Sunset Shimmer took a sip of her drink from her favorite cafe. True, Sugarcube Corner could make a mean sweet treat, but it was on the opposite side of town and they just couldn't compete with the other shop's recipe, whatever it was. She took another sip of her drink as a crisp autumn wind blew, sending her red and yellow hair streaming behind her as she made her way home. It had, so far, been one of her better days since, not only becoming human, but also her reforming experience with the Elements of Harmony. Before that, a day like today would have been spent planning someone's humiliation on Monday for week-long enjoyment or how to ruin another's weekend. Such thoughts were, thankfully, gone now, replaced by other, happier ones.
She supposed she had Princess Twilight Sparkle, her pet/lackey of a dog/dragon, and that hulking guard of hers to thank for that, though she'd never admit that to anyone. She had been Queen Bee of Canterlot High for nearly two and a half years, then they had chased her back through the portal between this world and Equestria and her reign had ended in less than a week. The princess and her lackeys... her friends, had turned the whole school against her and she could have lorded it over Sunset. Instead, she had decided to give Sunset a second chance and asked that she try and be friends with the five girls at the school that were actually this world's versions of the other Elements of Harmony Bearers. At the time Sunset had just been blasted by the Elements and been made to experience every horrible thing she'd ever done to someone, be it human or pony. What made it more than just a replay was that she experienced the deeds all over again from her victim's point of view. She had actually felt how her actions had affected them. Knowing that, it was hardly surprising that she'd been balling her eyes out at the bottom of the crater the blast had left her in.
Twilight and the other two, as well as one of the girls she had bullied the most, had returned to Equestria that night, leaving her to the tender mercies of her peers and the principles. Principle Celestia and Vice Principle Luna were surprisingly forgiving towards her, although that could have only been because Princess Twilight had fixed the front of the school Sunset had destroyed before she left. In fact, she was sure that was the only reason Luna had not called the police as soon as she was in reach of a phone. The other students, naturally, either avoided her like the plague or gave her the cold shoulder come the following Monday morning. To her surprise, the girls Princess Twilight had asked her to become friends with stood by her. Well, Pinkie, Rarity, and Fluttershy had. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were a little less forgiving and less inclined to try and befriend the "Queen Bitch" of CHS, which her fellow students had begun referring to her as.
Then it had turned out that there actually was supposed to be a student named Midnight Storm transferring in and that had set off a whole new round of headaches. Long story short, the human Midnight and Sunset had grown close enough to call each other friends after actually getting to know one another over a shared history class and report, a shared math class, and several tutoring lessons each gave the other (Midnight was terrible at math and Sunset found the almost constant wars almost impossible to follow). Of course, they also bonded over other things, like some video games, some martial arts that they both practiced, and even a bit of shopping.
They’d become so close, in fact, that after the whole ordeal with the sirens and Midnight learning that magic was indeed a real thing and who, or more correctly what, Sunset was, Midnight had actually asked her out on a date on Halloween. That had been a surprise, but not an unwelcomed one. Sunset had only dated Flash Sentry to improve her social standing and she'd been too busy plotting take over and revenge to give real dating a try, something she now regretted.
Midnight was a great girlfriend, if a little over-protective at times (she'd nearly beat the snot out of one guy who'd stuck gum in Sunset's hair), and she always thought of nice places to go on dates. This week they were going out to a movie and dinner at a diner Sunset liked and next week they were going to an arcade and Asian Fusion place Midnight had been raving about ever since she'd gone with her family. Not that they needed to go out; Summer, Midnight’s mom, made the most wonderful food in the world, despite what Midnight complained about sometimes.
"Hey! Get back here!" a gruff voice shouted from across the street. Sunset turned just in time to see a young girl running down the block away from a hotdog vendor, who was huffing to try and keep up with her. "Come back here and pay for those!" he screamed.
Under any other circumstance Sunset would have just felt sorry for the vendor and continued on her way. The man was more than likely going to call the cops anyway and even though she was a thief, running up and just grabbing a kid was bound to be more trouble than Sunset was in the mood to be in. But just as she was going to turn away she took another quick look at the child and froze. From her hair and skin color down to the over-sized clothes she were wearing, she looked exactly like one of the three sirens she and the Rainbooms had defeated during the battle of the bands, Sonata Dusk if she remembered correctly. Sunset watched in stunned disbelief as the Sonata-look-alike rounded a corner and disappeared from view. On a split-second impulse, she dumped her drink in a nearby trash can and began to chase after her as well.
"Hey!" the vendor called out after her as she passed his wheezing form, "I'll just call the cops on her!"
Sunset ignored him as she continued after the siren. She was heading right into the industrial sector, right into the very area that she lived in. She was surprised how fast the girl was, considering she looked barely seven years old, yet Sunset was only just able to keep pace and keep her in sight. When she turned a corner and was lost from sight for a few seconds, Sunset thought she might have finally been given the slip. Luckily the corner turned into a street-wide gated entrance to one of the abandoned factories. Sonata, if it was indeed her, was barely halfway up the outside of the fence when her foot got caught in her oversized pants and failed to stick into one of the fence's gaps. Sunset watched with a grimace as Sonata panicked, lost her grip, and fell back down onto the pavement, her ill-gotten gains spilling all over the roadway. Hurrying over, Sunset helped the girl up but made sure to keep a firm grip on her arm. The girl she assumed was Sonata looked up at her, her eyes shrinking to pin-pricks, then began pulling against her in an attempt to escape. When it quickly became obvious that she wasn't going to force herself out of Sunset's grasp nor slip away by giving up her baggy clothes, she began to punch the older girl with her free arm as well as kick at her.
"Hey- ow, stop it!" Sunset yelled as one of Sonata's kicks connected with her shin. With an effort, Sunset ignored the throbbing pain in her lower leg, got hold of Sonata's other arm with her own free one, and held the girl away at arm's length. The younger girl continued to kick at her, but by the time her feet would connect with Sunset's arms they had lost all momentum, making the effort an exercise in futility. Once she realized this, Sonata simply broke down and began balling at the top of her lungs.
Or, it looked like she was, but no sound came out of her mouth. The tears certainly were present, and her mouth was opened wide like any wailing child’s, but absolutely no noise was being made. That in itself nearly made Sunset let go of her out of surprise. "Look, I'm not trying to hurt you! You just startled me and I just want to ask a few questions!" Sunset tried, trying to ignore how weird and eerie the silent screaming was. Sonata ignored her and continued to cry. While she tried to figure out another way to try and get the supposed siren to stop, a blast of cold wind blew over them, strengthened by the wind-tunnel effect from the factory entrance-way.
This caused Sonata's mute crying to come to an abrupt halt as the small girl began to shiver in Sunset's grip. It was then that the older girl became aware just how thin the younger one was. Not drastically thin like those children in those late-night donation commercials, but thinner than a properly taken care of child should be. Her choice of attire wasn't a help either when it came to the cold. They were so loose on her small frame that the wind just blew through them, fluttering them out along with her now loose hair. She must have lost her headband somewhere after leaving the other two. Sunset's heart tightened when she saw this. Even if this was one of her former enemies, she was still just a child and didn't deserve to be in such a state.
"It's pretty cold out here," Sunset said conversationally, ignoring how stupid the statement sounded, "and you look like you're hungry." They both looked down at the now ruined franks. "I don't live too far away from here; you can come home with me and have something warm to eat, " Sunset offered, not knowing how else to try and get the supposed siren to come with her.
Sonata eyed her as suspiciously as she could while still shivering from the cold. She fidgeted slightly in Sunset's grasp, looking down at the hands holding her arms tight.
"I'm not going to hurt you," Sunset said, suspecting that was what she was implying. "I just didn't want you to hurt me." As a sign of good faith she eased her grip on the girl's arms and, thankfully, she didn't try to get away again.
Sonata looked back up at her, a faint glimmer of hope in her wet eyes that seemed to ask "you promise?"
Sunset smiled at her. "I promise I'm not trying to be hurtful in anyway. Cross my hear and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," she recited, letting go with one arm to make the motions the Pinkie had taught them. To her relief Sonata actually laughed. It was a strangely muted like her crying and was just as creepy. "And I can't break that promise unless I want something really bad to happen to me," Sunset told her. Somehow she had the feeling that if she did break it, Pinkie would know about it and there'd be Tartarus, Hell, to pay.
"Come on, it's too cold to talk out here." Sunset gently pulled her away from the fence and, in a moment of sympathy, scooped the girl up into her arms in an attempt to help shield her from the cold wind. Sonata stiffened at the sudden intimate gesture, but just as quickly relaxed as she began to feel somewhat warmer. "See, nothing to worry about," Sunset said. Then she caught a whiff of something. "I think a bath would be a good idea too."
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"Come on, pick up!" Sunset growled as the phone continued to ring on the other end.
As she paced her kitchen she looked up briefly at Sonata, who was sitting at her table and greedily, if cautiously, digging into a recently heated hot-pocket. She was wrapped in one of Sunset's spare blankets for warmth, which she knew she was going to have to wash along with Sonata's clothes and the girl herself. Coming in out of the cold she hadn't the heart to stick her into a shower that ran only freezing cold water.
There was a click. "Sunset?" Midnight asked, sounding a little far from the phone.
"Hey, are you busy right now?"
"Just taking Autumn to Taco Bell."
"Taco Bell! Taco Bell!" Autumn chanted from even farther away and Sunset realized they must be in her car.
"Must be great to have a car synced to your phone," Sunset said.
"Keeps the cops off me anyway. What's up?"
"Well..." she looked back over at Sonata (it was just easier to call her that for now), "you remember those sirens we faced a few months back?"
There was a slight pause on the other end. "You mean the three magical creatures that were taking over with music and we needed Twilight Sparkle and the other me to help fight them?"
"Yeah, that's them. The thing is-"
"They're in your factory, aren't they?" Midnight asked in a flat tone.
Sunset's jaw dropped. "How did-"
"You said it the same way someone says "honey, you know how we agreed to never have kids?""
"Ah."
"Ah."
"Well, you're only partially right. I've got one of them in my kitchen with me right now," Sunset told her, turning to look at Sonata again.
"Doing what?" Midnight asked her, worry starting to leak into her voice.
"She's just eating. Look, I know how this sounds, but please just start calling up the others and ask them all to come my place so I can explain things."
There was another pause on Midnight's end. "You want me to give out your address?"
Sunset sighed. "Yeah, I guess it's time. Just tell them it has something to do with the sirens and that they need to get over here quick. And you too, please." Midnight was one of only two people, Flash Sentry being the other, who knew where Sunset really lived; an abandoned factory just into the industrial part of the city. Sunset had always been amused that her classmates thought she owned her own apartment or that her parents were rich and just didn't have time to invest in their daughter's life, hence why they've never been seen. The only money she had ever had was the lunch money she bullied younger students for, which could never pay for an apartment, and her parents weren't around because they were in a different world, probably in their golden years by now. She had been able to make a few bucks off some videos she made, as well as making some videos on commission, but nowhere near enough to afford an actual home.
Midnight had found out after offering to drive her home after school when Sunset missed her bus. It had been rather embarrassing for Sunset to show her new friend where she really lived after trying so hard to keep it a secret. After promising to not reveal where she lived to anybody, Sunset had allowed Midnight to come in with her to see the place, which was really just a foreman's office converted into a bedroom, a lunch room for a kitchen, and a small employee restroom as a bathroom (there was a small shower in it that only ran cold water and was meant for medical emergencies).
"I don't know," Midnight said slowly. "I'm watching Autumn tonight and the only reason we're in the car is because my mom left meatloaf for dinner." There was the sound of a raspberry being blown in the back seat. "And they nearly got her and mom at the concert," Midnight continued, "I don't like the idea of getting all chummy with one of them."
"Nothing's going to happen, I promise," Sunset assured her. "Sonata doesn't seem... herself right now. I think she'd cower to a barking puppy right now."
There was a loud sigh. "Alright, alright," Midnight finally said. "I'll come over but one wrong look at Autumn and I'm going dragon mode on her," referring to how she'd "pony-uped" during the concert.
Sunset smiled. "You really are a great big sister."
"She's the only one I have. Alright, I'll call up Rainbow, AJ, Sapphire, and Windrunner. You get the rest and we'll be there in about a half hour."
"Alright, see you then." She gave Sonata another look and saw the hot pockets were gone. "And can you pick up some extra tacos or burritos while you're there?"
"I guess I missed the memo when I was voted caterer for the magic council of war." Midnight grumbled.
"I'll pay you back, it's just-"
"I'm only joking Sunny... kinda. I'll get the extra food, but that means only a small-size popcorn tomorrow at the movie."
"I can live with that. But really Midnight, I would really appreciate it if you were here as well. I promise nothing will happen to Autumn."
"I believe you," Midnight said. "It's the siren I don't trust. See you in about a half hour."
"See you soon."
As she hung up, Sunset looked down as she felt something on her leg and jumped. Sonata was pressed up against her, her pink eyes looking up at her eagerly.
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"And... you're sure that she's a siren?" Rarity asked as she and the others watched Sonata, who was currently sitting on Sunset's bed wrapped in her blanket and watching each of them in turn.
"Unless you've seen another girl who looks almost exactly like her before they came around, then I'd bet everything I have in this world. It even looked like she kind of recognized me when I found her," Sunset told them.
They had all made it to her factory home. As she expected they had all been shocked that the girl who used to rule the school with an iron fist had actually spent that whole time living in such a decrepit place. "Kinda explains why you were such a bitch that whole time," Rainbow had said, only to be silenced by an elbowing from AJ. Sunset had let the comment slide and had led them upstairs to her bedroom where she had told Sonata to wait. The girl had been hopping on her bed when they had entered. At the sight of them all filing into the room, she had immediately stopped bouncing and ducked under her blanket. Only Sunset's promise that they weren't going to hurt her had brought the girl out of hiding, and then she still only showed her face.
"I'm not saying you're wrong, Sunset dear, but I am just a little confused. If she is a siren, then how on earth did she become so young? They were a little older than us when we faced them last," Rarity said.
"Maybe we whipped them so good it changed them into the babies they really are," Rainbow suggested, a smug grin growing on her face.
"Ah doubt that's how Equestrian magic works Rainbow," AJ countered.
"Well, actually there are in fact age spells, but they can only be performed by highly skilled unicorns or a princess. Starswirl the Bearded and Princess Twilight are good examples." Sonata ducked her head further under the blanket and Sunset mentally slapped herself. He had been the one to banish the three of them in the first place.
"Does that mean there could be another being from Equestria running around turning people into children?" Fluttershy asked fearfully, grabbing Rainbow’s arm for comfort.
"We can speculate all we want about how she got this way," Midnight said from her seat next to Sunset. Autumn was sitting on her lap and sipping away at her slushy, only barely interested in what the rest of them were doing or the girl hiding under a blanket. "But if we want to know what the heck is going on, all we can do is ask her," Midnight waved a hand at Sonata. This time the girl ducked fully under the covers.
AJ, Rarity, and Midnight all shared knowing looks, then turned to Sunset. "What?"
"Well Sunset, so far the only person she hasn't looked at like they were about to eat her has been yourself," Rarity said.
"Youngin's only comfortable around you so far, Sugarcube," AJ added.
"If she really is Sonata and she's regressed both physically and mentally into a child, then all she'll see us as are big, nasty strangers unless the one person she trusts here shows her otherwise," Midnight said as she leaned over to her. "My guess is that she's already decided that you're one of the few people she can trust."
Sunset looked over at AJ and Rarity and found them nodding in agreement. "Okay... so, what do I do?"
"Just sit next to her. All she really needs is you to be in arm's reach," Midnight told her with a shrug.
Hesitantly, Sunset stood up and walked over to the lump on the bed. "Sonata?" A small, blue face stuck itself out. "I know having all these people here is a bit scary, but no matter what I promise nothing bad is going to happen. All we want to do is ask a few questions and see how we can help you." The blue face came out a little more, eyeing each of the others warily. Sunset motioned to Midnight to hand her the bag of food sitting on the desk behind her. "And if you answer all the questions we ask you honestly, you'll get as many tacos as you want." Sonata smiled at the sight of the bag filled with Mexican food but from out of the corner of her eye Sunset could see the three older sisters shaking their heads frantically at her. "Or, at least however many are in the bag," Sunset amended, sitting down next to her.
Sonata nodded, reaching in and pulling out a taco.
Sunset leaned back and made a writing motion to the rest of them while Sonata was busy with her food. Sapphire got the message and pulled out a pad and pen from her purse and handed it to Windrunner, who was most out of sight of the young girl munching away on the bed.
"Well, I suppose the first thing to ask is: are you really the Sonata Dusk we battled at the Battle of the Bands a month ago?" Sunset asked.
Sonata nodded.
"Not that we don't believe ya and what not, but how can we be sure?" AJ asked next.
Sonata stared at them for a moment, then brightened. Pulling off the blanket some more, she pointed at her over-sized clothes.
"Yes, those do look like the same clothes the Sonata Dusk from the battle was wearing, but how do we know that you didn't just grab them out of a dumpster, or take them from a clothes store?" Rarity asked.
The supposed Sonata pouted.
"Well, you can hardly blame me for covering my bases," Rarity said back.
Sonata held her gaze a moment longer before looking away as if she was trying to decide something, stuffing the last of her taco in her mouth and chewing thoughtfully.
"Come on kid. If you want us to believe you, we need some kind of proof," Rainbow said, annoyance clear in her voice.
Sonata said nothing, only looking a bit more distressed and rubbing her throat absently as she swallowed.
Midnight raised an eyebrow, then looked from Sonata to Sunset and then Sonata again. "Is something wrong with her voice?"
"I've been wondering about that," Sunset confessed. "She hasn't talked since I found her. She even cried when I found her and it was like someone had put her on mute."
That made the rest of them look worried. "Oh my, you don't think she might have something like strep-throat from being out on the streets, do you?" Fluttershy asked worriedly.
"Maybe she lost it screaming like I do sometimes!" Pinkie said.
"What would she be screaming about?" Windrunner asked.
Pinkie shrugged. "How about something like: HEY! WHERE THE HECK AM I AND WHY AM I A KID!?"
They all cringed as Pinkie screamed in the small space.
"Pinkie, be a dear and never do that again," Rarity told her.
"Oops, sorry," Pinkie said with a sheepish grin.
"Is that what happened Sonata?" Sunset asked. "Did you lose your voice from... screaming?" To Sunset's relief the girl shook her head no. She doubted that, unlike Pinkie, she had few, if any, things happy to scream about.
"Maybe it was a side effect of those pendants breaking," Sapphire noted. "They couldn't sing after they broke; maybe it went so far as to cause them to lose their voices as well."
Sonata shook her head at this as well.
"What about those other two sirens?" Midnight asked. "Aria and Adagio? Are they like this as well?"
At the mention of the two other sirens, Sonata seemed to stiffen slightly, then her eyes began to water.
Before the young girl could start silently balling again, Sunset reached over and gently took hold of Sonata's hand. The small siren looked up into the older girl's sympathetic face. "I'm sorry Sonata, we didn't know," she told her, giving the small hand a gentle, reassuring squeeze.
Sonata scooted closer, wrapped her other arm around Sunset's, and began to cry quietly into said arm.
"You shouldn't make others cry, Midnight," Autumn said from her spot on her sister's lap. "It's not very nice."
"And if my precious baby sister starts in on her big sister, then said big sister is going to tell their mom just where the last of her girl scout cookies went."
Autumn sucked on her slushy innocently.
"Maybe we should let Sonata tell us more when she's feeling better," Sapphire offered, taking back her pen and notepad back from Windrunner.
"But we're still not sure if she even is Sonata!" Rainbow argued.
"Either way, it's clear from what Sunset said that she doesn't have a home, so spending time... indoors…” Sapphire tried, trying not to somehow insult Sunset's living conditions, “is the best thing for her right now. Once she's comfortable around us, she can tell us what's happened on her own terms.” The student council member got up, soon followed by the rest except for Midnight and Autumn. “Don't hesitate to call us if something comes up.”
"And maybe we can talk about... certain other things... later as well?" Rarity asked, making a general motion at Sunset's home.
Sunset raised an annoyed eyebrow at Rarity before the other girl followed the rest of her friends, who all gave her waves and words of encouragement, back out of the factory.
"Well..." Sunset said quietly, looking down at the still crying Sonata once the others had left the room. “Now what? I figured we would all come up with a plan after talking with her."
Pinkie popped her head back in. "Maybe you can write to Princess Twilight and see if she knows anything!"
"Pinkie, I need you to drive me back to school!" Rainbow called after her. "We left my bike there, remember?"
"Coming Dashie!" Pinkie called back, giving them a final wave before disappearing.
"That's actually a good idea," Sunset said, "I think she's mentioned something about an age spell once and..." Sunset trailed off as she noticed Sonata had stopped crying and the amount of snot covering the girl’s upper lip, "...and I'm going to need some tissues."
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After cleaning off Sonata's booger-covered face (and wiping them off her jacket), Sunset proceeded to write to Princess Twilight with Sonata, Midnight, and Autumn looking over her shoulder to see the magic book in action.
Dear Princess Twilight,
Something odd has come up. We found one of the sirens (or, at least, we THINK she's one of the sirens), Sonata Dusk, roaming the streets the earlier today. We aren't sure if it's her or not because she's changed from an older teenager to a young child. On top of that she can't seem to speak at all anymore, much less sing. I remember that you mentioned an age spell in one of your previous replies, and I'm curious if you've ever read anything on the subject that might help us understand what's going on. If you can offer any advice, it would greatly appreciated.
Your friend, Sunset Shimmer
"All we can do now is wait and see if she knows anything," Sunset said, closing the book.
"What do you plan to do in the mean time?" Midnight asked, helping Autumn put her coat back on.
Sunset shook her head. "I'm not sure. I've got enough food for the two of us for the weekend, so we don't have any problems there. But, speaking of which, were you able to talk with your boss about that job opening?"
Midnight sighed unhappily. "He said he'd think about it. He did say that if he can't find a need for you he'd ask around, though. Apparently one of his buddies is about to open a new place and might need the help. I'll defiantly know by our date tomorrow night."
"Midnight and Sunset, sitting in a tree!" Autumn sang out from the doorway.
"Autumn!" Midnight growled.
"Umm..." Sunset started, then stopped.
Midnight looked back over at her "Hmm?"
"Well... umm... it's nothing," Sunset lied, putting on a smile.
A smile Midnight saw through and simply stood there, waiting for her girlfriend to continue.
Sunset's smile faltered, then simply dropped. "I know I've already asked a favor with the extra tacos..." They both looked over at Sonata, sitting on the bed and munching through the rest of the Mexican food. "...but I was hoping I could ask something else."
"I wouldn't be much of a friend, much less a girlfriend, if I treated favors like loans," Midnight told her. "What's up?"
Sunset leaned forward. "Sonata needs a bath, and, considering the weather she's been in, I didn't think she'd appreciate taking a freezing cold shower, so..." Sunset trailed off again, looking hesitantly up at Midnight.
The taller girl sighed, but a faint smile played on her lips as she hugged her. "As I said when I first found out you were living in this dump, mi casa es su casa." She pecked her on the lips. "Just have her sit on that blanket while she's in the car."
It was Sunset's turn to smirk. "Didn't you say you and your mother named it Frosty?"
Midnight huffed. "For the record, it was my mom who named her. She likes to name her cars for some reason. Right now, she has Dorothy II."
"Any particulars on why she named it that?" Sunset asked as she moved to put on her own coat. “Or what happened to Dorothy I?
"She really likes The Wizard of Oz, and she likened her first car, one she’d gotten back when she lived in the country, as Dorothy Gale traveling to Oz when she moved to the city. Honestly, I don't get it either, but whatever. As for what happened to it, what do you think happens to a twenty year-old car eventually?"
'Sonata and I can certainly relate to being in a strange world,' Sunset thought as she wrapped Sonata up in her blanket and coaxed her to follow Midnight and Autumn down to the car.