12 – Rocking the Status Quo
Chapter Twelve
Rocking the Status Quo
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⠀
It wasn’t about sex. Not really. The sex was nice, of course, but that wasn’t the point. It was about the closeness. It was about the openness. It was about forgetting. It was about warmth. It was about being held. It was about holding someone. It was about not having nightmares for at least one night.
That’s why each night, after every show, Fluttershy would take Sonata up to her hotel room. And then in the day, Fluttershy would go back to the band and Sonata would go back to her visera.
And that was how things were for the two weeks that followed Fluttershy’s birthday. And in that time, Fluttershy felt a fog that she hadn’t even been aware of begin to lift. Things became a little easier, just a little bit clearer.
She even woke up with a smile on her face most days. It helped that she got to wake and see Sonata still sleeping beside her. The siren liked to sleep in, which was rarely an option with their tour schedule. And so every morning had its own little routine.
Fluttershy opened her eyes and smiled at Sonata’s sleeping face. She was still snoring lightly. Fluttershy scooted closer and planted a kiss on her cheek, which got Sonata to grumble and turn away from her.
“Come on,” Fluttershy said softly as she moved in ever closer, curling herself against Sonata, enjoying the skin to skin contact of their naked bodies pressed against one another. “Rise and shine, dear.”
“Five more minutes…” Sonata mumbled.
Fluttershy giggled. “And in five minutes, you’ll want five more.”
“Well, yeah…”
Fluttershy kissed Sonata’s neck. “Want me to help you wake up?”
Sonata turned to her and opened her eyes. “What did you have in mind.”
Fluttershy kissed her neck again. “Oh, you know.” She moved a little lower to kiss her collarbone. “I’m sure we could think of something.”
Sonata giggled. “Naughty, Shy. Well, if you insist…”
Fluttershy moved a little lower, pulling the blanket out of the way. Before she could get anywhere fun, however, the door opened. Fluttershy instinctively moved under the blanket, but Sonata didn’t bother, despite her bare chest being exposed.
“Shy, it’s time to go,” Lemon Zest said. “You slept in again.”
“You could knock,” Fluttershy told her, not for the first time.
“Yeah, I could,” Lemon Zest said with a grin. “But embarrassing you gets you moving faster.”
Fluttershy wanted to throw something at her, but that would mean leaving the safety of the blankets. It didn’t matter, since Lemon Zest left quickly anyway. At least she shut the door before walking away this time.
With a sigh, Fluttershy turned to Sonata. “Sorry, looks like we’ll have to take a raincheck on that wake-up call.”
“Does that mean I get to go back to bed then?” Sonata asked hopefully.
Fluttershy just rolled her eyes as she answered. “Come on.” She got up and tossed Sonata her clothes, then found a fresh change of clothes for herself. “Why don’t you just pack your spare clothes with mine? You spend every night with me anyway.”
“I don’t know, I’m lazy?” Sonata said as she got dressed. “All my clothes are already packed on the van.”
“Wait… do you get dressed on the van with all the roadies?”
Sonata smirked. “Would you be jealous if I said yes?”
Fluttershy frowned. “No, just worried about you. I mean they all seem nice, but I don’t want any of the guys getting the wrong idea about you.”
Finished getting dressed, Sonata borrowed Fluttershy’s hairbrush. She only kept it around for Sonata these days anyway. “Relax, Aria would never allow that anyway. She makes everyone get out when we’re changing.”
Fluttershy never thought she’d find something to be grateful towards Aria for. “That’s good.”
Since her daily upkeep just amounted to getting dressed ever since she chopped her hair off, Fluttershy was ready sooner than Sonata. She took a seat on the bed beside her and looked closely at her. “You have something on your face.”
“Huh? What?”
“This.” Fluttershy leaned in quick and kissed Sonata, causing her to giggle.
Since Fluttershy never bothered to unpack more than her hairbrush and phone charger, there was no real packing to worry about. Sonata finished brushing her hair, then the two of them left the room together.
On the way down, Fluttershy felt the familiar tug. It wasn’t a big deal. She knew that she’d have a fun day with the band and that Sonata would be back in the evening. But still, part of her wished it didn’t have to end.
But then, did it? “Hey, Sona?”
“Yeah?”
“Wanna ride with us on the tour bus today?”
Sonata gave her a familiar look, so Fluttershy knew the question before she asked it. “Are you sure that’s –”
“Yes, I’m sure it’s okay.” Okay didn’t really sell it well enough, though. “In fact, I’m sure the others would love to get to know you better.”
Sonata was quiet as they walked, and Fluttershy thought she knew why. Or rather, she knew two possible reasons, and knew it might be both at once. For one thing, Sonata felt strange about being away from her visera. Even sleeping away from them sometimes gave her anxiety attacks that Fluttershy would have to calm her down from. And then there was the fact that Sonata was never sure of herself in groups. True, it would be a small group, but it might still be too big for the socially inept siren.
“It’s okay if you don’t want to,” Fluttershy said brightly as they stepped into the elevator. She meant it, too. She’d like for Sonata to join them, but she didn’t want to push her friend.
“I want to, I just…”
Fluttershy’s hand found Sonata’s and gave it a squeeze. “It’s okay. Don’t worry about it this time, but if you want to another day, you’re always welcome.”
They continued holding hands as they walked. By the time they reached the lobby, everyone else was already there waiting for them. That included Aria and Adagio, although the two of them made no efforts to be part of the rest of the group. Even when Sonata came down, they seemed wholly uninterested.
Since everyone else was present, all that there was left to do was for Fluttershy to check out of her own room, then she joined the others. “How’d everyone sleep?”
“Pretty good,” Gilda said. “I’d ask how you slept, but those hotel walls are thin so I know you didn’t.”
Fluttershy blushed, but it was Rainbow who answered. “Okay! So let’s get a move on then!”
Everyone laughed as Rainbow led the way out of the room, Adagio and Aria following at a distance. Windfall hung back a little to be next to Fluttershy and Sonata, and Fluttershy thought it was to tease her some more until he said, “Good morning, Sonata.”
“Oh, uh, good morning.”
“Doing alright today?”
Sonata looked to Fluttershy for help, but she just smiled encouragingly. After a moment, Sonata smiled as well and said, “I’m okay. How are you?”
“Good. Wish I got a little more sleep, but oh well.”
“Yeah, me too.” Sonata nudged Fluttershy. “Shy wouldn’t let me sleep in.”
“We both slept in,” Fluttershy reminded her. “I woke you up, like, two minutes before Zest would’ve.”
“Hey, two minutes is two minutes, right?” Windfall asked.
“Yup!” Sonata said, but she was smiling broadly. Fluttershy was smiling too. It was great to see her talking with someone outside of her comfort zone.
The tour bus had been brought around to the front to load the band, and the band filed in. Fluttershy lingered to give Sonata a hug before she left; the sirens would have to walk to the parking lot to get to the van that the equipment was hauled in.
“Come on, Sonata,” Adagio said when they caught up to the others at the bus.
“Uh, actually…” Sonata looked to Fluttershy, then smiled at Adagio. “Fluttershy invited me to go on the tour bus with them.”
“She what?” Aria’s eye twitched as she stared at Fluttershy.
“I’ll see you two at the venue,” Sonata said.
“Fine,” Adagio said. She didn’t seem happy, but then, she rarely did unless she was manipulating someone or something. She walked away, and Aria could only stare daggers before walking after her.
Fluttershy felt a little guilty for splitting them up, but there was no way in hell she was asking Adagio and Aria to join them on the bus. Besides, she suspected this distance was doing a world of good for Sonata, who didn’t seem to have as great of a relationship with them as she thought she did.
“I’m glad you decided to come,” Fluttershy said.
“Yeah, it sounds like fun!”
Fluttershy smiled as she led them onto the bus.
“Alright, Shy,” Rainbow said when she entered. Rainbow’s back was turned to her as she was setting up a game on the TV. “We’re gonna have a rematch race, and I’m totally gonna win this time!”
“A race?” Sonata said. “Oh, is that one of those videogame thingies?”
Rainbow wheeled around at Sonata’s voice and stared at her. Fluttershy stared too, but likely for an entirely different reason. “Don’t tell me you’ve never played a videogame before?” Fluttershy asked.
“Nope! Well, I’ve played some arcade games. Do those count?”
“Basically the same thing,” Windfall said. “Welcome to the tour bus, Sonata.”
“Thanks!”
Fluttershy led them to a seat while Rainbow finally thought to close her jaw. “What is she doing here?”
Fluttershy glared at her. “Don’t be rude, Dash.” She hoped the rest of her message was conveyed wordlessly. Don’t ruin this for me.
“Sonata, right?” Lemon Zest asked, sticking out her hand. “I’m Lemon Zest. Nice to formally meet you.”
Sonata shook her hand and wore an innocent smile as she said, “You’ve seen me naked, like, three times. We’re basically best friends already.”
It seemed only Fluttershy was embarrassed since Lemon Zest just laughed. She gestured to the others in turn. “You know Windfall already, I guess. Gilda’s trying to ignore us and Dash is the one who’s about to get her ass handed to her in another race. Seriously, none of the rest of us will race against Shy anymore.”
“Ooh, you’re good?” Sonata asked.
“I’m okay,” Fluttershy said with a grin. She turned to Rainbow. “Are you gonna set it up.”
Rainbow seemed to be studying Fluttershy’s expression, and she made a very wise choice based on what she saw. “Yeah, just gimme a minute.”
Rainbow set up the game, and they took turns playing. As Lemon Zest predicted, Fluttershy won again, but Rainbow came a bit closer than she had before, so she seemed content. Sonata took a turn and spent most of the time driving off ledges and going the wrong way, so she decided to just watch after that.
They had a fun time. After the racing game, they played a few others, Sonata watching while hanging on Fluttershy’s arm the whole time. She didn’t talk much to anyone other than Fluttershy, but she slowly seemed to be getting used to the group.
“Damn, look at Fluttershy go flying!” Gilda said after she knocked her out in a fighting game. The two of them, Lemon Zest, and Windfall were playing it in a free for all match.
“This one’s not my favorite,” Fluttershy said after her third consecutive loss at it.
Sonata chuckled. “Aww, you can’t be good at all of them.”
“Zest can,” Windfall grumbled.
Lemon Zest snickered as she knocked Windfall’s character out of the ring. “What can I say, I’m an expert.”
“Oh, don’t worry,” Rainbow said as she watched Gilda and Lemon Zest go head to head. “I’m playing next, and I’ll totally own her ass!”
“You’ll own her ass?” Sonata said. “I didn’t think you swung that way, but go Rainbow!”
On the one hand, Fluttershy was proud Sonata had jumped into the conversation with someone other than herself. On the other, Rainbow was probably the worst person on the bus she could choose to poke fun at.
“I don’t,” Rainbow said flatly.
“My ass is pretty great,” Lemon Zest said. “It could convert you.”
“Please, your ass isn’t that good,” Gilda said as she furiously pressed buttons to avoid falling out of the arena. “Someone back me up here.”
“Don’t look at me,” Windfall said with a slight smile. “As the only dude here, I’m legally not allowed to enter this conversation.”
“Or legally required to!” Lemon Zest said. “Come on, you can say it. I have a nice ass.”
“Windfall, if you say she has a nice ass, I’m holding it against you,” Gilda said.
Windfall smirked. “See, this is why I can’t get involved.”
“Fucking damn it!” Gilda jumped to her feet as her character was knocked off the screen.
Lemon Zest raised her fist triumphantly. “And the winner is the girl with the ass to turn Rainbow gay!”
“No one’s ass is turning me gay!” Rainbow said.
“Aww come on,” Lemon Zest said. “Not even a little?”
Rainbow smirked. “Look, if Applejack’s ass didn’t do it, no one’s will. Girl can bench a god damn truck, okay?”
Everyone burst into laughter, and Fluttershy felt a little better. Rainbow was taking part in their jokes, which probably meant she wasn’t upset at Sonata for starting it.
“This is great,” Sonata said, turning to smile at Fluttershy. “I’m so glad you invited me. I just can’t believe how well you all get along! Travelling with Adagio and Aria is nothing like this.”
“I’m glad you decided to come,” Fluttershy said. “And you’re welcome to ride with us again, you know.”
Rainbow coughed, but she didn’t say anything. Fluttershy pursed her lips and hoped that Sonata wouldn’t think anything of it.
“Yeah, we get along pretty well,” Windfall said. He must have had the same thought as Fluttershy, because he was fixing Rainbow with a stern look. “Usually.”
Rainbow sighed. “I said I was sorry.”
Oh, Windfall wasn’t looking at her because of Sonata. It was because…
Oh.
Shit.
Fluttershy had never talked to Windfall that Rainbow had wanted to apologize about the lead guitar thing. That was already three weeks ago now…
“Uhm.” Fluttershy cleared her throat. She hadn’t prepared for this at all, but they might as well address the situation. Better than let it fester anymore than it already had… “Windfall, did you want to talk about something?”
“No,” Windfall said and turned away.
“Come on, don’t be like that!” Rainbow said.
Gilda groaned. “Okay, this shit has gone on long enough. You two need to talk this out. Dash, you were a bitch before. Windfall, you’re being an ass about it now.”
“I can agree with that,” Rainbow said, then soon thought better of it. “I mean the bitch part.”
Windfall sighed. “I just wanted to play lead on some songs.”
“Okay.” Rainbow nodded. “Okay, I’m with that. When we get to writing the third album, you can play lead on some songs. Absolutely. Happy now?”
“What about live?” Windfall asked.
Rainbow seemed confused. “Of course, you’ll play lead on those songs live too.”
“I meant now.”
“What?” Rainbow shook her head. “It’s not even personal, it’s just like, we have our setlist all rehearsed, you know?”
“Doesn’t mean we can’t shake things up,” Lemon Zest said.
Sonata leaned in towards Fluttershy and spoke quietly. “What’s going on?”
Fluttershy sighed. “Windfall wants to play lead sometimes. We all agree he can, but now we’re just trying to figure out how.”
“Oh.” Sonata thought for a moment then shrugged. “Why don’t you both just be the lead guitarist?”
Rainbow’s eye twitched. “Do you know how ‘lead’ guitar works? We can switch out who’s lead on different songs, but we can’t both be lead.”
“That actually gives me an idea,” Gilda said with a grin. “You can absolutely both be lead and the crowd will eat that shit up.”
“Uh, how?” Windfall asked.
“Guitar battle!”
Windfall grinned. “That sounds really cool, actually.”
“Then you’ll both be in the spotlight,” Fluttershy said, looking meaningfully at Rainbow. She knew that when it came down to it, that’s what this really was about.
For some reason, it was Sonata whom Rainbow directed her frown towards. “We still haven’t rehearsed that. We have a setlist that we stick to, that’s how our shows are consistently good.”
Sonata shrugged. “You play for like half an hour before every show. Why not practice it then?”
“That’s a soundcheck.” Rainbow rolled her eyes. “It’s an important part of making sure our performance is perfect.”
“But it is a good place to practice something too,” Lemon Zest said. “I mean, we’ve done that before. Rotated songs through our setlist and used soundchecks to work the kinks out.”
“I agree,” Fluttershy said. “I wouldn’t want you adding anything you’re not ready for, but I think coming up with a guitar battle routine on one of your songs during your soundchecks is a good idea.”
“Yeah, of course you do,” Rainbow muttered.
Fluttershy stood up. Sonata was quick to follow suit, so Fluttershy turned to her and smiled. “I’m going to talk to Rainbow in private. Give me a moment?”
“Oh, of course!” Sonata sat back down, and Fluttershy turned to Rainbow.
“Yeah, alright.” Rainbow stood up and walked to the back of the bus.
Fluttershy closed the door behind them, giving them privacy. “Rainbow, what’s gotten into you? I thought you were ready to work with Windfall on this?”
“I am, I just think this isn’t the right way to do it.”
Fluttershy frowned and folded her arms. “Be honest. Is this because Sonata was the one who suggested it?”
“What? No.”
Fluttershy wasn’t convinced. “Don’t pretend you don’t like her.”
“I don’t like her,” Rainbow said. “But I’m trying to give her the benefit of the doubt because you like her. So give me a little credit, I’m not always the bad guy.”
“I’m not trying to make you the bad guy!”
“What do you want from me, Shy?” Rainbow held out her arms then let them fall back to her sides. “I’m trying to be friendly with your girlfriend even though she tried to control the whole school. God, is that just your type or something?”
“No!” Fluttershy narrowed her eyes. “And Sonata isn’t my girlfriend. We’re just taking things as they come.”
“You’re fucking her, Shy!” Rainbow threw out her hands. “Call it what you want but Christ, don’t blame me for not knowing what’s up.”
“Fine. Whatever. I just want to know why you’re shooting this down?”
“I just don’t think it’s a good idea.” Rainbow shoved her hands in her pockets. “But I’m clearly outvoted, so fuck it, I’ll go along with it. As long as we don’t play it until it’s ready, I don’t care anymore.”
Fluttershy took a deep breath. It wasn’t really the win she was hoping for, but she’d take it. “Alright. Good.”
“I’m going to sleep.” Rainbow kicked off her shoes and climbed into one of the cots. “Tell the others that we’re good, alright?”
“Okay.”
“And maybe don’t forget and leave me hanging this time?”
Fluttershy winced. She wanted to be angry at Rainbow for the comment, but she had a point. “I’m sorry…”
“Yeah, whatever. Have fun with Sonata.”
Fluttershy wanted to say something snippy to that comment too, but it wouldn’t get her anywhere. She couldn’t help being angry at it, though. “I’m sure I will.”
Fluttershy opened the door and stepped back into the main part of the bus. The others all looked at her expectantly, except for Gilda who didn’t look up from her phone. Fluttershy smiled at them “Rainbow agreed to the guitar battle.”
“How much did you have to twist her arm?” Windfall asked.
Fluttershy frowned. “She agreed. Please don’t drag it on anymore.”
Windfall sighed. “Fine.”
Fluttershy sat down next to Sonata, who leaned against her. “Wow, you’re really good at your job.”
“What?”
“Well, everyone was upset and you smoothed it over.” Sonata placed her hand on one of Fluttershy’s cheeks and kissed the other. “That’s like, what you do, right?”
Fluttershy smiled at her. “Yeah, that’s what I do.”
Rainbow would come around. They could fight, but in the end, Rainbow would always have Fluttershy’s back. That’s how it always was for them, and how it always would be. Fluttershy believed in that, she believed it because she had to.
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I'm curious who is the more dominant person in bed, shy or sona?
10227067
I don't really know to tell you the truth, not something I've really considered
And just as it escalated it quickly calmed. interesting to see shy drop the ball the way she did, thought it is good that sonata is having an effect on her, thought I just gotta ask is this the calm before the storm or are we gonna get blasted without any warning? Great chapter looking forward to more
10227554
Lol well I did make a point of specifying that this story wouldn't be as constantly heavy as Playing House was, so there's gonna be some (mostly) happy chapters like this here and there. Glad you're enjoying it!
Has Sonata played 'Fighting is Magic'?
Hmm, wonder what was up with Gilda?
Good (what I assume is) set up, and continuation of events. Not allot of 'new' stuff but that's okay. Gotta let all the pain spread and deepen before they can truly scream in agony.
So was the whole Fluttershy not being good at fighting games but good at twisting Rainbows arm connected? Like she doesn't like violence but is metaphorically good at it?
I could just be seeing things wrong, like how I sometimes forget Gilda is a human not a griffon.
10228012
Haha Them's Fighting Herds should totes be an arcade game in this universe
I didn't intend the connection between fighting games and Shy twisting Rainbow's arm, but it is an amusing connection now that you point it out. And lol, also amusing: picturing Gilda as a griffon on tour with a bunch of humans
... I don't think this band is surviving as is for much longer.
10228375
Well, there are eleven chapters left in this band story and they have to be about something
These two are really cute together, but the fate of the band troubles me.
10470572
I'm glad you like them! Sonashy has been a big ship of mine for a long time
This makes me wonder that Flutter’s reasoning is still grounded as that of a human, as was mentioned earlier by Sonata on how humans don’t quite get how her and the Dazzling visera work.
Maybe there is a few good points on how it looks bad but it might also be the most healthy Grouping in their culture.
Just always had a fascinating on alien ideals and cultures and how they translate over to human ones
Glad to see Fluttershy is doing better.
Good cause I totally agree on that mark.
She was kidding Sonata.
Damn!
Yeah, best to get the elephant out of the room before it gets worse.
It was a shot but failed.
She's so great. :D
I think I no longer believe this was a ploy of Sonata's. :B Which definitely means it still is! >:O
11663366
I adore Sonata and Sonashy is a major OTP of mine. Glad you like her as well!
Despite the tense atmosphere with rainbow,
I really loved the sonashy moments, they sure are cute together, I can very much relate to sonata,
Had my fair share of discomfort with big and small groups, and anxiety that came with it.