//------------------------------// // A Siren's Best Friend // Story: My Chemical Reaction // by MysteriousStranger //------------------------------// Aria’s P.O.V. Today was the day I had to watch over Twilight’s dog. There’s still a few hours before that, so in the meantime, I’ll chill watching my favorite reality show. The only downside… Sonata was sitting with me, screaming at the T.V.. “Officer Green will catch you eventually, criminal! Running will only make you tired when you go to prison!” I sighed and spoke without glancing at my younger sister. “Sonata, I told you that you could stay as long as you kept commentaries to yourself.” “But Aria!” Sonata whined. Our argument was cut short when Adagio groaned after walking into the room. My older sister shook her head, placing a hand on her forehead massaging it. “Seriously, I don’t know what you see in that show.” My older sister said, standing behind us. “All this violence and cursing. Doesn’t it bring back bad memories?” I shrugged. “Nope, it does not. Besides, you have your shows, I have mine. Plus, they announced that they'll be bringing a crew to Canterlot City. You might end up spotting them on the streets at some point.” Adagio sighed. “Anyway, are you ready to go to Twilight’s?” “I’m ready.” I turned my head to meet Adagio’s glare. “Twilight detailed me on everything I have to do, and she will leave a note for me in the kitchen. How hard can it be to look after a dog for one afternoon? He won’t starve to death.” “I don’t know why I can’t tag along. Won’t you get bored?” Sonata glanced at me. “I’ll have a book.” I replied, looking at my younger sister. Adagio crossed her arms before turning to our younger sister. “Besides, Sonata, Twilight only asked Aria to watch over her pet.” “But she won’t mind if I go too! She knows me and we get along well!” Sonata complained. “The answer is still no,” I frowned at her. “We’re already going to have a picnic tomorrow at the park. Two days in a row with you is asking too much.” “Aria, don’t be mean. I can help you,” Sonata replied sourly. “No, I won’t risk anything breaking because of your clumsiness! I can handle it on my own,” I said poking her forehead. “I’m not clumsy!” Sonata whined trying to poke me back. I glared at my younger sister swatting her hand away. “You dropped my drink on me when Adagio and I went to eat where you work!” “I told you that it wasn’t my fault!” Sonata stood up as she argued back. “A co-worker shoved me by accident! There’s not much space on my side of the counter.“ ”Sonata-” Adagio called our sister. “Maybe, in the future, Twilight will ask you or all three of us to her house, but for now, Aria will go alone. If something happens, it will be her responsibility. Let her screw up on her own.” I turned to my older sister, glaring at her angrily. “Thank you for the vote of confidence.” Adagio shrugged and smiled. “We’ll have fun on our own, Sonata. We’ll do anything you want.” Sonata clasped her hands together as she grinned. “Can we go to the petting zoo?!” “Sure.” Adagio placed a hand on her hip and left her other hand hanging on her side. “We can get ice-cream afterwards.” “Yay!” Sonata excitedly skipped on her spot. “Well, have fun you two.” I said, as I returned my attention to the T.V. Adagio and Sonata looked at me. “There’s no need to be jealous, Aria.” Adagio commented. “You’re going to the petting zoo. Why would I be jealous?” Adagio smirked maliciously at me. It sent chills down my spine, I knew that look. Uh, oh… “Oh, come on, Aria. We know you’re a big softie on the inside. Just look at how you act around Twilight. I can certainly see why you moved on from the bad memories. You’re trying to make nice ones with your girlfriend! I’m sure you’re dying to come.” My body started to heat up. I knew she wouldn’t let this go. “I don't want to go to the zoo with you!” I stood up and glared at Adagio, pointing at her with my index finger. “And that joke is getting old, Adagio!” My older sister raised both of her hands in defeat, never losing that dumb smug on her face. “You always get aggressive when I bring it up,” She said. “Twilight’s just a good friend of mine! It doesn’t mean that I have feelings for her!” I said raising my voice. “Sure…” her smugness turned into seriousness. “Jokes aside, I hope you understand that trusting you in her home when no one’s around is a big deal. Dogs are unpredictable. If you take her pet for a walk, make sure you don’t lose the grip of the leash.” “He’s a small dog, Adagio. I doubt he’s strong.” I said, as I sat back on the couch. “Still, be careful. Follow Twilight’s instructions closely. Don’t eat too much of her food, don’t break-” “I’ll be fine, Adagio!” I raised my voice, but then I took a deep breath to calm down before turning my head to my sister and speaking with a calmer tone. “Thank you.” My older sister smiled. “I just want to make sure. You haven’t been in charge of anything since forever.” Adagio’s warning resonated within me. As she turned to leave with Sonata in tow I watched as she gave me one last look of concern before her lip curled to a smile. She may not have said anything, but I know she had faith in me, she just wanted me to be ready. I’d never give her the satisfaction of knowing of course! None of us spoke about the subject anymore, allowing me some time to relax until it was time for me to leave. When it was near the time to go to Twilight’s house I took a shower before heading to the bus station, since Adagio wouldn't let me go until I was, and I quote, 'presentable'. My ride arrived in no time. I sat on the first seat I found free and laid my head against the back of the seat. It has been a slow weekend. Without Twilight, I didn’t have much to do but read and watch T.V. How did I do to spend so many months like this? Not just that, I always want to hang out with her, but when I call, sometimes she already has plans with her other friends. It was annoying having to compete with the Rainbooms, but I still prefer this over re-introducing myself to them. Fortunately, Twilight will arrive late in the afternoon today. I won’t be there to receive her and her family, but I’ll make sure her dog is happy and well. Twilight will be thankful for that. I got off the bus upon reaching my stop. Placing my hands on the pockets of my jeans, I walked towards Twilight’s home, ignoring the stares of the bystanders. It was sure boring when my only company is the noise of the cars, the wind, and birds' songs. When I arrived at my destination, I stood still for a few moments to take in the house again. It still left me in awe. Shaking my head, I walked towards the backyard and looked under the rocks around the plants by the pool. After finding the key, I glanced at the pool. I wish I could jump in, but first, I have to learn to swim with this human body. Not to mention, I have a job to do. Sighing, I headed towards the front door and used the key to open it. I walked in and closed the door from the inside. My first stop, the kitchen. I have to read the note Twilight left on the fridge. I took the note and leaned against the fridge to read it. Aria First, I want to thank you again for agreeing to look after Spike. You’re doing me a huge favor. He’s very dear to me and I don’t want him to be alone for too long. His bowl must be full. Just take Spike out, play and pet him. In case he’s hungry, his food bag is in my lab, at the basement inside the counter under my animal cell project. The bowls are next to it. You only need to fill the cup inside the bag twice. He also has special treats on the top left shelf at the kitchen. His leash is in one of my desk’s drawers, but you shouldn’t need it. He’s very obedient. Also, don’t give him water from the sink. I have bottled water just for him in the fridge. It’s labeled ‘Spike’. I’ll call you tomorrow after school. Hugs! Twilight I smiled before unfolding the note and putting it in my pocket. Then, I saw something from the corner of my eyes. I turned my head and to find Spike, sitting by the door, wagging his tail and panting. I smirked at him. “Hey there, little guy. How are you?” The little dog barked once and remained where he was. “Right…” I walked towards him and sat on the floor in front of him. Spike approached me and sniffed one of my knees. I began petting his head. Doing so helped me relax. “Looks like you do remember me.” Spike placed his front paws on my knee and barked twice while looking at me. I didn’t stop petting him. “What shall we do? Are you hungry or do you want to walk?” Spike barked twice at me and ran outside the kitchen. He stood on the other side of the door, watching me as he wagged his tail. “Alright, I guess I’ll follow you.” I stood up and followed Spike with my hands in my pockets. “I’m talking and following a dog. I definitely wouldn’t be doing this all those months ago.” Twilight’s pet guided me to the front door, where he rested his front paws and looked at me. “A walk, then?” Spike barked again and I chuckled. “Okay, just let me get your leash and a toy.” I thought about letting him out and ordering him to stay. Twilight told me that he’s obedient, but I don’t want to risk him running off so I left the door closed. I walked upstairs, to Twilight’s room and took the leash and a tennis ball from her bedroom desk before heading back to the front door. Spike was laying on the floor, but he stood up when he saw me. He allowed himself to be leashed without any problem and I opened the front door. We walked towards Greystone Park. Spike walked beside me, occasionally stopping to smell pants or trees. Some dogs barked at him, but Spike didn’t bark back. He just stared at them while following me. “Hmm, I guess the leash wasn’t necessary after all.” Twilight’s pet glanced at me, shaking his tail. Once at the park, I looked for a free spot on the grass to sit before removing the leash from Spike. He started to sniff the surroundings until I showed him the ball. “Up to some fetching, little guy?” Spike barked and skipped back and forth excitedly. I chuckled before throwing the ball. “Go!” The dog ran after the ball and caught it with his mouth before happily returning to me. He sat in front of me and allowed me to retrieve the ball.“ Alright, I’ll throw it a little farther this time. Ready?” Spike barked and I threw the ball again. Once again he ran after it and brought it back to me. We played for a little while, continuing the cycle of throw, fetch, receive, and return, until Spike started to bark at something behind me after returning the ball. I turned my head and found a small funny looking green dog in baby carriage. I was not happy to see the owner. A silver haired girl and her companion, Sunset Shimmer. I sighed and placed the palm of my hand on my forehead. I shouldn’t be surprised. “Just when I was having a good time, the shepherd and her sheep had to show up,” I said condescendingly. Sunset Shimmer frowned at me. “Hello to you too, Aria.” “Yeah, whatever. Just leave me alone.” I turned away from them and crossed my arms, when I remembered something. “Wait…” I turned back to them pointing at the two of them accusingly. “Twilight told me you couldn’t make it to look after her pet today. I don’t see you doing anything productive.” “I’m spending some quality time with Trixie. I offered to postpone it, but-” “Okay, that’s enough.” I cut short Sunset Shimmer and avoided looking at her. “I don’t really care.” I heard the equestrian girl groan. “How come you’re nice to Twilight but despicable to us?” Trixie asked, holding the carriage. “That’s none of your business.” I closed my eyes to try to think on something else, but I felt something on my knee. I opened my eyes to find Spike with his front paws on me. He started to whimper. Is he trying to get me to talk to them? I could just ignore them, but Spike continued with the whimpering. It was like having daggers strike at my heart everytime he did. I… couldn’t stand hearing him doing that. “Alright, you two…” I sighed before standing up and turning around. Both girls met their glances with mine. “I thought Twilight told you I’m not a sociable person, and yet, you’re here, talking to me.” I frowned angrily at them. “We weren’t trying to talk to you.” Sunset Shimmer moved her gaze from me to Twilight’s pet. “We wanted to greet Spike.” The dog barked happily and trotted towards the girls. The fiery girl raised an eyebrow and glanced confusedly from Spike to me before smiling. Weird. “Ah, I see.” Sunset Shimmer picked Spike up and held him close to her. The dog licked her all over her face. “I’m happy to see you again too, Spike!” The dog in the carriage started to bark at Spike and shake its tail happily. “Looks like Pixie wants to play with him.” “No! She just took a bath.” Shimmer’s companion crossed her arms and glared at Sunset Shimmer. “We’ll bathe her together later. Please, Trixie, just say yes.” The sheep glanced from Shimmer to her pet and then to Spike. It looks like she was outnumbered. “Fine…” She sighed and then puffed her chest proudly. “But only because Trixie finds your proposal of bathing Pixie quite… appealing.” Sunset Shimmer giggled and kissed her sheep on the cheek. “Thank you, Trix!” The equestrian said, before placing Spike on the ground while the other girl picked her pet up. She hesitated, but she eventually placed her small dog on the ground as well. The dogs started to play together. “Now I see what’s going on.” I smirked and pointed at both of the girls with my index finger. “You two are dating. Now everything makes sense.” “Do you have a problem with that?” Shimmer crossed her arms as she looked at me with a scowl. Like if I would feel threatened by that. I laughed at the response. “I don’t even like you two, so it’s not my concern. In fact, this just annoys me more. I already have to put up with Adagio and her cheesy romance movies.” “Romance is not bad, Aria. You just need to meet the right person.” The fiery girl said as her expression softened slightly. “Public relations is not my forte, pony. The only friend I have is Twilight, and-” I stopped mid sentence. Suddenly, Twilight popped up in my mind. I imagined hugging her, but not like we usually do, but how people do in those movies Adagio watches. My cheeks felt warm too. All this romance talk is messing with my head! “Wh-Why am I even talking to you?!” I turned around to try to calm my anger down. I’m too close from losing my patience. None of the annoyances said anything. All I could hear were the dogs barking and growling playfully. I glanced at them. Watching them having fun warmed up my inside and tempered my anger. A faint smile escaped from me. I got on my knees and Spike and his playmate started to run around me as they played. “I’m glad Spike and Pixie finally met. They hit off well.” Sunset Shimmer commented. “Pixie is always happy to meet other dogs. She’s quite a friendly girl.” The other girl commented. “Yeah.” The equestrian chuckled. “She practically jumped on me when I first saw her.” There was a short pause. “I’m thinking on asking Twilight to do this more often. Maybe next time she can go to your house, Trixie. What do you think?” “Are you asking me to be the hostess of their next playdate?” I looked at the girls. Shimmer nodded, smiling at Trixie. “Sure! It will be fun. We could buy them food, water, have them share toys. It would be so cute!” Sunset said with a girly squee. “Hmm…” Shimmer’s companion frowned thoughtfully for a few moments. “Alright, we’ll do it!” “Yay, I can’t wait!” Sunset Shimmer hugged her girlfriend and I turned my attention back to the dogs. That’s as much as I can handle. Spike and Pixie played until I saw Twilight’s pet yawn. He was moving clumsily and couldn’t keep his eyes opened. I walked towards him and picked him up. Once in my arms, Spike shut his eyes completely and fell asleep. “Looks like it’s our cue to leave.” I glanced at the girls in front of me. “See ya’.” They nodded once and I turned around. Finally, I had the chance to walk away from them. As I left, I smiled, but Sunset Shimmer spoke one last time stopping me in my tracks. “Goodbye!” It was only one word, but it was enough to destroy my good mood. At least I had a sleeping Spike on my arms who helped me to recover my smile. This little guy has earned his place on the short list I have of those I care about. I took my time on the way back, enjoying the sight of him sleeping until we reached Twilight's home. I didn't want to interrupt his slumber, so I carefully opened the front door, got in, and closed it without making a sound. Twilight said that his food and water bowls are in the basement, so I headed there. I began descending the stairs very slowly taking great care not to make a peep. When I found the lab, I had to suppress a gasp. This family spares no expenses. I saw pieces of high tech machinery, computers, beakers, test tubes, and many desks. On one of them, I could see the VCR Twilight was working on and a VHS next to it. There’s even tesla coils. This place really looked like Dr. Junkensteen’s lab. I scanned the room until I found the bowls, and next to it a small basket with blankets and cushions. I walked towards them and carefully placed Spike on his bed. As I placed a blanket over him, he moved slightly, but he didn’t wake up. I could just sit here and watch him sleep for a while. In fact, I might just do that. I’m here to watch over him after all. I glanced over at his partially empty bowls. They need a refill. Twilight said that Spike’s food is inside the counter where her school project is. It has to be the big thing made of poly… polyste… polystyrene. Yeah, I think that’s what it’s called. I walked around that counter to look for the door, but while I was doing so, but I tripped over something. “Oh, shi-!” I tried to stop my fall by holding on the table, but I slipped and fell on the floor anyway. “Ouch, damn it, that hurt!” I glanced behind me and saw one of the wires around my foot. The floor is full of wires, I should have been more careful. “Oh, no, Twilight’s cell model!” That wasn’t my voice. It sounded more like a boy. I looked below me as I leaned to a side to see that I landed on Twilight’s project, and Spike nearby, staring at it. Was he the one who…? “S-Spike… did you just…?” The dog looked at me with his eyes widened. “Oops! I-I mean, woof, woof?” I blinked a few times dumbfoundedly. All this time… he wasn’t a regular dog. Of course. I always stumble with magic one way or another. I smirked and stood up. “Nice try, Spike.” I said as I dusted my clothes from dust. “This isn’t a cartoon. I can’t unhear you.” “Oh, no…” Spike dropped his head, worried, but then, his eyes perked and glanced at me. “Wait, you’re not surprised, scared, confused or all of the above?” “I’m equestrian, Spike. I have seen yaks and zebras talking.” I crossed my arms and frowned. “I imagine Twilight knows.” “It’s thanks to her that I can speak, actually.” I looked away, disappointed. I wasn’t disappointed of him, but with Twilight. Why didn’t she say anything? Didn’t she trust me? “Anyway-” Spike spoke again. “We have to do something. Twilight’s project is ruined, and she has to deliver it tomorrow!” “Tomorrow?!” My eyes widened and I felt as if my heart stopped. Spike nodded. “Twilight has never got a grade below A. She can’t fail now!” “But it was an accident… I didn’t mean to-” I started to pace back and forth, pulling my hair in desperation. “She won’t want to see me again when she sees what I’ve done… She will hate me…” I groaned with frustration and hit the counter where the project used to be with my fist. “I blew it…” My eyes got wet. Damn it, damn it all! Why did she have to befriend me…? “There’s still time…” I glanced at Spike as I felt a tear running down my cheek. “What do you mean?” “There’s still a few hours before Twilight and her parents return. Maybe we can fix it.” I smiled and cleared the tears from my face. “You’re right! I just need glue and more of that polys-thing! Where does she keep them?” “About that.” Spike looked away from me. “Twilight doesn’t have any. She used them all to build it the first time.” “Damn it!” I groaned and placed a hand on my chin to think. There has to be something… wait, that’s it! I glanced towards Spike, smiling. “I can borrow money from Adagio and buy more.” The dog wagged his tail happily, but then, he looked down. “It’s Sunday. All stores are closed.” “Oh, son of a-!” I shut myself when I made eye contact with Spike. He sounds like a kid, so I suppose I should be careful with my words around him. “… mother.” Sighing, I sat down, resting my back on one of the counters. Spike walked closer to me. “Any ideas, pup? Anything? I’m desperate…” The dog frowned thoughtfully for a few seconds before sitting, staring at me. “We could ask for Sunset’s help…” I glared at him, which seemed to scare him. “The pony?!” I yelled gripping my hand into fist. Spike didn’t say anything. I moved my gaze from him and forced myself to calm down. Sunset Shimmer… did I really fall that low? Oh, how the mighty have fallen! But if I don't ask for her help, Twilight will never forgive me... There's only one thing to do then. I stood up and looked at Spike with determination. “Just this once… I’m not happy about it, but I have no choice. Let’s go.” Spike waved his tail happily. “She might still be at the park. Come on!” With Spike by my side, I ran out of the house, closed the door and headed towards Greystone park as fast as I could. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Sunset Shimmer, please, be there! I only stopped to catch my breath while I waited for the streetlights to turn red. My throat felt rough, but I didn’t care. I continued like this until I reached the park. I frantically turned my head around, looking for any signs of Twilight’s friends. “There they are!” Following Spike’s gaze, I saw Sunset Shimmer. She was still sitting where I last saw her, alongside her girlfriend and her dog. Ignoring my lungs’ pleading, I ran towards her. “Sun-set Shi-mmer!” my voice was barely audible. They didn’t hear me, so Spike opened his mouth. “Sunset, Trixie!” The girls turned towards our direction. “Spike? Aria?” The equestrian girl stood up and I stopped in front of her. Now that I found her, I placed my hands on my knees and allowed myself to breathe. My heart never raced so fast. “Why did you run all the way here? Is something wrong?” I raised my index finger into the air and tried to speak, but I couldn’t stop panting. Instead, I pointed my finger at Spike. He wasn’t as tired as me. “I-It’s your project, Sunset! The cell model is destroyed!” “What?!” Sunset Shimmer glared at me with her eyes wide opened while Trixie stood up, with her pet between her arms. “How?!” I wasn’t fully recovered, but I had to answer right away. “A-Accident. I… tripped…” As I kept panting, I looked at Sunset Shimmer. She was still mad, but had an eyebrow raised. “I… don’t want her… to fail… because of… me. P-Please… help me… to fix this…” The pony girl watched me closely. I think she was considering my words, trying to sense if three was any sincerity behind them no doubt. She better not think that I’m lying! We don’t have time for this. I’m starting to get irritated! Luckily, just as I was to speak again, Shimmer finally said something else. “I suppose you wouldn’t be here, asking for my help, if you didn’t care for Twilight. I’ll help you.” Spike jumped excitedly. “Yes! I knew you would!” Sunset Shimmer smiled at him. “Twilight is one of my closest friends, so, of course!” she lost her smile when she looked back at me. “Fortunately, I bought extra glue and material in case an emergency happened. I need to look for them back at my place.” “I’ll call my mom and tell her to meet us at your apartment. She can give us a ride to Twilight’s.” Trixie said. “Great!” Sunset gaced her girlfriend a beaming smile before turning to me. “Go back and wait for us. We should be able to repair the project before Twilight arrives tonight if we work together.” A part of my soul died inside me at that moment. I nodded and knelt to pick Spike up before turning around and walking back to Twilight’s home in a fast pace as Sunset Shimmer and company went on the other direction. I’m putting my trust on them, which I rarely do. They better be right. Back at Twilight’s, I drank two glasses of juice and waited for the pony while sitting, with Spike on my lap. I didn’t run this much since the day we lost The Battle of the Bands. My body is not used to this kind of punishment. Upon finishing my second glass of juice, I placed it on the table next to me and focused on petting Spike. Minutes passed. I’m not sure how much, but I was starting to lose my patience. “What’s taking them so long?!” “They probably need time to gather everything into Trixie’s mother car.” Spike said as he stretched his legs. Then, he glanced at me. “They’ll be here soon, Aria. Don’t worry.” “Easier said than done. We have only a few hours until Twilight arrives. If she fails her assignment because of me…” “We can make it, Aria. I know we can.” Spike stood up and turned to me while still on my lap, shaking his tail happily. “I want to thank you.” “Thank me?” I blinked my eyes in confusion. “For potentially ruining her perfect grades?” “No. For being such a good friend to her. I enjoy seeing her happily talking about what she did with her friends. I was there during her worst times, so seeing her smile is important to me. When you accidentally broke Twilight and Sunset’s project, you immediately started to think of a solution.” I frowned and looked away. Twilight’s friendship is important to me, but I never admitted it out loud to anyone. “Aria?” Spike placed a paw on my arm and I looked at him. I think he was smiling. “I know you’re not a person who shares much about themselves. It’s okay, I’m a good secret keeper. No one will know what you tell me.” I considered his words. They sounded sincere. There was something about this dog that made me feel comfortable to tell him anything. “Not even Twilight?” Spike shook his head. “Not even her. Twilight and her friends have trusted me their secrets before and I never told anyone.” I opened my mouth, but I was interrupted before speaking. “That includes you.” “At least I tried.” I chuckled before looking away. I stared into nothing for a few seconds, considering telling him the truth, until I sighed. “I never got close to anyone other than my sisters. Twilight was supposed to be just another person I pushed away, and I was just about to do that, when Sonata, one of my sisters, intervened and made me feel bad for scaring Twilight. I considered not showing up to our first meeting at Greystone park, but I was blackmailed to go.” My eyes met Spike’s. He didn’t look happy anymore. “B-But I genuinely care for her now! I value her friendship, it’s very important to me. It just took me some time to fully enjoy her company.” “I’m glad to hear that, but… planning to standing her up is a nasty move to even consider it. There’s something about you that Twilight and I don’t know, right?” Once again, his sincere words encouraged me to open up. “It’s true.” I stood up, placed Spike on the seat I was using and walked away from it a few steps. “I’m not ready to talk to Twilight about this, but back in Equestria… my sisters and I were evil. In fact, we tried to mind control everyone in this world not even a year ago and failed, all because of Sunset Shimmer and her friends, which includes the pony Twilight Sparkle.” I crossed my arms, still giving my back to Spike. “We had to adapt to life here without magic. Adagio and Sonata changed their ways, but I didn’t want to. Not until… until…” “Until you met the human Twilight.” I heard Spike approaching me so I turned my head and looked down to see him. He recovered his happy wagging. “I didn’t know how much influence she had on you.” “Yeah…” I turned my head away from him and smiled to myself. Thanks to Twilight, I have developed an interest in stargazing. I have been staring into the night sky from the window in my room often, but it’s not the same as when I accompanied Twilight that night. I wonder if I could ask her to do it again instead of waiting for her to ask me. My conversation with Spike was cut short when someone rang the bell. “It must be Sunset.” Spike said. I remained silent as I walked towards the front door and opened it. Sunset Shimmer was indeed on the other side, together with her girlfriend. Both of them were carrying boxes. “Took you long enough.” I commented, narrowing my eyes. “If we have to redo the whole model again, we need lots of material.” The equestrian girl frowned, not liking my welcome. “Can you let us in to get started?” Trixie asked impatiently. I sighed and moved aside to allow them to walk in. “With six hands, we’ll get this done in no time!” Spike jumped excitedly. “Wait…” I pointed my index finger to Trixie. “The sheep here is staying too?” Trixie blinked confused, staring at my finger, before glaring at me. “Of course.” She turned around to fully face me. “The model is a collaboration between Sunset and Twilight, who is also my friend. I’m not going to stay with my arms crossed while Sunset and Spike fix your mess.” “I would watch that tone if I were you.” I took a threatening step towards Trixie, chittering my teeth. Sunset Shimmer protectively placed a hand between me and her girlfriend. “Alright now, let’s all calm down.” She glanced at Trixie. “Don’t test her patience, Trix. Please.” Trixie made a ‘hmph’ sound and looked away from me. “Right. We’re here for the project. Let’s not waste any more time and get to it.” “For once, I agree with you.” I said before the girls, Spike and I walked towards the basement. On the way there, Spike pouted at me. Sorry, little guy, but I’m not interested in making friends with them. When we reached the lab, Sunset Shimmer gasped when she saw the remains of the project. “You weren’t kidding about the damage…” “We’ll be able to fix it, right?” My worried eyes met Shimmer’s. Her facial expression was hard to read as she spoke. “While Twilight and I worked on it, we mostly talked or goofed around. Working at our pace it took us some days. Now, we have three pairs of hands. We can make it in a few hours without distractions.” “Then let’s get to it.” After my words, Sunset Shimmer nodded before she and her girlfriend placed the boxes they brought on the floor. They started to take out the materials we needed from them. While I accommodated the materials, the equestrian girl looked for something in her phone. “I thought you said no distractions.” Sunset Shimmer looked at me but said nothing. Instead, she placed her phone on one of the counters, screen upside. It was showing a strange image. “That’s what we need to build.” “Oh…” I looked the image closely. It was… complex. “Are you sure we can do this?” Shimmer nodded. “A 100%. Trust me.” “I asked for your help, didn’t I?” I frowned angrily. “You better keep your word, pony. I’m risking much by trusting you.” Sunset Shimmer blinked in surprise before glaring at me. “I care about Twilight as much as you do, Aria. We’re not leaving this house until this project is completely fixed.” With nothing else to be said, we got to work. I followed the photo reference Sunset Shimmer showed me to try to build the model as similar as possible. The girls and I got to work. I took some of the material and began bending it just like the ones in the image. “This isn’t so hard. I just have to-” “Aria, wait!” The equestrian girl called me, however, just as she did so, I heard a cracking sound. My hands suddenly got loose. I glanced at them to see that I broke the material in half. My eyes widened in shock. “Uh, oh…” I bent it too hard. Sunset Shimmer sighed. “It’s okay, we still have more than enough.” I put the broken material aside and took more. Following Shimmer’s instructions, we started to make good progress on the project. I completely focused on my hands to avoid wasting more material. There was an occasional chatting with Trixie asking Sunset Shimmer how she was going and the pony checking on my progress. Other than that, silence. Spike fell back asleep as we worked for the next hours. When we were close to finish fixing the model, Sunset Shimmer’s phone vibrated and made a notification sound. She took her phone and read her message, only to gasp. “Twilight just returned to Canterlot City! She will be here in less than ten minutes!” “What?!” I stood up with my eyes widen as I could have them. “N-No way! We need more time! Twenty at least!” “We can’t do nothing to stall her. The project is almost done. We can tell her everything now that we’re not at risk of failing the assignment.” The equestrian girl said. “No!” I glared at Shimmer as I pointed my index finger at her. “She will want to finish it herself. I won’t be the reason she can’t rest upon returning home. We’ll work overtime and finish this before she arrives and go. I can’t let her know I broke it.” “The project Sunset and Twilight made looked different than this one. She will find out it’s not the same anyway.” Trixie spoke up. “I-I…” stepping back, I placed a hand on my forehead and turned around. “If that’s true, then our friendship is already screwed.” I felt my eyes getting wet. It’s over… it’s all over… “Not necessarily.” I followed the voice coming from below me to find Spike looking at me. He woke up with the shouting. “She might feel bad, but in the end, she will appreciate everything you did to fix the model. I’m sure she will forgive you.” I sneakily cleaned my wet eyes. “Are you sure?” Spike nodded, wagging his tail. “I’ll vouch for you.” “As will I.” I glanced at Sunset Shimmer, who stood up and smiled weakly at me. “I know you’re not interested in being friends with all of us, but your determination convinced me completely to give you a second chance. You wouldn’t care about Twilight’s grades at all if her friendship meant nothing to you.” “Sunset’s right.” Trixie stood up as well. She crossed her arms and frowned at me. “I don’t like you, but for some reason you’re nice to Twilight. You’re harmless to her, so I suppose there’s no point in interfering with that.” That… was unexpected. I never thought Sunset Shimmer, or anyone close to her other than Twilight would do this for me. But this doesn’t mean I will become their friend. “That’s… good to know.” I looked at the almost finished model. “Enough of this sentimentality. Let’s continue.” Sunset Shimmer nodded before opening her mouth again. “Before we do, can I ask you a question?” I groaned at her request. “Just one…” “The other sirens, are they nice or…” I looked into the pony’s eyes as I answered. “Adagio and Sonata are more open than me, yes. Unlike me, they would like to see you. Anyway, can we focus now?” “Yes, we’re good to go.” The equestrian girl said as we got on our knees to resume the reconstruction. On the next minute, we finished our work. “And… that’s it! We’re done!” “We did it!” Trixie cheered. Spike barked and ran in circles to celebrate while I said nothing. Instead, I stared at the project, smiling proudly. A crisis has been avoided. My expression changed to shock when we heard the front door opening, followed by footsteps and muffled voices. “Home sweet home!” That was Twilight’s father. I glanced at the girls and Spike. “Alright, since Twilight will know anyway that the model is different, I’ll go upstairs and tell her what happened.” “Okay, umm…” The equestrian girl almost took a step forward, but she hesitated. “Good luck.” “Sure.” I turned around and walked upstairs. Before opening the door, Spike called me. “Aria, wait!” I turned around to see Spike trotting up the stairs. “I’ll support you personally, uh, I mean, dogally.” I chuckled. “Thank you, Spike.” I picked him up and turned to the door, taking a deep breath before walking out. “Did you hear something?” It was Velvet’s voice. As I heard footsteps approaching, I headed towards the room they were in to show myself. The three inhabitants of the house gasped when they saw Spike and me. “A-Aria? I thought you would be gone by now.” Twilight was the one to speak this time. I couldn’t help but smile upon seeing her. “And here I thought you would be happy to see me.” I was barely able to take a step forward when my vision got blocked by a purple and pink obstruction. My friend was quick to hug me, and I’m glad she’s more open to it now. I wasted no time to hug her back with an arm while I held Spike with the other. My eyes met her parents and I noticed they were smiling proudly. Hug supporters, I presume. “I’m always happy to see you, Aria. I’m just surprised.” Twilight pulled away from the hug and sniled at me before glancing at Spike. “Hello to you too, boy.” She started to scratch behind one of his ears. “Did you have a nice weekend?” Twilight glanced at me. I tried to return the smile, but I failed to do so. Instead, I dropped my head. “Something’s wrong?” “A-Actually, yes…” I forced myself to meet her eyes. She looked worried. “Can we talk?” “Of course. Let’s go to my room.” Twilight said before turning to her parents. “Don’t worry about us, Twily. We’ll start unpacking.” Night Light smiled as he spoke. “Thanks. Leave something for me.” “Your luggage will be ready for you to organize, dear.” Velvet smiled warmly. My friend nodded at them before turning back to me. “Shall we?” “Yes.” I followed Twilight to her room. We remained completely silent until we were in her room and she closed the doors. I placed Spike on the bed before sitting, with my hands between my legs and avoiding my friend’s gaze. Twilight was the first to speak. “What happened? Did you accidentally step on Spike?” “No, I’m fine.” “S-Spike!” Twilight scolded her pet. “Everything’s fine, let me explain.” I forced myself to look at Twilight. Her eyes were widened. “Please, sit.” Twilight did as I asked. Once next to me, she stared at me intensively. Here goes nothing. “Your school project… I-I kind of broke it a little bit.” Shocked, my friend covered her mouth with a hand. “Define ‘a little bit’.” “Umm, well…” I took a deep breath before continuing. “I tripped over a cable and dropped it to the floor, smashing it with my body.” Twilight gasped. Next I knew, she raised her voice, alarmed. “Y-You mean it’s completely ruined?! Aria! I have to turn it in tomorrow!” “I know, Spike told me.” I looked at Twilight with a saddened expression. Her reaction left me speechless. Luckily, Spike spoke up. “The noise woke me up. Aria was determined to fix what she broke, so I told her to ask for Sunset’s help. They fixed it, Twilight. Aria, Sunset and Trixie worked non-stop until just now. You’ll have no problem passing the assignment!” Spike wagged his tail happily. I dared to meet Twilight in the eyes. She didn’t look happy. “Why aren’t you smiling, Twilight?” The dog worriedly said. Twilight stood up, crossed her arms and walked away from the bed, not looking at me. “I’m not sure what to feel. The project is fixed, but Sunset was supposed to spend the afternoon with Trixie. Their date was interrupted because of your accident, Aria.” She turned around. Her expression was hard to read, but it was clearly not a good one. “I’m upset because two of my friends had to cut their date short to help you, but…” Twilight placed her hand on her chest and looked away. “But I know you and my friends don’t get along. You went as far as to ask them for help despite not liking them.” “Of course I did.” I stood up and took a few steps toward my friend. “I didn’t want you to fail your homework because I was careless. Your perfect score was more important to me than my personal feelings on Sunset Shimmer and her girlfriend.” Twilight’s expression was still hard to read, so I sighed. “Listen, I’m sorry for interrupting their date, but I’m not sorry for doing everything I could to save your grades. Asking for help… is really not my thing. I promise to be more careful next time… that is, if there’s a next time…” I walked away from her, moving closer to the bed. Twilight looked at me. She was frowning sadly. “Aria… I-” Twilight gasped when the doors of her room opened sharply. I quickly glanced toward them to see Sunset Shimmer and Trixie bursting in. I growled internally. What do they want now?! “Twilight, please forgive her!” The pony spoke loudly as she rushed towards my friend. Both Twilight and I were confused. “Sunset, Trixie! What-?” Twilight was cut short by Shimmer. “We’re sorry for eavesdropping, but we’re here to vouch for Aria. She was resolute to fix the animal cell model.” Wait, they overheard?! Then they were listening when I was being soft with my words… Damn it! Is privacy impossible to find? “After what I saw today, I can see why you want her as your friend. The Aria I used to know wouldn't care about any damage she caused. But seeing how determined Aria was to fix the animal cell model, I understand now how important your friendship is for her, Twilight. Please, give Aria another chance!” “We don’t mind that our date was cut short.” Trixie was the one to speak this time. “We can schedule another date soon now that this is the last week of class before spring break. Only a good friend would help to rebuild a model from zero. Don’t unfriend her!” “I wasn’t planning to.” Twilight was finally allowed to speak. “What?!” Shimmer, Trixie, Spike and I exclaimed at a unison, surprised by my friend’s words. Twilight crossed her arms again and smiled at me. “After thinking about it, I came to the conclusion that you did more good than wrong. You did everything to fix what you accidentally broke. You were in an unfamiliar environment. I should have warned you about the cables.” “They’re big and they’re all over the floor. I should have seen them.” I was still surprised when I spoke. Twilight nodded. “That’s true, but by not telling you to watch your step, your eyes were fixed ahead instead of downwards. It could have happened to anyone.” My friend took a few steps closer to me. I remained immobile. “I know how hard it is for you to talk to my friends, which is why I didn’t tell anyone about you. I’m proud that you were willing to go as far as to ask two of my closest friends for their help, and to know that you were involved in the rebuilding of the animal cell model tells me that you’re reliable. Thank you, Aria.” “I’m… uh…” I cleared my throat before smiling at my friend. “You’re welcome, Twilight. Oof!” Once again, I was caught off guard by Twilight’s hug. I felt awkward at first, but I forced myself to forget that we had company to hug her back. It worked… until they opened their mouths. “Well, umm… we better go now.” Sunset Shimmer said as she and Trixie turned to the doors. I pulled away from the hug and looked at Twilight. She has been a great friend to me, and Shimmer and Trixie have respected our friendship so far. Maybe I should make things easier for them. I sighed before turning my glance to Twilight’s friends. “Wait, you two…” The shepherd and her sheep stopped in their tracks and looked at me in silence. I hope I’m not making a big mistake. “This goes for all of you, Spike included.” I shifted my eyes to each of them. “Twilight, I’m okay if you want to talk to your friends about me.” The eyes of everyone present widened, but only Twilight spoke. “Really? But Aria… are you sure…?” I fixed my eyes on Twilight’s. “I am. You have kept the secret well so far, and I have the feeling you didn’t enjoy it.” Twilight hesitated, but she eventually nodded. “I really want to tell them about you, Aria, but I didn’t want to lose your friendship by betraying your trust.” “And I’m thankful for it, but I’m over it now.” I smiled at my friend before getting serious. “Just a heads up, they will be shocked. All I ask is not to let them tell you why. I want to be the one telling you, when I’m ready.” “Of course.” Twilight smiled. “Thank you so much, Aria.” I returned her smile before glaring at Sunset Shimmer and Trixie. “As for you two…” I pointed at them with my index finger. “Not a word about what you overheard. This doesn’t mean that we’re friends. I just find you less annoying. Am I clear?” Both of them nodded and spoke at the same time. “We won’t say a thing. We promise.” “Good, now go!” At my command, the pony and her girlfriend walked away. After they were gone, I turned back to Twilight. “So… how was your weekend?” Twilight grinned. I could tell she was excited to tell me all about her visit to her grandparents. “It was fun. I told them about the new friends I made and they were so happy to hear it…” she continued and we sat on the bed. Spike leaned on my lap and fell asleep. I placed a hand on his head as I listened to Twilight’s recount of her trip. I’m happy to have her back and that our friendship still stands. I’m really not sure what would I have done if I had lost it.