...And Into Light
Chapter Four: ...And Into light
"Where did Fluttershy say we needed to turn?" Applejack asked, downshifting the massive pickup she was currently behind the wheel of as she stopped at a red light. Twilight looked at her phone at GPS app she currently had open, adjusting her glasses as she did so.
"We need to make a right up here and the apartments will be right down the road." She said. A quick check for oncoming traffic and Applejack was off again, the truck's massive V8 engine growling and sending a smile across the country girl's face.
"I love that sound." She said with a satisfied smirk as they peeled off down the road before arriving at the apartment complex where their former enemies resided. "Looks cozy for one of the cheaper places." Twilight nodded in agreement as Applejack parked across from the main entrance. Exiting the truck, they looked both ways before crossing and strolled up to the building, taking a moment to glance at the mailbox to determine their apartment number.
The lobby of the building was modestly furnished with a few chairs for residents, a TV off to one side playing a local news station and a small reception desk currently occupied by a single receptionist taking notes in a ledger. She looked up when she noticed the two girls' approach.
"Can I help you?" She asked in a bored tone.
"We're here to visit the residents in apartment 216." Twilight informed her. The receptionist brought out another ledger for them.
"Sign in here, please." She said. Both girls did so and handed the book back to the receptionist, who nodded them off before resuming her work. Both girls quickly boarded an open elevator, with Applejack pushing the button for the second floor. Twilight took a moment to text their friends that they were getting Sonata before the elevator doors closed.
"I hope she has a good time with us," Twilight said.
"Me too, Twi." Applejack replied, leaning back against the rear wall of the elevator as it slowly made its way up.
Sonata wasn't having the easiest time.
Despite the weekend being the normal time she washed her clothes, it turned out that seemingly the entire building had the same idea, meaning all the machines at the communal laundry were full. Now the former siren had to depend on the generosity of her sisters since she was down to just lounge pants and pajama bottoms, not something one would wear out on the town. Fortunately for her, Aria had some clean clothes left for her to borrow.
Unfortunately, the only pants she had available were the ridiculously tacky purple faux-leather studded trousers that she had worn when they first showed up at CHS, the ones she was certain that the Vice Principal She-Forgot-Her-Name would never have let Aria in the building wearing were it not for the accursed gems they were wearing.
And now, as then, Sonata absolutely hated the things. Sonata groused as she looked at herself in the mirror. Alongside the aforementioned purple abominations, she wore a denim vest over one of her favorite hot pink t-shirts along with her usual pink calf-high sneaker boots. She opted for a simple charm bracelet she had managed to pick up at the local mall on one of the few trips she had made there for jewelry and managed to apply a light layer of makeup for the occasion.
But those darn pants!
"I bet that Buttface left me these stupid things on purpose." Sonata groused out loud. She sighed. Not much she could do about it, other than just hope nobody minded. She picked up her purse and paused a moment when she saw something on her dresser drawer.
A single tiny sea snail shell, purplish in color, sitting in a coin tray. She picked it up and ran her fingers over it. She remembered the day she found it.
It was another rare occasion that she had really ventured out into public since the Battle of the Bands. She had managed to find a relatively quiet section of beach far away from any possible encounters with angry CHS students, where she could relax and try in vain to forget about the gnawing guilt that was growing within her. When she was still a young one living in her cove, she loved the colorful shells she found on the sandy bottom. She would string seaweed through them and make necklaces that she would give to her sisters. It always made them happy after they had to deal with the jeers and teasing of those more accomplished than them. This one she decorated with little stick-on jewels she got from a hobby store. It was a little reminder of the home she once knew.
A home she likely would never see again.
She felt a tear come to her eye as she thought about home, about the beautiful azure waters and colorful coral reefs. About all the tiny, colorful fish she loved to chase and play tail tag with. About the home she was willing to throw away for the sake of power.
Then, she remembered that she had been carrying the shell when she met Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash at the diner. She took a deep breath to still her emotions and put the shell in her pocket. She hadn’t ever really been the superstitious type, but she felt that things could only get better if she held onto that shell. She grabbed her purse and went into the bathroom to put a little bit of makeup on as a knocking sounded on the door.
“Y’all home, Sugarcube?” Applejack called out.
“Come on in! I’ll be out in a second!” They heard Sonata call back. The two of them waited before Sonata came out digging through her purse.
“Sorry for the wait you guys, I just had...yaaahahahaha!” She yelped when she finally looked up got sight of Twilight, skittering back and tripping over a nearby easy chair and falling backward. Applejack and Twilight winced at the ensuing thud.
“Um… Nice to meet you, too?” Twilight asked with an awkward smile. Sonata’s hand reached over the fallen couch to wave at her.
“Oh, hi Twilight!” She said with a chipper voice before pointing at her. “Um, since when did you wear glasses?” Surprised, Twilight instinctively reached up and adjusted them.
“I’ve always worn them, actually.”
Applejack chuckled.
“Sonata, this is the Twilight from this side of the portal.” She explained. “Princess Twilight’s back in Equestria.” Sonata poked her head up from behind the easy chair.
“Oh, I knew that.”
“Did y’all really?” Applejack asked with a grin. Sonata sighed.
“No,” She admitted, “but I thought I could cover it.” The two other girls shared a hearty laugh before helping her up.
“Come on, Sugarcube, let's get going. The others are waitin’ for ya.” Sonata smiled a bit, though she also felt some nervous tingles in her stomach.
She hoped that this was going to go OK.
“Pinkie Pie, darling, do you mind giving me some space?” Rarity complained, trying to put some last-minute touches to her makeup on while the pink-skinned party planner pranced around hooting in excitement.
“Sorry Rarity, I can’t help it! We’re making a new friend!” She cheered. Rarity scowled.
“Believe me, I’m excited about this too, but you’re being a bit of a distraction. I need to concentrate while I…” She just managed to get her mascara away before Pinkie scooped her up into an excited hug before resuming her skipping. Rarity sighed. “Never mind.” Sunset chuckled.
“Aw, give her a break Rarity.” She said. Rarity just returned to finishing her touchup. Fluttershy fed Angel Bunny while Rainbow Dash scanned the road for any sign of Applejack’s truck, anxiously tapping her foot.
“Ugh, come on guys! We’re ready to get this kicked off.” She complained. The others just scoffed slightly at her impatience before they finally sighted a dust cloud coming up the path to Sweet Apple Acres. Pinkie squealed as Applejack’s truck came into view.
“Eeeheeehee! She’s here, she’s here!” She cried as the truck pulled up and Applejack and Twilight stepped out, followed by Sonata Dusk who gingerly stepped out of the truck and joined them
“Sorry, we ran behind, y’all. Seems we hit every darn red light on the way out here.” Applejack complained. Pinkie squealed and rushed forward to envelope Sonata in the biggest hug she could give.
Somehow, Sonata's cheeks managed to get even bluer as Pinkie tightened her grip around her.
"Uh… guys… help…. please… "
"Oh my cupcakes! I'm so glad you're finally here!" Pinkie cheered happily. She squeezed Sonata to the point that the poor girl legitimately began to squeak in pain and struggle to escape. “We’re going to have so much fun! Welcome to the herd, Dusky!” Rainbow and Applejack grabbed the pink menace’s arms and tried to pry her loose from the poor siren.
“Pinks, do you think you can let her breathe while you hug her?” The speedster chided. Pinkie giggled and finally let go, allowing Sonata to catch a much-needed breath of air. A loud gasp escaped her mouth.
“Oh, sweet oxygen…” She muttered. Rainbow helped her up.
“Hehe, sorry about that, Pinkie can get a little carried away.” Rarity busied herself taking in Sonata’s choice of outfit.
“My, those are some… ahem, fetching pants you’ve chosen to wear this evening.” Indeed, Sonata’s outfit clashed with Rarity’s simple blue sundress and sandals combo.
“Yeah, I hate them too,” Sonata replied. “Unfortunately, I forgot to throw my stuff in for laundry day and this was all Aria had for me to borrow. I don’t know how she was even allowed in your school with these butt-huggers.” The rest of the girls snickered at her choice of words.
“Hmm, perhaps I can help you with that if you’d like.” Rarity offered. Sonata was taken aback. They had just been reintroduced and she was already offering to get her new clothes? Even now she could hardly believe such generosity. “Oh, how rude of me, I’m Rarity darling.”
“The fashion girl, right?” Sonata asked.
“That’s one way of putting it, yes.” Rarity replied. Sunset had been quiet the whole time, never taking her eyes off of Sonata as she began to chat with her friends. It was a moment she had been hoping for ever since that fateful Spring night. Her eyes misting over a bit, she began to walk toward them.
“Sunset Shimmer?” Sonata asked a bit nervously when she finally caught sight of her. Dressed in the same outfit that she remembered from the Battle, it gave her every appearance of the tough girl that she had once been. Sonata couldn’t help but feel a bit intimidated.
“Uh, hi Sunset.” She said, nervously waving. “Remember me?” Despite Fluttershy’s assurances from the other night, she just couldn’t help but feel that nervous tingling again in her stomach facing the one who had defeated her and her sisters. Sunset, for her part, bore an unreadable expression as she looked Sonata over. Sonata felt herself shiver a bit. Sunset looked at her for a second, causing the others to gain concerned expressions and for Sonata to gulp, and then flinch when Sunset raised her hand. This disappeared when Sunset's only action was to bring Sonata into a tight hug.
"Huh-whu?" The confused former would-be conqueror huffed. Sunset merely smiled.
"Thank goodness you guys are alright. We thought you might have been struggling." Sunset said, her voice quavering a bit.
"Were you that worried about us?" Sonata asked.
"After you guys ran off after the Battle, we tried looking for you." Rarity said. "Sunset wanted to extend a hand of friendship toward you, and give you a chance to have a new life."
"In hindsight, I didn't know if you would have been willing to accept it, given what had just happened," Sunset explained. "But these girls were willing to do the same for me, even after all the horrible things I did to them, and I thought... no, knew that you deserved the same chance."
"I.... thank you." Sonata managed to say. Pinkie Pie then engulfed her in another huge hug.
"Alright, enough of this sappy stuff! Let's get our party on!" Rainbow whooped. The others murmured in agreement. "First stop, Canterlot Mall!" Rainbow followed up to cheers from her friends.
As they rushed off, Sonata hung back for a moment, taking in what she had just witnessed. People who should have been her enemies, welcoming her with open arms. Not only that, but they had been trying hard to find her and give her the gift of friendship that they had received. Sonata felt a tear fall down her cheek as she smiled, a real one of pure joy.
"Hey, Nata! Are you coming? You're gonna miss all the fun!" She heard Pinkie chirp happily in the distance, shaking her out of her thoughts.
"Oops! Coming!" She cried, rushing off to join her new friends.
Aria Blaze was not in the best of moods. That could be said for most of the time, but whenever she got off from work, tired and bored out of her skull, it was especially so. She jammed her key into the lock of their apartment and flung the door open, sighing with weariness. At least the place was clean and she wouldn't have to do any tidying after a long day.
"I could use a drink." She muttered to herself. It seemed today that every single customer was either there to complain or waste her time with useless questions rather than actually buy something. She didn't even bother to count was was in the till and left that to her perpetually cheery coworker to do. She sauntered into the kitchen to rife through the fridge when a not on the kitchen counter caught her eye. It was then that she realized Sonata was not home.
"Sonata?" She called, before picking up the note.
Hey Dagi and Ari,
I went out for a while. Not sure when I'll be back, but I will later. I got something I need to talk to you guys about.
Love,
Sonata
"Huh. So that explains it." Aria said. 'I wonder what you're up to."
"Booya! Beat my personal best!" Rainbow whooped after the Skee-Ball landed in the high scoring ring for the what felt like the fiftieth time and a stream of tickets poured out from the dispenser. "Who's the Queen of Skee-Ball? The Dash, that's who!" The others rolled their eyes at their competitive friend's exuberance.
"OK, OK, great job." Applejack said with a chuckle. "Now move aside, it's my turn." The gang was at the Quarter Horse Arcade, after having gotten dinner and caught the latest movie at the theater. Rainbow couldn't help but show off on the various games, which resulted in a huge pile of tickets that she shanghaied Fluttershy into helping her carry. Rainbow scoffed
"Heh, good luck, but I don't think even you can beat that." She pointed at the dizzying display of numbers on the board indicating the machine's current high score.
"Is that a challenge?" AJ asked with a grin.
"Go for it. You beat that high score, I do your homework for a month starting when school lets back in." The two girls did a spit shake, much to Rarity's disgust, and agreed to the challenge. Sunset, for her part, just stood there, watching the amusement.
"Say guys, anyone see where Twilight and Sonata went?" She asked. The others murmured in the negative, before a loud musical chime sounded from where the pinball machines were. The gang turned to see Twilight staring at one of the machines with her mouth agape. They rushed over to see Sonata with a determined look on her face, manning one of the machines, decorated with dancing ponies and capped with an elegant facade of a winged unicorn with a golden crown. Sunset noted the odd similarities with a certain former mentor before turning to Twilight.
"What's up?" She asked.
"Just watch this." Twilight said, astounded.
Sonata's face was locked on the pinball board, her fingers seemingly moving at the speed of sound as she played. Her tongue was hanging out of one side of her mouth, which was bent up in a "bring it on" grin. The ball was merely a silver blur and the sound of it striking the targets blended with the beeps and chimes as she racked up a massive score.
"Geez, how many balls did she waste doing this run?" Rainbow asked.
"That's her first one." Twilight replied, pointing to the indicator saying that, sure enough, she still had three balls left. Rainbow's jaw dropped as Sonata continued to play, the number continuing to soar higher until the whole machine began to flash and chime.
"Rockin' good job! You just got the new high score!" Rainbow's mouth began to twitch as Sonata finally lost a ball and decided enough was enough.
"My high score...." She whimpered. The other girls began to giggle while Sonata beamed.
"Hey, that's what Ari looked like when I beat her pinball score!" She exclaimed. Pinkie began to bop her head to an invisible beat.
"Dashie thought she was, the bally table queen! But she just handed her pinball crown to Nata!" She sang. Rainbow just scowled while her friends howled with laughter.
"That didn't even rhyme!" The others just continued to laugh while Sonata hung back. Her smile at beating another high score was replaced by a look of thoughtfulness.
That's what Ari looked like...
The mention of her sister's name brought her back to down to Terra. In her zest for spending time with what were rapidly becoming her new best friends, she had briefly forgotten about her sisters. But now she remembered.
And a plan began to form in her mind.
Twilight's house was, not surprisingly for someone who's family could have afforded Crystal Prep's outrageous tuition rates, was a good size. With her mother being a well-respected professor at the local college and her father being a prominent diplomat, it wasn't surprising that they were in the upper crust of society. Many were surprised to learn that her brother had chosen the relatively mundane, in comparison, job of being a police officer for the city.
But the size was perfect for what was going on now. The kitchen had all the appearance of a sugar bomb going off with all the flour, frosting, sprinkles and other baking materials strewn across it while a hyperactive pink girl danced about while mixing a bowl of cookie dough. The others were in the other room, avoiding the dough storm and watching a movie on the living television. All except for one.
Sonata was staring out the window, deep in thought as she had been since they left the mall. Contrary to all outward appearances, she was actually quite smart, and right now the gears in her head were turning, and her plan was coming together.
"Sonata?" She turned to at the sound of the soft voice to see Fluttershy approaching her with a cup of root beer and a cupcake. "Pinkie just finished baking this batch. Would you like some?"
"Tempting, but... I have something I need to do." She said. "It's about... you know who." Fluttershy didn't need any more than a millisecond to figure out what she was talking about.
"You mean..." She began. Sonata nodded.
"I'll be back as soon as I can." She said, throwing her shoes back on. "You may want to let them know we may be having some extra guests." Fluttershy nodded.
"Do you need a ride?" She asked. Sonata shook her head.
"Thanks, but I think I can handle it." She said. "If anyone asks... yeah." Fluttershy nodded and smiled.
"Good luck, Sonata." She said, giving her a hug before Sonata managed to slip out the door. Fluttershy placed Sonata's treat on the kitchen counter and covered it with some foil while Pinkie was pulling her next batch out of the oven. A curious Pinkie noticed that the siren was not with her.
"Hey, where'd she go?" Pinkie asked, loud enough to pique the curiosity of the others. Fluttershy took a calming breath before answering.
"She's gone to go speak with her sisters." Fluttershy said. The room briefly fell silent.
"Does that mean..." Sunset began. Fluttershy nodded. A brief silence fell in the room as they all considered the ramifications of what she had just said. All of the assembled girls bore looks of uncertainty. None of them was sure what was about to happen. But, slowly, a sense of hope entered as they thought about what they had experienced over the past couple of days.
Perhaps, just maybe...
"I'd better go get some extra bedding." Twilight said.
Sonata's heart was pounding in her ears as she approached her apartment. It had been quite the trip from Twilight's house to the apartment, and she hadn't stopped thinking about what she was about to do the entire time. To say that she was terrified would be the understatement of several lifetimes. Her hands hadn't stopped shaking since she had left the house, and her breath was getting more and more ragged as she got off the bus and ran up to her apartment complex. A short trip up the elevator and she stood outside the door to her apartment. She took several deep breaths to steady herself.
"It's time." She said. "Now or never." She opened the door, unlocked thanks to at least of her sisters now being home, and stepped inside. Sure enough, Aria was splayed out on the couch with a bored expression on her face, flicking through channels. A couple grunts escaped her as she flicked past some dumb dating reality show with a plastic-looking woman trying to "win" the hand of equally plastic looking men.
"Hi, Ari." Sonata said. Aria finally looked up from the TV to look at her. The bags under her eyes bore mute testimony to the exhausting day she sure had had.
"Hey, where you been?" Aria asked. "Adagio's on her way home, by the way."
"Good, because I need to talk to you guys." Sonata said. Aria scowled a bit.
"About what?"
"First, I need to tell you something." Sonata steeled herself before continuing. "The other day... I ran into some of the Rainbooms."
"The who?" Aria asked, cocking her head in confusion. "Wait... you mean those punks who creamed us? Where?"
"At Tom's Diner downtown, which goes to your question. We... we hit it off, and I've been spending the day with them. They're my new friends." Aria's eyes nearly bugged out of her skull.
"You were what!?" She half whispered, half-shouted. "Did you replace what was left of your brain with bean and cheese? What were you thinking hanging out with our enemies like that!?" Sonata shook her head.
"They're not our enemies, at least not anymore. They reached out to me when they didn't have to. Nobody at their school would have blamed them if they had just flattened us, but they didn't. They wanted to be friends with us. Yes, us." Sonata said, fetching a soda for herself. "And to be honest, it's a great idea. The last couple of days have showed me just how awesome sharing friendship with people is." Aria buried her face in her hands and let out an exasperated groan.
"Ugh, when Adagio finds out, she's going to wring your neck." Aria groaned. Sonata gave her a cheeky grin.
"Hah! I knew you had a soft spot for your little sister. Ari-bear is a big ol' softy." She teased.
"Whu.. I don't.. I mean... UGH!" Aria groaned.
"What Adagio might do to me is the least of our problems." Sonata continued, the hiss of her opening soda punctuating her speech as her tone got more serious. "We have much bigger things to talk about, and I want her here when we do. It concerns all of us." She took a swig just as the door opened.
"I'm home, girls!" Adagio's voice called. "Um, Aria? Are you OK?" She asked, finally noticing her expression. Aria rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.
"Hehehe, never better. Absolutely nothing wrong on my end! Definitely didn't just get any sort of bad news or anything." Sonata rolled her eyes while Adagio raised an eyebrow.
"Uh-huh." She said. "Whatever's really going on, you can tell me after I've gotten myself cleaned up." She said, making a beeline for the bathroom.
"No, Dagi. We need to talk." Sonata said. Aria began to frantically try and wave her off, but Sonata ignored her.
"Um, excuse me?" Adagio asked, annoyed.
"We need to talk, now." Sonata said. "It's important." Aria by now had stopped waving and was simply standing there sweating bullets, which Adagio thankfully didn't seem to notice.
"Look Sonata, I've been on my feet all day answering guest complaints and trying to find cabs for tourists. My shower and foot bath are very important at the moment, so we can talk later, I promise." She turned and began to walk back to the bathroom.
"Dagi, I'm serious." Sonata said, irritation becoming more apparent in her voice.
"I'll only be a few..." Adagio nearly jumped out of her suit right then and there when Sonata suddenly pounded the kitchen island as hard as she could. Aria yipped and jumped back, almost falling over the same easy chair that Sonata had earlier in the day.
"Dagi, get your big butt back in here and sit down! Now!" Sonata shouted, causing both of her elder sisters to look at her with shocked expressions. Aria didn't waste much time rushing over and sitting down at the island, her pupils pinpricks. Adagio just stood there with her mouth agape before Sonata growled and pointed at the seat next to Aria.
"This really shouldn't work on me." She muttered before she too came back and gingerly sat down. "OK, you have our attention. What's so important it can't wait?"
"First off, you need to know something." Sonata began. Aria shook he head vigorously.
"No! Don't tell her!" She yelped. Adagio looked at her with a surprised expression.
"Don't tell me what? What's going on here?"
"First off," Sonata said, taking a calming breath, "I've made friends with the Rainbooms." Aria burst out with the most ridiculous fake laugh seemingly in existence.
"That's a good one, Sonata! Ain't she a kidder, Adagio. Bahahahahahaha!" Sonata buried her face in her palm.
"And she says I'm the worst?" Adagio's face contorted in a furious scowl.
"I sincerely hope you are joking." She said with a snarl. "Please tell me you are joking? Surely there's no way in the flaming pits of Tartarus that you've made friends with them!"
"No, it's all true," Sonata said with a shake of her head. "The other day, they found me at the diner downtown. At a low point in my life, they reached out to me. They wanted to be my friend, to show me that there was something better in life than what we had. They wanted to give me a second chance, and not just me, but you guys as well. And to be perfectly honest, I needed it, and so do we."
"What in the Southern Seas are you blathering about?" Adagio said.
"I never let on, but I've felt horrible about what I've done, what we've done. It was crushing me. Honestly, it hurt so much that there were days I couldn't go long without crying thinking about all the awful things I did. The guilt was eating me alive." Adagio held up a hand to stop her.
"Guilt? Sonata, none of us have anything to feel guilty about. We were just doing what came naturally to us sirens." Adagio said matter-of-factly. Sonata crossed her arms.
"Adagio, what the students back at the Academy were doing was natural. Seapony song magic is natural. What unicorn ponies do is natural. There wasn't anything natural about what we were doing. Those pendants were not natural. They destroyed us." She sighed. "If they were so natural, then why did we all wake up one morning and see that all our teeth had fallen out and been replaced by fangs? Why did we slowly become so mean and cruel to everybody?" Adagio opened her mouth to say something, but for once in her life the former siren was silent. Sonata smirked slightly before she continued.
"Ever since we were beaten at CHS, I've had my eyes opened. I've come to see just how horrible we were, to everyone." She said. "And I know you've been feeling the same way about it."
"And you got that idea where?"
"From hearing you two cry yourselves to sleep at night."
Sonata breathed a deep sigh of relief at having finally gotten this out in the open, and now she anxiously awaited her sisters' response. At first they just sat there with confused looks on their faces. Finally, both of them began to snicker, which turned into chortles, and then to chuckles before erupting into full on belly laughs.
"Crying ourselves to sleep? That's crazy!" Aria wheezed. Sonata raised an eyebrow.
"So you crying for mama during a nightmare and me having to comfort you so you didn't wake up in a cold sweat was just me hallucinating?" She asked. Aria promptly fell over laughing.
"Me, crying for my mommy!? Do I look like someone who's been doing that for weeks on end!? Bahahaha!" Sonata just stared at her.
"What did you just say?" She asked. Aria promptly caught herself.
"Uh, nothing. Stop being a moron!" Sonata glared at her, her violet eyes now burning with a fire that seemed to burn straight into Aria's heart.
"Aria, you can call me whatever names you want, but don't you dare lie to me." She said, her voice betraying her tranquil fury at being deceived by her own sister. "I know what I heard." Adagio stepped between them.
"Look Sonata, I don't know what you've been hearing, but Aria has a point." She began. "What kind of... people do you think we are? Do you really thing we're so weak that we would be allow ourselves to fall apart over a loss? Do you really think that we would bawl in guilt over what we've done? That I, the leader, the one who held us together when we were cast out of our home, would let myself crumble like that?" Adagio's voice radiated confidence, but even Sonata could hear the slight crack in her voice.... and the slight quiver of her lips as she spoke.
"Is that really true?" She asked, her anger subsiding, replaced by a gentle encouraging tone. Adagio flipped her hair and crossed her arms.
"Well, of course it is! What do you think I've been doing for the past few months? I've been working hard to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table. There's no room for emotional weakness!" Sonata merely nodded for her continue. "I mean, it's not like I've been losing sleep or anything. It's not like I've been having nightmares about something awful happening to you or having to... to relive everything that happened at Canterlot High, or have to cover my ears because I.. I can't bear to hear the voices... screaming... telling me I'm such an awf... awfuh... I... I... "
And the floodgates were opened.
Adagio began to shake with barely suppressed sobs. Her knees soon buckled and she was forced to back up against a kitchen wall as she began to wail inconsolably. What resistance may have been in Aria's being evaporated. With a hiss of pain, she rushed over and pounded the wall before burying her face into her arm, her sobs silent but no less pained than her sister's. Sonata, closest to Adagio, rushed over to her weeping elder sister and wrapped her up in the tightest, warmest hug she could. Adagio wrapped her arms around her and buried her face into her shoulder.
Sonata wasn't sure how long Adagio sat there weeping. It may have only been a few minutes as she poured her pain out, but the end result was the same. Sonata just whispered soothing words until finally Adagios sobs began to lessen. Her shoulder was by soaked with tears, but it wasn't important. Sonata waved Aria over to join them before she allowed Adagio to leave her embrace. Adagio's mascara was streaking down her cheeks as tears continued to spill from her eyes. Sonata fetched a tissue and wiped her cheeks. Adagio squirmed a bit but otherwise accepted her sister's gesture.
"I've barely slept in weeks." Adagio whimpered. "I can't get the voices out of my head. I hear them whenever I close my eyes. They're screaming at me, 'why did you do all this, Adagio', and I can't answer." More sobs threatened to pour forth from her as she pulled her knees up to her chest.
"It's tearing me apart." She moaned. "It keeps playing over and over again in my mind. I can see every evil I've ever done in my life. I can't make it stop..."
"Why didn't you say something?" Sonata asked, busying herself with rubbing Aria's back. The aforementioned girl simply sniffled and wiped the tears from her own eyes as she listened to the exchange.
"Because I couldn't!" Adagio cried. "I'm the elder sister. The two of you were depending on me, after everything that happened. I needed to be strong for you. I.. I couldn't fail you again. I've already failed you too many times. I was the one who placed those damned gems around your necks. I was the one who led you in doing all those awful things. It was me who got us exiled, and it was my idea to go after Canterlot High and... everything I've ever done has led you from bad to worse. No, no, I couldn't, I couldn't fall apart. I couldn't let you down again..." Sonata placed her hands on her shoulders.
"Dagi, you can't put all this on yourself. Each of us has a share in the guilt. We all took the curse on. But we can't change the past." She handed her soda to Dagi, who gratefully took a sip. "The only thing we can do now is move forward and make a change for the better."
"How on Equus are we supposed to move forward from everything we did?" Aria asked, her voice weak. "How can anyone forgive us for what we did over there, and what we almost did over here."
"If what we did was unforgivable, then why would the Rainbooms even bother with me? It's true, nobody would blame them for just ignoring me and going about their day, but that's what makes this so amazing. It's real friendship, you guys." She stood up. "It's the kind that's willing to look past those past hurts and welcome people with an open heart. It's about having people like you for the right reasons. It's the kind that heals the wounds of the past and paves the way for a brighter future... together. That's what they showed me, and now I want to help you find it too." She gently took her sister's hands and brought them back to their feet.
"You know, they're having a slumber party. Come back with me. Let them welcome you into their friendship like they welcomed me. I know they will. If they can welcome me, they can welcome you. Let's move forward, all of us, together." She said, her eyes bright with hope.
Both of her sisters looked at her, and then at each other. For a few moments, they repeated this, an occasional sniffle breaking the silence. Sonata waited with bated breath, anxious to see what choice her sisters would make. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, both of them let go of her hands and, to her dismay, walked down the hall and into their respective rooms, closing the doors behind them.
Sonata felt her heart sink. After everything, after they finally came forward about their own pain, they were still unwilling to give this a chance? She sighed heavily, feeling her own eyes sting a bit.
"Well, I tried..." She said, turning around to leave. She had almost made it to the door when she heard Adagio call her.
"Sonata?" She turned to see the two of them emerging from the hallway. Her heart began to soar when she saw what they were carrying. Their pajamas, alongside some sleeping gear.
"You... did say it was a... slumber party, right?" Aria asked. Sonata's face was split with an impossibly huge grin as she vigorously nodded and embraced them in a huge hug. Neither of them bothered to try and fight her off.
"Well, Mom and Dad don't mind a couple of extra guests." Twilight said, putting her phone down.
"So it's all settled then?" Sunset asked. Twilight nodded. "Well then, all we have to do now is wait." Rainbow paced around the room.
"That's the worst part." She said.
"I know what you mean." Applejack replied. "Now we just might have all three of them here. It's about to get awkward, y'all."
"I know. But we have to do for them what we did for Sonata. If she's willing to change for the better, we have no reason to assume the other two are not." Sunset replied matter-of-factly. "But Dash is right, the waiting is the worst part."
"The nervous anticipation, the wondering how it's going to turn out, the fear that everything is going to fall apart and there isn't anything you can do about it." Fluttershy stated. "Yes, I know that feeling all too well." She shivered, and Rainbow put a comforting hand on her shoulder. Fluttershy smiled.
"But Sunset's right." Rainbow gave her a playful clap on the shoulder. Fluttershy smiled in agreement.
They weren't sure how long they waited in silence after that. None of them knew what else to say, and were more focused on what they would do when Sonata finally returned. What could they say? What could they do? The questions burned in their minds like one of Mr. Doodle's science class bunsen burners. The wheels in their minds turned and clicked, but none of them really came up with anything, and it just seemed to make them even more anxious. They were so lost in their thoughts that all of them gave a start when the door finally knocked. With a breath to steel herself, Twilight was the first to speak.
"It's open!" She called out. The door creaked open, and soon Sonata came into view, her face split with the happiest and most excited grin they had ever seen on anyone's face. She gave a silent beckon to someone standing off to the side of her, just out of sight. As they watched, a shock of honey-colored hair came into view, before it's owner timidly entered the room with her purples eyes scanning the room and her mouth pursed in a nervous look. Following close behind her was her purple-haired companion, her familiar pigtails gone and her hair handing behind her in a violet cascade. Both of them were dressed in their sleeping clothes and were carrying some pillows and blankets clutched in their arms. Sonata was seemingly quivering in place, her hands pressed against her mouth but her cheeks still bearing her unmistakeable grin.
For a while, nobody said a word. The energy in the room was one of equal parts nervous trepidation and excited anticipation. Two former sirens and six friends looked at each other across the room, each waiting for the other to make the first move. Everyone felt a tingling sensation, as though the tension was producing a charge in the air around them. Finally, Sunset grinned at the rest of her friends before confidently stepping forward.
"Hey." She said with her most winning smile. Both siren sisters looked at each other before the honey-haired one spoke.
"H-hey." She said. Sunset stepped a bit closer. By now, she could see the redness and puffiness of recent tears in their eyes. She felt a twinge of heartache for them, but kept her smile as she spoke next.
"So, who's who?"
"I'm Adagio Dazzle." The honey-haired one said. "This is Aria Blaze, and you've been introduced to Sonata Dusk." The purple-haired girl gave her a nervous wave while Sonata just eeped as she fought to suppress an excited squeal. Sunset held her hand to Adagio. She started at it for a few seconds before gingerly reaching out for an apparent handshake. Sunset smiled and took it before guiding her hand in some sort of high-five motion followed by a fist bump. Adagio looked at her hand briefly after she had finished.
"Um, interesting." Was all she could muster while Sunset repeated the gesture, unaided, with Aria. The rest of the Rainbooms finally came forward and began to offer their own welcome, Sunset taking the time to explain that the Twilight they were looking at wasn't the princess they remembered when Adagio looked like she was going to give a bow to her.
"Ooh! I just remembered!" Pinkie chirped, giving them all a start as she flew off into the kitchen and reappearing with a tupperware container. "I made these for you guys!" She said, placing it in Adagio's hands. Adagio looked at her for a second, as though seeking permission to open it. Pinkie simply gestured for her open it already. Adagio gently took the lid off, revealing two large cupcakes decorated with frosting that matched their hair, and what appeared to be decorations in the shape of their personal symbols. Adagio's eyes widened.
"How did you know what our symbols were? I figured you would have forgotten as much as you could about us by now..."
"Sonata helped! She had plenty of pictures of you guys!" Pinkie said. "I wasn't sure what your favorite flavor was, so I made them both vanilla." Adagio and Aria took them out and looked at them, before Adagio gently took a bite of hers. Immediately her mouth was filled with the most delicious flavors she had ever tasted in her life, which caused her to sigh a bit in pleasure before taking another huge bite and getting frosting on her nose. The rest of the girls giggled at the silly look before Sonata wiped it off.
"While you guys are snacking, I got the bottle out." Rainbow said, spinning an empty glass bottle on her finger. "Who's ready to play."
"Um... I'm sure you guys are cool and all, but we don't swing that way." Aria said, finally deciding to speak. Pinkie started laughing uproariously.
"It's not for that, silly! It's to pick who goes in Truth or Dare!" She said. Aria chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of her head.
"Oh, yeah, I knew that." She said. Dash beckoned everyone over. The girls piled into a circle around the bottle, Sonata included. The other two hesitated a bit, before a bright smile from their sister and a pat of the area next to her caused them to cautiously come over, placing their belongings on the couch next to them, before gingerly taking their seats with some encouragement from the rest of the girls.
Sonata's eyes began to fill with happy tears when she saw this. It was working better than she had dared to hope for.
In her mind and heart, she said a prayer of thanksgiving, the most thankful she could ever say she had said.
Stats
Page generated in 0.064 seconds
Total duration
1,096 users online
2,093,814 hits today, 2,364,530 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Finished as in this over now?
or.
Finished the chapter?
10267040
One more chapter to go.
10267045
Okay
Sweet! Another chapter!
Good for Sonata for convincing her sisters to join in! She really come a long way!
Excellent. =)
The talk between Sonata and her sisters was very well done. Poor Adagio just wanted to be strong for her sisters. She really does have a heart after all.
Glad to see they're accepting the Rainbooms' offer of help. If their friendship could work for Sunset, surely it'll help for them. =)