//------------------------------//
// The Morning Sonata, Part 4 
// Story: The Evening Sonata 
// by Daniel-Gleebits 
//------------------------------//

The Morning Sonata Pt4


It was sunrise by the time Sunset Shimmer managed to get away from Trenderhoof. Perhaps owing to his background in journalism, he had plied her for every detail of Adagio, and she had done her best to show her in a good light. Which of course meant a great deal of omission, and a tincy-tiny bit of embellishment took place. For the most part it was factual information, but Trenderhoof’s piercing questions had meant long explanations of what had happened, so that by the time she eventually got around to explaining her plan to him, she’d basically told him the entire take-over-the-school ordeal from beginning to end.
Trenderhoof had understood that Adagio and her fellow sirens had been a singing group then, and that they had been trying to use the school to gain notoriety, which he cheerfully pointed out all young stars do anyway. He did not know that they had tried to use dark magic to take over the world.





Sunset strolled back down the path through the groves of trees, her eyes itching with tiredness, hoping to get in a few hours of sleep before she enacted the next part of her plan. She was in two minds when she saw that the perfect opportunity to begin said enacting met her at the entrance to the main road. Seated on the white fence bordering the road was Sonata, her blue and purple hair down out of its usual ponytail, and her sketch pad in hand. Only when Sunset came close did she look up, smiling radiantly in the golden light of morning.
“Oh hi,” she said. “I missed you this morning.”
“What time is it?” Sunset asked, sleepily.
“Crack ‘a mornin’, sugar cube,” Applejack called from a nearby barn. Hefting great bales of hay that looked far too heavy to Sunset Shimmer for a single person to lift, she set them around the bases of nearby trees. “About six thirty I think.”
“Oh,” Sunset said with a yawn.
“Why were you up if you were tired?” Sonata asked, looking concerned.
This was the perfect time, the perfect opportunity. “Have you seen Adagio this morning?” she asked.
“I saw her eating this morning,” Sonata answered, as though hoping that information was helpful.
“She went to the southern fields to start insulatin’ the trees,” Applejack called over.
“Why do you ask?” Sonata asked, frowning slightly at her sketch pad. Despite this warning sign, Sunset decided it would be best to plough on. Seating herself up on the fence, she peered over to see what Sonata was doing.
“What’re you drawing there?” she asked, postponing the question to gather her thoughts.
“Just sketching the fields. I kinda want to paint them.” She frowned slightly at what she had drawn. “At least I get why Adagio stopped to live here,” she said wistfully. “It’s a really pretty place.”
“If you like country settin’s to draw, you can always stop by Sweet Apple Acres,” Applejack said, leaning on the fence on Sonata’s other side. “It looks mighty fine by the beginning of summer if I do say so mahself.”
Sonata eagerly gave her thanks whilst trying on Applejack’s hat. Applejack took it back, giving Sonata a look like she might give Pinkie Pie, whilst Sunset began to speak.
“Well, I heard singing early this morning, and went out to see who it was.”
Applejack and Sonata were both stunned when she told them the entire story, apart from her meeting with Trenderhoof. They didn’t need to know about that. She also left out a great deal of what Adagio had told her. As Adagio had wished of her however, she told Sonata Adagio’s wish for her to live her life whilst she, Adagio, sorted out her own. 
Sonata’s expression was smooth and unreadable, quite different from its usual look of vague and naive cheerfulness. This was the point on which Sunset’s plan either failed or succeeded. It all depended how Sonata reacted to this news.
“So there’s no trouble of her regaining her hypno-siren powers?” Applejack asked, seriously. Sunset shook her head.
“That power was tied to their pendants. Without them they can’t channel their magic to terrorise people. Erm, no offense,” she said to Sonata. She felt a trace of smugness nonetheless that, for once, she had been the one to say those words, rather than the one to hear them.
“None taken,” Sonata said distractedly.
“It was really beautiful singing,” Sunset said, watching Sonata out of the corner of her eye.
“Mm,” Sonata said, clearly not listening. Despite apparently being focused on her drawing, the pencil in her hand didn’t move.
“You maybe wanna get some sleep?” Applejack asked, looking narrowly at Sunset. “If you were up at one, what were you doin’ till now?”
“Yeah, I think I will turn in,” Sunset yawned again, feigning not to have heard Applejack’s question. “See you guys in a few hours. If you’re lucky,” she groaned, rubbing her eyes.
As she walked back, not noticing Applejack looking after her, she sighed over Sonata’s usual spacey personality. For all that she was a bit ditzy, loveably so at that, it did make her difficult to read. All she could do was wait and see if her plan worked. It was a bit of a long shot, but perhaps she could help it along when the time came. If Trenderhoof did as he was told she wouldn’t need to do anything, but still. Contingencies.





Fortunately, Sunset’s sleep deprived brain seemed to ponder the problem whilst she slept. When she and everyone else had awoken and breakfasted, she wondered aloud whether everyone might not want to take the opportunity to go shopping that morning. Rainbow Dash and Applejack looked at her questioningly, but Pinkie Pie was instantly in agreement, and Rarity was all eagerness to stick around as well. Sunset sighed a little regretfully for her.
“How about you, Ballad?” Sunset asked. “You don’t work today, do you?”
Adagio gave her a confused kind of look and then poked at her eggs uncertainly with her fork.
“Not today, no.”
“Yup!” Applejack added happily. “We got all that farm work done this morning lickety-split. Ya’ll’re a mighty fine farmhand, Ballad.”
Adagio just grimaced.
“How about you, Sonata?” Sunset asked, cheerfully. Removing her gaze from the window for the first time in a while, Sonata looked around at her dazedly. 
“Huh?” she asked.
“Do you fancy doing any shopping before we go home?”
“Oh,” she said vaguely, glancing down at Adagio. “Sure.” She returned to her half-eaten breakfast.
Sunset pursed her lips. It was the best she could hope for right now. Munching on her toast, she tried to ignore the questioning and slightly resentful looks Adagio kept directing up the table at her.
“Got any whipped cream?” Pinkie asked Apple Strudel as he toasted more bread. “This is a little dry,” she announced, pointing at her scrambled eggs.





All according to plan. Sunset marvelled at her ability to manipulate events, since in her mind it seemed impossible that her little stratagems could possibly have the desired effect. She blushed at the thought that if she’d remained evil, she might have actually done some damage in the world. 
Pinkie Pie danced off to the fabric emporium, Rarity hardly any less eagerly following in her wake. Applejack discovered a produce stand that wasn’t run by one of her relatives where she almost instantly fell into a serious conversation about the formative procedures of fizzy apple cider and apple preserves. Fluttershy meanwhile dragged Rainbow Dash eagerly off to a pet shop. Sunset felt only a little bad as she, Adagio, and Sonata walked passed, and saw Rainbow mouthing Help me! through the window.
Although she was trying to be as aloof as possible, Adagio didn’t seem to be able to help herself when she saw Sonata’s sketch pad. Apparently she had never known that Sonata could draw either, and flicked through the pad with interest. Sunset herself had only glanced at one or two pictures that Sonata had shown her, and so she wondered half-heartedly what Adagio was staring at in such surprise in some of the earlier pages. Maybe she’d have a look later, but for now her plan was all that interested her.
Unfortunately, both sirens seemed equally firm in not talking to each other very much, and only spoke at all when Sunset initiated conversation. Irritably she looked around for Trenderhoof. He was so eager to meet the singer after all, so where was he?
“You know the bus will be here soon,” Adagio said, after a flat thirty minutes of silent looking at wooden furniture.
“Should we get everyone together then?” Sonata asked. Sunset hesitated, feeling panic rising within her. She swallowed it down and pointed.
“Hey, isn’t that an artist’s supply shop?” she said in mock surprise.
“Really?” Sonata asked, excitedly. “How did I not notice that?”
“What game are you playing here?” Adagio asked vehemently, throwing out an arm to stop Sunset following after her. “I told you I can’t do this.”
“Well if she’s not going to see you for a while, you can at least spend the day with her,” Sunset chided. Adagio turned pink, suddenly unable to look her in the eye.
“Fine,” she chuntered, her face still glowing.
They spent another good hour in the art shop as Sonata bought a mixture of pencils and paint, brushes and a palette. Sunset didn’t really pay much attention, but kept an eye on the window. Unfortunately she saw nothing except Pinkie Pie run by with Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy entangled in a massive roll of bunting. Curious to be sure, but not useful.
“You didn’t mind that I told Sonata you could still sing, did you?” Sunset asked Adagio, seemingly out of the blue. Adagio’s head snapped to her. She seemed about to yell, but apparently thought better of it.
“No. It’s fine,” she said, biting back her anger.
“You were quite surprised by it when I told you, weren’t you,” she said to Sonata as she paid for her supplies.
“A little,” Sonata said, succinctly.
“She probably still doesn’t believe me,” Sunset said conspiratorially to Adagio, who leaned away from her.
“Well that’s unfortunate,” she muttered, sounding uninterested.
“Maybe you should-“ Sunset went on, but stopped at the look on Adagio’s face. Shut up now. Sunset cleared her throat and moved away from her, shivering. There was the Adagio she remembered...
When Adagio raised the point that the next bus was due, and that only three more were coming that day, being Saturday, Sunset felt an uncomfortable heat rising within her. Spotting her friends all gathered near the cafe, trying to un-stick Rainbow and Fluttershy from the bunting still, a last idea struck her.
“How about we get lunch first before we go? We can catch the next bus.”
Sunset knew that she was pushing her luck here. Trenderhoof was nowhere to be seen, Sonata was completely insulated from the nature of her idea, and Adagio was unwilling to go along with it. Everything was falling apart. What’s more, Adagio was looking frankly murderous, the colour in her face steadily rising as she agreed reluctantly to accompany them to lunch.
“Are you alright, Ballad?” Fluttershy asked solicitously over lunch. “You look a little ill.”
“I’m fine, thank you,” Adagio said, glaring at Sunset, who was doing her best to avoid Adagio’s eye.
“It’s just the wind,” Applejack said dismissively between bites of her sandwich. “She looks healthy as a horse to me.”
Sunset peered around surreptitiously every so often, looking for Trenderhoof’s distinctive mane of blonde hair, but it was nowhere in sight. She wanted to kill him! She was just wondering if there was anything, anything at all that she could do to get her plan to work one last time, when Rainbow Dash looked at her watch.
“We best get going,” she said. “It’s going to take most of us to get Pinkie’s canvas onto the bus,” she said, giving the massive pile of canvas fabric behind Pinkie’s chair a narrow eyed look. Pinkie grinned guiltily.
“There was a sale,” she shrugged, blushing.
Sunset’s heart began to race again. It was all going to end in nothing. Perhaps her worry showed on her face, because Sonata was giving her an oddly curious look.
“Ad... I mean, Ballad?” Sonata said as they all began to stand.
“Hm?” Adagio looked around at her. Sonata was pulling at her ponytail in a nervous gesture.
“Would you, err... could you please sing a song?”
Sunset’s insides expanded more rapidly than a party balloon at Pinkie’s house. She looked quickly at Adagio, who’s face had turned pink again. She spluttered several unintelligible words as everyone else looked around in surprise.
“Sing?” Fluttershy asked breathily.
“That’s what she said,” Pinkie confirmed, her eyes wide.
“What kind of singing?” Rainbow Dash asked, her eyes narrowed suspiciously. Applejack put a hand on her arm.
“T’ain’t like that, Dashy,” she said. “Sunset says she found Ballad singing outside this mornin’. No magic siren mischief,” she said out of the corner of her mouth, and Rainbow looked slightly mollified. 
Adagio directed a look of scorn at Sunset who looked determinately at the giant pile of canvas rolls. She looked around at them all, and seemed about to protest that she wouldn’t sing. But then she saw the look of happy expectation on Sonata’s face and hesitated.
“I can’t sing out here,” she mumbled. “Not in public.”
“Oh, go ahead, darling,” Rarity said, smiling politely. “There’s nobody around right now.” This was perfectly true. The lunch rush being over, everyone seemed to have gone back to their jobs and daily occupations. The cafe was practically deserted.
“But I-“
“Please?” Sonata asked, earnestly. “It doesn’t have to be a long one.”
“Yeah!” Pinkie added, popping up from under the table. “Like Wheels on the Bus is a good one.”
“Or you could do that one from last night,” Sunset said, innocently. “That was lovely.”
Adagio gave them all one last hopeful look that one of them would tell her not to, that she didn’t have to do it if she didn’t want to, but in vain. She took one last look at Sonata’s beaming face, and sighed.
“Fine,” she said, almost inaudibly. 





They all listened in complete silence as the sad melody took hold of them. Rainbow Dash sat back down, staring at Adagio as though entranced. Fluttershy offered Rarity a tissue as she dabbed demurely at her own cheeks, whilst Pinkie bit down on a wad of napkins as though fighting physical pain.
When she had finished, Adagio stood looking rather awkward in the silence. Then Rainbow Dash clapped.
“Wow,” she said, dumfounded. 
“Darling that was wonderful!” Rarity said tearfully. “Who knew you had such a talent?”
“You can sing,” Sonata said, thickly. Without preamble she leapt up and embraced her sister, taking Adagio quite by surprise. “Your voice was always so beautiful. Even when you were yelling at me.” Still pink in the face, Adagio put her arms around Sonata’s shoulders and allowed herself a smile in this affecting moment.
As may have been mentioned, the universe has an aversion to such tender moments, and this one found itself interrupted by a loud sound of running feet.
To everyone’s astonishment, a cloud of dust preceded the appearance of Trenderhoof, who appeared out of the cloud with his nose in the air, blonde hair shining, and half-moon glasses flashing excitedly.
“You!” he announced, dramatically. “It is you whom I have been looking for!”
Everyone took an involuntary step back as he eyed Adagio close up. Sunset saw that he had apparently dressed up for the occasion. Stylish yet casual attire in addition to what she was disgusted to see what appeared to be a hipster-ish jumper perched over a bright yellow dress shirt. Rarity’s hand immediately jumped to her hair.
“Um...” Adagio said, looking to the others for help. Sunset half hid her face with her hand as Trenderhoof ogled the siren.
“Yes, it is you whom I have heard every night! Your magical voice, it beckoned me here to-“ he drew out a business card. “Offer you a talent opportunity.” 
“A... what?” Adagio asked after a short pause.
“An opportunity, a chance!” he announced, holding the card up like an Olympic torch. “The pop world now, it lacks feeling, it lacks truth. It lacks honest, open hearted, soulful passion! You have that, I see it in you, yes I do.”
Sunset was caught between grimacing at what she saw as a thoroughly over the top performance, and laughing at Rarity’s look of mingled outrage and heartbreak. Applejack put an arm around her shoulders in a comradely way, trying not to grin too much.
“Wait, hang on,” Adagio said, trying to hold Trenderhoof at arm’s length. “What do you want?
“It’s simple,” Pinkie chuckled. “He wants to make you a singing star.”
“Oh is that what he said?” Sonata asked, looking genuinely puzzled. “I thought he said something about passion fruit soda.”
“Me?” Adagio asked, sounding as confused as Sonata.
“Yes, you!” Trenderhoof said eagerly. “And...” he paused, looking uncertain for the first time. “Also, I wonder if you might um, well, go out with me?” he produced a bunch of roses he’d been holding behind his back throughout his performance. 
“Uhh...”
“I think you should do it,” Sonata squeed excitedly. “The talent thing, I mean.”
“Oh definitely!” Pinkie agreed. “You could totally meet Sapphire Shores and give her this. She left it at the school last time she was there,” she explained, handing Adagio a dolphin key ring.
“Pinkie!” Rarity cried. “She did not leave that behind, she gave that to me!”
“I don’t think she did.”
“She definitely did!”
“Nuh uh.”
“Yuh huh!”
“Nuh uh.”
“Anyway,” Sunset Shimmer said in ringing tones, cutting Pinkie and Rarity short. She smiled encouragingly at Adagio, who again looked at Sonata.
“You think I should do it?” Sonata nodded, grinning. Adagio’s hesitation seemed to melt away.
“Okay, I’ll consider it,” she said to Trenderhoof. “But not that going out with you thing. At least not until you buy me dinner or something.”
Trenderhoof tossed the roses over his shoulder, looking a little crestfallen.
“Fair enough,” he shrugged. “Ladies and gentlemen, the latest in cultural talent! Watch out for her name and yours truly in all popular fashion magazines.”





The ride back to the city was hectic. The bus driver was almost crying as the seven of them hauled the mass of canvas rolls onto his bus, and kept having to be careful around turns as the weight threatened to topple the vehicle.
When Sunset and Sonata finally returned to their apartment complex, Sonata carrying her bag of artist supplies, Sunset was dog tired. Her plan and her lack of sleep had combined to practically knock her out on the ride back. She happily anticipated a cup of tea and an early night. What she hadn’t expected was for Sonata to put down her bag the moment they got inside, and then punch her in the upper arm.
“Ow!” Sunset cried, more surprised than hurt. “What did you do-?” but she was cut off as Sonata hugged her. “Err...” Sunset muttered, more confused than ever.
“Thank you.” Sonata whispered.
“For what?” Sunset asked, genuinely bemused. Sonata pulled away and gave her a knowing stare.
“Don’t play dumb with me, Silly Shimmy,” Sonata said, coyly. “I know I’m not the sharpest chord in the instrumental, but I’m not any crumbs short of a cupcake.” Sunset blinked.
“Sharpest what-who now?”
“I know you did something today,” Sonata said wagging her forefinger. “I don’t know what it was,” she said severely. “But it was really sweet of you to help Adagio out,” she finished in a warmer tone, smiling. Sunset avoided her eye and hoped her face wasn’t changing colour.
“I don’t know what you mean,” she said, innocently. 
“All the same, thank you,” Sonata giggled, kissing her on the cheek. “If you’ll excuse me though, I think I’ll start painting now. I’ve got so many sketches I want to colour in.”
Sunset stood there for a few moments, all thoughts of her tiredness gone. She fingered the place on her cheek where Sonata had kissed her, feeling the heat rise there. Then she fell back to Earth with an unpleasant bump.
“Wait, painting?” she yelped. “Wait! You have to put paper down first!


- To be Continued