//------------------------------// // Chapter 9 - Games People Play // Story: Second Chances: A Redemption Story // by Cyrano //------------------------------// “What are you doing?” Adagio blinked. “What?” Sugarcoat stood before her, her brow furrowed in concern (though, to Adagio’s newly awakened conscience, it looked a lot more like disdain). “You were just standing there staring at the floor. It was weird.” “I was waiting for you,” said Adagio and, noticing a slight tremble in her voice, forced the dark thoughts to the back of her mind. She could figure it out later – she would figure it out later – but right now she needed to get a hold of herself. “Why were you staring at the floor?” “I thought I dropped something.” “What?” “Nothing.” “You can’t drop n–” “I know you can’t drop nothing!” snapped Adagio, wincing at the harshness of her tone. This was decidedly not getting a hold of herself. She closed her eyes, pinched the bridge of her nose with her thumb and index finger, and sighed. “Sorry, just… don’t worry about it. What are we eating?” Sugarcoat’s expression remained neutral throughout Adagio’s outburst. As obtuse as Rainbow Dash had been, at least she was easy to read. “Pizza,” said Sugarcoat, simply, motioning for Adagio to follow. Adagio fell in beside her, her hand gravitating to the rear pocket of her jeans. Inside, Adagio felt the crumpled forms of several small bills. With their magic, the Sirens had little need for money: they might not have been able to fully control the minds of these humans (Adagio once again banished a vision of the dull-eyed Twilight Sparkle from her thoughts), but they could usually manage to convince them to acquire things when the Sirens needed them. Nonetheless, Adagio had held on to some of the human currency as a backup plan. It wasn’t much, but in an emergency, it was better than nothing. And, fortunately for Adagio, pizza was cheap. The rest of the – ugh – ‘Crystal Prep Breakfast Club’ (Adagio made a mental note to come up with a better name for the group) were waiting nearby. Indigo Zap, who had been lounging on a bench, stood up as they approached. “So, she actually showed up,” she said, looking almost surprised. Adagio cocked an eyebrow. “No offense, Dazzle, but when Sugarcoat said you’d meet us here I was pretty sure it code for you bailing.” The implication that Adagio would renege on her word irked her. It wasn’t unfounded, but Indigo Zap didn’t need to know that. Adagio folded her arms in mild irritation. “Well, I’m here.” “And we’re so glad to have you!” said Sour Sweet, disingenuously, before muttering something else under her breath that Adagio didn’t catch. So, this was how this was going to be? Adagio briefly considered leaving – she’d dealt with more than her share of petulant teenagers for one day – but dismissed the thought. That would mean proving Indigo Zap’s point, and Adagio was far too proud to let that happen. Instead, she shot Sour Sweet a fake smile of her own, and moved on. The pizza place was very crowded. This wasn’t exactly a surprise – it was a Saturday evening after all – but in an unprecedented stroke of luck, another group had vacated just before Adagio and company arrived, leaving an empty booth. It was a little tight, but in the end, all six of them managed to squeeze in. Then came the arguing. “Mushrooms? Seriously?” It occurred to Adagio that, before today, she’d never heard Sunny Flare speak. That changed, however, when the girl turned out to be extremely opinionated about pizza toppings. They all were. “What’s wrong with mushrooms?” asked Sugarcoat. “Oh, nothing,” seethed Sour Sweet, “if you want to ruin a pizza!” “They’re literally a fungus,” said Sunny Flare. “Meat lovers!” cried Indigo Zap. “I don’t eat meat,” replied Sugarcoat. “Me either,” said Adagio. It wasn’t necessarily true – Adagio disliked meat as much as she disliked all human food – but had felt compelled to side with Sugarcoat. Indigo Zap shook her head. “You girls are hopeless.” “Dude,” said Lemon Zest, lowering her menu and touching one of the selections with her finger. “Hawaiian!” “Eww,” said Sunny Flare. “Hawaiian pizza has ham,” said Sugarcoat. “And pineapple!” added Indigo Zap, screwing up her face and sticking out her tongue in disgust. “Good choice, Lemon Zest,” cooed Sour Sweet, “you managed to find the one thing everyone hates equally!” Lemon Zest shrugged and looked back at her menu. Adagio glanced over at Sugarcoat. “Is it like this every time you girls go out?” “We’re new at this,” said Sugarcoat. Adagio cocked an eyebrow, but Sugarcoat didn’t elaborate. “Alright,” said Adagio, turning her gaze back to her own menu. “Let’s try this again.” “That was exhausting.” Adagio and Sugarcoat trudged up the stairs to the third floor of the Crystal Prep girls’ dormitory. Adagio’s feet were heavy, and she could practically feel the bags forming under her eyes. The long day of social interaction had taken its toll, and she wanted nothing more than to collapse onto her bed and put this long, frustrating day behind her. She reached the top of the stairs and opened the stairwell door, stepping through and holding it open for Sugarcoat, who followed before stopping abruptly in the hallway. Adagio followed her gaze down the hall to a lone figure who sat, hugging her knees, with her head resting against the door to their room. Adagio sighed. “What do you want, Sonata?” Sonata’s head jolted up and she looked around blearily before finally managing to focus on Adagio. She planted her hands on her knees and forced herself into a standing position, wobbling a little before managing to regain her balance. “‘Dagi, where have you been? I’ve been looking for you, like, all day!” “I was out,” said Adagio, curtly, her arms akimbo and her hip cocked to one side. “What do you want?” she repeated. “I want to talk to you. About Aria.” Of course she did. Adagio glanced at Sugarcoat and nodded towards the door. “Go on,” she said, “I’ll be in in a minute.” Sugarcoat skirted around Sonata, opened the door and, after a brief look back at Adagio and Sonata, left the two girls alone in the hallway. “Alright,” said Adagio. “Talk.” “Okay, so, I know you’re not talking to Aria–” “I’m not ‘not talking to’ Aria,” interrupted Adagio, “we just haven’t spoken.” “Sure,” said Sonata, “whatever. The point is, it’s been, like, three days! She’s always with the dumb basketball team, and you’re always in that stupid lab!” “Keep your voice down!” chided Adagio. Sonata let out a frustrated sigh. “You’re not listening!” “I am listening,” said Adagio. “It’s been three days since I’ve talked to Aria, so what? Would you rather us be fighting?” “No! I just… I want things to go back to how they used to be.” “So do I,” said Adagio. “Which is why I’m working so hard to–” she lowered her voice “–to get our magic back. Something Aria doesn’t seem to be taking very seriously.” “She is taking it seriously!” insisted Sonata. “We both are! It’s just... ” “It’s just what?” “How can we help if you won’t tell us what to do?” Adagio scoffed and Sonata looked at her incredulously. “You’re the leader, ‘Dagi, and you’ve always told us what to do. Aria might not like it, but she always does what you tell her to, right?” Adagio nodded, begrudgingly. “So tell us, what’s the plan?” “We’re going to fix the device and–” “How? How do we fix it?” “I’m working on it.” Sonata threw up her hands in exasperation. “This is what I’m talking about! You’re mad that we’re not helping you, but you won’t tell us how we can!” Adagio glowered at her. As much as she hated to admit it (and she really hated to admit it), Sonata had a point. Adagio couldn’t tell them about her plan to trick Twilight Sparkle into teaching her to rebuild her device – not without admitting that she’d been fraternizing with the Rainbooms, anyway – and she certainly couldn’t tell them about her being on academic probation. So what could she do? Sonata, as it turned out, already had a solution. “I want you to come to Aria’s basketball game tomorrow.” Adagio stared at her in disbelief. “You’re kidding.” “Come on,” urged Sonata, “it could be fun! ...Okay, so it will probably be totally lame, but we can sit in the stands and talk about how lame it is! I know Aria won’t say it, but I know it would mean a lot to her if you went.” Adagio wasn’t buying it. “Why would she care whether I go to her pointless game or not?” “She just would!” said Sonata. “So, will you come?” Adagio rubbed her eyes. She was too tired for this conversation. Of course Sonata’s plan wouldn’t work – Sonata had come up with it, after all – but Adagio’s fatigue addled mind simply could not find the words to explain this to her without prolonging their already tedious argument. She could simply turn her down, but that would only encourage Sonata to bother her more in the days to come. Adagio groaned. She knew what she had to do. “Fine,” she said, “I’ll go.” Sonata’s eyes widened and her face lit up. “Really?” she asked. “You’ll go?” “That’s what I said, isn’t it?” snapped Adagio. Why did everyone assume she wouldn’t keep her word? “Now, I’m going to bed before I come to my senses and change my mind.” Sonata clapped her hands together gleefully. “The game’s in the afternoon, so I’ll come get you around then and we can walk down together. Goodnight, ‘Dagi!” Adagio grunted a response, turning her back on Sonata and staring at the door to her room, the last barrier that stood between her and the rest she so desperately needed. She sighed. “I’m going to regret this, aren’t I?” Adagio regretted everything. She regretted being defeated by Star Swirl the Bearded and being banished from Equestria. She regretted being defeated again by the Rainbooms and having her opportunity to undo the wrongs that had befallen her snatched away. She regretted being suckered into being a tool for Abacus Cinch, and she regretted her carelessness in being found out by Sunset Shimmer. But right now what she regretted most was agreeing to Sonata’s plan. Sleep had done little to relieve Adagio’s weariness, but it had cleared her mind just enough to remember that she’d agreed to spend the day with the other Sirens, a thought that appealed to her about as much as the idea of being trapped in an alien world with them. Furthermore, she had to waste her time feeding Aria’s already hyperinflated ego and watching her run around playing a game whose rules she only had a passing understanding of. In short, today was going to be terrible. The insistent buzzing of her phone jerked Adagio from her melancholy, and she reached beneath her pillow to retrieve the irksome object. It was Twilight Sparkle, of course, only two people had her phone number, and if Sugarcoat wanted something she’d only have to raise her voice a little. ...Okay, so maybe it could have been Sugarcoat. Adagio swiped through the menus of her phone to reach the message. She might not be an expert with technology, but given how short a period she’d had the device, she thought she was starting to get the hang of this ‘texting’ thing. As if to prove the point, Adagio opened the text with a flourish of her finger. ‘Hi,’ it said. Adagio smiled. ‘Hi,’ she replied. The little icon of an ellipses appeared at the bottom of the screen, which Adagio had determined meant that the other party was composing their message. This had sat poorly with her, as every time she saw it she was reminded of her first text-conversation with Twilight, and how many times she’d typed a message only to immediately erase it. Had Twilight been privy to Adagio’s struggle? She felt heat building in her cheeks, prompting her to jam her eyes shut and exhale sharply, a futile attempt to distance herself from her shame. What was it about lying in bed that made one remember their each and every embarrassing incident? The phone buzzed again and Adagio shook her head, dispelling the thoughts. ‘Did you have fun yesterday?’ ‘Yeah,’ typed Adagio, only to delete it as soon as she finished. Twilight was too smart for that, and though Adagio’s initial response was to lie, she realized that she didn’t actually want to deceive Twilight. She sighed. I’m such a hypocrite, she thought, and typed her reply. ‘No, but it could have been worse.’ There was a short pause before Twilight replied. ‘That’s fair, but I’m kind of glad it happened the way it did. It’s a relief having everything out in the open.’ ‘Yeah,’ responded Adagio, ‘it’s nice.’ Such a hypocrite. A sudden flurry of knocks at the door surprised Adagio, causing her to fumble and drop her phone squarely onto the bridge of her nose. She swore and clutched her face; her eyes watered and her nose stung, but the real injury was to her pride. “‘Dagi!” Sonata’s muffled call echoed from the hallway, and was punctuated by another trio of loud knocks. “You’d better be in there!” Adagio’s eye twitched, and she briefly considered not responding. “I’m here,” she said, sitting up. “What?” cried Sonata. “I said I’m here!” “Oh. Well, come let me in!” Adagio growled and reluctantly climbed down from her bunk, taking her time as she shuffled over to the door. “Finally,” said Sonata as Adagio opened the door and, looking her up and down, she frowned. “‘Dagi, did you just get out of bed? It’s, like, one o’clock.” “It’s not–” Adagio looked at her phone, which confirmed that it was five after one. I guess I slept longer than I thought. Spotting Adagio’s phone, Sonata snaked her hand into the pocket of her hoodie and withdrew a phone of her own. “Look, ‘Dagi, I got one, too!” “Why do you need a phone?” asked Adagio, skeptically. “Do you even talk to anyone?” “I talk to people!” insisted Sonata. “People other than me and Aria?” “Yes!” Adagio rolled her eyes. “Now,” said Sonata, extending her hand towards Adagio, “give me your phone so I can put my number in it.” “No!” Adagio clutched her phone jealously to her chest, unwilling to risk Sonata discovering her conversations with Twilight Sparkle. Sonata withdrew her hand as if she’d been struck, and Adagio quickly tried to cover her tracks. “You’d probably put it in wrong and end up texting someone in a different city. Let me put my number in your phone.” Sonata eyed Adagio suspiciously, mimicking Adagio’s guarded stance. “No,” she said. Adagio sighed in exasperation. Why was Sonata being so difficult? “Fine, just read your number out to me and I’ll put it in myself.” “Why don’t you read your number to me,” said Sonata. “Fine, whatever, let’s just do this.” Sonata smirked, clearly relishing her ‘victory’ in what she must have perceived as a battle of wills. Her smugness quickly evaporated into bewilderment as she poked uncertainly at her phone. “Where do I find my number?” Adagio lowered her face into her palm. “What did I do to deserve this?” she asked, knowing full well the answer to her rhetorical question. Fortunately, Sonata’s phone was nearly identical to Adagio’s, allowing her to talk Sonata through the process of finding her own phone number without much difficulty – not including the difficulties imposed by virtue of having to communicate with Sonata, that is. What should have taken mere seconds took the two girls nearly five minutes, but, eventually, they found it, and Adagio sent Sonata a text. The phone made an obnoxious series of chirps (Adagio now understood why Twilight had insisted she put the phone on ‘vibrate’) making both girls jump. “I got a text!” declared Sonata, jabbing at the screen until she managed to get it open. “It just says ‘Hi.’ I wonder who it’s from?” Adagio blinked at her, but Sonata continued to stare blankly at the text. She typed something else and hit send. The phone chirped again. “Hey – this time it says ‘You’re an Idiot.’ That’s not very nice!” Adagio couldn’t help but snicker. Realization dawned on Sonata’s face. “Not funny, ‘Dagi!” She furiously typed her response – or, at least, as furious as she could using only her index finger. ‘no u r 1.’ “Good comeback,” deadpanned Adagio. How am I the one on academic probation? “I thought so,” said Sonata. “Anyway,” said Aragio, her patience already beginning to wane, “what time does the game start?” Sonata rubbed her chin and screwed up her face in an obvious attempt to coordinate what little brain power she could muster. “Two o’clock,” said Sonata. “I think.” “You think?” Sonata nodded. “Yup!” “Alright,” said Adagio, “I’m going to take a shower.” She tucked her phone into her bag and began to gather the rest of her necessities that had inexplicably become scattered about the room. “What am I supposed to do?” pouted Sonata. “Go back to your room,” said Adagio. “Or stay here, I don’t care, just don’t touch anything!” Adagio slipped into the hallway while Sonata pondered her options, letting the door close behind her with a satisfying click. She grit her teeth. “You can do this, Adagio,” she told herself, and made her way towards the showers. When had talking to Sonata become such a chore? The question practically answered itself: it had always been a chore, the only difference between now and the times before was that Adagio was willingly subjecting herself to it. But that was the way it had to be, wasn’t it? The Sirens power was strongest when they were together, and when their power returned and this world turned against them (including all its smart, dorky girls), they would need that strength to take what was rightfully theirs. Two worlds in exchange for an eternity with Aria and Sonata, and the more Adagio thought about it, the less appealing the deal became. She reached the bathroom, set her bag down on the counter by the sink, and stared at her reflection in the mirror. A tired, unfamiliar girl stared back at her. Even hot water was unable to lift Adagio’s spirits, so when she returned to her room to find Sonata trying on her pendant, she was unsurprisingly upset. “I told you not to touch anything,” she said, her eyes narrowing into slits. Sonata, for the most part, ignored her, instead continuing to admire herself in the room’s mirror. “What do you think, ‘Dagi? It kind of looks like our old pendants, huh? Except, you know, smaller.” “Of course it does,” growled Adagio, “it’s a piece of the pendant.” Sonata looked at her quizzically. “Does it–” “No, it doesn’t work.” “Huh,” said Sonata. “So, what’s the point of it?” “It doesn’t have a point, it just looks pretty.” “Does that mean I can have it?” “What? No, you can’t have it, it’s mine.” Sonata pouted at her, her lip quivering pathetically. “Please?” she begged, drawing out the sound sound of the ‘e’. The tactic might have worked on someone else, but Adagio remained unmoved. “No,” she said, sternly. “Now, give it back.” Sonata’s moping continued as she fumbled with the clasp and, eventually, handed the necklace back to Adagio, who put it on. “No fair,” said Sonata, and Adagio rolled her eyes. “Can we go to the stupid game and get this over with already?” Sonata agreed, and together the two girls made their way out of the dormitory and towards the gymnasium. At first, the campus seemed as uncharacteristically empty as it had the day before, but as they approached the parking lot it appeared that that wasn’t the case. In addition to the surprising number of cars parked there (among them, Adagio noted, was that of Dean Cadance), there was a yellow school bus with a bored looking man sitting in the driver’s seat reading a newspaper. “Appleloosa,” read Sonata from the side of the bus, “where’s that?” “I don’t know,” said Adagio. Had the other team come from out of town just for this? Adagio could barely be bothered to walk two minutes. “It doesn’t matter.” Sonata shrugged, and the two girls continued into the gymnasium. Or, at least, they would have, if a sign on the door didn’t bar them from entering. “Please use other door.” This time it was Adagio doing the reading. “What other door?” “The one inside the school, I guess,” said Sonata. “Seriously? Why can’t we just use this one?” Sonata shrugged. Unwilling to be pushed around by a sign, Adagio tried the door anyway. It was locked. “Well, we tried. I’m going back to my room.” She’d barely taken a step before Sonata reached out and grabbed her wrist. “Come on, ‘Dagi!” Adagio snatched her hand away with a huff. “Fine, fine,” she said. It wasn’t as if she was actually going back to her room… well, she might have if Sonata hadn’t stopped her. But she knew Sonata would have stopped her, and therefore she knew she wouldn’t get out of this torture that easily. Without any further delays, the girls entered the school through the main entrance and arrived at the correct door to the gymnasium. Opening it, Adagio was struck by what felt like a solid wall of noise. It wasn’t difficult to tell where the noise was coming from. There were two distinct sets of bleachers, one on each side of the basketball court, one which was sparsely populated by evenly spread groups of two to four individuals (most of them adults, with the occasional student mixed in); while the other was absolutely packed with people. Young and old, men and women, all of them crammed in shoulder-to-shoulder, some holding hand made signs (‘Let’s go, Cowpoke!’), others others waving flags, and all of them being loud. Adagio could scarcely believe it. Not only had all these people come from who-knows-where to watch this game, they were thrilled to do it! The din of the crowd was akin to that of any of the Dazzling’s performances, and the game hadn’t even started yet! “C’mon, let’s grab a seat!” Snapping out of her shock, Adagio followed Sonata towards Crystal Prep’s set of bleachers, noticing as she walked several familiar faces that she’d missed in her initial scan of the room. Not technically on the bleachers, but in front of them, sat Dean Cadance and Principal Cinch at a long, rectangular table, accompanied by a pair of people Adagio could only assume represented Appleloosa. On the end of the bleachers nearest to Adagio sat Fleur de Lis, her wrist still wrapped in a cast, and in the very back, leaning against the wall, was Indigo Zap, who immediately waved at Adagio. “Hey, Dazzle!” she called. “What are you doing here?” Adagio winced. Suddenly, all eyes were on them, and a murmur spread across the Crystal Prep crowd. Clearly, this sort of outburst – while tolerable from the opposing school – was unwelcome on this side of the court. Fleur shot Adagio an absolutely scathing look before pointedly turning her attention back to the court, while Dean Cadance smiled cheerfully and waved. Principal Cinch didn’t even look at her. “Who’s that?” asked Sonata, pointing a thumb at Indigo Zap. “That’s Indigo Zap, you’ve met,” said Adagio. “Really? When?” Adagio sighed. “I think that Friendship Magic gave you brain damage,” she muttered, quickening her pace. “What?” “Nothing, nevermind.” The Sirens mounted the bleachers, choosing to take their seats next to Indigo Zap. Adagio didn’t have any particular desire to talk to the girl, but she really did not want to give her any reason to shout again. “Why are there so many people over there?” asked Sonata, struggling to get comfortable on the tough wooden bench. “That’s Appleloosa for you,” said Indigo Zap. “Half the town shows up to away games, and for home games the whole place shuts down. Don’t know why, they must really like watching their team lose.” Adagio cocked an eyebrow. “You think they’ll lose?” “I know they’ll lose,” asserted Indigo Zap, “because Crystal Prep always wins. Simple as that.” “So if everyone already knows who’s going to win, why bother showing up?” Indigo Zap shrugged. “Beats me. Only reason these people are here is because someone they’re related to is on the team. Call it a family obligation, or whatever.” “And her?” Adagio nodded at Fleur de Lis. “Why’s she here?” “Probably the same reason I am,” said Indigo Zap, “spite.” Sonata frowned. “Spite?” “Yup.” Indigo Zap laced her fingers together behind her head and leaned backwards. “Both of us think the team would be better off if we were on it.” “But I thought you said Crystal Prep was going to win?” asked Sonata. “They will, they’d just win better if I was playing. But that doesn’t explain what you two are doing here. No offence, but I was there for your entrance exam – neither of you are really the athletic type.” Adagio scowled. She could be the ‘athletic type’ if she wanted, but she didn’t, because sports were stupid. “We’re here to watch Aria!” said Sonata. “She’s your friend, huh?” “Yeah!” said Sonata. No, thought Adagio. “Well, I’ve heard she’s good – maybe even better than Fleur.” Indigo Zap smirked, casting her gaze down towards where Fleur was sitting. “There’s a rumor going around that they’re going to keep her on, even after Fleur’s wrist heals. If I was Fleur, I’d be here hoping she catches an elbow to the face.” Adagio was almost impressed. She’d only briefly seen Fleur’s basketball skills at work, but it was clear that the girl had talent. Was it possible that Aria was good at something other than complaining? Some hidden depth that Aria had kept secret all these years? Probably not, but on the other hand, Adagio never thought she’d spend a Saturday afternoon with the Rainbooms, either. A shrill whistle cut through the air, silencing even the rowdy Appleloosans as the players surged forward, preparing to start the game. Among them Adagio caught her first glimpse of Aria, dressed in the Crystal Prep team uniform and wearing a look of focus and determination that caught Adagio off guard. Aria was taking this seriously. Two more short blasts of the whistle and the game had officially begun. The quiet that have overtaken the gymnasium was broken by the bouncing of the ball, the screech of rubber against the polished wooden floor, and the cries coming from the bleachers across the way. As before, the residents of the Crystal Prep side of the gym remained stoic, quietly following the ball as the two teams fought for control and positioning. Even Indigo Zap had abandoned her relaxed pose for one of intense focus, her elbows resting on her knees as she sat, hunching forward, her eyes laser focused on the action. Within the span of a minute, the everyone in the gymnasium had become engrossed in watching how the game unfolded. Everyone, that is, except for Adagio and Sonata. Sonata, for her part, was trying. She followed along, nudging Adagio excitedly whenever Aria had the ball, but despite her enthusiasm, there were times when her eyes wandered restlessly away from the game. It wasn’t her fault, paying attention was never Sonata’s strong suit, but the way she’d occasionally nag Indigo Zap to fill her in on what she’d missed seemed to be getting on the girl’s nerves. At first, Adagio was legitimately watching the game. This lasted all of about ten seconds, until she felt her phone vibrating in her pocket. She slipped it out, holding it low so no one on the court could see that she was using it (not that anyone on the court was looking at her), and checked her messages. ‘What are you doing today?’ asked the text. It was from Twilight. ‘Watching a basketball game,’ replied Adagio. ‘I didn’t know you liked basketball.’ ‘I don’t.’ There was a brief delay before the next text arrived. Adagio could only assume Twilight was trying to piece together why Adagio would go to a game that she didn’t like. Good luck, Twilight Sparkle, she thought, I haven’t figured it out, either. ‘Well, I’m not doing anything, I could always quiz you on some of the material we’re going to go over tomorrow.’ Adagio rolled her eyes, a smile finding its way to her lips. ‘Why would you quiz me on stuff we haven’t covered yet?’ The loud blaring of a buzzer made Adagio jump in her seat and look wildly around. The digital scoreboard had changed, now showing the home team at two points, while the guests remained at zero. A couple in the front row stood up, clapping and cheering as a girl Adagio didn’t recognize waved at them from near the Appleloosan basket. A respectful – if unenthusiastic – applause followed from the rest of the Crystal Prep side of the court (Adagio didn’t join in), which was largely drowned out by that of the Appleloosan side. “Why are they cheering for the other team?” asked Sonata. “That’s nothing,” said Indigo Zap, “just wait until their side scores.” The momentary excitement over, Adagio’s attention returned to her phone, where Twilight’s reply was waiting for her. ‘I want to make sure you’re still reading ahead. Exam week starts next Monday!’ Adagio’s heart sunk. ‘Don’t remind me.’ ‘Sorry.’ ‘It’s fine.’ There was another lull in the conversation, and Adagio gave another half hearted attempt to watch the game. This lasted about as long as her first attempt, and before long Adagio found herself composing another message to Twilight. ‘So,’ she wrote, ‘how does Twilight Sparkle spend her Sunday afternoons?’ ‘Well, I was studying earlier, and now I’m at the dog park with Spike. He says hi.’ ‘How’s that going?’ ‘It’s good. Warm, a bit too bright. Should I tell Spike you said hi?’ ‘Twilight Sparkle, are you complaining that the sun is too bright?’ There was a pause. ‘Maybe.’ Adagio couldn’t help but chuckle. “What are you laughing about?” asked Sonata. “Nothing,” said Adagio, stuffing her phone into her pocket, “don’t worry abo–” The buzzer went off again, and before Adagio realized what was happening, Sonata had grabbed her arm and dragged her to her feet. “What are you–” “She scored!” cried Sonata, clapping excitedly and waving down at the court. “Come on, ‘Dagi!” Much as before, there was a largely apathetic response from their side of the bleachers. Clearly, these people had come to see their own family score, and everything else was merely a distraction. Down below, Aria wove her way through the Appleloosan defender and back towards her side of the court, exchanging nods with her teammates as she passed them. “Go, Aria!” Sonata’s cheer seemed to have caught Aria’s attention, as Aria looked up into the bleachers and after a brief moment of surprise, locked eyes with Adagio. Suddenly, Adagio was clapping. She wasn’t entirely sure what had compelled her to do it, but she couldn’t deny feeling the slightest bit of what she could only describe as pride. A ghost of a smile flickered across Aria’s face. She looked up at them for another brief moment (though Adagio was fairly certain she was looking less at Sonata and more at her), before she was forced to return to the game. Adagio and Sonata sat down, and out of the corner of her eye, Adagio noticed a flash of pink hair as Fleur de Lis stomped out of the gymnasium, slamming the door behind her. Adagio grinned. Maybe basketball wasn’t so bad, after all. Aria scored four more times that game (and could have scored more, according to Indigo Zap, if she hadn’t passed the ball so much), and each time Adagio and Sonata cheered for her. Once the final buzzer had blared and the teams had returned to their locker rooms, the two Sirens hung back and waited for Aria to come out so they could congratulate her. Well, congratulations were Sonata’s plan, anyway. Adagio wasn’t entirely sure what she was going to say to Aria, but she’d stuck around this long, hadn’t she? They watched as the Appleloosan team trickled out of their locker room to the cacophonous  applause of the crowd that awaited them. They’d lost, of course, but to look at them one would have a hard time believing it. They smiled and laughed, slapped players on the back and complemented them on how well they’d played, even though it had all been for naught. Adagio found the whole thing rather perplexing. Appleloosa had lost, so why were they so happy? While some of the Crystal Prep crowd – if it could even be called that when compared to that of Appleloosa – had stuck around, many of them had simply left once the game had ended. It wasn’t much a victory celebration, though, when the team was expected to win, was there really all that much to celebrate about? “Look, there she is!” Adagio had spotted it too: a glimpse of purple fighting its way through the sea of bodies. Aria pushed past the last of the Appleloosans and looked searchingly around the gymnasium until her eyes fell upon her fellow Sirens. She began her approach. With each step, Adagio could feel tension building within her. This was stupid. She shouldn’t have allowed Sonata to talk her into this pointless exercise in healing Aria’s bruised ego. She’d shown Aria her neck, and now would be the perfect time for the other Siren to strike. Adagio braced herself for whatever barb was about to come her way. “So,” said Aria, stopping a few feet away from Adagio and Sonata. “You’re here.” Adagio nodded, saying nothing, and for what may have been the first time in Sonata’s life, she did the same. Aria continued. “I thought you didn’t care about basketball.” “I don’t,” said Adagio. She could feel Aria’s eyes boring into her, and for a long time the three girls stood in silence. Finally, Aria spoke. “Want to get out of here?” she asked. “Please,” said Adagio. “If I hear one more ‘yee-haw!’ I’m going to scream.” “I know, right?” added Sonata. “And can you believe their accent?” The three girls shared a laugh, and together they made their way out of the gymnasium and back towards the dormitories. Adagio took the lead, and for the first time in what felt like an eternity, both Aria and Sonata followed closely behind her. They spent the rest of the afternoon in Aria and Sonata’s room, not talking about or doing anything in particular, just – as the Rainbooms would put it – hanging out. It felt to Adagio like a return to a normalcy that never was, and though the time she spent with the other Sirens furthered no plan and brought her no closer to any of her many goals, it nonetheless relaxed her in a way that she thought only her long study sessions with Twilight ever could. When evening arrived and the time came for Adagio to return to her room, she surprised herself with the realization that she didn’t actually want to leave. Tomorrow she might awake hardened once more to Aria’s snark and Sonata’s stupidity, but, at least for tonight, she allowed herself to enjoy a few hours with her oldest companions. That night, after Adagio had taken her leave and was tucking herself into bed, her phone vibrated once again. It was not a message from Twilight Sparkle that awaited her, this time, but one from Sonata. ‘told u,’ it said, and Adagio rolled her eyes. ‘Goodnight, Sonata,’ she replied, tucking the phone beneath her pillow and drifting off into a deep, dreamless sleep.