Paying it Forward

Dear Sunset Shimmer,

While I cannot understate my excitedness about you further pursuing the Magic of Friendship, I would be remiss if I were to not voice my concerns about just who it is that you were trying to befriend. Though they may no longer have access to their magic, and now no more than regular teenage girls, they are still the Sirens, and I would hope that I wouldn’t have to remind you of their past actions in Equestria.

However I do wish you the best of luck in your endeavours! I only ask that you be safe, as I cannot help but worry that they may take advantage of you if given the chance.

As an aside, how are the other girls? Are things continuing to improve between the six of you? I hope that the students of CHS have continued treating you better after the events of the battle of the bands, especially after you helped save them.

Before I go, have you given any more thought to my offer of coming back to Equestria for a visit? I know you do not wish to see Princess Celestia yet, and I promise that I wouldn’t tell her, but I think you would enjoy yourself immensely.

I hope everything continues to go well for you!

Your friend,

Twilight Sparkle~*

~

“Waahg!”

Sunset Shimmer gave an extremely undignified cry as she felt herself tumble out of her pleasant dreams, mostly about prancing around Equestria, and onto the unforgiving hardwood floor, landing with a dull thud. What was most surprising was the noticeable mass that crashed on top of her immediately after.

“O-Owwie…!” came the pained groan from the figure that sat up from on top of Sunset, their dark outline moving around as they rubbed their head.

“S-Sonata…? What are you doing on top of me?” Sunset massaged the back of her gently throbbing head, concern breaking through her tired stupor.

The pair had stayed up and watched goofy videos on Sunset’s second hand laptop, mostly about kittens doing their usual adorable kitten thing, or strangely enough videos about narwhals, Sonata’s only real request as she sat beside Sunset on the sofa, her cyan skin contrasting perfectly with the vibrant magenta of one of Sunset’s shirts.

The night had grown long however, and Sunset soon found Sonata’s head leaning onto her shoulder on a regular basis as the Siren tried her best to not fall asleep. Sunset chuckled as she paused the video currently playing, a bunch of geckos eating some jelly like substance by flicking their tongues out at it, all with sound clips from a video game character overlaid. Sonata had started to object as Sunset got the pair up to their feet, half carrying the other girl up the stairs and towards her bed.

Sonata tried her best to resist taking Sunset’s bed from her, but her sleep bound mind slowly won over her fervent pleas to at least share the bed, the girl groggily grabbing one of Sunset’s pillows close and mumbling into it as Sunset brought the sheets up over her body.

Sunset had stealthily made her way back down to the main floor of the flat, stretching as she looked down at the sofa, a small blanket laying across the back. She gave a knowing smile, almost regretting not taking Sonata’s offer to share her bed. Celestia knows it was large enough, even for two taller girls like them, but Sonata surely needed some privacy.

Or at least Sunset had thought.

“...I got…” the Siren started, looking away sheepishly as far as Sunset could tell while she muttered something quietly.

“Say again?” Sunset slowly started to push herself up onto her elbows, Sonata straddling her high enough to prevent Sunset from fully leaning up.

“...I got… lonely…” Sonata whispered a little louder this time, Sunset’s eyes adjusting enough to see the Siren wrapping her arm around herself as a single tear rolled down her cheek, sparkling brightly in the moonlight.

“Is that why you tried to snuggle in with me on the sofa?” Sonata nodded in response to Sunset’s question, earning a sigh from the amber girl. “You know, you could have just woken me up if you needed a hug that badly.”

Sunset sat there quietly, watching as Sonata shifted around uneasily on top of her, never quite meeting Sunset’s gaze. At least until she opened her mouth to ask Sunset a question.

“Would… Would you sleep with me tonight…?” Sunset felt her face start to heat up, her chest contracting strongly as she tried to come to terms with what she was just asked.

“Uh… D-Don’t you think that's moving a little fast, Sonata?” Sunset stumbled over every other word as she tried to shimmy out from underneath Sonata, only to pause when she saw Sonata react in an equally embarrassed manner.

“N-N-N-Not like that!” the girl said loudly, covering her face with her hands as she tried to hide her own massive blush. “W-Why do you Humans always have your minds in the gutters!?”

“H-H-Hey now!” Sunset countered, freeing herself enough from underneath of Sonata to lean up further. “That’s not-”

“I just need someone near me tonight!” Sonata said as she started to shake, the tremors growing ever more violent. “I… I’m having nightmares…”

“Hey… It’s okay, Sonata.” Sunset reached forward and wrapped her arms around the girl as best she could in this awkward position she was in. “I’m more than fine sharing a bed with you if it’ll keep away nightmares.”

Plus it will get me off that lumpy sofa! she thought as Sonata gave a reserved yet happy squeal, embracing Sunset back. Sonata eventually let go, backing up onto her feet and holding a hand out to Sunset, a deeply thankful smile on her face.

“Well? You coming? Er… Not like that I mean!”

~

When Sonata had asked to snuggle, she really meant it, as Sunset now found herself face to face with the Siren. Sonata was practically purring as they laid there in bed, Sunset struggling to not pat the girl on the head as if she were a pet.

“So… do you think you can tell me a bit about what happened with you?” Sunset asked quietly, an apologetic smile on her face as she reached out and brushed a few strands of hair away from Sonata’s eyes, revealing the severe bruising around one of the magenta orbs. Sonata’s humming stopped, the girl opening her big bright eyes as a frown spread across her face in response to Sunset’s question.

“I only want to help you, Sonata…” Sunset added as she watched the girl’s natural puppy dog like eyes start to glisten slightly. “You don’t have to tell me everything right now… Just tell me how you got so banged up…”

Sonata seemed extremely conflicted as she laid there staring at Sunset, emotions of all sorts playing across her eyes before she gave a small sniffle and relented.

“Aft… After we got home from the event, things got bad… Aria and Adagio wouldn’t stop fighting, getting to the point that I was struggling to stop them from injuring one another… And it led to me getting hit by Aria before she left the house…”

“She hit you!?” Sunset barely restrained herself from shouting loudly in her shocked horror. Why would they physically attack one another?

“N-N-Not on purpose! She didn’t know I was coming around the corner, and she swung her arm out and…” Sonata shifted from rapidly trying to diffuse the situation to mumbling quietly to herself. “Her and Adagio were at a breaking point, and Adagio thought she had hit me on purpose, and… Well Aria ended up leaving the house right after that and… Adagio fell apart. She kicked me out not long after and I was living on the streets when the landlady found me…”

“Did Adagio do all this to you?” Sunset asked, her emotions roiling feverishly as she reached out to touch Sonata, to try and show the girl that at least one person was here for her.

Sonata shook her head before she responded. “No… Adagio didn’t hit me or anything… I, uh… Well the streets aren’t a nice place when your vulnerable…”

“Well you're safe now, Sonata.” Sunset smiled sadly, her heart wrenching as she tried not to break down in tears in front of the girl. “I promise that you can stay here for as long as you need, and I’ll do my best to help you however I can, okay?”

Sonata hid her face behind her hands, her body quaking gently as Sunset shimmied closer, holding the girl close as she continued to whisper to the Siren. “You just go to sleep for now, okay? We can talk more about this when you feel up to it.”

~

“We are never speaking of this again!” Sunset sputtered out as she sat still on the edge of the bed, her face flushed as she struggled to not look over her shoulder.

“What do you mean?” Sonata Dusk sat up on the other half of the bed, the sheets resting on her lap and leaving her top half bare.

“What do I- You were trying to smother me with your…” Sunset trailed off as she looked over her shoulder at the Siren, flushing deeper before turning back to face away from Sonata before stammering out, “A-A-And why are you naked!?”

“It was getting hot with those jammies on.” Sonata gave a subdued yet awkward smile as she shrugged demurely. “I didn’t think you’d mind… sorry…”

“N-No, it’s fine, really!” Sunset stuttered as she looked back at the frowning Siren, Sonata’s magenta eyes starting to tear up as Sunset waved her hands awkwardly. “I was just surprised is all!”

Sonata nodded her head as she gave a small hiccup, wiping away the tear that was starting to flow down her cheek. “A… Are you sure…?”

“Hey, it’s not like I don’t see this sort of thing everyday, so relax.” Sunset gave a warm smile as she turned away, hoping Sonata didn’t see the blush still on her face. “Though… Was there a reason why you were holding me so close?”

“Oh… Er…” Sonata could be heard moving around behind Sunset, the sound of her feet landing on the floor was followed by the bed sheets being moved around. “Well… We kinda, er, the three of us- the Sirens I mean- we usually slept together, so I usually have someone to snuggle with at night…”

‘That’s… actually adorable!” Sunset couldn’t help but laugh, then froze as she heard her guest pause behind her, causing the unicorn to spin around in worry that she may have said something wrong. “S-Sorry, Sonata! I didn’t mean anything by that!”

“It’s okay…” Sonata’s back was turned to Sunset, the cyan girl bending over as she picked up the magenta top she borrowed from her host the previous night and started to put it back on. “I’ll be fine, I… Sorry…”

“Hey now…” Sunset slipped off of her bed and moved over to the Siren, grabbing her close in a tight embrace. “No more being sad, alright? I promise that I’m gonna help you, okay? So cheer up! I don’t wanna see you moping around anymore, alright?”

Sonata responded by nodding into the taller girl’s shoulder, reciprocating the comforting gesture before starting to talk. “So, um… What are we going to do today? I’m sure you have plans and I don’t want to interrupt them…”

“Nothing planned for today other than getting you to smile!” Sunset responded cheerily as she pulled away, keeping her hands on Sonata’s shoulders as she tried to beam the best smile she could. “We could go for a walk, watch some more videos, whatever you want! But only if it’s relaxing, so nothing super heavy, okay?”

~

True to her word, the pair spent the morning just relaxing. They had woken up early, at least for a weekend, and so had decided to just relax around Sunset’s flat and help Sonata get acquainted with the small apartment. They had a small breakfast, Sunset almost being forced to shovel the food down Sonata’s mouth when the Siren tried to say she wasn’t hungry, even as her stomach grumbled loudly.

Eventually they found themselves once again in front of Sunset’s laptop, laughing at cute videos of kittens doing kitten-y things, or watching some sort of compilation of people messing up. They shared small talk, or at least Sunset tried to get Sonata to share small talk, the Siren keeping rather closed lipped other than giggling or pointing out what to watch next.

“So, uh… What do you want to do for lunch?” Sunset asked as she looked down at the lower corner of her laptop, realizing that the pair had just spent over three hours watching goofy videos on her laptop.

“Oh wow, is it really lunch time already?” Sonata managed out between gasps for air, her lungs burning from all the laughing she had just went through. “I don-”

“Sonata…” Sunset said, her tone warning the Siren to be careful with what she said next.

“I don’t know what’s nearby! Heh…” Sonata gave a sheepish look as she rubbed the back of her head. “What, um… What do you suggest?”

“Haaa… Fine.” Sunset sighed before giggling and standing up, ruffling the Siren’s head playfully. “If I recall, you like tacos, ri-”

Sunset had intended to finish her sentence, but as soon as the mere mention of the Mexicoltian food caused Sunset’s fellow Equestrian to shoot up to her feet and towards Sunset, grabbing her hands as her magenta eye went wide and pure sunlight beamed from her expectant features.

“OH! OHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOH!” Sonata was bouncing around as she held onto Sunset’s hands, her voice seeming to rise to the pitch reserved for dog whistles as she voiced her excitement. “I WILL LOVE YOU FOREVER AND EVER IF WE GO FOR TACOS! FOR REALSIES!!!”

“Okay, okay, relax, Sonata.” Sunset giggled, nodding and causing the Siren to start doing exuberant laps all around Sunset’s flat. “Let’s go see if you fit in my clothes, cause I think the landlady is gonna be a while fixing up yours.”

“What do you mean, “fixing up”?” Sonata paused, tilting her head like a puppy as she looked at her hostess. “They just needed to be washed.”

“They needed some major TLC, Sonata.” Sunset give a firm look, the Siren backing down in acknowledgment as she followed Sunset towards the stairs up to the “bedroom” of the flat. “So for now you’re gonna be sharing some of my clothes. Hopefully they fit you…”

“Umm…” Sonata had paused at the top of the stairs and picked up Sunset’s discarded bra from the hamper that sat right beside the stairway, holding it up in front of herself. “You’re bigger than I am…”

“Er… I guess so…” Sunset blushed a little as she watched the Siren return the undergarment to the hamper. “Well I’m sure your underwear would be clean by now, so why don’t I go grab them? You just pick out an outfit there, and hopefully it fits.”

~

“Ohmigawd! It’s so cute!” Sonata rushed forward as Sunset removed the cover from her moped, squealing gaily as she knelt down in front of it. “It’s so small! Look at it!”

“Heh, glad you approve of our ride.” Sunset chuckled as she moved back to the rear storage, unlocking it and pulling out her helmet, only to pause when she realized an issue. “Oh… I only have one helmet… Sorry, Sonata, I guess we’re walking…”

“That’s okay! I wouldn’t ride without a helmet on the both of us anyways!” Sonata bounced back up to her feet, watching as Sunset stored the helmet back in the storage of the mini motorized vehicle. She was wearing Sunset’s aqua coloured top with a frilly, linen hued tail, one of Sunset’s half length jackets sitting comfortably across the Siren’s torso. The jeans she wore looked just slightly baggy, the bottoms rolled up so Sonata would walk on top of them, the tops of her vibrantly pink boots covered up by the denim fabric.

“At least it’s not far…” Sunset flipped the cover back over the moped before stepping back and pulling out her phone, powering it on briefly before stowing it back in her pocket. “About a ten minute walk, traffic permitting. Man, this is an unseasonal warm spell, huh?”

“Mhm!” Sonata bobbed up and down beside Sunset as the pair made their way out onto the street, the warm autumn sun beating down on them. “Though I can’t wait till winter! All the pretty snow and lights and stuffs!”

“Heh, I guess…” Sunset snickered as she looked over at the Siren, the girl having come out of her shell unbelievably since last night, almost as if the girl hadn’t just been through one of the worst days in her existence. “Though I always thought the best part about winter was sitting around the hearth, a fire blaring as you sipped on hot chocolate.”

“And the presents! Humans sure love Christmas!” Sonata giggled into her hand as the pair stopped at a street corner. “I still can’t believe how much it’s changed over the centuries…”

“I bet you got all sorts of fun knowledge on history, huh?” Sunset smirked as she nudged the girl playfully. “Things that the books got wrong and what not?”

“Hehe, yup…” Sonata’s face shifted to a sad smile as she looked across at the crossing sign, the red hand glowing brightly. “The three of us have caused a lot of trouble over here…”

“...” Sunset gave an uneasy smile as she stood and watched Sonata silently. As much as she wanted to help the Sirens she couldn’t deny that, compared to what she did back during the Fall Formal and the years prior, her three fellow Equestrians had been destructive enough to be banished to another world, while she got a small slap on the wrists.

But did that mean they didn’t deserve a chance at redemption?

“Do you miss them?” Sunset asked softly as the two otherworldly beings made their way across the street, the green walking figure glowing brightly in the crossing sign.

Sonata stayed silent as the pair made their way across, the girl locking her arms behind her and bouncing them against her back at a steady beat, her ponytail flitting around in time as well. It took her a few moments to respond, Sunset starting to worry that maybe she was pushing a little too hard.

“Yeah… Of course I miss my sisters…” Sonata said, a small frown coming to her face as she looked over at Sunset. “I just… I don’t know if they feel the same way or not…”

“I hope they do…” a somber smile was the response Sonata received from Sunset, as well as an arm rested gently around the Siren’s shoulders. “But why don’t we leave the heavy stuff for a bit? I don’t wanna distract you from your tacos, after all.”

“Nothing could distract me from tacos!” Sonata whispered dangerously, her eyes narrowing as she glared adorably at Sunset, the girl couldn’t help but laugh at just how easy Sonata shifted the mood of the situation.

“So may I ask just why you are so enamoured with them? Surely there has to be a reason, right?”

“What isn’t there to like about them!?” Sonata sounded outraged as she spun on the spot to stare up at Sunset, the crowd giving odd looks at the exuberance bursting from the cyan girl. “The shells, be them soft or hard, full of gooey cheese and fresh, crisp, veggies! And the meat!”

Sunset stood there, looking extremely embarrassed as she tried to break Sonata from her literally drooling stupor, shaking the Siren hard enough to cause flecks of spittle to fly freely in the air.

“Soooo… greasy…”

“Sonata? Come on girl, snap out of it, alright?” Sunset was practically begging as she watched some people start to pull out their phones. “You aren’t gonna get any tacos if you stay here daydreaming about them.”

“TACOS!” was all the surrounding city block heard as Sonata hoisted Sunset up into her arms and started barreling down the street with the playfully shrieking amber girl caught in her grip.

~

“Well…” Sunset looked down at her poor wallet, almost wishing she hadn’t told the Siren to order what she wanted. “This should do us for a few meals at least… right?”

Sonata didn’t respond, the girl instead glued to the window looking out at the street, and in particular, the giant dancing taco holding a sign saying that the taco joint was having a sale. Her large, magenta eyes were opened wide as she stared helplessly at the giant, plush version of her apparent favourite thing in life, the girl struggling not to start drooling again.

“I hope you know that that’s just some dude in a costume, right?” Sunset joked as she sat down at the table nearest Sonata, the Equestrian still squarely locked onto the dancing taco.

“I… I know, I just- It’s everything I could possibly dream about!” the Siren spun and stared at Sunset, her face a mix of daydreaming and understanding. “Someday I will make a human sized taco… and it will be delicious!”

“Sounds like a goal to me.” mirthful laughter tittered from Sunset’s lips as Sonata joined her at the table, seating herself across from her host. “So, I know it’s only noon today, but, uh... “

“Hm?” Sonata tilted her head in an adorable manner as she looked at Sunset.

“So, uh… Tomorrow… I have some plans with some of my friends and, well…” Sunset scratched at her cheek awkwardly, and was about to continue before Sonata cut her off.

“Oh! You don’t have to worry about me!” Sonata gave a slightly sad smile as she listened to Sunset. “You probably had this all planned before you got saddled with me- Hehe, “saddled”, it’s funny cause, back in Equestria, ponies wear saddles as backpacks, right?- Er, sorry. Anyways, don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine by myself!”

“Actually, I was hoping that you’d come along actually…?” Sunset gave the third most uneasy smile she had ever given, watching as Sonata froze in place. “I would like to introduce you to them, and I’m sure they’d love to really get to know you.”

“I… I don’t know about that, Sunset…” Sonata looked down at the table, jabbing at it with a finger as her face descended back towards her sadness from the previous day. “I know you are trying to give me a second chance and all, and I still don’t know why you are, but I doubt I would get a warm reception from your friends…”

“Hey… Hey, now, Sonata…” Sunset reached out a hand, gently grabbing hold of the Siren’s. “All I’m asking is that you come with me. If you feel uncomfortable, or their receptions are cool, we’ll leave. I promise.”

Sonata sat there and stared at the amber hand holding onto hers, her eyes tracing over the digits of the girl who was trying her best to help her and be a friend. A girl who was still learning about friendship herself if the rumours from the magically influenced students of CHS were to be trusted. She gave a small sigh as she considered the girl’s offer. It wasn’t like these friends of Sunset’s could say anything that would hurt her, so…

“Alright… I guess I could at least tag along…” Sonata said, breaking the silence, only to freeze when she saw the indescribably joyous smile on Sunset’s face, a small tingle occurring in the back of her mind.

“Awesome! You’re not gonna regret this, Sonata! Promise!” Sunset nodded her head rapidly as she continued to beam her smile. One of the taco shop employees came by and dropped off the massive tray holding their orders as Sunset slowly calmed down, blushing embarrassedly before finishing her comment. “I should send them all a text and let them know you’ll be coming with me, I guess.”

“Wait… You hadn’t told them yet?” Sonata froze mid reach for one of her tacos, a comical look of dread on her face.

~

Dear Princess Twilight,

Sorry for taking so long to respond to you! I was out of the apartment pretty much all day with Sonata, and forgot to check the journal before we left.

I know you are worried, and I appreciate your concern, but I don’t think you have to be worried about Sonata. She never seemed like she was evil when she and the other Siren’s were doing their thing at CHS, she was more like... the little sister of the group? Like she was along for the ride? If this were Adagio or Aria I would definitely be a lot more careful.

Some good news about her is that she agreed to come with me tomorrow and hang out with the rest of the Rainbooms! I figured that if I can get her included with the other girls then maybe she’ll open up more. I just hope the other girls are cool with this. I sent them all a text message- think like a letter sent by dragonfire- as soon as Sonata said yes, and they were all a little hesitant.

Now I maaay have used your name to help calm them down, and I’m really sorry about that! I just need them to understand that Sonata needs friends right now, just like I did that night.

I will say that them and the rest of the students at CHS have been overall much more warmer to me of late, which is nice. I guess I’m no longer a charity case or something to them now that I saved them, right?

As far as your invite to return to Equestria, I am still unsure… Regardless of if I met with Princess Celestia or not, I don’t think I could even cross the portal. I don’tknow if I will ever earn the right to Hopefully in the future I will be able to, but right now my focus needs to remain on Sonata. After she is in a better spot maybe I can locate the other Sirens.

Thanks for the words of support! I promise I will be keeping you in the loop as things progress!

Your friend,

Sunset Shimmer~*