Rainbows are Momentary
Chapter XXI: Rainbows are Momentary
Placing my bishop down, I force myself to hold back a chuckle. No matter how I look at it, Sonata will lose this game. It’s a very rare chance that she can hold out long enough to win against me. Still. If there’s one thing that Sunset taught me, it’s that I should never underestimate someone again. Not just in games, but in real life as well. Everyone is a potential alley and everything can give me new opportunities. What I choose to do with those opportunities dictates whether I am evil or not.
“Check,” I state in a mostly quiet room. Both Sonata and I are concentrated on the board for different reasons. She’s looking for a chance to win. I am looking for any way she could get out of this situation. I suppose that’s the same reason at the same fundamental level, but there are different motivations behind it. It’s been a long time since either of us have taken a drink from our cups of water. Out of anticipation, no doubt.
Sonata moves her knight to take out my last pawn, leaving it in the perfect spot to take out my King. It’s a valiant attempt, but she’s leaving her king open to attack. I wonder if she’s realized it yet.
“Check,” Sonata cheerfully tells me with a smile so bright that it lights up the already bright kitchen. Clearly, she hasn’t realized what danger her king is in so far. In one move, I could win this game. The same goes for Sonata, but her turn takes place after mine. So, it’s all in my ballpark. “By the way,” Sonata mentions with a curious tone to her voice, “have you gotten any hallucinations since the last time we met?”
Wait. What?
Hallucinations?
Looking up at Sonata, I try to convince myself that I didn’t hear her correctly. A failed endeavor… As sure as the day, Sonata asked me if I have had any hallucinations. My heart sinks a thousand meters in an instant. I didn’t want to believe it. I never even considered this as a possibility, but she makes every hope in my mind break with one simple word.
“What kind of hallucinations have you had?” I respond with a question of my own, providing my own answer in a way. Has she had her own demon inside her mind this whole time? Please don’t let that be the case…
“Shadows. Things like that. They’re not so bad~ If anything, it makes this house feel less lonely,” Sonata chirps with a smile, tilting her head. Looking back down at the board, I can’t help but think about her response. That’s how it started with me. Shadows. The foreboding shadow of the past, tethered to my soul. Why would she only see shadows up to this point? Shouldn’t she be at the point where her subconscious is taking control of her body? It doesn’t make any sense. “Have you seen something like that?” Sonata asks innocently enough, making me wonder if I should tell her the truth. For now, she’s the only one on this planet that can understand my struggle fully. But she might get scared to hear about Umbra.
“Yeah. I saw a shadow at one point. But it kind of progressed from that.” Taking a breath, I try to steer my thoughts back towards the game for a moment. My bishop is placed in the perfect position to take out her King. So is my rook. She doesn’t know it at all. Still. Looking at her smile, it’s nice to see her enjoying her time with me. It’s been so long since we’ve done something together…
Moving my king one space to the right, I look up at her, waiting for her move. Sonata gives a puzzled expression, looking down at the board. A long pause follows my move. Resting my chin on the back of my hand, I smile at the time we’re spending together now. For the first time today, I feel a little… hope? Though, it’s hard to feel that. Especially when I think about… Sunny…
“Progressed? What do you mean?” Sonata asks me before moving her knight again, clearly trying to rotate it to a position where it can take out my king. It seems she’s intent on killing my chance to win with that knight particularly. This game requires a more… broad viewpoint. You can’t fixate on a certain plan without deviating or else your opponent will squash your dreams of success. But if I did that, I would be a horrible person, wouldn’t I?
Actually, that’s a lie. I’m just making excuses to keep this going.
Moving my piece to the right once more, I notice Sonata looking panicked as she realizes she once again has to rotate her knight. It can only move two spaces left, right, up or down, and then one space to the side. Even though my king is essentially right beside her knight, there’s no way it can be defeated until Sonata moves her piece into an acceptable place.
“The shadow evolved in a way. I see a past version of myself at this point. It’s… not fun…” Looking down at the board, I take the chance to sigh, exhaling the air I’ve kept in my lungs for the past minute. “But I learned why I’ve hallucinated, so maybe that will help.” Moving her knight again, Sonata smiles with a content expression. In one move, she can take out my king. Unless I move it again.
But what fun would that be?
“Oh? What’s causing it?” she asks me with a curious tilt of her head. Moving my second bishop to the side, I play it off that I didn’t realize her winning move. Not to mention she forgot to say warn me again. It’s the fifth time this match that she forgot she’s supposed to tell me “check”, but it’s almost more fun this way. To see her win.
“My subconscious. Apparently the magic we were hit with at the Battle of the Bands separated it from me. So it’s still the evil version of me that didn’t really appreciate anyone.” A solemn expression comes over Sonata as soon as she hears my words, looking like a bad memory overtook her mind. “I… I’m truly sorry, Sonata. For everything I did to you and Aria. I-” before I can say another word, Sonata lifts up her knight. Without hesitation, she topples my king over, a small smile coming to her lips.
“Checkmate,” she whispers, finally looking up at me. A cheerful expression dawns on her, nodding her head for some reason. “I really appreciate it, Adagio. Actually apologizing to me after all this time. It must have been tough. Both to apologize and let me win that game.” Pridefully stepping up from her seat, Sonata takes our cups to the sink, leaving me with more questions than answers. She knew? I thought I was more careful than that.
“How? I thought you would assume I was careless?” Standing up, I can’t help but stare at the back of her head for answers.
“I saw how you were looking at your bishop a few turns back~ Besides, you’re really smart. There’s no way you wouldn’t have seen your opportunity to win. You love to be right after all.” Turning to face me, a hopeful smile is on her face, a small tear falling down her cheek. “At least, you used to. You really have changed~” Sonata moves towards me at a surprising rate, making my body tense up just as her arms wrap around me. This is the first time she’s touched me in over three years. I didn’t want to touch her considering that I didn’t know if she was comfortable with that, but… here she is. She’s the one initiating this. In a way, it’s not unlike how Apple Bloom hugs me these days. God knows how much she’s grown in just a few years.
Bringing my arm up, I gently hold Sonata’s back, returning the kind gesture. She’s kind enough to extend this trust. The last thing I want to do is hold her too tight. Even though that’s what Apple Bloom would prefer… All my fears of Sonata’s well-being turned out to be false. It almost hurts more to think that this might be the last time I see her. At least it is on a good note this time. I finally apologized and maybe Sonata can heal from the years of pain.
“I’m really glad we got to meet,” I whisper, finding myself grateful to whatever deity exists that Sonata was able to carve out a life for herself. I guess these sirens didn’t need a leader to succeed. Even though I’ve pretty much ruined my own excuse of a life, at least I can make hers a little better.
“Are you leaving already?” Sonata asks me with a hint of sadness in her voice. “You haven’t even been here for an hour. There’s still a lot to talk about, surely.” Sonata leads me to the living room, despite my hesitations. “You still never told me why you came to Las Vegas. What brings you here?” Taking a deep breath, I sit down next to her on the couch. Even though I have to leave soon, I can entertain her questions at the very least.
“I wanted to see you. And Aria. I wanted to apologize. Take responsibility.” My gaze wanders away from Sonata’s, looking down at the coffee table in front of us.
“Ah, well, the last I heard, Aria was heading towards-”
“Louisiana, yeah. I found that out a week ago,” I interrupt her mid sentence, thinking about the last time I saw Aria.
“What…?” Sonata sounds genuinely perplexed by my statement, almost taken aback by it. “No, she was heading towards Florida when she left here. What do you mean she’s in Louisiana?” I can tell that her eyes are trained on me, despite my gaze not centered on her. Instead, I can’t help but look at the glass of the coffee table. An image flashes before my eyes of broken shards. Just like my life, glass is so fragile. How would she take the news?
“I used my magic to determine where you two were,” I whisper in a response, resisting the urge to look over at her.
“Your magic? How…? Our gems were destroyed. This world doesn’t have magic like in-”
“I used the help of my friends. Each of them has a nexus of magic in the palms of their hands, so they let me use my spells temporarily.” I can already tell what direction this conversation is going in. The tension in the room is getting thicker by the second. All I’m doing is giving Sonata more questions than answers. To be fair, it isn’t exactly a simple story to tell.
“Your friends…?” Sonata’s voice grows quiet, subsequently adding to the tension of the moment. “I… Are your friends people we… used to know?” Sonata asks me hesitantly, seemingly already knowing the answer to her question.
“The Rainbooms aren’t as bad as I thought they were at first.” My attempt to assure her falls flat. Sonata’s eyes look at me as if I was a traitor, making my heart feel like it has been stabbed by a piece of ice. Standing up from her seat, Sonata gently shakes her head with a look of disbelief painted on her face.
“Adagio, they took our magic away…” For the first time in a very long time, I see a hint of anger in Sonata’s eyes from the mention of the Rainbooms. Some resentment still bubbles under the surface of my friend, her hand gently rubbing the area her gem used to be.
“Listen to me for a moment,” I respond to her as calmly as I can, turning my body towards her. Even though they’re my ex friends, it doesn’t mean I shouldn’t defend them or their viewpoints. “I realize that. I was angry at them for a long time for the same reason, if not more.” Taking a moment to breathe, I sit back, getting into the most comfortable position I can. “However, I realized that life is not all about power and revenge. It’s… It is incredibly depressing to live life without being happy. That’s something Sunset taught me.”
Sonata’s eyes widen at my explanation. Her demeanor seems to soften slightly, but she holds herself back. I knew this wouldn’t be an easy thing to sell her.
“Sonata… I learned how to be happy. With myself. I learned how nice it is to just slow down and look at the world. Especially when you have someone by your side.” Taking my eyes away from Sonata, I can feel my heart constrain with pain at those last few words. I used to have someone, but… it is clear that it’s near impossible to fix that. I hurt her beyond recognition. I don’t deserve to fix this.
“Those are pretty intimate words,” Sonata mentions with a wary glare. Her eyes look at me with a sense of confusion rather than anger for the Rainbooms. “Who is it?” When something like this comes up, Sonata would usually take the opportunity to tease me, but very few words are shared from her this time.
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t act like that,” Sonata instantly calls my bluff, shaking her head. “Who are you in love with?” I thought that she might not notice my words due to her more innocent nature, but it seems she’s sharper than she looks.
“It’s a long story.” I find it hard to actually look up at her. The answer is probably something she wouldn’t be happy with. Falling in love with Sunset Shimmer of all people. Even I detested the idea a few years ago, but it’s hard to remember my hate for her. All I can remember is how much I miss her smile. Sighing, I can’t help but extend my hand outward, holding it in mid air. “Hair as fiery as the sun. Eyes like the ocean. A personality of pure good that it almost makes you nauseous at points.” My eyes slowly move over to gaze at Sonata, finally letting me notice her look of shock and conflict.
“Sunset Shimmer…? The girl who caused our defeat?” I can’t exactly blame her for thinking like this. Even though it would be easier to cave a rag on them as well, they don’t deserve that. My friends. The one person I love more than anything.
“Sonata, you can believe what you want, but I promise they aren’t as bad as we thought. They helped me find a purpose in my… My lost and hopeless life wasn’t the easiest to deal with. They surprisingly helped me, despite what I did to them before.” Everything they did helped drag me out of the hole I found myself in. They gave me the benefit of a doubt. It’s my responsibility to give them the same courtesy when it comes to Sonata. “They helped me come apologize to you. Regardless, they… mean a lot to me now.” I don’t mean a damn to them anymore.
Not a single word escapes Sonata’s lips. A long silence consumes the space between us, almost making it hard to breathe. I can’t tell what Sonata is thinking. I can’t begin to describe how she sees me now. However, I’m still glad I got to meet with her again, no matter what is going on in her head.
“Alright,” Sonata whispers, her eyes looking up at me after the long pause. “Can I meet them before you leave town?”
==========================================================
Her fiery hair moves slightly as she walks. The hotel lights shine down on everyone, but she’s the one I can’t take my eyes off of. Every time she looks at me, I can tell just how upset she is. Every part of her gaze tells me that she’s disappointed. It’s understandable. Any hope I had left of fixing things between us is just… gone. It’s pointless. I broke it beyond repair. Our perfect life together. Living in that house together. Waking up to that warm smile every day. It was heaven.
I felt invincible in some aspects. That nothing could break that life. Yet… here I am. As much as I was scared of my subconscious, it was my wrongdoing that caused all of this. As always, I overestimated myself. Thought I could have it all if I made the right plan. All it did in the end was prove that I’m the monster I was years ago. God…
“Adagio, catch up,” Rainbow Dash’s harsh voice brings me to reality, making me realize just how far behind I fell. Everyone’s eyes are on me except Sunset. She simply stands still, her back turned to me. As soon as I get closer, Sunset continues walking, feeling as cold as the winter. At least everyone else looks at me with the same frustration as ever. Most of the time, Sunset’s eyes never look in my direction. When they do, they’re almost empty.
I’m sorry, Sunset…
“Well, have a good rest, everyone. I will be in my room if you need me,” Rarity mentions quietly, avoiding my gaze before walking towards the elevator. Fluttershy follows her without saying a word. Pinkie Pie opens her mouth to say something before stopping herself, looking at me for a second.
“Yeah, same,” she whispers through her deflated pink hair.
“Will y’all be okay handling her?” Applejack refers to me as if I am not here. Twilight briefly nods, causing the cowgirl to shrug her shoulders. “Then I will see y’all in the morning. Rainbow, you’re in charge of the keys.” Applejack tosses a couple handcuffs with keys to Rainbow Dash, the latter catching them with no complaint. Applejack’s eyes finally look at me for a brief moment, but she takes them off of me just as quickly to join Rarity at the elevator.
“Well, let’s keep going,” Dash mentions pushing my shoulder slightly. Sunset, however, stops at a certain doorway. She brings her keycard to the door, unlocking her room.
“Sunset, wait,” I say out loud, despite my desire to stay quiet. Sunset stops herself from walking into her room, turning her head just enough to lend me her ear. Her eyes look straight ahead, making it hard for me to see them.
“What?” Sunset responds in a cold tone that sends a wave of ice down my spine. My heart hurts as if it skipped a beat. Even Dash seems a little surprised by just how minimalistic and distant Sunset’s question is. I’m not surprised at all…
“I’m sorry.” My heart aches again… No matter how I look at it, I will always love her, but… she won’t love me again. It’s clear from her distance. Her cold demeanor. She’s made her choice. All I can do is try to make it up to her. She deserves to know that she didn’t do anything wrong. That I… “I’m really sorry. For all of it. You deserve the world and I gave you lies and dishonesty. I’m so sorry for hurting you.”
Sunset’s head turns a little more, looking at me from the corner of her eye. Despite my hopes, her gaze is not any warmer than her voice. Like a siren would deserve that much…
“Goodnight, Adagio,” Sunset whispers, refusing to acknowledge my words at all. The light from her room disappears just as the door shuts behind her.
=======================================================
Cold metal is latched around my wrists. Even if I tried, I wouldn’t be able to get the handcuffs off. I have no reason to escape anyway. All this will end once we get back to Canterlot City. We’ll go our separate ways. All my friends will live their lives. And I will have to start over once again. Just trying to get these cuffs off would erase the little trust remaining.
Still. It makes sleeping a little uncomfortable…
Moving my hand slightly, a metallic jingle greets my ear. It’s pretty much the only sound in this dark room anyway. Sometimes, I can hear a passing car. Or my breath. It’s not the sounds that are keeping me awake. I know that. It’s not even the handcuffs around my wrists that are making it nigh impossible to sleep. I just can’t rest, no matter how hard I try. It’s as if my body is on high alert at all times, despite the fact that the damage has already been done. Nothing I can do can fix it. God damn it…
Turning my head to the side, I look towards the window. I can’t see outside, but a small part of me wishes I could. The blinds are fully drawn together. As if some stars would help my mood…
A clicking sound makes my eyes widen. A light comes into the room from around the corner. Where the bed is located, I can’t see the door of the room at all. However, the light disappears just as quickly as it appeared, the sound of the door shutting echoes off the walls. Light footsteps can barely be heard on the soft hotel carpet. Turning around the corner, magenta eyes connect with mine, automatically confirming who entered my room.
“Are you a vampire? You’re never asleep,” Rainbow Dash mentions in a passive aggressive tone.
“Not much these days, at least.” My response only makes Dash roll her eyes, clearly not satisfied with my words. Why would she come see me anyway? Just to taunt me? I thought she was above that. Walking further into the room, Rainbow Dash sits on a nearby chair, her eyes glued on me. “What are you doing here?” I can’t imagine she’s here to read me a story.
“Just wanted to make sure you didn’t escape. God knows you’d love to backstab us again.” Dash’s comment feels like a slap to the face, especially due to how much I tried to change. However, I guess I’ll never change… She’s right in that aspect. I’m still hurting them years after my original defeat.
“We both know that’s not the only reason you’re here.” My words are left hanging in the air. Dash and I simply look at each other. Her eyes say a mountain of words and nothing at the same time. I wouldn’t be surprised if she doesn’t know what she wants to say herself. Leaning back in her seat, Dash chuckles for a second, pointing her finger at me.
“That’s rich, coming from you. You love to think you know what someone is thinking after all.” The dull light of the hotel alarm clock reflects off her face, giving her normally blue skin a red tint. The time on the clock displays the number three. It’s nowhere near time for us to go. It’s just common sense that Dash would have some sort of ulterior motive for being here.
“Dash, you’re coming to me in the middle of the night without any explanation. It’s pretty obvious that there’s something you want.” Dash refuses to say anything to counteract my claim. Instead, her intense stare remains glued to me. A stare of betrayal and anger lets me know just how she feels, but not what she is thinking. “If you want to say something, go ahead. You have free speech after all. I’m not going anywhere. Take advantage of it and tell me whatever it is you’re thinking. This silent treatment is really annoying me.”
After a minute of biting her lip, Dash finally leans forward in her seat, taking a deep breath. “Alright. Want to know what I think?” she asks me with a low whisper, despite the fact that no one else is in this room. “You’re a greedy, self-absorbed bitch who believes she’s entitled the world. You think your way is the best way at all times and you are a backstabbing monster. You take advantage of a person’s emotions to use them.” Dash chuckles before shaking her head, waiting a second to collect her thoughts. “The funny thing is that even now, it’s hard for me to believe that fully. You really had me fooled that you were better now. That you worked on yourself and you actually wanted us as friends.” Each word that comes out of her mouth is like a giant spike impaling my heart. Her words wouldn’t have hurt years ago. Now, her words carry some sort of meaning because I truly care about her opinion. In a way, I wish I didn’t…
“I did want-”
“I gave you the benefit of a doubt, Dagi,” Dash states in a louder tone just as a singular tear falls down her cheek. “When Sunset told me we were going to bowl with you, I decided to give you a chance. She said you changed and it really seemed like you did. I was one of the people who defended you when Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy and Pinkie didn’t want to meet you again.” Rainbow Dash stands up from her seat, looking down at me with a conflicted expression. “And despite that? There’s one thing that bugs the hell out of me.”
Raising my eyebrow, I can’t begin to imagine what is bugging her right now. Technically, multiple things should be causing her to hate me right now, so what is this one thing?
“If your goal was revenge or to tear us apart, you could have done it so much sooner. That’s what keeps replaying in my mind.” Dash reaches her hand into her pocket, pulling out a shiny metal object. The gun I have had for years is now in her hand. “Funny thing, isn’t it? We found it on you after you passed out. Sunset and I were the only ones who knew about it. Every single time I think about this, I can’t help but wonder why you didn’t use this on us. And if revenge wasn’t your goal,” raising the gun to the temple of her head, Dash looks down at me with an angry glare, “then what was it?”
The trigger clicks.
Lowering the weapon, Dash takes a deep breath, sitting back down. “I want to know honestly. Who are you? And did everything mean anything at the end of the day?” Her eyes stare into mine with a look that tells me she won’t accept a lie.
“Everything we did together meant something, Dash,” I sigh with a slight shake of my head. “You are a good friend. I did value those things we did together. I still do. I could blame everything on my subconscious right now, but I messed up. I’m sorry.” I do my best to keep our eye contact connected, even though my mind wants me to look away. It’s easy to run away from things like this, but… I won’t. “You can get Sunset if you don’t believe the words I’m saying. She’d verify if it is me.”
“I think we both don’t want to bother her anymore than we have to. Especially after the last few days.” Rainbow Dash brings her hand to her eyebrows, rubbing as if she has a headache. “You know, I really want to believe that some of our friendship meant a damn. I can’t stop thinking about this.” Rainbow Dash finally connects her eyes with mine, a hesitant feeling still behind them. I can’t quite tell what she’s thinking, but I know how she feels. “Fuck it…”
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Well, that's just great.
Yep. A sign she's changed in just 3 years.
Thank goodness.
Staying in contact with them wouldn't hurt, even if they're still friends of Sunset.
Something tells me the worse has yet to come for Adagio.
11722651
Thank goodness? XD Also, staying in contact with people like Rainbow Dash would hurt since, if they're asked to take sides, they would probably support Sunset out of everyone.
11722781
Crap, why didn't I think of that!
Very nice, though did the second part happen after the first? I’m a little confused about the timing
11723530
The three parts of my celebration are not connected to one another. They're just different things I wanted to post at the same time on my anniversary~
11724986
No I mean the different sections of the latest episode for thi series
11725163
Yes, the sections are linear in this chapter XD