//------------------------------//
// Epilogue: Goodbye for Now 
// Story: Tell Us That You Want Us 
// by Summer Knight 
//------------------------------//

	"Nice place," Aria drawled to herself, her hooves clicking against the ground as she paced around the small, secluded pillar of stone she'd been sent to. There were other such pillars within flying distance, but nothing to recommend any one of them over this one. Beyond that, all she could see was the eternally dark sky. There was no sign of any sort of ground below, nor any way out. Logically, she knew that Cerberus guarded the only exit, so theoretically she could find him and thus know how to escape, but she had little interest in that right now. Cerberus stood guard over the most cunning and dangerous beings in the world, and even if she could somehow overpower or trick him, getting back to Equestria would do her little good. At worst, it might lead to more trouble for her sisters, and this would all have been for nothing. 
She'd assumed that there would be other prisoners here, people whom she could manipulate and bring under her control, but she couldn't see any from here. There was quite a bit of negative energy to feed on, meaning that there had to be others somewhere nearby. The energy was a bit different than what she was used to. The magic had a blackish tinge to it, and burned slightly as she took it in. It wasn't an unpleasant burn, exactly, but it was rather unexpected—the closest comparison she could think of was how her mouth had felt after Sonata had dared her to try drinking hot sauce. Aria's best guess was that the magic of Tartarus was somehow tainted, or at least slightly different from Equestria. Still, the negative energy fueled her and increased her strength like usual, and there was certainly plenty of it. Once she'd begun to feed, she'd snapped the chains that Celestia had bound her with like taffy. They had turned out to be completely mundane metal, apparently more for show than function. She would even be able to produce her true siren form without much trouble, though doing so now would be a waste of energy.
A flash of colorful magic in the corner of her eye caught her attention. One of the pillars close to her had somehow been changed. It no longer looked like stone, but was striped in red and white like a candy cane. As she watched, further embellishments appeared: a miniature sun with a silhouette of Celestia's head making a silly face in it, a geyser of what seemed to be soda, and an oddly flat replica of Canterlot. Soon, the strange creation was populated by shadows of ponies and other creatures. They seemed to have no substance, and would fall through the stone floor or fly off into nothingness if left unattended, but otherwise they trotted about their business like usual.
What in Tartarus is going on? Aria wondered. She shook her head at the unintentionally ironic choice of words. A pair of fin-like appendages snapped open from her sides, and she winged her way toward the strange spectacle. As she drew closer, she saw something that made her pupils shrink and her fins nearly lock up in mid-flight. An unmistakable black-and-red throne sat in the middle of that pillar, antlers branching from the top and rubies staring outward like menacing red eyes. Discord's throne. 
Pleading to whatever deities might care that he hadn't noticed her, she immediately backpedaled and raced for what she'd come to think of as "her" pillar. She remembered all too well what had happened the last time they'd met Discord, and back then she'd had her sisters at her side. Aria wasn't afraid of much, but a mad draconequus who could literally turn her inside-out on a whim was up there. 
"Ah, there you are!" a jocular voice cried out. With a flash of white light, Discord appeared directly in her flight path. 
Aria flared her fins desperately to stop her momentum. Without taking time to think about what she was doing, she channeled energy from her heart into a massive blast of sound, which she screamed at Discord. The red waves of magic broke over him with no visible effect.
"Now that was rather rude, wasn't it?" Discord asked, sounding a bit miffed. He dug his talon claws deep into one ear and pulled out an earplug that was nearly the size of his entire head. "And after I went to all this trouble for you."
"Discord," Aria stated, trying her best to sound cool and collected. "So the ponies got you too?"
"Oh, no no no." Discord paused, then cocked his head. "Well, yes, actually. In a manner of speaking. Suffice it to say that I'm here of my own free will, and I can leave whenever I please."
His answer explained exactly nothing, but Aria didn't press the matter. 
"So what do you want with me?" she asked instead. If Discord really could leave Tartarus whenever he wanted, then she would see to it that he finished his business here as soon as possible. 
"Why, I'm here to throw you a housewarming party!" Discord exclaimed. He folded his arms and tapped his chin thoughtfully, producing a sound oddly like a dog yelping. "Pillarwarming party? Realmwarming party? Oh, you know what I mean."
"A party?" Aria repeated skeptically. She had some thoughts about what Discord's idea of a "party" could be, and none of them were pleasant. 
"Indeed. You didn't think I'd set up all of those decorations just for fun, did you?" Discord questioned. "I mean, I did, but the idea was that you would come and have some fun too."
"Um..." Aria had no idea how to respond to this, and the fact that she was nearly trembling with fear wasn't helping her think. 
"Close enough," Discord said. He reached toward her with his lion's paw. Aria cried out and tried to evade, but the limb stretched and twisted impossibly and he caught her with ease. With a flash of light, she found herself standing in the middle of the Canterlot replica—which, she now realized, was made of cardboard—next to Discord. The soda geyser was on his other side. 
"What do you think you're doing?!" Aria demanded angrily, but the draconequus was already lost in thought.
"Hmm." Discord tapped his chin again, creating a disquieting assortment of noises. "Something's missing... ah!" He stretched out with his talons and took hold of a zipper in midair that certainly hadn't been there before. "After all, what's a party without guests?" He somehow unzipped the air, revealing a swirling portal of energy that looked extremely familiar. After all, Twilight had taken Aria and her sisters through an identical one just a few hours before. 
Aria took a hesitant step forward, her fear and rage momentarily overwhelmed by fascination. "Is that what I think it is?" she asked. 
"That would depend on what you think it is," Discord replied matter-of-factly. 
"I think," Aria quipped back, "that you just opened a portal to Equestria in the middle of Tartarus. Are you setting me free?"
"Heavens, no," Discord answered. "Celestia would have my head. I can always grow a new one, but it's a rather unpleasant process."
"Enough beating around the bush, Discord," Aria snapped, her diffidence finally overcome by annoyance, "what are you up to?"
"I think you'll find out in about..." Discord checked his wrist, which suddenly had a golden watch on it, "...three seconds."
They lapsed into silence as the watch ticked out the promised time. Exactly on the third tick of the second hand, the portal shimmered and rippled as something, or someone, pushed through it. 
"Huh? This isn't Twilight's castle," a familiar blue-coated pony cried out in confusion. She looked around and shuffled her hooves nervously. "Where are we, 'Dagi?" 
A second pony emerged, striding much more confidently than the first, just in time to hear the question. She looked around carefully, taking note of the stone pillars, the darkened sky, and the crazed version of Canterlot she found herself in. She couldn't fail to notice Discord and Aria standing nearby.
"Hmm. If I had to guess," Adagio stated, "I would say we're in Tartarus." She nodded at the draconequus. "If I had to guess who's responsible, it was probably your pen pal." 
"Aria!" Sonata squealed, finally spotting her sister. Without missing a beat, she hurled herself bodily into Aria, forcing the other siren to catch her in an awkward embrace or be knocked to the ground.
"Oh, now I get it," Aria groaned. She looked past her ecstatic sister to lock eyes with the spirit of chaos. "The ponies sent you here to torture me."

With a good cry and a night's sleep behind her, Twilight was feeling a lot calmer about her decision to banish Aria. She still wanted to talk it over with Celestia, and especially to find out exactly why the other princesses had pushed her toward that decision, but the more she thought about it, the more certain she was that she'd made the right call. 
Twilight and Sunset had returned to Equestria the following morning. Twilight had sent a letter off to Celestia, and almost immediately gotten a reply inviting them both to take a walk through the gardens with the princess. Twilight could have teleported herself to Canterlot again, but bringing Sunset along for the trip would have been difficult even for her, so they had opted to take the train instead. The trip had passed in relative silence, as both ponies were lost in their respective thoughts, but it had been a companionable silence rather than an awkward one. 
Now, the two of them walked beside Princess Celestia as they passed through the halls of the palace and out into the beautiful royal gardens. Trees and flowers of every type imaginable, many of which could not be found anywhere else in Equestria, stretched out before them. Locked gates and strategically placed guards guaranteed their privacy, and Celestia's notably absent regalia promised that this was meant to be a friendly conversation rather than an official one. 
The three walked for a time in silence, as each waited for another to broach the uncomfortable topic. Sunset in particular found this to be a difficult task, not only because she had so recently made up with her former mentor, but because strolling through the gardens like this was bringing back many memories that, tainted as they were by Sunset's past actions, were not as sweet as they should have been. Without meaning to, she found herself trailing a couple of steps behind the others. 
Twilight paused to smell a particularly bright red flower. It had a sweet, calming scent, with just a hint of spice beneath it. Twilight took a deep breath, losing herself in the aroma for a moment. At last, she felt ready to bring up the reason why they were there. 
"Celestia?" Twilight gently broke the silence.
"Yes?" Celestia asked kindly, continuing to walk down the path.
"Did... did I do the right thing yesterday?" 
Celestia lidded her eyes thoughtfully, as if pondering exactly how she wanted to answer that. "Do you believe that you did?" she asked. 
Twilight exhaled softly. She'd been expecting something like that. "Based on all available evidence, I would have to say yes," she replied. "Aria Blaze was still a very real threat, and all that I really had telling me that she was lying about controlling her sisters was a gut reaction."
"Lying?" Celestia asked in genuine surprise. "Why would you think that she was lying?"
"Like I said, just a feeling," Twilight answered. "It doesn't seem right that the sirens would be able to affect one another like that. Still, Adagio supported the story, and even Star Swirl said that it was plausible." She shook her head. "That's not even the point. The point is that I don't know if I'm comfortable with condemning somepony like I did. Even somepony who, by all accounts, seemed to deserve it."
Celestia nodded. "I understand. I'm sure I don't need to tell you that being a princess is not always easy. Sometimes we must make difficult or painful decisions for the good of our ponies, or as the law demands. I know you have some small experience with that already."
"Well, there was the time I almost let Rainbow Dash trade Fluttershy away for a book," Twilight remembered sheepishly. Sunset's eyebrows twitched, and she made a mental note to ask about that one later. 
"Which was the correct ruling," Celestia replied. "Since both parties had agreed to the trade, it was not your place to overturn it. Thankfully, that incident worked out for the best. I know that it's not quite the same, but in this case you made a similarly unpleasant—but ultimately correct—decision." She paused. "Still, it is one thing to think that you have done the right thing. I asked if you believe it."
"Hm?" Now that was something that Twilight had not been expecting. "I'm not sure I understand."
"Your mind is telling you that you came to the right conclusion," Celestia explained, "but I think your heart is telling you something else. That's why you're here, isn't it?"
"It's..." Twilight's ears twitched, then drooped slightly. "I guess I don't really know what my heart is telling me. That's the problem. I still think I did the right thing, but when I think about how badly I hurt Sonata and Adagio by doing it, I just don't know."
"So the issue is not really that you're questioning your decision, but that you feel guilty about causing others pain," Celestia observed.
"Yeah," Twilight answered. "It's not the first time I've had to do something like this," she continued, remembering how many of the other villains she'd faced had wound up imprisoned, blasted away, or in one case shattered to bits, "but it's the first time I've done it... I don't know... deliberately? And it's the first time that the one I banished had family to be hurt by it."
Celestia stopped and turned around. "Twilight," she said seriously, "all you did was your duty as a princess of Equestria. You must not blame yourself for what Aria's actions led her to. Ultimately, she was the one who caused Adagio and Sonata such pain, not you." 
"You must have gone through this yourself, right?" Twilight asked. She was thinking specifically of when Celestia had been forced to banish Nightmare Moon, but felt that particular topic was likely off-limits. "I mean, when your decisions hurt other ponies, even if they were the right decisions?"
Celestia nodded. "More times than I care to remember," she replied. "I won't lie and say that it becomes easy, but you eventually learn to place the blame where it belongs."
They walked in silence for another few minutes. 
"Sunset Shimmer," Princess Celestia said after a while, "you've been very quiet. What's troubling you?"
Sunset felt a thrill at hearing her mentor speak her name again, but it was muted beneath her confused thoughts about the pony before her. "It's..." She licked her lips nervously, a habit she'd picked up as a human. "I guess I've never really seen this side of you before," she finally said. "Even when I finally came back to Equestria, you were so understanding and forgiving. It was strange to see you pushing for banishment."
Celestia's ears drooped slightly. "You do know that I have had to sentence many beings to banishment, or worse, do you not?" she asked.
"Yes," Sunset said uncertainly, "of course."
"Punishing those who do wrong is an unfortunate part of ruling," Celestia continued. "I do not enjoy it by any means, but I do what I must."
"What about me, though?" Sunset persisted. "I could have endangered all of Equestria by taking the Element of Magic, and I tried to kill Twilight and her friends. Why did you forgive me so easily?"
Celestia did not respond for a long moment. "You think that I was playing favorites," she observed sadly. 
Sunset winced. She'd hoped never to hear that tone from her former teacher again. It was too similar to how she'd sounded when Sunset had shouted at her before running away. Twilight also looked profoundly uncomfortable.
"Sunset Shimmer," Celestia said, "aside from the fact that Twilight told me of your heroic actions the first time the sirens appeared, and  gave you a royal pardon for your past crimes, you apologized and asked forgiveness of your own accord. You said that you wanted another chance, a chance to be better, and your actions upheld your words. Had Aria made similar efforts, I would have happily agreed that she deserved the opportunity. Do you understand now?"
"Is it really that simple?" Sunset asked. "If Aria had said she was sorry, she wouldn't be in Tartarus right now?"
"She would have had to show it through more than her words, but essentially yes," Celestia answered. "If she had shown remorse, or a desire to learn the value of friendship instead of simply dominance, I would have pushed to give her that chance. Unfortunately, she showed no signs of changing her ways." 
Sunset scuffed the ground uncertainly. 
"Do you think that I'm a hypocrite?" Celestia asked quietly.
Sunset's ears shot upright and her eyes widened. "No, of course not!" she exclaimed. "I... I just wanted to understand. I never meant to make it sound like that. I'm sorry."
Celestia smiled sadly. "It is alright," she said. She paused. "You are grown mares now, both of you. You are seeing sides of Equestria, and of me, and of yourselves, that you have not seen before. I certainly understand that that can be uncomfortable."
Twilight and Sunset shared uncertain looks. 
"However," Celestia continued, "I also know that you are both intelligent and strong, with good hearts and kind spirits. Listen to them, and to each other, and you can be sure that you will do the right thing, even if it doesn't always feel like it." 
They were all silent for a long moment, as the two younger ponies considered Celestia's words. 
"I am about to ask you a question," Celestia said. "I want to assure you that there is no right or wrong answer to this, and nothing you say will upset or disappoint me. I simply want you both to listen to your hearts and tell me what they say, whatever that may be. Now, I must ask both of you once more: do you believe that we made the right decision yesterday?"
Twilight and Sunset looked at each other uncomfortably, then looked away to listen to their own thoughts. Twilight closed her eyes as she thought it over. Ultimately, she had been the one who made the final decision. It had seemed right at the time, but was it really? Celestia had pushed her into it, sort of, but it also made perfect sense. Celestia had over a millennium of experience in ruling a nation, and had easily seen the flaws in Twilight's idealistic suggestion. Still, wasn't she the princess of friendship? Wasn't she supposed to help spread the magic of friendship across all of Equestria, to everypony who would accept it?
Who would accept it. That was the real problem, wasn't it? Aria wouldn't. Like Sombra or Tirek, she had been single-mindedly driven toward what she perceived as power. Adagio and Sonata seemed to be coming around, but all of Twilight's efforts had come to nothing with Aria. Why? Why were some people so set in their ways, so certain that nothing mattered except their own personal gains? Why did there seem to be some few beings that friendship simply didn't reach?
Perhaps, in another thousand years, she might have the answer to that. For now, however, though it hurt to admit even to herself, what her heart was telling her was clear. She opened her eyes and glanced to the side, once again meeting Sunset Shimmer's brilliant blue gaze. An unspoken question and answer passed between them. 
Celestia had waited patiently as they looked within. Now that both had returned from their reveries and looked back up at her, she inclined her head slightly to show that she was listening. They had come to the same conclusion.
"Yes."

"Aria!" Sonata giggled, bumping unsteadily into her sister and shoving a cup toward her face. "Aria, you gotta try this stuff!" she mumbled around the cup in her teeth. She and Adagio had been here for a couple of hours now, enjoying their sister's company and the party that Discord had put together. She had only recently discovered that the soda geyser in the middle was really good. Like, really good.
With a look of distaste, Aria leaned over the cup and sniffed it. She wrinkled her nose at the sharp scent of the drink inside. "Sonata, alcohol doesn't work on us," she said. 
"Well, not with that attitude!" Sonata slurred. 
Aria looked suspiciously over at Discord, who shrugged and smiled too innocently. His folded hands and the angelic halo over his head didn't help matters. 
"Give me that," Aria muttered, taking the cup from Sonata and throwing it aside. 
"Hey!" Sonata protested. Far too late, she reached out to stop her sister from dropping the drink.
"Go have a taco or something," Aria suggested dismissively, shoving Sonata toward a table laden with food. 
Sonata rolled her eyes. "You get excited about Taco Tuesday one time..." she muttered as she made her way over to the table. While food didn't benefit them in any way, she really did enjoy the taste of it. Discord slithered through the air to join her. 
Adagio chuckled. "Lighten up, Aria." 
Aria turned her attention to the only other one present who wasn't concerned with stuffing her muzzle. "This is Discord we're talking about," she muttered. "I don't trust him, and I especially don't trust him making stuff that can actually get us drunk."
"He's on our side," Adagio replied. "I think. And he's probably the only one who can go to Tartarus and back whenever he wants. He might be your only friend for a long time." 
"My friend?" Aria scoffed. "Don't tell me you're buying into that stuff already."
Adagio shrugged. "It's worth a try. What I was doing before sure didn't get us anywhere." She looked around what would be her sister's home for the next thousand years. "At least, not anywhere we wanted to be," she added quietly.
"Adagio," Aria said sharply, "this wasn't your fault. This was my choice, and I'm not sorry I made it."
"It'll be a thousand years," Adagio murmured. The immensity of that time still didn't seem real to her. That was almost as long as they'd been alive. "How's Tartarus treating you so far?"
It was Aria's turn to shrug. "It's hard to say. I was only here for a few hours before Discord showed up, then you two came a couple minutes later. There's plenty of negative energy, though, which means there are bound to be some other people around that I can get under my spell."
"That's good," Adagio answered. She'd tried some of the energy herself, but found the strangely hot feel of it not to her liking. She was glad that Aria didn't seem to mind it. 
The two sisters were quiet for a moment, then Adagio stepped forward and wrapped a foreleg around Aria's shoulders. "We're really gonna miss you," Adagio said. 
"Ugh, don't be like that," Aria grumbled. "You're here now, aren't you? You can miss me when you're gone."
Aria extricated herself from Adagio's hug and went to join the others at the snack table. Adagio followed closely behind.
From there, the festivities began in earnest. Adagio partook of some of the spiked soda from the fountain—just enough to feel pleasantly warm, not nearly as much as Sonata had—and even Aria took a taste, though she didn't much like it. With Discord running the show, entertainments and games were as plentiful as they were odd, and even the normally uptight Aria couldn't stop a smile from spreading across her face as time went on. 
With no sun or moon, and certainly no clocks, there was no way to tell time in Tartarus. One hour flowed seamlessly into the next, which Aria thought might be for the best, given how impossibly long she was going to be there. If the years passed in a timeless blur, so much the better. Eventually, however, the three sirens realized that they were becoming very sleepy. They could have burned magic to alleviate the need, but it seemed that things were winding down anyway. Indeed, around the same time, Discord snapped his talons and brought the festivities to a halt. 
"Unfortunately," he said, "I'm afraid that if I overstay my welcome in Tartarus, Celestia may catch on to what I'm doing. I'm not exactly supposed to be here," he confided in a stage whisper. 
All three sirens felt their hearts sinking as they realized that this was truly goodbye. 
"We can come back though, right?" Sonata asked, her lower lip trembling.
"Eventually, yes," Discord said. "But again, if I do this too often, I'll have some 'splaining to do, and so will the two of you. You may have been pardoned, but I don't think I need to tell you that you're on thin ice right now. Speaking of, you might want to step to the side."
Sonata looked down and quickly moved off of the small patch of frozen soda she was standing on.
The three sisters formed a loose circle, gazing sadly at one another. Even Aria realized, somewhat to her surprise, that she was going to miss being with them. Goddesses help her, she was even going to miss Sonata's stupid face. "Well," Aria said, hiding her feelings behind a smooth face, "see you later, I guess."
"Yeah," Adagio replied, her voice similarly controlled. "See you." 
Sonata showed no such restraint. With an anguished wail, she threw herself around Aria's shoulders and wept into her mane. "I love you, Aria," she repeated her words from the day before. The words she'd said right before ripping out Aria's magic, ending the fight with the Rainbooms and ultimately landing her sister here in this awful place. Guilt writhed in her like a serpent. "I'm-I'm so sorry!"
Well, maybe she wasn't going to miss Sonata's stupid face quite that much. "Alright, alright," she mumbled, trying to push the hysterical siren off of her. "I love you too. Sheesh."
Rather than moving to help, Adagio joined the hug, much to Aria's consternation. "I love you too, you know," Adagio said to her. "I never said it, but it's true."
"Yeah, I know," Aria said. "You too. Great, we all love each other, now will you get off of me?"
"Hehe. Sorry," Sonata said, a smile breaking through her crying. She stepped back to stand beside Discord, and Adagio joined her a second later. 
"Well, this has been lovely," Discord said to Aria with a wink, "thank you for having us all over." He reached out, once again taking hold of a zipper in the air that certainly hadn't been there a moment ago. "We must do this again sometime." He opened the portal again. 
Out of curiosity, Aria tried to take a step closer to the portal and found that she couldn't. It was keeping her back somehow, like one magnet repelling another. Apparently, supposed friends or not, there was a limit to what Discord was willing to risk. At least nobody commented on her inability to take even a single step closer to the other world. 
"Goodbye, Aria," Adagio repeated. 
"See you, Adagio," Aria answered.
"Bye," Sonata added, then shook her head. "No. Just, bye for now. We'll see you again, alright?"
"I can't wait," Aria replied dryly. Despite her always-sarcastic tone, she thought she just might mean it. "Goodbye for now."

Two days after Aria's sentencing, Pinkie sat alone in her room texting with Sonata. Twilight hadn't come back from Equestria, though she'd had Sunset Shimmer reassure them that she was only a message away whenever they needed her. The portal had closed behind Sunset, cutting off the worlds again. 
Sunset Shimmer had been in a bit of a state herself. Apparently, after their reunion and reconciliation, Princess Celestia had asked if she wanted to return and resume her studies as the princess's personal student. It had been quite a while since Twilight finished her own studies and ascended, and it seemed that Celestia was ready for another. Sunset, however, was afraid that things could never be the same between them, and she was reluctant to leave the life she had in the human world. After talking it over with her friends, Sunset had decided to defer the decision for a while. Princess Celestia had assured her that there was no hurry, so it seemed that Sunset Shimmer would be staying, at least for now.
That's good, Sonata replied via text. It would feel weird if Sunset wasn't around.
Yeah, Pinkie agreed. 
Her phone remained silent for nearly five minutes, during which time she cast about for another conversation topic. She had an odd feeling in the pit of her stomach, something warning her that Sonata was becoming distant. It was understandable, maybe, given what had just happened to her sister and Pinkie's indirect role in it, but she was desperate to stop them from drifting apart. Pinkie nearly dropped the phone when it finally buzzed again.
What about Twilight?
Pinkie swallowed nervously. So many things could go bad if she answered this in the wrong way. 
She's alright, I think. She was upset about Aria, but I guess she and Sunny talked it over with their version of Celestia, and it seems like she's feeling better.
She stared at the words on her screen. Something was missing. There needed to be something personal in there, something to let Sonata know that she cared. Pinkie pressed enter a few times to make space between paragraphs, and added another line.
Are you alright? Are you mad at her?
The silence after she sent the message was even longer than last time. Pinkie's heart leaped when her phone vibrated. 
I don't think so. Aria said that Twilight was just doing what was right for the ponies, and I guess I can't be mad about that. I'm more hurt than anything else.
Sonie, I really wish you'd come over and visit, Pinkie replied. You're my friend now. We're all your friends. We want to be there for you, and Adagio too.
This time, Sonata's reply was almost immediate. I don't think I'm ready for that yet. And please don't call me Sonie. I'm not ready for that either.
The words hit Pinkie like a shot to the stomach. She had to blink tears from her eyes before replying. I'm sorry.
It's okay, Sonata replied. I know how you feel about me, and it's okay.
Pinkie's stomach leaped into her throat, and blood rushed to her face until it perfectly matched her hair. Really?
Yeah. Pinkie could almost hear Sonata's giggle through the text. When you've been around for a thousand years or so, you start to learn the signs.
Pinkie's mind was so full of possible answers that she couldn't seem to get any of them out. Her fingers trembled over the buttons of her phone, but no possible response seemed adequate to convey just how strong her feelings were, how much she wanted to know what Sonata felt, and how much she wanted to assure the other girl that, no matter what, she wouldn't hold her final decision against her. Before she could find the right words, another message arrived. 
I really don't know how I feel right now. I'm all confused. You were so wonderful when you were helping us, but I'm too upset about Aria to really think about it right now. 
Pinkie stifled a cry. She imagined that she knew Sonata well enough to pick up on what she wasn't saying: some part of her blamed Pinkie and her friends for what had happened to Aria. She wasn't just upset, she was upset with them.
Maybe someday I'll be ready to think about it, the message went on, maybe even someday soon. But not right now. Until then, friends?
Pinkie's lips quivered with something that was half-smile, half-misery. Friends! I'll talk to you later, 'kay?
OK. Bye, Pinkie.
Bye.
Pinkie set the phone down on her nightstand with a trembling hand, threw herself down onto her pillows, and cried.

Sonata replaced the phone in her pocket and looked over to Adagio, who was next to her on the couch and had been advising her throughout the conversation. "How was that?" she asked sadly. 
"Good," Adagio reassured her. "Perfect. Now she knows exactly how you feel."
"Even I don't know exactly how I feel," Sonata mumbled. 
"Come here," Adagio said, reaching out to hug her sister. "You didn't say no, just 'not now.' At least they'll all know that we're willing to be their friends. That was what those ponies wanted, right?"
"Yeah," Sonata agreed quietly. They sat in silence for a while, simply taking comfort from each other's company. 
"So," Adagio finally asked with a smirk, "what's the plan?"
"Huh?!" Sonata yelped. 
"This friendship thing was your idea," Adagio chuckled. "How do we do it?"
"Uhhh," Sonata stammered, her mind racing as she tried to remember exactly what friends did. "I guess... we invite them over? Friends do that a lot, right?"
"Sounds about right," Adagio agreed, "and I guess we owe them one for saving our lives. We'll throw them a party."
"Awesome!" Sonata squealed. "Um. How do we do that?"
"Hm. Beats me," Adagio admitted. "I bet Silver Breeze would know. Should we plan for next weekend?"
"Yeah!" Sonata exclaimed, her previous gloom all but completely dispelled. 
"Alright. You invite the girls, and I'll talk to Silver Breeze and work out the logistics," Adagio instructed. "We'll do it next Saturday, as long as that works for the Rainbooms. Got it?"
"Got it." Sonata snapped a clumsy salute. She leaped up from the couch to start her task, only to pause as she passed a framed picture of Aria sitting on the table. She slowly reached down and picked it up, unprepared for the surge of conflicting emotions that seeing her sister's face sparked within her. 
As she pondered the picture, Adagio came up behind her and rested a hand on her shoulder. "It'll be okay," she said softly. "Aria's going to be fine, and someday we'll see her again."
"But I miss her so much already," Sonata whispered. She turned to face her sister. "At least we got to say goodbye, though."
"Yeah," Adagio murmured. They faced each other in silence for a moment, each lost in her own thoughts. Finally, Adagio shook her head to clear it. "Come on," she said, nudging Sonata toward the hall. "We've got a party to plan." 
"Yeah," Sonata agreed, a bit of light coming back to her eyes. She set the picture down again. "Bye, Aria," she whispered. 
And hello, friends.