Chapter XI: The Final Wall
Walking past the attendant at the front of the park, I can’t help but sigh quietly to myself. I didn’t think it would cost so much for two people to attend the park, so now all my savings are gone. If I focus on the positive, I get to have a fun day with Sunset, so it cancels out I suppose. Actually, it doesn’t, considering my fun with Sunset far surpasses the slight annoyance of losing my savings. Sunset’s hand gently pats my shoulder as she walks up beside me.
“Hey, I could pay you back for the price of my ticket, if you’d like?” she offers me as we walk further into the park, seeing the impressive amounts of stands and rides everywhere. The thought of Sunset paying me back is something that I… don’t particularly like. She shouldn’t have to feel like she owes me anything. She’s always been there for me and I don’t want to take up more than I have to. Let’s face it, Adagio… You’ve taken up too much already just by accepting her help, even if the sleepover has been fun.
“No, that won’t be necessary. Trust me. I wanted to do this~” I say with a smile as we reach the introductory area of the park with many splitting paths to different rides and attractions. Sunset’s eyes are filled with wonder as she looks around us.
“I see the park has had a redesign lately~” she states as she looks around us. “Besides a couple rides, everything seems to be new or just moved around.” Her body language tells me she’s not sure where to go first as I chuckle to myself, grabbing her hand. Looking around the park, I see multiple themed attractions, one of which has swamp and alligator decorations. Pulling Sunset with me, I instinctively go towards this attraction first. I know Sunset would love it, even if she does tease me a lot… Sunset’s eyes turn toward the direction we’re walking in and she laughs a little, leaning on me slightly. “So, Adagio wants to go to the alligator section?” she teases me, bumping her body against mine slightly.
“I figured you would want to go there~ Since you’ve been calling me an alligator this whole week.” I wink at her slightly, both of us giggling at my statement. It’s pure bliss to be with you~
“Well, that is true. But you have to admit, you were being an alligator. Refusing my help every which direction.” Sunset’s laugh fills the air again and I can’t help but giggle along.
“I just don’t like accepting help. You should know this by now.” Walking past a particularly big group of kids, Sunset sighs happily and leans into me.
“But you should also know that I won’t stop helping you even if you try to make me~” I have to admit… Sunset’s right in that regard. She helps everyone she can whenever she can, making her vulnerable to manipulation. It often makes me scared that someone would… break her heart. I want to be there for her as much as she’s there for me, but with the constant favors, she makes it hard for me to actually repay the kindness she’s shown me so far. Honestly, I always love being with Sunset and I love doing anything we want together. At this point, I’m sure that anything would be fun as long as it’s with her. To think that I used to hate this girl who’s leaning her head on my shoulder… I used to be so mean and cruel. What happened to change me into this big softie…?
Walking past one of the snack stands serving “Swamp Snacks”, Sunset sees something that catches her eye and pulls me along to the right, right up to a game stand. The stand is one of those bottle games where you have to knock down all the bottles, but I’ve never been good at them… “What are we doing here…?” I ask, looking at the game with a skeptical eye. “My throwing arm is… not that great.” Looking down at my right hand, a memory comes to mind, making me wince slightly… “My shooting game isn’t great either…”
“Don’t worry, I love these type of games~” she states, grabbing one of the baseballs at the stand and looking at the pile of bottles that is the farthest away from her. Automatically going for the big challenge huh? Due to the pass I bought us, we are technically allowed to play any game we want, meaning practically everything is paid for, except for food of course. It doesn’t bother me specifically, since I’ve gone plenty of days without, but I don’t want to disappoint Sunset… Before I can think anymore about the probably too salty snacks of the park, I see Sunset’s arm arc back, throwing the ball as hard as she can in front of her. Instantly, I hear bottles come crashing down, looking over and seeing the empty pedestal they were on a moment ago. Even when throwing something, Sunset keeps that beautiful look on her face. Confidence, determination, but most of all, she’s always trying her best. Is it… normal for friends’ hearts to race in moments like these…?
“I guess you’re good at throwing most kinds of balls?” I ask her, remembering our bowling match with Rainbow Dash on New Year’s. Sunset, slightly distracted by grabbing her prize, nods to my question with a cute giggle.
“You could say that~ Here you go, my injured alligator~” she coos softly and giggles to herself, handing me a stuffed Alligator plush. My cheeks instantly flush and I can’t think of what to say, trying to hide my embarrassed look in my scarf. Sunset really does treat me too kindly… I mean, that’s what friends do, right…? Before I can say anything, Sunset grabs my hand and walks us away from the first game of the day. “Now, what sort of game would you enjoy?” she asks me with a smirk. Sunset’s eyes are then drawn to what I would call the idea of hell. “What about Gator Maze?” she asks me with a smug look on her face. I can’t help but feel a pit in my stomach form as I look towards the attraction. Good lord…
“S-sure. Why not?”
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Why did I agree to this? Why the hell did I agree to this? This was a fucking stupid idea! Running around in a wet maze trying to avoid those freaking mascots! God, I’m so stupid. The point of this game is to run around a maze like a rat and avoid four or five people dressed in alligator costumes. If you’re touched, you lose the game. Damn it. I knew this was going to be hell. The worst part? There’s an audience area where people can watch the participants humiliate themselves. Though, every time I look up into the audience, I know exactly why I decided to do this. Those cyan eyes cheering me on…
Running down a corner, I slip on the wet mud slightly, running through yet another corridor. Thankfully, they gave me a change of clothes to do this in, sporting the gator themed t-shirt and cargo pants as well as some rain boots. I wouldn’t want my scarf to get mud all over it, especially considering who made it… That special friend of mine. Friends… Shaking my head, I look ahead of me, seeing no one in front of me, but the fake roars and stomping feet of a gator person are still behind me. Thankfully, I’m pretty good at running.
Suddenly, another damned mascot comes around a corner in front of me, sweeping his arms in my direction to try and touch me. I grunt slightly at the pain in my back, but I finally jump and slide in-between the mascot’s legs. For a moment, I can hear the whole crowd gasp, but I can’t focus on that. I just need to focus on winning this. For her. Getting up as fast as I can, I sprint away from the two mascots chasing me. The fact that there are two or three more of those guys makes me feel anxious, but I suppose that’s the point of the game, huh? Try to survive until the clock ticks to zero, right? Looking at the clock over the arena, the time ticks down from two minutes, making me sigh to myself. I have to run for two more minutes? My calves already hurt and I fucking hate those costumes. If I could turn around and sock them, I would, but that’s not the point of the game. Again, my eyes wander to the audience, seeing Sunset yell out in the crowd, seemingly to support me. As much as I may hate the game from the anxiety of those mascots, I love it even more due to Sunset’s enjoyment. It’s a bit fun to run away from these things, especially if I get to bring a smile to her face~
Jumping over one of the fake logs they have placed down as an obstacle, I take a deep breath and run to the right. Unfortunately, I think I made the wrong move, considering this is a dead end… Turning around to look back towards the entrance, I see one of them running towards me, trying their best to roar and stomp in my direction. I really don’t want to lose this… If there’s any outcome I would accept, it would be the one where I win. Yeah, come at me, gator… Steadying myself on the wall behind me, I press my left foot against it and take a deep breath. Opening my eyes, I look directly at the mascot running at me, pressing my body off the wall instantly, running at them as fast as I can. I will not lose this…
The person in the costume seems to slow down as they see me sprint right at them, finally dodging out of the way and letting me run past them. I knew they were going to be too scared~ I can’t help but laugh at this, running out of the dead end and through more corridors. Unfortunately, this momentary happiness is replaced with worry as I see my paths become limited, going further down the maze. This game isn’t easy at all, finding dead ends at each turn and trying to run back out as fast as possible to avoid being caught. Jumping past more logs, I finally come to a larger dead end. Looking around, I see that I have to turn back. Of course, there are three looming mascots running at me… I don’t think I can use the same trick, so I’m pretty much stuck here. I don’t want to lose this game…
Suddenly, an alarm rings loudly throughout the arena, startling me and the people in gator costumes. Looking up, I see the time is now at zero and the lights flash green and yellow. A new message appears on screen that says “Winner!” as I hear the crowd start yelling and an overwhelming applause fills the air. I sigh quietly to myself as I look to the audience and see Sunset’s happy expression yelling out into the air. Slowly, I raise my hand in the air and smile to myself. Winning a game and having my friend there to watch it makes me feel… great. My friend… Huh…
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Running up to me, Sunset grabs me in a hug and jumps up and down slightly. “You won! Great job, Adagio!” she says as excited as ever, a happy look caught in her eyes. I chuckle at her happy expressions and joyful body language. Hugging her back, I feel the warmth of her body pressed against mine and I can’t help but feel… happy.
“Yeah, it wasn’t a big deal. You just have to run away, so what’s the problem with that?” I gloat, pretending to dust my shoulders off. Sunset giggles at my statement, punching my shoulder a bit.
“Yeah, sure, smartie. Did you get a prize for surviving?”
“Well, I got to keep the t-shirt I wore in there, but I don’t really like the material,” I say, handing the shirt over to her. “But I know you like it, so I… wanted you to have it.” The statement comes out of my mouth as small as a whisper, but this causes Sunset to hug me excitedly again. I suppose that means she likes the gift.
“Thank you so much for the gift, Adagio~ I love it so much, especially since it’s the first gift you’ve given me~” My heart sinks a little to this answer, making me remember something from not so long ago…
“Actually, about that-”
“Come on~ Let’s go to another attraction~” Sunset states, grabbing my hand and pulling me along, walking past a few people who cheered me on slightly. I can’t help but cover my face with my scarf again, feeling the material and sighing into it. As we quickly walk away from the swamp themed part of the amusement park, I can’t help but smile to myself. Sunset’s hair swaying back and forth looks like the fire of the sun, gently whispering through the wind. Her orange skin is so soft and her eyes remind me of the ocean… With Sunset, it’s like nothing is ever cold, warming me every day with that smile of hers. Every time, bringing a blush to my face, she never fails to make my life better. Making my heart beat ever faster… Damn it… Why do I feel this way…?
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Slowly, Sunset’s tongue licks the ice cream she bought us at one of the stands in the unicorn area. Apparently, there are many different themes going on at this park, one of which is unicorns, meaning bright shiny colors, unicorn themed foods, rides and even unicorn horns you can wear, one of which Sunset bought for me. Gently, she brings her finger up and touches the blue horn on my head and giggles to herself.
“Boop~ Now you know what it’s like to be a unicorn,” she coos as we walk along the pink sidewalk, seeing many different kids run past us. I shake my head a little with a humorous look on my face, taking a bite of the cherry ice cream, savoring the taste in my mouth. It’s pretty good, all things considered, but it’s not the same as a cherry cheesecake. Maybe one day.
“Maybe we should find you a scaly tail so you can know what it’s like to be a siren~” I say with a wink, thinking about how cute she would look. “Although, you would be the sweetest siren. You wouldn’t want to conquer like I did.” As our eyes connect, a solemn moment passes between us, silence being the only thing exchanged for a long time. Slowly, Sunset brings her finger to my nose and pokes it a bit.
“I don’t see a conqueror… I see someone who deserves love and happiness~” For a moment, a heavy blush comes to my cheeks, our eyes staring into each other… My… feelings for Sunset aren’t normal, are they…? “Tell me, Adagio. Is there any ride you’ve always wanted to ride?” Sunset asks with the same peaceful look in her eyes, not breaking our moment.
“Can we… go to the Ferris wheel?”
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The door to the Ferris wheel’s car closes behind us as Sunset and I sit down opposite of each other, waiting for the ride to start moving. Awkwardly, I look away from Sunset and out of the window with a chuckle. “I’m sorry. I’ve never ridden one of these before, so I kinda wanted to before we leave,” I state, trying to be confident but somehow failing at that. Sunset’s hand reaches over to my knee and slowly rubs, a kind smile once again making me melt in her stare.
“Hey, it’s alright~ I understand that. It’s definitely an experience I would recommend~ The slow view of the world around you is really thought provoking.” Sunset moves over and sits beside me, looking out the window to our right towards a forest as the car begins to move. “You know, when I went to Camp Everfree, I couldn’t stop thinking about what it would be like to get away from it all. That was the whole point of camping, but magic still followed me. This world has it so simple, no problems with magic and demons, just a simple life.” Slowly, she returns my gaze as the small light of the lowering sun peeks into our car, illuminating her hair once more. Our hands are intertwined again and I can’t help but feel my chest pound. This scene of perfection in front of me… A woman in the limelight of the ending day, wishing for a simple life. Why do you have to be such a show off…? Being ever so perfect in the smallest of moments… You make my heart stop with a flick of your finger and you melt my soul with the curl of your lips. “Is it wrong of me to wish for… at least a little time where it can be simple? No magic, no mishaps, no more problems to solve than my own?” A gentle shake of my head seems to bring a smile to her lips as she scoots her body closer to mine.
Looking over to our left and at the city, I sigh, “It sounds really peaceful. I haven’t really known such a life.” A gentle pressure is applied to my shoulder, seeing Sunset lean against me and closing her eyes.
“You and I are a lot alike, Adagio,” she says in a whisper, sighing out in a slow manner. “I always feel so understood by you. I’m really glad you knocked on my door the day after Christmas. I’m really glad to be your friend~”
There’s that word again. Friend. Seeing this perfect scene, feeling her hand, remembering her lips on my head, those ocean eyes and that fiery hair… I can recall every detail about you. Everything we’ve talked about… Every serene little moment with you. All of it is stored inside this head of mine, even if I damaged it by falling. It seems nothing could make me forget you… Friends aren’t like this… I realized that today, seeing all the kids with their friends and observing every little action. Friends don’t memorize each other like this… Friends don’t fantasize about talking with each other again, nor do they love the touch of their friend’s hand. Friends don’t melt under the sight of a damn smile… They don’t have their heart broken every time they separate… The simple pat of a shoulder, a hug meant to connect friends instills a flame in this long dead heart… Her warm smile making every single day worth living and every moment a new one to cherish… This isn’t friendship, is it…? I’ve gone too far in my search for friendship, letting you grab hold of my life and making me spiral even further down a new hole. I never wanted to waste your time, but now, I’m wishing to be with you every second of my life. This moment is perfect, yet the word friend seems to hurt now… Now that I know what my heart has done. Why did I venture too deep into this new sensation…?
No, I’m afraid we’re past that point now… I’m afraid there’s no return to what friends actually means. The final wall tumbles down and I’m not sure what to think about it. I’m so sorry… I let myself consume too much of this and now… I don’t want to be friends anymore, Sunset…
Turning my head softly, I lay my lips on Sunset’s forehead, getting another cute giggle out of her. I don’t deserve you, and yet…
I love you…