I think this is called flavor music!
Vote count as of 9/30/2017:
Go home- 0
Spook them- 4
Stop this thing now- 5
I guess it'd be dumb to just let them do whatever when there's something I can do about it, so I step around the corner with a sharp, Adagio-worthy smile on my face, but quickly wipe it away for a more tired-looking frown for what I'm about to pull.
The perps are only sorta familiar. One is a light-tan, punkish-looking girl with short, green hair, another is stark white with long, whispy, blue hair, another is a sickly green with plain, brown hair done up in a bun that screams 'I will be a secretary when I grow up,' and the last is a pink girl with long, messy, red hair. I think the last one might have played music (well, "music") with a coat-hanger or something during the Battle of the Bands, but I'm not about to ask.
As soon as their eyes lock onto me, I can see that all four are already afraid. That's when it sinks in that as much fun as Sonata's idea would be, and I'm really tempted this time, it might be smarter of me to nip this thing in the bud instead of being 'the ghost girl' for the rest of my time here.
That in mind, I clear my throat. "Hey. Heard you talking."
"Oh," replies a slightly perturbed Green Hair, sounding like Voice #1, "that... we were, uh..."
"She was listening in, she heard everything," Blue Hair declares in a fearful whisper that I recognize as Voice #2, looking directly at me, "so let's just get it out there; are your sisters evil spirits?"
"Paisley, woah," utters the red-head that I mark down as 'Raz,' "kinda rude!"
"Says the girl who was just laughing about it," blue-haired Paisley snipes back, making Raz flinch.
Raz looks at me, guilt all over her face. "I-I was just, y-y'know, kidding around a little? Haha?"
I don't respond to her, looking at the brown-haired girl I assume is Voice #4. She pales, emitting a quiet, terrified whimper as she ducks behind Green Hair for security.
"Ok, look, um..." Green Hair scratches her head, as though trying to work out exactly where to begin in this situation. "I'm sorry about my superstitious-" she reaches out to lightly bonk Raz on the head, drawing a plaintive whine, "and super-stupid friends, but we're- well, I mean, I guess some other people too, -just curious about why it sounded like you were talking to Sonata in class."
I've rehearsed the words in my head enough times that the first sentence comes out right away. "We used to study together for the week or so since we came back, and trying to remember one'a the answers made me remember something she'd said when we were talking History. I'm not being haunted, and they aren't gonna drag anyone to Hell. Okay?"
Secretary Girl peeks out from behind Green Hair a little more. "...Really?"
"Really."
Though that'd be a pretty amazing thing to be able to threaten people wi-
No, no, I'm committed to this, which I reinforce with a little guilt-tripping.
"But, hey," I say dispassionately, as if I really just don't care, "if you wanna keep treating the memory of my dead sisters like your personal Halloween story, I guess I can't stop you."
Without waiting for more than the looks of shock, regret, and shame on their faces, I turn on a heel and leave. I'm really, really tempted to ask Sonata and Adagio what those girls are saying/doing as I walk away, but don't want to risk being heard talking to them now of all times. Luckily, nobody else can hear my ghosts.
"That," Adagio says with an audible grin, "was wicked."
"Yea," giggles Sonata, "I mean, not as funny as what you could'a done, but the looks on their faces? Priceless!"
It's because there's no one else around to see me that I let myself smile.
---
That lasts until I get home, when I remember that I could have talked 'on my phone' and nobody would've been the wiser.
"So," says Sonata when she gets bored doing ballet twirls in the air (from the contemplative look on her face, I was half-expecting Adagio to join in), "weekend time! What're ya gonna do for a job?"
"Uhh... Well, if I'm using the gem to make money with some plausible deniability, I figure I'd need to find somewhere I could get away with, like, 'Hey, pay me to sing and I guarantee you profits,' if I don't just start busking on a street corner."
"Your meeting with Trixie and the others is either tomorrow or on Sunday," Adagio reminds me. "When I talked to them, it sounded like she was partial to the local mall (which Octavia implied was due to there being more people to watch her random tricks), which has many places of business. Perhaps you could find something there, get a list of 'maybe's, and come back later for a closer look?"
I shoot her a playful grin. "You know, I think they missed the mark in setting us up for the throne, because you'd have made a great vizier."
She blinks, a light blush forming on her cheeks. "...Was I doing it again?"
Waving her off, I giggle. "Don't worry about it."
It's not much of a surprise that she compulsively works out what we should be doing next, because that's kinda been her job for like... our whole lives, at least ever since we had a say in it. And I always gave her grief for it, even when most of her ideas went over fine.
Sonata never even complained like I did, and now she was-
"Uh, Aria?" I jump when I notice Sonata's face floating inches from my own, frowning. "You okay?"
"Yea, just, uh... lost in thought?"
She and Adagio share a look, the latter raising an eyebrow. "Is this about that couple you saw today?"
"Huh?" I remember the two hand-holding idiots in the hall from earlier. "Pfft, no," I say with a mild scowl, "I don't even care."
"I kinda think you do," Sonata says bluntly, "'cuz you look all this-tastes-like-feet every time you see a couple. Wuddup with that?"
I roll my eyes. "It's just the stupid hand-holding thing!"
Adagio isn't buying it. "There are a lot of stupid things that you don't grumble and seethe over, Aria."
Getting defensive, I shrug. "What about you and Sunset? I thought you guys were actually kinda chummy up until the last week or so."
Annoyance and realization flicker across her face in unison. "Yes... I never did tell you two what happened, did I?"
Sonata tilts her head. "Something happened?"
"That's a 'no,' then. She called me to meet her in private just after school, and, for the usual reasons, I acquiesced. She wanted my thoughts on how we were doing, how we'd adjusted to life at Canterlot High, and while she wouldn't say it out loud, I could tell she wanted to know how we felt about not having our magic. Not wishing to waste time, I told her in no uncertain terms the same thing I told her when we first returned; that we wouldn't give up on our birthright."
Adagio's expression gets dark, but her tone stays calm and a little cold. "In hindsight, I should have known that she wouldn't stand for any form of competition, anything that could challenge her power in her own domain, but when she told us that she understood our feelings and would accept our choices the day we came back, I had dared think that she meant it. She must not have, because while I could tell she was trying to sound patient and reasonable, it was clear that she was trying to talk me into forgetting about fixing the gems entirely, because they, inanimate objects whose usage depends on the wearer, were utterly evil and should stay destroyed. I withheld my thoughts regarding her presumption to know more about the stones that were fused with our bodies from birth than we did."
Sonata rolls her eyes, huffing. "Freakin' unicorns; they've got a magic bone sticking outta their heads, so they think they know more about it than everybody else."
Apathetic to ponies and their many sub-species, Adagio shrugs. "Knowing her temper, perhaps I should have walked out then and there, but I wanted to extinguish her hope that we'd 'come around' if she just convinced me, implying that you two have no will of your own or that it's just been me stringing you two along in my mad quest for power." She raises an eyebrow. "On that note...?"
Sonata raises a fist into the air as though leading some kind of army. "Still totes wanna sing people into doing stuff for me again!"
When they look at me, I shrug, lightly clutching my whitened gem. "Well, like I said before, you two died for this, so I might be a little biased, but..." My brow furrows as I try to ignore the little lump in my throat. "If anyone tried to take this from me now, I'd break their fucking fingers."
Adagio nods, not the least bit surprised. "Just making sure. So, when I refused to give in to her wishes, Sunset predictably lost her patience, insisting that 'clinging to the past' and 'hoarding power' were sure signs of evil, that we had to let go of everything or we'd just wind up miserable, telling me to just 'get over it' and give up. When her true colors came out, when I learned that she'd only tolerated us this long because she'd assumed we'd get sick of trying to get our magic back and accept being just like her, I told her off and left. Haven't been able to stand her ever since."
There's a long, quiet moment as she stares back at Sonata and me, waiting for a response. I give her one, but I'm afraid I already know the answer. "And... when was this?"
She idly inspects her ethereal, unchanging nails. "Tuesday."
The day of the ritual. The day she and Sonata died. Did she come straight home and launch into it? Is that why she was so worked up?
"So," she continues, looking directly at me, "about your antipathy for couples?"
Dammit!! Should've known she wouldn't get sidetracked that easily!
"Uh, I just... it's annoying, okay? I see people getting all cow-eyed at each other and it pisses me off."
She stares at me, doing her eyeballing-your-soul thing for a second before she looks at Sonata, who stares back for a few seconds, makes an 'Oh, I get it!' face, then gives me a weird smile as she and Adagio giggle. I'm already wary, so I don't ask what they're thi-
Sonata is whispering into my ear before I've even noticed that she moved. "The porn folder is in-"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!"
Incoherent swearing ensues as they howl with laughter.
---
The next morning, I learn that these two don't necessarily stay in the apartment all night, Sonata excitedly telling me about a Japanese cartoon Moondancer was watching at like 2am.
"And there were limbo-dancing telephone poles and magic doggies that came out of paper and-"
"Can you sum it up in two words?"
"Stuff happens!"
"Right," I chuckle, "sounds fun."
"I'm a little worried about that girl," adds Adagio, "to be up at such early hours is rarely a good sign. Unless this was an odd spell of insomnia?"
"Eh," shrugs Sonata, "maybe she's just a weeaboo, and I think that's normal for them. I mean, didja see the posters and her PeeJays with the cute little freak-o cartoon animals on 'em?"
"...So that was an abnormal print she was wearing?"
"Heehee! Don't worry, Dagi, your nighties were always way hotter anyway!"
"Coming from you, I'm not sure how to take that."
"As the compliment that finally gets you interested in thinking about ghost se-"
"ANYWAY," I interrupt, not at all wanting to hear where that's going, "what made you guys go poking through our neighbors' walls in the first place?"
"Idle curiosity and boredom," Adagio answers, "the monster flick that was on at the time wasn't particularly engaging and Sonata wondered if anyone else was awake at that hour."
I frown a little. "Wish I could like, leave you guys a ghost remote or something." Or anything that keeps them from deciding that floating into my room to watch me sleep is the most interesting way to spend their time.
Seriously, the first fucking time I wake up to their floating, see-through faces hovering over me in the dim light of morning, I'm not gonna sleep right for weeks, I just know it!
"Ahh, we'll keep busy," Sonata says with a bright smile that doesn't make me feel any better, "but for now, let's see if Trixie's awake!"
She wasn't, despite it being 9am, but after some sleepy grumbles, she tells me to meet her, Octavia, and Vinyl at the mall later today, just as Adagio predicted.
---
Walking into the mall with the snazzy get-up I've been wearing to school, Vinyl is the first one I notice, standing on her tip-toes and smiling all bright and happy as she waves at me. She looks so damn cheerful that I'm smiling a little myself as I approach her and Octavia by some circular benches around a table. Vinyl sits down at the same time I do.
"Hey. Where's-"
"The Great and Powerful Trixie," Octavia preempts me in complete deadpan, "is not a morning person."
"It's almost one in the afternoon."
"I know."
"...So-"
"I'm sure she'll be along soon," she says with a sigh while looking at the entrance before looking back to me with a little smile, "but until then, how have you been doing?"
I shrug. "Fine?"
Octavia nods. "Vinyl and I were just discussing film listings at the theater today."
"Theater?"
My phone beeps, reminding me that Vinyl doesn't speak out loud.
[The big ol' movie house they got here!]
I'm a little surprised and a little amazed that, since she's looking at her phone when she replies, Octavia must have gotten that too.
"Well, 'big' isn't the best descriptor, it's notably smaller than an ordinary movie theater, but not bad for one built into a mall. On the plus side," she says with a grin that's just a little too satisfied, "they allow items from the food court to be brought in, so one need not sell their kidney to afford snacks during the movie."
"Wouldn't that put a dent in their profits?"
[Lotta people in the mall, more customers, more money anyway.]
Vinyl has gotta be lightning quick with that phone! Maybe she's always talked like this.
"Curiously," Octavia says with a hand on her chin, "most people seem to end up buying popcorn anyway, so I doubt it matters." She blinks. "Anyway, they have showings for-"
The rest of her sentence becomes a shrill, terrified screech when Trixie comes in from above, hanging upside down, her head stopping just above the table as she shouts "HUZZAH!!"
I have no words. Looking up, I see that she pulled this off by suspending herself from a wire attached to the balcony railing on the floor above us, even attaching some wires from her skirt to her boots to keep from flashing everyone in the area. She's giggling like a dolt, still hanging upside down, as Octavia fumes at her.
"-most preposterous, most self-aggrandizing-"
"Heeheeheeheeheehehehoho!"
"Do you not realize that you, or we, could have been seriously hurt if you'd miscalculated that little stunt?!"
"Yes, which is why Trixie measured and practiced this entrance beforehand!"
She dangles, slowly swaying back and forth with her arms crossed and chin raised (or, lowered?) in a proud pose despite still being suspended by her ankles.
"...Now someone help Trixie down, the blood is rushing to her head."
"I would doubt it ever leaves," Octavia grumbles as Vinyl gets up to undo the wires, but I'm not sure if she's more mad about being scared a second ago or if it's out of concern for Trixie's reckless showmanship.
"Man," comments Sonata, "you hang out with the weirdest people, Dagi."
"Oh, indeed, you should see my youngest sister."
"Huh? I thought I was your... HEY!!"
I snicker as Adagio giggles, which, because the others can't hear those two, earns me a curious look from Octavia and Trixie, the latter tilting her head.
"I think we've found someone that likes your sense of humor, Octavia."
"Ah, well," she quietly replies, more confused than pleased, "bully for me?"
Still smiling, I shake my head. "How many attempts did it take you before you worked out the thing with your skirt?"
Being upside down probably doesn't help, but Trixie flushes a deep shade of red as she huffs and crosses her arms. "T-Trixie most definitely thought of that in advance, and did not expose her undergarments unwillingly!"
There's a pause.
"Trixie was simply gifting The People with a splendid view of her shapely-EEK!"
She quickly extends her arms to catch herself on the table the second she feels the wire move, avoiding a head-first landing as she flops down on the table and rolls onto the bench, Vinyl giving a thumbs-up signal from above.
When she's sitting upright again, she smiles as though she just walked in and sat down normally. "So, I heard something about movies?"
---
Our first stop is the food court, and it's when I realize that I don't know where the most snack-like stuff is that I know I haven't really spent much time here. I mean, I guess we could try bringing a pizza or a plate of burgers and fries, but I figure if it doesn't neatly fit in your lap or a cupholder, it probably doesn't belong in a movie theater.
Tricky bastards. No wonder people just nab popcorn.
Luckily, the others know this place, and bring me right to the pocket-friendly stuff. Or at least, it is the way they do it. Octavia gets one of those little thingies of Chinese food, chopsticks and all, which I guess is sorta similar to a bucket of popcorn, and a bottle of some kinda tea. I didn't know they bottled tea, but there it is. Trixie grabs a box of chicken nuggets from one of the mini fast food places, which she opens, then immediately empties into her purse, chucking the box into the nearest trash can. She must have seen my baffled stare, because she holds the bag where I can see to show me the inside.
"Zip-lock bag, good for portable, bite-sized refreshment without getting everything else all greasy."
Taking a peek, I can see that she really does have one of those clear sandwich bag things in there to keep the nuggets separate from her wallet and magician props.
"Hm," hums Adagio, "that actually seems like a good idea, provided she's careful about it attracting pests. I wonder how long they stay warm like that?"
I can practically hear Sonata drooling. "Portable nuggets! Trixie is a genius!!"
Vinyl is the one whose example I follow, because she takes me to where they have bags of chips and stuff. I don't care what anyone says, junk food is the only food for movies, especially if it's part of hanging out. For some reason, I see Octavia rolling her eyes and smiling as Trixie nabs a few packets of peanut butter crackers from the same area.
"Oh," I mutter while reaching toward a shelf of candy on the way out, "Sonata'll probably-"
I freeze as reality catches up to me. It only takes a glance to confirm that Octavia, Trixie, and even Vinyl are all giving me worried looks, so I just step away from the shelf and pretend that didn't happen, waiting for them just outside the food court.
"That was perfectly in-character for a grieving survivor," Adagio gently assures me, "nothing out of the ordinary and nothing they could blame you for. You're still in the clear."
It's really, really weird hearing that from someone I'm supposedly mourning on any level, but it does make me feel a little better. More-so when Sonata floats around where I can see her, a little smile on her face.
"Octy just gave the other two a pretty serious 'Be nice to her!' look, and they were like 'Yes, ma'am!', so they won't get on your case about it. By the way?" She winks, making the kind of smile she usually only does when she wants something. "Thanks for thinking of me."
I feel like four different expressions mash together on my face, but I'm pretty sure a wobbly little grin and a blush are the most noticeable. I try to wipe both away when I see Adagio looking at me the way she did when I was her scaly, snake-like arm, which is right about when the others catch up.
"So," Trixie says as though everything was normal (which kinda seems to be a talent of hers), "what're we seeing today?"
---
The only things that looked remotely interesting were an action flick revolving around car chases, a soppy-looking romance, and... one about a haunted house.
"Aww, c'mon, Octavia, it'll probably be more funny than scary!"
"That is what you said last time," Octavia growls through gritted teeth, "and I still cannot look squirrels in the eye without the hairs on my neck standing up!"
[Yea, it was pretty nuts.]
Vinyl is still smiling even as she shrinks back when Octavia's head whips towards her with a glare. "Not. Helping."
I nudge Vinyl to get her attention. "So what's your vote?"
[I'm down for any, but you should probably play tie-breaker or we might be here a while.]
It's scary how she can do that without even looking at her phone. I can see her thumbing the screen, but still.
"Side with me, Aria Blaze," Trixie practically broadcasts for the whole lobby to hear as she stretches an arm across my shoulders, "and brave the eerie and occasionally hilarious world of Horror!"
Octavia crosses her arms and something in my brain pictures an 18th-century aristocratic daughter being told she'll have to wait until after brunch to go pony-riding. "I can't help noticing that your interest in scary movies wanes somewhat when the setting is science-fiction, Trixie."
"And? What interest," her tone starts going Drama Club as she makes gestures with the hand not on my shoulder, "what intrigue, what mystique is there in the easily explained?"
"Right," Octavia answers with a flat look, "it has nothing to do with your obsession with magic."
"Er-!" I feel Trixie tense up a little, but she goes right back on the offensive with a cocky grin. "You sure your choice isn't just because you're a fraidy cat?"
Octavia's reaction is much more obvious, in her face, tone, and body language. "I-! Th-that is, I am simply, much more interested in... a handsome rogue... whispering tenderly into the ear of the... court harpist..."
The only reason I feel a little warm is that Octavia's gone so red that she's practically radioactive. Honest. Only reason. Adagio accidentally comes to the rescue by thinking aloud.
"Why don't they just separate to see the movies they'd like to? Is there some financial benefit to all patronizing the same one?"
I repeat her question, getting an answer from Vinyl.
[Not as much fun, no chances to rip on the goofy stuff if we're not in the same room or seein' the same thing. Besides, it feels sorta lonely that way.]
"Indeed," cheers Trixie, giving me a sly smile, "so what will it be? You're not scared of the dark, are you?"
"Uhhh..."
---
I think this is called flavor music!
"It's just up these stairs, Maria!"
"Wait, Jonathan, where's Harry?!"
"There's no time now, we must-"
The attic door on the big screen creaks open, neatly answering Maria's question.
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!"
I'm not having a great time, and not because I'm scared or anything, just feeling a little weird about a movie in which a freakin' vicious ghost rips people to shreds when my sisters are...
Yea.
Neither of them seem to think anything of it, though the smiles Adagio makes during certain scenes are-
Something I shouldn't be thinking about in this dimly-lit room!
Sonata's having fun, probably because she knows she'll never have to lay in bed in a dark room again, but the thing that has me the most tense is wondering what the others are thinking. Trixie's just smiling all normal and happy, even giggling at some of the lines, Octavia looks like she's gonna need a teddy bear and maybe a cup of tea soon, and Vinyl, as usual, is pretty much inscrutable.
None of them are even glancing at me, so... they couldn't have been hearing any rumors, right? I'm pretty sure this means I succeeded yesterday, and nobody's gonna be making a fuss about CHS being haunted or anything. I try to focus on that pretty thought as the ghost in the movie starts verbally eviscerating the heroine (right after viscerally eviscerating her headstrong boyfriend) with her personal faults and failings in brutal, unflinching detail.
Adagio is laughing.
---
After the movie, we go for a slightly more traditional, girly mall activity: Trying on clothes. I've got no intention of changing my look again so soon, but I put stuff on and make a few poses in front of a mirror just to see how it fits anyway. Nothing really jumps out at me other than a grey, clingy, calve-length dress, which I look for in other colors (no luck) before going out to see what the others came up with.
Trixie is, of course, the first thing anyone sees as she stands loud and proud in the middle of the store, hands on her hips and looking like a Saturday morning cartoon villain in skin-tight, sparkly, black pants, white, high-heeled boots, and one of those tuxedo-coat things with the long butt-flaps. I guess we never specified whether this was stuff we planned to wear normally, but knowing Trixie, I wouldn't put this past her.
Octavia is the one that really surprises me, because I'd had this picture of her in my head as a prim and proper type that always strives to be wholesome and by the book. I'm reminded of what they say about assumptions when I see her in a Jessica-Rabbit-looking red dress (Sonata even did a comical cartoon wolf impression for a minute), complete with dark, shiny stockings and red heels, her hair done up in a ponytail.
"I don't know," she mutters as she looks herself over, "I'd feel right at home stretched out on a piano, but this just seems too much."
"Eh, fair, but Trixie urges you to at least consider the merits of stopping by a jazz club or something."
She chuckles. "I'll pass, thanks, though that'd certainly help find a job, if I were looking."
"You can hang out in places for reasons other than self-promotion, y'know."
"Perhaps, but I'm not as starved for attention as-" her eyes flicker down as she grins in amusement, "-some people."
I cross my arms, annoyed. "What's wrong with wanting some attention?"
They must not have noticed me standing next to Vinyl (who wasn't wearing anything new for some reason), because the two of them jump with a start as they hear me. Octavia in particular looks contrite as she struggles for a response, but Trixie is faster.
"Nothing of course, which raises the question of why you'd wear that."
"Huh?"
"Dull grey on a near-featureless dress? It's flattering, but kind of plain, don'tcha think?"
I frown a little. "I looked for other colors, but this was all I saw."
"Can always come back and see what's in stock later. Right, Vinyl?"
We all turn to look at Vinyl, whose music might be up too loud to hear us as she stands there with her usual, vacant little smile. I push bitter thoughts about her selective deafness aside in favor of trying to get her attention, which waving a hand in front of her face doesn't do. It's only when I poke her shoulder that she responds, jumping with fright not unlike Octavia and Trixie a minute ago.
[Yea, you look great!]
Octavia briefly pats herself down. "Bother, I left my phone in my skirt pocket, what did she say?"
Hands on her hips again, Trixie raises her chin with pride. "Only that we are a stunning sight, as always!"
I kind of wonder if Trixie embellishes every compliment she gets before we try on some other stuff.
---
It's weird to me that people don't act within a set range of easily-defined behaviors at all times until I remember that they only do that when you've got them under total control. That is my primary thought as Octavia shatters my image of her a little more at the arcade.
"DIE, DIE, DIE!!"
Crushing the trigger of a plastic gun doesn't make the shots on the screen hit any harder (I've tried!), but you wouldn't know it with the way Octavia quickly racks up an impressive body-count on Spider Attack 4. Trash-talking them doesn't really help either, but...
"Suck on the dried, splintered husks of your mutilated children, you octopedal freaks!! Spit your burning bile into your mates and bleed out in agony through your every tainted orifice, that your dying screams may forever be felt through the primordial ooze that spawned you, warding all future life away from the polluted path that poisoned the universe with your ilk!! AND I BET YOU SMELL!!"
Adagio is laughing again.
I don't know which is weirder, that Vinyl is just kind of standing there next to her with the same little smile as usual, picking off the ones she misses in her psychotic rampage, or that Sonata, a ghost, is cowering in the only refuge her incorporeal body can find; Adagio's hair.
Hoping CHS has a damn good counselor, I leave them to it and go see what Trixie's doing.
"Over here, Aria!"
I see her wave me over, sitting on a big, plastic, motorcycle-from-space thing, part of a bigger machine with a screen, big old vent things pointed at the seat, and the title "Midnight Ragers 2" in huge, red letters.
There's an empty seat next to her, so I straddle it and grab the handles-
PLAYER 2, ENGAGED.
-...kind of wishing that Trixie had warned me it would do that.
Or that the vents would blow cold air on us during the game, though that does kinda make it feel like we're racing down a mountainside. Even though the game takes place in the city streets of some kind of cyberpunk future where OSHA must have been disbanded with universal contempt.
I'm not sure if it's the simulated motorcycle part or just the general sensation of the fast motion and pumping music that gets me into it, but fun times are had as Trixie (who, of course, picked the half-naked racer with long, fabulous hair) and I (who went with a big, beefy dude as my avatar because I was hoping I'd be able to muscle my way through the other racers) race against the clock, AI bots, a few other players, and each other.
But mostly we just fall off the tracks and blow up. Still really fun!
---
"Alright," Octavia says with a little sigh as we walk out of the arcade, "I should be getting home, see you all Monday?"
Vinyl nods as Trixie again does her arms-crossed, chin-raised thing. "Until we meet again, compatriots!" She follows it up with a wink and a friendly wave before saying "Bye now!" and walking off.
I'm heading towards the exit as Sonata speaks up.
"That was pretty fun! What're ya gonna do now?"
I remember to bring my phone to my ear just in case. "I'unno, figured I'd just go home, see what's on TV, eat something bad for me, and crash for the night."
"You could pick up a job while you're here," Adagio adds noncommittally, "just to get it out of the way. I took a quick look around since we got here and found a few options."
"Like?"
"A local spa was the most promising, if only because you could quite feasibly sing patrons into a relaxed state. They may not be hiring for that, specifically, but I'm sure you could convince them one way or another. I'll admit you're not exactly spoilt for choice here, but you can always seek, and ensure, employment elsewhere if you're so inclined."
Sonata smiles. "The Rainbooms are doing S&M tonight, too, you could go join that!"
"S&S," Adagio corrects, lightly dope-slapping a giggling Sonata, "Sewers and Sphinxes. They aren't due to start for a few more hours, but yes, they did extend an offer."
"Could always head over early, mooch some snacks or maybe even dinner if they're ordering pizza again. It'd save you money for a meal tonight, too!"
I said I'd think about it, and... I mean, I still don't really wanna be all buddy-buddy with those girls, but just playing make-believe once a week or so won't hurt anything, right? Unless I can convince my new friends to play it with me, though I don't know if any of them would go for it. Or who would be the GM if they did. Playing with the Rainbooms feels like a good way to keep them thinking that I'm not a threat, too, and if any of 'em ask about my gem, I can say it's just a rock or totally powerless or something. I'd worry about Adagio having to float around Sunset, but she doesn't really seem bothered by the idea of going over there and isn't suggesting I skip out.
So, I think I'll swing by Fluttershy's place (they usually play there, I never even thought about asking why) just to see how things go this week, but the question is what I wanna do right now.
I could stay here a little longer, see about securing employment somewhere one way or another, then go to Fluttershy's when that's squared away. Getting paid to hang around in a spa does sound like a sweet gig if you ask me.
Of course, it's not like I'm in dire straights and need a job ASAP, because I've got good living money for about three more weeks. I could go home, kick back and do whatever until it's about time to start the game, maybe make a new character while I'm at it. Lazy, but I'd kinda like to look around a wider area than the mall and spend the bare minimum amount of time with any of the Rainbooms.
Still, I could go over early, which they made it pretty clear they're okay with even before the ritual. That'd have to give me a few more security points with them, right? It's only Sunset, Nerd Twilight, Fluttershy, and Rainbow anyway, so I don't have to worry about the other three at all. Oh, and there's Bulk Biceps. He's not a Rainboom, but he'll probably be there.
I'd like to play Sewers and Sphinxes at least one more time, see if it's still any fun without Adagio or Sonata being part of the game, but what to do with myself until then?