Ardent Orange

Adagio 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.