The car ride went smoothly enough. Sonata seemed scared of the vehicle at first, probably never having ridden in one before, but the promise of the rest of the tacos as well as their kind smiles finally convinced her to enter the vehicle. Sonata's fears of 'Frosty' were further laid to rest when Midnight turned on the playlist she and her sister had been listening to before. The two of them singing along, Midnight more discreetly than Autumn during certain ones, seemed to both calm Sonata and depress her at the same time. Not being able to make a sound must have affected her badly.
Midnight insisted that Sunset sit in the back between Sonata and Autumn; clearly she still didn't trust the blue girl, but it allowed Sunset to once again squeeze the young girl's hand reassuringly. She didn't know why exactly she was so determined to keep a supposed old enemy from feeling so down, but then again this could still just as easily be a little orphan girl from the streets looking for a home and willing to say, or at least mime, anything to do so. Either way, Sunset felt better when she saw Sonata smile back up at her. There was no faking the slightly malnourished and homeless look the girl was giving off, so for now she'd indulge her.
Midnight's house was, thankfully, only fifteen minutes away from her factory home. It was a two-story home in the suburbs, only a few blocks away from the park where Sunset liked to go walking with Midnight sometimes after a date. The house itself was, funny enough, the same colors as Sapphire, with light blue sidings, dark blue roof and shutters, with an open-air front porch that had a swing and two large-back wicker chairs. The chairs would most likely be brought into the connecting garage once the first snow hit. Judging by the dip in temperature, that wouldn't be too far away.
Midnight parked her car in front of the house and they all piled out. "Why are we on the street when your da-" Sunset stopped when Midnight gave her a look. "-when Orange's car isn't here?" Another thing that Sunset had never figured out was just why Midnight seemed to hate her stepfather so much when he was such a kind man.
"Because mom and Orange have the driveway while I get the front of the house. This way we all have a spot," she said with a shrug as she made her way up the front path and up onto the porch behind Autumn, who was now bouncing at the front door. "Hold your horses, I'm getting it open," she told her, flashing a quick smile at Sunset, who just rolled her eyes. As soon as Midnight opened the door, what sounded like a very loud, high-pitched dial tone rang out, and Autumn rushed inside. Sonata ducked behind Sunset, her eyes wide with terror at the shrill sound.
"It's just the house alarm," Sunset told her as they entered the house after Midnight went through the entranceway. As they did so the alarm turned off; Autumn closing the face-plate of the house's alarm system as she stood on a chair to reach it.
"You think that's bad, I'll let you set the alarm off early one morning," Midnight told them.
"We'll take your word for it," Sunset assured her. From what Midnight had told her, she had, almost literally, jumped out of her skin when she had gotten up for a glass of water the morning after it had been installed. She had a feeling they'd have to pry Sonata off the ceiling if the same thing occurred.
The front door opened up into the main hallway, with the living room to their right with the dining room visible past it. To their left was the den and the kitchen beyond that, connected to the dining room to create a circuit of the first floor. The kitchen also had a door leading into the garage, where Midnight kept her training equipment. The stairs ran up the center of the house with a coat closet and downstairs bathroom located underneath them. All the bedrooms and the main bathroom made up the second story.
"You know where the bathroom is; go on ahead and de-skank the little usurper," Midnight told her as she flopped down on the couch in the den and turned on the TV. As Sunset had learned during her first few visits here, the den was more of a game room ruled over by Midnight and Autumn while Summer and Orange held sway in the living room. Both had TVs as well as couches, coffee tables, bookcases, and various other things. The big differences were that all the game consoles, as well as the family computer, were located in the den, and the bookcases held games (video and board) as well as movies. The only books they held were strategy guides. The game room look was further enhanced by the darkness due to the drawn shades.
The living room was a typical one. There was a TV, but the area around it had few, if any, wires to clutter up the space. The coffee table was made of glass, potted plants stood in the corners, and the bookcases had things such as dictionaries, photo albums, magazines, and guides of a more practical nature. There were a few movies sharing the space but nothing in the amount the den had. It also sported a decent-sized fish tank with three colorful fish and one of those tank-wall-sucking fish. One fish for each family member of the house. The sucking-fish was Midnight's for two reasons. One, it needed little maintenance as its food literally grew inside the tank, and two, she already had a pet of her own.
"Uh, what about clothes?" Sunset asked, trying to keep an eye on Sonata as she looked around, slowly leaving her side to explore the house.
Midnight blinked, then groaned. "Aw, fudge. Autumn?" she called out toward the kitchen.
"Yeah?" came the reply, followed by the sound of the refrigerator door closing.
"First, that slushy was your dessert, so no ice cream."
"AWW!!!" came the responding wail.
"Second, please get out a pair of your pjs for Sonata to wear after her bath; they should fit her for now."
"You do it!" Autumn shot back, miffed that her ice cream was denied her.
Midnight raised an eyebrow. "Girl Scout cookies," she reminded her.
"Taco Bell!" Autumn responded, appearing in the doorway with an equally unhappy look on her face.
Both sisters began to stare each other down, giving Sunset an excuse to leave to keep a better eye on Sonata, who had wandered into the living room. She didn't think she would steal anything or break something on purpose, but it would still be a good idea to keep an eye on her.
She found the young girl with her face pressed up against the glass of the family's fish tank, watching as the three fish inside swam through the fake kelp and miniature buildings within. "No, Sonata," Sunset said as the girl tried to reach into the tank, causing her to jump and turn to face her with a guilty expression. "Fish here aren't for playing with. Come on, let's go see if Midnight and Autumn have gotten things settled." She took Sonata gently by the hand and led her back towards the den, only to run into Midnight by the stairs.
"If you're hungry I'll heat up the meatloaf while Autumn takes you upstairs to get some clothes for Sonata," she told her. "It'll help cover for us going to Taco Bell and pay off all those tacos I bought."
Sunset was about to refuse when her stomach let out a loud growl. With everything that happened with Sonata earlier that afternoon, she'd never gotten food for herself, and Summer did make great food, no matter what the other two said. "I guess that's a fair trade," Sunset agreed.
Midnight nodded and headed back towards the kitchen. A minute later an obviously annoyed Autumn came out and began storming up the stairs. Sunset and Sonata followed her up, careful to give the toddler plenty of space. Stopping briefly at the top of the stairs, Autumn looked into Midnight's room. "Midnight, Arina's out of her tank again!" she called back down the stairs, causing Sunset to instantly freeze.
"She's out of her tank?" she asked, eyes flitting back and forth for any sign of the tiny terror. In all honesty, Sunset was of the same opinion as Midnight and thought Arina was actually a cute little thing. All the same, she had a very real fear that if left to her own devices, Arina would scare Sonata right out of the house for good.
"She won't bother you!" Midnight called up from the kitchen, apparently coming to the same conclusion Sunset had. "Arina, come down here! If you do, I'll give you a treat!" Midnight called, trying to coax her pet somewhere she could keep an eye on her.
Sunset and Sonata followed Autumn into her room. Arina always came when Midnight called her, and the added benefit of a treat, whatever it was, was sure to keep the little fuzz ball from coming anywhere near Sonata for now. Hopefully.
Autumn's room was typical for a four-year-old girl. A doll house sat in a corner filled with dolls, a toy tea set was laid out on a tiny kiddy table against one wall, and a few dresses were scattered about. Thankfully the room was a shade of decent-looking green instead of the bright, neon pink usually associated with such a room. Autumn pulled open a draw in her dresser and began to dig through it, looking for the biggest set of pjs she had.
Sunset let Sonata look around the room while she went over to help Autumn search for a suitable set of sleepwear. "Thanks again for lending Sonata some clothes," Sunset told her, picking up the discarded articles of clothes the young girl was throwing on the floor.
Autumn only made a *humph* sound as she continued to look. Apparently whatever deal she and her sister had come to had not been to her liking. "Here," she said finally, holding out a set of bright orange pajamas for Sunset to see.
"They'll be perfect. Thanks Autumn," Sunset said.
The orange-hair girl nodded at them, then looked over at her doll house where Sonata was examining the dolls inside. "Midnight! I found Arina!" she suddenly called out, loud enough for her sister to hear downstairs.
"Where is she?" Midnight's faint voice came back, a tinge of nervousness in it from what Sunset could hear.
"She’s sleeping in my doll house again!"
Sunset stiffened and looked more closely at the toy in question. Right there, on the toy bed Sonata was pulling out, was what looked like a large, grey version of one of those puff-ball things one bought at arts and crafts stores, only with eight black lines running down its sides. The puff-ball trembled at the noise, then its eight long, sharp legs extended out from under its body and four bright blue eyes opened, staring straight at Sonata. They both stared at each other for a second, then Arina made a set of quick, almost musical, chirps at the girl while waving her two forelegs at her.
Midnight's choice of a pet was a weird one, seeing how she was scared of spiders. Even one the size of her pinkie nail sitting harmlessly on a wall could send the normally intimidating girl running away screaming like a demon from Tartarus was on her tail. Rainbow had dropped a spider ring in Midnight's trick or treat bag and even that had set Midnight off. The scene of her screaming "KILL IT! KILL IT!" from the place half-way down the block she had run to would be a source of laughter for a long time. Being so scared of spiders, Sunset had been amazed that Midnight would have one as a pet. Midnight's answer had been rather surprising. "She looks like a puff-ball with legs and eyes. That's not scary, that's hilarious looking." Apparently her species was a semi-rare kind that could be sold in pet stores. Midnight had gotten lost in one, ended up in the aisle for spiders, and had found comfort in the corner by Arina's tank until her mom had found her. Seeing her daughter bonding with something she was so scared of convinced Summer that getting Arina as a pet for her might just help her get over her fears. It hadn't, but at home the two were inseparable.
Unfortunately, all Sonata saw was a large spider not five inches from her face. Of course, she screamed. Well, she tried to, anyway; nothing came out of her mouth but the message got across just fine. She dropped the bed and its occupant and bolted behind Sunset, gripping her skirt for dear life and shaking like a leaf, eyes fixed on the little spawn from hell recovering on the floor.
Arina, for her part, shook off the fall and began skittering across the floor towards them, all four eyes locked on the girl hiding behind Sunset. The orange girl knew Arina didn't mean any harm and was just trying to get to know the new person in the house ("Worst guard dog ever, of all time!" quote Midnight), but at this rate the small blue girl would either smash the playful arachnid, run out of the house and refuse to even come back, or both. Neither were desired outcomes.
"No Arina!" Sunset yelled out, stomping her boot down in the fur ball's way. It had the desired effect as Arina skidded to a halt and looked up at her. "You're scaring Sonata!" The spider looked up at Sunset, then over to the shaking girl and back. Sunset raised an eyebrow and Arina took a few steps back, chirping an apologetic sound.
The loud stomping on the stairs and landing announced Midnight's arrival on the scene. "ARINA!" she shouted as she entered the room. She reached down and collected her guilty looking pet. "What is it with you and sleeping in other rooms these days!?" The spider chirped up at her, waving her front legs in a complicated manor. Somehow, Midnight had always been able to infer what Arina was "saying", although she was at a loss to explain how she knew. Like friendship and Pinkie Pie, it was just better not to question it. "Then ask me to change things in your tank! I have a job now you know!" More chirping. "I know it's a new house but we've been here three months already; what more do you need to see!?" Midnight looked up at Sunset and Sonata. "Sorry, we'll let you guys get to it," she said with a apologetic smile, turning and heading back downstairs and arguing with Arina the whole way.
"Well," Sunset said, looking down and smiling at Sonata. "Don't see that every day, do you?"
The girl only looked back up at her.
"Uh, how about that bath now?" Sunset tried.
Sonata's face went from terrified to a grin similar to the one she had worn when she'd heard about tacos so fast Sunset suddenly felt very uneasy.
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As Sunset feared, giving Sonata a bath ended up taking a turn for the weird.
To begin with, Sunset had to restrain the girl several times from undressing while the tub filled up. She didn't want the tub to fill up too much and, no offence to Sonata, she didn't trust the girl to not splash nor even turn the water off once the tub was full enough. That, and the idea of seeing a six year old naked was just... no. To help with that she squirted some bubble bath soap into the tub as it filled up, creating a sea of opaque bubbles. This creation of bubbles helped distract Sonata from her effort to get into the buff long enough for Sunset to set everything up that she would need; shampoo, body soap, conditioner, and the like. It was just as well Sunset was looking anywhere other than at Sonata because as soon as she turned the water off the girl jumped in, her pile of dirty clothes lying in a pile where she had been standing.
"Alright, so, just... take your time and wash yourself off. When you're done the pajamas Autumn lent you are on the sink. I'm going to go get your clothes washed while you're in here," Sunset told her, getting up and retrieving the discarded items. Before she could get out the door, there was a splash of movement from the tub and Sunset turned to see Sonata watching her apprehensively. "You'll be fine on your own, really," Sunset told her, guessing at what the younger girl was trying to convey. Still Sonata watched her, her face slowly but surely dissolving into a pout. "Oh, come on Sonata, you're a big girl; you don't need someone watching you as you bathe." The blue girl's lower lip began to stick out. "Sonata," Sunset said warningly. She was NOT going to sit and watch her bathe. Give the (supposed) siren credit; she was able to start crying on command. Give Sunset credit, too; she didn't give in until the girl's sobbing, fake or not, was making the veins in her neck visible. "Oh... fine!" Sunset said in exasperation, dropping the clothes by the door and sitting down on the toilet "Just stop crying already!" Pinkie had tried the same move on her in the past to no avail; the only reason it worked this time, Sunset rationalized, was because there was still the chance that this was a girl who lived on the streets and not an aged down siren. And because Pinkie hadn't begun balling.
Shaking her thoughts away, she settled her head into her palm and began to patiently wait for the blue girl, now all smiles, to be finished with her bath. At first, all Sonata did was play with the bubbles, scooping them up in her hands and blowing them all over the bathroom. When she became tired of that she turned her attention to the various bathing items around and above the tub. The net full of Autumn's bath toys hanging from the shower head drew her attention almost immediately, and Sunset started when Sonata began to get up to reach for them. "I got it!" she yelped, jumping up and grabbing at them. The blue girl shrank back down into the tub.
Seeing this, Sunset gave her a lop-sided smile. "Hey, you didn't do anything wrong, it's just..." 'I have no desire whatsoever to see a naked six/seven year old that won't let me leave the room,' "...it's just that if you stand up in a bathtub, you could slip and fall and hit your head." She put the toys in the water and playfully rubbed the mop of blue hair. "Don't want that, do we?"
Sonata let out a silent giggle and began pulling the toys out as Sunset sat back down on the toilet. As she watched her playing with the toy boat and toy shark, Sunset's thoughts drifted away and she could almost replace the girl with a unicorn filly, playing with bath toys the same as she was. A figure rose up out of her memories, playing with the young unicorn with a big smile on her face. Miss Smooth Song, one of the mares who worked at the Canterlot Orphanage. A wave of guilt passed over Sunset. She had been so kind to Sunset and the other foals that a lot of them saw her as their mom, Sunset included. She'd been so proud of Sunset when, after an impressive display of controlled magic during an amazingly cobbled together fieldtrip to Canterlot Castle, Princess Celestia had asked her if she wanted to be her personal student. To better accommodate her new position, Celestia had requested that Sunset move into the palace, but even after her "adoption", Sunset had written to Smooth Song almost every day. She could remember with painful clarity when the space between letters had extended from days to weeks and then to months. When she had bolted through the portal after Celestia dismissed her from being her student, it had been a full year since she had written to her. Had Smooth Song moved on, assuming that Sunset had finally done the same? When Celestia had taken on Twilight as her new student, had Smooth Song wondered whatever became of Sunset, such a promising student in magic? Was she even still working at the orphanage?
Before her past could drag her deeper down Petticoat Lane, a splash of water brought Sunset out of it. "WHA!?" she yelped, only to see Sonata silently laughing at her and holding up a rubber duck, which had a nozzle in its beak. "You little-!" In the space between getting up from the toilet and moving over to the tub, Sunset went from a bit angry to mischievous. Kneeling down next to the tub, she dipped her hand in the water and splashed Sonata in the face. "Let's see how you like it," Sunset said with a grin. Sonata's response was to spray her with the duck again. "Alright then; have it your way." Grabbing the toy shark, which also had a nozzle in its mouth, she entered the watery fray.
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Sunset sat next to Midnight on the couch in the den/game room and watched as Autumn took her turn. Both she and Princess Peach whooped as they got their second star. So far this game Midnight and Wario were leading, followed closely by Autumn and Princess Peach, with Sunset and Princess Daisy in third and Sonata and Yoshi brining up the rear. Autumn had wanted to play Mario Kart but since Sonata had looked at the controls the same way most people looked at a rubics cube (to be fair, that's how a lot of folks originally looked at N64 controllers), Midnight had convinced her to play Mario Party 3 instead. "I'm surprised you stopped at three," Sunset had said when she first started playing with them. "I mean, you have a GameCube and Wii system; why stop there? Same with the Mario Karts?"
"Meh, didn't really like the later installments," Midnight had told her. "Autumn got Mario Kart 8 but I don't like it so much. 64 for the win anyway." Arina, perched on top of Midnight's head, chirped in agreement.
Sunset hit the spinning dice and took a bite of her meatloaf as she watched her character march across the board. "Thanks again for the towel, pjs, and food," she told Midnight.
The black-skinned girl waved a hand. "No charge. Just let me know next time you want to have a splash fight in my bathroom; I'll lay a few extra bathmats down."
Just as they were finishing up the end-of-turn mini game, the front door opened and Midnight's and Autumn's parents came in. "Hello girls!" Summer said with a smile. "Oh, hello to you, too, Sunset!" she said when she noticed the other girl on the couch.
"Hello Mrs. Ice, Mr. Glow. How was your night?"
"We both had a very nice time out on the town together," Summer assured her.
"Then why are you back so early?" Midnight asked. "It's just past nine; I thought you'd be out until, like, eleven or something."
"Well," Summer took a quick glance back over at Orange, who was hanging up their coats. "Let's just say where we went is a bit out of our price range for a whole night out." Both high-schoolers nodded in understanding. "So, what have you all been up to tonight?"
"Just hanging out really," Midnight said, taking her turn.
"Uh-huh," Summer said, eyeing the meatloaf Sunset was eating. "And... how was the meatloaf?"
"Fine," Midnight said automatically. And a little too quickly.
Summer continued to stare at her eldest, but when that didn't get her results she turned to Autumn. "Autumn, how was the meatloaf?"
Autumn looked up at her mother like a deer in headlights. Then she glanced over at Midnight, who was looking back at her as if telling her to stay quiet. The young girl looked between her mother and older sister before finally blurting out "She took us to Taco Bell!", pointing at Midnight as she did so.
"She ate the last of your girl scout cookies!" Midnight retorted without hesitation, also leveling a finger at her sister.
Arina, eager to get out of sight, as if she'd get in trouble as well, skittered off of Midnight and crawled up onto Sunset. Normally the orange-skinned girl didn't like having things in her hair (how Pinkie could have so many things in hers was a mystery that made her spine shiver every time she thought about it), but Arina proved to be an exception. Maybe it was because she knew Arina would never try to nest in it; that certainly helped.
Summer looked between the two and sighed. "We are going to have a talk later." Then she turned to Sunset. "And how do YOU like it?" she asked wearily.
"I think it's good," Sunset told her truthfully. To be honest, she liked pretty much everything Summer made, even the meat dishes. Having been a pony, Sunset had at first avoided meat as much as she could when she had crossed over. After a while, though, she had found herself actually craving it, something she attested to her new body and what it needed to function properly. She'd looked into being one of those vegans or vegetarians, but after some research she'd decided to give up on the idea. Humans were omnivores, and as such they needed the amount of vitamins, minerals, and proteins that such a diet called for. True; what came in meat could be supplemented, but from what she found in never seemed like the alternatives to fresh meat were really better off, for herself or her wallet. In the end she had simply bitten the bullet (and the hamburger) and stuck with meat. After she'd started eating with Midnight and her family, she found herself actually eating it more. She blamed Midnight, who was more carnivore than omnivore, for this change in diet.
Summer nodded appreciatively. "At least someone does."
Midnight and Autumn blanched at the remark.
"And who's this?" Summer had finally noticed Sonata sitting on the floor next to Autumn.
Sunset put her plate down on the coffee table they had moved over to allow the girls to sit on the floor. "Actually, Mrs. Ice, that's something I'd like to talk with you about."
Seeing how serious Sunset had become, Summer nodded and motioned to follow her into the kitchen. Both Midnight and Sunset got up.
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Summer Ice leaned back in her chair as Sunset and Midnight finished explaining what had happened that day. She sat across from Sunset while Midnight and Orange took the other two sides of the table. Midnight gently stroked Arina in a way that Sunset recognized as when the taller girl was deep in thought.
Summer, Orange, and Autumn knew all about Equestria and the Equestrian magic in this world ever since the concert with the Dazzlings. They had been one of the few families at the concert and after everything that had happened, running into two Midnight's when they had made their way to the band had prompted Summer to demand an explanation. Long story short the three of them had taken the news of Equestria and magic rather well, even if the news that in another world she was a grandma had nearly floored Summer. Nearly floored Midnight, too, now that she recalled it. It had made Summer's support for them going out an even bigger surprise since she knew Midnight was now dating a transformed unicorn.
"So," Summer finally said. "That girl in there, sitting next to Autumn, is one of those sirens that tried to brainwash us at the concert?"
"We think she might be," Sunset said. "We don't know how she turned into a child, so she might just be her counterpart in this world."
"So, what are you planning to do?" Orange asked.
Sunset bit her lip. "We... I really don't know. If she's a siren, then we need to keep an eye on her. If she's just a girl off the streets, we just can't let her keep roaming them, not with winter coming and Makers only knows what kind of creeps are out there, not to mention where she's going to get food and shelter."
"I say we chuck her through the portal, now that it can open when we want it to," Midnight said. "If she turns into a siren, then we can lock her up over there and be done with it. If she turns into a pony, then we know she's just a stray kid and can hand her over to child services. Done and done." Midnight said.
Sunset shook her head. "If she's Sonata's counterpart, then she'd change into a siren as well. And even if we finally figure out which one she is, I don't want to lock her up or turn her over to child services."
"Why not?" Summer asked. "If she's a siren, then she tried to brainwash people, feed off them, then was planning to use that power to take over both worlds. If she's a girl living on the streets, then child services would be the best thing for her."
Sunset shook her head again. "I don't think she was in on the whole "take over the world" thing."
Without warning, Arina jumped to the center of the table and spun towards Sunset, pointing a leg at her and making two ominous chirps. Midnight face-palmed and gather the spider back towards her. "I swear Arina, I'm not letting you watch anymore Nostalgia Critic."
"Right," Sunset said, smiling slightly. She knew the joke. "As I was saying, I think she was just going along with the other two."
"That doesn't make what she did okay Sunset," Summer told her.
"I know, but they were the only people she knew in this whole world and probably depended on them. I think if she had someone else to fall back on, she'd never have done it. As for if she's the counterpart, I don't like the idea of social services either. I've looked them up and the chances of her ending up with good people is very slim." Sunset had looked up the social services system back when she first heard about them about a year after she arrived in this world. She'd found horror story after horror story of the situations children in the system went through. It was the real reason she had kept her living arrangements a secret; she didn't want those people learning about her situation and placing her someplace away from the portal with some unfeeling sociopaths.
"And that is the law. I can only assume the same went for Equestria when it came to orphans," Summer said with a raised eyebrow.
Sunset reluctantly nodded.
"Princess Twilight hasn't gotten back to you yet, has she?" Midnight asked.
This time she shook her head. It wasn't like Twilight to go so long without answering her. She hoped everything was okay back home.
Midnight sighed and laid back in her chair. "I don't know what to do. The kid said she was one of the Dazzlings, but for all we know it's just a lie to get one of us to take care of her."
"Well, if she was a Dazzling, why admit it?" Orange said. "She has to know how much hot water they're all in if they are found. I personally lean towards that she's this world's counterpart. However, I agree with Sunset about not handing her over to Social Services."
They all stared at him.
"Orange, if you're right then she's an orphan on the street! She needs a family!" Summer said.
"Summer, do you remember that semester in high school when we all had to pick someone with a career to shadow?"
"Well... yes, I remember that," she said, thrown a bit by the change in topic. "Why?"
"You remember how back then I wanted to join something like Social Services so I could help people?"
"Yes, but afterwards you took up a photography. You never said why."
Orange let a breath out. "I took up photography to forget what I heard and saw. Summer, not only is Sunset right, it's worse than almost anyone realizes. I saw children taken from one bad situation and put into an even worse one. Many foster parents take children because the more they take under their roof, the more checks they get from the government. That money is supposed to be used for taking care of those children but most of the time they spend it on drugs, alcohol, or on themselves. Most of the time the children are used as a cleaning crew for the house and fed just enough scraps to get by. Sometimes..." he fell silent for a second. "Sometimes it gets worse. Much worse. Social Services is worse than a joke; it's a nightmare, and it's that way because the people running it don't care. Ninety-nine percent of the people working for it are there because they're part of a government program that hands out jobs into whatever department needs it; they're only there for a paycheck. I think I saw maybe three children out of hundreds placed into homes that actually cared. Whatever we decide to do with her, I'm telling you Social Services shouldn't even be an option."
The table was quiet after Orange was done. Summer reached out and took one of his hands in her own. He in turn gripped hers with the other.
"So..." They all looked up at Midnight. She was looking at Orange with genuine sympathy. "If we can't send her to child services, what do we do then? And sorry to play devil's advocate here, but what if you're wrong and she is a siren? I think either way we should send her through the portal. If she's one of the sirens then they'll know how to handle her. If not, well with that whole "Magic of Friendship" philosophy over there, the orphanages have to be magnitudes better than the ones here, right?"
Sunset made a non-committal noise. "Compared to here? Yes, they're better, but given a choice I wouldn't put anyone in one. Growing up in an orphanage is like having the world tell you that no one cares about you, that no one loves you..." she trailed off, fighting back a few tears. She knew she was lucky to have gotten out when she did, even more so how she did, but that didn't change how she felt when she was there. As nice and caring as Smooth Song had been, she hadn't seen them as her children, not as parent, anyway. When she looked up again the other three were all looking at her with concerned expressions, even Arina. Summer looked like she wanted to get up and Midnight's hand was almost touching hers. Orange looked like he'd seen a ghost. "Siren or not, she doesn't deserve that."
"Which still brings us back to the original problem," Summer aid quietly. "What are we going to do with her?"
"Maybe one of the others might have an idea," Midnight suggested. "Or maybe one of them could take her in, or we could all take turns. If we can't leave her on the street, turn her over to the government, or send her through the portal, then that's all I can think of."
Sunset didn't care too much for that idea either. Sapphire's parents might agree to it and so might the Apples, but none of the other parents knew about Equestria or magic or the risks they'd be agreeing to, if they agreed at all. There was a reason orphans dreamed of getting adopted. Then there was how Sonata would feel about it. She'd understand if a family was taking her in out of sympathy or obligation and not because they genuinely wanted her there. That's when an idea came to her, and she grasped at it. "I could take her in," she said.
They all stared at her again.
"Sunset, you're still only a child yourself," Summer said.
Sunset shook her head. "When I left Equestria I was less than a year shy of eighteen. You could add the thirty Equestrian years or the two and a half humans years it's been since then, but either way I'm an adult, in age at least."
Summer shook her head. "By law, sure, but by maturity?"
"You had me at twenty one," Midnight interjected. "You were adult enough to be a mom then, and Sunset is either as old or older than you were. Top it off with her being the only person on this planet that knows anything about Equestrian magic and I actually like the idea."
"I don't," Summer said. "Sunset, how are you going to care for her? You don't have a job and heaven knows how you've been feeding yourself or keeping a roof over your head."
The two teens shot each other looks. So far they'd both only referred to Sunset's factory as "home" around Summer and Orange. Had the two learned where Sunset actually lived, they would have forced her to move in with them or find a home for her. It wasn't a bad thing, but Sunset didn't want to feel like a charity case or inconvenience them. It may be an old factory to some, but to her it was truly the first place she could call her home, and that was something she refused to give up willingly. "Well, I'm about to get a job the restaurant Midnight works at, so there's that."
Summer shook her head. "That's not enough to raise a child on!"
Orange stopped her with a raised hand, then turned to the fiery-haired girl. "Sunset, do you understand the burden you're placing on yourself? You're making yourself responsible for Sonata and that means taking the good with the bad; especially the bad. Are you truly prepared to be depended upon by someone like that? Can you be there for her when she needs you the most?"
Sunset looked down as she mulled his words over. Did she really know what she was getting herself into? Even with a job feeding just herself would have been a challenge. Now she'd have to feed two, and she doubted any salary she got would be enough. There was also the fact that she had no idea how to raise a child. Just because she wanted to do right by a fellow orphan didn't mean she knew how to be a parent. She'd have school and a job with little time in between to give Sonata her attention like she would need. Then again, for whatever reason, Sonata had clung to her after she'd found her outside that factory gate, to the point of looking to her for comfort and trusting her enough to let Sunset take her to places she didn't know. Siren or human, whether she knew her or not, she had already had complete trust in Sunset and that alone spoke volumes.
"I... I don't know," Sunset finally said, looking back up. "I want to help her, I really do, but I don't know how good of a caregiver I'd be. I mean, I could screw up really bad and what then?" She sighed. "Maybe this isn't a good idea either.”
To her surprise, Orange actually smiled. "That's the answer I wanted to hear. No one has all the answers, especially when it comes to raising children. You having those concerns shows that you've got your mind in the right place. That's more care than I've seen a lot of others give." His smile grew a bit. "And don't forget you have friends you can turn to when things aren't going right. I don't just mean fanatical support either," he said when she saw Sunset frown. "Emotional support can be even more of a saving grace than money a lot of times."
They all fell silent again. Summer looked from Orange, to Sunset, to Midnight, and then back to her husband before letting out a defeated sigh. "Well, I can see when I'm out-voted." She turned to Sunset. "Say what you will about how many years you've been on this earth, or Equestria, or both worlds, but when I look at you I see a teenager about to take on a very big burden and I can't help but feel that you're putting more problems on your shoulders than you realize." A small smile graced her face. "That being said, it also says a lot about you that you're willing to do this in the first place. Don't ever hesitate to ask us for help." She raised a finger and pointed it at her. "I mean it."
Sunset nodded. "Yes ma'am."
"Good. Now that that's settled, what were you planning to do between now and tomorrow night?"
Sunset quirked an eyebrow at the segue. "I guess I was just going to take Sonata back to my place and try and get to know each other better, set some ground rules, stuff like that."
Summer shook her head. "If you're going to take care of Sonata, you need to get her some essentials. That means food, toiletries, and clothes. After breakfast tomorrow, we're going shopping!" The older woman was back to smiling again.
Midnight groaned and sunk down into her chair. "Should have chucked her through the portal while we had the chance."