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Taking on a New Life

Part Thirteen

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Written by Arian Mabe (Amethyst Mare)

Commissioned by Kittenrose232

_ _

_ _

January was crisp some days but mostly wet and milder: they didn't get much of the really cold weather in the city, not in that part of the country. Adagio wished that she could see that again, for she had not always lived there as Knight, but snow and the crispness of a true winter morning was not something that the siren was all that keen to return to.

Who'd want snow? She complained to Adagio, turning on her tail, occupying a space within their shared mind where she felt that she also had a physical presence. It's cold and it melts and then it's wet and vile. It clings to you and you can't get the chill out of your bones.

_ _

Do you even have bones as you are? Adagio thought back to her, though stomping through the rain wasn't exactly appealing to her either, so she was not entirely against what the siren was saying. I mean, you can feel the cold, as a siren, the hippocampus type body as a pony?

_ _

Her words were clunky, but it was difficult for her to give shape to the siren when she had only seen her in her mind's eye, an after image. Otherwise, the siren was a presence inside her, someone who was a part of her but that she would have trouble describing if anyone had asked her what the siren looked like. To say that it was complicated would have been an understatement.

Still, there were things to be done as she headed off to grab some pizza of a Sunday evening, the bar shifts done and a busy week ahead of them. Donnie and Aria accompanied them, Donnie getting to know Aria more and more, though Aria seemed more than a little dubious of the close relationship that she had built with Donnie. However, with the nature of their relationship as it was, it was not as if Aria had much of a leg to stand on when it came to the boss and Adagio's light but firm control. She was, after all, their leader in a fair way and that was that.

Adagio twisted her lips as she slipped into the booth alongside Donnie.

“Ugh, isn't there somewhere better that we can go?" She mumbled, even though she was pretty much just putting on a show. “I mean… Pizza. Again. Really?"

Donnie chuckled and put his arm around her shoulders, drawing her in against him. That too she put up a fight against, grumbling, pushing him off, though Aria laughed along as if it was one big joke.

“Yeah, yeah, I can't always afford steak dinners for you, especially not now we're sharing the condo."

In all reality, Adagio and even the siren enjoyed pizza and junk food, yet there was always an air and an expectation about her about wanting something high class, something a little posher than what the “everyday folk" wanted.

We're better than them, the siren said, even as they sank their teeth into the first, deliciously cheesy, slice of garlic bread pizza, luxuriating in the explosion of flavours. But that doesn't mean that we can't eat this too.

_ _

Mhm… Just not too often, alright?

_ _

It was becoming more of an inside joke between them all that Adagio didn't like pizza, though she endured the teasing for it with only a few quick quips and a roll of her eyes. The garlic bread was something that the hostess there brought out as quick as anyone could like, though they had not actually placed their orders yet, not even for drinks.

“Oh, hey," Aria said, her purple and blue hair brushing her cheek as she turned in her booth, her arm over the back of it. “Isn't that the manager?"

The siren's shock inside Adagio was palatable, jerking bodily, though she was fortunate that no one saw her, not as the siren urged her to call out.

It's her!

For the person running that pizza parlour was so much more than just the manager, someone that they would have recognised anywhere – at least. For Sonata was distinctive with her blue skin and hair, the darker streaks running through it standing out even more. An apron was around her waist, though her dress beneath was smart and professional, sensible shoes for working in a pizza parlour required.

“Hey, Sonata," Adagio said, making sure that the ice was broken, though her heart warmed at seeing her again as the siren urged her to make conversation. “It's good to see you again, it's been a while."

Sonata's eyes flicked to Donnie and, for a moment, Adagio could not help but be struck by the fact that she wasn't bouncing up and down with glee. Sonata with her easy smile and gorgeous, lovable feature was not a person, nor a siren, who was very good at all at hiding her emotions, tending to wear her heart on her sleeve. It was from her that she and Aria had gotten their “taco Tuesday" joke from, making fun lightly of Sonata with how the siren, in human form right then, could get so fixated on one thing. After her obsession with the human food back in the school that they had infiltrated, Adagio could not help but be mildly surprised that she had started work at a pizza parlour, of all places.

How do I have these memories though? She rushed to ask of the siren before Sonata could speak. I never had so much in my head before – are these your memories.

_ _

Mentally, the siren shrugged.

We don't need to keep so much apart from each other anymore, I let more of mine be shared. It's easier this way, as I don't always have to then take the lead when it's my old comrades and sisters that you are speaking with. You'll already know everything of mine that you need to know then.

_ _

“Boss, check you out," Sonata said lightly, a sparkle in her eyes, though even Aria cocked an eyebrow at the fact that she had not yet launched herself at them. “You're looking good! How've you been?"

Donnie might have caught on to her being called “boss" again, though Adagio would have to speak to Sonata privately about that. But her friend looked well, her sister siren, though Adagio could not help that it felt more than a little odd to her to have so many thoughts and nuances about her in her head all of a sudden. The siren could have at least given her a little warning.

“So, when did you move here?" Sonata said, cocking her hip out, hand balanced a little jauntily on it. “I've not seen you around before, guys – you should have hit me and my parlour up earlier! I'm hurt, truly."

She might have pressed her hand to her chest, but Sonata was, by no means, hurt in the slightest, making fun of the moment, even if there was something a little more restrained about her. Adagio and Aria exchanged a look, though it was hard to tell and even more difficult to ask for details when Donnie was right there, able to see what was going on.

“I don't get it," he said. “Are you guys old friends?"

Aria smiled.

“Yeah… Something like that. I moved a few months back, Sonata, but I don't know how long the… I mean, how long Adagio has been here."

It was a while, over a year since she'd become two minds in one body and, by then, it was second nature to her.

“Been here for a long time, Sonata, keep up," Adagio said, her smile seeing to reach a darker edge to her eyes. “Been making big plans, left my job, started work at a bar, got a music company in the starter stages…"

“Oh, wow, that's amazing!" Sonata laughed, yet her exclamation did not come with the usual jump for joy that they might have otherwise expected from her. “I own this place, you know, it all just sort of came together."

Aria laughed, covering her lips, though she could very obviously not resist a jab.

“At a pizza parlour? Not…tacos?"

Sonata's eyes sparkled, giving her a thumbs-up.

“Sure thing – but I have plans there, big plans! You know…"

“Hey, sorry to cut in," Donnie interjected, his phone in hand. “But a friend's car has broken down, Matt. Something about it conking out when he was on his way back from the tanning salon? Crazy. I've got to go lend a hand, alright, I'll text you what's happening, Dagi. See you, Aria and… Sonata, was it?"

He smiled and waved, Sonata fluttering her fingers in goodbye, though she was quick to slide into the booth beside Aria, who shifted over to make room.

“Phew, now we can talk a little more openly," Sonata said, leaning back, though she still had a presence to maintain as the owner of the establishment and could not slack off too much. “He's nice though, is he your boyfriend?"

Adagio's cheeks burned, heat creeping down her neck while Aria snickered.

“Celestia's tail, I've been asking her that for months, Tartarus only knows on that one…"

“I'll deal with him when I'm good and ready," Adagio said, shutting that bit of the conversation down as quickly as she could. “Now, what's happened since we all got separated, Sonata, with you? Catch us up."

Sonata sighed, re-tying her hair in a ponytail where some strands had come loose, uncomfortably tickling the back of her neck.

“Well, I was trapped in an antique vase after everything went down, our powers stripped. Yet everything seems to be coming back very slowly, it's excruciating. Maybe it got quicker after you two met up again?"

Aria smirked.

“Very astute for you, Sonata, you've changed. A bit more…down to earth? Always thought you spent half your time before swimming around the sky with your head in the clouds, literally. What changed there?"

“Ohhh," she said, waving her hand a little dismissively as if it was not something that she was all that keen to get into. “Well, my human counterpart, the body thing… They're so boring, so serious… Like, you couldn't find anyone more “unfun" than them, I swear! They've sort of dulled me down a bit, but they stay in the back of my mind. Guess it's the same for you two?"

Aria rolled her eyes.

“Like Tartarus – mine doesn't get a say, they're trapped down somewhere. Don't get much resistance from them anymore."

“Oh?" Sonata's eyes widened. “Oh, I had to use the business sense of mine – he's Tom Breda, Tommy, by the way. Say “hi", Tommy, c'mon. Anyway, he doesn't think you're that interesting, but he owned this place before. I guess we balance each other out quite a bit, I end up doing a lot of the work. I think he was really tired before, of everything, so he just lets me do me. That's what everyone's saying these days, isn't it?"

Adagio blinked, even the siren confused.

“What?"

What?

_ _

“Everyone says “you do you", or something like that." Sonata shrugged. “Ah, I don't keep up with that. It's so busy running this place, but I just knew you'd be around again, boss, and that we could get on with other things in this world."

Adagio made a brief mention for Sonata not to call her “boss" in public, though it was still reassuring to her, in a way, not so secretly. It let her know, quite clearly, where her station amongst the three of them, the real trio, was, what she had done, who she could be. For she was not just Adagio anymore, but Knight and Adagio, the same, a power team that could do anything they set their minds to. That was, of course, if their confidence was to be believed there.

“What was the human that you took over like then, Sonata?" Aria asked, though Adagio was surprised that she even was interested in something like that. “I didn't spend much time, uh, getting to know mine. Think the boss is the same too there."

Adagio didn't correct her. Her choice was her own, though she privately thought that her arrangement was by far the best at hand. She had a good relationship with the siren and, well, they complemented one another. That was all that was needed of a relationship like that and she was sure that she could make it work long-term.

Of course, we will, the siren said, filling in the blank without Adagio even having to ask. There's nothing more to it than that. Perhaps they will come around to allowing more of their human sides a say in time, though I can understand too why they simply suppressed them.

_ _

Sonata's, after all, does not seem to mind, Adagio commented in turn. Though I, to be fair, can't say as I'm not in her head.

_ _

We'll see, in time. We might be able to help them.

_ _

However, they both knew that brute force was not the way to get their siren sisters to comply, even though a simple order could have sufficed. It was about long-term bonds and leadership, after all, but there was far more to it than simply that. Knight's time in the military had prepared him before he'd even become Adagio and taken on a new life, though the siren's experience too woven with that…

It made them a whole different person. One person. And who knew how far they could take that forward?

“Yeah… Tommy…" Sonata took a coke and swirled the dark liquid around her glass before taking a swig. “Hm… He's soooo different to me like this! Heavier… No, he's overweight, Tom. Good Tom. Ugh, I'm even talking like him too! He's more a part of me than I realise sometimes."

“You are a little muted," Aria admitted, though the smirk on her lips spoke volumes. “Sometimes I really wished I could hit the snooze button on you… But that's not Equestria-speak, if we even use their language anymore."

Sonata laughed.

“Yeah, yeah… Seems like an awfully long time ago that we were back there. But it's better here, we have our own lives."

Adagio grinned.

“And now that we're together, there's no telling how far we'll go. Control takes us to some extent, ladies, but there is so much more out there than even you realise."

“Oh?"

Aria swung back in her seat, a smile pulling at her lips, though it was a bit slyer and more conniving than Adagio could pull off. Maybe that was because she was and always had been in a position of power. She'd never had to pretend, not even the once. It had simply been the position that she'd been born into, what had always felt most natural to her, even as a much younger siren.

That, however, was a conversation to be had between the siren and Adagio at another time. The reunion with their sister was too good to do anything other than savour, lingering there, laughter bubbling up, lighter in her chest than she felt that she'd been in a long time.

“I wouldn't have thought that you'd go that far into this world, boss," Aria said easily. “The thing is, we have everything set up, everything ready to go. It's only about working out how we work and how our powers work in this world that we have to do. After that – we're golden!"

She toasted the group, raising a glass of a soft, bubbly drink high, though Adagio and Sonata could only respond in kind, glasses clinking. It was perfectly in sync and in tune with the tenor of the small pizzeria, though the whole place had a sense of being comfortable, friendly, as if it was the kind of pizzeria that anyone could duck into at any time.

“To us!"

They had come together at last and, after that, there was no telling what could come. Adagio whole-heartedly believed that there was nothing more that she needed, not when the sirens were together, though she had much good in her life also to be thankful for.

Sonata made a muffled squeak, which probably wasn't her best move when her lips were already in a glass of coke, bubbles spurting, but not frothing everywhere. If that had been wholly her, that would have been all over the table and dripping down the walls. Just another little hint of the human that was inside there bonding with her, so intricately woven with her soul that there was no differentiating, truly, one from the other. They would come, in time.

“Oh! The pizza place is so me, you don't even know!" Sonata gushed. “But I've got this super idea… Wait for it… You've got to hear this!"

Sonata bubbled on as if the words that eased from her came so easily, too easily, the very semblance of conversation and easing the lines between people better than she could ever have imagined.

Aria rolled her eyes.

“Oh, yeah? You gonna tell us or not? I'm starving and I haven't even ordered yet!"

Sonata spread her hands wide.

“Hear me out… Taco…pizza!"

As if she could have come up with anything else, Adagio laughing while Aria groaned.

“Oh, god… If that's the sort of thing that this human inside your head is letting you do, I'm glad I controlled mine. Though you'd have changed this place into a taco shop if you had your way, sooooo…yeah. I'm not sure that maybe you should be allowed free rein with anything, chick."

Sonata rolled her eyes.

“If you've smooshed your human into submission, that's not my problem. But if you opened up a little bit, you could be happier. Just having that second opinion, seeing things from another perspective… It could change you, Aria. What do you think, Adagio?"

She hesitated, pursing her lips, though maintaining her cool, calm demeanour at all times.

“Yeah, I guess, I'm about the same as you, Sonata," she said, editing a version of the truth that best suited the moment. “They're in there, that's about it. They talk sometimes…"

In time, she would show them that they could all work together, human and siren, that they had formed a new life and personality, something that allowed them both to be their best selves. They thought as one, sometimes one taking the lead and sometimes the other. They worked together.

And that's all we need to know.

_ _

Adagio smirked, Sonata rising, saying her goodbyes, their numbers exchanged.

All we need to do.

_ _

Together.

_ _

With the trio all together, there was nothing that could stand in their way.

But there was something that Adagio needed to take care of first… On the morn of the coming day.

*

On Monday, the bar was closed, which was a relief in the January season, even though they had to open it up for extra days and hours around the holidays, which had most certainly been a trial. Donnie and Adagio had mostly moved everything that was needed into the condo and things were coming along nicely, no longer living out of boxes and carrying on as if they had always been there. With separate bedrooms, of course, though it was proving quite interesting for her to see how it was again to live with someone else, even if she always had the personal space of her room to retreat to.

One thing she had to deal with, however, did not involve the condo at all, just one that she had arranged to meet at their hired music studio, the small one that was all they could afford for the time being, but enough to give Adagio, Aria, Olivia – and now Sonata too – the start they needed.

“Olivia… I think it's time you came clean about something. Before we head out to see about the music contract we've got lined up for you."

Olivia pursed her lips, leaning back in her chair at the coffee shop, outside at the little iron table with intricate, swirly designs in the metal. She looked even more like Adagio than ever, though, if one was being picky, her hair was probably a little less voluminous than Adagio's. No one that mattered would be able to tell that she was not the perfect image of Adagio, however.

“I just wanted to see the fights," she said, slowly, after an inordinately long pause. “You know, at the dojo. That's what you mean, isn't it?"

“Of course. But I'm going to need more information than that why you were following me around, Olivia."

Her voice held a steely tone, the siren watching, taking the lead when needed, though Adagio more than knew what to do to get Olivia back in line. The likelihood there was that she had not done anything wrong, of course, but they had to be sure about that before anything proceeded, making sure that they had everything in hand

Things can change more quickly than you expect, the siren imparted, a note of sadness in her voice. Not between the trio of sirens, but beyond that. We must be careful with her.

_ _

Oliva sighed, leaning onto the table with her elbows, gesturing with her hands, though it was not one that meant anything other than a little frustration, perhaps at getting caught.

“Look, I know you didn't invite me, but I heard you talking with Donnie about it at the bar and I was curious, you know? I wanted to see what was going on there, what you were so interested in. I feel like I spend a lot of time with you and I don't know anything. But the action there – wow. That all makes sense now!"

Adagio sighed, even though her curiosity and interest on the matter had, more or less, been satisfied. There was no harm there, even the siren settling down, leading the way.

“That I can understand, but you not being invited by Donnie or me and turning up anyway could reflect badly on us. I would not try to conceal anything from us going forward."

It was not that there was a threat, per se, in her tone, but that there might have been a threat there, only a little something to convey her displeasure. She wanted more control over Olivia, though Adagio had to remind the siren, however lightly, that Olivia was also her own person. Despite being moulded into the image of Adagio, she had to be that person too if they were going to succeed.

“Yes, I get it," Olivia muttered, her cheeks an appropriate shade of reconciliatory pink. “I'll not do it again, but at least I got away with it. There'll be nothing bad from that. Perhaps I should look at a different self-defence group though."

Adagio smiled, lightening the atmosphere again, very deliberately.

“Sure thing, I'll be able to ask if there's anything better suited to you later. For now, let's finish our coffee and head over the to the little bar. They need a singer on Wednesday nights and you might be able to get a standing gig there. At least, until we hit it big."

Adagio and the siren did not enjoy the thought of having to work their way up in the ranks, really, but it helped a little to know where she was going. There was a lot there, of course, that needed to be taken care of and there was no time like the present to get on with it.

A busy life kept her out of trouble, after all. Or at least trouble that she was not in the middle of causing…

Adagio, however, did not need to chaperone Olivia too closely as they headed down a couple of streets to the small bar nearby. It was a hipster sort of place, the kind of place where they did poetry readings and seemed to change their brand constantly with what was currently “in", though it would do well enough as a starting point for them. If nothing else it was practice for Olivia too in singing in front of people and not only in the recording studio, though Adagio and Aria – Sonata also, very shortly – were working on original songs too. Places like that tended to like the music of other artists, however, rather than originals when they hired someone in to sing. No one could say that Adagio had not done her research.

She perched in a stool at the window, a countertop before her with a coffee that had a positive message on the mug: Make this your best day yet! The siren had scoffed at that, but an odd positivity place, which seemed to be the current brand that they were leaning heavily into, was plastered everywhere, impossible to escape.

“Now, Olivia, we want to hear you sing, can you set up on our little hosting area over here, please?"

The manager, Adagio supposed, led Olivia over, though Olivia was every bit as perfect as Adagio wanted her to be, smiling and tossing her hair, playing her part perfectly. She was a young star, a rising star, in a short, purple skirt and a light green vest-top that exposed her arms, drawing attention to one part of her body while leaving other parts to the imagination. She had to be sultry, though not too much, in keeping with what was supposed to be the modern fashion, yet not to the point where she was dolled up from head to toe in branded clothing.

It was a delicate balance and, oddly enough, the siren had enjoyed pulling it all together more than expected. It was something that she had not honestly looked into before, but Adagio was more than happy to allow her to design, finding another avenue into creativity that was not solely their shared voice, the power behind it.

Olivia sang beautifully, the stage that the place didn't quite want to call the stage, taking the microphone in hand, her voice strong. The song had been rehearsed and rehearsed and then her voice rested before the big first audition, the speakers, perhaps, not quite as high quality as Adagio would have liked. Still, they could not be choosy about their first gig, the first one the most important to get them up and running. Only then could everything that they had envisioned for their company and career be taken forward, spreading their sound across the country and beyond.

Olivia finished her song with a graceful flourish, Adagio tugging her hood up a little higher to hide her hair, though she had discussed with the manager on the phone. It would have looked a little bit on the strange side too for the two of them to be stood there, side by side, looking as alike as they did, even if Olivia was able to take things forward in a public-facing role far more actively than Adagio did. Even with her ID papers and such being updated, there were still records of her being Knight and, frankly, she didn't want the hassle with attention on her past rather than where she was going with her future. She was still Knight, partly, her life and memories shaping her, yet no one would understand something like that. Thus, she kept it to herself and out of the business that she wanted to make money.

“Thanks, Olivia…" The manager brushed his fingers back through his hair, ruffling it up where it had been slicked down, messing it up, a little shiny and greasy looking. “That was lovely."

“So," Olivia said with a confident smile, as if her pride in her performance could not be shaken. “When do you want me to start? I have another engagement next week, but I could swing it for the following, if all is right with the gig."

Adagio grinned secretly, nursing her cold coffee between her hands. That was more like it.

“Well…" The manager scratched the back of his neck, eyes sliding away. “We'll call you if we'd like you to come back. We have your number."

Olivia frowned, though the siren was angrier within Adagio, flitting back and forth, the sense of her jittery and erratic, pushing for control.

She was excellent, they can't just do that! This is our start! This is how we will get our voice across the world!

_ _

Around the world, Adagio corrected her lightly. We say, “around the world".

_ _

Does it matter? The siren seethed and roiled quietly, though she had more control over herself than she used to. They should have taken her on immediately, or how else are we to make a start? She's better than anyone else they could get in here, well, except for my voice.

_ _

That will be woven into the soundtracks anyway, don't you worry. Our influence will be spread…but in the right way.

_ _

Although the siren grumbled, her displeasure at having her influence resisted, even through a proxy, was palatable. It was not a mistake that either of them was eager to see happen again, Olivia leaving and joining Adagio outside, a little way down the street.

“Well," she huffed, puffing out her cheeks and filling them with air. “That didn't go how I wanted it to."

Adagio could only offer her a shrug, for it was not with Olivia that her displeasure lay.

“Next time, we'll make sure they can't turn us down. Let's get going – Sonata has something that she thinks might suit our sound."

Olivia grinned, the bad mood of being turned down brushed away, at least to the best of their ability. They could only try, after all, carrying on, step by step, crossing the obstacles and boundaries that were laid down before them just as humans did. Even though only one in the group, for the music side of things,

They were not done yet. And they had a lot more to show…