Applejack stepped into Sugar Cube Corner and grinned as she examined the assorted desserts. She'd been planning on getting a slice of fresh lemon meringue pie after making her last delivery, but now that she'd arrived, she couldn't deny that the chocolate-chip cookies smelled just as good as the pie. And the fruit tarts next to the cookies, covered in glistening kiwi slices and made with the smoothest, silkiest cream Applejack had ever seen, looked fantastic too. And then there were the biscuits next to them, the ones that smelled of honey, sugar, maple, and just a hint of cinnamon...
"Hey, AJ!" The farmer jumped and turned to see Pinkie beaming at her. She was holding a tray containing a gigantic cake in her left hand; it had six tiers, each with a different color of frosting, and a chocolate cookie base so perfect that Applejack couldn't help but lick her lips. Pinkie giggled and set the cake down on a counter. "Doesn't this cake look good? It's made with six different types of chocolate! See, we start at the bottom with a cinnamon-and-jasmine infused chocolate to give it some structure. Then we have a layer with a big scoop of peanut butter mixed in, and..."
After first making sure she wouldn't drool, Applejack smiled and shook her head. "Next time I need a huge cake, I'll definitely call you. But for now, you've got a delivery." She picked up a basket of apples from where she'd set it by her feet and walked it to the counter so Pinkie could weigh its contents. "Twenty pounds, as requested."
"Great!" Pinkie beamed as she started to separate them. "And don't worry. I'll find all of these apples good homes. Like pie crusts! Those are perfect homes for apples. Or strudel pastry, or cider mugs..."
Applejack laughed as Pinkie bagged the apples and paid Applejack for the delivery, chattering all the while. When she was done, Applejack raised a hand to cut her off, then said, "I was thinkin' of takin' somethin' home for dessert tonight, but everythin' looks so good I can't choose. Got anythin' to recommend?"
"Ooh!" Pinkie zipped across the shop faster than Applejack could see and picked up a tray of apple turnovers. "Try these! They're made with my secret ingredient!"
"Tender lovin' care?" asked Applejack. When Pinkie shook her head, Applejack frowned. "Baking soda? Apples?"
"No, silly! A caramel-maple syrup blend that's baked right into the crust!" Pinkie wrapped up two pastries, dashed back to Applejack, and poked her in the nose with one hand while she pressed the turnovers into her grasp with the others. "Everything we sell is baked with baking soda and love. But this is our only pastry with caramel and maple syrup! It's doubly-delicious!"
Applejack sniffed it and felt her knees wobble slightly. The treat smelled divine; she could scent hints of cinnamon and brown sugar radiating from the apple mixture in its center, and the caramel and maple syrup in the crust blended perfectly. "Thanks, Pinkie. I know I'm gonna enjoy this--"
"Course you will! It'd be silly to sell you a pastry you wouldn't enjoy!" Pinkie took the money Applejack paid her. "Have a fun night! Say hi to Apple Bloom and Big Mac for me!"
"Will do!" Applejack waved goodbye to Pinkie, then reluctantly tore herself away from the delicious-smelling trays of pastries and left the store.
The weather had gotten slightly cooler when the farmer stepped outside, and she zipped up her jacket as she began to jog home. It was just over a mile back to the farm, but Applejack enjoyed the trip, especially when she knew there'd be something delicious at the end of it, such as a couple of nice plump apple turnovers. Granny Smith would probably say that eating two turnovers in one day was a little fattening, but the nice thing about working on a farm, as Applejack knew well, was that she could burn off just about any dessert in an hour or so or chores. She licked her lips in anticipation of the first delicious bite she knew was coming.
Then she heard a faint sound of somebody sniffling from a nearby alley. She skidded to a stop and glanced down the passage, eyes widening when she saw two long legs sticking out from behind a dumpster. As Applejack listened further she heard faint sobs mixed in with the sniffles. After looking around and seeing nobody else on the street, she ran towards the figure. "You okay?" she asked as she approached. "I can call a--YOU!"
The person slumped against the alley wall had pale blue skin and dark blue hair with violet stripes in the latter. She wore a red outfit with pink boots, all worn and ripped in various places, and her ponytail was frayed at the ends. She didn't seem to even notice Applejack as she cried and stared at the opposite wall of the alley. Applejack scowled at her, but when the siren didn't react, the farmer's frown faded. "Hey, Sonata!" she called. "Sonata Dusk! You okay?"
Sonata started at the sound of her name and looked at Applejack. She froze, and then her frown vanished as if it had been wiped away. She brushed the tears from her eyes so quickly that Applejack could barely see the motion and grinned. "Peachy!" she chirped. "Actually, I'm better than peachy. I'm orange-y. Almost mango-y, if you know what I mean!"
"Uh, not really." Applejack paused, not knowing what to do. "What are you still doin' 'round these parts?" she said at last. "I thought Principal Celestia made it clear y'all either had to apologize an' fly straight from now on like Sunset did, or leave town. And y'all chose to leave, as I remember."
Sonata shrugged. "Aria and Adagio took the bus west towards the desert, but I couldn't give up this place. I'm okay, though." Her smile stretched a little as she flashed Applejack a thumbs-up. "You don't need to worry about me!"
"You're okay?" repeated Applejack. "Then why are exactly are you cryin' in an alley?"
"It's a game!" Sonata said. "Just a little game we sirens like to play. Aria always beats me in 'cry in an alley,' but I think I've got a really good chance this time!"
Applejack stared at her. "I thought Aria went to the desert?" Sonata's grin faltered, and Applejack continued. "Sonata, I'm the Element of Honesty, an' I can tell when someone's lyin' to me--even when they ain't as bad at it as you are. What exactly is going on here?"
"You can tell when people are lying to you?" Sonata put her hands over her mouth, but Applejack could see, in her rapidly blinking eyes and her too-casual tone, how desperate she was to change the subject. "You're a lie detector? Wow, that must be so cool! Do you ask your parents where they hid your birthday presents? That's what I'd do if I could--"
"Sonata!" Applejack grimaced. She should have been halfway home, she thought, but instead she was stuck in a cold alley playing 20-questions with a monster who had tried to take over the world just a few months ago. "Tell me what you're doin' or I'm draggin' you to the bus station an' personally stuffin' you into the luggage compartment of the next bus outta town."
Sonata's face fell, and she looked away, but when she next spoke she just chirped, "Nothing's going on! I'm not hungry or anything; I'm fine! You can..." She hesitated when Applejack moved in front of her and gave her a knowing look. "I mean..."
"Hungry?" Applejack glanced at her shirt and noted how it hung more loosely on her frame than it used to. Now that the sirens couldn't charm people into supporting them anymore, Applejack figured it wasn't really a surprise that they couldn't find food. "The problem is you're hungry?"
Sonata shook her head a few times, but slowed and eventually nodded. "Just a little," she managed. "But it's no big deal. I was just on my way to Sugar Cube Corner! Pinkie told me about these chocolate-honey tacos they make, and I really wanted to try one. So I thought that maybe if I asked really nicely, they might give me a sample!"
Applejack looked down at the bag of treats Pinkie had sold her and sighed to herself. If Sonata showed her face in public, she'd probably be dragged to the nearest jail. The siren couldn't go to the bakery no matter how hungry she was, and both of them knew it. "Here," the farmer said at last as she took out one of the turnovers. "Fresh from Sugar Cube. If you're that hungry, try this."
Sonata looked at it, and for a moment Applejack thought she saw the siren's eyes tremble as if she were about to burst into tears. But the moment passed and she took the dessert anyways. "Thanks! You're alright, AJ! If our plan for taking over the world had to fail, I'm glad you were one of the ones to stop it instead of some jerk like Trixie."
"Uh... sure." Applejack frowned. "And it's Applejack, not AJ. We ain't friends."
"Right! Got it, Applejack. And don't worry, I'll get right on the next bus out of town as soon as I finish this." Sonata opened her mouth wide--wider even than Pinkie opened hers when eating cake, which was quite a feat--and crammed the turnover into it. "Mmm!" she said through a mouthful of maple-caramel pastry and cinnamon apples. "This is really good! Pinkie's a great baker, isn't she?"
Applejack opened her mouth to respond, then paused. Sonata didn't sound any happier than she had a few seconds ago when she was lying about being perfectly fine. Her voice quavered, her eyes blinked too quickly, and the farmer could see wetness trembling at their corners. "Um--"
"Maybe sometime I'll email her for the recipe!" Sonata shoved the rest of the turnover into her mouth and gulped it down. "I feel a lot better now. Thanks, Applejack!" She waved cheerily. "Guess I'll head over to the bus now! See you around! Or not, I guess, but--well, have a good life!"
She began to skip out of the alley, but Applejack reached out and caught her arm. She told herself it was stupid to get more involved, given who Sonata was and what she'd done, but she couldn't help it. "Sonata, you sound like my little sister tryin' to tell me she loves her spinach-rutabaga pie so much she wants to eat her slice in her room so she can 'savor' it." She turned Sonata so the two were looking at each other. "I know we ain't friends, but if something's actually wrong, I might be able to help." Sonata tried to look away, but Applejack caught her head. "Are you scared of somethin'? Is that why you keep sayin' everythin's hunk-dory when it ain't?"
Sonata opened her mouth, but a moment later she closed it, and her smile faded. "I don't like being unhappy around other people," she said at last. "Why make everyone else sad just because I'm sad?"
"You don't need to worry 'bout makin' me sad. I'm a farm girl, remember? I'm tough." Applejack flexed an arm, and Sonata giggled, but this time it sounded genuine. "Now, why're you cryin' in an alley?" She stepped closer to Sonata when the siren began to turn again. "Honestly, now."
"I..." Sonata's breath caught. "I'm scared," she said at last. "And hungry. Well, scared and hungry. Scungry. Or--"
Applejack held up a hand. "I think I get it," she said. "But--look, you don't have a lot of friends right now, but there's people who'll feed you if you ask. Even Principal Celestia wouldn't want you to starve. Maybe we can talk to her, get you a hot meal or something before you leave town, okay?"
"Not that kind of food," said Sonata in a soft tone. "We--well, me and my sisters--we ate through our gems. But you broke our gems. So we can't eat anymore." Her eyes began to water again. "Adagio said we're going to starve to death."
Applejack opened her mouth to say something, but Sonata began to cry in earnest. "I don't want to die," she said, speaking more quickly as she slumped against a wall. "They'll put me in the ground and I'll never get to see anyone again. I'll never see a friend, or--or even a smile." She crossed her arms over her body and shivered as if she was cold. "I'm sorry for all the things I did, really! But Adagio says that doesn't matter. We're dying and nobody can do--"
"Hey!" Applejack grabbed Sonata as the other girl fell forwards. The siren was shockingly light, and when Applejack cautiously wrapped her arms around her, she realized Sonata was cold too. "You ain't gonna starve to death, okay? We ain't gonna let that happen."
"Can't do anything--"
"Says who, Adagio? Where'd she get her degree in, uh, magic-ology?" Sonata blinked and then laughed at Applejack's joke, and Applejack chuckled slightly in return. ""Here's what we're gonna do. I'm gonna get you home to the farm and get you a proper meal. Then I'm gonna call Sunset an' all the others. We'll find out a way to make sure you don't die, and if we can't we'll write Princess Twilight an' ask. Sound good?"
Sonata shook her head. "Won't help."
"Look, if nothin' else, you won't be alone, right?" Applejack turned Sonata so the two were looking at each other. "Right?"
The siren slowly nodded. A smile formed on her face, and Applejack thought it looked genuine. "Okay," she said. "Thanks, AJ."
"Applejack," corrected the farmer. "Like I said, Sonata, we ain't friends. But I'm not gonna let you die if we can help it." She began to lead the siren out of the alley. "Now. Let's get you to a nice, warm house."
Sonata nodded and leaned against Applejack, and the farmer began to lead her in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres.
Sonata looked a little better after a hot shower, Applejack thought, though her weight loss was even more obvious once all the dirt and grime had been washed away.The siren poked at the sleeves of the fluffy white robe the farmer had found in the attic. "Are you sure this is okay?"
"Sure am. Sweet Apple Acres is always open to anyone in need. Even if they did try to take over the world." Sonata's face quivered at the joke, and Applejack held up a hand. "Sorry. But you're feelin' better, right?"
Sonata nodded. "Did Sunset return your message?"
"Yeah. She didn't have any ideas, but said she'll write Twilight and see if they think of somethin' together." She had also said that Applejack should make sure to keep a pitchfork or branding iron handy in case Sonata betrayed her, but even Applejack wasn't going to be that honest. "While we're waitin', why don't we cook something? When I'm real upset, a good meal always helps me feel better."
"It's not--"
Applejack held up a hand. "I know it ain't the kind of food you need, but you can eat it, right? I mean, the way you talk about tacos, I'd guess you've eaten a few now and then."
"Well, yeah. Who doesn't love tacos?" Sonata giggled. "I can eat anything you can."
Applejack helped Sonata begin walking towards the kitchen door. "Mind explainin' how you're starvin', then? If you can eat either real food or, uh, that green stuff you took out of our bodies, can't you just eat more real food to make up for not havin' the green stuff?"
Sonata's eyes brightened, and for a moment it looked like she was going to cheerfully agree that this was possible, but then Applejack gave her a wry look and Sonata slowly shook her head. "It's like plants," she said. "You need water, dirt, and sunlight to grow them, right? Maybe if you don't have a lot of sun you can make up for it with really good dirt and water. But if you don't have any sun at all..."
"Then it don't matter what else you feed it, that plant ain't growin'." Applejack sighed. "Alright, that does sound serious. But we'll figure somethin' out. Trust me."
The kitchen of Sweet Apple Acres was large and well-equipped, with a sturdy refrigerator full of produce and several shelves ladened with canned and preserved goods as well as kitchen supplies. Applejack reached into a bowl on a counter and grabbed an apple, then bit into it while she opened the refrigerator and began taking out ingredients. She was reaching into the very back when she felt Sonata tap her shoulder. "Um, Applejack?" murmured Sonata. "Why are you being so nice to me?"
Applejack swallowed her bite of apple before leaning back out of the fridge. "Cause you need help," she said.
"But after what I--"
"Yeah, I know, an' trust me, when you're better, I'll personally ensure you leave town." Applejack drew herself up to her full height and added, in a tone of unbridled honesty, "I don't like you, an' I ain't gonna pretend that I do. But I ain't gonna let you starve to death either. So I'm gonna take care of you until you don't need it anymore, and then we're through. That clear?"
Sonata slowly nodded. "Yes, AJ--Applejack. Clear."
Applejack nodded, then turned back to the fridge and removed a few more packages. "Alright. I know you like tacos, so I was thinkin' of pullin' out Granny Smith's secret recipe. You ready to have the best taco you'll ever eat?"
"But I've already had the best taco I'll ever eat." said Sonata. "Last year, for my birthday! Adagio was out clubbing, you know, looking for some people to drain, but I had a cold, so Aria cooked me one. It had chicken, and salsa, and both cheddar and smoked gouda cheese!"
It was hard not to smile at Sonata's enthusiasm, Applejack thought, and she couldn't quite stop the corners of her mouth curling upwards. "Well, I don't know how good a cook Aria is, but nobody has a better taco recipe than Granny Smith. Secret is to start with this." She put a frying pan on the stove and turned on the burner, then opened one of the dishes she'd taken from the refrigerator and showed Sonata the contents. "See?"
"Pork?" Sonata sniffed it. "And... applesauce?"
"Close. Apple cider marinade. Granny says it works so well because acids in the juices break down the meat to make it nice and tender, or somethin'." Applejack flicked a few drops of water into the frying pan to check that it was hot enough, then added the meat. A sharp sizzling sound and a wonderful scent of apples, cloves, and other spices filled the air. "Smells good too, don't it? And--"
Sonata zipped to her side quicker than Pinkie Pie making a desert run. "It smells great!" she chirped. Applejack looked at her eyes, noticing how steady they were and how she wasn't crying anymore, and guessed she was telling the truth. "Ohmygosh, can we eat it now?"
Struggling not to laugh, Applejack said, "Kinda need to cook it first." She turned on another burner and began to heat a thick tortilla. "These were made from fresh dough last weekend," she said. "With a little apple mixed in to make it extra sweet. We'll just toast this up a bit. Then over here..." She set some avocados, yogurt, cilantro, and limes on the counter. "Mix up some fresh guacamole..."
She worked for a few minutes as Sonata watched over her shoulder and occasionally tried to sneak bites of the ingredients. It made her think of Pinkie, and Applejack had to remind herself that she was dealing with an evil monster. As she began putting the guacamole ingredients into the food processor, she said, "While this is goin', tell me about those gems. Why can't you just make new ones?"
"They were made from the pieces of our shells." Applejack stopped cooking and Sonata a funny look, and the siren frowned. "What? Don't humans hatch out of eggs like normal creatures?"
"...no. No, we do not."
"Huh. Humans are weird." Sonata shrugged. "But once they're gone, they're gone. I mean, we can't grow new shells and hatch again, right?"
"Guess not." Applejack checked the tortillas to make sure their bottoms were a perfect golden-brown, then flipped them with a spatula. "Well, what did your gems do, exactly? Maybe we can figure out a substitute."
Sonata tilted her head. "They made people feel really strong negative emotions. And once they were angry or scared of whatever, the gems made their emotional energy all magicky so we could eat it. At least, I think that's how it works. Aria was kinda grumpy when she explained it to me." Sonata shrugged. "Without them, we can't make people get upset or scared enough to be able to feed off them--and even if we could, they're just emotions, not magic energy, so we couldn't eat them anyways."
Applejack carefully squeezed the limes over the avocados and yogurt in the food processor, then began to pulse it. As the avocado mixture was smashed into a smooth, creamy guacamole, she asked, "Why did the gems only work on negative emotions? Seems like a silly design. What if you were hungry and the only other folks around were all in love or somethin'?"
"Oh, that's okay. No matter how much two people love each other, there's always something they don't like about the other person, and our gems make it so that's all they can think about!" Sonata grinned, but her smile slipped when Applejack turned towards her. "...but that would be wrong."
"Yeah." Applejack shook herself a little and turned back to the food, flipping the tortillas again and then checking the pork. It was coming along nicely, and she turned it to make sure it didn't burn. "Look, what I meant is, did you ever try feedin' off love or friendship? Because then you might not have needed the gems to make people get all grumpy. You could just make some friends an' feed off their friendship when you get hungry. An' then you wouldn't need to brainwash anyone to do it."
Sonata hesitated and her gaze drifted to the corner, as if she were looking at something far away. "No," she said at last. "We never tried. And I guess now it's too late." Her stomach made an odd groaning sound, louder and deeper than a rumble, and wrong in a way Applejack couldn't explain. "Without the gems, it doesn't matter what someone feels. We can't eat."
Applejack was about to say something when Sonata shook her head with an audible flinch and then smiled--but it was her fake smile, the one Applejack had seen in the alley. "But I'm sure you and your friends will come up with something!" she chirped. "And when you do, we should have a big party! I can help Pinkie bake, and--"
"Sonata, please don't do that." Applejack pinched the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger. "Like I told you, I don't need you lyin' 'bout bein' happy or whatever. If you're upset, ain't no shame in sayin' so."
Neither of them said anything for a few moments, and Applejack turned back to the food. She poured the guacamole into a bowl next to the sour cream and began chopping up tomatoes for a quick salsa. When she had finished dicing two of them she heard Sonata say, in a firmer tone than she'd used before, "I don't want you to be sad. You're being nice to me. Even though you hate me."
"I don't..." Applejack sighed and trailed off, focusing intently on the tomatoes in front of her. "Can I ask you somethin'? Why'd you hang out with Adagio and Aria anyways? You sure don't seem like you fit in well with them."
"They're my friends," said Sonata, as if it were the easiest question in the world. "And they needed me. Of course I stayed with them."
"Needed you for what?" Applejack finished chopping the tomatoes and added some lemon and lime juice, plus some cilantro and crushed red pepper flakes, to the salsa. After finishing that, she took the now-cooked pork out of the pan and began shredding it with two long-tined forks. "Seems like the plan was all Adagio's idea, an' if we hadn't hit y'all with our rainbow power, she an' Aria could probably have brainwashed the whole campus by themselves. What'd you do?"
"Not for that." Sonata's voice sounded steadier, and Applejack turned to see a determined expression on her face. "She needed my help with other things."
Applejack said nothing, and Sonata took a breath and continued. "You can't just charm everyone, you know? I mean, it sounds like it should work. Just go into a bank and sing to the tellers so they give you all their money, and you're set! But then the manager notices they're short later, and the tellers don't know what happened, so they check the cameras, and then... ugh." A rueful smile appeared on her face. "Big mess."
"I can imagine." Applejack leaned against the counter and watched Sonata. "An' I'm guessin' Adagio and Aria ain't too good at talkin' to others if they can't hit 'em with a little magic first, right?"
"Oh, they were the worst. Tried to order everyone around, wouldn't listen... but I helped. Talked to people. Asked them to make exceptions for us so we could get food, driver's licenses, whatever we needed. I even worked." She laughed. "Sirens aren't supposed to work, but I didn't mind. Did you know there's a taxi company in the city that hires teens?"
Applejack stopped and stared at her. "You drove a taxi? Do they even have cars in Equestria?"
"Nope, but I'm a fast learner! Only hit a couple stop signs. Maybe one tree, but I'm pretty sure I had the right of way." Sonata's eyes twinkled. "I got really good at it too! Although a few of my meaner customers might have found themselves giving me a little more tip money than they expected..."
A giggle slipped out of Applejack's mouth before she managed to catch herself. "Surprised you found time for that what with high school and all."
"Oh, once we felt the magic Sunset brought with her, Adagio made me stop. Said we had enough money to last us until we could brainwash the world, and then we wouldn't need money after that." Sonata frowned. "She said she thought I was 'getting soft' and being too nice to people instead of taking everything they had."
Applejack shook her head and said, "She sounds like a right jerk." The last of the pork pulled apart between her forks and she pushed the shredded meat into another bowl, between the salsa, guacamole, and a tub of sour cream. She looked at the last ingredients, three large blocks of cheese, and reached for one. "Too bad you fell in with her. Maybe--"
"She's my friend." Applejack flinched as Sonata's voice sounded from right behind her. She began to turn, but Sonata stepped around her and picked up one of the blocks of cheese. "So's Aria. They needed me; I had to help them."
"That..." Applejack shut her eyes for a moment and sighed. She could almost hear herself saying that, or Rainbow Dash or Rarity or any of her other good friends, when they all supported whatever ridiculous thing one of them came up with. "Guess I wish they'd needed you for somethin' else, then."
"Yeah. Me too."
Applejack returned her focus to the food and reached for the cheese again, but saw that the block Sonata had grabbed now had a big piece carved out of it.. She turned to see Sonata looking the other way and quickly chewing, her cheeks bulging as she fought to gulp down the cheddar, and before Applejack could stop herself she chuckled. "I'm pretty sure it tastes better when it's in the taco, Sonata," she managed.
Sonata audibly gulped, then grinned and said, "Yeah, but it also tastes good now. I mean, it's cheese!" She cut another piece and popped it into Applejack's mouth before the farmer could protest, and Applejack couldn't help but smile again as she savored the smooth, slightly smoky flavor. "Everybody likes cheese!"
"Uh." Applejack realized she was blushing and turned back to the food. "Anyways. Let's grate this cheddar and then we can eat!"
She took the tortillas and brushed them with apple butter, making the golden-brown dough glow in the soft light of the kitchen, while Sonata grated the blocks of cheese. Then Applejack carefully layered the marinated pork, cheese, salsa, guacamole, sour cream, and some shredded lettuce into each tortilla before folding them and passing one to Sonata. She raised her taco, and Sonata did the same before taking a gigantic bite. "Mmm!" she said at once, immediately cramming half the remaining taco into her mouth. "Yum!"
"Slow down!" Applejack couldn't help but laugh at the siren. "You'll choke!"
Sonata shook her head a few times, but did slow down and chew the taco slowly. Applejack bit into her own and sighed. It tasted absolutely perfect. Smoky cheese, crisp lettuce, smooth and silky guacamole, tart salsa, all blending with the sweet, meaty taste of the pork and the crisp, buttery taco. "I gotta make these more often," she said.
"You really should!" Sonata took another bite and frowned when she saw that she'd eaten most of her taco. She looked at the ingredients and began gathering some of the remainder to make another one. "Mind if I have another real quick before I head out? These are so good."
"Sure, I--wait, out?" Applejack frowned. "Where're you goin'?"
Sonata hesitated. "Well, you said you just wanted to feed me and... I mean, like you said, we're not friends, so I figured once I ate maybe it'd be a good time to go now that we've eaten and everything." She forced a smile. "Thanks for everything. I know we're not friends, AJ--Applejack--but I really--"
Applejack shook her head, cutting Sonata off, and then walked up to her. "You're stayin' until we figure out how to fix those gems of yours--preferably in a way that means you don't have to brainwash other people to eat. Got it?"
"But..." Sonata looked nervous. "I know you think I'm a bad person and you said you don't like me. You don't need to pretend--"
"Ain't no pretendin'. Honesty, remember? An' I'm allowed to change my mind." Applejack took a moment to get her thoughts in order and then lay a hand on the siren's shoulder. "If you want to know what I really think of you after our little talk just now, it ain't that you're a bad person, not anymore. You did somethin' awful, but so did Sunset an' now she's great. We ain't friends--yet--but if everythin' you've just told me is true, I think we could be." Sonata's mouth dropped, and Applejack grinned as she held up a hand. "As long as you stay here till we sort out your little feedin' problem, an you try to make amends with my other friends an' the rest of this school. No more of this runnin' away to die talk, right?"
Sonata dumbly nodded. Her eyes began to tear up again, but she looked happy. "Thank you..." she said as she sniffled. "You're really nice, Applejack."
"You can call me AJ." The farmer smiled easily. "It's okay."
"AJ. And..." Sonata sniffled again, then moved closer and sniffed the air around Applejack. "And you smell really good!" she chirped. "Did you put on perfume while I wasn't looking?"
Applejack blinked. "Uh. No?"
"Seriously, you smell delicious. It's like..." Sonata's face slowly brightened. "Like when I had my gem. But that can't be right. We don't taste good emotions, just bad stuff, and you're not scared or mad or--"
"I thought you never tried?" Applejack frowned. "No reason why you couldn't in theory, right? Still, I thought without your gems you couldn't make emotions magic..."
Sonata looked up at Applejack with shining eyes. "Aren't you already a little magic?" she asked. "Maybe we don't need the gem for you! Maybe..."
Before Applejack could move, Sonata buried her head in the nape of Applejack's neck and inhaled. "Wow," she said. "Friendship tastes really good. It's like sunshine, and hot showers, and fluffy pillows, and... applesauce?" She paused, then shrugged and asked, "Can I um, have, just a little more?" Her stomach rumbled again, as if the taco had done nothing for her. "Please?"
Applejack looked at the desperate girl in front of her and knew she couldn't deny her the food she needed. "Sure," she said, embracing Sonata. "Take as much as you need."
The siren squealed and began inhaling hard, as if she was trying to suck up as much of Applejack's essence as she could. Her grip grew stronger, and when Sonata looked up at Applejack, the farmer thought she saw new energy in her eyes. Her smile was almost blinding, and as Applejack began to smile back, Sonata hugged her hard enough to make her lose her balance. The two fell to the ground but Sonata didn't even seem to notice. "It's working!" she cheered before inhaling again. "Awesome!"
"Great!" The farmer realized she was holding Sonata maybe a little tighter than necessary, but decided she didn't need to let go so quickly. "Glad to know you're--"
"AJ? What're you doin'?"
Both girls turned to see Apple Bloom walking into the kitchen with a puzzled look on her face. Applejack stared at her, then looked up again to see that Sonata, still wearing the fluffy white robe, was perched almost directly on top of her. "Um. Apple Bloom, this here's Sonata Dusk. You remember her, right?"
The other girl nodded. "Is she still evil, or is she nice like Sunset now?"
"Nice." Applejack got to her feet and helped the siren up. "Let's go with that."
Apple Bloom nodded. "Okay. Miss Dusk, can I ask you a question?"
"Of course!" chirped the siren. Applejack grinned; the siren's voice was bright and powerful, as if she'd recovered a lot of energy.
"Can you teach me how to control other people with singin'?"
Applejack blinked. "What? No! No, she can't--Apple Bloom!"
"What? Diamond Tiara's bullying me, an' I just think she might stop if I could get her to walk into a lake every time she said somethin' mean!" Apple Bloom turned to Sonata with a pleading look. "Please? Can you teach me?"
Sonata tapped her chin. "Well, you'd need magic, but now that I can eat again I could try giving you a little. And as for the spell itself..."
"No, Apple Bloom," interrupted Applejack. "Now go get Big Mac, would ya? We need to set up a room for Sonata."
"She's stayin'?" Apple Bloom's eyes lit up, and Applejack made a note to keep an eye on her in case she tried any more furtive magic lessons. "Okay! I'll get him right away!"
She left, and Sonata turned to Applejack. "Thank you so much," she said, hugging her again. "You're the best friend ever."
"Aw, shucks." Applejack blushed. "So--we'll set you up a room, an' I'll see if Sunset wrote me back. Sound good?"
Sonata beamed and took Applejack's arm, and the farmer gently led the siren upstairs.
Applejack yawned as she awoke in her bed. The sun was shining brightly through her windows, a gentle breeze rustled the leaves of the trees she could see outside, and the smell of Granny Smith's delicious eggs and sausage wafted up from the kitchen. It had all the makings, she thought, of a perfect day.
As she rose and grabbed her Stetson hat, her cell phone rang. She fumbled for it on her dresser and pressed it to her ear. "Sunset?" she asked when she heard the voice on the other end. "What's up?"
"I just heard back from Twilight about the research she did on sirens. Figured you'd want to know about it."
Applejack smiled and stood up. "Sure, but it ain't urgent. Sonata and I figured out a stopgap--she can feed off friendship now, long as its magical folks bein' friendly. That's you, me, and the other Rainbooms. Should be able to keep her up an' runnin' until we work out a more permanent solution."
"What?" Sunset's voice sounded confused. "That makes no sense. I was going to tell you that Twilight's research says there's nothing we can do. Once a siren's gem is shattered, that's it."
"Sunset, she fed off me yesterday. Said she didn't need the gem 'cause I'm magic."
The phone was silent for a moment before Sunset continued. "Do you remember those tests I ran on you and the others before the friendship games? When I was trying to measure your magic with all that equipment?"
"I remember you sayin' you didn't find anythin'."
"I didn't find much. But one thing I observed was that all of your readings were normal until you ponied up. Same with everyone else in the band. Applejack, except for when you've got pointy ears and a tail, you're no more magic than your siblings."
"But..." Applejack frowned. "Well, she was tryin' to feed on friendship, not hate. Maybe the rules are different for that an' she doesn't need her gem like she would for bad emotions."
It again took a few seconds for Sunset to reply. "Twilight scoured the Canterlot library. Everything she found said that sirens can't eat without their gems. The emotion doesn't matter. Applejack, I'm sorry, but if she told you she fed off you, she was probably lying."
"Why in tarnation would she do that? How's pretending she's healthier than she is help her?" snapped Applejack.
"I don't know! Maybe she likes you and she did it to make you feel better?"
"She..." Applejack trailed off. That was exactly the kind of thing Sonata would do. "Okay, I'm gonna check this out. You write back Twilight an' say 'no solution' ain't good enough. We're gonna find this thing if we have to go to the magical pony land ourself."
"Okay." Sunset's voice sounded tired. "I'll tell her, but... just be prepared if this doesn't work out, okay?"
Applejack didn't answer as she hung up the phone. She took a long breath and then hurried out of her room.
Sonata's bed was empty, of course, and Applejack headed down the hall towards the other bedrooms. There was a piece of paper slipped partially under Apple Bloom's door, and Applejack picked it up and looked at it before snorting and pocketing it. "Spell to control people with singing," she muttered. "If I get her back, I'm gonna have words with her about that."
As she neared the front door, she heard Winona barking outside, and she peaked through a window to see Sonata standing on the porch. The siren was wearing her ragged old clothes again and had eyes so red that it seemed like she'd been crying all night. Applejack eased open the door and slipped behind Sonata as the siren knelt to pet Winona. "Shhh," the other girl said. "You'll wake Applejack, and I can't..." She shook her head. "I just can't."
"Can't what?" asked Applejack.
Sonata jumped several inches in the air, slipped when she landed, and fell into a mud puddle on the side of the path. Applejack ran to help her up but Sonata scooted away. "I can't," she repeated.
"Keep lyin' that you're doin' better than you are?" asked Applejack. "I just talked to Sunset. She said there's no way you could feed off me last night."
Sonata looked down. "I was just gonna stay a few days," she murmured. "I thought I could fake like I was better for that long. Then I'd tell you I had to go find Aria and Adagio and let them know we could be saved, and I'd just never come back. But I couldn't..."
Applejack shook her head and helped Sonata up. "Why in the world did you think you'd need to lie 'bout that?"
"Because you were nice to me, and I wanted you to be happy." Sonata looked down. "I've hurt everyone I've ever sung at, and you were, like, the one person I thought I might be able to meet without hurting them, and if you thought you couldn't save me you'd get depressed and upset and I'd have hurt you too. And I don't like it when people are sad because of me!" She shut her eyes. "Thank you for the last meal, it was wonderful, but I have to leave now before you get hurt!"
Applejack put a hand on Sonata's shoulder and squeezed. "An' how do you think I'd feel if you just up and left without even sayin' goodbye? If I woke up an' realized you'd crawled off somewhere to die alone, an' I'd failed to help you?"
"But you can't help me anyways--"
"You don't know that.
Sonata sighed. "Okay. But if you can't, then I'd just be wasting away here. Adagio told me what that's like, before she and Aria abandoned me when I couldn't keep up. In a few days I won't even be able to walk. I'll be stuck in a bed, and you'll have to feed me, bathe me, everything. And you'll resent me and hate me--"
"What?!" Applejack gaped. "Why would you think that of me? Darn it, Sonata, I've been nothin' but nice--"
"But that's what Adagio said!" protested Sonata. "I begged to keep going with her, because... I mean, we're friends, right? And she'd heard of this witch out in the desert who might be able to help us and I wanted to go there too. But she just smiled at me and said that, if we're friends, we should split up now before she and Aria start hating me for slowing them down and forcing them to take care of me like that." She sighed. "I can't sing or do anything for them anymore, so she's right about--"
"No! No she isn't!" Applejack, barely knowing what she was doing, hugged Sonata close. Suddenly she wanted nothing more than to tuck Sonata into bed and stand guard over her so Adagio and Aria couldn't hurt her anymore. "Adagio doesn't know the first thing about friendship! It ain't 'bout what the other person can do for you!" When Sonata didn't relax at that, Applejack pulled back slightly and pointed at the house. "You want to be my friend, right?"
Sonata nodded.
"If I told you we were out of taco stuff and I couldn't feed you anymore, would that change?" When Sonata shook her head, Applejack continued, "Exactly! If they were only friends with you 'cause you could sing with them or bring in money by drivin' taxis, they weren't actual friends! If we're friends, Sonata, then I don't care if I have to take care of you! That's just how friendship works!" Applejack hugged Sonata again, wondering how the siren could have been willing to help Aria and Adagio for so long given how little care they had for her. "If you really want to leave, I won't stop you, but I don't want you to! I want you to stay here until we can figure out a way to keep you alive!"
Sonata shook her head. "But what if you can't?" she asked. "And I die anyways? Won't that hurt you?"
Applejack took a long breath. "If we can't save you," she said, "Then yes. It will hurt when you die. But I'd still rather you stay here, and live a few weeks in happiness and die surrounded by people who really care about you and not those two jerks from Equestria. I'd be happier knowing that was your fate than if I thought you'd crawled into a muddy ditch somewhere."
Sonata's mouth moved wordlessly for several seconds. "Really?" she whispered. "You wouldn't think I was a burden, or anything like that?"
"Honest," said Applejack. "It's my thing, remember? I wouldn't lie to you. But--there is a condition now." Sonata hesitated, and Applejack smiled. "Don't worry, it's no big. Just--if you're upset or worried 'bout somethin', you've gotta tell me. None of this pretendin' to be happy just to keep me happy. Because on this farm, honesty's the best policy an' if you've got any trouble at all, I'd rather know. Sound good?"
Sonata looked at Applejack and slipped her fingers into the farmer's hand. "Why?" she asked, in a voice that made Applejack hug her more tightly. "I attacked you and your friends."
"You did. And, just to be clear, you've still got some amends to make 'bout that. But I don't think you're a bad person, I don't want you to die--specially not alone in a cave--an' I respect the kindness an' loyalty you showed the other sirens, even if they didn't deserve it." Applejack squeezed Sonata and winced at how light the girl felt. Even if they found a way to fix Sonata's gem, it might still be too late for her. She could still die in a few weeks, or even sooner.
But if she was going to die, it wouldn't be alone. She deserved friends, and Applejack was going to ensure that she had them by her side.
"Will you stay?" murmured Applejack into Sonata's ear. "Until we find a way to fix your gem or... well, until it doesn't matter anymore?" She tucked Sonata's head under her chin so the girl was nestled in the nape of her neck again. "I swear, no matter what happens to you, I won't hate or resent you. And that's a promise you can count on."
Sonata didn't speak for a long moment before finally nodding. "I'll stay," she whispered, and Applejack heard real hope in her voice. "Thank you."
"Good." Applejack gave her one final hug before starting to lead her back to the house. She didn't know if they'd be able to save Sonata; in fact, she knew, intellectually, the odds were against it. In all probability, the girl next to her would be dead in a few weeks.
Then I'll make those few weeks as pleasant as I can, Applejack thought. And then, in a flash of anger, I'll make up for all the abuse the other sirens threw at her.
"I know it's not the kind of food you need," said Applejack. "But Granny Smith should be just about done with her eggs and apple sausage. She puts a little gouda in the eggs and just a hint of cayenne to give them a kick. If you want some--"
"I love cayenne!" Sonata clutched Applejack's arm and grinned, and though it was weak, Applejack could see the honesty in her smile. "And you know what goes really well with apple sausage? Maple syrup! Maybe not to eat with the sausage, but it makes a great beverage!"
Applejack laughed at Sonata's remark and then led her back to the front door. It would be hard if she had to lose her at the end of the next few weeks, she thought, but she'd make every moment count.
Author's Note
I considered a bunch of different endings to this, ranging from really happy (in which Sonata actually could feed on the positive emotions of AJ and her friends, and in which she persuaded Aria and Adagio to do so as well so they could all live) to really negative (in which Sonata successfully snuck away from AJ, confirms that there's no way for her to survive without her gem, and notes that her only goal left is to make it to the desert so she can die somewhere that she won't inconvenience anyone). But at least for now, I think ending on an ambiguous note, at least regarding whether or not Sonata might live out the month, is best.
