Theme: The Beauty of the Beast - Nightwish
The walkway in front of the house barely measured forty feet in length; but by the time she reached the sidewalk at its end, Sonata felt as if the short distance might as well have been miles. Leaning against the old mailbox, she took a moment to gather her thoughts and felt herself hesitantly reach for her pendant once more, her fingers running over it as she rested. Unlike before, however, she could find no relief in the jewel despite the energy it still contained.
Releasing the jewel, she let it fall back against her throat and sighed heavily, biting her lip as she wrapped her arms around herself while taking in her surroundings. Evening had always been her favorite part of the day and on a normal evening she would have felt soothed by the cool air around her, but even that failed to provide comfort this time. Even from the street she could feel the abundance of emotions - both good and bad - that filled the houses and homes around her as her neighbors went about their lives, wholly ignorant of the monsters that lived among them.
Desperately, she tried to block out that thought but found she could not do so as Adagio's words continuously replayed through her unusually clear thoughts she could no longer deny. Banished from their native lands and condemned to a slow death by starvation for crimes she could no longer remember, the idea of being a monster had never given her pause before; but now the prospect was terrifying, and deep down she wondered if perhaps Adagio had been right. No matter what their bodies looked like, inside they would never be anything more than monsters.
Pushing off the mailbox, she stumbled forward along the sidewalk and began to run. For a brief second she looked over her shoulder at the slowly disappearing house; for as long as she could remember it had been both lair and sanctuary, but now seemed like nothing more than a cage within another cage. Lungs burning and legs already shaking, as she ran from it she could not even muster up concern over a destination, all she cared about was getting somewhere - anywhere - else.
Eventually her vision began to spin and blur as her balance failed her, her legs refusing to support her any longer as she pitched forward into the concrete, a new pain blossoming along her cheek as she skidded to a stop. Panting as her tears ran freely, she waited for something to happen, no longer caring what it was so long as something took the plague of horrible thoughts away from her. How long she remained there she didn't know, but within the sounds of the city around her, another sound made finally itself known.
Timid but filled with concern, had Sonata's hearing been any less sensitive she would have missed it entirely. At first she thought to ignore that sound or tell it to go away, but soon her curiosity got the better of her as she shifted and pushed herself up onto one elbow. As she did so, she found herself staring into ocean-like eyes of cerulean blue, eyes that were filled with a depth of kindness she would never have thought possible.
For days she had stood by as Adagio and Aria studied the girls that were their adversaries, always doing her best to stay out of the way. Consequently, she did not know the name of the girl before her, but still recognized her immediately. Beautiful in a way that she and her fellow sirens could only hope to imitate, the look of shy innocence that radiated from her momentarily robbed Sonata of her ability to speak as they stared at each other in silence. Unfortunately, the moment was broken as soon as it began when a look of recognition filled those beautiful eyes in return.
"S-sorry! I'm sorry! I was just leaving!" she squeaked as she backed away.
"W-wait!"
Sonata didn't know what caused her to call out in that moment, but for whatever reason, the girl stopped moving away in response. Using the wall behind her, Sonata managed to rise, but the effort left her momentarily winded and dizzy, her hair falling forward and obscuring her vision. Before she could make sense of what was going on, however, she felt a soft hand cup her cheek and lift her head, turning her to the side and causing her to hiss in pain as the girl looked over her with a concerned expression.
"You're hurt," said the other girl, her voice surprisingly firm this time.
"I"m..." Sonata began.
"Come with me," she said.
Fear had long since become familiar to her, relentless and unforgiving as it stalked her. Too often she wondered how she had managed to overcome it as many times as she had; only to remember her friends who shared her misery and her trivial gifts that had so often been their sole chance of survival. Other times she asked herself how much longer she could go on, especially when she tended to them in some vain attempt to offer enough hope to see them through to another day.
This day, by contrast, was different. Together they had overcome every challenged placed before them and things were finally about to change for the better. So many times she had wondered what would await them when the endless trials were finally over; but no matter how many times she had asked she had never received an answer. Those answers seemed unnecessary now, for their perseverance would finally be recognized.
She had always been the one that encouraged the others as she used her skills to create momentary respites from their torments, but it had never been enough. Now though, as they stood before the Great Council - perhaps the first of their kind to do so - she felt that she finally understood why they had suffered so and reasoned that as steep as it had been, this moment had been worth the price they had paid. Even if things changed, she knew the three of them would always be together and that the sacrifice they were about to make would ensure that the world they loved would survive.
Somewhere in the high gallery, the sound of ringing bells reached out over the murmurs of the gathered Councilors; and though she was not wholly certain what would soon happen, she found she could scarcely contain her excitement. Willing herself to remain calm at the approaching sound, she nonetheless felt her eyes drawn to the ancient stallion that stepped before them, and even though age had marked him long ago, she still found him handsome and knew that his power remained as strong as ever. Under different circumstances she might have rushed forward to embrace him and thank him for believing in them, but now was not the time.
"Are we finally ready...?" she asked, surprised at how timid she sounded.
"Yes," he said, his magic already washing over them, "all you have done has lead up to this moment."
For reasons she could not explain, she trembled, the wisdom in the stallion’s voice piercing her momentary, but despite that pain, she closed her eyes and waited…
"So um... what's your name?"
The question snapped Sonata back to reality and caused her to shake lightly. Whatever she had just seen had felt like a dream, but had been far too powerful to have been a product of her imagination. Perhaps it had been a continuation of the half-remembered dream of earlier or some lingering worry over her friends, though it could have easily been something more malevolent. Then again, it could have just been a product of the strange sounds that filled her ears from wherever it was she was sitting.
"I'm sorry, what did you say?" she asked.
"I um... I asked your name, I mean, if that's okay," came the reply. "You um... you don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
"I'm Sonata, Sonata Dusk," she replied. "Who are you?"
"It's nice to meet you, Sonata, I'm Fluttershy."
"Nice to meet you too."
Silence followed the introductions as Sonata looked around and found herself at a small white table covered in various first aid supplies while she seemed to be sitting in a marginally comfortable folding chair. Various small cages filled with an odd assortment of animals surrounded her in a way that could only be called organized chaos; the occupants of the cages watching her with curious gazes, though many looked fearful. At her side, a little brown and white dog with beady black eyes and triangular ears whined at her and she reached down on impulse to pet it, surprised that it didn't back away as she looked back to the girl across from her.
"What happened?" she asked.
"Oh, I was finishing up the last of the work for today when I saw someone fall down outside the window. I-I went out to make sure whoever it was was alright and I found you on the sidewalk," Fluttershy said. "I-I hope that was okay? I mean, I don't think you would have just wanted to lay there all night, right?"
"Y-yeah, it was okay," Sonata replied. "I mean, thank you, Fluttershy."
"You're very welcome."
"Why did you do it?"
"Why did I do what?"
"Why did you take care of me? We're... I mean we're enemies right?" Sonata asked, reaching up to feel the fresh bandage on her cheek as the small puppy whined once more at the absence of being petted.
"Einstein! Behave yourself," Fluttershy said as she fixed the puppy with a look, only to receive a pair of sad eyes in return that caused her to giggle and motion him over before she looked back to Sonata. "Well, we are, I guess, but everybody just needs a little kindness sometimes. You were hurt and, well... we're supposed to be rivals, I know that but I just... I just can't walk away from somebody who's hurt."
Silence descended once more as Sonata mulled over Fluttershy's words, transfixed by the girl in front of her as she watched her petting the small puppy while she watched her in return; but unlike Adagio or Aria, there was no expectation or impatience in that gaze, just a kind of friendliness that it was as fine to answer as it was to keep quiet. Sonata could not understand what was happening, but she also did not question it and sighed softly as in all her years, she could never remember a time like this; it was nice. Biting her lip, she reached out and motioned the puppy over with her fingers, seeing if he would come back to her and, to her surprise, he did.
"He's... really friendly isn't it?" she asked.
Fluttershy giggled in response as she nodded, "I think he likes you."
Sonata felt herself blush at the praise as her hand moved to scratch the puppy under his chin and giggled as his back leg began to kick in appreciation for the action. Smiling, she made motions for him to sit, rollover and shake her hand, surprised that he followed her each time and simply enjoyed the silence between the three of them. Eventually, Fluttershy handed her a treat to feed him for his good behavior and he trotted away to curl up and enjoy it, leaving them alone. As she watched him, Sonata was struck not only by how much she had enjoyed encouraging those simple little tricks, but just how right it had felt to do so, almost as if she had suddenly found some lost part of herself once more.
"Einstein's a good boy and a really good judge of character," Fluttershy said. "If he likes you, you must be nicer than you acted at school... I mean... oh... I'm sorry! I didn't mean it like that, I just... I mean um..."
"It's okay... I know that, well, nevermind, it's okay," Sonata replied. "You um... you really like animals, don't you, Fluttershy?"
"Oh, I love animals!" she squealed. "I'm really hoping to be a veterinarian when I grow up, I've actually got several applications out already and a scholarship! But I'm more concerned about..."
"How much do you know about them?"
"Um... well... a lot I guess, but not a lot really, why?"
"Can... you maybe answer a question for me about them?" Sonata asked, wincing internally as Adagio and Aria typically yelled at her for such sudden subject changes, but the girl across from her simply nodded her permission.
"If an animal didn't... didn't want to be an animal anymore or like... um... didn't want to be a certain kind of animal, could it change?"
"I'm sorry but... um... I don't really know what you mean?" Fluttershy replied, blinking in confusion.
"Like say Einstein didn't want to be a dog anymore, could he maybe be something else?"
"I-I don't really think it works that way, Sonata, I mean..."
"What about a shark then? Or a lion?" she asked, cutting the other girl off while trying to keep the desperation out of her voice. "Like... like say they didn't want to... didn't want to eat other animals anymore and just wanted to eat something else, could they do that?"
Without thinking, Sonata stood up and loomed over the other girl, staring down at her as practically demanded her answer; but as she saw Fluttershy's earlier kindness fade into a look of fear, she mumbled and apology and retook her seat. After a moment hesitation, she looked back at her, watching her mull over her answer as Sonata fidgeted. A few minutes later, the girl finally calmed down enough to speak once more.
"I... I suppose it's possible..." she started.
"For realsies!?"
"But I don't think it would be happy," she finished.
Sonata stared, feeling as if she had just been kicked in the chest by those words, her voice catching in her throat.
"Nature... well... it makes things a certain way and some animals can't change even if they might want to," Fluttershy explained. "I mean, a shark is a predator and so is a lion, Sonata; they're made to eat meat. People make them out to be scary, yes, but they're really just trying to survive. They might actually be a little scary and they are dangerous, but they're not like people, they aren't being mean or scary just for the sake of it. They're just doing what nature tells them to do, and while I guess they could eat seaweed or plants or something, they'd eventually get sick from it and they'd just be miserable all the time."
"Oh..."
"Why did you want to know that? I mean, it's okay if you don't want to tell me but..."
Briefly, Sonata actually considered telling the friendly girl the reason she had asked; considered telling her that it wasn't animals she was asking about, but monsters. Unfortunately, she had gotten the answer she had expected and feared. Adagio had been right, of course, she - they all - would never be anything but monsters and she felt she could not replay Fluttershy's kindness by making her afraid of her again.
"No reason, I guess," she said at length. "But I should go."
"You don't have to leave... I mean you if you want to it's okay, but..."
"I'm sorry, Fluttershy," she said, no longer able to look at the girl as she stood up. "Thanks for taking care of me and talking to me, I really appreciate it. I... I wish we could be friends but... well... I guess nature doesn't plan for things like wishes."
"Sonata, wait!"
Wasting no time, Sonata moved past the other girl and fled towards the door of the shop. A part of her felt remorse for leaving so abruptly, but much as she had felt at her house, she could not stay where she was any longer; the eyes of the various animals that still looked at her in fear and that confused but kind cerulean gaze cut her far too deeply for her to remain. Far worse, however, was knowing that she could never have given any response that would not have sounded like a curse.
Closing the door behind her, she leaned against it heavily, small sobs already forming in her throat. Inside, she could hear the girl standing up to come after her, but thankfully she didn't; and no longer wishing to prolong the inevitable, Sonata pushed herself away from the door, hands in her pockets as she walked away silently. Never having felt lonelier in her life, she didn't even attempt to stop her tears.
"Why didn't you just kill us...?" she asked of no one in particular.
If the night winds had any answers, they still refused to share them.