//------------------------------// // Chapter Six: Mindless, Vicious, and Blind // Story: Welcome to the Show // by DWK //------------------------------// “So…” Sonata said, sitting down cross-legged in front of Aria, who was slumped in her room’s only chair, nursing a cup of coffee that may or may not have had one or more “medicinal supplements” added to it while her friend wasn’t looking. “Old gods, please no,” Aria moaned, taking a very large gulp. “What’s the big deal?” Sonata shrugged, “I said one word.” “I know that look,” Aria glared, “and it means one of two things: either we’re going to ‘have a talk,’ or you’re going to say something that royally pisses me off. Either way, can we please just not?” “I was just wondering if you and Addy kissed and made up,” the younger siren offered innocently. “Oh wow, okay,” Aria grimaced, “let’s go ahead and do both at once, then.” “C’mon,” Sonata encouraged, prodding her friend’s knee, “I know you talked to her; tell me how it went.” “Ugh,” Aria sighed, trying to think of ways to stall, “it went just as well as y– damn, your skirt is really ineffective when you sit like that.” Sonata hopped to her feet, pushing the aforementioned garment down frantically. “Why are you always looking up my skirt?” Sonata hissed. “Why are you always giving me the opportunity?” Aria demanded in return. “Why are you being all weird about it?” “Why are you wearing a thong in October?” “You’re changing the subject,” Sonata countered suspiciously, hands planted firmly on her hips. “What happened?” “What do you think happened, Sonata?” Aria deadpanned. “Hmm…” the blue girl hummed thoughtfully, tapping her chin. ----- It was with a heavy heart that Aria stood before the door, her head bowed low. Her stomach squirmed with anticipation as she slowly knocked thrice, hearing a slight bustle from beyond that culminated in the door opening. “Hello, Aria,” Adagio said, her expression unreadable, “have you been well?” “I’m afraid not,” Aria admitted. “Can we talk?” “Why, of course,” Adagio said with slight surprise, swinging the door open fully and welcoming her guest, “please come in.” “Where should I sit?” Aria asked nervously, hoping her anxious expression was hidden by the pale light of the candlelit room. “Anywhere you like,” Adagio replied, taking her own chair. “Thank you,” Aria said, sitting down on the edge of the bed. “I didn’t want to be rude.” “Tell me, what is on your mind?” Adagio asked, staring intently into her oldest friend’s eyes. “Oh, Adagio,” Aria cried, clutching at the ache in her chest, “I have made a terrible mistake!” “So have I!” Adagio sobbed, burying her face in her hands. “All of these years, I’ve treated you so terribly,” Aria continued, tears welling up in her eyes, “and it’s tearing me up inside!” “I was going to say the exact same thing,” Adagio said with astonishment. “If only I’d known how you felt, we could have been happy all this time.” “It doesn’t have to be like this anymore,” Aria said, wiping a joyful tear from her cheek, “because I’ve realized that you are my best friend. I mean, besides Sonata. Sonata’s so awesome.” “Isn’t she?” Adagio agreed. “She’s so kind and pretty, and she takes such amazing care of her hair.” “You’re like a sister to me, Adagio,” Aria said gently, “and I promise from this moment on, I will never be a jerk to you – or Sonata – ever again. Also I’m going to quit drinking, smoking, and eating so much red meat. And I’m going to wash my dishes after I use them instead of leaving them in the sink, because who has to clean those up, hmm? Certainly not me.” “Oh, Aria, I promise all of those things too!” Adagio replied. “I also promise to stop using Sonata’s antiperspirant, because, I mean, seriously, how inconsiderate is that?” “I’m so glad we can be one big, happy family now,” Aria said, the weight of ages lifting from her heart as she realized she would never be sad or grouchy or drunk or yell at anyone who was just trying to help her ever again. “But,” Adagio interjected timidly, “are we just family, or have you ever felt we might be something…more?” “W-What do you mean,” Aria stammered, her heart fluttering in her chest. “I can’t deny it any longer, Aria,” Adagio said, rising from her seat. She walked over and knelt in front of her friend, grasping her hand and squeezing it tightly. “I can’t lie to myself anymore; I love you.” Aria gasped, covering her mouth as fresh tears of happiness streamed down her cheeks. “I love you too,” she whispered. Gently, Adagio began undoing Aria’s belt buckle, but a trembling hand stopped hers. “Wait,” Aria said, her cheeks flushed red, “please be gentle…I’m…I’ve never done this before.” Adagio gazed into her eyes tenderly, knowing from many years of experience how to treat a delicate flower like Aria. Gently, she reached up and stroked her lover’s cheek, pulling her into a passionate kiss, letting her know without a doubt that this was love, for realzies. “I will always be gentle with you, Aria,” she said when their lips parted. “Oh my god, why?” Aria shouted. ----- Sonata’s head snapped up as she stopped her narration. “Because,” she said darkly, her gaze cast a thousand yards into the distance, “nobody tells you that femslash is an addiction until it’s way, way too late.” Aria’s posture was rigid, her face contorted with such an intense combination of rage and revulsion that she was afraid it might actually split down the middle. She took the opportunity to finish her “coffee.” “Anyways,” Sonata continued, “I’m just messing around. How’d it go?” “She threw a chair at me,” Aria growled. “In a good way or a bad way?” the younger siren wondered. “Sonata, in what situation could throwing a chair at someone ever be a good thing?” “A two-person lion-taming act, or a group juggling session…but that’s all I can think of off the top of my head,” Sonata shrugged. “Ah, yes,” Aria scowled, “so Adagio and I met up at the circus…” “You messed up really bad, didn’t you?” Sonata interrupted, crossing her arms. “She’s impossible, Sonata!” Aria shouted defensively. “Yes,” Sonata sighed, rolling her eyes, “she is one of the impossible people in this house. Did you even say you were sorry?” “No.” “Did you say you forgive her?” “No.” “Well, what did you even do?” “I…” Aria trailed off, trying to figure out the most generous way to phrase this. “I drank her booze, messed up her bed, and I got in her face for being an abusive twat.” “And you’re surprised she threw something at you?” Sonata huffed. “What do you want from me?” the elder siren demanded. “I want you to stop making things worse,” Sonata said sternly. “Did anything good happen at all?” “Not really,” Aria confessed, rubbing her temples and sorely wishing for another drink. “After that she kicked me out of her room, very literally I might add.” “Wait, did she hurt you?” the blue girl asked, her expression softening. “She tried,” Aria smirked, but as her hand unconsciously drifted to her bruised ribs, a slight wince betrayed her. It did not go unnoticed. “Lemme see,” Sonata commanded firmly, hovering over her friend. “No.” “Ari…” “No! Fuck off!” Aria snapped. All the hugging and shoulder-patting was uncomfortable enough; this was something she simply would not stand for. She wrapped her arms around her body, curling her legs up and staring defiantly at her would-be attendant. “Just let me see…” Sonata insisted, grabbing at her sister siren’s shirt. Aria felt herself bristle uncontrollably, her vision swimming with anger. “You back off!” she bellowed, slapping the other girl’s hands away. She stood, bearing down on Sonata and backing her into the wall. “You listen to me,” she snarled, jabbing a finger into the other girl’s chest, “because I won’t say this again: get out of my head and get out of my space. Just because we’re ‘friends,’” she spat, making large air-quotes, “does not mean you’re entitled to my thoughts or that you get to manhandle me whenever you feel like it. You need to back the fuck up.” Sonata had practically collapsed into a ball, crumpled into the corner. Her expression was stricken with shock. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. Her wounded eyes shimmered with wetness, and Aria felt that increasingly familiar feeling of bad twisting in her chest, but her ire had been awoken once more, and the guilt only fed it. “You just keep pushing me!” she seethed, pacing back and forth while gesticulating wildly. “Every second of every goddamned day, you just keep pushing me; you keep breaking me down and making me do things I don’t want to do, and sometimes I’m not even sure who I am anymore! Every time I give in it’s just on to the next thing. You’re trying to make me into someone I’m not. You’re trying to make me into you.” “I’m sorry,” Sonata whimpered again. “You’re trying to suck me into this little touchy-feely world of yours,” Aria groaned, tugging anxiously at her own hair, “where everything gets fixed through hugging and talking and crying, and that’s not me, don’t you get that? I’m trying really hard to just learn how to talk to you without flipping out every ten seconds – and failing, if you haven’t noticed – so can you just let me figure that out first before you try and give me a complete personality overhaul?” “I’m really sorry, Ari,” Sonata repeated forlornly, hugging herself, “I won’t touch you again, I promise.” “It’s not that,” Aria sighed, massaging her brow, “it’s…” she trailed off, sinking down against the wall opposite her distressed friend. Aria was so very tired, and it threatened to overwhelm her. Her bruises throbbed and her head ached. She’d had far too much to drink over the past few days, and it made her feel as though her insides had been taken out, rearranged, and then haphazardly stuffed back into her body. She’d felt so many things she wasn’t used to feeling – she was still feeling them, and they formed a squirming, writhing knot in her chest that felt as though it was either going to crush her heart or burst through her sternum. Her thoughts were muddled and chaotic; they had been racing nonstop recently, but now threatened to grind to a halt entirely. Her body, mind, and soul were taxed to their breaking point, and yet through all of it, the part that felt the worst was the knowledge that she’d once again lashed out at the one soul on this wretched mortal plane who truly didn’t deserve it. “Look, I’m sorry, okay?” she rasped, rubbing her eyes. It wasn’t much to offer, but it was practically the only thing she knew for certain at the moment. “Me too,” Sonata whispered, tapping her fingers together nervously. “I guess…I guess I was so happy to see you come out of your shell even a little bit that I got carried away.” “Just…” Aria began, searching for the right words, “just take ‘no’ for an answer once in a while, okay? I feel like you’re suffocating me sometimes.” The blue girl nodded solemnly, and a silence fell between them. It was deathly quiet; this was the one room of the house that the ambient hum of electronics or the tick of a clock did not reach. “Sonata?” Aria prompted after a moment of thought. “Yeah?” “Has it ever crossed your mind that maybe me and Adagio are just bad people?” the elder siren wondered, “and that no matter how much you try to get us to treat each other decently – to treat you decently – it’s always going to end badly? All this ‘making up’ bullshit seems to be predicated on the idea that there’s actually something here worth salvaging. Haven’t you ever considered that your core assumption might be wrong?” “Um…not really?” Sonata shrugged in reply. “Fair enough,” Aria frowned, sighing heavily. ----- “Where have you been?” Aria demanded, arms crossed and a scowl upon her face. “Oh, isn’t this sweet?” Adagio tittered in between humming a cheery tune as she quite literally waltzed through the front door, “my surly surrogate spouse waited up for me!” With a flourish, she removed her coat and hung it on the rack by the door, revealing a gaudy, purple and pink getup that was typical of the eldest siren. “Tell me, did you put our dear Sonata to bed? I hope you read her a story; you know how she likes that.” “Are you even capable of dressing yourself like someone who doesn’t have a personality disorder?” Aria grimaced. “Are you capable of dressing yourself at all?” Adagio wondered in return, noting her counterpart’s lack of pants. “Enough,” the younger siren said with a firm wave of her hand; “tell me where you were.” “Were you worried about me?” Adagio simpered, attempting to pinch the other girl’s cheek, only to have her hand swatted away violently. “I’m worried about what you might be up to,” Aria clarified, eyes narrowing and teeth clenching as she followed the eldest siren into the living room. Adagio made to sit down on her usual couch, but paused for a moment. Eventually she opted to take one of the chairs instead. There was a faint, glassy clink as she set her purse down on the floor next to her. “Oh, Aria,” she laughed, lazily running her fingers through her hair, “why in the world would you assume I’m up to something devious?” “Why wouldn’t I?” Aria asked, taking the chair opposite her. “Point taken,” Adagio conceded with a thoughtful frown. “Also it’s a fairly valid assumption, seeing as I am working on a little something, but we’ll get to that in a bit. You may have noticed, Aria dear, that I haven’t quite been my usual self these past few months.” “No, really?” “Yes, yes, wallowing in self-pity and all that, but that’s not what I want to talk about; I want to talk about you. How have you been?” “Fine and dandy…can’t complain…ten out of ten, best life ever,” Aria replied, lips curling into a slight snarl. She stood up and turned in the direction of her room, but stopped upon hearing something slide across the coffee table. “I brought you a present,” Adagio said sweetly. The younger siren eyed the bottle and the one offering it suspiciously. “Thanks,” she said finally, snatching up the whiskey and once again turning to leave. “Aria,” Adagio entreated, the dejection in her voice nearly convincing, “would it hurt you so terribly to sit and have a chat with me, your oldest friend?” “It might,” Aria said, pausing but not facing her sister siren. “The last time we ‘talked’, I’m pretty sure you cracked my rib.” “Forgive me,” the eldest said in a tone that kept Aria rooted in place, “I wasn’t myself.” “Is that what you’re going to say to Sonata?” the younger siren demanded icily. She could practically hear the blood rushing to Adagio’s face as it boiled in her veins. When she finally turned around, she was greeted by a surprisingly calm expression. “I am ashamed of that,” Adagio said slowly, her usual flamboyance evaporating, leaving behind only quiet determination, “but if everything goes as planned, I’ll be able to atone for it sooner rather than later. That’s why I need to talk to you.” Her curiosity now piqued in earnest, Aria sat back down and twisted the cap off of her drink. “What’s your angle?” she asked, tone no longer suspicious but full of apprehension. A generous swig calmed her rapidly awakening nerves. “I’m getting us out of here,” Adagio said simply. Their eyes locked for a moment, and Aria could see there were no lies in these words, only resolve. “And we’re going…?” “Home, Aria,” the eldest siren breathed, “we’re going home.” “How?” Aria wondered. She tried to sound apathetic, but it was all she could do to keep her breath from catching in her throat. “It was no coincidence…” Adagio continued “it was no coincidence that we ended up in this place, or that we stayed here for so long – I just can’t believe it took being practically beaten over the head with it to finally see.” “I’m your only audience and I’m not a fan of monologues,” Aria interjected, managing some genuine annoyance, “just cut to the chase.” “Sunset Shimmer didn’t bring magic to this place; it was here before her, and she was simply the inevitable result of its presence, as was Twilight Sparkle.” The cylinder that had slowly been turning in Aria’s foggy mind finally completed its revolution and all the pins suddenly fell into place. “Are you fucking with me?” she nearly shouted, “in this little backwoods town? Why?” “I’ll admit my research has been…rushed,” Adagio explained, leaning back in her chair and allowing some of her normal panache to return. “I don’t know when it was put here, why, or by whom, but for all I know it could have been at a time when the landscape was a bit different. Then again, if I were looking to hide something, I can’t think of a more unassuming location than this place. Either way, what does it matter? What does interest me is that this area has a history of odd phenomena that goes back at least two centuries – well before we arrived.” “That night at the café…” Aria whispered, eyes staring into the distance. “Yes…” Adagio encouraged, eyes suddenly alight. “Not the big flash…I was too messed up to even notice that…it was a couple hours later after we got home and I sobered up a little. I felt something else, like someone punched me in the gut. I thought I just needed to puke, but I didn’t…” “I felt it too; so did Sonata,” Adagio confirmed, fingers unconsciously tracing her neck, “just as I felt it the day before. That was the first time she came and left; what we saw six months ago was the second.” “How the hell did I miss all this?” Aria wondered, rubbing her eyes as she marveled at her own denseness. “You were too busy playing a tortured artist,” the eldest siren replied with conceit. “Your lifestyle takes a toll on your mind, Aria.” “You’re one to talk,” Aria drawled, taking another swig. “Where’s your bottle?” “I quit drinking,” Adagio replied simply. “What does that even mean,” the younger siren frowned, “you can’t just ‘quit drinking’.” “Yes, you can,” her sister sighed; “you should try it sometime.” “So, what?” Aria continued suspiciously, “you’re just going to get me drunk instead now?” “I needed a way to have real conversation with you. This was the quickest solution I could think of.” “Fuck you,” Aria snarled, slouching back and folding her arms. She didn’t like the feeling of being manipulated – however inconsequentially – and had half a mind to lob the bottle at her compatriot’s head. Deep down, however, she knew that wasn’t going to happen, and so resigned herself to tightening her fingers around its neck and pretending it was Adagio’s. “Aria,” Adagio said, finally breaking the silence. It took the name’s owner a moment to realize that her response was being awaited. “What?” “I know exactly how you feel about me…” “Well, aren’t you an ace detective.” “…but even so, I’ve always been able to count on you when I need you.” “Oh god,” Aria moaned drunkenly, “Sonata was right...” “Focus!” Adagio snapped. “What?” Aria shouted back. “What do you need me for? Because from here it looks like you’ve got everything figured out.” “If experience has taught me anything,” the eldest siren said darkly, “it’s that my plans are neither as brilliant nor as easy as I think they are.” “It only took you a millennium to admit it…” “I’m doing my best to keep my ego out of this, Aria – it’s too important. Our lovely Miss Shimmer and her friends have the means to operate the gateway, I’m sure of it. It may be as easy as getting to one of them, but if it’s not,” Adagio leaned over the coffee table, peering into her companion’s eyes, “I need to know if I can depend on you.” There was a silence in which neither girl moved, their eyes remaining locked. Aria felt her mind attempting to race – attempting to examine the situation – but she was too far gone. “Yeah,” she said finally, doing the only thing she knew how to do, “alright.” “Good.” “What about Sonata? You haven’t told her any of this.” “Is that a fact?” Adagio wondered. “She would’ve told me.” “You two really are close these days, aren’t you?” “It’s not like that,” Aria glowered, taking an even-larger-than-usual gulp of whiskey. “Aria, please…” “Just because you’re an insatiable whore doesn’t make me one,” Aria snarled. “No,” Adagio conceded, “but enough liquor does.” “You wanna go right now?” Aria demanded, slamming her bottle down and straightening her posture. “Outside or upstairs?” the eldest siren leered; “you look ready for either.” This was it: that point. Despite being such a volatile person, Aria was not one to resort to violence unless it was needed; there was a certain level of agitation she had to reach, but there was nobody more adept at bringing her there so swiftly than Adagio. She didn’t have a name for it, but she knew it well – the point when her vision blurred and her mind abandoned all reason. Once, a long time ago in the freezing dead of night, Aria had fought for her life with steeled nerves and cold determination. This feeling was the opposite of that – mindless, vicious, and blind. She was barely conscious of her own fingers as they grabbed Adagio’s collar, or the faint ache in her once-scarred arm as she cocked it back for the first strike, ready to begin the cycle anew. She knew it would only feel good for a few minutes, and that nothing would be accomplished, but what else did she have? What about music? she asked herself, as if searching for a reason not to do it. Music is just another part of me, she answered in turn, it brings me no company. Aria winced at the thought. She was terrified to admit – even to herself – that she was lonely, that no amount of artistic passion would ever make her whole, and that Adagio was the closest thing she’d had to a friend for the past thousand years. But not anymore, she realized. It’s not just me playing now… “What’s the matter, Aria?” Adagio chuckled, “have you forgotten how this dance goes?” The question interrupted Aria’s thoughts, and it took her a moment to realize just how long she’d stood rigid, fist at the ready. The whole world realigned itself, and Aria felt once more those steeled nerves and cold determination. Adagio was not the enemy. Adagio was not worth fighting. Her true adversary was the feeling that had hold of her right now – like a hungry wolf, it was mindless, vicious, and blind – and she had to fight it tooth and nail, or she would ever be the thing that stalked her own dreams. I am Aria Whatever I become, it will be something better than I was That is all that matters The jaws of anger released, and as it fled into the night, wounded and whimpering, Aria felt her own grip loosen and her body relax, dropping Adagio awkwardly onto the coffee table. Now, as then, her foe might return with more of its kind, but this was a fight she could win. “Lost your nerve?” the eldest siren mocked, an undefinable edge to her voice, “that’s not like you, Aria.” Aria looked down, eyes blinking into focus on the derisive smirk worn by her sister siren. “I don’t have to do this with you anymore,” she said slowly, each word a shock to her own ears. “What are you talking about?” Adagio scoffed, standing and fixing her hair. “You had no qualms about it a few days ago…or do you prefer to assault me in my sleep now?” “I do want to go home,” Aria said upon a slow exhale, “so I’ll help you if you need me to. Otherwise, just stay away from me.” With slow deliberation, she picked up the bottle of whiskey and then turned to leave. “Oh, look at you,” Adagio hissed. “Are you suddenly too good for me, Aria? Can’t stoop to my level? Do you think you’re better than me? If sleeping with Sonata makes someone this docile, then we never needed amulets, we can just use her!” “I’m not trying to be better than you,” Aria replied. “Thanks for the drink,” she added, and left for her room, the protests that followed lost to her ears. ----- The light of the muted television danced across Aria’s eyes as she reclined in her easy chair. Her vision was blurred beyond the point of reclamation, and her eyelids were growing ever-heavier. Soft snores serenaded her into rapidly-deepening catatonia as Sonata slumbered peacefully on the mattress in the corner, fingers still curled around the neck of her guitar. Aria felt a warmth in her chest that she couldn’t quite explain, and it had nothing to do with the warmth in her gut where the remainder of Adagio’s whiskey was currently making its way into her bloodstream. Technically, she was alone; there was nobody to converse with – though had there been it was doubtful if she would be able to articulate any thoughts – but she didn’t feel alone. There was someone not a few feet away who really cared about her, and Aria – self-centered as she was – had only realized just what that meant when it had affected her own perception of the world. Sleep was now a fast-approaching inevitability, and lacking the coherence to stand, Aria slid out of her chair and crawled over to the bed, pushing the guitar out of the way. She contemplated simply climbing in next to her friend, but even in the depths of intoxication she still abhorred the idea of Adagio somehow barging in here and feeling vindicated, so she opted to rest on the floor next to the mattress. The carpet was soft and not so bad, after all. Sonata’s hand dangled over the edge next to her, and in a moment of sentimentality that she was sure would never occur if she were sober, Aria clasped it in her own. “I’m sorry I yelled at you again,” she whispered, words slurred but sincere. She neither expected nor received a response beyond a slightly heavier snore. “I don’t want to make a promise I can’t keep,” she continued, “so I can’t say I won’t do it again, but I promise I’ll try…because I know how to fight it now. I don’t know if I can win every time, but I’m gonna try as hard as I fucking can, okay?” The last word was punctuated by the sting of tears forcing themselves out of her bloodshot eyes, instantly followed by mortification at such a sappy display. “Thank the gods you’re asleep,” she sighed. Aria’s heart jumped as she felt fingers tightening against her own. “You woke me up, like, five minutes ago,” came Sonata’s drowsy murmur, “and I love you too, Ari.” “God fucking damnit,” Aria groaned. “I’m really wasted right now, so none of that counts,” she explained after a moment’s consideration. “Mmhmm,” Sonata agreed, “I’m probably just dreaming anyway.” “Okay, good,” Aria confirmed; “this never happened and I’ll see you in the morning.” “Are you gonna sleep on the floor?” the youngest siren queried with a yawn. “One of us has to.” “You can get in here with me…it won’t be weird unless you make it.” “I am one hundred percent certain my hands would go straight up your shirt right now.” “That’s pretty messed up,” Sonata mumbled sleepily. “Goodnight Ari, I still love you anyways,” she finished, giving her friend’s hand a final squeeze. “Goodnight, Sonata.”