Sunset Shimmer finds herself taking care of Sonata Dusk after she's been robbed of her magic by the other two.
Life is going good for Sunset Shimmer. She's gone from a bitter, angry loner to being surrounded by friends, has a girlfriend for the first time in her life, and even helped save the human world from being mind controlled by three emotion-sucking monsters.
So imagine her surprise when one of the said emotion-sucking monsters reappears a month after their defeat as a young, mute child who is pick-pocketing to get by. Now she needs to figure out what to do with the child-ized Sonata Dusk that has come into her life.
"I DON'T BELIEVE THIS!" Adagio Dazzle screamed as she and the two other sirens-turned-humans finally made it back to the rundown apartment they had all been sharing for just over a year now. "Everything we worked for, RUINED! We had our magic back and the entire school was our adoring slaves, SO HOW COULD WE LOSE TO THOSE MAKERS-DAMNED RAINBOOMS!?"
"Why are you yelling at ME like it's MY FAULT?!" Aria Blaze asked just as viciously. "We followed YOUR PLAN just like YOU said to! This whole mess is YOUR FAULT!"
"Girls, please, don't fight!" Sonata Dusk pleaded, looking from one siren to the other.
"SHUT UP SONATA!" The other two screamed, causing the blue siren to flinch away.
"I don't even think you were trying at all!" Adagio snapped at her. "The way you were acting, I'd swear you thought this was a game! Do you even WANT to go home!?"
"Seriously Sonata," Aria added. "We're all ready to turn the school against each other and all you could think about was tacos. You're not just the worst, you're the STUPIDEST."
Sonata didn't say anything to this; she simply backed away again without looking up at either of them.
"Our gems, our means of collecting emotions for magic, food, and possibly our only way home, DESTROYED!" Adagio kicked the only coffee table with enough force that it actually broke. "DAMNIT!" she yelled as her foot began throbbing in pain.
"Perfect example right there," Aria said with a smirk. "Yeah, you destroyed the table, but now you probably busted a toe."
There was no hesitation. Adagio launched herself at Aria and the two proceeded to scratch, claw, tug, pull, punch, and kick at each other. Sonata watched them fight, unsure what to do to stop them from tearing into each other. Thankfully, the events of the night and the subsequent retreat back 'home' had tired them out enough already that the fight was brief with relatively little bloodshed or injury and most of the real damage occurring to their outfits.
"This is a waste of time," Adagio said she pulled herself free of Aria, got up, and made for the bathroom and their first aid supplies. Aria was right on her heels, leaving Sonata alone in their small living room.
As soon as they reached the bathroom Adagio flung open the medicine cabinet without looking at her reflection for even a second. She had enough of an idea how badly she looked right now and really didn't need a visual confirmation. Between herself and Aria practically everything medical was ripped out of the cabinet and was strewn across the sink or on top of the toilet's water tank. Each of them applied medicine to themselves as if their own bodies had done them wrong.
'The Rainbooms will PAY for this. If it takes the rest of my life, I WILL make them suffer for tonight!' Satisfied with her hap-hazard first-aid work, Adagio stuffed the medical supplies back into the cabinet and slammed it shut. When she did, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror this time. She did a double take, then simply stared at her reflection.
"Yeah," Aria piped up, "you DO look that hideous."
As an answer, Adagio reached out, grabbed Aria by the chin, and forced her to look at the mirror as well.
"Adagio, what the f-!" Aria cut herself off mid-yell as she got a look at herself as well. More specifically, as she got a look at her eyes.
Both her and Adagio's eyes had the faintest tinge of red in them.
"What..." Aria said.
"How... but... the gems..." Adagio stammered. "This is impossible..." Then the gears started turning in the siren's mind. Slowly, the look of shock on her face started becoming one of triumph.
"Uh, Adagio... you going crazy on me here?" Aria asked, actual concern making its way into her voice. More for her own sense of well-being than Adagio's, but it was still there.
"No you idiot; I just realized something," the lead siren said, her cool, calculating voice returning.
"Care to share?"
"Think about it; even earth ponies have magic in them. Anything from Equestria does."
"And your point?"
Adagio's smile grew even more. "Which means that, even without the gems, we still have our own natural magic. Sure, those gems boosted it quite a bit, but then again we are still only teenagers ourselves back home."
"So?"
"So, our natural magic is finally showing. We might not be able to use it to get home as quickly, but we can certainly use it to survive long enough to make a plan. That Twilight of theirs came from Equestria, which means there's a way back. All we need to do is find that way."
"But remember what we overheard those idiot Rainbooms discussing? It won't be the same Equestria we left. That damn Starswirl sent us forward in time, as well as sending us to this diamond dog crap-hole of a world," Aria reminded her.
"True, but if he can send us forward in time, then it only stands to reason that a spell exists that goes backwards as well," Adagio said. "Once we get back to Equestria, all we need to do is find it."
"Maybe even go back a bit further and take care of old bells and beard before he can take care of us."
"My thought's exactly," Adagio agreed.
They admired themselves in the mirror some more before a thought occurred to Aria. "Hopefully this time Sonata can keep her tiny brain focused."
Adagio frowned at this, but then almost immediately smiled again. "Do you remember that one fool who nearly got the whole pod killed during that one storm?"
"Yeah, the pod banished him. Why?"
Adagio's smirk grew. "Do you remember how they banished him?"
Aria stared at her a minute, then a smirk worked its way onto her face as well. "Yes I do. Do you think the two of us can do it on our own?"
"Please, that idiot wouldn't know what's happening until it was done and we were half a block down the street." Adagio turned to Aria and stuck out her hand. "For the good of the pod?"
Aria reached out and shook it. "For the good of the pod," she agreed.
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.
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."
