New Lyrics: Friendshipping Sonata Dusk and Pinkie Pie

Chapters

Expanding Your Horizons
Meeting the Band
First Performance
Battle
Final Battles and Prizes
Epilogue
After the Credits

Expanding Your Horizons

Pinkie Pie felt something unsettling as she walked through the lunch line with her tray. Normally, she only felt this uncomfortable rumbly in her tumbly after eating the school's tacos, but this time she felt it before she had eaten them. That meant something was very wrong here at Canterlot High, and she needed to find out what.

Now armed with two tacos and a mountain of carrots on her plate, she walked around, looking for something, anything, that was wrong; but was unable to find anything amiss in the lunchroom.

She strolled right out the door with her tray and wandered through the halls, but found nothing. All the lockers were in place, all the class hamsters were in their cages, the tiles were their usual shade of color and everything.

Eventually, she made her way into the gym, where she also saw nothing wrong. She did, however, hear something wrong. Quiet and wrong. In fact, it sounded almost like crying.

Poking her head under the thick, blue stage curtain, she saw a very familiar girl in a light blue hoodie with an impossibly large ponytail, crouching on stage with her back towards Pinkie.

“Hi!” Pinkie said.

Startled, Sonata Dusk spun around, and the microphone she had been holding in front of her flew out of her hands. It continued on its trajectory and bonked Pinkie right in the middle of the forehead before dropping right into her pile of carrots.

Pinkie's smile didn't even falter. “Hi, Sonata Dusk!” she said. “Why are you all saddy-waddy back here?”

Sonata turned her back and sat down again, hoping that Pinkie would get the message and leave her alone.

She might as well have wished herself back into Equestria.

Pinkie Pie sidled up next to her and brushed against her shoulder with her usual disregard for personal space. “No one can be sad on taco Tuesday!” she proclaimed, sliding her tray in front of Sonata. “Come on! Have a taco and tell Auntie Pinkie what's wrong!”

Sonata paused, the ridiculousness of that statement dragging her back to reality. “I'm pretty sure I'm at least, like, twice as old as you,” she pointed out.

Pinkie patted her on the head patronizingly. “Just eat your taco,” she said.

Sonata squinted, but picked up a taco. The taco shell had been warned in a microwave and crumbled slightly at her touch, the lettuce had wilted, the cheese was thinly grated and sparse, the beans had been left out for a bit too long and had formed a crusty exterior, and the textured vegetable protein had been slightly over cooked.

It was the most delicious thing she had ever eaten.

“There, that better?” Pinkie asked when she’d finished.

Sonata nodded and brushed her lips off with the back of one hand.

“What are you doing here on stage, anyway?” Pinkie asked.

Sonata sighed. It wouldn't hurt to share. What would Pinkie do, take her non-existent magic? “I was practicing singing. I thought that if I had a microphone and was on stage, with no one else around, I could get some good practice in.”

“And did you?”

Sonata hung her head. “No,” she admitted. “I mean, I did; but it stank. Stunk. Stinked. Stinkied?” Unable to conjugate her verb, she groaned in defeat and drooped down further. “It was really, really bad,” she translated.

“Well, maybe you just need someone to believe in you. Here!” Pinkie slid around to the front of Sonata and handed the microphone back to her. “I’ll be your audience!”

Sonata’s eyes widened and she pushed it away. “No! I’ll embarrass myself!” she protested.

Pinkie looked flatly at her. “You tried to brainwash the whole school into fighting and then got defeated by a giant ethereal alicorn and then sang like nails on a chalkboard in front of the whole school. You’re probably more embarrassed than Sunset Shimmer was when she went full she-demon on us.” Pinkie paused, and called back over her shoulder. “No offense!”

Across the school back in the cafeteria, Sunset Shimmer suddenly sneezed, and Fluttershy politely handed her a napkin.

Pinkie turned back to Sonata. “Come on. You can try,” she offered. “I promise, I won’t laugh.”

Sonata exhaled and stood up, preparing to sing. “Ok, but you asked for it.”

And she did. It was a simple melody, a warm-up routine sung using only vowel sounds.

Frankly, it sounded as though someone were attempting to orchestrate a choir from a pair of alley cats, with a fire engine siren as backup.

When she’d finished her attempt, Pinkie nonchalantly raised a pinky finger and rubbed off some of the blood oozing out of her ear. “Well, you certainly have the volume!” she said brightly.

Sonata sighed and dropped to a seated position. “I know! That was awful!” she moaned. “The lyrics come, but I just can't sing them! It's just… argh! I hate this. This is the worst-est thing ever!”

“Maybe you could try learning to do something else?” Pinkie suggested.

Sonata blinked flatly. “Like what? I can't do anything else! I'm a siren,” she emphasized. “Singing is all I do! Singing is my answer to, like, everything! If we want something, we sing. When we're bored, we sing. When we're tired, we sing. When we don't know what to do, we sing. Singing is plan A, plan B, and usually plan C. Sing and get people to do what we want.”

“Most people sleep when they get tired,” Pinkie observed.

Sonata frowned. She had a point, there. “Well, we do that too; but usually we sing first. Singing is, like, the bestest thing ever; and now we can't. It's awful.”

“Oh. I see,” Pinkie said.

“No, you don't! It's like if you woke up and suddenly couldn't be…” Sonata suddenly realized that she had no idea what Pinkie Pie did. “You-y anymore!” she settled on saying.

Pinkie nodded sagely. “Well, even if I weren't able to be me-y anymore, I'd still have my friends, and we-”

Sonata chuckled darkly. “Adagio has been pouting on the roof for days and Aria just argues with me about everything. More than she usually does, even.”

“Huh. I wonder if she's cold up there,” Pinkie thought aloud.

“Probably not,” Sonata said. “We kindof live up there now. We stole some of the wrestling mats from the gym, some of the blankets from the laundry room, and one of the old couches from backstage. We even had to move them ourselves; we couldn't sing anyone to do it. We only have one little pillow that I stole from the teacher's lounge, and Adagio keeps stealing it from me.” She exhaled. “And we’re gonna be stuck up there for the rest of our lives if we don’t learn how to sing again.”

“Maybe you don’t need to sing. You could try rapping instead or something,” Pinkie suggested.

“Rapping?” Sonata scoffed. “That's not music. It's funny to watch, but that’s it.”

“You could try! Come on!” Pinkie stood up and began rhythmically slapping out a beat on her thighs and by clapping.

Sonata shook her head.

“Come on!” Pinkie repeated. “Think of something and just let it go!”

Sonata shook her head and stood up. “You're crazy,” she said.

“And you're just scared!” Pinkie taunted.

Sonata froze. Slowly, she spun around to face Pinkie.

Don't call me scared, Pinkie, I know what I'm doing
I've been ready to go even before I was a human!

Admittedly, it had been a forced rhyme; but it had come out smoothly and relatively in time with Pinkie’s beat. Sonata blinked, and then a slow smile crossed her face.

Pinkie nodded encouragingly, not stopping her beat. Her confidence somewhat buoyed by this, Sonata continued.

I’m on stage with Pinkie, but she showed up later
She brought me a taco, so I can’t really hate her
I’ve got things to do, new worlds to explore
So give me the mic, ‘cause I gotta roar!

Pinkie chuckled. Not breaking her rhythm, she wrapped the microphone cable around her boot and kicked it up to Sonata. Sonata caught it effortlessly and continued, her voice stronger now, even though the microphone wasn’t actually plugged into anything.

I’ve got a new gig and I’ve got a new style
If rapping were a race I could run for eight miles
I’ve got new ideas and I’ve got new moves
So watch out, world! Sonata’s gotta groove!

Pinkie laughed and rushed up and gave Sonata a hug, which she gleefully returned.

“You did it!”

“I did do it!” Sonata cheered. “Wait until I tell Adagio!”

* * *

“…and so I was thinking…”

“What have I told you about thinking?” Adagio interrupted.

Sonata hesitated. “Uh, to not to; but-”

“Then why did you?”

“It wasn't just me,” Sonata defended herself. “It was also Pinkie's idea.”

“Oh. Pinkie Pie. That makes it allll better,” Aria said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Sonata didn't pick up on this. “I know, right?” she said naively. “She's pretty nice; when she's not breaking hearts and such. Anyway, she got the idea that I should try rapping instead!”

Aria snorted derisively.

Adagio rolled her eyes. Her verdict came quickly and bitingly. “You’re stupid,” she said, not even bothering to look up.

“Hey,” Sonata protested.

“I mean it this time,” Adagio said, her voice cold. “Rapping? I swear, you were dropped on your head at birth. Your stupid little airheaded ideas are tolerable only for so long, and this time you’re really pushing my limit.”

“It’s not even music,” Aria agreed. “You’re just wasting your time.”

“At least I’m trying something,” Sonata defended herself. “And I’m pretty ok at it, I guess. That’s better than sitting and doing nothing and hoping our magic comes back on its own, right?”

Aria narrowed her eyes. “You only think it’s good because you’re an idiot. You’re not even smart enough to realize the situation we’re in.”

“Am too!” Sonata insisted.

“Are not!” Aria retorted.

“Am too!”

“Are too.”

“Am not!”

“Are too.”

“Am not!”

“Are too, are too, are too.”

“I am not smart enough!” Sonata nearly shouted. She then paused, processing what she had just said. She raised a finger and tried to say something to correct herself, but the damage had already been done.

“Glad to see you’re finally admitting it,” Adagio said, the barest hint of a smile crossing her lips. “Now, if you want to go play with the pink, bubble-headed spaz, go right ahead; but if you go, don’t bother coming back.” She glared. “And yes, I mean that ‘for realzies’.”

Sonata looked at her, and then back at Aria. It was clear that neither of them wanted her there.

Fine. She didn’t have to stay. Even for sisters, they had never really been close, anyway.

Head bowed, she exhaled, and climbed back down the access ladder, leaving them to argue over the pillow.

* * *

Sonata Dusk wandered down the sidewalk, her hands jammed deep into her hoodie pockets, looking down and kicking a rock as she went. It would be dark soon, and it sounded like Adagio had meant it about not coming back. She had thought she could go visit Pinkie, but after a few minutes of walking in a random direction, she realized she had no idea where Pinkie lived. What if she didn't find her? Where would she go? What would she do? Could she sleep in the school? Maybe the library. Libraries were boring. No one would see her.

And then she saw a very familiar set of boots in front of her. She looked up, and there stood Pinkie Pie, hand outstretched.

“I felt like someone over here could use a friend,” she said simply.

Meeting the Band

Sonata pulled at the sleeves of the pajamas she wore. They were white, with black bars resembling a piano keyboard trailing up and down the sleeves and legs. “Thanks, Pinkie,” she said. “These are nice.”

“No problem!” Pinkie replied happily, adjusting her own so they were even more comfy.

“Why do you have so many spare pajamas, anyway?” Sonata wondered aloud. Pinkie had had literally a closet full of pajamas, all with various designs and motifs, and there was no way she could have worn them all; yet somehow she had known exactly where the music-themed ones were.

Of course, this was after she had pulled out the cow print ones, complete with screen-printed udders. Sonata didn't even know they made those.

“So I can throw a pajama party whenever I want! Duh!” Pinkie said, as if it were obvious. “And that means I need a lot of pajamas so everyone can have pajamas to be at a pajama party. I mean, seriously. What’s a pajama party without pajamas?”

Sonata pondered this. “Just a party?” she guessed.

“That’s not quite how it works,” Pinkie said, patting her on the head. “But good guess anyway.”

Sonata squinted. Pajama party minus pajamas equaled party. Didn’t it? Then again, she'd never needed to be good at math; not when she could just sing things done like store purchases and pizza delivery. “Then how does it work?” she asked.

A ‘ding!’ resonated through the kitchen. Pinkie gasped excitedly. “Pizza rolls are ready!” she said, ignoring the question and sprinting downstairs.

Sonata frowned and followed. “Pizza roll? What’s a pizza roll?”

A pizza roll, as it turns out, is an innocent-looking but devious instrument of torture. Pinkie was quite literally tossing them back like popcorn when Sonata arrived, so she grabbed a roll of her own.

“Ahh!” Sonata shrieked as the pizza roll burned her fingers. She tossed it back and forth, but it was too hot for her to handle. Instinctively, she knew she needed to get rid of it, and so she did the next logical thing.

She popped it into her mouth.

“Gahhh!”

* * *

Sonata scowled at nothing in particular as she took another bite of ice cream. The cold dessert soothed her still-burning tongue, and she held it in her mouth as long as she could before swallowing. “How come they didn’t burn you?” she demanded.

“Oh, I only picked up the cool ones,” Pinkie said with a shrug.

Sonata frowned. “But didn’t they all come out of the oven at the same time?” she asked.

“Yep!” Pinkie said around a mouthful of her own ice cream.

“Then shouldn’t they all be the same temperature?”

Pinkie reached out and patted her on the head again. “Nope. Not even close,” she said.

Sonata squinted, fairly certain that she was being made fun of again (as usual); but Pinkie's smiling face showed no guile. Reluctantly deciding to accept this, Sonata continued eating.

Pinkie continued. “So I’ve been thinking, and I was wondering. Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

Sonata shook her head. “Adagio said I’m not supposed to do that anymore.”

Pinkie giggled. “What, think? Well, she’s not here right now, is she?”

Sonata leaned down to peek under the couch before sitting up and shaking her head. “I don’t think so,” she said. “That’d be really weird, because she really doesn’t like either of us right now.”

“And I’d need to find another set of pajamas,” Pinkie added. “And make more pizza rolls. And find more ice cream. Maybe it’s a good thing she wasn’t invited.”

Sonata cracked a smile. Pinkie had had plenty of pajamas, pizza rolls, and ice cream. And whipped cream. She wasn't sure what that was all about, either.

“So I was thinking,” Pinkie repeated. “Band practice is tomorrow afternoon, and I’m thinking you can join us.”

Sonata choked on her ice cream. “What?” she asked. “You've heard me sing! I’m, like, awful!”

“Not singing,” Pinkie clarified. “Rapping.”

Sonata squinted. “For realzies?” she asked. “Because the Rainbooms play rock music, and rapping kindof… isn't.” She paused. “Rock or music,” she clarified.

“True musicians know that while the line differentiating styles of music may appear to be firm, elements from any style may be incorporated at-will into a beautiful mix of symphonic proportions in the quest for the perfect auditory masterpiece!” Pinkie proclaimed perkily.

Sonata squinted again.

“Doesn’t matter!” Pinkie translated.

Sonata exhaled and put her empty bowl on the coffee table. “They won't like me,” she said. “We tried to take over everything and now no one likes us.”

Sonata jumped as Pinkie squeezed her into a side hug. “Oh, come on. It'll be fun! I bet you a cupcake we'll get you integrated and in the band in no time!”

* * *

Rainbow looked up from tuning her guitar and squinted at the two girls approaching. Her eyes narrowed. “Hey, Pinkie. What's she doing here?”

Sonata turned and stuck her tongue out at Pinkie. “Told you,” she said. “You owe me a cupcake.”

Sonata took a startled step back as Pinkie fulfilled that bet and shoved a cupcake of indeterminate origin into her mouth. “You'll like this one. It's Funfetti!” she said brightly. “That’s two of my favorite things, fun, and confetti, combined!”

Rainbow walked over as she played a simple riff on her guitar to make sure it was in tune. “What’s this about cupcakes?” she asked.

“You have cupcakes?” Pinkie gasped. She grabbed at Rainbow's shirt collar. “Where? Where?”

“No, Pinkie…” Rainbow said. She shook her head and pushed Pinkie's hands away from her shirt. “No one has cupcakes. I meant, what’s she doing here?” she corrected herself, gesturing towards Sonata.

“Oh, that's an easy one. I was thinking we could get Sonata in the band.”

Rainbow nearly broke a guitar string. “What?”

“I was thinking-” Pinkie started, a bit louder this time.

“No, no, I heard you the first time,” Rainbow said, suppressing the urge to facepalm. “It’s just… her singing sounds like two hands’ worth of nails on a chalkboard.”

“I'm right here, you know,” Sonata pouted. True? Yeah, maybe; but she didn’t have to say it so loudly. Or explicitly.

“Yeah, but she’s not singing.”

Rainbow jerked a thumb towards Sunset Shimmer. “We already have two on guitar and two on rhythm, though. And I'm not finding another keytar.”

“I should hope not,” Rarity muttered, running a hand across her very special instrument. She had no desire to be replaced like last season’s fashion.

“Yeah, but this is different,” Pinkie said. “She’ll be rapping!”

Rainbow burst out laughing. “No way!” she said. “That’s just… no way!”

Applejack chuckled, but then paused. “It would be different,” she pointed out.

“Certainly no one else has tried that,” Rarity observed, though her stance showed she was clearly unconvinced.

“That might not be so bad,” Fluttershy added quietly. She glanced down at her tambourine. It, too, was not a common instrument in a rock band.

“Even if it’s just one song,” Pinkie pleaded. “Please, Rainbow? Let her try!”

Rainbow snorted. “Fine. We'll put it to a vote. All in favor of having Stomata-”

“Sonata,” Sonata corrected.

“Whatever… sing with us for one song, raise your hand.”

Pinkie's hand shot up, and Sunset's quickly followed. Rainbow cocked her head.

“What?” Sunset asked. “I'm all for redemption opportunities, remember?”

Rainbow opened her mouth, then shut it again. She had a point.

Fluttershy also raised her hand.

Rarity hesitantly followed suit. “I suppose one song might not be so terrible,” she said.

With the majority in favor, Rainbow scowled. “Fine. One. Song.” She turned around as if on stage. “Pinkie, get her a mic. Everyone else, Awesome as I Want To Be, but drop to the basic riff for four measures between the second chorus and the final chorus. That’s where you'll come in. Good luck.”

“Isn't that a little… fast?” Fluttershy asked.

“Awesome as I Want To Be,” Rainbow repeated. She plugged in her guitar and strummed the first chord in preparation. “Ready?”

“Wait. How many measures until I come in?” Sonata asked, looking down at her microphone.

Rainbow shrugged. “You'll figure it out.” With no further introduction, she began to play.

Sonata glared. They were just like the others. They thought she was stupid. But she would show them.

Sonata may have lost her ability to sing, but she hadn't lost her instinctual command of music theory. She listened to the music, listened to the lyrics, felt the beat, and let the song flow through her. After the second chorus, Rainbow played her guitar solo; but then when she was done, she took her hand off her guitar, Rarity held her note and let it fade, and Applejack slid the bass note, and Sonata knew it was her turn. As soon as Pinkie had hit the cymbal one last time, Sonata raised her microphone and began.

Scored the game winning goal? Yeah, that was me.
Any time, any sport, easily.
I'll take you on anywhere you like.
I'll do the bump, set, and the spike!
Field goal, home run, I’ll do it all
Blink and you’ll miss me, I’ll steal your ball
You're just jealous that you aren’t me
I’m awesome as I want to be!

Rainbow picked the chorus of the song back up, but as she sang, she kept looking over at Sonata, and her celebratory dancing seemed a bit more subdued and distracted.

When the song ended, Rainbow let the last note ring. Then she turned to Sonata and pursed her lips. “Your lyrics need work,” she said. “Technically, bumping, setting, and spiking all in a row would be a penalty for hitting the ball twice, and field goals aren’t really anything to brag too much about. But I guess we might be able to work something in one of our other songs.”

Sonata looked briefly crestfallen, but Pinkie gave her a thumbs up from behind her drumset.

Applejack concurred. She leaned in and gave her a friendly nudge. “That's her way of sayin' you did all right, sugarcube,” she whispered in translation.

Sonata beamed.

“Yeah, whatever,” Rainbow said flippantly, setting her guitar down and going to grab a drink. “Take five, and then we'll start with something Fluttershy wrote.”

“Yay,” Fluttershy said happily.

First Performance

“Ooh…” Sonata moaned as she paced nervously. The other band members were getting ready, but she couldn't do anything but pace; she just felt like her stomach was tied into knots. She had never felt this way about performing before. Usually, she couldn't wait to get on stage. Now, she wouldn't mind it if they delayed the show another hour.

Of course, last time she was about to perform on stage, she had on perfect makeup, a beautiful outfit, and the ability to sing perfectly and make anyone do whatever she wanted; and now she only had one of those things.

Not that Rarity hadn't tried to get her all dressed up, of course; but the fact of the matter remained that Sonata's measurements simply didn't match anyone else's, so all Rarity been able to do for her was the makeup. To be fair, though, she had done a really good job; but it was still only one of three.

Rarity (whose keytar didn't require tuning) walked over and rested a hand comfortingly on her shoulder, gently bringing her to a halt. “Come now,” she said soothingly. “Everyone gets a case of the nerves now and again, especially before going on stage. It's perfectly natural.”

Sonata could only relax a little bit as Rarity began massaging her shoulders. “I know, but…” Sonata tried to squeeze some sense from the churning inside. “What if they don't like me?” she asked.

Pinkie looked up from her drum set. “Oh, they already don't like you.”

“Pinkie!!” Rarity scolded, scowling. Sonata scowled, too; Rarity's hands had stopped.

“So that just means that now is your chance to win them back over,” Pinkie continued blithely. “So no pressure or anything.” She gave Sonata an encouraging two thumbs up.

Sonata groaned again as the knots in her stomach doubled.

“You'll be fine,” Sunset reassured her as she finished tuning her E string. “People are starting to warm up to me more; I'm sure they'll like you, too, once they see what you’re capable of.”

“Or maybe they just like Sunset now because with you girls around there's another, bigger thing to disli-”

Pinkie didn't get to finish her sentence; Rainbow quite literally kicked the stool out from under her and dropped right her on her backside. “My bad,” she said flippantly. “Well, get ready quick. We're on in five.”

Sonata gave her a shaky thumbs up.

* * *

Sonata attempted to control her breathing as Rainbow belted out the verse. Fluttershy had written a lovely feel-good number, all about music.

It wasn't making Sonata feel very good, though. Some people were pointing at her, and they looked like they were suspicious of her. Or making fun of her. Why did everyone make fun of her?

“Sonata!?” Rainbow shrieked quietly.

To her horror, Sonata realized that she had not been paying attention to the music and had missed her cue. She grimaced, but then stepped up in front, nodded her head slightly in time with the beat as she waited for another cycle to start, and then she began.

What is music? Can anyone define it?
What it is, whose it is, or where someone can find it?
Does music have rules? Do the words need to rhyme?
Does it need a set meter, like four-four time?
I dunno, I'm just giving this as my opinion,
Anything can fall within the musical dominion.
When you're making music, there's no right or wrong.
Music is more who you're with when you make your song.

Quite a few cheers answered her, and one person even whistled their approval. A small smile stretched across Sonata's face as she took a step back out of the spotlight. She felt a rush that she hadn't felt in a long time. That was her only part for this song, but already she felt as though she had made a major contribution.

Rainbow was laughing, too, and kept looking up at Sonata’s ponytail and nodding upwards at her, as if trying to draw her attention to something. Sonata frowned. What did that mean?

“Ears!” Fluttershy whispered.

Sonata quickly raised her hand to her head, and felt the outline of an ethereal ear right before it faded from existence. She gasped, and then a wide smile spread across her face as the rush she'd felt faded.

Magic. She’d felt magic.

And though the next song she didn’t have a part in, she would really get to shine in the song after that. Sunset had believed in her enough to have her take the lead in the song she had written.

Sunset’s song began, much faster than their earlier songs. Now more confident, Sonata did not miss her cue this time. She began to sway as she rapped.

Up on stage, hear me roar
I'm sure you've all seen me before
And I'm not proud of what I did
And my mistakes, they can't be hid
I thought I would be all alone
Stuck by myself in walls of stone
But all these girls stopped by to say
That friendship always finds a way
Won't be alone, I won't get lost
No matter how many lines I cross
Through thick and thin, the nice and tragic
These girls showed me that friendship is magic!

As she swayed, she felt her weight become slightly off. Her hair lengthened and she felt ears poking out of the top of her head. She finished her verse, lowered her microphone, and laughed.

Sunset sang the chorus, but she was wearing a large smile as well. Fluttershy gave her another thumbs up.

Sonata's ears quickly faded, but they had come. They had come. She had felt Equestrian magic again.

It was a good night for Sonata. She found herself feeling lighter than air, and she somehow even kept up with Pinkie as she skipped backstage for strike.

But amid the cheering and clapping that greeted the Rainbooms as they left the stage, no one noticed two girls wearing dark hoodies and long pants standing in the back of the auditorium. They shared a meaningful look, and then silently slunk out the auditorium through the rear doors.

* * *

Rainbow finished putting her guitar away and straightened up. “I can’t be the only one wondering about that ear thing,” she said abruptly. “That’s our gig.”

“Magic does some pretty complicated things,” Sunset pointed out as she closed her guitar case. “It follows rules, but it’s kindof hard to figure out what those rules are. Especially when you don't have a horn.” She tapped her forehead demonstratively, and Fluttershy giggled at the thought of Sunset with a horn sticking out of her forehead. “Maybe she's carrying some of the magic with her and the music reactivated it?”

Applejack squinted. “Carrying the magic?”

Sunset shrugged. “Yeah,” she said. “You don't just get hit with the Elements of Harmony and not have any side effects. I mean, as far as I can tell, they're not feeding on negative energy anymore; so something must have happened.”

“So what are they feeding off of?” Applejack had to ask.

“Currently, Sonata’s feeding off pizza rolls and ice cream,” Pinkie supplied helpfully as she wrapped her drum set. “And plenty of whipped cream, too!”

“That's what you feed off of,” Rainbow said flatly.

“It’s also what I’m feeding her, so...” Pinkie pointed out.

“Feeding who now?”

Everyone jumped at Sonata’s sudden appearance.

“No one,” Rarity said quickly.

Sonata’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Adagio and Aria talk about ‘no one’ a lot, too,” she said.

Rarity chuckled lightly, but didn't look at Sonata. Instead, she suddenly noticed that her keytar apparently needed a good dusting.

Sonata turned and glared at Fluttershy, easily the weakest in the group. Sure enough, she, too, was unable to meet her eyes. Sonata scowled slightly. She knew it. They had been talking about her behind her back. Adagio, Rainbow, they were all the same, just with different packaging.

Pinkie broke the silence. “Hey, we're going out for ice cream, you want to come?” she offered.

Sonata shook her head. “Nah. I'm going home.”

“You live with me now,” Pinkie pointed out. “It'd be easier and a lot more fun if you came with and-”

Sonata cut her off. “Maud gave me a key.”

“She did?” Pinkie squinted.

Sonata paused, and then dug something out of her pocket. “Actually, she gave me a rock, and told me to throw it at her window whenever I wanted to come inside.”

“Ok; but you're more than welcome to come along,” Pinkie sang.

“I’ll be fine,” Sonata said abruptly, scowling at Pinkie. She turned and flounced away. She didn’t need them.

Well, she needed Pinkie Pie for a place to sleep. And she needed them for the music to feel the magic again.

She exhaled and slowed to a dejected walk. She didn’t want to go back on what she’d said, but maybe she’d go with them next time. After all, friendship was about using each other to get what you wanted, and there was quite a bit Sonata still wanted.

Author's Note

I dunno. I think I like her first one better

Battle

“Are you sure about this?” Sonata asked hesitantly.

“Yep!” Pinkie said. “Practice makes perfect, and what better rapping practice is there than rap battling another person in front of a large and possibly hostile crowd who have fruit and water bottles and other things they can throw at performers they don't like?”

“Practicing alone at home in front of the mirror?” Sonata suggested hopefully. “Or maybe in front of Fluttershy and her collection of stuffed animals?”

Pinkie giggled. “I like you! You're funny. Now come on! It’s open registration, so there’s going to be lots of new people there. You've been practicing for, like, a whole week now! You're ready for anything!” Without further ado, Pinkie quite physically pushed Sonata though the registration line; and the next thing the siren knew, she was backstage in the dark and wearing a number.

And then Pinkie disappeared with a quick, “Good luck!”, leaving Sonata alone.

Sonata sat in the dark, tapping her toes. This whole going along with Pinkie thing had not been a wise idea.

From the stage, she could hear the thick beats that rattled the floor, as well as the reactionary cheers and boos responding to the various battlers' lines.

She looked around at the people preparing for their turn on stage. A few were sitting, one had his head between his knees, one person had a dictionary out and was reading by the light of a small flashlight, and one person was bouncing in place, throwing jabs at an invisible opponent as if they were preparing for an actual fight.

A few other people were called, and Sonata tuned them out. She needed to focus. She couldn’t be distracted with…

A bump from behind. “Sonata!” Pinkie whispered, pushing her forwards. “They called you! You’re up!”

Sonata blinked as Pinkie pushed her up to the top of the stairs. She tried to scurry on stage, but Pinkie grabbed her by the scruff of her hoodie and pulled her back.

“You have to wait to be announced! Weren’t you paying attention earlier to anything I said?”

“Earlier you were talking about red velvet cupcakes and how they were better-er than vanilla ones,” Sonata protested.

“Oh,” Pinkie murmured, relaxing her grip. “I guess I said the outside thing inside and the inside thing outside again, huh? So you didn’t hear me say I believe in you?”

“No,” Sonata said. That was a weird phrase to hear, especially directed at her. Her friends had offered praise every once in a while, but to hear it directed precisely at her was… nice.

“Well, I do,” Pinkie said, patting her on the head. “Now go knock ‘em dead!” And she vanished again.

Sonata finally got a chance to look at the stage. Standing behind a makeshift podium was a person Sonata hadn't seen before, with messy brown hair and wearing a red shirt and a headset microphone. He leaned forward and began.

“And in the final round of the preliminaries, we have two newcomers to the circuit tonight. In the red corner, we have Sonata Dusk!”

Sonata stepped forward, but the only person really cheering for her was Pinkie Pie, who had somehow managed to make it back into the audience. Most of the crowd murmured their disapproval, and there were a couple preemptive boos. One person even threw a tomato at her, and Sonata barely dodged it. This had been a bad idea. Who throws tomatoes, anyway?

The MC stepped in, hand held out in pacification. “Hey, now. Let's wait until after they start for that kind of thing, eh? In the blue corner, going solo for the first time in his career, Snips!”

The diminutive boy from school stepped forward, He tossed his hands, trying to get people to cheer, and he was met with moderate success.

“Starting this round is…” The MC flipped a colored coin, caught it, and slapped it on his opposite wrist. It came up blue. “Snips!” He passed him the corded microphone. “Begin!”

Snips began. That’s about the nicest thing that can be said about his performance.

I am Snips and now I'm flying solo
That's because I'm really, really cool, yo!
You think you’re so hot with your sweatshirt of purple...
I… uh…

His voice trailed off as he realized he didn’t have a rhyme for this word. He scratched at his neck and looked around. A few in the crowd began to chuckle, and Sonata saw one person adjust his grip on a bottle to give himself more leverage and to make it easier to throw it.

“Uh, maybe… Circle?” Sonata suggested.

“Yeah!” Snips cheered. “Rap at you so fast, your head will spin in circles!” Triumphantly, he flexed his muscles (which was laughably ineffective, as he was fairly overweight) and handed the microphone over.

Sonata laughed. That simple gesture was enough; her confidence came rushing back, and she brought the microphone to her lips and began.

If I had to finish for you, you shouldn’t even start.
Stop pulling words from your butt; start pulling words from your heart.
Rapping is a lifestyle, and you know I rock it
Got to feel the beat from my head down to my socks; it
Is what I am; and I am what it is
Sonata Dusk is the best in the biz!
I’ll leave you behind, you’ll be eating my dust,
Your steel-bladed words are nothing but rust.

She tossed the microphone over her shoulder, and Snips fumbled to catch it. His eyes narrowed.

Don't talk to me, you can't even sing
In a competition, I'll win everything!
I get the gold, you get the silver…
Uh…

His voice trailed off again as he once more found himself unable to think up a rhyme.

Sonata giggled. It was too easy sometimes.

“You know what? This is dumb,” Snips finally said. He ripped his number off his shirt, threw down the microphone, and exited the stage, pouting.

The MC darted over and raised Sonata’s hand. “Winner by forfeit, Sonata Dusk!”

There were a few more claps than before. Pinkie was as enthusiastic as ever.

Sonata smiled. That had ended well. That had ended really well.

* * *

“You did great!” Pinkie said. “Here! I brought you some punch!” She pressed a red plastic cup into Sonata's hands.

“Where did you get this?” Sonata asked.

“I keep punch stashed all over the school in case of punch related emergencies,” Pinkie said. “I make sure to rotate my stock, too, so it's good.”

Sonata slowly turned the cup around in her hands, but didn't see how that would change anything about the sugary liquid inside. She shrugged—she'd long since learned that Pinkie said many strange things—and drank it. It was cool and refreshing, and she felt a deep appreciation for Pinkie.

Sonata’s number was soon called again, and she headed up towards the stage. Waiting in the wings, she caught sight of Pinkie in the audience. When Pinkie saw her, she gave her a thumbs up, and Sonata smiled back.

Her attention was dragged back to center stage when she heard her name called.

“-Sonata Dusk!”

She stepped forward onto the stage, still looking at Pinkie. Her eyes widened as she recognized a few others next to her. Applejack was there as well, clapping for her, and Rarity gave her an encouraging smile. Sure, she was wearing earplugs; but it was the thought that counted.

Sonata paused. They had come to see her? That was nice of them. What could they possibly get from-

Unless they were here to watch her fail. She grimaced. That would also make sense.

“And in the blue corner, Hemp Leaf!” He sounded considerably less excited for this contestant. He paused, and then exhaled. “Friendly reminder that under our free speech rules, any and all topics may be covered, no matter how much it sounds like a half-baked hippie commercial.”

Sonata frowned. That was odd.

But it made more sense as her opponent took the stage. She had pale green skin and long hair that looked as though it hadn't been washed in a while, and her short khaki shorts showed off her unshaven legs. Her tight t-shirt, which had been rendered tighter by being tied up on her hip, bore a logo that looked vaguely like the one used by a militant ecoterrorism group. She smirked at Sonata.

Sonata stared, unsure how to feel about this.

The coin came up blue.

“Begin!”

Here we have Sonata, and she’s a meat eater.
She can’t sing, she can’t dance, it’s too easy to beat her.
My rhymes are organic like fresh spring water
I’ll fillet you up faster than the animals you slaughter.
Gonna save the planet from carnivores like you
I’ll be cleaning up your mess and your rap messes, too!
Pollution, I stop it; organic, I rock it
Once you go green, you know you just can’t top it!

The fact that she thrust her shoulders back for this line, which happened to draw attention to a certain area of her body, made Sonata think she wasn’t just talking about green food.

You know you want to be me.
Young and wild and free-ee
We last longer, love better,
And we get our girls wetter.

This last line was accompanied by a rather sultry hip roll, which was answered with whistles and cheers.

Sonata scowled. It was clear that Hemp had used her more physical aspects to win her previous round.

The problem with this was, Sonata Dusk was a siren. Sirens use their voices and their feminine charms to influence others into doing their will.

And when a siren feels as though her territory is being encroached on—for example, when another mare acting seductively shows up near her island and calls into question that siren’s own seductiveness—they instinctively get defensive.

Very defensive.

Sonata knew exactly how she felt now. Her eyes narrowed as she took the microphone.

Who’s gonna save the planet from my killer beats?
I’m raisin’ up the temperature, bringing the heat!
But I don’t expect you to understand what I mean.
I mean, how smart can you be, eating fermented soy beans?
I am Sonata Dusk, and I just have to say
I would literally die if I had to eat that way!
No cheeseburgers, no sandwiches, no pasta, no nachos!
No orange chicken, no french fries, and, worst of all, no tacos!
So you can keep your healthy foods and it might make you thinner,
But I just roasted your lifestyle and I ate it for dinner.

Hemp tried to respond, but Sonata couldn't hear; the laughing crowd was too loud for her to make out the words. She tried to say something again, but was drowned out once more. Frustrated, she screamed, and then left the stage.

The MC barely managed to make himself heard. “Winner by crowd decision, Sonata Dusk!”

Rarity whistled her approval. Sonata looked over, and now Sunset Shimmer and Fluttershy were there with Pinkie as well.

Her smile widened. They had liked what they'd seen.

* * *

Sonata continued, falling into a rhythm. It was coming naturally, now.

Soon, there were only a few people backstage. They slowly disappeared, one by one, until she was the only one left.

And then her number was called a final time.

The MC chuckled as he took a drink of water. “I’m getting tired, and I’m not even battling. But this is what we came for, right? The final matchup of the night. Who will be your rap battle champion?”

Cheers answered this question.

“I’ve gotta say, I never thought two newcomers would make it this far, but the people have spoken! It's safe to say that both battlers are going to be bringing some heavy baggage to this one. I've heard of infighting, but this takes it to the next level. They're no longer working together; it’s sister versus sister, and there can only be one winner.”

A cold pit settled in Sonata's stomach. That almost made it sound like…

“In the blue corner, we have-”

But his words slowly faded into static as Sonata’s opponent came into view and brought her world crashing to a screeching halt. Her heart pounded in her ears, and her breath started to come in ragged gasps. It was impossible to not recognize those narrowed eyes, that smirk, or the voluminous orange hair.

Her final opponent was Adagio Dazzle.

Final Battles and Prizes

“You?” Sonata gasped. This made no sense! What was she doing here?

“Me,” Adagio confirmed.

Sonata struggled to comprehend. “But you said rapping was stupid,” she protested.

“No, I said you were stupid,” Adagio corrected.

Sonata frowned as she tried to remember. “No, you di- or, wait…” She chewed on her lower lip. That did sound like something Adagio would say...

Adagio smirked. She was winning the mental game already.

The MC flipped the coin, and Sonata watched as it landed on blue. He handed the microphone to Adagio and shouted, “Begin!”

Adagio wasted no time.

Oh, look. You again. Thought I got rid of you
You’re just gonna screw this up like you always do
So many mistakes, I wouldn’t want to be ya
Do they know that the battle of the bands was your idea?

Sonata blinked. “No, it wasn’t,” she protested.

Adagio continued as though she hadn’t heard.

We only stayed with you 'cause we needed your power
If we'd left you alone, you'd've been dead within the hour
Your head is pretty empty and your thought process is strange
If I gave a penny for your thoughts you'd have to give me change.
Ever since you were young
You were a disappointing one
Have you told all your friends
You wet the bed 'til you were ten?

Sonata's eyes widened. She cast a fevered glance at the audience (who all seemed to be laughing at her) and waved her hands desperately. “N- no, that's not true,” she insisted; but without the microphone, she could barely be heard over the laughter.

Mercilessly, Adagio continued.

Your name's Sonata Dusk, because your sun is going down
Just like your IQ, there’s just one horse in your town.
I see your lights are on, but there’s just nobody home
So don’t be too surprised if one day you die all alone
I’m gonna give this mic up, but right before I cease,
Mother said on her deathbed she always loved you least.

Sonata's world seemed to grind to a halt. That wasn't true. It couldn't be true. Hot tears started to form at the corners of her eyes. Deep down inside, she'd always wondered… She had never been as smart as Adagio or as pretty as Aria…

“No!”

Adagio paused and squinted into the audience. Where had that come from?

Pinkie Pie vaulted on stage and stepped protectively in front of Sonata. “That's as far as you go, you great golden meanie!” she spat.

Adagio snorted and continued.

Someone else to fight your battles? Some might say that's criminal.
But I say that it’s just like you: it's just so sad it's pitiful.
Did you get a concussion? Did your brain turn into hamburger?
Your new best friend’s an idiot, a mental case with aspergers.

Pinkie glared. She reached back a hand and dug into her hair, and pulled out a bright pink microphone, decorated with balloons and garish rainbow motifs. She twisted the base to turn it on and snapped her fingers in front of it to test it. When she was rewarded with the sound coming from the speakers-

Adagio squinted. How had she done that?

-she brought the microphone up to her lips, drew in a deep breath, and returned fire.

It's only ADHD and I took my meds this morning
So I may look calm on the outside but inside I am storming!
See, Sonata is my friend, and you almost made her cry
So the gloves are coming off and my words're gonna fly!
I got you in my sights, Adagio
You can try to rap fast, but you're just too slow.
You just can't keep up with the Pinkie Pie
You’ll fail so hard, so don’t even try.
Plan A, B, or C, they’re all gonna fail
It was three on one and we still kicked your tail!
No laughter, no smiling, you’re making people frown.
I give your performance two big thumbs down.

Adagio snarled.

You asperger’d freak-

“Already tried that!” Pinkie interrupted.
You’re crazy and hyper-

“An established fact!” Pinkie finished again.

Come on, Daggi, gotta think a little faster!

Or no one’s gonna call you the rapping master!

Adagio stepped forward, getting right in Pinkie Pie’s face. “Stop interrupting me-!”

Pinkie did no such thing. Instead, she pressed her nose back up against Adagio’s and pushed her back.

Or what'cha gonna do?
Sing another song and make me obey you?
Come on, get real! You couldn’t train a dog!
Not when you're sounding like a big bullfrog.
Hey, I know jackhammers that sing better than you.
I’d rather listen to a whole herd of sick cows moo!
You’re a great golden meanie, and you make people cry.
You know what, Adagio?

Pinkie Pie reached behind her back and then quite literally pressed a cream pie into Adagio's stunned face.

“Eat pie!” she finished.

Sonata clapped both hands over her mouth and stared wide-eyed.

A loud chorus of “ohhhhh!” came from the audience, soon overtaken by an even louder laughter. A chant went up. “Adagio got pied! Adagio got pied!”

Adagio tore the pie tin off her face. “This isn’t over!” she snarled, wiping the cream from off her cheeks.

The MC broke in. “Oh, I’d say it is. The people have spoken!” he said. He stepped forward and took Pinkie Pie by the wrist. “Tonight’s winner, a dark horse competitor that no one saw coming! Victory goes to… uh… what’s your name, again?”

“Pinkie Pie!” Pinkie said cheerfully.

He thrust her hand into the air. “Pinkiiie Piiiiiiie!”

More cheering answered him. Pinkie stepped forward, clasped her hands above her head, and shook them triumphantly.

“And here's your prize!”

Pinkie brightened as she took the envelope. “Ooh! What's this, mail?”

The MC blinked. “It's the prize money. You know, the prize for tonight? Two hundred big ones in cold hard cash?”

Pinkie looked inside the envelope and brightened. “Ooh!” She straightened up and pointed at her friends and shrieked excitedly. “We're going out for ice cream!”

* * *

True to her word, Pinkie dragged them all to an ice cream shop boasting an inordinate amount of flavors. Well, perhaps 'dragged' was a strong word; the only one who needed physical assistance had been Sonata.

Sonata looked over at the many flavors of ice cream under the glass. She was surprised at just how many there were; she had only known the cheap vanilla from the school cafeteria. She was the last to order, and she cast a quick glance to where the rest of the Rainbooms were already eating. Rarity was eating hers daintily off a cone. Applejack and Rainbow Dash had ordered tall shakes, but neither had started drinking yet; instead, they were staring each other down over the tops, clearly about to challenge each other to some sort of contest and just waiting for the other to blink first. Fluttershy had in front of her one of the largest bowls of ice cream Sonata had ever seen and she was eating quietly in the corner next to Sunset Shimmer, who was eating mint ice cream and rolling her eyes in ecstasy as though she’d never tasted mint before.

Sonata jumped as Pinkie appeared next to her. “Whatcha thinking of getting?” she asked excitedly. “Hurry, or it's all gonna melt!”

Sonata frowned. “No, it's not,” she protested. The ice cream tubs were clearly in freezers and in no immediate danger of melting.

Pinkie continued blithely. “My favorite is the birthday party one, because it has party in the name! And it tastes like cake, so it's like you get to eat cake and ice cream at the same time!”

Sonata cracked a smile. “I guess I'll try that, then.”

“And if you put the brownie bits on top, it's like having cake and ice cream and brownies at the same time! A delicious trifecta of food!”

Sonata blinked, fairly certain that that was not a word.

“Just the ice cream, then,” Pinkie surmised. “You want it in a cone or in a bowl? If you get a cone, you can wear it as a hat when you're done with the ice cream.” Pinkie plucked the display cone from its plastic stand and placed it on her head demonstratively. She spread her hands, wordlessly asking how she looked.

Sonata had to giggle at that.

Pinkie grinned. “Cone it is, then!” she said brightly.

Sonata nodded. She turned to order a small cone, but as if she had read her mind, Pinkie interrupted.

“And make sure you get a big one, otherwise you’ll run out of ice cream before everyone else does and then everyone will call you no-ice-cream-Sonata! And that’s a terrible nickname!”

Finally, Sonata couldn't take it anymore. She stopped and turned to face Pinkie. “Why are you being so nice to me?”

“Huh?” Pinkie asked.

“You’re buying me ice cream, you jumped up on stage and rap battled Adagio when you didn’t have to and weren't even supposed to, you’re letting me sleep at your house, you gave me pajamas, you're just being really nice to me. Why? What do you want from me?” Her voice was desperate. She had to know.

Pinkie shrugged. “I dunno,” she said. “I just like to see people smile.”

“Smile,” Sonata said flatly. There was no way it was that simple. “No, really. Why?”

Pinkie shrugged. “You’re my friend. Do I really need a reason?”

Sonata paused and slowly closed her mouth. Was it that simple? “Yes?” she said, now unsure of herself. “Maybe?”

Pinkie stared for a long time, the gears in her own head now spinning as she comprehended Sonata’s words. Then she squinted. “Do you think that I’m only doing nice things for you and being your friend so you’ll owe me later?”

Sonata nodded, almost imperceptibly. That was how it worked, right?

Pinkie blinked for a few seconds, and then began to giggle blinked, and then uncontrollably and increasingly louder until she snorted so loudly everyone in the store had to look over. “Did you really think friends just used each other to get what they wanted?” she asked.

Sonata’s face scrunched up, mildly embarrassed. “Well, I did; until you laughed… and asked me if… if that’s what I really thought,” she said sheepishly.

Pinkie giggled as she led Sonata back to the table. “It doesn’t work like that, you silly!” she said as she slid into her seat. “Friends do nice things for one another just because we can, not because we want to stock up on favors.”

“That’s what makes a friendship,” Fluttershy agreed. “It’s not about using one another, it’s about caring for one another.”

“And you’re all of our friends,” Pinkie stated firmly. Then she paused and chewed on her spoon. That hadn’t sounded quite right. “All of us's friend?” she mused. “Our's friend?”

Rainbow facepalmed.

“What she means, darling,” Rarity broke in, “is that we all consider you our friend.” She held out her ice cream in a ‘cheers’ salute.

She somewhat regretted this decision; the motion brought her ice cream cone directly in front of Pinkie Pie, who simply could not resist the temptation to lean forward and take an enormous bite out of it. Rarity stared forlornly at her mangled ice cream, her smooth tongue strokes and even patterns obliterated.

“So we all make mistakes once in a while,” Sunset shrugged. “We’re always going to be there for each other and support each other. That’s what friends do.”

“Yeah,” Pinkie agreed. “That’s what friends do. Sure, some days are dark and lonely, and you might feel sad; but Pinkie will be there to show you that it isn’t that bad.” She paused. “There’s potential in that,” she murmured, her eyes brightening. She reached back and stuck her spoon into her hair for safekeeping, and then pulled out a pencil in its place, and began scribbling her lyrics on a nearby napkin.

Rarity stared, dumbstruck at this absolute disregard for personal hygiene until her ice cream began to melt and run down her hand, whereupon she quickly began licking it again.

Sonata processed this. “So, you’re all my friends?” she asked, just to confirm.

Everyone present nodded.

Well, everyone except for Rarity; but she was currently processing the fact that she was licking ice cream from where Pinkie Pie had licked, and was currently trying to decide how she felt about this. It was swinging wildly between 'revolted', 'disgusted', and 'uncomfortable'.

Sonata smiled, a true smile for the first time in a long time. “I like the sound of that.” For the first time in a long time, she felt as though she truly belonged.

And then this tender moment was interrupted when Rainbow squealed, dropped her shake, and clapped her hands on each side of her head. “Aghh! Braaain freeeeze!” she wailed.

Incidentally, that is how Sonata found that it’s a lot more fun to laugh with people than at them.

Epilogue

Dressed in her piano key pajamas and snoring softly, Sonata slept soundly on the Pies’ spare bed… until a glass of cold water was overturned on her face. She gasped and sat up, spluttering and wiping at her face and shivering at the sudden, uncomfortable sensation of drowning.

“Rise and shine, Sonata,” a low voice growled.

Sonata froze. “Adagio?” she asked, moving a lock of her hair out of her eyes. “How-? What are you doing here?”

“I’m here, too,” Aria added, grumbling. “Sheesh, it’s like everyone forgets about me.”

Adagio didn’t waste any time. “How did you get magic?” she demanded.

“What?” Sonata asked. Her eyes slowly adjusted to the dark, revealing her sisters standing close. Aria stood back by the door, standing guard as well as keeping watch; but Adagio was right up in Sonata's face.

“I destroyed out there. I rapped so hard I reduced grown men to tears. But I didn't get any magic. But you did.” She accentuated these last three words by prodding Sonata's chest hard with an accusing finger. “How did you do it?”

Sonata scratched her head. “I think we got some leftover from that rainbow thing.”

Adagio scowled. “I got hit just as hard by that lite-brite junk as you did, if not harder. What made you so special?”

Sonata scrunched up her face and thought… and then she smiled. “Because you're trying to do it wrong, Adagio. Friendship is magic, not rapping. It's the friendship that makes the magic, not the rapping. It just… helps bring it out, I guess.”

“Friendship,” Aria repeated doubtfully.

“Yeah,” Sonata said brightly. “It’s like, doing things with other people and doing nice things for them just because you can, and not trying to get anything from them.”

Aria rolled her eyes. “You've gone all crazy on us,” she said. “Crazier than usual, I mean.”

Sonata scowled. They never, ever listened to her. Never, ever! “You’re the worst, Aria,” she said, sticking her tongue out at her former sister.

Her attention was drawn away when Adagio physically twisted her head to face her. “Tell me the truth,” Adagio growled.

“That is the truth, I swear!” Sonata said.

Adagio shook her head. “You’re holding out on me!”

“I promise, I’m not!”

Suddenly, Adagio leaned forward and seized Sonata’s collar. She dragged her upright and jammed her knee into her stomach, making Sonata gasp for air. “Tell me!” she shouted.

“Adagio!” Aria stepped forward, but Adagio shoved her roughly away and dragged Sonata closer.

“Tell me!”

Sonata whimpered. “Adagio, you’re hurting me-”

“Tell me!”

And then there was a wet thunk, and Adagio collapsed. Aria and Sonata looked up… and jumped to see someone standing unnervingly still in the door.

“Good boy, Boulder,” Maud said, stepping forward and retrieving her pet. She then looked over at Aria.

Aria held her hands up and took a step back. She was in no mood to be beaned in the head by a rock of any size tonight.

Maud nodded, accepting this, and then turned around and shuffled back out of the room. Apparently, she was done with adventure for tonight, and was going back to bed.

Aria and Sonata stared at Maud’s departing frame before looking down at Adagio.

“Is she ok?” Sonata asked.

“I think so,” Aria said, nudging Adagio’s prone form with her boot. “She’s breathing, anyway.”

There was a pause.

“So, that just happened,” Aria said.

“Yeah.”

There was another pause.

Sonata cleared her throat. Time to put some of this new friendship stuff to the test. “It’s a little dark to head back to the school; you wanna stay here for the rest of the night?” She smiled widely, warming up to this idea. “I know where Pinkie keeps her pajamas, and we can get you a nice pair with duckies on them, and you can sleep in my bed! It would be like a sleepover!”

“Are you trying to convince me to stay, or convince me to leave?” Aria grumbled, looking like she was about to gag; but before she could say much else, her stomach grumbled even louder. She scowled, looked around for a few moments, looked down at Adagio’s prone form again, and then sighed and relented. “Sure,” she mumbled. “You got anything to eat around here?”

Sonata nodded. “I'm sure Pinkie won't mind if you have a couple pizza rolls.”

Aria frowned. “What's a pizza roll?” she asked.

Sonata grinned evilly as she got out of bed. “You know what? Let me show you…”

A few minutes later, the night was interrupted by an angry screech of pain, and Sonata’s shrieking laughter.

“You’re the worst, Sonata! The absolute worst!”

Author's Note

Sometimes I wish I could have a whole army of animators at my disposal, because if this were an animation, I would have the credits roll over Pinkie Pie and Sonata Dusk rapping It's Tricky by Run DMC.
Alas, I can afford... rent. And that's about it.

After the Credits

*stomp, clap, stomp stomp clap*

Sunset Shimmer, I’m back again
And I’m hanging out with all of my friends
Friends no fakin’, hair like bacon,
Listen to the music we’re makin’!

I’m Pinkie Pie, happy as can be!
And you’ll never, ever, ever find another girl like me!
My party cannon will rock your world
With free cupcakes from the party girl!

I’m Rainbow Dash, I’m the fastest one around
You can try to keep up with me, but I’m nowhere to be found.
I’m a rocker, I play soccer, I'll get all up in your face
And you’ll see me on the top step when I’m getting first place!

It’s Rarity time, so I’ll lay down a few rhymes
Though I cannot help but feel this style’s somewhat unrefined.
I love fashion, it’s my passion, and I’ll let it show
With the clothes that I’ve designed for my own wardrobe.

Applejack here, so y’all gather round
I’m about to show you all how us country folk get down.
We work hard but play harder, so you won’t see us falling.
Spittin’ rhymes faster than square dance calling!

Fluttershy, it’s your turn!
Oh, no, really, I couldn’t…
Come on, Fluttershy!
You can do it, Flutters!
You got this!
O… k…

I’m Fluttershy, I’m very shy, and now I am just rambling
I don’t like being up on stage and now my brain is scrambling
I know that I like animals and people say I’m kind;
but if I stay too long under this light I think I’ll lose my mind

Twilight Sparkle, dimension hopper
In both these worlds I’m a big showstopper!
Making lots of friends like it’s nopony’s business
So give it on up for your very favorite princess!

Rocks. I like rocks.
And rocks like me, because I like rocks.
…
That’s all I’ve got, really.

Then I guess it’s my turn.
Huh?
Wha-?!
Hey!

They call me Adagio; and I’m just here to let you know
Now you’ve beaten me twice and I’m not gonna let that go
I’ll be coming back until my power is equal.
I’ll be seeing you Rain-losers in the sequel.

*mic drop*