The Diamond and the Rough

Chapters

Running on Empty
What's in a Name?
Wellspring
Out of the Storm

Running on Empty

Aria’s anger burned hot as the engine between her thighs tore down a darkened three-lane interstate. Lampposts on the concrete median flew past overhead, beating a bright, silent pulse on the empty night sky.

Leather stretched across bruised knuckles as she tightened her grip on the throttle. All around her droned the pounding rush of momentum. She narrowed her eyes to the horizon and its far-off promise of release. Everything inside of her ached for it and for the distance it would put between her and what remained of her wretched, crumbling life. With a sharp roar, she rocked her wrist downward.

Faster.

A purple flag of hair whipped against the back of her jacket. She could still hear Adagio’s spiteful words from outside her locked bedroom door. She had just been trying, again, to lift some small shred of hope out of her broken song, and like so many times before, that yellow-faced harlot had crept up to mock her.

“That’s right, bitch,” Aria growled. “Laugh.” Her arms flexed, and her grip strangled tighter.

At least I’m trying! What have you done this past month besides drain your wine bottles and recycle those rank, nappy sweatshirts?!

White lines marking the pavement whipped by at an ever-hastening rate. She leaned a quick swerve left, then back to the right. The blaring horn from a narrowly-dodged sedan dopplered into the distance behind her. A squint of her eyes bled tears into the padding against her skin. Yes, this was stupid. Reckless. But at least out here, she was in control.

Faster.

She was done being pushed. Done being pressed into a corner by Adagio’s damn ego and where it had landed them. All the mocking words that passed by her door, day after day, had twisted her rage tighter—until tonight, at last, she cracked. Her bedroom door crashed open. Tempers flared. Shouting voices peaked. After weeks of holding back the rising, heated pressure, Aria’s limit finally burst, sending a fist arcing into bone.

Miss Priss was probably still at the bathroom mirror nursing her swollen face, and Aria found herself out on a stretch of open highway speeding toward…

Nowhere. Nothing.

Sonata hadn’t been home to intervene. Dim-witted as she was, she’d been quick to adjust to life without her pendant—finding a passion for visual art and opening up to a new circle of ‘friends.’ Aria’s mind growled at the word. Sonata was always out with them now. That blue bubble-head had depended on her sisters-in-song for everything, but now she’d latched onto a new troupe and was being pulled away. She may not be the sharpest, or the brightest, but her laugh… that smile… As much as Aria hated to admit it, Sonata’s presence had been the one thing to diffuse the ever-looming tension between herself and Adagio. She was their idiot, damn it. Another growl rose in her chest. She wanted to be angry. Furious. But more than anything, it simply hurt.

“Why them, Sonata?!” she cried into her helmet. “They’re the ones that did this to us!”

The trees, the road, the median, they all blurred around her. Whether it was the gaining speed or the water in her eyes, she couldn’t tell, and she didn’t care. The white needle on the gauge quivered closer to the three-digit mark.

Faster!

Her thoughts snapped back to Adagio. That damned arrogant smirk flashed again through her mind.

And you! Why?

The proud golden face fell into a ragged, drunk mess of orange covering half of the couch. What had happened to the grand lioness? Their voice of guidance, their beacon of determination? She’d fallen from her throne into a wretch of her former self—snarling, shut down, useless, and cruel.

Bitch deserves whatever her face looks like in the morning. Maybe it’ll wake her the hell up.

Aria blinked as a twinge knotted in her stomach. The pounding rush around her dulled to a haze. She certainly wasn’t making things any better, not with her flaring temper and an escalation to violence.

She wondered what the fallout from this evening would do to Sonata. The twisting knot spread into a guilty creep across her skin. Sona would be better off without them now, wouldn’t she? Away from all the shouting. Away from the bitter, broken arguments. The three of them had depended on each other for so long. But now? What the hell was left? Adagio had already fallen off her own cliff.

And all of that left Aria where? Alone in her room? Alone out here?

She threaded the sleek, grey bike through a pair of cars before zipping around a third, then a fourth. She had always been the stoic. The loner. Ever eclipsed by Adagio’s shadow. The gloom to Sonata’s glow.

The worst.

Yet, the three of them had always held in common their gems. Their magic. Their song. But now, all of that was gone… Shattered. After all the years they had spent in each others’ company, was there really nothing left to hold them together? Had it finally come to this? The queen had fallen, the fool had outgrown them… and Aria felt utterly alone.

Who in Tartarus am I anymore? How long’s it been since I’ve even heard anyone say my name?

She tensed her shoulders with a growl. And why should I fucking care! Why now? She never had before. Not before they broke her.

Punching the throttle again, she took a long, deep breath through her nose and was about to release another roar—when flickers of blue and red flashed at the sides of her visor. Her breath came out instead as a long, groaning cry, joined by the sound of the police siren. With an adrenaline-raged grip on the brakes, she dropped speed into the shoulder, skidding up a cloud of rocks and road dust.

Siren…

Face burning red, she raised her fists to slam them down on the bike’s handles. But as her wound-up tension reached its limit, she felt herself uncoil and released a long, slow exhale. Her hands unfolded, and her arms went limp.

With a heavy, grunting sigh, she removed her helmet. Hanging it on one handlebar, she fished out her wallet and ID. Pictured to one side was that familiar, smirking face—blood-red gem still hanging at her neck. Aria took another deep, slow breath while staring down at the small plastic card. A grey, hollow feeling pressed in around her, dulling the rush of traffic and the flashing lights. The left corner of her mouth turned downward as she brushed one thumb across the photo. Then with a frowning, empty laugh, she covered her printed name with the other.

Rarity forced a smile and waved. “Goodbye! See you next time.”

She pressed the shop door closed and rested her back against it. With a defeated sigh, she sagged into the glass and gazed out over the devastation before her. The remnants of her younger sister’s artistic ‘endeavors’ lay scattered about in a wide, explosive display.

“Why do I keep agreeing to this?”

A quick glance toward the wall clock revealed 8:03 P.M. Right, then. Cleaning this up shall wait until morning. Rarity turned to the nearest of the room’s numerous dressing mirrors. She whimpered at the sight of her heavy, bagged eyes but then straightened herself up and nodded. After the last three hours of frantic vigilance, she decided to treat herself to a long drive out to her favorite overlook in the nearby hills. To be alone with her thoughts under the quiet starlight sounded like the perfect remedy right about now.

After getting situated in her car, Rarity connected her music player and sighed deeply as it filled the small space with a flowing, instrumental reggae beat. Checking the mirrors, she pulled out of her parking spot and accelerated down the lamplit street. She snuggled back into her seat with a contented smirk. This was one small, guilty pleasure which would forever remain her little secret.

For the better part of half an hour, she cruised out through the foothills, winding around turns and taking in the view of the darkening treeline ridges as Canterlot’s night-time glow rose to life behind them.

After looping nearly back to the city, she spotted the vista-trail turnout ahead, slowed, and pulled off into the paved parking lot. A quick view of her surroundings revealed that all was clear. She stepped out of the car, then set off down the left of two paths, through a grove of trees, and out to a ledge overlooking the city in the distance below.

Rarity took a deep breath of the cool night air, then unfurled a light blue handkerchief over her ‘thought rock’ and sat down upon it. For a few minutes, she simply rested there, losing herself in the darkened sky and in the way it gently blended downward to meet the luminescent aura above the cityscape. This marriage between the ephemeral depth of the stars and the bustling embrace of modern life was a sight that had always brought her comfort and afforded a wealth of inspiration.

In the distance behind her, a smaller engine—a sport bike, perhaps?—rolled to a stop and shut off in the parking lot. Rarity tightened her coat about her shoulders and set her senses on guard. The expected footsteps soon approached, but along the opposite path from the one she had taken.

Between the pair of vista points stood a tall jumble of rocks. Rarity’s brow dipped for a moment. Curiosity battled hesitation—and eventually prevailed. She crept slowly toward the rockfall and peeked over the top. A leather-clad biker, very clearly feminine, removed her helmet and… the purple-haired siren?!

With an inaudible ‘eep,’ Rarity ducked down behind the rocks and leaned against them—but then quickly popped off again at the thought of rock dust against her white coat. She growled quietly and brushed off her back. Another item for the dry cleaner tomorrow.

That thought was interrupted by a cringe when a passionate, yet rasping, attempt at song filled the cold night air. Rarity listened quietly, thinking back to that fated night a month ago. She recalled how the Dazzlings had sounded just before they were run off the stage. Ragged, and broken. Sonata had since described to them what she’d felt in that moment: Denial. Shock. And for the first time ever, fear. So now to see this girl here, still so broken…

Rarity lowered her gaze to the side while drumming fingers on her thigh. Should she do something? After all, none of them had seen this one since that night of the battle.

She was shaken again from that thought as the off-key singing faltered, then twisted into a choked-up roar. Rarity peeked back over the rocks just in time to see the other girl drop to her knees and slam the dirt with closed fists. She shuddered with a sob but then went still, as if struggling to hold it all back. The effort didn’t last. Her drape of purple hair shook again, and she wrapped both arms around her middle and curled in on herself. The muffled cries soon rose into more wrenching, violent sobs.

After a time, she sat up and tightened both fists in front of her. “Fuck you!” she cried in a cracking voice. “You’re stronger than this!” She lifted her tear-streaked face and took a long, ragged breath. She pressed her eyes closed and bit down on her jacket cuff with a final, frustrated scream before placing both hands against her head.

Rarity placed a hand over her heart as her breath escaped in a soft rush. She had spoken with Sunset and the others about what these three must be going through with their voices shattered. They’d avoided discussing it around Sonata. But to see it here, to see the spirit of the girl in front of her so shattered as well…

“No one deserves this,” Rarity whispered to herself as she stepped down and away from the rocks. “Not even after what you did.”

She wondered if anything could be done. Was there some way to help? Or to offer some measure of comfort without sounding patronizing? After all, Sonata had come to enjoy their company. However, Sonata had also told them that the other two had no interest. At all.

Rarity drifted back to her draped rock and set herself down again to catch her breath. Perhaps she should give the siren some space, some time, to grieve. Talking first with Sunset and the others did seem like an advisable approach. She pulled out her phone and hunched forward to muffle the glow as she texted a message to Sunset’s number.

Sunset would be equipped to deal with this, she reasoned, given her prior… experience. Pinkie had, of course, developed an immediate rapport with Sonata, but it was unlikely that same sort of energy would work with this one.

Rarity sat for a while with fingernails drumming on her knee. An entire minute passed, and then another. Still no answer. She let out a long sigh through her nose. So, Sunset was out of reach presently. Dash? Or Pinkie? No… Hmm. Fluttershy would be too intimidated by this one… and Applejack was likely fast asleep by now.

She straightened herself up with a stern nod. “Right, then. Rarity… it is up to you.”

There was a shuffling of dirt behind her and then the sound of a few rocks falling down the side of the cliff. Again, she carefully peeked over the top of the tumbled wall, only to find the other girl standing right at the edge. Rarity watched her drop both hands to her sides, close her eyes, and inhale a deep breath.

No! She wouldn’t! Her hands shot to her mouth—but to her relief, her fear was unfounded.

The siren let out a long exhale, followed by an empty, bitter laugh. “As if…” She juggled a rock once in her right hand, then spun and side-armed it over the cliff. “I’m not that easy.” She turned away with clenched fists, snatched her helmet off a rock, and headed back down the forested trail.

Rarity stepped off the rockfall and leaned her back against it, unconcerned this time with the pristine state of her coat. Did that really almost happen? Possibly? But then not, given the words that followed. Regardless, the situation was far more dire than she had presumed. Something would have to be done, and quickly. Hearing the bike’s engine kick on again through the trees, she shot to her feet and hastened back toward her car.

“Welcome back, miss.” The burly, moustached barista gave Aria a smile while passing a few other drinks over the counter.

Aria set her helmet on the bar and leaned onto both elbows with a tired exhale. “Sup, Venti. Large tea with the usual junk.”

She idly traced her finger along the marbled patterns of the countertop. The simple act offered a feeling of calmness, as she’d always found the imagery reminiscent of sunlight flecking down through the blue-grey ocean water.

The moment of serenity was broken, though, when an airy voice to her left said, “Make it a double.” A braceleted, ivory arm extended a glittering gold-card. “And put both on mine.”

Aria’s face tightened to a scowl. Her eyes rose to the left where they found, as expected, that prissy, purple-haired keyboardist—the one who’d singled her out with a direct attack during the battle. Her expression hardened further. “The fuck…” she grumbled, then looked back down at the bar while resting her head on both hands. “This night just keeps gettin’ better.”

Closing her eyes, she heard the sounds of whirring and shaking… a swipe of plastic followed by a beep… all the sparkly bits jingling on that ridiculous purse. She growled to herself. To think that this stupid whore had the gall to walk right up and… what? Offer Aria a cup to tea as consolation for ripping out everything that she was?

A sudden clearing of a throat pulled Aria back from her thoughts. She again lifted her gaze to find a hand offering her requested tea. Turning her head to follow, she was met by an unexpected smile behind it. Though an un-welcome sight, it had the surprising effect of quelling—even if momentarily—the voice of rage rising in her chest.

She should be biting this chick’s head off. Right now. Knocking that stupid better-than-you smile off her shiny white face, but then… No. Aria felt her eyes soften a little. It… wasn’t that sort of smile. At all. She had expected—perhaps even wanted—to see one of Adagio’s smug, haughty grins there. At least that she knew how to process. How to react to. But this… The expression that glowed in front of her was one of… empathy. Warmth? A bit of sadness, even.

Aria realized that her jaw had gone slack. She snapped her mouth closed and hardened her eyes back to the countertop, chastising herself for being so easily disarmed. And by a single, stupid smile? Just what the hell was going on here, anyway? This girl should be gloating. Boasting. Triumphant. After all, she certainly looked the type.

Again, Aria raised a sideways glance. That this bitch was standing within arm’s reach and not showing even a hint of fear made her nauseous. She wanted to punch something, but at the same time she wanted to just walk out the door. Forget this ever happened. Be on her way back home to—

With another slow exhale, she closed her eyes again. Right. Not much to go back to, was there?

But why? What would make this one take an interest in her? Aria folded her arms with a self-deprecating laugh. It’s not like anyone else ever has. But now… one of them. Of all the stupid, ironic—

“Are you… quite alright, dear?”

Aria blinked twice and shook her head. “What?” She met eyes with the other girl and found her staring back with a quizzical look—a large cup of tea still gripped in each hand.

Leaning both palms on the counter, Aria could feel the muscles in her neck and shoulders caught up in the war waging inside her. The battle came to a head with a low, harsh growl. She ran a hand through her hair and grabbed her helmet off the bar. “I can’t do this,” she said, and started for the door.

Behind her trailed two footsteps, followed by a meek, pleading sound.

“Aria…”

Aria halted mid-stride, unblinking.

After all this time… Since that final day on the stage, she’d offered her name to a few rare acquaintances. But even then, none of them had ever said it back to her. In a stunned silence, she took her hand off the half-open door and brought it to her forehead, threading fingers into her hair. With a trembling breath, she said, “You… know my name. Of all people.”

“W-well… Sonata.”

Something inside of Aria winced. She exhaled deeply. Of course. Not by any merit of her own. “Right…” She massaged her temple as she turned around. “Blue idiot.”

The other girl gently took a seat and placed both cups on the table. Her shoulders dropped with a long breath. She looked up at Aria and asked simply, “Please?”

Aria stood for a moment and held her gaze. The thought of agreeing to this felt like a betrayal of some deep part of herself. Worse, it felt like admitting weakness. But again, there was something in this girl’s eyes that gave her pause… and she still wanted her damn tea.

Aria yanked out the other chair and turned it sideways. She dropped into it, crossed her arms, and looked off toward the counter with a scowl before swiping up her drink. “You got two minutes,” she said sharply. “What is it?”

“Well… to start, my name is Rarity. I don’t know that we’ve ever had the occasion—” A raised eyebrow from Aria appeared to get its message across. “Right. To get to my point, I was out at the overlook as well tonight, as it is a place I often visit.” She blinked in hesitation and lowered her eyes. “I… happened to see you there and… I wanted to talk.”

“So you followed me all the way here?” Aria snorted a mocking laugh. “Stalker much?”

It was Rarity’s turn to flash a scowl. Her tone hardened. “Concern, rather. I’d arrived there before you. You probably saw my car in the parking lot?” Her expression fell to a frown, and she looked down at her cup. “Which… also means I heard everything. And so I thought perhaps…”

What? Aria’s eyes went wide, but then narrowed into a scowl as she hunched her shoulders forward. She wrapped both arms around her middle as if covering a shirtless exposure. This chick… Seriously? Spying on her during a moment of vulnerability like that? She glowered across the table. “Oh great! That’s just swell. Enjoy the show? Yeah. You won. Congrats.”

Rarity cupped her hands tighter around her tea. “Well. It certainly doesn’t feel as if I’ve won anything. Not when someone else has to hurt like this. We all feel bad about how things ended. No one’s seen you for over a month.” Her eyes took on a caring look, and her voice softened. “So… I wanted to talk. See if there’s anything I might do to help.”

“Help?” Aria uncrossed her legs and gripped one hand on the table. “After what you fuckin’ did to us?!” A familiar heat began to swell within her. “What more could you…” Her eyes then widened for a moment as it struck her. Her rage cooled into a hard, steely gaze.

“Now I get it.” A dark grin spread across her face. “This ain’t about us. Is it? It’s about your own damn guilty conscience. Gotta prove to yourself you’re just as goody-two-boots as you think you are. Like some spoiled rich girl, or wannabe bleeding-heart philanthropist.” A vengeful spark flared within her when Rarity broke eye contact with another scowl. “Yeah… I know your type.”

Rarity sniffled once and crossed her arms on the table, giving both elbows a squeeze. She kept her eyes averted and took a slow, heated breath. “Well, it's not as if you left us with much of a choice,” she muttered. “One might argue it was more a matter of self defense.”

That’s it, bitch. A bristle ran up the back of Aria’s neck. She rose to her feet, flexed her arms and snarled down at the girl across the table. Rarity’s eyes widened as she shrank into her chair.

Aria pointed at her throat. “But this?!” she growled. “Our voices?!” She leaned forward and slammed a fist down. “Why?!” She felt like a raging bull, breathing heavily through her nose while glaring into those darting blue eyes, waiting for something—anything—in response. But what she heard instead came from the counter off to her right.

“Problem, Miss Rarity?” Venti’s gruff voice snapped up Aria’s attention.

She turned and found him looking at her with a disapproving glare.

Fuming, she clenched her fists. She’d been a regular here for weeks now, always making smalltalk and bullshitting with him while ordering her drinks. She thought there was a feeling of mutual respect there. Maybe even a friend? Yet here he was, addressing ‘Miss Rarity’ by name and stepping in to defend her.

“Really man?!” she pleaded, pointing at Rarity. “You’re takin’ her side?”

“Hey...” He lifted both palms. “Just don’t want no trouble. You know how it is.”

The room around them had fallen silent. Aria glanced at the other tables and saw many of them looking on now as well. So this was ‘how it was,’ then. She pressed her eyes closed as her breath flowed out in a long, defeated rush. A tightness swelled up in her chest, and in that moment, she hated herself for wanting to cry. Why did she have to fight so hard for everything? Why even try anymore? She was just so damned tired.

With a frustrated, angry grunt, she turned back to Rarity. “Fine.” She loosened her posture and returned to her seat, sulking down again with crossed arms.

Rarity, still looking softly at Aria, replied to the barista, “No… No trouble.”

Aria again closed her eyes, grumbling as she placed a thumb to her temple and fingers on her forehead. Self defense… As she sat quietly, her thoughts drifted back to that night of the battle, and to the overwhelming surge of power. To her surprise, the scene wasn’t of gazing out over the crowd below. Instead, she was looking up at herself and her companions in all of their immense, ancient glory. It was a proud and satisfying sight, but some… strange, unfamiliar part of her was drawn to the raw fear and intimidation that anyone else would have felt in that place.

Fuck… What was this? Empathy? The corner of her mouth twitched. She hated the feeling, but it was impossible to deny. She gritted her teeth. “Alright. I get it. Protecting your own. Guess I’d have done the same. But still, it’s like… why?” she asked and lifted her eyes. “Why take everything away from us?”

“I…” Rarity smoothed out her coat while releasing a long breath. “I don’t know. During that final moment, it was rather a…”—she twirled her wrist in the air—“‘magic, do as you will’ sort of thing. As if I were present in all of it, but… merely along for the ride.”

Aria sat quietly, her crossed leg bobbing up and down. The response did seem genuine. After all, it was really Shimmer and Princess Purple who were the ones swinging the hammer.

“Sunset or Twilight may know more. But, please… I never wished for all of this to happen to you. I truly am sorry it turned out this way.”

“Yeah, well, it’s a bit late for that now.” Aria grabbed her cup, took another long draw, and then turned to look out the window. “And anyways, it’s that purple pony bitch that needs to be here apologizing.”

There was a sharp gasp across the table. “I beg your pardon!”

Aria glanced back at the now-indignant face. There was the button. A slow smirk spread across her lips.

“Twilight has done more for me than you can imagine. We all owe her our friendships! I will not have you sit there and refer to her in that manner.”

Aria snorted a chuckle. Friendship. What a load. All it had had done so far was take Sonata away from them. But then, Sonata was always easily led-on. Always the idiot child at heart despite her age. “Blah, blah…” She motioned with her hand as if a talking puppet. “Friendship this, friendship that. Look, bitch. I’m not some silly teenage girl. I’m a millennia-old monster spanning two realms. I’ve lived dozens of your lifetimes. You can go stuff your ‘sorry.’”

Aria dug into her pocket. “I don’t need your pity.” She fished out a crumpled bill and tossed it on the table. “Don’t need your charity.” And then she slid out her chair. “And your two minutes are up.”

Rarity’s eyes narrowed. Her cheeks reddened with an effeminate growl as she shot up in a huff. “Don’t bother! I was just leaving.” She slung her purse over one shoulder, tears forming at the edges of her eyes. “You really are foul… I tried to help you. I did! I truly am sorry!” She sniffled once, but then set her jaw and lifted her nose. “And your drink is on me.”

Aria gave a dark, sadistic laugh. “Yeah. It’s about to be.” She grabbed the cup and flinched her shoulders in a fake lunge.

Rarity jumped back with a yelp and pulled her coat closed. Her cheeks reddened further. She gave a flustered, “Hmph!” and pushed her way out the door—which only drew a longer laugh out of Aria.

Though when she turned back to the now-silent table, Aria felt strangely… cold. Alone again, and… what now? Her grin faded downward as the twisting knot from earlier returned to her stomach. Was she actually missing that feeling of someone sitting there and talking with her? Someone who’d offered a bit of real, genuine concern?

With another scowl, she crossed her arms and sulked back into the chair.

But she’s one of them anyway, so it’s whatever.

Right?

Aria’s grey sport bike rolled to a stop in the driveway. She set the kickstand and climbed off to open the garage. The light inside flickered on, revealing the odd absence of a decade-old silver luxury car. She rolled the bike up into its usual spot. It had to be past eleven now. Where the hell would Adagio be at this hour? Whatever… Not that it mattered. A quiet house suited her just fine.

She pushed through the door into the kitchen and found everything dark. Silent. “Sonata?” she called while flipping on the light.

No answer. Probably still out with those rain-boobs. She swiped a beer out of the fridge, then twisted off the cap and flung it into the sink with a smooth motion. She drained the bottle in one go and slammed it down on the counter. With a creaking roll of her shoulders, she relaxed into a deep sigh. “Ohhh, fuck. I needed that.”

She strode into the living room and kicked off her boots toward the front door before falling back into the couch and closing her eyes. Everything in the room was quiet. Good.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Good.

Aria laid there for another few minutes with her chest rising and falling. The rare moment of peace set her mind adrift… though it wasn’t long before Rarity’s warm, sad smile from earlier floated in. A dull ache settled into her chest. It felt like a heavy weight pressing down on her from above. Was this guilt she was feeling, or something else? Gruhhh. Don’t care. She palmed her eyes and ran fingers through her hair with a long groan. Seriously, though. What in the hell was all of that? Of all the…

No. She sat up and grabbed one of Sonata’s vapid magazines off the table. The topic of the thing didn’t matter, just that it would drag her thoughts elsewhere. “Movie star yadda… Famous dude broke up with his woman… Couple with sixteen kids…” She flipped page after page, her eyes skimming over pictures and titles—some drawing an occasional, mocking laugh.

Headlights flashed across the curtains, and a familiar engine rolled up into the driveway. Both halves of the magazine crumpled in Aria’s grip as her face hardened. Car doors slammed shut. The sound of boots clacked up the front walk. She steeled herself for the impending battle as the door rattled open, pushed by a yellow hand on the knob.

Instead, the first thing through the doorway was a splash of magenta and blue.

Aria blinked, and her hands uncoiled. “Sonata?”

With a sad look, Sonata said softly, “Hey…” She fiddled with her coat and stepped aside to remove it.

Behind her followed the orange-framed, bruised face Aria had been expecting. Adagio’s eyes were downcast as she took a few steps toward the couch.

What the hell were those two doing out so late?

Adagio lifted her head, and when their eyes met, a spark flashed between them, reigniting Aria’s fire and pulling her back to their fight in the hallway earlier. The muscles in her neck stiffened, and her jaw set into a scowl.

“Aria…” Adagio’s tone was firm as she held the shared gaze.

Fuck no. I’m not doing this shit again.

Aria stood up and flung the magazine on the ground between them. “Can it, bitch. Go frig yourself on one of your empty bottles.” She stormed off toward the kitchen. “Not in the mood right now.”

As Aria turned the corner, she heard a loud groan from the other room followed by some muffled, yet stern, words from Sonata. She pressed both palms onto the edge of the counter and strained her eyes down at the floor.

Adagio’s voice drifted again from the doorway, though in an unexpectedly gentler tone. “Aria. Just… listen.” A few moments of silence passed before she let out a long, surrendering exhale.

“Please.”

Aria’s breath caught in her throat.

She angled her brows and turned to face Adagio. “What did you just say?”

Adagio crossed her arms and looked to the side with a huff. “She got home maybe… twenty minutes after you left. I ignored her while she was shouting all over the house looking for us. But when she found me in the bathroom, with my face looking like this…” She shivered slightly. “That Sonata came out.”

“Eh?”

“You… don’t remember that time in Trotsland? When she found out that twit you were seeing had seriously hurt you?”

Aria’s breath went still. Adagio’s shiver passed through her as well.

“Yes,” Adagio deadpanned. “That Sonata. Consider yourself lucky you weren’t here in the warpath. Needless to say, she dragged me out with her again, to go and see—guh—Shimmer and one of those others. And… well.” She pinched the bridge of her nose and took a deep, exasperated breath. “Look. I’m… sorry. Alright?” She wrapped both arms around her middle and held a level gaze.

Aria just stared back, unblinking. Where was this coming from? Those wine-colored eyes did seem honest, but… was it really that easy? After everything Adagio had done to her and Sonata this past month… And then all the things she hadn’t done.

Now… she was just standing there, thinking a few words would wash it all away?

No.

Aria let out an acidic laugh. Her brow creased, and she clenched her fists. “You’re… sorry. Sorry? That’s it?! That’s all you got?!”

She started pacing around the kitchen as all the feelings of ridicule and neglect flooded back in. Adagio had always deemed herself their leader… She had demanded it. And she’d put a sharp boot or a harsh tongue to anyone who’d questioned otherwise. But when everything had come crashing down, when the three of them were at their lowest… where was their queen then? Withdrawn. Spiteful. Determined to hold the two of them down with her, and at a time when all of these new and unfamiliar feelings were beginning to swell within them. Guilt. Empathy. Despair. Loneliness…

Aria came to a halt and spun around. “We needed each other, Adagio! Do you have any idea what you… I mean… all of it!” She pointed at her bruised knuckles. “This! Your face?” She watched Adagio’s soft expression harden into an angry scowl. “I never wanted any of this! If you would’ve just… If you didn’t…”

Adagio’s hands balled into fists as she growled through gritted teeth. “I know! Gah! Look, I’m really trying here… This isn’t exactly easy!”

“Easy?!” Aria took a ranting step toward her, and Adagio backpedaled with a blink. “You want easy?!”

Sonata raised her hands warily. “Ariii…”

Aria spread her arms wide. “Just la-dee-dah, wave your Queen Adagio wand and erase everything you fuckin’ did? All that stuff you said?! No!” She swung her fists down. “You don’t get off that easy!”

She could see Adagio’s proud facade eroding under the force of her rage. A dominant surge swelled within her. After all these years, it was over. Tonight she was damn-well gonna be heard.

Adagio composed herself and rolled her eyes closed with a groan. “Would you just lis—”

“No!” Aria barked, shocking Adagio back another step. “You listen!”

She clenched her trembling fists tighter. And as her anger swelled, so did the moisture in her eyes. “That afternoon last week when I brought that guy over! Someone who finally seemed to give a damn about me! Not ten minutes here and you had him all hanging off your finger and drooling over Sonata! Cause she's too dumb to notice what was going on. And why?! Just to prove you’re still on top?! Still in control? Even when we got nothing left?!”

Her breath became ragged, and her voice began to crack. “You have any idea how much that fucking hurt?!” She felt tears streak the sides of her face. “I’ve always been the extra! Always less-than! No one even gives me a glance when you two are around! So when I finally…” She leaned forward and clutched fistfuls of her hair. “Graah!”

“Wait. He…” Sonata’s soft voice pulled Aria’s eyes back up. “You?” Her blue face went still for a moment as gears appeared to turn into place. Her brow angled, and she spun on Adagio with a growl.

“Dagi!”

“I said I’m sorry!”

The two glared at each other for another few moments, before both lowered their eyes to the floor and then looked back up at Aria.

Adagio’s face appeared weighted down, as if the gravity of everything she’d done had finally taken hold.

Sonata frowned with a long sigh. She stepped quickly toward Aria and yanked her into a strong, tight hug—which then softened into a warm and caring embrace.

Aria went rigid at the sudden gesture, but then her coiled-up anger drained out, and she collapsed against Sonata with single, breathy cry. Her eyes fell closed, and she finally surrendered, allowing herself to simply be held.

Another minute or so passed in relative silence, with the only sound being the rise and fall of her breath. She looked up toward Adagio and found her standing against one side of kitchen doorway with her arms crossed. Tears glistened in her eyes as well, and behind them swelled a soft, genuine look of remorse. Adagio held Aria’s gaze for another few moments, blinked twice, and then lowered her head.

“I’m… sorry, Aria. I really am.” She sniffled and brought her hands to her forehead with a long, tired exhale. “Look… After talking about all this with them tonight, I…”—she sounded like she was about to choke on the word—“hate myself for doing that to you. I do. For all of it.” She lowered her eyes to the door frame and wiped them with a sleeve before crossing her arms again. “I should have been there for both of you.”

For another half-minute Aria remained silent, resting against Sonata while looking up toward Adagio. She returned a brief hug of her own and then pulled away slowly. “Why?” She waited for Adagio to meet her eyes again. “I just wanna know why.”

“I don’t…” Adagio gripped one hand over her other wrist. She opened her mouth to continue, but then paused and shifted her weight to the other foot. Again, she went to speak—but instead took a long, slow breath and looked back down in the doorway. The hand holding her wrist rubbed slowly up her arm and squeezed. Fresh tears welled up in her eyes as she stared down at the floor in silence. “I ruined it,” she muttered weakly. “Everything. Us.” She crossed her arms again and huddled her shoulders. “And now we’re never going home…”

She closed her eyes and turned away. “You must hate me so much. I do. I knew you were both just going to leave… Go on to your own better things.”

Adagio sniffled and laughed once while keeping eyes lowered. “I always thought I’d be the one better off alone. Not having to drag you two around… keep you out of trouble. But now—I don’t even know what the hell…” Her voice began to crack as she went on. “The thought of you leaving me… that you’d be stronger… or better off without me. It scared me. I couldn’t let it happen. So I just…” She let out a shaking breath and then lifted her streaked face.

When their eyes met, Aria felt a cold, hard something inside of her melt.

That was enough. This was real.

She reached out an open hand.

Adagio’s eyes widened. She blinked twice. A brief smile fluttered and then faded again. She stepped toward the two of them and was pulled into a tight, three-way embrace. “Thank you…” she choked out in a whisper.

The three remained that way for a good, long minute, and when at last they pulled apart, each wiped her eyes. Sonata and Aria rested on the edge of the counter while Adagio leaned her back against the fridge. Again she crossed her arms and looked down at the floor.

“It’s not like I want to get all chummy with them or anything…” she said. “But we need to fix this. Here. If we’re going to have any hope of moving on.”

Sonata nodded quietly and took a slow breath through her nose. She lifted her eyes to Adagio and then to Aria.

With the rolling surge of emotions having drained from the room, Aria felt the weight of the last few hours flood back in to fill its place. She hunched her shoulders and palmed her eyes with a groan. “I’m goin’ to bed,” she said. “Just… gotta see how this all feels in the morning. Too tired to process this shit right now.” Without sparing another glance toward either of them, she crossed her arms and walked down the hall to her bedroom.

A tall sliver of light winked out as the door clicked shut, and a well of empty calm washed in to fill the darkened space. It felt as if she were resting within the eye of the evening’s storm of raging tensions and urges; of fears and desires. It was all still out there—beyond the door; beyond her walls. Perhaps in the morning the storm will have blown over. Part of her hoped the three of them could then clean up the debris and start rebuilding.

And just what had happened to Adagio? It seemed such a sudden shift. Or… had all of those vulnerable emotions always been there, just pent up behind the wall of authority and pride?

“Sonata…” she said quietly, with a faint grin and a shake of her head. “You always find a way.”

Aria stripped down to her briefs, then walked over to her dresser and threw on an oversized black t-shirt. She climbed onto the bed and hugged up against her giant, fraying, stuffed frog.

She closed her eyes and pressed her face into the worn material as a grey, troubled uncertainty fell in around her. Because it was more than just Sonata’s words tonight that had set them on the path to reconciliation, wasn’t it? Adagio had said something about Shimmer and the others.

If Adagio had given up a measure of her hatred for the sake of moving on, then would it be so bad for Aria to do the same? She frowned as memories returned from her encounter with Rarity—of how badly she’d treated her, and of the way she’d felt at the end of it: alone, sulking, and empty. Was it too late to talk to Rarity about another chance? Her concern really did seem genuine.

And like always, I barked and growled and chased her off…

Would she even be given another chance? A twisting guilt welled up inside of her, but around its edges shone a glimmer of hope. Tomorrow was a new day, and in the morning, she would have to choose how to face it. With a deep, surrendering breath, Aria tightened her arms around her stuffed companion and waited for sleep to take her.

What's in a Name?

Aria closed the front door and turned toward the living room.

Over on the couch, Adagio stifled a chuckle while looking her up and down. “Holy shit. What happened toyou?”

Aria’s cheerful mood stumbled and turned sour. “Really?” She shot a glare. “What happened to last night? I thought we were past all this?”

Adagio raised her palms. “I know, I know… Sorry.” Her haughty grin softened into a warm smile. “Just messing with you.” She stood, walked over, and took the motorcycle helmet from Aria’s hand. “Seriously though, you look… amazing.”

The rising anger in Aria’s chest snuffed out at the unexpected affection.

Adagio hung the helmet on its usual hook and then traced a hand down the length of Aria’s hair. “It’s like silk, if a bit wind-ruffled. And no jagged ends? Very nice.” She lowered her eyes, continuing her inspection. “And is that a manicure and a pedicure?”

Aria forced a hard exhale through her nose and stuffed both hands into her pockets. She felt a flush growing in cheeks. “Urgh… Enough.”

Adagio took a step back, crossed her arms and brought a hand to her chin. “I presume Miss Diamonds is responsible for this.” She gave another warm smile. “I mean it, though. You look really good.”

“Yeah.” Aria lowered her eyes and looked off toward the kitchen. “Long day. I dunno what I expected, but… It was good. I kinda picked out the shirt. The rest was her.”

“Ariiii!”

“Oh, god…”

Sonata darted out of the kitchen and nearly tackled her with a hug. “You look so pretty!”

“Yeah. We’ve been over this.” She struggled to free herself. “Let. Go.”

When Aria eventually pried herself from Sonata's grip, the three of them shared some passing glances and a few uncertain, yet peaceful, smiles. The house was quiet, but Aria found it to be a good sort of quiet. She could scarcely remember the last time the three of them had simply… existed in the same room like this on good terms. It was a warm feeling.

“So. Yeah," she said. "Rarity told me there’s this thing going on tonight, and—”

“Oh my gosh!” Sonata beamed a wide grin. “You’re going?”

“Well… I was thinking about it.”

“Dagi’s gonna drive me.” She clasped her hands with a giddy bounce. “You can ride with us.”

“Yes,” Adagio confirmed. “But remember, I said I’ll drop you off. You still have to find you own way home.”

“What, you’re not staying?” Aria asked.

“I have other plans.”

Aria crossed her arms and shifted her weight to one foot with a smug grin. “Of course you do. What’s her name?”

Adagio put both hands on her hips and turned up her nose. “None of your business.”

They locked eyes and stared at each other for a moment… but then shared a smiling fit of laughter.

Why did this feel so good? Was Aria’s resentment and bitterness toward Adagio through all the years born simply from a want for this feeling of sisterly affection? She would need more time to think on it, but for now at least, she enjoyed the feeling.

A scent drifting from the kitchen brought a sudden halt to her mirth. She sniffed audibly, bringing the others to do the same. It smelled like burning sugar.

“Cookies!” Sonata yelped. She spun back into the kitchen, trailing a, “No, no, no!” as she ran.

“She’s been baking all afternoon for that party,” Adagio said. A hesitant look passed through her eyes as she lowered them for a moment, but then she perked up again with an attempt at a warm smile. “But now…” She clasped her hands. “We still have a couple of hours.” She headed over to the stairway and motioned for Aria to follow. “Come on. I’ll give your hair a good brushing before we leave.”

Aria paused for a moment—to be certain she had heard correctly—but then obliged. Adagio appeared to be genuinely trying. They still had a long way to go, for sure, but this small step swelled a tiny warmth inside of her. As she walked up the stairs, she closed her eyes and took a deep, pleasant breath.

And she smiled.

The afternoon sun filtering through the windows had recently faded to dusk, and a desk lamp now illuminated the craft table in Carousel Boutique’s upstairs loft. Steadying a pattern with one hand, Rarity slowly traced a marker along its edge. The last few hours of work, while productive, had been punctuated by thoughts of her time at the spa earlier, compounded by worries of the evening still to come. One phrase in particular was persistent in her mind.

‘Fancy hair and some new clothes won’t change all the terrible shit I’ve done.’

Rarity set her pen down and sighed. A white ball of fluff brushed against her arm.

“Oh, Opal…” She frowned with a slow stroke down the cat’s back. “Twilight or Sunset would know what to do. What do I really have to offer?” She looked at all of the patterns spread across the table. “I don’t know why I thought a silly makeover and some new clothes would help her. Not with everything she’s lost.”

“Mrowww.”

She had good reason to be concerned about tonight as well. What if this party ended up going poorly? If Aria ended up being ignored or spurned, or if her temper got the better of her… She had taken a few big steps today, and Rarity knew from experience that emerging from one’s shell brought with it a certain degree of vulnerability.

Each of her friends had done so much for helping Sunset and then Sonata: Fluttershy’s gentle kindness, Rainbow and Applejack’s encouragement and supportiveness, Pinkie’s cheer. She felt her own contributions to be fleeting in comparison.

Opalescence sat down in front of her and stared up. “Mrrroup?”

“Oh? Why yes, you’re right! I still haven’t told them yet.”

Rarity reached for her phone and dialed Applejack’s number. While listening to the ring, she walked over to sit in the bay window-seat overlooking the street below. Under the deepening evening sky, the street lamps had begun to flicker to life.

“Heya, Rares.”

“Why hello, dear.”

“Shouldn’t you be gettin’ ready? What’s up?”

Hmm, how to say this…

“Well… I wanted to let you know that we will have another joining us tonight. I had a most unexpected guest at the boutique today.”

While summarizing the events of the day, Rarity watched out the window as a custom-painted van pulled up across the street below. A group of four musicians began unloading an assortment of band equipment into the nearby bar. By their attire, they appeared to be of the punk-ish sort. She hoped to one day do something similar with her friends and their own band—whether over the summer, or perhaps during college if most of them ended up staying local.

“Well, it sounds like ya done good by her,” Applejack said. “From what Sunset tells me, Adagio started to open up a bit as well.”

Rarity sighed. Sunset was a natural at this sort of thing, too, wasn’t she, especially with everything she herself had experienced.

‘Look at you! Have you ever had a single bad day in your pretty little life?!’

Rarity winced. While that wasn’t necessarily true, and while Aria had immediately taken it back afterward, the memory of it still stung. She may lead a privileged life, but it was a life that was founded on, and consisting of, dedication, sacrifice and hard work. The bad days had been there, for certain, but they had always been overcome with the support of her friends. Though when the need arose for her to give that support back in return, she had struggled with feeling like she wasn’t capable. Generous gifts and some fashion advice could only go so far, after all.

“Oh, Applejack. It’s just…” She closed her eyes and leaned back against the window alcove with a long sigh. “I don’t know if it’s enough. You and Sunset and the others have all done so much to help them. But with me…” She gave a single, sad laugh. “It’s just some new clothes. And tomorrow she’ll just have to start all over again with her hair, and—”

“Now y’all stop that. You hear me?”

“But…”

“Listen to me.” She took a long pause, as if searching for the right words. “You remember that time when Apple Bloom and Sweetie were over at yer shop, and you had her workin’ with your balance books and all that? She never did think she was any good with math, so I dunno what it was you did… but lately she’s been doin’ that same sorta stuff for us over at the farm. You got somethin’ there, sugar.

“It wasn’t the first time I seen ya do it either. I dunno what it is, but you just got this way of… waking things up inside’a people. Like… shining a light and finding something they didn’t even know was there. So don’t you ever sell that short.”

Rarity found her eyes watering and dried them with a delicate finger. “Hmm. Thank you, dear. As always.” She added a light laugh.

“Right. Now you go finish gettin’ ready. I’ll see y’all there.”

“Alright. I’ll see you as well.”

She hung up the phone and looked down out the window again. The sound of instruments being tuned and tested drifted up from across the street. Rarity’s eyes widened, and she sat up. Music. Perhaps a singing teacher, or at the very least an instrument of some sort. It would take a delicate touch, for certain, to broach the subject—as it was likely to still be a sore spot, but if she could find some way to bring that back to Aria, then…

One step at a time, however. Quite a bit was going to hinge on how events played out tonight. Rarity glanced down at the clock her phone—and then shrieked. “Only an hour!?” She leapt off the seat in a flash of panic. The phone slid onto the craft table and thunked against her tool box as she flew past into the dressing room.

“And now left here!” Sonata’s arm sprang from the back seat and blocked Adagio’s view as she was trying to turn.

“Would you…” Adagio’s words fell into a grumble. She shook her head and sighed.

Aria snickered from the passenger seat. “You ever stop to marvel at just how good she actually is with directions? In spite of all of her other…”

Adagio laughed once, then pulled the car up and stopped. She looked over at Aria, and then turned to Sonata. “Alright. Here we are.”

Aria looked out the window. The small closed-up wedding chapel across the sidewalk matched the landmark Rarity had given her for meeting up. And sure enough… the rear passenger door sprang open. Cotton Candy bounced her head in with a squeal and grabbed half of Sonata’s cookie trays. Sonata lifted the others herself and followed her out.

Aria stepped out of the car as well and found Rarity waiting with a warm smile and a wave. While returning a wave of her own, she caught a full view of what Rarity was wearing, and… Wow. She thought the outfit from earlier had been high class, but it had nothing on the pale yellow and sky-blue evening gown which draped her figure now. Her hair was done up high in the back, with some deliberate strands falling to frame her face.

“I’m so glad you could make it,” Rarity said with another smile.

“Uhm, yeah,” Aria crossed her arms with a wary glance. “You better be right about this.”

Rarity gave her a hip-nudge and a smile. “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”

Aria nodded, then took in the rest of the scene. Rainbow Splash and Cowpoke stood further up the sidewalk chatting with one another. Mousey was being conscripted by Sonata and Big Pink to help carry their trays.

“Huh. So I see five of you,” Aria said. “Where’s Ketchup-and-Mustard?”

Rarity hmm?-d, but then her eyes widened, and she nearly lost herself in a cough of laughter. She cleared her throat in an attempt to regain her composure. Steading herself with a breath and a smile, she went on. “Sunset informed me she had other plans. Some excuse about studying for tests next week. But if I’m honest, I think she needs that less than any of us. She is, however, her own woman, so…”

Aria turned back toward the car. Adagio appeared to be giving some instructions to Sonata, much like a mother would her teenage daughter. Seemingly satisfied with the response, she rolled up the window and slowly drove off.

Rarity called her other friends over for a brief introduction. It was a quick affair—some waves and greetings. Friendly enough, but expectedly awkward. It was going to take more than just an afternoon at the spa for Aria to choke down that whole bag of Skittles.

The group walked together a short ways up the road to the chapel’s larger reception hall, decked out in balloons and bright color for the evening’s occasion. Its front doors were propped open, spilling out a chorus of light and sound. It was a sight Aria had encountered dozens of times throughout the years, but she approached it this time from an unfamiliar point of view. Whereas before there had been a purpose toward manipulation and control, tonight she was able to simply enjoy the evening… or at least try. Without magic to sway the other guests’ perception, what would they really think of her?

Two or three at a time, they plunged through the hanging streamers into the ocean of dance, sweat, and music. Aria brought up the rear behind the trio of snack-bearers. Upon emerging inside, she found Rarity waiting. Her intent, it seemed, was to continue the introductions. She hooked elbows with Aria, and then the two worked their way through the room.

On the whole, she found the greetings were friendly enough, but the ordeal was not without its wary looks, punctuated by a number of crossed arms and narrowed eyes. Aria had given up on counting the number of times she’d heard, ‘Ahh, you’re Sonata’s friend,’ followed by a handshake or an awkward smile. The lack of recognition in her own right disappointed her more than she could have imagined.

When they arrived at the food tables, she crossed her arms and turned to Rarity. “So… That was a thing.”

“If it was a bit overwhelming, then I apologize,” Rarity replied. “But… I figured it a good place to start.” She folded her arms as well and looked out over the crowd. “Is there anything in particular you’d like to do next? Wander, mingle, dance?”

“I honestly dunno,” Aria said. “I mean, if this was a year ago, Adagio and I would be casing the room for easy marks, with Sonata wandering around doing gods-knows-what.” She sat back against the table. “This is so fucking weird. Nice, I mean, but… weird.”

“Hmm,” Rarity said. “I suppose I can empathize.”

A taller guy with green dreadlocks sprouting from his unwashed hippie-cap waved to Rarity as he walked up to grab a snack. He pointed to Aria. “And, uhh… Dazzle-something… right?”

She held back a growl of disgust. First it was Sonata, and now Adagio. Did her presence during that week at the school really leave no impression on any of these people? It was all she could do to hold back a scathing scowl. Instead, she just narrowed her eyes and said, “Aria.”

“Right on…” He nodded a few times to the music and wandered off again.

Rarity offered an apologetic smile.

“It’s fine,” Aria said. It actually wasn’t fine, but she didn’t feel like talking about it.

“Well…” Rarity clasped her hands together. “I need to go and make a few social rounds. You’re welcome to join me, of course. But I understand if you would rather mingle on your own.”

“Yeah… I’ll just wander,” she said while crossing her arms. “If nothing else, I’ll find some drunk idiots or couples’ drama to laugh at.”

Rarity raised an eyebrow.

Aria smirked. “Old habits… Don’t judge.”

Rarity laughed. She gave another brief hug and then waved as she made her way off into the crowd, pausing for the occasional shoulder-pat or impromptu flash photograph.

With her fate now back in her own hands, Aria turned around to survey the spread on the table behind her. Looking down her nose, she spotted half a dozen familiar cookie trays, spaced out amid an assortment of hors d'oeuvres, punch bowls and vegetable platters. Tapping a finger on her lips, she finally selected what looked like a chicken and artichoke roll, cut into discs to resemble sushi. As she lifted it to take a bite, a stray camera flash off to the left caused her to blink her eyes and growl quietly. She turned away and walked off, popping the rest of the piece in her mouth and dusting off her hands.

Hmm. So now what…

She wasn’t in the mood to push for any further conversation, so lacking any firm goal, Aria set to wandering. She shifted back and forth between pressing against the flow of humanity and simply letting it carry her along, drifting to and fro with the dance and the tide.

On more than one occasion, she caught a glimpse of that white-haired stage magician that Adagio had roped into their plan during the Battle. Sometimes the girl would be standing against a wall with her arms crossed. Other times there would be a scowl etched across her face, but in every instance, Aria found her staring back with a narrowed, scrunched-up brow. Each and every time. Just staring. It was more than a little creepy. Granted, with how the Battle of the Bands had gone down, Aria couldn’t fault her for being angry. Eh, whatever. She wasn’t in the mood to deal with that crap tonight.

As she continued to surf the crowd, it was simply more of the same: smiles and waves, with any attempt at conversation consisting mostly of passing hello’s, and ‘Sonata’-this or ‘Sonata’-that. There had been a disappointing lack of any drunken embarrassment or overt drama. Pity…

Aria leaned against a nearby wall and crossed her arms. She let out an exhausted breath and lowered her eyes. She didn’t really have high expectations for the evening to being with, so she wasn’t sure whether to feel disappointed or content with the way it had played out. Nearly everyone had given her at least a smile—some of them pleasant, even. That said, most of them had kept a rather ‘safe’ distance. They certainly seemed to remember that much about her… She tightened her arms and sagged further into the wall. Whatever.

“Hey, you’re… Sonata’s friend, right?”

Aria growled, and her brow creased. I swear to hell, if one more of you…

She looked up to meet the gaze of some guy roughly her own height. Decent build. His skin tone was a slight shade darker than Sonata’s, with ivory hair and silver-grey eyes. She tightened her arms and scowled. “Yeah. I’m Sonata’s Friend.”

He put a hand behind his head. “Sorry, I—”

“Aria.”

“Yeah.” He offered an embarrassed grin and then a handshake. “Sterling.”

Hmph…

She had to applaud this one for being brave enough make an effort, at least, and he honestly wasn’t too bad on the eyes. She certainly didn’t expect anyone to approach her of their own free will, but if he could provide some meaningful interaction, then perhaps the evening wouldn’t have been a total loss.

He put both hands in his pockets, still looking a bit ashamed. “It’s just… with how things went down last month.”

“I know,” Aria said sharply. She looked out over the crowd. The loud music and the din of chatter was almost too much to carry on a casual conversation. She motioned her head toward the throng in the middle of the room. “Dance?”

A flicker of surprise crossed his face, but then his posture relaxed, and he offered a hand. Aria surprised herself as well when a smile fluttered across her own face as she followed him out into the mix.

The loud, droning music continued to block any chance for conversation, but it didn’t matter to her in that moment. After an evening of crowded isolation, she was grateful for the opportunity to move in a way that involved some give-and-take with another active and mindful participant.

Push and pull. Ebb and flow. The hard pulsing sounds carried them apart and then brought them face-to-face again. Aside, and then back. Drift and repeat. Motion. Rhythm. And harmony. After a while, the pounding, steady beats faded into a softer three-step time. They came together, first hand-in-hand, and then arms entwined. Both were too winded to speak, sweat beading on their brows.

Before long, the music dropped again into a slower, four-beat rhythm, bringing with it a chance to talk at last. “You know…” he said with a smile, after they had both caught their breath. “I actually don't go to this school.”

Aria quirked an eyebrow. “Hmm. Then how did you…”

“I was in the crowd for your showcase though. Hanging out with some CHS friends. So… Yeah. I got to experience your… performance first hand.”

Aria averted her eyes with a frown.

“Scary. But at the same time… wow.” His voice had drifted to some far off place. “They’re the same folks I’m here with tonight. It’s how I know Sonata, too.”

“Ahh,” Aria replied, with her eyes still lowered. She wasn’t quite sure how to describe this feeling. It was an uneasy mix between the sting of failure and a pang of regret. Nothing about that night had gone as she’d planned—including it would seem, one of them still holding a flame for her long after the magic had faded. The discovery warmed her with a smile, but it also bought with it a cold reminder of the death of her song.

He laughed quietly. “We’re not supposed to get along, you know. Being rival schools, but c’mon… they were my friends long before any of that. We sneak into each others’ events all the time.”

She met his eyes again. What could he possibly see in her that had drawn him closer while the others had all edged away. Perhaps she should just take this for what it was worth, though, and enjoy the attention instead of thinking too hard on it.

He lifted his hand up Aria’s back to caress her shoulder, and then brushed down her arm. “Wow. That’s… some muscle tone,” he said.

Aria’s heart sank. She narrowed her eyes with a warning look. Was he actually intimidated after all, just like the others?

“Don’t get me wrong,” he added quickly. “It’s a good thing. I… kinda dig it.”

She let out her rising concern through an exhale and lowered her eyes. “It’s fine. But yeah. I take out my frustrations at the boxing gym on the west side of town.” After a pause, she added, “I spend… a lot of time there.”

This got a chuckle out of him. She returned a half-grin of her own.

“So. Everyone knows my deal,” Aria said, with her hopeful mirth returning. “Evil ex-witch-thing, with no real prospects. What are you in for?”

“I’m… heading upstate to the culinary college in the fall. Cooking’s been a thing in my family for years, so… thankfully I don’t hate it.” He laughed. “Mom and a few others went there. So it’s just the next step, y’know?”

“Hm.”

“My younger sister’s not having any of it though… The irony is them trying to groom her from birth to be some famous pastry chef.” He looked off and shook his head with a chuckle. “I guess they figured with a name like ‘Sugarcoat,’ how could she not, right?” He gave a long grinning sigh. “But yeah. Nothing ‘sweet’ about that one, turns out.”

Aria felt a genuine, happy laugh bubble up. She looked up at him with a sideways grin. “Hmm, you know…” she said, as the grin softened into a smile. “I actually… don’t hate you.”

He raised an eyebrow.

She patted one hand on his chest. “Trust me. It’s a compliment. Don’t think too hard on it.”

They quietly held each others’ eyes for a few more turns as the song dipped into its closing bars.

When the last note had faded, he took both of her hands in his. “Well…” he said. “I need to go and catch my friends so I can drive them all home, but… I enjoyed that, Aria. See you around? I’ll have someone get in touch with Sonata.”

Something inside of her bloomed like a firework at the sound of her own name. To finally hear it spoken by someone other than her two eternal companions… It had been so long. She brushed some hair over the top of one ear and said in an uncharacteristically gentle tone, “Yeah… Sure.”

They both waved as he walked off, and then Aria checked her phone again: it read 11:50 PM. She didn’t want to think too hard on what had just happened. Patience and measured expectations would protect her, she hoped, from the kind of desires which had always led her to an inevitable fall. She did a quick scan of the crowd and spotted Sonata’s bob of hair over by the food table.

When Sonata saw her coming, she leaned back against the table and narrowed her eyes with a sly grin. “What was thaaaat? I saw you out there.”

Aria’s face flushed crimson. “Shut up, moron.” Her heart didn’t need any temptation to go down that path right now.

Sonata leapt off the table and wrapped her in a hug.

“Gruh. Alright. Off.” She eventually freed herself again. “So how are we getting home?”

Sonata brought a finger to her chin. Her vacant expression did little to inspire hope for a worthwhile answer. “Uhh…”

“Why do I even bother…” Aria rubbed her forehead with an exasperated sigh and turned to go find Rarity. “Don’t hurt yourself. I’ll be right back.”

Standing delicately with her hands clasped behind her, Rarity eyed a cautious glance to her left. Not far off, a huddle of guests were conversing in a circle. Further out onto the floor, yet more were dancing slowly, face-to-face. Most importantly, however—none of them appeared to be looking in her direction. She furtively shifted her gaze to the right and encountered, blessedly, more of the same.

It would seem that the coast was, indeed, clear.

With a deft, graceful motion, she snaked a hand behind her and lifted a blue, speckled truffle off of its tray. Her third of the night? Well… Perhaps it was the fourth. But who is counting, hm?

It began with a dignified nibble, followed by another, and then two more. The decadent filling melted, the flavor spread, and then the gentle crunch of the bits on top led to… mmmm. She popped the remainder into her mouth and savored it with a quiet moan. She clasped both hands in front of her and inhaled deeply, before letting out the long breath and opening her eyes—only to see Aria out in the middle of the crowd. Dancing. With a partner! One whom she did not recognize… But that was neither here nor there. She wrapped herself in a slow hug and sighed with a smile.

The song came to an end. The couples began to part. There was no sense in letting Aria know she had been observing. In the interest of making herself scarce, Rarity quietly hustled off in search of a few more conversations.

She spoke briefly with Flash and his band, then gave Sandalwood another passing wave, and had just finished saying goodbye to Blueberry Cake, when—

“Hey. There you are.”

Rarity turned around just as Aria came to a stop. “Hello, dear. How have you been?” It was all she could do to hold herself back from gushing into a waterfall of questions about the dance, and the details of the rest of Aria’s evening, but there would be a time for that later. For now, ‘restraint’ was the name of the game.

“So…” Aria said. “I made the mistake of thinking Sonata would find us a ride home, and…”

“Ahh,” Rarity noted with a smile. She checked her phone and saw that it was just past midnight. “And therefore, I presume my services are required.”

“No rush to leave, but… yeah.”

“It’s no trouble. I was just about to come find the two of you to say goodbye. So, I shall be your chauffeur.”

“Thanks.” Aria crossed her arms. “I left Sonata over by the food. Just gotta hope she listened and stayed put.”

The two made the short walk back to the table. Sonata was, thankfully, right where Aria had left her. As they approached, it became apparent as to why. It looked as if she was nearly falling asleep while standing up.

“Aww,” Rarity said. “Poor thing must be exhausted.”

“Yeah. It’s not unusual,” Aria replied. “It’s like a lightswitch just gets turned off somewhere in her brain.” She slung an arm behind Sonata and stood her up from leaning against the table. “Come on, dork. Time to go home.”

She nodded with a groggy smile. “Mmm hmm.”

Rarity waved her farewells to all of the passers-by as they shuffled outside and then back to her car. It was an otherwise silent, and strangely peaceful, affair.

The drive itself proved to be more of the same. Aria sat in the passenger seat looking out the window, appearing lost in thought as the street lamps passed by overhead one after another. Sonata laid sleeping quietly across the rear seat.

The thought of dropping Aria off and leaving her alone with her thoughts overnight didn’t sit well with Rarity. Aria had taken a big step out tonight, and her mind was very likely swimming with thoughts and worries aching to be shared, even if begrudgingly. Rarity was not one to abandon her charge to such a place of uncertainty. Not after coming this far.

“I know it is late,” Rarity said. “But, after we drop her off, would you perhaps be interested in… picking up where we left off at the coffee shop? If nothing else, I’m sure poor Venti would like to see us engaging again on good terms.”

Aria considered for a few moments. “It’d mean leaving her home alone. But it’s probably fine.” She looked over in the back. “Just have to make sure she knows we’re leaving and doesn’t wake up in surprise to an empty house.” She turned forward again, and her eyes went unfocused. “That happened once before. And… yeah. Story for another time though.”

When they pulled up at the Dazzlings’ house, Aria escorted Sonata inside, in much the same way as their earlier walk to the car. She directed her to the couch and then retrieved a heavy blanket from the hall closet.

Rarity was taken aside by the gentle, motherly care that Aria showed as she went through what appeared to be some well-tread paces. She carefully removed Sonata’s shoes before situating her pillow and blanket just right. She dimmed the lights, set ceiling fan on low, and then finally placed a gentle hand on the the sleeping girl’s forehead. It painted a stark contrast to the usual blustering and name-calling and was a warm, happy exchange to watch unfold.

Aria snugged the blanket around Sonata’s shoulders. “Hey…”

“Hmm?” Sonata’s eyes opened to a half-lidded awareness.

“We’re going out for some coffee, but I’ll be back. I have no idea if Adagio is coming home tonight, so… sleep good. Alright?”

Sonata nodded with a yawn and rolled over into the back of the couch.

“Alright.” Aria brushed a hand on Sonata’s head. “We’re good.”

The ride to the coffee shop was mostly quiet as well. As much as Rarity wanted to pry all of the evening’s details out of Aria, there was a certain peacefulness in the moment which just felt right.

When they arrived inside and made their way up to the marbled countertop, Rarity received the smile she had hoped for from Venti. Aria ordered a black coffee, and she did the same. Coffee, after all, seemed an appropriate chaser following her earlier… truffle indiscretion. She cleared her throat quietly.

While Rarity was undoing the clasp on her purse, Aria slapped some cash on the counter.

“Not a chance,” Aria said. She grabbed her cup and motioned toward the booths. “Let’s go.”

Rarity chuckled and followed her lead. Alright. Fair is fair.

They sat down across from one another at a booth in the rear corner. Both took a drink and then set their cups down on the table. Aria kept her eyes lowered on hers, as she held it between her hands. She had been unexpectedly withdrawn and quiet since leaving the party.

“So,” Rarity said. “You must have expected that I would ask this, but… how do you feel about the way things went this evening?”

Following a pause, Aria said, “I don’t regret it.” She gave a half-laugh. “Of course, I wasn’t really expecting much to begin with, but… yeah. I guess the thing that really hit me was they were all friendly enough. But it was always just the same ‘Hey,’ and a smile. Or like, ‘Ahh, you're Sonata's friend,’ or some other bullshit.”

She looked up at Rarity. “Not one of them even knew my name, or really anything about me.”

“Hmm.” Rarity leaned forward on the table and placed her hands around Aria’s. “I’m sure it will come with time. As you put yourself out there more.”

“I guess…” Aria folded her arms and leaned back in the booth, keeping her eyes lowered. “But it’s always been that way. Like I said before, everyone always notices Adagio and Sonata. And whatever they’ve got, I just never had it. And like some hard-ass, I always just said ‘Screw it, I don’t care.’ But now it’s like… I do.” She looked up at Rarity again. “And it sucks. It… hurts. Is it so bad to want some recognition? A little adoration? I know we took it too far before, but…” She let out a long breath and lowered her eyes again.

“I mean, there was that one guy tonight who showed some interest, but…” She placed both palms on her forehead and sighed. “But it’s whatever. Not like I’m worth a damn anymore. Not without my voice.” She took another sip of coffee and then folded her arms on the table, looking down at her cup. “Singing was my… everything. Even when we weren’t using it to get what we wanted, it was just… me, you know? And now it’s gone.”

Hmm, Rarity thought. Well… That certainly did put a damper on her hopes for lighthearted conversation. It seemed that she would have to once again postpone her eagerness to ask about the dance and Aria’s mystery gentleman. It hardly felt appropriate now, in light of all that had been said. It did, however, spark within her a new sense of purpose. With all the resources at her disposal, there had to be something that she could do to bring that warmth of music back to Aria again.

Rarity took another slow sip of her coffee. “Would you perhaps humor me, just one more time?”

Aria looked up at her with a raised eyebrow.

“I would like to take you somewhere again, tomorrow afternoon. It may be a long shot, but I would like to try to bring that music back to you, in some way or another. I can see now just how important it is to you.”

Aria sat up slowly and rubbed her thumbs on the cup as she stared down at it between both hands.

Rarity continued, “I don’t know if you have played an instrument before, or considered it, but… it may be something?”

“Hm. I guess,” Aria said, with her eyes still lowered. “Painting has worked well for Sonata. And I've spent some time on the piano. What’d you have in mind?”

“My friends and I have keys to the school and its music room. I dare say there would be quite a number of possibilities there. And barring that, I might also inquire with the gentleman who provided my sister and I with singing lessons.” She signed quietly. “I know it would feel like a step back from where you once were, but…”

Aria gave a dispassionate laugh. “Kicking my pride in the ass. But yeah… I guess it’s worth a try.” She finished the last of the coffee and put her palms down on the table. “Alright. You’ll pick me up whenever? Since I assume motorcycle helmets aren’t your thing.”

Rarity laughed. “Quite. So then. Let us say, four-thirty or so?”

“Sure.”

Their drive home was mostly quiet like the last. The silence provided Rarity a canvas upon which to paint out her thoughts. From what Aria had told her, it seemed the evening had been a success in its own right, but had also given rise to a number of new concerns and uncertainties. She hoped dearly that Aria’s encounter on the dance floor might bloom into a happy partnership. If there was one thing she had learned during their time together, it was that Aria held a deeply rooted desire for genuine affection and appreciation. Everyone deserved that basic happiness, and Rarity vowed to use her every capability to bring it into reality for her newest friend.

Upon arriving back at the house, Aria opened the car the door but remained seated for a moment. “Thanks again,” she said. “Sorry to be a downer back there. I did have a good time. It just… brought up a lot of things.”

“I understand,” Rarity said with a smile. “And I’ll see you tomorrow. Now go and check on Sonata.”

“Right.” Aria patted a hand twice on the dashboard and smiled faintly to herself. “G’night.” She climbed out and shut the door behind her.

As Rarity pulled off to begin the drive home, she panned again over the canvas of her thoughts. She knew that there had to be some way to reunite Aria with her music and her song. Her mind played out over all of the possibilities for tomorrow’s endeavor. For Aria’s sake, this had to work. Something had to work… She just had to figure out where to shine the light.

Wellspring

“Alright. So here we are.” Rarity unlocked the music room and flipped on the lights.

Following a stop by the boutique to fit Aria with a new two-piece shirt set, the two of them had continued on to Canterlot High. Rarity had struggled to keep an encouraging face throughout the affair. Try as she might, she could not seem to shake the memory of seeing Aria out at the overlook, down on her knees with her spirit broken. Watching her now step into the room among all the instruments, Rarity hoped that some part of the song within her still remained and that something from today would resonate.

Aria came to a stop and folded her arms. She shivered slightly.

Rarity slowly brought a hand to her mouth. “What is it?”

Aria tensed her shoulders but then shook off whatever was troubling her. “It’s nothing.” She walked over to the piano and brushed a few fingers across its top. She paused again and looked slowly around the room. “Hmm. Not really feeling any of the others.” She sat down at the keyboard and lifted its cover. “This is still the one that speaks to me… if you could even call it that.”

Aria closed her eyes and centered herself with a deep breath. At the end of the long exhale, she flexed her fingers and started into the first few bars of a classical piece. For a moment, it looked as if a wisp of grace was beginning to settle in around her, but then she hit a wrong chord and inhaled sharply through her nose. The fragile peace scattered. She deflated and placed both palms against her forehead. “Ugh. It’s been so long. And I’m just…” She crossed her arms again and closed her eyes. “Sorry. I know you meant well. Maybe some day it’ll feel right again, but…“

Rarity rubbed her forehead with a sigh. She had hoped this world work, and she was running out of ideas. It was as she feared: there seemed to be no path to restoring Aria’s hope other than reigniting her song. Her spirit sank, and her doubts threatened to turn inward. There had to be something. “No. I am sorry, dear.” She walked over to sit on the riser near the wall. “I had hoped, but… I understand.”

“Thanks for trying.”

“I do not want to give up, but… ugh.” She folded both arms over her knees and lowered her head. The doubts were closing in around her, but she couldn’t let Aria see her losing faith. Her eyes began to well up in frustration.

Her phone dinged with Rainbow Dash’s notification tone. She sniffled and took it out to look. There was a text message and a link.

‘uh, you better take a look at this’

Rarity’s brow furrowed. She tapped on the link, which opened up the MyStable website. There was a post from an account named @gapstar, showing a photograph of Aria from the party last night. It was taken from her left side right at the moment she was opening her mouth to take a bite of food, resulting in a very unflattering pose. The caption read:

guess you -can- put lipstick on a pig. #witchbitch

Rarity covered her mouth with a sharp gasp and slapped the phone down on her leg—but then immediately regretted the impulse. She looked up at Aria and found her staring back with narrowed eyes.

“What is it…” she asked in a near-threatening tone.

“Oh! It’s… n-noth—Hey!”

Aria closed the distance in two strides and swiped the phone out of her hand. She turned it upright to view what was on the screen.

Rarity watched her eyes start to quiver before hardening into a scowl as the fingers on her free hand flexed and tensed into a fist.

“Aria,” she said softly. “It’s not—”

“It’s not what?” Aria retorted, shoving the picture toward Rarity. “It’s exactly what it looks like. And you know it.”

“It’s just one person.”

“Yeah… The one with the balls to say what they’re all thinking! They wouldn’t say it last night. But it was still there behind all the fake smiles.”

Aria turned and started pacing with the phone still clenched in one hand.

Rarity could almost feel the anger radiating off of her. She bit her lip and shrank inward. This was all wrong. They had been so close, only for everything to fall apart now? She had to do something.

Aria finally halted and yelled, “What the fuck am I even doing?!” She flung the phone back to Rarity, who fumbled it onto the floor. She pulled forcefully at her outer shirt and threw it off onto the ground. “No one’s ever gonna see me as anything else.” She messed up her hair, walked over to the wall and then slammed the bottoms of her fists against it. Her elbows followed, and then her forehead. She remained there, breathing heavily in and out.

Rarity walked slowly toward the discarded shirt, any worry about her phone now pushed to the back of her mind. She took it into her hands and stood up, all the while struggling to fight back tears. Had it really come to this? After all the time they had spent together the last few days, could it really be shattered by one inconsiderate act?

No.

Aria said it herself the other night at the overlook. She was stronger than this.

Rarity’s grip on the shirt tightened. Her eyes narrowed from sadness into determination. She lifted her gaze to Aria. “Well I have seen you as something else,” she said. “Something strong and beautiful. And all of my friends have too.”

She walked over next to Aria. “But it’s going to take time. All of this happened to Sunset… and Sonata, too.” She placed a gentle hand on Aria, who tried to shrug off the touch but then let out a surrendering breath and accepted it. “But they didn’t have to go through it alone. And neither do you.”

She heard Aria take another deep, staggered breath.

While rubbing her hand slowly across Aria’s back, Rarity was struck with a flash of insight. The overlook. The sun was setting outside, and would soon bring out that starry cliff-top night which had always brought her so much peace and inspiration. She walked over to retrieve her phone, then returned and grabbed Aria by the wrist. “Come with me.”

“What?”

“Please,” Rarity said, with a concerned determination. “Just… please come with me.”

Aria found herself once again in the passenger seat of Rarity’s car. She stared out the window at the passing trees, watching the stars above them come to life as the night sky consumed the last of the sunset. As with before, she sat mostly silent during the ride.

Her anger from earlier had all but burned out into a greying ember. She tightened her arms and rested her forehead against the door frame, feeling ridiculous, almost embarrassed, at having been so upset over that image and its hurtful comment. As the trees passed by outside the glass, she wondered… were the casual waves and smiles that she received at the party genuine, or were they just a mask to hide the true feelings of those whom she had attempted to harm? Sterling’s encouragement had at least seemed real, but he was still just one person.

The car slowed and pulled off into a paved parking lot. Aria’s focus returned to the present. A glance out the front window did little to improve her mood.

“What are we doing here?” She crossed her arms and hunched her shoulders as her mind flashed back to standing out on the cliff’s edge. She watched the ground fall away as it crumbled near her feet. To think that she had—even if only for a brief moment—considered taking that last step. She felt her breathing quicken but was unable to decide whether it was stress or irritation that was fueling her unease. “What about this made you think it was a good idea?”

Rarity put the car in park and turned it off. Aria watched her take a deep, measured breath. “I understand that you feel this way, and I am sorry, but… I truly believe that things are different now, from the way they were the last time we were here together.” She turned her eyes up to Aria and put a hand over one of hers. “I would like to show you what it is about this place that speaks to me so deeply. I believe that you might find some peace here as well.”

The touch on Aria’s hand brought some ease to her nerves. All of the change that Rarity had brought out in her over the last two days gave her reason to believe that even more of that change for the better could still be waiting. Aria palmed her eyes and ran fingers through her hair. “Alright… I’ll trust you on this.” She opened the door and stepped out of the car into the moonlit stillness.

Rarity did the same. They walked side by side down a dense, tree-covered path until it emerged under a star-filled ocean.

Upon coming to a stop, Aria crossed her arms and shivered slightly—but not from the cold. It was a rather warm late spring evening. No. It was more a sense of being on-edge, while at the same time feeling content and at peace. The sensation was both pleasant and unnerving all at once. She lifted her eyes to the starry sky.

Rarity kept walking for a few more steps and then came to a stop as well. “There is just something,” she began, “about the sky and the stars when seen from this place. And when I look out over the city below… I cannot explain why, but it has always brought me a sense of comfort.” She turned back to face Aria. Her eyes revealed an uncharacteristic glint of sadness. “I want so badly to find a way to give back what you have lost. I am sorry it turned out this way for all three of you.”

She looked down at the ground between them. “But I see now that I need to be done with trying to force it to happen. There are things that I just… cannot. Despite how much I wish it were otherwise.” She walked over to sit on an aging wood and concrete bench and folded both hands in her lap. “So… Could we just sit for a while?”

A knot twisted in Aria’s stomach. It hurt her to hear that raw concern in Rarity’s words. To think that someone—anyone—could feel so committed to her well-being… and after just how little she had done to actually deserve it.

Feeling suddenly winded, Aria made her way over to join Rarity on the bench. She brought her knees together and placed her hands atop them. A glance to her left found Rarity staring off at the city far below. Something about her aura and her distant gaze seemed almost ethereal in the evening light. For a while, she remained deep in thought.

“I wonder if you would just talk to me,” she said at last. “Talk to me about what it feels like when you try to sing. How it felt before… and now.” She placed a hand over Aria’s. “And any hurt that it might bring up… just speak it out. You may not believe me, but… I think we will both be better for hearing it.”

As Aria listened to those words, she turned and gazed up into the night sky. She felt as if she were standing on the edge of a wide lake. Its smooth moonlit surface stretched out before her. To do what Rarity was asking would mean diving in… and swimming out deep. Just a few nights ago, she was out here down on her knees and sobbing. So many things had changed since then. But despite all of those things, her broken song still remained…

“It’s just… empty,” she began.

Rarity picked up Aria’s hand and held it between both of hers.

“I don’t know of any other way to describe it. At first, I thought it was the gems shattering that destroyed our magic, and our voices. But then the more I tried to sing, the more it felt like something was just… missing. In here.” She brought her other hand up to her heart.

“And now it’s like this dry, empty well. As far back as I can remember, it used to be this deep, flowing spring of magic. Whenever I felt like singing, I could reach out and touch it. And that magic, and the song, and the feeling of exhilaration would just flow.”

She looked out over the city below. “No matter how much I drew on it, no matter how much I poured into a song, the source always had more to give.” She closed her eyes. “But then also… more to take as well. It was never free. All the hate and fear and grief that we caused… it all went back along that same path. That was the price.”

She looked back up at the sky. “But now it’s dried up. There’s nothing there any more. Like… I can see all the way to the bottom of the well. And it’s just rocks and dust all the way down. When I try to sing now, that dry emptiness is all that comes out.”

Aria closed her eyes and took a long breath in and out. “It’s why I hated you all so much. It was like… killing our gems and magic wasn’t enough. You had to take everything. Even our voices. And for what?”

Rarity leaned against Aria, shoulder-to-shoulder. She sniffled once and kept her eyes downcast.

“I guess I’ve had a lot of time to think about this… And the more I did, the more I started to wonder if the gem really wasn’t the source. I started to think of it more like a gate or a faucet. And the source itself was somewhere far off, maybe even back in Equestria.” She closed her eyes. “But both of those are gone now anyway. So I guess it doesn’t really matter.”

“Would you believe me,” Rarity said, “if I told you that I think I understand what you mean?”

“I don’t… really know how you could.” Aria turned to look at her. “What are you talking about?”

“In that moment, when we called down the magic that… did what it did to you… it did feel different. As if my song was not coming from inside of me. It felt like what you are saying. Like I was pulling something out of a flowing river. And moving that rush of power through my words.”

“I mean… yeah. That’s one way of saying it.”

“But that was the only time it has ever felt that way. And I have been singing for years.” She turned and looked hard into Aria’s eyes as the spark in her own reignited. “Don’t you see? That far off magic has never had anything to do with my singing. I have only ever felt it that one time.”

“Okay? Then… what about all the other times?” Admittedly, it was hard to understand. Song without power? Despite living among Rarity’s kind for so long, the three of them had never really given any thought to how the ‘dumb mortals’ managed any of that. They had simply taken them for granted as inferior creatures.

Rarity looked down at the space between them while biting her lip for a few moments. “It may sound silly but… it just comes from me. Like taking a part of myself that I find beautiful… or painful… and letting it out. It could even be something that I see. Or the sound of the rain, or some far off thunder.”

She met Aria’s eyes again. “But those feelings are not coming from anywhere far away. They are all… here.” She placed a hand over her own heart.

“Like Sonata with her painting,” Aria pondered. “I’ve seen it. Or when I used to play the piano.”

“Yes,” Rarity said. “From the way you describe it… for so long, you sang by pulling from that source. But never from your heart.”

Aria placed her palms together and brought the index fingers to her lips. Why did this not occur to her before? She leaned back, breathless, and looked off to where the darkened sky met the lights above the city. While staring, she was drawn back to that morning in Rarity’s shop.

“I think I do know what you’re talking about.” Aria smiled to herself. “It was in your store the other day, actually. When I first walked up to that shirt and put my hand on it. There was just this warmth. It’s sounds funny to say it out loud, but it was kind of like an egg. This hard shell that started cracking. But inside was a warm, kind of happy light. I don’t think it was really about the shirt itself. But more like… thinking about wearing it made me imagine living some kind of different life. Far away from magic and gems and… all of that.”

Aria folded her arms and looked down at one of the larger rocks. “Some part of me didn’t want it to end. But then it was like, ‘What am I doing… This isn’t me.’ And then it all faded.” She squeezed her arms and closed her eyes. “It’s why I didn’t want to put the shirt on later when you asked. But now I do wish I could have that feeling back again.”

After a minute or two, Rarity hmm’d softly, and Aria turned to meet her gaze. She caught a flicker of inspiration in her eyes before Rarity turned up to the stars again.

“Look up.”

Aria obliged and matched her gaze.

“What do you see?” Rarity asked. “What do you feel?”

Aria’s brow angled. What an odd question. Hadn’t they just been talking about that for the last… however long? She hmm’d but continued to stare upward, letting the silence of the night swell in around her.

As she observed from a place of stillness, a small host of sounds drifted to her ears. She could hear the evening breeze brushing the pine trees behind them and rustling the broad leaves on the slope down below. It was the time of day when birdsong blended with the frogs and the crickets. Even the city traffic, as faint and far off as it was, had its own quiet thrum within the symphony.

It was, in a word, peaceful. The stillness itself gained a presence; a soft weight that draped over her and opened her mind to cast out through all the sounds that drifted within it. The tangible expanse around her brought an unfamiliar comfort and a feeling of connectedness. Aria felt her eyes start to glisten. “It’s…”

“No…” Rarity said quietly. “Don’t tell me.” She again placed a hand over Aria’s. “Tell yourself.” She closed her eyes. “And when you really start to feel it, and believe it… then show me. Hum a few notes. Sing a soft melody. No words, just… let the feeling flow.”

Aria closed her eyes and breathed in the night air. The chill of the cloudless sky was beginning to settle in from above. It left a clean, refreshed charge within her lungs. As she sat in the darkness, she imagined a faint swelling of light within her chest. The sounds of life and the movement of time drifted all around her. A passing breeze raised goosebumps on her arms, leaving behind a soft tingle of energy.

Aria pressed her lips closed and hummed the first few notes of a melody.

It was a timid sound, but not terrible. She likened it to the early works of a student artist. The light inside of her brightened. She opened her mouth, breathed in the stillness, and ‘aaaa’d the next few notes of the song that was coming to life within her. The sound remained dry. She felt it lacked the resounding clarity of her old voice, but within the absence of that magic-infused power glowed a small, unfamiliar wisp of freedom.

There was something about that freedom which tugged at her soul, but Aria was uncertain as to why. She wanted desperately to explore it, and to experience another taste of it, hoping that it might grow the tiny wisp into a sustained living flame. She had to keep trying. She looked over at Rarity, who clasped her hand with a gentle nod before lowering her eyes and rejoining the stillness. Again, Aria breathed in the expanse of the night and let her newfound freedom flow.

The tone that rang out this time was still uncertain, but it was clear. Gone was the dry, dusty grit that had choked her voice throughout the past month. She let out a single, joyful laugh. It… worked? The tiny wisp in her chest grew brighter, spreading its light up into her shoulders and down through her arms. It was as if her shackles had come off at last.

Should I try to sing a few words? Everything about the moment felt right. Failure would be disheartening, but she had come too far to not take the risk. Settling herself again, she drew in the tranquility of the evening, and let the peace inside of her spring forth.

“Betweeen the niiiight, upon the breeeeze.”

Aria could hardly believe what she was hearing. Was this really, truly happening? Tears swelled in her eyes as her heart cried with happiness. She became aware again of Rarity’s warmth beside her and continued on.

“Soooong of staaars, beneath the seeeeaa…”

Aria brought both hands up to her mouth. What had just happened? The words lacked the stark power and precision granted by her old magic, but their tenuous sound held instead an honest and gentle purity which she never would have expected to find. She smiled and choked out a sob as a wave of joy spilled over. Her legs went weak, but as she started to fall forward, Rarity caught her around the shoulders and pulled her in close.

Within the welcome, supporting embrace, she sobbed again. The true beauty she longed for all her life was there. It was real. Tone, rhythm, and light. The sound may have been short-lived and rough around the edges, but it belonged to her—a soft, bright melody that was free from the hunger of that ancient source. She wrapped her arms around Rarity’s middle and cried into her shoulder as the shared embrace tightened around her.

“You found it,” Rarity said softly, as she rested her head down on Aria’s. “I knew it had to be there.”

Aria sniffled and breathed deep of the warmth that surrounded her. They parted from the embrace, and she sat up and dried her eyes. She brought both hands to her mouth and took another long, happy breath in and out.

And from that place of newfound freedom, she laughed.

When she settled herself again, Aria said quietly, “Thank you.”

A smile lit Rarity’s face. “You found it…” she said again. She leaned back and closed her eyes with a peaceful sigh.

The two of them sat quietly in each others’ company for another few minutes. Any words, Aria felt, would cheapen the experience and chase away the soft glow of warmth that had settled in around them.

“Eyes forward now, hm? No more looking back.” Rarity sat up again and folded her hands in her lap. “I am reminded of something my good friend and mentor once told me many years ago, as I was coming out of a troubled time and not knowing how to move on.” She turned to Aria and then lowered her eyes.

“Who is it you want to be now? Set that free and let her come out.”

Aria gave a half-smile with another laugh. “I like it. But, I mean… are we talking open-ended dreams here? Or small steps?”

Rarity rested an arm on the back of the bench and turned to Aria with a grin. “Hmm. Humor me.”

“Well. I’d like to… sing. Like… on the radio. And all that. I mean, don’t get me wrong. I’m not gonna jump in a booth tomorrow.” Aria leaned back and looked out over the city again. “But maybe in a year? Five years?” She laughed. “You said to aim high, right?” She sighed and closed her eyes. “It’s been a dream for so long, but just never felt right… with the magic and strife and the way we had to live. But now? Why the hell not?”

“Well then…” Rarity said. “I believe there is someone I must introduce you to.”

Aria sat down across from Rarity in a booth at Sammy’s diner, just a few blocks down from her new singing instructor’s studio. She closed her eyes and sank into the deep cushion as yet another worry slid off her shoulders. Another step had been taken toward realizing her dream.

“My…” Rarity said. “I would certainly say that went well.”

“Yeah.” Aria laughed with her eyes still closed. “Have I thanked you again lately, for everything?”

“Only twice, in as many hours.”

Aria opened her eyes, and they shared a grin. It had been three days since discovering her new voice under that starry night sky, and they had just returned from the introduction which Rarity had promised her. They both looked up as a waitress with a name tag reading ‘Minti’ arrived and set their menus on the table.

She greeted them with a warm smile. “Can I get you two started with anything?”

“Just a water,” Aria said.

“The same, please.” Rarity returned her smile and then opened her menu as Minti walked away. “I am very happy for you,” she said, while turning a page. “That he could see from just one hour of working with you that you have so much promise. It really says a lot.”

“The more I try, the easier it comes. It feels good.”

Having settled on some deep-fried indulgence as a bit of celebration, Aria closed her menu. “I know I’m terrible for not telling Adagio and Sonata about this yet, but… it’s nice for once to have something that’s just mine. You know?” She looked out the window with a soft smile. “I just want to hold onto it for a few more days.”

“I think I understand.” Rarity folded her menu on the table. “And I do hope it helps them as well. I imagine it will lead to some healing for all of you.”

The waitress returned to take their orders. When Aria asked for the breaded fish and chips, Rarity lowered her eyes with a look of consternation. She bit her lip while giving a longing eye to the third page of the menu, but in the end, she flipped back to the first and appeared to hold fast to her choice of a salad. At the last second, however, she added a plate of fries as a measure of concession.

After Minti had collected their menus and walked off, Aria picked up her phone to pass the time. She had asked Rarity earlier to forward a link to that disparaging picture from the night of the party.

When it popped up on her screen, the immediate flush of hurt threatened to take hold again, but she held strong and let the tension flow out through a long exhale. With a flick of her finger, she scrolled down to the comments—and found the response was far from what she had expected.

‘wow, rood’

‘wtf, who do you think you are?’

‘lol’

‘pig nothing, that chick was smokin. was just too scared to ask her to dance XD’

‘Just… No. You could see she was trying. Stop being a petty ass.’

‘Jealous little shit. get lost’

‘so far they seem sorry for what they did. give her a chance.’

The list went on. Aria came across one comment in particular from an account named @silverplatter, with an icon resembling Sterling's colors. It read, ‘This girl would wreck you, trust me. Get over yourself.’

“Huh.” She sat back with a smile. The cloud of doubt that had been hanging over her since the party began to lift away. “You really were right…”

Rarity looked up from her own phone. “Hm?”

“Check that… picture. Again. The one from the other day in the music room. Then read down a bit.”

Rarity eyed her with a questioning look, but then did as she was asked. Aria watched the smile grow across her face as she, too, worked her way through the list. After a while, she sighed contentedly while placing her phone on the table. She folded her arms over it and shook her head with a smile before looking back up at Aria. “Hm. You see? I told you there was good in them.”

Aria grinned and sat back in her seat. “Yeah. I do feel better now.” She looked over Rarity’s shoulder to see their waitress was returning down the aisle with a large basket and two plates on a tray. “Mm. Here we go.”

Minti set their food down in front of them. “Enjoy,” she said, with another cheerful smile.

As they ate, there was talk of dreams and of plans. With the help of the calendar on her phone, Aria settled on a formal schedule for her singing lessons, intermixed with work and home—and also some dedicated time each week at her newly adopted inspirational vista.

After finishing, she checked her phone one last time, then set it down, leaned back, and closed her eyes. At long last, her day-to-day life appeared to be taking a happy turn for the better. For the first time, in a very long time… her future felt bright.

Rarity dusted the early November snow off of her coat as she and Aria stepped inside the warmly lit building lobby. Earth-toned tiles laid out a sprawling foundation for the posh, gold-trimmed wooden decor. Following their two hour drive, it felt good to finally be inside and out of the weather. She made her way over to the reception desk.

“Rarity, dear. It’s so good to see you.” The short-haired and sharply dressed office manager greeted her with a familiar smile. “How was your trip?”

“Hello, Rissi. It was fair enough, if a bit slow from the snow on the highway. But we are staying over at the Coach tonight. So with luck it will be clear for our drive home tomorrow. But for now,” she said, “I am eager for him to hear my good friend’s music.”

Rissi clasped her hands with another smile. “That is good news.” She turned to Aria. “And good luck.”

Aria’s attention returned from looking around the lobby. “Thanks…”

Rissi pressed a button on her desk. “Mr. Waters, your guests have arrived.”

His voice returned through the speaker, asking her to send them up.

Rarity folded her hands and nodded her thanks. She walked over to the elevator and pressed the third-floor button. A quick look behind found Aria still standing by the desk with her arms crossed and staring off in front of her.

“Are you… alright?”

Aria shook her head and returned to the present. “Uh. Yeah.” She stepped over to join Rarity as the elevator dinged its arrival. On the ride up, she kept her arms crossed and her eyes lowered as she stood against the wall in silence. Rarity worried that something in her had changed since arriving at the front desk, and made note to ask her about it later. The elevator halted, and the door slid open. She and Aria stepped out into a wide red and brown office.

Mr. Waters rose from his desk and approached her with a smile. “Ahh, hello my girl. How is my wife’s favorite protege? I trust that—” When his eyes passed over Aria, his cheerful demeanor darkened into an narrow scowl.

“You…”

Aria deflated with a weak groan. “Aww, shit.”

He pointed to the elevator and stated firmly, “Out.”

Rarity’s eyes went wide and she brought her hands to her mouth. What could possibly be going on? Aria had the look of a dog who had just been caught chewing on the furniture, and… her old friend’s face wore a mask of freshly unearthed anger. “What is…” she asked. “But I had thought we were going to—”

“Not even for you, my dear,” he said sadly. “I am sorry.”

“But…”

He regarded her with a pained look but then turned back to Aria and said with a hard tone of distaste, “Leave. Now. Before I call security.”

Rarity’s shoulders slumped as she dropped to sit on the edge her bed in the motel room. A patch of light from the cracked bathroom door carried with it the sound of brushing teeth.

She regarded Aria’s miscellany scattered across the other bed, then rubbed her eyes and let out a long exhale. The encounter up in her friend’s office had left Rarity with equal parts befuddlement and frustration, and worse, she had been unable to pry any further details out of Aria during the ride back. She groaned in annoyance and scratched at her hairline. Aria could be so infuriatingly stubborn when pressed, and in this situation, that character trait was doing little to alleviate their problem.

Would it be worth driving back over to the studio in the morning for another try? Or should she just give up on this angle and pursue another producer, despite not having an ‘in’ like she did with Waters? But the worst part was that… he and his late wife had been her long-time friends and mentors. What could Aria possibly have done to bring out such an instant flush of anger.

The bathroom light switched off, and Aria stepped out in her boxer shorts and baggy T-shirt. The two of them shared a look. Rarity’s irritation must have been plain on her face, as Aria let out a long, guilty sigh and then looked away. “Yeah… I know… You still wanna to know what that was all about.” She pinched the bridge of her nose. “And I guess neither of us are gonna get any sleep tonight until we talk about it.” She sat down on her bed facing Rarity, but her eyes remained downcast.

“Should be no surprise that he remembers me from back when we had our gems. We spent a few years living in town here before moving on to Canterlot last fall.” She brought her hands to her head and fell back onto the mattress with a swoosh of hair and a groan. “His son was an easy mark. Rich kid. Kinda naive.” She gave a guilty laugh and let her arms fall to the side. “Willing to blow all kinds of cash on this hot chick that showed him a little bit of interest… Hardly had to use any magic at all.”

Rarity felt a flush of heat around her eyes as her brow narrowed. To think that Aria had done something like that to poor Lily's only child.

“That’s where I got my bike.” Aria sat up again and rested her arms on her knees. She stillwould not look Rarity in the eyes. “The last thing I did before we skipped town was to sing it out of him.”

Rarity considered for a moment. Given the timing, that would have been only a short while after his mother had passed away. Her mind growled. These were good friends of hers. A man who had just lost his wife to illness. A son who had lost his mother.

“I only met his dad once,” Aria said dejectedly. “But I guess it left enough of an impression. So when I heard his name again in the lobby of that fancy building, I feared the worst. And go figure…”

“Uuuggh.” Rarity bore her disgust onto Aria through narrowed eyes. “And can you blame him?” she asked with a heated tone.

Aria looked up at her like she’d just been punched. “What?” She rose to her feet and wrapped both arms around her middle. “Well, yeah! I feel like shit about it now!” She walked toward the television and started pacing back and forth in front of it.

Rarity stood up to match her. “And did you ‘feel like shit’ about it every time you drove around town on that fancy motorcycle?” She gave a scoffing laugh. “I mean, my goodness. Did he or his father even cross your mind once? Before it came back to bite you in your ass today?”

Aria spun back at her with a pained look behind her eyes, like she’d just had the wind knocked out of her. She opened her mouth to say something but then couldn’t seem to get it out. A few tears streaked down her face. She stormed back into the bathroom and slammed the door.

Rarity stood in stunned silence for a moment. She closed her eyes as the wave of guilt rushed in around her. She returned to the bed and put her head down in her hands. No… she thought, as her own eyes started to water. Aria did not deserve that. The person who had done those things to her friends so long ago was not the same girl who was now sitting in that bathroom, and very likely crying.

She walked slowly over to the door and leaned against it.

“Aria…” she said softly. “I am sorry.”

A sniffle came through the door. “I know…”

There was a shuffling inside, and Rarity moved away from the door just as it opened. The two of them looked at each other for a moment, then walked over to sit on the foot of Aria’s bed. They both hung their heads and remained quiet for half a minute.

“You did not deserve that,” Rarity said at last. “My emotions got the better of me. But you must understand… They are very good friends of mine, and they have done a number of generous things for me over the years.”

Aria groaned and ran her hands through her hair. “The thing is, you weren’t wrong.” She folded her arms on her knees and slumped her head down. “I wanted to yell at you and throw it back in your face, but I couldn’t because you were right. I never even gave them a second thought. And why would we? It was like… if it wasn’t about pleasure or survival then—” She threw a thumb over her shoulder. “—into the trash it went.”

She sat up again and covered her face. “With all that’s happened since I met you, I wish I could go back and… But it doesn’t work that way. It’s too late.”

‘It’s too late…’

Rarity sat up as those words repeated in her mind.

Is it ever really too late for a second chance? Or for forgiveness? The last half a year that she had spent with Aria had illustrated that beyond a doubt. Rarity closed her eyes and hmm'd. She thought back to the framed picture of Lily that was on the wall in his office. Perhaps there was still a chance.

“There may yet be hope.” She placed a hand on Aria's knee. “He doesn’t know what I know. About how far you have come. And also… their family is no stranger to the gift of a second chance.”

Aria lowered her hands and sniffled again.

“The reason I reacted so suddenly is because Mr. Waters’ wife, Lily, was one of my very beloved friends. She saw me through a very troubled time in my life and set me on the path that I now wish to walk. Were it not for her, I… don’t know where I might be right now. But she passed away from illness not long ago. From what you have said, it would have been only a few months before you left for Canterlot.”

Aria ran both hands through her hair with a self-loathing sigh.

“But the reason I bring this up… is that she was not always this way.” Rarity lowered her eyes and reached back into old memories. “She had always been a foremost figure in the clothing and fashion world. But much of her success came at the cost of ruthlessness and stepping over a long trail of others whom she had ruined. Social scheming, financial warfare… nothing was out of bounds. When she finally was caught in the act of one of her public lies, it was a hard and immediate fall. Her reputation never recovered.”

Rarity leaned back on both hands. “But then after a decade or two of obscurity, her name returned again—though not in a way that anyone would have expected. Charitable outreach, aid programs, city parks and small business funding. She had emerged as a philanthropic renaissance-woman of sorts.”

Aria folded her legs up on the bed and placed both hands in her lap. She remained quiet with her eyes lowered.

“Naturally, there was a great deal of suspicion at first. But the more the people of this city and its neighbors interacted with her, it became apparent that her change of heart was indeed genuine. It was during this time that I met her, while attending a clothing design workshop at the youth center in Canterlot. I suppose I left a bit of an impression on her, and our friendship grew from there.”

Rarity matched Aria’s pose and turned toward her. “So do you see? By her change of heart, a second chance was possible. And she made the most of that for as long as she could. Her husband will not have forgotten. And so I believe there is hope for you as well.”

Aria looked up at her. “So you’re thinking… we go back tomorrow.”

“Yes,” Rarity replied. “I will go up first and tell him what we talked about tonight and about how much has changed for you over the last year. If all goes as I hope, then we will meet you again downstairs and go into the booth to hear your demo.”

Aria leaned over and gave her a hug. “Looks like another long day tomorrow then.”

“Yes.” Rarity patted her on the back and pulled away. After a brief smile, she stood and made her way into the bathroom to begin her nightly maintenance.

When she returned at last in her pajamas, they each got into their beds, and she switched off the light.

“So,” Rarity said, while looking up at the darkened ceiling. “How are things in the world of your gentleman chef?”

“Eh. No change really,” Aria said. “He’s still doing his thing up in Saddleback. We keep in touch on text or email, with a visit once in a while. Not taking anything too serious. With all the other stuff going on for both of us, just keeping it friendly is the best fit. But it does feel good.”

“Hmm. I am glad.”

“If this works out tomorrow, and something actually happens with the singing, then I might consider moving up there in a few months or whenever. Saddleback’s closer to here than Canterlot is. Shorter drive to the studio.”

Rarity grinned to herself. “That is one way to rationalize it, I suppose.” She gave a light laugh—which was promptly silenced by a pillow to the side of her head.

“G’niiiight,” came the reply from Aria’s side of the room.

Rarity laughed again. “As you wish.”

“Hello again, Rissi.”

“Welcome back, dear.” She offered a laugh and a sly grin. “Still refusing to give up at the first ‘no,’ I see.”

“Indeed.” Rarity smiled. “Would you please tell him I’d like to speak with him again? But alone this time. I don’t want to leave things the way they were.”

Rissi picked up the phone and called up to the office. Following a brief conversation, she nodded to Rarity.

Aria hoped that this would work. As much as she wanted to go up and apologize straight away, Rarity had the right of it. A slow approach was the wiser one in this case.

Rarity walked over to the elevator. “I’ll be back soon.”

Aria nodded to her, then took a seat in one of the deep-cushioned lobby chairs. She slouched down, stretched her arms along the rests, and closed her eyes.

It was in Rarity’s hands now. And for a comfort, they were capable hands that had done her no wrong since their first meeting in Venti’s cafe. As she relaxed further into the chair, her thoughts drifted in and out of everything that had changed since that day.

Though the centuries, their siren-song had been a weapon of beauty, power, and domination, but that beauty of expression had always lacked a soul. It was never something that she or the others could truly call their own. There had always been a dependence, a price.

But her new song—the song she discovered that starry night out at the vista—bore with it an expression of her own heart, the expression of a soulful beauty sourced from deep within. And so, being free of that ancient price, it had at last opened up a path to one of her lifelong dreams.

If not for Rarity’s inspiration, that beauty may have lain dormant forever. Rarity had given so much of herself. But more than anything tangible, it was her time, patience, and determination that had helped bring Aria to where she was now.

The ding of the elevator brought her mind back to the lobby. Aria opened her eyes to see Rarity and Mr. Waters stepping out. She rose to her feet and clasped her hands. A last-minute effort to keep her breathing steady and measured proved mostly successful.

As they approached, his expression was stoic. Rarity, slightly behind and to his right, appeared muted as well.

Aria blinked and took a steadying breath. “So. She… told you everything,”

Waters nodded.

Try as she might, Aria couldn’t read anything from his expression, but she had to press forward. She clasped her hands tighter. “Well… I wanted to say it myself anyway. I really am sorry.” She lowered her eyes. “For everything. If I could take it all back… But… I know I can’t.”

“That was a very difficult time, yes,” he said. “However… It is in the past. I now place my trust in what Miss Rarity has told me. And thus, I am willing to give you a chance.”

He turned and walked off toward a door at the far end of the lobby. Aria fell in behind him along with Rarity, who gave her a reassuring nod and a smile. As he flipped through a keyring, Aria crossed her arms and swelled with equal parts apprehension and anticipation.

“So now, young lady,” he said. “Let us hear what you have for me.”

A light breeze rustled Rarity’s pastel yellow dress as she sat across the table from Aria. She let out a relaxed sigh. “The flowers on the trees up here are so beautiful this time of spring.” Her eyes panned over all of the sun-lit flora surrounding the cafe patio. Under the shade of her matching yellow hat, she took a long sip from her iced tea.

“Yeah,” Aria said. “I haven’t regretted the move. I always had a thing for these college-towns when we were roaming around all those years, and Saddleback so far seems to have that same vibe. I’m starting to feel settled. I hope you had a good drive?”

“It was pleasant, yes.”

“Glad you could make it.” Aria took a drink from her dark coffee.

“So today is the day,” Rarity said. “I have been following your song across the online channels. However, I suppose there is a certain nostalgia that comes with radio play.”

“Yeah. They told me it’d come on some time around lunch hour. The cafe owner is a friend now, so she agreed to set it to the right station for me.” Aria shivered as a tingle washed over her. “I kinda can’t wait.”

Rarity reached across the table and took one of Aria’s hands in hers. “I’m so happy for you.”

Aria laughed. “What a long, crazy trip, huh? Even though I’ve lived for so long, it finally feels like my life’s just starting.” She lowered her eyes. “And… believe it or not, I’m actually glad that we’re aging now. It just sort of… feels right.”

“Still…” Rarity said. “That must have come as a bit of a shock, no?”

“Kind of. Adagio was the one who noticed it first, not long after getting set up in Manehattan. And, no surprise, she took it the worst. But… after some time, she’s come around to being alright with it.”

Aria took another drink. “Sonata wants to start a family.” She laughed and then winced. “I mean, I worry, but… just gotta hope it forces her to grow up herself if it ever happens.”

“What has Adagio been up to?”

“Modeling. On and off. She’s trying to get something going with screen acting. Wants to make a name for herself there. I asked Waters if he’d feel around a bit. Couldn’t promise anything, but Adagio does have a talent for it, so… crossing our fingers.”

“Hm. That does not surprise me.”

“And then Sonata’s happy with her painting. But you guys know that. I don’t think she has any big aspirations. But who knows. All it’d take is the right person to notice.”

“Hmm. I shall have to keep an eye out then.” Rarity grinned.

Aria laughed back. She closed her eyes and took a deep, peaceful breath. She thought back over the events and trials that had brought her to where she was now. Was it by coincidence or fate that she had ended up at the vista with Rarity on that lowest night of her life?

The answer to that question didn’t matter, she decided, only the place in which found herself now. Even after the countless hours of creativity and conversation she and Rarity had shared, it still amazed Aria that one person could give so much of herself—not just to a stranger even, but to a monster from another world who had once plotted to do her harm. What a long, strange trip indeed.

Over on the radio, the end of a commercial break brought the return of the DJ’s voice. He worked his way through some station identification and a weather report before finally announcing a debut song, “from local artist, Aria Blaze.”

A tingle of goosebumps washed over her. She shivered lightly in the warm spring air. After everything she had been through during the past year and all the centuries before, it was really, finally happening.

Rarity met her eyes across the table and grasped her hand gently as the song began to play. “Aria Blaze,” she said softly with a smile. “Everyone heard that.”

FIN

~~~

Author's Note

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xo1VInw-SKc

Out of the Storm

‘308…’

One after another, Aria’s boots struck along the aging Main Street sidewalk.

With each storefront window that passed by on her left, she caught a glimpse of her reflection behind the etched numbers on the glass. The same girl stared back every time—arms crossed, eyes narrowed, wondering just what in the hell she was really doing out here.

Since parking her bike, she’d walked past a confectioner, a tacky hat shop, and an assortment of antique and handmade-collectible ‘emporiums.’ With a scowl, she redoubled the cross of her arms. This part of town… Seriously. The artificial cheeriness was enough to make anyone with a shred of realist sensibility puke.

‘314…’

Another stupid antique shop. She rolled her eyes and kept on walking. Mainstreet tourism at its finest. Sonata, of course, would love all this shit, but thankfully a sharp growl on top of a firm ‘no’ had been enough to curb her into staying at home this morning.

Aria winced at the recollection. It hadn’t been easy… opening up to Sonata over breakfast about her encounter with Rarity last night, but since she figured Sonata was her only hope of finding the girl, it had to come out. Which led her back to her present state—trucking under a stormy cloud down an otherwise cheery Saturday-morning sidewalk.

‘322…’

What had been even harder for her, though, was admitting to Sonata that she was—just maybe, actually—regretting how she’d treated Rarity. Oh, Bubble-Brain just ate that one up. Like frosted pancakes, and all with her stupid, ‘I-was-right-about-something’ grin. Aria’s shoulders twitched with another scowl.

She felt guilty about last night, but the thought of accepting any kind of help from these Rainbooms left an abrasive lump in her chest. She tried to imagine what sort of person with any self-respect would crawl back to someone who had destroyed them, humbled them, and ask to be picked up off the ground. And while the change in Adagio last night had shown that this emotional crap wasn’t always so black and white, it didn’t make what she was about to do any less of a kick to her pride.

‘330.’

This was it.

Aria halted and looked up at the frilly art-deco framing the door. A sardonic laugh rose at the thought of just how typical it was that someone like Rarity would work here. Though when she lifted her hand to the doorknob, she swallowed—hard—as an air of apprehension washed in to fill the storefront alcove. She shivered lightly as a wave of doubt prickled down her arms.

Straightening her posture, she shook off the feeling—emotionally and literally. She was Aria Blaze, damnit. Her forced bravado was fleeting, however, and her confidence fell as she let out the breath she’d been holding.

Do I really want to do this?

To look like an idiot? To admit that she might have been wrong? No. That wasn’t it. She stood up straight again. Adagio had said it earlier this morning: this wasn’t about being wrong or admitting defeat; it was about moving forward.

Aria tightened her jaw, turned the knob, and pushed.

A bell tinged above her as the door opened and then closed again. Stepping further inside, she found herself among a cocktail party of finely-dressed mannequins, all standing about in silent conversation. The room around them was filled with mirrors and garment-lined shelves.

And pink. Lots, and lots of pink.

A familiar bob of hair came around a corner with a cheery, sing-song voice. “Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where ev—” Rarity halted—both in stride and speech—when she met eyes with Aria. Her sunny demeanor fell. “Ah,” she said curtly, then turned away to straighten a lapel on one of the mannequins’ outfits. “What is it you want? Come to toss a soda on one of my designs?”

Aria winced and looked down at her folded arms. “No… I just…” Something Rarity had said then struck her. Her brow creased as she lifted her eyes again. Designs? She uncrossed her arms and took a few slow steps forward, looking all around at the outfits adorning the shelves and models. “Wait. You… made all of these?”

Rarity turned back toward her slowly and with some hesitation replied, “Why… yes…”

Aria scarcely heard her, having already assumed the answer. She was instead preoccupied by the works of art hanging all around her. One by one she walked past each—touching a collar here, lifting a hemline there—until her eyes came to rest on one particular mannequin wearing a dark violet stretch top with a darker, lace-trimmed neckline and sleeves.

She took another step closer and traced her hand down one sleeve, taking its end between her finger and thumb while marveling a bit at the texture. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Rarity extend a worried hand, before pulling it back to her mouth with a quiet gasp.

Aria had never been one to care about the clothes she was wearing. That had always been Adagio's thing. She just couldn’t ever be bothered with the trouble. So long as it covered her figure and was comfortable, then ‘whatever.’ But this... She again brushed a palm along the soft material of the shirt as she imagined herself wearing it, with her hair freshly brushed and flowing free. Her other hand rose involuntarily to her bare neck, and she took a deep, slow breath. All together the sensation felt foreign, but at the same time… warm—as if a hard shell somewhere inside of her was beginning to crack. She could feel that warmth trying to get out and shine, to speak out and be heard.

A good minute of silence passed, and then Rarity took a cautious step closer. In a quiet but still-wary tone, she asked, “You… like that one?”

Aria just nodded slowly while letting out another long exhale. But then she blinked with a startle when a white hand rested atop her own on the mannequin.

“Darling…” Rarity said softly. “Why are you here?”

Aria broke the contact and turned away. She crossed her arms with a frustrated sigh.

Damn… I guess it’s time to just own up and say it.

“Look, I’m… sorry,” she began. “About all that shit last night. I know you were just trying to help. It’s just…” She felt her frustration rising again, and tightened both fists up in front of her. “Gah!” She flung her arms down. “How can I? You took everything away from us! But now, it’s like… Gruhhhh!” She ran tense fingers through her hair, then turned halfway back to Rarity.

“I guess I just want someone to talk to, alright? Whatever they did to Adagio last night, it… helped her.”

The two made eye contact briefly but then looked away again. An uncomfortable silence passed before Rarity spoke up in a soft voice.

“I forgive you.”

Aria perked up and turned back to face her.

Rarity’s face wore a gentle expression to match her tone. “And the offer does still stand.”

Aria narrowed one eye. “Offer?”

“Oh. Right.” Rarity laughed quietly. “I suppose we never quite made it that far. I was going to say, last night, that… if you ever would like someone to talk to…”

An eager reply rose in Aria’s chest, but she caught herself before it could slip out. Then with a grunt, she crossed her arms and looked off to the side—wondering why in the hell that, of all things, would give her such a momentary rush of excitement… because it meant letting someone else in; past her wall. She had spent the last month hating every one of these girls for what they had done to her. So to now allow one of them to be the first inside was a cruel cut of irony. Still though… she wanted it. Any chance for relief was worth the small dent to her pride.

“Yeah,” she said quietly. “I’d… like that.”

Rarity smiled at her but then appeared unsure of what to say next.

Aria understood the feeling. She looked off and feigned interest in a nearby display shelf. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Rarity step up to the shirt she had been admiring earlier.

“Hmm.” Rarity ran a hand down its sleeve just as Aria had done before. “You say this one… spoke to you?”

Aria kept her arms crossed and her expression flat as she weighed the question. To place such emotional stock into a shirt, of all things, struck her as more than a little odd.

Rarity remained for a moment with her fingers on the cuff. She glanced up at Aria briefly, then back down to the shirt. “I don’t suppose you would… like to try it on?”

The question struck Aria by surprise. She was drawn again to the sensation of imagining herself wearing it. It had felt warm, and a little exhilarating, but at the same time… uncomfortable, and too awkward to seriously consider. “Nah…” she said, and looked off toward a cold, shadowed corner of the room. “It’s… not me.”

Rarity mused another, “Hmm…” The wooden floor creaked as she took a few steps closer. “I have found there is… often more to each of us than we sometimes think.”

Aria tightened her arms and pressed her eyes closed. Maybe there could have been… A long time ago.

“Each of my friends has found a little something more within herself as of late. Perhaps if you were to… give it a chance, you might—”

Aria growled and spun back at her. “Can we just drop it?!”

Rarity bit her lip and stepped back, bringing a hand over her chest. Her bright aura fell, and she lowered her eyes. “Yes, I… apologize. I shouldn't push you. After all, we've only just met.” She folded her arms and looked away.

Her defeated posture softened Aria’s frustration. After all, she was the one who came here in the first place looking for… whatever it was. She turned away as well and closed her eyes.

Why does everything have to turn into a friggin' battle?

Well, maybe because that’s what ‘everything’ had always required: to get what she needed to survive or to jam any sort of fucking sense through Adagio’s hair and into that thick skull. But now? The last month had changed so many things, and last night even more.

Aria took a long, slow breath while remaining focused away on the floor. “Look. It’s… complicated.”

She turned back and met eyes with Rarity again. “I get that you’re trying to help. But really… this—” she motioned around the shop “—just isn’t me. I mean, Adagio and Sonata? Sure.” Aria frowned as she went on. “But everyone always notices them anyway, even without all this. And whatever ‘it’ is, I just never had it.” She closed her eyes and shook her head. “So what’s the point?”

When she glanced up again, she found Rarity focused on the floor with an index finger against her lips.

After a few more moments of quiet thought, Rarity lifted her eyes again. “Would you… allow me to take you somewhere?”

Aria let out a hesitant, “Ehh…” That’d be pushing it. The two of them here inside the shop was one thing, but… walking around out in public with one of these girls?

“Depends, I guess. Like… where?”

Rarity pressed her fingers together with a hesitant look. “Uhm. It’s a bit of a… surprise?”

Aria raised one eyebrow, with a half-frown that said, ‘Seriously?’

Rarity rolled her eyes and turned away with a groan. “Because if I told you, I’m sure you’d say ‘no.’”

“Yeah…” Aria gave a sarcastic laugh. “Don’t pick up a career in sales.” Her grin fell flat, though, when she recalled just where they were standing. “But I guess you—nevermind.”

Rarity sighed, then turned back to face Aria. Her expression carried a measure of calm, serious determination. “Can you trust me?” she asked genuinely. “That I have your best in mind?”

Aria held her gaze for another few moments, but then lifted her hands with an surrendering sigh. “Whatever. What’s the worst that could happen?”

The two walked down the street for a good five or six blocks before Rarity slowed her pace and turned to the door of a shop. Its front window proudly sported the stylized logo of a lotus blossom resting on the backdrop of an aloe leaf. On a low shelf inside the window stood a small army of colored plastic ‘product’ bottles.

Aria pressed her lips in a grim line.

Nope.

She halted abruptly and spun on one heel, but halfway through the motion she was jerked back as Rarity grabbed her on the wrist.

“Oh, no,” Rarity said sternly.

Aria struggled against the grip. Fuck, she’s… stronger than she looks.

Rarity gave her a hard, matter-of-fact look. “Now you said you trusted me. You’re not getting out of this so easily.” She released Aria’s wrist and smoothed out her dress with a proud smirk. “And I advise you not to try. I’ve been through this before with Rainbow Dash.” The smirk edged to a sly smile. “Victory was mine.”

“Who…?” Aria asked, right as the realization struck her. “Ah. One guess which one that is.”

“Yes.” Rarity reached to open the door. “Honestly, the two of you would probably get along.”

When they at last arrived inside, Rarity struck a confident pose. A hush fell over the room as all eyes within turned to look at the two of them, or rather… at Rarity, Aria noted. Not a single one of them appeared to have noticed her. She crossed her arms and slunk back with a frown. Not even next to Adagio had she ever felt like more of a shadow.

The patrons’ looks toward Rarity varied from cheerful smiles to side-glances of jealousy. All present staff, however, perked up with an eager spark of delight. Those not already helping a customer were immediately on their feet and rushing to attend her, each greeting her by name in their varied accents.

Aria took in the whole scene with a sense of disturbed awe.

It’s like she’s some hive queen returning to her mothership.

Her first thought was to laugh at how ridiculous the situation was, but then she felt herself struck with an unexpected pang of envy. Here was this girl being fawned over like a goddess—and without even a trace of magic or manipulation. She lowered her gaze to the side and scowled. Though I bet those deep pockets sure help.

“—and for my friend as well, yes!” Rarity’s cheerful excitement jolted Aria out of her funk.

A young, purple-toned girl in a black apron grabbed her by the hand with a bright smile. “Ahh, yez. Come, come!”

As she was yanked away, Aria looked back at Rarity, wide-eyed. “Wait, what… just happened?”

Rarity tittered a finger-wave and a knowing grin. “See you in a few minutes!”

While being led down the hallway, Aria found herself with a moment to take in just how lavish the spa’s interior really was. Warm lighting, live plants, polished hardwood floors, and even a faint hint of incense wafting on the air. It seemed no expense was spared toward setting an atmosphere of calm, clean serenity.

When they turned the final corner and arrived at a wall of dark wooden lockers, her attendee, with a name tag reading ‘Lavender,’ slipped a key bracelet over Aria’s wrist. “Here we are. Number fivteen. Your clothes and—” she touched a cautious fingertip to one of Aria’s hair-stars “—accessories… will be safe inside.” She lifted something off a nearby shelf. “And, here iz your towel.”

Aria took the white folded cloth from her. “Uhhm… What’s this for?”

Lavender blinked and cocked her head slightly. Her eyes and mouth then widened with a look of realization. “Ahh.” She gave Aria a soft smile and motioned wrapping a towel around herself.

Aria looked again at the towel and then glanced up at the ‘15’ on her locker. A heavy realization sunk into her stomach. “Wait, you said… clothes?” She felt her cheeks flush.

“Take whatever time you need. You may then join uz further down the hall when you are ready.” With another smile, Lavender bowed slightly and walked out.

Red-faced and standing alone holding her towel, Aria grumbled, “Damn it.”

With a slight flush still in her cheeks and long, loose hair draping her back, Aria stepped apprehensively down the hallway. Her pair of straw sandals she’d found inside the locker brushed to a stop when she reached the end. Securing her towel with one hand, she peeked around the corner to find Lavender with another employee standing at the head of a pair of massage tables.

On the right table, Rarity lounged face-down with her hair bound up and her towel undone beneath her. The heavy sheet covering her lower half left her back completely exposed.

“Oh, god…” Averting her gaze, Aria noticed a pair of robes hanging on one wall. She looked down at herself and then glanced over to Rarity, who had now lifted her head with a smile. Aria pointed a finger toward the robes. “Uhm… Can I trade?”

“Those come after, dear. But for now…” Rarity patted a hand on the other massage table. “I have booked the two of us for, The Usual.”

Aria stared down at the empty table. Her hand pinning the towel clenched a bit tighter as the flush deepend in her cheeks. After a moment, though, her brow furrowed. Wait a damned minute. Why am acting like this? Was the ancient temptress actually afraid to show a little skin? What was even going on here? She grumbled to herself. She wasn’t about to let Rarity upstage her on this.

“Alright. You’re on.” With a bold stride forward, she shifted her towel and laid down to match Rarity’s pose.

Lavender offered a smile. She situated the cover sheet, bound up Aria’s hair, and got to work.

Warm oil spread across her back, and experienced hands began digging.

Aria was a bit surprised that she had to will herself to relax. Despite all of her hardened confidence, she just couldn’t help feeling out of place here. She’d always been the one laughing at these prissy girly types, but now? Here she was, getting all sissy’d up in the middle of them. Her brow creased. Another frustrated grumble rose in her chest. But then as Lavender hit a spot between her shoulders, the sound came out instead as a deep groan of release.

Oh, my damn. Aria closed her eyes with a long exhale. This actually feels… good.

A similar sigh of relief drifted over from Rarity’s table.

Even in the midst of feeling so relaxed, Aria struggled to accept that it could be this easy. Reflexively, she retreated into a dark, familiar part of her mind. It scolded her for falling into complacence, all the while taunting her with the memory of what Rarity and the others had done to the three of them. Don’t fall into the trap, it said. Don’t forget that they were the ones who had—

Another groan of release jolted Aria from that thought as the massage worked its way down her back. The pleasant feeling of relief began to settle over her again. As much as she hated to admit it, this did feel so much better than stewing in that darkness. But why was any of this kindness being given to her in the first place? What was there for Rarity to gain? Why even care about how Aria was feeling? Their group had already won. It was over. Why not just move on?

The pressure digging into her back gradually softened. Smooth palms began to caress gently where rough fists had kneaded moments ago. Her time spent in Rarity’s shop earlier—the clothes, the conversation, the smoothing of edged emotions—all began replaying again in her mind, spreading an odd warmth throughout her body. She felt bits of moisture forming at the corners of the eyes.

Was this was it felt like? To be given something… without any coercion or expectation in return?

Should I just let myself enjoy this?

‘Cause I actually… do.

But then that darkness rolled in around her again. Aria thought back to discovering that Rarity had been spying on her at the overlook and how it had made her feel naked and exposed. She recalled all of Adagio’s ridicule over the past month. She recalled all of the anger and conflict that had led her to storm out of their house that night. Most importantly, though, she thought back to just why she and Adagio and Sonata were even in this mess in the first place.

No. That dark voice had the right of it. I can’t just let myself forget. I won’t! She and those others took everything away from us!

Aria heard a sudden, quiet gasp above her.

It was only when Lavender’s hands broke their soft contact, that she realized just how much she’d tensed up again. In that moment she felt utterly… cold. She was struck by a sharp punch of sadness—of loss. Not for her power, or her voice, surprisingly, but for that unfamiliar, soft warmth. She wanted it back… more than she could have imagined.

But why can’t I, though? It’s just right there?

All she had to do was push away the darkness. Which of the two battling desires was more important to her? What had all the anger and resentment really gained for her? Just more of the same—day after day? Maybe it really was time to just let it all go. She forced another deep, slow breath.

Seeming to notice Aria’s stress fading to stillness again, Lavender returned her hands to work they had been performing. Almost immediately, the pent-up tension began to once again fall away.

Aria’s thoughts drifted back to that night of the battle. She recalled again her realization from the cafe, of imagining the panic and fear that everyone in the crowd must have felt upon seeing the three of them in their true, ancient forms. Her focus shifted to Rarity and the others up on the hill, as they took a stand to defend everyone below.

She tried to imagine what it would have felt like to stand among them, holding fast against the three enormous beings rippling with frightful power. From this point of view, she really could empathize with the depth of their fear, but it was a fear that was conquered in the end by bravery of purpose. Seeing the battle through their eyes brought her a new revelation. Did they really take everything away from us? Or were they just protecting what was important to them? Aria had certainly done her own share of damage to others in the name of protecting Sonata. Hell, even Adagio more than once, as little as she deserved it.

She sighed deeply. The last knot of tension loosened somewhere inside of her, and she took on a feeling of weightless tranquility. While in the midst of that stillness, she watched as Rarity and her friends joined their hands together and called down the magic’s final blow.

That was it, wasn’t it? We really did bring all of this on ourselves… At the end of everything, they had no one else to blame for their loss.

Fuck…

Aria’s eyes began to sting. She took another long and slightly ragged breath, and when she exhaled, the last of her emotional weight seemed to stagger out with it.

“Oh, my,” Lavender said above her, appearing to notice just how deeply Aria had relaxed.

It wasn’t long before a measure of guilt rolled in to fill the space where Aria’s anger had once swelled. The sting in her eyes deepend into a soft moisture that began to soak into the pillow ringing her face.

Damn it, she grumbled. Not now…

Following their massages, a sauna session, an odd green mud-mask, and a begrudged manicure and pedicure, Aria paused with Rarity as they arrived at the head of the locker room hallway. “You know…” she said while lowering her eyes. She crossed her arms, squeezed, and then let out a long exhale. “Thanks.” Without lifting her gaze, Aria turned down the hall, her thoughts still heavy from the revelation on the massage table earlier.

“Oh!” Rarity said, pulling Aria’s attention back. “A moment?” She walked around the corner with a swoosh of her robe and then returned with a off-white paper shopping bag. A hopeful spark hung in her eyes as she presented it.

Aria peered inside to find the shirt she had been admiring earlier in the boutique, along with a new pair of pants, sandals, and some accessories to match.

“After all of this,” Rarity said quietly, “I thought that you might…”

Aria considered for a moment, holding the bag in one hand while looking down at the soft material of the shirt in her other. She choked out a small laugh. It had felt good, she thought—everything that had happened so far today. It even felt as if the harsh, gripping anger over the loss of her voice had nothing to hold onto any more. She lifted her eyes back to Rarity and shook her head with a faint grin.

“Alright. Fine.”

Rarity clasped her hands together and squealed slightly.

“No. Stop that.” With another shake of her head, Aria turned away and finished walking down the hall to her locker.

She hung her robe, put on the new set of clothes, and then placed her old ones into the bag. A quick glance at the mirror above the sink was all it took to bring a small grin of satisfaction. “Not bad,” she muttered, turning from side to side. “Girl knows her sizes.”

Aria took one last look inside the locker. All that remained were her sharp, silver hair ties. After a brief pause, she slowly picked them up and contemplated for a moment, but then with a regretful sigh, she placed them in the bag with her other clothes before heading back out toward the front of the spa. If she were honest—the feeling of long, loose hair flowing down her back again was just one more thing that felt good about the day.

When Aria rounded the corner into the lobby, she found Rarity chatting idly with the desk attendant and a rather flamboyant older gentleman holding a pair of scissors. She cleared her throat.

When Rarity’s eyes passed over Aria’s figure, they widened before she let out another squeal of delight. “I knew it!” She clapped her hands together with an ear-to-ear smile. “Oh, my dear. You look simply marvelous.”

Aria slowly traced both hands down her stomach and then to the sides of her hips. The material of the dark violet shirt felt snug and smooth as it hugged her figure down into the pair of jeans, which were accented by a dark, leather, silver-studded belt to match her sandals. She laughed with a faint grin. “I kinda do, huh?”

“And now,” Rarity announced proudly, directing Aria’s attention to the orange-haired gentleman, “for the final touche de grâce.”

The man glinted a broad smile and then bowed before Aria, flourishing one hand toward the styling chair while giving the scissors in his other a snip-snip.

“Uhm…” Aria took a defensive step back and brought both hands up to her hair.

“Oh, not to worry,” Rarity assured her. “Just a slight trim at the ends.” She then added, with a sideways grin, “It’s honestly more about the wash, if you ask me. If you’ve never had the pleasure of someone else shampooing, treating, and drying your hair, then, hmm-hmm-hmm.”

Aria eyed the two of them with a bit of suspicion. “Eh. Sounds kinda Adagio, but… alright. Just a trim at the ends.”

“This way, if you would,” motioned the gentleman, whose name tag was no more than a stylized, serpentine, orange and purple ‘S.’

Aria took a seat in the wash chair and leaned back. Her hair was lifted gracefully into the sink.

The sound of running water behind her head eventually turned into steam caressing her ears and neck. When the jet of warm water finally made contact with her scalp, it sent a shock of euphoria from head to toe, and an involuntary moan escaped her lips.

Rarity’s voice drifted in beside her. “Hmm. You see?”

It was all Aria could do to nod faintly as an experienced hand worked the water in and out of the length of her hair.

Following the long rinse, there was a ‘pop’ of a bottle top, and she felt a thick lather of shampoo being worked in, starting at her scalp and slowly continuing downward. A familiar, distinctive scent filled her consciousness.

“Wait,” she said. “What is that stuff?” She opened her eyes. “Smells like that thirty-dollar crap Adagio uses.” A quick view of Rarity’s smug grin confirmed her suspicion. “Oh, you didn’t.” She closed her eyes again with a guilty sigh.

“I mean… Thanks, I guess. But… Why are you doing all this?”

There was an unanticipated pause before Rarity finally answered. “I suppose I am asked that question rather often,” she said. “And in your case, as with many of the others, it… simply appeared as if you needed it. I hope it has helped you feel a bit better.”

“Yeah, it… honestly has.”

“Hmm. I’m glad.”

And while Aria couldn’t see it, she could hear the soft smile in Rarity’s reply.

The shampoo was rinsed and followed by conditioner, and then another rinse, then dry, and then finally, a move to the styling chair where an apron was draped over her clothing and bound at the neck.

Then came the brushing, and the combing, followed by more brushing, and still more combing. There was a snip here, and a snip there, leading to yet more combing. He picked up a different pair of scissors, for the purpose of additional snipping and combing, before switching again back to the first. Snip. Comb. Snip. Two minutes turned into ten. Ten turned into twenty.

Aria was utterly baffled at how such a simple task could demand so much ridiculous time and precision. She had always taken hair maintenance into her own hands—quite literally. Simply tie the length into a ponytail, cut, and done. She had even come to relish the predictable scoff from Adagio, followed by the, You’re hopeless… eye roll and head shake.

At long last, ‘Mr. S.’ appeared satisfied with his artistry. He undid the drape around her neck and removed it with a practiced sweep, then offered Aria a hand and helped her out of the chair.

“Uhm. Thanks…” Unsure of whether there was a proper response, she folded her arms across her chest. Why did all of this feel so out-of-place. Aria was no stranger to being treated like a empress in times past, but now, unbound by the influence of her magic, all of this genuine, positive attention felt so foreign.

Rarity folded a bill and slid it into his vest pocket. “Thank you, Steven.”

They exchanged smiles, and he bowed deeply. “My lady.”

On their way out of the styling area, Rarity directed Aria to a full-length mirror.

As she approached, the sight within jolted her to a stop. She had seen a quick glimpse of her new clothing in the locker-room mirror, of course, and had also looked downward at the outfit a few times since. But neither had prepared her for what now stood before her.

Gone were the spikes in her hair. Gone were the tattered and roughed-up clothes that typically greeted her in the reflection. This new girl in the mirror actually looked… beautiful. Her hair and skin seemed to almost glow. Aria couldn’t remember ever feeling this… refreshed. She breathed in and out a few times while simply taking in the sight. All of it. It was just… Wow.

After a few more moments of staring, though, a pit began to swell in her stomach. The edges darkened around her reflection, and all of her old doubts came flooding back in. What was she really looking at in the mirror? Under all of this fake dressing was still the same ancient monster. The loner. The bruiser. The fighter.

Her eyes fell to the small scar on her neck from where the gem had shattered. A monster that’s not even whole anymore. Broken. How could something like this ever be considered beautiful or worth all of this attention? The newly-familiar sting began to form once again at the corners of her eyes. Aria tightened her hands and walked quickly out the front door before anyone could see her break down.

A few long strides carried her to the end of the building. She turned a sharp corner into the alleyway and sat down on a low metal box, pulled her knees up to her chest and pressed her arms— and her eyes—closed. When she finally allowed herself to let out the breath she’d been holding, a good part of that pent-up tension, surprisingly, flowed out with it.

“There you are.” Rarity huffed to a stop and brought a hand over her chest to catch her breath. She moved to offer a gesture of comfort, but then appeared to hesitate and reconsider. “We were all worried about you when you left so suddenly.” She frowned while looking again at Aria’s outfit. “You… don’t like it?”

“No—it’s…” Aria let out a long breath. “I do.” Her eyes stung as she continued to stare down at the ground. “I can’t ever remember feeling this… good.” She folded her arms tightly with a hard frown. “But I won’t say happy. ’Cause then I know what comes next.” She turned her eyes up to Rarity and found a questioning look on her face. “It never lasts. Something always comes to take it away.”

The puzzlement on Rarity’s face persisted, as if she still didn’t understand.

Aria looked back down at the ground with a clench of her jaw. A simmering frustration rose up in her chest, and she kicked a piece of junk into the nearby wall. “It’s too easy!” she said. “Nothing is ever this easy.”

“Oh, pish-posh.” Rarity offered a hand and pulled Aria to her feet. “It could be, you know. Why not this time?”

Aria yanked her hand back and narrowed her eyes. Her rising frustration boiled over into a growl. “You don’t get it!” she shouted while facing Rarity head-on. “I mean… how could you?! Look at you!” She made a wide gesture.

“Have you ever had a single bad day in your pretty little life?!”

Rarity choked out a breath and blinked hard. She brought both hands to her mouth and stumbled back.

The sight of those pained, quivering eyes struck Aria like a brick. “No…” she pleaded quickly while lifting a hand. “I didn’t mean that. I just… Gah!” She clenched her fists and turned away as her own eyes started to water. “Every time!” she shouted. “Why do I keep doing this?!”

Rarity remained silent.

Aria couldn’t bear to look at her. After a number of steadying breaths, she sat down again, pulled her knees up close and pressed her eyes closed. “Thanks again for today,” she said quietly. “I mean it.”

She opened her eyes and stared down at a puddle in the broken pavement. “But you still don’t get it. I’ve always had to fight so hard for everything. You’d think the magic or the song would make it all easy. But with the things that really mattered… especially between the three of us…” She took a long breath and shook her head. “And now… Look at me. What am I anymore? Fancy hair and some new clothes won’t change all the terrible shit I’ve done.” She closed her eyes and turned inward. “How could something like this ever be loved?”

Her brow furrowed. The sound of that last word coming off her tongue made her want to cringe. She wrapped her arms around herself again. “I don’t know where that came from. Why is all this stupid shit even on my mind right now?”

She heard Rarity take a few steps closer. Her boots came to rest at the corner of Aria’s vision.

“Because,” Rarity said quietly, “somewhere down inside, there is a person who wants to live a good life and be loved.” She sat down beside Aria and folded her hands in her lap. “I’ve seen more and more of her as the day has gone on… And loath as you may be to admit it, I believe you have too.”

She was right, of course, but Aria remained silent and instead focused on her toes where they emerged from the sandals. She spread them, then curled them back in, and then repeated the motion a few more times.

She breathed in slowly and then out again. “So what now?”

“Well…” Rarity began. “There is a party of sorts tonight, in advance of the final week of classes before spring break. Would you perhaps be up for a bit of… ‘showing up and showing off,’ as I like to say? I dare say you look the part.” She nudged Aria with a smile. “Sonata and a few of my other friends expressed that they will be going. We could all arrive together.”

“I dunno. That’s never really been my thing.”

“I had a feeling, yes. However… There may be an opportunity here for others to begin to see the real you. Instead of… well…” Rarity lowered her eyes and swallowed hard.

“The witch?” Aria finished for her. “The monster?” She watched Rarity’s cheeks redden with a frown. The look of shame was plain on her face. “It is what it is. I got no trouble owning it.”

“Well, when you put it that way then… yes.” Rarity looked up at her with hopeful eyes.

“Hmph.” On the one hand, this felt like it had ‘bad idea’ written all over it, but if Sonata was going to be there too, then at least she wouldn’t feel totally out of place. Not to mention, being stuck at home as an angry recluse was starting to get real old, real fast.

“Alright,” she said at last. “Why not?”

Rarity placed a hand over one of hers. “Good then. Let’s pick up our things from inside and get back to the Boutique so you can be on your way. I should get a bit of work done, but I’ll see you tonight. Sonata knows where to go.”

“Yeah. Sounds good.”

Aria stood up first, and this time offered Rarity a hand. After retrieving their bags from inside, the two of them took their time walking back to the boutique underneath the lengthening shadows of the sidewalk’s decorative trees. Aria closed her eyes and took a deep, cleansing breath. The act of simply walking beside another without any pressing urgency or cunning purpose was an unfamiliar feeling for her, but one that she was glad to have discovered.

When they arrived at last back at Rarity’s shop, the two said their goodbyes, and then Aria continued on to where she had parked her bike. She mounted up, snugged her helmet and took off slowly down the road toward home. The quiet drive had her feeling content but at the same time, a little apprehensive.

It was certain to be an interesting evening, for better or worse.