As the new week began, everything was going well. Sonata and I got our history projects turned in; got through math without accumulating too much homework; and made it through our separate morning classes. Even though a few of the usual people had nothing better to do than talk behind Sonata's and my back, it didn't bother us as much as before. When we got to the cafeteria and had picked up a couple of the trays, Rainbow invited us to have lunch with them.
Naturally, we went to sit with the group, but Sonata seemed a little bit nervous.
"Is everything alright, Sonata?" I asked her with a slight nudge.
"Uh, yes," she said, sitting down and quickly starting on the food on her tray.
Just then, Sunset Shimmer sat next to Sonata.
"Hey, Sonata. Hey, Slate"
"Hi, Sunset," Sonata responded.
I nodded and gave her a friendly, "Hello. What's up?"
"Not much. But I do have some news for Sonata."
"What is it?"
"I talked to the principal last week on Friday."
"About what?"
"Well, I asked if she would consider shortening your punishment. She said that if Adagio, Aria, and you would participate in some community service, she would gladly reduce the amount of time you three have to be in detention."
"Um, you didn't happen to run that by Aria or Adagio, did you?"
"I did, but they just blew me off."
Hmm, what a shock, I thought.
"Sorry about that," Sonata offered.
"It's not a big deal."
"Well, would she let me participate by myself?"
Sunset placed a finger to her chin as she thought about it. "Hmm, I wouldn't be able to tell you. We could check with her right now as soon as you finish."
Sonata thought on it for a little before she said, "It couldn't hurt to look into it."
We continued to eat and talk a bit longer before they eventually finished.
Sunset got up and put away her lunch tray before turning back to Sonata and asking, "So, shall we go check?"
Sonata gave a slight nod and said, "Sure." She put away her tray and stood next to Sunset as they were about to leave. "Oh, wait," She stopped and turned back to me. "I'll catch up with you in a little."
"That's fine, go ahead and take care of what you need to. I'll see you back at the library."
"Alright. Bye, Slate."
As the two left the cafeteria, Sonata had several thoughts going through her head. I don't get it, why are Sunset and the others trying so hard to help me out? They know what we did, so they really don't owe us any favors. On top of that, it doesn't really matter. Adagio still wants me to take whatever magical item they have.
Just then Sunset turned to her and said, "You know, I'm happy that you're making an effort to do better, even if your sisters aren't willing to."
"Huh? Oh, yeah. Well, I do appreciate the help. So, is this why I didn't see much of you last week?"
"Pretty much. It wasn't easy, but at least, we can start getting you and the others on the right track."
"Thanks." Sonata couldn't help but feel torn at the idea that they were genuinely trying to give her a chance. That would have to wait, though, as they had arrived at the principal's office. Just then the bell rang and the students began making their ways down the hallways.
"Could you give me just one second?" Sunset asked. Sonata just nodded, and Sunset knocked on the office door before entering.
A familiar voice from the other side greeted Sunset. "Ah, Sunset. How can I help you?"
"Hello, Principal Celestia, Sonata Dusk wanted to talk to you. She had a question about your new offer. She's just outside."
"I see. Would you mind calling her in, please?"
Sunset poked her head out of the office and waved Sonata over. "Okay, you can come in."
"Alright," she replied while walking in.
Something that Sonata wasn't quite expecting was how much more lenient the principal sounded this time around. "Hello, Miss Dusk."
Sonata quickly replied with, "Hello, Principal Celestia."
"Please, take a seat." Sonata did just that and fidgeted a bit out of anxiety. Celestia then turned to Sunset and asked, "Sunset, would you please wait outside for now?"
"Yes, ma’am." She quickly gave Sonata a thumbs up and exited the office.
"So, Sonata, you had a question about the community service."
"Um, yes."
"I see. And what about Adagio and Aria?"
"Um, you see, that's what I wanted to ask you about. What if they weren't interested in the offer, and I was the only one who wanted to try?"
"Hmm, well, seeing as you are the only one here, I'm willing to allow you to join by yourself. And yes, this will shorten the amount of time you have left to your punishment. If Aria and Adagio do decide to come around, the offer will still stand."
"Um, thank you. So, what do I have to do?"
"You'll need to talk to the front desk clerk before school ends, Monday through Thursday. She'll let you know of any groups that could use your help. She will also give you a paper that needs to be signed by whoever is in charge of the place that you go to help. Then you just need to turn it into the front office clerk the following day." Celestia looked at her watch and then back to Sonata. "Since lunch did just finish, I had taken the liberty of getting you one of the community service papers earlier and have arranged for you to go help at one of the soup kitchens with Sunset Shimmer."
She pulled a paper out of her desk and extended it to Sonata, which she took.
"So, do you have any other questions?" Celestia asked.
"No. I understand."
"In that case, go ahead and get a hall pass from the front desk. Take care, and good luck."
"Um, thank you."
Like before, Celestia got the door and let Sonata out of her office.
Sunset, who had been waiting outside the door, came over and walked with Sonata.
After they got their passes, Sunset asked, "So, are you going to do it?"
"Yeah, but I'm still not sure how this is going to work. Oh, she also told me we would be working together at a soup kitchen today."
"I see, well, don't worry. I'll show you what to do when we get there."
"Okay. Just one more thing."
"Yes?"
"I didn't know you were doing community service too."
"Oh, yeah, I've made it a habit to help out during the week."
"Huh, I never would have guessed."
They came to main foyer before Sunset spoke to Sonata.
"Well, I'll see you after school," Sunset said. "Just meet me by the statue and we can head out from there."
"Okay. See you later."
Sonata said goodbye and made her way over to the library.
When I got to the library, there was no sign of Sonata, so I decided to sit at one of the tables near the library entrance, where she could spot me easily. A few moments later, she showed up and walked over to me. "Hey, Slate. Why are you sitting around here?" She asked.
"Just waiting around. Do you want to sit here or at another spot?"
She turned to look at the other students and saw several of them quickly turn their attention to random things around the area, but would look back out of the corner of their eyes. "Hmm, can we find another spot?"
"Sure, not a problem," I said, grabbing my backpack and sliding my chair back in. We went to the second floor and found a table overlooking the lower level of the library. After getting our notebooks and class assignments out, I turned to Sonata and asked her, "So, how'd everything go?"
"I got signed up for community service."
"So like, for today?"
"Yeah."
"Well then, we should probably try to finish up our work so you won't have to worry about it later."
"Okay."
For the next thirty minutes, we worked on our assignments. She'd occasionally ask for some help, but it wasn't anything we couldn't handle.
As soon as we finished, she said to me, "Thanks for the help. Hmm, I still don't know how this whole thing is going to work out, though."
"What? You mean the community service?"
She nodded, giving me an uneasy look.
"Well, if it's anything like past events that I've helped out with, then it shouldn't be a big deal."
"So what did you do at those events?"
"Mostly setup for stuff like charity runs or putting together festival booths. By the way, what are you going to be doing?
"Celestia said that I'd be going to help out at a soup kitchen with Sunset."
"So she's helping out too? Huh, I never would have guessed."
"I know. I said the same thing."
"Hmm. Helping at a soup kitchen isn't that bad. It'll be fine."
"Hopefully," Sonata said. She thought about it a little longer before giving me a smile. "I'm sure you're right."
Eventually, the period ended. Sonata turned to me as we were about to go to our separate classes and said, "I'll be leaving for the community service right after school. If you want, you could meet me by the statue in front."
"Of course. See you then."
As before, everything had gone pretty well. I was surprised and relieved, to say the least.
When the last bell rang, I made my way to the front of the school. However, on the way there I spotted Sonata, Aria, and Adagio standing by the library entrance. From the looks of it, they were having a bit of an argument. I wasn't close enough to hear any of it and wasn't planning on getting any closer. From what I could see, though, Aria was angrily pointing an accusatory finger at Sonata while Adagio stood there with her arms crossed and shaking her head. She finally said something to Sonata and signaled Aria to follow her into the library.
Sonata, now alone, began heading to the school’s entrance. I quickly ran to catch up with her.
"Hey, Sonata. What's up?" I said as I started walking alongside her.
A little surprised she turned to me and said, "Oh, Slate. Nothing really, just talking to my sisters."
"Ah, I thought I saw them just now. Was it just me or did they seem a bit upset."
She sighed a bit before responding, "Yeah, they didn't take the news about me doing the community service too well." From the disconcerted look on her face, that was a bit of an understatement.
"You know what, don't even worry about it. They're probably just upset that they have to stay on the school grounds longer."
"Heh, yeah."
We had arrived at the statue out front and stood there waiting.
"Sooo, what are we waiting for exactly?"
"Well, Sunset said she would be here, but I don't see her anywhere."
"Ah, there you are. I thought I heard you two just now," Sunset said as she walked out from behind the statue. "So, are we ready to go?"
Sonata nodded before turning back to me. "I guess that I'll talk to you later."
"Yeah, sounds good. If you need anything, go ahead and give me a call. Take care."
With that, Sonata and I hugged, and she left with Sunset down the street.
As the girls made their way downtown, Sunset decided to try and make some small talk with Sonata.
"So, how are things going for you?"
"Fine, I guess. Although, people constantly talk about everything that happened when I'm nearby."
"Yeah, I know what you mean. Still, you should try to not let it get to you."
"It's not a big deal, though. I mean, I've been able to hang out with you guys. And on top of that, Slate has helped me out so much by being there with me."
Sunset noticed a slight blush spread across Sonatas face. Even though she didn't want to pry too much, curiosity got the better of her. "So, you and Slate have gotten pretty close, huh?"
"I suppose so," Sonata said.
"That's good."
At the mention of that, Sonata remembered Adagio’s orders. Even though she liked the idea of befriending Sunset and the others, she'd have to put that aside if she wanted to keep her sisters from doing anything to Slate.
"Heh, yeah. So, I wanted to ask you something," Sonata said.
"What about?"
"Well, it's just that I haven't met your other friend that was here a couple of weeks ago. I was wondering what happened to her after the Battle of the Bands?"
"Oh, you must mean Twilight Sparkle. She returned to her home."
"So, she's from out of town then?"
"You could say that. She went back to Equestria."
"Really? You mean like ‘actual’ Equestria? The one where ponies live?"
"Yeah. Fortunately, we've been able to keep in contact with her since then. If you'd like, I could arrange for you to talk with her."
"Sure. But how?"
"I'll explain that later. We're here."
Within a few moments, they arrived at a building with a line of people waiting outside the door. As they walked past them to the back, a few of them greeted Sunset, and she returned the gesture.
When they got to the helpers entrance, a young woman with short, light blue hair got the door for them.
"Hi, Sunset. It's good to see you again."
"Hi Coco, same here."
Coco then noticed Sonata and said, "Oh, hello. I don't think I've met you before."
"This is Sonata Dusk," Sunset replied. "She's here to help out today." She then turned to Sonata and said, "This is Coco Chanel. She is one of the head charity organizers here."
Sonata held out and shook hands with Coco. "It's nice to meet you, Coco."
"Likewise. Now then, let's get you two into your kitchen staff uniforms."
Hanging on a few coat hooks near the door were some dark green aprons along with some adjustable caps. After putting on their gear, they headed to the food counters and put on some thin plastic gloves.
Coco then said to Sunset, "Alright, I'm going to let our guests in, could you give Sonata the rundown of what to do?"
"Sure thing," Sunset said, turning her attention to Sonata. "So, basically, all we have to do is serve the food to our guests on these trays here. Or if they ask for it, in a container to go."
"That's it?"
"Pretty much. Oh, and just make sure to be as friendly as you can be."
"Okay."
The line that had been waiting outside had moved in front of the counter. As far as Sonata could tell, those people had definitely seen better days. Some of the clothing they wore was dingy and way past well worn. Some of them just looked plain weary while others looked like they should still be attending school. Still, she did her very best to be welcoming and began passing out the trays of food to the people there when a thought occurred to her. I have become a lunch lady, just like AJ's grandma. She pushed the thought to the back of her mind and continued on with her work.
One thing that intrigued her while she worked was that, even though what she was doing didn't seem important to her, most of the people who she was serving were very grateful for it. She wasn't quite used to having others show any appreciation for something that she had done. Regardless, they continued for about an hour before practically everyone was served. A while later, and some of their guests had finished their meals. They got rid of the disposable plates and brought back the trays. Sonata and Sunset took the dishes to the back and washed them while some other volunteers took care of the counter.
While they finished up the last few trays, Sunset asked Sonata, "So, how do you feel about the community service, now that you've gotten to try it?"
"It's something different, but in a good way. It's better than I expected it would be."
"Really, how so?"
"Well, I wasn't expecting all those people to be thanking me at all."
"Oh, that. Well, they've been through a lot. Some of them lost their jobs, a few of them are runaways, and still others had to deal with laws that didn't do much to help them at all. So even having a meal can be kind of like a blessing."
Sonata’s eyes went wide at hearing that. Her thoughts went back to her past, as she remembered how on occasion when she and her sisters would cause others just like the people she had just served to get into some of the ugliest fights ever. To say that she felt a pang of guilt was an understatement. "Wow, I had no idea how bad off they could be."
"Yeah, it does put things in perspective. Still, that's why it's great that you decided to help out. It's a way of giving back to those who could use the help."
"Well, then I'm glad that this is helping."
When they finished in the kitchen, Coco came over to them and said, "Today’s dinner rush went well. There are still a few stragglers coming in right now, but our other assistants should be able to handle helping them. You girls can go now if you want."
Sonata then remembered the paper and spoke up. "Ms. Coco, I needed to give you a paper to sign before I leave."
"Oh, well then. Let me take a look at it."
Sonata quickly went to her backpack and fished out the sheet. She returned to Coco and handed it over to her. She looked it over and smiled, "Alright, just give me a minute." She walked to the back office to grab a pen. After filling out some information and signing the paper, she handed it back. "There you go. So, if that's everything, I must get back to work."
"Yes ma'am, that's all I needed. Thank you very much."
"You're welcome. See you next time." And with that Coco headed back to the front of the building.
Sonata slipped the paper back into her bag and hung up her cap and apron. She waited by the staff entrance while Sunset put away her things. Once she had finished, they both headed out towards the street.
They came to a crosswalk when Sunset asked Sonata, "So, are you going directly home?"
"Yeah, Aria and Adagio are waiting for me to get back."
"Oh, I could walk with you to your place. Sometimes it's a little rough around here."
Sonata instantly had flashbacks to the past couple of weeks as soon as she heard that, and answered with "That would be great actually."
They headed back in the direction of the school, talking most of the way.
"So, do you miss Equestria?" Sunset asked curiously.
Sonata took a few minutes to think about the question before she responded. "Sometimes. Honestly, though, it's been a millennium since we were there, and I'm so used to this world that it doesn't bother me that much. Besides, it probably wouldn't be the same."
"So then you three really were around for all that time? You guys must be really good at history then."
"Maybe Adagio or Aria are, but I’m not. I never really paid attention to the current events."
"Hmm, I guess that wasn’t really much of an issue for me either. Oh well. As for me, I think that I would like to return one day back to Equestria. Although, I don't really have any problem with staying in this world either.”
“Wait a minute, return?” Sonata asked a bit confused. “So then, that means that you’re a pony too?”
“Yeah, didn’t I mention that before?”
“No, I didn't even have a clue that you came directly from Equestria.” I don’t even think Adagio knew that for sure, she thought.
“Oh, sorry about that. But yeah, I am a pony.”
"Huh, well, I hope it works out for you," Sonata replied.
"Thanks," Sunset said chuckling a little. "Still, I’ve been able to keep in contact with my friends on the other side."
"Oh yeah, you had mentioned something about that earlier. How does that work exactly?" Sonata asked attentively.
"Well, I have this journal that has a connection with another one in Equestria. Whatever I write in mine can be seen in the other one and vice versa."
"So then, you magically text with a phone book," Sonata said smiling.
Sunset couldn't help but laugh at her remark. "Wow, I have no idea how I missed that one."
Sonata laughed a little at the joke and said, "That makes it even funnier." As they kept going Sonata then asked, "How are they doing, by the way?"
"Pretty good, according to Twilight’s last message. Next time that I have my journal with me, I'd be more than happy to let you have a look."
Sonata didn't know what to say. Everything was going according to plan, and yet this only caused her to stress out. She quickly said, "Thanks, but you don't have to." Sonata couldn't stand knowing that so much hinged on her getting that book and completely destroying any chance of gaining new friends.
"It's not a problem. Besides, I'd like you to see what we've been talking about."
Sonata saw that there was no way around the problem and responded with, "Well, if you insist."
As they proceeded past the school, they continued talking about their favorite pastime and interests. It wasn't too much longer till they had arrived at the apartment building.
"Take care, and see you tomorrow," Sunset said.
"Yeah, you too," Sonata replied.
As Sunset headed back down the street, Sonata forced herself up the stairs. It took every ounce of her will to climb to the third floor, knowing that such a beautiful day could be turned completely upside down as soon as she got home. She cautiously snuck into the apartment, keeping the door from slamming shut. So far, so good, she thought as she saw the empty living room in front of her.
She then noticed her sisters' voices coming from the kitchen. There was no way that she would be unnoticed by the other two, so she took a deep breath and walked into the room with Adagio and Aria.
"There you are. We were wondering when you would show up." Adagio cooed in a taunting manner. Aria on the other hand just ignored them both, busy reading something on her phone. "I hope that you have something good to tell us."
"Well, um, I didn't get their magic item, but I did find out that it belongs to Sunset," Sonata offered.
Adagio, seemingly unamused, got up from the table and said sternly, "And you just let her leave with it."
"She didn't have it with her."
"Did she tell you where she kept it or what it was?"
"She didn't tell me where she kept it, but she did say it was a journal."
"Ugh, I guess that will do. But the moment you see it, you had better take it."
"Y-yes," Sonata stammered back.
Aria, without looking up from her phone said, "As if she could."
With that Aria and Adagio got up and left the apartment.
Sonata just stayed in the living room and texted Slate until it was late. When Aria and Adagio had returned Sonata was already asleep.
The following morning was practically the same as Monday, nothing out of the norm happened. It was peaceful save for one or two kids trying to antagonize Sonata, and even that turned out better than I could have expected. When they confronted her about all the things that she and the other two had done, I was about to step in when she sincerely apologized to them. Apparently, they had been expecting her to react in some other way because, when she did that, they didn't know what else to say other than, "Uh, good," and just walked away.
It was just an ordinary day at school. We hung out with our friends, got work done, and enjoyed lunch together. Only a couple of other things stood out to me, like that a lot of the attention that Sonata and I got from the rest of the school had died down a little. My guess was that maybe it had something to do with us hanging out with Sunset and the others. The other was that every so often I would notice Adagio and Aria looking at us. Pinkie eventually went over to invite them to hang out with us, but they refused and left. It was a bit odd, but it didn't bother me or the others all that much.
When Sonata and I went to the study hall, we talked as usual after finishing our work.
"So you're headed to karate today, right?"
"Yeah, why do you ask?"
"The front office clerk said that I would be helping out at an animal shelter downtown today. The address she gave me seems familiar, and I think it's close to your karate school."
"Mind if I take a look at it?"
"Go ahead," she said handing me the address paper. After glancing at it for a little, I pulled out my phone and quickly typed the info into a web search. A map then popped up on my screen showing its location.
"Hmm, from the looks of it, it's about half a block away from Iron Will’s dojo on the main street." I showed her the map as I handed back the paper.
"See, I knew it was nearby," She said smiling.
"I guess you did," I laughed lightly.
"So do you want to walk together when school lets out?"
"You don't have to ask me twice, of course I do."
We both smiled and continued talking until class ended.
The rest of our classes were pretty calm, and asides from some slight boredom neither of us had any real issues.
When the last bell rang, I got to the foyer and met up with Sonata.
"Ready?" I asked her.
"Ready."
Just like that, we were off.
On the way over to the animal shelter, Sonata seemed to have a bit of a realization and turned to me. "Hey, Slate."
"What's up?"
"At that karate school, do they use belts?"
"Yes, they do."
"So what belt are you?"
"Well, right now I'm a red belt from my previous school."
"Is that a high rank?"
"I guess so. It's just underneath a black belt. Still, I'm not sure when I'd be able to move up. Why do you ask?"
"Just curious. You never told me about it before."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Wow, I guess it never crossed my mind. Weird."
"It's alright," she said smiling at me.
"Hmm, can I ask you something?"
"What about?"
"Well, since you were in a band, what kind of music did you perform?"
It took her a little bit of thinking before she responded with a shrug. "I don't know. When we would sing, our music would usually just fit the mood of where we were because of our magic. But I guess you could say it was pop."
"Well, that's a bit strange. Interesting, but strange."
"Yeah I don't get it either, but it worked for what we needed...for the most part anyways."
As we walked past the street that led to the dojo, we saw a sign hanging out over the doorway to a building that read, ‘Canterlot County Animal Shelter.'
"Guess this is the place," I said turning to Sonata. "So, if I finish up before you do, I'll come back here to wait for you."
"Okay, and I'll wait for you by the karate school if I get out early," Sonata offered.
"Sounds good, see you in a while then."
I headed back to the dojo and got ready for class while Sonata got ready to help at that shelter.
When Sonata got into the building, she was greeted by a reception office, with a couple of chairs lined up against the wall closest to the door. Directly in front of her was a counter that stretched from one end of the room to the other, save for a small section that had a hinged countertop instead. There were a couple of clerks behind the counter who seemed to be wrapped up in their work. Just then, one of them looked up and took notice of Sonata standing by the door.
"Uh, hello. Can we help you?" the guy said.
"Yes, I’m here to help with the volunteer work," Sonata responded and held out the paper she had received earlier.
After a brief glance and some clacking away at the computer in front of him, he looked back up at her and said, "You must be Sonata Dusk, from Canterlot High school, right?"
"Yes."
"Excellent. Go ahead and follow me please," he said while holding the countertop up for her to pass through to the back. They walked over to an office where an older gentleman was looking over some paperwork.
"Sir, the other volunteer just arrived."
"Ah, thank you," he said.
The boy nodded and headed back to the front of the building. Just then, the man behind the desk cleared his throat to get Sonatas attention.
"Hello, miss Sonata Dusk, I'm the kennel master for the shelter. Are you ready to get to work?"
She wasn't exactly sure what that entailed, but answered, "Yes."
"Good, good. Here, pin this to your shirt," he said handing her a tag that read "Volunteer." Once it was in place, he stood up, headed for the hallway and beckoned Sonata to follow him. As they walked towards the kennels, he gave her the basic idea of what they were doing. "So ,while you're here you need to make sure to be wearing gloves when you deal with the animals. You'll be making sure that they are fed, watered and that their enclosures are clean."
When he looked back at Sonata, he could see a look of concern on her face. He began again, "It isn't all that hard, and you'll be working with one of our more experienced volunteers. Just follow their lead and you'll do just fine."
"All right, I'll do my best."
"Good to hear. There are a few more things that you need to know, but I think Fluttershy can fill you in on that." As they walked into the back area, Fluttershy was kneeling down by the cages and petting a few of the dogs on the head or scratching them behind the ears. "I'll be back in a little, look after the kennel."
The kennel master went back to his office, and Sonata went over to talk with Fluttershy. "Hey, Fluttershy."
"Oh, hello Sonata. You're helping out here too?"
"Yeah, I was going to ask you the same thing."
"I usually help out here whenever I have the chance."
"So you like animals, huh?"
"Absolutely. They are just so cute. I couldn't stand not helping them find good homes."
"Well, that's really nice of you. So what do we need to do right now?"
"Um, well, first things first. We better make sure they eat something and have water."
Sonata looked around the room until she found a huge sack of dog food. "Okay, got it."
Fluttershy brought out quite a few dog dishes to her and said, "Put some in these…if you don't mind." Sonata got them filled, and Fluttershy took them over to several different cages. After getting food to all the dogs and finding cat food for the few cats that were there, they went and got water for them. All in all, it took close to twenty minutes or so. Fluttershy got a clipboard and started checking off different boxes next to the animals names. She spent a little more time looking at it before she turned back to Sonata. "Now that we got that done, um, we've got a couple of minutes before they finish dinner. Then we have to take a few of them over to the vet."
"Seriously? How far is that from here?"
"Not far, actually," Fluttershy said smiling. "There is an on-staff vet here at the shelter."
Sonata suddenly flushed red with embarrassment when she heard that, and said, "Oh. That makes more sense than taking them to an entirely different place."
Fluttershy just put a hand on Sonatas shoulder and said, "Don't be embarrassed, I didn't know this place had a vet the first time I helped out here either."
With that reassurance, the red slowly faded from her face as they both kept an eye on the kennel. Soon all the animals had finished their meals and seemed content. One or two of them slept while others tried playing with their neighbors.
Fluttershy then said to Sonata, "Let's get Rex in for his checkup first."
"Okay," Sonata responded as she snapped on a pair latex gloves and started looking for the right pet before stopping. "Um, which one is Rex supposed to be."
Fluttershy looked over the list and said, "Sorry, forgot to mention the breed. You're looking for a tan Chihuahua."
"Right." After a brief search, Sonata found the right dog. She opened the cage door only to have the tiny dog jump out and run to her feet excitedly. It sniffed her shoes and stared up at her. She closed the cage and picked up Rex.
"Okay, follow me," Fluttershy told Sonata. They walked through the hallways past the reception area and into a room with an examination table, several cabinets full of medical supplies, and a table in the corner with a laptop on it along with someone using it. Fluttershy knocked on the door frame and called to the person, "Hello doctor. We have a patient for you."
The woman looked up from the computer screen and walked over to the examination table. "Hello Fluttershy, go ahead and bring him here."
Sonata and Fluttershy brought Rex over to her. She asked for its name and began to examine it. She weighed it; checked its back, mouth, ears, eyes, and legs. She then grabbed a stethoscope and checked its heartbeat and wrote down some notes on a pad. All the while Sonata had been watching the doctor work with a mild bit of interest.
The doctor then gave it a small treat and stroked its back. She then turned to Sonata and said, "So, first time helping out here I see."
"Yes, ma'am. I'm Sonata Dusk. It's nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too. I'm Dr. Flummox. So, how many more pets do you have left that need an examination?"
"Just two more," Fluttershy answered.
"I see. Today's going to be short," the doctor said. "Well, might as well get this finished."
"Um, will do," Fluttershy said as she picked up Rex.
"We'll be right back," Sonata said as they went back to the kennels.
The next animal that they brought to the doctor was a Himalayan cat named Patches. Like before Dr. Flummox gave it a quick physical examination only to find it reasonably healthy. Once that was over, they took it back to the kennels and retrieved the last animal, a stray husky. The Husky, however, was proving to be a bit of a challenge since it was doing everything to keep Sonata from leading it to the examination room. Fortunately, Fluttershy was able to get it to behave. She even got it to relax while the doctor looked it over. Once they got it back to its cage, Sonata took a seat next to Fluttershy.
"You are excellent with animals," Sonata said.
"It's nothing, really," she replied. "You just have to show them a little affection."
"Well, it seems to work."
Fluttershy just smiled. Just then, the kennel master walked back in to check up on their progress.
"Okay, got the paperwork done, now let's just have a look-see here at the list." He checked to see what else needed attention but found that all the main work was done. "Hmm, I'm bit surprised that you two managed to finish up so quickly."
"So, what else do we need to do?" Sonata asked.
"Nothing. I understand that you, Sonata, are here because of a disciplinary program. Right?" the kennel master inquired.
"Yes. They gave me a form that I need to be signed by you."
"Of course. I can take care of that."
Sonata went and got the paper from her bag and handed it over to the kennel master. He filled it out and gave it back to her.
"Thanks, you two. We do appreciate it, and the animals do seem happy."
"Oh, um, it was nothing," Fluttershy responded. "I always love helping around here."
"Glad to hear it. Everything is in order, so you can head home now."
"Okay, goodbye sir," both girls said and headed to the reception area.
Once outside, they made their way over to the karate center and waited by the entrance.
Sonata asked, "So, are you waiting for someone too?"
"Um, sort of. I usually get a ride from Rainbow Dash since my home is on the way over to hers."
"That's good. It shouldn't be too much longer till they finish."
"Yeah."
As class concluded, and we went to get our stuff from the locker area, Rainbow Dash told me about a few sporting events that were going to be taking place at the school and was wondering if Sonata and I would care to check it out. I didn't want to promise anything, but I did say I'd check with her. As far as I knew, it might be fun to see together.
I changed out quickly, and we started making our way outside along with several other students. We were going to head over to the crosswalk but stopped when Sonata called out.
"Hey, Slate. Hey, Rainbow Dash." She greeted from just beside the door.
I turned to Sonata and said, "Hello Sonata," as I gave her a quick hug. "Hello, Fluttershy. Been out here long?"
"No, not really."
Just then a car pulled up right in front of the dojo, and Rainbow Dash turned to both of us and said, "Oh, my rides here. Need a ride Fluttershy?"
"Oh, um, yes please."
"Okay. How about you two?"
Sonata and I looked at each other, and she said, "It isn't that far."
"It's alright. I'm sure we can manage, but thank you."
Rainbow just shrugged and responded with, "Suit yourselves. See you guys tomorrow."
"Alright, take care."
Sonata gave a small wave and said, "Bye guys."
Fluttershy waved back before they headed over to the car and left.
As we began walking back home, Sonata held onto my arm. I couldn't help but remember the first time we walked together. While the circumstances were totally different then, walking arm in arm with her got my heart beating faster.
Along the way, I told her about a few funny things that happened during some of our classes apart. From there we kept going back and forth, telling each other about different interesting events. It was nice to be sharing a few laughs along the way. We didn't even notice how fast the time went by as we arrived back at home.
Up in front of her apartment, she looked at me and said, "Thanks for walking back with me. I just wish we could spend a little more time together."
I thought about it briefly. "Well, we could. Follow me."
"Where? It's already getting late."
"Don't worry. It's here at the apartments. Yesterday, while you were helping at the soup kitchen, I decided to check out the rest of the building. Turns out that the rooftop door wasn't locked, and it probably still isn't. Want to see?"
"Sure. But only for a little while. Okay?"
"Alright."
We went up past the sixth floor and came to the rooftop exit. I pushed on the door latch, and it slowly opened up. I quickly checked to see if the outer door handle was unlocked, just to make sure we wouldn't end up stranded, and found it working as well. We left it open and walked over to the side closest to the street. As we leaned against the wall and looked out over the town the sky had a dark pinkish hue to it as the last bit of sunlight was peeking over the horizon. The moon had even begun making its way across the sky as well.
Sonata just looked out and took in the scenery. She then said, "Wow, this is an incredible view."
"Well, you know. I thought it looked almost like a painting. I wasn't sure if you'd been up here."
"I've never had the chance to. Adagio always had us go along with her to prepare for her plans. So there was never really any time for stuff like this. But, I love it up here. Thank you."
She hugged me and I wrapped an arm around her as we kept admiring the view.
It wasn't long however before her phone went off. She fumbled around with it before a furious, and loud voice shot out of the ear piece. Impressive when you consider the speaker option wasn't selected. After that earfull, she turned back to me and sadly said, "Sorry. I do need to get going now."
I shook my head and offered, "If anything, I should be apologizing. Are you going to be alright?"
"Yeah. Adagio’s tantrums don't last long. Besides, it was nice up here. Thanks again." She then leaned in and planted a kiss on my cheek. "See you tomorrow," she said before running down the stairs.
I followed suit and got back home. Dad had been waiting in the living room for me. Unsurprisingly, he was a bit upset that I hadn't arrived back at the usual time.
"Slate, where have you been? You had me worried."
"Sorry about that dad. I had promised to walk Sonata back from her community service. I guess I lost track of time."
Dad grumbled a bit before he responded. "Fine, but next time you'd better let me know ahead of time."
"Yes, sir."
"Now, I needed to let you know that I'm going to be heading out on a business trip back to our old town. One of the company's clients is requesting that I meet up with them in person to give my thoughts on a new prototype for medical equipment. I'll be leaving tomorrow afternoon. Can I trust you to look after this place?"
"Yes. But, uh, wouldn't it have been easier for them to send you blueprints or something like that instead of flying you in?"
"Unfortunately, they are concerned about losing that kind of information. That's why they want me there in person."
"I see, that makes sense."
"Well, now that that's out of the way you should probably get changed out. You did work out after all."
"Right."
Without anything else going on that night I prepped for the next day and made sure that everything was in order before going to sleep.