The Vanishings

Last night had to be a dream. It just had to be. Well, those have been my thoughts for the past hour, as I lay awake in bed, staring at the ceiling. But, well, in all honesty, if I really believed that, I would've gotten out of bed an hour ago when I woke up. But, I don't want to. I'm scared if I do, I'll see the brat lying on my couch, and realize that every bit of it was real. Okay, maybe scared isn't the right word. Regretful? Frustrated? Screwed? I'll keep working on that later.

I look at my clock and see it's already seven thirty in the morning. Ugh. Before these vanishings happened, I usually started work at about three o'clock, since school got out at two forty-five. But, well, now that there's no school, I shifted my hours from three to ten to eight to three. Which gives me plenty of time to research, while also being able to pay the bills.

Reluctantly, I get out of bed, rubbing my eyes and yawning, stretching as I walk down the stairs. Once I'm off the staircase, I head straight to the kitchen, not even looking at the couch. If Adagio really is here, I need a cup of coffee before I can deal with her, otherwise, she won't have to worry about going missing because she'll soon be in my trunk as I drive to an empty field with a damn shovel.

Well, if I had a car…

However, as soon as I walk into the kitchen, I find the coffee pot empty. Empty. I clench my jaw. Usually, one pot lasts me three days. I just made a pot yesterday. Perhaps I can drag that girl to that empty field by her damn hair.

I take a deep breath and walk into the living room to see Adagio sitting on the couch, a mug of coffee in her hand, scrolling through her phone. When she feels me staring, she looks up at me, giving me a look.

"How many cups of coffee did you have?" I ask, crossing my arms over my chest.

She downs the rest of her coffee, sighing and smacking her lips once she was finished. "Three." She says simply.

I take a deep breath. "Only one cup a day. We talked about this." I say through gritted teeth.

"No. You talked about it. I was just the unfortunate one on the receiving end." Adagio goes back to scrolling on her phone.

Okay. Deep breaths. Deep. Breaths. Killing is not the answer. If it was, I'd be dead after all the hell I've raised as a she-demon. Just, follow Princess Twilight's example. Mercy. Not death. Mercy.

But boy I wanted to. I really did. This girl really knew how to get under my damn skin.

"Adagio, I don't have money to be spending all willy-nilly. I have fricking bills to pay!"

Adagio scoffed. "Yeah, I noticed. Your TV won't turn on."

I clench my jaw, my entire body tensing as I tried to keep myself from slapping her across the face. "I know. I canceled cable since I spend all my free time researching and since I wasn't really using it except for wifi, I switched plans since I had better use for my money. That's…that's not the point. The point is I don't have money to buy a new pack of coffee every week and a half! I need that to last!"

"Not my problem," Adagio says absently.

"It is when you're living under my roof, sleeping on my couch, and drinking my damn coffee!" I yell, seriously losing it.

"Our roof. Remember, I'm paying half the rent." Adagio corrects.

"MY roof. You just happen to be the 'unfortunate' guest staying here." I say, glaring at her with a scowl. I roll my eyes. This is getting absolutely nowhere. I have work to get ready for. "I don't have time for this. I'll just have to…go without coffee for today. I need to get ready for work."

Adagio sits up, finally putting her phone down. "Work?! Hey, we had a deal! That I'd help you find the rest of the teenagers if you'd help me find my girls!"

"Yeah, but I still have to go to work. It's called having bills to pay. And responsibilities." I glance at the coffee cup she had put on the coffee table. "I mean, do you even know what that is or do I have to explain the concept to you," I mutter under my breath.

Adagio sighs, scowling intensely, dropping back down on the couch. I turn, ready to get ready for the day, when a thought occurs to me.

I don't trust Adagio to stay here in my apartment. At least, alone.

I turn back around. "And, you're coming with me."

Adagio rolls her eyes, scoffing. "Over my dead body."

It might just come to that, I think to myself. Shaking my head, I continue. "You don't have a choice in the matter. Up up. We've got a job to get to. Or you can kiss getting my help to find your 'girls' goodbye."

"This is where you work?" Adagio asks, twisting her lips.

The two of us stand in the music shop where I work. I've been working here since I joined the Rainbooms and I got fired from my last job in the fast food place for journaling on the job. This job actually worked out well, because, unlike at the fast food place, we don't have a whole lot of customers, which means I get a lot of downtime. When I'm not restocking the shelves, counting money from the register, or other stuff like that.

"Yep. Vinyl owned this place until…well…you know. So now, Cheerilee's my boss."

"You mean the librarian at Canterlot High?" Adagio asks, twisting her lips further. "That's…all kinds of wrong."

"Tell me about it," I mutter, dubious that I'm actually agreeing with this girl.

However, after a moment of standing there, the shop remains empty. Well, that's odd. Every day, Cheerilee's here, greeting me with a polite smile, dusting the counters, and readying the shop for customers. Why isn't she here yet?

"What's up, Red?" Adagio asks when she sees me freeze.

A sick feeling rests in my gut. Maybe…maybe she's in the back? But the shop is deadly quiet, which isn't normal. Cheerilee's always humming to herself as she works.

"She's not here," I mutter, dread building up.

"Who's not here? The librarian? Chill, she's probably just running late."

"That's just it though. She's never late. She's about as punctual as Twilight on test day."

"So, you think something happened." Adagio scoffs. "Wouldn't surprise me. Something always happens with you lot."

"I'm just…gonna check the back real quick. Stay here."

Adagio scoffs. "And let the only person who can help me find my girls get herself killed because she decided to rush into danger head first? Yeah, right." Adagio turns and grabs a guitar, holding the neck of it with its body in the air. "Like hell I'm staying here."

When she sees my look, she just shrugs. "Oh please. You didn't think I was going in defenseless, did you." When I raise an eyebrow, she huffs. "Oh, shut up. You keep a damn baseball bat by your damn door."

Rolling my eyes, I pick up a tripod used to hold guitars and slowly make my way to the back, my heart racing. The thought of having Adagio at my back only makes me more uneasy. If I don't trust her alone in my apartment, how the heck can I trust her when it comes to having my back in a fight, or trusting her not to try and knock me out and find my research with nonexistent answers for herself? But, it's not like I really have a choice.

I creep my way to the back, Adagio behind me. I clench my jaw as my heart races, my breath stopping, unable to reach my lungs. Slowly, I reach for the curtain that separates the back from the rest of the store, sliding it open.

Nothing. There was nothing there that was out of the ordinary except for no Cheerilee.

I sigh, dropping the raised tripod, though it's still in my hand. The adrenaline still runs through my veins, but I can feel it lessening. My breath is heavy as I try to calm my racing heart.

"Well, it looks like nothing's here. Now, since your boss isn't here yet, can we…" Adagio trails off.

I turn around, wondering what it is that caught her attention when I see her looking at something. I follow her gaze and see she's staring at Cheerilee's desk, which doesn't have much except for a computer, some pieces of paper, and an inventory log notebook.

But it wasn't that that froze Adagio. She was staring at a folded-up piece of paper on the desk, that had a speck of red. I bite my lip, dread building up in my gut, hoping against everything that it isn't what I think it is.

Taking a deep breath, I slowly walk towards the desk, and grab the small, folded piece of paper, picking it up and unfolding it, reading the words inside. Dzięki der Hêrro de Vafi für ja…

"This is bad. This is very bad," I say as I pace the music store back and forth, my anxiety spiking like hell.

"Chill, Red. We don't even know what this note says. It could mean anything." Adagio studies the note in her hand, seeming to read it over and over.

I stop my pacing to give her a look. "Seriously. The note we found in my boss's office after she went missing isn't bad."

Adagio shrugs. "How do we even know she's missing? For all we know, she could've just ditched you to live out her dream in the public library and left you to deal with the responsibilities of the shop." When I cross my arms in front of my chest, Adagio simply shrugs again. "What? It's something I'd do. If my dream was to work in a room full of books."

I roll my eyes. "Well, besides the fact that she's nothing like you…"

"We all have a dark side, Red. Never know what's in a person until they show who they really are," Adagio mumbles, inspecting her nails.

"Her number is off my contacts list," I continue as though she didn't say anything, ignoring her words.

I don't want her to know how much they affect me. I, more than anyone, know that everybody has a dark side. I know because I faced it. I…embraced it. And, worst of all, I liked it. The thought of all that power lured me in. The thought of proving to Princess Celestia that I could be as powerful as I wanted was all I ever needed. Or…so I thought.

Because the truth is, despite being ambitious for all that power, I was still alone. I was still friendless. I didn't have anybody to look out for me because I didn't look out for anybody else. Only me. I thought that was fine. I thought I'd be okay with that. But, deep down inside, I wasn't.

Ironically, it took me becoming a raging she-demon, a literal monster physically to see the fact that I had already become a monster on the inside. I had a taste of great power and I hated it. All my fears and insecurities were all I had left, and I wasn't in control of myself anymore.

But it's a lesson I vowed to only need to learn once. After Twilight and her friends showed me the light of true friendship, it changed me forever. And I swore I'd never go back. But…deep inside me…I can still feel that dark side. The demon version of me wants to tear itself out. That desperation to claw for power and knock down anybody who tries to stand in my way. It's gone quiet in the last year or two. Where it was once a screaming voice has now died down to a whisper, but it's a whisper that's still there and I can't help but wonder…will it ever go away, or will it always be a part of who I am?

"Hey! Earth to Red!" A voice calls, snapping me from my thoughts. I look up to see Adagio still sitting on the counter, watching me closely. "What's with you? Did you have some magical vision or something?" Adagio asks sarcastically, wiggling her fingers. "You're not gonna pass out or anything, right? Cause let me tell you, I am not about to drag your flank to the hospital because you hit your head or something. We have a deal, and extreme injury or death or whatever doesn't give you a free pass out of it."

"No…I'm fine." I mutter, my breath heavy. I…I was saying…her phone number isn't in my contacts." I hold up my phone to show her. "Which means…"

"She's missing," Adagio finishes. "Quick question: if she faded, why didn't this shop? When all the kids faded, so did the school. So why is this shop of all things still here?"

"I don't know!" I snap. "Don't you think if I did we'd be here discussing it? I don't know why this note is here or…or why this shop is…or…what are you even doing anyway! All you're doing is sitting here asking damn questions!"

Adagio rolls her eyes. "Ah ah ah, temper temper. Look, I recognize the language. It's Old Ponish, though I'm a bit rusty. I can only translate a couple of words, if I'm remembering correctly. They're kind of hard to forget after his reign of terror a thousand years ago. Der Hêrro de Vafi. The Lord of Chaos. That's about it. How's that for help?" Adagio says, crossing her arms.

I freeze, speechless. She knew the language and some of the translation this whole time and didn't say a word. What is wrong with this girl. Why…how…has she literally learned nothing since we defeated her?

"You…why didn't you say anything ages ago instead of watching me pace like an idiot for the past hour! We could've been moving on by now!"

Adagio shrugs. "Well, I translated it now so you wouldn't have to pace for another hour like an idiot. So, what I believe you were trying to say, is thank you."

"'Thank you'?" I ask incredulously.

"You're welcome." Adagio says perking up with a smile, though this one was full of fake brightness and a sly tint to it.

"Wait, no no. I-I didn't...I wasn't...why would I ever say..." I trail off when I notice she's not even listening to me. I take a deep breath through my nose, sighing heavily in an attempt to calm myself down. That's when a thought occurs to me. "Wait…Old Ponish…how do you know Old Ponish?"

Adagio rolls her eyes. "Red, I was there when it was the only Ponish. Remember, I'm over a thousand years old? Starswirl the Beardo banished me?" Adagio crosses her arms. "I see Starswirl didn't teach his pupils how to choose good pupils for themselves," she mutters under her breath.

I sigh heavily, ignoring her insult. My eyes widen. Lord of Chaos. The Lord of Chaos. And we only know one being with the title the Lord of Chaos. Finally, we're on to something.

"Discord. The Lord of Chaos!" I exclaim, a smile growing on my face. "He must be behind this!"

Adagio gives me a confused look. "I thought he was reformed or whatever." At my confused look, she rolls her eyes. "What? I have my sources."

I shake my head. This girl is just bursting with secrets, isn't she? But, and I can't believe I'm saying this, but that doesn't matter. She's already proved to be helpful, and I'd still be here pacing, trying to figure out what this note says if it weren't for her. So, as long as they don't interfere with finding the teenagers, she can keep her secrets, against my better judgement.

"Either way, he's involved in some way. Once we figure out what these other words mean, we can find out what he has to do with all this."

"Right, well, since you clearly don't know Old Ponish, and it's been centuries since I've spoken it and I don't remember much, we have no idea what those other words mean. And I doubt we'll find anything about Old Ponish in the public library here. So how are we going to go about doing that?"

I bite my lip. Of course, Adagio's right, loath I am to admit it. If only finding that language in the library was that easy. Wait. Library. I gasp. That's it!

"I think I know someone who can help us. Or rather, somepony." I turn to Adagio. "Adagio, we're taking a road trip."