The next thing that Sonata knew, she was underneath the ocean, as proved by the swimming schools of fish and the shimmering light pouring in from the top of the water. She could see two coral caves in front of her, both of which had different undersea plantlife acting as the answers.
Before she knew it, a school of fish came swimming all around her from all angles. They made Sonata a little dizzy with their swim patterns before they finally converged together and made the next riddle for Sonata to ponder upon.
The ocean's floor is quite serene, but this next riddle is quite obscene. Under the waves, I cannot sing, yet when I fly, my voice can ring. What am I?
When Sonata had read the riddle aloud, she saw the aquatic plants release aquatic fumes into the water, spelling out "Dolphin" and "Seahorse"
"Wait a second, seahorses can't sing!" Sonata looked long and hard at the two answers, seeing a contradiction in both of them. She'd learned full well that Dolphins had a way of communicating under the waves, but now that she had processed the riddle for long enough, she saw that there was no correct answer in front of her. "This is a trick question!"
"Miss Dusk. Sometimes, the answer is not as clear as one might believe it to be..." Symphonia appeared once more, projecting his spirit in front of Sonata so that she and he were talking to each other. "Take what you believe into account, and you might find the right answer had eluded you to begin with..."
"Well what am I supposed to pick?! Seahorses can't fly, nor can they even sing! And although dolphins can jump out of the water and make me giggle, they only sing under the water so that the rest of their pack can communicate with each other!" Sonata's frustrations only attracted Song Seekers, who hid behind some undersea rock formations.
"But... what if a seahorse is not what you anticipate it to be?" Symphonia vanished back into Sonata's body, making her ruminate on the riddle that had been posed for her. "Think long and hard, Sonata Dusk. Childishness and distractions will only call the Song Seekers towards you..."
"Hmm... If a seahorse isn't what I think it is, then what could it be..." Sonata had some time to process what Symphonia had just left her with. However, when she heard a crashing coming from nearby, she was broken out of her train of thought and turned to where the noise had come from.
To Sonata's shock, she saw that multiple Song Seekers were approaching her position, all of them swimming through the water like vicious sharks, eager to strike Sonata and make her fail her trial. Beginning to panic, she looked at the two answers that had been handed to her.
"Oh, I get it now! Hippocampi are seahorses! How could I have forgotten that?" Sonata then ran into the cave with "Seahorse" as the answer. She ran deeper and deeper into the cave until she saw another rip in the fabric of reality. Sparing no time, she leapt through this crack and was swallowed up by light once more...
In the next part of her Rhythm Realm trial, Sonata found herself back in Musician's Delight, the room that she, Aria and Adagio had spent years growing up in after they'd sang the Second Life Song together. She could see that this was the Musician's Delight from when she, Aria and Adagio were only infants, due to all of the toys and furniture that could be seen around the room.
Sonata tried to get to her feet, but found that her balance had been severed by quite a large amount. She eventually fell onto her butt, hearing a nostalgic crinkling noise as she did so. When she looked down, she saw that her legs and arms had become surprisingly short, and she was wearing what looked like a diaper. However, she still had control over her bodily actions and mind, and eventually came to the conclusion that the Rhythm Realm had placed her mind into an infantile version of her body, to add to the fact that she had to overcome distractions and childishness to acquire her new Furen pendant.
Sonata felt her pendant and crawled over to the middle of the room, where she could see that the riddle was made entirely out of building blocks, and that she now needed to put it in the right order to truly earn her question. She could see that each different word in the riddle had been jumbled up, but at the very least, all the letters for each word were close together.
Sonata wanted to speak about this part of the trial, but all that tumbled out of her lips was baby talk. The Rhythm Realm had truly made her believe that she was a Siren, but had been trapped within the body of a child. Surprised with her sudden collapse in vocabulary, Sonata decided to continue this part of the Rhythm Realm in silence.
After two minutes using childish distractions to her advantage, Sonata had spelt out the next riddle for her to answer. Once she had, two giant stuffed animals with dimensional rips appeared at each side of the riddle. As she put her thumb in her mouth, reliving some of her most nostalgic years as an infant, she read out the next riddle in her mind.
Youth, whilst fleeting, is still fun. Which of these can be worn by everyone?
She then looked and saw even more blocks in front of the stuffed animals, which also spelt out answers, but had been jumbled up to make her stall. Sonata stopped sucking for a brief instant, then began to spell out the two answers that had been placed in front of her. Once she was finished, she saw that one of the answers was "Diaper" whilst the other one was "Onesie"
Sonata babbled incoherently, trying to say some words, but failed once more.
However before she could even think of what everyone would wear, she found herself playing with the blocks that had spelt out the question. To her subconscious shock, she was acting like an infant in a Rhythm Realm where the Song Seekers could take full advantage of her.
She tried desperately to break herself out of her childish delusions, but something in her mind was telling her that this was a rather pleasant and calming feeling. She eventually found herself knocking the blocks over, letting out a giggle as they all tumbled down around her.
She then heard a door opening up slowly, and knew that the Song Seekers were closing in for the kill. Finally taking control of her infantile body once more, Sonata crawled as fast as she could for the plushie that had "Onesie" next to it. She squeezed it tightly, cooing in bliss as she put her hand in her mouth as the light consumed her again.
Sonata was still sucking on her thumb when she arrived in the next part of the Rhythm Realm. She was back in her regular body once more, and thought that it was rather embarrassing that she was still sitting down and sucking on her thumb. Rising to her feet and pulling her thumb out of her mouth, Sonata could see that she now had seven of the twenty Furen Fragments that she needed for her new Furen pendant.
The next riddle that was in front of her was all covered in dust and impossible to read. She pondered what was wrong with the riddle before she could actually see the dust that was obscuring the question for her.
She grew her wings and flew towards the riddle before taking in a deep breath of air. Almost immediately after her breath, she blew all of the dust away from the riddle with one huge blow. Some of the dust flew right back into her face and made her cough for a short period of time.
When the dust finally settled, Sonata could see the next riddle that had been posed for her, as well as the two answers that had been made out of the dust she'd just blown away from the riddle itself.
A hazy mind leads to defeat, but which Dystopian can turn up the heat?
She looked at the two dust clouds and saw that one of the read "Insult" whereas the other read "Assault"
"That's Insult, definitely. I've been reading up on the books that Mum and Auntie Twilight told me about, and it's Insult, mainly because insults are a way of baking someone into an argument and spilling negative energy from them." Sonata said as she walked through the archway that had Insult hovering above it. "Sonatelligence wins again!"
Once more, she was consumed by a bright light as she walked through the crack that had persisted throughout the entire Rhythm Realm.
Next, Sonata found herself sliding down what looked like a rather large and rather complex slide. Whilst it was a bit of a surprise for her to be doing so, she still let out a cheer of merriment as she took a sharp turn and continued plummeting down the slippery slide.
"Whee!" Sonata's joy at that moment was undeniable. She'd had many ups and downs in her life, but this was the one thing that had her happiness for now. Her velocity made the slide all the more exciting as she gradually got faster and faster the more she slid down.
Eventually, she saw the riddle in front of her, as well as two answers next to it. However, she was still sliding, and could see two different slides at the bottom of the hill.
Think fast, Sonata, your time is flying. What do Blissens enjoy riding?
She could see from a distance that one of the slides read "Dragon" whilst the other one read "Transcendence"
Seeing no time to react, Sonata shifted her weight towards Transcendence, since Dragons were always what she considered to be a Blissen's primary Siren Summon. Nothing else fell out of her mouth other than a cheer of joy as she shot down the slide that said Transcendence, throwing her hands up as a flash of light hit her before she fell through another dimensional rip.
When Sonata's eyes readjusted to the light once again, she found herself inside what looked like a maze made entirely out of mirrors. This made it increasingly hard for Sonata to read the riddle and the answers properly. It was so hard for Sonata to find where she needed to go, that she almost took the wrong route before even reading the question and answers properly.
Eventually, Sonata kicked each and every one of the mirrors quite violently. Every time her feet smashed the mirrors, she was welcomed by the majority of glass that flew off of it with how fast she'd been with her kicks. The shards flew into her body and simulated pain, but only for a brief instance whenever they did so.
Finally, when all of the glass mirrors had been shattered, Sonata was now stuck in a black plane of existence. Whilst she could see no more colours other than black and white, Sonata could still see the riddle and answers now that everything else had been cleared from the area.
Lyricans act in secrecy, but are exposable, nonetheless. Which of these Siren warriors was known to be the best?
Sonata could see clearly that there were two more rips in the fabric of reality once more. Only this time, the answers that appeared above them were "Andante Hurricane" and "Baritone Gaia"
"A question on two friends I used to know?" Sonata said as she looked long and hard at the question and the two answers that accompanied it. "One of them used what he called 'The Winds of Destiny' to bring others together, whereas one of them was known for his 'Earthen Extremism' in combat. But who was more powerful?"
"Hmm... Now that I think about it, rocks are more durable than winds, yet winds can't be stopped no matter what..." so many different thoughts ran through Sonata's mind as she continued thinking of Andante and Baritone's feats. "Which one of them was more powerful? I swear, this quiz show is gonna be the end of me!"
Hearing a low screech erupt from the darkness, Sonata knew that the Song Seekers were arriving, and were going to strike her if she didn't pick an answer.
"Alright. The Winds of Destiny, or the Earthen Extremist. While winds are powerful when controlled correctly, I still think that, in the long run, earth is much more durable than wind itself," Sonata walked towards Baritone Gaia just as the Song Seekers erupted from the darkness. "It's a 50/50 chance, but it's once I'm gonna have to take!"
Sonata threw herself through Baritone Gaia's dimensional rip, becoming enveloped by light once more as she narrowly evaded the Song Seekers once again.
Sonata then found herself in what looked like the middle of a warzone with dozens of mortar shells and missiles raining down on the area around her. She was, without a doubt, back in the great war that destroyed the lifestyles of human, pony and Siren alike.
As a wave of panic washed over her as she looked at the war-torn world that was once her home, Sonata narrowly evaded another mortar strike and saw that the question had arisen from the ashes of a crashed missile.
Battle is eternal, that much is true. But this is an important riddle for you. When the time is right and the souls realign, when the Sirens return, what is the first sign?
Sonata saw that two more mortar shells created two more holes next to the riddle itself. From the explosion, Sonata could see that one of the answers was "Humans and ponies will have red and blue eyes" whilst the other one had said "Humans and ponies will begin singing an otherworldly tune that they've never heard before"
Seeing all of the carnage going on around her, Sonata just randomly jumped into the crater that said "Humans and ponies will have red and blue eyes" without any hesitation or remorse. She was once more consumed by a bright light as she fell through another dimensional rip in the fabric of reality.
"How am I still in this?" Sonata asked herself when she found herself with eleven out of twenty Furen Fragments welded into her pendant case. She was still in the Rhythm Realm, even after making a decision without even thinking about it. At first, she cursed herself for not reading the question and answers properly, but she was also proud of herself for getting the right answer in such a quick time.
When she surveyed her surroundings once more, she found that the ground around her reacted to how close her feet were to it. It looked like she was standing on a tiny platform, but when she walked forward, she saw that that platform moved with her, and eventually revealed two arches, as well as the riddle that she was supposed to answer.
Not seen by the naked eye, what can be made by you and I?
When Sonata looked at each of the different arches that she'd made with her mere presence alone, she saw that one of them read "Magic" whilst the other archway read "Music"
"Well, from what I know, magic is kind of hard to pull off, even for novice Lyricans that are only just starting out. Heck, some humans aren't even capable of utilizing magic properly..." Sonata used some clever logic to deduce what she thought would be the correct answer. "Meanwhile, music can be made by everyone, with some glaring evidence being the Battle of the Bands that we created, and our brothers are trying to top with their own..."
Suddenly, a realization hit Sonata. She couldn't find the correct answer anymore as she frantically ran around the area looking for the arch. However, every time she thought she'd gotten close to it, she ended up wobbling to regain her balance as she teetered on the edge of the platform.
"Where was it?!" Sonata drove her heel into the platform, suddenly revealing it all for a brief instance. Surprised by what she'd done, she stomped once more, revealing the position of the correct answer once more. Stomping to ensure she was going the right way, Sonata eventually walked through the archway and was on her way again.
Following the trail for another time, Sonata eventually found herself at another dimensional rip in the fabric of reality. She stepped through it and didn't even bother to cover her eyes as she was once more enveloped by the light that she'd expected to see...
Very nice chapter again :) If it's dress up day....... I'm hiding. *Darts off*
Gweat chaptew and... Mama bettew not make me weaw da tuxedo again. Dat gave me itchys fow a week.
5729408 Celestia: (picks you up by the tail and gives you a Cat Bell from Super Mario 3D World) Luna, say hello to Cat Peanut!
Luna: Aww... Doesn't he look precious?
You: Meow.
Sonata: (dashes over and hugs you) He is cute, isn't he? I just want to stroke him, and pet him, and treat him with all of my love and affection!
5729477 Luna: Lucky for you, I've got a spare! (Gives you a Cat Bell)
Me: Hehe, now you'we Cat Nighty!
Luna: And one more for you, little one... (Gives me a Cat Bell)
Me: Meow.
5729485 On second thought *Smiles and lets Sonata pet me*
5729491 Meow.
5729523 Meow.
5729529 Adagio: Aww, They're just so adorable. *Dagi picks me up and hugs me. I blush.*
Ok, I feel like I'm watching millionare without the million dollars! This is so Awesome!
5729529 can you imagine the Dazzlings and the Blasters playing a game of cards against humanity?
5733154 Oh christ, that would be funny!
But, it still needs some popularity before people acknowledge Fortissimo, Allegro and Orchestral's mere non-canon existence. Unless there are some few animators and artists on here that would actually go that far as to do that...
5733161 that was an idea for a story, also could you please describe what the Blasters look like again
5733161 also can you imagine Johnny Yong Bosch being the voice of Fortissimo?
5733380 Sakura's almost done with the cover art for this story. You'll know in due time...
5733387 Johnny Bosch?
5733451 the voice actor for Ichigo Kurosaki from the anime Bleach
5733547 I think it'd be more similar to the voice of Gaara from Naruto, since Death Battle showed us mere snippets of his orgasmic voice.
5733608 then who do you imagine being the voice actor for the other two?
5733614 Probably Quinton Flynn for Orchestral, and Travis Willingham for Allegro.
5733643 i know who Flynn is from him doing the voice of Axel from Kingdom Hearts
Not so much on Travis tho
5733717 Have you played Sonic Lost World? Travis Willingham was the voice of Zavok, the leader of the Deadly Six. He had such a deep and serious voice...
5733741 never played sonic lost worlds
5733741 and the voice for King Allure
5733897 Probably the guy who voiced Jergingha in Wonderful 101
5734001 I can see that, so your voice cast for the Blasters is Liam O'Brien as Fortissimo Blast , Travis Willingham as Allegro Maelstrom , and Quinton Flynn as Orchestral Chill, and Steven Blum as King Allure.
My selection was Johnny Yong Bosch as Fortissimo Blast, Steve Staley as Allegro Maelstrom, Yuri Lowenthal as Orchestral Chill, and Jamieson Price as King Allure.
5734089 not that anyone's gonna animate my fanfic, though...
5734157 but it helps me imagine what they sound like