//------------------------------// // Final Battles and Prizes // Story: New Lyrics: Friendshipping Sonata Dusk and Pinkie Pie // by bahatumay //------------------------------// “You?” Sonata gasped. This made no sense! What was she doing here? “Me,” Adagio confirmed. Sonata struggled to comprehend. “But you said rapping was stupid,” she protested. “No, I said you were stupid,” Adagio corrected. Sonata frowned as she tried to remember. “No, you di- or, wait…” She chewed on her lower lip. That did sound like something Adagio would say... Adagio smirked. She was winning the mental game already. The MC flipped the coin, and Sonata watched as it landed on blue. He handed the microphone to Adagio and shouted, “Begin!” Adagio wasted no time. Oh, look. You again. Thought I got rid of you You’re just gonna screw this up like you always do So many mistakes, I wouldn’t want to be ya Do they know that the battle of the bands was your idea? Sonata blinked. “No, it wasn’t,” she protested. Adagio continued as though she hadn’t heard. We only stayed with you 'cause we needed your power If we'd left you alone, you'd've been dead within the hour Your head is pretty empty and your thought process is strange If I gave a penny for your thoughts you'd have to give me change. Ever since you were young You were a disappointing one Have you told all your friends You wet the bed 'til you were ten? Sonata's eyes widened. She cast a fevered glance at the audience (who all seemed to be laughing at her) and waved her hands desperately. “N- no, that's not true,” she insisted; but without the microphone, she could barely be heard over the laughter. Mercilessly, Adagio continued. Your name's Sonata Dusk, because your sun is going down Just like your IQ, there’s just one horse in your town. I see your lights are on, but there’s just nobody home So don’t be too surprised if one day you die all alone I’m gonna give this mic up, but right before I cease, Mother said on her deathbed she always loved you least. Sonata's world seemed to grind to a halt. That wasn't true. It couldn't be true. Hot tears started to form at the corners of her eyes. Deep down inside, she'd always wondered… She had never been as smart as Adagio or as pretty as Aria… “No!” Adagio paused and squinted into the audience. Where had that come from? Pinkie Pie vaulted on stage and stepped protectively in front of Sonata. “That's as far as you go, you great golden meanie!” she spat. Adagio snorted and continued. Someone else to fight your battles? Some might say that's criminal. But I say that it’s just like you: it's just so sad it's pitiful. Did you get a concussion? Did your brain turn into hamburger? Your new best friend’s an idiot, a mental case with aspergers. Pinkie glared. She reached back a hand and dug into her hair, and pulled out a bright pink microphone, decorated with balloons and garish rainbow motifs. She twisted the base to turn it on and snapped her fingers in front of it to test it. When she was rewarded with the sound coming from the speakers- Adagio squinted. How had she done that? -she brought the microphone up to her lips, drew in a deep breath, and returned fire. It's only ADHD and I took my meds this morning So I may look calm on the outside but inside I am storming! See, Sonata is my friend, and you almost made her cry So the gloves are coming off and my words're gonna fly! I got you in my sights, Adagio You can try to rap fast, but you're just too slow. You just can't keep up with the Pinkie Pie You’ll fail so hard, so don’t even try. Plan A, B, or C, they’re all gonna fail It was three on one and we still kicked your tail! No laughter, no smiling, you’re making people frown. I give your performance two big thumbs down. Adagio snarled. You asperger’d freak- “Already tried that!” Pinkie interrupted. You’re crazy and hyper- “An established fact!” Pinkie finished again. Come on, Daggi, gotta think a little faster! Or no one’s gonna call you the rapping master! Adagio stepped forward, getting right in Pinkie Pie’s face. “Stop interrupting me-!” Pinkie did no such thing. Instead, she pressed her nose back up against Adagio’s and pushed her back. Or what'cha gonna do? Sing another song and make me obey you? Come on, get real! You couldn’t train a dog! Not when you're sounding like a big bullfrog. Hey, I know jackhammers that sing better than you. I’d rather listen to a whole herd of sick cows moo! You’re a great golden meanie, and you make people cry. You know what, Adagio? Pinkie Pie reached behind her back and then quite literally pressed a cream pie into Adagio's stunned face. “Eat pie!” she finished. Sonata clapped both hands over her mouth and stared wide-eyed. A loud chorus of “ohhhhh!” came from the audience, soon overtaken by an even louder laughter. A chant went up. “Adagio got pied! Adagio got pied!” Adagio tore the pie tin off her face. “This isn’t over!” she snarled, wiping the cream from off her cheeks. The MC broke in. “Oh, I’d say it is. The people have spoken!” he said. He stepped forward and took Pinkie Pie by the wrist. “Tonight’s winner, a dark horse competitor that no one saw coming! Victory goes to… uh… what’s your name, again?” “Pinkie Pie!” Pinkie said cheerfully. He thrust her hand into the air. “Pinkiiie Piiiiiiie!” More cheering answered him. Pinkie stepped forward, clasped her hands above her head, and shook them triumphantly. “And here's your prize!” Pinkie brightened as she took the envelope. “Ooh! What's this, mail?” The MC blinked. “It's the prize money. You know, the prize for tonight? Two hundred big ones in cold hard cash?” Pinkie looked inside the envelope and brightened. “Ooh!” She straightened up and pointed at her friends and shrieked excitedly. “We're going out for ice cream!” * * * True to her word, Pinkie dragged them all to an ice cream shop boasting an inordinate amount of flavors. Well, perhaps 'dragged' was a strong word; the only one who needed physical assistance had been Sonata. Sonata looked over at the many flavors of ice cream under the glass. She was surprised at just how many there were; she had only known the cheap vanilla from the school cafeteria. She was the last to order, and she cast a quick glance to where the rest of the Rainbooms were already eating. Rarity was eating hers daintily off a cone. Applejack and Rainbow Dash had ordered tall shakes, but neither had started drinking yet; instead, they were staring each other down over the tops, clearly about to challenge each other to some sort of contest and just waiting for the other to blink first. Fluttershy had in front of her one of the largest bowls of ice cream Sonata had ever seen and she was eating quietly in the corner next to Sunset Shimmer, who was eating mint ice cream and rolling her eyes in ecstasy as though she’d never tasted mint before. Sonata jumped as Pinkie appeared next to her. “Whatcha thinking of getting?” she asked excitedly. “Hurry, or it's all gonna melt!” Sonata frowned. “No, it's not,” she protested. The ice cream tubs were clearly in freezers and in no immediate danger of melting. Pinkie continued blithely. “My favorite is the birthday party one, because it has party in the name! And it tastes like cake, so it's like you get to eat cake and ice cream at the same time!” Sonata cracked a smile. “I guess I'll try that, then.” “And if you put the brownie bits on top, it's like having cake and ice cream and brownies at the same time! A delicious trifecta of food!” Sonata blinked, fairly certain that that was not a word. “Just the ice cream, then,” Pinkie surmised. “You want it in a cone or in a bowl? If you get a cone, you can wear it as a hat when you're done with the ice cream.” Pinkie plucked the display cone from its plastic stand and placed it on her head demonstratively. She spread her hands, wordlessly asking how she looked. Sonata had to giggle at that. Pinkie grinned. “Cone it is, then!” she said brightly. Sonata nodded. She turned to order a small cone, but as if she had read her mind, Pinkie interrupted. “And make sure you get a big one, otherwise you’ll run out of ice cream before everyone else does and then everyone will call you no-ice-cream-Sonata! And that’s a terrible nickname!” Finally, Sonata couldn't take it anymore. She stopped and turned to face Pinkie. “Why are you being so nice to me?” “Huh?” Pinkie asked. “You’re buying me ice cream, you jumped up on stage and rap battled Adagio when you didn’t have to and weren't even supposed to, you’re letting me sleep at your house, you gave me pajamas, you're just being really nice to me. Why? What do you want from me?” Her voice was desperate. She had to know. Pinkie shrugged. “I dunno,” she said. “I just like to see people smile.” “Smile,” Sonata said flatly. There was no way it was that simple. “No, really. Why?” Pinkie shrugged. “You’re my friend. Do I really need a reason?” Sonata paused and slowly closed her mouth. Was it that simple? “Yes?” she said, now unsure of herself. “Maybe?” Pinkie stared for a long time, the gears in her own head now spinning as she comprehended Sonata’s words. Then she squinted. “Do you think that I’m only doing nice things for you and being your friend so you’ll owe me later?” Sonata nodded, almost imperceptibly. That was how it worked, right? Pinkie blinked for a few seconds, and then began to giggle blinked, and then uncontrollably and increasingly louder until she snorted so loudly everyone in the store had to look over. “Did you really think friends just used each other to get what they wanted?” she asked. Sonata’s face scrunched up, mildly embarrassed. “Well, I did; until you laughed… and asked me if… if that’s what I really thought,” she said sheepishly. Pinkie giggled as she led Sonata back to the table. “It doesn’t work like that, you silly!” she said as she slid into her seat. “Friends do nice things for one another just because we can, not because we want to stock up on favors.” “That’s what makes a friendship,” Fluttershy agreed. “It’s not about using one another, it’s about caring for one another.” “And you’re all of our friends,” Pinkie stated firmly. Then she paused and chewed on her spoon. That hadn’t sounded quite right. “All of us's friend?” she mused. “Our's friend?” Rainbow facepalmed. “What she means, darling,” Rarity broke in, “is that we all consider you our friend.” She held out her ice cream in a ‘cheers’ salute. She somewhat regretted this decision; the motion brought her ice cream cone directly in front of Pinkie Pie, who simply could not resist the temptation to lean forward and take an enormous bite out of it. Rarity stared forlornly at her mangled ice cream, her smooth tongue strokes and even patterns obliterated. “So we all make mistakes once in a while,” Sunset shrugged. “We’re always going to be there for each other and support each other. That’s what friends do.” “Yeah,” Pinkie agreed. “That’s what friends do. Sure, some days are dark and lonely, and you might feel sad; but Pinkie will be there to show you that it isn’t that bad.” She paused. “There’s potential in that,” she murmured, her eyes brightening. She reached back and stuck her spoon into her hair for safekeeping, and then pulled out a pencil in its place, and began scribbling her lyrics on a nearby napkin. Rarity stared, dumbstruck at this absolute disregard for personal hygiene until her ice cream began to melt and run down her hand, whereupon she quickly began licking it again. Sonata processed this. “So, you’re all my friends?” she asked, just to confirm. Everyone present nodded. Well, everyone except for Rarity; but she was currently processing the fact that she was licking ice cream from where Pinkie Pie had licked, and was currently trying to decide how she felt about this. It was swinging wildly between 'revolted', 'disgusted', and 'uncomfortable'. Sonata smiled, a true smile for the first time in a long time. “I like the sound of that.” For the first time in a long time, she felt as though she truly belonged. And then this tender moment was interrupted when Rainbow squealed, dropped her shake, and clapped her hands on each side of her head. “Aghh! Braaain freeeeze!” she wailed. Incidentally, that is how Sonata found that it’s a lot more fun to laugh with people than at them.