Evil, For Good

Sunset Shimmer is a good guy now.

It was a long road getting there, but through hard work, dedication, and the support of her closest friends, Sunset Shimmer had managed to turn over a new leaf. No longer the cruel, manipulative bully she once was, Sunset was now what those around her had expected her to be all along: Someone who uses her intellect and magical ability to aid those less fortunate than herself. These days, Sunset stayed on the right side of the law, always took the high road, and looked out for the little guy. She was now a warrior of the light, a defender of harmony, and—no ifs, ands, or buts about it—Sunset was now a good guy.

Which was why she was very hopeful no one would see her in the dead of night, picking the padlock to the tow yard. Even in her position, she could see how bad the optics were on this one.

“Come on, come on…” It had been quite some time since Sunset had done any breaking or entering, so it wasn't altogether surprising how rusty she was. Even still, three broken bobby pins later, Sunset knew that she was close. She jiggled her improvised lockpick and, much to her dismay, it snapped in two under the strain of the lock. “Damn it!”

“Ouch. I think I broke a nail just watching.”

Sunset jumped at the voice, turning towards its source. She couldn't see much through the inky darkness, just what was barely illuminated by the feeble flicker of the lot’s dying lampposts. As her eyes adjusted, Sunset could just barely make out the approaching figure. Almost a head taller than Sunset, with a confidence swagger as she strolled into the dim white light. If the sinister grin and taunting, musical laughter didn't give her away, then the giant mass of curly orange hair certainly would.

“Bit of advice, babygirl.” Adagio stopped just a few paces from Sunset, and smirked that smug, all-knowing smirk of hers. “Leave the breaking-and-entering to the professionals. You don't see me going around giving friendship TED talks, do you?”

“Didn't we chase you off back to the aquarium like a year ago?” said Sunset. She was a bit shaken to see Adagio here, in the dead of night, but she stood her ground. For better or for worse, that was one of Sunset's greatest strengths; Unflinching, unwavering, stubborn iron will. “What are you doing here?”

“Same as you, I imagine.” Adagio paced along the edge of the shadows, just barely in Sunset's sight. “How's this sound, babygirl? I'll get that lock open for you if you help me find what I'm looking for.”

“Don't tell me you actually have a goldfish memory,” snorted Sunset. “Did you forget how you pitted my friends against each other, brainwashed my school, and tried to enslave my entire race?”

“Love the recap of my incredible résumé, but your point is…?”

“My point is you're an evil, mind-controlling fish monster. Why would I ever help you?”

Then came that laugh again. Adagio’s confident, villainous chuckle was starting to work its way under Sunset's skin. It was the laugh of someone who knew more than her, and that didn't sit well with Sunset. Likely a holdover from her time as Celestia’s student, she couldn't stand the feeling that she wasn't the smartest in the room. She would tolerate it for the sake of polite conversations, not rocking the boat, but here, alone with a sinister, monstrous Siren, it was getting Sunset a bit hot, to put it mildly. The old Sunset would have shot back, told Adagio to wipe that smirk off her face or else. But that's not the kind of person she was anymore. Now, Sunset had to wait patiently for Adagio to get it out of her system. It still felt odd to give up control of a situation like this but that's what good guys did, so she was told.

“I don't see the rest of your band anywhere. Which leads me to believe that you don't want them to know that you're here,” said Adagio with a grin. “It'd be a shame—a travesty, really—were they to see that their little rehab project went and relapsed.”

“Are you blackmailing me?”

“Ugly word, but I suppose so. The ball's in your court.” Adagio offered her hand to Sunset, who stared at the perfectly manicured digits with a scowl. “One night only performance, Adagio Dazzle featuring The She-Demon of CHS. We have a deal, babygirl?”

Sunset's scowl persisted, but after a few more moments of consideration, she hung her head in defeat. A good guy teaming up with a villain wasn't the most absurd thing in the world, was it? It happens in comic books all the time. Perhaps that's just the part of the story Sunset found herself in.

“We get in, we get what we came for, we get out. And we never speak of this to anyone, ever.” Sunset went to shake Adagio’s hand, but thought better of it and swatted it to the side. “And cool it with the ‘babygirl’ crap.”

“Would ‘sweetie pie’ make you feel better?”

“Shut up and unlock the door, before we get caught.”

“You're the boss, babygirl. Step aside.” Adagio strutted forward into action, sliding what appeared to be a brown leather wallet from her back pocket. When she opened it up, instead of money, there was a full lockpicking kit, which she took to the lock and quickly set to work. She went quiet, focused, and Sunset was just about to remark how it's harder than it looks when a satisfying clock signaled that the padlock had been cracked open. She swung the gate open and took a bow. “Ta-da. After you, babygirl.”

Sunset rolled her eyes, but led the way into the lot regardless. It wasn't a very sophisticated facility, little more than a dirt lot lined with impounded vehicles, with a small office trailer near the front. With Adagio close behind, Sunset slowly crept through the near-darkness, slowly slinking deeper and deeper into the lot. Just as she was about to step into the light, a hand grabbed her by the collar, and yanked her back. This was it. It was a trap, a set-up from the very beginning. Adagio was out for revenge, and Sunset had played right into the villain's hands.

At least, that's what Sunset thought, until Adagio chose not to continue her attack, despite having the upper hand. Then, when Sunset was certain she wasn't about to end up dead in a ditch and was able to actually look back at Adagio, she saw her point. She followed the trail of Adagio’s finger up, to the nearby light post, and finally, she saw the small security camera installed below the bulb. Like the rest of the lot, it was old and a bit worse for wear, but the red light by the lens certainly gave the impression that the camera was still functional.

“Thanks for the save,” whispered Sunset. She watched the camera for a bit, determining that its view probably included their search area. No way to get past without getting spotted. “What now?”

“I have an idea.” Adagio reached into her pocket again and, bizarrely, came back out with a tube of scarlet lipstick, which she applied heavily to her lips. “Give me a boost.”

Sunset cocked a brow, but interlocked her fingers and offered them down as a stepping point for Adagio. The Siren pulled her hood over her head (Sunset was amazed that she managed to fit all of the hair in one hoodie) and stepped onto the improvised platform. After Sunset boosted her up, Adagio pursed her lips and laid a firm kiss on the lens. She kissed it again, and one more time, before jumping down to admire her handiwork; her lipstick left thick kiss marks on the camera, obscuring most of its view, and giving the two intruders a perfect cover. It was quick, simple, and quiet, so much so that Sunset couldn't hide how impressed she was.

“Clever,” said Sunset with a nod. “Where’d you learn a trick like that?”

“Harley Quinn. I’ve been absolutely dying to try that out from the moment I saw that show.”

“Harley Quinn?” Sunset snorted. “Never would’ve pegged you for a comic nerd.”

“It's a show about attractive, evil women,” said Adagio with a shrug. “How could I not be a fan?”

Adagio cocked her head before taking off into the rows of cars, and Sunset chased close behind. Now taking the lead, Adagio seemingly decided to inject a bit of energy into their caper; She weaved playfully between the rows, oftentimes faking one direction before heading another, for no apparent reason other than to taunt her begrudging partner in crime. Adagio maneuvered through the place with confidence, and after a few twisting turns through the maze of vehicles, Sunset lost sight of the villain she was being forced to work with.

“Crap…” Sunset's eyes darted around in search of Adagio, but apparently, she had disappeared into thin air. “Hey, Adagio. Quit screwing around, you're gonna get us caught!”

“Tag. You're it.” A finger tapped Sunset on the shoulder, and when she turned, Adagio was waiting there with a cocky smirk. “You're going to need to put some pep in your step if you want to keep up with me.”

“Trust me, the last thing I want is to keep up with you,” growled Sunset. “Why'd you run off like that?”

“Looking around, trying to find what I need,” said Adagio. Sunset was about to ask some important clarifying questions, but Adagio quickly cut her off at the pass. “No luck yet, but I think I found what you're after. Three rows over.”

Sunset was suspicious. It was natural for her to be weary. Yet, no matter how intently Sunset studied her, she couldn't see any malicious intent in Adagio. She was more or less how Sunset remembered her—controlling, confident, almost dangerously attractive, and with a simmering malice deep within—yet, she was being so strangely pleasant to Sunset. A bit overly familiar, but, were the stakes not so high, Sunset could find herself strangely enjoying her time with Adagio. Sunset gave a little nod, and Adagio grabbed her by the hand and pulled her along, weaving through the rows of abandoned cars until they found what Adagio was referring to; A lone red motorcycle, decorated with a blazing red sun along the body.

“Hell yeah!” Sunset grabbed up Adagio in a hug, elated to finally see her precious bike all in one piece. Almost as soon as her arms wrapped around Adagio, and their bodies came close, Sunset jumped away. She hadn't meant to hug Adagio at all, just got caught up in the excitement. “Dude, you're a lifesaver.”

“I've been called a lot of things, but that's a new one,” said Adagio with a grin. “Listen, babygirl, I'm looking for a specific car. It's a 2018 Platinum Caster Acclaimed AE2020. You seem like a car girl, mind pointing me in the right direction?”

“Hm… That's a two-door model. Looke for four vents on the back, and no spoiler, unless it's a custom.” Sunset arched her brow. “You don't know what your own car looks like?”

“If you must know, I'm picking it up for someone. But thanks for the tip.” Adagio winked and took off down the yard, in search of the car that fit Sunset's description. “Meet me by the gate, I'll be there in five minutes!”

Sunset had a lot of feelings bouncing around in her head. Regret for letting Adagio out of her sight. Concern that she may have just made herself an accessory to grand theft auto. Dread from the possibility of her friends somehow learning about what she'd done. Shame for temporarily stepping into the dark and breaking the rules she had sworn to now obey. But more than any of that, Sunset was relieved, ecstatic, over the moon to finally have found her bike.

She ran over to the motorcycle, giving it a careful inspection from top to bottom. Still perfect, despite its unceremonious relocation. Sunset hopped onto the bike, the engine roaring to life and purring like a tiger at her touch. After backing out of the spot where it had been parked, Sunset whipped the bike towards the entrance and took off. She zipped forward through the yard and, just as requested, came to a stop just past the gate. It wasn't long before she could see a car approaching from within the yard, a hot pink sports car that pulled to a stop just beside Sunset. The door popped open, and out stepped Adagio, who crossed the path to Sunset with a grin to rival The Devil himself.

“Found it. Keys were still in the ignition, just like my friend said.” Adagio crossed her arms over her chest, and gave Sunset a little wink, as if she knew something that the Rainboom did not. “We make for one hell of a team.”

“Yeah, shame about you being super evil and all,” said Sunset. Despite her somewhat incendiary words, even she had to admit that working with Adagio was a breeze. Now if only they were on the same side. Who knows what they might accomplish? “I might actually like you, if you weren't a bad guy.”

“And despite being a goody-goody, I suppose don't find you completely nauseating. In any case, I better get this car where it's going, and I'm sure you've got places to be.” Adagio took another bow before returning to her car. “We should do this again sometime. Or maybe you should pick something, since you're too righteous and heroic for a little grand larceny.”

“If you promise not to break the law again, I can do boba on Friday.” Sunset watched Adagio slide into the vehicle, studying her intently. It was as she suspected before; Adagio was different, somehow. It would be in Sunset's best interests to keep an eye on her. “We should keep in touch.”

“Check your back pocket.”

Before Sunset could ask what that meant, Adagio put the pedal to the metal, and took off away from the tow yard. All alone in the dust, Sunset reached into her back pocket, and withdrew a slip of paper that wasn't there before. A phone number scribbled in red pen, with a note and a scarlet kiss mark just beneath the digits.

“Text me sometime, babygirl,” read Sunset. She wasn't sure whether to smirk or roll her eyes, so Sunset ultimately did both when she slipped the note back into her pocket. She revved her bike again, before something occurred to her; Sunset tapped her back pockets, then her front, and even checked her jacket pocket, before letting out a groan. “She stole my wallet…”