Author's Note

The world may seem dark at times, but at the end of darkness, there is always going to be a light. At least, this is what Adagio Dazzle has to tell herself now. As she tries to fix things with the one she loves, she realizes that life is about to become a whole new adventure~

DISCLAIMER: This story includes references to depression, depressing thoughts, insecurities, anxiety, self-harm 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.

Hello, everyone! I hope everyone enjoys this newest installment of the series! Again, sorry for the slow burn, but that's just how I write~ Anyway! I am posting this with chapter 4, so I hope you all enjoy the double upload~ Thanks to my good friend Mon668 for beta reading these chapters, this story wouldn't be what it is without her valuable input on my story decisions! So, everyone feel free to shoot her a PM to thank her on Fimfiction under the profile Mon668! https://www.fimfiction.net/user/473432/Mon668

A New Adventure

Chapter V: A New Adventure

Waking up early isn’t necessarily my favorite thing in the world. After all, I had a schedule that required me to go to work in the afternoon and go home way past dark at the nightclub… Now I work different times under Fancy Pants, but I never usually have to wake up before eleven. I’m not sure if I was ever really a morning creature… The only people who can answer that are Sonata and Aria. That is if they remember more than I do. I only really remember the big details about our lives back then… Like how Sonata shared her toys with Aria and I and how Aria would make all of us treats whenever we needed one. It was definitely a fun time, even if we did try to crush everyone under us. We never had a care in the world other than our own needs. After all, we didn’t need anyone else nor did we want someone else.

It’s funny that my days are filled with worries now… I always worry about how they’re doing, even if I know I can’t find that answer. I don’t know where they are anymore and it’s far too late to find them now… I also worry about Apple Bloom, Rainbow Dash and… Sunset… That’s why I woke up early today… I wanted to talk with Sunset before her damn internship. Maybe we can straighten some things out and… find out how we can make things better. At least good enough where she can rely on me…

Pulling out the blueberry container from the fridge, I give them a slight shake to hear the oddly appealing sound of the berries rolling around inside the box. Opening it slowly, I take a small handful of the berries and gently drop them onto the waffles I prepared just a few minutes ago. Instead of dropping more berries on the second plate, I close the container and smile to myself, sliding it back into the fridge in exchange for a cherry container.

Despite how busy things have been, I know that Sunset and I need some time together desperately. It’s especially been stressful since we haven’t really been able to talk a lot recently, but I know that Sunset would really enjoy some more time with me, even if I am a boring person. Maybe we can have a movie night soon~ Maybe… with her friends? For now, my main thought of getting to spend some time together is the Apple Family reunion, since I will be free and I’m already making a commitment to hang out with the others. I still… feel bad that Sunset hasn’t been relying on me, but I have to tell myself that things will be better soon… It’s just been a stressful period for both of us. Besides, I’m trying to build my confidence up, right?

Putting a singular cherry in the middle of my waffle, I sigh to myself, closing the container and returning it to the icy domain it came from. It isn’t much of a breakfast, but I’m not much of a cook. I’ve been trying to learn more recipes, but compared to Applejack, I’m still a novice. Taking the plates in my hands, I walk into the living room slowly, setting them down on the coffee table with a small smile appearing on my face. I already made both of our drinks beforehand, a cup of orange juice for Sunset and some water for me. Personally, I’ve never tried orange juice, but given Aria’s reaction to it a long time ago, I feel hesitant to give the beverage a try. Then again, Aria didn’t like most foods and thought of it as a petty thing to do when we could just siphon off power with our magic. I wonder what she eats now that we don’t have magic…

Walking out of the living room, I slowly approach the door to our bedroom, listening for any activity inside before putting my hand on the knob. I gently turn the knob after I’m satisfied with the sound of nothing, peering inside our white room. The lump in the blanket indicates the shape of a sleeping person, causing me to smile a little to myself. Personally, I feel a little responsible for her… actions last night, but Sunset wouldn’t want me to feel that way. No matter what I try to think, it feels like there is something I could have done to make things better between us… Maybe I wasn’t caring enough… I’m going to fix that, no matter what it takes…

Gently walking inside on the tips of my toes, I slowly approach her side of the bed, seeing her peaceful sleeping face. Even after everything she’s gone through in life, she still has the sweetest smile and finds the determination to show it each and every day. Bringing my lips to her forehead, I can’t help but lay a small kiss on her as I pull the blanket off of her, my arms gently sliding under her. Honestly, I’m surprised that Sunset hasn’t woken up from this, but regardless, I slowly pull upward, carrying her body up in the air. I suppose my eyes can’t help but linger on Sunset’s cute smile in her sleep as she leans against me, the urge to kiss her building up in me once more. “You’re so beautiful, Sunset,” my lips mouth quietly to myself, smiling as I begin to walk away from the bed.

As I walk slowly, the motion seems to stir Sunset, causing her to move slightly and yawn. Her hand lazily comes up to her eyes, rubbing gently to wake herself up a bit more. By now, I’ve stopped moving to try and coerce her back to sleep, not wanting this moment to end already, but it seems Sunset has different plans. Slowly, her eyes open to look around, probably to find the source of the motion. As she sees me, a big smile comes across her face, seemingly surprised by this current predicament we’re in. “Adagio…? What are you doing~?” she asks with a tired tone to her face, looking down to realize the source of the movement. “You’re carrying me? I thought I was supposed to be the romantic one in this relationship~” Sunset teases me slightly, leaning into me with a smile.

Taking a few steps towards the door, I gently kiss her forehead once more, smiling to myself. “Well, I just wanted to take the initiative for once~ Besides, I figured it would be nice if we could talk before you go to work~”

“Don’t you think you should at least let me get dressed first?” Sunset giggles slightly in both a humorous and nervous tone as she covers her chest. Despite the fact that last night was the first time I’ve seen her shirtless body, I don’t quite care due to the current circumstances. The more pressing matter is making sure Sunset feels loved and comfortable.

“I’ll get you a shirt and some pants in a moment~ Just relax and let me take care of things,” I whisper slowly to her, kissing her cheek and nuzzling her slightly. “I love you so much~” Walking through the doorway, Sunset giggles slightly, resting her head against my chest with a sigh.

“I hope this isn’t because of… what happened last night. I don’t want to make you treat me any differently.” A small sigh escapes her lips as I carry her down the hall.

“It’s true that we need to talk about that a bit more, but the main reason I’m doing this is because I’ve missed talking with you for a week now~” A small giggle is shared between the two of us as we enter the living room, Sunset’s eyes widening to the sight of the waffles on the coffee table.

“Adagio? Did you do all of this for me?” Sunset’s voice catches in her throat slightly, making her embarrassed and flustered features seem even cuter than before. Giving her a nod as my only response, I set her down on the couch with a chuckle. Turning around, Sunset’s hand grabs my arm gently, causing me to look at her, wondering what she needs. “Could you also get my socks? My feet are a bit cold and all,” Sunset sheepishly says, averting her gaze slowly.

“Of course, my summer mist~” I slowly state, kissing her forehead before taking a few steps away again. A bright blush appears on Sunset’s face as I leave, her shocked expression still imprinted on her face. A smile comes across my lips, bringing my hand to my cheek slightly as I walk back inside of our room. Slowly opening the first drawer of the dresser, my eyes widen and I stop breathing for a second, quickly closing the drawer again. How many times will I forget that the first drawer is her underwear drawer…? Shaking my head, I open the second drawer and pull out a white shirt. It doesn’t have any real designs on it except for Canterlot High’s logo on the shoulder of the shirt. It was probably something Sunset had to wear during school events like the Friendship Games. Even though I wasn’t really there long enough to see what the Friendship Games are about, Sunset told me the basic details of what happened the last time she was a part of it. Apparently, that’s where they met Twilight. Well, the new Twilight. I guess there are two versions of her now, huh? It’s always confusing to think about that, I just hope there isn’t some other version of me in this world…

Pulling out a pair of jeans from the third drawer, I can’t help but feel a little jealous of Sunset since she has more than two pairs of pants. I really need to save up for some new attire… Brushing my fingers through my hair, I open the fourth drawer and pull out a pair of black socks. Hopefully, Sunset will enjoy the articles of clothing I’ve picked out for her. Walking out of our room, I can see Sunset from the hall, enjoying the blueberry waffle I made for her while trying to keep herself modest with one arm covering herself. Honestly, I don’t mind if Sunset is exposed or not since I still love her all the same. I guess I wouldn’t want her to feel embarrassed around me. No matter what happens to the two of us, I will always love her with all my heart… That fact was proven with how much my heart hurt when I forced myself to stay away from her. It’s ironic since I’ve thought this heart of mine has been dead for a long time, so the sensation of pain was odd.

Walking into the living room, I give Sunset the articles of clothing with a smile, sitting down next to her as she takes a drink of her orange juice. Her happy smile once again returns to her as she hugs me, gently laying her lips on my cheek as she does so. “Thank you for all of this, Adagio~ It’s really nice of you~” she states before standing up to pull on the shirt I gave her. Sunset, pulling her jeans up her legs, slowly takes one of the blueberries and pops it into her mouth with a giggle. After she gets done with her socks, Sunset grabs a blanket from the side of the couch and sits right beside me, draping the blanket across both of our laps.

For a few moments, nothing but the sound of our forks cutting into our waffles is heard, both of us unsure of what to say at the moment. I suppose it’s understandable in this case, but I try my best to shake my head, taking one of my last bites of my waffle. Unsurprisingly, my cherry is still left on the plate. “I… kind of have a question.” My statement seems to come across perfectly, Sunset’s eyes look towards me slowly. A sense of dread overcomes me for a few moments, but I try to avoid the nerves, clearing my throat slowly. “You say you… don’t do that very often. What caused you to feel like you needed to last night…?” I ask her slowly, locking my gaze with hers. For a moment, Sunset has a guilty expression take hold of her face, her hands fidgeting with themselves as she nervously giggles to the question to think of an answer.

“To be honest…” Her words trail off, looking away from me as she thinks of the right words to say. “I… My friends and I have been… kind of distant with each other. Ever since Valentine’s Day and all. I told you about that and I am sure things will get better, but last night… it just felt like I didn’t have time for you or my friends…” Her ocean eyes turn back towards mine, a shameful look caught inside them. “Again… I’m really sorry about-”

Gently wrapping my arms around the person I love, I hug her as softly as I can and close my eyes. “It’s alright, don’t be sorry. I just… want to be there for you,” I whisper into her ear, slowly rocking us both back and forth.

“I know, and I will try to rely on you more. I promise that. I just… wish everything wasn’t so difficult with our lives recently… You know?” Her statement, as simple as it is, carries a lot of weight for the both of us, a sense of melancholy surrounds us both for what feels like an hour.

“I know what you mean… But I um… I was actually wondering if… maybe you would like to go to the Apple Family reunion too? It would be really nice to hang out again.” Before I can explain any more, Sunset nods happily and hugs me even tighter than before, both of us feeling the warmth of each other’s embrace.

“I would love that~ I… I would love to spend time with my friends and I… would love to spend time with you…” A happy sigh exits Sunset’s lips as she probably thinks about the upcoming events. That same melancholy feeling lingers on my mind though, keeping me from smiling as much as she does. I suppose being separated from her friends boils down to my fault in the end… It’s due to my existence in Sunset’s life that this all happened. It’s due to my hubris that I fell so far… that Sunset had to save me from that dark hole I called life. It’s inevitably my existence that caused the distance between the seven friends…

It is my fault…

And…

It’s my responsibility to fix it…

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Looking at the map in my hands, I can’t help but sigh to myself, trying to figure out which house I am supposed to go to. Due to the messy handwriting on the note, the address is almost illegible except for the neighborhood title. I haven’t quite been in this part of the city before, but I hear it’s where most of the richer people live. Although, I believe that fact is evident when one sees all the fountains, clean grass, nice outdoor parks and even sprinkler systems. These kinds of things would be wrecked or stolen within minutes in the same neighborhood of my old apartment… That’s partially why I’m glad Sunset suggested that we move in together. It got me out of the hell hole I called home and allowed me to be closer to her. Still, Sunset and I don’t nearly have the same amount of money as the people who live in this district. If I remember correctly, Fancy Pants also owns a house somewhere around here, but that’s not the reason why I’m here.

Walking past a park area, I see kids in clean clothes playing games with each other and laughing the whole time. Honestly, their attire is probably worth three times the amount of the clothes I have on… Then again, that’s not saying much, considering the fact that I only really have jeans, boots, a jacket and a scarf on. The kids are probably friends with one another, since they all come from around the same area. Though, I suppose it depends on if there are bullies within this environment. I guess there are bullies in every environment now that I think about it… I was one of them…

Friendship is actually the reason why I’m here… not to look at the nice architecture or to admire the scenery of the parks. If I remember correctly, one of Sunset’s friends lives in this area, which is honestly surprising, given the fact that none of her friends strike me as the rich type. Other than Rarity, but I sense that’s more of her personality rather than actual income. A small sigh exits my lips as I look around my surroundings, seeing the same house being pasted every few yards on the same street. Not wanting to knock on every door until I find the right one, I take another look at the note, trying to decipher what the handwriting says. Sunset said that this was Rainbow Dash’s handwriting, but even she forgot what house it is specifically directing me to. Why am I not surprised that Rainbow Dash would be the one to write an incomprehensible address?

With a sigh, I rub my forehead slightly, taking a right on the next street to sweep the houses for any indicators of a house that may belong to one of the girls. It’s my responsibility to fix this mess they’re in, so the faster I make amends, the better. Then, everyone can attend Sunset’s birthday party and she will be… a lot happier.

Stopping in my tracks, a peculiar sight surprises me and makes me do a double take on my surroundings. Despite every house being virtually the same next to this one, this house was painted in a brown hue with vines growing on the outside. Dog obstacle courses are set up in the front yard and even bird feeders are hanging from the porch’s beams. A pit in my stomach gets even bigger as I finally realize who this house belongs to…

I just hope everything goes alright…