Canterlot High, Student Center
Pinkie Pie tied the final bunch of balloons next to the stage for the NLAC's next party. Sunset, Cheerilee and Luna were double checking their own progress in the room to make sure everything was perfect.
"Well, the streamers seem to be secure," said Cheerilee. "And I'm sure the students will enjoy the light show you suggested, Luna."
"Definitely," the vice principal replied.
At the same time, in the main halls above the Center, three hooded figures were searching for the entrance.
"You sure this is the way, Sonata?" Aria asked under her breath, not wanting to attract attention.
"Of course!" The airheaded Siren replied. "I've been there before."
"What were you doing there? Scratch that, I don't wanna know."
"Keep quiet, you two," Adagio hissed. "It's bad enough I have to be stuck with you without our voices...."
"Oh, shall we leave you to do this little job all by yourself?" Aria replied. "You NEED us to get this done quickly, and you know it."
"Do we even have a plan?" Sonata asked.
"Yes," Adagio rubbed her temples. "Just need to find a way into the room..." Before she could elaborate, she noticed Cheerilee and Pinkie Pie talking with each other in front of a door marked "Basement Access".
"So you just have a few more balloons to hang up," Cheerilee was saying, "and then you'll safely lock up?"
"Absolutely!" Pinkie declared, giving a goofy salute.
"And you WILL make sure not to lose the key?" said Cheerilee, looking a bit worried.
"Absatively!" beamed Pinkie. "It won't disappear on this steely-eyed Pie's watch!" She then frowned slightly. "I don't know why people say that - "steely-eyed". I mean, if your eyes were made of steel, wouldn't they feel uncomfortable in your sockets?"
"She's almost as ditzy as Sonata," Aria remarked as the Dazzlings watched. "Almost."
As Cheerilee gave Pinkie the key and left, a wicked smirk spread across Adagio's face. "Girls," she whispered, "I know exactly how we're going to get in..."
Pinkie stepped back into the basement, then after a short while, returned and locked the door behind her. By then Adagio had elaborated her little plot, and the Dazzlings were ready to make their move.
Soon
As Pinkie locked up the Student Center, the Dazzlings were spying on her from a corner, ready to steal the keys.
"So how do we get the key from her?" Sonata asked.
"Yeah," said Aria, "does one of us just bump into her and hope she drops them?"
"Bump into her, yes," their leader replied. "Then we swipe the keys when she's distracted."
"Right."
"And remember to keep your hoods up! We don't need her recognizing us!"
And so, as Pinkie Pie stepped down the walkway outside the door, she was passed by three girls with their faces hidden under their hoods, one of which bumped into her.
"Oh! Excuse me!" exclaimed Pinkie. Upon receiving no reply, she shook her head and said continued on her way - unaware that she lacked the key that had now dropped onto the ground.
Adagio quickly snatched it up. "Success! Now let's do this." The Dazzlings made their way into the center and back to the basement door.
The Next Day
"You lost the keys?!" Sunset angrily shouted to Pinkie.
"I'm so sorryyyyy!" Pinkie sobbed. "I let you guys down!"
"Well, we can only hope nobody knew what they unlocked..." Twilight sighed as they headed towards the Student Center... whose door was open. "...I hate being wrong."
The three girls rushed straight to the basement door, finding it unlocked and open as well. Inside, the room was completely destroyed, with tables flipped over, the decorations ruined, graffiti on the walls displaying offensive words, and...
"THE BALLOONS!" Pinkie cried out in horror as she rushed to the popped balls of joy.
Twilight, equally shocked, ran her eyes over the disaster area. "Who could have done this?!"
"Someone who had the key, obviously," said Sunset.
"Well, that could be anyone!" Pinkie wept as she held up the tattered remains of one of the balloons.
"Not exactly," Sunset smirked. She pointed towards a camera mounted in one corner of the room. "The cameras here weren't sabotaged, meaning our culprits were sloppy."
"Of course!" said Twilight. "I'll go and get Miss Cheerilee, and we'll look at the footage!"
Soon
The trio, joined by Cheerilee, were watching the security cam footage from the night before, in the hopes of finding the saboteurs. After getting to the part after Pinkie left and locked the door, they waited for the vandals to show themselves with baited breath. They didn't have to wait long as three hooded figures slipped into the room.
"Aha!" said Sunset. "Gotcha!"
"Wait," observed Pinkie, "I remember them! One of them bumped into me as I was heading home!"
Cheerilee quickly worked out the rest. "You must have dropped the key, and then they used it to break in."
"Oh, if only I'd noticed!" bemoaned Pinkie. If there was one thing that really upset her, it was a party being ruined.
"They look familiar..." Sunset leaned in closer to the screen as one of them began to tip over the table closest to her. Unfortunately, her companion was close by and the piece of furniture hit her on the foot.
"OW! HOT CRISPY TACOS!" Sonata Dusk's voice cried out as she clutched her toe. "Wait, we're alone! I can swear for real! SON OF A-" Sunset immediately paused the tape before she could finish her curse. After an awkward pause, she spoke up. "I doubt any of us could forget that voice. That's Sonata Dusk, one of the Dazzlings - and I'm betting those other two are Adagio and Aria!"
"Um, who are they?" Twilight asked, not having been a witness to the Battle of the Bands.
Pinkie began a rapid and complicated explanation. "Oh, they're these three nasty girls who tried to take over Canterlot High not long after Sunset, and they used their singing voices to turn everyone against each other - they're actually Sirens, y'see, and--"
Sunset covered her mouth at that moment. "There'll be time to explain later," she said.
"Well," stated Cheerilee, "clearly those troublemakers somehow found out about our club and decided to sabotage it."
"Given how we stopped them and broke their amulets, I can see why they'd want to," remarked Sunset, anger in her eyes.
"Well, where are they now?" Pinkie asked, her hair flattening.
Sunset shrugged. "Beats me. I haven't seen them since they fled the concert."
"Wait," Twilight stared at the screen some more. "I recognize those figures. I see them all the time at the diner."
"Then that's where we can catch them," said Sunset. "We should alert the others."
Later That Day
Suri Polomare met the Dazzlings at their usual booth at the diner.
"So you did as I asked?"
"To the letter," Adagio replied. "The basement's wrecked, their party's ruined. Now hand over the money."
"Of course," Suri smirked as she saw the girls from Canterlot High approached the diner. "You'll get your reward in a few seconds."
"Hey, no stalling!" said Aria angrily. "We kept our end of the deal, so you keep--"
"Hello, Dazzlings," said Sunset Shimmer in a cold, stern voice. The three ex-Sirens looked nervously up and beheld Sunset standing before them with her hands on her hips. Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and even Vinyl Scratch were with her. None of them looked pleased. The three looked back to the other side of the table, only to find Suri had vanished.
"Where's Suri?" Sonata cried.
"She double-crossed us!" Aria snarled.
"That's the least of your worries," growled Rainbow, looking ready for a fight.
"You realize vandalism of school property is considered a crime in this world?" Sunset inquired.
Adagio tried to feign ignorance. "What are you talking about? We haven't been in your stupid school since--"
"Since last night?" Twilight finished for her. "There's one thing you forgot to destroy in the basement: the security cameras."
The Dazzlings' faces paled. How could they have overlooked something as vital as that?
"They recorded everything you did," Twilight continued, "and I recognized you three from this very diner, so we knew we'd find you here."
"And I know now that it was you who pinched the key from me yesterday!" added Pinkie. "You're in deep trouble now!"
"We were set up!" Aria argued as Luna and Cheerilee entered the diner to make sure they didn't resist.
Rainbow raised an eyebrow. "Really? By who?"
"Suri Polomare! That girl who abandoned us just now!"
"She said she'd pay us for it," said Sonata, looking sad. "We really need money right now..."
"You're broke?" Sunset asked, her expression softening somewhat.
"After you destroyed our amulets and ruined our voices," said Adagio, "we lost our best means of making a living. We've been fired from every other job we tried, and recently got kicked out of our apartment when we couldn't pay the rent."
The ever-kind Fluttershy, who had been silent so far, now spoke up. "Is it true? You no longer have a place to live or sleep?"
"Unless you count a dumpster as a bed," muttered Aria. "We can barely even afford a meal from here."
Looking back on it all was too much for Sonata, and she started to cry. To her friends' astonishment Fluttershy opened her arms and offered the girl a hug.
"It's okay, you girls can stay with me," she gently stroked Sonata's head.
Everyone was amazed by Fluttershy's offer. Even Aria lost her grumpy cynicism at that moment as she just stared at Fluttershy, her mouth agape.
"Y-y-you'd really do that?" Sonata asked, wiping away tears. "Even after what we did?"
"You need help, and I wouldn't exactly be kind if I refused it."
"The things you did at Canterlot High were wrong," added Sunset, "but we wouldn't just abandon someone to suffer in poverty. Even you don't deserve that."
"But don't think you're off the hook!" Rainbow insisted. "Flutters and the rest of us will keep a close eye on you. No more funny business, right?"
"R-r-right," stammered Adagio. There were not many things that made her nervous, but she knew she was on thin ice and could not afford to make any more big mistakes. She and the other Dazzlings had been given a second chance, and if they screwed it up, they might not get a third.
"So, all three of them are staying with you?" Twilight asked Fluttershy.
"I got space."
"Even with the animals you keep around sometimes?" smirked Rainbow.
"Even then," smiled Fluttershy. "They're usually just temporary visitors from the shelter. Though I have recently acquired a cute little budgie..."
"A BUDGIE?!" Sonata beamed. "Can we go, Adagio? Canwecanwecanwe?!"
Adagio had already decided. She just nodded, then sent a glance towards Aria to make it clear that she would tolerate no arguments.
"Is it the budgie that was in the window in that pet shop not far from here?" Sonata asked, still excited.
"The very one," Fluttershy replied. The blue-haired Siren squealed in delight as she and her companions followed Fluttershy outside while the others slowly backed away.
"...better than jail..." Aria murmured under her breath as they climbed aboard Fluttershy's moped.
"That... was an interesting turn of events," Luna said after an awkward silence as the moped sped off.
"Gonna be a little more interesting when they learn about Fluttershy's dress code," Rainbow snickered.
"Oh my gosh, you're right!" Pinkie gasped. "How could they have possibly known we were planning to have that party in the n--"
Sunset covered her mouth again, for discretion's sake. "Better not blurt that out here in a public diner, Pinkie. But yeah, they're in for a BIG surprise..."
Fluttershy's House
"UNDRESS?!" Aria shouted angrily as the animal lover began to disrobe the moment they stepped inside.
"You CANNOT be serious," stated Adagio more quietly, though she was no less shocked.
"Oh, didn't you know what kind of party we were planning in the basement?" Fluttershy asked.
The Dazzlings understandably found this surreal. Fluttershy was the last girl that they - or perhaps anyone else - would expect to find themselves talking to while she was stripping naked with a mischievous smirk on her face. Wasn't she supposed to be timid and nervous about what others thought of her?
"And since you're my guests, you have to do the same thing," she continued as she dropped her underwear.
"Why?!" Aria screamed as Fluttershy gathered her discarded clothes and placed them in a nearby hamper.
"Because I am a naturist, and such is the way of my home," replied Fluttershy, still shockingly calm as she now stood entirely naked and not try to cover anything.
The Dazzlings tried to avoid looking anywhere but the girl's face, and failed rather hilariously. Then Sonata spoke up.
"Wait - what was that you said about the party?"
"That room is for our nudist parties," she explained. "Unfortunately, because of your actions, we'll have to delay it till next week."
"You have a nudist club... in... your... school?!?" Aria spluttered, emphasizing the last three words.
"Of course," Fluttershy giggled at her shock. "Sonata here is an attendee."
"She's WHAT?!" Aria glared at her fellow Siren. Sonata chuckled nervously as she fidgeted with the buttons on her shirt.
"You've got some explaining to do," said Adagio sternly, folding her arms like an unimpressed parent.
"I couldn't resist!" Sonata pleaded. "They were serving tacos!"
Aria rolled her eyes at Sonata's weakness for the food.
"And she attended in the same attire as the rest of us," added Fluttershy, still smiling slyly. "And you'd be willing to do it again here, right, Sonata?"
Sonata nodded slightly as she had been subtly unbuttoning her shirt the whole time.
As she slid it off, Aria grew hysterical again. "Sonata, I do NOT need to see your naked body too!"
"Looks like we don't have a choice, Aria," said Adagio. "It's the rules here, apparently." She proceeded to slip off her jacket and get to work on her own buttons. Aria sighed as she began to undress herself.
"You'll also be helping take care of the animals here," Fluttershy added.
"Where's the budgie?" begged Sonata as she peeled off her socks. "I want to see my birdie friend again!"
Fluttershy giggled as she led Sonata into the other room.
"Are we really going to have to stay here, Adagio?" Aria rolled her eyes as her leader unclasped her bra.
"Stop complaining," Adagio replied. "What other options do we have?"
"Girls!" Sonata came running back into the room, a small bird resting on her finger being the only thing on her body. Aria quickly looked away in disgust.
"You look like some kind of hippie," she groaned.
"Apparently you're not familiar with my friend Tree Hugger," called Fluttershy. "That word is far more ideal for her."
Adagio was now down to her underwear. "Hurry up, Aria, unless you want to go back to the dumpster." Aria grumbled as she removed her pants and tossed them aside.
"We're giving up the only clothes we got..."
Adagio sighed. "Tell you what. If Fluttershy tries to steal them or something, I'll let you throttle her."
"Come on, girls, lighten up!" said Sonata, dancing around slightly on her bare feet. "This will help us open up to each other and become closer!"
"They tell you that when you were at the club?" Aria grumbled, now also fully nude and none too happy about it.
"It was good advice," Sonata giggled as she nuzzled the budgie. Adagio and Aria rolled their eyes as Fluttershy's phone rang. Picking it up, the animal caretaker had a short conversation before hanging up.
"Good news girls," she smiled. "We got you three a job."
"...so soon?" Aria deadpanned. Fluttershy nodded.
"It's helping to fix the mess you caused in the Student Center."
"Oh. Fantastic," sighed Adagio unhappily, seating her unclothed body onto a chair.
"Well... it seems only fair," Sonata shrugged.
"We'll be going there later tonight, so you can be sure the people there will be nude," she smirked slyly at the Dazzlings' blushing faces.
"What have I gotten us into?" groaned Adagio.
Sonata patted her shoulder. "Aww, don't worry. The people at the club are super welcoming and friendly. I got used to it!"
"Yeah, well, we're not you, Sonata," said Aria. Sonata shrugged as she went back to playing with the budgie.
Later
Fluttershy led the ex-Sirens through the halls of Canterlot High towards the Student Center.
"I'm glad it's a Friday night and nobody else is around," remarked Adagio, "or we'd be getting a lot of nasty looks."
Sonata nodded. Though she was often air-headed, she knew it would take a while to earn the trust of Canterlot High's students.
"Well, helping fix your mistake is a good start," Fluttershy explained as she opened the door to the Center. Sunset, Rainbow, Emerald, Flutter and Sandymane were already working on washing the walls free of the graffiti the Dazzlings sprayed on.
"So these are the infamous Dazzlings," remarked Sandymane. "I expected you to look scarier."
"Screw you, four-eyes," growled Aria.
"Now, now," Fluttershy stepped in between the two. "Name calling isn't going to solve anything. Aria here is just a little grumpy about cleaning up her handiwork."
"Well, it's the decent thing to do," said Sandymane. "I suppose I should be grateful that you three at least showed up."
"What can I do to help?" Sonata beamed, her clothes literally flying into Adagio and Aria's faces. The others chuckled at the almost unrealistic scene as Sonata dashed over to Sandymane.
Sandymane smiled, beginning to warm up to the most cheerful of the Dazzlings. "Well, I'm currently trying to untangle some streamers, and I'd appreciate an extra pair of hands."
"Sure thing!" Sonata giggled as she took the streamers from Sandymane and began the task of straightening them out. Adagio chuckled somewhat, prompting everyone to look at her in surprise.
"Did... you just laugh?" Aria asked in disbelief.
"Well... you have to admit, Sonata's upbeat attitude is quite adorable sometimes."
"Yeah, well, I think it's annoying most of the time," said Aria. "But then..." her face softened, "there are those moments where she does nice stuff for us, and I'm very glad we have her."
"Aww, you guys are sweet when you want to be," smiled Sonata. "Why don't you get out of those clothes and join us?"
"Not in front of everyone!" Aria screamed as Fluttershy led her and Adagio to the changing rooms.
"I don't really see how it makes a difference," said Emerald, "but you can use that room if it makes you more comfortable."
Aria was surprised at how courteous the only boy present was being. She had known many guys who would be total perverted jerks if surrounded by naked girls. She certainly knew several men she had seduced with her singing and looks. However, Emerald didn't even show any signs of arousal. But before she could think further, Sour Sweet and Sunny Flare entered the Student Center. Both Crystal Prep girls had already disrobed in the hallway.
"Ah, more help!" grinned Sunset. "Thanks for coming, girls."
Adagio looked closely at the newcomers. "Wait - you two are from the Shadowbolts, that sports team from Crystal Prep, right? I thought you were the Wondercolts' rivals or something."
"We may be from rival schools..." Sour began.
"...but we're friends in nakedness!" Sunny finished with a grin.
"Speaking of which, Adagio," smirked Sunset, "weren't you and Aria just about to go and get rid of those pesky clothes?"
"Or do we have to remove them for ya," Pinkie asked from behind, catching the two Sirens off guard.
"No thanks!" Aria blurted out immediately, hurrying after Fluttershy. Sunny chuckled at the girl's panicking, remembering she was exactly the same when she started out. Meanwhile, Adagio started undressing herself where she was, keen to avoid putting put with either Pinkie's assistance or more of Aria's panicking.
"See? Not so bad," Sonata giggled as Adagio placed her clothes on the closest table.
"Well, being the only one clothed in a bunch of naked people was a bit awkward," the Dazzling leader admitted.
"Kinda like the other way round, huh?" Rainbow grinned.
"You can help Flutter wash the graffiti off," Sunset handed Adagio a bucket and sponge.
"That part was Aria's idea," said Adagio. "I'll help for now, but when she returns, SHE does it."
"That's not how things work, Adagio," Sunset retorted, shoving the bucket into the Siren's hands. "You're not exactly in a position to give people orders."
For a moment, Adagio looked angry and ready to argue with the girl who had bravely encouraged the other Rainbooms to stand up to her. But then she remembered that she was now trying to get on good terms with Sunset and as many other students in the school as possible. So she sighed, swallowed her pride and accepted her appointed task without another word.
Soon, Aria came out of the locker room with Pinkie Pie, the Siren covering her chest and lower area while blushing brightly.
"No need to be embarrassed," Fluttershy assured her. "It's nothing I've seen before, or that the rest of us don't have."
"Except Emerald, of course," added Rainbow, somewhat unhelpfully.
"That doesn't make the situation better!" Aria retorted.
"How about you help me lift some tables?" Flutter asked. She figured that if Aria focused on doing that, it would help her adjust better.
"...fine."
Aria set to work, uncovering herself to do so, and Flutter kept a small conversation going with her.
Meanwhile, Sandymane spoke up about something she'd been wondering. "Have we made plans to reschedule the party, or is it a loss now?"
"Well, if we manage to get this finished in time," Sunset replied. "We can do it tomorrow."
"Yay!" squealed Pinkie. "I'll get some more balloons as soon as we're done!" Aria rolled her eyes at the statement, as she was the one who popped Pinkie's first batch when they sabotaged the room.
"You know what?" said Rainbow Dash with a crafty smirk. "Maybe you Dazzlings could help us run the party, to make up for wrecking it the first time?"
"Alright then..." Adagio sighed as they resumed cleaning up.
The next day
Aria yawned as she woke up in Fluttershy's guest room.
"Better get up early, girls," she heard Fluttershy calling from the kitchen. "We have a party to prepare for, remember?"
"I still can't believe we agreed to go," grumbled Aria to herself, rolling out of bed. She mentally noted that one benefit of nudism at home was not wasting time getting dressed before breakfast. She even let her hair hang loose for the moment, instead of tying it in the usual pigtails.
"...why is our hair even this big...?" she asked herself.
"Well, I'd say it looks good on me," smirked Adagio as she stepped into the room. "Come on, you slob. We need you to help with some cakes later."
"At least have some modesty, Dagi," Aria mumbled as her companion shamelessly showed off her nude body.
"Don't need to. We're safely in Fluttershy's place, remember? Besides, we might as well get used to being naked, since we'll be among LOADS of other nudists at the party."
"Thanks for reminding me," Aria muttered, sarcastic as ever.
"We're also going on a nature walk in a little bit," Fluttershy added.
Aria froze. "... Come again?"
"Yeah!" she heard Sonata call happily. "We'll be outside in the fresh air - it's gonna be great!"
"...naked outside?" Aria asked with fear rising in her voice.
"Yep!" Sonata giggled. "We'll have so much fun!"
"N-n-now wait just a freaking minute...!" Aria spluttered. But before she could protest, she already had found herself out in the woods next to Fluttershy's cottage. The feeling of the morning breeze on her skin and the grass under her bare feet served to strongly remind Aria how naked she and the others were. If anyone else were to pass by, they would be in full view.
"Now I wish we had our scales again..." she pouted as she covered her chest with her arms while the others took in the sights and sounds of nature.
"Lovely, isn't it?" smiled Fluttershy. "Listening to the animals and birds always makes me feel so peaceful."
"I feel so free!" sighed Sonata, dancing around a bit and looking rather like some nymph or forest spirit.
"I have to admit, it's not that bad," Adagio sniffed the air.
"And what if someone shows up and gets an eyeful?" asked Aria, still not convinced that this was a good idea.
"Nobody knows about this trail," Fluttershy replied. "I've done this a bunch of times."
"Oooh, how surprisingly bold you are," smiled Adagio, raising an eyebrow. "Shall we set off, then?"
"So I heard you and Dash are an item now," Sonata leaned in.
For a moment, Fluttershy looked like her more familiar nervous self again. But then she simply smiled and said, "Yes, it's true. We're together, and we're both very happy for it."
"You guys... do it?" Sonata asked.
"Oh, do tell," grinned Adagio.
"W-We haven't done anything serious yet..." Fluttershy moved her hair so it would cover one of her eyes.
"Come on, guys, lay off her," Aria found herself saying. "If she wants to keep the details private, let her."
"You really are no fun, Aria," huffed Adagio.
"Unlike you, I'd rather respect our host's privacy."
"Come on, girls, don't argue," pleaded Sonata. "We're out here to have fun, right?"
Things calmed a bit after that, and Fluttershy was able to lead the Dazzlings on her trail through the woods. Occasionally they could see amazing sights beyond the trees, from grassy fields to sloping hills. Eventually they came to a stream, where Fluttershy sat down and dipped her feet in the water.
"This is my favorite spot," she explained as she straightened her hair. "It's the most peaceful area in the woods."
The Dazzlings found they couldn't argue with that. The sound of the flowing water, along with the way the sun reflected onto it, gave them a desire to settle down and quietly enjoy themselves.
"...why did we cause people to fight anyway?" Sonata asked.
"We needed the negative energy of their emotions to fuel our amulets, remember?" said Aria. She didn't say it in a sarcastic way, however - her voice was full of regret.
"And it only got us banished from Equestria, trapped in these bodies and we lost them forever," Adagio added. Like Aria, her voice was full of guilt, rather than its usual haughtiness.
"And now we can't even sing anymore," sniffed Sonata, starting to tear up. "What are we going to do?"
"Well, why not make yourselves better people?" Fluttershy offered, scooting over to them. "You three have been a great help cleaning up your mess, and I'm sure the others would trust you a little more."
Adagio didn't look so sure. "Cleaning up a party we wrecked is one thing. Earning the forgiveness of the whole school after magically turning them against each other is another."
"Nobody said it would be easy," the animal lover shrugged. "But it's a good start."
Adagio decided that, as the Dazzlings' leader, she needed to reassure her friends at that moment. "Girls..." she said, "I know I haven't always been easy to put up with, and Faust knows I've led us into some bad choices. But whatever happens... I'll do my best to take care of you both, okay?"
Aria chuckled a little. "That sounds so unlike you, Adagio, maybe being human is affecting you more than you think."
Adagio shrugged. "Times have changed. I figured that we need to change with them."
"But we'll still stick together, right?" said Sonata. "That won't ever change, right?"
"Of course, Sonata," Adagio patted her head gently.
"I love you guys so much!" the bubbly girl cried, pulling Adagio and Aria into a hug with both arms. Aria slightly chuckled at Sonata's sudden change in personality.
That night
The party was on, and the naked Dazzlings found themselves standing among several more equally naked students.
"...I don't think I can handle this..." Aria covered her chest in embarrassment. When they had arrived, the NLAC's members had angrily demanded what they were doing there. Rainbow, Sunset, Flutter and Emerald had to stand protectively around them before Twilight and Sunset could explain everything. Even after that, nobody had spoken to them and most of the looks they received were nasty and distrustful. They tried to ease the mood by helping to serve out slices of cake, but it did little to distract from the fact that they were still less than welcome, in the club or in the whole school.
"Face it, Dagi," Aria said. "They're not gonna like us."
Sonata had been trying to strike up a friendly chat with some of the younger members, like the CMC. But they had generally kept their distance, and she now looked very sad and dejected. Flutter knew they just needed to find an activity that suited them.
"Hey, Sonata," she said. "Pinkie is making some balloon animals over there. Maybe if you ask, she'll show you how."
"Okay then!" Sonata saluted before running off to join Pinkie.
"And you, Aria," Flutter went on. "Do you like music?"
"Of course," the unhappy girl replied. "But I think karaoke is out of the question."
"What about actually playing the music? Vinyl might be willing to let you have a whirl at it."
The purple Siren shrugged before heading to the dance floor.
"And what about me?" Adagio asked, crossing her arms and tapping one foot.
"Oh, well..." Flutter thought for a moment. "You're a bit harder to read than your friends..."
"SCOOTALOO, NO!" a voice shrieked, followed by the sound of someone else crying out.
Adagio and Flutter immediately jerked their head in the direction the noise came from. Scootaloo had been up on a stepladder, trying to pin her friend Sweetie Belle's homemade streamer to the wall. It was Sweetie who had shouted as her friend leaned too far to one side, lost her balance and fell off towards the floor with a yell of alarm.
Reacting quickly, Adagio rushed in and caught the falling Scootaloo in her arms. She was knocked backwards onto her rump and skidded along the floor a bit - that would surely leave a mark or two - but she succeeded in making sure the younger girl was unharmed.
"You... saved me..." the CMC member said in awe.
"Err... yeah, I guess I did," Adagio replied, no less surprised at her own actions.
"Gotta admit, Adagio," Rainbow walked over to them. "That was pretty gutsy."
"Well, I couldn't just let her fall... right?" The rainbow haired girl patted her on the back before helping them both up.
Rainbow then turned to the other members, who had watched the whole thing in surprised silence. "You all saw that, right? Not as evil as you thought, right?" The others gave half-enthusiastic responses, clearly feeling guilty about their treatment of the ex-Sirens.
"Hey, thanks," Scootaloo smiled as she shook the surprised Adagio's hand. Her face was quivering a little as it moved slightly upward.
"You're... you're welcome," Adagio replied, with a shaky smile of her own.
"Did... Adagio just smile nicely?" Sonata asked, dumbfounded. "Is this, like, a dream?"
"I wouldn't be surprised if it was," Aria remarked. "We're all naked in public, after all." That earned a few chuckles from her fellow dancers. Vinyl gave Aria a thumbs-up and beckoned her back to her DJ booth, hoping to share some tunes with her.
"Look, Aria," Sonata squeaked happily, "you've made a new friend!" Her purple companion smirked a little as she joined the mute musician.
At the same time, the door to the changing room opened, revealing an embarrassed looking Rouge Candle trying to cover himself.
"What the--?! Rouge Candle?!" Emerald cried.
"Who the heck is this guy?" Adagio demanded.
"You could say he's our neighbor at the club," he replied.
Sandymane, meanwhile, stepped towards Rouge with a slight blush.
"I'm the one who invited him, Em," she spoke up.
"Say wha--?!" blurted out Rainbow.
"Miss Globe," frowned Cheerilee, "you do know we have to be careful about who we allow into our club? You should have informed me about this beforehand."
"I-I-I know, I'm sorry," Sandymane replied nervously. "It's just that--"
Fuchsia suddenly bounced in and interrupted. "She's got a crush on him!" Unable to restrain his girlfriend in time, Pimpernel gave his embarrassed sister an apologetic look.
"...and they stowed away with us," Sandymane added, hanging her head low.
Cheerilee turned her disapproving gaze onto the two youngsters.
"Err... hello, ma'am," said Pimpernel as politely as he could. "I'm Sandymane's brother, and this is Emerald's sister. We go to the Green Hill Club with them all the time, and we thought it would be okay to hang out here too... kinda?"
"Plus I don't wanna wait until I come here to party!" Fuchsia added.
"Hmm," the teacher replied. "Be that as it may, neither you nor this young man are recognized as members, and ought to have officially registered as such before coming here. Vice-Principal Luna and I will gladly welcome whoever wants to join, so long as we feel they can be trusted."
Fuchsia cheered before joining Pinkie and Sonata at the balloon table while Pimpernel observed his sister and Rouge head to a more empty part of the room.
"I wonder how she persuaded him to join us?" the boy muttered to himself.
"Come on, Rouge," Sandymane was saying. "None of us are any less exposed than you. You'll only draw attention by covering yourself like that."
"It's not zat..." he murmured under his breath.
"Then what is it?"
He blushed before slightly removing his hands. Sandymane gasped as Rouge quickly covered his groin again.
"So you managed to..." she started.
"Oui," Rouge replied unhappily. "I'm zorry, I cannot relax..." Sandymane stood up and went to fetch a towel for him.
"What's up, sis?" Pimpernel asked as she passed him.
"He... needs a towel."
"Wha--? Oh... right." He nodded as Fuchsia suddenly yanked him to the dance floor. Chuckling at the girl's hyper activeness, Sandymane yanked a towel from the changing room and brought it back to Rouge.
"Here," she said kindly. "Newcomers at the Green Hill Club are allowed to have one of these around their waist until they feel comfortable, and the same rules apply here at the NLAC as well."
Rouge gratefully wrapped it around his waist. "Merci, mon ami," he smiled. "I'll remove it when I feel ready."
"Yeah, do your mother proud," Sandymane chuckled. It was in fact Rouge's mother who had encouraged him to get involved in local people's interests, and she didn't seem to mind that some of her son's first new acquaintances were nudists. She just told him to be adventurous, have crazy experiences and meet some new friends.
"Saw you save Scootaloo, Adagio," Emerald said to the fluffy-haired girl.
"You DEFINITELY did the right thing there," added Flutter with a wink.
"Um, thanks?" Adagio said, still not used to this feeling.
She noticed the girl in question talking with her fellow CMC members, and they occasionally gave friendly smiles and waves towards her.
"Hey, if you're looking for work, I'm sure I could ask my mom about getting you jobs at our club," Emerald continued.
A chance for employment! Adagio almost agreed on the spot, but then she considered something. "That means REALLY committing ourselves to this nudist thing, right?"
"You're smarter than you look," Emerald smirked.
"I'll have to run it by the others... Sonata will be fine with it, of course, but Aria might be another story."
"I'm all in," the purple girl interrupted, having overheard the whole conversation.
Adagio found herself astonished once again. "Really?"
Aria smiled and shrugged. "Hey, these are actually really nice people. Starting a new life with them sounds like a great idea. And I think we've all got the hang of the 'not wearing clothes' part," she added with a smirk and a small pose.
"Yay, we're officially nudists!" Sonata surprise hugged Aria from behind.
Adagio chuckled. "Heh... I guess we are."
"Welcome to the club," said Sunset. "Or rather, this club AND Green Hill."
Green Hill Club
"Well, of course you three can work here!" Rosie Peace beamed after Emerald explained the situation to her.
"For realsies?" Sonata squealed.
"Even after the... mistakes we've made?" Adagio asked.
"I wouldn't be setting an example if I rejected you."
"Thank you so much," said Aria with a genuine smile.
"We'll help out any way we can," Adagio added.
"But for starters," cut in Sonata, "is there somewhere we can go for a swim? I so love it when we get a chance to do that!"
Rosie could understand that, given that these girls had once been marine creatures.
"The pool is that way," she pointed towards the swimming area.
"Thank you!" beamed Sonata. She grabbed her friends by the arms. "Come on, girls!"
"Ow! Hey, ease off a little, Sonata!" Aria yelled. Sonata giggled as she ran past Sandymane and Rouge entering the building.
The couple stepped in front of Rosie's desk, and Rouge gave a nervous but polite smile. Sandymane decided to explain for him. "Rouge here would like to sign in as a member."
"Is that so?" Rosie smirked.
"Oui, s'il vous plait," said Rouge. Obviously still not fully used to this new lifestyle, he did his best to not let his eyes wander from Rosie's face. "So I have to fill in something, vrai?"
"Of course," Rosie smiled as she placed the members book on the desk, and opened it to its latest page. She then lent a pen to Rouge, and he wrote his name and a few other details in the spaces indicated.
"Congratulations," said Rosie. "You're a member."
"Great!" Sandymane beamed as the club owner placed the book back on its shelf.
"Welcome to the club, Rouge Candle," said Rosie with another smile. "We hope you enjoy being here."
Before she knew what she was doing, Sandymane placed a small kiss on Rouge's cheek. Both teens went bright red at the feeling.
Rosie could not help but smirk and raising an eyebrow. Noticing this, Sandymane sighed and decided to come clean.
"All right, I admit it. I've been fancying him for a while."
"R-Really?" The beleaguered boy asked. "Well, so have I..."
Obviously flattered, Sandymane smiled and ran a few fingers through her hair. "Well, besides being good-looking," she took a moment to cheekily run her eyes up and down his body, "you're also polite and sweet and... well, I'd be happy to be your girlfriend."
Rouge responded by planting a large kiss on her lips.
"Why don't you lovebirds find another spot to do that, while I get on with my work?" chuckled Rosie.
"O-Okay..." Sandymane said absentmindedly as Rouge led her out of the office. Rosie took a moment to muse on the romances she had seen blossom in recent days - first her son Emerald and Flutter, then her daughter Fuchsia and Pimpernel, then Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, and now these two.
"We made it!" Indigo Zap shouted as she and Sour entered the office.
A startled Rosie almost fell out of her chair. "Girls, please don't burst in like that!"
"Sorry," said Indigo. "I'm just so happy we made it."
"What do you mean, 'made it'?"
"I mean before Rainbow," the girl replied with a triumphant grin.
"If you girls enjoy racing so much," sighed Rosie, "perhaps I should think about getting a proper running track set up in this place."
"And an indoor pool!" The Crystal Prep athlete added. "Perfect for pool volleyball!"
"We do actually have an outdoor pool and volleyball court," said Rosie. "But since rain could be a problem, I'll make a note of your idea."
"Sunny and Fleck are getting our stuff," Sour said as she picked up her discarded clothes. "We'd like two separate cabins for the weekend, please."
"Well, we're already very full, but we do still have two or three cabins left, so all right."
"You could always bunk with us, Sour," Flutter said, having overheard them. The Shadowbolt blushed at the offer, though she did not know why.
"Don't forget about us!" said Rainbow as she arrived with Fluttershy by her side. Sunset and Twilight followed closely behind, having ridden with them.
Rosie's eyes widened. "This... could take a bit of planning."