Chapter 6: Just Not Our Day
Adagio rose from her slumber and let out a long yawn, she looked over at the coach where Aria was. “Get up Aria, we gotta go find Sonata.” Adagio said to her friend groggily. Aria even groggier then Adagio rolled off the coach and onto the floor. “4 more hours…” she groggily groaned before rolling over, intent on sleeping in longer. Adagio put the kibosh on that by getting up and pulling the curtains apart, letting light spill into the apartment. Aria hissed before finally getting up, albeit half asleep and grumpy.
“Listen, go splash some water on your face and get ready,” Adagio told her grumpy companion before going to the front door. “Now I’ll wait by the parking lot for you to-” Adagio started while opening the door, then she saw someone standing in the door frame that sent a chill down her spine. After a few moments of silence Adagio stuttered out “O-Oh...g-g-good morning Ms. Birchwood.” silently wishing she hadn’t opened the door.
Upon hearing that name, Aria’s eyes shot wide awake and she quickly joined her friend at the door. Aria forced a smile before saying “Oh why hello Ms. Birchwood, how are you this fine morning?” while thinking to herself ‘Great...just what we needed this morning, Ms. Bitchwood.’
Dressed in her usual attire of a black suit and skirt, Ms. Birchwood brushed her scarlet hair back before glaring at the two sirens with her piercing emerald eyes. “Cut the pleasantries, can I trust you’ll have your rent payments ready on time this month?” She asked in a low and cold tone.
Adagio nervously nodded before replying “Oh of course we will, last month was a miscommunication is all”. “Yeah, we’ll t-totally have it all on your desk this time by the end of the week.” Aria added, just as nervous talking to Ms. Birchwood as Adagio was.
“I certainly hope so, I’m getting tired of your excuses.” Ms. Birchwood said before turning around and leaving, pulling the door shut as she left. Aria sighed before saying “Yeah and stay gone Bitchwood…” instantly regretting her decision to open her mouth as the door flew back open and an irritated Ms. Birchwood glared her down. “Excuse me Ms. Blaze?! Would you prefer I evict you and your friend right now, cause I would VERY much enjoy that.” She fumed at Aria who looked absolutely terrified. Aria stammered out “N-No I’m just tired is all, slurred my words Ms. Birchwood it won’t happen again I promise.”. Ms Birchwood huffed before slamming the door shut and returning to her office.
Aria walked over to the couch and collapsed onto it “God I hate her so much.” Aria grumbled. Adagio rolled her eyes before saying to her friend “Whatever, let’s just get the rent money ready for her.” Adagio pulled open a drawer...and then turned to her friend with a concerned look on her face. “Aria...where's the coin purse we keep the rent money in?” Adagio asked getting increasingly worried. Aria thought it over for a moment before replying “Well last time I remember seeing it was a while ago at the diner where we-”
Aria stopped and the two slowly realized where the rent money was...or rather...who it was with.
“Sonata…” They both proclaimed before they slowly shifted into a panic.
Aria stood up, her thoughts going a mile a minute “C-Crap, Sonata has our rent money and probably never wants to talk to us again,” Adagio began pacing up and down the room “Ok, it is more important than ever we find Sonata,” Adagio said in a panicked tone “Not only because we need to apologize, but we’re gonna get evicted if we don’t get our rent back.”
Aria threw on her coat and rushed out the door with Adagio following right after her. The two of them made their way down downtown in a mad scramble to find Sonata, apologize and not get kicked out of their only housing. As Adagio rounded a corner she slammed into someone. “Ow son of a- look sorry for plowing into you but we need to hurry and-” Adagio stopped as she opened her eyes and identified who the person she rammed into was...and it was possibly the last person she needed to run into at a time like this.
The young lady stood up and brushed off her skirt before speaking up, “Hey I know you’re in a rush but be more care- wait...Adagio...Aria?”
Yep, exactly who they didn’t need to run into...Sunset Shimmer.
Aria looked at Sunset thinking to herself ‘Oh come the hell on...we already have every possible problem dumped into our laps already’ before saying, “Ohh...hey Sunset w-what's up?” internally wishing they could go back in time and not round that corner.
Adagio stood back up before saying to Sunset, “Well um, you don’t seem best pleased to see us.” Sunset’s expression changed from one of confusion and worry to flatly annoyed. “Yeah, trying to takeover someone’s school and turn her friends against each other will do that,” Sunset said as sarcastically as possible.
A few awkward seconds of silence passed between the three, Adagio finally decided to speak up. “Listen...we can try and maybe work out that whole hostile takeover thing later,” She said ready to dash off again “But right now we need to get a move on.” Sunset held an arm out, blocking Adagio’s way before asking “Where do you need to rush off to?” curious as to why Adagio and Aria were running around at such a frantic pace.
Adagio and Aria sighed before deciding to tell Sunset about everything that happened after the Battle of the Bands. The three headed to a nearby cafe and the two sirens explained their situation. Sunset took a sip of her coffee while processing some of the details.
“So you guys failed to get back your powers and you blamed Sonata for it,” Sunset said before taking another sip of her coffee and then turning to Adagio “And then you slapped her.” Adagio rolled her eyes before replying “Look Sunset, Aria already gave me a mountain of crap for that,” Adagio flatly said before taking a sip of her own beverage “I don’t need that echoed to me again."
Aria took a sip of her mocha before saying to Adagio, “You really didn’t need to slap her.” Adagio then threw her arms up in a gesture of ‘Oh come on already’ before proclaiming “I was pissed off OK?” Adagio then took a large swig of her drink before continuing “I would have done it to anyone in that situation, Sonata didn’t get special treatment.”
Sunset mulled over what she had just been told for a moment before asking, “So alright that's really bad,” she then looked over at Adagio “But I still don’t get why you girls are in such a rush,” Sunset took another sip before then saying “If you know where Sonata is and know she’s not really going anywhere, then why are you in such a mad dash to find her?”
Aria was the one to answer Sunset’s question “Well it’s because in our INFINITE wisdom, we gave Sonata the boot...when she still had our rent money.” Sunset looked at the two girls before leaning back and thinking of a nice way to put what she wanted to say, she couldn’t and so just stated it plainly “Yeah...that was kind of dumb on both your parts.” Aria rolled her eyes before saying “Trust us, we’re aware of that.”
Sunset looked at Aria and then said “Well surely you have some time, I doubt your landlord will kick you out the moment your rent is late,” taking another sip of her coffee. Adagio scoffed before saying “Giving Birchwood way too much credit Sunset.”
Hearing that name caused Sunset to violently spit out the mouthful of coffee she had. Sunset then looked at the two girls like she had to confirm what Adagio just said “BIRCHWOOD?! YOU GOT AN APARTMENT IN BIRCHWOOD’S DISTRICT?!” Sunset shouted in disbelief. Adagio just shot Sunset a flat look before saying “Did I stutter? Yes I said Birchwood.”
Sunset looked as if she REALLY needed to process this one “I’m sorry did we...over do it with the whole ‘singing and friendship that summons a giant rainbow Alicorn thing that shoots friendship lasers?” Sunset then began to inspect Aria’s head before continuing “Did we friendship laser you three too hard in the head?”
Aria then put a hand on Sunset’s shoulder and sat her back down before replying “Yeah listen, we weren’t exactly rolling in dough BEFORE the attempted takeover and that didn’t really help out much,” She then leaned back in her seat before saying “A place in her district is all we could afford while still being able to afford, you know...Food.”
Sunset suddenly felt really bad for the two sirens, Ms. Birchwood was notorious for evicting tenants the very moment they missed rent. “Wait hang on, you make it sound as if this isn’t the first time you’ve missed your rent,” Sunset said fairly puzzled “But Birchwood usually kicks out people the millisecond they miss their rent payments.”
Aria said what she had been thinking for quite awhile now “I’m pretty sure Birch just likes screwing with us,” Aria scoffed before continuing “Tch, Bitchwood just loves watching us squirm.”
Sunset just sighed and shook her head “Man it seems you two just can’t catch a break lately.” Adagio then turned her gaze to Sunset with a look that screamed ‘no shit Sherlock’ before saying “Reeeeeeally? I hadn’t notice that!” Adagio then chugged down the rest of her now lukewarm drink.
Adagio sighed then rubbed her temple’s before saying “Ugh, I really wish I could just go back in time and tell my past self to take a chill pill.” Aria leaned back again and turned her gaze to Sunset “So yeah as you can no doubt deduce; We’re royally screwed,” Aria stated before giving her friend a pat on the shoulder.
Sunset drummed her fingers on the table, deep in thought over a course of action. She then stood up and proclaimed to the two siren’s “Alright come with me, let’s go get all this sorted out.” The two siren’s looked up at Sunset and then to each other, Adagio was the first to speak up “You...want to help US, after all the crap we put you and your friends though?” Aria then added “OK did YOU suffer a blow to the head during the battle of the bands?”
Sunset then grabbed the two by the hands and stood them up “Listen, I’m still upset about all the crap you three put me though, but I’m not gonna turn a blind eye when you’re in desperate need of help,” Sunset said firmly “I’m gonna help you two sort all this out, then we can politely go our separate ways.”
Adagio and Aria looked at Sunset who gave them a reassuring smile, Adagio then smiled back. “Gee thanks, good to see you really DID go soft after the Fall Formal,” Adagio snarkily said, receiving a playful punch in the arm from Sunset. Sunset then chuckled and said “Oh shut up tuna breath.”
The three girls made their way out of the cafe after Sunset paid for their drinks, they then began to make their way to Canterlot high. Adagio sighed and said to herself “Well ready or not Sonata, here we come...and we’re gonna make things right,” before briskening her pace to catch up with Aria and Sunset.