It had been a pretty good first day as far as Anon was concerned! The kitchen and dining area was now spotless. The girls were all in the upstairs apartment getting ready for the grand opening party and he had just finished the cake. He stuck a couple my little mermaid candles on top.
Upstairs, the Dazzlings sat around the living room table. They had changed into more comfortable attire, sweat pants and t shirts. An orange sofa and a love seat surrounded the rectangle wooden table on two adjacent corners, and on its surface lay the glued together pieces of Adagio’s shattered amulet. She had been the only one with the presence of mind to collect the shards before escaping. Sonata and Aria had no idea what had become of theirs, though Dagi’s was nothing more than costume jewelry now.
“Sunset seemed to think we were using the restaurant as some kind of front for gathering negative energy. It’s a stupid idea for the obvious reason that angry customers don’t come back, but I find it interesting that she seems to think it’s possible to make new amulets with that energy.”
“We need energy to sing, we can’t sing without the amulets, and we apparently can’t make new amulets without energy. I don’t see how it’s even possible, it’s just a big stupid circle!” growled Aria.
“My mom gave me my amulet,” offered Sonata quietly.
“Yes, and her mother gave her hers, just like with us.” Adagio added sadly. “I’ve never heard of a new one being made. They were some of the oldest magical items in Equestria, passed from mother to daughter for as long as Sirens have existed. They were what made us who we were, and we lost them.”
Adagio hugged her cracked gem to her chest. Just then Anon walked in carrying a small chocolate marble cake. The white buttercream frosting was simple but thick, and the three mermaid candles on top were lit. He noticed the maudlin atmosphere that permeated the room.
“Girls? Are you alright?”
“We’re fine. Just got a little depressed after Sunset reminded us of how they had broken our pendants during the Battle of the Bands competition. Our mothers gave them to us when we were younger.”
Anon looked at the small cracked gem. It had been crudely glued back together, facets not quite lined up correctly, yet she held it like it was the most important thing in the world to her. He felt a small flare of anger, but quickly let it die down to a dull ache.
“Dagi, Sonata, Aria. We had a really good opening night. All your hard work paid off, and it looks like everyone will tell their friends about how much they enjoyed it. It’s ok for you to be happy right now, you girls deserve it.”
He sat the cake down on the table.
"Make a wish and blow out the candles!”
"You do know it’s not our birthdays today, right?" asked Sonata.
"I do now. It’s alright, you don't need to always follow the rules when it comes to wishing. Especially when it’s for something important to you." he added, smiling.
Adagio thought about what she would wish for. Power? Revenge? Neither of those really appealed to her anymore. Dagi glanced over at her friends. She just wanted Sonata, and Aria to be happy. As one, all three girls leaned forward and blew the candles out. They didn't say it out loud, but all three girls had wished for the exact same thing.
"Ok! Let’s eat!"
Slices of cake and glasses of cold milk were quickly handed out as everyone cheered up. Laughter and a general sense of contentedness fell over the group as the cake vanished and everyone got ready for bed. It would be a fairly early day tomorrow for breakfast and brunch, but they'd have the whole afternoon off. There was only the one bathroom, but the girls had already gone so he didn’t have to wait. The water was only lukewarm, as apparently a certain poofy haired girl had used all the hot water. Toweling off, he slipped into his pajamas before brushing his teeth. End of day ablutions complete, Anon walked back to his bedroom.
The girl’s rooms were on the far end of the apartment, with Adagio’s ever so slightly larger room on its own side butting up against the stairs. Sonata and Aria’s room shared a wall on the opposite side of the hallway from Adagio’s. Anon’s was on the opposite end of the living room, the open space splitting the apartment in two. The bathroom was right beside his room, only a couple steps down the hallway, both touching the outside wall.
Looking across the room, he saw Adagio saying goodnight to Sonata. Their eyes met, and he smiled as he waved, then ducked into his room. The open window let the cool autumn night air blow across his room. As he lay on his bed, he thought about the past week. They had accomplished so much in so little time. He had gone from a dusty empty shell to a fully functioning operation. Also he had a working restaurant! He giggled. Without Adagio’s leadership, Sonata’s infectious enthusiasm, and Aria’s bullheaded refusal to give up on anything he would probably still just be moving boxes around the store, thinking about his Uncle. As his eyes shut, he thought he could feel a presence but his tired mind dismissed it.
Adagio stood outside Anon’s room, hand raised to knock. She wanted to thank him. She wanted to let him know how much she and the girl’s appreciated him taking a chance on them. In the end, her hand came back down to her side. She turned around and quietly walked back to her room, her footsteps muffled by her thick socks. She took a moment to look in on Aria and Sonata, both passed out in their rooms. She smiled as she laid down in her bed. The last thing she saw before falling asleep was her pendant, twinkling on her nightstand.