, remember? Friendship school.” “And Trixie?” “Well, uh.” Rainbow Dash rushed in with a stern look in the eyes. “She called us gay the last time we saw her, then started macking on her marefriend-” “Gah, I asked you to stop using that word-” “Oh, make me-” Rainbow Dash stuck out her tongue. “And uh.” Spitfire drummed on the table to bring the attention right back. “That Discord guy?” The pair turned back to her. “He, uh.” started Rainbow Dash. She furrowed her brow. “He’s like, Fluttershy’s… housewife, or something, now?” A pause. “What?” Applejack breathed in deeply, and said in a higher, quieter voice, “we have something much deeper than romance going on, Applejack-” she coughed out the air and breathed again. Spitfire was mollified. Sort of. As she could be. Gave her mug a concerned look and a chug. Yeah, hey, this was good. “You going somewhere with this Spit?” Spitfire looked up and checked over her shoulder conspicuously. A few emotions were warring for control of Adagio’s face. “Just thinking about bad mares, I guess. And Discord.” Applejack and Rainbow looked at her funny, then at Adagio, then back to her, blankly. Spitfire looked at Adagio one more time, and caught a dart of vanishing eye contact. Then back to the pair. Rainbow and Applejack looked at each other. “Um, good luck, captain?” Sweet Celestia they never read the report “Thanks. Yeah.” She stood and killed her beer, headed for the counter. It was better than adding the state of Equestria’s national security to her current pile of woes. The pause broke behind her. “By the way, if I ever say that ‘more than romance’ hooey to you, it’s the changeling protocol.” A new pause. “It’s been like, three years since she was trapped in stone, dude.” “Yeah, I know. But you’re getting better with rope.” “Miss Dazzle.” Spitfire sat back down at the bar, back strong and straight. Adagio glanced at her over the counter. “Mm." So you have heard of me. The stand-off sit-off staredown lasted for four very tense seconds. Tick. The prey knew it was being hunted. Tock. A sworn enemy of the princess, crossed twice by Equestria, in a prime position to cause trouble. Tick. Said prey had just paid off two months of business expenses with a single beer. There'd be laundering to put in order, but the usual new new business worries had just been swept off the table. Tock. Said enemy was drinking alone on a Monday in the early afternoon. Tick. The tension poured out of Spitfire in a sigh. She slumped half a head downward. Adagio felt her own tensing taper off. She gave Spitfire a more neutral look. "May I help you Miss Spitfire?” Said woman rolled her eyes to the ceiling. “No." An exhale. "I guess I need a minute.” Adagio tapped the sleep key on her tablet. Then sit somewhere else. “And why’s that?” “Why?” Her voice came out slurred. That was early. Really early. “Because Rainbow was hiding something from me, and I doubted her over it, but I bucked up -" She rubbed her eyes shut with her hands. "it’s not even a big deal and she won’t even give me shit for it, but she doesn't even read the paperwork for her job and -" Spitfire flared her hands up and graghhed out a frustrated growl. "I need a bucking break.” She slammed her forehead down on the counter. It hurt way more than doing so usually did as a pegasus. Adagio started moving around behind the bar, and Spitfire closed her eyes to escape. Flying. She was flying through the storm clouds again. Let the shakes sort out the thoughts. Adagio Dazzle was what siren songs were named for. She was stuck at her bar. The closest one to the portal. Named the damn Final Sun. All alone, no sisters on her siren’s rock. Dash should be mad at her. She was giving her space. Something clattered near her head. She was spiraling. In the dark, the broken gemstone sparkled in front of her. It was so blue. The sky was so blue. Thunk. Again. She opened her eyes. A glass of water and a plate of crackers laid next to her face. Adagio looked at her with an exhaling breath, and a fatigue without ire. "You alright?" "Flying. I was thinking." Oh. "I've done the same." They looked at each other. Adagio looked away, a hand scratching at her neck. Stop that. Stay in control. “You’d think they’d hear some of that.” She sat back down behind the bar. “Nah. Look at them.” Adagio did look at them. They were so, so happy hand-wrestling one another. It was kind of impressive. Morons. She looked back at Spitfire picking her head up and relaxed her posture a bit. “Alcohol has differing effects over here. You should weigh less, too.” Adagio tapped the rim of the water glass, then leaned back, into comfort. “Hm.” Sip. Silence, for a moment. “These crackers are covered it salt.” Adagio gestured a hand around: And? Oh, of course. “You won’t find saltlicks in this world, Miss Spitfire. Salt is not an intoxicant for humans." She shrugged and stretched her back out gratituitously. Spitfire had been with hippogriffs, griffons, dragons... and this show was working. It was far past second nature for Adagio - she hadn't even stopped to consider doing it. But Spitfire kept flicking at the crackers on the counter. One eye looked down at her, paired with a smile. "Don't you trust me?" A look. Calm. "How are your sisters, Miss Dazzle?" Adagio deflated. Slumped her face into her hand and looked off to the scotch she'd been working on for an hour. They're great, Miss Spitfire." With a further exhale, "they're great." She gripped her glass. A warmth clutched her taken hand. Adagio's eyes swung back to Spitfire, whose hand wrapped around the bottom of her own, caught between her cheek and palm, squeezing it with a light pressure. It was unfortunately comforting. "How peculiar." "New in town, remember?" "Hmm. Cute." "I think you mean charming." Yes. Relentlessly so. She leaned firmly into their combined hands, pushing intentionally into Spitfire to make her stress to keep propping her up. Spitfire held her ground. "And how’s your special soldier getting along?", Spitfire looked away to her cronies, who were now arm wrestling to pass the time. Applejack’s muscles rippled beneath the rolled up cuffs. Something in Rainbow Dash’s posture was allowing her to keep up. "Fine. Eyes all watching out for her friends, but blindspotted for herself. Guess she's got me for that." They watched the two finish a round. Applejack huffed at her loss, but leaned forward and kissed the winning hand. She smiled and they started a new round. The crackers were crunchy. Dry. "Think I could handle one last drink." Adagio pulled away to stand, still holding on. This mare was so funny. Spitfire turned to her. "Anything sour. Wake me up." Adagio stood and let go, running her thumb down the back of Spitfire's hand in the release. "'Lost in this dream?" "Wow. Thought I was relentlessly charming." The compliment approached the balance of deadpan and neutrality very well. Adagio smiled a pleasant smile and turned. It really was more pleasant when she actually had to work. She eyed up the shelves and wondered if caffeine really was the right call. "Do I owe you anything more?" She grabbed something clear, something sour, something astringent, something with power. "You've bought out the bottom shelf." Spitfire didn't sputter. Delightful. "Really?" "Some of the middle, too." She took three necks with one grasp and tipped them at the same time. Three streams crossed equally into a shaker, cutting off together in one withdrawal. "It's the gold of the bits." Spitfire watched the dance continue, a heavy furrow forming for the other world's economy. A deft twirl of a martini glass brought her back - and wow that was a lot salt. The rim was soaked and set in the crystals, a bubbling liquid poured in after the return flip. The shaker's contents came next, drizzling into the cocktail glass. "I suppose I owe you a tip." Adagio continued the work without a response. A knife darted across the skin of a lime, striking two curls of zest into the rim. Spitfire could see the glimpse of oil fly from the fruit to rest on the surface. The drink was pushed before Spitfire. It was almost too pretty to drink. Spitfire stared at the well done work. Almost - of course. And Adagio went right back to her scotch, like Spitfire hadn't just seen her ace a process that whole cutie marks were dedicated to, no unicorn telekinesis or pegasus breezes necessary. Adagio drummed on the screen of her tablet. The wallpaper of Aria and Sonata popped up, but no new messages after she'd reached out a dozen minutes back. Spitfire enjoyed the kick of the cocktail next to her. Applejack was frowning at a handheld phone in the booth while Dash tilted out the remnants of her partner's drink. Adagio pondered what else to say to Spitfire. "Are the rest of them coming soon?" crossed from the counter to the booth. "I guess?" threw back Rainbow. She looked at Adagio. "Could we get a refill?" "Six bucks." Loudly enough. Rainbow Dash looked at the cocktail glass resting between the two. "What gives?" An upturned hand gestured. "C'mon Dash, six bucks," Spitfire half-shouted back. "She's got a business here." Adagio hid a smile in her hand. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and crossed the room with the mugs, setting them down just out of reach. "Got Zap Apple instead?" She pushed them the rest of the way. "Yeah. Ten." Adagio stood back up to carry the mugs, and turned around to sort them out at the back counter. "Oops," she said, a little too quickly, as one dropped to the floor. She leaned over prominently to pick it up. Spitfire watched, the ever present sunglasses aimed at Adagio's core. "Captain..." Spitfire turned to face Rainbow. She looked eye-level, near point blank at her chest. "Okay, dude?" Rainbow crossed her arms. "Still married here." "I was looking past that." There was a short freeze in Spitfire's peripheral vision. Rainbow also seized up for a second, squinting down at Spitfire and turning her head up and away. Spitfire tapped her sunglasses. "Sorry." "Riiight." Adagio had come to terms with the mugs and moved on to the fridge for ciders. "Dash, do you read much of what Twilight puts together for us?" Dash paused. Looked over at Adagio, still turned around. "Why? She usually tells us something, if it's important." She looked back at Adagio again. Spitfire waved the question away. "Nothing doing now. Just, be ready to read more when you get higher in the 'bolts, from work and from her." clink-Pop, clink-Pop, went two bottle caps. "I'm sure they mean more, really ever since Celestia stepped down and passed the mantle on to her." Adagio very calmly put the two drinks down. She very calmly accepted the ten from Rainbow Dash. She very calmly watched her walk away with the drinks. She very calmly - "Hey." Spitfire looked at her. She looked back. What else could she do? Ask something redundant? She tap. Tap. Tapped the counter. Spitfire downed the rest of her cocktail and spread three more bits at its base. She offered a hand, palm up, and rested it between them. Adagio met her and placed her own down. They both turned away from each other, as if there was anything new to see at the booth. Spitfire didn't blush. Miss Spitfire did, however. Adagio felt adrift. A flood of new considerations to wade through crashed and churned before her. The tangled angles jumbled together and blocked her out from even beginning. She let out a breath and squeezed Spitfire's hand. Spitfire took a deep breath. "What would you do if you had your magic back?" Adagio froze. She turned like a glacier to Spitfire. "Don't fuck with me, you, you-" Spitfire regarded her coolly. Their hands were so tight, and Adagio's nails were drawing blood. "I can see your magic. It's not gone, just shattered. The pieces still glow." The bridge of the glasses shimmered. It hadn't been just the light. The opacity of the lens had been unnatural. Adagio let go. Melancholy, and spite, and sadness, and fury, and loneliness, and hurt. A broken breath of her siren miasma curled and whipped around her own heart and squeezed- "Adagio." Spitfire grabbed her hand. The anchor brought her back. Spitfire squeezed her tightly, blood staining the skin between them. "What would I do?" The plans of revenge all rushed through her head. Sleepless nights, weeks, connecting what dots she could to make - She had to breathe. She did. Spitfire's grip slackened, but stayed. Adagio huffed. She was a tsunami of moods - and - and Sonata and Aria were happy. They were so happy now, and they kept telling her to switch off. They didn't want - didn't need her to avenge them for the past thousand years. And so she turned back to Spitfire. This frustrating, (wonderful) mare, stuck so many pages behind her in the same book, who's superhero subordinate had just come up to her as an unspoken chance to help, and she had turned it down to rile up The Siren, all on her own. She was repeating the same cycle she was, right in her face. "Flying. I'd go flying." It came out as a distressed wail. It wasn't supposed to. None of this was supposed to. She tore her hand away and slammed the counter, stood from her seat, and kicked through the employee gate, rounding the corner with a sobbing ferocity. She jabbed at Spitfire's face with a finger, right below the nose with where the seating height left her. "But you, you absolute flames-for-brains hothead, you come into my bar, you see that I'm hurt, and you think that you can just dangle what I've been chasing for years right in front of my face!" She jabbed at Spitfire again and again with each clause, who flinched at the first strike, but held firm after. She caught Adagio's hand by the fourth. Rainbow Dash and Applejack were absolutely watching. It didn't matter. And the glinting daggers of the shattered gem shone in her eyes. "We're both hurting. I thought I could help-" "And you just had to help right away, didn't you?" Adagio pulled, and pulled at her hand. "You couldn't stop to ask your sis- wingmares, you couldn't go back to your damn princess first, you just had to fly right away from your first problem onto the next one, and try to fix me too!" Her hand broke free, and she was jabbing again. "All because you can't, switch, off!" Spitfire kicked up away from her bar stool, hand flying up to catch Adagio's again. "Is this about me, or both of us?" "You, you insufferable featherbrain! Euhh!" The swift, non-dominant backhand flung free at Spitfire's face. Her sunglasses were caught in the strike, swept off, clattering across the counter. Spitfire turned and watched them land, processing the hit as they skid and survived the landing. Burning orange eyes turned back to furious amethyst. Phweeeoooooo. Live My Life A To Z, Fill Up All The VacanciesBefore the three tribes bonded in harmony, pegasi lived as the warriors of the sky. Scholars, as well as pink alicorn princesses, are wont to point out how even a millennium later those feisty instincts still manifest in the final, modern battlefield: Love. And sirens? The territorial, antediluvian apex warriors of the sea? Don't get the pretty pink pony princess started. An old jeep rumbled up to the Final Sun. The engine shut off in growls. "Gaahh, we're so late dude." "And whose fault is that?" One woman moved to hop out habitually, and thought better of it before stepping down carefully. The other took her steps out as firmly as ever. "Didn't know she used so much gas," the hopper muttered. "Told ya." "Mhhh." Work boots and sneakers wobbled to the front together. Lights were on, but it looked near empty. A strong calloused hand pushed in the door. "Howdy y'all, sorry we're - oh God." A blur of orange was fighting - no, kissing? - no, fighting and kissing and biting and fighting - Dash slammed her eyes shut and shook her head. She tried looking again. A military uniform, torn half-open. A strapless dress, struggling to dress. Adagio fuckin' Dazzle and her college soccer captain were locked in a battle for the top, a lipstick-and??-slap-marked Spitfire temporarily pushing Adagio against the wall, her teeth drawing along her neck before Adagio seized out a grip and threw themselves both to the floor, taking the said position against Spitfire who tried to both seize back the advantage, and barely restrain a stalwart moan. Dash looked up from the sight. Applejack, still seated in a booth, had both hands propping up her face returning a thousand yard stare. Rainbow not-so-sneakily stood behind the bar, refilling her mug at the tap. AJ seemed frozen beside her. The noises were getting worse. "What the fuck- Hey. Hey!" The horrifying mating of a territorial beast and a just as intense pegasus halted. Spitfire gave what little she could see of the interrupting pant legs a glare. Adagio looked down one last time before turning away and facing up. It took more than a moment, the almost painful gripping of Spitfire's hands around her arms, the heated body of space between them, her own grip finally loosening, but as the haze cleared and she ran her eyes over the newcomers she started to laugh. The younger Applejack looked up and away with an eye roll. The younger Rainbow Dash looked embarrassed, her hands lowering around her stomach. Spitfire looked closer. Nothing seemed that funny. She blinked at Dash's arms, then over at AJ. It was their stomachs - they showed the same signs of being about four months into carrying foal. Her eye twitched. Her eyes trailed back to the booth, daggers glared into a heads-down Rainbow Dash and a sheepish Applejack. "She got herself PREGNANT!?" Deathly, awkward silence. The closed sign now hung over the bar's door. Rainbow and Dash sat on one side of the booth while Applejack and AJ took the other. Spitfire sat with her head in her hands. Three people were dying, all for separate reasons. Dash's head was face down on the table, cooking in a general stew of embarrassment. Rainbow hid her face in her arms, waiting for her boss' judgement call. Adagio had stopped and started laughing several times over, the ceases each broken by a realization of the absurdity of what had ultimately brought Spitfire here, or how badly the elders had messed up with experimentation in Equestria to do this to their mirror selves, or the comedic schadenfreude of their faces - it wouldn't stop. It couldn't stop, this was the best day ever, ever since her sisters had made up. "Well," tried Applejack. "I need a drink," muttered AJ. Applejack frowned and poked her younger half in the stomach. She rolled her eyes. "Oh my God. Oh sweet Noden. One second - yes - " Adagio got up, still wheezing. The table returned to stillness. Spitfire loudly clicked her tongue once, with a tckh. Blew out steam. Her mind wandered, searching for what the next action was supposed to be. Rainbow finally put her hands down. Spitfire's own arms were sore, scratched like a hail storm, aching. She made eye contact for a split second, dipped a feather's worth of a nod, and turned it to a look off at Adagio at the bar. Five white drinks were already set aside, a shaker being prepped for one last. Maybe she didn't need to do anything. Seemed that had gotten her covered in bruises, instead of just kisses. Not that bruises were always bad. Applejack and Dash - no, Rainbow now, apparently, as the four seemed to phrase it - the two were nudging each other, and giving each other looks as if it was an effective method of communication. AJ groaned at the display, but was cut off from starting up by Adagio setting down her drink in front of her. "Virgin white stalliongradies." Adagio settled the tray down on the table, her full hand darting from underneath while a jingle of keys chimed out from the tray's center, the remaining drinks free for everyone else to take, aside from her own properly mixed cocktail. AJ looked down and subtracted the vodka and coffee liquor. She frowned. "So it's just whipped heavy cream?" Adagio slacked back, lowered an eyebrow. "Look, have you ever been mad while downing a milkshake?" AJ shook her head. Rainbow went for her drink. "Constantly," said Applejack. The table paused. Stares all went in one direction. Applejack looked around the table, and at the six creamy drinks. "Sorry, I thought we were still talking about sex." Adagio sucked in a breath very quickly, and put her drink down to avoid spilling it. "Virgins." Dash moaned and slammed her head back down. Adagio's shakes started to come back. "Okay!" Spitfire seized the attention of the table. She pointed at Rainbow, who was managing to get the froth down. "The plan!" Rainbow blinked. She blinked again. She looked at Adagio and pointed first. Spitfire looked up at Adagio. She shrugged. "Rainbow, that's one of the Dazzlings. We sang songs against her and broke her evil mind control stuff," quickly contributed Dash. "It's uh, been a while, like five years?" "And I've been fantastic. Thank you," Adagio tersely replied. "Looks like it," tried AJ. "Is this your bar?" "My fourth." She turned. "You've been supplying me through Mr. Rich for years, Miss Apple." She took it down a notch. "Best apple cider in Canterlot," she begrudged with an exhale. She stared at AJ. "I uh. Mac takes care of the paperwork, I just farm things." Spitfire grimaced. One hand went over a twitching eye. "I hope at least one of you learns to read in the near future." Rainbow put her face back in her hands. Spitfire rolled her hand over her own mouth, blowing out a last exhale. Her hands were turning out to be, well, handy. No loose feathers ending up everywhere if they were used the same. She refocused on the table. "I guess we're gonna go to Canterlot now, I guess," said AJ. "Figure out the whole changing pregnancy thing the princess was going to help us with." She looked at Adagio one more time, then back to Spitfire. "They're said they could use some pods to store the kids until the future, take Dash and I back out without them.." Spitfire blinked back a lot of confusion. "Why? What?" "The changelings," Applejack corrected, "can help them hold off on having foals - kids, too soon." She pointed at Dash. "Athlete." Pointed at AJ. "Head laborer. Not a good time to be parents, yet." She scratched her head. "Need to figure out how the heck that's going to work out over here too." "Can't imagine those documents would be easy with two mothers. I could help, for a price, of course," chimed Adagio. "That's uh, I mean, thank ya, maybe. That's not the biggest problem, really." "What is?" Spitfire looked at AJ, who was blushing for the first time. She looked back around the table. Rainbow poked her fingers together. Applejack scratched at her forehead. Dash looked at the two elders, braved a breath and squeaked. "We're not sure who the dad is." Spitfire slammed her forehead down into the table. Adagio lost it. "Rainbow Dash," she said, to the ground. The younger one figured it out. "Yes? Captain?" "Tell Fleet I'm taking the week off." She breathed in, exhaled. Adagio doubled over next to her in laughter. "What?" Rainbow asked, much louder. "The whole week." Spitfire looked up. "I'm taking the whole week off." Rainbow's gaze widened. "You're sure?" "If the three of you can't handle this between two decades of experience, the winds may as well take the Academy when I retire, Dash." She pointed an arm out at the front door. "Just get going." "Well," managed Applejack, standing up first. "Alrighty then." Emptied drinks were pushed to one side, phones and keys gathered. The procession trickled away from the table, aside from Rainbow. She looked back at her boss, and Adagio, who had finally recovered and stood up. They were covered head to - well, chest, in red marks and bruises. It looked like the first week of her honeymoon. "You gonna be alright, Spit? Both of you?" Adagio smiled back coyly, "Oh, mhmm, we'll be quite alright. Thank you, Mister Apple." Rainbow Dash closed her eyes and bit down on her thumb with an exasperated sigh. "Yeah, alright, fuck you too." "Please don't Dash, we don't need you knocking her up too." Rainbow turned to go, immediately. "THANKS BOSS. LOVE YOU TOO," she fumed in a flush of red, stomping out the door. Adagio followed closely chuckling, hand swiping the bar's keys from the tray. They clanged into her hand and she moved to lock up. "My sunglasses, please?" Spitfire held a hand out towards Adagio's back. "Hmm," she murmured back. She put the lenses on, looking out the front door at the only car in the parking lot. "Oh... oh..." "'Dagio?" Spitfire stood and walked beside her. One of the Applejacks was fussing with the back of their carriage. The other stood beside her, watching closely. Two Dashes held their faces in their hands. "I can see them again, Miss Spitfire. Disappointment, embarrassment, confusion." A despondent, yet relieved breath flowed out onto the glass. Spitfire put her hand on Adagio's shoulder. She turned. "What else?" An inferno. Flames - generosity, loyalty, kindness. A harrowed battle with honesty, a prizable leader's laughter. And an awful, cocky, unrelenting charm. She smiled, and pushed up the glasses. "I think we're going to need more than a week." She leaned in for the kiss.
No Rest For The Ones Who Are Not ComplacentPhweeeoooooo. Spitfire let out a low, lengthy whistle. Like steam from a kettle, Fleetfoot knew what it meant. But not why it was happening. She ran the last minute back in her head. Morning debrief with Spitfire. Normal day planned, no surprises to anypony that mid-ranking ‘bolt evaluations were underway this week. Rainbow Dash touches down. “Captain, ma’am,” salute – bearer business had come up. It happened – bearer business meant bearer business, and the team was well past clear on that priority. Confirmation from Spitfire, and a salute as she took off east towards Canterlot, as Fleetfoot and Spitfire watched. So what was up? Spitfire turned to her. “First Lieutenant Fleetfoot, you and Second Lieutenant Soarin will be in charge today. Run the drills, check one another’s blind spots.” Fleetfoot stiffened at the formal address. “Ma’am?” Spitfire faced back east. She raised a hoof and twice tapped the arms of her sunglasses. The captain’s damned talent for thermal version. Fleetfoot frowned and looked back east too, catching the last glimpse of Rainbow Dash vanishing behind a cloud bank. No contrail. “Spit?” “The thermals, Fleet. Use your wings.” Fleetfoot shut her eyes and breathed in a sigh. She let her instincts touch her magic, and the sky filled with the blues and reds of breezes and heat before she even opened them. She squinted back towards east. That path of thermals Dash chose to fly through did feel instinctually like it blew east – but her magic was telling her that they started to curl south hardly a furlong south – back home to Ponyville. Rainbow of course could fly direct if she wanted to, but she rarely flew with a cap on her mana. A faster flight path to Canterlot was right there within her aura’s sight, just 20 degrees north. Rainbow Dash loved faster. Fleetfoot blinked. “Damn it, captain.” Fleetfoot huffed. The next question was directed at the hot red flare in front of her, not at the disappearing pegasus. “Why?” Because the problem wasn’t that Spitfire was right. The problem wasn’t that she was always wearing those damn sunglasses, so you’d never know if she was judging just your flight or judging your magic. The problem was that she couldn’t have just trusted a mare who saved the world, and checked anyway. “Because it’s my job, lieutenant.” Spitfire turned south, to an even stronger south wind, and flared her wings. “This evaluation’s just getting started.” She shot off. Fleetfoot slammed her stupid eyes shut as the cannon of pegasus magic flared in her face. “Buck, buck, buck!” She flailed. “I bucking hate Mondays!” Bite the bullet Put the money in the bank Slapstick knife through the gullet I’m the poison you drank Adagio stared apprehensively at the lyrics Sonata had written into the group chat a moment ago. Sonata beamed a sunny smile in her video window. “This fucking sucks”, Aria groaned over the call. Sonata frowned and opened her mouth. Adagio started grimacing. Gift-giving free-styling classes had been a slight miscalculation- “At least I’m not in a rut, you slut, you dumb mutt, sniffing all the butt-” “Oh my gaaAAWWWD-” Adagio Dazzle, conqueror, destroyer, exile, battle of the bands loser, moron, terrible leader, pop star on hiatus - couldn’t slam the deafen button faster if she tried. She closed her eyes, pinched the bridge of her nose, and sighed into her palm. Getting older was weird. Distance from her sisters was weird. The swapping of priorities of not-so-sacrosanct machinations to a mundane, adult human life was weird. Her eyes opened and wandered around The Final Sun. An hour past lunch on a Monday, her fourth bar was quiet aside from the din of a mellow jukebox. They’d thought well ahead and made roots for themselves. Time-tinctured concoctions had been an easy investment centuries past, providing for ventures both before and after The Battle, and aside from working electronics to reignite their music, she spent most of her days making deals or working hands-on across her businesses to still have a grip on the wheel of something, anything. Changes in her peripheral vision had her looking back down at her tablet. Aria and Sonata had actually stopped fighting and were waving at the screen for her attention. They were smiling now that she was looking. She tapped to unmute. “Hey,” said Aria. Adagio let out a breath as Sonata smiled sheepishly. “Hey," stated back Adagio. Sonata closed her eyes and smiled with her chin resting in her hands. “My bad.” She paused for a bit while Aria and Adagio looked on. “I am having fun with it all, people are still getting a kick out of my tunes. But it makes me happy to stick to music too. It was nice,” she opened her eyes, “even with you two at each other’s throats.” Aria rolled her eyes with a smile, fidgeting around with a guitar. Adagio let the tension out of her posture and smiled back more sedately. “I’m glad new stuff is working out for you too.” “Yeah yeah. And its good to see you behind another bar, really. I know you’re happier when you get to manage something.” “Sure, sure. And the backup gigs are going good?” “They’re working out at least.” Aria twanged a string. She frowned, and moved to tune a peg a little. Adagio’s smile grew, watching happily as Aria zoned out for just that little bit to fix it. Seeing her sisters doing well despite her mistakes did make her happy. Fighting over the direction of the band a few years back had been a series of hiccups her family had finally gotten over a few months back, and even if she wasn’t working in music now, she was glad they got to. Aria figured out the tuning and smiled. “I kinda worry about it, Dagi,” Adagio and Aria looked up. “That you haven’t gone crazy.” The two looked back at her, questions already in their eyes. “No, I mean,” Sonata started waving her hands around in front of her face. “Like. I mean. Because of all this splitting up and settling down. Like.” Aria was blinking a lot. Sonata mumbled out a now muffled “ahaha, shit, aaah….” Adagio didn’t really. Know. How to respond to that. She tilted her head to the side in befuddlement. It wasn’t much, but it was enough for her untied work ponytail to roll on down to long, flowing hair. “Oh no,” added Aria. Her eyes shot open. She hid her mouth behind the guitar head. “Wh-, what?” Despite the screens between them, her sisters were doing the best impression they could of two busted siblings hesitantly making eye contact with each other. It was almost nostalgic. Aria finally went first. “Remember Morgan Le Fay, Adagio?” How could she not remember her time as Morgan Le Fay? They’d found humans with magic for the first time – nothing strong enough to get home, but enough to be a real challenge. And they’d had their fun, so much fun, really! “Of course I do.” Her mind spun through decades of machinations, growth in their earthbound siren magic, and battles of blade and sorcery. “But what happened next, Dagi? I think that’s what ‘Nata means.” Adagio paused. As they always did, the humans passed away. Morgan and Merlin, and the knights of the round table faded to legend. Even now, it was still a series of bittersweet memories, no one ever quite amassing so much power and so much magic directly towards them at once. “I mean, they all died.” “Yeah. You were at the top of the world, Dagi.” “Yeah?” Sonata was poking her index fingers together. Aria was grimacing. “What?” “Dagi, um. “ “The Prench and Braytish wars, Dagi.” “What about the Prench and Braytish wars?” “Dagi.” Aria frowned. “What?” “Dagi.” Even Sonata turned stern. Befuddlement turned cross. “What??” “The affairs, Dagi, and all those podunk town tours, -” “This is ridiculous. You two are ridiculous! I did not go crazy from decades of power and success and, and decide to-” Sonata and Aria’s expressions were stretching thin. “Flirt my way – into –” They were grimacing even thinner. “All of those beds, for centuries, causing diplomatic incident after diplomatic incident just to, uh, ah. Shit.” There was a pause. Aria was trying to make eye contact only with Sonata through the screen again. Adagio stared a thousand yards through her tablet. “Do you two both really think I did that because I got bored?” “Well, siren chaos food, and all, but, I mean,” Sonata did a hand-wavey thing for the umpteenth time that call. “Seven hundred years?” Aria was less hiding behind her guitar head and more so using it as something to bang her forehead against. “Well.” Adagio blew out a breath. She tossed her hands up. “I probably won’t do something like that again, since you two warned me, I guess!” “I sure hope so!” chimed back Sonata. “I sure hope so,” Adagio repeated.She put her hands down. The three looked at each other. The pause stretched out. “Well! I’ve got to get back to work!” Adagio threw out. Aria snapped out of her fugue. “Who’s going to come in your bar for a drink at... Two forty on a Monday?” “Well, me, for starters!” The pause came back. “Alright. Nice talking to you two,” managed Aria. “Yeah! Yeah.” Sonata chirped. Adagio flipped her tablet over face down and laid her forehead into it. “Dagi, you have to hang up first.” No one responded. Two hanging up noises soon beep-booped from the call. Adagio propped her head back up in her hands. It was still weird.
You Call It Chivalry, Never Pull A Punch For FreeSpitfire crashed through the storm front and let the shakes sort through her thoughts. She’d handled her weekly debrief with Princess Twilight earlier today, this morning in fact – Thorax, as well as some undisclosed special guests would be taking up the princess’ time after day court. Rainbow Dash had a few tells when something was up – not being chatty was a primary one, even if she was meant to keep anything clandestine. She caught the contours of a cloud bank with her wing and slowed down closing in on Ponyville. Rainbow Dash also played her cards very close to the chest for other ponies’ sake – that was another type of tell, now, at least. Some events had flown right under Spitfire’s nose until her bump up in clearance had given her a chance to read up on past bearer activities. But curt directness from Dash? Yeah, there she went. The rainbow contrail swerved through the east side of Ponyville, right to the Crystal Castle. Spitfire fumed. The best part of her job was being a hardass to cocky rookies – the worst part was being a hardass to her friends. Even if Dash had helped her time and time again. She sighed and flew toward the castle after a minute. Eyeing it up, she closed in on the trail that had beaten her there. The heat had dispersed across the building, but an upper crystal window still weakly resonated from the powerful flight magic that had blazed through it. Touch down, second floor. A path of doors blown ajar indicated a clear path. Spitfire looked around for any signs of a welcoming committee. Nothing happened. Yeah, security was still horrible. She settled for a brisk trot through the doorways, following the trail of dissipating flight magic through the hallway. The tall mirror in the center caught her eye first. Stacks of machinery, gold on steel on paper on gold shined before her. New. Alright. A set of makeshift looking lockers aligning the wall to the side. Then, Rainbow, who was writing, into a book? Spitfire blinked and processed that. She cleared her throat. “You know Sergeant, I recall Princess Twilight debriefing me in Canterlot Castle this morning. Not sure you’ve got the right place.” To her credit, Rainbow only paused for a split second to look over her should before resuming and finishing her writing. She dropped her pen on the desk. “The hell, captain?” “Hell, cadet?” “It’s uh, like Tartarus.” She rubbed the back of her head. She furrowed her brow. Blinked. “What’s this about, Spit?” Spitfire drew closer. “You feinted off towards Canterlot and swung here. Don’t play dumb.” Rainbow Dash took in a breath before responding. She’d grown calmer over the years. Good. “It’s still bearer business. I didn’t want to bug you with details,” Rainbow Dash frowned. “Now you.” Spitfire shifted back from her accusatory stance. “It’s evaluations week, Dash. You’re up for promotion.” “Yeah, and bearer work comes up when it comes up.” Rainbow went to secure a set of saddlebags out of the lockers. “And you followed me here? You off duty or something?” “Far as I’m concerned, the field’s a fine place for evaluation.” Rainbow Dash frowned. She flipped the last latch on the bags. “Can’t just bring you on a job because of work, Spit. Even if you’re supposed to keep an eye on me.” Spitfire looked at Rainbow Dash head on. Yeah, cool, this was a great mistake so far. Couldn’t wait to report to the Princess of Friendship about it next week. She fidgeted, as they stared at each other for a moment. No one needed to know she really, really didn’t want to hurry back to a full shift of work after the princess made her get up three hours early. She rubbed the back of her head. “Could you bring me as a friend?” Rainbow Dash smiled. She looked at the mechanical tornado, and back to Spitfire. “You are cleared for Paradigm stuff, right?” “Faithkeeper rank, actually.” Rainbow Dash’s eyes widened. She gave a half-hearted, “well, alright” shrug and thwacked a control panel with her wing. The mirror surface rippled as the machinery came to life. The sunglasses came down. “Am I the only damn pony who keeps their eyes tapped in for thaums?” “The eggheads use goggles,” Rainbow pointed out with a wing, while the other finished penning an extra line into the journal. “I haven’t had to do any work on the mirror myself.” She turned to Spitfire. “So, fall in, wings closed, we’ll meet bearers on the other side.” “Other side?” “Yep,” Rainbow smirked. Then, more seriously. “It’ll feel like a crash, but you’ll be okay. Start with your eyes closed, balance on your back hooves and take it slow.” And then she walked right through the mirror. Spitfire stared. A series of heavily redacted state documents were starting to click. She followed. Everything was so muted. Spitfire could see Rainbow’s aura through her eye lids, but like it was boxed in tight near her heart. She slowly opened her eyes – the sky still hazed red with heat, but faintly, and up to a much shorter range than she was used to. She tried to flap her wings, and her back muscles flexed meaninglessly. Alarmed, she took a very deep breath. “Yeah, welcome to Earth.” Something that looked like Rainbow Dash crossed with a diamond dog clothed in sportswear grabbed her shoulder and shook her a little. “Your wings’ll be fine.” “Is this hell?” Rainbow Dash barked up a laugh. “No, we’re just not on Equus any more. Earth, like I said. How’s the crash treating you?” Spitfire ran her eyes over herself. No injuries, just differences. She recalled Dash’s pre-portal precautions and flexed. Her new body made some sense, like a tornado had thrown her into free-fall. But she was standing. “Am I some kind of, bad, dragon?” Rainbow barely stifled a laugh. “No, we shouldn’t run into those today.” She let go of Spitfire. “Just treat your foreclaws like small wings, and you can grab onto anything. Eyes up, balance your head back, march in twos. Give me your claw.” Rainbow Dash held out her hand and waited for Spitfire to meet her halfway. She didn’t. “They call them hands, here.” She looked up at Spitfire’s hesitation. “Rainbow Dash, you are married.” Rainbow slumped forward, and rolled her eyes. “They’re not literally your wings Spit. Come on.” She grabbed her and started walking. “We’ll be meeting the other bearers over the next hour or so, everypon- everybody else’s schedules didn’t line up the same.” A silence filled the air as they walked. Spitfire was faced with more questions than she knew she had time to ask. Equestria had been growing more diverse in the past decade, but this was still a whole new species evidently comfortable with motor carriages blazing past them at the speed of airships. “Everyone’s really muted here, what’s that about?” “Huh?” “No magic. I can see everyone’s keeping it so boxed in.” She paused. “They’re shaped like cutie marks.” Rainbow looked at her uncertainly. “It’s rare here. Only happens when people are intense, or emotional, and you usually need an artifact for it. You’re still casting?” Spitfire shrugged. “I’m always intense, Dash.” “Yeah. Okay.” Rainbow slumped and considered it for a bit. “But the artifact?” Dash looked Spitfire over. Her uniform had made the trip as a more casual military suit, emblazoned with Spitfire’s cutie mark and rank but much fewer of the badges. Her aviators shone bright with polish, but also bright with… “Spitfire. How much did you spend on your sunglasses?” Spitfire didn’t miss a beat. “Gotta have my shades, Dash.” If she had a coffee she’d be sipping it. Gold chains and she’d be repping bits. Salt lick and she’d be getting lit. “Fuck, you’re cool.” “I know.” The walk continued, leaving behind the school and suburbs for a stretch of businesses. The foot traffic died down. Heavier shade chilled out the summer sky. “What’s with the chest teats?” “What? I dunno, dude.” Spitfire poked her own with her free hand. “That’s like, sex, dude, don’t do that.” “What?” “I don’t fucking know dude, just don’t. It’s like grabbing your plot in public.” “Oh. Great.” Adagio drew herself out of her drink as the dulcet bell rang welcoming new guests. She gathered herself for a charming greeting, then blinked. It’d been years, but she hadn’t forgotten those faces. She turned stern and stared Rainbow down with a tense look. “What’ll you have?” Unphased, Rainbow Dash ordered two Apple Family ciders. Adagio raised an eyebrow the smallest titch, calculatingly. Spitfire looked back and forth between the two quickly. It was the kind of look you didn’t think much of if you’d been here a while. It was the kind of look you did think much of if you hadn’t been here a while. Talent agents made the same face – not all of them, just the most dangerous ones. “Six bucks.” Spitfire blanched. Adagio glanced at her, then at the big three hanging above her on the menu. There was a pause. Shortly, six dollar bills, and three bits were placed on the counter between Rainbow and Spitfire’s efforts. Adagio looked right at Spitfire. “Uh. Ah.” Adagio saw the frantic wingspeak formed by the blue one’s hand for “not clear, not clear”, feigned flummoxation at the coins, glanced at the bills again and went to pour them their two ciders. “New in town?” she tossed out. Adagio smirked at the facepalm she could hear over filling the drinks. They settled for a booth by the bar. “So you’ve been coming through the mirror a while?” Rainbow sipped her drink. “Yeah. Applejack more than me.” Sip. “An Apple needed our help, a few of them really.” “They’ve moved over here too?” “No, they’ve always been here on this side. The magic mirror’s like, well, a magic mirror. Mirror universe and stuff. It was symbolic or some shit when Starswirl made it way back, unlocked the dimensions and everything.” “Seriously?” “No, I’m fucking with you,” Dash smirked into her drink. Spitfire rolled her eyes. “Fuck if I know how it works, but this world’s been around like ours is forever.” Spitfire frowned. “Lax drinking laws, though.” She looked back at the barkeeper. The cutie mark at the heart of her aura was shattered, a ruby gem still glowing, but in sharp, uneven pieces. Was she hurt? Violent? Could marks just feel like that? This felt so much ruder than reading flight magic. “What do you mean?” Spitfire turned back and blinked. “She didn’t card you.” “Huh. Yeah. I mean, I have one over here just in case.” She pointed across the table. “Military uniforms get you respect over here all the same, so lucky you.” “Hmm.” Spitfire sipped her cider. The first breath of a buzz approached her, but in a different way from back home. She rolled her new hand-wings around the handle. “You keep saying ‘fuck’ instead of ‘buck’, am I missing something?” A familiar, third voice joined in. “No, she’s just gotten worse over here. Potty mouth.” Applejack slid into the booth and went for Dash’s drink. “Yeah, they don’t really ‘buck’ over here, they ‘fuck’ over here. Something about how they never kicked trees” – she looked low towards Applejack – “or, you know, got all kicky during it.” She got a curt bop on the head. Spitfire sipped her drink. She drew it out. She narrowed her eyes at the pair. To the point of the matter, hopefully. “So you called off work for a date with your wife?” Rainbow let out a breath, and frowned. Spitfire let out a breath, mock sternly. Then smiled. “Just fucking with you, Dash.” “Hah!” Applejack bumped Rainbow’s shoulder and cheered. “No, but she wishes.” Applejack passed the mug back to her and turned to Spitfire. “There was a bit of a surprise last night, and today we’re pulling a plan together with Twi. The other two will be along soon after they figure out what’s wrong with their car, and we can head out.” “Emergencies happen,” sipped Spitfire. She looked at Dash. This would’ve been harder to grapple with in the past for sure. Ace fliers had been cut from the team plenty of times by her hoof, either for ego or lack of cooperation. And she was in charge, because she could do it, be the one thing their wings couldn’t take them past. But Dash had shown she was better than ego. Spitfire chugged away at her drink. What she couldn’t afford to share was how stuck she was on figuring out what kind of balance to judge Rainbow by, with how often Rainbow’s casual commitments, and bearer commitments overlapped into saving Equestria. Laying all that out to Dash would be a red card on her own neutrality, and the neutrality of the observations on how Dash managed all that if Dash herself knew how it all worked. She knew Dash could handle the day to day, but not whether she’d reasonably make it to the day to day was such a headache. “Lot of cloud gathering there, captain. Bit for your thoughts?” Rainbow retrieved her mug from her wife. Spitfire frowned, let out a breath. She turned to Applejack. “We squabbled over it at the mirror: short of it is that ducking out of promotion evaluation periods is bad, and I followed her to see what was up.” “Huh.” Applejack eyed her uniform. “Bit of a hardass move there, ma’am.” “Yeah, well, it’s my job to be a hardass.” Spitfire rumbled out a heavier sigh and started clumsily rubbing her forehead with her free hand, looking at Rainbow. “When you flew your excuses by me tight-lipped, and swerved on off into a southbound thermal, towards Canterlot instead of Ponyville for -” Spitfire reflexively tried to make wing quotes – “’bearer business,’” - her stupid hand-wing things spilled her drink everywhere. “Shit.” She didn’t know what she was listening for any more. They’d all figured out where the portal was, eventually. But everyone who came through seemed to be Canterlot’s best – which itself was maybe saying something about them all barely being adults – but Canterlot’s best meant the mirror was likely in Canterlot, and without magic she’d just get locked up over there, and if she got locked up that’d be terrible for her sisters, so what the fuck in Noden’s name was she even meant to do with- Clatters and a swear erupted from the table. Adagio glanced up at the two old faces hopping up to handle the mess, and noted the dismal mood showing all over the new one’s posture. She looked back down to the mug she’d evidently been over-cleaning the hell out of. She placed it down and exhaled out a sigh, took in a breath. The new one came up to her with two empty mugs and a tenner. “Rough day for the third wheel?” Spitfire huffed. “Yeah, worse. I’m her boss.” “Oh?” Spitfire sat down and waved a hand. Adagio began refilling a mug with cider. “Yeah.” Spitfire drummed her hands on the counter top. Thought about what to say. Wasn’t her first nosy barkeep, but sure as the winds the first bipedal one. “She’s got another job that’s been getting more important than this one, for a while now. She likes it, it’s fine, that’s fine, whatever.” She frowned. “Just a stupid time keeping the friendship and the boss stuff separate. Always has been.” Adagio moved on to the second mug and fixed her eyes on Spitfire. Nudged up an eyebrow. Play the cards, play the stupid cards. Relate to her. Find her vulnerabilities. Snatch her secrets up. Fuck. The deluge of the prior phone call and her head sprinting in circles all washed over the hunt. She abandoned her ladylike posture and slumped, just enough. Two eyebrows raised from behind the sunglasses. Adagio smiled. Her classic house of con cards came tumbling down. Someone sharper to play with. Better prey were more fun to chase. “Been there before. Lately too. Know how you feel.” She set the mug down in front of Spitfire, started to embellish. Like usual. Right? “People I look after being happy, satisfied. Not getting that looking out for them -” oh, she was quavering a little, that would really sell it, great – “doesn’t switch off when you want it to.” She swallowed something back. Spitfire grabbed the mugs. “Spitfire.” Adagio looked at her, raised an eyebrow. Spitfire pointed at herself. Nodded, too. Her tension fell away. “Adagio.” The breath came out more relieved than she expected. She looked back at the booth. Yeah. No, those weren’t the Rainbooms. Mirrors from back home, like the damn princess. The anger would show on her face soon – move. “Can I get you anything else?” She noticed that she just, didn’t want to play it up like she usually did. “I need something darker, yeah. Just, ah.” Spitfire looked at the menu. Barkeep was not doing hot. Yeah. Yeah. Wow. She recognized nothing on the menu. “A dark beer. Whatever.” Blew out a chuckle. Adagio went for another mug. “Germane Stout’s pretty good. For a beer.” She glanced down at the ten. “You’re short, though.” Spitfire paused, tilted her head a titch, grinned. “Have I mentioned that your mane looks lovely today?” Oh. Oh no, they both thought. One, in deep concern, for realizing she’d just played the cool mare instead of asking Rainbow for more money. The other, with glee, for realizing Spitfire had just played the cool mare instead of asking her friend for more money. She grinned back. “That usually enough to get you a free drink, hun?” The sunglasses came off. Orange eyes met amethyst. “The unrelenting charm usually helps.” A lesser lady may have swooned off the extra dollar Spitfire owed her. Adagio kept playing. This was incredible. “Mm hmm. Can’t say I’m in short supply of that myself.” Adagio leaned down to eye level with Spitfire, resting one arm along the counter, the other propping up her face with a lean into her hand. “Got anything else?” “Flying. Lessons?” Spitfire’s smile was breaking. “Spitfire.” “Yesssss?” Adagio smiled, ever, so, demurely. It would have come out eventually anyway. “Just give me the bits.”
Nothing New, Repetition, Living Groundhog DayAdagio Dazzle, head of the Dazzlings. Low ranking, but still present on the Threats to Equestria, Past, Present and Future list the princess had prepared following the Battle of the Bell. Seductress, ex-sorceress and evidently, a fastidious flirt. Reviewing the report over and over in her head was the only thing keeping her stone faced as she retreated to the occupied booth. A pink-faced Rainbow grabbed her mug and started drinking immediately. While Applejack took hers, raised it in thanks and took a sip before setting it down. Spitfire gave Rainbow an eyebrow raise, then directed her sunglasses at Applejack. “Well, shucks ‘Fire, Dashie wasn’t trying to hide that she was up to no good.” Applejack wrapped an arm around Rainbow Dash. “She was just embarrassed instead.” “Jackie...” Applejack smooched Rainbow on the cheek. Her blush got way worse. “It’ll make more sense when the rest get here,” she turned to Spitfire. “Shouldn’t be too long now, I reckon, lest Dash forgot to put gas in their truck.” “Hmm.” The feather did that mean? Spitfire looked back at the bar. Adagio was tapping a screen and had an ear out in their direction. “How’s that Tempest Shadow mare doing these days?” Applejack frowned, in contemplation more than anything. “Still up north, helping out the crystal expeditions, I guess.” “Starlight Glimmer?” “Still the school principal, remember? Friendship school.” “And Trixie?” “Well, uh.” Rainbow Dash rushed in with a stern look in the eyes. “She called us gay the last time we saw her, then started macking on her marefriend-” “Gah, I asked you to stop using that word-” “Oh, make me-” Rainbow Dash stuck out her tongue. “And uh.” Spitfire drummed on the table to bring the attention right back. “That Discord guy?” The pair turned back to her. “He, uh.” started Rainbow Dash. She furrowed her brow. “He’s like, Fluttershy’s… housewife, or something, now?” A pause. “What?” Applejack breathed in deeply, and said in a higher, quieter voice, “we have something much deeper than romance going on, Applejack-” she coughed out the air and breathed again. Spitfire was mollified. Sort of. As she could be. Gave her mug a concerned look and a chug. Yeah, hey, this was good. “You going somewhere with this Spit?” Spitfire looked up and checked over her shoulder conspicuously. A few emotions were warring for control of Adagio’s face. “Just thinking about bad mares, I guess. And Discord.” Applejack and Rainbow looked at her funny, then at Adagio, then back to her, blankly. Spitfire looked at Adagio one more time, and caught a dart of vanishing eye contact. Then back to the pair. Rainbow and Applejack looked at each other. “Um, good luck, captain?” Sweet Celestia they never read the report “Thanks. Yeah.” She stood and killed her beer, headed for the counter. It was better than adding the state of Equestria’s national security to her current pile of woes. The pause broke behind her. “By the way, if I ever say that ‘more than romance’ hooey to you, it’s the changeling protocol.” A new pause. “It’s been like, three years since she was trapped in stone, dude.” “Yeah, I know. But you’re getting better with rope.” “Miss Dazzle.” Spitfire sat back down at the bar, back strong and straight. Adagio glanced at her over the counter. “Mm." So you have heard of me. The stand-off sit-off staredown lasted for four very tense seconds. Tick. The prey knew it was being hunted. Tock. A sworn enemy of the princess, crossed twice by Equestria, in a prime position to cause trouble. Tick. Said prey had just paid off two months of business expenses with a single beer. There'd be laundering to put in order, but the usual new new business worries had just been swept off the table. Tock. Said enemy was drinking alone on a Monday in the early afternoon. Tick. The tension poured out of Spitfire in a sigh. She slumped half a head downward. Adagio felt her own tensing taper off. She gave Spitfire a more neutral look. "May I help you Miss Spitfire?” Said woman rolled her eyes to the ceiling. “No." An exhale. "I guess I need a minute.” Adagio tapped the sleep key on her tablet. Then sit somewhere else. “And why’s that?” “Why?” Her voice came out slurred. That was early. Really early. “Because Rainbow was hiding something from me, and I doubted her over it, but I bucked up -" She rubbed her eyes shut with her hands. "it’s not even a big deal and she won’t even give me shit for it, but she doesn't even read the paperwork for her job and -" Spitfire flared her hands up and graghhed out a frustrated growl. "I need a bucking break.” She slammed her forehead down on the counter. It hurt way more than doing so usually did as a pegasus. Adagio started moving around behind the bar, and Spitfire closed her eyes to escape. Flying. She was flying through the storm clouds again. Let the shakes sort out the thoughts. Adagio Dazzle was what siren songs were named for. She was stuck at her bar. The closest one to the portal. Named the damn Final Sun. All alone, no sisters on her siren’s rock. Dash should be mad at her. She was giving her space. Something clattered near her head. She was spiraling. In the dark, the broken gemstone sparkled in front of her. It was so blue. The sky was so blue. Thunk. Again. She opened her eyes. A glass of water and a plate of crackers laid next to her face. Adagio looked at her with an exhaling breath, and a fatigue without ire. "You alright?" "Flying. I was thinking." Oh. "I've done the same." They looked at each other. Adagio looked away, a hand scratching at her neck. Stop that. Stay in control. “You’d think they’d hear some of that.” She sat back down behind the bar. “Nah. Look at them.” Adagio did look at them. They were so, so happy hand-wrestling one another. It was kind of impressive. Morons. She looked back at Spitfire picking her head up and relaxed her posture a bit. “Alcohol has differing effects over here. You should weigh less, too.” Adagio tapped the rim of the water glass, then leaned back, into comfort. “Hm.” Sip. Silence, for a moment. “These crackers are covered it salt.” Adagio gestured a hand around: And? Oh, of course. “You won’t find saltlicks in this world, Miss Spitfire. Salt is not an intoxicant for humans." She shrugged and stretched her back out gratituitously. Spitfire had been with hippogriffs, griffons, dragons... and this show was working. It was far past second nature for Adagio - she hadn't even stopped to consider doing it. But Spitfire kept flicking at the crackers on the counter. One eye looked down at her, paired with a smile. "Don't you trust me?" A look. Calm. "How are your sisters, Miss Dazzle?" Adagio deflated. Slumped her face into her hand and looked off to the scotch she'd been working on for an hour. They're great, Miss Spitfire." With a further exhale, "they're great." She gripped her glass. A warmth clutched her taken hand. Adagio's eyes swung back to Spitfire, whose hand wrapped around the bottom of her own, caught between her cheek and palm, squeezing it with a light pressure. It was unfortunately comforting. "How peculiar." "New in town, remember?" "Hmm. Cute." "I think you mean charming." Yes. Relentlessly so. She leaned firmly into their combined hands, pushing intentionally into Spitfire to make her stress to keep propping her up. Spitfire held her ground. "And how’s your special soldier getting along?", Spitfire looked away to her cronies, who were now arm wrestling to pass the time. Applejack’s muscles rippled beneath the rolled up cuffs. Something in Rainbow Dash’s posture was allowing her to keep up. "Fine. Eyes all watching out for her friends, but blindspotted for herself. Guess she's got me for that." They watched the two finish a round. Applejack huffed at her loss, but leaned forward and kissed the winning hand. She smiled and they started a new round. The crackers were crunchy. Dry. "Think I could handle one last drink." Adagio pulled away to stand, still holding on. This mare was so funny. Spitfire turned to her. "Anything sour. Wake me up." Adagio stood and let go, running her thumb down the back of Spitfire's hand in the release. "'Lost in this dream?" "Wow. Thought I was relentlessly charming." The compliment approached the balance of deadpan and neutrality very well. Adagio smiled a pleasant smile and turned. It really was more pleasant when she actually had to work. She eyed up the shelves and wondered if caffeine really was the right call. "Do I owe you anything more?" She grabbed something clear, something sour, something astringent, something with power. "You've bought out the bottom shelf." Spitfire didn't sputter. Delightful. "Really?" "Some of the middle, too." She took three necks with one grasp and tipped them at the same time. Three streams crossed equally into a shaker, cutting off together in one withdrawal. "It's the gold of the bits." Spitfire watched the dance continue, a heavy furrow forming for the other world's economy. A deft twirl of a martini glass brought her back - and wow that was a lot salt. The rim was soaked and set in the crystals, a bubbling liquid poured in after the return flip. The shaker's contents came next, drizzling into the cocktail glass. "I suppose I owe you a tip." Adagio continued the work without a response. A knife darted across the skin of a lime, striking two curls of zest into the rim. Spitfire could see the glimpse of oil fly from the fruit to rest on the surface. The drink was pushed before Spitfire. It was almost too pretty to drink. Spitfire stared at the well done work. Almost - of course. And Adagio went right back to her scotch, like Spitfire hadn't just seen her ace a process that whole cutie marks were dedicated to, no unicorn telekinesis or pegasus breezes necessary. Adagio drummed on the screen of her tablet. The wallpaper of Aria and Sonata popped up, but no new messages after she'd reached out a dozen minutes back. Spitfire enjoyed the kick of the cocktail next to her. Applejack was frowning at a handheld phone in the booth while Dash tilted out the remnants of her partner's drink. Adagio pondered what else to say to Spitfire. "Are the rest of them coming soon?" crossed from the counter to the booth. "I guess?" threw back Rainbow. She looked at Adagio. "Could we get a refill?" "Six bucks." Loudly enough. Rainbow Dash looked at the cocktail glass resting between the two. "What gives?" An upturned hand gestured. "C'mon Dash, six bucks," Spitfire half-shouted back. "She's got a business here." Adagio hid a smile in her hand. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and crossed the room with the mugs, setting them down just out of reach. "Got Zap Apple instead?" She pushed them the rest of the way. "Yeah. Ten." Adagio stood back up to carry the mugs, and turned around to sort them out at the back counter. "Oops," she said, a little too quickly, as one dropped to the floor. She leaned over prominently to pick it up. Spitfire watched, the ever present sunglasses aimed at Adagio's core. "Captain..." Spitfire turned to face Rainbow. She looked eye-level, near point blank at her chest. "Okay, dude?" Rainbow crossed her arms. "Still married here." "I was looking past that." There was a short freeze in Spitfire's peripheral vision. Rainbow also seized up for a second, squinting down at Spitfire and turning her head up and away. Spitfire tapped her sunglasses. "Sorry." "Riiight." Adagio had come to terms with the mugs and moved on to the fridge for ciders. "Dash, do you read much of what Twilight puts together for us?" Dash paused. Looked over at Adagio, still turned around. "Why? She usually tells us something, if it's important." She looked back at Adagio again. Spitfire waved the question away. "Nothing doing now. Just, be ready to read more when you get higher in the 'bolts, from work and from her." clink-Pop, clink-Pop, went two bottle caps. "I'm sure they mean more, really ever since Celestia stepped down and passed the mantle on to her." Adagio very calmly put the two drinks down. She very calmly accepted the ten from Rainbow Dash. She very calmly watched her walk away with the drinks. She very calmly - "Hey." Spitfire looked at her. She looked back. What else could she do? Ask something redundant? She tap. Tap. Tapped the counter. Spitfire downed the rest of her cocktail and spread three more bits at its base. She offered a hand, palm up, and rested it between them. Adagio met her and placed her own down. They both turned away from each other, as if there was anything new to see at the booth. Spitfire didn't blush. Miss Spitfire did, however. Adagio felt adrift. A flood of new considerations to wade through crashed and churned before her. The tangled angles jumbled together and blocked her out from even beginning. She let out a breath and squeezed Spitfire's hand. Spitfire took a deep breath. "What would you do if you had your magic back?" Adagio froze. She turned like a glacier to Spitfire. "Don't fuck with me, you, you-" Spitfire regarded her coolly. Their hands were so tight, and Adagio's nails were drawing blood. "I can see your magic. It's not gone, just shattered. The pieces still glow." The bridge of the glasses shimmered. It hadn't been just the light. The opacity of the lens had been unnatural. Adagio let go. Melancholy, and spite, and sadness, and fury, and loneliness, and hurt. A broken breath of her siren miasma curled and whipped around her own heart and squeezed- "Adagio." Spitfire grabbed her hand. The anchor brought her back. Spitfire squeezed her tightly, blood staining the skin between them. "What would I do?" The plans of revenge all rushed through her head. Sleepless nights, weeks, connecting what dots she could to make - She had to breathe. She did. Spitfire's grip slackened, but stayed. Adagio huffed. She was a tsunami of moods - and - and Sonata and Aria were happy. They were so happy now, and they kept telling her to switch off. They didn't want - didn't need her to avenge them for the past thousand years. And so she turned back to Spitfire. This frustrating, (wonderful) mare, stuck so many pages behind her in the same book, who's superhero subordinate had just come up to her as an unspoken chance to help, and she had turned it down to rile up The Siren, all on her own. She was repeating the same cycle she was, right in her face. "Flying. I'd go flying." It came out as a distressed wail. It wasn't supposed to. None of this was supposed to. She tore her hand away and slammed the counter, stood from her seat, and kicked through the employee gate, rounding the corner with a sobbing ferocity. She jabbed at Spitfire's face with a finger, right below the nose with where the seating height left her. "But you, you absolute flames-for-brains hothead, you come into my bar, you see that I'm hurt, and you think that you can just dangle what I've been chasing for years right in front of my face!" She jabbed at Spitfire again and again with each clause, who flinched at the first strike, but held firm after. She caught Adagio's hand by the fourth. Rainbow Dash and Applejack were absolutely watching. It didn't matter. And the glinting daggers of the shattered gem shone in her eyes. "We're both hurting. I thought I could help-" "And you just had to help right away, didn't you?" Adagio pulled, and pulled at her hand. "You couldn't stop to ask your sis- wingmares, you couldn't go back to your damn princess first, you just had to fly right away from your first problem onto the next one, and try to fix me too!" Her hand broke free, and she was jabbing again. "All because you can't, switch, off!" Spitfire kicked up away from her bar stool, hand flying up to catch Adagio's again. "Is this about me, or both of us?" "You, you insufferable featherbrain! Euhh!" The swift, non-dominant backhand flung free at Spitfire's face. Her sunglasses were caught in the strike, swept off, clattering across the counter. Spitfire turned and watched them land, processing the hit as they skid and survived the landing. Burning orange eyes turned back to furious amethyst. Phweeeoooooo.
Live My Life A To Z, Fill Up All The VacanciesBefore the three tribes bonded in harmony, pegasi lived as the warriors of the sky. Scholars, as well as pink alicorn princesses, are wont to point out how even a millennium later those feisty instincts still manifest in the final, modern battlefield: Love. And sirens? The territorial, antediluvian apex warriors of the sea? Don't get the pretty pink pony princess started. An old jeep rumbled up to the Final Sun. The engine shut off in growls. "Gaahh, we're so late dude." "And whose fault is that?" One woman moved to hop out habitually, and thought better of it before stepping down carefully. The other took her steps out as firmly as ever. "Didn't know she used so much gas," the hopper muttered. "Told ya." "Mhhh." Work boots and sneakers wobbled to the front together. Lights were on, but it looked near empty. A strong calloused hand pushed in the door. "Howdy y'all, sorry we're - oh God." A blur of orange was fighting - no, kissing? - no, fighting and kissing and biting and fighting - Dash slammed her eyes shut and shook her head. She tried looking again. A military uniform, torn half-open. A strapless dress, struggling to dress. Adagio fuckin' Dazzle and her college soccer captain were locked in a battle for the top, a lipstick-and??-slap-marked Spitfire temporarily pushing Adagio against the wall, her teeth drawing along her neck before Adagio seized out a grip and threw themselves both to the floor, taking the said position against Spitfire who tried to both seize back the advantage, and barely restrain a stalwart moan. Dash looked up from the sight. Applejack, still seated in a booth, had both hands propping up her face returning a thousand yard stare. Rainbow not-so-sneakily stood behind the bar, refilling her mug at the tap. AJ seemed frozen beside her. The noises were getting worse. "What the fuck- Hey. Hey!" The horrifying mating of a territorial beast and a just as intense pegasus halted. Spitfire gave what little she could see of the interrupting pant legs a glare. Adagio looked down one last time before turning away and facing up. It took more than a moment, the almost painful gripping of Spitfire's hands around her arms, the heated body of space between them, her own grip finally loosening, but as the haze cleared and she ran her eyes over the newcomers she started to laugh. The younger Applejack looked up and away with an eye roll. The younger Rainbow Dash looked embarrassed, her hands lowering around her stomach. Spitfire looked closer. Nothing seemed that funny. She blinked at Dash's arms, then over at AJ. It was their stomachs - they showed the same signs of being about four months into carrying foal. Her eye twitched. Her eyes trailed back to the booth, daggers glared into a heads-down Rainbow Dash and a sheepish Applejack. "She got herself PREGNANT!?" Deathly, awkward silence. The closed sign now hung over the bar's door. Rainbow and Dash sat on one side of the booth while Applejack and AJ took the other. Spitfire sat with her head in her hands. Three people were dying, all for separate reasons. Dash's head was face down on the table, cooking in a general stew of embarrassment. Rainbow hid her face in her arms, waiting for her boss' judgement call. Adagio had stopped and started laughing several times over, the ceases each broken by a realization of the absurdity of what had ultimately brought Spitfire here, or how badly the elders had messed up with experimentation in Equestria to do this to their mirror selves, or the comedic schadenfreude of their faces - it wouldn't stop. It couldn't stop, this was the best day ever, ever since her sisters had made up. "Well," tried Applejack. "I need a drink," muttered AJ. Applejack frowned and poked her younger half in the stomach. She rolled her eyes. "Oh my God. Oh sweet Noden. One second - yes - " Adagio got up, still wheezing. The table returned to stillness. Spitfire loudly clicked her tongue once, with a tckh. Blew out steam. Her mind wandered, searching for what the next action was supposed to be. Rainbow finally put her hands down. Spitfire's own arms were sore, scratched like a hail storm, aching. She made eye contact for a split second, dipped a feather's worth of a nod, and turned it to a look off at Adagio at the bar. Five white drinks were already set aside, a shaker being prepped for one last. Maybe she didn't need to do anything. Seemed that had gotten her covered in bruises, instead of just kisses. Not that bruises were always bad. Applejack and Dash - no, Rainbow now, apparently, as the four seemed to phrase it - the two were nudging each other, and giving each other looks as if it was an effective method of communication. AJ groaned at the display, but was cut off from starting up by Adagio setting down her drink in front of her. "Virgin white stalliongradies." Adagio settled the tray down on the table, her full hand darting from underneath while a jingle of keys chimed out from the tray's center, the remaining drinks free for everyone else to take, aside from her own properly mixed cocktail. AJ looked down and subtracted the vodka and coffee liquor. She frowned. "So it's just whipped heavy cream?" Adagio slacked back, lowered an eyebrow. "Look, have you ever been mad while downing a milkshake?" AJ shook her head. Rainbow went for her drink. "Constantly," said Applejack. The table paused. Stares all went in one direction. Applejack looked around the table, and at the six creamy drinks. "Sorry, I thought we were still talking about sex." Adagio sucked in a breath very quickly, and put her drink down to avoid spilling it. "Virgins." Dash moaned and slammed her head back down. Adagio's shakes started to come back. "Okay!" Spitfire seized the attention of the table. She pointed at Rainbow, who was managing to get the froth down. "The plan!" Rainbow blinked. She blinked again. She looked at Adagio and pointed first. Spitfire looked up at Adagio. She shrugged. "Rainbow, that's one of the Dazzlings. We sang songs against her and broke her evil mind control stuff," quickly contributed Dash. "It's uh, been a while, like five years?" "And I've been fantastic. Thank you," Adagio tersely replied. "Looks like it," tried AJ. "Is this your bar?" "My fourth." She turned. "You've been supplying me through Mr. Rich for years, Miss Apple." She took it down a notch. "Best apple cider in Canterlot," she begrudged with an exhale. She stared at AJ. "I uh. Mac takes care of the paperwork, I just farm things." Spitfire grimaced. One hand went over a twitching eye. "I hope at least one of you learns to read in the near future." Rainbow put her face back in her hands. Spitfire rolled her hand over her own mouth, blowing out a last exhale. Her hands were turning out to be, well, handy. No loose feathers ending up everywhere if they were used the same. She refocused on the table. "I guess we're gonna go to Canterlot now, I guess," said AJ. "Figure out the whole changing pregnancy thing the princess was going to help us with." She looked at Adagio one more time, then back to Spitfire. "They're said they could use some pods to store the kids until the future, take Dash and I back out without them.." Spitfire blinked back a lot of confusion. "Why? What?" "The changelings," Applejack corrected, "can help them hold off on having foals - kids, too soon." She pointed at Dash. "Athlete." Pointed at AJ. "Head laborer. Not a good time to be parents, yet." She scratched her head. "Need to figure out how the heck that's going to work out over here too." "Can't imagine those documents would be easy with two mothers. I could help, for a price, of course," chimed Adagio. "That's uh, I mean, thank ya, maybe. That's not the biggest problem, really." "What is?" Spitfire looked at AJ, who was blushing for the first time. She looked back around the table. Rainbow poked her fingers together. Applejack scratched at her forehead. Dash looked at the two elders, braved a breath and squeaked. "We're not sure who the dad is." Spitfire slammed her forehead down into the table. Adagio lost it. "Rainbow Dash," she said, to the ground. The younger one figured it out. "Yes? Captain?" "Tell Fleet I'm taking the week off." She breathed in, exhaled. Adagio doubled over next to her in laughter. "What?" Rainbow asked, much louder. "The whole week." Spitfire looked up. "I'm taking the whole week off." Rainbow's gaze widened. "You're sure?" "If the three of you can't handle this between two decades of experience, the winds may as well take the Academy when I retire, Dash." She pointed an arm out at the front door. "Just get going." "Well," managed Applejack, standing up first. "Alrighty then." Emptied drinks were pushed to one side, phones and keys gathered. The procession trickled away from the table, aside from Rainbow. She looked back at her boss, and Adagio, who had finally recovered and stood up. They were covered head to - well, chest, in red marks and bruises. It looked like the first week of her honeymoon. "You gonna be alright, Spit? Both of you?" Adagio smiled back coyly, "Oh, mhmm, we'll be quite alright. Thank you, Mister Apple." Rainbow Dash closed her eyes and bit down on her thumb with an exasperated sigh. "Yeah, alright, fuck you too." "Please don't Dash, we don't need you knocking her up too." Rainbow turned to go, immediately. "THANKS BOSS. LOVE YOU TOO," she fumed in a flush of red, stomping out the door. Adagio followed closely chuckling, hand swiping the bar's keys from the tray. They clanged into her hand and she moved to lock up. "My sunglasses, please?" Spitfire held a hand out towards Adagio's back. "Hmm," she murmured back. She put the lenses on, looking out the front door at the only car in the parking lot. "Oh... oh..." "'Dagio?" Spitfire stood and walked beside her. One of the Applejacks was fussing with the back of their carriage. The other stood beside her, watching closely. Two Dashes held their faces in their hands. "I can see them again, Miss Spitfire. Disappointment, embarrassment, confusion." A despondent, yet relieved breath flowed out onto the glass. Spitfire put her hand on Adagio's shoulder. She turned. "What else?" An inferno. Flames - generosity, loyalty, kindness. A harrowed battle with honesty, a prizable leader's laughter. And an awful, cocky, unrelenting charm. She smiled, and pushed up the glasses. "I think we're going to need more than a week." She leaned in for the kiss.
