> A Sleepless Siren > by Bootsy Slickmane > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Aria Tired Yet? > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- A grizzly bear eating a chainsaw: That's what I've heard every night for the last week. Except there's no chainsaw and no bear, just that little blue weirdo snoring in bed next to me. I asked Adagio if I could smother her with a pillow to shut her up, but she just said that the only thing she heard was my whining and told me to go to sleep. Worst. Leader. Ever. She's not here to stop me right now, though. I could completely wrap Sonata's stupid head up in duct tape if I wanted to. Adagio would make me do some stupid thing as punishment when she got back, but it would be worth it to make Sonata shut her face for once. Besides, Adagio sucks at the whole punishment thing. She just makes me take her turn to go buy food, find a place to perform, or something lame like that. I could come up with better ways to keep people in line in my sleep, like... Well, I'd think of something. I look around at the room's decor like I have at least seven times before, trying to distract myself from the noise or something. All the browns, creams, and dull reds that are there in the light are gone, all replaced with dark blue in what little light comes in from around the window. Just dark shapes against slightly a lighter background. If you look up "boring" in the dictionary, it'd be a detailed description of this crappy motel room. I'm not gonna get any sleep with Sonata still snoring, so I get out of bed. My knees land on the carpet and my hands hook over the window sill. I part the curtains to get a look outside. The world out there is still; it almost looks like a painting. Half the street lamps in the parking lot are dead, making dark spots all over the pavement. The motel's office is dimly lit, always open to travelers like us, though the clerk was asleep in his chair when we first arrived. We didn't do as well as we expected in the last town, which is why we're having to share one room right now. Not enough money. Adagio thinks we'll do better in this city, but I doubt it. It looks too small for us to make any really big performances. We've been here a week already, and we still don't have much money or energy to show for it. Adagio will probably call it a bust and move on in a few more days. I'd have already cut our losses and bailed on this nowhere town, but nobody ever listens to me. My arms cross on the window sill and I rest my head on them just as Sonata starts talking in her sleep. I can't make out much of it, but it sounds like she's arguing with someone about tuna sandwiches, and that she wants extra broccoli. Or something. I can barely understand her squeaky mumbling. She would dream about tuna, though. Back in Equestria, big fish like that were her favorite food. She wasn't a good enough hunter to catch it herself, though. I always had to do that. The only thing she could catch were merstallions. She was always the one who missed home the most. She couldn't stop crying when we first got dumped on this awful planet, the little wuss. Adagio was just screaming at the sky and cursing that gnarly, old, bearded fart who sent us here. I don't remember what I did. All I can recall is sitting there on the grass, and I think I ended up being Sonata's tear sponge for a while, whether I liked it or not. I swear, if I ever see that scum-sucking geezer Star Swirl, I'll eat him alive. I don't care if I don't have fangs anymore, I'll make it work. Or maybe I'll hold him down and let Sonata eat him. That'd be fun to see. Or maybe I'll banish him to this awful place where he'll have none of his precious magic for a thousand years. See how he likes it. I get back up. There's nothing to do in this crappy motel room, so I might as well just go back to trying to sleep. I stop halfway to Sonata's bed, though. Adagio is gone and her bed is totally empty. I don't know what takes her so long out there, but sometimes, she doesn't get back until after sunrise. It's just a useless reflex, but I find myself glancing at the door. Maybe I can get a little real sleep before she walks in. A little sleep without that blue chowderhead and her jimmy legs. Screw Dagi. I take the bed. Sonata has started making tiny squeals, now, like someone is tickling her. I glance back, but she's still alone in bed. I sigh, turning back and realizing that I forgot to close the curtains. All I can see through them is a sliver of black void, a handful of bright spots scattered across it. I remember when I could swim up to the surface and point out every constellation by name, but wherever we got dumped, none of the stars looked familiar at all. At least, way back when we first got here. Now I know them all, thanks to thousands of nights with nothing to do. I think I still like the old ones better. I've always wondered if Equestria is out there somewhere. Adagio says it's impossible. She says that Equestria had magic and this place doesn't, so it must be some other plane or something. But our magic still works, and we can still get energy from the idiots around here, so maybe it does have magic, just not the same kind or not as much. Maybe one of those little dots in the night sky is Celestia's sun. Whether it is or not, I don't think we'll ever get to see Equestria again. The creatures in this world haven't figured out interdimensional travel or distant space travel. Sonata refuses to believe it, but I know we're never getting off this rock. Great, now I made myself sad. Stupid planet with weaksauce magic. Stupid jealous unicorn wizard. Stupid cheesehead Adagio. Stupid snoring Sonata. My whole body jerks a bit as I hear a deadbolt disengage, and my eyes lock on the door. It swings open, and even in the dark, I recognize Adagio's massive ball of hair as she steps in. The door shuts behind her, her bag drops on the carpet, and she takes two steps across the room before she seems to notice me. Adagio's hand flies to her chest. "Oh, my poor Aria," she coos, leaning down toward me. "Do you think you'll ever make a full recovery?" My brow furrows. "What?" I ask, sitting up. "Well," she says, "I assume you must have suffered brain damage if you think you can steal my bed while I'm gone." "Oh, gimme a break," I groan. She crosses her arms. "So, what did the doctors say? How long do they think the therapy will take? Are you going to need diapers, or did you just get a little more stupid than usual?" "Alright, I get it." I consider arguing with her, but it's never gotten me anywhere before. Arguing with Adagio is usually about as useful as trying to wrestle a boulder. A big boulder. I kick off the covers and hop off the mattress. "Take your stupid bed." "That's better." Adagio pulls the curtains shut and plops her butt down on the bed. I can't see it from where I am, but I hear her slipping the boots from her feet. The rest of her clothes follow as she says, "I got us a show for tomorrow. It's not a big place, but it'll do. We'll be heading to the next town after. I think we've just about squeezed this place dry." She pauses, looking over her shoulder at me. "What are you waiting for, a bedtime story? Go to sleep, already." She turns back around and waves a hand at me like a queen dismissing a jester. "Shoo." My own butt lands on the other bed, and I mutter, "Bite me." "What was that?" Adagio snaps, head whipping around again. "I said 'bite me.'" She glares at me for just a few seconds, but then she cracks a thin smirk. She rolls over without another word, pulling the blankets up to her neck and facing away from me. I really hate that smug jerkwagon, sometimes. I try not to wake Sonata. I don't care about disturbing her, but if she wakes up, she'll want to talk, and she always finds the dumbest things to talk about in the middle of the night. My feet glide up over the edge of the mattress and slide down under the covers, barely disturbing the bed springs. Two fingers on each hand grip the blanket, pulling it up to my chest with barely a sound made. And that's when a silence-rending cough comes from the other bed. Scratch that, I hate Adagio all the time. Sonata stretches a hand into my face, making a squeaking sound like an old wheel that needs grease. A finger almost goes up my nose. Then she rolls, the hand coming to rest right on my chest. Her lips smack a few times, and then she mumbles, "There was this big dinosaur, and he was stomping around a parking lot and singing about how well he can digest people." She rubbed that same hand at her nose, but then put it right back. "He got really good mileage." I don't say anything back; responding only encourages her to keep talking, and I really need to sleep. One of her legs slips in between mine, then the other, and before I know it, she's right on top of me. One of her hands slides up onto my shoulder, the other curling up around my head on the pillow, and she nuzzles into my neck. She sticks her brow right under my chin, and I can feel her warm breath going down my shirt. Her hair smells like that one brand of coconut-scented conditioner she always manages to hunt down in every town. I push against her a little, but she shows no signs of becoming any less clingy. I want to peel her off and hurl her little body against a wall, but then she'd whine and Adagio would yell at us. Besides, she's stopped snoring now, and the rhythm of her breaths is kinda soothing. She doesn't make a terrible blanket, either. Nice and warm, and not too bony. Maybe I can actually get some sleep.