After a more detailed recap of the events, courtesy of Sunset, Adagio finally had things understood. Sunset also mentioned the gift they had given him a while ago.
“...That was nice of you.” Adagio looked in Aria’s direction and nudged her playfully with her elbow, “And here I thought you hated everyone equally.”
“Ugh,” the purple siren rolled her eyes, “Just shut up about it already.”
“...And Goetia’s trying to frame him as a creep? Sick witch…” Adagio balled her fist, “How utterly trashy. The one Equestrian that has tried to make this world better has been treated with scorn. By someone of the same world no less.”
With a new perspective on the situation, Sunset took a moment to think about it as she sat back in the chair. “...Yeah. It’s...that’s kinda depressing when you think about it like that. I don’t even have his class but from what I heard, he risked his neck right alongside our friends just to save you.”
“Shit hurts, doesn’t it?” Aria snarled, “Completely unfair. Now he’s being forced to make his classes boring as hell because of those accusations.”
“On top of being alone for the holidays,” Sonata added, “Poor guy must feel like the whole world is against him right about now…”
Adagio leaned forward with her fingers interlocked. “Well I’m not gonna stand for it. He’s an Equestrian just like us. He doesn’t deserve to be treated that way. It’s like...you wouldn’t let one of your family members get treated this way, would you, Shim?”
“Wha? Of course not,” Sunset answered, “It’s just so...ridiculous. He was banished here by Starswirl just for his appearance and now, Goetia’s already pretty much done the same thing by turning the parents of the students in his class against him. Simply for being a somewhat zany teacher that loves his job and wants everyone to have fun with math.”
Aria grumbled. “Gah. Double-standards are so stupid. No one’s ever said anything about the principals hanging out with you guys. But I guess nobody notices since they’re ladies.”
“Or Cranky Doodle,” Sonata threw in another point, “But nobody cares since he’s kinda on the old side--in terms of human years anyway.”
Adagio looked at Sunset again. “You were a student back in Equestria. Did you ever notice anything like this happen?”
“Not at all,” Sunset shook her head, “But I think I know the root of the problem. See, things are a bit...different in the human world. And when it comes to crimes committed by teachers in the past, more often than not, it tends to be the guy ones that abuse their power and say creepy things to female students…”
The sirens stared blankly at Sunset, then squinted their eyes in confusion.
“That...makes no damn sense,” Aria commented, “Aidon hasn’t done anything like that--right, A-dawg?”
“I have to agree, honestly,” Adagio said as she rubbed the side of her head, “He’s a bit eccentric--but in the ‘interesting’ sort of way. Not the ‘creepy’ way. So we need to figure out how we’ll clear his name when we get back to school....”
It would be a difficult task. One that Sunset was not prepared to tackle at the moment. Especially after all the cooking she had gotten through with. “You’re right. For now, though--you all deserve to be happy and I’m glad I was able to help you guys get settled in for Thanksgiving. If you need anything, I’m just a phone call away.”
“Thanks, Sunset,” Aria looked up at her with a smile, “You helped make this a whole lot easier for us.”
“Totes!” Sonata chirped, “Thanks again!”
Adagio would give her a more earnest reply. “...No matter what happens. You’re part of our family now. As fellow Equestrians, we need to do all we can to keep each other safe. That includes you and our shadowpony-professor.”
Sunset thought about it for a moment. “...They consider me family, huh?” It was most certainly a new sensation. She had her family back in Equestria--mainly Princess Celestia and Starlight Glimmer, a family that she made here with her new friends, and now? Family members from Equestria that lived here.
Such a thing mentally tickled the orange girl. “If that’s the case, my family is pretty huge and crazy at this point. Wouldn’t have it any other way.” And you know what? She was perfectly fine with the idea. “You think so?”
“Mm-hmm!” Sonata sprang out of her seat and jumped over to Sunset to throw her arms around her for a tight hug. “Equestrians take care of each other. And that makes you our family too--even if we aren’t related. Right, guys?”
“Uh…” Aria hesitated, but her older sister was more than willing to join in.
“Absolutely,” Adagio replied as she walked over and put her arms around Sunset also. “If we want to keep each other--and the rest of these squishy humans--safe, then we need to stick together.” She shot a smug smile towards Aria and said, “Isn’t that right, sis?”
“Hmmmmph…” the purple siren grumbled as she got up from her seat on the couch and reluctantly approached Sunset to join in the hug. “Yeah, yeah. I’m willing to help too. But don’t push it.”
Sunset did her best to wrap her arms around them. “...It’s nice to have friends who understand your issues as a fellow Equestrian. So thank you guys. You’re great…”
After holding the embrace for a moment, they eventually let Sunset go.
“Well, I better get going,” she said as she approached the door, “Hope you girls have a good one. We’re here for you no matter what.”
“The sentiment is mutual,” Adagio replied as she opened the door for Sunset, “If anything is ever troubling you, we’re here for you also. Right, girls?”
“Mm-hm! Totes!” Sonata squealed.
“Yeah, you bet,” Aria added swiftly, “Now go on before it gets any more awkwardly mushy in here."
Sunset giggled as she walked out of the door and down the path towards the sidewalk. “See you guys back at school on Monday!”
As she left, Adagio shut the door and looked over at the hot food that was made. “Alright...now who made which dishes?”
The Sirens would spend the rest of the evening tasting and almost gorging themselves on the turkey, ham, and mac and cheese while laughing and enjoying each other’s company. For the first time in a long time, they were finally able to relax and express how thankful they were for not only the world that they had come into, but for each other as well.
This would continue into the next day on Thanksgiving Day. Everything had finally fallen into place for them…
“I’m thankful for all this amazing food and having you guys with me,” Sonata said.
Adagio was next. “I’m...thankful to have you both. You’re amazing. And this world--despite its humps--is very nice and I’m glad we’re able to live comfortably.”
Lastly, Aria. “...I’m grateful that I’m not alone. And that you two both care for me as much as I care about you. It’d...be a pain trying to navigate this world by myself. I don’t even care about Equestria anymore. So long as I have you both...that’s all that matters.”
“Good. But...part of me still feels a bit...guilty, per se,” Adagio explained, “Do you think the professor is having a good Thanksgiving?”
Aria thought back to the day before and what Derpy did for the man. “...You know what? I don’t think we’ll have to worry. He won’t be alone for the holidays.”