A Dazzling Trio

by Spyder27

A Little Favor

Chapter XXXII: A Little Favor

“And that’s what happened!” Apple Bloom explains as we look at a multicolored apple tree. Swirls of blue, red, yellow, green, and other colors are strewn across the tree’s branches and leaves at random. The surrounding grass is also painted as if someone started flinging paint cans around. In a way, it almost looks like an exotic art piece. I’d be impressed if it wasn’t a real tree and instead a structure someone made.

“Uh huh. So, a giant ball of paint appeared above the tree and fell on it?” I ask her in a doubtful tone, acting like the story is obviously a lie. However, I know exactly how the paint ended up here.

“Yep. It looks pretty though. My big sis says it won’t hurt the tree, but she doesn’t believe me about the ball of paint. She says I must have been tired and it was probably vandalism.” Apple Bloom looks a little ticked that her sister wouldn’t believe her. I have to force myself to not chuckle at the idea, considering the fact that Apple Bloom wasn’t hallucinating. There was literally a giant ball of paint, but how is she supposed to prove that without a picture? I’m not going to openly admit that it was my magic that caused this.

“You probably were tired,” I tell her with a slight shrug of my shoulders. “That doesn’t explain why I’m here though.” Turning my body towards her, I cross my arms with a raised eyebrow. She always has some reason for calling me, even if it is something childish or a minor problem.

“Is there really a problem with me wanting to show ya something?” she asks me in an accusing tone, but her expression turns to boredom when she sees I’m not taking that excuse. “Fine. I was wondering if I could get your help with something. I know you’re a busy woman right now, but I could use your advice.”

“And will my ‘advice’ require running around town at the speed of light?” I ask her with a smirk, knowing she will want more than some encouraging words.

“Adagio, I’m seventeen. I don’t need to drag you around everywhere anymore. I’m confident that I can handle everything by myself. Some advice would still be appreciated though.” Huh. I’m actually surprised. It’s hard to believe she won’t slingshot me around the city just to solve one of her problems. “It’s about Diamond Tiara. She and I haven’t really talked in a while because… Well, let’s just say we had an argument where we were both pigheaded and all.” Apple Bloom stops for a moment, but I know there’s something more to the story here. “I’d like to make it up to her. So… I was wondering if I could bring her to your wedding and all.”

Ah. There it is. The weirdly specific request that she always brings up eventually.

“So, you’re wanting to use my wedding as a peace offering with your friend,” I say with a raised eyebrow, unsure if I should be offended or appreciate her urge to make things right with Tiara. It’s my damn wedding. The whole purpose of the day is supposed to be around Sunset and my own happiness. But… I guess she isn’t taking the spotlight. She just wants to bring her friend.

“If it’s alright of course,” Apple Bloom responds with a nervous tone, clearly picking up on my apprehension about the request.

“It’s fine. You can bring her. I’m glad you asked first.” I can’t imagine how weird I would feel if everyone brought people I didn’t know to my wedding. Sunset and I made a very specific list of guests so we could be the most comfortable. It is a lot better that Apple Bloom decided to ask me before springing it on me on the day of the most important event of my life.

Funny. Marriage isn't really something I considered important before. Even other sirens didn’t see it as a thing you should put a lot of emphasis on, but I especially hated the concept. The mere idea of tying myself down to another creature was insulting to my own legacy. Now, here I am, preparing for a marriage that I can’t possibly describe how excited it makes me. I guess it all depended on finding the right creature. A unicorn in this case.

“Thanks, Adagio! Is there any specific dress code that I need to warn her about? Formal is a given, but any specific color palette?” she asks me with a curious tone to her voice. Funnily enough, Sunset and I haven’t exactly talked about that. I just assumed we’d have dresses of whatever color we want. Sunset certainly doesn’t want to go with the tradition of wearing white and making everyone else wear black. She said it would make her feel egotistical, but… I wouldn’t mind it if I stood out from the rest of the crowd~

She’ll always be the one person worth looking at though. Sunset is my everything at this point. I’m incredibly fortunate that she thinks the same of me.

“I haven’t discussed that with Sunset yet. I will get back to you on that. However, is Diamond Tiara in any shape to attend a wedding? Isn’t she still ill?” I try my best to frame my question with caution, not trying to make it sound like Apple Bloom’s friend will be an inconvenience.

“She will be okay. She’ll probably just have to wear a mask. If something does happen, I have emergency services on quick dial as well as her doctor,” Apple Bloom explains with a smile, making it almost seem normal to worry your friend will have a medical emergency. The length she is going to help Tiara is impressive, but I can’t help but feel a little bad for her. If I kept living in constant worry that Sonata or Aria would have a problem like that, I don’t know how long I’d live before having a heart attack. What if it was Sunset…?

“That’s good to know. Then there really shouldn’t be a problem.” Looking at the rainbow tree again, I take a deep breath of the fresh air. All I really want is for this wedding to go off without a hitch. Sunset and I don’t exactly have extended family flying in for the special occasion. I don’t have any family and the family Sunset has isn’t close with her at all. If I remember correctly, that’s why it was so easy for her to go study under Princess Celestia’s wing. The only people that I want to be at this wedding are our friends. “I actually have a request for you as well,” I say quietly, returning my gaze to Apple Bloom.

“Hmm? What is it?” she asks me with a curious stare. It is almost comical that we’re standing here, asking each other for favors instead of doing it on a call. It’s nice to talk with her though.

“I was wondering if you wanted to be one of my bridesmaids. Sunset and I are going to have three people as our bridesmaids. I already asked Sonata and Aria, so…” I offer my hand towards the teenager nonchalantly. Giving her a small smirk, I can’t help but chuckle slightly. “I was thinking that one of my first friends after my defeat should be the final member of my party.”

The way Apple Bloom’s eyes widen in the next two and a half seconds should be alarming. Her mouth opens to gasp at my statement. Before I can do anything, her arms grab me in a bear hug that is tighter than the hand of death. I swear I can feel my nerves turn into TV static from this embrace. After a few seconds that felt like years, she finally lets me go, giving me permission to breathe again.

“I’d be fucking honored!” she exclaims with pride in her voice, offering her hand in a handshake. I can tell she’s desperately thinking of something else to say, but her mouth can’t quite keep up.

“Hey, doesn’t your family look down on cussing?” I ask her with a raised eyebrow, taking her hand with a chuckle.

“Adagio. If there is any time to hit a ‘rebellious phase’, it would be now. I’m almost an adult. Besides, I really don’t know what else to say! I mean, it’s a great honor and I’m sure I’ll be the best bridesmaid I can be.” Apple Bloom shakes my hand, sealing the deal. “Is there any dress I should-”

“We’ll talk about that later,” I interrupt her with a smile, chuckling a little at all her questions. It’s better to be prepared, so I’m glad she’s trying to do everything right for my marriage. “I should probably get back home. Thanks for calling me over. I’m glad we can help each other with this.”

“Before you go, do you think you could help me make the invitation for Diamond?” she asks me with a nervous smile. Make the invitation…? It really isn’t that much work. It would take like five minutes. I do have a couple hours free though… Taking a deep breath, Apple Bloom grabs my arm before I can say anything. “Thanks!” she exclaims, taking my exaggerated breath as a confirmation.

Oh no…

In a second, Apple Bloom dashes off, dragging me behind her. Trees fly past, but it isn’t nearly as difficult this time around. Usually, I’m barely able to keep up pace with her, but I am easily staying by her side this time. It’s not that exhausting this time. My magic is making it way easier to run at this speed. Apple Bloom’s eyes look towards me with surprise, clearly wondering how I’m keeping up.

“You want to go for a run? Then let’s run,” I tell her with a wink, grabbing her arm and dashing ahead of her. Oh, how the tables have turned…

---

“Come on. I ain’t that heavy. You can totally lift me,” Apple Bloom tells me with a slight pout, pointing up at a tube of paint that is just out of reach. Ever since we got here, Apple Bloom has had very specific items she wanted to buy. I’m guessing she is trying to make the invitation as personal to Diamond Tiara as possible. However, I have no idea why we need to get this shade of paint. It is a pink that is only slightly different from one that we can reach.

“Apple Bloom, we are the same height. Lifting you on my shoulders would be overkill. Not to mention it would kill my back,” I tell her while rolling my eyes. Maybe my back wouldn’t hurt due to the magic flowing through my veins, but I’d rather not take that chance. Back pain can be a bitch… Raising my eyebrow, I try to act like I am puzzled as to how we can get the paint. Of course, I could use my magic to levitate it down, but I have no idea if cameras are aimed this way. I wouldn’t want to show off my abilities to every employee of this place. That would be begging for someone to ask some questions…

“Fine. We’ll just have to think of another way,” Apple Bloom states with a pout, staring at the tube with the hate of ten chihuahuas. Suddenly, her eyes widen like an idea just popped into her mind. Without warning, she motions for me to follow her, making me chuckle. Usually, she would just drag me around, but the choice to follow is a welcome one. In only a few seconds, Apple Bloom leads me to the tools section of the supermarket. She grabs a ten foot ladder with a frown as she tries to keep it from touching the ground. “Grab the other end,” she tells me, aiming the ladder towards me.

“What? Is it heavy?” I tease her with a smirk, eliciting a narrow gaze from her.

“Nah. I would just appreciate some help to balance this piece of-” Apple Bloom stops herself mid sentence, walking forward without my help. A frown dawns on her face, but it quickly disappears when she feels the ladder get lighter. Rolling my eyes, I hum a small tune, lifting the ladder without anyone seeing it. I’m doing my part and it makes Apple Bloom’s job easier. All without lifting a finger.

Apple Bloom leads me back to the aisle we just left, propping the ladder against the shelves. This is clearly overkill, but I kind of want to see how this turns out. Apple Bloom climbs the ladder that is way bigger than we needed, grabbing the tube of paint.

“Got it!” she exclaims with a sense of pride, acting like it was some big problem to bring a ladder over here. Sliding down the ladder, Apple Bloom’s look of happiness fades when she looks up, making me peer over my shoulder. Standing behind me, an employee looks at us with a confused stare.

“Hey, you know you can’t leave that there, right?” they ask us while pointing at the ladder. Apple Bloom nervously chuckles before nodding, pulling the ladder off of the shelves. Although, the employee still looks skeptical, tilting their head. “Actually, are you the people who left a wagon tied to one of our posts outside?” Upon hearing the question, Apple Bloom’s head perks up, clearly confused. The wagon with all of her supplies to make the “perfect” invitation for Diamond Tiara. I still don’t know why she drags that thing around at seventeen, but I guess it can help moving stuff.

“Yeah. What about my wagon?” Apple Bloom asks with a suspicious tone, clearly worried that something has happened.

“You can’t leave something like that tied to our posts. A cop is outside, trying to find the owners-” before the employee can finish their statement, Apple Bloom drops the ladder with a thud.

“Aw, horse apples! The feds!” she exclaims before running away from us, presumably towards the exit of the building. All while she is still holding the tube of paint…

“Hey, you have to pay for that!” The employee yells after her, making me sigh to myself. It is times like these that I can feel a migraine coming on. Rubbing my forehead, I walk in the direction Apple Bloom ran. Seriously, why can’t things ever be normal with her? This is going to take a while…

---

Opening the door of Taco Pony, I can’t help but wonder why I am here. This restaurant has been on death’s door for the last year. No one comes here anymore, yet here I am. Standing over by the soda dispenser, Sonata and Aria stand there while looking at the menu. Sonata has her hands clasped together, a dreamy look on her face. Something about this makes me think she is like this for something more than just the tacos. After all, Sonata was the one who called me here…

Walking across the weirdly sticky tiles, the wet floor sign makes me wonder how long it has been up. The floor seems perfectly dry by now. I remember the couple times I came here with Sunset a few years ago, but now? Well, the food here has gone down hill dramatically. I didn’t expect I would come here again, but Sonata wanted me to be here. For some reason…

“Hi, Dagi,” Sonata mentions with a smile, giving me a slight wave even though I am right next to them. Aria simply nods at me as she takes a sip of a drink with the logo of the restaurant on it. Aria almost seems to cringe at the taste of the beverage.

“Why are we here, Sonata?” I ask her with a raised eyebrow. “I know this place sells tacos, but I am sure you could make better at home, even with the mediocre ingredients we have right now.”

“It’s not about the food,” Sonata beams with a bright smile, her hands clasped together tightly. Her eyes make it seem like she has a brilliant idea brewing in her mind. “Look at this place. It’s going into the dumpster,” Sonata tells me with an excited giggle, making me wonder if she is psychopathic for enjoying the failure of an establishment. Aria, however, gives me a small nod of understanding, telling me nonverbally to wait for the explanation. “I don’t wanna sound mean, but this is amazing~ The owners of this place are probably going to sell sometime soon,” Sonata tells me with a smile, almost drooling at an idea.

“I mean, yeah. That’s what happens when places are failing,” I respond with a nod. The music studio was failing pretty badly when Fancy Pants sold it to me. I still have yet to make it profitable, but I have some ideas in place that I am sure will make it bigger than ever.

“Think about it. Once they sell, I could scoop this place up and make some very easy renovations to make it a new location for the Seashell Empire! This place is already designed to be a restaurant after all~” Sonata claps her hands, still looking at the menu as if it is her own already. It’s not a horrible idea… Huh. It would be weird that she would open a new location so far away from her base of operations. I mean, all of her restaurants reside in Nevada or the surrounding states.

“It’s an interesting concept,” I respond with a shrug, contemplating the idea.

“Told ya,” Aria teases me even though she didn’t say a single word. Sonata looks at me with the biggest grin, seemingly proud of the idea.

“It would give me something to do since I’ll be living here. I was thinking I could move headquarters here and then establish some new locations in other states as well.” Spoken like a true business woman. Honestly, I sometimes forget that Sonata has a whole chain that she has built and maintained to this point.

“If you think you have the money for it, then I say go for it,” I try to reaffirm her idea. Buying the music studio was a huge step for me and besides the business aspect of it, it does feel good to take a risk and feel it pay off. “Is that the only reason you two called me here?” I ask them cautiously, trying my best to not sound insensitive. Sonata gives me an enthusiastic nod whereas Aria shrugs. Huh. Well, I guess it isn’t the worst reason to be called here. However, while I have them here, I do need to ask them something… “Actually, could I talk with you two before we contemplate this idea any further?”

“Like you need to ask,” Aria states with a roll of her eyes, making me narrow my gaze. The primal urge to throw an insult back at her nags at my mind, but I push the thought back.

“Anyway… I have been thinking about the wedding a lot recently.” My words make Aria chuckle for some reason.

“I mean, that’s obvious. It’s your wedding,” Aria responds with another laugh.

“I think it’s cute. She wants to put a lot of effort into the big day,” Sonata defends me, pouting slightly. I mean, she’s not wrong. I want to look my best, after all. What does it say about me if I can’t make a great wedding? Well, that’s the ego talking, but still. It’d be nice to look my best during the day~ I might as well strut my stuff on my own wedding, right? Then again, Sunny would probably try to keep me in check anyway.

“Me simply being there would be putting a lot of effort into the day. After all, I could sleep in,” I respond with a cocky smile, rolling my eyes with a small chuckle. “Anyway, I was wanting to talk with you two about the bridesmaid stuff. I haven’t decided which of you I want to be my maid of honor because… I can’t.” Taking a deep breath, I try to brace myself. I don’t like openly admitting stuff like this. “You two both mean a lot to me and now that you’re back in my life, I don’t think it would be fair of me to give the title to just one of you. So, I was thinking that maybe you could both be the maid of honor.” Sonata looks at me with an awe in her eyes, seemingly touched by the notion. Aria, however, seems disappointed in a way.

“Well, that’s stupid,” Aria states in a blatant tone, shaking her head. “Give the title to Sonata.” Crossing her arms, Aria is making it clear she doesn’t want the title. Honestly, all I can feel is confusion. Why would she… What? “I want to be the maid of dishonor. Or debauchery,” Aria says with an evil smirk. I can almost see fire in her eyes like she is thinking of ungodly plans. Maid of debauchery. Huh… It’s not terrible…

Feeling a smirk come across my lips, I say, “You know, I like it. That’s a great idea~”

“You both have your mischief faces on,” Sonata mentions with a slight pout, a concerned stare coming from her. Turning my eyes to Aria, both of us can’t help but laugh. Can she really blame us? It sounds like a wonderfully wicked idea…

Author's Note:

Short and sweet chapter~ Hope you enjoy!

Comments

[Daybreaker218]

Maid of Debauchery? What’s the male counterpart to that I wonder?

[Spyder27]

11889289
Well, since it is usually the "best man" or whatever, it would probably be the worst man in Aria's terms or something akin to that

[ScisetShimmerEvan]

“Yep. It looks pretty though. My big sis says it won’t hurt the tree, but she doesn’t believe me about the ball of paint. She says I must have been tired and it was probably vandalism.” Apple Bloom looks a little ticked that her sister wouldn’t believe her. I have to force myself to not chuckle at the idea, considering the fact that Apple Bloom wasn’t hallucinating. There was literally a giant ball of paint, but how is she supposed to prove that without a picture? I’m not going to openly admit that it was my magic that caused this.

Well, that explains where the paint ended up.

“You can’t leave something like that tied to our posts. A cop is outside, trying to find the owners-” before the employee can finish their statement, Apple Bloom drops the ladder with a thud.

“Hey, you have to pay for that!” The employee yells after her, making me sigh to myself. It is times like these that I can feel a migraine coming on. Rubbing my forehead, I walk in the direction Apple Bloom ran. Seriously, why can’t things ever be normal with her? This is going to take a while…

Yep...

“It would give me something to do since I’ll be living here. I was thinking I could move headquarters here and then establish some new locations in other states as well.” Spoken like a true business woman. Honestly, I sometimes forget that Sonata has a whole chain that she has built and maintained to this point.

She's no longer dumb either.

“You both have your mischief faces on,” Sonata mentions with a slight pout, a concerned stare coming from her. Turning my eyes to Aria, both of us can’t help but laugh. Can she really blame us? It sounds like a wonderfully wicked idea…

I don't blame her.

[Eddy13]

Yeah, I knew that paint went somewhere else that was just as inconvenient; it almost sounded like EQG Sweet Apple Acres had developed Zap Apples like in Equestria! Why do I have a feeling that things between Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara are taking a similar development to Adagio's relationship with Sunset? And man, I can only wonder what Aria has planned for her role in the wedding. Also, I wonder who Sunset chose for her three bridesmaids?

[Blood Rarity]