Terms of Engagement
Chapter XXIX: Terms of Engagement
The coffee in my hand has long since gone cold. Barely any sound can be heard from inside this 24-hour cafe aside from a buzzing lightbulb and some drunk person mumbling on the opposite end of the store. The two employees here spend most of their time in the back anyway. I wouldn’t doubt it if they were using their time to do some kind of drug. They seemed stoned out of their minds anyway. I guess that is what you get when you come to a place like this at nearly two in the morning.
What makes this even more awkward is that we are vastly over dressed.
Sunset’s red dress almost looks like a completely different attire in this lighting. The color of the dress is similar to a strawberry here rather than the deeper red that it looked like in that music club. Sunset has idly sipped her coffee a couple times since we got here, but neither of us have said anything. Ever since she said those three little words, all I could say was something to the degree of “Let’s talk about it”. It’s kind of hard to find the words to say right now because… everything feels so conflicting.
“So,” Sunset says with a trailing tone, looking over at me. Her word has a hint of awkwardness to it which is completely understandable. “Do you think the girls went back to the hotel by now?” she asks me to try to break the silence. It’s a comical question really.
“I would assume so. It is pretty late,” I tell her quietly, raising my drink to my lips. The taste is bitter and bland, but I honestly did not expect any better from a place like this. “However, you all were packing your bags. We were going to leave by tonight. I’m guessing they went to sleep waiting for us since they haven’t called.” A small nervous smile comes over Sunset, making me wonder what she has to say.
“Yeah, I kind of feel bad for staying out this late… I guess if they are really wondering where we are, they could just call us.” Sunset raises her eyebrow as soon as I pull my phone out, putting it on the table. Using one hand, I set my phone to not disturb, all while keeping eye contact with her.
“I think the conversation we need to have is a lot more important right now,” I tell her while motioning towards her purse. After a moment, Sunset takes her own phone, turning it off before setting it down. From the look in her eyes, she can tell we’re finally about to talk. “So… You love me,” I whisper, trying to find the strength to believe this is real. Sunset simply nods to me in response.
“I would understand if you don’t feel the same way by now,” Sunset states with a stoic face, but I can tell how she’s really feeling under the surface. She wouldn’t want that…
“Of course I love you too, Shimmer,” I respond with a slightly irritated tone. “I’m just quiet because this is… confusing.” Earlier tonight, I was done accepting that our relationship was done. There was no hope of fixing things. All I wanted was to stay friends, but now… Well, here she is, saying she still loves me. It’s almost ironic that I said the same thing and she completely rejected me days ago. I get that she’s been healing from how much I hurt her, but it is a little frustrating.
“I understand that. I’m sorry that you’re confused. I was too…” Sunset looks away to gather her thoughts, seemingly worried about something. “I really hate the past few weeks. I wish we could redo them, but we can’t.” Sunset’s eyes peer at me as if I am some confusing painting, trying to decipher what I am. “I want to know what you are thinking, Adagio…”
“Isn’t that the primary utility of your magic?” I ask her with a raised eyebrow, pointing at her necklace. Sunset looks like she isn’t exactly happy about my comment.
“I only use my magic if I have to. I wouldn’t read your mind without your permission.” Sunset’s tone is genuine, albeit annoyed. I’m glad that she wouldn’t use her magic like that. Although, I never actually thought she would. I mainly said that because I’m frustrated.
“You want to know what I’m thinking. Well…” Taking a sip of my bland coffee, I try to think of the right combination of words. “I’m a bit irritated. I spent two weeks trying to make things right with you, but you kept me at arm’s length the whole time. You made it clear you didn’t trust me. Tonight, I accepted that we were done and had no desire to even try anymore, but now you love me again? In all honesty, Sunset, it is… unbearable. Though, I guess you felt the same way after my lying, so I don’t blame you.” Leaning back in my seat, Sunset and I look at each other for a long time. Both of us understand how we feel. It hurts that she basically ignored me for a long time and when she finally did start to pay attention to me, it was apparent that it was in a more platonic way. By the same token, I hurt her for lying for years… At this point in time, we’re both pretty wary and aching.
“I understand,” Sunset whispers in response, finally breaking eye contact with me. Her gaze is aimed down at the table, her hands holding each other. “Maybe it is too late for us,” she tells me with a quiet pessimism. However, a small shrug comes from her as she looks up at me with some hope in her eyes. “But maybe not? All I know is that I still love you, especially after seeing you fix your mind. It was a slow process, but… still. I’d understand if you don’t want the same, but I’d like to give us another try.” Sunset smiles at me.
A warm smile…
Something I haven’t seen directed at me for a long time. Full of love and appreciation. God, I missed seeing that… Despite how beautiful the sight is, I can’t just accept this eagerly without some sort of communication. This situation hurt both of us a lot… It would be foolish to rush in without talking about it a little.
Reaching my hand out, I look at her with a small nod. Slowly, I state, “We need to come up with terms if we really want this to work, Shimmer. I don’t mean things like terms of affection. I mean rules. Guidelines to follow so we don’t ever have to go through this again.” Sunset’s eyes widen, but her smile gets a little bigger. Gratefully, she takes my hand in hers.
“I think that’s necessary too. It’s the best way to avoid anything like this again.” Holding my hand a little tighter, Sunset seems serious about this. A part of me finds it hard to believe this is happening, but another part is not surprised. I can’t help but feel… Well, I wouldn’t say I'm worried. More like concerned. “We shouldn’t lie to each other. I think that’s obvious at this point.” Sunset nods to me, trying to nudge me to come up with something as well.
“Mutual respect,” I tell her quietly, trying to think of a way to explain myself. “I think it is important for us to talk about things. To trust each other with everything.” Without trust, there’s nothing to hold onto. It would just be a game of wondering when we would betray each other again. Sunset nods at my suggestion, seemingly trying to think of something else to say. Before she can open her lips, one of the only workers in this establishment comes to our table.
“Sorry for the wait. Here’s your cherry cheesecake and chocolate cake,” the waitress tells us before setting the plates down in front of us. She gives each of us the wrong cake, but before anyone can correct her, she retreats towards the back again. Sunset meets my gaze, making both of us chuckle. Without a single word being shared, I can already tell what she is thinking. Taking a fork into my hand, I carve out a bite of the chocolate cake. Sunset doesn’t take long to follow my action, both of us holding out the forks towards each other. This is something we used to do together. Every Valentine’s Day at least. Taking the bite of cherry cheesecake, I can’t help but savor the taste. Sunset looks at me for a second, gently biting into the piece of chocolate cake. Her eyes don’t break away from mine for a second.
“I’m sorry, Adagio,” Sunset whispers after swallowing her bite. From the way her eyes sparkle, I can see the love in her gaze. Clearly, she is trying to think of more rules to follow for our relationship, but I don’t blame her for drawing blanks.
“I am too,” I respond with a small nod, switching my plate with hers. We definitely need to sit down and think of more guidelines for this to work, but… for now? It’s nice to have some feeling of closure. That… we’re going to try this again.
“I love you,” we both whisper at the same time, making me widen my gaze. Sunset seems decently surprised as well, a big smile spreading across her lips. Holding her hand from across the table, I take another bite of my cake, feeling a small blush come to my face.
“You’re sure you want to give this another try?” Sunset asks me with that smile on her face making her look like she’s in disbelief. She’s cute when she’s the one asking for affirmation.
“I’m sure. One hundred percent,” I tell her with a wink. A cute giggle escapes her lips and… for the first time in a while, I feel like everything is going to be alright.
The hotel hallway is just as quiet and stale as ever. I was hoping we could leave by tonight so that I wouldn’t have to spend another night in a stupid hotel, but that’s not an option by now. By the time we were done, the RV was empty. I don’t exactly blame everyone for going back to their rooms. Waiting for us until three in the morning isn’t exactly ideal. By now, everyone else is surely asleep. Everyone except… us.
Holding her hand, I can’t help but dread the next minute or so. Despite the fact that we’ve talked a lot about the future tonight, it’s still clear there is some tension between us. That’s kind of a given when it comes to our recent troubles, but still. I expect that we will still sleep in separate rooms for the remainder of this trip and we will have to build back up to where we were. That’s just the process… I guess I should just be happy that we are starting off in the best possible way.
“What about ‘you have to make me breakfast in bed once every week’ as a rule?” Sunset asks me with a smirk, breaking me away from my thoughts. This is the sixteenth rule we have come up with so far, but half of them have been more of joking suggestions. “You are a good cook after all~”
“I am not. I follow after your recipes,” I immediately correct her with a humorous roll of my eyes. “And if we make that a rule, then you’d have to stop being so nagging about the alarm all the time.” I stick my tongue out at her, causing both of us to laugh quietly to ourselves. If it wasn’t for the fact that we’re in a hotel in the middle of the night, I feel like we would be a lot more open to laugh.
“But if I don’t, you’ll just turn off your alarms and miss work,” Sunset tries to add logic to our little conversation, but she knows more than half of her suggestions have been illogical anyway.
“Because I’m a tired siren, Sunset. You should know this by now.” Pressing my shoulder against hers, I see her roll her eyes at my response, chuckling to herself. The way she sighs indicates that I have won this round of debate. I expect her to say something else by now, but only silence follows us. An… awkward silence. The pace of our steps slows down dramatically as we come up to the door of her room. Sunset’s eyes trace the door just as I try to think of what to say. Even though this night has been magical enough, I know it has to end somewhere.
“Well, here we are,” Sunset awkwardly tells me with a smile, her eyes avoiding my own. I share that sentiment all too well… The silence that fills the air is far from the perfect score a romance movie would play right about now. All those cheesy films Sunset made me watch taught me that they like to portray life in an idealistic way, but it’s quiet here. No music to help me decide what to say or do. No cues that the universe is giving me to indicate where I’m supposed to go…
Bringing her hand up to my lips, I gently kiss her, looking up at her. I try my best to give her a reassuring gaze, breaking my lips from her hand. I know how weird this situation is, but… I’ll make the move to break this damned silence.
“It has been fun, Sunset,” I whisper with a smile. “Out of everyone in this world, you make me feel the most… alive. I feel like I don’t need this gem to be happy if I can be with you.” Holding her hand as tight as I can, I try to keep my smile on my lips. Don’t crack… “I can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings. Have a goodnight, S-”
“Please,” Sunset whispers, bringing me closer to her by grabbing my shoulder. Her eyes look into my own with a glassy appearance. If I say the wrong words, it looks like she could cry at any moment. “Please don’t act like we’re still distant. Please let me know everything is alright. Please…” Her fingers trace along my cheek, gently holding my face with a begging look in her eyes. Despite how she is normally so confident in public, she’s finally showing me her more vulnerable side. “Stay with me, Alligator,” she whispers in an almost frightened tone, letting me know where I need to be. She hasn’t called me that name in what feels like an eternity… My heart feels like it is on fire just from hearing her say it. It’s not like a scorching pain, just a warmth that has been absent for too long.
“Don’t you want some time for yourself?” I ask her quietly, touching the hand cupping my cheek. For such an emotional night like tonight, I was expecting for us to take some time away from each other.
“We’ve spent enough time apart… I… I don’t want to spend another night without you.” The pain in her eyes is genuine. Every little thing about the way she holds herself screams to me that she doesn’t want to be alone. Even though it might be a good idea to still take some time to think things out, she is clearly reaching out to me. As she holds my cheek, I can’t help but smile, nodding slowly.
“Alright, Sunny,” I whisper in kind, leaning my head forward. In one movement, our lips lock together. The warm embrace of her soft lips is something I have missed for a while now. I can’t quite believe this is happening. I have her in my arms, kissing her as much as I can. This moment is… heaven. It almost makes me want to laugh. It doesn’t seem real. The way she bites my lip is electrifying…
Reaching behind her, Sunset unlocks the door to her room without breaking our embrace. Instead, she leans further into our kiss while pulling me back. Finally breaking the lip service, Sunset turns on the lights right as I close the door. After her dress hits the floor, she helps me out of my own just as our lips find each other again.
“I’ve missed you,” Sunset utters in-between kisses, holding me as close to her as I can. Before I can say anything, Sunset lifts me off my feet, pressing me against the wall. A spark runs along the course of my back, her lips tenderly touching my neck. A small gasp leaves my mouth due to the surprising touch. It’s been a long time since she’s kissed me so boldly.
“Me too, Sunset. I’ve missed you too…” Forcing her to look at me, I kiss her as passionately as I can, the fire in my heart roaring at this point. “You’re the most important to me, silly pony…” Sunset breaks the kiss to look at me with a humorous smile. Leaning down, she bites down on my neck enough so that it tingles but it doesn’t hurt.
“And you’re MY siren… Don’t forget it~”
Sheets stir ever so slightly. This bed is so warm and comfortable that I’d probably never want to leave. The person I have my arms wrapped around totally has nothing to do with that at all. The opportunity to hold her for a long amount of time is just a bonus. Alright, it’s probably the main reason I feel comfortable, but still. The weights of the world are magically gone here. With her head laying on my chest, I can’t help but sigh in content peace.
Sunset’s leg moves over mine, holding me close with all of her limbs. Chuckling softly, I rub my face against the top of her head. From an outside perspective, it would seem that nothing is being said here, but it’s different from my eyes. Thousands of words are being communicated with this simple yet complex embrace. Words of trust. Words of love. Words of respect. From her breath alone, I can tell she’s awake already, but neither one of us want to get up. With how dark it is from the drawn curtains, it might as well be night time. I can feel my heart beating louder than it has for the last two weeks. It felt like my heart was ripped out when we broke up, but… Now, she’s in my arms again.
A small sigh exits Sunset’s lungs, her chest pressing against my body before pulling her head off of me. With closed eyes, she leans up and kisses my cheek. Without opening her eyes, she raises her eyebrow, seemingly confused. It’s too hard to not chuckle at her cute expression.
“Were you trying to kiss my lips, Sunny?” I ask her in a teasing manner, making her pout slightly.
“Don’t make fun of me. I’m tired, alright?” Sunset responds in a groggy tone before pressing her lips against mine. Both of her hands hold my face in place, making sure our kiss lasts as long as she wants. I wouldn’t pull away in any circumstance~
When she finally breaks the kiss, she pulls herself on top of me. Gently, she presses her forehead against my collarbone, taking a deep breath. The only source of light in the room is the red alarm clock, casting a crimson shade on her. Both of us know we should get up, but… My body feels heavier than a mountain. It’s totally not an excuse to hold her for a few minutes longer.
“Please. Don’t ever leave my bed again,” Sunset whispers, finally looking up and meeting my gaze.
“Do you want to make that a rule?” I ask her with a humorous smirk. Sunset laughs a little at my request, pressing her finger against my nose. “Well, I’d like a rule that you have to kiss me just like the one a few seconds ago every day~”
“Don’t get too greedy, Alligator,” Sunset whispers with a wink, gently kissing my lips with a smile. “However, I don’t think that will be too difficult to manage~” Pushing herself up, Sunset sits on my stomach. The red light bathing her body gives her an almost spiritual look. Her smile disappears as she looks down at me, a melancholy tone behind her eyes. “A rule I’d like?” she whispers to me, her lips left agape as if the words are lost on her. “Promise me you won’t stop loving me…” Even though the request sounds nonsensical, her eyes tell me she’s deadly serious. Usually, I’m the one who is afraid of that outcome, but I can feel the fear in her voice.
“Sunset,” I whisper, touching her cheek as gently as I can. As soon as my finger makes contact with her cheek, a tear spills down her face. However, she isn’t crying. Her eyes never break contact with mine. “I’ve never stopped loving you. You’re too loveable… Even back when we first met, I found you too interesting for your own good.” Looking towards the nightstand, I push my hand into my purse. After a bit of searching, I finally feel it. Sunset looks at me with a confused expression until I pull out the small golden ring from my bag. “I’ve never met any creature worthy of holding my attention before. Any creature other than you… I would never stop loving you. That’s why I… want to spend the rest of my life with you.” The words almost catch in my throat. In a way, it’s almost embarrassing to say these words, but… liberating. Holding the ring out to her, I smile up at her. A bright red blush appears on her cheeks, noticing what I’m doing. “Will you marry me, Sunny?”
Looking at the ring, a few more tears fall down her cheeks. Her smile returns with ten times the force, a slow nod gradually increasing in speed. Gently grabbing the ring from my hand, Sunset slips it onto her ring finger. I’ve missed seeing her wear that.
“Yes,” Sunset whispers with a happy nod. “Yes, I will. I love you, Alligator~” Without waiting a moment, she leans down to hug me as tight as she can. Of course, I return the embrace with as much love as I can.
“I love you too, S-” A loud knocking interrupts me, making both of us jump slightly. Sunset looks towards the door with a shocked expression. Who would be knocking right now? We were having a nice moment…
“Sunset?!” Dash’s voice calls through the door, sounding frantic. Sunset pushes herself off of me, quickly grabbing a towel to cover herself. “We can’t find Adagio! She’s not in her room. Aria said she went to find you last night? Did you see her?” Dash asks in a quick voice, still knocking on the door as if it is some emergency.
Walking towards the door, Sunset says, “Dash, it’s alright. I-”
“You don’t know where she is?! We need to find her!” Sunset grabs the doorknob, prompting me to pull the covers up to my shoulders. “Who knows where she could be-” before she can finish her sentence, Sunset opens the door, making Dash look at the two of us. In a second, her eyes widen as she stares at both of us. She seems almost frozen in place, her eyes looking at this scene as if she walked in on a murder scene.
“Hi, Dash,” I say quietly, waving my hand to her.
“Oooookay then,” Rainbow Dash mentions while looking towards the ground. “Nice to see you two um… Getting along again. If you were fucking, you could have just told me to screw off,” Dash tells us with an embarrassed tone.
“We weren’t having sex,” Sunset tries to reassure her with a nervous tone.
“Well, we did have sex last night, but then we went to bed and woke up. So…” Sunset turns her gaze to me with bright red cheeks and a nervous look. Dash looks up from the floor with her mouth agape, but she almost seems justified for coming to a similar conclusion. Shrugging to Sunset, I can’t help but chuckle slightly. “What? Did I say something wrong?”
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Okay, to recap: Adagio has regained her magic and fixed her mind, reconnected with Sonata and Aria, made amends with the Rainbooms, and now has gotten her fiancee back.
Yep, it's official. Her life is perfect.
The question now is, how many chapters are left to the story?
11854057
And I'd say we have anywhere between 5-10 chapters left. Depends on how long it takes me to get to the end lol
This whole series has been about Adagio's reformation up to this point~
At least it's a sign she's a fast recoverer.
It's a sign they're going in the right direction though.
Lovely, well worth the wait! For the honeymoon they should visit canterlot