A Dazzling Trio

by Spyder27

Prevailing Truths

Chapter XVII: Prevailing Truths

“Alright. Everyone out,” Applejack tells everyone once she opens the door to the back area of the RV. We have been traveling for a few hours now and Applejack finally decided to make a pitstop here in Chicago. A part of me feels a little upset, knowing how much Rainbow Dash wants to go sightseeing. I don’t want to waste a lot of time here, but the girls will probably want to stay for a bit…

“Looks like we can stretch our legs for a bit, Alligator~” Sunset whispers to me, nudging me to get up from my seat. Taking a deep breath, I finally stand up and follow the girls out of the RV. Applejack parked the vehicle at another gas station unsurprisingly. There aren’t many places big enough to park this big vehicle. That is kind of why I wasn’t expecting for all of our friends to volunteer to come with us. If it was just Sunset and I, we could have rented a car and parked anywhere we like. However, that isn’t really the case when it comes to the RV. By all means, I am glad my friends are here with me, but the parking situation is a bit of a hassle.

“I am so glad we’re finally taking a break. Sitting in the same chair for hours tends to make my hair unmanageable,” Rarity tells us with a slight sigh, making sure to brush her hair before anyone else can see her.

“Nevermind the fact that we’re going on a roadtrip and seeing the sights. The biggest problem is how everyone might see your hair,” Rainbow Dash remarks with a chuckle, getting a mean stare from Rarity. “Don’t worry. I’m pulling your leg, that’s all,” Dash defends herself, holding her hands up. “But seriously though. Aren’t you the least bit excited that we’re in Chicago? Imagine where we could go. I know I’d like to see some of the sights.” Without wasting a moment, Dash pulls a camera out of her backpack. I thought she would leave the backpack in the RV, but it looks like she is content to bring it with her. Honestly, I’m even more surprised she has a professional camera with her… Dash rubs the side of the camera affectionately and sighs to herself.

“Darling, I have been to Chicago a dozen times… Manhattan on the other hand? I’ve only been there once.” Rarity looks at the city with a small shrug, somewhat used to the sight apparently. Dash can’t help but look at her with a raised eyebrow, almost giving her an insulted stare.

“Well, I have never been here.” Looking back at her camera, Dash takes a deep breath before aiming it at the city. “Neither has my mom.”

“Honestly, I’m surprised you’ve been here so many times, Rarity,” Fluttershy mentions with a quiet curiosity, brushing a strand of hair out of her eyes. “Why is that?”

“Mostly showcases of my most recent lines of attire. Fancy Pants even accompanied me here once. Although, one time I came here was because of a… let’s just say an apple disaster,” Rarity mentions rather ominously, looking over to her girlfriend with a small wink. Applejack finished locking up the RV by the time she heard Rarity’s statement. From here, I can see her expression become annoyed with a heavy sigh, bringing her hand to her face.

“It won’t be like the apple disaster, Rares. That was years ago,” Applejack mentions without clarifying a single thing. Everyone except for Rarity and Applejack have a look of confusion on their faces. I can’t exactly blame them. I don’t know what they are talking about either.

“Oki dokes. So, I think I speak for everyone here when I ask ‘what exactly is the apple disaster?’” Pinkie Pie asks the couple in a calmer tone than I have come to expect from her. Rarity laughs to herself, turning away from the group in an attempt to compose herself.

“It was the most ridiculous thing. You see-”

“We ain’t talking about it,” Applejack mentions with an annoyed expression, walking away from the RV. “Y’all wanted to go sightseeing, right? Well, let’s go.” In response to Applejack’s comment, Rainbow Dash simply shrugs her shoulders, taking another picture of the city.

“We still haven’t decided where exactly we’re going to go,” Rainbow remarks, making Applejack a little more annoyed. I feel sad for the cowgirl. She’s had to act like the group leader ever since we left, so it clearly takes a toll on her. “There’s a lot of places to go, so where should we go first?”

“Oh, what if we went to Millennium Park? I’ve always wanted to go there,” Twilight speaks up with a smile, clearly excited at the idea. However, Rarity acts disinterested in the idea, shaking her head.

“I’d rather go to Navy Pier. It’s a much better view, darling.” Before Rarity can say another word, Applejack sighs and holds her hand out.

“Y’all, we aren’t stopping here for the whole day. A few hours at most. How about we split up and go where we want, then meet up for lunch? Sound good?” the cowgirl suggests to the group, seemingly hopeful her idea will be accepted. Honestly, I can’t help but feel grateful for Applejack… I don’t necessarily want to waste too much time being a tourist when I want to find Aria and Sonata… For me, this trip is far different than any vacation…

“Everyone up for Millennium Park?” Dash asks with a raised hand, looking at the group. Twilight raises her hand pretty soon after. Sunset also joins in, looking at me with an expectant smile. Taking a deep breath, I finally raise my own hand, hesitant to actually go sightseeing.

“Then I guess the rest of us are going to Navy Pier?” Fluttershy asks with a curious tone, her eyes look so innocent that you could hardly tell her apart from a puppy. If she had dog ears, I know they would be folded down right now. Huh… Actually, I guess I should be thinking about pony ears. Sunset says there is a pony counterpart of Fluttershy back in Equestria. At least, that’s what Princess Twilight told her… Why am I even thinking about what kind of animal ears she would have? Maybe it’s because she’s an animal lover…

“Alright, folks. If ya need to leave your group, try to stick with one other person. Adagio and Sunset shouldn’t have a problem with that,” Applejack mentions with a strict tone, clearly wanting us to use a buddy system. “Keep your phones on at all times. I trust y’all, it’s just the people in this city that I don’t trust.” Applejack points to her own phone as if to emphasize her statement.

“Does your distrust have something to do with the ‘apple disaster’?” Rainbow asks with a laugh, making Applejack roll her eyes.

“Maybe. Anyway, y’all need to stick together. Let’s meet around… one. We’ll meet around one at a restaurant to get some lunch.” Even Applejack sounds unsure of her plan, as if she is anticipating something to go wrong. Honestly, I can’t help but agree with her on that one. We’re splitting up into two groups, one with Rainbow Dash and one with Pinkie Pie. Those two are pretty much always getting themselves into trouble. However, Dash is less energetic than she used to be ever since we embarked on this trip. Maybe we won’t have to keep her line as much. Especially since she is trying to take pictures for her mom.

“Alright, we’ll see you then,” I tell her with a nod, trying to give her a smirk of confidence to mask my uncertainty. I just hope we don’t spend too much time here…

=========================================================

“So, they call this Cloud Gate?” I ask Rainbow Dash with a confused expression, staring at the large sculpture in front of me. Honestly, I cannot fathom why it would be called that. I guess it can be classified under abstract art…

“Yep. I know it looks like a bean, but eh. It’s one of the many sights after all.” Dash carefully aims her camera at the bean-shaped structure, taking a picture of it. Twilight had gone to some sort of shop right outside of the park, leaving Sunset, Dash and I alone. Honestly, I don't know what Twilight would want to buy there, but it is her decision.

“I think it is pretty impressive honestly,” Sunset tells us with a small shrug, her gaze glued to the sculpture. I can’t pretend to see what Sunset is seeing, but I’m glad she’s enjoying it at least. Taking my phone out, I check the time once more. Every hour we spend here is another hour we could spend getting closer to Aria and Sonata… I don’t want to overexert Applejack, but… I’d rather find them quickly. It’s been years since I have seen them last. I don’t- “Rainbow? Could you take a picture of Adagio and I with the sculpture?” Sunset’s voice breaks me from my thoughts, making me look at her with a confused look. Sunset has a confident expression on her face before giving me a wink.

“Oh? Sure, I can do that. Just get closer to it and I’ll take the best picture I can,” Dash tells us with a slight wave of her hand, gesturing for us to walk closer to Cloud Gate.

“What are we doing?” I ask Sunset as she leads me closer to the structure, knowing full well what is happening. I just want to know why we’re doing this. We have more important things to do, like meeting with the others and hurrying this along.

“Ever since we stopped in Chicago, you have done nothing but check the time. I know how anxious you are to get a move on and find Aria and Sonata,” she tells me with an understanding tone to her voice. “But… I also want you to enjoy this. This is the first time we have gone on a trip together, and we probably won’t go on another one for a long time.” Stopping about a meter away from the bean, Sunset turns to look at me with a smile, a pleading look in her eyes. “We will find them. But they aren’t going anywhere in the next five minutes. We can probably afford to take some time to enjoy the sights. And… we don’t have a lot of pictures together~ I would love to have some to remember this trip.” Sunset tilts her head slightly, almost begging me nonverbally to go along with her idea.

In a way, she is right… We don’t have a lot of pictures together. I have a few pictures of her on my phone, especially a picture of her sleeping on my shoulder, but not many of the two of us. Only a couple of group photos with our friends. I guess she’s right. We do need more pictures.

“Alright. We can take some pictures together,” I respond with a nod, trying my best to push away my anxiety about waiting here any longer. Sunset’s eyes light up to my response, her hands holding mine even tighter.

“Thank you, Alligator~” Her voice is laced with gratitude and a sweet tone, her eyes telling me just how much this means to her. Within a moment, Sunset presses her lips against mine, surprising me with a passionate kiss. It never gets old… “Alright. Are you ready?” Without giving me a chance to respond, she turns towards Dash, prompting me to do the same. Dash already has her camera positioned and ready for some reason. She brings her hand up and holds up three fingers. Then she lowers one, giving us a countdown. The breeze blows against my cheek and I can’t help but notice just how everything is so… colorful. Sunset’s skin glows bright and her happy expression fuels me. If it really makes her this happy to take some pictures and see some sights… then I guess it can’t hurt.

Holding Sunset’s hand, I give the camera the most genuine smile I can, feeling a bit happier than before. I’ve been so stressed since this trip started, but everything seems like it’s under control now. The demon in my mind is working with me for once. We’re still at a great pace to find Aria and Sonata. And Sunset is… really happy. Life feels really good right now… For the first time in months, I don’t feel so stressed. I love life, but… I love Sunset even more.

Dash pulls the camera down from its original angle, seemingly looking at the picture. For a brief moment, Sunset and I are forced to wait here in case we need to take the photo again. That is before Rainbow Dash gives us a thumbs up and laughs to herself.

“Cute. Now can one of you take a picture of me? I need one for my mom,” Dash asks us in a loud voice given the distance between us. Always the insatiable one, isn’t she? Shaking my head with a chuckle, I let go of Sunset’s hand, walking towards Dash. Under normal circumstances, I would tease Dash for wanting a photo of herself or tell her to take a selfie with her phone instead, but that won’t work this time. The whole reason Dash is taking pictures in the first place is for her mom. I can at least try and be a bit sympathetic for her.

“Alright, Dashie. Let me see the camera,” I tell her with another chuckle escaping her lips. I expected to see Dash amused as well, but she has a pretty serious expression on her face instead…

“Okay… Look, be careful with this camera. Really,” She tells me with a cautionary tone to her voice, hesitantly handing it over to me. “Press this button to focus the shot, and then press this button to take the picture. That’s really important. I want high quality pictures for my mom.” Her fingers point to the buttons I need to press way more carefully than I have ever seen Rainbow Dash handle something before. Towards the bottom of the camera, there is a small tag with writing on it, stating that it is the property of Bow Hothoof. Wait… I remember that name. That’s why she is so protective of this camera. It is her mom’s camera. I should have known.

“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure to follow those steps and get you a great photo,” I reassure Dash with a nod, making sure to hold the camera tightly. I can’t really understand a mom and daughter relationship, but I know it is important. I didn’t have parents in my life. But Dash did. She clearly loves them a lot.

Dash quickly makes her way to the spot where Sunset and I were previously standing. She strikes a pose worthy of her confident persona, giving me a toothy grin and a peace sign with her fingers. Pulling the camera up, I look into the viewfinder. I wait for a few moments until the wind blows Dash’s hair to the right, giving the scene an even more epic feeling. Taking the photo, I pull away to look at the finished product. The sun shines down on Rainbow Dash and the wind makes her look… awesome.

“Oh, that’s a good picture,” Sunset says while looking over my shoulder. “Wait… What is that?” she asks me quietly, pointing to the bottom right of the screen. A couple of the previous pictures are shown in a small window. The last one shows Sunset and I smiling at the camera, but that isn’t what caught our attention. The second picture is of Sunset and I again, but it shows us kissing in front of the sculpture. That’s why she had the camera ready, huh…?

“You clever girl,” I say quietly, tapping away from the photo as fast as I can.

“Hey, I didn’t get a good look at the photo,” Sunset tells me with a tone of curiosity to her voice, reaching to tap back to the picture. Pulling the camera away from her hand, I shake my head to tell her no.

“It was a fluke. A bad picture of us. Nothing to see.” Sunset raises her eyebrow for a moment before a convinced expression comes over her simply shrugging to herself.

“If you say so,” She tells me with a nod, looking back towards Dash. In reality, the picture Dash took was perfect… I mean, she didn’t have our permission to take the photo, but I am glad she did. It was a static shot with so much… life. I’m going to show it to Sunset later. That is if I can convince Dash to let me surprise her with it.

“Well?!” Dash yells to us with an irritated look. “Is it a good shot or not?” Clearly, she’s tired of holding the same pose, waiting for Sunset and I to finish talking.

“Yeah, you can stop flexing, Dash,” I tease her with a thumbs up, making sure to hold the camera tightly enough that it doesn’t fall out of my hand. Dash quickly makes her way back to us, grabbing the camera and looking at the photo for herself.

“Not bad! This is pretty awesome!” Dash’s eyes are glued to the picture. I know she has a bit of an ego, but I think she’s legitimately impressed with how she looks in the photo. I mean, can I blame her? I look at myself in the mirror a lot as well. Ever since I got some of my confidence back, I can’t help but have a small ego too. Not big enough to outshine my love for the fiery-haired woman beside me though. “Now if you two excuse me, I have to go take pictures of Navy Pier. Can’t miss out on any of the sights.” Dash pulls out her magical necklace from her pocket, putting it on before blinking out of existence. In a moment, a huge gust of wind hits both of us. I’m barely able to stand straight without the help of Sunset.

“She… She didn’t just… Did she?” Sunset asks me quietly, her eyes filled with worry. At this point, I can tell what she’s worried about. Magic as a whole is a concept Sunset is scared to embrace, even though she is the one who knows it the best. She still hasn’t worn her necklace…

“Sunny. I don’t think you would, but do you mind if we talk?” I ask her with a reassuring tone. Holding her hand tighter, I look into her eyes with a smile. It’s not every day I am the one who reassures her. But I can tell it is working.

“What do you want to talk about?” Sunset asks me, giving one final look in the direction our friend went speeding off in. Reaching into Sunset’s pocket, I pull out her necklace, inspecting it for a moment. As soon as my eyes look at the gem, I can feel the siren’s impulse to drain some of her magic, but I hold it back without a change in expression.

“I want to talk about magic. You’re the only one who hasn’t tried wearing your necklace. Everyone else has been exploring their magic again just in case we will need it. Even I have. What’s going on?” Pulling her along, I walk away from the Cloud Gate, going into the park. Ever since that conversation we had in the music studio, I was hoping Sunset would believe in herself and try to investigate her magic some more. I guess she’s more scared than I thought.

“I know. It’s just… I don’t know. It feels all too soon to embrace that magic again.” Sunset takes the necklace from my hand, looking at it for a moment. A heavy sigh exits her lips, shaking her head to whatever thought is in her mind. “I know what you’re going to say, Adagio. You’re going to tell me I should be more confident and that I wouldn’t change into a monster again. I know that. It’s just… daunting to put this necklace back on.” Sunset turns her gaze towards some of the trees, the sound of other people making the park feel more lively.

“If you don’t want to, you don’t have to.” My statement makes Sunset’s eyes turn back to me, looking at me with a confused stare. “I don’t want you to do something that you’re not comfortable with. I just wanted to see you overcome this fear. I know how fear can… take control.” Looking up towards the sky, I can’t help but feel a little depressed. I know I can’t exactly force her to not be scared anymore. I just wish there was something I could do to help her. “However. I know you. I know you’re a good person. If anyone can understand the magic in this world, it would be you. Plus, it would be a big help.” Looking back towards Sunset, I see her expression is even more confused than before, her hand pulling me to a stop.

“Wait. How would my expertise in magic help?” she asks me cautiously, clearly wondering what I mean.

So, you’re going to tell her? I can’t help but take a deep breath, preparing the words in my mind. I have no idea how she will react, but given the information she’s about to learn, I’m willing to bet not favorably. I thought out of everyone, you would tell Twilight since she can put the gem back together. But Sunset is my partner. I owe her this much. She’s an expert of magic in this world. She’ll have a plan. You better be right.

“It would help since… I need magic,” I tell her quietly, looking towards the ground. Here goes everything. Nothing would be an understatement… “Before you say anything, I need you to listen to me. You know those dreams and hallucinations I had of a past version of me?” I reconnect our shared gaze, seeing the bewilderment in her mind. “Those… never stopped. I told you they did, but they didn’t. It turns out that they weren’t hallucinations to begin with. I-”

“Hold on. They… never stopped?” Sunset asks me in disbelief. “So, you lied to me…?”

“I… Yes, I did. But there’s a reason why. The hallucinations were made by my subconscious.” Bringing my hand up to my head, I swirl my finger a couple of times to try and accompany my message. “That vision of me? She’s real. She’s my subconscious and I just learned recently about why she acts the way she does. The Battle of the Bands caused my mind to break and-”

“She’s real?” Sunset asks, interrupting me again. Pulling her hand away from my own, she takes a step away from me, seemingly trying to force some words out of her mouth. “She’s your subconscious and never left you alone. You never told me? And now you’re implying that it’s my fault your mind is broken?” A singular tear slides down her angry face, staring at me for some sort of answer.

“No, I’m not trying to blame you. I’m just… I’m saying that the loss of my magic broke my mind in two. So, I…” Taking a deep breath, I try my best to formulate my thoughts. I don’t want to make her angrier than she is now… “I think the way for me to fix my mind is for me to use magic.” A hurt expression is written on Sunset’s face, her eyes staring at me as if she can’t believe what she is hearing. I knew her reaction would be bad, but… not to this extent.

“Let me get this straight,” Sunset whispers in an angry tone, sighing to herself. “You lied to me about the hallucinations going away. You told me that you stopped having hallucinations. Then you lied to me about your own fears? You also tell me just now, when we’re trying to find your friends, that you need magic to heal your mind? Why would you lie to me about all of that?” Her tone is accusatory as she vents her anger, her hand tightening into a fist.

“At first, I… couldn’t. She-”

“Couldn’t why, Adagio? What was so important that you would keep this from me?” Her voice is louder than before, making me feel a little worried other people might look our way.

“She threatened me, alright? That’s why… I couldn’t tell you because my subconscious threatened me that she would hurt you. And since she is my subconscious back when I had my magic, I don’t really doubt her words. I was evil back then…” Looking towards the ground, I can’t help but feel my emotions getting the better of me. No. I need to be calm and explain this rationally to her. She’ll understand. She always does. I just-

“How would she threaten you with my safety?” Sunset asks me in disbelief, making me look back up at her. Her eyes make her look like she’s in shock with me, shaking her head slowly. “Could she… control you?” As soon as her words hit me, my heart stops… No matter how hard I try to control it, this tsunami keeps getting worse.

“I… yes. She can. But I’ve got her under control now. See, I-”

“How long?” she asks me bluntly, another tear sliding down her face. Despite the tear, her eyes look disappointed and angry, looking at me as if I am something else than human.

“Ever since our first Halloween together…” My words slowly fall out of my mouth as I feel my muscles begin to go numb. I know this feeling all too well. Not this time. I need to be the one talking to her.

“That was nearly two years ago, Adagio,” Sunset whispers with a slight shake of her head. The tears running down her face only make my heart hurt even more, a part of me wishing I never said anything. No… I know she needed to hear this someday…

“Sunset, I’m sorry. I didn’t want to hurt you and I-” again, I get cut off, her hand held in mid air to stop me mid sentence.

“Stop it, Adagio. Just…” Sunset takes a shaky breath before turning away from me. “Just… give me a bit. I need to think about all this. From all the lying to you saying you need magic to fix yourself.” Sunset puts her foot out, beginning to walk away from me.

“Sunset? Where are you going? We… We need to meet back up with everyone else.” Sunset simply pulls out her phone and shakes it in the air as a response to my words, walking away from me. Her hair waves in the wind, but I can tell just how frustrated she is by the way she is walking. I can’t help but keep my eyes on her, no matter how small she gets.

That didn’t turn out very well. Smart move. her voice rings in my mind, making my blood boil. I know it didn’t turn out very well. But… she needed to know. The truth needed to come out eventually.

God, I hate hurting her…

Pulling out my phone, I consider calling her, holding back my thumb from tapping her icon. No… She needs a bit of time to process all of this. Once she does, I can apologize and she will probably have a plan. I just need to give her some time, that’s all.

Author's Note:

How did you like the chapter~? I know it wasn't as long as chapter 16, but I thought this would be a pretty good place to end the chapter. Unfortunately, I promised everyone we would get to see somewhat of how Sonata and Aria are doing by chapter 18. Due to everything that has happened recently, I won't be able to do that. The reveal of how Sonata and Aria are doing will have to wait for a later chapter. I'm not sure how much later, but I do know next chapter won't be focused around them. Anyway, I hope you are all looking forward to the next chapter!

Comments

[Blood Rarity]

[ScisetShimmerEvan]

“Alright. Everyone out,” Applejack tells everyone once she opens the door to the back area of the RV. We have been traveling for a few hours now and Applejack finally decided to make a pitstop here in Chicago. A part of me feels a little upset, knowing how much Rainbow Dash wants to go sightseeing. I don’t want to waste a lot of time here, but the girls will probably want to stay for a bit…

Now there's a place my dad has been to a lot. Chicago. And might be where my family plan on going for vacation next summer.

“Ever since we stopped in Chicago, you have done nothing but check the time. I know how anxious you are to get a move on and find Aria and Sonata,” she tells me with an understanding tone to her voice. “But… I also want you to enjoy this. This is the first time we have gone on a trip together, and we probably won’t go on another one for a long time.” Stopping about a meter away from the bean, Sunset turns to look at me with a smile, a pleading look in her eyes. “We will find them. But they aren’t going anywhere in the next five minutes. We can probably afford to take some time to enjoy the sights. And… we don’t have a lot of pictures together~ I would love to have some to remember this trip.” Sunset tilts her head slightly, almost begging me nonverbally to go along with her idea.

She's right. Best to enjoy it while it lasts.

Holding Sunset’s hand, I give the camera the most genuine smile I can, feeling a bit happier than before. I’ve been so stressed since this trip started, but everything seems like it’s under control now. The demon in my mind is working with me for once. We’re still at a great pace to find Aria and Sonata. And Sunset is… really happy. Life feels really good right now… For the first time in months, I don’t feel so stressed. I love life, but… I love Sunset even more.

Proud of you Adagio.

“She’s real?” Sunset asks, interrupting me again. Pulling her hand away from my own, she takes a step away from me, seemingly trying to force some words out of her mouth. “She’s your subconscious and never left you alone. You never told me? And now you’re implying that it’s my fault your mind is broken?” A singular tear slides down her angry face, staring at me for some sort of answer.

Uh oh...

“Sunset? Where are you going? We… We need to meet back up with everyone else.” Sunset simply pulls out her phone and shakes it in the air as a response to my words, walking away from me. Her hair waves in the wind, but I can tell just how frustrated she is by the way she is walking. I can’t help but keep my eyes on her, no matter how small she gets.

She really screwed up this time.

That didn’t turn out very well. Smart move. her voice rings in my mind, making my blood boil. I know it didn’t turn out very well. But… she needed to know. The truth needed to come out eventually.

Shut it subconscious!

[Daybreaker218]

Short chapter but high emotional impact, well done