Things were, for the most part, peaceful in the café this afternoon. Most of the usual crowds had come and gone, and now there were only about a handful of customers still here, with most just nursing a few small cups of tea. The one notable exception to this was sitting in a corner booth beside the largest window. Sonata, sitting opposite Sunset, was currently downing a very large milkshake, slurping it so loudly that, frankly, it was about the only notable sound in the café right now. Sunset, for her part, seemed both embarrassed and impressed by this display, and kept her eyes on her former foe until, finally, she'd finished, letting out a sigh of contentment over her drink.
"Ah! Now that’s the stuff!"
Giggling slightly, Sunset took a sip of her own drink, a simple soda, before replying.
"So, how are things over at Sugar Cube Corner?"
Sonata's smile widened.
"Oh, they've been going great! Mrs Cake has this new line out, and everybody's just loving it!"
Sunset nodded.
"Glad to hear it. So..."
She sipped again.
"...anything special planned for when you get back home?"
Sonata nodded back.
"Yep. Aria rented this old movie she heard about. Big fantasy thing, evil wizard, that kind of stuff."
Leaning back into her side of the booth, Sunset considered that.
"You girls like that?"
Sonata grinned again.
"Sure. It's always fun seeing bad guys in movies. I mean..."
She cocked an eyebrow.
"...we were bad guys, remember?"
A chuckled escaped the former unicorn after hearing that.
"Yeah, I know the feeling."
For a time, neither girl said anything. But, as Sonata continued to slurp down her drink, Sunset appeared deep in thought over something, ultimately just speaking her mind on the matter.
"Although...I usually don't consider you to have ever been as bad as the others."
Looking up from her drink, Sonata seemed confused, prompting Sunset to continue.
"I mean...Adagio was all manipulative, and Aria could definitely be aggressive...but you? You just never struck me as a full-on bad guy. Or, rather, bad girl."
Hearing that, Sonata frowned slightly.
"Er, I kinda was, Sunset."
Sunset nodded.
"Oh, I know you went along with the same evil plan, and yeah, you did ask to have your way with my boyfriend once, but...you know...you just always seemed...well...the least bad."
Putting down her drink, Sonata let out an indignant-sounding huff.
"Hmph! I'll have you know I did some pretty nasty stuff back in the day! Sure, Dagi and Ari could probably get called more obvious in their...erm...bad-guy-ness...or whatever it's called."
Sunset rolled her eyes at that, but said nothing as Sonata continued.
"But I did bad stuff too!"
Seeing her speak that way, with such certainty in her voice, Sunset's earlier sentiment began to slowly fade from her expression. Instead, she looked to the youngest Siren with clear interest and curiosity.
"What...what kind of stuff?"
Then, in a move eerily similar to Adagio, Sonata started to develop into a knowing smirk, offering her hand to Sunset.
"Do you have that magic necklace of yours?"
Naturally, Sunset was somewhat taken aback by Sonata's words, and at first, she didn't quite understand what was being asked of her. But as Sonata continued to reach her open hand across the table, realisation dawned for the ex-unicorn. Sighing, she leaned over to the side of her chair, reaching down to her school bag and starting to rummage around inside of it. It wasn't long before she pulled out the necklace in question, taking a moment to properly strap it around her neck. With that done, she once more looked to Sonata, reaching out her own hand and, before actually going ahead with it, speaking one final utterance.
"Alright then...lets see."
She held Sonata's hand, and immediately, her eyes began to glow bright white, just as they had done before whenever she'd used this power. A flood of images and memories began to pour in her mind, with some she recognised, while others were completely foreign to her. However, there came a time when one image in particular began to make itself known more prominently than the rest, and with the blink of an eye, that was the scenario she now found herself in. It was as if she were looking through another's eyes, Sonata's to be more exact, and the place she now stood was far from pleasant. A stormy night, with rain, wind and lightning aplenty. It seemed as though she was standing on the rocky edge of a sea or ocean of some sort, with the waves crashing hard against them.
"There they are, sisters."
Sunset recognised the voice, and sure enough, as "her" eyes turned, she looked upon the clear image of Adagio, with Aria standing just beside her. From the looks of things, this was far back in the past, centuries most likely, given their current outfits. For both Adagio and Aria were only wearing the short dress that was common at this time, with but single shoulder straps to them both, and with the only real distinction between them being the colour, with Aria's green and Adagio's purple. Though she couldn't see, Sunset guessed that Sonata was dressed the same way too. Adagio, for her part, was smirking, pointing out to the nearby sea.
"Right there."
Again, Sonata's eyes turned, and it was here that Sunset saw what Adagio was referring to. A ship, out there in the murkiness of the constant rain. The general design of it appeared to be consistent with pictures Sunset had seen in history books about vessels of this era, complete with large white sails. From the look of it, it was having a hard time keeping on track, and was threatened by every single wave that came its way. Before long, however, Sonata looked back to her elder sister.
"I believe it is your turn, Sonata," Adagio remarked.
Through her eyes, Sunset saw Sonata nod her head, before turning back towards the ship and taking a single step forward. Briefly, all that could be heard was the sound of thunder, rain and waves. But, eventually, another sound began to be mixed in with all of that, and one that Sunset recognised. It was the chanting of the Sirens, but from Sonata only. Her voice was soothing, enchanting, enticing, and it carried itself across the air as though the sounds of the storm were no deterrent against it whatsoever. Sunset watched, enraptured by what was happening, as soon, the far-away ship began to turn, heading for the massive rocky outcropping the Sirens stood on.
"That's it...a little closer," the voice of Aria spoke.
And it did indeed. The ship drew nearer ad nearer, captivated by Sonata's beautiful song, and, as if to emphasise her lure, Sonata's arm reached out, and she used her index finger to further entice whoever might have seen her to come closer. Eventually, the inevitable happened, and the ship hit the rocks. Wood creaked and splintered, creating holes too large to be ignored, and at the end of it all, the whole thing was stuck there. Given how much things were obscured to Sunset because of the storm and the wind, it was hard for her to tell whether anybody had been hurt or killed in that crash. However, given how wrecked the ship itself looked by now, it was hard to imagine anyone walking away from it unscathed. Whatever the case, Sonata's song and the storm had conspired to bring this ship down, and with that task complete, the youngest Siren looked back to Adagio, who smiled proudly.
"Good work, Nata."
Sunset could see Sonata's hands clasp together in front of her in a clear display of joy over her sister's remark. And speaking of whom, Adagio herself now turned her attention back to the ship.
"Now then...let's see what treasures they had in there."
More might have been shown, but instead, the images began to blur and fade, and Sunset, to her surprise, found herself returning to her current circumstances, back in the café. Letting go of Sonata's hand, she placed that hand upon the side of her head, as though nursing a headache, and when she looked back to her companion, she saw her looking to her with uncharacteristic seriousness.
"Well?" she asked.
Thinking long and hard on that, Sunset sighed.
"Yeah...I see what you mean."
Sonata nodded solemnly, only to be stopped when, just then, the café’s waitress arrived, carrying yet another large milkshake in her hand.
"I believe somebody ordered another of these?"
To that, Sonata's massive grin returned, and she waved her hand in the air like an eager schoolgirl, much to the amusement of the waitress. The latter placed the milkshake upon the table before getting back to other business, and Sonata, sure enough, began to gulp the thing down unceremoniously. After doing so, she let out yet another contented sigh.
"Ah! Sweet!"
But Sunset, seeing her, watched her carefully as she nodded.
"Yeah...but maybe not as much as we think."
