Aria’s POV
Since my release from the confinement of the hospital I have been enjoying my renewed freedom. It has been over a week since then and I was making great strides to change. It was Monday and school time, so my girlfriend was currently in class and I didn’t want to bother her studies again. Which is okay, since I’m busy trying to make something of myself.
I was trying to get a job.
I have started to look for a job the day after my release, but I haven’t had any luck so far. Counting today, I have only had three interviews, and in all of them I failed to leave a good impression. Feeling defeated, I dragged myself home. My latest interview left me with an overwhelming sense of failure. Even with the new women’s suit I wore now felt like it wasn’t worth it. I couldn’t move in the slack pants, dress shirt and dress shoes I had to wear which only soured my mood more as I headed back home.
When I reached arrived, I rested my back on the front door after entering and sighed. Adagio came to greet me.
“Judging by your look, I guess it didn’t go well.” She said.
“You have no idea.” I frowned and took a step towards my sister. “Just before me, there was a guy who apparently knew the interviewer. They hugged just before the door closed and I could hear them talk like old pals. I think it’s safe to say who’s getting the job.”
Adagio groaned and massaged her forehead. “I don’t believe it.” She said before giving me an apologetic look. “I’m sorry, Aria. Maybe the other interviews you had will lead to something.”
“I don’t know. No one seemed happy to hear about my lack of experience.” I said before dropping on the couch. “How am I supposed to get experience if everyone is looking for someone with experience?!”
“That’s just how humans run things, Aria. Something will come up, just don’t give up.” Adagio sat next to me and placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. “If only Sonata’s job didn’t have full staff already...”
“I hate this!” I crossed my arms and stomped the floor with a foot. “I hate feeling so useless! Twilight’s a genius, she’s at school and has a future awaiting her! Meanwhile, I’m a good for nothing who can’t get a job. I don’t want to feel like I’ll hold her back!”
“Aria...” My sister hugged me and I leaned against her for comfort. “You won’t hold her back. These things take time. You’ll find something eventually.”
Despite my sister’s words I felt a lot of self doubt in my heart. All had to do was look at myself and everyone around me and it was painfully obvious. Adagio and her friend Rarity were deep into the fashion world, building careers. Twilight's friend Applejack helps run a family farm, heck even Sonata had a job and is able to help pay the bills. Then there is Twilight, a brilliant girl who would most likely go onto higher education and become a brilliant scientist, or maybe she would become an engineer. The sky was the limit for her. Meanwhile, I was the dead weight she lugged around.
I thought back to my old pack leader and realized in this moment she was right about me all along. I would starve to death on my own. I can’t get a job, I’m not educated enough to start off on my own, I have no skills to speak of, I was nothing like anyone I knew. I'm a nobody. All this boiled in my mind as my thoughts came back to Twilight and how much I cared about her. How much I wanted to give her and make her feel special.
“It’s just that I really want to surprise her…” I could feel tears of frustration well up in my eyes. “Ask her out and spoil her on one of our dates… she deserves it.”
“Aria, look at me.” Adagio cupped my cheeks between her hands and made me look at her. “You barely started looking for a job a week ago. You need to be more patient. Sonata is keeping an eye out. If something happens and one of her co-workers leave, she will speak well of you. Keep trying your luck and keep paying attention when you walk in case someone is hiring. Don’t be angry at yourself. Be proud instead, proud that you’re taking this step.”
“I-I guess...” I shrugged without making eye contact with my sister.
“Look at me and give me a smile. Come on.” I slowly looked at Adagio and smiled a bit. “Very good.” My sister said as she used her thumbs to clean my tears, and just in time, because at that precise moment, Sonata arrived.
“I’m back from the store!” My little sister announced before finding Adagio at me on the couch. I quickly composed myself so she didn’t see me sad. Sonata smiled wide before speaking again. “Hi, Aria! How did it go?”
“Not well.” I replied bluntly. I just wasn’t in the mood to keep talking about today’s interview as my mind wandered.
“Aww, maybe this will cheer you up!” Sonata said before pulling two chocolates from her bag, but they weren’t any chocolate. “Two Zig Zags just for you!” Sonata said before giving me the chocolates.
“Wow. Thank you.” I forced a small smile.
My little sister giggled. “You’re welcome!”
I opened one of the Zig Zags to eat it. Hmm, the savory sweet flavor brought my spirits up. My old pack never made me feel this way. Whenever I came back from a hunt there was no praise and feeling of accomplishment with them, it was simply about survival and serving the interests of the pack.
“I just got a thought.” Adagio said while looking at me. “Why don’t we go out, just the three of us and have some fun?”
I thought about that and couldn’t remember the last time the three of us spent some quality time together.
“And go where?” I asked, confused.
“You tell us. You’re picking.” My older sister said with a smirk.
“Me?” I blinked, confused, before frowning in thought. Where to go? Adagio isn’t one for walks. A park won’t do either. Ugh, I wish I spent more time with them! Before we were banished to this world from Equestria, we never made plans or hangout as much. All we cared about was to avoid getting eaten alive by the ocean’s many creatures. Hmm… I wonder how sea creatures look in this world. I never got to think about them. Wait…
I quickly glanced at my older sister. “Adagio, is there somewhere we can see this world's sea animals?” I asked.
“You mean like an aquarium?” Adagio raised an eyebrow thinking for a moment. “On a town this big there must be. Let me check.”
She added before pulling out her new cell phone. She bought one for herself and another one for Sonata a few days ago. She tapped on the phone and searched the web for something. A few seconds later from searching she had our answer. “Yes, there’s one at downtown. It’s open right now. We can take the bus. Oh! And they also serve lunch!”
“I love it already!” Sonata said with a grin. “Let’s go there!”
After a quick change of clothes I felt more freedom in my movements and was glad to be out of that suit! I skipped down the hall and Adagio chuckled and looked for her purse while Sonata and I headed to the front door. Sonata clinged onto my arm as the three of us headed to the bus stop together.
“Huh… so this is weird.” My older sister commented.
“What?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Normally Sonata holds onto my arm. It feels… strange not being the one she clings to”
“Oh, don’t be jealous, Dagi. I have two arms!” My younger sister said as she held into Adagio’s arm as well. She closed her eyes and started to hum happily while Adagio and I shared a look.
“So, uh… you have been working extra hours a lot lately.” I tried to start a conversation with my older sister.
My older sister sighed loudly. “Yes. Mr. Toity received a big order from an important client. There’s so much to do and barely enough time to meet the deadline.”
“Don’t worry, Dagi! For the next few hours you’ll have nothing but fun!” Sonata commented with her usual grin.
Adagio chuckled. “That’s correct. The Canterlot Aquatic Institute sounds like a relaxing place where I can avoid thinking about work. Plus it’ll give us time to spend together as family.”
“Does that mean you won’t be judging people’s outfits, or the staff's uniforms while we have fun?” I asked, smirking.
Adagio went silent for a moment.
“NEVER!” I couldn’t help but to chuckle by this. Adagio would rather die before getting fashion completely out of her system. I already feel like this would be a good day.
The trip to the institute wasn't long, but it did take a while to get there. The majority of the trip was on the bus to which I watched Sonata bouncing in her seat next to me like an excited child. I often wondered about her childish mentality at times, but it’s working out for her so I chose not to say anything. It helped that no one said anything, so long as Sonata wasn’t bothering anyone, what was the harm?
I sat there, waiting for the bus ride to end while Adagio scribbled in her notebook all the way there. No doubt coming up with new designs for when she would start her own clothing line. She was as talented as Rarity, I knew she would reach new heights that I could only dream of. When we arrived at the Canterlot Aquatic Institute was hustling with so many people that I had to actually put in an effort to not bump into people when we got off the bus.
Just after walking into the gates, Sonata started to drag us towards a sign by interlocking our arms to hers.
“Look, look! There’s a dolphin show! Can we see it?!” Sonata asked as she pointed at a picture advertising the show Sonata wanted to see. Adagio took a closer look at it.
“I’m sorry, Sonata, but the dolphin show is only available from Friday to Sunday.”
“And today is…?” My little sister asked.
“Monday.” I replied, repressing a groan. She should pay more attention to the days of the week.
“Aww, I wanted to see the dolphins,” Sonata slumped, but Adagio patted her back and guided her to a large directory of the institute and started
“There’s other animals we can see.” Adagio said as she placed an arm around Sonata’s shoulder pointing around the directory. “Penguins, sea lions, or how about we start by seeing the tropical fish?”
As Adagio and Sonata talked, I followed close behind with my eyes on the different tanks. None of them really caught my attention, until I spotted a serpent looking fish hiding in a tiny cave. I approached the tank to take a better look, but when I approached it hid deeper into its tiny cave. While I waited for the fish to show up again, I looked around at the different information signs on the animals in the various tanks. It wasn’t long before I came across the small serpent fish plaque and read it.
‘Eels are elongated fish, ranging in length from 5 cm (2.0 in) in the one-jawed eel (Monognathus ahlstromi) to 4 m (13 ft) in the slender giant moray...’
Looking at the photo above the information, I could see that eels had a hidden jaw in their throats… wait… it was just like those aliens from that horror sci-fi movie! I never knew such a creature existed in this world.
“Found something interesting?” Adagio asked as she walked towards me.
I pointed with my thumb at the fish in the tank trying to hide my new enthusiasm. “These eels seem cool.”
My sister followed my finger and spotted the eel hiding in its cave. “Hmm, it seems to love staying in their little cave.” She said before smirking at me. “They remind me of you before meeting your girlfriend.”
I smirked playfully, punching my sister's arm. “You must miss teasing me about it.”
Adagio chuckled, nudging me back with a shoulder bump. “Not at all. I’m happy with who you are now. I’ll admit that it’s strange that you and Sonata don’t fight that much lately, but I’ll get used to it.”
I wondered about that for a moment. Then I realized my sister was right. I haven’t fought with Sonata nearly as much as I used to. Sure, she still ticked me off sometimes, but most of the time now I managed.
I smiled before frowning in confusion. “Speaking of Sonata, where is she?”
“I’m here!” As in cue, Sonata approached skipping towards us, holding a massive dolphin balloon.
“You bought yourself a balloon?” I crossed my arms.
My little sister shook her head. “No, dummy. It's for you!” She said as she gave me the balloon. I got confused again, but I accepted it. “I know it can be silly, but holding one makes me feel better.” She added as she gave me a caring smile. I blinked and smiled as well shortly after.
“Thank you, sis.” I said. Sonata grinned and hugged me.
“You’re welcome!”
"Okay, then." Adagio smiled as she clasped her hands. "Shall we continue? I think there are some sharks around."
"Ooooh, cool! I want to see one!" Sonata clapped excitedly and skipped ahead. I smiled while Adagio and I followed behind. I glanced once more at the eel tank and saw him swim out from his tiny cave. It was like watching a snake slither in the water and it reminded me of my old siren form, moving freely with no limits... It brought a small smile to my face. With that thought in mind, I turned back to follow my sisters.
Along the way to the shark exhibition we made a few stops to see the other animals. The first was a large enclosure to see some cute seals basking in the sun on large rocks. Sonata giggled seeing them roll over on their sides while Adagio gave a little smile. I admit it was a bit cute.
The next stop we made on the way to the sharks was the tropical fish exhibit. I walked up to a tank and saw fishes of every size and color imaginable. Sonata ran up beside me and pushed her face against the glass as Adagio yelled at her, “Sonata please don’t run around!”
“Oh, Aria, look at all the little fishies! They’re so cute! Look, look! That one looks like a zebra!”
I looked at the little fish she pointed at. It was a small fish white with little black stripes and a large dorsal fin on its back. Its tiny head was running along the bottom of the tank as it swam along with three others around it. “Hmm, they are kinda cute. Kinda reminds me of something…” I said pulling my sister at my side.
“Aww, Aria.” Sonata gushed while hugging me. I smiled and accepted the hug.
Adagio walked next to us and read the label under the tank that matched the little fish. “The zebra pleco (Hypancistrus zebra) is a species of catfish endemic to the southern hemisphere and a tributary of the Amazon River, and was first described in the early 1990s. Hmm, very nice. Makes me think-”
I held up a hand stopping my sister dead in her tacks. “No, you said no working while we hangout.”
Sonata giggled while I grinned at Adagio, who grumbled as she walked away to look at the other side of the tank while I watched the schools of fish swim around the tank with Sonata. We read most of the plaques and tried to find as many different kinds of fish as we could. At some point we turned it into a game where we took turns finding fish and tried to learn a fact about them from the plaques. Eventually, we lost track of the score, so I gave the win to Sonata and we moved on.
The three of us walked through the lanes of congested people until we were at the next exhibit which was called the Otter House. I was never really into animals aside from wolves, but I always found otters to be such oddly cute creatures. When we approached even Adagio was borderline gushing over how cute these little guys were. I watched from close behind as two otters floated by on their backs sleeping. One of them was smaller and sleeping atop the other. Eventually we walked away from the cuteness of the otters and continued on our way to the shark exhibit.
We followed the signs towards the sharks and eventually arrived at a large building. “Oh are we finally here?!” Sonata asked
“Yes, we’re here, Nata.” I said.
Sonata rushed ahead leaving me and Adagio to follow in after her. It was very dark in here with only small lights on the walls to guide the visitors through the building. It was also very humid in here and the AC made it feel very odd to me but seeing Sonata and Adagio having fun made me happy so I can handle it.
“Sonata, where did you go?”
“Over here Aria!”
I followed the sound of my sister’s voice with Adagio behind me through the winding lanes until we came to an open area with small tanks that were waist high filled with water surrounded by fake rock. Inside the tanks were a variety of small sharks that were no bigger than a foot in length with Sonata giggling as she looked at all of them. Then, without blinking, she reached her hand into tank, making Adagio shriek in panic.
"Sonata Dusk! Get your hand out of there! Right! NOW!" She yelled, yanking our sister away from the open tank. "You could've been bitten!"
She yelled, yanking my sister away from the open tank.
“B-but, Dagi-”
“No buts young lady, what were you thinking? You could have been seriously injured.” Adagio scolded her looking at her hands closely.
I watched as my older sister fussed over Sonata’s hands until I noticed a large sign we were standing next to that read: ‘Shark lagoon, petting sharks allowed. Do not grab!’
“Hey Adagio, the sign says she can pet the sharks,” I said thumbing at the sign.
My older sister stared at me for a few seconds before walking over to read the sign herself. Not that I minded. Once she was satisfied with what she read she sighed and walked with me over to Sonata.
“Okay Sonata, you can pet the sharks. Just next time wait for us before you do anything like that again. Please?”
Sonata nodded and went back to play with the little sharks. I walked to another tank and looked inside as a family passed by reading the info plaques as they went along. I looked in and saw the tiny bamboo sharks, epaulette sharks, and angel sharks. They were small and cute and I felt compelled to reach in to pet them myself. I touched the angel sharks first. Their skin was like sandpaper to the touch, but the little shark made no sudden movements and it just swam along without a care in the world.
“Wow, they’re quite docile,” My older sister said watching us pet the sharks.
“What do you think, Aria? Do you like the little sharks?” Sonata asked me.
I shrugged, wiping my hands on the sides of my pants to dry them. “Meh, they're sharks. Not as cool as mighty sirens such as ourselves, but they’re pretty cool I guess.”
“Do you think you’ll bring Twilight here sometime?” Adagio asked with a mischievous tone in her voice.
“Maybe,” I cautiously replied. “Why do you ask?”
“Oh, no reason. Let’s go, I want to see the larger sharks,” Adagio walked ahead while holding Sonata by the arm, leaving me to catch up.
We continued to walk through the building passing by a few other shark petting areas, some even had small stingrays in them with whole families petting them. The sound of laughter and joy used to annoy me, but now it filled me with joy to hear it.
I looked over and saw the family from before petting a group of the sharks together. I followed my sisters down a walk path and into a large tunnel that had a conveyor belt on the ground, in which you stand on, allowing you to look at all the animals around you without having to walk. My sisters and I stepped on and looked around in wonder at that massive glass tank surrounding us. For the first time I got to see this world's sharks up close and they made me feel small. From the massive great whites, to the striped tiger sharks, we saw such a huge variety of them that I think our heads started to spin a little.
I stared at the enormous fish swimming around us in awe. Sonata giggled like crazy pointing and waving to the sharks as they swam by. I smiled a little and Adagio just giggled.
“Wow! They’re so big! They could eat me whole!” Sonata laughed as a great white swam by.
“Yeah, good thing you’re not someone they’d love to eat, huh?” I teased elbowing my little sister.
“Why's that?” Sonata asked, tilting her head to the side.
“Because you’re too sweet to eat,” I said, nudging her again.
“Awwww, Aria!”
My little sister rushed to hug me. I rolled my eyes but allowed myself to be hugged again. Once we broke the hug, we looked up at the sharks just before we had to get off the conveyor and walked around a corner to a massive set of shark jaws on a stone pedestal. When we approached them, I felt a cold fearful shudder pass through my body as memories of my old pack leader flashed in my mind.
The playful spite in her eyes and the razor-sharp fangs that pierced my scales, and the physical and emotional pain that followed was a dark reminder of what I could have been. My mind wandered as I thought about my little Twilight and the friends I’ve been starting to make since meeting her. I was so caught up in my own thoughts I didn't realize my sisters flanking me until they both wrapped a tender caring arm around mine and gave me a hug.
“What was that about?” I exclaimed, feeling embarrassed.
My sisters smiled kindly back at me, flooding away the bad thoughts, instantly making me feel like a heavy weight was lifted off my shoulders. Then Adagio pressed her forehead against mine, giving me a motherly smile.
“We worry when you get that look, Aria.” She said softly to me.
Sonata nodded, hugging my arm tightly. “Dagi’s right! We’re supposed to be having fun! So, let’s leave any sad thoughts behind and go onward to adventure!”
We all nodded and then, suddenly, there was a loud deep growling sound. We all looked and noticed Adagio was blushing deep red. She coughed to the side playing nervously with her curly hair. Her finger twirling it nervously as she stuttered to speak.
“I-I think I might be a bit hungry.” She said trying not to make it any more obvious she was embarrassed.
Sonata and I chuckled, knowing our sister most likely skipped a meal when working again. She was very much like Twilight, so caught up in work she forgets to eat sometimes. We didn’t make fun of her, especially me. With no job lined up I was in no place to make judgements.
My sisters suddenly took me by my arms and started to drag me into a bright light. I felt the coolness of the AC air dissipate into a heated warmth that flowed over me as we exited the building back to outside. My sisters led the way, dragging me along until they caught my footing and managed to escape their ironclad grips on me.
“I can walk myself, thank you!” I growled as I yanked my arms free.
My sisters laughed as Sonata ran behind me and pushed me forward. “Come on slowpoke! Adagio is hungry! You know how she gets hangry!
Both Adagio and I looked at her like she just grew another head on her shoulders. I looked at my older sister and she simply shrugged. After a few more moments Sonata realized we weren’t getting what she was saying and clarified with a giddy laugh.
“You know? She gets angry when hungry? She’s HANGRY!” She giggled pushing us along again leading us to the penguins. “We can pass by the penguins and stop to get lunch afterwards! I wanna see the cute little penguins first!” She said smiling.
Adagio nodded, looking at the hand map she had of the institute. Sure enough, penguins were near the food court about two attractions away. So we now had a plan: Stop at the penguins so Sonata could gush at them, while Adagio and I go get something to eat.
With our plan in mind we marched along to the penguin wing without delay.
When we approached the penguin wing Adagio seemed transfixed on the name for some reason. When I asked her what was up, she shrugged, pointing at the large sign that clearly read: Penguin Wing: Fliers of the Sea.
“I always wondered about the name and how ironic it was.” She said factually.
“What do you mean?”
“I just find it ironic that flightless birds like penguins are called 'Fliers of the Sea'. It just sounds strange, that's all.” She replied.
I shrugged casually following her in. “You’re overthinking it, Adagio. Come on let's go make sure Sonata doesn’t fall in and drown or something.”
I looked ahead to see Sonata holding back a scream as she watched some small penguins waddle by and jump into water. They were inside a large tank that was easily twenty meters long and about ten meters wide with no less than one-hundred adorable penguins inside of various types and sizes. From large emperor penguins to magellanic penguins, to one that was literally called ‘little penguins’ these adorable guys waddled around the tank and swam in the water below. I could see instantly how they got the nickname fliers of the sea. When they swam, they swam like little darts flying through the air.
They had such amazing speed and agility in the water that it made me a bit envious. When I was a siren, I remember being able to swim and fly just like that, but in this clumsy human body I had to relearn it all over again. It also made me a bit sad I couldn’t fly or swim as I pleased. Then again it was still fun to learn to swim with my new body and, once again, I owed that to Twilight. She really helped me out in ways I never realized either until now.
The swim lessons she got me to take helped me reconnect with a part of me I lost. Now realizing this connection made me feel a bit more whole again. I still felt like something was missing, but whatever it was I knew that with her and my sisters I would figure it out.
I watched as Adagio walked next to Sonata who was shivering inside the cold wing. Most of the penguins here were arctic penguins and so this part was heavily cooled. My little sister wore appropriate clothing for the warm weather outside, but in here left her feeling cold from what I could tell. Apparently Adagio did too.
Like a mother hen, she wrapped her arms around Sonata hugging her close form behind as they and many others watched some of the penguin’s huddle into a small group. I thought about everything in my life and finally realized what it was I wanted from life.
A family.
One I could love and protect, and it all started with that fateful meeting with Twilight. That settled it, when I'm able to support, provide for her and love her… love. I really do love her, don’t I? Me, the once brute who wanted to be alone, is completely in love with a human girl. A genius human girl. I could see myself marrying Twilight and start a family with her. Marriage… wow, I never thought that I would ever even consider tying the knot one day, but I am… and it’s making me smile, even!
With that clear goal in mind I started thinking about what I could do to get started and my determination to get a job was even bigger than before.
I approached and with a burning feeling in my cheeks I tried subtly to sneak to my sisters’ side and joined in hugging Sonata feeling their warmth instantly. They smiled, but said nothing. I quickly realized nothing needed to be said, but I could tell from the look Adagio gave me that she had something to say but would wait for later. Knowing her it was probably for when we were alone and it made me a bit worried, but for now I would settle for cuddling with my sisters and watching penguins as we kept each other warm in this cold penguin world.
After having lunch, we decided to explore the institute a bit more. We looked at the tiny map Adagio had for our next stop.
“Oh, look, there’s a sea shell exposition on the third floor, and it has over a thousand shells!” Adagio commented.
“How… exciting.” I said, burrowing my eyes.
Adagio glared at me. “Sea shells can have unique designs. I could find inspiration for a new outfit!” I saw a glint in her eyes.
“We came here to relax, remember?” I commented, raising an eyebrow.
“It’s relaxing!” My older sister raised her voice and I chuckled. “It’s settled, we’re going to the third floor to see the sea shells!”
I sighed. “Alright, let’s go.” We headed to the stairs and walked straight to the third floor.
“Wow...” Sonata gasped. The three of us were in awe. The sea shell exposition was huge! It was divided by sections based on where the shells came from. From where we were standing, I could see the South America and European regions. Time to do some exploring.
“I want to see the shells from the Australian continent!” Sonata exclaimed excitedly.
“Sonata, Australia isn’t a continent.” Adagio corrected our younger sister.
“Wait, really?” Sonata asked, confused.
“Actually Adagio, Australia is a continent,” I interjected.
“Oh? Is it? I thought it was a country?” Adagio tapped her chin, so did Sonata.
“It’s both, actually,” I stated, remembering a book I read a while back. “It’s a country that is an entire continent as well. It was originally ruled by the British Empire but is now its own sov, sovr…”
“Sovereign nation?” My older sister interjected.
I blushed, rubbing my head. “Yeah, that one.”
“Wow Aria! You’re so smart now!” Sonata exclaimed. “I guess all that reading is paying off huh?”
I puffed my chest out proudly until I realized what my sister had said. “Hey!”
My little sister giggled and ran behind Adagio as I tried to grab her. She poked her head around Adagio’s side and stuck her tongue at me, making me huff. After I chased her a bit Adagio reeled us in and we all shared a laugh.
With that settled, my sisters began to walk away when I noticed something out of the corner of my eye. I saw someone not far from where we were who caught my attention. It was a woman tall and slender. She was on her back, but she looked familiar. I could only see her long hair, which was pink, purple and yellow as well that reminded me of cotton candy. Hmm… I think I know who it is. I haven’t seen her since-
“Aria, are you coming?” Adagio woke me up from my thoughts. I glanced at her. She and Sonata were standing side to side.
“I’ll find you later. I just spotted someone I know and I want to go say hello.”
“Oh, is it one of our friends?!” Sonata excitedly asked.
“Not exactly. She used to babysit Twilight and are still friends.”
“Okay, then.” My older sister smiled. “We’ll be around here. Call us if you don’t see us.”
“I will.” I said as I waved at them before turning around and walking towards Cadence. I think that was her name. When I was near her, I took a deep breath and then continued until I was next to her. I took a look at the sea shells she was looking at. I needed to get the courage to speak. I’m not sure if she will want to speak with me after hurting her students to protect my then friend. Huh… even back then, when I still didn’t know what to think of Twilight, I was protective of her. Watching her being pushed around brought back some bad memories of when I was in a similar situation. In the end, both Cadence and I want to look after Twilight. I think she won’t be mad to see me.
With my newfound courage, I cleared my throat to catch Cadence’s attention. The woman turned her head and widened her eyes when she saw me. I offered her an awkward smile.
“Aria Blaze…?” Cadence glanced back surprised to see me.
“You remember me.” I said while scratching the back of my head.
“Of course.” She smiled a little. “Twilight talks to me about you all the time and shows me photos. I could never forget about the girl who makes her so happy.”
I blushed at her words. Suddenly I was feeling hot and unable to form words. “I-Uh-y-yeah...” I didn’t think I could still feel this flustered.
Cadence giggled softly. “Oops, sorry.”
“No, no. It’s fine.” I managed to say before clearing my throat again. “I’m glad she has been talking about me with you. I know that I went too far on Twilight’s bullies the day you and I met, so it’s a relief that you know more about me.”
“You might have overdone it, but no one got seriously injured. They just got spooked.”
“They should be thankful.” I sighed. “They picked on Twilight again in one of our dates.”
“They did?” Cadence blinked, surprised. “Twilight didn’t say anything to me.”
“Maybe she just wanted to forget about it.” I groaned. “I hate them. I hope we don’t meet again, because I could break some bones the next time.”
“Please don’t, I think they got the message.” Cadence said before focusing on the sea shells again, with her hands on her back. “I’m happy that we met again.”
“Really?”
Cadence nodded and smiled at me. “I can personally thank you for keeping your word and looking after Twilight. That poor girl deserves to be happy.”
“She’s very happy.” I smiled back. “But I can’t take all the credit. She has many friends, a good family, an adorable dog and she has you.”
The woman grinned. “That’s true. We all play a part in Twilight’s happiness.” I nodded, but then I lost my smile and sighed. “Something’s wrong?”
“Yeah… I didn’t come to the aquarium just to have fun. I needed to distract myself from bad job interviews.”
“Job interviews?” Cadence widened her eyes in surprise.” Twilight didn’t tell me you were looking for a job.”
“It’s because I haven’t told her. I want it to be a surprise.” I crossed my arms. “But so far, I haven’t been called back.”
“I know how that is.” Cadence sighed. “Unless you know somebody, finding your first job is not an easy task.”
“Tell me about it...” I looked away from her, too upset to make eye contact with her. There were a few moments of silence until Cadence spoke again.
“But… you might be in luck.”
“What?” I glanced at the woman. She was writing something on a piece of paper.
“I have a friend who will be hiring soon. She's looking for an unpaid assistant, but you'll get experience." Cadence said as she gave me the piece of paper with a smile. It had a phone number. "The job is-"
I couldn’t contain my smile nor myself. I abruptly took the piece of paper, interrupting Cadence. “Thank you so much!”
“Okay..." The woman blinked, surprise, but then cleared her throat to compose herself. "Call them on the first days of June and tell them I gave you their number. I can’t guarantee that you’ll get the job, but I’ll give you a good reference. If you don’t get it, I can still help you find something else.”
“I really appreciate it, miss! Umm… lady? Ma’am?”
Cadence chuckled. “Just Cadence is fine.”
“Okay then, Cadence.” I put the piece of paper in my pocket before looking around. I could spot Adagio and Sonata leaving the room. Never had I been so glad my sister's orange poofy hair stood out. “I have to go. I need to return with my sisters.”
“I understand. It was nice seeing you again in person.”
“Likewise.” I waved at her as I walked away. “Bye!” Cadence waved at me and I turned around. As I headed towards I saw my sisters leave, I took my cell phone out. I was in such a great mood, that I felt like sending a message to my girlfriend.
‘Hi, Sparks. I just wanted to remind you how beautiful you are. I can’t wait to see you again to give you a big hug.’
I placed my phone back in my pocket before looking in front of me. I saw Adagio and Sonata on the other side of the corridor so I walked faster to catch up. When I reached them, I jumped at them, placing my arms around their shoulders.
“You thought you could leave me behind?” I said while smirking at them.
Sonata giggled. “Of course not! We’re going to see the sea turtles.”
“You seem to be in a good mood, Aria.” Adagio commented, smiling. “You had a good conversation with your acquaintance?”
“I definitely did, and she’s not an acquaintance, she’s a friend.” I said, smiling back. “She gave me good news! I’ll tell you later. I want to see the rest of this aquarium first.”
“Very well.” It was all my older sister could say since we arrived at a new room and Sonata was already running towards the nearest tanks. “Sonata, what did I tell you about running?!” Adagio walked towards Sonata, leaving me behind. Just then, I received a new message. I stood still and opened it. As expected, it was from Twilight. I chuckled when I read her reply.
‘You almost made me drop my phone! Thank you for your kind words, Aria. I can’t wait to see you either. We haven’t really seen each other since your release, which reminds me, this Saturday Sunset and Trixie will come to my home to read Young Sorceress Academia. Do you still want to join us?’
I smiled widely as I replied.
‘Of course I’ll be there. Should I bring something? Snacks? Drinks?’
Without putting my phone away, I walked towards one of the tanks to see the sea turtles until my girlfriend replied.
‘Don’t worry, I have it covered. Just make sure to bring your beautiful face ;)’
I blushed.
‘Don’t worry, my face will be there. I have to go now. See you on Saturday!’
Twilight didn’t take long to reply.
'Okay, see you! xoxo'
I chuckled. She’s so adorable. She always makes me feel like my heart is going to explode. Sometimes I still can’t believe how lucky I am for having such a cute girlfriend by my side. Twilight’s so understanding, so patient and trustworthy. I can’t wait for the day I get a paid job. I’m so going to spoil her.
I put my phone away and joined my sisters. Sonata had her eyes fixed on the turtles, so I made eye contact with Adagio. My older sister smiled at me and I returned it. The day might have started rough, but now it’s much better. I miss Twilight. I have been focused on trying to find a job. But after calling Cadence’s contact, I’m going to take a small break until after Saturday. I can’t wait to see my cub again!