By the next morning, the mental shock of what had happened on the previous night had finally hit me at full force. I was an emotional mess, breaking down and crying at random. I was in no mood to spend an entire day at school, especially with the added fear of being seen so broken. There was no way I could skip though. I had to take a quiz in my English class and, of course, missing the others would mean a mountain of homework if I considered the fact that I rarely escaped a class without a sheet or two.
I knew for a fact that I would be unable to sit anywhere near Sunset for at least a day, or maybe a few. I didn’t want to be around any of my friends for that matter. I knew they would ask questions and make me think about what had happened. I wasn’t yet ready to face a retelling of the situation so soon. It would be a day of solitude and silence. It probably wasn’t one of the best ways to cope, but it was certainly my most preferred method.
Throughout my morning classes, I struggled to concentrate. My mind would begin to wander, right back to the thoughts which I never wanted to think of again. Along with that, I had to hold back my tears which was not at all easy. I tried not to cringe as pain tingled in my eyes and tickled at my nose. I began to wonder what was worse, having the students see me cry, or making them wonder why I had such a contorted, helpless look upon my face.
***
I was more than pleased when lunch rolled around. I had already had my bag packed for what seemed like ages when the bell finally rang. I practically sprang out of my seat and quickly walked to the cafeteria, being one of the first few in the line. An assortment of not so healthy looking food was slopped down onto my tray, and I headed off to my favorite corner to be alone in.
Although I rarely sat at the table in the dark corner of the room, not remotely close to any of the windows, I had grown rather familiar with it from the times that I had. I sat down upon the hard plastic surface of a chair and rested my back against it a moment before starting my meal. I dared not turn my head to look out upon the cafeteria as I knew that I would immediately spot Sunset and my friends. Instead, my eyes were fully focused on my food, the table, the empty seats across from me, and my phone. It wasn’t until I took the first bite of my food that I realized how hungry I was. Even though the meal was mediocre at best, I shoved bite after bite into my mouth. I had grown so engulfed in my meal that I hadn’t noticed a trio of girls heading in my direction.
“Mind if we sit here? No one else really seems to enjoy our attention,” one of their voices said with a huff. I nearly spit the food from my mouth as looked up to see the smirking faces of Adagio Dazzle and Aria Blaze, along with giddy smile from Sonata Dusk.
Aria rolled her violet eyes and crossed her arms. “Looks like he doesn’t want our company either,” she said with a sigh. “Come on, Adagio, let’s just go.” I let the idea of having the girls sit with me simmer in my head for a few short seconds. In a way, I did feel rather sorry for them now that they had been defeated. Just as it was with Sunset Shimmer, they were cast out. Without their magic, they were simply innocent girls, but still, no one was willing to accept them. Well, they were mostly innocent. Unlike Sunset, it seemed as though no one would take them in. If Sunset was able to change, why couldn’t they? They only needed a push in the right direction. Perhaps I was being too charitable, or stupid considering the fact that only a few days before, they had brainwashed me… perhaps I was hoping they would be at least a little like Sunset was when we first met.
“No,” I said after swallowing and pointing to the seats. “Go right ahead.”
“Wow, you’re actually gonna let us sit with you? Are you just super nice or really stupid? I mean, don’t you remember what we did?” Sonata said with wide eyes, a surprised look upon her cute, pale blue face.
“Shut up, Sonata!” Aria whined, glaring at her as they took their seats beside me rather than across from me. I knew they had done this on purpose when Adagio moved a chair over from the other side of the table. A slight fluttering of anxiety rushed through my body. Even though they no longer possessed their amulets, it did not mean they weren’t still sirens. It would not be as easy, but I knew they could still seduce me with their words. Done with the past and ready to accept any new fate, I no longer cared; I was willing to let it happen. If it didn’t, perhaps they could be new friends, a new experience, and a different glimpse into the mysterious world of Equestria.
“Sonata does bring up a valid point. Thanks for letting us sit,” Adagio said with a sweet smile, placing a hand upon my shoulder and rubbing it slightly back and forth. “Aren’t you worried about what we can do to you?”
I shrugged and then sighed in response. “After what I’ve been through today and last night, I’m willing to accept just about any kind of company. I don’t really care what you do to me either.”
“It’s not like we’re actually gonna hurt you or anything… well, I guess it sort of depends on what you think hurt means,” Sonata said with a giggle as she nibbled at a bite of her food. I watched as she received another glare from Aria. “Err, I mean, we’re totally not gonna do anything bad… gosh, I wish it was taco Tuesday again.” She slumped at the sudden change of subject and rested her cheek in her hand.
“The tacos are pretty good here,” I said before looking down at my food, “and this really isn’t.”
Sonata giggled cutely in response. “Yeah, pretty gro-” she suddenly grew silent as Adagio raised a finger and looked me directly in the eyes.
“So, why aren’t you sitting with the “Rainbooms?” she asked, hissing out the band name in disgust. “I thought you and those girls were close, especially Sunset.”
“Uh… me and Sunset… had a falling out,” I muttered, feeling tears welling up in my eyes. By her tone of voice, I knew it was information she already knew.
“Oh, how sad, but I really don’t know why you were interested in a girl like that in the first place. It’s for the best, I think,” she said with a mischievous smile, massaging my shoulder a bit more deeply.
“I don’t understand why a girl like her would want you in the first place,” Aria muttered beneath her breath, causing my heart to tear even further apart than it already had been.
“Don’t listen to her,” Adagio said with a delicate, comforting wink.
“Yeah, Aria’s kind of a, ya know… I won’t say it, but it starts with a ‘b,’” Sonata added, grimacing in her direction.
I shook my head and laughed. “Nah, Aria’s right. It was way too good to be true, but thanks though.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever met a guy as nice and truthful as you, maybe that’s why she liked you,” Sonata said with a giggle.
“Uh… thanks,” I said with a soft smile, feeling my cheeks warming up. I felt as though I shouldn’t be taking any compliment from them seriously, but for some, unknown reason, Sonata’s seemed to be at least somewhat honest. Even if she meant it, I didn’t understand why I appreciated it. Nothing good was going to come from girls like them, at least that’s what everyone else thought. Either I was ignoring the truth or the truth wasn’t really the truth at all.
“Is there a reason you don’t want to be with your other friends though? I’m sure they don’t have the same opinion as Sunset, even if they are so close.” Adagio questioned, looking over at the joyous group.
“Does it really matter anymore, Adagio? He’s sitting with us now,” Aria said.
“Well, I guess I only ever really started sitting with them because of Sunset. I mean, don’t get me wrong, they are great girls and all… but… you probably don’t think that.” I received a trio of shaking heads in response.
“Aria does bring up a good point, if they see you spending time with us, I don’t think they’ll want to associate with you anymore. Are you okay with that?” Adagio asked, looking at me curiously.
“Why not?” I said with a shrug. “After all that happened, I guess I’m sort of looking for something new anyways.”
“Glad to hear it,” Adagio said with a rather suspicious looking smile.
“Yeah, I’ve never really had any other friends besides these two! I mean, it’s probably because we are kinda evil and stuff or whatever,” Sonata added.
“I’m not your friend, Sonata” Aria said with a huff, crossing her arms.
“Pshh, you may not ever say it, but I know you love me!” her friend teased.
“Whatever…” she mumbled, a light blush on her cheeks. For being so evil, each one of the girls was adorable in their own way. I couldn’t help but smile and chuckle at the banter between them. “So… you’re actually enjoying our company?” she then asked as she turned to me with a blank face, picking up on my laughter.
“Yeah, I guess you girls aren’t so bad after all.”
“Oh, we’re bad,” Adagio said with a laugh, “but that doesn’t mean we’re not fun.” Even though I was told that they were bad by one of their own, I was beginning to have a hard time believing it. They seemed to act fairly normal in the standards of teenage girls if the whole siren aspect wasn’t taken into account. Even if it was, the only reason they had preyed upon us was because that was simply who they were. From what little knowledge of Equestrian sirens I had, charming other beings into servitude was simply instinctual. I was unsure if they could even attempt to control it.
I gave a shrug. “Well, you seem nice enough to me.”
“Because you’re being nice to us,” Aria said with an almost unseen smile. I had rarely ever seen a smile come from her normally lifeless face, unless it was seductive or smug. This one seemed a bit more genuine.
Adagio smiled as well. “Yes, you are being pretty hospitable, thank you.”
I could feel my lips curving up into a smile. “Like I said, I’m willing to give just about anything a chance at this point, but you’re welcome.”
As if to end the conversation on the perfect note, the load electronic beeps of the school bell rang out over the sea of voices around us. Adagio’s hand once again grasped my shoulder as we both stood up. I was a bit startled at first when the other girls blocked my exit, standing rather close to me as well. “Why don’t you give us your number? We’ll have to plan something soon.”
My heart pounded, not with fear but affection. Even if it was false, at least it felt as if the girls were interested in someone like myself. “Uh, yeah, sure,” I mumbled before sputtering out the number.
“Since I have such a hardcore craving for tacos, I was thinking about going out for dinner tonight. Wanna come?” Sonata asked with grin and wide, pleading eyes.
“Sounds really good, actually,” I said with a smile, scratching the back of my head. I was rather eager to jump at any activity that would distract me from my thoughts, and Sonata really did seem like a fun, entertaining girl.
“Tacos again?” Aria whined, and then gagged in Sonata’s direction.
“It’s not like you have to come,” Sonata snapped back.
“We’ll see, maybe it’ll just be you and Sonata,” Adagio said as she moved her hand from my shoulder to my back. She gave it a few soft pats before turning to leave. “Anyways, come on girls, we have class.”
“Why are you even still taking classes anyways?” I asked, the thought popping into my mind. “I mean, you weren’t before you came here, right?”
“Well, we’ve sort of moved around quite a lot, but without those amulets, there’s really no way for us to make a living here. Getting an education has always been one of our back-up plans. We do need to make a living, you know. Besides, we blend in more easily if we’re productive members of the society here. Anyways, see you around.”
I suddenly grew quite curious. How exactly did they survive in my own world, and how long had they been there. Did they live together? Where exactly did they live? In the back of my head, I had always assumed they lived the average life of teenage girls, but in reality, it was far from it.