Being a Sunday, the day was, as one would expect, a calm and relatively uneventful one. While there were certainly plenty of people out and about on the streets of Canterlot, the whole place had an air of peace about it, like there was no real rush to go anywhere or do anything all that important. Such was the environment that Fluttershy now found herself, walking down the sidewalk with a contented smile upon her face. In her hands were a massive pile of fliers, each bearing the words "Come help out at the Animal Shelter" in bright letters. As she carried on with her journey, she happened to pass by the local swimming centre, and just turned the corner around it when a sudden gust of wind caught her by surprise.
"Oh my!"
It had the expected effect, as one of the fliers was suddenly swept from her grasp. Naturally, this caused some mild distress for the girl, as she started to speed off after the thing. Thankfully, it didn't go far, and as she breathed a sigh of relief, she knelt down to pick it up. And it was here that, to her surprise, she heard a sudden splash of water nearby. Curiosity took hold of her, and she glanced at the nearby short wall and fencing that she knew from experience went around the edge of the outdoor section of the swimming centre. Approaching the wall, Fluttershy began to stand on the tips of her toes, glancing over to get a better look. And when she did, her face bore a clear surprised expression.
"Sonata?"
Sure enough, it was indeed the youngest Siren sister that was over there. Sonata was currently swimming from one end of the pool to the other in what, to Fluttershy, was a truly astonishing speed. From where she was standing, the animal carer could tell that her former foe was clad in the simple navy blue one-piece swimsuit granted to female students of CHS, complete with a cap for her hair. As the Siren was carrying on with her swim, Fluttershy, letting her curiosity take hold yet again, looked around. She spotted a nearby gate in the wall and walked over to it, making sure to be extra careful with her fliers as she used her one free hand to open it. Once inside, and after closing the gate behind her, she took a few steps towards the pool's edge before finally calling out to her friend.
"Um...Sonata?"
Even in the midst of a fast-paced breaststroke, the other girl clearly heard her, and stopped right in the middle of her swim. After looking around briefly, she caught sight of Fluttershy, breaking out into a massive smile as she waved to her.
"Hey there, Flutters!"
Fluttershy smiled back, nervously returning the wave as she watched Sonata gently start to swim in her direction. Keeping her eyes on her, Fluttershy observed as Sonata reached the edge of the pool, placing her hands upon it as she continued to beam at her.
"Watcha upto? Coming for a swim?"
Fluttershy shook her head.
"Er...no. I was actually in the middle of handing out these fliers..."
She looked down to the pile of paper in her hands before glancing back up at Sonata.
"...when I heard your swimming."
Sonata continued to smile at her.
"I know, it's great, right? I mean, they don't normally let people in here on Sundays, but the guys here were super nice in letting me have a swim here every week!"
Fluttershy seemed taken aback by that.
"They just let you in?"
The Siren nodded.
"Yep! I asked if it was okay, and they said yes! I'm pretty much the only person who asked for it, so I guess that was the reason."
Her smile faded slightly as she considered the situation.
"I mean, sure, they said one of them had to be around to keep an eye on me when I did it, but yeah, they said it'd be no problem."
Raising an eyebrow, Fluttershy looked up from her friend, scouring the area for such a person. Sure enough, she managed to spot one of the centre's pool attendants, who was currently watching both of them from inside the nearby building. To Fluttershy's slight concern however, the guy seemed to be watching them by way of a pair of binoculars, a fact so strange that the one in question immediately realised he was being watched and instantly darted down the window, lest he be seen further. While Fluttershy grimaced at this slightly, Sonata looked over to the window before casting her eyes back at her friend.
"It's pretty nice of them, right?"
Looking down at the young Siren's happy and innocent-looking face, Fluttershy mentally wrestled with herself for a bit before finally forcing a small smile.
"Um...sure, it's...nice."
A giggle escaped Sonata at this, after which she spun around in place, leaning her back against the edge before starting to gently sway her legs back and forth in the water. Fluttershy, in the silence that followed, considered all of this before clearing her throat, gaining Sonata's attention again.
"You know, Sonata...if you really want to swim every week, you don't have to come here."
Looking over her shoulder, a look of curiosity crossed Sonata's face, prompting Fluttershy to continue.
"I mean...you know the woodland next to my cottage? Well, there's this really big pond in the middle of it. You and I did some singing practice there once, remember? It's about the size of this pool so...if you want..."
She didn't finish her words, as Sonata had already picked up her meaning, looking to her with a surprised expression.
"For realsies? You'd let me come over and do that?"
Putting on a more genuine smile this time, Fluttershy nodded back.
"Of course I would! Feel free to come over whenever you like!"
Sonata let out a happy squeal to this, which Fluttershy couldn't help but giggle at.
"You really do love swimming, don't you?"
To this, Sonata looked to her and nodded.
"Yep. I mean, my sisters and I are water creatures. And even when we became human we always loved going out into water."
Briefly she started to look a little down.
"I mean...we can't really breathe underwater anymore, so we can't do a lot of the stuff we used to, like swim with dolphins and whales, but..."
She perked up slightly.
"...can't win em all, right?"
For a time, Fluttershy looked down at her friend with a sympathetic expression, which she did her best to hide when Sonata gave her full attention to her once more.
"It's fine. We got used to it and stuff. Still kinda miss the sea, the real sea, but...it's just one of those things I guess."
There was a silence between them for a time, during which Fluttershy nervously shifted her weight from one foot to the other. After the time had passed however, Sonata returned to her wide and happy smile.
"Hey, how about we swim together when I come over?"
A blush formed on Fluttershy's face after hearing this.
"Oh! I couldn't possibly...!"
But she didn't get the chance to finish, as Sonata chose this moment to finally hoist herself out of the pool. After taking a moment to take her cap off, letting her ponytail fall down her back, she continued to grin widely at the animal carer.
"Come on! It'll be fun!"
Fluttershy shook her head, looking away from her.
"But I...But I...I don't really do swimming with...well...other people."
Sonata titled her head slightly, then reached forward, taking hold of Fluttershy's free hand. Though surprised at this, and making sure not to drop her fliers, the latter looked to her colleague, and those big wide eyes of hers, as she listened to her carry on.
"Please? Pretty please, with a cherry on top?"
She was so eager, so excited at the prospect, and with such pleading eyes, that eventually, Fluttershy simply broke down. Letting out a sigh, she let her shoulders slump slightly, before smiling and giving Sonata a slight nod.
"Okay...I'll swim with you."
The Siren let out yet another happy squeal, before then moving forward and embracing Fluttershy in a friendly hug. Given that she was still somewhat wet from the pool, Fluttershy swiftly moved her fliers out of the way, lest they get dripped on. Fortunately for her, the hug didn't last long, and as Sonata pulled away from her, she continued to grin in that giddy way of hers.
"This is great!"
Then a thoughtful look came to her before she resumed her smile.
"Hey...how about I get changed, then come and help you with your fliers?"
Hearing that, Fluttershy's face lit up somewhat.
"R...really? You'd do that?"
Sonata nodded.
"Yep! I'm pretty done here anyway."
And with that, the Siren started to move off, heading for the main building of the swim centre, no doubt to dry off and get changed as she'd said. However, as Fluttershy watched her go, a thought came to mind, and she called out to her, with her voice tinted with slight concern.
"Um...Sonata? You don't...er...you don't let the pool guard watch you change, do you?"
Looking over her shoulder, Sonata raised an eyebrow and gained a smirk, not unlike those of her sister, Adagio, before snorting a bit.
"Pfft! Nope! Come on, Flutters, I'm not that dumb! Staring at my ass while I'm swimming is all he's getting."
