60 - Watch Your Song
As Spike gave his accounting of the events, Lilac gestured with a subtle flick of her head for Sonata to come with her. She led Sonata out of the court room to a smaller adjourning room that had little in it but a small writing desk. "We need to speak."
Sonata perked her newly restored ears, "What about? Is this about the dazzlers again?"
Lilac shook her head as she settled to her haunches, "This is about you. You are in significant danger of becoming a deeptide horse, lost to the forces of the waves and giving up the land. I have never seen a sea horse so close to that deadly line before."
Sonata looked perplexed, tilting her head a little, "I don't get it. What do you mean?"
Lilac produced a book and unfolded it, showing a picture of a sea horse and a creature like a siren, with the hindlegs of a fish's fins and terrible teeth. "The one on the right is a deeptide horse. I was told you were like this when you were first found. And yet, here you are, as a sea horse."
"What's wrong with that one?" asked Sonata, pointing at the one on the right, "That's how I used to look all the time."
Lilac cocked a brow before frowning, "Did you live with others, or only your 'sisters'?"
Sonata considered this a moment as her eyes wandered the small room. "I guess not. We were only around others when they were under our control," she explained. "Is that bad?"
"You will lose yourself," cautioned Lilac. "If you want to be more than a siren, you have to give that up." She raised a hoof and placed it on Sonata's chest, "You deserve to be a person, not a monster. Though you did not choose your path, it has given you a chance at redemption. Surrender the influence of the deep tide and you can be more than that."
Sonata pouted at this, "But being a siren is... me. I've never not been a siren before."
"Is that true?" asked Lilac.
Sonata opened her mouth to fire a quick retort when a thought came to her, "Oh... no. Twilight broke our pendants and we were just girls for a while."
Lilac gave a soft nod, "You have lived without it before, and you can again, if you want it."
Sonata shook her head quickly, "No way! I don't want to be some powerless twerp. I'll be good, please! That's, like, half the reason I want to stay here. This world is so full of magic."
Lilac was still for a moment, silence building before she replied, "You don't have to give up being an enchantress. The magic is there, inside of you. You just have to learn to reach with your own hooves instead of relying on the monster, the siren, to do it. I would ask that you follow the law of the land."
Sonata waved a hoof, "Yea, I'll be good, I said that. We're cool right?"
"It is not cool in here," said Lilac with mild confusion, "Since you know Twilight and her friends, why don't you remain with them for now. They know where you have come from, and will help you where you need to go."
Sonata spun around and fumbled with the doorknob, having long forgotten how to get a good grip with her hooves, "Ok, yea. I'll make friendly with them. How does this thing work?"
Lilac showed her how to use her two hooves together. "Many just grasp it in their mouth, if they don't have fingers and are not a unicorn, which you are not."
"Ew," replied Sonata quickly. With pride she turned the knob and was out into the hallway, "Thanks for the chat!" She was off at a light trot back to the court room, with Lilac not far behind.
The court room was full of murmurs as the two returned to their post. Long Road whispered to Sonata, "Everything alright?" Sonata quickly nodded at him with a smile. "Good. If you meant what you said, you're under our protection until your sisters are subdued." Soft Mane and Spike nodded in agreement with this. Pinkie Pie startled before joining the nod herself.
"What are we nodding about?" asked Pinkie.
Sonata giggled and wrapped a hoof over Pinkie's withers, hugging her briefly.
The sound of a gavel brought all their attentions back to where Lilac was seated. "Have all testimonies been heard?"
"Yes," came the terse reply.
"Excellent," said Lilac, "I motion that we attempt to cleanse any guards that show up on our door, but we send the outlaws away to hide. If they are not here, we can honestly say we do not know where they are. No Seeker need suffer, or be thrown to the wolves. If they can clear their names, all the better. While we cannot officially sanction attacks on castle grounds, if the sirens should cease to be an issue, we will not complain."
Most of the crowd was mollified at the resolution, nodding. One voice rang out, "What about the siren right here?"
"I see no siren," said Lilac. "I see a sea horse, and she will go with the outlaws and prove her intentions. When this matter is behind us, the Seekers have their door open to talented enchantresses, that do not use their power against the Queen's governance." There were grumbles and whispers, but no further objections came. With a strike of her gavel, Lilac announced, "It is settled. Returners of the Dawn, the court does not wish to see you until this matter is clear. Be gone from our sight and do not return until then."
Swift stepped forward, "And I?"
Lilac nodded at Swift, "You know how to lay low, Swift Strike. I dare say you are better at it than most others here. Vanish until this issue is behind us. Your students will miss you, but it's better you are gone than arrested."
Swift clapped his talons together with a loud report, "As you wish it, guild master."
With the court dismissed, they all left the room. They separated as Swift Strike went to his own room and the group, plus Sonata, went to where the group's rooms were together. As they started gathering their things, Sonata asked, "So what's the plan?"
Soft Mane had her backpack filled and ready. She spun in place to face Sonata, "First we need to know if you're really with us."
Sonata looked confused, "I'm standing right here. Where else do you think I am?"
Spike snorted softly, "Nah, she means if you're on our side."
Sonata nodded quickly, "If it means I can do my own thing, yes. I'm tired of being the third wheel on their little 'plans'. They never work out anyway."
Long Road looked at Sonata a moment before nodding. "You don't have evil in your heart. We're a family here. We stick together, through thick and thin, together. If one of us is hurt, the others protect and heal. If one is in trouble, we rescue, which is what we plan to do for Twilight." They had their meager possessions and marched out towards the exit of the guild hall. Others watched them from the side hallways, peering as they walked out. It would be the last they saw of the guild hall for a little while.
Sonata walked alongside her new friends, smiling and looking cheerful, "So what do you do for fun?"
"Right now," said Spike, "We find a room to stay in." He raised a claw to point at a hostel not far ahead labeled 'Bed Mane' with a picture of a pony with a frazzled mane, "That one looks as good as any other."
The inside was airy and well lit, with a soft smell of jasmine in the air. There was a lanky stallion behind the counter with a mane that looked as frazzled as the sign out front. "Welcome!" he bade. "How can we help you? Are you all looking for a room? We have a group room open, breakfast and dinner included, only ten gold pieces a day."
Long Road winced softly at the price before he gave a snort, "Beggars can't be choosers. We'll take it." He reached into a pouch and drew out a platinum coin in his teeth, placing it on the counter.
"A high roller," said the stallion, "Here are your keys." A set of five keys were set on the counter, "It's upstairs, second door on the right. You can pay up to a week in advance if you like, but no refunds. Enjoy your stay!"
Sonata trotted up towards the counter as she asked, "Is it too late to get breakfast?"
The stallion shook his head, raising a hoof to point towards the common area, "The breakfast buffet is still stocked and ready. Enjoy yourself, ma'am."
Sonata squealed with delight and rushed off to get a snack as the others unloaded in their new room. Soft Mane came down a moment later to join Sonata, "Anything good?"
Sonata paused in devouring everything on her plate, "S'all right! You should try the salmon."
Soft Mane shuddered, "Fish? And for breakfast?" She moved past Sonata, "Crazy sea horses." She piled her own plate high with baked oats and a little scrambled eggs with a side of kale before she joined the newest member of the team, "So, Sonata was it?"
"Sonata Dusk," offered Sonata, "Soft Mane, right? Is it soft?"
Soft snickered before she got to nibbling, "I've been told so, but I'm a lousy judge of how soft my own hair is. Just to get this out of the way, Spike is mine. He's my knight, he said so."
Sonata tilted her head, "He was a dog before. You can have him." She stuck out her tongue in distaste before gobbling up the rest of her plate.
"You have a little something..." said Soft, pointing at Sonata. The food was removed with a swipe of a long tongue, "Nasty... and I don't care if he was a dog, he's currently my knight. Ok?"
Sonata nodded and set her plate aside before raising and approaching the drink bar, "I won't take him away from you. Besides, I could have, like, any boy I wanted."
"Any?" asked Soft skeptically.
Sonata nodded, "Any." Then she poured out some orange juice into a glass before carefully setting the pitcher down, "Oh man, how many lips have been on this handle? I miss fingers."
Soft grinned softly, "I have a wager for you."
Sonata stopped her complaining and looked at Soft, "Wager?"
Soft nodded, "A hundred coin says you can't get Long Road."
Sonata blinked softly, "That donkey? Not my usual taste."
Soft held up a hand, "You said anyone."
Sonata frowned, "I don't want to get in trouble again... He'll get angry, or someone else will."
Soft's expression softened as she nodded, "I guess, sorry, ok, fifty on that stallion." she pointed at the unkempt stallion behind the counter.
Sonata nodded quickly, "Deal. I'll have him wrapped around my... hoof before the day's over."
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Great Chapter!
Don't really see Sonata as a permanent member of the team but who knows your story, oh and again great chapter. I have to say that bet will either go super wrong, kinda wrong, kinda right or if you are feeling funny, super right. Either way I can't help but feel Soft is subconsciously playing matchmaker here.
5540088 This pleases Lashtada!
Ooo. Did the Oracle of Love almost send a Sorceress to interfere with Twu Wuv? Naughty.
And I expect Sonata will cry tears of joy when she finds out she can cast Mage Hand(And cry when she finds out about Unseen Servant and her lack of it)? I do hope she stays, it seems like there'd be a ton of interesting character interactions to be had. Pinkie meets her Soul Sister! Twilight has to deal with an old enemy with a broken moral compass! Softie deals with suddenly being the second most charismatic character! Long Road eats a sandwich!
Do you intend to do sheets just for the main characters, or will we eventually see ones for other characters? I strongly maintain that Rarity is a rogue.
5540374 There's a lot that can go wrong with that sandwich. I think we're going to need a chapter dedicated to this.
I'm not likely to do sheets for ponies that don't enter Everglow, since they don't have the same stats back in Equestria anyway.
Huh. Well, that's a very interesting interplanar conversion. Though now I'm worried about what may happen to Twilight when Aria and Adagio cross that line... or if they already have.
The Seekers' decision was probably the best option, really.
And Sonata has joined the party! And between her, Soft Mane, and Pinkie... Yeah, they'd best rescue Twilight quick, before those three drive Long Road insane.
5541160 It's just amusing because Everglow has these two things, the sea horses, which are civilized folk with four hooves and are good at swimming, and then there are Deeptide horses, which are sea horses lost to the waves, which lose their backlegs and become quite vicious.
It worked out deliciously perfectly. I love when a plan comes together(especially since I made the campaign book a year before the movie appeared).
5540088 Not sure I ever asked, but why are/were you against Sonata being around?
5596571 No reason really!
I just felt she through off the group's dynamics, And well the other reason was I really wanted a new character for the next member of the Returners of Dawn. You know a new face.
I also felt just did not take to the Dazzlings that much, great as villeins but other then that did not like em in any other role. Maybe if it was done in great fashion (I am not saying you can't do it or what to do with your story. I can not stress that enough) I'd like it. But now I feel reform em and thean be done with em. Don't get me wrong I loved, and still love Sunset Shimmer but the Dazzlings never grew on me that much. After they are reformed I did not see the point of continuing with them I felt it was better to just move on. But that is just my opinion.
They
5607499 Fixed.
You will lose yourself," cautioned Lilac. "If you want to be more than a siren, you have to give that up." She raised a hoof and placed it on Lilac's chest
Lilac put hoof on Lililac's chest, tis super effective .
5652812 All fixed! Hope you're enjoying the story.
Yay, Sonata's going good...or at least neutral. Let's hope it sticks...
She led Sonata out of
The inside was airy and well lit,
You can pay up to a week in advance if you like,
5997821 Sonata is no longer shamed by these typos.
I can just imagine the scene around the table going something like this:
: Ok guys, sorry about flaking out last session but family comes first. What did I miss?
:Really guys? REALLY!? I'm gone for one session. ONE. And you guys let my character get enchanted, you fail to get her back, aaaaaand you get kicked out of the guild hall. Is there any good news?
: I recruited a new party member. Remember that one shot we did a while back?
:You have got to be kidding me.
*DM passes Twilight a card*
6018216 This whole fic gets better if you imagine it in those lines.
Soft Mane is about to become 50gp more poor.
I can only imagine what would be her reaction if she saw the dog Spike. He himself would probably be ashamed.
You surely should try the salmon, Soft Mane! Ponies For The Eating of Tasty Animals!
Should be jasmine. (Unless the singer-songwriter has a distinct smell that you are referring to, in which case it's a proper noun and should have a capital J, but that seems pretty unlikely.)