It's hard to describe what exactly happened that Wednesday at Canterlot High. It seemed as though, as soon as the final bell rung, a flash of pink zoomed through the halls, went into the Rainbooms' practice room, came out with a flash of blue in tow, burst out of the school and zoomed away into a grassy field. It happened so fast that no one had been sure what they had seen.
Meanwhile, in said grassy field, Sonata absentmindedly popped a potato chip into her mouth as she started to take in her surroundings. "Wasn't I in the school a second ago?"
"Yep! But now your outside!" Pinkie jumped into Sonata's field of vision. "This is the part where you and I become best friends!"
"It is?" Sonata ask as the she popped another chip into her mouth.
"Yes indeed-y!" Pinkie jumped up and down in excitement. "Oh, there are so many things we can do! I don't what to do first!" Pinkie puzzled her puzzler while Sonata continued to pop chips into her mouth, sporting a look that hinted to very little brain activity. "Oh, I got it! While don't you decide what we do?!"
Sonata gave Pinkie a confused look. "Me?"
"Yes, you, silly!"
Sonata rubbed the back of her head. "Huh... I've never decided what to do before. Ummm...How about we go get ice cream?"
"Great idea! Let's go!" Pinkie grabbed Sonata by the hand and started on their big day together. "I think this calls for a song!"
Pinkie and Sonata slurped on their milkshakes as music played in the background. Pinkie took a breath and gave Sonata a smile.
"So, I guess now is a good time to tell you all about me.
'Cause I'm your newest friend and I've gotta make you see,
That I already care about you more than you could ever dream!
And I'm gonna be here by your side as your past breaks apart at the seams!"
"But first, let's have some fun!"
As Pinkie sung, the two ended up going through varies games and activates, such as: Hop scotch, hide and seek, tic-tac-toe, leapfrog, bike riding, hang gliding, scuba diving, jumping in a bouncy house, and going in and out of color screens.
"So, let's have fun! Just jump and run! Let's have the time of our lives!
Tic-tac-toe and around we go! We can go all the way until night!
If you wanna party hard, then we'll party hard all the way to the moon!
Just think of all the things we can do in just one afternoon!"
"How do we party to moon?"
"Just an expression, Sonata."
"Oh."
"So, what are we gonna do? It's just me and you! We can do anything you want!
Hand gliding! Scuba diving! Jump in a bouncy house and give everything we got!
You just tell me what you wanna do! 'Cause what you wanna do is what we're gonna do 'cause that's what we gotta do
'cause what you wanna do is what I wanna do 'cause I wanna do whatever you wanna do! So, you wanna do what I wanna
do. So, tell me whatever you wanna do and that's what we're gonna do and we'll give it our best shot!"
"Umm... You lost me."
Pinkie took a breath. "I'm saying that I wanna do whatever you wanna do, so what you wanna do is what we're gonna do!"
"...Huh."
Pinkie facepalmed. "Whatever you wanna do is what we're gonna do. Did you get that one?"
Sonata scratched her head. "I think so... So, I get to choose what we do all day?"
Pinkie smiled and nodded. "Sure!" After a quick moment, however, Pinkie's smile faded. "Wait... Did Adagio and Aria ever let you decide what to do?"
Sonata looked down and shuffled her feet. "No, not really. Adagio always decided what we did. Me and Aria never got to choose."
It took about a split second for Pinkie to wrap her arms around Sonata and give her a big hug. "Well, don't worry about that anymore, silly! You got us now and we love you!"
Sonata gave Pinkie a funny look. "You all... love me?"
"Of course!" Pinkie replied without hesitation. "We're like a family and your our newest member!"
Sonata smiled and she felt something weird happen. Her eyes started to water, but that happened when she was sad. "W-Why am I crying?" She asked as she wiped her tears away.
"Sometimes that happens when you're really happy!"
Sonata sniffed and allowed her smile to grow. "Thank you. I... This all feels so weird. I mean, I've known Adagio and Aria my whole life and... I don't think they ever cared about me. But you girls do and I barely know any of you."
"Well, maybe I should teach you a little bit about us!"
Suddenly, Sonata was sitting in a chair and Pinkie was pointing to a picture of Applejack with a ruler. Then she started to rap.
"First there's Applejack, the resident cowgirl!
She's roughest, toughest chick in the whole wide world!
Some are put off by her stubbornness and pride!
But what really matters is what's inside!
And what's inside is heart of gold!
And a bunch apple cider, the ones that weren't sold!
Applejack is our friend and that's for sure!
She's strong and friendly and honest to the core!"
Now, Pinkie pointed to a picture of Rainbow Dash.
"Then there's Rainbow Dash, the brash tomboy!
She plays every sport like their her toys!
Sometimes her ego's too big for her head!
And she's rushes into everything with it hot red!
But underneath that picture of vanity,
Is a real sweetheart and a big softy!
Rainbow Dash is our friend and soon you'll see,
The strongest thing about her is her loyalty!"
Now, Pinkie pointed to a picture of Fluttershy.
"Then there's Fluttershy, she's as cute as can be!
The nicest, sweetest person that you ever will see!
Sure, she's has trouble standing up for herself,
And if she played sports, she'd be on the shelf.
But she'll always take a stand when it counts!
She'd stare down the Devil, so don't count her out!
Fluttershy is our friend, pay her shyness no mind!
She'll show you what it means to really be kind!"
Now, Pinkie pointed to a picture of Rarity.
"Then there's Rarity! Wow, what a gal!
She's a fashionista with endless style!
Sometimes she may seem like a uptight pest,
But she just wants everyone at their best!
She'd give you her shirt right off her back!
Give you her bed and sleep in a sack!
Rarity is our friend and you'll agree,
She's the personification of generosity!"
Now, Pinkie pointed to a picture of Twilight Sparkle and Spike.
"Then there's Twilight and her little dog, Spike!
I knew we'd get along and boy was I right!
She may be obsessive and big smarty pants,
But she will amaze you if you give her the chance!
She's much stronger than you ever would think!
And as far brains go, she's beyond any rank!
Twilight is our friend and so is Spike!
The magic of friendship proved me right!"
Now, Pinkie pointed to a picture of Sunset Shimmer.
"Then there's Sunset, we follow her lead!
Her orders we follow! Her advice we heed!
She used to be the biggest bully in the school,
And everyone was miserable under her rule!
But now she's best girl you'll ever meet!
She's whole new person, from her head to her feet!
Sunset is our friend and this much is true,
We forgave her and she'll forgive you!"
Now, Pinkie pointed to a picture of herself.
"Then there's Pinkie Pie. Oh, that's me!
I love having fun and I love to party!
I know I get on people's nerves and have sugar in my brain!
And almost everyone thinks I'm insane!
But I don't care as long as they smile!
It's what makes my entire life worth while!
I'm your friend, Sonata, and I mean it when I say,
If I make you laugh, it'll make my whole day!"
Now, Pinkie pointed to a picture of Sonata.
"And now we have you, Sonata, my friend!
I now we'll be best buddies to the end!
You may not be too smart or think fast,
And we know you've some mistakes in past!
But it's time to take the past and let it go!
It's a whole new ocean and I'll help you row!
You're our friend, Sonata, so listen to my song!
It'll be a better world once you move on!
Yes, it'll be a better world once you move on!"
By the end of the song, all Sonata could do was smile. Pinkie considered it a great success.
Pinkie led Sonata into the gym. She hid them both under the bleachers and peeked out from under them. She spotted Rainbow Dash and Applejack playing basketball on one side of the court. She could see Twilight keeping score with Spike. No sight of Sunset, Fluttershy, or Rarity. Obviously, Rarity was still working on the play and, If she had to guess, Pinkie would say that Sunset was talking with Fluttershy about Sonata helping Fluttershy at the animal shelter. Just a hunch. She looked to the other side of the court. No one there.
Pinkie was about to call the coast clear when she felt a tingle in the back of her neck. The tingle that usually happened when a door was about to open.
Indeed, the doors opened and an annoyed-looking Scootaloo, tailed by Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, entered the gym. "I can't believe I'm stuck doing this!"
"Well, ya didn' exactly refuse, Scootaloo." Apple Bloom inquired.
"Well, what was I supposed to say?" Scootaloo asked. "Besides, shouldn't a boy play Blaze Heart?"
Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes. "Rarity already told you, Scootaloo. Cross-dressing has always been in theatre. It's just acting. Besides, you act like a guy all the time anyway."
"True, but I'm not into theatre anyway." Scootaloo sighed as she approached the one-on-one basketball game going on.
Sonata, who was right beside Pinkie, looked to said party girl. "What are we hiding for?"
Pinkie grabbed Sonata and lowered into the ground. When they came back up, they were under a different set of bleachers on the other side of the gym. "Waiting to make an entrance." Pinkie answered.
Rainbow Dash dribbled passed Applejack before jumping into the air and dunking the basketball with one hand.
"That's eighteen points to Rainbow and fourteen to Applejack." Twilight called as Spike adjusted the scoreboard.
Applejack put her hands on her hips. "Are ya usin' your super speed?" She asked accusingly.
"No, I'm just awesome." Rainbow said smugly. She looked passed Applejack and took notice of the Crusaders, specifically Scootaloo. "Oh hey, squirt! What's up?"
"Hey, Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo gave her surrogate sister a smile. "We were just, uh, talking about something."
"Does it have to do with Rarity roping you into her play?" Rainbow asked as she approached her.
Scootaloo rubbed the back of her head. "You know about that?"
"Yeah, Rarity told us. And just for the record, I tried to talk Rarity out of it." Rainbow crouched on one knee to look Scootaloo in the eye. "You know, she told me the only people that tried out for Blaze Heart were Snips and Snails."
Scootaloo thought for a moment before shaking her head. "Nah, I wouldn't be able to sleep at night if I let Sweetie Belle go through that."
Rainbow smirked. "So did, Rarity. Why don't you three stick around? Maybe watching me kick AJ's butt at this game will cheer you up."
Applejack pursed her lips and glared at Rainbow. "Oh, yeah? Check me!"
Rainbow immediately got back into the game and checked the ball to Applejack... who immediately tossed it into the basket.
Applejack crossed her arms and gave Rainbow a smug smile.
Rainbow stared blankly for a second before shaking her head and grabbing the ball. "Ha! I'd like to see you do that again!" She checked it to Applejack, who threw it right at the basket. The ball soared through the air... and was caught by Pinkie, who was hanging upside down from the hoop.
Rainbow and Applejack looked from Pinkie to each other. "Did anyone see her a second ago?" Applejack asked.
Everyone else shook their heads.
Pinkie dropped down. "Sonata, catch!" She tossed the ball over to Sonata, who had suddenly appeared to the side.
The ball bounced off Sonata's forehead and landed in her hands. "Okay. What do I do with it?"
"Toss it into the basket, silly!"
Sonata looked from the ball to the basket and tossed it. The ball bounced off the hoop and hit Sonata right in the face, though she reacted with only look of empty-headedness.
The Crusaders looked from Sonata to Rainbow and Applejack. "Isn' she one of the Dazzlin's?" Apple Bloom asked in confusion.
Applejack nodded. "Yeah, but don' ya worry about 'er."
"It's a long story." Rainbow added. "We'll tell you later, but right now you can't tell anyone that she's here. Understand?"
The Crusaders looked to each other and shrugged. "Okay, if you say so." Sweetie Belle said on behalf of the trio.
Sonata suddenly appeared in front of the the Crusaders. "Hi! I'm Sonata!" She greeted as she held out her hand.
Apple Bloom hesitated for a second before shaking Sonata's hand. "Nice to meet ya too, Sonata. I'm Apple Bloom"
"And I'm Sweetie Belle."
"And I'm Scootaloo."
Sonata stared at Scootaloo with a confused look. "Scoota-What?"
"Scootaloo." The orange-skinned girl repeated.
"Huh... That's a funny name. But it's nice funny name!" She said as she patted Scootaloo's head.
"Uhhh... Thanks."
"It's unique too." Sonata added. "I've never met a boy named Scootaloop before."
Scootaloo's face turned red.
"Uh, Sonata," Pinkie appeared behind Sonata. "Her name is Scootaloo and she's a girl."
Sonata turned and gave Pinkie a surprised look. "Scootaboo is a girl?" She put a hand on her hip and scratched her head. "First Rainbow and now Scootalamp. Next you're gonna tell me that dude that's always wearing headphones is a girl too?!"
"You mean Vinyl Scratch?" Pinkie rubbed the back of her neck. "Well, actually, hehe, that's a girl too."
Sonata stared off into deep space as crickets chirped in the background.
"...Um, I think we should get back to practicing. See ya later, Rainbow Dash." Scootaloo said as she walked away with blush on her face.
"See you guys." Apple Bloom said before following Scootaloo.
"Bye, and it was nice to meet you, Sonata." Sweetie Belle said politely before following her friends.
Sonata smiled and waved bye to the Crusaders. "It was nice to meet you girls too, Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootalulu!"
Scootaloo facepalmed and groaned.
Meanwhile, Apple Bloom stiffled a chuckle. "Scootalulu... I'm gonna have to use that." She muttered.
Rainbow looked to her surrogate sister in sympathy. "Poor Scoots."
"So, what are we gonna do now?" Sonata asked Pinkie.
Pinkie thought for a quick moment before an idea came to her. "I know! I'll show you my superpower that I got from Camp Everfree!" She grasped the geode around her neck before taking out a ball of confetti out of nowhere and tossing it into the air.
"Uh, Pinkie, I don' think that's a good idea!" Applejack said as the ball fell.
Once the confetti hit the ground, it sparked like lightning... and set the floor on fire.
"Told ya." Applejack deadpanned.
Rainbow rolled her eyes and grasped her geode. "I'll get it." In a burst of rainbow, she dashed out of the room and, in three seconds, came back with a fire extinguisher. She preceded to put out the fire and gave Pinkie a look.
"Oops-y!" Pinkie said with a guilty look.
"Please don't do that again, Pinkie." Twilight told her from the scoreboard table.
"Woah, so Rainbow has super speed and you have... explody-throwy-powers?!" Sonata asked with excitement.
"Yep!" Pinkie said proudly. "And Applejack has super strength and Twilight has telekinesis and Rarity can make diamonds out of nothing and Fluttershy talk to animals and Sunset can read people's minds by touching them!"
"Wow! I wish I had been there!" Sonata said in a childish way. "Maybe I would have gotten powers too!"
"Here, maybe this will work!" She undid the necklace around her heck, which held the magic orb in it. "Back at Everfree, after we got our powers and beat the crazy forest-demon lady, we got these crystals. They gave the forest lady powers, so maybe you'll get them too!"
"Hold up, Pinkie!" Applejack stepped between the two. "Ah don' think it'd be a good idea to give your crystal to her."
"Why not?" Pinkie asked.
"Ya'll have seen what they can do, Pinkie. You don' want Sonata to go all power-crazy, do ya?"
Pinkie bowed her head. "Oh, yeah. Sorry; I kinda forgot that part."
Applejack rolled her eyes. "Why don' we just talk with Sunset about this?"
"Yeah, we should probably meet up with her and Fluttershy anyway." Twilight said as she helped Spike into her backpack.
As the group exited the gym, Pinkie felt a tingle in the back of her neck. She looked behind her, scanning the entire gym. When she didn't notice anything, she shrugged and followed her friends. In retrospect, she probably should have took notice that the door to the gym closet was open.
Adagio watched as the pink party girl exited the gym. She hadn't heard everything but she had seen plenty. She smiled and turned to Aria. "So, those fools have more magic in them than they used to. This is exactly what I was looking for!"
Aria raised an eyebrow. "And why were you looking for that?"
"If we can figure out how their powers work, we maybe able to harness it for ourselves." She looked to the door with a sinister grin. "I think it's time we talked with Sonata."