Family Begins With You

by Jmaster49

Arc XI Episode I: Holiday Cheer

A few days later…at the Siren’s home…

Adagio had finished setting up the Christmas tree and made herself busy wrapping up presents.

Sonata woke up soon after and groggily mumbled, “Moooorniiiing…”

“Morning, Sonata,” Adagio replied from the couch, “How did everything go with the new boy at school?”

At the mention of her new friend, she perked right up in an instant. “Oh yeah! We’re totally helping him get used to this world. Honestly, there’s a bit more to him than we thought. Turns out he had it a bit rough…”

“I know,” the eldest siren said with a frown, “Sunset filled me in on his past. His sisters were horrible and I hope they burn eternally.”

“Same here. But what can we do to help him feel more comfortable?” Sonata asked as she went to the fridge to grab some orange juice. “...I get the feeling that he has a hard time dealing with girls for that reason.”

“I’ve heard, yes…” Despite this, Adagio still wanted to do something for Keiji as she didn’t want him to fall to despair like they almost did. “Nevertheless, I have an idea.” She glanced down at the box she had been wrapping.

Sonata had drank down half a glass of juice and curiously asked, “Oh? Whatcha got in mind, sis?”

“I’ll let you know in more detail once Aria wakes up,” the yellow girl placed the wrapped box next to her and started on another. “But let’s just say, we’re gonna pay him a visit…”

That proposition made Sonata rock back and forth from her heels to toes with excitement. “Ooh! Ooh! Can I like, wear my reindeer outfit? I didn’t get a chance to last year!”

“Sure, of course,” Adagio replied with a smile, “I’ll be wearing my Mrs. Claus outfit and break out the ol’ thigh-highs. And Aria…well, she has a few options. I wonder what she’ll pick…”

Speaking of which, their middle sibling finally arrived. “Ugggh…” She entered the living room while groaning as she rubbed the side of her head. “Goddamn…I had a rough one last night?”

Adagio got up from the couch and walked over to her sister. “...Are you alright, Ari?” she asked as she grabbed onto Aria’s free hand with both of hers.

“Yeah, I just…had this shit dream last night,” Aria muttered.

Sonata’s eyes grew wide as soon as she heard the word, “‘Dream’? Uh…mind telling us what happened?”

Aria let go of Adagio and took a seat near the kitchen. “Well I had a dream where I was surrounded by these creepy little robotic dolls that sang in ear-piercing pitches. I couldn’t sleep for shit last night.”

“...That’s strange,” Adagio thought aloud, “Did you eat anything crazy last night?”

“Nope,” Aria answered while grabbing the carton of orange juice from the fridge, “We all had dinner together last night, remember.”

Sonata tapped her fingertips together in a nervous fashion. “Uh…”

Adagio glanced in her direction, able to instantly figure out that something was bothering her. “...Sonata? What’s the matter? If you know something, you can tell us. Don’t be afraid.”

“You both might wanna sit down…”

One explanation later…

“Dash suffered from something similar, eh?” Aria questioned, “Figures. Someone’s trying to screw with us.”

“But this is…beyond peculiar,” Adagio pointed out the absurdity of the situation, “To our knowledge, only Princess Luna has any control over dream magic. And she’s not here, so…”

Sonata nodded. “Exactly. That’s what makes this so freaky-deaky. Like, how does someone force control over dreams?”

“Whoever they are, they’re a real smartass,” Aria muttered under her breath, then spoke up, “Since Princess Luna isn’t here, there’s no way for anyone to stop this. She’s the only one who knows how to enter dreams.”

“But it’s not in her character to do something so devious…” Adagio mused, “Do you think someone from Equestria is…”

“If so, like, how?” Sonata asked, “You mean to say somebody learned how to control dreams and ran off to a world where they wouldn’t face any challeng--ohhhh…” she tilted her head upwards once the sensation of realization hit her. That was it alright. Someone was taking advantage of the vast capability of dream magic for their own benefit…

Aria snapped her fingers. “There it is. At least we figured something out. But we can’t really do much until we fall asleep again…”

“Don’t worry,” Adagio put a hand on Aria’s shoulder, “Tonight, we’ll stay up with you and hopefully catch the culprit in their tracks before they do anymore damage. I can’t imagine how it must’ve been for Rainbow Dash. Forced to spend time with a complete creep…blech…” she feigned a gagging motion with her tongue out.

“Thanks, you guys…” Aria drank her juice, and stretched her arms out. “Alright, so who are we visiting this year? Should I get my Gingerbread Girl outfit?”

“Are you sure?” Adagio asked, “You don’t have to push yourself…”

But Aria was adamant. “Nah, I’ll be fine. I know I wasn’t as into it last year, but this year? I’m ready to spread some holiday cheer to the faces that need it. Plus…I kinda like the way that dress feels. I’ve been…” she broke eye contact as she continued, “...trying it on in my spare time. And it still fits.”

“Yay!” Sonata chirped as she threw her arms around Aria to hug her. “I told you those weight loss plans work if they work for the humans.”

“Ech--yeah, yeah,” Aria rolled her eyes as she reluctantly returned the embrace. She then looked over at Adagio and asked, “So who are we headed to first, A-dawg?”

Adagio had walked back over to her boxes that she had just finished wrapping. “Well…I heard some things through the grape-tree as the humans call it--”

“Vine--” Aria corrected her.

“Whatever. Anyway, a certain someone needs a family to spend the holidays with. So we’re going to do our best to give him that experience.” She stacked a few boxes upright and said, “Get dressed girls. We’re heading out."