Talent is a lot like ice cream. On the surface, it's hard to tell how long it'll be before it'll all melt and dribble all over your hand, but the part that sinks to the bottom of the cone is still-
Wait, wrong metaphor. Whatever.
Sonata Dusk has talents of her own, things Aria and Adagio couldn't do to save their lives, and she's going to prove it! With a brilliant plan backed up by her special skills, her old enemies won't know what hit them!
There are very few of those that are actually good and even less that are positive and not depressing. Most of the time writers tend to either turn Adagio and Aria into horrible people, while making Sonata "the innocent one" who gets all the redemption, or are creating concentrated sob-stories about sirens meeting a cruel end.
So your take on these plots is like a breath of fresh air. Please don't stop, unless you want your readers to suffocate.
So it's kind of your answer to all these Suenata fics? (Though, i've only seen one)
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Suenata as if Mary Sue?
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Glad you're interested!
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Kind of, but please don't think that I don't like Sonata. It's just, when you have someone that clearly isn't all that bright and wasn't morally upstanding to start, I'm not sure I buy that she'd just be all sunshine and rainbows while generally succeeding at whatever she tries.
I can't say more without spoiling, but this one should be marked 'complete' before the weekend is over, hopefully.
I feel like it was a little bit too silly? I mean that thing when crowd tramples someone (in not a bad way) is kinda fun, but also kinda... Not?!? This joke is old as the world, not original at all. So In my opinion, it could be repeated only once, when you repeated it, like, five times?
I wonder what Adagio is doing. Fixing gems?
Sonata isn't going to last very long
Also, I want to see how she handles Angel Bunny
6436976 Dangit bznwow, I came here to say the exact same thing about all those other fics!
Yeah, if it was any other author I'd probably just pass on a Sonata-on-her-own fic, but ol' Eyeswirly understands the Sirens like nobody's business!
(Plus, there's an unofficial guarantee of at least one new hilarious name for Adagio's hair per chapter).
She has a point, Adagio can only put on one of her terrifying Slasher Smiles or a seductive one, Aria, I think smiled a bit during the songs, but they did NOT look like normal smiles. Sonata on the other hand...
Sonata, you are magnificent. This is the perfect Sonata to me, YES, she's more innocent and light harted than the others, but she's also just as cunning in her own way.
Not sour.
Oh you're enjoying this.
You are EVIL.
Corner. NOW.
You're evil.
That's gotta suck.
Let's just say I came up with a different reason why Rainbow didn't get the joke when I first read it .
Loved the way Rainbow and Sonata compared the other to Pinkie Pie (and I have to admit I'm with Rainbow on this one).
I love this story. It has brought nothing, but a constant smile to m face since I started reading it. It's done a great job cheering me up after having such a lousy week.
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It took me a second to guess what you might have meant. That hadn't occurred to me, but darned if it doesn't kinda fit.
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The silliness kind of peaks in this chapter, but I hope the rest is still enjoyable.
Best chapter yet! Headcanon accepted RE: your origin story of the sirens. I always thought the three of them were actually sisters, but other than that I love everything about this. Does that mean that every high-ranking Kelpie is a siren? (Well, was a Siren, because even though its only been a few years for the Dazzlings, its been over a millennium back in Equestria). I do agree with the general idea that life under the sea is pretty rough.
Also, Sonata: We all want a Flutterslave, and points for remembering you need to involve dogs to pull it off, but you forgot that you also need a signed first edition Daring Doo novel. Rookie Mistake!
Quite.
Rainbow?
No, she's quoting your song.
Pinkie is supposed to be the motor mouth, RD.
I can imagine.
The Schadenfreude is DELICIOUS!
She's good.
Impressive. Sounds like something out of Inazuma Eleven.
HEADSHOT! +50XP
PURPLE SOURPUSS AND PUFFBALL PRIME! THIS IS THE GREATEST!
rIGHT.
I can't help but feel that you're doing this on purpose.
Speak for yourself, I am enjoying the out of this.
I'm starting to think she has a masochistic streak.
How do you, never mind.
I, wow. WOW.
I've seen it work. Then again, not everyone lives in an anime world where conjuring the elements or energy in football is normal and not everyone can spawn a giant golden energy fist in front of their head to slam the football away form them.
Yikes.
I've seen such a thing before.
This would be funny if it weren't so painful.
That worked.
Darth Sonata. YES.
Considering the speed at which the ball was probably going, realistically speaking, that should have broken her wrist, but, seeing as MLP doesn't rely on realistic, never mind. Unless it was rather slow.
BreAch her defense. But, if ti works.
Most impressive.
Quite.
This should be good.
Oh dear... Did, she just kick Sonata where I think she did?
She acts as if that explains everything. Which, it, probably does to her.
I can imagine.
6440382 I had the same reaction. I was like "sure, Rainbow doesn't get the ball jokes, but she'd be doubled over guffawing if Sonata started talking about how much she loves tacos."
I really want to see what it would take for Aria to be forced into actually comforting Adagio.
Heh.
Has it ever occured to you that her name IS Rainbow?
Easy enough. Though seeing as how hard her head is, she might as well headbutt the tree.
... That's a new one.
Alien farmer tech. Sonata, you amuse me a lot.
Apple collection fairy, pie making elves, you, aren't very familiar with reality, are you?
Wonder why?
Yeah, good luck with that.
Uh, what?
Stupidity as a weapon, not the first time I've seen such a thing.
Eeyup.
Err...
ANd this is why you shouldn't have done that.
Huh. Neat.
Oh that is HILARIOUS!
Free noms is always good.
HardLy.
Ironic, isn't it?
Might I suggest the nickname Bacon Hair?
I swear I've read that line about the dark magical artifact thing before.
Probably.
Fair enough.
Yep. She just keeps the jacket and boots cause they look cool.
Nice story! Though, I didn't know you, I would have totally thought that you hate Sonata in first 5 chapters.
But personally, that's how I see Sonata's redemption story http://www.fimfiction.net/group/204373/adagio-dazzle-sonata-dusk-and-aria-blaze-are-amazing/thread/209172/i-think-this-video-is-perfect-for-possible-siren-story
I affectionately refer to that "horsey" as Rainbow Horse Jesus, because it amuses me.
That sentence has no right to be as funny as it is.
This is the best ever.
Huh. Headcanon accepted.
Give me the Pyro from Team Fortress 2, an arsenal of fire spells and a time machine to go back to the Jurassic and it will.
I would normally think that this is the other way around, but this is too damn funny.
Of course Adagio didn't say "no"; Since there was no plan that could go wrong, Aria was just being paranoid! (or was it?... ).
It was a funny little story that brought more than a few laughs out of me. Talk about a juggernaut, i didn't think Sonata would have made it off the soccer field with so many balls to the face.
Also, you deserve a break, you cranked out these chapters super quick. I'm not complaining at all, because it gave me the chance to move this to the complete pile. Then again my i have my suscipions you had this all wrote out and slowly released chapters.
Unicorn. Also a sunbutt.
Oh just fck already!
Also, you double spaced between a and compromise.
Yes. Yes they are. And I'll admit, I'd laugh too.
DEspair. ALso, yay for friendship.
Pinknese Finger-Trap, that's a new one.
Pinki Finger Word-Seal. Amusing.
Oh this is gonna be fun.
HEH!
Agreed.
True.
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Partially correct! I wrote most of the story out over the course of a month or so, went over the chapters once, started publishing Friday, then got the last few chapters done this weekend.
Thank you for realizing that as a (former) monster that feeds on misery and spite, Sonata is not any more innocent than her comrades just because she smiles a lot and seems a bit slow sometimes.
It's not like cheeriness or being slightly dim equal moral fiber.
Wow this story moved fast, I finished the last 5 chapters at once. I like the idea this story has for Adagio's character. If Fluttershy had never stopped listening to Iron Will, she probably would have ended up like Adagio. Similarly, a huge setback for Adagio is enough to at least temporarily reset her into her old shy mode.
This isn't actually part of the story, but I want to say how strongly I agree with the author's note last chapter. When I first watched the series pilot, the first two episodes were pretty good, but they didn't really stand out to me. What made me want to keep watching the show was the fact that Luna immediately gets her throne back and is welcomed back, full stop. Redemption is probably my single favorite theme in fantasy, and its what I think is at the core of the show. Like I said at the beginning, I almost didn't read this story because I've seen so many stories where one Dazzling gets redeemed and the other two go die in a ditch, and that just ruins the story for me. One of the ways I think the show has gotten better recently is it seems like they're remembering the ethos of "leave no villain behind" with Discord and Gilda so far, and hopefully others to come.
The only thing that ruins this story for me: Aria finally has a chance to come up with a brilliant plan, and she maps it out on the planning board, why didn't the Dazzling support her by sneaking into the local zoo's reptile house with kerosene and matches?
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"leave no villain behind," I like that.
Yes, the real win for any decent good guy isn't beating the other guy into paste, it's showing him why he's wrong and convincing him to stop before someone gets hurt. "The greatest victory is the battle not fought," they say, and our canon heroes have flubbed that a few times. Not sure Celestia ever got it right. Still, Gilda, Discord, and Trixie show us that even if they aren't shown the error of their ways the first time, there's generally hope in the future. The only antagonistic characters I can recall not having been reformed by their second appearance are Flim and Flam, and I'm sure they'll straighten out eventually.
Heck, I even have hope for Lord "It Is As Useless As He Is" Tirek and Starlight "I Created Harmony!" Glimmer!
Queen "In My Heart, There Is No Room!" Chrysalis though, I'm a little worried about, given Cadence's approach to martial law.
I like to think dousing dinosaur mascot outfits with flame-retardant chemicals before putting them on, lighting them up, and running around like maniacs for a minute or two is as close as they could get without losing a lot of friendship points to pyromania.
I call this caper: "Happy Birthday, Aria!"
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It's why so many people loved "Keep Calm and Flutter On," a major villain was converted from a threat to an ally without violence.
They're the ones I want to see reformed most. Still annoyed they brought in Silver Shill instead of just having the brothers learn that lesson themselves.
I've always looked for the glimmer of goodness in any villain. Admittedly its incredibly hard to find in Tirek, and I really doubt a stone plateau in the depths of hell is conducive to rehabilitation, but he kept that amulet of his brother for millennia... What I want to see for Starlight Glimmer more than any reform/befriending by the Mane 6 is her being welcomed back to Our Town. You know, the town she helped found, and poured her blood sweat and tears into building so that everyone there could have friends, even if it was Starlight's own twisted, distorted version of friendship?
Yeah, of the possibly executed villains (ignoring comics here) Cadance is 2 for 2.
Most metal birthday ever!
The first 4 chapters were disturbingly making me both amused and horrified of Sonata’s misfortunes – the mental imagery of a teenage girl being stomped by a crowd, assaulted by a pack of dogs, getting food poisoning and getting beaten up was some kind of Looney Tunes/Tom and Jerry level of violence, which felt a bit too cruel. But at the same time every chapter was providing me with bits of sincerity and genuine emotions that by the chapter 6 went into the full overdrive and was able to kick especially hard in the “feelz” department, leaving me with a bunch of pleasant emotions even past the very end.
Once again you absolutely nailed the characterization. Sonata being evil felt exactly like her from RR movie and not like author was just having a grim-dark fetish. Vulnerable Adagio while being an unusual imagery for a character felt absolutely plausible, the same can be said about Aria dropping down her whole “tough” act. Them going from tears and depression to happy ending felt genuine and spot on and overall made for an incredibly enjoyable and, most importantly, deserving closure for the characters that haven’t received it officially (yet, If ever – Oct 13th will put all concerns to rest).
Overall – pure and fresh joy. Thank you.
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You are forgetting about Lightning Dust who got booted out Wonderbolt Academy for 1 mistake and wrong attitude regarding the matter – a pretty sad end of a life dream.
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I think this one might need to replace 'Fluff & Kidnapping' in the Captain's Chest,
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Cool.
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All deliberate.
Specifically, as most of those SoloNata stories tend to put the other two through Hell, I wanted to see how the shoe fit on the other foot, for once. At the same time, I didn't just want to do more of the same thing, or it would probably stop being funny pretty fast. Compromise! I had Sonata be the one to get slapped silly by karma and her own mistakes (and a possibly possessed soccer ball, though half the time that one was her fault anyway) while giving her enough bright, uplifting moments that she wouldn't just lose the will to continue before the epiphany could hit her.
That, and while Aria and Adagio are left out of the slapstick, they aren't exactly having a great time either. I don't picture any of the sirens really being happy without the others, at least not if they split up on ugly terms.
Wai-huh? What happens on Oct 13th? Another siren comic? The start of the Equestria Girls series?
If so, all news to me! I'm still planning to do that cheerleader story if our favorite divas (or, mine at least) don't make an appearance/get completely shafted in Friendship Games this Saturday. Whenever I'm able to catch the movie, I mean.
Eh, being a Wonderbolt isn't much of a dream, I hope Rainbow eventually drops those incompetent deadbeats like a rock. Let them keep their hollow prestige, their unearned hero status, their precious records, I just hope someone points out that they never seem to do anything but screw up until someone else steps in.
Context: Just in the most recent episode, Rainbow claimed she didn't have the stamina for long-distance flying. When she flies far enough that one of the Wonderbolts is sure she won't make it back in time to go get Spitfire, guess which one isn't even visibly winded when they return?
Other than that, though, it would be nice to see Lightning Dust (and Suri Polomare, and Ahuizotl,(Cabelaron and his goons got off scot-free as I recall) and Prince Blueblood, and Diamond Tiara+Silver Spoon, etc...) finding happiness too.
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While Friendship Games will indeed air this Saturday 20 pm EST only on Discovery ©, TV versions of previous movies tend to had certain scenes being cut, along with credits and, most importantly, post-credit scenes. Even if sirens won't make an appearance this Saturday, they could still be among scenes that were cut and put on DVDs and Blurays that will be available on Oct 13th. Also, one of the soundtrack songs is also exclusive to disks.
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Ah, phooey. Does that mean I should wait until the whole thing is available before publishing anything? I've got the first chapter ready to go, but not if there's no need. Other stories to invest that time in, and all.
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I see absolutely no way how having more of your stories to enjoy would result in any negative impact on siren's "official" fate (or unfortunate official disregard).
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Thank you, but it would have a negative impact on all that other stuff I've kept hanging for months, in that the hanging would be extended further.
Well, We'll just have to wait and see! Even if I do publish Cheerleader Sirens by next week, the movies tend not to have all that much happen in their run time, so (and these may prove to be my dying words) I'm sure the story won't be that long. More-so if I'm mainly covering things from the sirens' POV while the main cast is doing their thing in the background.
Ooooh, beneath all her silliness, smiles and general goofiness she's still a villain! That's good to know.
I mean, damn Sonata, you are evil! I would still hug her if given a chance, but this time I'll hide my wallet in harder to reach place before I do.
Classy show. As expected of Sonata
That... is actually brilliant. Some people won't be able to talk to their lawyers about "butt bitten by a dog" with a straight face.
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Curse you, first Adagio/Fluttershy and now you've got me mildly interested in Sonata/Fluttershy.
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It snuck up on me too.
I liked the way she stumbled onto Rainbow's name by accident without realizing it, here.
Vulnerable Adagio – best Adagio.
Aria being terrible at cheering people up is pretty amusing and sad simultaneously.
Again, thanks for letting your Sonata retain an element of cunning, despite being a bit spacey and occasionally oblivious. These simple manipulations are all the more effective because people are inclined to underestimate her.
Only ten years? Given Starswirl was alive over a thousand years ago, that's a very large time-warping effect from moving across dimensions. I know it has to alter time to some extent, because the timelines with Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle don't line up otherwise, but I didn't realize it was that big.
Although... that would mean that from Equestria's perspective Twilight must have been gone months in the other world instead of a day or so.
Ok, ok, I'll add Rarity/Sonata to the list of things this has made me mildly interested in.
It's the little touches like Sonata and Adagio teasing Aria over her burning dinosaur drawings that make these characters feel like rounded people in your story, instead of having them just focused on the main thrust of things and only talking about plot relevant stuff (redemption and friends in this case), as I sometimes see authors do. A character who only talks about those things doesn't give the audience a real feel for their personality.
Predictable? Yes. But well-executed. And that's what matters.
Also, I do agree that it's absolutely bizarre how often one of the Dazzlings (Sonata in particular) gets redeemed and the others get left in the dust, for stories set in a universe that had an insane goddess shown the light in the first two episodes and later went on to reform Discord.
Lots of good little jokes in this chapter, I won't go into all of them, but I like the idea of world domination through friendship. It is, literally, magical power after all.
Pinkie Pie as a shipper? I can see it.
And of course Adagio won't outright deny it... even if she wasn't behind everything, her ego wouldn't let her say that. Or rather her insecurities. I like your idea of her being propped up by having two loyal minions all the time and bereft without their support. Because being on your own for the first time in decades/centuries must be a very frightening thing.
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That's a beautiful birthday plan.
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The contrast between World-Conquering Megalomaniac and Nervous, Uncertain Wallflower might be what made Sunset so popular the second time around. A walking, solidified wall of confidence suddenly needing a hug has that effect, I think.
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I don't know if I conveyed it very well, but I meant to have Sonata say that they were together for roughly ten years before being banished, only floating around Canterlot City for a few months or so (as I feel makes more sense than centuries of little or no progress), if not some odd combination. Maybe they roamed Equestria for 6 and a half years before roaming the other world for the remaining 3 and a half, but my thinking is if Starswirl catapulted them forward, what difference does it make if it's a hundred years or a thousand? Most pony magic seems to lean toward the latter, so it feels pretty reasonable to me, with the flow of time being unaffected in both worlds.
Then again, I vaguely recall something about Rainbow Rocks taking place 5 months after the first movie, uncertain as to whether or not that applies to Equestria as well.
Glad they feel distinctly people-ish!
If I ever write or have written any character that comes across as really flat, I apologize.
I've heard the theory that some think of Silver Spoon as 'the good one' between her and Diamond Tiara partly because Silver is a little bit more visually appealing with her pretty little braids and glasses, and people might unconsciously want the comparatively good-looking characters to be good.
Maybe Sonata's silly smiles and airhead moments are doing something similar, next to the slasher smiles and grumpiness next to her? I'm not sure, but even for a show about silly, big-eyed ponies, the notion that only the cute ones should be spared creeps me out a bit. On that note, I like to think that Fluttershy would even protect a hagfish.
Something in the back of my head said that two reformed megalomaniacs would probably think something like this, the power that stopped and eventually converted them clearly being something that part of them would want to seize for themselves. I can't say if they'll get far in trying to make the whole world get along, but making acquaintances from day to day seems like a good start.
The more people falling in love, the more weddings, and thus, the more wedding cake! Remember who reunited Cranky and Matilda, after all.
In a few ways, she reminds me of Azula from Avatar: The Last Airbender. I think Adagio took it a little better here, from some point of view, but Azula was at least still mostly functional during her breakdown, not a weeping wreck... Initially.
Sunset getting all shy and hesitant after losing her hold on the school kinda makes sense in that context too, I think.
Innit? They'd have to have a sizable body of water nearby to extinguish themselves with, but I can totally picture Pinkie setting up a Big, Burnin' Pyromania Party. Probably taking place at night, tiki torches everywhere, barbecue and sparklers for cake candles or something, ending with everyone flopping over on the grass to enjoy fireworks.