Food for the Soul
Sonata stormed out of MacMaren’s at as close to a dead run as her platform shoes would allow, throwing the doors wide and eliciting a surprised yelp from Bulk Biceps as one smacked him in the arm. She took another few hurried steps out into the street before slowing to a stop, glancing left and right as she sniffed, her shoulders shaking with every failed attempt to keep from crying.
Bulk rubbed his elbow lightly as both he and Iron Will exchanged concerned looks, and were woefully unprepared when the door burst open a second time, slamming into Bulk’s face and releasing a pink, blue, and black blur.
“Sonata!” Pinkie Pie ran after the other girl. Bulk swayed, his unfocused eyes rolling around comically in their sockets as the door slowly swung closed, and his fellow bouncer enjoyed a throaty, gravelly chuckle at his expense.
Pinkie slowed to a stop a few feet away from where Sonata waged a losing battle with her emotions. Hesitantly, she reached out. “Sonata…”
“Go away!” The sudden, angry shout not only made Pinkie withdraw her hand, but take a step back. “L-leave me alone!” Sonata’s voice wavered and quickly lost any semblance of forcefulness as her whole body became wracked with powerful sobs. She clapped a hand over her mouth in a vain attempt to contain the sound, but there was nothing she could do to stop the torrent of tears that now poured forth. Pinkie’s throat tightened as she felt her own eyes grow moist. She took a deep, shaky breath as the Siren’s suffering cut at her own heartstrings.
“I’m not gonna do that,” she said with more conviction than she actually felt. “Please listen to me, okay Sonni?”
Behind the girls, Will and Bulk exchanged another look. Will jerked his head toward the club, and Bulk nodded as he frowned and rubbed his nose. The two of them slipped inside, pulling the doors closed gently behind them.
“I’m sorry for what Rarity said about your voice,” Pinkie began. “I’m sure she wasn’t trying to be mean; that’s not how she is. Please don’t be mad at her.”
Sonata shook her head ever so slightly, and the tremors shaking her subsided a little. After a long moment, she took a shuddering, broken breath.
“She’s right, though. She said it… Adagio said it, too, but I… I didn’t listen.”
“What do you mean?” Pinkie blinked.
“Adagio said I didn’t understand how serious losing our magic was,” Sonata sniffled. “I… we lost our home when we got kicked out of Aquastria for causing trouble. We lost our bodies when we got banished here.” She paused, shaking her head slowly. “Our voices… they were all we had left. My voice was the last, tiny little bit of me that was still me, and now it’s… it’s…”
The tears rushed down her cheeks with renewed purpose as Sonata finally surrendered herself to them. She slumped to her knees, hands cupping her face as sorrow and frustration slipped through her fingers to spatter against the asphalt below.
Sonata jumped a little as a pair of arms wrapped around her, and a warm body pressed against her back. She hadn’t even heard Pinkie kneel down. She felt something drip on the nape of her neck. “P-Pinkie…”
The only response she received was a slight tightening of the impromptu hug. Despite everything, Sonata found herself smiling bitterly and clutching the hands in front of her, their fingers weaving together as they held on tight and cried as one.
After a long minute, Sonata’s erratic breathing began to settle, and with another large sniffle she took in a slow, calming breath.
“Pinkie?”
“Yeah?”
“My knees kinda hurt.”
“Mine too,” Pinkie giggled.
“... And I think there’s a car coming.”
“Whoop! Time to go!” She sprang up and helped Sonata to her feet, walking her to a nearby bus stop bench. “Better?”
“Yes… no. Maybe? I don’t know... ” Sonata shook her head and frowned as she sat and began nervously wringing her ponytail. “What am I supposed to do now? What good is a Siren who can’t sing? Can I even still call myself a Siren?” Her eyes widened. “If I’m not a Siren then… what am I?”
“Hey,” Pinkie took on a serious tone as she knelt down and took Sonata’s hands in her own again. She looked directly into the former Siren’s eyes and smiled softly. “I don’t know the answers to all those questions, but if there’s one thing I do know, it’s that who you are is more important than what you are.”
“... I’m Sonata Dusk,” Sonata deadpanned.
“Hee hee, exactly!” Pinkie laughed. “You love tacos and fruit punch, and you love singing, too! You’re a little silly, but also a whole lot of fun to be around and you have tons of great stories that I can’t wait to hear. You might’ve done plenty of mean stuff in the past, but now you’re spending all night running around trying to do something nice to cheer up your sisters, and I think that counts for something,” she paused, taking a deep breath, “but most important of all you’re my friend, and I’m yours. That’s who Sonata Dusk is, and voice or no voice I wouldn’t trade her for all the cupcakes in Canterlot.”
Sonata finally broke into a real smile as a different kind of tears welled up in her eyes. “Thanks, Pinkie.”
“You’re welcome!” Pinkie beamed. “Now, you wanna head back inside and give that microphone a twirl?”
“Um,” Sonata blanched, one hand reaching up to touch the black strap around her neck. “I dunno. I don’t know if I can… I mean, I don’t know if I even want to make music anymore without my voice.”
“Silly-nata! Music doesn’t come from your voice,” Pinkie reached up and delicately poked Sonata in the sternum, “it comes from in here.”
“What, like, my lungs?” Sonata blinked. “I guess that makes sense.”
“No!” Pinkie shook her head and grinned. “Music comes from your heart, doofus!”
Sonata’s eyes widened. “Oh.” Her lips then curled into a frown as she knit her brow. “I don’t get it.”
Pinkie stood, and with a warm smile offered her hand to the seated girl. “C’mon; I’ll show you.”
Sonata hesitated, biting her lip. Her gaze was fixed on Pinkie’s outstretched hand as a cyclone of emotions swirled in the pit of her stomach. After what felt like another thousand years, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and reached out.
The background music inside MacMaren’s faded away. The lights dimmed, quieting the anxious crowd as the club fell into near-complete darkness. Like a bolt of lightning accompanied by the first powerful notes of their singing, a single bright spotlight illuminated Rarity and Pinkie at center stage, back to back with microphones in their hands.
Sonni, that sad expression just ain’t right.
We know that your night has been so full of strife,
But now, it’s time for you to shine so bright.
Trust in us and come and be a friend for life!
The music--synth keyboard backed by electric guitar and a firm baseline--swelled up alongside their voices. The spotlight split into two, following them as they separated and walked to opposite sides of the stage. As their final note trailed off, the lights winked out only to be replaced by another, softer blue glow back in the center where Sonata Dusk now stood, eyes wide and microphone clutched tightly in both trembling hands.
The song transitioned to dulcet, soothing tones. Sonata took a deep breath and raised the microphone to her lips.
I was hurt and confused
there was emptiness in my heart,
and I lost what had made me special
I didn’t know where... to start.
She cringed. It was just as she feared. Her voice; her once smooth, rapturous voice was gone, replaced by something completely alien to her ears. Cracked, just like the pendant that had been shattered with it. Broken.
She squeezed her eyes shut, fighting to keep her tears contained. She wanted to run. She wanted to throw the microphone to the ground and just hide, but something made her look to the side, toward Pinkie. Even though she was standing outside the light, Sonata could see her smile; not the wide, toothy grin she used so often, but one that was softer and infinitely more meaningful.
Pinkie gave her a firm nod, and suddenly she didn’t feel quite as scared anymore. She closed her eyes again and swayed back and forth in time with the music.
Like a bowl with no punch,
like a taco that has no cheese,
I needed a hand and you offered;
You heard my plea...
Purple and pink lights lit up on Rarity and Pinkie respectively, and they walked back to the center, circling around Sonata as they took over the vocals.
You went and gave friendship another look,
a tiny little spark was all it took,
and then...
it gave you hope again.
The stage lit up in full force, glimmers of light arcing across the room as even the club’s disco ball kicked on. Sonata smiled as she improvised a simple dance routine, the girls following her lead in tandem as a short musical bridge played. At least losing her amulet hadn’t affected her rhythm.
Suddenly, Pinkie stepped right up to her; her bright soprano branching out.
I’ve been with you all evening,
and working to earn your trust.
The friends you’ve been waiting so long for could be us!
Pinkie spun away just as Rarity leaned in from the other side, her smooth alto purring in beautiful counterbalance to Pinkie.
You might never have had a real friend
but right now this is it.
It might be just a small, simple thing,
but you have to admit...
With an ever widening grin on her face, Sonata picked up her cue and ran with it, putting more feeling into her words and hardly slowing even as her voice tried to betray her.
I wanna take a chance and make you believe!
I think that I can change; just wait and see!
This time,
I'm finally gonna sing this song of mine!
The three of them joined together as one for the chorus.
‘Cause really, that sad expression just ain’t right!
We know that this night has been so full of strife,
But now, it’s time for us to shine so bright!
Trust this feeling and you’ll make some friends for life!
Sonata could hardly believe it. The crowd was cheering for them! No Siren magic, no tricks, and what was more they didn’t seem to mind her voice at all!
A surge of confidence and warmth filled her being, welling up from deep inside in a strange and wonderful way she’d never experienced before. Her whole body shook with the sheer force of the emotion overtaking her, which she could only describe as pure, unadulterated joy.
I won’t need any magic
as long as we’re side by side!
Every smile’s enough,
and your warmth is so divine!
When I needed a friend you knew it,
and you came through.
My heart’s never been so full,
and it’s thanks to you!
As she crescendoed, she felt it: a tiny tickle on the sides of her head and down her back as her ponytail got just a little bit heavier. It was similar to what she felt during the Battle of the Bands, but this time it was… cleaner; more invigorating.
The audience gasped. Sonata’s hands darted up to her head for an instant, and found exactly what she expected: a pair of soft pony ears. She smiled and looked to Rarity and Pinkie, who both bore a spectacular glow and their own temporary pony appendages and extended hair.
The crowd was getting their magic show after all, it seemed.
We know you've never felt like this before,
you never really knew what friends were for.
It’s true;
that magic’s always been inside of you!
Pinkie and Rarity’s voices blended together flawlessly, and as the final chorus of the song began, Sonata joined in to create a harmony so powerful that the walls themselves shook and left everyone in the club speechless with awe.
And really, that sad expression just ain’t right!
We know that this night has been so full of strife.
That’s cool, ‘cause it’s time for us to shine so bright!
Trust this feeling ‘cause it’s now or never,
join in laughter, now and ‘ever!
Take my hand and be my friend for life!
The song came to an end, but Sonata could barely bring herself to notice. The audience roared. Their cheers, whistling, and calls for an encore were nearly deafening, but Sonata couldn’t have cared less.
It didn’t matter if her voice was still broken. It didn’t matter that she was crying again; that tears of joy were streaming down her face for all the world to see.
As she stood on stage, her darkest hour barely behind her, and with her new friends holding her hands on either side, all that mattered in that moment was that she finally understood. She finally knew.
For the first time in her immortal life, Sonata Dusk knew what it meant to truly sing.
The song is a rewrite of Shine by the untouchable Jeff Williams.
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That ending was beautiful. You described it so perfectly too; everything from Sonata's new magic (cleaner; more invigorating.) to her epiphany at the end.
Another wonderful chapter! 8D
That was so totally awesome and sweet!
Love it! 3rd...
Why DIDN'T you publish it yesterday!? It would have been more fitting!
I think it should be "as she felt..."
That was...
Okay.... so I might have teared up a little bit....
Shut up!
--Additional.
Now... Kiss!
Go Sonata!
I could write a thousand words- but I'll settle with two.
Well. Done.
Yes, let's all go to Taco Belle.
th04.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/f/2014/090/3/f/taco_belle_by_sheandog-d7cfa0n.png
I JUST WANTED A STORY WHERE THEY GET TACOS
NOT THIS RIDICULOUSLY AMAZING AMOUNT OF FEELS
JUST
ONE
TACO
IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK
My heart hurts, but it's a good kind of pain. Sonata may not get her tacos, but she may have found something even better to bring back to Adagio and Aria.
5948926 SOON DEAR PURPLE SMART, SOON!!!!
5934783
I'd say something cliche like 'I'm just getting warmed up', but in all honestly we're now at maybe the halfway point? I dunno, I gotta do some more planning on how exactly some parts are gonna play out yet.
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Thank you; I'm glad you all enjoyed it!
5948161
My bodyThe chapter wasn't ready!5948201
Whoops! Good catch; thank you my friend!
5948447
Pssh, you should've seen me at work the day I was finishing up the song.
Boss: Are you crying?
Me: Yes; don't ask, it's weird,
Boss: Like, ponies weird?
Me: ... Maybe,
5948663
That's the general idea... well, eventually,
5948827
5948926
I solemnly swear that there will be actual tacos before the end,
5949040
I'm still waiting for someone to find the Highlander reference,
5949204
Now you're gettin' it!
... But there will still be tacos, too... eventually,
5949328
I said eventually!
Thank you for this chapter... I loved it so much that I didn't notice any references at all... Sonata did good... She really is amazing...
SO, AWESOME!!!
I CAN'T WAIT FOR MORE!!!
5950017
I've been a fan of Highlander since
the dawn of timethe first movie came out way back in '86, so yeah, the reference might be a little too subtle for it's own good,I'll give you a (slightly cryptic) hint though: It's the most obvious thing,
5950516
You're very welcome,
This chapter was pretty light on references, but if you want to join 5950017 in the hunt for the Highlander one go right ahead,
5950580
Thanks!
Reading the song is so much better with the source music playing in another tab
5950894
... I... what?
I'm sure I have indeed used the word 'if' several times, but I'm not sure how that might be a Highlander reference,
5950916
Oh... wow, I have the dumb today,
Shut up, AJ,
Where was I? Oh yeah. Tell you what, when the story wraps up if no one has found it by then I'll point it out (and you can all laugh at me for being a super-nerd,
).
5950597 I'll try... But I'm loosing my reference-finding skills... I've become weak! I shall try it nevertheless!
FEELS FEELS FEELS FEELS FEELS
I wasn't expecting this fun, random story to get so deep so fast. Does this mean it's almost over?
5950630
I love that song so much; I'm glad I was able to re-write so that it still kept some of the 'feel' of the original,
5952353
pop.h-cdn.co/assets/15/17/1429646626-tumblr-n0bg3idagm1r5k9koo2-r1-250.gif
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These two comments together are priceless!
5952581
Nah, gimmie one more chapter to get the rest of it outta my system and then we're jumping headfirst back into the crazy pool!
5952752 Okay! I won't give up!
Wait, I'm confused, did this fix her voice or not? I mean not in the sense of being able to enchant people, just fix it so it sounds good again.
5953126
I'll address that next chappie (kinda-sorta),
Your Sonata Dusk has evolved into an Rainbow-Anthro-Harmony-thing. Level Up!
Very good. I love this story.
Very good. I love this story.
Ooh, excellent! Comedy and feels and a good ol' fashioned musical number. This story is still amazing.
Good idea.
Huh?
Whu, but, how?