Canterlot High's campus was quiet one Friday afternoon. The serene silence was soon interrupted, however, as a bell rang out into the courtyard. The doors of the school swung open and out came dozens of students eager to get home for the day. Among the droves of students stood one girl in particular. Unlike the rest, the blue-haired girl walked briskly down the hallway, her face buried in a little notebook. The girl wore a soft pink shirt with a short blue dress and had on a pair of new blue sneakers to match. She moved slowly but clumsily, swaying from side-to-side as she made it through the open doorway. Anyone on campus could have told you the blue-haired and clumsy girl was none other than Sonata Dusk.
To anyone not from Canterlot High or the surrounding areas, Sonata looked like your typical, average teenage girl. She had good grades and a fun personality, and she always seemed to bring joy wherever she went, but to those who had been around for a while knew she wasn't exactly average. The students and staff of Canterlot High knew all too well the events that happened only months ago: The infamous Battle of the Bands. It was this grand spectacle that exposed the blue-haired girl and her sisters as the Sirens, mythical beasts from another world. While not fully understood by the students, they soon came to accept the revelation in the vast array of weirdness they had just experienced.
After that day, the Sirens were shunned and mocked for their attempt at taking over the school. They were just another trio of bullies that got their comeuppance as far as anyone was concerned. But as days turned to weeks, Sonata and her sisters began to change for the better. In time, with Sonata taking the lead, the sisters regained some semblance of dignity and trust from the students of Canterlot High.
Sonata came to the front steps, but she was too focused on her book to notice where she was going. Sonata stepped forward and felt nothing but air under her foot. Missing the step, she stumbled and began to fall. Time seemed to slow in an instant as Sonata fell toward the ground. In an attempt to dampen her fall, Sonata let go of her notebook and held her arms in front of her face, bracing herself...but no impact came. The next thing she knew was a pair of arms reaching out to grab her. The arms wrapped around her waist and lifted her back onto the stairs before moving to her shoulders, steadying Sonata on her own two feet. As Sonata tried to catch her balance, she heard a very familiar voice.
"Sonata!! Hold on, I've got you! Please, you have watch where you’re going!” said the voice.
Sonata regained her senses and turned to face the voice she knew all too well. "Shade! Hiii!" Sonata giggled.
"Hello to you too, Sonata." Shade smiled. The person that caught her was none other than her BFF, Shade Midnight. Shade was a standup guy. He was kind, loyal, and smart, among other things. Shade was one of, if not the first person to give Sonata and her sisters a second chance. He saw the good in them when many others couldn't, and for that she was forever grateful. They had been friends ever since that day all those months ago, and here he was again to help Sonata out of a jam.
Sonata practically tackled Shade into a hug. "W-woah! Sonata, you're going to push ME over now." Shade returned the hug with vigor. As Shade let go of Sonata, he spotted her notebook sitting on the ground. He walked over and picked it up. "This must be pretty important for you to not pay attention on where you're stepping. So, what is this book anyway?”
Sonata's eyes went wide as she snatched the book from Shade's grasp. "It's...nothing. Just a song book, hehe." she giggled nervously. Shade could tell that something was up, but he ignored it. "That's cool. So, what are you doing tonight, Sona?
Sonata giggled at his use of her nickname. "Well, nothing really. I was planning on just relaxing at home or something."
Shade smiled back. " Well, since you have nothing special planned tonight...why don't we do something, just the two of us?"
"Sure. What did you have in mind?" Sonata asked.
"Well, I was wondering actually, if I could take you out on...a date?" Shade squeaked out.
Sonata's face flushed red, and her smile faded into a blank expression. 'What did he just say!? He wants to take us out on a date!? Like, a date date!? "Y-you want to go on a d-date??" Sonata asked nervously.
"Y-yeah. I mean-! I-it doesn't have to be anything fancy! A dinner date between friends, r-right?" Shade's mind was racing. 'Why did I do that, why did I do that!!?? Ah, she's going to think I'm weird for asking out my best friend on a date! M-maybe I can salvage this somehow...' Shade was lost in thought as Sonata replayed the words over and over again in her head.
Finally, Sonata spoke. "Y-yeah, actually that sounds nice. I'd love to." 'Oh my taco, did I just say that!? I'm such a nervous wreck. I need to get out of here to think before I go crazy!'
Shade stopped his inner monologue and looked at her. "R-really!? Okay, uhm, should I pick you up at your place? 'Is this really happening right now?'
Sonata nodded. "Sounds good. Does seven sound like a suitable time?" Her heart was still beating fast.
Shade, having calmed down, also nodded. "Seven it is then. Well, I better get home and freshen up. I guess I'll see you tonight."
Sonata giggled once more as Shade gave her a small wave goodbye and began walking away. Once he was far enough Sonata took a deep breath in and out before grabbing her head in a frenzy. 'What did I just agree to? There's no way this is an actual date right? I-it's like he said, just a dinner between friends. But...' Sonata began to sheepishly grin. "Real date or not, I get to spend a night with Shade! All alone, just the two of us! Oh, I better get home and start getting ready!" As Sonata raced home, Shade was still lost in thought as he too made his way back home. The two lovestruck teens had no idea how the night would go, but they were both determined to make the most out of it.
Sonata patrolled her bedroom, rattling off to her sisters about her clothes and Shade. "Oh! What about this one?" Sonata held up a pink sparkling dress with rosy-red frills. It shined brightly in the lamp light. Sonata looked to her sisters, a smile on her face. "Do you think he'll like it?"
Adagio smirked. "Sonata, dearie. You want to impress him, right? You can do so much better than this little piece. How about..." Adagio got up and rummaged through the closet. She soon pulled out a long, dark blue dress. It looked beautiful. "This one!"
Aria scoffed. "Come on, no way. That is too blue, even for you Sonata. Here, try this." Aria walked over and pulled out a yellow dress with a taco in the center. "Here's a classic." She snickered.
"Aria, stop it! This is a date not a game of playtime dress up!" Adagio said, annoyed.
Sonata was getting impatient. "Well actually, there is one more I really like here." Sonata pulled a third and final dress out and showed it to her sisters. The piece was sleeveless and colored a deep maroon. It was nothing special, just a simple, pretty dress, but something about it made it look even more beautiful than it already was. The two sisters looked at each other and smiled. That was all Sonata needed. "Yay! Dress down, now on to..." Sonata trailed off on her thought as she spotted something on her desk. Her notebook.
Adagio and Aria didn't notice, as they were already digging through the closet looking for the perfect footwear for their little sis. Sonata walked over to her desk and picked the book up. The title was bold and flashy, leaving nothing up to interpretation: Sonata's Diary. She looked at it fondly, remembering the close call she had that morning. With all the flashy letters, it was a miracle that Shade didn't notice what it really was.
Sonata's diary was one of her most cherished items. She wrote about everything in her life in it from her favorite foods to her friends and their lives, but what she wrote about most were things about Shade. It described all that she found charming in him: His smile and laughter, his kind heart, and even his messy hair. She wrote all she could about the boy who had stolen her heart, and he didn't even know it. She smiled as she held the notebook to her chest.
"H-hey, watch it! Adagio, you nearly stepped on my hand!" Aria shouted.
Adagio snickered. "Well maybe you shouldn't be there then, sweetie." Her voice was laced with sass.
Aria gave Adagio a nasty look and growled in annoyance.
Sonata sighed. "Can you two please stop trying to kill each other for five minutes and help me finish picking an outfit?!!"
Aria and Adagio paused. As much as they bickered, they still cared about one another. The two sisters hated seeing Sonata upset. "Alright Sonata, we'll behave." Aria said with one more playful nudge at Adagio. "Well? What's next?"
Sonata's face softened. "I have the dress, now I need some shoes to match!"
Adagio and Aria spoke as one. "On it!"
As Sonata chuckled at her sisters, she wondered how Shade was preparing for the night ahead of them...
Shade paced frantically around his house. He searched through drawers and rummaged through his closet, all in a desperate attempt to find a good outfit. He never spoke a word, his thoughts racing in his mind. 'What do I wear!? Where do I take her!? Oh, why did I do that?'
While Shade was usually a calm and chill guy, something about Sonata threw him off his rhythm today. He was sporadic, he was jumpy...he was in love. Ever since he met Sonata he knew she was special. He didn't care that she had a troubled past at the school, or that she was a from another world. That was all in the past to him, and to the other students of CHS.
Shade searched again, desperate to find the right thing to wear. Suddenly he remembered something. His father had recently given him a tuxedo from his prom night. Shade went into his closet once more and pulled out a decorated shoe box. Inside was a brilliant black and white tuxedo suit. Folded beside it was a pristine black tie. Shade tried them on. 'A perfect fit!'. Shade took it off again and hung it on his bedroom door. "Alright, I have my suit. Now, where do I take her?" he said to himself.
Shade pulled out his phone. 'Maybe I can take her to that sushi place? No, she doesn't like sushi, right. Maybe that taco place she loves? That isn't a romantic place you dolt! Urh....wait, what about...' Shade knew the perfect place to take her. With his suit found and the place chosen, Shade got to work getting ready. After taking a nice shower, Shade got dressed, sprayed some cologne on, and with his nice suit fit to a tee, Shade headed onto Sonata's house.
Adagio and Aria sat on Sonata’s bed “So Aria, how do you think our little sis will fare tonight?”
Aria looked up at Adagio and smirked. “Oh, she’ll be fine. I’ve seen the guy before. He and Sonata are great friends. Sonata will have a fun time.”
Adagio scoffed. “If you say so. She needs to get out there and meet someone nice without our powers doing the talking for once.” Adagio wanted to continue, but suddenly the bedroom door opened. The two girls watched as Sonata walked in wearing the dress she had picked out. Adagio had decide to give their sis a pair of shoes from her own closet, a set of sparkling purple heels. Sonata had picked out a pair of earrings shaped like tacos. ‘Of course she would pick those earrings.’ Adagio thought.
Aria spoke up. “Looking good, sis! This Shade of yours sure is one lucky date.”
Sonata looked panicked. “I-it’s not a date! It’s…just a friendly hangout….yeah.”
Aria smirked. “Riiiiiight. Well anyways, looks like you’re ready to me.” Sonata scowled at Aria, but she couldn’t help but smile slightly..
Adagio stood up and walked over to Sonata. “Sonata, dear, I’m sure tonight will go fine. You go enjoy yourself with your best friend.”
Sonata nodded. “Thanks, sis.” Suddenly, the trio heard the sound of a bell ring. “Ahh! That must be him! He’s here already?!”
Adagio and Aria smirked. “We’ll get it!” they said in tandem.
As the two rushed out of the room, Sonata gave chase. As they got to the door, Aria swung it open, only for Sonata to come barreling down the stairs behind her. Sonata had to slow herself so as not to go sailing through the front door. As she came to a halt, she looked up and nearly fainted. Standing there in the moonlight was Shade. The light made Shade glow with a brilliant aura around him. As for Sonata, the moonlight bounced off her sparkling dress, causing Shade to do a double take in his mind.
‘Woah, she’s absolutely beautiful!’ Shade thought.
‘Holy guacamole! Shade looks sooo handsome in a suit!’ Sonata thought.
The two stared at each other awkwardly, not saying a word. Aria broke the silence. “Well…what are you waiting for kid? Take her hand and get going already!”
Sonata and Shade both awkwardly stepped out onto the pavement together, mumbling incoherently to themselves as they left the porch. They turned around to see Adagio and Aria waving. “Have a good night you two!” they said in tandem. With that, the two girls closed the door, giggling to themselves the whole time.
Shade and Sonata turned back toward the street and just stood in the quiet, until Shade broke the silence. “Well. You ready Sona?”
Sonata’s eyes sparkled. “S-sure. Let’s go.” Sonata grabbed Shade’s arm and interlocked it with hers. Both of them blushed. Shade responded with a sigh. “Alright, here we go.” With that said, Shade began to lead Sonata down the street toward the restaurant. Both were very eager for their special night ahead…
