Love Beats Stupid

by chillbook1

First published 18th of March, 2015

A long collection of AriNata "shorts".

(Part 1: LBS) After the Battle of the Bands, Aria realized that she still wanted to stay with the other two Sirens. If anyone were to ask her, she'd say it was "just cause". But the truth was she stayed for Sonata.

---

(Part 2: LCS) Aria and Sonata are happy together, finally ready to start their lives with one another. Time to see if their marriage can hold up to their anger, stupidity, and selfish, gold-digging landlord.

LBS: Love Beats Stupid

Aria Blaze was not very good at making friends. When she first met Adagio, they had a very strong mutual hatred for each other. Aria despised everything about Adagio; Her arrogance, her holier-than-thou attitude, her irritatingly perfect voice. Above all else, what made Aria hate Adagio was that she was the leader. Who made that decision? Adagio, that’s who. So, when she, Aria, and Sonata were thrown from their cushy homes deep in the seas of Equestria, all eyes were on Adagio.

For her credit, Adagio did rather well for them. She kept them all alive and out of prison for over a thousand years (no easy feat, given Aria’s anger issues). What’s more, Adagio managed to force the three to tolerate each other. Sonata, of course, was all for being “bestiest friends in the whole wide world”, as she put it, but Aria was less than excited for her two new roommates. Still, Aria never murdered the other girl, so Adagio thought she did her job as a leader well. Soon enough, Adagio began to enjoy their company, even Aria’s. They all started to feel what the Sirens could only assume to be friendship, and a sense of obligation towards one another.

As soon as she saw Sunset Shimmer pick up the microphone during the final confrontation between the Sirens and the Rainbooms, Adagio knew that everything she worked so hard for would fall apart. Even as she and her comrades (Adagio refused to call them her friends. She didn’t need that type of stress in her life) were being defeated, the biggest blow was the realization that they were finished. More than their defeat, more than even the destruction of their pendants, Adagio was hit with the reality that Aria would be leaving.

Not that Adagio was especially fond of Aria, but they had spent so many years living under the same roof that life without her was unthinkable. Adagio cursed herself for falling victim to the ploys of friendship, especially knowing what could happen. Defeat was always a possibility, one that Adagio always kept in her mind. She thought she developed a contingency for any scenario, but never had she considered the notion that Aria might leave, or that she might not want her to.

Which is why it came as a massive (and secretly pleasant) surprise to Adagio that Aria continued living with them with no sign of leaving. On the contrary, Aria seemed to make herself even more comfortable in their little two bedroom apartment. Adagio took the slightly smaller bedroom, which forced Aria and Sonata to share a room, much to Aria’s chargin.

Two weeks after the Battle of the Bands and still all seemed well. Adagio had started working at the local music shop while Aria did who-knows-what and Sonata… Well, Sonata always seemed to be in her own little world.

It wasn’t until a month after their defeat did Adagio notice a change. Aria, who had always pranked and teased Sonata, was getting more and more heinous. Sometimes, Aria could reduce her fellow Siren to tears. Adagio had her theories, but none seemed too plausible. Besides, Adagio had reasoned, what’s the harm in a little teasing? Sonata was a big girl, and she could deal with having her feelings hurt every now and then. Eventually, Aria would get bored of bullying Sonata and find a new hobby. Or so Adagio thought.

She wasn’t entirely wrong, but things went in a slightly different direction than she thought.

“What’s for dinner?” asked Sonata, throwing herself onto Aria’s lap. Aria managed to move her comic just in time to avoid a terrible rip.

“My fist, if you don’t get off me,” growled Aria. Sonata just giggled and rolled into a more comfortable position in her bestie’s lap. Aria grumbled some form of “move” before giving up and burying her nose in her comic.

“Where’s Dagi?” asked Sonata. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone, then started flipping through Instagram.

“In the shower. You gonna order something?” asked Aria, flipping her page. A small, sinister grin broke out over her pale purple face. “Or are you going to cook something up for us? Try not to burn down the kitchen this time.”

Sonata felt her cheeks grow hot in embarrassment. She did admit that it was a huge screw-up, even for her, but that was almost a year ago! Sonata wondered about statute of limitations for burning food.

“It was a simple mistake!” said Sonata defensively. She rolled onto her stomach to keep from looking at Aria. “Anyone could’ve made that mistake!”

“You forgot to put water in your instant ramen, you moron,” snorted Aria. “Maybe the kitchen isn’t the place for you.”

“Fine. We can order something. What’re you in the mode for, Ari?” asked Sonata, twirling a little strand of her shiny blue hair. “Pizza? Chinese? Tacos?” Sonata put extra emphasis on the last option, as if that would somehow make Aria more inclined to choose it.

Aria’s mind started racing evilly. There were a lot of ways to mess with Sonata here, and Aria would settle only for the meanest. She bit her lip slightly when the thought formed in her head, and she had to stifle a chuckle. If Sonata noticed, she didn’t act like it. She just kept flipping through her phone and repeated herself.

“I asked you what you’re in the mood for,” said Sonata. As seriously and darkly as she could, Aria gave her answer.

“Sushi.”

At first, Sonata didn’t really understand what was said. She knew that word meant something bad, because Adagio had yelled at her the time she suggested they try it. Aria’s evil grin grew wider as she heard Sonata’s tiny gasp of understanding.

“Sushi?” asked Sonata shakily. “Y-you mean… Like fish?”

“Yup. Fish and rice and seaweed,” said Aria, barely choking back her laughter. “Fish. Just like you, Sony. Maybe I’ll take a big bite of you.”

Sonata tensed slightly, but still didn’t move. Aria pondered how far she could push it. She leaned forward until her mouth was a few centimeters from Sonata’s ear.

“Yum,” snarled Aria. Then, she bit down (none too softly) on Sonata’s ear.

“Eep!” Sonata shrieked, then rocketed from her seat. Aria could’ve sworn she saw a dust-cloud silhouette of Sonata. Aria laughed and laughed and laughed some more, just barely covering the sound of Sonata’s crying from the kitchen.

“Ahem,” A light cough grabbed Aria’s attention and stopped her laughter. On the staircase to Aria’s left was a towel-clad, dripping-wet Siren in the form of Adagio Dazzle. Her hair, normally a massive curly mane, was slick, wet, straight, and almost touching her ankles. Besides her towel, the only thing Adagio seemed to be wearing was a green face mask (to keep up her flawless complexion) and a smug grin.

“That’s a good look for you,” said Aria sarcastically. She closed her comic book, all hope of getting any reading done gone for the night. “You should go out like that.”

“I finally figured it out,” laughed Adagio, clutching her towel. She gently and daintily stepped down, her smile growing as Aria’s fell.

“What’re you talking about?” asked Aria.

“I understand it now. The reason you decided to stay after the Battle, the reason you keep bullying her,” Adagio made her way to the couch. “Perhaps the reason you came along with us in the first place.”

“And that is?” asked Aria. She kicked her feet up on the sofa and closed her eyes.

“You have a crush on Sonata.”

Never in her entire life had Aria moved faster than when she sat up just then. The look on her face went from slight amusement, skipped right past her default mask of indifference, and went straight to the most intense of loathing. Adagio smirked in spite of herself; Normally, the person on the receiving end of one of those glares would also receive a black eye and bloody nose.

“I’m only going to say this once, Adagio, and then we are never, ever going to talk about that again,” whispered Aria. She grabbed Adagio by the shoulders.“I do not, nor have I ever, nor will I ever have a crush on Sonata.”

“It makes perfect sense. You bully her because you don’t know how to deal with your feelings,” chuckled Adagio, shaking free of Aria’s loose grip. “That’s rather adorable, I think. You should ask her out.”

For a moment, Aria thought she must’ve learned French at some point.

“Did you not hear what I just said? I don’t have a crush on Sonata!” Aria half-shouted. “Now drop it.”

“Oh! That orchestra is playing next week! You should take her there. Oh, you two will be so cute together.” Adagio’s smirk grew wider when she noticed the faint blush rising on Aria’s cheeks.

“I don’t like Sonata!” shouted Aria loudly. “Get it through your head! I don’t like her and I never will! Nobody likes her, and I’m not going to be the first!” Somewhere behind her, Aria heard a tiny gasp and an even tinier sob. Aria locked eyes with Sonata for about half a second before the crying Siren ran up the stairs and off to her room. Aria flinched when she heard the loud slam of the door.

“Wow… I’ve never seen her so upset,” said Adagio. If things were different, she might be inclined to help. But a problem like this, Adagio decided, had to be fixed by the creator. “Well? You have a damsel who is thoroughly in distress. Go save her, Ser Aria.”

“When I get back, I am punching your teeth down your throat,” growled Aria. She rose to her feet. “Gimme your keys.”

Adagio raised an eyebrow in confusion. Not only was she surprised that Aria did indeed intend to fix her mistake, but also by the fact that Adagio’s precious car was needed.

“Kitchen counter. What do you intend to do?” said Adagio. Aria didn’t answer. She was so angry that the words she was forming in her head could never be properly enunciated. Which, Aria realized, was probably for the best. She had some strong words to say, and they were probably things she could go without saying. That didn’t stop Aria from shouting them in her head, even as she grabbed up Adagio’s keys, slipped into a pair of sneakers, and slid out of the door.

“Moron.” Aria grumbled, the door closing behind her.

Aria and Sonata shared a room. When they first moved in, Aria had made things very clear about whose side was whose. The door, conveniently placed in the dead center of the wall, made for a great imaginary boundary line that soon became a physical line of tape down the middle of the room.

The left side was plastered with posters, as many as Sonata could fit. It was an odd mix of One Direction, NSYNC, Dr. Dre, Eminem, and any other artist that Sonata ever liked, all proudly displayed on her wall. Sonata’s bed was untidy and her floor littered with paper and candy wrappers.

The right side was the exact opposite. The walls were barren, everything was clean and neat. At first, Sonata assumed Aria was just a neat freak, but it seemed to be more than that. Aria hardly ever slept in her bed, or at all, if Sonata’s memory served her well.
Sonata wiped the tears from her face and brought her blanket up her face, covering her nose. She sniffled but still couldn’t understand why she was crying. She knew that Aria didn’t like her in any way, romantically or otherwise. It also wasn’t a secret that she didn’t have very many friends. Still, Aria’s words stung.

KNOCK!
KNOCK!

“Who is it?” squeaked Sonata.

“Open the door, Sonata,” That was definitely Adagio’s voice. Sonata threw her protective blanket off of her body and shuffled to the door. She unlocked it and pulled it open. Standing on the other side was Aria, one hand holding her phone and the other hand holding a box of tacos.

“Hey,” said Aria.

“Y-you recorded Dagi's voice?” asked Sonata. “Did you really have to do that?”

“Would you have let me in otherwise?” asked Aria. She shook her head. The question was rhetorical. “Here. Got you some food.”

“I’m not very hungry,” lied Sonata. Her stomach betrayed her almost immediately by letting out a growl that could silence a dragon.

“Eat. I swear, it’s not poison,” said Aria. She gave the box to Sonata, who reluctantly accepted it. “Sonata…”

“No. It’s okay. You were just calling it how you saw it,” said Sonata, her hands shaking. “I know that you and Dagi don’t really like me, and I don’t have any friends at school. I was just being a baby.”

“No, you weren’t. I was being stupid,” scoffed Aria. “I don’t know what I was afraid of, but I didn’t want you to know the truth.”

Sonata tilted her head slightly in confusion. Aria gestured for her to sit down, and they both took a seat on Sonata’s bed. Aria would’ve denied it, and she did for several years after the fact, but she was nervous. Her heart was racing. She was being pumped with more adrenaline than she was during the Battle. Of course she was. What happened here was actually important.

“I was lying, Sony. People like you. Out of all of us, people probably like you the best,” said Aria. Sonata was getting nervous. Aria was being way too nice to her, and that normally meant that she was about to try something terrible.

“Are… Are you okay, Ari?” asked Sonata.

“I never meant to make you cry,” grumbled Aria. “You’re way more irritating when you’re bawling your eyes out into a tub of ice cream.” Things seemed to loosen up, much to Aria’s pleasure. Sonata smiled slightly, just enough to calm her friend.

“It’s okay. I know you’d never try to hurt my feelings too hard!” Sonata’s smile grew until Aria could see every single one of her shining white teeth.

Aria was about to vomit. Her heart was going to rip itself out of her chest and kick her in the stomach before running away. That was the only explanation for what she was feeling. It couldn’t be nerves. Her, Aria Blaze, nervous? Impossible.

“Adagio likes you, Sonata,” said Aria. “And I guess I do, too.” Sonata’s eyes grew brighter, and she let out a delighted squeal. “Don’t think that means I’m just gonna start treating you like a goddess. It’s just… I realized that you could be a lot more annoying.”

Aria had never done anything like this before, so she had no experience. Even a thousand years or more on Earth hadn’t been enough to bring the hermit out of her shell for longer than to pick up a comic book from the local nerd hang-out. Aria never talked to humans if she could avoid it. The idea of asking Adagio for advice was unthinkable. If the Siren leader’s ego got any larger, it’d have its own zip code. Aria had no time for any research, so she was doing everything based on instinct and her gut feelings.

And something in her gut told her that now was time.

“Look, Sonata,” said Aria. She reached into her pocket. “There’s a… an orchestra playing in town next week.”

“Uh-huh. I tried asking Dagi to take me, but she said ‘no’!” complained Sonata. “I really wanna go…”

“Well, uh… I have…” Aria couldn’t get the words out. She tried to find a delicate, non-embarrassing way to say it.

Screw it.

“I have tickets, do you want to go with me?” asked Aria as quickly as she could. Sonata jumped from her bed and squeezed Aria in a tight hug. Aria wiggled in her captor’s arms, trying (and failing) to hide the blush rising in her cheeks.

“That’s so nice! I never thought you’d do something like that for me and Dagi!” squealed Sonata.

“Uh… Adagio said she didn’t want to go, so I only bought two tickets,” said Aria, breathing as best as she could with her ribs being crushed. “It’s just you and me.”

“Hm?” Sonata dropped Aria from her hug. “That sounds almost like a date.”

“Well, maybe it is. Is that so terrible?” asked Aria, trying to keep her voice from cracking like it did whenever she got flustered. She was doing pretty good.

“Hm… A date with Ari… Don’t you think that’s weird?” asked Sonata.

“Fine! It doesn’t have to be a date, geez! I don’t even know why I said that,” said Aria. Her voice finally cracked, causing her to blush even more.

Aria felt two thin, spindly arms wrap themselves around her. Sonata pulled her into a hug, this one far less confining. She pecked Aria on the cheek and whispered in her ear.

“I’d love to go with you,” said Sonata. Then, she dropped her arms from Aria, took the box of tacos from the bed, and skipped out of the room. Aria stared blankly at the wall, shell-shocked.

“Smooth move, Casanova,” snickered Adagio from the doorframe.

“Bite me, Dag,” said Aria, smiling uncharacteristically wide. “You’ll have the house to yourself Friday night.”

“Good. I need a break from you morons.”

Aria Blaze was not very good at making friends. But, at that moment, that wasn’t important. All that mattered was that she had a date.

LBS: Date Night Beats Comic Books

On that fateful Friday night, everything was set. By 6:30 p.m., Sonata was getting herself ready for the night. She enjoyed a quick shower, begged Adagio to do her hair, and started preparing her makeup before finally slipping into her new dress, which, while a little on the short side, was still tasteful, and the aquamarine looked perfect on her. Sonata was so glad that she had made peace with everyone after the Battle of the Bands, and that Rarity was kind enough to help her get the proper attire.

Meanwhile, Adagio was making plans of her own. She had decided that today would be a cheat day, and she could eat as many prepackaged cookies and donuts as she wanted. On top of that, she had her secret, guilty pleasure that she had never even partaken in. The other girls would laugh at her, mock her and scorn her for it, which is why Adagio had decided to wait until she knew the other two Sirens would be gone before reaching under her bed, pulling open her shoebox, removing the DVD, and bawling her eyes out to The Fault in Our Stars.

Aria Blaze’s plans were a tad bit different. While the other girls were fully prepared for the night, Aria, in a feat of airheadedness that she swore she could never defend, had entirely forgotten about her date. Instead of getting ready for the orchestra, Aria was having a conversation she vowed she would never have. Again.

“You’re trying to tell me that you honestly believe that anyone from Marvel could go toe-to-toe with DC’s greatest?” asked Button Mash in disbelief.

“Yeah. That’s exactly what I’m saying. Their roster is amazing, but when you look at DC, they have…” Aria waited a moment, holding her comic in one hand and gesturing for Button to speak with the other. “Superman. That’s it! Superman, and Batman on a good day. Meanwhile, Marvel has Ant Man, Black Panther, Iron Man, Hulk, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Cyclops, Deadpool. Should I go on? I think I should, cause I didn’t even scratch the surface.”

“Look, I’m not saying Marvel doesn’t have some good heroes,” explained Button. “I’m saying that their best is nothing compared to DC’s worst.”

“Really? You do remember that you have Aquaman, right?”

“We try to forget about him.”

“DC has one hero that can’t be beat, and that’s Superman. Anyone else, and Marvel has the one. So that’s makes it a bajillion-to-one, but hey. That one point is something to be proud of,” remarked Aria.

“But all those bajillion are nothing to our one,” argued Button. “We have one Million-Dollar Hero. You have a hundred Fifty-Cent ones.”

“Whatever. I don’t have to defend myself to you,” scoffed Aria. Her fingers traced the spines of several comics before she found some she liked and pulled them from the box. “I’m out of here.”

“Where ya goin? Got a hot date?” said Button sarcastically.

The comics hit the floor, and a gasp escaped Aria. Her eyes shrunk to pinpricks, which was nothing compared to how her gut felt. It seemed as if her insides were folding in on itself.

“What time is it?!” demanded Aria. Button tilted his head in confusion. “Time! What time is it, little man?!”

“Uh…” Button whipped out his cell phone. “6:48. Why?”

Aria screamed something that Button couldn’t understand. It wasn’t English, he knew that for sure. It was a loud, shrieking yell of some tongue that he had never heard before.

“What?” asked Button.

“The Siren language,” explained Aria. “It means… Well, you’ll learn what it means when you’re older.” She gripped one of her pigtails angrily. “How in Tartarus am I supposed to get home in 12 minutes!”

“Where do you live?” asked Button.

“Across town!” shrieked Aria. “I blew it! Game Over, man, Game Over!”

“Dude, calm down. Where do you have to be so badly?”

“I have a date, and I have 12 minutes to find a dress, get into it, put on my make-up, maybe buy some flowers, I dunno,” Aria twisted her hair angrily. “Sony’s gonna be pissed. This was my one chance and poof! Gone.” She dropped her hair and pointed a finger at Button. “And it’s all your fault!”

“What?! How is it my fault?!” he demanded.

“If you weren’t so terribly wrong about comics, I wouldn’t have wasted my time talking sense into you!”

“I was wrong? And that’s coming from the girl with three vintage Teen Titan comics in her hand?”

“They’re the only ones I don’t have! They’re for collection purposes!” yelled Aria. While the two were arguing, they didn’t notice someone else enter. The blue-skinned girl’s smirk fell when she realized that the only two people in the shop couldn’t care less that she was there. She adjusted her hair, straightened the star clip near the top of her head, and cleared her throat.

Nothing

“Hello!” she said. “You have a customer!”

“You better get acquainted with the dirt, cause if I miss my date, you’re going six feet under!” threatened Aria, grabbing Button by the collar.

“Hello! Does anyone work here?!” asked the girl.

“I do. I’ll be with you in a second, Ms….” said Button. The girl smiled.

“Finally! You may call me the sensational, spectacular, unbelievable, unachievable, incredible, intangible, The Great and Powerful-”

“Tripsy,” said Aria. “I remember you from the Battle. You were super easy to control.”

“Trixie. The name is Trixie. The Great and Powerful Trixie!”

“What do you want?” asked Aria. Trixie pouted slightly, but slithered over to the box of comics.

“Trixie is looking for three very special comic books to finish her collection.” said Trixie. “You do have them, don’t you?”

“We’ve got everything. What’re you looking for?” asked Button.

“Trixie desires Showcase #59: The Return of the Teen Titans, Teen Titans #1, and Teen Titans #22: Origin of Wonder Girl.” listed Trixie. Aria scooped up her dropped comics, the three that Trixie was looking for.

“Yo. Tripsy,” said Aria. “I have them.”

“What?! NO! Trixie has scoured Canterlot City in search for these books, and now she has been beaten to the punch by this…” Trixie flipped through her mental thesaurus for a second. “This jezebel hussy!”

“Hussy?!” Aria’s blood went from chilled to boiling.

“Trixie knows what a Siren is! She did her research! What have you to say for yourself, you floozie?”

“That wasn’t us! Those myths were made way before we even got here!” growled Aria. “I don’t have time for this! I need to get across town in… How long before seven?”

“You have five minutes,” said Button. Aria screamed something else profane in her native tongue before dropping onto her butt. She felt the tears coming, but she refused to cry in the middle of a comic book store, in front of a freshman and a narcissistic magician. That would be beyond pathetic. Instead, she buried her head in her lap and let out a stream of swears that only she understood.

“Hm… Trixie needs the comics, you need a ride…” mused Trixie. “It would be an injustice, nay, a travesty if you were to be late. Mayhaps we could make a deal of some sort?”

Aria spiked up, then glared at Trixie. At that moment, Aria was forced to make a decision she never would have thought she would have to: Would she rather read old comics or go out with Sonata?

“You want the comics?” asked Aria. “Get me a dress and bring me home in the next five minutes, and they’re all yours.”

“Try not to vomit in Trixie’s car. Come now, Jezebel,” said Trixie, digging in her pocket for her keys. “You don’t have a problem with Trixie running a few red lights, do you?”

Aria tripped out of Trixie’s car dizzily, clutching her bouquet of roses tightly. As much as she disliked Trixie, Aria had to give her some credit. While she was still a few minutes late, she wasn’t terribly tardy. On top of that, she was in a nice, short, single strapped black dress, and she had time for some flowers. If Sonata liked it, then Aria thought she could live without her precious comics that she would almost definitely find on eBay for eighty-bazillion dollars more than what she was going to pay for them.

Aria sighed and pulled the hem of her dress down to about half the length of her thigh. Yes, Aria was going for a slightly more daring look than her date. She knocked on the door and waited expectantly.

Then she remembered that she lived there, and pulled open the door to let herself in.

“It’s about time you showed up,” growled Adagio, wrapped in a large blanket on the couch. “I’m all for being fashionably late, but I don’t think Sonata quite understands the concept.”

“Shut up, Adagio, I don’t have time,” snarled Aria. “Where is the little moron?”

“Upstairs. If you two do still plan on leaving, be quick about it.”

Aria ignored Adagio, but agreed that they should leave as soon as possible. She half-ran up the stairs and down the short hallway to her room. Their room. Aria gulped and opened the door to find, to her shock (and various other emotions) a very naked Sonata sprawled out on Aria’s bed.

“Knock much?” asked Sonata dejectedly. Aria caught an eyeful and quickly averted her eyes, blushing intensely.

“Sorry, I, uh… Sorry,” said Aria, staring at the door. “Is there… Is there, like, a reason that you’re butt-naked? Or on my bed?”

“Oh, I was already on your bed when I made the phone call,” said Sonata.

“Uh-huh. So that’s why you’re on my bed. What call?”

“Remember when you gave me that phone number earlier? To check on our seats?” said Sonata. “I called it, and they said that the orchestra was cancelled!”

“Why in Tartarus are you naked?!” asked Aria finally. “That’s the only problem that really matters!”

“Oh, I was so sad that we couldn’t go, so I just took everything off. I was going to change to some jammies, but I just decided to sit here,” sighed Sonata. “I was really looking forward to going out with you, Ari.”

Aria finally looked away from her door. To her own shock, her eyes naturally locked with Sonata’s. They were glistening with tears, her big, bright, once-happy eyes. Aria clenched her jaw, then strode into the room.

“Gimme your phone,” demanded Aria. Sonata shrugged slightly and tossed her smartphone to Aria.

“What’re you doing?” asked Sonata. Aria didn’t say anything, and instead surfed through the web. After a few moments, she let out a triumphant shout.

“Put your clothes back on,” commanded Aria. “And try something a little more casual. We have a new venue.”

Sonata and Aria walked from the concert with their arms hooked, and with Sonata leaning her head against Aria’s shoulders. Sonata was beaming and even Aria was clearly happy, though that was more from Sonata than the music.

“OMG, that was the single greatest thing ever.!” declared Sonata. “How’d you get tickets? Someone at school told me that the One Direction tickets sold out on day one!”

“Niall owed me a favor,” said Aria simply.

“And how did you get them to sing for me like that?”

“He owed me a few favors,” Aria grinned at Sonata as they walked, chatting and smiling and even laughing. It was an amazing experience; They had lived with each other for over a thousand years, but they were still learning about one another.

“Wait, wait, when did you meet 1D?” asked Sonata as they neared their home.

“Don’t judge me,” said Aria. “When they were first coming up, I… I was kinda their groupie.”

“What?”

“It was a one time thing, but I had a… a night with the boys that they probably didn’t want their precious Directioners to find out about.” Sonata nodded and let the thought stew in her head. It wasn’t until Aria was unlocking the front door did Sonata connect the dots.

“Hold on a sec! When you say ‘they owed you a favor’, did you actually mean that you blackmailed them?” asked Sonata.

“Did you enjoy yourself?” asked Aria. Sonata nodded. “Then it doesn’t really matter, does it?”

She pushed open the door and gestured for her to date to enter. Another thing that Sonata never knew about Aria, besides the One Direction thing, was that Aria was a perfect gentleman in many ways. Chivalry wasn’t dead, Sonata decided. It just switched gender.

Sonata smiled and stepped into the house. Nothing could have prepared her for what she saw on the other side.

The T.V. was flipped onto its side, surrounded by an amassment of candy wrappers and soda cans. On the couch was a trembling lump in a blanket, which occasionally let out a pitiful whine. Aria followed behind Sonata, keeping her eyes peeled for whoever had broken into their home.

“Dagi?” Sonata said tenderly.

“Go away, Sonata. I don’t want you to see me like this,” sobbed the lump

“Who was it? Did you see his face?” asked Aria. She was practically begging to run into the thief. That would surely get her some points with Sonata.

“Of course I saw his face. I watched the whole bloody movie,” said Adagio.

“What? Nobody broke in?” asked Aria, slightly disappointed.

“No, no, that was me. Don’t worry, I’ll bring it in first thing in the morning. I have the warranty,” sighed Adagio. “I think I’m ready to come out.”

The three of them stood motionless for a while, Aria and Sonata waiting for their fearless leader to shed the safe confines of her blanket.

“What’s stopping you?” asked Aria.

“My… my mascara is running. I can’t come out like this,” said Adagio. “Go upstairs! You must have so much to talk about!”

Aria shrugged her shoulders and offered her hand to her date. She led Sonata up the stairs, the both of them laughing at Adagio. Before they knew it, they were collapsing on Aria’s bed, laughing hysterically.

“And we vowed to follow her to the ends of the Earth,” laughed Aria.

“She can be really silly sometimes,” agreed Sonata. She got her laughs out, and took in a deep breath. “This was fun, Ari. We should do this all the time.”

“Maybe we should,” said Aria with a smirk. “You should drop out of school. We’ll have more time to hang out then. Get closer.”

“I have an even better idea! You can start coming to school again!” said Sonata. Aria’s smile fell into a glare in record time.

“That’ll be the day. You couldn’t pay me enough to step foot in that shack,” snorted Aria.

“Come on! You need to make some more friends.”

“I have friends,” lied Aria.

“That one freshman at the comic store doesn’t count,” said Sonata matter-of-factly. “I swear, the girls are super sweet! And they’re willing to look past the whole mind-controlling-the-school thing!”

“I guess that is a be-. Wait, what?!” yelped Aria. “I swear to God, Sony, if you tell anyone that I know that little snot stain, I will slaughter you!”

Sonata let out a girlish giggle, which had the dual effect of infuriating Aria and making her blush at the same time.

“Why do you have to be so friggin cute?” Aria smacked her with a pillow. “I’m serious, by the way. I will make you disappear, Sonata Blaze.”

A half-second passed before Aria realized what she let slip. Before she could start taking it back, Sonata had her most smug grin on.

“You know, that’s basically proposing,” said Sonata. “Already thinking about marriage? It’s only the first date, Ari.”

“But there will definitely be more, right?” asked Aria.

“Do I get to call you Aria Dusk?” asked Sonata.

“Call me whatever you want,” said Aria, closing her eyes in contentment. “Just stay away from ‘Jezebel’, kay?”

“Jezebel?”

“A long story. Maybe school wouldn’t be such a bad move,” mused Aria. “At least that way, I could get my comics back from Tripsy.”

“Don’t you mean Trixie?” asked Sonata.

“Wow, you’re already nagging me to death, and we’re not even official yet,” said Aria. She felt Sonata’s lips press against hers softly, lingering for a second before retreating.

“There. Totes official,” said Sonata. She pulled out her phone and opened Facebook. She scrolled around, selected her status and changed it with a smile.

In a relationship.

Author's Notes:

Fun fact: This story was originally going to be with Diamond Tiara, Applebloom, and Applejack filling the parts of Aria, Sonata, and Adagio, respectively.

Hope you enjoyed, feel free to comment, and I hope to see you in the next part.

LBS: Real Romance Beats Incestial Implications

Aria moved through the lunch line as quickly as she could. When selecting her meal, she resigned herself to pointing instead of verbally communicating with anyone. When she had her tray made, she paid her money and strode across the massive cafeteria. She garnered a few glares and looks of terror, which was nothing new to her.

Aria scanned the room for a moment before finding the table she wanted. She made her way to it then, balancing her tray on her right hand, she grabbed a chair from an adjacent table with her left. Aria slid the chair to the head of her table, dropped down, and started eating. After a few bites of her sandwich, she heard the wonderfully shrill shriek that told her Sonata was near.

“Ari!” squealed Sonata. She jumped from behind Aria, both of them wearing matching grins. Sonata dropped her tray next to Aria’s and jumped into Aria’s lap.

“Hey, Sony,” said Aria. She leaned forward and kissed Sonata softly. “What’s up?”

“Not much, but I didn’t think you’d be here!” said Sonata, though she was obviously pleased. “Oh, sorry, guys. What’s up with you?”

Sunset Shimmer, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, and even Pinkie Pie managed to remain entirely silent the whole time, watching with similar looks of shock, confusion, and discomfort.

“Howdy, Sonata,” said Applejack uneasily. “Uh… Wanna take this one, Sunny?”

“Right. Sorry,” said Sunset, shaking her head and making her fiery hair dance. “So… You gonna fill us in here, Sony?”

“What do you mean?” asked Sonata, taking a nibble of her own lunch.

“Well, you know that we’re friends now,” said Sunset.

“Uh-huh,” nodded Sonata.

“And we love having you here, eating lunch with us. You’re tons of fun,” continued Sunset. Sonata nodded, but didn’t answer through her mouthful of food. “Right. I guess what I’m trying to ask is… Well, one of the questions, anyway… Why is Aria here?”

“I can leave,” said Aria flatly.

“No, no, that’s not what she meant, darling,” said Rarity, jutting into the conversation. “We are all just at a loss.”

“What’s so confusing?” asked Aria.

“Um… Well… You hate us,” said Fluttershy.

“Uh-huh.”

“And now you’re sitting with us at lunch,” said Rainbow. “How did you even get in? I thought Celestia expelled you.”

“Yes and yes,” said Aria, taking another bite.

“If y’all hate us, and yer not even ‘posed to be here, why’re ya eatin lunch with us?” asked Applejack.

“I hate your guts. I do. Sonata doesn’t.”

Sunset shimmied uncomfortably in her seat. She cleared her throat and tried to think of a way to word her question that would give her an answer she could work with.

“Alright. Um… What’s going on with you two?” asked Sunset. “Why were you two just… making out?”

Aria scoffed and slid her tray to the side. She had fallen into a habit recently of stroking her hand down Sonata’s ponytail, which is what she did now.

“First of all, that was hardly ‘making out’. There was no tongue going on,” said Aria, ignoring how uncomfortable the other girls were. “Second, why do you think we were kissing?”

“Perhaps that was the wrong question,” said Rarity.

“Yeah, I guess so,” agreed Sunset. “You two are together now, obviously. You guys should know that I don’t care who gets with who, so long as everybody is cool with it. I just have to admit that I’m rather curious.”

“Oh. Never met a girl who was into girls before, huh?” asked Sonata.

“Nah. That’s not what she meant,” said Applejack. “Me an’ Dash are sorta the resident lesbians here, so she already knows a bit ‘bout that.”

“I don’t want to say the wrong thing in case it offends you,” said Sunset Shimmer. “How did it happen? You… You falling for…”

“How’d you end up dating your sister?” asked Pinkie finally.

If everyone else felt their face get warm, Aria’s melted onto the table. Even Sonata, who had been calm the entire conversation, found herself with her jaw hitting the floor next to Aria’s. The couple looked at each other, then back to the girls, still unable to respond.

“Well… That was certainly not the way I would have asked,” said Rarity.

“Sonata is not my sister,” said Aria. “Why would I be dating my sister?”

“We’re not trying to judge you or anything. Like I said, as long as you guys are both cool with it, I think it’s okay,” said Sunset Shimmer. “If the love is right, the love is good.”

“We have different last names!” said Sonata. “Sonata Dusk, Aria Blaze. See? They don’t even sound the same.”

“That doesn’t actually mean anything. Plenty of siblings have different last names,” said Rainbow Dash.

“I swear, me and Nata are not related,” said Aria. “I didn’t meet her until I was, like, fifty-four!”

“Again, doesn’t mean anything,” pointed out Sunset. “If you don’t want to talk about it, we can drop the subject. I’m sorry for even bringing it up.”

“She’s not my sister! Both of my parents were dead by the time she was born! I have, like, forty years on Sonata,” insisted Aria. The entire table, save for Sonata, seemed intrigued by this fact.

“That is a rather large age-gap, don’t you agree?” asked Rarity.

“When you live for a thousand years, age doesn’t matter in the same way anymore,” growled Aria. She was getting fed up with the group of girls, interrogating her for no particular reason.

This conversation went on for a few minutes more, Aria steadily growing more irate with every second. Even Sonata seemed to be getting a little annoyed, but she never showed it too much. Aria had defended herself in every single way possible, but none of it seemed to be good enough for the six girls. And, Aria noticed, despite Sunset Shimmer’s insistence that it didn’t matter and that they could drop the subject, she seemed to have no issue with the continued arguing.

“Look, I don’t know how else I can say this,” said Aria. “You won’t accept any proof short of a DNA test!”

“That would make an interesting episode of Maury,” said Sunset with a smirk. “I can see it now: ‘1000 year old Siren wants to prove that she’s not dating her sister’! Ratings would be through the roof.”

“You are despicable,” growled Aria. “Sony, get off me for a sec. I gotta go to the bathroom.”

Sonata jumped to her feet, smiling dreamily as if nothing else in that moment mattered. There weren’t many areas in which Aria considered Sonata superior, but keeping her cool was definitely one of them. By the time Aria was standing, Sonata had reclaimed the seat and had already started chatting with the rest of the table. Aria shook her head, turned, and walked right into a passer-by.

“Watch where you’re-” said Trixie, rubbing her throbbing nose. “Hey! What are you doing here, Jezebel?”

“Last time I checked, it’s a free country. Yeah, definitely,” said Aria. “Pretty sure I was there when that decision was made, too.”

Sonata pivoted her head, saw Trixie, and turned right back to the table. Her smile faded, and she resigned herself to silently eat the remnants of Aria’s lunch. Aria noticed and took note, but didn’t dare remove her attention from Trixie.

“You have some nerve, Jezebel, bumping into Trixie after she so graciously helped you get ready for your date!” said Trixie, as if Aria should be bowing right about now.

“You screwed me out of three comics and gave me motion sickness,” snarled Aria. “Trust me, I am almost regretting it.”

“Was your date not worth it?” asked Trixie smugly. “Though Trixie suspects that it was your fault! How did you trick some poor soul into going out with you in the first place?”

“Hey! I’ll have you know that Aria was a perfect date!” said Sonata. Trixie looked confused for a second, then all of the pieces fell into place.

“So you’re date was with her?” laughed Trixie. “Jezebel Blaze and Slow-nata Dusk. Now that Trixie thinks about it, it is rather fitting.”

A meter in Aria’s brain went from “fairly irate”, straight past “intense fury”, broke through the end of the bar and landed somewhere past “murderous intent”.

“Is there anyone who would be offended if I punched Tripsy in the face?” asked Aria. Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Sonata raised their hands while the other girls leaned back and watched. After a bit of a glare from Pinkie, Sunset Shimmer reluctantly raised her hand.

“Well, then, sorry in advance,” said Aria. She grabbed Trixie by the collar and lifted her off of her feet, the magician letting out a fearful yelp, then reared her fist back. She felt a hand grip her wrist and, with surprising strength, held her fist back.

“Don’t hit her, Ari. It’s fine,” said Sonata. “She calls me that all the time.”

“Nobody calls you slow except for me,” growled Aria. Sonata gave her a begging look which restrained Aria’s punch far more than her hand ever could.

“Listen here, Trixie. If you don’t want me to knock your lights out, you’re going to listen to everything I say,” said Aria. “You’re going to apologize to Sony for being a bully. You’re going to say ‘I’m so sorry, Ms. Sonata, I’ll never do it again’. Then, you’re going to bring me my comics and pray we never cross paths in the halls. Do you understand me?”

Trixie, incapable of proper speech, only managed to let out a series of whines while nodding her head. Aria dropped Trixie to the ground and stepped out of the way. Trixie practically ran past Aria, stopped in front of Sonata, and bowed her head.

“I am so sorry, Ms. Sonata, I’ll never do it again,” said Trixie, forgetting to speak in third-person out of fear. Then, she ran out of the cafeteria to get Aria’s comics.

“Ms. Sonata?” asked Sunset Shimmer.

“Oh, shut up. I was trying to get Tripsy to show my girl some respect, okay?” growled Aria.

“No, no, I was impressed. It’s cute, really.”

“I thought it was sweet, if a little aggressive,” agreed Fluttershy.

“That’s the only way she knows how to do things,” said Sonata. Without much warning she leapt into Aria’s arms, the latter nearly dropping the former.

“For chrissakes, Nata! One day, you’re gonna try that and break your friggin face cause I couldn’t catch you!” said Aria.

“Nope! I know that you’ll always be there to catch me!” said Sonata, smiling widely and nuzzling her head into Aria’s neck.

“Awwww!” squealed the girls, causing Aria’s face to grow warm and red.

“I didn’t know cuddling was a spectator sport!” snapped Aria. “Don’t you have somewhere to be?”

RIIING!!!

Aria stood and savored the moment while everyone else in the cafeteria started to rise and exit. All that mattered was that she was holding Sonata in her arms, and that what she said was true.

“You’re right,” said Aria. “I’ll always catch you."

Author's Notes:

Sorry for the wait on this one. I originally intended for there to be no more than a week between chapters, but I realized that I needed to take a little hiatus . Luckily, I finally got over myself and can put out more of this story . Hope you guys enjoyed.

LBS: Inebriation Beats Relationship Barriers

Friday nights were often the saving grace of high school students. Fridays meant freedom, albeit temporary, from all the stress and worries of school life. Monday through Thursday didn’t matter anymore; Now, it was Friday. Anything could happen on a Friday. Friends could meet up, relationships could be rebuilt, and one could have the time of their lives.

Except for the Sirens, who were sitting in their living room, groaning in boredom.

“We gotta do something!” exclaimed Sonata for the third time that evening. Since school got out and Adagio’s shift ended, the three rendezvoused in the living room and went about their normal routine; Aria picked her way through a large crate of comic books, Sonata rested her head on Aria’s lap while flipping through her phone, and Adagio sipped on a mug of tea while reading through whatever novel she had lying around. While this was the norm for the three, tonight Sonata found it unacceptable.

“Even if we wanted to, can’t you see that Adagio is busy?” asked Aria. “She can’t put that smut down for longer than a minute.”

“Shut up. I assure you, I can put down this trash whenever I choose,” said Adagio, her nose buried in Fifty Shades Freed.

“If it’s so bad, how come you’re still reading it?” asked Sonata.

“Because, Sonata, I already read the first two books. You know how much I despise an unfinished story,” grumbled Adagio.

“Yeah, Nata, we’d better let her read her book. We don’t want another Half-Life 3 situation on our hands,” snickered Aria.

“Over seven years and not a single word of its existence!”

For some reason, Sonata chose that moment to have a brilliant idea. She shot up, just barely missing Aria’s nose with her forehead. A big, cheesy grin broke out on her face to contrast the irritated frown on Aria’s.

“One day, you’re going to rip my comic or break my nose,” growled Aria. She closed her comic and returned it to the crate “Then, you’re going to disappear.”

“I know what we should do!” squealed Sonata, ignoring the threat. “We should go out for a drink!”

“A drink?” asked Adagio, raising an eyebrow and sipping her tea “You mean… Booze, correct?”

“Uh-huh! It’s been forever! I don’t think we’ve been to a bar since… I dunno when, honestly,” said Sonata. “I think Al was still alive.”

“That jerk owed me twenty bucks,” recalled Aria. “I hope the scars were worth it.”

“So what do you say? There’s a bar downtown that's supposed to be totes great! Let’s check it out!”

“I don’t know. Lately, I’ve felt like such a third wheel,” griped Adagio. “I thought things would be more normal after a few weeks, but you two are always joined at the hip.”

“Oh, did I mention that there are some hot guys who go by there all the time?” said Sonata. Adagio rolled her eyes and shut her book in annoyance.

“Come on, now. Did you really think that would be enough to convince me?” asked Adagio. She bit her lower lip in thought for a second. “How hot exactly?”

“Think Robert Pattinson, Chris Brown, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Channing Tatum,” listed Sonata. At this point, the only thing keeping Adagio seated on the floor was her own will, and that was quickly waning. She really, really, really didn’t want to give in, but she did like the idea of a bunch of Channing Tatum lookalikes all in one place.

“It’s not like I have a massive crush on any of those men,” said Adagio, in a shockingly unconvincing tone.

“Oh, and they have money. Tons of it,” added Sonata. Adagio was upstairs before Sonata could blink.

“Get ready girls!” shouted Adagio from the bathroom. “I’d like to leave before 9!”

Aria snorted her disapproval before getting to her feet and looking to her girlfriend. They shared a small laugh at Adagio, then headed upstairs. Together, they started digging through their respective closets. Over the years, they had acquired quite a few garments, and a select few followed them in every home they’d lived in.

“What’re you wearing, babe?” asked Sonata.

“Just some jeans and a tee. I mean, it’s not like I have anyone to impress, right?” said Aria. She pulled a pair of black jeans from her closet and went from indifferent to irked in record time. An off-white, almost beige splotching adorned the entirety of the left pant leg, splashing across to part of the right.

“Ugh! Who did laundry?” asked Aria angrily, though she already thought she knew the answer. Only Sonata was dumb enough to do something like this.

“Dagi did a load yesterday, and I hung em up for you,” said Sonata. She thoroughly inspected a shirt, then returned it to the depths of her closet when she concluded that chartreuse really wasn’t her color.

“Wait, this wasn’t you?” asked Aria.

“Nope. Adagio won’t let me do laundry anymore, remember? Not since the accident.”

“We had to replace all of our clothes and the apartment was flooded for a week,” Aria reminisced. “So it was Adagio who ruined these?” She sucked her teeth loudly. “Man, I loved these jeans.”

Keeping up with the day’s theme of sudden epiphanies, Sonata suddenly had a thought. Unlike her earlier realization, this one didn’t make her especially excited. Quite the contrary, she felt what might have been anger, or at least, the start of it.

“Hey! I just thought of something!” exclaimed Sonata.

“Hm? That’s new,” mocked Aria. “What’s that feel like to you?”

“You’ve never said it! We’ve been together for, like, a month, and you still haven’t said it!”

Aria thought a second, trying to do two things. Primarily, she was searching for a suitable replacement pair of jeans. On a subroutine, she gave herself the task of deciphering what in the world Sonata was talking about.

“I give up,” said Aria. “What haven’t I said?” She reached back into her closet and took out a pair of similar jeans, these belonging to Sonata. Not caring to ask how they got in there, Aria laid them on her bed.

“You haven’t said ‘I love you’!” said Sonata dramatically.

“So?”

“So? So?! You should’ve said it by now! This is a huge deal!”

“You haven’t said it,” noted Aria. “Why is it my job to initiate?”

“Cause you’re the guy! It’s the guy’s job to say it first!” said Sonata, as if it were obvious. Aria raised a questioning eyebrow, then pulled a violet tank top from her closer.

“I’m the guy? What’re you talking about?” asked Aria, pulling off her old shirt and slipping into her new tank top. “I think you might need to start keeping your fantasies in your head.”

“You know what I mean! You’re way more masculine than I am,” said Sonata. “If we were a regular couple, you’d be the guy.”

“So, just because I wear the pants, I have to do something I don’t feel comfortable doing?” asked Aria. She unbuckled her pants and pulled on Sonata’s. “That’s not really fair.”

“How come you’re not comfortable saying it?” asked Sonata.

“Cause I'm not. Can we just drop it for now while you get dressed?” said Aria, though it sounded less of a question and more of a demand. “I can practically hear Adagio’s ragged breathing.

“Shut up!” Adagio shrieked from the bathroom.

Aria let out a heavy sigh, then rose from her bed. Without a word to Sonata, she simply slid out of the room. Sonata was puzzled, and a little hurt, but didn’t pursue the issue. Finding an outfit was more important, and, as soon as she did, she’d be able to get some answers out of her girlfriend.

As soon as the three Sirens crossed the threshold of the bar, three very distinct thoughts ran through each their heads. As was usually the case, these thoughts were about as different as its owner’s viewpoint.

I’m so gonna have fun! thought Sonata, for she saw nothing but fun times ahead. There were tons of interesting people to talk to, the entire place had an atmosphere of friendship, and the bartender had a genuine smile on his face. Sonata saw opportunity.

I’m so gonna lose my mind! thought Aria, who saw everything Sonata saw and hated it. Too many people, too much noise, and what in Tartarus was that bartender grinning at so hard? The only reason Aria didn’t turn and leave at once was standing right next to her.

I’m so gonna get laid! thought Adagio, ignoring everything except the multitude of attractive, lonely, and (presumably) wealthy men scattered across the semi-crowded bar. In a slightly different way from Aria, Adagio also saw opportunity.

“To the bar!” declared Sonata, grinning widely. Adagio and Aria followed as Sonata led them forward. Adagio had a devious, minxy smile on her face, and she set herself a challenge.

“Seven minutes,” she said when the three reached the bar. Each of them deposited themselves on the wooden bar stools. “Seven minutes before I talk one these hunks into buying me a drink or twelve.”

“Someone’s confident,” said Aria. “Be careful, now. You don’t know what kind of weirdos hang out here.”

“Don’t you dare try to ruin this for me! This might be the best idea Sonata ever had, and I refuse to let your sour attitude get me down!”

“That’s the spirit, Adagio! Just let the good times come to you!” said Sonata. She already felt victorious, and the bartender hadn’t even served them yet.

“Whatever. All I know is that the bartender better get over here, ASAP,” grumbled Aria. “I need some booze already.”

“Excuse me,” said a man from behind Adagio. “Is this seat taken?” He pointed to a stool beside Adagio.

Dreamy blue eyes? Check. Chiseled features? Check. Washboard abs? Adagio couldn’t be entirely sure, but, at a glance, check. He covered all the bases, in big ways. Engaging Hunt Mode.

“Only by you,” said Adagio, barely choking back a girlish giggle. The man took a seat and tilted his head slightly at the sight of Adagio.

“Sorry, this might come off as creepy, but…” the man said. “Since you walked in, I couldn’t keep my eyes off of you.”

“Oh, I’m flattered,” said Adagio. “But are you sure you should be talking to me? Your girlfriend can’t be very happy with that.”

“That’s not a problem. I’m not seeing anybody right now.”

“In that case, my name is Adagio. I didn’t catch yours,” Adagio tilted her head in the same way.

“I’m Spencer. Pleased to meet you.”

“And you’re absolutely sure that you don’t have a girlfriend?” asked Adagio. Spencer shook his head. “Would you like to go to a booth and chat?”

“Oh, I couldn’t take you from your friends,” said Spencer bashfully. Adagio got up and grabbed Spencer by the wrist, smiling flirtatiously.

“I assure you, they will manage without me,” said Adagio. That ended all argument, and Spencer allowed himself to be led by Adagio. Aria and Sonata stared, wide-eyed at Adagio’s… skill, for want of a better word. Just before she was out of sight, Adagio managed to mouth “Don’t wait up” to the other two, which made her intentions clear.

“Wow. That’s something special,” said Aria.

“She could talk to someone after two minutes and it took you fifteen hundred years to ask me out?” asked Sonata.

“It is totally not the same thing! I want a girlfriend, she wants a sugar daddy,” sneered Aria. Sonata had to agree with that and so decided to leave it alone. An awkward silence threatened to arise, thankfully overturned by the appearance of the bearded bartender.

“Sorry for the wait, ladies. What can I get you?” asked the bartender.

“Irish Trash Can, please,” said Sonata.

“Jack Daniels for me,” said Aria. Sonata laughed and shook her head.

“She’s joking. Get her an appletini,” said Sonata.

“What? No. That’s a girl drink,” argued Aria.

“Babe, you drink like a girl,” Aria growled angrily, and Sonata raised her hands in defeat. “Okay, okay. Get her her whiskey, and bring an appletini as well. Just in case.”

“On it,” said the bartender. He reached under the counter and pulled out a pounder glass, a martini glass, a whiskey glass, then went back down for the multitude of bottles he’d need, as well as a can of Red Bull. He poured and mixed and stirred until the Sirens were looking at three glasses, one filled with a light green liquid and a Red Bull can, one with an amber liquid, and the last with a nearly glowing neon green drink.

“There you are. Just let me know if you need anything else,” said the bartender with a smile.

“Thank you,” said Sonata, returning the smile. As he walked away, she crossed her arms and looked at Aria. “Well? Aren’t you going to drink?”

“Whatever,” grumbled Aria. She took her whiskey glass and took a sip, the liquid instantly burning her throat. She slammed the mostly-full glass onto the table and started coughing furiously.

“See?” said Sonata. She took the glass and drained it in one gulp. “You drink like a girl.”

“Okay, so maybe I have over-romanticized memories of whiskey,” admitted Aria. “That doesn’t mean I like appletinis.”

“You could at least try it,” said Sonata, pulling the can from her glass. She watched in amusement as Aria grabbed the glass in the same way that a person might grab a sleeping cobra.

“Cheers!” said Sonata brightly, clinking her glass against Aria’s.

“I still don’t think I’m going to like this,” mumbled Aria, taking a careful sip. She looked at the glass, then drank the whole thing.

“Well? Do you like it?” asked Sonata, sipping her own drink.

“Oh, shut up,” said Aria playfully. Content with her girlfriend’s slightly improved mood, Sonata let out a sigh and sipped her powerful drink.

“Glad you like it,” said Sonata.

“Yeah… Guess you do know me pretty well,” admitted Aria. “So… What now?”

“We drink, get tipsy, talk about stuff, and maybe get kicked out of the bar,” listed Sonata. “Sound fun?”

“Definitely. So, how many of these will it take to get to the second step?”

“Let’s find out,” said Sonata. She waved the bartender over and asked him to refill Aria’s drink. When he was done and had started to walk away, Sonata steeled her nerves enough to ask the question that had been bugging her since they left the apartment.

“So… Can I ask you a question?” asked Sonata. Aria shrugged, but didn’t try to stop Sonata. “Kay. Why does it make you uncomfortable to say it? To say you love me?”

“I… It’s just that…” Aria couldn’t get the words out at first. “Okay. Let’s back up a bit. Remember when the three of us split up for a couple of years?”

Sonata remembered, though not very fondly. It was about eleven years that the three had gone their separate ways in search of Equestrian magic. Sonata was lost and lonely for the entire time, and it wasn’t an overall pleasant part of her life. When they met back up, they all agreed not to talk about it, and it never resurfaced. Until now.

“Yeah… “ said Sonata.

“I moved around a lot. Headed to Spain for a couple of years, then I stood in Germany,” said Aria. “It was hard. Met some people, and… It was just really difficult, you know?”

“What was so hard for you?” asked Sonata. Aria didn’t say anything for a while, instead busying herself with her drink. She drained her glass and planted it back onto the table.

“You must know what it’s like to be with someone, and then something happens to them,” said Aria. Sonata shook her head slowly.

“You’re the first person I’ve ever been with,” sighed Sonata. “Nobody ever noticed me, no matter how hard I tried to find somebody.”

“That’s their loss,” snorted Aria. “They’re missing out on a gem here. Should’ve taken you when they had the chance.”

Sonata beamed, her spirits raised. The look that she gave to Aria made her blush slightly, and she was more than willing to change the subject.

“I’ve been thinking about heading back there for a little while,” said Aria. “Spain. I’d like to take you out there.”

“That sounds nice. We should start planning it, huh?” asked Sonata.

“Definitely. I used to stay in Aragon, and I’ve been thinking about taking you and Adagio there,” said Aria. “Or maybe just us. But those are just my plans. What have you been thinking of doing? You must’ve been making plans since we lost the pendants.”

“I’ve been… Well, I’ve wanted to do something, but…” Sonata sipped her drink to try and loosen up. “I’ve been worried.”

“Bout what?”

“You’d call me dumb,” said Sonata.

“I always call you dumb.”

“Yeah, but…” Sonata let out a wistful sigh, then finished off her drink. “Okay. I’ve always wanted to do this, even before we got banished here. I’ve never had the chance, because I’ve been scared, but… I really want to sing.”

“What’s been stopping you?” asked Aria. She pushed her glass away, making a self note to ask the bartender for a slightly stronger girly drink.

“It’s so hard to get noticed. I don’t want to get rejected by anyone,” said Sonata, staring down at the table. “I don’t know how to get myself out there.”

“You can’t be afraid to jump out and do it. If you want something, you have to grab it,” said Aria. “Don’t let fear hold you back. You want it, you have to grab it.”

For the third time in that day, Sonata had a sudden burst of insight. She realized that Aria was right, that she had to grab it. But, more importantly, Aria needed help to practice what she preached.
Sonata jumped from her stool and hugged Aria tightly, kissing her softly on the cheek. Aria didn’t know how to react at first, but soon made a decision. She kissed Sonata deeply, breaking away when their breathing got too ragged.

“I love you,” said Sonata.

“I… I-I… I think….” Aria slurred. “I think you gave me contact buzz.”

“You wanna head home?” asked Sonata. Aria shook her head.

“No. I need to get some liquor in me, and then we need to talk,” said Aria. “Is that okay?”
Sonata called the bartender over, and the two drank some more. Sonata smirked slightly. Aria really couldn’t say it just yet. Sonata could deal with that, so long as they had some booze to drink and something to talk about.

The first thing Aria noticed was the pounding in her head. It wasn’t until she sat up and put her palm to her forehead did she realize that A) Her hair was down, B) She was topless, and C) She was on Sonata’s bed. Sonata herself was looking up at the ceiling, her eyes half-shut, and was wearing Aria’s tank top, her hair also down and loose.

“Morning, babe,” said Sonata drowsily. Aria fell onto her back, her migraine growing in intensity slightly.

“Hey. Last night was fun,” said Aria. Sonata rolled over and laid her arm across Aria’s chest.

“Sure was. How’s your head? Got a hangover?”

“Yeah, a little. I’ll be fine, though,” Aria laughed quietly. “You know how to party, huh?”

“I just like having fun, especially with you,” said Sonata. “Look, I’m sorry about last night. I shouldn’t have tried to pressure you into saying it. I won’t try to rush you anymore.”

Aria ran her hand through Sonata’s sea of blue hair. The memories from last night came drifting back and Aria tried her best to be upset, but she couldn’t bring herself to it. Mostly because she knew that she was being silly.

“I love you, too,” said Aria, kissing Sonata on the cheek. She closed her eyes and the two sat warmly, waiting for a reason to get out from the grasp of the other. If they were to guess, they wouldn’t find one for quite a while.

Author's Notes:

Is it super obvious that I don't drink?

LBS BONUS CHAPTER: Adagio's One Night Stand

Adagio grinned deviously as she dragged Spencer behind her. She glanced back, just to get an eyeful of him. He was divine, perfect in every single possible way! What really got Adagio was that hair; She always had a weakness for men with long, slick blonde hair. All of his perfection set off the warning lights in Adagio’s head, but she refused to let this be ruined.

That’s just Aria’s pessimism rubbing off, Adagio said in her head. Everything is going to be wonderful.

And it was. They sat in a booth, ordered some drinks (a martini for Adagio, the finest bourbon in the bar for Spencer). They talked and drank and drank some more. Just as Adagio said, everything was great. He was perfect, if a little… nervous, it seemed. He kept glancing over his shoulder and towards the door as if expecting to have to make a break for it at any moment. Adagio chalked it up to intimidation and, looking at herself, couldn’t blame him. If she was him, talking to someone like herself, she’d be intimidated, too.

“I really should go easy on the drinks,” said Spencer, though he was already feeling rather buzzed. “I do have to drive home, you know.”

“Hm… Maybe we should take things over to your place?” offered Adagio. “Finish the party over there?”

“I think I like that idea,” said Spencer, rising from his seat. Adagio followed close behind, and, making sure Spencer couldn’t see, punched the air.

“Um… You didn’t pay already, did you?” asked Adagio.

“Me? Pay? Don’t be absurd,” scoffed Spencer. Adagio was slightly offended, but laid the money on the table nonetheless. To be fair, she was the one who initiated, so she should be the one to pay. In any case, that wasn’t a huge deal. Adagio shook it off and followed Spencer out of the door and to his car.

The first revelation came at about halfway to Spencer’s house, and it was a bit of a doozy. Adagio had to ask him to repeat himself a few times before it truly settled in her mind. Her mental warning lights went from “slightly skeptical” to “WARNING, WARNING, DANGER!”

“My name isn’t really Spencer,” he said. “I always liked that name better, so that’s what I’ve taken to calling myself. I realize that I shouldn’t have lied like that, but you can surely forgive that, right?”

“What’s your real name?” asked Adagio nervously.

“It’s… It’s Vladimir. Ugh, even hearing it from my own mouth is offensive to the ears!” yelped Vladimir. Adagio settled slightly in her seat. She understood what it was like to want to experiment with titles; She herself had changed her name a few times over the years, but she always reverted back to “Adagio”, and Vladimir would do the same. She could deal with this, it was forgivable enough. Though, if Adagio was being perfectly honest, that might’ve been the martinis talking.

Soon enough, long after the name discrepancy was resolved, they pulled up to a massive, intricate, mansion of a house. As soon as Adagio saw it, she forgot all of his flaws and could focus on only him. The only proper thought Adagio could keep hold of was that Vladimir was loaded.

“Welcome to my humble abode,” said Vladimir with a smirk.

“Care to invite me in?” asked Adagio, matching his smile. The two exited the car and proceeded to the house, which, Adagio and Vladimir had assumed, was entirely empty. With that assumption in mind, they made no attempts at subtly or discretion on their way up the stairs and to the bedroom.

“Oh yeah? Well, I hope I gave you something!” shouted Adagio fiercely. “A thousand years is a long time, buddy, and I’ve been with a lot of guys!!”

“Stay off of my property, you hussy,” said Vladimir flatly. He tossed Adagio’s clothes out of the window, her shirt and skirt hitting the grass in front of her.

“Are you talking to me? Or your mother!” yelled Adagio. She scooped up her clothes and threw them on before half-running from the house. She got to the end of the block before she realized a major problem.

“Where in Tartarus am I?!” she shrieked.

Adagio was, as the saying went, up the creek without a paddle. Her purse, which contained her phone and all of her cash, was sitting on Vladimir’s floor, and she was not going back to get her stuff. She’d rather die than look at that pathetic sack of a man again.

Adagio drifted madly around, turning and reversing wildly. She had no clue where she was, and had no way to contact the girls. This was, to put it in the simplest of terms, a problem.

“Calm down, Adagio,” she said to herself. “Breathe, girl. You’ve been in tougher situations. You can find your way home.”

HONK!

“What?! What do you want?!” yelled Adagio madly. She didn’t expect to turn around and see a hot pink sedan pulled up to her right, but that is exactly what was there. The windows slowly rolled down and a pink haired head poked out.

“Adagio? Is that you?” called Pinkie.

“For the love of…” muttered Adagio. “What?”

“Are you okay, darling? You look absolutely dreadful,” said another voice from the inside of the car. If Adagio’s memory served her well, that was Rarity.

“You would too, if you just had the worst one night stand ever,” snarled Adagio. “That rude little momma’s boy!”

“Do you want to talk about it?” asked Pinkie. “Me and Rares are headed to my place for some pizza and ice cream. There’s room for one more…”

“Thanks, but no thanks. I’d rather go back to Vladimir than get in a car with you two.”

Rarity swung open her door suddenly, she basically running out of the door and grasping Adagio’s shoulders.

“Darling… Did you just meet with Vladimir Blueblood?” she asked.

“Yeah. Why?” asked Adagio. “Do you know him?”

“Please, darling, come along with Pinkie and myself,” begged Rarity. “You must be thoroughly distressed. And, no offense, you look like you’ve been hit by a bus.”

“Considering what actually happened, I think I’d prefer the bus,” growled Adagio. “Very well. It’s not like I have a way out of this area anyway.”

Rarity helped Adagio to her feet and ushered her over to the car. The two slid into the backseat while Pinkie pulled off. She didn’t live very far, and five silent minutes later, Adagio was being led through a very pink house to a very pink bedroom. Without saying a word, Adagio fell face-first onto Pinkie Pie’s very pink bed, threatening to cry into Pinkie’s very pink blanket. Pinkie and Rarity looked at each other with slight unease. After a second of thought, Rarity reached a decision. She shooed Pinkie away, then entered the room. She sat on the bed to the left of Adagio’s legs.

“Would you care to talk about it?” asked Rarity.

“I cannot put into words how terrible of an experience that was,” groaned Adagio through the mattress. “You couldn’t possibly understand.”

“What if I told you that I dated Vladimir for an entire month during sophomore year?” offered Rarity. Adagio shot up straight, staring at Rarity in confusion.

“How? That math doesn’t work out,” said Adagio. “I met him at a bar, so he is at least twenty-one. At youngest, you were dating him when he was twenty. You’re, what? Seventeen? How did you get away with that?”

“Blueblood isn’t twenty-one,” said Rarity, rolling her eyes. “He’s sixteen.”

“How did he get into the bar?”

“When your parents have as much money as his do, finding someone to convincingly forge an ID is rather easy.”

“Hey, what do you guys want on your pizza?” asked Pinkie from the doorway.

“Spinach and feta,” said Rarity and Adagio in tandem. A small fit of giggles burst from the girls, but they soon regained their composure. Adagio and Rarity were very much alike in that regard; Beneath their thick outer layer of class and grace, they were still normal teenage girls (or as much of a normal teenage girl as a millennia-old Siren could be).

“Okie-doke! I’ll order it now!” said Pinkie, sliding away.

“We’ve beaten around the bush enough as it is, darling,” said Rarity. “It’s time to talk about the elephant in the room. What was your experience like?”

“He was so hot,” groaned Adagio. “He was perfect! He was funny and charming and rich!”

“Yes, that is how he gets you,” said Rarity, nodding her head. “He let you drink, no?”

“Yes. I had a few martinis,” admitted Adagio. “That’s when I started to notice! He’s… He’s so… What’s the opposite of chivalrous?”

“Ray Rice?” offered Pinkie from the kitchen.

“Pinkamena Diane Pie!” yelled Rarity, aghast by the comment. “We have discussed this before! That is not funny, and, as a lady, I am offended that you joke about such horrible things!”

“Come on, even I admit that was kind of funny,” snickered Adagio. “And I’ve been around during way worse. There was a point in your history when your husband could beat you with a stick, so long as it was no thicker than his thumb. Mind you, back in those days, guys had some massive hands.”

“It still feels wrong,” grumbled Rarity. Adagio shrugged her shoulders and fell back onto the bed.

“What am I going to do?” asked Adagio. “I left my purse and phone in Vladimir’s room. Even if I could call, Sonata and Aria are probably too drunk to do anything.”

“You could always stay here for the night!” said Pinkie Pie brightly, bouncing into the room with a pizza box in her right hand, two bottles of soda in her left (Mountain Dew for her and Diet Dr. Pepper for the others), and a stack of plastic cups balancing on top of her head.

“I love sleepovers as much as the next Siren, but I don’t have any pajamas,” said Adagio. Pinkie dropped the food and drinks onto the floor and leapt over to her dresser, retrieving a set of orange pajamas.

“Sunny left these here last time she was over! I’m sure she would be fine with letting you borrow them!” said PInkie.

“Thank you,” said Adagio, accepting the clothes. She stared at the pajamas for a moment, contemplating. “I don’t understand. I’ve manipulated you into fighting with your best friends. I’ve used some of the people you know and love to beat you. We had a magic fight that easily could have ended in you dying.”

“Where are you going with this?” asked Rarity. Adagio ran her hand through her giant poof of hair.

“I’m a terrible person! I’m awful and evil and manipulative! I am a complete scumbag!” said Adagio. “And yet, you are about to share a pizza with me.”

“Everybody deserves a second chance,” said Pinkie.

“Not me. Some things are unforgivable,” Rarity grabbed Adagio’s hand in her own, the two locking gazes. Rarity was surprised to see the beginning of tears form in Adagio’s eyes.

“Every single thing you said was true, but for the old you,” said Rarity firmly. “It has been, what? Three months? And what do you do now?”

“I sell idiots guitars and make promises to see their bands play,” said Adagio.

“See? Contributing to society! I say it’s time to stop dwelling on the past, and to look towards the future! One must first forgive themselves before asking for the forgiveness of others.”

“Have you been watching Joel Ostein again, Rare-bear?” asked Pinkie. “That sounds like something he’d say.”

“Ignoring that comment, you really do need to learn to let things go,” said Rarity. “We have forgiven you. There is no need to feel guilty. Unless, of course, you plan to do that again.”

“No! Never!” Adagio raised her hands in mock-surrender. “I would never… The very idea… I couldn’t…”

“Wowzers, you’re so nervous!” said Pinkie. “It’s kinda cute.”

“I know, right?” agreed Rarity. “The big, bad, scary Siren is shaking in her knee highs. If I didn’t know better, I’d say that is a bit of a nervous blush on your face, Adagio.”

“Oh, shut up. You guys are worse than Aria and Sonata,” snorted Adagio. “Where’s your bathroom? I’d like to change now.”

“Right there, silly!” said Pinkie, pointing to a big, pink, obvious door that Adagio swore wasn’t there before. “If it were a Gummy, he woulda gummed you!”

Adagio shook her head and found her way into the bathroom. The door shut behind her, Adagio finally gave in to the tears that had been threatening to escape all night. She stood and silently cried for a few minutes before pulling off her clothes and jumping into her borrowed pajamas. She hadn’t cried in a few hundred years. Tears meant weakness, and the others couldn’t afford to see weakness in their leader. Still, it felt liberating, calming, to let it all out.

“Adagio, darling? Are you alright?” asked Rarity, leaning her ear against the door.

“Rarity, Pinkie Pie, are you my friends?” asked Adagio.

“Of course!” they both said, without a second of hesitation. Adagio smiled and pulled open the door.

“Then, yes. I think I will be just fine,” said Adagio. “You two are a nice break from the lovey-dovey morons.”

“Pinkie, go fetch my emergency make-up kit, would you?” asked Rarity. “We need to get this ruined mascara off of you, Adagio.”

Adagio nodded her head and flopped unceremoniously onto the floor. Soon, Rarity was removing Adagio’s make-up and applying a moisturizing cream to her face, all the while lecturing her about keeping up her complexion. The minutes ticked into hours, and soon the girls were ready to call it a night. After Pinkie Pie rolled out two sleeping bags and handed out sleep masks, she shut out the lights and wished everyone a good night. For a long while, Adagio was in a weird train of thought, where she couldn’t stop saying something to herself.

“This is the best one night stand ever,” she whispered. The girls chuckled, and Adagio was soon grasped by a calm, delightful sleep.

Author's Notes:

Do you guys like the occasional Bonus Chapter that departs from the main story? Or do you only want AriNata stuffs?

LBS: Tickle War Beats Homework Stress

Aria slammed her fist angrily down on her bed, crumpling her homework beneath her hand. She couldn’t believe it! She had gone through high school a hundred times, gone through public schools and private schools and catholic schools and art schools, time and time again, but still she couldn’t wrap her head around a little bit of pre-cal. It was absurd, to say the least.

What Aria didn’t know (besides the answers to her homework) was that Sonata was staring at her from the doorway. Like a predator hunting prey, Sonata stalked into the room, creeping quietly towards her target and closing the door quietly behind her. No escape for her target. Silently and with expert dexterity, Sonata slipped off her boots and stepped past them in two swift movements. Now unhindered and entirely silent, Sonata prowled forward. She paused about a foot away from the bed, crouched down, and leapt onto Aria.

Then, the battle began.

"Sonata!" yelped Aria, but it was too late. Sonata had her pinned to the bed and began her work. She expertly ran her thin and nimble fingers down Aria’s side, both of them giggling slightly. Aria’s eyes widened with fear when she realized what was happening.

“Sonata, don’t you dare!” shouted Aria behind her giggles. Taking the challenge, Sonata worked her fingers even harder, sliding up and down Aria’s midriff.

“Sony!” laughed Aria madly. “Stop!” Sonata did no such thing. “Hahahaha! Stop!”

“Never!” declared Sonata. She had learned long ago that Aria was dangerously ticklish, but never before had she been able to use such knowledge.

“Nata, I- Hahaha! I swear to God, I will kill you!” cackled Aria, thrashing underneath Sonata’s surprising strength.

“You’re not very scary when you’re laughing so hard that you might pee yourself,” commented Sonata, tickling even harder.

“HAHAHA! I swear, if I- Haha! If I piss myself- HAha! Cause of you!” guffawed Aria. The door swung open and Adagio, looking down at her phone, stepped into the room. She must’ve just gotten off of work, because she was still wearing the bright blue “DJ SC-R4TCH” shirt and cap.

“Pinkie Pie invited us over to her place for Chinese and video games,” said Adagio. “Are you coming?”

“HAHA! SONATA, YOU ARE DEA- HAHAHAHA!”

Adagio looked up at the intense battle going on before her. Aria, red in the face and struggling pathetically beneath a girl that Adagio wagered was about 50 pounds, soaking wet. The assault ceased for a second as Sonata and Aria locked eyes with Adagio, triumph, embarrassment, and confusion apparent on each of their faces.

“So… Just me, then?” asked Adagio sheepishly. Aria, ever the opportunist, saw her chance and grabbed it. Using her newly regained strength, she flipped Sonata over onto her back. Now, Aria was the one holding Sonata down.

“Oh, I’m gonna have fun getting my revenge,” snarled Aria. “I ain't scary? I'll show you just how scary I can be!” Sonata practically shrunk beneath Aria’s looming, terrifying form.

“Dagi! Help!” squealed Sonata.

“Pinkie? Yeah, it’s Adagio,” said Adagio, holding her phone to her ear. “Tell the girls that it’ll just be me. Sonata and Aria are… tied up. Hm? Oh, they’re… I don’t know, really. Girlfriend stuff, I suppose.” Adagio looked up and saw Aria slowly lifting Sonata’s shirt, revealing her flat, blue tummy. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to see you now. Things are getting… Well, girlfriend stuff.”

Adagio turned and left the room while Sonata’s request for help died away in her throat.

“Ari? What are you doing?” asked Sonata frightfully. Aria only answer was in the form of a sadistic grin and the further lifting of Sonata’s shirt. Aria rolled it to a stop just beneath Sonata’s breast, running her hands down Sonata’s middle. She brought her face down to her girlfriend’s belly, pressing her lips just above her navel.

And then she blew.

Pbbbbbbt!

“BWAAAA-HAAAAA!!!” cackled Sonata. She laughed and laughed, trying her best to escape the torture. Aria would allow no such thing, not yet. She blew the loudest, wettest raspberry on Sonata’s tummy, reducing her to baby-like babbling for quite a period. After a while, Aria lifted her face from Sonata’s stomach and planted a kiss on her lips.

“What was that about?” asked Aria. “Tickle fights? That’s so… normal.”

“You seemed stressed. I just wanted to brighten your mood a little bit,” panted Sonata. Her laughs had emptied her lungs and thoroughly exhausted her.

“Well, I guess you did,” huffed Aria, also rather tired.

“What had you so worked up, anyway?” asked Sonata. Aria reached to the floor and grabbed her fallen homework and passed it to Sonata.

“I can’t figure out this friggin pre-cal garbage,” grumbled Aria. “I’ve been at it for an hour and I can’t get past the first problem.” Sonata looked at the paper for a second, grabbed Aria’s discarded pencil and, in a manner of moments, filled out the worksheet.

“There ya go,” said Sonata. “You can check my work in the back of the textbook, if you like.”

Everything Aria knew about the world was suddenly under investigation.

“I… But, you’re…” Aria stuttered, dumbstruck. “You’re… You’re supposed to be the stupid one…”

“Well, I’m really good with numbers. I guess I’m some kinda samont,” said Sonata, shrugging her shoulders.

“Savant. And yeah, you sure are. You might as well be Rain Man.”

“OMG, I love that movie!” squealed Sonata in excitement. Aria rolled her eyes and let her homework drop to the floor. Part of her wanted to get up and head over to Pinkie’s, but she didn’t quite feel up to it yet.

“Feel like going with Adagio?” asked Aria. Sonata shrugged her shoulders.

“Not really. Today feels like a day for tacos and old movies,” said Sonata. Aria nodded her agreement, and grinned. She always loved date night.

The next day, Aria turned in her homework to find that every answer Sonata supplied her with was wrong. She hung her head in disappointment, more in herself than anything. She really should’ve known better. She spent the rest of the day to decide how she would get her back, finally settling on the tried-and-true tickle torture.

LBS BONUS CHAPTER: Adagio's Initiation

Adagio pulled up to the now familiar pink house, stopping her car just in front of Pinkie’s hot pink one. She put her vehicle in park and stepped out, then walked across the driveway and to Pinkie’s front door. She knocked sharply twice, the door opening almost before she could finish.

“Hello, Adagio Dazzle,” said Sunset Shimmer flatly, standing in the doorway with her arms crossed over her tough leather jacket. “You are alone, correct?”

“Um… Yes? Is Pinkie here?” asked Adagio confusedly. “We were supposed to order take-out and play Halo…”

“Pinkie had to step out for a while, so I let myself in,” said Sunset casually. “Please, do come in.”

“I don’t feel very comfortable going into her house when she’s not here,” said Adagio. She scratched at her neck nervously. “I’ll wait.”

“There’s no need for that. I promise, Pinkie Pie won’t mind. Come in and have a seat,” said Sunset, this time a little more firmly.

“I really shouldn’t. I just became friends with her, and I really don’t want to betray her trust like this. I don’t see her being okay with-”

“Come in, and sit down,” said Sunset slowly. The way she said it wasn’t a request. It was a demand.

“Well, if you say she won’t be upset…” said Adagio nervously. She stepped into the house, leaving her better judgement on the doormat. As soon as she crossed the threshold of the home, she knew she had made a terrible mistake. She heard the door close and lock behind her, trapping her in the semi-darkness. From what Adagio could tell, the Pie family had forgotten to pay their light bill. The only source of light came from the lit candles that rested on almost every flat surface.

“Um… Is she having a séance or something?” asked Adagio, chuckling to try to alleviate the tension. Sunset didn’t react, which had the exact opposite effect.

“So, you finally came around and apologized,” noted Sunset Shimmer. “I gotta say, I expected it to take a little longer. We knew Sonata would be the first, and nobody doubted that Aria would just treat us as nothings at best. But you… You turned from Heel to Face way sooner than we thought.”

“I do hope you meant that as a compliment, because that’s how I’m going to take it,” said Adagio. “Look, Sunset, I would like to officially give you my apology.” Sunset Shimmer cut Adagio off with a shake of the head.

“That’s why you’re here. To prove yourself,” said Sunset Shimmer. “There are six rooms in this house with your name on the door. Behind each door, you will face a trial. Complete all six trials, and we will officially forgive you, Sonata, and Aria.”

“Is my apology not enough?” asked Adagio, raising an eyebrow.

“Honestly? No. It’s super easy to be apologetic when your method of evil is broken,” said Sunset. “There’s a difference between ‘I’m sorry for what I’ve done and I’d like to repent’ and ‘I can’t do anything to hurt you people, so I may as well simmer down’. I had to do the same thing when I turned.”

“Okay, okay. What sort of trials?” asked Adagio.

“No clue. I was only responsible for mine. What the others do is up to them,” said Sunset, keeping her same, calm demeanor. “You can go through them in any order you choose, except you have to do mine last. You can go whenever you’re ready. I’ll be in Pinkie’s room, when you’ve completed the other five.”

And, with that, Sunset Shimmer disappeared into the depths of the house. Adagio heard the faint click of Sunset closing the door behind her. Adagio sighed deeply to try and collect her thoughts.

“Alright, Adagio. You can do this,” she said to herself. “Honestly, the only one to worry about is Sunset Shimmer. The others don’t have the ability to do anything horrible.”

When Adagio was done psyching herself up for the coming events, she set off through the house. She found the first door rather easily; A few steps past the kitchen and to her right, a pink slip of paper with her name on it was taped to the door. Adagio opened the door, and descended down the dark stairway.

When Adagio reached the bottom, she was met with a desolate basement, empty with the exception of a wooden table holding a plate of six cupcakes, and a very odd looking Pinkie Pie. She was dressed in all black, and her hair fell flat down her head.

“Hello, Adagio Dazzle,” said Pinkie, any trace of her usual excitement gone. “I have a little game for you.”

“I did come for games,” said Adagio nervously. “But, somehow, I have a feeling you don’t have an Xbox under that table.

“Six cupcakes. I baked them myself,” said Pinkie, ignoring Adagio’s attempt at a joke. “One is dark chocolate. One is red velvet. Another is salted caramel.”

According to Sunset Shimmer, who spoke to her after the fact, the sound of Adagio’s stomach grumbling could be heard from all the way upstairs.

“What’s the catch?” asked Adagio, trying to hide the monstrous, lion-shaming growl she emitted.

“The other three are… not so tasty,” said Pinkie, smirking evilly. “You pick three. Whichever ones you don’t pick go to me. You taste your cupcakes, and then I taste mine. If you manage to eat all three of your cupcakes without barfing, in their entirety, you pass the trial.”

“And what’s the deal with the hair?” asked Adagio curiously.

“To throw you off. Did it work?”

“A little. So, do I get any hints?” tried Adagio. Pinkie stared blankly forward, which said to Adagio that, no, she absolutely did not get any hints.

Every cupcake looked exactly the same; The same blood-red frosting, the same pitch-black wrappers. It was, Adagio realized, entirely up to chance. She decided that she could take anything fate had to throw at her, and selected her three cupcakes at random. Pinkie slid the remaining cupcakes to the side for her own consumption.

“Are there peanuts in any of these?” asked Adagio. “I’m deathly allergic.”

“I did my research. And I have Epi-Pens ready, just in case,” said Pinkie. Before Adagio could even voice her question, Pinkie added “Maud has peanut allergies, too.”

“Well… Let’s get this over with, then,” said Adagio nervously. She picked up her first cupcake and peeled down the wrapper. The cake itself was red, which seemed like a good sign to Adagio. But, knowing Pinkie Pie, she had made all of the cupcakes look like red velvet, in an attempt to further confuse and disorient her poor, unsuspecting victim.

Adagio sank her teeth into the cake which, to her delight, was actually the red velvet she hoped it was. Forgetting her diet, Adagio quickly devoured the entire cupcake in a few large bites, then picked up the second. Confident, she ripped off the wrapper without a care and bit into it. The smell of fish assaulted her nose, the scent alone enough to make Adagio want to vomit. She spat it onto the table, raking her tongue and gagging.

“Pinkie! Did you put fish in this?!” demanded Adagio.

“Maybe I did, maybe I didn’t,” taunted Pinkie.

“Pinkie! This is not a game! Is this fish?!”

“Calm down, Dag. It’s just seaweed and snail juice,” said Pinkie. She grinned sadistically. “Enjoy.”

Relief passed through Adagio, followed by disgust and shock, mingled with a little dash of respect. It was with a heavy heart and a refusing stomach did Adagio consume the sour, rancid, near-inedible “cupcake”, and that was a very giving term.

“Lookin a little green there, Dagi,” noted Pinkie. She kicked an orange bucket from beneath the table. “Just in case you need it.”

“You think that’ll be enough to make me throw up?” scoffed Adagio. “Please! I’ve lived in the U.K., pre-Gordon Ramsay. I’ve tasted the worst of the worst. Now, give me that last cupcake.”

Adagio took the last cupcake defiantly and shed it of its wrapper. Nothing could stop her now, least of all a bad cupcake. She quickly took a big bite, and instantly felt as if her tongue had been doused in kerosene and she ate a lit match. She began coughing furiously, trying to eject the heat.

“Awww! I was hoping I’d get that one!” complained Pinkie. “I spent a long time perfecting that one! Ghost Pepper cake with Chocolate Habanero frosting and a Scotch Bonnet filling!”

“Are you insane?!” gasped Adagio, though Pinkie Pie’s maniacal laughter more or less answered her question. Pinkie expected Adagio to cop out, so she was curiously delighted to see Adagio finish off her treat. By the time she was finished, sweat was consistently pouring down her face, and her tongue was in the most pain she had ever experienced.

“Gah! I’m gonna die,” panted Adagio. “Water! Give me water! Now!”

“Sorry, Dagi. If you take water, you lose the challenge,” said Pinkie.

“You psychopath!”

“Joking, joking! Water won’t help you, anyway,” giggled Pinkie. She reached to the top of her head, her hair exploding into it’s usual wilde puff. After digging around her hair for a while, Pinkie pulled out a tall glass of ice cold milk. Adagio grabbed it up and drained it as quickly as she could. The fire in her mouth was extinguished, slowly but surely, and Adagio was ready to recommence.

“Okay. I win. Now have your… just desserts,” said Adagio, cackling madly at her own terrible pun. Pinkie just shrugged her shoulders and grabbed up the cupcakes. She tossed the first into her mouth.

“Mmmm! Dark chocolate!” Pinkie squealed. She ate the next one in one big bite. “Salted caramel… So the last one is…” Pinkie swallowed the last cupcake. “Right. I thought so. Wheat grass and sawdust. Well, you passed! Go on to the next trial!”

Adagio raised her fist triumphantly, marching up out of the depths of the basement. She ripped the sign from the door and went in search of the next. If that was the first trial, the next could only be easier. That had to be the worst they had to offer, right?

Wrong.

Adagio found the next sign on the back door, leading to the Pie family’s yard. Another sign, identical to the last with the exception of color; This one was orange with emerald trimming. Adagio boldly opened the door and stepped out into the backyard. Sitting outside on the grass was a great big cauldron filled with water. It sat upon a makeshift campfire, keeping the contents of the pot on full-boil.

“Howdy, Adagio,” A strong voice that scared Adagio out of her skin. Applejack walked around and wrapped an arm around the back of Adagio’s neck. “Y’all ready for this?”

“Depends on what ‘this’ is,” said Adagio. “Can’t be worse than what Pinkie did.”

“Alright. There’s a lock box sittin on the kitchen counter. The key’s at the bottom of this here cauldron,” explained Applejack. “Go on ahead.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“To pass this trial, y’all need to grab that there key at the bottom of the boiling cauldron. Plain and simple, really,” said Applejack nonchalantly.

“You expect me to dig my hand into a pot of boiling water to grab a scalding hot key to open a lockbox so that you’ll forgive me?” asked Adagio. Applejack just nodded her head.
Adagio took a moment to think about just how worth it their friendship was. With an audible gulp, Adagio rolled up her sleeve and reached for the pot. She slowly lowered her hand towards the water, her hand hovering just above the surface. Just as she was about to plunge her hand into the cauldron’s depths, Applejack grasped her wrist.

“Whoah, nelly, Ah was just jimmy-rustlin,” said Applejack. “Ya don’t need to boil yer hand, okay?”

“But how am I supposed to pass this trial?” asked Adagio. Later, she would come to ask herself why she would try to convince someone to let her shove her own hand into boiling water.

“Tha fact that you were willin to do it is nuff fer me,” said Applejack. “Go on ahead to the next trial. Good luck, Adagio.”

Adagio, extremely grateful for such a twist of fate, ran back inside, slamming the door behind her. She ripped the sign from the door and half-galloped through the house, searching for the next door. Adagio reasoned that she had to head upstairs and she was rewarded for her thinking; There were six doors upstairs, four of which with her name taped on. She picked one, the note yellow with pink trim, and turned the knob. To her surprise, it didn’t budge.

“Um… Hello?” said a quiet voice on the other side. “Adagio?”

“Yes. I’m confused,” said Adagio, turning the knob again. “There must be a mistake. I’m supposed to come in here for a trial.”

“Oh, I know. I had to keep the door locked so Maud would know that I’m using her room,” said the voice. The door clicked. “It’s open now.”

Adagio opened the door, stepped in, and closed it behind her. She barely noticed Fluttershy, and spent most of her attention on the pit bull attached to the leash that was in Fluttershy’s hand. It seemed very, very angry, foaming at the mouth, even. That was enough to convince Adagio that she would either walk out of that room with rabies or a new friend.

“Pet the puppy,” said Fluttershy softly, using all of her strength to keep the dog in her grasp. “Pet him, and you pass.”

“A rabid dog?! Is everyone in this house a lunatic?!” demanded Adagio. Still, she slowly lurched forward, extending her hand gently. The dog barked and snapped at her hand, which would normally be enough for Adagio to withdraw her hand and leave the area. But, today, there were more important things at stake.

Adagio’s hand crept ever closer to the obviously angry mutt, sliding dangerously close to its mouth. With a deep breath, she reached forward and scratched the rabid canine under the chin. Instantly, the angry, aggressive dog devolved into a calm, demure puppy. Soon, Adagio was scratching it behind it’s ears, rubbing its tummy and speaking to it in baby-talk.

“Awen’t you just the cutest little hellhound, yes you are! Yes you are!” babbled Adagio.

“Congratulations. You pass.” said Fluttershy. “Achilles really seems to like you.”

“Oh my god, your name is Achiwes? You must make somebody sooooo happy!” squealed Adagio.

“Not really. I just borrowed Achilles from the shelter,” said Fluttershy sadly. “Nobody seems to want him,” Fluttershy seemed to think for a moment. “I have an idea! When you pass all the trials, and I can prove that you’re trustworthy, you can adopt him! Don’t worry, he’s not really rabid. It’s just whipped cream.”

“That sounds like a marvelous idea! I’d better get these last three trials down, then,” said Adagio boldly. She sprinted from the room, grabbed the sign from the door, and went into the next. On the other side of the door was another bedroom, this one with Rainbow Dash sitting on the bed. As soon as Adagio crossed the doorframe, Rainbow Dash was up and grasping Adagio’s left hand in her own.

“Your trial is to beat me in a game of Chicken,” said Rainbow.

“What in the world is Chicken?” asked Adagio. Without warning, Rainbow Dash flipped their clasped hands so that Adagio’s was facing upward and slapped it as hard as she could.

SMACK!

“Ow! What was that for?!” demanded Adagio.

“That’s the game. We slap each other until one of us says ‘Chicken’,” said RD, grinning mischievously. She flipped their hands again, this time offering her own hand to Adagio.

SMACK!

She flipped their hands.

SMACK!

“This is the dumbest, most barbaric game I’ve ever participated in,” growled Adagio. She flipped their hands.

SMACK!

“Could be worse. I used to play games like this with Gilda all the time, back in the day,” said RD, trading another slap with Adagio. “We played this, Mercy, Bloody Knuckles, Ro Sham Bo. You should be counting your lucky stars that you got off so easy.”

SMACK!

“Am I allowed to scream?” asked Adagio rhetorically. She felt her hand turn and the loud, angry smack of Rainbow’s hand against her flesh.

“Nope. Screaming is as good as copping out,” said Dash, offering her hand almost lazily to her opponent.

“Fine,” grumbled Adagio. She licked her palm, liberally coating it in saliva. She grinned evilly and slapped Rainbow’s hand.

SMACK!!

“Ah! Crap!” squealed Rainbow, yanking her hand away. “Chicken! Geez, that hurt!” Adagio didn’t hear her, because she was already pulling the rainbow-colored note from the door and pulling open the next, this door holding up a white note accented with purple.

It was a full bathroom, with Rarity sitting on the toilet lid, waiting. Adagio practically slammed the door behind her, ready to get this over with.

“Someone’s excited,” noted Rarity.

“Next trial. I’m on a roll,” said Adagio. “What do I have to do?”

“Let me pierce you,” said Rarity. “If you allow me to pierce you in any place of your choosing, with a few exceptions, I will take you to Sunset Shimmer for the last trial.”

“Is this your first piercing?” asked Adagio.

“My first on a real person, yes. Don’t worry, I’ve read plenty of books on the matter,” promised Rarity. “I assure you, I can most likely do it properly. I think. Well, we shall soon find out.”

Adagio raised her shirt slightly, just enough to show her belly button. She pinched her eyes shut and clenched her teeth in anticipation. Adagio felt Rarity’s poke, followed by a few scratches, a wipe of a wet swab, and finally, a little pinch. Adagio opened her eyes and looked down at the little orange stud now sticking in her navel.

“There. Are we done here?” asked Adagio impatiently. “I’d like to finish this last trial, if you don’t mind terribly.”

“Not at all, darling,” said Rarity, dropping her tools. “I take it you’ve completed all five you need to see Sunset Shimmer, yes?”

“Yes, yes, I’ve done them all. Some were better than others,” sighed Adagio. She followed Rarity out of the room, pulling the sign from the door on the way out. Not much was said as Rarity led Adagio through the dark hallway, finally stopping in front of Pinkie’s bedroom, the final note taped to the door. Adagio grabbed down the last sign, scribbled on a piece of paper with colors that resembled a bonfire. Adagio gripped the door handle, her resolve faltering for the first time that day. She was truly terrified to think about Sunset Shimmer’s idea of a trial. If the five that were always good were able to scare her like that, what could the former demon have up her sleeve?

“You can do it, Adagio,” said Rarity. “Whatever Sunset has planned, I know you can overcome it.” That seemed to restore at least some of Adagio’s confidence, and she pushed open the door.

Sunset Shimmer was sitting on Pinkie’s bed with a black box on her lap, about the shape and dimensions of a shoebox. Standing beside the bed were the other five girls, standing like sentinels protecting Sunset. Rarity slid into position at the end, completing the line of drones that had assembled.

“Adagio Dazzle. You’ve managed to pass all of the trials, save for one,” said Sunset Shimmer, resting the box on the bed and standing to her full height. “Color me impressed, although I guess Applejack’s trial wasn’t really a challenge.”

“Y’all said Ah could do what Ah thought would be best,” huffed Applejack. “An’ that’s exactly what Ah did.”

“Fair enough. But now, it’s my turn,” said Sunset. “If you pass this trial, Adagio, you will pass initiation and become a proper member of our group. Be warned, my trial is more difficult than the other five, combined. Do you still wish to continue?”

“Today, I’ve been nauseous, scared, scared again, slapped, then pierced,” said Adagio. “And I will not let that be for naught. Bring it on, Sunset.”

“You sure? This is your last chance to bail,” said Sunset Shimmer. Adagio planted her feet firmly into the ground, fire burning in her eyes.

“I’ve come too far. I am ready for the last trial,” said Adagio boldly. There was no space in her gut for fear, only courage. Sunset Shimmer nodded and flipped open the box. And out of it’s depths, buzzing, trembling, nearly growling in Sunset Shimmer’s hand, emerged an electric hair razor.

“Congrats, Adagio,” said Sunset Shimmer. “Welcome to the family.”

Sonata had long since fallen asleep on Aria’s chest, the litter from their dinner landing on the floor just out of her hand, dangling lazily off of the couch. The television was on, but Aria paid it little attention. She was far more concerned with Sonata’s ponytail, running her hand down her slick, shiny locks. The door swung open, and Aria never even looked up to see who had entered.

“Sup, Dag,” said Aria lazily. “Where’ve you been? Sony had to record Empire for you.”

“Splendid,” she heard Adagio say, her voice dripping liberal amounts of sarcasm. “Absolutely spectacular.”

“What has your panties in a bunch?” asked Aria. She finally looked up, and nothing in her thousand-plus year life could have prepared her for what she saw.

The least shocking factor of the situation was the pitbull that was now walking small circles around Adagio’s legs. Moving on from the sudden animal was Adagio herself. Her long, poofy, nuclear-explosion of hair was gone. Her head wasn’t just shaved, it was completely bald, her yellow dome shining slightly

“Uh… So… What’s up?” asked Aria, choking back her giggles. Barely.

“I got a dog. We have a dog now,” said Adagio flatly. “He’s called Achilles.”

“So… You’re back from your chemo, then?”

“Shut up. Just… Shut up. In three weeks, Princess Twilight will come back from Equestria with a hair-regrowing potion,” said Adagio. “Until then, you’ll be doing the grocery runs. I will not leave the house like this.”

“Some guys like the shaved head thing,” snickered Aria.

“Achilles! Go get her!”

Achilles ran and leapt onto Sonata, pushed off of her head, and began furiously lapping at Aria’s face. Adagio stomped up the stairs, calling for her dog to follow. Hearing his mistress’ call, Achilles left with a departing lick and bounded up the stairs with the a brooding Adagio. Soon enough, the Siren leader was grinning. It was good to make new friends.

Author's Notes:

And a bit of a longer chapter this time. I swear, I didn't make this chapter longer to make up for the last, but it happened to work out like that. Hope you enjoyed, cause this will probably be the last Adagio chapter.

Like, comment, and follow for Achilles the Pitbull

LBS: Dance Party Beats Drunk Douchebag

Aria had taken a liking to Achilles, much to her surprise. Nearly a month after Adagio had brought him home, Aria was spending more time with Achilles than his “owner” did. Something about the affinity of a bulldog seemed to resonate with the angriest of the Sirens. They understood each other. Plus, Sonata adored him, so Aria naturally kept Achilles close.

Aria was finishing up a walk with her precious new beast, approaching their home. She opened the door and shooed Achilles off to the kitchen, where he had a bowl of dog food waiting for him. Aria herself flung off her jacket, kicked out of her shoes, and headed upstairs. She was tired, not to mention bored from watching the house and Achilles all day. For once, Aria was the only one who didn’t have something important to do; Adagio was currently at Sunset Shimmer’s house, getting her hair regrown via Princess Twilight’s potion (a process that the Princess projected could take "several lifetimes"), and Sonata was “scouting out the music scene”, which she predicted would take all day. Which is why Aria was confused to hear not one, but two voices coming from the other side of her bedroom door. Aria pressed her ear against the door, trying to catch every word that she could.

“I’m telling you, she’s not gonna go for it,” The first voice was obviously Sonata. “She’s not into that sort of thing.”

“Sure she is! She just doesn’t know it yet!” said the other voice, which Aria had a bit more difficulty placing. “Aria would love it if she just gave it a chance.”

“What?” whispered Aria to herself. This conversation was getting a little odd.

“Do you really think so?” asked Sonata.

"Totally," promised the other voice. "This kind of thing is really good for a relationship."

"I don't think she'll be comfortable with people watching us. She tries to hide it, but she's really shy."

"Come on! A little exhibition never hurt anybody!"

That was enough for Aria. Her face burning bright red, she kicked open her door and burst into the room. Sonata was sitting on her bed, back to the door, next to someone who could only be Pinkie Pots (though, Aria admitted, she might’ve gotten the name wrong). The two looked up and smiled at Aria, Sonata’s smile nervous and Pinkie’s bright and excited.

“What’s going on here?” asked Aria. Sonata looked to Pinkie, who looked back to her in wait.

“Well? She’s your girlfriend,” said Pinkie. “Go ahead. Ask her.”

“Yeah, Sony. Ask me,” said Aria, though not quite as happily as Pinkie did. Sonata breathed deeply, then turned to face Aria.

“Okay. Aria, I’ve known you for a very, really, super long time,” said Sonata. “And I’ve never asked you something like this before. Before you answer, just try to keep an open mind, okay? Pinkie Pie says it’s very good for a relationship, and that there’s no way we both won’t enjoy ourselves.”

“Ask the question, Sonata,” ordered Aria.

“Okay. Would you… I mean, like, hypothetically, if we were to… Ugh! I’m just gonna say it!” said Sonata, her tongue in a double-knot. “Do you… dance?”

The room went silent, each party in the conversation trying to figure out the other. Aria felt the blush on her face grow, embarrassed at her misunderstanding.

“You frickin perv,” Aria muttered under her breath. Out loud, she could only ask, “What?”

“Pinkie is planning a dance party, and she wants us to come,” explained Sonata. “And I told her that you didn’t really like to dance, especially if we weren’t trying to, you know… Feed.” Sonata shook her head, trying to disregard the sinking guilt in her gut. “But she said that you’d really like it if you just gave it a chance, and I said that you only really dance when you think nobody’s looking, and she said that I should ask you to come to this party, and I said-”

“I get the idea, Nata. What do you mean, ‘when I think nobody’s looking’?” asked Aria, raising an eyebrow.

“If you’re gonna go through the trouble of waiting til me and Dagi go to get groceries, you should really consider closing the blinds,” suggested Sonata. You could cook, and burn, an egg on Aria’s face after that comment.

“So? You wanna come?” asked Pinkie. “It’s gonna be fun! There’s gonna be snacks and drinks and games and boys, wait, that last one doesn’t really work for you, whoops! There’s gonna be snacks and games and boys, even though you aren’t interested in boys, there’s gonna be boys anyway, so why not come?!” Aria took a few moments to let her brain catch up after hearing the extremely fast string of speech.

“No. I’m not going to some stupid dance party,” said Aria. She ignored the whines that came from Sonata and Pinkie. “No! This isn’t like Rainbow’s Sweet Sixteen! You’re not gonna put on the puppy eyes and make me go. Uh-uh, not happening.”

“But, Ariiiiiiiii!” whined Sonata. “It’ll be so much fun!”

“Look, I’m not going to this dumb party. I’m just not,” said Aria, with an air of finality. “You can go, I don’t care. You can dance if you want to.”

“I’m sorry, Sonata, but we have to leave your friend behind,” said Pinkie suddenly, a devious gleam in her eyes. Sonata picked up on it instantly and grinned.

“What are you talking about?” asked Aria. “We’re more than friends, you know.”

“Is it cause she don’t dance?” asked Sonata.

“Yup. Your friend don’t dance,” said Pinkie shaking her head. “And if she don’t dance…”

“Well, she's no friend of mine,” said Sonata.

Aria realized what was going on just a second too late.

"Dun-dun-dun-dundundundundundun! Dun-dun-dun-dundundundundundun! Dun-dun-dun-dundundundundundun!"

“Oh my god, are you serious?” asked Aria. She turned out of the door, but Sonata and Pinkie followed behind her, reciting one of Pinkie’s all-time favorite songs. Aria groaned loudly, trying to escape their singing. She could not.

“For the love of god, the 80s are done!” snapped Aria. “It was an awful decade, anyway! New wave is dead!”

If Aria thought that would stop the incessant singing of The Safety Dance, she was sadly mistaken. If anything, this only seemed to intensify the impromptu performance. Aria ran throughout the house, stalked by her two assailants, one of which who had a tendency to vanish from behind Aria and appear suddenly right in her path. Eventually, Aria managed to juke and jive her way past both Sonata and Pinkie and slip into her room, locking the door behind her. She slid down the wall, banging her head softly against the door. Finally, she had escaped.

“S! A! F! E! T! Y! Saftey! Dance!”

“Where did you get a ghetto blaster?!” demanded Aria. “What is it going to take to get you to leave me alone?!”

As she filled her cup with soda, Aria decided that Sonata should’ve been the leader of the Dazzlings. Under her rule, her dastardly, maniacal, manipulative rule, there was no doubt in Aria’s mind that they would have emerged victorious. Because, apparently, all it took to defeat someone as strong-willed and powerful as Aria was a slice of the 80s.

The party itself wasn’t all that bad, though for about ten minutes, the DJ played a loop of the very song Aria had come to escape. She apologized profusely after the fact, explaining that someone had replaced all her music with The Safety Dance. After that debacle was cleared up, she resumed her usual dance party mix (which, she made it her business to remind people, was entirely her own creation, and that you could hear more by subscribing to her YouTube channel, SC-R4TCH That), and the party continued.

And, no matter how much she wanted to, Aria couldn’t say that the party was torturous, even if there were far more people than she would have liked. The music was good (though she felt she could do better if given the chance), the snacks were great, and, much to Aria’s surprise, there was alcohol. She always saw Pinkie as a goody-goody, not the type to swipe booze from her parents. Seeing as this was her fifth trip to the kitchen to fill her cup with vodka and diet Coke, Aria clearly was not complaining. But it wasn’t the booze, or the music, or the food that let Aria enjoy herself. No, that honor rested solely on the massive grin that was plastered on Sonata’s face for the duration. So, despite her minor annoyance at being bested by Men Without Hats, Aria decided to let her girlfriend have fun while she herself sat back and watched from the kitchen, growing more and more intoxicated with every passing minute.

“Hey, gorgeous,” said a voice, shocking Aria right in the middle of a sip. A fellow partygoer (and apparently, a master ninja) had snuck up to her left, a cup in his hand. His spiked, cobalt hair was a mess, and it took Aria a second longer to place the name.

“Uh… Brad, right?” said Aria, rolling her eyes. The guy was inching closer and closer, breaking through Aria’s bubble.

“It’s Flash. I remember you, though,” he said. “Crazy psycho Siren girl. Not the leader, not the moron. The tough one.”

“Yup. That’s me,” said Aria flatly. She was growing more and more irate, not helped by the heavy stench of alcohol on his breath. “And you’re the guy who lost in the semis, right?”

“Lost? Nah, babe. We threw the competition,” scoffed Flash. “Wasn’t worth the effort, ya know? We decided to let you guys have it.”

“Right. It had nothing to do with the fact that our music was literally hypnotic,” said Aria. Flash laughed slightly, but showed no signs of leaving.

“You’re cute. Just thought you should know that,” said Flash. “What’s someone as cool as you doing at a lame party like this?”

“I’m here with my girlfriend,” said Aria, hoping that Flash would catch the hint. He did not.

“That’s cool. Hey, you wanna get outta here?”

“You’re drunk,” noted Aria dryly.

“Come on, there’s a room upstairs that’s a little more quiet,” pressed Flash. Aria’s patience was running thin.

“Dude, did you miss the part where I said I had a girlfriend?” snarled Aria.

“Cool. Bring her, too,” said Flash confidently.

The proudest moment in Aria’s long, long life was the exact moment in between her deciding to punch Flash in the face and her consciously stopping herself. Aria just kept thinking about how disappointed Sonata would be if she got them kicked out of the party, or worse. She never knew she could be that level-headed, and she would use that moment as evidence that she had restraint for years to come.

“Look, Brad, I was trying to be nice,” said Aria. “I’m not anymore. Beat it, before I beat you.”

“Are you offering?” This time, it took more than Aria’s desire to keep Sonata happy to stop her fist from connecting with Flash’s jaw. This time, it was Sonata herself that restrained her, the smiling Siren dancing happily into the kitchen and throwing herself against Aria.

“Heyyy, babe!” said Sonata. “You havin fun?”

“Sony, how much have you had to drink?” asked Aria. Sonata looked upwards, thinking for a moment.

“Uh… I dunno… A lot, though,” admitted Sonata. “How’re we getting home?”

“You could ride with me,” offered Flash.

“Yeah, cause you’ve been a gentleman tonight,” scoffed Aria. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. When she tried to unlock it, the screen never lit. Aria let out a frustrated growl. A dead cell phone, she could handle. A drunk scumbag, she could handle. Both of them at the same time? She wasn’t so certain.

“Sonata, were you playing Trivia Crack on my phone again?” asked Aria. “You killed my battery! How’re we gonna call Dag?”

“My phone still has battery!” said Sonata. “I’ll call her!” She ran from Aria to near the front of the house, where it was slightly more quiet.

Sonata pulled out her phone, dialed Adagio’s number, and put the phone to her ear. It rang once, twice, three times, before Adagio picked up.

“What?” demanded Adagio sharply. On her end of the line, the sounds of slashing could be heard from the TV, followed by an utterance of “But a sporting hunt, it was!”. “Damnit! Twelve-thousand Blood Echoes down the drain…”

“Adagio? Are you awake?” asked Sonata dreamily.

“No, Sonata, I am not,” said Adagio snarkily. “I have finally mastered the delicate art of upholding a conversation, fighting Father Gascoigne, and sleeping, all at once.”

“Oh. Sorry. Call me when you wake up, kay?”

“Sonata, are you drunk? I bet you’re drunk,” said Adagio in exasperation. “And I suppose both you and Aria are too hammered to get home safely. Which means I, as the only responsible one, have to get up out of bed, get dressed, and pick you up. Where are you?”

“Someone’s house…” said Sonata drunkenly.

“That narrows it down to every house in town, thanks. Whose house?”

“Uh… Not our house…”

“Are you at Pinkie’s party?” asked Adagio. Talking to a drunk Sonata was like pulling teeth. “Look, I’m on my way. Give me twenty minutes. I have to go get my Blood Echoes.”

The line disconnected, and Sonata slid her phone in her pocket with a smile. With a drunken grin, she floated back into the kitchen. When she got there, and saw Flash’s hand slowly but surely running up Aria’s thigh, she realized two very distinct things, one of which being that Aria was showing an impressive amount of restraint.

The other was that Flash Sentry was a drunken douchebag.

“Hey, Brad!” said Sonata.

“Hm?” Flash turned for just a second, which was all Sonata needed to punch him in the nose with all the strength she could muster. Flash fell backwards and didn’t get up for a very long time after that. The look on Aria’s face was a three-way mix of confusion, admiration, and overwhelming pride.

“Sonata! You… You knocked him out!” said Aria in awe. “That’s supposed to be my thing!”

“Hey, you stole my gig, too,” said Sonata, shrugging her shoulder. “I’m supposed to be the damsel in distress.”

“Guess it works both ways,” smirked Aria. She brought Sonata into a hug. “We’re gonna get kicked out, aren’t we?”

Not only were they kicked out, but the cops soon came because of noise complaints. Those who were able filed out, leaving the police to deal with the vastly drunken majority. Pinkie had her parents called (she wasn’t heard from for a while), and the Siren couple (as well as Flash Sentry) were arrested. Adagio was less than ecstatic, but posted their bail anyway. The whole ride home was accompanied by grumblings about lost play hours. If Sonata was sober enough to understand, she didn’t show it. She mostly just smiled at the fact that she managed to impress Aria.

“Dude, that was a sweet punch,” said Aria.

“I learn from the best,” said Sonata.

“Do you two have any idea how much progress I could have made if-” Adagio’s tirade was interrupted when she realized that Aria and Sonata were not only ignoring her, but actively making out in the back seat. With a roll of her eyes, Adagio decided to let them have their fun.

“A thousand years in this world and I’ve managed to keep you out of jail,” said Adagio. “And you let your record break on account of some guy at a party?”

“He was a douchebag, though,” said Sonata when she had time for a breath.

Adagio couldn’t argue with that logic, and so she went the rest of the ride silent. Well, almost silent.

“Twelve. Thousand. Blood Echoes,” she grumbled.

LBS: Christmas Cheer Beats Reindeer Games

Sonata never claimed to be especially bright, and that was fine by her. She was content with being “the dumb one” of the group. The other two had their motifs to fill; Adagio was the manipulative, gold-digging, opportunistic “brains” of the operation and Aria was the tough, no-nonsense, takes-names-in-the-evening “brawn” of the trio. Sonata just thought that it was her contribution to the group to be the cute, adorably-naive airhead. She knew that sometimes she made stupid decisions, and, most of the time, she would clean up her mess, try to learn from her mistakes, and give an apologetic “my bad”.

The day that she nearly destroyed the apartment and ruined Christmas was one such time.

Aria had been looking forward to Christmas for most of the year. For the first time ever, she finally saw the magic of the holiday; The snow on the ground wasn’t there with the intent of pissing her off, it was just trying to brighten up the town. The Christmas carolers weren’t annoying and untalented, they were charming and trying their best. And, most importantly, the gift shops weren’t mocking her. They were inviting her in.

It was an age-old question, one that the best thinkers and scientists of the world still failed to find a definitive answer for: What to get for that special someone come Christmas time? As it turns out, Aria wasn’t the only one asking herself that question. On the other side of town, wandering near the apartment, Sonata was trying to uncover the same answers. And, as to be expected from two people so different from one another, they would eventually reach two very different conclusions.

Sonata was drifting aimlessly for a while, never straying more than a block from their apartment. It was getting dangerously close to Christmas, and Sonata hadn’t even started shopping for her girlfriend yet, let alone Pinkie, Sunset, and the rest of the girls. And the bittersweet truth of it all was that she knew exactly what she would get for the others, or at least had some sort of idea. She knew what they liked; Rarity liked make-up and beauty products, Fluttershy liked animal books and short stories, Rainbow liked anime (though she would fervently deny this in public). What did Aria like? Sonata couldn’t think of much, only comic books and, well… her. But that was no good. Sonata didn’t know enough about comics to get Aria something she’d really liked, and she couldn’t give herself as a present. Well, she could, but Sonata wanted to put a bit more thought into her present.

Aria was having a similar problem as she strolled through the streets of downtown Canterlot City. This was her first Christmas with Sonata as her girlfriend, and she wanted to make it special. It wasn’t often that Aria let herself grow attached to anything, so this Christmas gift had to be perfect, to capture her devotion to Sonata. That said, the ideas did not seem to come to her. Aria was always terrible at judging what people wanted or liked, which is why she mostly stood to herself. With Sonata, however, that wasn’t an option.

Sonata found herself leaning against her own front door, trying to think of something, anything, that she could get to show Aria just how much she meant to her. It wasn’t an easy choice, and nothing that came to Sonata’s head sounded any good. Should she go big? Or was this a case of “less is more”? Should the gift be something new and modern? Or maybe something from their past, something that could get Aria feeling sentimental? Whatever she decided on, she realized she should decide soon.

Now, Aria knew that Christmas was crawling ever-closer, but it wasn’t until she passed the electronics store and saw the time and date displayed on a flat screen did she realize just how little time she actually had. Christmas Eve was tomorrow! Aria had to find something by tonight, or risk disappointing Sonata. She swore to herself in her native Siren language, thinking to herself that Sonata must’ve found something great for her by now. Aria ran her hands through her hair, trying to recall if Sonata had dropped any hints about what she might want over the past couple of days.

Sonata realized that Aria must’ve hinted at something that she could’ve wanted recently. She tried to remember what they had done lately, any conversations about the holidays. Sonata had always been a sort of dreamy, live-for-today kind of person, and her brain normally shoved yesterday into the back of her head to make room for tomorrow. Over the years, Sonata had learned to leave herself notes, to ensure that she had some way to remember something important. A Christmas present for Aria certainly qualified as “important”, so Sonata came to the realization that she probably left a reminder in her phone’s memo pad. Among the grocery lists, to-do lists, and video game cheat codes for Adagio, was a list titled Things I’ve learned about Aria.

Aria walked out of the mall in disappointment. After an hour of looking, she still hadn’t found anything worth getting. In the years before, ever since the two met back in their true home, Aria always chalked Sonata up as simple, and, to an extent, that was true. But, looking at her now, Aria realized that Sonata was far more complex than she had ever given her credit for. The daydreaming, taco-eating ditz had layers to her, and each layer was distinct. Sonata was slow and oblivious on the surface, but, underneath all of that, she was attentive. She was devoted. She was warm and loving and fun and creative. Above all else, she was real. A real person with fears and secrets that even Aria didn’t know about. Sonata had her demons and angels, strengths and weaknesses. Sonata had her trouble-areas, and Sonata had her talents.

Sonata flipped through the list, studying each point as if she would have to pass a test on Aria Blaze. The list was long, and many items on it had been added in the time since the two became an item. Some things on the list were small facts, seemingly irrelevant details, like the fact that Aria ate almost all of her food with a copious amount of hot sauce. Or the fact that she secretly loved a series of bad street-racing action movies, and in fact cried for hours when the lead actor sadly and ironically lost his life in a fatal car crash. But then there were the bigger things, like her fear of spiders, or her anxiety in groups of people she didn’t know. Her fear of being alone. For every tough, box-of-nails-for-breakfast trait Aria had, she had an equal, humbling, humanizing fear or desire. And that’s what Sonata found so alluring about her; She had two sides to her, two different people stuck in the same form, sharing thoughts and life.

Aria glanced at her phone to check the time. It was nearing 9 in the evening, and she really should’ve started heading home. But, as much as she needed to start on her way, she also needed to make a decision. Aria was a very moody and easily-frustrated person, something she had known for a long time. She knew that if she went home, her anger at herself would spill over to Sonata, who didn’t deserve that at all. Of course, Aria had ways of coping with her anger, but not all of them were guaranteed to work. She could sing, but it didn’t really have the same effect without the absorbing of negative energy. Snacks always made her feel at least a little better, but if Aria ate as much as she felt she needed to, she would gain thirty pounds tonight alone. Finally, Aria had a rather secret and surprising coping-mechanism in the form of painting. She used to paint quite a bit back in Spain, and she got rather good at it. That’s when the lightbulb went off in Aria’s head.

Sonata’s list on Aria wasn’t very helpful at first. The top of the list was mostly just little things that weren’t really applicable to the situation. Aria was super ticklish. Aria couldn’t hold her liquor. Aria blushed really easily whenever they were together. Aria could be cute if she tried. The further Sonata went, the more superficial and irrelevant the list seemed to get. But, just as Sonata was about to give up, the list started getting interesting. Aria was emotional, especially in regards to her dad. She was visibly and tangibly impacted by the movies Big Fish, The Pursuit of Happyness, and Finding Nemo, and the songs Mockingbird and When I’m Gone actually reduced her to tears. Aria loved animals, as hard as was for anyone to believe. Sonata thought it had something to do with her fear of separation, since animals were arguably far more loyal companions than humans (or Sirens). Sonata looked back on their last date, where they had gone to the zoo on Aria’s request. They saw a great many animals, but they spent a bit of time near the reindeer enclosure, which for whatever reason stuck in Sonata’s head. At the thought of reindeer, the idea burst into Sonata’s head.

Aria realized that she had a lot of work to do if she wanted this to work out properly. In fact, she’d likely be up all night working. Knowing that, Aria sent out a text to both Adagio and Sonata to let them know about her absence. With that out of the way, Aria plotted out a course, dialed out a number for some assistance, and put the phone to her ear. The phone rang twice before picking up.

“Yello,” said Sunset Shimmer.

“Yo, Sunny,” said Aria. “I need your help.”

“What kind of help?” asked Sunset, a bit thrown off by the sudden call. “What’s going on?”

“I need a ride and a quiet place to work,” said Aria. “Can you pick me up by the mall? I’d ask Pinkie, but, ya know…”

“Yeah, she’s still super-grounded,” said Sunset. “Alright. Mind telling me what you’re doing? If you’re committing a felony, I’d like to know ahead of time”

“Just picking up an old hobby,” said Aria. “Oh, and I’ll need to do a little bit of shopping, if that’s cool. I’ll pay you gas money, I swear, I just really-”

“Dude, calm down. It’s no trouble,” said Sunset. “I need to head out anyway. Gotta find a present for Twilight. Just sit tight, I’m on my way.”

Sonata had never been happier to hear that Aria wouldn’t be coming home that night. That meant she had plenty of time to get what she needed, which, she realized, would be easier said than done. She flipped through her phone, searching up different methods to acquire Aria’s gift. She could probably find a site that would ship what she needed, but it might not get here in time. Besides that, the surprise would probably be ruined. Sonata could always try to find one locally, but that was a bit of a dice-roll. The best, and most cost-effective, option would be to ask for help. Sonata dialed the number of one of her best friends and put the phone to her ear. After a moment of ringing, the other line picked up.

“Hey, Fluttershy,” said Sonata brightly.

“Hi, Sony,” said Fluttershy softly, barely heard over the loud squawking and flapping in the background. “Um… How are you?”

“I’m great, thanks for asking! Look, are you busy right now?” asked Sonata. “I kinda need your help.”

“Oh, well… I’d love to help you, but I can’t right now,” said Fluttershy. “I’m at work right now. Mom and dad are swamped here. Someone let out a bunch of geese, and now they’re-”

“You’re at work? Perfect!” said Sonata. “I need to head up to the zoo, anyway! Can you come get me really quickly please? I’ll help you over there if you help me.”

“Um… Well, I am on break right now…” said Fluttershy. She turned her head from the phone and covered it with her palm, but Sonata still heard the shockingly loud scream of “Mom! I’ll be right back!”

“Wow, Flutters, you can be really loud if you need to be,” noted Sonata.

“When your dad is Italian and your mom is Puerto Rican, you don’t really have a choice,” said Fluttershy. “Are you home?”

“Yup! I’ll be waiting outside,” said Sonata. She hung up and punched the air in triumph. This gift would be perfect and just barely on time! Sonata grinned madly to herself, trying to decide precisely when she became a freaking genius.

Aria was proud of herself, not only for getting a proper present, but for doing it in record time. With the help of coffee, Monster Energy, and pizza as provided by Sunset Shimmer, Aria had completed one of her best pieces in a mere thirteen hours. Compared to some of her older works, which had taken three days and more, this was a night-and-day improvement. She was in an undeniably good mood, and actually remembered to thank Sunset when she dropped her off. With a covered canvas under her arm, Aria half-ran to her door in an attempt to hide the gift before Sonata saw her. Little did she know, Sonata had just gotten into the house herself, and was waiting for her in the living room.

Both girls were pretty surprised to see one another, but for two different reasons. Sonata was surprised to see that Aria was back already, and that she had a canvas with her, not to mention the paint splats on her clothes. Aria was surprised to see the reindeer that Sonata had gotten into the house. Neither of them moved for a while, until Aria accidently leaned back, slamming the door shut. Alarmed at the sudden loud noise, the reindeer let out a noise reminiscent of a cat coughing up a hairball and went into full panic, jumping all around the apartment and eventually scurrying up the stairs.

“Merry Christmas!” said Sonata brightly. Aria couldn’t properly process what she had just witnessed, so she remained silent for a moment. The reindeer could still be heard galloping across the bedroom floor.

“Sonata… I have, like, a bunch of questions,” said Aria. “Why is there a deer in the house?”

“Cause I remember that you really liked the deer at the zoo,” said Sonata, grinning widely. “So, I adopted Blitzer. For you.”

“How did you get that?” asked Aria.

“Fluttershy,” answered Sonata simply.

“And, does Adagio know that you brought this thing into the house?” asked Aria, fighting to hold back her chuckles.

“WHAT IN TARTARUS?!” screamed Adagio from upstairs, answering the question for Aria.

“Babe, I don’t think we can keep a reindeer in the house,” said Aria from behind her smile. “Why in God’s name did you think this was a good idea?”

“I… I couldn’t think of what to get you, and I wanted it to be super special, and then I remembered the reindeer thing, so I got that,” said Sonata. “I was just trying to get you something super cool and fun and awesome, cause you’re super cool and fun and awesome, and-”

“It’s great, Nata. I love it,” laughed Aria. “Well, since I saw my gift early, I guess you should get to see yours.”

Aria held the canvas in front of her chest and uncovered it, showing off her painting. It was a portrait of Sonata, her head tilted slightly and a small smile on her face. Her eyes shined with a certain happiness and serenity, and Aria tried her best to capture Sonata’s innocence in the slight blush on her cheeks. The background was pretty simple, an ocean stretching from edge to edge, reflecting an image of an otherwise non-visible moon. Bordering the depiction of Sonata was a heart of purple and light green, the colors of Aria’s hair.

“What do you think?” asked Aria, almost nervously. Sonata didn’t say anything at first. She walked forward and lowered the painting to the ground, then grabbed Aria in the tightest hug she’d ever been in (which is saying something, considering how long she’d been with Sonata). They kissed for a moment, and it wasn’t until they broke apart did Sonata speak.

“I love you,” said Sonata softly. Aria smirked slightly, running her hand down Sonata’s ponytail.

“Love you too, babe,” said Aria. “Merry Christmas.”

LBS: Forgiveness Beats Fights

Sonata whistled as she went about the apartment, dumping various bits of trash and debris into her large black garbage bag. The place was quiet on account of Aria and Adagio going out for groceries, leaving the apartment to Sonata. Instead of wasting this time laying around, or watching TV, Sonata saw fit to clean the place up a tad. She was certain that Adagio would appreciate it, and Sonata thought she owed her good friend a break after all she put up with.

And so, Sonata did something she wasn’t known for: tidying up. The place never got too messy, Adagio never allowed it, but there was always some things laying about that ought to be in the trash. A bag of chips here or a soda can there. It was a bit boring at first, but, once Sonata developed a rhythm, she found herself enjoying it. It was kinda soothing. Cathartic, even.

So, when the living room and kitchen were cleaned, Sonata decided to move her attention upstairs. Entering Adagio’s room without prior approval would be a death sentence, so Sonata decided she’d have to settle for cleaning her own bedroom. Aria was a fairly neat person by her nature, so most of the mess was actually Sonata’s to clean in the first place. When she was done collected her various junk wrappers and bottles, she turned her attention to the only bit of mess that could potentially be considered Aria’s.

Sonata opened the closet, the little compartment all but overflowing with a torrent of clothes. Due to them, for the most part, wearing the same size of clothes, a lot of Sonata’s articles made their way into Aria’s closet, and vice versa. Sonata didn’t mind at all, instead refolding and rehanging the mess of shirts, pants, and the very rare skirt and dress into something that resembled order. It took Sonata just a few minutes to get that squared away, at which point she noticed a small shoe box in the corner. Curiously, she grabbed the box and carried it to the bed she shared with Aria, where she opened it to reveal its contents.

Sonata wasn’t sure what to expect, but she was very surprised to see a book. An old, torn, stained, tattered notebook, the letters on the cover barely legible due to age and mistreatment. Sonata lifted it up and flipped it open, her curiosity mounting as she turned the dirty, dingy, yellowing pages. The words were hard to make out, the ink smudged and messy over the years. It didn’t even seem to be English on first glance, though Sonata could only speculate the nature of it. She thought it might’ve been Spanish.

Sonata shrugged, tossing the book into the box and carrying it with her as she moved the trash to the front door. She decided she’d ask Aria about it when she got back and, if it was junk like Sonata thought, she’d toss it out.

But, for now, her jobs was done, and all she had left to do was wait for the others to return.

Aria sighed, pushing open the door with her arms full of grocery bags with Adagio hot on her heels. Unsurprisingly, Adagio had made Aria carry all the heavy things, leaving just a few light items for herself to hold. Aria tried not to let it bother her. She hadn’t seen her girlfriend all day, and she was ready to rest and relax with her lovely woman.

“Sony!” Aria trudged through their home, headed for the kitchen. “We’re home! Freaking finally…”

“Ooh! Did you get my banana bread?!” Sonata could be heard running down the stairs, eventually bounding into the kitchen with an excited grin. Aria rolled her eyes, but dug into a bag and withdrew a package containing a big slice of banana bread. Sonata grabbed it up and went to town on the packaging to get to her sweet, delicious treat. “Thanks, baby!”

“Heh. Don’t mention it. Sorry we took so long. Big head over here dragged me to like three different stores to find her special ice cream,” said Aria. She dropped the rest of her bags down and fell into a chair at the table. “She just couldn’t eat strawberry like the rest of us…”

“I’m so sorry that my lactose intolerance and deathly allergy to strawberry was such an inconvenience to you, Aria,” said Adagio flatly. “Please, forgive me for existing and wanting to participate in sundae night with you and the moron. I assure you, this will be the last time I try to involve myself in your lives.”

“Well, if you’re sorry, I guess I won’t hold it against you.” Aria smirked at Adagio’s annoyed grumbling, then went about putting the groceries away. “So, what’ve you been up to?”

“Not much,” said Sonata in between mouthfuls of banana bread. “Cleaned up the apartment a bit. Oh, that reminds me. I was cleaning out your closet and I found this really old book written in Spanish or something. It looked old, so I was gonna toss it out, but—”

There was a thud as a gallon of milk slipped from out of Aria’s hands, the top popping off as the jug hit the floor. As milk spilled onto the ground, Aria quickly turned, staring at Sonata with fire in her eyes.

“Damn it, Aria!” swore Adagio. “I suppose you expect me to clean this up?”

“What did you do with it?” demanded Aria. Sonata didn’t answer immediately, shocked by her girlfriend’s sudden shift in demeanor. “The book, Sonata. Where’s the book?”

“I-I put it out front when was cleaning up,” said Sonata. “Is everything o—”

Aria didn’t let Sonata finish her sentence before she bounded out of the room, heading for the door. Adagio and Sonata shared a look of concern before following Aria through the hall and to the living room. Sonata felt herself grow increasingly nervous as she realized that the bag of trash, and the book that had been sitting next to it, was no longer there.

“Where? Where is it?” asked Aria, running her hands through her hair. She paced the living room, searching for somewhere the book could’ve fallen under. “Where?!”

“Oh no… Babe, I think I might’ve tossed it out with the rest of the trash,” said Sonata cautiously. “I must’ve not been thinking about it, I’m—”

“Not thinking? Yeah, no kidding! What the hell were you doing in my stuff, anyway?!” Aria huffed angrily at Sonata, anger splayed on her features the likes of which Sonata had never seen before. “That’s my stuff! Why would you just toss it out?! Oh, no, trash came, too… Damn it!”

“I… I didn’t know it was important,” said Sonata. “I thought it was just an old piece of junk…”

“God, you’ve done some stupid stuff over the years, but this has to be your most brainless move by far! Damn it!” Aria’s face was glowing red by this point, and she looked as if she was nearing tears. “Idiot! I can’t freaking believe you!”

“Aria, calm down,” said Adagio, deciding now was time to intervene. “Relax. It was an accident. We’re used to dealing with the results of boneheaded mistakes. Sonata clearly didn’t mean for the book to get thrown out, so stop jumping at her throat. You need to control your anger. It’s just a book.”

“Of course you’d take her side!” Aria’s fists were clenched, as if she was ready to punch someone. “Goddamnit, I hate it when you do this! You don’t even know why I’m mad and you just assume I’m being a dramatic little brat!”

“Aria. Stop.” Adagio stepped to Aria, standing between here and Sonata. “Use your words. Why do you care so much about this book, anyway? I'm not even entirely convinced you know how to read.”

“You know what?” Adagio geared herself up for an explosion, as Aria was known for, but it never came. It was an odd moment of dead quiet where Aria seemed to grapple with herself. Adagio had never seen her friend like this before. When Aria got mad, she let it be known. “Whatever. Forget it.”

“W-what?” Adagio stepped forward, reaching for Aria’s arm. Unsurprisingly, Aria shrugged free, walking past Adagio as if she wasn’t even there. “That’s it? This is the part where we shout at each other.”

“Whatever.” Aria made her way to the door, barely looking at Sonata as she put on her jacket. “I’ll be back.”

“Where are you going?” asked Sonata, tears welling up in her eyes.

“Out.”

Aria didn’t bother waiting for a response. She just stepped out of the house, slamming the door behind her. Sonata turned to Adagio, clearly trying her hardest not to cry. Adagio wasn’t the best for emotional support, but she could tell that Sonata needed a hug. So, even though it felt unnatural, Adagio wrapped her arms around Sonata, bringing her close into a warm embrace.

“She was really mad…” said Sonata quietly. Adagio nodded, patting Sonata’s head awkwardly.

“She’s always mad,” remarked Adagio.

“Never at me though…”

“Well, Sonata, whatever that book was, it was clearly important.” Adagio broke the hug, holding Sonata at arm’s length. She gave her friend, her sister, a look over, measuring her next words carefully. “And I truly don’t want to victim-blame, but… What on Earth were you thinking, throwing it out?”

“I… I don’t know. I wasn’t thinking,” said Sonata. “It wasn’t like a comic book or anything. It was just some old book written in Spanish! Aria doesn’t even know Spanish.” Sonata paused to muse for a moment. “Wait… Does she?”

“I have no clue, Sonata, but the book obviously meant a lot to her. And while I don’t agree with how she shouted at you, I can’t say I blame her for her anger,” said Adagio. She pursed her lips, wondering what to do about Aria. Odds are, she would be heading to the comic shop, but if not, Adagio had no clue where to look. Even still, going straight after Aria would be a mistake.

“I’ve never seen her that mad…” said Sonata. “I feel awful.”

“Well, there’s nothing to be done about it now,” sighed Adagio. “All we can do is wait for her to cool off. You know how she gets sometimes. Best to leave her be and let her come around on her own.”

Sonata knew that Adagio was right. She was almost always right. There was nothing either of them could do besides give Aria her space. Sonata knew that. Even though she had messed up, and she had hurt the person she loved most, she knew that there was nothing she could do to fix it.

“Screw that noise,” said Sonata, gripped with a sudden, almost magical confidence. “Dagi, gimme your keys.”

“Uh… What?”

“Give me your car keys. I’m borrowing your car.” Sonata extended her arm, gesturing for Adagio’s keys. Slowly, carefully, Adagio retrieved them from her pocket and deposited them in Sonata’s hand.

“What do you plan to do?” asked Adagio, although she almost didn’t want to know.

“I’m gonna fix this,” said Sonata boldly.

And, just like that, her mind was made up. She didn’t care that the task in question was monumental, bordering on impossible. She didn’t care that it was dirty and gross. All Sonata cared about was her mistake, how she could fix it, and how she could make things up to her love.

Sonata strode out of the apartment with purpose, determined to set things right.

Aria snorted angrily as she pushed open the door to the apartment. She had made it her business to wait as long as she could before returning home, until she was certain that the others had gone to sleep, both for her benefit and for Sonata’s own good. Aria, obviously, didn’t want to be mad at Sonata. She loved her, and she wanted nothing more than for the two to be happy together. Aria just wanted to forget this whole thing and have her sundae night with her girlfriend.

But she couldn’t. Not now. Aria could feel her blood boil just thinking about how careless Sonata had been. It didn’t matter to Aria that it was an accident, or that Sonata was clearly very sorry about the whole thing. All Aria could think about was the book, how she would never see it again. How she would never get to read that beautiful, looping handwriting ever again.

Aria squeezed her eyes shut, willing the tears away as she made her way for her bedroom. She moved silently, not wishing to alert the house of her presence, but she couldn’t help but let out an annoyed groan when she arrived at her room. It was deserted, with Sonata nowhere to be found. Aria rolled her eyes, kicking off her boots. Sonata was probably out with Pinkie Pie or something.

“Fine by me,” grumbled Aria. She didn’t want to talk to Sonata at the moment anyway. Aria wasn’t sure when she would want to see her girlfriend, but it definitely wouldn’t be any time soon. Now was the time for sulking, for stewing in her own anger.

Aria approached her bed, pausing a few feet away. This was the bed she shared with Sonata. Aria’s original bed, from before they were dating, was still there, acting as a sort of back-up laundry basket. It was piled with dirty clothes, making it difficult to sleep on if either ever wanted to. They never did, of course. The night hours were supposed to be for the two of them to spend with one another, wrapped in each other’s arms. Their nightly “snuggle sesh”, Sonata called them. After a long, tiring day of school and life in general, Sonata always looked forward to this alone time.

Aria turned and made her way for the other bed, the one piled high with laundry. If Sonata wasn’t going to respect Aria’s property, then Aria saw no reason why she should be expected to respect their alone time. Aria shed her clothes and clambered over the pile of dirty clothes and curled up, closing her eyes and waiting for sleep to claim her.

Sleep was something that often eluded Aria. She blamed it on her natural Siren biology, their brains not needing or desiring sleep like humans do (though, for whatever reason, her fellows seemed to have grown out of this). On a good day, Aria normally slept very little, instead opting to spend the time in bed just to hold Sonata. This was not a good day by any stretch of the imagination, so perhaps it was foolish to think that sleep was a possibility.

It was gone. The book was gone. Aria needed to accept that. She tried to shake the thoughts of it, of the elegant cursive and the faded black ink. The ink from the pen that Aria had given her. A lot of her past was lost to time, the memories blurred and faded, but Aria remembered that pen. Remembered the exact moment she gave it to her.

Aria shook herself free of these memories, letting them flow past her like a wave. It was gone. It didn't matter anymore. Aria wasn't even certain why she cared so much. The book was so old, and she couldn't even recall the last time she actually read it. Besides, she wasn't exactly known for sentimentality. Maybe it wasn't altogether Sonata’s fault that it got tossed out.

Again, Aria gave herself a firm shake. Whether she was normally sentimental or not didn't matter. What mattered was that Sonata had gone through her things, violated Aria’s privacy, and thrown out something important because she was careless, thoughtless, irresponsible. Aria wasn't about to just give her a free pass on that, no matter how much she wanted to forgive her.

The door creaked open, the sound of footsteps soon following. Aria tried to feign sleep, hoping that Sonata would choose the empty bed. It was quiet for a moment before Aria felt a weight deposit itself onto her bed. She said nothing, made no movement, even as Sonata rolled over the mountain of dirty clothes to embrace Aria from behind.

“I'm sorry,” whispered Sonata, her soft, gentle voice slithering up Aria’s neck. She could feel the regret in those two short words, but it wasn't enough for her.

“Where have you been?” asked Aria curtly. Her nose twitched, wrinkling slightly. “And why the hell do you stink so bad? You smell like hobo.”

“Sorry. I was at the dump. Tried to find your book, but I couldn't.” It was quiet for a bit as Aria absorbed that. “Sorry about the smell. I probably should've showered first…” She tried to get up, stopping when Aria gently grabbed her hand.

“Stay.” It was all Aria could muster at the moment. As angry as she was with Sonata, she also didn't want to be left alone all night.

“Okie.” Another silent spell rose over the two, neither knowing quite what to say to the other. “You must hate me, huh?”

“No.”

“Oh. So, uh… Hm. I really thought you'd still be mad…”

“I'm pissed. Doesn't mean I hate you,” grunted Aria. “I could never hate you. But what you did really hurt. So I'm still freaking pissed off.”

“What was in that book, anyway?” asked Sonata. She was met only with silence. “Where'd you get it? Why was it so important?” Again, no response. “Who wrote it?”

“It doesn't matter!” Aria clenched her jaw, trying not to shout anymore. Sonata couldn't see her face, but she could feel the way Aria tensed up. How hard she was trying to keep her temper in check. “It doesn't matter. It's gone now, cause of you.” Aria let out the breath she'd been holding in. “But, you know… I still love you. Even when you piss me the hell off. This stupid book isn't worth losing you over. Nothing is.”

“Ari… I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you.” Sonata squeezed Aria’s hand gently, then placed a soft kiss on the back of her neck. “It was an accident. I’m so sorry.”

“I know,” sighed Aria. “I know you didn’t mean it.” As angry as she was, Aria knew it was pointless to hold it against Sonata. And, considering that Sonata had spent the last few hours digging through the trash, Aria had to believe that she’d been punished enough. “Just… God, it’s gone. Forever.”

“It’s okay if you don’t want to tell me what was in the book, but I’m sorry it’s gone,” said Sonata. “If there’s anyway I could make it up to you, just let me know. Okay?” Again, she was met with silence, which made Sonata sigh in defeat. She pushed herself to an upright sitting position, glancing at the other bed across the room. “I’m gonna go give you your space. See you in the morning?” Aria muttered something that Sonata couldn’t quite catch. Sonata waited, hoping for more, but received nothing. With another sigh, she stood up and took a single step before Aria’s voice cut through the silence.

“Maria.” Sonata could feel the pain and regret dripping from that single word. Aria spoke slowly, taking her time to compose herself. “Her name was Maria. The girl who wrote the book.”

“Oh. I see. And… She was a friend?” asked Sonata, proceeding cautiously.

“Yeah. A friend. She taught me to paint,” sighed Aria, sitting up to face away from Sonata. “The book were tips from her. Notes on my work. How to get better. What sort of things to paint. Messages.”

“What kind of messages?” Aria didn’t respond, which was about what Sonata expected. “You want to talk about her?”

“No. I don’t.” Aria let out a sigh, running her hands through her hair. “I lied. She wasn’t a friend. She was… More.”

Aria felt Sonata’s arms wrap around her, felt her head rest gently on her shoulder. For the first time that night, Aria saw her girlfriend’s face. Dirty, muddy, covered in grease and grime from searching so long. Her eyes shined with tears, regret for her failure. Aria herself had tears in her eyes, despite how she tried to fight them back.

“It’s okay, babe. You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to,” said Sonata. She kissed Aria on the cheek. “You can keep her to yourself if you want. But, for what it’s worth… I’m glad you met her. She seemed to have been good for you. And I’m glad you learned something you love from her.”

Sonata broke away again, this time actually managing to make it to the bathroom without being stopped. She stripped down and hopped in the shower, wondering if Aria would ever truly forgive her. This was unprecedented. Sonata had never so severely hurt Aria, and she couldn’t think how she could ever make it up to her.

It was good that Aria had started talking, even if she didn’t say a whole lot. Sonata was proud of her. Even though she didn’t know the full extent of Aria’s relationship with this Maria character, it was obvious that memories of her were painful. It didn’t take much detective work for Sonata to work out a few possibilities of what happened between the two.

Sonata finished her shower, thoroughly exhausted, both physically and emotional. These were the sorts of days that she needed her snuggle sesh, but she knew that she had to give Aria her space. So she dragged herself across the room, laying herself down onto the empty bed. After a few moments, it became clear that Sonata wouldn’t be able to sleep. Not like this.

She was about to get up to take a trip to the kitchen when she felt a weight lower itself behind her. She turned, surprised, to see Aria, who silently leaned forward and kissed her. Sonata smiled, until Aria reached forward and flicked her on the nose.

“It’s okay,” said Aria quietly. “I don’t need her if I have you.”

Aria wrapped her arms around Sonata, holding her tight in a warm, loving embrace. Sonata laughed quietly, snuggling up close to Aria, and a calm, peaceful sleep soon claimed them both.

LBS: Summertime Lovin Beats Lovin in the Summertime

Summer had swept over Canterlot City quickly and without warning. That said, very few people found the heat unbearable. It was a perfect balance, hot but breathable, and even Aria had trouble complaining about it. The students of Canterlot High were beyond ecstatic, as to be expected with another year of school behind them. Some were heading out of town, some were starting up their summer jobs, and even more were making plans to relax on the beach. Adagio and Aria were two who fell into that last group.

Then, of course, there were people on the other side of the coin; Those who despised the heat and all it symbolized. Those who wanted nothing more than to spread out on their couch, enjoying air conditioning, television, and lethal amounts of ice cream. Sonata was one of those people.

Sonata had to be argued, threatened, bribed, and tricked into the car and to the beach, and even still didn’t seem to have any of her usual bright, cheery demeanor to spare. Sonata was grumpy, sour, unsociable, and even rude in several instances. Nothing seemed to make her especially excited or happy, and she developed the mindset that the world was out to get her.

To put it simply, summertime transformed Sonata Dusk into Aria Blaze.

“Look, Sonata, we’re already here,” said Aria, stretching out on her beach towel, the sun beaming down onto her. “You might as well make the most of it.”

“Hmph,” grumbled Sonata, rolling to her stomach. “It’s so hot.”

“Oh, quit being such a baby,” said Aria, smacking Sonata lightly with a spare towel. “It’s not that bad. Besides, there are some upsides to the heat.”

“Really?” asked Sonata dubiously. “Like what?”

“You get to see me in this super hot bikini,” said Aria with a smirk. Sonata looked up and studied Aria, who was clearly comfortable with her body. The racy, skimpy microkini was bright green, and left very little to the imagination. Ordinarily, she wouldn’t have minded, but something about how free Aria was with her body made Sonata a little upset. She realized she was being a bit unfair, since her bikini was nearly as bad (and neither of them could even compete with what Adagio decided to wear), but Sonata couldn’t help but feel sour about it.

“What? Too sexy for you?” asked Aria. She rolled to her side, resting her head in her left hand and slapping her right hand on her hip. An bent leg and an alluring smile completed Aria’s ultimate seductive pose. Sonata giggled slightly, flipping to match Aria. The two grinned at each other, raking in the rays and enjoying each other’s gaze. Soon, Adagio joined them (dressed in a surprisingly conservative one piece orange swimsuit), spreading out her beach towel to their right. Adagio adjusted her shades, dropped her beach bag down, and glared angrily at Aria for two minutes before either of them said anything.

“Problem?” asked Aria.

“You moron!” exploded Adagio suddenly. “You told me that this was a nudist beach!”

“I definitely didn’t say that,” said Aria. “Before we left, you said ‘Hey, Aria, do you know if this is a nudist beach like where we used to go in San Fran?’ and I said ‘Any beach is a nudist beach if you’re brave enough’, and then you got in the car in your robe. I thought you were going to call Rainbow Dash to double check.”

“I did!” exclaimed Adagio. “When I asked her about, she just screamed ‘Nudist Beach’ in a weird accent at the top of her lungs and then hung up.”

"You shouldn't have assumed," said Sonata. "Honestly, you should've known better. Does Canterlot City really seem like the kinda place that would pull something like that?" Adagio grumbled something angrily to herself and gently laid herself out on her towel.

"I can't believe I let you trick me into thinking this was clothing optional," grumbled Adagio.

"Where'd you get the suit?" asked Aria.

"I met Sunny in the washroom," explained Adagio. "Apparently, Twilight made the same mistake, and Sunset got a bunch of spare swimsuits that she was gracious enough to let me borrow."

“Speaking of swimming, I was thinking about going in,” said Aria. “You coming?”

“I suppose it would be nice,” said Adagio. Were this a normal, non-summer day, this would be the moment were Sonata chimed in with her agreement, and the three would proceed together. This time, no doubt due to the heat, Sonata ignored the conversation before her.

“Sonata? Are you coming?” asked Adagio. Sonata made a grunting, whining noise, which did a lot of things. Primarily, it irritated Aria.

“I hate when you get like this,” snarled Aria. “What’s wrong with you? Do you wanna go for a swim or not?”

“I do,” said Sonata flatly, in a pretty decent (but unintentional) impression of Aria. “But I’m not going to.”

“Sonata, in a thousand years, you’ve never made less sense than you do today,” said Adagio. “If you want to go, then why don’t you?”
Sonata flopped onto her back, staring up at the sky. She was hot, sweaty, grumpy, and embarrassed. She kept her mouth shut for a while, deciding whether or not she should say anything at all. Finally, when she realized that Aria was staring at her with her version of concern, Sonata let out a sigh and spilled the beans.

“I can’t swim,” said Sonata. Aria and Adagio looked at each other in confusion.

“What?” asked Adagio. “You’re kidding, right?”

“Nope,” said Sonata. “I do not know how to swim.”

“Sonata, I’ve called you dumb a lot over the years,” said Aria. “I’ve called you stupid and slow, and even that ‘R’ word that you told me isn’t politically correct. But, I can say now, without doubt, that holy crap, you’re an idiot.”

“How do you figure?” asked Sonata, with a glare that sent a chill through even Aria’s chest.

“I don’t know if you know this or not,” said Aria. “But we’re kinda sorta basically fish. We lived in the ocean exclusively for decades! How can you not know how to swim?”

“I know how to swim in my old body, but not with people limbs,” explained Sonata. “It’s super easy with fins. With feet, it’s impossible.”

“Oh my god, we are literally going to teach a Siren how to swim,” said Adagio. “I always thought that was just an expression.”

“No, if you guys wanna go swimming, be my guest. I’d hate to be a burden,” insisted Sonata. Even Aria, who wasn’t very good at reading people, could tell that Sonata just said what was likely one of the most loaded, passive-aggressive, respond-to-this-wrong-and-you-sleep-on-the-couch-for-eternity statements ever uttered in a human tongue.

“Well…” said Adagio, rising nimbly to her feet. “If you say so.”

“I am going to teach how to swim as a person,” said Aria, ignoring the lead Siren. “Come on, babe. Let’s get your feet wet.”

“No, it’s fine,” said Sonata near-scathingly. “I wouldn’t want you to waste time teaching a moron how to swim.” Aria wormed forward and slung her arm across Sonata’s waist, slipping her hand beneath her hip. With a jump and a pull, Aria yanked Sonata to her feet, and was soon pushing her onto her back.

“I bet it won’t take long,” said Aria. “You're smarter than you let on, and swimming is in your blood. Plus, you’re not a moron. I call you that all the time, but only cause I’m too stupid to find a cute name to give you.” Sonata rolled her eyes in disbelief, but accepted Aria’s attempts at cheering her up. At the end of the day, an attempt was good enough. The beginnings of a smile spread across Sonata’s face. Maybe the heat of summer wasn’t the worst thing ever. If it was able to make Aria seem like a cuddly, sappy puppy, then it certainly had some sort of power.

Plus, Sonata thought Aria looked really, really good in that bikini.

“Ow! Owowowow!” yelped Aria, limping into the house, her foot stained with an angry red lash. “God! I hate the beach!”

“Oh, quit being such a whiner,” said Adagio, slinging her bag onto the couch. “It was fun for a while.”

“Yeah, until Sony pissed on my foot!” snapped Aria.

“You’re the one who got stung by a jellyfish,” said Sonata with a shrug. “You said that would help. Did it?”

“I think it made it worse,” said Aria through gritted teeth. She took a few more steps before collapsing onto the couch. Achilles, woken from his nap by his mistress’ return, bound into the living room and slid to a stop in front of Aria. He sniffed at her foot, then licked it, sending spikes of pain through Aria.

“You stupid dog!” yelled Aria, and Achilles was soon whimpering and whining on his way to his “shame corner”.

“You gonna be okay?” asked Sonata.

“I’ll be fine,” promised Aria. “God, you were right. Summer sucks.”

“I dunno. It was pretty okay,” said Sonata. “It was nice to be back in the ocean for a while. Do you think we can go again some time?”

Aria looked at her girlfriend with a gaze that, if summed up and condensed into a single word, would be described as “wrath”.

“Fine. We can go next week, when I can walk again,” said Aria. “But I’m not stepping foot in the water.”

LBS: Promising Future Beats Troubled Past

Aria Blaze was not very good at making friends. This was a fact of life for a very, very long time, a thousand years or more. Aria didn’t like anyone, ever, for any reason at all. She was, for as long as she could remember, an isolated person. All of that changed when she met Sonata Dusk.

The effects weren’t immediate, far from it, actually. It took many centuries for any sort of tangible progress, and even that was marginal at best. The process was as slow as it was unintentional and unnoticed, but it eventually made a difference. Aria slowly morphed from the bitter Siren she was born to be into a slightly less bitter being, one who did care for a select few, no matter how hard she denied it.

After their defeat at the hand of the Rainbooms, Aria felt something inside her change. She didn’t want to admit it to anyone, least of all herself, but she was scared. When the Rainbooms unleashed their magic, and the great big beam of rainbow light came crashing onto the Dazzlings, Aria found herself concerned, not for herself, but for Sonata. It was this realization that enlightened Aria to the idea that she might have had feelings for Sonata.

Aria, having no real experience with love or anything truly resembling it, found herself struggling to accept her feelings and act upon them. She was so used to bottling up her emotions, to the point where she could blow at any moment. She refused to accept any romance between them, and, more to convince herself than anyone else, would tease and hurt Sonata (Rainbow Dash later informed her that she was filling a classic Japanese trope called “tsundere”. Aria still, to this day, has no idea what that means.)

Hurting Sonata’s feelings made Aria feel normal, but not necessarily good about it. In fact, and Aria didn’t realize this until years after the fact, she was just making herself feel all the worse. It wasn’t until she saw with her own eyes just how much she could affect Sonata did she finally consciously decide to make a change.

Her dating Sonata was the first change of many. With Sonata’s guidance and example, Aria was able to gain friends, and grow as a person. It was hard at first, for Aria to start to think about how others felt. It went against everything she knew, but she soon began to understand that there was a need for sacrifice and compromise, and that she was a part of something bigger. There were things more important than herself, the most prominent of which being Sonata.

With each year came ups and downs, good and bad. Aria and Sonata had their fair share of fights and arguments, and sometimes it seemed like their relationship was unfixable. But, after every fight, they came back to each other, their love even stronger than before. They grew closer and closer with each Christmas, birthday, anniversary, trip to the bar, day at the beach, and nights home alone. It seemed like their lives were as perfect as could be.

And yet, for some reason, Aria felt like something was missing. One night, while Adagio and Sonata were asleep, Aria sat in thought on the couch. She looked back over the past six years, when her life started to take that turn. Aria didn’t know what was wrong with her, but there was something eating at her soul. It pained her to say it, and she never would say it out loud, but she wasn’t truly happy. And, after giving a second of thought, it was obvious why. It was also obvious what she had to do. Aria reached into her pocket and withdrew her phone. It was 2 in the morning, but Aria honestly couldn’t care less right then. She just needed to talk to someone. She dialed the number, put her phone to her ear, and waited. The phone rang four times before she picked up.

“Aria? What’s up?” yawned Sunset Shimmer.

“I know it’s really late, and you probably have to be up really early for classes tomorrow,” said Aria. “I’d totally understand if you were to hang up on my right now, but I had to at least try. I need to talk to someone, and you’re the only one who can probably help me with this.”

“You know I’m always here if you need me,” said Sunset. “You’re more important than my Bachelor’s. What’s eating you?”

“Have you ever thought about going home?” asked Aria. “Going to Equestria to visit? Get some closure or something?”

“Well, not really. I don’t think I could face Celestia again,” said Sunset. “I think home would only hurt me at this point. My past is dark, and I plan to leave it behind as I move forward. Why do you ask?”

And then, without warning, Aria spilled her guts out over the phone, sobbing and begging Sunset Shimmer for help.

It took Aria a week after her breakdown over the phone to put all the pieces of her plan in place. She had hardly seen Sonata and Adagio during the time, spending most of it with Sunset Shimmer, Rarity and, when she was available, Princess Twilight. Aria spent a lot of time thinking and spent a lot of money, knowing full well that it was very possibly to be for nothing.

Aria pushed open her front door and slipped quietly into the house. Gripping one of her backpack straps nervously, Aria tiptoed up the stairs, hoping, praying that Sonata wouldn’t see her. She sneaked down the hall and into Adagio’s room, closing the door behind her. Adagio didn’t notice her in any way, shape, or form, as her eyes were glued to her TV screen and her ears were covered by large, noise-cancelling gaming headphones, plugged into her Xbox controller. Aria tiptoed across Adagio’s field of vision, putting a finger to her lips.

“Where’ve you been?” whispered Adagio, removing her headset. “Why are we whispering?”

“I’ve been… I’ve been thinking,” said Aria. She dropped onto the bed next to Adagio. “A lot. And I’ve realized that there’s two things I gotta do. I need your help for one of them.”

“What sort of help?” asked Adagio. Aria inhaled deeply, then exhaled, and began searching through her backpack. She returned a short second later with a small, black velvet ring box. She turned to Adagio and opened it, revealing the simple silver band gemmed with a small diamond.

“Maybe ‘help’ was the wrong word,” said Aria. “I need… I need your permission.”

“I don’t understand,” said Adagio, looking closely at the ring. “You need my permission? For what?”

“I want to, someday, marry Sonata,” said Aria. “I want to ask her to be with me until the end of time. I couldn’t do that in good conscious without asking you first. You’re the closest thing to family she… we have. You’re like a sister to us, and I need your blessing if I’m going to marry her.”

“Why would I ever say no, moron?” asked Adagio with a small grin. “You idiots were made for each other. Who am I to defy fate?” Aria smiled, slightly relaxed.

“Good. Thanks,” she said. “Now’s the hard part. Where is she?”

“In your room, I believe. She’s been keeping quiet ever since you went on your little shopping trip. You really shouldn’t just leave her like that,” scolded Adagio. “You know how she is. You go to the store, she thinks you’re never coming back.”

“Yeah… That’s why this is the hard part,” said Aria. “Come on. You need hear this, too.” Aria snapped the ring box shut, slung her backpack over her shoulder and rose to her feet. Aria led the way from Adagio’s bedroom to her own. Her hand faltered near the door knob, and it took all of her power to refrain from running away.

“Don’t get cold feet on me now,” said Adagio. “Just grit your teeth and get over it.” That somehow made Aria feel a bit steadier, just calm enough to grip the knob and pull the door open.

Sonata seemed to be in a daze for a while. She heard everything Aria was saying, and she understood what each word meant individually, but she couldn’t seem to string it together into a sensible sentence.

“I don’t understand,” said Sonata.

“It’s called a promise ring,” explained Aria. “It’s like… It’s an engagement ring for an engagement ring, if that makes sense. It’s a promise that I’m going to come back and I’m going to propose to you and, if you say yes, I’ll marry you.”

“But… why?” asked Sonata. “Why the promise ring? And what do you mean you’ll come back?”

“Last week, I did a lot of thinking,” said Aria, digging through her backpack and returning with a large purple book. “I realized that I should be happy, but… I’m just not. And that’s not your fault. It’s mine. I did some thinking, talked to Sunny and Twilight, and we all agreed that it’d be a good thing for me if I were to go away for a while.”

“Wha…” said Sonata, trailing off when she started to understand. “You’re… You’re leaving me?”

“No! God, that’s the last thing I want to do,” insisted Aria. “I just need some time to get my head together. I’m gonna go back home for a little while. I don’t know for how long, but I will come back. I promise.”

“Thus, the ring,” said Adagio with a nod. She hadn’t said much, mostly just observing and keeping a look out for Sonata.

“Do you have to go?” asked Sonata. She knew better than to ask to tag along. If Aria was going to go through all this trouble, she must’ve decided from the start that she’d be doing it alone.

“If I want to be on my A-game, for you, then yes,” said Aria. “Don’t worry. I won’t be completely gone. I borrowed this book from Twilight. It’s magic. Whatever you write in there appears in another book that Twilight has. She’s gonna give that book to me, so we can write to each other.”

“Every day?” asked Sonata.

“Well… Not every day,” said Aria. “Twilight has to put a bunch of spells on the book to make it waterproof and resistant to corrosion from the salt or whatever, and I guess that dilutes the original spell… But I will write to you every chance I get. I promise.”

Sonata nodded with tears in her eyes, and reached out her arms. Aria grabbed her up and hugged her, whispering into her ear how she promised to return, and how it was for the best. Sonata nodded and understood, but that didn’t make it any easier. Aria and Sonata held each other for most of the time of Aria’s last day before her departure.

Aria strolled down the street, the statue portal in clear sight. It didn’t take long for her to reach her destination, where a certain pony princess stood with a look of concern on her face. Twilight grabbed Aria’s shoulder gently, the latter practically recoiling out of tension.

“Sorry,” said Aria. “I’m kinda nervous about going home.”

“It’ll be okay, Aria,” promised Twilight. “Are you ready to go?”

“I think so. I left Sony with the book,” said Aria. “And you have mine, right?” Twilight nodded. “Then all I gotta do is put one foot in front of the other.” Aria took a step forward, then stopped herself. The portal was right there, and it was mocking her.

“Something wrong?” asked Twilight.

“Something just occured to me,” said Aria. “Do you have, like, a fish tank or something on the other side? And how am I going to get into the ocean?”

“I have a large tank filled with seawater waiting for you,” said Twilight. “From there, you’ll be flown to the beach by me, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and our friend Derpy. We’ll get you there, and we have a series of measures in place to keep an eye on you and pull you out if anything goes wrong. Which it won’t. But just in case it does, we’re prepared.”

“So, what you’re saying is…” said Aria. “I should stop stalling?”

“In so many words, yes,” agreed Twilight. Aria let out a small sigh, put her fears to the side, and stepped one foot in front of the other until she was passing through the portal, on a ride to the home she thought she’d never want to see again.

LBS: Love Letters

Dear Sonata,

I just made it into the ocean, and things are so different. It’s so weird being back in my normal body. Fins and hooves and gills. No joke, I almost drowned cause I’ve gotten so used to human limbs. Twilight is flying over me, guiding me and making sure I don’t get in any trouble, so that’s nice. I’m sorry I had to do this, and I probably should’ve told you about my plan before the day it went down, but… I couldn’t. I’d make excuses, and I’d never end up going.

I want you to understand that this is really important. I wouldn’t willingly spend a second away from you if it wasn’t. I don’t know what I wanna find here, or if there’s even a chance of me finding it, but I have to try. The me I am now, you deserve better than her. You deserve someone without baggage, someone who can devote all of them to you, and that’s the me I plan to become. God, just listen to me wax poetic and get all girly for you.

I don’t know what you’re feeling right now, or how you’re holding up, but there are a few things you have to remember. We have friends now, Nata, and you can depend on them. I know they might seem busy all the time. Since their lives are so much shorter, time flows differently for them than it does us. They’re going through college (most of them) and they can only go through it the once, not like us. They may not be able to talk to you at the exact moment you need them, but Sunny, Pinkie, Rarity, everyone, they’ll make time for you.

I want you to go easy on Dag. Shocking, right? Somehow, I think she’s taking this harder than she’s letting on. Try not to get on her nerves too much, okay? I wanna be there to see her completely lose her mind. Just give her a bit of space. Maybe pick up a job or something, just to get out of the house.

Another thing, I don’t want you to give up on your whole singing thing. I know that it’s tough, and I’m not expecting a record deal by the time I get home (even though that’d be sick, and if anyone could do it, it’d be you). At least try. If singing makes you happy, you deserve the chance to be happy.

Finally, and this is probably the most important thing I’ve ever said to you in all of our lives, I need you to promise me that YOU WILL NOT LET BUTTON MASH GET MY COMICS!!! I can’t stress this enough. As soon as he finds out that I’m out of town, he’s gonna come for my collection. I repeat, DO NOT LET HIM GET IT! I spent a bunch of years completing that collection. I’ve paid Stan Lee more money than some people make in their entire lives. Do not let that little skid mark get my collection. He’s gonna drop some big numbers, with at least 4 zeroes. Decline every single time. If he refuses to leave without buying something, reach under my bed and pull out my shoebox of trading cards. I bought a couple hundred for just this kind of situation. I got Yu-Gi-Oh, I got Pokemon, I even have Magic. Give him those to get him out of your hair, but don’t let him even look at my comic crate!

I don’t know how to end this letter. You know how weird I am when I write. So, I love you, I guess, and I promise that this is for the best.

Sincerly,

Aria

Dear Ari,

I hope you’re getting settled in alright, and that you find what you’re looking for. I know it’s important to you, and that makes it important to me. I’ll try to stay strong, but I’m gonna miss you every day until you get back. I think you’re right about Adagio, cause she’s been more quiet than normal. As soon as you left, she went back to her game. Thing is, I don’t think she ever unpaused it. She just stared at the title screen for a few minutes, then she went to sleep. That’s what she said, anyway. The next day, though, she seemed pretty normal. Rarity came by, and she helped a bit.

It’s a good thing you warned me about Button when you did, cause he showed up, like, right after I read your letter. A few minutes later and I might’ve sold away your whole collection. Don’t worry, though. I promised to get him into a bar and he hit the road after that. It was kinda funny, actually, just watching his face going from a smug grin to just sadness and regret.
Don’t worry about me and my singing. I’m still poking around, seeing who I can meet. I actually have a meeting with this talent agent tomorrow. He thinks I might be “the next big thing”, whatever that actually means. Even if he offers me something, I’m gonna pass until you get back. I want you to be here to make a big decision like that.

What’s it like being back home? I mean, obviously, you’re not home yet, but you’re back in Equestria. When Starswirl kicked us out, I never thought we’d ever get to see home again. I guess, someday, I might maybe be able to go? I mean, when things between us have settled? Maybe after the wedding?

Oh, almost forgot to say this: You need to take it easy. I know how you get when you set your mind to something, and you might end up hurting yourself. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, think back to the hot dog eating contest you had with Pinkie. Or the drinking contest you had with Pinkie. Basically any time you ever hung out with Pinkie, really. Point is, you’re kinda really stubborn, and you sometimes forget to do important things like eat or sleep or breathe.

I love you, babe, and I can’t wait to hear from you again.

Sincerly,

Sonata

(P.S. I am taking your reply as a solemn vow to take things easy and get 8 hours of sleep every night and eat 3 healthy meals a day).

Dear Sony,

Absolutely not. If I sleep 8 hours a night, I’ll never make it home. I know that you have no point of reference, cause you’ve never been there, but Twilight’s place is a bit of a swim from where I’m trying to get. Besides, it’s not like we need 8 hours. Trust me, a 2 hour nap every day or two and I’ll get there in a decent amount of time.

Glad to hear about your meeting with the agent-whatever. Even if you bomb horribly, you’ll probably learn how not to screw up next time. Not saying you’re gonna botch it, but there’s the silver lining for when if you do. I’m joking, I know you’ll do fine. With or without the pendants, your voice is magical.

And with that super-corny statement, I need to get moving. Turns out there’s a current I can ride for a little while that’ll cut down on my travel time, but it only comes every now and then. Can’t miss my chance. Love you, babe.

Next time will be longer,

Aria

Dear Ari,

I really hope you’re joking about the whole “2 hour nap” thing. I know we Sirens don’t need to sleep as much as some other species, but 2 hours isn’t very good for us, especially since we’ve been human for so long. Our brains still work like people, and we developed a psychosomatic desire and dependency for 8 hours of sleep and three meals a day. Before you ask, yes, Sunny let me read her psychology book, and, yes, I only understood, like, half of the stuff I just said.

She’s been coming over a lot lately, and I really appreciate it. She’s the only one who can kinda understand what you’re going through. I don’t know why we didn’t think of it sooner, talking to Sunset. Of course she understands. We’re all from the same cloth, aren’t we? Us “bad guys” gotta stick together, right?

Is that why you left? To prove to yourself that you’ve changed for good? Cause I already knew that. We’ve all made a change for the better, and I can’t help but think that you think that you need to prove it. You’ve always been pretty silly about things like that. If that’s what this is all about, you can come back now and we’ll just watch Wreck-it Ralph. Same idea, right? “You are bad-guy, but that does not mean you are bad guy”?

But that’s not it, is it? No, I don’t think it is. I wish you would tell me, so that I could help you. I’m probably not being fair. This isn’t easy for anyone, least of all you. You just feel things, and you can’t explain why you feel them, but you just do. That’s one of the things I love about you. Even if you’re being angry or grumpy or if you’re hiding things from people, you’re so pure about it. Even if you’re keeping a secret about how you feel, you do it from a pure place in your heart. Even if you don’t understand it, you act on how you feel, even if it comes out in a weird way.

I think I read too much of Sunny’s homework, cause I’m starting to freak myself out. I think I’m having one of those existench exitench existential crises (thank Sunset Shimmer for coming to my rescue after I screwed up trying to spell that)

Love you always,

Sonata

Dear Sony,

Tell Sunset Shimmer that I’m going to murder her for letting you get into those books. The last thing I need is a ditz like you thinking she knows how the mind works. You’re gonna start trying to get into my head. With my luck, it’ll probably work.

I’ve finally seen something familiar. Right now, I’m at the rock we all used to feed on. This is where Starswirl the Bearded kicked us out of Equestria. It’s hardly been touched since we left. Do you remember that day? Adagio and I were arguing over something dumb, like where to go next or something, and you were just resting there. Then, he came.

We never really talked about it, did we? When we got over the shock, we just looked to Adagio. That was probably a mistake. Talking about it probably would of made us feel a whole lot better. You were right, all those years ago. When you said that we’d always have each other. If I remember correctly, I bit your head off for saying something that dumb.

It’s nuts how much you changed me. You actually got me to talk about my feelings. Being with you makes me feel so alive, even if I feel like I’m gonna die when I hear some of the sugary-sweet crap that comes out of my mouth. I guess that’s a good thing, when you can make me actively hate the words coming out of my mouth but I still find myself saying them. You’re really that special.

Speaking of special, I know you must be thinking about our special day. I know I am, anyway. We should probably start planning now, don’t you think? Just know, I don’t mind you making all the decisions, and I reserve the right to three vetoes. Knowing you, you’re gonna give off a bunch of super reasonable things and then the last item on the list will be something weird and impossible, like “1 million Chico’s Tacos” or something dumb like that.

I’m making the assumption that you even want a big wedding. I think you deserve one, if that’s what you want. Putting up with my crap for so long, and agreeing to marry me? (Making assumptions, but pretty confident). I’ve been planning out how I’m gonna propose to you, and I think you’re gonna like it. It may or may not involve a box of tacos. That may or may not be a joke.

Love you forever,

Aria

Dear The Future Mrs. Dusk,

How did you know about my Chico’s Tacos plan?! I didn’t even write that down yet! Babe, you must be a mind reader or something, cause I was just doing the math with Dagi to see how much that would cost. Turns out, it’d be cheaper to just buy the restaurant. I told her that I’d wait until you get back to make that decision. We crunched the numbers, and we can probably afford it if we sold all your comics and Adagio’s vintage game collection.

I’m glad that you’re actually giving thought to how you’re going to ask. I was afraid that you’d just do it without coming up with some sort of plan. Even if you did, I’d totally say yes, but it’s cute that you’re acting as if I might not. I don’t really care what we do, or if we even have a real wedding at all. As long as I’m with you, we can go to the courthouse and sign some papers, and I’ll be super duper happy.

Rarity has been helping me think of what I want for the wedding, which I’m pretty sure you guessed. What’s kinda surprising is that Applejack has a few ideas of her own, and they’re pretty good. I think she’s planning on proposing to RD soon, but you didn’t hear that from me.

You can have your vetoes, just so long as I have one super-veto, that can veto a veto. Just to balance the game, you know? Wouldn’t want you to ban something we absolutely, positively, without doubt need (like Chico’s Tacos).

I’m glad to know I changed you for the better. You’ve changed me, too. I used to be so scared of everything, but you made me feel safe. I remember for a while that you used to scare me more than anything, but you ended up being the one to protect me. How many people have you punched in the face for me? If that doesn’t make a gal feel special, I don’t know what does.

Your Soon-to-Be Wife,

Sonata

Dear The Deluded Future Mrs. Blaze,

Ha! That’s cute. Look at you, thinking that you get to keep your last name. That’s rich, babe. We all know that I’m gonna be the one in the suit, I’ll be carrying you through our front door, and, of course, you’re the one who's gonna change their name. It’s just the way it’s gonna be.

I made it to the Trench today. That’s where it all started, huh? That’s where I met you and Dag. I remember it like it was yesterday. From the first word, I wanted to punch Adagio in the face. She just came up to me and started telling me that we had to stick together, seeing as it was just us three left. At first, I didn’t even see you, you were hiding so well. When I did, you started smiling like an idiot and I just yelled at you for an hour. I never did find out what you were grinning so damn hard at.

If I’m at the Trench, that means I should get to my old home in a day or two. I don’t know what I expect to find, but I’m gonna find it soon. Part of me wants to turn back. This little adventure was pretty dumb anyway. But the other part knows that I need to do this.

Hold tight for just a little longer. I know these past couple of weeks have been rough, but I promise, they’re almost over. I’ll be home before you know it.

Your Soon-to-Be Husband(?),

Aria.

Dear Ari,

Wow, the Trench must’ve been nice to see again. If we could have kids, we’d take them there all the time, just to show them where we met. Ya know, I’m thinking really hard, but I don’t actually remember smiling too much when we first met. Couldn’t tell you why. Maybe it’s cause I saw how special you were? Or maybe your memory isn’t as good as you think. (Jk, I know it’s the first one)

Don’t back down now, babe. You need to get this out of your system, you said it yourself. All you gotta do is just keep swimming. We’re with you every step (splash?) of the way. Adagio asks about you every time she’s here.

Oh! I can’t believe I forgot to tell you! Adagio found a boyfriend! He’s from out of town, a nice guy named Silver. I think you’ll like him. He’s kinda sarcastic and smarmy (like you) and he’s a big nerd (also like you). He’s pretty funny, and he has a mouth on him, but he just folds to Adagio. Like, this one night, Dagi hosted an Street Fighter V tournament, and she and Silver made it to the finals. When Silver was playing everyone else, he was talking trash and antagonizing everybody (I hope I used that word right). But, when he played against Adagio, he got really sheepish and shy. It’s cute. Can’t wait to see you run him through the rounds.

He’s been asking me about you a lot, cause he doesn’t believe you’re real. I told him that it’s all fun and games until you get back and kick his ass. That shut him up (For, like, ten seconds).

Love,

Sonata

Dear Sonata,

I made it. I’m home. I’m home, and I am freaking out. There’s nothing here. Everything is gone. I knew that some stuff would be missing, but have we really been gone long enough for everything to have been washed away?

There’s only one thing left that I remember. A big rock, so big that it stuck out way past the surface. Now, it’s been eaten away at so much that I could probably lift it if I tried. My name is carved there, my mom and dad’s, too. This is the only thing left.

I’m adding your name to the rock. I’m gonna hang here for the night, and then I’m going to head home. My real home, with you and Dag.

On my way,

Aria

Dear Ari,

Whoa. That’s crazy, babe. Are you okay? You must be freaking out pretty bad. I hope you got what you went there for. It must’ve been kinda scary. Adagio is worried about how you’re taking things, but I told her that you’re fine. You’re the strongest person I know.

The girls are on semester break, so they’re hanging around with us. Pinkie wants to throw you a welcome back party, and I almost want to let her. Something tells me you’d be a bit pissed if you walked in the door to streamers and confetti, though.

I don’t wanna rush you, but how long do you think it’ll take for you to get back? I’ve lost track of how long it’s been, but you must’ve been gone for close to a month, haven’t you? Maybe longer. I can’t wait to see you.

Miss you tons,

Sonata

Dear Ari,

You okay? You haven’t responded to my last letter yet, and I’m confused. Did I say something to make you mad at me? I’m sorry if I did, I really didn’t mean it. Please write back, even if it’s just to yell at me for whatever stupid thing I did to make you mad at me.

My bad,

Sonata

Dear Ari,

Babe, you’re really scaring me now. What did I do? I don’t remember doing anything at all, but you seem really mad at me. Please reply. At least tell me what I did. You’ve never done this to me before, and it doesn’t feel very good.

I’m sorry,

Sonata

Dear Ari,

I miss you…

Love,

Sonata

Sonata was currently giving all of her attention to her book, and the words that it contained. It didn’t make sense. Aria just stopped responding. Was it something Sonata said? Did she somehow drive Aria away? A glance at the ring on her finger convinced Sonata otherwise. Aria would never leave her.

Sonata hadn’t been out of her room in days. Even Silver, who was currently downstairs with his girlfriend, seemed concerned. Sonata hadn’t been eating, and sleep was near-unattainable. All she could spare energy for was Aria.

“Whoa, who the hell are you?” Sonata heard Silver shout from downstairs.

“Bite me, emo-freak,” a familiar voice said. Sonata nearly tripped on her way out the door and down the stairs. She slid into the living room, past Silver, past Adagio, and right in front of her.

She was soaking wet, which was to be expected. She stood awkwardly, not daring to put too much pressure on her right leg. Her eyes were bagged and dark, as if she hadn’t slept in ages. Sonata was willing to bet that she hadn’t. The one thing that was most prominent on Aria’s face, however, was happiness.

“Ari…” said Sonata quietly.

“Yeah… Sorry. Books on the spell…” Aria shook herself firmly, sending flecks of salty seawater everywhere. “Sorry. Spells on the book wore off. I got swept up in a current, and screwed up my fin. Sorry I took so long.” Sonata was just about to throw her arms around Aria in a hug, when Aria crumpled, hitting the ground and pushing herself to one knee.

“Aria! Are you okay?” asked Sonata.

“I missed you so much. I wanna spend every second I can with you,” huffed Aria. “I can’t wait to spend the day with you, but I haven’t slept in a solid week and I’m 90% sure that I broke my leg.” This time, Sonata didn’t stop herself, and grabbed Aria in a hug.

“Seriously, babe, I really should go to the hospital,” said Aria. Sonata kissed her softly, then smiled as she pulled out her phone to call the ambulance.

This was not the way Aria imagined her reunion with Sonata, although both versions involved her being on one knee. Although not quite the same, Aria decided to roll with it.

“Sonata, will you marry me?” she asked. Sonata grabbed Aria’s hand in her own and pressed it to her heart.

“Well, duh!”

LCS: Love Conquers Stupid

It was a perfect wedding. Before the actual ceremony, Aria and Sonata had split the group in half and threw their own separate bachelorette parties, where they’d made a number of poor choices and had a heaping truckload of fun. Then, when the big day arrived, all the dreams that Aria didn’t know she had came true.

The church, filled to burst with all the friend the Sirens had made over the years, was a perfect storm of joy and tears. Aria was waiting at the altar, grinning almost nervously. She was constantly adjusting her tux, pulling at her cuffs, straightening her bowtie. Then, down the aisle in the most gorgeous dress ever conceived came her wife to be. Since Sonata had never known her father, she had requested that Adagio give her away. Arm in arm, the two made their way to the altar, where Adagio smirked in her snobbish, Adagio way, then handed off the ditzy Siren to Aria. Sonata removed her veil, the two said their vows, nobody had any reason the two shouldn’t be wed, their peace was forever held, with these rings the two were wed and the bride was most certainly kissed. Oh, it was the most perfect wedding anyone had ever seen.

At least, that was how Aria imagined it. At the moment, she was still in the planning phase, which was a part of the celebration that she couldn’t be less interested in. To be perfectly frank, Aria didn’t give a single semblance of a bother who sat with whom, or what food was to be served (she knew it’d be tacos, she didn’t care). Honestly, she didn’t care who showed up, either, because she didn’t expect it to be very many. She knew that, in the years since the Battle of the Bands, she had made a fair number of friends, but she didn’t think she made any more than the next socially-inept angry Siren. She didn’t care about wardrobe, she didn’t care about the after-party, and she didn’t care where it was held. As long as she was with Sonata Dusk (soon to be Blaze), nothing else mattered in the slightest.

She was the only one who held that mentality.

“Aria, would it kill you to take this even a little seriously?” asked Adagio angrily. The lead Siren was sitting with her two friends at the kitchen table, wearing the reading glasses she oh so detested while peering at lists and letters and RSVPs. Sonata was listening intently, grasping onto every single word she could. Aria, in the meantime, was reading a comic book while half-heartedly listening, occasionally muttering a “yeah” or “uh-huh”.

“Yeah, I think it would, actually,” said Aria, although she did close her comic and lay it on the table. “I don’t really get why I have to be here.”

“Is that a serious question?” scoffed Adagio. “Are we still perpetuating the idea that Sonata is the dumb one? I think you’ve officially taken that spot from her.”

“Bite me, Dag.”

“Oh, cut her a break, Dagi,” said Sonata dreamily. “She never pretended that she’d be interested in this sort of thing.” She looked at Aria with her biggest, shiniest puppy eyes. “I mean, she’s only getting married to the love of her life. Why would she pay attention to something so insignificant?”

“You are literally the worst person I’ve ever met,” groaned Aria. “Alright, fine, I’ll pay attention. What are we talking about?”

“We were about to ask you who the best man will be,” said Adagio, clicking a pen.

“The what?”

“You are not serious,” said Adagio, shaking her head in disbelief. “That is something you said to get under my skin. Please tell me that you’re just trying to annoy me.”

“I don’t know who my best man is, okay? I didn’t think I’d need to get one!” exclaimed Aria. “I’ve never seen a lesbian wedding before. Until a few weeks ago, I thought you two jokers were going to try and get me in a wedding dress!”

Adagio was happy to yell at Aria a bit more, and she would have, had Sonata not been there to grasp her elbow with a small smile. Sonata thought it was cute how nervous Aria clearly was about the wedding. Plus, the image of Aria in a big, frilly white wedding dress was extremely hilarious, and a little bit sensual.

“It’s okay, we can fix this,” said Sonata. “Think for a second. Besides Dagi, who would you consider your best friend? Someone you trust to be there for you.”

The first person to come to mind was Button Mash, a suggestion that Aria internally beat to death as quickly as she conceived it. She loved the little guy (though she would never say that outloud), but she somehow felt that he wouldn’t be the best fit. She decided that it must be one of the Rainbooms, and a few seconds later, she came to a decision. She whipped out her phone, went down her very short contact list, and tapped the name “Sunny”. The phone rang for just a few seconds before Sunset Shimmer picked up.

“Hey, what’s up, Ari?” said Sunset. Aria could hear the grin in her voice.

“Nothing much. How’s it going with you, Doc?” asked Aria.

“Oh, come on. I’m not even done with my second year yet,” laughed Sunny. “So, what’s the story? Wedding stuff?”

“You have no idea. I need to ask you a huge favor.”

“Shoot.”

“Be my best man?” asked Aria. Sunset Shimmer laughed and laughed, and then she laughed a little more.

“I hope that’s not how you proposed,” laughed Sunset. “Of course I’ll be your best man. When’s the wedding?”

“Yo, Sony. When’s the wedding?”

“The sixth,” said Sonata, ignoring the fit that Adagio was having at that absurd question.

“The sixth,” reported Aria.

“It’s never a good sign when the groom has to ask when the wedding is,” snickered Sunset. Then, she thought on it for a second. “Wait, that’s in two weeks! How are you just now asking me?”

“Because the groom is an idiot!” shouted Adagio.

“Yeah, I’m a big, dumb, stupid idiot,” agreed Aria sarcastically. “Sunny, I’ll call you back when I get more information. Thanks for agreeing on such short notice.”

“What else are best friends for?” Sunset laughed. She bid her farewell, and hung up. Aria slipped her phone back into her pocket, then turned to her fiance and their wedding planner.

“How exactly did you and Sunset Shimmer become best friends?” asked Adagio.

“She’s a demon, I’m a dirtbag, we have a lot in common,” answered Aria, being only mostly sarcastic. "She used to help me suppress the urge to be evil. Besides you two jerkwads, she was the first real friend I ever had."

“That’s sweet. Tell her to work that into her speech,” said Adagio, running her hands through her hair tiredly. “Especially the ‘she’s a demon, I’m a dirtbag’ thing.”

“Speech? I didn’t say anything about a speech!” said Aria. She yanked up her phone and started flipping through her contacts. “I better warn her…”

“Ari, I’m sure she knows,” said Sonata. She calmly took Aria’s phone from her. “Aria, you are literally the only person in this entire scenario who doesn’t know what they’re doing.”

“Well, this is my first marriage, you butt,” growled Aria, snatching her phone back. She was kind of annoyed by how well Sonata was dealing with the impending weight of being married. She was calm, and nearing the point of coherency. Aria really selfishly hated that Sonata was being more mature about this than her.

“Same here. Adagio’s the real expert here,” said Sonata with a sly grin. Adagio rolled her eyes rather impatiently.

“I told you, I never married that guy,” she explained. “I don’t even know how that lie got to this point. It was originally that he seduced me, which is equally untrue. Probably more untrue. He was just some guy who thought he could get a little bit of fame by saying he bagged the hottest girl at school.”

“We’ve been to a hundred schools, Adagio,” snickered Aria. “Maybe more. You have never been the hottest girl at any of them.”

“Well, at least I didn’t lose a fight to a girl in a wheelchair!”

Aria blushed fiercely with embarrassment, while Sonata sat back in her chair and giggled.

“That’s not true!” argued Aria. “That never happened, someone made that up.”

“We were there, babe,” giggled Sonata. “I think Adagio still has the video, actually.”

“How was I supposed to know that she knew aikido?! Who teaches a paraplegic martial arts?!”

Adagio, laughing while she did, rose from the table and left the room. She was gone, upstairs, for a bit, then she returned with some sort of tape in her hand. She gestured for the girls to follow her to the living room, where she pulled out a machine that rivalled the Sirens for age: A VCR. She slipped the tape into the ancient machine, flipped on the TV, and pressed play. Then, she grinned sadistically, and fell onto the couch next to Aria and Sonata. On the screen was Aria and some girl in a wheelchair, who seemed to be yelling at each other outside of a school.

“Aria, I swear to God, if you hit this girl…” said Adagio, offscreen somewhere.

“She wants a piece, she can get a piece!” snapped the video Aria. She ran forward to punch the girl. In one deft movement, the disabled girl grabbed Aria’s wrist, hit her in the gut with her other hand, and flipped her, hard, onto the concrete. Aria groaned loudly, someone offscreen (Sonata, as it turned out) screamed, and Adagio laughed and laughed.

"Where did you get this tape?" demanded Aria.

"I was holding the camera, stupid," said Adagio, her voice still loaded with amusement. "I'd forgotten about it for a long time, I'm glad it still works."

"Why do we still have a VCR?" asked Sonata.

"Because Adagio can't let go of the past," grumbled Aria. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll get rid of that freaking tape.” Nobody anywhere could’ve ever predicted what happened next. It was an event that happened so rarely that even those who witnessed it still believed it may be a myth. Legend stated that it only happened once every couple of eons, and only when the whole of the world had appeased each of the elder gods.

Adagio complied with a request from Aria.

“Very well. I’ll get rid of it,” said Adagio. “I wouldn’t want to annoy you too much just yet. That’s the wife’s job, if I recall.”

“What?” said Aria and Sonata. Adagio got up, popped out the tape and, using a technique she had learned after studying her dear friend Pinkie, slipped the tape into her massive poof of orange hair.

“Well, I better go. I only have your wedding to plan,” sighed Adagio. She shook her head in disappointment at her friend’s uncaring demeanor in regards to the wedding, then headed for the door. As soon as the door shut behind her, Sonata tackled her fiance, pressing herself down against her chest.

“It’s happening!” squealed Sonata excitedly. “I can’t believe it! Two weeks, and then we’ll be married!”

“And I’m already starting to regret it.” Aria leaned forward and pecked Sonata on the lips. “How do you feel?”

“I can’t even explain it. I’ve never been so happy in my entire life! Just think, Aria,” sighed Sonata wistfully. “After all we’ve been through together, the three of us, we end up together forever. Us, of all people! When we got banished to this place, I never thought that we’d get to live happily ever after. Especially not with each other.”

Neither of them could’ve seen it coming, the two of them together. Besides them being probably the two most unlikely to end up with a happy ending, Aria never really wanted one. She never thought she deserved one, being what she was and what she did. When they were still along their dark path of feasting on the negative energy of others, Aria didn’t know or care how they would end up. All that mattered was feeding, causing turmoil, growing stronger.

Times have certainly changed.

“You look like you’ve got something on your mind, babe,” said Sonata. “Is there something you wanna ask me?”

“Something has been eating me, I guess,” said Aria with a small smile.

“You know you can ask me anything.” They kissed again, and an evil thought came to Aria’s mind.

“So, we’re getting married and all, but… If we meet someone better, do we get a mulligan?” asked Aria. The look on Sonata’s face was equal parts confusion, disgust, anger, and amusement. It made Aria laugh, and feel a little bad, as well. But, mostly, she found it to be hilarious.

“You’re so not funny,” said Sonata.

“You’re so laughing, though,” chuckled Aria. Sonata slapped her chest playfully, more than used to her fiance’s sense of humor. “Okay, I’m gonna be serious now. I don’t know if you can tell, but-”

“You’re scared out of your tights?” asked Sonata.

“I don’t wear tights anymore,” said Aria evasively. Sonata peered at her with a look that said “cut the crap, you know what I meant”. “Yes, babe, I’m terrified.”

“Why?” It was a genuine question. It was a good question. But, as it was one that Aria couldn’t really find an answer for, it annoyed her all the same. For a few seconds, Aria simply stared blankly, trying to work out how best to express her thoughts.

“It’s just… You know I love you, right?” sighed Aria. Even after all the time the two were together, she still felt a little odd saying that. “I wanna give you my all, babe. You deserve the best, and I want to give it to you. But, like… What if I’m a bad wife? Or husband or whatever you’re gonna call me?”

“You’re going to be the perfect wife-sband, Ari,” promised Sonata. She pressed her finger against the tip of Aria’s nose. “Stop worrying about what you might’ve done before you got better.”

“I wasn’t sick. Just messed up a little,” said Aria. “And I don’t think you could call this ‘better’. I just made a joke about having a free do-over on our wedding. That is not something that a normal woman who is going to be a normal wife says.”

Aria got really upset when she heard Sonata laugh, just as much of her annoyance directed at herself as Sonata. Aria couldn’t believe how open she was being, nor could she understand Sonata’s apparent mocking of her feelings. That said, it was classic pot-and-kettle, and Aria could hardly justify her anger for long.

“Aria, you are somewhere close to fifteen hundred years old,” Sonata reminded her. “You were best friends with Al Capone. You’re a half-fish, half-horse monster that feeds on the negativity of others.”

“There a point to all of this?”

“But you can also paint. You can take care of pets. You’ve gotten into a bagillion bar fights, for me,” continued Sonata. “And, being honest, you can be a huge jerk sometimes. You are anything but normal. I didn’t agree to marry you for normal.” Sonata kissed Aria on the forehead. “I agreed to marry you for Aria.”

“Ugh, you’re so much better than me!” groaned Aria. “You’re not supposed to be handling anything more maturely than me, pretty sure it’s against the law. Quick, complain about something dumb so I can feel like an adult again!” Sonata giggled, but tried her best to comply.

“Uh… Okay, well, Adagio’s gonna be complaining for ages,” said Sonata. “She’s really annoyed that her boyfriend isn’t coming.” Aria raised an eyebrow in surprise.

“Seriously? Emo-Freak thinks he can skip my wedding?” scoffed Aria. “What’s up with that?”

“Oh, maybe it had something to do when you threatened him with a knife and shouted ‘Don’t even think about coming to my wedding’?”

Aria thought back, failing to remember what Sonata was talking about at first. Eventually, Aria managed to piece together what her fiance was referring to.

“Honestly, when is that guy gonna develop a sense of humor?” said Aria.

“You pinned him to the wall and held a knife over his groin,” pointed out Sonata.

“He kicked my dog,” Aria said, as if that somehow defended her point.

“Okay, first off: Achilles is Dagi’s dog,” Sonata reminded her. “Second, you were plastered that night, because someone thought they could down six Jagers and then cut some cake.” Sonata tapped Aria’s nose again, firmer this time. “Third, he totally tripped and apologized right after. You over-reacted.”

“As usual, apparently,” grumbled Aria. She ran her hand through Sonata’s ponytail like she often did when nervous. Sonata, having long since learned the signs of a disgruntled Aria, was used to her fiance not confiding in her when she should be. Aria, despite her attempts at overcoming her fear of her own feelings, still had trouble stating what she thought was dumb or pointless. So, as was her nature, she simply dropped the subject.

“So, we still have most of the day,” said Sonata. “What do we do with it?” Aria sighed, then reached into her mental bag of corny lovey-dove things to say.

“I’m cool with this,” said Aria, tapping Sonata’s nose. It was, arguably, one of the sweeter and more heartfelt moments the two had shared. Even if it was slightly awkward and tense, it was pure, directly from their hearts. The moment could’ve lasted forever.

If it weren’t for Adagio.

“Give a nice, big smile for the camera before you start sucking face,” said Adagio from behind her camera. Sonata blushed slightly, while Aria showed her dear friend and her camera her absolute favorite finger. Adagio, who had been listening intently ever since she quietly re-entered the house, shortly after Sonata’ original tackle, just laughed and closed her camera.

The footage she got would do nicely for the wedding.

Adagio was never properly thanked for all the good work she did for the wedding. She secured a nice venue, a hotel near the north of Canterlot, for the ceremony. She aided Rarity in perfecting Sonata’s dress and Aria’s tux, even helping her to model them. She hand-wrote all the invitations, answered all the RSVPs, set things up with the catering company, decorated, orchestrated the positioning of all involved, hired the music, put together a whole presentation to celebrate the coming together of the two largest pains in her neck, and made sure Aria knew what she was doing. She received little to no credit for this, because most people focused on the tiny, little, insignificant mistake she made.

She totally forgot to get a priest.

It was a simple mistake that anyone could’ve made, especially someone as busy as Adagio. She was embarrassed enough at her own shortcoming, and she needed to be scolded for it about as much as she needed a hole in the chest. And, of course, she did end up securing someone to bless the wedding, but it could be argued that the ceremony would’ve been better without one.

When Adagio realized, she was in the middle of coaching Aria. Both of them were massive nervous wrecks, though they each managed to hide it fairly well. That was partly due to their refusal to be bested by the other, and partly due to the presence of their best friends. The pair of Sunset and Aria, much like Adagio and Rarity, was a pair that was only natural, but still bizarre to those who were familiar with their history. Still, they managed to not only put all of their past discrepancies to the side, but become the best of friends. It was like the first man to accidentally combine chocolate and peanut butter: an absurd combination that made perfect sense once you tasted it.

“So, Sunny will be there at the altar, waiting for you,” said Adagio, mentally orchestrating the entire wedding from the safe confines of the hotel room shared by Sunset and Aria. Sunset was sprawled out on her bed, while Aria paced the room, reading over her vows. Rarity, who had hardly spoken, was determinedly altering Aria’s suit, trying to get the cuffs just so.

“Then, I’ll go to the back and bring out Sonata,” continued Adagio. “I’ll hand her over, and then-...”

Adagio gasped in shock, then swore suddenly in the native Siren language. Aria, being the only one to understand, raised an eyebrow with a dimension of concern to go along with the confusion that possessed the others.

“Is that how you guys used to talk?” asked Sunset. “I like it. It’s vibrant. Flavorful.”

Adagio swore again, then consistently dropped naughty words of increasing severity. Rarity didn’t know what her friend was saying, but her “Lady Senses” were tingling, and she was sure that whatever it was, it was indecent in nature.

“Adagio, darling, please tell me those weren’t swears,” said Rarity in disappointment. “It’s unbecoming.” Adagio swore three times more, now pacing impatiently, running a hand through her massive poof of hair in annoyance.

“Yeah, those are cuss words,” nodded Aria. “Really bad ones, too. What’s gotten into you, Dag? I don’t think I’ve heard you use that word since I super-glued your hands to your forehead.”

“This is so horrifically terrible, I do not even know where to begin,” groaned Adagio, rubbing her temples. “This complicates things…”

“Is Sonata, like, engaged to someone else?” asked Aria, only partly as a joke.

“No, you idiot, I-”

“Am I engaged to someone else?”

“I’m not even going to dignify that with-”

“Then how complicated can this really be?” asked Aria dismissively. “Nobody’s married already, nobody’s getting cold feet, and it’s legal in this country. Whatever you did, it’s probably no big deal.”

“I forgot to get someone to bless the wedding.”

Rarity actually fainted, and Sunset spent the next two minutes trying to resuscitate her. Aria dropped her notes, staring at Adagio with a blank gaze of confusion. She marched across the room silently and placed a hand on her wedding planner’s shoulder.

“I don’t understand,” said Aria. “Explain it to me. What does this mean for the wedding?”

“More like ‘what wedding?’,” said Adagio gently. Aria tried to remember her anger management techniques, in through the nose and out through the mouth and whatnot. She tried really hard to stop her blood from boiling.

She tried really hard to put Adagio down when she grabbed her by the collar.

“Look, Aria, I get that you’re angry…” began Adagio.

“Yo! Aria, chill!” said Sunset, rushing to Adagio’s aid. “Calm down!”

“This ditz just ruined what was supposed to be the best day of my life!” shouted Aria. “Give me one good reason not to break her frigging teeth!” Sunset Shimmer gently grasped Aria’s shoulder, the gesture so calming and familiar that Aria hardly had a choice but to loosen her grip.

Slightly.

“Look, the two of us combined know roughly nothing about weddings,” said Sunset. “Adagio is your best hope for something that even resembles a proper ceremony. Let her go solve this, okay?”

“I can make some calls, and I swear to God, we move on as scheduled,” promised Adagio. “I'll… I'll call in some favors. Whatever, I’ll get it done.” She locked eyes apologetically with Aria. “I promise.”

Adagio wasn't afraid of Aria. Over the past couple thousand years, the two had engaged in many a fist fight. Adagio was confident, given her record, that she could at least defend herself against Aria.

She wasn’t so nervous and jittery because of what Aria might do to her. She was more concerned by what Aria would do to herself.

“Aria, drop her,” said Sunset firmly. Aria sighed deeply, then released her grasp of Adagio.

“Sorry. I’m really… Really emotional right now. I’m feeling a lot of things I didn’t know I could feel,” sniffled Aria.

“Are you about to cry?” asked Adagio.

“Will you just get your guy?” snapped Aria. “Sunny, go wake up Rarity. I’m gonna hang with Sony before the wedding.”

“It’s bad luck to see the bride before you get to the altar,” noted Sunset.

“I’ll wear a blindfold!”

She didn’t actually go to see Sonata, for fear of cursing and voiding the marriage. What she did do was stroll around the hotel, trying to swallow all of her fears, rational or otherwise. It was hard, seeing as so many of her so-called friends were pouring into the hotel (quite early, too) and scaring her even more. It was hard to forget about getting married when everyone from Princess Twilight of Equestria to Principal Celestia of Canterlot High was congratulating you.

The first hug came from Twilight, which made Aria uncomfortable enough (she still felt weird hugging even Sonata). Then, Applejack, Fluttershy, Crystal Prep Twilight (they didn’t even know each other that well), Lyra, Bon-Bon, Octavia and Vinyl (who were doing the music for the ceremony), and that odd girl with the wonky eyes, whose name Aria never managed to learn. That was weird enough, but then Aria was being hugged by friends of friends, and friends of those friends. People Aria had never even met before. It was all too much for her. She rarely felt this much support or love in her life, and, when she did, it was in private and only from her fiance.

This was how Sonata made Aria feel everyday: loved, confused, protected, and endangered, all at once. In thousands of years, Aria had never been more confident and simultaneously insecure. It was ripping her apart. Every hug felt more like a knife to the chest. It was a wonderful, once in a lifetime feeling. A lot of people never got to feel this. Aria should be ecstatic.

Then why did she hate it so much?

There was an hour left, and Aria’s intense fear showed no signs of diminishing. In fact, it seemed to be growing. Questions kept bouncing in her head, chipping away her excitement and replacing it with dread. She was going to ruin it, she just knew it. Some way or another, she would find a way to ruin her relationship with Sonata. It didn’t matter that the two had been together for almost seven years by this point. Aria just knew that it would happen. The two would break up, hate each other forever, and it would be all her fault. She didn’t want it to happen. She didn’t want to put Sonata through all of that. The sooner she got out of Sonata’s life, the better. Her decision, to her, at least, was obvious.

Thirty minutes from the wedding, Aria ran to her room. She told anyone who would ask that she had to get dressed, which wasn't a total lie. She did have to get dressed, just not in her tux. When she got there, Sunset was waiting to coach her through the next step. Aria ignored her, grabbed a suitcase, and started flinging spare clothes into the bag.

“In a few minutes, we…-” Sunset only now noticed what her friend was doing. “What the hell are you doing?”

“Being a huge coward,” said Aria flatly. Sunset Shimmer glared at her, going as far as to grab her by the wrist, near threateningly.

“No. You are not leaving her at the altar,” said Sunset. “You can't do that to her. That's not fair.”

“Life isn’t fair, she'll learn to get over it.” Aria yanked herself from Sunset’s grasp, then kept on packing.

“What do you want us to tell her?” said Sunset angrily.

“Tell her that she was an idiot for dating me, and she should’ve never said yes,” grumbled Aria. She was basically slamming her clothes down by this point. It was lucky for everyone involved that she did, or else she wouldn’t have flung her favorite jeans with such ferocity, and the piece of paper she had folded in her back pocket wouldn’t have flown out. This paper was possibly the most important piece of paper in Aria’s entire life.

A note from Sonata. Aria read it quickly once, then twice more. She began to cry, quietly

“Alright, alright! Come on, let’s get suited up,” Aria growled. “I’m being stupid. Let’s go.” Sunset looked at Aria with a mix of concern and contempt. She had never seen Aria change her mind so quickly.

“What just happened?” asked Sunset.

“Look, if you don’t want to be part of this anymore, then don’t be,” said Aria. “Otherwise, we gotta go. I wasted a lot of time today, and I gotta get moving.”

“I’m with you Aria, but you gotta learn soon that not everyone is your enemy,” said Sunset. “Stop doing that Aria thing where you snap at people for no reason. I’m your friend, and I’m just trying to help.” Aria snorted annoyedly, which basically solidified Sunset’s point. “This is your problem. You’re scared, I get it, but you need to start talking it out.”

“I don’t know how to talk, okay? That’s not my thing.”

“Well, you better learn.” Sunset crossed her arms across her chest. Over the years, she had learned that the only way to get through to Aria was to be as stern, stubborn, and aggressive as she was. “Cause what you’re doing, not communicating, that is the quickest, most surefire way to ruin a marriage.”

For whatever reason, that really annoyed the groom to be. Maybe it was Aria’s natural distaste for authority, but she just hated the way Sunset was talking to her. Like she was a child. Like she needed guidance. She was over 1,700 years old, goddamnit, and she did not need this chick, who was 23 at best, to tell her how to live her life. Sunset Shimmer was an infant in Aria’s eyes. She was tiny, insignificant. Aria had seen men and women like Sunset come and go, in what felt like the blink of an eye. Sunny wasn’t so special. She was just a girl.

Which was why her words carried so much weight.

“No offense, Sunset, but what do you know about marriage?” scoffed Aria. She turned away and dropped onto the bed. She was officially too stressed with the day to continue standing. Sunset just kind of laughed, but not exactly in a humored way. It was pained and dark, kind of like the two friends themselves.

“Never met my parents, have you?” said Sunset rhetorically. Still, Aria flinched slightly in shock. “Oh, come on, it’s not that bad.”

“Sorry. I didn’t know.”

“Yeah, that’s cause I never told you.” Sunset lowered onto the bed to Aria’s side. “Guess I gotta practice what I preach.” Silence fell over the two, both girls getting a hold of their thoughts. Sunset decided that she’d be the first to talk, since Aria would happily stay quiet until forced to open her mouth.

“It was my fault that my folks split,” said Sunset. Aria gave her a look that was as close as she could get to kind, empathetic compassion. “Yeah, people tell me all the time not to think like that, but it was. They used to argue about me, what I should do next in terms of my schooling. Dad wanted me to keep pushing forward, but Mom thought I was going too hard. They fought all the time, and they just grew distant.”

“That’s all it took for their marriage to fall apart?” asked Aria. Sunset laughed that dark, slightly agonized laugh again, then fell back onto her back.

“Well, it might’ve also had something to do with my mom sleeping around and the domestic violence,” admitted Sunset. “But none of that happened before the question of what I’d do came up. Ya know, in a way, my whore mother and wife-beater father are the ones responsible for you ending up with Sonata.”

“How do you figure?”

“Well, if it weren’t for her inability to keep her legs closed, my dad wouldn't have hit her, they wouldn't have split, and I wouldn’t have gone so mad for power,” she explained. “I thought that, if I was able to become a strong unicorn mage, I’d be able to force my parents back together. I started rushing to get power, and I ended up getting booted here. If it weren’t for me stealing Twilight’s crown, she never would’ve come here. If she didn’t come here, she wouldn’t have beaten me, and I would’ve just been a tyrannical high school senior.”

“Yeah, and Adagio wouldn’t have caught whiff of that Equestrian magic, cause there’d be no Equestrian magic to sense.” Aria was getting it now. “And then we wouldn’t have lost, and I might not have ended up with Sony.”

“Exactly. You know, you’d be surprised of the sort of things that happen due to something apparently unrelated,” said Sunset. “The universe is big. It’s vast and complicated and ridiculous. And sometimes, very rarely, impossible things just happen and we call them miracles.” It was a touching moment, and really good advice. Aria might’ve found time to feel moved by it.

If she didn’t recognize the quote.

“Since when did you watch Doctor Who, ya nerd?” asked Aria. Sunset snickered.

“Since when did you watch Doctor Who? Dork.” Aria smiled slightly. Sunset’s slight embarrassment and guarded retort made Aria feels as if things might actually be normal.

“Thanks for sharing that with me,” said Aria. “I think this might help me understand what the heck to do next.”

“Don’t thank me. Friends confide in each other,” said Sunset. “Remember, Sonata may be your girl, but she’s also your friend.”

There was a knock on the door, followed by said door flying open, and a flustered pair of wedding planners stormed into the room. Rarity, so much in the zone that she had no time for words, just grabbed Aria by the wrist and began dragging her limbs around, to get the last few measurements required.

“I have a priest, the presentation is set up, and everyone is seated,” said Adagio. “All we need to do is get you and Sunset in suits, and then we can start. I triple-double checked, in true Twilight Sparkle fashion, to ensure that I forgot nothing this time. I am so, unfathomably, ungodly sorry, I-”

“Shut up for a sec,” said Aria. “You did a good job here. It’s gonna go smoothly. Just freaking enjoy it, okay?”

“But-”

“Not asking. I’m telling you. Time for you to start taking orders, Dag,” said Aria, even as Rarity was ripping her clothes off. “This is your baby. Soak it in, okay? Try to catch the bouquet, and don’t kill Rarity over here for it. That’s all I need, a murder at my wedding where I’m not convicted.”

“Now, I’m glad you feel that way, but I don’t think you understand the whole situation,” said Adagio sheepishly. “In order to get a priest on such short notice, I had to dig deep. She’s not a professional, per say, but she’s totally legal.”

“I don’t care. She can’t be too bad, can she?”

It was a perfect wedding. The weather was perfect, sunny and clear. The venue was perfect, just outside the hotel and in front of the pool. The turnout was perfect. Aria stared down the perfect aisle of perfect seats in perfect awe, taking in the sight of all of her friends, the food, the massive cake that Pinkie Pie had apparently spent three days to make (her effort was very much so appreciated). There were Sonata’s favorite tacos, a large projector screen displaying a slow slideshow of Aria and Sonata, both before and during their budding romance. To the left was the band, headed by the epitome of “opposites attract”, Octavia Melody and Vinyl Scratch. Dead in the center, just before the massive round pool, was a large white gazebo was where Aria was meant to take her position. Beneath the gazebo stood the priest, who was a familiar face.

This was the only part of the wedding that was not so perfect.

“Are you serious?” asked Aria as Sunset deposited her beneath the gazebo, in perfect view of all her friends. Sunset was by her side, hand on her shoulder and nervous grin on her face.

“Who else? Who else could possibly sanctify the marriage between two ancient beings of myth?” said the priest, none other than the magician (and, apparently, priest) Trixie Lulamoon. She was dressed as you’d expect: in full wizard cape and hat. “You should be thanking Trixie for agreeing on such short notice, Jezebel Blaze. Truly, the Great and Holy Trixie has quite a busy schedule, and-”

“Shut up for a sec. You hear that?” asked Aria. It was the first few notes of a song. “That’s the start of ‘Here Comes the Bride’.” And so it was, albeit a slightly altered, modernized (and, Aria would argue, better) version of the original.

Aria could see Sonata making her way from the hotel’s doors just a few yards away, and she lost breath immediately. She was gorgeous. Clutching a bouquet of lotus, her dress was a soft shade of sea green, and thin, curtain-like. In terms of shape, it more resembled a long salsa or cocktail dress, but with a bit of frill around the wrists and neck. She, of course, wore a veil, but Aria knew that Sonata wouldn’t be wearing much makeup. She could just imagine a bit of sapphire eye shadow and faintly blue lipstick. Adagio didn’t look bad herself, dressed in a similar (less extravagant) dress with a color scheme best described as inferno-like.

“Whoa,” said Aria breathlessly.

“Good job, Aria,” said Sunset, patting her friend on the shoulder. “Most people wouldn’t be able to lock down a hottie like that.”

“Yeah…” Aria whispered. The march was slow, but Aria preferred it that way. It gave her time to straighten her tux, and to make sure she knew exactly what she’d say. Also, she was able to drink in the sight of all of her friends: the former Rainbooms in the front row, and Applebloom’s group of Crusaders behind them (among whom was Button Mash, who gave Aria a thumbs up from his seat). Then was Principal Celestia, V.P. Luna, and Dean Cadance from Crystal Prep High School. Adagio’s boyfriend actually did make it, seated beside his two best friends in the back. Silver grinned and winked knowingly at Aria, who couldn’t help but snicker.

Soon, Sonata was upon her. Adagio handed her off, then retreated slightly, smirking in her snobbish, Adagio way. The music cut, and Trixie did what she did best.

She put on a show.

“Dear fans of Trixie and her greatness, we are here, primarily, to witness the amazing performing skills of the Blessed and Honorable Trixie,” said Trixie. “However, a small few of you, not knowing that Trixie would be here, are instead her to see the binding of two as one. The ending of two lives to become a single life. The union between two ancient friends, Sonata Dusk and Jezebel Blaze!”

“I’m gonna kill her,” muttered Aria. Sunset chuckled slightly, knowing that Aria’s statement was less of a joke than it should’ve been.

“Before these two otherworldly souls may become as one, proof of their devotion must be shared with all!” declared Trixie. “And, as such, the Orthodox and Magnificent Trixie orders a reading of vows.”

Sonata cleared her throat and stepped forward. She had no cards in her hand, having spent the last three weeks tweaking and memorizing her vows. She didn’t need them.

“Aria, before the Battle of the Bands, we’d been through it all. You’ve saved my life more times than either of us could count,” recited Sonata. “We’d lived together for over a thousand years. Every hardship or rough patch any two people could have, we got through it. But it wasn’t until almost seven years ago did I meet the real Aria Blaze. The woman who will do anything to make me happy. The woman who can do just about anything she puts her mind to.” Sonata sniffed, trying to keep back the tears. She failed. “The woman I fell in love with. I can’t remember my life without you, and I don’t want to. I want to spend every waking second of our lives by your side. I’m so glad that you’re giving me that chance. Nothing in my life has ever felt more right or true than when I look up and shout to the sky ‘I love Aria Blaze’.”

Sonata was properly in tears now, as was the entirety of the audience. Even Trixie was touched enough to remove her hat and place it over her heart. Aria froze for a second, unsure of whether or not her speech could even compare. She had another moment of weakness, and the idea of running away flitted briefly in her mind. Then, she remembered Sonata’s note, and the idea was beaten to death.

“Alright, so you guys all know I suck with words,” said Aria. The audience chuckled. “So, to cause the least amount of pain to everybody, I’m gonna try to keep it short.” She stepped forward and smiled nervously at her almost-wife. “Sony, I couldn’t tell you when I decided that I wanted to be with you. It just sort of happened. I wish it would’ve happened a lot sooner, though. Without you, I’m pretty much nothing.”

A soft, floating “Awwww!” rose through the crowd, which caused Aria to blush slightly.

“Y-yeah, I mean… You took a grumpy, worthless, waste of space loser, and you turned it into… Well, something. You turned me into a good person,” stumbled Aria. She was 100% improvising here. “If it weren’t for you… I don’t even know what I’d have done. In a lot of ways, you saved me from myself. And… And I know I don’t deserve you. I don’t get scared of people, unless they’re you, Sonata. I almost ran away today.”

The audience gasped, and Aria felt as if she might’ve ruined the whole affair. Still, Sonata didn’t look upset. If anything, she looked expectant. Even if she was mad, she wouldn’t have scolded Aria, because she knew Aria would’ve done enough of that to herself.

“I know, that sucks, but it’s the truth. I was scared,” continued Aria. “I was terrified of disappointing you. I didn't want to ruin what we had. I was so scared of messing up that I was gonna pack my bags and run to… I dunno, Canada, maybe. I threw a pair of jeans in my bag, and this piece of paper flies out.” She withdrew a sheet of paper. “It was a note you left me. You wrote it a while ago. I was out of the apartment for whatever reason, and when I got back, Dag had dragged you to hang with some dude she was with.”

Aria sniffed. She was crying in front of everyone she knew, and she didn't even care. With shaking hands she unfolded the note, cleared her throat, and read it out loud.

“Ari, I just wanted to say how much I miss you, even if you’ve only been gone for a couple of hours,” she recited. “I miss you so much. I wish I could be with you all the time. You make me feel like a gilded pearl sitting in milk chocolate. I’m so glad we met. I’m always thinking about you.” Aria chuckled, then folded up the note. “Okay, so the pearl thing makes zero sense, and there’s a ton of spelling errors, but your heart is in the right place. And, like, I found it again, and I realized that, if you’re willing to be with me every second of every day, well, I better make it worth your time.”

Aria nervously stepped back. Despite her attempt to keep it short and sweet, her vows went on longer than Sonata’s. Still, Sonata smiled a happy, watery smile and nodded. Aria sighed in relief. She hadn’t messed up too horribly.

“How horribly sweet,” said Trixie. “Truly nauseating. In any case, now would be the time for this ceremony to end, should it be fated to do so. If anyone, other than Trixie, can show just why these two cannot be wed, speak now or forever hold your peace.” Nobody spoke, which slightly annoyed the priest Trixie. “Now is the time… No? Fine. Who has the rings?”

“That’s me,” said Sunset. She stepped forward, a velvet pillow in her hand. Sitting atop it were two bands of glistening white gold. Aria daintily lifted one of the rings, turning it over in her hand.

“I, Aria Blaze, give to you, Sonata Dusk, this ring,” said Aria. She took Sonata’s hand in her own. “As a symbol of my commitment to love, honor, and respect you. As this ring has no end, neither does my love for you. I, Aria Blaze, take you, Sonata Dusk, to be my wife. I promise to be true to you in good times and bad, for richer or poorer, through sickness and health. I will love and honor you all the days of my life.” Aria slipped the ring onto her new wife’s finger. “With this ring, I thee wed.” Sonata laughed happily, taking the other ring.

"I, Sonata Dusk, give to you, Aria Blaze, this ring, as a symbol of my commitment to love, honor, and respect you. As this ring has no end, neither does my love for you. I, Sonata Dusk, take you, Aria Blaze, to be my wife. I promise to be true to you in good times and bad, for richer or poorer, through sickness and health. I will love and honor you all the days of my life. With this ring, I thee wed.” She happily placed the ring on Aria’s finger, grasping her hands in her own.

“Ugh. You two nauseate Trixie with your public displays of devotion,” groaned Trixie. “But, Trixie has no choice but to continue. With the power vested in the Spectacular and Saintly Trixie, she now pronounces you… Wife and wife? You may now kiss the bride.”

The guests cheered as the two came together, locking lips in a long passionate kiss. After a few moments, they broke apart, both possessed with a strange sort of energy, the sort that came from starting the newest chapter in their lives. Sonata haphazardly chucked her bouquet, which Rarity caught with no competition (everyone in attendance knew better). Without a word to anyone, Aria and Sonata made their way away from the altar and to the pool. Without bothering to change, they waded into the pool, to the general confusion of everyone that wasn’t Adagio or the Twilights.

“Uh… Dag?” asked Sunset, as the two swam across opposite edges of the pool. “What’s going on?”

“It’s a Siren wedding tradition,” explained Adagio. “They swim on opposite sides, which represents their lives before meeting.” The two met at the top. “Then, when they meet, it symbolizes their marriage and binding. Then, they do laps around the pool or body of water, which represents their lives with each other for all of eternity.”

Sunset watched in wonder as Sonata and Aria completed their first lap around the circumference of the pool. It was a sweet, lovely tradition that had no real equivalent in the human (or even the Equestrian) wedding ceremonies. Sunset smiled happily for her friends. The binding between the two was official, and it seemed like there would be nothing but good times ahead.

Sonata kissed Aria gently on the cheek. She’d never been happier in her entire life.

“Together forever?” said Sonata. Aria grinned, then kissed her new wife again.

“Definitely.”

LCS: Minimum Wage Conquers Unemployment

When Aria and Sonata pushed open the door to the apartment, they weren’t sure what they were expecting. Adagio making out with her boyfriend, or worse, was a possibility. A sarcastic “welcome home” was very likely. A genuine greeting, while doubtful, was certainly within the realms of reality. The two had been gone for two and a half weeks, after all, and even Adagio would have to admit to missing their company. So, it would stand to reason the Adagio would be happy to see the newly weds.

You can imagine their surprise when they saw Adagio sitting in the middle of the floor, surrounded by a million or so sheets of paper and muttering crazily to herself.

“We’re having a house meeting,” said Adagio, not looking up from her paperwork. Aria looked to her wife, then to Adagio, then back to Sonata before kicking to door closed and setting down their suitcases.

“What’s going on?” asked Sonata.

“Oh, and Cuba was nice, thanks for asking,” grumbled Aria. “We didn’t catch any horrible diseases, and I bought you a nice bottle of rum.” Adagio glared at her intensely for a moment.

“Sit down,” she ordered.

“Fine, let this be the last time I bring you a souvenir.” Aria and Sonata sat across from Adagio and waited. Their leader looked over her papers one more time before looking up and addressing them.

“While you two idiots were busy getting tans and consummating your marriage, I was looking over our bank records,” said Adagio. “And I noticed that our savings were a bit on the low side.”

“So? Didn’t you say you had assets to liquidate if this sort of thing happened?” asked Aria impatiently.

“Yes. So I went to do so. Then I realized that I had sold all our stock already. Then I went to our other accounts.” Adagio pinched the bridge of her nose. “To make a long, depressing story short, we’re just about out of money.”

“Out?” said Sonata blankly. “As in, no more?”

“Broke. Destitute. Penniless,” said Adagio. “Bankrupt. Behind the 8 ball. I don’t know how else to say it, Sonata. We have basically no more money.” Aria blinked audibly about six times before putting her words together.

“Alright, I’m not gonna lie, I don’t listen to you most of the time,” said Aria. “So there’s a good chance my memory is bad. Stop me if I’m wrong. If I recall correctly, about 90-something years ago, I said to you ‘what’s to stop us from running out of cash again’, because we had just gotten out of the Great Depression. You said to me ‘don’t worry, I have a plan that will prevent us from ever running out of money, ever’.” Aria waited for someone to correct her, nodding grimly when nobody did. “See, I thought so. But I also remember me trying to ask you a bunch of hypotheticals, to which you replied with…”

“‘Do not worry, I will handle it’,” said Adagio through gritted teeth. “‘We will never, ever run out of money, ever’. Yes, that is what I said. However, the circumstances were different.”

“Different how?” asked Sonata.

“Because that was back when the three of us were single and didn’t actually have to eat food.” Adagio got up and started pacing, trampling her paperwork. “Now, between your wedding, my dates with Silver, and all the groceries we have to buy, we’re really low on cash.”

“How low?”

“We have enough cash, right now, to support our current lifestyle for another three months,” sighed Adagio. “Now, with my job at the music shop, I can cover rent and some of the groceries. But, if you are like me and enjoy electricity and running water, I am going to need someone to supplement our income.”

“Wha?” asked Sonata.

“She means one of us has to get a job,” growled Aria. “Which means me.”

“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?” asked Sonata. “You don’t think I can hold down a job or something?”

“No, that’s not it.” Aria thought on it for a moment. “Well, it’s true, you probably couldn’t keep a job. That’s not the point I was trying to make, though.”

“Then why do you have to get a job? Why can’t I get a job? You don’t trust me to-”

“Shut up for a sec, will ya? I shouldn’t have to trust you to bring money in,” said Aria. “That’s my job. You’re my wife. You shouldn’t have to work. What kind of a man can’t provide for his family?”

“You’re not a man,” noted Adagio. “Not that I am aware of, at least.”

“Look, being a man has nothing to do with biology. Being a man is about doing what you have to do to make the people you love happy,” said Aria. She stood up and crossed her arms. “It’s about respect. It’s about protecting your family so that they don’t have to worry about anything.”

Sonata looked to Adagio for some form of guidance, of which she got none. Neither of the Sirens had ever seen Aria like this. Just seven years ago, a short seven years, Aria would rather die than say something that deep and heartfelt. Even if she always did feel this way, she never would’ve said it before now. An amazing transformation, indeed.

“Wow. You really feel that way?” asked Adagio.

“My wife works when she wants to,” said Aria firmly. “Not when I need her to. I’ll talk to Button, he might have a job for me at the comic shop.”

And that was the end of it. Any attempts from Sonata to convince Aria that she could get a job were shot down immediately. There was no changing it: Aria refused to let her wife bust her butt just so they could keep a roof over their heads. It was wrong, no matter how Sonata tried to justify it.

As such, Sonata and Adagio had no choice but to watch in respective horror and amusement as Aria underwent the Tartarus-like process of filling out a job application. Unfortunately, Button’s shop had no openings, so Aria had to do things the hard way. Being a several-century old Siren wasn’t as beneficial to the process as one might think.

She was turned down at the local grocery store, as they assumed she was joking when she gave her date of birth (all these years, and people still had trouble believing their origins). The movie theater believed her, oddly enough, but said she lacked the patience or people skills to work in any sort of customer service (A fact she only proved by swearing and angrily threatening her potential employer).

And so, Aria began looking into work that required her to interact with people very rarely. She considered working at a storage warehouse near the south of town, but the man who ran it was a sexist homophobe. He’d give her a job, but it was clear that Aria would punch him in the jaw before the week was up. She thought she found a good one in a butcher’s shop, and was very nearly done with the interview process. She would’ve started working that day, if she wasn’t informed that she’d also have to behead, debone, and descale fish (which, for whatever reason, was really popular in Canterlot City). This was a firm deal-breaker, and Aria barely made it out without throwing up.

The Friday of the week of job-hunting was when Aria had a breakthrough. Sunset had decided that the group hadn’t hung out in too long, and took it upon herself to remedy that fact. The Sirens, the Rainbooms, and Crystal Prep Twilight were all at Sunny’s house, drinking, talking, laughing, and generally having a good time. Adagio had brought her Wii U, and a bit of a drinking game broke out involving Mario Party 10 and a large bottle of tequila. Sunset and Aria, who had the misfortune of being designated drivers, were the only two that weren’t totally plastered. It was lucky that the group had some sober members, because when pizza inevitably ran out, there was someone who could go order some more.

Aria followed Sunset out the side door of her house and to her garage. Sunny, who apparently didn’t feel like driving, chucked the keys to Aria and hopped into the fire-red convertible. Aria was about to follow suite, but stopped herself upon seeing a similarly red motorcycle.

“Hey, that yours?” asked Aria.

“The bike? Yeah, I got it a while ago,” said Sunset. “I don’t ride anymore, though. It’s more fiscally responsible to just take the bus to and from school.” Aria nodded, as she considered buying herself a motorcycle in the past. She rode years ago, but hadn’t since long before she hooked up with Sonata. Maybe it’d be nice to get back into it.

When the two arrived at the local pizza joint, they saw something that solved all of Aria’s problems. As they walked out with their stacks of pizzas, Aria noticed a sign in the window. She grinned slightly.

“Hey, Sunny,” she said. “How much do you want for that bike?” Sunset tilted her head in confusion, which resolved itself when Aria gestured to the sign in the window.

Delivery Drivers Wanted!

“It’s all yours,” said Sunset.

Aria originally didn’t want to get a job, but, now that one was within her grasp, she felt significantly better about it. It’d be good for her to get out of the house and become an active, productive member of society. Maybe having a job would be fun.

“Ma’am, do you know why I pulled you over?” asked the officer. Aria ran her hand through one of her pigtails in frustration.

“Well, I wasn’t speeding, I don’t have any blood on my hands, so…” Aria said sarcastically. “No. I have no earthly idea why you pulled me over. But you know what? I bet you’re gonna tell me anyway.”

“Your hair, ma’am. It’s too long,” he said. “It almost got caught in your tires.”

“Fascinating. Can I go now?”

“You may certainly not. This is a serious issue. You are a danger to yourself, and a danger to others.”

Aria was about to state the the only person she was a danger to was him if he didn’t let her go, but then she remembered that threatening cop is four years, easy.

“I’ll be sure to get it cut,” grumbled Aria. “Is that all, sir?”

“Mind if I ask what’s in that bag?” asked the officer. Aria looked back to her steaming thermal pizza bag and couldn’t stop the smart remark from leaving her mouth.

“Well, let’s see. A thermal bag, a motorcycle driven by a chick in full Marco’s Pizza uniform, heading in the opposite direction of a Marco’s Pizza…” Aria clicked her tongue. “Well, I thought it’d be obvious. It’s seventy pounds of pure Columbian cocaine.”

“Ma’am, please step away from the bike,” ordered the officer.

“You cannot be serious right now. Dude, it was-”

“Step off of the bike with your hands up. Now.”

Aria begrudgingly kicked out her kickstand and stepped off of the box. She glanced at her watch, wondering how much longer she’d be held up. She had finished her deliveries for the day, luckily, but Sonata and Adagio were expecting her back by 9.

“What was the point of that?” asked Aria. “Look, I have a date, and the missus is-”

She was interrupted when the cop slapped a pair of handcuffs on her wrist.

“Name,” he said.

“What?! You can’t arrest me! I didn’t do anything!”

“What’s your name?” repeated the officer.

“Aria Blaze, but I swear to God, you can’t-”

“Aria Blaze, you are under arrest for possession of a controlled substance. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.”

“I know the Miranda Rights! I was alive to see that case!” snapped Aria. “You can’t arrest me!”

As it turned out, he could, and he did. Adagio and Sonata had to drive down to the station and pick her up. On the bright side, it wouldn’t go on record, and the officer would probably be reprimanded for his unnecessary excitement. Still, Aria was livid, her mood not much improved by her two companions.

“If you would’ve let me get a job, you wouldn’t have gotten arrested,” noted Sonata.

“I’m about to get arrested again,” growled Aria. “For murder.”

“You two are both idiots. Shut up and think about how to proceed,” said Adagio. “When I said someone should get a job, I didn’t think you’d get a minimum wage high school job.”

“It’s better than nothing,” said Aria. “Fine. If it’s like that, I’ll quit, and then you can use your connections to get me a real job. So sorry for doing my best, Master Adagio, I’ll try not to disappoint next time.”

Adagio groaned in annoyance. Aria’s employment was supposed to cut back on the frustration, not add on to it.

“Hey, did you get the pizza?” asked Sonata. Aria glared at her wife with fire and fury enough to dwarf the sun. The rage Aria poured out of her eyes could be damaging to the soul.

“No,” said Aria dryly. “I didn’t.”

LCS: Yoga Pants Conquer Belly Fat

Aria was always the first of the three Sirens to wake up, mostly through virtue of hardly sleeping to begin with. It was one of the natural Siren traits that Aria retained while the others lost it in their inadvertent humanization. Often nights, the only reason Aria went to bed at all was to hold Sonata in her arms. Still, she always left bed by 4:30 AM, at the latest. This gave her a lot of time to get the day started, and most days, she spent it sketching and doodling before she went about her normal routine.

The first Saturday after Aria got a job, she decided that she’d do something nice for the girls after she was done with her art practice. Eggs, bacon, pancakes, waffles, hash browns, the works. By the time she was setting the table with plates, glasses, and mugs, the smell had awoken Adagio.

“Holy heaven, that smells amazing,” said the sleepy leader as she groggily dragged herself into the kitchen. “Cooking breakfast? What’s gotten into you?”

“I was just thinking I need some good karma,” said Aria with a shrug. “Plates are on the table, I got water boiling for your tea, and the biscuits should be coming out soon.”

“Biscuits? Aria Blaze made biscuits?” chuckled Adagio. She deposited herself in her seat. “What an odd dream this is.”

“Laugh if you want, just give the plate back.”

“I apologize for my outburst.” Adagio picked up a fork and knife and started digging in. The food tasted even better than it smelled, if that was possible, and was made doubly satisfying when Adagio considered who had produced it.

“I didn’t screw anything up, did I?” asked Aria. She pulled the skillet of biscuits from the oven and transported them to a platter, which she grabbed, along with the kettle of hot water for Adagio.

“You didn’t make enough,” said Adagio. Aria chuckled, set down the biscuits (Adagio swiped three and stuffed one in her mouth immediately), then filled Adagio’s mug. She returned the kettle to the stove and returned with a coffee pot (for Sonata) and a pitcher of OJ, for herself. She filled Sonata’s mug, added the cream and two sugars she knew Sonata would want, then finally took a seat to begin her own meal.

“Yeah, don’t be afraid to make another plate,” said Aria. “You were joking before, but I kinda did make a lot.”

“We are not a wasteful species, us Sirens,” promised Adagio.

As Aria was filling her cup, her sleepy wife decided to make an appearance. She trudged into the kitchen (entirely in her pajamas), her shirt slightly up and pinching her stomach with both hands.

“Morning, babe. I got coffee for you, so try not to be dead for too much longer,” said Aria, taking a sip of orange juice.

“Babe, do you think I’m getting fat?” asked Sonata.

Aria’s brain froze mid-sip, which resulted in her coughing and choking into her cup. Adagio laughed hysterically into her bacon, trying her hardest (and failing) to keep her humor to herself.

“What?” asked Sonata.

“Good luck with this one!” cackled Adagio.

“Sorry? What?” asked Aria, wiping the orange juice from her nostrils. Sonata took a seat and picked up her mug.

“Do you think I’m getting fat?” repeated Sonata.

“What makes you think that I think you’re getting fat?” asked Aria evasively.

“Because I’m getting fat.”

This was a very precarious situation for Aria, who had in fact noticed that her wife had put on a few pounds. She frankly didn’t care, because Sonata had gained no more than ten pounds, and Aria would love her even if she gained three hundred more. However, the question wasn’t whether Aria cared. It was if she had noticed. There was no good answer. If she said “no”, then Sonata would call her a liar, think that her lack of attention (to something that was a huge problem to Sonata) was a sign of uncaring.. If Aria said “yes”, then she would’ve just called her obviously self-conscious wife fat. She would have to proceed with caution.

“I… I think that I love every pound of you, and you’ll always be gorgeous in my eyes,” said Aria. “I think that, even though you may have put on a few pounds, it doesn’t really matter, because you’re still thinner than the average American.”

“So you do think I’m getting fat?” asked Sonata, for confirmation.

“That’s not what I said. I said that you may have put on a pound or two, but that’s okay!” Sonata crossed her arms expectantly. “It’s super normal for the wife to gain some weight after marriage.”

“You didn’t gain any weight,” noted Adagio, a sly grin on her face.

“The next biscuit you eat will be poisoned,” growled Aria. Sonata pushed her plate away.

“That tears it. I’m never eating again,” said Sonata defiantly.

“Babe, don’t be stupid. You’re not fat,” said Aria. “You put on ten pounds, so what? You’ll burn it off in no time.”

“Really? How?”

Aria was not expecting that question, which may have been a bit stupid of her. She was really just trying to run out the clock on the whole “fat” thing. As Sonata’s gaze grew more impatient, Aria felt ideas leave her head, rather than come to it. Just before it was too late, she had something of a brain blast.

“The gym! You can start coming to the gym with me!” said Aria excitedly. “It’ll be fun. You’ll lose that wedding weight, maybe put on some muscle. I love you, babe, but you’re built like a noodle.”

Sonata bit her lip slightly in thought, then slowly nodded her head. She got up and left the room for several minutes, leaving Aria and Adagio in awkward silence. When she returned, she was fully dressed and ready to go.

“Uh… Now?” asked Aria.

“Yes, now. The sooner we get there, the sooner I lose the weight,” said Sonata.

“I normally go at night, when everybody’s asleep…” Sonata raised an eyebrow expectantly. “But, I guess I can change up my routine. Come on, let’s go. You got clean-up, Dag?”

“Sure, whatever,” said Adagio. She grabbed another biscuit. “Don’t expect any leftovers.” She noticed the glare in Aria’s eyes. “Fine, I’ll save some bacon for Achilles.”

Aria rolled her eyes before finishing up her juice and leaving the table. Five minutes later, she returned in a tank top and a gym bag slung over her shoulder. Sonata noticed neither of those things. She was mostly focused on what Aria chose to wear on her bottom half.

The tightest, most form-fitting, most amazing yoga pants ever made.

“Ready?” asked Aria.

“Since when did you wear yoga pants?” asked Sonata. Aria shrugged.

“SInce ever. I only wear them to work out, though. They’re comfy.”

Sonata grinned. This workout was sure to be awesome.

Sonata soon realized that working out with Aria may not be as much fun as she thought.

Sonata knew that Aria was vaguely aggressive at the best of times, but she was nearing dangerous in the gym. Stretching was fine, even Sonata could do that with minimal guidance, but from there, it was a challenge. What made everything a whole lot worse was that Sonata knew that all of her troubles were her own fault.

She encountered her first difficulty when Aria suggested the two start on the treadmills. There were three rows of the machines, all positioned facing a large wall of reflective glass. Only two were open for them to use: the third one over in the first and second rows. At Sonata’s suggestion, Aria took the first one, while Sonata chose the second. This gave her a perfect view of the prize in front of her.

Sonata started off at a slow walk, as Aria suggested. But, after watching Aria (or, specifically, Aria’s butt) pick up the pace to a quick jog, Sonata felt the urge to keep up with her clearly more athletic partner. She thought, for whatever reason, that Aria would be impressed with her speed and endurance (ignoring the facts that Aria probably couldn’t see her, she was neither quick nor able to run particularly long, and, most importantly, she had no reason to impress her, because the two were already married).

Unbeknownst to Sonata, the wife she was trying to impress actually could see her, in the mirror. Noticing Sonata’s gaze with a grin, she decided to have a bit of fun. She knew for a fact that Sonata couldn’t go much faster. Now, it was all a matter of seeing when Sonata realized that. Aria deviously picked up the speed, now effectively sprinting. Just as she predicted, Sonata matched her speed. Also to her prediction, she struggled to do so.

Meanwhile, Sonata was drawing all her strength solely from the image of Aria’s form-fitting pants. After she got used to the new speed, she actually felt rather comfortable. She was feeling confident. Comfortable and confident enough to turn up the speed even more. As soon as she took another step, her foot was suddenly slipping back way faster than she expected. She couldn’t get her other foot forward in time.

“Eep!” squealed Sonata. She was suddenly moving down, very, very quickly.

Her face slammed against the floor of the treadmill, slipping off onto the cold tile painfully. She went from standing and running confidently to laying down and crying painfully, all in the span of half a second.

“Ariiii!” whined Sonata, in too much pain to care that the whole gym could see her. Aria leapt from her treadmill without bothering to shut it off, then sprinted over to Sonata, her heart beating in her throat.

“Jesus, are you okay?” Aria lifted Sonata’s face from the floor and inspected it for damage. She seemed mostly fine, besides the viciously embarrassed blush and slight track of tears down her face.

“I t-think so,” sniffled Sonata.

“Good,” sighed Aria.

Then she started laughing. Really, really hard. And for a really long time.

“It’s not funny!”

“It is now that I know you’re okay,” cackled Aria. “That’s what you get for being so stupid.”

Sonata grumbled slightly before wiping her face and shakily rising to her feet. She was fine, the only thing really hurt was her pride, and she had to admit that she was being a little stupid. She sniffed once, shook herself firmly, then proceeded to sit back down.

“I give up,” she said.

“No, you don’t. You’re just getting started.” Aria practically yanked Sonata to her feet. “Up and at ‘em, tubby butt.”

“Fine, whatever. I’m not running, though,” grumbled Sonata.

“That’s cool. You need some strength training, anyway,” said Aria. “To the bench press, noodle arms!”

“Am I Tubby Butt or Noodle Arms?” asked Sonata. “Cause I don’t think I can be both.” Aria looked her up and down, her lips pursed slightly in thought.

“Noodle Arms,” she decided. “Definitely Noodle Arms.”

“Come on, get it up!”

“I’m trying!”

“Try harder! This is pathetic!”

To be perfectly frank, it was rather sad to watch. Aria was spotting Sonata, who struggled to do more than a single rep. She got the bar up three times before she threatened to quit. Aria wouldn’t allow her, though. As soon as Sonata went to put up the barbell, Aria would lean on it slightly, putting just enough weight to prevent Sonata from moving it.

“Make it lighter!” whined Sonata.

Aria looked at the empty bar, with no weights whatsoever, and rolled her eyes.

“Seriously, babe?” Aria decided she’d try one more thing before calling it a day. She dropped to her knees and brought her lips close to Sonata’s ear.

“Is that really the best you got?” whispered Aria sensually. “I know you can do better than that.”

“W-what are you doing?”

“I’ve been watching you, Sonata. The way you look at me.” Aria giggled femininely, femininely, then kissed Sonata softly on the forehead. “You’ve been staring. And here I am thinking you liked me for my personality.”

“Why are you talking like that?” asked Sonata breathlessly. “You’re making me uncomfortable.”

“Sorry to hear that, babe. How about this?” said Aria. “You get this bar up one more time, and I take you home for a little reward?” Sonata squeaked, feeling the bar slip slightly out of her hand. She managed to recover, but still struggled to lift it all the way up.

“What kind of reward?” asked Sonata. Aria leaned forward and whispered something in Sonata’s ear. Sonata was silent for the first minute of Aria’s description, and she had enough strength and power of will stored up to pump out several reps by minute five.

“Done!” said Sonata giddily, dropping the empty barbell on the rests. Aria rolled her eyes then helped her sweaty workout partner to her feet. Basically, no progress was made, but that wasn’t the point. The point was to distract Sonata from the extra weight, which Aria had apparently done. Using her feminine charms. And her butt.

“Come on, let’s get you out of here,” said Aria, slinging her bag over her shoulder. The two set off for the exit, but not before Aria asked a question that had been plaguing her mind all morning.

“Dude, what’s up with you?” asked Aria.

“What do you mean?”

“Like… You’ve actually seen me naked before.” Sonata grinned, remembering fondly. “So what’s the deal with the staring? I don’t mind, it’s just kind of weird. I mean, my butt isn’t even all that great.”

“Yoga pants make all butts look awesome,” said Sonata.

Aria thought about it, but couldn’t really make a call either way. Then, she imagined Sonata in the same yoga pants she was currently wearing.

“Yeah, I guess so.” She smirked slyly. “Let’s get you in a shower.”

“Coming with?” asked Sonata. Aria looked at her blankly for a moment, then broke into a grin.

She promised Sonata a reward, and Aria wasn’t the type to break a promise.

LCS: Birth Control Conquers The Common Cold

Aria woke up on the floor and with the feeling of fire on her skin, an explosion in her brain, and a tornado in her gut. An involuntary groan escaped her burning lips as she sat herself up, felt absurdly dizzy, then laid herself back down. She really wasn’t feeling great, which was doing her no favors. She needed to be at work in a few hours, and she’d need all the time she could get to walk off this feeling of unease.

BEEP!
BEEP!
BEEP!

Aria froze. That was Sonata’s alarm. Sonata was never up until 11 AM. Which meant that Aria was running late.

“Son of a…” She seemingly fought with gravity as she pulled herself to her feet, grabbing a shirt from the extra bed (it used to belong to her, before she started sharing one with Sonata). She snatched a pair of jeans from the floor and haphazardly jumped into her clothes before running to find some way to turn her veritable waterfall of hair into pigtails within the next ten seconds.

“Babe?” Sonata yawned sleepily. She rolled out of bed, rubbing her eyes softly. “What’re you doing here? You don’t have off today, do you?”

“No, no, I’m running late! Really, really, really late!” groaned Aria. She managed to find some discarded scrunchies and went about fixing her hair as quickly as possible.

“Hey. Hey!” Sonata’s hand felt like ice on Aria’s shoulder, so startling that it caused her to shudder and stop in her tracks.

“What?” said Aria, trying to ignore to revolution going on in her stomach. “Babe, I really need to get ready for work, I’m running late, and-”

“Go back to bed,” said Sonata. “You don’t look good. I think you’re sick.”

In her entire life, clocking in at over 1,700 years, Aria Blaze had never, ever, a single time, gotten sick. She wasn’t sure if it was due to good genes, or freak luck, or some sort of Siren immunity to human illnesses, but it never happened to her. With a record that impressive, it was natural for her to assume that she never would get sick. If it hadn’t happened over the past millennium, it wouldn’t ever happen.

She was very much so sick, to an obvious extent, but she refused to acknowledge that fact.

“I’m not sick. I don’t get sick,” said Aria. “I don’t have time for this, I gotta go.”

“No! You’re burning up, you’re stumbling over yourself, and I think whatever you have is messing with your head,” said Sonata. “It’s called dementita. Or denemshia. Or something, I dunno.”

“Yeah, I’m the one with dementia,” said Aria, rolling her eyes. “Okay, I’m feeling kinda hot right now. So what? And of course I’m fumbling and doing things weird, I’m in a rush! I’m late! I haven’t screwed up so bad that it actually matters, so let it go. I need to get ready!”

“So you always wore your pants like Kriss Kross?” said Sonata, borrowing some of her wife’s sarcasm. Aria looked down, leered at Sonata, then stepped out of her pants so she could turn them around.

“Put a pin in that Kriss Kross thing, we need to talk about why you think that’s still a relevant thing to reference,” said Aria, shaking her head. “For the last time, I’m not sick!” As if to spite herself, she sneezed loudly.

“Aria, you’re sick. Lie down and rest, please.” Aria shook her head, though it was unclear if she was refusing to rest or refusing to be sick. “Here, at least let me take your temperature! I won’t allow you to leave until you at least do that.”

“What’re you, my mom? Jeez, whatever gets me out of this house faster,” grumbled Aria. Sonata beamed with joy, then rushed out of the room. She returned a short moment later with a thermometer, which she turned on and stuck in Aria’s mouth. Five seconds later, and the thermometer beeped angrily, displaying a red light on the little LED screen.

“So, I’m not a doctor or a nurse or anything,” said Sonata. “But I’m pretty sure the color red is, like, universal for ‘sick’. So, back to bed.”

“Come on, how bad can it be?” Aria looked at the screen, at the glaring number “104”. Similar to Sonata, she was also not a doctor, but even she could tell that her temperature shouldn’t have been that high.

“I’ll drink a lot of cold water,” promised Aria. She slowly began to walk to the door (although Sonata was more inclined to describe it as a limping motion).

“Call in sick,” said Sonata firmly.

“No.” Aria made it to the doorframe, then turned around and headed for the bathroom. “I gotta pee.” Sonata crossed her arms, dubiously watching Aria trudge into the bathroom. The door swung closed, and there was silence for about ten seconds.

Then, loud, wet, painful-sounding retches echoed through the apartment.

“Sonata?” said Aria from the bathroom.

“Yes, babe?” answered Sonata, grinning in a darkly satisfied manner.

“Pass me my phone?”

Sonata grabbed Aria’s phone from the dresser and brought it to the door. It cracked open just wide enough for her to slip the phone through, then closed as soon as she did so. Sonata pressed her ear to the door curiously. Aria’s first sick call in almost 2,000 years just had to be interesting.

“Hey. Yeah, it’s me,” said Aria quietly. “Listen, I-... Yeah, I know, I’m late, that’s why I’m calling you… Derek, I-. Derek… Yeah, I know, I’m trying to let you know, I can’t make it today.” Sonata couldn’t make out more than a bit of chattering on the other end. “Nah, there’s no way I can come in today. I’m, like, 84% sure I have Ebola… I dunno, tell Jared to-... What? I never agreed to-... I didn’t even know he was getting married, and he wants me to go to his bachelor party? And what does that have to do with the schedule? Well, why the hell did he take off for me? I’m his best friend? Wow, that’s pathetic… I didn’t even know, Derek, I wouldn’t just… Okay, honestly? If I wanted to skip work to hang with Jared and his stripper friends, do I really strike you as the type to care enough to lie? Yeah, see? I’ll meet up with him next week to figure this out. Ya know, assuming the Small Pox hasn’t killed me yet. Yeah, I know it was Ebola a minute ago… It’s called a joke, genius, maybe you should… Yes, sir. Alright. Thanks. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Friday!” called Sonata through the door. “She won’t be fit to go back to work til Friday!”

“Well, you heard the missus. See you Friday,” sighed Aria. “See ya later.”

The door cracked open again, just wide enough for Aria to drop her phone to the floor and slide it across the room. She didn’t seem ready to reenter the world, however, as it slid right back closed.

“So...” said Sonata. “I have a bunch of questions.”

“Yeah?” grunted Aria. “Go for it.”

“Jared and his stripper friends?”

“Some idiot I work with. Jared, not the stripper friends. He used his vacation days to take the week off, and he thought I’d do the same, despite not telling me that he was having a bachelor party, and-.” Aria cut herself off after that. “You know what? This entire thing kinda just boils down to ‘some idiot I work with’. Next question.”

“Did you call Derek ‘sir’?” snickered Sonata.

“He’s my boss, move on.”

“Alright, alright. Do you plan to… I dunno, come out here at some point?” asked Sonata.

“I… I kinda puked all over my thighs,” said Aria. “I need a shower. Badly. Actually, I’m gonna take a soak, too. Those’re good for fevers, right?”

Sonata instantly recognized the perfection of the situation. As soon as she heard the faucet start, she rushed out of the room to gather wet towels, bottled water, chicken soup, and plenty of over-the-counter drugs.

A good thirty minutes later, Aria was properly clean and in her pajamas. She had tucked herself back in bed, though she did so fairly begrudgingly. Even though she felt like she would keel over at any second, it felt wrong for her to be in bed when she should be out ensuring their continued living in their apartment. That said, she was still happy to be spending more time with her wife, especially when she came back into the room with a tray of soup, crackers, a Dixie cup of pills, and orange juice (which was Aria’s favorite).

Sonata was also wearing white scrubs and a little white nurse hat, decorated with a red cross and four red hearts on the front.

“What’s with the outfit?” snickered Aria, coughing slightly as she did. “This isn’t gonna be like one of those dirty videos, is it?”

“I’m here to take care of you, and the best way to do that is to wear the proper attire,” said Sonata matter-of-factly. “That, and I never got to wear it for Halloween, and I felt like it’d be a waste.”

“Gotcha. So, what’cha got for me?” asked Aria. Sonata set the tray on Aria’s lap, then took a seat besides her. She lifted the bowl of steaming chicken soup, and offered a spoonful to Aria.

“Eat up,” she said.

“Dude, I can feed myself,” scoffed Aria, though only after she swallowed the soup. “I don’t actually have Ebola, alright?”

“I know you can, but this is cuter, don’t ya think?” Sonata grinned happily, matched by her wife. Aria coughed, flinching at the pain that vibrated through her head. Sonata lowered the bowl to the tray, then nudged the pills forward.

“Here, take these,” said Sonata. “For your head.” Aria threw the pills in her mouth and flushed them down her throat with some orange juice.

“I’m gonna need some more later,” said Aria. Sonata pulled a circular case containing several more of those pills, two of which she popped out and placed into the cup. Aria stared at her, waiting for the joke to be over.

“Is everything okay?” asked Sonata.

“You’re joking. Please tell me that you’re joking,” begged Aria. Sonata just looked concerned. “Your stupidity is gonna kill me. This is Adagio’s birth control, nimrod!”

“Whaaa? Why would she put them so close to the Tylenol and stuff?” asked Sonata. “That’s poor planning.”

“I’m gonna die,” groaned Aria. “You’re gonna kill me! Dude, what is wrong with you?!”

“I’m sure you’ll be fine,” said Sonata dismissively. “How bad can the side effects be, anyway? Dagi takes these all the time, but I thought she just had migraines or something.”

“I swear… Here, take my phone and search up the side effects,” coughed Aria. “Let me know when to plan the funeral for.”

Sonata thought Aria was overreacting a fair bit, so she decided she’d play along, if for no other reason than to prove her wrong. She opened up Aria’s web browser, then searched up “birth control side effects”.

“Alright, we have… Weight gain, headaches, mood swings,” listed Sonata. “Uh… Missed and irregular periods… Wow, your grammar is already pretty bad, so that’s gonna be rough…” She looked a little closer. “Oh… Abdominal pain, chest pain, headaches, loss of vision. swelling and aching thighs, and ovarian cysts.”

“Uh... “ groaned Aria, sinking down in her sheets. “That’s awesome. Freaking amazing. To think, I could be throwing up on the side of the road right now. Instead, I’m tucked into bed and being poisoned by my own wife.” Aria let out a sneeze, that warped into a cough, that slowly became a chuckle. “Well… You killing me was bound to happen eventually. Just figured it’d be when I forgot the anniversary.”

“You plan on forgetting our anniversary?” asked Sonata. “Hey, I don’t really get some of these. What’re ovarian cysts?” She looked at the list again. “And libido? What’s that? It says yours is gonna be decreased.”

“Jesus Christ…” coughed Aria. “Be ready to dial 911, I might just kill me before you get the chance.”

The door to the apartment swung open with a loud bang. Someone ran through up the stairs and to the bathroom, that someone announcing herself as Adagio before rushing into the medicine cabinet.

“What’s her deal?” asked Aria.

“WHERE THE HELL IS MY BIRTH CONTROL?!” she shrieked. “SONATA!”

“We’re in here!” called Sonata. Adagio bustled into the room, looking a bit worse for wear. Her hair was frizzier and more untidy than normal, and her skin was coated with a visible sheen of sweat.

“What in the world are you doing here?” asked Adagio, glancing at Aria. Then, she noticed Sonata. “Seriously? Nurse outfit?” Adagio shook her head in annoyance. ”Whatever. I have several questions, the most important of which being ‘what are you idiots doing with my birth control pills’?”

“Brainless over here gave them to me thinking it was Tylenol,” grumbled Aria. “And now, I’m apparently going to develop ovarian cysts.”

“What quack site did you read that on?” said Adagio irritably. “You’ll be fine. Now give them back.” She snatched the pills from the tray, popped one out, and swallowed it dry. “Now, before you ask, no. I don’t want to talk about it. I’m going back to Silver’s, and I will see you tomorrow. As usual, try not to burn down the house.”

“Thanks for the concern, by the way!” shouted Aria, but it was too late; Adagio already left. “It’s not like I’m dying or anything!”

“Oh no!” squealed Sonata. She looked up from the phone, the strongest, most concentrated grief plastered on her face.

“What?” asked Aria. “Find out something terrible about what’s going to happen to me?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Wanna share what it is?”

“Nuh-uh.”

“Sonata. What is it?” asked Aria. Sonata dropped the phone onto the bed, collapsing beside it.

“I just looked up what libido was…”

Aria laughed so hard that she had to turn her head to avoid coughing and vomiting all over the bed.

“It’s not funny! That’s, like, super depressing!” said Sonata, as if it was the worst thing ever. Despite the vomit on the floor, Aria still managed to find some humor in the situation.

After Sonata cleaned up, she finished feeding Aria her soup, gave her the proper pills, and the two laid out in bed all day. They talked, laughed, caught a movie on Netflix, and just generally enjoyed each other’s company. Then, after a bit, Sonata noticed that Aria was falling asleep, so the two dozed off in each other’s arms.

The next morning, Aria was awake at 3AM, as per usual for her. She felt significantly better than yesterday, and would’ve been perfectly fit to return to work, if it wasn’t for Sonata. She was up before even Aria, and groaning as she propped her face on the toilet seat. Aria followed her in the bathroom, just in time to grab her hair and hold it out of the way as Sonata heaved into the bowl.

“You got me sick,” coughed Sonata.

“Yeah, sorry about that,” said Aria. “Here, let’s get you back to bed. I’ll take care of you today.”

“Really?” said Sonata weakly.

“Really.”

Sonata reached to the left, and slowly raised the hat from the nurse costume.

“Wear the uniform?” she requested. Aria stared blankly at the hat for a second before snatching it up and placing it on her head.

“If it was anyone else, I’d be leaving them to go to work,” said Aria.

Unbeknownst to Aria, Sonata grinned. Seeing Aria in a full nurse outfit would make getting sick 100% worth it.

LCS BONUS CHAPTER: Adagio's Scare

Adagio stared at the kitchen counter blankly, trying her hardest to refrain from crying. She glanced at a bottle of wine across from her. She grabbed it up, swiped a glass from a cabinet, and filled it with some blood red potion.

Then she realized what she had just done, and pushed it away.

“Calm down, old girl, you’ll be fine,” she whispered to herself. Her phone rang for about the hundredth time, blaring that same emo-rock song that she both loved and detested. She knew who was calling based solely on the song, as she set it specifically for him.

She popped off the back of her phone and removed the battery.

“You’ll be fine, Adagio,” she muttered. “This is just a minor setback. You’ll figure it out. You’re a clever girl, you can deal with this.”

Adagio didn’t turn when she heard the door open. She didn’t care about anything, least of all the inevitable stupidity to come out of Sonata’s mouth. To her slight annoyance, the footsteps didn’t recede up the stairs, rather, they came closer to her. Aria walked in, stretching her arms as she did. Sonata followed closely behind, heading directly for the fridge.

“Sup, Dag,” said Aria. “Me and Sony were thinking about catching a movie, we were gonna ask you and Emo-Freak if you wanted to double.”

“No,” said Adagio blandly. Aria turned curiously to her friend, who she only then noticed to be rather down.

“Who pissed in your cornflakes today?”

“Bite me, Aria Blaze. I’m not in the mood.”

“Seriously, what’s up with you?” asked Sonata, her voice loaded with concern. “You’re sounding like Aria.”

“I do not want to talk about it,” breathed Adagio. “I repeat, I do not want to talk about it.”

Sonata grabbed her chocolate milk from the fridge and took a seat across from Adagio. Aria shrugged, then took a seat next to her wife. Apparently, they would soon be talking about it.

“Spill it,” said Sonata. “What’s the matter? We might be able to help you!”

“Yeah, you might as well tell us,” said Aria. “Sony is super persistent, she’ll never leave you alone if you don’t tell her.”

“Fine! You want to know so badly, I’ll tell you!” snapped Adagio. She sighed, then grabbed her glass of wine. Before she could bring it to her lips, she remembered the situation and lowered it.

“I was over at Silver’s house,” said Adagio shakily. “And he was being his normal self. Cute, funny, and waiting on me hand and foot. We started laughing and joking about the Tears of Plague trash that he calls music. Next thing I know, we’re making out.”

“Okay?” said Sonata in confusion. “You’re upset that you made out with your boyfriend?”

“Hey, I’d be upset if I had to make out with Emo-Freak,” said Aria.

“Shut up and let me tell it. We were making out, and he was apparently pushing all the right buttons,” said Adagio. She blushed faintly pink. “One thing let to another, and we decided to… Ahem. In any case, when we were done… doing the deed… We noticed that…” Adagio sighed. “It broke.”

Aria instantly began to laugh hysterically, but Sonata had quite a different reaction. She gasped in shock, her hand clamped over her mouth.

“It’s not funny, Aria,” said Adagio, which only entertained Aria more.

“Oh my god, is he okay?” asked Sonata. “What are you doing here? Why aren’t you with him in the hospital?”

“What are you even talking about?” asked Adagio.

“Well, if it’s broken… That must’ve hurt, a lot!”

Adagio’s palm met her forward with enough force to shatter concrete.

“No, you moron! That doesn’t make any sense!” Adagio shook her head in disbelief.

“I’m pretty sure those things can’t break,” Aria snickered.

“Of course they can. Bones break all the time, Ari,” said Sonata, as if it should’ve been obvious. “You really need to brush up on your biology.”

“It’s not actually a bone, idiot. That’s just a euphemism,” growled Adagio.

“Huh? Isn’t that murder in this country?” asked Sonata, tilting her head in confusion. “And he’s not in that much pain, is he?” It took Aria a few moments to see what Sonata was trying to say, and she slapped her own forehead when she did.

“That’s euthanasia!” exclaimed Aria. “Jesus, how can you be so dumb?”

“I don’t really get what Chinese kids have to do with anything.”

There was a pregnant pause, in which Aria and Adagio locked eyes and came to the same conclusion: There was no point in trying to make Sonata understand.

“The condom broke, Sonata,” said Adagio blandly.

“Ooooh! Well, that’s not so bad, is it?” said Sonata. “That’s what the second one is for, isn’t it?”

Sonata was met with several seconds of uncomfortable and amazed stares before she was ignored for the remainder of the conversation.

“This is a disaster,” groaned Adagio. “A complete debacle! My entire life is going to be flipped on its head!”

“Aren’t you on the pill?” asked Aria. She still found the whole situation to be pretty funny, but Adagio’s preoccupation with her problem made it hard to enjoy.

“Well, thanks to you and your wife, I was out a bit early. My schedule got thrown off.” Adagio brainlessly grabbed the wine and very nearly took a sip, but caught herself just in time. “God! It’s already ruining my life!”

“Calm down, you psycho. What’re you so scared of?” asked Aria. “You might look it, but you’re not a teenager. You’re smart enough to take care of a kid, you have a halfway decent job, the baby daddy is there to support you, and Sonata babysits for free.” Aria took the wine glass and drained it. “What’s the issue here?”

“The issue is that I love wine. I love drinking in general,” said Adagio. “I love to eat junk food, even though I really shouldn’t. I love to have sex with my boyfriend. I love to not look like I swallowed a freaking watermelon! I love to not have mood swings, I love not to feel gassy, and I love to not have to waddle to the bathroom every five seconds! There is so much about being not pregnant that I enjoy, it’s shocking.”

“Dagi, so what if you have to stop drinking?” said Sonata. “And so what if you get fat and have to pee a lot and get stretch marks?”

“I never said anything about-”

“And so what if you get really moody and don’t wanna hook up with Silver as much?” Sonata continued, completely undisturbed. “And so what if he grows to resent you and doesn’t wanna look at you anymore? You’re still the second prettiest girl I’ve ever seen! You’ll bring him back home!”

Adagio dropped her face against the counter, sobbing softly at the depressing revelation that her entire life as she knew it was over. The whole situation was terrible, but it might’ve been a bit easier to cope with if Adagio wasn’t already afraid of their financial situation. There would already have to be cutbacks, and that was just with the three of them. Adagio wasn’t quite sure if she could provide for an extra person, a baby, no less.

“What happened?” asked Sonata. “Was it something I said?”

“Yeah, I’d say so,” said Aria. “Look, Dag, I know I was laughing earlier, but that was back when I thought you could deal with it. Listen, it’s really not all that bad.”

“How am I going to afford a kid?!” sobbed Adagio. Aria groaned in frustration. She was not supposed to be the one who was the emotional support.

“Ugh. What does Emo-Freak do for a living?” asked Aria. “What is he, 19? He’s old enough for a legit job, right?”

“He’s 23,” grumbled Adagio. “And he’s an aspiring writer. He just sent in a novel for publication. For the third time.”

“Well, third time’s a charm and all that crap, right?” Aria scratched the back of her head nervously. She was really hoping that Silver had a real job, so that Adagio would stop crying and they could all go to the movies.

“I’m going to my room,” declared Adagio. “Rarity will be here in fifteen minutes with a bunch of ice cream, and she is the only one I’m letting in. See you in nine months.”

Adagio dragged herself from the counter, then stomped down the hall and up the stairs. Aria and Sonata could only sit awkwardly as Adagio slammed the door behind her. Aria sighed and shrugged her shoulders.

“Well, we got twenty minutes until our movie,” said Aria. Sonata scoffed, and glared at her wife. “What? I already paid for the tickets! Now we gotta call Sunny and see if she and Twilight will come with us, or it’d be a waste.”

Sonata shook her head in disappointment, but pulled out her phone nonetheless. It really would be a shame if the tickets went to waste. No point in being miserable along with Adagio. Rarity would be with her, anyway. She’d be okay.

Right?

Adagio stared at her phone almost angrily for several seconds before she made the conscious decision to return her battery. When she turned it on, true to her prediction, she had 98 missed calls, almost all of which from Silver (though she was positive that the ones that weren’t from his number were from his friends’ phones). She held onto the thought of calling him, then disregarded it. If she heard his voice, she knew she’d start crying. So, she settled for the next best thing: A simple text.

Hey. Adagio hardly had to wait ten seconds for a response from her boyfriend.

Hey, yourself. You had me scared there. Adagio stared at his words for considerably longer than he did hers. She struggled to put what she wanted to say into words, which was not what she was known for.

Sorry for running out on you.

I wish you’d return my calls. A guy starts to worry after a couple of days.

I panicked.

Really? I didn’t notice. Adagio chuckled slightly. She hated Aria’s sarcasm, but Silver’s was somehow more charming.

So…

Alright, I don’t know where your head's at, so you gotta talk to me.

I’d rather keep it to text, if you don’t mind.

Whatever. Just spill it.

I’m scared out of my mind and I’m pretty sure you’re going to leave me before it’s too late.

Wow, do I really come off that brave? Here I was thinking you saw me as a coward. Adagio snickered sort of sadly at her boyfriend’s poor attempt at humor.

What are we going to do about this? This time, several minutes passed before Silver responded.

I don’t really know what you’re asking. Are you asking if you should get a…?

Look, it’s not Jesus Christ or Lord Voldemort, you can say the name of it.

I’m not a huge fan of that plan. I know it’s not ideal, but if push came to shove…

You know I hate that ellipses nonsense.

If push comes to shove, there are very few people I’d rather have a baby with than you.

Really? Who are the people you’d prefer?

Morgan Freeman.

You’re an idiot. Adagio realized that she was smiling, despite the fact that the world was ending.

Ifly.

I love you too.

How you doin?

I’ve made a decision.

Did you?

Yes.

Feel like sharing that decision with me? I mean, it’s your call. It’s not like it impacts me in any way.

I can’t keep this kid, but I don’t want to have an abortion.

So what? Adoption?

How do you feel about that? Adagio was afraid, because there was a five minute pause before she received the return text.

I think any choice we make kinda sucks. I know that I’m not ready for a kid yet, so this is probably our best shot.

Am I supposed to feel this sad?

I dunno. Last time I was pregnant, I got pretty sad when I had to give up the baby, but I don’t know if that’s typical. Adagio rolled her eyes before wiping them of tears.

You’re not funny.

Soz.

I hate that word.

Sozza?

I’m leaving you now.

Well, living was overrated, anyway. Suicide might not be so bad.

Again, not funny.

Sorry.

You tell your friends yet?

Sure did. Conj tried to be supportive, W was… Well, he was W.

Yeah, more or less the same here. Nata made me feel ten times worse in her attempt to make me feel better, and Aria laughed at me.

Seriously? Isn’t she supposed to be your friend?

Well, she laughed until she realized that I didn’t have it under control. I guess she just got used to me having an answer for everything. You know, she hasn’t seen me cry in over a thousand years.

Yeah, I keep forgetting that. You don’t come off as 1,000.

1,729, actually.

Jesus. Can someone say May/December?

I told you I was old.

I got a thing for older women. Adagio couldn’t help but laugh at that. She loved how he wasn’t afraid to say bizarre, scorn-worthy things like that.

That could come off as kind of creepy to the wrong person.

Good thing you’re the right person.

You’re so corny.

Ikr

I have to go deal with the idiots. I’m pretty sure that they’re trying to find a way to burn down the house.

We should head up to my parents’ lodge next week.

Random thought.

Sorry, I was just thinking. It could be like a kind of couple’s resort. Aria and Sonata can come, and we’ll have a good time. It’s beautiful this time of year.

Sounds good. I’ll run it by them. I’ll talk to you later, love.

Cya.

YES! YES! YES!

It’s nice to hear from you, Daniel Bryan, but I’m expecting a text from my gf, so I’m going to have to talk to you later.

Guess what???

Aria got hit by a van?

Nope!

Bus?

Stop guessing.

Okie

I just got my period! I’m not pregnant!

Awesome! Dodged a bullet, eh?

I’ve never been so happy to bleed in my entire life! I’m going to drink ALL of the booze in Canterlot City!

Just be sure to pace yourself.

Is it weird that I feel kind of empty?

I expect you would. You kinda need a baby to feel full.

Seriously. I was starting to get used to the idea of having your baby.

Well, you should. It’s going to happen eventually.

Sorry?

Well, I’d like you to, anyway. Maybe sometime in the future, when the book takes off.

Right. Well, I’m coming over.

W is here.

He can watch.

I hope that’s a joke, because you know he would.

You really think, after all that just went down, I’m in a rush to get pregnant for real?

Yeah, now that you mention it, that does sound kinda dumb.

Sonata gave me an idea on how to not get knocked up.

This oughta be good.

She said that you should wear 2 condoms.

There was no response for a few minutes, which made Adagio positive that Silver had gotten up to show his friend, and the two were sharing a good, hearty laugh about it.

Keep an eye on that one. She’s going places.

I can’t wait to see you.

Nobody is making you. Get your butt over here. We have video games to crush. Adagio grinned happily, then grabbed her coat from off the bed.

On my way.

LCS: Eternal Moonlight Conquers Fleeting Sunsets

Aria swung her ax down as hard as she could, splitting the log cleanly in half. She grabbed the two chunks of wood and tossed them to Sonata, who stacked them in a small pile. They had been at it for about twenty minutes, with Silver coming from the little cabin in the woods to gather their chopped wood in a box.

Aria, Sonata, and Silver had been working quite hard to ensure that everything was set for their relaxing weekend in the woods. They gathered firewood, brought in the food, and did some last minute cleaning while Adagio sat in Silver’s van and stayed warm. When Aria asked why Adagio wasn’t helping, it was Silver who reminded her about Adagio’s stance on menial labor. So, it was up to them, and them alone.

“Yo, Emo-Freak! We good here?” asked Aria. Silver scooped up the last of the wood and inspected it.

“Yeah, this is good. Come on, you and Nata can help me start the fire,” he said. Aria crunched across the snow to converge with Sonata and Silver. Together, they set off for the cozy little wood cabin.

“Not to get in your business or anything, but how can you afford this?” asked Sonata. “You don’t even have a house yet.”

“Oh, this is my folks’ place. My dad used to be a movie director, and this is where he goes to relive his glory days.”

They walked into the cabin, which was as freezing as the winter air outside of it. Aria flipped a light switch to the left of the door, but nothing happened. She tried it twice more before deciding it was pointless.

“Oh, yeah, we have to jump the generator. Totally forgot,” said Silver. “Uh… Sonata, you can do this, right? Me and Aria can do the generator, I just need you to start the fireplace and go get Adagio.”

“She’s gonna bite your head off,” pointed out Aria. “You promised to carry her from the car.”

“Christ, you’re right. Alright, just the fire, then. Let’s go, Aria.”

The two crossed the lodge and exited out a back door. The sun had all but set, and they would have to hurry if they wanted to make it back before dark. The two walked in silence for several minutes before Silver made an attempt to break the ice.

“Are you ever going to learn my name?” he asked. “How long am I going to be Emo-Freak?”

“Until Dag gets bored of you and moves on to the next guy,” said Aria. It was a few seconds before she realized how inappropriate of a comment that was. “Sorry. I just doubt Adagio’s ability to be in a committed relationship.”

“Yeah, weren’t you single for 1,000 years?”

“Sure was. But I’m married now, and Dag is older than me.” Aria felt kinda bad for Silver. She never particularly cared for him, but it still felt wrong knowing that Adagio would break his heart in a few months. “Matter of fact, I’m amazed you guys lasted as long as you did. Why haven’t you kicked her gold-digging ass to the curb yet? She treats you like trash.”

“I’m actually going to answer that, but I have a question to ask afterward,” said Silver. “I’m with Adagio because she’s great. She’s funny, and she’s classy, and she’s cool to hang out with. We have a lot in common, and we have a lot of differences. Yeah, she might be a little bossy and dominant, but I admire that in a woman. I have no room in my heart for weak, incapable victims.” Silver smirked slightly. “I guess that’s why I like you. You’re just like her.”

“Them’s fightin words, kid,” warned Aria. Silver just laughed, then swiped his bangs out of his face. Aria groaned, because she hated when guys did that. It was mostly why Silver did it in the first place.

“You are. You’re both strong, independent chicks who see what they want and go for it,” said Silver. “I respect that. And, yeah, Adagio is high-maintenance.” He sighed almost tiredly. “Boy, is she high-maintenance. But all the demands for me to carry her or rub her feet or to fetch her something to drink? Totally worth it, because she deals with my crap.”

“Yeah? And what crap is that?”

“I’m unemployed and chasing my dreams, which is not an attractive business model. Whatever you heard about her being a gold-digger just ain’t true, at least not anymore.” Silver didn’t mind having to defend Adagio. He knew she’d do the same for him.

“Still. I can’t believe you put up with her,” said Aria. Silver shrugged his shoulders, then decided to ask his question.

“Earlier, you said something about Adagio treating me like trash, and that I should dump her for it,” said Silver. Aria nodded in agreement. “So, my question is this. Do you think that it’d be fair for Sonata to divorce you based solely on that fact?”

Aria tripped and stumbled, catching herself just before she hit the snow. When she recovered, she tried to wrap her head around what Silver had said. She didn’t treat Sonata like trash. Did she?

“Don’t tell me about how I treat my girl,” said Aria. “I treat her fine.”

“You tease her, you taunt her, and you call her an idiot, all the time,” said Silver. “Anyone else would be rolling up their sleeves to fight.”

“Well, that’s me and her. What you and Dag have going is totally different.”

“Enlighten me.”

“You’ve known Adagio for what? Six months? Seven?” said Aria. “I’ve been hanging with Sony and Dag for a millennium. They’re my family. We did some awful things to get where we are, but we fought through it and made something pretty sick. I’ve known Sonata longer than I’ve known anyone. Teasing her is something I’ve done since day one, and no amount of time is going to change that.”

“So it’s okay for you to be a douche to your wife, but Adagio can’t boss me around?” asked Silver. “That makes sense.”

“That’s not how it is!” Aria was getting frustrated because she couldn’t quite explain it. “It’s like… Even though I never said it those days, Sonata was my friend. I don’t want her to think that, just because we’re married now, that I’m not her friend anymore. It’s like…” Aria groaned angrily, shaking her head in annoyance. He just didn’t get it! What’s worse, she couldn’t explain it. Aria needed a way to make him understand her relationship with Sonata. She’d be a liar if she said it was simple, but it definitely shouldn’t have been so complicated.

Then, Aria looked up and out, and caught sight of the golden sun descending the horizon, and she suddenly understood it all.

“It’s like the sunset,” she said. “It’s beautiful, and it can make you feel a whole bunch of emotions, but it’s going to be gone soon. And, even though me and Sonata will be together forever, I don’t want anything we had then to go away. This is my way of extending the sunset.”

“But it’s the fact that the sunset ends that makes them so beautiful,” said Silver. “Nothing lasts forever. Things change. You just have to be willing to let them.” Aria didn’t say anything, which was enough for Silver. “Come on, the generator should be just up ahead.”

Aria hardly heard him. She was too busy figuring out what she’d say to Sonata.

Aria tiptoed as quietly as she could across the creaky wooden floor of the lodge. She was a little frightened, because Sonata wasn’t by her side when she woke up (in the middle of the night, as she often did). After checking the bathrooms and the kitchen, Aria noticed that Sonata’s coat and boots were missing. Donning her own, Aria set out the cabin in search of her wife.

Aria hardly had to walk out of the cabin before finding the one she was looking for, sprawled out on the ground and stargazing. Sonata didn’t notice her, all of her attention devoted to the sky, particularly the full moon hanging in the night. Aria didn’t say anything, she just lowered herself to the floor and laid in the snow next to Sonata.

“Hey,” said Sonata.

“Sup.”

“You okay?”

“Yeah,” said Aria. “What’s up with you? What’re you doing out here?”

“Just thinking,” sighed Sonata. “Thinking about us.”

“Heh. That’s funny.”

“What, that I’m thinking?” Sonata didn’t sound angry or annoyed, she hardly ever did. She just sounded expectant.

“Nah. Just that you were thinking about us. I was doing the same,” said Aria. She sighed. It took a lot of Aria to do what she was about to do. “Babe, I’m sorry.” Sonata tilted her head in confusion, but decided to let Aria finish before she asked any questions. “I shouldn’t tease or mock you the way I do. I’m going to try to dial it down. I just want you to know that, no matter what mean or rude thing I say, I’m not trying to hurt you.”

“I know. But why do you do it?” asked Sonata. “I never understood why.”

“It’s what our whole friendship was based on. You’re nice, I’m not,” explained Aria. “You could make friends with anyone, I never could. You always wanted to be around me, and I couldn’t get rid of you quick enough. It just felt right. I’m afraid of us changing. I still want to be your friend. That bully you overcame.”

Sonata didn’t respond at first. She mostly just thought on what Aria had said. It made sense, of course, but Sonata was surprised at her wife’s ability to put it into words. Speech was never Aria’s strong suit, so it was a safe bet to make that she had been preparing this all day. Sonata smirked internally. Aria was far from perfect, but she tried really hard. At the end of the day, that’s what mattered.

“That probably doesn’t make any sense,” sighed Aria. “I had this whole metaphor with Emo-Freak earlier, about the sunset, but I can’t remember it to save my life.” Sonata chuckled, which brought a slightly embarrassed smirk to Aria’s face. “Basically, our relationship before is like the sunset, and I don’t wanna lose it. Or something.”

“You’re thinking about it wrong,” said Sonata. Now it was Aria’s turn to be confused. “You shouldn’t think of it as a sunset. Think of us as the moon.”

“Gee, that makes sense,” grumbled Aria. She cringed as soon as she said it. “Sorry.”

“The moon changes throughout the month, but it always ends up the same shape,” explained Sonata, completely undisturbed. “Our relationship is gonna have to change if we wanna grow as people. But we’ll never be different forever. We’ll still be able to think back and reminisce about how things used to be, and experience the us that we used to be. Our anniversaries, our second and third honeymoons, even getting the girls together for drinks, they’re all just phases of the moon. We’ll get back to what we used to be, even if it is for a little while.”

Aria realized right then and there that she had been wrong for over a thousand years. Not only was Sonata not a moron, but she was a freaking genius.

“Holy crap… I never thought of it like that,” said Aria.

“Know my favorite part about the moon metaphor?” asked Sonata.

“No. What is it?” Sonata leaned over and kissed Aria on the forehead.

“The moon lasts forever.”

LCS: Life's Lemons Conquers Life's Lemonade

Aria sat in the kitchen, her feet kicked up on the table and a comic in her hands. She had read that particular issue many times over, as she had with almost all of her comics. That never stopped her from reliving and enjoying the stories which they contained. Aria had a habit of falling into her comics, and shutting the rest of the world out. That might have been why she never heard Sonata walk into the room, lugging a large crate of lemons. She dropped the fruit onto the table, which was enough to snap Aria back to reality.

“Hiya, babe,” huffed Sonata.

“I know I said I was going to try to fix my sour attitude, but this is kinda pushing it,” said Aria.

“Cute. Where’s Dagi?” asked Sonata.

“Upstairs.”

“Is that Sonata with the lemons?!” called Adagio from upstairs. “I’ll be right there with the reamers!”

“The what?” asked Aria. “What is going on? Seriously, this is getting weird.”

“You know, I really shouldn’t be surprised that you don’t remember,” sighed Sonata. “Last week, we all agreed we’d do a cleanse.”

Aria absolutely did not remember agreeing to anything of that sort. She looked at the crate of lemons, then imagined herself sitting in a bathtub of its juice. Not her idea of a fun time.

“See, I would, but the thing is, I’ve got a bunch of paper cuts all over my body,” said Aria. “You must’ve seen em, I can’t get into any lemon juice until they heal.”

“Not that type of cleanse, moron,” said Adagio from the stairs. She entered into the kitchen with her arms full of about four little electric citrus reamers, which she deposited onto the table next to the lemons.

“It’s a detox,” explained Sonata. “For the next week, we can consume nothing but water and lemonade.”

Aria decided that she must’ve gone crazy, because there was no way that she heard that properly. Not only was she positive that she didn’t agree to this, she couldn’t believe that anyone thought it was a good idea to suggest in the first place. She stared at Sonata with confusion, waiting for the joke to be over.

“Seriously? Lemonade?” asked Aria. “Why would we do that to ourselves? Did we lose a bet?”

“It’s good for you to do this sort of thing every now and again,” said Adagio. She moved throughout the kitchen, grabbing knives, bowls, travel mugs, and pitchers, all of which she dropped onto the table. “It flushes your body of toxins, and leaves you feeling rejuvenated and energized. It will clear your skin, add a shine to your hair, and help to remove your dependence on snacks to get you through the day.”

“Alright, wrong question,” said Aria. “You guys would do that because you’re freaking insane. The question I should’ve asked is ‘why would I do this to myself?’” Adagio passed Sonata a knife, and the two began to cut the lemons in half, piling the halves in a bowl.

“Because you said you’d do it with us,” said Sonata. “Remember? Last week at Sunny’s place?”

Aria thought back to it, and the memory slowly came to her. A week ago, Sunset Shimmer had invited Aria and Sonata to double date with her and Twilight, and the four girls ended up back at Sunset’s home for drinks and a sleepover. Apparently, Sonata had taken advantage of Aria’s intoxicated state to coerce her into doing this awful, terrible thing.

“That is dirty,” said Aria. “I was wasted, you can’t possibly hold me to what I said. For all I remember, I agreed to get mani-pedis with you and Dag.”

“So that is a confirmed mani-pedi for the three of us?” asked Adagio. “I’ll make an appointment at the nail salon for next week.” Aria growled angrily at her supposed friend, who was once again showing off why Aria despised her at times.

“I’m not doing it,” said Aria. “I’m done with Adagio’s stupid health crap. I almost killed someone when you guys convinced me to go vegan.”

“Aria, you didn’t even start that diet,” Adagio reminded her. “I suggested it to you, you dropped your cheeseburger, and were about to hit me.”

“You swore to me that you weren’t drunk. I should’ve known, you had two shots. That’s enough to have you laid out on the couch,” said Sonata. “Look, drunk or not, you made me a promise that you would do this with me. But, since I love you so much, I won’t hold you to it. So, if you really want to, you can break a promise you made to your loving wife, just this once.” She let out an exaggerated sigh. “Boy, I sure wish you would’ve let me break my promise when I said I’d go to Comic-Con with you. I guess I just love you more…”

“That’s not fair. First of all, I told you from the get-go that you didn’t have to come,” said Aria. “I was more than happy to take Rainbow instead. Second, you were an awesome Scarlet Witch, and it’d be a shame to deprive the world of seeing your amazing cosplay. If anything, that was a public service.”

Sonata raised a questioning, and disapproving, eyebrow.

“Third, you do not love me more than I love you.” finished Aria. “Lemonade or no lemonade, I still love you more than anything or anyone.”

“Really? Prove it?”

“Do you really think that’s going to work on me?” asked Aria. “Do you really think that you can trick me into anything if you make it sound like a challenge?”

“Fifty bucks says you can’t do it,” said Sonata. Aria rolled her eyes.

“That’s not going to work. I said it before, and I’ll say it again: I’m not doing this stupid lemonade thing.”

Aria took a swig from her lemonade bottle, smirking slyly at Sonata and Adagio. Despite their best efforts, the instigators of this little diet couldn’t quite hide their contempt for it. They were three days in, and Aria was the only one holding up. Sonata was always tired, ditzier than usual, and found herself trailing off in the middle of her sentences. She was so exhausted that she couldn’t bring herself to leave the couch. Meanwhile, Adagio was laying beside her, and she was crabbier and more stern with her friends (which was saying something), and she could hardly get through a “meal” without swearing profusely. Aria, somehow, was apparently unphased by the lack of food in her life. In fact, she seemed to be feeling better than ever.

“Man, do I feel energized,” said Aria mockingly. “And I haven’t thought about eating all day! This was a great idea, guys, honestly. I doubt you guys too much. I really need to learn to trust your judgement.”

“May your soul burn in Tartarus, Aria Blaze,” growled Adagio. “You know, I’m missing a date with Silver tonight. We were going to go to that French place that just opened up downtown. It was going to be so romantic.”

“And that’s my fault… how, exactly?” asked Aria, taking another spite-filled sip of lemonade.

“Babe, this is getting ridiculous,” said Sonata. “I don’t even… I-I… I don’t even…” She shook her head firmly, collecting her thoughts for a few moments. “I don’t even remember what food tastes like. How are you doing this just… Just fine?”

“I dunno. Guess I’m just better at this than you are.” Aria smirked evilly. “Or maybe, maybe I’m doing so well because I knew you’d want me to do this with you, so I was just trying to make you happy. I guess that means I love you more.”

“Alright, now that I think about it…” Sonata yawned. “Maybe this isn’t a great gauge of how much you love me…”

“Well, all you guys have to do is admit that this was a stupid idea,” said Aria. “How about it? Admit I was right, and I’ll order some Chinese right now. How about it, Sony? Sesame chicken and pork fried rice…”

Sonata’s stomach audibly growled, and she would have caved if it weren’t for Adagio. Before she could let the words out, Adagio clasped her hand against Sonata’s mouth. The glare that she received was enough to quell whatever doubts she had. Sonata knew from that look that she could either starve to death or die at the hands of Adagio.

She chose starvation.

“It’s not stupid,” said Sonata firmly. “If you can do it, I can do it, too.”

“Suit yourself, but I don’t think you guys will be able hold out much longer,” chuckled Aria. She glanced at her phone, making note of the time. “Well, see you later. I gotta get ready for this run with Sunset. Ya know, since I feel so energized and stuff.” To rub it in their faces, Aria basically skipped up the stairs, slamming her door closed behind her. Sonata flopped onto the couch, burying her face into the cushions.

“This sucks,” she mumbled.

“Oh, it won’t be sucking for long,” said Adagio deviously. “That French place I was talking about? I’m still going, and you are welcome to come with me. Aria will be none the wiser.”

“But... That’s cheating!” said Sonata, trying to keep her morals over her stomach. She was failing. “Come on, we can tough it out for… What is it, a day? Two?”

“Four,” said Adagio. Sonata sat up straight, disgust and regret the two most prominent emotions on her face.

“When can we go?” asked Sonata.

“As soon as I grab my wallet.” Adagio’s face fell from devious satisfaction to self-loathing regret. “Which is all the way at Silver’s. Damn it all.”

A knock preempted any attempts at further scheming, and greatly irritated Adagio. She tiredly rolled off the couch and stomped her way to the door. She yanked it open, glaring at Sunset Shimmer as if she had kicked Adagio’s fallen grandmother.

“Sup,” said Sunset, gripping her backpack tightly.

“Come in,” said Adagio stiffly. She stood in the doorway for several moments (a very counter-intuitive way of inviting someone in) before stepping out of the way to actually let Sunset inside.

“Wow, this cleanse is really rocking you guys, huh?” said Sunset with a smirk. Her good nature was not returned by the starving Sirens, who merely glared at her enviously. How dare Sunny choose not to self-impose this torture on herself! Who did she think she was, walking around and eating whatever she thought might be tasty?

“What’s with the bag?” asked Sonata. Sunset glanced back at it, almost as if she just noticed it.

“Oh, this? I found some old comics from one of my exes, thought Aria might like them,” said Sunset. “She’ll probably yell at me for the bad condition, but whatever.”

Sunset gripped her backpack a little tighter and slipped past Adagio and Sonata. She disappeared up the stairs and, assumedly, into Aria and Sonata’s bedroom. Sonata groaned in agony, her stomach revolting from the rest of her in a search for fuel.

“Well, we can’t just sit here and starve,” said Sonata. “I’ll grab Ari’s wallet. I can tell her we needed… I dunno, bleach or something.”

“Sure, whatever, just go get it!” snapped Adagio. Sonata gathered the last of her waning strength to essentially drag herself out of her seat. Each step up the stairs was like Mount Everest to the energy-deprived Sonata. When she finally arrived at her door, she was about to collapse. Maybe she could take a little nap before getting the wallet. She opened the door and drearily stepped into her room.

Aria and Sunset were on Aria’s old bed. Sunset’s backpack was thrown in the middle of the floor, a trail of napkins and ketchup packets leading to the two culprits. In each of their hands was a large, greasy, juicy cheeseburger, leaking deliciousness into a little pool in their laps. Aria had her teeth clamped around hers when the door opened, and she hardly slowed when it did.

“Hey, babe, would you mind grabbing the hot sauce from downstairs?” asked Aria.

Then, she remembered the cleanse.

“Oh…” she groaned. “Son of a-”

“You dirty, rotten, disgusting cheater!” shouted Sonata. “You couldn’t last another three days?! Did you really need food that badly that you’d cheat?” The irony and hypocrisy of her tirade was lost on Sonata. “Honestly, Aria! You were doing so well!”

Technically speaking, Aria didn’t cheat, because she never participated to begin with. Right out the gate, she had Sunset meeting up with her at various places, sometimes just leaving the precious cargo where Aria could find it, all with the intent of feeding her so she could eat without catching flak from the missus. Aria would collect the dead drops one way or another, then pay Sunset for the price of the food, as well as a little extra as a sort of finder’s fee. So, in the strictest of senses, Aria couldn’t be cheating because she had been disqualified from the very start.

For obvious reasons, she didn’t mention that.

“Babe, it really isn’t that bad, when you think about it,” said Aria. “I… Uh… Sunny, tell her why this isn’t that bad.”

“Sorry, man, you dug this hole for yourself,” said Sunset. “In retrospect, eating here was kinda destined to fail. What were you thinking?”

“I was thinking that I didn’t want to have to go all the way downtown for a cheeseburger,” grumbled Aria. She was alone on this one. “Listen, Sonata… I know you and Dag are hurting over this whole cleanse thing, and I know I’m a huge scumbag for cheating, so why don’t you tell me what I have to do to make it all better?”

Sonata smirked devilishly. Time to see if Adagio’s teachings had taken hold.

“Know that French place that Dagi was talking about?” asked Sonata. Aria nodded. “Well, you’re gonna take me there tonight for dinner. And Adagio and Silver. And Sunny and Twilight.”

“Why them?” asked Aria.

“Punitive damages, baby,” laughed Sunset. “I would be delighted to be a part of this triple date, and I’m sure Sparky would be, too.”

“Good, cause I have to let her know what a sneaky little weasel she’s dating,” said Sonata. “Do you think she’ll be happy to know that you’re helping Aria break a promise she made to her wife? If I know Twilight, she’ll make you do the cleanse yourself, as punishment.” Sunset chuckled in a defeated, hopeless sort of way.

“Well met, Sonata Blaze,” she said with a shake of the head. “Well met, indeed.”

“Can we just talk about how this one cheeseburger is gonna run me four hundred dollars or so in the hole?” asked Aria. “Jesus, this has got to be the most expensive fast food in history.”

“Well? What’re you waiting for?” asked Sonata impatiently. “Are you gonna make the reservations or not?”

While Aria begrudgingly pulled out her phone, Sonata slipped out of the room. She rushed down the stairs, where Adagio was tiredly waiting on the couch.

“Well? Did you get the wallet?” asked Adagio. Sonata grinned.

“Call your man, cause we have a dinner date,” giggled Sonata. “This is awesome! I just walked in on Aria cheating!”

Adagio’s eyes widened in shock, disgust, then hatred, and she was a few moments from beating the ever-living snot out of Aria when she realized that Sonata was more than likely referring to the cleanse.

“You know, most normal people would clarify what they mean by ‘cheating’ after a certain point in the stunned silence,” said Adagio. “You had me here thinking that Aria was in Sunny’s pants.”

“Nah, the burgers were in a backpack. Sunny wouldn’t put food there, it’s unsanitary.”

Adagio tilted her head in amazement.

“You’re an idiot,” she decided.

“Well, this idiot just got us dinner,” said Sonata triumphantly. “What do you gotta say about that, huh?”

“Well done, idiot. Come on, let’s go get dressed.” Adagio smirked. This situation could hardly be any better. A wonderful dinner with her wonderful boyfriend at a wonderful restaurant, all at Aria’s expense. Adagio chuckled softly at the slight irony; The point of the lemonade diet was to cleanse their bodies, and, even though nobody finished it, something was cleansed of all that it contained.

Aria’s wallet.

LCS: Drawing Tablets Conquers Taco Trucks

Sonata ran as fast as she could down the slick, quiet halls of the hospital, despite the constant scolding of the nurses and various staff. She didn’t care how much flak she caught from the hospital. The only thing she cared about was getting to room 244, and getting there fast.

“Sonata! Slow down!” called Adagio. She was several feet behind Sonata by this point, with the gap between them growing. “Relax!”

“You relax!” snapped Sonata. She twisted and turned around corners and rushed down several corridors before sliding to a stop outside of her destination, room 244. She shoved open the door and burst in recklessly.

Sonata hardly processed that Sunset Shimmer was even there. She ignored her as she stood up, looking like a child who accidentally broke their mother’s good china. No, instead, Sonata focused all of her attention to Aria. She was laid out on the bed, and had certainly seen better days. Aria’s left arm was wrapped and in a sling, her head wrapped in bandages. There were bruises, cuts and scrapes all across her face. Sonata’s jaw dropped at the sight of her broken, battered, unconscious wife, and felt a wave of several emotions. She was heartbroken, for one. She was also terrified for Aria’s well-being.

But more than anything, she was pissed.

“What happened to her?” Sonata demanded through gritted teeth.

“Dude, I’m not even sure, everything happened so fast,” said Sunset nervously. “We were heading back to my place, and I was crossing the street when I hear this truck honk at me. Next thing I know, I’m on the ground a couple feet away and Aria is laid out on the floor. She… She saved me.”

“So you mean to tell me that my girl got herself hurt because you were being careless?” said Sonata angrily. “You couldn’t look both ways?! Look at her! She’s… Gah! I can’t believe you, Sunset!”

“I’m so, so, so sorry, Sony, I-”

“Don’t you dare ‘Sony’ me!” snapped Sonata. “This is beyond ‘Sony’! My wife was just run over and it was all your fault and you think you can just come in and drop nicknames like everything is okay?! I should-”

“Down, girl,” croaked Aria. She slowly sat herself up, wincing in pain as she did. “Christ on a crutch… Geez, Sony, take a chill pill.”

“Aria!” squealed Sonata, tears streaking down her face. She completely forgot about Sunset and rushed to Aria’s side, hugging her tightly. Aria tried to hold in the gasp of pain for as long as she could, but after several seconds, there was really no hiding it.

“Okay, okay, I love you too, now get the hell off of me! That hurts!” grumbled Aria. Sonata quickly released her, biting on her fingernails in frightened anticipation.

“How’re you doing?” asked Sunset.

“Decent. Hopped up on pain meds,” said Aria. She chuckled softly. “I haven’t been this high since 1985.”

“Not funny, Aria. Now is not the time for jokes!” said Sonata, though she was relieved to know that Aria was okay. “I was so scared! You gave me a heart attack!”

“Calm down. It’s just a couple of bruised ribs,” said Aria, with a fairly convincing amount of nonchalance. “And a sprained wrist. And multiple contusions, a fractured ulna, and a mild concussion. Also, my legs are basically shattered.”

“Sonata!” called Adagio from the hallway. She ran past the room, then, realizing where she was, ran back and inside. “You’re going to get us kicked out!”

“Sup,” said Aria, waving her good hand. Adagio moved her lips, but no words came out. Instead, tears began to roll down her face, and it took her several seconds to regain her composure.

“You’re okay?” asked Adagio. Aria nodded, which put Adagio at ease enough to laugh, despite her tears. “How was the underside of a sedan?”

“First of all, it was a taco truck,” said Aria. “Second, it was about how you’d expect.”

Sonata felt her heart snap in two, and then those two halves explode into a million little pieces.

“It was… It was a taco truck?” asked Sonata weakly.

“Yeah, that Carlos’ truck that rides around downtown,” said Aria. “I don’t know what he was doing all the way by Sunny’s, but there he was.”

“No… Not Carlos’... I love Carlos’ tacos,” whined Sonata. “The best tacos in town ran over my wife… How do I live with that?! This is… I’m gonna have a word with him! All the money I’ve spent at his place and he runs my wife over! I’ll never eat another Carlos taco ever again! Nay, I’ll never eat any taco ever again!”

“Well, Carlos felt really bad about the whole thing,” said Aria. She reached down and grabbed a big box labeled “Carlos’ Tacos”. “As an apology, he left us these, and offered to feed us for life.”

“I believe his exact words were ‘Siren money is no good at Carlos’ Tacos’,” said Sunset.

“In that case, pass the box,” said Sonata. Aria rolled her eyes, then passed the tacos to Sonata. She knew better than anyone that Sonata was a stress eater, and it would be a mistake to stand in the way of her favorite food.

“So, anyone know when they’re gonna let me out of here?” asked Aria.

“You’re an idiot,” said Adagio, with a small smirk. “You’re broken in half. You’re not leaving here anytime soon.”

“What?! Are you nuts?! I have work tomorrow, I-”

“I would like to reiterate.” Adagio shook her head in disappointment. “You are an absolute buffoon. You have two broken legs.”

“Well, broken legs don’t pay bills,” said Aria. “Unless you’re sitting on some lottery winnings, we’re about where we started a couple of months ago.”

“I’ll get a job,” offered Sonata. “Actually, I was looking into that trendy, hipster place that just opened up downtown. They’re looking for a hostess, and I thought I’d apply.”

“You? A hostess?” asked Aria.

“Well, she does have great people skills,” said Sunset.

“Smiling and saying ‘hello’ are two things that Sonata can do fairly well,” said Adagio. “Plus, she’s cute. I think she’d do just fine.”

Aria didn’t like this situation at all. It wasn’t fair that Sonata had to work because of her. This was the exact opposite of what she wanted. Aria bit down gently on her tongue, every fiber of her being resisting her decision to say what she was about to say.

“If they treat you bad, promise that you’ll let me know,” said Aria. Sonata nodded in agreement. “Seriously, Sony. I’m not too crippled to kick someone’s butt.” Sonata smirked, barely holding back a laugh. Honestly, Aria was amazing. Even when she was literally battered and broken, she would do anything to defend Sonata.

“Of course, babe,” said Sonata. “I’ll tell them that my injured, crippled, wheelchair-bound wife is gonna make them sorry they ever picked on me.”

It was only then that Aria realized how truly ridiculous her threat was.

“Hey, they can laugh if they want,” snickered Aria. “People in wheelchairs can kick ass, ya know.”

The Sirens shared a laugh that Sunset didn’t understand, but she figured she’d find out soon enough what the joke was. She was going to be the one to look after Aria while the others were at work, after all. The two would be spending even more time together than usual.

“Hey, Sonata, how about we head to your place real quick?” suggested Sunset. “To grab some stuff to make Aria more comfortable.”

“I’d kill for a bottle of hot sauce,” said Aria. “And maybe something to read.”

“Sure thing, babe. Anything you want, just call me and let me know,” said Sonata. Sunset ushered her out of the room, closing the door behind them. As they set off down the hall, Sonata thought now would be a good time to apologize for her behavior.

“Sunny?” she said. “Sorry for biting your head off like that. I was just really scared, and upset, and you were right there.”

“Don’t worry about it. I totally get it. If that was Twi in that bed, I’d be all over whoever was closest,” said Sunny. “I do feel really bad, though, and that’s why I wanted you to come with me.”

“Hm?”

“Is there anything you think Aria would need to get through the day?” Sonata tilted her head in confusion. “Well, you know, she’s normally working or hanging out with you, and now that she can’t do either of those at much… You think she might get bored?” As Sonata thought on it, she realized that it was foolish of her to expect Aria to stay home alone all day without going completely insane. Aria never spoke about why, but she seemed afraid to be alone. Something to keep her mind off of Sonata’s absence might do a world of good.

“Well, she likes to draw a lot,” said Sonata. “Maybe you could get her some good art supplies?” Sunset grinned, an idea forming in her head.

“I’ll do you one better, Sonata,” said Sunny. “I gotta make a stop before we head to your place.”

Aria never truly appreciated her legs until she couldn’t use them anymore. She was now almost entirely confined to her bedroom (although she was welcome to wheel herself over to Adagio’s room if she ever wanted to use her computer). She had only been home one night and she was already sick of sitting on her butt. She wanted so much to stretch out and go for a walk, or maybe visit Sonata at her new job. Aria just felt useless now. To make matters worse, she was all alone, and she didn’t like that very much. Before she could feel too sorry for herself, she heard the door open downstairs.

“Hey, I’m here!” called Sunset. “Sorry I’m late, Twi was explaining to me how she can bring magic through the mirror despite not having access to her horn or spellbooks. It was actually kinda fascinating.”

“Nerd,” snickered Aria. “You’re only a few minutes late, anyway. Come on up, maybe you can tell me about that magic crap.” Sunset snickered, then headed up the stairs.

“I’ll just speak English, for those of us who aren’t dating Stephen Hawking the Second, and spare you the astral physics lesson,” chuckled Sunset. “That twenty-minute lecture was essentially to say that the mirror has an effect on Equestrian magic that strips it down, like a spaceship re-entering the atmosphere.”

“So the spell burns out?”

“More or less. Easiest way to combat that is to add a bunch of shielding spells on top of the enchanted item to burn out first. Problem with that is they’re hard as all heck to put on, and they don’t always hold. Me and Twi are working on a way to get around that, so we can bring more magic into this place.”

Sunset climbed the final stair and crossed the hall to Aria’s room, holding a thin, wrapped package in her hands. Aria raised an eyebrow in confusion, but said nothing of it. Sunset stared at her, waiting patiently.

“Alright, fine. I’ll bite,” sighed Aria. “What’s in the box?”

“I thought you’d never ask. I felt really bad about what happened, so I got you a little something,” said Sunset. She handed the box to Aria. “Sadly, there’s no ‘Sorry you got run over by a taco truck’ card, I checked Hallmark three times.”

“You didn’t have to do that,” said Aria. She looked at the box sort of uneasily. “I’m not great at ‘thanks’, but thanks.”

“Don’t worry about it. Just open it up, okay?” Aria ripped at the paper, pulling it off to reveal a brand-new drawing tablet. She practically squealed in excitement.

“Sunny, I want you to understand that, if my ribs weren’t bruised right now, I’d be hugging the crap out of you,” said Aria. “You’re the greatest!”

“I’ll take a rain check on that hug,” chuckled Sunset. “I figured that you could use some sort of distraction while Sonata is away. Plus, if you really set your mind to it, you might even be able to make some money off of it.”

“Huh?”

“Ever hear of Patreon?”

Aria had not, so Sunset spent the next few minutes explaining it to her. Basically, if Aria could get people to like her art, she could eventually convince them to become her Patrons. For every piece of art she put out, her Patrons would pay her a set amount of money. Aria was a bit skeptical at first.

“Look, I just draw for fun. I’m not a pro or anything,” said Aria. “I doubt anyone would pay me for my art.”

“Well, RD has seen you draw, and she said that she would pay an inordinate amount of money for a good One-Punch Man pic,” said Sunset. “I think it’s worth a try.”

“Hm. I guess, maybe… I have been doodling a lot lately.” Aria considered it more. “Alright, let’s give this baby a try. Wheel me to the computer so I can try it out?”

“Sure,” said Sunset. She grabbed Aria’s wheelchair. “Let’s make some money.”

LCS: Future Plans Conquers Present Predicaments and Past Problems

Aria bashed her shoulder against the door for the sixth time, to no avail. The only reason she refrained from trying to kick it down was the boot on her still-injured leg. Sonata sat in the corner, her head resting in her lap tiredly. She had found herself in a lot of tricky positions over the years, but none quite like this.

Aria and Sonata had been locked in this public restroom for just under fifteen minutes by this point. They had no idea when someone would come looking for them, and it was entirely possible that they would be spending the night there. Suffice it to say, Aria was not very fond of that idea.

“We should try to call Dagi,” said Sonata.

“We are in a concrete box,” groaned Aria. “We won’t get any bars.” Sonata pouted her lip, eliciting another groan from her wife. Aria pulled her phone from her pocket and slid it over to Sonata. “Go hog wild, babe.”

“Thanks, babe,” said Sonata. She unlocked Aria’s phone and went to dial Adagio’s number when she realized that Aria was right; No reception to be had. “Well, crap.”

“Ugh! Date night can end a lot of ways, but locked in a dirty bathroom all night?” Aria snorted. “This is not supposed to happen! We should be in bed, or making out on the couch, or drinking wine coolers while Adagio yells at us for waking her up!”

“Hey, the only reason we got locked in here was cause you fell asleep,” said Sonata. Aria glared at her.

“And maybe, just maybe, I would’ve been able to stay up if you didn’t take twenty-five minutes to take a leak!” snapped Aria. “Not to mention that I shouldn’t even have to be here! I like to think that I married a grown woman, and not a six year old who needs me to hold her skirt for her when she goes to the bathroom!”

Sonata did not actually ask Aria to hold her skirt this time, though there was one time at Oktoberfest when Sonata consumed a large amount of beer and had Aria hold her skirt and panties while she ran to the bathroom (to avoid any accidents). That was years ago, but Sonata still found that she had to defend herself quite often for it.

“I can’t go if I’m all alone, and you know that, Aria!” whined Sonata. Aria tried really hard not to laugh, but found the absurdity of the statement, coupled with how dead serious Sonata was, to be too much to handle.

“Guess that’s what we get for going to a fricking Linkin Park concert,” snickered Aria, sliding down onto her butt. “Honestly, I thought I was beyond that phase by this point.”

“Heheh. It was nice to hear them again, though. You used to listen to Linkin Park a lot,” recalled Sonata fondly. “Back before we moved to Canterlot. You always had those big headphones on, just blaring ‘In the End’, at least twice a day!” Aria chuckled almost uncomfortably. She had to admit that she was a little bit emo back in the day, to an almost embarrassing degree.

“Yeah, I remember that. That was way back when Dag was trying that massive pompadour!” Aria laughed just thinking about it. “Geez, she’d kill me if I ever told Emo-Freak about that.”

“Those were the days,” sighed Sonata wistfully. Then, she thought about it a bit. “Uh… besides the brainwashing and loneliness. That kinda sucked.”

“I guess. Sometimes, though, I kinda miss it,” said Aria. “I mean, it was no way to live, but the power was incredible. Doing whatever we wanted, getting anything we wanted.”

“The best high ever,” agreed Sonata. “Still… I’m glad we got clean. It wasn’t good for us.”

“Negative energy. She was like my hot, crazy girlfriend from college.” Aria snickered darkly. “When I was with her, she’s ruining my life without me even noticing. As soon as I break up, though…”

“You realize that she wasn’t doing you any favors. But you can’t stop thinking about her for some reason.”

“Yeah. Delicious poison.”

“I’m pretty sure there’s a song called Delicious Poison,” said Sonata. She thought on it. “Yeah! That’s a Japanese jazz song or something!”

“You listen to Japanese jazz?”

“I listen to everything, but I was hanging out with Rainbow a couple of days ago and she wanted me to sing some anime theme song or something. I dunno, but it was fun.” Sonata beamed just thinking about it. “After that, I kinda got into all sorts of Japanese music. Japanese is such a cute language. I was thinking about learning.”

“I think Dag knows some. You should ask her.”

Sonata sighed, wishing more than anything that she could get in touch with Adagio. She really didn’t want to stay in this restroom all night. Although, if she were to be honest, it wasn’t all that bad. As far as trap scenarios went, this one was actually quite good. At least she was with Aria.

“We need to start saving up for a trip,” said Sonata. “We don’t travel like we used to, and I really miss it.” Aria nodded in agreement.

“I still think we should head up to Spain. I learned a lot about myself there,” said Aria. “I think that’s when I realized I was into chicks.”

“I always knew. Well, not always.” Sonata tried to count the years. “Since… I guess I knew ever since I met you what I liked.”

“Is that when you decided you had a thing for me?”

“First of all, nobody decides to have a thing for someone.” Sonata smiled brightly. “Second of all, yes.”

“Geez, I still don’t know when you stopped being annoying to me,” said Aria, shaking her head. “Actually, no, you never did stop annoying me. You just became irritating for a different reason. Instead of the dumb things to come out of your mouth, I was irked because they made me laugh.”

“Even in love, you’re the most stubborn person I’ve ever met,” giggled Sonata. “You were standing in the way of your own true love.”

“I just didn’t believe in true love. I never really thought it existed. Even if it did, I knew I’d never have it. Shows what I know, huh?”

Sonata knew what Aria meant, particularly that second part. All her life, she imagined a romance like in movies, with a perfect guy and a perfect girl and sweet gestures and tears shed whenever they were apart. But her fantasies never took time to consider her, instead focusing on the general subject of love. Sonata loved love, but didn’t expect to find it.

Then, she met Aria, and everything she knew flipped on its head.

“I’ve never said it, because even I think it’s really cheesy,” said Sonata. “But I fell in love the moment I laid eyes on you.” Aria agreed that that was cheesy, but decided not to say that.

“I’m not as in touch with my feelings as you are, so it took me a little longer,” said Aria. “Well, a lot longer. I think it was… I think it was when we got banished here. You were so sad, and I just wanted to go back and kick Starswirl’s butt. I thought it was because I was upset, but no. It was because he hurt you.”

Sonata smiled warmly. That was one of the darkest moments of her life. One of the few times when she thought that things might not work out well for them. She’d only known the others for a couple of years, which was equivalent to a few weeks to the Sirens. She feared Aria, despite wanting to befriend her, and she doubted Adagio’s leadership. There was very little trust amongst them, and their relationship was brittle as a result.

“We’ve grown so much,” whispered Sonata. Aria shimmied over to Sonata’s side and wrapped her arm around her.

“Yeah. I’m not a fan of change, but being with you is pretty awesome,” said Aria. She ran her hand down Sonata’s ponytail, falling back into the habit.

“You remember a couple of weeks ago, at the lodge?” asked Sonata. “About the moon?”

“Of course. What about it?”

“I think it’s time for us to go on to the next phase.”

Aria was about to ask what exactly Sonata meant by that, but was interrupted by loud, aggressive, incessant knocking. Then, she heard a voice that was both familiar and infuriating, so much so that Aria wondered what terrible thing she had done to deserve it.

“Come on! Trixie saw you two enter, and she has given you more than enough time to suck face!” said Trixie, rapping on the door again. “Open up, Trixie really needs to pee!”

“How do you keep finding me?!” demanded Aria. She got up and limped over to the door. “Stop following me! It’s like every time I’m in some kind of trouble, you just happen to be there!”

“Jezebel?! Trixie thought you were Starlight Glimmer! Get out! Trixie has been holding it the whole concert!”

“The door is stuck, moron!” Sonata tried not to giggle, but watching Aria yell at someone through a bathroom door was pretty funny. When that someone is an egocentric, megalomaniac magician, it was made doubly hilarious.

“Of course it is! That makes sense,” said Trixie. It was clear from her tone that she was bouncing uncomfortably in her attempt to make a smart remark and not pee on herself. “Jezebel Blaze and Slow-nata Dusk are probably the only ones Trixie knows dumb enough to lock themselves in the bathroom!” Aria growled almost animalistically, slamming her fist against the door.

“If you call her Slow-nata one more time, I’m gonna ruin you!” she snapped. “They’ll have to make up new words for what I’m going to do to you, and that’s nothing compared to what’ll happen if I hear you say the word ‘Jezebel’ again! Now get us the heck out of this bathroom!”

Trixie pushed the door open with one hand and stepped in. Aria glared at her wife, then slapped her forehead in disbelief.

“Ta-da! Once again, Trixie’s magnificently powerful magic saves the day!” declared Trixie. “No need to thank her, you’re quite welcome! All Trixie asks of you is that, when you tell the story of your horrific entrapment, be sure to include that you were saved by the Spectacular, Sensational, Incredible, Great and Powerful Trixie!”

“We’ll be sure to tell them all about how Trixie saved us,” promised Sonata, rising from her seat.

“No, Slow-nata Dusk, you misunderstood her! The whole name, you have to say the whole name! Even and especially the ‘Spectacular, Sensational’ parts!”

“I swear to God, I will punch the ‘Spectacular, Sensational, Incredible, Great and Powerful Trixie’ in her freaking kidneys,” grumbled Aria. “Come on, babe, let’s head home.”

“That’s it? No heartfelt thanks?” asked Trixie. “Not even a congratulations for Trixie’s amazing talent? That simply will not do, Jezebel, it simply won’t! Trixie demands that you-” She might have gotten more out, if Aria didn’t decide to take that time to rocket a jab directly into Trixie’s side. The magician fell to the ground, clutching herself in agony and going on about a cracked rib.

“Let’s go,” said Aria, with an air of finality. She hooked arms with Sonata and escorted her from the bathroom, all while Trixie whined on the floor.

“Trixie doesn’t have to pee so much anymore,” she groaned.

Aria and Sonata walked down the street, arm and arm, their home just a few short blocks away. Aria felt sort of bad about hitting Trixie, but also didn’t really mind it. That girl had been a constant pain in her neck ever since she started dating Sonata, periodically showing up to ruin the moment or bail her out of trouble. Aria wasn’t sure which was more annoying.

As they walked, Aria recalled something that Sonata said in the bathroom, something she was extremely curious about.

“Babe?” said Aria. “Earlier, you were talking about moving on to our next phase.”

“Uh-huh.” Sonata nodded in agreement.

“Well, what the heck does that mean?” asked Aria. Sonata took her sweet time answering, spending almost a full minute before responding.

“We were talking about the past, and how we came together, but we never spent much time talking about the future,” said Sonata. “Like back then, when we didn’t bother to think about what came next. Well, now I think I know what comes next.”

“Uh-huh…”

“Aria, I want to have a baby.”

Aria blinked three times in rapid succession, before bursting out in hysterical laughter. Sonata stared at her with a bit of concern, but the laughs never stopped.

“Babe, I’m serious,” said Sonata. “I’ve never been more serious about something in my entire life.”

“I know you’re serious!” cackled Aria. “I just can’t stop laughing! You! You wanna have a baby!”

“Are you okay with that?”

“No! I’m terrified!” laughed Aria. “But screw it! Let’s have a kid!”

Aria laughed a bit more, and then promptly crumpled under her own weight. Sonata squeaked in fear, then quickly pulled out her phone and dialed Adagio’s number. Sonata smiled with a grim sort of satisfaction.

It would be a lot of work, but she thought for sure that they could be great parents.

LCS: Bra Battle Conquers Laundry Day

Everybody hated laundry day. This wasn’t news to anyone, least of all the Sirens. It was just such a dull, mind-aching task that nobody would be bothered with if they could avoid it. The three Sirens often alternated the duties, and time always seemed to pass too quickly in between switches for one of the girls, but not quickly enough for the other.

Aria probably hated it the least, oddly enough. There was something about the tedious, repetitive nature of the task that helped clear her head. It was while folding laundry did she think of the webcomic she would be starting soon, a simple idea that she secretly hoped would be a success despite appearing not to care.

Aria was currently on her bed, folding laundry while considering what Sonata had suggested a few days ago. Having a baby was a terrifying step to take, and Aria wasn’t positive how ready she was for it. There was so much to do. They’d need a steady source of decent income, some sort of a plan, and, most importantly, a place to live. Something told Aria that Adagio would be very upset if there was suddenly a small disaster zone running around the apartment.

Still, it’d be nice to have a child. And how much preparation could it possibly take? They had a dog, and Aria reasoned that a child and a pit bull must take roughly the same amount of work, at least at first. Aria chuckled as she folded a pair of jeans, blessed by the strange image of a baby with the head of her beloved dog.

Something soft smacked Aria in the back of the head, breaking her train of thought.

“You forgot to grab my bra.” Adagio stood in the doorway, her arms crossed over her chest. Aria grabbed the rather indecent scarlet brassiere and chucked it right back at Adagio, who easily caught it.

“You know, you could put your clothes in a hamper,” suggested Aria. “Like a normal person. Then, maybe I wouldn’t have missed it.”

“But then I wouldn’t have been able to hit you with my bra,” said Adagio, smirking sinisterly. She flung the bra, managing to hook it on one of Aria’s pigtails.

“You know, you’re a real scumbag sometimes,” growled Aria. She flipped Adagio’s bra onto the floor. “I think we need to establish some sort of rule where we don’t have to wash each other’s panties and stuff. I don’t know what you do with Emo-Freak, but I don’t want it on my hands.”

“Hahaha, clean the laundry,” laughed Adagio, without an ounce of amusement in her voice.

“No.”

“There’s no ‘no’ here, just do it.”

“You’re not my dad,” scoffed Aria.

“Do as you’re told!”

“Here’s an idea,” said Aria. “Why don’t you bite me?” Adagio crossed the room, scooped up the bra, and chucked it as hard as she could. This time, Aria managed to catch it and toss it at Adagio’s head. The Siren leader ducked the flying undergarment and it soared over her head.

And smacked an unaware Sonata who was walking into the room.

“Huh?” Sonata pulled Adagio’s bra from her face, staring at it in confusion. The owner of the garment shuffled forward and retrieved it.

“Sorry, babe,” said Aria. “Me and Dag were having-”

“A bra battle?!” asked Sonata in excitement.

“I was gonna say ‘a disagreement’, but…”

Before anyone could stop her, Sonata reached under her shirt, undid her bra, and chucked the sea green brassiere forward. Again, Adagio ducked, causing Aria to catch the bra with her face. Aria snarled, then jumped up and threw the bra aimlessly. This time, it hit Adagio, who stumbled backwards in surprise. Sonata grabbed the bra and prepared for her next attack while Aria slipped off her own purple sports bra.

“Are we seriously about to do this?” asked Adagio. “I mean, seriously? A bra fight? Don’t you think we’re a bit old for this?”

“Yeah, you’re right, Dag,” admitted Aria. “This is childish.” Aria got up, taking her bra and a handful of clothes with her out of the room. Adagio took a step for the door when her face was suddenly struck with what she soon gathered to be a pair of panties, much to Sonata’s amusement. She peeled the lime green undies from her face, shuddering slightly in disgust. Aria grinned as she redid her belt, dropping the pile of clean clothes to the floor.

“That is disgusting!” gagged Adagio. “You won’t wash my bra but you think it’s sanitary to throw your dirty panties at my face?”

“I don’t actually think it’s all that gross,” said Aria with a shrug. “I’m just lazy.”

“Aria Blaze, you disgusting, slimy, grody little-”

“Relax, princess.” Aria rolled her eyes. Leave it to Adagio to turn what was going to be a fun moment into a dramatic, theatrical performance. “I just got out of the shower before I started the laundry, they’re basically clean.”

“Good shot, babe!” chuckled Sonata. She air high-fived her wife from across the room.

“Thanks, babe.”

“Alright, you brought this upon yourself,” said Adagio. She slowly started to undo her pants.

“Whoa! Hey, come on, now!” said Aria, scurrying back. “You just got back from Emo-Freak’s, I don’t know what you two did!”

“She’s kinda right, though,” said Sonata. “You brought out the big guns. It’s basically mutually assured destruction by this point.” Aria and Adagio shared a look, both of them amazed that Sonata knew what mutually assured destruction was. Sonata reached into her back pocket and pulled out a navy blue thong that Aria was pretty sure spawned from her own imagination.

“Do you just carry spare sexy panties in your pocket?” asked Aria. Sonata shrugged.

“You never know,” said Sonata.

“I feel the need to ask this again,” said Adagio, who had managed to pull off her lacy black panties while Aria was distracted. “Are we actually about to do this?”

Aria surveyed the room. Formerly clean clothes now littered the floor. Each of the Sirens held their undergarments in their hands, preparing to throw them for no other reason than to annoy each other. Roughly 1,700 years old each, and here they were about to throw clothing at each other. All of them were either married or in a serious relationship. They were supposed to be adults.

“Oh, yeah,” said Aria.

“Deffs,” agreed Sonata.

And then, all hell broke loose.

The Sirens lay flat out on the floor, covered in assorted clothing, dryer sheets, and powder detergent. They had been throwing things at each other for about an hour, and now they were thoroughly tired. Ironically, the room and clothes ended up quite the mess.

“Okay…” panted Adagio. “Perhaps a rule should be enacted to prevent overlap of personal garments in general laundry. We’ll do our own bra and panties. Deal?” Aria rolled over, draping a bra over Adagio’s eyes.

“Deal,” she breathed.

“Ari, I just wanna say, “ huffed Sonata, a big cheesy grin on her face. “We’re gonna be, like, totes awesome parents! I can’t wait!” Adagio sat up sharply, a bra still dangling in front of her face.

“You morons are trying to reproduce?!”

LCS BONUS CHAPTER: Adagio's Night In

Dating Adagio Dazzle was a lot like looking after a spoiled, bratty six-year old. She whined and groaned and batted her lashes to get whatever she wanted, and required constant attention and affection. Then, when she could, she would manipulate her way into a favorable situation. Adagio required constant upkeep, adoration, and time from her current boyfriend, which was partly why she always struggled to keep a guy. Simply put, Adagio needed attention. Adagio needed to be in control. Adagio needed to be waited on, hand and foot.

She hated being snubbed.

That was one of the reasons why Adagio was so enthralled with Silver: regardless of the time, date, or place, Silver always bent to Adagio’s will. When she said they should go out, they went out. When she wanted to stay in, they stayed in. Her boyfriend listened to her, and did anything to keep her happy. He never, ever failed to please her. He could follow orders, and that was a trait Adagio loved even now, when she had no particular agenda.

So, when Friday (universally observed as date night) comes around, Adagio tends to make a lot of assumptions. She assumes that she’ll get her way, and that she would get to do whatever fun, interesting, romantic event that she so chose, all at her boyfriend’s expense.

She never anticipated that things may not go her way, so she made no effort to make any sort of back-up plan. She also declined every attempt by the Blazes to invite her along with their festivities (though, in fairness, Sonata asked only twice, while Aria never asked at all). Even if she would have, Adagio would have ignored her. She had plans tonight.

“What do you mean, you have plans tonight?!” demanded Adagio through the phone.

“Well, not so much plans as I have a gun to my head,” amended Silver. He had the good sense to break the news over the phone. “You know how the guys get.”

“To Tartarus with the guys, I’m your girlfriend!”

“True, but I’ve known them since I was six. They’re my best friends,” sighed Silver. “They think I’ve been ignoring them because of you. They think you and I might be spending too much time together, and I think they might be right.”

“Don’t be ridiculous!” scoffed Adagio. “We do not spend too much time together!”

“The last time I hung out with my friends, just the three of us, was a week before you and I started dating. I don’t see my friends anymore, and they’ve had it up to here with my crap. They’re forcing me out for drinks, and I can’t really say anything about it. I kinda enjoy my arms being not broken, you know?”

“So you’re just going to go out and leave me high and dry?” Adagio shook her head in disbelief, collapsing onto the couch. “Of course you are, because why bother spending time with your girlfriend? Why would anyone in their right mind do something so insane?!”

“Adagio, you know I love you, so don’t pull that crap,” said Silver. “C’mon, babe, I miss my friends. Besides, it’s Conjure’s birthday, what do you want me to say? ‘Oh, sorry, bro, I really wanted to hang for your birthday, but the Mistress won’t let me out of the dungeon’?”

“Yes!”

“I’m sorry, babe, but I can’t ditch my boy so you and I can stay home playing video games,” said Silver with an air of finality. “Look, you have friends, don’t you? Go call up Rarity, get mani-pedis or something. Go eat some ice cream outside of a Weight Watchers and laugh at fat people. Whatever it is you two do for fun.”

“How terrible of a person do you think I am?” asked Adagio.

“Terrible enough that you are seriously considering it,” said Silver. Adagio didn’t respond immediately, which basically confirmed his point. “Do you think you can last this one night while I hang with my boys?”

“I guess…” groaned Adagio. Silver let out a tired sigh.

“Alright, fine. I was gonna wait a couple of weeks, but… I’m gonna have Sarah bring you a little package. Enjoy yourself, have a good night, and I will see you first thing in the morning.”

Silver hung up before Adagio could ask what the package contained, which was probably for the best. His sister was notoriously bad at being on time, so it was entirely possible that Adagio would never see Sarah that night. Which meant she was on her own.

Which meant she was going to tag along with the Blazes.

“Aria! Sonata!” she called. “Are you still here?”

“Yo.” Aria limped gingerly down the stairs, stopping about halfway. “What do you want?”

“Boy-toy stood me up. I want to go with you,” said Adagio. Aria stared blankly for a second.

Then she laughed. A lot.

“Yeah, no,” laughed Aria. “Me and the missus are heading out to someplace romantic. Guess you’re staying in tonight!”

“Change your plans,” Adagio commanded. Aria stared at her with a big, cheesy smile on her face. She turned her head up the stairs and shouted.

“Hey, babe! Dag wants to come with us!”

“Ha! She told us that if she ever said that, we should shoot her ‘cause she was obviously possessed!”

“Give me ten minutes, I’ll be back with Aj’s double barrel,” snickered Aria. She started back up the stairs. “See you later, Dag. Me and Sony are going out, because we love each other. You must wonder what that’s like!” Adagio let out a stream of swear words that had yet to grace human ears, knowing full well that each naughty word simply made Aria laugh. Adagio had lost this one.

Deciding the Silver was on to something, Adagio grabbed her phone and shot a text out to Rarity.

Hey, Rares.

Adagio had to wait until after Aria and Sonata left for a reply.

Sorry Adagio I dont have time Im on a date g2g bai.

Before today, no mortal man or woman dared refuse Adagio Dazzle’s company. Now, in one day, she had been stood up three times. This was unacceptable. It seemed as if everyone in her life was more interested in having relations with their friends, or their wife, or their stranger than they were with spending time with her!

At some point, Adagio realized that she sounded really childish. These people had lives outside of her. She shouldn’t be having this problem. Then, she became angry. Wasn’t the whole point of making friends in the first place so she wouldn’t feel lonely or feared or hated by everyone she met? What was the point of leaving behind everything she knew to become a normal human if she was just going to be left alone anyway?

Adagio tried to swallow all of the bad feelings she had. It was just one night. Besides, a night alone without idiot roomates or smart-ass boyfriends might not necessarily be a curse. In fact, she could enjoy herself if she tried. She grabbed her phone and her portable speaker, then headed to the bathroom. She drew a bath (extravagantly, too, with flower oil and dried rose petals), lit a few candles, then hit “shuffle” on her music player. As she stripped down and lowered herself into the water, she heard the first notes of a very familiar, very cherished song. She laughed as she remembered why she still listened to “You’re Beautiful”.

She was at a party of one of her and Rarity’s mutual friends. Whoever was working the music was having some sort of malfunction with the equipment. To save the party from silence, Adagio offered her phone and aux cord. The first song just happened to be that little James Blunt romance song. Adagio had honestly forgotten that it was in her playlist. She shrugged it off, then went to mingle. When she went fill up her drink, a guy was standing, almost as if waiting for her.

“Hey,” he said flatly. Adagio didn’t want to admit it, but she found him rather cute. White hair, dark skin, steely eyes. He seemed like a cool enough guy, cool enough for Adagio to have a little bit of fun with.

“Hello,” Adagio returned.

“So, you’re hot,” said the guy. “But you have a crappy taste in music.”

“Well, at least I have my looks, which is more than you can say.” Adagio took a sip of her drink. “You know, Deuce has been out of the group for a while, you might have a spot in Hollywood Undead if you try out.” Surprisingly, the guy laughed.

“You know, the joke kinda falls apart if you show that you like HU enough to know at least one member,” he noted.

“Touche.”

“So, what’s your name, hotness?” asked the guy.

“My name is Hotness,” answered Adagio. “And, at a guess, I’d say your name is Corny?”

“Ha! See, most guys see ‘corny’ as an insult, but me?” He laughed, flipping his ivory hair out of his eyes. “But me? I like it! It’s what gives me my power!” He crouched slightly and spread his legs, resembling an anime character powering up. Despite how stupid he looked, Adagio couldn’t help but giggle.

“That was you cue to tell me your name, idiot,” said Adagio.

“Oh. Well, it’s Silver. Silver Rift.” He winked and smiled. “And you are?”

“Adagio.”

“Why does that name sound familiar?” asked Silver, straining his brain to think.

“You might know me as ‘the psycho fish chick who tried to take over CHS’,” tried Adagio. Silver tapped his chin in thought.

“Huh. Guess so. But, hey! Regardless of what you were into before, I think you’re cool now,” said Silver. “I mean, besides your god awful taste in music.”

“Hey, don’t you listen to Hollywood Undead?”

“Everyone listened to Hollywood Undead at some point, it’s like puberty,” scoffed Silver. “Now, it’s Tears of Plague all day!” Adagio didn’t just laugh, but flat-out guffawed at that.

“ToP? You listen to that emo trash, but you make fun of James Blunt?” Silver, again, wasn’t offended. More like amused.

“Okay, maybe I’m hard on this song, but you would be, too,” sighed Silver. “If it felt like you wrote it.”

“Hm?”

“Girl trouble, man,” groaned Silver. He drained his cup with a slightly irritated look on his face. “No offense, but you women have done nothing but hurt me.” He almost choked on those words. “Wow. That… was hella emo. Geez, I can feel the guy-liner on my face.”

“I suppose I know what you mean by that,” agreed Adagio. “Romance is a dangerous thing. That’s why I keep things purely… Let’s say… physical, for the most part.”

“That’s no way to live. Love is what keeps us going.” Silver thought on it. “Jesus, I sound really pathetic, don’t I?” Adagio shrugged.

“I don’t know. You could sound worse,” said Adagio. She heard the song begin to die out. “I came over here for a drink, but… Would you like to keep talking?”

“May I take your hand, m’lady?” asked Silver with a grin. Adagio shook her head, but offered her hand to Silver nonetheless. They went over to a quieter part of the room and sat.

And so, the two chatted. When the DJ returned with working equipment, Adagio took her phone and followed her fellow partygoer, who she had since learned to be named Silver, out of the house and to his apartment to “have a little fun”. Adagio was expecting a lot of things to happen that night. What she didn’t expect, however, was to be pulled into a Tekken 7 tournament with Silver’s friends and sister. Apparently, neither did Silver, but he rolled with it and turned it into an amusing story that they’ve told constantly. It was one of her most fond memories.

As the song finished, Adagio pulled herself out of the tub, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around herself. Adagio smiled warmly in rememberance, her nostalgia tainted slightly by her selfish need for attention. She wasn’t sure why she was like this, why she just needed to be the center of attention. It was frustrating.

While Adagio redressed, another song began to play. This one, while familiar, had a far more negative connotation. “Blood is Red Tears”, formerly one of Silver’s favorite Tears of Plague songs, was now hated by both him and Adagio in almost equal measure.

They were at Silver’s apartment, relaxing on Silver’s bed while the sad, violent break up song played in the background. Adagio was annoyed, but she knew that Silver concentrated better while listening to his music. After all, she did want him to finish the novel. Maybe actually start to make some money.

“You’re irked,” noted Silver, not looking up from his laptop as he typed.

“Well, besides your garbage taste in music, I was under the impression that you invited me over here to spend time with me,” said Adagio.

“First of all, this song is great. It reminds me of Ana.” He closed his laptop. “Second, I thought you would want me to finish this story, seeing as it’s going to be my livelyhood very soon. Third, you can’t expect me to drop my work just because you’re getting needy.”

“Yeah. Work,” snorted Adagio dubiously. Silver raised an eyebrow.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“Oh, nothing. Just that what you do can hardly be considered work.” Adagio stared at her boyfriend sternly. “You press buttons, darling. How much work can that be?” Silver could tell it was going to be one of “those” conversations, so he got up and started pacing. If he stayed sitting, the anger would’ve built, and he might’ve said something regrettable.

“It might not be pulling in money just yet, but it’s what I love to do,” said Silver. “And yes, it’s a lot of work. Sometimes, I look at a chapter I’ve been working on for weeks and delete it all, because I realized that I hated it. I’m always working, even when I’m not actually writing. Half of my brain is being used on that book at all times.”

“Perhaps if you used all of that brain of yours, it would’ve been finished by now,” said Adagio, feeling the bitterness settle in her heart. Something about the casual way in which Silver mentioned his ex-girlfriend Ana made Adagio angrily.

“If I used all my brain on the book, I wouldn’t have anything left to spend on the six year old I’m dating!” shot Silver. “God, you can be really childish and immature sometimes, you know? You’re so vindictive! You’re always trying to get a reaction out of me!”

“Oh, so I’m vindictive just because I point out the truth?” scoffed Adagio. “What you do isn’t work, pretty boy. It’s a hobby. And a lame one, at that. You need to consider a real job. Do your job as a man and provide for your woman.”

“See, that’s what I mean! You’re trying to cut deep, and I can’t-” Silver trailed off, nodding in understanding. “You’re jealous. You’re mad that the song reminds me of Ana, and that I see that as a good thing.” Adagio remained silent, which was arguement-speak for “Yes, Silver, you’re right”. “That’s it, isn’t it? You really are a child. How can you be so jealous of a girl you don’t know, will never know, and don’t care to know about?”

“Oh, I know all about her! I hear about her all the time, SIlver!” shouted Adagio. “You only talk about her every time I see you! ‘Oh, Ana used to have a pair of shoes like that’ or ‘Ana would’ve hated that hat’ or ‘I used to do this with Ana all the time’! Who gives a damn about this girl?!”

“I do!” Silver’s volume overtook Adagio’s. “Believe it or not, my life does not begin and end with ‘Adagio Dazzle’! There was love before you, and there can be love after you!”

That stung, but Adagio tried her best to stop it from showing.

“Oh, you loved her?” laughed Adagio hysterically. “Well, she obviously didn’t feel the same, or you’d still be together! What’d she do, anyway? Cheat on you? Sleep with one of your friends?”

“Have an aneurysm and pass away?” said Silver coldly. “Yeah, I guess she hated me so much that she just straight up died to get away from me. I bet most girls would rather die than be with some asshole who follows his dream.”

Adagio didn’t know that little fact about Ana. Not that it especially mattered. She was mad, and was liable to say just about anything to get a rise out of Silver. Still, learning that the only reason that she was with the love of her life was because his first choice died made Adagio a bit queazy.

“I… I didn’t…”

“Yeah, you didn’t. That’s why you should make an effort to care about someone other than yourself sometimes.” said Silver, with a flat, chilled tone in his voice. Silver grabbed his hoodie and keys, then walked for the door. “I’m going for a walk. Don’t be here when I get back.”

Adagio shook the memory away, feeling the tears well up. It took weeks for Silver to talk to her again, and it happened slowly, over the course of many days. Adagio couldn’t believed she was so stupid. She felt the breath catch in her chest just at the thought of that argument. It was their first, and only, major fight, and Adagio was afraid that they’d never patch things up. But, as she learned, time heals all wounds.

That’s not to say that Silver was without his flaws and faux pas. There was the time he left her stranded upstate because he overslept, no doubt playing video games all of the night before. Not to mention the time he ignored her birthday in favor of the midnight release for Kingdom Hearts. And Adagio was at least partly right, about Silver not providing for her. He still had no job, and they actually lived off of what remained of the Siren’s savings. Adagio would have to get a job soon. Frankly, Silver was inconsiderate of her feelings, which he knew were quite fragile, and undependable. It was almost as if he didn’t care.

There was a knock at the door, pulling Adagio’s brain away from the bad memory. She dried her hair as best she could, then practically ran downstairs. By this point in the night, Adagio just really wanted someone to talk to. When she got to open the door, the person on the other side (a pale redheaded girl) shoved a big box in her arms.

“Silv says he loves you,” said Sarah plainly. “Enjoy yourself, and sorry I’m late. I gotta go.” And, just as quickly as she came, Silver’s sister vanished. Adagio hardly even processed what happened.

“Ooh, you know Mama loves gifts, don’t you?” Adagio giggled to herself. She swung the door closed, then ran over to her couch. She plopped down and tore open the cardboard box. Inside was a note, laying atop several old video games and consoles. Intrigued and delighted, Adagio read the note. She recognized Silver’s scratchy, untidy handwriting immediately.

Adagio stared at the box’s contents, mouth agape. She saw Mega Mans, and Zeldas, and Sonics, not to mention her favorite Final Fantasy installments, Dragon’s Quest, Castlevania, Metroid, even Mother! Not only were they her favorite good games, but there were even some bad games in the box that Adagio loved for the novelty. Ride to Hell: Retribution and Sonic 2006 stood out among these. Silver knew her well.

“He’s so thoughtful,” she cooed. “And I have been such an ass…”

Her phone vibrated, alerting her of a text. She assumed it was Rarity, but was pleasantly surprised to see who it came from.

Hey, babe. Just checking in. You okay?

Adagio typed as fast as she could convince her thumbs to move.

I’m the worst girlfriend ever, I’m so sorry for everything, for smothering you, for being clingy, for feeling abandoned, for thinking you don’t care. You’re the greatest, and I don’t deserve you. You’re so perfect, and I’m not. You’re sweet and romantic, and it’s obvious that you do care about me. I’m so, so sorry for everything I’ve done, babe.

Adagio hardly had to wait for the response.

Don’t ever apologize for not being perfect. I don’t date you for perfection. I date you for Adagio

Adagio smiled, tears running down her face. She was absolutely, positively, 100% in love with this man.

Ifly, Dagi

I love you, too.

LCS: Mercy Conquers Memories

Every second Friday, Aria didn’t go straight home from work. She instead headed to the nearest pet store, where she typically picked out treats or toys for her beloved pit bull. She did this with a type of happiness usually reserved for comics and her wife. Aria loved her dog, so much so that she and everyone else had forgotten that he was technically Adagio’s.

Achilles’ original owner knew better than to stand between the dog and Aria. It didn’t bother Adagio much to relinquish control of the pet to Aria. She never was much for pets, but Aria was a natural pet owner. Aria could get very protective of Achilles, often yelling at people who petted him in places he didn’t like and cuddling up with him as if her own child.

This second Friday was a little different. This second Friday was also the day that Aria first got Achilles, eight years ago. To celebrate, Aria picked up a nice bag of treats, a new toy, and a collar that was as deceptively ferocious as the dog himself. As Aria was loading her cargo onto her bike, her phone rang. She answered it and put it to her ear.

“Hey, babe,” said Aria. “What’s up?”

“Um… Aria?” Sonata sounded very concerned. “I don’t want you to panic, but…”

“If this is about the piece I had up on the computer, don’t worry about it. It was just a practice doodle.”

“No, it’s not that. It’s… Well, it’s Achilles…” Aria went from carefree and even happy to downright anxious in seconds.

“What about him?” she asked, voice shaky. It took Sonata a few seconds to really put everything together.

“I think he’s sick,” answered Sonata, trying to play it delicately. “Really sick. Like, I think we should take him to the vet tomorrow.” Aria growled in frustration.

“To hell with that. Fluttershy will be there in five minutes, and I’m right behind her,” said Aria. She hung up and dialed Fluttershy’s number, talking almost before she picked up. “Yo, Fluttershy, stop whatever it is you’re doing. You have five minutes to get to my place, I’m right behind you.”

“Oh, um… O-okay?” Fluttershy, luckily, wasn’t particularly busy at the moment, but she was still concerned by her friend’s tone of voice. “Is everything-”

“Now, please,” said Aria. She hung up, hopped on her bike, and tore down the street.

He was fine. Aria was positive that Achilles must be fine. There was no need for her to be so worried. The dog was fine, she knew it.

Aria watched with tears in her eyes as Fluttershy poked and prodded at a mostly unmoving Achilles, who lay on Aria’s bed sickly. Fluttershy had remained silent since she entered the apartment, slipping into focus almost immediately. Sonata returned halfway through the examination with a glass of water for her wife, who silently and gratefully accepted the cup.

“I think I’ve seen enough,” said Fluttershy. “Aria, I’m not actually a veterinarian just yet, so you may want to get a second or even a third opinion.”

“But?”

“But… I think Achilles might be…” Fluttershy hated to be the one to say it to Aria. She clearly loved her dog, and this wasn’t easy for any pet owner. “I think Achilles might be… On his last legs.”

Something inside of Aria’s heart broke. She was swept with the fierce desire to throw up, which slowly condensed down into anger. Sonata gently grabbed her arm, only to be shaken off.

“Ari…” said Sonata softly. “Are you okay?”

“He lived a good, long life,” said Fluttershy gently. “You took good care of him.”

“I’m fine,” said Aria, her expression like stone. “I don’t need your pity or your pandering. Just give me my dog so I can take him in.”

“Er… I can make you an appointment with the clinic I intern at,” said Fluttershy. “They should be able to squeeze you in tomorrow morning.”

“I’m going for a ride, then,” said Aria. She grabbed her jacket and keys from the bed and walked out of the room. Sonata winced slightly as Aria slammed the door shut.

“Do you think we should go after her?” asked Fluttershy. Sonata shook her head decisively.

“When Ari gets worked up, she goes for a ride,” she explained. “There are two kinds. The kind where she wants to be left alone and the kind where she ends up at the comic shop. This is the first kind.”

“Will she be okay?” This time, it took Sonata a bit longer to respond.

“Whenever something bad like this happens, Aria loses a little bit of faith in being good,” said Sonata. “She’s done everything right to be a good person, and this awful thing happened anyway. She’s feeling alone and betrayed and very angry, mostly at herself. But, if we give her some space, I’m sure she’ll be fine.” Fluttershy rubbed Achilles’ stomach gently, soothingly, all the while blown away by Sonata’s insight. That girl was deceptively attentive and understanding.

“I get feeling alone,” sighed Fluttershy. “But why angry or betrayed?” Sonata sat down next to Fluttershy, trying to properly articulate the complicated, delicate situation that was Aria’s emotional state.

“Okay, look. There are still some things she won’t say to me, so I have to make some guesses here and there,” said Sonata. “But, from what I can tell, she lost someone very dear to her heart a long time ago. That’s why it took her so long to form any type of relationship that wasn’t immediately necessary. I think she hated herself for getting attached to something that she knew wouldn’t last as long as we would. As for betrayal, Aria has some pretty intense abandonment issues. If I were to guess, she resents Achilles for leaving her. When she thinks about how crazy that is of her, that just piles on top of the self-loathing.”

“I see… That’s a tough position…” said Fluttershy. Sonata nodded in agreement.

“I just wish there was a way to remind her that she’s not alone.” Sonata chewed her fingernail nervously. “She’s so gosh darn stubborn sometimes. I wish I could get through that thick skull of hers.”

“You sound angry.”

“Scared, concerned. Probably a little peeved, too, yeah. But not at her. I feel like I’m letting her down. I hate it.”

Sonata and Fluttershy kept on talking, unaware that Aria had yet to leave. She sat outside of the bedroom door, listening intently to the two speak. She gripped her keys tightly, angrily, then stomped away. She ran outside to her bike and took off, going wherever the road would take her. Aria was done with feeling for right now. She just wanted to go away until everything stopped hurting.

Sonata knocked on her bedroom door gently, waiting for some sort of response from Aria. When she got none, she let herself in anyway, crossed the room, and took a seat next to the slightly trembling mess that her wife had devolved into. Aria didn’t say anything, for fear of breaking down into a proper fit of tears. Sonata hugged Aria tightly, letting her wife melt in her arms.

“It’s for the best,” Sonata said softly. “He was in so much pain.”

“I know…”

“It was the humane thing to do.”

“I know…” All of this knowing didn’t make anything easier for Aria, and Sonata knew it. Still, there was nothing to be done for it.

“He lived nice and long,” Sonata reminded her. Aria opened her mouth, no doubt to confirm that she knew, but nothing came out. Not at first. Then, after a second or so, she felt her resolve break, and Aria Blaze broke into tears. She buried her face into Sonata’s chest, sobbing as she did.

“It’s okay, babe,” promised Sonata. “Let it out, okay? Just let it all loose.”

“I l-loved that dog,” sobbed Aria.

“I know.” Now it was Sonata’s turn. “I know, honey, but it’ll be okay. Time will pass and it won’t hurt so much.”

“I miss my d-d-dog, Sony.”

“And he misses you,” said Sonata with a nod. “But you’re a big enough girl to understand that sometimes, bad stuff happens. We can’t just shrivel up and die with our loved ones. We have to live on in their memory. You’ll get better. If not for yourself, or for me, then for him.” Aria trembled in Sonata’s arms, feeling whatever remained of her heart leak from her body. As far as Aria was concerned, her life was now over.

But, if it was, at least there was someone there beside her.

“I’m sorry…” sniffled Aria. “I’m being a baby, I’m sorry. I just-”

“Shh… It’s ok,” promised Sonata. “It’ll be okay.”

And it was. Not for a while, not for a long while, but things did get better. It took weeks, and even then things didn’t immediately return to normal. Aria was bit unstable, emotionally, for a while. During that time, she cried more than she ever did before. But, slowly, Aria put herself back together. She returned to her tough, unchippable shield of a personality, holding the memories of her beloved dog close to her chest.

At some point, she thanked Sonata for being there for her. Sonata, of course, didn’t mind in the slightest, but she did ask Aria to promise her something. She made Aria promise to share everything that happened before and everything that will happen in the future. And so, Aria told her wife about her history with loss. The few she had loved before who had faded away before Aria could speak her mind. The only ones who were by her side on the rare instances in which her fellow Sirens were not. They were heartbreaking memories.

Aria felt much better when she was sharing them with someone else.

LCS: Truce Conquers Trix

Trixie and Aria hated each other.

Whenever the two crossed paths (which was almost humorously often), they were at each other’s throats. Aria hated Trixie’s obsession with herself almost as much as Trixie hated Aria for… Whatever her reason for hating Aria was. It was never made clear what Trixie’s problem with Aria was. At first, it was thought that Trixie was angry about when Aria threatened to beat her up in the cafeteria, but it was soon obvious that Trixie was over that particular episode. How could someone be so bitter about one high school run-in after so many years had passed?

Sonata always found their rivalry to be somewhat amusing, so much so that she looked forward to their semi-regular run-ins with the magician. The way Sonata saw things, this was the part of her life that mattered, the part of her life that she would tell her children about. Every encounter with Trixie was a story to tell her little munchkins as they grew. Sonata could imagine their eyes growing wide in wonder as they discovered just how cool and silly their parents were.

But, as Sonata would soon learn, not every encounter with Trixie Lulamoon was a happy one.

“I’m coming, one sec!” Sonata called as she rolled out of bed. It was her day off, but not Aria’s, and Adagio was out in the world, so she was home by herself. She wasn’t expecting any visitors, so the guest at the door was definitely a mystery. It could’ve been anyone.

Sonata most certainly wasn’t expecting to see the caped magician/priest Trixie in her doorway.

“Is Jezebel Blaze here?” asked Trixie. “Trixie needs to speak with her.”

“Oh, she’s at work right now. And can you please stop calling her ‘Jezebel’?” asked Sonata. “That is my wife, y’know?”

“Sorry. Darn it all, Trixie cannot afford to wait… Look, there’s something I need to say to Aria.” Trixie tapped her foot impatiently. “I suppose you will have to do. May I come in?” Sonata was confused, but stepped out of the way to let Trixie inside nonetheless. She led her new guest to the couch and took a seat, followed swiftly by the magician herself.

“So, what’s up, Trix?” asked Sonata. Trixie sighed deeply, removing her hat to reveal her seldom-seen, faint-blue hair.

“Firstly, Trixie wants to do something she rarely does,” said Trixie. She cleared her throat. “Trixie would like to… apologize. Both to Aria and you.”

“But you haven’t done anything to me.”

“Untrue. You just aren’t aware. To tell you the honest truth, Sonata, I hated you.” Sonata tensed slightly, unaware of what to do with that information. “It’s through no fault of your own, Sonata Dusk, my hatred for you was born of my own immaturity. I have since… ‘gotten over it’ isn’t exactly accurate, but I can’t think of anything better. So, let’s just say I’ve gotten over my issues with you.”

“Oh. Um…” Sonata fidgeted uncomfortably in her seat. “Thanks? And sorry you had a problem with me to start with.”

“I thought I just told you that it wasn’t your fault. Stop apologizing,” scolded Trixie. “I wanted to say this before I left.”

“You’re leaving?”

“I am. I’m… I’m confused. I thought I knew who I was since before high school.” Trixie shook her head. “I guess I was wrong. My parents gave me some stock, I have a bit of money, and I’ve decided to use it to learn about myself. I am going to travel the world, and I don’t know if I’ll ever be back to Canterlot City. This may be the last time you see me.”

Again, Sonata didn’t know exactly what to say. This was all so sudden and out of the blue. There was no precedence for this situation, so Sonata was forced to figure it out on her own.

“We’re sad to see you go, but if you really think you need to do this…” sighed Sonata. “Aria had a time like this before we got engaged. She said she needed some answers to questions she didn’t even know had. Honestly, you two are more similar than I think either of you know.”

“Oh?” Now it was Trixie’s turn to be surprised. “How so?”

“Well, you’re both confident almost to the point of arrogance,” said Sonata. “You’re both very good at hiding who you really are, probably to try and protect yourselves from the world, and you’re both something of misanthrops. Basically, you hate people and are afraid of what they might say about you. So, you pretend to be something that people will avoid or adore.”

“Wow. Trixie never knew you were this intelligent.”

“I’m not stupid in a normal sense. I know a lot of stuff, I just struggle to put it all together. I’m a special kind of dumb.”

Trixie chuckled, but almost immediately returned to her serious tone. She didn’t have time to laugh and joke. She still needed to prepare herself for her trip.

“In any case, I just wanted to apologize to you and Aria for… Well, for being me,” said Trixie. “I’m especially sorry to you. We may have been very good friends if it weren’t for my jealousy.”

“Jealousy?” Sonata tilted her head in confusion. “You were jealous of me?”

“I still am, but this hardly matters now. Like I said, I’ll be gone in a few hours.” Trixie sighed. “I really wanted to tell all of this to Aria. I imagine it would be easier.”

“I’m sorry she’s not here. She gets off at five, if you…”

“No. I have to be on my train by five.” Trixie rose and returned her hat to her head. “There’s simply no time. Forgive me for intruding on your day off, Sonata. I just…”

“Trixie, I feel like you’re not saying everything that’s on your mind.” Sonata grasped Trixie’s hand. “I know you don’t like me, but if there’s anyone who can listen, it’s me.” To Sonata’s surprise, Trixie began to laugh.

“Thank you, Sonata. I assure you, I will keep in touch.” Trixie reached into her pocket and withdrew a slip of paper, which she then handed to Sonata. “This is my e-mail and phone number. Contact me as you wish. I must go now.”

“Do you want some company?” asked Sonata. “Moving away can be kinda scary, and having a friend send you off helps a lot.”

“Thank you, but I’ll manage. I regret the circumstances,” said Trixie. “Were you not with Aria, I imagine the two of us could get along just fine.”

Sonata really wasn’t good at putting things together, so the true meaning of what Trixie said eluded her. The comment just sort of soared over her head, which suited Trixie just fine. The two women looked at each other for a few moments then, out of nowhere, Sonata hugged her. Trixie didn’t react at first, but eventually patted Sonata on the back.

“We’re gonna miss you, Trixie,” said Sonata. Trixie chuckled lightly.

“And Trixie will miss you,” promised Trixie. “Good bye, Sonata Blaze. Tell Aria that I’ll miss her.”

Trixie turned away and headed for the door. When she was gone, Sonata grabbed her phone and dialed Aria’s number. A short while later, the wife in question picked up.

“Hey, Sony, what’s up? You know I’m at work, right?”

“I just got done talking to Trixie,” said Sonata. “And I think she has a huge crush on you.”

“What? You do realize that we hate each other, right?” asked Aria.

Sonata explained to Aria the conversation that she had, and Aria came to her own conclusions. She reasoned that Sonata wasn’t too far off, but something about the way Trixie was described as carrying herself felt off. A crush didn’t quite capture it completely.

“I’ll be home in a bit, then we’re gonna go meet her at the train station,” said Aria. “Be ready to go.”

Trixie stood near the edge of the platform, waiting patiently for her train to pull into the station. All she had on her was a small carry on, filled with a small amount of clothes. Everything else, Trixie would be leaving behind in her search for understanding and companionship. Trixie would be able to start fresh, develop a whole new her. It was about as liberating as it was terrifying.

A shrill whistle alerted Trixie of the train’s arrival, followed swiftly by the chugging of the massive machine barreling along to a stop. With a mechanical hiss, the door slid open, and the conductor said something incoherent over the intercom. Several people filed onto the train in front of Trixie, who took a moment to say goodbye to her home. Holding her memories of Canterlot City deep in her heart, Trixie grabbed up her bag and took a step for the train.

“Yo! Tripsy!”

Trixie’s eyes grew wide in surprise. She turned around just in time to see the thin, purple finger flick her on the nose. Aria stood with a package in one hand, the other hand on her hip and a slightly irritated look on her face, followed by Sonata, who was struggling to keep breath.

“J-jezebel? What is the meaning of this?!” Trixie demanded. “Trixie is about to get on her train!”

“Well, I heard my arch-nemesis is getting out of Dodge, so I figured I better say goodbye,” said Aria. “And, I guess… Y’know, apologize, for… Well, everything.”

Trixie gasped faintly, but quickly regained her composure. The look on her face changed from confusion immediately to her default expression of arrogance and self-assurance.

“Well, Trixie supposes… You haven’t been the worst person Trixie has ever met, so…” Trixie grinned. “If you accept her apology, Trixie supposes we can call it even.”

“Speaking of even…” Aria shoved the package into Trixie’s hand. “Don’t open that until you’re on the train.”

Almost as if on cue, the garbled, almost unintelligible call from the conductor rang through the station. The train would be leaving soon.

“Well, goodbye, I suppose,” said Trixie, clutching the package to her chest.

“Later, Trix,” said Aria. Trixie turned. “Hey, wait. I wanted to wish you luck on finding what you’re looking for. It ain’t easy to walk away from… Well, you know. I won’t patronize you by-.”

Trixie turned on her heel, grabbed Aria by the shoulders, and kissed her. When they broke apart, Trixie ran onto the train.

“I couldn’t live without doing that!” called Trixie. “Goodbye, Jezebel! Sorry, Slow-nata!”

The doors closed and, after a short delay and another garbled announcement, the train chugged along down the track. Aria turned and locked eyes with her wife, not having enough brain function to wipe Trixie’s lipstick from her mouth.

“You saw that she kissed me, right?” said Aria.

Trixie sat herself down and carefully tore open the package, elated to see its contents. Three comic books, still in the protective plastic wrapper. Showcase #59: The Return of the Teen Titans, Teen Titans #1, and Teen Titans #22: Origin of Wonder Girl. Trixie grinned widely.

“Goodbye, Jezebel Blaze,” said Trixie. “Until we meet again.”

LCS BONUS CHAPTER: Adagio's Hair

Adagio had gotten really good at multitasking over the years. Standing in front of her bathroom mirror, she had no trouble applying her makeup with her right hand and texting Silver with her left. Furthermore, she was using her brain to both plan out the night and keep up a conversation with Rarity, who was in the bedroom, doing her best to pick the most perfect outfit for Adagio.

“So, you still haven’t said,” said Rarity, comparing the color of a dress to Adagio’s eyeliner (because Rarity seemed convinced that this mattered). “What did Mr. Rift do to deserve this?”

“Nothing especially. He’s just so great, I don’t want him to think I don’t appreciate him,” said Adagio. She puckered her lips and applied her scarlet lipstick. “He’s put up with me far longer than any man or woman before him, and I really appreciate him. I don’t want him to forget that.”

“Aww, that’s sweet, darling. I hope someday I can-” Rarity stopped, almost dropping the blouse in her hand. “Wait, did you say any man or woman? Do you mean to tell me…?”

“I’m nearing 2,000 years old, Rarity,” scoffed Adagio. “I’ve experimented with every form of sexuality out there. I’ve been with a girl or two, not really my thing.”

“All these years, and I’ve never known that about you. Adagio Dazzle, when will your surprises run out?” Rarity finally decided on the outfit Adagio would wear. She laid out a trendy, classy orange sweater (which, of course, was of her own design), as well as a deep red skirt.

“I’m a complex girl, Rarity,” chuckled Adagio. “A girl needs to have some secrets.”

“Yes, quite. Now, that we have your wardrobe addressed...” said Rarity. She stepped into the bathroom and inspected Adagio’s hair. “I know you won’t hear it, but I really do think you could do for a haircut, darling.”

“I haven’t cut my hair since I was banished to this world,” said Adagio.

“What about initiation?”

“Initiation doesn’t count! I meant willingly.”

“Come, now, I’m just going to trim it down, maybe straighten it…”

“If you touch my hair, I cannot guarantee your continued safety,” said Adagio firmly. “I like it just the way it is.”

“Dagi, darling, variety is the spice of life!” Rarity was all but begging at this point. She really wanted an opportunity to see what she could do with Adagio’s hair, and she wasn’t the type to take no for an answer. “If you try a new style, you may just like it.”

“I’m going to tell you exactly what will happen if you cut my hair,” said Adagio, setting down her makeup. “You’re going to trim a few inches. Then, you’re going to realize that it looks off, so you’ll do the only thing you can think to do. You cut more. And more. And more and more and more until, finally, I look like Amber Rose.”

“Amber Rose is a gorgeous woman,” Rarity pointed out.

“With no hair!”

“With very, very, very short hair.”

Adagio glared at her best friend.

“Rarity, I don’t know how else to say this,” sighed Adagio. “I don’t want to change my hairstyle. I like it just fine as is.” Rarity sighed.

“I didn’t want to have to do this, darling, but you’re forcing my hand,” said Rarity. “I was talking to Silver the other day, and he said… He said he typically prefers girls with short hair.”

Adagio gasped in shock. She was about ready to call Rarity a liar, but the look on her face showed that she was clearly telling the truth. Adagio gripped her long, curly locks nervously.

“He said he didn’t have a type…” said Adagio.

“Well, of course he didn’t. He didn’t want you to feel like you had to change for him,” said Rarity. “And, of course, you don’t. But just imagine the look on his face if you come out there with short hair. He’ll love it!”

“I suppose he would… I have had the same hair for 1,700 years…” Adagio bit her lip in thought. “I don’t know, Rarity. Do you really think he’ll like it?”

“Of course he will! And I will be the one doing it, so you can rest assured that you will look absolutely fabulous!”

This was a big commitment for Adagio to make, one that she wasn’t sure she was ready for. Adagio took a look in the mirror, trying to imagine herself without her hair. Even though she had shaved her head in the past, she never looked at it. She went about three weeks without looking into a mirror. But, Adagio soon realized, if there was anyone worth making the change for, it was Silver.

“What did you have in mind?” sighed Adagio. Rarity jumped with joy, withdrew a pair of scissors from apparently nowhere, and quickly grabbed a handful of Adagio’s hair, wishing to get the cutting done before Adagio changed her mind.

“I was thinking maybe a nice pixie cut, or perhaps a sort of bob,” said Rarity excitedly. “Ooh! Or maybe we cut it down to about the shoulders, flat iron a few sections. Really ruffle it up. Give you a sort of sexy, sassy, unruly look.”

“Ugh. I don’t want to look like I just woke up,” complained Adagio. “What about something more… Classy.”

“I know just what you mean. Hm… We cut to about here.” Rarity pinched a chunk of hair just above the ball of Adagio’s neck. “Straighten it, wings out to the side, a bit of hairspray.” Adagio shook her head. She just couldn’t imagine it looking good on her. “Alright… We cut down to just ear-length, style out the bangs, flatiron, maybe dye it a darker color. I think it will make you look powerful, independent. All business.”

“But I don’t want to be all business. Silver thinks I’m fun, I want my look to reflect that,” said Adagio, a fistful of locks in her hand. “At the same time, I want to seem strong. Not like the stupid ponytail that Sonata has, or the pigtails that Aria has.”

“Hm, I see… We could do something spiky, although that may seem too wild and explosive for you.”

“I think the issue is length,” said Adagio. “I can’t imagine myself with short hair like that. Is there something else you think he’ll like?”

“Well… Yes, actually,” said Rarity carefully. “However… Do you trust me?”

“You’re my best friend, so the obvious answer is ‘no’.” Rarity matched Adagio’s growing smirk.

“Silver is going to be a very happy, very lucky man by the time I’m through with you,” promised Rarity.

Silver rapped firmly on the door, waiting for his girlfriend to come and let him in. He was a little surprised, but not at all displeased, to be greeted by his favorite lesbian Siren couple.

“Hey, Emo-Freak,” said Aria, smirking slightly.

“Hiya, Silv!” Sonata leaned forward and hugged Silver, who cheerfully returned the hug.

“Sup, gals. Man, I’ve been meaning to come hang out with you guys, but the Missus…” Silver chuckled, scratching through his silver hair sheepishly. “Speaking of which, where’s my Madam Adagio?”

“You have the absolute worst pet names for each other,” snickered Aria, stepping away to let Silver in.

“They’re not that bad, Snugglebunny,” said Sonata. Silver chuckled, closing the door behind him as he stepped into the living room.

“I told you to stop calling me that,” growled Aria.

“Sure thing, Sugarbooger.”

“Stop!” cackled Silver. “You two are killing me! To hell with TV, I just want to watch you two hang out!”

“Silver?” Adagio’s voice rang from upstairs, instantly making Silver smile widely.

“C’mon, hotness, normally I’m the one who’s late!” Silver leaned against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest.

“I’m coming, just freshening up!”

“That’s weird,” said Silver. “She’s normally ready way before I’m ready to pick her up. I wonder what’s keeping her.”

“Probably psyching herself up,” said Aria. “Going out with you must take fifteen percent concentrated power of will.”

“Aria, stop referencing that song,” said Sonata. “I keep telling you, you can’t single-handedly bring Fort Minor back into relevance just by dropping their song lyrics.”

“I disagree, but whatever you say,” said Aria with a shrug. Silver snickered, and was about to respond when he heard the sound of footsteps. He turned and put on his patented grin. He couldn’t wait to lay eyes on Adagio. As soon as he did, his jaw just about hit the ground.

Adagio wore a black band t-shirt, one of Silver’s own Tears of Plague shirts. It was just a smidge too big for her, which let some of her right shoulder and her bra strap show. She also decided on some dark skinny jeans and similarly black Converse boots. That wasn’t the thing the struck Silver, though. What really caught his eye was Adagio’s hair. The left side of her hair was shaven down, and the right was straightened and left to fall down over her eye. There was also a bright, shining silver streak going through what remained of her hair.

“Hey, sweeite,” said Adagio, winking her visible eye. Silver opened his mouth, then closed it when he realized that he had been staring for several moments in complete silence.

“You look great, Dagi!” said Sonata brightly. “So, so cool!”

“And emo. Really emo,” noted Aria. Sonata slapped her arm gently. “But, I guess, it is kinda cool.”

“Thanks, but I don’t really care what you girls think,” said Adagio, sliding down the stairrail. “What do you think, Silver? You like?”

“Uh-huh,” said Silver with a brainless nod. “Like a lot.”

“Good.” Adagio wrapped her arm around Silver’s and leaned her head against his shoulder. “You have Rarity to thank for that.”

“Does she take credit or debit? Or will my eternal gratitude have to do?” said Silver, regaining some of his wit. Adagio chuckled, pecking Silver on the cheek.

“You know, I wasn’t certain of how big a difference a simple change of hairstyle could make,” said Adagio. “But, the results are undeniable.”

“If I wasn’t totally broke, I would marry you right now,” said Silver. “C’mon, hotness, I need to show you off. Let’s go make the world jealous.”

Adagio grinned, not for the last time that night. She loved how much Silver enjoyed her new style, even though it was most likely temporary. The truly adoring face her boyfriend made when he saw her really made it all worth it.

Author's Notes:

Big thanks to Hoovier for commissioning this pic for me

LCS: Home Conquers House

“Well, this is it,” said Sonata, surveying the living room. It was a decent size—a bit larger than the one at the apartment—and entirely empty. “This is our new home.”

“If you would’ve told me a thousand years ago that I’d be a homeowner, I might’ve punched you in the throat,” sighed Aria. “Now, twelve millennia of paperwork later… Here we are. We’re really doing this.” She wrapped her arm around Sonata, planting a soft kiss on her forehead.

“I feel kinda bad, though. Dagi’s all alone, now,” said Sonata. “The apartment must feel empty without us there.”

“Geez, Sony. It’s a move, not a double suicide. Just because we’re kinda far doesn’t mean we’re not gonna hang with Dag anymore.” Even though Aria was the one who said it, she still felt slightly uneasy. “And besides, we’re, like, ten minutes from Emo-Freak. They’ll be here all the time. C’mon, babe, you know it’s important that we have our own place.”

“Mh-hm. For baby Brittany,” sighed Sonata wistfully. Aria gently, yet firmly, grasped Sonata’s shoulder and held her some distance away. She locked eyes with her wife, and spoke slowly to ensure that there was no misunderstanding her.

“Sonata, if we have a girl, we are not naming her Brittany,” said Aria. “We are not naming her Jessica or Ashley or Amanda. Okay?”

“Says you. I say we should at least consider Jessica.”

Aria sighed, then smirked slightly. A few weeks ago, she was terrified by the idea of having a child. Now, she was looking forward to it. It was going to be a huge change for them, one that would bring both good and bad. It was scary, of course, but many great things were. That was, in part, what made them great.

From the living, the Blazes entered the kitchen, giving the place a once over. Sonata didn’t imagine she’d be spending a lot of time there, seeing as her culinary skills stopped at microwaving pizza. Still, it was nice to see the place, just knowing that it was belonged to them. As they exited the kitchen to the dining room, Sonata hummed a little tune, initially confusing Aria. Then, she remembered The Cleansing.

An old Siren tradition similar to Spring Cleaning, The Cleansing was the act of a new family singing together as they walk into their home for the first time. The wife begins, then the husband, ending with the daughter and then the son, if any are present. The family sings their typical song in a higher key, which has an effect opposite of what is normally intended: Instead of spreading distrust and negativity, this song fills the home with love and positivity. This positive energy forces any negative energy out of the home, and is then consumed by the family.

The dining room was perfect, a good size and connected to the kitchen via an open archway. There was plenty of space for photos to be hung, and the hardwood floors were a beautiful red mahogany. It was the type of dining room seen in a TV show about a perfect family. Aria joined the song, realizing that her family would be just that: perfect.

Aria placed her left hand on Sonata’s hip, then grasped her hand with her right. Sonata smiled, stepping into Aria’s grasp and letting her lead them in a dance throughout the house. No words were exchanged, but they didn’t need to be. Their wordless song and synchronized steps said everything they needed to.

Two Weeks Later

“Alright, I think you’ve earned a break,” said Aria, setting down her palette. “You’re a great model.”

“Thanks! Can I see?” asked Sonata. Aria nodded, and Sonata leapt from her stool and crossed the studio. She jumped on Aria’s lap and leaned in close to the canvas before her. “Oh, babe! This is amazing!”

“I’m not quite done yet, but yeah. It did come out okay, didn’t it?” Aria chuckled. “Not my worst work. Makes me wonder why I ever stopped.” Just then, her stomach erupted into hungry rumbles. “Oh yeah, cause of the whole thing where I end up starving myself. Right.”

“Chinese?” suggested Sonata.

“Sounds good. I’ll place the order.” The loud ring of a doorbell resonated throughout the house. “After I deal with this.” Aria lifted Sonata up and carried her out of the studio, down the stairs, and to the front door. She opened it up to see Adagio, staring down at her phone (likely sending out a text. Just behind her was Silver, who wore a wide grin.

“Ugh. Who invited you two?” groaned Aria. Without a word, Adagio raised her other hand, showing off the bottle of scotch whiskey she held. Aria changed her tune quite quickly. “Right this way.” Adagio chuckled, slipped her phone into her pocket and followed the two into the living room.

“So, what brings you two here?” asked Sonata, jumping out of Aria’s arms to hug her guests.

“We had to see the new place,” said Silver. “When W came in, we saw our chance and took it.”

“Why do you call him W, again?” asked Aria.

“His real name is Warrenthadeus-William,” said Adagio flatly.

“W it is, then. It’s good to see you,” said Aria. “Even you, Dag.”

“You know, for over a thousand years, I fantasized about how great it would be to have you two morons out of my hair,” groaned Adagio, taking a spot on the couch. “Who would have thought I’d be so right?”

“Well, with the whole half-shaved thing, there’s less hair to get out of, so…” Aria and Adagio shared a vindictive glare, then a smile. “Let’s pop open that booze, man. I’m ready to pass out on my couch for the first time.”

“I’ll grab glasses,” said Sonata. She disappeared into the kitchen and returned with four glasses. Silver popped the bottle open, filled the glasses, and took the one that Sonata offered him. They toasted and drank, Sonata sighing with satisfaction.

“I thought the house was perfect, but it was missing something,” said Sonata. “Now, I found the missing link.”

“Whiskey?” asked Aria. Sonata giggled.

“No, silly! Them! Our friends. This is what we really needed.” Sonata smiled widely. “Our house wasn’t a home until we added love.” There was about three seconds of total silence.

Then, Aria lost it.

“Bwahahahahaha!” cackled Aria. “Oh my god, that is the cheesiest thing I ever heard!”

“Though it does raise an interesting philosophical question,” noted Silver. “If home is where the heart is…” Aria could see where he was going with this.

“And a house isn’t a home…” she added.

“If we were to take a house…”

“And fill it with hearts…”

“And, just like that, the two biggest morons in my life ruin what could’ve been a touching moment,” groaned Adagio. Sonata pulled out her phone, flipped through her musical library, and started playing Luther Vandross’ A House is Not a Home. “Ugh. Silver, I need more booze.” The other three began singing along. “Now.”

By the end of the first verse, Adagio had joined in. She couldn’t deny the facts: As much as she claimed to hate Aria and Sonata, they really were her best friends.

Or perhaps that was just the whiskey.

LCS: Personal Favors Conquers Icky Whatsit

“Something just occured to me,” said Aria, spinning slowly in her office chair. She was busy working on a Patreon reward commission, and she really needed to get her eyes off of the project for the time being. When doing this, she had a habit of staring at Sonata, who was sitting upside down on the loveseat they kept in the office. Sonata looked up from her phone, her focus shifting from Instagram to her wife.

“Hm? What’s up?” asked Sonata.

“How exactly are we supposed to have a kid?”

Sonata was, as usual, confused. She tilted her head and bunched up her eyebrows, which Aria instantly recognized to mean “Huh?”.

“Do I seriously have to explain what I mean by that?” asked Aria. Sonata slowly nodded, then turned herself right-side up. “Okay, babe. You and I are both girls, right? As a couple, we’re lacking about half of the hardware required to do the whole reproducing thing.”

“Ohhhh! Well, I dunno, I never really thought about it,” said Sonata with a shrug. “I guess we could adopt?”

“Yeah, but then we’re not really having a kid together. We’re kinda just picking one up,” Aria pointed out. “That’s cool and all, but I don’t want to have to deal with explaining to the kid that he’s ours, but not really.”

“And I suppose you’d rather explain to them that we’re magical fish monsters from another dimension?”

“Touche.”

“But I see what you mean,” said Sonata. “Hm… What about a whatsit bank?”

“A whatsit bank?” Aria had to seriously think to figure out what the heck Sonata was talking about. When she did, it took all of her resolve to prevent herself from bursting into chuckles. “Do you really call it ‘whatsit’?”

“I don’t like saying the word,” said Sonata flatly. “It’s icky.” Aria really did chuckle this time.

“Sonata, it’s just a word. You’re a grown woman, you can live with the word sp—”

“Bah! Stop it!”

“You’re being silly,” said Aria. “It’s just sp—”

“I swear to God, I will divorce you right now,” said Sonata, only mostly joking. “Anyway, we could use a whatsit bank.”

“I don’t know I feel about that. Doesn’t that seem kinda invasive to you?” asked Aria. Sonata pondered it for a moment, considering how she would feel if either of them went with that path. It wasn’t terrible, but there was something admittedly gross about it.

“Well, I’m hearing a lot of things that won’t work,” said Sonata, teasingly. “Why don’t you come up with something, huh?”

Aria tapped her foot in thought for a moment. She knew that Sonata was just jabbing at her, she genuinely put some thought into it. After a few minutes of careful consideration, she pulled out her phone and dialed Sunset’s number.

“Yo,” said Sunset when the lines connected.

“You remember that time your toilet flooded and you slipped and twisted your ankle, so you made me come down to your place to help you clean up and wash the piss off?” asked Aria. “And you asked me never to talk about it?”

“Well, you sort of broke that agreement just now, but yeah,” said Sunset. “Why?”

“And you remember the time you left the trashy fanfic of you and Twi that you were writing out and I read it and you made me swear not to talk about it?”

“Y-yeah, I guess. Why?”

“And you remember that time we all went to the beach, and I caught you and Twi behind the rocks—”

“And I asked you not to talk about it, yes, I remember,” groaned Sunset. Aria could hear the blush through the phone. “Where are we going with this?”

“Well, I need a favor, and it’s kinda really important,” said Aria. “Just wanted you to remember that you owe me one. Are you busy?”

“I’ll be over in five minutes,” said Sunset. “Is it cool if Sparky tags along?”

“Yeah. Actually, she’ll be a lot of help. Get over here whenever, and be prepared for this favor to be kinda… personal.”

“Oh boy. This’ll be fun.”

“Thanks for coming on such short notice,” said Aria, sitting down across from Sunset and Twilight. Sonata was just to her right, just as curious as the couple across from them as to what Aria’s plan was. Aria herself didn’t seem too comfortable with the situation, but there wasn’t much to be done about it.

“No problem. You know, we weren’t busy anyway,” said Sunset. “You could’ve gotten us here without the blackmail.”

“Sorry. Right, you guys know me, I don’t like dancing around the point,” sighed Aria. “So I’m gonna cut to the chase: I need your help to knock up Sony.”

Everyone in the room heard what Aria said, and everyone understood what each word meant separately. But, when strung together in that particular sentence, it was nothing if not confusing. There was a stunned silence for a moment before Twilight decided it’d be best to interject.

“Um… What exactly do you mean?” asked Twilight.

“I need your help to somehow impregnate my wife,” said Aria plainly. Sunset chuckled nervously.

“You know, Aria, I’d love to help, honest, but I’m kinda missing the materials for that particular job,” snickered Sunset. “Plus, I don’t think Sparky here would be okay with that.”

“No, you idiot, I meant magic,” groaned Aria. “Doesn’t Equestria have some sort of magic to help us have a kid?”

“Don’t be silly, Ari,” said Sonata. “Of course not, that’d be ridiculous.”

“Actually, yes,” said Twilight. “We do. Equestria has a skewed ratio of mares to stallions, about six to one, so we’ve evolved to be more susceptible to homosexuality. But, to keep the species alive, a unicorn who was exceedingly clever—”

“Horny,” Sunset corrected. Twilight blushed bright red.

“Er… Well, yes, perhaps that played a part in it… In any case, a unicorn very adept at physical transmogrification ended up finding a way to cross mare and stallion anatomy.”

Aria and Sonata shared a confused glance before Sunset filled them in.

“She can give you dude parts for a while,” she supplied.

“Oh… Is that… Is that safe?” asked Sonata.

“Perfectly safe and only as permanent as you want it to be,” answered Twilight. “If you give me a chance to head home, I can have the potion ready in a week.” Aria and Sonata looked at each other, silently communicating their reservations through eye-contact alone. This couldn’t be more bizarre than the alternatives, could it?

“Would it make you feel better if I told you that we’ve used the potion before?” asked Sunset. “Cause we have. If Sonata is anything like Twilight, by which I mean if she has a pulse and a heart, she’ll enjoy it.”

“Well, Sony, it’s ultimately your decision,” said Aria. “What do you think?”

Sonata sighed. This was a bit on the stranger side of things. In fact, this was likely the most abnormal thing she’d ever considered within her marriage. But, as she’s said countless times before, she didn’t agree to marry Aria for normalcy. She married her for her.

“Alright. I’m game. If you think it’ll work, let’s do it,” said Sonata, with a small smile. “Let’s get Aria a whosit.”

Aria glared at her wife impatiently. How were they supposed to have kids if Sonata was afraid of the words necessary to make babies?

“See?! I’m not the only one who hates that word!” said Sunset. “It’s disgusting!”

“How are you both so immature?” asked Aria. “It’s not just that, Sonata also hates the word sp—”

“Gah! Stop it, stop it, it’s icky!”

LCS: Names Conquers Nerves

“Aria, baby, why are you so nervous?”

Aria looked up from her trembling hands for the first time since they sat down in the waiting room. Nervous was putting it rather mildly, as Aria felt like she might just throw up. It was then that she wished she hadn't declined Sunset’s offer to accompany them.

“I think a better question might be ‘how are you so calm’, babe,” said Aria, burying her face in her palms. “We're gonna be parents soon. I don't know the first thing about raising a kid.”

“You've read the books with me,” said Sonata. “I'm sure we'll be fine. You're smart, I'm sure you can figure anything out if you try.”

“But… But what if our kid is a piece of crap?” asked Aria. “What if our kid grows up to be a bully or a bum or a serial killer?”

“We'll love them through it.” Sonata set down her Motherhood magazine and turned to face her wife, who clearly wasn’t handling things well. Sweaty, shaky, sickly. Sonata hasn't seen Aria look this bad since the wedding.

“Lindsay,” said Sonata. Aria stopped being nervous for a second, instead looking confused. “For the baby. We need to call her something, don’t we?”

“Yeah. Uh… Lindsay, huh?” Aria thought on it for a second. “I dunno. Sounds too privileged. Lindsay is kinda…”

“Bougie?”

“Yeah. What else you got?”

“Hm… How about Alexis?” tried Sonata. Aria didn’t mind Alexis, but something did bother her just a little. She remembered an Alexis that she used to feud with several decades ago, in high school. Their hate for one another was palpable, ultimately reaching an apex when Alexis stole Aria’s girlfriend at the time (Alexis didn’t even like girls, it was purely out of spite) and Aria subsequently beat her senseless.

Suffice it to say, Aria wasn’t fond of the name.

“What’s with the girl names?” asked Aria. “What if we have a boy? I want a son.” Sonata grinned. She had successfully distracted Aria, who was now too into the conversation to be nervous about anything.

“Okay, then. You come up with some boy names, then,” challenged Sonata. Aria hardly had to think.

“Bryce.”

“Quarterback, huh?” Sonata gave a little laugh. “Let’s keep this going. Melina.”

“Brian.”

“Sasha.”

“Barry.”

“Alright, switch it up,” said Sonata. “I’ll give a boy’s name, you give a girl’s. Steven.”

“Bethany.”

“Okay, what’s up with all the ‘b’ names?” asked Sonata. Aria blushed slightly, immediately looking everywhere but at Sonata’s face.

“Do you promise not to laugh?” asked Aria. Sonata nodded. “Okay… I keep picking names that start with ‘b’ because they sound like superhero names.” Sonata tilted her head, profusely confused. “Okay, so Stan Lee had problems coming up with and remembering character names, so he made them alliterative.”

“Oh! That’s why it’s Peter Parker, Doctor Doom, Jessica Jones and stuff,” said Sonata. “That makes sense. Okay, let’s get some more ‘b’ names, then. For a girl, I say we should go with Bellatrix.”

“Bellatrix? Like, Lestrange? From Harry Potter?”

“Aw, crap, I didn’t think you knew…”

“I like it. Bellatrix Blaze,” said Aria with a grin. “Plus, we could shorten it to Trixie, if we really wanted to. That’s nice. I miss that arrogant jerk.”

“Same. So, we need a boy name, huh?” Sonata was at a loss. For some reason, she just knew that her baby was a girl. She blamed it on mother’s intuition. Although she would prefer a girl, she didn’t mind the idea of a son. She just figured she could connect better with a girl than a boy. That seemed like something that Aria would be good at.

“I really like Blake. That sounds so classy,” said Aria. “Sounds like a guy who reads in the back of class while all the girls swoon around him.”

“Blake Blaze,” said Sonata. “I like that. Flows off the tongue really good.”

“Mrs. Blaze, the doctor will see you now!” called the receptionist. Aria stood up and gently grasped Sonata’s hand. She helped her wife to her feet, taking extra care to keep her upright. Sonata waved her away, assuring Aria that she could manage. With one hand on her large, rounded belly and the other wrapped around Aria’s hand, Sonata set off to the examination room.

“Okay, everything’s looking good,” said the doctor, setting the ultrasound from Sonata’s stomach. “Perfectly normal and healthy, though I do recommend you put on a bit of weight. You’re absolutely tiny, Mrs. Blaze.”

“I know, I know,” sighed Sonata. “So… The baby is okay?”

“Just as I said, everything is perfectly typical.” The doctor chuckled nervously, grabbing his clipboard to look it over one last time. “Well, as typical as can be given your… unique situation. Mind you, I don’t judge, it’s just… They don’t teach you this sort of thing in med school.”

“Told you, Ari,” said Sonata. “There’s nothing to worry about.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” said Aria, a small smile on her face. “I’ll try to worry less when you’re not carrying my child. In the meantime, I’m fussing as much as possible.”

“It’s always better to care too much, rather than not enough,” agreed the doctor. “So, who’s up for knowing?” Sonata and Aria looked to each other, each waiting for the other to speak up first.

“It’s your call, babe,” said Aria. “I think we should know, but I won’t fight you for it.” She rubbed Sonata’s stomach gently. “What do you think?”

Sonata placed her hand on top of Aria’s and smiled warmly. It was moments like this where she found herself looking back over everything that happened over her life. She want from a magical Siren in Equestria to an evil pop singer on Earth to a housewife and now… A mother-to-be.

“Okay, doc,” said Sonata. “Are we having a boy or a girl?”

“Good call, you want to know this,” said the doctor. “You’re having…”

The doctor seemed to be some sort of suspense sadist, because he held the silence for a moment. Aria and Sonata were on the edge of their seats, their hearts pounding in their throats. Sonata silently begged for a daughter, while Aria hoped for the exact opposite.

“A boy,” said the doctor. Aria jumped up, punching the sky.

“Yes!” cheered Aria. “Blake! Oh, we’re having a boy, Sony, do you—”

“And a girl,” finished the doctor, a mischievous grin on his face. His smile grew wider the longer the stunned silence persisted. “That’s right, ladies. You’re having twins.”

Aria and Sonata stared at each other, mouths agape. This was a bit more than either of them had anticipated. Slowly, their shock changed to joy, and their dropped jaws morphed into grins.

“You know what this means, right?” asked Aria.

“Yup,” said Sonata. “Blake Blaze and Bellatrix Blaze, Super Twins!”

LCS: Warm Welcomes Conquers Midnight Snacks

“Babe! I’m huuuuuuuuungry!” whined Sonata. Aria turned over in bed, trying to keep from ripping her own hair out. She hadn’t slept a proper night’s rest in quite a while, and it was all thanks to Sonata.

Well, technically, it was all thanks to Blake and Bellatrix, but Aria wasn’t sure she could justify blaming her unborn children for a lack of sleep.

“Sonata, you do realize that it’s 2 in the morning, right?” groaned Aria.

“Don’t care. Feed me.”

“Babe, there’s nothing in the fridge. You made sure of that.” Aria tiredly sat herself up, rubbing her eyes in an attempt to better see Sonata. Her hair was loose and wild, covering most of her face and giving her the appearance of a banshee. She was clutching her large, rounded stomach with anger and fury.

“Don’t care,” repeated Sonata. “Feed me.”

“Sonata, I can’t just snap my fingers and make food appear,” said Aria, snapping her fingers as if to prove it. Sonata slowly turned to glare at Aria, filling her heart with the fear of the old gods. “What are you in the mood for?”

“Something sweet. I want cinnamon rolls,” said Sonata. Aria grumbled tiredly, as she rolled out of bed and slid her feet into her fuzzy slippers. “Wait! Something salty.”

“Something salty? Like what?”

“I dunno. Wait! I want cinnamon rolls with something salty.” Sonata. “Go on. I’m really hungry.”

“You’re lucky I love you.”

“Thanks, baby!”

Aria tiredly trudged through the house, down to the kitchen in a foolish hope that maybe, just maybe, she had everything she needed on hand. Unsurprisingly, but spirit-crushing nevertheless, there was nothing in the fridge that fit the bill of salty, and she certainly didn’t have anything in the way of cinnamon rolls.

Which meant Aria was going to the store.

Not bothering to change from her pajamas, Aria grabbed her keys and wallet, then set out for her car. She missed her motorcycle just a little, but she agreed that she couldn’t very well drive her pregnant wife (and, eventually, her children) around on a bike. Though she was all for the more responsible sedan, she drew the line when Sonata jokingly suggested they get a minivan.

Aria cruised up to the local grocery store, which was thankfully open 24-hours. She parked, then entered the store, which was mostly empty. Ignoring the greeting of the lone cashier, Aria went straight for the refrigerated section. Ordinarily, she would’ve made the cinnamon rolls from scratch. However, given Sonata’s grumpy, hungry state, Aria figured she had no time for that, and buying prepackaged dough would probably be safer. When she finally found the cans of Cinnabon rolls, there was a familiar face waiting for her there.

“Emo-Freak?” said Aria. “What’re you doing here this late?” Silver didn’t even look back, too busy stifling a yawn.

“Mistress Adagio demands cookies,” said Silver. “At 2:43 AM. You?”

“Missus wants cinnamon rolls and ‘something salty’,” groaned Aria. “But she’s preggos. She can’t control her cravings. What’s Dag’s excuse?”

“I love her, I spoil her, and she’s acutely aware that I’m a huge wuss and wouldn’t dare do anything to make her even remotely annoyed at me.”

“Ah. Still glad you asked her to move in with you?”

“Well, there are pros and cons. Cons being she forces me to do this BS every time she feels snacky in bed,” groaned Silver. “Pros… Well, I doubt you wanna hear about what we do in that bed before she gets snacky.”

“And with that vile image in my brain, I need to find something salty,” said Aria, shaking her head in disgust. “But what’s salty and goes good with cinnamon rolls?”

“Bacon.” Aria looked at Silver, confused. “Unroll the dough, cover the inside with bacon, roll it back up, pop those S.O.B.s in the oven. I do it for Adagio all the time, she loves it.”

“Huh. Thanks, Emo-Freak. Good luck with Dag. Believe it or not, she actually gets harder to live with as time goes on.”

Silver swore almost silently before grabbing the cookie dough he was looking for and departing for some other snacks Adagio may want. Aria quickly grabbed a package of thick-sliced bacon and made a beeline for the front. After paying and bagging up her groceries, she tossed them in her car and headed back home.

A short drive home and 13 minutes at 375 degrees later, Aria had a plate of a dozen iced, bacon-filled cinnamon rolls to present to her wife. She brought all twelve upstairs, as well as a tall glass of milk, setting the plate down onto Sonata’s lap.

“Thanks, baby!” said Sonata cheerily. She grabbed a roll and savagely ripped it in half with her teeth. “Mmm, bacon…”

“You’re happy?” asked Aria. Sonata nodded, popping another salty-sweet roll into her mouth. “Good. The last thing I need is to hear you complain.” Sonata let out a tiny gasp. “What?”

“Bella is being a little jerk,” complained Sonata. “She kicked me, right in the bladder.” Aria couldn’t help but chuckle.

“How do you know it’s her?”

“Ow, that hurts!” Sonata winced. “I know it’s her, cause Mamma always knows.”

“I’m sure she does,” said Aria, settling down onto the bed. When she was firmly planted, Sonata passed her the plate and slowly turned to get out of bed. “Need help?”

“I’m pregnant, not crippled. I can get up to pee by myself,” said Sonata stubbornly. She tried to push herself up, but slipped and fell back onto the bed. “I lied. Please help me.” Being sure to hide her amusement as best as she could, Aria placed the plate down, got up and around, and pulled Sonata to her feet. With one hand lacing fingers with Sonata and the other on her wife’s big, round belly, Aria led Sonata to the bathroom. A few minutes later, and Sonata was waddling her way out.

“Hey, babe, you know what I could go for right about now?” said Sonata.

“I’m just gonna assume that it’s not what I’m in the mood for,” groaned Aria. Sonata ignored her.

“Peanut punch,” said Sonata, as if Aria hadn’t spoken at all.

Peanut punch is a drink popular in the Caribbean that typically consists of peanut butter, condensed milk, sugar, vanilla and spices like cinnamon or nutmeg. Sonata had grown fond of it during their honeymoon to Cuba, where one could find the drink just about anywhere. All the way in Canterlot City, however, it was a bit harder to come by. Of course, Aria could put the drink together with relative ease…

“Sony, we don’t have any milk for it,” yawned Aria. “Also, it’s three in the goddamn morning.”

“But… Peanut punch…” whined Sonata.

“I’m not going back to the store, Sonata, and that’s that.”

After stopping for gas and a Five-Hour Energy, Aria was back at the grocery store. The cashier seemed surprised to see her again, but didn’t make much of it. Aria again ignored the poor worker’s tired greeting and breezed through the store, this time grabbing a basket. While she was there, she figured that she may as well grab some stuff for the house.

She grabbed the condensed milk and, after a bit of thought, the vanilla and nutmeg. She was sure she had some at home, but Aria refused to have to come back out. When she had all the things she needed for the peanut punch, Aria took a leaf out of Silver’s book and picked up some cookie dough. Then, thinking of something more savory, Aria picked up some beef jerky (which she knew Sonata loved), another package of bacon, and salt & pepper chips, which were her personal favorites (she had to think of herself at least a little).

“Aria? Again?” Aria turned down the chip aisle to see, for the second time that morning, Silver. He seemed as surprised to see Aria as she was to see him.

“Hey, Emo-Freak. Sony wanted peanut punch,” sighed Aria. “Figured I may as well play some offense and grab some other junk food while I’m at it. You?”

“Adagio wants popcorn.” Silver shook his head. “I really need to learn to say no.”

“Yeah. Hey, while you’re here, you might as well call her,” suggested Aria. “I’m about to do the same to Sony. No point in coming out here again when you can grab everything at once.”

“Nah. Adagio will yell at me for not knowing her well enough to decide for her.”

Aria shrugged, giving a look that said “well, I tried”, then pulled out her phone. She must’ve put it on silent, because she had somehow missed about six calls from Sonata. Before Aria could send out a call of her own, Sonata rang again. With a curious shrug, Aria answered and put the phone to her ear.

“Hey, babe,” said Aria. “I was just about to call you, see if there’s anything else you—”

“Ari, they’re coming.”

Aria heard her, and even managed to understand it. Still, her brain just shut down.

“Uh… What?”

“My water just broke! I think the babies are coming!”

Aria blinked almost audibly.

“Uh… What?!”

“Damn it, Aria, hurry up and bring me to the hospital!”

Aria dropped her groceries, then took off running. Silver followed behind, shouting his concern.

“Where are you going?!” he asked. Aria didn’t mean to shout. She was just too excited and scared to remain at a decent volume.

“I’m gonna be a frigging dad!” she yelled. Aria bolted out of the store and to her car, where she tore down the street to collect her wife.

“Mrs. Blaze? You can see them now.”

“Uh… Is she still yelling?” asked Aria. The nurse giggled, then shook her head.

“She’s perfectly fine now,” said the nurse. “All things considered, you both handled it quite well. I’ve seen much worse.”

“So she was joking about the divorce, then?”

“Maybe you should see for yourself.”

Aria pulled herself from the waiting room chair, then followed the nurse through the hallway. They stopped outside of a door, where Aria took a moment to compose herself. When that failed, she decided to step in anyway.

Sonata had returned to her cheery, bright self from the she-demon she had been just a few minutes ago. She smiled for two reasons; The absence of agonizing pain and the addition of the two little bundles in her arms.

“Heya, babe,” whispered Sonata. “Come say hi.”

“They’re… They’re so tiny…” breathed Aria. She swooped over to Sonata to get a better look at the babies, the girl wrapped in a pink blanket and the boy in blue. They both slept peacefully, considering the ordeal they had just undergone.

“They were just born,” said Sonata.

“I know, but… I don’t know what I expected. They just seem so fragile.” Sonata nodded.

“That’s why they have you. You get to protect them from the world.”

Aria took one good, long look at them. Bellatrix, her skin pale blue like Sonata’s, seemed sharper in the face than her brother. Though she had been alive for only a few minutes, she seemed cocky. Her sleeping face gave off an air of “bring it” that Aria couldn’t help but respect.

Blake, on the other hand, was much softer. Gentler. As he slept, he seemed totally at peace. His purplish-pink skin was brighter than his sister’s, and he looked to be thinking already. Sonata grinned, her mind running wild. They’d have to dig a moat around the house to keep the girls away, assuming Blake grew to be an eighth as handsome as Sonata thought he’d be.

“Hi, kids,” whispered Aria. “Blake, Bellatrix. I’m your… Dad, I guess. But I’m also your mom? It’s unclear.” Aria chuckled nervously. “Look, we’ll work out what you call me later. Right now, I wanted to tell you that I love you guys. You two, and your mom, you mean more to me than anyone or anything in the whole world. I’m gonna be hard on you. You might even think you hate me sometimes. But that’s okay, because I love you two and you can’t change that.”

Aria leaned over and planted a kiss on the foreheads of Blake, Bellatrix, and, after a moment of thought, Sonata.

“That was sweet,” said Sonata. Aria shrugged, letting out a nervous chuckle.

“Um… Can I hold them?” asked Aria. Sonata nodded, then offered them both. “Actually, on second thought… One at a time is a good way to start.” She gently lifted Blake, rocking him slightly in her arms. Almost immediately, his eyes opened and her let out an ear-piercing shriek. Following in her brother’s example, Bellatrix also began screaming. Aria laughed, shaking her head.

“Blake Bravura Blaze,” said Aria, tapping his nose gently.

“Bellatrix Brioso Blaze,” said Sonata, doing the same to her daughter. She kissed Aria on the cheek, and the two announced together.

“Welcome to the world.”

LCS: True Love Conquers True Stupid

Blake Blaze was not very good at making friends. He was shy, quiet, and generally did poorly in large groups of people. In that way (and many others), he was the exact opposite of his sister. In fact, Bella was the reason Blake had any friends at all. For her credit, Bellatrix did rather well at making friends for her brother. She knew that he was a good guy, if a bit awkward. Blake was the type who preferred quiet and solitude. He’d much rather be reading a good comic than mingling with strangers.

Blake always had his nose buried deep in a comic book. He didn’t care if people called him childish. The words of others had never really bothered him, something he no doubt inherited from his “father”. She had taught Blake not to let what people think stop him from doing what he wanted, and what he wanted to do was read a comic on the bus and sip something cold, sweet, and delicious. So that’s precisely what he did.

He didn’t pay much attention to his surroundings, occasionally glancing up to make sure he hadn’t missed his stop. He didn’t notice when the person who sat next to him got up, hopped off the bus, and was replaced by someone new.

He did, however, notice when the new passenger leaned over and punched him in the shoulder.

“Ow!” Blake turned until he was face to face with the pale face of his twin sister. Her eyes were sharp purple, like Aria’s, and they were accented by her bold black eyeliner and the small, five-pointed star tattooed on her right cheek. Her short, spiky hair was normally dyed some color or the other, but today, she wore it with the natural purple and green tips. As she grinned, her spider bite piercings glinted in the light.

Her brother looked fairly similar, having the same shade of eye color. His hair was a bit longer and tidier than his sister’s, and it was a simple, dark blue. Blake’s face was devoid of ink and piercings, though he did have a small scar on his chin from when Bellatrix “accidentally” hit him in the face during her fencing practice. Other than that single blemish, Blake’s face was clear and calm, unlike his wild, explosive sister.

“Hey, loser. What’s up?” Bellatrix grinned, then leaned over to see what Blake was reading. “Ugh, you buy that rag? Your storylines are much better, and look at that shoddy linework. I could draw circles around this poser with my eyes closed.”

“Yeah, but I can’t really read my own comics, can I? And besides, Dad always said to know the enemy,” said Blake with a shrug. “What are you doing here, anyway? You have a car, don’t you?”

“Sure do. But, since we’re going the same place and I knew you’d be on this bus, I figured I’d hang with you for a bit,” said Bella. She noticed the cup. “What’cha drinking?”

“Peanut butter frappe,” said Blake.

“Is it good?”

“I’ve had worse.”

Bella snatched the cup and took a long, deep sip. She looked at the cup, humming in amusement, then handed it back to her brother.

“So, aren’t you gonna ask?” said Bella. Blake just stared silently. “How I knew you’d be on this bus?”

“Oh yeah. How did you—”

“Twin Force!”

“I still can’t believe we named the series after that stupid power,” said Blake with a snicker. “Remember when I got lost at camp and you found me in the woods?”

“Duh. You were so scared.” Bella laughed, hugging her brother tightly and making him slightly uncomfortable (Blake never was fond of physical contact). “You were all crying, like ‘Waah, Sis, help me, I’m peeing my pants’! It was awesome.”

“How did you find me?” asked Blake. “I was never sure how.” Bellatrix swiped Blake’s cup again, taking another sip and flicking him firmly on the forehead.

“Told you, diphthong, it was Twin Force,” said Bella. “I felt that you were in trouble, and I sensed where to find you.” Blake snatched his cup back, annoyed.

“You really expect me to believe that you found me through magic?”

“Have you met our parents?”

“We’re humans, not Sirens,” said Blake, even though he wasn’t quite sure of himself. “We were born on this side of the mirror.”

“Under some amazingly dubious and magical circumstances,” countered Bella. “This is uncharted territory, kiddo. Maybe we’re more Siren than you think.” Blake murmured his uncertainty before finishing off his drink. “Think about it. Sirens feed on negativity, right? So they must have some way of knowing when it’s around. Maybe I sensed your negativity in the woods!”

Blake highly doubted his sister’s logic. Everything he knew about the world and himself made him certain that any Siren characteristics had been burned out of his DNA through the magical means of his birth. Still, Bella seemed very enthusiastic of the idea that she had a superpower, even a minor one and despite her age. Blake sighed tiredly. Knowing what they were going through, it wasn’t fair of him to take any sort of happiness from her.

“Well, it was during lunch,” he admitted. Bella grinned, which coaxed a small smile from Blake. He wrapped his arm around his sister in an uncharacteristically warm gesture.

“How come Ash isn’t coming?” asked Bellatrix.

“I asked her to stay home. I wanted to do this alone,” said Blake. His sister raised an eyebrow. “Well, not ‘alone’ alone. You know what I mean. I just feel like this should be a family thing.”

“Ashley is your family.”

“Not yet.”

“Seriously, dude, when are you gonna pop the question?” demanded Bella. “I mean, I can’t believe you managed to bag a hottie like her in the first place! You better lock that down before someone snatches her up.”

“It’s not that easy,” sighed Blake. “She’s so… She wants more than I think I’m able to give. I don’t know if I’m ready for that level of commitment.”

“Bro, I’m gonna level with you. You’re thirty-seven years old. You better be ready, or you’re gonna die alone in the suburbs having done nothing in your life but write comics,” said Bella. “And I know it sounds raw, but that’s the way it is.”

“Comics make me happy,” said Blake quietly.

“And Ash doesn’t?” Bella let out a frustrated groan. She was supposed to be the stubborn one. Still, she had to admit that she wasn’t being exactly fair. “You know what? Don’t listen to me. We’re about to visit an expert on love and commitment, aren’t we?”

“I don’t wanna get there and make it about me. Dad has enough to think about without me adding my problems on top.” Bellatrix wrapped her arm around Blake’s head, locking in a loose headlock.

“Y’know, for the smart one of us, you’re kinda stupid,” she said, ruffling his hair. “I think Dad would want to help more than anything.” She glanced up and out the window. “Well, we’re about to find out. This is our stop.”

The bus slowed to a hissing, churning stop, then opened its doors to release the passengers. Bella took point, leading her brother off of the bus and forward into Canterlot General Hospital. They stood in line at the reception desk for a bit before they reached the front.

“Hey, we’re here to visit,” said Bella. “The patient’s name is Aria Blaze.”

Aria lowered her comic as soon as she heard her door open, and she was glad that she did. It took a lot to keep her composure upon seeing her children. She knew it would do nobody any good if she fell apart now, so she did what she did best: she faked being tought.

“Oh, here comes trouble,” she said, a small grin spreading across her face. She sat up in her bed. “It’s good to see you, princess. You too, Trixy.”

“Ah, the more things change, the more they stay the same,” sighed Blake, pulling up a chair next to Aria’s bed. “Hey, Dad.”

“Hiya, Daddy,” said Bella,doing the same as her brother. She peered at the comic that Aria had been reading. “Ooh, reading Twin Force, eh?”

“Yeah. I gotta say, you guys, you made a series better than anything I could have,” said Aria. “And to think you based it on G-Force. You took my brooding, angsty emo comic and turned it into pure comedy-action genius!”

“You’re too hard on yourself. G-Force had a great storyline,” said Blake. “And fantastic art. It was just really mature. We’re aiming for something a bit more family-friendly. Plus, we never would have thought of Velocity or Inertia as characters if it weren’t for G-Force.”

“Pah. Don’t try to butter me up because I’m old. I’m still not leaving you two jack when I die,” chuckled Aria. Her laugh became a cough, which she tried to hide. “Won’t be that far off.”

“Dad! You don’t know that!” Bella felt her eyes well up slightly. Aria grinned, and, for just a moment, it seemed like there was nothing at all wrong with her.

“Kids, I’m 1,700-ish years old. I’ve lived long enough to know what dying feels like,” said Aria. “Don’t you dare cry about it, you hear me? I lived twenty times the life a normal person does, okay? I’ve done some cool stuff, and some epic stuff. I’ve done some good things, some great things, and some frigging amazing things. I’ve done everything I could have wanted, and a few I never even thought about.” She placed a hand on Blake and Bella’s shoulder. “Having you two falls into that last group. So don’t feel bad for me. At least I’ll get to see Sony again.”

A thick, pained silence filled the room. Though it happened nearly four years ago, the twins were still hurting over the loss of their mother. Blake took it especially hard, and it was ages before he even began to return to normal.

“You remember when those guys were bullying you in eleventh grade?” said Bella. “And Mom came down and chewed them out?” Blake laughed slightly.

“Oh, I thought she just made it worse! But she just lectured them for like an hour!” said Blake. “And they never messed with me again. Hey, what about that time that you and her accidentally entered into a hot wing eating contest?”

“That lady had the figure of a frigging twig,” chuckled Bella. “And she ate two hundred hot wings that day! I spent the rest of the week trying to figure out where she put it all.”

“She was great. Y’know, I used to think Sonata was stupid,” said Aria. “But she was probably one of the smartest people I ever knew. She was smart enough to know exactly what I needed to hear, even if it wasn’t what I wanted to hear.”

“She was so pretty,” said Bella. “I remember, when I was like six, I tried to do my hair and makeup just like her.” She grinned deviously. “Blake too.”

The girls in the room shared a laugh at Blake’s expense, not for the first time. He just shook his head. He was beyond used to it at this point.

“She ruined my first relationship in high school. Remember, I was dating… Jessica, I think it was,” said Blake. “And I brought her over to the house for dinner, and Mom was acting really weird the whole time. She just kept embarrassing me. She brought out the photo album.”

“Damn that photo album,” snickered Bella. “I’ve failed to bag many a hot guy and girl because of that frigging book.”

“Well, turns out, Mom felt there was something off about Jessica. She told me that if I kept going out with her, I’d end up getting hurt. Come to find out, she was cheating on me with my best friend.”

“Your mom just knew stuff like that. It was a superpower, I’m telling you,” said Aria. “Amazing woman. Saved my life in more ways than I can count. Probably the only person I ever met that really scared me.” The twins snickered, obviously dubious. “Oh, sure, you two laugh now. All you know is the cutsie ponytail, the big eyes, and the dreamy voice. But Sonata was crazy. One time, she got drunk at a party and, swear to God, knocked out some dude who was flirting with me.”

“Okay, your age is seriously getting to you,” said Bella. “You told us that story ages ago, and it was you who punched him.”

“No, no, you’re thinking about a different time. We got drunk at parties a lot, okay? Plus, we were both hotter than the sun in the middle of July,” Aria laughed. “Have I ever told you the story of how Sonata told me she wanted to have kids?”

“Uh-uh.”

“We were locked in a public restroom after a Linkin Park concert,” Aria recalled. Already, the story was going in a different way than the twins expected, but that’s why they loved hearing about their parents. “I was with her cause your mom had a phase where she couldn’t pee if she was alone, it was weird. But, we got locked in, and we had this deep conversation about our past, yadda yadda. Then Trixie Lulamoon opens the door for us, starts going on one of her rants. I punched her in the kidneys, and we ran. After that… Sonata said she wanted to have a baby.”

“How’d you react?” asked Blake.

“I laughed hysterically, then passed out on the pavement.” Aria laughed, this time losing in her battle against the cough. “Speaking of Lulamoon, she just visited the day before yesterday.”

“Really?” asked Bella. Perhaps appropriately, she had always been fascinated with “The Other Trixie”, as she called her. “What was that like?”

“Well, I hadn’t seen her in something like forty years, so I was expecting her to have changed a lot,” Aria said with a smirk. “Shouldn’t have surprised me that she’s the same old, same old. Yelled at me for getting sick and forcing her to come visit me. Spoke exclusively in the third person. She called me by that damn nickname again. Jezebel. Four decades of radio silence and she calls me Jezebel Blaze, like nothing changed. We still hate each other to death. Literally, in my case.” Aria noticed how uncomfortable she was making her kids, so she decided to change the subject. “Enough about me. What’s up with you?”

“Blake pays me to doodle at work, which is something I’d have done for free anyway,” said Bella with a shrug. “I can’t really complain. Blakey, though, he has a problem.”

“Not a problem. A… situation,” said Blake. Aria raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. “Okay, so… I’ve been with Ashley for five years come this October. She wants me to… She wants me to tie the knot. I don’t know if I’m ready for that. So, what I’m asking, I guess, is… Do you think it’d be a good idea to propose?”

Aria nodded slowly in understanding, pulling herself into the wheelchair adjacent to her bed. She wheeled herself over to Blake, taking his hand in her own.

“Son, there’s something you need to understand. As far as logic and reason go,” said Aria. “Proposing is always a bad idea. A horrible idea. It’s crazy! Think about what you’re hypothetically asking her. You’re asking her to give up everything she has, everything she is, everything she knows, knew, and will know. You’re asking her to give up any love, past, present, or future, and give it to you. You’re asking her to forget about anyone and everyone that isn’t you, make her whole world around you.” Aria chuckled. “And you’re asking her with a one in a quadrillion chance of her going ‘yeah, I’m down with that’. So, statistically speaking, it’s a frigging stupid idea.

“But that’s the thing about love, true love: statistics and reason and logic don’t matter worth a damn! Because love flies in the face of those things. They just don’t matter, because love finds a way regardless. True love is truly stupid. Your problem is that you try to make sense of it. Think about Ashley and how she makes you feel. Could you imagine feeling that way or better with anyone on this Earth? Don’t ask if it makes sense. Ask if it makes you feel right. And if it doesn’t, cut her off now. Stop wasting her time, stop wasting your time. I wish I would’ve understood my feelings towards your mother earlier. Might’ve saved myself the high blood pressure.”

Blake didn’t know how to process what he had just heard. Aria had never been known for her speaking prowess, but Blake reasoned that wasn’t because of a lack of oratory skill. Aria managed to take this horrifying, petrifying decision, retain everything that made it scary, and still make it seem beautiful. Blake thought about Ashley, his lovely Ashley. Fear or no, he couldn’t possibly see himself with anyone but her.

“I need a ring,” said Blake quietly. Aria smiled, then reached around her neck and pulled up a thin gold chain. Hanging around it was a simple silver band gemmed with a small diamond. She pulled the ring free from the chain and offered it to Blake.

“This is the promise ring I gave to Sonata while we were dating. I ended up just using it as an engagement ring, too,” said Aria. “Please, take it.”

Blake’s heart pounded in his throat as he stared at the ring. Besides CDs of her songs and a few paintings, that was all Aria had left to remember Sonata by. He reached for the ring once, twice, three times, each time failing to move within a few inches of the ring.

“I can’t take this,” he whispered. “It’s all you have left of her.”

“Boy, I’m not asking you. I’m telling you.” Aria spoke firmly, despite the tears in her eyes. “Sonata would have wanted to be there for you. This… It’s the next best thing. Take it, and be good to her, and remember everything I’ve told you. Not just today, everything. Pretend there’s a test at the end.” She grabbed Blake’s hand, pressed the ring into his palm, and closed his hand around it.

“Thank you,” said Blake breathlessly. Aria wiped a tear from Blake’s face, then thumped him on the forehead with her index finger.

“Don’t thank me, ya moron,” she said. “I should be thanking you.”

The twins stayed for a few more hours before Aria ordered them out to go live their lives. After that, Aria sat alone for most of the day, with the exception of one last visitor near the end of the day in the form of Adagio Rift. It was nice, seeing some old faces. It made Aria feel as if her life might’ve been worth something.

It took Blake a week to work up the courage to propose to Ashley. He spent hours planning the perfect night to ask. He screwed it up in several ways, which added a touch of sincerity to the whole ordeal. They both cried when she said yes.

Aria didn’t make it to hear the good news. Despite what he would say, Blake was crushed. He knew that Aria wouldn’t want him to dwell on it for too long, but he couldn’t help it. Ashley was there for him, thankfully, and helped him to work through it all. Blake’s biggest regret was that there wasn’t enough time to hear everything Aria had to say. Most of the stories about her and Sonata had never made it to the twins.

On the day of the wedding, Blake’s aunt changed that.

LCS: Love Stories

“Wow. That was… beautiful. I wish I could’ve heard it from them,” said Blake. “But… Why bother telling me? Why now, Auntie?” Adagio ran a tired hand through her hair before limping over to the bed and plopping down next to Blake.

“Because Aria and Sonata were idiots,” said Adagio. “And, as their son, you were bound to inherit some of that stupid. So, I was expecting you to do the exact same stupid thing that Aria almost did.”

“What’s that? Getting cold feet?”

“Bingo, kid. So, knowing what an idiot you are, which isn’t your fault, I decided to tell you those stories. You needed to hear them. And you needed to hear them because you’re still asking yourself questions that don’t matter.”

“Like what?” asked Blake. His aunt was never this sentimental, and it was honestly a little concerning.

“Your whole life, you’ve been wondering what you are. Are you human or Siren? And I suppose I understand how you could mistake that for an important question.” Adagio studied Blake, seeing more and more of Aria the longer she looked. “That’s the question Aria answered when she went back to Equestria.”

“But she actually was a Siren,” noted Blake.

“Just as much as you’re a Siren now. Don’t you get it? Aria was a Siren because she chose to be one. She chose to join me and feed off of negativity, and she did that because that’s all she knew. For the first couple hundred years of life, Aria didn’t know love. She didn’t understand what it was like to have someone she’d give anything for. Soon, she started to understand what that meant. She left her heritage behind and assimilated a much kinder one. That moment when she realized that everything she knew about her old life was gone… That was when she stopped being a Siren. She sold her true nature in exchange for her humanity.”

“What good does that do me, exactly?”

“None, you moron, because you’re still thinking about it wrong. It’s not about the good it does you now, but the good it’s already done.” Adagio snapped her fingers to make sure Blake was paying attention. “Don’t you get it? Aria, Sonata and I lived long lives, and we’re passing some of it down to you. So, next time life seems crazy or terrible, just remember these stories. Remember the time Aria got stung by a jellyfish at the beach. Remember the time Sonata let a live reindeer into our two bedroom apartment. Remember the time I was so desperate for friends that I willingly ate a seaweed and snail juice cupcake.” Adagio shook her head. “That one still makes me queasy… And, right now, when you’re about to waste everything you have because of something stupid like fear, remember the time Aria almost did the same thing. Remember that she didn’t, and how glad she was that she didn’t. If she did what you’re about to, I wouldn’t have a little twerp to lecture right now.”

Adagio and Blake shared a laugh, then a hug. He really did appreciate his aunt’s advice, even if she did have a rough, sort of cold way of delivering it. In a way, it reminded him of Aria.

“So, Blake. What are you going to do?” asked Adagio. “Are you going to waste the time of everyone here? Or are you going to follow through and make a very lucky girl very happy?”

“Sorry, Adagio. Let’s go.” Blake rose, straightened his bow tie, then helped Adagio to her feet. Together, the two walked out to rejoin the festivities.

It was a perfect wedding. Blake looked back at his bachelor party, which he had left in the capable hands of his sister. Thanks to her, he had a heaping truckload of fun and had some of his fears alleviated. He really did owe his sister a lot for that. Then, when the big day arrived, all the dreams that Blake didn’t know he had came true.

The church, filled to burst with all the twins’ friends and family, not to mention Ahsley’s family. Blake was a nervous wreck when he finally made it to the altar. He was constantly adjusting his tux, pulling at his cuffs, straightening his bowtie. Then, down the aisle in the most gorgeous dress ever conceived came his wife to be. She moved with grace and beauty, stopping Blake’s heart in his chest. Ashley removed her veil, the two said their vows, nobody had any reason the two shouldn’t be wed, their peace was forever held, with these rings the two were wed and the bride was most certainly kissed.

Blake cried. Ashley cried. Even Bellatrix cried. And, through it all, Blake knew it was all thanks to Aria. He kept her knowledge stowed away for the future, and he drew from it near-daily. Thanks to her, Blake finally married the girl of his dreams.

It was, simply put, the most perfect wedding anyone had ever seen.

Author's Notes:

And so, it ends. I hope I managed to keep some of you happy throughout this story, which ended up being waaaay too long. It was a good ride, tons of fun, and one of my favorite things to ever work on. Thank you to everyone for reading and thank you for your comments. It's changed my life, all for the better.

Goodbye.