//------------------------------// // "We're equals now." // Story: Rainbow Rocks: Unfinished Business // by Gadman85 //------------------------------// It had been several days since they got the extension on their suite. Adagio had been busy looking for apartments. Aria had been as well, even if she kept her search secret from the others. She thought it was high time Adagio realize she doesn't have to be their leader and do everything on her own. They were all three in this together as equals. They were no longer their old group for better or worse. Aria found a pretty good place in her search. It was a good bit away from CHS, so they wouldn't have to worry about the students from there crossing their paths much hopefully. The place was also located in a really good location in the city. There were plenty of shops, restaurants, businesses and even a few grocery stores all within walking distance, even if it took a good while to walk to some of the places. Money was something they were being very tight about. They didn't want to be unprepared if others from their past suddenly remembered the trio owed them money or something. Anywhere they could cut expenses they did, gas was one of those expenses. They couldn't cutback that expense yet, but they could once they moved into their new place. Aria had already been to this place and looked it over once. It took some convincing, but once she assured the Apartment staff the three of them were all 18 years old and had money she was given a tour of the complex. It was a pretty good apartment. However, she wasn't about to just give into them and ask to sign something right then and there. Instead she told them, “I’ll think about it, but there are a couple of other places we’re interested in at the moment as well. I also would like to let them see the place first hand. You wouldn't mind giving us a tour in a couple of days would you?” “No, of course not, Miss Blaze. We can even schedule the next tour before you leave if you’d like,” the eager property manager said as he led her back to the office. It was now a couple of days later. She had looked at some other places and so had Adagio. Aria was confident and hopeful she had picked the winner to surprise Adagio and Sonata with. “I want Adagio to realize she isn't alone in this anymore and we can and should work together,” Aria thought to herself as they climbed into her car. {-} {-} {-} “Are we almost there, Aria?” Sonata asked from the back. She was eager to see the place and bored. It seemed like they had been driving around for almost an hour to her. “A little longer, Sonata. I wanted to show you two I picked a good place location wise,” Aria answered. Sonata just nodded and kind of drifted off a little. Aria didn't care, because she was mostly interested in showing Adagio more than Sonata. “I’m still a little surprised you went and looked for places as well, Aria,” Adagio said in a rather dull voice. She wasn't about to admit it to the others, but she felt like she had again let them down by not being the one to find them a new place. She would have said something about it, but getting their new home was more important than her almost nonexistent pride, even if it still hurt a little. Aria looked forward. She could tell something was bothering Adagio. She decided now wasn't the time to keep acting tough and uncaring towards the others. “Adagio… You've already done more for us than you needed to on your own. You gave up your car so we would have money. You’ve been talking with the manager at the hotel and making sure we have a place to stay. You solved our hunger problem. You were the one who discovered we were actually human now for real.” “I’m also the one who got us in this mess in the first place,” Adagio said dispassionately as she looked out the passenger window. She had to admit this looked like a good location. It pretty much had everything she could think they would need in one place and within walking distance if Aria was to be believed. This meant they wouldn't have to use as much money on gas if they moved here. “Adagio. We all got here together. We had almost succeeded in the plan you came up with. Not to mention it wasn't your fault it failed. Also, you've been taking care of us since we were first banished from Equestria. With all your smarts and wits, even you couldn't have expected we would face some kind of Cosmic Rainbow Harmony powered Alicorn in the end. None of us thought that Twilight girl and the others were going to be a real problem. Let alone that her and the others had the powers of the elements inside them somehow,” Aria said. “Besides…” Aria started with a sigh. “We aren't The Dazzlings anymore. We aren't the Sirens anymore, Adagio. We aren't some kind of powerful group. We don’t have to have an official leader. We’re Aria Blaze, Adagio Dazzle, and Sonata Dusk. Nothing more. Just three girls stuck in this world, in this situation together with one another. We need to share the work. We don’t have any other choice unless we take on this world alone without each other.” Aria gave a shudder, “I know I’m not ready for that. I don’t even really want that. There are a lot of things we don’t understand going on in our lives now. But we know each other. We’re the only things we have in this world… We're equals now.” Sonata wasn’t drifting off anymore. She was listening quietly in the back. She was taking in Aria’s words. She was thinking about things herself. About how Aria was right, how they should all pitch in and help each other out. “We’re all that any of us really has in this world now,” she thought. She would try to do what she could do to help with whatever was next. She needed to do more than just watch Adagio and Aria do everything. Adagio looked out the window and sighed. “You’re right… I’m still probably going to try and be the leader. I’ll try to be more open about things at least. Let’s see this apartment you found. I know I haven’t had much luck in my search.” {-} {-} {-} The three girls were looking around the apartment. It was a pretty good place. Not a luxury condominium or anything like that, but they would live. It was like Aria more or less pointed out in the car. Being together is what mattered the most now, even if they weren't exactly friends. They were still together and this place had three bedrooms and two bathrooms. They could figure out who went where later if they got the apartment. Sonata gave a bit of a gasp as she looked out at the balcony. “Oh neato! A balcony!” Aria and Adagio frowned at this. They were pretty sure it was a no-no to let the sales associate know one of them actually really liked the place so easily. It meant they wouldn't be able to really do much haggling on the rent price. They supposed they probably wouldn't have done much anyways because of necessity, but still the apartment didn't need to know that. Adagio managed to even the playing field again by saying, “Sonata, there are many apartments with balconies.” She walked over to window and looked outside with a half frown. “And many of them actually have a much better view as well. It's nice to have something like a balcony, but it isn't really all that rare in apartments.” “Ohhh okay,” Sonata replied. She turned to the person showing them the place. “Sorry. I have a tendency to get excited and act like things are better than they actually might be. That’s why they’re the ones actually picking out the place and not me.” She gave him a smile. The man showing them the apartment kept his ‘friendly smile’ in place as he assured her, “It's nothing to worry about.” He was a little disappointed they weren't going to be sold because of the balcony alone. During the rest of the tour, they asked him all kinds of questions about expenses and other amenities the complex offered. In the end, the three discussed things and “eventually" decided to go with this place. It would still be a couple of days until they could move in, but they got the place at a price they decided was workable. “I have to admit, Aria. You found a really good apartment for us,” Adagio said once they were in the car and about to leave. She looked down and added quietly, “Thanks.” Aria heard it and it did bring a smile to her lips, but she left it alone. She figured it was probably tough for Adagio to say thanks like this. Aria knew she, herself, had yet to actually say something like that, so she left it alone as they drove back. {-} {-} {-} Sonata gave a moan and a stretch as she woke up in the middle of the night. She once again felt something or rather someone wrapped around her. She gave a quiet giggle and looked to her side. “It seems, Aria really is quite the Snuggle Bandit.” She had noticed it a couple of other nights when she made a middle of the night bathroom run. The first night she noticed Aria she was shocked, but she actually felt a little happy and warm. At the time, she hadn't been sleeping well the past couple of nights with everything going on in life. That night, apart from her trip to the toilet, she had a good night’s sleep. She of course just knew it was because someone snuggled up with her. Sonata had thought about saying something to Aria, but decided against it. "Knowing Aria she would get all mad and embarrassed and probably stop doing it altogether." That was something Sonata wouldn't like. In the end, she didn't say anything about the discovery of the snuggle bandit. She thought what Aria did was sweet and liked it herself. If staying silent meant it might keep happening, she was fine with that. She really would have liked to see a blushing Aria, but that was okay to pass up… for now. As Sonata thought back to that time, she realized it was their last night in the Hotel. They had a few days of overlap as they got things they needed for the new place. The list included furniture and some groceries mostly. Sonata had enjoyed their furniture trips a lot. They had a budget but it was still fun to her seeing everything. The trio stuck mostly to basics. At this point, that meant beds, towels, a dining table set with chairs, glasses, silverware and some plates. “I’m glad we at least all got Queen sized beds because of the sale at that one place,” Sonata thought as she finished up in the restroom and went back to bed. She couldn't immediately go back to sleep though. Her mind was busy thinking about their new place. They had stayed in much nicer and fancier places in the past, but this was different and she was excited about it. “Probably because it will be our first home as humans,” she decided. She heard Aria take in a deep breath and let it out as the purple haired girl snuggled in more. “I wonder if she'll still do this even after we move into the new place.” Sonata would miss it if it didn’t happen ever again. She knew it was a possibility in their new home at least. Her and Aria had their bedrooms next to each other. If Aria was determined to snuggle up in the future she easily could as far as she was concerned. Sonata did kind of hope it didn’t happen too often. She had a certain way she preferred to sleep when they weren’t in hotels or sharing beds and she wasn’t sure if the others knew or not. She didn’t think Aria would appreciate slipping in to snuggle with a more or less naked Sonata. The light blue haired girl would see how things went, but she hoped maybe she could at least get away with underwear only. Sleep was much more comfortable for her that way. Sonata laid awake thinking about different things a little longer before she fell asleep once again. When morning came, Sonata was the last awake. This was normal, but she was starting to hate it. She wanted to prove she was a part of the group. She couldn't very well do that if she always slept in while the others woke up and got busy for the day. She could get up early, but she needed an alarm clock or a wake up call or something. "Good Morning," Aria and Adagio greeted her as she walked into the kitchen. "Morning..." Sonata greeted still feeling a little tired. She was up too late last night just staring at the ceiling and thinking things over. She was also appreciating Aria's snuggle most of the night. She was always surprised how snuggly and comfy Aria was. She paused in her thoughts and wondered, "Did Aria snuggle with Adagio when I was sick? Ooo I wonder if Adagio is a good snuggle with all of that hair?" She shook her head and got herself some cereal before sitting at the table with the others. She could think about such things another time. "Sooo... What's the plan today?" Sonata asked. "Well, we have to get bedding for our beds sometime before we go to sleep tonight. We have to check out of here by noon. That's about it," Adagio answered. Sonata sat down and decided to tell them her plan. "I want to go for a walk again once we get to the apartment and a get a better understanding of the area." Adagio looked to her and said, "Just make sure you have your cell phone with you, Sonata." Sonata nodded to this. The three of them decided they needed cell phones in case something happened to one of them. It was nice to have a phone period. They didn't have some super fancy plan with their phones, but what they did have was affordable and worked for them. {-} {-} {-} Sonata was humming to herself as she walked around some of the areas close to their apartment. She may not be the smartest in their group, but she knew it was super important to know their new home’s surrounding area. They were planning to walk whenever they could. Plus, she thought it was fun to walk and the area had some really nice places to visit. What she hadn't told the others was she wanted to think while she walked as well. It wasn't something she was used to doing, she usually left thinking up to Aria and Adagio, but now things were different. They were in this together and were equals with each other. This meant she needed to do her part as well. She felt sad deep inside that the other two hadn't really included her in their planning and talks about what to do. Their current goal was to find jobs. It was hard figuring out what they were really able to get as a job. There was also the fact they wanted to work together if possible. They felt this was very important, but it made things even more difficult. The light blue haired girl kept walking while paying attention to the roads and such. She needed to know where she was and how to get back after all. She might be a little on the dumb side, but she wasn't completely hopeless, despite sometimes coming off as just that. She thought more about everything and oddly enough she found herself in a small way liking their lives now. It was nice to actually be getting along better with the others. She did miss some of the perks they had before, but that didn't mean their change was all for the worse. Sure, humans were weak compared to sirens and they had to eat food on a regular basis, but that was actually something that was good she thought. It was tough at first, but she knew better now. Even if their hunger was more intense as humans, it was something they could easily solve. It also wasn't something always there no matter what like before. They could actually be satisfied now and not always hungry. She also kind of liked having these feelings. It was different, but she liked it in many ways. Add in the fact they didn't have to worry about how to best control others and not be hunted down, and things were actually good in her mind. “Still…” Sonata thought as she placed a hand on her neck where her pendant used to be, tears starting to form in her eyes. “I miss being able to sing. I really do. I also miss my pendant. I thought it was pretty and it feels strange not having one after all these years.” By this point, Sonata believed they mostly got what they deserved for how they twisted people’s emotions like they did in the past. She had never really thought much about it, because emotions weren't really that strong for their old selves. Now that she was human and knew just how powerful these feelings could be, she felt really bad about what they did. Even feeling this way, she didn't think they deserved to lose their singing voices completely. She didn't mind losing the powers now that they had kind of gotten with the program, but losing their voices seemed a little cruel to her. Things were even worse in some ways because they had this emptiness of some kind inside now. She had talked about it with Aria a little. Sometimes it filled up, but it never stayed filled and when it emptied again it felt even worse than before to her. “Probably because I know a little of what it’s like to have that hole filled. To have that warmth inside again. Then it disappears again or the warmth feels very… muted,” she thought to herself. Sonata for whatever reason was sure if they could sing again that warmth would return and that emptiness would stay filled. No one was around right now so she decided to try singing one more time. Sonata took in a deep breath and tried to sing... Tears filled her raspberry eyes as she heard the horrible sound that came from her voice. It wasn't anything like what they used to have. She didn't care about the powers. She never really did. She used them with the others and sometimes for herself, but what she loved was singing. Like when they first met all those many, many years ago. They would sing and ponies would really enjoy their voices, but that was before the powers started to surface. Sonata shook her head to clear it. “Cheer up, Sonata… The others seem to feel better when you’re being your happy self… It’s all I can do for now… Come on, Sonata,” she pleaded with herself. It worked a little, but not much. She guessed she could fake her happiness, but it just seemed wrong to her to fake her feelings. They were important to humans and shouldn't be carelessly used. Sonata continued walking and soon realized it was getting close to time to eat supper. She really wanted to see if they could actually go to a place to eat tonight. She knew money was an issue, but maybe they could as a bit of a celebration for having their own place set up now and not still staying in the hotel. As her footsteps carried her a little further, she came across what looked like a restaurant. “Johnston’s Bar and Grill,” she read the sign on the door. The place looked like it was doing pretty well, but wasn't overly popular. She also noticed a lot of specials on the chalk board by the entrance. She figured that would make it easier to get the others here. Sonata picked up her cell phone and called up Adagio. “Hello?” Adagio answered. “Hey, Dagio! How are you?” Sonata greeted cheerfully. “Same as usual, Sonata. What are you up to?” Adagio replied. “Well, I went for a walk as you know. And anyways I realized it was getting late and I was getting hungry. I figured you and Aria would be as well. Unless you two have already eaten,” Sonata said with her fingers crossed. “No, Sonata, we haven’t,” Adagio said with a sigh. “Well, you see I thought with everything going on we could eat out somewhere tonight. In fact, I’m standing in front of a place that looks perfect for us. It even has a number of delicious specials. I don’t think we’ll have to worry about any body knowing us ever showing up here,” she explained hoping that would work. She heard silence for a couple of seconds and then some muffled discussion. Soon Adagio spoke to her again. “Sounds good, Sonata. It would be nice to have something different tonight. Where are you?” Sonata gave a silent cheer which caused a nearby couple to laugh a little. She then thanked the other two and told them how to get to where she was. She finished by saying, “It’s within walking distance it just takes some time is all, but not too much.” “Alright, Go ahead and get us a table in a few minutes then. Aria and I will meet you there. Sound good?” Adagio asked. It was more of an order really, but Adagio was trying to break her leader habits and get the other’s opinions. Sometimes she wouldn't really leave much room for argument, but she was at least trying to break the old habit. She was making remarkable progress considering it was a thousand plus year old habit. “Yep! See you two soon!” Sonata replied cheerfully. “Yes. See you soon as well,” Adagio replied before ending the call. Sonata hung up and looked over the specials. Her mouth started to water as she looked at the list. She was going to make sure she picked the best meal and it would give her enough leftovers for tomorrow. After waiting a few minutes, Sonata finally went in the place and got a table for them all. She looked around from where she was sitting, the place looked nice. It had a lot of room filled with tables and booths. It had a bar area with some TV screens and a few bar tables. It also had a nice long bar area with lots of stools. Sonata looked at the bottles behind the bar. She was impressed with the collection. The three of them had been around a long time. They knew their Alcohol. They even enjoyed it a good bit, but they never got carried away. The light blue haired girl wondered what it would be like as a human, if it was any different. She shook her head as she noticed Aria and Adagio walk into the restaurant. Sonata gave them a smile and a big wave. She was again feeling better after her earlier thoughts. "This place isn't too bad, Sonata," Aria said as a waitress gave her and Adagio menus. "I was just hungry. I didn't think it would be this nice in here. Oh well!" Sonata answered happily. Shortly after they had their menus, their waitress returned and told them the specials. There really were a number of them. It took some time, but the trio finally ordered their meals. "We got bedding for all of us. You don't mind light green do you, Sonata?" Adagio asked. "That is like one of my favorite colors. Well after Maroon and a few others, but that will be just fine!" Sonata said with a smile as she took a sip of her drink. Soon their orders arrived and they started on their meals. The three girls had some conversation over their meal. It wasn't anything really big, but they were feeling better than earlier thanks to it. {-} {-} {-} As they left Johnston’s, they were each happy and each had part of their meal still left. They ordered big meals at good prices, so they could have leftovers to eat later. Sonata felt really happy because she found a way to get the others to at least not be all frowny once again. Sure, they were still guarding their emotions, but Sonata could tell they were happier than when they first arrived. She didn't realize it yet, but she was actually really good at knowing what the others felt, even if they hid their feelings. She decided the place was very good for them. She even saw something the other two didn't seem to notice. She saw a sign on the building saying the restaurant was looking to hire help. She decided to pay the place a visit tomorrow without the others. Sonata wanted to do like Aria did with the apartment. She wanted to show both Adagio and Aria she was able to be a helpful part of the group. That she wasn't just a complete idiot and she could be as equal as they were. Getting them their jobs sounded like the perfect way for her to do just that. The next day when Sonata awoke she made her way back to Johnston's. As she entered, one of the people greeted her. "Hello. How can I help you?" "I saw the sign saying you were hiring," Sonata started. The hostess and a waiter nodded to each other and the waiter said, "This way." Sonata followed him quietly. She felt a little nervous, but didn't drop her friendly smile. They approached a door that was an office in the back. "Mr. Elric, there's someone here who's asking about a job," the waiter said before then going back to work. Mr. Elric was a tall man with blonde hair who looked to be in his early thirties. He gave Sonata a smile and motioned for her to step inside his office. "Come in. Have a seat. What's your name?" "Sonata Dusk, sir," she answered as she sat down in front of his desk. "So you're looking for a job? Do you happen to have any previous experience?" he asked. "Not really, sorry... But I can learn when I put my mind to it. I was mostly just wanting basic information about the job if that was okay, sir," Sonata asked. "Oh yeah, sorry. I was just ready to get right into it. We usually have a drop in employees about this time of year. A lot of them go home for the summer. We have a couple of high schoolers but not many. Anyways. Information..." the man started. He cleared his throat and seemed as if he was about to give a well practiced speech. Sonata did her best to pay full attention. "We are looking for all positions, currently. There will be some overlap in staff at first, since we usually hire preemptively for this time of year. You need to have an ABC, Alcohol Beverage Control, license before you can start work here, but the building across the street handles that easily." "The class is about five hours long so not much different from a school day. Usually what we do here is hire people and tell them they have a couple of days to get the certification before their first shift. If they don't get it, then we don't let them work here. We will sometimes, but not often, make exceptions for wait staff under 18. We don't hire anyone younger than 17 and in that case they must have written proof from their parents or legal guardian they are allowed to work. We also tell them once they turn 18 they have a week to get their certification if they wish to stay with us." "Okay... So what do you mean by all positions specifically?" Sonata asked. She was trying to be smart like Aria or Adagio with her questions. She also didn't want to end up a janitor or something like that. "We're looking for Wait staff, Kitchen staff and Bartenders. You have to be at least 18 to serve at the bar. We are also giving hiring preference to people with flexible schedules," Mr. Elric finished. "Can I have three applications for now? I have a couple of friends also looking for jobs and I would like to think about it with them. We kind of want to work together. That won't be a problem will it?" Sonata asked. "So long as you three do your jobs that won't be a problem. I'll give you the applications. You can either return them in person or mail them in. You will have to work under multiple managers. Hopefully that won't be a problem. There are only three of us immediate managers you have to worry about, so it isn't as bad as some places. We work around each other's schedules fairly well," the blonde man told her. Sonata shook her head, "No, I don't think that will be a problem, sir." "Alright then. Follow me out. I would recommend you turn in the applications in person, preferably in the middle of the afternoon. That's when the General Manager is in and many times the owner as well. They handle the hiring and the rest of us managers take care of the normal work as well as sometimes give a bit of a pre-interview. That isn't the case at the moment," Mr. Elric said as he led her outside. "Hopefully we'll see you soon, Miss Dusk," he said as he waved goodbye to her. She smiled and waved back. {-} {-} {-} Sonata made it back to the apartment and had on a serious face that kind of looked a little out of place on her. "Make them listen if you have to, Sonata," she cheered herself on as she got ready to meet with the others and tell them what she found. Sonata opened the door and was a little surprised to find both Aria and Adagio sitting in the kitchen around the table. They didn't really have much of anywhere else to sit yet besides the floor. She soon realized she shouldn't have been surprised they were around the table. "I want to talk to you two about something and I want you to hear me out," she said in determination. Aria and Adagio blinked a few times and looked to one another. They were both surprised when they saw such a serious looking Sonata. They didn't even really know she could look so serious. "Okay, go ahead, Sonata," Adagio said. Sonata relaxed a little and took in a breath. "I think I might have found us jobs. Possibly... I mean we have to fill out the applications and meet with a couple of people, then we have to get an ABC license then we can work, but it is a job," she said it all very quickly. She feared if she didn't they wouldn't listen to her. "What kind of a job is it? And what's an ABC License?" Aria asked. "It's at the restaurant we went to last night. When we left, I saw a hiring sign. I went back today. The manager guy I spoke to said they usually have a lot of people leave around this time of year to head back home from college. So they hire in advance. They have plenty of openings for all positions and I thought it would work, because the three of us could work there together. We might even be able to get them to let us kind of do a little bit of everything or something," Sonata said a little slower this time. "Oh and an ABC License stands for Alcohol Beverage Control License. They said when they hire people they give them a couple of days to get one before they start work. There's a place right near which offers the class. He said it was only about five hours long and everyone who works there has to have one," she again spilled out all of the information rather quickly. Maybe it was a little fast, but she got it fast and feared if she didn't say it fast she might forget something important. "Did you get applications for us?" Adagio asked. She wasn't about to say no to a job that might be exactly what they were looking for. She was impressed Sonata found one for them. "Oh yeah, I got those. The manager, Mr. Elric, said it was best to return them in person about the middle of the afternoon. That's when the people in charge of hiring will be there. We could just mail them in if we really wanted to, but I was hoping we could get this going faster by going there in person," Sonata said as she handed them the applications. "It's better than nothing. Thanks, Sonata," Adagio said as she started looking over the application. Sonata was too happy they did listen to her to notice the thanks. The three of them took their time looking over the applications and filling them out. They wanted to make sure they did it right. When it came to previous experience they sighed. They actually had a good bit of experience here, but not an amount 18 year old teens could claim without a lot of questions. They wanted to avoid questions where they could. In the end, they claimed zero previous experience and agreed to just do their best to come off as "naturals". Working restaurants was something they actually had a good bit of practice in. They didn't think it would be too hard for them to pose as naturals. They had used restaurants as temporary bases many times in the past. Adagio and Aria were actually a little embarrassed they didn't think about getting jobs in one sooner. Regardless, they were impressed Sonata thought to do just that and they were happy she did. Mostly because Sonata seemed happier to be helping them with this kind of thing.