Moonlight Sonata
The gentle bells of Hearth's Warming carols filled the air, a welcome accompaniment to the snowfall drifting onto the streets outside the windows of the modestly-sized, but warm and comfy homeless shelter nestled in the heart of the Crystal City. Such snow wasn't nearly so pleasant when she and her life-partners had been stuck out in it, but now that they had a place to stay, Sonata was happy to watch it fall with her elbows resting comfortably on the windowsill. Well, she was somewhat happy, at least. Truth be told, she was a bit bored, but with no money and her best friend Sour Sweet busy for the holiday, there wasn't much to do except watch TV, and she'd rather watch the snow. At least the snow was real.
"Sonata?" A gentle voice broke through her reverie, pulling Sonata's gaze back inside toward one of the regular shelter volunteers, Fluttershy. They had encountered one-another before back when the sirens first came to Canterlot, but Fluttershy, at least, had been quick to forgive the sirens. Especially after Sunset Shimmer had vouched for them. "Are you doing okay? You look a little sad." Sonata heaved a little sigh and shrugged her shoulders in response before plopping her chin into her cupped hands.
Fluttershy giggled softly. "Are you bored?" Sonata nodded. "You know, around this time of year they always have festivals around town you could check out." Fluttershy's hand slipped into her pocket to pull out a small pamphlet and hand it over. "There's one going on tonight, as a matter of fact. I hear from the other residents that it always makes them feel better this time of year, and you don't have to pay anything."
Sonata perked up as she took the pamphlet to look it over. According to the cover, there were going to be free games, activities, face-painting, and even a light show as the sun went down. It was going on for a few days, but Sonata had school during the week. If she was going to stay up to see the light show, it would have to be tonight.
Sonata nodded with a pleased squeal and leapt from her chair to wrap Fluttershy in a tight hug. The softer girl just giggled and patted her back briefly before Sonata broke away to charge into the back, where she knew her life-partners were relaxing in their private room.
There were different places one could stay in this shelter. The free open rooms where those without jobs could seek temporary solace from the weather and warm meals, or some small private rooms that those with jobs who were trying to get back on their feet could pay a small amount for. It wasn't quite big enough for three people, but the three sirens had spent their lives together, and made do with much worse in the past, so it was fine for Sonata.
She burst into the small roompartment to see Aria Blaze huddled on the single queen-sized bed the girls shared, with a small music player nestled on her chest and earphones plugged into her ears. Meanwhile Adagio Dazzle was writing furiously on a small notepad, a string of numbers that meant nothing to Sonata but which usually made Adagio grumpy once she was done.
Sonata focused her gaze on Aria, dipping low to the ground and sneaking towards the bed with the pamphlet held tightly in her fingers. After she reached the side of the bed she slid the pamphlet up over the edge and tapped it lightly against Aria's shoulder. Aria's fingers brushed at her shoulder at first, but a few more pokes pulled her eyes away from the ceiling to gaze at Sonata. Sonata's lips spread into a toothy grin with her chin resting on the bedsheet as she waved the pamphlet beside her head.
Aria's fingers clutched the top of the pamphlet to scan the text on the front for a moment. However, once she was done her fingers moved to the top of Sonata's head and pushed her down off of the bed and out of sight so she could resume staring at the ceiling with the barely-audible music coming from her headphones.
Undeterred, Sonata crept over to Adagio instead, lifted the pamphlet, and let it slap down on the notepad right in front of her eyes. Adagio blinked for several moments, glaring down at the words before her like they were an alien come to suck out her brain, but in the end she just swept the paper off of her notepad with a careless flick of her wrist. It slid off the end of the notepad and onto the tip of Sonata's nose, from which it tumbled to the cold linoleum floor.
With a defeated sigh Sonata snapped the pamphlet from the ground and stood up. Neither of her life partners took note of her snatching her old tattered hoodie from the small stand by the door and stepping outside. She didn't want to go to the festival alone, but she really wasn't in the mood to stick around here either. Besides, the cool, crisp air that always accompanied snowfall smelled so nice even after all this time. It smelled like purity, she decided right then.
She wasn't sure where she wanted to go now that she was outside until she noticed Sunset Shimmer marching down the sidewalk towards the homeless shelter with her hands shoved into the pockets of her thick winter coat. Sonata squeaked in delight and charged up to her friend, skidding to a stop in front of her and holding the pamphlet up to her nose.
"Uh!?" Sunset Shimmer grunted in surprise and blinked at the pamphlet, then looked past it at Sonata's face. "Hey, you're-gah!" Sunset gasped when Sonata grabbed her hand and yanked her backwards down the sidewalk towards the festival. Of course Sunset Shimmer would be happy to come with her. She had always gone out of her way to help them since she found them in that alley. Sunset Shimmer's hand tried to pull away at first, clearly startled beyond reason, but soon she was running right alongside her down the sidewalk.
"Where the heck are we even going!?" Sunset demanded, but received no response from Sonata. At least, not until they rounded the final street corner and were barreling full speed towards the Hearth's Warming festival. "You've got to be kidding..." Sunset grumbled roughly, but she still couldn't pull away as Sonata dragged her past the entrance and out into the festival proper.
Pathways had been melted through the snow, leading to tents selling their Hearth's Warming themed knickknacks and baked goods, while further into the festival grounds they spotted larger tents with signs outside promising wondrous, exciting shows. From the nearest tent they could hear Hearth's Warming carols being sung by a full choir, but Sonata wasn't really interested in that. The music was nice, but she was far too excited to settle for nice.
"You're not letting me leave, are you?" Sunset grumbled sourly, but once again her funny joke went unheeded as Sonata yanked her towards one of the activity tents.
Sunset seemed to be in a sour mood at first, but she didn't try to leave or complain anymore as Sonata threw little balls into little cups. She stood stock still with her arms crossed in protest until Sonata took her hand and shoved a tiny rubber duckling into it, freshly won from the little cups. Sunset blinked down at the figurine, then looked back up at Sonata with a curious gaze, but Sonata just took her free hand to pull her towards the next tent.
Sonata knew she wasn't supposed to talk, Adagio insisted it could offend those around her, but she could barely contain the giggles that bubbled from her throat as they next found themselves in a tent housing many fishbowls filled with fish. She was supposed to try to catch them with a little net and take them home, but since she didn't have much money to play games or any room at home to keep the fish, she instead settled on looking around as the fish darted around their bowls like streaks of living color swirling around one-another.
Sunset once again stood by the door with a strangely confused, but less grumpy than before expression on her face. She seemed to be watching Sonata's every move like a hawk, refusing to move further into the tent than absolutely necessary. It wasn't until Sonata reached the back of the room beside a bowl full of tiny fish with huge, flowing fins that she saw Sunset show up on the other side of the bowl to watch the fish with her. One of Sunset's fingers lightly rapped on the glass and made the fish dance around, and also made Sonata giggle again.
It also got them kicked out of the tent. The operator pointed to a no poking the glass sign as they left, but that couldn't wipe the grin from Sonata's lips as she pulled Sunset towards the next tent.
There was a tent with temporary tattoos, from which the two of them got a candy cane on the back of each hand. There was also a tent for leaving gifts to be wrapped for kids in the neighborhood, where Sunset volunteered to leave the little rubber duckling. Sonata grinned for thirty minutes straight after that, squeezing Sunset's arm more tightly.
So happy was she that Sunset was relaxing that she barely noticed hours later that the sun was beginning to melt its way into the distant horizon after several more tents, and several repeated trips to tents they had visited before. A warm, open smile had taken over Sunset's lips and her eyes began to twinkle as the light began to fade, though that could very easily be because of the multicolored Hearth's Warming lights kicking on to light the growing night.
As the last rays of fire lit up the sky, Sunset Shimmer paid for two steaming mugs of hot chocolate and held one out to the siren. Sonata took it with the same grin she had worn all evening, a grin that surely was stuck on her lips for the rest of her life at this point. Sonata slurped up the scalding hot liquid, spat it into the snow with a horrible shriek, then took a slower, more cautious sip once it had cooled a bit. Sunset's lips wavered as if trying to decide between concern and laughter, but they eventually just settled into an even, but upturned line.
Sonata's gaze was drawn skyward as the sun vanished entirely and seemed to be replaced by a snow-white tarp being lifted into the sky on a massive pole. It was then that Sonata remembered the big finale that was coming. They certainly didn't have a great vantage point from here within the sea of tents, so she took Sunset's free hand and broke into a run towards the outer edge of the festival grounds.
Sunset Shimmer slid smoothly after her and kept a welcome pace, without a trace of struggle. They wound their way through the festival-goers on their way towards the exit, where their feet crunched through snow two inches deep on their way up the nearest hill. About halfway up Sonata turned around to look back at the massive white tarp that stood strong against the nearly-black sky. After passing her mug of cocoa to Sunset Shimmer, she lifted her hands to frame it properly, fixing her fingers in a square around the edges in her vision.
When she decided that was good enough, she grabbed Sunset's arm with both hands and yanked her to her butt with a slight grunt of protest. She retrieved her mug from her friend and took a light sip without taking her eyes off of the tarp.
Now that they had finally stopped moving for the first time since Sonata had left the shelter, the chill of the slight wind began to seep through her old and tattered hoodie. The warm cocoa cradled in her hands helped, but it wasn't much longer before a shiver ran up her spine and she hugged her knees to her chest with both arms.
It was worth it, however, when the lights came on. Strong beams of gold, red and green flitted across the tarp so quickly they began to form moving images, which pulsed and flashed to the beat of a strong bass pounding out a Hearth's Warming tune. Her heart fluttered in her chest as her eyes locked on the lights and her ears focused in on the music. She lost herself in the sensations that beat through her body, in the beauty of the lights, until the shivers were forgotten, but not defeated.
She only somewhat noticed when a pair of arms wrapped comfortably around Sonata from the side, hugging her close. Sonata still couldn't tear her eyes away from the spectacle before her, but she could hear Sunset speak, now that her lips were so close to her ear.
"You are just a wierdo, you know that?" Sunset Shimmer stated. "Sitting out here in a thin jacket like that just to see some twinkling lights..."
Sonata had never heard Sunset Shimmer speak like that before, but that was okay. She didn't care how Sunset spoke, as long as they were friends. With a soft smile she let her head fall sideways into Sunset's shoulder. It wasn't long before the shivers were warded off by their combined warmth, and she was able to focus completely on the lights.
***
Adagio Dazzle grunted and leaned back in her finance chair, finally letting her pen drop from fingers that would rather be doing anything else. At least it was finished and they finally could do something, but as her eyes swept the small barren room, they found little to garner their interest. Aria was lying on the lone bed with her arms behind her head, nodding subtly to the music from her headphones, and Sonata was nowhere to be seen. She was probably out bugging the other people who were coming into the shelter to get out of the snow.
Her eyes turned to the door as it opened, and in stepped the girl who had taken it upon herself to save them from the snow outside. "Hey, girls." Sunset Shimmer slipped inside with a bright smile and closed the door behind her. "Happy Hearth's Warming!" She approached Adagio to give her a warm hug, which Adagio accepted. Aria plucked her headphones from her ears when she realized they had a visitor.
"How are you two doing tonight?"
Adagio shrugged and jotted a little note down at the end of her journal. Keeping ourselves warm.
"Glad to hear it." Sunset clapped her hands in front of her. "I was actually wondering if you three would like to come over to my place for the night. It's pretty cold, and with the holiday and all, I thought it might be nice to spend a bit more time together."
Adagio and Aria exchanged a quick glance, then both gave her a mutual thumbs up.
"Great!" Sunset grinned. "Do you two know where Sonata is?" The two sirens exchanged a glance, then gave a mutual shrug. "Really? I didn't see her on the way in... she has to be somewhere..."
Adagio just rolled her eyes put her pen to her notepad again. She'll come back when she's ready, as usual. Let's just wait for her. She can't be too long.
A strange smile tugged at the edge of Sunset's lips as she pulled the door open and stepped aside for the two sirens. "Alright. Come on, I'll get you both some cocoa while we wait for her." The two of them pulled on their old hoodies and left the small room, with Sunset following them through the hallways towards the front door. There was a small coffee shop right next door they could wait in for Sonata to come by.
When Sunset emerged from the front door of the homeless shelter she found the two sirens standing on the sidewalk, peering curiously down the street towards what looked like the top of a snow-white tarp just visible above the surrounding buildings. There were twinkling streams of lights dancing across its surface, nearly drowning out the blanket of stars that had appeared in the black sky.
Sunset moved between the sirens, an arm draping comfortably around each of their shoulders. "You two sure you're ready to turn in? Looks like the festival's just getting started."
Adagio lowered her gaze to Aria, whose usual mask of bitter disinterest had been replaced by a curious wonder. That was all it took for Adagio to give Sunset Shimmer a quick nod, and begin marching down the sidewalk towards the lights with her hands jammed into her pockets against the cold. The three of them didn't get out all that much these days aside from Sonata going to school... perhaps at least one night off would be good for all of them.
Besides, knowing Sonata, she was almost certainly there somewhere, freezing to death alone like an idiot. Someone had to find her and keep her warm.
As Adagio had suspected, Sonata's huddled, shivering form soon appeared on the sidewalk in front of them, walking away from the festival grounds. Adagio felt her fists clench at her sides at the sight of Sonata shivering in the increasingly chilly wind, but she knew that she had brought it on herself by wandering off on her own towards the twinkling lights. She would have to scold the girl once they were alone.
Once Sonata noticed them, her eyes flashed open in surprise, glancing at her two life partners, then at Sunset standing between them. Adagio started to step forward, but no sooner had she taken one step than Sonata bolted right down the middle into Sunset's stomach, tackling her to the sidewalk with a squeal of glee.
"Gah!" Sunset yelped in surprise as her back smacked roughly into the cement. "What!? Sonata!" Adagio glared down at Sunset with her hands on her hips as Sonata rubbed her cheek against Sunset's. "I don't know what she's doing!"
Sonata jumped to her feet with a grin on her lips and a twinkle in her eye as she whirled on the other two, grabbing their hands and charging back the way she had come. Her two life-partners were long used to this sort of behavior, so they kept up with her easily, but Sunset was left lying stunned on the pavement.
Adagio cast her a sharp glare over her shoulder, then jerked her head forward towards the festival. They had been planning to go there anyway, and she probably wouldn't admit it out loud, but having Sonata with them from the beginning was better than looking for her there. She could relax and have a good time, then they could all get warm at Sunset's apartment afterwards.
Sonata's infectious grin forced a smile onto Adagio's lips as they approached the festival entrance, and Sunset Shimmer finally caught up to them. Yes, this would be the best Hearth's Warming they had in a very, very long time...
