Three's a crowd

by Gowak

Part I - Chapter 05 - Messiah Complex

From the moment Sunset got out of the car, she had a smile on her face. There was just something about the air so far away from the city, and she breathed it in deep. It seemed to cleanse her of all the negativity she’d been through over the past few weeks. Between that, the singing of the birds, and the morning sun filtering through the trees, life just felt good.

Best of all, of course, was the company. Sunset turned to smile at her girlfriends, who were also exiting the car. Twilight shielded her eyes from the light, but she smiled back at Sunset. And ever the practical one, Adagio was already unpacking. More so because she didn’t want Adagio to do all the work than because she was in a hurry, Sunset joined her in unloading their car.

“It’s really nice out here,” Twilight said with a bit of hesitation as she looked around. She turned back to the others, seemingly noticing for the first time that they were busying themselves. “Oh, sorry.”

Sunset grinned and picked up a bag from the trunk of the car. “Hey, no sweat. We’re on vacation, take it easy. Adagio and I have this.”

“Sunset, you can help me set up the tent,” Adagio said. She addressed Twilight with the briefest of glances. “Twilight can finish unloading the car.”

“Sure, Dagi,” Sunset complied. “Don’t worry Twi, we already took care of the camping stuff, you can take your time.”

“Oh… Okay then.”

Sunset watched Twilight for a few seconds. There was something surreal about being in the presence of her two girlfriends at the same time without things exploding. She finally turned toward Adagio and kneeled next to her. “So… do you know how to set up a tent?”

“It’s been a while since I’ve done this,” Adagio admitted, gathering the scattered parts of their tent, “but I spent a few months in one of these at one point. It should be easy.”

Since Adagio clearly had more experience, Sunset deferred to her. Adagio would examine the pieces, then she’d give Sunset instructions on how to set them up. It was slow going, but considering how long it had been since Adagio had lived out of a tent, that was to be expected. Still, little by little they managed.

And really, Sunset couldn’t complain. She had both her girlfriends with her, and things were looking up. This camping trip was the perfect chance for her to spend time with both of them and smooth out any issues they still had.

That’s what this trip was all about. Sunset had messed up at the fair, but they’d had some important conversations and she’d learned from her mistakes. Now it was time to try again under different circumstances.

She glanced over to Twilight, who was finishing with the unloading, then Adagio gave her another task to do. She smiled as she set herself to do it. “Right away, boss!”

✶𝄞☀𝄞✶

It had come to Sunset in a flash of inspiration. She wanted to do something that would bring her girlfriends together. Sunset was not blind, she knew that even after their talks, there was a lot of ground to cover on getting Adagio and Twilight to be friends. She just had to figure out how to make that happen, and she had an idea.

Camp Everfree had brought Twilight and Sunset closer when they first went there. It had been shortly after they had met, and Twilight was still reserved around her new friends. But something about the camp had changed that… facing the elements together had a way of bringing people closer, and Sunset was sure it could do the same thing for Twilight and Adagio.

She just needed to sell it to them. First, Twilight. She was the easier one of the two. Sunset had just brought it up as a possible thing they’d do someday, and the seed was planted.

“I was thinking, wouldn’t it be fun to go back to Everfree for another camping trip some time?”

Twilight had smiled at the thought. “Sure, that sounds like it could be fun.”

Of course, that had been the easy part. The real question followed. “And… I was thinking maybe we could go with Adagio? All three of us.”

“Oh. Really?” Twilight had hesitated. “Does she even like camping?”

“Well, she can always say no if she doesn’t want to.”

“I guess we could do that someday.”

And that had been that. Things with Twilight were mostly settled, Sunset just had to follow up on them after getting Adagio on board.

That was admittedly more of a challenge. When Adagio didn’t like something, she made it known. All it would take was Sunset bringing it up at the wrong time, and Adagio would cut into her for even just having the idea.

So she brought it up from time to time, first just as a hypothetical, then eventually bringing it up as something they might actually do.

“It’s been ages since I’ve gone camping. It was a lot of fun last time I went.”

“Hey, have you ever been to Everfree?”

“Maybe we should get away from everything for a little bit.”

“So I was talking to Twilight, and we had this idea…”

“About that camping trip…”

Eventually, Sunset did push a little too much. Adagio had screamed, then snatched up her phone. She sent a text to Twilight, saying that Sunset wouldn’t shut up about the camping trip unless they did it, and asking if Twilight was on board. Twilight agreed, and that had been that.

✶𝄞☀𝄞✶

The voice of Adagio snapped her out of her reverie. “Sunset, please slide that support inside the fabric, my arms are tiring!”

The siren was holding the tent straight so Sunset would have an easier time sliding the last armature inside. The tent was not heavy by any stretch of the term, but the position it forced Adagio into was uncomfortable.

“Sorry, Dagi. It’s just that it doesn’t go in smoothly.”

“Don’t rush and be gentle,” Adagio sighed. “Treat her like a virgin–”

“Touched for the very first time,” Sunset sang in response.

A smile finally graced Adagio's face. “I taught you well. Now prove me that you're as good with your fingers as you are with your throat and maybe I’ll give you a reward.”

“Is that a promise?”

The sound of footsteps approaching cut the flirting short.

“S–sorry.” They looked up to see Twilight, who was holding back a good distance away. She had the last bag in her hand but seemed to forget to put it down. “I didn’t mean to interrupt…”

“Nah,” Sunset said sheepishly. “Dagi was just telling me how to put the armature in.”

“Sunset kinda sucks at it.” Adagio didn’t look at Sunset, but the frown was clear in her voice.

“Hey!”

“I’m sure she’s doing her best,” Twilight said encouragingly.

“Yeah! I’ll show you!” Sunset shifted to a cocky grin and got back to work. How hard could put up one little tent be?

Unfortunately, Sunset’s bravado was not only fruitless but counter-productive. After a few minutes of fumbling, she finally managed to dislodge the tent from Adagio’s grip, ruining everything managed so far.

“And this,” Adagio sighed, “is why you should be patient.”

“Sorry, Dagi,” Sunset said looking sadly at the mess she had made. “Care to help us, Twilight?”

There was no answer and, at first, she simply thought that Twilight was silently coming to assist them. But as the seconds passed, it became more and more obvious that the purple woman was not coming.

“Twilight?” Sunset called, realising that her girlfriend wasn’t there. “Where are you?”

Adagio looked around, genuinely confused as to how Twilight could have disappeared in such a short time. “Maybe she had to go to the bathroom?”

Sunset nodded, more curious than concerned. “Yeah probably. It’s just weird that she left like that.”

“I just hope she comes back soon because I’m fed up with this tent and another pair of arms would help a lot actually.”

Although she didn’t say so out loud, Sunset was hoping the same thing. But the more time passed, the more clear it became that wherever Twilight was, she was staying there. And so little by little – and with no shortage of snide remarks at one another – Sunset and Adagio managed to get the tent together themselves.

“Are you sure it’s meant to look like that?” Sunset asked.

“Do you want to take it down and try again?” Adagio shot back.

Sunset’s eye twitched. “No, it’ll be fine. Now, where’d Twilight get off to?”

Adagio shrugged and walked over to their cooler. “Don’t ask me, I was too busy making sure you didn’t knock the damn tent over to keep an eye out for her.” She got out two bottles of water, tossing one to Sunset.

Sunset opened hers and took a long drink. Putting up the tent was frustrating, but it wasn’t exactly tiring work. Still, it was a hot day and she’d worked up a sweat, and the cool water hit the spot. She drank about a third of the bottle in one go, then let out a satisfied, “Ah.”

“Help me set up these chairs. That can’t be too hard, at least.”

“Actually…” Sunset scratched at the back of her neck. “I think we should look around for Twilight. It isn’t like her to go off on her own.

Adagio scowled. “Fine, let’s go find the slacker.”

Although she clearly wasn’t thrilled with the idea, Sunset was glad to have Adagio with her. She wasn’t worried, not really. Well, not much, anyway. Twilight could handle herself, it was just… Sunset thought about what could happen to someone alone in the woods, and she was very glad to have Adagio with her.

They walked along the path back to the car first. Thankfully, that was as far as they had to go, as they found her sitting in the back seat with the door open, legs dangling out of the car and a manual of some sort in her hands. She didn’t seem to notice them approaching.

“Getting caught up on a bit of reading?” Adagio asked with a frown.

Twilight jumped in place. “Oh! Sorry, I was just reading the instruction manual for the tent.”

“Oh, yeah. Guess that might’ve helped.” Sunset grinned sheepishly.

“We didn’t need a manual, I knew what I was doing,” Adagio snapped. “All we needed was another pair of hands to help us out.”

“I’m sorry…” Twilight muttered.

“Hey, it’s fine,” Sunset insisted, hoping that saying so would make it true. “The tent got put up, and now we can finally relax!”

“Two of us can,” Adagio grumbled. “One of us already got a head start on that.”

Twilight blushed and looked ashamedly at the ground, and an awkward silence rose between the three. Determined to make the trip be a success, Sunset immediately jumped in.

“How about we go dip our toes in the lake? Make us forget this whole tent thing and get a fresh start?”

No matter how grumpy she was, Adagio could never turn down the chance to take a swim. She smiled at the idea, just like Sunset knew she would. . “I’m in.”

“Yes,” Twilight said with relief. “Good idea.”

It was the perfect plan. Adagio changed in the water, she lost her aggressive edge, becoming a softer, more approachable person. If Twilight could see that side of her, things would work out for them. And all it had taken was a little suggestion.

They locked up the car and left for the lake. It was close enough to their camping site to be able to swim in whenever they felt like it, but far enough that the insects and amphibians from the lake wouldn’t bother them when they were in their tent. It was the perfect spot, and Sunset planned to make good use of that during their stay.

Unfortunately, the walk over to the lake was another matter. The insects were out in full force as they made their way towards the lake, and while Sunset and Adagio didn’t have too much trouble, the same couldn’t be said for Twilight; her relative enthusiasm was progressively sucked out of her by an invisible, yet very determined, swarm of mosquitoes.

“Why me?” she complained, swatting yet another pest.

“That’s nature’s punishment for slacking off.”

“Dagi!”

The siren sighed. “Sorry, Twilight. We’ve got some spray in the bags back in the tent. Want us to go back?” She was clearly reluctant but was clearly trying to be nice to her metamour.

“Thanks, Adagio, but I can bear it for a little while,” she answered, shaking her head.

“Are you sure?” Sunset asked with concern in her voice. “I can go fetch it while you go to the lake.”

Twilight and Adagio looked at each other for a second, then Sunset.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Sunny,” Adagio said, taking her girlfriend’s arm.

“Let’s go see the lake,” Twilight confirmed, taking Sunset’s hand.

Sunset was too surprised and happy about this turn of events to protest anymore. She got closer to her girlfriends and the three of them walked in content silence to the lake. For a moment, everything was fine and peaceful. Everything was going according to plan.

But Sunset could not be so lucky. Of course she could not.

The lake was barred. So close yet out of their reach, trapped behind some yellow tape and a signpost.

“Swimming is forbidden until further notice,” Twilight read out loud. “Due to a few cases of infections with parasites, Camp Everfree is forced to limit the access to its lake until it is decontaminated. We thank you for your understanding and apologise for the inconvenience.”

“What the fuck?” Adagio said with anger and bafflement. “Why didn’t they tell us?”

“It’s been put there today,” Twilight said, leaning in on the post. “Look at the date.”

Sunset was not convinced. “Yeah but they must’ve known about it for longer didn’t they?”

“Maybe…” Twilight conceded. “I'm sorry, Adagio.”

“Urgh. Never mind. Let’s go back to the tent. I don’t want to think about it.”

While the walk to the lake had been made unpleasant by the mosquitos, the walk back was a particularly shameful and awkward experience. No word was exchanged as they rejoined their camping slot. Sunset was already thinking of ways to save the trip, find a way to make it work somehow.

But it seemed life had one more spoonful of salt to throw at her wounds.

The tent had collapsed. Where it stood before was now a pile of fabric and armature. It was gone. Bewilderment followed by anger and frustration rose in the girls. Adagio let out a “fuck” of anger while Sunset groaned all of her misery. Somehow deep down, she knew it was better it had collapsed now rather than in the middle of the night, but she could not think rationally. Not now.

“All I wanted was a peaceful camping trip with my girlfriends!” she lamented. “I didn’t ask for much!”

Twilight hugged Sunset. Sunset didn’t react. She was too mentally exhausted. “I can fix it,” she assured softly. “Just leave it to me.”

Sunset wanted to ask her what she meant by that. It had taken half an hour for Adagio and her to mount the tent and while she had read the manual, mounting it herself was not such a simple thing.

She didn’t have to wonder for long. Around Twilight, the camping material started to float and seamlessly organise themselves to make their tent. It was fast, effective, gracious even. It took her less than a minute to finish.

“Maybe reading the manual wasn’t that useless after all,” she boasted while catching her breath. She turned toward Sunset and Adagio, beaming with pride. “What do you think?”

Sunset didn’t move. She didn’t dare make a single move. She could see the happiness in Twilight’s eyes and it broke her heart, but more importantly, she could feel Adagio’s anger and stupefaction and she did not dare face it. Not now. Not right now.

“What the fuck? I can’t believe… I can’t…”

“Wha– what? What’s wrong? I thought you knew about magic?”

“Of course I fucking do!” Adagio screamed.

“Then what’s wrong?” Twilight shouted back. “You can’t be mad because I did a good job, can you?”

“You… you don’t know do you?” Adagio turned toward Sunset, who was still avoiding her glare. “You didn’t tell her, did you?”

“Tell me what?” She turned toward Sunset with a curious and accusatory look in her face. It hurt. Sunset could almost see Twilight’s brain working overtime to understand what was happening. “Tell me what, Sunset?”

“Go on,” Adagio demanded. “Tell her.”

For a time, Sunset said nothing. She just stood there, like prey caught between a cliff and a predator. There was no good answer. Not now. Not right now. This is something that should have been solved months ago. You’re not good at this, said the nasty voice in her head. You are the problem in your relationship.

She wanted to flee, to jump that cliff and let everything fade, but she couldn’t. This would be even worse than facing their justified anger.

She started talking and her voice sounded like somebody was talking through her. “Adagio lost–” she started. Adagio’s scowl dissuaded her to keep up that way. She took a deep breath and started again. “Me and the girls... with Princess Twilight... you know we defeated Adagio when she tried to steal Equestrian magic? Well, we did more than stop them…”

“What happened, Sunset?” Twilight asked impatiently.

“We broke the source of their power. The thing they used to stay young.”

Twilight didn’t say a word as a slow realisation crept to her face. She didn’t have to. The shock and the disappointment were as visible as if she had shouted them. Sunset almost wished she did, she couldn’t stand the silence.

“We didn’t know at the time…” Sunset said, eager to try and justify herself. “We didn’t even choose to do it. It just… happened. But since then, magic is a sensitive subject.

“Why the effe didn't you tell me?” Twilight finally yelled.

“I don’t know,” Sunset admitted. “I don’t know…” She turned toward Adagio and looked at her with distress. “I’m sorry, Dagi. I fucked up.”

“No kidding,” Adagio answered. Then she turned around and left.

✶☀𝄞☀✶

Adagio was furious. What the hell was wrong with her girlfriend? How fucking hard was it to tell someone not to use magic around her?

Predictably, the sound of footsteps crept up on her. Here she was, ready to try and fix every god damn thing again, as if caring was enough to solve any problem. “Fuck off, Sunset. I’m pissed right now.”

“I–I understand,” said a voice that wasn’t Sunset’s.

The siren turned, surprised to see her metamour instead of her girlfriend. “Twilight?”

“I wanted to apologise. Just because I didn’t know doesn’t make my actions any–”

“Save your excuses. I’m not mad at you.”

Twilight gingerly stepped forward, looking like a mouse approaching a cat. “B–but…”

“The only butt here is Sunset.”

“She was trying to do the right thing…”

“That’s the fucking problem!” Adagio threw her hands out as she spoke. “She’s always trying to do the right thing, and she can’t keep up with it. Do you know the number of times she left me in the middle of the night to help you? How many times has she done the same thing to you?”

Twilight didn’t answer, but Adagio knew that Sunset would just drop everything for her on a whim. Adagio sighed. Sunset’s will to change the world for the better had always been one of her better qualities so far, but since Twilight had come in the picture, things had become way too complex for Sunset to deal with it on her own. Now they were at a breaking point and neither of them knew how to deal with it.

“She’s driving me crazy with her fucking messiah complex.”

“I just wish she just… I don’t know. I just wish she took her time and worked with us?”

“Yeah, I guess,” Adagio said softly. “She's lucky she's got a great ass.”

“A–Adagio!”

Adagio smiled wickedly. “What? You're ace, not blind as far as I know. Her ass is top tier.”

Twilight didn’t answer immediately. “She’s also a great kisser.”

“RIght? And damn that girl is intelligent. Yet so foolish... A head full of idea and an ass full of dumb.”

Twilight giggled despite herself. “She can get a bit carried away.”

They kept going, mocking and praising Sunset until they ran out of things to talk about.

"Adagio?" Twilight prompted eventually.

"Yeah?"

Twilight hesitated for a moment, then she looked up at Adagio with uncertainty showing in her face. "What now?"

Adagio sighed and shook her head, folding her arms and looking away from Twilight. "I don't know..."

Neither of them did. And judging from the day, neither did Sunset. They needed a change if they were going to save their relationship, but change was the problem with their relationship.

Eventually Adagio grew tired of the silence. “Go back to Sunset. I’ll catch up.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, just go.”

It took a moment of hesitation, but eventually Twilight did just that. Once she was gone, Adagio kneeled down and looked up at the sky.

“What now?” she whispered to herself.

Author's Note:

I posted it a week late (very sorry about it, I just couldn't write anything good for days...) but it's finally done! I'm rather happy with this one, I think Krickis and I did good on it.

Thank you for your patience and I hope you enjoyed it.

This chapter's song is obviously Madona's Like a Virgin.

Comments

[aceina]

very good story so far and GAH i was sure scitwi and adagio wher egoing to kiss and figure out the sollution to the problem

[Gowak]

10444358
I'm glad you like it
We'll see how Adagio and Twilight's relationship evolve, but it's definitely going in a more amiable direction

[Quillian]

Thank you for the new word! I had no idea that metamour was a word, much less the perfect word I needed to have in my current relationship

[Gowak]

10532810
You're welcome! I wish you, your partner(s) and your metamours the best!