Sunset's Old Jacket

by CrunchTheRobot

Cold Wind, Warm Cafe

It was an unusually chilly late fall evening in Canterlot, and Adagio was keeping a brisk pace along the sidewalk of one of the main streets lined with shops and cafes. Despite hugging herself tightly to try to keep warm, her teeth still chattered as the cold wind blew by. It didn’t really help that all she brought to wear was nothing more than a t-shirt and skirt.

It’s not like she could have helped it, though; it was Aria’s turn to do laundry, and, of course, with Aria being Aria she waited until the last possible moment to do so. Going on these evening walks was a sort of habit for Adagio, and she wasn’t about to stop just because she lacked warm clothes.

Not even the increasingly cold wind would stop her, at least not yet.

Wearing anything this plain was not something Adagio did unless she had to. She always preferred something else that was more stylish and brought attention to herself. Something that would make the audience’s collective jaw drop. Something that demanded the wearer to be adored.

As Adagio continued her stroll, she passed by Canterlot High again, like she usually did every day. Memories of what happened during the Battle of the Bands raced back into her mind, and she decided that wearing something a bit more plain than her usual outfits might actually be a good thing, as she suddenly felt like public attention was the last thing she wanted.

Even though school was out for the summer and mostly everyone was enjoying their vacations, there wasn’t a single person at CHS who forgot the band competition and who was behind the whole turn-everyone-against-their-friends-and-try-to-enslave-the-entire-world thing that happened.

The Dazzlings had adapted to the usual human lifestyle with moderate success, but they noticed that everyone else had either steered clear of them entirely or glared at them when passing by. Adagio thought it would be nice if she wasn’t shunned or glared at for once during her evening walks, as it always disheartened her a little bit.

Of course, if there was anything more recognizable about her than her clothing, it’d have to be her massive hair, and without her hoodie to wear, there was no way she was going to conceal it. Plans for a better-than-average walk went out the window as Adagio realized this.

However, the number of people out and about today were fairly low, even though it was a Friday night. Adagio had guessed it was because there was a long weekend coming up, and a lot of students and their families were out of town for the next couple days. She made a mental note to do some shopping this weekend while most people who’d recognize her were away.

Another large, chilly gust of wind blew by, reminding Adagio that it was still too cold outside for her liking, and it wasn’t like it would start warming up anytime soon.

Adagio stopped walking and stood in front of a fairly large cafe that she easily recognized. It was the one run by the Cakes, and was a popular hangout spot for CHS students when they weren’t attending class. She also knew that the Rainbooms often showed up here after their band practice sessions.

Ugh, the Rainbooms, she thought. She still disliked it whenever that name was brought up.

It’s not she hated the Rainbooms by any means, at least not anymore. It’s just that they tended to be a bit annoying, always pestering the Dazzlings to hang out and ‘learn about the magic of friendship’, or something along those lines. They’d given up doing so after a few months, since it was clear there wasn’t going to be any progress made. If the Dazzlings were going to learn about friendship, they’d do it during their own time, and Adagio was perfectly fine with that.

Yet another vicious breeze blew by, and Adagio figured it’d be worth the risk to have an awkward encounter with the Rainbooms or anyone else from CHS if it’d mean she could get out of the cold evening air.

Adagio pulled the door open, causing a bell to ring rather loudly. She cringed a bit, knowing that it would at least catch the attention of some of the customers. She noticed that the cafe was almost entirely deserted, save for Mrs. Cake who was busy reading something on her phone at the register.

Not wanting to order anything right away, Adagio made her way towards one of the cushioned benches by the window and sat down. She briefly closed her eyes and sighed, relishing in the warmth of the cafe, as well as the peace and quiet.

Opening her eyes and looking once more around the cafe, Adagio noticed that someone had left a perfectly good croissant on the table across from her. Why anyone would leave something like that out, Adagio had no idea. She got up and casually walked over to the pastry to inspect it; it appeared to still be fresh. Shrugging, Adagio sat down in her new seat and picked up the croissant, admiring the light coating of glaze on it.

You poor thing, having been left all alone, Adagio thought to herself with a slight smug. Surely if someone had left you behind, nobody would mind if I helped myself to a little sample. And besides, who can say ‘no’ to free food?

Adagio was about to take a bite from the treat, but felt something poke her on the shoulder. Daring to turn her head, her eyes widened slightly at who stood behind her.

Sunset Shimmer.

“You know, if you wanted to have a piece, you could’ve asked me when I got out of the washroom,” Sunset said with a casual grin and without a hint of anger, pointing at her croissant. “But you probably didn’t know that, so it’s alright. Take a piece if you want, I already had something to eat earlier.”

Ripping a rather small piece off and popping it in her mouth, Adagio just sat there with a slight blush on her face, having been slightly embarrassed by the whole thing. Sunset walked around Adagio and sat down in the chair on the opposite side of the table, but Adagio avoided eye contact with her the whole time. Sunset swung her backpack off and pulled out a rather large book with a red and yellow sun on it, flipping it open to the middle and began reading the latest entry in it with a smile.

Adagio continued to sit there, staring at nothing in particular, still feeling a bit bad about almost eating Sunset’s food. She decided to take a peek at what Sunset was doing, and as she did so, Sunset’s eyes looked up and met hers. Quickly averting her own eyes, Adagio resumed staring at nothing in particular while Sunset went back to reading her book. After what felt like another few minutes Adagio coughed slightly and spoke up to break the silence,

“So, uh,” she paused for a bit, thinking of what to say, “What brings you here? I thought I’d be by myself here, and I didn’t see your backpack lying around anywhere.”

“I usually stop by this place almost every day so I can relax and catch up on any news that Twilight sends me, and it’s pretty quiet here when it’s late. I usually take my backpack with me wherever I go, since I feel a lot safer with my journal beside me whenever I can help it. Oh, and this place has some of the best pastries in town, as I’m sure you can tell.” Sunset said with a small giggle.

Adagio glared at Sunset, but her expression softened and she gave a small smile. “I suppose so, though I wish that I tried the food here without embarrassing myself like that.”

Sunset’s grin widened ever so slightly. “Like I said earlier, it’s alright.” She took another look at her pastry, noting that she hadn’t even touched it since she caught Adagio almost eating it. “Actually, if you want to finish that, go ahead. I’m not really that hungry, I just kinda bought it out of habit, since it’s what I always get here.”

Adagio took a rather large bite out of the croissant, enjoying the sweet, doughy taste of it. Sunset closed her journal on the table and rested her arms on top of it.

“So, same question to you, Adagio.” Sunset said. Adagio looked at her and raised an eyebrow.

“Hmm?” Adagio inquired, her sound muffled through a mouthful of croissant.

“I mean, what brings you here? I haven’t seen you in months, ever since my friends and I offered to be friends with you, Aria and Sonata. The last thing I remember from you is getting a ‘Yeah, sure. Maybe later,’ and I haven’t seen any of you since.”

Taking another bite, Adagio chewed rather slowly so she would have time to think of what to say.

“Well, I usually take a stroll around town every evening, just to help me clear my thoughts a bit, and it gives me a chance to try to get some quiet. I came in here since it’s a lot colder tonight than I thought it’d be, and of course I wasn’t able to bring anything warm with me since Aria decided to wash all our clothes at the last possible day. Again.”

Pausing, and then sighing a bit, Adagio spoke up again, “And as for not seeing anyone lately, I guess it’s because I thought the three of us would be fine on our own. And while I truly and dearly appreciate you offering to teach us about friendship and all that,” she said in a slightly mocking tone, “I thought it’d be in our best interest for the three of us former sirens to stick together for a little while, away from everyone else.”

“So are you three fine on your own? Sunset asked, “I can understand wanting to get away from everyone, but it’s been months, and -”

“I’m doing well, thank you very much,” Adagio interrupted. “Sonata, Aria and I have only had each other for company for hundreds of years. It’s just…”

After a few seconds of silence, Sunset dared to inquire, “Just, what?”

“Just,” Adagio took a brief pause, sighing and crossing her arms, “I wish everyone here would stop treating us like we’re still out to get them. We’re powerless now, and they still treat me like I’m a threat to them!” She scowled at Sunset, raising her voice slightly and placing a hand on her chest, “I’m not the same person I was months ago, but no one can see that! You’d think that since everyone insults me behind my back and avoids me wherever I go, they’d think I’m some sort of monster!”

“Hey, hold on a sec - “ said Sunset with a worried look on her face.

“But no!” Adagio threw her arms in the air, “People are fine with assuming that we’re still going to try and manipulate them into fighting each other! What’s it going to take to prove to everyone that we’ve changed?! Even if I knew, nobody would even give us a chance! It’s not fair at all!”

“Adagio, I understand where you’re coming from. And my friends and I would - “

“No, you don’t understand, Sunset Shimmer,” Adagio growled, standing up and pointing a finger at her, “You really think you know me?” Sunset shrank back in her seat a bit.

“When you’ve lived as long as I have and experienced the same things, then you can come to me and say you understand what I’m going through. And before you even think about it, there’s no way I’m taking any pity from you or your friends, especially when it was you lot who caused in the first place!” she shouted, slamming her hands on the table and looking down.

“Now we’re stuck in this miserable world stripped of our magic for possibly the rest of our lives, we’re constantly miserable because of the sad excuse for an apartment we can barely afford, and everyone here would probably rather see us gone one way or another, even though we’re trying to make it clear we’re not out to get anyone anymore!”

Sunset just sat there deep in her chair, not expecting an outburst like that from Adagio. After a few seconds, she opened her mouth to say something, but noticed the few small tear stains that had formed on the other side of the table.

Adagio sniffed and released some of the tension in her shoulders. “It’s just not fair. Everyone hated you like they do with us now, sure, but all it took to win them back was one seemingly heroic feat. There’s no way we’re going to get an opportunity like that.” she said with a slightly cracked voice.

Adagio looked up at Sunset with wet, red eyes. “I’m all for doing whatever it takes to stop all this, but forgive me if I don’t want to openly embrace the same thing that caused this problem for us in the first place”. Adagio sat down slowly, burying her face in her arms on the table.

Sunset had never seen the confident siren in such a terrible state before. She figured that the Dazzlings wouldn’t have been doing too well on their own since the band competition, but she didn’t think it was this bad. She mentally kicked herself for not persisting more when trying to help the three of them out, even though the Dazzlings kept pushing her and her friends away.

Grabbing the napkin served with Sunset’s croissant, Adagio used it to wipe her face, and then slowly stood up. She looked at Sunset with a tired expression and spoke softly, “I’m sorry for all that. I’ll just leave you to the peace and quiet you say you’re supposed to have with your letters from the princess.”

Adagio turned and made her way towards the exit, throwing out the used napkin along the way. She stepped outside to what appeared to be a warm and welcoming sunset, but was promptly met a familiar blast of cold wind.

Huh, even the weather in this place acts like its residents. Warm and welcoming in appearance, but really just full of cold people, she thought.

She turned away from the setting sun to head back to her apartment. She just felt exhausted and wanted to curl up in her bed for a good while. Adagio was so focused on her own thoughts that she didn’t notice the rapidly approaching footsteps from behind.
Adagio stopped suddenly when she was quickly embraced from behind by a pair of light orange arms, and tense up at the sudden body contact.

“Adagio, I’m so sorry! I didn’t think that you guys were so miserable this whole time. I… I wish I had done more to try and help you when you really needed it, even when you said you didn’t want any….” Sunset trailed off, clearly upset with herself.

Adagio wasn’t expecting this at all, not that she minded in the slightest; at least Sunset’s embrace felt warm, especially with that jacket she was wearing. After a few long moments, Adagio turned around and returned the embrace.

“Well, I shouldn’t have yelled at you in there, it was a little unbecoming of me. I’m sorry, and thanks for this.”

The two of them stood there for a little while, enjoying the bodily warmth that they shared between the two of them.

“You’re a good person, Adagio,” Sunset said, “It sounds to me like all you really need is a friend.” She tightened the embrace a little bit. “I mean, if everyone saw you three around us, maybe they’d be open to changing their minds about you. If us Rainbooms can trust you, why shouldn’t everyone else?”

Not wanting to break the hug, Adagio spoke from behind Sunset, “I appreciate the thought, but like I said before, I don’t think I’m quite ready to spend my time with all of you just yet. “

There was a few seconds of pause before Sunset responded, “What if it wasn’t all of them?”

Slightly confused, Adagio broke the embrace, looking at Sunset’s face with a puzzled expression.

“What exactly do you mean?”

“Well, I think it’s alright if you think it’s going to be a bit much to start hanging out with all of us at once. What I’m proposing is that just the two of us could hang out, start out small, you know? Maybe we could even hang out in that cafe, since we both know where it is, though I’m open to other options - “

This time it was Sunset’s turn to be given a hug from Adagio, whom was tearing up again, though this time was due to overwhelming joy.
“Oh, thank you, Sunset! This really means so much to me!” Adagio exclaimed. After squeezing Sunset for a little bit longer, she released the second hug and composed herself. “Uh, yes,” she said, clearing her throat, which caused Sunset to giggle, “I really would appreciate that, you know.”

“I just think this would be best for all of us, and you definitely can’t have too many friends.” Sunset said with a smile. Her eyes widened as an idea struck her. “Ooh, there’s something I want to give you, just wait here for a second!” Sunset turned and ran back inside the cafe like her life depended on it.

Adagio waited patiently as another blast of wind blew by her, causing her to shiver violently. It certainly wasn’t getting any warmer out here.

Sunset came back outside with her backpack strapped on, but she held a piece of folded black clothing in her arms.

“Here,” she said between gasps, “I was going to throw this in one of those clothing charity bins on the way back home, but I think it should fit you pretty well, and I’d like you to have it as a sign of our friendship. And besides, you were looking a bit cold when you came here in just that outfit.”

After being handed the black leather, Adagio unfolded the object with wide eyes, and she recognized it as the same leather jacket that Sunset had worn during the Battle of the Bands. It was still in great condition, and as Adagio put it on, she could immediately feel the warmth it held. She inspected the jacket for a bit, then shoved her cold hands in the pockets with a wide smile.

“This is really more than I deserve, honestly, but thank you. It’s lovely.”

“I’m certainly glad you like it, Adagio.,” Sunset smiled, “And it really does look good on you.”

Adagio walked in front of the glass windows of the cafe to look at her reflection. True to Sunset’s words, she did look really good in the old jacket. She began doing some a few poses, admiring her own reflection for just a bit longer.

“Hmm, I think you’re right, Sunset,” Adagio smirked. “Maybe I look better with this jacket than you did?” she said with a wink.

Sunset laughed. “Alright, let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. It’s still kind of cool out here, how about we head home for the day?”

“Sounds perfect to me,” Adagio said with a contented sigh. “So, I think I’ll take you up on that offer for sure. Same time tomorrow, same place?”

“Now that sounds perfect to me.” Sunset said with a wink of her own. The two of them walked down the sunlit sidewalks towards their respective homes, with the cold wind having died down.

Comments

[Escuro]

You know, im all for the Dazzlings, and Shimmer, in the entirety of MLP I think I have to say that they're honestly my favourite characters.

Friendship between the Sirens, or at least Adagio, and Sunset? Fantastic. If only there was more stories as well written as yours about things like this.

[dragonjek]

Although it's certainly understandable that she's upset, her "I'm such a victim" rant is a bit grating, considering that they're responsible for much of it.

“Just,” Adagio took a brief pause, sighing and crossing her arms, “I wish everyone here would stop treating us like we’re still out to get them. We’re powerless now, and they still treat me like I’m a threat to them!” She scowled at Sunset, raising her voice slightly and placing a hand on her chest, “I’m not the same person I was months ago, but no one can see that! You’d think that since everyone insults me behind my back and avoids me wherever I go, they’d think I’m some sort of monster!”
...
“But no!” Adagio threw her arms in the air, “People are fine with assuming that we’re still going to try and manipulate them into fighting each other! What’s it going to take to prove to everyone that we’ve changed?! Even if I knew, nobody would even give us a chance! It’s not fair at all!”

The Dazzlings retreated away from the rest of the world. It isn't possible for anyone to see that you've changed when you avoid everyone's sight. And they do think that you're a monster, because you came out of nowhere, enslaved a school, then retreated into your lair without any sort of apology--your lack of continued aggression is easily explained as you not having the power to keep trying. You haven't done anything to prove otherwise. Canterlot has had no opportunity to see that you regret what you did, or especially why you regret it.

“When you’ve lived as long as I have and experienced the same things, then you can come to me and say you understand what I’m going through. And before you even think about it, there’s no way I’m taking any pity from you or your friends, especially when it was you lot who caused in the first place!” she shouted, slamming her hands on the table and looking down.

How long you've lived really isn't relevant here...
Blaming the Rainbooms is rather hypocritical considering that that the Dazzlings tried to enslave the world.

“Now we’re stuck in this miserable world stripped of our magic for possibly the rest of our lives, we’re constantly miserable because of the sad excuse for an apartment we can barely afford, and everyone here would probably rather see us gone one way or another, even though we’re trying to make it clear we’re not out to get anyone anymore!”

But you aren't making that clear at all! The only message you're sending is that without your magic, you aren't willing to leave your home and go walk among the normal people you once preyed upon. What you're doesn't say anything about your changes.
And apart from the apartment, what you describe is exactly what Sunset went through--except Sunset had five people ready to extend a hand in friendship. You have six.

Adagio sniffed and released some of the tension in her shoulders. “It’s just not fair. Everyone hated you like they do with us now, sure, but all it took to win them back was one seemingly heroic feat. There’s no way we’re going to get an opportunity like that.” she said with a slightly cracked voice.

Adagio looked up at Sunset with wet, red eyes. “I’m all for doing whatever it takes to stop all this, but forgive me if I don’t want to openly embrace the same thing that caused this problem for us in the first place”. Adagio sat down slowly, burying her face in her arms on the table.

"Seemingly"? Yeah, you were the targets of it, but saving the world from mind control from attention-seeking magicians who feed off of causing conflict is a heroic act by any definition of the phrase.
And discarding the months of distrust and hate Sunset experienced before that opportunity showed up is ridiculous. You say a single heroic feat resolved that, but this was after months of actively trying to improve her relations with other students, of hanging with the school heroes. And while you mind controlled the school for a couple days, Sunset split it up in an over-cliqued school, terrified the student body, and turned friends against friends for years. You know this--you even brought it up when you first started to mock her in EQG:RR.
"The same thing that caused this problem for us in the first place"? I assume you're not talking about embracing megalomania, even though that's what put you in this position. Friendship? Yet, by sticking with your fellow sirens that's what you're using--albeit a limited and excluding form of it. Or are you just talking about the Rainbooms?

[seventeen]

I really enjoyed the exposition and dialogue once this got rolling, but I have to admit the beginning is a little sloppy. It's chilly late autumn, but school is out for summer... and it's a three-day weekend so everyone's on vacation during the vacation they're already having. And if Adagio walks by the school routinely, while wanting to stand out, wouldn't that draw the attention she today randomly decides she doesn't want?

As far as the 'victim' speech goes, I don't find it to be full of pitfalls in the sense that it's a hysterical rant of Adagio's thoughts and feelings. Anything can be relevant because it's her interpretation: it doesn't matter if it's objectively an issue.
The resolution is a bit fast for how much resistance Adagio put up.
I liked the comparison of the welcoming visage with the citizens of Canterlot.

[The Forgotten Siren]

this is beautiful and I love it. I love this ship to death

[ScisetShimmerEvan]

The Dazzlings had adapted to the usual human lifestyle with moderate success, but they noticed that everyone else had either steered clear of them entirely or glared at them when passing by. Adagio thought it would be nice if she wasn’t shunned or glared at for once during her evening walks, as it always disheartened her a little bit.

She'll get used rob it, Sunset had to after what happened to her.

It’s not she hated the Rainbooms by any means, at least not anymore. It’s just that they tended to be a bit annoying, always pestering the Dazzlings to hang out and ‘learn about the magic of friendship’, or something along those lines. They’d given up doing so after a few months, since it was clear there wasn’t going to be any progress made. If the Dazzlings were going to learn about friendship, they’d do it during their own time, and Adagio was perfectly fine with that.

Not to mention it didn't happen to them at all in the actual eqg series prior to its cancellation.

“You know, if you wanted to have a piece, you could’ve asked me when I got out of the washroom,” Sunset said with a casual grin and without a hint of anger, pointing at her croissant. “But you probably didn’t know that, so it’s alright. Take a piece if you want, I already had something to eat earlier.”

That was the opposite of what I thought sunset was gonna say.

This time it was Sunset’s turn to be given a hug from Adagio, whom was tearing up again, though this time was due to overwhelming joy. “Oh, thank you, Sunset! This really means so much to me!” Adagio exclaimed. After squeezing Sunset for a little bit longer, she released the second hug and composed herself. “Uh, yes,” she said, clearing her throat, which caused Sunset to giggle, “I really would appreciate that, you know.”

There's something you don't see often from the former siren.

“Hmm, I think you’re right, Sunset,” Adagio smirked. “Maybe I look better with this jacket than you did?” she said with a wink.

Ok now she's thinking too far about it.