When I say Saturday was the hardest I've ever worked, I'm not exaggerating in the least. Mom had me do the entire Spring cleaning that we'd missed a few weeks before. We turned the house inside out and outside in. After she'd given up and said we could do the rest on Sunday, I continued. I dusted everything that could be dusted and scrubbed anything that didn't sparkle at first glance. It was at unholy hours of the morning that I finally collapsed in my bed.
With no school the next day, I hadn't set my alarm and with no alarm, it was at 11:30 that I finally got up.
"Legacy, honey," Mom called as she stuck her head into my room. "Lost, wake up."
I murmured something along the lines of "Give me till Monday, I'll pay you for the cider."
"Cider?" Mom queried. "There's a pretty girl here to see you."
That got me.
My eyes bounced open and I jumped right into sitting position.
"Pinkish skin, purple hair?" I asked for confirmation.
Mom looked thoughtful. "Her skin looks more fuchsia to me," she said.
"Aria!" I shot out of the room, stopped at the top of the stairs and sniffed. The acrid odor of sweat and Lemon Pledge wafting off me stung my nose.
I looked down into the living room to see Aria sitting uncomfortably stiff on my couch. She wore a purple track suit with an aquamarine streak running through it that matched her hair. Speaking of, it wasn't in its usual twin tail style but was strung as a single ponytail. She looked around and eventually settled on me. I drew back.
"Stall her," I hissed at Mom.
"Are you sure, honey?" she asked. "What about the Pact?"
"Forget the Pact," I told her to forget the Pact of '09 which stated that she wasn't allowed to speak to any of my friends that came over.
I dashed off to take a shower while Mom descended the stairs in a manner that made me sure I'd regret my decision.
Fifteen minutes later, I slid down the banister to put a stop to whatever torture Aria was having to endure. As I landed, she looked up to me and smiled. Not the I-totally-like-you smile that I'd always wanted but a I-know-something-super-embarrassing-about-you smile. I took one look at the photo album Mom was holding and put on my oh-crap face.
"Aria?"
"Yes?" There was definitely a giggle in that voice.
I snatched the album from Mom and told Aria to follow me. She did without question. Once in the backyard, I ditched the album and led Aria to the jungle gym. I ran her through a few basic drills to assess the true limits of her physical body and I grew to understand why Coach put her in my care. She could do one push up, max. Half a chin up and could run a full five meters before collapsing in exhaustion. I set to work grilling her how my father had done me and, by one, we had to stop.
"Kids!" Mom called. "I made sandys."
"You up for a little lunch?" I asked her.
Instead of answering, she gasped for air. I chuckled and went in for the tray of food and a blanket. We sat and ate in silence. Afterwards, Mom brought out a pitcher of lemonade.
I kept trying to find the perfect moment to spring a question or start a conversation but Aria's walls were back up. She nibbled at the sandwich and kept her gaze away from me at all times. Even asking her if she'd like another sandwich seemed to breed hostility, so I kept my mouth shut. After lunch and a fifteen minute rest, we went back to it. By six, she was able to manage the required ten push ups, ten chin ups and three laps around the field (equivalent to ten laps around my back yard.
We got another rest while looking at the sunset. The blue sky had ignited into a fury of orange and red. The sun was moving noticeably quickly as we watched it.
"Beautiful," she said.
"What was that?"
"The sunset, it's beautiful," she repeated. "Adagio never let us watch the sunset, even back in Equestria. It was always about her plan to rule the world this and her plan to rule the world that. Sonata and I were always so sick of it."
"What was it like?" I asked.
"Annoying," she replied. "Adagio likes the sound of her own voice. It's like she's under her own spell."
I laughed a little but corrected her, "I meant Equestria. That's the same world Twilight Sparkle and Sunset Shimmer are from, isn't it?"
Aria nodded.
"It was beautiful," she said in a mesmerized tone. "Imagine a world where everyone is friends with each other. Where no matter if you're a pony or a dragon or a griffin, you can still get along with others. A world where even I could belong, if I'd chosen my own way."
"That sounds like Canterlot High," I said. "Well, after Twilight came along anyway."
Aria looked at me as if she couldn't believe I was being serious.
"I'm a monster," she said. "Not only in appearance," Before my eyes, her hand morphed into a hoof. A bead of sweat ran down her forehead and it changed back. "But inside. I tried to hurt you."
"So did Sunset," I reasoned. "And yet..."
"Sunset is changed," Aria's voice was rising. "She's got friends to help her. I don't have anyone!"
I was quiet. Now was my chance. I could assure her that I would be there for her. That, no matter what anyone said, I would still stand up for her. But, the words weren't coming out.
Common Sense asked Will you really, Lost? When it comes down to it, would you be willing to risk what you have for someone who could very well still be evil?
Before I could answer, Aria said, "I should go."
"I'll walk you to the bus stop," I offered. She didn't snap at me so I took it as her version of okay.
"Thanks," Aria said when we'd gotten to the stop. "For today. I mean..."
"It's alright," I let her know.
The bus was coming.
"Aria...?"
She looked at me. "Yeah?"
"You said before, when we were talking about Equestria, that you could have belonged in Equestria if you'd chosen your own way," I paused for a short while, both to let what I was saying soak in and to finally decide on what I was ready to do. "It's not too late. You can, I mean, if you ever need a friend, I'll be there."
The bus stopped and the doors opened. Without so much as a dramatic pause, Aria stepped onto the bus and left me alone to make the long journey back.