//------------------------------// // How Could This Happen To Me? // Story: Cut it Out // by Kickback //------------------------------// I open my eyes I try to see but I'm blinded by the white light I can't remember how I can't remember why I'm lying here tonight. The Dazzlings. By the Sea, did she hate that name. For a while, it felt like Bacon Girl was never going to leave. Ever. Aria didn't think she could live like that, she was just so...ridiculously nice to her and her sisters. It takes a lot to get under her skin, okay maybe that was a lie but seriously, this chick was starting to creep her out. She could deal with Cotton-candy Hair constantly glaring at her whenever Pig-locks wasn't looking but this 'tour' was really getting on her nerves. It was the worst. Never in her life was she more thankful for Cheese-Head than when she stopped and gently tugged at Bacon Girl's totally not-awesome studded leather jacket. Aria resisted the urge to spin around and clock the worst in the face when that idiot, Sonata slammed into her back but instead bared her teeth and scowled at the obliviously stupid Siren. "Thankyou, ummm, Sunset." Adagio started in her ever-saucy tone, glancing back over to her and Sonata. "But I think we'd like to have a look around on our own." "Uh huh!" Toothpaste Hair nodded, beaming all the while through the unbelievably annoying voice of her's. "Yeah." She muttered. "Oh." Flame-head breathed, smiling. "Okay, I'll see you girls in the cafeteria later, alright?" Aria couldn't stand the hopeful optimism in her totally-not-kinda-sexy voice. "You just might." Winked Adagio. She stopped and smiled. Oh, Lord Tirek please, just go. "Okay, well...bye!" Aria watched Cheese-Head halfheartedly wave at her as she took off walking down the hall in her absolutely-tacky-and-not-cool-as-all-Hell-flaming boots. Good, she's gone. Though, maybe they should have kept her around for just a little bit longer. She'll never get those fifteen minutes of blindly following their steps and listening to Sonata's repetitive 'I remember! It's this way!'s. Aria stared ahead with little emotion at her sister all the way down the hall, pointing down the corner and calling out to them. She looked to her left, Cheese-Head stood there, meeting her gaze and looking just as dead as she felt. She looked to her right. There was a big, fat door in the middle of the wall with the words 'Principal Celestia' written in black printed on it. The amount of force of her open palm colliding with her face could have moved mountains but it was no way near as powerful as the harsh smack across the worst's head when she finally realized and moped her way over to them. It wasn't long after that when she heard it. That horrible...horrible name. She bit her tongue and forced the scoff that threatened to escape her lips, she didn't need another scolding from Cheese-Head over there. Aria fastened her improv-vest against her chest, idly glancing over to where her sister stood in the room with little interest. Adagio leaned on her elbow over the desk, she could practically feel the seductive stare she was giving Miss Rainbow-Hair, of whom sat behind the table in her chair, her fingers interlocking together in front of her eyes. Aria glanced over to Sonata, she just stood there, rocking back and forth on her heels and toes. Back and forth. Heel and toe. Smiling like an idiot the whole time, looking at everything as if it were the most interesting thing in the world because she's the worst. However, she was very close to handing that title over to the so called 'band name' that Adagio had just miraculously come up with on the spot without consulting either of them. The second she said it to the grossly tall lady behind the desk, Aria instantly felt the urge to throw up. Seriously? She always knew that her sister was a bit of an egomaniac but did she really, really have to make themselves know as the friggin' Dazzlings? You don't see her walking up to people going 'Hi, my group's called the Blazlings!'. Lest they sound like a bunch of junkies. "So, what do you think?" Fluffle Mcfluff-Fluff asked, glancing at her nails. Chapstick-Lips over there glanced towards the over-grown smurf standing in the corner, of whom stared back blankly, and sighed. "Interesting proposal, girls. But I I don't think any sort of conflict would be best, given recent events. Perhaps we..." Aria's ears neglected to register the rest of what she had to say and her gaze snapped downwards as Adagio clacked her heel against the side of her boot. She looked over to Toothpaste, she grinned maliciously at her before she closed her eyes and parted her lips, the gem set in the black band around her light blue neck glowing faintly. Ah~Ahhh~ Ahh~Haaahh~ Aria gently glided her finger over the smoothed-out cuts of her jewel and smiled, joining her sister in their wordless chorus. Ahh~Haa~ Ahhh~Ahhhhh~ Adagio idly flicked at a stray fluff of hair from her face and lidded her eyes, resting her chin on her knuckle. "Yes?" Green tendrils teased at the edges of Rainbow-Head's eyes. "...We should-" "Maybe we should instead have a battle of the bands, sister." The lady from Avatar interjected, her eyes swirling in pools of emerald. "After all, what's so wrong with a little competition?" She heard Cheese-Head cackle under her breath and rolled her eyes. "Ahhhhhhdagiooooo Can we please change the naaaaaammee Ahhhh~?" Sonata giggled. "No." "FuckAhhhhh~You." Tartarus hath no fury like a Siren scorned. Except it just wasn't any Siren, it was the toughest Siren and she wasn't really scorned but it was close. Aria's muscles tensed under her skin as her teeth steadily ground together, her eyes never leaving the white spot in the table. She sat there, rigged with rage, listening to the grotesque gnawing of her sisters jaws and the giddy humming that escaped her throat. Aria clung to every wisp of negative energy that seeped into her amulet, trying to take comfort in it and distract herself from the worst. Glancing across from her, she eyed Miss Triangle-Leggings (she was beginning to run out of different names) leaning back there in her seat, looking as smug as ever with that facetious smirk on her face with her legs crossed as she twiddled her pendant between her fingers while it absorbed the foggy green mist that permeated the air. Her deep violet eyes lazily scanned around, the sight almost got her to grin. Everywhere she looked, there was conflict and it was delicious, friends turned on each other, lovers squabbled and names were cursed with the fires of Hell and it was delicious. Never had she seen a pack of hormone-raging adolescents get along so well before setting foot into Canterlot High. It was sickening. Thankfully, they managed to change that and all it took was a little song. It had been far too long since she'd had a good feed. A real meal like back in the old days. She didn't expect anything less though, after all, nothing screamed 'Tense Social Powder-keg' more than a high school, even if it wasn't the type of Equestrian magic Adagio had promised. They just had to light the fuse. "Mmph!" Speaking of fuses. Dynamite...yeah, dynamite would be good to have right now. Aria groaned, letting forehead smack firmly down on her forearm. Ever since this morning, there had been something nagging at the back of her mind. She couldn't help but feel it was connected somehow to the weird tugging in the chest. It wasn't really a bad feeling but it was new and it was annoying her. You don't annoy Aria Blaze. Aria felt something fly out and get caught in her hair. She lifted her head up from her arms out of confusion just in time to have a piece of mince meat promptly stick to her cheek. Her eyebrows lowered ever so slowly. Sonata just sat there, her eyes closed while she munched away without a care with a half-eaten taco in her hand. Her face was caked in salad dressing and crunchy shell crumbs.The crazy bitch had another whole taco in her other hand. Aria growled under her breath and reached up, locking her finger behind her thumb and flicking the worst's nose like a mini-catapult. "Ow! Aria!" All that managed to do was spur her into a second strike. "Stop it!" "No." "Stop!" "No." "Stahp it!" "No." "Ariaaaaaaaaahhhh!" "Then chew with your mouth closed, Toothpaste." "Oh...sorry." "And you wouldn't be if you weren't the w-" Aria's voiced caught in her throat as she caught sight of a very annoyingly familiar sight. There he sat on the far end of the room, what was his name again? Something stupid and lame, she'd bet. He barely moved at all but that wasn't what got to her, something was different this time and even though he was still wearing those douchy glasses of his, this time, she was sure he was looking at her. Something about that fact made her feel uncomfortable, very uncomfortable. Grimlock. That was it. As the name echoed around her giant, lavender noodle, that blasted grabby feeling in her blackened heart strengthened. Soon enough, her whole steadily betrayed her. Her palms began to sweat uncontrollably and her knees wobbled under the table. Her eyes fluttered and twitched relentlessly. Everything about everything was wrong in that one second in time and it only got more so the longer she stared and he stared back. Ever so slowly, her lips curled up into the beginnings of a stupid, dopey smile. "...w-worst..." For a moment, it felt like it was just him and her. Her and him. Them. Only. The whole world went black, turned to a inky void, except them or maybe the world was colour and they were two shadows, two darkened souls never breaking eye-contact with each other from afar, over an ocean of hues. Aria couldn't decide or describe it. For a moment, she thought she could hear the tones blaring from his ear phones like before. It surrounded her, all she could hear was the music. All there was was the music. Aria felt sick. Very, very sick. Her head felt like it had just up and turned to sludge that swirled around in her cranium. "You are!" Her gut twisted and writhed beneath her skin, almost as if it were a snake curling and tying in on itself. Except it was like a billion snakes. "Oh by the Sea! Would you two just shut u-Aria?" She felt the bile rise up in the back of her throat like a tidal wave a tar crashing in on her tongue. "Hey, what's wrong?" She could have sworn she just saw the briefest flashes of a smirk adorn his face. "You okay?" It takes a lot to scare Aria Blaze but this was doing it. Hard. Just what the actual fuck was this feeling? ...and why was it so warm? Aria gulped. Her cheeks expanded as her mouth went to cover her lips. She gave one quick look to both her sisters before jumping out of her chair and bolting out of the chaotic war-zone that used to be the cafeteria. She had never ran so fast in her long, long life. Aria tried to recall the events leading up to her current predicament but it was all just a blur to her now. One filled with porcelain walls, stupid orange and blue concerned faces and greenish yellow slime. Lots of it. She decided to take that as bad sign. There she sat in the room, there were no words for how bored she was nor were there for how she felt. At least, she didn't think so, there shouldn't have been, this was indescribable. It was the worst. Her eyes drifted up to the glass frame etched into the door at the far end of the room. In big, fat black letters, in reverse read the word 'Nurse'. She hated doctors. Why in all the multi-verse Adagio thought this was a good idea was beyond her. For all she knew, she just had a bug or something. One of those human ailments that they get and in turn, she gets. That makes sense, right? "You must be thankful to have friends like that." She moved her head at the sound of the voice. Her gaze was met by that of a pale, young woman standing by her side, smiling sweetly at her. Holy Discord, she was white! With a quick glance down at her chest, she read the name 'Red-Heart' scrawled in cursive, simple writing on her tag. Aria would never admit that she was also pretty, sorta, kinda well-developed, at least, by human standards. Not that she would ever think anything of it. Humans were gross creatures. Why the Hell did she have to be one? "They were really worried about you, you know." Aria crossed her arms and scowled at the wall ahead of her. "Whatever." Licorice-Head ('Cause, seriously, her hair was RED) let out a quiet sigh and walked over to the other side of the room where a desk rested. Aria caught the sounds of something rummaging around but didn't bother to watch her. "So, sweetheart, why don't you tell me what's up?" She asked. Aria gritted her teeth. "Your friends said that you just up and felt sick out of nowhere." The warmth was still there. Why? "...Aria, was it?" At the sound of her name, she briefly caught the genuinely friendly look the nurse was giving her. Fuck it. "Alright, doc. Ya wanna know what the friggin' problem is?" "I-" "This!" All at once, Aria's whole body snapped. Her muscles convulsed under her skin, her arms slumped to her sides and her neck slouched forward more. She could hear the rapid beating of her heart in her ears, feeling the blood burn in her veins. It was warm. Everything was warm. Her tongue softly lolled slightly out of her mouth as her lips were cracked and forced into a droopy, dumb smile. Her eyes rolled to the sides and her eyelids lowered steadily. She blinked. Very slowly. Her head swam with euphoria and it felt good. Aria didn't like that. Not one bit. Her entire figure relaxed into what could be classified as a sluggish mess. Nurse Licorice-Locks's expression shifted to one of stark smugness. "Uh huh." She grinned. "And how long has this been happening?" Aria's back straightened and her eyes rolled as she crossed her arms again. "Just today." "I see...and when exactly does this happen?" "I just told you! It only happened today, right when I..." She paused. "When I looked at him." "I think I've found out what's going on with you, dearie." She laughed. "Wait, wha-You do? What is it?" "Why, you're in love."