//------------------------------// // Chapter 17- Something Fishy // Story: Neighbors // by Tethered-Angel //------------------------------// “Hey girls, sorry I’m late!” Sonata greeted her friends brightly, sliding into the little corner booth next to Fluttershy. The quiet girl squeaked as the siren’s hip brushed against her own. Pinkie grinned happily from across the table. “Hi Nata!” The pink girl said, at a volume that was just a bit too high for the little Neighponese restaurant. “G-good evening, Sonata,” Fluttershy greeted the siren with a slight blush, scooting aside to give her more room. “How have you been?” “Great!” Sonata replied happily. “Me and Ari went to the mall yesterday, and got to see a movie with Sunny and Twilight, and Sunny’s friend.” “Oh, you met Starlight Glimmer?” Fluttershy asked with a little smile. “She’s nice.” Pinkie giggled. “We sure do know a lot of former villains, don’t we?” She started ticking off on her fingers, “Sonata, Aria, Adagio, Sunset, Twilight, and now Starlight.” She gasped, eyes going wide. “Fluttershy, we’re outnumbered!” Fluttershy giggled. “Pinkie, that’s not very nice.” “Yeah,” Sonata said darkly, fixing Pinkie with a malevolent glare. “You’d better hold your tongue, mongrel, lest you outlive your usefulness.” Seeing the others’ shocked faces, she laughed. “How did I do? Did I sound like Dagi?” “M-m-maybe a little bit like when she was evil,” Fluttershy shivered. Pinkie nodded vigorously. “Wowie, that was super duper scary!” Sonata smiled happily. “Thanks, I’ve been practicing!” While the girls talked amongst themselves, a waitress came by with their drinks and three bowls of clear soup. The girls thanked her, then began dividing up the bowls and passing the sodas around. “Oh, I hope you don’t mind that we ordered without you,” Fluttershy said apologetically, “We always get the party platter so we can try all sorts of rolls.” Sonata nodded. “That’s great!” She said, “I hate waiting for food. Unless I’m cooking, then I can snack while I wait!” “I know!” Pinkie chipped in, “That’s the best, right?” They high-fived across the table. Smiling, Sonata took a sip of her soup. “Oh man, that’s so good.” She scowled and pulled her jacket more tightly around herself. “Stupid bus driver wouldn’t turn on the heat.” “Aw, what a meanie-head!” Pinkie said, sucking up her soup through a long, twisted curly straw that she got from… somewhere? Even Sonata could not fathom the pink girl’s skills. The siren pouted. “It was awful! But the soup is good. This place is nice!” She glanced around the restaurant. It was a cozy little place, located just below street level so that the high windows looked out directly over the sidewalk and only reached knee height on most pedestrians, giving it a sense of solitude from the business of downtown canterlot. The exposed stone walls and dark hardwood beams were testament to the place’s early life as a pub, but the Neighponese wall hangings and soft flute music gave away its more recent exotic lean. Other than the girls, only a handful of customers graced the establishment. Fluttershy nodded her agreement. “Rarity showed me this place. It’s always nice and quiet, and the waitresses are very polite.” “Cozy,” Pinkie agreed. The three girls ate in silence for a few moment, before Sonata spoke up. “So, Pinkie, how’s Maud doing?” Pinkie’s face brightened up at the mention of her sister. “She’s great! She’s making lots of progress on her thesis, and she found a job as the local rock and fossil guide at the museum!” “Neat!” “That’s wonderful, Pinkie. Congratulations.” “Thanks!” Pinkie said with a smile. “I’m so proud of her, and now I can visit her at the museum whenever I want!” Fluttershy sighed. “You two are so close… I wish Zephyr and I could be like that. But he’s just such a creep sometimes!” Sonata laughed. “More like all the time, am I right?” Giggling, Fluttershy nodded. “Yeah, he’s pretty bad, isn’t he?” Pinkie looked between them curiously, her ears twitching. “What? What did he do this time?” “We had to go and get Fluttershy’s camera from his room, ‘cause he took it without asking, and he had a picture of Ari pinned up over his desk.” Sonata tilted her head in bemusement. “It was really well drawn, too.” Fluttershy cringed. “He’s really been working on his art, I just wish he wouldn’t draw weird stuff with it.” Pinkie and Sonata could not help but agree. Pinkie blinked and shook her head, then turned her attention to her siren friend. “What about you, Nata? How are your sisters doing?” Sonata grinned. “Well, Aria still pretending to be a grouch, but I think she’s enjoying being ‘in charge’ around the house,” She said with a giggle, emphasizing it with a pair of air quotes. “She won’t admit it, but she likes hanging out with Rainbow and Applejack too. And Adagio…” Her grin grew three sizes, “Is on a date!” “What!? No way!” Pinkie said excitedly, “Good for her!” “Who is she going out with?” Fluttershy asked. Sonata hummed, milking their attention for a few seconds, then laughed. “Just kidding, it’s not really a date. She just went out with Rarity again.” “Oh!” Fluttershy said, blinking in surprise. Then she smiled. “She told me she was busy tonight, I had no idea!” “Aww, that’s so sweet! I bet they’re just the cutest together!” Pinkie nodded in agreement. “Haha, no way!” Sonata said with a giggle, “I told you, it’s not like that.” “I dunno,” Pinkie said teasingly, “Dagi always seems pretty happy whenever Rarity comes into Sugar Cube Corner.” “And Rarity talks an awful lot about Adagio,” Fluttershy agreed. “I think it’s sweet. They have a lot in common.” “No, girls, seriously,” Sonata interrupted, “I’m her sister, I would know if she was trying to seduce Rarity!” She sighed. “I know she likes to flirt, like a lot, but Adagio hasn’t done… that, in a very long time.” “Well…” Pinkie said uncertainly, “Maybe it’s not her doing the seducing?” She suggested, wiggling her eyebrows. Sonata coughed as a spoonful of soup jumped down her windpipe. She shook her head, hacking into her arm, as Fluttershy gently patted her back. Slowly, the siren managed to get her breathing under control. “W-what?” She rasped, coughing into her elbow, “You’re joking!” “Nope!” Pinkie said. Then she frowned in concern. “You okay?” Sonata nodded mutely. Fluttershy hummed in thought. “Pinkie might be right. Rarity has always been the romantic one. She always wanted to get swept off her feet by a handsome prince, but I suspected she might be bi.” She giggled, “And Adagio is a princess, after all.” “Oh no. No no no. No way!” Sonata shook her head, laughing. “Girls, I’m a siren, I think I’d know if one of my best friends had feelings for my sister! Besides, Adagio is… Adagio. I mean like, we’re all experienced, and we’ve spent centuries manipulating and seducing humans, but she was always the best of us, no question. She’s like the sexiest girl on the planet! There’s no way she’s the seducee!” She giggled, taking another spoonful of soup. “I mean, Rarity’s hot, but she does not have the experience to tame Dagi.” She continued laughing, not noticing the slight blushes coloring her friends’ cheeks. Fortunately, girls were rescued by the timely return of their waitress, bearing a trio of plates and a massive sushi platter. She set the platter in the middle of the table as the girls passed the plates around and said their thanks. Then the trio turned their attention to the food, eagerly looking over the assorted rolls and nigiri fingers arrayed artfully before them. “Alright!” Pinkie exclaimed cheerfully, rubbing her hands together in anticipation. Sonata’s eyes widened, her grin returning full force as she snatched up a pair of chopsticks and began picking out some choice morsels from the most interesting looking rolls. Fluttershy glanced at the siren, her own chopsticks held comfortably in her hand. “Wow Sonata, you’re very good with those.” “Thanks!” Sonata grinned, dexterously spinning the wooden pins between her fingers. “I’ve had lots of practice eating food!” Pinkie glanced between the girls, before looking at her own hand with uncertainty. She tried to copy the way they held their tableware, but her attempts came off awkward and hamfisted. Sticking her tongue out in concentration, she managed to contort her hand in some approximation of the right shape, before shakily extending it toward the platter and snagging a nigiri bit. It trembled in her hand as she tried to bring it to her mouth, but at the last second she twitched, sending the sushi to the table with a dull splat. “Aww,” She pouted, looking at the fallen lump of rice with sad eyes. Fluttershy giggled. “It’s okay Pinkie, you washed your hands earlier. You’re allowed to use your fingers.” Pinkie’s face brightened. “Oh, thank goodness, I thought I was gonna starve!” “It’s okay Pinkie, I’d never let you starve!” Sonata declared. “I’d feed you with my own chopsticks if I had to!” “R-really?” Pinkie sniffed happily, “You’d do that for me?” “For sure!” Sonata nodded emphatically. “Y-you’re the best, Sonata!” The pink girl declared. With everyone squared away and no one at imminent risk of starvation, the three girls began to dig in, sampling the wide variety of fresh and saltwater fish presented to them alongside bits of crab, shrimp, and eel. Sonata hummed appreciatively, surprised at the quality. It was unusual to find good seafood in Canterlot, with the city being so far from the coast. “So girls, how’s it going with the Pony Tones?” Pinkie asked, taking a long sip of her soda through her curly straw. “Oh, it’s going well,” Fluttershy sad happily. “Rarity had us practicing Hearth’s Warming carols this week.” “Yeah,” Sonata said, her face scrunching up in thought. “It’s so weird having to practice to sing. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it.” “Oh yeah,” Pinkie nodded, “I guess your spooky siren magic took care of all of that for you.” “It’s not spooky…” Sonata pouted. “It’s, um, it’s a little spooky,” Fluttershy said apologetically. “Sorry.” “Hello, it turns people into zombies!” Pinkie giggled, “That’s like, the spookiest!” Sonata frowned, rubbing her chin in thought. “Well, when you put it like that, I guess it is a little spooky.” Her expression brightened, “Hey, that would make a good idea for a Nightmare Night movie!” “Hey, yeah, that’s a superrific idea!” Pinkie excitedly agreed. Then she noticed Fluttershy, who was being even quieter than usual, her face down in thought. “Um, Shy? You okay there?” Fluttershy said nothing for a long while, poking at her food. Pinkie and Sonata watched her, faces growing concerned. “Do you miss it?” She finally asked, voice low with uncertainty. Sonata blinked. “What?” “You know,” Fluttershy gestured vaguely, “The gems, your magic? Do you miss them?” “O-oh,” Sonata said shakily. She fixed a weak smile on her face. “N-no, of course not!” “Sonata, you can tell us the truth,” Fluttershy said gently, placing a comforting hand on the siren’s arm, “It’s alright, we wouldn’t blame you.” Sonata said nothing, nervously chewing on her lip. “Please,” Fluttershy pressed, “I want to know.” Shoulders slumping, Sonata finally nodded. “Yeah, I really miss it. It wasn’t always fun, and learning to sing on my own is… great, but…” She let out a dejected sigh before taking a long, shuddering breath. “Before, I was so close to my sisters. I mean, we’re still close, but even in the same room, it’s different.” She clutched the base of her throat, where her gem used to be. “I could always feel them, right here. No matter what happened or how far apart we were, I always knew how to find them.” Her lip quivered, and she had to blink a few times to keep a rogue tear from escaping down her cheek. “I- I always knew they would come for me if I was in trouble, a-and I knew we’d never get sick or seriously hurt, as long as we had enough magic. But after Dagi caught her colt, it’s… it’s really scary sometimes, you know?” She sniffed, wiping her nose with a sleeve and giving the girls a genuine, if shaky smile. “But, it’s not all bad. If we never lost our gems, I n-never would’ve got to be friends with you girls.” Pinkie Pie wiped a big wet tear from her eye. Fluttershy smiled, giving Sonata’s arm a squeeze. “Thank you for telling us. Your voices were so beautiful before, a-and I hate that we had to destroy such a beautiful thing to stop you.” Sonata sniffed again, blinking more tears from her eyes. “I-it’s not your fault, we were h-hurting people. A-and I’m glad you girls still want to be my friends. If we had won, i-if we had, if we’d hurt you, then, then-” She hiccupped, her voice betraying her. “It’s okay,” Fluttershy said reassuringly, “We forgave you for that, a-and Sunset explained to us about what you were, and how your gems worked. You were only doing what you had to to survive.” “Yeah!” Pinkie agreed, “Like, you can get sad when a big old bear eats a cute little bunny rabbit, but you can’t blame the bear! He’s just hungry!” “Pinkie’s right,” Fluttershy nodded assertively. “And whatever happened before, we’re glad to have you as our fri-eep!” She squeaked as Sonata slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her into a fierce hug. “Aww, I love you guys!” Sonata said, burying her face in Fluttershy’s shoulder, happy tears staining the girl’s shirt. “We love you too, Nata!” Pinkie declared, pushing aside the platter and all but throwing herself across the table to pull the others into a group hug. Sonata giggled into Pinkies arm as curly pink hair tickled her nose, and even Fluttershy hummed appreciatively at the embrace. The three stayed that way for several long moments, simply enjoying the warmth of each other’s touch. Eventually though, Pinkie released the hug so they could return to their meal. “You know what else is weird?” Sonata asked as she leaned back in her seat. She waited a few moments as the others shook their heads, before motioning to her plate. “Eating food. I mean, I liked food before, back when we had magic, but it was only a sometimes thing. But now it’s just like, ‘you have to do this every day, or you die!’” Pinkie giggled. “Yeah, that would be weird!” she agreed. “I mean, I like candy, but if that was suddenly all I could eat!? I’d miss pizza, and doughnuts, and stuffing, and apples, and-” Her eyes widened as a look of sudden shock and realization came over her face. She stared at Sonata in horror as the siren lifted a piece of sushi to her lips. “Ohmygosh Sonata, don’t eat that!” “W-what!?” Sonata jumped, dropping her food in panic. “What’s wrong, is something wrong with it!?” “It’s fish!” Pinkie exclaimed, “You can’t eat fish!” Sonata gave her a startled look. “I-I can’t?” “No!” Pinkie shouted, “That’s like, cannibalism!” Fluttershy giggled. “Pinkie, you know those things we fought at the Battle of the Bands weren’t actually the Dazzlings, right?” “Actually,” Sonata corrected, “That’s pretty much what we used to look like. But I don’t see why that means I can’t eat sushi?” “Because, you’re fish people!” Pinkie said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “Fish people can’t eat fish!” “Why not?” Sonata countered, “Mammal people eat mammals all the time!” Fluttershy nodded. “She’s right, Pinkie. Most fish eat smaller fish, that’s just how nature works, like the bear and the bunny. And going by what Sonata just said, then the sirens weren’t really fish. They looked more like giant hippocamps.” “Right,” Sonata agreed. Then her face scrunched up in thought. “Well, we weren’t really hippos, more like giant seahorses.” “No, that’s-” Fluttershy started to correct her, then shook her head with a small smile. “Nevermind. But it’s perfectly normal for Sonata to eat fish.” “I guess,” Pinkie said, still eying the platter suspiciously as she chewed with exaggerated care. “Does that mean it reminds you of home?” She asked, staring at a bit of eel. Sonata tilted her head in thought. “You mean Equestria? I guess. I would sometimes sneak off into the ocean to go hunting when we weren’t too busy singing. Sometimes I’d catch these giant tuna, two, no three times bigger than my head!” She licked her lips. “I thought it was tasty, but Ari said it was super gross. I dunno why I started doing it though. The smell just made me feel… nostalgic? Is that the word?” “Like familiar?” Fluttershy asked. Sonata nodded, and Fluttershy smiled. “You got it right. I wonder why you felt that way though. Do you… do you think you maybe used to eat fish, before you got your gems? We know they messed with people’s minds, maybe they made you forget.” Sonata froze, dropping her chopsticks as she stared off into the distance, her mouth hanging open. She worked her jaw, trying to find the words, but for a long time none came. “I… I never really thought about it,” She said, sounding confused, “I don’t really remember much from Equestria, the first thing I remember is waking up next to my sisters… I-I have to ask Adagio, she would know, I’m sure of it!” Then her face brightened. “That would be super neat if she knew! I’ve always wondered where we came from!” “Just as long as you don’t forget about us,” Pinkie said sternly, wagging her finger. “I don’t wanna find out one day that you discovered something and ran back to Equestria without saying goodbye!” “No way!” Sonata said with a laugh, “I wouldn’t ditch you guys. Besides, have you ever been to Equestria!? It sucks! I dunno why we wanted to go back so bad. Sure, there’s magic, but all I remember is that it was really freaking cold!” Pinkie laughed, “It’s gonna get pretty cold here soo too! Winter is coming fast!” “I knooow,” Sonata wailed, burying her face in her hands. “I hate winter!” “Oh, it’s not so bad,” Fluttershy said. “After all, you have warm fuzzy sweaters, and blankets, and cocoa-” “And good friends to cuddle with and share the warmth!” Pinkie said happily. “You’re right!” Sonata said, perking back up. She nodded resolutely, “We can keep each other warm! Now if only we could convince Dagi to share her floofy hair…” “Ooh, I bet that would be so cozy, like a big fluffy cloud!” Pinkie giggled. “That does sound nice,” Fluttershy agreed. “That settles it,” Sonata said, pounding her fist on her open palm, “When it gets cold, we’ll all huddle around Dagi for warmth!” The girls giggled and nodded their agreement. They had just gotten back to eating when Sonata froze again. She blinked slowly, the gears in her head turning as her gaze slowly shifted between the food on the table and the quiet girl by her side. “Hey, wait a minute,” She said, drawing the attention of the other girls. “Whash wong?” Pinkie said around a mouthful of shrimp and rice. Sonata looked at her with a small frown, then turned her attention back to Fluttershy. Her eyes narrowed, and her friend seemed to shrink back under her intense stare. “I-is something the matter?” Fluttershy asked uncertainly. “Oh no, did I spill soy sauce on my shirt?” “No, it’s not that,” Sonata shook her head, her frown deepening. “Then what is it?” Pinkie asked, fixing Fluttershy with a stare of her own as she tried to figure out what had drawn the siren’s attention. The quiet girl squeaked and slouched in her chair, a slight blush coloring her cheeks at all the attention. “It’s just…” Sonata said slowly, as if she were trying to put together the last few clues in some great mystery. Then she leaned back and pointed an accusing finger at her friend. “I thought you were vegan!”