DRUM
It was a nice day today.
Sonata rolled the sleeve of her hoodie up and idly played with the spiked bracelet adorning her arm. She walked aimlessly along the path, twisting the little band around her wrist, absentmindedly. She liked nice days like these, she found she could take some solace in them. Sonata couldn't help but try her best to enjoy the little things that crept into her life. Her lack money and purpose may keep her down but a warm sun without any clouds in the sky and birds harmoniously singing in the trees could cheers her up, right?. Though she could only feel sheer jealously as she listened to them. Once, she had been able to bend her voice to beautiful melodies such as they could. That jealousy brought back a hunger deep within Sonata and she grimaced at the tugging in her heart. The hunger only came to bring back memories. It was all still fresh in her mind.
Sonata wasn't stupid. She didn't care what her sisters said. She wasn't an air-head, she wasn't a moron, she was just as evil, she was just as good at singing and she was just as hungry as they were. Deep down, Sonata knew what her and her sisters were trying to do was wrong. At least, to some extent. It's not like it was ground-breaking for Sonata. Over the last thousand years, Adagio had led her and Aria to do much worse things. Sonata didn't recall those years very fondly but she knew that Aria or even herself would be absolutely lost without Adagio. Still, she couldn't help but put some of the blame on her for everything that happened.
Sonata's mouth almost watered at the thought. Real Equestrian magic, the good stuff. None of them had had a taste in eons and she was determined to get her share. Adagio became obsessed with it while Aria was...distracted, somewhat by something else. Sonata's brow furrowed at the thought. She knew what had become of her sister and detested how even after what happened, Aria had a place to go. She recalled it clearly. They had won, after sneaking into that stupid high school, practically turning it into a teenage riot and making the competition tear themselves apart while they watched and smiled, they had won. She sauntered out onto that stage and immediately felt the magic sink into her core. The world's complete and total adoration was their's for the taking.
Next thing she knew was a sheer pain coursing through her body and then she on the ground. She was flying just a second ago, what had happened? She blinked, her eyes focusing on the heap of crimson shards scattered about in front of her. She gasped and her hand went up to her throat instinctively. When she found nothing but a black leather band wrapped around her neck. Sonata cried. She didn't dare look at her sisters. She didn't see the broken, shocked look on Adagio's face. She didn't see Aria desperately try to piece the gem back together, she just sat down, clenched her eyes shut and cried.
Aria started screaming. Adagio held her back and pleaded for Sonata to help. Aria yelled and cursed at the girls on the hilltop past the crowd, she could see their faces. They looked nervous, almost scared. Sonata looked away from them, there was a boiling rage that threatened to escape her. She wouldn't be like Aria, she wouldn't be the one foaming at the mouth, flailing with the urge to kill. Adagio rushed her to get Aria away before she could make things worse. Sometimes, she wished she had let her sister go.
Sonata wasn't a good person, she was a Siren. She was evil. A power-hungry demon of the sea that fed off the negative emotions of others. The only reason she was in this world was because her and her sisters got greedy and could no longer be satisfied with the wayward group of sailing ponies that journeyed into their waters. They took to land and for a brief time, it was glorious. The ponies of Equestria bent so easily to their whims and they fed well on it all.
Sonata's legs started to hurt. She looked around at the near-empty street and shrugged, walking off to the side to sit by a random building, pushing her back against the wall. She hugged her legs to her chest, staring at nothing. She often wondered what would have become of her if she wasn't evil. Maybe she wouldn't be left broke and starving. She couldn't sing anymore so that meant that her number one source of income was just shot straight to Hell. That scared her, she had no clue how her sisters were doing. Aria ran away that night, it wasn't until later that her and Adaio found out that she had ran into the arms of some guy she had fallen for. Sonata wanted to be happy for them, just like any other person but she wasn't like any other person. She was a Siren and before Aria, none of them had ever even heard of a Siren falling in love. Aria had somewhere to go but once Adagio and herself found themselves broke, Adagio left her. Sonata didn't know if she'd ever see either of them again.
They had all gone their separate ways, Sonata had come far since Canterlot. She wasn't even sure where she was now but she knew that she wasn't with her sisters. In her gut, that felt wrong. They had always been together but now there wasn't nothing tying them together except their past and their history would dictate that none of them really got along. At least, not for long but that was just how sisters were, right? It didn't matter anymore, Sonata knew that from now on, she was alone.
Sonata suddenly became aware of a noise. It was a weird hollow tapping sound and it was fast. She perked up slightly, she could sense a rhythm to it. She brought her hands up and lifted the hood off her head, her unkempt pony-tail bouncing free of it's confines. She looked around but she couldn't find the source of the noise. She stood up and walked around the corner and that's where it was. Sonata there, curiously watching a boy sitting on a bucket and constantly beating another bucket with a pair of sticks. He didn't seem to notice her, he eyes kept shut as a content smile graced his lips. Sonata didn't turn away but instead walked closer to him, his skin was a pure white and he looked about just as young as she did. Sonata noticed that by his side, there was a laying laying on the ground upwards and she make out the sight of a few coins resting inside.
It was by this point that he had noticed her. She stepped back slightly as his head turned to face her and she came to stare into his dark grown eyes peaking just under his lengthy black hair with discomfort. That was quickly washed away when he smiled up at her.
"Hey." He said to her.
"Umm. Hi."
Sonata hadn't a clue what to say to this street performer. On any day, she'd offer him the same kind of donation any other generous soul passing by would. She was evil but she wasn't really mean. The boy's smiled wavered as she caught the sad look that thought brought to her face. Then he grinned again.
"Do you wanna have a go..?" He asked her.
Sonata looked perplexed. The boy took her expression as a question and sat off the bucket. He pushed the one he was using as a makeshift drum towards her and then sat on the ground, using his seat as a new drum. Sonata's confusion only escalated but she slowly sat down, letting her back hit the wall of the building behind them and dragged the bucket closer to her as she crossed her legs. Feeling the warmth of the day hit her just a bit harder, Sonata pulled her hoodie off and haphazardly let it lay on the ground beside her. She stared at the bucket, not really knowing what to do with it. Sonata looked back at the boy, still confused and he just smiled at her before tapping away at his own bucket with his hands, as if to demonstrate.
Bang, bang, bang. He made a simple rhythm of hollow beats and turned to her, as if asking to do the same.
Sonata looked down at the bucket and reciprocated his the beat perfectly with her hands. The boy smiled just a bit wider at her and turned back to make a easy yet more complicated beat.
Thump, thump, thump. Again, she mimicked it without a singled flaw.
Budum, budum, budum. Sonata didn't wait for the boy to play first and went straight into drumming her own beat. Her lips began to curl into a smile just as his own did. She turned back to the bucket and was about to beat it again but she stopped, noticing that they weren't alone anymore. There was a woman with them now, Sonata looked up just in time to see her drop a few coins onto her hoodie. Sonata looked up at the lady, perplexed and in awe. The woman just smiled, nodded ad walked away. Sonata couldn't believe it. Money, she was given money and the one giving it wasn't under any sort of mind-controlling magic. Sonata really didn't think she had earned it but she wasn't about to complain but then she remembered something and her mood immediately flattened. Sonata looked back at the boy, ready to apologize, expecting jealousy or greed. Instead, he just smiled at her.
"Hey, you earned that. Not me." He said to her. Sonata's chest felt warm at that. She banged more on the bucket and he followed suit.
Sonata must have spent all day talking and drumming with the boy, she noticed the orange tint in the sky and there was a certain sadness that came with it. She didn't exactly know why. The boy gave a sigh, pocketing his beat-up drumsticks. He pulled out a pouch and pooled whatever money that sat in his hat into it before tying it up and slipping it into his pocket. Picking up his bucket as he stood up, that sadness came in another wave and this time, she knew why. She didn't want to stop...
"You can keep that one." He spoke, gesturing to her bucket. His hand then waved over her hoodie, now littered with little gold and silver coins. She looked at for a moment before scooping up the money and shoving it all in her back pocket and putting on the hoodie. She turned to him, her eyes coming behind her back as her foot nervously twisted on her toe.
"Thank you." She felt was necessary to say. Sonata then blushed slightly, realizing that for the hours they had spent together, she never once asked for his name. She didn't really want to ask him now, she was too embarrassed. Without saying anything else, Sonata then noticed him turn and start to walk away. In a sudden panic, she decided to ask him something else. "Will I...see you again tomorrow?"
He stopped and turned back to face her. She was blushing just a little harder and refusing to look anywhere but at him. When she finally did, she noticed the perplexed look he was giving her, an expression she might have even thought akin to that of astonishment but she felt that was ridiculous. He then smiled at her. "Okay. I'll be here."
Sonata grinned sheepishly at that and nodded, turning away and walking off. The boy stood there, a little smirk coming to his face as he watched her leave and waited. Sonata spun around and sped back over to him, picking up her bucket before dashing around the corner. He shook his head and happily sighed then walked away.
Sonata placed her bucket down, as she pulled out the coins from her pocket, she sat down and counted how much she had earned. She let out a disappointed sigh, she knew it wouldn't be much but she hoped it would be a fair sum. Still, she'd be able to eat tonight. That's more than what she could have said a little while ago. Sonata let a smile come to her face, she didn't really know what it meant to make a friend. For eons, it had been her and her sisters against the world but it felt to her. Sonata thought if he would be her friend, she could happy and if she kept practicing, maybe save up to buy a real instrument, she could make more money busking and maybe even one day, move on from her past. This was something, this was good and perhaps this was just what she needed. She nodded to herself and looked up at the night sky, hoping her sisters had found something akin to what she had. Hopefully, from now on, none of them would have to be evil again.
Hopefully, from now on. Sonata wouldn't have to be alone again either.
Author's Note
Does this deserve a romance tag?
