As was often the case after the major classes of the day had ended, Sunset, Rainbow and the rest of their inner circle had retreated to their most frequent hang-out spot; the music room. Though often used for, naturally, playing their music, it had since evolved simply into a place for them to spend time with one another. However, today at least, there was some semblance of music being attempted here, as Rainbow was busy adjusting the strings on her guitar, testing them out every once in a while, though to no avail.
"Ugh! Never works right!"
Looking over to her friend, Applejack raised an eyebrow.
"Come on now, Rainbow! Y'all have been tweakin that thing fer an hour now! Can't ya just be done with it already! It sounds fine!"
But the athlete merely shook her head.
"No way! I'm gonna get this thing perfect even if it kills me!"
Applejack frowned to that.
"It may just do that if ya keep this up."
Rainbow returned the frown, but soon got back to work. Sharing her farm friend's frustration with the situation, Sunset let out a sigh, walking over to Rainbow. She held out her hands, and her unspoken request was clear, though Rainbow was at first hesitant to go along with it. But, in the end, she complied, handing her instrument over to the former unicorn. Then, after just a few seconds, Sunset finished her own adjustments, handing it back to its owner. Though sceptical, Rainbow accepted, and gave her strings a light stroke. The sound coming out was good, and led to a smile forming on her face.
"Perfect! Thanks, Sunset!"
Sunset nodded back, before then moving off to re-join the others. Rainbow tried belting out a few notes, but was soon interrupted by the sound of the nearby door opening. All of them turned to see that it was none other than their former rivals, Adagio and her sisters, Aria and Sonata. But, the bad blood between them had been over for some time now, and instead, they simply greeted each other with a nod. That is, with the exception of Pinkie and Sonata, who grinned and waved excessively to one another, much to the amusement of the rest.
"I figured we'd find you all here," Adagio commented.
Sweeping aside some of her hair, Rarity smiled.
"Indeed. We were going to Sugar Cube Corner for a few milkshakes...until somebody decided to do some guitar practise and ended up spending time trying to get it just right."
The scorn in her voice was clear, and Rainbow simply avoided her gaze. Adagio, meanwhile, looked rather amused by this exchange, though said nothing to further it. Instead, she and the other Sirens made their way into the room in earnest, closing the door behind them and taking a seat. The mood was relaxed, if a little quiet, which suited one of the Sirens very poorly.
"Ugh! Don't tell me we're just gonna be quiet the whole time?" Aria remarked.
Despite having been quiet for the whole gathering thus far, Fluttershy looked to her abrasive companion with a small smile.
"Well...what would you like to talk about?"
Aria opened her mouth to speak, only to be interrupted when Sonata beat her to it.
"Ooh! How about that old game of ours?"
For a while, the other girls looked to her with confusion, including her own sisters, culminating in Adagio speaking to her with a raised eyebrow.
"When you say "old game", am I right in assuming you mean...?"
She let the question hang in the air for a bit, and Sonata simply responded by nodding enthusiastically. Slowly, a smirk formed upon Adagio's face, and as she leaned back into her chair and crossed her legs, she started to nod herself.
"Yes...that would be rather fun. It's been, what, a few years since we played it?"
Here, at last, Sunset let out a grunt of annoyance.
"Ugh! Would you just tell us already?"
Adagio, still amused by all of this, swept aside some of her own hair before replying.
"But of course, Sunset my dear. What my sweet little sister is suggesting is that we play a game that the three of us used to do a fair bit back in the day."
Aria, having finally understood what was being talked about, gained a smirk of her own, folding her arms and turning to face Sunset and the others.
"Yep. Basically it just means we all have to say what kind of guy we'd like to bang."
Immediately, all eyes snapped in their direction, and blushes were about on many of the other girls' faces. Rarity especially seemed aghast at such a suggestion.
"But...but that's so crude and...and..."
And fun?" Sonata asked.
"No!" Rarity answered.
Chuckling, Adagio addressed her friend.
"I wouldn't worry too much, Rarity. It's just speculation. A little fun. Just imagine a one-night stand, and who you'd like to spend it with."
But the fashionista turned from her, letting out an indignant huff at the remark.
"I'll have you know that a Lady would never resort to such..."
"I'll do it!"
All eyes turned to Pinkie, who had held her hand up to the ceiling when making her declaration. Many mouths were gaping open in shock over her words, prompting her to simply shrug her shoulders.
"What? It sounds fun!"
Slapping her forehead, Sunset let out a sigh.
"We're not going to be able to stop you, are we?"
Pinkie shook her head, and for a while, the other girls simply stared in silence. But, after giving a collective look of resignation, Sunset shrugged her shoulders.
"Alright then, I guess we're doing this now."
The party girl let out a loud and happy squeal to that, as indeed did Sonata, which caused quite a few to plug their ears with their fingers, lest they go deaf from the combine high-pitch of their voices. When the noise died down, however, Sunset looked to them more seriously.
"I just want to say that I don't really want to do this myself. You know, I kinda have a boyfriend, so..."
Many of the girls nodded to that, bearing looks of understanding, including, of all people, Aria.
"Yeah, I'm with Sunset on this one. No offense, Nata, but I kinda have a guy myself these days, remember?"
At first, Sonata seemed down at that, but quickly perked up soon afterwards.
"Ooh! How about we come up with some rules first. That's fun, right?"
For once, everyone seemed to be in agreement over that, and it was Adagio who spoke first.
"Very well. First off, no picking each other. Because I think this'll be strange enough for some of us without adding that to the mix."
As before, a nod of agreement went around the room, which encouraged Adagio to carry on.
"And if it bothers you, which I know it will, everything spoken in these walls is completely confidential. No telling other students about it."
Rarity raised an eyebrow.
"You mean that, Adagio?"
Aria let out a laugh, answering in her sister's place.
"Trust me, Rares, gossip-mongering isn't really her thing."
That seemed to be enough to satisfy her, as well as everyone else for that matter. Soon afterwards though, Applejack added her voice to things.
"And no picking siblings or relatives. Y'all know who ah'm talking bout!"
While there was a slight sense of disappointment about that, the group nevertheless agreed. Then, at last, Sunset spoke up herself.
"I know I'm not a part of this, but...could you also refrain from picking the obvious one? You know...the one I know you're all thinking?"
A few blushes crept onto people's faces at that, and as they all nodded nervously, Aria turned to Sunset with a smirk.
"Getting all protective of your little toy-boy, eh?"
Sunset shook her head.
"Not exactly. I just think this whole thing will go better if they don't go spouting the same name over and over."
Aria nodded at that sentiment, and Adagio, who seemed very amused by that little exchange, clasped her hands together.
"Alright then...let's get things started."
She placed a finger to her chin, thinking things over for a few moments before, eventually, breaking out into that devilish look of mischievousness she was so known for.
"I think Principal Celestia would be amazing in bed."
All heads snapped in her direction, and Rainbow practically choked.
"Wha...seriously?!"
Adagio looked to her, almost offended.
"Indeed. Nice long legs, some fabulous hair, and trust me, I can tell, under that suit of hers...oh yeah...there is a fine body."
While Adagio seemed more than happy dwelling on that thought, the others looked to each other nervously, which ended when Applejack addressed the elder Siren.
"Beggin yer pardon, Adagio, but...ain't there a little age problem ta consider?"
Adagio sighed.
"Yes, I suppose I am a touch older than her...by a few thousand years. But I'm fairly certain I could make it work."
The reminder of her true age sent many of them into silence, which pleased Adagio to no end. Eventually, it dawned on them that there was little point debating her on this one, so, after nervously glancing to one another, Rarity spoke up next.
"Yes...well...as long as we're all speaking in confidence here...I suppose it would be rather nice to spend a romantic evening with...well...Sir Fancy Pants?"
Immediately, Rainbow let out a howl of laughter.
"Really?! That business guy from the city?! Isn't he, like, a million years old or something?"
Rarity turned to her, looking a little insulted.
"For your information, Rainbow, he's thirty-five. And I admit, it's a little unorthodox. But, not only has he kept marvellously well for his age, but that sense of refinement and class to him, he just...ooh! I cannot even describe it!"
Here, Pinkie looked to her friend with curiosity.
"Wait...isn't that guy married?"
But Rarity merely waved her off.
"Details. This is speculation and what-ifs, remember?"
Pinkie nodded to that, but then gained one of her customary smiles.
"Well, you know that guy I helped out with parties a while back? Cheese? He's pretty nice. I'd say I'd go with him."
Applejack turned to her with an incredulous look.
"Seriously, Sugarcube? Y'all had maybe two conversations with him, and already ya wanna bump uglies?"
Leaning back into her chair, Pinkie let out a huff.
"Well, since I'm not allowed to go for my first choice..."
Raising a hand, she gestured to Sunset, making her meaning clear before she continued.
"...I guess I just had to go for option B!"
Sunset seemed taken aback by that statement, but eventually just rolled her eyes over it. Everyone was now looking at one another, waiting for the next person to speak up. In the end, and to the shock of pretty much everyone there, it was Fluttershy who did the honours, meekly trying to get her words out.
"Well...um...if this is only a what-if, then...you see...I maybe, kinda...would go for..."
She mumbled something under her breath, prompting the others girls to lean in closer for a better listen. This had the expected effect of causing her to blush fiercely, ending with her finally just coming out and saying it.
"Um...Stellar Eclipse?"
As soon as she'd spoken, there were looks of confusion everywhere.
"Huh...I don't think I know that one," Sonata commented.
Fluttershy nodded.
"None of you have met him, but...he works at a local charity store, just down the road from the animal shelter."
With her eyes widening slightly, Rainbow turned to her childhood friend.
"Wait...is that the guy in the wheelchair?"
Nervously, Fluttershy nodded.
"Yes, he...he's just always so nice to me when I visit, and...I thought, maybe...he could use some...companionship?"
Those words caused her blush to grow even further, which resulted in Adagio clasping her hands together and looking to her with a softer smile than usual.
"Oh, that is just adorable!"
Immediately, Fluttershy hid her face behind her long pink hair, and everyone else, while somewhat amused by this to a degree, did not press the matter. Instead, the silence was broken by Applejack, who let out a sigh before speaking up.
"Well...ah guess if ah had ta say who ah'd go with...ah reckon it'd be someone like Bulk."
Her friends looked to her, shocked.
"Biceps? Really?" Sunset asked.
Applejack nodded.
"Yep. This talk ain't about marriage, remember? It's just about a night in the sack. And if that's all ah want, then ah want a guy who looks strong enough ta keep up. Ah'm an Apple, girls, and Apples really last between the sheets."
Embarrassment was the order of the day for many of the girls, with the exception of Adagio, who simply looked to Applejack with her usual sultriness, much to the latter's chagrin. In the quiet that followed, Rainbow considered her own position, scratching the back of her head a little before finally saying something.
"Okay...I guess I'd pick..."
"Let me guess...Soarin?" Rarity interrupted.
Rainbow looked to her, and then to the rest of her friends, with shock.
"Wha...how did you know that?!"
After a few giggles, Rarity explained.
"No offense, darling, but...we kind of expected it."
Though at first annoyed by this, Rainbow simply rolled her eyes and kept on going.
"Yeah, well...he's captain of a whole bunch of spots teams and...you know...not bad-looking. So yeah, he seems as good as any."
At long last, all eyes turned to Sonata, who was the last one standing at this point. She sat in her chair, looking deep in thought for minute after minute, ten at the end of it all, and after a great deal of impatience from her friends, she squealed with delight slightly before, finally, just coming out and saying it.
"I'd do Flash!"
Sunset looked to her with irritation over this.
"Hey! What did we say?!"
But Sonata shrugged her shoulders.
"Yeah, I know, rules and stuff. But he's hot, so I just went with it."
The moment she'd said that, many hands slapped foreheads with frustration.
"Why do I even bother?" Adagio asked.
Sonata, meanwhile, was just looking happy with herself, as per usual, and while the mood of the room had soured somewhat because of this last-minute rule-breaking, nobody had a chance to say anything on the matter. Because, at that very moment, there was a brief knocking of the door, followed shortly by said door opening. The girls all turned to see that, speak of the Devil, it was Flash himself, who now poked his head inside. He gave a nod to the group before fixing his eyes on his girlfriend.
"Hey there, Sunset. The guys cancelled band practice today, so...wanna get some milkshakes?"
A smile crept onto Sunset's face at this, and after giving Sonata a quick look of annoyance, she got out of her chair and walked over to the door, glancing back at her friends one last time while doing so.
"I'll see you girls later."
The girls all waved them goodbye, watching the young couple leave the music room in earnest. They waited until the door was closed, and the sound of footsteps fair enough away, before Sonata spoke up in her usual perky manner.
"That was pretty fun, right?"
Many eyebrows raised at those words.
"If by "fun" you mean awkward and embarrassing, then sure," Applejack commented.
Squealing with joy, Sonata, apparently not getting the sarcasm of Applejack's words, grinned.
"Great!"
