By
Inky Shades
The night was quiet, peaceful. Sunset's chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm. Crickets sang their song right outside her window. The sweet melody drifting into her room lulled her further to sleep. She pulled the covers closer to her body. Her lips formed into a content smile. There wasn't a better way she could think of ending the day of the Battle of the Bands.
Then she heard a knock. It was a faint sound so she paid it no mind. Perhaps it was just a raccoon that decided to scamper around in the front yard. Another knock, louder than the previous one. A second raccoon? Were they fighting? Did raccoons fight? She didn't know. But again, it didn't matter.
She drifted back to sleep. More knocking, loud, furious. Whatever was making that noise wasn't a raccoon. Her eyes shot open and she sat up in bed, stretching out her arms. She leaned forward, listening to the sounds that disturbed her slumber.
Yup, definitely knocking, and from the sound of it, it was coming from the front of her house. Someone was at the front door. She glanced at her clock. “It's three in the morning.” She yawned. “Who on earth could be at the door?”
Sunset uncovered herself and slid her feet into her slippers. As she turned the knob, her bedroom door creaked open. Inwardly, she winced. Way to be quiet, she thought. Just what she needed right now, her parents to wake up because her door refused to be opened in silence.
Though, as she made her way downstairs, she heard no activity from her parents' room apart from the snores of her father. Relief coursed through her veins, but that feeling was soon replaced by annoyance. Annoyance that she even found herself up at this unearthly hour, wandering across her living room, heading towards the door.
Perhaps it wasn't the brightest idea. Open the front door in the middle of the night because you heard someone knocking. This should be the one time you shouldn't open your door. The situation Sunset found herself in reminded her of something out of a horror movie, but her sleep deprived mind didn't care.
“Whoever is at the door better have a good reason for being here,” she muttered. The knocking continued up until she opened the door. “Alright, you can stop, now. You're going to wake my”—Sunset's jaw dropped at the three girls standing on her porch—“parents,” she said. Her eyes narrowed at the Dazzlings. “What are you guys doing here?”
“It sure took you long enough to answer the door,” Aria said dryly, crossing her arms.
“Well it's not like I expected visitors. It's the middle of the night and—wait, I don't ha—” Sunset was cut off when Sonata embraced her.
“Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, you heard me!” Sonata said, squeezing her tighter.
How could I not? Sunset thought, struggling out of Sonata's grip. “You just about woke up my parents.” An over-exaggeration, sure. It would take the house being on fire before they'd wake up, but she didn't care. The Dazzlings were here uninvited, in the middle of the night.
“Do you mind if we come in?” Aria asked, walking past Sunset.
“Whoa, hold up!” Sunset placed her hand against Aria's chest, stopping her. “Yes, I mind. Why are you three here? If it's about the battle, you lost fair and square. I don't want trouble.” Her eyes fell upon Adagio, but the leader of the Dazzlings said nothing in return. Strange, she thought she'd at least receive a snide remark. Something was wrong.
Sonata got uncomfortably close to Sunset's face and said, “I'm so sorry we woke you up, but can we please come in?” If Sunset didn't know any better then she'd say Sonata was pleading with her. “Please! It's dark and cold and.... and something touched my leg earlier!” Sonata's eyes glistened like she was on the verge of tears.
How could she say no to that? Something was off about Sonata, a certain desperation that wormed its way into her words, but it wasn't just her. Both Adagio and Aria seemed off, too. She still didn't know what was going on, but she did know one thing: she couldn't turn them away. “Fine.” She relented. “Just don't make too much noise.”
“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Sonata hugged Sunset again. “Come on, Aria,” she said, taking Aria's hand.
“Yeah, Thanks,” Aria muttered.
“Are you coming too, Adagio?” Sonata frowned when she didn't get a response. With a shrug, she went inside with Aria.
Crossing her arms, Sunset peered at the star covered sky. This night was crazy. Maybe it was all a dream. Wouldn't that be great? She inhaled the chilled air. Answers. She needed answers. Exhaling, she saw that Adagio had moved away from the porch.
“Alright,” Sunset said to herself, walking towards Adagio.
She felt Adagio tense when she placed her hand on her shoulder. “I didn't mean to startle you,” Sunset said.
Adagio turned on her, eyes narrowed. “Please, you think a loser like you could startle me?” She flicked her wrist. “Don't make me laugh!”
“So you can still speak.” Sunset could feel her blood simmer. “I'm just trying to be nice. You're the one who came to my house in—”
“You call this a house? It's very plain. Kind of like you.”
Sunset clinched her hand. No, relax. “Why are you here, Adagio?”
Adagio crossed her arms. Sunset didn't know if it was because she was annoyed or because it was cold out. Maybe both? “Well, it wasn't to see you in your ridiculous outfit. Seriously, what are you five? Who wears pajamas like that?”
Sunset took a deep breath. If she didn't then she was certain she'd end up slapping Adagio. “Answer the question.” Adagio turning her back to her was the last straw. “Fine. Don't answer me! Stay out here. I don't care. I'm going back to bed!”
“We have nowhere else to go.” Adagio's voice was quiet.
It took a minute for the words to sink into Sunset's mind. “What?” She stopped and walked back towards Adagio. “What do you mean you have nowhere else?”
“Are you stupid? It means you're it. The end of the line. There's no one else.”
“Bu... but don't you guys have a home?” Adagio's words still weren't completely registering with her. They had to live somewhere, right?
“Not since we lost our voices and could no longer influence who we were staying with.”
“Oh, well I'm sure you could've stayed at someone else's house for the night.”
“No. We couldn't have.” Adagio's voice was definitive.
That couldn't be true, could it? “What about Trixie?” Sunset asked.
“That talentless hack was the first person we went to. She gave us a reason as half-baked as her 'spells' as to why we couldn't stay with her. And before you ask, yes. We tried others. Well, Sonata did. However, they weren't as 'considerate' as Trixie was. Most didn't bother answering their door,” Adagio said. “Or lie when they actually did.”
“That's... that's terrible,” Sunset said. Though, it didn't surprise her to hear. She could relate to their situation. It pained her to know that she could. Right after the Fall Formal, it wasn't like anyone had clamored to be her friend or help her either.
“Did you expect to hear anything else?” Adagio asked. “In case you hadn't noticed, we aren't exactly popular right now.”
“What about Fluttershy? Pinkie Pie? Any of the other girls? I'm sure one of them would've let you guys crash for a night.”
“Why do you care so much?” Adagio snapped. “After what we did to you, too. You should hate us as much as they do. Perhaps more.”
She should. She really should, but she couldn't. It was like she'd just peered into a mirror of herself before the Fall Formal, and it hurt. They were her and she was them. The difference being she got a second chance because of Twilight and her friends. Could Adagio... could they want a second chance too? Did they even know if they did? Were they here so that she could offer them that chance?
Sunset's vision blurred. “Did you... did you want to come inside now? It's freezing out here.”
“Why do you care?” Adagio emphasized each word.
“No reason,” Sunset said, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. “You just remind me of me.”
“Okay, fine. If it means I don't have to listen to you be such a sap anymore then I'll go.”
As Sunset walked Adagio to the door, she caught a glimpse of Sonata watching them from the curtains. “I think we have an audience.”
Adagio looked at Sonata who retreated from the window. “Idiot,” she muttered, rolling her eyes.
Before they went inside, Adagio stopped and turned to Sunset. “So, I guess, thanks for letting us crash here.”
Sunset nodded. “Sure.” She closed the door behind them.
To her surprise, Adagio's words sounded genuine. Then Adagio's face contorted like she was about to be sick. “That sounded wrong. This is a nightmare.” Still, Sunset thought there was at least a little truth to Adagio's thanks, and that was good enough for her.
“Hey, Adagio, we saved you a seat!” Sonata patted the center cushion of the couch.
“Quiet please,” Sunset said.
Sonata grinned sheepishly.
Adagio glanced around the room before collapsing on the couch. “Your house is just as boring inside as it is out.”
“I'm going to see if I can find you guys some blankets,” Sunset said.
“Okay!” Sonata said contentedly.
“Whatever.” Aria crossed her arms.
Adagio yawned into her hand.
As Sunset went to find a blanket in the hall closet, she overheard Sonata ask Adagio what they talked about outside. If Adagio replied then she didn't hear it. When she opened the closet door, she was relieved to find a folded blanket on the third shelf. Hopefully they didn't mind sharing.
However, she never got a chance to ask. When she returned to the living room, Sonata had curled up, treating Adagio's lap like a pillow. While Aria had leaned into Adagio, using her shoulder as a head rest. Adagio didn't appear to mind any of this, having reclined against the back of the couch. Sunset noticed that Adagio had a hand on each girls' shoulder. The gesture implied a sweetness she didn't know Adagio had. Perhaps she read too much into it, but it made her smile regardless.
Not wanting to disturb the scene before her by accidentally waking them up, Sunset draped the blanket over the arm of the couch. As an alternative, she went to the thermostat and raised the temperature a few degrees, yawning as she pressed the button. This would be sufficient right? She hoped so.
Another yawn escaped her lips as she trudged up the stairs. Closing her bedroom door, she collapsed face first onto her bed. As she felt sleep take hold of her, a final thought entered her mind. How would she explain the presence of the Dazzlings in their home to her parents? She had no idea. That would be a question she'd leave for the morning.
