As the school day was over, we seemed to just take a rest on the couch. I mean, really nothing to do. Until I get a call from someone. I picked up the call. "Hello?" I question.
"Hello!" greeted a loud and energetic voice. "It's me, Pinkie, remember? You didn't just forget me immediately, did you? Right, Dusk? Shine?" I was trying to get my hearing back after such a high scream rather than a greeting from a fellow new friend.
"Hi, Pinkie. What's up? Wait, matter of fact, how do you have my-" I was about to ask her how she got my phone number, but she answered for me before I finished asking the question.
"You gave me it, remember? You gave it to ALL of us." she told me. Oh yeah, I forgot. Hehe... "And two: I wanted to ask if you and Sonata were busy today."
"No." I answered, but then asked, "Why?"
"Well, me and the gang were wondering if you can start to hang out with us. You know, hang out with the school's best band!" I started to think about it. Hang out with them at practice, or whatever they were doing? Sure. Actually, certainly!
"Yeah, we'll come over. Where are you guys hanging at?" I asked. Pinkie then told me that they were at the stage area, and that area I knew well, considering I'm the backstage guy. Yeah, this guy. "Alrighty. See you guys there!" I looked at Sonata who looked like she was going to sleep soon. "Sonata!" I yelled at her, trying to wake her up.
"Wha?!" she said, trying to figure out what was going on. "Wha-what is it, Shiny?" We- wait, Shiny? SHINY?!
"Well," I started to say. "Pinkie invited us to hang out with them at the stage area. BUT, can I ask you something?" She nodded. "Shiny?" I asked her.
"Why not?" she told me. "I mean, it's a cute name for you." I started to think of that and blushed. Cute... my God...
We then hop in my car and settle in to drive straight to the stage, where we got out of the car to walk up to a stage with six girls on it. They all held atleast an instrument. Pinkie was on the drums, Dash had a guitar, so did Sunset, Fluttershy had a tambourine, Rarity had a piano guitar, and Applejack had the bass. Sunset waved at us. "Hey, what's up, guys?" she said to us standing on the stage holding the guitar up loud and proud.
"Nothing much." I answered. "Pretty much had nothing to do, so I agreed to Pinkie inviting us over to hear you play, I guess."
Pinkie then came over to me really fast. She gasped. "Wait, do you know how to play an instrument of any sort?" This just came up randomly. "Are you good at the drums? Mic? Guitar? Bass? Triangle? Come on, everyone knows the triangle!" she said really, really fast. Lucky that I was able to understand her fast-talk.
"Um, no." I told her. "I really never played an instrument like you guys have before. But, maybe I can try? Why?" Pinkie cocked her head.
"Just wondering." she simply answered. "I mean, kinda wanna know a little more about you. Besides, it might be fun to play an instrument at the least. Still do wanna see what you got and get to know more of you, considering I just know your name is Dusk Shine, your parent's names were Half and Mighty, you were born in Louisville Hospital at 9:00 PM on July 20th, 1998, and yeah, just that." She smiled, while I opened my eyes and mouth. I'm scared... But hey atleast I get to play an instrument... or try one. "Let's get started!"
She handed me a guitar from a giant black case full of instruments. "Give it your best shot. Fire away!" she shouted. I played, but slowly and softly. "Aw, come on, I can see the fire and flame in your tiger eye. Let the beast roar!" I then started to play faster, and to my surprise, pretty fierce. I was holding some notes then and there, and played like I had my life depending on it. I was going all-out on the guitar. But then I botched, and two strings broke. Oops. Then followed some bad notes. Oops again. Pinkie shook her head. "Maybe the guitar isn't your color, I mean, instrument."
Next came the bass. Same followed that one. I started out playing Panic Attack by Dream Theater from out of the blue, then botched. Two strings broke and I played bad notes again. Pretty worse that time. She handed me another instrument: the drums. Before I tried, however, Sonata stepped up. "Can I try an instrument?" she asked.
"Oh, sure!" Pinkie said happily. "Of course you can try one! Maybe your taste is for guitar, or bass, or the triangle, or-"
Sonata interrupted. "Or maybe I can sing? On the, uh, mic?" She touched the mic with her one finger.
"Yeah, sure!" Pinkie said again in joy. "Maybe you can be our lead singer!"
"I thought I was the lead singer, guys." Rainbow spoke out. "Eh, nevermind. I guess I was born to shake, rattle, and roll on the guitar with the most AWESOME shredding skills." With that, Sonata stood up to the microphone, which Pinkie turned on. Something got to me. Why was Sonata going to sing? Not trying to be mean or anything, but wasn't she NOT wanting to just sing out? You know, in front of people by herself? Oh wait, she probably gained confidence from... choir.
I kinda embraced myself for some singing that could break glass, and she sang. As she sang, she sang off-key. The microphone made it better. It echoed and made such a high-pitch screech, and soon Sonata caught herself. As it stopped making the noise, a bird falls down from the sky. The girls uncovered their ears, and looked at Sonata. She seemed very embarrassed of her singing. "I-I..." she was trying to speak. "My voice is still not good... that's right."
Rarity came up from behind and put her hands on her shoulders. "Why, darling, how can you say such a thing? Although, your voice may be a little... off-key, you can make it better, right?" Sonata pushed Rarity's hand off her shoulder.
"It's no use. Don't try to make me feel good because I'm down-in-the-dumps about my singing." Sonata said. She sat on the edge of the stage. "The only way I can sing is with that siren gem, and now since I don't have it, or now since it's broken, there is no way I can sing in front of people. My voice sounds like a toddler's first shot at singing. I'm that bad. Or even WORSE." She sat there, and sighed.
I got off the seat of the drums, and walked up to her. "Sonata, stop thinking the negative ways of it. That's the slum that's taking you downhill." I told her. "If you stop thinking negative, maybe positive things will happen, and then you'll be all happy and giddy just like you always pretty much are." She looked up at me.
"What do I do then?" she asks. "Magically become the world's greatest singer with some practice? Like I said, stop trying to make me feel better about this. Trying to make me think positive about my 'great' singing. I have no future in singing, and that's all because of-"
She then caught herself. She was about to say what I was certain she was going to say. It was all because of the Rainbooms. Her new friends who have made her happy that one day. She didn't wanna say that. If she did, she might break the friendship bond between her new friends, who WERE the Rainbooms. She paused, and stayed paused. Yes, that was what she was going to say. It was indeed the Rainbooms who pretty much shattered the beautiful red gem around her neck that didn't just take power from people's negativity and such, but it helped her sing beautifully. She told me that was what she liked. To sing ever so gracefully. Now that power was gone. Possibly and sadly forever. Or so she thinks, atleast.
"N-nevermind." she said nervously and strangely. "I- just wanna sing again, that's all. I wanna get people to be like my fans, or whatever. Singing is something I looked up to ever since I was small and young. Hearing the voices of famous singers made me think, 'Hey, you can be that kind of girl. You can make it up and become an A-lister from singing like a star!', but who am I kidding?"
I kneeled beside her. "Sonata, please, you can make that moment again. And I just know how." She looked at me, waiting to hear my plan. "WE are going to help you sing better."
"But, well, I dunno. Maybe it'll take long, and I kinda want it now." she said.
"Practice makes perfect, Dusk." I told her. She gave me a half-smile, and stood up. "Trust me on that one."
"Alright." she said. "I'll do it." With that, we tried to help her sing. We helped her try to sing the right pitch and right notes for a couple of minutes. She was already getting better by the minute, I'll tell you that. But we took a break, and we just walked around the stage. Taking a tour and all, until Sonata stopped. She looked at a certain space. I looked at where she was looking, and it brought a bad memory. That was where Sonata was heart-broken, abandoned, and barely alive. Where she was unfriended by the Dazzlings, left at the stage alone, and almost drowned to death. The dark memory caught up in Sonata really fast. She started to tear up, but held it in and walked away. She didn't wanna go deep and more hurt by such an incident that she was in at that time. That happened a while ago. Now, life has changed, big time.
She has us. Her friends.