Adagio sniffled. "Alright. I'm okay. You can let go now."

Sunset opened her eyes. The Fox was gone. She stood up, looking around the room while half-expecting the thing to just pop up and get her, even though there was nowhere in the tiny room to feasibly hide an animatronic mascot. Nothing.

Adagio stood up too, her posture not unlike Fluttershy's when meeting someone for the first time, eyes directed at the floor. "Th-that, um... I-I can't remember the last time I did that." She hesitantly looked upward, her cheeks matching her puffy, red eyes. "Soul-baring moment. Feels a little awkward, actua-" Her eyes widened and she screamed, again pointing to The Duck at the window.

Sunset slammed the button, the door snapping shut. "That should-"

The power went out, the door paradoxically opening right up again. The Duck was still visible in the dim glow of moonlight through the window, stepping closer. The two hugged each other for what little security it might afford, screaming helplessly in the near-complete darkness of the room.

They continued to scream for a solid minute, having to stop to catch their breaths. Looking up, they saw The Duck was gone.

Bewildered, the two turned to each other, as if hoping the other girl would know what just happened, and noticed their close proximity. Both blushed and stepped back, hearing mechanical footsteps getting closer. The Rabbit appeared where The Duck had stood, looking through the window at them.

Again, they clung to each other, screaming, but too short of breath to do anything more than stare back at the thing as it turned and walked away.

Again, they turned red and separated.

"Just so you know," muttered Adagio, "I'm only clinging to you because there's nothing else to hide behind in here."

Sunset smiled sheepishly, feeling increasingly self-conscious. "I totally get it."

The two heard music, turning to see a glowing pair of eyes. The face of The Bear was dimly visible as it played a dissonantly cheery little tune. Sunset and Adagio shared a quick glance, knowing there was no point in running in the sealed building. Their own faces lighting up again, they didn't know what else to do but hold each other and wait, but the moment they drew close, the music stopped and the eye-lights went out.

They stared into the dark for a few minutes, Sunset breaking the security-hug and shakily taking a step forward. Another. Ano-

The eye-lights came on and the tune started over. The Bear had not left. The sheer proximity of the thing sending a jolt up her spine, Sunset quickly embraced Adagio yet again, who was starting to look less afraid, more confused as these are-we-going-to-die-or-not shenanigans wore on.

Yet again, the threat vanished, lights and music stopping. Adagio's face was contemplative. "One moment." She grabbed hold of Sunset's shoulders, but much more gently than before, and lightly pushed her away. When Sunset was barely out of arm's reach, the music and lights returned, Adagio responding by hugging the other girl close.

Sunset felt herself blush this time, but Adagio was focused solely on The Bear, her expression solumn. It was again dark and silent. "Of course."

Sunset blinked. "'Of course'? 'Of course' what?"

"It's looking at you. Just you." Adagio put a hand to her chin in thought. "Remember when I said everything was fine until you showed up? They didn't come after me then, I might have walked right by one without a care, because they don't want me, they want you."

"WHAT?! Th-that doesn't make any-" She stopped, thinking about it. Adagio worked here, maybe they just didn't go after employees? But, everything she'd ever heard about the place was related to security guards getting attacked by the animal robots, they should have been there exclusively for Adagio!

Wait.

Legend had it, the reason they attacked to begin with was because something was wonky in the programming, and they thought human beings were just incomplete versions of themselves, endoskeletons not yet stuffed into an animal suit. Sunset suddenly grew very aware of the orange, puffy mass brushing against her cheek. "It's... It's probably your hair."

Adagio facepalmed. "Of course it is." But then, she smiled. Her old, devious smile. "So, this means that, between the two of us, it's just you that's at risk here." Sunset gulped, their proximity somehow adding to her growing feeling of vulnerability. "I could just walk away, go anywhere in the building alone and be no worse for wear, but you? Well," Adagio chuckled darkly, her face inches from Sunset's as she all but leered, "who's helpless now?"

"W-wait," Sunset muttered, trying to ignore her own knees shaking, "why would they stop? It doesn't make sense that they'd leave us both alone j-just because we're-"

Still smirking, Adagio grabbed Sunset by the wrist, swinging her through the doorway opposite to where The Bear was probably still standing, but not letting go. Alone in the hallway, Sunset felt her heart-rate jump in the same instant she heard a rapidly approaching noise down the hall.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!"

Sunset shrieked, immediately getting pulled back into the room and into Adagio's arms. The look of sadistic glee on her face made Sunset sweat, but instead of baiting the animals by doing it again, (and again and again and again) Adagio stepped out into the hallway herself. "Wait here."

She stood as far from Sunset as possible while still holding her wrist, alone in the hallway just as Sunset had been, but to no audible effect. The instant she let go, Sunset was startled by the sound of The Bear playing it's music again, whipping around to see the eye-lights back on. "Adagio!!"

The puffy-haired 'mascot' turned to look at her, holding her arms out and smiling a little. "C'mere, Sunny, I'll protect you from the big, bad bear."

More terrified than embarrassed, Sunset sprinted the three steps (if one could claim to sprint three steps) to her fluffy sanctuary. Her fluffy, evil, sanctuary.

Guess I have a new reason to be afraid of her now...

Giggling as the music again stopped, Adagio patted Sunset's head and spoke in a surprisingly friendly tone. "These things are stupid, if we stay close, they can't tell one body from two. Come on, I think my soda should still be out there." She started walking down the barely-lit hall towards the dining area, Sunset following as closely as possible, never not feeling Adagio's soft, curly hair on her face.

As much as she didn't want to leave the security room, Sunset knew they really weren't any safer there than anywhere else now. It was an insecurity room. "Don't you think the soda's gone flat by now?"

Adagio shrugged. "It was flat when I started drinking it, your point? Personally, I don't really like the bubbles burning my throat anyway."

Sunset chuckled halfheartedly. "Yea, take what you can get, huh? I ate whatever I could find before I got the hang of this world, some of it was kinda... gross."

Adagio stopped, turning to look her in the eye. Her face wasn't angry, but firm. "Have you ever ingested negative energy, Sunset Shimmer?"

"Um... no?" She wanted to think the time with the Element of Magic didn't count, as she'd spent most of the transformation completely out of her mind.

"There's one thing I can tell you about it as far as sustenance goes; it always leaves you wanting even more." She turned away, again moving toward the Dining Area to reclaim her flat soda. "And despite it never coming in contact with my tongue, virtually anything tastes better." Adagio faced away from Sunset as they walked, keeping close, but walking ahead of her as she kept her voice down. "That, if anything, may be a silver lining to our predicament, actually. We'll never have to spend time gathering the stuff again."

"If you didn't like it, w-actually, never-mind."

Adagio chuckled. "You know why, don't you? That rush of power is worth any aftertaste. Won't have to worry about either anymore."

Sunset wasn't sure in the dim, moonlit darkness of Fatbear's Pizza, but it almost looked like Adagio might have been smiling.

"Ahh~!"

Sunset smiled a little, amused. "One refreshing, flat, lukewarm soda, huh?"

Adagio smiled back. "You're right, more couldn't hurt. Want to loot the kitchen?"

"Sure, sounds-I-I MEAN NO!" She would have stepped away from Adagio, if not for the risk of mascot mauling if she did. "That'd be stealing, and I don't do that anymore!"

Adagio raised an eyebrow. "Stealing? We just spent the last few hours thinking we could die at any moment, trapped with killer machines, to guard the place housing said killer machines. They don't even spend enough to power the place all night. Wouldn't you say we've earned payment?"

"Maybe, I guess, but-"

She set a hand comfortingly on Sunset's shoulder, her voice very calm. "Look, under ordinary circumstances, I'd probably be raiding the cash registers by now, taking every dime I could carry before I burned this place to the ground, then walked away to make plans regarding horrific vengeance on everyone involved with Flippy Fatbear's. However, since I know you want to be a good girl, I'll collect my wages in the form of whatever cold pizza and flat drinks we can find lying around and leave it at that. Alright?"

"Well, when you put it that way..."

Each of them having spent enough time looking at the cameras to memorize the layout of the building, the two made their way from the Dining Area to the Kitchen, holding hands to keep the mascots from noticing Sunset.

"Well," announced Adagio, sounding a little too pleased, "here you are; alone with me in a dark room and already touching hands, the dream of all your classmates!"

Sunset rolled her eyes, though it went unnoticed. "Yea, yea, very funn-" she discovered something by feeling around blindly on the counter-tops with her other hand, something cool, soft, and squishy. "Ew."

"I wasn't proposing anything distasteful."

"What? No, I found something. Something I deeply hope is pizza." Groping around the edges, it fit the dimensions of most of a pizza in an open box.

"Oh. You know something funny I've noticed about this world?"

"I'm sure there's more than one thing," remarked Sunset as she wiped the grease off on her skirt, "wanna compare lists?"

"Perhaps later. Those not gifted with mind-bending magic spend their days toiling away for money. The main reason is to spend that money on food. Surprising amounts of people just leave that food out to go bad."

Picking up the pizza box, Sunset shrugged. "I guess it just slips their minds. It's easy to take things for granted when they're around all the time, right?" She kept walking, but felt a jerk on her arm that told her Adagio was standing still. "Adagio? You okay?"

She couldn't make out any kind of expression in the near-complete darkness of the kitchen, but the reply sounded dazed. "Hm? I, yes, that's true. That thing. I think I see some bottles over there."

"How can you see anything at all?"

"Slivers of light reflecting off the sides are a hint."

"Do you spend a lot of time walking around in the dark?"

"You don't?"

"You need a hobby."

"It's not that, keeping the lights off saves on power bills."

"And costs in band-aids?"

"Not if you're familiar enough with your own living space to know where things are."

"It still sounds dangerous."

"Says the girl who charged into this place knowing the risks."

"Unnecessarily dangerous!"

"I'm not saying blundering around in the dark is a good id-" She trailed off.

"Adagio?" Sunset knew she was still there. They were holding hands. She refused to believe anything else, more-so as that grip tightened for a second.

"Err, yes, anyway, you'd be surprised how easy it can get." For some people more than others. Poor Sonata.

Once they'd gathered the bottles Adagio pointed out and found them to be not only full, but fresh, (Adagio was only mildly disappointed) they headed back to the insecurity room, where the moonlight had been strongest. The night guard (for a few more hours, at least) again took her seat on the chair, wheeling it closer to the desk they'd set the pizza on.

Sunset glanced around, not sure how she could stay close and be seated at the same time. "Uh, I don't suppose we could-"

Adagio grinned mischievously. "With pleasure!" And then she pulled the other girl onto her lap like she was waiting for Sunset to tell her what she wanted for Christmas.

Sunset blushed vibrantly. "What?! This ISN'T what I was going to-"

The grin grew more devious as she touched a finger to Sunset's lips. "Shh. I can't very well risk you getting attacked if sitting together on a bench doesn't fool them, so I'm afraid this is strictly necessary."

Feeling like a foal as she fidgeted on her lap, Sunset admittedly wasn't sure just how far from Adagio was safe, given that The Bear only took notice when they stopped touching. "Y-you seemed a lot less inclined to be this close just a little while ago."

Adagio kept smiling. "Clinging to another out of fear and weakness? Yes. Them clinging to me for the same reasons? That I don't mind at all."

As much as Sunset would have liked to argue, she could still see The Bear's feet just past the doorway. From the look on her face, Adagio was awaiting Sunset's reply with something like smug satisfaction. She blushed brighter. "This... this is payback for the jokes earlier, isn't it?"

Adagio grinned even wider. "You think I'm doing this because you spent your first few hours here snickering at my dismay and, despite the danger it turns out only you were in, enjoying yourself at my expense?" She draped an arm over her face in a manner befitting Rarity as she averted her eyes. "Sunset Shimmer, I'm hurt you think I would be so petty and vindictive. I was only ever worried about your safety, after all."

Sunset scowled, her face still red. "Yeah, right!"

Her chair/mascot-deterrent glanced at her coyly. "It's what I'm going to tell everyone if you ever mention tonight's events to anyone. I can truthfully tell them that I was never at risk," the grin became a smirk, "or that you ate pizza while sitting in my lap, if you prefer."

Not wanting to get into a contest of who could be the more convincing liar and not seeing much reason to go spreading what she'd been up to tonight anyway, Sunset shakily nodded. "Fine."

Adagio's smile tinted just a little toward genuine friendliness as she lifted a slice of cold pizza toward Sunset's face. "Good, now say 'ahh'..."

"Huh," remarked Sunset when they'd finished eating, "That actually wasn't too bad. Not a first choice of meal, but not too bad." Give or take Adagio not letting Sunset feed herself until the second slice, just to humiliate her further and drive home her powerlessness in their situation.

"I don't know much about this world's cuisine, but I can tell you that pizza retains it's edibility even after it's gone cold. Usually. Certain toppings, you know?"

Luckily, Adagio seemed to think they were even now. That, or she was just holding off on the revenge-teasing at the moment. "I'm guessing pepperoni loses something when it's cold."

"Most kinds of meat, really."

"Noted. Wanna see if the doors are open yet? Maybe the power-out disabled the locking mechanism."

"Worth a try."

They got up, again holding hands for security. Sunset picked up the dubiously-useful handgun and switched the safety back on before returning it to her coat pocket. "Think the shell casings in that hallway'll be a problem later?"

Adagio chuckled. "As I don't ever intend to come back after tonight, I'm not really worried about getting fired for a few holes in their killer mascot, let alone littering."

"I was referring to like, CSI guys coming to ask questions about what I'm doing with a gun." Sunset nervously tugged at the collar of her shirt as they started toward the front door. "I'm pretty sure I fired it on camera."

It was slightly difficult to tell in the darker hallway, but Adagio might have smirked. "Ohh, I'd love to see that. By all means, let someone come look into this place, go through the security footage, and have their highest concern be the civilian trying to defend herself from the rampaging killer robots. It's more likely you'd be able to sue them if you got hurt on their property, don't you think? Reckless endangerment and all that?"

"I... hope so?" She smiled a little. "You actually sound like you know a thing or two about this."

She chuckled. "Did you know the men who run the 'Everything Under The Sun Emporium' in town have legal degrees?"

"The Flim-Flam Brothers? Are they the 'few good lawyers' you mentioned?"

"Good-effective, not good-unobjectionable."

"Right. How do you know they wouldn't take the people who own Fatbear's side over yours?"

Adagio chuckled darkly. "Not unobjectionable, I said. With a little investigative work by Aria after our case was resolved, I did some... negotiating. We don't tell anyone what Aria dug up -including you, I'm afraid- and call on them for all our legal troubles at similar rates to the first time, which was a considerable cut, they never use their legal knowledge against us."

Blackmail. Sunset was no stranger to that particular type of leverage, even if she burned all the files (for lack of better words) she had on everyone at school a little while after the Rainbooms (though they weren't called that at the time) reached out to her. That she burned it all in front of them might have helped. "You have that kind of dirt on them but still agreed to pay their rate?"

"Didn't want to push it, this all took place a month or so after we lost our magic."

"Ah."

"Besides," she grumbled, "the bastards in charge of this place won't even shell out for keeping the place powered all night. I doubt Flim and Flam would sign on with someone like that."

"Makes sense. You mentioned a case? What happened?"

"We sued a theme park for Sonata falling out of a Ferris wheel. We have a small house now."

Sunset scowled. While she couldn't say she'd never have resorted to duplicity in this world's legal system to her own ends before, she didn't approve of it now. "And why did you do that?"

Adagio's response was cold as she stared straight ahead. "Because Sonata fell out of a Ferris wheel for reasons that weren't her own fault."

Oh.

They were silent until they reached the front door, Sunset self-consciously rubbing an arm. "Um, l-look, sorry I jumped to conclu-"

Adagio held up the hand not holding Sunset's. "It's fine. I told you less than half an hour ago what kind of criminal acts I'd inflict without a second thought and that I'm blackmailing my lawyers, so it's not unreasonable to think I'd dupe a judge for my own gain." She shrugged a little. "Hell, if I thought I could reliably get away with it, I might do it repeatedly, but I suspect we were pressing our luck as it was." What Sunset could see of her face was stern. "Just don't bring it up around Sonata, alright?"

They stared into each other's eyes for a long moment before Sunset got an inquisitive look. "Were you going to burn down the theme park, or...?"

The other girl chuckled. "You're a fast learner, but the Brothers Flim (as well as several people across the street, by the way they turned their heads) overheard Aria's rant about what had just happened and took it from there." She jiggled the doorknob somewhat more gently than before, still to no avail. "Damn!"

Sunset scratched her head. "Maybe the lock is stuck in place until the power comes back?" That, or the mascots aren't the only part of the 'curse' on this place.

"Figures. Should we look around for a ladder, then?"

Try as they might, not even Adagio and her 'night-vision' spotted anything they could have used to reach the vent. The chairs and tables were all bolted down and there weren't near enough pizza boxes they could stack up and stand on. They were startled a few times by one of the mascots already being in a room they were searching turning to look at them for a few seconds before returning to its busy night of wandering around at random.

"Just as well," sighed Adagio as the two stared up at the vent Sunset entered through in the insecurity room, "I don't know how we'd squeeze through huddled together like this and I'd rather not risk one of those animals waiting for us in there if we separate."

Sunset grinned cheekily. "Just as well, with those hips, I'm not sure you could squeeze through at all."

Adagio scowled at her, her face tinting red as Sunset snickered. Anger gave way to another evil smile. "Oh I'm sorry, do you mean these hips?" She shifted her lower body to bump Sunset away, The Bear's music starting again. Sunset yelped and immediately grabbed onto Adagio for safety.

Realizing what she had just done, Sunset tried not to blush as she glared at the girl that was grinning like a Cheshire cat. "That was low."

Adagio coyly averted her eyes, still smiling. "I never claimed I was perfect." She glanced at the dead screens, trying to remember if there had been a camera for checking the vents. Not that that would make any kind of sense whatsoever, but what about this place made sense to start?

Retaining as much of her dignity as possible, Sunset cleared her throat. "Maybe we can call someone. I forgot my phone when I ran over here, where's yours?"

"Nonexistent."

"Seriously? How have you been staying in touch with the others all this time?"

"I look to my left or right, depending whether I want Sonata or Aria, respectively? Sometimes they're in reverse, but we're rarely apart." She glanced at the old wire-phone near the screens, part of her wishing she'd answered it now. "I think Sonata picked one up anyway, but I couldn't even guess the number. Besides, power's out?"

"Damn." They were stuck here in the dark, but at least the mascots would leave them alone. "Do you guys seriously have a formation? Aria at the right, Sonata at the left?"

Adagio grinned wryly. "Once, they kept switching back and forth when I wasn't looking, so that when I turned to address one of them, I'd get the other."

Sunset giggled. "Why?"

"Probably just to screw with me, but it's one of very few times they collaborated on something without my telling them to." She spared one last look at the open vent. "Suppose we'll wait out my shift, then. As long as we stay together, you're not in any danger, after all." She noticed Sunset yawning, drawing an amused grin. "Oh, I'm sorry, did you prefer the risk of being torn limb from-"

"No, no it's not that," she said, shaking herself awake, "it's just that I've been up for almost a whole day now. Didn't know I'd be helping someone work the graveyard shift, y'know?"

"Oh." Adagio glanced around, looking at Sunset with an uncertain expression. "The benches by the Stage looked soft. Or, softer than the ground, if you'd like to get some rest."

Surprised, Sunset smiled at her. "That's very considerate of you, Adagio."

She contained her reaction to an eye-roll. "There are about two and a half hours to go and I happen to see the benefits taking a siesta when there's nothing better to do. I made certain to rest before coming here tonight, as it happens."

Sunset kept smiling. "Of course."

Having taken off their boots first, they sat on a bench made entirely of synthetic materials. The seats were some kind of rubbery substance that, while by no means preferable to a moderately soft mattress, was still softer than the floor. Sunset looked at Adagio, not certain how she could lie down while still holding her hand, or one of them lying on the other. "Uhm-"

Adagio took tighter hold of her arm, pulling Sunset against her while turning away, Sunset coming to rest against her poofy mass of hair. "Better?"

Sunset was lying against warm, fluffy heaven. "Yes."

From her tone of voice, Adagio apparently took some measure of pride in this. "Good. I probably don't need to remind you that The Fox is just on the other side of that curtain."

Neither of them really felt like checking to see if it was peeking out at them.

Sunset smiled contentedly. "Do you use your own hair as a pillow often? Because if so, that might be the best idea I've ever heard."

She chuckled. "It's had it's uses, here and there."

They leaned back-to-hair-to-back against one another in silence for a few minutes, Adagio muttering something Sunset didn't quite catch.

"Sorry, what was that?"

"No, I'm sorry."

"Huh?"

For the second time that night, Adagio reminded her of Fluttershy, this time for the quiet, reserved way she whispered back. "I never apologized, for the things I said a little before the power went out? I'm sorry."

Sunset smiled, and it carried into her voice. "It's okay. I was thinking a little about it, and I think you're right, but-"

Adagio turned her head a little towards her. "You think I should have thrown you out and locked the door?!"

"What? No, I-oh, right, you did say..."

"Yes, that, that's what I meant to apologize for! I didn't mean it! Sorry!"

The way she said it, the little hints of sincerity and earnest regret in her tone, gave Sunset a warm, fuzzy feeling. Kind of like being nestled in Adagio's hair. "It's okay. I think we both said things we didn't mean."

She sighed in relief and they were quiet a little longer. "What were you talking about, then?"

"Hm? Oh! I meant the selfishness thing. I think you have a point." It wasn't asked, but Sunset felt like she should elaborate a little. "People might ultimately do things for themselves, but if what they're doing for themselves can make others happy too, is that so bad?"

"I... I don't follow."

"Well, you took a job at all because you wanted to support Aria and Sonata just as much as to support yourself, right? To make sure the three of you can continue living together? It's like ordering a pizza; everyone gets a slice!"

There was another long silence as Adagio seemed to contemplate this, eventually starting to giggle.

Sunset grinned wider. "See what I mean?"

She could feel Adagio shaking her head, but her smile was audible. "Go to sleep, Sunset Shimmer."

Cuddling against the orange mass of poofy warmth, Sunset noticed Adagio wasn't saying anything suggestive, despite the two of them being physically closer than they'd been all night. It was as she pondered whether or not Adagio prioritized naps over teasing that she drifted off to sleep.

The two were awakened by the morning bell, both silently relieved to see the other still there. Briefly looking around as daylight streamed in through windows, (all of which, they now noticed, they would also have needed a ladder to escape through. This place may have been a factory or a warehouse at some point) they saw The Bear, The Duck, and The Rabbit all arranged on the Stage as if they'd never left, ready to sing for some kid's birthday party. The Fox was presumably still behind the curtain.

As Adagio was putting her pointy footwear back on, she smiled a little. "We should probably get out of here, I think they open at seven or eight."

"CRAP!!"

Started at Sunset's sudden exclamation, she looked to the other girl bewildered.

"It's 6:00AM," clarified Sunset, visibly stressed as she quickly slipped her boots on, "it was a school night, I have to go home and get ready NOW!"

Adagio hopped up to join her. "A morning jog? Mind if I join in?" Sunset's surprised expression called for elaboration. "I don't have much else to do, being unemployed and all? Besides," she remarked wryly, "after a night of sitting still and a less-than-healthy late-night snack, I could do with the exercise."

Sunset grinned a little. "Still healthier than negative energy?"

Adagio let out a short laugh as they headed to the door.

Running through town, Sunset glanced to her fellow would-be conqueror of the world. "Hey, for whatever it's worth, sorry your job didn't work out."

Keeping pace, Adagio shrugged. "Like I said earlier, I wasn't planning to stick around a place like that anyway and I heard the pay was peanuts. Just in case, I might have Aria break into the necessary facilities to erase any records of me. Would you believe infiltration was a favorite task of hers even when we could just sing people into submission?"

Sunset smiled. "I would. I really would. Actually, working at that place, they might just think you, uh... 'retired' early. More-so with the power having gone out half-way through your shift. I doubt anyone'll even ask questions if they just never see you again."

"Hm. Good riddance, then."

"Maybe you could join me at school today, too? My friends might know somewhere you can get a better job."

"Hmph," she hmphed, looking away, "I don't think much of those friends of yours, without you or that purple girl to direct them, they seem less focused than Aria and Sonata."

Sunset scowled.

"Still..."

Looking at Adagio, Sunset could see she was a little red in the face. From her expression, it wasn't just due to exertion. "As I'm short on options and 'better than Fatbear's' is setting the bar about as low as possible, I suppose even they might come up with something I can use."

Taking the reluctant confidence in her friends for whatever it was worth, Sunset grinned at her. A few blocks later, she noticed Adagio didn't even seem particularly winded by all their running. "You're holding up pretty well for an 'artist', do you run across town a lot?" She would have liked more than two hours of sleep, herself.

Adagio smirked, brushing a lock of puffy hair aside. "Dancing can be more physically demanding than most would guess, and I haven't lost anything on that front."

"You still dance? Do the three of you still just-"

"Sometimes." Sunset was giving her a weird look. "What? A little karaoke passes the time."

"And the pounds, I guess!"

"Well, part of it is that I walk everywhere."

"So you do run across town a lot!"

"Of course I do, I've been all over the place trying to find work! In addition to being a source of income, it's the only way the others'll quit making fun of-" She stopped, both in speech and in motion, Sunset stopping to look back at her. "I... uh... I-I mean..."

Her face grew increasingly red, drawing an amused little smile from Sunset.

I wonder how often she just says what she feels. She doesn't even seem to notice until it's already blurted out.

Adagio gulped, still nearly glowing. "C-can you, ehm... If you ever happen to wind up talking to those two again, can you not mention anything I've said about them? Ever?"

Sunset smiled warmly. "Remember what I said earlier? About them missing you just as much as you would miss them? I won't tell them anything if you'd rather I didn't, but I think you should. You might be surprised to hear what they really think."

Adagio stared back at her, her expression unreadable before she spoke. "School."

"Crap!!"

They returned to running.

Author's Notes:

I told you there were no jump-scares. Silly reader.

Though you may have noticed near-lethal amounts of Sundagio ship-tease amid all the chatter. If not, try reading again with your best shipping goggles on and see how long it takes to imagine rose petals falling from the sky as they interact!

Also: Adagio's special attack? Something like the Peach Bomber, I bet. (For instant giggles, picture Adagio violently hip-bumping someone, complete with "Hat-chaa~!")
Or maybe a spinning heel-kick, with those spiky boots.

Finally, my apologies if you're getting tired of one particular chat between Sunset and Adagio regarding Aria and Sonata, I know I'm getting tired of writing it. Maybe I should try to keep all my SS+Dazzling stories within the same continuity. This might be the third time I've written a scene like that.

Disclaimer: I know nothing about the workings of courts and lawyer-paying, I don't know if lawyers are even allowed to set their own prices or if there's a law out there somewhere that sets things based on certain parameters. Insert joke about lawyers lawyering their way around that law if it exists.