Chapter 106

Having the smooth, warm moisture and the soft, rippling texture of Fluttershy’s pussy wrapped around my rock-hard length had brought me close to bursting as always, and each additional thrust inched me ever-nearer to that wonderfully satisfying —and messy— conclusion.

“Are you close, big boy?” she panted, looking over her shoulder through that pink hair of hers.

“Oh god, yeah…”

It was Friday evening.

To my delight, Sonata ended up sleeping all day, which afforded me the time to clean the flooded bathroom and bedroom carpet, as well as washing and drying the siren’s laundry, along with all of the regular chores.

Fluttershy was right: it’d been a long time since Sonata had had a decent, full night’s rest; no question about it. She slept like a rock all day long, and Link absolutely refused to leave her side unless he felt the need to have a quick bite or use the big litterbox.

Fluttershy had returned home from work almost an hour early and, for whatever reason, was in quite the amorous mood indeed; as soon as she stepped through that front door, bags and clothes hit the floor and before we knew it, she was bent over the edge of the bed, grunting and squeaking like a wild animal.

She was stark naked, her smooth, daffodil skin bathed in the orange glow of the sunset as it flooded in through the bedroom window. Her slender frame leaned over the bed, supported by her fingertips, her pendulous beasts swinging in synch with each impalement. One leg was raised, her foot perched on the bed to spread her womanhood, offering it up for me to take from behind—which I accepted with great gusto.

As mentioned, I was nearing the end, ready to release the result of my enjoyment throughout her loins.

Or was I?

Tonight, we were having a bit of fun with some role play.

“You, Fluttershy,” I said, in a husky voice with a bad southern accent, “have been found guilty of crimes against humanity. How do you plead?”

A panting Fluttershy hesitated, turning her head partway. “Um… but you, aaahhh! … you just s-s-said I was guilty…”

“Huh?” My eyes widened and my thrusts slowed, realising I’d severely fucked my line up. “Oh shit… fuck, I did, didn’t I? Damn, uh…”

Fluttershy let her head hang, her body quaking in harmony with her sweet-sounding laughter. “Hahahaha! Ohhh Goldie! Mmmm…”

I gathered myself and speared her deep with a powerful thrust; my hips slapped against that yellow backside of hers, eliciting a sharp squeak from her when she found herself filled swiftly by my stiff girth.

“Silence!” I commanded. “You have, uh—I mean, by the power vested in me, I hereby sentence you to death… by firing squad!”

Fluttershy gasped —one that I wasn’t sure was real or not— and she began to thrash her hair around in protest. “No! Not the firing squad! I-I’m innocent, I swear!”

“It’s too late for that,” I replied dismissively, feeling the pressure build down in my loins, travelling slowly to the tip of my length. “Have you any last words?”

The shy girl panted heavily. Her mind spun, causing her to struggle to think of a response. Finally, she swung her head to clear the hair from her face and then looked over her shoulder at me. “Bring it. I’m ready!”

“As you wish.” I looked down at her backside and readied my hand as my length slid into her warm depths a few more times, just enough to bring about my climax.

I withdrew and gripped my shaft just below its swollen head to fire that first thick, white stream at her waiting derrière; the shot hit dead-center on the right cheek, ricocheted, and then scattered up the small of her back.

Fluttershy jerked when she felt the hot splash on her skin, feigning the impact of a bullet. “Ah! I’m hit, Goldie!” she gasped, hanging her head. “Tell my pets I love them; this is it… I’m a goner!”

I couldn’t help but snicker at such melancholy as I watched the second shot leap from my tip to land on her tailbone, where it quickly ran down between her cheeks, coating her tight little orifice in a warm, white glaze as it went.

Before anymore got loose, I placed my length between those slick, yellow lips and sank back into her heat to deliver the remaining shots, soaking her depths with copious amounts of viscous, white gratitude while the stream that ran down her crack began to pool on the topside of my throbbing shaft.

Closing my eyes, I rode the orgasm out until it finally faded; the hot gushes slowed to a trickle, followed by the odd twitch as I waited patiently for my pulse to return to normal. Fluttershy and I remained in that position, panting together in an untimed chorus of bliss as we savoured the warm, sloppy aftermath of our little production.

After a few moments, I inched away, watching my glistening length slip out of her. With the cork pulled, a stream of hot fluid gushed down the inner side of her right thigh, the sensation of which drew a devilish giggle from her. I was about to look at the bedside table to check the time of death on her clock radio so I could announce it, but something in the opposite side of my peripheries stopped me.

Something blue, standing in the doorway.

With eyes wide, I turned my head very slowly to see what —or who— it was.

Sure enough, it was Sonata: standing in the doorway wearing Rarity’s clothes, hands behind her back and pigeon-toed, with that arbitrary grin on her face. From her position, she couldn’t possibly have had a better vantage point to see what the shy girl and I were up to; with her left leg raised —which, of course, just had to be the side that faced the hallway— the siren’s view was as plain as the clearest day. Not one thing was obscured from her sight: not Fluttershy’s lemon pie-coloured backside, splattered with meringue; or her well-serviced crease with its pink accoutrements peeking out from between those swollen, yellow lips, dribbling a white stream down her thigh.

I stood motionless, unsure of what to do and yet unable to break eye contact with Sonata, who opened her mouth to speak, despite the unbearable awkwardness.

“The milk’s all gone.”

So apparently, only I felt said awkwardness.

The nonchalantness she displayed in the face of such an interruption floored me, leaving me at a complete loss of what to say.

Fluttershy, who’d been unaware of the siren’s presence until now, froze like a statue upon hearing the extra voice. Holding her breath, she slowly turned her head and peered through her hair at the blue intruder, and the two locked eyes and stared each other down.

Sonata’s smile widened slightly. “Hi.”

Fluttershy remained motionless a few seconds longer, then she suddenly turned and scrambled for the bathroom in a panic.

“AAAAAAHH! H- H- HA-A-AH!” Shrieking with embarrassment, she sprinted into the other room and slammed the door behind her.

Sonata looked surprised by the reaction.

I let out an exasperated sigh, pursing my lips as I studied the cluster of white dots on the carpet, left behind by the shy girl’s ass.

*****

“So where are we going?” Sonata asked, glancing out the passenger side window of my truck and then back at me.

“I found a new place for you to stay,” I replied flatly, keeping my eyes on the road.

“Oh…” She let her eyes drift down to the floor, looking disappointed. “Bummer. I’m gonna miss that big kitty-cat.”

“You’ll get to visit him, I’m sure.” I raised a finger at her. “And he’s not a wookie, OK? He’s a Canadian Lynx.”

“Oh... I knew that. He’s still pretty cool, though.”

“Yeah,” I sighed, finally glancing over at her.

Before we left, Sonata had changed back into her own clothes, which were now clean and fresh smelling—something she was actually quite thrilled about. Under that long, black coat was her burgundy top with those double-pointed collars and the three light-blue ties down the front. Below that hung her pink skirt and boots.

Compared to the previous night —after a couple meals, a shower and a long, restful sleep— it was difficult not to admit that Sonata looked like a million bucks. Her skin colour was vibrant, her eyes were gleaming, and her energy level was noticeably higher.

During the short glance at her, I couldn’t help but notice how light and bouncy her hair was. I was never a fan of short bobs, but on her it honestly looked pretty cute. Admittedly, she did have a very pretty face to go along with it, especially with that simple innocence that showed in her expression.

If only she wasn’t such an idiotic nuisance.

Several minutes of silence passed once I returned my attention to the road. It was dark out now—almost 7:30pm. My mind began to wander, just as the truck did when it rounded the bend, transporting our other-worldly and ancient guest to her new home.

Sunset and I had a short text conversation after the incident with Fluttershy. Once I explained the situation and suggested a new place to relocate the siren to, she agreed that there was no danger, and that it might actually be beneficial to Sonata—and her new host.

My thoughts were interrupted by my passenger.

“I remember you.”

I looked over at her, cocking a brow. “Hm?”

She looked oddly serious. “I remember you. From Massachusetts. You’re the guy who broke Aria’s thumb.”

“Oh?” My eyes darted around the cab, then I quickly returned them to the road. Since her arrival, I’d been hoping that she wouldn’t recognize me. That event, which took place during the Witch Trials, was something I really didn’t want to rehash.

“Yeah,” she nodded, “Like… last night, I thought I recognised you at first, but I was like: ‘nah, that was a long time ago; how could he still be alive?’ But today, when I saw you and Fluttershy in the bedroom, I knew it was you.” She folded her arms and grinned. “I’m not that great with faces, but I never forget a ding-dong.”

I coughed out loud and then cleared my throat. “Look, I’d rather keep that whole thing on the down-low, if you don’t mind.”

Her eyebrows went up in surprise. “Wait… the Rainbooms don’t know about it?”

“Well, they… they do—just... not the way it really happened. Some of the details are a little different: like, they think we had some kind of huge, epic battle that ended with me breaking that purple chick’s thumb.”

“Aria.”

“Yeah... her.” I rolled my eyes. “But seriously, I don’t think they’d be too thrilled if they found out that I actually caught you guys trying to rob me instead of saving the town from your singing.”

“Wow. That’s what you told them? That we fought? Ah hahahaha!”

“Well yeah! I sure as hell wasn’t gonna tell them you guys had the purp —uh… Aria, sorry— create a distraction by seducing me so you two could sneak in and steal my shit while me and her were going at it.”

“Why?” Sonata asked, confused. “Like, I get that you’re all lovey-dubby with Fluttershy now, but that happened like... two-hundred years ago.”

“More like, over three-hundred.”

“Well… whatever.”

“Look, I’d rather keep this between you and me, if you don’t mind. I don’t know how they’d take it if they found out I fucked one of you guys—especially Rare. Plus, I’ve already told them a different story, so if they found out now, they’d know I’ve been keeping things from them.”

Sonata rolled her eyes and nodded. “Fine, fine.” She sighed.

“OK then.” I bowed my head and returned my attention to the road. After a moment, a tiny smirk began to show in the corner of my mouth, and I turned to face her again. “As much as I hate to admit it, you guys got me pretty good there—almost.”

Sonata grinned and nodded. “Yeah. I told you, Dagi’s smart. She knew you were travelling with all that gold n’ stuff, but when we found out our singing didn’t work on you, she came up with that plan instead.”

“It was slick, I’ll give her that,” I replied. “That Aria, she was the right one for the job. I mean, she’s a fuckin bitch, but she is pretty damn hot.”

Sonata paused momentarily; her expression faded slightly. “Mm… it would have worked too, if I hadn’t laughed.”

I snorted and shook my head. “Oh, man… I couldn’t fuckin believe that! There I was, pluggin away at Aria and the next thing I know, I hear laughing behind me, so turn around and there’s you and that orange fur-ball going through my shit!”

Sonata brought her hands up and shrugged. “I couldn’t help it! You called her ‘Miss Purple-Bottom!’”

I let out a laugh at her expense. “I know, but still; the key to sneaking up on someone is being quiet, not laughing out loud. It still cracks me up when I picture that look on that orange one’s face when you did it.”

She groaned, covered her face and shook her head, then she looked back at me. “Dagi was SO mad at me about that. So was Ari, come to think of it; after we got away from you, she totally went off on me, like: ‘DAMMIT, SONATA! THE PLAN FAILED AND I GOT MY FUCKING THUMB BUSTED—ALL BECAUSE YOU COULDN’T KEEP YOUR STUPID MOUTH SHUT!’”

I glanced back at the road. “Yeah, I can imagine.” Then I paused for a moment to think. “And actually, if I remember right, I’m pretty sure she was like… two seconds away from getting off.”

Sonata brought a hand up to scratch the back of her neck. “Yeah that probably didn’t help, either.”

We drove in silence for a moment. Then I raised a hand. “Look, bottom line: I don’t want the girls to know about this, so can we just keep it between you and me, please?”

Sonata rolled her eyes and huffed. “I already said I would, OK? I promise it’ll be our little secret.”

“Thank you.”

Again, silence filled the cab, save for the rhythmic clatter of the truck’s engine.

After a few minutes of rumination, the siren turned to me. “So where am I going?”

I inhaled slowly and faced her. “You’re gonna stay with someone a who’s little more… your type.”

*****

It was well after dark when Pinkie Pie rolled out of bed and shuffled down the stairs. She’d hosted an odd mid-week high school birthday party the previous night and as a result, had slept all day.

At the bottom of the stairs, she stopped and slipped a hand inside the back of her pyjama pants to scratch her right butt-cheek. She yawned loudly, mouth wide, eyes shut tight.

Afterwards, she smacked her lips and raised her phone —which hung precariously from limp fingertips— to read her texts.

MOM: Remember thee well, your father and I are absent on this week's end for the anniversary of our nuptials. We shall return on the night of the Sabbath. Please aspire to coexist in peace with your sistren during your toils.

She raised a brow and then swiped to the next message.

DAD: Remember thee well, your mother and I are absent on this week's end for the anniversary of our nuptials. We shall return on the night of the Sabbath. Please aspire to coexist in peace with your sistren during your toils.

After a quick roll of her eyes, Pinkie shook her head and sighed. She glanced into the kitchen and then the front room, both of which were dark. “Maud? ... Limestone?” She paused after calling their names, listening. “Marble?”

No answer.

“Hm.” She shrugged and headed for the kitchen, satisfied that she had the house to herself for the night. Just as she began to wonder what to do with her free time, however, her phone chimed, signalling the arrival of a new message. She brought the device up to read it.

GOLDEN ARROW: Hey Pinks, u busy tonight??

Pinkie’s brow furrowed, her curiousity piqued by the message. Her thumbs moved to type a reply as she yawned deeply, making sure the caps lock was on first.

PINKIE: HIYA GOLDIE-WOLDIE! I JUST WOKE UP BECAUSE I WORKED AAAAAAALL NIGHT LAST NIGHT! WHATS UP??

GOLDEN ARROW: Perfect!

Just then, there was a loud knock at the front door, a few feet from where she stood. It startled her, causing her to yelp and drop her phone.

“Jeez Louise,” she whispered as she placed a hand over her chest, her heart thumping like a drum. After an exhale through pursed lips, she approached the door and reached out to unlock it, then she turned the handle.

She’d only opened the door a few inches when a powerful hand swung it open from the other side, after which a blue-skinned girl in a black coat was shoved into the foyer, stumbling awkwardly against the momentum.

“WHOA!” Pinkie shouted, wide awake and alert, having recognized the siren, who was now standing before her, grinning nervously. Then she turned to see me standing in the doorway, reaching in to grab the doorknob.

“Hey Pinks! Now, I know you've been having a hard time with your sisters lately, but I’ve got just the solution for you: a new friend! Hopefully now you won’t lose your marbles, right?”

“Huh?” She glanced at Sonata with tiny pupils, then back at me, looking quite confused.

“Don’t worry,” I said hastily, “it’s just her. She left the other two. She wants to turn over a new leaf, but uh… she can’t stay at Flutters’ house cuz it’s uhh... too small. Or something. I dunno. Bye!”

SLAM!

After the door swung closed, the girls stood alone in the dark foyer, staring anxiously at one another in silence.

Sonata wrung her hands, chewing her lip as she watched the pink girl tug nervously at the hem of her pyjama shirt. “Um,” —she cleared her throat— “so… you’re the drummer, right?”

Pinkie froze and stared at the siren. “Uhh… yeah.”

Sonata tapped her nails together, trying to think of a way to show the other girl that she wasn’t a threat.

Then she spotted the cell phone on the floor.

Sonata took a step forward, which caused Pinkie to retreat a step. She paused briefly to watch the pink girl, then she bent slowly and plucked the phone from the floor.

Pinkie’s eyes dropped to the device when Sonata stood and held it out to her.

“Is… this yours?” the siren asked, with a friendly —albeit nervous— smile.

Pinkie hesitated, then reached slowly to take the phone. “Um… yeah. Thanks.”

Sonata tightened her lips and nodded before retreating to her original position. “S-sorry to barge in on you like this.”

After staring for another moment, Pinkie Pie closed her eyes and shook her head. “Uh, no… no, it’s OK,” she replied. “So… wait, what happened, exactly? Why were you... you know, with Goldie?”

“I, uh… left my sisters.”

A pause.

“Why?”

Sonata shrugged. “I don’t really know, but… I got lost, and I didn’t know where to go, so last night, I… went to your friend’s house to ask for help.”

Pinkie began to loosen up as she listened to the siren’s story. “You… came to us?”

Sonata sniffled and looked down, scuffing her foot on the floor. “I don’t really know anyone else.”

Pinkie was silent. She looked down at her phone, pondering the fact that it had just been handed to her by one of the sirens—in her own house, at that.

Sonata continued. “Some of the other Rainbooms even came over to talk to me last night, and um, your friend Sunset said I could stay, and Fluttershy made me some food and washed my clothes—she even let me use her shower and sleep on her couch.” She paused briefly. “I mean, she did almost break my arm, too, but other than that, she’s really nice.”

The party-girl looked up at Sonata. “You talked to Sunset?”

The siren nodded.

“And she said you could stay with us?”

Again, Sonata nodded.

Glancing down at her phone once again, Pinkie chewed her lip as she thought to herself. She knew that if Sunset had decided to let the siren stay, then she must have read her mind at some point to make sure it was safe; and if Sunset wanted to welcome Sonata into the group, then so did she. Pinkie wasn’t one for disappointing Sunset or the others, and, like Golds said, maybe some new company at home would be a nice change of pace.

Looking again at the siren, Pinkie swallowed and then pointed into the kitchen with an over-the-shoulder thumb. “Um… I was just about to make myself a coffee-kaboom; did you want one too?”

Sonata paused briefly, scanning the chubby girl’s face for sincerity. The look in those big blue eyes and that frazzled, pink hair gave the siren a sense of comfort; she felt welcome, which made her smile. “Um… I’m kind of thirsty, actually. I think I’d rather just have a water… kaboom.”

Pinkie returned the smile. “OK then. Coming right up!” She turned to head into the kitchen, her movement triggering the lights to come on by themselves. “Why don’t you take your coat off? There’s some hooks in the corner by the door,” she suggested, pointing next to the kitchen doorway.

Sonata did just that. Then she found a seat at the tall, wooden table, folding her hands on the smooth finish.

After starting the coffee maker, Pinkie opened the cupboard and snatched a mug and a tall glass from within. She filled the glass with water and ice from the fridge dispenser, then she approached the table and set it in front of Sonata.

“There you go: one water-kaboom!” she giggled.

Sonata smiled and took a sip as Pinkie went back to the counter to pull ingredients from the cupboard and fridge: whipped cream, milk, caramel, chocolate chips and cinnamon.

With a raised brow, the siren watched curiously as Pinkie moved about. When she was shoved unceremoniously into the house a few minutes earlier, she’d noticed right away how much curvier the pink girl had become since the Battle of the Bands, and after seeing what she was about to put in that coffee, it was no huge stretch to the imagination how she’d added so much to her figure over the years. She had to give Pinkie credit though; this look somehow suited her, more so than the rail-thin string bean she was, back when she spent her days roaming the halls of Canterlot High.

Moments later, the extravagant drink was ready, and Pinkie brought it to the table to sit across from Sonata.

“So…” Pinkie said, licking some whipped cream from her lip after taking the first sip.

The siren cleared her throat. “So…”

“How’s your water-kaboom?”

Sonata nodded and looked down at the perspiring glass. “It’s uh… it’s good. It’s got that nice, rich… watery… um, goodness?”

Pinkie giggled and set her phone on the table, swiping her finger across the screen. “What time is it?” she mumbled to herself. Then she looked up at Sonata. “Are you getting, like, tired? Cuz I actually just woke up.”

Sonata shook her head. “No. I just got up an hour ago too, actually. I got to Fluttershy’s house pretty late last night and I didn’t fall asleep until this morning, so I was out all day.”

Pinkie’s brows went up. “Oh! Really? Cool! Well… what do you wanna do?”

Sonata shrugged. “I dunno. What do you wanna do?”

Pinkie tapped her chin, casting her gaze to the ceiling. “Hmmm…” Her eyes lit up suddenly. “You wanna go downstairs and watch movies?”

“Sure!”

Pinkie grabbed her things and stood as Sonata chugged the remainder of her water.

“Ahhhhhh!” She held the glass out to Pinkie. “Do you think I could get one more before we go?”

Pinkie stopped and eyed the empty glass. ”Whoa! Are you driving? Hand over those keys!”

Sonata’s face went blank. “Huh? I don’t have a car.”

Pinkie let out a jolly giggle. “I know, silly! It was a joke.”

“I don’t get it.”

“You know: I was trying to stop you from drinking and driving, except all you’ve had is water! ... Get it?”

Sonata’s eyebrows rose suddenly. “Oh… ... OH! Ha! Yeah, I... get it now. That... uh, that’s funny.” She paused for a moment, her cheeks darkening with embarrassment. “Sorry.”

“That’s OK,” Pinkie replied with an awkward smile. She turned and nodded at the fridge. “There. Just hold your glass under the dispenser and press the button.”

“Oh… OK,” Sonata replied as she left the table with glass in hand.

*****

The basement was dark and somewhat ratty compared to the kitchen, but it was cozy nonetheless. Sonata sat —legs folded, with the glass on her lap— in the middle of a tattered plaid couch in front of a very large flatscreen TV, fully equipped with an elaborate surround sound system.

Pinkie was in the adjacent room, searching through several laundry baskets for something clean to wear so she wouldn’t have to go all the way upstairs.

Sonata used the time to survey the room as she waited for her host to return. The walls were lined with old, cheap-looking wood panelling, the light switches were adorned with gaudy, gold-outlined covers and the carpet was a dingy pistachio colour. While this basement was indeed finished, it was clearly done a long time ago, and was sorely in need of an update.

After turing to glance behind the couch, Sonata’s eyes locked onto a drum set. “Um, are those your drums?” she asked, glancing at the doorway to the next room.

“Yup!” Pinkie’s voice rang out from inside. “Those are the ones I was playing when we beat-“

She managed to stop herself from finishing the sentence when she remembered who she was talking to, but when she appeared at the doorway and saw Sonata’s expression, she knew she’d already let too much slip.

The siren stared longingly at the instruments. Even now, abandoned and sitting there in dead silence, they still managed to beat into Sonata’s mind the reality that her days were now numbered, thanks in-part to the girl who played them, who now stood in the doorway with a boot in her mouth.

“Sorry…” Pinkie said quietly. “I didn’t mean to-“

“No… it’s OK.” Sonata’s eyes left the drums and landed on a narrow, white case that leaned against the wall, decorated with a trio of blue diamonds. “What’s that?”

Pinkie looked to where the siren was pointing. “Oh, that’s Rare-Bear’s keytar,” she answered. “She left it here after our last jam session and never came back to get it.” Pinkie placed a finger on her bottom lip as she tried to remember how long it’d been since they last played. “That was like… I dunno. A lot of years ago now.” She looked at Sonata again. “It still works; you can play with it if you want.”

Sonata paused for a moment, her eyes dropping to the floor. Then she abruptly turned and faced forward again, sighing. “That’s OK, I’d better not. I don’t think she likes me very much.”

“Who, Rarity?”

Sonata nodded.

“Why do you think that?”

“Not sure,” she shrugged. “I just got that feeling from the way she looked at me… and how she said she wanted to kill me.”

Pinkie stood in the doorway for a moment, trying without success to think of something helpful to say. Finally, she gave up and disappeared into the laundry room again to retrieve her coffee, then she returned and made her way around the couch. “You know, if it makes you feel any better, half of those drums aren’t even the same ones; some of them got wrecked when our old house blew up, so I had replace a bunch of ‘em.”

Sonata gave Pinkie a surprised look as she sat next to her, wearing a tight, red sleeveless shirt with a pair of black yoga pants and purple socks. “Wait… how did your house blow up?”

With cheeks full of coffee and sugar, Pinkie paused for a moment, wondering if the siren already knew about the powers they’d gotten from the geodes. Ultimately, she decided to play it safe, and so she swallowed the mouthful to reply. “Oh… it’s a long story. You know… gas leak. Boom.”

Sonata furrowed her brow. “That’s not a long story.”

After another sip, the party-girl paused nervously, her cheeks full again. She swallowed quickly and shrugged. “Oh, well… I dunno. What d’you wanna watch?”

Sonata fell for the distraction and faced the TV as Pinkie aimed the remote to turn it on. “I don’t know, what’s on?”

“Not sure, lemme check the classic movies,” Pinkie suggested, slurping her coffee again.

When she arrived at the channel, she found a black and white film in mid-play. The actor’s lips were moving, but there was only music playing. Then the screen changed to a black background, surrounded by a lacy border with words in the center.

“Ooh! A silent movie!”

“Huh,” Sonata chuckled. “I remember these.”

The two watched quietly for a time, sipping their drinks and, on occasion, making awkward small talk.

Sonata mentioned that she and her sisters used to frequent the theatres in those days to see the newfangled ‘moving pictures,’ like most other people of the time.

The novelty wore away fairly quick for Adagio and Aria, and they eventually stopped going. Sonata, however, continued seeing the movies, having been swept away by the magic of it all; especially when the ‘talkies’ arrived on the scene. Without the other two to provide her with means to get in, Sonata would often obtain tickets by singing to a young or married couple who had already purchased theirs and were on their way to the show. The siren’s spell would send the lovers into a vicious argument, during which they would angrily cancel their plans and hand the tickets off to the blue-haired trickster, who would be conveniently standing by, waiting for the offer.

Her sisters disliked her use of the singing in this way, mostly because she wasn’t very inconspicuous about it; Adagio in particular worried that if anyone were to witness the spell in action, suspicions toward Sonata —and her and Aria by extension— may have been raised.

About twenty minutes passed before a scene featuring a masked man playing a pipe organ arrived on screen. Behind him stood a beautiful young woman, who appeared to be reaching over his shoulders with the intention of snatching the mask from his face. After hesitating several times due to his movements as he played, she finally made her move and peeled the mask upwards, revealing a hideous face underneath.

Sonata gasped and slapped a hand atop her head. “Hey! I remember this! This is the, uh… the phantom…” She snapped her fingers repeatedly as she tried to jog her memory.

“'Phantom of the Opera,'” Pinkie nodded. “With Lon Chaney Senior.”

Sonata pointed at the party-girl. “Yeah, that’s it! I saw this when it came out!”

Pinkie’s eyes nearly bulged out of her skull. “Really!? Wow! What was it like?” After asking these questions, she gasped suddenly and, without thinking, reached out to place her hand on Sonata’s arm. “OOH! Did people in the theatre really faint when they saw his face?”

Sonata furrowed her brows and pursed her lips. “Hmm… I don’t think so? But… I’m not sure; it was pretty dark so I couldn’t really see too good. It was pretty freaky though; a lot of people screamed when it happened.”

“I bet! Lon Chaney’s make-up effects were super-duper awesome! He practically pioneered the movie make-up indust-“

Pinkie Pie stopped when she realised her hand was resting on the siren’s arm, and she quickly pulled away when they both looked down at it. “S-sorry… heh-heh…” the pink girl apologized, cringing with embarrassment. “I got a little excited there.”

“Uh…” Sonata paused for a moment. The contact hadn’t bothered her, but the obvious discomfort in Pinkie’s expression did, so she tried hastily to fix it. “No... it’s OK.” She gave Pinkie a nervous smile. “I just… um, for a minute there, I thought you trying to take advantage of me after all these waters I’ve had.”

A pause. The girls stared vacantly at one another, and then:

“PPPPPPFFT! HAHAHAHAHAHA!”

Pinkie clutched her stomach and leaned back, kicking her feet while Sonata covered her mouth, her shoulders bouncing with laughter.

“Oh, sweet cheese and crackers!” Pinkie giggled. “You’re onto me, Notty! I’ve been trying to get you all watered-up this whole time!”

Sonata stopped mid-laugh, her expression changing to a neutral one as she watched Pinkie continue to giggle on her own. “Did you just call me ‘naughty?’”

Pinkie opened her eyes and looked up at the siren, then her laughter faded quickly when she saw the confusion on the other girl’s face. “Oh… no, I meant ’Notty’… like, from your name: So-na-ta.”

The other girl stared vacantly.

“You know… NOTTY! Get it?”

“Oh.” The siren looked down at her lap. “You mean… like a nickname?”

“Yeah,” Pinkie said quietly. “But… I can stop if it bothers you. I didn’t mean to-“

Sonata looked up at her again. “No! It’s OK, I... um, my sisters never gave me nicknames, so… it’s just…” —she shook her head dismissively— “I dunno. Nevermind.”

Pinkie folded her arms and leaned back, resting her head on the cushion. “Your sisters never gave you nicknames?”

Sonata shook her head.

“Why not?”

Sonata shrugged. “They’re just not like that. They spent most of their time being serious about stuff, and they were grumpy a lot of the time, especially with me.”

“Why you?”

Sonata sighed. “I think… because of how I am.”

Pinkie’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean by that?”

The siren paused, looking down into her glass as she swirled the last bit of water around the bottom. Then, after clearing her throat, she tipped the glass up and drank the rest, after which she leaned down and set it on the floor. She sat back and crossed her legs again, sighing.

“I know how I come across to people.”

Pinkie remained silent, waiting for the siren to continue.

“I know I say or do things sometimes without thinking, and I come off kind of ditsy and stupid; and, I mean, I can see why. Usually, I realise after some of the things I say how dumb it sounded, but…” —she sighed and faced the pink girl— “there is more to me than that. It’s just… no one sees it. Not even my sisters. They just acted like I was a burden most of the time.”

Pinkie rubbed the back of her neck, trying to think of something to say. “Um… why did you stay with them for so long if they were so poopy to you?”

“Cuz they took care of me. And they’re my sisters. I mean, we always just stuck together and did bad things all the time, trying to take over some town or… something—which is why we probably deserved that.” She pointed over her shoulder at the drums.

After a quick glance at the instruments, Pinkie looked at Sonata and pursed her lips. “Wait, so… you knew the things you were doing were bad?”

Sonata nodded.

“But… you don’t seem bad; you actually seem kinda nice. Why did you do it?”

“I just wanted to make Dagi and Ari happy.” Sonata sighed and shook her head. “But they never were. Especially these past few years—you know… since the battle.”

“Hm.” Pinkie looked down at her lap. “Is that why you finally decided to leave?”

“Kind of,” Sonata cocked her head. “There was... someone else… who asked me why I stayed with them. A few weeks ago.”

“Who?”

The siren shrugged. “I don’t know. Someone scary.” She turned to face Pinkie, her eyes gleaming in the light of the TV. “A lady… with a mask.”

Pinkie Pie cocked a brow, not expecting such a bizarre answer. “Hmm…” Her gaze drifted to the floor as she reflected on this. A moment later, she let her eyes go to Sonata again, studying her clothes. She thought of the struggles she’d been having with her own sisters as of late, and then something suddenly struck her: even sisters who’d been together for centuries could still bicker amongst themselves, and if a group like the sirens could fall prey to such petty squabbles and end up splitting apart, then she should try to put forth the effort to make things right with her own sisters before they suffered the same fate.

Pinkie brought her eyes up to Sonata’s. “You know what?”

“What?”

“I don’t think you’re dumb.”

Sonata’s eyes locked onto Pinkie, her face blank.

“I mean, think about it: you made the decision to leave on your own. That took guts —especially coming to us for help— but it also means that you were smart enough to know that it was the right thing for you.”

The siren tried to force a smile, but after only managing a weak one, she turned to look at the floor.

“Do you miss them?”

Sonata nodded, saying nothing.

“I’m sure it was really hard to do what you did, and I bet it made you super-sad, didn’t it?”

Another nod.

“But you know what? Now you can hang out with us; and if there’s one thing me and the girls are amazing at, it’s being good friends!”

The siren raised a brow at Pinkie. “But... do you actually want to be my friend?”

Pinkie smiled and nodded.

“For realz? Even after all the things I did?”

Pinkie took a deep breath and put her hand on the cushion, near Sonata’s thigh. “I know how you feel, Notty. I know what it’s like to be different. Lots of people think I’m a crazy person just cuz I like to laugh and smile and eat sweets all the time, but I don’t let it bother me, because that’s who I am, and like you, there’s more to me than just a giggling goofball.”

This made the siren smile.

Noticing the positive response, Pinkie decided to try delving deeper into Sonata. “So… you say there’s more to you? Like what? What kind of things do you like?”

“Well… I like music,” Sonata replied as she let her eyes roll back, giggling. “Heh, DUH! But not just singing; I like to play instruments, and I like to write little pieces on them.” She paused suddenly, her smile fading. “But Dagi would get mad at me for it.”

Pinkie scowled. “Why?”

“Cuz ‘musical instruments don’t have magic, so they can’t cast our spell,’ is what she would always say,” Sonata replied with a roll of her eyes. “Only our voices worked for that, and she said that that’s what I should be spending my time on: writing vocals for our magic—not wasting time on instruments.”

Pinkie shook her head, vexed by the lead siren’s lack of consideration.

“Like, they could play stuff too,” Sonata continued, “but that was just cuz they had to, sometimes. Back in the old days, we would have to play our own accompaniment if we were doing a ‘show,’” —she did quotes with her fingers, indicating that a ‘show’ actually meant casting a spell on a large group of people; not unlike the battle of the bands— “but I liked to play for realz, cuz I liked all the sounds I could make with different instruments. Don’t get me wrong, singing was great and all, but I love making music with my hands, too.”

“You know what?” Pinkie squawked. “Poo on them! As long as you’re with us, you can play aaaaall you want! I’d be super-stoked to hear you play!”

Sonata smiled, her eyes brightening. “For realzies?”

Pinkie smiled and nodded.

“Huh... Wow! Well, maybe sometime I will.”

“Ooh! That’d be SO fun! I miss playing with the girls.”

With lifted spirits, the pair returned their attention to the old movie and watched for several minutes. Admittedly, although it was a classic, it was rather slow at times and Pinkie was finding herself unable to maintain interest in it. Instead, she found herself exploring the ancient girl with her eyes; questions inevitably began to accumulate in her mind and finally, she turned sideways on the cushion and folded her legs, facing Sonata.

“Um… I really like what you did with your hair,” Pinkie said first, to break the ice.

Sonata turned to her, surprised. She brought her hand up and cupped the locks of her bell-shaped hair-do, which barley reached to the bottoms of her earlobes. “You like it? Ari said it was the worst.”

Pinkie scrunched her nose and then blew a raspberry. “Aw, what does she know? I think you’re a total cutie-patootie with a bob!”

“Oh,” Sonata giggled, sliding her hand around the back of her bare neck. “Well… I didn’t really choose to do it like this; someone else cut it, and… this was the only way I could fix it without getting a haircut like a boy.”

Misunderstanding the story, Pinkie made the assumption that Sonata meant someone incompetent did her hair and fouled it up; the truth, of course, was that her beloved ponytail was lopped off against her will. Not realising this, Pinkie moved on. “So… what have you guys been doing since the battle of the bands?”

The siren’s eyes wandered around the ceiling for a moment before landing on the party-girl. “Nothing, really. Just trying to survive.”

Pinkie looked surprised. “Really?”

“Yeah,” Sonata uncrossed her legs and then re-crossed them the other way. “It was a lot harder without our magic. Like... before, we could get people to do things or give us stuff, but without our singing, we were totally bummed.”

“So how’d you guys get by? Did you have to get jobs?”

“Pffft! We tried, but…” —she shook her head and groaned— “that didn’t really work out… for a few different reasons.”

“Like what?”

“Attitudes, they said. Mostly.” Sonata let out a sigh. “Ari, and especially Dagi were really grouchy for a long time about you guys wrecking our pendants, and they swore up and down that they were going to get back at you. It was like all they talked about for the whole first year, until… you know, we started running low on money, and then we had no place to stay.”

“Aww... so what’d you do?” Pinkie asked.

“We uh, stared committing crimes.”

“Oh…”

“Yeah… I mean, we started out just pan-handling n’ stuff, but then Dagi started coming up with more elaborate stories and started getting people to buy us food and clothes n’ stuff like that. She got pretty good at it after a while, and she started coming up with some pretty crazy scams to trick people into giving us lots of money. Then we actually started blackmailing people, and… well, when we almost got in trouble with the cops a few times, we kinda had to lay-off and leave town for a bit.”

“Wowzers! That’s crazy,” Pinkie exclaimed, astonished by everything the sirens had been through, and in turn, how low they’d had to sink.

“Well… it actually got worse after that,” Sonata continued. “Dagi started acting really weird once she noticed we were getting older.”

Pinkie raised a brow.

“She was plotting, like, all the time: about how to make money, how to get back at you guys, how to get our magic back; she was starting to go kinda crazy—although no one but me and Ari could tell. She was so good at hiding it. But then things got really bad when her big ‘get rich quick’ scheme fell through.”

The party girl furrowed her brow; her eyes briefly went to the TV, then returned to Sonata. “What... ‘get rich quick’ scheme?”

“Oh,” Sonata waved dismissively and rolled her eyes. “She tried to sue Starbucks for like a million-billion dollars or something like that.”

“WWWWHAT!?” Pinkie screeched, pressing her hands to her temples. “For what?”

“For putting Aria on the cups without her permission.”

After staring vacantly for a moment, Pinkie closed her eyes and raised a finger. “Wait… wait wait wait; say that again?”

Sonata raised her hands to make a circle with her fingers. “You know the green symbol on the Starbucks cups?”

“Yeah…”

“Well… we're pretty sure that’s supposed to be Aria. It looks just like her.”

The party girl raised a brow. “Are you sure?” she asked suspiciously, leaning closer.

“Pssh! Hellooooo? It totally does!” Sonata giggled, giving Pinkie’s knee a nudge. “Just look at it: the face looks like her, the hair looks just like hers—well… mostly. But they even put those star-shaped hairbands in there! I mean, come on, think about it: they actually say she’s a siren!”

A dubious Pinkie turned her head to give Sonata a sideways look.

“I’m telling you, they totally used her for their logo!”

“No way! I gotta check this out.” Pinkie took her phone out and tapped at the screen. After a quick Google search, she managed to find a shot of the logo, and she froze when she saw it. “Holy crapsticks…”

Pinkie was floored. Hearing the siren describe it the way she did helped the party-girl make the connection, even though common sense told it couldn’t possibly be true. Seeing it again in this context, however, she had to admit Sonata may actually have been right. That girl in the logo looked an awful lot like Aria Blaze.

“That… is… crazy-pants,” Pinkie declared. She looked up at Sonata. “So… wait, how did this even happen? Did Starbucks know about you guys?”

Sonata shook her head. “No, I don't think-… well, actually, we're not really sure."

“But... how’d they know what Aria looks like?”

The siren shrugged. "We have no idea, but that didn't really matter to Dagi. She saw an opportunity to make some money, and she went for it."

“Hmm…” Pinkie chewed her lip and looked down at her lap. “So what happened? You guys actually went through with it?”

“With suing them? Yeah.”

“Wow, really?”

“Yup. Dagi met with a lawyer and everything.” The siren paused, but then she shook her head. “It… didn’t go very well, though.”

“Why not?” asked Pinkie, totally riveted.

“Ehh… he said it ‘kinda’ looked like her, but there wasn’t enough detail in the picture to say for sure. Then he made the joke, saying that if we could prove we were really sirens that we’d have a case, which was actually kind of funny, cuz we could have —before we met you guys— but… since our magic got taken away, we’re... kinda not... anymore. Poor Dagi though; she was so desperate to make it work, she tried telling him right there that we were sirens, which… didn’t work out all that well.”

Pinkie grimaced. “Oh jeepers… what happened?”

“Meh. He just laughed at us and called us a bunch of desperate gold-diggers. Then he told us to get real jobs and walked out.”

“Aww…” Pinkie cast her gaze down to the dirty carpet. “That's too bad—I mean, unless the logo really was just a coincidence, then Starbucks would've gotten screwed over if you guys actually won... unless they actually did use Aria for their logo. Then they kinda deserved it. OOH! I'm so confused! Brain aneurism!”

“Yeah, well… we didn't win, so it doesn't really matter.” Sonata paused for a sigh. “Anyway, the whole thing about us not being sirens anymore… kind of got Dagi mad at you guys all over again, and she’s been pretty obsessed with getting back at you lately… for like, the past year or so.”

“Hm…” A look of concern marked Pinkie’s brow. She folded her arms and sat facing forward again, letting one leg swing down so her foot touched the floor.

Returning to silence, the pair watched the film until the final scene, wherein Erik was being chased through the streets of Paris by an angry mob. By that point, Sonata was scratching her head furiously and frowning with confusion.

Pinkie noticed this and turned to face her. “What’s wrong, Notty?”

Sonata pointed at the screen. “I don’t remember this.”

The party-girl waved her off. “Well, you did see this a long time ago—almost a hundred years now. HEHEHE! I can barely remember yesterday!”

The siren shook her head in disagreement. “I coulda swore it ended with him dying while he was playing with his organ.”

Pinkie giggled. “No, that’s the Pornhub version, silly!”

“No, I- PPPPPFFT! ... HA!” Sonata burst out laughing, covering her mouth as she turned to Pinkie. “You’re funny! Haha!… Ahh... but no, seriously; I thought he let Christine go and then he was playing the pipe organ by himself and he died of a heart attack or someth-“

Suddenly, and to Sonata’s surprise, Pinkie Pie gasped the deepest gasp ever and slapped her hands over her cheeks, her eyes wide with astonishment.

“What? What’s going on?” Sonata asked nervously, shifting away from Pinkie. “What happened?”

The party-girl’s face didn’t change, but she slowly extended her arm to point a finger at the siren. “You… saw… the original… ENDING!”

Sonata frowned. “Huh?”

“This movie,” —Pinkie pointed at the TV— “had limited showings with the original ending, which was just like the book: Erik lets Christine go and then he dies of a broken heart, but that version was only shown to test audiences. They didn’t really like it though; they said that after all the bad things he did, he deserved a bigger punishment, so they re-shot the ending with this ridiculous, out-of-character chase through the streets, and the original ending was cut and thrown away...” Pinkie had a look of wonderment on her face as she leaned closer to an increasingly anxious Sonata. “And it was lost... for aaaaaall time... and you’ve seen it!”

Sonata had leaned away from Pinkie by then, gripping the couch cushions in her fists. “Uh… uh-huh,” she replied, her eyes darting side-to-side. “I, uh… liked that ending better than this one…?”

Nodding slowly, Pinkie licked her lips and leaned closer. “This is so amazing…” she whispered.

“OK… uh, I am for-realz scared right now,” Sonata confessed, shifting closer to the end of the couch.

Pinkie continued to advance on the siren, but when she was almost upon her, she flopped onto her back, clutching her stomach and giggling profusely. “Hehehe! I’m just messin with you, Notty!”

Sonata hesitated for a moment, then released the breath she had been subconsciously holding. “Whew. Heh-heh…” she chortled, sitting up again with a relieved smirk on her face. “You had me worried there.”

Pinkie giggled and waved dismissively. “Oh, Notty! I wouldn’t hurt you; you’re probably the only living person on this planet who’s seen the original ending of Lon Chaney’s ‘Phantom,’ which makes you the coolest… person… EVER!”

Sonata beamed with pride. “You think I’m the coolest?”

“Pppfft… yeah!”

The siren said nothing. Instead, she grinned bashfully and looked down at her hands as they fidgeted in her lap, her cheeks glowing with warmth.

“Oohhh boy,” Pinkie groaned as she patted her paunch, oblivious of the other girl’s reaction to her accolades. “Are you hungry, Notty?”

Sonata glanced up at her. “Me? Uhh… I guess,” she shrugged.

“What do you feel like?”

“Ummm…” She rubbed her chin and paused, but then she closed her eyes and shook her head. “No. Nevermind.”

“What? Tell me!”

“Nah, I… I shouldn’t. Plus, you probably don’t have the stuff to make them.”

“Make what?”

Sonata sighed and then folded her arms. After a pause, she looked at Pinkie and spoke. “I could really go for some weed tacos.”

Dumbfounded, Pinkie’s mouth hung open. “Uh… yeah, we can’t make those.”

Sonata huffed and then nodded, looking slightly ashamed. “Yeah, I figured.”

“Weed tacos, eh?” The party-girl smirked and leaned closer.

“Yeah.”

“So… what do you do? You mix the weed in with the lettuce, or…?”

Sonata shook her head. “No, I put it in the ground beef; that way you can’t tell it’s there. Well… not right away, anyway.”

“Huh. Interesting.” Pinkie rubbed her chin as Sonata continued.

“I kinda came up with them by mistake,” Sonata explained. “I was so tired of Dagi and Ari being cranky all the time; I mean, all I ever heard from them was: revenge this! Kill the Rainbooms that! I just got so sick of it after a while, ya know? So I tried to think of a way to get them to mellow out…”

Pinkie’s brow furrowed. “Wait... what was that about the Rainbooms?”

“So anyway,” Sonata continued as she played with her hair, ignoring Pinkie’s question. “I had a good-sized stash of weed that we’d stolen a while back, so I decided to try sneaking it into their food. So I made tacos!”

Pinkie Pie was unsure of what to say, so she just listened.

“It didn’t really work out though,” the siren confessed, her expression dropping slightly. “I… kind of forgot one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“Well… it turns out that I’m the one who really likes tacos, and I kinda forgot that they… well, don’t.”

“Oh... so your plan didn’t work?”

“Well… it did—just not on them.”

Pinkie raised a suspicious brow. “You ate them, didn’t you?”

Sonata nodded.

“How many?”

The siren cringed, wringing her hands together. “Uh… a-all of them...?”

Pinkie slapped a hand over her mouth, eyes wide.

“Yeah.” Sonata let out a sigh. “That was a bad night. Dagi and Ari were REALLY mad at me; like, they actually had to drag me to my room and put me in bed.”

“Wow,” Pinkie replied. “It messed you up that bad?”

“I couldn’t even move, I was so frickin’ fried.”

The party-girl couldn’t help but let quiet snort escape; she covered her mouth and looked away.

“What?” Sonata asked, leaning forward to see Pinkie’s face.

The pink girl looked back at her, trying in vain to hide her smile. “I’m sorry, but… that was kinda funny.”

The siren snickered a bit herself, then she looked down at her lap. “Yeah… it kind of is, I guess.”

Pinkie cleared her throat suddenly and shook a pair of loose hands to calm herself down. “OK-OK. So... like I said, I can’t make tacos, BUT!…” —a devious grin spread across her lips— “I may be able to help with the other part.”

Sonata raised a brow. “I’m listening…”

“Wanna come up to the kitchen with me?”

“Sure!”

*****

Back upstairs, Pinkie Pie and Sonata Dusk entered the kitchen. The automated lights kicked on, bathing them in bright, clean light.

“OK, so…” Pinkie announced, clapping her hands together. “We may not have the stuff to make tacos, but I do have another super-classic solution for us; as long as we have all the ingredients.” She turned to face the counter. “Alexa?”

A blue and green ring illuminated at the top of a black cylinder that sat on the counter.

“Can you list the ingredients to make brownies?”

After a few seconds, a voice returned from the cylinder. ”OK. Butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, cocoa powder, flour, salt, baking powder.”

Pinkie faced Sonata again. A dastardly grin appeared on her lips, making her dimples show. “Perfect. Now all we have to do is add the final in-green-ient.”

Sonata gasped and bounced on her heels, folding her hands in front of her chest. “And then what?”

Pinkie raised her index finger and turned to head for the cupboard. “First, we bake. Then we get baked. Then we hang out and watch Disney’s ‘Alice in Wonderland!’”

Author's Notes:

The Phantom of the Opera - 1925

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbx3pSWGXgo

This was a pretty awesome scene, in my opinion. Whether or not you find it scary, you have to admit this make-up was pretty damn good for its time. Given the non-existent state of the movie make-up industry in those days, the fact that Chaney designed and applied his own make-up everyday during filming is pretty amazing. Add to that the freedom of movement that he was able to achieve, which was important because silent acting required over-exaggerated facial expressions since relying on spoken words and tone-of-voice was obviously unavailable; there is even a scene later in the movie where he gets it wet, and it holds up perfectly. Impressive, especially since this is how Chaney looked in real life:

On a side note, the thing Pinkie says about the original ending is true in real life, and if you watch at about 7:40 in the video, you can see some foreshadowing to the original ending -- which is now lost -- with him having severe chest pain, indicating that Erik (The Phantom) had heart problems, which lead to him 'dying of a broken heart' after letting Christine go free at the film's climax.

The ending that still exists today where the mob chases him down the street is fucking stupid. He had so many secret passages and trap doors built into the opera house, he could have easily escaped and hid like he always did, but instead, he runs out into the wide open street? No. Just...no.

Also: The Siren