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Of Rainbooms and Dazzlings

by Jay David

Chapter 18: Rainbow and Aria

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Although the last bell of the school day had long since been rung, many of Canterlot High’s students still lingered about the place, staying in their various groups and just hanging out with each other, at least until it got darker. One among them, Rainbow Dash, had herself finished everything she needed to for the day, and so, after having bid her friends farewell, began to make her way down the steps of the school and away from the place, giving a wave goodbye to those who saw her go. However, it was not to her home that Rainbow was heading off to right now, but rather deeper into the town. While many of the shops and venues were starting to close up for the day, there was nevertheless one place that remained open, and it was here that Rainbow was walking towards in earnest; the town’s local gymnasium. It was a small place, and from the looks of it didn’t seem to have many regulars going to it

Although an active member of every sports team in the school, Rainbow nevertheless took her fitness seriously even outside of school hours, hence her being here. Having entered the building, she was greeted by the gym’s front desk worker, a boy just a few years her senior, who recognised her immediately, giving a nod and a smile. Nodding back, Rainbow moved past the desk and into the gym proper, carrying a duffel bag upon her shoulder. Once in, she smiled at all the available equipment here to use, from dumbbells to treadmills and everything in-between. However, before getting herself ready, she noticed that, for once, she was not alone here, for there, standing before a hanging punching bag in the corner of the room, was Aria. Raising an eyebrow, Rainbow looked quite curious to see her here, especially after the other girl started pounding on the bag in question, a look of frustration upon her face.

As Rainbow drew closer, she noticed for the first time that Aria was not wearing her usual attire, but rather something more in-keeping with her surroundings. The middle Siren sister was clad in a pair of green shorts, white-and-black sneakers, and had a white sleeveless shirt. Also, perhaps in readiness for a long period of punching, Aria had tied bandages around her hands, giving her an overall fairly dangerous appearance. Once she was close enough, Rainbow cleared her throat, gaining Aria’s attention.

“Er…hey, what’s up?”

Aria raised an eyebrow before answering back.

“Hey there, Dash. Didn’t expect to see you here.”

Rainbow chuckled a little before folding her arms.

“I could say the same thing about you.”

Aria rolled her eyes a little before looking back to the bag, punching it a few times before replying to that.

“Yeah, well…I kinda felt like hitting something tonight.”

Standing where she was, Rainbow watched the girl as she continued to land blow after blow to the bag. After a while of this long silence, a small smile crept onto the girl’s face.

“Want some help?”

To that, Aria shrugged her shoulders, though never took her eyes off the bag.

“Knock yourself out.”

Nodding at that, Rainbow dropped her duffel bag on the floor before taking position on the opposite side of the punching bag to where Aria was. Once there, she held her hands against the thing, steadying it, after which she looked over to the Siren and gave a nod. Nodding back, Aria resumed her many blows, and Rainbow could feel that she was putting her all into each one, given how much she had to work to keep the bag in one place. As Aria landed hit after hit against the thing, Rainbow finally spoke up.

“So…what’s eating you this time?”

Scoffing at that, Aria kept up her punches as she answered.

“You heard what happened last time I went to see Rarity?”

Rainbow nodded, prompting Aria to continue.

“Well, guess what? After I was made to own up to what my sisters and I did, taking our clothes and stuff, the shopkeeper generously decided not to call the police, and instead…offered me a job.”

To that, Rainbow raised an eyebrow.

“A job? You’re working for her now?”

Aria nodded.

“Yeah. Except I’ve gotta work at least until I’ve paid off the outfits we stole. Never mind that all three of us took part in that, because apparently the idea of having Adagio or Sonata help out never even occurred to the woman!”

With that, Aria delivered a particularly fierce blow to the bag, to the point where Rainbow honestly felt like she’d be knocked back from it. But, she kept her ground, though with a look of slight nervousness as she did so.

“So…I’m guessing your job is…erm…frustrating you?”

Aria stopped for a moment, looking to Rainbow with a hand on her hip.

“What do you think? It was meant as a punishment. Of course I don’t like it! And it doesn’t help that the old battle-axe I work for keeps reminding me every day about what my sisters and me did to her. I mean, sure, we basically brainwashed her to do what we wanted, but we weren’t hurting anyone!”

Looking back to the bag, Aria frowned again, before giving another swift punch.

“I swear, you humans are all so…ugh! I don’t even know what to think of you anymore!”

But, this time, Rainbow looked to her with a frown of her own.

“You know…staying all bitter and stuff isn’t going to help you, Aria. I know that, to you, all this stuff that’s happened kinda sucks, but you never know, you might eventually like the life you have now.”

Looking back to her, Aria gained a look of genuine amusement.

Like? Ha! That'll be the day! Living like a human has been one of the most tedious and annoying things I’ve ever done! You have to do everything yourself! You’ve got no magic to make life easier! And worst of all, everyone’s always on your case!”

Keeping her eyes on the bag, Aria narrowed them fiercely.

“I just don’t get how you guys can stand to live like this all the time! And I’ve been in this world for centuries you know, and I still don’t get it!”

However, rather than looking perhaps offended by those words, Rainbow instead let out a hearty laugh, much to Aria’s confusion.

“You can be so melodramatic sometimes, Aria! You’re thinking about this all wrong!”

To that, Aria raised an eyebrow.

“Oh? And how, exactly am I seeing things wrong?”

Hearing that question, Rainbow considered the girl for a moment, thinking hard on how to give an answer that would satisfy her, and as she did so, she let go of the bag, walking around it so she was facing Aria in earnest. After a few more moments of silence between the two girls, Rainbow got herself a “lightbulb” look, snapping her fingers before speaking up with a smile.

“Think of it like this. You’ve spent your time after we beat you thinking that everything sucks, right?”

Aria nodded.

“Yeah…because it does!

But Rainbow waved a hand.

“But that’s just it! It doesn't suck!”

Hearing that, Aria raised a hand, slapping her forehead in frustration.

“Ugh! You’re not going to go philosophical or something on me, are you?”

To that, Rainbow frowned.

“No!”

After which, she looked ponderous for a moment.

“Well…maybe a little.”

And then she shook her head.

“Look, the point is this. What you think of as a bad life is actually not. Sure, you don’t have magic anymore, and yeah, you won’t be able to make people do what you want with your songs and stuff. But, when you think about it, that’s probably the best thing that could’ve happened to you.”

To that, Aria raised her eyebrow once more.

“Oh, this is gonna be rich!”

Ignoring her, Rainbow began to explain herself.

“Look, before this all happened, you and your sisters were just barely scraping by. The energy you got was never enough to satisfy you, and the stuff you did get, that was just used to fuel your voices and stuff. You were always going from place to place, never settling down or really doing anything besides doing the same thing over and over again. You know, one of those, er, cycle things.”

Considering that, Aria looked away for a moment

“…It did get kinda boring after a while, I’ll admit that.”

Seeing her, Rainbow smiled.

“But now…things are different. You may think of all this as a bad life, but the truth is…you should look at this as you actually having a life!”

Turning to her again, Aria’s curiosity had been piqued, prompting Rainbow to continue.

“You and your sisters…you’re doing all these things you never would have done before. You’re trying new things, you’re making friends. Heck, you’ve even got a job now! Granted it’s not one that you like exactly, but still, would you have ever thought you’d do something like that before?”

Putting her hands on her hips, Aria frowned again.

“No, and there’s a pretty good reason for that, Dash.”

Coughing a little, Rainbow continued.

“The point is…you keep going on about how your life is ruined and stuff. But actually…what’s happened is that you now have opportunities. You’re not obsessing over power because of all that dark magic and stuff, you’re not living without a home anymore, you’re not…you’re not alone anymore.”

With those words spoken, a silence fell between the two girls. Aria stared at Rainbow, clearly thinking over everything that had been said to her, while Rainbow, by contrast, looked back to Aria, very much concerned that her words might not actually cheer her up. After a while, Aria looked away from her companion, letting out a deep sigh, after which, she finally spoke up again.

“That…that all sounds like the cheesiest after-school special moral message I have ever heard!”

Hearing that, Rainbow thought on that for a moment, after which she scratched the back of her head and let out another laugh.

“Yeah…guess Twilight kinda rubbed off on me a bit.”

Looking back to Rainbow, Aria paused for a moment, after which, her expression, just for a moment, actually softened down somewhat.

“But…you did try and make me feel better, so…thanks…I guess.”

To that, Rainbow looked to her, quite taken aback that an actual thank you had come out of that girl. But, in the end, she cracked a smile, offering her hand. Looking at it, Aria was hesitant for a moment, after which she put on a smile of her own and took the hand, shaking it. When they let go of each other, Rainbow turned back to the bag and gestured to it with her thumb.

“So…feel like giving this guy a few more hits?”

Rolling her eyes, Aria chuckled a little before getting back into position.

Please! I’m always ready to hit something!”

Next Chapter: Rainbooms and Dazzlings Estimated time remaining: 11 Minutes
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