I plopped the to-go bag down on the coffee table, almost enjoying the suddenly nervous expression on Sonata's face.
“I stopped by The Tasty Treat today,” I said, unnecessarily.
She swallowed. “And?”
“I talked to Coriander.
“A-and?”
“He was nice. Gave me lunch. And told me everything.” Sonata slumped. “So did Miss Coloratura. About how you haven't been acting like you usually do. How you've been picking fights and being rude.” Every word made her sink lower in the couch. “Sonata, what's going on? Why are you acting like this?”
The ex-siren crumpled. “I- I can't tell you.”
“Yes, you can! That's what friends are for.”
“Not this!” She seemed to shrink. “Don't you trust me?”
“I did,” I said harshly. “Before all this. Before you lied to me. Sonata, I went out there for you. To try and get them to let you back. But you know what? They already want you back. They're worried about you! And so am I.”
“Well, you shouldn't be!” Sonata snapped.
For a moment, I was taken aback. I hadn't heard her get angry like that since... since the very beginning. I tried a different approach, and sat on the couch beside her. “I can't help it; you're my friend. I don't want to see you lose everything you've worked so hard for.”
Sonata got up and started stalking around the table. “Well, I don't, either! But I can't help it, and neither can you. So just let it go! Grrr!” She stopped and clenched her fists at her side. “How'd you even get so suspicious, anyway? I hardly ever even thought about-”
She stopped and turned. Her eyes drilled into my sternum, right where the jewel of a necklace would be. “You used your geode on me!” she accused.
My hand fluttered up. I winced. “Okay, look, I didn't mean-”
“I knew it!” Sonata recoiled. “I even asked you not to! How could you?”
“It was an accident!” Now I was standing, too, and leaning across the table. “But it's a good thing it happened, otherwise I'd have never found out you were planning on running away!”
“I'm not running away!” Sonata stamped a foot. “Don't you understand? I don't want to go! But if I don't you're not gonna have a roommate anyways 'cause I'll be dead! I'm already late, because I don't want to leave you!”
I blinked, unsure what to process first. “You- Sonata?”
She swayed, eyes less focused than usual. She put a hand on her side. “Oh, no...”
And then she collapsed.
Slowly, she stirred, groaning softly. Sonata's hand stretched up and flailed around. And then she was really awake, thrashing and scooting herself into the arm of the couch. Wide eyes danced around the room.
She calmed down slightly when she saw me, sitting in a chair right next to her. Then she saw the others.
Applejack was closest, having been checking on the wet cloth we put on her forehead. Sonata had hit her when she stretched, hence the start. Now AJ was rubbing her nose and backing up. The others were fanned out around our living room, watching.
“S-Sunset?” Sonata croaked.
I gave her the most reassuring smile I could. “Hey. Glad you're awake.” Her eyes darted around to each of my friends. “It's okay. They're here to help. After- after you passed out, I had to call someone.” It'd been hours since Sonata collapsed. Already, the day was fading out. The barest hint of the moon could be seen in the sky. The thing was, we didn't really know what to do. Taking her to the hospital wasn't exactly an option, so we had to make do with home remedies. What few we knew.
Twilight stepped forward. “Are you really one of the sirens?” she asked, excitement dancing behind her glasses.
Sonata hesitated, but nodded.
“Amazing! I have so many questions- for starters, how long have you been here? What was the world like back when you-”
I got up and gently pushed Twilight away. “Hang on,” I reminded her, “We're here to help her. We can ask questions later.” I turned back to my sickly roommate. “Though I do have one that I think should be answered. What's going on with you?”
Again, Sonata hesitated. “Can I have some water?” she asked after a couple seconds.
“Here you go!” Pinkie Pie appeared over the back of the couch, glass in hand. It even had a giant swirly-straw reaching out of it. Sonata took the cup and sipped eagerly.
“Thank you,” she said a moment later.
“Nooo problem! Any friend of Sunset's is our friend, too!”
“Exactly!” Rainbow Dash bumped her fist against my shoulder. “Sunset's almost as awesome as me, so of course she's gonna have the coolest friends.” The others echoed that sentiment, with varying degrees of enthusiasm.
Sonata looked back and forth between them and me like she was expecting us to yell, 'Psyche!'
When we didn't, she turned her gaze to the now empty cup in her hands. “It's... hard to explain.”
“Start from the beginnin', sugarcube,” Applejack suggested.
“Okay.” Sonata closed her eyes, and breathed out. “I'm... I'm changing.”
“That's nothing to be afraid of,” I assured her. “It's not something worth running away over.”
“I'm not running away!” she let out a slightly exasperated sigh. “And that's not what I meant. I mean, my body is changing-”
“That's fine, too!” Rarity smiled. “A bit late, perhaps, but you being a magical creature from another dimension and all-”
“Noooo!” Sonata shook her head. “It's... I'm... I don't know the word! It starts with an 'em'. Mecha... memma...”
“Metamorphosing?” Fluttershy asked.
“Yeah! Thanks, Pinkie.”
“Um- I'm Fluttershy.”
“Oh. Well... sorry.” Sonata turned back to me. “Us sirens were never our own species. We were a mix-and-match. Our momma was a dragon from the Dragon Lands. And our daddy was a Sea Pony.”
Twilight frowned. “Wait... How-”
“Magic,” I quickly interjected. I didn't want to go into the specifics of Equestrian reproduction any further than that. “So, because of your different heritage, you change?”
“Mmm-hmm,” Sonata nodded. “Most of the time, we can stay on land. But for a few months every year, we have to go into the ocean. And there's no way we can stay on land then. If we do...” She drew a finger across her neck. “Used to be, we could sorta control it with our gems. It was easy and painless, and we knew exactly when it would happen. Last year, I only got a vague idea, so I hurried off.”
“That's why you left last year?” I tried to imagine how she felt then, changing for the first time without her magic or her sisters. “Sweet Celestia,” I muttered. “Sonata, why didn't you ever tell me?”
“'Cause I didn't actually know you back then. And this time, well... I don't know, I just couldn't think how to bring it up. 'Hey, I'm gonna take a four month vacation to the ocean or else I'll die'. Not many openings for that one.”
“So, uh... How long you got left this year?” Rainbow asked.
Sonata closed her eyes and frowned. “Not long. I think only a day. If I were in salt water, maybe two. But once I change...”
“Then we have to get you to the ocean,” I resolved.
“Hang on,” Applejack interjected. “How come y'all waited so long this year? Iffin ya felt it comin' last time, ya shoulda this time, too.”
“I did,” Sonata muttered. “But I had a good thing going, you know? I didn't want to leave. Then the changes started, on the inside. Things haven't been all that clear, most of the time. But I know I've messed everything up. Now I've lost it all for sure.”
“Nah,” I said. I put a hand on her shoulder. “We'll work things out later. The important thing right now is that we make sure there's a later to do it in. Applejack,” I turned.
“Eeyeah?”
“Could we borrow your brother's truck?”
“I reckon so.”
“Great. Pinkie, I don't suppose you would know where we could get an old bathtub, do you? Pinkie?” I looked around, but didn't see her. Then my phone started ringing.
I answered it, and Pinkie's voice boomed out. “ALREADY ON IT, SUN-SHIM!” Quickly, I took it off speaker. The others took their hands off their ears. “Meetcha at Sweet Apple Acres in the morning!” Pinkie finished.
“Thanks,” I said, and hung up. “Twilight, we'll need salt water. Lots of it, and as close to being ocean water as you can get.”
“I think I can find the right balance of minerals in a couple hours.”
“'Kay. Fluttershy, help Twilight. Rainbow, I think you should handle snacks for the road.”
“Aw, can't I be in charge of the music?”
“Fine! Rarity, you can get the snacks.”
“They'll be lovely, of course.”
I let out a short sigh. “Okay. Okay. Tomorrow, we'll all meet up at the farm. Sonata, you'll be all right to travel that far?”
My roommate forced herself up off the couch and wobbled into the coffee table. “Oh, yeah, I'll be fine,” she grinned.
“Then let's do this.”
“No, to the left. My left!” Rainbow winced at the squeal of metal. “Yeah, now a little higher...”
I was sweating in my tanktop and shorts, in spite of the cool air. Applejack, wearing her usual ensemble, was barely straining. Her hands glowed bright orange. “Think maybe we ought to have filled it after we put it in the bed?” she snarked.
“We're... gonna have to... refill it!” I gasped. A second later, the tub was lifted in a purple glow, and I fell on my butt.
“Good thing I brought extra, then,” Twilight remarked. She read through her checklist again, manipulating one end of the heavy water container with her other hand. She barely even looked as she guided it into place.
I picked myself out of the two inches of water already in the truck. “Good thing I brought extra pants.” The backside of this pair was thoroughly soaked.
“Could we, maybe, hurry it up a little?” Sonata asked. Standing off to the side, wearing only her bathing suit, she seemed not to notice the cold. She was still paler than I'd ever seen. Her skin had a rough look to it that didn't seem healthy.
“Almost done.” Applejack gave the tub one more shove, then slammed the tailgate closed. “Twilight?”
She levitated the buckets now, and dumped a few more gallons into the tub. “All good.”
“Hey, there's not enough room for all of us,” Rainbow complained. She pointed at the front end with her thumb. “Guess it's a three-girl trip. Four, if you count Sonata.”
“Well, ah'm goin,” Applejack asserted. “Big Mac'll have my hide iffin I let any one of you drive.”
“Me,” I said. “I have to be there for Sonata.”
“Ooh, ooh!” Pinkie leaned out, waving her hand.
“Okay, I guess Pinkie's our third,” I shrugged.
“What?” she cocked her head. “No, I was just gonna say that Fluttershy should go. I mean, look at her.”
I did, and was met with the second-most enormous, pleading eyes I'd ever seen. Sorry, but Sonata, back when she was on the street, had perfected that look. Still, Fluttershy's was more than enough. “Okay then. Me, Applejack, and Fluttershy. Has anyone seen-”
“Here I am, Darlings!” Rarity stumbled out the back door of the main house, arms laden with food. “Sorry it took so long; but I wanted to make sure everything was just right.”
“Thanks, Rarity.” I looked over the pile. “Some of this looks too good to even eat.”
“Yeah, what's wrong with just a bag of chips or something?” Rainbow asked. She picked up a plastic-wrapped cucumber sandwich and peered at it.
Rarity lightly smacked her hand. “Now now. I overheard as I was coming out. These snacks are for our traveling heroes! Which you are not among, Miss Dash.”
Rainbow shrugged, and dropped the sandwich. “Eh. I'm okay with that.”
“Hey,” Sonata called weakly. “Should I...” She gestured at the tub.
“Of course,” I smiled. “Here, let me help you.”
I lent her a hand as she clambered up the side of the truck. Her movements were getting slower; her legs were wobbling more than ever. She just barely was able to get over the edge. There was a slight splash, and some water overflowed into the truck bed. Sonata sighed like she'd just slipped into a Jacuzzi instead of a lukewarm tub.
Just to be sure, I pulled myself up. She reclined in the water, more relaxed than she'd looked in days. “Oh, hey,” she smirked.
I rolled my eyes, but reached out and touched her hand. “Hey, yourself.” I gave her a tense smile. “We'll get you there in time. I promise.”
“I'm not worried,” Sonata said. “Least, I'm not anymore.”
“That makes one of us.” We exchanged yet another grin. And then Applejack slapped my leg.
“C'mon, Sunset. We're loadin' up. Ocean, here we come!”