> Tears of Pain, Tears of Joy
>  by marisajmorris
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> A Painful Reminder
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

There it was again.

The faint voice in Adagio's head, whispering to her once again.

Face it, you'll never fully recover from who you used to be. You'll always be remembered as the psychopath who tried to enslave the entirety of Canterlot High.

"Shut up," she said under her breath, trying not to wake a sleeping Sunset, lying just inches away from her. "For God's sake, it's 3 AM. Besides, it's been almost 10 years now. Why are you still here?"

You can't get rid of me, Adagio. I'll be here no matter how hard you try to make me go away. I'll make sure that guilt of yours never leaves you, ever. I'll always be here to remind you how much pain you caused them. Get used to it, while you still can.

Adagio gritted her teeth and tugged at her hair, trying desperately to turn down all the sound.

"Stop," she demanded. "Just stop."

Never!

That single word echoed in her mind, and she finally gave in, her eyes watering as she choked on a sob.

Finally succumbing, are you? It's about time.

She collapsed into her pillow and openly wept. Just then, the loud, deafening ring that remained in her head was replaced with dead silence, but it wasn't too long before it was broken by a soft, gentle whisper.

"What's wrong?"

She let out a shuddered breath and turned around to see her beloved girlfriend, staring at her with genuine concern.

"It's nothing, Sunset. I'll be fine."

Sunset rolled her eyes, her warm gaze turning into a subtle glare. "Bullshit. Your eyes are bloodshot, and I literally heard you sobbing 2 minutes ago." Gripping Adagio's hand, she continued, "You know you can tell me anything. So, I ask again, what's wrong?"

Adagio sighed, letting a few more tears drip onto the sheets. "It's been almost a decade since, you know, that happened...but I still can't forgive myself for it. I did such horrible things to so many people, and so many people just...forgot about it, and as much as I wish I could do so, I can't."

Sunset embraced her without hesitation, allowing her to cry for a short while. She didn't say a word until after she let go. Drying her beloved's eyes, she spoke in a much softer tone.

"That was in the past. I forgave you a long time ago, and now, it's time for you to do the same."

Adagio's breathing began to return to its normal pace, other than the occasional sniff. "I s-suppose you're right," she stuttered. "I'll do what I can."

Sunset pulled her in again, her grip tighter than it was before. Leaning towards her ear, she gently whispered just loud enough for her to hear, holding back tears of her own. She could only get three words out before she gave in, too.
"I love you."

Adagio sighed again, but it was a content sigh, rather than a sad one. Returning the embrace, she slowly drifted off to sleep. "I love you, too," was the last thing she said before falling asleep completely.

Sunset stayed awake for a little while longer, letting a few more silent tears slip out. Soon, though, she succumbed to her own exhaustion and finally drifted off.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Around 8 AM that same morning, Sunset's eyes slowly fluttered open. Having not gotten much sleep because of what happened with Adagio, she was hesitant to get up, but gave in after a few minutes. "Gotta start this day somehow," she told herself. "Besides, I have to do it today, otherwise I'll just procrastinate more." Still, she hesitated, staring at the floor for a minute, before smacking herself in the head to snap out of it. "Damn it, Sunset, get your shit together."

In a hurry, she pulled a small object out of her nightstand drawer and stuffed it into her jacket before throwing it on. Having already had normal clothing on from the night before (because she was too tired to do anything else and just threw herself onto the bed upon seeing it), she didn't care to change. She just wanted to get this through with.

Just then, Adagio woke up. She hadn't changed since the previous day, either. "Morning," she sighed.

Sunset giggled at her lover's exhausted expression. "It was morning the last time we talked." Adagio let out a low, soft laugh, then proceeded to arise from the bed. Sunset met her at the foot of the bed and lightly kissed her forehead.

"Come on, I have something to show you."

Sunset waved her hand towards the door to the balcony. The pair walked out and gazed upon the glistening yellow sun, staring longingly at the glare of its rays.

Sunset sighed at the breathtaking sight, looking back to when she first watched that very star rise. She turned to Adagio and broke the silence.

"Remember when we were just a few months into our relationship, and you woke me up at five in the fucking morning just so I could watch the sun rise?"

Adagio giggled. "Of course I do. After you told me you'd never seen the sun rise, I couldn't just pass up that opportunity."

Rolling her eyes, Sunset leaned on her shoulder and replied sarcastically, "I mean, considering my name..."

Giggling at her girlfriend's remark, Adagio put an arm around her and kissed her behind the ear. "I guess you have a point."

For a while after that, they just stared at the bright blue sky, feeling even more content and comfortable with each other as each minute passed. A million thoughts raced through Sunset's head during that time period, but she finally decided it was time to pipe up after a few minutes of silence.

"Hey, uh...I've been meaning to tell you something."

Adagio put her arm back down, waiting intently for what Sunset was about to tell her.

"I...I brought you out here for a reason. I was hoping we'd be up before sunrise, so we could relive that very morning. But with that...uh...episode we had early this morning, I knew that wouldn't be possible. But, at least we're out here, because I knew I had to do this today, before I procrastinated any further."

She pulled the object she'd grabbed from her nightstand out of her jacket and used her free hand to take Adagio's. Adagio gasped, her eyes beginning to flood.

"Adagio, you're the best thing that's ever happened to me, and I don't know what I'd do without you. We've both had troubled pasts, and I think that's why we go so well together. Because without each other's support, we'd probably still despise each other. But we don't, and I'm so grateful for that. So, I have something important to ask you..."

She kneeled before her girlfriend and opened the box. The ring was simple; a beautiful, blinding shade of gold with nothing attached. It was basically a gold band, but it was gorgeous nonetheless. Sunset took a deep breath and began to shake. However, before she could even get the first word of her question out, Adagio snapped back to reality. Realizing what was about to be asked, she laid a finger over Sunset's mouth after the first two words were spoken.

Without a word leaving her mouth, she smiled lovingly at the beautiful woman before her, giving her a tearful nod.

Sunset wasn't sure whether she was laughing or crying, but she was happy either way. She slid the ring onto Adagio's finger, before pulling her into a deep, tender kiss.

"I love you...so much," she whispered.

She broke the kiss but went back in shortly after, embracing the woman who went from her girlfriend to her fiancée in a matter of seconds. Adagio returned the embrace, and it felt as if the world had stopped. As if they were the only two people in what was once known as "this pathetic little world."

As if nothing else was going on, other than the two of them locked in each other's arms, expressing how much they truly adored each other.

Fin