“Fish,” Sonata groaned. Like she had never moved, her chin was back in place on the lunchroom table. “On Mondays, now. Why does the universe hate me?”

Once more, the sirens had a table all to themselves. Adagio glared into her mirror, and hissed as she touched her black eye. Makeup disguised the wound, but it still hurt.

Aria blew a purple lock out of her face. Removing the pigtails let her hair hang over her own scrape. It was a pain, but she kind of liked the wilder, emo style it gave.

She glanced to the Rainbooms – sitting as far from the Dazzlings as they could, and avoiding eye contact. “At least it got the Rainbutts to leave us alone.”

“We’re not that lucky,” Adagio huffed. “I just know the pink one is planning some stupid party with a stupid name. Like, the ‘Sorry we beat the crap out of you for no good reason’ party. Give it two weeks and we’ll be back to square one with all of them.”

“Not all of them, sugar cube.”

The Dazzlings startled as a peanut butter and jelly sandwich dropped onto Sonata’s tray, with Applejack standing above.

Her mouth wavered between a frown and a smile, and she looked away. “This seat taken?”

Sonata looked to Aria.

Aria looked to Adagio.

Adagio shrugged. “It’s yours.”

“Thank’ye kindly.” Applejack sighed as she came down, steeling herself for what came next.

“Ah told them.” She blushed, turning her eyes to the ceiling. “Sunset and the rest, Ah told them the whole story. They won’t give you no more trouble over this.”

“That must have been embarrassing.” Adagio said quietly. “You could have just hid it all and lied. Thanks.”

Applejack’s cute face jerked into a distinctly un-cute frown. “Would be less embarrassin’ by half if Rainbow would quit teasin’ me over it.”

Aria grimaced. “You need better friends.”

That at least got a laugh out of Applejack. “Ah won’t lie, that’s a hoot coming from you. But Ah know what’cha mean, and Ah thank y’kindly for it. Sorta brings me to the real reason Ah came.”

“That, uh…” Country dork that she was, of course Applejack had trouble speaking of it. “That whole thing. Ah wanna know. And Ah won’t be mad no matter what y’all say, so give it to me straight.”

Though blushing madly, she looked to them, and it was the sirens that looked away. “That night. What was it to y’all? Were y’all just gettin’ me off on mah kink so y’could get together later and laugh at the foot freak? Or were y’all showin’ you liked me in your own, uh… kinda mean, kinda sexy kinda way?”

She laughed again, grinning with an extra thought. “Ah had a third idea, but there ain’t no way y’all were actually comin’ on to me!”

Silence.

Sonata looked to Aria.

Aria blew hair out of her face and looked to Adagio.

Adagio looked away. “I like you.”

With the way paved, the others indulged. “I like you, too,” Aria followed.

“Me three!” Sonata hugged Applejack, grinning through the sandwich crumbs around her mouth. “We need to do that again!”

“Nah, girl. We don’t.”

Three sets of eyes shot to Applejack with surprise… and concealed hurt.

“Heckuva weird thing to say,” Applejack shook her head, pink-cheeked and smiling. “The three of y’all are too much for me! Ah’m still sore from all that. The ticklin’ and tyin’ and teasin’… Ah can’t keep up with gettin’ hit by all of y’at once. Maybe orgies like that are normal for you sirens, and Ah ain’t sayin’ that’s bad. But they ain’t normal for me. Ah’m a slow ‘n steady kinda girl, who wants only one girlfriend at a time. One girl to give her love to.”

The Dazzlings were silent. They kept their gazes away, though turned them back as Applejack set something on the table: a simple, painted wooden child’s toy. A red apple in the shape of a heart.

Applejack scratched the back of her head, clearly embarrassed. “Just an old toy Ah dug up… anyway, y’all don’t need to tell me how dumb this is, but hear me out. Ah don’t know if Ah’m anything special to any of y’all, and Ah ain’t gonna make y’tell me no. But if any of y’all does want to be mah girlfriend, she can give me back that toy and say so. If not, just throw it out or somethin’. T’aint an heirloom or anythin’, so do whatcha want.”

“Right,” she stood up, chuckling nervously. “Ah’ve said mah bit. Think Ah’ll leave y’all to laugh at me in peace. Later, babes.”

Applejack departed abruptly, her hat tilted low over the flushed face. She even left her tray.

Along with the wooden apple, and three very quiet sirens.

A dumb little toy. Aria’s eyes never left it. “What a frickin’ redneck.”

“Yeah,” Adagio agreed.

Sonata reached for the apple without the slightest bit of embarrassment. “Hey, if you two pass, then I’m–”

Adagio lunged, simultaneously shoving her backwards and grabbing for the toy. Her fingers mashed painfully against a purple set coming from the opposite direction.

“Get back, Adagio!” Aria growled.

“Bitch!” Adagio swung her left arm to grab the apple. She smiled as her fingers closed around it, but soon found her one hand outmatched by Sonata’s two.

“Mine!” Sonata yanked the toy from Adagio’s grip. She raised it in triumph a half-second before Aria’s fist closed around her collar and dragged her to the table.

Adagio pounced, but miscalculated. Her knees hit the table first, ploughing her leggings through the food tray and sending her skidding to Sonata’s side. The weight of the pair brought the unbalanced table crashing to the ground, bringing all three sirens down with it.

The apple bounced once. They tackled it between them, wrestling and screaming insults as they tumbled through the lunchroom.

Author's Notes:

Hope you enjoyed! Not sure if I'll write again, but this was fun.