Author's Note

Happy New Year, everyone! I may not be uploading this at exactly midnight for some of you, but it is close enough for most of us! I hope you all enjoy this year more than 2024. Here's some Sundagio to welcome the next year and what it holds!

New Surroundings, Old Problems

Chapter IV: New Surroundings, Old Problems

Setting the camera down on the nightstand, I honestly can’t help but feel a little uneasy. The last time we stayed in rooms like these, I was handcuffed to the bed. I don’t know what I was expecting, but rooms on a cruise remind me a lot of hotel rooms. Except this time, there are more items with a sea aesthetic. Almost as if Sonata had to design a bedroom based on her restaurant chain. Even though I feel slightly off, I try my best to remind myself there will be lots of things to do on this trip. I can’t let myself feel trapped already or I will just drive myself insane.

The sound of a zipper brings my head back down to reality. Turning, I see Sunset closing one of our bags, crouching down next to one of the drawers of a dresser. Like most other pieces of furniture, the dresser is also bolted down. The way the light cascades down her back, highlighting her form, almost makes her look… angelic. I don’t believe in angels, but she is the closest person I can describe as one. It still surprises me to call her my wife for two reasons. For one, I can barely believe I’m married in the first place since I never imagined I would let myself get tied down by someone. Two, she’s the best person I could have been with. The only person I would actually marry to begin with… For a pony-turned-human who almost took over a school and then took away my magic, she’s not that bad.

Plus, she’s all mine. I bet some people have gotten jealous about that. Maybe it goes both ways considering how many people swooned over me at my nightclub job. Ew… Maybe Sunset is lucky to have me as well. We’re both lucky to have found each other. And that she made me listen to her in the first place.

“And that is all of our bags unpacked,” Sunset says in a prideful tone, turning her head to me. Her smile quickly disappears when her eyes meet mine, looking a little confused. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Oh, just admiring you,” I say quietly, walking over and sitting on the front of the bed. “Is that such a crime?” Despite all the fights we’ve had recently, I… I still feel really grateful to have someone like her.

“Like I’m the one worth admiring,” Sunset giggles, sitting down on the ground in front of me. “I’m lucky to have a wife like you. For someone as beautiful and stunning as you, I should be the one admiring you,” Sunset mentions with her eyes lovingly glued to my own. It’s not good for her to say things like that. She just ends up feeding my own ego. In all actuallity, I love being told what she thinks of me.

“Really? You haven’t ‘admired’ me much since my birthday,” I tease her while crossing my legs. “We’ve been pretty busy all things considered.” Busy with blood, sweat, and tears... I cross my arms to pretend like I’m closing myself off, Sunset gingerly bringing her hand to my knee.

“I know. It’s just been a lot,” Sunset whispers, trying to explain the stress we’ve gone through. “But I really am lucky to have someone so beautiful, confident, and determined by my side,” she says with a smile, holding my hanging foot with her other hand. Slowly, but surely, she unstraps the sandal I have on, pulling it off of my foot. After setting the shoe on the ground, she holds it again, pressing her thumb to my sole while gently kissing my knee. Despite the act, I know she is still worried deep down. But it is nice to have her try to push it aside. To treat me normally. Not fragile. Her wife. Someone to be treasured, not necessarily protected. “You’re so beautiful,” she whispers in a surprisingly smooth tone. Her hands guide my foot to the ground, taking off my other sandal. Sunset said that some time away would help us to connect again, but I wasn’t expecting it to be the moment we got in our room. Is it because she is truly enchanted by the sight of me? Or is it due to her pushing her worry down as much as she can?

My body instantly freezes when her lips press against my thigh just above my knee. I can almost feel every cell of my back tense up, the hairs along my neck standing. Sunset’s eyes look up at mine, a humorous stare in them. She enjoys the reactions…

“Shut up,” I whisper, her hands quietly moving to my shin. Pretending like she is massaging me, she takes the moment to feel the curves of my leg.

“I didn’t say anything,” she responds, a knowing look in those eyes. Her fingers quietly press into my calf. She knows how to press my metaphorical buttons.

“Your eyes did.” I look down at her with a frown, pretending to be displeased. She knows though. She knows how I feel. How my body is surprised despite expecting each touch. “Be happy. You’re the only person I react like this for,” I tell her quietly, making her giggle.

“So, if it was anyone else touching you like this, you wouldn’t be so tense? Waiting for what they may do next?” she asks hypothetically. She should know my answer already.

“If anyone else was sitting in front of me, rubbing my leg, I would probably kick them,” I state blatantly, trying to ignore the way my body is hyper aware of her every touch.

“True,” she laughs, bringing her lips closer to my knee again. “One jolt and you would probably break their teeth if they did something like,” bringing her lips down, she kisses my knee, making an audible sound as she pulls her lips just enough to break contact, “this~” Kissing my knee again, she closes her eyes, her hands moving up to my hips. Pulling herself up, Sunset looks directly in my eyes before locking her lips with mine. “I-”

A loud ringing causes both of us to stop. Turning to look at Sunset’s purse, a sigh exits both of our lips. Even though we could ignore it, I hardly think that is wise. Hesitantly pulling her hands off of me, Sunset grabs her purse, pulling her phone out.

“It’s Fluttershy,” Sunset tells me before answering the phone. I’m not surprised since I figured she might want to meet with us after we got done unpacking. Still… I wish she could have called thirty minutes later. “Hmm? Yeah, we can totally go to lunch with you and Dash,” Sunset replies to Fluttershy, briefly covering the receiver with her hand. “You should start getting ready,” she mentions to me quietly. I simply shake my head, using my hand to tell her to go.

“You can go without me. I have something to take care of. I’ll catch up in about fifteen minutes,” I try to reassure her, making Sunset raise her eyebrow.

“Alright. If you need any help, just text me,” she tells me quietly, finally removing her hand from the receiver. Sunset grabs her purse while reassuring Fluttershy she is on the way. Sunset gives me a small wave before quickly walking to the room of our door. “Yeah, I heard there are a lot of options. I’m sure-” her voice gets cut off by the heavy door closing, a mechanical lock letting me know I am alone. A small sigh leaves my lips as I look down at my legs. I would be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy that, but I figured we would probably meet with Dash and Fluttershy after we got settled in. That little moment she initiated was still fun.

Standing up, I take a deep breath, feeling the magic in my body stir to life. Resonating a steady hum in my throat, I do my best to replicate a healing tune. The problem is that it has been a while since I have had my magic in the first place. Not to mention I hardly had a reason to practice healing spells since I was immortal. Now… That notion is being challenged.

Walking into the bathroom, I maintain my hum on the way to the sink. The past few times I have done this, there was a mess following afterward due to the spells messing with my body in an unforeseen way… As soon as I look at my reflection, I can already see a crimson red painting my upper lip. Grabbing some disposable paper, I gently clean up the nosebleed. I’m not surprised honestly. I remember the spells, but practicing them is not going to be perfect. This is not as simple as mending a cut either… It’s like I have to reverse engineer the spell to actually attack certain parts of me. Cut out the cancer if it can. That’s the problem. The cancer isn’t necessarily made up of sick cells. Just mutated ones. So healing spells aren’t going to do much. I need to change the spells I know to replace the mutated cells. That may be easy when renewing a lost finger, but removing a chunk of my mind and replacing it is a different story.

A fresh drop of blood falls onto the white countertop, convincing me it is time to stop. I make a mental note of what tune I just used and the consequences. If it was any other part of my body, I may be tempted to use my magic to destroy it only to make it anew. Obviously, doing that with my brain would be… ill-advised. Bad arm? Just use some of my more extreme spells to fix it. But that can’t be done with my brain… In a way, it almost seems like a cruel joke that the cancer appears in the one place my newly-restored magic can’t invade.

My legs start to feel numb, making me grab onto the countertop. It’s just another side effect of the magic… If I told everyone, I could have the help of Aria and Sonata. They don’t have their magic back yet, but their knowledge would still help. As it currently stands, the only person I have to help me is Sunset. She knows more about pony magic, not…

Still, if I can get through this without asking for any more help, that would be better. No need to scare them like I have with Sunset… She’s running herself crazy and I can’t help but wonder what will happen after this cruise.

Will she be able to stop worrying so much or will she go right back to where we were? I have no way to know…

The sound of water accompanies the joyous yells of people playing with each other. Whether they are couples or families alike, the pool is still a hotspot for people of all kinds. Thankfully, there are also some areas where it is quiet like the sun chairs off to the side. As the sun blankets my skin in a warm embrace, I can’t help but look skeptical towards the water. Rainbow Dash has just finished going down the water slide for the sixth time, her hair absolutely soaked. Multiple times, she has done somersaults in the water while Fluttershy has been sitting at the edge of the pool with her legs in the cool oasis. She has applauded Dash each time she went down the slide, even though it’s not a big deal. Even kids complete the slide with no problem. It would be a bigger issue if a slide was supposed to be hard to finish.

Sunset, on the other hand, has been trying her best to enjoy the pool to the fullest. Her sunkissed orange skin is easy to spot from anywhere in the pool area. At this moment, it looks like she just got done trying to hold her breath with Dash. Childish, but almost cute on her. Sunset’s hair is soaked as she exits the pool, water dripping off of her. It doesn’t take long for the sun to reduce her to a mildly damp state. Her toned legs are perfectly highlighted by the sun’s rays. I would be lying if I said I didn’t catch a few people staring at her in awe. Some of them were directed at me too, making me wonder who is drawing more eyes.

Not that it matters. The only eyes that matter here are hers.

“I see you’re enjoying yourself, Alligator,” Sunset teases as she pushes her wet hair behind her shoulders. She gingerly takes the martini from my hand, smelling it before giving me a funny look. “Hmm. I didn’t think you liked vodka,” she states, taking a very small sip of my drink.

“I usually don’t,” I respond before taking the drink back. “It’s fine in a martini though. It’s also better if I avoid my favorite since we’re at a pool.” Water falls off of Sunset, her body standing within arm’s reach of my chair. After a few seconds, I can’t quite resist any longer, reaching out and touching her wet leg. “You have been enjoying the water, huh?” I ask while motioning towards her leg, acting like my touch is simply to make a point. Nothing more. It would be weird to admit I like touching her skin. Besides, she had her share of me earlier.

“I have. You should join me,” she tells me with a laugh before sitting down on my sunchair beside my knees. A few water droplets from her hair hit my legs, reminding me how cool the pool is. “But if you still want to sit in the sun, you should reapply some sunscreen. Do you need any help with that?” Sunset’s hands hold onto my arm rests, leaning forward to look at me. The way she has her eyes glued on me, I can tell she is trying to ask if she can help me reapply while being the most respectful she can despite the clear lust in her voice. I gently press my finger to her forehead. Of course, she looks very confused by my action.

“I can handle it by myself,” I reply with a smirk, leaning forward in my seat to kiss her. “But you could take a break and join me in a hot tub. Or you could leave your wife again to go slide with Rainbow Dash,” I taunt her. Clearly, the choice is not really a big decision to make. If she picked anything other than spending some time in the hot tub with me, I would be surprised.

“Aw, why don’t you want to play in the main pool area?” she asks me with a laugh, grabbing the sunscreen despite the fact I said I could handle it. “It could be fun.”

“With screaming children? Not likely,” I comment while rolling my eyes. “I prefer the water when it’s more calm. If it was more empty, I might be willing to wade in it with you.” Sunset gently presses the white substance to my thigh, rubbing in the sunscreen with actual intent. The way her hands move tell me she actually wants to protect me from the sun and isn’t doing this just for a feel. But I doubt she isn’t enjoying this.

“In other words, you want to be alone with me so you can have me all to yourself,” Sunset teases me while she moves her hands down to my knees. Taking some of the sunscreen, I pour out the contents into my hand, pressing it against my shoulder.

“That’s not what I said at all, Sunny,” I tease her back, emphasizing the nickname as a way to make fun of her. “But if you want that, all you have to do is ask.” Sunset gets quiet upon hearing my words. She doesn’t stop the application, but I can tell she isn’t sure what to say. “Still though… Whatever you choose, I hope you’re having fun,” I whisper, finally letting my guard down. As fun as it is to tease her, I also hope this day is going well for her.

“I am having fun,” she replies in an adamant tone, her hands moving down to my ankles. “I just want to spend more time with you. It’d mean a lot to me if you’d come spend some time in the water. And I don’t mean a hot tub,” she mentions while nodding her head towards the water slide. The idea itself is a little draining since I can already imagine how tiring it might be. I suppose I should though. She does a lot for me and if she wants to have some fun with me in the water, I should try to enjoy it.

“I’ll tell you what,” I whisper, brushing her hair past her ear while bringing my lips close to her cheek. “I’ll do what you want as soon as I finish my drink. Okay? That should give me enough time to let my sunscreen dry~” I gently press my lips to her skin, making her smile genuinely.

“Alright. But don’t get a refill, okay? That’s cheating,” she cheekily responds, rubbing her forehead against mine.

“Yo, Dagi!” Dash’s voice makes both of us look towards the rainbow athlete coming out of the pool. Of course, she is more wet than a fish. She quickly makes her way to us, smiling like she just finished something impressive. “Do either of you have your phones?” Her strange question makes Sunset look towards me. I give her a small shake of my head before returning my gaze to Rainbow Dash.

“We’re at a pool… We left our phones in our room,” I explain as if trying to make a kid understand why bringing a device to an area with a lot of water is a bad idea.

“Damn. I was hoping one of you could help me with something. I want to go down the slide again and I wanted a video of it,” Dash mentions with a slightly deflated tone. “Flutters also locked her phone in her room even though all she’s been doing is kicking her feet in the water.” Dash uses her thumb to point back at our friend, rolling her eyes slightly. Taking a deep breath, I finish applying my sunscreen before sipping the last of my drink.

“I’ll get my phone. Just give me ten minutes you show off,” I mention as I stand up, making Sunset look a little conflicted. “I promise I will play with you once I’m done helping Dash. It won’t take too long,” I whisper to my wife, gently squeezing her hand.

“Cool! Don’t take too long, got it? I want to get some sick footage soon,” Dash remarks while stretching her muscles. I can’t help but roll my eyes with a playful smile while I grab my sea pass. Shaking my head, I walk away from them. I leave my flip flops and towel by my sunchair, hoping it will deter anyone from taking my place. Although, with the number of children running around, I wouldn’t be surprised if one of those brat-

No, it’s fine. It will be fine. No reason to get angry yet. I’m lucky that I’m not actually wet yet. If I was, this walk would be a lot colder due to the wind. Once I actually get into the pool, it won’t be the same story.

After a few minutes, I make it up some stairs to the next level where our room is. I look over the edge of a balcony area above the pool, finding Sunset easily. She’s gone back to the water, seemingly finished convincing Shy to get in with her. Although, all Fluttershy really does is wade her body beside the wall of the pool. Smiling, I lean my arms against the railing. Even though we left port a few hours ago, Sunset seems to be making the most of her time here. We have a little more than a week though, so there’s no need to enjoy all the activities in one day.

“I’ll be back in just a minute,” I say to myself, pretending that she can hear me. I quickly turn around and walk to the door of our room. It unlocks easily with just a tap of the sea pass to the lock. What’s that ringing…?

Opening the door, I hear my phone’s ringtone clearly, loudly bouncing off the walls. Who is calling now? I would have expected to lose service this far out. Did I connect my phone to the ship’s internet? That doesn’t matter right now. Moving to my side of the bed, I grab my phone and answer it without looking at the name.

“Hello?” I state while trying to hide the fact that I rushed to the phone. How long has it been ringing…?

“Adagio, for fuck’s sake,” Aria’s voice comes in clear, despite how far off coast I am. “I have called you six times. Where were you?” she asks in an accusatory tone.

“I was at the pool. On a cruise. A place where I likely won’t be answering my phone much,” I respond with a similar annoyed voice, walking over to the window. As much as I want to insult her, I take a deep breath. If she’s called six times, this must be important. “What’s going on?”

“Listen, you know your first big client you got recently? Their first recording date is tomorrow,” Aria mentions with a hurried breath, almost like she’s been panicking.

“Yes, I know. We talked about it. Miss Scratch and Miss Melody are understanding people, so if you need me to be there, I’m sure you can postpone-”

“That’s not it,” Aria interrupts me, a long pause following her words. Watching the water, I listen intently for what her concern is. “I know this is a big contract for you. It’s the first contract you have gotten for the studio. I don’t want to screw anything up since you made a good impression on these clients. What exactly do I do?” From her voice, I can tell Aria is stressed, trying to do her best for my sake. I have already told Aria all of this before, but it will probably help her if I just walk her through it again. Pressing my hand against the glass, I close my eyes.

“Okay. Are you at the studio?” I ask her quietly, trying to envision the equipment in front of me.

“Yes. I’m in the booth. I just need to know what to do,” Aria explains as if she is in a hurry even though she has until tomorrow to get this right.

“Alright. Listen closely. This took me a while to get right when I bought these tools.” Taking a deep breath, I close my eyes. Hopefully she can get this right first try. “First, make sure you turn the microphone on…”

A gentle clink comes from the two glasses of wine. Sunset pulls her glass away, the yellow light of the hot tub illuminating her face from below. Surprisingly, no one else is around on the deck. While the pool is closed, I was almost expecting a few other people to be out to enjoy the stars. Then again, it is two in the morning. I’m grateful for the solidarity. It gives me some time with her alone, even if there are probably cameras everywhere.

“Well, Miss Dazzle?” Sunset asks, smiling as she sips her wine. “Have you enjoyed the first day? Despite some slight hiccups, I think it’s been pretty nice.” Why would she refer to me so professionally? I prefer hearing her call me Alligator if we’re using titles other than our first names.

“Not as much as you have clearly,” I respond with a chuckle, drinking my own wine. It tastes almost bitter, but sweet at the same time, reminding me of a variety of fruits. Typical. Red wine isn’t usually my alcohol of choice, but it is still good depending on the situation. If anything, today has been more stressful than I’d like. The process of getting on this ship was longer than I would have liked. The different symptoms I’ve dealt with have made it harder than I would like. And I had to talk Aria down from her anxiety. I’m sure the next few days will be better, but it has been more stress than relaxation in all actuality.

“What’s with that frown?” Sunset moves closer to me, her eyes inspecting my face as if that would tell her what she wants to know. “Are you still thinking about earlier? You told Aria exactly what to do. It should be okay.” Despite her reassurance, I can’t help but wonder if she just jinxed us.

“There’s just been more stress today than I thought there would be. Makes it a little difficult to relax when something is constantly on my mind.” Sipping my wine again, I rest my head on her shoulder, looking up at the moon. “Still though. I’m glad you’re having fun. You’ve been way too… tense lately.” The deck of the cruise is quiet save for the sound of the ocean. Sunset’s usual lively demeanor has been replaced by a more silent and thoughtful one.

“I know,” she whispers in response, leaning her head against my own. “I’m sorry… For fighting with you so much. I’m just…” Sunset’s words stop, leaving an empty silence in the air. Even though she’s stopped talking, both of us can tell what she means. She’s afraid… As much as we can pretend that nothing is happening, we both know it’s there. The thing we’re both trying to run from at the same time. “I’m scared. I don’t know what to think. I swing from one emotion to the next because I know that I have to do something.”

“You don’t have to,” I respond quietly. The overwhelming truth of the matter is the fact that she can’t do much. Not yet anyway. Maybe there’s something she can do when it comes to using magic, but I still have testing to do. In the grand scheme of things, she can’t do anything right now. Maybe not ever. So, is it fair of her to keep trying?

“Don’t you realize I do?” she asks me in a voice that sounds close to breaking, keeping herself from crying but still showing the erupting emotion of her heart. “I love you too much.” Lifting her head, Sunset brings her hand to my chin, making me look at her. “After everything that’s happened between us, I can’t bear losing you again. Not like this. If there’s anything I can do, I will find it. You can’t stop me from looking because… You mean everything to me.” A singular tear slides down her cheek, but a loving smile reassures me that everything she said is true. No matter how I try, she will continue to worry. She will not stop doing everything in her power to help me. As much as I hate how fragile she makes me feel, I know I can’t stop her from doing what she can to help. In a way, it’s one of the many reasons why I love her so much. Her kindness. Her brave nature that refuses to give up in adversity. “I love you more than the whole world…”

Pressing my lips to hers, my heart flutters to her words. It’s funny to think that the feeling of her kiss can still cause so many jitters. Her words, as simple as they are, show how much I mean to her. While I have no idea why that’s the case, it’s nice to have someone care that much. Someone like her. I still don’t want her to worry so much, but that’s simply because I care about her too.

“You’re my everything too,” I whisper, breaking our kiss. Bringing my hand to her cheek, I close my eyes. It’s nice to hear those things. I just wish I could make this situation easier on us. Sunset’s hand wraps around my body, pulling me close to her. She plants smaller kisses upon my cheek, trailing down to my neck.

“Let’s stop thinking about… this,” Sunset responds in an equally quiet tone, yet carrying a level of optimism. “We’re here to try and relax. So, as fleeting as this time is, let’s enjoy it~” Pulling away, Sunset drinks the rest of her glass, smiling at me. “What do you say to getting ourselves a little more wine before going back to our room? Then we could… take each other’s swimsuits off to ‘wash the chlorine out of our hair’. Have a little fun.” Sunset shakes her empty glass in her hand, making me giggle a little. Her clear innuendo may be cheesy, but it’s enticing coming from her.

“As long as you, Miss Shimmer, promise to cuddle with me afterward,” I request, drinking the last of my wine. Sunset simply gives me a familiar smirk, kissing me once more.

“It would be my pleasure~”