//------------------------------//
// Sonata Dusk - Apple Bloom 
// Story: Bellesitter 
// by Draxonos135 
//------------------------------//

Sonata Dusk, the most carefree of the Dazzlings, spun around the wheeled chair on the sirens' living room, giggling while Adagio and Sweetie Belle looked at her.

"Okay, so let me see if I got this," Sonata said before she stopped spinning around. "This girl got into some trouble with other girls for using an internet name to spread the secrets of everyone in their campus, she broke off her friendship with the other two girls, and she doesn't want to return to her sister's house?"

"You forgot the part where we suddenly teleported to the park, away from the scene," Sweetie Belle added. "I don't even know how I did that either, I just... did."

"Regardless, she'll be staying here for a while," Adagio added. "At least until the whole situation between her and her sister cools down."

Sonata leaned down and extended her hand towards the girl. "Nice to meet you then! My name's Sonata Dusk!"

"And I'm Sweetie Belle," she answered as she shook hands with the siren. "I hope you don't mind me staying here for a while."

"Not at all! It'll be so much fun having another person around here!" Sonata chirped before she began spinning again. "And who knows, this might last shorter than we expect, so we enjoy it as much as we can!"

"Okay, but first of all, why don't you go buy something for dinner?" Adagio asked, stopping Sonata's spinning with her hand. "You know, go out and do something other than spin yourself silly."

"That sounds like a plan!" Sonata giggled as she stood up and wobbled to the door. "I'll be back in a bit!"

Once she clashed with the door, Sonata opened it and walked out, closing it afterwards.

"Is she going to be okay?" Sweetie Belle inquired.

Adagio shook her head. "Don't worry, kid, this isn't even Sonata at her most clumsy."





Sonata walked out of a restaurant holding a bag, with some steam coming out of it. "And that should be enough for everyone! I sure hope Adagio's friend likes fried rice and chicken!"

Just as she began walking back home, however, Sonata caught a glimpse of something: Apple Bloom, sitting on a log and looking at the ground with a saddened look. Curious, she approached the girl and sat down, startling her.

"Who are ya?!" Apple Bloom exclaimed, backing away from the blue girl. "What do ya want with me?!"

"Oh, sorry, I just saw you were looking a little down," Sonata scratched her head. "And I wanted to know what was going on-"

"Wait a minute, ye're one of ta sirens! Ta blue one!" Apple Bloom stated, taking a couple steps back. "Yer leader might've managed to hit me and ma sister where it hurt, but I ain't lettin' you do that!"

"What are you talking about? I'm just worried about-" Sonata quickly connected the dots. "Oh, wait, Adagio told me that she met a girl named Apple Bloom at the Rockhoof Carnival. Are you that girl?"

"Yeah, ah am!" Apple Bloom clenched her fist and took a battle stance. "And ah'm not gonna let ya further upset me!"

Sonata waved her hand. "Again, all I want to do is see what's bothering you so much, although after what I said I think it's pretty clear: you and your sister are upset because Adagio snapped at you, right?"

Apple Bloom frowned and lowered her fists. "That's only half of ta story: Mah sister always told me that "honesty is the best policy", an idea ah used as basis for Anon-A-Miss."

"Right, Adagio told me about that too," Sonata scratched her chin and looked at the sky. "Something about you and your friends choosing to make the account to spread secrets to blame Sunset Shimmer about it, and then you and the orange friend choosing to keep it going for a little bit longer."

"The orange friend's name is Scootaloo," Apple Bloom sternly added. "And... yeah. The reason ah chose to keep it going was because ah thought Sunset needed to learn 'er lesson, but from what your leader said... ah'm thinkin' dat was just rude of mah part."

"Well, if an anonymous user started spreading secrets and made it so you'd be blamed for them, you'd probably think they're a little rude, too," Sonata remarked, completely oblivious to Apple Bloom's disheartened stare. "Anyway, you're upset because this Anon-A-Miss thing costed you your friendship with the orange friend and Sweetie Belle, right?"

Apple Bloom nodded. "It also made me reconsider how much ah could trust ma sister; she told me the idiom dat'd be used t' make Anon-A-Miss."

"Well, don't you think you're getting a bit ahead of yourself?"

Apple Bloom lifted her head and looked at Sonata as she gave her a reassuring look. "What do ya mean?"

"You're acting as if all hope was lost to reconcile with your friends, but it's really only been a couple days since you broke off, right? This happens all the time! Friends get angry at each other, they break up for a little while, and then they eventually make up and become friends again!"

"But Sweetie Belle made it clear she wanted nothin' t' do with me nor Scootaloo!" 

"She was upset and saying that at the heat of the moment," Sonata rolled her eyes. "Trust me, she's going to eventually regret ending your friendship just as much as you're regretting it now."

The idea of Sweetie Belle being saddened by the end of their friendship, unsurprisingly, didn't cheer up Apple Bloom in the slightest. As she lowered both her head and her bow, though, Sonata spoke once more:

"Of course, it wouldn't hurt if you did your part, too."

Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow.

"Listen, if there's anything I've learned as a Dazzling, is that if you're going to be a leader, you gotta be proactive. That means that rather than wait for your friend to make it up with you, take the first step in convincing her you're sorry!"

"But she don' wanna talk t' me anymore!" Apple Bloom whined. "How am ah supposed t' convince 'er to forgive me, if they won't even hear me out?!"

"Again, you have to be proactive about showing them that you're sorry," Sonata stood up and began walking away. "If you just sit on the ground and wait for things to fix themselves, nothing will ever change. So get up, and do something about it."

"But-"

Sonata stopped on her tracks, turned to Apple Bloom and narrowed her eyes. "Do you want to be friends with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo again?"

"A-Ah do-"

"Do you want to show you're sorry for starting Anon-A-Miss?"

"Ah do-"

"Then stop feeling sorry for yourself, and actually work into proving you're sorry for what happened! Instead of beating yourself up for something that's already happened, work to fix your mistakes!"

With that said, Sonata Dusk walked back home as Apple Bloom looked at her, gaining a determined expression before she nodded, and walked back to her family's farm.





Sonata kicked open the door, put the food down, and closed it with a big sigh. "I'm back!"

"About time you arrived," Adagio said as she and Sweetie Belle walked to the kitchen. "What took you so long?"

"Well, when I was walking back, I saw somebody being sad and I couldn't ignore them," Sonata answered, resting her chin on the table. "So I talked with them for a bit, realized I needed to get going, and now I'm here."

"You watched what you were saying, right?" Adagio asked as she stopped Sweetie Belle from eagerly grabbing some of the food. "I already got us into deep trouble by talking without thinking things through, we don't need any more trouble."

"Don't worry, I made sure only to say things they needed to hear," Sonata reached inside the bag, and took out a taco. "Anyway, let's eat." 

So, the trio began eating their dinner, Sonata pausing a little to contemplate whatever would happen next.





The next day, Adagio and Sonata sat on a bench at the park, Sweetie Belle having fun nearby while the sirens looked at their surroundings.

"This is the place where we're supposed to meet your strategists, right?" Sonata asked.

"It better be," Adagio answered, rubbing her forehead. "The original plan to get those girls back together was derailed straight out of the tracks when Sweetie Belle convinced me to let her stay. We need to try and come up with a better plan, this time with a backup in case something goes wrong."

Sonata looked back at Sweetie Belle, and her eyes widened. "Does her meeting one of her former friends count as something going wrong?"

Adagio snapped back at Sweetie Belle and saw Apple Bloom approaching her... while carrying a pie. "Normally I'd say yes, but this time, let's see how she reacts..."

The sirens looked intently at Sweetie Belle, who folded her arms. "What do you want, Apple Bloom? Want to try convince me to join another one of your crazy ideas?"

"No, ah'm not gonna do dat. Not now, nor ever again," Apple Bloom shook her head and   "Ah just wanted to give ya an apology gift, for what ah made us do."

Sweetie Belle grabbed the apple pie, and looked at it before she glanced back at Apple Bloom, who was giving her a hopeful and regret full look. The girls promptly walked to a table nearby, put the pie in the middle, and sat down. "Did you bring a knife, or-"

"Actually, ah cut it up into pieces before ah came here," Apple Bloom replied.

Sweetie Belle moved the pie around a bit to reveal that yes, it had already been cut. With that shown, Sweetie grabbed a piece of piece, took a bite... and found herself moaning in delight. "It's good," she took another bite, and gave another moan. "Like... really, really good! Did your sister make it?"

"No, ah made it mahself," Apple Bloom replied. "Mah sister helped me in the process, but everythin' else was done by me."

Sweetie Belle slowed down a little, and narrowed her eyes as she swallowed and put the piece down. "Apple Bloom, I know you must be sorry for the Anon-A-Miss fiasco. But a simple apple pie, for as delicious as it is, won't convince me to forgive you." 

Apple Bloom shook her head. "Ah don't want t' force ya to forgive me. Ah just wanted t' show ya I'm sorry, and that ah want t' move on."

Sweetie Belle lowered her head, while Apple Bloom smiled a little, a sight that gave hope to the sirens and Applejack nearby...

Wait, Applejack?!

"Heya."

Adagio and Sonata jumped off the seat. "How long have you been there?!"

"Ah was here as soon Apple Bloom handed ta pie t' Sweetie Belle," Applejack answered, tipping her hat as she walked towards the sirens. "Ah mean, ya expect me t' let ma younger sister walk around unsupervised? After what happened?"

"Yeah, I guess you have a point there," Adagio nodded in agreement before she took a defensive tone. "But still, there has to be another reason for you being here, next to us."

"And there is," Applejack nodded. "Ah wanted to thank ya. Both of ya."

The sirens' eyes widened as they took a step back, Sonata almost collapsing from her failure to process what was happening: Applejack, thanking the sirens?

"Ah don't trust either of ye, not by a long shot, dat's clear. But I can't deny that ye've helped me: Adagio made me realize that mah policy might not be ta best, and ya Sonata helped Apple Bloom cheer up, and start takin' steps t' become Sweetie's friend again."

Applejack turned back to Apple Bloom, who briefly looked at her before she looked away, looking slightly upset.

"Now, it's up t' me to try fix mah relationship with mah sister," Applejack sighed. "Got any advice for me?"

"We're gonna leave you two to your own devices," Adagio said, Sonata nodding in agreement. "I already got in the bad side of one of the elements of harmony, I don't want to risk getting on another element's bad side."

And then, Sonata realized something. "Wait, if you're here, then-"

"Don't worry, Rarity ain't here, ah came with Apple Bloom alone. And I'll keep quiet about our meeting too, so ya don't have t' worry about that," Applejack saved her hands on her pockets. "All ah ask from ya is... it's not easy t' say this-"

"You want us to try and get Sweetie and her friends back together?" Sonata finished, raising an eyebrow. 

Applejack nodded a little, then finished with one big nod and shrug. Adagio and Sonata exchanged looks, smiled, and gave Applejack nods in unison, bringing a smile to the country girl's face. "Ya know, maybe ya ain't so bad after all."

"Oh don't fool yourself, we're totally worst," Adagio replied, shaking her head. "You just had the luck of seeing us in a good mood."

"Ah see..." Applejack sighed. "Well, ah gotta go pick up Apple Bloom. Whatever you're doing with Sweetie Belle, don't try to turn her into a smaller version of you."

"What? You're kidding right?" Adagio scoffed. "There are very few people who are on the same stand as us!"

"Hehe, yeah right."

With that said, Applejack walked towards Apple Bloom just as a pair of voices called "Adagio!" in unison. This prompted the sirens to turn around and see Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon at a table, waving their hands at them.

"It's them: they're the contacts we're supposed to meet," Adagio remarked before she grabbed Sonata's arm. "Come on, let's go see them."

Sonata looked back at Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, and gaining a hopeful smile, she nodded and joined the group.