//------------------------------//
// Chapter 6 
// Story: The Brony and the Baddy? 
// by Blazidude30 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 6


"So, why are you blue?" Robbie asked inquisitively.

Sonata looked at him, then at Brad; trying to get a hint off of him.

'Come on,' she thought, 'Should I tell them?'

Brad looked back at her, realizing what she meant.

"Up to you at this point," Brad said.

"It's only fair," Sonata said.

"What is?" Josh asked.

Brad and Sonata walked back into the living room and sat down; Josh and Robbie followed suit.

"Well..." Brad began, "It's like this. What we tell you, you cannot tell anyone else."

"Not even our parents?" Robbie asked.

"Not even our parents," Brad told him, "You won't tell?"

"Fine, we won't tell," Josh said annoyed, "Stop delaying it, what's the matter?"

"The thing is," Sonata started, "I'm...not...from...this world."

Josh and Robbie looked at her blankly.

"What," Josh said flatly, "Do. You. Mean. Not from this world? Are you having a laugh?"

"No," Brad replied, "We're not. Sonata ended up here by accident. She came through the mirror, and it smashed after she appeared. Sonata has no way home, that's why I wanted her to live here."

"So, where are you from then?" Robbie asked, "I'm not convinced. Could just be body paint."

"I'm..." Sonata began, "originally from Equestria, but I came from Canterlot High."

" 'Equestria'?" Josh asked, "Wait a minute, isn't that..."

"From that 'My Little Pony'!" Robbie realized, "You're from there?!"

"Yeah," Sonata replied, "I take it you've heard of it then?"

"Oh yeah," Josh answered, "None-stop from Brad. Won't shut up about it."

"Hey!" Brad countered, "I do stop talking about it. Sometimes."

Sonata giggled to herself. "It's alright, you know. I don't mind it." She smiled at Brad.

"Anyway," Brad said trying to get onto a new topic, "You going to keep quiet about it? God knows what'll happen to her if, like, the government found out or something."

"Yeah," Sonata agreed, "Adagio always said that if they found out about us, we'd be goners."

"It's true," Brad confirmed.

"Sure, we'll keep quiet about it," Robbie assured, "We don't wanna lose you to some guys that just wanna prod you for info, right Josh?"

"Yeah, we'll keep quiet," Josh agreed, "No problem. Just one thing you gotta do though, Brad."

'Oh, God. Here we go,' Brad thought. "What is it?"

"You're cleaning up the mess in here," Josh answered without missing a beat.

"Fine," Brad whined. 'It could have been a lot worse.'

"And you're cooking dinner," Robbie chimed in.

"And you're doing all the washing up."

"And you're still sorting our dirty clothes."

"And you have to hoover up the whole house."

"And you have to clean the toilet and bathroom."

"And you have to figure out where Sonata is sleeping." They finished together.

'Shouldn't have even thought about.' Brad thought. "Fine. Jeez, is there any need for all that?"

"Nah, where's just messin'," Robbie laughed, "But seriously, where are you going to sleep, Sonata? We don't have a spare bed."

"I don't mind sleeping on the sofa," Sonata replied, "If that's OK."

"I'd prefer it if you slept somewhere else," Brad admitted, "But we really don't have much of a choice. You sure you're OK with the sofa?"

"Don't worry about it," Sonata smiled, "I'll be fine. I didn't, you know, say I was coming. I'm happy enough you're offering me a home."

"Not everyone is like that in this world," Brad said honestly, "But I think you lucked out."

"You think?" Sonata asked happily.

"Yeah," Brad answered, "And I think we did too."

Brad looked at his step-brothers and smiled. The two looked and smiled back. The four of them embraced the silence together.

'It's been so long,' Brad thought to himself, 'We haven't been able to sit in peace like this for years. Not since mum and Chris left. Even then it wasn't peace; it was being stared down on and expected to be quiet. Now that I think about it, what are they gonna say?'

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of grumbling of stomachs.

"Heh," Robbie started, "Guess that football kinda left us a bit hungry. Shall we get started on dinner?"

"Sure," Brad said, "and I'll cook. Think it's only fair."

"You sure, Brad?" Josh asked, "I can cook if you want."

"Nah, you're good," Brad shook off, "Get off upstairs for a bit; maybe doing some tidying up?"

"Fine," Robbie whined, "But expecting something nice for this!"

The two of them went off to start their chores, while Brad and Sonata remained sat in the room.

"I really can't thank you enough for today," Brad began, "We haven't got along like that in months. We're just so different, you see. They like sports so much more, but I just can't get my head around it all. I've really just liked being inside too much, I guess."

"Hey," Sonata interrupted, "It's not a problem. I'm just glad I can help. We'll get through this."

"I do not understand how," Brad mumbled.

"How what?" Sonata asked, confused.

"How you managed to go from so distraught to...happy, helpful and cheery," Brad said confused also, "I mean, I've heard of mood swings, but never this much."

"To be fair," Sonata started, "I know why. It's because of watching that film."

"Huh?" Brad responded.

"It's true," Sonata continued, "All my tears that I'd held up over the years, I finally had something to let them out on. Something that I saw that truly made me realize what I did." She began to tear up. "But now, I know. I know what I did wrong; I did back in Canterlot High. But I haven't ever been able to say it anyone at all. Thank you, Brad."

Brad opened his arms once more, and Sonata embraced the opportunity; hugging tightly.

"It's OK," Brad said softly, "Remember that who you was, and not what you are now. And I will always be here to help you."

"Thanks," Sonata quietly mumbled into Brads' shoulder.

Once Sonata sat up, she looked at Brad once more.

'I've never done anything like this before,' she thought, 'but he hasn't either. It's just the start of our journey.'

'A journey that I hope doesn't end soon.'