Down the hall…
Aria and Sci-Twi were both waiting outside of their friends’ hospital room. The latter was busy biting her nails while the former was occupied by her phone.
“Bro--Twizzlers--you gotta chill. Your old friends aren’t gonna wanna see you acting like a shaky nutcase over this.” Aria looked up from her phone to see Twilight rapidly breathing in and out of a paper bag.
“Huff…huff…sorry,” the purple girl put the bag down and sighed. She then removed her glasses and wiped the lenses clean with a disinfectant wipe. “I’m just…in layman's terms--annoyed at myself.”
Aria raised a brow. “Why? You didn’t do anything.”
“Exactly…” Twilight lamented as she put her glasses back on, “I didn’t do anything to help an old friend who was being possessed. I was so caught up in my own emotions that I was afraid to take action. I’m a wreck…”
“...” Aria took a moment to think of a way to respond truthfully without coming off as callous. Once she did, she put her phone away and sat upright. “...Alright, listen. If I had to fight one of my sisters, then yeah, I’d feel like shit too. I wouldn’t know what to do but…I’d find a way to fight back. I wouldn’t want them to hurt anyone else, ya know?”
“Yeah, you have a point,” Twilight replied as she folded her arms, crossing one leg over the other. “I suppose I should’ve been more willing to help out. It’s my own fault for wallowing in my insignificance.”
“Hey, you said it, not me,” Aria snidely remarked while putting her hands behind her head, “But in all fairness, acknowledging your issues is the first step to solving them or whatever the heck. I’m not a therapist so don’t quote me.”
Twilight couldn’t help but giggle in response to Aria’s odd method of giving advice. “Once again, you make a good point without realizing it. I never would’ve pegged you for a conversationalist. You’re…actually very helpful in that regard.”
“Hmph…”
As much as Aria wanted to deny it, it was true. It had been a long time since she was a rather anti-social, hard-headed girl that refused to talk to anyone. It was only due to the welcoming company of others that she was able to find peace within herself and make friends outside of her circle of sisters.
“...Yeah yeah,” Aria muttered, rolling her eyes, “I do what I can I guess. I’m not like Adagio and Sonata. They view the world through different lenses--though I guess that technically applies to everybody huh?” She took a moment and looked at Twilight’s glasses--a smirk appeared on her face. “Heh--for you, doubly so--”
“Very funny,” Twilight deadpanned with a narrowed set of eyes, before quickly betraying her stoicism with a small snicker and snort. “...Okay, it was kinda funny.”
Aria chuckled in return. “Hm...Yeah. But for real, I…see the world for what it is. This place is unforgiving as shit, but it can also be forgiving sometimes…if you look in the right spots. So I figure why not try to add some forgiveness to the world? Make it slightly less shit or something?” She placed a hand on her forehead and sighed. “Blech. I don’t even know what I’m saying right now, honestly.”
“I think you do,” Twilight replied with a smile, “You simply want me to face things as they are but from a more supportive perspective. I can see why you and your sisters have such a close-knit relationship.”
“Pfft,” Aria scoffed with a sarcastic eye roll, “You can, huh?”
But Twilight was earnest with her words. “I do. I mean that. You three keep each other happy, grounded, and focused on what matters most.” She paused and rubbed her neck with a nervous grin, “...Don’t tell anybody, but I wish Shining Armor was more like that. Someone whom I could bounce off of more often.”
“Oh yeah…you guys don’t really hang out much, huh?”
“Not…really,” the nerdy girl replied with a meek smile, “But that’s a story for another day. I’m happy for you, Aria.”
Moments later, one of the nurses would exit the hospital room and address the two.
“...They’re okay. If you want to speak with them, keep it brief and quiet. Understand?”
“Yes ma’am,” Twilight replied as she stood up, “Thank you.” She then slowly made her way into the hospital room. “...Sour Sweet? Sugarcoat? Are you both alright?”
“Mostly,” Sugarcoat replied from her bed, lying down and staring at the ceiling. “Sour went through the worst of it though.”
Twilight approached the yellow girl with a worried set of eyes, biting her lip. “I…I’m sorry I didn’t…”
Sour shook her head. “It’s not your fault. I was…too caught up in my own head that I took hold of some really unstable magic…” She sighed, and averted her gaze from her old friend. “But at least I know better now. I need some serious therapy…”
“I’ll be with you through every step of it,” Twilight assured her as she walked up to Sour’s bedside. “I promise. I won’t abandon you ever again.”
“...Damn…” Sour muttered under her breath as she forced a smile, “Even though you left CPA…it feels like you’re always there.” She let out a yawn, and turned her head to the side. “...Aaaah…make sure that applies to your new friends too, okay?”
“...I promise.”
Aria arrived moments later, putting a hand on Twilight’s shoulder and whispering. “Looks like they’re about to fall asleep. Let’s skedaddle before the nurse calls us out or something.”
“Alright, let’s go…” Twilight replied as she silently waved goodbye to her friends, leaving them to rest.