We Three: With You In Spirit

by Eyeswirl the Weirded

First published 8th of June, 2016

Following an attempt to repair the gems gone wrong, Aria Blaze finds herself adjusting to life alone... Kind of.

The Dazzlings are sisters, they've been together their whole lives. Following a mishap with another attempt to repair the gems, Aria thought that time had come to an end.

She soon learns that her sisters are there for her, no matter what.

Chapter 1: All Alone?

My eyes open wide as I snap awake, my heart pounding and my head swimming. The first sound I can make sense of is the heart-monitor at my side. I'm in a hospital. I look down to find that I'm naked apart from a hospital gown and a... chastity belt?!

"I'm not taking any chances!!"

The echo of Adagio's voice sends my brain reeling. I remember what happened before I blacked out.

A couple weeks had passed since we came back from the city, and even if she was spending less time on the gems, Adagio looked as stressed-out as ever. Feels like she's always been that way now, but I guess she had a little something extra to be worried about today.

"We have to get this perfectly the first time," she says while triple-checking the big, circular, pentagram-looking rune-thing she'd drawn on the floor with red markers, "because even if none of us get hurt, we may only have one shot at this."

I look back and forth between the remains of our gems on three little pedestals on one side of the arrangement, the book we used to turn into a snake-woman on the other. If I understood her technobabble, we were gonna use our own life energy to wake the magic up, then use the book's to fix our gems. Or something. She'd spent the last few days trying to make sure it would actually work, having procured some extra measures in case things went wrong. Sonata was looking at the safety gear Adagio had picked up for the three of us.

"I get the protective goggles, boots, kneepads, vests, helmets, and gloves, but do we really need the chastity belts?"

We're treated to the sight of our usually-collected leader turning red again. "I'm not taking any chances!!"

I shake my head a little for poor Adagio. That website must have scarred her for life. When she's satisfied with the circle drawing, we all head to different rooms to gear up. Splitting was called for partly because Adagio was worried one of us would stumble, fall on her circle, smudge it somewhere, and risk turning us into eggs or something when we started, and partly for... privacy.

The belt has gotta be the most embarrassing, most uncomfortable thing I have ever worn.

So we all go back to the room dressed in the safety gear mostly over our street clothes, some kind of miracle happens and Sonata doesn't spill anything on the circle, knock anything over, or otherwise do anything to mess it all up in five seconds. Adagio is going over the procedure again like she's hoping we'll start singing along if she does it enough, and then we get started.

At first, everything is fine; we stand where she said we should, hold a tune like she said we should, glowy lines pop up where she said they would, I feel the little tingles she said we would, and the gems start to react like she said they would, but after a little bit of that, I turn my head to see how the book is holding up and I see it smoking. The magic's making noise now, something that never really made sense to me. I don't have time to think about how it happens before I see the gems, namely my gem (Adagio labeled which was which, I was not brave enough to risk the lecture by asking how), all crackling with red energy. The book has caught fire by the time it happens, but right before my eyes, I see it, I see exactly what Adagio has been promising all this time; my Royal Heartstone is whole again.

My breath hitched, messing up my part in the hymn we were channeling the magic with. It's only for a split-second, but the look in Adagio's wide eyes tells me she caught it. One stray arc of energy is all it takes to startle Sonata into screaming, which makes the circle go haywire. Before I know it, the book is making some god-awful screeching noise as it goes up in smoke. Arcs of energy are firing this way and that, the center of the circle starts to glow a blinding white, and I don't know which one hit me first, but as their bodies glow just as bright and fade away right in front of me, Adagio and Sonata's screams are the last thing I hear.

Sitting up in the hospital bed, I can vaguely hear one of the doctors saying something about my condition, how I'm not hurt. Just a little shaken up, but not hurt. I'm still alive. I wish I could say the same for my sisters.

I don't know how much I cried, but by the time they let me go, I've got nothing left. I don't see any of the safety gear I had on me, so I get dressed in just my street clothes and stumble out in a daze to find one of the Rainbooms is there to bring me home. It's a good thing I've got nothing left, because I might have slugged them square in the face and never stopped if they'd shown up sooner.

It's Fluttershy. She's the one they sent. I think I know why, but I don't care enough to ask her. With the way she keeps her head down, her hair would hide most of her face anyway, but I can still see that she knows what went down, and that she's not jumping for joy about it either. She doesn't try to make small-talk on the way, doesn't say anything about any feelings, or how she totally understands what I'm going through, or even any of that being-there-for-you spiel. She just walks with me, not saying a word, but making it feel like I'm not totally alone now. She doesn't say any of the expected stuff, but I can still feel it all from her. I don't know whether it's helping or not.

When we get to the apartment, I don't look twice at her before going in and closing the door. From the sound of her fading footsteps, she was expecting that. I head to the living room where the red, blurry remains of Adagio's circle still coats the floor. The ashes of the book, some miscellaneous scorch-marks, and the gem fragments are all I find. I see bigger chunks than I remember. They had almost finished reforming.

I feel like garbage for remembering that my gem was whole when everything went wrong, but I still want to see it again, so I inspect the scene more carefully. I find the safety gear I was wearing, thrown haplessly to the side, which gives me a better picture of what happened when they found me. I'm almost surprised not to see any burnt shoes, shredded clothes, cracked goggles, big piles of dust, not even smoking bones or a big, messy spread of Adagio's hair anywhere, but I know my sisters are gone. Looking around, I see something I hadn't noticed by the remnants of my sisters' gems; a little white object shaped just like my Heartstone.

White as a sheet. My gem has turned white.

They both died for this, and it was ruined anyway. Instinct was to rage, scream, cry, throw the damn thing out the window, but I can't even let go of it. Instead, I go to my room, root around my dresser until I find the black necklace I had when we came to this world (does it make any sense to think some of the magic must have logically been in our necklaces too, or...?), and fasten it around my neck. Looking in the mirror, I almost feel sick.

I decide to keep the the pieces of the other gems too, those and mine kept as mementos of my sisters. As I flop down on my bed, it occurs to me that I've got all the stuff in their rooms to remember them by too, but none of it would mean as much.

Ten minutes later, I realize I'm still wearing the chastity belt. I told the doctors the key was at home, so they didn't need to call a locksmith, but it's only now that the embarrassment for being caught in the stupid thing is kicking in. If I had nothing left, I guess I must have got something back. Anyway, I get up, head for the key on the kitchen counter, right where Adagio said it would be, get the damn belt off, and then go to sleep.

The next morning, I find I've done something extremely odd for me in having gone to sleep so early. I figure I might as well go to school. Don't know what else to do today, and I know I have to keep moving forward, like we've always done. Besides, if I just lay around for the next few weeks, I'll probably get picked up and absorbed into Sunset Shimmer's little reject rehabilitation program. I wonder if Pinkie Pie used to mix narcotics into her cakes or something, or if Fluttershy hosted dogfights before she got sucked in.

I know all their names, because they're the only ones that insist on talking to us at school. Adagio has been-... had been... bending over backwards to do every little thing she thought they wanted us to, always going along with every invitation for fear of getting rainbow-blasted again, or maybe even just beaten up, if we refused. Despite that, she never made any secret that we were still hoping to fix the gems, maybe so we wouldn't get in trouble for having lied about it. Sunset would always just smile in a "Yea, sure, whatever" kind of way before making the next friendly suggestion. I bet she's laughing now.

It annoys me a little that all of the Rainbooms apparently know my number, but the texts force me to admit that someone still cares, even if it was just in that obligatory I-heard-there-was-death kind of way humans did. So, I pack a lunch (I don't care if it'd be cheaper to eat at the cafeteria, school food sucks) and head out, starting my first day as the last siren.

Walking to school, I think about funerals. Did we-... I... have money for two at once? Would anyone even show? Would I want them to? Would they want them to? I have no idea what to do about that.

You know that feeling you get when you realize at the last minute that you're doing something dumb, but don't wanna look dumb by backing out of it and going home? It's the one where you plow through anyway and just feel dumb. That's what I got when people started looking at me as I walked into CHS. I guess it was one of the Rainbooms that found me, just me, and brought me to the hospital, because it looked like everyone I passed knew something had happened. I never asked Fluttershy how she knew I was there in the first place. Hope they don't want cab fare, Sonata was the one that found a job in this part of town.

Of course, it might just be that I'm here by myself, and the three of us were always kind of a unit. That might've gotten me weird looks even if Adagio and Sonata just felt like staying home that day. I'm still going with the assumption that everyone knows what happened, because the looks I'm getting are less "Oh, go die in a ditch already" and more "Are you okay? Does it still hurt?"

...Shut up, Sonata comes up with names for facial expressions. I mean, she used to. I wonder if she'd have been getting the same kind of attention as I am if she'd been the one coming alone. Would Adagio? I can see her getting the same looks, at least until she walked past these people and they turned their heads. I think all three of us got that, really, but especially her.

Is it wussy to say I miss them? It hasn't even been a day yet.

Sunset Shimmer sits across from me at lunch. I can tell without looking at her that she's trying to be sensitive as she says she's surprised I could come back to school so soon. I know what she's expecting, I know what she wants me to do, but not only do I not get all tearful about my dead sisters, I don't even glare at her. No yelling, no swearing, no throwing food at her, nothing. She wants some emotional outburst outta me, even getting all sentimental herself to draw it out, but I don't give her a thing. I explain in dry tones that I'm just going to move on, catching myself at the last second before I say anything about the other two.

Pointlessly spiteful? Maybe, but I take the petty victory with hidden satisfaction as Sunset sighs, dispenses a bit of the talk I figured Fluttershy would yesterday, invites me along for the weekly game of Sewers and Sphinxes if I'm still interested (long story), and goes away.

Class isn't any less boring than usual. I wasn't thinking it would be, but it's eerie seeing something that never changes, no matter how drastically something else has changed for you. The rest of the world keeps spinning. That's why I, we, had to keep moving too. Sonata used to ask tons of questions in class, possibly because the teachers had a knack for asking "Does anyone have any questions?"

I didn't always get to watch, but if she was just ticking them off on purpose, it might be the cleverest (is that a word...? Yea. Feels like one.) thing she ever did. Adagio won some Rainboom approval by rigidly doing her work, answering questions, sitting up straight, everything model students are supposed to do. Not that it matters now, but I think Sunset knew what she was up to and just pretended not to notice, like she was afraid the ever-present threat of them ganging up on us if we got out of line again might make things awkward if she didn't ignore it.

It's funny. I'm more vulnerable than ever now and I don't even care.

So, about that Sewers and Sphinxes thing. Apparently, the nerd version of Twilight learned we have some of the rulebooks and invited Sonata (and consequently all three of us) to join her, Sunset, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and a brawny dolt named Bulk Biceps for a near-weekly game together.

"Ugh, why are we even going to this thing, Adagio?"

"Because as long as we're under their watch, they won't have to come after us, Aria. We've already shown that we can't be trusted not to pull something again if they let us slip away, so we do what they want until we can fix the gems."

"And then?"

"Do what we should have been doing all along; use our talents to find willing servants to adore us!"

Adagio acquiesced, because of course she did, but I actually had some fun beating Rainbow Dash at racking up a bodycount and looting the most gold. The way it works is a little complicated, but if you can get somebody to put a dungeon together on paper and switch between two or three different rulebooks on the fly, you and everyone else in the party can have imaginary, dice-rolling adventures together, doing pretty much anything you can think of. I wouldn't say they were 'friendly' get-togethers, because when we weren't rolling dice, talking strategy for monster encounters, or doing the slow role-playing stuff (ugh), things always got tense, uncomfortable, or both.

Like, last time, I actually thought Fluttershy was gonna wring Sonata's neck for making her character poison some duke while framing the next in line for the throne for it during the queen's funeral. Unbeknownst to the royal court, Her Highness's gruesome end at the hands of a rogue guard-minotaur was also our party's doing. Anyway, we all profited from it, so I don't know what Fluttershy's deal was. Sonata did roll a Chaotic Neutral character, so her Lawful Good druid really only had herself to blame for trusting her.

Thinking about that was how I got through the day without dwelling on being alone for the rest of my life.

I don't know if they're just feeling merciful, but the Rainbooms let me go home by myself, unmolested by offers of replacing my sisters or whatever. I head to the nearest mirror to see my white gem still hanging around my neck. Nobody said a word about it, so maybe no one even noticed it. I touch it for several long minutes, but I can't remember what my gem felt like before, so I don't know why I bothered to try making that comparison.

I amble around the apartment for a bit. It's all mine now. Eventually, I settle on how I want to pass the time; flop down on the couch, curl up into a ball, and close my eyes.

"...Do you think she's gonna cry now?"

The sound of Sonata's voice freezes my blood. Part of me is pissed, because I haven't been lying here alone nearly long enough to go insane. Then I hear what is unmistakably Adagio's evil chuckling.

"We weren't gone long, I'm sure she didn't miss us that much."

I sit up so fast it makes me a little dizzy, tears stinging my eyes as I snap "I DID miss you!!"

Then I stare in numb shock at the translucent figures of Adagio and Sonata. They hover off the ground, their hair and clothes gently swaying as though underwater. In the back of my mind, I'm expecting Adagio to make some smartass comment about me underestimating her if I thought she would die so easily, or Sonata to make some stupid pop-culture reference, but both of them just smile gently as Adagio talks to me all soft and quiet-like.

"How are you feeling, Aria? No wounds, no injuries?"

"I-I'm fine," I squeak, "just... you died."

"Yea," says Sonata, frowning as she looks down at her spectral form, "that kinda bites."

I'm not squeaking anymore. "'KINDA BITES'?! I got you two killed!!"

Adagio's eyes narrow, and once again, I know I'm going to obey her before she's even given the order. "Pull yourself together, Aria!"

I close my mouth, feeling like I'm being scolded for slamming the door again as she keeps going.

"Yes, Sonata and I are-" she briefly examines a see-through hand, "-...indisposed, but we need you to keep your head on straight."

"S-so, what," I half-plead, "you two are just... ghosts now? Shouldn't you have gone t-to, I dunno, w-whatever comes after dying? Is this it?" I had so many questions. "Did you g-go there and get sent back? What was it like? All sea foam and clear skies, or b-black like the trenches, just stark-white purgatory? Are you here f-for-"

"We don't know!" Thankfully, Adagio's interruption stops me from babbling on like a dork. "I don't know what happened during or after the ritual, but Sonata and I met up in a void somewhere."

Sonata frowns at me. "It was pitch-black loneliness for hours, totally sucked." Then she grins. "But like, we could absorb feelings again!" Back to frowning. "We didn't really see anything but grief and sadness, though, and that's always so sour!"

"Indeed," sighs Adagio, "but it gave us the strength to emerge from... wherever we were, which brings us to-..." Her eyes widen as they lock on my gem. "...Is that...?" My brain is lying on its side as she floats closer to me for a better look. "It's... it's in one piece! I suppose that fits, yours was the first in the circuit, but why is it so pale? Did you paint it to hide it from the Rainbooms or something?"

I step back, shaking my head. "Why should I think you two are even real?! How do I know I'm not just tripping hard on survivor guilt?!"

Adagio tilts her head a little, doing that bemused eyebrow thing at me. "I suppose a little doubt is healthy... Alright, check the cabinet over the sink, second to the right, look in the little garlic powder jar with the red lid and you'll find my notes for the Sewers and Sphinxes campaign I was putting together for our next game." And then she waits, looking at me in a "your move" kind of way.

I head to the kitchen, go straight for the seasoning drawer she told me to, look for the garlic powder (really, I just look for a red lid), and twist it open to find that there's nothing but a rolled-up piece of paper. Whether these are actually her notes or not (can we still play like this, if I roll the die for everyone...?), I had no idea I'd find this here, or that we were out of garlic powder. I can't remember a time we used the stuff, actually, so Adagio might have picked up the bottle while we were raiding expired food from the supermarket again. I guess one thing they do right in this world is food, because you can usually eat stuff a surprisingly long time after-

Anyway! I never cook, so I had no way of knowing about this, which means Adagio just told me something that couldn't have been pulled from my own brain. I smile.

"You're real!!"

She and Sonata giggle a little at me for this, but I don't care. At least on some level, I have my sisters back.

"And if you're still not sure," Sonata says with a big grin, "I can show you which file the porn stash is in on the laptop!"

My jaw drops. Adagio is giving her a deadpan stare, but Sonata just keeps smiling proudly for a full minute of silence. I slap a hand against my flushed face. "Y'know what, Sonata? I don't need to go check that one, because only you would say something that stupid."

There's a pause. Adagio snorts, then tries to muffle her giggles with a hand over her mouth. Sonata sticks her tongue out at me at first, but she starts laughing too, I join in, and for a minute, it's like nothing has even changed. Somehow, I'm still smiling when I ask them.

"Why doesn't this bother you guys? Being turned into the snake-monster was one thing, but you guys are dead, and it's like you don't even care."

That they both frown and look away instead of at each other tells me they both have their own reasons. I point this out, and Adagio is the first to show that she doesn't feel like keeping secrets anymore.

"I think our brief imprisonment gave us both some time for reflection. I'm not exactly pleased to have caused my own untimely demise, but considering that I didn't take sufficient measures to prevent this, it-"

"Are you going to ignore the part where I messed it up first?"

She doesn't answer right away. I can tell by the look on her face that she doesn't want to let me or Sonata hear that it might be our faults.

"...Regardless of what happened during the ritual, I was too hasty in my attempt to fix the gems. Given a few more weeks, I likely could have composed something more stable, as opposed to a bare circuit that would get the job done with physical protection worn almost as an afterthought." The conviction in her tone and the severity in her face give me chills. "I don't regret having wanted to repair them in the first place, but if my current state is the price I pay for trying, so be it."

"Well, hey," Sonata offered with a weak little smile, "don't act like it was all your fault. Who was it that kept pushing you every day, right? "Hey Dagi, can we fix 'em yet?" "Can we get our magic back soon, Dagi?" "Man, my job sucks! When can we get our power back and blow this joint?" ...It's like, maybe you wouldn't have been in such a rush, y'know?" She floats over to me, pointing a finger just under my chin, her sad smile unchanged. "Me and Dagi are goners, but you've gotta make the most of this now. Okay? No arguments."

I might have argued anyway, but with the way she and Adagio are smiling at me despite their own losses, it's a full three minutes before I stop crying like a bitch. "What... w-what am I supposed to do?"

"Whatever you want," Sonata answers with a cheerful grin.

Adagio nods. "She's right. Your life is entirely your own now, I can't tell you what to do anymore. But," she added with a characteristically coy, knowing little wink, "lacking anything better to do, I'll be around to offer advice."

"Yea," cheers Sonata, "I dunno how long we'll be floating around like this, but you've totally got us for support!"

For the next minute, nothing important happens. Really. On a completely unrelated note, Adagio ponders the idea that tearful, emotionally-charged group hugs may be thwarted by two of the participants being incorporeal while Sonata laughs about the idea of someone falling on their face for trying. Adagio is halfway through asking if I've tested my gem at all when the doorbell rings, and since we've recently learned that neither she nor Sonata can touch solid objects, answering it is up to me.

"Lemon?"

Our friend from the city gives me a sad smile. "Heya. I, heard about... y'know... Just wanted to see how you were holding up."

My mind goes blank. "...What?"

Looking away, she rubs the back of her head. "I'm not super close to my sister, but I know how I'd feel if I lost her. So, if there's anything you need, um..."

Oh, I think to myself, everyone else still thinks Adagio and Sonata are gone. Judging by the way she doesn't seem to notice them floating behind me, I have the sneaking suspicion that no one else can see them. Good thing I already confirmed that I'm not crazy.

"I-I, y-yea, it's..." I don't know what to tell her. "CanIgetaminute?!"

She smiles at me, all warm and understanding. "Yea, sure, take your time."

I close the door and bolt for my bedroom, where I'm sure Lemon won't hear us. My spectral sisters float through the wall a second later, Adagio in particular looking concerned.

"Aria? What's the matter?"

"You guys are ghosts!!"

Sonata huffs, crossing her arms. "Well, ex-cuuuuse us!"

"No, I mean, what do I tell her?! What do I tell everyone?!"

They share a quick 'Oh' look. Sonata answers first.

"Just tell everybody. Simple." I stare at her in disbelief. "What? All ya gotta do is tell everyone that we were trying to get our magic back by drawing on the floor and setting a magical snake-lady book on fire to fix our busted gems that used to be part of our bodies before we were chucked over the fence by a unicorn wizard, and that me and Dagi are haunting you now. Then we can all be ghost-buddies together! What could go wrong?"

"Other than everyone thinking I'm going into batshit-insane denial?"

"So?"

"So," Adagio picks up, her face contemplative, "it may be better not to tell anyone at all. We're here for you, Aria, but physically speaking, you're alone, and quite vulnerable. Even if your gem is truly in working order again, letting the Rainbooms know about it won't end well for you. Hell, they may even think you sacrificed us to repair it, and unless you want to live on the run, nowhere will be safe for long. You could tell them just about us, but it may be better to use any sympathy you can get at this point by letting them believe Sonata and I have departed. You can tell whoever you like, if you wish, but there's little practical benefit to doing so."

It's rare for Adagio to be the one Sonata angrily pouts at. "Other than not having to lie to everybody?"

Adagio shrugs. "Like we've never done that before?" She turns to me again. "I know I usually handled the talking in such instances, but I'm sure you can do it if you have to."

I scratch my head a little. "Uh... Well, what if, like, what if I only told a few people? Like, if we only let Lemon know and see how it goes from there?"

"You know what happens to secrets the more people know about them, Aria, but as I said, it's your decision."

And just like that, it's up to me. Adagio and Sonata effectively aren't much more than voices in my head now, so I'm in charge. Just like I always wanted to be.

And it's terrifying!

I agonize for the better part of a minute, but neither of them say another word to help me make the call.

I could tell everyone that my dead sisters are ghosts that follow me around now. What's the worst that could happen?

I could do the opposite, keep it to myself for life, or as long as possible. I can lie just as smoothly as Adagio does, right?

Or maybe I just let the few people close to me in on the secret. I could start with Lemon and see how it goes from there, provided anyone I tell doesn't go spilling the beans and causing a huge, out-of-control mess of misunderstandings, problems, and general weirdness.

What should I do?

Author's Notes:

...Starts on a bit of a somber note, huh?

Well, I hope you were smiling again by the end, reader, because while I didn't include a Comedy tag this time, there's no Sad tag either. Truth be told, the genre of the story is something I hope you'll be helping me decide!

But first, disclaimer: While I'm excited about this idea and couldn't find anything forbidding it in the FAQ, I'm not 100% sure stories in this format are allowed, and I'll re-work it into a normal, uninteractive story if it's not. It'll be much less fun that way, but if rules rule that it's overruled, then those rules are rules. I've seen stories with audience participation before, but not quite like what I have in mind here. In short, it's like a Choose Your Own Adventure, but with only one path, and your comments will decide which one is taken from chapter to chapter.

Please don't argue with each other about the 'best' possible path, because if you know my writing, you know it'll end on a happy note no matter what. I'm sorry if that cheapens the experience for any of you, but lasting doom, gloom, and tragedy just aren't my style.

Now, here's our first choice, with another one due at the end of every chapter, short or long!

-Tell just Lemon about the ghosts
-Tell everybody (starting with Lemon) about the ghosts
-Tell nobody about the ghosts

The plan is to wait at least three days before I even get started on the next chapter between choices, because that's around the time people tend to stop commenting, but I can't guarantee I'll always get started on the next one that soon.

**Next chapter started, voting closed! (sorry!)**

Chapter 2: Let's Talk

Vote count as of 6/16/2016:
Tell all: 3
Tell none: 5
Tell Lemon: 8

I take a deep, slow breath through my nose. I'd only just learned my sisters were going to be following me around as ghosts, and now I was (by default) the one in charge. The leader. The one who made the decisions.

Well... We can trust Lemon, right? She totally could've back-stabbed us in the city and didn't, so...

I looked up to find my spectral sisters just kinda hovering around as they looked back at me, waiting for my verdict. My verdict!! The thought makes my fingers twitch, but I manage to get my tongue working. "Okay, I'm... I'm gonna tell Lemon and figure things out from there." I'm looking straight at Adagio because this is the first time I'm openly defying her wishes with nothing she can do about it. That is, I'm about to learn if there's nothing she can do about it, because I don't know what kind of rules she and Sonata have now. I think she knows what I'm thinking, because she gives me an amused little smirk and shrugs her shoulders.

"Alright then."

Something goes boink in the back of my head. "I said I'm gonna tell Lemon about you guys!"

"Yes, I caught that the first time. I still don't recommend it, but I hope you'll think twice before you tell anyone else."

I look at Sonata, who gives me an irritated glare.

"She's still waiting out there! Get going, dummy!"

I nearly fall on my face scrambling back to the front door, but Lemon doesn't look at all annoyed about having to wait. Stupid Sonata.

"Heya again. Feeling better?"

"Huh? Uh, y-yea, uh... can I, talk to you for a minute?" The look in Lemon's eyes tells me she's bracing herself, but she nods and comes in anyway. I'm wishing I knew how to say I have weird news instead of bad news, but by the time we're sitting on the couch, I opt to just blurt it out. "Sonata and Adagio are ghosts."

Lemon looks at me with sad eyes, her mouth hanging open a little. Then she forces a smile and puts a hand on my shoulder. "Y-yea, I know, I heard from Twilight. For someone that lost their whole family, you look like you're keepin' it together pretty good, so if that's how you wanna think of it, I guess-"

"No, no, I mean, they really are ghosts, they're floating right next to us as we speak!"

Sonata tries to confirm my story by drifting where Lemon should have been able to see her and shouting. "HIIIIII LEMOOOON!!"

Lemon doesn't react to her at all, instead giving me a very rigid smile. "...Ooookay, maybe you're not taking this so well... Wh-which is totally understandable, I mean, what wi-"

I groan, looking to my sisters for help. "Guys, what's something I can tell her to prove it?"

They share a quick, uncertain look, but neither give me an answer right away. I can tell they're trying to think of something, maybe something personal by the looks on their faces, but that doesn't make sitting here looking like I'm talking to myself any less awkward. Adagio opens her mouth first.

"Tell her-"

But then she's cut off by Sonata. "Tell her her best is good enough," she says with slightly teary eyes, "she'll know what it means!"

"Uh... okay." I look Lemon in the eye. "Sonata says your best is good enough."

She looks back at me, blank. "...Huh?"

Sonata is pissed. "SHE DOESN'T REMEMBER?!" She looks directly at Lemon to shout the rest. "It was our big, touchy moment together, you mop-haired eardrum-blasted bitch!! HOW COULD YOU FORGET?!"

I wince, and not just because of the name-calling. I remember what Sonata said that day.

"Sometimes, I feel like I don't belong with Aria and Dagi, either."

"Uh... Sonata? Are you talking about that time while we were still a snake-lady? Because, Adagio and I were there for that too, y'know." On account of everyone turning to look straight at me, it's possible that this utterance was a mistake. On the bright side, Sonata looks less angry, more shocked.

"W... wait... y-you guys heard that? When I said I thought that I...?" She's startled when a guilty-faced Adagio puts a hand on her shoulder.

"I whispered into Aria's ear to wake up and keep quiet the second I leaned down, nuzzling her only enough to keep up the facade that we weren't eavesdropping." The wide-eyed look Sonata gives her leads to a sheepish smile. "We weren't sure how to approach the subject without spoiling the moment, but... Well, honestly, you are kind of a screw-up and you have held us back a few times, but even if we don't say it as much as we should have, Aria and I-EEP!!"

Her arms wrapped tightly around Adagio, Sonata tearfully demonstrated that the two of them could still hug each other. "Awww, you guyyyys!!" She glanced over her shoulder at me. "Wait, is that true?"

I don't wanna say it out loud, but I feel myself turn a little pink anyway as I nod, and not just because I know Lemon is watching this in silence.

Her smile almost doubles in size. "Awww!!" Possibly to make up for the fact that she can't hug both of us, she settles for squeezing Adagio even harder. Part of me takes morbid delight in the way she squirms in Sonata's grip, so I'm almost disappointed when she sighs a little and gently hugs Sonata back.

"Okay," says Lemon, snapping my attention back to her, "either you're a way better actor than I'd have given you credit for, or there really is an invisible conversation going here, because I don't know how else to explain the way your face keeps changing." She looks in the direction I've been looking. "So... Nata? Hebi-sama?"

My sisters break the hug, Sonata angrily crossing her arms and scowling at Lemon.

"Still mad at you!"

Confused though I am at 'Hebi-sama,' I relay Sonata's reaction to Lemon, making her frown and ask why. I have to look at Sonata for her response.

"Because she forgot our tender moment together! You don't get those every episode, dammit!!"

I again act as the middle-man, making Lemon chuckle and dope-slap herself, looking apologetically in Sonata's general direction. "Ohh, that! Yea, don't worry, I remember that talk, and it's helped me a lot since then. It didn't spring to mind right away, though, so sorry if that bothered you. Can you forgive me?"

I don't know what it must be like for her to stare into empty space while waiting for an answer for a question she asked someone else, but I stay the course anyway. Sonata smiles, blushes a little, gets all giggly, and dismissively waves a hand. "Aww, it's okay, Zesty!"

For the sake of my dignity, I only relay that Sonata forgives her before asking about 'Hebi-sama.'

"Um... I guess she never told you guys, but Dagi came back to the city a few nights a week to help with the tea shop. She called me about helping to work off that debt and-oh!" She looked where she guessed Adagio was, frowning. "And, about that... Let it go, okay? I really don't need the money, the shop is doing fine, and... I don't wanna take money from a dead girl, whether you have any to offer or not." She glances at me out of the corner of her eye, waiting for Adagio's response.

Whether ghosts need to breathe or not, I see Adagio take a long breath through her nose as she floats in place, arms crossed, and stares back at the girl who can't see her. She shrugs. "Well, I've paid with my life, haven't I? And Sonata's too." Sonata wraps her arms around Adagio's mid-section, looking up at her with a "No Hard Feelings" face, and I'm pretty sure I see Adagio's lower lip twitch before she looks at me. "I was the one that chose to shoulder the task of paying back what we stole anyway, and no legal documentation of the matter exists, so you should be effectively absolved. Tell her the matter is settled."

My first instinct was to object and ask about whether or not she was still worried about the Rainbooms, but I really can't see them tearing into me over 'making things right' at this point. I turn to answer Lemon. "She says it's fine. Now what was that about the tea shop?"

"Oh, yea. Like I said, she wanted to settle things because she was worried about Sunset, Twily, and the rest making life hard for you guys if she didn't (though I doubt they even remember all that by now), so we worked something out at the shop. Hehe, I started by helping them decorate, and somehow I wind up helping run the place, canya believe it? Her idea was just that she help serve food and drinks, but to keep the theme of the place, she let me doll her up in the kimono again, do up her hair, add some details with make-up, that kinda thing."

Lemon grinned with pride. "And then I got some ideas. Y'see, I figured if the shop was named 'Hebi No Onna Herbal Beverages,' we might as well go all out with the original snake-lady herself, so I brought some special contacts, fake fangs, and even subtly painted her hands to look sorta reptilian if you looked close. She was a natural at the elegant, fancy lady routine, too, which was a hit with some of the regulars. Before we knew it, she went from bringing people food to sitting in her own corner, peering over a fan while reading the patrons old folk-tales and poetry under the name 'Hebi-sama,' which is like 'Miss Snake.'"

She winked in Adagio's general direction. "They really like you, y'know? Probably because you've only shown up a few times, which keeps the mystique going, but I actually set up a 'tribute box' to see if anyone would give 'offerings' in the hope of 'summoning' you, and if the tips keep coming, we might be able to afford someone to play tradi-"

"Okay, okay," I interrupt, "so business is going great over there." I look at Adagio. "Why didn't you tell us you were doing this?"

She sighs. "Frankly? Unlike you two, I haven't done any paying work since our gems were destroyed, and if I wasn't working on them night and day anymore, I figured I should do something constructive myself. I meant to tell you both when the debt was fully worked off so that I could report solidly good news without risk of things falling apart later, or when you first caught me sneaking out in the middle of the night and cornered me into answering, but neither had happened yet, so..." Me, Sonata, and technically Lemon staring at her got her to blush and look away as she shrugged. "Just the same, sorry I never told you."

Sonata made an annoyed face. "Bet the attention was nice."

"If it were me they actually liked instead of the costume, nevermind that I was stuck in a kimono the whole time?"

"Oh. Right. But, weren't you worried someone might recognize you before?"

"Constantly, but the plan was to flee the city and never come back if I so much as suspected anyone remembered who I was. Luckily, there were only perhaps two people I recognized to stop by, and neither showed any sign that they'd seen me before." She chuckled, idly scratching her head as she started to blush again. "Of course, that was when I panicked and reached for a fan to cover my face as casually as possible, which was part of how the rest of the routine got started."

I look back at Lemon to clue her in that the others have stopped talking, then sum up Adagio's response. Lemon nods.

"I guess that sorta makes sense." She frowns. "I'll have to explain to the management why 'Hebi-sama' isn't comin' back, though. The shop brings in enough business even on days she doesn't visit, but still." She gives me an apologetic look. "I guess this is where I'd normally offer for you to give it a go if Dagi was okay with that, but I don't think anyone would be fooled."

I shrug. Not like I wanted to sit around sipping tea or reading to random weirdos anyway, nevermind regular, boring bus-rides to get over there. Instead, I nod to my sisters. "So, about these two... any chance you can keep a lid on them still being here? I kinda wanna keep it on the down-low for now."

She gives me a reassuring smile. "Totes, don't worry 'bout a thing. Y'know, I was wondering why you didn't look all cry-faced when you answered the door, and this is way better than thinking you'd be over here totally alone."

We talk a little more, with me middle-manning for Adagio and Sonata, then Lemon has to head home, but says she'll be there by cell if I need her. When she's gone, Adagio picks up an earlier topic.

"So, have you tested the gem yet?"

"Uhh... It's kinda been a busy almost-an-entire-day-now..."

"Fair enough. Test it now."

My eyebrows furrow a little. "Hey, I'm the one in charge here, aren't I?"

She gives me an amused little smirk. "Oh, of course, forgive me, it hadn't crossed my mind that your brilliant plan was to leave it a mystery, but if such is your enlightened ruling, then-"

I cut her off through gritted teeth, certain I'd be blushing even without Sonata snickering at me. "Alright, smartass, I get it." Remembering too late Adagio's talent for making people look stupid, I take a breath and try to focus on the gem. I hold a note, just a little warm-up tune like I've done a thousand times, just to see if I've got any juice.

I do.

For the first time since that night onstage, I can feel the magic, and not just the pitiful trickle we had before the night we saw that first rainbow-blasty thing, but a real, pulsating pool of energy. And it's all mine.

The thought makes me hate myself intensely, but when I look at the others, I try to mask it as tears of joy.

"It works." I think it worked, because they're smiling too, in the same way they did when they first showed up.

"Good for you, Ria," Sonata says softly, like she's almost glad I have this when she doesn't, and never will again. Adagio gets my attention before things get really sappy, floating around me with an appraising look on her face.

"I'm still not sure why it would have turned white... Does it feel the same as before?"

"Pretty much, like it did around the time we started feeding directly on Canterlot High kids."

She nods, keeping up the floaty staring routine. "Hmm... I, I'm trying to remember, we only had a few days to look at the tablet before everything fell apart back home, so..." The way she stares harder and harder at my whitened gem starts to make me uncomfortable, but she eventually sighs and breaks her gaze. "Dammit, I don't remember what this means, if it means anything at all. We'll have to keep an eye on it, so please tell us if you feel the slightest bit unusual, alright?" I nod, which gets Sonata to smile too as Adagio makes one last note. "And, just to reiterate, you cannot let the Rainbooms, or anyone, really, maybe even Lemon, know that you have any measure of your old power back."

"Yea," I answer immediately, "I got that."

She smiles approvingly at me and says no more about it. "So, what do you want to do now?"

I glance around the apartment. Nothing I really care to watch is on TV right now, don't feel like surfing the net with those two over my shoulder (because it's weird, okay?!), and don't have the energy to work out something so we can play Sewers and Sphinxes with only one warm body. One body, period! In fact, I'm actually feeling kinda drained, and not in terms of magic.

"I... I think I'd like to-"

Sonata grins. "Porn stash?"

I'm burning again. "NO!!"

"I'm just saying, you've technically got the house all to yourself, so-"

"That is NOT how privacy works!!"

Her wicked smirk tells me I've made a mistake. "Does that mean you would if-"

I'm pretty sure my voice cracks. "SHUT UP!!"

Adagio is giggling, but puts a hand on Sonata's shoulder. "Let her be, Sonata," she smirks a little as well, "she'll indulge her interests when she's good and ready."

They giggle at my expense, but it ends with two genuine smiles. I sigh and try again.

"I think I'd like to get some sleep, actually, it's been a Hell of a day."

"Of course, rest up if you need it."

I don't remark on Adagio giving me orders this time, but I'll try to think of it as her supporting a decision I've made for myself. Already makes me feel warm and tingly! I head toward my room, realize something, and turn on a heel. "Wait, uh... Do you guys sleep?"

They share a glance, Sonata answering first. "I dunno. We kinda just popped into the apartment after Dagi did her technobabble-get-us-out-of-the-dark-place-by-holding-hands thingy," I can't help smiling a little at the irritated face Adagio is making, the one that tells me there was a LOT more to it than that and that she doesn't like having her magic know-how dumbed down, "but we've only been ghosts since we found you crying on the couch."

Now I'm the one annoyed. "I wasn't crying!!"

"You did cry later, th-ow!"

As Sonata rubs the back of her head, I find that I'm extremely grateful that Adagio can administer dope-slaps for me. "It wouldn't make a whole lot of sense if the dead needed to sleep, but that wouldn't explain why we can, somehow, feel pain, if only from each other. Perhaps we sleep when you do?"

I make my way back toward the living room. "Maybe, but, I'm gonna leave the TV on just in case." Grabbing the remote and flipping through channels, I don't know what both of them would like, but I know I don't want them watching me all night. "Cartoons okay?"

Sonata beams and gets all starry-eyed. "YEEEESSSSSS!" She grabs Adagio by the wrist to bring her over the couch. "C'mon, Dagi, we've finally got time to show you what you've been missing!"

To my surprise, Adagio actually giggles a little and goes along with it. "Alright, alright, suppose I've nothing better to do." Smiling, she gives me one last look. "Sleep tight, Aria, we'll see you in the morning."

I don't think of this one as an order so much as one of those normal-family things. It's been a long, long time since we were one of those.

When I wake up, I'm instantly punched in the gut by a mess of feelings. All alone, sisters dead, got magic again, sisters actually ghosts, Lemon still around, everything that happened over the last day or so. My brain sorts itself out in a minute or two and I check my phone, finding a few more messages from the Rainbooms hoping I'm okay. Part of me actually wants to respond this time, but I have no idea what I'd say to those girls. Hoping I figure it out before I see them at school, I get up and head out to the living room, where I see Adagio trying to comfort Sonata as they float above the couch together.

"I keep telling you, it's a nonsense program about a pink dog on a dirt farm, none of it is real."

"I know, but it's soooo spooky! Can you believe this is a kids' show?!"

"Yes, which is precisely why none of us are in any danger from it."

"What're you guys watc-" I catch sight of the screen, along with some unholy abomination of animation that makes me jump back around the corner. "GYAHWHATTHEFUCK?!"

"See?!" Sonata is probably pointing at me. "Totally spooky!"

I can almost hear Adagio rolling her eyes. "You're both pathetic."

"More like you're desensitized!"

"I respond to threats and horrific things when they actually exist."

"Pfft, whatevs, I'm just glad I don't have to sleep anymore." She gasps. "I'll never have nightmares again! I can watch ALL THE HORROR MOVIES!!"

Trying not to look at the screen again, I step out where they can see me, getting a wave from Adagio.

"Sleep well? I hope Sonata's screaming didn't wake you."

"Screw you, cats are not meant to have British accents!!"

In light of that... thing I spotted, I'm actually scared to ask what they're talking about. "Uh, I-I'm fine, thanks." I head to the kitchen for a bite, ignoring Sonata's pleas to change the channel.

We watch some stupid game show together while I eat, then it's time to get ready for school.

"Ooh," Sonata chirps, "you should raid our closets for a whole new look! Not like we need the outfits anymore."

I glance down at myself. "What's wrong with a hoodie and jeans?"

"Other than it being totally boring? It's frumpy, and doesn't show off your cute butt at all!"

It's been a few years since we came to this world. I'm comfortable with my human body. Really. The exceptions to that are when I'm naked when no one else is, and when people (usually Sonata) eye me up when I don't want them to. In Sonata's case, I never want her to. That is the only reason I turn red and try to cover myself even while fully clothed.

"Y-you, you keep your eyes to yourself!!"

Adagio shrugs. "You won't garner as much respect if you don't put any effort into your appearance. Make use of our wardrobes if you like, but your old dance outfit should be fine." She gives me a self-effacing smile. "At least we know the pants will fit this time, right?"

I chuckle, then really take a minute to think about it. It's a new day for me, and I can present myself to the world however I want.

I could just stick with what I've got now. Clothes are clothes, and I'm fully dressed. It's not all that flattering, but I don't draw extra attention this way either.

On the other hand, I kinda like my own outfits. They're unique, they're me, but I just wasn't in a mood to care what I wore before. Still, what message would it send if I came in looking like I did when we first showed up?

Or maybe I do something totally different, reinvent my look like Sunset did some time after we skipped town. Sonata and Adagio even gave me permission to take their clothes, so I could wear pretty much anything in the house if I wanted to.

Heh, I hate to be stereotypical, but it's a pretty normal 'girly' problem: What should I wear?

Author's Notes:

There were some very well-reasoned arguments in favor of last chapter's choices! In the interests of fairness, I can still only count them as one vote, but they were interesting to read.

Now, this chapter's choice!

-Wear hoodie and jeans
-Wear Aria's old dance outfit
-Put together a new outfit from the sirens' collective wardrobes

I feel like I should elaborate that the 3rd option has more variety than just what we've actually seen them wearing in Rainbow Rocks, but I don't realistically think I can (or should) put together a list of every article of clothing owned by three girls. The idea behind that one is just coming up with something new, not necessarily a mish-mash of the Dazzlings' typical outfits, so we have a rare choice in which ideas and suggestions are welcomed, but I'll come up with something myself if none are offered or if they don't quite feel right.

So, if there are no questions, I'll probably close voting in about a week, both to give more time and to focus on other stuff myself. See you next time!

**Next chapter started, voting closed! (sorry!)**

Chapter 3: Invisible Classmates

Vote count as of 6/25/16:
Old outfit: 1
Street clothes: 3
New outfit: 4

I probably should put a little more thought into my look than your average hobo, and while I like my old outfit, nothing says I can't try something fresh. I mean, showing up in something new is probably gonna turn some heads, but since when do I care what people think?

...Well, other than when Adagio was face-rubbing me in front of witnesses. Or when Sonata practically made passes at either of us in public. Or when law enforcement gave us funny looks. Come to think of it, the whole crowd of We Want You Dead stares at the end of the Battle was pretty scary for-

Gah, whatever! I'm gonna give the new look a go, just to see how it fits. Besides, I've kinda always wanted to try on some of my sisters' clothes. I've never gone through their wardrobes before, but I know that both of them had a thing for various shades of pink and purple. My girlyness threshold is a lot lower than theirs, so I keep in mind the stuff I have in my own closet while looking through Adagio's.

"So you do have stuff without spikes on it!"

"Very funny."

"No, seriously, sometimes I wondered if you were planning to build some kind of pointy death-trap out of your own clothes."

"Plan D if I ever thought someone was going to try to break into our house."

I turn around and stare at her in shock, finding that Sonata had the same idea. Adagio gives us both a blank look.

"What?"

It's with a hint of fear that I notice half her shoes are stilettos. Plenty that aren't too girly, though.

"Ooh," says Sonata, pointing to something on a coat-hanger, "you should wear that!"

When I see it, my jaw drops. It's some kind of red, shiny bondage-leotard thing, like a skimpy, one-piece swimsuit with belts on it.

"Adagio... why do you have this...?"

Adagio casually inspects her nails. "It's relatively new, Plan C if we ever needed something from the Rainbooms."

"Gah!"

Horrific mental image now making its nest in my brain, I close my eyes and slam the closet shut. I already knew Adagio had outfitted (no pun intended) most of her wardrobe for seduction, and I don't mind showing off a little, but I'm gonna be wearing what I pick to school... So, that in mind, I decide I'll come back to Adagio's clothes later and head to Sonata's room, where I do indeed find her clothes. Scattered all over the room. Luckily, I have her here to help me find things in the organized chaos.

Unluckily, I have her here to help me find things in the organized chaos.

"Over here! I bet you'd look great in sneaker-boots!"

"Uhh, pass."

"Okay, how abouuuut... um... Ooh, this bow!"

"No bows."

"Eh, fair. I think this bra is clean."

"What? No."

"These black jeans?"

"N-... Well, actually-"

"Because I've always wanted to see you in my pants!"

"Gyagh!!"

After a while, I've got something I think I'm okay with. From Adagio's closet, I've got black, shiny, high-heel boots partly covering the sleek, silken, red tights on my legs and a fishnet shirt that goes all the way down my arms, ending in fingerless gloves. Sonata actually has some stuff the two of them convince me to try on too, like the dark-red, blue-striped, asymmetrical plaid miniskirt that hangs down past my knee on one side and stops just over the top of my thigh on the other. I'm still wearing my criss-crossing belts with the star-buckle to hold it up.

I also put on a white, close-fitting, sleeveless shirt that goes up to my neck, partly because I feel like it camoflagues the gem a little, and partly because the fishnet shirt alone left me kind of exposed, as Sonata was all too happy to point out. I top it off with a loose, stylistic jacket the same shade of green as my old vest, the torso-part of it stopping just below my shoulder-blades as the long, slightly baggy sleeves go most of the way down my arms. I roll one sleeve up to show the two spiked armbands I'm wearing on one wrist; one from Sonata's dance outfit, the other from the one Adagio wore on stage at our last performance.

All in all, I feel pretty snazzy as I head out the door. I've barely started down the street before I have a tiny heart-attack about my undead sisters not being able to follow me away from the house, because I thought that was how haunting worked. I end up worrying them both for nothing, because they follow me to school with no problem.

Speaking of which, I have to explain to them on the way why I'm still going at all. No friends there, not crazy about sitting in class all day, and there are other ways I could kill the time, but... I guess after all that's happened, I just want to try living a normal life for a while.

Well, y'know, mostly normal. Apart from the ghosts and my Royal Heartstone, whether I actually use the thing or not.

It's something we got a taste of since we came back, when fixing the gems faded from all-consuming obsession to just this private hobby thing we (mostly Adagio) did when there was time. In a couple weeks of just kinda living, no nigh-impossible goals or frustrating harvests to fret over, things were actually pretty okay. Not as great as being all-powerful queens of the world, but it was fine. It'd be cool if things could just be fine for a while. I'm a little relieved when neither of them argues with this.

The looks I'm getting when I reach CHS are totally different today, more "Woah, lookin' good!" and "Oh, that's new," (Sonata identified them on the spot), but with a few that just looked at me like my head was on backwards. Maybe I should have done something with my hair, too, but tying up in tails is all any of us ever knew how to do.

On the way to class, I see two doofuses, Lyra and Bon-Bon, smiling and laughing together. These two bug me, because they act like they're not really a couple even when the whole town probably knows about it by now. They even do the stupid hand-holding thing, the thing only couples do!

Well, I think. Maybe not. If so, that time I saw a little kid helping an old lady across the street was really creepy.

Anyway, hand-holding! Why is it even a thing?! It's so stupid! I heard it's to show affection or something, but if you're boinking someone you occasionally make cow-eyes at, they probably know about it already! There's no point in advertising it! So stupid!

I open my mouth to complain to Sonata and Adagio, but realize at the last second that no one else can see or hear them, so it would look like I was talking to myself. I can't talk to them in public if I'm gonna be keeping them secret, maybe if I whisper? Whispering to voices no one else can hear has never gotten anyone in trouble, right? Maybe I could just pretend to be talking on the phone, but that's something I can't do in the middle of class.

Speaking of things I can hear, you know what it sounds like when someone is talking in your general direction? When what was a low murmur becomes clear as a bell? Taking my seat in class, I can make out the voices of one guy talking amid everyone else.

"I mean, look at her! The other two go up in smoke and she's wearin' bright, cheery colors! Like she doesn't even care!"

"Well," says another, "other than them sexy boots. Think I could still get with her?"

A third sounds disgusted. "Dude! Her sisters just died!"

"So, what, I wait a week?"

"Ugh!"

I really need to interrogate a Rainboom about how anyone else knows this stuff. I don't catch the rest of their conversation over the sound of Adagio's quiet growling as she glares behind me, but she seems to sense it somehow when I glance up at her. Her rage melts away at my raised eyebrow and she puts on a sheepish face.

"Uh, d-don't mind me, I'm just, er-" she glances away, "-annoyed that Sonata is being an idiot again."

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Sonata floating in front of someone that can't see her, holding up her arms and making ghostly 'OOOOoooOOOoooh!' noises.

I can't tell Adagio that I heard them too without opening my mouth, so I just smile a little at Sonata's Christmas Past impression.

Class gets started and soon I'm bored again. I can't tell if Adagio is paying attention out of habit or if she genuinely finds it interesting, but she spends the whole time focused on the lesson. Sonata takes the opposite approach; doing loop-de-loops in the air and flying around the class at random, looking in people's desks, reading text messages they're sending in their laps, that kind of thing. Eventually, she gets bored too and starts calling out things like "BOOOOR-ING!" and "Someone change the channel!"

I chuckle quietly at this, which I guess encourages her, because she starts going further with random peanut gallery stuff any time the teacher makes a mark on the board, and later, every couple of sentences.

"Off-sides! Foul!"

"Woo, take it off!"

"Plural pronouns, for the million-dollar question!"

With a glance at Adagio, I see she's just rolling her eyes at us, but I manage to keep a lid on my snickering enough that the teacher doesn't notice. I think the kids around me did, though, because I'm getting some funny "What the Hell is going on there?" looks by the time class is over. On the way to my next class, I overhear something that makes me stop for a split second.

"Hey, did you study at all for that thing in History today?"

Crap!!

We were told about the test yesterday, but I was still too out of it to care! I jog to the nearest restroom, which I'm lucky is empty, but I head to a stall so I can at least pretend I'm on the phone if anyone comes in.

"Guys," I loud-whisper, "c'mere for a minute!"

"Oh, Hell no," says Adagio, "I've had quite enough of-"

"C'mon, I just need your help with something!"

"Still no!"

When I realize what she's objecting to, I feel myself blush up to the ears. "Not that!! We need to talk and a stall is private!"

She's audibly relieved. "Oh... Say that sooner next time!"

Bathroom stalls are very small spaces, so it's a good thing Adagio and Sonata only poke through the walls from the shoulders up. Sonata tilts her head a little.

"Whaddya need?"

"There's a test next period and I don't even know what it's covering, but you know this stuff, right, Adagio?"

She touches a contemplative fingertip to her chin. "Hm. Well-"

"Wait," says Sonata, "why do we even care about grades now? Going out of her way to play nice with the Rainbooms was Dagi's thing, but you and me usually just did whatever."

"Yea," I deadpan, "because willingly coming to school when I have no friends here and no intention of making an effort totally isn't suspicious, right?"

"Huh... Well, you've got magic again, right? Couldn't you just sing the teacher into giving you a good grade?"

Adagio whips her head toward Sonata. "Are you out of your mind?! Aria cannot afford to get caught doing anything of the sort, and even if she's not caught in the act, the effect may be noticed anyway! I've spoken to this world's Twilight a few times now, and I know she had a device for detecting, and absorbing, magic, and until we have a countermeasure for her, using magic at the school is a needless risk!"

"What about just making her let Aria take it later? We could do whatever we wanted while everyone else was takin' the test, and it'd give Aria time to brush up on the material! Or heck, she could try asking all nice, just say she was too sad to study because you and me bit the dust a couple days ago."

"That... Hm. Just asking should be alright..."

"And if it doesn't work, then she could-"

"No!"

"But we could be careful! If she only sings when there aren't any witnesses, she'll never get caught! For all we know, Twilight doesn't even have that stupid thing anymore."

"And if she does?"

"Then... um... we could like, just say that the gem is broken, but still a magical thingy, that her doohicky was just detecting that?"

Adagio gently shook her head and sighed, then looked at me. "What was your idea again, Aria?"

"Just have you tell me the answers as I go. If nobody else can see or hear you, who's gonna know? I don't think even Twilight's gizmo can detect that."

"Hm. That sounds much safer," she winces a little, "but... History isn't your strongest subject, is it?"

I scowl. "Hey, I was a major history buff back home, remember? Not my fault none of that counts here."

"I know, I know, but what will it look like if you suddenly start doing well? Now, I suppose technically, using Sonata and I for information, not copying other peoples' answers, wouldn't be cheating, because if no one but you can see or hear Sonata and I, we might as well be part of your own brain. The idea that cheaters don't prosper in the long run comes from the anticipated loss of whatever the cheater was using to prop themselves up, thus hindering them greatly down the road, but because we intend to be with you for the rest of your life, that doesn't really apply in this case. Unfair to those who aren't as blessed? Perhaps, but that's your gift now, and you could make the same case for Twilight Sparkle and Sunset Shimmer."

She reaches her hands through the door to make weighing gestures. "That in mind, even if they get suspicious and make you re-take the test under different circumstances, I can still be right there over your shoulder with them being none-the-wiser, but do you really want to risk that kind of attention? You have a bit of a reputation as a delinquent here already, Aria."

I frown a little. Harshwhinny is the one teaching history, and I'm pretty sure she's got it out for me. "So, you got any better ideas?"

She grimaces. "Well, I don't know about 'better,' but... How would you feel about taking the test on your own?"

"Fuckin' hopeless sums it up."

"Even an average grade would be a bit of a leap for you?"

"Kinda, Harshwhinny is pretty merciless."

"I see. You may do poorly on your own, but you won't be giving anyone ammunition against you by playing by the rules." She shrugged, crossing her arms noncommittally. "And, not that I don't trust Lemon, but should the Rainbooms find out about Sonata and I somehow, we can count on them not to give us any grief about doing things 'honestly.' That said, I'll cooperate if you want my help, and if we're careful, we might be able to aim for a C or a low B."

"Hmm..."

I get out of the stall and jog to Harshwhinny's office. Can't hurt to ask, right?

I catch Harshwhinny just as she's standing up to head to class, quickly making my case about the grieving process not leaving me much time to study. She raises an eyebrow.

"Truly? Because you don't look too heartbroken to play dress-up."

"Uhh..."

Something tells me I won't sell her with puppy eyes. That leaves three options.

The door is closed and there's still enough noise from all the people in the hallway that nobody will hear if I start singing. No one would know if I got her to let me take it later. I probably shouldn't outright brainwash her into giving me good grades, but a one-time thing to make her change her mind would be pretty subtle.

Or I could fold, go to class, and get spoon-fed the answers for an easy grade. Unless they've got some kinda ghost-proof chamber at this school, I can say I knew the material better than I thought and get away with it for sure.

Or... maybe I bite the bullet, do the best I can on my own, and carry on. Not like I actually have much riding on high grades anyway.

Harshwhinny is waiting for a reply.

Author's Notes:

I'm still working out how long I should wait before voting closes, so I think I'm going to try waiting until there aren't more than three votes in three days. Or something.

If the description of Aria's new outfit was at all hard to follow, feel free to fudge the details to your liking.

Tried not to ramble too much on the concept of friendly ghosts as a super-power, but it's an interesting idea.

The choice for this chapter proved difficult to come up with, because I'd really prefer that the options not suck, and one of my first ideas made me stop and think "Would anyone vote for this?" it took some doing to not make some of the options branch into their own options, which might have amounted to a chapter maybe a paragraph long.
One-Week-Later EDIT: Aaaand it looks like the option I changed still didn't look remotely favorable. At the very least, I think I'm getting a better feeling for how this works, which should help with the other choice fic I have in mind when the time comes.

Anyway, choice:

-Sing Harshwhinny into letting Aria take the test later
-Have Adagio feed her the answers to the test
-Give it her best on her own

**Next chapter started, voting closed! (sorry!)**

Chapter 4: An Essential Task

Vote count as of 7/4/2016:
Hypnotize Harshwhinny: 0
Give it her best alone: 3
Invisible cheat sheet: 6

Sonata floats behind Harshwhinny, saying "Start with 'Look deeeep into my eyyyyes...!'" She frowns when I turn away.

"Uh, nevermind, I'll... I'll give it my best." With some help...

I'm not entirely sure as I open the door, but it almost sounds like she's smiling. "Good to hear, Miss Blaze."

We head to class and I give Adagio a subtle look on the way, which she responds to with a nod. When we're back in class and Harshwhinny is giving the usual test spiel, Adagio talks over her.

"Remember to write in your own words, or the change in vernacular might give you away." When the paper is on my desk, she floats over my shoulder to be able to read the questions. Luckily for me, she doesn't get so close that her wavering-with-underwater-effect hair gets in my face, even if it is translucent.

"Let's see... That general was on the other side of the country at the time, so that one must be false..."

"That 'war' was a complete disaster for both sides, to the point that the treaty was signed just to see it ended, but one victory at the very end made the 'winners' think the whole thing was proof of their superiority. Imbeciles. Be sure to include that the short-term gains from that battle didn't come close to covering the damage wrought or the massive casualties..."

"Umm... Hm... I don't remember this part... Sonata, does this date ring a bell?"

Sonata hovers upside down over the desk to get a closer look. "That one was... uh... Was that the time when they passed that law with the boats?"

"I'm not sure either. Well, we aren't going for a perfect score anyway, right?"

"We totally could, though! Somebody around here's gotta know, and nobody'll see if we look at their answers!"

"And how would we know that those answers were the right ones?"

"Uh... Genius vibes?"

Adagio snorts with amusement while I make my guess on the date question. "What, like correct answers would have their own special scent?"

"They could! Smelling smarts could be a groovy new ghost power!" She floats over to the nearest oblivious test-taker to sniff their paper. "...Do either of you know what genius smells like? I'd ask this guy, but it's not written on his paper."

I feel a little smile tugging at the corners of my mouth as she starts sniffing his head, whether the two of them can actually smell anything or not. "Shut up, Sonata."

Adagio gets back to helping me with the portions of the test she knows, which is most of it, but we make sure to miss a few anyway.

I've never half-way cheated at something before, so by the time I finish the test, I'm feeling just a little on edge. It doesn't get any better when I look up from my paper and see someone quickly turn their head, nor when I glance to my side to see someone else do the same thing. Feeling weird, I take a quick look around the room to find that those who aren't filling out their test are just staring down at their papers, like the tests will bite their faces off if they break eye-contact. I'm almost scared to look at Harshwhinny, but since it feels like it'd be suspicious if I didn't, I look at her to find that...

She's just sitting there, totally chill as she watches the clock count down. I figure the test is just really hard, which is something I'll have to remember to comment on if anyone asks me about it. Then, when class is over, I realize something the second I step out into the hall.

"Shut up, Sonata."

I said that out loud. I mean, I kinda muttered it, but I'm pretty sure at least a few people must have heard me. I head to the nearest bathroom while making a show of taking out my phone just in case anyone sees me.

"I'm pretty sure I just talked out loud in class."

Adagio looks at me for a second, then gets her Serious face. "Angle the phone a little more toward your cheek, I can see from here that it's not actually active right now." I do what she says as she gets her thoughts together. "...You did say something to us, didn't you? I didn't notice either, what with how often-"

"Quiet, Dagi," Sonata interrupts, "Aria's on the phone!"

I don't facepalm, but Adagio is there to do it for me. "She's talking to us, the phone is a cover-up!"

"Ohhhh! Right!"

"Rrrgh." She turns back to me. "...So, you can probably play that off as reliving a memory in your head, perhaps say you were trying to recall a time we studied together (no one has to know that we never did) to find an answer, or that your mind wandered, or something along those lines. More importantly, we'll have to be more careful when in the public eye..." Worry seeps into my heart when she frowns. "That might be easier if you have someone else to talk to."

Eyebrows furrowing, I look downward in that way people do when they're talking to someone they can't see. "You are not saying what I think you're saying."

"I'm saying that having the two of us floating around you all day when you're not allowed to interact with us might be a little taxing on your sanity, and that you should make some frie-"

"AAAGH, no! Please, don't use that word!"

"Acquaintances, then! Just someone you could spend time with during the day! We'd still be here for you, and when you want to talk to us, you can say you're keeping in touch with some friends from the city, or even further away." The way her eyes suddenly widen tells me she just realized something, brushing a thoughtful hand along her chin. "Though things could get complicated if someone happened to call in the middle of that act, but maybe you can use one of our old phones or something. No one should be calling us any time soon."

A frowning Sonata floats down so she can look me in the eye. "You don't wanna stay alone forever, do you? To never talk to anyone but us and Lemon ever again?"

"Well, n-no, but-"

"Back when we had our magic," Adagio picks up, "back when we could use it openly, no one could really be our equals for long, to say nothing of our time in the palace, but now?" Shrugging, she gives me a searching look. "Well, you said you wanted to try living a normal life for a while, did you mean to do so alone?"

Thinking for a second, I sigh. "No, but I'd rather not join Team Rainbow Sunshine, y'know? I don't wanna feel like I'm just the next add-on after another one of their 'wins,' like Sunset and the other Twilight."

"I can respect that. There are other people in this school capable of lasting friendships, even if they don't all sing about it. I don't know if all of them will talk to you, but it won't hurt you to have allies."

"And heck," Sonata adds, smiling, "if you find somebody you can really trust, you could tell 'em about us and we'd all be pals!"

"Which I still recommend against," Adagio cuts in, holding up an index finger very matter-of-factly.

The warning bell for the next class sends me hurrying out the door, but I make the mental note to maybe try to find someone to get along with before the end of the day.

All three of us are a little surprised when I don't actually get all that many weird looks after saying something to one of my dead sisters in the middle of a test. Other than maybe two worried stares in the hall, everyone pretty much acted normal, giving me no unusual level of attention. I should still be careful in the future, but I'm glad one little slip-up doesn't completely screw me over.

When lunch rolls around, I stop for a second by the cafeteria door, packed lunch in hand, then quickly head right back out. The three of us came in through that door the first time we made an impression on CHS, and I don't wanna bring up any memories by lingering there. I stop in an empty classroom nearby, answering the worried looks I get as soon as the others float through the wall.

"Sooo... Where should I sit? Other than Sunset stopping by for a minute, I ate alone yesterday." I repress the urge to swear as Adagio sighs and shakes her head at me.

"Two weeks at CHS and you hardly spoke to anyone. I didn't go to great lengths to make connections either, but I at least managed to hold polite conversation with a few people."

"Anyone who might talk to me now?"

Sonata and Adagio share a quick look, say "Wait here." in unison, and float through the walls toward the cafeteria. Waiting in silence, I'm reminded of what that day alone felt like.

So quiet.

I can hear myself breathing, and it's making me self-conscious.

Luckily, they come back a minute later, Sonata doing so with a serpentine spiral through the wall and a big, ecstatic grin.

"Ditzy Doo, Photo Finish, and Ringo are all sitting together! I've talked to 'em a few times, and they're all pretty fun! Ringo doesn't say much, but what he does say always makes me giggle!"

I raise an eyebrow. "How'd you get to talkin' to them?"

"Ditzy gave me a muffin, Photo snapped a pic of it while yelling 'ZE FEEDING OF ZE SIREN!' or something like that, and I swung by every now and then hoping for more muffins, and I usually got 'em! No clue why Ringo hangs around those two, but if you sit by them today, you'll probably get a muffin."

Blinking slowly, I turn to look at Adagio.

"I didn't see many appealing options myself," she half-heartedly admits, "but there's room by Trixie, Octavia, and... um... Vinyl Scratch?"

"Freakin' who was that last one?!"

She winces a little, but gives me a sheepish little smile. "Sh-she reminded me a lot of Lemon, who reminded me of Vinyl in the first place, but that's not important right now, so I held my tongue when she showed up as a friend of Octavia's (when she and Trixie started spending time together, I still don't know), and much like Lemon, she turned out to be much less loathesome than I'd have ever suspected."

Glancing in the direction of the cafeteria, she frowns a little. "I developed a new theory on why we really weren't able to affect her during the Battle. Even if she didn't hear our music, our magic was still thick in the air all around the school and she had no Harmony magic of her own to fend it off, but in what little time I've spoken with her, I learned that that girl doesn't have a malicious bone in her body. Octavia is fairly cool-headed as well, so long as you're careful about swearing, but she seems to put up with it from Trixie without comment."

As all of that sinks in, I have one question. "Trixie swears?"

Adagio shrugs. "Not excessively so, but she's the one I think you'd find the most common ground with, believe it or not. Given that Sonata and I have spoken to these people without incident, none of them should really be bothered if you wanted to sit with them, though there may be an awkward phase about the two of us dying no matter whom you choose."

"Whoever you wanna talk to," Sonata says somewhat urgently, "You'd better do it soon, 'cuz lunch has already started!"

Nodding, I grip my packed lunch a little tighter and head back to the cafeteria.

I could sit with Photo Finish, Ditzy Doo, and Flash Sentry's old bandmate (is anyone but us and the Rainbooms still with their bands, or...?) Ringo. They sound like a bunch'a clowns, and anyone Sonata likes is bound to get on my nerves, but... Hell, I've always put up with Sonata herself, right?

I could try my luck with Trixie, Octavia, and Vinyl Scratch. Two of 'em are in the drama club, but it's not like I'm a stranger to the occasional monologue with a side of ham. That, and if I'm standing here with my gem apparently working again, I don't even know if it makes sense to stay mad about Vinyl's part in cheating us out of all the power in the world.

Then again, walking back into the cafeteria, I see Flash Sentry sitting with... Lyra and Bon-Bon.

PASS!

I notice the Rainbooms, and Nerd-Twilight, sitting at their usual spot too. The thought occurs that they probably want to know how I'm holding up, whether or not my new look is a sign that I've snapped or something, or even if I'm secretly plotting revenge on them or whatever. Stupid Rainbooms and their hero-complexes, think the world revolves around them.

...I mean, they've kinda been right at least three or four times now, so I get why they might think that, but still...

Anyway, I don't wanna get really close to those girls, but it's not like I can avoid talking to them forever. If I sat with them today, kept my cool and showed them that I was moving on just fine (even if they don't get to know why), then I might be able to snuff out their worries and start looking for real friends tomorrow. Then again, maybe if they see me hanging out with someone else, totally of my own volition, they'll clue in that that's all I'm up to?

Wherever I go, I don't think anyone at those tables will refuse me. Who will it be?

Author's Notes:

My faithful Siren:

You simply must stop eBay-searching those dusty old books!

So yes, Aria's current objective: Make some friends! Or, at least get to know some people a bit with the option to try a different table tomorrow, or the same one if you feel like she hit it off well with whichever table ends up picked this time, or wherever the choices bring us! I guess that sort of depends on whether I learn I've set up another lousy option that almost no one picks, or if the votes seem almost evenly spread, if that makes sense. Rambleramble.

Choice!

-Silly antics ahead with Photo, Ditzy, and Ringo?
-Civil (and maybe a little odd) conversation with Octavia, Vinyl, and Trixie?
-Cloudy with a chance of Awkward with the Rainbooms (and Sci-Twi), if only for everyone's peace of mind?

...On another note, does it feel at all like the choices aren't really having that much impact? I don't want to go Peter Molenuex with it and say every choice has big, serious consequences that affect EVERYTHING, but they shouldn't feel inconsequential, either. Trouble is, some of the choices made are a little hard to show consequences (good and/or bad) for only a chapter or so after they're chosen, made even less obvious by the fact that we'll never see the contrast to stuff I had in mind (I drum up a few plot bunnies for every option) if other options were taken.

**Next chapter started, voting closed! (sorry!)**

Chapter 5: Everyone Has Someone They Hate

Vote count as of 7/15/2016:
Photo, Ditzy, and Ringo: 3
Rainbooms: 3
Trixie, Vinyl, and Octavia: 7

I take a second to look at all three tables. I can always talk to the Rainbooms later, what with having their numbers and all, so no need to spend the daily allotment of socializing time on them. Photo's table might be a laugh, but if they're anything like Sonata, they might just be laughing at me, and I probably shouldn't smack anyone right now, let alone pour their food trays down their pants. Trixie, Vinyl, and Octavia might get on my nerves too, but... They kinda seem the least get-on-nervy, I guess. Civil conversation. That's my first stop.

"Hey," I say when I reach their table, which makes Octavia jump, "mind if I sit here?"

I can't read Vinyl's eyes through those shades, but she's not really smiling or frowning when she looks over her shoulder at me. Sitting across from her, Octavia is much more transparent, but her frightened stare is fading by the second, going more toward confusion. Next to Octavia, Trixie gives me a wide-eyed look at first, then wipes it right off her face, replacing it with nonchalant haughtiness.

"Trixie doesn't mind if no one else does."

Octavia shakes her head when I look at her, Vinyl smiles a little and pats the seat next to her. Adagio might have been right; not a hateful bone in her body. Then again, maybe I'd be pretty relaxed too if I could just pop in to claim a win I hadn't earned. I try to push those thoughts away as I sit down. At least being next to her will make it easier to not look at her.

"Sssso," starts Octavia, "we've, um... never met, I think? In person, I mean. I'm Octavia Melody, pleased to make your acquaintance."

The slight shake in her voice is the only dent in her otherwise perfectly formal greeting. I'm kinda grateful for it, because I never know just how to talk to ultra hoity-toity types. "Aria Blaze."

"Right, and this is Vi-" Her jaw goes slack and her face pales as she points to Vinyl, who I guess she remembers as having been involved in more or less destroying my life that one time. Not that it was a great life, I'll admit that now, but she still seems scared that this might make things awkward or something. Glad it's not just me.

Vinyl, still just smiling, gives me a little wave, which I take to mean the Battle was nothing personal. It really wasn't, which is my best guess for why I wave back at her in the same way. It's a weird thing to do when you're sitting right next to someone, but staying calm is surprisingly easy, like she's infecting me with her sheer chill-ness. Adagio and Sonata must be surprised too, judging by their expressions as they float around to where I can see them, but they give me approving looks for not making a scene.

Maybe it's so easy because I remember the snake-woman incident, and I'm aware now that even having total control over magically-enslaved, long-term thralls just to worship us might not have been as great as it sounded, even if we'd won the Battle?

She still totally cheated us, though. Whatever that's worth by now.

"And of course you remember the Great and Powerful Trixie," Little Lady Houdini cuts in with a haughty smirk, "whom, by the way, you are wise to choose as a companion for your time at CHS!"

"Uh, yea," I say noncommittally, "and, since you probably remember me too, I'm just gonna say, uh, s-sorry about what happened last time." I get nothing but confused looks for this. Even Vinyl kinda sends the vibe that she's raising an eyebrow at me, whether she actually heard what I said or not. "I mean, you know, how my sisters and I kinda brainwashed the school, then manipulated you into-"

"Oh, that!" Trixie scratches her chin while visibly searching her memory. "I forgot that even happened." Part of me is insulted, but she keeps going. "Got other stuff going on, y'know? Anyway, don't worry abou-err, Fear not," she says boldly, remembering her Stage Magician shtick, "The Great and Powerful Trixie is very forgiving!"

Before I say anything, Octavia gives her a little smirk. "Truly? Because I could have sworn you told me all about a life-long vendetta you'd sworn against Rainbow Dash for, what was it? Not buying some guitar before you could?"

"It was twelve, thousand, dollars," Trixie growled through gnashing teeth, "and that is not her only slight against Trixie! To start, that shred-off was a farce, because as is the case in most of their conflicts, the Rainbooms only ever prevail through use of magic! Magic that does not belong to them, at that, but the careless Princess Twilight, whose presence is what started this crisis-on-a-regular-basis thing in the first place!"

The way Octavia rolls her eyes says she's heard this one a few times before. I must have a bewildered look on my face, because she starts explaining. "Trixie is under the impression that Twilight's magic is the sole reason those girls rose to any kind of prominence."

"It is the only reason! None of them mattered any more than anyone else before Twilight showed up with the exception of Sunset, and even she was a mere mortal bitch-face. Ever since, they've reveled in their status as The Amazing Heroes (which, thankfully, doesn't actually amount to a whole lot) when they don't really do anything but stand around while someone else (usually the first Twilight, but last time it was Sunset) gets the magic going for them, and Rainbow in particular has no right to act so full of herself!"

There's a short pause before Octavia deadpans. "She's not jealous at all."

"I'M NOT JEALOUS AT ALL!! Why should Trixie care if all that power and Hero prestige went to someone else by sheer virtue of having buddied up with the weird new girl?! More annoying still is that all their talk of 'the magic of friendship' is total bullshit too, because no matter what they say, it's always exclusively their group that deals with the threats! It's like no one else has ever made friends around here, like the concept only carries any kind of weight when they do it, and even when she helped them stop the three of you," Trixie snapped her fingers while quickly pointing at Vinyl, "when's the last time they even spoke with Vinyl here?!"

Just the tiniest bit perturbed, I glance at Vinyl, who gives no meaningful input on the situation. An inquisitive look at Adagio reveals a perplexed face.

"This did not come up when I spoke with them, but her feelings on the matter are interesting... Do you think anyone else feels the same?"

I make the mental note to investigate that later, but for now, I wanna make sure my apology is getting across. "And, on that note, sorry we messed up your school and tricked you in particular into doing our dirty work."

Chuckling, Trixie gives me a smirk and dramatically drapes an arm over her head. "Oh, yes, Trixie was simply heart-broken to have been woefully misled into committing such heinous acts as dropping a bunch of smug, puffed-up fakes, who STOLE Trixie's spot in the finals, down a pit. Woe indeed!"

I wince. "Um... that wasn't their fault."

She blinks twice. "Beg your pardon?"

"The Battle of the Bands? That was a farce, because with a little tugging on Luna and Celestia's strings, nobody ended up anywhere Adagio didn't want them-" I look at Vinyl, "-'cept maybe for you."

Shrugging, she gives me an apologetic little grin. As if she's done something wrong by accidentally interfering with the evil plan. I'm honestly trying to stay mad at this point, but damn!

I look back at Trixie. "So, the Rainbooms didn't 'steal' their place in that fake, hollow contest, we gave it to them, then got you to steal it from them."

Octavia watches in surprise as Trixie stays silent for about a minute. "...Really?"

"...Yep."

"...Oh. But, does that mean you three also arranged for Rainbow Dash to cheat me with her magic in that shred-off?"

"No."

"Sing a little song about how the school had changed and we were different now, only for it to be a ruse to get the whole school to cheer for her in the stupid Friendship Games?"

"We weren't even in town at the time."

"Summon a giant hentai monster so she could fight it in front of everyone?"

"A what now?"

Sonata beams. "It's in the folder, I'll show you when we get home!"

I choose not to hear that as Trixie scratches her head. "Hm... Trixie still hates Rainbow Dash and dislikes the Rainbooms as a whole, but... perhaps some measure of her hatred for the whole group, not counting that other Twilight, was misplaced."

I, a siren, once a career instigator of hatred and malice, have just reduced someone's dislike of someone else. Yay friendship? Octavia seems even more surprised about this than I am, staring at Trixie in shock before slowly turning to me.

"In five minutes, you've done more to convince her to drop that silly grudge than I have since I've known her. You really are a lot nicer without the other two around." I barely have time to clench my jaw before her eyes go wide and she slaps both hands to her mouth, then quickly muffle-talks through them. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I-I didn't mean- I mean, I know it was just a few d-days ago, but-"

She quickly starts to cry through her rambling, I'm sitting there looking at my 'dead' sisters as they float behind her, and none of us really know how to react to this. Trixie looks immensely uncomfortable too, but Vinyl just gives me a sad little 'I Hope You'll Be Okay' smile. Then Sonata asks a question.

"How does everyone know we're dead, anyway? Like, we don't show up to school, so we must be pushin' up daisies?"

Adagio lights up with glee, grabbing Sonata by the shoulders. "You once wondered why we kept you around? Moments like this are a strong contributor!" She turns to me with a big smile. "Ask how everyone knows what happened to us, it'll give us more information and perhaps defuse this atmosphere at the same time!"

"Uh, hey," I say to cut off Octavia's nervous cry-babble, "first off... It's okay."

In addition to my new acquaintances, I think even a few people from other tables are staring at me as Octavia pulls herself together, like I've just broken some rule of reality and they're waiting to see what eldritch horror claws its way through the rift first. In their defense, what Trixie said a minute ago almost makes that sound feasible.

I elaborate as calmly as possible. "You don't have to walk on eggshells about it; I know my sisters are dead." Kind of. "Thing is; that's not the only bad thing that's ever happened to us. The three of us lived... interesting lives, let's say. Some stuff happened to us, but no matter what it was, we knew that we had to keep moving, or that'd be it. That's what I'm doing now, because it's what they'd have wanted me to do." I try not to look directly at them as they smile and nod affirmatively, instead focusing my attention on the visibly relieved girls around me. "And second; how does everyone know what happened, anyway?" And then they're uncomfortable again, but if everyone else knows, don't I have a right to? "Did the Rainbooms make a guess about when they found me and blab to everyone in school, or what?"

Octavia and Trixie share a quick, nervous glance and the latter gives me a sheepish little smile.

"You guys never heard, then?" I only answer with a raised eyebrow, which she takes as the cue to keep going. "Well, um... It's a very simple matter... Octavia, you tell her."

Her head whipping in Trixie's direction, Octavia glares at the blue back-stabber. "I believe the oratory skills of the Great and Powerful Trixie are more called for than my own, wouldn't you agree?"

"Oh, oh dear," Trixie says while making unconvincing coughing sounds, "T-Trixie appears to be coming down with a terrible throat infection!"

"Then we are in good fortune that Trixie has the strength of character to power through this difficult time, aren't we?"

Her mouth hangs open for just a little longer than is dignified. "...Fine." She looks at me. "Okay, so... There's kind of this blog that maybe a few people around CHS look at some times. It's about the three of you."

"...Uh-huh," I say while the rage starts to bubble up, "and when you say 'a few'...?"

"Like half the school?"

"How long's it been going?"

"Since you came back."

Adagio looks annoyed too. "The Rainbooms didn't mention this..."

"...Okay," I pick up through lightly-clenched teeth, "so... what, someone was just, spying on us? Who runs this thing?"

"Your next-door neighbor," Octavia answers quickly and quietly when Trixie hesitates, "the walls of your apartment are very thin, it seems."

Before I can reply to that, Vinyl taps me on the shoulder and shows me her phone, where she slowly scrolls through a list of posts, most made hours apart.

I've been hearing a lot of cartoon sound-effects, so I guess Sonata has control of the remote. It sounds like she's inviting 'Dagi' to watch with her, but I didn't hear a reply.

Door just slammed, so I guess Aria is home. Yep, Dagi is scolding her again. Maybe it'll stick THIS time, huh, viewers?

Aria and Sonata are having another lover's spat, so I guess it's around dinner time. For some reason, I never hear them going at it, even when Dagi isn't around.

Geez, Louise, I think that Dagi's hairdryer woke me up! It's too early in the morning for this and she runs that damn thing for like twenty minutes! I TIMED IT!!!

Things have been quiet, so I'm guessing Sonata is at work right now.

I don't hear everything from Dagi's monologues, but sure talks about Sunset Shimmer a lot. No idea if she's up to something, viewers, but I'll keep you posted.

I'm hearing a soft, but manly voice delicately assuring a feisty young woman that while her family may never understand, he'll always be there for her. Given that this was followed by sounds of crying and piano music rather than groans, pants, and saxophones, I'm pretty sure this is romance, not porn.

The kicker? I know for a fact that Sonata and Dagi aren't home right now.

OMG, I have no idea what's going on, but I just got home and they're talking about magic and monsters and Dagi keeps telling the other two to roll for things! They're talking about 'doing this' with 'those other girls' too! Are there more Dazzlings somewhere?! I don't know but i am FREAKING OUT!!!!

Okay, um... Two hours later, I'm pretty sure they aren't doing anything magical over there. Dagi giving a short speech about being 'ready when they play this game with the Rainbooms' gave me a clearer idea of what they were doing. False alarm. Sorry.

It's Tuesday, and from the way Aria is complaining, it was a good one for Sonata. Eeeew.

I don't know if my head is warming up from anger or embarrassment, but a few particular entries get my attention.

Something happened, something seriously bad happened, I heard them scream, there was noise and the walls shaking and I heard them scream! It's quiet now, I don't hear any of them talking, but Dagi was being all serious about something, yelled that she wasn't taking any chances (which I guess they did!!), the three of them started singing, then there were these weird noises, Sonata screamed, more noises, then more screaming, then a BIG noise, then quiet. I'm too scared to go over there, but if anyone is reading this, PLEASE GET HELP!!

...I REALLY don't think they're just playing a game this time, guys!!

The next one was posted about forty minutes later.

Okay, I think the Rainbooms showed up and took care of it. They were talking all quiet and I heard the words 'Let's get her out of here,' and they left. Dead silence. I dared peek out my window to see two of them carrying Aria, loading her into a car, and driving away. They aren't carrying Sonata or Dagi, and I don't see them walking with the Rainbooms. So, either they're abandoning those two, or...

I think... I think that whatever they were doing, the other two didn't make it.

So that's it. Our next-door neighbor has been spying on us. Listening in. And posting what they hear for half the school (And, y'know, the whole internet) to see. Given that EVERYONE apparently knows, I guess either more people tuned in for that update or it spread around by word of mouth, but I'm hit with a slightly chilling realization: The eavesdropper might have heard me tell Lemon about the ghosts, too.

Nobody has said a word about it, but with the layout of the building, there's only one door I might need to get through to make sure. While I'm thinking about whether I want to try to pick the lock (how hard can it be?) or just kick the damn thing open (I guess I would try to see if it was unlocked first...), I notice the other girls at the table giving me worried looks. I probably look a little mad right now.

"We can deal with our neighbor later," Adagio says somewhat urgently into my ear, "but for now, please, try not to think about it and just... I don't know, make small-talk with these girls." I can see it on her face when she remembers not being in charge anymore. "Err, if you want to, I mean?"

That last part draws a snort of amusement out of me, which makes it a lot easier to smile and not look like I want to tear someone's eyes out as much as I do right now. "Okay, so... thanks for showing me that."

Vinyl nods, Octavia sits very, very still, and Trixie makes a neutral face. "Sure. Any time."

There's an awkward pause. I shrug. "So, what were we talkin' about before?"

Trixie smiles. "How much the Rainbooms suck?"

Octavia raises an eyebrow. "Letting go of senseless grudges?"

"Trixie's grudges are perfectly sensible!"

Rolling her eyes, Octavia turns to me. "So, where exactly did the three of you go until just a few weeks ago? After you disappeared overnight, almost everyone was sure we'd never see you again."

Sonata grins. "Say we ran away to the circus!"

"Uh..." I glance at Adagio, who answers almost immediately.

"All of the Rainbooms know that we fled to the city and saw us as the snake-creature, so it won't do you any favors to be caught in a lie if they feel like fact-checking. I don't think we have anything to lose from letting them know this anyway."

"We ran off to the city, laid low for a while, then turned into a snake-lady. The Rainbooms heard about it, came over, and convinced us to cut it out and come back here." They stare at me. "...Do you want the long version?" The way they nod twice in unison makes me chuckle. "Okay, uh... It started with this book I found over the internet..."

I leave certain details out of the story, but I think they get the main idea of what went down. When lunch ends, Trixie smiles as we're all getting up. "By the way, Trixie approves of your new attire, very stylish!"

I clamp down on the impulse to make more of that comment than it is, and instead settle for a 'thanks,' but before I say it, she adds another observation.

"The gem even kind of looks like your old one!"

For a split second, Octavia stares just below my neck with wide-eyed horror, but it almost immediately melts into confusion, then relief. "Oh... That is a convincing replica. I suppose they didn't have any in red?"

"Nope."

I feel insanely, embarrassingly proud of myself for going along with the freebie without missing a beat. It's the little things in life. I want to make a monument to my own smoothness or something about it, but that would kind of give me away.

She gives me a sympathetic little smile. "Well, it looks lovely on you anyway. Will you be joining us tomorrow?"

Still feeling pretty amazing, I shrug as I turn and walk away. "Maybe."

As I'm walking toward my next class, Adagio (who had to wrangle Sonata away from ghost-drooling over food she'd never be able to eat) floats beside me. "Fluid lie, well done there, but acting aloof probably won't endear them to you."

"Yea, yea," I mutter at my (technically her) boots. I think I've got a class or two with Trixie and I know I have one with Octavia, so as long as I don't go Cold Shoulder at them for no reason, I think I'll have some pretty solid friendships soon. Then Sonata has to go and ruin my good mood.

"So... What're we gonna do about our nosy neighbor?"

The wait feels longer than usual, but school eventually ends without incident (apart from a few funny looks) and I head straight home, stopping outside our apartment. The door just down the walkway is where the eavesdropping blogger lives. I think Sonata knows what I'm thinking.

"Sooo... What're ya gonna do?"

"Stay out here for a minute, for one thing," I mutter, pretty sure it won't be heard if I keep talking while facing away from the apartment.

"I meant like, what are you gonna do with whoever lives in there?"

I clench a fist. "Kick their ass, of course! Or at least tell 'em off for spying on us and telling the whole world about it. Pretty sure I'd be within my rights for at least shouting at them a little."

"Right," Adagio says with an eye-roll, "there couldn't possibly be any consequences if you just explain it the right way."

"Glad we're on the same page," I say while strolling toward the door, but I stop when she quickly floats in front of me, not amused.

"Aria! Use your head; what do you think would happen if it got out that this person had been beaten or bullied in any way? You could resort to threats, violence, and threats of violence, or you could take this chance to seize the moral high ground."

I blink, lost. "What?"

She makes that evil grin again. "Think about it; if you were to knock on their door, calmly inform them that we didn't know we'd been troubling them with our noise (which happens to be true!), that things will certainly be quieter now that it's just you, and politely ask that the blog be closed, you'll have dealt with the problem while doing nothing wrong."

I raise a doubting eyebrow. "And if they don't yield to a 'pretty please'?"

"Then they would be knowingly acting against your wishes in keeping it going, for which you would be justified in escalating matters." She thoughtfully taps her chin for a moment. "I'm not sure if there's some kind of authority you could go to, just hearing people speak isn't illegal, but we can cross that bridge when we get to it."

I'm not exactly sold on playing nice with this eavesdropping scumbag, but before I can argue against it, Sonata chimes in.

"Ooh, I've got an idea! What if you pretend you still don't know about it, go home (it's like five steps away), and just make a bunch'a crazy noises? Look up kooky sound-banks on the internet and play 'em at max volume, run around the house screaming "MILKSHAKES, MILKSHAKES, MILKSHAKES," or something, just give 'em tons to report on! If you keep up the crazy, everyone'll just think the blogger is making it up for attention, they'll lose their credibility, and no one will believe anything they write about us! Or, just you, in this case!"

Adagio looks conflicted. "Hilarious as that might be, it's just as likely that everyone will assume Aria really has lost her mind, and even if it works for now, there's no telling if the posts would continue again at some later date. As she's still keeping two noteworthy secrets (our existence and having her magic back), it's better to be sure this stops now, before something is compromised."

"Oh, I can stop it alright," I say with a raised fist, but Adagio still looks annoyed about that suggestion. "What, like it wouldn't work?"

She sighs. "Yes, you brute, I'm sure it would work, but even if they don't go crying to their viewers, half the school, mind, someone will find out how you deal with interpersonal conflicts sooner or later, even if you don't do anything they can call the police for."

I shrug in exasperation. "So I'll go easy! No blood, no bruises, nothing broken except maybe their dignity, okay?"

"Not as 'okay' as just talking to them. Perhaps it won't be as satisfying, but it can only save us trouble in the long run."

"So can some noisy clown shoes," offers Sonata, "and maybe a sci-fi adventure soundboard!"

I take a long breath through my nose.

Whoever this person is, getting them to see things my way could be done quick and easy, even if I have to shout through their door to do it. They could have just walked over and asked us to keep it down, or made some kind of noise complaint, but instead they've been listening in on me and my (now mostly dead) sisters, then reporting it for all to see for two weeks. How am I not within my rights to give them an earful for it?

But, talking things out can't possibly get me in trouble, right? I kept totally cool around Vinyl today, so maybe I can do this too. But, what's to stop them from laughing in my face, slamming the door, and going to tell their online buddies all about it?

...Do I even wanna think about Sonata's method? I'm sure I could make all sorts of crazy sounds, maybe even act out my own little space opera. It might even be fun, but if people really trust this blog, I might end up being That Crazy Space-Girl With Clown Shoes And The Saxophone That Farts Christmas Songs or something like that forever.

How do I wanna deal with this?

Author's Notes:

Going to be slowing down on updates for this, partly because I badly miscalculated. When I first got the idea for a story like this (is the term Choice Fic already coined, or is there an official way I should refer to this story and those like it?), it appeared in my head as a long series of short chapters, maybe 500-1000 words, and that I'd be publishing a chapter, reading the comments, tallying up the votes, and typing up the next part within a day or two, thinking I'd be finished within a month or so.

Reality deviated from imagination, but I don't mind the result. I think I'll just wait at least a week between chapters and pick up whenever, which is pretty much what I do with my other stories +some enforced waiting time.

Now, notes for the actual chapter:
I would wonder how it was that the Rainbooms suddenly knew how to play instruments in addition to roller-skating, archery, and motorbike-riding, but all the rest of CHS suddenly had an investment in music too, during Rainbow Rocks, one they all apparently drop the second the movie ends, and no one but the Rainbooms (and maybe Lyra and Bon-Bon, though perhaps for different reasons) seems to be with their bandmates anymore.
I don't think it's a case of ponying up granting random abilities so much as the writing staff justifying the premise, and we'll probably see some more pop-up talents in the next movie. Other than the magic-bestowed super-powers, I mean.

And, since it's probably confusing, I feel like I should note that I do not necessarily agree with everything every character in my stories says, even when it's delivered as part of a rant. I figure that no one else's friendships matter in terms of magical horsepower potency because no one else was reasonably good friends with Twilight when the Element of Magic was used, that the remnants of that energy have been all-purpose plot-fixer ever since. It's not that their friendships aren't magic too, just that they weren't magic'd while in a state of friendship, if that makes any sense.

However, poor Trixie does not know that.

Anyway, choice!

1-Confront neighbor
2-Confront neighbor politely
3-Go back into own apartment, then raise Hell with wacky noises to discredit neighbor's reports

**Next chapter started, voting closed! (sorry!)**

Chapter 6: Sirens and Shut-Ins

Vote count as of 8/10/2016:
Be aggressive: 3
Be crazy: 3
Be polite: 10

Taking a deep breath, I calm down a little to make my decision. I'm itching to tear this prick a new one, but... I've gotta admit, that's probably just gonna get me in trouble. Sonata's idea sounds like fun, I guess her ideas usually do, but as is also typical for her, there's too many ways it could go wrong. Keeping a cool head has to work out for me in the long run, even if I have to go around explaining to people that the blogger is spying on me against my will.

"Okay, okay," I mutter to assure the others, "I'll try talking."

Adagio smiles at me, but doesn't say anything as I approach the door, knock twice, and wait.

And wait.

And wait.

I knock much louder, hearing a startled noise from the other side of the door. When they still don't answer, I feel the rage bubbling up again.

"I know you're in there, and I-" I stop myself before I say anything impolite. Deep breath. "...And I wanna talk to you. I know about your blog."

Getting impatient, Sonata pops her head through the door, then pops back out to look at me. "From the look on her face, she's definitely thinking about it. I'd give her another minute before she cracks and starts undoing those lock-bar thingies."

I can't ask what she means by that without risk of confusing the blogger, but maybe I can speed this up. "I'm not ma-... Sigh. Well, no, I'm mad, but I promise I'm not gonna hurt you, okay?"

About ten seconds later, I hear little bits of metal shuffling and scraping past each other, which is when I realize that Sonata was probably talking about door latches. Sounds like she's got at least three or four of the damn things, but eventually, the door cracks open, and past two thin chains that still hang between the door and the door frame, I can see her. She looks around the age of most girls at CHS (but then, so do I), a really light beige girl with thick-rimmed glasses, purple eyes, and red hair with a two-tone purple stripe. She kinda reminds me of someone, but before I put my finger on it, she starts talking.

"Y-yes, wh-what do you want?"

I don't need to see her whole body to catch her shaky posture, but I clear my throat and act like I don't notice. "You've been running a blog on my sisters and I for the past few weeks. As you probably know, I'm the only one left." I pause, but she doesn't challenge this assertion or make any sort of shift in her face, so either she's a fantastic liar or she didn't hear me talking to Lemon. Or the others. "Now that it's just me, I can assure you there won't be as much noise bleeding through the walls, and while we didn't know we were disturbing you before, I think things will be quieter now. As such, could you please stop that blog of yours? We-" My jaw twitches, but I've already said the word. I use the sad, anguished look on the blogger's face to play this off as loss. "...I, would appreciate it."

Working some emotion into my voice for that last part is pretty easy, because even if I know the truth, I don't like thinking of the others as though they're really not around anymore. I can tell it worked, because Snoopy Poindexter here looks like she's about to cry.

"Of course," she sniffles, "and, I am so sorry."

I shrug, not looking directly at her to keep this sappy moment from going too far. I don't wanna go tearfully hugging anyone if it can be avoided, especially not with a total stranger. Maybe she's thinking the same thing, because she pulls herself together a minute later, undoing the last two latches on her door to open it wider and address me like a person, not a threat.

"I'll shut down the blog. I'll need one more post to explain why, or my readers might, um..." She gives me an apologetic little grin. "Might jump to the wrong conclusions."

I nod, catching something just barely out of sight in her apartment. "...Interesting sense of decoration you've got."

Her eyes go wide and she glances over her shoulder at the offending object; a stethoscope with the listening piece taped to a wall, right by a stool with a pen and notepad sitting on it.

Floating through the wall for a better look, Sonata does her usual thing. "Huh, that is an interesting thing to decorate your house with, but I don't get the feng-shui of the notepad at all. It almost looks like she's been spying on us on purpose or something!"

Adagio just shakes her head as the blogger (I should really ask her name, it's only polite, but she didn't ask mine, either!) makes one of those "Please don't kill me!" smiles.

"Uhh, haha, that, that's there to, uh..."

More amused than annoyed (though I am annoyed) and keeping in mind that being polite is working out great so far, I make an effort to smile a little and keep my tone civil. "Yes? Could you please tell me why that listening instrument and recording stationery are placed by that wall?"

Though she keeps quiet, Adagio smiles brightly. "Very good, Aria!"

The little sense of "Yea, go me!" helps me keep a smile as the blogger gulps. "Okay, um... So, the walls here are kind of thin, but maybe not as thin as I've told my readers. You see, it started when I heard an argument through the walls, back when you guys moved back here. I had heard a little about you three back when I first moved here (long story), but I never thought you'd be back. So when Sunset came by to warn me after helping you guys move in, I-"

I totally don't do it on purpose, but me and Adagio say the exact same thing at the exact same time, though she sounds a lot angrier. "'Warned you?'"

She flinches, giving me a sheepish little smile. "Err... W-well, I mean, I d-don't know if it was like a warning-warning, just, her exact words were 'Those girls are back, please try not to aggravate them if you can help it.'"

I feel a little of my annoyance drain away, because that didn't sound at all like what I'd think of if I wanted to warn someone about someone else. It actually kinda sounds like she was looking out for us, sorta. Adagio must think so too, going by the puzzled look on her face.

"'Try not to aggravate them'? That doesn't... then why...?"

I can't ask what's on her mind right now, but she doesn't look any happier as she regains an irritable scowl and crosses her arms, not saying another word. Instead, I get back to the matter at hand. "Right... So, stethoscope? And, what's your name, while I'm here?"

"M-Moondancer. I'd ask your name, but, um... L-like I was saying, with everything I'd heard about 'The Sirens,' I got a little scared when I heard you guys were back, and it only got scarier the first time I overheard an argument through the walls. I felt trapped, like a kid who -and in light of, you know, you apparently being perfectly sane, I'm really, really sorry for thinking like this, but-"

"Don't worry about it." I twirl a hand in a get-on-with-it kind of way. "Like a kid who...?"

"Um... Well, you know how when you're little, lying in bed at night, the monster in the closet?"

"What?"

She looks at me like I've just grown a second head. "You really are from another world..."

She enlightens me on what is either the most ridiculous or the most terrifiying thing I've ever heard about this dimension. If this 'boogeyman' thing is any kind of real, it never bothered any of us.

"So, since I live alone, I guess that's what it was like to me at first; like a kid stuck staring at the closet, or scared to look under the bed, trapped and alone with 'the monsters.' After the second or third time I heard you guys, I turned to the internet to distract myself, and got the idea to start a blog on what I was hearing, just so it would feel like I had someone to talk to about it when I needed them. At first, the blog was just for my own mental health, just something to vent my fears and be done with it, but before I knew it, I had hundreds of regular readers!" Tentatively, she gives me something like an apologetic grin. "People actually liked hearing about you guys, I guess, and, I won't lie, the popularity felt good."

"I get that," I say with complete sincerity. As far as adoration goes, that doesn't sound like much of a high, but it's something.

"Y-yea... However, since you guys didn't get loud every day, I started running dry on content for the blog, and wanted more." She's not smiling at all now. "So, I went out and got a stethoscope, ta-"

I finish for her. "Taped it to the wall, listened in on us a bunch, and used that to keep your subscribers around?" The guilt on her face practically sings 'Bullseye!'

"I shouldn't have. I'm sorry. I'll stop now, there's... really no more need anyway."

Shooting her what I'm pretty sure is an almost regal, beneficent smile, I nod. "Thanks." Now how do I find out if she knows about the ghosts...? Oh, I know! Idly kicking at the floor as though I'm just making small-talk, I ask "So, what've you heard since...?"

For a second, she looks scared to answer the question, but her voice changes as she chokes up a little. "...Just, y'know... you talking to yourself... falling asleep watching cartoons... talking to yourself some more..."

Sonata continues to be Sonata. "You talked to yourself? I don't remember that, and we were with you all d-mmph?"

Adagio does the world a favor by covering Sonata's mouth, her voice completely deadpan. "Quiet time, Sonata."

"Yea," I continue, having thought up this excuse/lie while sitting in class, "it... I got pretty used to always having company, so... I'm adapting, okay?" She nods twice, so maybe she can relate. "And, was any of that added to the...?" The woeful look on her face is answer enough, making me sigh. "Great." Well, as long as she didn't frame it like 'last living siren reduced to crazy manic-depressive,' at least the blog won't be ending on a damning note. That would look kinda suspicious if you thought about it for a sec, doubly as Trixie, Vinyl, and Octavia (did I get their numbers today...?) know that I know about it now. Heck, maybe I'll get some sympathy out of this.

"I-I'm sorry," she says with a deep frown, "I can't take any of it back, but I promise, I'm done with the blog, and-" she runs over to the wall to rip the stethoscope off and wing it across the room before coming back to the door, "-I'll make one last post to say things quieted down and I don't need it anymore, then that'll be it. Okay?"

"Thanks," I say with a little smile, getting one right back.

"No problem, and, um..." Her mouth opens and closes a few times. I get the feeling she's trying to think of something comforting (not that I need it), but all she comes up with is "I'll, go do that now, bye!"

As the door closes, I turn away and make for our own apartment, keeping my voice down as I smirk. "How was that?"

Adagio's grin is audible as she floats behind me. "Excellent work, you got her to stop while staying perfectly clean!" Then she sounds simultaneously annoyed and perplexed. "That note about Sunset Shimmer, though..."

Sonata sounded curious. "Do ya think she just wanted Moondancer to leave us alone?"

"Hmph," she dismissively hmph'd as I went through the front door and they went through the walls, "doubtful. Half the school knew about that blog, and as Sunset Shimmer went out of her way to check in on us at every opportunity, chances are good that she knew about the blog and, rather than telling us about it, used it to keep tabs on us. The Rainbooms found Aria within an hour of the ritual, and I highly doubt they were planning to drop in anyway that day."

"Maybe, but, what if someone else saw that "AAAH, GET HELP" post and went to get Sunset?"

"That-..." Adagio huffs irritably. "Yes, I suppose that's possible too, but the former explanation wouldn't surprise me."

She really seems to be taking that 'warned me' thing kind of personally. That, or she's really miffed about the idea of Sunset knowing about the blog and intentionally leaving us out. Anyway, I'm home, so I take off my new boots and kick back on the couch, where me and my dead sisters just watch TV for a while. During a commercial break, Adagio asks me a question.

"So, considering that Sonata and I can't really report in for any kind of work anymore, have you thought about what you're going to do for money?"

"Uhh..."

Dangit. Reality stuff. I feel like I've been hit with a quiz I didn't study for (which is usually just ALL OF THEM), but Sonata reminds me of something.

"Sing people into giving her all the money she can carry, duh! Like we did way back when!"

Adagio can't even muster the will to facepalm with her deadpan. "How many times does it need explaining to you why we can't go doing that kind of thing?"

"Oh, right, the whole, Rainboom dealie... Well, like, what if we hopped a bus, went back to where all those rich people were, and-"

"Provided that no one sees Aria briefly leaving or returning to town (granted, some kind of disguise might suffice) or ever asks where she suddenly got her funding?"

"...Lottery?"

Adagio's eyes roll before they stop on me. "So, your thoughts?"

I shrug a little, hoping to pre-empt her a little this time. "I'm thinking you'll tell me that the safest option is to just plain get a job, like before." She nods once, and I feel myself frown as I touch the gem between a thumb and forefinger. "So, when am I gonna be able to use the gem again? I mean, if it's on lockdown for life, it's like..." My brain goes blank for a sec, so I just blurt it out. "You guys died for this, y'know?"

Adagio frowns too. "Well..." She sighs. "Sorry, I'm just trying to be careful. More-than-near-death experience kind of does that-" she glances at Sonata out of the corner of her eye, "-for some of us." Sonata sticking out her tongue makes her snort with amusement before she continues. "But, you're right, there's no point in having a resource you'll never use. What if... I informed the Rainbooms that we've since recovered our voices, so what if you used the gem discreetly to earn a wage?"

I shrug. "I could like, lure customers to come spend somewhere, if I worked something out with the owner beforehand. Could just say it's my great singing that brings 'em in."

"Faster to just make 'em fork over the dough," mutters Sonata.

"And lacking in cover story," Adagio retorts sharply, "though, if you're comfortable in taking that risk, Aria, I'll say no more about it."

Crossing my arms and raising a brow, I can't help being a little skeptical. "Really? Not even an 'I told you idiots!!' if it goes wrong?" I chuckle as she blushes and looks away.

"Erm... Well, what if, instead, you went out and found a job you actually liked?"

I tilt my head disbelievingly. "A job I like?"

Sonata shrugs. "I sorta liked waiting tables, at least when there were no screaming babies in the joint. You might find something fun!"

"You could even use the gem to secure it," Adagio says somewhat uncertainly. "If it's away from the school and only long enough to cement your employment, you could most likely slip by with a quick spell if you were careful. Of course, I'd encourage using that as a last resort, and provided that it's not something you have to keep singing for in order to retain the job (you wouldn't try to be a surgeon or anything, I hope?), it could easily work out in the long-term. That would be my suggestion."

I get comfortable on the couch as I think about this.

On one hand, I really don't wanna deal with work and school, and the thought of the gimme-gimme song is making me sorta nostalgic for how we got something to live on the first time. I want to try living a normal life, but not that normal! One good score and I'd be set for months. Yea, I'd be in hot water if I got caught, but the three of us are technically royalty, dammit!

I don't really think of singing as work, so if I could find (or sing) someone to pay me for each head that pops into their place of business, or something like that, I'd be on easy street. I could just tell the Rainbooms that I was making the most of my talents. They'd buy that and leave me to it, right?

I guess if I could find a job I didn't mind doing, regular old employment couldn't get me in trouble. Problem is, I don't even know where to start. I've got time to think, but, work that I like? Who likes working? Well, okay, the Apple clan impressed onto me that it's possible to be fetishistically in love with your labor, but you work to be able to afford time in which you don't have to work, right? I don't know.

Whatever I do, I can't live on what we've got left forever, even if I'm the only mouth to feed. Gotta get money from somewhere...

Author's Notes:

It was Moondancer all along! And as we can see, she had her reasons, even if they weren't the best ones. And now we know that Aria has a harmless, shut-in neighbor. I lack further commentary on this chapter, other than saying that Aria is not going to be doomed the first time she uses the gem and another choice will most likely follow this one to determine how exactly she goes about the selected method, so for those worried, fret not, you aren't being pushed into a lose-no-matter-what situation here.

Choice!

1- Go somewhere, sing to some people, and get showered with free money to eliminate financial woes for the foreseeable future.
2- Work something out to coast by on singing with just enough magic to ensure a good payday.
3- Find a cool job, deploy magical charms if necessary to get it.

**Next chapter started, voting closed! (sorry!)**

Chapter 7: Research?

Vote count as of 12/10/2016:
Use gem for immediate free stuff -2
Use gem to find job she likes -5
Use gem lightly to 'earn' money, -11

We used to work pretty damn hard pulling in negative energy, and orchestrating the events of The Battle wasn't a total cake-walk either. We scraped together every scrap of power we could, and got it ripped away from us by some lucky idiots who got everything handed to them at the last sec-...

Sigh.

Okay, maybe that isn't being totally fair, but it's at least mostly true! And, long before that, back home, we were supposed to be- but, even back then, it was all stolen from us! Just as recently as when we were in the city, we-... well, okay, Adagio did all the work in hypnotizing people and outlining their very specific (but ultimately not specific enough) orders, but we still spent hours and hours that ended up being pretty much for nothing!

Maybe I'm bitter, but hard work does not always pay off. That in mind, I'm not really crazy about finding an actual job, but just going out and musically mugging people is probably gonna bite me in the butt later. So, maybe I can get by singing with just enough juice to get paid. Sonata and Adagio don't raise any objections when I say that's what I wanna do.

"Heck," Sonata says with a little grin, "maybe I'm just lazy, but if doing that makes you happy, then I'm happy too."

"Just as long as you're-"

"Careful," I cut Adagio off with an amused grin, "yea, thanks, I got that."

She giggles. "Have to make sure. Do you have a plan for when you'll be starting this?"

"Some time this weekend." Today is Thursday, so I've got a little more time. "So, until then... You guys wanna do anything together?"

They share a look. Sonata shrugs. "Like what?"

"I don't know, just... we haven't really just hung out since you came back. I figure there's gotta be something we can do for fun."

"Just as long as we don't have to touch anything," Sonata says while looking at her hands, "which rules out card games." She beams wider than the time she discovered chocolate syrup. "Ooh, I bet you could play poker with us! Like, we'd float around telling you what everybody's cards were, and you'd make like a billion dollars!"

Adagio shakes her head. "Even if she could get by without signalling that she was listening to two disembodied voices, she probably shouldn't risk getting accused of cheating. That goes double if anyone there knows who she is."

Distantly, I'm hoping I have time to really think about any plans I make as 'leader,' because Adagio is surprisingly good at shooting down ideas. Even so, I test my luck a little. "Hey, Adagio, do you think that if you ghost-DM'd, we could play Sewers and Sphinxes?" She looks at me in confusion, but I seize the chance to defend myself when she doesn't assault the idea with more than a raised eyebrow. "I mean, if Sonata and I kept to the other side, I could put the DM stuff behind a screen or something and roll for you two whenever it-"

My eyes widen as a realization hits me like a refrigerator fired out of a cannon. I run to the shelf where we keep the S&S books, going straight for the monster manual as the other two float behind me, sounding a little worried.

"Aria?! What's wrong?!"

"Yea! Why the running?"

I turn to them with the book in my hands, looking for a particular creature. "This is gonna sound nuts, but like, you were talking about how the snake-lady book was practically a manual just like this one, but with magic, right? So, if it works like that, who's to say this one can't tell us about you guys? Right?" I look up when I reach the Ghosts page, finding my ghosts trading unsure looks. I'm particularly looking at Adagio, who scratches her head.

"That, makes some kind of sense, I think. What do you want to try?"

Internally giddy about this, I look down at the page. "Uh... Darkvision. Can you guys see in pitch blackness?"

Sonata glances at the nearest window. "The sun's not going down yet, think you can black out a room for us?"

I settle for shutting off the lights in the bathroom and closing the door. They float through the wall and come out a second later, smiling. Sonata especially.

"We can totally watch you while you sleep!"

I feel a shiver run through my skin, but they both giggle, so I don't take it too seriously.

"Really though," Adagio says with a pleased grin, "this means that if needed, we can help you find your way in the dark, so don't hesitate to rely on us if it comes to that."

Feeling a little like I've just been given a super power, I nod, looking back at the book. "We already know you can go through stuff... What about-" The thought scares me just before I say it, so I quickly skip to the next one. "-uh, Ethereal Vision?"

Sonata tilts her head. "Huh? We just told you we can see in the dark."

"It's not that," Adagio says while touching a thoughtful hand to her chin, visibly searching her memory, "it's... seeing into the Ethereal Plane, I think, something that never came up in our campaigns." She closes her eyes for a few seconds, looks around, and does it again, Sonata joining her as the two concentrate, but after a couple minutes, both shrug and shake their heads at me. "If it works, I don't see any filchers or phase spiders."

Comforting thought, I guess.

"What about possession?"

Dammit, Sonata!!

"Even if we can, we shouldn't," Adagio says sternly, "any meaningful use of such an ability would be noticeable, and as we're at the top of the Magic Watch-List, it may be traced back to us right away."

Sonata is still smiling as she looks at me, a mischievous glint in her eye. "I just wanna know if we can do it."

I take a step back. "Don'teventhi-"

"Ready or not!"

"Nononon-eek!"

She dives straight into my torso, immediately sending chills through my body as I feel her wriggling around in my guts. I try in vain to grab at her, but only get handfuls of myself.

"Ack, guh-ick, get, g-get out!!"

After what feels a lot longer than a minute, she flies out of me, pouting. "I couldn't take her over at all. Dagi, you try!"

I look at Adagio in horror, but she gives me a sympathetic look. Or, she tries to, covering her mouth with one hand in an effort to hide her snickering. I scowl at her a little, but her apologetic grin makes it hard to be mad at her in the minute she needs to pull herself together. "I don't think that'll be necessary. Whether it's possible to usurp a host or not, we now know that we can, for some value, be felt, at least when floating through someone to that intensity. It could just be that we can't possess Aria, the only one who can see us, so perhaps we can experiment with this later. How are you feeling?"

I shiver, brushing my hands over my arms in an effort to wipe off the Sonata-ness. "Violated."

Sonata sticks her tongue out at me, but gets me and Adagio laughing with her contagious giggles.

"So," Adagio picks up, "the book was at least partly right. That's something."

Sonata beams. "What are our hit points?"

"Probably lower than that of the Hebi No Onna, so our collective challenge rating has most likely gone down."

"Aww."

I roll my eyes even if I can't help smiling. Looking over the page again, it doesn't really give me much insight as to what actually made these two come back, nothing you wouldn't see in any of this world's other ghost-related fiction. The closest thing to a clue is the familiar line about "Unfinished Business," which, for these two, could be a number of things. Looks like some of it is on the money, sure, but I'm no closer to understanding the rules we're working with here.

Well, whatever. They said they'd stick with me, and until they say otherwise, that's what I'm gonna believe.

Flopping onto my bed, I sigh. We spent the rest of the day trying to play Sewers and Spinxes, but we ultimately agreed that I might as well go join the Rainbooms' game (Sonata still offered to peek at other peoples' character sheets and behind the DM's screen to help me, for whatever it was worth) if I really wanna play. I still have to talk to them, so I settle on doing it tomorrow, either at lunch or after school. Would it be better to get it out of the way ASAP now that it's been a few days, or make the most of lunch to-

I jump with a start as my phone rings, almost sure it's Sunset somehow calling to talk right now, but it turns out it's just Lemon.

"Hey. What's up?"

"That's what I wanna ask you," she giggles, "how've you been? Everything okay over there? Dagi and Nata behaving?"

I can't help the smile that comes from thinking of those two as something like kids I'm taking care of. "I think I'm doing fine, thanks. We're still adapting, but nothin' to worry about." I chuckle, which is weird when you feel a little lump in your throat. "They've been doing everything they can to help me out, we're getting along great."

"Sweet! And I mean that in both the 'that's awesome!' way and the 'aww, warm fuzzies!' way!"

I giggle. That's not a thing I normally do, but... I don't know, it just feels different talking on good terms to someone that isn't one of my sisters. "What about you? Everything goin' okay at the, uh... um-"

"Just callin' it the tea shop is fine, that's what I do when I'm not advertising it. And, not gonna lie, things are a little slower without 'Hebi-sama' around, but we're definitely still in the black. Not just 'cuz'a the guys who insist on buying more stuff since I took the tribute box down, either. Seriously, I told 'em she's never coming back, wasn't laughing or smiling at all when I said it, but it's like they don't believe me! Girl's got a following."

"That's sorta sad," I say with as much sincerity as I can manage through my giggles.

"Yea, but, I figure they'll get it sooner or later. Anyway, I'll call you again tomorrow, okay? Just until you get sick'a me checking in on you!"

I smile wider. "That might take a while."

"Haha, challenge accepted! Catch ya later, Ria!"

Beep!

It's a really weird feeling right now, but I think I sorta like it. Don't ask me what 'it' is, but thinking about getting the same thing with Trixie, Octavia, and Vinyl, it's the reason I fall asleep smiling.

Nothing really interesting happens the next morning all the way up to lunch, which, I guess, at least means I'm getting that 'normal life' rhythm back. Well, I said hi to Trixie in one of my morning classes and there was a tid-bit I pretended not to hear from those three guys that sit somewhere behind me in another class, but the look on Adagio's face at the time said it wasn't something I should totally ignore.

"-and they made one last post before marking the blog closed. Suspicious?"

"Pretty sure Aria didn't kill her and take her place to make a fake blog post."

"Well, okay, yea, that was sorta far-fetched, but did you see that post? It said she talked to her. Talked. Aria isn't a talker, she's a puncher!"

I had been wondering when the other guy was gonna say something stupid, and sure enough...

"I'd like to 'punch' her, if ya know what I-"

The second guy cut him off. "Man, shut up!" I think he turned to the first guy again. "And what do you know about her? Maybe losing her sisters changed things for her."

"Maybe that's what she wants us to think!"

"Pfft."

The impression I got was that some people are gonna be on your case no matter what you do. Damned if you do, damned if you don't and all that. Screw 'em.

So, when lunch time rolls around, Sonata floats in front of me as I'm walking down the hall.

"You should sit with Ditzy and the others today! Then you'd have twice as many friends!"

"Or," Adagio says as though explaining that fire is hot, "she could further build on what she started yesterday, rather than go around making flimsy, fleeting bonds with everyone she meets."

"But like, the Rainbooms can't touch her if she's surrounded by pals, right?"

This actually gives Adagio pause. "You mean, if they see her personally engaging in the 'magic of friendship' to such a degree that she seems to be making a wide variety of friends, whether they're more like acquaintances or not, they may not suspect her as much?"

"Uh, y-yea, that!"

"Hm..." She looks at me, uncertain. "Well, I suppose they couldn't fault you if you tried to get to know a whole lot of people, but things would almost certainly get hectic, and for all we know, the Rainbooms will be just as content if you get to know Vinyl and the others. The simplicity would be more manageable too, but I can't tell you what you're ready for anymore."

Walking into the cafeteria, I nod, taking a good look around.

I see Photo Finish, Ditzy Doo, and Ringo where they were before, talking about who-knows-what as Photo makes eerie motions with her fingers. Is quantity the same as quality with friends? It's not like Sunset herself only made one really close friend and ignored everyone else, right?

I see the Rainbooms, who, no matter what, I should talk to by the end of the day. It's been long enough and I've gotta deal with them sooner or later, if only to let 'em know I'm fine without them. If I don't talk to them here at lunch, I'll do it after school. Whether I end up arguing with them or mending fences a little, the question is whether or not I want that to be public, where the whole school can see.

Then there's Trixie, Octavia, and Vinyl. I could just do what I did yesterday, get to know them a little more, and forget about everyone else for now, but at the very least, I should swing by their table to let 'em know what I'm up to today. Don't want the three of them thinking I'm dropping them for no reason.

Author's Notes:

Been a while, huh? Sorry about that.

Choice! I hope this one isn't at all confusing, but it deals with just how social Aria wants to be, not overriding the extremely similar choice that came before.

1- Sit at Photo's table
2- Sit at Trixie's table
3- Sit at Sunset's table

**Next chapter started, voting closed! (sorry!)**

Chapter 8: Hearsay

Vote count as of 1/29/2017 (Yes, about seven months to finish this one!):
Photo's table -1
Rainboom table -0
Trixie's table -12

Let's see, try making even more friends, or stick with the few I barely have already? Pretty obvious choice, now that I think about it, and screw spending the time I've got getting all sappy or whatever with the Rainbooms. I'll talk to 'em later, but right now, Trixie, Octavia, and Vinyl are waiting.

I forget to say 'Hey' until after I've sat down, but none of 'em point it out as Trixie starts doing her thing.

"Welcome, Aria Blaze," she says with a big, showman's smile, like she's getting paid to announce me to the other two, "we were just discussing spider webs!"

"No we were not," Octavia says just a little forcefully, "we were discussing the idea of a cape with holes cut to resemble a spider web."

Trixie dismissively waves a hand at her. "Same difference. With a cape like that, I could bewitch an audience with a bit of that Halloween mystique and show off my amazing physique from the back at the same time!"

I raise an eyebrow. "If your cape is full of holes, wouldn't it just be more likely to snag on something?"

There's a pause as the others process this, which is when Adagio, floating behind Octavia, touches a thoughtful hand to her chin. "She wouldn't be able to use it to obscure things when she needed to, either."

Sonata makes a face like she just tasted a pickle. "And she'd get flies stuck to her!"

"And," I add, "you probably couldn't use the cape as much in your act if everybody can see through it."

Trixie blinks twice, then huffs. "Phooey. Well, not like I have any friends among the local fashionistas to make the thing, anyway."

I can't help but notice the way Octavia smiles with relief as Trixie abandons her spider-web-cape plan. I would rather know my enemies' weaknesses, but for now, I mark Octavia as a possible arachnophobe. I can't read anything in Vinyl's face through those shades and that spacey little smile, but she doesn't seem like the type who scares easily.

"So," Trixie says with all the tact of a runaway bulldozer, "how'd things go with that blogger?"

Put on the spot, my mind blanks out for a second, so she tries to clarify.

"I mean, we told you they lived next door to you yesterday, and the latest post was about how they were shutting down the blog, sooo...?"

Despite popular belief, Trixie isn't stupid. Come to think of it, she was the first to notice my Heartstone, and since she's extra-conscious about magic, I better be careful around her. "I dropped by, we talked a little, and she dropped the blog."

While the others, even Vinyl, looked back at me in confusion and maybe even disbelief, Adagio casually speaks up.

"Word it right and you might win some admiration for how calmly you handled it."

"It's like, we made a little noise when it was the three of us living there, but now...?" I don't milk the sympathetic looks they're giving me, just use the moment to establish my case. "So, when I told her it was just me now and she wasn't gonna have much to talk about, she said she'd close the thing down."

There's a long quiet as they keep looking at me in surprise. Sonata throws out a suggestion.

"Tell a joke! Something funny on the end to lighten the mood!"

I try, I really do, but put on the spot in the middle of an awkward moment, nothing comes to me, so I just shrug. "All I had to do was ask."

"...Well," Octavia says as evenly as possible, "at least that could be settled amicably."

Vinyl nods once, smiling like everything in the world is okay now.

Then I remember something, pulling out my phone. "So, I never got any of your numbers, could-"

Trixie has swiped my phone before I realize it, grinning brightly as she punches in the digits to make a new contact. "Done, and, done," she sing-songs, handing it back to show me that she listed herself as 'GaP Trixie.'

Looking at her, I tilt my head a little. "Your first name is 'Gap'?"

"Wha-? No, it stands for-"

An amused smile tugging at the corners of her mouth, Octavia raises an eyebrow. "Is that what she typed in this time?"

"It stands for Great and Powerful!"

Octavia is still smiling. "Back when she gave me her number, it was 'Trixilicious.'"

I can't help grinning a little as Trixie blushes and rolls her eyes. "Because Trixie is delicious."

Vinyl taps my shoulder to get my attention, getting me to crack up when I see one contact listed as 'T-Pain.'

I can't think of anything cool or memorable to do the same thing with my own number, but a few minutes later, they're all in my list and I'm in all of theirs. I get my first word from Vinyl in the form of a text.

[Hi!]

I spend a few seconds lingering indecisively about texting her back before just turning to her and smiling a little. "Yea. Hi."

She beams, quite pleased.

"So," Trixie picks up with a smile, "now that we can contact you somewhere other than the lunch room without a teacher getting bent out of shape about it, how'd you like to hang out somewhere this weekend?"

"Uh..." Adagio and Sonata float where I can see them, their smiles nothing but supportive of this venture. I like having them back, but I guess I shouldn't spend every day staying at home with my undead sisters. "Sure."

"Great! Trixie will text you tomorrow or Sunday."

Nothing really interesting happens for the rest of the day, either, at least until I'm heading to the music room to meet the Rainbooms for the first time since before the accident. In the middle of the hall of people trying to go meet the weekend, I see a couple, a guy and girl I don't recognize, doing that stupid, stupid human intimacy thing again.

Hand-holding.

As if to mock me somehow, the bustle of the hallway has me walking behind them, stuck slowly shuffling along with these two idiots in my field of vision practically until the moment I reach the music room. With my hand on the knob, I notice Adagio giving me one of her scrutinizing stares, but we don't really have time to talk if I don't want to stand here looking like a weirdo, and there's seven other weirdos I need to talk to first.

Opening the door, I'm a little relieved to see they're all here, even if it doesn't look like any of them are practicing with their instruments as they stop what they're doing and look at me. Remembering similar looks on Moondancer's face, I shut the door behind me and start with a casual "Hey."

"Hey," Sunset greets back with a tentative face, "did you need something?"

I don't quite hear what the words are, but it sounds like Adagio quietly hisses something vile from behind me, which throws off my train of thought a little. "Um..." They're still looking at me like they're expecting to hear I just lost a leg, which is what jogs my memory. I pull out my phone for visual aid. "Been getting your texts, and thought like, uh... I'm doing fine, okay? You can quit leaving me messages every morning."

Sticking her hands in her pockets, Rainbow shrugs, but her frown stays. "Cool. I mean, you don't look all heartbroken and-" She winces as Rarity practically screeches at her.

"Rainbow!!"

Looking like a scolded child, Rainbow defends herself. "What? I'm saying it's good that not just staying home and crying her eyes out all day!"

"Honestly, would it kill you to be more sensitive?"

Fluttershy looks like she just tasted something that tried to taste her back. "'Kill'?"

"Achtxplt!" Rarity looks back at me as though she killed Sonata and Adagio, but Rainbow's smart remark swings my attention back to her.

"Wow, Rarity," she deadpans with crossed arms, "sooooo sensitive." Applejack thwaps her on the back of the head. "Ow!"

"Will ya both quit yappin'?!" For a second, I'm worried Farmer Freckles is going to take her hat off all mournfully and make this a MOMENT, but she's just straightening it out before she looks at me. "We're real sorry 'bout'cher loss. Ah ain't promisin' the world, but if ya need anything, give us a holler?"

I'm both amazed and gratified by how straightforward she is with this as I nod a little. "Yea, sure. Not likely, but, y'know..."

There's a quiet moment as I'm standing there, which is when I notice that Pinkie Pie, for once, isn't saying a single word. She barely looks at me, but maybe it's because she knows I wouldn't want a freakin' cupcake to celebrate my newfound independence. Sunset opens her mouth to say something, but Rainbow is a little quicker.

"So," she says with a hesitant smile, "we hear you're getting along with Trixie, Octavia, and Vinyl. How's that been going?"

I have no idea what kind of answer she's expecting, so I just kind of shrug. They stare at me. "We talk...?"

Despite the lingering sadness in her eyes, Fluttershy manages a cute little smile. "That's... good."

Sonata mutters from behind me. "This Awkward is so thick it hurts."

I can't help agreeing, but unfortunately, can't think of a way to break it, either. The silence eats at my nerves as they stare at me, and even if there's no hostility in those eyes, I feel like I'm being judged, which makes me all antsy! I'm wavering back and forth between just making a move for the door or telling them all off (for what, I don't know) when Nerd Twilight speaks up.

"I-if, uh, if you've got some free time," she simpers, visibly worrying that I'm going to say no already, "we're still getting together to play Sewers and Spinxes again this week! Does Saturday night work for you?"

It should, unless the thing with Trixie and the others runs long, but before I can say that, Rainbow shoots me a cocky grin.

"It'd be great if I had some decent competition again."

Fluttershy's tone is almost scolding, but her smile is nothing but tickled. "We're all on the same side, Rainbow."

"Doesn't mean I can't rack up the most kills or bag the most stuff!"

I kind of like the sound of showing her who's the best dungeon-crawler again, which might be bad, because I still don't want to be close to these girls and it's really hard repressing my smile right now. I quickly turn to the door. "I'll think about it. Later."

I'm not sure if I'm just hearing her wrong, but I can just barely hear a lump in Sunset's throat as she calls out.

"Stay safe, and we'll be here if you need us, for anything."

I don't turn to look back at her, just make a vague hand-motion and head out. I'm only a few steps away from the music room when I hear Sonata.

"Dagi, you coming?"

"Go ahead," she says in a cold, level tone, "I'll catch up in a minute."

I glance over my shoulder to see her translucent heels disappear through the wall to the music room, which I take to mean she's spying on the Rainbooms. Not wanting to look like I'm doing the same if someone sees me standing out here, I keep walking, turn a corner far from the door, and wait.

Sonata does her best to entertain me by doing loop-de-loops in the air (which she's gotten pretty good at), but I don't wanna look like a weirdo by smiling alone in a hall for no reason. The school day is over and hardly anyone is around now, but still. Trying to wave her off just gets her to smile mischievously and do wackier stuff, like a backstroke through non-existent water and making silly faces. I'm repeatedly hissing "Quit it!" through clenched teeth as quietly as possible, half-expecting her to start pulling some Beetlejuice stuff when Adagio finds us.

"...I can't leave you two alone for five minutes, can I?"

Sonata giggles, thankfully dropping her antics. "What'd they say?"

"Not what I was expecting," she says somewhat disdainfully as she glances back toward the music room, "but perhaps it was just a matter of timing. It sounded like they were concerned for you, but have opted to leave you to your own devices. For now."

This is when something weird hits me: I could have sworn Adagio was almost getting along with the Rainbooms, Sunset included, just last week. Like, she'd resented Sunset for months over taking our magic, but since we came back to Canterlot, I was pretty sure that had been fading away, bit by bit, and now it's like she hates all of them, especially Sunset, more than ever. I'm trying to decide whether or not I wanna just come out and ask what happened between them when I hear girls' voices from down the hall.

"Is it true?"

"Totally true! Half the damn class will tell you!"

"Scary..."

"Do you think they'd come if we got the Ouija board out?"

That last part is what really grabs my attention, and I'm creeping closer before I've even thought about it.

Which takes some careful movement in these heels!

I work out a ratio of likely-to-be-spottedness vs. how well I can hear the conversation to pick a spot by the corner without stepping out to see who it is, but I can hear them clear as a bell from here.

"She talked to Sonata," says one voice, "In the middle of class."

"B-but," stutters a second, "she's-"

"One of the dead ones," interrupts a third, "yea, that's what makes this freakin' scary!"

The fourth sounds especially freaked out. "Y-you don't think th-they're...?"

The first offers a guess. "Still alive? That Aria's got them telling her stuff through a radio in her hair or something as part of their new scheme?"

"That... Is it wrong that I'm kind of hoping that's the case?"

"No," answers the second, "because the only other explanation I can think of is that-"

I can hear the playful smile in the third girl's voice. "That they're talking to her FROM BEYOOOND THE GRAAAAAVE, Huahahaha!"

Voices #2 and #4 whimper, but the first scoffs. "Really? Ghost stories?"

"But," insists #4, "that's what happens, isn't it? Someone dies horribly, their spirit comes back for revenge, and-"

"And all their old enemies, better watch out~!"

Voice #3 is scolded by #1.

"Stuff it, Raz!" She's much gentler with the other two. "Come on, you saw the Dazzlings since they came back, right? They were way too... peaceful to do the vengeful ghost thing."

"But they still wanted to fix their necklaces," says #2, audibly trembling, "and unfinished business like that can make a spirit go crazy!"

I can almost hear the eye-roll. "Yea. In movies."

#4 gets some iron in her tone. "And just how many times has this school been involved in magical mayhem?!"

"...Err..."

"Beware, mortals," declares 'Raz,' clearly just having a freakin' ball with this, "we may be witness to the start... of a haunting!"

Over the sounds of #2 and #4 making undignified noises and #1 scolding Raz again, Sonata peeks around the corner much further than I can on account of her invisibility. "I don't recognize any of these girls, but I'm pretty sure they're nobodies."

"Even so," sighs Adagio, "you should probably break this up now. While Sonata and I might not be a threat to anyone, you don't need these kinds of rumors pinned to you."

"Or," Sonata says with a tone not unlike Girl #3's, "you could go over there, hype it up, act all I-see-dead-people and spook 'em all good! That wouldn't just be funny, it'd be legendary!"

"Are you trying to get us Rainblasted?!"

"No, no, think about it! Aria's got her gem now, but she's still all alone, and if somebody wanted to mess her up, they might pull it off! I know you never turn to look at 'em, Aria, but I've got a bad feeling about those guys who keep whispering behind you in class, and everyone that gives you weird looks in the halls. But if everybody were scared of you, if they all thought we'd pop out of nowhere and rip their souls out or something if they laid a finger on you, nobody'd ever mess with you again! The best part? You wouldn't even have to do anything bad, nothing the Rainbooms could get mad about, because it'd be the rest of the school spreading rumors!"

"Fear-based security," Adagio dully muses with a raised eyebrow and a hand on her hip. "Wouldn't that be undermined by the fact that three girls are already confirmed to spend time with Aria at no consequence? One of them an old enemy of ours?"

"We're vengeful ghosts," Sonata says while raising her arms in a comical I'm-gonna-get'cha pose and smiling evilly, "we'll only curse those who aren't nice to her," she winks at me, "right?"

Hearing those girls around the corner talking about contacting my sisters with their stupid Ouija board to gauge their malevolence, I think about it for a minute.

I could just walk out, say I was thinking back to a memory of us studying or something like Adagio said to do if anyone asked, and that my sisters are totally gone. Calmly-delivered arguments have worked out pretty good for me so far, but even if they refuse anyway and it makes a mess, I can still shut this down later by brainwashing these four into dropping it for good. If I'm careful, since I know Adagio is gonna harp on me if I bring that up.

Or, I could play up their fears, let people think they'll get hexed if they get on my bad side, and be feared again. That does sound kinda sweet, and as it wouldn't even be my fault in the Rainbooms' eyes (unless they're gonna blame the girl who lost her sisters in a tragic accident?), they might not even bug me about it. Trixie'd probably eat up the attention she'd net for being near me, too.

Of course, while I do like being given space, having everyone be terrified of you has gotta have drawbacks, like difficulty making new friends, and Octavia's already kind of skittish. I doubt anyone in this school would have the guts to pick a fight with me ever again, but...?

Maybe I'm being stupid about this either way, maybe the best thing to do is just ignore it. Highschools are already hives of gossip, and it's not like I'm a stranger to dumb rumors. I could go home right now, not give a damn what anyone's saying about me, let these idiots jump at shadows 'til they pass out, and let this thing run its course.

How should I deal with this?

Author's Notes:

I'd never heard of The Letter when I started this story, but being a supernatural/slice-of-life story with varying degrees of drama based on the reader's choices, it's hard for me not to think about it now.
I have no intention of having Sonata, Adagio, or both go all Ju-On at anyone for any reason, no matter what choices are made, but I can't promise there won't be a creepy influence or two somewhere, regardless of the outcome of this chapter's choice.

In fact, I was wavering on what this chapter's choice should be before settling on this one, which I wouldn't have thought up if I hadn't been introduced to this lovely title. If you're at all interested in visual novels, I heartily recommend it.

Anyway, choice! I'll offer a small cheat and say that 'these girls are nobodies' means they're effectively background ponies, nobody with much established character and no one Aria knows in any capacity. If that helps the decision-making at all.

1- Go over to the gossiping girls and stop the rumors of Aria being haunted by her dead sisters before they begin.
2- Go over to the gossiping girls and heavily imply that their suspicions are true, scaring all four of them with their own imaginations.
3- Go home, ignore this nonsense completely.

**Next chapter started, voting closed! (sorry!)**

Chapter 9: Fear Is A Funny Thing

Vote count as of 9/30/2017:
Go home- 0
Spook them- 4
Stop this thing now- 5

I guess it'd be dumb to just let them do whatever when there's something I can do about it, so I step around the corner with a sharp, Adagio-worthy smile on my face, but quickly wipe it away for a more tired-looking frown for what I'm about to pull.

The perps are only sorta familiar. One is a light-tan, punkish-looking girl with short, green hair, another is stark white with long, whispy, blue hair, another is a sickly green with plain, brown hair done up in a bun that screams 'I will be a secretary when I grow up,' and the last is a pink girl with long, messy, red hair. I think the last one might have played music (well, "music") with a coat-hanger or something during the Battle of the Bands, but I'm not about to ask.

As soon as their eyes lock onto me, I can see that all four are already afraid. That's when it sinks in that as much fun as Sonata's idea would be, and I'm really tempted this time, it might be smarter of me to nip this thing in the bud instead of being 'the ghost girl' for the rest of my time here.

That in mind, I clear my throat. "Hey. Heard you talking."

"Oh," replies a slightly perturbed Green Hair, sounding like Voice #1, "that... we were, uh..."

"She was listening in, she heard everything," Blue Hair declares in a fearful whisper that I recognize as Voice #2, looking directly at me, "so let's just get it out there; are your sisters evil spirits?"

"Paisley, woah," utters the red-head that I mark down as 'Raz,' "kinda rude!"

"Says the girl who was just laughing about it," blue-haired Paisley snipes back, making Raz flinch.

Raz looks at me, guilt all over her face. "I-I was just, y-y'know, kidding around a little? Haha?"

I don't respond to her, looking at the brown-haired girl I assume is Voice #4. She pales, emitting a quiet, terrified whimper as she ducks behind Green Hair for security.

"Ok, look, um..." Green Hair scratches her head, as though trying to work out exactly where to begin in this situation. "I'm sorry about my superstitious-" she reaches out to lightly bonk Raz on the head, drawing a plaintive whine, "and super-stupid friends, but we're- well, I mean, I guess some other people too, -just curious about why it sounded like you were talking to Sonata in class."

I've rehearsed the words in my head enough times that the first sentence comes out right away. "We used to study together for the week or so since we came back, and trying to remember one'a the answers made me remember something she'd said when we were talking History. I'm not being haunted, and they aren't gonna drag anyone to Hell. Okay?"

Secretary Girl peeks out from behind Green Hair a little more. "...Really?"

"Really."

Though that'd be a pretty amazing thing to be able to threaten people wi-

No, no, I'm committed to this, which I reinforce with a little guilt-tripping.

"But, hey," I say dispassionately, as if I really just don't care, "if you wanna keep treating the memory of my dead sisters like your personal Halloween story, I guess I can't stop you."

Without waiting for more than the looks of shock, regret, and shame on their faces, I turn on a heel and leave. I'm really, really tempted to ask Sonata and Adagio what those girls are saying/doing as I walk away, but don't want to risk being heard talking to them now of all times. Luckily, nobody else can hear my ghosts.

"That," Adagio says with an audible grin, "was wicked."

"Yea," giggles Sonata, "I mean, not as funny as what you could'a done, but the looks on their faces? Priceless!"

It's because there's no one else around to see me that I let myself smile.

That lasts until I get home, when I remember that I could have talked 'on my phone' and nobody would've been the wiser.

"So," says Sonata when she gets bored doing ballet twirls in the air (from the contemplative look on her face, I was half-expecting Adagio to join in), "weekend time! What're ya gonna do for a job?"

"Uhh... Well, if I'm using the gem to make money with some plausible deniability, I figure I'd need to find somewhere I could get away with, like, 'Hey, pay me to sing and I guarantee you profits,' if I don't just start busking on a street corner."

"Your meeting with Trixie and the others is either tomorrow or on Sunday," Adagio reminds me. "When I talked to them, it sounded like she was partial to the local mall (which Octavia implied was due to there being more people to watch her random tricks), which has many places of business. Perhaps you could find something there, get a list of 'maybe's, and come back later for a closer look?"

I shoot her a playful grin. "You know, I think they missed the mark in setting us up for the throne, because you'd have made a great vizier."

She blinks, a light blush forming on her cheeks. "...Was I doing it again?"

Waving her off, I giggle. "Don't worry about it."

It's not much of a surprise that she compulsively works out what we should be doing next, because that's kinda been her job for like... our whole lives, at least ever since we had a say in it. And I always gave her grief for it, even when most of her ideas went over fine.

Sonata never even complained like I did, and now she was-

"Uh, Aria?" I jump when I notice Sonata's face floating inches from my own, frowning. "You okay?"

"Yea, just, uh... lost in thought?"

She and Adagio share a look, the latter raising an eyebrow. "Is this about that couple you saw today?"

"Huh?" I remember the two hand-holding idiots in the hall from earlier. "Pfft, no," I say with a mild scowl, "I don't even care."

"I kinda think you do," Sonata says bluntly, "'cuz you look all this-tastes-like-feet every time you see a couple. Wuddup with that?"

I roll my eyes. "It's just the stupid hand-holding thing!"

Adagio isn't buying it. "There are a lot of stupid things that you don't grumble and seethe over, Aria."

Getting defensive, I shrug. "What about you and Sunset? I thought you guys were actually kinda chummy up until the last week or so."

Annoyance and realization flicker across her face in unison. "Yes... I never did tell you two what happened, did I?"

Sonata tilts her head. "Something happened?"

"That's a 'no,' then. She called me to meet her in private just after school, and, for the usual reasons, I acquiesced. She wanted my thoughts on how we were doing, how we'd adjusted to life at Canterlot High, and while she wouldn't say it out loud, I could tell she wanted to know how we felt about not having our magic. Not wishing to waste time, I told her in no uncertain terms the same thing I told her when we first returned; that we wouldn't give up on our birthright."

Adagio's expression gets dark, but her tone stays calm and a little cold. "In hindsight, I should have known that she wouldn't stand for any form of competition, anything that could challenge her power in her own domain, but when she told us that she understood our feelings and would accept our choices the day we came back, I had dared think that she meant it. She must not have, because while I could tell she was trying to sound patient and reasonable, it was clear that she was trying to talk me into forgetting about fixing the gems entirely, because they, inanimate objects whose usage depends on the wearer, were utterly evil and should stay destroyed. I withheld my thoughts regarding her presumption to know more about the stones that were fused with our bodies from birth than we did."

Sonata rolls her eyes, huffing. "Freakin' unicorns; they've got a magic bone sticking outta their heads, so they think they know more about it than everybody else."

Apathetic to ponies and their many sub-species, Adagio shrugs. "Knowing her temper, perhaps I should have walked out then and there, but I wanted to extinguish her hope that we'd 'come around' if she just convinced me, implying that you two have no will of your own or that it's just been me stringing you two along in my mad quest for power." She raises an eyebrow. "On that note...?"

Sonata raises a fist into the air as though leading some kind of army. "Still totes wanna sing people into doing stuff for me again!"

When they look at me, I shrug, lightly clutching my whitened gem. "Well, like I said before, you two died for this, so I might be a little biased, but..." My brow furrows as I try to ignore the little lump in my throat. "If anyone tried to take this from me now, I'd break their fucking fingers."

Adagio nods, not the least bit surprised. "Just making sure. So, when I refused to give in to her wishes, Sunset predictably lost her patience, insisting that 'clinging to the past' and 'hoarding power' were sure signs of evil, that we had to let go of everything or we'd just wind up miserable, telling me to just 'get over it' and give up. When her true colors came out, when I learned that she'd only tolerated us this long because she'd assumed we'd get sick of trying to get our magic back and accept being just like her, I told her off and left. Haven't been able to stand her ever since."

There's a long, quiet moment as she stares back at Sonata and me, waiting for a response. I give her one, but I'm afraid I already know the answer. "And... when was this?"

She idly inspects her ethereal, unchanging nails. "Tuesday."

The day of the ritual. The day she and Sonata died. Did she come straight home and launch into it? Is that why she was so worked up?

"So," she continues, looking directly at me, "about your antipathy for couples?"

Dammit!! Should've known she wouldn't get sidetracked that easily!

"Uh, I just... it's annoying, okay? I see people getting all cow-eyed at each other and it pisses me off."

She stares at me, doing her eyeballing-your-soul thing for a second before she looks at Sonata, who stares back for a few seconds, makes an 'Oh, I get it!' face, then gives me a weird smile as she and Adagio giggle. I'm already wary, so I don't ask what they're thi-

Sonata is whispering into my ear before I've even noticed that she moved. "The porn folder is in-"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!"

Incoherent swearing ensues as they howl with laughter.

The next morning, I learn that these two don't necessarily stay in the apartment all night, Sonata excitedly telling me about a Japanese cartoon Moondancer was watching at like 2am.

"And there were limbo-dancing telephone poles and magic doggies that came out of paper and-"

"Can you sum it up in two words?"

"Stuff happens!"

"Right," I chuckle, "sounds fun."

"I'm a little worried about that girl," adds Adagio, "to be up at such early hours is rarely a good sign. Unless this was an odd spell of insomnia?"

"Eh," shrugs Sonata, "maybe she's just a weeaboo, and I think that's normal for them. I mean, didja see the posters and her PeeJays with the cute little freak-o cartoon animals on 'em?"

"...So that was an abnormal print she was wearing?"

"Heehee! Don't worry, Dagi, your nighties were always way hotter anyway!"

"Coming from you, I'm not sure how to take that."

"As the compliment that finally gets you interested in thinking about ghost se-"

"ANYWAY," I interrupt, not at all wanting to hear where that's going, "what made you guys go poking through our neighbors' walls in the first place?"

"Idle curiosity and boredom," Adagio answers, "the monster flick that was on at the time wasn't particularly engaging and Sonata wondered if anyone else was awake at that hour."

I frown a little. "Wish I could like, leave you guys a ghost remote or something." Or anything that keeps them from deciding that floating into my room to watch me sleep is the most interesting way to spend their time.

Seriously, the first fucking time I wake up to their floating, see-through faces hovering over me in the dim light of morning, I'm not gonna sleep right for weeks, I just know it!

"Ahh, we'll keep busy," Sonata says with a bright smile that doesn't make me feel any better, "but for now, let's see if Trixie's awake!"

She wasn't, despite it being 9am, but after some sleepy grumbles, she tells me to meet her, Octavia, and Vinyl at the mall later today, just as Adagio predicted.

Walking into the mall with the snazzy get-up I've been wearing to school, Vinyl is the first one I notice, standing on her tip-toes and smiling all bright and happy as she waves at me. She looks so damn cheerful that I'm smiling a little myself as I approach her and Octavia by some circular benches around a table. Vinyl sits down at the same time I do.

"Hey. Where's-"

"The Great and Powerful Trixie," Octavia preempts me in complete deadpan, "is not a morning person."

"It's almost one in the afternoon."

"I know."

"...So-"

"I'm sure she'll be along soon," she says with a sigh while looking at the entrance before looking back to me with a little smile, "but until then, how have you been doing?"

I shrug. "Fine?"

Octavia nods. "Vinyl and I were just discussing film listings at the theater today."

"Theater?"

My phone beeps, reminding me that Vinyl doesn't speak out loud.

[The big ol' movie house they got here!]

I'm a little surprised and a little amazed that, since she's looking at her phone when she replies, Octavia must have gotten that too.

"Well, 'big' isn't the best descriptor, it's notably smaller than an ordinary movie theater, but not bad for one built into a mall. On the plus side," she says with a grin that's just a little too satisfied, "they allow items from the food court to be brought in, so one need not sell their kidney to afford snacks during the movie."

"Wouldn't that put a dent in their profits?"

[Lotta people in the mall, more customers, more money anyway.]

Vinyl has gotta be lightning quick with that phone! Maybe she's always talked like this.

"Curiously," Octavia says with a hand on her chin, "most people seem to end up buying popcorn anyway, so I doubt it matters." She blinks. "Anyway, they have showings for-"

The rest of her sentence becomes a shrill, terrified screech when Trixie comes in from above, hanging upside down, her head stopping just above the table as she shouts "HUZZAH!!"

I have no words. Looking up, I see that she pulled this off by suspending herself from a wire attached to the balcony railing on the floor above us, even attaching some wires from her skirt to her boots to keep from flashing everyone in the area. She's giggling like a dolt, still hanging upside down, as Octavia fumes at her.

"-most preposterous, most self-aggrandizing-"

"Heeheeheeheeheehehehoho!"

"Do you not realize that you, or we, could have been seriously hurt if you'd miscalculated that little stunt?!"

"Yes, which is why Trixie measured and practiced this entrance beforehand!"

She dangles, slowly swaying back and forth with her arms crossed and chin raised (or, lowered?) in a proud pose despite still being suspended by her ankles.

"...Now someone help Trixie down, the blood is rushing to her head."

"I would doubt it ever leaves," Octavia grumbles as Vinyl gets up to undo the wires, but I'm not sure if she's more mad about being scared a second ago or if it's out of concern for Trixie's reckless showmanship.

"Man," comments Sonata, "you hang out with the weirdest people, Dagi."

"Oh, indeed, you should see my youngest sister."

"Huh? I thought I was your... HEY!!"

I snicker as Adagio giggles, which, because the others can't hear those two, earns me a curious look from Octavia and Trixie, the latter tilting her head.

"I think we've found someone that likes your sense of humor, Octavia."

"Ah, well," she quietly replies, more confused than pleased, "bully for me?"

Still smiling, I shake my head. "How many attempts did it take you before you worked out the thing with your skirt?"

Being upside down probably doesn't help, but Trixie flushes a deep shade of red as she huffs and crosses her arms. "T-Trixie most definitely thought of that in advance, and did not expose her undergarments unwillingly!"

There's a pause.

"Trixie was simply gifting The People with a splendid view of her shapely-EEK!"

She quickly extends her arms to catch herself on the table the second she feels the wire move, avoiding a head-first landing as she flops down on the table and rolls onto the bench, Vinyl giving a thumbs-up signal from above.

When she's sitting upright again, she smiles as though she just walked in and sat down normally. "So, I heard something about movies?"

Our first stop is the food court, and it's when I realize that I don't know where the most snack-like stuff is that I know I haven't really spent much time here. I mean, I guess we could try bringing a pizza or a plate of burgers and fries, but I figure if it doesn't neatly fit in your lap or a cupholder, it probably doesn't belong in a movie theater.

Tricky bastards. No wonder people just nab popcorn.

Luckily, the others know this place, and bring me right to the pocket-friendly stuff. Or at least, it is the way they do it. Octavia gets one of those little thingies of Chinese food, chopsticks and all, which I guess is sorta similar to a bucket of popcorn, and a bottle of some kinda tea. I didn't know they bottled tea, but there it is. Trixie grabs a box of chicken nuggets from one of the mini fast food places, which she opens, then immediately empties into her purse, chucking the box into the nearest trash can. She must have seen my baffled stare, because she holds the bag where I can see to show me the inside.

"Zip-lock bag, good for portable, bite-sized refreshment without getting everything else all greasy."

Taking a peek, I can see that she really does have one of those clear sandwich bag things in there to keep the nuggets separate from her wallet and magician props.

"Hm," hums Adagio, "that actually seems like a good idea, provided she's careful about it attracting pests. I wonder how long they stay warm like that?"

I can practically hear Sonata drooling. "Portable nuggets! Trixie is a genius!!"

Vinyl is the one whose example I follow, because she takes me to where they have bags of chips and stuff. I don't care what anyone says, junk food is the only food for movies, especially if it's part of hanging out. For some reason, I see Octavia rolling her eyes and smiling as Trixie nabs a few packets of peanut butter crackers from the same area.

"Oh," I mutter while reaching toward a shelf of candy on the way out, "Sonata'll probably-"

I freeze as reality catches up to me. It only takes a glance to confirm that Octavia, Trixie, and even Vinyl are all giving me worried looks, so I just step away from the shelf and pretend that didn't happen, waiting for them just outside the food court.

"That was perfectly in-character for a grieving survivor," Adagio gently assures me, "nothing out of the ordinary and nothing they could blame you for. You're still in the clear."

It's really, really weird hearing that from someone I'm supposedly mourning on any level, but it does make me feel a little better. More-so when Sonata floats around where I can see her, a little smile on her face.

"Octy just gave the other two a pretty serious 'Be nice to her!' look, and they were like 'Yes, ma'am!', so they won't get on your case about it. By the way?" She winks, making the kind of smile she usually only does when she wants something. "Thanks for thinking of me."

I feel like four different expressions mash together on my face, but I'm pretty sure a wobbly little grin and a blush are the most noticeable. I try to wipe both away when I see Adagio looking at me the way she did when I was her scaly, snake-like arm, which is right about when the others catch up.

"So," Trixie says as though everything was normal (which kinda seems to be a talent of hers), "what're we seeing today?"

The only things that looked remotely interesting were an action flick revolving around car chases, a soppy-looking romance, and... one about a haunted house.

"Aww, c'mon, Octavia, it'll probably be more funny than scary!"

"That is what you said last time," Octavia growls through gritted teeth, "and I still cannot look squirrels in the eye without the hairs on my neck standing up!"

[Yea, it was pretty nuts.]

Vinyl is still smiling even as she shrinks back when Octavia's head whips towards her with a glare. "Not. Helping."

I nudge Vinyl to get her attention. "So what's your vote?"

[I'm down for any, but you should probably play tie-breaker or we might be here a while.]

It's scary how she can do that without even looking at her phone. I can see her thumbing the screen, but still.

"Side with me, Aria Blaze," Trixie practically broadcasts for the whole lobby to hear as she stretches an arm across my shoulders, "and brave the eerie and occasionally hilarious world of Horror!"

Octavia crosses her arms and something in my brain pictures an 18th-century aristocratic daughter being told she'll have to wait until after brunch to go pony-riding. "I can't help noticing that your interest in scary movies wanes somewhat when the setting is science-fiction, Trixie."

"And? What interest," her tone starts going Drama Club as she makes gestures with the hand not on my shoulder, "what intrigue, what mystique is there in the easily explained?"

"Right," Octavia answers with a flat look, "it has nothing to do with your obsession with magic."

"Er-!" I feel Trixie tense up a little, but she goes right back on the offensive with a cocky grin. "You sure your choice isn't just because you're a fraidy cat?"

Octavia's reaction is much more obvious, in her face, tone, and body language. "I-! Th-that is, I am simply, much more interested in... a handsome rogue... whispering tenderly into the ear of the... court harpist..."

The only reason I feel a little warm is that Octavia's gone so red that she's practically radioactive. Honest. Only reason. Adagio accidentally comes to the rescue by thinking aloud.

"Why don't they just separate to see the movies they'd like to? Is there some financial benefit to all patronizing the same one?"

I repeat her question, getting an answer from Vinyl.

[Not as much fun, no chances to rip on the goofy stuff if we're not in the same room or seein' the same thing. Besides, it feels sorta lonely that way.]

"Indeed," cheers Trixie, giving me a sly smile, "so what will it be? You're not scared of the dark, are you?"

"Uhhh..."

I think this is called flavor music!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u78bg8u4bWQ

"It's just up these stairs, Maria!"

"Wait, Jonathan, where's Harry?!"

"There's no time now, we must-"

The attic door on the big screen creaks open, neatly answering Maria's question.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!"

I'm not having a great time, and not because I'm scared or anything, just feeling a little weird about a movie in which a freakin' vicious ghost rips people to shreds when my sisters are...

Yea.

Neither of them seem to think anything of it, though the smiles Adagio makes during certain scenes are-

Something I shouldn't be thinking about in this dimly-lit room!

Sonata's having fun, probably because she knows she'll never have to lay in bed in a dark room again, but the thing that has me the most tense is wondering what the others are thinking. Trixie's just smiling all normal and happy, even giggling at some of the lines, Octavia looks like she's gonna need a teddy bear and maybe a cup of tea soon, and Vinyl, as usual, is pretty much inscrutable.

None of them are even glancing at me, so... they couldn't have been hearing any rumors, right? I'm pretty sure this means I succeeded yesterday, and nobody's gonna be making a fuss about CHS being haunted or anything. I try to focus on that pretty thought as the ghost in the movie starts verbally eviscerating the heroine (right after viscerally eviscerating her headstrong boyfriend) with her personal faults and failings in brutal, unflinching detail.

Adagio is laughing.

After the movie, we go for a slightly more traditional, girly mall activity: Trying on clothes. I've got no intention of changing my look again so soon, but I put stuff on and make a few poses in front of a mirror just to see how it fits anyway. Nothing really jumps out at me other than a grey, clingy, calve-length dress, which I look for in other colors (no luck) before going out to see what the others came up with.

Trixie is, of course, the first thing anyone sees as she stands loud and proud in the middle of the store, hands on her hips and looking like a Saturday morning cartoon villain in skin-tight, sparkly, black pants, white, high-heeled boots, and one of those tuxedo-coat things with the long butt-flaps. I guess we never specified whether this was stuff we planned to wear normally, but knowing Trixie, I wouldn't put this past her.

Octavia is the one that really surprises me, because I'd had this picture of her in my head as a prim and proper type that always strives to be wholesome and by the book. I'm reminded of what they say about assumptions when I see her in a Jessica-Rabbit-looking red dress (Sonata even did a comical cartoon wolf impression for a minute), complete with dark, shiny stockings and red heels, her hair done up in a ponytail.

"I don't know," she mutters as she looks herself over, "I'd feel right at home stretched out on a piano, but this just seems too much."

"Eh, fair, but Trixie urges you to at least consider the merits of stopping by a jazz club or something."

She chuckles. "I'll pass, thanks, though that'd certainly help find a job, if I were looking."

"You can hang out in places for reasons other than self-promotion, y'know."

"Perhaps, but I'm not as starved for attention as-" her eyes flicker down as she grins in amusement, "-some people."

I cross my arms, annoyed. "What's wrong with wanting some attention?"

They must not have noticed me standing next to Vinyl (who wasn't wearing anything new for some reason), because the two of them jump with a start as they hear me. Octavia in particular looks contrite as she struggles for a response, but Trixie is faster.

"Nothing of course, which raises the question of why you'd wear that."

"Huh?"

"Dull grey on a near-featureless dress? It's flattering, but kind of plain, don'tcha think?"

I frown a little. "I looked for other colors, but this was all I saw."

"Can always come back and see what's in stock later. Right, Vinyl?"

We all turn to look at Vinyl, whose music might be up too loud to hear us as she stands there with her usual, vacant little smile. I push bitter thoughts about her selective deafness aside in favor of trying to get her attention, which waving a hand in front of her face doesn't do. It's only when I poke her shoulder that she responds, jumping with fright not unlike Octavia and Trixie a minute ago.

[Yea, you look great!]

Octavia briefly pats herself down. "Bother, I left my phone in my skirt pocket, what did she say?"

Hands on her hips again, Trixie raises her chin with pride. "Only that we are a stunning sight, as always!"

I kind of wonder if Trixie embellishes every compliment she gets before we try on some other stuff.

It's weird to me that people don't act within a set range of easily-defined behaviors at all times until I remember that they only do that when you've got them under total control. That is my primary thought as Octavia shatters my image of her a little more at the arcade.

"DIE, DIE, DIE!!"

Crushing the trigger of a plastic gun doesn't make the shots on the screen hit any harder (I've tried!), but you wouldn't know it with the way Octavia quickly racks up an impressive body-count on Spider Attack 4. Trash-talking them doesn't really help either, but...

"Suck on the dried, splintered husks of your mutilated children, you octopedal freaks!! Spit your burning bile into your mates and bleed out in agony through your every tainted orifice, that your dying screams may forever be felt through the primordial ooze that spawned you, warding all future life away from the polluted path that poisoned the universe with your ilk!! AND I BET YOU SMELL!!"

Adagio is laughing again.

I don't know which is weirder, that Vinyl is just kind of standing there next to her with the same little smile as usual, picking off the ones she misses in her psychotic rampage, or that Sonata, a ghost, is cowering in the only refuge her incorporeal body can find; Adagio's hair.

Hoping CHS has a damn good counselor, I leave them to it and go see what Trixie's doing.

"Over here, Aria!"

I see her wave me over, sitting on a big, plastic, motorcycle-from-space thing, part of a bigger machine with a screen, big old vent things pointed at the seat, and the title "Midnight Ragers 2" in huge, red letters.

There's an empty seat next to her, so I straddle it and grab the handles-

PLAYER 2, ENGAGED.

-...kind of wishing that Trixie had warned me it would do that.

Or that the vents would blow cold air on us during the game, though that does kinda make it feel like we're racing down a mountainside. Even though the game takes place in the city streets of some kind of cyberpunk future where OSHA must have been disbanded with universal contempt.

I'm not sure if it's the simulated motorcycle part or just the general sensation of the fast motion and pumping music that gets me into it, but fun times are had as Trixie (who, of course, picked the half-naked racer with long, fabulous hair) and I (who went with a big, beefy dude as my avatar because I was hoping I'd be able to muscle my way through the other racers) race against the clock, AI bots, a few other players, and each other.

But mostly we just fall off the tracks and blow up. Still really fun!

"Alright," Octavia says with a little sigh as we walk out of the arcade, "I should be getting home, see you all Monday?"

Vinyl nods as Trixie again does her arms-crossed, chin-raised thing. "Until we meet again, compatriots!" She follows it up with a wink and a friendly wave before saying "Bye now!" and walking off.

I'm heading towards the exit as Sonata speaks up.

"That was pretty fun! What're ya gonna do now?"

I remember to bring my phone to my ear just in case. "I'unno, figured I'd just go home, see what's on TV, eat something bad for me, and crash for the night."

"You could pick up a job while you're here," Adagio adds noncommittally, "just to get it out of the way. I took a quick look around since we got here and found a few options."

"Like?"

"A local spa was the most promising, if only because you could quite feasibly sing patrons into a relaxed state. They may not be hiring for that, specifically, but I'm sure you could convince them one way or another. I'll admit you're not exactly spoilt for choice here, but you can always seek, and ensure, employment elsewhere if you're so inclined."

Sonata smiles. "The Rainbooms are doing S&M tonight, too, you could go join that!"

"S&S," Adagio corrects, lightly dope-slapping a giggling Sonata, "Sewers and Sphinxes. They aren't due to start for a few more hours, but yes, they did extend an offer."

"Could always head over early, mooch some snacks or maybe even dinner if they're ordering pizza again. It'd save you money for a meal tonight, too!"

I said I'd think about it, and... I mean, I still don't really wanna be all buddy-buddy with those girls, but just playing make-believe once a week or so won't hurt anything, right? Unless I can convince my new friends to play it with me, though I don't know if any of them would go for it. Or who would be the GM if they did. Playing with the Rainbooms feels like a good way to keep them thinking that I'm not a threat, too, and if any of 'em ask about my gem, I can say it's just a rock or totally powerless or something. I'd worry about Adagio having to float around Sunset, but she doesn't really seem bothered by the idea of going over there and isn't suggesting I skip out.

So, I think I'll swing by Fluttershy's place (they usually play there, I never even thought about asking why) just to see how things go this week, but the question is what I wanna do right now.

I could stay here a little longer, see about securing employment somewhere one way or another, then go to Fluttershy's when that's squared away. Getting paid to hang around in a spa does sound like a sweet gig if you ask me.

Of course, it's not like I'm in dire straights and need a job ASAP, because I've got good living money for about three more weeks. I could go home, kick back and do whatever until it's about time to start the game, maybe make a new character while I'm at it. Lazy, but I'd kinda like to look around a wider area than the mall and spend the bare minimum amount of time with any of the Rainbooms.

Still, I could go over early, which they made it pretty clear they're okay with even before the ritual. That'd have to give me a few more security points with them, right? It's only Sunset, Nerd Twilight, Fluttershy, and Rainbow anyway, so I don't have to worry about the other three at all. Oh, and there's Bulk Biceps. He's not a Rainboom, but he'll probably be there.

I'd like to play Sewers and Sphinxes at least one more time, see if it's still any fun without Adagio or Sonata being part of the game, but what to do with myself until then?

Author's Notes:

Gossiper visual aid:
(1)Cherry Crash,

(2)Paisley,

(3)Raspberry Fluff

(4)Sophisticata

No offense meant to the proud and silly Weeb nation, but none of the sirens are remotely familiar with that scene.
In this rendition...
Not even Adagio, despite her short-lived career as Hebi-Sama, weirdly enough.

Yes, I had thought about the movie being a choice, but it seemed so inconsequential as to not be worth bothering with, and the third choice (an action movie) was thrown in more because it seemed iffy to me that there'd be a movie theater anywhere without at least one car-gun-splosion-fest.

Now, actual choice!

1 - Go looking for a job in the mall, where the local spa is probably the best option.

2 - Go to the Rainbooms' near-weekly Sewers and Sphinxes game early, if only as a show that Aria is behaving herself.

3 - Neither, just head home and chill until it's dice-rollin' time.

**Next chapter started, voting closed! (sorry!)**

Chapter 10: In Plain Sight

Vote count as of 2/20/2018:
Go home- 1
Go to Fluttershy's place early- 3
Look for a job at the mall- 8

Bumming free grub off the Rainbooms sounds good and I'd kind of like to just kick back for a bit, but I figure while I'm here, I might as well secure my lifestyle or something. Just in case something happens and I'm hurting for money soon. I mean, I could probably convince Adagio to let me just musically mug somebody if it was really an emergency, but getting a huge bundle of money out of nowhere never looks good on anyone. Can always quit and snag a new job elsewhere if I feel like it.

Glancing over my shoulder, I think about seeing if the arcade is hiring, but I don't know what I'd do besides go around collecting coins outta the machines, sweeping up crumbs and wrappers, and probably having to talk to random dorks all day. I probably wouldn't get to play games during my shift, anyway, not without some pretty noticeable brain-washing. I've got no urge at all to work at a clothes shop or any of the other places we went today, but I still take a quick look around, ponder my options, and while I've got some thoughts about the tattoo parlor, I end up going to the local spa.

I'm not even in the doorway when the smell of flowers and fruity body cream hits me like some kind of preemptive strike against stress with chemical warfare. It might even be working, because I'm feeling pretty smooth and confident about this already. I walk up to the counter and look the receptionist dead in the eye.

"Hey. How much would you pay for someone that could sing your customers into Nirvana?"

The receptionist, a light-beige, blue-eyed girl with long, purple hair, blinks at me. "Uh, could you run that by me again?"

"I've got cords like an angel," I say while bringing a hand up to my neck, "and if you let me, my singing can melt your patrons' brains and make them forget their pains, their troubles, and their names."

She raises an eyebrow, making a face like she's about to step in something. "I'm, I don't mean to call you a liar, but your voice sounds..."

I feel my face heat up as Sonata snickers behind me, but I try to keep the scowl down. "My singing voice is great! Need a demonstration?"

Humoring me, she nods (which is good, because I was gonna do it anyway), so I open my mouth and start a soft, soothing vocal melody. No lyrics, because I know this stuff has gotta be background noise and specific words draw attention, but the 'Aaa-aah, ahh-aaah-ah' thing should do the trick here. I can already see that it's having an effect as she smiles, resting her head on a propped-up hand on her desk less than a minute into my performance, her eyes even closing by just a few millimeters.

And then I start singing with a little magic.

There's nobody alive in here right now but me and her, and my ghostly sisters will tell me if anyone's coming, so I give it some juice. The effect is instant, and while I doubt she even realizes it, she's already melting into her seat, her eyes closing a little further as she drifts into a happy, sleepy haze, the look on her face telling me she'd let me do this for hours.

She stays that way even after I stop singing, which, after a minute of awkward silence on my end, I'm a little worried about.

"I'm sure you can snap her awake," offers Adagio, "if they haven't closed yet, she has a job to be doing."

I shrug and touch the girl's shoulder, which she reacts to as though she had been straight up sleeping.

"Oh, sorry, I..." She's still smiling and looking sort of Bedroom Eyes as she sits up and stretches. "Goodness, that was a treat! I don't have the authority to make anything final myself, but I'm sure we can find room for you."

Because I'm betting I can pass it off as just being proud of my work, I wear a bright smile all the way to the back room where the others (her bosses, maybe her sisters from how similar they all look) are waiting.

I used my magic at all partly because I wanted to get this thing in the bag, partly because I've been itching to enchant someone again ever since the Battle, and having my old power back feels amazing! More-so because I can do it pretty much out in the open, the other two spa girls none the wiser as I win them over in the same way. Before I know it, I'm all lined up to work here on the weekends and any shifts I can manage on school days. They're sympathetic to student workers, which I learn when I see that Bulk Biceps works here too.

I kinda wish I could like, harness my ghost sisters' power to channel their strengths when I needed to, because I might have been able to mask my reaction a little better that way.

"Miss Aria," asks Aloe, a pink lady with shiny, blue hair, "iz something wrong?"

I can't place her accent, but it sounds somewhere between French and Russian. "Yea," I manage to spit out as I desperately try to pull myself together, "just, didn't think I'd run into someone else from CHS here."

And am definitely not having a tiny freak-out that he might see me doing my magic and report it to the Rainbooms.

My new boss titters. "Oh, yes, most customers are startled when they learn he will be giving them massages, but he really does have a soothing touch."

"When he is not breaking things," adds Lotus Blossom, who looks just like Aloe with blue skin and pink hair.

"Yes," deadpans Aloe, "when he is not breaking things."

I smile a little, which I'm pretty sure can be read as more amusement than nervousness. As usual, Adagio isn't fooled.

"Bulk Biceps isn't the brightest bulb to begin with and may not even notice anything amiss, but just in case, you can most likely control him if you're discreet."

She's got a point, and I might even be able to implant the right ideas in his head on the job, but Sonata, grinning cheekily, has another idea.

"Orrr, you could undo the top button of your uniform, bat your eyes, and ask him pretty please not to tell on you, maybe even say something about a private session if he's a good boy."

I'm lucky Lotus and Aloe are preoccupied working something out with Vera (the one I talked to on the way in here), because I have no feasible explanation for why I'm blushing this hard while filling out paperwork. To my surprise, Adagio doesn't immediately detract from the idea.

"That might suffice," she says thoughtfully, one hand on her chin, "he is a teenage boy and you're a very pretty girl. Although, we must consider that he spends time around other girls that he's known longer than us, and if he isn't immediately being pressured by you, he could easily break."

Sonata shrugs. "Maybe, but it's a magic-free way to keep him quiet, as long as the rumors at school aren't true and steroids haven't shrunk his-"

"Okay," I say out loud as I suddenly stand up, startling the spa workers, "gonna go try on the uniform. You said you had an extra, right?"

"Ehm, y-yes," answers Aloe, "the locker room is yust around the corner."

I go, trying to think about just how dangerous my predicament here is.

Backing out now would raise questions if anyone saw me and I don't know if I'm strong enough to totally erase their memories the way Adagio did with our slaves back in the city, but Bulk is the only problem here. Maybe I could sing to him, maybe I could get him fired, maybe I could... go with Sonata's idea.

And knowing what Bulk looks like, I'm kinda tempted.

Anyway, I like the uniform for this place! White pants, shoes, a close-fitting shirt that goes down to my thighs like a miniskirt, and scrunchies to tie my hair up (they said I could keep the twin-tails, but pointy star hair clips aren't the most soothing image), all of it made of the softest stuff. I don't know cotton from silk from polyester, but these clothes are snuggly! There's a white headband, too, but I don't think I'll wear that part. Don't wanna be mistaken for one of these girls' sisters, if that's not what's already going on here.

The outfit looks damn good on me, though!

They're more or less closing up here soon, so I hang around for a while, get the rundown of the place, get familiar with where stuff is and what it's for, what I can do other than sing to customers, and then I change back to my own clothes and set out for Fluttershy's place.

When I get to her yard, I feel weird that I left a spa to come here, where things are just...

How do I even say it? If people at each others throats kicked up negative energy, just standing near Fluttershy's house would be like a wave of the exact opposite stuff. The lawn isn't just carefully kept, there's plants that don't normally grow near houses all arranged like something out of a painting, flat, rounded rock things leading up to the front door, even garden gnomes and stuff that just make the place feel all... homey. And that's just the front yard!

The way the house is built even looks different from the rest in this neighborhood, with smooth, curved windows that make me think more of a cottage than a house. When I look at this place, I can practically hear children laughing and smell fresh-baked cookies. With the permeating sense of lived-in-ness, I wonder if this place was standing since they first built the town, like it's just been a lasting monument to happy families for centuries, or if Fluttershy's is just that... soft.

Adagio, Sonata, and I were royal family, and we never had anything that felt this nice. I'm not sure what that says about anyone here, but I think that's why she was the one sent to bring me home from the hospital.

Anyway, I walk up (stepping on just one of the rounded stones at a time, because that's what they're there for), ring the doorbell, and wait. Within a minute, I hear soft, but hurried footsteps on the other side and Fluttershy opens the door.

"Oh," she says with surprise, "h-hello, Aria."

We stare at one another in silence for a minute, her looking like she's waiting for me to demand something of her, so I clear my throat and remind her of yesterday. "Is that invitation still good?"

"Oh!" She brightens up immediately. "Y-yes, please, come in!" I follow her instruction, walking to the living room with her. "We'll be getting started soon, did you eat before coming? Because if not, we have plenty of leftover pie."

"Pie?"

"Applejack and Pinkie were helping in a bake sale this week and didn't know what to do with the extras, so please, help yourself! We have the character sheets ready, too, which has made things much easier than when we all used to bring ours separately and-"

It's kind of amazing how much more calm and confident she gets when we're at her house, but I guess playing host and Sewers and Sphinxes are passions of hers. She leads me into the living room, where Sunset, Nerd Twilight, Rainbow, and my new, brawny coworker are all arranged around a big ol' table covered in papers, rulebooks, colorful die of various shapes, and a few snacks/plates of half-eaten pie here and there.

They all stare at me like Fluttershy did, only they're quicker with the smiles.

"Hey," says Rainbow with a casual wave, "glad you could make it!"

I find myself smiling a little as I silently wave back, taking a seat between her (so we can talk strategy if necessary) and Fluttershy.

Sunset's smile is as obvious in its effort to cover something up as the little strain in her voice. "We were just going over what happened last week, and..." For a second, I worry she's about to cry, but she holds together pretty well for a pony. "I guess we can say Nau Thrak and Jissibil were hired by another, distant kingdom? Where they lived happily ever after?"

Nau Thrak the Orc Priest (I didn't know you could play a full-fledged orc, but she made it work) and Jissibil the Dark Elf Sorceress (best known for her vanity and Elisabeth Bathory tendencies) were Adagio and Sonata's characters, respectively. I nearly make the mistake of asking them, but they're already floating where I can see them.

Adagio studies her nails. "That works."

Sonata shrugs. "Yea, sounds good."

Looking back at her passively, I nod. Glancing at the others is the first hint that they're all apparently uneasy, so I just come out with it. "Like I said before, I've done my grieving, and it's not like we've never lost anything important before. I'm moving on."

There are a few looks of shock, but most of these girls, and Bulk, are as young as they look, so that's kind of expected. Rainbow is the first to respond verbally.

"Heh," she says with a faint, regretful smile as she scratches her head, "Dagi was supposed to be DM-ing this week, wasn't she? I'm kinda sad we'll never see it now."

Adagio just rolls her eyes, but I think I see a tiny smile. Sunset was the one running the game since we came back to Canterlot High (maybe before, I don't know) and there was a mild argument last week.

See, Fluttershy and Bulk like to really get into their characters, Sonata thought that looked fun and went for the same play style. Thing is, she rolled a Chaotic Neutral psychopath with a particular fondness for lavish jewels and killing things with their own blood, no matter the consequences.

Sonata, or 'Jissibil,' being an unpredictable lunatic (selling villagers into slavery so we could justify killing and looting the people she sold them to and charge the local mayor for returning his citizens, infecting a gnome with lycanthropy in the hopes of getting a were-puppy (which literally bit her character in the ass a few times), trying to convince a cyclops to take up piracy and wear an eyepatch, etc.) caused some chaos during Sunset's campaigns, Sunset getting annoyed about her inflexible plans being derailed every hour or so, Sonata shooting back that Adagio's campaigns never got thrown off no matter what she did (because I'm pretty sure Adagio made stuff up as she went and had long gotten used to Sonata being Sonata), Nerd Twilight asking a few questions, Adagio, put on the spot, tentatively answering, and the lot of us coming to the agreement that she'd DM next time.

That was supposed to be this week, but...

Well, I already tried having her ghost-DM, but even if I weren't the only one that could hear her, I don't think that'd go over well right now. Still, I think I might know how to defuse the atmosphere in here.

I smile a little, leaning over the table to prop my head up with one arm. "I don't think you'd really want that." They stare at me in surprise before I go on. "You guys wanna know what Adagio's games were like?"

"YEAH!!"

I'm probably not the only one that got startled by that, but everyone looking at Bulk gets a sheepish smile before the Rainbooms look back at me, encouraging smiles on their faces. Just because it feels necessary, I spare a quick, subtle glance at Adagio and find her giving me a little smirk, which I take to mean 'Oh, go on then.'

I clear my throat.

"As manipulative and underhanded as she could be before, being able to make villains for Sewers and Sphinxes games gave Adagio a whole new outlet for her evil ways, letting her make imaginary people do things far more horrific than anything we'd ever pull in the real world.

In our first campaign, there was this medium-sized town with a really weird hospital. I don't know if old-timey swords-and-dragons fantasy dark-ages had hospitals, but whatever. In this hospital, some patients would just disappear in the night, gone without a trace. Over in the childrens' wing, though, there were a bunch of kids with a fatal disease that hadn't quite kicked in yet... for about two years. She feeds us the exposition that the disease is supposed to kill within weeks, but these kids have held on and stayed relatively healthy anyway, and that it's treated like a miracle by the local church, celebrated as giving the town hope in congregation.

We investigate the hospital to learn why people are disappearing, head down some stairs, break down some locked doors, and find a morgue full of desiccated zombies and a few of the hospital's staff. Some combat-related dice-rolls later, we corner the head doctor in a room with a huge, powerful monster (waiting for its master to say "Sic 'em!"), some kind of spirit-sucking demon that we know has to consume souls every now and then to survive in this plane, and we assume he's been feeding the missing patients to it this whole time.

Adagio has her demonic witch-doctor laugh at us, explaining that those undead husks we cut through to get to him were the remains of the patients once he'd harvested their organs to sell on what amounts to Ye Olde Black Market for transplants, dark rituals, feed for unholy pets, whatever the customer shelled out for. He tells us that he knew just zombies and a few medics wouldn't be enough to protect him the day someone came kicking down his door like we did, so he wanted extra security. The powerful, soul-eating monster, he reveals, is actually kept alive by tethering its soul to many living, human hosts in a harmless, symbiotic relationship of shared spirit energy; the sick kids upstairs that he infected with that disease himself. We're told that if his security monster dies, the spell will be broken, the links severed, and those kids will die in just days, if not sooner.

So he gives us a choice, which Adagio delivers with a wicked grin; fight his big, strong monster and inadvertently kill those innocent, helpless children, destroying the town's source of hope in this bleak little world (and kill him and loot his lair, are the unspoken parts), or walk away, let him continue his operation (no pun intended) in gory, nightmarish peace, and get a cut of that month's profits to leave town without saying anything.

It's a good thing I don't really do that 'in-character' stuff in these games, or I might have felt bad about what we ended up doing."

When I'm done, there's a particular kind of silence, the horrified stares making me defensive.

"Don't look at me like that, there were only two of us, we'd just fought through a whole basement of zombies and some medics that got in a few lucky hits (something about surgical knowledge giving them boosts to bleed damage), Sonata sucked at managing health potions-" I ignore her indignant scoff, "-and we were practically wiped!"

They vaguely accept this, so I go on.

"Anyway, when we get to the next town with our ill-gotten gold, we hear that all the kids suddenly died, the hospital had to shut down on account of half the doctors getting slaughtered in the basement, and the witch doctor guy is gone without a trace. My point is, Adagio is a fuckin' vicious DM, and I don't think you guys would have done that much better."

"I'd have held back a little against these girls," mutters Adagio, "at least until I could harden them a little."

Nerd Twilight scratches her head, visibly perturbed. "Wow. I'm aware that moral choices are part of this game, but that was..."

Rainbow raises an eyebrow. "Why didn'tcha just kill the kids?"

As the rest of the girls, and Bulk, look at Rainbow in open-mouthed shock and disgust, Sonata scratches her head. "Why didn't we think of that?"

Adagio giggles.

"Hey," Rainbow defends, palms upraised as if to fend off actual blows, "I'm just saying, if they were gonna die anyway if the monster died, what difference does it make? Besides, it's not like they're real kids!"

Sunset tilts her head. "Other than it being cheap, cowardly, and most likely requiring that they stab a bunch of children in broad daylight? If the witch doctor played his cards right, they'd have needed a pretty good Speech check to not wind up executed by the city guards."

"They could have brought the authorities down to the morgue and pointed them to the monster," offers Twilight (screw it, she's just "Twilight" now), "but it sounds like the doctor was planning to cut and run the minute they caught him."

"That's, that's terrible," says a slightly tearful Fluttershy, Adagio doing an unseen stage bow with a delighted grin, "there must have been some way to save the children!"

I shrug. "Maybe if we'd had some kinda super priest or uber-spirit specialist in our party, but it was just me, the wizard, and Sonata, the rogue, so..." I look away, occupying my mouth with a nearby chunk of pie.

Bulk's eyes are wide and unfocused. "I'll never look at Nau Thrak the same way again..."

This draws a few snickers, then table-wide laughter, Bulk included, and I don't even know what's funny about it. My first guess would be that dopey people are just naturally funny, but I hardly laughed at anything Sonata ever said.

"So," Fluttershy says while wiping a tear away, "I-I think we were in the Swamp King's lair?"

"Ah, yes," answers Sunset as she sets up her little dividing-wall thingy to look over her notes, "with the green emblem back where it belongs, the stone doors slide open for the first time in centuries, allowing passage to the dark, flooded tunnels below..."

A good dungeon-crawl and some murky, lizard-man regicide later, we're counting up spoils from the treasury and XP from our righteous murder-frenzy. I got more kills than Rainbow again because she always insists on going for the big, 'important' targets first, and I snag the killing blow on those about half the time anyway. Sucker!

It always takes everyone a while to get their next level-up sorted out, but by the time Rainbow and I are done, Twilight is, of course, still going anal about which feats work best with the exact ratio of health/spells she has in regard to the rest of the party (the loss of Nau Thrak and Jissibil seems to have really thrown a wrench in there somewhere), and Fluttershy and Bulk are in a quiet, in-character discussion about something the Swamp King said in his last moments. Nature and expansion of settlements or some boring crap I wasn't listening to just before I rolled to swipe his pricey-sounding crown.

Turns out it wasn't a hat, but Rainbow figures we just need to clean it off and somebody'll buy it.

Anyway, Sunset takes this opportunity to excuse herself for a bit, and the rest of the pie being in the kitchen, I take the chance to do the same. I'm standing there indecisively staring at two tins of apple and blueberry when Sonata floats in front of me, smiling.

"Havin' fun?"

Taking a quick look around and not seeing anyone, I bring up my phone just in case. "Yea, it's..." I feel myself smile a little. "still pretty fun, I guess."

Adagio is wearing a calm little grin, but I don't think she even looked at Sunset the whole time the game was going. "Do you think you'll be back next week? None of them seemed to suspect you of anything, so this may have practical purposes."

"Yea. Unless something happens, I could probably-"

"-ll on this? We've had a big, touchy talk about it twice already!"

I don't move, but I definitely hear Rainbow's voice from another room, followed by Sunset's.

"I know, I know, just... seeing her after what happened and... it's harder than I thought it'd be."

Preeeetty sure they're talking about me there, and it sounds like Sunset is feeling guilty after all.

"Come on, Sunset, we went over all of this. It's not your fault, they did it on their own, the-"

"You could keep standing there and maybe gather some information," Adagio says somewhat urgently, "but it would be bad if someone caught you eavesdropping. You should head back to the others." Looking in the direction of the sounds, she grits her teeth. "I hate to pass up an opportunity like this, but Sonata and I can't even listen in for you, because we'd have to present you with information you couldn't have known otherwise and we risk exposing you if it ever comes up that you know what they were saying tonight."

I don't move right away. Flutters and Bulk are probably in their own little world and Twilight'll need a cattle prod to get her out of Min-Max mode, so I'm pretty sure I'm safe to just listen for a bit. I even have an excuse; who wouldn't tune in when they hear people talking about them? I look at Sonata to see where she leans and am surprised to see her frowning.

"H-hey," she mutters, "do ya think you could, like, go talk to her? She sounds really sad."

Adagio deadpans. "You're joking."

Sonata shakes her head. "I'm not! I mean, she's... she could like, think you've gotta be good if you comfort her, right? You could be Rainboom-free from now on!"

"Or they could figure that that's exactly what she's up to," Adagio says with an eyeroll, "if they don't decide it makes her one of 'theirs' from now on."

I'm pretty sure Sonata just doesn't like people crying, at least when it doesn't directly benefit us, but she's got a point; I could win some big Rainboom points if I step out and say whatever she wants to hear. Then again, I don't know how Sunset really feels about the aftermath of the ritual, and this is the best chance I've had to find out... unless somebody spots me and asks (out loud, thus tipping off Rainbow and Sunset that I was here the whole time) why I'm just standing in the kitchen.

I have to think fast, don't have much time to dawdle here...

Author's Notes:

The proposed methods of dealing with Bulk may end up being a choice later, but for now, the sirens are just talking battle plans. Feel free to think about it out loud in the comments, though, I love reading peoples' thoughts behind their choices!

And, please disregard Aria's last line there; I won't be closing voting for at least a week, probably longer, so no need to rush your decision if you feel like voting.

On that note, choice!

1 - Go out and try to comfort Sunset.

2 - Stay put and eavesdrop on the conversation.

3 - Neither, go back to the others and carry on like normal.

**Next chapter started, voting closed! (sorry!)**