//------------------------------// // A Dazzling Day // Story: The Heart of The Queen // by Pumpernickel Rye //------------------------------// A Dazzling Day “Ugh, this day is going to be the worst!” Adagio Dazzle complained as she flopped on her bed. “Why are we even doing this again? Nymph should have us out singing but nooooo! She thought it would be better for Celestia to take us to a ‘friendship evaluation’ with Twilight Sparkle!” “There’s no point in complaining.” Aria boredly looked over her hooves as she just painted them neon green like the strains of her mane. “Just put up with their crud and we can get drunk when we get home.” “Come on, girls. It won’t be so bad,” encouraged Sonata. “I’m sure they’re nice like everypony else has been.” “Sonata,” Aria said coldly, “maybe if that tiny pebble inside your head you call a brain functioned just a little bit, you would realize that we are spending the day with the ponies who destroyed our magic and had us living on the streets.” Sonata’s ears flopped as she recalled those dreadful days. “But aren’t they different from the girls in the other world?” The pink siren shrugged. “They’re the same to me.” Aria turned to Adagio, looking even less friendly. “And the worst part is that we could have avoided this.” “How’s that?” she snapped. “Maybe if you were as good of a planner as you are an egotist, we would be running this kingdom by now. Or at least the other world. Either would be better than this.” Adagio slammed her hooves against the mattress and sat up. “Are you seriously blaming me for this?” “Who else is there to blame?” Aria climbed down from the bed and go right up close to Adagio. “Frankly, I blame you for every miserable thing that has happened to me.” They remained in a standoff as Sonata watched with dread from behind her own bed, expecting something worse to happen. Sonata had seen many of these fights between them before, but they had gotten worse than before since a few days ago and she feared that there would be a breaking point for one of them, where they would say or do something they couldn’t take back. The continuing silence brought her some solace, but she kept anticipating a follow up from either of them. But none did come as a knock on the door snapped them out of their trance. Adagio shot one last glare at her minion before asking, “Who is it?” Princess Celestia opened the door and was followed by Queen Nymph, their slaver. “Good morning, girls,” the alicorn greeted cheerfully as she usually did. “I know that you are not completely happy with what’s planned for today, but I promise this will be a great experience in understanding friendship and will even strengthen the bond between you three if you try.” Adagio rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah. I am just so excited to learn about the magic of friendship and all that stuff,” she spat as she and her followers stood before them. She then clapped her hooves together and put on the most sickening and sappy face she could muster. “Before you know it, we’ll be besties and have slumber parties and other girly crud!” She loudly gagged, hanging her tongue for added effect. “I’m so excited I could just puke.” Nymph approached Adagio and placed a hoof on her shoulder. “Adagio, do me a favor.” The siren visibly winced when the bug touched her, but held her hard glare. “What?” The queen lowered her head to Adagio’s level, sneering at her. “Shut. Up.” The sirens stared in shock as Celestia glared disapprovingly at the queen. “What? It’s no worse than half of the things she says to me.” “Regardless,” Celestia spoke, slowly turning back to the Dazzlings, “I am well aware you three still have a personal grudge against Twilight, but please try to keep an open mind and try to let go what happened. You don’t need to be friends with her or the other ponies, but learning the benefits of friendship will be a reward in itself.” “I’m excited!” Adagio and Aria slowly glanced at Sonata, their expressions of disappointment wearing away her joy. “I mean, I’m excited to not be their friends!” Celestia withheld a giggle as Nymph raised an eyebrow. “I think you will do just fine, Sonata.” The princess used her magic and warped them to outside Twilight’s castle. Upon knocking on the door, the loathsome Twilight Sparkle answered. “Good morning, Twilight. I trust everypony is here.” “Waiting inside.” The alicorn stepped inside to allow them entry. When Adagio and her cohorts walked by, they all made sure to turn their noses up at her. Adagio hated to admit it, but Twilight had a beautiful castle. She had never seen so much crystal in one place before in her entire life and the fact that her nemesis was living here was just more salt on the wound. Twilight opened another pair of doors to a room with a large round table and several crystal thrones. At last she got to see the rest of the Rainbooms of this world. At the very least they weren’t the same ones who could brag of their victory, but it only made her feel a tiny bit better. “Girls, these are the Dazzlings. Why don’t you three introduce yourselves?” Sonata was about to speak, but Aria stuffed a hoof in her mouth. “Fine. They are Adagio Dazzle, Aria Blaze, and Sonata Dusk.” “Hi!” waved the pink one from her seat. “It’s been a while since you’ve met them, so I’m sure you need a refresher.” Twilight pointed to each of her friends. “Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie, and Fluttershy.” “Better get comfortable, because you are stuck with them for the next few hours.” Nymph gave them a smirk and Adagio felt every fiber of her being fighting to hit it off her face. Twilight was still her most hated enemy, but the queen was slowly working her way to the top of her list. “We’ll back at sunset, so please try to enjoy yourselves and stay out of trouble. Have fun, everypony” Celestia bowed her head as a bright light made herself and Nymph vanish into thin air. Sighing, the dazzling leader turned toward her tormentors for the day. “So how does this work?” Adagio asked, making it clear that she did not care about being here. “We all get together and do girly things, thereby teaching us the amazing power of friendship?” “Not exactly,” Twilight answered, still holding onto her warm and inviting voice. The way she and Celestia almost always acted so happy toward them despite clearly being on opposite sides never felt right with Adagio. “Because you three are enough trouble together, we’re going to split you up.” “B-but I wanna be with my friends!” whined Sonata. However, Aria and Adagio were drawn to the idea. A little time away from each other was too good to pass up. “Sorry, but that’s how it’s going to be today.” Twilight magically held up a list. “Adagio, you will be with me, Rarity, and Spike.” Adagio dropped her smile as well as her head. “Oh goodie. I get to spend the day with the girl who ruined my life.” For once, Twilight did display some negative emotion, but it didn’t last. “Aria, you will be going with Applejack and Rainbow Dash.” “Whatever.” “And Sonata, that just leaves you with Pinkie and Fluttershy.” The blue siren gave the two an intimidating glare, although it really wasn’t that menacing. While Fluttershy was unnerved, Pinkie returned her own glare. In response, Sonata intensified her expression, causing Pinkie to do the same. They then both puffed up their cheeks, which only looked ridiculous to everypony else, and their faces steadily turned blue. Everyone else just watched in silence as the two tried their hardest to intimidate the other, unimpressed by either of their efforts. “I can see why you paired them,” commented Adagio. Fluttershy grabbed Pinkie by the tail. “I’ll keep a close eye on them.” She exited the room while dragging the other pony across the floor as Pinkie and Sonata were still having their not very intense staring match. “Come on, Aria,” said Applejack, giving her a pat as she walked to the door. “We got a busy day ahead of us, but Ah promise we’ll have some fun.” “Oh joy,” the siren sighed as she followed her and Rainbow Dash out. “I could die from the sheer excitement. Or hopefully I could just die.” Adagio could hear Aria and Dash exchange a few insults before they were finally out of earshot. It was nice to finally get some alone time for once, but not with Twilight. In fact, standing next to her was far worse than being locked in a room with her two idiots having a screaming match. Slowly, she made herself turn to the unicorns and dragon staring directly at her. “So how have you been, Adagio? It’s been a while since I’ve seen you.” All she could do was glare at Twilight. “How’s living in Canterlot? It must be pretty exciting there while living with Celestia, Luna, and Nymph.” More intense silence followed. “You’re not happy right now, are you?” “No.” “Do you think we should get Celestia?” asked Spike while peeking out from behind Rarity. “Spike, it’s going to take time before she warms up to us. Remember what Chrysalis was like.” Twilight got closer to her. “Look. We can’t change what happened, but I’d like to put the past behind us. I want you to have a good time and I hope that we can move forward together.” The siren turned her head away. “Let’s get this over with, Sparkle.” Finally, Twilight walked out of the room and Adagio followed from a short distance as they exited the castle. Adagio’s head was filled with menacing thoughts as she followed the ponies and dragon. Twilight was just right there, trying to change her and acted as if she had done her no wrong, and she wanted nothing more to rough her up. She couldn’t imagine what Twilight had up her sleeve, whether it was trying to befriend her or exact some sort of revenge on her. In either case, Adagio wished she traded places with Sonata. At least those two looked like doormats she could wipe her hooves on. She walked at a slower pace, trying to distance herself from her captives. Spike sat on Rarity and occasionally looked at her to make sure she was still following, but the siren would greet him with a scowl or glare, making him quickly turn away. Adagio couldn’t understand why a dragon would end up turning into a dog in the other world, but he was a pet, so it sort of made sense. How did ponies manage to get a fearsome dragon as a pet, anyway? Eventually, they reached a building that had a roof which looked similar to the top of circus tents and yellow signing hanging on the front with some mare and her really long hair. “So what is this place supposed to be?” “It’s a spa,” answered Rarity happily. “Only the best in all of Ponyville!” Adagio froze with one particular word echoing in her mind. Against her will, a smile crept on her face, right in front of her enemies. She could feel a warm tingle crawl up her spine, realizing just how much of a good day it was going to be after all. To be pampered and be away from her goons or the queen was more than anything she could ask for. She snapped out of her fantasy when something occurred to her. “Wait. Why am I being taken to a spa? You’re not seriously going to treat me, are you?” “As a matter of fact, we are,” answered Twilight, doing her best to look friendly toward the hostile siren. “I was hoping we could start over and maybe do something you’d enjoy. Nymph told me that you take pride in your looks and have been dying to come to one for a while” Licking her lips, Adagio thought about just how much joy she would get from taking advantage of her nemesis. “I’ll give it some consideration.” Sonata Dusk happily hummed to herself as she strolled across Ponyville along with her escorts. She really enjoyed the fresh air and bright sunlight more than her friends did. She wasn’t completely sure why Aria and Adagio were so unhappy with the place, but she found it to be a delightful change of scenery with all the grass and trees. Strangely, Pinkie and Fluttershy barely spoke, but she didn’t mind that so much. She wasn’t all that interested in speaking with them anyway. At the edge of town, they arrived at a cottage and the design really caught the siren’s eye. The other world had really tall buildings that amazed her, but all their designs were so similar and boring. In this world, buildings often had goofy or crazy designs that always caught her eye as they stood out so well. “So this is my house,” Fluttershy said happily when they crossed the bridge over the small stream. “It’s a little far from town, but I think it’s the perfect place for my little friends. I have a special talent for animals and I love them sooooo much!” “Wow, me too! I wanted to get a puppy once, but Adagio didn’t let me.” She thought for a moment and tapped her chin. “She didn’t let me do a lot of things now that I think about it.” Nearby, Sonata discovered some of the animals outside, playing and grazing on the grass. There were birds, gophers, squirrels, a rabbit, and even a bear. All of the ambience around her no longer entered her mind as her eyes grew and her pupils shrank. The muscles in her body trembled violently, unable to hold her back much longer. She was so focused that couldn’t feel the smile creeping onto her face. Fluttershy nervously crept up beside her and tapped her. “Uh…Sonata?” “So…many…cute...animals!” In a blink of an eye, she was already hugging one of the squirrels and pressing her face against its fur. “You’re soooooo adorable!” The animals flocked around their new visitor, welcoming her among them. Sonata felt as if she was going to die of a heart attack from the pure joy she felt, but she could easily say her life was complete at this moment. She dropped on her back, allowing the animals to crawl all over her as she petted them. Something caught Sonata’s eye that made her gasp. She suddenly sprung up onto her hooves and tackle hugged the bear, knocking him over with a massive thud. “He’s like a giant teddy bear!” The siren amplified her hugging strength to bone shattering levels, causing the bear to struggle in pain. His agony caused the other animals to immediately try prying Sonata off the bear, who was far too happy to notice what was going on. They at last managed to get her off and she flopped on the grass, sighing with content as the animals all carried the bear to safety. When she sat up, Sonata suddenly noticed a white rabbit nearby with a plate of carrot cake that had not come to see her yet. She liked her lips as she casually walked up to him. “Hi there, you little cutie!” The rabbit warmed up to her and hopped closer, allowing her to scratch his ears. “That’s some nice cake you have there. Can I have it?” He quickly pulled his plate back defensively. “Come on. Bunnies don’t even eat cake.” Sonata reached for the cake, but he hopped back. Sonata, although smiling, was getting quickly annoyed. “Seriously. Gimme the cake!” She lunged for the plate, but she was repelled by a powerful slap across her face. She slowly raised a hoof against her sore cheek, her eyes watering up and her voice cracking. “Y-y-y-you just hit me!” Turning away, she broke into quiet sobbing. The little rabbit, concerned, put his plate down and tried to get her attention, but she only turned away. He gently patted her hind leg, unaware of the sinister smile on Sonata’s face. Before he realized what was going on, she pulled her hind leg forward and launched it backwards at full force, sending the little pest over the horizon. Triumphant, Sonata grabbed the slice of carrot cake and took a big bite out of it. “Oops!” she said loudly. “I guess I haven’t learned anything about friendship and should be sent home right now!” She eagerly turned to Fluttershy and Pinkie to see them admit defeat to her amazing resilience against friendship, but they didn’t seem to have been paying attention the whole time, more focused on talking with each other while heading into the house on the other side of the river “Geez, what’s with you two? I’m actually kinda annoyed to be ignored, despite not liking any of you!” Neither of them responded, likely because they couldn’t hear her. Furious, Sonata tossed the plate and fork aside and ran all the way up to them. “HEY!” “Sorry, Sonata,” said Fluttershy, finally giving her some attention. “Did you say something?” Sonata stood on her hind legs and put her hooves on her hips. “Of course I did! I said I’m not good at friendship!” “Mhm. That’s great. Now go run along and play,” Pinkie replied without giving her even a glance. Sonata fell back onto all fours. “Don’t you care I’m not even trying?” “Not really,” the earth pony answered with a shrug. “We knew you wouldn’t want to try and just fail, so we decided to not try, either! You can just play around with the animals all day!” “Wow! It’s like I’m at the petting zoo all over again! Later, losers!” Sonata turned away, skipping down the path while gaining height with each bounce. Sonata’s joy suddenly shattered and she came to a screeching halt. In a flash, she ran all the way back to where her keepers stood. “Hold on! What do you mean you knew I would fail!?” “Well, duh!” Pinkie answered happily. “We knew that you didn’t care about being friends, so means you already failed your test.” She threw her hooves in the air, spreading confetti all over them. “Hurray for failing!” “I am not a failure!” Sonata snapped. “I am super skilled and have done more than you two have!” “Um...what have you achieved?” asked Fluttershy. Sonata put a hoof on her own chest. “I’m an amazing singer!” “Only because you have magic, so that doesn’t really count,” the earth pony protested. “You can’t sing without it.” “I swim very fast!” she quickly followed up. Pinkie shrugged. “Meh. I bet all sirens do, too.” Panic filled Sonata. Was she really so unskilled? Could she really be as much of a failure as Aria or her own parents kept telling her? She fell to her knees and clutched her chest. She then sprang to her hooves, wearing a massive smile. “Well, there’s one thing that I can do better than anyone in either world! Sometimes when I really want Dagi or Aria to do something for me, I put on this face!” Like magic, Sonata’s face became one of the most heart wrenching sites in Equestria. Her eyes grew and were glimmering with tears ready to spill. Her bottom lip stuck out and trembled. To top it all off, she gave a soft and cute whimper. “Oh no!” cried Fluttershy. “We didn’t mean to make you upset! Pinkie, do something to cheer her up!” “Me?” Pinkie gulped and gave a nervous laugh. “I’m not sure if I-” Fluttershy tucked her head into her hooves, hiding most of her face behind her mane. All that was visible were her innocent eyes, reflecting the hurt and sorrow that was within the pony. She then gave off a loud but timid whimper to plead her case. Sonata suddenly let out a cry and flopped onto the ground. Fluttershy reached out a hoof, but the siren slowly rolled over to the mailbox. “S-Sonata?” Fluttershy approached her and nudged her shoulder. “Are you okay?” “No,” she answered weakly. “I really am not special.” “You are special,” Pinkie replied encouragingly. “You’re Sonata!” “Yep, that’s me.” The siren lazily dragged her hoof against the dirt. “Dumb, talentless, friendless Sonata.” Fluttershy and Pinkie looked at each other before the pegasus moved closer. “Friendless? What about Adagio or Aria?” Sonata weakly shrugged. “Oh dear. Is there anything we can do for you?” “Just go away.” With reluctance, the two ponies stepped away and into the cottage. The animals gathered around Sonata, trying to bring life back into the sad siren, but to no avail. She was in her own world right now and everything in it was not fine. Aria Blaze was mixed about her current situation. On one hoof, she had to spend the day with two of the Rainbooms. On the other hoof, she was away from Sonata and Adagio, giving her room to breathe and think for once. Sonata made her want to take a bath with a toaster while Adagio was not living up to her title of leader. Aria didn’t hate her, although she constantly got on her nerves, but she wished she had at least some sort of plan in mind. Aria still kicked herself now and then for standing up to Adagio the other day. She still hadn’t thought of anything to help make up for what she did. She didn’t want to make it look like she was giving Adagio some pathetic apology, but something to return things to normal and leave that moment behind them. Of course, normal was not always a good thing. Aria wasn’t even sure what was supposed to be “normal” between them. She used to think it was how they were before their banishment, but at this point, Aria was almost entirely sure that part of Adagio never existed at all. Adagio being full of herself and Aria just rolling along with whatever she wanted was what she guessed was normal. Aria loudly sighed and let her head fall. “Ya don’t say much, do ya?” questioned Applejack as she kept loading tools into a cart in the barn. Apparently Applejack’s idea of “fun” was to have them do some work around the farm she lived on. Something about working together and taking pride in hard work so they could enjoy the fruits of their labor, but Aria didn’t care. Doing anything with these ponies wasn’t worth her time. “You should really follow my example,” Aria replied and quickly lifted her head. Applejack grumbled something she couldn’t hear before returning to her duties. Aria stayed outside the barn as the other ponies worked so she could keep herself clean. “Uh…nice to meet you?” said Caramel, Applejack’s dumb coltfriend. The pathetic pony tried to be smooth with her a few times already, but she shot him down in an instant every time. Applejack told her how the two of them got together, but Aria blocked out the story so that she could focus on her own problems. She swore that one pony Cherub or something was brought up, but she didn’t really give it much thought. Right now, Aria didn’t even bother glancing at him as once more attempted conversation. “So…how did you and Applejack meet?” “You don’t want to know,” answered Rainbow Dash as she loaded another bag of soil onto one of the carts. Caramel looked back at Aria, only to feel himself shrink from her sudden change of expression that was more menacing. “Celestia’s afraid of me, so you should be, too.” Taking several steps back, Caramel asked, “I-is she telling the truth? I kinda don’t expect much from earth ponies.” “She’s not a pony. She’s a siren,” Applejack called as she hooked her wagon to herself. “She can control people by singin’. Twilight made her look like an earth pony with magic so everypony wouldn’t freak out. Ah’m tellin’ ya now so ya’re prepared for whatever she might try. Keep it a secret, okay?” The stallion gulped and Aria felt just a small bit of joy in seeing him squirm. “Y-yeah. You got it.” He slowly moved away from Aria and back to his marefriend, who was packing one large cart with many tools and farming stuff such as bags of fertilizer and watering cans. “I think that’s a little too much, AJ.” “There’s only three of us haulin’ all this since she doesn’t look like she’s in the helpin’ mood.” Aria rolled her eyes at her. “Ah only want to make one trip, so this is gonna have to do.” Caramel shook his head. “I don’t think any of us are strong enough to pull all that weight. It’s way too much for any pony.” Huffing in defeat, Aria finally moved from her spot. “That’s why Ah gotta go fetch Big Mac.” Applejack stepped out and looked around the green horizon. “Not sure where he would be today, so Ah’m gonna need help findin’ him. Dash should be good at findin’ him quick.” Rainbow Dash proudly placed her hoof on her hips as she hoovered in front of them, but then she suddenly went pale. “Uh…Applejack?”. “Ah’m not even sure what he does when he ain’t workin’. Maybe Granny might know somethin’.” “Applejack!” “What, Rainbow?” The pegasus pointed toward the cart, which was moving. The two earth ponies looked at the front to find Aria pull it with ease. “How in tarnation can you move all that!? The only pony Ah’ve ever seen move that much is my brother!” “You ponies really don’t know anything about sirens, do you?” Aria smirked. “We live under the ocean, so our bodies have to adapt to the intense pressure and swim against the strong currents. On land, our strength is unmatched. It’s a shame it didn’t carry over in the other world. I miss this power so much.” The three ponies watched in disbelief as she walked on ahead. “Where the heck am I taking this stuff, anyway?” “Just give us a second.” Aria tapped her hoof impatiently as they strapped themselves to their own carts. She really didn’t feel like helping, but it was better than sitting around near that dirty barn. At least the rest of the farm looked rather nice in comparison. Kelp farms back home were not too special and seeing all this delicious fruit made her mouth water a little. “Hey, Applejack?” Caramel asked quietly, although it was loud enough for the siren to hear. “I have a question.” “What’s on yar mind?” “If she’s an evil siren who probably wants to control ponies and is way stronger than any of us, how are we going to stop her if she tries running away or attacking us?” Smiling, Aria glanced behind her to see the two mares look at each other, both rattled by his words. To see that look on their faces brought far more satisfaction to her than she thought possible. “Uh…we’ll work on that part, hun. Just try bein’ friendly with her.” The other ponies loaded up the supplies and Applejack led them somewhere through the apple trees. For the whole trip, Applejack and Rainbow Dash bothered her with a wide variety of questions trying to get to know her. For each one, Aria shot them down or didn’t bother with any form of a response. Applejack even asked her to sing something for them and had Nymph not returned those awful pendants that heavily restricted their magic, Aria would have tried singing her way out of this, so she just declined her request. What were Nymph and Celestia trying to pull? Was this some secret form of punishment? Made much more sense than some idea of winning them over. At the very least they could have stuck her with Thorax for a day. Out of every pony and changeling in this world, he was the only one she could stomach. Celestia was a close second, but the way she was always wearing that phony smile and practically preaching about friendship was too much sometimes. The farm pony took them to an area by a stream that was less dense of trees and Aria was relieved when she saw them taking off the straps to the carts. “Aight. If we get started now, we can finish in no time and then we can do whatever ya want. Aria, why don’t ya-” The siren turned around and walked toward one of the trees away from them. “Aria? Ah haven’t even told ya what yar supposed to do!” “I know. And I don’t care.” Before she knew it, Rainbow Dash flew right up to her. “You’ve got some nerve to talk to my friend like that!” “And you have guts to get in my face.” Aria merely walked around her and went up an apple tree. “Pretty sturdy,” she commented as she rubbed her hoof against it. “Yep. The Apple family grows only the best-” Picking up both her hind legs, Aria bucked the tree with all of her might. The wooden pillar cracked with a thunderclap and fell, shaking the earth upon impact with a deafening boom. “W-w-what are ya doin’!?” Applejack ran over to the fallen lumber and ran her hoof across it. “That was a perfectly healthy tree!” Aria slowly turned her head, showing a malevolent grin. Just from glancing, she could tell all three ponies were absolutely terrified of her. “Displaying dominance.” She walked over to another tree and laid against it, putting her front hooves behind her head and crossing her hind legs. “You all have fun with whatever. Just leave me alone.” She couldn’t help but smile as she closed her eyes, sensing their negative emotions directed toward her. To her satisfaction, none of them said a word as they got to work, leaving her in peace. Every inch of Adagio’s body tingled as she lowered herself into the hot bath. She had only gone to the spa once or twice and they didn’t have one back in Chantlantis. She had been treated to massages, a mud bath, and now she sat in the soothing hot tub. Surprisingly, Twilight and the other two had left her alone for the most part, even if they were with her the whole time. As long as they kept doing that, this would easily be one of the best days of her life. “Adagio?” Good things were bound to come to an end eventually. Adagio slowly raised her head to look at Rarity. She was not at all interested in conversing, but she had a feeling they would be pestering her until she gave them what they wanted. “What?” “I was hoping that since we are spending the day together, we could get to know a little more about you.” Rarity scooted herself around the edge of the wooden pool to get closer to her. “So what was it like living in the ocean?” Adagio laid her head back on the pillow. “It was paradise . I was quite the big deal back in Chantlantis a thousand years ago. My voice-” She found herself unable to speak any further with Twilight suddenly right in her face, wearing a gigantic grin. “CHANTLANTIS!?” She squealed as she grabbed Adagio by the shoulders. “You’re telling me the legendary underwater city of Chantlantis is real!?” Angry, Adagio put her hoof on the alicorn’s chest and shoved her back. “Of course it is. And that’s all you’re getting out of me.” She watched Twilight sit back in her spot, looking disappointed. “So how is life in Canterlot?” asked Rarity, sounding a little nervous. “You must be honored to work for Celestia herself.” Lifting her head again, Adagio answered, “Honored? I was a star! I had fans memorized by my voice and ready to obey me! Now I’m stuck dusting, mopping, doing dishes, and other tasks meant for slaves! I should be on a stage, dazzling ponies all across Equestria!” Twilight crossed her forelegs. “So you can unleash chaos and make Equestria your own? That’s exactly what you plan on doing, isn’t it?” Adagio stared coldly at her and then rested her head. “Adagio, I know you three have been uncooperative with Princess Celestia, but you need to remember that I only allowed you back into Equestria on the condition that you would try to take friendship seriously. I want to help you because I feel bad for you.” “Feel bad for me?” Adagio shot up. “Feel bad for me!?” She slowly made her way to Twilight as Rarity and Spike distanced themselves. “I was one of the best singers in all of Chantlantis! Sirens everywhere bowed to me like I was royalty! They were all at my beck and call! My voice alone can bring Equestria to its knees!” She splashed water on Twilight’s face, who still held her hard stare. “So what about you? You have your fancy castle, but I have noticed that it’s almost always just you and your pet.” She chuckled. “What? No servants for the princess? I even noticed the ponies out here don’t even bow to you when you walk by. Even with your title, you’re nopony special.” Adagio shook her head at the pony sitting before her. “Maybe I should be feeling bad for you. What could you possibly have that I don’t?” “Friends.” The blood in Adagio’s veins was reaching a boiling point as she growled at Twilight. “Adagio, please try to relax,” Rarity suggested timidly. “Stress is disastrous for one’s complexion.” Sighing, Twilight stood up to get to her level. “Adagio, even after what happened, I care about you. Celestia tells me you’re not all that bad and we hope we can help you. You act like everything is fine save for losing your magic, but what about Sonata and Aria? Even after all this time and how you three work together, you three can’t get along. Is that what you want? Maybe you think it’s okay, but do you think they want that? As a leader, you should consider listening to their needs rather than just your own.” Both of them stared intently at each other before Adagio moved back to her end of the hot tub and rested her head. The warm water around her felt cold compared to the burning rage in her stomach. As she closed her eyes, Adagio kept playing with ideas in her head of the perfect way to get back at Twilight Sparkle when she had the chance. “Aria and Adagio didn’t speak to each other for a whole week after that! It was the worst fight they ever had besides the one after the battle!” Sonata sipped her hot cocoa and wiped her eyes. Since her sudden breakdown, Pinkie and Fluttershy did everything they could to cheer her up as they felt completely responsible. Seated on the green couch, Sonata was wrapped in Fluttershy’s comfiest blanket and offered a soothing drink as well as a plate of cookies. However, these did little to ease her woes. “They have always been like this and I hate it! I always tried to drown out their yelling with music, but just the thought of them fighting makes me so sad!” After gulping down the rest of her drink, Sonata placed the empty mug on the wooden table and tightly wrapped herself in the blankets. “I just wish things went better for us.” “Don’t you ever want talk about it with them?” asked Pinkie as she held the siren’s hoof. “Yeah, but they never want to. Adagio just complains about Aria or me if I did something wrong and Aria just tells me to stop being such a whiney sissy.” “You three don’t act like good friends,” said Fluttershy, also holding her hoof from the other side. Sonata sighed dejectedly. “We’re not friends. We don’t like each other enough. I mean, I like Adagio, but she’s not always such a happy siren and sometimes she scares me.” “Well that’s your problem!” exclaimed the party mare. “If you three don’t become friends, nothing is going to change! Friends always have your back and have so much fun together!” “I know, but they don’t wanna be friends. I don’t think they’ll ever listen to me because they think I’m so stupid.” Sonata sighed and lowered her head into her forelegs. “We’ve been together for a long time and if we’re not friends now, why would that ever change?” Pinkie and Fluttershy sat next to her and rubbed her back. “Hey, Sonata. You heard about Chrysalis, right?” asked the party pony. “Yeah. She invaded you and now Nymph wants her forgiven,” Sonata answered without much interest. “Right, but did you know what she was like before she turned a new leaf?” “No.” “She was the cruelest, meanest, angriest changeling ever. Everything made her angry and all she wanted to do was conquer the world. She was so mean, she even mistreated her own sister and poor Nymph was afraid of her. She also believed that friendship was dumb and it was a complete waste of time. After she was banished from her kingdom, she swore to get revenge on Nymph and Equestria.” Sonata lifted her head. “But if that’s true, why is she friends with everyone now?” PInkie rested her hoof on the siren’s shoulder. “The truth was as tough as she acted, Chrysalis was in complete pain. She was so lonely and she wanted somepony to help her, but she didn’t want to admit it because she thought it made her weak. She was also in disguise so she could hide from the princesses and plot her vengeance, but that’s besides the point. But one day, she met somepony who saw the real her and gave her the friendship she needed, making her into a better changeling. Now if Chrysalis can change through the magic of friendship, then I bet they can, too!” Sonata’s eyes shimmered with hope. “Wow. To actually be friends with them. We can finally do things together that I always wanted to do like have a slumber party, go camping, ride a three-person bicycle, and watch My Tiny Gecko!” She immediately clung to Pinkie’s leg. “Teach me how to make friends! I really need this! I wanna be besties with Adagio!” “What about Aria?” asked Fluttershy. The siren shook her head. “Well, honestly, I just want us to be friends so she’ll stop being such a jerk to me. Oh my gosh, Aria is just the worst. If I can at least be friends with Adagio, it’ll be us against her. Even better, if I become best friends with Adagio, she’ll let me know her beauty secrets! In the other world, she was the hottest girl around and I was so jealous.” She suddenly gasped loudly and jumped onto her hooves. “Wait! If we become friends, she’ll…she’ll…” The siren’s body quaked with intense excitement. Pinkie and Fluttershy got up and backed away slowly, expecting some form of explosion. “She’ll what, Sonata?” asked Fluttershy as she shielded herself with a pillow. “SHE’LL LET ME TOUCH HER HAIR!” Sonata shrieked with joy as she ran right up to them, cornering them against the wall. “Have you seen her hair and wondered how soft it is!? It looks so fluffy and I just want to touch it!” She leaned in closer, startling them with a deranged look. “I want to rub my face in it,” she whispered. “Uh…that sound great,” Pinkie nervously replied as they pressed themselves as far back as they could. “Well, before you can consider doing…that, you need to learn how to befriend her first!” Sonata’s energy faded and she was back to her normal self. “Oh yeah. So is that going to be hard?” “Nah! It’s super easy!” Pinkie took her by the hoof and lead her toward the kitchen. “In fact I have something planned to help you three become best of friends!” Before entering the other room, they were startled when the door suddenly flew open as a familiar pony entered. “Hello, girls. I’m not interrupting anything, am I?” Sonata tried hard to remember who this unicorn was before remembering this was the mare Luna was dating or something like that. “I heard that the Dazzlings were in town and I thought a sudden visit wouldn’t hurt.” “Hi, Cherub!” greeted Pinkie as she waved excitedly. “We’re going to help Sonata become friends with Aria and Adagio! Isn’t that great!?” “Sure.” She gave Pinkie a gentle pat on the head before glaring at Sonata. “You don’t mind if I stick around, do you?” Pinkie stood up to give her a hug. “You can totally stay and help! Right, Sonata?” Something about this pony rubbed Sonata the wrong way, whether it was how she was looking at her or just the amount of anger she was giving off. However, if Pinkie trusted her, she didn’t see why she couldn’t. She wasn’t even sure what a dumb pony could do to her anyway. “Uh...okay!” As Cherub walked by, Fluttershy lost all of her color. “...Why do you have my axe?” Behind Cherub was a floating axe covered in a green glow, which the unicorn quickly discarded outside and it’s blade embedded itself in the side of a tree. “I was...going to help you with your firewood! Always need to keep warm for those chilly nights.” The pegasus was sweating intensely as she looked outside to see where the weapon had landed. “...But it’s spring.” “Well you never know with those weather pegasi! Always have to be prepared, Fluttershy!” Cherub ignored her look of horror as she walked right up to Sonata. “How have you been? You’re not causing any problems,” she looked dead in her eyes and sneered, “are you?” “Nope! They’re going to help make Aria and Adagio like me!” Pinke leaned against Sonata with a big smile on her face. “And I have the best idea to make that happen! It’s way better than my idea of using reverse psychology to make her want to learn friendship that ended up hurting her feelings instead! Cherub blinked and cocked her head slightly. “Wait, you did what now?” “We’re going to make cupcakes!” “Cupcakes!?” Sonata grabbed Pinkie and wasted no time to carry her into the kitchen. It wasn’t quite as fancy as the one in Canterlot, having only a counter, a stove, and a small wooden table, but Sonata still thought it was cute. “Come on! What are we waiting for!? Let’s get baking!” Once Pinkie was free, she opened a drawer that carried all sort of baking assortments and tossed everypony a pink apron. “So how do we start!?” “Easy!” Pinkie opened the fridge to pull out a tray of blank white cupcakes and set them on the counter. “First we need to see how good you are at decorating cupcakes!” Sonata’s eyes could hardly keep up with the pony as she became a pink blur, grabbing various materials and laying them on the counter. Whipped cream, sprinkles, and candy pieces stood before her eyes and she hungrily licked her lips. Once Pinkie finally slowed down, she gave Sonata a bag of white whipped cream. “Top off a cupcake!” “Okay!” Excited was an understatement of how she felt right now. Aria never let her help out in the kitchen and she was always felt baking would be a lot of fun. Sonata picked up a bag of frosting and tried to squeeze it, but she was having trouble holding it in her hooves and pumped out too much, leaving a giant mess on the counter. “Ugh! I miss having hands! They made things so much easier!” “You just need to use a gentle touch.” Pinkie took a bag of pink icing and placed one around the middle and one at the tip. “Hold it like this and squeeze!” The pony demonstrated, but the end was pointed toward Fluttershy as a stream of frosting blasted out. Cherub and Pinkie gasped when they realized what been done and Sonata suddenly felt excited. Normally when something like this happened with Aria and Adagio, they would get very angry and toss around insults. She grinned as she waited for these two ponies to do the same and she would help herself to some magic. “Oopsie! Sorry, Flutterbutter!” “It’s okay,” Fluttershy said calmly while taking a washcloth from the sink. “Accidents happen.” As the pegasus stepped outside with Pinkie following, Sonata crept to the window as she kept waiting for the explosive outburst, but none came. Pinkie was cleaning off Fluttershy and the pegasus seemed to be enjoying it. While annoyed that no fight broke out for her entertainment, Sonata thought the sight was a bit cute. Pinkie then licked a little frosting off of Fluttershy’s face and the siren quietly giggled. “Aw. That’s sweet.” The two ponies looked at each for a brief moment before they came together for a passionate kiss. “That’s...oh. Wow.” Sonata retreated back to the table with an intense blush on her face and ignored Cherub’s stare as she resumed making cupcakes, trying her hardest not to make another mess. It confused her as to why no negative emotions erupted from the incident, but it wasn’t long until she forgot all about it as she was too engrossed in her task. Over time, the four of them had created a wide assortment of cupcakes with all sorts of decorations. Now that she had the hang of the things, Sonata decided to get to work on two special cupcakes for her bandmates. Fluttershy’s animals came in to join and she felt just as enthralled by them. While petting and nuzzling whatever critter came near, she was singing along with Pinkie whenever she sang something she was familiar with. As Sonata sang while working on Adagio’s gift, Cherub started laughing. “Oh no! Did I screw up!?” “No, no. Forgive me.” Cherub took a moment to catch her breath. “It’s just that I had a very interesting thought about you, Sonata. The way you love sweets and to sing while being very friendly with animals. I’ve always imagined Pinkie and Fluttershy’s child would be somepony like you.” Sonata looked at Fluttershy, whose face had turned completely red, and then to Pinkie, who seemed just as confused. They stared at each other before breaking out into laughter. “No way! We’re totally different!” “I know!” agreed Pinkie. “Like I know you like to sing, but I bet you don’t randomly break out into song!” “Actually I do!” laughed Sonata. “But I bet we have different things we love doing more than anything in the whole wide world!” “PAAAARTY!” they both exclaimed. Their laughter suddenly cut short as they looked at each in surprise. “What’s your favorite season?” asked Pinkie. “Summer! You?” Pinkie rapidly nodded. “What’s your favorite thing to do during summer?” “Go to the beach. Favorite movie genre?” “Romantic comedy. Favorite kind of music?” “Pop. Favorite radio show?” “Uncle Chuckle’s Comedy Hour. Favorite flavor of ice cream?” As each girl asked questions that resulted in similar answers, Cherub and Fluttershy looked more and more baffled by the scene. “What’s going on!?” Fluttershy looked at the two, desperately searching for some form of physical resemblance. “She...she’s not related to Pinkie, is she!?” “No and it’s time for this nonsense to end.” Cherub loudly whistled to get their attention. “What’s your favorite color?” “Blue!” “Pink!” The whole kitchen fell completely silent save for Cherub’s and Fluttershy’s sighs of relief. At that moment, Sonata felt her hopes and excitements crumble into dust. She couldn’t believe it and did not want to accept it. For just a moment, she thought she had found her true family. It would have been like all those movies she loved watching on the TV, except she lived in reality. It was too much for her heart to bear and she felt she didn’t have the energy to go on. “But Fluttershy’s favorite color is blue!” exclaimed Pinkie happily, causing Fluttershy to gasp and Cherub to facehoof. “That proves it! Sonata...you’re somehow our daughter!” Sonata could only gasp as the joy within her reignited. “M-Mom?” She looked to the pegasus as tears began to form. “Mom number two?” PInkie stood with her forelegs stretched out and she too was at the verge of unleashing tears of joy. “Come give your pony mom a big hug!” The two mares ran to each other as they cried happily, but they were held back before they could embrace. “Okay, this has gone far enough!” shouted Cherub as she pulled Sonata back with her magic. “Fluttershy!” Pinkie struggled immensely as she tried to break free of the pegasus’s hold. “What are you doing!? Our time traveling fish baby needs us!” “She’s not our baby!” Fluttershy flapped her wings with all her strength to keep her back. “That’s not possible!” “Anything’s possible with time travel and magic! Now...let...me...GO!” Pinkie tried even harder to reach Sonata, but Fluttershy still held her ground. As for Sonata, even her strength was no match for the unicorn’s magic and the four of them struggled for quite some time. When they weren’t looking, Aria lightly struck the tree, causing a few apples to fall around her. Picking one up, she quickly devoured what was probably her fifth or sixth one today before tossing it behind the tree and laying back down. Maybe today wasn’t that bad. It certainly allowed Aria to think in peace. Maybe she really needed to suck it up and apologize to Adagio. Obviously she would hate how Adagio would take advantage of it, seeing it as Aria admitting defeat and gloating about it for a while. However, she just wanted to make sure things between them were okay. Adagio really knew how to play the passive aggressive card (or just the aggressive card) well enough to bother her. It wasn’t always obvious when Adagio was ticked at her, even after living with her for some years. Aria crossed her hind legs as she looked up to the clouds. How was this all going to end? With them being queens of the world? Being banished to a dimension yet again? Constantly plotting until they were too old to be any threat? There were so many things that could happen and given her luck, Aria worried. She knew why she still stuck to Adagio’s side despite everything, but was it worth it anymore? For a while, that creeping thought lingered in the back of her mind. To cut her losses and accept defeat. It was tempting beyond words. It would guarantee she wouldn’t suffer some horrible fate yet again. Then again, Adagio hating her guts and Aria herself living the rest of her life wondering if they could have made it would have been agonizing. On top of that, she didn’t exactly have job skills outside of singing and she wasn’t sure being a house maid for two spoiled sirens would get her far. And who exactly was she going to hang out with if she betrayed her fellow sirens? Thorax was fine, but she wasn’t that crazy about him. He was kind of boring and a bit too much of a wimp. Obviously Twilight and her pals would be first in line to try to befriend her, but Aria planned on keeping her pride. For now, she would just play it safe and let Adagio figure it out. With that concluding thought, Aria shifted around and sat up against the tree. She wasn’t sure how many hours it had been, but Aria was getting very bored. It was nice to feel like she was in charge of something for once in her cruddy life, but she needed something to do. The dumb ponies had been planting more trees, as if this place needed any more, while digging up any stumps, such as the one she made for them. For a while, the three attempted to have some sort of conversation with her, but she was quick to discourage their efforts. At the moment, they sat a good distance from her on their lunch break around a fire. Applejack was cooking up some sort of stew and the smell was making the siren hungry. Eventually, she found the strength to stand up, stretch, and walked over to them. “Whatcha cooking?” “Lunch.” Although she tried to sound nice, Applejack seemed to be unhappy with her presence. “Care for some?” Glancing down at the pot, Aria could see sliced carrots, potatoes, broccoli, apples, and beans. Not a bad combination, but the presentation was less than appealing. She thought if she even tasted that disgusting slop, it would come straight back out along with her breakfast. The apples were delicious, but they weren’t enough to satisfy her hunger. Her eyes then fell upon the nearby stream, causing her to grin. Without a word, she dashed forward and dived into the water. For the first time in a long time, Aria felt she was somewhere she belonged. Swimming with four legs rather than with her tail wasn’t entirely glamourous, but it was easy to pick up. Her sudden splash had scared away her prey, so she lowered herself onto the bottom of the stream and waited. Soon one fish foolishly swam over her and she launched herself upward. With a fierce bite, she caught her prey in her maw and breached the surface. The ponies watched with shock as Aria carried her flailing victim back to shore and dropped it onto the grass. Bringing her hoof down on its head ceased its struggling. Holding it between her hooves, Aria began to feed. When was the last time she caught her own food? This little hunt brought back so many good memories about life in the ocean. Fish were easy to lure with her voice, so sometimes she liked to challenge herself in order to make her meal more rewarding. She craved shark so dearly, but she doubted she wouldn’t be enjoying some for a long time. When she finished, she discarded what was left back into the water and washed her hooves and mouth. Now that she was satisfied, Aria returned to the tree and laid under until sleep overtook her. “That might have been the scariest thing I’ve seen in my life,” Caramel whimpered as he had a another spoonful of stew. “Is Princess Twilight sure this is a good idea?” “Ah don’t know.” Applejack took a quick glance at the sleeping siren. “Hope Celestia isn’t too upset with us for not doin’ a good job, but Ah don’t know if we ever had a chance with her. Ah think no matter what, she would act just the same.” She helped herself to a spoonful of her own cooking and set the bowl on the grass. “Ah think we can agree that Aria Blaze there is not a siren ya’d want hangin’ around. If the other two are like here, then it ain’t a mystery why they can’t get along.” Rainbow Dash stared intensely at Aria. “I think we need to teach her a lesson because I do not like being pushed around. We need to prank her or something.” She suddenly gasped. “Wait! If we prank her, that would make us the first ponies to ever prank a siren in history! We’d be in the pranking books forever!” Before she could take off, Applejack caught her in her lasso and dragged her back. “Keep yar horseshoes on, Dash,” advised Applejack as she put her rope away. “She may be powerless, but Ah can tell she ain’t one to mess with. We just need to deal with her until today’s done and hope for the best. Ah ain’t crazy about her either, but Ah don’t think Celestia would be too happy if we did somethin’ to make Aria hate us even more.” Dash grumbled something and quietly flew over to Aria to look at her. “Ah’ve met a few bad apples in my life, but she has to be the most rotten.” “No kidding. I can’t believe there’s three of them.” Caramel set down his bowl once it was empty. “Where did they even come from? Like is there a whole kingdom of sirens or just those three?” “Ah don’t know, but it’s hard to believe just one can be so strong. Discord was one thing, but three sirens?” Applejack shivered heavily. “Better hope they like the sea better than Equestria if there’s more of them out there.” As Applejack kept helping herself to her own cooking, Rainbow Dash came back with a look of concern. “Uh...you might wanna see this.” Applejack and Caramel looked at each other worriedly before slowly following her back to Aria. Dash went behind the tree where the siren slept and what they saw caused the two earth to quietly gasp. All over the grass were many apple cores, each torn apart like the unlucky fish earlier. Seeing her prized crops treated as such caused Applejack to grit her teeth as they returned to their campfire. “That slimy eel!” Applejack shouted once they were out of earshot. “We try to be nice, but she goes and robs me! Ah’m sorry, but Ah draw the line at theivin’! No one, siren or pony, disrespects my family like that! Ah am puttin’ my hoof down and gonna teach Aria my own lesson about friendship!” “What!?” Caramel zoomed in front of Applejack as she marched toward Aria. “Didn’t you see what she did to that tree!? Think of what she could do to your spine!” “Not to worry. Ah’ve got a clever idea for payback.” Applejack smugly looked up at Rainbow Dash, who grinned when she got the hint. “Time to go down in the history books.” For the end of their spa treatment, Twilight and Spike went into another room while Adagio and Rarity were getting their manes done. Currently, they both sat in chairs as each pony shampooed and rinsed their manes. Adagio’s mane was taking far longer given how much more hair she had, but it would be worth the wait in the end. Rarity had been mostly quiet since Twilight put the siren in her place, but her company still irritated Adagio. “I must ask how do you have manage so much hair?” the unicorn asked while watching the blue pony go through most of a bottle to cover her whole mane. “It takes talent,” Adagio proudly answered. “Only the best for the best.” “I admit that it is very gorgeous.” The pink pony used a hair dryer to dry Rarity’s mane and once it was done, she proceeded to brush it. “Adagio, is there anything we can do to help you?” “Help me?” the siren scoffed. “I don’t need help from any of you.” “But I think you do.” Rarity’s mane and tail was fully brushed and she got up from her chair, looking spectacular. However, Adagio would never admit that aloud. “Tell me, who was your best friend back home?” “Best friend?” Adagio chuckled. “No one was worthy of being my equal. What part of I was one of the best singers did you not understand?” “The only thing I don’t understand is how you could go on for so long without a friend.” Rarity stood beside her. “Weren’t you lonely? Didn’t you want someone to be there at your side? Someone to help you through your struggles?” Sighing, she placed a hoof on the siren’s. “Adagio, I think you don’t know what it means to be happy.” “Excuse me?” “Trust me. It wasn’t that long ago where someone I knew used their own anger as a mask to hide herself from her own sorrow. She also thought cutting any emotional ties would keep her from feeling hurt. She hurt those who cared about her so that she could run away from her own emotions. She tried using her hate and anger to keep going, but in the end, it only lead her to misery. We don’t want the same to happen to you.” Adagio could only laugh at her. “Save your ridiculous fairytales. It’s true things have not gone as planned, but I know how to be happy. I don’t need a stupid princess to tell me how to enjoy myself.” She shoved her hoof against Rarity’s nose. “Let’s not kid ourselves. The only reason you brought me here was to bribe me for my cooperation, but I have news for you and Twilight.” She leaned over the armrest to look dead into the unicorn’s eyes. “You will never break me.” “Break you?” questioned Rarity. “Adagio, what in Celestia’s name do you think we’re doing? We’re not trying to bribe you or trick you or anything of the sort. Twilight wants to make up for the past and help you become a better person. Somepony who can find joy in the simple things in life rather than live in constant stress and hate. She’s worried that you three are going to be another Moondancer for her.” “Who?” “Nevermind. The point is Twilight feels awful she didn’t find out about your situation until long after she last saw you and is trying to make things right. Is it too much to ask for you to just be nice and try giving friendship a chance?” The two spa ponies laid Adagio’s chair back to give her hair one final rinse. “Friendship was the reason I ended up like that in the first place! Besides, who needs friends when you have fans willing to do anything for you? Maybe if you were somepony important, you would understand. As for Twilight, I couldn’t care less than what she thinks. The truth is that she doesn’t know me at all and I will never give her the chance.” It was pleasing to see Rarity look so defeated and the only thing that would make it better if it was Twilight instead. “Just remember, Twilight and I will always be here if you need anything.” At last, Rarity left her alone and Adagio sighed with relief. She hoped that was the last of their sappy speeches. Maybe they were content with living as lessers, but not her. She was born for greatness and she would never cease her quest until Equestria was finally hers. With her mane finally rinsed off, the two spa ponies took hair dryers and began. Eventually, her mane resumed its poofy nature, but far faster than any of them had anticipated. The mane poofed to such a massive size, the pink pony was knocked back while the blue one had her hoof stuck inside. She attempted to free herself, but she was stuck. She set tossed her hairdryer into the hair and pulled herself back harder, causing a yelp from Adagio. “Hey! Watch it!” “I’m sorry!” The pony tried harder to free herself and tried push against the expanding fluff, but it traveled up her leg and began engulfing her body. “Help! HELP!” “I’ve got you!” The pink spa pony pulled hard on her sister as Adagio yelled in pain. “It’s not letting go! I’ve never seen a mane like this in my life!” “Could you two stop screwing around and get her off!?” the siren screamed. Her hair was still being fed heat by the lone hair dryer and it was too large for her to see the two spa ponies behind her in the mirror. “Hey! I’m going to sue this place for every bit it’s worth if you don’t stop messing with my hair!” “Lotus! Forget about me!” Her head slowly sunk into the impossible mane. “Satisfy the customer…” “ALOE! I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU!” Lotus hastily reached into a drawer and pulled out an electric razor. “What’s that noise!? What the heck do you think you’re doing!? I WANT TO SEE THE MANAGER!” The rest of the spa staff came running in as they heard Adagio’s screams while her mane was being torn apart. It took a while, but Chrysalis finally managed to explain to Pinkie and Sonata that they were not related in any way. It was certainly a cute idea, but things were getting out of hoof too fast and the truth would come out eventually. Once that had blown over, both of them were rather disappointed, but after making some more pastries, they were back to their cheery selves. In the case of Sonata Dusk, Chrysalis had to ask herself what Celestia or Luna found so charming about her. The difference between her and Pinkie despite their close similarities was that Pinkie was a fun loving, caring, selfless, talented pony who was a bit of a child while Sonata was just a moron. The fact Sonata was considered to be even more dangerous than herself was something she found to be very insulting, but she was fully aware of what she was capable of. For the rest of their time together, they decorated cupcakes with Pinkie helping Sonata design two special ones for her friends. With the last cupcake frosted, Chrysalis wiped her forehead. “I don’t know how anypony can do this as a job. I’m a mess.” “That’s the best part!” Pinkie licked her hoof. “You get to taste your own work!” She bounced over to Sonata, who was adding the finishing touches to her gifts. “Wow! Those look great!” The siren blushed as she added some more sprinkles. “Really? I’ve never done this before and I hope they like it.” Fluttershy anxiously twirled the end of her mane. “Me too. I would hate for them to dislike your gift and say something awful to you. I’m sorry, but Adagio and Aria sound very...unpleasant.” With everything in place, Sonata closed both boxes. “I know. I miss having my own room to stay out of the drama. Aria and Adagio haven’t been doing so great and I just...get that feeling. That one day they’re going to argue again about something and I have to leave the room or be stuck with them shouting.” She laid her head down on her forelegs on top of the counter. “I wish I knew how to make them stop.” Chrysalis remembered her argument with Luna in the dream world and lifted up Sonata to hug her. “It’s not something you can fix in a day. They will need to learn how to communicate like adults. In my opinion, I would say you are the most grown up out of the three of you.” Sonata looked up at the changeling. “Me? Really?” “Really. You know there’s a problem and you want to fix it, but they don’t want to. They just make excuses to dismiss the issue. If you want to improve things, you need to put your hoof down and tell them that things are not fine between you three. Show them real friendship and if they’re smart, they will listen.” Chrysalis turned Sonata around and gently pushed her toward Pinkie. “She is the perfect pony to help you get started.” Pinkie grinned at Sonata as she bounced. “And I just had the best idea!” “Really? What is it!?” “You should be our friend!” Given how well she and Pinkie had gotten along, Chrysalis was certain she would immediately accept her offer. However, Sonata seemed to be completely perplexed. “You...you really mean that?” She quickly looked away and nervously played with her ponytail. “Even after what I did? I’m not even all that...special.” “That’s okay. You just have to be yourself.” Fluttershy warmly embraced the siren and they were joined by Pinkie. “Twilight told us a lot of scary things about you, but I know you’re really nice underneath. If you want, you come to Ponyville anytime to visit us. We would be very happy to help you with Adagio and Aria and we promise to never treat you poorly.” On her cue, Chrysalis picked up the cake Pinkie had been working on as Pinkie and Fluttershy stood beside her. “Sonata Dusk. After spending time with you today, there’s something we want to ask you. Please take a moment to think it over.” She held on the cake coated in blue frosting with pink writing on top that read, “Wanna be friends?” Sonata quietly gasped and threw her hooves over her mouth as she looked at the cake made for her. Although Chrysalis could not sense her emotions, her face told her more than enough. It was only a moment until a siren would be accepted into their circle of friendship. Maybe she didn’t fully accept her, but Chrysalis was glad she could offer the poor girl the help she desperately needed. But then Sonata started snickering. As they became confused, it had evolved into malicious laughter and she was banging her hoof on the counter. “S-Sonata?” Fluttershy asked, getting closer to Pinkie. “You really think I was being serious!?” Quicker than Chrysalis could react, Sonata uppercutted the cake and sent it straight into the changeling’s face and the two ponies gasped in horror. “I was only pretending to be sad and dumb!” “What!? But-” Sonata slammed her hoof on the edge of the platter, unleashing a barrage of cupcakes onto Chrysalis and her friends. Pinkie fell to her knees, picking up the ruined pastries and crying to the heavens. “Why? Why do the cupcakes always have to suffer!?” “You three are all sooooo stupid! I can’t believe you thought I’d actually be your friend! I’m Sonata Dusk of The Dazzlings! All we need in life is our ability to sing, not dumb ponies to be friends with!” Picking up a frosting bag, Sonata assaulted them by spraying buttercream and Chrysalis and Pinkie did their best to shield Fluttershy, leaving them in an absolutely sugary and goopy mess. Taking her gifts and stuffing her cheeks with any surviving pastries, Sonata taunted, “So long, losers! Today was the icing on the cake!” She laughed at the top of her lungs before charging out the door and they stood at the doorway to watch her exit. Down the hill, a small pebble caught the siren’s hoof and she tripped, rolling for some feet before crashing on the ground. Her two special cupcakes flew high into the air and unfortunately for Chrysalis, Sonata got up fast enough to safely catch both of them. The siren stared back at them awkwardly before breaking out into laughter again and running off into the distance. Chrysalis, Pinkie, and Fluttershy stood there, all of them unable to grasp the incident. The changeling’s face was almost entirely coated in cake and frosting save for her eyes and her mane was no doubt in need of a wash. There was a good chance she wouldn’t get the smell of frosting out of her nose for some days. Chrysalis’s horn ignited, hot enough to melt the frosting off each of them. “C-Chrysie?” Pinkie poked her side. “Are you okay?” The changeling stomped down the path. “I’m going to murder that lying, little-” “Eep!” Fluttershy immediately pulled her back inside, setting her down on the couch and placing her hooves on a footrest. Chrysalis didn’t even bother how much they would have to cleaned to get the frosting out of the cushions, focusing only on delivering retribution. “Please don’t get angry! I know she attacked us, but you have to let it go!” Any attempt to get out of her seat was met with Pinkie holding her down. “Chrysie, calm down! You gotta relax for Luna’s sake! Don’t let Sonata get you riled up again! She’s trying to make you mad on purpose so you can do something to her and get you in trouble!” Chrysalis fought hard to escape, but the party pony was too quick and too strong to let her go anywhere. At last, her efforts slowed down and she sat limp on the couch. “I’m sorry. Thank you, girls.” The two ponies got off of her. “I just cannot fathom what happened. That girl poured her heart out to you both and this is what she does!? Was everything she said just a lie? I didn’t think she would be smart enough to pull a trick like that!” Chrysalis’s jaw dropped. “...Was I outsmarted by an idiot?” “What should we do?” asked Fluttershy. “We completely failed to befriend her!” Chrysalis groaned as she got off of her seat. “We just need to inform Celestia and Nymph of what happened. We’ll find Sonata and bring her back to Twilight’s. If we’re lucky, Celestia is going to teach that fish a lesson.” They left the cottage and slowly walked back to Ponyville with defeat weighing heavily over each of their heads. Chrysalis glanced at Pinkie and noticed some strands of her hair falling flat. “You did your best. I guess some people are more stubborn than I was.” Pinkie slowly nodded, but she didn’t seem to register her words. Chrysalis kept thinking over everything they did with Sonata today and what they learned about her, but she could not figure out what was the girl’s true motive. Aria followed the two ponies back to Twilight’s castle as she thought about getting some rest back in her comfy bed. Once they were done doing whatever, Applejack’s boytoy left to go home after he and the farmer said sappy love stuff to each other. Today had no doubt been one of the most boring days in her life. On the bright side, she wasn’t made to do anything and got to be in charge for once. Perhaps it wasn’t such a bad day, but it wasn’t one she would like to relive. She couldn’t imagine what Twilight forced Adagio to do when she had her all to herself, but she figured Adagio would show that she was not one to push around. It took a while before Aria realized that something was wrong. Many ponies and changelings she passed by were giving her odd looks and it was getting on her nerves. “Am I missing something?” she suddenly snapped. “Why is everyone staring at me?” The two ponies looked at each other before Rainbow Dash spoke. “Well...you do have a bit of bed hair. You know. From sleeping all day.” Growling, Aria ran her hooves through her pigtails to smooth over whatever mess it became. “Better?” Applejack was sweating and biting biting her bottom lip, so she looked to Rainbow Dash. “Oh! It’s...uh...better, but not...amazing?” “Fine. I’ll do it back in Canterlot. It’s not like I care what they think.” It didn’t take much effort until the eyes around her were in the back of her mind. When the eyesore of a castle at last came to view, Aria felt a mix of relief and annoyance. It would be nice to go back to her room to relax, but she would be still stuck with Sonata and Adagio while having to work more tomorrow. She needed to make the most of the rest of her day to ensure she didn’t feel miserable the next day. When they entered the castle, she could hear several voices coming from the other room. The Rainbooms, Celestia, Nymph, and Cherub were already present when she had stepped inside. While all the ponies were busy looking at something, Aria could hear the royals and Cherub pony talk with Sonata. “How could you!?” Nymph roared. “After being such gracious hostesses, you dared to assault them with their own creations made with their love!” “Sonata, I must say I am extremely disappointed in you,” scolded Celestia. “I always thought you had the most potential in understanding friendship, but this has clearly proven me wrong.” “Ha!” Sonata stuck her hoof in Celestia’s face. “In your face! I will be a Dazzling forever!” She happily walked away to whatever the others were gathered around while Celestia and Nymph resumed discussing whatever Sonata did. Bored as well as curious, Aria moved over to where all the other ponies were gathered. “Oh my stars,” said Applejack. “Now that truly is a sight!” “I’ve never seen a pony look so good,” complimented Fluttershy. “Even though you aren’t a pony.” “Thank you. Thank you,” Aria could hear Adagio reply. “Beauty is...difficult to maintain. Painful even. But it’s always worth it in the end.” “Dang! Adagio looks pretty good.” Rainbow Dash turned to Aria with a massive grin. “Don’t you think so, Aria?” When Aria laid her eyes on her, the golden light turned to her and she could not speak. Adagio’s bright aura enveloped her sight and it was impossible to look away. Her coat shined like the morning sun, her mane perched on her head like a divine crown, and the subtle scent of lemons surrounded her. Adagio and Aria continued staring at each other in silence until it was broken not by words, but by laughter. At first, Adagio withheld it, but it wasn’t long until it broke through her lips. Afterwards, it became louder, putting fear into Aria. Like a contagen, the whole room slowly devolved into similar laughter, all of which was directed toward her. Even Princess Celestia was having trouble controlling herself and it wasn’t long until they were all hollering in hysterics. “What the heck is so funny!?” “D-d-darling,” Rarity struggled to say, “you really need to take better care of your looks.” She magically brought out a hoof mirror and Aria’s jaw dropped. Her face had been turned into an art gallery. In black marker, she had drawings of buck teeth, goofy glasses, ducks, zits, the words “insert brain here” on her forehead, and many more pieces of art that defiled her face. She quickly turned to Rainbow Dash and Applejack, who were laughing the hardest out of everypony. “How do ya like dem apples!?” taunted Applejack. When Aria lived back in Chantlantis, she often mingled with sailors who passed by the siren domain to either have an audience, loot treasure, or even play jokes on them. It was perhaps one of her favorite things to do back in that old life as she enjoyed pushing others around. No one was there to tell her what to do. She was her own master. Over the years of infrequent interactions, Aria picked up a few things from the sailors such as how to work a ship or how they navigated the see. At this moment, Aria decided to show them all how fluent she was in speaking like a sailor.