Rainbow stayed on that lawn chair for a good long while. She needed a place to just think. Think about why all this is bothering her so much. Seeing all these smiling faces made her wonder why she isn’t as happy as them right now. All her friends assured each other that they’ll stay best friends even though they all went their own ways; that distance won’t ever diminish the bonds they had. So why does it feel like things are still distant? And why does she feel so… empty?
Dash got back up and took another look at her surroundings, desperate for a familiar face, even from an acquaintance. Some of them she recognized, but didn’t know well enough to just randomly go up and start a conversation. There was Sassy Saddles, Namby Pamby, even Bon Bon and Lyra, inseparable as they’ve ever been. Rainbow wouldn’t have been surprised if Pinkie invited everyone from every school they attended. Heck, even Sonata Dusk is here, and she hasn’t been seen since…
Fear overtook her, forcing her into action, pushing through the crowd to catch up to this girl. The Sirens haven’t been seen for over two years! Sunset even checked the news every day for months and months to make sure they weren’t gonna cause any more trouble. The seven of them just assumed that the sirens found their way back to their own world.
It was no good. By the time she arrived where the girl was last, Sonata was nowhere to be found. Rainbow tapped the shoulder of the nearest guy for a clue.
“Hey dude, have you seen a girl with light and navy blue hair? With a ponytail?”
“Rainbow? Rainbow Dash? It’s me! Charging Roar!” the man excitedly said.
“Yeah okay, but this girl, she has violet eyes. Have you seen her?”
“Naw, but I haven’t seen you since we had that Home Economics toge— “
Rainbow just shoved him out of the way, realizing that things weren’t going anywhere. If the siren wasn’t outside, then the kitchen was the next place to search. She practically burst in, her eyes rapidly searching every nook and cranny. There was nothing, save for Sunset collecting a plate full of snacks.
“Hey Dash, Twilight was getting hungry, and y’know.”
“That’s cool and all, but I got some bad news. The Sirens are back.”
Sunset was about to pick up a hot dog, but she stopped midway, slowly turning her head to the athlete.
“Say again?”
“I just saw Sonata outside but I lost her. Her friends or sisters or whatever have to be somewhere nearby too, so we gotta get the girls together and stop them!”
Shimmer was thinking heavily about what she said.
“Rainbow, did you really see this, or was this something you wish you saw?”
“What? How… how could you say that?”
“I’m not saying you’re making something up, but maybe you’re subconsciously creating a conflict to bring us together again. Fluttershy has been telling me how she’s the only person you’ve bothered talking to in school. You don’t even talk to your own roommate.”
“Hey! That has fuck all to do with whether we’re in danger or not!”
“Okay, just calm down. If I see anything suspicious, you know I’m going to act on it, but for now my girlfriend needs me.”
“Yeah, sure.” Dash said, dejectedly.
“Just… don’t do anything rash. You don’t have to do anything alone, okay?”
Sunset got the last of the food before leaving for the basement again.
“It sure as hell feels like I’m alone.” Rainbow muttered under her breath.
The only feeling she felt was pure and utter frustration. If only there was something she could kick or throw to vent it. Instead, she just did some quick breathing before calming down. Rainbow knew for a fact that she saw Sonata. This person had to still be in this house and she was gonna prove her friend wrong.
Out of the corner of her eye, however, she noticed something. The cake was gone. The larger cakes were still intact, but the one she and Fluttershy worked on was missing.
“I’m back errybody!” Someone yelled from the living room, perking Rainbow’s ear.
Opening the door, she witnessed the cowgirl lugging cases full of apple cider, along with some other men, all of whom were wearing some form of denim on their body. AJ set the cases by a nearby table, noticing who was across the room.
“Well if my eyes ain’t deceivin’ me. Rainbow Dash!” She said, cracking a smile.
Rainbow couldn’t help but forget her troubles, going up to hug her friend.
“Still kicking ‘em soccer balls around in zero point games?”
“Yup. Still toiling in the hot sun for meager pay and no benefits?”
“Damn straight.”
They both tried to look as serious as possible, but couldn’t keep it up and ended up in a laughing fit.
“Man, I miss doing this with you.” Rainbow let out amid chuckles.
“Back atcha’. Sorry I haven’t been seein’ ya since summer. The family business is, well, busy.”
“It’s all cool, what’d you bring?”
“Me and a couple of the part-timers from the farm just got done bringing in these from the refinery.” AJ said, handing Rainbow a bottle.
At first it looked like the ones she normally drank, save for a small label at the side. Alcoholic.
“O-oh, I didn’t know you could take these.”
“Well, technically I’m not, but I convinced Big Mac to cover for me about it bein’ one of them ‘clerical errors’. All I gotta do is his chores for a week, which is a pretty dang good deal.”
“You’re lying?” she said, concerned.
“It’s just a small fib, and I’m doing it for all these people’s benefit. Me and the boys are gonna start handing these out, I’ll talk to you in a bit sugercube.”
Applejack lifted the crates, shouting “All right errybody, come an’ get ‘em!”
The party goers started to cheer, lining up to get their own bottle of cider. Rainbow didn’t want to get involved, stepping aside and placing the bottle that was handed to her on the table. She didn’t felt right, and headed upstairs. There were still people up here, but few enough where it didn’t feel crowded. She went into the first room she could find, which was thankfully empty, and plopped herself onto the bed. That was a mistake.
The bed was stiff as hell, hurting her shoulder when she dropped on it.
“What the hell.”
Rainbow looked around, noticing how monotone and barren the room was. This had to be Maud’s. It wouldn’t be surprising if there were pebbles inside the mattress. The music was dampened here at least, so she decided to rest here a bit and clear her mind.
She didn’t want to dwell on what Sunset told her, but it kept invading her mind. Dash was so certain that she saw that siren, but what if it didn’t happen? Was she becoming desperate? She didn’t expect her friend to be so blunt about it, even if it was right. Dash hasn’t exactly tried to meet new people, because she already has friends. Now, that internal argument wasn’t holding up. Her train of thought was interrupted when she heard a strange sound inside the room.
It sounded like it was coming from the closet.
She got up, pulling open the door. Smack dab in the middle of the closet was Sonata Dusk, sitting on the floor, eating the cake she brought to the party with a plastic fork. It was nearly gone! Sonata looked up at Rainbow with utter fear in her eyes.
“oh shit.”