Chapter 9: A Learning Experience Was Had by All, and That’s the Tooth
Aria Blaze let out a growl of frustration and glared out as flickering colors danced across her face. The sounds of high-impact violence, grunts, and screams filled the room as she hammered away with her thumbs at a controller’s buttons and worked an analog stick. Despite her efforts, she was getting more and more frustrated. “No! Stop! Grrrrrrrrrrr!” Aria stared down at a long, blue ponytail attached to Sonata Dusk who was sitting with her legs sprawled out on the floor. “How are you beating me?!”
Sonata said nothing aside for some exaggerated chewing noises as she held the controller in her mouth and chomped down repeatedly on it, her lilac eyes starting in the direction of the TV, but not really at it.
Next to Aria on the big purple couch sat Flash Sentry and Applejack who respectively watched the screen intently and with a sort of detached interest. That is until the TV announced “Kuma wins” and Aria let out a howl of frustration.
“Hyuk,” Applejack shook her head. “Can’t win ‘em all.”
Aria leaned past flash to glare at Applejack. “Well, I can win against you at least.”
“Reckon so?” Applejack asked, her spring green eyes looking back at Aria in determination.
“Reckon ‘course” Aria said with a smirk.
Applejack leaned forward and held out her hand. “Sonata, give me the control—” Applejack pursed her lips into a tight frown as she looked at the state of the controller. She turned back towards Aria. “Y’all got another controller that isn’t all slobbery?”
“Yes. Sonata, spit the controller into Applejack’s hand.”
Sonata complied with a ‘pttha!’
“Elck!” Applejack exclaimed as she attempted to wipe the controller somewhat clean using her denim skirt.
Aria began tapping buttons as the music changed on the screen. She glanced to her side. “You play video games?”
Flash smirked at Aria. “I’m a high schooler. What do you think?”
Aria simply nodded and turned back towards the screen. “You have next.”
Applejack shook her head. “Well, he better gear up ta fight me, ‘cause—”
There was a blitz of colors and the sounds of video game violence that hit like a storm followed by Applejack letting out a disbelieving yawp. “Ho-how?!”
Aria gave Applejack an icepick smile. “Hey, just feel lucky I didn’t make you play against Sonata.”
Applejack let out a sigh before she turned back to the screen. “Wasn’t Rainbow Dash supposed to be roped into this too?”
“Yeah,” Aria said as she also looked back towards the TV, “but I figure I’d hold onto that for a day when I’m bored and also feel like guilting Sunset into making good on a promise.”
Applejack’s face tightened. “Nice to see where you stand moral-DANGIT! HOW?!”
“Ha-Ha!” Aria shook her head from side to side, a victorious smile on her face as Flash chortled quietly next to her. “Be grinnin’ tonight…” she added.
Sitting at a tall, black square wooden table, Sunset Shimmer and Adagio Dazzle sat across from each other. Both held mugs of some steaming liquid and took small sips as they glanced in the direction of the breakfast nook’s entrance.
“Well, they seem to be having fun,” Sunset said, nodding in the direction of the doorway.
Adagio simply grunted an affirmation as she spun her mug slowly in her hands, staring at it as if the swirls in it would somehow divine her an answer to a question she was currently asking herself.
Sunset tilted her head quizzically, then took another sip of her drink. “This hot chocolate is incredible by the way…”
Adagio glanced up slightly, a small smile appearing on her face. “You might say the secret ingredients are Irish cream and peppermint schnapps.”
Sunset’s turquoise eyes opened slightly and she looked down at her drink. “I thought I felt happier drinking it…”
Adagio let out the barest and briefest of chuckles before she went back down to looking at her own drink, the joy from her face quickly fading.
“… Uh… You alright?” Sunset asked. “I mean… I know it’s been quite the day for everyone, but if you want to talk…”
Adagio glanced up and shot Sunset a piercing glare with her amethyst eyes. “Oh, I’m sorry. Do you have some sort of magical friendship rainbow that will solve all my problems and turn me into a normal, functional member of society?”
Seemingly nonplused, Sunset took a quick gulp of her drink, then sat it down on the table before pushing her chair away. “Thanks for the drink, Adagio,” she said as she stood up and took a few steps towards the door. “I think it’s about time we got—”
“No, wait!” Adagio called out.
Sunset stopped in the doorway. She didn’t turn. “I’m not going to sit in awkward silence with you, Adagio, and I’m certainly not going to put up with your verbal abuse.”
“I’m sorry, alright?” Adagio said. “Just... I'm sorry for everything I dragged you into today. I'm lucky you and your friends stuck with it until the end, and I admit it, that was a douche-nozzle move on my part just now… Just… please sit down…”
Sunset let out a soft sigh, turned, and returned to her seat. She picked up her drink and took a few more sips.
Adagio smiled. “It really is good hot chocolate, isn’t it?”
Sunset nodded. “Yes... but don’t tell me you called me back just so I could keep gushing about your beverage… I mean… I might be willing as long as you keep them coming, but somehow I feel there’s a chance it’ll turn into a somewhat repetitive conversation.”
Adagio chuckled. “Sarcasm… I like that… Where was this Sunset Shimmer when we were fighting the Rainbooms?” she asked before taking a sip of her own drink.
“Keeping quiet as to not tick off her new friends whose lives she had trampled all over just half a year prior,” Sunset answered. Sunset looked out towards the entrance. “I guess in a way I have you and your fellow Dazzlings to thank.” Sunset turned towards Adagio and smirked. “Helping beat you three kinda proved I was really serious about this ‘magical friendship’ stuff.”
Adagio’s face tightened into a scowl.
Sunset’s lips pursed in concern. “I can see that it’s a bit too soon to joke about that night with you…”
Adagio shook her head, her orange curls bouncing slightly as she did. “It’s not that,” she said. She sighed and stared off into the direction of the living room. “Today was hard, Sunset Shimmer. It was work, and weird, and just misery… but…” Adagio sat her drink down then brought a fist up to her lips and picked a direction to stare in that wasn’t Sunset’s. “I guess a lot of my days on this planet have been like that…” She rolled her eyes slightly. “Not quite this surreal, but collecting energy from cafés while wondering how far you can push it before someone calls the cops wasn’t always a lot of fun.” She turned back towards Sunset. “There’s going to be more days like this, aren’t there? More days when our bodies rebel against us and we don’t know what to do about it and our only recourse is to find a stranger and hope they can do something to fix it.”
Sunset pursed her lips for a moment. “That’s a bleak way to put it, but yes… That’s part of life, Adagio.”
Adagio let out a sigh and looked away.
Sunset regarded Adagio for a moment. Sure, Adagio and her fellow Dazzlings had a rather different background, if one overlooked the part where they originated from Equestria. However, the ends to their villainous ways certainly had a great deal in common. The big difference there was Twilight immediately reached out a hand to Sunset to give her another chance, something neither Sunset nor Twilight had really considered when the dust settled and the giant siren projections were gone. Maybe if they had tried the Dazzlings would have dismissed the offer of friendship, maybe not. The fact remained that an attempt hadn’t been so much as suggested.
Sitting at the table with her and sharing a drink as the now ex-siren seemingly struggled with a form of melancholy she wasn’t accustomed to, Sunset felt a twinge of regret. Regret that she was so focused on coming into her own at the time that she had overlooked something. That while the Dazzlings had done some rather reprehensible things, she was in a not too dissimilar situation only a few months prior to their arrival. Someone was there to show her there was a better way, and she hadn’t so much as considered that it was her turn to extend a hand of friendship to someone who needed it.
But maybe… maybe it wasn’t too late...
Sunset reached out her right and placed it on Adagio’s arm. “Adagio… I wish there was another way, but—”
Adagio ripped her arm away as her head whipped around so quickly the locks of hair on either side of her face began to sway. “No. Don’t apologize.” Adagio shook her head. “You were stronger than us. You were all the victors.” Her eyes tightened and Sunset could see something of a dangerous gleam in those magenta orbs. “I’m not going to have you start force-feeding me your human or pony garbage pity because there’s an aspect of our defeat you regret.”
“Uh… Right,” Sunset said, suddenly unsure of what to say. Unsure if there was anything she could say to that.
Surprisingly, Adagio’s expression softened as a small smile appeared on it. “Besides…” She turned her head and looked out towards the room’s doorway again where the sounds of Aria cheering on Flash as Applejack cried out in frustration could be heard. “Maybe things aren’t so bad right now… Maybe it’s okay to enjoy the little things in life while we have this time.”
Sunset found her own small smile appearing on her lips. “Wow, Adagio… I’m happy to hear you say that.”
Adagio nodded. “Had this all happened before TV had been invented though, we would have killed you all in your sleep,” she said, smile still on her face.
Sunset let out a chuckle.
Adagio’s smile fell. “No, seriously. I’m not joking. Had this gone down maybe 100 years ago, or earlier, we’d have hunted you all down one by one and took you out…” Adagio smirked wickedly. “We’d probably manage to make it all look like accidents, too.”
Unexpectedly, Sunset’s smile grew into something dark as well. “You might want to consider cutting your hair,” she said.
“… Excuse me?” Adagio asked in confusion.
“Long hair like that? It can get caught in all kinds of things… car doors, wheels, random exposed machines with moving parts… I mean…” Sunset’s smile suddenly went full demonic and she raised her mug. “You never know when you’re one little accident away from being shuffled off this mortal coil.”
Adagio stared at Sunset for a moment and then slowly, another smile, a mirror of Sunset’s appeared on her face. “I’m happy to have met you, Sunset Shimmer,” Adagio said.
Sunset’s smile suddenly turned from something sinister to something bright and chipper. “You know what? I think you’re starting to grow on me a little as well.”
Adagio picked up her mug and tapped it against Sunset’s before both women brought their cups to their lips.
“Ugh! NO!” Aria exclaimed. “I still can’t believe this is even possible!”
Again, Sonata said nothing, instead holding her own controller in her hands as she moved it back and forth over her mouth like it was a corn cob.
Sunset and Adagio walked out into the living room, Sunset looking down at Sonata in concern. “You think a mouth guard is enough?” she asked Aria.
“It keeps your teeth in when you’re punched in the face!” Aria snapped back as she leaned hard to her right, pressing against Flash as she glared daggers at the TV and continued to work her thumbs on her controller furiously. “Yeah… I think it’ll do!”
Sunset just snorted out a short laugh and looked towards the ceiling, shaking her head slightly. She looked over her compatriots in today’s adventures.
Applejack was on the couch, her shoulders slumped and her arms limp as she sneered at the TV screen, seemingly even unable to take joy from Aria’s at the hands…mouth of Sonata. Flash also looked at the screen, but his eyes were becoming unfocused and he stifled a yawn.
“Ready to go?” Sunset floated towards the group, as much a suggestion as a question.
“Ugh, YES!” Applejack exclaimed as she stood up. “Ah don’t think Ah can take any more irritation for the night.” She shook her head. “Anythin’d be better than hanging out here.”
Flash glanced at Applejack and wordlessly got to his feet.
“WHAT THE HELL?!” Aria screamed, nearly throwing her controller on the floor.
“Kuma wins!”
Applejack smirked. “Keep at it… I’m sure you’ll get her eventually.”
Aria sneered at Applejack. “Kicked your ass…”
Applejack narrowed her eyes. “How ‘bout a rematch sometime?”
Aria smirked. “Video games or a real fight?”
“Yes.”
Aria’s smirk turned into a full-toothed smile framed with fiery amethyst eyes. “Right… See you around, cowpoke.”
“Do you have to leave?” Adagio warbled sweetly. “I can make more drinks…” She gave the trio a wry smile. “We can all get teenaged wasted!”
“Tempting!” Sunset said. “But I think we’re all exhausted.”
“Ugh… That’s putting it mildly,” Applejack said.
Adagio pursed her lips into a frown. “No seriously. I'm sorry I roped you all into this, but please stay. I’ll order take-out… Pizza! Chinese! Anything.”
The three looked down at Sonata as she seemingly tried to shove the entire controller in her mouth. This somehow didn’t seem to be doing Aria any favors as the Dazzling continued growling angrily at what was transpiring on the television.
“I think we’re good,” Sunset said. She motioned towards Sonata, “Besides, you two have way more experience with Sonata than us.”
“That’s why I’m trying to bribe you into staying!”
All three couldn’t help but smile at Adagio.
“Consider it good life experience!” Sunset said.
Adagio’s eyes tightened into a glare. “I will get you back for this!”
Sunset just laughed and swatted at the air dismissively. “Hey! I did you a favor! Maybe I’ll collect sometime…”
“Well, uh… Guess this is goodbye?” Flash said.
Staring at the screen, Aria grunted an acknowledgment, then tilted her body to the right again as she continued rapidly tapping at her controller.
“Right. Go,” Adagio said coldly.
Sunset shrugged at Flash and the three friends began to turn.
“Kuma wins!”
“WHAT THE EFF?!”
Before the three could take more than a few steps, Sonata sat down her controller and got to her feet. She dove for the three and took them all in a big bear hug.
“Gha!” Sunset exclaimed.
“What in tarnation?!” Applejack added.
“Uh… Hi?!” Flash said in confusion.
“I think she’s grateful,” Adagio informed.
Sonata suddenly pranced around to the front of the group and gave each one a quick peck on the lips, much to the group’s confusion.
Aria tossed a simmering glower in the direction of Sonata.
“Really grateful,” Adagio said as Sonata scrambled back to her spot in front of the television.
“Uh… right…” Sunset said. “We’ll just be… going.”
Adagio rolled her eyes and motioned for the three to leave. “Yeah… shoo, shoo…”
Again, the three continued their journey towards the front of the house, eventually making it to the front steps of the Dazzlings’ large, purple two-story house with its completely unkempt lawn and overgrown flower beds.
Frowning, Flash glanced back. “Do you really think they have it handled?”
Sunset chuckled. “You sound worried for them…”
“Kind of, yeah…” Flash admitted.
Sunset shook her head. “You always were so kind-hearted…” She shrugged. “I’m sure they know how to take care of themselves.”
“Ugh… yeah,” Applejack said, “It’s what they’re good at.”
Flash frowned. “So… neither of you—?”
“No!” both girls exclaimed simultaneously.
“That was a nightmare!” Applejack howled.
Sunset nodded. “Yes. That was more than enough Dazzlings for one day.” She glanced at Flash. “I mean, we’re not going to stop you if you want to go back!”
Flash seemed to think about this for a moment.
Back inside the house, Aria quickly leaped off the couch and shoved her controller into Adagio’s hands.
“Wha—”
“Keep her busy!” Aria said as she rushed off towards the door. “I’ll be right back.”
“Aria?! What are—”
“Kuma wins!”
Adagio turned and glared at the TV. “Oh… It. Is. On!”
“Hey, Flash,” Aria called as she flung open the door.
Startled from his train of thought “Uh, yeah?” Flash turned around.
Without so much as a warning or invitation, Aria leaned forward and planted a deep kiss right on and into the mouth of a very unexpecting Flash Sentry.
Sunset and Applejack regarded the scene in stunned silence. In fact, this was not altogether unlike how Flash regarded it.
As quickly and as intensely as it began, it was over and Aria broke off the kiss. “Catch ya’ later, okay?” she said, her expression and tone as even as it had been before she decided her tongue needed to explore the insides of Flash’s mouth.
“Uh, sure?!” Flash uttered, clearly still in a state of confusion.
Seemingly satisfied, Aria turned and walked back inside. The only hint that she herself acknowledged that anything out of the ordinary happened being that her hips swayed with a little more energy before she shut the door behind her.
With Aria behind a closed door, Sunset, Applejack, and Flash stood in silence for a few more moments.
“… Uh…” Flash turned back towards the girls. “That was kinda weird, right?”
“Kind of?!” Applejack exclaimed. “That was flat out of the clear blue sky!”
Sunset nodded. “Yeah… I don’t think anyone could have predicted Aria would have done that…” A small smirk appeared on Sunset’s lips. “I guess that’s just how she lets people know she likes them.”
Flash raised an eyebrow. “Kind of a forward way of doing it, don’t you think?!”
“Well, yeah,” Sunset said. “But it’s Aria… She possesses all the subtlety of a sledgehammer with a rocket assist.”
“I, uh… I don’t know what to do about that,” Flash admitted.
Sunset grinned and bumped her shoulders against Flash. “Give her a call sometime when you’re lonely. It might do you some good to have a few girls in your phone for booty calls.”
Flash frowned as he produced his phone. “Maybe? But I don’t even have her num…” His forehead tightened as he looked his screen and swiped at his phone a few times where the message ‘Hey, nerd. It’s Aria’ greeted him. “Apparently, I do have her number.”
Sunset smiled. “See, there ya go!”
Applejack shook her head. “I’m surprised yer not rushing back inside already.”
Another thoughtful look flashed across Flash’s face. “It’s been quite a day. Maybe, it’d be best to think about things first.”
“Hyuk.” Applejack shook her head. “You’ve got some impressive willpower for a boy.”
Sunset playfully punched Applejack’s shoulder. “Sexist much?”
“What?!” Applejack protested with a smile. “It was a complime—”
‘Buzzzzz! Buzzzz!’
Eye’s tightening, both Applejack and Sunset produced phones looked at them.
The color from Applejack’s face drained immediately.
Sunset merely stared at her phone for a bit, a slow, creeping dread slowly growing across her face like ivy taking over the wall of a building.
“Uh… Everything alright?” Flash asked.
“P-Pinkie’s g-gettin’ a flu shot t-tomorrow…” Applejack stuttered out.
Mouth agape and eyes still focused on the same spot, Sunset’s arms went limp and she let her phone dangle down around her thighs.
“And that’s… bad?” Flash asked.
Applejack locked her spring green eyes with Flash’s azure ones. “Remember the time there was a big hoopla around the hospital with that hostage situation when we were in middle-school? You know, where an entire SWAT team got deployed and taken out?”
“Uh… Yes. How could I forge-THAT WAS PINKIE?!” Flash exclaimed in disbelief.
Applejack nodded her head up and down. “She, uh… She’s scared of needles…” she offered as if that somehow explained the event.
“Two SWAT teams…” Sunset murmured.
“What?!” Applejack said. “But I heard—”
Sunset shook her head. “There was a slight cover up… The police tried to downplay how bad things got… I mean… it doesn’t reflect that well on them that two whole SWAT teams had to be treated for concussions, broken bones, and type 2 diabetes after a run in with a scared, hysterical 14-year-old.” Sunset looked up. “Hence, why no one tried to charge Pinkie with anything…”
Flash tiled his head slightly. “How’d you know that?” he asked.
Sunset gave Flash a slightly guilty look. “I looked up Pinkie’s past with the rest of my friends back when I wanted to win the Spring Fling… We’re talking a pretty deep dive. Even with learning Pinkie had severe trypanophobia as a weakness, I nearly dropped the whole plan because of what I thought she might do to me if she found out I sabotaged her friendships…” Sunset’s eyes went distant. “Even after I had won the competition, I had trouble sleeping for weeks…” she let out a sigh laden heavy with fatigue.
Applejack exhaled deeply through her nose and let out. “Well, Pinkie’s our friend! She’s gonna need someone to support her…”
Flash pulled his lips into a tight grimace. “I guess it would be kinda wrong to just ignore this, huh?”
“Rainbow Dash is the Element of Loyalty, right?” Sunset asked.
Applejack and Flash turned towards her.
“Uh…” Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Are ya saying what ah think yer saying?”
“Well, it’s just that clearly someone will help Pinkie tomorrow even if we don’t!”
Applejack hung her head and sighed, shaking it from side to side. “That just ain’t right… It’s not like we have anything better...” Applejack slowly raised her head back up. “… to …” She looked at Sunset, then Flash. “… do…”
“…”
All three friends exchanged brief glances, then nodded. They turned and made a mad dash for the Dazzlings’ front door, all three pounding on it with their fists.
‘Knock! Knock! Knock!’
“Adagio?!” Sunset called out. “I changed my mind! Drinking myself until I do something wildly irresponsible sounds great! I’ll even help you with Sonata!”
‘Knock! Knock! Knock!’
“Hey, Aria!” Applejack called out. “How about Ah collect on that rematch right now! Whichever of the two... BOTH of ‘em, even!”
‘Knock! Knock! Knock!’
“Uh… Aria!” Flash called. “Hey! I’m kinda, maybe, sorta seeing this Princess from another dimension, but maybe we can hang out a bit, and make out a bit, and get naked a bit, and do what comes naturally! And—
‘Knock! Knock! Knock!’
“PLEASE JUST LET US IN!”
The End