Bonus Chapter II: Friday’s Observations
Hello, everyone! This is the second bonus chapter for A Dazzling World~! Once again, this chapter is a birthday gift to my friend, Mon668, so I hope everyone can give her a happy birthday in the comment section! The timeline of this chapter also happens during the time jump in chapter 9 before it talks about Adagio’s work life at the music studio~ That time jump is meant to symbolize a few weeks passing and these bonus chapters are supposed to flesh out that part of the story a little more, making the transformation from friends to lovers more realistic~ Hopefully, everyone will like what I’ve cooked up for this chapter!
If you haven’t checked out the sequel to this story yet, I really hope you do go and read it~! It’s titled A Shimmering Heartbreak and you should be able to find it under my profile~ Have a happy birthday, Mon! I hope everyone enjoys this short addition to the story and I apologize for the short word count~ Enjoy the show!
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Knocking on the front door of Sunset’s apartment, I can’t help but smile as I hold a notebook and pencil bag. Normally, I would tell Apple Bloom of my steps to be Sunset’s friend, but for some reason, I decided to keep our meet up today a secret. Maybe I didn’t want Apple Bloom to come spy on us or whatever… She tends to do that sometimes, as aggravating as it can be. I suppose she’s just trying to help, but still. To be honest, this is the first time I’ve actually come to Sunset’s apartment to hangout, even if we are going to be studying for the first half of our time together.
I don’t take classes myself, but Sunset could apparently use the help studying for an upcoming test in psychology. Honestly, I don’t know jack shit about the terms used in psychology classes, but I suppose I could always help Sunset learn different things. Knowledge is a form of power and I guess I’ve always strived to keep learning, either about the people around me or the environment I live in. The reason I didn’t graduate from high school isn’t because I found it hard to study, but it was simply due to a lack of motivation after the battle of the bands. I mean, why continue with something when there’s not much point anymore, right? If anything, I could learn anything I put my mind to, I just didn’t want to. Hopefully, I can do a good enough job to help both of us learn the terms and whatever else may be on that test.
The sound of the door’s locks clicking open shakes me from my thoughts, bringing my eyes back up to the door quickly. As soon as the door opens, I see that all too familiar fiery hair when Sunset comes into view, her warm smile appearing on her face once more. She’s always able to make me forget the hardships of my life with just a simple grin and I still don’t know how she does it. Maybe just seeing her happy makes me happy. Though, it’s weird that I feel that way after only being her friend for a few weeks now. “Hey, Adagio~ How are you doing?” she asks me in a kind tone while she gestures for me to come inside. “I was just organizing things around here actually~ I didn’t know if you were going to be early or not~” Walking a few steps inside, I slowly take off my hoodie and look around the living room. Sure enough, a bunch of school supplies are resting on the coffee table in front of the couch, a textbook as thick as my calf being the first thing to stand out to me.
“That’s your textbook?” I motion towards the book as I hang my hoodie on the coat rack next to the door, feeling a little nervous about this study session. It seems like I’m not the only one though since a nervous chuckle comes from Sunset’s lips as she tries to smile.
“Yeah… It’s a lot of material to read per chapter, but at least this test is only going through the first three~” Three… Three chapters. All in one day? If I miraculously don’t die of boredom, I don’t know how I will stay awake…
“Okay. Do you have a study guide or something to narrow down what you need to study?” I ask hesitantly, walking over to the couch and opening my pencil bag.
“Unfortunately, no. The only thing I know we can skip is the section about mental health in prison systems since the professor said we will cover that in the next test.” Sitting down next to me, Sunset slowly picks up her own notebook and flash cards, flipping open the textbook to a page with a pink page marker. Now that I look at it, there must be twenty different page markers, all of them either pink, blue or green.
“What do the different colors mean?” I ask slowly, pointing to the page markers.
“Oh? Well, I marked general information that I thought was helpful with pink markers. Then information like definitions or terms are marked with blue and the homework questions the professor assigned so far are marked with green~” Sunset smiles at her organization of the textbook, seemingly proud of herself. It’s always nice to see Sunset feel proud of her own accomplishments, especially since she usually downplays them to a big degree. I wish she would appreciate her own achievements and life as much as she appreciates her friends’ impressive jobs. She works so hard to make everyone smile and to avoid causing pain to others… It’s admirable.
“You did a really good job already~” I state quietly, placing my hand on hers. Wait. Why did I…? Is my hand really touching hers right now? Why am I doing this? And… why does Sunset look completely fine with it? This is embarrassing, isn’t it? I mean, it isn’t the first time we’ve held hands, but… we’re not in public or pulling each other to some place…
Calm down, Adagio. I’m sure it’s fine… It’s just that I don’t really know what’s acceptable to do as a friend just yet. If this wasn’t okay, I’m sure Sunset would have taken her hand away by now. Besides, she’s the one who started this tradition, so… “Thank you, Adagio~” Sunset says cheerfully, abruptly breaking me from my thoughts. “I tried to make everything as organized as I could so that I wouldn’t take up any more of your time than I had to.” A small chuckle comes from her, forcing me to laugh as well. I can’t quite resist her giggle after all.
“Don’t worry~ I’m free for the rest of the day, so we can work on this as much as you need~” I state with a smile, gently jabbing the lower part of her belly. Instantly, a pained expression grips hold of Sunset’s face as she holds her stomach, closing her eyes in the process. Sunset? Did I…? “Sunset? Are you alright? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you!” I state, quickly placing one hand on her arm and the other on her leg. I could have sworn I didn’t hit that hard… I didn’t mean to.
“I-it’s alright. Really. I just… have had a stomach bug for a bit now, so it’s made my stomach kind of sensitive.” Sunset’s hands remain over her belly, holding herself slightly. She didn’t tell me she had a stomach bug before I came here… I really didn’t mean to hurt her. I’m sorry…
“Is there anything I can do to make it better?” I ask as I stand up, placing my supplies down on the coffee table. Whatever I can do to help her feel better, I would do it.
“Honestly, there’s not much that-” instantly, Sunset closes her mouth as a thoughtful expression comes to her face. Before I can try to ask what she’s thinking about, Sunset holds up a finger to me with a small smile on her face. “There is one thing that could make me feel better~” I can’t help but feel confused at Sunset’s statement, looking into her ocean-like eyes to find the reason behind her statement.
“What is it exactly…?”
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Walking down the sidewalk, I struggle to remember where our destination is, despite the vast amount of time I’ve been walking across this city. Even though we were about to start studying, Sunset convinced me that the one thing that could make her feel better from my jab is a snow cone. Now, if I was Jack Frost, then I could have made one for her with no problem, but I’m not. Hell, my previous magical powers wouldn’t have been able to make a snow cone, so it isn’t really due to my lack of magic.
The other thing that makes it hard to remember where things are is the person on my back, Sunset’s light breaths being close to my ears. “Do you remember where the snow cone shack is?” I ask her quietly, making sure to hold her onto me tightly enough that she doesn’t fall. Honestly, I just remember that it’s in a part of town that I don’t walk by very often.
“It’s close to Canterlot High, next to the parking lot if I remember correctly~ It’s been a little bit since I graduated from there, but I think it should still be there~” That explains why I don’t remember it… I haven’t set foot near Canterlot High in almost a year and a half. The last time I was there, Sonata and Aria were with me, so life has really changed a lot since I’ve been there. Hopefully, being on my back hurts Sunset less than it would for her to walk. I mean, that’s the whole point I suggested for me to carry her in the first place. “Also, I was wondering something,” Sunset says out of the blue, piquing my curiosity.
“Is this something I can answer?” I ask her, walking down the street slowly and trying to ignore some of the looks that other people gave us. Some out of curiosity and some out of annoyance. What should it matter that I’m carrying a friend?
“Hopefully~ I mean, it is about you after all,” Sunset giggles, holding onto me tightly. As much as others may see this as weird, it does feel nice to be so close to Sunset. “I was kind of wondering… Well, what made you change your mind?” Change my mind…? Turning my head to try and look at her more, I can’t help but feel confused at her question.
“Change my mind at what?”
“At the whole friendship thing. When we talked in early December, it was evident that you still hated my guts and you didn’t want to be friends, but only a couple weeks later, that opinion changed.” Sunset takes a deep breath before pressing her cheek against my own for a little more warmth from the cool air. “I guess I am just wondering… what exactly caused you to come to my door with a different viewpoint. Was it all Apple Bloom or what?” Honestly, that’s a good question… I guess it’s a combination of different things that happened, but the biggest factor was… my overall life quality? My life hasn’t changed much since then, but at least I have someone to talk to now when the days get rough. I was holding myself to such a high standard and I didn’t believe in friendship… Especially after Sonata and Aria left.
“That’s kind of… a sensitive topic,” I state quietly, looking towards the ground more than before.
“Did… something bad happen to you?” she asks in the same tone as my own statement, her face turning to look at me.
“No, nothing bad happened to me,” I lie to her, using my most convincing tone as possible. “I… My life wasn’t exactly in a great place and I started to wish I had people to talk to. I didn’t have anyone there and it became… sorta hard to live through,” I explain quietly, closing my eyes once more… Trying to live through it was hell on Earth… Even before Sunset visited me at the nightclub, I was spiraling down a hole of depression and hardships, so I guess it just all pushed me to try and end it all. But I can’t exactly bring myself to tell Sunset that… The confident siren who is supposed to be able to take on all of life’s challenges trying to end it all? That wouldn’t be a good look. Especially to someone I’m friends with.
“I can understand that feeling. A lot actually,” Sunset slowly replies, wrapping her arms around me even tighter. “I didn’t have a lot of friends when I first crossed the portal. By that, I mean I had no friends. It got so lonely and depressing that even making enemies or fake friends was better than just being forgotten. Back then, I did enjoy the pursuit of power as well, but the overbearing loneliness of another world was something that caused me to dive deeper into it.” A part of me still finds it hard to believe that Sunset Shimmer was truly ever mean or someone who wanted to gain power. I know she can sometimes have anger issues, but it’s hard to imagine nonetheless.
“You of all people pursued power? The person who tries to memorize other people’s favorite foods to appeal to them more?” I tease her with a slight chuckle, nudging her cheek.
“Har har. But yes, I did focus on power at one point in time. It was when I was Princess Celestia’s top student. There were certain banned kinds of magic that she didn’t want anyone to learn and I thought that wasn’t right. I tried to learn these things and well… I got on her bad side. So, I ran from my problems and came here.” For a moment, the only sounds that can be heard between us are the wind and my footsteps, ignoring the cars occasionally passing by and other people. Hearing her past just makes me think more about how she is now, being a kind and caring person despite the person she used to be.
“I know this can be a sensitive topic, but… do you mind telling me what happened after? I only heard bits and pieces, so I guess I’m curious,” I ask her while biting my lip, hoping I don’t hit a nerve of Sunset’s.
“Don’t worry. I’m not ashamed to talk about it anymore, but that’s mostly because I try to convince myself I’m different now.” Repositioning herself slightly on my back, Sunset takes a deep breath, closing her eyes as she does so. “When I was at Canterlot High, I made a lot of enemies and manipulated others into doing my bidding. I was the typical popular girl who made her way up by bullying others. Eventually, I wanted to get more power in this world instead of just using manipulation, so I went back to Equestria and stole Twilight’s crown.”
“We’re talking about the Twilight I met, right? Like the pony one instead of the new one you met at that camp you talk about?” My question is honestly pretty stupid, since it would have to be the pony Twilight, but I guess I just wanted to prolong the conversation a little bit… Maybe it’s weird to ask questions just for the sake of hearing her talk more, but it’s sometimes easier to do that.
“Yes, we’re talking about her~ I’m surprised you remember me mentioning the other Twilight to you~” Sunset giggles in response, shaking her head slightly. “But yeah, I started a fight I couldn’t win. Twilight won the Fall Formal and I used the crown without any preparation and bad intentions in my mind. So, I kind of became a she-demon who tried to use an army of the student body.” Sunset’s lips sigh heavily after those words come out. Despite the depressing tone of the conversation, I hike Sunset up higher on my back, nudging her again.
“But look at yourself now~ A kind and caring person who would do anything to help others~ A person who wouldn’t take advantage of another. Unless it means getting a ride to get a snow cone~” Both Sunset and I laugh at my teasing remark, her hand pinching me slightly.
“Oh, shut up~ I’m sure you would take advantage of it too if you were in my situation~”
“What? Sick with a stomach bug?”
“Something like that~” Sunset sighs slightly, resting her head on my shoulder again. Turning the corner makes me stop in my tracks though… Just down the road was Canterlot High, its big statue of a white horse still present after all the destruction caused at this school. It’s surprising, honestly… No matter how hard I try to take another step towards the school, my body betrays me and stays in the same damn position. Is it really this hard to approach a simple school? The school Sonata, Aria and I attended for such a short time. Yet, it proved to be the place that separated us. God, I still regret that night. Once, I regretted losing the Battle of the Bands, but now… I can’t help but wish I could take back what I said to them. I made it all about me, but never considered the fact that I could hurt them enough to push them away. “Is something wrong?” Sunset asks me as she rubs my stomach, trying to find out why I stopped moving.
Taking another step, I begin walking again, seeing that place inching closer to view. “It’s… nothing. Just intimidating.” Shaking my head, I try to keep the thoughts of them pushed down. Thinking about them would only slow me down even more…
“I understand~ But the school day has ended and most of the people who were here when you were have graduated by now~ Well, other than kids Apple Bloom’s age or possibly Bulk Biceps. I heard he was held back. I wonder how he’s doing now.” Bulk Biceps, huh? I vaguely remember some guy with white skin and muscles as big as basketballs practically. Though, his intelligence was… questionable. I’m not scared of him remembering me, but people Apple Bloom’s age? They probably would remember what kind of trouble I caused. Maybe they wouldn’t recognize me with my new wardrobe? I like to call it the depression station… Hoodies, jeans, boots, and nothing much else. Yep, not much personality shown through it. Not like before. Why did I have to ruin everything back then…?
Walking past the school’s front entrance, I walk towards the parking lot, looking for this snow cone shack that Sunset said should be here. Surprisingly, there’s actually a couple of different little shacks run by students close to the main road, just outside of school property. These were definitely not here when I attended this school. I would know since Sonata would have begged to start a taco shack or to buy a snow cone right after school. “I assume you mean one of these shacks up ahead is our objective?” I ask her with a fake annoyance, teasing her with a short chuckle afterward.
“Yep~ It’s the pink one with Hawaiian decorations~” Hawaiian decorations, huh? That’s an odd design choice for a snow cone shack, but I guess it fits? Kind of? Okay, no. I can’t actually make sense of it. Isn’t Hawaii known for being a tropical paradise year-round? Why would a frozen treat be associated with it? If anything, a polar bear makes more sense, but I suppose another company already uses it in their marketing. I guess maybe it’s supposed to symbolize cooling off in a tropical setting.
Shaking my head, I walk up to the pink shack, looking inside the window to see a couple different girls talking to each other. One of them has bright blonde hair with gray skin, but the most memorable feature of hers are her eyes. Her yellow eyes, oddly enough, are looking in different directions, making me confused for a moment. When I still had my magic, I probably would have bullied someone easily for their appearance or whatever troubles they lived with, but now, I just see her as another person with a different life. Although, I can’t help but feel like I’ve seen her before.
“Hey, Derpy~” Sunset remarks with a wave inside the window, prompting the gray girl to walk towards the window with a smile on her face.
“Hiya, Sunset! Been a while since I’ve seen you!” the girl named Derpy responds with a cheerful voice. Bringing up a notepad and a pencil in her hand, Derpy prepares to take our order before one of us says anything.
“What are you doing still running this stand? Did they hold you back a year?” Sunset asks her in a caring and curious tone.
“Yeah, they did. But that’s because I didn’t do so good on chemistry. I’m sure I’ll graduate this summer though!” Derpy expresses excitedly, bringing her fist to the air above her head.
“I’m sure you will~ Good luck passing this semester~” Sunset tells Derpy with a smile of her own, giving the gray girl a thumbs up. “Do you still have the cherry snow cones? My friend and I would love a couple of those~”
Derpy nods enthusiastically, writing down the order on the notepad just as quickly. “We sure do~! Will that be it?” What surprises me the most is that Derpy doesn’t seem to look at me oddly or make some weird remark about me being here, so I guess she doesn’t recognize me? I guess I was sure she would remember me, but maybe my actions at the Battle of the Bands aren’t remembered that well? Or it could just be that she’s forgetful.
“For now, thanks~” Sunset replies with a nod before resting her head on my shoulder again, our cheeks pressing against each other for the time being. I thought for sure she would order two differently flavored snow cones, but it seems that Sunset would rather have cherry this time. Maybe it’s just me, but a small part of me feels a little… happy that we’re getting the same flavor. Maybe it’s due to the fact that we get to share something together. I’m not completely sure. I mean, it’s normal to like sharing things between you and a friend, right? Apple Bloom shares things with me all the time and she seems to enjoy it. Rainbow Dash always talks with me about the new Daring Do comics and it brightens her day, even though I don’t have much interest in that sort of thing.
“You know, we’re going to have to work overtime now, since we’ve wasted quite a bit of time coming out here,” I tell Sunset quietly, hoisting her higher on my back. A chuckle comes from the orange woman peacefully holding onto me, her hand gently rubbing my stomach.
“When did you become a study freak?” she teases me with a light giggle.
“You said you needed to pass this test, right?” I answer in a more serious tone, shaking my head slightly at Sunset’s joke.
“True, I do~ Don’t worry, we’ll have enough time to study~ But taking the time to get a couple snow cones isn’t going to hurt my grade that bad,” Sunset tries to convince me, looking over to the window and smiling at the gray girl walking towards the window.
“Here you go!” Derpy states in an enthusiastic manner, holding out the two snow cones towards us, Sunset grabbing both with a big smile.
“Thank you, Derpy!” Sunset brings one of the snow cones up to my mouth, prompting me to take a sip of the treat. “Besides, I’m sure you’ll be a great study help~”
A heavy sigh comes from my mouth as I hear Sunset giggle slightly, sipping on her snow cone gleefully. “When I accidentally hurt you, your first instinct is to exploit me out of a snow cone?” I ask, changing the previous subject to focus on the situation rather than her studying. I try not to smile at how cute Sunset is, subsequently failing at it. Cute…
“Exploiting you?” Sunset asks in a fake surprise, bringing her hand to her chest. “It was my money we used! If anything, you’re getting more out of this study day than I am.”
“But I’m the one who carried you all the way here on my back,” I state with a chuckle, shaking my head. Gripping onto her legs, Sunset rests on my back as she sips on her snow cone, occasionally handing me my own snow cone to drink.
“Yeah? And I think it’s very kind of you to do this for me~” Sunset teases me playfully, giggling ever so slightly. Every giggle of hers sends a small vibration through my back, making me feel her laughter more closely than ever. “Though, seriously, you didn’t have to carry me. I only agreed because you insisted.” Honestly, that’s true… I did insist on carrying her, despite the fact that she could walk.
“Well, I… just didn’t want you to hurt any more than necessary,” I explain quietly, looking down towards the concrete sidewalk I walk down. Slowly, Sunset rubs her cheek against mine, sighing to herself.
“I think that’s very sweet of you, Adagio~ And kind of surprising, honestly.” Sunset takes another big sip of her snow cone before bringing the straw from my cup to my lips, prompting me to take a sip of my own drink. I suppose it’s kind of a trade off here. I carry her around and she gives me my drink every so often.
“Surprising in what way?” I ask her as soon as I’m done taking a drink, the cherry flavor still lingering on my tongue.
“Well, we used to… not like each other and all. With how spiteful you were just a few months ago, it’s honestly surprising to see you now~ You’ve worked so hard and I… I’m proud to call myself your friend~” The pace of my steps slows down slightly, my eyes still tracing the cracks in the sidewalk with a small smile on my face. As kind as her words are, I can’t help but wonder if she means it… It’s not exactly the best thing to announce that you’re friends with Adagio Dazzle of all people. Especially to her other friends. My reputation and past alone make me kind of… unworthy to be her friend. Someone so kind and special, always trying to make me feel better despite the conditions I may be placed in. I suppose it’s greedy of me to try and be her friend by taking so much of her time…
Hiking her up on my back a little farther, I walk a little faster, bringing my eyes in front of me to make sure I don’t walk into anything. The farther we go, the more I notice the weird glances from people, seeing me carrying Sunset on my back. If this had happened a few weeks earlier, I would have given everyone the meanest face I could. Then again, I don’t think I would have been carrying Sunset in those circumstances. In fact, I would still be thinking that her presence is a parasite on my life. But now… I kind of care about the fiery-haired goofball… She’s a really good friend. “I’m proud to be your friend too, Sunset,” I say quietly, but confidently, holding Sunset’s legs tighter to make sure she doesn’t fall. I’ll try to be a worthy friend to you, Sunset…
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“Okay, so what does the attachment theory entail?” I ask Sunset as I look at one of the flashcards in the stack. Despite how boring this class is, Sunset and I pushed through it and we were able to make a whole pile of flashcards that should help her with her test. At least, I hope so, otherwise all this work will be nothing. On the other side of the couch, Sunset sits facing me with her hands anxiously placed on her knees, trying to think of the answer to my question.
“Um… It details the relationships people have with others and it’s especially prevalent with a caregiver and child.” Sunset nervously grins as she looks at me, looking like she’s scared her answer may be incorrect. As nervous as she is, it doesn’t change the fact that she got the question right.
“Who proposed the theory?” I ask blatantly, staring her down for an answer.
“I… Um… Damn. I can’t seem to remember the names that well…” Sunset gently places her hand on the back of her head, biting her lip to try and help her remember the answer.
“What word association did we practice for this one?”
“It um… The second time we hung out together with Rainbow Dash. We went bowling and-” Sunset instantly cuts herself off, looking back up at me with wide eyes. “John Bowlby! He established the theory, right?” she immediately questions me, looking like she’s sure of her answer this time. Placing down the stack of flashcards, I finally rub my eyes, stretching my back from the position I’ve been sitting in for the last thirty minutes. A small yawn escapes my lips, but it’s cut short with a short laugh as I see Sunset’s confused expression. “Well?” she asks impatiently, looking between me and the flashcards.
“Well what?” I ask her in a teasing way, leaning against the arm of the couch. Sometimes, it’s too irresistible to not tease her.
“Did I get it correct?” Sunset’s question reflects her slight irritation at the waiting game I’ve come up with, her eyes staring into my own with a funny sense of urgency in them.
“Of course~ You’ve gotten the majority of them correct, so why wouldn’t you get this one?” Sunset frowns slightly upon hearing my statement, shaking her head.
“Well, you didn’t have to tease me like that,” Sunset replies to me, sticking her tongue out before picking up the stack of flashcards. Looking through them, Sunset’s smile finally returns, bringing one hand to the textbook on the coffee table and closing it swiftly. “Thank you though. For helping me with this~ I feel a lot better now that we’ve studied this together, so maybe I will be able to ace this test~” Is it normal to feel conflicted about a thank you? Honestly, it was hard work to help her try and study for this test, but I also feel like it’s the least I could do, given everything Sunset has done to try and help me whenever I needed it. It’s not really that special to help her try and achieve something that is clearly plaguing her thoughts, as evidenced by her worried thoughts when it comes to her classes. Then again, maybe that stress is normal for college level classes. I wouldn’t know since I never really got that far… Hell, I’m not even sure I would have wanted to go that far.
“It really wasn’t anything that special,” I say quietly, standing up from my seated position on the couch. Placing my foot in front of me, Sunset grabs my hand before I can walk away towards the bathroom.
“Hey, don’t say that. It really does mean a lot to me~ These college classes have been kicking my butt, so it’s nice to get some help~” Sunset’s eyes connect with my own as she holds onto my hand, the edges of her lips tilting upward once again. Those eyes of hers make me feel guilty for not wanting gratitude for the simplest thing, begging for me to smile as well and sit back down next to her. “Not everyone is completely willing to help another person study for their schoolwork, even if they’re friends. It just shows how much you’ve changed and makes me glad to know I can ask you for help~” Even though my heart tells me to not accept her thanks, her eyes make me break, sitting back down next to Sunset. Why does she find it so easy to manipulate my actions? I used to be a master of manipulation, but here she is, able to make me do what she wants with that same expression of gratitude and happiness that I love to see. “How about I make it up to you?” she asks in a perky tone, bringing both of her hands to mine. Instantly, my eyebrow raises as I look at the orange girl, trying to think of what she may have in mind.
“What’s going on in that mischievous mind of yours now?” I ask slowly, suspicious of her sudden proposal.
Sunset laughs to herself slightly, shaking her head for a moment. “Well, let’s just say I have the perfect thing to make this movie-watching experience the best it can be~”
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Pizza. Pizza is what Sunset had in mind. A supposed ‘treat’ I’ve never tried before. Something that is apparently a tradition among Sunset and her friends to eat as they watch movies together. Unless Pinkie Pie is involved. Then there’s too much candy to order pizza. Her words, not mine. As for pizza itself, I’ve heard it’s good, but I don’t even know if that statement holds up when it comes to my own tastes. I don’t know what kind of toppings I would like, but I guess the best choice to go with is cheese. That seems to be something everyone likes, right? “I um… I’ll just go with cheese,” I tell Sunset as she tries to order us a pizza, pulling her card out to pay for it.
“Cheese is sorta the vanilla of pizza~” Sunset happily remarks after taking the receipt in her hand, looking at me with a smirk. “It’s the most basic option you can choose from, but the safest since a lot of people like it~ In ice cream, it’s the same basic principle, you know?” Sunset, seemingly proud of her analogy, flicks her hair behind her shoulder and looks at me with the same confident expression she’s had on many times now. She always finds a way to make herself seem so cute, despite the fact that it’s just her being herself.
“Nice analogy,” I say quietly, winking at her as we wait for our order to be ready. A small blush comes to Sunset’s face before she quickly composes herself once more, returning the wink.
“Well, it comes naturally~ I’m smart enough to make analogies, but tests are hard~” Of course, I can tell that Sunset is joking about this. She’s naturally smart and she’s aced her tests before, but she apparently didn’t have enough time to study this time. That almost feels like an excuse to hang out with someone before a big exam, but maybe she needs it. I suppose something big can certainly cause your nerves to go on overdrive and it could help to just be with someone. I… do the same thing with Sunset at this point. Just being able to talk to her helps me destress from the regular responsibilities of life. “By the way, mind if I ask you another question?” Sunset asks me with a cute smirk, her eyes connecting with mine once more.
“Is this another deeply personal or philosophical question?” I ask warrily, looking at her with concern.
“No, no~ I was just wondering what your favorite color is, that’s all~” she admits with an understanding look, her hand gently rubbing my shoulder for only a moment.
My favorite color… That is something that I haven’t been asked in a long time. The last time I was asked that was when I was a young siren, striving for power. Sonata was curious about me and asked what color I liked the most and I felt sorta awkward… Back then, she was just a stranger with a plush toy in her hooves, Aria being her best friend, despite the fact that they didn’t get along well a lot of the time. Now that Sunset is asking me, it makes me feel… melancholy. I’m in a whole new part of my life with someone different as my friend. That’s a good thing, of course. I wouldn’t trade Sunset for anything else at this point. Who’d think she’d become someone so close to me? “Purple. My favorite color is purple,” I say with a smirk, looking at Sunset’s cyan eyes. For some reason, it’s always easy to get lost in her eyes.
“I figured~” Sunset states in a happy tone, satisfied that her guess was right. “You dressed in a lot of shades of purple back when we were at Canterlot High.”
“Is that why you made my scarf with purple fabric?” I ask, unable to resist my curiosity, just now realizing the correlation.
“You could say that~ I tried to make a gift that I thought a lonely siren would like. Especially since it seemed like Aria and Sonata weren’t with you anymore. I guess I just wanted you to know you still mattered since I knew what that hole felt like.”
“You said this wouldn’t get philosophical,” I tease Sunset with a joking tone, both of us laughing for a moment.
“You’re right~ Still, it’s hard to not reminisce when I’m with you. I’m not sure why.” Looking at Sunset right now, an oddly peaceful expression is written across her face as she looks into the distance, her attention seemingly positioned on something she’s thinking about rather than reality. Her fiery hair contrasts nicely with her eyes, making her look so alive even in the slowest moments. Before I can say anything however, Sunset walks towards the counter, picking up a pizza box that I didn’t even notice was placed down. Looking back at me, Sunset giggles holding the box up like it was some trophy, making this moment even better. “Ready to watch that movie now?” Sunset asks me, her hand grabbing mine as we walk towards the door. For some reason, I really hope that movie is a long one…