Adagio woke up early on her day off, Sonata had been acting strange the night before and she wanted to find out some why. After getting ready to face the day she stepped out of her room to find Sonata in the kitchen making breakfast as usual. What was unusual is that she looked terrible, her nose was bright red, and she was only half dressed. “Sonata, hun, why don’t you go put on some pants. I will watch the bacon.”
“Oh, hey-ACHOO! ‘Dagi, did you sleep well?” Sonata let out a ridiculous nasally sounding attempt at speech. Adagio crossed the room swiftly placing one hand around her sister’s shoulders, and using her free hand to check for a fever. Sonata was very warm.
“You are burning up, forget pants, let's get you back in bed.” Adagio said. Sonata must have heard the worry in Adagio’s voice because she passed her spatula to her and headed for her room. Adagio quickly finished the bacon and left it out on a plate with some paper towels for later, and then got a thermometer from the bathroom before heading into Sonata’s room.
“Can you call Mr. Joe for me? Please ‘Dagi, I was supposed to work this morning.” Sonata pleaded with her. Adagio would have no problem doing that, but it would have to wait. First came getting her temperature, and seeing how bad this would be.
“Sure, honey, now here. Put this under your tongue and give it a minute,” she instructed. She was worried about her sister, back while they had their powers she didn’t need to worry about her sisters. Now that they were mortal she was almost motherly when something happened. She pondered why she took up the role while she waited for the thermometer to do its job.
Finally she removed the device from Sonata’s mouth and checked the reading, the digital face read 99.7 F in blocky print. This let Adagio know that it could be much worse, but Sonata would also need to rest and drink plenty of water today and probably tomorrow also.
After letting Sonata know as much and getting her back to sleep, Adagio went back out to finish breakfast in her place. Which meant no eggs for Aria, she always burnt those, so she made some toast and got an orange for them to split. After peeling the orange and separating the slices she went to wake Aria up. She wasn’t sure if they had the stuff to make any soup, but she wasn’t going to leave the sick girl alone if they needed anything.
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
A muffled response came from Aria’s room, “whaaaaat! I’m trying to sleep in.”
Adagio opened the door and walked into the dark room. “Aria, get up. Sonata is sick, and I need to go get the stuff to make her soup. Unless you want to go to the store instead.” She glanced back through the door and saw that the sun had risen at some point during the eventful morning.
“Alright, alright. Gimme like five minutes and I will get dressed. Use that time to make a list.” Without waiting for Aria to actually get out of bed Adagio went back to the kitchen found a pen and paper and started to look through the pantry, fridge, and freezer.
After about fifteen minutes Aria walked out in a fleece lined military jacket, jeans and boots with one of those really warm hats that cover the ears. “You got the list ready, and is there anything else you can think of that we need?” Aria asked.
“I went ahead and made a full list, here is my card. Is your phone charged?” Adagio harped. After she gave the card and list to Aria she sat on the couch and crossed her arms, as if to imply she would be waiting for Aria to return.
Aria moved over to the front door, grabbed her keys off the hook on the wall and opened the door. “I will be back in about half an hour if nothing happens, and yes, mom, my phone is charged. Jeez.” Aria shut the door behind her as she left.
After about twenty minutes Aria realized that the snow from the night before was going to cause her problems so she texted Adagio not to worry about how late she would be. As she walked she continued to wake up, apparently cold worked like coffee. Exposure equaled awareness.
She had gotten almost all the way to the store when she stopped. Sonata had come in really late, and she had told her how to find Sunset’s place yesterday. As she put the pieces together her eyes widened. “Dammit.”
Judging by how Sonata came in the previous night she probably got told off by little red. Now Aria had to go see if Sunset had been scared off.
She turned toward the other side of town and proceeded to trudge through the first snow of the year in Canterlot.
It took a bit of extra time, but Aria made it all the way to the factory. She checked her phone it was still fairly early, about nine in the morning. Hopefully little miss sunshine and rainbows slept in like a normal high school student.
Aria worked the door open against the snow and crept inside the entryway. Once inside she shut the door behind her, and proceeded down the hallway, floorboards creaking eerily. The coat rack was knocked over and the jackets that had been on it littered the floor. She proceeded further into the building, much the same way Sonata had the previous day. The dull roar of the outside world concealed any noise she would make in her exploration.
Unlike Sonata, when she happened upon the break room that served as Sunset Shimmer’s kitchen, she found the girl sipping from an old coffee cup that read #1 DAD.
Sunset had spent a large portion of her night crying and fighting off the panic of the second siren visiting her. She had rationalized that the blue girl didn’t mean to harm her, but apparently even uninvolved individuals were getting caught up in the Anon-A-Miss incident. She needed to do something about it, but the she had no clues except that Applejack was the first target, and it was a secret that Sunset had found out the previous day, and that the second incident was the pictures from her phone. She had eventually fallen into a fitful sleep, only to wake up in the early morning. She thought about why it was she couldn’t sleep in like Rainbow Dash.
The thought of her former friends sent a wave of sadness through her, and sitting up in bed sent a chill down her spine. The mattress springs moaned as she made her way out of bed.
“Ah!” she yelped as her feet touched the frozen concrete that was her floor.
She proceeded to get ready for the day, making sure to dress warmly. She had checked outside through a window on her way to the shower, only to confirm her suspicions, it had snowed. The factory didn’t have an active heating system in it, and as such the temperature difference with the outside world was minimal.
Sunset wasn’t comfortable in the cold, so the weather brought her mood down even more.
After doing some chores, mostly cleaning and organizing, Sunset set off down the hall to her kitchenette to make coffee. She was still tired and had a feeling it was going to be a long day, so she would need her miracle elixir. She set the machine to brew a full extra strong pot. She turned and took a deep breath , leaning back on the counter surface as she thought about the last few days. The siren incident, Anon-A-Miss, and even the weather seemed to be out to challenge her. The coffee machine behind her let out a wheeze as it started to fill the glass pot. Sunset took a minute to reflect, specifically on the events of the night before.
The smell of dust filled Sunset’s nostrils as the image of an angry Sonata formed, the siren had shown up to berate her for being Anon-A-Miss. The mental picture grew confused as Sunset ran through the conversation. The factory creaked around her, causing her to open her eyes. A final moan from the coffee machine let her know that the first pot of the day was ready. She retrieved a cream colored mug from a drying rack beside the sink. She put a spoonful of sugar followed by two of powdered cream in the cup before pouring the magical molten miracle juice in the cup. Steam rose as the spoon clinked against the inside of the ceramic mug. Outside there was some large vehicles clearing the road creating quite the ruckus in the small kitchenette, the noise pollution echoed around the small room, making some of her dishes and silverware rattle in their respective drawers or cabinets.
After the drink was properly mixed and had cooled enough for Sunset to drink she closed her eyes, tilted her head back, and took a long pull of the hot brown morning potion. As her head leveled back out and her arm came back to resting position she opened her eyes. There in the center of her vision the door to the kitchenette stood open and in the doorway her fear materialized again. Aria stood, one hand on the door handle, her intense glare focused right on Sunset.
Sunset set her mug down on the counter, other than that nothing seemed to happen. The air was frozen, similar to the window sills. Sound vanished, the factory’s old structure seemed to stop creaking to as if to pay full attention to this exact moment.
Aria blinked.
Sunset blinked, all her internal alarms long shorted out from the last few days.
Aria took a step into the room, closing the door behind her.
Sunset slid over to a chair beside the large cable spool she used as a table, never taking her eyes off of Aria as she sat down.
Aria kept her gaze on Sunset as she crossed her arms. Something seemed off about the girl. Aria knew that Sunset had apparently had it tough from the Rainbooms, if the encounter at Joe’s was anything to go by. Presumably the Anon-A-Miss thing had been going on for about a week, and Aria had burst up in here a couple days ago. She paused to wonder what all the teen had endured. Aria didn’t normally do the whole empathy thing, but the first few days after the Battle of three Bands jumped to the forefront of her mind.
Sunset for her part thought she was holding up an excellent poker face. During the previous nights the only places she could think to run away to weren't exactly ideal. Her options of a new abode were limited to the school library which she had stayed in for a while when she first arrived in this world, and a construction project at Sweet Apple Acres. She decided that was a bad idea with all of the Anon-A-Miss heat she was getting. She didn’t need anymore time at school or near the girls.
Tch. Aria didn’t like what she figured was going on here, obviously someone was going out of their way to ruin Sunset’s life. A series of fights, arguments, and other conflicts briefly passed through Aria’s mind. She couldn’t let someone suffer like that, not after everything she knew she had been responsible for.
Aria took a few steps over to an empty chair, unfolded her arms, and gestured with an open hand at the empty seat. Sunset’s mask broke, confusion overtaking her features. “I am asking if I can sit down, c’mon smart one, keep up.”
Sunset slowly nodded. The chair drug on the floor slightly, making a loud scraping noise, which brought back all other sound. The loud trucks out on the street, now around the block, the old building creaking and groaning with age, a drip in the sink from a faucet that could never be fixed.
“Look Red, I’m sorry I let the dunce know where you were at. I didn’t think much of it after I mouthed off to the marshmallow, the scaredy cat, and the obnoxious one. Anyway, I know a little bit of what is going on now. I assume no one besides me and Sonata know you live here?” she would cover Adagio eventually, but first she had to calm the former Rainboom.
“Y-yeah, nobody else knows.” Sunset’s chair kept clicking as the uneven legs shifted on the ground. Though she spoke she was still unsure of what was going on, which reflected in her inability to sit still.
“Okay, so I told Adagio roughly where you live and the situation, but she didn't seem too eager to get involved directly. That is beside the point, from what I got from the Rainjerks, they think you are Anon-A-Miss.” Sunset raised a hand as if to interject. “You don’t have to deny it, just listen. I looked at the page again on my way here, it’s legit hell to travel in all this snow by the way. Anyway, definitely a frame job, and a pretty shitty one at that. I don’t remember all of CHS being that stupid.”
Sunset sat a moment, pure shock on her face. Aria’s fingers drummed on the table in rapid succession over and over again while she waited for the teen to absorb everything. As Sunset processed everything Aria had said, one thought kept repeating in her mind over and over again, someone actually believed her. That echoed in her head several times before she muttered a single sentence. “Did you just call my friends ‘Rainjerks’?” her fingers forming quotes in the air to emphasize the last word.
“Ha! One of your former nemesi comes out and says they have your back, and all you can focus on is a really shitty insult?” Aria grinned, she had learned a long time ago about the joys of spontaneity, but this was well beyond what she expected out of the day. “Look, we disproved that idiots never get sick, and as much as I torment Sonata, I need to get back to check on her. Also, I work this afternoon so if you want to swing by Joe’s place I will treat you, and we can figure out what you need to do.” She got up out of the chair and patted Sunset on the back, “you know where Joe’s is right?”
Sunset nodded slowly, mouth agape.
Aria stood, her chair grinding on the tile. She placed her hand on Sunset’s shoulder, “hey.” Sunset closed her mouth and met Aria’s gaze. “I originally came over here to make sure the dunce didn’t scare you off, but what you are going through...” Aria frowned and looked away.
The moment passed and Aria turned to leave, footsteps echoing through empty halls.
Sonata awoke to her door being kicked open.
In the doorway Aria glared at her, holding a tray with a bowl and glass on it. “Listen up!” she yelled over at the sick girl. “I am bringing you food this once, don’t go getting sick again just to have me take care of you. This is a one time thing.” Sonata weakly smiled at her sister, and shoved her stuffed animals, and plush cartoon characters aside to make room for the tray.
The warm fragrance of chicken noodle soup filled the room as Aria made her way to the bed. “You said that last time too,” Sonata commented as the tray was gently placed across her lap. “Thank you,” she said in a nasally voice.
“You won’t be thanking me here in a minute. First, you went to Shimmer’s place last night.” That definitely was not a question. “Second, you owe her an apology when you get better.” Sonata looked up at her sister in confusion. “Third, you have to take some medicine.” Aria held out two capsules and a glass of orange juice to her sister.
Sonata, paused. She finally took the capsules and chased them with the orange juice. “You want me to apologize to the girl who took away our magic?” Sonata could not believe what she was hearing from Aria, after so long of being mean she was the one to ask Sonata to be nice. “I thought you would be mad because I ruined you and Adagio’s revenge plan thingy.”
“Nah, I paid her a visit, and after the Rainbitches made it clear they weren’t in her corner yesterday, I figured she needed someone on her side. Now, you get some rest and get better. I don’t want to have to change our whole schedule for the week because you stayed sick.” Aria patted her sister head and left closing the door behind her. Sonata ate in silence at first, but after a few moments the gentle bass from Aria’s music lulled through the walls. Sonata smiled, she was happy for her sister, she hoped Aria and SunShimmy could be friends. She slurped the rest of her soup, and curled back up. Falling asleep surrounded by plushies, and listening to the muted tunes from Aria’s room.
Adagio had definitely had better mornings. Without Sonata at the shop, and Aria not showing up until much later, the workflow was rather strenuous on the lone girl. Joe said he would help when he could, but due to the high volume of business that day he remained in back preparing ever more product as the day went on.
It was quickly approaching the end of normal lunch rush, with Adagio efficiently cashing out orders and customers flowing in and out of the small shop. The clamor was just above a dull roar, making it difficult to communicate with some of the quieter or shyer patrons. Every now and then someone would drag a chair, causing a great scraping noise to silence the room for a split second. Adagio was having trouble hearing a regular, her Prench accent and ladylike demeanor kept her from speaking too loudly. The girl wore a uniform from Canterlot University’s affiliate private school, Crystal Preparatory Academy. The dark colors of the uniform fit the girls attitude, but not her bright pink hair or ivory skin.
After the regular customer was dealt with Adagio sighed. She was worried about Sonata, and concerned that Aria would not take proper care of her. The stomp of boots told Adagio that someone was walking up to the counter, so she smiled as she looked up to the would be customer. “Welcome to Joe’s, best donuts in Canterlot City! What can we get for you today?”
Adagio’s smile dulled a little at seeing Aria before her. “Yeah, yeah. I am not here to order, just wanted to let you know Sonata had some soup and juice and went back to sleep. Checked on her right before heading down. I am gonna ask Joe if I can clock in early so you can go back and dote on the dunce,” Aria explained with a grin as she turned to circle to the business side of the counter. “Be right back.”
Adagio continued her vigil, though she was slightly annoyed by the fact that her sister had only come in now that business had slowed down. The dull roar had lightened significantly, and the clatter of bodies in the shop was noticeably lessened. Adagio made a pass around the dining room cleaning tables, throwing away trash, and asking the remaining clientele if they needed anything. She came back out and topped of some coffee cups, glad that no one really wanted anything else. Finally she resumed station at the counter, the bright displays in the counter calling to her. All of the work that day had left her quite famished.
Aria came out of the back of the store, now dressed in her uniform. “Joe says that you can go, but he said to go see him before you head out.”
“Thank you, Aria.” Adagio was glad that she would be able to go check on Sonata. With business slowed down she took a moment to grab a croissant, from a discount basket, and sneak into the back.
As she passed the curtain of beads separating the kitchen from the lobby she could hear Joe bouncing back and forth between projects, the rhythmic tapping of his old shoes squeaking with every step on the tile. “Joe!” she called out before taking a big bite out of her snack.
For his part Joe was working much slower than during the long and arduous lunch rush, he paused in his dance around the kitchen. “What’cha need, more eclairs?” he asked. The sound of an oven roared filling the room and almost drowning out the conversation.
Adagio smiled, “nah, we have enough of everything for now with what you have coming up currently.” She admired his work ethic, Joe didn’t slow down and it reflected in his business. “Aria said you wanted to talk to me and I saw an opportunity to slip back really quick.” She placed her free hand on her hip, and took a bite of the croissant in her other hand.
Joe’s eyes lit up as he clapped his hands together. “Right! I told Aria to send you back because we finished all the paperwork for your promotion. You are officially a manager, with that comes a significant raise. Your promotion lined up with your first regular raise so all three of you are getting raises, but yours is the biggest since you got promoted too.” He beamed at his young protege, his smile as bright as the morning sun.
Adagio was speechless, she wasn’t aware of a ‘regular’ raise, but she definitely was not going to complain about it. Her face was frozen from the sheer shock of the news, croissant paused midway to her next bite. The beads behind her rattled, “Yo, Joe!” Aria called, “slow down on production a bit. We are caught up.” Aria noticed her sister and her surprised state. “You finally told her? Man I have been sitting on that one for days.”
That stirred Adagio out of her surprise, “you knew?” was all she managed.
“Oh yeah, Joe had to push all the paperwork and I caught him last time I worked. I noticed mine and Sonata’s raises on paper right behind yours.” Aria patted Adagio on the back with a genuine smile. “Also, Joe, let Dagi get something to eat and send her on. I figure she held it down all morning, so she deserves a rest.” Adagio flinched at the end of that statement, but quickly started to nibble on her croissant.
Joe nodded, and turned to continue his task. “I figure I can finish this batch and I can help out there, so there isn’t any problem if you want to go home to take care of Sonata. Tell her I said get well soon.” Joe waved over his shoulder gesturing that he was done with the conversation.
Sonata awoke to an empty apartment, something was wrong. It wasn’t anything major just something a tiny bit off, she went to take a deep breath. There it was! As the haze lifted from her thoughts a sudden clarity took over and, it happened.
“ACHOO!”
Bedding flew in every direction from the violent motions her sneeze generated. Her nose cleared and her ears rang, and with her newfound clarity came a certain realization. “I. Am. starving.”
She took in the room around her, open door, really bright light reflecting in from outside, and she could feel warm air from the heater. Her morning and her illness came rushing back. As she remembered that she was sick and that her sisters had taken care of her. “That’s just silly why would I be si-,” the image of a very sad girl flashed briefly in her mind.
Suddenly Sonata heard the door to their apartment open then close. “I swear if Aria doesn’t start to lock this damn door,” came Adagio’s voice in one of her old harmless threats.
“Dagi!” Sonata exclaimed as she dove out of bed to run to her sister. The bedding again flying everywhere disturbed by her sudden motion. The sheets however had gotten tangled with her feet and when she went to land she instead twisted and fell face first right into an over-sized plush of a cartoon character, Cannonball, that normally served as a beanbag chair.
“And the sickly spaz decendeth,” Adagio chuckled from where she had leaned up against the door frame. One of those typical anime poses, with her hand held over her head and forearm actually propped on said frame.
“Eh, what’s up, Dag?” Sonata grinned up at her sister from her ridiculous resting place. After she untangled her feet Sonata got up and made her way out of her room. Looking over at the sliding glass door she noticed the snow, and by association the blinding glare from the sun reflecting off said snow. “Aren’t you home early?” she asked, slightly baffled. Not that her confusion was anything new.
Adagio turned on her heel, facing away from the living catastrophe that was her younger sister. “Joe let me come back early for covering your shift, he also told me to tell you to get better,” she proceeded to walk away as the words left her lips.
“Awww, you and Aria took care of me, and
Mr. Joe was worried.” Sonata looked down at the floor, suddenly very interested in her carpet. Then as suddenly as she became downtrodden she gasped! “Dagi! Will you come with me to thank Ari and to apologize to Mr. Joe for missing work.” She also had another idea, but Dagi wasn’t privy to that idea.