//------------------------------// // 4. Quality Time // Story: Back to the Good Life // by Sammy-Jack //------------------------------// Adagio couldn’t actually sleep tonight, deep in thought over everything going on lately. She was kept awake by her mind racing over all of her various worries, so she decided to go out into the living room to watch late night shows. In the dark room, lit only by the TV screen, she sat in her usual sleep attire of a large shirt, which felt four times her size. Like all of those shirts of hers, she can’t remember exactly where she got them, but had owned them for years, and they were the most comfortable apparel for late night anyway Though she always hated humans, being naturally lesser beings than her, Adagio had to admit that the wacky things they come up with for entertainment was enough to soften the blows that life threw at her occasionally. Especially late at night, their drama series helped distract herself from anything she didn’t want to be mad at. She usually never spent much time on the television , thinking if she had time to waste, she would rather be feasting on negativity to feed her power. Now Adagio could no longer do that, and she remembered how pitiful she felt, a creeping of dread making it’s way through her mind. Taking a deep breath to relax, she had to remember what Aria had proposed about ignoring the problem for now, and returned her attention the the show, where the main character was about to expose his wife of cheating on him. She laughed internally at how cheesy these shows were. After watching them for decades, Adagio could predict every plot twist at this point, which confused her sisters as to why she even still watched them. She had explained, well, tried to explain to Sonata, that watching them do such foolish things was the entertainment value for her. Something about creatures being in conflict always comforted her, even if she couldn’t steal it through the television. A soft scuttling came from the hallway, making Adagio turn away to see one of her sisters standing there. After adjusting from the brightness, she could make out Sonata in her brightly colored pajamas, rubbing her eyes, and holding one of her bear animals. “Adagio,” Sonata yawned. “I had a bad dream.” Adagio rolled her eyes, having forgotten why she didn’t like coming out here late at night. For some reason, whenever she did, Sonata usually came out because of some childish reason. She was over one thousand years old, so it was a little annoying how she still had nightmares and silly things like that. Still, Adagio responded as she always did in these situations. “What was it about, Sonata?” She patted the couch seat next to her, inviting her over. Sonata walked over to the couch, plopping onto it next to her sister. “Well, I was being chased by a giant robot. It had these big red eyes and giant pinchers for hands.” She held out her hands and clamped them like a crab to give an example. That identified the low-budget horror movie Sonata insisted on watching earlier that night, despite the warnings from her and Aria. Adagio leaned back on the couch, putting her arms on the back cushion. “I told you not to watch that movie. Those scary movies always freak you out.” “I know...” Sonata started leaning over until she fell against Adagio’s side, snuggling against the couch and curling up. Adagio was about to protest to being leaned on before giving in. There was no real harm in it, it just annoyed her. Despite how irritating Sonata could be at times, her naive attitude being a healthy balance from Aria’s vexation. Her childish nature gave Adagio some comfort, so she overlooked some of the stupid things she did on a regular basis. “Can I stay out here with you Adagio?” Sonata looked up, and put on a pitiful expression, hoping her sister wouldn’t say no to that. Groaning, Adagio rolled her eyes and reluctantly agreed. “But if you start snoring again, you’ll end up on the ground.” She poked a finger menacingly against Sonata’s nose. Sonata agreed to that term, confident that she wouldn’t snore this time, and closed her eyes to go back to sleep, feeling much more safe than closed off in her room. Turning back to her TV show, Adagio let herself go back to the mindless state where she ignored everything except what she was watching. “I’m sorry, Debra, but I can’t stay with you knowing that you love my twin brother!” “Jonathan!” Terrible writing, honestly. Adagio saw through the twin brother scam, knowing that would lead to a climactic episode ever since he was introduced. Still, the overly exaggerated expression and emphasis on dialogue left it entertaining. She continued to watch the scene play out, waiting for the inevitable twist that resolved the whole conflict. A loud sound suddenly came to her attention, something that sounded like someone gurgling golf balls. Her eyes opened wide as she looked around to find that weird bubbling sound. She looked down to Sonata, who had slid down to rest her head on Adagio’s lap, snoring away. It had only been maybe five minutes, and she was already breaking her end of the deal of sleeping out here. She was tempted on actually following through with her threat, but decided she was too tired, and merely scowled at her sister. Looking to the clock now, Adagio saw that it was almost four in the morning. She was surprised how quickly time went whenever she lounged about like this, and thought of going to bed for real ... After finishing this episode. The main character was confronting his brother finally when Adagio passed out. - - - Adagio jerked awake when she heard the sound of a camera shutter. She jumped a little, bouncing the head of Sonata, still asleep, then looked up to see Aria, taking a picture with her phone before putting it back in her pocket. “Looks like you two had a real bonding moment last night,” Aria jested, giving Adagio a suspicious grin. “Can’t wait to show Sonata how much you loved her company.” She laughed, and kept laughing while Adagio tried to organize herself. “Aria, It’s not like I haven’t caught you in any questionable situations,” Adagio said as she slowly freed herself from under Sonata. “Tell her about this one, and I’ll tell her about one of yours.” She gave a sneer and raised an eyebrow, waiting for a retort. Aria just rolled her eyes, smile still on her face, and brushed a hand through her hair, which she still had flowing down her back. “Yeah yeah, whatever. Hope she didn’t drive you crazy.” “You mean, with her horrific snoring?” “I was gonna say atrocious.” “Any synonym works for this, really.” The sisters laughed together for a short while, the room falling silent when they were done. From the way the sun leaking light through the curtains, it appeared to be early morning, the sun having just risen, bringing a soft light into the room that made it feel rather peaceful. Adagio looked back at Sonata, who was still on the couch, and saw that she was now on her back, one arm and a leg hanging over the edge, and her mouth wide open, causing her snoring to worsen. That was all that was needed to ruin the mood for Adagio, so she made her way to her room. “I’m going back to bed. I feel like I slept on a rock last night.” Aria just shrugged, and went to make herself something to eat, ignoring the monstrous noises coming from Sonata. - - - - The Next Day - - - - Staying hidden away for a week wasn’t such a bad idea after all. Aria had wondered what she would do the whole time, until she got on the internet again, seeing so many different web comics and video series had updated dozens of times each. She usually only spent a small amount of time each day to view her various things, so she was never caught up with their current releases, and this time allowed her to get herself up to speed. Aria wouldn’t say that she liked humans as a whole, but the content that individual people made was entertaining enough to get her past the boredom. With all the free time, she was also able to watch various media networks and keep up with any news about them, which was a downside to the humans since she could use their information services to avoid them. She always found herself praising the Creator of the World Wide Web, for allowing them such easy access to information that was unreachable for nearly a thousand years of being stuck in this stupid world. Pulling away from her screen, Aria decided to look around her room again, stretching her arms and taking a big yawn. The walls were painted in a dark shade of purple, and she usually kept the curtains closed to keep the light out. She never felt much need to clean her room, so random bits of everything was scattered along her floor, shelves, and even a little on her bed. Adagio occasionally complained about it, but she didn’t ever need to come in, so Aria didn’t care. Along the walls were a multitude of posters from different bands and musical groups. Over the years, the three had found a band or a singer who’s musical ability was actually worth noting. They were never able to compare to their talent, but even their voices couldn’t keep them satisfied all the time. Thinking back to her voice, Aria held a hand over her throat, massaging it gently. She had never actually tried singing again, even though she knew it would be awful. Maybe the dread of hearing a horrible sound kept her from trying, but Aria never bothered to test it. Sonata had tried singing some horrible radio tune last night, before her voice almost broke their eardrums. “That tone-deaf idiot,” Aria muttered to no one. She swiveled her chair back to the desk, returning to the world that was the Wide Web. Everything she could possibly need could be found on here, and she didn’t have to leave the comfort of home. Adagio never really understood, or cared, about the magic that was the Internet, and Sonata never understood anything, so Aria was the sole user of it in the house, allowing the computer to be in her room. She clicked onto one of the many links that helped her navigate through her collection of websites before her concentration was temporarily disturbed by a loud crash from the room next door. - - - “Oh no! The castle gate has been breached,” Sonata shouted as her gate crumpled under the force of the battering ram. Sonata’s room was a massive mess of figurines and structures. All along the floor, there were large groups of figurine soldiers laying down, having been defeated, and many broken buildings in a path to her bed. Platforms had been set up alongside the bed to allow the models to scale up to the bed top, where a large castle structure, about two feet tall, stood, surrounded by more solder figures. Sonata Dusk was currently acting commander of the Kingdom troops, who were being assaulted by the Clan of Shadows. The Crystal Kingdom had their Castle established atop Bed Hill, and the incline had kept their enemies at bay for hours now, but the Clan had come prepared, and slowly made inched their way up the pass. Their King, Sombra, had thrown every defense the Kingdom had at it’s disposal: Giant bunnies, fluffy bears, and even their renowned Crystal soldiers, adorned in crystal armor, but the Clan of Shadow’s forces were those alike apparitions, and merely turned into smoke when they died, only to reappear. The Shadows were after the great artifact that the royal family held sacred for generations: The Crystal Heart. Sonata quickly replaced her military hat for a crown, and turned backwards. “What should we do, Commander? The Clan will descend upon the Treasury in a matter of minutes.” She lowered her tone, speaking as King Sombra. Pivoting back, putting her commander hat back on, she spat in anger. “We mustn’t let the fiends take possession of the Crystal Heart! What about the Sealing Ritual?” He paused briefly. “It would work, but the Sealing Ritual ... It would banish the entire Kingdom. I can’t bring this upon the people.” “My Lord! The creatures have invaded our very keep! There is no sacrifice that would bring our Kingdom lower than it is now,” Commander Sonata pleaded with the King. Sombra finally conceded. “Very well. We cannot allow evil to take control of it’s power.” She reached into the castle, carefully grabbing the king figure, and moved it one floor down, to the chamber where the Crystal Heart lay dormant. Standing back straight, she let out a sigh, hesitant to place her hand on the gemstone floating before her.. After a few moments, she reached down, and grabbed three shadow figures, and placed them next to the door that led to the chamber. Banging noises came from behind the door, a sign that the Shadows would soon be upon him. Sombra had no more time for hesitation, knowing that the Crystal Heart had to be kept out of evil’s grasp. Placing his hand upon the gem, he began chanting an incantation. - - - Adagio felt miserable. She thought that taking a nap would help with the painfully slow day, but she had slept in an awkward position, and that ended up with a painfully sore back. The irritation from being in pain caused a headache, making her swear to never nap again as she exited her room into the hallway. She decided that she needed to get some medicine, and she might as well make some lunch, being too early to start dinner. Adagio wondered what the girls were up to, deciding to open the door to Sonata’s room to check on her. Adagio was welcomed by the sight of a room in total disarray, figures scattered about on every surface, stuffed animals tossed about in random directions, and of Sonata, wearing a crown and cape, holding a large castle replica over her head, looking at Adagio in shock. The two stood, frozen for a few moments, both unsure of what to say first. Sonata appeared to be in mid-swing of tossing the castle, but she couldn’t tell. Finally, it came back to her, exactly what Sonata was doing. Adagio put a hand to her head, feeling it throb again. “The battle for the Crystal Heart, right?” Sonata gasped in delight. “Yeah!” “And King Sombra just sealed the Crystal Kingdom away?” She pointed to the castle above Sonata’s head. She nodded to confirm Adagio was correct. “Yep! I’m so glad you remember, Adagio.” “No, I’m surprised YOU remember that battle so clearly. That was almost a thousand years ago, when we first arrived.” Adagio made a hand motion to put the castle down, and Sonata gently complied. “It’s just so much fun to replay it again! I mean, we were in this one, after all.” Sonata proudly pointed to three figures on her bookshelf, all having a startling similarity to them in appearance. Adagio decided to just let this slide. She had known her for countless years, and still had trouble figuring her out at times. Trying to fully understand Sonata just wasn’t worth the effort. “Well, I guess you’re keeping yourself busy. I’m making lunch, so come let me know if you want some when you’re done here.” “Alrighty, Adagio!” Sonata picked up her castle again as Adagio shut the door. Making her way back down the hallway, she thought of knocking on Aria’s door, but that usually upset her for some reason. Adagio was already upset, so bickering with Aria was one of the least exciting things she could do today. She just decided it would be best to make lunch for three, and she could have some later. Adagio had made probably four steps down the hall when the house was filled with a loud crashing sound, which jarred the floor. Sonata probably scared the residents below them, but she had been doing this for years, so they better be used to it by now. Aria quickly emerged from her seclusion, much to the surprise of Adagio. She had a look of terror in her eyes, mixed with some anger. “Can you tell Sonata to stop?” “Why? She’s almost finished, and it’s keeping her out of your room.” Adagio shooed Aria with one hand. “Besides, if it’s bugging you so much, tell her yourself” Aria just crossed her arms, and walked towards the kitchen. “I was coming to get some food first.” Chuckling, Adagio just shook her head. She knew Aria wouldn’t do anything about it. “I’m making a late lunch, if you want something too.” “Whatever,” Aria replied. The two quietly made their way into the kitchen, Adagio getting to work on the food while Aria just leaned against the wall in the corner. - - - - Two Days Pass - - - - Adagio never actually thought about what she would do during this time of solitude. All she could really think of doing was watch television, but that got old yesterday. Sonata ran in front of her, holding a toy airplane and making poor engine noises. She was currently just sitting on the couch, an arm resting against her leg to support a hand against her chin staring forward at the entertainment center ahead of her. Adagio looked over the multiple shelves on either side of the television, at their various players, racks for CD’s, and speakers. It was a very nice setup, with their fairly new TV in the center. Sonata lapped around her again, now starting to make gunfire noises. She prided herself in making sure their home was clean and fresh whenever they came home, always making Sonata and Aria dust their cabinets or clean the floor. Adagio would take care of the random clutter that gathered on the coffee table or in the kitchen. Normally, it was always spotless. The past few days, though, she felt abnormally lazy, and didn’t keep the girls up on the cleaning, so the living room was scattered with bits of food, some clothing, and almost all of Sonata’s stuffed animals. Sonata ran past again, this time holding a second plane, and pretending them to be in a dogfight. “Oh. My gosh. Sonata!” Aria interrupted the (mostly) quiet atmosphere from her chair in the corner. “Do you seriously have to play with your toys out here?” “Well, there’s not as much space in my room,” Sonata replied without a pause in her aerial battle. “I get it, I really do, but you’ve been running in circles for over twenty minutes!” Aria put both of her hands against her face, nearing the end of her patience. “Well, i already played with everything else in my room. Why don’t you just go to your room to play on your phone?” Adagio tuned them out, going back to focusing on her own boredom. Whenever this happened, she would have the three of them go out, cause up a stir to feed from, and watch the people tear each other apart. Now she lacked that joy in her life, and she tried thinking of ways to replace that as a regular human now. She could go out, and watch people still, but that wouldn’t be for another few days, and it certainly wouldn’t be the same, unless she watched a riot. Adagio started to wonder if that was actually still possible, causing chaos among the humans, without her magic. She did take pride in her speaking skills, but couldn’t remember the last time she tried to get someone to do her bidding without magic involved. At this point, Adagio wasn’t sure if five days was even necessary anymore. She was worried that they would start getting hungry soon, anyways, seeing as it had been four days since they filled on the energy from Canterlot High. Thinking about that more, now, Adagio wondered why they weren’t hungry already. They had all of their magic they stole relieved from them, so nothing was sustaining them anymore. “A thought just occurred to me,” Adagio said abruptly, interrupting Aria, who was standing up now, holding Sonata around the neck with one arm and angrily drilling her knuckles into her forehead. “What’s up, Adagio?” Both of them asked in unison, freezing in place. “Have either of you been hungry lately?” She held up a hand when Sonata opened her mouth. “And not food hungry, magic hungry?” The two of them looked at each other, confused, and gave a shrug. “Well, not really. But it’s not surprising, seeing as we lost the power we kept sustaining. Without that, we wouldn’t feel the need to feed it,” Aria suggested. “It’s just so different, isn’t it? Humans never have to worry about that, only their stomachs. It’s so normal, that it’s weird,” she chuckled. “Well, how can it be normal if it’s weird too?” Sonata asked, looking more confused now. “It’s kinda like how you can be so annoying, yet we still keep you around.” Aria returned to rubbing her knuckles into Sonata. “Ow! Cut it out, Aria!” It was clearly going to be a major transition from their previous lives if they wanted to keep up with the constantly changing human society, now in the river of life as opposed to floating on top in their boat of siren magic. Adagio stood up, and looked at her sisters wrestling with each other before she smacked them on the back of their idiot heads.