"Another day done," sighed Adagio Dazzle as she stepped into the locker room of her workplace.

She began the process of removing her 'uniform,' from the black, shiny little shoes and white stockings with holes like Swiss cheese running all the way up the legs (which made them a BITCH to put on at first, but she'd gotten used to them), to the white and blue, diagonal-striped short skirt and poofy-shouldered shirt combo that showed a little more cleavage than she'd have expected at a family joint like this, to the little apron that only amounted to a white, lace-lined semi-circle hanging over the front of her skirt and a big bow over the back, to her tiny, blue necktie, to the ridiculous, oversized, sky-blue sailor cap and trailing, red ribbon on her head. It wasn't a conventional work uniform, she was sure, because the boy in the kitchen never wore anything so ridiculous. At least, not as part of the job.

It seemed as though she'd been in luck when she found a job opening at the Eezy-Cheezy, especially when her cohorts, Aria Blaze and Sonata Dusk, had managed to lose their jobs on the same day. The owner (who also worked the register and delivered orders from the kitchen personally before Adagio came along), one Gouda Will, had easily been convinced to employ her as a waitress, but he hadn't mentioned the silly-looking get-up she was expected to wear. That had been months ago, and as her group was still sweating from paycheck to paycheck, it was a job she worked to keep.

Gouda Will was a kind-hearted man, very patient, very understanding, and one of few faces in Canterlot willing to hire any of 'those three girls.' Unfortunately, the Eezy-Cheezy was fairly small and he could only pay one oddly-dressed waitress along with his cook, so Aria and Sonata had to hunt elsewhere, even if they derived endless enjoyment from Adagio's goofy outfit.

Maybe it wouldn't have come to this if I hadn't doubted myself...

Following the Battle of the Bands, Adagio had been pointed to as the sole blame figure for the loss of their gems (and somehow, their ability to sing along with them), and she'd conceded that she must have done something wrong if the Rainbooms could make a comeback like that even after everything the sirens had stacked against them. Considering what it had cost them, she caved under the combined pressure from Aria and Sonata (the latter of whom mostly just seemed annoyed about not being able to sing people into doing whatever she wanted anymore), had a minor breakdown, and let Aria lead the group. They easily agreed that before they could even think about striking back at the Rainbooms (who probably weren't going anywhere), they'd need money if they were going to make it without magic, and what they'd liberated from wealthier citizens than themselves (in case of emergency) in their handful of years here wasn't going to last forever.

Aria's first plan had been to seduce a wealthy young man and swindle him out of his fortune. This ended with Aria being bent over his nanny's knee and the three of them thrown out.

Then came her attempt to out-fox two conmen in town, which cost them the car they'd been using to get around until then. None of them were sure if bus fare and long walks were better than paying for gas.

To this day, Aria wouldn't tell them about the caper she'd tried to pull on her own. They only knew that she came home with torn clothes, a few bruises in weird places, one of her twin-tails missing (she actually pulled off the look rather well, the three of them having some fun giving her a makeover that night), that she'd been banned from the local mall, and had developed a crippling fear of lobsters.

Without so much as asking for any kind of input, Sonata had the bright idea to just gamble up a fortune herself, took their savings from two out of three of the hidden stashes (having been making a game of figuring out where they were even before the Battle), and snuck out to a casino in the middle of the night. She came back at four in the morning, naked, and without a cent to her name. Furious, Adagio had done her best to emulate the nanny (Aria was happy to offer tips) before reasserting her control over the group and having them all look for legitimate employment.

No, she thought as she redressed in her own clothes, maybe this wouldn't have happened if I hadn't doubted myself, and if I'd kept Sonata on a short leash.

When she was ready to head home, she found Gouda Will sweeping the floor of the diner. He was a large man, to be sure, though most of it appeared to be fat, from his trunk-like legs to the folds on his dull-blue face up to his short, black hair. As was almost always the case, he grinned brightly. "See-a you t'mor-row, Ahdaagio!"

She nodded, giving him a tiny smile in return. "See you."

Some day, I have to work out just what accent he's using.

She'd been telling herself that for weeks, but as was also almost always the case, her thoughts were halted by the head of the smiling cook peeking out from the kitchen.

"Hey there! Clockin' out?"

By rights, one teenage boy shouldn't have been enough to work that kitchen, nor should most of the menu to this place have been possible to serve as 'fast food,' but this one pulled it off every day. How that was possible was something Adagio wasn't sure she wanted to know, and the grin she offered him was always a little strained.

"It is closing time, Mr. Sandwich, as it has been every time you've asked."

Still hanging sideways through the doorway, he chuckled. "Call me Cheese," he said while pulling an accordion from somewhere and stretching it outwards, "CUZ' I'M-" Adagio walked past him without another word, making him deflate a little. "Aw, no time for a song? Well, okay then, seeya tomorrow, 'Dagi-O!"

She didn't offer more than a fleeting wave in response to his nickname for her, even if hearing it made smiling just a little easier. 'Dagi-O. It sounded almost musical. Not that she'd know much about that these days, thanks to those girls with the impossibly strong magic. Her blood boiled as she remembered the time they dropped by the Eezy-Cheezy to "check up on her" when they heard where she was working.

"Pfft, wow," Rainbow Dash had snorted, "this is what you do now?"

"Don't make fun, Darling," Rarity had chided with a poorly-suppressed giggle, "honest work is honest work... even if she is wearing the tackiest thing I've ever seen!"

They'd hung around to make cracks like that for at least an hour, with Adagio unable to so much as hide in the back room while there were orders to take. Sunset Shimmer hadn't made any biting remarks, but the smug smirk on her face did more than enough to convey her thoughts.

Nearly the second she'd closed the front door, Adagio heard Sonata shout. Most audible was the smile.

"Welcome home, Cheese-Head!"

Unfortunately for her, the path from the front door to her room led through the living room, where the hyenas were waiting. Sonata didn't wait for eye-contact, barely containing her giggles already.

"Have fun cuttin' the cheese today?"

"I'm not the cook," she deadpanned, "I barely touch the food."

"Yea," chuckled Aria, hands behind her head in a relaxed pose with her feet on the coffee table, "her thing is more 'You want fries with that?'"

The two giggled as Adagio glared at them. She wasn't sure when exactly her 'lead' had become in-name-only, but somewhere over the last several weeks, it was clear that they'd lost any respect they ever had for her. "At lea-"

"No, no," snickered Sonata, pointing at Adagio's hair, "it's, 'do you want curly fries with that?'"

Both laughed as Adagio clenched her teeth. That joke wasn't funny the first time, let alone the fiftieth. "At least I have a job! You two haven't brought in any money in weeks, are you even still looking for work?"

"Hey, it's a rough job market," Aria said with a smirk that said she was anything but broken up about it, "nothin' we can do. I mean, your boss ain't hiring more, so we'll just have to hope for the best."

"Y-yea," giggled Sonata, "but hey, at least you're still bringing in the cheddar!"

Adagio loosed a low growl-groan through gritted teeth. "You two are-"

"Woah, woah, don't get so cheesed off, Dagi!"

Her face reddening as the two laughed at her, again, Adagio stormed off to her room for the night. Even if she was distantly glad that they were actually kind of getting along this way (the time they had cheerfully danced together while making fun of her had been kind of cute), the sound of them celebrating her humiliation with another high-five did nothing to diminish her frustration.

There was a time in which she might have at least gotten some satisfaction in recounting some of their less glamorous work, or even pitting them against each other to get the focus off of herself for a while (though recent months had left them less eager to bicker with one another whenever she was around to torment instead), but she just didn't have the energy anymore. Even so, she found herself muttering a familiar oath.

"Some day, you'll all pay..."

Work was a little... different, the next day. Officially speaking, the Eezy-Cheezy was due to be closed until around mid-afternoon, but the gathering of a flock of children, a few of the parents and/or older siblings that brought them along, and a camera crew outside the restaurant made Adagio sure she'd forgotten something.

"Mr. Will? What's going on here?"

He turned to her with a brighter smile than usual. "Ahh, Ahdaagio, nice to see you! The hard-a work of you ann'a Cheese has been-a great for the Eezy-Cheezy!"

Any pride Adagio felt for drawing in more customers with her 'cute' little outfit (which she certainly did, by the way some regulars eyed her) was dampened by having to do it in a 'cute' little outfit.

"And so-a today, we shoot our very first commercial, where you'll be-a the star as Poofy; salesgirl for all things-a cheesy!"

Feeling her insides get a little colder, Adagio glanced at the crowd of kids, parents, and siblings. She didn't see anyone she recognized, but felt she should voice her concerns anyway. If she gave some warning beforehand, maybe she wouldn't get fired when business tanked. "Uhh, Mr. Will? I don't think you want my face promoting your store."

His quiet reply came with a sympathetic smile. "I know about-a what happened at Canterlot High, Ahdaagio, and is'salright. You've-a been a boon to business since you arrived, and-a no matter what came before, your work is-a what helped us afford our very-a first advertisement! That's-a why I can think of no one better to help me spread-a the joy of cheese to as many people as possible!"

Adagio hadn't noticed an increase of customers since she started working, but if she wasn't driving anyone away...? She let out a quiet sigh. "Alright, then... what do you need me to do?"

With a quick run-down of the planned commercial, she went to get dressed as Gouda Will set things up, trying to adjust her mindset to that of someone happy to sell cheesy food. It wouldn't exactly be the greatest performance of her life, but if she was going to do it, she was going to do it right.

...He couldn't possibly afford a prime-time slot, right? It'll be at three in the morning or something, and the only ones who'll see it are bored insomniacs that won't remember anything anyway.

When she returned, it looked like it was just about time to get started. She didn't have time to dwell on the feeling she got when Cheese Sandwich turned, pointed to her, and announced "There she is!", which drew cheers of excitement from the kids he'd been keeping busy. Doing her best to smile, she approached the group with a friendly little wave.

Cheese briefly walked her through her lines and they rehearsed the scene with the kids (who were happy to shout 'Eezy-Cheezy!' as many times as they were given the cue) their youthful enthusiasm proving infectious as they all but celebrated this character they'd only learned about less than an hour ago. He really must have done a good job building up excitement, because Adagio even found herself smiling much more easily than usual as she acted out the part of 'Poofy.' Before she knew it, it was time to get started.

When she was in position and had a tiny microphone pinned to her shirt, the cameras started, she took a quick step forward, and while it wasn't in the script, cartwheeled over to the kids, grinning brightly. She pantomimed taking a picture just as she came to a stop. "Say cheese!"

"Cheeeese!" the children cheered, making her giggle.

"Great!" She turned to face the camera. "Hiya, folks! I'm here to tell you all about a great place to stuff your face-" she winked, "-with extra cheese!"

Their timing wasn't perfect, but the kids called out as instructed.

"I wanna burger!"

"Cheese-sticks!"

A few shouted in unison. "PIZZA!!"

Poofy giggled merrily. "You can get all that and more here at Eezy-Cheezy," she threw in a quick, lively twirl, "so bring a friend, bring the family," she shot the camera an especially cute smile, "and bring your appetite, 'cuz you can have as much cheese as you please, here at-" she let the kids finish for her.

"EEZY-CHEEZY!!"

An announcement from the director (one Cuttin' Dry, a tall, thin, light-green man with slicked-back, light-yellow hair and sharp sunglasses that he never took off) reminded Adagio that he and the nearby camera crew, who caught all of that, existed.

"Awright," he announced with another accent that Adagio couldn't quite place, "we're gonna keep rolling for a bit more footage we can chop up and use for one of them background montage things during the fine-print voiceover shot at the end. Just keep lookin' all ad-friendly and cheerful for a while and we'll letchu know when we're done." He cued the audio team to play some upbeat music (all of which Adagio knew by heart; it was played constantly as ambiance in the restaurant) as Adagio stood still, her character of moments ago already having slipped away from her.

Am I supposed to just ad-lib now? What do they-

She caught sight of Cheese Sandwich standing off to one side, smiling at her as he pantomimed shaking someone's hand with one arm and pointed to the nearby children with the other. Otherwise paralyzed with indecision, she took this cue immediately, turning to the nearest of the kids and offering to shake their little hand with a warm, friendly (and heavily practiced) smile. She shook a few hands as the role came back to her, but didn't know what to follow it up with until she glanced back at Mr. Sandwich. Again, she took his cue (which was to do a jig where he stood this time) and playfully danced with the kids that would join her, which, as she caught sight of the audio equipment, gave her an idea.

It was such an impulsive thing; jogging, skipping, and cartwheeling over, even as the director asked what she was doing by turning up the music, feeling light as a feather as she cartwheeled back, then hopped, skipped, and jumped up onto one of the outdoor tables. She used to let Sonata do any and all cartwheeling, so maybe she was unconsciously trying to emulate her for the part of Poofy. She certainly felt lighter and happier than she had in recent months, maybe even years! All eyes on her, she drank in their gazes, the smiling faces, and even the confused ones!

She felt like she was slipping, yet not falling, getting dizzy, yet composed, nervous, but thrilled, and most importantly, alive. The sensible thing to do might have been to stop herself and assess the situation, but Poofy didn't feel like thinking about it.

Poofy felt like singing.

Warning: This may get stuck in your head. Contains J-Pop.

Look, above, the counter and see our menu,
Find, the meal, that will best suit your needs.
Grab, a drink, and maybe a dessert or two,
and of course, there's always extra cheese!

Come, and try, a taste of triple-cheese pizza,
or, maybe, nachos stacked high above.
Cheese, with ease, with macaroni and pita,
burgers, tacos, and cakes you're sure to love!

Eezy, Cheezy, Eezy-Eezy-Cheezy,
Ev'ry thing you can think of!
Cheddar, Colby, Swiss, and Mozzerella,
Come and taste our... ch-ch-ch-Cheezy Love!
Eezy, Cheezy, Eezy-Eezy-Cheezy,
Ev'ry thing you can think of!
Cheddar, Colby, Swiss, and Mozzerella,
Come and taste our... ch-Cheezy Love!

Poofy felt herself smile genuinely as she got into her dance routine, making quick, subtle, cutesy motions and winking at the audience, all of whom were smiling right back at her, many clapping in rhythm as she threw herself into the performance.

Grilled, with bread, or blown up into crunchy puffs,
on, the side, melted for dipping sauce,
eat, it raw, so much can be done with the stuff,
so, I hope, I got the point across!

So, come in, place your order, take a seat,
and, we will, be with you very soon.
All, the cheese, that the whole family can eat,
if you like, you don't even need a spoon!

Eezy, Cheezy, Eezy-Eezy-Cheezy,
Ev'ry thing you can think of!
Cheddar, Colby, Swiss, and Mozzerella,
Come and taste our... ch-ch-ch-Cheezy Love!
Eezy, Cheezy, Eezy-Eezy-Cheezy,
Ev'ry thing you can think of!
Cheddar, Colby, Swiss, and Mozzerella,
Come and taste our... ch-Cheezy Love!

The children (and Cheese) were all but hopping up and down and cheering with excitement now, heads and feet of the film crew, Gouda Will, and the parents bobbing and tapping along with the tune. For the first time, it was like Adagio was under her own spell, getting all the more fired up for it.

Cheezy-Love, Cheezy-Love!

Cheezy-Love, Cheezy-Love!

Cheezy-Love, Cheezy-Love!

Cheezy-Love, Cheezy-Love!

Eezy, Cheezy, Eezy-Eezy-Cheezy,
Ev'ry thing you can think of!
Cheddar, Colby, Swiss, and Mozzerella,
Come and taste our... ch-ch-ch-Cheezy Love!
Eezy, Cheezy, Eezy-Eezy-Cheezy,
Ev'ry thing you can think of!
Cheddar, Colby, Swiss, and Mozzerella,
Come and taste our... ch-Cheezy Love!

Eezy, Cheezy, Eezy-Eezy-Cheezy!

Eezy, Cheezy, Eezy-Eezy-Cheezy!

Eezy, Cheezy, Eezy-Eezy-Cheezy!

Eezy, Cheezy, Eezy-Eezy-Cheezy!

Eezy, Cheezy, Eezy-Eezy-Cheezy!

She took up a bowing pose just as the song came to an end, which helped hide her ecstatic face as the sounds of applause washed over her, warming her entire body and quickening her heart-rate. That, she realized, was most likely the trigger, the thing that woke up whatever magic she had left; the audience. Before they got the gems, the three of them enjoyed singing, like just about any other civilized aquatic life, and the only thing better than playing for a crowd was playing for a cheering one. The kids were happy to see her the instant she arrived, the way Cheese Sandwich had stirred them up leaving them akin to the fans she once had back home.

I owe you, Mr. Sandwich, and if I ever find the means, maybe I can pay it back.

When it started to get quieter and she regained most of her composure, she hopped off the table, casually paced over to the sound system, returned the volume settings to what they were, and smiled at the director. "How was that?"

Cuttin' Dry grinned. "Great!" Then he frowned. "But, uh, it ran sorta long for a commercial, y'know? It'd cost a lot to use the whole song."

Having spent a little time browsing videos in her spare time, Adagio smiled. "What about as one of those online ads you can skip five seconds in?"

He scratched his head. "Hey, yea! That's somethin' to look into. Don't know how much it'll help a local joint like this, but we'll get back to ya!"

She winked. "Thank you dairy much!" This won some giggles as she looked in the direction of Gouda Will, immediately getting swept up in a big, crushy bear-hug.

"That-a was out-a-standing work, Ahdaagio! You'a done the Eezy-Cheezy real proud!" She didn't need to see his face to know he had that little glint in his eye again. "And-a soon, even more peeple will be-a comin' in for some-a tasty cheeses!"

Truly, it was as if nothing got this man out of bed in the morning if not for the thought of people eating cheese. That, however, was not what she chose to ask about.

"...Mr. Will, what is your accent supposed to be?"

His answer was no less cheerful. "I have-a no idee-ya!"

The question was now whether or not he was just messing with her.

Starting with a ton of Tell, because I'd rather just kick the exposition out the door and get to the main story, but without skipping over the parts I feel are crucial. Bar whether or not Gouda Will has a moustache, and what kind. I leave that to your imagination.

Sunset speculated that the magic happens when they're being 'true to themselves.' That seems like an extremely loose and flaky rule (might be why it was swept under the carpet in the very next film), but if that's the case, then I figure the sirens could feasibly regain their gem-free magic (if going with an interpretation in which they have it, as all living things from Equestria apparently do) by remembering that they're performers and love to sing for an adoring crowd.

I didn't color the text this time, because I know that bugs some people for one reason or another. I can't promise I'll never do that again, but I don't think there's a need when there's only one singer.

Is anyone else imagining Cuttin' Dry as having a New York kind of accent?