A/N: This is from an abandoned sequel to my original story. It takes place a month after the siren-up ending. For this, he and Olivia never reunited at the Friendship Games, he didn't confront "Gloriosa Everfree" (and never sirened up), and he didn't break up with Sunset.
The past month has been rather uneventful, for the most part. I saw Adagio and Aria a couple more times, but I made sure to avoid eye contact. I found out that I actually have a singing voice now. Unfortunately, every time I sing, everybody around me that doesn't have Equestrian magic starts arguing with each other. Though since I was a terrible singer before, this doesn't really change anything.
The Dazzlings were able to manipulate others by singing, so maybe I could figure out how to manipulate everyone into not acting any different.
I notice something at the corner of my eye. I look to the left and I see somebody sitting by the window in what I think is a fast food place. The person has blue hair. It looks like...
It's Sonata. She's sitting by herself. Guess she has left the other two.
Maybe I could trick her into telling me how to "control" these powers. Since this is Sonata, that'll probably be really easy. I walk through the door, and I notice this is a Taco Haven. Since I'm here, I might as well. I go up to the counter and order a taco with lettuce, cheese, and tomato sauce. Rather plain, but I don't like a lot of the stuff people put on tacos. Plus, this is a vegetarian town.
I walk over to where Sonata's sitting. "Mind if I sit here?"
She looks up at me. "Go ahead."
I sit across from her. "How have you been these last few months?"
She sighs. "It could be worse. I had to get used to eating actual food, but I found some stuff I like."
"You didn't eat before?"
"Well, I did, but I didn't need to. We fed off of everyone's negativity, remember?"
"I thought you did that to grow stronger."
"That only works with magic."
"I see." I take a bite of my taco. It tastes... "Did they change the secret sauce or something?"
"What do you mean?"
"The few times I've gotten a taco here, it's never tasted this good."
"It's Taco Tuesday. They always taste better this time of week."
"Really? I thought that was just a marketing gimmick."
"Depends on where you get them from. Taco Haven always has the best tacos on Tuesdays."
I take another bite of my taco. I'm not normally a huge fan of veggie tacos, but I think I can make an exception. "So have you stopped hanging out with Adagio and Aria?"
"Yeah. The only reason I stuck with them was because we were the only sirens in existence. Adagio is okay, but Aria would get on my nerves." Aria got on her nerves? From what I saw, it was the other way around.
Now's a good time. "Speaking of sirens, I'm just curious... How did you girls get people to do what you wanted? I understand the song lyrics helped, but what about when you made the Battle of the Bands judges move the Rainbooms into the finals?"
"When we started doing the 'aH, Ah' thing..."
Right... I forgot they can't sing anymore.
"...we just had to think about what we wanted them to do. If we didn't think anything, they would simply argue."
"What if you wanted them to do something other than what you were singing about?"
"It's a bit trickier. We have to think something like, 'Don't do this', while making sure we don't mess up the lyrics."
"I see." I suppose with practice, I can manage to keep everyone from falling under my spell. I finish my taco. "I gotta get going. I need to meet up with a few of my friends." I stand up.
"Flare?"
"Yeah?"
"Um... I thought about what you said to me after the Battle. You see, I..." She looks nervous. "I never liked being a siren. Causing everypony to argue, feeding off of their negativity... I didn't want to, but I had no choice. The only reason I stuck with Adagio and Aria after we were banished was because they were the only people I knew in this world. After spending hundreds of years here, I got used to living a relatively normal life."
"If you've been here for hundreds of years, why do you girls look like teenagers?"
"Feeding on negativity would keep us from aging physically." Now I kinda wish I did have one of those pendants. "When you said we could've been friends, I started thinking. Those two were never really my 'friends'; more like 'acquaintances'. I stopped hanging out with them shortly after the Rainbooms defeated us. I tried making friends with some of the students at your school, but they didn't want anything to do with a former siren. Since you're the only human we've had in our group, well... I want to take you up on that offer." She smiles, and holds out her hand. "Can... Can we be friends?"
I'm not sure... That story sounds a little absurd. I believe her being around for a really long time, but during that time, she easily could've blown them off and started doing her own thing. It's not like she needed the other two to use her powers. Plus, she's a former siren. This could be another trick.
Then again, she's here by herself, and I didn't see her with the other two last week. Maybe she's actually changed her ways.
...
Heh, this is just like when Sunny told me she had changed.
"Okay." I shake her hand. "I'll give you a chance."
Her smile grows wider. "For realzies?"
I nod. "Everybody deserves a second chance, and I did mention being friends back then. Just don't try any funny business."
"Wouldn't dream of it! So what should we do first?"
"Uh..." She seems a little too excited about this. "Well... I kinda made plans with my other friends for today."
"Oh..." she says, disappointed.
"How about we meet up tomorrow? Sugarcube Corner, around noon?"
"You mean the Sweet Shoppe? I don't understand why everybody calls it that."
Really? I figured of all people, she'd understand why. "Wasn't there a place called Sugarcube Corner in that area that out-of-towners kept confusing for a horse food store?"
"That's just a legend that the locals came up with. Nothing has ever been formally called 'Sugarcube Corner'. Maybe in Equestria, but not here."
"Interesting..." Now I'm curious why people started calling it that in the first place. Maybe it's where the Wondercolts would go after winning their games, and that was their nickname for it. "But yeah, noon's good."
"Alright, then. I'll see ya tomorrow."
"Bye!"
I walk outside. I hope I didn't make a mistake doing this.
***The next day***
I leave the house and hop on my bicycle.
After talking with Sonata yesterday, I told the Rainbooms I'm meeting with a friend today that I haven't seen in a while. They wanted to join me, but I told them I'd prefer to talk with the person alone. I'm pretty sure they wouldn't want to be around her, anyway.
I arrive at Sugarcube Corner and park my bike in the rack. I open the door and look for Sonata. She's sitting at the table the Rainbooms usually sit at. I walk up to the counter.
"Oh, hello, Flare," Mrs. Cake says. "The usual?"
I spot a cone-shaped pastry in the display case. "What's this cone thing?"
"That's a chocolate cornet. It's something one of my husband's friends told him about. It's a pastry cone filled with chocolate custard: Milk chocolate and a few cashews for texture. We started selling them today, and our customers love it."
"Sounds delicious. I'll have two of them."
"Coming right up!" I pay for them, and Mr. Cake brings them out from the back. I pick them up and walk up to Sonata's table.
She looks at me. "You showed up!"
"Of course I did." I sit down. "I don't wanna make a bad first impression as your friend." I notice she doesn't have anything to eat or drink. "Not hungry?"
"Nah, I ate earlier. What are those?"
"These are chocolate cornets. Apparently they're really good."
She looks closely at them. "Are they completely filled with chocolate?"
"I think so." I move one toward my mouth to take a bite.
"You're eating them that way?"
"Yeah. Why not?"
"Well, if they're filled with chocolate, wouldn't biting the skinny end push the chocolate out of the opening?"
Hmm... I look at the other end. "I guess. Though if you start on the fat end, it feels like you start eating less as you finish up. Besides, when you eat a pizza, you don't start at the outer crust."
"With pizza, the sauce doesn't get forced out of the crust."
She has a point. "Well, I have two of them. I can try both ways." I put my other hand under the fat end of one just in case, and I take a bite from the skinny end. I feel some of the chocolate fall onto my hand. "Huh... Guess you were right." I lick the chocolate off. It's really good. I see why everybody likes these.
"So how have things been going for you lately?"
"Oh, amazing! Even before Sunset Shimmer ruined my school life, I've never been this happy. I have seven friends, I've made up with Sunset, and I have a girlfriend I'm proud to be seen with in public."
"I guess you can thank the Dazzlings for that."
"Honestly, if it weren't for you and the other sirens, I probably would've moved to another city."
"The teasing was that bad?"
"Well, it had more to do with how often they were teasing me. I don't dwell on that anymore. Like how Sunset used to act, that's in the past. The Rainbooms made me their backup drummer."
"Backup drummer?"
"Yeah. In case Pinkie Pie can't make it, I fill in for her." I finish the first cornet.
"She's the upbeat pink one, right?" I nod. "You sure you can drum at her level? She's really good."
"I've had time to practice." I sigh. I should tell her. "Actually, I have a confession to make. Before the Battle of the Bands, I never actually played the drums. The drum line for 'Under Our Spell' was the first one I ever came up with."
"For realzies?" She looks surprised. "Wow... For someone who never drummed before, that was a good drum line."
"That's not entirely true. While I never played a real drumset, I've played Rock Hero, a video game that uses a controller shaped like one. It's not a perfect simulation, with only 4 pads and 3 cymbals, but apparently it was close enough."
"You'll have to show me that later."
I look at the other cornet. "Well, here goes..." I take a bite from the fat end, then look at the table. "No mess."
"Told ya!"
Maybe this is how you're supposed to eat them. I take another bite.
"You said you used to have a girlfriend, right?"
"Yeah, until Sunset found out about her."
"What was she like?"
What was she like... "She was great. Her name's Olivia, and she's missing the bottom half of her right leg. She's really nice when you get to know her, but I guess everyone sees her missing leg and labels her a freak. She told me I was the first person to actually talk with her. Everybody else either made fun of her or was too afraid of being ridiculed."
"So why weren't you afraid?"
"I wasn't thinking of the consequences. She looked miserable when I saw her around school, and I figured she could use at least one friend. We were careful to not be seen together in public, so most of the time, we hung out at her house or mine. After a few months, we started dating. I thought she was charming, and I guess she liked that I actually took the time to be her friend. I never got around to asking what she saw in me."
"When did Sunset find out?"
"Beginning of October last year, a couple weeks before the Fall Formal. We were a little too confident, so we started coming here together. We left holding hands one day, and Sunset saw us. The next day, she told the entire school, and then I became a target of their insults as well. We were forced to break up, and we thought that would get them to stop. They didn't, and she started getting it even worse than before. It got so bad, she had to move away, and things got worse for me. The other students only had one target now."
I feel myself start to get choked up, but I try to maintain my composure. It's still difficult trying to remember the entire thing.
"I put all the blame on Sunset for finding out and ruining the next several months of my school life, including my friends wanting nothing to do with me. Looking back, that was selfish. I was the one that decided to befriend her. I knew the risks. Yet I didn't take any of the blame. It wouldn't have stopped the teasing, but I probably would've been able to deal with it better. I also wouldn't have been tricked by the Dazzlings, wouldn't have made up with Sunset, and wouldn't have the Rainbooms as friends." I chuckle. "In hindsight, sounds like I was right to do that."
"But you were miserable for months."
"I know, and I want to forget all of that ever happened. But being miserable for that long is what made you three want to trick me. If it weren't for that..." I sigh. I don't want to talk about this anymore. "Enough about me. So what have you been doing in your post-siren life?"
"Not much. I'm still getting used to not being able to get people to do what I want."
"Did you try getting a job?"
"All I know is singing, which I can't do anymore. What kind of job could I get?"
"I see. Where have you been staying?"
"With Adagio and Aria."
Really? "I thought you stopped hanging out with them."
"I don't have anywhere else to go. They let me stay there, but I don't really talk with them."
"How are you three able to afford staying at that place?"
"Did you forget we used to be sirens? We sang to the landlord when Adagio signed the lease and got him to let us stay rent-free." Hm... Would that count as good or evil?
"What do you like to do in your spare time?"
"Well, I normally sing for fun. Haven't been able to do that lately, though."
"Oh, come on. It can't be that bad."
She clears her throat.
we'Ve gOt thE mUsiC, mAKes You moVE iT
Wow, that's bad. "Okay, okay, I get it." She stops. "Anything besides singing?"
"I like to dance once in a while."
"You do?" She nods. "Any particular dance you like?"
"Not really. There are a few songs I really like dancing to."
"Think you could show me some of your moves later?"
"I dunno... Aria always thought they were lame."
"Well, I'm not Aria." I finish the second cornet.
"You wanna come over to my house for a bit?"
"Uh... I dunno... My last encounter with them made me think they're up to something."
"Don't worry. They won't be home 'til later this evening."
Up to something...
I'm starting to have doubts again. She lives with them, but she doesn't hang out with them? I know those two are up to something, but what if Sonata is part of whatever they're planning? They might want me to think they've gone their separate ways.
Then again, this is Sonata. The girl who didn't know an apple from a grape. If she is part of their plan, she would've let it slip by now, at least from what Sunny told me. Besides, would Adagio really trust Sonata with something like this? I know Aria wouldn't.
...
"Flare?"
I stand up. "Let's go."
We arrive at the Dazzlings' house. "Where should I put my bike?"
"Put it on the side of the garage," Sonata says.
I walk over to the garage. Maybe I should just stop riding this. I always end up having to walk alongside other people. It's more hassle than it's worth. I place it on the other side, then walk back to Sonata.
"It's not much, but it was the only place available at the time." She opens the door, and we walk inside.
In the living room, a couple people are sitting on a couch. They look like...
...
Damn it...
"You!?"
Why are they...
"What are you doing here?"
I look at Sonata. "Why are they here?"
"I dunno." She looks at the other two Dazzlings. "I thought you two were at work today."
"There was a fire," Aria says, "and the restaurant had to close down early. Why did you bring Cloudflop here?"
"Sonata invited me," I say. I turn to Sonata. "Sorry, I gotta go. Those two are up to something, and I don't want to be anywhere near them."
"What's the matter?" Adagio taunts. "Afraid we'll take something from you?
I ignore her. "We should go to my house next time. I'll see ya later." I turn around and open the door.
"Flare, wait!"
I leave and close the door behind me. Never coming here again. I get on my bike and ride away from the house.
...
I just realized I never got Sonata's number. If she even has a phone, that is. Guess I have to hope I run into her again.
I arrive at Cherry's Diner. I check the time. 6:59. A minute early.
As soon as I put my phone away, I see her approaching.
"Hope I didn't keep you waiting."
"Nope. Just got here." Sunny and I hug, then kiss. "Shall we?"
She holds my hand. "Lead the way."
We walk into the diner and sit at our usual booth. After a long, stressful day, spending time with my girlfriend is just want I need.
The waitress walks up to us. "Hello, welcome to Cherry's Diner." She hands us each a menu. "I'm Sugar Belle, your waitress this evening. Would you two like something to drink?"
"I'll have an iced tea," Sunny says.
"Me, too."
"Two iced teas. Okay, be right back." She leaves the table.
I open my menu. Salads, soups, veggie burgers... Not feeling adventurous this evening. Think I'll just get the same thing I got last time. I set the menu down. Sunny is still looking at hers.
A few moments later, she puts it down, and the waitress returns. "Alright. Iced teas." She places the glasses on the table. "Are you both ready to order?"
"We are," Sunny says. "Mushroom soup and onion rings for me."
The waitress writes down Sunny's order.
"Just spaghetti and a couple buttered rolls."
She writes down my order, then picks up the menus. "Okay. It'll be out shortly."
"Didn't you get spaghetti on our last date?"
"I don't feel like trying something different today."
"How come?"
"Well, Rainbow and I got in an argument. You know how I keep competing with her at video games despite her usually stopping the game when she's losing?"
She nods.
"It's annoying, but I don't mind it because I know I won. Today, though, she went too far. We were playing Dance Center, and I was ahead by quite a bit."
Her eyes grow wide. "She didn't!"
I nod. "She did. When the song was almost finished, she knocked me over. It didn't hurt, but I was pretty mad. She told me it was an accident, but I didn't buy it. I told her she always interrupts the game when she's losing, but it's never gotten physical. Then I said, 'How are you still on the soccer team if you act this way?'"
"Why did you say that? You know how passionate she is about soccer."
"When you get mad, sometimes you speak without thinking. She got mad at me for that, we had a bit of a shouting match, and I stormed out of her house."
"Wow... I hope this doesn't hurt your friendship."
"It'll take more than that to break us up, at least to me. All that did was make me not want to compete with her anymore." I take a drink of my tea. "So what did you do today?"
"I helped Pinkie put together a party."
Another one? "That girl is always throwing parties... What was it for this time?"
"It was for Gummy."
Her baby alligator plushie... "How did it go?"
"About as well as you'd expect a celebration for a stuffed animal to go. It was fun, though. She invited all of our friends. She would've invited you, but you were busy. How'd that go, anyway?"
"It was... interesting..."
"Interesting?"
Should I tell her?
...
"Make sure you keep this between us."
"Why?"
"The others probably wouldn't want to know about this. You'll understand why when you hear it."
"Okay, I promise. How bad could it be?"
"Pinkie Promise."
"That bad, huh?" I nod. "Okay. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." She goes through the motions.
I sigh. "This friend isn't from the next town over, and we met fairly recently."
"Who is it?"
"Sonata Dusk."
"Sonata Dusk? As in, Sonata Dusk the siren?"
"That's the one."
"Well, I see why you don't want to tell them. Why are you hanging out with them again?"
"It's not all of them. Only Sonata. She says she's changed her ways."
"And you believe her?" She sounds irritated. "They've been evil for hundreds of years. Being evil's all she knows!"
"I didn't think you had changed either."
"There's a huge difference between being a jerk for a few years and being evil for hundreds."
"Just trust me on this."
"I trust you. It's the sirens that I'm concerned about. How do you know this isn't another trick?"
"It's Sonata. If this is a trick, she'll accidentally tell me."
"That's true..."
The waitress returns with our food. She puts Sunny's food on the table, then mine. "There you go. If you need anything else, just let me know."
"Thanks." She leaves.
"How did you two meet up?"
"I saw her yesterday when I was walking past Taco Haven. I wanted to get her to explain exactly how they manipulated people with their singing."
"You're not gonna turn evil, are you?"
"Nah. Unless you're into bad boys."
"Not anymore."
"I don't want to accidentally get everybody riled up if I start singing to myself. As I was getting up to leave, that's when she told me she had changed."
She sighs. "I sure hope you know what you're doing. I don't want to see you get hurt."
"What can they do to me? I have their magic."
"I guess..."
