Author's Note

Adagio finally attends the Apple Family reunion, leading to more chaos then she signed up for. As fun activities rage on, Adagio realizes something new that could make or break this reunion. Things can still be fixed with hard work, right? The day is still young, giving Adagio plenty of time to do what she has to do.

DISCLAIMER: This story includes references to depression, depressing thoughts, insecurities, anxiety, self-harm, blood, depictions or references to sexual activity and thoughts based around all of these concepts. If you do not want to read a story with slight references to these, I would urge you to click off.

Morning Delights

Chapter XVII: Morning Delights

AN: If you remember, I stated that last chapter had depictions of sexual activity and I promised to offer as much of a SFW summary in this chapter for the readers who skipped it. The summary of the last chapter is that Adagio and Sunset had a talk about their fight the day before and they made up. They end up getting really romantic with each other and end up making love in the middle of the night. That’s all you need to know~ As always, I love all the comments and support I get for this story and I appreciate all of you~ Have a good day and enjoy the show!

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The daylight barely peeks through the window, piercing the small abode that Sunset and I call our home. Both of us didn’t get a wink of sleep, but I don’t think we cared much about that. I know I will regret the lack of sleep later, but right now? My mind can’t think of a single thing I’d take back from last night. A small chuckle leaves my mouth, Sunset’s arm wrapped around my shoulder as we both look up at the ceiling. The cool air in the room is a welcome addition from the rather heated night. I suppose both of us could have gone to sleep if we really tried, but a part of me tells me that we didn’t want to. I… didn’t want to. “Hey, Sunny?” I whisper, not taking my eyes off the spot in the ceiling I chose to stare at.

“Hmm?” Sunset hums in a curious tone, her hand gently rubbing my shoulder.

“What we did last night. It wasn’t a mistake. Was it…?” I quietly ask her, trying to make sense of the conflict in my mind. Making your nest is supposed to be… magical. Planned. Not on the fly, right? It was magical, but hardly planned. It’s supposed to be “a joining of two spirits by fate itself.” At least, that’s what other sirens believed. I never bought into it back then, but that was simply because I never saw someone as worthy of my body or soul. Was last night the right time or should I have avoided my desires…?

“Well, that question can be answered with another. Do you love me~?” Sunset teases me, kissing my cheek as we lay there.

“Of course I do. I wouldn’t have done this otherwise,” I whisper as a response. My eyebrow raises to Sunset’s question, wondering if I hadn’t displayed that fact enough last night.

“Then it’s not a mistake~ Well, unless you didn’t want to do it and all.” A nervous expression comes to Sunset, both of us looking at each other once more.

“That’s what I’m trying to think about, honestly. Making a nest is supposed to be something like a ritual. They kept saying there’s a right time and place and only you will know what it is when it comes to you.” Raising my hand to the ceiling, I sigh slowly, shaking my head. “But that’s the thing. It’s not as simple as any other siren said it would be. Maybe that’s because I didn’t listen a lot, but still.” Looking back at Shimmer, I can’t help but feel confused at Sunset’s bewildered face. “What…?”

“What does ‘making a nest’ mean?” Sunset asks hesitantly, her wide eyes making her a little cuter. Even when she’s confused, she finds a way to be adorably innocent.

“It is- I mean, it was a saying. It was basically a kind way of saying two sirens had sex without making one seem less elegant for saying the word.” Shrugging slightly, I can’t help but chuckle at a distant memory, resting my head on her shoulder. “Of course, there were also slang terms when one was referring to someone they didn’t like or wanted to make the act sound dirty. Like ‘steal the gem’ and ‘sliding scales.’ But those were not used as often, mostly out of respect.” Sunset’s expression looks curious and full of wonder, seemingly interested in the words I said.

“So, it’s like a version of ‘making love’ and all? Even when I studied under Celestia, I never knew that~” I’m not quite sure why, but a part of me feels amused to see Sunset’s clear curiosity in this new facet of knowledge she never learned about. The other part of me feels a little guilty for even bringing up the terms, considering they were used back when there were sirens. Now… Well, we might as well be myths.

“Yeah. The point is that I’m not sure if I technically did everything right. Or if it was the right time. Of course I wanted to do it with you, but I guess I feel slightly conflicted.” A small silence follows after my words, both of us simply resting there in our bed.

“Honestly, I think that’s normal. I think a lot of people are unsure whether or not they regret it after their first time and all,” Sunset says with an honest tone to her voice, making her sound like she speaks from experience.

“Have you… done this before?” Sunset’s eyes break from my own, looking to the ceiling with a thoughtful look coming to her.

“Yeah, I did it once. It was with this guy I used to date in high school, but I ended up regretting it because I didn’t really do it because I loved him. I did it for popularity and all.” Her expression briefly turns into a solemn one before smiling to herself, looking back at me with her kind eyes. A part of me can’t help but feel the same old insecurities come back to me once more, no matter how hard I try to remain positive.

“Do you think you’ll regret this…?” I ask with a quiet tone, telling her my honest feelings in the form of a question rather than hiding them. It would be so much easier to keep everything to myself, but… Sunset wants to be here for me. She deserves to know what bothers me.

“No! Not at all!” Sunset quickly responds, her hand cupping my cheek with the kindest smile she can possibly give me. “I love you so much, Adagio~ You mean everything to me. I won’t regret this at all~ If anything, I will treasure this memory~” Without a single moment of hesitation, Sunset brings her lips to my own, sharing her love and succeeding to bring a smile to my face. My cheeks flush easily to Sunset’s action, shaking my head slightly.

“W-well… I’m glad~” I say with a wink, pinching Sunset’s cheek. In response, she raises her eyebrow and sticks her tongue out at me, both of us giggling for a few moments. “We should probably get ready now though. Applejack will kill me if we’re late.”

“She’ll kill you?” Sunset asks through a giggle after I pull the blanket off of us, bringing myself to a sitting position. “Why wouldn’t she kill both of us?”

“Because I technically promised Apple Bloom I’d be there as soon as they started the reunion. Applejack wouldn’t like it if I broke a promise to her little sister after all.” Even though I have broken promises to her before, Applejack doesn’t know that. Most of those situations were times I couldn’t uphold my end of the promise, so Apple Bloom altered the terms of our agreement. She’s like a small entrepreneur… Stretching slowly, I stand up from the bed, shivering slightly as I realize how cool it is in our room. “You’re free to join me in the shower, Sunny~” I tease the woman of my dreams who hasn’t left our bed yet. Her eyes roll slightly, chuckling to my words before she sits up, brushing the hair from her face.

“You should know I’ll always take that offer~”

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The sound of hundreds of people talking is all that fills the air as we walk down the driveway towards the farm. So many people walk around the front of the farm, seemingly catching up with family members they haven’t seen in a long time. It’s almost overwhelming, thinking about navigating through the crowd and perhaps talking to other people. On top of that, I also need to try and find Pinkie so that I can talk to her, but that is considering she didn’t cancel her plans to be here. Regardless, I have to be here. It’s hard to imagine that I was invited here by Applejack just about a week ago, making my progress with Sunset’s friends seem pretty… impressive? In one week, I was able to get on the good sides of practically everyone except for Pinkie Pie. If that’s the case, maybe I can rely on the help of everyone else to apologize to her.

Holding Sunset’s hand a little tighter, I gulp down a breath of air, looking at her for some level of comfort. “You’ve been to this reunion before, right?” I nervously ask her, still trying to think of what I would do and in what order. There are quite a few people I’ve promised to hang out with during the day, so I need to manage my time wisely…

“Of course I have~ I think I’ve already told you that. Don’t worry though~ It’s not going to be as stressful as you think.” The grasp of her hand and the smile I fell in love with both help to convince me that everything will be okay, despite the massive day ahead of the both of us. Slowly nodding, I look towards the crowd, both of us walking into the horde of people. A part of me feels like we’re blindly guessing our direction towards the house, given just the sheer amount of people around us just standing around, greeting each other. Some of the people around us look at me with a confused expression, possibly because I’ve never been here before. How the hell does Apple Bloom have such a huge family…? Almost everyone here is an Apple Family member, making it seem gigantic compared to other families. Apple Bloom told me she has a big family, but this isn’t just big. Now I can kind of understand the massive amounts of preparation they needed to do for this…

Suddenly, a large amount of pain hits my stomach as I fall over onto the ground. “Aah!” I groan, gripping the back of my head as a huge migraine starts to take hold of my brain. Even though the ground around us is stupid dirt, it doesn’t make it hurt any less… It’s hard to hear for a few moments, the stinging sensation finally subsiding as I open my eyes, seeing Sunset and a familiar person looking down at me.

“Oh! I’m dreadfully sorry, Adagio!” a young voice says loud enough for me to hear as the ringing dulls down. Her big magenta bow on her head bounces slightly as she offers me her hand to pull me up, an apologetic look in her eyes. “I didn’t think you would fall down like that,” she nervously states with a chuckle, helping me up off the ground.

A heavy sigh leaves my mouth as I shake my head, trying to desperately get rid of the headache I have. “Well, a surprise attack won’t exactly help me keep my balance,” I tell the young girl, looking at her with a confused stare. “What the hell prompted that anyway?”

A sheepish grin comes across Apple Bloom, rubbing her boot into the ground slowly. “W-well, I was um… just excited to see you!” she said in an anxious tone. Normally, she is pretty excited to see me, but something tells me that isn’t the only reason.

Raising my eyebrow, I put my hands on my hips, smirking at her. “And?”

“E-eh? Well…” Apple Bloom’s face turns from surprise to an anxious expression, her eyes looking around us quickly. “I um… kinda need help.” A giggle comes from Sunset when we hear Apple Bloom’s words, Sunset’s hand holding onto my own before the little bulldozer rammed into me.

“What kind of help do you need?” she asks before I can, both of us seemingly curious as to what Apple Bloom will need now.

“Um… I really need an excuse or somewhere you could hide me. Like quick,” Apple Bloom states with her eyes still scanning the environment around us. “My aunt’s just arrived and she’s really big into physical affection and I can’t stand it! Could I borrow your girlfriend till my big sis makes the announcement?” she asks Sunset with pleading eyes, seemingly asking for me to do something with her as an excuse until further notice without asking me directly. Also, I find it ironic that Apple Bloom can’t stand her aunt’s physical affection when she’s a big hugger herself. Is it wrong of me to think that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree…? Jeez, when did I start making cheesy jokes like that?

Without missing a beat, Sunset’s eyes turn to me, seemingly asking me with just a glance if I was okay to help Apple Bloom with her plight. Bringing a hand to my face, I can’t believe that I’m about to help her try and avoid family at a freaking family reunion. “How can I help?” I ask slowly, reconnecting my gaze with Apple Bloom to see her happily smile.

“I’ll bring her back soon!” Apple Bloom quickly tells Sunset before grabbing my arm, subsequently dragging me through the crowd. The young girl barely gives me enough time to look back at Sunset, seeing her kind smile still present with a small wave. Bobbing and weaving past dozens of people, Apple Bloom quickly brings us past a bunch of tables with snacks and drinks, making me wish I could get something to quench my thirst. Alas, her grip is too strong, instantly running into the orchard and through the trees. A part of me can already guess where we’re going, remembering the rigid terrain leading up to Apple Bloom’s desired location. All the while, her bow bounces up and down on her head as she runs. I, on the other hand, am left stumbling behind her, desperately trying to succumb to gravity itself. Reaching to my neck, I grab my scarf quickly, pushing it inside my bag with one hand.

“What kind of excuse could you make with me?” I ask behind her, still not used to moving this fast. How the hell is she always so fast and strong…?

“We can say that we’re practicing for the race!” Apple Bloom exclaims in a loud tone, trying to make sure I can hear her from behind me. “Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo are already practicing with their partners and all, so it would make sense!” A race…? Partners? What?

“There’s going to be a race?” I hesitantly ask her, trying to not trip on the various fallen branches as we get further and further away from the farmhouse. “And what do you mean partners? Also, you do know you’ll have to face your aunt eventually, right?” At this point, a hundred questions pass through my mind a moment, making me wonder what exactly is happening during this reunion. Do they have a freaking outline for this thing…? If so, why wasn’t I given a handout when I visited three days ago?

“I know, but if I can prolong it, she will be more tired, meaning less of the overwhelming hugs and all!” Apple Bloom describes in a confident tone as if it is the greatest plan someone could come up with. In reality, it sounds kind of mediocre and I would rather just get over with it sooner, but I suppose that is not my decision to make. “There’s going to be a race pretty soon after everyone gets here and my big sis makes the announcement! It will take place from one end of our farm to the other. Isn’t that exciting!” Apple Bloom exclaims with a gleam in her eye, smiling widely at the idea. Remembering how absolutely massive their farm is, that sounds like an exhausting idea rather than exciting. “Every person who’s going to race will need a teammate since each person will run half of the track. You basically pass off the baton to your teammate and they run the rest of the way~” Jumping over a small creek, Apple Bloom acts like all of this is completely normal whereas I would classify running through an orchard with dozens of things to make you trip is risky as crap. Not to mention that she wants me to run a race in this orchard with her.

“Why didn’t you ask your big sister to do this with you?” I ask her, watching the ground ahead of us just in case another jump comes up. “Surely she would be a better fit for this. You’re both super strong and you both live here.”

“I thought about that!” Apple Bloom says in a ‘fun fact’ sort of voice, looking back at me as we sprint. That seems like a bad idea, but I guess she has every inch of this place memorized. “First off. My big sis is busy preparing for the announcement right now and she already agreed to run the race with Big Mac. Usually, she runs with me, but this is the first time my brother wants to participate, so I guess she wants to support him.” Apple Bloom quickly reaches into her pocket, pulling out a package of wrapped crackers and giving them to me. “Also, you may wanna eat these to get your energy up. You look exhausted.” No shit I’m exhausted. You’ve pulled me in a full sprint rather than a leisurely walk or a light run.

Hesitantly taking the crackers from her hand, I try to open the package while we run, thinking about what Apple Bloom’s said. “That still doesn’t answer why you thought I’m a good fit for this,” I state before taking a bite of the crackers, immediately noticing that they taste a little stale. And bland…

“Well, remember how you told me you ran in that alligator maze at Equestria World?” Her eyes are full of curiosity, trying to see if I can recall such a conversation.

A sudden realization comes to my mind, making me sigh heavily at the idea. “So, your idea is to use Sunset against me by saying I can ‘impress her again’ by running this race with you,” I state in a slight annoyance, realizing just how mischievous the girl can be. This is my punishment for becoming friends with her, I suppose.

“Well, ya can! I mean, you told me how Sunset hugged you and was really excited when you won and how it meant the world to ya~” Apple Bloom’s eyebrow raises with a smirk coming to her face. “Wouldn’t you want to do this to see how happy she would be? You do practically everything for her after all~” she teases me with a chuckle, manipulating the fact that I melt at the sight of Sunset’s smile and her adoration.

“You’re a very mean girl, Apple Bloom,” I say defeatedly, shaking my head.

“So, you do agree?” she asks me excitedly, her eyes full of that same hope I’ve come to expect from her.

“Throw in a grape soda before the race and it’s a deal.” Apple Bloom nods at my request, bringing her gaze back to the ground in front of us. To be honest, it’s a little surprising for me to hear that Big Mac wants to join the race. I’ve only met him a couple times and he didn’t say that much, but he seems to have more strength than speed. Maybe it’s something to boost his ego or he just wants to join the activities for fun. Either way, I’m not particularly looking forward to ‘facing off’ against everyone. Just because I ran in that alligator maze doesn’t mean I’m that fast. At least, I don’t think so.

Jumping over the big ditch I have memorized at this point, I can’t help but try to peek through the trees to see the clubhouse, knowing it’s nearby. With how dense the orchard is, though, that is quite difficult. The young girl gripping onto my arm pulls me through the trees with an energetic boost, backing up my idea that the treehouse is close. The sound of talking can be heard as we run into one of the only clearings in the orchard that I can think of. The young girl finally lets go of my arm, instantly falling down to the ground to sit down. Is it really necessary to sprint everywhere…? Taking a deep breath, my eyes connect with the other people in the clearing, seeing Rainbow Dash talking to Scootaloo while Sweetie Belle shakes her head at her big sister. “Rarity! You can’t wear high heels in this!” Sweetie Belle exclaims as Rarity tries to organize her attire.

“Seriously, darling. Do you really want to do this… race? You’ll get dirty,” Rarity whines, looking at Sweetie Belle’s shirt. “At least you didn’t take one of your nice shirts, but still. I already know AJ wants to do this, but why would you?”

“Because my friends are doing this and I want to participate too. Are you going to change your shoes or not?” the purple and pink haired girl asks her older sister, crossing her arms with a pout.

“Fine… I will,” Rarity says with a clear distaste for the tennis shoes in front of her, shaking her head. “Would you be okay with coming in seventh, Sweetie? I don’t want to get myself dirty in this… race.” Every time the fashionista uses the word race, she sounds like she doesn’t really believe that’s what it’s called, despite the fact that it’s as clear cut a race that I can imagine.

“Ugh! You’re impossible!” Sweetie Belle exclaims, walking away from her sister with a huff.

“Could you guys keep it down? Scoots and I are trying to form a plan here,” Rainbow Dash tells the two sisters, rolling her eyes slightly before spotting me at the edge of the clearing. “Oh, hey, Dagi! What are you doing here?” Rarity instantly turns her eyes to Rainbow Dash, clearly making her the focus of her angry glare.

“Oh, Dash! I thought you wanted us to hush because you were ‘strategizing,’ but you suddenly want to make conversation with Adagio?” Rarity asks with air quotes, angry at the athletic woman. It seems that Sweetie Belle and Rarity have really been getting on each other’s nerves.

“Chill, Rarity. All I asked was for you two to keep it down. And besides, Dagi just got here,” Rainbow says with another eye roll, looking back at me with a small wave. In response, Rarity just turns away from her, walking towards the table with the tennis shoes in her hand.

“She’s here to race with me~” Apple Bloom answers for me, cheerfully smiling with a thumbs up. The girl with the bow turns back to me, nervously smiling and scratching her head as the wind begins to blow against us. “I’ll be right back, okay? I have to go see how Sweetie Belle is doing.” Before I can say anything to Apple Bloom, she quickly runs past me in the direction her friend stomped off in. A small part of me can’t help but worry that this is going to go poorly, but maybe I’m just looking too into things… Trying my best to smile, I stand up from my seated position, stretching my legs slightly. I can’t believe I’m going to do this. It’s that situation at Equestria World all over again. Maybe I just like performing in front of Sunset. Either way, today is going to be a long day, isn’t it?

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Quickly walking through the crowd, I take a big sip of my grape soda, looking at the people around me. Everyone’s gathering around a wooden stage built in front of the farmhouse, making it easier on me that no one is technically moving around. All I have to do is find her before the race. What sucks about this crowd is that a lot of people have skin that is close to orange, making me rely on hair color to try and find Sunset. Normally, I wouldn’t be embarrassed to ask someone else if they have seen someone like her, but in this huge crowd, it feels a little too overwhelming to try and talk to everyone. Especially since all of these people are relatives to Apple Bloom.

Then again, that could be due to the fact that I’ve been more introverted lately because of my lack of confidence. Bringing my hand to my face, I honestly feel embarrassed for not being able to find her. I’m usually able to pinpoint her pretty easily, but now, she could be anywhere in this crowd. A sigh quickly leaves my mouth before I bring my hands to my lips, feeling stupid for doing this. “Movie!” I yell out with complete confidence, despite the embarrassment I can feel. Instantly, multiple people around me look at me with shock and confusion, wondering what the hell I am doing.

“Night!” a familiar voice calls out to my right, making me walk as fast as I can towards the sound of her voice. If I had a hoodie on, I would definitely be hiding under the hood from everyone’s stares, but for now, I just have to keep acting composed and like I don’t care what they think. Within a moment, I can finally see her fiery hair in front of me, her eyes looking around herself to try and find me. I can’t help but feel relief, walking towards her without a single moment of hesitation. My feet feel light and weightless despite the practice I just did with Apple Bloom, a big smile coming over my face as I finally hug Sunset from behind. A surprised giggle comes from her, grabbing onto my arms lightly.

“There you are~” I whisper, kissing her cheek with a smile on both of our faces. I don’t doubt that there are probably some people still looking at us, but I don’t quite care. It doesn’t matter, does it?

“You were gone for a while~” Sunset responds to me, turning herself around and wrapping her arms around my neck. Her eyes sparkle from the sun and her smile makes me melt even more, just happy to see her happy. The wind gently plays with her hair as she stares into my eyes, seemingly at peace to see me again.

“I couldn’t really help it. Apple Bloom made me do the Cutie Mark Crusaders swear to do my best during the race.” Bringing my hand to her cheek, I smile at the feeling of her skin. It’s not every day I get to just stare into her eyes like this, completely forgetting the moment and the sounds around us. I can’t afford to do that now though… Sunset’s puzzled expression shows her confusion, tilting her head slightly. Why does she always have to be so cute…?

“A race? What do you mean?” Her questions hit my ears, but my ability to respond is cut short by a loud applause from everyone around us. Both of our eyes look towards the stage to see two women walk on stage. One of them is an old woman with green skin and white hair and the other is Applejack. The older woman seems oddly familiar to me, but I can’t quite place where I’ve seen her before…

Slowly, the elderly woman reaches the microphone and smiles at the crowd, Applejack waving at everyone. “Hello, everyone~ It’s so nice to see y’all again. Especially since the last Apple Family reunion was so long ago,” the woman says in a kind voice to a roaring applause. “What happened last time again? I can’t remember… Didn’t my grandson, Braeburn, almost burn down the barn?” she asks the crowd with a light chuckle, getting a response of some laughs.

“Sorry about that!” a masculine voice calls out from somewhere in the crowd, making even more people laugh.

“It’s alright, kiddo. Don’t you worry about it~” The old woman waves at whoever apologizes, smiling to herself. “Now where was I? Oh! It’s so nice to see that everyone could make it this time around and I’m proud to say that my granddaughter, Applejack, planned all of this herself~” Raising her hand out towards Applejack, another applause starts, prompting the cowgirl to walk towards the microphone with a sheepish grin.

“Thank ya kindly, everyone, but it really wasn’t that much work. I am really happy to say that this looks like it is going to be one of the best reunions we’ve ever had!” Everyone around us clap at Applejack’s statement, making the cowgirl bow slightly. “We have a lot planned for today with tons of fun games, leisure activities and even sports to help everyone have a fun day while catching up with family! Before we officially begin this reunion, I’d like to give a big thanks to my friends and my siblings for helping me put all of this together~ With that being said, feel free to participate in whatever you want to do and take whatever food we lay out! And before anyone asks…” Applejack’s gaze is directed at a certain part of the crowd, clearly looking at someone with a small shake of her head. “The cider won’t be handed out until noon. Now go on and enjoy yourselves, everybody!” Applejack exclaims in her Southern accent to the acclaim of everyone around us, cheering at her as she raises her hat in the air. Looks like Sunset is about to find out what race I mean for herself.

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Slipping on my older boots, I’m kind of surprised to be back in this attire. It was only a few days ago that I bought new clothes with Sunset, but I’ve already started to get used to having my hair up and wearing more flashy clothing. Maybe it’s because it legitimately did help with my confidence, but for this race, I need something that can get dirty. I suppose that’s why I chose to wear this hoodie, jeans and my old boots. I don’t think I will personally care if these rip or get dirt on them. Thankfully, Sunset agreed to hold onto my bag while I race so that none of my belongings get lost. It’s a bit weird to have my hair down in public again, but it will only last for a little bit.

Opening the door to the bathroom, I quickly walk through the farmhouse which is surprisingly empty. Jogging outside the house, I make my way towards the beginning of the track, seeing multiple activities along the way that other people were involved in. One such game was horseshoes, making me chuckle at the irony of it all. Sunset and I both came from a world of talking creatures like ponies. It almost makes me feel weird when I think about it. I’ve gotten so used to this body that my original body seems… foreign. Either way, it just seems ironic that we both used to have hooves, but those days are long gone. The crowd around the small fence posts with string tied between them show just how excited some people are to see this race. There are even a couple of trucks to transport people from one end to the other to see how the race goes and which team wins. That’s not surprising, given the sheer size of the farm, but it does make the task of the runners seem a little more daunting. Every team needs to decide a member that will start the race and give the other member the task of finishing the race. Thankfully, Apple Bloom and I decided it would be a better idea for me to start so that she can make up for any ground I may lose by the time I get to her. Even if I come in close to last, Apple Bloom is as fast as a fly, so I don’t doubt she would be able to recover our losses.

Jogging past the crowd, I quickly make my way over the fence towards the beginning line. There are quite a few participants in this race other than the teams I already know of, but the people I do recognize at the front are Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Sweetie Belle. Already, I begin to question why Sweetie Belle is starting the race instead of her sister since it seems like everyone picked the adults to start. Well, except for Big Mac and Applejack. In that sense, they’re both adults. Regardless, I shake my head and run over to the line, standing beside Applejack and Sweetie Belle. “Hey, sugarcube~ I heard Apple Bloom wrangled you into this,” Applejack says with a chuckle, stretching her arms and legs before the race.

“Yeah, she said you promised to be in a team with your brother,” I say with my own smile, stepping back to take a deep breath.

“Well, he wanted to participate this year and all~ Although, I’m not sure if we’ll win, but we’ll try our best.” The cowgirl gives me a big thumbs up before stretching her back. “I can’t help but notice you changed into some of your older attire. Good choice~ There’s probably going to be some mud on the track from last night’s rain and all~”

“Thanks. I don’t quite care about these things, so it doesn’t matter if they get ruined honestly,” I tell the cowgirl with a small laugh, both of us finding amusement in the moment. “Although, I am a little curious why Sweetie Belle here is starting the race,” I talk about the young girl in the third person, nodding to her with a slight chuckle.

“That’s because Rarity is pretty slow,” Sweetie Belle responds in a completely honest and blank tone, focusing on tying her shoe laces. Applejack laughs out loud at Sweetie Belle’s comment, bringing her hand to her face quickly.

“Sugar, don’t tell your big sis, but I agree with that fully~ If she knew I said that, I would be in the dog house for sure,” Applejack tells Rarity’s younger sister, making me chuckle slightly.

“Oh? Should I use that as blackmail material?” I tease her with a smirk, causing the cowgirl to look at me with a look that tells me to ‘watch where I step.’

“You do that and I’ll personally make sure you don’t get a drop of the cider.”

“Eh, I’m more of a whiskey person myself,” I tell her with a chuckle, looking towards the opposite end of the starting line where Rainbow Dash decided to start. “Although, I think Dash wouldn’t mind having my share of it.”

“Oh, yeah…” Applejack’s expression instantly turns into an annoyed one as she looks toward Rainbow Dash, shaking her head slowly. What does that mean…? Why does she look… pissed off?

Before I can ask her what was up with her reaction, a man walks along the starting line with a smirk, looking at all of us before turning his head to the audience. His yellow skin and tan hair reflect the sun pretty easily, making him easy to spot. Unsurprisingly, the man has a bunch of sunscreen on, probably because his skin would burn easily. I mean, mine burned faster than Sonata and Aria, but I usually don’t have to wear heavy sunscreen. “Hello, everyone! I’m Braeburn and I can see everyone is excited to get this show on the road!” Everyone yells in excitement at his words, making me scan the audience. Where is she? Sunset said she would watch as much of the race as she can and I know she’s usually pretty excited about watching me participate in things like this. A big smile comes to me as my eyes connect with the one person looking towards me, her ocean eyes full of happiness. My heart skips a beat as she makes the shape of a heart with her hands and mouths those three words we tell each other every day. Those three words should be normalized in my mind at this point, but every little reminder refuses to leave my mind, bringing a blush to my cheeks. She is the best magic I could ever think of. I love you too~ “Before I let our faithful racers run away from us, I need to establish some rules. In no circumstances is hitting and kicking allowed, but pushing another racer is okay. You are not allowed to stray too far from the track and deliberately putting obstacles in front of others isn’t allowed. Your teammate is allowed to pick up where you leave off at any point if you get injured. Other than that, everything else should be a-okay~” With that, Braeburn walks back to the opposite side of the track, grabbing a green flag. “Good luck, racers!” he yells out, waving the flag high in the air.

Instantly, everyone takes off running, despite a couple of stumbles from people behind me. As I run past the audience, I can’t help but notice Sunset’s wave, motivating me to do my best. My heart beats quickly, feeling the adrenaline rush throughout my body. It won’t be long before everyone starts to disperse… Applejack is the first one to go sprinting past me, unsurprisingly leaving me a few feet behind. Some people get ahead of me and some fall behind like Sweetie Belle, despite how fast she tries to run. I truly don’t know how I’m going to retain enough energy to run half the length of the orchard, especially since I will probably fall behind some of these people by a good bit. We finally run into the dense trees, trying to make my way around them as smoothly as possible. Of course, Applejack gets even further ahead than all of us. It’s not surprising since this is her home turf. She literally grew up here, making every nook and cranny probably something she memorized. I can’t help but take deep breaths, every step reminding me why I’m doing this. Flashes of that damned alligator maze come back to my mind, drawing parallels to both situations. Both times, I ended up agreeing simply because it would make Sunset smile. I mean, that’s the whole point of this reunion right? To have fun? Sunset has been so busy with her internship that this is the first time she’s been able to see all of her friends in the same place in months. It should be a fun day for her. Well, as fun as I can make it.

Jumping over a log, I shake my head quickly, looking at the environment around me. Surprisingly, quite a few people fell behind me, even though I don’t think I’m that fast. If I am this close to the front, maybe Apple Bloom and I can make it in the top three. At least, that’s what she’s hoping for. I just don’t want to come dead last… “Sorry! Coming through!” a familiar voice yells behind me right before a strong force hits my back, throwing me forward towards the ground. Colliding with the ground causes pain to strike through my arms, protecting my face from the fall. What the hell… Looking up at the people running past me, I see rainbow hair sprinting away. I knew she would try to win, but pushing me down…? What the fuck, Dash? Why would I deserve that? Hell, how were you behind me? Were you just slowed down by the trees or what?

My eyes widen as I notice everyone starts to slow down, running as if they were stuck at less than half of normal speed. Even the leaves falling to the ground linger in the air a lot longer than they should, losing their color slowly. Everything is… losing its color… Did I hit my head? Why is this happening? Everything slowly turns black and white, even my own skin. I can’t even get up… I can look around, but why can’t I get up? Am I… alright? I’m less concerned with the fact that Rainbow pushed me now… The thing that matters the most is the change of scenery. “It’s quite interesting,” a dark whisper enters my mind, crawling down my back in an unsettling way. That’s why everything’s changed… Of course it had to be this again. “After all the turmoil leading up to this day, you decide the best way to start it off is to repeat something you did months ago. How… unique.” Quiet footsteps can be heard walking around me, approaching the area in front of me. Despite my own intentions to keep my composure, I can’t bring myself to look up at her, only seeing her feet walk in front of me as red liquid drops to the ground. It’s surprising that she’s not a shadow right now… Hell, it’s more surprising that she’s here with other people around. Why did this have to happen now…? “It seems that the simple thought of seeing the love of your life smile brings you to do whatever she wants. Or, in this case, complying with a brat to run a pointless race. All this does is exhaust your muscles for a simple smile from her.” Getting down on one knee, her finger comes to my chin with her sharp nail poking at my skin. Her grip forces me to look up at her, my own evil grin facing right at me.

“Why are you appearing so often…?” I ask her slowly, pulling my chin from her grasp with a grimace. Every couple of days, it seems she appears again. What is the point…?

“That doesn’t matter, now does it? The important issue is the situation you’re in right now.” Standing up slowly, her red dress glistens in the light, her wings casting a shadow on the ground. “I told you to handle your situations with your anger and emotions. To let them fuel you. Instead, you resisted your emotions and waited to apologize to that girl, making it sound insincere at best.” Despite her normally quiet and piercing voice, a laugh comes from her, penetrating my thoughts. “Though, it’s not like you need the approval of Pinkie Pie. She is worthless after all.”

“Don’t talk about her like that,” I strike back, still unable to move from my spot on the ground. I’m usually able to move… Right? I feel so powerless right now…

“This is why power was the better option, but no. You wanted love and friends.” Again, she chuckles, walking away from me. Her hand grabs Rainbow Dash’s hair slowly, inspecting the colors with a shrug. “What’s even more pathetic is that you, Adagio Dazzle, finally made a nest. How cute~ It must feel great to give away your body to some mortal when you’re supposed to be queen of the sirens.”

Clenching my fist, I can’t help but grimace at her words, staring into her red eyes. “It was fucking worth it… And I don’t care if you say otherwise. Now leave. You have no business here.”

“And you do?” she instantly remarks, her usually evil smile gone and replaced by a threatening stare. “Think about it, Adagio. You don’t belong in the dirt. You agreed to come to this pig sty of a homestead just to have fun with friends. That sounds so pathetic. The worst part about this whole day is that you let that girl you’re infatuated with taint your body last night. For that, I would personally want the death penalty, but you’re too weak to realize that.” Flying up to a tree branch above me, she sits down, casting her body in shadows once more. The red liquid drips down to the ground, slowly forming a puddle. “All of this and you’re still not even sure if everyone will get along in the end.”

My eyes widen at her statement, making me quickly look back up at her. “What do you mean?” Not getting along…? I know Applejack seemed a little pissed at Rainbow and Rarity was clearly on edge earlier, but that’s no reason to worry, is it?

“Adagio… Don’t tell me you haven’t thought of the possibility that today won’t end well. Think about it rationally. What happened on Valentine’s Day?” she asks in a striking tone, her eyes still locked with my own. Her glare almost demands for an answer, feeling like she can look directly into my soul.

“Everyone got mad at each other at Garden Hooves Park. Because of me…”

“Good~ Glad to see your memory is still intact after all the shit you did to your head…” She claps her hands a few times before her hand waves slightly, sparks flying from her fingers. Instantly, a small diagram of me and everyone else is drawn in midair, illustrating the event in question. “You’ve been trying so hard to apologize to everyone and make things right…” The illustration turns into multiple, showing all of my attempts with Sunset’s friends. The last one with Pinkie Pie is conveniently marked out with a ‘X.’ “Rainbow Dash herself even said that they were not all talking to each other. Did you really think that you making things right with them would suddenly make them all forgive each other for what happened last time?” Her diagram then shows a solid line between me and everyone else except Pinkie Pie. “You’ve been so focused on your own relationships with others than actually looking at the relationships between them. Don’t you think that will lead to a disastrous outcome by sundown?”

“That can’t happen… I… How can I stop this?” I talk to myself, thinking about the upcoming day frantically.

“Now you panic because you realize that I am right. You should know that I’m always right.” Pushing herself off the branch, she slowly falls to the ground with that evil smile returning to her. “Just give up. Grasp power by the throat and leave before everything falls down before you.”

“Can you shut up about power just once!” my voice lets out without me even thinking about it, my yell seemingly reaching her. My angry stare makes a surprised expression come to her, bringing her hand to her chest.

“Did you just… feel anything?” she asks more cautiously than anything else she’s ever said to me, stepping towards me with a curious look in her eye.

“Why the fuck would I feel anything? Everything’s frozen thanks to you… Now I need to think of how I’m going to help everyone, so just leave.” Looking towards the ground, I can’t help but sigh heavily, overwhelmed by my thoughts. Who is on good terms? Which of them need to forgive each other…?

“Interesting. I thought I just saw your eyes flash green, but I could be wrong.” Slowly walking towards me, the drops of red liquid get closer, tainting the dirt. “You truly are pathetic. Wanting to hold all of these people together, failing time and time again. Giving your body away and betraying who you are.” Her hand quickly grabs my own, her nails digging into my skin. “This is the path you’ve chosen. All you can do is reap what you sow. But… perhaps the stitches can be changed.” Looking up at her, my mind tells me to not listen…

“What exactly do you mean?”

“If you act fast enough, maybe… your friends can forgive each other before this godforsaken reunion is over.” A quiet chuckle comes from her mouth, letting go of my hand. “I would expect letting Rainbow Dash or Applejack win this race would cause an even bigger rift between them. But… they both forgave you by this point. If you win, they will both lose, giving you the happy smile you want and a commonality between them. Perhaps, they can even congratulate each other for a good competition.”

“You really think I could win this race?” I ask with a slight scoff, shaking my head.

“You could do anything you wanted. In some way, I believe you still can. Now if you don’t want to be completely worthless, I’d suggest you get up and win. Or just stay in the dirt and prove to me that you are nothing.” An evil chuckle penetrates my mind as I close my eyes, trying to keep her words out of my head. “Maybe… that trigger should have been pulled one more time.”

Opening my eyes, the pool of blood in front of me is gone. The sound of running feet fills my ears as I notice all the colors, seeing people run past my body on the ground. She has to appear at the worst times… But she was right. God. Why didn’t I think about the possibility of everyone else not forgiving each other? I was so naive and stupid… I should have at least thought about it before coming here. I only thought about making them forgive me and not each other. I have so much more work than I expected… Pushing myself off the ground as quickly as I can, I sprint towards everyone else, trying desperately to regain the ground I’ve lost. I need to help them too… I need to try. Why was I so stupid?

Getting closer to everyone else, I can’t help but grimace, thoughts racing through my mind. Maybe… Maybe her advice will help. I don’t even know why she appears, but maybe winning this race will at least help Applejack and Rainbow Dash talk to each other. Maybe it could even help Rarity? Then I can move onto everyone else. My first priority? Winning this god damn race…

=======================================================

“Adagio! We won! We won!” Apple Bloom yells at me after jumping off the truck, instantly running over to me to grab me in a hug. I was barely able to make it to the halfway point right behind Applejack and Rainbow Dash, but thankfully, Apple Bloom was able to pick up the slack and sprint past her big brother and Scootaloo. All of the secondary runners were brought back to the main clearing in front of the house, despite the fact that there are activities all over the farm. Apple Bloom holds a blue ribbon in her hand, but my eyes are more focused on everyone else getting off the truck. Big Mac just hops off the truck with a proud smile on his face, an orange ribbon with the number three plastered on it stuck to his chest. Scootaloo zooms off the truck towards Rainbow Dash with a silver ribbon, presumably representing second place. Rarity, of course, daintily steps down off the truck, trying to get the least dirty as possible. Unsurprisingly, no such ribbon can be found on her or near her. Still, it’s nice of her to actually try for her little sister.

“That’s great! You worked pretty hard there,” I tell Apple Bloom with a chuckle, playfully rubbing her head.

“You did good too! I was surprised you were so close behind Rainbow and my big sis! How did you do that?” Her curious eyes stare up at me, making me nervously smile down at her.

“Pure luck…? Either that or because you slammed me through those trees on more than one occasion.” A small pout comes to her as she lets go of me, crossing her arms.

“You’re acting like I abused ya or something. All I did was pull you along cause you were too slow.” Too slow my ass. It’s more like she’s way too damn fast, but I guess that turned out to be a good thing today. It helped us win the race~

“Whatever you say, small fry~ What are you going to do with that ribbon?” I ask her with a smile, looking down at the bright blue award in her hand.

“Well, that’s the thing,” Apple Bloom says quietly, her eyes looking away from me. “I already won one of these in a past reunion and all. So, I was kinda thinking… maybe you could have it~ Ya know. Since you helped me and all?” Apple Bloom holds out the ribbon slowly, her eyes looking up at me to see if I will accept it from her. She’s always been so kind to me, no matter what happens. Even when I ghosted her, Sunset and Rainbow Dash, she still treated me with kindness in her letter. I really don’t know what I did to deserve a friend like her.

Taking the award from her hands, I feel a smile come to my face due to this sign of friendship. From my first friend after I lost my magic… “Thank you, Apple Bloom~ I’ll keep it on my fridge~” Wrapping my arms around Apple Bloom, I hug her as tight as I can again, happy that I got to do this with her today. “I should show this to Sunset, huh?”

“Well, duh! I mean, the whole reason you decided to help me was so that you could impress her again,” Apple Bloom teases me with a wink. “Where is she by the way?”

“She went to get some snacks for the two of us right before you and everyone else got back. Although, I don’t know what snacks are available.” An excited look comes across her face, grabbing my arm once more.

“Oh! You’ll love it! We have apples, apple pie, apple fritters, caramel apples, apple cookies-”

“Apple Bloom? Do you have anything that’s not apple related?” I ask her with a laugh, shaking my head as she leads us to where the snacks are.

“Oh, sure! We have lots actually! We have some pear related foods and we have some things that aren’t even fruit oriented~” A smirk comes to Apple Bloom’s lips, raising her eyebrow slowly. “Let me guess. You want to know if we have anything with cherries, right?” Both of us share a light laugh as we walk, the muscles in my legs still aching from my portion of the race. I’m honestly still surprised that she knows so much about me. I mean, she’s just a kid. Usually, they don’t memorize everything about their friends, especially since those friendships don’t last longer than a couple years on average.

“You know me too well, you know that, kid?” I ask her with another head rub, scruffing up her hair slightly. Once again, her bow bounces up and down, contrasting with the pout on her face.

“Call me a kid again and I will ‘slam’ you through those trees again,” Apple Bloom remarks, sticking her tongue out at me. I guess threats run in the family. “But I know you well because you’re… a good friend, Adagio. I’m really glad you decided to keep being my friend.” Apple Bloom smiles up at me, clearly being genuine with her gratitude to have me in her life. It doesn’t quite feel like I deserve this due to everything I’ve done before, but I know that most of that is probably just my insecurities talking again.

“I’m glad to have you in my life too, Apple Bloom,” I say in a slightly teasing tone, both of us giggling at the situation. Walking into the dense crowd, Apple Bloom expertly guides us past different activities, being focused on a certain destination. I suppose she’s used to these reunions being absurdly large. “By the way, how big is your family?”

“Including all of our extended family, about two-hundred-forty-two strong~” Apple Bloom proudly states with a big smile on her face, dragging me along. “It can be a bit daunting, but you’ll get used to it~” Daunting doesn’t even describe the feeling. I didn’t have any family in my life other than Sonata and Aria. We were best friends and looked out for each other. Probably because all of us didn’t have anyone else. Still. I didn’t really admit that back then.

“I think I’ll manage,” I tell the young cowgirl, ducking past the crowd as we walk towards where all the food is being served. That is until we see a familiar woman walk towards us, her fiery hair blowing in the wind. Her head nods as a substitute for a wave since her hands are full. Waving at her, I can’t help but smile like an idiot, seeing her quickly make her way towards us.

“Hey, Sunset! I told ya we would win~” Apple Bloom says with excitement, pointing at the blue ribbon in my hand with a big grin. “Oh, here’s your girlfriend back, by the way.” Holding my arm out towards her, Apple Bloom sheepishly smiles as if she is offering back a borrowed item and not a living person.

“Why thank you, Apple Bloom~” Sunset expresses gratefully, giving me a plate with an apple fritter on it, grabbing me slowly with her now freed hand. “Congratulations, you two~ I knew you girls could do it!” Sunset tells us before kissing my cheek, pressing her shoulder against my own. “How did your friends do?”

“Well, Scoots got second place with Rainbow Dash. My big sis and brother got third place and Sweetie Belle… Well, let’s just say Rarity came in fifth.” Huh. I didn’t know exactly where they placed, but at least they came above seventh. I don't know how the hell they made it in fifth, but maybe Rarity got lucky with the least amount of obstacles. I had at least three logs and multiple holes in the ground that I had to avoid. Regardless, Apple Bloom’s eyes look away from us with a conflicted expression. “Speaking of which, I should probably go see if Sweetie Belle is mad or happy with the outcome. Do y’all think you can fend for yourselves?”

“Don’t worry. I have a couple things to do as well before we can do something else together~” I tell her with a wink, prompting a giggle out of Apple Bloom.

“Okay! Great~ I’ll see you both later, okay?” Without even waiting for us to respond, Apple Bloom runs away in the direction Rarity and Sweetie Belle were, leaving Sunset and I alone. Well, surrounded by people we don’t know, but still. Sunset’s hand still holds onto mine tightly, her smile not ceasing for a moment.

“So, what do you say we find a table to eat this somewhere?” Sunset asks me, tugging on my hand a little bit. When I don’t follow her and hold back, a confused expression comes to her, looking at me with a curious tone in her eyes. “Unless you don’t want to…?”

“No, I want to. I just need to let you know something,” I say quietly, breaking our eye contact momentarily. “You wanted me to let you know things about my life and I… just wanted to tell you that I hallucinated again. During the race.”

A concerned look washes over Sunset’s face, making her smile disappear quickly… That’s not what I wanted, but nonetheless, Sunset gets closer to me to try and see if I’m alright. “What happened…? Did she appear again?” Sunset asks cautiously, insinuating the pronoun to try and reference my hallucination accurately. That shadow’s eyes always cause a chill to go up my spine, even if I’m just thinking about her…

“Yeah… She did. She was mostly just taunting me again and told me that today will turn out horribly.” Despite the plate in her hand, Sunset wraps her arms around me in a hug, placing her lips on my cheek slowly.

“Don’t worry, alligator. Everything’s going to be alright~ If we just do our best, I’m sure it will,” she states with the same optimistic attitude that she’s had ever since I met her. That same level of confidence that never fails to inspire me…

“I know. But I think I will need a bit of help with Pinkie Pie to resolve things there before today ends,” I whisper to her, hugging her tightly as well. “I think I can talk to her again, but making her open to that…? I think someone else will have to do that.” I know I have to apologize to her again… I can muster up enough strength to do that, but without Pinkie being willing to talk to me, she will just avoid me at all costs for the whole day. That’s something I can’t afford to do.

“I see. I could ask Fluttershy to talk to her since they had similar…” A nervous look comes to Sunset, clearing her throat quietly. “Viewpoints when it came to you and all. Maybe Fluttershy can get through to her.” Slowly guiding me out of the crowd, we both walk towards an empty table, placing our plates down on the surface and sitting right beside each other. Fluttershy did think of me in the same way Pinkie did back on Valentine's Day. The only difference between the two of them is that I prioritized talking to Fluttershy and left my apology to Pinkie until the last moment.

“Yeah, I think that could work. I can ask her right after-”

“I can talk to her~ It’s been a while since Fluttershy and I have talked, so I think it would be good for us to catch up during this reunion,” Sunset tells me with a smile. Taking a bite of her apple fritter, she happily chews the food with an expression that tells me it tastes great.

“Okay. Then I could see how Applejack and Rainbow Dash are doing while you do that, I suppose,” I respond to her with a curious tone, half wondering why Sunset is so willing to talk to Fluttershy on my behalf. The two of them both lost to Apple Bloom and I, but it’s still impressive that they came in the top three. Honestly, if it was a race just between the three of us, I am pretty sure I would come in last, but it was thankfully a team race.

“Actually, could you maybe hang out with Twilight before you catch up with them…? Twilight should be here any moment and this is technically the first reunion she’s been able to attend. The last few times they were held, she was busy. So, you two have that in common~” Sunset states with the cutest smile known to man on her lips. Her request isn’t necessarily out of the ordinary, but I don’t know what goes on at these reunions either, so my companionship isn’t exactly going to help. Instead, I think I’m probably going to make Twilight even more confused about the ordeal.

“I suppose I could,” I respond to the summer mist beside me, looking down at my own treat. I did plan on spending time with everyone during this reunion, but I still don’t have an idea of what Twilight and I will do. Or what I will do with everyone else as a matter of fact. I guess I’m just going with the flow unintentionally. If the Apple Family had a schedule of events, I would definitely take a peek at that to decide what to do, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.

“Thank you, Adagio~ You’re doing a big favor for both me and Twilight~” Sunset says in a hum, hugging me quickly. I just hope I don’t fuck it up…

===================================================

“So, what’s this activity exactly?” Twilight asks me as we walk past one of the many different games that are scattered around the Apple Family farm, Spike firmly in her arms. Looking over at the game, I quickly scan it with a bit of disinterest, raising my eyebrow slowly. Sitting at a table, a young girl with orange skin and magenta hair prepares a paint kit, looking at a couple of her brushes before she locks eyes with us, giving us a smile.

“I may be wrong but I’m going to guess and say that it has something to do with paint,” I say in a teasing tone, sounding like a smartass as I do so. I didn’t necessarily intend to do that, but there’s no way to take it back now.

Walking closer to the table, Twilight bends slightly with her own smile. “Hey there~ What exactly is this? I was just curious in your supplies and all,” Twilight asks as politely as she can, looking at the girl with genuine curiosity in her eyes.

“Oh, this?” the girl asks in a New York accent, pointing to her paint set. “Well, I can paint on your face or arms if you would like~ I was asked to do this until noon since a lot of the kids seem to enjoy it~” It’s ironic that she says kids since she looks like she’s Apple Bloom’s age. Of course, she could be referring to kids even younger than her, which wouldn’t be surprising due to the sheer size of this family. If someone told me this family doesn’t believe in birth control, I wouldn’t doubt them.

“Really?” Twilight asks with enthusiasm, widening her eyes a bit to the girl’s explanation only to be replaced with a sheepish look within a few moments. “So, this is for the kids and all…? None of the adults here want face paint or such?”

“Well, none so far. But it’s quite early, so that may change. Anyone of any age can get face paint if they want it~ Unless you’re an infant. Then it might get in a baby’s eyes or mouth.” A conflicted look comes over Twilight’s face before she sets Spike down on the ground, slowly sitting down in front of the girl. Due to her actions so far, it’s not that hard to tell what her conflict is about… Sunset also felt conflicted about being ‘too old’ when we played arcade games at the mall, but from my standpoint, why the fuck do humans worry so much about what is traditional for their age? They only live once, so they should do what they want. Even my life is limited now due to the loss of my magic, so I have to take priority in what I want to do rather than social perceptions of me.

“Um… Can you maybe paint a symbol on my cheek? I have a picture of it right here,” Twilight says as she pulls out her phone, showing a sparkle emblem on her phone case.

“Sure~ Does your friend want one as well?” she asks Twilight, looking to me slowly. This question prompts Twilight to turn her gaze towards me, a curious tone in her stare.

“I’d rather not, thanks,” I tell the two of them, taking a step back from the stand.

“Aw, come on, Adagio~ Just one? It’ll be fun, I promise!” Twilight pleads with me, gesturing for me to get closer to the stand. The problem with face paint is that it is often messy. If it’s especially hot out, it can smear on your face rather than stay as a cute little symbol, possibly messing up your shirt. I mean, I don’t care about this hoodie, but still. The girls and I tried face paint as a possible attire choice for the Battle of the Bands finale, but we ultimately ditched the choice when it would run down our faces after a song. The other reason we inevitably decided against the paint was because it turns out Sonata was allergic to it. Maybe it was just the brand, but she couldn’t stop itching until she took an anti-allergen pill and a cold shower. Even though I liked how it looked, it just wasn’t feasible for a live performance. Looking back at Twilight’s eyes, I see her begging look, not wanting to be the only one with face paint. Possibly it is due to a fear of being judged by everyone else around us. Or it could be that she just wants to share this activity. Regardless, I slowly sigh, walking towards the empty seat and sitting down next to Twilight.

“Fine. But only a small one.” Twilight smiles excitedly, nodding to my acceptance before turning to the girl. The high school kid opens her paint set, looking at the emblem one more time before mixing variations of red and blue together to create a vibrant magenta hue. The color she makes matches the primary color of the symbol on the back of Twilight’s phone, making me slightly impressed that she could do that so easily.

“How are you two liking the reunion so far? I can tell you are guest invites since I’ve never met you gals before~” the young girl says again in her New York accent, making me raise my eyebrow. Honestly, how in the hell would she be able to recognize every member of this family? From her statement, it confirms she’s a part of the family as well, instead of a guest. Even if she is related to everyone, you’d think that her memory would only be able to go so far. Then again, I remember thousands of years of my life as a siren, but that’s simply because I’ve lived that long with the assistance of magic.

“Actually, I just got here~” Twilight mentions, looking around at the area we’re in before bringing her face closer. Dabbing the brush in the paint, the orange girl slowly drags her brush across Twilight’s cheek, putting the magenta color on Twilight’s previously purple skin. “This is the first thing I’ve decided to try out and all. Applejack didn’t really tell us what would happen throughout the day, so we’re really just walking around.”

“Oh? You’re friends with Applejack, huh?” The girl asks us as she concentrates on the picture she paints on Twilight’s face. “Apple Bloom did tell me some of her big sister’s friends would be here. Though, I’ve already met some of them at previous reunions. Are you new friends?” This girl knows and talks with Apple Bloom, so she’s close enough in the family tree to have regular contact with.

“Oh, no. I just haven’t really made the time before,” Twilight sheepishly says, her hands fidgeting with each other. “I’ve been quite busy with studies for the past couple years… But I finally made the time today~” Without moving her face, Twilight’s eyes turn to me, looking for me to contribute something to the conversation.

“I… am a new friend,” I say quietly, memories of Canterlot High resurfacing easily in my mind. Friend is a term I’m still not one-hundred percent certain applies to me, due to everything I’ve done to these poor girls. “I actually became friends with Apple Bloom first, though.”

The young girl’s eyes widen slightly, halting the strokes of her brush to look at me. “Wait. You’re friends with Apple Bloom?” she asks in surprise, seemingly inspecting me. “I didn’t know Apple Bloom had friends outside of high school other than her big sister. I’m her cousin, Babs Seed~ Nice to meet you,” she tells me while offering a handshake.

“Adagio Dazzle,” I respond, taking her hand in mine with a firm shake. Moving her hand back to the brush, Babs starts to paint Twilight’s cheek again, concentrating on the colors.

“Adagio, huh? I think I’ve heard about you in Apple Bloom’s letters.” She writes letters to Babs Seed? Kinda old-fashioned, but I suppose it works. The thing that intrigues me more is the fact that she’s written about me. What exactly about me did she tell her cousin…?

“What did she tell you?” I ask her cautiously, wondering if Apple Bloom revealed things I wasn’t comfortable sharing with other people or if she just said the general details about me. Did she share the fact that I was a siren…? Was…

“She told me that you had a complicated past and seemed really beat up and tired when she found you. Though, I always thought she meant someone closer to our age when she talked about you.” Dabbing her brush in the white paint, Babs moves onto the next step of painting Twilight’s requested symbol. “She also said that you’re sassy and kind of a bitch. But not in a bad way. More of a good way. I don’t know what she meant by that, but that’s what she told me.” Apple Bloom said that…? I admit that I’m a bitch, but ‘innocent’ Apple Bloom curses in her letters? There have been a couple times she has cursed in front of me and automatically corrects herself, so it’s a little hard to believe the young cowgirl said something like that intentionally.

“You’re telling me that Apple Bloom, the girl who says ‘horse apples’ as an alternative to ‘shit,’ is the one who called me that?” I ask the girl with a couple of giggles escaping my mouth, trying to not burst out laughing at the absurdity of the situation.

“Well, that’s what she wrote. Believe me, it surprised me too,” Babs says with a short chuckle of her own, prompting me to laugh out loud at this new turn of events. Oh, I can’t wait to tease the ever living hell out of Apple Bloom~ “What about you, though? What’s your name?” Babs asks the girl she is painting, causing Twilight to blush slightly.

“Oh! Sorry. Um. Usually I introduce myself before something like this and-” the purple woman stops herself mid-sentence, realizing that she’s rambling. “My name is Twilight. Nice to meet you, Babs~”

“Oh! Twi, huh? Applejack mentioned you at the last reunion,” the young girl says with enthusiasm, clearly happy to finally meet the person that has missed out on these reunions so far. “She said you were quite the science whiz. Now it makes sense that you said you were busy with studies. What kind of studies have you been working on?” Honestly, it surprises me that Babs would be interested in the details of Twilight’s studies, considering they can be pretty boring, but I suppose it’s just something I don’t have an interest in.

“My professors and I have mostly been researching the differences between frog species from different environments and how similar they are to each other. We then take educated guesses as to how the food sources from each environment would affect the frog species from a different area~” Twilight explains happily, a big smile coming to her face. “We were also studying beavers last year~ They’re so cute, aren’t they?”

“Eh, I suppose so,” Babs says with a shrug of her shoulders. “I live in the big city, so I don’t personally have a problem with them, but apparently Applejack has a hard time dealing with beavers here.” With a small breath, Babs puts the finishing touches on Twilight’s cheek, handing her a mirror. “But this should make you cuter than a beaver for the rest of the reunion~ Unless you get water on it. Then it may smear,” Babs warns Twilight as she looks in the mirror, a big smile coming to her face.

“It looks perfect! Hey, Spike, do you think this is cute?” Twilight turns around to ask the dog sitting behind us, his eyes just staring at us weirdly before scratching his ear. Once again, an embarrassed look comes to her face before turning back to Babs, sheepishly scratching her head. Huh. Spike knows when to stay quiet and act like a normal dog. Funny he didn’t do that around me, but it’s still impressive. “Sorry. I sometimes… talk to my dog,” Twilight embarrassedly states, her cheek shining a bright pink.

“No worries~ I sometimes talk to my hair supplies when I’m bored or lonely,” Babs reassures Twilight with a thumbs up before turning to me. “Do you have something in mind or do you want me to suggest something?”

Without a moment to try and respond, something grabs my shoulder gently, making me look behind me. Instantly, my eyes recognize the yellow person standing behind me, her bright red hair blowing in the wind slightly. “Hey, Babs! How are you doing?” Apple Bloom greets her cousin, prompting Babs to stand up and give her a hug.

“Hey, cousin~ I was just doing some face-painting with some friends of yours.”

“Ah, I take it you met Adagio, then?” Apple Bloom says with a smile, looking down at me with a slight wink.

“Met? She told me you called me a ‘bitch,’” I tell the cowgirl with a smirk, raising my eyebrow in anticipation of a response. Without a moment of latency, Apple Bloom’s eyes widen and a bright blush comes to her cheeks, seemingly frozen for a few seconds.

“B-Babs! I told you to keep that a secret!” Apple Bloom angrily tells her cousin, spinning around to lock their eyes.

“Sorry. It was just too funny to not share~” Babs says with a slight chuckle, holding her hands up to avoid getting a beating.

“What’s so funny about that? You know I don’t usually curse and all!”

“Hey, it’s alright, Apple Bloom,” I say quietly, leaning forward and grabbing her shoulder. “Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone else. I just find it funny that you used the word, that’s all.” Apple Bloom’s eyes turn back to me, pouting slightly at the fact that her cousin shared something like this.

“Fine… Either way, I was just wanting to ask if you two maybe wanted to participate in the scavenger hunt?” Apple Bloom asks us while her expression turns back to the normal smile she usually has on.

“Sorry, cousin. I kinda wanted to do some arts and crafts before noon. But maybe we could do the maze together~” Babs tells Apple Bloom with a big smile.

“Oh? I see… What about you two?” Apple Bloom asks us with a hopeful smile, looking at Twilight and I. A part of me can tell that Apple Bloom really wants to do this with someone else, making me feel a little sad for her.

“I plan on doing one more thing with Twilight, but I could do it with you afterward?” I tell the young cowgirl, making her smile excitedly and hugging me with all her might.

“Thank you, Adagio! It really means a lot to me!” she tells me without letting me go, pushing all the air out of my lungs easily. There are only three situations I’ve found myself out of breath in the past twenty-four hours. One was last night, one was during the race, and now it’s due to a freaking hug. Did I really expect anything else from her? Finally letting me go, Apple Bloom smiles and stirs up my hair with her hand, chuckling to herself. “I count that as a pinkie promise?” she says, offering her pinkie to me with a wink. I can’t help but let out an amused breath, wrapping my finger around hers with a nod.

“You know it is~ I’ll find you after I’m done with Sparkles here,” I say with my thumb pointing at the purple girl, making Twilight’s expression twist from amused to confused.

“Alright! I’ll talk to you later, Babs~ Have fun, Twilight~” Apple Bloom states before turning away from us, running away with a slight wave of her hand. Shaking my head, I look back at Babs, seeing her prepare her paints once more.

“Okay. What would you like to get?” she asks me, referring to whatever I would want to get painted on my face. What would I want…? I mean, I don’t really know what would be a good idea… The last time I had face paint on was when I was still friends with Sonata and Aria. Back then…

“Could you maybe make a star with a heart inside of it…?” I ask hesitantly, looking at the girl and expecting a negative answer.

“Sure~ Is there anything else you want added to it?”

Nodding slowly, I pull out a small notebook from my bag, quickly sketching two designs that almost hurt to see once more. It’s been years since I’ve seen these designs and the people they represent… The shades of purple, blue and black remind me so much of a time long past. One where I was a lot meaner, but… maybe I can see them again someday… Maybe I can tell them I’m sorry someday and deserve one last conversation with them. Pushing the piece of paper over to Babs, I can’t help but take a deep breath, smiling at her. “Something like this. A combination of both of these with the musical symbols behind the heart and star.”

Taking a look at the designs I sketched, Babs’ eyebrow raises, nodding slowly. I marked the different regions of the design with points describing what color they’re supposed to be, possibly contributing to the confusion of the young girl. “Yeah, I can do that. They’re interesting designs. Are they important to you?” she asks me curiously, mixing a couple of her paints to come up with one of the shades.

“They were.”

========================================================

The baseball hits the multi-colored wall, completely missing the target that Twilight was aiming for. It’s actually quite surprising how many games this reunion has, but I suppose that comes with the territory of a large family gathering. This game is one of the typical ‘dunk em’ games where one person sits on a pulley activated platform, dropping them in the water if the target is hit square in the middle. If you hit the edge of the target, however, a light spray of water hits the person on the chair, making it kind of funny all around. “Try again!” Braeburn yells from his seat in the water tank, making me chuckle slightly. It seems like this guy gets all around the reunion, not only facilitating the race and being involved with this game, but he also almost burned down the barn at the last reunion. How much does this guy love these outings? He clearly wants to take part and do what he can to make sure everyone has fun.

Picking up another ball, Twilight sticks her tongue out slightly in concentration, locking her eye with the target. With another hard toss, the ball hits the wall again, making Twilight sigh quietly to herself. That was the last ball she had access to, but she could always go again if she wished. However, her eyes look towards me and offers her place to me. “Want to have a shot at it?” she asks me with a smile, clearly wanting to see what I can do with this game.

Normally, I’d find a game like this boring, not even giving it the time of day, but the point of this day is to have fun, no matter where it comes from. I’m trying to have fun with everyone and enjoy myself while fixing things, so it wouldn’t hurt to give this a try, now would it? Stepping up to where Twilight was, baseballs come sliding down a ramp, stopping at a table in front of me. Picking one up, I look at the target and aim my shot, throwing the ball without much force and hitting the edge of the plate. Some light water falls on Braeburn and he gives me a big thumbs up. “Nice try!” he yells out to us with a big smile, still sitting high on his throne.

“Hmm… Were you actually trying with that throw?” Twilight asks me hesitantly, making me notice her stares from my side. Her eyes look up and down my arm, focusing on my hand with a weird intensity.

“Um… No. Not really,” I say with a shrug, trying to ignore her as I pick up another ball and focusing my eyes on the target.

“Why not? What could hurt from trying as much as you can?” Twilight asks me, getting a little closer to me. “Okay. Think about it like this. If you actually try, you can go ahead and dunk smug Braeburn into the water. Doesn’t that sound a little funny?”

“I guess…?” I awkwardly state, not really caring about whether or not I get him into the water. Tossing the second ball with a little more force, I once again hit the edge of the target, causing more water to be sprinkled on his head.

“You don’t want to see what you can do if you actually try?” Twilight asks me skeptically, her eyes not leaving me with an odd questioning look.

“I know what I can do if I actually try. Why would I? It’s just a game and I have to save my energy for this scavenger hunt.” Throwing another ball, it hits the wall right beside the target, making a disappointed look come to Twilight’s face.

“Would it really cost that much energy to put a little more effort into this?” Twilight asks me with a tone that tries to convince me to do what she says. “I mean, it’s just one target. Just one game, so why not put your all into it?” she asks me again, causing me to feel a little annoyed.

“What is your obsession with seeing my best, Twilight?” I ask her bluntly, trying to still sound polite as I throw the fourth ball, hitting the edge of the plate again.

An awkward look comes to Twilight as she tries to think of the right words to say, a nervous look coming to her when she sees my hand pick up the last ball. “Just humor me, please? I… I’ve heard you can throw pretty well from uh… Sunset and all. I wanted to see if you can do better than me.” Normally, I would give Twilight the benefit of a doubt, but the way she says that just screams that it’s a lie… Besides, I’ve never thrown something with my full effort around Sunset.

Slamming the ball in the middle of the target plate, Braeburn’s body falls into the water with a surprised yell coming from the man. Stepping away from the game, I walk away from Twilight towards any other game I can think of. “There’s your shot, Twilight. Why in the hell were you so interested in seeing that?” I ask her with an annoyed tone, looking back to see her scribbling something in a notebook. “Are you listening to me…?” I ask with confusion, slightly surprised that she would seemingly ignore me.

“W-well, I already told you why I wanted to. See? I knew you could do it~” Twilight states nervously, her hand giving me a thumbs up.

“I can tell when you’re lying, Twilight… For two reasons. You get extremely nervous when you lie and I have never thrown things around Sunset, so your ‘reason’ isn’t justified at all,” I tell her while using air quotes, rolling my eyes slightly. “I do admit that there’s no reason for me to not use more effort in those throws, but why were you so interested in that? I want to know the real reason.”

A nervous expression comes to Twilight as she takes a small step back from me, holding her pen close to her notebook. “Um… Say, have you experienced anger issues lately or such?” Twilight slowly asks, preparing to write something with an awkward smile.

“What is with all these questions, Twilight? Did I do something wrong?” I ask her, slightly irritated at whatever this stunt is.

“U-uh…” Twilight seems to find it hard to speak, her hand tightly gripping onto her notebook. “I-I… I can’t tell you,” she says quietly, readjusting her glasses as she looks at the paper again. “Have you maybe experienced-”

Before she can finish her question, I pull the notebook from her grasp, angrily looking at her. “Why can’t you tell me?” Looking at the notebook with an annoyed glare, my eyes widen as I notice all the notes. They go from normal little notes about our time together to sentences sounding like she’s studying some animal. “Subject seems to have excellent motor skills?” I ask her quietly, scanning over the page with a questioning look. What are all these…?

“Please give it back,” Twilight asks me as she tries to reach for the notebook, prompting me to pull away and step back, looking at the notes in further detail. My name is on this page over and over. There are multiple questions that she has answered while others are left blank. Things like ‘does the subject experience unusual anger issues?’ and ‘how severe are the subject’s hallucinations?’

“What the hell is this, Twilight…?” I ask quietly, closing the notebook without reconnecting our eyes. “Is this another part of your stupid study of Equestrian creatures? Or is it something else?”

“Eh? Um…” Looking back up at the purple girl, a nervous expression is written all over her face, clearly unsure of what she should say. “I… was simply observing your mental state. That’s all,” she says as if it isn’t that big of a deal, trying to deescalate the situation.

“Damn it, Twilight,” I say in a heavy sigh, walking over to her and pushing her notebook to her chest. “Why in the hell would you do this without my consent? God, I probably would have even given you permission if you had asked nicely! I gave you my blood. What makes you think you had to do this without asking me?”

“I-it wasn’t my idea,” Twilight weakly lets out, her eyes looking into mine with a hint of fear in them… My own reflection stares back at me, showing my clearly angry face…

Stepping away from Twilight, I take a deep breath, rubbing my face slowly. “Who gave you this idea then? Some science friend of yours or-”

“Sunset…” Twilight interrupts me quietly, her eyes looking to the floor slowly as she rubs her arm with her other hand. “I… She asked me to not tell you and all. She was just worried about your hallucinations and your previous head injury, so she… texted me and asked if I could maybe observe you while we hang out.” That’s why Sunset wanted me to hang out with Twilight this early in the day… Not to help Twilight get familiar with this reunion, but to help her get information about my hallucinations. That’s why she was so eager to go talk to Fluttershy for me. So that I could have this time with Twilight. God damn it… I was planning on hanging out with everyone, so it’s not like I would have left Twilight out… Why did they have to do this without my permission…?

“I have to go talk to Sunset,” I say quietly, turning away from the purple girl and walking towards the farmhouse.

“A-Adagio, wai-” I stop her mid sentence with a glare, looking at her with anger in my eyes.

“Later, Twilight. We will talk later,” I say in a quiet whisper before turning away for the second time, clenching my fist slowly. I told Sunset those secrets in confidence… If she was worried, she could have talked to me about getting Twilight to study me more. It’s ironic that she was upset with me going behind her back when she did the exact same thing to me…