Sonata, the Good Girl... or "The Irredeemable Redeemable Siren"

The Dazzlings from Rainbow Rocks might not be the absolute best villains the series has had to offer, but they are among the most interesting. And no siren seems more beloved than one Sonata Dusk. Adagio Dazzle may have been the leader, but Sonata stole the show by basically being Pinkie Pie if she were a bad guy. Seriously, if you look up the amount of stories on this site that feature just her, without Adagio or Aria, she has a higher story count than the other two combined (though that may be due to Aria Blaze having only five at the time of writing).

And I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy Sonata; in fact, she’s pretty much tied with Adagio as my favorite of the three. There are very few scenes that I didn’t laugh at while she had her mouth open.

But…

After Discord’s reformation and Sunset Shimmer’s redemption, the idea of reforming other villains seems a lot more appealing, and some were surprised that it didn’t happen with the Dazzlings. But, hey, that’s what FiMfiction is for, right? To write up stories that essentially continue where the official stuff left off until such time as those points are actually addressed, therefore completely destroying the point. 

And even if the Dazzlings as a whole don’t get passed the reformation baton, surely Sonata would be the most receptive, right?

…

While I agree with the sentiment and would be happy if DHX decided to do that, I don’t see it happening anytime soon.

Why do so many fan interpretations portray Sonata as a good guy in the making? Well, that’s an easy one: she’s a ditz. Like I said, she’s Pinkie playing on the other side of the moral compass. However, that’s the only thing people seem to remember about her.

The problem with fandoms of any kind is that they’re mostly inhabited by ordinary people. And ordinary people tend to think of things in simplicity, so when it comes to characters, only one or two major personality points ever show through (anyone who’s seen Ash Ketchum’s portrayal by Pokémon fans knows exactly what I’m talking about). Ordinary people also gravitate toward things that amuse them, and what’s more amusing than a complete idiot among sticks-in-the-mud?

In short, Sonata is often considered redeemable simply because people like her. Yeah, anticlimactic, I realize, but those are the facts.

But the fact remains that the chances of her reforming to good are the same chances of Sombra ever coming back: slim at best.

Seriously, look over the movie again and focus on the scenes with Sonata in them (that shouldn’t be too hard). Unless she’s acting how fans like to see her, she’s right there with the Dazzlings in enjoying the thrill of feeding off negative energy and basically being evil. Look at any scene where the Dazzlings are smirking (there’s no shortage), and Sonata is smirking with them.

Face it, guys: she’s evil. She doesn’t show remorse or even hesitation at her actions, she easily joins the others’ taunting or manipulating of their victims, and she’s always making those faces that say, “It’s good to be bad.” Heck, for as much as she loves tacos (which was only mentioned once, by the way), her first line had her literally saying, “I think this [world] is the worst.”

That’s not to say that, if handled correctly, maybe the Dazzlings could be reformed, with Sonata among them, if not the first to embrace the light side. And I’ve seen at least one story that pulled this off believably. But until DHX releases an Equestria Girls movie (or series) with that premise as the focus, I’m not going to hold my breath.

This is CF signing out.