//------------------------------// // Chapter 5: Everyone Has Someone They Hate // Story: We Three: With You In Spirit // by Eyeswirl the Weirded //------------------------------// Vote count as of 7/15/2016: Photo, Ditzy, and Ringo: 3 Rainbooms: 3 Trixie, Vinyl, and Octavia: 7 I take a second to look at all three tables. I can always talk to the Rainbooms later, what with having their numbers and all, so no need to spend the daily allotment of socializing time on them. Photo's table might be a laugh, but if they're anything like Sonata, they might just be laughing at me, and I probably shouldn't smack anyone right now, let alone pour their food trays down their pants. Trixie, Vinyl, and Octavia might get on my nerves too, but... They kinda seem the least get-on-nervy, I guess. Civil conversation. That's my first stop. "Hey," I say when I reach their table, which makes Octavia jump, "mind if I sit here?" I can't read Vinyl's eyes through those shades, but she's not really smiling or frowning when she looks over her shoulder at me. Sitting across from her, Octavia is much more transparent, but her frightened stare is fading by the second, going more toward confusion. Next to Octavia, Trixie gives me a wide-eyed look at first, then wipes it right off her face, replacing it with nonchalant haughtiness. "Trixie doesn't mind if no one else does." Octavia shakes her head when I look at her, Vinyl smiles a little and pats the seat next to her. Adagio might have been right; not a hateful bone in her body. Then again, maybe I'd be pretty relaxed too if I could just pop in to claim a win I hadn't earned. I try to push those thoughts away as I sit down. At least being next to her will make it easier to not look at her. "Sssso," starts Octavia, "we've, um... never met, I think? In person, I mean. I'm Octavia Melody, pleased to make your acquaintance." The slight shake in her voice is the only dent in her otherwise perfectly formal greeting. I'm kinda grateful for it, because I never know just how to talk to ultra hoity-toity types. "Aria Blaze." "Right, and this is Vi-" Her jaw goes slack and her face pales as she points to Vinyl, who I guess she remembers as having been involved in more or less destroying my life that one time. Not that it was a great life, I'll admit that now, but she still seems scared that this might make things awkward or something. Glad it's not just me. Vinyl, still just smiling, gives me a little wave, which I take to mean the Battle was nothing personal. It really wasn't, which is my best guess for why I wave back at her in the same way. It's a weird thing to do when you're sitting right next to someone, but staying calm is surprisingly easy, like she's infecting me with her sheer chill-ness. Adagio and Sonata must be surprised too, judging by their expressions as they float around to where I can see them, but they give me approving looks for not making a scene. Maybe it's so easy because I remember the snake-woman incident, and I'm aware now that even having total control over magically-enslaved, long-term thralls just to worship us might not have been as great as it sounded, even if we'd won the Battle? She still totally cheated us, though. Whatever that's worth by now. "And of course you remember the Great and Powerful Trixie," Little Lady Houdini cuts in with a haughty smirk, "whom, by the way, you are wise to choose as a companion for your time at CHS!" "Uh, yea," I say noncommittally, "and, since you probably remember me too, I'm just gonna say, uh, s-sorry about what happened last time." I get nothing but confused looks for this. Even Vinyl kinda sends the vibe that she's raising an eyebrow at me, whether she actually heard what I said or not. "I mean, you know, how my sisters and I kinda brainwashed the school, then manipulated you into-" "Oh, that!" Trixie scratches her chin while visibly searching her memory. "I forgot that even happened." Part of me is insulted, but she keeps going. "Got other stuff going on, y'know? Anyway, don't worry abou-err, Fear not," she says boldly, remembering her Stage Magician shtick, "The Great and Powerful Trixie is very forgiving!" Before I say anything, Octavia gives her a little smirk. "Truly? Because I could have sworn you told me all about a life-long vendetta you'd sworn against Rainbow Dash for, what was it? Not buying some guitar before you could?" "It was twelve, thousand, dollars," Trixie growled through gnashing teeth, "and that is not her only slight against Trixie! To start, that shred-off was a farce, because as is the case in most of their conflicts, the Rainbooms only ever prevail through use of magic! Magic that does not belong to them, at that, but the careless Princess Twilight, whose presence is what started this crisis-on-a-regular-basis thing in the first place!" The way Octavia rolls her eyes says she's heard this one a few times before. I must have a bewildered look on my face, because she starts explaining. "Trixie is under the impression that Twilight's magic is the sole reason those girls rose to any kind of prominence." "It is the only reason! None of them mattered any more than anyone else before Twilight showed up with the exception of Sunset, and even she was a mere mortal bitch-face. Ever since, they've reveled in their status as The Amazing Heroes (which, thankfully, doesn't actually amount to a whole lot) when they don't really do anything but stand around while someone else (usually the first Twilight, but last time it was Sunset) gets the magic going for them, and Rainbow in particular has no right to act so full of herself!" There's a short pause before Octavia deadpans. "She's not jealous at all." "I'M NOT JEALOUS AT ALL!! Why should Trixie care if all that power and Hero prestige went to someone else by sheer virtue of having buddied up with the weird new girl?! More annoying still is that all their talk of 'the magic of friendship' is total bullshit too, because no matter what they say, it's always exclusively their group that deals with the threats! It's like no one else has ever made friends around here, like the concept only carries any kind of weight when they do it, and even when she helped them stop the three of you," Trixie snapped her fingers while quickly pointing at Vinyl, "when's the last time they even spoke with Vinyl here?!" Just the tiniest bit perturbed, I glance at Vinyl, who gives no meaningful input on the situation. An inquisitive look at Adagio reveals a perplexed face. "This did not come up when I spoke with them, but her feelings on the matter are interesting... Do you think anyone else feels the same?" I make the mental note to investigate that later, but for now, I wanna make sure my apology is getting across. "And, on that note, sorry we messed up your school and tricked you in particular into doing our dirty work." Chuckling, Trixie gives me a smirk and dramatically drapes an arm over her head. "Oh, yes, Trixie was simply heart-broken to have been woefully misled into committing such heinous acts as dropping a bunch of smug, puffed-up fakes, who STOLE Trixie's spot in the finals, down a pit. Woe indeed!" I wince. "Um... that wasn't their fault." She blinks twice. "Beg your pardon?" "The Battle of the Bands? That was a farce, because with a little tugging on Luna and Celestia's strings, nobody ended up anywhere Adagio didn't want them-" I look at Vinyl, "-'cept maybe for you." Shrugging, she gives me an apologetic little grin. As if she's done something wrong by accidentally interfering with the evil plan. I'm honestly trying to stay mad at this point, but damn! I look back at Trixie. "So, the Rainbooms didn't 'steal' their place in that fake, hollow contest, we gave it to them, then got you to steal it from them." Octavia watches in surprise as Trixie stays silent for about a minute. "...Really?" "...Yep." "...Oh. But, does that mean you three also arranged for Rainbow Dash to cheat me with her magic in that shred-off?" "No." "Sing a little song about how the school had changed and we were different now, only for it to be a ruse to get the whole school to cheer for her in the stupid Friendship Games?" "We weren't even in town at the time." "Summon a giant hentai monster so she could fight it in front of everyone?" "A what now?" Sonata beams. "It's in the folder, I'll show you when we get home!" I choose not to hear that as Trixie scratches her head. "Hm... Trixie still hates Rainbow Dash and dislikes the Rainbooms as a whole, but... perhaps some measure of her hatred for the whole group, not counting that other Twilight, was misplaced." I, a siren, once a career instigator of hatred and malice, have just reduced someone's dislike of someone else. Yay friendship? Octavia seems even more surprised about this than I am, staring at Trixie in shock before slowly turning to me. "In five minutes, you've done more to convince her to drop that silly grudge than I have since I've known her. You really are a lot nicer without the other two around." I barely have time to clench my jaw before her eyes go wide and she slaps both hands to her mouth, then quickly muffle-talks through them. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I-I didn't mean- I mean, I know it was just a few d-days ago, but-" She quickly starts to cry through her rambling, I'm sitting there looking at my 'dead' sisters as they float behind her, and none of us really know how to react to this. Trixie looks immensely uncomfortable too, but Vinyl just gives me a sad little 'I Hope You'll Be Okay' smile. Then Sonata asks a question. "How does everyone know we're dead, anyway? Like, we don't show up to school, so we must be pushin' up daisies?" Adagio lights up with glee, grabbing Sonata by the shoulders. "You once wondered why we kept you around? Moments like this are a strong contributor!" She turns to me with a big smile. "Ask how everyone knows what happened to us, it'll give us more information and perhaps defuse this atmosphere at the same time!" "Uh, hey," I say to cut off Octavia's nervous cry-babble, "first off... It's okay." In addition to my new acquaintances, I think even a few people from other tables are staring at me as Octavia pulls herself together, like I've just broken some rule of reality and they're waiting to see what eldritch horror claws its way through the rift first. In their defense, what Trixie said a minute ago almost makes that sound feasible. I elaborate as calmly as possible. "You don't have to walk on eggshells about it; I know my sisters are dead." Kind of. "Thing is; that's not the only bad thing that's ever happened to us. The three of us lived... interesting lives, let's say. Some stuff happened to us, but no matter what it was, we knew that we had to keep moving, or that'd be it. That's what I'm doing now, because it's what they'd have wanted me to do." I try not to look directly at them as they smile and nod affirmatively, instead focusing my attention on the visibly relieved girls around me. "And second; how does everyone know what happened, anyway?" And then they're uncomfortable again, but if everyone else knows, don't I have a right to? "Did the Rainbooms make a guess about when they found me and blab to everyone in school, or what?" Octavia and Trixie share a quick, nervous glance and the latter gives me a sheepish little smile. "You guys never heard, then?" I only answer with a raised eyebrow, which she takes as the cue to keep going. "Well, um... It's a very simple matter... Octavia, you tell her." Her head whipping in Trixie's direction, Octavia glares at the blue back-stabber. "I believe the oratory skills of the Great and Powerful Trixie are more called for than my own, wouldn't you agree?" "Oh, oh dear," Trixie says while making unconvincing coughing sounds, "T-Trixie appears to be coming down with a terrible throat infection!" "Then we are in good fortune that Trixie has the strength of character to power through this difficult time, aren't we?" Her mouth hangs open for just a little longer than is dignified. "...Fine." She looks at me. "Okay, so... There's kind of this blog that maybe a few people around CHS look at some times. It's about the three of you." "...Uh-huh," I say while the rage starts to bubble up, "and when you say 'a few'...?" "Like half the school?" "How long's it been going?" "Since you came back." Adagio looks annoyed too. "The Rainbooms didn't mention this..." "...Okay," I pick up through lightly-clenched teeth, "so... what, someone was just, spying on us? Who runs this thing?" "Your next-door neighbor," Octavia answers quickly and quietly when Trixie hesitates, "the walls of your apartment are very thin, it seems." Before I can reply to that, Vinyl taps me on the shoulder and shows me her phone, where she slowly scrolls through a list of posts, most made hours apart. I've been hearing a lot of cartoon sound-effects, so I guess Sonata has control of the remote. It sounds like she's inviting 'Dagi' to watch with her, but I didn't hear a reply. Door just slammed, so I guess Aria is home. Yep, Dagi is scolding her again. Maybe it'll stick THIS time, huh, viewers? Aria and Sonata are having another lover's spat, so I guess it's around dinner time. For some reason, I never hear them going at it, even when Dagi isn't around. Geez, Louise, I think that Dagi's hairdryer woke me up! It's too early in the morning for this and she runs that damn thing for like twenty minutes! I TIMED IT!!! Things have been quiet, so I'm guessing Sonata is at work right now. I don't hear everything from Dagi's monologues, but sure talks about Sunset Shimmer a lot. No idea if she's up to something, viewers, but I'll keep you posted. I'm hearing a soft, but manly voice delicately assuring a feisty young woman that while her family may never understand, he'll always be there for her. Given that this was followed by sounds of crying and piano music rather than groans, pants, and saxophones, I'm pretty sure this is romance, not porn. The kicker? I know for a fact that Sonata and Dagi aren't home right now. OMG, I have no idea what's going on, but I just got home and they're talking about magic and monsters and Dagi keeps telling the other two to roll for things! They're talking about 'doing this' with 'those other girls' too! Are there more Dazzlings somewhere?! I don't know but i am FREAKING OUT!!!! Okay, um... Two hours later, I'm pretty sure they aren't doing anything magical over there. Dagi giving a short speech about being 'ready when they play this game with the Rainbooms' gave me a clearer idea of what they were doing. False alarm. Sorry. It's Tuesday, and from the way Aria is complaining, it was a good one for Sonata. Eeeew. I don't know if my head is warming up from anger or embarrassment, but a few particular entries get my attention. Something happened, something seriously bad happened, I heard them scream, there was noise and the walls shaking and I heard them scream! It's quiet now, I don't hear any of them talking, but Dagi was being all serious about something, yelled that she wasn't taking any chances (which I guess they did!!), the three of them started singing, then there were these weird noises, Sonata screamed, more noises, then more screaming, then a BIG noise, then quiet. I'm too scared to go over there, but if anyone is reading this, PLEASE GET HELP!! ...I REALLY don't think they're just playing a game this time, guys!! The next one was posted about forty minutes later. Okay, I think the Rainbooms showed up and took care of it. They were talking all quiet and I heard the words 'Let's get her out of here,' and they left. Dead silence. I dared peek out my window to see two of them carrying Aria, loading her into a car, and driving away. They aren't carrying Sonata or Dagi, and I don't see them walking with the Rainbooms. So, either they're abandoning those two, or... I think... I think that whatever they were doing, the other two didn't make it. So that's it. Our next-door neighbor has been spying on us. Listening in. And posting what they hear for half the school (And, y'know, the whole internet) to see. Given that EVERYONE apparently knows, I guess either more people tuned in for that update or it spread around by word of mouth, but I'm hit with a slightly chilling realization: The eavesdropper might have heard me tell Lemon about the ghosts, too. Nobody has said a word about it, but with the layout of the building, there's only one door I might need to get through to make sure. While I'm thinking about whether I want to try to pick the lock (how hard can it be?) or just kick the damn thing open (I guess I would try to see if it was unlocked first...), I notice the other girls at the table giving me worried looks. I probably look a little mad right now. "We can deal with our neighbor later," Adagio says somewhat urgently into my ear, "but for now, please, try not to think about it and just... I don't know, make small-talk with these girls." I can see it on her face when she remembers not being in charge anymore. "Err, if you want to, I mean?" That last part draws a snort of amusement out of me, which makes it a lot easier to smile and not look like I want to tear someone's eyes out as much as I do right now. "Okay, so... thanks for showing me that." Vinyl nods, Octavia sits very, very still, and Trixie makes a neutral face. "Sure. Any time." There's an awkward pause. I shrug. "So, what were we talkin' about before?" Trixie smiles. "How much the Rainbooms suck?" Octavia raises an eyebrow. "Letting go of senseless grudges?" "Trixie's grudges are perfectly sensible!" Rolling her eyes, Octavia turns to me. "So, where exactly did the three of you go until just a few weeks ago? After you disappeared overnight, almost everyone was sure we'd never see you again." Sonata grins. "Say we ran away to the circus!" "Uh..." I glance at Adagio, who answers almost immediately. "All of the Rainbooms know that we fled to the city and saw us as the snake-creature, so it won't do you any favors to be caught in a lie if they feel like fact-checking. I don't think we have anything to lose from letting them know this anyway." "We ran off to the city, laid low for a while, then turned into a snake-lady. The Rainbooms heard about it, came over, and convinced us to cut it out and come back here." They stare at me. "...Do you want the long version?" The way they nod twice in unison makes me chuckle. "Okay, uh... It started with this book I found over the internet..." --- I leave certain details out of the story, but I think they get the main idea of what went down. When lunch ends, Trixie smiles as we're all getting up. "By the way, Trixie approves of your new attire, very stylish!" I clamp down on the impulse to make more of that comment than it is, and instead settle for a 'thanks,' but before I say it, she adds another observation. "The gem even kind of looks like your old one!" For a split second, Octavia stares just below my neck with wide-eyed horror, but it almost immediately melts into confusion, then relief. "Oh... That is a convincing replica. I suppose they didn't have any in red?" "Nope." I feel insanely, embarrassingly proud of myself for going along with the freebie without missing a beat. It's the little things in life. I want to make a monument to my own smoothness or something about it, but that would kind of give me away. She gives me a sympathetic little smile. "Well, it looks lovely on you anyway. Will you be joining us tomorrow?" Still feeling pretty amazing, I shrug as I turn and walk away. "Maybe." As I'm walking toward my next class, Adagio (who had to wrangle Sonata away from ghost-drooling over food she'd never be able to eat) floats beside me. "Fluid lie, well done there, but acting aloof probably won't endear them to you." "Yea, yea," I mutter at my (technically her) boots. I think I've got a class or two with Trixie and I know I have one with Octavia, so as long as I don't go Cold Shoulder at them for no reason, I think I'll have some pretty solid friendships soon. Then Sonata has to go and ruin my good mood. "So... What're we gonna do about our nosy neighbor?" --- The wait feels longer than usual, but school eventually ends without incident (apart from a few funny looks) and I head straight home, stopping outside our apartment. The door just down the walkway is where the eavesdropping blogger lives. I think Sonata knows what I'm thinking. "Sooo... What're ya gonna do?" "Stay out here for a minute, for one thing," I mutter, pretty sure it won't be heard if I keep talking while facing away from the apartment. "I meant like, what are you gonna do with whoever lives in there?" I clench a fist. "Kick their ass, of course! Or at least tell 'em off for spying on us and telling the whole world about it. Pretty sure I'd be within my rights for at least shouting at them a little." "Right," Adagio says with an eye-roll, "there couldn't possibly be any consequences if you just explain it the right way." "Glad we're on the same page," I say while strolling toward the door, but I stop when she quickly floats in front of me, not amused. "Aria! Use your head; what do you think would happen if it got out that this person had been beaten or bullied in any way? You could resort to threats, violence, and threats of violence, or you could take this chance to seize the moral high ground." I blink, lost. "What?" She makes that evil grin again. "Think about it; if you were to knock on their door, calmly inform them that we didn't know we'd been troubling them with our noise (which happens to be true!), that things will certainly be quieter now that it's just you, and politely ask that the blog be closed, you'll have dealt with the problem while doing nothing wrong." I raise a doubting eyebrow. "And if they don't yield to a 'pretty please'?" "Then they would be knowingly acting against your wishes in keeping it going, for which you would be justified in escalating matters." She thoughtfully taps her chin for a moment. "I'm not sure if there's some kind of authority you could go to, just hearing people speak isn't illegal, but we can cross that bridge when we get to it." I'm not exactly sold on playing nice with this eavesdropping scumbag, but before I can argue against it, Sonata chimes in. "Ooh, I've got an idea! What if you pretend you still don't know about it, go home (it's like five steps away), and just make a bunch'a crazy noises? Look up kooky sound-banks on the internet and play 'em at max volume, run around the house screaming "MILKSHAKES, MILKSHAKES, MILKSHAKES," or something, just give 'em tons to report on! If you keep up the crazy, everyone'll just think the blogger is making it up for attention, they'll lose their credibility, and no one will believe anything they write about us! Or, just you, in this case!" Adagio looks conflicted. "Hilarious as that might be, it's just as likely that everyone will assume Aria really has lost her mind, and even if it works for now, there's no telling if the posts would continue again at some later date. As she's still keeping two noteworthy secrets (our existence and having her magic back), it's better to be sure this stops now, before something is compromised." "Oh, I can stop it alright," I say with a raised fist, but Adagio still looks annoyed about that suggestion. "What, like it wouldn't work?" She sighs. "Yes, you brute, I'm sure it would work, but even if they don't go crying to their viewers, half the school, mind, someone will find out how you deal with interpersonal conflicts sooner or later, even if you don't do anything they can call the police for." I shrug in exasperation. "So I'll go easy! No blood, no bruises, nothing broken except maybe their dignity, okay?" "Not as 'okay' as just talking to them. Perhaps it won't be as satisfying, but it can only save us trouble in the long run." "So can some noisy clown shoes," offers Sonata, "and maybe a sci-fi adventure soundboard!" I take a long breath through my nose. Whoever this person is, getting them to see things my way could be done quick and easy, even if I have to shout through their door to do it. They could have just walked over and asked us to keep it down, or made some kind of noise complaint, but instead they've been listening in on me and my (now mostly dead) sisters, then reporting it for all to see for two weeks. How am I not within my rights to give them an earful for it? But, talking things out can't possibly get me in trouble, right? I kept totally cool around Vinyl today, so maybe I can do this too. But, what's to stop them from laughing in my face, slamming the door, and going to tell their online buddies all about it? ...Do I even wanna think about Sonata's method? I'm sure I could make all sorts of crazy sounds, maybe even act out my own little space opera. It might even be fun, but if people really trust this blog, I might end up being That Crazy Space-Girl With Clown Shoes And The Saxophone That Farts Christmas Songs or something like that forever. How do I wanna deal with this?