Chapters All around, there were the tell-tale signs of this being a good day in the town of Canterlot. The skies above were without a single cloud, allowing all to see the brilliant bright blue from horizon to horizon. Birds were chirping in many of the trees that lined the sidewalk, and all about the place there were people looking happy or content. Into this mix came Fluttershy, who smiled sweetly to nobody in particular as she crossed the road. Her destination? A building on the corner of the road on the other side from where she had been, with the words "Canterlot Orphanage" in bright letters above the front door. Once there, she sighed, looking around herself for a time, but seeing nobody. Briefly, she seemed disappointed, but then her expression lightened up considerably after she started to hear somebody calling out to her.
"Fluttershy!"
Turning, the animal lover smiled as she saw the one who had called; Sonata. The youngest Siren sister was just jogging up the street to greet her, and once there, she placed her hands upon her hips, bearing a wide smile as she did so.
"Sorry I'm late."
But Fluttershy shook her head.
"Don't worry, you're not. And I'm glad you could make it."
Nodding, Sonata looked up to the nearby building.
"So, this is it?"
Fluttershy nodded right back, turning to face it before finally starting to head on inside. Sonata followed, and as the two girls started walking up the steps, the former looked over her shoulder to her colleague.
"I first started coming to this place a while ago. It was when Twilight...erm...Princess Twilight that is. She was doing some...research about Flash, and found out that he came here quite regularly."
Looking ahead, she continued.
"Turns out he spent a lot of time here, helping to look after the kids and reading them stories."
Sonata regained her smile.
"Awww! That's sweet!"
Fluttershy returned the smile.
"It was. And I've been volunteering here myself ever since."
Now inside, both girls started to look around a bit, seeing the relatively formal-looking interior of the building. But, Fluttershy soon walked ahead once more, heading straight for the front desk, wherein a spectacled woman was doing some paper work. She hadn't noticed the two entering, and so it took Fluttershy clearing her throat to gain her attention. When the woman at last saw who it was, she broke out into a soft smile of her own.
"Fluttershy! How wonderful it is to see you again!"
Fluttershy blushed slightly as she responded.
"You too, Mrs Johnson."
The older woman then turned her attention to Sonata, prompting Fluttershy to look at her as well.
"Oh! This is my friend, Sonata. She's going to be helping out with me today."
Mrs Johnson nodded to the newcomer, maintaining her pleased look.
"That's wonderful news! We're always looking for more volunteers here."
Turning, she pointed to a nearby door.
"The kids will be happy to see you, Fluttershy. It's all the normal activities today."
Fluttershy nodded, before then turning to her friend and giving a brief gesture. Sonata followed as the former began to move off, heading straight for the door that had been pointed out to them. It was not long afterwards when they were both within, and here, Sonata looked upon many of the young children here. Boys and girls together, they were playing with one another happily, and the whole place just had a joyful feel to it. But, through it all, there was nevertheless a sense of nervousness on the part of the Siren.
"I...I don't know what to do."
Her friend looked to her with uncertainty.
"I thought you said you had experience?"
Sonata nodded.
"I do! But...that was a long time ago. Besides, I'm not sure what to do with..."
She hesitated, moving closer to Fluttershy and keeping her voice to a whisper, lest the nearby children hear her.
"...you know...orphans."
To that, Fluttershy, to Sonata's surprise, simply giggled.
"Don't worry, Nata. Just...do what comes naturally. Sit with them. Talk with them. Maybe tell them a story."
Sonata nodded, walking further within the room as she muttered to herself.
"A story...right."
When she got to the other side of the room, where there was a large chair waiting for her, several of the closest children looked up to her.
"Hiya!" a young girl said to her.
"Um...hi?" Sonata responded.
"Are you one of Miss Fluttershy's friends?" one of the boys asked.
Sonata nodded.
"Yes, I'm...I'm Sonata. Or, you know, Nata for short."
There was hesitancy for a time, and silence, as the children continued to stare up at her. Sonata gulped, looking over her shoulder to Fluttershy, who gave her a look of encouragement, before then looking back to the young faces gazing up at her.
"So...um...would you like to hear a story?"
The children smiled even wider, nodding enthusiastically as they started to move into a circle around her. Though taken aback, Sonata quickly composed herself, moving over to the chair and sitting down. Before she had time to react, one of the girls handed her a large book.
"Read us this one! It's our favourite!"
Sonata took the book, giving it a quick look-over before opening it. After glancing at a few of the pages, she put on a small, if nervous, smile.
"Okay then...are you ready for this?"
Again, the children looked to her with excitement and enthusiasm, to which Sonata could not help but feel warm at. She opened her mouth to speak, ready to start telling the story, only to stop when she felt a tugging at her skirt. Looking down, she saw that it was another of the girls, who looked to her with wide innocent eyes.
"Thank for being here, Miss Nata."
Sonata smiled right back.
"No problem."
The girl smiled even wider, before then continuing.
"I hope I get a Mommy who tells me stories like you and Miss Fluttershy one day."
Here, Sonata paused. She saw the girl, and indeed all the others, looking to her with sweetness and earnestness in their faces, and for a time, she found that she could not speak. Fluttershy, who had been noticing this, took on a concerned look, walking over and placing a hand upon her shoulder.
"Sonata? Are you okay?"
The youngest Siren shook herself out of her state, looking up with a somewhat awkward smile.
"Oh! Yeah! Don't mind me!"
Fluttershy seemed relieved at that, but said nothing as, for a moment, Sonata appeared deep in thought over something. When at last she looked back to her, the Siren spoke in a manner that was, for lack of a better word, embarrassed.
"Um...Flutters? Who did you say it was that you saw coming here before?"
There was no sound along the hallways as they walked through it together, but even so, all things were otherwise calm with Sunset and Flash. The young couple had made their way here without incident, and now, they journeyed side-by-side in the apartment building, looking at door after door, checking each and every number they came across. After a while, it was Flash who broke this long quiet between them.
"So...did Adagio say what it was she wanted to talk about?"
Sunset shrugged her shoulders.
"Not really. Only that it was important and that both of us needed to be here."
Flash took on a concerned look at that.
"No offense to her but...that doesn't exactly make me feel comfortable."
His girlfriend chuckled.
"Don't worry, Flash. Knowing them I doubt it's going to be anything too serious for us."
But the boy seemed less than certain about that.
"I hate to say it, Sunset, but that's usually the sort of thing people say just before it does get too serious for them."
The ex-unicorn rolled her eyes, but her face lit up somewhat when she soon noticed one door in particular just ahead of them.
"Ah, here we are."
They stood before it, taking just a brief moment to make sure they appeared presentable, before Sunset then balled up her hand into a fist and gave a few knocks. There were a few moments where nothing happened, but then, the door squeaked open. Adagio was there on the other side, giving them a nod of greeting, but otherwise seeming far more formal than they usually knew her to be.
"Thank you for coming."
She turned and headed back into her apartment proper, leaving the two youths behind her to look at each other with puzzled expressions. But, it wasn't long afterwards when they too entered, with Flash closing the door behind them. Once inside, they followed their host, and soon, they entered the main living room of the apartment. Here, they noticed that Adagio was not alone, as Sonata and Aria were also here. The former sat upright on the edge of one of the sofas, while the latter was lounging on a nearby armchair, with a smug and amused look upon her face. Neither Sunset nor Flash said anything about this, merely watching as Adagio turned to face them.
"Please, take a seat."
She gestured to a currently-unoccupied sofa close by, and after a brief bout of hesitation, the couple soon made their way over, sitting themselves down. As for Adagio, she walked over to sit beside Sonata, giving her a quick glance. But here, Sunset finally decided to speak up.
"Okay, we're here. So...what is it you wanted to talk about, Adagio?"
But the eldest Siren simply shook her head.
"I'm afraid it's not me that has something to say, Sunset. It's her ."
She raised a hand and gestured to her blue-haired sister, who promptly smiled and have a happy-looking wave. Naturally, Sunset and Flash were a little nonplussed about this, a fact made even more apparent when Aria started to give one of her customary dry cackles.
"As for me? I'm just here to see the looks on your faces."
Of course, words like that did much to cause some anxiety in the couple, who gave each other nervous looks. But, after letting out a sigh, Flash then spoke up himself.
"Okay then...what is it you wanted to talk about, Sonata?"
The youngest Siren took a moment to get her thoughts together, clearing her throat and looking to Adagio for some encouragement. The elder Siren did so, giving a quick nod to her, prompting Sonata to look right back to Flash before giving an answer.
"Well, I've been spending a lot of time helping Fluttershy out at the Canterlot Orphanage lately."
To this, Flash smiled.
"Oh yeah? How are the kids doing? I haven't been able to get to them for a few weeks now."
Sonata smiled right back.
"They're great! Some of the sweetest little ones I've ever met!"
Flash chuckled.
"Yeah, they are pretty great, aren't they?"
Sunset looked to her boyfriend and smiled over this, but remained quiet as Sonata continued.
"Anyways, I've been doing a lot of thinking about...you know...stuff, and...well..."
Adagio rolled her eyes.
"Ugh! Long story short, our dear little sister here as gained something of...an idea."
Sunset looked to her with curiosity.
"What kind of idea?"
Adagio sighed, looking over to Sonata, who, at this point, was grinning widely, moving about in her sitting spot as if she was about to burst. In the end, she simply could not hold it in any longer.
"I wanna be a Mother! "
Hearing that, Flash and Sunset took on shocked looks, turning to one another for help. But, both of them were just as taken aback as the other, and so soon turned to look right back at Sonata.
"I...seriously?" Flash asked.
Sonata nodded, and Sunset then added her voice to things.
"So...do you mean you want to adopt one of the kids?"
To that one, Sonata shook her head.
"No. I thought about it, but...I think I wanted to have one of my own."
Silence fell, and the young couple continued to look completely unsure of how to proceed here. Adagio, in the meantime, looked to her younger sister with an expression that was hard to read. Aria, for her part, was just taking the whole thing in stride, keeping her eyes on Sunset and Flash. And speaking of whom, it was the former unicorn who then spoke next.
"Well...I mean...it's definitely a big change, Sonata. I...I'm happy for you if that's the case."
Seeing the honest way in which she'd said that, Sonata smiled even wider than before.
"Thanks!"
But Flash seemed a touch more curious than his girlfriend.
"So...how long have you been thinking about this?"
Sonata, after hearing that, took on a more serious look, staring down as she twiddled her thumbs.
"Honestly? It's been something in the back of my mind ever since...well...ever since Dagi had her son."
Sunset looked from Sonata, then to Adagio, then back to Sonata before speaking her piece.
"Wait...Forte was born thousands of years ago, wasn't he? Do you mean you've only now decided to go ahead with it?"
Sonata shrugged her shoulders.
"Hey, we're immortal, remember? Why rush stuff?"
Sunset opened her mouth to reply, only to stop and think over what had just been said to her. Then, after glancing to Flash, she simply gave a brief laugh and shrugged her shoulders right back.
"You know what? Good point. Continue."
But, rather than Sonata continuing, it was Adagio who spoke next.
"When I heard what Sonata wanted, I'll confess, I was a little surprised myself. But, if I can go ahead and have a kid, I don't really have the right to stop her , now do I?"
For a moment, she looked away, narrowing her eyes as she glanced to the old sword on the nearby mantelpiece.
"Especially when I stop to think on why I had him."
Sunset's expression softened as she took in her old foe's mood right now, but, it was short-lived, as Sonata finally decided to carry on the conversation.
"Anyway...I really started to think about it after spending time with those orphans. Seeing all those boys and girls around me, being happy I was there...and the way they looked at me..."
She looked down, a soft yet genuinely happy smile crossing her face.
"...I just felt that...yeah...that was something I wanted for myself."
There was a pause after her words, and as she continued to remain silent, both Sunset and Flash stared at her. There was nothing here to suggest that she hadn't meant every single word she'd said here. She was being honest and sincere in the way she'd opened up to them, and so, after quickly looking to one another, the young couple relaxed a little, bearing soft smiles as they regarded the youngest Siren.
"Sonata...thank you for telling us about this."
Sonata looked up, just in time to have Flash add his voice to things.
"We mean it. And I'm sure you're going to make a wonderful Mother."
It didn't take long for Sonata to break out into a smile, looking quite touched over the remark.
"Th...thank you. It...it means a lot to me to hear you say that."
Sunset nodded, but couldn't help but notice that Adagio was looking, for lack of a better word, apprehensive about something. The way she was looking at her sister, it was as if something troubling was on her mind. But, Sunset did not get the opportunity to speak her thoughts on the matter, as Flash then spoke up.
"So, Sonata? If you don't want to adopt, how are you going to go about this? Is there...I dunno...a guy in your life we haven't heard about yet?"
Here, Sonata's smile faded a little, and she looked over to Adagio. The eldest Siren sighed, giving her a nod, to which Sonata nodded right back. As for Aria, she looked as if she was trying hard to keep in some sort of laughter, which, naturally, was not something that put Sunset at ease in the slightest. After a short wait, Sonata, after letting out a sigh of her own, spoke up, her eyes fixed squarely on Flash.
"I don't have a guy, exactly, but...there is somebody I have in mind to...you know...help me out with this?"
To that, Sunset started to get a very unnerved feeling, and the look on her face made it clear that she now knew exactly where this conversation was heading. As for Flash, he was not so clairvoyant, and so looked to Sonata with curiosity.
"Oh? Who is it?"
Again, Sonata twiddled her thumbs, and again, she looked to Adagio for encouragement. But the elder Siren merely gestured to the boy across from them, leading to Sonata simply coming out and saying what everybody, bar Flash, knew was going to be said.
"Well...the thing is...I kinda wanted...you to be the Father."
A stunned silence fell over the room, as Sunset and Flash's faces became akin to statues, utterly paralysed with the weight of what had just been said to them. On the flipside of this was Aria, who let out an amused chuckle to herself as she finally sat upright in her chair.
"Okay, that! That right there is what I was hoping for!"
Reclining back into her chair, she let out a contented sigh.
"Okay, I got mine. The rest of you just go on now."
Of course, everybody else had been ignoring her, with the couple especially just trying to take in what they'd just learned, as the only real sign that they were still conscious was that they'd occasionally blink. Sonata gave Adagio a nervous look before turning back to the other two, and Adagio herself merely kept a serious look on her face as the silence persisted. Eventually, and to the relief of Sonata, the silence soon broke as Sunset actually managed to get some words out.
"Um...would you care to repeat that, Sonata?"
After hesitating for a moment, Sonata started explaining.
"I've given it a lot of thought...and I've decided I want Flash as the Father of my child."
Again, Sunset blinked blankly.
"Sonata...I'm fairly certain I don't actually need to remind you of this, but...you do know that Flash is...well...my boyfriend, right?"
To that, Sonata giggled.
"Duh! I'm not asking him to dump you and get together with me or anything! I just need him to get me pregnant!"
Sunset frowned.
"Yeah...that's not exactly making me feel any better."
Here, Adagio stepped in.
"Truth be told, I was trying to talk her out of this little idea of hers before you got here. But, since she wouldn't budge, I figured maybe you could have better luck with her."
Sonata looked to her sister, as if she was about to say something further on the matter, only to be halted when Flash, finally, started speaking up again.
"Why me? "
Sonata tilted her head slightly, prompting Flash to continue.
"I mean...you could have probably gotten yourself any guy you wanted to volunteer for something like this, so...why pick me? "
Sunset looked to Sonata intently, seeming just as curious about that as Flash was. As for Sonata herself, she pondered on this for a time, then started to give an answer.
"Well...there were a couple of other guys I had in mind, but none of them felt right to me. That big Mac guy was all cute and muscly, but then I remembered that he's, like, Adagio's great-great-great-great-whatever grandson, so...yeah, ew."
She started counting off her fingers.
"Then I considered Wiz, but you can probably guess how Aria reacted to that."
The middle Siren sister nodded in agreement to her younger sibling's words, complete with a scowl, which Sonata ignored as she continued.
"Then I thought of a few other guys, but...no, none of them cut it."
Looking back to Flash, the girl smiled.
"And I started thinking about stuff like genes, and what I'd like my kids to look like and stuff, and what guys I get along with and...well...you kinda topped the list."
Flash listened to that, looking, understandably, confused about everything.
"Well...I guess I'm flattered?"
He turned to Sunset, speaking swiftly to clarify himself.
"I mean, I'm not going to go with it, but..."
Hearing that, Sonata seemed a little bit saddened.
"You...you're not? "
Looking back to her, Flash sighed.
"Look...it's not that I don't like you, Sonata. You're great. But...you have to understand that...this isn't the kind of thing I'd be comfortable doing. I mean, no matter which way you slice it, it's still cheating on my girlfriend!"
Sunset folded her arms, giving a single grim nod.
"Yes, it is."
Sonata turned to the ex-unicorn.
"I know that, but...I kinda figured that...you know...maybe I could convince you to...well...lend him to me for a few nights?"
Sunset raised an eyebrow, her face plastered with a look of incredulity.
"Excuse me?"
Sonata smiled wider, clearly not seeming to grasp what it was she was asking of her friend.
"Seriously! Think about it! Your boyfriend gets to spend a few nights with me, a Siren of all people, get me knocked up, and then bam! He gets to walk away, I get my son or daughter, and you'll probably have a butt-load of gratitude from both of us for letting it happen!"
However, contrary to what Sonata must have been expecting, Sunset merely frowned.
"You're not exactly the best at these pitches, are you?"
Sonata frowned right back, only to be interrupted when Flash spoke again, this time with a face that suggested that he was both confused and angry at the same time.
"What...what do you mean walk away? "
Sonata too seemed to look confused now.
"I mean...you know...walk away? Get me pregnant, then never needing to worry about what happens to the kid afterwards? That sort of thing?"
There was a silence again, albeit a brief one, as Flash looked positively insulted by those words.
"Is...is that something you'd think I'd like? Just...just give a girl a kid and then pretend it's not there?"
Everyone else in the room turned to look at him, looking taken aback and, frankly, even a little concerned over how stern he was sounding right now. As for Sonata, she kept looking from one person to another, before looking right back to Flash and scratching the back of her head in a nervous manner.
"Well...yeah? I mean, it's a pretty good deal for you , right? I...well...getting that kind of hotness in bed then being able to bail, consequence-free, afterwards?"
She gave a short laugh.
"I mean, come on , Flash! We've seen guys like that all throughout history! There's nothing to be ashamed of, right?"
Slowly, Flash stood up, looking down at Sonata with increasing anger in his eyes.
"Sonata...I am not that kind of person. Even if I did consider this...do you honestly believe that I'd just...just...walk out on my own child? To have her, or him, grow up without me being a part of their life?"
The youngest Siren hesitated here.
"I...I mean...um...I hadn't really thought about involving you. I mean...I guess you could come and visit and stuff, right? I was just thinking of this as being, you know...something you'd want out of?"
Flash was looking furious now, to the point where even Sunset was looking to him with little idea on how to ease his concerns. But the boy did not shout. He did not scream at the girl before him, no matter how incensed she might have made him. Instead, he shut his eyes tightly, even balling his hands into fists, before letting out a long sigh. When he opened his eyes again, he looked right into Sonata's, his gaze cold and piercing, his voice a tone of restrained anger.
"Sonata...I will not be an observer in the life of my own kid. And this...plan of yours? I don't want anything to do with it."
And with that, he turned, He didn't say anything to anyone, not even to Sunset, and all of them watched as he walked further and further away from them. Eventually, he reached the door of the apartment, opening it and not even looking to any of them before he left. There was no slamming of the door behind him, or anything overly-dramatic of that ilk, but still, he left behind him a grim silence. A look of shock was plastered on the faces of all of them there, save for Sonata, who merely looked down at the ground with a tint of sadness in her eyes. Adagio looked to Sunset, but the other Equestrian couldn't think of anything to say. In the end, it fell to Aria to voice what was, in all honesty, on all of their minds right now.
"Okay...cards on the table...that was not the reaction I was expecting."
The mood in the Sentry household was, in all honesty, a sombre one. In the kitchen, the entire family was there, but no words passed between them. Scootaloo sat at one side of the table, her dinner plate empty, but with signs of having just been finished. Her Mother sat opposite her, and likewise had just finished her meal. But both of them bore concerned looks as they kept their eyes on the third member of their family; Flash. The boy was not sitting with them, but was instead standing at the nearby sink, washing up. He remained silent, his face hard to read, leaving the other two to glance at one another. Scootaloo was clearly worried, but her Mother let out a sigh, giving her a small smile and silently gesturing for her to leave. After giving her brother one final look, the young girl got up, before slowly making her way out of the kitchen.
"Thanks for dinner, Mom. It was good."
Her son's voice caused the older woman to turn to him yet again, and here, she got up. Eventually she made her way over to him, standing beside him and looking down at his work.
"So...are you going to tell me what's bothering you, son?"
The boy gave only the slightest hint of a frown.
"What makes you think something's bothering me?"
To that, his Mother raised an eyebrow.
"Well, for one thing...you've been wiping that same plate for the last ten minutes now."
Flash stopped, looking down at the plate in his hands, and knew already that his Mother had the right of it. He sighed, setting the thing to one side, and simply began to stare out of the window. The weather outside matched his current mood, with grey and overcast skies. While there was indeed a silence between them, it was, thankfully, short-lived.
"It's...nothing you need to worry about. A problem came...and then it was ended."
His Mother took on an incredulous look.
"I very much doubt that you'd be feeling this way if it was resolved, Flash."
Slowly, she gently placed a hand upon his shoulder, looking to him with softness in her eyes. Flash turned to her, and for a time, he too seemed to soften, albeit not as much.
"Now then...why don't you tell me what's wrong?" she asked.
There was clear hesitancy in the boy, as he turned away from her for a time. But, with her being there, and speaking to him in the way that she had, Flash soon let out a long sigh, nodding slightly before, at last, starting to explain himself.
"Okay. Well...you know Sonata?"
His Mother nodded.
"That blue Siren girl from another dimension? Yes, I think I remember her."
Flash took a moment to let out a dry chuckle at his Mother's nonchalant remark on that particular matter, only to then return to his previous stoic expression.
"Well, she invited me and Sunset over to talk with her. It turns out...she's decided that she wants to have a baby."
His Mother seemed somewhat intrigued by this.
"Does she?"
Flash nodded, prompting his Mother to continue.
"And...I'm guessing that wasn't what's upsetting you?"
Her son shook his head.
"No. She...she asked...if I could be the Father."
Silence fell between them, and for a short while, his Mother looked to him almost as if he was joking about what he'd just said. But, as this silence persisted, and he kept his angered look about him, it soon dawned on her that this was far from a joke on his part. So, she simply started to do as he was doing, just staring out of the window. It had begun to rain now, and as the droplets of water continued to batter against the window, the older woman finally started to speak up again.
"I see. I can understand that this would come as a shock to you."
But Flash shook his head again.
"It wasn't just that she asked me to cheat on Sunset. That much I was able to explain to her."
Resting his hands upon the side of the sink, the boy gripped so hard that his knuckles were turning white.
"It's that...she said that I didn't need to be a part of my child's life. It never occurred to her that I wouldn't want to stay away."
He frowned deeper.
"She even...even seemed to think I should be happy with that idea."
Here, understanding dawned on his Mother's face.
"Ah...I see."
Her son sighed deeply.
"I told her that I didn't want to be a part of it...and I left."
Again, things became quiet between them, but this time, it was a much shorter silence, as his Mother, after briefly looking to the nearby door behind them, then looked back to him before speaking.
"This anger of yours...would it, by any chance...have anything to do with your sister?"
As before, her son let out a dry and joyless laugh, looking to his Mother before giving a nod.
"You always did know me well, Mom."
His expression became a saddened one.
"Dad...he died before she was even born . She never got the chance to grow up with him. Never even knew him."
He shut his eyes tightly.
"He was my idol...my hero . And...he never had the option to be a part of his own daughter's life."
Then, his gaze became an angry one once more.
"And for Sonata to just say I should go along with a kid not knowing their Dad...not knowing me ...and be happy about it? I just..."
He hesitated for a moment, then said things in a somewhat more restrained way.
"Dad would never have left Scootaloo if he had a choice in the matter. And if he would never do it...then neither will I ."
He stopped talking now, all while his Mother watched him intently. She'd been carefully taking in everything her son had to say, weighing her words and thoughts with care as she did so. Now, with him having said everything he needed to, she finally decided to speak up again.
"Flash...I appreciate that you regard your Father as highly as you do, but..."
She hesitated slightly.
"...but despite what you might think...he wasn't perfect. He made mistakes, the same as everyone."
Flash turned to her and raised an eyebrow.
"I understand that, Mom. Nobody's perfect. But something like this? Just getting a girl pregnant and walking away? No, not him. Never him."
He looked away from her, and while his attention was focused elsewhere, on the weather and the garden outside the window, he failed to notice the look his Mother now bore. There was again hesitancy there, but mixed into it was a look of discomfort, as well as, strangely enough, shame. She opened her mouth, as if to say something, only to stop herself before doing so. Instead, she took a moment to collect her thoughts, letting out yet another sigh as she did so, before then speaking up in that calm tone she had been speaking with before.
"This Sonata girl. Is she a friend?"
At first, Flash was taken aback by this, but, after taking a few moments to consider the question, he gave a short nod.
"I...yeah. I mean, I've had my issues with her, just like everyone has had with the Sirens, but...yeah, I've come to see her as a friend."
His Mother nodded.
"And when she came to you with this...offer of hers...did she give it in a manner that suggested that she was trying to insult you?"
Again, Flash was caught off-guard with those words, but when he stopped to think on it, his expression softened considerably. He looked down, the anger now gone from his eyes for the time being, and shook his head.
"N...no. I mean, she was pretty nervous about asking, but...aside from that, I don't think she really meant to upset me or Sunset."
A brief grimace crossed his face.
"It...it probably took a lot for her to come forward to us about it, actually."
As before, his Mother nodded.
"And when you turned her offer down...how did it go?"
To that, Flash actually started to look, for lack of a better word, ashamed .
"If I'm being honest...I don't think I handled it as...diplomatically as I could have done."
He paused, then raised a hand to his head and rubbed his temples.
"Actually...I probably left her feeling like I hate her or something."
His Mother, hearing this, once more placed a hand upon his shoulder, gaining his attention.
"Flash...you had every reason to be as upset as you were. But from the sound of it...Sonata never meant to make you angry. She didn't know about your Father or anything else that was on your mind. And she certainly didn't seem to bring you over to insult you or make you feel like a terrible person. She merely..."
She considered her words carefully.
"...merely underestimated the standards you hold yourself to."
Flash, at long last, started to smile, though it was coupled with a somewhat snarky-looking raised eyebrow.
"Is that your way of saying I'm too much of a boyscout, Mom?"
His Mother smiled innocently to that.
"I'm sure I don't know what you mean."
Here, both of them laughed together, and when it died down, Flash, to the surprise of his Mother, stepped forward and embraced her in a warm embrace. The older woman, while taken aback by this, nevertheless composed herself soon afterwards, returning the hug. When they finally parted, the boy continued to smile at her.
"How are you always able to help me make sense of this stuff?"
A look of pride crossed her face.
"Well, you don't get to raise two kids by yourself without picking up a few things here and there, son."
Flash nodded to this, then started to take on a more serious look, turning around and heading for the door. His Mother, watching this, looked to him with interest.
"Where are you going?"
The boy stopped in the doorway, looking over his shoulder and, after a brief moment of hesitation, gave his honest answer.
"I think...there's somebody I need to talk to."
The room was filled with the usual energetic laughter and activity that people would come to expect with large groups of young children. The orphans were all in their respective groups, playing and spending time with one another, all with happy smiles upon their faces as they did so. Their elder carer, Mrs Johnson, watched them with care and consideration, as expected of one in her position. In the midst of all of this, however, was Sonata, who was sitting with a small group of girls in the corner. She smiled at them as she watched them, making sure they were playing safely with their toys. The older woman nearby gave the Siren a gesture to let her know that she was leaving the room, to which Sonata simply smiled to. Once Mrs Johnson was gone, however, she turned her attention back to the nearest girl, who seemed eager to speak with her.
"You wanna play dress-up, Miss Nata?"
She held up a doll to emphasise her point, to which Sonata couldn't help but giggle.
"Sure thing, Susie!"
The other girl laughed joyfully to this, and as she started to lead her carer to the side for the aforementioned activity, the latter looked around, seeming calm and content at her surroundings. However, this all changed when the door of the room suddenly creaked open, gaining her attention. To her surprise, it was none other than Flash, who, after briefly glancing around the room, caught sight of her. There was a pause between them, with looks of nervousness and awkwardness abound. But, before either of them had a chance to say anything to the other, they were distracted by the sudden outburst of one of the boys.
"It's Flash!"
Immediately, the blue-haired boy was set upon by all sides by many of the children, who tried hugging him desperately.
"We've missed you so much!" one of them called out.
Flash himself smiled to them, patting a few on the head.
"And I missed you guys, too."
Unfortunately, his smile faded as he looked up to the nearby Siren yet again. There was hesitancy in his expression, much like there was with her, and after considering his options carefully, Flash looked down to the children who surrounded him.
"Do you kids mind if I borrow Miss Sonata for a bit?"
The children looked to the girl in question, then back to Flash, before then giving a simultaneous nod of agreement, complete with the wide smiles people had expected of them. Flash smiled back in appreciation, before then turning to Sonata once more. He stood to one side, gesturing to the door, and after just a tiny bit of uncertainty, Sonata began to follow him. It was not long until the two of them were outside the room now, completely alone together. The looks on their faces made it obvious that both of them had things to say, which was made all the more evident when they both started to speak to one another at the same time.
"I need to...!"
They'd said the exact same thing, much to the surprise of the other, leading to an inevitable nervous chuckle on the part of them both. Then, after letting out a sigh, Flash gestured to her with a soft expression.
"Why don't...why don't you start first?"
She smiled to that, then took a moment to get her thoughts in order, before finally coming out and saying what she wanted to.
"Flash, I...I wanted to say I was sorry. I guess...I never really thought how upset you'd be at...well...what I was asking you to do."
Flash remained silent, though looked about as uncomfortable as she was right now, keeping his eyes on her as she carried on.
"After you left, Dagi started saying to me why saying what I'd said might not sit well with you. And I...I guess..."
Holding her hands together, she started staring at the ground.
"...I guess I just...never considered it."
Watching her, Flash started to look more uncomfortable, raising a hand and scratching the back of his head, before finally letting out a sigh.
"Sonata...you don't need to apologise to me."
The Siren looked up to him, confused, prompting Flash to explain.
"You came to me to ask for help with something...you came to me as a friend . And I...well...I wasn't exactly all that friendly to you ."
He looked away.
"You had no way of knowing that I'd react that way. In truth, your request made me...made me...I won't bore you with personal stuff, but let's just say it made me remember some...bad things."
Sonata seemed to look increasingly guilty over this, which encouraged Flash to speak up yet again.
"The point is...I'm sorry too. I acted way more harshly than I should have done, no matter what my reasons were."
He looked away from her for a few seconds before turning his attention to her yet again.
"I don't hate you, Sonata, though I probably made you feel like I did . You're a friend...and I should have acted like one."
Hearing that, and after staying quiet for a brief time, the youngest Siren sister let out, to Flash's surprise, a quick giggle.
"Guess we both messed up, huh?"
Taking that in, the boy himself gave a chuckle in response.
"Yeah...an out-of-nowhere request meeting an over-the-top reaction."
The two laughed together, and much of the tension between them started to lift as a result. In the silence that followed, however, they looked to each other more earnestly, with warm and friendly smiles. After this time had passed, Sonata, with her hands still clasped together, spoke to him in an honest tone.
"Flash...I still want this to happen. If not with you, then...with someone...and someday."
Flash nodded.
"I know. And if that's what you want, then I'll be happy for you when it happens."
Carefully, he placed a hand upon her shoulder before continuing.
"You'll make a wonderful Mother...and I'm sure that, whatever children you have...you'll be happy being their Mother."
The Siren seemed pleased with his words, then, to the boy's mild confusion, started to giggle slightly. Seeing the confusion on her friend's face, Sonata started to explain.
"I guess...it's like I said before. No need to rush stuff, right?"
Taking that in, Flash soon returned the somewhat amused look.
"Well, you are the immortal one here, Nata."
Sonata's smile widened and, in a move that mirrored Flash's own with his Mother not so long ago, embraced the boy in a tight hug. Flash himself quickly recovered from the surprise of this, regaining his smile and returning the embrace his friend was giving him. When they parted, Sonata looked to him with that same energy and joy that she always had.
"So...you wanna go back in there and help me with the kids?"
Smiling back, the boy nodded.
"I'd love to. But first, there's something I gotta do outside."
Sonata nodded to this, heading back inside the nearby room with the children, all while Flash watched. But, before she headed inside in earnest, she halted herself, thinking something over before looking back to the boy with a Siren-esque sultry smile.
"Just for the record...I'd have majorly rocked your world."
To that, Flash couldn't help but chuckle.
"Of that , Sonata...I have no doubt at all ."
The youngest Siren giggled once more before, finally, entering the room of the orphans, closing the door as she did so. Once alone, Flash began to make his way to the front entrance of the orphanage, giving a brief wave to Mrs Johnson as he did so, before heading down the steps once he was outside. He took in a deep breath of the cold air outside, only to then turn to the side and see the one standing there, who then spoke to him.
"So...how'd it go?"
Sunset watched him carefully, her expression one of concern. As for Flash, he glanced back over his shoulder, to the orphanage, before letting out yet another chuckle, then turning to his girlfriend with a soft smile.
"I think...she's gonna be okay. And...so am I."
The ex-unicorn smiled at this, walking closer to him before giving a gentle pat on his shoulder.
"I'm glad to hear it."
Then, just as quickly, she started giving him a somewhat sultry smirk.
"Just as long as Nata knows...the only girl who's gonna get any kids from you ...is me ."
While Sunset herself seemed pleased by this playful joke she'd given her boyfriend, Flash himself suddenly seemed panicked by this, looking all around them as if somebody was listening in on their words.
"Be careful about that, Sunset! If my Mother ever heard you say that she'd probably demand a dozen grandchildren from us right then and...!"
All of a sudden, he was halted by a sudden buzzing in his pocket. Reaching in, he pulled out his cell-phone, then, after quickly glancing at the name upon the screen, he took on an exasperated look upon his face, slapping his forehead in frustration.
"Ugh! How does she do that?!"
