Evil, For Good

Adagio Dazzle is still a bad guy.

For years and years, Adagio had done all she could to thoroughly earn her loathsome reputation. A cruel, sadistic, self-centered monster, the likes of which typically only existed as villains in fairy tales. And yet, here she was, as real as can be. Adagio Dazzle never met a rule she wouldn't break, never saw a back she wouldn't stab, never known a low she wouldn't stoop to in order to further her ends. Cunning and vile in equal measure, Adagio was a creature of the night, an agent of malice and—no matter how you slice it—she was a bad guy.

Which is why she felt a bit odd waiting at the mall to get boba with the hero that had vanquished her a year ago. That might tarnish her image as a cold-blooded villain somewhat.

“I still don't really get why you're hanging out with her.” Adagio rolled her eyes, only half listening to her sister on the phone. The mall was at a constant buzz around her, but the dull roar of vapid mall-goer chit-chat still wasn't enough to drown out Sonata’s voice. “She's, like, the whole reason we lost at the Battle of the Bands! I thought we agreed that we hated her.”

“Obviously, I still hate her, moron. This is called playing the long game,” explained Adagio. “I'm using her. She got me the car, but she might still be useful for more than that. It's worth looking into.”

“I dunno, the way you were talking about her made it sound like you had fun together.”

“I stole a car, Sonata. Of course I was having fun.” Adagio’s eyes caught a glimpse of Sunset emerging through the crowd, making her way to Adagio. “Here she comes. I've got to go. Text me if you have any more pickups you need me to do.”

She hung up and slipped her phone in her pocket. As Sunset approached, Adagio felt that familiar energy grow between them. It was electric, the cataclysm that was birthed when good met evil. Though Adagio smiled as Sunset approached, Sunset herself did no such thing; She was all business as she came to a stop before Adagio, reaching out with one outstretched hand expectantly. Adagio, of course, knew exactly what this was about, but she decided to play around with her food a bit more, as it were.

“Hello to you, too.” Adagio shook Sunset's hand, grinning at the slight smolder in Sunset's eyes. “I wasn't expecting this meeting to be quite so formal.”

“My wallet,” said Sunset flatly. Adagio chuckled, but produced Sunset's wallet from her pocket and handed it over. Sunset opened it up and quickly flipped through its contents. A bit of money, her ID and license, her laundry card, and a stick of gum; exactly what she remembered being in there to start with. “Doesn't look like you took anything…”

“Of course not, babygirl. Robbing your date is beyond tacky.”

“Yet you still took the whole wallet.”

“Had to make sure you'd actually show up.” Adagio offered up her arm, not unlike a noble knight to a fair maiden. “I believe you made mention of boba?”

“Yeah, there's a great stall right before we hit the food court.” Sunset accepted Adagio’s arm, and at her direction, the two set off in the direction of the food court. “Also, I didn't say this was a date.”

“Yet you took my arm.”

“Have to make sure you don't run off,” countered Sunset. “You know what they say, keep your friends close and your enemies closer.”

“Fair enough. I have to say, though, us? Enemies?” Adagio shrugged. “Who's to say? I think we're more alike than either of us realized at first. I mean, what are the odds that we both decided to steal from the same tow yard on the same night.”

“Hey, keep it down! You want someone to hear? Besides, what I did isn't even really stealing. The dude is a scammer, he towed my bike for no reason and tried to get me to pay $2,000 to get it back.”

“Blegh. And there you go, ruining it.” Adagio rolled her eyes. “You know why I always liked you, Sunset?”

“Hm… You like a girl that can kick your ass?”

“Ha! I like a girl bold enough to try. But no, it's not just that. I always liked that no matter what you were, good or bad, you did what you wanted because that's what you wanted. This desperate attempt to justify your actions… The old Sunset would never.”

“The old Sunset was a miserable C-word with no friends,” countered Sunset. “So you'll have to forgive me if I don't model my behavior after what she did.”

“Okay, how about a little thought experiment? Let's say, just hypothetically, that he wasn't scamming you. Let's say it was an honest mistake on your part, and he was in the right. Would you have paid what you owe?”

“He was scamming me. When I parked, there was no sign about a tow truck. When I get back, my bike is gone and there's suddenly a sticker on the street post for his company.”

“Hypothetical, babygirl.”

“Maybe I don't do hypotheticals, cherry pie.”

They stopped, and for a moment Sunset feared that she may have overstepped. She wasn't sure if Adagio was capable of having feelings outside of malicious self-satisfaction, but if she was, and Sunset had hurt her feelings, then she'd feel terrible. Slowly, however, as Adagio turned her head, it was clear that the exact opposite had occurred; Adagio smiled from ear to ear, a devious glimmer to those spellbinding garnet eyes of hers. It wasn't that Adagio was offended by the nickname, but something far, far worse.

She liked it. A lot.

“Finally flirting back, huh? Sure know how to keep a gal waiting.” Adagio threw her head back and laughed. “I knew you couldn't resist the Siren’s call for long.”

“W-what? Don't be stupid. I am not flirting,” said Sunset with an almost comical lack of credibility. “I just… I know you're making fun of me. With the babygirl thing. Just giving you a taste of your own medicine.”

“Making fun of you? Is that what you think?”

Sunset would have responded, but the two had finally reached their destination; the boba shop was mostly empty, and it didn't take long for the two to place their orders and receive their drinks. Adagio paid for them both, despite Sunset's insistence that they should at least split the bill. With delicious beverages in tow, Adagio led the pair to the adjacent food court, where they sat to more comfortably continue their conversation.

“I mean, it's pretty obvious that you are,” said Sunset, sipping her taro drink. “You're a bad guy, I'm a good guy. It's your job to make fun of me, right?”

“Heh. You know what I think?” asked Adagio. “I think that you want me to be making fun of you. Because if I'm not, then maybe you're not as good of a guy as you think you are.”

“Hey, I've changed. It wasn't easy, but I'm different now. I'm not a demon anymore.”

“Didn't say you were. But your first instinct after getting your bike towed—fairly or otherwise—wasn’t to talk to the guy, or even seek the help of your friends. Your first instinct was to steal it back, because that's what you wanted to do.” Adagio bounced her eyebrows as she sipped her avocado smoothie. “And you just sat and watched me run off with a stolen sports car. Face facts, babygirl, you may not be evil, but you sure aren't a good guy either.”

“You said you were picking it up for a friend,” said Sunset with a frown.

“That friend was my sister, she runs a chop shop. I was collecting a car she wanted to strip for parts that just so happened to fall into the possession of our sketchy tow man.”

“Ugh. Of course,” groaned Sunset. “I should've known Aria had something to do with this.”

“Sonata, actually.”

“Okay, now you're making fun of me.”

“I wish. No, somehow it turns out the idiot has a really good mind for business,” explained Adagio. “But that's neither here nor there. The point is, I did something bad, and you didn't stop me.”

“Stealing from a thief isn't really that bad,” countered Sunset. “So maybe you're not as evil as you think.”

“Hey, I didn't know he was scummy. As far as I knew, I was robbing a decent man who's only crime was doing an honest day's work. So, yes, I'd say I'm plenty evil, babygirl.”

“Then what are we doing here? Good guys and bad guys don't date.” Sunset paused before looking up and locking eyes with Adagio. The silence held for a moment, before Sunset gave a half-hearted little shrug. “Not that this is a date.”

“Why am I here? Because I think you're hot,” said Adagio simply. “And I know you feel the same. So I figured why not? If it doesn't work out, then fine by me. But maybe, just maybe, there's a chance.”

“A chance for what?”

“A chance to bring you back over to the dark side.”

Sunset was about to respond, to argue that it couldn't be done. Her bond with her friends was too strong, her commitment to her righteous path too unshakeable. She was incorruptible. Yet, before Sunset could say as much, something caught her eye; Across the food court was a man, in his early-twenties, with a scraggly blonde mullet sticking out from under a dusty blue truckers hat. He also had a very irate woman walking alongside him, who occasionally chirped and barked at her companion. Sunset frowned at the sight of the man, slinking down slightly in her seat, as if hoping not to be seen. Adagio noticed, of course, and followed the trail of Sunset's gaze. Though she wasn't sure precisely what she was looking at, her instincts told her to keep a close eye on the pair.

“Something wrong?” asked Adagio carefully. Sunset sipped her tea while watching the two walk past. They didn't seem to notice Sunset, thankfully, as they approached a nearby pretzel stand. “You know them, babygirl?”

“The guy. He's the prick who took my bike,” grumbled Sunset. “Ugh. Just my luck…”

“Hm. Seems like he's having a domestic with the missus,” remarked Adagio. She tapped her chin thoughtfully. “We should jump him and steal his wallet.”

Sunset nearly choked on a boba pearl, much to Adagio's somewhat cruel amusement.

“What?! We are not going to jump him!” hissed Sunset. “What're you, crazy?!”

“No, babygirl. I'm evil.”

“Yeah, you keep saying that, but I don't know if I buy it. The old Adagio, the one me and my friends beat, wouldn't even be sitting here talking to me. She would've just sang a little song and stole whatever she wanted.”

“You destroyed my gem, remember? I can't do what I used to, but don't you for a second mistake my weakness for kindness. I'd slurp up all that Prick’s energy like a smoothie if I could.” Adagio paused, her lips parted around her straw to take a sip before she grinned. That devious smile put Sunset on edge. Slowly, Adagio set down her drink, and stood up from the table. “You know what? I think I'm getting a little peckish.”

“Uh… There's a Hot Dog on a Stick right there,” suggested Sunset. “I've been craving—”

“Thanks, but no thanks, babygirl. I think I'll have something a little more… substantial. I'll be back before you can miss me.”

On that note, Adagio slithered away before Sunset had the chance to stop her. Sunset had no choice but to watch, horrified, as Adagio approached The Prick and his girlfriend. She said something that Sunset couldn't quite hear, but it was clear that The Prick wasn't happy about it. He began to sweat visibly, eyes darting from Adagio to his girlfriend and back, and he nearly keeled over when Adagio offered him an enthusiastic fist bump. After being left hanging, she shrugged, waved goodbye, and turned back to the table where Sunset sat. She didn't make it more than a few steps before the sounds of an argument began boiling up behind her, and by the time she reclaimed her seat, it was evident that Adagio had managed to spark a shouting match between these two relatively calm strangers.

Adagio sipped her boba, grinning at the way Sunset tried, and failed, to hide her begrudging respect for Adagio’s performance.

“Mmm, delish,” sighed Adagio. She took on a deep breath, and smacked her lips. “Ooh, bitter. That means this fight of theirs has been a long time coming.”

“What did you say?” demanded Sunset. “What made them start fighting like that?”

“I asked him how he did it.”

“Huh?”

“How did he do it. I've been trying to convince my girlfriend for ages to open our relationship, I wanted to know what he said.”

“Open relationship?” Sunset’s eyes slowly went wide as the pieces connected. “Wait… you made it seem like…”

“Like I had seen him with another girl, yes. Patently false, obviously, but the vibes she gave off made me think it wouldn't matter.” Adagio laughed. “Seriously, their negativity is delicious. I wish you could taste it.”

“Adagio, you can't just go around lying to people just to start fights.” Even as she spoke, Sunset began to wonder why. Why was she defending this guy? Just because it was the “right” thing to do? And who was in charge of deciding what was right, anyway? “You could have seriously ruined their relationship, and—”

“You're sleeping with Stacy?! That slut!”

“Or… Perhaps I unveiled an actual affair,” said Adagio with a shrug. “Sounds like that relationship wasn't long for this world anyhow. I—”

“I don't give a shit what we were arguing about! You banged my sister, you pig!”

Adagio froze, nearly stuffing her fist into her mouth to keep down the cackles. Sunset, unfortunately, wasn't far behind her, and she grabbed a tight hold of Adagio to keep from outbursting. She wasn't proud of it, but at the end of the day, Sunset couldn't deny that she was a bit messy. Drama makes things interesting, there was no debating that. And, considering the circumstances, she thought it was okay to laugh a bit. Since the affair was, apparently, real.

“Holy crap!” wheezed Sunset. “He did what?!”

“As much as I wish I could take credit for that,” cackled Adagio. “I had absolutely no idea. Honestly, sometimes I amaze myself.”

“Yeah, well, I gotta hand it to you.” Sunset offered up her drink in a toast. “That was pretty incredible.”

“Is that so?” The two clinked their plastic drink cups together, and sipped their drinks to their victory. “Is Ms. Goody-Goody finally willing to admit that the dark side has its perks?”

“Well, I dunno. He actually was cheating, and your lie got him to admit it, so…” Sunset shrugged. “I think that's a net neutral, at worst.” She glanced at Adagio and smirked. “Besides, don't you feel good knowing that poor girl won't have to deal with her lying, cheating, D-bag boyfriend anymore?”

“I suppose it is a bit satisfying. Girl power, and all that. Although I don't know how much credit I really deserve. Like I said, I didn't know he was actually cheating on her. It wasn't my intention to help anyone.”

“But you did.” Sunset's phone vibrated suddenly, and she quickly checked her texts. Her eyes went wide, and she shot off a quick text before stuffing her phone away. “Oh man, you’re gonna hate me. I totally forgot, I have a band meet today. We think there might be another villain popping up, Twilight wants to start coming up with plans.”

“Aw, so you’re ditching me, babygirl?” Adagio batted her lashes, her display clearly meant in jest. Even still, Sunset felt bad about it. “And they say I’m the evil one.”

“I know, it’s so lame of me, but I really—”

“Spare me, Sunset. Do what you have to do. I won’t hold it against you, on one condition.” She let the silence hang for a bit, watching Sunset as she hung onto every word, and smirked. “You, me. Dinner on Friday. I’m taking you someplace nice, and you’re just going to have to deal with it.”

“What if I’m busy on Friday?” said Sunset with a bemused little grin. She wasn’t busy, and even if she was, she would certainly make time for Adagio somehow. She was just very curious to see how she responded, and Adagio didn’t disappoint.

“I’ll just kidnap you.” She bounced her eyebrows as she spoke. “I’m evil, remember?”

“I’ll save you the trouble. How does six sound?” A wink and a nod was all the confirmation Sunset needed, and she went about gathering her things to leave when Adagio suddenly grabbed her wrist. “What’s up?”

“Friday’s a long time away,” sighed Adagio. She leaned in, biting her lower lip as she did. Sunset’s head may as well have caught flame, and she froze as Adagio came nearer and nearer. “How about you give me a little something to remember you by, babygirl?”

Sunset paused, then in a flash, she grinned, and slowly leaned in to meet Adagio.

“Alright, then.” Sunset whispered sensually in Adagio’s ear. For once, it was the Siren who seemed taken aback, and she just smiled like a fool as Sunset whispered her sweet nothings. “How’s this for a souvenir, cherry pie?”

Adagio was primed and ready for lips, tongue, maybe even more if Sunset was feeling particularly spicy. Her seductive charms and feminine wiles had proven successful, as usual. But instead of a passionate kiss, or even a peck on the cheek, Adagio was treated to the sensation of something sliding into the collar of her top. As Sunset pulled back and began to walk away, Adagio grabbed it and removed it from her shirt, looking the crisp, folded $10 bill over in confusion.

“What’s this about?” asked Adagio. Sunset flashed a grin but didn’t stop her departure.

“Paying you back for boba. Next time, we split the check. It’s only fair.”

Before Adagio could resist or argue, Sunset waved and disappeared into the crowd of mall-goers. The Siren chuckled, and turned the money over in her hands before stuffing it into her pocket. The money was inconsequential, and she was positive Sunset knew that. Of course, the money wasn’t the point. It was the principle, and even though she didn’t particularly agree, Adagio had no choice but to respect it, and by extension, Sunset herself.

“Fair play, babygirl.” She sipped the last of her drink with her feet kicked up on the table, and enjoyed the last morsels of her meal when the girl and The Prick finally stopped yelling at one another and stormed off in opposite directions. The Prick came her way, scowling at her all the way, and Adagio responded with a raised cup, a mocking toast to her victim.

“Cheers, mate. Here’s to love.”