Author's Note

After thinking to herself for a long time, Adagio finally decides that she needs to try and fix things between her and Sunset's friends. At least before Sunset's birthday. But when she finds herself at a particular house, will she have the courage to push through this mission of hers or will she fail to deliver?

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 just wanted to make a new chapter upload since the last time I uploaded was more than a week ago. I really hope everyone enjoys this story! My beta reader loved reading it and I had a lot of fun writing it~ I haven't proofread it myself yet, but I will at some point~ Sorry for grammar mistakes. Again, a big thank you to Mon668 for helping me make this story what it is today!

Six to Convince

Chapter VI: Six to Convince

I suppose it’s my legs that prevent me from getting closer to the house… They won’t move an inch, no matter how hard I try. Or maybe it’s the overwhelming smell of pets. I suppose it’s not necessarily a bad smell… if you like animals. Either way, the sense of dread I feel right now is equivalent to the urge to walk away. I suppose it’s always easier to run away from my problems, rather than approach them head on. I’ve always been like that, no matter what I do to fix it. Same old Adagio, huh? Running from those dark shadows in the deep corridors you call a mind. Trying to escape the inevitable and avoid any sort of loss… Those same old shadows chase me still, reaching out to me and trying to reign me in to the consequences of my own actions…

Taking my first step closer to the house, a heavy feeling surrounds my heart. I still remember the words this girl said during Valentine’s Day… I never meant to cause such pain, but I did. I can never take it back, so the best I can do is to try and give more happiness now than the pain I dealt out back then. I had a deck to screw everyone else over in this card game of life, but sometimes you have to be fair to find happiness in this game… I’ve won far too many times. It’s about time I lose some…

Walking closer to the house, I can’t help but notice the dog bowls with multiple names written across them. One surprisingly small bowl catches my eye though as I notice the few carrots left inside it. What dog eats carrots? Well, what kind of dog likes carrots that much? A dog named Angel at that… Shaking my head, I try to ignore all the different kinds of pet care tools on the porch and birds zipping around me, knocking on the door slowly. At first, I hear a few dogs start to bark and other animals begin to rile themselves up at the sound of my knock, but they are quickly soothed down before the door’s locks begin to jingle slightly. A knot forms in my throat instantly, realizing I don’t know what to say to the girl behind the door. No matter what I think of, it all sounds bland and uninspired. Hey, I’m sorry for ruining your life? Nothing sounds… sincere enough, I suppose… No matter what way I spin this story, it all comes down to me in the end. I caused all of this to go in this direction and I can’t undo it.

Trying my best to smile and stand in a non threatening way, I brush my hair back quickly before the door opens to a pale yellow girl, pink hair running down her face and along her slim shoulders. Her eyes remind me of a gentle stream from a creek and her gentle frame reminds me of a deer caught in headlights. In fact, that’s exactly how she looks, standing right in front of me, her eyes glued onto me as her mouth gapes open for a moment. I can’t quite say the reason for her shock and fear is unknown to me, but I suppose it still proves how far I have to go as a person. Stepping back from the front door to give her some space, I smile as best as I can and bow slightly to the girl. I suppose I just want to give her the respect she deserves, despite my past…

“Hello, I’m Adagio Dazzle~” I try to say kindly, even if these are the only words that seem to come from my lips. What else is there to be said…? Looking up and locking my eyes with the girl once more, her expression has changed from one of shock to an expression of confusion, looking at me from head to toe. Holding my hand out to her slowly, I nod, biting my lip at my own silent behavior. “I was wondering if we could talk~” A small breath seems to escape her lips as she tries to compose herself, bringing her hand to her shoulder and looking away from me for a moment. Now that I see her, it’s no surprise I never thought of the girl as a threat when compared to Sunset back then. Unless her friends are hurt or if she is motivated by them, she doesn’t really have a backbone. She mostly just tries to go with the flow… As understandable as that feeling is, it can lead to her being hurt…

“I um… Hi…” Her small voice is barely able to say the statement as one of her hands tightly grips the door. She’s probably uncomfortable seeing me in the first place, but something like that is understandable when it comes to me. Not many people are exactly jumping up and down to see me… Regardless of her clear uncomfortable feelings towards me, the shy girl gently reaches her hand out to shake my hand in return, her grip almost nonexistent. I suppose a bit of me feels… sad that I still have such an impact on the girl. It feels like no matter how many hoops I jump through to try and be a better person, it’s never enough. Still, I enjoy the fact that Fluttershy is willing to at least say hi to me. “W-what do you want to talk about…?” her voice lets out directly with her eyes staring towards the ground instead. Honestly, she’s so quiet that I wouldn’t be surprised if I mishear her at some point in this conversation.

“I was wanting to um…” Once again, the words escape me, still having a hard time believing I got this far in general, due to how much my legs wanted me to turn back. There’s still a long way to go, so I hope I say the right things… “I wanted to apologize.” For a moment, my words seem to have an impact on the small girl as her eyes widen slightly, still looking toward the ground as she thinks of what to say. “I know that… it’s hard to believe me. Especially with how much I’ve hurt everyone. I manipulated everything into a dark reality, one that only really benefited me.” Closing my eyes for a second, I find it a little hard to breathe, thinking about my own life and how long this past year and a half has felt. Deep down, my thoughts keep battering me with the same damned message. I know that I shouldn’t be forgiven, but… Sunset tells me otherwise… “I’m sorry that I hurt you. I’m sorry for hurting your friends and I’m really sorry for causing any of the hurt you may feel.” Despite my urge to keep my eyes closed and shut this reality out, I look towards Fluttershy once more, trying to keep my composure as I do so. No matter how much it may hurt to confront these feelings and mistakes, they’re mine to bear. Sunset once told me the first step to being a better person is by taking responsibility for your actions. That’s what I intend to do…

For a few moments, nothing but silence is shared between Fluttershy and I, her eyes still avoiding mine as her hair droops over her face. Maybe my apology wasn’t enough… It doesn’t matter if she forgives me at this point. As long as I apologize and Sunset gets to reconnect with her friends, I will be happy. I would do anything just to make sure she has the best life she can… And I would do anything to try to make up for what I’ve done. Despite the awkward circumstances of the meeting, Fluttershy finally looks towards me from the corner of her eye, her hair still obscuring some of her face.

“Did Sunset tell you to say that…?” is all her small voice whispers in an unusually straightforward tone. Not one stutter occurred during the statement…

“No, she didn’t. She didn’t even tell me to come here,” I say quietly as well, the urge to feel my scarf once more envelopes my hand, causing my index finger to twitch slightly. I rely too much on this scarf…

“That’s… really mature of you,” Fluttershy states in a shy tone, bringing her hand to her face and brushing the hair away. “I… really appreciate it… thank you.” Both of our eyes connect again, a small summer breeze brushing past the both of us on the porch. The sound of Fluttershy’s wind chimes accompany the breeze and the swaying branches of trees around us. Fluttershy’s house really is peaceful. I suppose I understand why she lives here, but how she can afford it is an entirely different question.

“Don’t thank me just yet,” I state with a smile, trying my best to be as friendly as possible. I suppose I want Sunset’s friends to like me someday… Maybe then I will feel worthy of her. And maybe I could have more friends myself… “I still have a lot to prove, but I’m really glad you listened to me. Thank you for sparing me your time~” With a smile and another slight bow, I turn around slowly and look around at the world in front of me. All the bright colors and soothing noises fill my senses as my hand finally reaches up to my scarf to feel the material slightly. Taking my first step off the porch, I take a deep breath and try to smile to myself. This was good progress… wasn’t it…?

“Wait…” Fluttershy’s voice quietly calls out to me from behind, my gaze turning around to meet hers. My mind tells me to heed her request, making me smile at her as best as I can. Gently, Fluttershy’s hand reaches inside her doorway and pulls out a towel slowly, her eyes meeting with mine. Again, silence ensues for a little while, Fluttershy seemingly thinking of what to say as our eyes lock with each other. “Have you… ever washed a dog before?”

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Soap. Soap gets everywhere. It’s slippery and usually wet, causing it to be easily spread, which definitely helps with hard to reach areas. Although, when it comes to trying to see, the soap suds don’t necessarily help you with your overall quality of life. I suppose it’s just my own opinion, but I never thought this much soap would be needed to wash anything smaller than a fucking fighter jet. But here I am, in an old t-shirt and shorts, barefoot in knee high soap suds, water spraying everywhere around me and hyperactive dogs running through the soap and sprinklers. At this point, I’m afraid to move anywhere, due to the possibility of stepping on a smaller dog or tripping on one of the bigger ones. The soap suds are all around me and I’m at every disadvantage if these hairballs decide to gang up on me. It would be like freaking ninjas jumping out of the shadows…

A small giggle comes from Fluttershy as she sees the situation I’m in, gently washing a small white rabbit. This rabbit in particular has kicked me five times and has tried to make me trip in the soap more than once. It’s almost like the little ball of riled up cocaine is the ringleader of the animals here, not only running with the dogs, but deliberately riling up the cats that I had worked so hard to calm down. Never before have I wanted to commit homicide on an animal, but I suppose today is a day of firsts. Can you be arrested on a murder charge for what is essentially a white demon made of fluff…?

Regardless, the rabbit seems to be Fluttershy’s favorite pet, so I’ve been trying to be nice so far. Looking away from the two of them, I look down at the soap suds that envelope my legs, four or five dogs keep zipping right past me. My balance is thrown off practically second, but I have a mission to complete… Wash Snowy… Snowy is a particularly small white dog who also seems to have the energy of a kangaroo on steroids. His coat color makes it even harder to spot him whenever he zooms past me and that’s not accounting for the fact there are at least four other dogs mixed in as well. Holding a bar of soap in one hand, I instinctively reach down into the suds right as a blur runs into the soap toward my legs. For a moment, I feel the shape of a pitbull and realize that this isn’t the right dog before a big tongue licks right across my face from the suds.

“Buster likes loving on people~ Sorry about that,” Fluttershy states with another giggle, brushing the hair of the rabbit as he ate another carrot. The pitbull runs away just as quickly as he came, starting me back at square one. I suppose the only thing I can do is keep trying the same method until I get Snowy… Or move out of the suds, but I almost fall every time I try. A small breath exits my lips as I catch a particularly active dog. Pulling up the little guy from the suds, I do my best to hold him as a smirk spreads across my lips.

“Snowy, you rascal. It’s time to have your bath,” I slowly state, trying to keep the dog calm in my arms. “Hey, Fluttershy, I got him-” My sentence is abruptly cut short as I see the same white ball from hell come sprinting at me, right from Fluttershy’s lap. Before I can react to the sight, the rabbit runs into the suds right before something hits my leg, causing me to trip. Thankfully, hitting soapy grass is a lot less painful than hitting concrete, but now Snowy has once again gotten out of my grasp. I swear this rabbit is making me think of things that are… less than ideal.

Rubbing the dirt from my face, the soap suds around me are brushed away as Fluttershy looks down at me, offering me a hand up from the ground with a smile. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what’s gotten into Angel. He usually doesn’t play this rough with others.” I would love to ‘play’ with him too… Shaking my head, I take Fluttershy’s hand and bring myself to my feet, nodding slightly.

“It’s alright, I understand. I’m just curious as to how you handle these rascals now,” I say with a nervous chuckle to myself, wiping the dirt from my legs as I look at the dogs running all around the backyard. Of course, the rabbit runs back to Fluttershy, instantly being carried up to her shoulder by her hand.

“It just takes practice, that’s all~” Fluttershy states with a smile, petting her rabbit companion slowly. “If you want, I could help you clean Snowy,” she offers quietly with a polite tone to her voice, but I shake my head slowly, looking toward the grass in front of me. Fluttershy helped clean the other dogs before Snowy, but I want to clean the little guy myself… At least then I can say I was of some use.

“No, no. Go back to resting, I can handle Snowy. Especially now that I am out of those soap suds,” I joke with a small laugh, looking down at my feet. This dog thinks he can beat a siren? He has another thing coming to him real soon. “Now, back to Snowy~”

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Walking back down the sidewalk, I give Fluttershy one last wave as she closes her front door, the light of the setting sun bathing the world in a darker orange hue. A small sigh exits my lips as a smile forms, thinking about the day’s events. Honestly, I’m really glad I got to help her a little bit. Despite Fluttershy’s kind words, it was still obvious that she felt awkward around me, but hopefully this can help us close that gap. Given, I didn’t help her a lot. I kept needing her help or my productivity was being countered by the rabbit named Angel every five seconds. Still, it’s a nice thought that maybe things can start to get better now. I just need to make an effort to keep that cycle up.

Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I notice a notification bubble lights up on my screen, showing me that I’ve received a message since the last time I opened my phone. A small part of me feels oddly guilty since I didn’t actually open the message until now, but I don’t think I could have checked it before, due to the mischief that happened at Fluttershy’s house. Turning my phone on, a big smile comes across my lips involuntarily as I see my background, unchanged from the sleeping picture of Sunset I took a few months ago. It still makes me smile like a small child being given a new toy, but I suppose that just shows how much the fiery-haired girl means to me now. I wish I could hug her or hold her hand right now~ It would be so nice to feel her soft touch and see her beautiful face smile for me once more~

Shaking my head, I bite my lip as I open the message notification, seeing it’s from Sunset. “What could my Summer Mist want~?” I mouth to myself, feeling my scarf with my other hand. It will only be a few more hours until I can hold her again~

1 NEW MESSAGE FROM: Shimm Shimm

Hey, Adagio~ I know you’re probably busy right now, but I was wondering if you could maybe pick up some groceries on your way home? I only really need a couple things, but you can also get anything you need as well~ Just remember that I love you SO much and you mean the world to me~ Even if you don’t believe in yourself, I believe in you~ I miss you~ <3

Instantly, my cheeks flush once more, unsure of what to say in response as my eyes reread the message multiple times. Even though she does this daily, I still never get used to the loving messages. A small smirk comes across my lips as I type my response into my phone’s keyboard, thinking about Sunset’s warm smile. “Sure~ But only if we can watch a movie tonight again~” For a moment, my finger hesitates to type in any more words, but I force myself to type in the last sentence, despite my bright blush. “I love you more~”