Chapter II: All It Takes
The farther I get along, the more my mind begins to melt away. All the terms and math in physics never fails to confuse me, which is only made worse by my exhaustion. Numbers and characters, all of which need to be explained through steps. If the textbook takes it easy on me, I won’t have to account for friction on most of these problems. If I do, then I will be up until six in the morning. At that point, it might as well be an all-nighter. God, I hope not… I’ve already been up for a while. I just want to sleep at this point, but the chapters can’t study themselves… By extension, the exams won’t finish themselves either, so yeah. Back when I had my magic, I didn’t really have to worry about that, but now I’ve been reduced to a mortal who has to hope they will pass an exam… But I’m also happy now… I have friends and I have fun. I guess it’s a fair trade at the end of the day.
Running my fingers through my hair, I sigh quietly, closing my eyes for a moment to rest from the boring details of each page. I would mark the book’s pages with highlighter, but since this is a rental, I would be fined for it. The university takes it pretty seriously to keep their books in a good condition. So, the best I can do is take notes off of each chapter. My hand cramps easily from all the notes that I deem important, but it’s better to be safe than sorry, right? I mean, I’m not even sure what the professor will put on the exam… Putting the textbook down, I slowly stand up, stretching my arms and back. Sitting here all day has pretty much made my whole body feel stiff. Looking at the window, only darkness slips through the blinds, making me pull my phone out of my pocket to check the time. Even though it’s only ten, it feels like it’s three in the morning…
Walking towards the counter in my room, I look inside some of the overhead cupboards for something to snack on. Unsurprisingly, nothing other than some crackers is present. I haven’t gone grocery shopping in a while and the lack of a meal plan only worsens my problem. Of course, everything is closed at this time as well, except for some pretty bad fast food. Despite my disdain for them, my stomach is telling me I need to eat or sleep. Since sleeping isn’t on the table right now, the best thing I can do is try and get something to eat.
Grabbing my keys from the counter, I walk over to my shoes before I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket. The only people who text me are Sunset and the girls, but I highly doubt it would be Aria and Sonata at this time of the night. They would probably be asleep, trying to get to bed early due to Aria’s insomnia. Pulling the phone out of my pocket, I look at the notification, seeing Sunset’s profile picture. Her happy smile with a bright horizon behind her. I think we went to the beach when I took this picture. She asked me to take a picture due to her wanting to remember the day, but I ended up keeping it in my gallery as well. Tapping the notification, my eyes widen almost immediately.
“Can you pick me up? It’s an emergency,” her message explains to me in frank and short detail, making me feel slightly worried. Sunset never used the word “emergency” with me before… What could make her use that word…?
“Are you alright?” I quickly type into my phone, slipping on my shoes as fast as I can. No response is sent by the time I grab my coat and make it to the door, feeling my heart beat a little faster. What could be an emergency…? “I’ll be there in a second. Send me the address.” Food can wait… Whatever is going on with Sunset will have to take priority.
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Pulling up to a street corner at a park, my eyes look around my surroundings, trying to make sure I’ve made it to the right location. Loud sounds and bright lights come from a house up the hill away from the park, making this area seem more peaceful and serene in comparison. Sunset said she was at a party, so why would she be here…? All she sent was a location and failed to explain what was wrong in her texts, seeming like she would rather not talk about it. Looking to my left, I see a bench under one of the streetlights, bright red and yellow hair being the only thing I can focus on. Her head is aimed towards the ground, casting her face in shadows while she sits there. Without wasting a second, I put my car in park, getting out of it and locking it behind me. What happened at this party…? Sunset is usually so happy and outgoing, so seeing her slumped in this bench makes me feel pretty worried.
Quickly, I make my way towards Sunset, the sound of my footsteps being one of the only sounds here other than the music from up the hill. “Sunset?” I say carefully, trying to call her name to get her attention. Her head slowly tilts upwards, looking into my eyes with tears streaming down her face. From how red her eyes look and her puffy cheeks, it looks like she’s been crying for a while…
“H-hey, Adagio,” Sunset weakly states, her cracked voice showing how little energy she has as her hands wipe away some of her tears. Without saying another word, she slowly stands up from her seated position, walking towards me with her head hanging low. “Can we go?” she asks me without making eye contact, my mind thinking a thousand thoughts per second. Why is she crying…? What made her cry? How can I fix this…?
“What happened?” I ask her slowly, bringing my hands to her shoulders. This girl that I used to call my enemy has tears running down her face and I can’t help but feel worried. She is one of my only friends… She was there for me when no one else was, even when I didn’t want her to be there. I gave her so much hostility and she gave me nothing but kindness in return. Why do I feel so angry that something made her cry like this…?
“It’s n-nothing. It’s just Flash.” Her voice is still weak, barely speaking her words without letting her walls break again. Her boyfriend again…? God damn it… What did he do? What could he have done to make Sunset cry like this? In front of people as well?
“What did he do, Sunset?” I ask her carefully, wrapping my arms around her back and pulling her into my embrace. Despite the fact that she doesn’t return the hug, I can tell that Sunset enjoys this small moment of peace. “Please. Tell me what’s wrong, Sunset,” I whisper quietly, holding onto her as tightly as I can. This girl who has always been here for me makes me feel so helpless when she cries… What kind of cruel fate is it that she has to cry? I mean, she’s done nothing but do her best in this world. She’s made mistakes in the past, but she’s made up for them tenfold by now. Sunset is the person that deserves this the least in the world… A small part of me can’t help but question why I feel so angry at this situation, but another part of me knows that Sunset doesn’t deserve this. Why couldn’t she have had a good night at the party…?
Shaking slightly, Sunset begins to cry into my shoulder, her arms returning the embrace I’ve given her slowly. She desperately holds onto me, trying to find some sort of support. I won’t let her fall… I’ll be here. I would do anything to try and make up for these tears. “H-he cheated on me…” The pit of fire in my heart burns even brighter immediately after hearing her words… My mind can’t seem to think rationally… All I can focus on is the crying Sunset in my arms and the person who broke her down to this level. The guy she tried so hard to appease and be there for is the same person who throws her to the curb the very next day? The same guy she tried so damn hard to show him that she loved him and that he really mattered to her? This guy made us have to cancel and rework so many of our plans to hang out and I always tried to be understanding. She was in a relationship and I wanted to support her for that. He took advantage of not only our time, her hard work, but also her heart…? What in tartarus makes him think he gets the right to treat Sunset like she’s trash? The one friend I have after the Battle of the Bands…
“I’m not letting this night end like this,” I whisper instinctively, not controlling the words that come out of my mouth. Letting go of Sunset, my body instantly turns towards the loud house, walking in its direction.
“A-Adagio, don’t,” Sunset weakly calls out for me, still trying to protect him. Even if someone completely screws her over, Sunset still somehow has the drive to respect them and protect them. It’s an honorable quality…
One I don’t have…
My body is moving on its own at this point… Every cell of my body knows what I want to do. Unlike Sunset, I lack the self-control to stop myself from doing this. Why should I? This is the right thing to do. He took Sunset’s kindness and threw it away. He took her smile and made it disappear completely… Nothing would make me happier than to make him realize just how much he screwed up. I can’t help but clench my fists, thousands of thoughts running through my mind easily. If I was still a siren, I could kill him in a thousand different ways… Every one of them involves pure force rather than my magic… Someone like him doesn’t deserve the respect that a death involving magic would entail. Then again, the magic in Equestria could make him feel the fire I feel inside my heart. Every new option in my mind is better than the last… What scum would fail to realize how hard their girlfriend worked to be with them and make sure they both could be together…?
Walking through the front lawn, I quickly open the door to the house, the music only getting louder as a result. The whole place smells strongly of alcohol as everyone dances and socializes with one another. Neon lights project onto the walls and laughter can easily be heard. Despite all the distracting details, my mind remains focused on one thing… Walking through the rooms quickly, my eyes scan the crowds, looking for the blue-haired dickhead that ruined Sunset’s day. Everyone seems to be enjoying their night, not a care in the world as Sunset’s world falls apart… Why should they celebrate as Sunset breaks down in tears in the cold night air? It’s all so sickening… Why do they deserve the good night that she should be given? Is there no justice in this world? It’s funny… Here I am, looking for justice against someone when I was the evil one just a few years ago. She deserves some justice…
Walking out into the back yard, a big table full of drinks is to my right and a large pool is directly in front of me. Lights inside the pool make it visible to see inside the water, but the person standing by the pool captures more of my attention. Seeing his blue hair makes my blood boil, grabbing a cup of punch instantly. My feet quickly make me walk forward, my eyes centered on him. His eyes finally look towards me, a surprised expression overtaking his face. “Oh, Adagio-” Before he can finish his sentence, my hand instinctively throws forwards the cup, splashing the liquid in his face. It feels so damn sweet to see this bastard get a little of what he deserves.
But it’s not enough…
Bringing my hand up quickly, I strike the side of his face, causing him to fall into the pool. The water will probably ruin some of his clothes, but he deserves all of this and more. Coming to the surface, Flash takes a big gulp of air, struggling to keep up with what just happened to him. “What the hell was that?!” he yells, making everyone look in our direction. I can feel the fire roar in my heart, my lips twitching slightly. The anger inside me desperately tries to find some way to release itself, my eyes staring down at the trash floating in the water.
“You have the audacity to cheat on your loving girlfriend at the party YOU invited her to!” I yell in response, the fire in my eyes never failing to go away. Every cell of my body screams at me to hurt him more, but I manage to hold myself back, knowing that the humiliation he will suffer for this will probably hurt more than the physical pain right now. “Trash like you hurt the genuinely good people in this world and I hope you get what you deserve.” Turning around, I attempt to walk away before I hear Flash laugh from the pool. Everyone else around us is deathly quiet, watching this whole interaction.
“You’re one to talk! You’re the most evil one of us all, isn’t that right?” Staring back down at him, I can feel my body move towards the pool, fully prepared to harm him even more… Pulling myself back, I can’t help but grimace at Flash, wanting to rip the skin from his skull.
“If you EVER come near Sunset again, I will kill you. That isn’t a threat.” Bringing my hand down, I compose my face, smiling down at him slightly. “It’s a warning.” Without wasting a second more on his pathetic ass, I turn around and see Sunset standing inside the house, a surprised expression on her face that keeps her from crying for now. Quickly walking towards her, I take her hand in mine, walking towards the front of the house with every part of me telling me to turn back and do something more to Flash. “Let’s go.”
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The door slowly swings open in front of us, not a thing changed inside my room since I left it. The soft yellow light of the lamp beside my bed is the only thing illuminating the walls of my room, making it look later than it actually is. Slowly walking inside, I guide Sunset in and close the door behind her. “Why are we here, Adagio?” she quietly asks me, her eyes once again avoiding mine. The whole ride over here, Sunset was either crying or staring at the floor. No matter what someone could say to try and convince me otherwise, I don’t believe leaving her alone is the best course of action. I… don’t want to leave her alone… “I should go to my room,” her weak voice barely tells me, her hand rubbing her arm with her eyes looking like she could burst into tears at any moment.
“I don’t want to leave you alone,” I speak honestly, unsure of what words will come out of my mouth. “You don’t deserve to be left alone on a night like tonight.” Her eyes close as soon as she hears my words, her fingers gripping her shoulder even tighter.
“No, I-I do. I do deserve-” Without a moment passing by, my arms wrap around her weak body, pulling her close to me. Please don’t say that… Just hearing those words would break my spirit, throwing every ounce of hope inside me out the window. Why does the universe have to punish her? Why not me…? She doesn’t deserve to cry tonight… To feel so small and helpless. Can I really do nothing to help…?
“Don’t say that,” I whisper to her, pressing my cheek against hers. At this point, even I don't even know what I’m doing. I don’t think Sunset and I have ever hugged this much, but most of it has been instinct… My heart just tells me what to do and my body follows, not bothering to ask my mind for input. “You’re worth so much, Sunset… Don’t let that asshole make you believe you’re worthless. Please.” I don’t know what to say at this point. Words just fall out of my mouth and I can’t help but pray that it all comes out alright. Feeling her soft hair in my hand, I feel a grimace come over my face, thinking of the person who hurt her. “I don’t want to leave you alone. So… I’m asking you to please stay. For tonight.” Looking her in the eye, a surprised look comes over her again, not a sound interrupting us. To completely break Sunset’s spirit… What could I even do to him to make him feel exactly what she feels…?
A conflicted tone comes to Sunset’s tired eyes, her gaze briefly going to the door. Sunset wants to leave, but something’s stopping her from outright doing so… Maybe she knows how much she needs just a little company. “P-promise you don’t mind?” Sunset whispers to me, her face looking like she really needs someone to be here for her… A friend… Someone like me. I won’t let her down…
“I promise.” Brushing the hair out of Sunset’s face, my mind feels like a blur, trying to come up with the next course of action. How can I help her from here? There’s nothing to do in my apartment other than sleep…
“Could I have one of your beers?” Sunset asks me with a slight sniffle, wiping away a tear from her cheek and trying desperately to keep her walls up. A part of me can’t help but ask whether that’s a good idea at this time, but all doubt leaves my mind every time I look at her again… She needs something to distract herself, right…?
“Of course, Sunset.”
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The silence that had once filled my room is gone now, being replaced by giggles and laughter. In Sunset’s attempt to try and calm herself down, she ended up drinking multiple of my beers from my fridge, making her giggle at some of the most basic jokes. Taking a big sip, Sunset hiccups slightly, leaning on my shoulder with a big smile on her face. “How big was the turtle at the zoo again~?” she asks me quickly, poking my shoulder with the can in her hand. I would try to tell her exactly how big this turtle is, but I only have one problem. We never went to the zoo together, so I have no idea what she’s talking about.
“About the size of a car,” I say with a happy tone, playing into the story that is unfolding in her mind. Just seeing her smile like this makes me feel so much better. I know it’s probably temporary, but… is it wrong of me to want to see her happy…? She’ll have to deal with a massive headache tomorrow, but at least she will be able to forget about what happened for a little while.
“Oh yeah!” she exclaims, giggling at my response as she holds onto my arm. “O-oh, Adagio~ Do you know how much bread a giraffe can eat?” she asks me, locking her eyes with my own. Even though it’s the alcohol that’s giving her this buzz, it’s nice to see a spark in her eyes again. Just being close to her and seeing her happy is… nice.
“I’m not sure? How much?” I ask her quietly, preparing for some fact or punchline. Taking a deep breath, Sunset slowly leans in, pressing her forehead against my own and closing her eyes.
“I don’t know~” she simply states, giggling at her seemingly funny punchline. Or lack of one. Her hand brings the can of beer up to the sky, leaning back as she looks up at the ceiling. Even when Sunset is sober and not heartbroken, she is never this carefree. She almost always has something on her mind that she’s stressing out about. To see her like this is honestly a breath of fresh air. It’s fun and it even takes my mind off of the upcoming exams. I hate to say it, but even I giggled at Sunset’s nonsensical joke. Not because I have been drinking too, but because I just enjoy being with her. She’s my only friend here… I wouldn’t touch a drop of alcohol when it comes to helping her out. “You know, I can’t remember what it’s like to have hooves,” she casually tells me with a slight hiccup, looking at her hand with an odd fascination. “Aren’t fingers… weird? I mean, they’re just parts of our limbs that let us grab things.”
“Well, yeah. I can see what you mean,” I respond slowly, looking down at my own hand. I can remember what it was like to be a siren… I remember how my scales felt and how it was like to have hooves. I remember seeing was slightly different with a muzzle instead of a relatively flat face like humans have. That observation is accurate, but one I didn’t expect to come from a drunk Sunset.
“But then again, hands are beautiful in a way. We can build things and destroy. We can hold things.” Turning to me slowly, her eyes connect with mine, a sparkling happiness in them. “Or hold the people we love. Isn’t that amazing?” Another hiccup comes from Sunset’s lips, but our eyes stay connected, her face oddly close to mine. In her drunken state, Sunset seemingly forgets about personal space and loves being close to someone else. I can’t say that this experience is unenjoyable for me though… Looking into those eyes that reflect the ocean remind me precisely why she’s a good friend. She’s reliable, trustworthy and most of all, stubborn. Even though I was pretty mean to her when she first tried to be my friend, she kept trying with that near limitless determination. Seeing Flash almost destroy that tonight makes me irrationally angry. That determination is what helped me be happy. Her confidence is what made me believe that I can still have a life, despite the loss of my magic. Gently, Sunset’s hand grabs onto my own, her smile widening slowly. “Like holding their hand~” Sunset’s other hand slowly drops the empty can onto the ground, leaning onto me with a slightly sleepy expression. Despite my mind telling me not to, I go along with her action, lying down on the bed and letting Sunset rest on top of me.
The air is cool. Not a sound can be heard other than our breathing, Sunset’s stomach expanding against my body in a slow rhythm reminding me of her presence. Her hand holds onto mine, rubbing my thumb across the back of her hand slowly. I never realized how soft her skin is… She and I hardly hug at all, despite us being friends. From her displays with her other friends, she made me believe that hugging is like a ritual for friendships. I’ve hardly ever felt her hair other than tonight. All of that changed when Sunset got drunk. She was overly clingy and liked to hug me. She is probably the only person I don’t mind doing this with… My mind is so stubborn to keep up a certain reputation as the bad girl who doesn’t need help that I refuse to allow someone to hug me usually. But with her…? She somehow breaks me down to my most fundamental levels. She makes me feel like it’s alright to be vulnerable and when I see someone hurt her… I feel angry. Just like any friend would.
“I take your kindness for granted, Adagio,” Sunset tells me with a soft hum, almost sounding like it’s a sober statement. “You’re so nice to me. You help me whenever I need it. You’re always trying to act tough, but you’re actually pretty soft.” Her eyes look up to me again, a happy smile dawning on her face. Why is it easy to get lost in someone else’s eyes? Is it everyone’s eyes or just hers? “Not just your hair or stuff. But your soul is soft too~” The warm light of the lamp is the only thing illuminating both of us, just dim enough to make someone feel tired. This same light is cast on her, making her look almost angelic. She deserves to feel happy tonight. No one should have the luxury of destroying her ego and happy nature like Flash did tonight. Slowly, Sunset’s hand reaches up to my face and cups my cheek, her face ever so close to mine. “You’re so… nice. Kind. Special. What would I do without you?” Sunset slowly asks me, getting closer to me. The heat of her breath spreads across my lips, my mind unsure how to handle the situation. My body is acting weird… Shocks of electricity go up my spine and I can’t quite control it. Even though it’s just Sunset, I can’t help but feel confused about this situation. Before I can say anything, Sunset places her lips against mine, a giant shock of electricity running through my body. Her hand never lets go of my own and the embrace lasts for what feels like an eternity. Why is she… kissing me…? Her lips feel so soft… I understand that she’s drunk, but… what would make her do this? We’re just friends and…
and…
Without giving me any chance to organize my thoughts, Sunset lets go of the kiss, quickly falling asleep in a drunken mess on my chest. Her closed eyes make her look so peaceful, despite the amount she drank. More importantly, the feeling of her lips remains on my mouth… The warm yellow light is the only thing that accompanies me now. My hand slowly strokes her hair, holding her close to me. That kiss was just a mistake on her part. She didn’t realize what she was doing and I should have stopped it. Yeah… We’ll still be friends by tomorrow morning… Reaching up to the lamp, I turn off the light, letting us rest in the peaceful darkness.
By tomorrow, I’m sure she will be her old self. Everything will be fine and back to normal. Like nothing happened… Bringing my fingers to my lips, I try to rub the sensation away, laying my head on the pillow. Everything will be back to normal…