Second period was a little tense, but not for the first reason that came to mind. A few people had still given Adagio those little smiles walking through the hall, those funny looks that almost said they wanted to pet her, even if they usually looked away when she met their eyes, but that wasn't the source of the strained atmosphere in the room now. It was like everyone but Inkwell was waiting for Adagio to do something. She had thought it would be good enough if she made a point of not even looking at Trixie, but things were more or less the same on Friday.

In the last few minutes of class, she figured the problem wasn't going to fix itself and came up with a little plan, enacting it when the bell rang. The suspicious waiting period had been cut down considerably since the first time Adagio held this very door, but ten seconds was more than she needed to calmly address the class, and most importantly, Trixie.

"In case anyone was wondering, I was just kidding about the underwear thing last week."

Everyone immediately turned to look at the supposed panty-thief, who flushed red and shrank down under their collective gaze.

Tempted as she was to play up a hurt lover routine to make the situation so much worse for poor Trixie, Adagio contained herself to her usual little smile. "There was never anything between us, it was just a joke, and I'm sorry for any confusion it may have caused." Several students looked back at her, some in surprise, some in suspicion. It was interesting to note that she got roughly the same expressions directed at her now as when she, Aria, and Sonata first returned to this school.

Trixie's knees were shaking a little, so it was possible she was too nervous to speak. Perhaps she, too, was waiting for a trap to close around her, but after another minute's awkward silence, the room began to clear. As had happened no shortage of times before, Trixie approached when everyone else had gone out, but for once, she didn't look annoyed, condescending, or otherwise antagonistic, just hopelessly confused.

"...Why?"

Adagio couldn't help a little giggle at the adorably lost expression. "I know we've been through a lot together, but you don't have to worry anymore. I've had my fun, and I'm done with you now. Take care, Trixie." As her former greatest (public) victim just stood there, dumbstruck, Adagio opted to close things herself by (begrudgingly) heading to her next class, leaving Trixie to do whatever baffled young magicians did in their spare time.

Trixie, for her part, had some time to think.

...It can't be. She can't really mean...? She'd never just leave me alone! There's no way!

She grit her teeth.

She's trying to trick me, this is all a set-up to do something even worse than last week! That evil, remorseless, manipulative bitch!

Trixie quickly considered her options.

Maybe I can buy her off, give her something to really make her leave me alone! What would she take? Money? A good word? ...Does she want my panties?

Her shoulders slumped.

Oh, what's the use? Nothing I can do will ever stop that monster, she's going to torment me until gradua-no, until the day I die! I'll be her pitiful little whipping girl forever, and there's nothing I can do about it!

And then Trixie felt something, like a little light in her chest. Hope, maybe.

No, maybe... maybe I'm being too pessimistic? What if she really meant it? She wasn't doing that spine-tingling smirk thing she does when she said it, so... maybe it's true? Maybe I'm free?

Thinking about it, Adagio probably could have royally humiliated Trixie just a minute ago (Trixie saw it in her eyes!) and didn't. If that was still her goal, she'd have done it then. And didn't. It actually kind of sounded like she was trying to take some of the heat off of Trixie, and while she was sure one short little speech wouldn't wipe away what happened the other week, Adagio formally saying it was all a joke had to count for something, which was about the best she could hope for.

If she wanted to keep toying with me, she could have... This is good, right? Yes, yes it is!

Trixie smiled. Maybe now, at last, she was free!

And blocking the door to the classroom, as the warning bell clued her in. Remembering that she was still in school, she squeaked and bolted to her next class.

Third period. Sunset Shimmer. The usual routine began.

"Good morning, Adagio!"

One, two...

She didn't even make an attempt at smiling. "Hello, Sunset Shimmer."

Two, three...

"How are you today?"

Three, four...

Adagio shrugged, not looking at Sunset as everyone took their seats. At least it was always short. Sunset would smile, make her attempt at friendliness, Adagio would perform a less emphatic imitation of Flash Sentry, class would begin, and if she was lucky, that would be the end of it. It seemed odd that Fluttershy never said anything about Sunset, never dispensed platitudes of any kind, never even gave her disapproving looks or tried to tell her what a great person Sunset had become. Nothing.

Perhaps Sunset was keeping quiet on the matter? Whether it was because she didn't want to risk friction or if it was to hide that Sunset wasn't an expert in friend-making herself, Adagio didn't care. She ignored Sunset to the best of her ability whenever they weren't assigned to do group work together. Unfortunately, for well-documented reasons, nobody else in the room ever wanted to work with Adagio on such days, which led to the slightly more varied song and dance that was Sunset trying to relate to her in between math problems. Oddly enough, there were never any attempts at a guilt-trip or disgusting little speeches about how former monsters like themselves had to stick together, just casual(ish) small-talk and periodic, awkward, verbal bumbling.

"Do you need any help on that problem? I mean, not that I'm saying you can't do it on your own, I'm sure you can, just, I ask because, y'know... group work?"

"So, do you have any hobbies? You used to? What was-... Oh. Right."

"How's Art class been? Drawing is fun, right...?"

The time Sunset asked if she wanted to join her and her friends at some new restaurant was particularly memorable, if only for how Sunset furiously back-pedaled after telling her that they served great sea-food. Not laughing or even smiling was a challenge when Sunset turned pink and stuttered that she would never try to get Adagio to do something that bordered on cannibalism, then that she didn't mean to equate the sirens to dumb fish, then that she was sure fish weren't dumb at all because fish was typically considered brain-food, though she knew that wasn't how it worked and that she'd just be quiet now. It was perhaps the most difficult time Adagio had ever had keeping a straight face, but she managed. Wouldn't want Sunset to think the tiniest grin meant she had accepted her or something.

Really, Sunset could be pretty adorable when she was trying to be friendly. It was a shame that Adagio hated her so much.

She got more of those little looks on the way to fourth period, and as was usually the case, Adagio spent most of that class zoned out. Her yawning never seemed to disturb class, but she had long given up on focusing on the dull, dull lessons. Instead, her mind wandered, starting with less-than-fond recollection of the two full days she spent without pestering playing with just talking to interacting with Fluttershy. It had, of course, occurred to her to simply visit Fluttershy at her home or invite her over to theirs, but they risked discovery either way if their respective families were there at the time.

Maybe I could get Ria and Nata out of the house for a few hours, but I'm almost sure I promised to stop tricking and manipulating them.

Exchanging phone numbers felt like an obvious choice, but she just knew that someone would get a hold of one of their phones and ask why they had the other's contact information.

Besides, even if we just memorized each other's numbers, someone might check the call history.

She wondered if cyber communication was an option. Did Fluttershy own a computer? A private one through which they wouldn't have to worry about anyone catching her talking to Adagio? The Dazzlings still had plenty of money to kick around, maybe she could-

But I'd need to be able to either hide the laptop entirely or be able to give a reason for getting it. I can think of a few that'll guarantee neither of my housemates will ever ask what I'm up to on the internet again, but that doesn't cover how Fluttershy would explain where she got a new laptop free of charge when someone inevitably sees it in her room.

Adagio suppressed a sigh.

All this sneaking around... Well, given the circumstances, it's not like we have a better option. Keeping quiet may mean less time together, but we've come too far to have to drop everything now. I at least want to enjoy this in peace for a while.

Lunch. Free, government-paid meals. Not always the highest-quality stuff, but- okay, no, it was never the highest-quality stuff, but that was hardly surprising. Food was food, that Adagio knew. Kind of. She was still iffy on some dishes she'd seen served supposedly to human beings, not some kind of weird, insectoid creatures in skin suits, horrific entities that could eat anything between two slices of bread. Trying new things didn't always pay off.

Anyway, Adagio sometimes wondered if, without this little nugget of time to talk and eat together, without school, without something to bring them outside on a regular basis, her group would have eventually devolved into staying home and having all their meals delivered. Maybe they'd have become complete shut-ins that hardly ever even visited each other in their own house all that much, eating alone when they were hungry and never so much as tasting anything that didn't have an option of being driven out to them. That sounded an eency bit creepy, like the three of them would develop sharp little claws and glowing eyes for reasons completely independent of magic if they lived that way long enough. She had little logical basis for these imaginings, but there were stories about kelpies that lived all alone in abyssal caves...

These were the kinds of things Adagio thought about while en route to the cafeteria and waiting in line. When she sat at the usual table, Sonata smiled at her.

"Heya, Dagi! Didja see the newest picture on the fridge?"

She did, a memory from earlier that morning drawing a faint blush. "I can't believe you hung that."

Sonata smiled guiltily. "Sorry. I know taking a picture of another picture is technically cheating, but darned if that sketch of you doesn't make me smile!"

Her embarrassment only deepened as Aria whispered, shooting her a slightly apologetic grin. "It is kinda cute, Dagi."

Ordinarily, this would have been the point when Adagio returned fire with something mortifying for each of them, but considering her promise to Fluttershy and how she really meant to cut back on how often she teased Aria and Sonata anyway, she just sighed in annoyance.

Apparently still at least partly sympathetic to her plight, Aria took up a much more business-like tone. "We have any idea who did it yet?"

Deploying cover-up. "Someone in my new seventh period class, obviously, but going on a witch hunt won't do us any favors. Even if we knew, nothing good can come of confronting the one responsible, and like I said before, this can work to our advantage."

Sonata nodded once as she swallowed a bite of carrot stick. "How's that been going? Anybody tried to give you one of those big, squeezy huggles yet?"

"No, but I suppose that would be a fair sign that we'd washed off the stigma. I'm still getting those stares, though not constantly or in great number, which tells me that the picture alone won't be pulling the three of us out of 'undesirable' status. I'll be making a move soon, so just stick to what you've been doing until then." She remembered something at the very last instant of the sentence. "Uh, please." That both of them saluted her at the end of that sentence made Adagio chuckle, drawing two smiles in kind.

Walking out of the lunchroom, Adagio made a beeline for Fluttershy's locker. With any luck, it wouldn't strike anyone as the least bit odd that she'd moved a little quicker than usual, but she had to get to that hallway first to ensure that no one saw what she was about to do. Grinning fiendishly, she glanced about the clean hall, not a single witness in sight, but she could hear voices just down the hall and steadily growing in volume. Quick as a whip, she drew the folded picture from her pocket and slipped it into Fluttershy's locker, moving out of that hallway as quickly as she'd come and going straight to her fifth period class.

It was difficult not to wear a smile that would erase all thoughts of the one Fluttershy drew her with from the minds of those who saw her (at least until the next time they looked at that sketch), but Adagio contained herself. She made the mental note to do that for the next hour or two, knowing that if she was seen making especially emphatic smiles in the same time-span as Fluttershy's reaction (and she was nearly certain it would draw attention), the connections would be drawn too easily. Of course, if Fluttershy let anyone see the picture, that might happen anyway, so part of the secret's safety depended on her.

I wonder if she'll appreciate that I waited until after the time of day when she'd have to be sitting by all her friends with that image on her mind?

The picture was nothing too damning to be caught with, really, and it had occurred to Adagio that given their similar skin tones, Fluttershy could pass it off as a photo of herself, which would still raise questions. Art class would surely give her a hint as to how it was received, but she could hardly wait until tomorrow morning!

And yet, I'm sure I'll have to anyway...

Walking down the hall to sixth period, she caught sight of Lyra and Bon-Bon, giggling like a pair of dolts as they sat side-by-side to text each other. Adagio had teased them many times about their burgeoning romance, whether it really existed or not, but today, she just kept walking. It was an odd feeling, not toying with people on a whim, like how she imagined a shark would feel if it suddenly decided it wanted to go vegetarian one day, but at the same time? She felt weirdly at ease. Sure, she'd had to bite her tongue a few times since Friday morning, especially when people carried conversations directly within her earshot, but other than those moments, it was a bit like...

She'd heard the phrase 'a walk in the park' before, and it was one she hadn't understood until now. The first thing that came to mind when she went walking in a park was that there were potential playthings all over the place, walking dogs, sitting on benches, playing games about throwing things and immediately running to catch them, or just lying in the grass. Now she felt like it made more sense, because she wasn't a hunter on the prowl and surrounded by prey. Today, she was just a passive observer, taking in the sights and sounds of the world around her without a thought (deliberately) spared for how she'd make Target X, Y, or Z squirm within the next minute or so.

It was peaceful.

And then came seventh period, where the new game was waiting for her! All the devious, prowl-y thoughts were on again, but remained bubbling under the surface of the peace Adagio had been part of in earnest up until then. Walking into the Art room, she kept any and all reaction off her face when she quickly scanned Fluttershy, who was looking squarely at Adagio's legs with the most delightful little blush!

She found the photo, then. She probably can't see all that much through my jeans, should I start wearing tighter pants? She commented on that, as I recall...

Working her legs and hips no more than usual (which was to say, a lot), Adagio strolled across the room to take her seat just as Magnet started his usual thing. Today they'd be sketching, which briefly struck the siren with apprehension and dread, but it looked like she would just be drawing this time. As she remembered, the chairs were arranged in a semicircle and a subject (a surreal sculpture from another class, possibly modeled after an octopus having an epileptic fit) was placed in the center of the room. In quick, but subtle fashion, Adagio glanced at Fluttershy, determined where she'd be sitting, and set her own chair not far in front of her. Not in a way that obscured the day's subject, just enough to be sure she was in Fluttershy's field of view at all times.

And the fun began!

Walking out of Art, Adagio had left her take on the octopus abomination in the room. Maybe that would replace the picture of her? It was worth hoping, but she'd quite enjoyed her time drawing today regardless. It was difficult to gauge whether or not the various shapes and angles she'd drawn the tentacles at had sent the right subliminal messages to the girl behind her, but she was sure the way she occasionally stretched, the delicate manner in which she gripped her pencil, and the light, smooth caresses of the paper with each stroke weren't missed. Crossing her legs every ten minutes or so to dangle one or the other where Fluttershy could see must have had an effect as well, given some of those soft little squeaks she'd heard from behind her. Truly, the only downside had been that she couldn't turn around to see that doubtlessly-crimson face, and left the room without so much as a sideways glance in her Sweetie's direction.

Couldn't go signaling that it had all been on purpose, not with that many witnesses.

Again, her thoughts drifted to clandestine communication, this time shooting down a secret code as a means of talking to one another in public. Maybe they could have worked out a whole alphabet of subtle motions and perhaps even held conversation, but what would it say to anyone who noticed the two of them unable to sit completely still for fifteen seconds? Even if they came up with something so subtle that there was virtually no chance of anyone else noticing, Fluttershy suddenly going cherry-red or squeaking and hiding in her hair for no apparent reason would effectively negate the point of the thing.

And, I suppose, every now and then, my own reactions might do the same...

Just this morning was a good example. At any rate, everything she could think of carried a risk, and she wasn't sure what level Fluttershy was comfortable with. As ever, there was nothing she could do, no way to really interact in public, not much chance that she wouldn't continue to fluster Fluttershy even if they could, thus giving them away. It was all very frustrating, but focusing on those thoughts helped the last period of the day pass a little quicker.

The sirens walked home together, as usual, but Aria went straight to her room when they got there, saying she had to catch up on homework. This left a rare occasion in which Sonata asked Adagio to play games with her, just the two of them. Things were always more hectic without Aria to explain or remind them of the rules and game mechanics, but Sonata and Adagio weren't really the types to let ink on paper tell them how to have a good time anyway. As was usually the case, they played a series of games set in that side-scrolling platformer's universe, consistent names and creatures put through a variety of wringers to create just as many absurd, but amusing scenarios. First up was the racing game.

"Do you think the bombs and stuff are alive? Do they feel it when they blow up?"

"Perhaps. Why?"

"They've got eyeballs! Not like creepy doll eyes that follow you around the room, but eyes! Lil' peepers! And I know sometimes, they walk around."

"You mean to tell me that you're starting to feel guilty for snuffing out their lives to get ahead in these races?"

"A little bit?"

"Because you just sacrificed three mushrooms with eyes (possible relation) to boost your speed and knock that other driver off the bridge."

"He cut me off!"

"Ha, that's my girl!"

Next up was an extraordinarily bizarre board-game-type-thing that revolved around... something. Neither of them quite understood what they were doing, but the minigames at the end of every turn gave them plenty of time to discuss it.

"I think, based on the behavior of the AI players, we're supposed to be going after those floating stars. With eyes."

"But you can't spend stars on anything!"

"Maybe the ultimate goal is to start a star-based slavery ring?"

"Nuts to that, coins are the real movers in this game!"

"Because coins can win us items, access to different areas of the map, chances to screw over the other players, and the stars themselves?"

"Yea! Coins can't buy me love, but stars can't buy me lunch!"

Sonata earned a hug, which was something else she couldn't get with stars.

Thoroughly deciding that they didn't give a flapping flipper what the game told them 'victory' status entailed, the two finished the game with a hefty sum of coins and paid no attention (or coins!) to what the final score screen had to say about it. Then they moved on to the platformer all of this was apparently bastardized from.

"Ahahahaha, I stomp you dead, jumpy-fish!!"

"You're still sore about that time one of them leapt from the water and killed you?"

"My vengeance knows no calendar! Besides, I was like two steps from the end of the level that time."

There was a question that could be raised regarding revenge not yet exacted, completely independent of the game, but as that discussion would only serve to kill the mood, Adagio just smiled. This was made easier when she picked up the immolation weed.

When the two of them found themselves wanting to take the violence a step further, they switched to a straight brawler game every bit as absurd as the board game had been. The levels were erratic and possibly alive, cartoonish weapons (with some delightfully unorthodox ideas for the word 'weapon') fell from the sky, and the only apparent goal was to brutalize the enemy until a voice from nowhere declared it was over. As usual, they'd tinkered with the settings to drop the most volatile items as often as possible.

"THE BOMB-GUYS ARE TAKING REVENGE!!"

"Hm, they do get up and walk around. Just back and forth, it seems. Do you think they're just lost, or do they have somewhere to be?"

"RUNRUNRUNRUNRUNRUNRUNRUNRUN!!"

"Nata, just jump somewhere out of their range."

"It's too late for me, Dagi, but I know how to take 'em all out at once!"

"Waiting for them to detonate on their own? If you wait about fifteen seconds, I think they'll-"

"KAMIKAZEEEEEEE!!"

The screen shook with explosions.

"Eh, I guess that's quicker. You were brave, Nata, I'll be sure to remember y-oh, there you are again."

"Oh, goodie, I had another life!"

When the bloodlust had died down a bit, they played a game about dealing with the already-departed in a haunted house. By sucking them up with vacuum cleaners. It made as much sense as anything else in this franchise.

"Coins, bills, gemstones, and gold bars. Amazing what people just leave lying around in kitchen cupboards."

"So, are we exorcists or looters?"

"Can't it be both?"

"Well, yea, but I'm wondering which one our guys came here for. They see an old, rickety-ass, rumple-fugly house on a hill and think either 'Hey, we should go in there and stuff dead guys into a jar!' or 'Hey, I bet nobody'll call the cops if we run in and ransack the joint!'"

"Once more, I feel our motives are flexible."

"But aren't the vacuum guys supposed to be the heroes in this story?"

"I never agreed to that! Besides, we both know that being the 'hero' means doing whatever you want without a thought spared for your adversaries. If the ghosts are lucky, maybe we'll sell them to a nicer slaver than whoever takes the stars."

The sentiment lightly agitated old wounds for both of them, but they focused on trapping more lost souls in the derelict mansion of the dead and damned before their thoughts could go somewhere depressing.

Game time eventually came to an end and Adagio got started on dinner. She'd made a lot of progress in her cooking since she began, but she wasn't quite ready to show Fluttershy. Someday, though...

Until then, the sirens sat at the dining room table to do that family meal thing they'd heard so much about. The only appreciable difference between that and eating at the cafeteria seemed to be a welcomed lack of prying eyes and ears, meaning they could say and do whatever they wished without a care. Well, that and higher-quality meals than anything the school offered, once Adagio had gotten into the groove. Speaking of which, she chose the moment they were all seated to enjoy the side-dish of a little teasing.

"Ria, dear," she said in a warm, motherly voice betrayed by her usual smirk, "did you get all of your homework done?"

Stabbing her fork into a chicken tender, Aria gave her a perturbed look. "The 'mom' thing hasn't gotten any less creepy since last time, y'know."

Sonata snickered, loud-whispering across the table. "She's just cranky because you didn't tuck her in last night."

Aria flushed crimson at the thought, scowling. "Shut your stupid face, Sonata!" The rebuttal came in the form of blowing raspberries, which drew a little laugh from Adagio.

"Alright, you two, simmer down or I'll spank you both." She'd said it with a smile, but it never ceased to amaze her just how quickly that threat seemed to end quarrels. More-so with the ones that were technically her fault. She picked up with a friendlier tone. "Really though, I trust neither of you need any help in the schoolwork?"

Snorting, Aria almost leaned back and rested her feet on the table before remembering there was food there. "Natch, they don't exactly have the highest standards in this world, y'know?"

"Yea," concurred Sonata as she bit into a slice of jellied toast, "schtuff's way eashier than whah we did back home!"

"Speakin' a which," noted Aria almost hesitantly, "you guys heard about Crystal Prep?"

"A bit," offered Adagio, "just that no one around here seems to think very highly of them."

Aria nodded. "Yea. It's this rich-kid school in the city, hear the whole place is swankier than CHS could ever hope to be. Harder classes and stuffier, well, everyone, but we probably wouldn't get as much grief over there if we transferred." She gave the two of them a serious look. "What do you guys think?"

For just an instant, Adagio felt a rush of cold through her body. Then her brain kicked on again and she looked at Sonata, whose horrified expression said she wasn't at all in favor of the idea. "Well, that depends," Adagio began, looking back to Aria, "how keen are you on having more classwork to do, a long, daily bus-ride to and from the city (unless you want to go through the trouble of moving?), and, whether they know of us or not, the chance that we'll be even less welcome there than we are here?"

Sonata helpfully raised an index finger, as if making a point with her statement. "And that's saying something!"

Raising an eyebrow, Aria looked back and forth between her fellow borderline outcasts. "So that's a 'no' for both of you?"

She wasn't about to voice her primary reason, but Adagio had other deflectors at the ready. "It seems unwise, in practical terms. We could move well across the country and start with a clean slate, but if even one person were to hear of our magical incident and spread it to the rest, it'd be the same as when we started over here. Those in charge of CHS have been very accommodating and, as you may recall, very forgiving of the three of us. Whether or not this is solely due to the meddling of a few particular girls, I can't say, but it's something we can't be sure we'd have in another school, be it Crystal Prep or anywhere else."

Aria and Adagio looked to Sonata for her two cents, getting a slightly worried frown. "I kinda like CHS. Nobody really likes us that much, but they aren't trying to drive us away, either. Can we stay? Please?"

Her two oldest friends looking to her now, Aria chuckled. "Sounds like two 'no's, then. Good, just wanted to get that outta the way. I don't care if we'd get a higher pedigree at some snazzier school or whatever, we're only going at all to make life suck less, right?"

Sonata beamed. "Right!"

"I don't really wanna go anywhere either, but it had to be asked. It's pretty cozy where we are now, and if I remember right," she smiled at Adagio, "I think you've got a plan in the works for this place?"

Grinning coyly as she raised a chicken tender to her lips, Adagio winked. "Sorry, no spoilers." She took a bite and chewed slowly, as if to emphasize that they'd get nothing further out of her on the matter.

"Tch," said Aria with an amused eye-roll as she bit into a mouthful of slightly over-seasoned meat, "fine, keep your secrets."

The three of them giggled and proceeded to enjoy most of the meal (Adagio had made some kind of miscalculation with the dipping sauce), but Adagio couldn't help thinking Aria's choice of words was a little too appropriate.

'Keep my secrets,' Ria? Yes, I'm afraid I must, and I dearly hope that the two of you can forgive me the day you learn the truth.

Later that night, Adagio sat at her vanity, staring into her own eyes. She pondered whether or not a single soul actually saw her as more 'mature and lady-like' as opposed to dark and monstrous with the make-up on before wiping it away with that increasingly-dirty shirt, and with a quick 'after' comparison, she sighed. Standing up, she stripped her clothes off and flopped over on her bed, kind of wishing she'd had the presence of mind to disrobe every night. It made sleep just a little easier.

Was that odd? She hardly even felt her clothes against her skin during the day, but when lying down, it was like she was more sensitive all over. (Ooh, la-la~!) Maybe it was just a matter of being too warm. Her hair certainly didn't help in that department, but during the winter, she was never not a snuggly ball of warm fluff. A secret she hoped to take to her grave, actually.

Will that work, if Fluttershy ever...? I mean, it's not like she just won't notice if we ever sleep in the same bed. She'd see my sleeping face again, and sooner or later, I'm sure I'd see hers. I bet it's cute. Almost all of her faces are.

These were Adagio's thoughts as she drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, Adagio hopped out of bed around the usual time, briefly enjoyed the feeling of morning air against her bare skin, and reluctantly reminded herself that no, she probably wouldn't be given a free pass on wearing clothes today, either.

Hah, I wonder if Fluttershy would even be able to get to sleep at all if I went au naturale. Maybe she does it too? A girl can dream...

Giggling at the thought, she headed to the shower, was dry about forty-five minutes later, got dressed in her dance outfit, and nearly walked out the door before remembering the plan. The one she'd all but promised to enact after a week of Fluttershy's sketch hanging where it was. Today marked a week. With an almost alien sense of trepidation, she paced over to her dresser to draw something from the back corner of her underwear drawer. Due to heavy implications to the others that something truly depraved and innocence-shattering dwelt in that drawer, it was perhaps Adagio's best hiding spot in the house. That was where she found the article she'd thought she'd never have use for.

It was still there, the shiny, purple ribbon Fluttershy had given her, every bit as silken and pretty as when it had first been tied in her hair. Warmth built in her cheeks as she stared at the thing, picturing exactly what her plan entailed.

Can't believe I'm doing this...

She removed her spiked hairband.

Author's Notes:

No, she is not cutting her hair, The Poof is here to stay.