Use Your Head
Chapter XVIII: Use Your Head
The blue light emanating from my phone grows irritating after a while. In truth, it isn’t because of the phone itself. It’s because I’m waiting for a text. A call. Something. Anything from her. It’s been about an hour since she walked away from me and all I want to do is apologize. Waiting for something is torture. I guess I brought this on myself for lying so much to her, but… still. Sometimes I forget that the one thing I want in this world is her happiness. Taking away that happiness makes me upset in equal measures.
“Hey, Dagi. Wake up,” Dash tells me with a slight slap to my head. Sighing, I put my phone away to look at everyone else. “That must have been the twentieth time you checked that thing.” Without hesitation, Dash swallows a big bite of noodles. The table we sit at is located in the corner of a Chinese restaurant, Rarity making the recommendation due to her history with Chicago.
“Do ya blame her? She had a fight with her girlfriend. I’d be in the same situation if I had a fight with Rares,” Applejack tells Dash with an explanatory tone, gaining the attention of Rarity.
“You would?! Aw, that’s so sweet, Darling!” Rarity practically gasps in admiration, clearly affected by Applejack’s words. A blush appears on Applejack’s face before she hides her face under her hat.
“What exactly was their fight about anyway?” Pinkie asks before quickly emptying her bowl of rice.
“Could we stop talking about my personal life? It’s making this wait even more unbearable,” I state with a small sigh, shaking my head. I avoided ordering anything for myself, because I knew it would make me feel sick. Everyone else seems to have a big appetite however. I can’t exactly blame them.
“We could talk about the souvenirs they have in the city. I got a pretty interesting snow globe that I think Spike will like. It depicts the city’s skyline, so I think it will be great to spruce up my place~” Twilight pulls out her phone and shows everyone a picture of the snowglobe in question. I can agree that it would add a little bit to her house’s decoration. However, that’s not saying much. Twilight doesn’t have a lot of stuff in her house that looks good. If anything, she has clutters of research material rather than framed pictures.
“Oh, that looks interesting,” Fluttershy mentions as she points to a shirt in the background of Twilight’s photo. “What shop did you get that at?” Twilight looks at the photo again before putting her phone back in her pocket.
“Souvenir City. It’s just a few blocks from here.” Twilight points behind her to give Fluttershy a general direction of where the shop is located.
You still should have told Twilight instead. It would have worked better. Will you shut it? I needed to tell Sunset at some point… Better now than wait even longer. I just wish I could know what she is thinking. I hurt her. The most important thing for me to do is to cast aside my ego and to own up to that. To show her I mean it when I say that I’m sorry… Every relationship has fights. I should try to do everything I can to avoid turning it into a fight…
Looking around the restaurant, my eyes scan the customers for fiery hair. While some people have red hair, they are nowhere near the same hue as Sunset’s hair. I could recognize her in a room of three hundred people. It’s almost comical how she used to be someone I hated. Now? She’s the love of my life. A very very long life… Regardless, I could pick her out of a crowd in a second. Honestly, she could probably do the same with me. I’ve been with her for nearly three years now. At times, it’s still hard to believe that it has been that long.
My eyes move towards the door of the restaurant as soon as I see some movement. Fiery hair fills my vision, mimicking the colors at the end of a day. My heart instantly starts to beat faster as I see her, a smile on her face. Why is she smiling…? I thought I hurt her… Yet here she is, seemingly unaffected by what happened earlier. No… She’s still affected. She doesn’t want the others to know that. She often hides her feelings from her friends. Not from me though… And I keep repaying that by lying to her.
“Hey, Sunset! Over here!” Pinkie exclaims, making me jump slightly. I honestly wasn’t expecting to hear Pinkie say that. Sunset looks our way, giving us a wave before walking over to the table. Her hair bounces slightly, making me feel a little confused. Is her hair… shorter? I can’t tell. It looks the same, but… different at the same time.
“Heya, Sunset. Are you alright?” Applejack asks her. Sunset nods before sitting down next to me, her shoulder touching my own.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Adagio and I just had a small disagreement, that’s all. I feel much better now~” Sunset grabs a menu and eagerly looks at the options, seemingly hungry after she disappeared for an hour.
“Oh, did you get a haircut? Your hair looks positively stunning, darling!” Rarity compliments Sunset with adoration in her voice.
“I did~ I only had an inch cut off and some product put in my hair, but I think it looks really nice.” Sunset tilts her head to give everyone else a better look at her hair. Pinkie stares at Sunset’s hair with amazement, but Dash doesn’t seem even vaguely interested. Honestly, I feel a little sad that I couldn’t recognize that Sunset did something with her hair. Rarity noticed within a second, but I wasn’t sure. In a way, I should be the one who knows her the best…
“Huh. I mean, I wouldn’t invest in getting a haircut during our trip. I have too many pictures to take, but you do you.” Dash shrugs and takes a drink from her cup, her plate long since empty of any actual food.
“Well, don’t get too comfortable taking pictures, Rainbow. We aren’t staying here too much longer. We have to get going once everyone is done eating,” Applejack comments with a somewhat stern and understanding tone. Sunset’s shoulder tenses up as soon as Applejack says that…
“I was thinking we could stay here for a night,” Sunset mentions without looking up from her menu. “Dash has more pictures to take and I am pretty tired. I don’t think it would hurt to stay here for the night.” Again, Sunset casually looks through the meals, unaware of Applejack’s confused expression. Applejack’s eyes look towards me as if to ask for some answer. Unfortunately, I am equally in the dark about this.
“Uh, I hope you don’t mind me asking, Sunset, but… why? What made ya change your mind? You were content leaving when we stopped.” Applejack’s eyes study Sunset carefully, trying to look for some sort of answer. I would also like some clarification about what is happening here, but it all depends on if Sunset is willing to tell.
“I just want to take a break, that’s all. I think we could all use an early night.” I have a feeling why she wants to take a break, but that’s not something I can talk about in front of everyone else…
“Alright. I suppose we can stay here for the night,” Applejack mentions quietly to no objection. Everyone else seems fine with the idea. Everyone except me…
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Opening the door to the hotel room, I do my best to pull all of our bags inside, Sunset walking in right behind me. She hasn’t so much as said a word to me since we left the restaurant. I mean, I can’t exactly blame her. But it does make me worried about what she is thinking. Is she planning on talking now that we’re alone? Or is she going to give me the silent treatment? Whatever it is, we’re sharing a room, so we’ll talk eventually. Sunset closes the door before walking into the bathroom, leaving me to sort out our bags.
The room has a bed and a couch with a small TV. The couch seems to be one of those pieces that can fold out into a bed of its own. It isn’t the best room, but it will have to do for now. Taking a deep breath, I gently lay down my suitcase, opening it to find my toothbrush. Let’s admit it. I hurt her. No matter how much she acts like things are fine, I still need to apologize for the years of smoke and mirrors. Lies built on top of each other… Some of them, I couldn’t control, but others were completely in my grasp. Tightening my grip on my toothbrush, I can’t help but feel this deep innate guilt, bubbling to the surface.
“Sunset?” I call out, keeping my eyes on my brush, trying to count the bristles to keep me in check. “Can we talk?” Nothing but silence follows my request, idle sounds coming from the bathroom. The silence continues for a moment too long, making my mind work faster than before.
“Talk about what?” she finally responds to me, her voice carrying a more empty tone than before. I had guessed she was trying to keep up appearances in the restaurant…
Standing up, I quietly walk to the bathroom door, peering inside. Sunset simply stands there, looking deeply into the mirror with a stern expression. She refuses to look my way. She doesn’t acknowledge my existence in any visible way, but I know she sees me.
“Sunset. I… We never got to talk more after I told you everything at the park.” My mind tries to think of the words to say, finding it hard to come up with the exact right statement.
“Is that everything?” Sunset asks in an almost condescending tone, chuckling to herself out of annoyment. “Is that really everything? When I left, I couldn’t stop thinking about if there was something else you were hiding.” Her eyes look at my reflection, still refusing to turn her head towards me.
“Yes, that is everything. Everything I hid from you is now in the open.” At least, I think so… I can’t remember anything else off the top of my head. I don’t think there is anything else… “Before we say anything else, I just want to say that I’m sorry. I know I hurt you with my lies and… I really do regret it. In some aspects, I had no choice, but I still know that lying hurts.”
“Had no choice? Like when your subconscious threatened my life?” Sunset scoffs to herself, shaking her head. “Adagio, that’s the problem. It’s not so much the lying. It’s the fact that you don’t trust me with these things. I trust you with everything, but you can’t tell me your fears or the things going on in your head.” Finally, her eyes turn to face me, a deeply sad expression looking back at me. “I can protect myself, Adagio. When we got together, I signed up to be a part of YOUR life. To be there for you. But you won’t let me.” Brushing past me, Sunset walks towards the bed, once again turning her back to me.
“You’re right. I haven’t given you that chance…” Taking a step closer, I hold back my urge to try and defend myself. It’s better to take responsibility for it. “I haven’t given you a chance to be a part of my life, to know my fears and to be here… The truth is that I find it really hard to do that. I am so used to tackling my own problems head on and not letting someone inside my life. I never did that as a siren. Even with Aria and Sonata. In a way, it’s terrifying…” That’s the truth. It’s hard to let someone in because… it is one of the few things I fear. Being vulnerable and showing that side of myself. I was supposed to be a siren queen, ruling above other creatures. So, I made my walls so thick that it’s hard for me to vent to her. “I have tried to let you in on some things. Like how I was scared about the GED. But when it came to my fear of her… I couldn’t bring myself to tell you that. It’s hard to let people in, even after all this time.”
Sunset doesn’t say a word, her arms crossed with her back facing me. A small sigh exiting her lips reassures me that she heard what I said. Her head hangs low, letting the silence grow in strength. In no way do I blame her for how she feels… Isn’t it a normal reaction to feel skeptical and hesitant when someone hurts you in such a way? I have no one to blame but myself. But that also means I am the only one who can fix this…
“I’m sorry, Sunset. You give me too much and I rewarded it with impenetrable walls of lies. I didn’t want to keep it from you for so long, but that doesn’t change what I did.” Taking a step closer to her, I try to look around her shoulder to get a glimpse of her face. “I really do-”
“I want some time,” Sunset whispers, barely breaking the silence in the room. “Give me some time to think about it. I’ll tell you what I think tomorrow.” Her eyes look over her shoulder at me, the light showing a streak of tears going down her cheeks. “This is years of lies that you told me about and I… I just need a day to process it all.”
“Alright,” I whisper in response, holding my hands up. “Take all the time you need. And whatever conclusion you come to, I’m sure it will be just.” As much as my mind wants to keep up the conversation, I know I can’t force her to feel better. Sometimes, we all need a little space. It’s a sad truth of life. We’re social creatures, but we still need time to ourselves. “Do you want me to sleep in the RV so you can have the room to yourself?” I used to be so selfish… But now, I can’t imagine being selfish when it comes to Sunset. She deserves better than me anyway.
“No, you can sleep on the pull out couch. I don’t want to make you sleep in a hot vehicle.” Sunset takes off her jacket, beginning to undress for bed. Her head looks down at the bed and I can’t help but feel worried about how much this has affected her.
“I still love you,” I whisper as a final statement before pulling out the couch to make a second bed.
“I still love you as well.”
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Gently closing the door, I take a deep breath, putting my hands into my jacket’s pockets. The purple scarf keeps my neck warm from the chilly hotel air, but I understand why it’s kept so cool. It’s the middle of the summer. Heat is ever present, so many places keep their establishments colder than they should be to try and accommodate everyone. Sunset is still asleep in her bed, but I had a hard time getting any sleep. Maybe an hour or two at most… Now it is nearly four in the morning and I can’t help but find the urge to get some fresh air…
Walking down the hall, I quickly enter the stairs, my boots making an echo through this concrete stairwell. My mind has been racing with thoughts all day. Thoughts of what might happen… I don’t think she will break up with me over this. She still loves me, but it doesn’t mean that she is prohibited from feeling hurt. Rather, I just can’t help but wonder what she will think. Not only about all the lies, but my request for her help to get my magic back.
My magic is the only way I can think of to fix my mind. To make my subconscious stop trying to convince me to turn evil again. Still… There’s this nagging thought at the back of my mind. What if she’s right? What if… What if Adagio is supposed to be like that? Am I some sort of anomaly where I gained love and friendship? Is she the true personality of Adagio Dazzle? If that’s the case, then… what would happen when I get my magic back? What if I… No. I can’t afford to think like that. It is only the siren trying to get in my head. I am Adagio Dazzle. I just changed… That’s all. I may have dreamed to be a ruler, but I have changed course. People can do that.
Still… The thought sets a frightening precedent. To think that maybe she represents the true personality of Adagio and I wouldn’t have changed if my mind wasn’t broken. In a way, doesn’t that invalidate all of my hard work? All of my effort to repent for what I’ve done and be a better person? None of these thoughts have answers at the moment. All I can do is wait and see what the future holds. Why am I the only person in this god forsaken world who has to deal with these issues of double personality, magic problems and trying to keep their relationship intact at the same time?
Walking into the lobby of the hotel, I can’t help but find it relaxing that it is almost perfectly silent. The only people in here are the desk clerk and a woman with rainbow hair. Raising my eyebrow, I walk towards the couch where she is sitting, looking down at her phone.
“Dash?” I ask quietly with some confusion behind my voice. “What are you doing out here?” Rainbow Dash looks up from her phone, her eyes connecting with mine. A smile comes to her face, almost chuckling at my presence.
“Dagi. Hey~ I didn’t know you were up.” Dash quickly puts her phone away before standing up to give me a hug. Her embrace is warm, but something about her behavior feels slightly off… “I was waiting on a phone call. Just some… hospital stuff. Don’t worry about it,” Dash tries to brush it off, shrugging her shoulders. “Couldn’t get much sleep anyway. Too worried I guess. Why are you awake though?” She throws the question back at me, making me feel surprised. I should have expected her to ask me that.
“Eh, the same reason. I don’t really feel like talking about it though. I just wanted some fresh air to see if it could help this siren feel sleepy.” Rainbow laughs at my statement, shrugging her shoulders as if she is in agreement.
“Honestly? I don’t feel like talking about my troubles either. But I’m guessing we could both use a little bit of company, right? I know there’s a convenience store down the street. Want to go there with me? My treat.” The fact that Dash is willing to lay down some of her own cash is an offer I can’t really refuse. Getting a snack for free isn’t an everyday occurrence after all.
“Alright. You’ve got my attention,” I tease her with a smirk. Dash rolls her eyes with a smile before turning towards the door of the hotel, leading the way. The automatic door slides open in front of us, letting the warm night air embrace my body. Despite the temperature, it’s nice to get some air. The moon is full and bright tonight. No matter where I look, there are signs of life everywhere. Cars pass us by, just like some of the other people on the sidewalk. It’s not that much different from Canterlot City in some aspects. I can’t help but find myself lucky that the house I own with Sunset has some pretty thick walls.
“Is there anything that you would like to talk about?” Dash asks me curiously, walking backwards to face me. “Anything on your mind that you can talk about, I mean. That sort of thing.” Dash’s eyes stay focused on me, despite moving around a lamp post.
“I suppose. I’ve been really worried about what I will do once I find them, honestly.” My eyes trail away from hers, looking towards the night sky. Barely any stars can be seen due to the light pollution in the city. I guess that's what I prefer about Canterlot City. There are many parts of the city that are dark enough to see the stars. But here in Chicago? Not so much. Although, I am not exactly accustomed to this city.
“Aria and Sonata? Like what you will say to them?” Dash asks me before shrugging slightly to herself. Putting her hands behind her back, Dash hums to herself, seemingly thinking of something to say. “Honestly, I don’t remember much about them. I mean, yeah. Obviously I remember what they look like and how their voices grinded against my gears back then due to how annoying you girls were, but I don’t remember if I ever learned about them personally. Like what their personalities were or what they thought. I just know that they were your friends.” A street light reflects in Rainbow Dash’s eye, showing me an optimistic look on her face. “How about you tell me about them?”
Huh… Tell her about them. There’s not much to tell, but at the same time, there are multiple lifetimes to talk about. It makes me think about what is important to mention. “Where should I begin?” I ask her rhetorically, trying to occupy the space while I think. “Aria was always annoying. She has grinded on my nerves ever since we met. It was simply unbearable, but in a way? I miss that about her.” Rolling my eyes, I can’t help but sigh, thinking about her. “She and I met before Sonata came into the picture. I was a siren with no parents and high ambitions. She also had high ambitions and wanted to be in the same boat. Even though she wanted to make the plans, she always struggled to pick up on social cues and to think far enough ahead. That is where I came in and took the charge.”
“You two met when you were kids?” Dash asks with a curious look in her eyes, still walking backwards without so much as a moment of hesitancy. “And what about Aria? Did she have parents?” Honestly, the question makes me feel amused. It’s nice to see her so interested in my life and what I have to say about my previous friends.
“Aria had parents, but parental relationships worked very differently when it came to sirens. In Equestria, ponies had similar familial structures as humans do, but sirens are-” Stopping myself, I take a deep breath, making an effort to try and correct myself. “Sirens were different. Even though Aria had parents, her parents weren’t a big part of her life. Sirens were expected to lead their own lives and hone their magic. We perceived ourselves as the top of the food chain, but even then, I thought many of the other sirens lacked ambition. They were content where they were instead of trying to rule above all else. They were… lazy.” The thought of that culture makes my soul light on fire… Even if I don’t believe in power anymore, they truly were disgusting… They believed they were at the top and got lazy without anything to show for it. Next thing they know, they are wiped out like flies because they got content. For a culture that prioritized power above emotions and connections, they did the worst job at keeping their power. It makes me so furious to think about how worthless they were…
“Speaking of which, what exactly happened…? To the other sirens I mean. You keep talking about them in past tense.” Dash turns around right as we reach the store’s front entrance, opening the door for me. Her interest is clearly piqued, making her fully focused on me. I suppose I owe her an answer to that.
“Before the time of princesses, the ponies overthrew them. They got tired of their treatment and easily got rid of each one of them. Except for the three of us. I had ambition and we all trained our magic every day. I wanted to make the world kneel to the true siren queen. I got close to that goal.” Walking inside the store, I can’t help but notice the overwhelming amount of white light and scented cleaners. Clearly, this store uses them to clean up whatever messes that they have, but it only makes me feel nauseous. My nostrils almost flare and burn at the smell, but Dash seems unbothered by it all. Slowly shaking my head, I try my best to ignore the smell, walking further into the store. “But that’s besides the point. Sonata joined Aria and I a little while later when she shared her plushie with me. She was kind of a social outcast since she was a lot more emotion oriented than the rest of us and she didn’t care for power, but Aria and I adopted her into the group due to that.”
“Wait. Sonata didn’t want power? Then why was she even working with you guys to take over Equestria?” Dash asks me with a raised eyebrow before looking at the selection of candy bars available.
“We were her only friends. She didn’t like ponies and the other sirens only treated her like the lowest common denominator. So, I guess it was because she had no problems following us. She didn’t seem to mind as long as she was with us.” Picking a chocolate bar off the shelf, I shake it lightly towards Dash to let her know this is the treat I want. I’m not getting it for me… I’m getting it for Sunset.
“Huh. If she was mistreated by other sirens so much, I can’t help but wonder why she shared her toy with you in the first place. For all she knew, you could have been mean to her as well.” Honestly, I was mean to Sonata. It wasn’t like I treated her much better than anyone else. Dash brings up a good point however.
Dash picks up a package of Skittles, smiling to herself. The rainbow tasting the rainbow… Ironic. The sound of the door makes me aware of other customers walking inside the store. The same sound makes Dash shrug her shoulders, leading the way towards the drinks in the back.
“I honestly don’t know why she shared her toy with me. I’m just glad she did. I know I can’t repay her by giving her face paint,” I joke with Dash, chuckling to myself while shaking my head. Dash stops in her tracks and looks back at me with a raised eyebrow, clearly confused.
“Wait. What do you mean?” she asks with a skeptical tone. Oh. I forgot not everyone knows about that small detail…
“Sonata is allergic to face paint. It causes a lot of itching and irritation. In bad cases, it can make it hard for her to breathe.” My statement only seems to make Dash even more confused, giggling in a curious and surprised way.
“Wait, so… How exactly did you guys find out about this? This is such an obscure allergy,” Dash responds with an increasing laugh, trying her best to compose herself to avoid stares.
“Back when we were preparing for the Battle of the Bands, I thought it would be interesting if we painted our faces to add to the glamor. As soon as the paint touched Sonata’s cheek, it made her itch and develop a rash. It only went away after a night of anti-allergen pills and some cream. It made her so itchy that she actually started to cry from how irritating it was. I… I kind of told her to just deal with it and to shut up back then… I wish I could take that back.” Walking past Dash, I make my way towards the refrigerated drinks, eyeing the options. I already know what I will probably pick… I’m using the time to try and compose myself more than anything.
I mean… She was whining for no reason. It was just a rash. We were in the right. Shut up. No, we weren’t. She deserved kindness from her friends. Instead, Aria and I abused her all the time.
“Hey. Dagi,” Dash responds quietly, walking up to my side. “Look. I know how it is like to have a bunch of regrets. It’s hard. If you want some advice, I want to tell you that I think you will do great. Apologizing, I mean.” Dash opens one of the doors to the refrigerated section, pulling out an orange soda. “You’re a lot better person than you used to be. You’re one of my best friends. Of course I love all of our friends, but only you and Applejack get me on such a fundamental level. Trust me. You’re good. You’ll be able to talk to them again. You’ll be their friend again.”
The contrast of opinions conflicts me to a certain degree. My subconscious says that I was in the right to be mean, but Dash believes I can change. In this instant, I can’t help but side with Dash.
“Thank you, Dash. It makes me feel… better. To hear someone say they believe me like that.”
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Walking down Navy Pier, I can’t help but question why Sunset wanted me to come here with her. She walks a few paces in front of me. She avoided talking to me as much as possible, so I don’t know what this is supposed to represent. The sunlight bounces off Centennial Wheel, making me admire the ride. It is so much larger than I expected it to be from the photos. But Dash was really excited about it before we got here, so I assume she knew how large it is.
Walking past the crowds of people, I try to keep up with Sunset. Her hair shines in the sun, acting as a beacon for me to follow. She’s so beautiful. I can’t help but lose myself to her, but… right now isn’t the time for that. I need to focus on talking with her. On apologizing again. I have no idea what she was thinking last night when we went to bed, but I know it must have been a conflicting process.
Sunset makes her way to the line of the Centennial Wheel, only increasing my curiosity even more. I wasn’t aware that she wanted to ride the Ferris wheel. I can’t seem to predict a thing she does today… Maybe that’s the point. To make me confused. I honestly have no idea what is going through her head. It all feels like some extreme guessing game and if I get it wrong, she may not end up forgiving me.
Shaking my head, I walk up behind her, looking up at the big wheel. “What are we doing?” I ask her quietly. Sunset shakes her head without looking back at me, avoiding the question. Everyone else is either sleeping or exploring the city. What exactly are we doing here? Making it up to the front of the line, the man asks us how many will be riding.
“Two. She and I are together,” Sunset tells the man while referring to me. I still can’t help but wonder how a ride is supposed to help the situation we’re in, but she always has a reason. Sunset takes my hand in hers before leading me into one of the wheel’s capsules. When I try to sit on the opposite side of her, Sunset holds onto my hand tighter, pulling me to sit beside her. Within a moment, the ride starts moving slowly, stopping again to let other people on. Sunset still avoids making eye contact with me. Instead, she opts to look towards the shore. Why did she want me to sit beside her if she’s still being distant…?
Finally, the ride begins to move again, bringing us closer to the top of the wheel. The wind blows through our hair, offering a serene atmosphere to the day. Sunset sighs to herself before taking out the chocolate bar I got her from her bag. Her fingers rip the plastic, taking a bite of the sweet with a content exhale. Her gaze slowly turns from the shore to me, giving me a hesitant smile.
“So, I did a bit of thinking last night,” Sunset gently tells me, finally talking to me. Her words are laced with nervousness, but there is still a gentle nature through her words.
“Is that why we’re here?” I ask her, looking around at the wheel.
“Kind of.” Sunset’s reply is short and quiet, straight to the point. Once again, she looks away from me to gather her thoughts. “You really hurt me yesterday, Adagio. I can’t pretend like you didn’t.” Looking into my eyes, Sunset looks like she is searching my soul, trying to find something. “But… I also realize why you did it and that you regret it. At least, I hope so.” Her eyebrow raises slightly, asking me a silent question.
“I do, Sunset… I really do. I’m… I’m so sorry that I lied to you and-”
“Hold on a second,” Sunset cuts me off with a kind tone, shaking her head. “As much as I want to stay mad at you, I can’t. We’re in the middle of a road trip with everyone else and… you need me. You need my help. That much I can’t ignore.” Sunset takes my hand in hers, taking a deep, hesitant breath. “Look. I… I am willing to forgive you. To move past this as if nothing happened. To help you get your magic back. I just need you to promise me something.” Her eyes are pleading, wanting to solve this without any more fighting. I want that as well… I don’t want to fight any more. I just want to have things resolved finally.
“What do you want me to promise?” I ask her quietly, ready to swear anything to keep her by my side.
“Promise you won’t lie to me anymore.” We reach the top of the wheel once more, the sun shining behind her. I can still see her hopeful eyes, looking at me with an expectant gaze. Her hands hold onto my own tightly. All the while, she waits for an answer.
“I promise, Sunset. I’m pretty sure I told you everything and… I don’t have any intention of keeping something from you again.” Sunset’s eyes seem relieved once I say those words, a happy smile painted on her face. The wind brushes past her hair, making this moment seem even more beautiful. She’s like a piece of art…
“That… makes me really happy, Adagio. Alright. I forgive you,” she tells me with a happy tone to her voice, bringing me closer to her in a hug. “I love you~”
Returning the hug, I can’t help but feel extremely lucky that it turned out like this. Did I jinx reality? In a way, this feels too good to be true.
“I love you too, Sunset~” Taking in the moment, I try my best to remember my promise. I am pretty sure all the lies are out in the open. I can’t remember anything else I need to say. That should be all of them.
I really hope so…
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Stepping off the RV, I take a deep breath of the fresh air. Nothing is near this gas station for miles, giving me a good view of the natural landscape. Nevada isn’t exactly what I expected, but we just got here about twenty minutes ago. Applejack insisted on taking a break here and honestly, I don’t have a problem with that. I know Sonata or Aria live in this state, but where exactly? I’m not sure. My magic isn’t exactly attuned enough to give me their exact locations. Can’t have things be too easy, can I? Life always has to be a little difficult.
“Alright, everyone,” Applejack states after getting out of the RV, walking past me. “Do what ya need. Go to the restroom, get snacks, whatever. I’m giving ya fifteen minutes.” Once again, Applejack is acting as the trip organizer, enforcing rules and keeping us on track. Who else is equipped for the job? She’s had to do this for years when it came to her family trips, so I’m glad she can keep us going by the schedule.
“Aw, darling. That isn’t enough time if someone needs to go to the restroom and buy something. Surely we can stay here for a while longer?” Rarity asks her significant other, clearly buttering her up. Even though Applejack is usually pretty good at standing her ground, there is one person who can always convince Applejack to sway on her decision. It’s almost cute how Applejack gets flustered and agrees to let Rarity have what she wants. They both support each other in different ways, but I guess that is their strength.
“Fine. Y’all get twenty-five minutes,” Applejack tells us with a slight blush on her face. Rarity kisses her cheek, causing the cowgirl to turn as red as the fruit she grows on her farm.
“I just woke up from my nap and I have to see that? I’ve seen y’all kiss each other for years. Could you keep it to yourself for one day?” Dash jokes with the two of them, yawning with a small stretch. Clearly, she isn’t being serious about that request, but it is an attempt to get on their nerves. An attempt that Applejack ignores easily.
“I really hope they have some candy! I just ran out of my candy supply,” Pinkie mentions with a happy smile on her face, skipping towards the door. Fluttershy is less enthusiastic than Pinkie, simply stepping away from the group to look at the mountains in the distance. It doesn’t last long. Dash wraps her arm around Fluttershy’s neck, aiming her towards the store.
“We’ll have enough time to look at the mountains later, Shy. We first need to raid the candy section before Pinkie gets it all.” Dash points towards the door with her free hand, a surprised face still present on Fluttershy.
“Oh? Okay, I guess we can do that,” Fluttershy mentions quietly, causing Dash to lead the way towards the store. In a way, I can’t help but wonder why Fluttershy is okay with Dash forcing her into all these situations, but I guess it is due to years of friendship. The two of them were friends before they even knew Applejack, Rarity or Pinkie. Twilight came to the friend group later. Even after Sunset was their friend.
“Do you want to get anything?” Sunset’s warm voice asks from behind me, making me avert my gaze from Dash and Fluttershy. I’m so glad Sunset decided to forgive me. It feels like hell to not hear that tone from her. That kindness… She agreed to help me get my magic back, but I have to let her make the plan. She’s finally wearing her necklace, so maybe this was the push she needed to get back into magic.
“No. You can go in with everyone else. I think I will stay out here for now,” I tell her with a small nod towards the door. Her hand grabs mine for a moment, giving me her signature warm smile.
“Stay safe, okay? Don’t go running off now. We still have a marriage to get back to after all~” Sunset teases me with a wink before gently kissing my cheek, causing my face to flush with color. This whole trip and all the drama associated with it made me forget that we’re getting married after this. After I apologize to Sonata and Aria. And after I get my magic back…
“I don’t plan on it,” I reassure her, looking down at my ring with a smile. Sunset lets go of my hand, walking towards the store with the others. Applejack actually stays outside for a few minutes, her gaze alternating between me and the mountains. Even though she’s a couple of meters away from me, I can still hear her sigh quietly to herself before walking towards me. Standing next to me, she looks at the mountains with me, pushing her hat up to get a better view.
“Are ya alright, Sugarcube?” she asks me with a concerned tone without turning her gaze to me.
“Yes. Why do you ask?” I respond shortly, feeling the breeze against my face.
“I know we just got to Nevada and all, but try to relax. We’ll be able to find them.” Applejack is somehow able to tell what someone is thinking about just by looking at them. I can never figure out how she can do that… “Like Sunset said. This trip is supposed to be fun as well, Sugarcube. Try to let some of that tension out of your shoulders. You’ll find them, apologize, and have a pow wow of a wedding.” Applejack pats my shoulder with a smile, turning her body towards the store. Before she can leave, a thoughtful look comes to her face. “Would ya like your picture taken?”
“What do you mean?” I ask her with a confused tone, not really sure why she would take my picture in this random part of the trip.
“In front of the mountains. It’d be a fun picture to keep as a reminder. I can even take a picture with Sunset once we are all done.” Applejack pulls her phone out, shaking it with a smirk. The thought is… interesting. It can be fun, I suppose.
“Sure. One picture can’t hurt,” I tell her with a chuckle, walking ahead of her to pose in front of the mountains. Giving her the best smirk I can, Applejack aims her phone at me, holding up her fingers to give me a countdown. Within a couple of seconds, Applejack pulls her phone down, looking at the result.
“I’m sure Sunset will love this one,” she tells me with a teasing tone. Applejack taps her phone’s screen a couple of times. My phone vibrates in my pocket as soon as she puts hers down. “See ya in a few minutes, okay?” she tells me with a slight wave, walking back towards the store. Chuckling to myself, I can’t help but feel grateful for Applejack’s attempt to make me feel better. It worked, but still.
Taking a deep breath of the fresh air, I walk towards one of the benches outside the store. There’s nothing I need inside, so for now, it feels nice to just take in the air. Sitting down beside a newspaper vending machine, I can’t help but feel surprised that there’s one of these out in the middle of nowhere. Even in big cities, these things are starting to disappear due to newspapers slowly becoming obsolete. Everyone accesses things through their phones. Even though I wasn’t the best at using the internet, Apple Bloom taught me how to do it, so even a siren who is thousands of years old uses her phone to keep up with current events.
Still. There’s a certain charm to these little machines. To think that some people still use the paper to read about the news. Some of them are even free just to try and get more people to read the paper. Touching the door of the vending machine, I open it easily. This one had its lock removed as well.
My hand hesitates to close the machine, an overwhelming sense of curiosity building up inside of me. What exactly could be reported in the newspaper? Surely nothing but dull ads and political scandals, but still. The curiosity remains, pestering my thoughts. Slipping my hand inside, I grab one of the newspapers. Unfolding it, I look at the front page, seeing a report of some sort of affair between some legislators. I fucking knew it. I can always predict what is published in this kind of media. It’s almost laughable that some people read this stuff. Farther down the page, there are a couple more stories and a few ads. All of it is pretty boring. It almost makes me regret-
I…
I can’t help but do a double take. My eyes are clearly deceiving me, right? How can I believe… What…? It’s just a simple ad for a Mexican food chain, but one key aspect of it makes me doubt what I see. The woman who is in the advertisement wears her hair in a big ponytail. Her bangs form a point and there are different colored strands in her hair, still visible despite the black and white picture. An innocent and naive smile is on the woman’s face as she wears a cute suit. Everything about this picture makes it hard for me to breathe… There’s no doubt about it. I recognize her…
“Sonata…?”
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A monumental achievement that most fan fiction writers won’t ever reach. Congrats to you.
Also good chapter, good to see things looking up for Adagio, though I know how quickly that can change. Keep it up!
I don't really see how cutting just a inch of her hair a bad thing. It be hard to tell unless looking at a photo compared to the real thing.
I still seem them as sisters to Adagio.
What toy are they referring to?
Wow....
Besides, no one deserves to be treated that way!
got here twenty minutes ago.*
Take it or leave it Dash. That's just love for you.
11647628
Thank you so much for your compliments~ It means a lot due to my stressful month. It has been a long road, but I'm not halfway done. To think we're already 438k words in and I'm not halfway
Also, am I really so predictable that you know how quickly I can change it to a depressive ride for Adagio? XD Who am I kidding? I've done it a dozen times.
11647630
Thanks for the correction~ I went ahead and changed it. Also, the toy they're referring to is just some plushie that Sonata shared with Adagio when they were small sirens~
11647640
Got it and np.