//------------------------------// // Aria and Lyra Heartstrings // Story: No Longer Living In A Van Down By The River // by Peni Parker //------------------------------// “…and don’t forget to give them the ratite feed at lunchtime.” Aria Blaze rambled on as she gathered her things for school, while Adagio and Sonata listened and ate breakfast from the kitchen table. “We should have plenty of that but if you run out you can give them the alfalfa pellets instead. Oh, and you’ll need to add dairy to their water today too. Oh, and don’t forget about…” “Hey, Adagio.” Sonata whispered over to her sister as Aria continued to ramble. “Should we remind Aria that she already gave us a list of what we need to do while she’s gone?” Adagio quickly swallowed the bite of waffle in her mouth before replying. “I don’t think she’s forgotten about the list, Sonata.” She mildly whispered back. “I think she’s just letting her worries get the better of her.” “Oh, gotcha.” Sonata quietly replied back. Yes, today was Aria’s day to serve as motivational speaker at CHS, but this wasn’t just any ordinary day school for her. Today was the first day she’d being going to school after she and her sisters had moved into their new home on the emu farm, which meant that it was also the first day she’d be leaving her sisters alone to care for the emus, and she was a little…perturbed about that. This wasn’t because she thought her sisters would be neglectful of the emu or anything, but because she knew how difficult it could be to take care of the large birds. They didn’t require much in terms of care but could skittish around new people, and neither Adagio nor Sonata had spent much time around them to really be familiar to them yet. “Oh, and I need you to keep a close eye on Glen.” Aria said as she finished gathering her things and walked into the kitchen. Glen was Aria’s favorite emu, on account of how affectionate he was towards her. When Aria had first bought the emu farm, Glen was very shy and anti-social for an emu, but the more time she spent with him trying to get him to come out of his metaphorical shell, the more he warmed up to her. Eventually, the two of them developed a relationship that was more than ‘pet and owner’ but less than ‘brother and sister’. “He’s been feeling a little under the weather lately, so you’ll need to check on him from time to time” The pig-tailed Dazzling anxiously continued as she pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket and placed it on the table. “If he looks really bad just call this number and a special vet will come and...” “Aria, you don’t have to worry.” Adagio placidly interjected as she got up from the table and approached her sister. “Glen will be fine, as well as everything else, we promise.” “Totes!” Sonata cheerfully backed Adagio up as she too got up from the table. “With the list you gave us we shouldn’t have any problems!” Aria gave a small smile upon hearing her sisters’ reassuring words. She was glad that they didn’t seem to be taking these responsibilities lightly, and that they genuinely appeared to care for the emus. Even still though, she continued to find herself racked with worry. “A-are you sure?” She apprehensively asked as Adagio wrapped an arm around her shoulder and started leading her towards the front door. “Because if it’s all too much I can stay home and…” “We’ll be fine.” Adagio expressly assured her sister just as they approached the front door. Once they were right at the front door, Adagio silently used her free hand to open it and then, with the hand that’d been wrapped around her sister, gave Aria a gentle shove outside. “You just have a good day at school.” She amicably said as she started to close the door. “Bye, Aria!” Sonata could be heard shouting from inside just before the door closed entirely. Aria quickly turned around and stared at the front door with a bewildered expression, feeling like she’d more-or-less just been kicked out of the house. She contemplated reaching for the doorknob to try and get back inside, but the sound of the door locking from the other side told her that such an effort would be futile. Realizing that she had no choice but to go to school and leave the emu farm to her sisters for the day, Aria gave a small, defeated sigh and she walked down the porch. Once she was off the porch, she paused for a moment and looked over towards the barn, contemplating whether or not she had enough time to say goodbye to Glen before she left. “I’ve got time.” She said to herself as she made her way over to the barn without even checking to see what time it was first, figuring that even if she didn’t have the time, she’d make it. Trying to be quick, Aria rushed over to the front doors of the barn and hastily opened them, making her way over to Glen’s stall once inside. Before she even got there though, she could tell he still wasn’t feeling well on account of the fact that she couldn’t see him standing up in the stall. Sure enough, once Aria was close enough she could see Glen sitting down on the ground with his legs folded underneath his body and his beak turned down so that his whole neck became S-shaped and folded onto itself. “Hey, Glen.” She gently said as she stepped into the emu’s stall. “How’re you feeling today, buddy?” *RRMMOO* Glen’s cry was weak and raspy, making him seem even worse than he already appeared. “It’s okay, just take it easy.” Aria said as she knelt down in front of the large bird and started lightly petting his back. “Listen, I have to go to school today, but Adagio and Sonata are going to take good care you while I’m gone, okay?” *RRMMOO* This cry was even weaker than the last one. Feeling overcome with emotion and concern for her beloved emu, Aria quickly wrapped her arms around the large bird as best she could in a hug. “I love you, big guy.” She ardently said. Glen didn’t give out a cry this time. Instead, he just moved his head ever so slightly so that it rested against Aria’s back. Not wanting the situation to become too emotional, Aria broke her hug and stood up just as Glen removed his head from her back. “Okay, I’ll see you later, Glen.” She softly said as she made her way out of the stall and towards the barn doors. Once she was outside again, Aria took a moment to consider what had just happened. Did I just tell Glen I love him? She thought to herself in astonishment. This was a first for Aria, as she’d never told anyone other than her sisters that she loved them before and meant it; siren, human, emu, or otherwise. Remembering that she still had to go to school today, Aria realized that she didn’t have time to dwell on this right now and swiftly made her way over towards her car parked in the driveway. As she approached her car, she couldn’t help but notice some storm clouds just over the western horizon. “Looks like we’re in for nasty weather.” She offhandedly remarked as unlocked her car and got in, wishing she’d grabbed an umbrella before she’d been forcibly removed from the house. Much to Aria’s relief, the storm clouds she’d seen as she left home hadn’t made their way to Canterlot City before she got to school. As she got out of her car and headed towards the school though, she noticed that said storm clouds were undeniably closer than before, and would most certainly arrive before the end of the day. “Just my luck.” She extemporarily said to herself as she headed inside, once again wishing she’d brought an umbrella with her. The distance from the faculty lot entrance to Aria’s office wasn’t a long one by any means, but today it felt like it was a hundred miles to the Dazzling. Her mind raced with thoughts and worries about the emu farm as she steadily made her way through the hallways of CHS. Would her emu be okay with her sisters taking care of them? Not only that, but would her sisters be okay taking care of them? She knew emus weren’t aggressive by nature, but also knew what they were capable of when they felt threatened. Sonata was usually pleasant enough that the emus wouldn’t feel threatened by her, but Adagio…well? And what about Glen? Given how he seemed to be doing earlier, was he going to be okay? Was it possible he could…? “Shut up, shut up.” She agitatedly, yet softly, told herself in an effort to keep her mind from going to some seriously dark places. “Everything will be fine, Adagio and Sonata promised.” Aria’s efforts to reassure herself did help ease her worries a little bit. However, strangely enough, as she began to worry about her sisters and her emus less and less, she began to worry about herself more and more. Am I going to be like this all day? She silently thought. Just as she got to her office, Aria decided to give herself a light slap across the cheek in an effort to try and snap herself out of her funk. “Come on, Aria, you got this.” She sternly told herself with newfound conviction as she unlocked the door and stepped inside. “You’re a motivational speaker dammit, be more optimistic.” It couldn’t have been more than 30 seconds after Aria had stepped into her office when she heard a small knock coming from the door. “Um, Aria?” Lyra Heartstrings tepidly said from the threshold of the still open doorway. “Do you have a minute?” “Of course, Lyra.” She affably replied as she took a seat behind her desk. “Come on in.” As Lyra slowly and somberly made her way into the office, Aria felt a sense of relief come over her. Not because of how sullen Lyra seemed, of course, but because she knew that focusing her energies on helping someone would keep her mind off of her own worries. “So what’s up?” She asked the usually upbeat girl as she silently took a seat in front of her desk. “It’s…me and Bon Bon.” Lyra tentatively began to say. “We’ve been having some problems in our relationship lately…” Ah crap. Aria thought to herself, having a pretty good idea where Lyra was going with this. “…and I’m starting to wonder if it might be in trouble.” Lyra continued. “I was hoping you might be able to offer some advice.” Yep, there it is. Aria dejectedly thought, having been correct about where Lyra had been going with this. Aria wasn’t very skilled at giving relationship advice, and she knew it. This was mostly because she didn’t have much experience when it came to romantic relationships, seeing as how she’d never once been in one her entire life. That, and she just didn’t really get romantic relationships to begin with. To her the whole idea of sharing your life with someone else in such an intimate manner, and they with you, seemed so…vampiric. Despite all this though, she did want to help Lyra with whatever relationship troubles she was having with her girlfriend. And it wasn’t like she was completely ignorant when it came to romantic relationships, she’d seen enough of them in movies and TV shows to get the gist of things. Plus she’d learned a few things from having been around Sonata and Rainbow Dash’s relationship, including things she could’ve happily gone about the rest of her life having never learned. Still, she felt that she needed to be completely candid with Lyra. “Look, Lyra, I have to be honest with you.” She solemnly started to say. “I’m probably not the best person to seek relationship advice from. You may want to wait until Adagio or Sonata are here instead and…” “No! Please, Aria, this can’t wait!” Lyra franticly exclaimed as she suddenly got up from her seat and leaned over the desk, staring at her with pleading eyes. “I need help now!” “Okay, okay, I’ll help you.” She fervidly said as she leaned back in her seat, having been caught off guard by Lyra’s outburst. “Just calm down.” Realizing just how loud and abrupt she’d been, Lyra did in fact calm down and once again took a seat. As Lyra retook her seat, Aria got a sense of just how bad the girl’s situation must be for her to flare-up like that. Normally Lyra was so cheerful and jubilant that it seemed like she was constantly on cloud nine, but now she was so despondent and dismayed that she was shouting and practically demanding help from her. “I…I’m sorry.” Lyra sincerely apologized, sounding much calmer now. “I didn’t mean to yell like that, it’s just…I’m afraid. This is the first real fight Bon Bon and I have had in, well…ever, and I don’t know what to do.” There was a pain in Lyra’s voice that sounded all too familiar to Aria. It was the same pain she’d heard in Sonata’s voice when she and Rainbow Dash had fought not long ago, and this was another reason she didn’t get romantic relationships; they made you so vulnerable. The way she saw it, all you did when you opened your heart to someone was invite heartache, so why would you put yourself in a position like that? Once again though, she pushed her own feelings aside out of her desire to help Lyra. “It’s fine.” She assured the girl as she readjusted herself in her seat. “Just tell me what problems you’ve been having.” Lyra didn’t respond right away. Instead, she simply dawned a grim expression as she looked down and to the side. “See, the thing is, I’m not really sure what the problems have been.” She eventually, and very morosely, said. “All of a sudden things just…started changing between us.” “Changing how?” Aria curiously inquired. “Well, when we first started dating a few months ago, everything was fine.” Lyra began to explain as she brought her head back up. “In fact, nothing had really changed from when we were just best friends. We were still the same as always; We hung out, we finished each other’s sentences, we walked around together with our arms linked…” Sounds like they were dating even before they were dating. Aria silently commented to herself. “…and yeah, we fought sometimes, but never seriously.” Lyra continued. “But then we started fighting for no apparent reason.” “Hmmm.” Aria said aloud as she started to get an idea of what might be happening to Lyra and Bon Bon. “These fights, did they happen gradually or all at once?” “Um, gradually, I suppose.” Lyra replied, sounding a tad uncertain but confident enough. “I see.” Aria stoically remarked. “And were they over small, seemingly trivial things?” “Y-yeah.” Lyra answered in amazement, wondering how Aria had known that. And with that, Aria was 95% certain she knew what Lyra and Bon Bon’s problem was, as she’d seen it on pretty much every sitcom she’d ever watched with five or more seasons. “Okay, it seems to me the problem is that you and Bon Bon are no longer in the honeymoon phase of your relationship.” She explained. “Huh?” Lyra confoundedly asked, not understanding what Aria had just said. “What’s ‘the honeymoon phase’?” “Basically, it’s the time in your relationship when everything is perfect.” Aria began to explain. “You and your partner do everything together, you idealize each other, you’re very intimate, et cetera, et cetera.” Lyra listened intently to what Aria was saying, and found most of it to be true. Ever since she and Bon Bon had started dating, they had started spending more time together than when they were just friends, and they were certainly more…intimate than they were before. “Thing is though, all that doesn’t last forever.” Aria continued. “From what I’ve seen, the honeymoon phase usually ends after a few months, and once that happens, the little things you used to find cute about your partner start to annoy you.” For supposedly being bad at relationship advice, Lyra felt that Aria was hitting the nail on the head. Over the last few days, she’d started to find some of Bon Bon’s quirks, like her snoring, to be more annoying than cute now, and Bon Bon was probably feeling the same way about her and her quirks. “But wait.” She spoke up as a she thought of something that she didn’t understand. “Bon Bon and I have been best friends for years and all these small things never bothered us before. Why are they suddenly bothering us now?” This, Aria wasn’t so sure about. Everything she knew about the honeymoon phase she’d learned from TV and movies, and few of them delved into the psychology behind it. Still though, she did have a theory or two. “Probably because you were never so love-drunk before.” She answered. “You’ve heard the saying, ‘the bigger they are, the harder they fall’, right? I’m guessing the same principle is true when it comes to love: The bigger the emotional high, the harder the fallout when it starts to diminish.” Lyra wasn’t as sure that Aria was right in this regard, but it wasn’t as if she could refute her claim. Of course, it didn’t really matter though. What did matter was how she and Bon Bon were going to get past all this so that their relationship could continue. “So what do we do?” She sternly asked the Dazzling. “How do Bon Bon and I survive the end of the honeymoon phase?” Once again, this was something Aria wasn’t so sure about. She knew she had to be extremely careful in answering this question, that if she gave bad advice here it could spell doom for Lyra and Bon Bon’s relationship. As such, she took a few moments to contemplate her answer, trying to focus on what she’d learned about relationships from having been around Sonata and Rainbow Dash’s rather seeing fictional ones on TV. “I guess the best thing to do would be to talk to each other.” She eventually answered, remembering how Sonata and Rainbow Dash got over their problems. “Get everything out in the open, tell each other how you feel about your relationship and where you want it to go from here.” Lyra didn’t say anything in response at first. She just lowered her head and stared at the floor for a few seconds, much to Aria’s apprehension. “What if Bon Bon doesn’t think we can get past this?” She eventually, and despairingly, said. “What if she says she wants to end things? What if…what if she doesn’t even want to be friends anymore?” “I’m sure that won’t happen.” Aria agilely assured Lyra as she got up from her chair, made her way around to the front of her desk, and knelt down to be at eye level with Lyra. “You said it yourself; you and Bon Bon have been best friends for years. Even if she doesn’t want to be your girlfriend anymore, I’m positive she’ll still want to be your friend.” As Lyra brought her head up and stared at the Dazzling’s steadfast and compassionate face, she felt a newfound sense of assurance. Aria was right; even if she and Bon Bon couldn’t make things work as a couple, they would still be best friends forever. “And for what it’s worth, I think you two will stay together.” Aria added. “I mean, if my sister and Rainbow Dash can survive the problems they’ve had, you and Bon Bon should be able to survive the end of the honeymoon phase easily.” A small chuckle escaped Lyra’s mouth upon hearing Aria’s encouraging comment, knowing full well what Sonata and Rainbow Dash had gone through recently and how her and Bon Bon’s problems did seem rather manageable by comparison. “Thanks, Aria.” She gratefully said as she gave the Dazzling a quick hug before standing up. “I’m going to go find Bon Bon and talk to her.” “Right now?” Aria concernedly asked as she too stood up. “You sure you don’t want to maybe wait a little while to think about what you’re going to say?” “Uh-uh.” Lyra replied, with no small amount of conviction in her voice. “I know exactly what I need to say to Bon Bon, I feel it in my heart.” While Aria still thought it’d be better for Lyra to wait a bit before talking to Bon Bon, she didn’t say so aloud. “Well, good luck then.” She chose to say instead, trying to sound as forthright as possible. “Thanks.” Lyra optimistically said as she left the office and ran down the hallway. “Hope everything works out.” Aria softly said to herself after Lyra was gone, praying that the advice she’d given wasn’t about to ruin a relationship. The rest of the day just sort of flew by for Aria. She’d had a few other students come to see her and thanks to that she was able to keep her mind off the emu farm for the most part. However, she wasn’t able to keep her mind off of wondering how things had gone with Lyra. She’d hoped to run into either or Bon Bon at lunchtime to see how everything was between them now, but she didn’t spot either of them in the cafeteria, nor did she spot them anywhere else throughout the day. As the final bell of the day rang, Aria got up from her desk gathered her things to go home. While she did this, she glanced out the window and noticed that the storm clouds from earlier had indeed made their way to Canterlot City, on account of the fact that it was now raining cats and dogs outside. “Perfect.” She sarcastically remarked as she finished gathering her things and left her office, locking the door behind her and wishing for the third time today that she’d brought an umbrella with her. “Aria!” She heard a voice call out to her just as she finished locking up. Aria quickly turned towards the direction of the voice and saw Lyra quickly making her way towards her. “Hey, Lyra.” She said as soon the girl within earshot. “How did everything…” “Thank you thank you, thank you!” Lyra interruptingly exclaimed as she embraced Aria in a hug. “You’re advice worked great!” “I’m…glad.” Aria replied as she struggled to breathe through Lyra’s vice-like hug. “Oop, sorry.” Lyra apologized as she realized how much strength she was using and ceased hugging Aria. “It’s just, I did like you said and talked to Bon Bon and then she started talking to me and, well, it all ended with us agreeing to work on keeping our relationship alive.” This news brought much needed relief to Aria. As she recomposed herself after Lyra’s hug, she mentally gave herself a pat on the back for successfully giving some good relationship advice. She was no Ann Landers, to be sure, but she was apparently good enough. “Happy to hear it.” She said aloud once she’d regained enough breath. “Anyways, we’re going to Sugarcube Corner for some sweets.” Lyra then said. “You wanna come?” As tempting as the offer was, Aria didn’t want to waste any time getting home to her sisters and her emu. “Maybe another time.” She politely declined. “I need to get home and relieve my sisters of farm duty.” “I understand.” Lyra said as she looked down at all the things Aria was carrying. “Um, do you not have an umbrella, Aria?” “N-no, I don’t.” The Dazzling embarrassingly replied. “Oh, then here.” Lyra said as she quickly reached into her backpack, withdrew an umbrella, and presented it to Aria. “You can borrow mine.” Admittedly, Aria was a bit taken aback by Lyra’s kind gesture. “N-no, please, you need it.” She said in her stupefied state. “No, no, I insist you take it.” Lyra firmly said as she practically shoved the umbrella in her face. “It’s the least I can do to say thank you. Plus I’m sure Bon Bon won’t mind sharing her umbrella with me.” Feeling genuinely touched by Lyra’s generosity, Aria dawned a small smile as she took the umbrella from the girl. “Thanks.” She simply, but heartfully, said. “Don’t mention it.” Lyra cheerfully replied just before turning around and heading down the hall. “See you later.” Aria just silently waved goodbye to Lyra as she watched her leave. She then looked down at the umbrella in her hand and clutched it tight as she headed up the hallway towards the faculty parking lot. Despite the stormy weather, Aria’s drive home wasn’t too bad. The rain had certainly made the roads slick, but not too slick, and the lightning was far enough in the distance that the thunder wasn’t louder than the radio. Plus, she was relatively dry the whole time thanks to Lyra’s umbrella. As Aria pulled up her driveway, she noticed Sonata standing out on the porch, alone and wet. The sight of this caused all the worries she’d had earlier that morning to return. After all, this couldn’t have been a good sign. Hastily parking the car and turning it off, Aria got out and made her way up to the porch, not even bothering to grab her umbrella. As she got closer to the porch, she noticed a distressed look on Sonata’s face. She also could’ve sworn she saw tears rolling down her face, but wasn’t entirely sure on account of how damp she was. “Aria.” Her sister said once she was close enough, sounding all choked up. “I’m so, so sorry.” The tone of Sonata’s voice filled Aria with a sense of dread. The worry she’d felt a moment ago quickly evolved into fear as she grabbed a hold of her sister’s shoulders in an attempt to calm her down. “What happened, Sonata?” She nervously asked. “Just tell me what happened.” Sonata didn’t answer right away. She just gave a few sniffles as she tried to composure herself enough to speak. “It’s…It’s Glen.” She started to say, as best she could. “He’s…” “He’s what?” Aria fearfully asked. “He’s…” Sonata continued to try and say. “…Gone.” “Gone?” Aria distraughtly asked, unsure what Sonata had meant by that. “You mean like, he ran away?” All Sonata did in response was silently shake her head. Aria could literally feel her heart skip a beat as she began to understand what her sister had meant. “No.” She softly uttered as she let go of Sonata, her arms falling from the girl's shoulders like limp noodles. “Aria, we…” Sonata began to say before Aria started making a mad dash towards the barn. As she ran, Aria could feel her heart beating again, but it was now beating much faster and more erratically than usual. “Glen?!” She shouted once she was only a few feet away from the entrance to the barn. With almost superhuman strength, Aria flung open the barn doors and ran inside, heading straight for Glen’s stall. When she got there, she saw Adagio crouched down in front of the emu, who was lying motionless on the ground. “Glen?” She frenetically said, gaining Adagio’s attention. “Aria, I…” Was all Adagio could get out before her sister shoved her out of the way and crouched down in front of Glen. “Glen?! Glen?!” Aria hysterically said as she lightly shook the large bird. “Come on, Glen, you gotta get up, buddy!” Glen didn’t move. “Come on, Glen, get up!” Aria frantically repeated as her shaking intensified, tears now starting to form in the corners of her eyes. “GET UP, DAMN YOU, GET UP!” “Aria!” Adagio sorrowfully shouted as she pulled her sister off the emu. “He’s gone!” “NO HE’S NOT!” Aria hollered in denial as she tried to break free from Adagio’s hold, her tears now flowing down her cheeks like waterfalls. “LET ME GO!” Adagio didn’t say anything as she tightened her hold on her sister, tears now starting to flow down her cheeks as well out of sympathy for her sister’s grief. “LET ME GO! LET ME GO!” Aria continued to yell as she struggled to break free, but to no avail. Soon enough, Aria’s strength gave out and she went near-ragdoll in Adagio’s arms. “Let me go.” She feebly said as she began to weep uncontrollably. “Let me go.” Sensing that her sister was no longer volatile, Adagio let go of Aria and backed up a bit in order to give her some room to grieve. Now free, Aria used what little strength she had left to crawl back over to Glen and wrap her arms around him as she wept into his soft, feathery body, letting her emotions pour out of her like water from a floodgate. As crazy as it may sound, part of Aria believed that if she cried hard enough, her tears might somehow bring Glen back to life. It was a completely irrational belief of course, but she didn’t care, she just needed to believe in that moment that there was some way to save her beloved emu. “Glen…Glen.” She heartbrokenly sobbed. By this point, Sonata had entered the barn as well and stood next to Adagio, watching the tragic scene playing out between Aria and Glen. She’d never seen Aria so sad before, so grief-stricken. Without even thinking, she instinctively approached her distraught sister and got down on her knees just behind her. “Aria.” Was all she could say as she reached out and touched her sister’s shoulder in a sign of support. As soon as Aria felt her sister’s touch though, it was as a switch had been flipped inside of her, turning all of her grief and sorrow into anger and hatred. “GET OFF ME!” She snapped at Sonata as she turned around and violently removed the girl’s hand from her shoulder, causing her sister to fall onto her bottom. “THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!” “Aria!” Adagio shouted as she knelt down to help Sonata off the ground. “YOU TWO PROMISED THAT EVERYTHING WOULD BE FINE!” Aria continued to holler in sorrow as she stood up and lorded over her sisters, staring down at them with a twisted look of grief and anger on her face. “YOU PROMISED THAT GLEN WOULD BE FINE! WELL HE’S NOT FINE, HE’S GONE! HE’S GONE AND IT’S ALL YOUR FAULT!” Before either Adagio or Sonata could say anything in response, Aria darted past them and headed for the barn doors, leaving a trail of tears behind her as she ran. Neither one of them chose to pursue their fleeing sister. “Are you alright, Sonata?” Adagio concernedly asked as she got Sonata off her bottom and onto her knees. “No, no I’m not.” Sonata sobbed as brought her hands up to her face. “What are we going to do, Adagio? Aria’s never going to forgive us for this.” “I’m sure that’s not true.” Adagio gingerly said she pulled her weeping sister into a supportive hug. “We did everything we could for Glen, and I’m sure deep down Aria knows that. She’s just…letting her emotions get the better of her right now is all.” Sonata didn’t say anything as she quickly lowered her hands and wrapped her arms around her sister. Adagio, in response, just tightened her hug as Sonata started weeping into her shoulder, wishing that there were more she could do to help her distraught sister. Even as both Dazzlings sat there on the barn floor, weeping and holding onto each other, they could not help but worry about where Aria had run off to, and if she would be okay. Aria didn’t know how long she’d been running for, or how far from home she now was. She didn’t care though, because it clearly hadn’t been long or far enough to get the image of Glen’s lifeless body out of her head. Deep down though, she knew that running was a futile effort, that there was no distance nor length of time spent running that would erase the grievous thoughts from her mind. Regardless, she kept on running through the stormy weather. It wasn’t until Aria tripped over a rock in the darkness and fell face first into a muddy puddle that she snapped out of her despondent state, if only slightly. As she picked herself up, a flash of lightning revealed her reflection in the puddle beneath her. Feeling angry with herself for leaving Glen when he was sick, she promptly slammed a fist down into the puddle to distort the reflection and lifted her head up to the sky. “DAMN YOU!” She shouted up to the heavens as raindrops fell onto her face. “DAMN YOUUUU!” Receiving no response from the heavens other than more raindrops, Aria lowered her head and once again stared back down at the puddle, not even bothering to get up off her hands and knees. After about a minute, another flash of lightning revealed her reflection again, but this time it revealed something else as well: A shadow. Wondering who, or what, the shadow belonged to, Aria quickly brought her head up again and saw a girl standing only about three feet in front of her. She couldn’t tell who the girl was because of how dark it was, but she could tell that she was holding an umbrella. Her presence now known, the mystery girl silently crouched down to be at eye level with Aria and extended her arm so that her umbrella protected the Dazzling from the falling raindrops. Another quick flash of lightning revealed her face, but it wasn’t one that Aria recalled ever seeing before. Despite the fact that she’d never seen this mysterious girl before, Aria somehow knew exactly who she was. “Shitty day, huh?” Death sympathetically asked her.