"Morning, Mystery!" Sonata Dusk's high voice pierced the morning air like a train whistle. Mystery wasn't too happy about that. She was barely awake, and her face was inches from her cereal bowl.
"Mornin'," she mumbled in response.
"Now, what kind of attitude is that?" Sonata asked cheerfully. "Today's a superspecial day!"
"Why?" Mystery asked, blinking several times. "Did you graduate or something?"
"No, she did not," Mystery's mother, Brownie Herbs, responded as she washed the dishes. "Sonata, don't tell her, dear."
"What?" Mystery asked. She gradually became more aware of her surroundings. Sonata was wearing a magenta jacket and a pale pink skirt, in contrast to her usual pink top and skirt that were reminiscent of Mystery's own clothing style.
"What's going on?" Mystery asked again.
"Sonata's just doing something exciting today, love," Brownie responded. "Eat your cereal, Mystery. Don't want to be late for school!" Mystery didn't mind being told to eat her cereal like she was a toddler. She wasn't a morning person, and she needed all the help she could get mustering up energy for the day.
"Hurry up, Mystery!" Sonata chirped again. "I can't wait to get going!" Mystery ate another spoonful of cereal.
"While you're waiting, can you text your friends or something?" Mystery half asked, half suggested. "I don't want you to be bored."
"Great idea, Mysty!" Sonata whipped out her phone and began to type.
"To Adagio," she said as she typed. "I am having fun getting ready for you know what!" As Mystery ate, she heard a ding noise come from Sonata's phone.
"Oooh! She responded already!" Sonata beamed and scrolled through the texts on her phone. Mystery smiled before gulping down another spoonful. She had stolen her sister's phone once or twice, and Mystery knew how popular Sonata was online. Mystery had then proceeded to photoshop ugly expressions onto pictures of Sonata. Sonata still had yet to find out.
"Hey! What are all these ugly pictures doing on here?" Sonata exclaimed loudly. Mystery cringed.
Did I make her see those with my mind? She thought.
"Mystery, did you do this?" Sonata asked, narrowing her eyes. Mystery gulped.
"Uh, yeah," she answered. "But please don't get mad at me!"
"Mystery, dear, please don't steal Sonata's phone," Brownie warned from the kitchen.
"I won't, Mom," Mystery promised. "I'm really sorry, Sonata. But no harm done, right?"
"Of course, little sister!" Sonata responded amiably. "No, hurry up and go get dressed!" Sonata waved her arms excitedly.
What is up? She asked herself.
"It's 7:49, Love. Can you hurry and get dressed?" Brownie asked Mystery. "Are you done with your cereal?"
"As good as done, Mom," Mystery answered.
"Leave the bowl there, then. Go get dressed!" At Brownie's prompting, Mystery ran upstairs.
Mystery pulled her usual outfit from out of her drawer. She pulled on her black leggings and purple skirt. She threw on her black top and sat down on her purple bedspread. Mystery put her boots on, first left then right, and buckled each.
Now for my favorite part. Mystery unwound her pink leopard print scarf from the hook on the wall and draped it around her neck. She looked in the mirror and laughed, striking a pose.
"Mystery! Are you ready darling?"
"Coming!" Mystery shouted back. She wrapped her scarf around her neck like she usually did and headed back downstairs.
"I got your backpack for you, Mystery!" Sonata exclaimed, tossing the lavender bag to Mystery.
"Thanks, Sonata!" Mystery responded, giving her a hug. "You're the best!"
"For realzies!" Sonata agreed. The two girls laughed.
"Come on, you two. Let's go to Canterlot High!" Brownie exclaimed. Mystery followed her out the door.
"Bye, Sonata. See you after school!" She called to her sister. Sonata giggled.
"Mom, can I tell her?" She asked. Brownie smiled warmly.
"There's no harm now," she answered. Mystery looked between her mom and her sister.
"Tell me what? What's going on?" She asked. Sonata tugged on her ponytail the way she did when she was really excited.
"I'm coming to your school!" Sonata exclaimed. "I'm coming to CHS!" It took a moment for the words to register in Mystery's mind. Once they did, she grinned from ear to ear.
"That's awesome!" She exclaimed happily. "I get to see you all day!"
"Well, not all day, exactly," Sonata corrected. "I'm helping teach your music class. For a project at my school, you know."
"It's still great!" Mystery replied.
"I know!" Sonata agreed.
"I know you two are excited!" Brownie interrupted with a laugh. "But you girls still need to be at school soon."
"Alright, alright!" Mystery got in the back of the car, while Sonata climbed into the shotgun. Mystery pulled out her iPhone and opened a group text from the previous night.
"My sister is coming 2 CHS!" She texted to Cherry Crash, Starlight, Tennis Match, Blueberry Cake, and Drama Letter. Nobody responded right away, of course.
The first response that did come, though, was from Starlight.
"Sonata Dusk?" She had answered.
"Yep," Mystery typed back. "Will b teaching music."
"Ive never met her b4," Starlight responded.
"Ull luv her she's great! :)" Mystery added a smiley face.
"2 cool!" Cherry Crash suddenly texted. "Cant wait 2 see SD again!!!!!"
"Hey, Sonata," Mystery called, looking up from her phone, "Cherry Crash can't wait to see you again. She even put lots of exclamation points!"
"How thoughtful!" Sonata exclaimed. "Maybe I'll give her an A in Music!"
"You won't actually control grades, will you?" Mystery asked after a moment.
"No way!" Sonata answered brightly. "I don't know how and that would be a big responsibility. That's why I'm never going to be a teacher!" Sonata smiled wildly, and Mystery swore she heard a squeak like a rubber ducky in the background.
"Have a great day, girls!" Brownie called from the car as Sonata and Mystery jumped out.
"We will!" Mystery promised.
"Totally!" Sonata added. "Bye!"
"Bye!" Mystery joined in with Sonata. They waved as Brownie drove back to the house. Or maybe the store. Mystery wasn't sure where her mother went.
"So, do you need my help to find the music room?" Mystery asked, expecting an immediate "yes" from Sonata.
"Nope!" Sonata replied cheerfully. "I know where everything is!"
"Are you sure you don't want me to take you?" Mystery asked. "I'd love to help you." Sonata's smile was replaced with an annoyed half-smile.
"Mystery, thanks for offering, but I'm a year older than you. I think I got this," Sonata answered.
"Oh, okay," Mystery responded in a smile voice. "Um, bye."
"Bye, little sis!" Sonata grabbed Mystery into an unexpected hug that ruffled Mystery's magenta hair. "See you whenever you have music!" She let go and Mystery stumbled back. Sonata bounced away down the hall.
"See ya, Sonata," she called, waving even though Sonata couldn't see her.
Mystery walked to her locker, which was right next to Blueberry Cake's locker.
"Mystery!" Blueberry exclaimed, closing her locker door. "I just got your text. So, where's Sonata?"
"She just went to the music room," Mystery answered, opening her own locker and hanging her backpack up. "She's really excited about this."
"I would be too, if I was visiting Blackberry's preschool!" Blueberry answered with a laugh. She was referring to Blackberry Crumble, her younger brother.
"So when do you have music?" Mystery asked.
"Third period," Blueberry responded. "I can't wait to meet her! I don't think I've seen her before."
"Well, she's my sister, so I'm supposed to say she's amazing," Mystery joked. After a laugh, she added, "I'm kidding. She is really the best sister anyone could have!"
Blueberry opened her mouth to respond, but a tennis ball suddenly whizzed by them. It slammed into the metal lockers with a loud CLANG!
"Sorry guys." Tennis Match expertly caught the ball in her left hand. "Wanted to get your attention!" Blueberry rolled her eyes.
"If it were anyone else, I would have been concerned about the safety of my head," she answered. "Since you're the best tennis player around, I can forgive you."
"Why thanks," Tennis Match answered with a grin. "Well, I read Mystery's text. This is so awesome! Except I don't have music today. Do you think I could meet Sonata at lunch?"
"I'm sure she'll sit with me, and you guys too," Mystery told her. Tennis Match smiled.
"Awesome, Mystery!" She threw her ball in the air. It landed neatly in her hand. "Starlight texted saying she's never met Sonata before. I haven't either, and neither has Blueberry from the few seconds of conversation I just heard. Is there anyone who's met Sonata?"
"Cherry Crash, of course. And Flash Sentry. He lives next door, and-" Mystery leaned in to whisper "-he's a nice guy, really, but sometimes I feel like he's stalking Sonata and me!" Tennis Match laughed.
"Oh, that is funny!" She exclaimed.
"Mystery, continue?" Blueberry prompted.
"Oh, right. Well.." Mystery thought for a moment. "Paisley and Octavia Melody came over for a group project once. They've met her."
"Wow, Mystery, that's only four people in the school that've met your sister!" Blueberry commented. "Have you been, like, hiding her or something?" The trio laughed.
"Nope!" Mystery responded.
Briiiiiiiiiiiing!
"How long were we talking?" Mystery asked, scrambling to grab her books.
"I don't know, but I have to run! See ya at lunch!" Tennis Match dashed off, most likely to her locker.
"See ya later, Blueberry," Mystery said as she heaved all the textbooks onto her arms.
"Bye, Mystery!" Blueberry darted off in the direction Tennis Match had gone. Mystery started running down the hall in the opposite direction. She was headed for advanced algebra, probably the most boring subject she had ever taken. At least the person sitting next to her was fun!
Mystery plopped her books down on the desk next to Lyra Heartstrings right as Mr. Neigh walked into the room.
"Good morning, class!" He greeted them cheerfully. "Please turn to last night's homework so we can review it."
"Hey, I heard your older sister's here today," Lyra whispered as they flipped pages.
"You did?" Mystery asked in surprise. "From whom?"
"Well, from what I can gather, Cherry Crash told Flash who told Sunset Shimmer who told Rarity who told Rainbow Dash who told all her soccer teammates including Cloudy Kicks who told Rose Heart who told Aqua Blossom who told Sweet Leaf who told the rest of the Eco-Kids including Bon Bon who told me!" Lyra responded cheerfully. Mystery gaped at her. Lyra hadn't even taken a breath during that long speech!
"But I told Cherry Crash a half hour ago or something!" Mystery protested. "How in the world did all that happen so fast?" Lyra blushed.
"Maybe I just read the text over Cherry Crash's shoulder," she mumbled.
"Oh, it doesn't matter, Lyra," Mystery answered, seeing Lyra was embarrassed. "Anyways, she's helping out at music class for a project at her school."
"Homework out, girls?" Mr. Neigh asked.
"Uh, yeah." Lyra spoke for both of them, pointing a finger at the pages.
"Good." He nodded, then returned to the board.
"The funny thing is, I didn't even know you had a sister," Lyra whispered to Mystery. Mystery frowned.
"Everyone keeps saying that," she replied quietly. "Does that make me a bad sister?" Lyra smiled a Don't-worry-about-it smile.
"No way!" She responded. "Just because nobody knows about her doesn't mean you're terrible!" Mystery smiled.
"Miss Mint, could you please provide the answer to the first question?" Mr. Neigh asked.
"Oh! Alright." Mystery looked at her book. "It's um, twelve, right?"
"Sonata is mad at u. She's really upset. I'll tell u more at lunch." Mystery frowned at the text from Blueberry Cake that had arrived half an hour ago. She was on her way to her locker, to dump her stuff and leave for the cafeteria.
Why is Sonata upset? She thought. Mystery anxiously dumped her books into her locker and shut it.
"Mystery!" Blueberry ran up, books still wrapped in her arms. "Hold on, I'll explain!"
"What did I do wrong?" Mystery asked, though a suspicion was creeping up in her mind. "Does it have anything to do with the fact barely anybody knows her?"
"I had a feeling you'd understand." Blueberry shut her locker. "Come on. I'll tell you on the way to lunch.
"It was really obvious she wasn't happy when I walked in," Blueberry explained as they walked. "Her ponytail seemed to droop, and she had a frown on her face. Sonata did try to look perky for Miss Cadence's sake, though."
"That's just like her," Mystery responded. "So what happened?"
"We had music class," Blueberry told her bluntly. "Well, Sonata helped out. Rainbow Dash asked her who she was. Had to explain she was your sister and doing a project here. That seemed to make her even sadder.
"After class," Blueberry continued, pushing the cafeteria doors open, "I told her I was a friend of yours and I asked her why she seemed to sad."
"And she felt bad because nobody knew she was my sister," Mystery guessed. "Oh, grilled cheese, please," she told the lunch lady. Mrs. Smith placed the requested item on Mystery's tray.
"Exactly," Blueberry confirmed. The two took their lunch trays and sat down at a nearby table.
"Hey guys, I was looking for you!" Tennis Match suddenly appeared. "So, where's your sister, Mystery?"
"I don't know," Mystery told her, downcast.
"What do you mean?" Tennis Match asked, taking a seat across from them. "Did she disappear?" Blueberry recounted everything she had just told Mystery.
"Oh." Tennis Match tilted her head in confusion when the Fashionista was finished. "Uh, no offense, but that's not a good reason to get sad."
"I know, it's just a misunderstanding," Mystery answered, putting her head in her hands. "But I need to explain to her that. And I don't know where she is." Tennis Match grinned and leaned back in her seat.
"What?" Blueberry and Mystery asked in unison.
"Look." She pointed behind them. Mystery and Blueberry twisted in their seats. Canterlot High's resident DJ, Vinyl Scratch (aka DJ Pon3) stood behind them.
Vinyl pointed to the other side of the cafeteria. Mystery followed her finger and saw Sonata sitting at a table by the window, picking at her salad.
"Oh, thanks so much, Vinyl!" Mystery exclaimed, standing straight up. Vinyl saluted her and marched off, walking to whatever music was being pumped in through her headphones.
"I'll be right back," Mystery told Tennis Match and Blueberry. She dashed off to talk to her sister, dancing between chairs and students to get to the table by the window.
"Sonata?" Mystery asked quietly, coming up behind Sonata. She glanced up, then returned to poking a lettuce leaf with her fork.
"What do you want?" Sonata asked.
"I'm sorry your feelings are hurt." Mystery walked over and sat down across from Sonata.
"Why do you care? Obviously I'm not important enough to be cared about." As she spoke, Sonata waved her fork in the air. "I bet your friends don't even know you're over here." Mystery swallowed.
"That's not true, Sonata. You're a great sister, the best! But I don't go around bragging to everybody about my amazing sister, do you?"
"No," Sonata admitted, smiling slightly. Mystery smiled back.
"And everyone knows you're my best sister now, right?" She asked.
"Mystery, I'm sorry I overreacted," Sonata told her. "I just always imagined that I was the perfect sister, that everyone would know about me because you'd tell everyone. "
"It's totally fine," Mystery answered.
"For realizes?" Sonata asked.
"For realizes," Mystery answered, giggling. She and Sonata reached across the table and hugged.
"Can I sit with you now?" Sonata asked, picking up her tray.
"Totally!" Mystery agreed. "One of my friends really wants to meet you!"
"It'd better not be Flash Sentry!" Sonata joked. She and Mystery laughed. Together, the two sisters made their way back to Mystery's table.
"Everything cool?" Tennis Match asked when they arrived.
"Totally!" Sonata responded. "Are you one of Mystery's friends?"
"Yeah!" Tennis Match answered. "You're Sonata, right?"
"The one and only!"
Mystery took a bite of her cheese sandwich as Sonata and Tennis Match began talking about everything.
