“We can’t go back to Canterlot High, Sonata,” Aria sighed. “Those girls are there.”
“We’re still enrolled. What else are we going to do without our magic anyway?” Sonata lifted a hand to her neck, feeling the absence of a pendant that was there for thousands of years before it was destroyed.
Aria rolled her eyes. “What a stupid idea, Sona―"
“For once I think Sonata has a point,” exclaimed Adagio. “If we go, we could try to find a way to get our magic back.”
“For realsies?” Sonata jumped from her chair.
“Yes, Sonata. We will get our magic back and take the equestrian magic we truly deserve.” Adagio smirked and waved her hand for the girls to follow.
Adagio, Aria, and Sonata walked proudly into the entrance of Canterlot High, only to find that everyone was giving them angry glares. Not a single person in the school forgot the anger and suffering the Dazzlings caused them. Adagio and Aria brushed off the stares they were getting, while Sonata was completely oblivious to the hatred around her.
They had approximately seven minutes left to get to class, although none of them seemed in too much of a hurry. After walking for a few minutes, they decided to take out their class schedules and go to their classes to seem as inconspicuous as possible. Each of them had very unique reactions to their classes assigned to them.
“Do I have to take chemistry class? What use does a Siren have for science?” grunted Aria.
“Cooking? Food is my favorite!” Sonata made a beeline for cooking class without saying anything to the others.
“Relax Aria. You’ll get through it. Just act calm and we’ll figure out our next course of action with time.” Adagio looked down at her schedule. "Great, not only do I have Chemistry, I have to take it with you."
"Better me than Sonata." Aria and Adagio walked down the hall, already dreading this decision to return to Canterlot High.
***
Sonata walked into her class to see a seating chart on the board. A look of surprise hit her face as she saw who would be sitting next to her.
“Hi! Remember me? I was one of the ones who destroyed your magic and made it so you sing terribly now and can’t make us all hate each other anymore!” Pinkie Pie said cheerfully with a small giggle.
“Hi?” Sonata gave her a confused look. Shouldn’t she hate me? thought Sonata.
“Sit down, silly. I don’t bite. Unless you’re made of chocolate, then I might bite.”
“You’re not scared of me? But I tried to steal your magic.” Sonata nervously twirled a pencil around in her hands while looking at Pinkie Pie.
“That’s okay. You aren’t stealing it now, and that’s all that matters.” Pinkie saw an uncomfortable look on Sonata's face. "Come on, turn that frown upside down!" Pinkie Pie put her fingers on the corner of Sonata's mouth and pushed up.
The bell for class to start rang and the teacher silenced the class by clapping her hands. “Alright class, today is the first day of the second semester. Are you all excited to start your day with making some delicious food?”
“Yes, please!” yelled Pinkie.
The teacher handed out a sheet of baking instructions to each student. “Today we are going to do something very fun; we are going to make cupcakes. I want you to work with the person sitting next to you.”
Sonata’s eyes widened at the thought of working with Pinkie Pie. Pinkie grabbed her hand and pulled her to the nearest cooking station. Sonata started to relax as she realized Pinkie wasn’t holding a grudge against her. Not able to figure out what kind of plan she could use to get her magic back, she focused on baking with her former enemy. Pinkie Pie whisked together the flour, baking powder and salt. Sonata heard Pinkie Pie humming something quietly to herself.
"All you have to do is take a cup of flour, add it to the mix..."
Sonata giggled. "What are you singing?"
"Just a little song I came up with years ago to make baking cupcakes even more fun. I can teach it to you later if you want." She continued singing.
"That'd be aweso―" Sonata paused and looked down at her feet. "I mean, that'd be great, but I can't sing anymore, remember?"
"I'm sure you can't be that bad. Grab the butter, will ya?"
Sonata looked at the baking instructions. "Six tablespoons of butter, got it." She threw the butter into a large mixing bowl. "And 3/4 cups of― Only 3/4 cups of sugar?" Sonata ignored the instructions and put in an extra half-cup of sugar. "What kind of cupcake recipe uses that little sugar?"
“I like the way you think, Sonata. The sweeter, the better.” Pinkie Pie giggled.
Sonata added the eggs and milk and stirred the batter evenly. "Am I doing it right?"
"Of course, silly!"
"It's just, usually by now Adagio or Aria would have taken the batter away from me because I wasn't doing it right."
"That's not fair at all. Clearly you know what you're talking about. Only a master cupcake maker would add extra sugar."
“Really?” Sonata blushed. “Thanks.”
"Remember," Pinkie Pie continued singing. "Add a teaspoon of vanilla."
Sonata added the vanilla and finished mixing the batter with a smile on her face. Pinkie Pie took the batter from Sonata and poured it into the cupcake tins and stuck the tray into the oven. Pinkie Pie and Sonata gave each other a look of accomplishment, as if this was the greatest thing they've ever done.
“These are going to be the bestest most superific delicious cupcakes I've ever made!” Pinkie stared through the small window of the oven. "Best that we've ever made."
The school bell chimed, and Sonata and Pinkie Pie just finished decorating their cupcakes. Pinkie immediately shoved one in her mouth.
"Mmm, thifh ifh amathinh," said Pinkie Pie, with her mouth completely stuffed.
"Come again?" asked Sonata, not at all sure what Pinkie Pie was trying to say.
"This is amazing," repeated Pinkie. "Here, I take five more, and you take the remaining six. It's the perfect plan!" Pinkie Pie carefully put Sonata's six cupcakes into a nice container, while she threw her remaining five into her bag.
"You're giving me half?" Sonata questioned the friendly gesture, pouring through her memory to see if she could remember someone ever giving her anything without a price to pay.
"Of course. We made them, after all. You are also officially a new friend of Pinkie Pie." She reached into her bag and pulled out a noisemaker and blew it left and right in joy.
"We're... friends?" Sonata's face lit up a bit, processing the thought of having a new friend.
"Why wouldn't we be friends?" Pinkie put away the noisemaker. "After all, friends who bake together, stay together." Pinkie ran out of the classroom, bouncing with every step.
Sonata held her bin of cupcakes closely to her chest, protecting what was kindly given to her. She walked slowly to her next class, observing the friendships around her. At this point, she wasn't sure if she wanted to ruin the happiness of others anymore. If anyone felt half as good as she did when receiving the cupcakes today, they deserved it. Would going without magic for the rest of her life really be worth it?
Second period flew by and everyone in Canterlot High made their way to lunch. On the way, Sonata decided to try to share the cupcakes with her friends. Surely they will appreciate the gesture of kindness.
"Want a cupcake?" said Sonata, as she sat down at lunch with a bin full of half- a-dozen cupcakes, wearing a large grin on her face. "We made them with extra sugar and whipped cream." Sonata proudly unveiled the cupcakes to Adagio and Aria; frosting spiraled higher than the cupcakes themselves. This was the first thing Sonata got to bake in years without Adagio or Aria finishing it for her. Adagio and Aria thought Sonata was incapable of doing anything by herself, even baking cupcakes.
"We have more important things to deal with than cupcakes that are too sweet to handle." Adagio looked at Sonata in frustration. "Without a plan, we're just wasting our time around this school of idiots."
Sonata's face fell when they didn't take her kind offering. "Too bad, more for me."
Skipping by with a plate full of spaghetti in her hand was Pinkie Pie. She gave a rapid but subtle wave to Sonata on the way to her table with her five other friends. Sonata slowly waved back with her hand halfway under the table, not wanting Adagio and Aria to know about her new friendship. They definitely noticed what happened.
"Why are you waving to her?" Aria looked at Sonata with her usual irritated look. Aria's mind quickly went through the moment the Rainbooms defeated them. Her irritation quickly turned to rage as she thought more about it.
"We made cupcakes together. Sheesh, don't get so worked up. It's not like we're friends or anything." Sonata stuffed her face with a cupcake to avoid more conversation.
"Yeah, right. You should have seen how your face lifted when you saw her wave at you." Adagio got up to throw her finished plate of food away. When she came back, she sat down closer to Sonata. "Listen closely. We're your friends. Do you want to lose us? We're the only friends you need. No one else, understand?"
Sonata's mind was jumping through every outcome in this situation. These two were the only ones she'd ever really known. She couldn't risk losing them. Sonata shoved a lie through her teeth. "I only waved so she thinks I like her. Obviously I'm coming up with some plan to steal their magic."
"Well in that case, good work, Sonata." Adagio's rage-filled face turned to a face of contentment.
"For once," added Aria.
Adagio smiled. "Tell me more of this so-called 'plan' to steal their magic."
"I don't know how to do it. I'm just brainstorming."
"Very well. Since the pink one seems to be interested in you, I'll leave you to figure out how to go about stealing their magic."
Sonata nervously looked at the table of six containing her newfound friend, not even fully understanding what it is to be a friend. She was still processing what to consider anyone in her life now.
***
"So Pinkie, why did you wave to one of those things?" Rainbow Dash gestured to the table of Sirens.
"I made a new friend, duh." Pinkie Pie slurped up her spaghetti, making it as loud as possible.
"Ain'tcha you worried 'bout one of them tryin ta steal yer magic er somethin'?" Applejack had a concerned look on her face. "I'm sure we can all agree that this here is a bad idea."
"Evilness aside, Pinkie Pie, darling, how could you possibly be friends with someone who wears their hair like that?" Rarity flipped her hair. "It's simply a disgrace to fashion."
Sunset Shimmer spoke up. "Maybe it isn't a bad idea. What if we can show them the magic of friendship? Maybe get them to be good?"
"Sunset Shimmer does make a good point." Fluttershy nodded in agreement. "If she was able to go from looking like a terrible flying monster to being our friend, then the Sirens can too." Fluttershy looked nervously at Sunset Shimmer. "No offense."
"None taken," said Sunset Shimmer with a sigh.
"We'll all be best friends soon, you'll see!" Pinkie slurped up the last noodle of her spaghetti.
The bell rang and everyone got up to go to their next class. Sonata had to go to English class with Aria. That made it hard for her to just sit and think. Arriving at the classroom, she went to the back of the room and set her head on her desk. She didn't pay attention at all; she had too much on her mind. Pinkie Pie wasn't making fun of her outbursts or her ideas. In fact, Pinkie was nicer to her than the friends that she'd had for her entire life. Adagio and Aria didn't even seem care about her opinion. The rest of the day raced by as all she was consumed by was her thoughts.
