Theme: The Beauty of the Beast - Nightwish
Exactly how long it had been since she watched Adagio's departure was impossible to tell; but as she lay curled against the pillow with her body shuddering beneath the covers, seconds had long ago become hours to Aria's mind. Timidly, she felt her fingers rise to her pendant once more as she curled in on herself even more tightly, cold tears escaping her closed eyes in seemingly random intervals. This time, however, she could find no comfort in the jewel despite the energies it still contained.
Despite her heavy shivers she could feel herself sweating profusely as she laid there, her long hair sticking to her skin uncomfortably and causing her to squirm, which only caused her to shudder harder and pull the covers closer in response. Practically cocooned, she attempted to will herself back into slumber, hoping to find some solace in the oblivion of unconsciousness since no other presented itself; but found that even that eluded her now. Eventually, she forced herself to open her eyes and stare at the closed door beyond her as she attempted to work up the courage to call out to Adagio, or even Sonata, but was unable to bring herself to do so.
Until a shout from outside caused her to bolt upright suddenly.
She knew the voice as well as she knew her own and despite her usual antagonism towards its owner, she found herself springing from the bed into the stifling air around her before she realized what she was doing. Eyes wide, she felt her legs buckle before she crashed to the floor, pain exploding along her side as she forced herself forward; the normally plush carpet seeming to cut into her skin as she crawled towards the door and hissed as she curled into a shivering ball at its base. From her position she did not even need to press her ear to the wood to hear the conversation outside, the words evoking a much deeper feeling of uncertainty as she wrapped her arms around herself and listened.
Eventually, silence filled her ears once more.
Using the door for leverage, she managed to position her still wobbling legs beneath her and pushed herself upwards while opening it, wane light greeting her as she half stumbled, half tiptoed into the hallway. Scarcely daring to breathe, she made her way to the far corner and peered around it, chewing her lip to stifle any sounds at the sight that greeted her. There, seated upon the couch with her head held pitifully in her hands sat Adagio, the girl looking as if her entire world had just crumbled around her while she looked on helplessly.
Aria very nearly called out to her in that moment, but hesitated as she looked down at herself at the last minute and felt a lukewarm flush spread across her whole body. Strangely, nudity had never bothered her before and she typically wore little - if anything - inside the house, but this time the realization that she was still undressed gave her pause. She couldn't say exactly why she did so, but her usual confidence faltered as she slunk back into the hallway, back pressing into the wall as she looked towards the bedroom and the scant sanctuary it offered.
Somewhere in the back of her mind, however, something told her that she could not leave her friend alone this time, no matter how much she may have wanted to run from the situation. Breathing deeply, she pushed herself upright and drew the long strands of her hair across her chest in an attempt to preserve some modesty before stepping back into the living room, her earlier chills receding fully as she approached Adagio's sobbing form. Slipping behind her, she reached out and laid her hand on the other girl's shoulder, causing her to jump in surprise and spin around; an action she might have found comical were it not for the tears in Adagio's puffy eyes.
"Aria?" she asked.
Finding herself unable to answer, Aria chose to remain silent even though her hand never left Adagio's shoulder. Narrowing her dark mulberry eyes, she slowly took in Adagio's thinly covered body in a way that made the other girl look away suddenly as she pulled the robe more tightly around herself, revealing a swath of goose-flesh along the back of her wrist as he did so. Rather than find humor in the action, however, Aria instead stepped around the couch and looked down at her with a soft smile.
"Aria, you… now isn’t the…" she started, only to be silenced by Aria’s finger at her lips.
For a few heartbeats they simply stared into each others eyes silently before Aria's hand slid away to reach down and lace her fingers into Adagio's, helping her to her feet in one smooth motion. Slightly taller than her fellow siren, she looked down to keep their eyes locked together while reaching out to slide her arms around the other girl's waist and draw her against herself. She knew Adagio wanted to protest, but before she could do so, she pressed her head into her shoulder and held it there gently.
"What are you doing?" Adagio asked.
"What does it feel like?" Aria replied.
No further words passed between them as they remained there, but as she held Adagio against her, Aria could feel the need and desire for reassurance or protection; and was struck by just how right it felt to be holding her now, almost as if she had rediscovered some long-lost part of herself. Eventually, she felt Adagio's arms slide around her in return to lock at the small of her back, pulling herself more fully into that embrace as she did. How long they stayed that way, they neither knew nor cared.
"Aria, talk to me," Adagio finally said.
"Not here," she said. "I don’t want to talk out here."
"Aria…"
Rather than replying, she reached out to caress Adagio's cheek with her left hand as her thumb brushed across her lips to silence further protests. At the same time her right hand moved to take hold of Adagio's, lacing their fingers together and giving a gentle tug as she inclined her head towards the hallway. After a breath of hesitation, she nodded.
Only once did Aria look over her shoulder to favor Adagio with a smile as she led them into the hallway with slow, almost timid steps. All the while, she could feel the others eyes upon her as they moved, but the usual thrill of such scrutiny seemed conspicuously absent, replaced by a strange kind of understanding instead. Passing into the bedroom, she felt Adagio nudge the door closed with her foot before she moved them in a dancer's pirouette and turned her fellow siren's body by her fingertips so that Adagio stood between her and the bed. Releasing her hold on Adagio's fingers, she moved them to her robe and deftly untied it as the other girl looked away shyly.
"What… what’s gotten into you?" Adagio whimpered.
Still refusing to speak, Aria responded with a cat-like purr as her hands followed the curve of Adagio's shoulders and slide the robe from her body to let it pool at her feet before giving her a gentle push. With a look of understanding, she nodded and sat down before rolling onto her side to smooth out the sheets as Aria slid in behind her and pulled the covers around them. Ignoring Adagio's thick curls, Aria wrapped her arms around her and drew her in close, their bodies delicately spooning together as she wrapped her arms around her tightly.
"You looked cold," Aria finally answered.
"You could have said something."
Aria shook her head in response, pressing closer as she replied, "I heard you and Sonata arguing."
"Ugh," Adagio huffed, "you heard that?"
"All of it, it was kind of hard to miss."
"I’m sorry," Adagio replied.
"Did you mean it?"
"Mean what?"
"All of it? None of it maybe?" she asked, resting her head against Adagio's. "I suppose I mean the part where you told Sonata that we can't survive off of anything other than negative energy and that you know that's how it's always been."
"It doesn't matter whether I believe it or not, Aria," she replied. "The truth is the truth and we can't change who we are."
"What about the rest of it?" Aria asked. "Sometimes... sometimes I can't even remember what it was like in Equestria, sometimes I can't remember it at all. I never thought I'd say it, but Sonata was right. How long ago did Starswirl really banish us? What did he do to us when he did? I've never seen you scared before, Adagio and I've never heard Sonata scream like that... I've never been as cold as I was earlier and none of this happened before we fed like we did today. I... Adagio I don't want to go through that again. Honestly, I don't know if I can go through it again."
"Aria," Adagio replied, "please just... just try and get some rest. We'll feel better in the morning. We always do."
Aria stiffened at those words as her earlier chills returned momentarily, but found it difficult to argue as she held Adagio close to her and allowed herself the luxury of enjoying that embrace. At first, she thought she could hear singing pierce the silence around them, but dismissed that as ridiculous as they all knew their powers could not effect each other. Nevertheless she appreciated the gesture, but as she drifted off to sleep she spoke quietly once more.
"I know you're right, Adagio, you usually are... but just this once I wish you weren't."
The pain had long since become familiar to her, implacable and pitiless as fought off its grasp once more. Too often she wondered how she had managed to endure it as often as she had; only to remember her friends who shared her agony and her meager abilities that had so often been their sole source of defense. Other times she asked herself how much longer she could go on, especially when she watched over them n some vain hope of providing enough safety to see them through to another day.
That day, of course, was no different. Bruised and battered, her tears stubbornly remaining unshed, she allowed them to tend to her as she fought to keep the agony out of her voice so as not to upset them. So many times she had wondered if a painless death in the cold might have been better than the life they now lived, even if she never voiced such a question. But this time, as always, she knew they would survive.
She had always been the one that defended the others, pushing her magic to the breaking point against more dangers than she could eaisly count, but it had rarely been enough. Now, resting as they were in the relative safety of their - perhaps poorly named - Sanctuary and once again swathed in bloody bandages, she wondered again if the price for their survival was not becoming too great. Even though they had food and shelter, the years under this charge had changed them to the point she barely recognized her friends any longer; let alone herself.
Somewhere in the tunnels, the sound of ringing bells echoed over the soft sounds of slumber that surrounded her; and though she contemplated feigning sleep, she knew he would not be fooled by the ploy. Muscles protesting, she rose from her cot and turned towards the approaching sound, her eyes narrowing slightly as she snorted in greeting. As always she could find no trace of malice in the powerful stallion's gold gaze, but neither could she see any kindness within it. Under the circumstances she could hardly believe she had once been so thankful to him, but even after everything he had put them through she could not bring herself to hate their one-time savior.
"Are you satisfied yet?" she asked, surprised at how calm she sounded.
"Almost," he replied as his gaze swept over them, "but one trial remains, if you remain willing."
For reasons she could not explain, she hesitated, the authority in the stallion's voice chilling her momentarily, but despite that cold she nodded in answer...
Unbidden, the world returned to focus as she snapped awake once more.
Whatever she had just seen had seemed like a dream, but it had been too real and too detailed for any such flight of fancy; especially when taken in context from the half-remembered dream from earlier. Whatever it was or wasn't, however, she felt herself growing further unsettled until she felt Adagio snuggle more firmly against her, unconsciously pulling her arms tighter around herself. The action relaxed her somewhat even though she could not help but feel regret that she had not tried to push Adagio for further answers, certain she would not be in nearly as generous a mood when she awoke later.
"What did you want from us...?" she thought.
If the darkness around her held any answers, it made no indication of its secrets.