//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: More of the Same // Story: Failure of Friendship // by snq144 //------------------------------// Sunset groaned as she sat up. She missed the Sirens bed, and judging by the aches and pains she was dealing with currently, her body did as well. She rubbed at her eyes as she sat there in her bed, trying her best to not to fall back onto her lumpy mattress and into the alluring call of sleep. It waaas Saturday, though, surely she could sleep in a little longer? Her cheek stung as her palm ricocheted off. No, bad Sunset! She had to get up and get prepared for her day, not be a lazy bed pony! But what was she gonna even do today? The original plan was to meet up at the mall with the other Rainbooms and spend their time shopping and goofing off now that school was out for Winter Break, but that had obviously been shot out of the air thanks to Anon-A-Miss. Anon-A-Miss… Sunset looked over at her phone, glaring at it. She had turned it onto airplane mode halfway through the week because of all the messages she was getting from students either through texts or posts on her MyStable account, and she even ended up removing the MyStable app shortly after. And yet morbid curiosity was taunting her, making her wonder just how bad things had gotten since then… Her hand froze, the phone resting just outside of her fingertips. Was this really a good idea? Her hand jittered as she tried to rationalize her choices, her mind racing through pros and cons. What if she… She grabbed the phone, powering it up and logging in, before going into the options and turning off airplane mode. A second passed, then another, and before the third arrived her phone erupted into buzzing as a deluge of messages flooded her screen. Sunset was sure the majority of the student base had texted her during the last few days, but it was the last batch that caught her eye. She paused, before slowly thumbing through them. ~*Friday, 1:13pm*~ From: RD I know well probably never be able to make up for all of this but we really are sorry Sunset, please believe us. ~*Friday, 1:16pm*~ From: Rares I believe I speak for the five of us when I say that what we did to you was utterly repulsive. We deeply apologize, and beg you to give us a chance to right our wrongs, darling. ~*Friday, 1:16pm*~ From: AJ We messed up, and that’s the honest truth. Please let us try to make it up to you. ~*Friday, 1:17pm*~ From: Shy I’m so sorry Sunset, I should have known you wouldn’t do something like that to us or the school. Please forgive us. ~*Friday, 1:18pm*~ From: PinkOnPink I promise to throw you the bestestestestestestestestest ever apology party! Pinkie Promise! Just please come back to us! Sunset scowled as she finished discarding the messages from the Rainbooms, as well as the other students. The indignation of her treatment festering in her still open wounds from the week prior. No, they didn’t deserve the chance to prove that they were sorry for their actions! They ruined her life! ...But… Didn’t they give her a second chance, after the Fall Formal? Hah, as if! Sunset shook that silly concept out of her head. No, it wasn’t until after the Battle of the Bands that anybody started treating her nice around there. She had been the butt of every joke at that school for weeks! The Rainbooms included! She grumbled as she thumbed down through the last set of messages, her mood darkening further as more students sent her hate messages. She scowled as she dropped the phone onto her blanket, swinging her legs out from under it to come to rest on the floor. She instantly regretted that. “C-C-C-Cold!” she shrieked through chattering teeth as her feet recoiled from the frozen flooring, almost burning from just how cold it was. Sunset finally noticed her breath lingering in the air, and just how rigid her sheets actually were. “What happened to the heating!?” She gingerly tiptoed over to her wardrobe, her feet screaming in numb agony as she ruffled through the drawers in a desperate search for her thickest socks, the freezing air seeping into the rest of her body. She gave a victorious cry as she pulled the socks out, slipping them on as fast as she could. At least her feet were now insulated, what next? (V):.:(V) Sunset shivered as she brought the blanket up closer to her chin, cursing the week, nay, all of December to the depths of Tartarus! The landlady had stopped by a few hours ago to inform her that the heating unit broke down last night, and that someone should be by this afternoon to give it a look over. That had been bad enough, but twenty minutes later Sunset had discovered that the hot water tank was also on the fritz, leaving her drenched in freezing cold water even colder than the air! Now she was struggling to warm up under a collection of blankets with a mug of tea sitting across from her. She glanced over at her phone. Maybe the Sirens would give her a hand? No, that would be too much to ask. Not to mention incredibly rude. She grimaced as she reached out from under her blankets for the steaming mug. At least the electricity was still running. (V):..:(V) Sunset cursed her comment from the day prior as she flipped open the curtains to allow what light that was making it through the clouds to illuminate her room. She glared up at the now useless lights. Mid yesterday afternoon the power went out, a spectacular “Bang!” radiating through the entire apartment. Apparently whatever old conductor or whatever the box was called had given out, leaving Sunset in an apartment without any electricity, heat, or hot water. To make matters worse the weather was still getting colder, and the repairmen that came in yesterday told the landlady that nothing could be fixed, that this building and it’s utilities were too old. Everything would have to be upgraded. Said landlady was now in the hospital thanks to the shock it gave her heart to hear that, leaving Sunset alone in the freezing building to take care of things. Sunset grumbled as she picked up her phone, scowling as she swiped away another text from Rainbow Dash. The girl seemed to be making it a daily habit to text Sunset and try to apologize. She ignored it as it vanished, opening her messaging app and creating a new text. Recipient: Adagio Dazzle Hey Adagio, Sunset here. I just wanted to give you an update on the rapidly deteriorating state of my apartment. The electrician confirmed that he wouldn’t be able to fix any of the issues, everything would need replacing. Sadly the Landlady is still in the hospital, so I’m stuck in a freezing apartment with no utilities. At this point I think I will take you up on your offer to stay with the three of you for the holidays, but I have to wait to hear more on the landlady. For now I’m gonna go take a quick shower before I head to the mall to see if I can find a job for the holidays. Sunset looked over at her journal as she shut off her phone. Princess Twilight had scrawled a message about the meetings taking too long, or at least that’s what Sunset thought the Princess had meant to write, the mess on the paper near impossible to make out. She knew Princess Twilight wouldn’t hesitate to bring her back to Equestria, but Sunset would sooner fight Gilda again then do that. She grimaced as she approached the washroom, not looking forward to the freezing shower she was about to rush through. (V):...:(V) Sunset sat in a silent lump as the mall buzzed around her, her hoodie covered head resting on the table. She was certain that the apartment building was a right off now, what with the water pipes all exploding and leaking everywhere in the building. At least the plumbers came quickly, Sunset giving them the keys and explaining the situation, before running to the nearby bus stop. She needed out of there before it claimed her life. Not that the mall was much better. No one would hire her until she provided a social security number, but most of them promised to hold a position for her for when the rest of her belongings arrived in town with her family. A necessary lie Sunset had to weave, but ultimately fruitless in the end. Thankfully no one had really paid attention to her, she did her best to hide behind her hoodie whenever she spotted a Wondercolt accompanied by friends or family. Though the fact that she was wearing her signature jacket should have alerted them alone to her presence. Her pocket started vibrating, breaking her out of her grumbling stupor as she grabbed it out of her pocket. She paused to look at the screen, making sure it was a legit number, before swiping the green button and bringing it up to her ear. “Hey, Adagio…” Sunset muttered under her breath, a bemused chuckle radiating from the phone’s earpiece. “Hello, Sunset. Are you still at the mall?” the Siren asked, the noise in the background threatening to drown out the woman. “Ya, why?” “Just wondering.” Sunset jumped as a hand rested itself on her shoulder as Adagio’s voice whispered in her other ear. The Siren started to giggle as Sunset spun around to face her. “Hello. You look quite rough.” “Tell that to my poor heart!” Sunset snarked as she calmed down, nodding to the three Equestrians that stood before her. “Hello Sonata, Aria.” “Hiyas!” the blue Siren beamed brightly as she waved at Sunset in an adorable manner, her the pom of her Santa style toque wiggling around in time with the girl’s motions. “Heya, Shimmer.” Aria grinned from behind Adagio’s other side, her arms crossed in smug superiority. “Is there a reason you keep calling me that?” Sunset asked as she leaned back against the table. “Whatcha talkin’ ‘bout, Willis?” “Shimmer’s my last name.” Sunset chuckled. “And Willis isn’t my first name.” “Pay Aria no mind, she only calls people she sleeps with by their first name.” Adagio smirked as she interrupted the purple Siren. “Oi! Shut up, Adagio!” “See, what did Adagio say?” Sonata added between giggles, dancing away from the reaching hands of Aria. “Sonata!” “Heh, so what are you three doing here?” Sunset asked Adagio as she watched Sonata lead Aria around the food court. “Well we figured we could do some shopping-” “Don’t let the tsundere fool ya, Shimmer!” Aria called out as she grabbed hold of Sonata, the girl squealing adorably as she struggled to get out of the shorter girl’s hold. “We had to hold her down to keep her from driving over as soon as you let us know about the heating issues!” “Awww, you really do care!” Sunset giggled as Adagio’s face grew red. “Yes, well I’d make sure to lock the door to your bedroom at night, lest Aria sneak in and start rubbing herself-” “S-Shut up, ya noisy nag!” Aria’s face grew just as red as Adagio’s as the girl dropped Sonata. “Weren’t you the one talking about-” Adagio gave a strangled cry as she lunged at the purple Siren, clasping her hands over Aria’s mouth, silencing her. “Yes, and what about-” Aria interrupted her attempts to remove Adagio’s hands by doing the same to her leader, muffling the Siren. Sunset erupted into laughter at the scene unfolding in front of her, more eyes from the surrounding crowd focusing on the quarter before returning their attentions back to whatever they were doing previously. “Okay… Okay…” Sunset managed to get out between giggles and gasps for air. “Who are you and what have you three done with the real Sirens? Cause you are all acting waaay too adorably!” Sonata started to giggle as she watched Adagio and Aria break apart, Adagio flattening cloth and trying to make herself prim and proper again, while Aria just crossed her arms and looked away, grumbling loudly. “What are you staring at?” Adagio snarled venomously over her shoulder when she noticed a table of roughly college age students giggling and looking in their direction, the group shutting up when they saw the dangerous glint in the Siren's eyes. “So, uh, thanks for coming to pick me up, you three.” Sunset said sheepishly as the four girls grew closer together once again. “I really appreciate it. I wasn’t looking forward to going outside again to wait for the bus.” “I don’t blame ya.” Aria chortled as she leaned against Adagio. “It’s colder than Adagio’s…” Sunset’s head tilted in confusion as Aria’s voice died off, her smirk dissipating as her eyes seemed to dilate. “Um, Adagio? What did you do to Aria?” There was no response from the orange Siren either, causing worry to start to mount as Sunset looked over at Sonata, the same spaced out look spread across her face. “Hey, what’s up with you three?” Sunset asked in a worried tone, before pausing, her gaze traveling to her side. A family of six stood there, arguing loudly with one another, their words intermingling in Sunset’s ears, though their anger was crystal clear. Her eyes narrowed, unsure of what to make of what she was seeing. It was almost like a cloud, nearly invisible to her eye, was wafting through the air towards them, its almost sickly green hue becoming visible as it approached the Sirens, fading into their torsos. “O-O-Oooh…” Sonata’s lips moved, though her gaze still remained empty as it stared ahead endlessly. “That’s the good stuff…” Sunset’s head snapped back and forth between the Sirens and the family as they continued to argue, she could swear their eyes were starting to glow red as the cloud continued to- “Hey!” Sunset grabbed Adagio by the shoulders, viciously shaking the girl. “Sunset to Adagio!” “W-Wha…?” a confused look spread over the Siren’s face as her stupor broke, her hand coming up to her face. “Sunset…?” Sunset had moved onto Sonata next, the being much easier to rouse, before finishing with Aria. The purple Siren was less than happy, however. “What the hell, Shimmer!” she yelled as she swung feebly at the amber girl, almost as if she were in a drunken state. “What was that for!?” “What was what for?” Sunset asked as she backed up, hands held up in defence. “You three just went all space-cadet on me out of nowhere!” “We were feeding…” Adagio said, her glassy eyes returning to their normal brilliant sharpness. “And quite a feast if I do say so myself.” “I haven’t eaten that good since the Battle of the Bands…” Sonata said, drooling slightly. “Seriously, Sunset… Way to ruin the moment…” “Ummm… I’m sorry?” Sunset gave an uneasy shrug, unsure of what to do, only to have Sonata suddenly lunge forward and lick the tip of her nose. “Wah!?” “Mmm, strawberry banana…” the blue Siren giggled as she wiped away at her chin. “Your apology is accepted.” Adagio said as Sunset scrambled to wipe off her nose. “However now that you understand, we would appreciate if you didn’t interrupt us next time.” “S-Sure, but… Why were you feeding?” Sunset asked, wiping her hands on her pants. “Just because we can’t store it anymore doesn’t mean we don’t need to eat.” Aria muttered under her breath before leaning closer to Sunset. “Seriously! I love me a good steak, but nothing beats… Well, that.” “Negativity…” Sunset felt an uneasy voice start to cry in the back of her head, before clearing it away with a quick shake. “Eh, what do I care. Just… Please don’t try to cause it? That’s all I ask when I’m around.” “I guess that would be fine.” Adagio said after a moment of contemplation, nodding her head. “Just don’t expect us to stop eating.” “Works for me. Now, uh, where to?” Sunset asked, looking around at the three of them. “Well we actually could do some running around while we’re here to be honest.” Aria said as she looked over at the elevator. “I could probably pick up some new wrenches. I swear, quality standards took a dive after the Cold War…” “Wrenches? What do you need them for?” Sunset asked, a warm smile on her face. “Our dear Aria is quite the mechanic.” Adagio said, nodding over at the purple girl. “We haven’t needed to go to the mechanic’s after the T came out.” “I prefer to work on bikes, to be honest.” Aria shrugged with a smug grin. “Oh? I would love to get a class six license!” Sunset beamed in excitement. “There’s just something about motorcycles that speaks to me.” “That’s what I like to hear!” Aria called out bombastically, walking forward and clapping a firmly onto Sunset’s shoulder. “What sort of bike do ya like? Cruiser, sports- You better not tell me you want one of those fucking motocross pieces of shit!” Sunset started laughing as Aria grew close and started whispering dangerously in her ear. “God no! I have no reason why kids like those things! Probably one of the Haysian brands to be honest. Something small and fast.” “Alright, I guess I can accept that.” Aria chuckled as she pulled her hand back. “I’ve always loved my Hogs, the roar of the engine just… Holy shit…” “Oh, Aria! Tell her about your almost accident!” a mischievous smile spread across Sonata’s face as she bounced up on down, hand upraised. “I bet Sunset would looove to hear that story!” Sunset looked back at the purple Siren, Aria’s face turning pink as her expression fell. “Oh? Pray tell, Aria.” “The noise isn’t the only thing she enjoys about-” “S-S-Shut up, Sonata! I thought you said you wouldn’t tell anyone about that!” Aria spat, frozen in spot as the blue Siren’s smirk deepened. “Wait… No way…” Sunset started smirking herself as realization dawned on her. “No way, Aria. You…” “It’s not what you think, damnit!” Aria turned to face the amber girl, a desperate look on her face. “That, uh… Just wow, Aria.” “Fuck my life…” “Sure you don’t want-” “I SAID SHUT UP SONATA!” (V):....:(V) “I-I see…” Sunset said quietly, her eyes starting to tear up as she held the phone up to her ear. “N-No, I completely understand. How long do I have? Okay, yeah. No, it’s fine, I have some friends willing to take me in. Okay.” Adagio paused as she came out of the book store, her head tilted as she looked at the slumping form of Sunset. Aria gave an annoyed cry as she bumped into the back of the orange Siren, her arms laden with bags of Adagio’s books. “Sunset? What’s up?” Adagio asked as Sunset gave a soft sigh. “Oh, hey. Uh, sounds like the landlady passed away.” Sunset explained as she pushed herself off of the wall. “I gotta get all my stuff out by the end of the month.” “Well good thing you have somewhere to go, huh?” Sonata smiled warmly as she skipped over to Sunset, before pausing and trying to force a smile onto the girl’s face. “So turn that frown upside down!” Sunset grimaced as she broke free of Sonata’s digits, before finding herself chuckling due to just how silly Sonata’s smile was. “Geez, alright, alright. Thank you. I’ll, uh… I’ll find someway to pay you three back for this.” “How about-” “Without resorting to revenge.” Sunset growled playfully at Aria, the Siren huffing as she shifted her bags around. “Nor being a sex slave, Adagio” The lead Siren gave a hearty chuckle as she raised a hand up to her chest, her head shaking side to side as Aria joined in with a chortle of her own. “So I guess we’ll go hit up my place? We can do multiple trips, I only really need to grab a few things.” Sunset asked as the four of them started to head towards the elevator. “Aww, come on…” “Well isn’t this awkward.” Adagio said as the elevator door opened and the surprised faces of Rainbooms looked back at them. “Of all the mall in all the towns in all the world, they had to be in here…” Aria grumbled as she shuffled past Sunset. “Oi, are you lot gonna get out of there or not? I’m not walkin’ down the fucking stairs with this many books!” “R-Right…” Applejack muttered, before shuffling her way out of the elevator, the rest of the Rainbooms following suit, heads hung as they tried not to stare at Sunset, the girl giving them all disappointed looks. “You, er, haven’t responded to any of our messages, darling.” Rarity wore an anxious smile as she swiped a strand of hair out of her face as the Siren’s started to board the now empty elevator. “...” Sunset response was a silent look, her brow rising slightly as her chin tilted towards her chest, her shoulder trembling as one of the Sirens poked her, most likely Sonata given the tempo of the jabs. “We’re, uh, having that Christmas party tomorrow night if you-” Rainbow Dash was silenced by the look of outrage on Sunset’s face before she spun and stormed into the elevator, the door shutting off and separating the two parties. “They seem desperate to get you to accept their apologies.” Adagio noted as the elevator started descending, her eyes carefully passing over Sunset’s trembling form. “The fact that they- Look, can we forget about them?” Sunset asked, her fists clenched as she stared down at the floor. Anger boiled in her gut as she shook her head, trying to clear her mind and calm her emotions. Today was going to be another day it seemed. (V):.....:(V) “So what sort of books did you pick up?” Sunset asked as she gazed out the window, breaking the silence that had washed over the quartet as the elevator descended back in the mall. “Oh, some company released a new anthology of some of Hoofwright’s lesser known plays.” Adagio said as the car continued down the snow covered road. “Oh? I didn’t take you as someone into acting.” Sunset said in amusement as she looked up at rear view mirror, just in time to see Adagio glance back with a mirthful look, a songbird like chuckle on her lips. “Oh, my silly little filly. I have been pretending to be a young twenty something Human for the last however many thousand years. I was there when Hoofwright directed his first play, as well as his last.” “And every single one in between.” Aria groaned, rubbing her temples. “I swear, I don’t know what ya see in that guy! The fact that you slept with him that one time… Bleh!” “I could say the same about you and that Inkhorn from the turn of the century” Adagio’s eyes returned back to the road, but her attentions were definitely focused on the purple Siren. “Hey now! At least he was world renowned for his stories!” Aria spat as she jostled around in her seat to glare at Adagio. “They’re gonna be making his masterpiece into a movie later this year!” “At an indie film festival.” snickering filtered from the blue Siren sitting to Sunset’s side, causing Aria to shut up and cross her arms, her typical, annoyed, scowl spreading across her face. “I still say there hasn’t been a painter worth their salt since that crazy ear guy passed away! O-O-Or the blue guy! Well, I mean after he got out of that blue spree he was pretty good, heh…” “Wow…” three sets of eyes focused on Sunset as she looked at each Siren in turn, studying them with an unreadable expression, only for it to quickly fade to an amused grin. “I’m gonna be staying with a bunch of nerds!” “Hey now! These nerds are the ones taking in your sorry ass!” threatened Aria from the passenger seat. “So I’d keep that pretty mouth shut unless you wanna stay in a frozen apartment.” “Fine, fine. My sincerest apologies.” Sunset chuckled, holding her hands up in a peace offering. She was amazed at how the Sirens were interacting with her. She had expected them to try and get revenge on her for the Battle of the Bands, much like it seemed that they wanted revenge on the Rainbooms, but here they were taking her in for the holidays, laughing and trading jokes with one another. Like real friends. “Okay, so I have an idea of what Aria does in her spare time, but what about you two?” she asked, looking at Sonata and Adagio with a warm smile. “I like to cook!” Sonata raised her hand as best as she could in the confines of the car, beaming happily. “She knows that, Sonata.” Aria smirked as she looked back over her shoulder. “Tell her something new.” “Oh, and I like to paint, I guess.” “She’s quite good at it as well, I might add. Yet another thing that having thousand of years to practice assists with.” Adagio knowing chuckle echoed in Sunset’s ears. “Well I enjoy the arts, as you now know, acting most of all. The three of us also enjoy singing, though I suspect you already knew that.” “Oh, uh…” Sunset froze, her mind going back to the aftermath of the Battle of the Bands, when the Sirens’ pendants were broken and their voices… “I-I’m sorry…” “Hm? What for now?” Sonata tilted her head in confusion as she blinked at Sunset. “Y-Your voices. After your pendants-” “Oh, we can still sing.” Adagio explained as Aria burst into laughter. “It’s not like we lost our voices with the loss of our pendants.” “W-What? B-B-But-” “Hey, do you know what happens to a Unicorn when their horn is broken?” Aria asked between chuckles. “Y-Yeah. Their magic gets a little harder to control.” Sunset nodded, lost as to where Aria was going with this. “I think there’s also crackling, but I’ve never seen it in person.” “Well that’s what happened with us. Magical backlash, as it were.” Adagio said simply. “Because our magic was usually connected to our voice, they took the brunt of it.” “Sonata here kept crackling at the mouth for the first week.” Aria sneered, Sonata’s face falling as a slight blush started to build on her cheeks. “Hey! Don’t tell her that!” Sonata whined, struggling to reach Aria with her outstretched hands. “Think of this as payback for bringing up my bike!” Aria winked as her grin widened. “You should also see her when she feeds too much. Turns into a regular old Kaiju!” “Staaahp!” Sonata blubbered as chuckles filled the car. (V):.....:(V) “Alright, that should do it for me for now.” Sunset nodded as she clapped her hands together. All of her more pricey belongings were now gathered, along with an assortment of clothes for the next few days. Sunset didn’t have much of a wardrobe, thanks to not having anything close to financial stability, and a majority of what she did have was from Rarity, and she refused to wear them after the Anon-A-Miss incident. “Works for me.” Aria said through clattering teeth, her arms flying up and down her arms in a frenzied pace. “Let’s get out of this frozen hellhole!” “We’ll come back this weekend perhaps?” Adagio asked as she watched Sunset and Aria start to pick up the amber girl’s collected belongings. “Lord knows we have enough boxes.” “If  that’s fine with you? I mean, we have until the end of the month, and I got most of what I need anyways.” Sunset said as she rested her laundry hamper against her hip. “What about all those clothes up in the wardrobe?” Sunset wished she could bless Sonata’s childlike innocence. “Those are from the Rainbooms. I’d rather not remember being their charity case.” she grumbled as she started making her way towards the door where Aria stood waiting and grumbling. “O-Oh… Sorries!” Sonata giggled sheepishly as she rubbed the back of her head, an uneasy smile on her face. “Don’t worry. It’s water under the bridge, so to say.” Sunset said as she finished her key out of her pocket watching as Sonata held firmly onto her backpack. “Are we all ready to go?” “Dear god you all better be!” Aria shouted as she threw open the door to Sunset’s apartment and started racing down towards the warmth of the winter air, leaving Aria, Sonata, and Sunset laughing in the amber girl’s humble flat.