We Three: With You In Spirit

by Eyeswirl the Weirded

Rating: teen
Tags: Lemon Zest, Dazzlings, Equestria Girls, Slice of Life
Length: 63647

Following an attempt to repair the gems gone wrong, Aria Blaze finds herself adjusting to life alone... Kind of.

The Dazzlings are sisters, they've been together their whole lives. Following a mishap with another attempt to repair the gems, Aria thought that time had come to an end.

She soon learns that her sisters are there for her, no matter what.

Published 2016-06-08 15:40:02 UTC
Last updated 2018-08-25 18:17:05 UTC

Chapter 2: Let's Talk

Vote count as of 6/16/2016:
Tell all: 3
Tell none: 5
Tell Lemon: 8

I take a deep, slow breath through my nose. I'd only just learned my sisters were going to be following me around as ghosts, and now I was (by default) the one in charge. The leader. The one who made the decisions.

Well... We can trust Lemon, right? She totally could've back-stabbed us in the city and didn't, so...

I looked up to find my spectral sisters just kinda hovering around as they looked back at me, waiting for my verdict. My verdict!! The thought makes my fingers twitch, but I manage to get my tongue working. "Okay, I'm... I'm gonna tell Lemon and figure things out from there." I'm looking straight at Adagio because this is the first time I'm openly defying her wishes with nothing she can do about it. That is, I'm about to learn if there's nothing she can do about it, because I don't know what kind of rules she and Sonata have now. I think she knows what I'm thinking, because she gives me an amused little smirk and shrugs her shoulders.

"Alright then."

Something goes boink in the back of my head. "I said I'm gonna tell Lemon about you guys!"

"Yes, I caught that the first time. I still don't recommend it, but I hope you'll think twice before you tell anyone else."

I look at Sonata, who gives me an irritated glare.

"She's still waiting out there! Get going, dummy!"

I nearly fall on my face scrambling back to the front door, but Lemon doesn't look at all annoyed about having to wait. Stupid Sonata.

"Heya again. Feeling better?"

"Huh? Uh, y-yea, uh... can I, talk to you for a minute?" The look in Lemon's eyes tells me she's bracing herself, but she nods and comes in anyway. I'm wishing I knew how to say I have weird news instead of bad news, but by the time we're sitting on the couch, I opt to just blurt it out. "Sonata and Adagio are ghosts."

Lemon looks at me with sad eyes, her mouth hanging open a little. Then she forces a smile and puts a hand on my shoulder. "Y-yea, I know, I heard from Twilight. For someone that lost their whole family, you look like you're keepin' it together pretty good, so if that's how you wanna think of it, I guess-"

"No, no, I mean, they really are ghosts, they're floating right next to us as we speak!"

Sonata tries to confirm my story by drifting where Lemon should have been able to see her and shouting. "HIIIIII LEMOOOON!!"

Lemon doesn't react to her at all, instead giving me a very rigid smile. "...Ooookay, maybe you're not taking this so well... Wh-which is totally understandable, I mean, what wi-"

I groan, looking to my sisters for help. "Guys, what's something I can tell her to prove it?"

They share a quick, uncertain look, but neither give me an answer right away. I can tell they're trying to think of something, maybe something personal by the looks on their faces, but that doesn't make sitting here looking like I'm talking to myself any less awkward. Adagio opens her mouth first.

"Tell her-"

But then she's cut off by Sonata. "Tell her her best is good enough," she says with slightly teary eyes, "she'll know what it means!"

"Uh... okay." I look Lemon in the eye. "Sonata says your best is good enough."

She looks back at me, blank. "...Huh?"

Sonata is pissed. "SHE DOESN'T REMEMBER?!" She looks directly at Lemon to shout the rest. "It was our big, touchy moment together, you mop-haired eardrum-blasted bitch!! HOW COULD YOU FORGET?!"

I wince, and not just because of the name-calling. I remember what Sonata said that day.

"Sometimes, I feel like I don't belong with Aria and Dagi, either."

"Uh... Sonata? Are you talking about that time while we were still a snake-lady? Because, Adagio and I were there for that too, y'know." On account of everyone turning to look straight at me, it's possible that this utterance was a mistake. On the bright side, Sonata looks less angry, more shocked.

"W... wait... y-you guys heard that? When I said I thought that I...?" She's startled when a guilty-faced Adagio puts a hand on her shoulder.

"I whispered into Aria's ear to wake up and keep quiet the second I leaned down, nuzzling her only enough to keep up the facade that we weren't eavesdropping." The wide-eyed look Sonata gives her leads to a sheepish smile. "We weren't sure how to approach the subject without spoiling the moment, but... Well, honestly, you are kind of a screw-up and you have held us back a few times, but even if we don't say it as much as we should have, Aria and I-EEP!!"

Her arms wrapped tightly around Adagio, Sonata tearfully demonstrated that the two of them could still hug each other. "Awww, you guyyyys!!" She glanced over her shoulder at me. "Wait, is that true?"

I don't wanna say it out loud, but I feel myself turn a little pink anyway as I nod, and not just because I know Lemon is watching this in silence.

Her smile almost doubles in size. "Awww!!" Possibly to make up for the fact that she can't hug both of us, she settles for squeezing Adagio even harder. Part of me takes morbid delight in the way she squirms in Sonata's grip, so I'm almost disappointed when she sighs a little and gently hugs Sonata back.

"Okay," says Lemon, snapping my attention back to her, "either you're a way better actor than I'd have given you credit for, or there really is an invisible conversation going here, because I don't know how else to explain the way your face keeps changing." She looks in the direction I've been looking. "So... Nata? Hebi-sama?"

My sisters break the hug, Sonata angrily crossing her arms and scowling at Lemon.

"Still mad at you!"

Confused though I am at 'Hebi-sama,' I relay Sonata's reaction to Lemon, making her frown and ask why. I have to look at Sonata for her response.

"Because she forgot our tender moment together! You don't get those every episode, dammit!!"

I again act as the middle-man, making Lemon chuckle and dope-slap herself, looking apologetically in Sonata's general direction. "Ohh, that! Yea, don't worry, I remember that talk, and it's helped me a lot since then. It didn't spring to mind right away, though, so sorry if that bothered you. Can you forgive me?"

I don't know what it must be like for her to stare into empty space while waiting for an answer for a question she asked someone else, but I stay the course anyway. Sonata smiles, blushes a little, gets all giggly, and dismissively waves a hand. "Aww, it's okay, Zesty!"

For the sake of my dignity, I only relay that Sonata forgives her before asking about 'Hebi-sama.'

"Um... I guess she never told you guys, but Dagi came back to the city a few nights a week to help with the tea shop. She called me about helping to work off that debt and-oh!" She looked where she guessed Adagio was, frowning. "And, about that... Let it go, okay? I really don't need the money, the shop is doing fine, and... I don't wanna take money from a dead girl, whether you have any to offer or not." She glances at me out of the corner of her eye, waiting for Adagio's response.

Whether ghosts need to breathe or not, I see Adagio take a long breath through her nose as she floats in place, arms crossed, and stares back at the girl who can't see her. She shrugs. "Well, I've paid with my life, haven't I? And Sonata's too." Sonata wraps her arms around Adagio's mid-section, looking up at her with a "No Hard Feelings" face, and I'm pretty sure I see Adagio's lower lip twitch before she looks at me. "I was the one that chose to shoulder the task of paying back what we stole anyway, and no legal documentation of the matter exists, so you should be effectively absolved. Tell her the matter is settled."

My first instinct was to object and ask about whether or not she was still worried about the Rainbooms, but I really can't see them tearing into me over 'making things right' at this point. I turn to answer Lemon. "She says it's fine. Now what was that about the tea shop?"

"Oh, yea. Like I said, she wanted to settle things because she was worried about Sunset, Twily, and the rest making life hard for you guys if she didn't (though I doubt they even remember all that by now), so we worked something out at the shop. Hehe, I started by helping them decorate, and somehow I wind up helping run the place, canya believe it? Her idea was just that she help serve food and drinks, but to keep the theme of the place, she let me doll her up in the kimono again, do up her hair, add some details with make-up, that kinda thing."

Lemon grinned with pride. "And then I got some ideas. Y'see, I figured if the shop was named 'Hebi No Onna Herbal Beverages,' we might as well go all out with the original snake-lady herself, so I brought some special contacts, fake fangs, and even subtly painted her hands to look sorta reptilian if you looked close. She was a natural at the elegant, fancy lady routine, too, which was a hit with some of the regulars. Before we knew it, she went from bringing people food to sitting in her own corner, peering over a fan while reading the patrons old folk-tales and poetry under the name 'Hebi-sama,' which is like 'Miss Snake.'"

She winked in Adagio's general direction. "They really like you, y'know? Probably because you've only shown up a few times, which keeps the mystique going, but I actually set up a 'tribute box' to see if anyone would give 'offerings' in the hope of 'summoning' you, and if the tips keep coming, we might be able to afford someone to play tradi-"

"Okay, okay," I interrupt, "so business is going great over there." I look at Adagio. "Why didn't you tell us you were doing this?"

She sighs. "Frankly? Unlike you two, I haven't done any paying work since our gems were destroyed, and if I wasn't working on them night and day anymore, I figured I should do something constructive myself. I meant to tell you both when the debt was fully worked off so that I could report solidly good news without risk of things falling apart later, or when you first caught me sneaking out in the middle of the night and cornered me into answering, but neither had happened yet, so..." Me, Sonata, and technically Lemon staring at her got her to blush and look away as she shrugged. "Just the same, sorry I never told you."

Sonata made an annoyed face. "Bet the attention was nice."

"If it were me they actually liked instead of the costume, nevermind that I was stuck in a kimono the whole time?"

"Oh. Right. But, weren't you worried someone might recognize you before?"

"Constantly, but the plan was to flee the city and never come back if I so much as suspected anyone remembered who I was. Luckily, there were only perhaps two people I recognized to stop by, and neither showed any sign that they'd seen me before." She chuckled, idly scratching her head as she started to blush again. "Of course, that was when I panicked and reached for a fan to cover my face as casually as possible, which was part of how the rest of the routine got started."

I look back at Lemon to clue her in that the others have stopped talking, then sum up Adagio's response. Lemon nods.

"I guess that sorta makes sense." She frowns. "I'll have to explain to the management why 'Hebi-sama' isn't comin' back, though. The shop brings in enough business even on days she doesn't visit, but still." She gives me an apologetic look. "I guess this is where I'd normally offer for you to give it a go if Dagi was okay with that, but I don't think anyone would be fooled."

I shrug. Not like I wanted to sit around sipping tea or reading to random weirdos anyway, nevermind regular, boring bus-rides to get over there. Instead, I nod to my sisters. "So, about these two... any chance you can keep a lid on them still being here? I kinda wanna keep it on the down-low for now."

She gives me a reassuring smile. "Totes, don't worry 'bout a thing. Y'know, I was wondering why you didn't look all cry-faced when you answered the door, and this is way better than thinking you'd be over here totally alone."

We talk a little more, with me middle-manning for Adagio and Sonata, then Lemon has to head home, but says she'll be there by cell if I need her. When she's gone, Adagio picks up an earlier topic.

"So, have you tested the gem yet?"

"Uhh... It's kinda been a busy almost-an-entire-day-now..."

"Fair enough. Test it now."

My eyebrows furrow a little. "Hey, I'm the one in charge here, aren't I?"

She gives me an amused little smirk. "Oh, of course, forgive me, it hadn't crossed my mind that your brilliant plan was to leave it a mystery, but if such is your enlightened ruling, then-"

I cut her off through gritted teeth, certain I'd be blushing even without Sonata snickering at me. "Alright, smartass, I get it." Remembering too late Adagio's talent for making people look stupid, I take a breath and try to focus on the gem. I hold a note, just a little warm-up tune like I've done a thousand times, just to see if I've got any juice.

I do.

For the first time since that night onstage, I can feel the magic, and not just the pitiful trickle we had before the night we saw that first rainbow-blasty thing, but a real, pulsating pool of energy. And it's all mine.

The thought makes me hate myself intensely, but when I look at the others, I try to mask it as tears of joy.

"It works." I think it worked, because they're smiling too, in the same way they did when they first showed up.

"Good for you, Ria," Sonata says softly, like she's almost glad I have this when she doesn't, and never will again. Adagio gets my attention before things get really sappy, floating around me with an appraising look on her face.

"I'm still not sure why it would have turned white... Does it feel the same as before?"

"Pretty much, like it did around the time we started feeding directly on Canterlot High kids."

She nods, keeping up the floaty staring routine. "Hmm... I, I'm trying to remember, we only had a few days to look at the tablet before everything fell apart back home, so..." The way she stares harder and harder at my whitened gem starts to make me uncomfortable, but she eventually sighs and breaks her gaze. "Dammit, I don't remember what this means, if it means anything at all. We'll have to keep an eye on it, so please tell us if you feel the slightest bit unusual, alright?" I nod, which gets Sonata to smile too as Adagio makes one last note. "And, just to reiterate, you cannot let the Rainbooms, or anyone, really, maybe even Lemon, know that you have any measure of your old power back."

"Yea," I answer immediately, "I got that."

She smiles approvingly at me and says no more about it. "So, what do you want to do now?"

I glance around the apartment. Nothing I really care to watch is on TV right now, don't feel like surfing the net with those two over my shoulder (because it's weird, okay?!), and don't have the energy to work out something so we can play Sewers and Sphinxes with only one warm body. One body, period! In fact, I'm actually feeling kinda drained, and not in terms of magic.

"I... I think I'd like to-"

Sonata grins. "Porn stash?"

I'm burning again. "NO!!"

"I'm just saying, you've technically got the house all to yourself, so-"

"That is NOT how privacy works!!"

Her wicked smirk tells me I've made a mistake. "Does that mean you would if-"

I'm pretty sure my voice cracks. "SHUT UP!!"

Adagio is giggling, but puts a hand on Sonata's shoulder. "Let her be, Sonata," she smirks a little as well, "she'll indulge her interests when she's good and ready."

They giggle at my expense, but it ends with two genuine smiles. I sigh and try again.

"I think I'd like to get some sleep, actually, it's been a Hell of a day."

"Of course, rest up if you need it."

I don't remark on Adagio giving me orders this time, but I'll try to think of it as her supporting a decision I've made for myself. Already makes me feel warm and tingly! I head toward my room, realize something, and turn on a heel. "Wait, uh... Do you guys sleep?"

They share a glance, Sonata answering first. "I dunno. We kinda just popped into the apartment after Dagi did her technobabble-get-us-out-of-the-dark-place-by-holding-hands thingy," I can't help smiling a little at the irritated face Adagio is making, the one that tells me there was a LOT more to it than that and that she doesn't like having her magic know-how dumbed down, "but we've only been ghosts since we found you crying on the couch."

Now I'm the one annoyed. "I wasn't crying!!"

"You did cry later, th-ow!"

As Sonata rubs the back of her head, I find that I'm extremely grateful that Adagio can administer dope-slaps for me. "It wouldn't make a whole lot of sense if the dead needed to sleep, but that wouldn't explain why we can, somehow, feel pain, if only from each other. Perhaps we sleep when you do?"

I make my way back toward the living room. "Maybe, but, I'm gonna leave the TV on just in case." Grabbing the remote and flipping through channels, I don't know what both of them would like, but I know I don't want them watching me all night. "Cartoons okay?"

Sonata beams and gets all starry-eyed. "YEEEESSSSSS!" She grabs Adagio by the wrist to bring her over the couch. "C'mon, Dagi, we've finally got time to show you what you've been missing!"

To my surprise, Adagio actually giggles a little and goes along with it. "Alright, alright, suppose I've nothing better to do." Smiling, she gives me one last look. "Sleep tight, Aria, we'll see you in the morning."

I don't think of this one as an order so much as one of those normal-family things. It's been a long, long time since we were one of those.

When I wake up, I'm instantly punched in the gut by a mess of feelings. All alone, sisters dead, got magic again, sisters actually ghosts, Lemon still around, everything that happened over the last day or so. My brain sorts itself out in a minute or two and I check my phone, finding a few more messages from the Rainbooms hoping I'm okay. Part of me actually wants to respond this time, but I have no idea what I'd say to those girls. Hoping I figure it out before I see them at school, I get up and head out to the living room, where I see Adagio trying to comfort Sonata as they float above the couch together.

"I keep telling you, it's a nonsense program about a pink dog on a dirt farm, none of it is real."

"I know, but it's soooo spooky! Can you believe this is a kids' show?!"

"Yes, which is precisely why none of us are in any danger from it."

"What're you guys watc-" I catch sight of the screen, along with some unholy abomination of animation that makes me jump back around the corner. "GYAHWHATTHEFUCK?!"

"See?!" Sonata is probably pointing at me. "Totally spooky!"

I can almost hear Adagio rolling her eyes. "You're both pathetic."

"More like you're desensitized!"

"I respond to threats and horrific things when they actually exist."

"Pfft, whatevs, I'm just glad I don't have to sleep anymore." She gasps. "I'll never have nightmares again! I can watch ALL THE HORROR MOVIES!!"

Trying not to look at the screen again, I step out where they can see me, getting a wave from Adagio.

"Sleep well? I hope Sonata's screaming didn't wake you."

"Screw you, cats are not meant to have British accents!!"

In light of that... thing I spotted, I'm actually scared to ask what they're talking about. "Uh, I-I'm fine, thanks." I head to the kitchen for a bite, ignoring Sonata's pleas to change the channel.

We watch some stupid game show together while I eat, then it's time to get ready for school.

"Ooh," Sonata chirps, "you should raid our closets for a whole new look! Not like we need the outfits anymore."

I glance down at myself. "What's wrong with a hoodie and jeans?"

"Other than it being totally boring? It's frumpy, and doesn't show off your cute butt at all!"

It's been a few years since we came to this world. I'm comfortable with my human body. Really. The exceptions to that are when I'm naked when no one else is, and when people (usually Sonata) eye me up when I don't want them to. In Sonata's case, I never want her to. That is the only reason I turn red and try to cover myself even while fully clothed.

"Y-you, you keep your eyes to yourself!!"

Adagio shrugs. "You won't garner as much respect if you don't put any effort into your appearance. Make use of our wardrobes if you like, but your old dance outfit should be fine." She gives me a self-effacing smile. "At least we know the pants will fit this time, right?"

I chuckle, then really take a minute to think about it. It's a new day for me, and I can present myself to the world however I want.

I could just stick with what I've got now. Clothes are clothes, and I'm fully dressed. It's not all that flattering, but I don't draw extra attention this way either.

On the other hand, I kinda like my own outfits. They're unique, they're me, but I just wasn't in a mood to care what I wore before. Still, what message would it send if I came in looking like I did when we first showed up?

Or maybe I do something totally different, reinvent my look like Sunset did some time after we skipped town. Sonata and Adagio even gave me permission to take their clothes, so I could wear pretty much anything in the house if I wanted to.

Heh, I hate to be stereotypical, but it's a pretty normal 'girly' problem: What should I wear?

Author's Note

There were some very well-reasoned arguments in favor of last chapter's choices! In the interests of fairness, I can still only count them as one vote, but they were interesting to read. :pinkiesmile:

Now, this chapter's choice!

-Wear hoodie and jeans
-Wear Aria's old dance outfit
-Put together a new outfit from the sirens' collective wardrobes

I feel like I should elaborate that the 3rd option has more variety than just what we've actually seen them wearing in Rainbow Rocks, but I don't realistically think I can (or should) put together a list of every article of clothing owned by three girls. The idea behind that one is just coming up with something new, not necessarily a mish-mash of the Dazzlings' typical outfits, so we have a rare choice in which ideas and suggestions are welcomed, but I'll come up with something myself if none are offered or if they don't quite feel right.

So, if there are no questions, I'll probably close voting in about a week, both to give more time and to focus on other stuff myself. See you next time! :twilightsmile:

**Next chapter started, voting closed! (sorry!)**

Chapter 3: Invisible Classmates

Vote count as of 6/25/16:
Old outfit: 1
Street clothes: 3
New outfit: 4

I probably should put a little more thought into my look than your average hobo, and while I like my old outfit, nothing says I can't try something fresh. I mean, showing up in something new is probably gonna turn some heads, but since when do I care what people think?

...Well, other than when Adagio was face-rubbing me in front of witnesses. Or when Sonata practically made passes at either of us in public. Or when law enforcement gave us funny looks. Come to think of it, the whole crowd of We Want You Dead stares at the end of the Battle was pretty scary for-

Gah, whatever! I'm gonna give the new look a go, just to see how it fits. Besides, I've kinda always wanted to try on some of my sisters' clothes. I've never gone through their wardrobes before, but I know that both of them had a thing for various shades of pink and purple. My girlyness threshold is a lot lower than theirs, so I keep in mind the stuff I have in my own closet while looking through Adagio's.

"So you do have stuff without spikes on it!"

"Very funny."

"No, seriously, sometimes I wondered if you were planning to build some kind of pointy death-trap out of your own clothes."

"Plan D if I ever thought someone was going to try to break into our house."

I turn around and stare at her in shock, finding that Sonata had the same idea. Adagio gives us both a blank look.

"What?"

It's with a hint of fear that I notice half her shoes are stilettos. Plenty that aren't too girly, though.

"Ooh," says Sonata, pointing to something on a coat-hanger, "you should wear that!"

When I see it, my jaw drops. It's some kind of red, shiny bondage-leotard thing, like a skimpy, one-piece swimsuit with belts on it.

"Adagio... why do you have this...?"

Adagio casually inspects her nails. "It's relatively new, Plan C if we ever needed something from the Rainbooms."

"Gah!"

Horrific mental image now making its nest in my brain, I close my eyes and slam the closet shut. I already knew Adagio had outfitted (no pun intended) most of her wardrobe for seduction, and I don't mind showing off a little, but I'm gonna be wearing what I pick to school... So, that in mind, I decide I'll come back to Adagio's clothes later and head to Sonata's room, where I do indeed find her clothes. Scattered all over the room. Luckily, I have her here to help me find things in the organized chaos.

Unluckily, I have her here to help me find things in the organized chaos.

"Over here! I bet you'd look great in sneaker-boots!"

"Uhh, pass."

"Okay, how abouuuut... um... Ooh, this bow!"

"No bows."

"Eh, fair. I think this bra is clean."

"What? No."

"These black jeans?"

"N-... Well, actually-"

"Because I've always wanted to see you in my pants!"

"Gyagh!!"

After a while, I've got something I think I'm okay with. From Adagio's closet, I've got black, shiny, high-heel boots partly covering the sleek, silken, red tights on my legs and a fishnet shirt that goes all the way down my arms, ending in fingerless gloves. Sonata actually has some stuff the two of them convince me to try on too, like the dark-red, blue-striped, asymmetrical plaid miniskirt that hangs down past my knee on one side and stops just over the top of my thigh on the other. I'm still wearing my criss-crossing belts with the star-buckle to hold it up.

I also put on a white, close-fitting, sleeveless shirt that goes up to my neck, partly because I feel like it camoflagues the gem a little, and partly because the fishnet shirt alone left me kind of exposed, as Sonata was all too happy to point out. I top it off with a loose, stylistic jacket the same shade of green as my old vest, the torso-part of it stopping just below my shoulder-blades as the long, slightly baggy sleeves go most of the way down my arms. I roll one sleeve up to show the two spiked armbands I'm wearing on one wrist; one from Sonata's dance outfit, the other from the one Adagio wore on stage at our last performance.

All in all, I feel pretty snazzy as I head out the door. I've barely started down the street before I have a tiny heart-attack about my undead sisters not being able to follow me away from the house, because I thought that was how haunting worked. I end up worrying them both for nothing, because they follow me to school with no problem.

Speaking of which, I have to explain to them on the way why I'm still going at all. No friends there, not crazy about sitting in class all day, and there are other ways I could kill the time, but... I guess after all that's happened, I just want to try living a normal life for a while.

Well, y'know, mostly normal. Apart from the ghosts and my Royal Heartstone, whether I actually use the thing or not.

It's something we got a taste of since we came back, when fixing the gems faded from all-consuming obsession to just this private hobby thing we (mostly Adagio) did when there was time. In a couple weeks of just kinda living, no nigh-impossible goals or frustrating harvests to fret over, things were actually pretty okay. Not as great as being all-powerful queens of the world, but it was fine. It'd be cool if things could just be fine for a while. I'm a little relieved when neither of them argues with this.

The looks I'm getting when I reach CHS are totally different today, more "Woah, lookin' good!" and "Oh, that's new," (Sonata identified them on the spot), but with a few that just looked at me like my head was on backwards. Maybe I should have done something with my hair, too, but tying up in tails is all any of us ever knew how to do.

On the way to class, I see two doofuses, Lyra and Bon-Bon, smiling and laughing together. These two bug me, because they act like they're not really a couple even when the whole town probably knows about it by now. They even do the stupid hand-holding thing, the thing only couples do!

Well, I think. Maybe not. If so, that time I saw a little kid helping an old lady across the street was really creepy.

Anyway, hand-holding! Why is it even a thing?! It's so stupid! I heard it's to show affection or something, but if you're boinking someone you occasionally make cow-eyes at, they probably know about it already! There's no point in advertising it! So stupid!

I open my mouth to complain to Sonata and Adagio, but realize at the last second that no one else can see or hear them, so it would look like I was talking to myself. I can't talk to them in public if I'm gonna be keeping them secret, maybe if I whisper? Whispering to voices no one else can hear has never gotten anyone in trouble, right? Maybe I could just pretend to be talking on the phone, but that's something I can't do in the middle of class.

Speaking of things I can hear, you know what it sounds like when someone is talking in your general direction? When what was a low murmur becomes clear as a bell? Taking my seat in class, I can make out the voices of one guy talking amid everyone else.

"I mean, look at her! The other two go up in smoke and she's wearin' bright, cheery colors! Like she doesn't even care!"

"Well," says another, "other than them sexy boots. Think I could still get with her?"

A third sounds disgusted. "Dude! Her sisters just died!"

"So, what, I wait a week?"

"Ugh!"

I really need to interrogate a Rainboom about how anyone else knows this stuff. I don't catch the rest of their conversation over the sound of Adagio's quiet growling as she glares behind me, but she seems to sense it somehow when I glance up at her. Her rage melts away at my raised eyebrow and she puts on a sheepish face.

"Uh, d-don't mind me, I'm just, er-" she glances away, "-annoyed that Sonata is being an idiot again."

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Sonata floating in front of someone that can't see her, holding up her arms and making ghostly 'OOOOoooOOOoooh!' noises.

I can't tell Adagio that I heard them too without opening my mouth, so I just smile a little at Sonata's Christmas Past impression.

Class gets started and soon I'm bored again. I can't tell if Adagio is paying attention out of habit or if she genuinely finds it interesting, but she spends the whole time focused on the lesson. Sonata takes the opposite approach; doing loop-de-loops in the air and flying around the class at random, looking in people's desks, reading text messages they're sending in their laps, that kind of thing. Eventually, she gets bored too and starts calling out things like "BOOOOR-ING!" and "Someone change the channel!"

I chuckle quietly at this, which I guess encourages her, because she starts going further with random peanut gallery stuff any time the teacher makes a mark on the board, and later, every couple of sentences.

"Off-sides! Foul!"

"Woo, take it off!"

"Plural pronouns, for the million-dollar question!"

With a glance at Adagio, I see she's just rolling her eyes at us, but I manage to keep a lid on my snickering enough that the teacher doesn't notice. I think the kids around me did, though, because I'm getting some funny "What the Hell is going on there?" looks by the time class is over. On the way to my next class, I overhear something that makes me stop for a split second.

"Hey, did you study at all for that thing in History today?"

Crap!!

We were told about the test yesterday, but I was still too out of it to care! I jog to the nearest restroom, which I'm lucky is empty, but I head to a stall so I can at least pretend I'm on the phone if anyone comes in.

"Guys," I loud-whisper, "c'mere for a minute!"

"Oh, Hell no," says Adagio, "I've had quite enough of-"

"C'mon, I just need your help with something!"

"Still no!"

When I realize what she's objecting to, I feel myself blush up to the ears. "Not that!! We need to talk and a stall is private!"

She's audibly relieved. "Oh... Say that sooner next time!"

Bathroom stalls are very small spaces, so it's a good thing Adagio and Sonata only poke through the walls from the shoulders up. Sonata tilts her head a little.

"Whaddya need?"

"There's a test next period and I don't even know what it's covering, but you know this stuff, right, Adagio?"

She touches a contemplative fingertip to her chin. "Hm. Well-"

"Wait," says Sonata, "why do we even care about grades now? Going out of her way to play nice with the Rainbooms was Dagi's thing, but you and me usually just did whatever."

"Yea," I deadpan, "because willingly coming to school when I have no friends here and no intention of making an effort totally isn't suspicious, right?"

"Huh... Well, you've got magic again, right? Couldn't you just sing the teacher into giving you a good grade?"

Adagio whips her head toward Sonata. "Are you out of your mind?! Aria cannot afford to get caught doing anything of the sort, and even if she's not caught in the act, the effect may be noticed anyway! I've spoken to this world's Twilight a few times now, and I know she had a device for detecting, and absorbing, magic, and until we have a countermeasure for her, using magic at the school is a needless risk!"

"What about just making her let Aria take it later? We could do whatever we wanted while everyone else was takin' the test, and it'd give Aria time to brush up on the material! Or heck, she could try asking all nice, just say she was too sad to study because you and me bit the dust a couple days ago."

"That... Hm. Just asking should be alright..."

"And if it doesn't work, then she could-"

"No!"

"But we could be careful! If she only sings when there aren't any witnesses, she'll never get caught! For all we know, Twilight doesn't even have that stupid thing anymore."

"And if she does?"

"Then... um... we could like, just say that the gem is broken, but still a magical thingy, that her doohicky was just detecting that?"

Adagio gently shook her head and sighed, then looked at me. "What was your idea again, Aria?"

"Just have you tell me the answers as I go. If nobody else can see or hear you, who's gonna know? I don't think even Twilight's gizmo can detect that."

"Hm. That sounds much safer," she winces a little, "but... History isn't your strongest subject, is it?"

I scowl. "Hey, I was a major history buff back home, remember? Not my fault none of that counts here."

"I know, I know, but what will it look like if you suddenly start doing well? Now, I suppose technically, using Sonata and I for information, not copying other peoples' answers, wouldn't be cheating, because if no one but you can see or hear Sonata and I, we might as well be part of your own brain. The idea that cheaters don't prosper in the long run comes from the anticipated loss of whatever the cheater was using to prop themselves up, thus hindering them greatly down the road, but because we intend to be with you for the rest of your life, that doesn't really apply in this case. Unfair to those who aren't as blessed? Perhaps, but that's your gift now, and you could make the same case for Twilight Sparkle and Sunset Shimmer."

She reaches her hands through the door to make weighing gestures. "That in mind, even if they get suspicious and make you re-take the test under different circumstances, I can still be right there over your shoulder with them being none-the-wiser, but do you really want to risk that kind of attention? You have a bit of a reputation as a delinquent here already, Aria."

I frown a little. Harshwhinny is the one teaching history, and I'm pretty sure she's got it out for me. "So, you got any better ideas?"

She grimaces. "Well, I don't know about 'better,' but... How would you feel about taking the test on your own?"

"Fuckin' hopeless sums it up."

"Even an average grade would be a bit of a leap for you?"

"Kinda, Harshwhinny is pretty merciless."

"I see. You may do poorly on your own, but you won't be giving anyone ammunition against you by playing by the rules." She shrugged, crossing her arms noncommittally. "And, not that I don't trust Lemon, but should the Rainbooms find out about Sonata and I somehow, we can count on them not to give us any grief about doing things 'honestly.' That said, I'll cooperate if you want my help, and if we're careful, we might be able to aim for a C or a low B."

"Hmm..."

I get out of the stall and jog to Harshwhinny's office. Can't hurt to ask, right?

I catch Harshwhinny just as she's standing up to head to class, quickly making my case about the grieving process not leaving me much time to study. She raises an eyebrow.

"Truly? Because you don't look too heartbroken to play dress-up."

"Uhh..."

Something tells me I won't sell her with puppy eyes. That leaves three options.

The door is closed and there's still enough noise from all the people in the hallway that nobody will hear if I start singing. No one would know if I got her to let me take it later. I probably shouldn't outright brainwash her into giving me good grades, but a one-time thing to make her change her mind would be pretty subtle.

Or I could fold, go to class, and get spoon-fed the answers for an easy grade. Unless they've got some kinda ghost-proof chamber at this school, I can say I knew the material better than I thought and get away with it for sure.

Or... maybe I bite the bullet, do the best I can on my own, and carry on. Not like I actually have much riding on high grades anyway.

Harshwhinny is waiting for a reply.

Author's Note

I'm still working out how long I should wait before voting closes, so I think I'm going to try waiting until there aren't more than three votes in three days. Or something.

If the description of Aria's new outfit was at all hard to follow, feel free to fudge the details to your liking. :pinkiesmile:

Tried not to ramble too much on the concept of friendly ghosts as a super-power, but it's an interesting idea.

The choice for this chapter proved difficult to come up with, because I'd really prefer that the options not suck, and one of my first ideas made me stop and think "Would anyone vote for this?" it took some doing to not make some of the options branch into their own options, which might have amounted to a chapter maybe a paragraph long.
One-Week-Later EDIT: Aaaand it looks like the option I changed still didn't look remotely favorable. At the very least, I think I'm getting a better feeling for how this works, which should help with the other choice fic I have in mind when the time comes.

Anyway, choice:

-Sing Harshwhinny into letting Aria take the test later
-Have Adagio feed her the answers to the test
-Give it her best on her own

**Next chapter started, voting closed! (sorry!)**

Chapter 4: An Essential Task

Vote count as of 7/4/2016:
Hypnotize Harshwhinny: 0
Give it her best alone: 3
Invisible cheat sheet: 6

Sonata floats behind Harshwhinny, saying "Start with 'Look deeeep into my eyyyyes...!'" She frowns when I turn away.

"Uh, nevermind, I'll... I'll give it my best." With some help...

I'm not entirely sure as I open the door, but it almost sounds like she's smiling. "Good to hear, Miss Blaze."

We head to class and I give Adagio a subtle look on the way, which she responds to with a nod. When we're back in class and Harshwhinny is giving the usual test spiel, Adagio talks over her.

"Remember to write in your own words, or the change in vernacular might give you away." When the paper is on my desk, she floats over my shoulder to be able to read the questions. Luckily for me, she doesn't get so close that her wavering-with-underwater-effect hair gets in my face, even if it is translucent.

"Let's see... That general was on the other side of the country at the time, so that one must be false..."

"That 'war' was a complete disaster for both sides, to the point that the treaty was signed just to see it ended, but one victory at the very end made the 'winners' think the whole thing was proof of their superiority. Imbeciles. Be sure to include that the short-term gains from that battle didn't come close to covering the damage wrought or the massive casualties..."

"Umm... Hm... I don't remember this part... Sonata, does this date ring a bell?"

Sonata hovers upside down over the desk to get a closer look. "That one was... uh... Was that the time when they passed that law with the boats?"

"I'm not sure either. Well, we aren't going for a perfect score anyway, right?"

"We totally could, though! Somebody around here's gotta know, and nobody'll see if we look at their answers!"

"And how would we know that those answers were the right ones?"

"Uh... Genius vibes?"

Adagio snorts with amusement while I make my guess on the date question. "What, like correct answers would have their own special scent?"

"They could! Smelling smarts could be a groovy new ghost power!" She floats over to the nearest oblivious test-taker to sniff their paper. "...Do either of you know what genius smells like? I'd ask this guy, but it's not written on his paper."

I feel a little smile tugging at the corners of my mouth as she starts sniffing his head, whether the two of them can actually smell anything or not. "Shut up, Sonata."

Adagio gets back to helping me with the portions of the test she knows, which is most of it, but we make sure to miss a few anyway.

I've never half-way cheated at something before, so by the time I finish the test, I'm feeling just a little on edge. It doesn't get any better when I look up from my paper and see someone quickly turn their head, nor when I glance to my side to see someone else do the same thing. Feeling weird, I take a quick look around the room to find that those who aren't filling out their test are just staring down at their papers, like the tests will bite their faces off if they break eye-contact. I'm almost scared to look at Harshwhinny, but since it feels like it'd be suspicious if I didn't, I look at her to find that...

She's just sitting there, totally chill as she watches the clock count down. I figure the test is just really hard, which is something I'll have to remember to comment on if anyone asks me about it. Then, when class is over, I realize something the second I step out into the hall.

"Shut up, Sonata."

I said that out loud. I mean, I kinda muttered it, but I'm pretty sure at least a few people must have heard me. I head to the nearest bathroom while making a show of taking out my phone just in case anyone sees me.

"I'm pretty sure I just talked out loud in class."

Adagio looks at me for a second, then gets her Serious face. "Angle the phone a little more toward your cheek, I can see from here that it's not actually active right now." I do what she says as she gets her thoughts together. "...You did say something to us, didn't you? I didn't notice either, what with how often-"

"Quiet, Dagi," Sonata interrupts, "Aria's on the phone!"

I don't facepalm, but Adagio is there to do it for me. "She's talking to us, the phone is a cover-up!"

"Ohhhh! Right!"

"Rrrgh." She turns back to me. "...So, you can probably play that off as reliving a memory in your head, perhaps say you were trying to recall a time we studied together (no one has to know that we never did) to find an answer, or that your mind wandered, or something along those lines. More importantly, we'll have to be more careful when in the public eye..." Worry seeps into my heart when she frowns. "That might be easier if you have someone else to talk to."

Eyebrows furrowing, I look downward in that way people do when they're talking to someone they can't see. "You are not saying what I think you're saying."

"I'm saying that having the two of us floating around you all day when you're not allowed to interact with us might be a little taxing on your sanity, and that you should make some frie-"

"AAAGH, no! Please, don't use that word!"

"Acquaintances, then! Just someone you could spend time with during the day! We'd still be here for you, and when you want to talk to us, you can say you're keeping in touch with some friends from the city, or even further away." The way her eyes suddenly widen tells me she just realized something, brushing a thoughtful hand along her chin. "Though things could get complicated if someone happened to call in the middle of that act, but maybe you can use one of our old phones or something. No one should be calling us any time soon."

A frowning Sonata floats down so she can look me in the eye. "You don't wanna stay alone forever, do you? To never talk to anyone but us and Lemon ever again?"

"Well, n-no, but-"

"Back when we had our magic," Adagio picks up, "back when we could use it openly, no one could really be our equals for long, to say nothing of our time in the palace, but now?" Shrugging, she gives me a searching look. "Well, you said you wanted to try living a normal life for a while, did you mean to do so alone?"

Thinking for a second, I sigh. "No, but I'd rather not join Team Rainbow Sunshine, y'know? I don't wanna feel like I'm just the next add-on after another one of their 'wins,' like Sunset and the other Twilight."

"I can respect that. There are other people in this school capable of lasting friendships, even if they don't all sing about it. I don't know if all of them will talk to you, but it won't hurt you to have allies."

"And heck," Sonata adds, smiling, "if you find somebody you can really trust, you could tell 'em about us and we'd all be pals!"

"Which I still recommend against," Adagio cuts in, holding up an index finger very matter-of-factly.

The warning bell for the next class sends me hurrying out the door, but I make the mental note to maybe try to find someone to get along with before the end of the day.

All three of us are a little surprised when I don't actually get all that many weird looks after saying something to one of my dead sisters in the middle of a test. Other than maybe two worried stares in the hall, everyone pretty much acted normal, giving me no unusual level of attention. I should still be careful in the future, but I'm glad one little slip-up doesn't completely screw me over.

When lunch rolls around, I stop for a second by the cafeteria door, packed lunch in hand, then quickly head right back out. The three of us came in through that door the first time we made an impression on CHS, and I don't wanna bring up any memories by lingering there. I stop in an empty classroom nearby, answering the worried looks I get as soon as the others float through the wall.

"Sooo... Where should I sit? Other than Sunset stopping by for a minute, I ate alone yesterday." I repress the urge to swear as Adagio sighs and shakes her head at me.

"Two weeks at CHS and you hardly spoke to anyone. I didn't go to great lengths to make connections either, but I at least managed to hold polite conversation with a few people."

"Anyone who might talk to me now?"

Sonata and Adagio share a quick look, say "Wait here." in unison, and float through the walls toward the cafeteria. Waiting in silence, I'm reminded of what that day alone felt like.

So quiet.

I can hear myself breathing, and it's making me self-conscious.

Luckily, they come back a minute later, Sonata doing so with a serpentine spiral through the wall and a big, ecstatic grin.

"Ditzy Doo, Photo Finish, and Ringo are all sitting together! I've talked to 'em a few times, and they're all pretty fun! Ringo doesn't say much, but what he does say always makes me giggle!"

I raise an eyebrow. "How'd you get to talkin' to them?"

"Ditzy gave me a muffin, Photo snapped a pic of it while yelling 'ZE FEEDING OF ZE SIREN!' or something like that, and I swung by every now and then hoping for more muffins, and I usually got 'em! No clue why Ringo hangs around those two, but if you sit by them today, you'll probably get a muffin."

Blinking slowly, I turn to look at Adagio.

"I didn't see many appealing options myself," she half-heartedly admits, "but there's room by Trixie, Octavia, and... um... Vinyl Scratch?"

"Freakin' who was that last one?!"

She winces a little, but gives me a sheepish little smile. "Sh-she reminded me a lot of Lemon, who reminded me of Vinyl in the first place, but that's not important right now, so I held my tongue when she showed up as a friend of Octavia's (when she and Trixie started spending time together, I still don't know), and much like Lemon, she turned out to be much less loathesome than I'd have ever suspected."

Glancing in the direction of the cafeteria, she frowns a little. "I developed a new theory on why we really weren't able to affect her during the Battle. Even if she didn't hear our music, our magic was still thick in the air all around the school and she had no Harmony magic of her own to fend it off, but in what little time I've spoken with her, I learned that that girl doesn't have a malicious bone in her body. Octavia is fairly cool-headed as well, so long as you're careful about swearing, but she seems to put up with it from Trixie without comment."

As all of that sinks in, I have one question. "Trixie swears?"

Adagio shrugs. "Not excessively so, but she's the one I think you'd find the most common ground with, believe it or not. Given that Sonata and I have spoken to these people without incident, none of them should really be bothered if you wanted to sit with them, though there may be an awkward phase about the two of us dying no matter whom you choose."

"Whoever you wanna talk to," Sonata says somewhat urgently, "You'd better do it soon, 'cuz lunch has already started!"

Nodding, I grip my packed lunch a little tighter and head back to the cafeteria.

I could sit with Photo Finish, Ditzy Doo, and Flash Sentry's old bandmate (is anyone but us and the Rainbooms still with their bands, or...?) Ringo. They sound like a bunch'a clowns, and anyone Sonata likes is bound to get on my nerves, but... Hell, I've always put up with Sonata herself, right?

I could try my luck with Trixie, Octavia, and Vinyl Scratch. Two of 'em are in the drama club, but it's not like I'm a stranger to the occasional monologue with a side of ham. That, and if I'm standing here with my gem apparently working again, I don't even know if it makes sense to stay mad about Vinyl's part in cheating us out of all the power in the world.

Then again, walking back into the cafeteria, I see Flash Sentry sitting with... Lyra and Bon-Bon.

PASS!

I notice the Rainbooms, and Nerd-Twilight, sitting at their usual spot too. The thought occurs that they probably want to know how I'm holding up, whether or not my new look is a sign that I've snapped or something, or even if I'm secretly plotting revenge on them or whatever. Stupid Rainbooms and their hero-complexes, think the world revolves around them.

...I mean, they've kinda been right at least three or four times now, so I get why they might think that, but still...

Anyway, I don't wanna get really close to those girls, but it's not like I can avoid talking to them forever. If I sat with them today, kept my cool and showed them that I was moving on just fine (even if they don't get to know why), then I might be able to snuff out their worries and start looking for real friends tomorrow. Then again, maybe if they see me hanging out with someone else, totally of my own volition, they'll clue in that that's all I'm up to?

Wherever I go, I don't think anyone at those tables will refuse me. Who will it be?

Author's Note

My faithful Siren:

You simply must stop eBay-searching those dusty old books!

So yes, Aria's current objective: Make some friends! Or, at least get to know some people a bit with the option to try a different table tomorrow, or the same one if you feel like she hit it off well with whichever table ends up picked this time, or wherever the choices bring us! I guess that sort of depends on whether I learn I've set up another lousy option that almost no one picks, or if the votes seem almost evenly spread, if that makes sense. Rambleramble.

Choice!

-Silly antics ahead with Photo, Ditzy, and Ringo?
-Civil (and maybe a little odd) conversation with Octavia, Vinyl, and Trixie?
-Cloudy with a chance of Awkward with the Rainbooms (and Sci-Twi), if only for everyone's peace of mind?

...On another note, does it feel at all like the choices aren't really having that much impact? I don't want to go Peter Molenuex with it and say every choice has big, serious consequences that affect EVERYTHING, but they shouldn't feel inconsequential, either. Trouble is, some of the choices made are a little hard to show consequences (good and/or bad) for only a chapter or so after they're chosen, made even less obvious by the fact that we'll never see the contrast to stuff I had in mind (I drum up a few plot bunnies for every option) if other options were taken.

**Next chapter started, voting closed! (sorry!)**

Chapter 5: Everyone Has Someone They Hate

Vote count as of 7/15/2016:
Photo, Ditzy, and Ringo: 3
Rainbooms: 3
Trixie, Vinyl, and Octavia: 7

I take a second to look at all three tables. I can always talk to the Rainbooms later, what with having their numbers and all, so no need to spend the daily allotment of socializing time on them. Photo's table might be a laugh, but if they're anything like Sonata, they might just be laughing at me, and I probably shouldn't smack anyone right now, let alone pour their food trays down their pants. Trixie, Vinyl, and Octavia might get on my nerves too, but... They kinda seem the least get-on-nervy, I guess. Civil conversation. That's my first stop.

"Hey," I say when I reach their table, which makes Octavia jump, "mind if I sit here?"

I can't read Vinyl's eyes through those shades, but she's not really smiling or frowning when she looks over her shoulder at me. Sitting across from her, Octavia is much more transparent, but her frightened stare is fading by the second, going more toward confusion. Next to Octavia, Trixie gives me a wide-eyed look at first, then wipes it right off her face, replacing it with nonchalant haughtiness.

"Trixie doesn't mind if no one else does."

Octavia shakes her head when I look at her, Vinyl smiles a little and pats the seat next to her. Adagio might have been right; not a hateful bone in her body. Then again, maybe I'd be pretty relaxed too if I could just pop in to claim a win I hadn't earned. I try to push those thoughts away as I sit down. At least being next to her will make it easier to not look at her.

"Sssso," starts Octavia, "we've, um... never met, I think? In person, I mean. I'm Octavia Melody, pleased to make your acquaintance."

The slight shake in her voice is the only dent in her otherwise perfectly formal greeting. I'm kinda grateful for it, because I never know just how to talk to ultra hoity-toity types. "Aria Blaze."

"Right, and this is Vi-" Her jaw goes slack and her face pales as she points to Vinyl, who I guess she remembers as having been involved in more or less destroying my life that one time. Not that it was a great life, I'll admit that now, but she still seems scared that this might make things awkward or something. Glad it's not just me.

Vinyl, still just smiling, gives me a little wave, which I take to mean the Battle was nothing personal. It really wasn't, which is my best guess for why I wave back at her in the same way. It's a weird thing to do when you're sitting right next to someone, but staying calm is surprisingly easy, like she's infecting me with her sheer chill-ness. Adagio and Sonata must be surprised too, judging by their expressions as they float around to where I can see them, but they give me approving looks for not making a scene.

Maybe it's so easy because I remember the snake-woman incident, and I'm aware now that even having total control over magically-enslaved, long-term thralls just to worship us might not have been as great as it sounded, even if we'd won the Battle?

She still totally cheated us, though. Whatever that's worth by now.

"And of course you remember the Great and Powerful Trixie," Little Lady Houdini cuts in with a haughty smirk, "whom, by the way, you are wise to choose as a companion for your time at CHS!"

"Uh, yea," I say noncommittally, "and, since you probably remember me too, I'm just gonna say, uh, s-sorry about what happened last time." I get nothing but confused looks for this. Even Vinyl kinda sends the vibe that she's raising an eyebrow at me, whether she actually heard what I said or not. "I mean, you know, how my sisters and I kinda brainwashed the school, then manipulated you into-"

"Oh, that!" Trixie scratches her chin while visibly searching her memory. "I forgot that even happened." Part of me is insulted, but she keeps going. "Got other stuff going on, y'know? Anyway, don't worry abou-err, Fear not," she says boldly, remembering her Stage Magician shtick, "The Great and Powerful Trixie is very forgiving!"

Before I say anything, Octavia gives her a little smirk. "Truly? Because I could have sworn you told me all about a life-long vendetta you'd sworn against Rainbow Dash for, what was it? Not buying some guitar before you could?"

"It was twelve, thousand, dollars," Trixie growled through gnashing teeth, "and that is not her only slight against Trixie! To start, that shred-off was a farce, because as is the case in most of their conflicts, the Rainbooms only ever prevail through use of magic! Magic that does not belong to them, at that, but the careless Princess Twilight, whose presence is what started this crisis-on-a-regular-basis thing in the first place!"

The way Octavia rolls her eyes says she's heard this one a few times before. I must have a bewildered look on my face, because she starts explaining. "Trixie is under the impression that Twilight's magic is the sole reason those girls rose to any kind of prominence."

"It is the only reason! None of them mattered any more than anyone else before Twilight showed up with the exception of Sunset, and even she was a mere mortal bitch-face. Ever since, they've reveled in their status as The Amazing Heroes (which, thankfully, doesn't actually amount to a whole lot) when they don't really do anything but stand around while someone else (usually the first Twilight, but last time it was Sunset) gets the magic going for them, and Rainbow in particular has no right to act so full of herself!"

There's a short pause before Octavia deadpans. "She's not jealous at all."

"I'M NOT JEALOUS AT ALL!! Why should Trixie care if all that power and Hero prestige went to someone else by sheer virtue of having buddied up with the weird new girl?! More annoying still is that all their talk of 'the magic of friendship' is total bullshit too, because no matter what they say, it's always exclusively their group that deals with the threats! It's like no one else has ever made friends around here, like the concept only carries any kind of weight when they do it, and even when she helped them stop the three of you," Trixie snapped her fingers while quickly pointing at Vinyl, "when's the last time they even spoke with Vinyl here?!"

Just the tiniest bit perturbed, I glance at Vinyl, who gives no meaningful input on the situation. An inquisitive look at Adagio reveals a perplexed face.

"This did not come up when I spoke with them, but her feelings on the matter are interesting... Do you think anyone else feels the same?"

I make the mental note to investigate that later, but for now, I wanna make sure my apology is getting across. "And, on that note, sorry we messed up your school and tricked you in particular into doing our dirty work."

Chuckling, Trixie gives me a smirk and dramatically drapes an arm over her head. "Oh, yes, Trixie was simply heart-broken to have been woefully misled into committing such heinous acts as dropping a bunch of smug, puffed-up fakes, who STOLE Trixie's spot in the finals, down a pit. Woe indeed!"

I wince. "Um... that wasn't their fault."

She blinks twice. "Beg your pardon?"

"The Battle of the Bands? That was a farce, because with a little tugging on Luna and Celestia's strings, nobody ended up anywhere Adagio didn't want them-" I look at Vinyl, "-'cept maybe for you."

Shrugging, she gives me an apologetic little grin. As if she's done something wrong by accidentally interfering with the evil plan. I'm honestly trying to stay mad at this point, but damn!

I look back at Trixie. "So, the Rainbooms didn't 'steal' their place in that fake, hollow contest, we gave it to them, then got you to steal it from them."

Octavia watches in surprise as Trixie stays silent for about a minute. "...Really?"

"...Yep."

"...Oh. But, does that mean you three also arranged for Rainbow Dash to cheat me with her magic in that shred-off?"

"No."

"Sing a little song about how the school had changed and we were different now, only for it to be a ruse to get the whole school to cheer for her in the stupid Friendship Games?"

"We weren't even in town at the time."

"Summon a giant hentai monster so she could fight it in front of everyone?"

"A what now?"

Sonata beams. "It's in the folder, I'll show you when we get home!"

I choose not to hear that as Trixie scratches her head. "Hm... Trixie still hates Rainbow Dash and dislikes the Rainbooms as a whole, but... perhaps some measure of her hatred for the whole group, not counting that other Twilight, was misplaced."

I, a siren, once a career instigator of hatred and malice, have just reduced someone's dislike of someone else. Yay friendship? Octavia seems even more surprised about this than I am, staring at Trixie in shock before slowly turning to me.

"In five minutes, you've done more to convince her to drop that silly grudge than I have since I've known her. You really are a lot nicer without the other two around." I barely have time to clench my jaw before her eyes go wide and she slaps both hands to her mouth, then quickly muffle-talks through them. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I-I didn't mean- I mean, I know it was just a few d-days ago, but-"

She quickly starts to cry through her rambling, I'm sitting there looking at my 'dead' sisters as they float behind her, and none of us really know how to react to this. Trixie looks immensely uncomfortable too, but Vinyl just gives me a sad little 'I Hope You'll Be Okay' smile. Then Sonata asks a question.

"How does everyone know we're dead, anyway? Like, we don't show up to school, so we must be pushin' up daisies?"

Adagio lights up with glee, grabbing Sonata by the shoulders. "You once wondered why we kept you around? Moments like this are a strong contributor!" She turns to me with a big smile. "Ask how everyone knows what happened to us, it'll give us more information and perhaps defuse this atmosphere at the same time!"

"Uh, hey," I say to cut off Octavia's nervous cry-babble, "first off... It's okay."

In addition to my new acquaintances, I think even a few people from other tables are staring at me as Octavia pulls herself together, like I've just broken some rule of reality and they're waiting to see what eldritch horror claws its way through the rift first. In their defense, what Trixie said a minute ago almost makes that sound feasible.

I elaborate as calmly as possible. "You don't have to walk on eggshells about it; I know my sisters are dead." Kind of. "Thing is; that's not the only bad thing that's ever happened to us. The three of us lived... interesting lives, let's say. Some stuff happened to us, but no matter what it was, we knew that we had to keep moving, or that'd be it. That's what I'm doing now, because it's what they'd have wanted me to do." I try not to look directly at them as they smile and nod affirmatively, instead focusing my attention on the visibly relieved girls around me. "And second; how does everyone know what happened, anyway?" And then they're uncomfortable again, but if everyone else knows, don't I have a right to? "Did the Rainbooms make a guess about when they found me and blab to everyone in school, or what?"

Octavia and Trixie share a quick, nervous glance and the latter gives me a sheepish little smile.

"You guys never heard, then?" I only answer with a raised eyebrow, which she takes as the cue to keep going. "Well, um... It's a very simple matter... Octavia, you tell her."

Her head whipping in Trixie's direction, Octavia glares at the blue back-stabber. "I believe the oratory skills of the Great and Powerful Trixie are more called for than my own, wouldn't you agree?"

"Oh, oh dear," Trixie says while making unconvincing coughing sounds, "T-Trixie appears to be coming down with a terrible throat infection!"

"Then we are in good fortune that Trixie has the strength of character to power through this difficult time, aren't we?"

Her mouth hangs open for just a little longer than is dignified. "...Fine." She looks at me. "Okay, so... There's kind of this blog that maybe a few people around CHS look at some times. It's about the three of you."

"...Uh-huh," I say while the rage starts to bubble up, "and when you say 'a few'...?"

"Like half the school?"

"How long's it been going?"

"Since you came back."

Adagio looks annoyed too. "The Rainbooms didn't mention this..."

"...Okay," I pick up through lightly-clenched teeth, "so... what, someone was just, spying on us? Who runs this thing?"

"Your next-door neighbor," Octavia answers quickly and quietly when Trixie hesitates, "the walls of your apartment are very thin, it seems."

Before I can reply to that, Vinyl taps me on the shoulder and shows me her phone, where she slowly scrolls through a list of posts, most made hours apart.

I've been hearing a lot of cartoon sound-effects, so I guess Sonata has control of the remote. It sounds like she's inviting 'Dagi' to watch with her, but I didn't hear a reply.

Door just slammed, so I guess Aria is home. Yep, Dagi is scolding her again. Maybe it'll stick THIS time, huh, viewers?

Aria and Sonata are having another lover's spat, so I guess it's around dinner time. For some reason, I never hear them going at it, even when Dagi isn't around.

Geez, Louise, I think that Dagi's hairdryer woke me up! It's too early in the morning for this and she runs that damn thing for like twenty minutes! I TIMED IT!!!

Things have been quiet, so I'm guessing Sonata is at work right now.

I don't hear everything from Dagi's monologues, but sure talks about Sunset Shimmer a lot. No idea if she's up to something, viewers, but I'll keep you posted.

I'm hearing a soft, but manly voice delicately assuring a feisty young woman that while her family may never understand, he'll always be there for her. Given that this was followed by sounds of crying and piano music rather than groans, pants, and saxophones, I'm pretty sure this is romance, not porn.

The kicker? I know for a fact that Sonata and Dagi aren't home right now.

OMG, I have no idea what's going on, but I just got home and they're talking about magic and monsters and Dagi keeps telling the other two to roll for things! They're talking about 'doing this' with 'those other girls' too! Are there more Dazzlings somewhere?! I don't know but i am FREAKING OUT!!!!

Okay, um... Two hours later, I'm pretty sure they aren't doing anything magical over there. Dagi giving a short speech about being 'ready when they play this game with the Rainbooms' gave me a clearer idea of what they were doing. False alarm. Sorry.

It's Tuesday, and from the way Aria is complaining, it was a good one for Sonata. Eeeew.

I don't know if my head is warming up from anger or embarrassment, but a few particular entries get my attention.

Something happened, something seriously bad happened, I heard them scream, there was noise and the walls shaking and I heard them scream! It's quiet now, I don't hear any of them talking, but Dagi was being all serious about something, yelled that she wasn't taking any chances (which I guess they did!!), the three of them started singing, then there were these weird noises, Sonata screamed, more noises, then more screaming, then a BIG noise, then quiet. I'm too scared to go over there, but if anyone is reading this, PLEASE GET HELP!!

...I REALLY don't think they're just playing a game this time, guys!!

The next one was posted about forty minutes later.

Okay, I think the Rainbooms showed up and took care of it. They were talking all quiet and I heard the words 'Let's get her out of here,' and they left. Dead silence. I dared peek out my window to see two of them carrying Aria, loading her into a car, and driving away. They aren't carrying Sonata or Dagi, and I don't see them walking with the Rainbooms. So, either they're abandoning those two, or...

I think... I think that whatever they were doing, the other two didn't make it.

So that's it. Our next-door neighbor has been spying on us. Listening in. And posting what they hear for half the school (And, y'know, the whole internet) to see. Given that EVERYONE apparently knows, I guess either more people tuned in for that update or it spread around by word of mouth, but I'm hit with a slightly chilling realization: The eavesdropper might have heard me tell Lemon about the ghosts, too.

Nobody has said a word about it, but with the layout of the building, there's only one door I might need to get through to make sure. While I'm thinking about whether I want to try to pick the lock (how hard can it be?) or just kick the damn thing open (I guess I would try to see if it was unlocked first...), I notice the other girls at the table giving me worried looks. I probably look a little mad right now.

"We can deal with our neighbor later," Adagio says somewhat urgently into my ear, "but for now, please, try not to think about it and just... I don't know, make small-talk with these girls." I can see it on her face when she remembers not being in charge anymore. "Err, if you want to, I mean?"

That last part draws a snort of amusement out of me, which makes it a lot easier to smile and not look like I want to tear someone's eyes out as much as I do right now. "Okay, so... thanks for showing me that."

Vinyl nods, Octavia sits very, very still, and Trixie makes a neutral face. "Sure. Any time."

There's an awkward pause. I shrug. "So, what were we talkin' about before?"

Trixie smiles. "How much the Rainbooms suck?"

Octavia raises an eyebrow. "Letting go of senseless grudges?"

"Trixie's grudges are perfectly sensible!"

Rolling her eyes, Octavia turns to me. "So, where exactly did the three of you go until just a few weeks ago? After you disappeared overnight, almost everyone was sure we'd never see you again."

Sonata grins. "Say we ran away to the circus!"

"Uh..." I glance at Adagio, who answers almost immediately.

"All of the Rainbooms know that we fled to the city and saw us as the snake-creature, so it won't do you any favors to be caught in a lie if they feel like fact-checking. I don't think we have anything to lose from letting them know this anyway."

"We ran off to the city, laid low for a while, then turned into a snake-lady. The Rainbooms heard about it, came over, and convinced us to cut it out and come back here." They stare at me. "...Do you want the long version?" The way they nod twice in unison makes me chuckle. "Okay, uh... It started with this book I found over the internet..."

I leave certain details out of the story, but I think they get the main idea of what went down. When lunch ends, Trixie smiles as we're all getting up. "By the way, Trixie approves of your new attire, very stylish!"

I clamp down on the impulse to make more of that comment than it is, and instead settle for a 'thanks,' but before I say it, she adds another observation.

"The gem even kind of looks like your old one!"

For a split second, Octavia stares just below my neck with wide-eyed horror, but it almost immediately melts into confusion, then relief. "Oh... That is a convincing replica. I suppose they didn't have any in red?"

"Nope."

I feel insanely, embarrassingly proud of myself for going along with the freebie without missing a beat. It's the little things in life. I want to make a monument to my own smoothness or something about it, but that would kind of give me away.

She gives me a sympathetic little smile. "Well, it looks lovely on you anyway. Will you be joining us tomorrow?"

Still feeling pretty amazing, I shrug as I turn and walk away. "Maybe."

As I'm walking toward my next class, Adagio (who had to wrangle Sonata away from ghost-drooling over food she'd never be able to eat) floats beside me. "Fluid lie, well done there, but acting aloof probably won't endear them to you."

"Yea, yea," I mutter at my (technically her) boots. I think I've got a class or two with Trixie and I know I have one with Octavia, so as long as I don't go Cold Shoulder at them for no reason, I think I'll have some pretty solid friendships soon. Then Sonata has to go and ruin my good mood.

"So... What're we gonna do about our nosy neighbor?"

The wait feels longer than usual, but school eventually ends without incident (apart from a few funny looks) and I head straight home, stopping outside our apartment. The door just down the walkway is where the eavesdropping blogger lives. I think Sonata knows what I'm thinking.

"Sooo... What're ya gonna do?"

"Stay out here for a minute, for one thing," I mutter, pretty sure it won't be heard if I keep talking while facing away from the apartment.

"I meant like, what are you gonna do with whoever lives in there?"

I clench a fist. "Kick their ass, of course! Or at least tell 'em off for spying on us and telling the whole world about it. Pretty sure I'd be within my rights for at least shouting at them a little."

"Right," Adagio says with an eye-roll, "there couldn't possibly be any consequences if you just explain it the right way."

"Glad we're on the same page," I say while strolling toward the door, but I stop when she quickly floats in front of me, not amused.

"Aria! Use your head; what do you think would happen if it got out that this person had been beaten or bullied in any way? You could resort to threats, violence, and threats of violence, or you could take this chance to seize the moral high ground."

I blink, lost. "What?"

She makes that evil grin again. "Think about it; if you were to knock on their door, calmly inform them that we didn't know we'd been troubling them with our noise (which happens to be true!), that things will certainly be quieter now that it's just you, and politely ask that the blog be closed, you'll have dealt with the problem while doing nothing wrong."

I raise a doubting eyebrow. "And if they don't yield to a 'pretty please'?"

"Then they would be knowingly acting against your wishes in keeping it going, for which you would be justified in escalating matters." She thoughtfully taps her chin for a moment. "I'm not sure if there's some kind of authority you could go to, just hearing people speak isn't illegal, but we can cross that bridge when we get to it."

I'm not exactly sold on playing nice with this eavesdropping scumbag, but before I can argue against it, Sonata chimes in.

"Ooh, I've got an idea! What if you pretend you still don't know about it, go home (it's like five steps away), and just make a bunch'a crazy noises? Look up kooky sound-banks on the internet and play 'em at max volume, run around the house screaming "MILKSHAKES, MILKSHAKES, MILKSHAKES," or something, just give 'em tons to report on! If you keep up the crazy, everyone'll just think the blogger is making it up for attention, they'll lose their credibility, and no one will believe anything they write about us! Or, just you, in this case!"

Adagio looks conflicted. "Hilarious as that might be, it's just as likely that everyone will assume Aria really has lost her mind, and even if it works for now, there's no telling if the posts would continue again at some later date. As she's still keeping two noteworthy secrets (our existence and having her magic back), it's better to be sure this stops now, before something is compromised."

"Oh, I can stop it alright," I say with a raised fist, but Adagio still looks annoyed about that suggestion. "What, like it wouldn't work?"

She sighs. "Yes, you brute, I'm sure it would work, but even if they don't go crying to their viewers, half the school, mind, someone will find out how you deal with interpersonal conflicts sooner or later, even if you don't do anything they can call the police for."

I shrug in exasperation. "So I'll go easy! No blood, no bruises, nothing broken except maybe their dignity, okay?"

"Not as 'okay' as just talking to them. Perhaps it won't be as satisfying, but it can only save us trouble in the long run."

"So can some noisy clown shoes," offers Sonata, "and maybe a sci-fi adventure soundboard!"

I take a long breath through my nose.

Whoever this person is, getting them to see things my way could be done quick and easy, even if I have to shout through their door to do it. They could have just walked over and asked us to keep it down, or made some kind of noise complaint, but instead they've been listening in on me and my (now mostly dead) sisters, then reporting it for all to see for two weeks. How am I not within my rights to give them an earful for it?

But, talking things out can't possibly get me in trouble, right? I kept totally cool around Vinyl today, so maybe I can do this too. But, what's to stop them from laughing in my face, slamming the door, and going to tell their online buddies all about it?

...Do I even wanna think about Sonata's method? I'm sure I could make all sorts of crazy sounds, maybe even act out my own little space opera. It might even be fun, but if people really trust this blog, I might end up being That Crazy Space-Girl With Clown Shoes And The Saxophone That Farts Christmas Songs or something like that forever.

How do I wanna deal with this?

Author's Note

Going to be slowing down on updates for this, partly because I badly miscalculated. When I first got the idea for a story like this (is the term Choice Fic already coined, or is there an official way I should refer to this story and those like it?), it appeared in my head as a long series of short chapters, maybe 500-1000 words, and that I'd be publishing a chapter, reading the comments, tallying up the votes, and typing up the next part within a day or two, thinking I'd be finished within a month or so.

Reality deviated from imagination, but I don't mind the result. I think I'll just wait at least a week between chapters and pick up whenever, which is pretty much what I do with my other stories +some enforced waiting time.

Now, notes for the actual chapter:
I would wonder how it was that the Rainbooms suddenly knew how to play instruments in addition to roller-skating, archery, and motorbike-riding, but all the rest of CHS suddenly had an investment in music too, during Rainbow Rocks, one they all apparently drop the second the movie ends, and no one but the Rainbooms (and maybe Lyra and Bon-Bon, though perhaps for different reasons) seems to be with their bandmates anymore.
I don't think it's a case of ponying up granting random abilities so much as the writing staff justifying the premise, and we'll probably see some more pop-up talents in the next movie. Other than the magic-bestowed super-powers, I mean.

And, since it's probably confusing, I feel like I should note that I do not necessarily agree with everything every character in my stories says, even when it's delivered as part of a rant. I figure that no one else's friendships matter in terms of magical ~~horsepower~~ potency because no one else was reasonably good friends with Twilight when the Element of Magic was used, that the remnants of that energy have been all-purpose plot-fixer ever since. It's not that their friendships aren't magic too, just that they weren't magic'd while in a state of friendship, if that makes any sense.

However, poor Trixie does not know that.

Anyway, choice!

1-Confront neighbor
2-Confront neighbor politely
3-Go back into own apartment, then raise Hell with wacky noises to discredit neighbor's reports

**Next chapter started, voting closed! (sorry!)**

Chapter 6: Sirens and Shut-Ins

Vote count as of 8/10/2016:
Be aggressive: 3
Be crazy: 3
Be polite: 10

Taking a deep breath, I calm down a little to make my decision. I'm itching to tear this prick a new one, but... I've gotta admit, that's probably just gonna get me in trouble. Sonata's idea sounds like fun, I guess her ideas usually do, but as is also typical for her, there's too many ways it could go wrong. Keeping a cool head has to work out for me in the long run, even if I have to go around explaining to people that the blogger is spying on me against my will.

"Okay, okay," I mutter to assure the others, "I'll try talking."

Adagio smiles at me, but doesn't say anything as I approach the door, knock twice, and wait.

And wait.

And wait.

I knock much louder, hearing a startled noise from the other side of the door. When they still don't answer, I feel the rage bubbling up again.

"I know you're in there, and I-" I stop myself before I say anything impolite. Deep breath. "...And I wanna talk to you. I know about your blog."

Getting impatient, Sonata pops her head through the door, then pops back out to look at me. "From the look on her face, she's definitely thinking about it. I'd give her another minute before she cracks and starts undoing those lock-bar thingies."

I can't ask what she means by that without risk of confusing the blogger, but maybe I can speed this up. "I'm not ma-... Sigh. Well, no, I'm mad, but I promise I'm not gonna hurt you, okay?"

About ten seconds later, I hear little bits of metal shuffling and scraping past each other, which is when I realize that Sonata was probably talking about door latches. Sounds like she's got at least three or four of the damn things, but eventually, the door cracks open, and past two thin chains that still hang between the door and the door frame, I can see her. She looks around the age of most girls at CHS (but then, so do I), a really light beige girl with thick-rimmed glasses, purple eyes, and red hair with a two-tone purple stripe. She kinda reminds me of someone, but before I put my finger on it, she starts talking.

"Y-yes, wh-what do you want?"

I don't need to see her whole body to catch her shaky posture, but I clear my throat and act like I don't notice. "You've been running a blog on my sisters and I for the past few weeks. As you probably know, I'm the only one left." I pause, but she doesn't challenge this assertion or make any sort of shift in her face, so either she's a fantastic liar or she didn't hear me talking to Lemon. Or the others. "Now that it's just me, I can assure you there won't be as much noise bleeding through the walls, and while we didn't know we were disturbing you before, I think things will be quieter now. As such, could you please stop that blog of yours? We-" My jaw twitches, but I've already said the word. I use the sad, anguished look on the blogger's face to play this off as loss. "...I, would appreciate it."

Working some emotion into my voice for that last part is pretty easy, because even if I know the truth, I don't like thinking of the others as though they're really not around anymore. I can tell it worked, because Snoopy Poindexter here looks like she's about to cry.

"Of course," she sniffles, "and, I am so sorry."

I shrug, not looking directly at her to keep this sappy moment from going too far. I don't wanna go tearfully hugging anyone if it can be avoided, especially not with a total stranger. Maybe she's thinking the same thing, because she pulls herself together a minute later, undoing the last two latches on her door to open it wider and address me like a person, not a threat.

"I'll shut down the blog. I'll need one more post to explain why, or my readers might, um..." She gives me an apologetic little grin. "Might jump to the wrong conclusions."

I nod, catching something just barely out of sight in her apartment. "...Interesting sense of decoration you've got."

Her eyes go wide and she glances over her shoulder at the offending object; a stethoscope with the listening piece taped to a wall, right by a stool with a pen and notepad sitting on it.

Floating through the wall for a better look, Sonata does her usual thing. "Huh, that is an interesting thing to decorate your house with, but I don't get the feng-shui of the notepad at all. It almost looks like she's been spying on us on purpose or something!"

Adagio just shakes her head as the blogger (I should really ask her name, it's only polite, but she didn't ask mine, either!) makes one of those "Please don't kill me!" smiles.

"Uhh, haha, that, that's there to, uh..."

More amused than annoyed (though I am annoyed) and keeping in mind that being polite is working out great so far, I make an effort to smile a little and keep my tone civil. "Yes? Could you please tell me why that listening instrument and recording stationery are placed by that wall?"

Though she keeps quiet, Adagio smiles brightly. "Very good, Aria!"

The little sense of "Yea, go me!" helps me keep a smile as the blogger gulps. "Okay, um... So, the walls here are kind of thin, but maybe not as thin as I've told my readers. You see, it started when I heard an argument through the walls, back when you guys moved back here. I had heard a little about you three back when I first moved here (long story), but I never thought you'd be back. So when Sunset came by to warn me after helping you guys move in, I-"

I totally don't do it on purpose, but me and Adagio say the exact same thing at the exact same time, though she sounds a lot angrier. "'Warned you?'"

She flinches, giving me a sheepish little smile. "Err... W-well, I mean, I d-don't know if it was like a warning-warning, just, her exact words were 'Those girls are back, please try not to aggravate them if you can help it.'"

I feel a little of my annoyance drain away, because that didn't sound at all like what I'd think of if I wanted to warn someone about someone else. It actually kinda sounds like she was looking out for us, sorta. Adagio must think so too, going by the puzzled look on her face.

"'Try not to aggravate them'? That doesn't... then why...?"

I can't ask what's on her mind right now, but she doesn't look any happier as she regains an irritable scowl and crosses her arms, not saying another word. Instead, I get back to the matter at hand. "Right... So, stethoscope? And, what's your name, while I'm here?"

"M-Moondancer. I'd ask your name, but, um... L-like I was saying, with everything I'd heard about 'The Sirens,' I got a little scared when I heard you guys were back, and it only got scarier the first time I overheard an argument through the walls. I felt trapped, like a kid who -and in light of, you know, you apparently being perfectly sane, I'm really, really sorry for thinking like this, but-"

"Don't worry about it." I twirl a hand in a get-on-with-it kind of way. "Like a kid who...?"

"Um... Well, you know how when you're little, lying in bed at night, the monster in the closet?"

"What?"

She looks at me like I've just grown a second head. "You really are from another world..."

She enlightens me on what is either the most ridiculous or the most terrifiying thing I've ever heard about this dimension. If this 'boogeyman' thing is any kind of real, it never bothered any of us.

"So, since I live alone, I guess that's what it was like to me at first; like a kid stuck staring at the closet, or scared to look under the bed, trapped and alone with 'the monsters.' After the second or third time I heard you guys, I turned to the internet to distract myself, and got the idea to start a blog on what I was hearing, just so it would feel like I had someone to talk to about it when I needed them. At first, the blog was just for my own mental health, just something to vent my fears and be done with it, but before I knew it, I had hundreds of regular readers!" Tentatively, she gives me something like an apologetic grin. "People actually liked hearing about you guys, I guess, and, I won't lie, the popularity felt good."

"I get that," I say with complete sincerity. As far as adoration goes, that doesn't sound like much of a high, but it's something.

"Y-yea... However, since you guys didn't get loud every day, I started running dry on content for the blog, and wanted more." She's not smiling at all now. "So, I went out and got a stethoscope, ta-"

I finish for her. "Taped it to the wall, listened in on us a bunch, and used that to keep your subscribers around?" The guilt on her face practically sings 'Bullseye!'

"I shouldn't have. I'm sorry. I'll stop now, there's... really no more need anyway."

Shooting her what I'm pretty sure is an almost regal, beneficent smile, I nod. "Thanks." Now how do I find out if she knows about the ghosts...? Oh, I know! Idly kicking at the floor as though I'm just making small-talk, I ask "So, what've you heard since...?"

For a second, she looks scared to answer the question, but her voice changes as she chokes up a little. "...Just, y'know... you talking to yourself... falling asleep watching cartoons... talking to yourself some more..."

Sonata continues to be Sonata. "You talked to yourself? I don't remember that, and we were with you all d-mmph?"

Adagio does the world a favor by covering Sonata's mouth, her voice completely deadpan. "Quiet time, Sonata."

"Yea," I continue, having thought up this excuse/lie while sitting in class, "it... I got pretty used to always having company, so... I'm adapting, okay?" She nods twice, so maybe she can relate. "And, was any of that added to the...?" The woeful look on her face is answer enough, making me sigh. "Great." Well, as long as she didn't frame it like 'last living siren reduced to crazy manic-depressive,' at least the blog won't be ending on a damning note. That would look kinda suspicious if you thought about it for a sec, doubly as Trixie, Vinyl, and Octavia (did I get their numbers today...?) know that I know about it now. Heck, maybe I'll get some sympathy out of this.

"I-I'm sorry," she says with a deep frown, "I can't take any of it back, but I promise, I'm done with the blog, and-" she runs over to the wall to rip the stethoscope off and wing it across the room before coming back to the door, "-I'll make one last post to say things quieted down and I don't need it anymore, then that'll be it. Okay?"

"Thanks," I say with a little smile, getting one right back.

"No problem, and, um..." Her mouth opens and closes a few times. I get the feeling she's trying to think of something comforting (not that I need it), but all she comes up with is "I'll, go do that now, bye!"

As the door closes, I turn away and make for our own apartment, keeping my voice down as I smirk. "How was that?"

Adagio's grin is audible as she floats behind me. "Excellent work, you got her to stop while staying perfectly clean!" Then she sounds simultaneously annoyed and perplexed. "That note about Sunset Shimmer, though..."

Sonata sounded curious. "Do ya think she just wanted Moondancer to leave us alone?"

"Hmph," she dismissively hmph'd as I went through the front door and they went through the walls, "doubtful. Half the school knew about that blog, and as Sunset Shimmer went out of her way to check in on us at every opportunity, chances are good that she knew about the blog and, rather than telling us about it, used it to keep tabs on us. The Rainbooms found Aria within an hour of the ritual, and I highly doubt they were planning to drop in anyway that day."

"Maybe, but, what if someone else saw that "AAAH, GET HELP" post and went to get Sunset?"

"That-..." Adagio huffs irritably. "Yes, I suppose that's possible too, but the former explanation wouldn't surprise me."

She really seems to be taking that 'warned me' thing kind of personally. That, or she's really miffed about the idea of Sunset knowing about the blog and intentionally leaving us out. Anyway, I'm home, so I take off my new boots and kick back on the couch, where me and my dead sisters just watch TV for a while. During a commercial break, Adagio asks me a question.

"So, considering that Sonata and I can't really report in for any kind of work anymore, have you thought about what you're going to do for money?"

"Uhh..."

Dangit. Reality stuff. I feel like I've been hit with a quiz I didn't study for (which is usually just ALL OF THEM), but Sonata reminds me of something.

"Sing people into giving her all the money she can carry, duh! Like we did way back when!"

Adagio can't even muster the will to facepalm with her deadpan. "How many times does it need explaining to you why we can't go doing that kind of thing?"

"Oh, right, the whole, Rainboom dealie... Well, like, what if we hopped a bus, went back to where all those rich people were, and-"

"Provided that no one sees Aria briefly leaving or returning to town (granted, some kind of disguise might suffice) or ever asks where she suddenly got her funding?"

"...Lottery?"

Adagio's eyes roll before they stop on me. "So, your thoughts?"

I shrug a little, hoping to pre-empt her a little this time. "I'm thinking you'll tell me that the safest option is to just plain get a job, like before." She nods once, and I feel myself frown as I touch the gem between a thumb and forefinger. "So, when am I gonna be able to use the gem again? I mean, if it's on lockdown for life, it's like..." My brain goes blank for a sec, so I just blurt it out. "You guys died for this, y'know?"

Adagio frowns too. "Well..." She sighs. "Sorry, I'm just trying to be careful. More-than-near-death experience kind of does that-" she glances at Sonata out of the corner of her eye, "-for some of us." Sonata sticking out her tongue makes her snort with amusement before she continues. "But, you're right, there's no point in having a resource you'll never use. What if... I informed the Rainbooms that we've since recovered our voices, so what if you used the gem discreetly to earn a wage?"

I shrug. "I could like, lure customers to come spend somewhere, if I worked something out with the owner beforehand. Could just say it's my great singing that brings 'em in."

"Faster to just make 'em fork over the dough," mutters Sonata.

"And lacking in cover story," Adagio retorts sharply, "though, if you're comfortable in taking that risk, Aria, I'll say no more about it."

Crossing my arms and raising a brow, I can't help being a little skeptical. "Really? Not even an 'I told you idiots!!' if it goes wrong?" I chuckle as she blushes and looks away.

"Erm... Well, what if, instead, you went out and found a job you actually liked?"

I tilt my head disbelievingly. "A job I like?"

Sonata shrugs. "I sorta liked waiting tables, at least when there were no screaming babies in the joint. You might find something fun!"

"You could even use the gem to secure it," Adagio says somewhat uncertainly. "If it's away from the school and only long enough to cement your employment, you could most likely slip by with a quick spell if you were careful. Of course, I'd encourage using that as a last resort, and provided that it's not something you have to keep singing for in order to retain the job (you wouldn't try to be a surgeon or anything, I hope?), it could easily work out in the long-term. That would be my suggestion."

I get comfortable on the couch as I think about this.

On one hand, I really don't wanna deal with work and school, and the thought of the gimme-gimme song is making me sorta nostalgic for how we got something to live on the first time. I want to try living a normal life, but not that normal! One good score and I'd be set for months. Yea, I'd be in hot water if I got caught, but the three of us are technically royalty, dammit!

I don't really think of singing as work, so if I could find (or sing) someone to pay me for each head that pops into their place of business, or something like that, I'd be on easy street. I could just tell the Rainbooms that I was making the most of my talents. They'd buy that and leave me to it, right?

I guess if I could find a job I didn't mind doing, regular old employment couldn't get me in trouble. Problem is, I don't even know where to start. I've got time to think, but, work that I like? Who likes working? Well, okay, the Apple clan impressed onto me that it's possible to be fetishistically in love with your labor, but you work to be able to afford time in which you don't have to work, right? I don't know.

Whatever I do, I can't live on what we've got left forever, even if I'm the only mouth to feed. Gotta get money from somewhere...

Author's Note

It was Moondancer all along! And as we can see, she had her reasons, even if they weren't the best ones. And now we know that Aria has a harmless, shut-in neighbor. I lack further commentary on this chapter, other than saying that Aria is not going to be doomed the first time she uses the gem and another choice will most likely follow this one to determine how exactly she goes about the selected method, so for those worried, fret not, you aren't being pushed into a lose-no-matter-what situation here. :pinkiesmile:

Choice!

1- Go somewhere, sing to some people, and get showered with free money to eliminate financial woes for the foreseeable future.
2- Work something out to coast by on singing with just enough magic to ensure a good payday.
3- Find a cool job, deploy magical charms if necessary to get it.

**Next chapter started, voting closed! (sorry!)**

Chapter 7: Research?

Vote count as of 12/10/2016:
Use gem for immediate free stuff -2
Use gem to find job she likes -5
Use gem lightly to 'earn' money, -11

We used to work pretty damn hard pulling in negative energy, and orchestrating the events of The Battle wasn't a total cake-walk either. We scraped together every scrap of power we could, and got it ripped away from us by some lucky idiots who got everything handed to them at the last sec-...

Sigh.

Okay, maybe that isn't being totally fair, but it's at least mostly true! And, long before that, back home, we were supposed to be- but, even back then, it was all stolen from us! Just as recently as when we were in the city, we-... well, okay, Adagio did all the work in hypnotizing people and outlining their very specific (but ultimately not specific enough) orders, but we still spent hours and hours that ended up being pretty much for nothing!

Maybe I'm bitter, but hard work does not always pay off. That in mind, I'm not really crazy about finding an actual job, but just going out and musically mugging people is probably gonna bite me in the butt later. So, maybe I can get by singing with just enough juice to get paid. Sonata and Adagio don't raise any objections when I say that's what I wanna do.

"Heck," Sonata says with a little grin, "maybe I'm just lazy, but if doing that makes you happy, then I'm happy too."

"Just as long as you're-"

"Careful," I cut Adagio off with an amused grin, "yea, thanks, I got that."

She giggles. "Have to make sure. Do you have a plan for when you'll be starting this?"

"Some time this weekend." Today is Thursday, so I've got a little more time. "So, until then... You guys wanna do anything together?"

They share a look. Sonata shrugs. "Like what?"

"I don't know, just... we haven't really just hung out since you came back. I figure there's gotta be something we can do for fun."

"Just as long as we don't have to touch anything," Sonata says while looking at her hands, "which rules out card games." She beams wider than the time she discovered chocolate syrup. "Ooh, I bet you could play poker with us! Like, we'd float around telling you what everybody's cards were, and you'd make like a billion dollars!"

Adagio shakes her head. "Even if she could get by without signalling that she was listening to two disembodied voices, she probably shouldn't risk getting accused of cheating. That goes double if anyone there knows who she is."

Distantly, I'm hoping I have time to really think about any plans I make as 'leader,' because Adagio is surprisingly good at shooting down ideas. Even so, I test my luck a little. "Hey, Adagio, do you think that if you ghost-DM'd, we could play Sewers and Sphinxes?" She looks at me in confusion, but I seize the chance to defend myself when she doesn't assault the idea with more than a raised eyebrow. "I mean, if Sonata and I kept to the other side, I could put the DM stuff behind a screen or something and roll for you two whenever it-"

My eyes widen as a realization hits me like a refrigerator fired out of a cannon. I run to the shelf where we keep the S&S books, going straight for the monster manual as the other two float behind me, sounding a little worried.

"Aria?! What's wrong?!"

"Yea! Why the running?"

I turn to them with the book in my hands, looking for a particular creature. "This is gonna sound nuts, but like, you were talking about how the snake-lady book was practically a manual just like this one, but with magic, right? So, if it works like that, who's to say this one can't tell us about you guys? Right?" I look up when I reach the Ghosts page, finding my ghosts trading unsure looks. I'm particularly looking at Adagio, who scratches her head.

"That, makes some kind of sense, I think. What do you want to try?"

Internally giddy about this, I look down at the page. "Uh... Darkvision. Can you guys see in pitch blackness?"

Sonata glances at the nearest window. "The sun's not going down yet, think you can black out a room for us?"

I settle for shutting off the lights in the bathroom and closing the door. They float through the wall and come out a second later, smiling. Sonata especially.

"We can totally watch you while you sleep!"

I feel a shiver run through my skin, but they both giggle, so I don't take it too seriously.

"Really though," Adagio says with a pleased grin, "this means that if needed, we can help you find your way in the dark, so don't hesitate to rely on us if it comes to that."

Feeling a little like I've just been given a super power, I nod, looking back at the book. "We already know you can go through stuff... What about-" The thought scares me just before I say it, so I quickly skip to the next one. "-uh, Ethereal Vision?"

Sonata tilts her head. "Huh? We just told you we can see in the dark."

"It's not that," Adagio says while touching a thoughtful hand to her chin, visibly searching her memory, "it's... seeing into the Ethereal Plane, I think, something that never came up in our campaigns." She closes her eyes for a few seconds, looks around, and does it again, Sonata joining her as the two concentrate, but after a couple minutes, both shrug and shake their heads at me. "If it works, I don't see any filchers or phase spiders."

Comforting thought, I guess.

"What about possession?"

Dammit, Sonata!!

"Even if we can, we shouldn't," Adagio says sternly, "any meaningful use of such an ability would be noticeable, and as we're at the top of the Magic Watch-List, it may be traced back to us right away."

Sonata is still smiling as she looks at me, a mischievous glint in her eye. "I just wanna know if we can do it."

I take a step back. "Don'teventhi-"

"Ready or not!"

"Nononon-eek!"

She dives straight into my torso, immediately sending chills through my body as I feel her wriggling around in my guts. I try in vain to grab at her, but only get handfuls of myself.

"Ack, guh-ick, get, g-get out!!"

After what feels a lot longer than a minute, she flies out of me, pouting. "I couldn't take her over at all. Dagi, you try!"

I look at Adagio in horror, but she gives me a sympathetic look. Or, she tries to, covering her mouth with one hand in an effort to hide her snickering. I scowl at her a little, but her apologetic grin makes it hard to be mad at her in the minute she needs to pull herself together. "I don't think that'll be necessary. Whether it's possible to usurp a host or not, we now know that we can, for some value, be felt, at least when floating through someone to that intensity. It could just be that we can't possess Aria, the only one who can see us, so perhaps we can experiment with this later. How are you feeling?"

I shiver, brushing my hands over my arms in an effort to wipe off the Sonata-ness. "Violated."

Sonata sticks her tongue out at me, but gets me and Adagio laughing with her contagious giggles.

"So," Adagio picks up, "the book was at least partly right. That's something."

Sonata beams. "What are our hit points?"

"Probably lower than that of the Hebi No Onna, so our collective challenge rating has most likely gone down."

"Aww."

I roll my eyes even if I can't help smiling. Looking over the page again, it doesn't really give me much insight as to what actually made these two come back, nothing you wouldn't see in any of this world's other ghost-related fiction. The closest thing to a clue is the familiar line about "Unfinished Business," which, for these two, could be a number of things. Looks like some of it is on the money, sure, but I'm no closer to understanding the rules we're working with here.

Well, whatever. They said they'd stick with me, and until they say otherwise, that's what I'm gonna believe.

Flopping onto my bed, I sigh. We spent the rest of the day trying to play Sewers and Spinxes, but we ultimately agreed that I might as well go join the Rainbooms' game (Sonata still offered to peek at other peoples' character sheets and behind the DM's screen to help me, for whatever it was worth) if I really wanna play. I still have to talk to them, so I settle on doing it tomorrow, either at lunch or after school. Would it be better to get it out of the way ASAP now that it's been a few days, or make the most of lunch to-

I jump with a start as my phone rings, almost sure it's Sunset somehow calling to talk right now, but it turns out it's just Lemon.

"Hey. What's up?"

"That's what I wanna ask you," she giggles, "how've you been? Everything okay over there? Dagi and Nata behaving?"

I can't help the smile that comes from thinking of those two as something like kids I'm taking care of. "I think I'm doing fine, thanks. We're still adapting, but nothin' to worry about." I chuckle, which is weird when you feel a little lump in your throat. "They've been doing everything they can to help me out, we're getting along great."

"Sweet! And I mean that in both the 'that's awesome!' way and the 'aww, warm fuzzies!' way!"

I giggle. That's not a thing I normally do, but... I don't know, it just feels different talking on good terms to someone that isn't one of my sisters. "What about you? Everything goin' okay at the, uh... um-"

"Just callin' it the tea shop is fine, that's what I do when I'm not advertising it. And, not gonna lie, things are a little slower without 'Hebi-sama' around, but we're definitely still in the black. Not just 'cuz'a the guys who insist on buying more stuff since I took the tribute box down, either. Seriously, I told 'em she's never coming back, wasn't laughing or smiling at all when I said it, but it's like they don't believe me! Girl's got a following."

"That's sorta sad," I say with as much sincerity as I can manage through my giggles.

"Yea, but, I figure they'll get it sooner or later. Anyway, I'll call you again tomorrow, okay? Just until you get sick'a me checking in on you!"

I smile wider. "That might take a while."

"Haha, challenge accepted! Catch ya later, Ria!"

Beep!

It's a really weird feeling right now, but I think I sorta like it. Don't ask me what 'it' is, but thinking about getting the same thing with Trixie, Octavia, and Vinyl, it's the reason I fall asleep smiling.

Nothing really interesting happens the next morning all the way up to lunch, which, I guess, at least means I'm getting that 'normal life' rhythm back. Well, I said hi to Trixie in one of my morning classes and there was a tid-bit I pretended not to hear from those three guys that sit somewhere behind me in another class, but the look on Adagio's face at the time said it wasn't something I should totally ignore.

"-and they made one last post before marking the blog closed. Suspicious?"

"Pretty sure Aria didn't kill her and take her place to make a fake blog post."

"Well, okay, yea, that was sorta far-fetched, but did you see that post? It said she talked to her. Talked. Aria isn't a talker, she's a puncher!"

I had been wondering when the other guy was gonna say something stupid, and sure enough...

"I'd like to 'punch' her, if ya know what I-"

The second guy cut him off. "Man, shut up!" I think he turned to the first guy again. "And what do you know about her? Maybe losing her sisters changed things for her."

"Maybe that's what she wants us to think!"

"Pfft."

The impression I got was that some people are gonna be on your case no matter what you do. Damned if you do, damned if you don't and all that. Screw 'em.

So, when lunch time rolls around, Sonata floats in front of me as I'm walking down the hall.

"You should sit with Ditzy and the others today! Then you'd have twice as many friends!"

"Or," Adagio says as though explaining that fire is hot, "she could further build on what she started yesterday, rather than go around making flimsy, fleeting bonds with everyone she meets."

"But like, the Rainbooms can't touch her if she's surrounded by pals, right?"

This actually gives Adagio pause. "You mean, if they see her personally engaging in the 'magic of friendship' to such a degree that she seems to be making a wide variety of friends, whether they're more like acquaintances or not, they may not suspect her as much?"

"Uh, y-yea, that!"

"Hm..." She looks at me, uncertain. "Well, I suppose they couldn't fault you if you tried to get to know a whole lot of people, but things would almost certainly get hectic, and for all we know, the Rainbooms will be just as content if you get to know Vinyl and the others. The simplicity would be more manageable too, but I can't tell you what you're ready for anymore."

Walking into the cafeteria, I nod, taking a good look around.

I see Photo Finish, Ditzy Doo, and Ringo where they were before, talking about who-knows-what as Photo makes eerie motions with her fingers. Is quantity the same as quality with friends? It's not like Sunset herself only made one really close friend and ignored everyone else, right?

I see the Rainbooms, who, no matter what, I should talk to by the end of the day. It's been long enough and I've gotta deal with them sooner or later, if only to let 'em know I'm fine without them. If I don't talk to them here at lunch, I'll do it after school. Whether I end up arguing with them or mending fences a little, the question is whether or not I want that to be public, where the whole school can see.

Then there's Trixie, Octavia, and Vinyl. I could just do what I did yesterday, get to know them a little more, and forget about everyone else for now, but at the very least, I should swing by their table to let 'em know what I'm up to today. Don't want the three of them thinking I'm dropping them for no reason.

Author's Note

Been a while, huh? Sorry about that.

Choice! I hope this one isn't at all confusing, but it deals with just how social Aria wants to be, not overriding the extremely similar choice that came before.

1- Sit at Photo's table
2- Sit at Trixie's table
3- Sit at Sunset's table

**Next chapter started, voting closed! (sorry!)**

Chapter 8: Hearsay

Vote count as of 1/29/2017 (Yes, about seven months to finish this one!):
Photo's table -1
Rainboom table -0
Trixie's table -12

Let's see, try making even more friends, or stick with the few I barely have already? Pretty obvious choice, now that I think about it, and screw spending the time I've got getting all sappy or whatever with the Rainbooms. I'll talk to 'em later, but right now, Trixie, Octavia, and Vinyl are waiting.

I forget to say 'Hey' until after I've sat down, but none of 'em point it out as Trixie starts doing her thing.

"Welcome, Aria Blaze," she says with a big, showman's smile, like she's getting paid to announce me to the other two, "we were just discussing spider webs!"

"No we were not," Octavia says just a little forcefully, "we were discussing the idea of a cape with holes cut to resemble a spider web."

Trixie dismissively waves a hand at her. "Same difference. With a cape like that, I could bewitch an audience with a bit of that Halloween mystique and show off my amazing physique from the back at the same time!"

I raise an eyebrow. "If your cape is full of holes, wouldn't it just be more likely to snag on something?"

There's a pause as the others process this, which is when Adagio, floating behind Octavia, touches a thoughtful hand to her chin. "She wouldn't be able to use it to obscure things when she needed to, either."

Sonata makes a face like she just tasted a pickle. "And she'd get flies stuck to her!"

"And," I add, "you probably couldn't use the cape as much in your act if everybody can see through it."

Trixie blinks twice, then huffs. "Phooey. Well, not like I have any friends among the local fashionistas to make the thing, anyway."

I can't help but notice the way Octavia smiles with relief as Trixie abandons her spider-web-cape plan. I would rather know my enemies' weaknesses, but for now, I mark Octavia as a possible arachnophobe. I can't read anything in Vinyl's face through those shades and that spacey little smile, but she doesn't seem like the type who scares easily.

"So," Trixie says with all the tact of a runaway bulldozer, "how'd things go with that blogger?"

Put on the spot, my mind blanks out for a second, so she tries to clarify.

"I mean, we told you they lived next door to you yesterday, and the latest post was about how they were shutting down the blog, sooo...?"

Despite popular belief, Trixie isn't stupid. Come to think of it, she was the first to notice my Heartstone, and since she's extra-conscious about magic, I better be careful around her. "I dropped by, we talked a little, and she dropped the blog."

While the others, even Vinyl, looked back at me in confusion and maybe even disbelief, Adagio casually speaks up.

"Word it right and you might win some admiration for how calmly you handled it."

"It's like, we made a little noise when it was the three of us living there, but now...?" I don't milk the sympathetic looks they're giving me, just use the moment to establish my case. "So, when I told her it was just me now and she wasn't gonna have much to talk about, she said she'd close the thing down."

There's a long quiet as they keep looking at me in surprise. Sonata throws out a suggestion.

"Tell a joke! Something funny on the end to lighten the mood!"

I try, I really do, but put on the spot in the middle of an awkward moment, nothing comes to me, so I just shrug. "All I had to do was ask."

"...Well," Octavia says as evenly as possible, "at least that could be settled amicably."

Vinyl nods once, smiling like everything in the world is okay now.

Then I remember something, pulling out my phone. "So, I never got any of your numbers, could-"

Trixie has swiped my phone before I realize it, grinning brightly as she punches in the digits to make a new contact. "Done, and, done," she sing-songs, handing it back to show me that she listed herself as 'GaP Trixie.'

Looking at her, I tilt my head a little. "Your first name is 'Gap'?"

"Wha-? No, it stands for-"

An amused smile tugging at the corners of her mouth, Octavia raises an eyebrow. "Is that what she typed in this time?"

"It stands for Great and Powerful!"

Octavia is still smiling. "Back when she gave me her number, it was 'Trixilicious.'"

I can't help grinning a little as Trixie blushes and rolls her eyes. "Because Trixie is delicious."

Vinyl taps my shoulder to get my attention, getting me to crack up when I see one contact listed as 'T-Pain.'

I can't think of anything cool or memorable to do the same thing with my own number, but a few minutes later, they're all in my list and I'm in all of theirs. I get my first word from Vinyl in the form of a text.

[Hi!]

I spend a few seconds lingering indecisively about texting her back before just turning to her and smiling a little. "Yea. Hi."

She beams, quite pleased.

"So," Trixie picks up with a smile, "now that we can contact you somewhere other than the lunch room without a teacher getting bent out of shape about it, how'd you like to hang out somewhere this weekend?"

"Uh..." Adagio and Sonata float where I can see them, their smiles nothing but supportive of this venture. I like having them back, but I guess I shouldn't spend every day staying at home with my undead sisters. "Sure."

"Great! Trixie will text you tomorrow or Sunday."

Nothing really interesting happens for the rest of the day, either, at least until I'm heading to the music room to meet the Rainbooms for the first time since before the accident. In the middle of the hall of people trying to go meet the weekend, I see a couple, a guy and girl I don't recognize, doing that stupid, stupid human intimacy thing again.

Hand-holding.

As if to mock me somehow, the bustle of the hallway has me walking behind them, stuck slowly shuffling along with these two idiots in my field of vision practically until the moment I reach the music room. With my hand on the knob, I notice Adagio giving me one of her scrutinizing stares, but we don't really have time to talk if I don't want to stand here looking like a weirdo, and there's seven other weirdos I need to talk to first.

Opening the door, I'm a little relieved to see they're all here, even if it doesn't look like any of them are practicing with their instruments as they stop what they're doing and look at me. Remembering similar looks on Moondancer's face, I shut the door behind me and start with a casual "Hey."

"Hey," Sunset greets back with a tentative face, "did you need something?"

I don't quite hear what the words are, but it sounds like Adagio quietly hisses something vile from behind me, which throws off my train of thought a little. "Um..." They're still looking at me like they're expecting to hear I just lost a leg, which is what jogs my memory. I pull out my phone for visual aid. "Been getting your texts, and thought like, uh... I'm doing fine, okay? You can quit leaving me messages every morning."

Sticking her hands in her pockets, Rainbow shrugs, but her frown stays. "Cool. I mean, you don't look all heartbroken and-" She winces as Rarity practically screeches at her.

"Rainbow!!"

Looking like a scolded child, Rainbow defends herself. "What? I'm saying it's good that not just staying home and crying her eyes out all day!"

"Honestly, would it kill you to be more sensitive?"

Fluttershy looks like she just tasted something that tried to taste her back. "'Kill'?"

"Achtxplt!" Rarity looks back at me as though she killed Sonata and Adagio, but Rainbow's smart remark swings my attention back to her.

"Wow, Rarity," she deadpans with crossed arms, "sooooo sensitive." Applejack thwaps her on the back of the head. "Ow!"

"Will ya both quit yappin'?!" For a second, I'm worried Farmer Freckles is going to take her hat off all mournfully and make this a MOMENT, but she's just straightening it out before she looks at me. "We're real sorry 'bout'cher loss. Ah ain't promisin' the world, but if ya need anything, give us a holler?"

I'm both amazed and gratified by how straightforward she is with this as I nod a little. "Yea, sure. Not likely, but, y'know..."

There's a quiet moment as I'm standing there, which is when I notice that Pinkie Pie, for once, isn't saying a single word. She barely looks at me, but maybe it's because she knows I wouldn't want a freakin' cupcake to celebrate my newfound independence. Sunset opens her mouth to say something, but Rainbow is a little quicker.

"So," she says with a hesitant smile, "we hear you're getting along with Trixie, Octavia, and Vinyl. How's that been going?"

I have no idea what kind of answer she's expecting, so I just kind of shrug. They stare at me. "We talk...?"

Despite the lingering sadness in her eyes, Fluttershy manages a cute little smile. "That's... good."

Sonata mutters from behind me. "This Awkward is so thick it hurts."

I can't help agreeing, but unfortunately, can't think of a way to break it, either. The silence eats at my nerves as they stare at me, and even if there's no hostility in those eyes, I feel like I'm being judged, which makes me all antsy! I'm wavering back and forth between just making a move for the door or telling them all off (for what, I don't know) when Nerd Twilight speaks up.

"I-if, uh, if you've got some free time," she simpers, visibly worrying that I'm going to say no already, "we're still getting together to play Sewers and Spinxes again this week! Does Saturday night work for you?"

It should, unless the thing with Trixie and the others runs long, but before I can say that, Rainbow shoots me a cocky grin.

"It'd be great if I had some decent competition again."

Fluttershy's tone is almost scolding, but her smile is nothing but tickled. "We're all on the same side, Rainbow."

"Doesn't mean I can't rack up the most kills or bag the most stuff!"

I kind of like the sound of showing her who's the best dungeon-crawler again, which might be bad, because I still don't want to be close to these girls and it's really hard repressing my smile right now. I quickly turn to the door. "I'll think about it. Later."

I'm not sure if I'm just hearing her wrong, but I can just barely hear a lump in Sunset's throat as she calls out.

"Stay safe, and we'll be here if you need us, for anything."

I don't turn to look back at her, just make a vague hand-motion and head out. I'm only a few steps away from the music room when I hear Sonata.

"Dagi, you coming?"

"Go ahead," she says in a cold, level tone, "I'll catch up in a minute."

I glance over my shoulder to see her translucent heels disappear through the wall to the music room, which I take to mean she's spying on the Rainbooms. Not wanting to look like I'm doing the same if someone sees me standing out here, I keep walking, turn a corner far from the door, and wait.

Sonata does her best to entertain me by doing loop-de-loops in the air (which she's gotten pretty good at), but I don't wanna look like a weirdo by smiling alone in a hall for no reason. The school day is over and hardly anyone is around now, but still. Trying to wave her off just gets her to smile mischievously and do wackier stuff, like a backstroke through non-existent water and making silly faces. I'm repeatedly hissing "Quit it!" through clenched teeth as quietly as possible, half-expecting her to start pulling some Beetlejuice stuff when Adagio finds us.

"...I can't leave you two alone for five minutes, can I?"

Sonata giggles, thankfully dropping her antics. "What'd they say?"

"Not what I was expecting," she says somewhat disdainfully as she glances back toward the music room, "but perhaps it was just a matter of timing. It sounded like they were concerned for you, but have opted to leave you to your own devices. For now."

This is when something weird hits me: I could have sworn Adagio was almost getting along with the Rainbooms, Sunset included, just last week. Like, she'd resented Sunset for months over taking our magic, but since we came back to Canterlot, I was pretty sure that had been fading away, bit by bit, and now it's like she hates all of them, especially Sunset, more than ever. I'm trying to decide whether or not I wanna just come out and ask what happened between them when I hear girls' voices from down the hall.

"Is it true?"

"Totally true! Half the damn class will tell you!"

"Scary..."

"Do you think they'd come if we got the Ouija board out?"

That last part is what really grabs my attention, and I'm creeping closer before I've even thought about it.

Which takes some careful movement in these heels!

I work out a ratio of likely-to-be-spottedness vs. how well I can hear the conversation to pick a spot by the corner without stepping out to see who it is, but I can hear them clear as a bell from here.

"She talked to Sonata," says one voice, "In the middle of class."

"B-but," stutters a second, "she's-"

"One of the dead ones," interrupts a third, "yea, that's what makes this freakin' scary!"

The fourth sounds especially freaked out. "Y-you don't think th-they're...?"

The first offers a guess. "Still alive? That Aria's got them telling her stuff through a radio in her hair or something as part of their new scheme?"

"That... Is it wrong that I'm kind of hoping that's the case?"

"No," answers the second, "because the only other explanation I can think of is that-"

I can hear the playful smile in the third girl's voice. "That they're talking to her FROM BEYOOOND THE GRAAAAAVE, Huahahaha!"

Voices #2 and #4 whimper, but the first scoffs. "Really? Ghost stories?"

"But," insists #4, "that's what happens, isn't it? Someone dies horribly, their spirit comes back for revenge, and-"

"And all their old enemies, better watch out~!"

Voice #3 is scolded by #1.

"Stuff it, Raz!" She's much gentler with the other two. "Come on, you saw the Dazzlings since they came back, right? They were way too... peaceful to do the vengeful ghost thing."

"But they still wanted to fix their necklaces," says #2, audibly trembling, "and unfinished business like that can make a spirit go crazy!"

I can almost hear the eye-roll. "Yea. In movies."

4 gets some iron in her tone. "And just how many times has this school been involved in magical mayhem?!"

"...Err..."

"Beware, mortals," declares 'Raz,' clearly just having a freakin' ball with this, "we may be witness to the start... of a haunting!"

Over the sounds of #2 and #4 making undignified noises and #1 scolding Raz again, Sonata peeks around the corner much further than I can on account of her invisibility. "I don't recognize any of these girls, but I'm pretty sure they're nobodies."

"Even so," sighs Adagio, "you should probably break this up now. While Sonata and I might not be a threat to anyone, you don't need these kinds of rumors pinned to you."

"Or," Sonata says with a tone not unlike Girl #3's, "you could go over there, hype it up, act all I-see-dead-people and spook 'em all good! That wouldn't just be funny, it'd be legendary!"

"Are you trying to get us Rainblasted?!"

"No, no, think about it! Aria's got her gem now, but she's still all alone, and if somebody wanted to mess her up, they might pull it off! I know you never turn to look at 'em, Aria, but I've got a bad feeling about those guys who keep whispering behind you in class, and everyone that gives you weird looks in the halls. But if everybody were scared of you, if they all thought we'd pop out of nowhere and rip their souls out or something if they laid a finger on you, nobody'd ever mess with you again! The best part? You wouldn't even have to do anything bad, nothing the Rainbooms could get mad about, because it'd be the rest of the school spreading rumors!"

"Fear-based security," Adagio dully muses with a raised eyebrow and a hand on her hip. "Wouldn't that be undermined by the fact that three girls are already confirmed to spend time with Aria at no consequence? One of them an old enemy of ours?"

"We're vengeful ghosts," Sonata says while raising her arms in a comical I'm-gonna-get'cha pose and smiling evilly, "we'll only curse those who aren't nice to her," she winks at me, "right?"

Hearing those girls around the corner talking about contacting my sisters with their stupid Ouija board to gauge their malevolence, I think about it for a minute.

I could just walk out, say I was thinking back to a memory of us studying or something like Adagio said to do if anyone asked, and that my sisters are totally gone. Calmly-delivered arguments have worked out pretty good for me so far, but even if they refuse anyway and it makes a mess, I can still shut this down later by brainwashing these four into dropping it for good. If I'm careful, since I know Adagio is gonna harp on me if I bring that up.

Or, I could play up their fears, let people think they'll get hexed if they get on my bad side, and be feared again. That does sound kinda sweet, and as it wouldn't even be my fault in the Rainbooms' eyes (unless they're gonna blame the girl who lost her sisters in a tragic accident?), they might not even bug me about it. Trixie'd probably eat up the attention she'd net for being near me, too.

Of course, while I do like being given space, having everyone be terrified of you has gotta have drawbacks, like difficulty making new friends, and Octavia's already kind of skittish. I doubt anyone in this school would have the guts to pick a fight with me ever again, but...?

Maybe I'm being stupid about this either way, maybe the best thing to do is just ignore it. Highschools are already hives of gossip, and it's not like I'm a stranger to dumb rumors. I could go home right now, not give a damn what anyone's saying about me, let these idiots jump at shadows 'til they pass out, and let this thing run its course.

How should I deal with this?

Author's Note

I'd never heard of The Letter when I started this story, but being a supernatural/slice-of-life story with varying degrees of drama based on the reader's choices, it's hard for me not to think about it now.
I have no intention of having Sonata, Adagio, or both go all Ju-On at anyone for any reason, no matter what choices are made, but I can't promise there won't be a creepy influence or two somewhere, regardless of the outcome of this chapter's choice. :twilightsheepish:

In fact, I was wavering on what this chapter's choice should be before settling on this one, which I wouldn't have thought up if I hadn't been introduced to this lovely title. If you're at all interested in visual novels, I heartily recommend it.

Anyway, choice! I'll offer a small cheat and say that 'these girls are nobodies' means they're effectively background ponies, nobody with much established character and no one Aria knows in any capacity. If that helps the decision-making at all.

1- Go over to the gossiping girls and stop the rumors of Aria being haunted by her dead sisters before they begin.
2- Go over to the gossiping girls and heavily imply that their suspicions are true, scaring all four of them with their own imaginations.
3- Go home, ignore this nonsense completely.

**Next chapter started, voting closed! (sorry!)**

Chapter 10: In Plain Sight

Vote count as of 2/20/2018:
Go home- 1
Go to Fluttershy's place early- 3
Look for a job at the mall- 8

Bumming free grub off the Rainbooms sounds good and I'd kind of like to just kick back for a bit, but I figure while I'm here, I might as well secure my lifestyle or something. Just in case something happens and I'm hurting for money soon. I mean, I could probably convince Adagio to let me just musically mug somebody if it was really an emergency, but getting a huge bundle of money out of nowhere never looks good on anyone. Can always quit and snag a new job elsewhere if I feel like it.

Glancing over my shoulder, I think about seeing if the arcade is hiring, but I don't know what I'd do besides go around collecting coins outta the machines, sweeping up crumbs and wrappers, and probably having to talk to random dorks all day. I probably wouldn't get to play games during my shift, anyway, not without some pretty noticeable brain-washing. I've got no urge at all to work at a clothes shop or any of the other places we went today, but I still take a quick look around, ponder my options, and while I've got some thoughts about the tattoo parlor, I end up going to the local spa.

I'm not even in the doorway when the smell of flowers and fruity body cream hits me like some kind of preemptive strike against stress with chemical warfare. It might even be working, because I'm feeling pretty smooth and confident about this already. I walk up to the counter and look the receptionist dead in the eye.

"Hey. How much would you pay for someone that could sing your customers into Nirvana?"

The receptionist, a light-beige, blue-eyed girl with long, purple hair, blinks at me. "Uh, could you run that by me again?"

"I've got cords like an angel," I say while bringing a hand up to my neck, "and if you let me, my singing can melt your patrons' brains and make them forget their pains, their troubles, and their names."

She raises an eyebrow, making a face like she's about to step in something. "I'm, I don't mean to call you a liar, but your voice sounds..."

I feel my face heat up as Sonata snickers behind me, but I try to keep the scowl down. "My singing voice is great! Need a demonstration?"

Humoring me, she nods (which is good, because I was gonna do it anyway), so I open my mouth and start a soft, soothing vocal melody. No lyrics, because I know this stuff has gotta be background noise and specific words draw attention, but the 'Aaa-aah, ahh-aaah-ah' thing should do the trick here. I can already see that it's having an effect as she smiles, resting her head on a propped-up hand on her desk less than a minute into my performance, her eyes even closing by just a few millimeters.

And then I start singing with a little magic.

There's nobody alive in here right now but me and her, and my ghostly sisters will tell me if anyone's coming, so I give it some juice. The effect is instant, and while I doubt she even realizes it, she's already melting into her seat, her eyes closing a little further as she drifts into a happy, sleepy haze, the look on her face telling me she'd let me do this for hours.

She stays that way even after I stop singing, which, after a minute of awkward silence on my end, I'm a little worried about.

"I'm sure you can snap her awake," offers Adagio, "if they haven't closed yet, she has a job to be doing."

I shrug and touch the girl's shoulder, which she reacts to as though she had been straight up sleeping.

"Oh, sorry, I..." She's still smiling and looking sort of Bedroom Eyes as she sits up and stretches. "Goodness, that was a treat! I don't have the authority to make anything final myself, but I'm sure we can find room for you."

Because I'm betting I can pass it off as just being proud of my work, I wear a bright smile all the way to the back room where the others (her bosses, maybe her sisters from how similar they all look) are waiting.

I used my magic at all partly because I wanted to get this thing in the bag, partly because I've been itching to enchant someone again ever since the Battle, and having my old power back feels amazing! More-so because I can do it pretty much out in the open, the other two spa girls none the wiser as I win them over in the same way. Before I know it, I'm all lined up to work here on the weekends and any shifts I can manage on school days. They're sympathetic to student workers, which I learn when I see that Bulk Biceps works here too.

I kinda wish I could like, harness my ghost sisters' power to channel their strengths when I needed to, because I might have been able to mask my reaction a little better that way.

"Miss Aria," asks Aloe, a pink lady with shiny, blue hair, "iz something wrong?"

I can't place her accent, but it sounds somewhere between French and Russian. "Yea," I manage to spit out as I desperately try to pull myself together, "just, didn't think I'd run into someone else from CHS here."

And am definitely not having a tiny freak-out that he might see me doing my magic and report it to the Rainbooms.

My new boss titters. "Oh, yes, most customers are startled when they learn he will be giving them massages, but he really does have a soothing touch."

"When he is not breaking things," adds Lotus Blossom, who looks just like Aloe with blue skin and pink hair.

"Yes," deadpans Aloe, "when he is not breaking things."

I smile a little, which I'm pretty sure can be read as more amusement than nervousness. As usual, Adagio isn't fooled.

"Bulk Biceps isn't the brightest bulb to begin with and may not even notice anything amiss, but just in case, you can most likely control him if you're discreet."

She's got a point, and I might even be able to implant the right ideas in his head on the job, but Sonata, grinning cheekily, has another idea.

"Orrr, you could undo the top button of your uniform, bat your eyes, and ask him pretty please not to tell on you, maybe even say something about a private session if he's a good boy."

I'm lucky Lotus and Aloe are preoccupied working something out with Vera (the one I talked to on the way in here), because I have no feasible explanation for why I'm blushing this hard while filling out paperwork. To my surprise, Adagio doesn't immediately detract from the idea.

"That might suffice," she says thoughtfully, one hand on her chin, "he is a teenage boy and you're a very pretty girl. Although, we must consider that he spends time around other girls that he's known longer than us, and if he isn't immediately being pressured by you, he could easily break."

Sonata shrugs. "Maybe, but it's a magic-free way to keep him quiet, as long as the rumors at school aren't true and steroids haven't shrunk his-"

"Okay," I say out loud as I suddenly stand up, startling the spa workers, "gonna go try on the uniform. You said you had an extra, right?"

"Ehm, y-yes," answers Aloe, "the locker room is yust around the corner."

I go, trying to think about just how dangerous my predicament here is.

Backing out now would raise questions if anyone saw me and I don't know if I'm strong enough to totally erase their memories the way Adagio did with our slaves back in the city, but Bulk is the only problem here. Maybe I could sing to him, maybe I could get him fired, maybe I could... go with Sonata's idea.

And knowing what Bulk looks like, I'm kinda tempted.

Anyway, I like the uniform for this place! White pants, shoes, a close-fitting shirt that goes down to my thighs like a miniskirt, and scrunchies to tie my hair up (they said I could keep the twin-tails, but pointy star hair clips aren't the most soothing image), all of it made of the softest stuff. I don't know cotton from silk from polyester, but these clothes are snuggly! There's a white headband, too, but I don't think I'll wear that part. Don't wanna be mistaken for one of these girls' sisters, if that's not what's already going on here.

The outfit looks damn good on me, though!

They're more or less closing up here soon, so I hang around for a while, get the rundown of the place, get familiar with where stuff is and what it's for, what I can do other than sing to customers, and then I change back to my own clothes and set out for Fluttershy's place.

When I get to her yard, I feel weird that I left a spa to come here, where things are just...

How do I even say it? If people at each others throats kicked up negative energy, just standing near Fluttershy's house would be like a wave of the exact opposite stuff. The lawn isn't just carefully kept, there's plants that don't normally grow near houses all arranged like something out of a painting, flat, rounded rock things leading up to the front door, even garden gnomes and stuff that just make the place feel all... homey. And that's just the front yard!

The way the house is built even looks different from the rest in this neighborhood, with smooth, curved windows that make me think more of a cottage than a house. When I look at this place, I can practically hear children laughing and smell fresh-baked cookies. With the permeating sense of lived-in-ness, I wonder if this place was standing since they first built the town, like it's just been a lasting monument to happy families for centuries, or if Fluttershy's is just that... soft.

Adagio, Sonata, and I were royal family, and we never had anything that felt this nice. I'm not sure what that says about anyone here, but I think that's why she was the one sent to bring me home from the hospital.

Anyway, I walk up (stepping on just one of the rounded stones at a time, because that's what they're there for), ring the doorbell, and wait. Within a minute, I hear soft, but hurried footsteps on the other side and Fluttershy opens the door.

"Oh," she says with surprise, "h-hello, Aria."

We stare at one another in silence for a minute, her looking like she's waiting for me to demand something of her, so I clear my throat and remind her of yesterday. "Is that invitation still good?"

"Oh!" She brightens up immediately. "Y-yes, please, come in!" I follow her instruction, walking to the living room with her. "We'll be getting started soon, did you eat before coming? Because if not, we have plenty of leftover pie."

"Pie?"

"Applejack and Pinkie were helping in a bake sale this week and didn't know what to do with the extras, so please, help yourself! We have the character sheets ready, too, which has made things much easier than when we all used to bring ours separately and-"

It's kind of amazing how much more calm and confident she gets when we're at her house, but I guess playing host and Sewers and Sphinxes are passions of hers. She leads me into the living room, where Sunset, Nerd Twilight, Rainbow, and my new, brawny coworker are all arranged around a big ol' table covered in papers, rulebooks, colorful die of various shapes, and a few snacks/plates of half-eaten pie here and there.

They all stare at me like Fluttershy did, only they're quicker with the smiles.

"Hey," says Rainbow with a casual wave, "glad you could make it!"

I find myself smiling a little as I silently wave back, taking a seat between her (so we can talk strategy if necessary) and Fluttershy.

Sunset's smile is as obvious in its effort to cover something up as the little strain in her voice. "We were just going over what happened last week, and..." For a second, I worry she's about to cry, but she holds together pretty well for a pony. "I guess we can say Nau Thrak and Jissibil were hired by another, distant kingdom? Where they lived happily ever after?"

Nau Thrak the Orc Priest (I didn't know you could play a full-fledged orc, but she made it work) and Jissibil the Dark Elf Sorceress (best known for her vanity and Elisabeth Bathory tendencies) were Adagio and Sonata's characters, respectively. I nearly make the mistake of asking them, but they're already floating where I can see them.

Adagio studies her nails. "That works."

Sonata shrugs. "Yea, sounds good."

Looking back at her passively, I nod. Glancing at the others is the first hint that they're all apparently uneasy, so I just come out with it. "Like I said before, I've done my grieving, and it's not like we've never lost anything important before. I'm moving on."

There are a few looks of shock, but most of these girls, and Bulk, are as young as they look, so that's kind of expected. Rainbow is the first to respond verbally.

"Heh," she says with a faint, regretful smile as she scratches her head, "Dagi was supposed to be DM-ing this week, wasn't she? I'm kinda sad we'll never see it now."

Adagio just rolls her eyes, but I think I see a tiny smile. Sunset was the one running the game since we came back to Canterlot High (maybe before, I don't know) and there was a mild argument last week.

See, Fluttershy and Bulk like to really get into their characters, Sonata thought that looked fun and went for the same play style. Thing is, she rolled a Chaotic Neutral psychopath with a particular fondness for lavish jewels and killing things with their own blood, no matter the consequences.

Sonata, or 'Jissibil,' being an unpredictable lunatic (selling villagers into slavery so we could justify killing and looting the people she sold them to and charge the local mayor for returning his citizens, infecting a gnome with lycanthropy in the hopes of getting a were-puppy (which literally bit her character in the ass a few times), trying to convince a cyclops to take up piracy and wear an eyepatch, etc.) caused some chaos during Sunset's campaigns, Sunset getting annoyed about her inflexible plans being derailed every hour or so, Sonata shooting back that Adagio's campaigns never got thrown off no matter what she did (because I'm pretty sure Adagio made stuff up as she went and had long gotten used to Sonata being Sonata), Nerd Twilight asking a few questions, Adagio, put on the spot, tentatively answering, and the lot of us coming to the agreement that she'd DM next time.

That was supposed to be this week, but...

Well, I already tried having her ghost-DM, but even if I weren't the only one that could hear her, I don't think that'd go over well right now. Still, I think I might know how to defuse the atmosphere in here.

I smile a little, leaning over the table to prop my head up with one arm. "I don't think you'd really want that." They stare at me in surprise before I go on. "You guys wanna know what Adagio's games were like?"

"YEAH!!"

I'm probably not the only one that got startled by that, but everyone looking at Bulk gets a sheepish smile before the Rainbooms look back at me, encouraging smiles on their faces. Just because it feels necessary, I spare a quick, subtle glance at Adagio and find her giving me a little smirk, which I take to mean 'Oh, go on then.'

I clear my throat.

"As manipulative and underhanded as she could be before, being able to make villains for Sewers and Sphinxes games gave Adagio a whole new outlet for her evil ways, letting her make imaginary people do things far more horrific than anything we'd ever pull in the real world.

In our first campaign, there was this medium-sized town with a really weird hospital. I don't know if old-timey swords-and-dragons fantasy dark-ages had hospitals, but whatever. In this hospital, some patients would just disappear in the night, gone without a trace. Over in the childrens' wing, though, there were a bunch of kids with a fatal disease that hadn't quite kicked in yet... for about two years. She feeds us the exposition that the disease is supposed to kill within weeks, but these kids have held on and stayed relatively healthy anyway, and that it's treated like a miracle by the local church, celebrated as giving the town hope in congregation.

We investigate the hospital to learn why people are disappearing, head down some stairs, break down some locked doors, and find a morgue full of desiccated zombies and a few of the hospital's staff. Some combat-related dice-rolls later, we corner the head doctor in a room with a huge, powerful monster (waiting for its master to say "Sic 'em!"), some kind of spirit-sucking demon that we know has to consume souls every now and then to survive in this plane, and we assume he's been feeding the missing patients to it this whole time.

Adagio has her demonic witch-doctor laugh at us, explaining that those undead husks we cut through to get to him were the remains of the patients once he'd harvested their organs to sell on what amounts to Ye Olde Black Market for transplants, dark rituals, feed for unholy pets, whatever the customer shelled out for. He tells us that he knew just zombies and a few medics wouldn't be enough to protect him the day someone came kicking down his door like we did, so he wanted extra security. The powerful, soul-eating monster, he reveals, is actually kept alive by tethering its soul to many living, human hosts in a harmless, symbiotic relationship of shared spirit energy; the sick kids upstairs that he infected with that disease himself. We're told that if his security monster dies, the spell will be broken, the links severed, and those kids will die in just days, if not sooner.

So he gives us a choice, which Adagio delivers with a wicked grin; fight his big, strong monster and inadvertently kill those innocent, helpless children, destroying the town's source of hope in this bleak little world (and kill him and loot his lair, are the unspoken parts), or walk away, let him continue his operation (no pun intended) in gory, nightmarish peace, and get a cut of that month's profits to leave town without saying anything.

It's a good thing I don't really do that 'in-character' stuff in these games, or I might have felt bad about what we ended up doing."

When I'm done, there's a particular kind of silence, the horrified stares making me defensive.

"Don't look at me like that, there were only two of us, we'd just fought through a whole basement of zombies and some medics that got in a few lucky hits (something about surgical knowledge giving them boosts to bleed damage), Sonata sucked at managing health potions-" I ignore her indignant scoff, "-and we were practically wiped!"

They vaguely accept this, so I go on.

"Anyway, when we get to the next town with our ill-gotten gold, we hear that all the kids suddenly died, the hospital had to shut down on account of half the doctors getting slaughtered in the basement, and the witch doctor guy is gone without a trace. My point is, Adagio is a fuckin' vicious DM, and I don't think you guys would have done that much better."

"I'd have held back a little against these girls," mutters Adagio, "at least until I could harden them a little."

Nerd Twilight scratches her head, visibly perturbed. "Wow. I'm aware that moral choices are part of this game, but that was..."

Rainbow raises an eyebrow. "Why didn'tcha just kill the kids?"

As the rest of the girls, and Bulk, look at Rainbow in open-mouthed shock and disgust, Sonata scratches her head. "Why didn't we think of that?"

Adagio giggles.

"Hey," Rainbow defends, palms upraised as if to fend off actual blows, "I'm just saying, if they were gonna die anyway if the monster died, what difference does it make? Besides, it's not like they're real kids!"

Sunset tilts her head. "Other than it being cheap, cowardly, and most likely requiring that they stab a bunch of children in broad daylight? If the witch doctor played his cards right, they'd have needed a pretty good Speech check to not wind up executed by the city guards."

"They could have brought the authorities down to the morgue and pointed them to the monster," offers Twilight (screw it, she's just "Twilight" now), "but it sounds like the doctor was planning to cut and run the minute they caught him."

"That's, that's terrible," says a slightly tearful Fluttershy, Adagio doing an unseen stage bow with a delighted grin, "there must have been some way to save the children!"

I shrug. "Maybe if we'd had some kinda super priest or uber-spirit specialist in our party, but it was just me, the wizard, and Sonata, the rogue, so..." I look away, occupying my mouth with a nearby chunk of pie.

Bulk's eyes are wide and unfocused. "I'll never look at Nau Thrak the same way again..."

This draws a few snickers, then table-wide laughter, Bulk included, and I don't even know what's funny about it. My first guess would be that dopey people are just naturally funny, but I hardly laughed at anything Sonata ever said.

"So," Fluttershy says while wiping a tear away, "I-I think we were in the Swamp King's lair?"

"Ah, yes," answers Sunset as she sets up her little dividing-wall thingy to look over her notes, "with the green emblem back where it belongs, the stone doors slide open for the first time in centuries, allowing passage to the dark, flooded tunnels below..."

A good dungeon-crawl and some murky, lizard-man regicide later, we're counting up spoils from the treasury and XP from our righteous murder-frenzy. I got more kills than Rainbow again because she always insists on going for the big, 'important' targets first, and I snag the killing blow on those about half the time anyway. Sucker!

It always takes everyone a while to get their next level-up sorted out, but by the time Rainbow and I are done, Twilight is, of course, still going anal about which feats work best with the exact ratio of health/spells she has in regard to the rest of the party (the loss of Nau Thrak and Jissibil seems to have really thrown a wrench in there somewhere), and Fluttershy and Bulk are in a quiet, in-character discussion about something the Swamp King said in his last moments. Nature and expansion of settlements or some boring crap I wasn't listening to just before I rolled to swipe his pricey-sounding crown.

Turns out it wasn't a hat, but Rainbow figures we just need to clean it off and somebody'll buy it.

Anyway, Sunset takes this opportunity to excuse herself for a bit, and the rest of the pie being in the kitchen, I take the chance to do the same. I'm standing there indecisively staring at two tins of apple and blueberry when Sonata floats in front of me, smiling.

"Havin' fun?"

Taking a quick look around and not seeing anyone, I bring up my phone just in case. "Yea, it's..." I feel myself smile a little. "still pretty fun, I guess."

Adagio is wearing a calm little grin, but I don't think she even looked at Sunset the whole time the game was going. "Do you think you'll be back next week? None of them seemed to suspect you of anything, so this may have practical purposes."

"Yea. Unless something happens, I could probably-"

"-ll on this? We've had a big, touchy talk about it twice already!"

I don't move, but I definitely hear Rainbow's voice from another room, followed by Sunset's.

"I know, I know, just... seeing her after what happened and... it's harder than I thought it'd be."

Preeeetty sure they're talking about me there, and it sounds like Sunset is feeling guilty after all.

"Come on, Sunset, we went over all of this. It's not your fault, they did it on their own, the-"

"You could keep standing there and maybe gather some information," Adagio says somewhat urgently, "but it would be bad if someone caught you eavesdropping. You should head back to the others." Looking in the direction of the sounds, she grits her teeth. "I hate to pass up an opportunity like this, but Sonata and I can't even listen in for you, because we'd have to present you with information you couldn't have known otherwise and we risk exposing you if it ever comes up that you know what they were saying tonight."

I don't move right away. Flutters and Bulk are probably in their own little world and Twilight'll need a cattle prod to get her out of Min-Max mode, so I'm pretty sure I'm safe to just listen for a bit. I even have an excuse; who wouldn't tune in when they hear people talking about them? I look at Sonata to see where she leans and am surprised to see her frowning.

"H-hey," she mutters, "do ya think you could, like, go talk to her? She sounds really sad."

Adagio deadpans. "You're joking."

Sonata shakes her head. "I'm not! I mean, she's... she could like, think you've gotta be good if you comfort her, right? You could be Rainboom-free from now on!"

"Or they could figure that that's exactly what she's up to," Adagio says with an eyeroll, "if they don't decide it makes her one of 'theirs' from now on."

I'm pretty sure Sonata just doesn't like people crying, at least when it doesn't directly benefit us, but she's got a point; I could win some big Rainboom points if I step out and say whatever she wants to hear. Then again, I don't know how Sunset really feels about the aftermath of the ritual, and this is the best chance I've had to find out... unless somebody spots me and asks (out loud, thus tipping off Rainbow and Sunset that I was here the whole time) why I'm just standing in the kitchen.

I have to think fast, don't have much time to dawdle here...

Author's Note

The proposed methods of dealing with Bulk may end up being a choice later, but for now, the sirens are just talking battle plans. Feel free to think about it out loud in the comments, though, I love reading peoples' thoughts behind their choices! :pinkiehappy:

And, please disregard Aria's last line there; I won't be closing voting for at least a week, probably longer, so no need to rush your decision if you feel like voting. :pinkiesmile:

On that note, choice!

1 - Go out and try to comfort Sunset.

2 - Stay put and eavesdrop on the conversation.

3 - Neither, go back to the others and carry on like normal.

**Next chapter started, voting closed! (sorry!)**

Chapter 11: Regrets

Vote count as of 3/24/2018:
Walk away- 0
Eavesdrop- 6
Comfort Sunset- 9

I'm feeling pretty safe where I am now, and I know they're talking about something juicy, but...

I mean, I've been having a lot of luck with diplomacy lately, and even if part of it is Adagio's influence, I've gotten pretty good at getting my way just by talking to people. I used magic on the spa girls, but the first one was practically eating out of my hand anyway. So, if I wanted to win some easy points with the Rainbooms, cheering up their leader (I mean, unless that's Twilight now...?) seems like a good way to do it. Taking a second to mentally psyche myself up for some Empathy action, I head over to where I heard Sunset and Rainbow.

The two are seated in weird, wooden chairs that look like they were knitted together or something. It's the kind of furniture you'd see in an old lady's house, complete with spotless, frilly embroidery and cushions stuck to them, both set around a tiny table that might have just been there for decoration.

Naturally, they stop what they're doing and look at me in surprise, so I jump on the opening.

"Hey. Was looting some pie-" as hoped, this gets a tiny smile out of each of them, "-and couldn't help overhearing a little. Can I get a minute?"

Sunset looks a little emotionally overwhelmed right now, which is great for helping me look like I feel sorry for her, but Rainbow's nervous eyes going back and forth between her and I a few times tells me she might not be cool with this idea. Luckily, she leaves the choice to Sunset, who gives her a pleading smile.

"We'll be with you in a bit, okay? If you get bored, you could always have Faeskiq join Dullhalla and Pitb'ul in conversation."

Faeskiq is Rainbow's half-elf monk, Dullhalla is Fluttershy's druid, and Pitb'ul is Bulk's halfling fighter. If it matters.

Snorting with amusement, Rainbow rolls her eyes. "Not likely. Seeya in a bit."

She gets up and heads back to the others, leaving me with Sunset, who glances at the empty chair like she isn't sure if I'm going to sit down or hit her with it. I choose the former, getting rewarded with a loud, wooden creak that makes me worry a little about my weight.

Stupid old-lady-house chairs.

Sunset visibly isn't sure where to start, so I clear my throat. "So, let me guess: You had an argument with Adagio, walked away on bad terms, heard that something had gone wrong with us that same day, rushed over, found what was left of us, and ever since, you've been thinking 'it must have been something I said'?"

Her only reply is a faint, hoarse squeak as she looks back at me in horror and regret, which, again, leaves the door open for me.

"Would it help if I said 'don't worry about it'?"

Her head jerks to one side like something heavy fell over in her brain. "'D-don't worry about it'?! Your sisters are DEAD because of what I said to-..."

She trails off, tears in her eyes as it becomes clear to me how much it hurt her to say that out loud before she buries her face in both hands. It's cool, she isn't storming off or anything, so I know I'm still in this, just need to change my approach. I glance at the others for advice, and while I wasn't expecting much more than a worried frown from Sonata anyway, Adagio just looks puzzled as she idly strokes her chin. I hear Sunset suck in a breath, trying to steady herself enough to say something else, so I opt to just hear her take on the whole thing.

"You r-remember, right? What I said to you guys when I was asking you to come back? How we'd underst-stand, how we'd give you your space, how-" She chokes up a little too hard to speak for a second, but I'm a little impressed with how quick she pulls herself together, even managing to look me in the eye again. "I said it was okay, that I got how much your magic meant to you, and then I told her to just give it up!"

She takes a second to rub her eyes, her voice a little calmer when she goes on. "I knew she was only going along with us because she was afraid of what we'd do if the three of you didn't, but I hoped that if I ignored it, it wouldn't matter, that you'd all make friends and move on. That was sorta how it was for me way back when, at least a little bit, and Twilight-... Well, I mean, she still kind of wants to dabble with magic, and you got to see how that turned out last time, so I just thought, maybe it'd be best if you guys just-"

"Dropped our magic completely while you got to keep yours?"

Sunset's mouth twitches a little, but she still looks a lot more sad than angry. "Our exclusively good magic that can't be used to hurt people?"

I know I'm supposed to be comforting her, but I think I see now why Adagio ended up hating this girl. "You think you didn't hurt us at all? That all three of us collapsed to the floor because we didn't feel a thing and just felt like lounging for a second? To say nothing of what your exclusively good magic took from us."

"And left her in a crater," Adagio casually adds.

I use that with the memory of what Sunset herself said while we were negotiating the snake-arm situation. "Didn't you even tell your friends that getting blasted actually hurts?"

"Well, yea, but, we couldn't just go around zapping people with rainbows even if we wanted to. I think. Of course, that got me thinking that maybe your magic wasn't exclusively for mind-control, that maybe the only use for it wasn't evil, and if-... Was it, by the way?"

Crossing my arms, I take a slow breath through my nose as I think about exactly how to phrase it.

"The original purpose of the gems was, like, I don't wanna bore you with our life stories, but we were supposed to be the ruling family over our civilization, and our singing, with the gems, was supposed to-... Our people, way before our time, used to rule the seas through singing, the most powerful kelpies, which always ended up being royalty, keeping every remotely intelligent lifeform together and sometimes even controlling the weather with songs that would echo for hundreds of miles, directing the flow of whole ecosystems with a cheerful work tune, calming the seas with a lullaby, and even calling together the wrath of the ocean with a war ballad when necessary.

The Sea-Wide Smiting thing didn't happen more than like four times across ten thousand years, but whatever.

It wasn't irresistible and wasn't total control over millions of unwilling minds, but it was great for directing things, getting everyone on the same page in a way even this world's internet barely can. Thing is, that whole system got messed up after some conflicts with surface-dwelling races (not just ponies, don't make that face), leading to the whole royal, ruling line thing dying out across the entire ocean, getting replaced with a more bureaucratic system, at least in our local area. Centuries later, someone rediscovers the magic that made that stuff work, using it to make the first royals in hundreds of years: The three of us.

Long story short, we were raised to take up that mantle again, if only for our native seas, but despite what they'd tell the general public, the ones already in charge didn't really like the idea of giving up pretty much all their power no matter how much the lay-kelpie loved the idea of returning to their former glory with a unified ocean, there was a big mess of a civil war when we escaped the council's attempt to murder us and told everyone what had happened, the power source we were supposed to draw from to govern the seas got used as a weapon and blown up, and we agreed that we'd have to find a new source if we were ever gonna fulfill our purpose in life. Since there was no such thing as a perfect, all-fixing rainbow bullshit generator as far as anyone in the sea had ever heard of, we turned to the strongest source of power we could find: Chaos Magic."

Staring at Sunset and her slack-jawed silence makes me a little uneasy after a minute, so I shrug and look away. "We've kinda down-sized to just having it back since then, because, y'know..." It's a solid minute and a half before Sunset's staring makes me uncomfortable enough to nudge her with my foot. "Your turn. Do words."

Eventually, she shakes off that mix of bewilderment and horror. Or, at least the second one. "If... if you were looking for power for your civilization, why did you want to be adored while you were at it?"

"The royals of old were lavished with daily, well-earned praise for their services (hence being royalty), to their people and the sea in general, arguably the entire world. That was what we were promised every day of our rigorous training, which happened to be every single day, day-in, day-out, pretty much from as soon as we were able to make noises that would one day be our singing. It wasn't like we never had time for fun, but we were told our whole lives about what we were expected to do, what awaited us when we were finally old and strong enough, only for all of it to be ripped out from under us as we were left to die."

Sunset is quiet again, but this time she looks more an uneasy and contemplative kind of sad. "So, you spent years looking forward to something, feeling it was only what you deserved after all you'd done to reach it, and suddenly heard you could never have it? Yea, I think I sorta see why you might have ended up doing what you did there."

I'm genuinely surprised to hear she gets that. "We actually had some misgivings about what we ended up trying to do to regain that power, but Adagio used to say: If the world can just take everything from us, why is it only wrong when we try to take it back? Me and Sonata kind of agreed, so, since it was mostly surface-dwellers' fault that we lost our legacy in the first place, we settled on raising Hell up there until we had what we needed, taking adoration coffee breaks every now and then as we went."

From the apprehensive look on her face, Sunset already knows the answer, but forces herself to ask out loud anyway. "But, once you ended up in this world, how were you still planning to...?"

I give her a flat stare, but the ensuing quiet tells me I might as well say it too. "Our home was in pretty bad shape when we left, and even back then, we knew that another council might have taken hold of things by the time we got back, if we came back at all. We lost what little hope we had of fixing our civilization when we got chucked over the fence by some pony wizard, and when we were sure that we couldn't get home, mourned the loss once and for all, moved on, and settled on just gathering as much power as we could for ourselves from then on."

Frowning, she opens her mouth, but dismissively waving a hand, I add the rest before she gets sappy at me. "Don't worry too much about our old home, we knew it was a long-shot anyway and life is a little more comfortable when you don't feel responsible for the fate of a civilization."

Sunset nods, her expression somber. "Thank you for telling me. When I talked to Adagio, I didn't ask her why she wanted the magic so badly, why it mattered to her that much even if she wasn't gonna use it like that anymore, just..." Looking at the floor, she shrugs. "Didn't think about it. What she wanted to do was apparently bad, so I tried to talk her out of it, like I thought a friend should. But, if she was only going along with what I wanted out of fear, then... I guess we were never really friends to begin with, huh?"

I glance at Adagio for some clue about her feelings on the matter, but I can't read the stare she's got trained on Sunset. I think there's a little bit of disdain and contempt in there, but it's nowhere near the pitch-black hate of just yesterday. Even so, I know they were getting along, and I'm trying to make Sunset feel better here, so...

"I don't think she hated you before, but..." I need to convince her that their argument didn't spur Adagio to run home and accidentally off herself and Sonata, and Sunset's surprised look coupled with a frown does not help me think. I almost make the fatal mistake of saying it all happened over what sounds like a misunderstanding, but think of something else at the last second. "It wasn't your fault. Even long before the snake-lady incident, she worked night and day trying to fix those gems, with Sonata and I supporting her while she did. No matter what you did, as long as we had the chance, we were going to try again sooner or later."

"Sounds like us," giggles Sonata.

Adagio nods. "Inevitably, yes."

Sunset doesn't look like she's buying it. "Really? You don't think she felt -and I don't mean to sound like I'm saying I know her better or anything, just- you don't think she felt rushed or threatened into a now-or-never situation? That, since she read our every interaction with an undertone of 'or else' that I pretended didn't exist, she might have thought 'or else' was coming fast after our falling out? That she didn't go straight home to give it one last, desperate shot because she thought I was saying 'forget about your magic or I'll get my gang and kill you'?"

"That was the general impression I got," Adagio adds with unhelpful honesty.

I'm scrambling for any kind of counterpoint, but everything I can think of either makes no sense or sounds like 'you killed my sisters,' but Sunset shakes her head after a minute.

"If nothing else, I should have let her know that I never wanted to hurt any of you, shouldn't have let her leave until it was crystal-clear that I wasn't threatening her, because knowing Adagio, from both the Battle and the snake-lady incident, I should have known how she would respond to that kind of pressure. No matter what else was said, I should have told her that I'd still respect your choices as long as nobody got hurt, and I'm so, so sorry for how everything turned out."

Following another contemplative silence, I shrug. "Maybe we could have explained sooner why we wanted our magic back."

"Maybe I could have asked, or taken a hint from the 'birthright' and 'legacy' comments I'd heard more than once before then that this wasn't just about power or greed." She sighed. "I wondered why exactly you guys were willing to give up the snake-lady magic when you had so many people totally under control, because I figured, 'if the legacy you guys talked about was pretty much just that, what difference did it make?' And, don't get me wrong, I'm glad you guys made the choice you did, but, we knew this other woman who cared way too much about 'her legacy enduring' and I thought this was just like..." She shook her head again. "Again, I'm sorry for... what happened to them, and everything I had to do with it."

I think I've hit a dead end. She's thoroughly convinced that it's her fault they're gone (at least as far as anyone but me and Lemon knows), that she kind of backed Adagio into a corner and got her to trigger the ritual that took her and Sonata out. And, on that one, specific point? I think she might be right, at least in the sense that her words and the context of the situation directly contributed to that outcome. I could probably talk all day about how there were other factors (which there were), how it isn't all on Sunset (which it's not), but that's not gonna make her feel any less guilty about what she did do.

If I want Sunset to feel better, I can only see one option that doesn't involve blowing our little secret.

"Apology accepted, I guess." She looks at me in surprise, but I'm ready. "Like I keep saying, I'm not gonna dwell on it and angst at you every time we meet for the next fifteen years. We got over losing our purpose in life, our home, our world, our original bodies, the Battle, the snake-lady stuff, and everything in between. I get what loss feels like by now, I'm used to it, I know how to deal with it, and you don't have to feel like you've ruined my life any more than how it was when you found it. We're cool. Okay?"

I mean, I'm still a little mad about that blog she never told us she was using to keep tabs on us, but I'm not about to bring it up now.

"Uh... I, y-yea. Okay." She starts to smile and lift one hand, but stops both motions, gives me another unsure look, and stutters "We should, er, a-are you staying for the rest of the game? The mayor of Scalemarsh still has to offer that reward for ending the lizardman threat."

"Yea," I say while getting to my feet, "still gotta secure a quest for next time, too." She gives me a confused look as she stands up too. I shrug. "After our second session, we figured out that it's easier to come back to the game if the last session ended on some kind of cliffhanger, kept us thinking about what was gonna happen next instead of 'oh, guess all the quests are done, story's over,' y'know?"

Snorting with amusement, she smiles in earnest. "Yea, I think I can see that."

As we head back to the living room, I steal a quick glance at my undead sisters, only catching that Sonata looks content and Adagio is lost in thought again. I'm worrying that one of these days she's gonna forget to float after me and it's gonna be a huge episode trying to find her again, but knowing her, she'll just realize I walked off, wait for me back home, and scold Sonata and I for running all over the city like dumbasses rather than trying there first.

Anyway, when we turn the corner, the first thing we hear is Rainbow.

Apparently in the middle of some kind of heart-felt soliloquy.

No, seriously.

"-but weep, weep for the foul and forlorn of the world; the orcs and the drakes, the misshapen and the dark, from the sahuagin in the deep to the bugbears in the fields, for none were born such by choice! They and so many others make due with their difficult lot, made so much harder by prejudice."

Fluttershy, Twilight, and Bulk smile and clap for her, the latter sniffling and wiping a tear from his eye. Big, stupid sap.

Anyway, before I roll a natural twenty against Rainbow's dignity, I glance at Sunset, whom I'm earnestly shocked to see filming this on her phone. She looks back at me, guilt written all over her face.

"I-it's not blackmail or anything, really, I don't do that anymore, it's, I just want the others to believe me when I tell them about this!!"

I roll my eyes, then smirk at Rainbow. "So," I say loudly enough to get their attention, "when'd you go all flowery?"

She looks back at me in red-faced horror. "I-I, it wasn't me saying that, it was Faeskiq! They were t-talking, roleplaying, even Argill got in on it-" Twilight's wizard. "-and, like, they were goin' on and on about what the lizard dude was saying before he died, and Dullhalla pointed out that Faeskiq might've had some troubles as a half-breed, s-so like, uh, I, Faeskiq talked too, and, um..."

I don't think there's a sweeter feeling than the entire room giving someone the same look, at least when I'm on this side of it, but Rainbow must have gotten at least a 15% Cold Resistance bonus in her face as she shrieked.

"I plead the fifth!!"

Giggles were had.

I think everyone could tell that Sunset didn't actually have anything lined up for the next session, but she did a pretty good job of ad-libbing the NPC that burst into the local tavern, out of breath with his clothes torn and bloody, to beg for help in slaying the werewolf that's been hiding in plain sight in the next town over.

"So," I say while 'on the phone' during the walk home, "if you were running the campaign, what are the odds you'd have the bloody guy be infected and become another werewolf that the town we just came from now has to deal with?" Silence. I look over my shoulder. "Dagi?"

She's still floating along with us (however the locomotive mechanics of that work), but it looks like she's on auto-pilot. I kinda wonder if they both started doing that; if haunting me is so boring most of the time that after the first couple days, they just started unconsciously following me while thinking about stuff. If I like, ride a subway train or something, do they just float along in the air next to me, or would they have to really strain themselves to keep up with the train? Maybe I should test how fast I can be moving before I risk leaving them behind, somehow.

Anyway, I stop walking as Sonata floats a little closer to Adagio. "Hellooo, Dagi? You there?" She doesn't get a response, so she smiles like she's about to swipe the entire cookie jar, snakes a hand between Adagio's hair and the small of her back, and heads south. This gets an immediate reaction, namely a priceless, wide-eyed look of fear and disgust on Adagio's face as she yelps in surprise, a shiver visibly running up her spine before she quicky spins her entire body in the opposite direction from Sonata, bringing one hand around to deliver a harsh, percussive bitch-slap that sends Sonata whirling in the air like a cartoon character.

"Ow," Sonata says with a little smile when she gets her momentum under control, giggling as she rubs her cheek. I honestly can't tell if her face is getting red because of the blow, or if she-... Nevermind. "That hurt, Dagi!"

"Then keep your hands off my ass," she hisses back, shooting Sonata a glare that might just kill her a second time, "my answer is still no!"

I clear my throat before this gets weirder. "So, uh..."

Realizing that I was trying to get her attention, Adagio's murderous look vanishes instantly. The sheer contrast between that and the hint of quiet worry as she starts to blush almost makes me start giggling too. "Y-yes? You needed something?"

My first guess is that she's thinking hard about what she should really be thinking of Sunset. I'll ask about it later, but for now, I get back to walking home as I repeat my question.

"Hm... No, I'd probably have the bloodied crier be the original werewolf, having just come from a feast in which he got overwhelmed and had to flee, or just felt it was time to find new hunting grounds, running to the next town while playing victim with intent of making it look like the wolf (him) was still at large back there. Then he'd be letting the adventurers either kill an innocent in a witch-hunt or possibly find someone he infected and kill them, either one clearing his name as far as anyone else knows, thus throwing potential hunters off his trail so he could hunt again. He'd have to move on to another town than the one he cried wolf in, of course, or risk suspicion on the sheer chance that he was infected."

I snicker. "Never change, Dagi."

She raises an eyebrow, smiling as she floats along next to me. "And since when do you call me 'Dagi'?"

"Noticed Rainbow doing it and..." I shrug. "How'd that start, anyway?"

"I suspect that she read my willingness to go along with her group's every whim as a sign that we were all friends now, I never corrected her, and in the absence of hostility, she took to mimicking Sonata's moniker for me."

Sonata gasps, stars in her eyes and a bright, beaming smile on her face. "I'm influential!"

Still smiling, I roll my eyes, but before I can twist that into some kind of playful burn, my phone rings right next to my ear.

Startled. I was only a little startled.

Ignoring the sounds of Sonata and Adagio giggling at my expense, I answer the phone to hear a familiar voice.

"Hey, Ria! Me again!"

Despite the little scare she gave me, I smile. "Hey, Lemon. How're things at the tea place?"

"Great! I mean, other than this one weirdo that keeps insisting we let him see 'Hebi-Sama' again, but other than that, we got some popular new menu items! All authentic Japanese face-stuffables, too!"

I almost offer to help deal with the weirdo, but remembering how things went with Sunset puts a tiny dent in my confidence. What if he's a total nutjob that reason and sense just don't work on? "You hire a yakuza-lookin' dude to deal with people like that guy, or...?"

"That'd, uh, kind've bring down the chill atmosphere the place has goin' for it, I think. I mean, not that I think it's a bad idea, there are some seriously messed up people in the world, but like-"

"I get it, I get it," I say with a chuckle, "just saying, if you wanted some help, I'd-" She doesn't know about my magic. I told her about the ghosts, but haven't mentioned my gem in any of our talks on the phone since then. "-um, I dunno, uh..."

It's weird trying to offer help without specifying how, but she giggles before I think of something. "It's okay, I know what you mean. A friend of mine's kinda the same way, but I told her that roughing up customers would mostly just tick off Granddad." I can hear the smile with perfect clarity; soft and sincere. "Thanks anyway, though."

I smile too. "Yea. Talk to you later, Lemon."

"Byezie!"

Beep!

I almost pocket the phone out of habit when I remember my sisters, both of whom are now floating closer to me with surprised looks on their faces, Sonata in particular.

"Lemon called you?"

This is when I realize that Lemon isn't the only one I've neglected to tell something, guilt stabbing into my guts as I look back at them. "Uh, y-yea, I didn't, like, mean to keep it secret, just... She usually calls when I'm getting to sleep, y'know?"

They nod and I fill them in on the stuff we've talked about since she started calling, right up to the weirdo that's been asking about Adagio. When I ask who it is, she shakes her head.

"Everyone was calm and civil as far as I remember, and I can't guarantee I'd recognize every customer even if shown a picture of them."

She has no idea who Lemon meant, but even so, I kind of want to be able to help. Again, it's the What's The Point Of Power If You Never Use It thing, and right now, I could easily do something for our oldest friend if she needed it. Maybe it's just that I want the excuse to brainwash someone again, maybe Lemon wouldn't even want that kind of help after witnessing it before, but to find out, I'd have to ask about it, and to ask about it, I'd have to tell her what I can do. I wait until we're home again and the door is shut before saying anything out loud. Or, quietly, because whether she's listening in or not anymore, I know Moondancer is just through the wall.

"Do you think I could tell Lemon about the gem?"

Predictably, Adagio looks at me in surprise and alarm, but it's actually Sonata that raises the objection.

"Hell no! She already got busted for helping us once, what're the Rainbooms gonna do if they hear she knew about us doing magic stuff again?"

I shrug. "Haven't we been building up Rainboom points for a while now? As far as they know, I haven't done anything wrong and even kinda did something nice for Sunset." Or at least got her to stop crying.

"That may not count for much," muses Adagio, "if they find a reason to come after you anyway. Perhaps, after today's little talk, Sunset might be a little more understanding about you having your magic back, and perhaps she'd assume everything was a cover-up, a sympathetic facade to hide your 'actual' plans, thus 'validating' her group to do as they pleased with you. Maybe all it would take was the sense of betrayal if they heard you'd been using any measure of magic without their knowledge, but you have been careful so far."

I tilt my head in confusion. "Havin' a hard time telling which way you're leaning here, Dagi."

Visibly conflicted, she looks away. "As I said, the Rainbooms may bear a grudge if they ever find out about the gem, but the same applies to Lemon, doesn't it? What happens if she, who has faithfully kept our secret so far, learns we didn't trust her enough to tell her about this, too?" Seeing the shock in our faces, her own grows solemn. It's the same sort of expression she wore when we settled on Chaos Magic as our best hope of ever getting the kind of power we needed.

"That is, assuming she has kept our secret. I propose that we test her, because friend or not, the girl is only human and may have slipped up. You have Saturdays off and one midday shift tomorrow, right? After work, you could visit her (call ahead first, of course), do some probing, discreetly investigate those closest to her for hints that they know something, or even just look Lemon in the eye and ask her if she's said anything to a single soul. If she has, you can deal with whoever she told without guilt, and if she hasn't, it's an easy lead-in to telling her about your magic if that's what you want to do."

That... feels kinda cold, but, I guess, fair? I mean, if she's blabbed to anyone after I asked her not to, it's not like I'm a monster for not sharing more secrets. And, if she hasn't, I could probably tell her the rest and be able to help her out with it somehow.

Or I could just come out with it, trust that she's kept her word just fine and offer my toll-free magical services any time she needs them.

Of course, playing it safest, I could keep this under my hat and let that be that. I mean, Lemon's rich anyway, and can probably buy her way through most problems, and she'd understand if I didn't tell her everything, right?

Right now, I'm the only person alive who knows that my gem is working again. Do I want to keep it that way?

Author's Note

It always struck me as weird that Sci-Twi, who was willing to risk the lives of herself and everyone around her for a chance to learn more about the reality-warping energies at CHS, apparently lost all interest in magic once the Friendship Games were done.

She said she wanted to study friendship (which is its own kind of magic in this universe), but doesn't seem interested in doing anything with/about it, no matter what formerly impossible things happen. Then she spends most of her time working on robots, which already get plenty of R&D all over the world, apparently apathetic to this new, world-changing phenomenon she's encountered and even used herself multiple times.

It's like if someone especially curious about life on other planets and the workings of the universe in general watched an alien spacecraft touch down on their front yard, a living alien stepped out, fully fluent in their native language, and the observer immediately decided to take up gardening, pretty much indifferent to the alien and the effects they (and any other ensuing visitors) have on their new planet.

That is why when I write Sci-Twi, I usually have her at least still curious about magic.

This might be psuedo-spoilers for the butterfly effect thing we've got going here, so I'll mark it just in case one worries they might be spoiler'd on the details and workings of the story as a whole. Pertains to Moondancer's siren blog.

Also, I'm rambling. Scroll down to the next blue Bananas if you just want the choice.

It was while writing this chapter that I remembered originally having the idea of Sunset having more to say about the blog getting shut down, but with the way it was done and the circumstances of Sunset herself, I felt like the only reasonable reaction was to essentially let it drop, her guilt over the sirens' fate and the peaceful manner in which Aria had it taken down not leaving her with anything to confront Aria with and even less of a will to do it.

And that made me realize that some choices might actually be muting the visible effects of other choices.

I mean, it's surely obvious that telling everyone about the ghosts would have changed things considerably, but we don't get to see that because Aria decided to only tell Lemon, which later provided Aria with the choice of how to handle fearful gossip girls after her choice to cheat on the test (which itself could have been impacted if people knew and believed that Adagio and Sonata were hovering over her shoulders) led to her accidentally talking to Sonata out loud.

If everyone knew about the ghosts, they may have just giggled about Sonata's unheard antics, Harshwhinny flatly telling Aria to stay focused on her test or something like that, but as it stands, the choice to keep quiet means that Aria having chosen to cheat can't really get her in trouble by itself, as opposed to a Rainboom or someone suspecting that she may have done exactly what she did, if that makes sense.

I may not have picked the best example there, but I've noticed that the choices don't always seem to have a noticeable effect on Aria's life, and I think this might be a factor. Come to think of it, peacefully shutting down the blog means that, for now at least (possibly not ever, on account of this phenomenon), there's no conflict over the subject like there might have been if Aria had gotten really aggressive.

Bananas.

Choice!

1 - Call Lemon, tell her about the gem.

2 - Don't tell Lemon about the gem, continue as normal.

3 - Test Lemon, go over to the city and see if she's told anyone before deciding.

**Next chapter started, voting closed! (sorry!)**

Chapter 12: Back To The City!

Vote count as of 5/8/2018:
Don't tell Lemon- 0
Tell Lemon- 4
Test Lemon- 14

Lemon is probably like... the first friend we ever made, at least since we left home. The circumstances behind that are kinda screwy and if we'd known she wasn't totally under our spell that first day, things might've gone differently, but instead we wound up with someone we could just kind of talk to during the Snake-Lady incident. That's why it'd be nice if I could just call her and totally trust her with anything, but real people don't work like that, no matter what Applejack says.

I mean, I don't even 100% trust Adagio, my older sister that pretty much dedicated her life (and now, her undeath) to doing everything she can to make life better for the three of us. It's not because I think she'd trick me for the Hell of it, but because she's so damn scheme-y that it wouldn't be too out of character for her to keep a secret from Sonata and me. Usually to keep us from messing up some detail of her plans or, rarely, to surprise us with something fun. And Sonata, well, being Sonata, isn't above telling 'little fibs' either, especially to me.

She would do it for the Hell of it, but like, not really maliciously or anything. I think.

So, Lemon's gotta be under a little scrutiny too, right? She's probably feeling the exact same way about me, because between the two of us, I'm the one that used to be a full-fledged bad guy, so fair's fair. No matter what we might wanna think, it's possible that she slipped up, or even straight-up told someone for some reason. That wouldn't actually be all that bad, I think, just having people know that my dead sisters are a little less dead than I've been telling people, but-...

Wait, did I ever tell anyone they were dead? Like, those exact words? I don't think so, the Rainbooms and Moondancer are the ones that leaked to everybody. Maybe I can use that to my advantage later, somehow?

Probably not. Anyway, I dial Lemon again.

"Hi again! Something up?"

For a split second, I worry that question makes one of us sound guilty. "Nothing much, just wanted to ask... You mind if I drop by tomorrow?"

There's a tiny gasp of excitement. "You wanna come over and hang with us?! I mean, I've gotta do some stuff at the tea shop during the day, but-ooh, let me check if-"

I can feel her smiling so hard that it's contagious, but something caught my attention. "'Us'?"

"I hang out with some buddies when I have free-" She's cut off by the clatter of falling objects and many rustling papers. "...Ow. -when I have some free time, which should beeee... Around mid-afternoon tomorrow? That work for you?"

"Yea, I've got work until the afternoon too, so I'll hop a bus and see you then, 'kay?"

"You got a job?"

"Yup! I'll tell you about it tomorrow."

"Suspense! Hehe, okay, I'll seeya then, bye!"

Beep!

When I put away my phone, I'm again startled by how close my ethereal sisters have gotten, my reaction immediately making them back off.

"Sorry," Sonata answers preemptively, "but like, it's harder to hear if we don't get closer."

I kinda wonder if I should start putting it on speaker all the time, but it's probably safer to just let them zoom in.

...Just as long as they don't float into me!

The next day, I mull around the house for a bit and then head out to the mall to start my first official day as a...

A person who has to make up their own job title, apparently. Lullaby-masseuse? Throat-tranquilizer? Muscle-relief singer?

Whatever. "I work at the spa" is enough, right? Not that I'm in a big hurry to go spreading it around or anything, but I figure that being set in the local mall means my job won't stay secret for too long. Something to deal with when it happens. For now, first day on the job!

I get there, change into the uniform, feel sexy looking at myself in the mirror for a minute, grumble at Sonata when she makes fun of and/or hits on me, then spend a few hours sitting on the rim of a big, circular planter thing in the middle of the room. I sing to the customers as they get their normal treatments, some of whom watch me with sleepy-eyed, but unbroken attention.

It's been a long, long time since I sang for an audience, and the feeling of being watched like this is totally different from the stares I get in school. It's a little embarrassing to admit, but the adoring stares I haven't had on me in ages almost start to make me lose focus.

It's not like I was flustered or fidgeting or had to close my eyes to block out those faces or anything, I just did it to ramp up that 'beautiful, tender maiden' thing for extra effect; let them look at something as pretty as it sounds. It might even work too well, because in addition to telling me I did a good job at the end of the day, Aloe confesses that she was getting a little distracted herself just listening to me.

And I barely even used the gem!

Just little pulses, occasional notes with emphasis on certain words to make listeners forget pains, banish worries, etc. Maybe I could stand to hold back a little more.

I don't see Bulk at all, but I probably will tomorrow, so we'll get a test run for how easily I can put him under my spell then, but for now, it's off to Lemon's place in the city!

Turns out it's been long enough that I need directions once I get off the bus, but Lemon has me head to the mall we pulled our first snake-lady brainwashing in.

Nostalgic!

On the way there, Adagio has a suggestion.

"Lemon knows we're here, but can't see or hear us. If we're to test her, we should use that to our advantage."

I think I see what she's getting at. "You want me to play casual because if she notices me looking at her all staring-through-your-soul when we're talking, she's gonna know something's up, but since you guys can stare her in the face as long as you want...?" Adagio smiles like she's proud of me, which gets my insides all tingly.

"Precisely. Sonata and I can closely watch her facial expressions, scan constantly for any signs of guilt or deceit, keep a look out for any tells that she's broken her promise, and go from there."

I can almost hear Sonata's eyeroll. "It's not gonna matter, because she wouldn't do that."

Adagio's voice and smile are gentle as she touches Sonata's shoulder. "I'll be thrilled to be wrong, Sonata."

Sonata smiles back at her and the little sisterhood moment they share is so damn cute that it makes me want to stomp on something. Not that I want any of that myself, just, like, it's a good thing nobody else can see them, y'know? Some diabetic might get hurt or something.

When we get to the mall, I appreciate that me and my snazzy outfit are getting some looks (and not like the ones at CHS!) while I walk around in search of messy, green hair. Where did Lemon say kids her age hung out around here? We went to the spa last time, but I think she said something about the food court.

It takes my ghost siblings floating through a few floors to find the place without me wandering around for an hour. This place is huge!

When I get to Lemon, I see that she's seated with four other girls, none of whom I recognize at all. I walk up and wave at her.

"Hey."

She enthusiastically returns it. "Hey, Ria!" Scootching over to make room for me between her and a blueish-purple girl with two long, white pigtails and one short one going over the middle of her head, she starts introductions. "Guys, this is Aria Blaze, Aria, these are Indigo Zap, Sour Sweet, Sunny Flare, and Sugarcoat!"

Indigo is the first to say anything as I sit down. "Hi! So you're the one Lemon's been calling every night?"

"She's mentioned you and your sisters a few times," says a hesitant Sunny, looking at me like I have cancer or something. "...We're sorry for your loss."

Lemon's told them that Adagio and Sonata are dead, then. No problem, that part wasn't secret. My 'dead' sisters don't say anything about Lemon's face when Sunny says that, but I don't know whether they plan to say it as it happens or wait until I'm alone for an after-face-action report.

"Don't sweat it," I say casually, remembering at the last second that normal humans are apparently all grief-stricken for goddamn ever when family die, "I've done my mourning."

I get some slightly uncomfortable looks, but when the others glance at Lemon, she smiles a little and shrugs back, then things carry on normally.

"Hmm..."

Other than Adagio being ominous about stuff. I'll ask later.

"So," Sunny says with a smile, "Lemon tells us she met you girls when you were living around here, but why the move back out to the old part of town?"

I'm just a little bit startled by the sheer levels of bright, peppy joy that comes out of the yellow girl with a raspberry-and-green-stripe ponytail, especially when contrasted with what she actually says.

"Oh, gee, it couldn't have to do with a recent tragedy in her life or anything, could it?" Her smiley demeanor vanishing in a heartbeat, Sour Sweet (I get it now) grumbles like she's got a mouthful of rocks. "Way to go for the jugular right away, Sunny."

"That, th-that wasn't what I meant," sputters Sunny, aghast, "I was only asking why they'd go to that kind of trouble, especially since the city is much nicer than-"

I cut her off with a raised hand. "You guys remember the Friendship Games?"

It only takes a few minutes to explain the relation between me, the magic that went on then, and that the three of us were at it again over here and decided to regroup closer to CHS when my idea with a magic book didn't work out like we hoped. I don't say what we specifically did even when directly asked, and that they ask at all is something I take to mean that Lemon hasn't told anyone about our time as the snake-woman, either. Possibly because she was there when we were burying and/or scrubbing memories.

"It doesn't really matter anymore," I say with a dismissive handwave, "because we took one last shot at it last week and, well..."

They really must be smarter over here, because every single one visibly connects the dots on what I'm implying. I should use this to cover my tracks at CHS, too; 'You think I'm up to no good with magic again? Why would I bother after it got my sisters killed?'

A total lie, but it's not like I've never done that before. Anyway, the Shadowbolts definitely know that I met Lemon through a magical incident.

"Hey," says Indigo as she stands up, "we met up to do stuff today, right? Let's have at it!" She glances around as the rest of us join her. "B'sides, I feel like we're bein' watched here..."

My sisters don't let up in their scrutiny for the entire time we hang out, but that's the only time anyone says anything. Coincidence, maybe?

The first thing we do is indoor rock-climbing, which is a thing they have here. Somehow.

While we're all putting the necessary gear on, Sour Sweet turns to me. "Don't forget to secure your rope before starting up, Twilight."

I blink in surprise and a little offense before she realizes, looking at me with an abashed smile.

"Hahaha, sorry, you two look similar and I just-" Indigo's sudden snickering earns a glare out of her. "Something funny?"

Not answering the question as she reigns in her giggles, she turns to me to explain. "Wouldja believe there's two purple girls with purple, striped hair that used to do magic and sometimes visit us from CHS? 'Cuz that's kinda where we're at."

Twilight interacts with these girls. I don't know how often, but apparently they're still in contact. That's something I kinda would have liked to know earlier, but before I can ask Lemon why she never thought to share that tid-bit, I see that she's already scaling the synthetic mountain at a steady pace.

Welp, I'm not here to gawk at people's butts and legs from below, so I might as well get climbing.

Indigo is the first to the top, barely making it before an equally competitive Sour Sweet as the two ascend like frantic spider-monkeys. Sugarcoat and Sunny Flare take a really casual pace as they talk fashion, so I'm kind of on my own for this activity.

I didn't ask questions about rock-climbing because it sounded sorta fun by itself (and it was!), but with what I've heard about the random crap they competed in for the Friendship Games, I have to ask. "Are you guys expected to be good at bowling too? Just in case it gets picked out of a hat or something?"

Sitting next to me in the weird, curved sofa-things they've got here, Sugarcoat answers with a straight face. "Yes."

We watch as Lemon, with surprising focus for someone like her, rolls the ball in a perfectly straight line toward the front-most pin. The ball rolls a little slower than the ones in other lanes, leading her to groan with dismay as she ends up with a 7-10 split.

"We should probably thank you for the change in Lemon Zest."

I turn my head back toward Sugarcoat, eyebrow raised.

"The five of us are among the best and most talented at Crystal Prep, and as such are regularly placed within the same teams in cooperative events. This would make things difficult for us if we could not work with one another, and so we took to doing things like this out of practicality to build an understanding of mutual strengths and weaknesses." She smiles a little as she adjusts her glasses. "Following the Friendship Games, this reason is technically a formality, but that is not the point. Lemon Zest was previously difficult to work with, because while talented in select areas, her sense of teamwork was virtually non-existent due to her terrible focus and borderline addiction to loud music. However, she has more recently shown a capacity for serious dedication, applying herself in full."

We watch as Lemon, winding up the ball with a dangerous spin, steps forward and shoots the ball toward one of the two remaining pins, one leg stretched backward and one arm out like she's a ballerina of bowling as her ball nails the pin from the side, sending it flying into the other one to knock it down. I can't help giggling a little as she jumps up and down with glee, joined by Indigo.

"This tendency," continues Sugarcoat, "began at approximately the same time in which she became involved with the Hebi No Onna Herbal Beverages shop." She wears this soft, tender little smile as I look back at her. "As such: Thank you. I believe meeting the three of you has changed the course of her life, almost objectively for the better."

Smiling a little myself, I raise an eyebrow again. "Almost?"

She shrugs. "Some would say that being a carefree slacker in danger of being disowned one day is the easier, 'purer' life, but Lemon seems happy as she is."

It's just when I'm feeling all warm and tingly about this that I catch sight of Adagio out of the corner of my eye. I try not to look directly at her and I don't see her face, but I get this feeling like she's trying to figure out whether it was me or Sonata that left crumbs all over the coffee table again.

...It was obviously always Sonata, because I don't eat like a slob!

Air hockey is a game I played with some of my coworkers in the back room when I had a job. Or, I mean, the lousy retail job I never did officially give any kind of notice for leaving. Maybe if it ever comes up again, I can vaguely use my Dead Sisters excuse?

Anyway, I let slip that I got pretty good at it, and when we get to the arcade, Indigo is itching to play with me. Not one to back down, I accept her challenge and the game is on!

...It's not like she's way above my level or anything, but I really do have to move fast and stay focused to keep her from scoring against me.

It's just a game, Indigo! Calm down already!!

There are a few moments where I actually manage to get her on the defensive, but this just psyches her up even more and she's sliding the little knob-thingy faster and faster to hit the puck. Just when I think I'm about to get the first point, she twists her arm to hit the thing at a weird angle, which gives it enough lift to fly upwards a little, straight at my hand.

"OWW!!"

The impact stings bad enough to make me let go and pull back, holding that hand in my other, but washing over the pain is this surge of worry and even bubbling outrage. The weird thing is, I don't really feel those things all that much, but it's like I just got a bucket of feelings dumped over my head. While I'm trying to work out exactly what's going on, Indigo's scared, apologetic face gets my attention.

"-orryI'msorryit'llbeokayisitbleedingletmesee!" She quickly seizes my right wrist, which is the hand she hit. "Canyoustillfeelallyourfingersanddidithitabone?! Isanythingbrokenor-"

I wrench my hand free as I take a step back. "Calm down, willya?!" I take a quick second to look at the damage myself and while I'm not bleeding, it still hurts a little to flex my fingers. When I show her (and the others, who apparently gathered around without me noticing) that my hand isn't broken and probably won't even bruise all that much, Indigo doesn't seem convinced.

"J-just, don't cry or anything, okay?! I'll get you some ice or something, j-just don't-"

The assertion that I'd start blubbering over this hurts worse than my hand! "What the Hell makes you think I'd cry over that?!"

She and the rest of the Shadowbolts blink in surprise. "Uh... I-Iunno, like, the way it usually goes, the prettier girls are usually total wimps."

"What."

She shrugs, folding her arms. "Don't ask me, it's science or something. So...?"

I flex my hand again, ignoring the little spikes of pain that come with doing so. "Doesn't even hurt that bad anymore."

"Maybe not," Sugarcoat says to Indigo, "but you did still injure the other player."

"Oh my," Sour Sweet cheerfully adds with a hint of a smirk, "I guess that's a foul point, isn't it?"

Indigo looks like she's about to eat a bug, but I answer first.

"Take your pity points and stuff 'em, I'm still in this."

The only one who doesn't look at me in shock is Lemon, who grins with delight.

"Well alright," Indigo says with a little of her original zeal, "round two!"

Before we get back to our positions, I steal a glance at my spectral sisters, finding the two of them smiling at me with relief.

We play left-handed just to make sure it's fair, but Indigo still ends up winning. That's probably for the best, because otherwise I'd have wondered if she was taking pity on me and then I'd be annoyed about it all day.

Anyway, we stop in some snazzy-looking restaurant for something between late lunch and early dinner. It's not like a tuxedos-and-wine-bottles kinda place, but it looks nicer than anything I've seen out in Old Canterlot (is the name they apparently call CHS's area around here). Sunny Flare is the only one not talking to someone else while I'm munching big, wavy fries, so she starts with me.

"So, what's it like in your part of town? Are there really rats everywhere?"

"Uuff..." I take a second to swallow my food before answering. "No, don't think so." I remember some of my classmates. "Or like, not the hairy, diseased ones, at least."

She snorts with amusement. "Right. I thought about transferring once, like Twilight did, but I just don't know if the quality of life out there is on par. Granted, not everywhere in the Downtown area is pristine and up to code, but we have nicer malls, housing, streets, parks, you name it. There's even more cultural diversity, with places like Lemon's tea shop all over town."

"She has competition in the Japanese Tea Place market?"

"Oh, I didn't mean that, just that there are similar places all over the city. Italian diners, a Mexican party supply shop, a Dutch bar if you're old enough, and Lemon's family was running sushi and Teppanyaki places long before the tea shop, to say nothing of their borderline naval-force fishing business."

"Teppa-whuh...?"

She smiles. "Food prepared in front of the customers, like showmanship-based bartending, but with Japanese dishes."

"Huh. Didn't know her family already had options when we left her with the place."

Sunny nods. "It's one more-..." She blinks. "Wait. What?"

I blink back at her. "What?"

"You said... You said you, you and your sisters, 'left her with' the tea shop? I thought it was a joint deal between Lemon's family and a major construction company."

"Uhh-"

"Tell her Lemon happened to be settling in there when we left."

I take Adagio's advice right away. "Well, when our magic shenanigans were over and it was time to go back to Old Canterlot, she was just settling into the place. It was around the same time as the deal, y'know?"

"Oh!" She giggles. "M-my mistake, for a second there I thought you were, I don't know, involved with someone that could get development cleared in the middle of the park, and it'd be strange if you lived out by CHS if that were-" She shakes her head. "Nevermind."

Did having our mind-slaves call some people in suits out to the house specifically so they could be brain-washed count as 'involved'? Because if so, yes, we were involved with such people.

I mostly stick to small-talk and listen in as the others talk about how their performance in the stuff we did today, but with the dark look Adagio is giving Sugarcoat, I think I'm gonna need to talk to Lemon in private.

Lucky for me, Lemon wanted that too, if only in an innocent let's-hang-out-as-normal-friends kind of way, because she invites me back to her house (which happens to be part of a skyscraper) when the others head home. I see a big sign on the way in that says "Hitsuyō-sei Zaibatsu," and with the way it's positioned to loom over the lobby, I assume that's the company name.

It takes us about five minutes to get from the entrance, to the elevator, to the general area where Lemon usually stays. It's a high-end place; soft carpets, dark metal and glass tables and shelves, soft-leather chairs and couches, but I'm a little surprised that the only Japanese stuff I see is some possibly-ancient crud hanging on walls and sitting on shelves.

"Not gonna lie, I was expecting it to look like our house in the park did; slidy-doors, those rectangle-pattern floors, all that stuff."

"It's like that on the higher floors, right down to a little dojo-lookin' house on the tippy-top."

"Seriously?"

"Totes!"

She sits me down on a leathery couch in front of a big, wide-screen TV in what I'm guessing is her living room, explaining that it's her job as the host to fetch snacks and all that from the kitchen, which happens to be part of the same, big room. She talks to me while I wait.

"So, how're Dagi and Nata doing? Have they been with us the whole time?"

Sonata beams. "Hiiiiiiiiiiiii, Lemon!"

Adagio smiles a little too, but I answer with "They say hi."

Lemon giggles. "I say hi back!" She comes back and sits down with two glasses of bubbly, purple liquid, complete with bendy-straws, handing one to me. "Sorry about leaving you two out that whole time, but it'd be sorta hard to explain who I was talking to."

"Not that hard, I think..."

I don't repeat Adagio's cryptic whisper because I don't know what she means by it. She probably wants me to try to get Lemon to slip up if she's hiding something from us, say something in a way that she'd have to answer in a way that told me something, and I think I've got an idea. "I mentioned a new job, right? I work at the spa now."

"Wouldn't'a been my first guess. How is it?"

I shrug. "Only been there a day, but so far, at least it's not stressful."

"Haha, I'll bet!"

Here we go! "You said your job was a pretty relaxed place, right? Do you just kinda sit around talking with guests when nobody's ordering, or what?"

"Sometimes! I've been trying to replace the folktales-and-poetry-corner thing 'Hebi-Sama' used to do, and, uhh..." She looks upward, smiling with a hint of self-effacement. "You're a hard act to follow, Dagi."

Wary of Lemon as Adagio apparently is right now, she still smiles a little and rolls her eyes, only getting gigglier when Sonata playfully tickles her ribs and she has to spend the next minute pushing her away.

I smile at Lemon. "She says thanks. Any-"

I'm cut off by the door swinging open, Lemon and I turning our heads to see a tall, bulky-looking old guy in dull-grey, Japanese robes with dark-green trims and patterns that kind of look like tigers all over the chest and sleeves. I don't know what color his hair was before it went grey, but what he has left is short and spiky in all directions, from the top of his skull, down the sides of his face, to the tip of his chin in a thick, but short beard. His wrinkled, dark-reddish skin looks rough and leathery, and something tells me it's not just age that did that to him. Lemon, jumping to her feet, helpfully identifies him as he takes a few steps toward us.

"G-Granddad?!"

"Good day, Lemon."

"Woah," I hear Sonata say as I stand up too, just in case it's super disrespectful not to or something, "he sounds like one of those guys in samurai movies! Do ya think that's how her family got rich?"

I hear Adagio shush her before 'Granddad' addresses Lemon. "Your sister is busy with preparations for her media appearance in the lobby. Do you think you could help her?"

He really does have this deep, I Swear On My Honor voice, which I distantly worry makes me racist somehow when Lemon glances back and forth between him and me. "Uh-"

He holds up a hand, still totally relaxed. "I will stand in as the host and entertain your friend until you return, you need not worry."

Looking at me again, I can see that she is worried, but muttering an affirmative, isn't about to defy his wishes. She has suggested that this guy is kinda scary and not one to be disobeyed. I can sympathize: Adagio used to be way bossier than she is now, especially after we set out.

"Sorry," Lemon whispers to me, "back in a bit, 'kay?"

And off she goes, leaving me with her grandpa. I open communications with a tiny wave. "Hi."

"Hello, Aria Blaze." He gestures to the couch I was sitting on as he moves to a chair next to it. "Please, sit."

I do, though it occurs to me that if something goes wrong here, I'm pretty sure there's no one else around and no one will know if he suddenly decides to do whatever I say. Not that I wanna make things weird with Lemon by just doing that with half a reason, but still. Options.

"I am Sharkskin Lacquer," he begins in a gentle, but serious tone, "and I have heard about you and your sisters from my youngest granddaughter." To my surprise, he bows his head. "That is why I wish to extend my deepest sympathy and condolences."

There's an awkward pause when he doesn't look up right away, so I force myself to say something. "Don't sweat it?"

"Your composure at their passing is commendable," he says as we regain eye-contact, "but even so, I must insist. When I have spoken with her classmates, three have informed me that your family was a vital catalyst in her choice to face responsibility as an adult. The connection of her growth, and your loss, is not lost on me: I am pleased, and relieved, to see this change in her, but never would I have knowingly traded the quality of her life for the absence of another's."

I kind of stare back at him for a moment, because I'm trying to work out exactly what he's getting at without having to ask. Lucky for me, Sonata feels it out first.

"I think he means, in like a universal balance kinda way, that he thinks us getting iced was a trade for Lemon getting all serious at work somehow, and if that's it, wants you to know that he wouldn't have agreed to that if he knew it'd happen."

So he feels guilty, huh? He shouldn't, but like, he doesn't know that it was just a matter of timing. How bad do I want a rich guy to not feel sorry for me? "I don't know how long you spent wishing she'd get her act together, but whatever else happens in the world, you've got it. For what it's worth, I'm happy for her."

I was going for 'noncommittal,' but he looks at me like I've sprouted feathery wings and a halo. "She is blessed to have you for a friend."

Okay, now I feel guilty!

"She has told tales of your elder sister," he continues, "of the grace and beauty exemplified by 'Hebi-Sama,' but I confess that I did not believe it extended to all three."

I grin somewhat haughtily. "We all had our moments."

He looks at me in surprise, which makes me think I might have offended him somehow. Instead, he laughs, which helps wipe away some of this heavy atmosphere we've had going.

"I see. Well, whether gracefully or not, please continue to take care of Lemon Zest."

More guilty!

"I'll try."

We sit there a while longer, me sipping my drink and him sitting there looking peaceful until Lemon comes back.

"Speakers, mic, and the blinky light thingy on the dimmer switch are a-go!"

Grandpa Sharkskin stands up and moves for the door. "Well done, Lemon. Perhaps Trixar will consider my offer in earnest with the proper presentation."

She smiles a little. "Here's hopin'."

He leaves, Lemon sits with me again, and takes a long, well-earned sip of her drink, capping it off with an "Ahh~!"

I chuckle. "He didn't seem that bad."

She looks relieved. "Y-you really think so? 'Cuz like, I've had friends that never wanna come over again after just walking past him in a hall, and like-"

I wave a hand. "Magical monster from another world, remember? Don't worry, I've seen some shit."

"I kinda feel like I shouldn't be happy about that, but for my purposes, I am!"

"Great!"

We laugh like idiots for a minute, simmer down, and take another sip before Adagio makes a suggestion.

"See how she responds when talking about Sugarcoat."

I guess Adagio suspects her. I'm not sure how to work her name into conversation right away, but I think I can angle my way there. I clear my throat.

"So, what we were talkin' about before; any interesting chats while you're at work, or is it mostly just waiting out your shift?"

"Uh... No?"

That wasn't a 'yes or no' question. I push harder. "Not even with your friends?"

Her facial expression shifts from cheerful, to unsure, to panicked, to nervous, to smiling just a little too hard all in the span of about two seconds. "W-what do you mean?"

...Well.

My first thought is that whatever Adagio and Sonata might have picked up by watching us today was probably unnecessary, because Lemon is way too easy to read. That thought dulls the little ache I get from pretty much confirming that Lemon told somebody something she shouldn't, which makes it easier than I'd have ever dreamed to make a Not Mad, Disappointed kind of face as I calmly ask. "Who'd you tell?"

She cracks instantly, fear and regret all over her face. "Iswearitwasn'tmyfaultItriedtokeepalidonitIjust-"

"Woah, woah," I say while putting a hand on her shoulder, "chill! It wasn't the Rainbooms or Twilight, right?" She shakes her head. "Okay, then I can handle it. So, who was it?"

"S-Sugarcoat."

"Lemon had been stealing glances at her any time she was near you and she was the only one who didn't react to your mourning comment," says Adagio, "to say nothing of how much she knew about the shop."

Sonata sounds much less analytical about this. "Zesty... how could you?"

Lemon already looks like she feels pretty bad about this, so I just go for the facts in a gentle voice. "How'd it happen?"

"I swear I didn't mean to, I'm not good at keeping secrets and she's got this thing for when people are lying! She asked some questions about how I started not just working there, but helping run the place, she picked me apart for details, and I blabbed, but I begged her not to tell anyone else and she promised not to, which I know is what I said too, but she's smarter with this stuff than I am!" Lemon takes a deep breath. "...So, how'd you figure it out?"

For a second, I'm sorely tempted to make something up or blow off the question, but there's no reason to make less trust between us right now. "Because I wanted to know if I could trust you with something even bigger and had to see if you kept your word on this first. And, well..."

Frowning, she looks down in shame. "I get it."

"...I've gotta deal with her now, Lemon."

It hurts a little when she looks up at me, afraid. "P-please don't hurt her! It was my fault she even found out, sh-she didn't even mean any-"

"I didn't say I'd hurt her, just that I can't ignore this!" All it would take was a quick tune...

"Oh..." She tentatively touches the tips of her index fingers together. "W-which means...?"

"Sugarcoat has already proven that she's not much better at keeping secrets," Adagio says in a cold tone, "and probably didn't even realize the clue she was dropping. If we let her go, it's only a matter of time before Twilight Sparkle hears just what she needs to to make the same connections."

"But," pleads Sonata, "this is one of Lemon's friends, and she's one of our friends! Even if the worst happens, so what if people know we're still around? How bad would that really be?"

"...Honestly? I don't know. I would like to think that when it inevitably reaches the Rainbooms' ears, they'll be sympathetic enough to Aria to not raise a fuss over it, but with all that's happened? They may just as soon decide that Aria not telling them was proof of conspiracy against them, that withholding any information about something magical was an attack on their sovereignty over the area. Is that a chance you want to take?"

"Or we might get some support! And what if Lemon hates us for brainwashing Sugarcoat?!"

Adagio frowns. "No one said we were brainwashing her. Although-"

"No!"

"Then what do you propose?"

"Uh... T-trust our friends?"

"One who already gave us away and one who's only a mutual acquaintance?"

"She's learned her lesson, she won't do it again! And, Sugarcoat promised!" Hands clasped, she looks hopefully at me. "Right?!"

Lemon, who apparently noticed me glancing back and forth for the last minute, whispers. "What are they saying?"

I look back and forth between her and my sisters, settling on Lemon. "...Can we get a minute alone, please?"

Lemon doesn't look thrilled, but she nods, getting up and slipping her headphones over her ears. "I'll... I'll be out in the hall. Come tap my shoulder or something when you're ready, okay?"

When the door closes, Adagio crosses her arms. "On the off-chance she or anyone else listens in anyway, Aria, bear in mind that they would only hear you."

Over the sound of Sonata's incredulous huff, I nod. "So... we don't know this girl, and I'm thinkin' the quickest path between two points is a straight line."

"Waitwaitwait," Sonata insists, "weren't you guys saying how we couldn't just use magic because somebody might notice? That it'd like, leave clues that it happened that somebody might see later?"

Adagio's eyes widen. "She's right; odd behavior all the way over here was what brought the Rainbooms to us last time, wasn't it? If Sugarcoat isn't hypnotized just so, given just the right orders-"

"Like, 'I command you to never, ever tell anyone my secrets, and if it ever comes up in a way you can't deflect, divulge one of your own embarrassing secrets instead as a cover'?"

I feel a swell of pride as Adagio smiles at me in surprise. "That's... Not too bad, actually. I don't know if it's air-tight, but-"

"It still might get us busted," Sonata interrupts, "'cuz like, Twilight's the smartest girl from their school, right? What if she notices and finds a way around it?"

Adagio sighs. "I suppose, as talking has generally worked thusfar, we could go talk to her or ask Lemon to call her here, let her know that we know, but play nice; tell her how grateful we are that she's helping keep things under wraps and how we and Lemon really appreciate it, appeal to her conscience and all that." She shrugs. "If she's one of Lemon's friends, I'd have to assume she has one, though I wouldn't know its magnitude. It has to be more effective in motivating her to keep her mouth shut than a threat, which might make you look like a monster that needs to be slain to set poor Lemon free."

...It kinda sounds like any of these could go badly for me somehow.

I could just trust Lemon's taste in friends and hope for the best, but Lemon herself has already slipped up. I might need to decide what to do about that after I'm done with Sugarcoat, actually.

If I could get her alone, I could enchant the girl and rest easy knowing that she won't be blabbing any time soon. How often does Twilight visit these girls, and, would she notice if one of them just didn't want to talk about a particular subject? Of course, Lemon would inevitably find out I'd bewitched her if I did that, so I'd definitely need to confront her about my gem right after.

Or, like, there's always appealing to someone's better nature and trusting them to help you out. If I threw in some details, maybe painted a nice, sympathetic picture for why I don't want my ghosts getting out, maybe that'd be enough.

The only thing at stake here is knowledge of my sisters' spirits hanging around me, nobody else knows I can bewitch again, so... how far should I go to keep this covered up?

Author's Note

I feel like the way I write Sugarcoat is slightly more robotic than how she actually talks in canon, but this is the view of her I have in my head. :applejackunsure:

Speaking of whom, it occurred to me to have this chapter's choice relate to determining who Lemon had spilled to, do something to imply it from a few different characters, and let the reader decide who to accuse (if anyone), but then the next chapter would have to move things along and I wasn't interested in pursuing a line of events in which Aria completely wasted her time out here, so it'd feel like a waste of a choice.

Speaking of things I couldn't think of how to handle better, I wasn't sure I could make Sharkskin 'sound' like a samurai without it coming across as a ridiculous, possibly offensive rendition of Engrish that just plain made it hard to tell what he was saying.

Speaking of Granddad, I'm a little surprised by how much detail and backstory I ended up writing for the guy when all I really needed him for was to present the possibility of another choice later on down the line.

Speaking of choices, let's cut the 'speaking of' gag here and get to the choice!

1 - Trust Sugarcoat as is

2 - Brainwash Sugarcoat

3 - Lightly pressure Sugarcoat

I feel I should clarify: We are not headed toward an inevitable reveal of everyone learning about the ghosts, none of these choices automatically mean that everyone will know in a couple chapters and I think it's equally possible to select any of these and still get to the end of the story (though don't ask me when that's supposed to be) without anyone else finding out.

I don't want the choice to feel meaningless, is what I'm saying, which means, yes, depending on other choices, it's possible for the truth to come out with any of these options too, but how Aria handles this situation should affect more than just who knows/might find out about the ghosts.

I hope this is easier to follow than it sounds in my head right now. :twilightoops:

The next chapter might be really short, just dealing with the Sugarcoat situation before deciding how to deal with Lemon's slip-up and how much to tell her about Aria's magic.

**Next chapter started, voting closed! (sorry!)**

Chapter 13: Guilt Is A Thing Good Guys Feel, Right?

Vote count as of 6/19/2018:
Trust Sugarcoat- 1
Brainwash Sugarcoat- 1
Lightly pressure Sugarcoat- 9

I figure I've got about equal odds of things working out if I do nothing and if I straight-up force her not to blab, but if I do the 'nice' thing (or at least look like I'm doing the nice thing and not just exploiting someone's good will), I can make the point that I 'trusted her' and she screwed me anyway if this all goes public somehow. When I think about it, the only people who'd be more than an annoyance if they found out about my undead sisters is the Rainbooms, right? If they're looking at me as a victim of Friendship Crimes right off the bat, they might be a lot more understanding than if they learned some other way.

Maybe I can exploit the animosity between schools while I'm at it, if necessary, but I'll think about that if it comes up.

"I think," I quietly share with my ghosts, "I'm gonna try that last idea; stringing her along with her conscience and her friendship with Lemon. Same as with Moondancer, I've gotta look good if I 'trust' someone to do the right thing and they don't, right?"

"Totally," Sonata answers with a big smile, "the moral high-ground is our new castle!"

Even though it was her idea, Adagio doesn't look so optimistic, but Sonata floats closer to hug her.

"It'll be okay, Dagi."

Smiling a little herself, she sighs. "I hope so."

The wheels now in motion, I head for the door, Lemon not quite jamming to whatever's on her headphones, but definitely bobbing her head enough that I wonder if she even remembers why she's standing out here.

Lemon is silly.

I tap her shoulder, she jumps, then whirls around and takes the headphones off. "H-hey. So...?"

"I'm just gonna talk to her. Can you get her to come here?"

"Um, I, y-yea," she says, a hopeful, grateful smile on her face, "I can ask her to come over for a bit or we could meet up somewhere, but, uh," the smile shifts to worry, "she's probably gonna clue in that something's up before she even sees us."

"Do you think she'll run away?"

"Well, no, but-"

I smile a little and put a hand on her shoulder. "Then don't worry about it."

She smiles back, and a few minutes later, we're headed to what Lemon calls a little coffee shop for slurpees.

The place is... I don't wanna say 'kiddie,' but the aesthetic is definitely something Sonata appreciates more than I do. I can tell by the 'Ooh, pretty!' look on her face as she floats around the room; built into the side of a much bigger building a couple floors up. Deep red and immaculate white are particularly popular in the place's color scheme, as are pictures of a cartoon polar bear in swimming trunks for reasons I'm not going to think too hard about. One whole wall is a series of big, long windows that provide slurpee-drinkers with a nice view of the park, but I can't see the tea shop from here.

We walk in, Lemon points me to some chairs and a circular little table by the corner, and I offer to spot her the price of the slurpees, including Sugarcoat's. I have to explain to her that it's because I want to do a show of good will, thanking Sugarcoat for agreeing to keep things secret, which gets a big, happy smile and a (very public) hug out of her. She knows Sugarcoat's usual, so before long, we're sitting there waiting for her to show up as I worry that her proof-of-good-will offering will melt.

My slurpee is pretty good though.

Around ten minutes later, Sugarcoat walks in, sees us, walks over, and sits down, but she doesn't make any kind of face, so I don't know exactly how she's feeling about this.

"Hello again."

Lemon smiles. "Hey, Sugarcoat."

I don't put too much effort into my own grin. "Hey. So, just so I know I've got it straight, you already know about my sisters?"

Cool as the drink in her hands, she nods. "That is correct." Then she takes a long sip through the straw, waiting.

"...Right, so... I guess I wanted to say thanks." She arches an eyebrow in surprise, so I shrug. "For helping Lemon keep it secret instead of running off to the national inquirer or something. You already know magic weirdness happens all the time over by CHS, so it would kind of make a mess for us if people heard and jumped to conclusions, y'know?"

Frowning a little, she nods. "I never intended to make life difficult for anyone, I just could not-... no, did not, stop myself from feeding my curiosity. In my defense, it is all too tempting, and too easy, to extract details from Lemon when she knows she is caught in a lie."

Lemon smiles sheepishly as she shrinks in her seat, but I play through.

"I was kinda hoping you could help her with that, maybe work out a cover story or something together, or like, lying lessons. If that's a thing."

"It is," Adagio injects, "but they don't take credit."

Sonata's eyes widen in wonder. "For realzies?"

Adagio only answers with a sassy smirk, but Sonata doesn't connect the dots before Sugarcoat speaks up.

"It has occurred to me what I might do if it were me that needed to keep a secret. For example, the first thing that came to mind was bringing backup in case your intentions were hostile and having them wait at a different table while subtly keeping an eye on us."

Lemon and I glance around, but when we look back at her, Sugarcoat is smiling.

"I may be able to assist with convincing falsehoods."

For a second, I feel like a sucker, but Adagio's question reminds me how we got here.

"Ask her to start with not giving away incriminating details in the first place, please."

"That would be nice," I say with an innocent smile that hides the smugness I'm internally cackling over, "but, um... well, were you wondering how we figured out you knew in the first place?"

Her eyes widen, then flicker to Lemon. "To be completely honest, I assumed that Lemon made the same mistakes with you that she did with me."

Lemon's cheeks darken as she pouts. "Heeey!"

I resist the weird, alien urge to ruffle her hair. "That might have been part of it, but the first clue was that you knew more about us and the tea shop than anybody else. More than anybody else should have known."

Sugarcoat's expression doesn't change, but her face changes colors. "...Oh."

Smiling a little, I shrug. "For what it's worth, I didn't catch that part until my sisters pointed it out."

She glances around, hints of discomfort emerging on her features. "They're, with you? Right now?"

It occurs to me that if I thought there were people that could see me while I couldn't see them, I'd probably be ungodly self-conscious about it. "Kinda, yea." Smelling sympathy points, I make the effort to look just a little sad while folding my hands on the table. "We've pretty much only had each other for most of our lives, so we stick together, even now. And, if it got out that they were still with me, certain people might wanna separate us. For good." Recalling that the Rainbooms aren't necessarily my level-headed and understanding buddies, I project just a little vulnerability as I look up at her. "So...?"

Her mouth twitches a little, but she's looking at me like she just hit me with a car. "I, well, I did promise to help Lemon with this, so... I think we can work something out to keep your secret, and your family, safe."

Not that Lemon wasn't already living proof, but it looks like mean, selfish, victory-obsessed Crystal Prep students aren't soulless after all.

Eat it, Wondercolts!

...I know I go there too, but only because of the shenanigans that went on over here. I kind of wonder how differently things might have gone if I'd never ordered that stupid book, but that won't change where we are now.

Anyway, it looks like I've got Sugarcoat's cooperation. The three of us talk a little more about inconspicuous diversion tactics Lemon can learn to use, the exact details of the cover story behind the tea shop, and all the little ways Sugarcoat can back her up with this stuff before the topic sways to slurpees. Sugarcoat explains her philosophy on junk food; that as long as we're still young enough (give or take) to eat it without getting funny looks, we might as well enjoy that while we can.

Eventually, we see that the sun is going down, and since it's a school night, we all need to head home. Lemon volunteers to walk with me back to the bus station, and not just because I'm not sure which direction that is from here. On the way there, Adagio reminds me.

"So, about the reason we thought about calling Lemon in the first place..."

Sonata scratches her head. "The we'll-help-you-with-the-gem dealie, right?" She smiles. "Ooh, what if we told her about that? Like, to show we totally trust her again!"

Adagio is not as enthused. "You don't think it's a little early to put that kind of faith in her again?"

"Nope! She learned her lesson, and we're all friends, so it'll be fine!"

There's a hint of disgust in the way Adagio shakes her head. "I know I'm being paranoid, I know she's doing her best, but if Lemon goes on thinking that there's no real consequences for putting us at risk, who's to say how soon she'll get careless when we do trust her with something more? Aria, all I'm asking is that you warn her that if this happens again, there'll have to be some kind of... consequence. For her, Sugarcoat, or both, depending on the circumstances."

When Lemon's not looking at me, I raise an inquisitive eyebrow.

"You could-... Well, keep in mind that I mean this as an extreme measure to be taken only as a last resort, but... we haven't tested whether or not we can erase memories like this, have we?"

Sonata gasps. "Dagi!"

She scowls. "I didn't say I want to, but if she repeatedly proves to be a liability, it's only rational that we do something about it! Right now, it's defnitely not necessary to use any measure of magic on her, but some kind of warning, even if it's just 'if we get found out by the Rainbooms because of you, I'm afraid we can't be friends anymore,' feels called for!"

Things are quiet for a moment. Frowning, she twirls a lock of hair around a finger, a gesture I don't see her do very often. "I mean, be gentle about it, obviously, but after today, I think you should say something."

Embarrassing, Private Fantasies: Volume 1. Once upon a time, I imagined what I'd do if I were in charge while we still had plenty of power. One of those things was never taking shit from subordinates who screwed up what I wanted them to do. Just the thought of blasting someone after bellowing 'And THIS is the price of failure!!' made my fins twitch for a while.

Lemon isn't a subordinate, doesn't work for us, and things turned out okay this time, but she still let us down. I could just say that I can't overlook the trouble it could get me in if this just keeps happening and leave it at that. Or, if I wanted to assure Lemon that everything was cool, I could take another chance, tell her I really do have magic again, and be ready to cement our friendship further with mind-altering help (on OTHER people!!) if she wants it. But, what will I do if, even with Sugarcoat, that slips out too?

Aaaagh, I don't like this! Can't I just go home? Normal, magicless friends still help each other out in boring, human ways, right? What if I just say I'm willing to do that for her and call it a day? That's gotta be less stressful than all this friend-might-kinda-sorta-betray-me crap!

We're getting close to the bus stop. What should I say to her?

Author's Note

Bringing back that 'invisible choices/consequences' thing I mentioned in a previous AN, there would have been an option to brainwash Lemon into either staying silent or forgetting about Aria's ghosts or even forgetting the sirens entirely (if that worked at all) if Brainwash Sugarcoat had been chosen, but as this option wouldn't make much sense as long as Aria is placing any measure of trust in Sugarcoat, I came up with something else for this route.

I'm not sure it would have been picked anyway, but that's the kind of thing I meant. :derpytongue2:

Choice!

1 - Put more trust in Lemon, extend offer of magical help

2 - Gently warn Lemon that actions have consequences

3 - Offer help in general without mentioning magic

**Next chapter started, voting closed! (sorry!)**

Chapter 14: Boy Troubles

Vote count as of 7/6/2018:
Tell Lemon about the gem- 2
Warn Lemon- 2
Offer help- 9

I think about it for another minute or two, but in the end, I go for the least stressful option.

"So," I say casually while we're waiting for the bus, "if you're helping us out with this thing, I kinda feel like I should be willing to return the favor." She gives me a confused, wide-eyed look, so I shrug. "Just, lemme know if there's anything I can help you with, okay?"

She smiles like the stress of today was already forgotten. "'Kay!"

For the past several hours, I've kinda wondered if I should be stressing about the secret getting out as much as I have been. On the ride home, a thought gives me my answer: If anyone's ever gonna find out about my undead sisters, or anything else I'm mostly keeping to myself, I'd rather it be because I told them. Maybe someday I'll want to tell people, maybe I'll tell the Rainbooms, maybe I'll tell the world, but that's damn sure not right now. Right now, I feel like we've got a pretty good thing going, and I want it to stay under control.

Kinda feels like common sense when I think about it like that; if anyone's gonna know my secrets, I want it to be my choice. I dunno if that part's more important than anybody finding out, but it's something.

When we get home, I head up the stairs leading to our (my?) apartment, getting surprised by Moondancer's upper body sticking out the window of her place as she stares at the night sky. She's got this serene little smile as she star-gazes, even when you can't see all that much with the light pollution all over the place. The view would probably be a little better if she came out to the railing where I'm standing, but I guess she wants to keep the option ready to duck back into her place, shut the window, and hide under her bed.

If I were into girls, this'd probably be where I compared her to moonlight or something, especially with the way it makes her already pale skin glow a little, but maybe Adagio is thinking something like that right now.

Anyway, she turns her head and jumps with fright for a second, putting a hand close to her heart when she sees it's just me.

"Oh, h-hello. Um..."

"I'm a little surprised you hang out the window like that just to see the sky."

I get the sense that this is a topic of interest for her, because she smiles and gets just a little passionate as opposed to shaking and stuttering some more. "Oh, I have to, it's hard enough to see the stars as it is this close to the city and even one pane of glass can cause further lighting issues if a car goes by or there's an inconveniently-placed streetlight!"

Part of me wants to pat her head or ruffle her hair, but it'd probably make things weird and I'm standing too far away for that anyway. "You do this often?"

"On the clearer nights, yes." She glances toward my apartment door and how I'm nowhere near it. "Uh... What about you? Out for a walk?"

I don't think I need to lie to this girl. At least, not right now. "Visiting a friend in the city, just got back."

"Oh." There's a quiet, awkward moment before she makes a face like she just remembered something important. "By the way, you know how I shut down the blog last week?"

I get the feeling I'm not gonna like this. "Yea?"

"Well, while I thought that everybody else would see that the show was over and abandon it, there are still people talking in the comment sections. Nothing serious, I think, mostly just gossip and theories about you, your sisters- may they rest in peace, -and occasionally the Rainbooms."

I roll my eyes. "Figures."

"If it's of any comfort, I haven't seen anything malicious, mostly just stuff like 'I heard she said one of her sisters' names in class' and 'she hangs out with such and such a lot' and speculation about how exactly the other two, uh, passed on. I'd have probably locked the whole thing and disabled all comments by now, but it occurred to me that someone else might just open their own blog that I wouldn't be able to moderate at all if I wanted to."

It kinda sounds like she's actually looking out for me here.

Sweet!

But I don't let that show on my face. "I haven't exactly been checking the thing myself. Wouldja mind keeping me posted for however long it goes?"

She smiles. "Sure thing. Have a nice night, Aria."

Smiling back, I nod, then finally finish the journey home. Today felt way longer than normal!

"Wow," says Sonata when the door is shut, "I'm surprised she'd tell you about that when it's her fault people are talking behind your back like that in the first place."

"Not completely her fault," Adagio corrects, "people being people, they'd have had thoughts to whisper even without the window she provided, though admittedly there'd be less fuel on the fire if not for her. I wonder if her last message actually laid any fears to rest?"

I go through the trouble of looking for the blog just so I can see the one she shut it down with myself, but when I get there, it's basically just 'I was worried over nothing, things are quiet now, I don't need this anymore, sayonara, suckers.'

She didn't call her readers 'suckers,' but I probably would have.

Anyway, this is one of few nights Lemon doesn't call me, but that's probably because we already talked a lot today and it might actually be past the time we normally talk when I finally get to bed.

Monday morning, History class has me a little on edge, because Harshwhinny gives me a few funny looks until I get last week's test back.

"Eighty-three. Quite a score to be proud of, for one who didn't study."

The way she says that and the look on her face make it come across more like 'You're a criminal and I want to lock you up forever,' so I refrain from any smart remarks. Adagio, however, is free to scoff.

"Sixty-four points is the failing grade for all classes, isn't it? Your test was about halfway there."

Sonata nods. "Guess that's why she ain't a math teacher."

I really wish I could signal to my sisters to stop their banter, because laughing in class would probably get me in trouble right now.

Lunch. Me, Vinyl, Octavia, and Trixie.

"And that is why Trixie does not ride a unicycle!"

"Of course," Octavia replies while stirring her soup with a spoon as though she were just barely paying attention. I get the feeling she's had to hear that story before. Having her dress catch fire has more to do with it, but I probably wouldn't focus on that part either if I were Trixie.

"So," Trixie asks me cheerfully, "anything interesting happen for you over the weekend?"

Nothing I can or should tell her about.

Well, would there be any harm in saying I got a job? Trixie was the first and maybe not the only person to notice my gem, even if she doesn't know I have magic again. Would seeing me sing to people connect the dots for her, or would my cover story be enough? I don't wanna risk it, so I shrug.

"Not really."

"I did hear something happened last week," says Octavia, making me tense up a little, "Sophisticata told me that she and a few friends ran into you on Friday, and she asked me to pass on that she's sorry about, er-..." she hesitates, possibly for fear of putting her foot in her mouth again, "Well, the, things they were saying."

...Who the Hell is Sophisticata?

I'm not sure what she's talking about and it probably shows on my face, because Adagio quickly reminds me.

"Those four girls we overheard last week, talking about-"

"Oh!" I scratch my head. "She was one'a those four, huh?"

It's here that I realize that people know each other outside of the groups that I directly see them with. Come to think of it, aren't Trixie, Octavia, Rarity, and I forget who else all in the same clique? I oughta think about that later, keep in mind who knows who for general use, but right now, I address the subject at hand.

"Yea, uh... Tell her not to worry about it, I guess. As long as they're not acting like Adagio and Sonata are something they can shriek at each other over at sleepovers, I don't really care that much."

Octavia smiles a little, nodding an affirmative.

"Trixie did not hear about this," she says with a raised eyebrow, "and she knows she has not missed a meeting!"

"She confided in me in private, Trixie," Octavia answers with an amused eyeroll, "it wasn't a Drama Club issue."

Trixie crosses her arms, a petulant pout on her face. "Maybe, but I hate being kept out of the loop on things."

Vinyl's group-text notification sounds as she pats Trixie's shoulder.

No worries, nobody's loopier than you.

It's because Vinyl is almost always wearing the same little smile with those shades that I can't tell if that was a jab or an earnest attempt to make her feel better, but Trixie smiles a little anyway.

In contrast to my weekend, nothing interesting really happens today, so after school, I head to the mall for my new part-time job. I can tell that Dagi wants to talk strategy about Bulk, but not until we've seen him at work.

"Ooh," Sonata thinks out loud, "what if he doesn't even do anything near Aria the whole time? Like he's in another room folding towels and giving happy endings while you're out in the other spot?"

"Gyah!!"

That unwanted mental image brings with it the realization that there was a price for there being nothing my sisters could do about it if I went against their wishes; there's nothing I can do to stop them from saying stuff like that. If Sonata just started screaming her head off or floating through people like she did when she tried to possess me, or if Adagio wanted to sow doubt or whisper hateful thoughts into my ear 24-7, there'd be nothing I could do to stop either of them.

The weird thing is that I'm not actually worried about that happening, because they've both been totally supportive since the ritual and they don't even seem to mind that much when I don't go with what they think I should do, so it's just another random thought for the Nightmare Fuel pile.

I guess being 'haunted' just comes with some creepy thoughts no matter what?

Anyway, I get to work, suit up, and it's time to get on with things. By which I mean keeping an eye out for Bulk, and soon enough, I catch sight of him stepping out of the male locker room (which I guess he has all to himself?). I pretend not to notice, though, completely looking away until I hear what I can only call a confusion noise as he gets closer to the rim of my leaning-spot on the big planter thing.

"...Aria?"

I casually turn my head, and as expected, he's staring dumbfounded. "Yea?"

"What are you doing here?"

I kinda expected a stupid question, so I refrain from snarking about what my wearing the uniform to this place might indicate to someone with a working brain. "I work here."

"Oh."

And then he just kinda stares at me for a moment, and while I don't blame him, it gets kind of awkward. Not that he seems to notice, because he smiles and gives me a little wave.

"Well, have fun today!"

And then he goes off to do... whatever he does here. When Lotus walks by with an armful of immaculate towels, I ask her.

"Oh, he mostly handles massages and simple things we need done," smiling a little, she winks at me, "moving heavy things especially."

I nod and she gets back to whatever she was doing. There's nobody else out here yet, which leaves me some time to think.

I'm out here in the big, open area just past the lobby by the mud baths and big, cushy chairs that I think are used for foot-related stuff, the lying-down massage tables are in another little room that has no door nearby, and down the hall from that is the sauna. If I spent the entire time here, Bulk would hardly see me from where he's normally supposed to be, but he'd definitely hear me, nevermind random trips moving stuff around bringing him through my area.

He's eventually going to hear me singing, either through the doorway or while he's running errands for Lotus and Aloe, the question is what he'll do about it. I know I can't possibly work here doing what I'm doing without it ever getting out that I'm singing people's troubles away, what with all the customers being people that live in this town, but Bulk being close to some of the Rainbooms, he might be wary of me.

...Except, he wasn't, was he? Just a second ago, he acted like he did during the S&S game Saturday night; dopey and friendly and just barely aware of his own existence. I feel like I need to gather more info before I decide whether or not he's a threat, and what I wanna do about him.

"Hey, guys," I whisper to my sisters, "when I sing to people, does my gem glow?"

"No visible effect," answers Adagio, "same as before. I haven't even seen the shine that used to come when we finished a harvest. I'm still not sure where exactly you're getting the power if not through negative energy harvests, but theories can wait until we've dealt with Bulk."

"Speaking of which," Sonata adds while waggling her eyebrows, "what're ya gonna do to him?"

"I dunno yet, I kinda wanna see how he reacts to seeing me sing." I casually look around to reaffirm that I'm still alone here. "Dagi, if I used just a little juice like yesterday, would anyone or anything that could pick up magic be able to notice?"

"Hard to say, but if it's just the occasional pulse, I think you could play it off as it just being your own magic; the source we were able to wake up in ourselves before the snake-woman book. With ours already being tied to our singing and it not being likely that any non-aquatic Equestrian races would know much about it even if they were here, it's a lie I think you could get away with. Twilight Sparkle poses the greatest threat in this issue, but as she knows very little and her friends frown on her practices, it's possible that even if Bulk directly accuses you of enchanting people here, there'll be nothing anyone can do to prove it."

Sonata tilts her head a little, sticking the tip of her tongue out of one side of her mouth as her eyebrows scrunch up, which I take to mean she really is thinking hard about this. "I could'a sworn Sunset said she was a magical powerhouse back in Equestria, 'the princess's protege' or something like that. Shouldn't she be able to sniff us out?"

Adagio rolls her eyes. "If so, either she's gotten rusty or pony standards are much lower than those of our people, even among royalty, because when we discussed our gems and the book, it was clear that she didn't know nearly as much about magic as she thought she did. Perhaps what she meant was that she has a lot of power, but little mastery? Would certainly explain the crystal alicorn."

Glancing around again, I nod toward the massage room. "So?"

"So, worst case scenario with him; he's around often enough to notice something unusual (or at least think he has), you're reported to the Rainbooms, they come, none of them can tell the difference between the way you're using the gem and your own magic power, so long as you keep it low-energy like you've been doing, and you have a solid alibi in the form of explaining that difference and saying that the gem, if they notice it, is just the last thing you have to remember us by, effectively a family heirloom. However, sticking with the worst case, it's possible that this won't satisfy them, they'll still decide that you're doing something wrong because they associate our singing with unambiguous evil, and make life very difficult for you, if not demand that you sing without the gem on or just get together to blast you again."

I have no words for how casually she said all that, which is fine, because she goes on with a little smile.

"I doubt that'll actually happen, though, it's more likely that, if told you're bewitching people here, they'll just keep a closer eye on you, and even that assumes that they believe the accuser over you. With all the good behavior you've (publicly) been engaged with, maybe they'd even give you the benefit of the doubt?

Sonata smiles. "I totally heard Flutter-butter say something like that, back when they helped us move back here."

Whatever happens, I'm probably not in any serious danger from Bulk. That in mind, I opt to wait and see a little bit...

It's kinda hard to keep an eye out for Bulk (or, I guess, anyone else I recognize) while I'm doing my thing, but what Adagio and Sonata tell me he does over my three hours at work today tells me this:

-He goes about his business in single-minded fashion, either because of focus and/or dedication or because there's just nothing really going on in his head otherwise.

-The times he came through the main room, he hardly looked twice at me.

-It's possible even the little pulses I've been using in my songs have been affecting him, because he apparently got heavy eyelids a couple times, stumbled while carrying something once (nobody got hurt, but Aloe was not amused), and had nearly nodded off while standing up once.

-Not related to Bulk, but my singing might actually be a problem the way things are now, because if I'm affecting the staff, whether they realize it's magic or not, the whole spa is eventually gonna suffer for it.

Maybe they can stick me in a little room with dense walls, give me a mic, and the customers headphones? Or failing that, I could see about actually picking up the trade properly, but as I picked this job so I wouldn't really have to work, maybe it'd be easier to get a job elsewhere? One where I don't have the risk of screwing up my coworkers?

I'unno, I'll see if I can't work something out with Lotus and Aloe tomorrow, but for now; Bulk. Sitting on a little bench, I quietly talk things over with my sisters in the privacy of the locker room.

"I think I wanna rule out getting him fired. Wouldn't really do me much good unless he were the only way it might get out that I'm singing to people for a living."

"Good thing, too," remarks Sonata, "because I think some'a the girls that come here aren't just showing up for the scented candles, if ya know what I mean."

Adagio, as anticipated, takes the scheming reigns. "Operating under the assumption that the Rainbooms still wouldn't trust you, getting him to serve you might help, if only because he's already relatively close to some of them and having his voice speak in your defense should they come around may be a considerable boon in warding off suspicion. Provided those girls place more trust in their friends than fear in potential enemies, having him vouch for you may be all it takes to earn you lasting peace here. Even if they do trust you, if something happens, it may be better to have him with you than against you."

You know that thing in fiction where pets can pretty much sense evil? Where the old guy's dog growling at someone tells him it's a monster in disguise? I kinda get that vibe from Bulk, only he's the dog, and I worry that if he growls at me (not like that!!), people will get the same idea, so I kinda wanna do this even if the Rainbooms totally leave me alone about it.

"So the question is how I wanna get him on my side?"

"Essentially."

"Um, helloooo," Sonata Sonatas at me, "we're talking about a high school boy? It's a total no-brainer!"

I smirk a little. "You'd know, huh?"

"Bite me!"

Adagio raises an eyebrow. "Why are you holding an arm toward me when you say that?"

"Aria can't bite ghosts, silly!"

"Right," Adagio says while shoving her away, a hint of disgust in her eyes before she looks back at me. "I'm guessing your first choice is to sing to him, just enough to influence his thoughts should he be asked about you?"

I smile. "You know me so well."

Rolling her eyes, she smiles back in a What Am I Going To Do With You kind of way. "Well, it's not as though I have a better idea. Just coming out and asking him to back you up suggests that you think you've done something wrong and need defending, so simple diplomacy isn't exactly an option this time. I suppose you could let your actions speak for you and not say a word to him; have him share his own honest thoughts (if any) should the Rainbooms come asking, but that could go either way if he doubts you, or just doesn't notice any good behavior on your part."

Sonata actually sounds curious. "And dropping her pants where he can see?"

"Ignoring the possibility of someone walking in at the wrong time? Somehow I doubt he has the composure to deliver a convincing story when thinking about anything related to what Aria would need to do to win him over with sex appeal, to say nothing of his credibility should the Rainbooms figure out what's going on."

"But we know he can act a little from that roleplay stuff in the game, right? And trust me, you'd be surprised how far people'll go if they think they might get some action." She gives me a sly look. "Especially if they really do."

There's a short, irritating battle of wills as I glare at her, but she just giggles.

...It's not like I'm against it, exactly, just, it might make things weird.

I guess I could, though.

Or, I could just make him do what I want him to. Not full-blown obvious thrall mode, just like, color his thoughts in a way the big lummox won't even notice. Maybe I could make him a thrall and he wouldn't notice, but that's not the point. If I just get him alone for a minute, I might never need to worry about him again, get him thinking he's seen me being a hard worker and a great person and that he'll never bark at me. So to speak.

Maybe I just don't touch him, be totally honest and let come what may. I've got my own charms, and Sonata's got a point; I'm a hot girl, he's a teenage boy, he's gonna want think better of me for that alone. I'm gonna need to tweak my work situation tomorrow anyway, so maybe things'll work out then? Of course, how I work that out is gonna depend on how I-

Aww, crap!

"Wait, do I even wanna do this right now?"

The others look at me in confusion, so I share my thoughts about my singing making problems for the others working here.

"Damn," Adagio says while nervously fiddling with her hair in a way I find kind of mesmerizing, "I completely missed how the other workers were reacting, all of my focus was on Bulk! You're right; it would be better to see where things stand after working that out, and as Bulk didn't seem to suspect anything today, you should still have time."

"So," Sonata asks while scratching her head, "raincheck on this one?"

"Raincheck," I sigh, standing up, "let's head home."

While part of me is annoyed that I get home with much less free time than usual, it's not like I spent that time doing much before. It makes Lemon's phone-call seem like it comes sooner, too, which was a thing I didn't know I wanted.

Dread.

A soul-squeezing sense of foreboding and distant, but encroaching horror, as indomitable as it is inevitable, with nothing I can do to stave it off or even run away. That is what I feel when I hear the guys behind me at in first period today.

"I don't care, man, it's been a week! Look at her, she's totally over it!"

"I'm telling you, just don't."

"What, you want her for yourself?"

"No, but-"

"Then watch the master!"

I don't even want to see this guy's face when I hear him walking up next to me, so the second he makes a noise I suspect is going to turn into a pick-up attempt, I open fire.

"Fuck off, slimeball, I'd sooner lick greasy asphalt."

I focus on my contempt for this creep to keep from cracking a smile at the sounds of Adagio and Sonata cracking up, made easier when I hear him mutter under his breath as he turns to go back to his desk.

"Tch, stuck up bitch."

His friends offer their thoughts.

"Hate to say I told you so, but-"

"Shut up."

I probably shoulda known the last guy would find something to accuse me of for this.

"She doesn't have time for dating, man, too busy planning to suck our souls out!"

Thankfully, I don't hear any more than that before class gets started. I don't hear them talk about me for the rest of class, but when the bell rings and I'm on my way out, I do hear one last thing from the guy I shot down.

"Why couldn't it have been one of her sisters?"

I try to let that go, I really do, but that's easier said than done when said sisters heard it too.

"C'mon, Dagi, I know you know all that bad juju stuff! Can't we even get one little curse going?"

"I told you, scum though some of these people are, we don't have nearly enough power to have that kind of impact. If our magic is still around in any capacity, it's with Aria now." She shrugs. "That might even be why the gem turned white; maybe it's storing what's left of us in the same way my body stored you two."

"Does that mean Aria can put a hex on somebody?"

"Somehow I doubt it."

"Then she can sing him into slamming his fingers in a door, or walking off a cliff, or taking a hammer to his di-"

"Sonata!"

"What? Seriously, screw that guy!"

While I totally share that sentiment (in the non-literal sense, obviously, unless I'm using a spiked strap-on or something), I'm not super mad myself, because...

Well, I mean, I sorta thought the same thing at first. Sometimes still do. No matter what Adagio says, I was the first to screw up, and was rewarded with not getting atomized.

I know there's nothing I can do now and I'm not gonna dwell, just saying that isn't what pisses me off about his little comment. What pisses me off is that he thinks he's good enough for me. I know his type, plenty of the arguments we used to stir up had to do with unfaithful lovers and relationships that really didn't need our help falling apart, and people who talk like I've heard him talk just aren't worth the time if I want a boyfriend.

Which I do, by the way. I want a boyfriend. Kind of have for a while now, just, stuff was happening. Maybe other stuff is happening now, but I get the feeling Adagio and Sonata already know that part of the reason seeing hand-holding (which is still stupid!) ticks me off so much is because I kinda want what those people have for myself. That's why, when the last period before lunch ends, I duck into an empty classroom and pull out my phone.

I hesitate to actually say anything, so Sonata humors me by making a phone gesture with her thumb and pinky.

"Ring-ring! You've reached the Friends On The Other Side hotline, Nata and Dagi here to take your call!"

I have no idea why Adagio does it too, let alone with a straight face. "Something we can help with, Aria?"

"...I want a boyfriend."

I can already feel my face burning, so I'm equally surprised and relieved that they don't rub it in all that much.

"Heh," Sonata says with a playful smile, "'bout time."

Adagio, as usual, looks like she's scheming something. "Is this in response to that boy earlier? Because if so, I applaud your ferocity; there are few ways to cut him more deeply than to find another boy, especially so soon." She cackles. "I hope someone tells him outright; 'it's not that she's not interested, just that she's not interested in you.'"

I hadn't thought about it like that, but yea, that'd definitely be a plus.

Sonata smiles. "So who'd you have your eye on?"

I wince. "Well... Remember how I never got to know anybody here...?"

"Wow. Okay, um... Ooh, if we're going for full Spite points, how about that guy's friend? The only one that doesn't act like a complete buttface?"

"No good," Adagio says with a headshake, "he almost definitely has a girlfriend." Sonata and I stare at her in shock, so she shrugs. "You might know this if you ever turned around to look at them, Aria, but you actually saw that boy holding hands with a girl last week." In response to our blank stares, she makes a comically unamused face. "You were stuck walking behind them in the hall? We talked about it not long after?"

I vaguely remember that happening, but details on the couple are a total blur. I cough. "So, the screw-his-best-friend thing is out?"

"Most likely, unless you want to play homewrecker?"

"Hard pass."

"Good choice. Still doesn't leave you with a wealth of options, I'm afraid."

"I'm guessing you didn't talk to any guys while you were here?"

I'm surprised that she hums in thought for a moment as opposed to just saying 'no' and giving me two or three reasons why she hates, but totally isn't scared of men.

"There was one that briefly spoke to me to offer the three of us help in the course work should we need it. I politely refused, of course, but he behaved well enough, wasn't terrible-looking as far as boys go, and even seemed like the weak, easily-influenced type, so you could probably bend him to your will without much trouble." She smiles cheerfully. "If it lasts, he's bound to find a well-paying job later on and provide you with ample financial security, too!"

Thanks to her attentiveness during all those years of lessons, Adagio has a wide vocabulary, so much so that she usually has to tone it down around me, Sonata, and... like, normal people, but still? I kind of wonder if she knows the difference between 'romance' and 'dominate.'

"And, this guy's name...?"

"'Wiz'-something, though I don't know if that's just a nickname."

"He sounds like a boring dork," groans Sonata, "not Aria's type at all!"

I'm not sure how I should take that, but she keeps going.

"Why not Bulk? We'd totally kill two birds if she bagged him!"

Adagio chuckles. "I like it, but..." The smile fades as she gives me a scrutinizing stare. "How serious are you about this relationship thing?"

I shrug a little. "Kinda? Like, I'm not setting out for true love or whatever, but, flowers, dates, him walking me home? I wanna try all that stuff for real."

She nods. "In that case, seducing Bulk may create more problems than it solves. Even if he never finds out what you're really up to, he's still close to those girls, to say nothing of what dating an idiot would be like."

Sonata waggles her eyebrows. "A hunky idiot."

In what's starting to feel like a familiar gesture for her, Adagio rolls her eyes at something Sonata says, having them stop on me. "Well, I can't tell you what you'd be happy with, so who or whatever you decide on, we're here for you."

Hearing those words still sends something clamping onto my heart like a lamprey eel, but like, in a good way. I think.

Anyway, I've actually spent a little time thinking about what kind of guy I'd wanna be with if I had my pick of anyone, and believe it or not, I've got zero interest in some 'tough, badass' biker-type.

I'm all the badass I need, thank you very much!

I'm not against either of their suggestions, either, because from what I know of both, they seem like the nice, sensitive types. I've never met this 'Wiz' kid, but if Adagio Borderline Androphobia Dazzle is saying anything nice about him, he's gotta at least be okay. I'm totally down for a nice guy.

And not like the 'ooh, why don't women sleep with me when I show basic politness' or 'wah wah, all women just like jerks while ignoring real men' "nice guys," the complete fakes who always turn into cartoonishly huge jerks themselves just seconds after having sworn they'd be the nicest guys in the world if a girl would just give them a chance. Fuck those losers.

I mean, I guess if someone had, maybe they wouldn't be such whiny, two-faced dicks, but that's not anyone else's job to take care of.

Any freakin' way, I'm looking for someone that treats me like a person, maybe someone funny without being annoying, and ideally not bad-looking, either.

That's not shallow if I'm smokin' hot myself, right? I think it's fair; we figured out pretty quick that we were abnormally beautiful by human standards when we came to this world, and you don't go around looking like that and settle for Quasimodo. Esmeralda sure didn't.

It'd probably make some problems if you did; the uglier partner constantly being reminded of the difference, everyone whispering that they've gotta be rich and you've gotta be a gold-digger, and I guess there's no reason that relationship couldn't still be possible, but I'm just gonna count myself lucky there are no Quasimodo types around here.

Anyway, again, if I wanted a nice, good-looking guy, you know the first one that comes to mind?

Flash Sentry.

He goes around in that leather jacket, but anyone can tell he isn't a 'bad boy' by any stretch of the imagination, and he's just enough of a dork that it's easy to laugh around him. Probably what made him so popular, come to think of it.

Yea, there's risks, like people thinking I'm using him the same way Sunset did, but really? People can suspect me for stuff no matter who I choose, from trying to manipulate Bulk (which I kinda would be?) against the Rainbooms and/or just using him for his body, to just using 'Wiz' for free help with my homework. I bet if I hooked up with him now, almost a full week after the test and having never spoken to him beforehand, Harshwhinny would swear I must have had him help me cheat somehow.

I could totally go with Flash, though. Might not be easy, him being so popular and all, but as long as he's not gay, I know I can keep his eyes on me.

Or maybe I set my sights a little lower, socially speaking, and try my luck with 'Wiz.' He kinda sounds like a nerd, but as long as he's not the smug, know-it-all type, that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Or, since I can honestly say his buff body caught my eye, maybe Bulk? I'm telling myself he can't possibly be a brawny, male version of Sonata, but I'd need to get to know him to fully shake off the horror of the idea.

I try not to stress on this one too much, it's not like I'm looking for Happily Ever After on the first try. Hell, if things don't look good, maybe I could just give one of the others or somebody totally new a shot, but for now, who should I aim for?

Author's Note

This chapter was a bit of a clusterf:yay:k, because I realized toward the end (when I was just about done setting up the choice for Bulk) that it made more sense to make a different choice than the one I'd been building toward, which itself required some thought.

Rejecting the guy in first period would have been a choice (in terms of how softly or harshly to do so, or even to give a vague answer that doesn't necessarily tell him 'no'), but predictable spoiler alert: He'd resent her for it the same way no matter what sooner or later, because some people really don't handle rejection well.

Also, yes, those three guys will get names and faces eventually, but I just don't see the benefit of taking the time to present all of that right now.

I don't think Aria's idea of proportional beauty in a couple is 'right,' but it felt Aria enough that I went with it anyway.

Choice!
1 - Pursue Bulk Biceps

2 - Pursue Wiz Kid

3 - Pursue Flash Sentry

Note that she isn't going to just charge out and ask whoever is picked here, she'll proceed with her day normally and go to work after, but like the choice of how she'd earn her income, it'll be something decided for later.

**Next chapter started, voting closed! (sorry!)**

Chapter 15: To Work Hard, Or To Hardly Work?

Vote count as of 8/11/2018:
Pursue Bulk Biceps- 2
Pursue Wiz Kid- 4
Pursue Flash Sentry- 9

When I think about it, there's a lot of reasons I shouldn't date Bulk. He's not bad-looking, but I'd probably get fed up with him breaking stuff and maybe even just hearing him speak, on top of the possible weirdness with him and the Rainbooms even if it works out. I hear dating in the workplace usually goes bad anyway.

Wiz Kid sounds like an easy conquest, probably wouldn't even have to take my pants off to get him eating out of my hand, but other than Adagio's short description, all I know about him are nerd stereotypes. I don't even hate awkward, bumbling dorks, if he's one of those, at least when it's not every few seconds, but... Flash seems like kind of a dork too.

Most popular guy in school, and definitely one of the best-looking. I know he's gotta like music even if he doesn't carry his guitar everywhere, and since I never hear anything about him hooking up with anyone, I really don't think he's using his nice guy reputation to score girls. No way in Hell those girls would all keep quiet about it if he did.

Just "I banged/kissed/held hands with the most popular guy in school" has to give some kind of social prestige around here.

...Aaaand that's gonna be a bitch to get around if I don't want the entire school whispering behind my back about the second coming of the old Sunset Shimmer, but y'know what? Fuck 'em, I've been good, I've behaved myself, and I really do want the real dating experience, and if it actually gets that far, a lasting relationship.

With my mind made up, I look at my waiting sisters. "Uhh... what about... Flash Sentry?"

I thought I'd been doing a pretty good job of keeping my cool, but when they turn to each other in surprise before shifting to coy smirks and go "Oooo-ooh~!", my skin crawls with embarrassment.

"That's two, perhaps three birds with one stone," says Adagio with an evil grin, "snubbing that boy and sending a message to the other Twilight Sparkle, possibly Sunset Shimmer as well; 'I have what once was yours.'" She cackles. "Where was this deviousness when I was still alive?"

Sometimes, I think Adagio's world must be a really dark place. "That, uh, hadn't actually occurred to me," I admit with a sheepish shrug.

"Ah, well," she says with only a hint of disappointment, "he may prove a suitable match for you anyway."

"Sooo," asks Sonata while floating in an upside-down arc like some kind of confused eel, an impish smile on her face, "what're ya gonna do?"

I cross my arms and look away. I know exactly what she's asking, that she wants details on how I'm gonna get his attention, but having only just settled on this, I don't have a better answer than "I don't know yet, okay? I'll work it out later."

"I know how you could get him to notice you," she says with mischievous gleam in her eye, "remember that thing we saw in Dagi's closet? The red one with the belts and-"

I'm arguably saved by the bell when my phone alerts me to a text message by pinging right next to my head. Ignoring my sisters' giggling, I see that the message is from Vinyl.

[Hey! You coming today? We're all here and I think Trixie already misses you.]

I feel a little tug in my chest when I read that, smiling as I look back at Adagio and Sonata. "Like I said, I'll work it out later."

Adagio nods. "Life goes on. Would you like us to hover near Flash's table today, see if there's anything we can use?"

"Uhh..." Tempting! But... "Maybe not this time."

"Let us know if that changes."

"'Kay, now-"

"Now go, Aria," Sonata tearfully interrupts with an arm theatrically extended in the general direction of the cafeteria, "don't die unfulfilled like we did!"

Adagio raises an eyebrow. "Unfulfilled?"

Sonata sniffles, looking up with a surprisingly serious face as she raises a fist with her thumb between her middle and index fingers. "Every hole."

I don't get to see Adagio's reaction to that, because I'm already out the door and hoping my face cools off before I reach the cafeteria.

I don't have to say more than "I was on the phone" (technically true!) to explain myself and lunch goes by pretty normally, give or take Trixie's slightly loopy rant about Rainbow and the Rainbooms' especially kid-friendly magic. For someone that likes magic so much, I think she's got a problem with the kind that instantly wraps things up with Perfect Happy Rainbow Smiles, and my current theory is that it's because it's not as dramatic as the combative, fire-and-lightning type you see in this world's fiction.

Octavia tells me that it's just a matter of someone having magic when she doesn't, but having professionally used and fed on peoples' jealousy myself? I can't shake the feeling that what fuels Trixie's borderline obsession is more than raw envy.

Trixie's weirdness aside, I head to the mall again after school, finding Lotus while she's arranging what I think are colorful shampoo bottles on a shelf.

"What? Earmuffs?"

"Just while I'm doing my thing in the main room," I explain with a vague hand-gesture, "because it looks like all of you guys get a little drowsy when you go through there while I'm at it."

"Hm. Well, I admit that it is distracting sometimes, but it has only been a few days, Bulk hasn't dropped things any more than he usually does, and I think we can all handle ourselves. I'm afraid we can't lose our hearing altogether; we need to hear our customers. Still, if you're worried, perhaps we could arrange for this to be a special service; put up a divider or two, bring in some soft furniture from the lounge, and make a private room? I can't guarantee you'd have patrons at all hours, but you could always perform as any other worker here in the meantime."

Knowing that I do my best thinking in privacy with my two imaginary friends, I nod. "I'll think it over and get back to you."

She smiles. "Let us know what you'd be most comfortable with!"

I head to the locker room, Adagio being the first to offer her thoughts.

"I suppose her idea, the private room, could work for your purposes, so long as you don't mind working here normally if no one wants audio therapy at the time. That kind of runs counter to your work-without-working plan, however."

I shut the locker room door before responding. "Yea, I caught that part. And, I dunno, getting my own little room sounds sweet by itself, like I'm important enough to be a special service-"

"Or a side-show freak," Sonata adds so frankly that it sounds less like an insult and more like Sonata just being Sonata.

"Right," I reply through gritted teeth, "or that, thanks."

"No problem!"

"...Anyway, getting peoples' attention on me and me alone might be cool, but there's no way I'll always have customers, right?"

I refuse to say it out loud, but I'm a little scared that I'll almost never have anyone drop in, and if that happened, I don't think I'd be able to come back here again.

"So, I'd have to be ready to just work here, and that might not be so bad, but like, not everybody that walks in is a hot, young, late-teen-to-twenty-something with smooth skin, I've seen a bunch'a middle-aged fatties around too, and I don't really wanna get all touchy-feely with randos. Maybe I wouldn't have to do any kind of massages, maybe I'd just be bringing people hot towels and putting cucumber slices on their eyes, but either way, I guess I'd just be working normally sometimes."

Unless my ~~little side-show~~ very important and dignified service gets super popular and I'm never hurting for customers to have me sing them into a trance, but I don't know what kinda juice I'd need to make that happen. It'd probably be best to just go at it normally, if I wanna keep that whole plausible deniability thing up.

Adagio sighs, frowning. "I'm sorry this place doesn't seem to be working out, it was the best I could find in this enti-ack!"

She's tightly hugged by Sonata. "Aww, don't worry about it, Dagi, it's not your fault and we know you did your best! Heck, I hardly even looked for a place she could work!"

I almost laugh at how fast Sonata's bright smile turns fearful and sheepish under Adagio's cold glare.

"You didn't even try?"

"Uhh-"

Not having expected much out of Sonata for that anyway, I vaguely come to her rescue. "Second on it not being your fault, Dagi, and this place might still be good if I play things right."

"Well, thank you," she replies with a tiny grin before giving me a serious look, "but if it doesn't, if you do decide to quit and try again elsewhere, I'd recommend doing it soon. You haven't even worked here a week, let alone earned a paycheck, and unless you come up with some extra money fast, you may be flat broke before you can get paid in a new job."

"I don't see the problem," Sonata says, "so what if the others get a little sleepy? They're big girls (and Bulk), they can take care of themselves, and you get to keep things easy. Why not just do that?"

Not interested in explaining the last several minutes to her again, I roll my eyes. She's right about one thing, though; I could just keep going as is, not change anything, and let Lotus and the rest fend for themselves if they're still getting heavy eyelids when I've toned it down as much as I feel I can get away with.

Or I could try getting that private room put together (something tells me they'll have Bulk do most of the work), sing without worries there when I've got customers, help out around here wherever I can when I don't. It's not like they're gonna ask me to do back-breaking labor or factory work or anything.

Or maybe I just ditch this place; explain that I don't think it'll work out after all, look for a job elsewhere, and see about either nabbing a quick chunk of change to get by (I'll think about the specifics later) or... ugh... switch to school food for a while. I'd have a new problem to tackle that way, but I'd definitely be eliminating Bulk from my list of things to worry about.

How do I wanna sort out my workplace issues?

Author's Note

Two weeks is a long time for such a short chapter, I think, but I was mostly working on other stuff in that timespan.

Choice!
1 - Continue singing normally in the main room, let the spa workers fend for themselves

2 - Get a private room set up and do simple odd jobs around the spa (and maybe even learn to give massages or something) whenever that area isn't busy

3 - Quit, look for a job elsewhere

**Next chapter started, voting closed! (sorry!)**

Chapter 1: All Alone?

My eyes open wide as I snap awake, my heart pounding and my head swimming. The first sound I can make sense of is the heart-monitor at my side. I'm in a hospital. I look down to find that I'm naked apart from a hospital gown and a... chastity belt?!

"I'm not taking any chances!!"

The echo of Adagio's voice sends my brain reeling. I remember what happened before I blacked out.

A couple weeks had passed since we came back from the city, and even if she was spending less time on the gems, Adagio looked as stressed-out as ever. Feels like she's always been that way now, but I guess she had a little something extra to be worried about today.

"We have to get this perfectly the first time," she says while triple-checking the big, circular, pentagram-looking rune-thing she'd drawn on the floor with red markers, "because even if none of us get hurt, we may only have one shot at this."

I look back and forth between the remains of our gems on three little pedestals on one side of the arrangement, the book we used to turn into a snake-woman on the other. If I understood her technobabble, we were gonna use our own life energy to wake the magic up, then use the book's to fix our gems. Or something. She'd spent the last few days trying to make sure it would actually work, having procured some extra measures in case things went wrong. Sonata was looking at the safety gear Adagio had picked up for the three of us.

"I get the protective goggles, boots, kneepads, vests, helmets, and gloves, but do we really need the chastity belts?"

We're treated to the sight of our usually-collected leader turning red again. "I'm not taking any chances!!"

I shake my head a little for poor Adagio. That website must have scarred her for life. When she's satisfied with the circle drawing, we all head to different rooms to gear up. Splitting was called for partly because Adagio was worried one of us would stumble, fall on her circle, smudge it somewhere, and risk turning us into eggs or something when we started, and partly for... privacy.

The belt has gotta be the most embarrassing, most uncomfortable thing I have ever worn.

So we all go back to the room dressed in the safety gear mostly over our street clothes, some kind of miracle happens and Sonata doesn't spill anything on the circle, knock anything over, or otherwise do anything to mess it all up in five seconds. Adagio is going over the procedure again like she's hoping we'll start singing along if she does it enough, and then we get started.

At first, everything is fine; we stand where she said we should, hold a tune like she said we should, glowy lines pop up where she said they would, I feel the little tingles she said we would, and the gems start to react like she said they would, but after a little bit of that, I turn my head to see how the book is holding up and I see it smoking. The magic's making noise now, something that never really made sense to me. I don't have time to think about how it happens before I see the gems, namely my gem (Adagio labeled which was which, I was not brave enough to risk the lecture by asking how), all crackling with red energy. The book has caught fire by the time it happens, but right before my eyes, I see it, I see exactly what Adagio has been promising all this time; my Royal Heartstone is whole again.

My breath hitched, messing up my part in the hymn we were channeling the magic with. It's only for a split-second, but the look in Adagio's wide eyes tells me she caught it. One stray arc of energy is all it takes to startle Sonata into screaming, which makes the circle go haywire. Before I know it, the book is making some god-awful screeching noise as it goes up in smoke. Arcs of energy are firing this way and that, the center of the circle starts to glow a blinding white, and I don't know which one hit me first, but as their bodies glow just as bright and fade away right in front of me, Adagio and Sonata's screams are the last thing I hear.

Sitting up in the hospital bed, I can vaguely hear one of the doctors saying something about my condition, how I'm not hurt. Just a little shaken up, but not hurt. I'm still alive. I wish I could say the same for my sisters.

I don't know how much I cried, but by the time they let me go, I've got nothing left. I don't see any of the safety gear I had on me, so I get dressed in just my street clothes and stumble out in a daze to find one of the Rainbooms is there to bring me home. It's a good thing I've got nothing left, because I might have slugged them square in the face and never stopped if they'd shown up sooner.

It's Fluttershy. She's the one they sent. I think I know why, but I don't care enough to ask her. With the way she keeps her head down, her hair would hide most of her face anyway, but I can still see that she knows what went down, and that she's not jumping for joy about it either. She doesn't try to make small-talk on the way, doesn't say anything about any feelings, or how she totally understands what I'm going through, or even any of that being-there-for-you spiel. She just walks with me, not saying a word, but making it feel like I'm not totally alone now. She doesn't say any of the expected stuff, but I can still feel it all from her. I don't know whether it's helping or not.

When we get to the apartment, I don't look twice at her before going in and closing the door. From the sound of her fading footsteps, she was expecting that. I head to the living room where the red, blurry remains of Adagio's circle still coats the floor. The ashes of the book, some miscellaneous scorch-marks, and the gem fragments are all I find. I see bigger chunks than I remember. They had almost finished reforming.

I feel like garbage for remembering that my gem was whole when everything went wrong, but I still want to see it again, so I inspect the scene more carefully. I find the safety gear I was wearing, thrown haplessly to the side, which gives me a better picture of what happened when they found me. I'm almost surprised not to see any burnt shoes, shredded clothes, cracked goggles, big piles of dust, not even smoking bones or a big, messy spread of Adagio's hair anywhere, but I know my sisters are gone. Looking around, I see something I hadn't noticed by the remnants of my sisters' gems; a little white object shaped just like my Heartstone.

White as a sheet. My gem has turned white.

They both died for this, and it was ruined anyway. Instinct was to rage, scream, cry, throw the damn thing out the window, but I can't even let go of it. Instead, I go to my room, root around my dresser until I find the black necklace I had when we came to this world (does it make any sense to think some of the magic must have logically been in our necklaces too, or...?), and fasten it around my neck. Looking in the mirror, I almost feel sick.

I decide to keep the the pieces of the other gems too, those and mine kept as mementos of my sisters. As I flop down on my bed, it occurs to me that I've got all the stuff in their rooms to remember them by too, but none of it would mean as much.

Ten minutes later, I realize I'm still wearing the chastity belt. I told the doctors the key was at home, so they didn't need to call a locksmith, but it's only now that the embarrassment for being caught in the stupid thing is kicking in. If I had nothing left, I guess I must have got something back. Anyway, I get up, head for the key on the kitchen counter, right where Adagio said it would be, get the damn belt off, and then go to sleep.

The next morning, I find I've done something extremely odd for me in having gone to sleep so early. I figure I might as well go to school. Don't know what else to do today, and I know I have to keep moving forward, like we've always done. Besides, if I just lay around for the next few weeks, I'll probably get picked up and absorbed into Sunset Shimmer's little reject rehabilitation program. I wonder if Pinkie Pie used to mix narcotics into her cakes or something, or if Fluttershy hosted dogfights before she got sucked in.

I know all their names, because they're the only ones that insist on talking to us at school. Adagio has been-... had been... bending over backwards to do every little thing she thought they wanted us to, always going along with every invitation for fear of getting rainbow-blasted again, or maybe even just beaten up, if we refused. Despite that, she never made any secret that we were still hoping to fix the gems, maybe so we wouldn't get in trouble for having lied about it. Sunset would always just smile in a "Yea, sure, whatever" kind of way before making the next friendly suggestion. I bet she's laughing now.

It annoys me a little that all of the Rainbooms apparently know my number, but the texts force me to admit that someone still cares, even if it was just in that obligatory I-heard-there-was-death kind of way humans did. So, I pack a lunch (I don't care if it'd be cheaper to eat at the cafeteria, school food sucks) and head out, starting my first day as the last siren.

Walking to school, I think about funerals. Did we-... I... have money for two at once? Would anyone even show? Would I want them to? Would they want them to? I have no idea what to do about that.

You know that feeling you get when you realize at the last minute that you're doing something dumb, but don't wanna look dumb by backing out of it and going home? It's the one where you plow through anyway and just feel dumb. That's what I got when people started looking at me as I walked into CHS. I guess it was one of the Rainbooms that found me, just me, and brought me to the hospital, because it looked like everyone I passed knew something had happened. I never asked Fluttershy how she knew I was there in the first place. Hope they don't want cab fare, Sonata was the one that found a job in this part of town.

Of course, it might just be that I'm here by myself, and the three of us were always kind of a unit. That might've gotten me weird looks even if Adagio and Sonata just felt like staying home that day. I'm still going with the assumption that everyone knows what happened, because the looks I'm getting are less "Oh, go die in a ditch already" and more "Are you okay? Does it still hurt?"

...Shut up, Sonata comes up with names for facial expressions. I mean, she used to. I wonder if she'd have been getting the same kind of attention as I am if she'd been the one coming alone. Would Adagio? I can see her getting the same looks, at least until she walked past these people and they turned their heads. I think all three of us got that, really, but especially her.

Is it wussy to say I miss them? It hasn't even been a day yet.

Sunset Shimmer sits across from me at lunch. I can tell without looking at her that she's trying to be sensitive as she says she's surprised I could come back to school so soon. I know what she's expecting, I know what she wants me to do, but not only do I not get all tearful about my dead sisters, I don't even glare at her. No yelling, no swearing, no throwing food at her, nothing. She wants some emotional outburst outta me, even getting all sentimental herself to draw it out, but I don't give her a thing. I explain in dry tones that I'm just going to move on, catching myself at the last second before I say anything about the other two.

Pointlessly spiteful? Maybe, but I take the petty victory with hidden satisfaction as Sunset sighs, dispenses a bit of the talk I figured Fluttershy would yesterday, invites me along for the weekly game of Sewers and Sphinxes if I'm still interested (long story), and goes away.

Class isn't any less boring than usual. I wasn't thinking it would be, but it's eerie seeing something that never changes, no matter how drastically something else has changed for you. The rest of the world keeps spinning. That's why I, we, had to keep moving too. Sonata used to ask tons of questions in class, possibly because the teachers had a knack for asking "Does anyone have any questions?"

I didn't always get to watch, but if she was just ticking them off on purpose, it might be the cleverest (is that a word...? Yea. Feels like one.) thing she ever did. Adagio won some Rainboom approval by rigidly doing her work, answering questions, sitting up straight, everything model students are supposed to do. Not that it matters now, but I think Sunset knew what she was up to and just pretended not to notice, like she was afraid the ever-present threat of them ganging up on us if we got out of line again might make things awkward if she didn't ignore it.

It's funny. I'm more vulnerable than ever now and I don't even care.

So, about that Sewers and Sphinxes thing. Apparently, the nerd version of Twilight learned we have some of the rulebooks and invited Sonata (and consequently all three of us) to join her, Sunset, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and a brawny dolt named Bulk Biceps for a near-weekly game together.

"Ugh, why are we even going to this thing, Adagio?"

"Because as long as we're under their watch, they won't have to come after us, Aria. We've already shown that we can't be trusted not to pull something again if they let us slip away, so we do what they want until we can fix the gems."

"And then?"

"Do what we should have been doing all along; use our talents to find willing servants to adore us!"

Adagio acquiesced, because of course she did, but I actually had some fun beating Rainbow Dash at racking up a bodycount and looting the most gold. The way it works is a little complicated, but if you can get somebody to put a dungeon together on paper and switch between two or three different rulebooks on the fly, you and everyone else in the party can have imaginary, dice-rolling adventures together, doing pretty much anything you can think of. I wouldn't say they were 'friendly' get-togethers, because when we weren't rolling dice, talking strategy for monster encounters, or doing the slow role-playing stuff (ugh), things always got tense, uncomfortable, or both.

Like, last time, I actually thought Fluttershy was gonna wring Sonata's neck for making her character poison some duke while framing the next in line for the throne for it during the queen's funeral. Unbeknownst to the royal court, Her Highness's gruesome end at the hands of a rogue guard-minotaur was also our party's doing. Anyway, we all profited from it, so I don't know what Fluttershy's deal was. Sonata did roll a Chaotic Neutral character, so her Lawful Good druid really only had herself to blame for trusting her.

Thinking about that was how I got through the day without dwelling on being alone for the rest of my life.

I don't know if they're just feeling merciful, but the Rainbooms let me go home by myself, unmolested by offers of replacing my sisters or whatever. I head to the nearest mirror to see my white gem still hanging around my neck. Nobody said a word about it, so maybe no one even noticed it. I touch it for several long minutes, but I can't remember what my gem felt like before, so I don't know why I bothered to try making that comparison.

I amble around the apartment for a bit. It's all mine now. Eventually, I settle on how I want to pass the time; flop down on the couch, curl up into a ball, and close my eyes.

"...Do you think she's gonna cry now?"

The sound of Sonata's voice freezes my blood. Part of me is pissed, because I haven't been lying here alone nearly long enough to go insane. Then I hear what is unmistakably Adagio's evil chuckling.

"We weren't gone long, I'm sure she didn't miss us that much."

I sit up so fast it makes me a little dizzy, tears stinging my eyes as I snap "I DID miss you!!"

Then I stare in numb shock at the translucent figures of Adagio and Sonata. They hover off the ground, their hair and clothes gently swaying as though underwater. In the back of my mind, I'm expecting Adagio to make some smartass comment about me underestimating her if I thought she would die so easily, or Sonata to make some stupid pop-culture reference, but both of them just smile gently as Adagio talks to me all soft and quiet-like.

"How are you feeling, Aria? No wounds, no injuries?"

"I-I'm fine," I squeak, "just... you died."

"Yea," says Sonata, frowning as she looks down at her spectral form, "that kinda bites."

I'm not squeaking anymore. "'KINDA BITES'?! I got you two killed!!"

Adagio's eyes narrow, and once again, I know I'm going to obey her before she's even given the order. "Pull yourself together, Aria!"

I close my mouth, feeling like I'm being scolded for slamming the door again as she keeps going.

"Yes, Sonata and I are-" she briefly examines a see-through hand, "-...indisposed, but we need you to keep your head on straight."

"S-so, what," I half-plead, "you two are just... ghosts now? Shouldn't you have gone t-to, I dunno, w-whatever comes after dying? Is this it?" I had so many questions. "Did you g-go there and get sent back? What was it like? All sea foam and clear skies, or b-black like the trenches, just stark-white purgatory? Are you here f-for-"

"We don't know!" Thankfully, Adagio's interruption stops me from babbling on like a dork. "I don't know what happened during or after the ritual, but Sonata and I met up in a void somewhere."

Sonata frowns at me. "It was pitch-black loneliness for hours, totally sucked." Then she grins. "But like, we could absorb feelings again!" Back to frowning. "We didn't really see anything but grief and sadness, though, and that's always so sour!"

"Indeed," sighs Adagio, "but it gave us the strength to emerge from... wherever we were, which brings us to-..." Her eyes widen as they lock on my gem. "...Is that...?" My brain is lying on its side as she floats closer to me for a better look. "It's... it's in one piece! I suppose that fits, yours was the first in the circuit, but why is it so pale? Did you paint it to hide it from the Rainbooms or something?"

I step back, shaking my head. "Why should I think you two are even real?! How do I know I'm not just tripping hard on survivor guilt?!"

Adagio tilts her head a little, doing that bemused eyebrow thing at me. "I suppose a little doubt is healthy... Alright, check the cabinet over the sink, second to the right, look in the little garlic powder jar with the red lid and you'll find my notes for the Sewers and Sphinxes campaign I was putting together for our next game." And then she waits, looking at me in a "your move" kind of way.

I head to the kitchen, go straight for the seasoning drawer she told me to, look for the garlic powder (really, I just look for a red lid), and twist it open to find that there's nothing but a rolled-up piece of paper. Whether these are actually her notes or not (can we still play like this, if I roll the die for everyone...?), I had no idea I'd find this here, or that we were out of garlic powder. I can't remember a time we used the stuff, actually, so Adagio might have picked up the bottle while we were raiding expired food from the supermarket again. I guess one thing they do right in this world is food, because you can usually eat stuff a surprisingly long time after-

Anyway! I never cook, so I had no way of knowing about this, which means Adagio just told me something that couldn't have been pulled from my own brain. I smile.

"You're real!!"

She and Sonata giggle a little at me for this, but I don't care. At least on some level, I have my sisters back.

"And if you're still not sure," Sonata says with a big grin, "I can show you which file the porn stash is in on the laptop!"

My jaw drops. Adagio is giving her a deadpan stare, but Sonata just keeps smiling proudly for a full minute of silence. I slap a hand against my flushed face. "Y'know what, Sonata? I don't need to go check that one, because only you would say something that stupid."

There's a pause. Adagio snorts, then tries to muffle her giggles with a hand over her mouth. Sonata sticks her tongue out at me at first, but she starts laughing too, I join in, and for a minute, it's like nothing has even changed. Somehow, I'm still smiling when I ask them.

"Why doesn't this bother you guys? Being turned into the snake-monster was one thing, but you guys are dead, and it's like you don't even care."

That they both frown and look away instead of at each other tells me they both have their own reasons. I point this out, and Adagio is the first to show that she doesn't feel like keeping secrets anymore.

"I think our brief imprisonment gave us both some time for reflection. I'm not exactly pleased to have caused my own untimely demise, but considering that I didn't take sufficient measures to prevent this, it-"

"Are you going to ignore the part where I messed it up first?"

She doesn't answer right away. I can tell by the look on her face that she doesn't want to let me or Sonata hear that it might be our faults.

"...Regardless of what happened during the ritual, I was too hasty in my attempt to fix the gems. Given a few more weeks, I likely could have composed something more stable, as opposed to a bare circuit that would get the job done with physical protection worn almost as an afterthought." The conviction in her tone and the severity in her face give me chills. "I don't regret having wanted to repair them in the first place, but if my current state is the price I pay for trying, so be it."

"Well, hey," Sonata offered with a weak little smile, "don't act like it was all your fault. Who was it that kept pushing you every day, right? "Hey Dagi, can we fix 'em yet?" "Can we get our magic back soon, Dagi?" "Man, my job sucks! When can we get our power back and blow this joint?" ...It's like, maybe you wouldn't have been in such a rush, y'know?" She floats over to me, pointing a finger just under my chin, her sad smile unchanged. "Me and Dagi are goners, but you've gotta make the most of this now. Okay? No arguments."

I might have argued anyway, but with the way she and Adagio are smiling at me despite their own losses, it's a full three minutes before I stop crying like a bitch. "What... w-what am I supposed to do?"

"Whatever you want," Sonata answers with a cheerful grin.

Adagio nods. "She's right. Your life is entirely your own now, I can't tell you what to do anymore. But," she added with a characteristically coy, knowing little wink, "lacking anything better to do, I'll be around to offer advice."

"Yea," cheers Sonata, "I dunno how long we'll be floating around like this, but you've totally got us for support!"

For the next minute, nothing important happens. Really. On a completely unrelated note, Adagio ponders the idea that tearful, emotionally-charged group hugs may be thwarted by two of the participants being incorporeal while Sonata laughs about the idea of someone falling on their face for trying. Adagio is halfway through asking if I've tested my gem at all when the doorbell rings, and since we've recently learned that neither she nor Sonata can touch solid objects, answering it is up to me.

"Lemon?"

Our friend from the city gives me a sad smile. "Heya. I, heard about... y'know... Just wanted to see how you were holding up."

My mind goes blank. "...What?"

Looking away, she rubs the back of her head. "I'm not super close to my sister, but I know how I'd feel if I lost her. So, if there's anything you need, um..."

Oh, I think to myself, everyone else still thinks Adagio and Sonata are gone. Judging by the way she doesn't seem to notice them floating behind me, I have the sneaking suspicion that no one else can see them. Good thing I already confirmed that I'm not crazy.

"I-I, y-yea, it's..." I don't know what to tell her. "CanIgetaminute?!"

She smiles at me, all warm and understanding. "Yea, sure, take your time."

I close the door and bolt for my bedroom, where I'm sure Lemon won't hear us. My spectral sisters float through the wall a second later, Adagio in particular looking concerned.

"Aria? What's the matter?"

"You guys are ghosts!!"

Sonata huffs, crossing her arms. "Well, ex-cuuuuse us!"

"No, I mean, what do I tell her?! What do I tell everyone?!"

They share a quick 'Oh' look. Sonata answers first.

"Just tell everybody. Simple." I stare at her in disbelief. "What? All ya gotta do is tell everyone that we were trying to get our magic back by drawing on the floor and setting a magical snake-lady book on fire to fix our busted gems that used to be part of our bodies before we were chucked over the fence by a unicorn wizard, and that me and Dagi are haunting you now. Then we can all be ghost-buddies together! What could go wrong?"

"Other than everyone thinking I'm going into batshit-insane denial?"

"So?"

"So," Adagio picks up, her face contemplative, "it may be better not to tell anyone at all. We're here for you, Aria, but physically speaking, you're alone, and quite vulnerable. Even if your gem is truly in working order again, letting the Rainbooms know about it won't end well for you. Hell, they may even think you sacrificed us to repair it, and unless you want to live on the run, nowhere will be safe for long. You could tell them just about us, but it may be better to use any sympathy you can get at this point by letting them believe Sonata and I have departed. You can tell whoever you like, if you wish, but there's little practical benefit to doing so."

It's rare for Adagio to be the one Sonata angrily pouts at. "Other than not having to lie to everybody?"

Adagio shrugs. "Like we've never done that before?" She turns to me again. "I know I usually handled the talking in such instances, but I'm sure you can do it if you have to."

I scratch my head a little. "Uh... Well, what if, like, what if I only told a few people? Like, if we only let Lemon know and see how it goes from there?"

"You know what happens to secrets the more people know about them, Aria, but as I said, it's your decision."

And just like that, it's up to me. Adagio and Sonata effectively aren't much more than voices in my head now, so I'm in charge. Just like I always wanted to be.

And it's terrifying!

I agonize for the better part of a minute, but neither of them say another word to help me make the call.

I could tell everyone that my dead sisters are ghosts that follow me around now. What's the worst that could happen?

I could do the opposite, keep it to myself for life, or as long as possible. I can lie just as smoothly as Adagio does, right?

Or maybe I just let the few people close to me in on the secret. I could start with Lemon and see how it goes from there, provided anyone I tell doesn't go spilling the beans and causing a huge, out-of-control mess of misunderstandings, problems, and general weirdness.

What should I do?

Author's Note

...Starts on a bit of a somber note, huh?

Well, I hope you were smiling again by the end, reader, because while I didn't include a Comedy tag this time, there's no Sad tag either. Truth be told, the genre of the story is something I hope you'll be helping me decide!

But first, disclaimer: While I'm excited about this idea and couldn't find anything forbidding it in the FAQ, I'm not 100% sure stories in this format are allowed, and I'll re-work it into a normal, uninteractive story if it's not. It'll be much less fun that way, but if rules rule that it's overruled, then those rules are rules. I've seen stories with audience participation before, but not quite like what I have in mind here. In short, it's like a Choose Your Own Adventure, but with only one path, and your comments will decide which one is taken from chapter to chapter.

Please don't argue with each other about the 'best' possible path, because if you know my writing, you know it'll end on a happy note no matter what. I'm sorry if that cheapens the experience for any of you, but lasting doom, gloom, and tragedy just aren't my style.

Now, here's our first choice, with another one due at the end of every chapter, short or long!

-Tell just Lemon about the ghosts
-Tell everybody (starting with Lemon) about the ghosts
-Tell nobody about the ghosts

The plan is to wait at least three days before I even get started on the next chapter between choices, because that's around the time people tend to stop commenting, but I can't guarantee I'll always get started on the next one that soon.

**Next chapter started, voting closed! (sorry!)**

Chapter 9: Fear Is A Funny Thing

Vote count as of 9/30/2017:
Go home- 0
Spook them- 4
Stop this thing now- 5

I guess it'd be dumb to just let them do whatever when there's something I can do about it, so I step around the corner with a sharp, Adagio-worthy smile on my face, but quickly wipe it away for a more tired-looking frown for what I'm about to pull.

The perps are only sorta familiar. One is a light-tan, punkish-looking girl with short, green hair, another is stark white with long, whispy, blue hair, another is a sickly green with plain, brown hair done up in a bun that screams 'I will be a secretary when I grow up,' and the last is a pink girl with long, messy, red hair. I think the last one might have played music (well, "music") with a coat-hanger or something during the Battle of the Bands, but I'm not about to ask.

As soon as their eyes lock onto me, I can see that all four are already afraid. That's when it sinks in that as much fun as Sonata's idea would be, and I'm really tempted this time, it might be smarter of me to nip this thing in the bud instead of being 'the ghost girl' for the rest of my time here.

That in mind, I clear my throat. "Hey. Heard you talking."

"Oh," replies a slightly perturbed Green Hair, sounding like Voice #1, "that... we were, uh..."

"She was listening in, she heard everything," Blue Hair declares in a fearful whisper that I recognize as Voice #2, looking directly at me, "so let's just get it out there; are your sisters evil spirits?"

"Paisley, woah," utters the red-head that I mark down as 'Raz,' "kinda rude!"

"Says the girl who was just laughing about it," blue-haired Paisley snipes back, making Raz flinch.

Raz looks at me, guilt all over her face. "I-I was just, y-y'know, kidding around a little? Haha?"

I don't respond to her, looking at the brown-haired girl I assume is Voice #4. She pales, emitting a quiet, terrified whimper as she ducks behind Green Hair for security.

"Ok, look, um..." Green Hair scratches her head, as though trying to work out exactly where to begin in this situation. "I'm sorry about my superstitious-" she reaches out to lightly bonk Raz on the head, drawing a plaintive whine, "and super-stupid friends, but we're- well, I mean, I guess some other people too, -just curious about why it sounded like you were talking to Sonata in class."

I've rehearsed the words in my head enough times that the first sentence comes out right away. "We used to study together for the week or so since we came back, and trying to remember one'a the answers made me remember something she'd said when we were talking History. I'm not being haunted, and they aren't gonna drag anyone to Hell. Okay?"

Secretary Girl peeks out from behind Green Hair a little more. "...Really?"

"Really."

Though that'd be a pretty amazing thing to be able to threaten people wi-

No, no, I'm committed to this, which I reinforce with a little guilt-tripping.

"But, hey," I say dispassionately, as if I really just don't care, "if you wanna keep treating the memory of my dead sisters like your personal Halloween story, I guess I can't stop you."

Without waiting for more than the looks of shock, regret, and shame on their faces, I turn on a heel and leave. I'm really, really tempted to ask Sonata and Adagio what those girls are saying/doing as I walk away, but don't want to risk being heard talking to them now of all times. Luckily, nobody else can hear my ghosts.

"That," Adagio says with an audible grin, "was wicked."

"Yea," giggles Sonata, "I mean, not as funny as what you could'a done, but the looks on their faces? Priceless!"

It's because there's no one else around to see me that I let myself smile.

That lasts until I get home, when I remember that I could have talked 'on my phone' and nobody would've been the wiser.

"So," says Sonata when she gets bored doing ballet twirls in the air (from the contemplative look on her face, I was half-expecting Adagio to join in), "weekend time! What're ya gonna do for a job?"

"Uhh... Well, if I'm using the gem to make money with some plausible deniability, I figure I'd need to find somewhere I could get away with, like, 'Hey, pay me to sing and I guarantee you profits,' if I don't just start busking on a street corner."

"Your meeting with Trixie and the others is either tomorrow or on Sunday," Adagio reminds me. "When I talked to them, it sounded like she was partial to the local mall (which Octavia implied was due to there being more people to watch her random tricks), which has many places of business. Perhaps you could find something there, get a list of 'maybe's, and come back later for a closer look?"

I shoot her a playful grin. "You know, I think they missed the mark in setting us up for the throne, because you'd have made a great vizier."

She blinks, a light blush forming on her cheeks. "...Was I doing it again?"

Waving her off, I giggle. "Don't worry about it."

It's not much of a surprise that she compulsively works out what we should be doing next, because that's kinda been her job for like... our whole lives, at least ever since we had a say in it. And I always gave her grief for it, even when most of her ideas went over fine.

Sonata never even complained like I did, and now she was-

"Uh, Aria?" I jump when I notice Sonata's face floating inches from my own, frowning. "You okay?"

"Yea, just, uh... lost in thought?"

She and Adagio share a look, the latter raising an eyebrow. "Is this about that couple you saw today?"

"Huh?" I remember the two hand-holding idiots in the hall from earlier. "Pfft, no," I say with a mild scowl, "I don't even care."

"I kinda think you do," Sonata says bluntly, "'cuz you look all this-tastes-like-feet every time you see a couple. Wuddup with that?"

I roll my eyes. "It's just the stupid hand-holding thing!"

Adagio isn't buying it. "There are a lot of stupid things that you don't grumble and seethe over, Aria."

Getting defensive, I shrug. "What about you and Sunset? I thought you guys were actually kinda chummy up until the last week or so."

Annoyance and realization flicker across her face in unison. "Yes... I never did tell you two what happened, did I?"

Sonata tilts her head. "Something happened?"

"That's a 'no,' then. She called me to meet her in private just after school, and, for the usual reasons, I acquiesced. She wanted my thoughts on how we were doing, how we'd adjusted to life at Canterlot High, and while she wouldn't say it out loud, I could tell she wanted to know how we felt about not having our magic. Not wishing to waste time, I told her in no uncertain terms the same thing I told her when we first returned; that we wouldn't give up on our birthright."

Adagio's expression gets dark, but her tone stays calm and a little cold. "In hindsight, I should have known that she wouldn't stand for any form of competition, anything that could challenge her power in her own domain, but when she told us that she understood our feelings and would accept our choices the day we came back, I had dared think that she meant it. She must not have, because while I could tell she was trying to sound patient and reasonable, it was clear that she was trying to talk me into forgetting about fixing the gems entirely, because they, inanimate objects whose usage depends on the wearer, were utterly evil and should stay destroyed. I withheld my thoughts regarding her presumption to know more about the stones that were fused with our bodies from birth than we did."

Sonata rolls her eyes, huffing. "Freakin' unicorns; they've got a magic bone sticking outta their heads, so they think they know more about it than everybody else."

Apathetic to ponies and their many sub-species, Adagio shrugs. "Knowing her temper, perhaps I should have walked out then and there, but I wanted to extinguish her hope that we'd 'come around' if she just convinced me, implying that you two have no will of your own or that it's just been me stringing you two along in my mad quest for power." She raises an eyebrow. "On that note...?"

Sonata raises a fist into the air as though leading some kind of army. "Still totes wanna sing people into doing stuff for me again!"

When they look at me, I shrug, lightly clutching my whitened gem. "Well, like I said before, you two died for this, so I might be a little biased, but..." My brow furrows as I try to ignore the little lump in my throat. "If anyone tried to take this from me now, I'd break their fucking fingers."

Adagio nods, not the least bit surprised. "Just making sure. So, when I refused to give in to her wishes, Sunset predictably lost her patience, insisting that 'clinging to the past' and 'hoarding power' were sure signs of evil, that we had to let go of everything or we'd just wind up miserable, telling me to just 'get over it' and give up. When her true colors came out, when I learned that she'd only tolerated us this long because she'd assumed we'd get sick of trying to get our magic back and accept being just like her, I told her off and left. Haven't been able to stand her ever since."

There's a long, quiet moment as she stares back at Sonata and me, waiting for a response. I give her one, but I'm afraid I already know the answer. "And... when was this?"

She idly inspects her ethereal, unchanging nails. "Tuesday."

The day of the ritual. The day she and Sonata died. Did she come straight home and launch into it? Is that why she was so worked up?

"So," she continues, looking directly at me, "about your antipathy for couples?"

Dammit!! Should've known she wouldn't get sidetracked that easily!

"Uh, I just... it's annoying, okay? I see people getting all cow-eyed at each other and it pisses me off."

She stares at me, doing her eyeballing-your-soul thing for a second before she looks at Sonata, who stares back for a few seconds, makes an 'Oh, I get it!' face, then gives me a weird smile as she and Adagio giggle. I'm already wary, so I don't ask what they're thi-

Sonata is whispering into my ear before I've even noticed that she moved. "The porn folder is in-"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!"

Incoherent swearing ensues as they howl with laughter.

The next morning, I learn that these two don't necessarily stay in the apartment all night, Sonata excitedly telling me about a Japanese cartoon Moondancer was watching at like 2am.

"And there were limbo-dancing telephone poles and magic doggies that came out of paper and-"

"Can you sum it up in two words?"

"Stuff happens!"

"Right," I chuckle, "sounds fun."

"I'm a little worried about that girl," adds Adagio, "to be up at such early hours is rarely a good sign. Unless this was an odd spell of insomnia?"

"Eh," shrugs Sonata, "maybe she's just a weeaboo, and I think that's normal for them. I mean, didja see the posters and her PeeJays with the cute little freak-o cartoon animals on 'em?"

"...So that was an abnormal print she was wearing?"

"Heehee! Don't worry, Dagi, your nighties were always way hotter anyway!"

"Coming from you, I'm not sure how to take that."

"As the compliment that finally gets you interested in thinking about ghost se-"

"ANYWAY," I interrupt, not at all wanting to hear where that's going, "what made you guys go poking through our neighbors' walls in the first place?"

"Idle curiosity and boredom," Adagio answers, "the monster flick that was on at the time wasn't particularly engaging and Sonata wondered if anyone else was awake at that hour."

I frown a little. "Wish I could like, leave you guys a ghost remote or something." Or anything that keeps them from deciding that floating into my room to watch me sleep is the most interesting way to spend their time.

Seriously, the first fucking time I wake up to their floating, see-through faces hovering over me in the dim light of morning, I'm not gonna sleep right for weeks, I just know it!

"Ahh, we'll keep busy," Sonata says with a bright smile that doesn't make me feel any better, "but for now, let's see if Trixie's awake!"

She wasn't, despite it being 9am, but after some sleepy grumbles, she tells me to meet her, Octavia, and Vinyl at the mall later today, just as Adagio predicted.

Walking into the mall with the snazzy get-up I've been wearing to school, Vinyl is the first one I notice, standing on her tip-toes and smiling all bright and happy as she waves at me. She looks so damn cheerful that I'm smiling a little myself as I approach her and Octavia by some circular benches around a table. Vinyl sits down at the same time I do.

"Hey. Where's-"

"The Great and Powerful Trixie," Octavia preempts me in complete deadpan, "is not a morning person."

"It's almost one in the afternoon."

"I know."

"...So-"

"I'm sure she'll be along soon," she says with a sigh while looking at the entrance before looking back to me with a little smile, "but until then, how have you been doing?"

I shrug. "Fine?"

Octavia nods. "Vinyl and I were just discussing film listings at the theater today."

"Theater?"

My phone beeps, reminding me that Vinyl doesn't speak out loud.

[The big ol' movie house they got here!]

I'm a little surprised and a little amazed that, since she's looking at her phone when she replies, Octavia must have gotten that too.

"Well, 'big' isn't the best descriptor, it's notably smaller than an ordinary movie theater, but not bad for one built into a mall. On the plus side," she says with a grin that's just a little too satisfied, "they allow items from the food court to be brought in, so one need not sell their kidney to afford snacks during the movie."

"Wouldn't that put a dent in their profits?"

[Lotta people in the mall, more customers, more money anyway.]

Vinyl has gotta be lightning quick with that phone! Maybe she's always talked like this.

"Curiously," Octavia says with a hand on her chin, "most people seem to end up buying popcorn anyway, so I doubt it matters." She blinks. "Anyway, they have showings for-"

The rest of her sentence becomes a shrill, terrified screech when Trixie comes in from above, hanging upside down, her head stopping just above the table as she shouts "HUZZAH!!"

I have no words. Looking up, I see that she pulled this off by suspending herself from a wire attached to the balcony railing on the floor above us, even attaching some wires from her skirt to her boots to keep from flashing everyone in the area. She's giggling like a dolt, still hanging upside down, as Octavia fumes at her.

"-most preposterous, most self-aggrandizing-"

"Heeheeheeheeheehehehoho!"

"Do you not realize that you, or we, could have been seriously hurt if you'd miscalculated that little stunt?!"

"Yes, which is why Trixie measured and practiced this entrance beforehand!"

She dangles, slowly swaying back and forth with her arms crossed and chin raised (or, lowered?) in a proud pose despite still being suspended by her ankles.

"...Now someone help Trixie down, the blood is rushing to her head."

"I would doubt it ever leaves," Octavia grumbles as Vinyl gets up to undo the wires, but I'm not sure if she's more mad about being scared a second ago or if it's out of concern for Trixie's reckless showmanship.

"Man," comments Sonata, "you hang out with the weirdest people, Dagi."

"Oh, indeed, you should see my youngest sister."

"Huh? I thought I was your... HEY!!"

I snicker as Adagio giggles, which, because the others can't hear those two, earns me a curious look from Octavia and Trixie, the latter tilting her head.

"I think we've found someone that likes your sense of humor, Octavia."

"Ah, well," she quietly replies, more confused than pleased, "bully for me?"

Still smiling, I shake my head. "How many attempts did it take you before you worked out the thing with your skirt?"

Being upside down probably doesn't help, but Trixie flushes a deep shade of red as she huffs and crosses her arms. "T-Trixie most definitely thought of that in advance, and did not expose her undergarments unwillingly!"

There's a pause.

"Trixie was simply gifting The People with a splendid view of her shapely-EEK!"

She quickly extends her arms to catch herself on the table the second she feels the wire move, avoiding a head-first landing as she flops down on the table and rolls onto the bench, Vinyl giving a thumbs-up signal from above.

When she's sitting upright again, she smiles as though she just walked in and sat down normally. "So, I heard something about movies?"

Our first stop is the food court, and it's when I realize that I don't know where the most snack-like stuff is that I know I haven't really spent much time here. I mean, I guess we could try bringing a pizza or a plate of burgers and fries, but I figure if it doesn't neatly fit in your lap or a cupholder, it probably doesn't belong in a movie theater.

Tricky bastards. No wonder people just nab popcorn.

Luckily, the others know this place, and bring me right to the pocket-friendly stuff. Or at least, it is the way they do it. Octavia gets one of those little thingies of Chinese food, chopsticks and all, which I guess is sorta similar to a bucket of popcorn, and a bottle of some kinda tea. I didn't know they bottled tea, but there it is. Trixie grabs a box of chicken nuggets from one of the mini fast food places, which she opens, then immediately empties into her purse, chucking the box into the nearest trash can. She must have seen my baffled stare, because she holds the bag where I can see to show me the inside.

"Zip-lock bag, good for portable, bite-sized refreshment without getting everything else all greasy."

Taking a peek, I can see that she really does have one of those clear sandwich bag things in there to keep the nuggets separate from her wallet and magician props.

"Hm," hums Adagio, "that actually seems like a good idea, provided she's careful about it attracting pests. I wonder how long they stay warm like that?"

I can practically hear Sonata drooling. "Portable nuggets! Trixie is a genius!!"

Vinyl is the one whose example I follow, because she takes me to where they have bags of chips and stuff. I don't care what anyone says, junk food is the only food for movies, especially if it's part of hanging out. For some reason, I see Octavia rolling her eyes and smiling as Trixie nabs a few packets of peanut butter crackers from the same area.

"Oh," I mutter while reaching toward a shelf of candy on the way out, "Sonata'll probably-"

I freeze as reality catches up to me. It only takes a glance to confirm that Octavia, Trixie, and even Vinyl are all giving me worried looks, so I just step away from the shelf and pretend that didn't happen, waiting for them just outside the food court.

"That was perfectly in-character for a grieving survivor," Adagio gently assures me, "nothing out of the ordinary and nothing they could blame you for. You're still in the clear."

It's really, really weird hearing that from someone I'm supposedly mourning on any level, but it does make me feel a little better. More-so when Sonata floats around where I can see her, a little smile on her face.

"Octy just gave the other two a pretty serious 'Be nice to her!' look, and they were like 'Yes, ma'am!', so they won't get on your case about it. By the way?" She winks, making the kind of smile she usually only does when she wants something. "Thanks for thinking of me."

I feel like four different expressions mash together on my face, but I'm pretty sure a wobbly little grin and a blush are the most noticeable. I try to wipe both away when I see Adagio looking at me the way she did when I was her scaly, snake-like arm, which is right about when the others catch up.

"So," Trixie says as though everything was normal (which kinda seems to be a talent of hers), "what're we seeing today?"

The only things that looked remotely interesting were an action flick revolving around car chases, a soppy-looking romance, and... one about a haunted house.

"Aww, c'mon, Octavia, it'll probably be more funny than scary!"

"That is what you said last time," Octavia growls through gritted teeth, "and I still cannot look squirrels in the eye without the hairs on my neck standing up!"

[Yea, it was pretty nuts.]

Vinyl is still smiling even as she shrinks back when Octavia's head whips towards her with a glare. "Not. Helping."

I nudge Vinyl to get her attention. "So what's your vote?"

[I'm down for any, but you should probably play tie-breaker or we might be here a while.]

It's scary how she can do that without even looking at her phone. I can see her thumbing the screen, but still.

"Side with me, Aria Blaze," Trixie practically broadcasts for the whole lobby to hear as she stretches an arm across my shoulders, "and brave the eerie and occasionally hilarious world of Horror!"

Octavia crosses her arms and something in my brain pictures an 18th-century aristocratic daughter being told she'll have to wait until after brunch to go pony-riding. "I can't help noticing that your interest in scary movies wanes somewhat when the setting is science-fiction, Trixie."

"And? What interest," her tone starts going Drama Club as she makes gestures with the hand not on my shoulder, "what intrigue, what mystique is there in the easily explained?"

"Right," Octavia answers with a flat look, "it has nothing to do with your obsession with magic."

"Er-!" I feel Trixie tense up a little, but she goes right back on the offensive with a cocky grin. "You sure your choice isn't just because you're a fraidy cat?"

Octavia's reaction is much more obvious, in her face, tone, and body language. "I-! Th-that is, I am simply, much more interested in... a handsome rogue... whispering tenderly into the ear of the... court harpist..."

The only reason I feel a little warm is that Octavia's gone so red that she's practically radioactive. Honest. Only reason. Adagio accidentally comes to the rescue by thinking aloud.

"Why don't they just separate to see the movies they'd like to? Is there some financial benefit to all patronizing the same one?"

I repeat her question, getting an answer from Vinyl.

[Not as much fun, no chances to rip on the goofy stuff if we're not in the same room or seein' the same thing. Besides, it feels sorta lonely that way.]

"Indeed," cheers Trixie, giving me a sly smile, "so what will it be? You're not scared of the dark, are you?"

"Uhhh..."

I think this is called flavor music!

"It's just up these stairs, Maria!"

"Wait, Jonathan, where's Harry?!"

"There's no time now, we must-"

The attic door on the big screen creaks open, neatly answering Maria's question.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!"

I'm not having a great time, and not because I'm scared or anything, just feeling a little weird about a movie in which a freakin' vicious ghost rips people to shreds when my sisters are...

Yea.

Neither of them seem to think anything of it, though the smiles Adagio makes during certain scenes are-

Something I shouldn't be thinking about in this dimly-lit room!

Sonata's having fun, probably because she knows she'll never have to lay in bed in a dark room again, but the thing that has me the most tense is wondering what the others are thinking. Trixie's just smiling all normal and happy, even giggling at some of the lines, Octavia looks like she's gonna need a teddy bear and maybe a cup of tea soon, and Vinyl, as usual, is pretty much inscrutable.

None of them are even glancing at me, so... they couldn't have been hearing any rumors, right? I'm pretty sure this means I succeeded yesterday, and nobody's gonna be making a fuss about CHS being haunted or anything. I try to focus on that pretty thought as the ghost in the movie starts verbally eviscerating the heroine (right after viscerally eviscerating her headstrong boyfriend) with her personal faults and failings in brutal, unflinching detail.

Adagio is laughing.

After the movie, we go for a slightly more traditional, girly mall activity: Trying on clothes. I've got no intention of changing my look again so soon, but I put stuff on and make a few poses in front of a mirror just to see how it fits anyway. Nothing really jumps out at me other than a grey, clingy, calve-length dress, which I look for in other colors (no luck) before going out to see what the others came up with.

Trixie is, of course, the first thing anyone sees as she stands loud and proud in the middle of the store, hands on her hips and looking like a Saturday morning cartoon villain in skin-tight, sparkly, black pants, white, high-heeled boots, and one of those tuxedo-coat things with the long butt-flaps. I guess we never specified whether this was stuff we planned to wear normally, but knowing Trixie, I wouldn't put this past her.

Octavia is the one that really surprises me, because I'd had this picture of her in my head as a prim and proper type that always strives to be wholesome and by the book. I'm reminded of what they say about assumptions when I see her in a Jessica-Rabbit-looking red dress (Sonata even did a comical cartoon wolf impression for a minute), complete with dark, shiny stockings and red heels, her hair done up in a ponytail.

"I don't know," she mutters as she looks herself over, "I'd feel right at home stretched out on a piano, but this just seems too much."

"Eh, fair, but Trixie urges you to at least consider the merits of stopping by a jazz club or something."

She chuckles. "I'll pass, thanks, though that'd certainly help find a job, if I were looking."

"You can hang out in places for reasons other than self-promotion, y'know."

"Perhaps, but I'm not as starved for attention as-" her eyes flicker down as she grins in amusement, "-some people."

I cross my arms, annoyed. "What's wrong with wanting some attention?"

They must not have noticed me standing next to Vinyl (who wasn't wearing anything new for some reason), because the two of them jump with a start as they hear me. Octavia in particular looks contrite as she struggles for a response, but Trixie is faster.

"Nothing of course, which raises the question of why you'd wear that."

"Huh?"

"Dull grey on a near-featureless dress? It's flattering, but kind of plain, don'tcha think?"

I frown a little. "I looked for other colors, but this was all I saw."

"Can always come back and see what's in stock later. Right, Vinyl?"

We all turn to look at Vinyl, whose music might be up too loud to hear us as she stands there with her usual, vacant little smile. I push bitter thoughts about her selective deafness aside in favor of trying to get her attention, which waving a hand in front of her face doesn't do. It's only when I poke her shoulder that she responds, jumping with fright not unlike Octavia and Trixie a minute ago.

[Yea, you look great!]

Octavia briefly pats herself down. "Bother, I left my phone in my skirt pocket, what did she say?"

Hands on her hips again, Trixie raises her chin with pride. "Only that we are a stunning sight, as always!"

I kind of wonder if Trixie embellishes every compliment she gets before we try on some other stuff.

It's weird to me that people don't act within a set range of easily-defined behaviors at all times until I remember that they only do that when you've got them under total control. That is my primary thought as Octavia shatters my image of her a little more at the arcade.

"DIE, DIE, DIE!!"

Crushing the trigger of a plastic gun doesn't make the shots on the screen hit any harder (I've tried!), but you wouldn't know it with the way Octavia quickly racks up an impressive body-count on Spider Attack 4. Trash-talking them doesn't really help either, but...

"Suck on the dried, splintered husks of your mutilated children, you octopedal freaks!! Spit your burning bile into your mates and bleed out in agony through your every tainted orifice, that your dying screams may forever be felt through the primordial ooze that spawned you, warding all future life away from the polluted path that poisoned the universe with your ilk!! AND I BET YOU SMELL!!"

Adagio is laughing again.

I don't know which is weirder, that Vinyl is just kind of standing there next to her with the same little smile as usual, picking off the ones she misses in her psychotic rampage, or that Sonata, a ghost, is cowering in the only refuge her incorporeal body can find; Adagio's hair.

Hoping CHS has a damn good counselor, I leave them to it and go see what Trixie's doing.

"Over here, Aria!"

I see her wave me over, sitting on a big, plastic, motorcycle-from-space thing, part of a bigger machine with a screen, big old vent things pointed at the seat, and the title "Midnight Ragers 2" in huge, red letters.

There's an empty seat next to her, so I straddle it and grab the handles-

PLAYER 2, ENGAGED.

-...kind of wishing that Trixie had warned me it would do that.

Or that the vents would blow cold air on us during the game, though that does kinda make it feel like we're racing down a mountainside. Even though the game takes place in the city streets of some kind of cyberpunk future where OSHA must have been disbanded with universal contempt.

I'm not sure if it's the simulated motorcycle part or just the general sensation of the fast motion and pumping music that gets me into it, but fun times are had as Trixie (who, of course, picked the half-naked racer with long, fabulous hair) and I (who went with a big, beefy dude as my avatar because I was hoping I'd be able to muscle my way through the other racers) race against the clock, AI bots, a few other players, and each other.

But mostly we just fall off the tracks and blow up. Still really fun!

"Alright," Octavia says with a little sigh as we walk out of the arcade, "I should be getting home, see you all Monday?"

Vinyl nods as Trixie again does her arms-crossed, chin-raised thing. "Until we meet again, compatriots!" She follows it up with a wink and a friendly wave before saying "Bye now!" and walking off.

I'm heading towards the exit as Sonata speaks up.

"That was pretty fun! What're ya gonna do now?"

I remember to bring my phone to my ear just in case. "I'unno, figured I'd just go home, see what's on TV, eat something bad for me, and crash for the night."

"You could pick up a job while you're here," Adagio adds noncommittally, "just to get it out of the way. I took a quick look around since we got here and found a few options."

"Like?"

"A local spa was the most promising, if only because you could quite feasibly sing patrons into a relaxed state. They may not be hiring for that, specifically, but I'm sure you could convince them one way or another. I'll admit you're not exactly spoilt for choice here, but you can always seek, and ensure, employment elsewhere if you're so inclined."

Sonata smiles. "The Rainbooms are doing S&M tonight, too, you could go join that!"

"S&S," Adagio corrects, lightly dope-slapping a giggling Sonata, "Sewers and Sphinxes. They aren't due to start for a few more hours, but yes, they did extend an offer."

"Could always head over early, mooch some snacks or maybe even dinner if they're ordering pizza again. It'd save you money for a meal tonight, too!"

I said I'd think about it, and... I mean, I still don't really wanna be all buddy-buddy with those girls, but just playing make-believe once a week or so won't hurt anything, right? Unless I can convince my new friends to play it with me, though I don't know if any of them would go for it. Or who would be the GM if they did. Playing with the Rainbooms feels like a good way to keep them thinking that I'm not a threat, too, and if any of 'em ask about my gem, I can say it's just a rock or totally powerless or something. I'd worry about Adagio having to float around Sunset, but she doesn't really seem bothered by the idea of going over there and isn't suggesting I skip out.

So, I think I'll swing by Fluttershy's place (they usually play there, I never even thought about asking why) just to see how things go this week, but the question is what I wanna do right now.

I could stay here a little longer, see about securing employment somewhere one way or another, then go to Fluttershy's when that's squared away. Getting paid to hang around in a spa does sound like a sweet gig if you ask me.

Of course, it's not like I'm in dire straights and need a job ASAP, because I've got good living money for about three more weeks. I could go home, kick back and do whatever until it's about time to start the game, maybe make a new character while I'm at it. Lazy, but I'd kinda like to look around a wider area than the mall and spend the bare minimum amount of time with any of the Rainbooms.

Still, I could go over early, which they made it pretty clear they're okay with even before the ritual. That'd have to give me a few more security points with them, right? It's only Sunset, Nerd Twilight, Fluttershy, and Rainbow anyway, so I don't have to worry about the other three at all. Oh, and there's Bulk Biceps. He's not a Rainboom, but he'll probably be there.

I'd like to play Sewers and Sphinxes at least one more time, see if it's still any fun without Adagio or Sonata being part of the game, but what to do with myself until then?

Author's Note

Gossiper visual aid:
(1)Cherry Crash,

(2)Paisley,

(3)Raspberry Fluff

(4)Sophisticata

No offense meant to the proud and silly Weeb nation, but none of the sirens are remotely familiar with that scene.
In this rendition...
Not even Adagio, despite her short-lived career as Hebi-Sama, weirdly enough.

Yes, I had thought about the movie being a choice, but it seemed so inconsequential as to not be worth bothering with, and the third choice (an action movie) was thrown in more because it seemed iffy to me that there'd be a movie theater anywhere without at least one car-gun-splosion-fest.

Now, actual choice!

1 - Go looking for a job in the mall, where the local spa is probably the best option.

2 - Go to the Rainbooms' near-weekly Sewers and Sphinxes game early, if only as a show that Aria is behaving herself.

3 - Neither, just head home and chill until it's dice-rollin' time.

**Next chapter started, voting closed! (sorry!)**