//------------------------------// // Not so Dazzling Anymore // Story: Rainbow Rocks: Unfinished Business // by Gadman85 //------------------------------// In a part of Canterlot City usually traveled evenings and nights, there is a decent sized restaurant called Johnston’s Bar and Grill. It wasn't super popular, but it wasn't hated either. It was a good place to eat and such, but a little bit out of the way. It was the perfect “hideout” for a trio of girls who recently found themselves completely at a loss on what to do with their lives. No one here knew what they had done. The place was also far enough away the chance of running into anyone from Canterlot High was really low. They could now figure out what to do with their lives in relative peace. “Order up! Table 3.” called a rather upbeat cheerful voice from a girl with long light blue hair with darker blue streaks gathered into a ponytail. She had a bright smile and wore a small white hat on her head. “Got it,” said a girl in a rather defeated voice. She walked over and picked up the tray to take to the table. “Oh come on cheer up, Dagio! It isn't that bad here,” said the cheerful voice from before. The other girl, Adagio Dazzle, had large light orange curly hair with yellow streaks in it. She was not really happy at the moment. “Sonata. We were so close to everything we wanted until it was ripped away from us by the Rainbooms. We have never had to… work before… How can you be so cheerful about our situation?” “It isn't like we have any other options anyways. So we might as well try to enjoy it for realsies. Besides, things are much better for us now than they were after that night,” Sonata answered in a less cheerful manner. She wasn't exactly thrilled with how things turned out, but she knew it could have been far worse. Plus, she was kind of enjoying the change of scenery and what they were doing. Sure, it was harder than before, but it wasn't that bad and she sometimes felt an amount of fulfillment after a day's work. Adagio just gave a sigh and turned around with the tray of food in her hands. Fortunately, they had been around a long time, despite their appearances, and they knew how to do some things at least, working in a restaurant was one of them. Adagio put on a convincing smile as she gave the table their food and asked if they needed anything else. When they told her “No” she made her rounds to the tables again. One lady asked for a refill on her Pink Lady Cocktail. Adagio made her way over to the bar. It was still early in the evening so there weren't many people sitting around the bar yet. “Aria, Another Pink Lady for the woman at table 7 in blue,” she said in a disapproving tone. “That’s her third one in little over an hour,” said a bored voice from behind the bar. A girl who appeared to be 18 years old with purple and aquamarine streaked hair tied in side tails started getting the ingredients together. “Order up! Table 10,” called Sonata again in her once more cheerful voice. One of the other servers went to get the food. “I still don’t see how she can usually be that upbeat despite everything,” Adagio admitted. “What did you expect? She’s Sonata,” answered Aria in a bored tone as she poured the drink ingredients into the shaker and started shaking it. The bored bar tender wasn't about to admit it, but honestly she felt if it wasn't for Sonata’s attitude they would probably be in an even worse position. The Three girls never really seemed friendly towards the others, but they always stuck together. Neither of them would say it, but each felt something reassuring about being with the others after all of these years and what happened that night. Even if they complained and called each other idiots or fought, they were always together and still were. They had no magic anymore, but they knew no one else would ever be able to relate to them in any way after all the years they've lived through. The girls didn't want to be completely alone in this world. They were all scared even though they didn't let it show. They had never been without their magic. Adagio counted them all lucky really. They thought without their pendants and source of energy they would slowly starve to death. However, it seems whatever that rainbow beam did to them they were still alive and could still survive. They had to actually eat now like normal girls their apparent age did. In the past, eating actual food was something they sometimes did to enjoy a certain type of food. Sonata ate often because she really loved food. They were never actually hungry for food before. Now though, they got hungry for actual food if they didn't eat regularly. “Surprisingly… We have felt more satisfied after a meal lately than we had most of our years here,” Adagio thought to herself. It was no secret they had fed off energy from people arguing with each other. It was easy to get these humans to fight with one another in small places. Aria had it right when she said, “Fast food and not a real meal.” “Still…,” the orange haired girl thought as she placed the drink in front of the lady in blue. “It feels as if something is missing inside now… as if a part of us is empty.” They didn't have their power anymore, but that wasn't what seemed to be gone in them, despite their original thoughts on that being exactly what was missing. Adagio gave a sigh in the back room as she took a quick break. She kind of wished she was working the bar right now instead of waiting tables. All three of them had Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) licenses and took turns as needed. The license was required for them to work here in the first place. They all took turns on cooking, bartending, and waiting tables. They had a couple of times where all three did the same thing for the night, which was rare. This setup was just the case for their little group though. The rest of the staff stuck to one job alone. The trio of girls pooled their earnings together for rent and groceries, which was something they never had to worry about before. The truth was they had a pretty good thing going here. They weren't living a life of luxury, but they weren't in any money trouble either now. It probably helped when Sonata waited tables she usually got very good tips because of her personality. Adagio’s break ended and she went back to work. She placed any other thoughts on what happened in the back of her mind. She had to make sure she did a good job, even if she wasn't exactly happy with it. "It could have been a lot worse," she thought as she gave a small smile. {-} {-} {-} Sunset Shimmer sighed as she paced back and forth in front of the mirror portal. She had mixed feelings about what was going on here. She was happy Twilight was returning again already, but she wondered why the Alicorn Princess wanted to meet with her alone. She figured the whole group would be invited for this, but that wasn't the case apparently. Sunset was a little excited about this, but perplexed. The message even said not to mention it to the others at all. The only explanation given was Twilight would give more details once she came through the portal. At first, Sunset wanted to hear the details of this meeting really quickly after the first message, but it had taken longer than she thought. Sunset was a little concerned something was happening to the link or that maybe Twilight had changed her mind. When the answer came, the fiery haired girl reminded herself that Twilight was an Alicorn Princess now and so she was probably really busy. “I really should count myself lucky she even writes to me some period,” Sunset sighed to herself as she sat down next to the portal entrance again. She shook her head to clear her thoughts. She was excited Twilight was coming over to visit. Sunset gave a smile as she decided to just make sure they spent some time together. It didn't matter what it was Twilight was coming over to do. They could still take time to hang out together alone. Soon she heard the portal open next to her. Sunset quickly stood up and moved away from it. Twilight didn’t really have a good record for smooth portal landings. This time however the pony princess seemed to have a better grasp on inter-dimensional travel. Twilight actually walked out of the portal instead of flying out this time. Sunset couldn't help but take in the sight. It was something to see. Twilight walked out surrounded by magenta light with her eyes closed. The Equestrian princess was standing tall, beautiful and regal. Twilight then opened her eyes and blinked a few times. She had a bright smile as she stepped forward and gave Sunset a tight hug. Sunset was a little surprised but happy. It was a much better greeting than last time. She returned the hug easily and they held it for a bit longer than normal. Sunset without noticing took in the other girl’s scent. It was very pleasant. Twilight broke off the hug and said with a smile, “It’s so good to see you again, Sunset. I’m really glad you agreed to meet with me alone.” Sunset smiled in return and looked around. She noticed a certain talking dog wasn't present this time. “It was nothing, Twilight. I was glad to get to see you again and you seemed to want my help. But why the secrecy? Where's Spike? You did say you would explain things better once you arrived.” Twilight nodded and heard the school bell ring from nearby. Twilight’s eyes widened as she spoke. “Not here. Is there somewhere we can talk alone and the others won’t stumble upon us?” Sunset gave a puzzled look for a second, but soon nodded. “Yeah, follow me. Do you want to get something to eat or drink maybe?” “That sounds good. I have a lot to talk to you about. Plus, I really do want to properly catch up with you, Sunset,” Twilight said with a warm smile. “Why does she have to look so cute naturally?” Sunset thought as she led the way to her car. “So Twilight, you do remember what a car is right?” “Yeah I remember seeing a lot of them here. The others and I even rented what Rarity called a limousine for the Fall Formal,” Twilight answered. “Good. We took one to the Apple Family Farm during the battle of the bands, but you were kind of absorbed in your notebook.” Sunset said as she gave a smile and continued. “You definitely seem like the type who doesn't notice other things when you’re really focused.” Twilight looked down and blushed to Sunset’s words as she gave a nervous giggle, “We did sort of have a big problem at the time.” Twilight tried to weakly excuse her obliviousness to her surroundings. Sunset gave a little laugh as she thought, “Yep… She really is naturally cute. No wonder people seem to like her so easily.” “This time we’re going to take mine. I know a place we can go where the others are very unlikely to find us. That is unless Rarity somehow managed to get a date with a hipster guy and not tell us all about him,” Sunset said as the two laughed. They both knew that if either Rarity had a date they would never hear the end about it from her. “Wait a second… You drive a limousine?” Twilight asked. “Not really a limo. It’s a good car though,” Sunset gave a smile as they reached the parking lot. “No one will see us leaving, right? I would hate to put you into a situation where you had to tell them why they didn’t know I was back like this,” Twilight said with genuine concern. “Don’t worry about it. They’re meeting to do something here on campus after school today. I would have stayed as well, but I told them I had a previous engagement I couldn’t cancel. We should be good,” Sunset said with a smile. {-} {-} {-} It was about half an hour later that Twilight found herself in front of what looked like a Coffee Café with Sunset. The place had an odd feel to it. Almost as if the owner wanted to make the place feel more down to Earth, but artistic and above it all at the same time. It was nice, but it just seemed so strange to Twilight. She also noticed a lot of people with fashion sense she didn't understand, but a lot of thick rimmed glasses. The guys were wearing sweaters and coats of some kind, even though the weather really didn't call for it. There were some other people who didn't really seem to fit in with the rest. Twilight looked to Sunset who was waiting as the pony princess took the place in. She just didn’t really see Sunset knowing this place much less hanging out at it. Sunset was wearing her iconic jacket, top and skirt. “You knew of this place how? There isn’t anything wrong with it. It just doesn't…” Twilight didn't really want to accidentally say something that might be taken the wrong way. “Seem like me?” Sunset provided for her. Twilight gave a slow nod. “It isn’t usually. The place does have good drinks and food. However, I mostly just came here when I was climbing the social ladder at CHS. I went through a ‘hipster’ phase when I was trying to at one point establish I was more mature and in the know than others,” Sunset said as she started to cross the street. “It isn’t too bad of a place and the others aren’t likely to find us here. Also, the customers here mostly keep to themselves. Maybe if they noticed you dressed similarly and were reading a news article they might talk to you, but otherwise not likely,” Sunset finished as she made to open the door. “Sounds perfect,” Twilight said as Sunset found them a table secluded from the others. Once they found drinks and a nice appetizer to try, Twilight looked to Sunset with a serious expression. “Do you have any particular questions or do you want me to just start at the beginning?” “Start at the beginning,” Sunset replied. “Okay.” Twilight took in a deep breath and started as she looked down in shame. “After the Battle of the Bands and returning to Equestria, I started thinking about the situation as a whole. Two things really got to me. The first was Equestria failed to actually take responsibility for their actions with the sirens. The second and more pressing thought, was how I failed as the Princess of Friendship.” Sunset placed a comforting hand on Twilight’s. “You had a lot of things on your mind and we put a lot of pressure on you unfairly. We kind of talked about this that night at Pinkie’s.” Twilight gave a smile in thanks before continuing, “It isn't just that though. When the Dazzlings were defeated by us, I didn't bother to go after them or even try to check on them. I should have done that.” Twilight gave a sigh, “I know what they did was bad, but that shouldn't matter. I mean well, you know there was… that time.” Sunset gave a curt nod and small sigh. She knew Twilight was talking about the crown incident. “Also if Discord deserved another chance than why shouldn’t they?” Twilight added causally. Sunset’s eyes blinked as her mouth opened in bewilderment. “What does Discord have to with any of this? What do you mean he got another chance? I remember the tales of him in the past...” Twilight slapped her forehead. She hadn’t told them about her adventures in Equestria. She told them about the sirens and being a princess and her castle but nothing else. She didn't even her past when she first came to get her crown. “Sorry… I forgot I didn’t really tell any of you all about that.” “You see a couple of years ago Discord broke free again. He really did a number on Equestria for a while as well. He even took our magic away for a maze and really caused some hard times for my friends and me.” Twilight took a sip of her drink before continuing. “I won’t go into details, but he pretty much made all of them the exact opposite personality wise than they actually were. I even momentarily lost faith in friendship.” Twilight looked down with a gloomy expression. Even now it was still hard to swallow that happened at the time. This is why being Discord’s friend was so tough at times, even if he was kind of entertaining once you got to know him. “We ended up remembering the magic of friendship and defeated him again. However, a year after that Celestia told us we should try to reform him. It kind of worked... But anyways he is actually for real reformed now and a friend. Even if he is difficult at times because of who he is,” Twilight said as she took a sip again. Sunset just stared in awe for a minute or two. “She and her pony friends have actually been through even more than I thought…” She was starting to respect and care even more for Twilight. The Princess of Friendship started again, “The point is, compared to what he did, the sirens’ crimes here aren’t really all that bad. I partly came back here to look for them and check on them. I would like to help them learn friendship, but in the least I want to make sure they aren’t getting up to anymore trouble.” Twilight shifted a little and looked away in embarrassment. “I was kind of hoping you would be willing to help me, Sunset. If it wasn't too much trouble for you,” Twilight shot Sunset a slight pleading look. “If you look at me that way there isn't any way I can say ‘No’, Twilight…” Sunset thought with a slight blush. “Why me? Or more specifically. Why me alone?” Sunset asked as she took a bite of the appetizer their waitress just delivered and recovered from her blush. Twilight gave a sigh and looked to Sunset seriously. “I’m not going to sugar coat it. I wanted you to help me because you too were a villain, but you have successfully reformed from what I can tell. Also, having the others help would probably make the ex-sirens feel pressured and the Dazzlings might end up doing something out of desperation. I don't really want that.” Twilight then cleared her throat and blushed a little again as she said, “Also. Well… I wanted to spend some time with you alone, Sunset. I wanted to get to know you better personally. I have a mission here, but it isn't one that I have to solve in like three days or something. We can take some time.” Sunset looked away and found herself blushing in surprise and happiness. She wanted to shout “Yes! Yes! Yes I would love to help and get to know you personally.” However, she didn’t want to scare Twilight. This was still almost exactly what she was hoping would happen with her and Twilight. “I see your point. I’ll do it,” Sunset replied with a smile. “Really?” Twilight asked in surprise. “I didn't stutter or anything. Yes, I’ll help you, Twilight.” Sunset replied causally wanting to seem cool for Twilight. Twilight gave a small cheer and reached across the table to hug Sunset, which the other customers out right ignored. Sunset blushed brightly and gave a chuckle as she returned the hug, which the other customers flat out ignored. “That means so much to me! You have no idea Sunset,” Twilight said as she broke the hug and sat back down in her place. “So, I guess you’ll be staying at my place, huh?” Sunset asked. Twilight nodded. “If that would be alright with you. I could get my own place and stay at a hotel or something if it’s a problem. I remembered to bring money this time along with a magical ID in case it’s needed. I found a book on how to make magical IDs, though it was called ID Psychic paper for some reason instead. It seems there was a pony who used one a lot of the time when he was doing things in secret. Since I have Equestria money, you’ll have to tell me how you got it exchanged for the currency here.” “There isn't an exchange rate for Equestrian money to cash here. However, bits are pure gold and humans place a really high value on gold along with gems. Like I told you last time, that’s how I was able to afford living here,” Sunset said as she took a sip of her drink. Twilight nodded in understanding. Sunset gave a smile as she answered, “I don’t mind you staying at my place while you’re here. It will be like a long term sleepover or something. Plus, that will make it easier for us to get to know each other better and to plan our search.” “Those were my thoughts exactly.” Twilight then gave a giggle as she added, “Great minds huh?” Sunset giggled to this as well. “So…” Sunset started as Twilight took a sip of her drink. “You and the others faced off against Discord? What else have you done? I didn't really know much of what was going on when I made my last trip to Equestria.” Twilight gave a confident smile as she said, “Which do you want to hear about first? Nightmare Moon, the Crystal Empire resurfacing, my brother’s wedding, or…” Twilight was interrupted by Sunset. “Wait wait… why would I want to hear about your brother’s wedding? I didn’t even know you had a brother,” Sunset asked in amusement. “Changeling invasion… that’s why,” Twilight said dismissively with a grin. “Really?” Sunset asked with an awed expression. Twilight nodded. Sunset shook her head. She was starting to wonder if this was some kind of joke or something. She asked her next question regardless, “What was the next thing you were going to say?” Twilight couldn't help but give an even wider grin. She couldn't wait to see Sunset’s reaction. Twilight usually wasn't one to brag or tell stories about herself, but she kind of wanted to really impress Sunset. “I was going to finish with Tirek’s return to power and conquest of Equestria,” Twilight said in a mock bored voice. “You might remember him as the worst villain in Equestria’s history.” Sunset stood up and slammed her fists on the table as she said, “You have got to be shitting me?!” She then blushed and quickly sat back down out of embarrassment, which wasn't really necessary since the other customers flat out ignored everything dealing with her and Twilight. They knew it was beneath them to give the fantasies of these girls any ounce of their attention. They had more important things to think about, such as what was now too mainstream and if they had sipped their coffee too much or too little to be appropriate. Twilight gave Sunset a serious expression again as she said, “No, I’m not making it up. I wish I was. It was a rather scary and bad situation.” Sunset regained her composure as she took a sip of her drink. “Might as well start at the beginning here as well. I get the feeling your adventures will get progressively more amazing as they go along.” Twilight gave her a nod and started telling Sunset about what she considered her biggest and most important adventures. It was something that would probably take the rest of the night if not longer. Sunset seemed eager to listen however, and Twilight was more than happy to share her experiences with her friend. {-} {-} {-} Sonata gave a sigh of relief as she stretched her arms to the sky and waited for the others to come out. Their shifts had finally ended and it was a fairly busy night at work for them all. The blue haired girl couldn't wait until next time they came in and she got to work tables. She didn't mind working in the kitchens or tending the bar, but she liked working tables the best because she got to really move around some instead of just mostly standing still all the while. If it was just her, she would wait tables the whole time for her job. It wasn't just her though. She had to share responsibilities with the others. She came up with the idea and when Adagio explained it to the general manager and owner they had no problem with it. Sonata came up with the idea mostly to help keep the peace between them all. She wasn't the brightest girl, but she felt if they got stuck with just one position at their job things might get bad and they might split up or something. She didn't want that. She wanted them to stay together. Sonata wasn't sure why she felt they should stay together, but she figured even if they weren't "friends" or anything, she would feel very lonely without Adagio and Aria around. She sometimes had a feeling the others felt that way as well, but they never really said anything on the matter. “Glad that’s over with…” Adagio’s voice came as she exited the backdoor with Aria behind her. They had to get all of their tips sorted out, so it always took whoever bartended and waited longer to close out their shift unless they were closing. “We don’t have to pick anything up from the store, right? I’m way too tired for that,” Aria said as she stretched and covered a yawn with a hand. They weren't used to the energy drain from actually working throughout a day yet. “No, unless you want to go pick up those pendants tonight,” Adagio said as she stretched out as well. “We’re off tomorrow, right?” Sonata asked cheerfully as the other two slowly nodded. “Let’s go then.” The others nodded as they headed to their apartment. The pendants Adagio mentioned weren't really anything special, but they all three liked how they looked and the things were affordable. Plus, they felt naked without something like their pendants around their necks oddly enough. “Glad that’s decided. I feel like I’m about to fall over from exhaustion. How are you still able to be so energetic, Sonata?” Aria asked as she looked to the light blue haired girl and frowned. “I don’t know. I just am,” Sonata answered with a shrug of her shoulders. She was a little tired herself, but she managed to get something to eat while on her break. Johnston’s Bar and Grill had half way decent tacos, so she had a few of those earlier during a break. “You should know by now she’s just Sonata, Aria.” Adagio said as she sighed in her waitress uniform. She was actually surprised she found it kind of nice to wear. Sonata was wearing a kitchen staff uniform and Aria was wearing normal clothes. Bartenders had a dress code, but no uniform. They were told it encouraged a less formal and more relaxed setting by the bar part of the restaurant. It was about 15 minutes later when the trio of girls made it to their apartment. They walked to work usually, since it wasn't too far of a trip. Even if gas wasn't as bad as it used to be price wise for them, it was still an expense. They did have a couple of cars they could drive to places if needed. Since they got them before they lost their powers, they got a really good deal on them. They were being extra tight with their money in some places now, but mostly panic of not knowing how to manage their money. They also worried something might happen to them now and they would need money for it. The girls were mostly quiet as they walked up to the third floor of their apartment building. Aria was the one who found the place. It wasn't as glamorous as they were used to, but it wasn't too bad either and with the rent split up between the three of them it was very much affordable. Adagio wasn't happy with the place at first, but she got over it quickly. She felt it was more important to be with Aria and Sonata than to live somewhere upscale, even if she could have afforded it. Their apartment was a three bed and two bath floor plan with a balcony. Aria and Sonata shared the larger of the two bathrooms. They agreed on this since they sold Adagio’s car, plus due to her hair their leader took longer to get ready in the mornings. This apartment was their home ever since they made their “escape” from the hotel where they had been staying and living like queens. They sold Adagio’s car to get some money to pay the expenses the management of the hotel suddenly remembered they owed. The car also gave them some really good start up money because of how well it sold. They could have bought a lot more with the money they had from selling the car, but they weren't sure if others, who had been under their spell would suddenly remember they owed them money. They decided to keep most of it for emergencies at the moment. Adagio’s car was a fairly new and well maintained Dodge Viper SRT. It sold very well. The other two had more “modest” cars. Aria had a BMW M3 and Sonata had a Range Rover Evoque. The Range Rover came in handy for grocery trips and whenever the three of them needed extra room for trips in the car. {-} {-} {-} Once they finally reached their apartment, Aria immediately collapsed on the couch. She didn't even bother to get to her bedroom. Sonata sighed as she went behind their bar. “You two want anything tonight?” “Jack and Coke,” Aria mumbled as she continued to lie down on the couch acting as if she was dead to the world for the most part. “Red Wine Spritzer,” Adagio answered as she sat down in a chair with a sigh of relief. During the time at their job, it quickly became an understood agreement that when someone worked the kitchen they would serve the others drinks if they had any that night. They didn't drink too often and only when they were off the next day together. Their schedules almost always worked out where the three of them worked the same hours. Adagio may have convinced the general manager to help do this, since they lived under the same roof. He was a pretty reasonable guy and had no problems with the arrangement. It was also nice for him because the three girls were flexible in what they could do for the business. They were always a viable option for busy days. One of the shift managers did have a problem with this arrangement for some reason, but Adagio somehow sorted that out as well. The only difference they noticed was sometimes she would arrive a little earlier than them or stay a little later despite having the same shift. She never really went into detail about it, not even after that manager left the restaurant. Sonata came over with the drinks for the other two, before making her own. Aria finally got up and took a sip of her drink. She felt a little more refreshed now. “So you don’t think we will like, suddenly age super-fast, right?” Sonata asked as she made herself a Jack and Coke as well. “I’m pretty sure if that was going to happen it already would have by now,” Adagio said. They had answered this question several times, but Aria and Adagio appreciated that Sonata asked questions they already knew the answers to. It was nice because it was something they felt confident about when there was little else they could feel this way about after having lost pretty much everything. “I’m freaking glad that’s the case,” Aria answered as she gave a shiver and continued. “I don’t much like the idea of suddenly turning into dust…” The other two girls shivered as well. They partly considered themselves lucky, since the pedants were more or less like their hearts, but it seemed the rainbow beam somehow gave them real ones before the stones were destroyed. They were reminded of how powerful Equestrian magic really was when that happened. Starswirl banished them to this world and he was just one unicorn, a powerful unicorn, but still a unicorn. The thing that attacked them was some manifestation of an Element of Harmony infused Alicorn! So they agreed with Aria in that they were lucky not to have been instantly turned into dust or something worse. This lucky break was the reason they decided not to bother with trying to find some new powerful source of magic to use. It was also why they decided they would rather just keep to themselves instead of looking for revenge of some kind. They wouldn't run if they saw the Rainbooms or the other students at CHS again, but they wouldn't try to start anything with them either. Sonata sat down on the couch next to Aria as she looked down a little to the floor and took a slow sip of her drink. Adagio looked to the blue haired girl and frowned. “Something else on your mind, Sonata?” After what happened in the battle of the bands the other girls' thoughts and well being had come to matter to Adagio a good bit. She wasn't sure why this started happening, but she knew it didn't sit right with her if the others weren't their usual selves, especially Sonata... Especially Sonata. Sonata took a sip of her drink again before answering. “You two are sure you don’t want to ever… sing again, period?” Aria sighed. This was something Sonata had been asking about every so often. “You heard us after we lost or magic… We were terrible! I really didn't expect us to sound bad. I just thought the whole magic part would be gone at worst.” “I think we could sound good if we practiced a little bit,” Sonata replied. “Why do you want to sing, Sonata? We won’t be able to use it like we did in the past you know. Probably not even in the smallest of ways,” Adagio said as she looked over Sonata. The light blue haired girl frowned before answering. “I don’t want to sing for anything like that. I just… want to be able to sing again… you know for realsies. I mean it’s something we always did…” She wasn't sure how to really explain it to the others. Aria sighed and took another sip of her drink. “I would rather not be tempted to try and return to the way things were. I don’t want things to get out of hand and get obliterated by magic again. We already pretty much figured we can’t return to Equestria. It wouldn't matter if we somehow had magic. And those princesses probably would remember us even if we were ponies instead of what we were back then.” “I don’t think it would be that bad to sing again some really. I mean we could do it for just fun. We all love music and even when we had the magic I liked singing just to sing… Didn't you two?” Sonata asked as she looked down to the floor. Aria refused to look as she took another sip. Adagio thought over everything. Sonata was completely correct. Before they found out about their powers, the three of them loved to sing just to make music they and others enjoyed in some measure. It wasn't until later they realized they absorbed energy from ponies enjoying their singing. After that, they figured out they could even control other ponies through their singing. The last part of their power discovered was how the energy from ponies under their spell fighting others was much more potent than simply being liked while they sang. “Maybe that would fill in what feels like is missing… if we sang again…” Sonata said quietly in thought. Aria seemed to tense up hearing those words and almost snapped at Sonata for mentioning that. It was something that bothered all three of them and she really wasn't in the mood to even touch that discussion tonight. It was hard enough having to face it every night before she went to bed. Aria would try to sing something and the sound always brought tears to her. Adagio thought about it and spoke her thoughts. “Or it might keep us from finally figuring out how to move on and where to go in our lives. We've seen what happens when you focus too much on your past before.” “But…” Sonata started before getting quiet again. “Let’s think on it more some other time, Sonata… please,” Aria said in a surprisingly pleading tone. “So, Aria? How many drinks did table seven blue end up having tonight? I remember she was almost kicked out by the owner.” Adagio said in an attempt to change the subject. Aria, eager for the change, gave a scoff. “Just the three you served her. I guess she just isn’t the best at holding her liquor. How was it in the kitchens tonight, Sonata? I remember hearing some cheering at one point.” Sonata gave a smile. She would put her thoughts on singing again to the side for now. “They were listening to some obscure sports broadcast on the radio and the underdog team won in the end by just a couple of points. One of the cooks had a good bit of money on the game and won. He promised to take several of them out for some drinks when their shift ended.” The three girls ended up enjoying their night some as they continued their mundane talk about work and such before finally going to sleep. They were mostly relieved the tension from earlier was lifted. They wouldn't admit it, but they each felt a little happier as the night ended. As long as things kept at the current pace, Adagio felt it would somehow workout for them. “Even if I don’t know if we deserve to have things work out for us like this…” she thought to herself with some guilt. That was something new as well. She had never felt bad for what she did in the past, but this time she did. Mostly she felt she let the others down. She didn’t understand this at all and hoped these… feelings… would stop sometime. Adagio had already taken it upon herself to watch over the others the best she could. She had already done things she wasn’t proud of for their sake. She would never tell them what these things were. Adagio gave a sniff into her pillow as she started to slowly cry herself to sleep as the recent memories washed over her.