//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: She Makes Me Smille // by Sun Aura //------------------------------// Sonata and her sisters could see everything so clearly the moment those girls, a band called ‘the Rainbooms’, had overloded their Gems. It disrupted their Magic Channel, shattered their Desire, and not knowing what to do, they ran. It took a few days to come to terms with it all. The realization of the last three and a half years crashed down on them. It was strange, terrifying, and filled with guilt. Everything they’d done, and everything they had tried to do, wanted to do. Everything they would have done, with no regret on their Heart. They tried not to argue on how to move forward. Of course, each had her own ideas of what they should do now, but none of them wanted any arguing anymore. The Desire may be gone, but some things were muscle memory. There were too many words, things that they never wanted to say again, when they argued. So they decided to start over. Despite being mad with Desire, they had been smart. They’d used their Magic to fake paperwork, to secure a future here. After all, until the past few months, they’d never thought they’d be able to go back to Equestria. According to the paperwork, they were the Calypso sisters, three girls orphaned by a fire a year and a half ago. Both the name and the fire were false, but it explained why three teens were without parents and paperwork. Adagio had turned eighteen then, and the law considered her Legal Guardian to her sisters, thankfully allowing them to side step the foster care system without using more Magic. It only worked on people because of their Magic. They couldn’t make people believe them, but they could intensify their Desire. A Desire to believe the truth. Desire worked on their landlord to, playing into his generosity and Desire to help out a trio of what he believed were recent orphans. Only Magic could get a man to sign a contract where he gives them a large home for pretty much free and pay for utilities. Even with their spell now broken, the contract kept the house in their name and the bills in his. Money had been similar, intensifying a Desire to give either free food or cash. And for other items, well, even if they hadn’t had the cash, some employees were already so desperate for a sale. Add a bit of Magic, and suddenly discounts are added too. The most worrying thing, overall, was money itself. They had enough to last a while, more if they sold off things they’d bought a while back, but were now filed with disgust upon seeing. And they could get real jobs, if they tried. Though their voices would never be the same, they still had enough Musical talent to work elsewhere in the business. That is, if any of them could bring themselves to sing. Surprisingly, even after all that had happened, they were still registered at Canterlot High. They hadn’t realized until Adagio picked up her phone the Monday after. Sonata didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but she couldn’t help but hear them. “Hello there, Miss Dazzle,” a voice she recognized as the school’s Principal greeted. “We are calling because it seems that you and your sisters have been marked absent. If you’re sick or had a family emergency, please send in a note as too many unexcused absences can result in detent-” “You know damn well why we’re not there,” Adagio shouted. Well, she tried to shout, but her voice was still recovering. “I assure you, I have no idea what you mean,” the Principal’s all too sweet voice rang out. “Cut the crap,” she croaked out. “I know you know what we are. So why not leave us alone?” “Many reasons,” she replied. “First off, as Principal, I have a duty to see why our students are not in class. Secondly, there are six other students who have asked about getting your address to check up on you. While that is obviously against the law, I’m supposed to call you anyway.” “Why would any of them care,” she said. “And why would you? Why not just erase us from your records? You know what we are. We. Don’t. Exist. Here. We tore you apart, why try and see what happened to us?” “True,” she answered. “Yet, you also know that we recently had an Interdimensional Unicorn turn into a Demon and destroy the school. Not to mention said Interdimensional Unicorn and an Interdimensional Alicorn Princess giving Magic to five of our Human students that has caused a fair amount of shenanigans since then.” “What does that have to do with-” she began. “You don’t have to leave,” she cut her off, her voice becoming a lot more serious. “You do have the option to come back, to fix things. That door is always open. Many doors are still open for you, even if you think they can’t be.” Adagio worked her mouth for a moment, trying to come up with a proper response. “Of course,” the Principal said, switching back to formally upbeat, “I understand that you might fear repercussions from your fellow students. If you wish, we could switch you and your siblings to our online courses. While they’re not as sociable as classes, you will still be able to finish your Senior Year as normal. Naturally you will have to come to campus for standardized tests, but otherwise you can keep from returning while also getting your education.” Eventually, she had agreed to that deal. It worked, for a while. Or at least, it gave them something to do other than dwell on all they’d destroyed. Even so, that dwelling was still there. It took months for them to break. The thing that did it was feeling Equestiran Magic again. Not just those six and whatever grand powers they possessed, but normal Magics. Sonata had seen it first, a girl in the mall had grown pony ears and a Unicorn horn, deciding to levitate the many bags of her shopping spree. The others didn’t quite believe her until they saw a girl with Pony ears and Pegasus wings fly by their second story window. They couldn’t ignore it, because they could no longer pretend to be Human. That’s what Sonata had been doing. She pretended it wasn’t real, that the lie of the Calypso Sisters was the truth. That they’d never let their Desire run wild. But that only worked in a world without Magic. She could still feel every pulse of energy, every spell, and every spike of emotion. Yet that hurt the worst, as she felt so empty. It wasn’t a hunger, like Desire had been. It was hollow. Every time she tried to sing she felt it. Her voice had healed, yet it held no Magic.  She was like a hornless Unicorn, or a Pegasai without wings. A part of her was locked away from her, and it made her throat feel as raw as it had the night her Soul Gem had shattered. ‘Many doors are still open for you.’ She wasn’t sure how the meeting was set up, but eventually Sonata found herself and her sisters at Canterlot High long after students should have gone home. Seven remained. Thankfully, they only sent one to talk, the rest hanging back in a clear ‘just in case you try something’ message. Why did they send this one? Wouldn’t the Princess-no, that wasn’t her. It was a Counterpart, one they’d never met, never fought. Six humans, all looking to the Unicorn to lead. The Unicorn, Sunset Shimmer she remembered, heard them out. She knew a little too much, or at least more about Sirens than most Unicorns should know. The questions she asked were just the kind that made her flinch, a combination of fear and guilt running though her as Adagio answered for them. When asked why they wanted to go back, they all had the same answer. Despite everything else, the feeling of not belonging, the emptiness of their lost Soul Gems, and any other reason, they all had the same one. To fix what they did. They had been sent home while Sunset went off to discuss this with the Equestrian Princesses. It took a while, almost like a court case. Even with Sunset giving them hopeful updates, they were sure they’d be imprisoned for their crimes, even factoring in their Desire. They’d accepted it too. Yet, a few days later, they were told the verdict. The three of them had been kids when they were last in Equestria. Even Adagio was still underage at the time, though just by a few days, and so they were tried as such. Naturally, all three protested. They’d done plenty in this world, where they were all adults under Equestrian Law. But that was the thing. While they had done terrible things with Desire in this world, none was technically illegal. So for three underage Sirens, mad with Desire, had already more than served their punishment in the form of banishment. All three Sirens protested, of course. Their ‘banishment’ had been Princess Celestia’s only option, and even though they were in another world, that world hadn’t been a prison, it had been near a paradise. They deserved at least something. In the end, Sunset and the Princesses came to a compromise with them. Something called a ‘reformation program’. They could go back to Equestria, but under mild supervision. And part of that supervision was to report to both Sunset Shimmer and the ‘Princess of Friendship’. They didn’t pack much. Clothes were unnecessary in Equestria, and most entertainment items needed to be plugged in. Even phones and hand-held games would run out of battery soon enough. Even small trinkets were hard to want, knowing what they’d done to get them. Soon enough, they stood in front of a statue, it’s surface rippling, more like water than stone. The only items that had made it through packing were musical. There were a few instruments, ones they knew worked in Equestria. Some were CDs, songs they’d liked from other artists. However, there were a few folders, shoved to the bottom of the bags, filled with Music. Their Music, songs they’d been writing. And part of Sonata felt sick reading through them, the Desire in them so strong she could feel it. Yet, as terrible as it was, it was a part of her. She couldn’t let go of it, just because she hated what she felt when she wrote it. There were eight now, but only seven were saying goodbye. Sonata hadn’t expected anyone to be there to say goodbye, or at least not a goodbye that felt more like ‘Until next time’ and not ‘Good riddance’. Adagio told Sunset that their place, the house they owned in this world, was open to them if needed. They wouldn’t be needing it, but there was too much to not go to waste. After that, they stepped through the portal. Sonata had forgotten what it was like, going through the Portal. It wasn’t something she’d ever do enough times to get used to the way her body twisted and pulled as the colors flew by. The three Sirens sort of fell over on one another as they went from two legs to four. Untangling themselves, Sonata was all too aware of the insults on the tip of her tongue, the words Aria barely stopped herself from repeating once again. Feeling the Magic in the air, it only made her remember what was missing. She brought her hoof to her chest, automatically trying to feel her Soul Gem, yet there was only blue fur. Looking around, Sonata found a library. Five mares and a teenage Dragon sitting at a table, though none with books. They all greeted the Princess of Friendship, a tall purple Alicorn, before all looked to them. Sonata was a little afraid of the rainbow-maned Pegasus. She looked somewhere between angry and skeptical, almost looking for a reason to fight. The Earth Pony in the hat looked similar, though a little more calm. She seemed less likely to come up and punch her. The Dragon was an odd one out in the room, but he was between boredom and interested amusement, an odd combination, but it meant he was waiting for something to happen. The white Unicorn was beautiful, and seemed to have an easier time looking welcoming. On the other hoof, she could see that the yellow Pegasus was trying, despite fear. Though that fear looked more natural than situational. Then there was the Pink Earth Pony. Her color and energy nearly dominated the room, only kept in check by the Princess’s Aura of Power and Leadership. As the mare bounced in place, waiting to ask her own questions, and Sonata stared as the mare’s curls bounced even more than the mare herself. Stars, the fluff of that mane could rival Adagio’s. “So what’s the plan?” Adagio spoke up. “You mentioned a place to stay and jobs. I doubt you looked far, so where are we going?” “Nowhere,” the Princess said. “Come again?” she raised an eyebrow. “The ‘plan’, for now, is for you to stay in Ponyville,” she answered. “I asked around town for job openings, so you can all start that in the next few days.” “And a place to live?” Aria asked. “Here, again for now,” she answered. “The castle has a lot of empty bedrooms to stay in, and while I technically could do it, I’m not going to use my power as Princess to get you a free house. I told you we have some jobs lined up, so until you are back on your hooves and able to get a place of your own, you can stay here. The only catch is that some of your paycheck will involve contributing to groceries.” “And that whole ‘supervision’ bit?” Adagio asked. “You mentioned- “Twilight!” the pink mare had cut her off with something near loving exasperation. “There’s a lot of time tomorrow morning to explain things to them. We have more important things to do! How often do I get to throw a ‘Welcome to Ponyville and We’re Glad You’re Trying to be Better!’ party?” “Very often,” the Princess, Twilight, answered, giving the mare a deadpan stare. “Luna, Discord, Trixie, Starlight, Sunset got two, all of the Changelings-” “Okay....” she said, thinking of a new reason. “But never for Sirens!” The princess let out a sigh, rubbing her temples. Judging by the others, this was a common occurrence. Soon enough, she relented, which sent the pink mare into a squeal of glee. Now, Sonata was sure she had to have walked somewhere, or have had someone pull her down a hall, or even had someone teleport her into a different room. Yet, it seemed that without moving herself or even getting the flipping feeling of a teleport, she was in the middle of a party. It looked like another room entirely, though the crystal walls still suggested she was in the castle. A large group of ponies was already enjoying the company and the music, as if the party had been in full swing before she arrived. If that were true, she’d have to congratulate the castle on its soundproofing, as she really should have been able to hear the music that blasted out of the speakers. Unsure what to do, Sonata wandered through the crowd. The Ponies around her looked familiar, oddly unsurprisingly. They were all counterparts to those she’d seen in town, in that school. It didn’t matter much, as both would be strangers to her. Though the Ponies did have a little bit of an advantage, as they didn’t know what all she’d done. Even so, Sonata felt lost. She didn’t know what to do at parties like this. In the past, before Desire, they’d be small parties. Birthday celebrations with friends or something, where it was basically just her and her sisters and a few friends hanging out like normal, except there was an excuse to eat a lot of sugary junk food. Then Desire took her. After that, she’d been to parties like this. Yet, she was either the entertainment instead of a guest, or too focused on Desire and making the guests adore her to truly socialize with anyone. Wandering mostly, she end up by a snack table, grabbing a few pastries. They were delicious, and doubly familiar. They had the familiarity of Equestrian food, though she still found it odd that even food tastes different between worlds. But it also tasted like the ones from a bakery she liked, back in the Human world. She’d stopped going there after… after everything had happened. A lot of students went to that bakery too, and the idea of running into them kept her away, even with the occasional cravings. Perhaps this world had the same bakery. It’d be nice to be able to get real baked goods again. “Hi!” Sonata jumped, realizing she’d been so far in thought that she hadn’t noticed someone come up to her. It was the pink mare, the one with the mane she was really tempted to play with. Bright blue eyes stared at her with a lovely smile, and Sonata couldn’t put together a thought. “Hi,” Sonta managed to say. “I’m Pinkie Pie,” the mare introduced. “And don’t worry, I already know your name! So, how are you doing? Are you having fun? If you want food suggestions, I’d go with the Royal Element Cupcakes!” “I’m good,” she said, trying to answer all her questions. “I’m not sure about the ‘fun’ part yet, but which cupcakes?” “These ones!” she answered, pulling her over to a table with, well, cupcakes. “Mrs. Cake made the original one, the strawberry flavored one with the sugar tiara and sun, but they were called ‘Princess Cupcakes’ back then!” “Because the cake and colors of the frosting look like Princess Celestia?” she wondered, looking where she pointed. “That’s how she designed them!”she nodded. “We added a bunch more since, a few of my own recipes. Now there’s also blueberry, crystal berry, rosy lavender, blackberry, cotton candy with rock candy pieces, almond, applecake, butterscotch, lemon raspberry, and even rainbow flavor!” “Rainbow as in multi-flavor?” she asked. “Nope,” she shook her head, causing her mane to keep bouncing even after she stopped. “Rainbow as in the liquid rainbows they make in the weather factory in Cloudsdale! Be careful, they’re spicy.” “That must’ve been hard to make,” she frowned, tilting her head. “It was,” she said, despite giggling at the memory. “I couldn’t use actual rainbow since, you know, even though it’s technically edible it’s hard to bake with because as soon as you start mixing it you just get a kinda brown-ish color. So I had to find the right spices and still balance that and the sweet! “Though that wasn’t the hardest,” she sighed in amused exasperation. “Of course, I had to be testing out a batch when Pumpkin and Pound walked in. It takes forever to calm down terrified toddlers, and even then I had to drag Rainbow Dash into the shop to prove to them that I didn’t kill my friend and turn her into a batch of cupcakes.” As Sonata looked over the cupcakes again, she did notice that the one with rainbow-colored frosting had a blue color for the cake that resembled the Pegasus from before. In fact, most of the cupcakes here resembled a Pony she’d seen earlier. Before she could pick a cupcake, Sonata felt Pinkie pulling her elsewhere. “I have an idea!” Pinkie exclaimed. “Come dance with me!” “What?” Sonata said, raising her voice as the music grew louder. “I’m not- I’m not the best dancer! I mean, I can dance if I know the choreography, but I can’t just make up anything and look good. If you want, Aria’s our choreographer, or Dagi’s better at improvising. They’d be-” “Silly,” she rolled her eyes with a smile. “Dancing at a party isn’t about ‘looking good’, it’s about having fun! And you can’t be any worse than Twilight! Just one dance? Please?” “O-okay,” she relented. Despite her hesitation, she let herself be dragged closer to the speakers. They weaved between ponies, all too interested in their dance to notice the pair bumping into them. Sonata wasn’t sure how anyone could dance, with bodies so close, but Pinkie managed to find a small clearing for the two of them. As the song started up, she tried a few moves she remembered. None felt ‘right’ for the moment, sometimes too off tempo, and other times just wrong for the emotion of the lyrics. It was awkward, and part of her wanted to quietly slip away. “It’s okay!” Pinkie assured her, shouting over the speakers. “Listen to the rhythm and follow my lead! Don’t focus on how you look, just have fun!” She tried, but like most dance party songs, the tempo was too fast. It amazed her how Pinkie kept up with the tempo while she struggled to match her speed. Every time Sonata could catch up to what Pinkie was doing, the mare was already on the next move. At the end of the song, she realized something. Pinkie repeated her movements when the song did. She took the same steps for the chorus each time it appeared. The verses were less predictable, but that was memorable. As the next song started up, Sonata kept with her original plan, being a move behind. But as the song’s chorus began, she focused on Pinkie’s new movements, memorizing them. The next verse was still a move behind, but the next chorus was different. Each move matched in sync with the beat, not even a fraction of a second behind. It reminded her of Sight Reading, but for dancing. She only had one shot to memorize something she’d never seen before preforming it herself. Somehow, even though the verses were still unpredictable, Sonata felt like she was getting closer at following her lead. And of course, each chorus matched one another perfectly. She didn’t notice how many songs she danced to, but it was far more than she had expected to. In fact, she hadn’t really realized how much they’d been dancing until Pinkie dragged her away again. This time, she headed to a bar that had been set up at the side of the room. “You shouldn’t overwork your fun,” Pinkie said before turning to the purple mare behind the bar. “Two glasses of water please!” “Thanks,” Sonata sighed as the mare delivered the drinks. It’s easy to forget how good an ice cold glass of water can be, but sometimes it comes rushing back. A good long while of nonstop dancing is one of those times. With the glass nearly drained, she only now realized how sore her muscles were. How long had they been dancing? She wasn’t quite sure. It felt like minutes, but at the same time it felt like it had been more than a day since she stepped through the portal. At the very least, it should be night. Maybe even well into the night, since they’d left in the evening. “Do you want something else?” Pinkie offered. “Usually I wouldn’t suggest alcohol, I don’t like being drunk or the aftertaste even if it’s Apple Family Hard Cider, but you probably haven’t gotten to try some. I mean, Twi let us help on the whole ‘legal case’ bit of you coming back, and the file said you were underage back then, and the other world has a different age for drinking, so you haven’t, right?” “I never thought about that,” Sonata admitted. “We probably could’ve used our Magic to convince someone to let us buy some, and I know there were chances at some of the parties we went to, but I never did. Not sure if Aria or Dagi did, but I didn’t.” “Do you want to try something?” she asked. “I wouldn’t know what to choose,” she said. “Don’t worry,” she said. “Berry’s good with this kind of thing. She’ll pick something perfect! Though probably with, like, half the alcohol than usual since it’s your first time.” Pinkie flagged down the purple mare once more to order. The purple mare, Berry she guessed, nodded and whipped up a drink quickly. It was colorful, and smelled rather fruity. Tentatively taking a sip, she found that it tasted as fruity as it smelled and decently sweet. Although, as she took a proper drink, she realized what Pinkie meant about the aftertaste. It sort of stayed in the back of her throat for a minute, kind of bitter and sour. “So, how was it?” Pinkie asked. “I don’t think I’d order more for just the taste,” Sonata answered. Even so, she kept drinking it. Perhaps just because it was something else to do. Just moments ago she was excited, exhilarated, and wanting to talk more. Yet just a small sentence, and she fell quiet again. “What’s wrong?” Pinkie asked. “Nothing,” Sonata sighed, realizing she was out of drink to distract herself with. “Just… you said you read my file, right?” “Well, yeah,” she nodded. “I mean, Twi and Sunny thought we might need a lot to go through hoops so that you three wouldn’t be really punished, and I have a tendency to, as Twilight puts it, ‘think so far outside the box it creates a new box’. So she brought me in to look for loopholes and stuff, and I pointed out the Underage thing and the fact that you were banished without trial, which kinda cancels everything out in a way. Well, not exactly, but Twi’s better at legal talk.” “At least you didn’t have to cross-examine a parrot,” she mumbled. “But… are you okay with that? Just-just everything I did and tried to do. You’re not… scared or anything?” There was a moment of pause, and she wondered if pointing it out had given her the realization of it wall.  Yet, somehow, Pinkie broke into giggles. “I nearly forgot you’re new here!” Pinkie snorted with laughter. “I forgot you were new during your own ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ party!” “What does that have to do with anything?” Sonata demanded. “Well, it’s just-,” she explained, stifling her giggles as much as she could. “Like, Princess Luna tried to bring Eternal Night Twice, Discord let his Chaos run wild and temporarily helped Tirek take over the world, Sunset stole the Element of Magic and became a Demon, Starlight accidentally started a cult and then used time travel to spite us and accidentally destroyed the world a dozen times, and the Changelings invaded Canterlot and then their second attack was to kidnap everyone important and replace them with a fake! “And that’s just the world-wide disasters!” she went on. “Here in Ponyville we’ve had everything from Diamond and Silver bullying their classmates to Trixie using an ancient artefact to enslave the town! Even my friends have gone nuts! Twi used a Want It Need It spell to make the town tear itself apart just for a school assignment, Rarity spent the day making everything ‘more fabulous’ by encasing Ponies in crystal sculptures, Rainbow managed to crash the weather factory, Flutters infested the town with Parasprites, and that’s just what I can think of off the top of my head! Yet, everyone’s all forgiven and friends now.” “That’s….” Sonata tried to find a word. “Insane. That’s insane.” “That’s Ponyville for you,” Pinkie shrugged. “You kinda know everything’s going to blow up eventually, but you might as well enjoy the ride. That said, your situation is more like when Spike went Berserk with Greed and began destroying the town to start up his hoard.” “Spike’s the Dragon, right?” she asked. “A Dragon’s Greed is a lot like a Siren’s Desire.” “Well, greed and desire sound similar,” she nodded. “They’re… connected, even just in definition,” she agreed. “Greed is more just wanting in general, while Desire is more specific. A Dragon’s Greed causes them to become monsters that ramps up their hoarding tendencies until they’re taking anything and everything they can. “A Siren’s Desire…”, she continued. “Well, firstly it’s part of our Magic. Like-like how Changelings take in Love, we take in Desire to use our Magic. But if our own Desire goes too far, we go mad, Berserk, like Dragons. Although we’re more coherent. We don’t become monsters, at least not physically. We usually work toward our original Desire, but it's never enough.” “Never enough?” she asked. “Desire comes from somewhere,” she explained. “I can’t quite…. Everything from the past few years is a bit fuzzy, you know? I can’t remember exactly what it was that started it, but I remember something about wanting to be loved, or wanting to be able to love? I’m not sure, but with Desire, even if we got the love we originally wanted, it wouldn’t be enough. It just fed our Desire, and we ended up wanting to be loved and adored by everyone, which led us to try and replace the Pony who gets the most love and adoration.” “Celestia,” Pinkie guessed. “And then she sent you to the other world, and then you kinda survived over there, and then all the stuff Twi told us about with the battle of the bands.” “Yeah,” Sonata nodded. “Maybe I will take that second drink.” “Bad idea,” she said. “Drinking because you’re upset is a very bad idea. I’m not going to stop you, but I’ll remind you that it’s better to talk out what you’re upset about. A lot healthier in body and mind, you know?” “Yeah,” she took a breath. “I just keep thinking of everything I did. If… You read the files, you know more of the story. If anyone here heard what I did…” “They wouldn’t care,” she shrugged. “I told you, this is Ponyville. They’re used to being the testing grounds for Ponies trying to change their lives for the better. It’s the town of second chances and Friendship. Sure, if we announced what exactly you all did, some of them would be a lot less open to friendliness. But this whole thing is a process. You’ve already gone through realization and wanting to fix things, so next is working toward fixing those you hurt.” “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to apologize to everyone,” she shook her head. “The three of us already… we weren’t good to each other under Desire, and we’ve worked on that. But there’s a lot of Ponies, Humans, and who knows what else that were in between.” “Well, it’s probably not too bad,” she said. “Twi said your Magic doesn’t control others, just raises Desire. So technically they only did things they wanted to do.” “It doesn’t work like that,” she said. “I mean, it does. We were heightening their Desire, but usually there are lines you don’t cross. Think about things you’ve wanted to do, but know it’s a bad idea. Maybe you’ll get hurt, maybe it’ll hurt someone else, so you don’t do it. But with your Desire up, that line becomes less of a limit and more like just a line.” “Maybe,” she mused. “Maybe Desire could make you want to ignore that line. But there’s still the choice to ignore the line.” “You haven’t seen it in action,” she shook her head. “Well….” she trailed off. She looked over Sonata’s shoulder, as if she were making sure no one could hear her. Sonata couldn’t imagine who. Maybe the Princess had warned her not to talk about something. Maybe Pinkie just liked being dramatic. “I kinda did?” Pinkie said. “Not in the way you think, but, well, my Counterpart in the Human World and I are, like, extra connected or something and able to dream one another's memories, but I'm also a lucid Dreamer. So sometimes when I dream we can talk to each other and share memories. I got to see her memory of the Battle of the Bands thing.” “Really?” Sonata wondered. “How does that even work?” “Ask Twi and Luna,” she shrugged. “Anyway, you made the students Desire to win the competition, so they slipped past their ‘line’ into sabotage and jeering. But they didn’t slip past the line into things that could be long-term. Easiest way to take out a band is a wrist injury for the guitarist. Yet the worst that happened was Trixie locking my Counterpart’s band in a room. So the way I see it, there’s different lines, and Desire says to ignore them all, but they can keep to the line.” “But it still makes them want to cross the line,” she mumbled. “And so might something else,” she said. “What if, instead of Desire, some major record company was coming to the competition and the winner got a record deal that’d launch them to stardom? The stakes are raised, without Magic, and they’d cross those lines but not others just the same.” “I guess,” she said. “I don’t think anyone else’ll see it like that.” “Maybe not,” she said. “But it explains some things, right? And it helps you move forward, realizing that while you did some bad things, and caused some bad things to happen, you were never fully controlling them.” “I guess,” she repeated, lowering her head to the table. “Do you really think I can fix things? I know I can’t find everyone I hurt, but those I do know-” “Thinking of anyone in particular,” she guessed. “Y-yeah,” she swallowed. “I don’t- I don’t even know if our parents know what happened to us. Desire is quick to take hold, and we just left without warning. They sent us to school, and we never came back. And even if they do know…. Will they forgive us? They’re Sirens, so they should understand what Desire can do to us, but it doesn’t mean they will.” “Well, they’re your parents,” she said. “If they loved you before, they love you now. If I’ve learned anything in my time battling all-powerful beings that break the world because of family issues, it’s that real family will take you back.” Sonata was quiet for a moment. She stared at the near-empty glass, looking at the little bit of drink that had dripped back down and collected into something less than a sip. Strange, how you could never truly drink all of something. “And what counts as ‘real family’?” Sonata muttered. “Well, your family of course,” Pinkie answered, as if it were that simple. “What are your parents like?” “Technically, they’re Adagio’s parents,” she admitted. “They adopted Aria and I when I was two. If they’re supposed to forgive us because of ‘family’, the there’s no guarantee for me and her. Blood is thicker than water and all that.” “Blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb,” she corrected. “I know a lot of Ponies who are adopted, or consider a friend to be a sibling. They love each other just like a Blood Family should. Some of them love their Chosen Family far more than their Blood Family.” “Rationally, I know that,” she said. “But I can’t help but be scared. I wasn’t sure Adagio, Aria, and I would be able to fix things with each other, that I could forgive them for some of the things they said back then. We’re working on it, but I still sometimes… old habits die hard, you know?” Now it was Pinkie’s turn to stop and think. She stared off, her tongue barely poking out of her mouth as she waved her hoof, almost as if she were still talking. The mare really seemed unable to keep still. “I might know a solution,” Pinkie said carefully. “So, Twi wasn’t going to bring it up, but she was going to look into your parents anyway. She would’ve already done it, but she said something about how Dragon Flame messages don’t reach the Siren Kingdom so she had to send it by regular mail which is a lot slower.” “Well, the Siren Kingdom is underwater,” Sonata said. “So you can breathe underwater!” she exclaimed. “That’s so cool!” “More than that,” she said, momentarily forgetting the problems and perking up. “We have some transformation Magic too. Like, I look like an Earth Pony right now, right?” “A short one, but yeah,” she nodded. “Exactly,” she said, ignoring the comment. “But Sirens have two forms. This one’s better on land, but in water we can change into another form so that we can swim. Like, my entire bottom half turns into a long fishtail, and there’s extra fins to help me swim faster and more, uh, accurate? I mean I can turn better. I think my favorite part are the fins that kind of look like wings!” “That sounds beautiful!” she gasped. “Can you show me now, or do you have to be in water?” “Well, I…” she trailed off. Her mood dropped, and Pinkie seemed to have realized that she asked the wrong question, as she dropped too. It had to be a trick, but she could’ve sworn the mare’s mane turn a little straighter. Bringing her hoof up to her chest, Sonata was suddenly hit once more with all she’d lost. “I need Magic to change,” Sonata admitted, keeping her hoof in place. “Usually there’s a gem, right here. It’s called a Soul Gem, and it’s how Siren’s conduct our Magic. Mine was-Mine was shattered when the Desire broke. I’m not even sure if it can be fixed.” “Well, we can look into that,” Pinkie assured her. “I’m sure Twilight can find something on it. Though hopefully it’s better than her last search for info on Sirens. That one said that you three were Immortal beings made to be evil and got banished by Starswirl the Bearded, like, two thousand years ago.” “The Starswirl story is used to warn kids about Desire,” she said. “Though there are a few different endings, and I’m not sure which are real. Mom- Mom usually told told the one where he snaps them out of Desire.” “Oh, right, that’s the other thing I’d been talking about,” she said, snapping to attention. “Your parents. My idea was that Twilight could track them down and tell them first, then ask if they still want to see you. I think they will, but it’d probably calm your fears if you know, right?” “I think it would help,” she yawned. “How soon can Princess Twilight contact them?” “Not sure,” she said a little sheepishly. “But she’s working on it, and we’ll tell you as soon as we know! Also, if you’re getting tired, I can show you where your room is.” “Nah, I’m not tired,” she insisted, yawning again. “You set up this whole party for us. We should dance again.” “While I love dancing with you, the party’s calming anyway,” she smiled. “And I think it’d be best if you didn’t overdo it and pass out in the punch bowl. Spike did that once, and he was sticky for days!” “So, the punch was ‘Spiked’?” she grinned. “That’s the exact joke I made!” she snorted. The two laughed some more, though Sonata probably only thought it was funnier than it was since she was falling asleep and slightly buzzed from the drink. Though she did relent and let her show her where the room was. Pinkie easily made her way through the halls, though Sonata was sure she’d get lost on her own in the morning. When she asked if the castle had a map, Pinkie only giggled more. Somehow, she didn’t care that the question wasn’t answered. She had already refocused on Pinkie’s mane. Earlier, she thought it was fluffy, like Adagio’s. But that wasn’t quite accurate. Pinkie’s mane was far thicker than Adagio’s. Not that her mane was ‘thin’, it was pretty average there, but it curled and fluffed out, appearing bigger. Pinkie’s mane was curly and fluffy too, but there was also a lot more of it overall. And it smelled like strawberries. Sonata wondered how long it took her to style it in the morning. The room she had been led to was simple, almost like a hotel room. It had a bed, a couch, a dresser, a few lamps, a closet, and a private bathroom. And not just a small bathroom, but a full bath with a large tub. Or was the tub only large because it was meant for Ponies, not Humans? She’d have to get used to world differences again. Despite wanting to test out the bath, Pinkie led her to the bed, insisting she sleep now and get a good shower in the morning. She reluctantly agreed, mostly because she was tired and didn’t want to see if she could still breathe underwater without Magic. Somehow, Pinkie got another glass of ice water. She set it on the nightstand, just within reach, and assured her it would still be decently cold by the time she wakes up. Mumbling goodnights into the pillow, Sonata listened to the sound of her hoofsteps as she left. As the door closed, some part of her wanted to ask her to stop, to stay a little longer, but she was already slipping into the Dreamworld. The next morning, it took her a while to find the dining room. It was a little strange to have so many ponies just for breakfast. There was her and her sisters, of course, along with the Princess who insisted on just being called ‘Twilight’. There was also the dragon from last night, Spike, she remembered. He seemed to be a young teen, still getting used to newly grown wings. Though out of all the extra guests, he was the one she couldn’t quite figure out why he was here. The other group at the breakfast table was a small group called the Dawn Guard. It makes sense that a Princess has Guards, but this was a small and oddly diverse group. Their captain, Valor Knight, was a Unicorn, a Pegasus named Flash Sentry, a Changeling named Honeycomb, and something called a ‘Crystal Pony’ named Little Burst. They mentioned  fifth member, an Earth Pony named Iridescent Blade, who rarely ate breakfast with them because he lived out of the castle's barracks with his husband. The sisters ate mostly in silence. Not out of anything negative, but just somewhat awkwardness. They had yet to know these ponies, and Dragon and Changeling, so they didn’t have the camaraderie that the others did. Or perhaps flirtiness, in the case of a specific two. Soon enough, everyone finished eating. Twilight teleported the dishes to the kitchen sink while the Guards all went off to their duties.Spike began to leave too, though he was quickly stopped by Twilight. “Where are you going?” Twilight asked with a voice of one who knew the answer. “Out,” Spike answered, being purposely vague. “Hm,” she smiled. “Just ‘out’? Just wandering town? No meeting anyone?” “Well, I-” he stammered. “I’m sure Diamond’s already waiting,” she smiled back. Sonata had never seen a dragon blush, but apparently they could. Oddly enough, answered her question of why Spike was here. She’d know sibling teasing anywhere. “So!” Twilight addressed the Sirens, summoning a short scroll. “As for getting jobs for you three, I asked around town to see what all was open or who needed what. There’s some openings, but I would’ve narrowed it down more if I knew your talents and such. And don’t worry, if a job doesn’t work for you, we can help you get another.” Looking over the list, there were a good hoofful of options.  As she gave the first look through, she mentally crossed off Barnyard Bargains. That place had a counterpart in the Human world, and while the owner had been kind enough, his wife had been so horrible that all three Sirens had avoided her despite the Desire she radiated. Adagio picked her job easily. The town’s Theatre needed help with its productions, and it was a perfect fit for her. Sirens had Special Talents, just like Ponies, though they were usually related to performance. And Adagio’s talent was performance itself, taking something that was good, or even bad, and making it Dazzle. Working at a theatre was good for her. On the other hoof, Aria took a little more time choosing. A theatre job would be good for any of them, but they all could tell that Twilight wanted them to choose separate jobs. She ended up choosing the local bar. Odd, but the job description did mention that along with regular serving duties, one might occasionally have to be the bouncer. Despite being the smallest of the trio, she was definitely the hardest hitter. Sonata stared at the list, waiting for something to pop out at her. Nothing quite fit her the same way it did for the others. After a moment, she saw a name she recalled from the other world. “This one,” Sonata said, pointing to the list. “Sugarcube Corner?” Adagio read. “A bakery?” “Don’t you have to know how to cook to work at a bakery?” Aria said. “Wait-that- I mean you don’t have much kitchen experience.” She was right about that. As a kid she hadn’t been that into helping mom and dad make dinner, and after they left they mostly got fast food, take-out, or used Desire on some teens to get a free meal at a restaurant. They’d obviously done some cooking before, but mostly simple things. Sonata could probably make breakfast, but she knew little about cookies and cupcakes. She made some with a ‘just add water’ package she bought at the store once, but they weren’t that good. “Well, I…” Sonata said. “Okay, I’m not the best, but-” “Don’t worry,” Twilight interrupted, putting her wing over Sonata as the scroll disappeared. “It’s okay to try something new. And I’m sure you can learn as you go.” Without giving Sonata any more time to second guess herself, the group was herded out of the castle and into the town. Twilight walked with them, showing them the way to get to the place on their own next time. Other than that, she mostly just dropped them off and left, like a parent who overslept before taking her kids to school. Sonata barely had time to see a building that looked like a gingerbread house with a cupcake on top before Twilight shoved her in, shouted to the back to tell them their new employee was here, and ran off. Thankfully, the bakery’s owners were used to Twilight’s shenanigans, and were more than helpful explaining the job actual job. As did the bakery’s other employee. “Hiya, Sonata!” Pinkie chirped, hugging her tightly. “Glad to be working with you!” “Glad to see you too,” Sonata replied, giving a small, maybe silly, grin. “Settle down, Pinkie,” Mrs. Cake rolled her eyes. “As I was saying, some days you’ll work the counter, and other days you’ll be in the back doing the actual baking.” “Uh, I won’t be alone for that, will I?” she wondered. “Just… I know I picked this job, but I don’t really have much baking experience. But out of what was offered it sounded best.” “That’s alright,” Mr. Cake nodded. “Everything we make here are our own recipes, so we’d have to teach you anyway.” “You know,” Mrs. Cake mused. “I think we should start you off with Pinkie in the kitchen. Easiest way to learn is to jump right in, after all!” “Okay,” Sonata nodded. “So, just, follow what she says?” “They,” all three ponies said. Sonata recoiled and blinked. It sounded like they were correcting her? But of what? “It’s ‘they’ today,” Pinkie said. “I still think I’m missing something?” Sonata said. “We’ll leave this to you two,” Mrs. Cake nodded, heading to the counter. “Okay,” Pinkie nodded, leading Sonata to the kitchen. “So, you know how sometimes Ponies are born one gender, but they realized they’re another and start going by that gender and using those pronouns?” “I know a decent amount about LGBT stuff,” she nodded. “Well, a lot about that stuff. But you said ‘they’?” “Yeah,” they said. “Because there’s not just ‘mare’ and ‘stallion’, but also some stuff in between and neither. I’m Genderfluid, which means that sometimes I feel like a different gender on different days. Some days I’m a girl, some days a boy, sometimes I don’t fit into either category. Then there are the really weird days where even I don’t know what category I fit in!” “So, if you don’t even know, how will I know?” she wondered. “I’ll usually tell you, but you can always ask,” they answered. Letting Pinkie take the lead, Sonata tried to follow her steps. Much like dancing last night, Pinkie was having a much easier time while she failed to follow their movements. But unlike the dancing, Sonata’s screwups were a bit bigger. Or, at least, more important. Every time she cracked an egg, the part of shell ended up in the batter or dough. It took too long to fish out the fragment. The whole time she was all too aware of Pinkie waiting for her to do it, of how she was probably putting them behind schedule. She wasn’t sure how Pinkie managed dough. They kneaded dough so easily, push and turn, push and turn. Yet, somehow, despite following the same directions they had, Sonata’s dough was too sticky. Half of the product was on her hooves. At least when she broke the measuring cup it was on the floor. If that had broke on the counter, they’d have to restart the entire batch to make sure no shards were in it, but on the floor she just had to clean up the glass and vegetable oil. Once more, she was all too aware of how she was putting them behind schedule. The final straw was a sack of flour. Pinkie had asked her to get more flour out of the supply room. On the way back, she managed to find the one spot of oil that hadn’t been cleaned up. Her hooves slipped, and the flour dropped. In a puff, everything was covered in white. Sonata could feel it all over her, some still floating down and settling on her muzzle. The counter and floor were white too. Pinkie had barely managed to avoid getting covered, but there was still a bit of dusting that made her look just a little paler. She felt tears before she knew she was crying. It combined with the flour, sticking even more to her fur. Pinkie had made their way to her quickly, but careful to not slip on the piles of flour. Placing their hooves on her shoulders, they took a breath. “It’s alright,” Pinkie said. “No it’s not!” Sonata cried. “It’s alright,” they insisted. “You’re doing a lot better than I did when I started.” “I doubt it,” she mumbled. “I’m the worst.” “Did you know that I grew up on a rock farm?” they asked. “A rock farm?” she wondered, confusion temporarily taking her out of her self-loathing. “Yep!” they answered as if it was the most normal thing. “See, I was really used to rocks, especially tools made of rocks. It took me a while to really ‘get’ things like glass and plastic. Even the recipes. I’d made cakes before, but everything Ma, my sisters, and I made back home was, like, super dense. Ma’s cakes taste great, but one slice and you feel like, well, like a rock! And that’s not good when you’re learning to make light, fluffy, pastries. “So what happened?” she asked, sniffing a little. “Mr. and Mrs. Cake were very patient with me,” they replied. “They kept helping me learn, told me where I went wrong and even how to fix it when I did screw up. Nowadays, they’ve given me free reign to create my own recipes. Remember I told you about the Royal Element Cupcakes?” “Yeah,” she nodded. “While I did most of the work,” they said. “They still were the ones I went to for most of the trouble with proportions. And even when things literally blew up in my face they were patient. I still need to figure out how to make Poision Joke into a cupcake flavor without getting the effects of the flower. But my point is, that it’ll get better. You need time to learn. After all, as fun as improv is, you usually rehearse a song before the performance.” “What if I don’t get better?” she asked. “I’ve always been the clumsy airhead. The only thing I was good at was singing, but now I can’t even do that. I really am the worst, aren’t I?” “Sonata, listen to me,” They said, voice demanding her attention. “You’re not the worst. Not at anything. You’re amazing. So what if your clumsy and space out sometimes? You’re a good Pony, well, a good Siren. And sweet as sugar tiaras. I know you want to bring up your Desire, and every reason you can think of to prove me wrong. But I’m not wrong, because you don’t need to be perfect or to understand things quickly, you’re already great and important as you are. You really are the best.” Sonata was honestly surprised at how calm their voice was. So far, Pinkie seemed like the type Pony who only talked in exclamation points. It was almost hypnotic, the way they talked, and Sonata knew a thing or two about hypnotic voices. Pinkie’s words did have a Magic to them, but there was no hypnotism. It was warm Magic, feeling so similar to when their Counterpart had used the Magic of Friendship to blast away her Desire. These were the words of a pony who truly believed what they were saying. And for just that moment, it worked, and Sonata felt better enough to smile. “There we go!” Pinkie grinned. “Now, how about this: I’m going to tell Mrs. Cake about the flour mess. Then you can go upstairs and take a shower so you look less like a ghost.” “I probably do, don’t I?” Sonanta laughed. “There’s a shower upstairs?” “An entire two story house, actually,” they nodded. “Well, technically they bought a three story house and turned the first floor into a shop. Mr. and Mrs. Cake live on the second floor with their kids. You’ll probably meet the twins later. Oh, and the third floor is my place.” “Your place?” she wondered. “Yeah, like, my room,” they said. “They hadn’t been using it, so they rented it out to me when I first came here. You can use the shower in my bathroom.” “Are you sure you can handle it without me?” she asked. “I mean, you do have a lot of stuff to make.” “Don’t worry about that,” they shook their head. “This place can function on two employees. They did it before I started working for them, and since the Twins are still too young for school Mr. and Mrs. Cake usually share a shift or alternate days so someone’s always watching them.” “Oh,” she said. “Wait, if they wanted to hire someone to help the bakery, why not just hire a babysitter instead and have both of them work the bakery?” “Firstly, because finding a baker is easier than a full-time babysitter,” they said. “Secondly, they wanted to be the ones to raise their kids. I mean, if Pumpkin and Pound only saw them after the bakery closed, they’d probably think of the babysitter as their parent more than them. So they really only get a babysitter for the days when they both need to work.” “That makes more sense,” she said. “Kinda feel bad for suggesting it now.” “Nah, it’s fine,” they assured, beginning to put their foreleg over her shoulders  in a comforting hug, but thinking better of it. “Logic and the Heart are two different things, and you don’t always see one because of the other, you know?” “Yeah,” she nodded. “I definitely know that bit.” Unfortunately, Sonata didn’t get to meet Pumpkin and Pound, as Mr. Cake had taken them to the park. Pinkie had lead her up the stairs, apologizing to Mrs. Cake for the trail of flour they were leaving and promising to sweep it up on the way back down. They told Sonata that she could use anything she needed to wash up, but to hurry a little since she’s supposed to be working. Pinkie’s bathroom was pretty normal for a bathroom, though the colors and decor fit everything else she knew about them. Except for one thing. A lack of mane products. From the way Pinkie’s mane had been so curly and fluffy, despite how thick it was, she was sure that they spent a while styling it like that. Yet other than a hairbrush, shampoo, and conditioner, there wasn’t anything to style their mane with. The shampoo and conditioner wasn’t even ‘volumizing’, just strawberry scented. The idea all of that hair was curly and fluffy on its own scared her a little. By the time she was washed and dried, Pinkie had finished cleaning the kitchen and was back to baking. Perhaps it was just Sonata’s own inclination towards the subject, but Pinkie’s movements almost seemed like a dance. Just the way they spun between various bowls that Sonata couldn’t yet identify. It didn’t help that they sang as they did. Their voice was wonderful, putting their all into it even though it was just something to do while baking. It was the kind of voice Sonata would have stood and listened to for hours.  She might have truly done so, if Pinkie hadn’t noticed her staring. “Feeling better?” Pinkie asked, grinning widely. “Yeah, a bit,” Sonata answered, unable to keep herself from smiling back. “Good!” they said. “Because I asked Mrs. Cake for a few ideas to help you out.” The ideas did actually help, in a way. Some of it was so simple. Like cracking an egg into a seperate bowl before putting it in the rest of the ingredients made getting the shell out so much easier. A little bit of oil on her hooves kept dough from sticking to her, though she did have to be sure to wash and dry them before picking anything up. There wasn’t much either could do about the inevitable situation where Sonata would drop something. Even so, Pinkie was a lot more aware of her, aware of when she could drop something. And every time they were ready to catch it. Though they chatted a bit, usually about what they’re supposed to be doing or which treat to make next, yet most of their work was done in silence. Well, not full silence. Pinkie kept singing while they worked, and the lyrics kept Sonata’s smile going, even when she screwed up. Sonata kept working while Pinkie left to take a few trays of fresh treats out to the front. As she stirred a bowl she hummed along to fill the empty silence. And despite knowing it was a bad idea, she soon found herself singing out loud. “It’s a long, long day but you’ve got to find your way And the world won’t let you fall So take the Light, the Magic, and the Love And keep on standing proud and tall…” “Your voice is really pretty.” Sonata jumped, barely keeping herself from knocking the bowl off the counter in surprise. Over her shoulder, she saw Pinkie having come back in, grinning like usual. “It’s… It’s really not,” Sonata said. “My Soul Gem’s broken. I can’t sing without it.” “Then what were you just doing?” they wondered, smiling more as she tilted her head. “Okay, I can sing, but not well,” she admitted, avoiding the smile. “It’s just a voice. It doesn’t sound the same anymore, no matter how much I practice or let it heal. Besides, there’s no Magic in it, nothing. Just noise.” “Just because you can’t cast spells doesn’t mean your voice isn’t Magic,” they replied. Sonata only raised an eyebrow. That was the definition of ‘no Magic’, and even Pinkie seemed to realize how little sense that made. “So, I’m not a Magic Expert like Twilight,” Pinkie admitted. “But I picked up a few things from her rambling about her studies. And I might’ve read some of her notes when I couldn’t sleep during a sleepover.” “Even she doesn’t know much about Siren Magic,” Sonata said. “No, but she knows Magic,” they said. “And basically, Magic and the Soul are really connected. Each Pony has their own Magic, their own Soul, each one totally different from one another! It’s part of the Magic of Friendship, our Souls and Magic connecting and resonating. So if Friendship is Magic, than even the less literal versions are still Magic. “When you sing, you put your Soul into it,” they said. “So sure, you’re not ‘spellcasting’, but you’re using your voice to share your Soul with anyone who hears it. Talking to someone you care about, or singing your heart out, it’s still Magic. Even a completely tone deaf pony could do it! Not that you’re tone deaf. Because your voice is really pretty on its own! Like, if this is what you sound like now, I wish I could hear your full voice!” “I…” Sonata shook her head. “Thanks.” She liked this, liked being around Pinkie. They were smiles and laughs and fun, all rolled up into a hyperactive pink pony. And Sonata liked the way Pinkie made her feel. Some of her felt it was because of the past. Because even when she was happy before, Desire had always left her wanting more. She hadn’t been truly ‘happy’ in years. And even so, this was a different happy. It was warm, and perhaps a bit jumpy. But just having Pinkie around made her smile.