The morning in Canterlot was a lovely one. The sun was rising above the hills, casting everything in a beautiful light. The morning dew sparkled on the wildlife, making the landscape a glittery view. Flowers were blooming here and there, dots of color showing up and spreading throughout the city's inner decor.
Many of the early risers that resided within the metropolis were rising to attend their morning duties, preparing for a day of work despite it being a weekend. These people were steadfast and worked hard, acting as contributors to society and it's progression. These people were the backbone of the city and it's inner workings. These people were the underdogs who kept the world spinning, fighting hard and well despite how little they received.
Sonata Dusk was not one of these people.
In fact, to be more accurate, little old Sonata was snoozing on her computer desk, drooling a flood of spit. The sun came peeking out of the cracks of her window, winking in and out as the curtain rippled from Sonata's heavy snoring and breathing. Suddenly, it cracked open just enough to where the sun glared onto her face.
Sonata awoke with a groan, then opened her eyes a bit. She shrieked and jerked upwards in a cringe, her hands shielding her eyes. "The sun! It burns us! It burns us!"
A quick succession of slamming came from the wall near Sonata's bed. "Yo, Nata, stop quoting Lord of the Rings and shut up! Some of us are trying to get some sleep!"
Sonata winced. "Sorry, Aria!"
"Shut up!" Aria shouted back.
Sonata sighed and took a quick review of herself. She had slept in her sweatpants and t-shirt, which could be considerable sleepwear if she hadn't taken a doze at her desk. She wiped off the saliva on her cheek and sighed as she noted that her hair had come out of its ponytail sometime in the night. She paused in her examination as her stomach growled.
"Yeesh, I'm hungry," she murmured. "When was the last time I ate?" She looked over at the bag of crunchy, cheesy puffs and the wrappers of discarded candies. "Oh... I guess when I was watching Season 5..."
Sonata got up from her seat and faltered as her legs adjusted to the sudden change of position. She and wobbled over to her door, her sleeping legs buzzing as they awoke. She stumbled as she reached the door and held onto the frame before opening it and making her way down the hall. As she made her way to the stairs, she could hear the TV playing downstairs with screeching tires and gunshots coming from it. She sighed a bit as she realized that Adagio was awake and tread down the stairs lightly.
"Hey, Dagi," Sonata greeted as she reached the bottom of the stairs, not even bothering to glance at Adagio.
"Hey," Adagio replied. "I made some pancakes earlier. You can have some if you want."
Sonata paused and she turned around to look at Adagio, who was laying on the couch lazily. "You made breakfast?" She looked her over. "You don't have any batter or anything on you..."
Adagio sighed. "Fine, so I went to the burger place to get some. Sue me."
Sonata furrowed her brows in confusion. "We live together? I can't really get anything if I sue you, and lawyers cost a lot of money, so--"
"It's a figure of speech, Nata," Adagio said with a roll of her eyes.
"Oh." Sonata shrugged. "OK, then. I'm gonna go get some food and watch... What are you watching?"
A loud explosion came from the screen at that precise moment, making Sonata jump, though Adagio was unfazed. "Rapid and Raging 4. I'm just checking to see how accurate everything really is."
"Oh... Isn't there a lot of violence in those movies?"
A loud series of gunshots rang through the air. "Yeah, so?"
"...No reason."
After grabbing a plate of pancakes and a small container of complimentary maple syrup, Sonata plopped herself onto the couch beside Adagio, who was wrapped up in a blanket and completely immersed in the movie.
"So, what's going on in this movie?" Sonata asked, noting the dialogue between the two heavily tattooed men.
Adagio sighed. "Not gonna spend forever recapping everything for you. Besides, the movie's got like half an hour left anyway." She looked at Sonata and arched a brow at her. "Yeesh, you look terrible." She squinted a bit. "Have you been crying?"
Sonata shook her head, a bit too quickly. "No, of course not!"
Adagio glared at her. "Liar. Your nostrils are flaring horrifically."
Sonata's hands flew to her nose. "What?!"
"Your nostrils flare when you lie," Adagio told her. "Now, spill it. Have you been crying?"
Sonata sighed a bit drearily. "Yeah. A lot, actually."
Adagio frowned, then leaned over the coffee table to grab the remote. She paused the movie and looked back at Sonata. "This isn't over our powers or anything, right? I mean, I thought we all talked this out months ago."
Sonata blinked. "Did we? I must not have been paying attention."
If it had been anyone else but Sonata, Adagio might have taken that as sass or a snarky remark. Of course, Sonata wasn't really known doing those things offhandedly, so Adagio merely pinched the bridge of her nose and took ten seconds to breath in and out.
"Alright, then I suppose I'll just put it simply," Adagio said as she put her hand down, sounding a bit crisp. "We talked about how we need to adjust to not having powers and how we had to try to find new ways to innovate ourselves. Also, if I remember correctly, you were the one who said we should 'stop being such meanieheads to everyone'." Adagio waved her hands a bit, like she was sprinkling glitter, then crossed her arms over her chest. "So, I don't know if you remember this or not, but Aria and I have managed to go through with this promise of innovation."
"Well, duh, I remember that!" Sonata told her. "Aria's rapping and you're working on cars and stuff!"
"Which leads me to my next point," Adagio stated. "What exactly have you decided you wanted to do with your life?"
Sonata arched a brow. "What do you mean?"
Adagio rolled her eyes. "I mean, what have you decided to do career or hobby-wise? I don't think I've seen you show any interest in anything since the whole Battle of the Bands incident."
Sonata frowned. "Hey, cut me some slack! I'm still adjusting to everything!"
"You've had long enough to adjust," Adagio told her. "I mean, all you ever do is stay in your room and Persephone knows what you do in there."
Sonata's cheeks went bright red. "Just because I don't know what I want to do with my life right now doesn't mean I don't want to figure it out! Just give me some time!"
Adagio sighed. "Sonata, I don't mean to sound impatient, but we're all supposed to graduate in a couple months. That means college, careers, and all that are coming right around the corner."
"You never worried about that before!" Sonata protested.
"That was before we lost our immortality and became humans here," Adagio reminded her. "Life is fleeting here. We can't dilly-dally and hope to amount to anything if we don't figure out what we're supposed to do."
"Yo," Aria greeted as she walked in holding a plate of pancakes. She looked to Adagio and Sonata in quick succession. "Am I interrupting something?"
Sonata huffed a bit. "No. This conversation is over." She got up and left her plate on the coffee table before making her way to the stairs. "I'm going to my room."
"Sonata, I'm not done talking about--" Adagio tried to say, but Sonata was already on her way up the stairs. Adagio sighed as she heard the door slam upstairs. "What is with her?"
Aria shrugged. "Dunno. She's always been weird." She sat down on the couch beside her. "Yo, whatcha watching?"
Adagio sighed. "Not important. I'm not in the mood anymore." She turned the TV off with the remote. "So, care to tell me just why you look like a zombie from the Thriller music video? The bags under your eyes look awful."
Aria scowled. "Dunno, maybe I'll tell you after you tell me about why you have so much grease in your hair. Did you go to the burger joint and dip your hair in the fries?"
Adagio frowned at her and she looked away from her. "I'm already in a bad mood. I don't need you adding onto it."
"You're always in a bad mood," Aria commented. "So what was that whole thing with Sonata? She looked pretty upset."
Adagio sighed. "She's mad because I wanted to know what she wanted to do for a career or hobby. It's just, I haven't seen her try to do anything outside of hanging out with those Rainbooms."
Aria flicked her nose. "Hey, knock it with the whole 'Rainboom' thing. You know it bothers Nata when you do that, and it's kinda bothering me. 'Sides, I thought you were over that."
"Part of me is still resentful," Adagio growled. Her gaze softened a bit. "But I'm trying. Anyway, have you seen her try to do anything outside of shut herself in her room?"
Aria shrugged. "Nope. I mean, she chills with Chatterbox and helps her plan parties, but she doesn't do much besides that. All she does is stay up all night watching her stupid TV shows and crying about them."
Adagio arched a brow. "Why?"
Aria shrugged. "Dunno. I try not to question her anymore. Too many headaches for me to handle."
Adagio looked at the stairway and she sighed. "Yeah. Too many headaches indeed..."
* * *
When Monday rolled around, Sonata was exhausted. She had spent the previous night tossing and turning over what Adagio had told her, so sleep wasn't something that she got much of. Her eyes were circled and creased from sleep deprivation, her hands shook when she tried to hold them up, and her head felt like a ton of bricks.
By the time lunchtime rolled around, Sonata barely managed to plop herself at the table with the six other girls sitting there. "Hey, guys."
Pinkie scooted her chair over to her. "Hey, Nata! What's up?"
Sonata's head fell against the table, making everyone jump a bit and those who hadn't noticed her sit down look at her. "Not my head, that's for sure."
Pinkie frowned and lifted a forelock of Sonata's hair to look at her face. "Is something wrong? You look pretty tired..."
Sonata sighed and sat up, making everyone suck in air through their teeth as they saw her face. "I didn't sleep a lot last night..."
Pinkie put a hand behind her and pulled out a cupcake. "Will a cupcake make you feel a little better?"
Sonata took it gingerly, then put it down in front of her. Once more, her head came falling down and slammed onto the cupcake. "No."
"I don't think that's what she was trying to do," Sunset Shimmer told her. "But that's certainly... one way to do it."
"Is everything alright, dear?" Rarity asked finally. "What made you not get any-- ahem, pardon my bluntness-- beauty sleep?"
Sonata lifted her head off the table and she let Fluttershy come over to wipe her face clean with a napkin. "Dagi wanted to know if I had come up with anything I wanted to do for the rest of my life. She said I needed to figure it out before graduation or else I'm not gonna amount to anything."
"I'm sure Adagio didn't mean it like that," Sunset said reassuringly. "Besides, I thought you were helping Pinkie with party planning!"
Sonata shrugged. "Sure, it's fun, but I don't know if it's what I want to do for the rest of my life. I mean, like, for realzies? I'm not sure I'd be very good at it."
Pinkie put a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, I'm sure you'd be great at it! You just need to keep working on it!"
"But what about that time I screwed up that cake recipe with potato chips?" Sonata asked.
Pinkie smiled reassuringly. "That's a common mistake!"
"But what about that time I set the kitchen on fire?" Sonata recalled.
Pinkie's smile faltered a bit. "OK, that was a little more problematic, but you're still learning!"
"And what about that time I broke your confetti cannon?"
Pinkie opened her mouth, ready to object, then paused. "OK, yeah, maybe you're not as good as I thought."
"Pinkie!" Fluttershy said with urgency. She paused in her wiping to look at Sonata. "I'm sure there's something you're good at. You just gotta figure it out." She sat down beside Sonata in the empty chair. "I remember that I was the last one in the group to figure out what I wanted to do."
"Oh, yeah!" Pinkie recalled. "How did you figure it out, anyway?"
When Fluttershy opened her mouth to speak, a voice interrupted her. "Yo, Butterfly, you're in my seat."
Sonata frowned as Fluttershy scurried out of the seat and she turned away. "I don't wanna talk to you or Dagi, Aria."
"What did I do?" Aria asked, arching a brow at her as she sat down. Sonata took notice of how she didn't use any street language or slip into any strange vernaculars, then deduced it to be Adagio's doing. She wasn't very fond of Aria's new manner of speaking, so she must have nipped that in the bud rather quickly.
Sonata huffed a bit. "You made fun of me for liking TV shows!"
Aria rolled her eyes. "Well, I just find it weird that you get so upset over them. I caught you crying on Friday night, screaming out, 'Cassie, nooooo!'" She waved her hands a bit dramatically, much like Adagio did when she was mimicking Sonata. "I just don't get it."
Pinkie gasped. "What episode are you on? Have you caught up yet?"
Sonata shook her head. "Still on Season 5. I just got to the part where Cassie is--"
"Ah, ah, ah!" Rainbow exclaimed, holding her hands over her ears. "Don't say it! I'm still on Season 3!"
Aria looked between Pinkie and Rainbow with a confused look on her face. "You both watch the same show as Sonata?"
"Yeah!" Pinkie answered, nodding erratically. "She started watching it at my house when we had a sleepover a couple weeks ago!"
Aria rolled her eyes. "Typical." She looked at Rainbow. "What, do you watch it because of how it makes these two cry?"
Rainbow scoffed. "No way! I watch it 'cause of the action! Diana and Sarah, kicking ass and taking names! Rescuing people--"
"Fighting things!" Pinkie added.
"The family business in full swing!" Sonata concluded.
Aria didn't say anything for a moment, then looked at Sunset. "Do you know anything about this?"
Sunset shrugged. "I only know what these three tell me. But, according to Sonata, apparently Diana and Cassie got a thing going on?"
Rainbow groaned. "Guh, why do you guys keep obsessing over those two? The show's not about those two falling in love with each other!"
"No, but it'd be an epic bonus to have to the show," Sonata said.
Pinkie shrugged. "I don't care either way. I just want everyone to be happy! Poor Sarah gets so much piled on her..."
"Ugh, no wonder you haven't figured anything out," Aria commented. "You're so obsessed with this show you aren't even bothering to try to get any hobbies."
Sonata looked at Aria. "Oh, like rapping is something that's gonna amount to a lot? Just 'cause you're good at it doesn't mean that you're gonna go anywhere!"
Aria's jaw fell open in shock, then closed as Aria glared her. "Take that back. Right now."
Sonata glared right back at her. "No. I don't wanna."
"OK, I hate to interject here, but I think that y'all should both apologize right now," AJ commented. "This ain't gon' fix anythin', and y'all aren't bein' fair to each other."
Sonata turned away from Aria, her arms crossed. "I'll apologize once she sees that just because I like a show a lot doesn't mean I'm stupid!"
Aria mimicked Sonata's actions and crossed her arms as she turned away. "And I'll apologize once she sees that just because I rap doesn't mean I'm not worth anything!"
AJ sighed. "Well, this is just great..."
Aria growled and stood up. "Forget this. I'm outta here." She shoved on her headphones and left the table, tromping out of the cafeteria.
Sonata glared at her she left, but she felt her gaze soften when she disappeared through the doors. She sighed a bit. "I'm not stupid... Am I?"
Sunset shook her head. "Of course you're not stupid! You just... do things differently from other people."
Sonata looked back at the cafeteria doors once more, then looked away, her heart feeling heavy.
* * *
"Cassie... I know you're in there," Diana whispered. Her face bloody from horrific trauma, though she still forced herself to look at Cassie. "Please... I know you can hear me in there..."
Cassie stood above Diana, who was kneeling before her. Cassie couldn't bring herself to continue to hurt Diana, but... She had orders. It was her job. She was meant to hurt Diana.
"Please..." Diana croaked. Her voice was breaking, though if it was from pain or emotion, Cassie couldn't tell. "It's me. We're family... We... We need you..."
Cassie felt her grip on her blade loosen as Diana said those words, though she kept on a fierce face to keep Diana from seeing her weakness. Of course the Henry's needed her help; she was a witch, and she had power they didn't. She could move mountains, change the tides, and heal the sick with a single touch. The Henry's needed her alright. They needed her to stay alive.
"That's all humans want!" her superior had told her. "They only take, and they can never, ever give back enough! Those Henry's aren't your friends!"
Cassie glared down at Diana, but her gaze softened as she saw the tears in Diana's eyes. Raised by her father, she knew that Diana was never allowed to cry, nor that she ever liked to do it at all. Seeing it was rare, and seeing it was a painful awakening for Cassie.
"I need you," Diana told her, her voice wavering.
Cassie suddenly remembered what else her superiors at the coven had told her. "It's either us, or them."
"Cassie, please." Her tears were falling freely. "I... I..."
"COME ON, SAY IT ALREADY!" Sonata exclaimed, slamming her hands on her desk. She watched the scene play before her with wide eyes, crazed and attentive. She leaned forward in her chair and took a handful of popcorn in her hand. "Admit it already!"
Cassie dropped her angel blade, her eyes sparkling. "Oh, Diana..."
Sonata clapped her hands. "Yes! Come on, you can say it!"
Cassie crouched down to the floor, her hand reaching towards Diana's face. Diana cowered a bit, but as Cassie's hand brushed her cheek, her wounds healed and her face was unscathed.
"Cassie," Diana whispered, her eyes filling with tears again. "You broke free."
"Yes, I..." Cassie trailed off a bit. "Yes, I did."
Diana stood up as Cassie straightened her stance. "What broke you out? What broke the connection with your superiors?"
"You did!" Sonata cried out. "You broke the connection!"
Cassie looked down a bit, her brows furrowing. "I... I don't know."
Sonata threw her bowl of popcorn in the air. "OH, COME ON! I've been waiting all season for this, and all you give me is 'I don't know'?"
"I... I have to go," Cassie told Diana. Then, with a flash of smoke, she was gone.
"Cassie?" Diana whispered, looking around. "Cassie!"
"Gah!" Sonata exclaimed as the credits rolled. "This is ridiculous! I can't believe I still watch this!" She crossed her arms a bit. "First I get lectured by Dagi, and now I've been disappointed by you two!" She sighed bit. "Why do I always put my faith in you two for happiness...?"
Sonata knew she sounded ridiculous. She was putting the focus of her happiness on two people-- two fictional people, at that, and so far, she had been nothing but disappointed. Sure, there were moments were she felt as though there was hope for the two, but then the writers would have to go and pull something to make her regret hoping in the first place.
"Someone needs to take Cassie and Diana away from the writers," Sonata mumbled. "They always have mean things happen to them because of those... meanieheads!" She looked back at her computer for a moment, her gaze sad as she saw the oncoming episode where it showed Diana and Cassie arguing, no doubt because Cassie had ditched Diana only seconds before. "Why can't you two just be happy together?"
Sonata spent a lot of her time wondering about how Cassie and Diana would have their happy ending. She imagined that they'd manage to save the world for good, maybe even seal the doors to the Gates of Hell while they were at it. She imagined that Cassie would put Heaven back in a good place, maybe even run things efficiently and have everything go perfectly fine. She imagined that Diana and Cassie would finally be together... become a family... have a family.
A happily ever after. The one thing she might never have.
Sonata sighed as she thought about how she didn't even bother talking to Aria or Adagio when she had gotten home from party planning with Pinkie that afternoon and looked to the door. Should she apologize for what she said to Aria and reconcile with Adagio?
She shook her heard. 'No. They were mean first.'
Sonata crossed her arms over her chest and looked back at her computer, her eyes narrowed in anger as she recalled Aria's mean comments. It was hardly new for Sonata to experience ridicule from Aria, but it didn't take from how much her words hurt. Just because Sonata knew she wasn't the best didn't mean that she needed constant reminders of her being the worst.
Adagio was hardly any better. Being the leader oftentimes had Adagio as the maternal figure for the girls, though Aria hardly took Adagio up on her offers for help. Sonata, having difficulty over doing anything on her own, clung to Adagio for guidance, and the older Siren very rarely had the patience to put up with Sonata's constant need for attention. To her credit, she had been trying to get better with her temper, but it didn't change how judging she could be.
How could Sonata expect to amount to anything when no one expect anything from her to begin with?
Sonata looked at her computer screen again, the image of Diana and Cassie invigorating her. She put on a determined face. "Forget the writers; they can't do their jobs right, anyway." She opened up a word document, then began clacking away. "If Cassie and Diana are gonna get a happy ending, then I'm just gonna have to write it myself!"
* * *
Sonata didn't sleep that night. Her mission had been made clear to her, and she'd be damned if she didn't accomplish it that instant. She spent the first hour planning what to write about, making notes in her notebook and scribbling out anything that didn't make sense. By the time she had gotten her plans written down, she had managed to fill out three whole pages of notebook paper, excluding the random scribbles that accompanied them.
In the next hour or so, she took to typing up her outline. She typed harshly and quickly, her fingers pressing in quick succession as she stared intently at the computer screen. Another hour after that came with soda and cheesy puffs, pressing her to push on with her writing even more so. Soon, she had managed to write an amazing 10,000 words.
Now came the details, she thought. She read over the document once more, adding in things for later development, checking on fluid motion and dialogue, making sure that the characters remained as characters. She added in other things, small references to already known things and perhaps even explanations for things no one had thought about.
Then, she took to adding more to the story, more than she had originally planned. As Diana and Cassie's feelings became more prominent, hers did as well, and she expanded with what she wanted. She took things farther than she planned-- Cassie and Diana took things farther than she had planned.
And as she looked into what else she could have been missing, she soon saw there was inconsistency in lore, despite the theme of the story. She opened up a tab to research a topic. Then another. Then another. Soon enough, she had almost twenty tabs open, full of pages that held lore and other things she might not have known about prior to looking at her search engine.
Her words came pouring out like water from a broken dam, flowing and strong, nothing holding them back. The rough surface of her work became smooth and fluid as she continued to spill herself into it, her heart and soul going in rhythm as they guided her to where she was meant to be.
As she typed her final word, she sighed in content. She had done it. Deep from within her, she had managed to allow her mind to roam free and do as it pleased. She had allowed herself free will, and it felt incredible not having to worry about her destiny for a moment. A long, wonderful moment, she felt at ease.
"There," she said to herself. "Now that's how that scene should have gone." She wiggled her fingers. "Now, to proofread this!"
Her head slammed onto the desk, a snore escaping her as exhaustion overtook her.
* * *
Knock, knock, knock. "Sonata? Are you in there?"
Sonata lifted her head off of her desk. "Huh...?"
"Nata, it's past 7!" shouted Aria from the other side of the door. "Are you even dressed?"
Sonata looked to the clock beside her computer and her eyes widened as she saw that Aria was telling the truth. She inspected her clothes and she sighed as she stood up from the desk. "I'll be out in a sec!"
"Hurry it up!" Aria snapped. "Adagio has got the car started and we're leaving in less than five minutes!"
Sonata sighed. "OK!" She looked at her computer and noted the document that stilled occupied her screen. She thought it over for a moment, then saved the file under a random series of letters and opened up her email to compose a message.
To: cupcakelover777@ponymail.com
From: dissielover123@wahoomail.com
Subject: HEY LOOK AT WHAT I MADE
Attached File: asdfhjk;assdfhdj
"Sonata, hurry up!" Aria called from outside. "We're gonna be late!"
Sonata clicked 'Send', then slipped on a jacket and zipped it up as she slipped on her shoes. "I'm coming!"
"Yeesh, you look like hell," Aria commented as Sonata stepped out of her room. "Almost makes me want to apologize for yesterday."
Sonata frowned at the mention of the day before and walked past Aria. "Don't bother. You wouldn't mean it anyway."
Aria arched a brow. "Did I just hear sass come from you?"
"Dunno," Sonata replied. And she really didn't. She wasn't prone to sass people without having to think about it. That was more Aria and Adagio's thing than her own.
Aria scoffed a bit. "Well, alright then. Not sure if I like it, but it's new, that's for sure." She clambered down the stairs with Sonata. "So, what were you doing in there last night? I heard you yelling and throwing a hissy fit about something, then you just stopped all of a sudden. Didn't hear a peep from you."
"It's not of import," Sonata told her, then paused as she realized what she said. Had that been something that she had made Cassie say in her story last night? It sounded an awful lot like her.
Aria, once again, arched a brow. "...OK. You're acting weird. Weirder than usual, anyway." She shrugged. "Whatever. Just so long as you're not spouting off any nonsense about Katy."
"Cassie," Sonata corrected, her tone crisp. "Her name is Cassie, and she's a witch of the Grand Coven."
"And there goes any of my respect for you. I'll see you in the car."
As Aria slipped out the front door, Sonata saw a notification come from her phone regarding her email. She looked down at it to see that Pinkie Pie had replied to her message with a smiley face and a reassurance that she'd look at what Sonata sent her later on. Sonata smiled, then followed after Aria.
* * *
Sonata had received a rude awakening when she got to school. A literal one.
"Yo, Nata, wake up!" Aria's voice ordered, accompanied with shaking.
Sonata groaned as she opened her eyes and lifted her head off of the window, where her forehead had been pressed. She rubbed her eyes and sat up groggily. "What's going on?"
"We're at school," Aria told her, a bit annoyed. "Yeesh, did you get any sleep last night?"
"Yes!" Sonata protested. "Just... not a lot."
She heard Adagio sigh from the front seat. "Were you up watching that ridiculous show of yours about the angels and demons and whatevers? I thought I told you needed to find a better way to spend your time."
"Hey, give her a break," Sunset said, turning back to look at Sonata. "I'm sure she was doing something worth losing sleep over."
Sonata smiled. "Thanks, Sunset." She blinked. "Wait, when did you get here?"
"Adagio offered me a ride when she saw me walking here this morning," Sunset explained. "She said she didn't want me walking in this weather. Even though it's nice."
"Too nice," Adagio said. "It's just waiting to go wrong... Planning... Brewing..."
Sonata looked at Aria, who merely rolled her eyes at Adagio's comment. "Alright, I guess we better go in then..."
"Whatever," Aria mumbled, climbing out of the car.
As the four girls exited the car and made their way to the school, the clamber of chatting students came from the distance. The previously separated and categorized students were brushing elbows with their opposites and making friendly small talk, genuine smiles on their faces to prove their kindness. Sonata looked at Sunset, who had a shaded look on her face, but she did well to hide it quickly as they approached the front of the school.
"Sonataaaaaaa!" a familiar, high-pitched voice exclaimed.
Sonata smiled as she saw Pinkie's signature pink streak coming towards her and she held her arms out in acceptance of a hug. As Pinkie crashed into her, she didn't mind how much her ribs hurt or how hard Pinkie was squeezing her midsection. Pinkie's hugs were certainly the best she'd received in her centuries of living.
"Hi, Pinkie!" Sonata greeted, smiling at her. "What's up?"
Pinkie giggled a bit excitedly. "Nata, I got that email you sent me! Wow, I can't believe how much work you did! When did you do it?"
"Oh, last night!" Sonata told her. "It took awhile, but I managed to get a good rough draft going! So, what'd you think?"
"Oh, I haven't gotten that far with it! I'm only, like, 10 percent in!" Pinkie smiled at her even wider. "But, from what I saw, it looks really good, even for a rough draft!"
"Rough draft of what, exactly?" Sunset asked, blinking in confusion.
Sonata suddenly felt the blood rush from her face as she remembered that the others were there. How would Adagio react to her writing about fictional characters when she should have been trying to find something to do with her life? She twiddled her fingers awkwardly. "Uh... It's just a project I'm doing... Nothing too big..."
"'Nothing too big'?" Pinkie repeated, almost mortified. "But, you put so much work into i--"
Sonata's hand flew over Pinkie's mouth and clamped it shut. "Like I said, nothing too big. I was just writing something for fun and I got carried away."
Adagio's brow rose. "Really? You wrote something? What was it about?"
Pinkie took Sonata's hand off of her mouth. "Oh, it's so great! Romance! Drama! Intima--"
Sonata's hand slipped back onto Pinkie's mouth and her other one accompanied it. "Just a little something I threw together! Not really a single genre, you know? I'm not good at choosing what to do, after all!" She hoped she didn't sound bitter when she said it.
"Yeah, you're really not," Aria commented, making Sonata twinge a bit in anger.
Adagio's hand smacked Aria's head. "Hush now, Nata's trying something new!" She crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, I'm glad you've taken our talk to heart and that you're deciding to put effort into something worthwhile. Perhaps maybe you can show us some of your work sometime?"
"Yes!" Pinkie cheered, her mouth once again escaping captivity.
"No!" Sonata argued. She froze as she everyone flinch at her shout. "I mean, uh... It's not really ready yet, you know? I only just started writing it and it would be silly since I still gotta do stuff to it."
"But--" Pinkie tried to say, only for Sonata to wrap her arms around Pinkie's head to silence her completely.
"So, I'll see you guys later! I gotta go, uh, check on a thing! Pinkie knows what I'm talking about!" She looked at Pinkie with narrowed eyes. "Right, Pinkie?"
Pinkie, finally catching her hint, nodded with a hum of agreement.
"Alright, bye-bye!" Sonata dragged Pinkie with her waved awkwardly, while Pinkie waved enthusiastically as if nothing were wrong.
Sunset looked at Adagio. "Uh... Is she acting weird to you?"
Adagio shrugged. "I'm just glad she's found something to do that doesn't involve setting things on fire. I don't know how, but she's managed to set fire to many things in our time here."
"You mean like your hair back in the--" Aria tried to say.
"Yes," Adagio said crisply.
"And you were totally--"
"Yes, Ari, I remember. No need to remind me of that trying time."
The trio was silent for a moment, only to be broken by a snicker from Aria. "You looked like a poodle that went through an incinerator."
Aria went to class with a welt on her head.
* * *
Sonata's exhaustion barely lifted as her day went forward. No amount of caffeinated drinks from the vending machines helped to awake her and she felt like a zombie as she trudged through the halls. It also didn't help that she had to spend an excessive amount of time explaining to Pinkie just why she couldn't go telling everyone about what she had written. That conversation only ended when she made Pinkie swear not to tell, enough so to put her heart and eye on the line.
"I don't get why you don't want them to see it!" Pinkie had said. "It's really good, despite the spelling errors."
Sonata sighed. 'Well, at least she agreed not to tell Dagi or Ari. I don't think I can put up with a lecture from Adagio about wasting my time... Again.'
Then, the bell rang, signifying it was time for lunch. Sonata grabbed her bag and shuffled through the door, careful to avoid being seen by others. The less she was noticed, the easier it was for her to get to lunch quicker, and the easier it would be for her to make sure that Pinkie wasn't blabbing at the table in her absence. She couldn't afford to have Pinkie talk about the deviant acts that Cassie and Diana had committed.
As she stepped into the cafeteria, she looked around with squinted eyes to try to spot Pinkie's familiar pink hair. She stopped looking as she caught sight of her at the table and she rushed over, sliding into the chair almost on contact.
"Hey, guys!" Sonata greeted. "What are we talking about?"
The others looked at her oddly, but no differently from normal. "Uh, well, not a lot..." Applejack said.
"Yeah," Rainbow concurred. "I mean, we just got here. A lot of us were going to go into the line to get something to eat, actually. Wanna come with?"
"Oh, sure," Sonata replied, standing up with the others. "You coming with, Pinkie?"
Pinkie shrugged. "I brought enough cupcakes for lunch!" She pulled one out from behind her and took a bite out of it. "See?"
Sonata smiled. "Uh-huh."
"Oh, Nata, we gotta talk about your story!" Pinkie told her as Sonata walked away. "It's soooooo good!"
"Story?" Fluttershy asked, looking at Sonata in confusion as they made it to the lunch line.
Sonata felt a twinge of unease and she tapped her fingers together nervously. "I, uh, found a new hobby... I figured 'why not' and I wrote a story last night. I sent it to Pinkie this morning and she's been reading it."
Rarity smiled at her. "That's great to hear! You're expanding your horizons!"
"What's your story about?" Applejack questioned, her eyes skimming over the food choices. "What genre is it in?"
Sonata contemplated the themes and behavior in the story, then blushed a bit. "Um... Romance?"
"Ugh," Rainbow commented, rolling her eyes. "Boring!"
Sonata frowned. "There's also some action and folklore regarding mythical creatures and beings! I did a lot a research over it in, like, an hour, so I kinda know what I'm talking about!"
Rainbow blinked. "Whoa, mythical folklore? You mean like Lord of the Rings?"
Sonata's hand almost made contact with her forehead. "No, I mean like--" She paused as she recalled what her story was really about and paused. "Yeah, I guess like that... I mean, it's different, but there is mythical stuff in it."
"Oh, I always loved myths!" Fluttershy gushed. "I used to read the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings series all the time when I was little! I still have the paper backs on my bookshelf at home."
"And this romance has me rather interested," Rarity added. "What kind of romance is it? A story of star-crossed lovers or perhaps even a tragedy?"
Sonata's eyes widened. "No, it'd never be a tragedy! They love each other too much to let that happen!"
Rarity's eyes widened. "Oh, how delightful! I wonder how this will add into the setting of the story...? Perhaps a battle for the good of the world against evil itself!" She giggled a bit. "So, tell me, what exactly makes this couple so special? Is it perhaps the circumstances leading up to their blossoming romance? Or perhaps the fact that their being together is forbidden?"
"Um... Both?" Sonata answered, unsure how to reply.
Rarity grinned. "Sounds lovely! You'll have to let me give it a read sometime!"
Sonata looked away. "Yeah, sure..." She grabbed her tray and made her way back to the table, then froze. Sitting across from Pinkie Pie was Adagio and Aria, both of whom appeared to be listening to Pinkie talk about something. Something that probably spelled trouble for Sonata.
Sonata practically bolted to the table, careful to hold her tray just so it wouldn't spill onto her or the floor. She slid into her seat and tried to appear casual. "Hey, what's going on?"
Adagio looked at Sonata with an arched brow. "Nothing really. It just appears that Pinkie seems to have taken a liking to that story you wrote."
Sonata's stomach dropped and she looked at Pinkie from the corner of her eye before looking back at Adagio. "Really?"
Adagio nodded. "You know, I never asked: what brought on this need to write? I don't think I've ever seen you show particular interest in the matter before today, and it doesn't seem like... you."
Aria shrugged. "Who knows, maybe she's writing fanfiction or something."
Sonata gawked at Aria. "W-What?!"
Aria snickered. "I'm just playing. How ridiculous would that be? I mean, even you wouldn't do something so lame. Even though you're the worst."
Sonata felt a bit of relief wash over her, but Aria's comment stung a bit. "Yeah... Pretty ridiculous, huh?"
Adagio smiled in confirmation. "Indeed. So, what is your story about?"
Sonata's breath hitched in her throat and she felt her stomach drop even lower. "Um... I... I..."
"Come on, Adagio, I bet it's not even that good," Aria said, taking a bite out of her pizza. "I mean, this is Sonata we're talking about. She's probably writing about something silly like butterflies or something."
Sonata felt a twinge of pain in her stomach when she heard that, but she laughed it off a bit. "Yeah... Yeah, it's not even that good."
Adagio shrugged. "Well, I hope this new hobby won't get in the way of you finding a career. Writing doesn't pay well, you know."
"Yeah..." Sonata replied, her eyes going downcast. "I mean, it's not like I'm gonna get a writing degree or anything? It's not like anyone wants to hire someone with that." The words tasted poisonous in her mouth.
Adagio smiled. "I'm glad that you've been trying to understand how important your future is. When we get home, we should take some time to talk about what colleges you should go to."
Sonata forced a smile. "OK, let's do that."
"Hey, Adagio, how's it going?" Sunset asked as she sat down at the table beside Adagio.
"Oh, hello, Sunset," Adagio greeted, her attention turning away from Sonata.
As everyone else settled in and went back into conversing with one another, Sonata felt her smile drop from her face. No one bothered to ask if anything was wrong.
* * *
"And we could use some ribbons in this corner here," Pinkie said, pointing at the blueprints for her new venue for party decorating. "It'd tied the whole room together!"
It was after school, and Pinkie, Sonata, Rainbow Dash, and Sunset Shimmer were gathered in the media room. Rarity had left to gather some swatches and supplies for the party planning, and Pinkie had taken it upon herself to begin sketching out some ideas in her absence. Sonata, however, was not enthusiastic as she usually was.
"Uh-huh," Sonata droned, her head laying on the table.
"And we could put some cute, folded napkins on the plates for the tables!"
"Mm-hmm..."
"Uh, Pinkie?" Rainbow Dash addressed, her gaze flickering over to Sonata. "I don't think that Sonata is in the mood for decorating right now..."
Pinkie looked up from her sheet to look at Sonata, her brows furrowing in worry. "Hey, what's up? You look a bit sad..."
Sonata sat up and held her head in her hands, her elbows propped on the table. "Nothing... I'm fine..."
Pinkie frowned and she slid her sheet off the table dramatically before leaning forward menacingly. "Liar. You're upset about something, aren't you?"
Sonata shook her head. "No..."
"You do look a bit tired," Sunset commented. "What's wrong?"
"Is this about what Adagio said back at lunch?" Pinkie questioned. "I mean, I can understand why if it is..."
Sunset blinked. "Wait, what did Dagi say?"
"Something about writing being a waste of time and how I won't amount to anything by doing it," Sonata said in a flat tone. She blinked in shock and looked at Sunset. "Wait, did you call her 'Dagi'?"
Sunset's cheeks turned slightly red. "What? No!" She waved a hand. "It's not important! Besides, is that really what she said?"
"She might as well have," Sonata sniffed. "She didn't even care about how much work I put into it... I just wanted to do something for fun and she had to go and ruin it for me..."
Pinkie's mouth made a small 'o' in realization. "Oh, you mean your fanfic? But you did such a good job with it!"
Sonata's eyes widened. "Pinkie!"
Pinkie blinked in a clueless manner. "What? You said I couldn't tell Adagio and Aria. You never said anything about Dashie and Sunny."
"Wait, you wrote a fanfic?" Dash repeated, her eyes widening in shock. "What was it about?"
Sonata glared at Pinkie for a moment before turning her attention to Dash. "Diana and Cassie. I rewrote a scene from season 5 and I ended up writing, like, 10,000 words. I barely slept last night."
"You wrote 10,000 words in one sitting?" Sunset breathed. "Whoa, that's... actually insanely impressive."
Sonata shrugged. "I didn't have anything better to do anyway."
"What about that project for English class?" Dash asked.
"My statement still stands."
Pinkie shrugged. "Well, I thought it was great! It totally shows how Cassie struggles within the coven and how Diana must fight against her urge to hurt the coven for fear of hurting Cassie! It even had some nice characterization for Sarah and she wasn't even in it!"
"Wait, so what happens exactly?" Sunset requested. "I mean, a lot must've happened with that word count."
Sonata blinked in shock. "Wait... You want to hear what my story's about?"
"Well, obviously!" Pinkie exclaimed. "I mean, I can't believe how much thought you put into it! There was so much symbolism, I couldn't believe it! That thing with Diana being a bird with broken wings being in a cage with an open door?" Pinkie held her hands in front of her face and wiggled her fingers as she pulled her hands down. "Tears!"
Dash leaned forward. "Dude, you have to send me it! I don't care if I have things spoiled for me, I wanna read this!"
"Hey, I wanna read it, too!" Sunset proclaimed. "If Sonata wrote a story about those two, then I better get started on watching the show! Is it on Netflix?"
"Yeah, it is!" Dash told her.
"Hold on!" Sonata shouted, waving her hands. "Why do you guys care about this so much? It's just a story!"
Pinkie gasped dramatically. "A story you wrote! A story that was really good! I bet the writers themselves couldn't write something that good!"
"Really?" Sonata beamed.
Pinkie smiled right back at her. "Really! Do you plan on writing anything else?"
Sonata felt her smile grow wider. "Oh, you bet!"
And as Sonata went on to explain her story ideas, she felt the weight that was inside her lift off a bit. She felt her heart grow lighter and her previous resentment towards herself and others fade away, her enthusiasm and passion taking it's place. Because, despite what many others thought and felt about what she did, what she did made her happy.
And nobody was going to take that away from her.