It has been just over two weeks ever since the tragedy that was the mansion. Everyone seemed to be recovering well after what they had to see, and Sunset felt that her arm was almost done healing.
Although, the image would never leave anyone's mind. The thought of seeing all of those dead bodies, some, very close friends, and some, deeply loved family. What was supposed to be a good, fun little night, turning out to be the worst night of the lives for a lot of poor people.
It was a rainy night. Sunset laid in her bed. She still had her cast on, but she could feel that she could move her arm without much bother now. Right now, she was writing to Princess Twilight, giving her an update on how everyone was holding. It wasn't the most positive of messages that she'd like to send, but it was important that the princess of Friendship was informed of this, just incase she gave Sunset any good advice on how to help those that are still hurting.
After feeling as though she was done for the night, she placed the book on the nightstand beside the bed and laid her head down. But before she could find sleep, there was a knock on her door. Sunset sat up and looked down at the door, making sure she wasn't hearing things.
It knocked again. Someone was here for her. Sunset put on a robe that matched the colours of her pyjamas and walked down to the front door. She looked through the peephole and just saw a green hooded figure. She couldn't see their face.
Sunset unlocked the door and opened it, getting a better look of the person.
"Hey Sunset," they said quietly.
Sunset immediately recognised them by their voice. "Aria? What are you doing here?" she asked her.
She threw down her hood and showed her face, it was definitely Aria, but something was wrong. She wasn't sporting her giant pigtails that she was well known for. Instead, her hair was down and very unkempt, and her face looked incredibly dirty, almost as though she hadn't washed in a while. Her eyes were also very bloodshot and under her eyes were very grey and baggy, as if she hadn't slept for a few nights.
Aria rubbed the back of her neck. "I just... I needed to talk to you."
"Come in, please," said Sunset, stepping out of the way and letting the siren inside her home.
Aria sat herself on Sunset's couch as Sunset turned the lights back on. She sat on a chair just to the side of the couch and waited to hear what Aria had to say.
Aria took her time to properly choose her words. Coming over to someone's house and telling them what was going on was never her strong suit.
"I... might as well talk about the elephant in the room, on how no one's seen me around for the last few weeks," Aria began. "Ever since... y'know, the mansion happened, I just couldn't show my face to anyone.
"After Sonata killed Adagio and Sonata was sentenced for life, being alone really took a toll on me. I basically have no family anymore because of this. I just can't believe Sonata, of all people that it could've been, would do something like this." Aria looked down at the wooden floorboards, eyes already becoming blurry with tears.
"Why didn't you come to me or my friends sooner?" Sunset asked.
Aria wiped her face on her sleeve and shrugged. "I just haven't found any reason to get out of bed. There's no Sonata to come to me because she accidentally broke something and there's no Adagio to cook and boss us around. Really, there's nothing more than just a lonely, boring day which will, for the rest of time, remind me of what I lost.
"I probably would've come to you guys sooner, but I didn't think any of you would have cared or listened because of how I treated all of you. You remember how I lashed out at you after Adagio died?"
Sunset nodded.
"I felt like it wasn't worth trying after that. That I wasn't fit for my own 'redemption', as Sonata kept on saying. I was just so caught up in my own anger that I just... lost it. I really am just some short tempered and violent bitch."
"You shouldn't let something like that bring you down. Even if you feel guilty about it, I would never hold it against you, especially now since you're owning up to it," Sunset responded. "If anything, I really don't blame you for doing that; I did push Adagio pretty harshly, so I'm not totally off the hook myself."
Aria hummed and looked back down. "But the thing that keeps coming back into my mind... my own little sister being the cause of all of this." She began shaking. "She killed so many people...!" Now trembling. "That dimwitted, backstabbing, manipulative bitch!"
She stood up from the couch quickly, eyes now running with tears and her whole body shaking like a leaf. "She thinks she can pretend like she's gotten better but secretly be plotting some stupid revenge plan and think she can get away with it! She never was the brightest, but I never realised that she could ever be this fucking stupid!" She continued shouting.
Sunset also quickly stood up. "Aria, please try to calm down." She put her hands on the siren's shoulders.
Aria broke free of Sunset's grasp on her and looked forward at nothing. "You see what you've done?! To your own family?! Now you can look back at it while you're burning in hell you good for nothing-!!"
"Aria, stop!" Sunset now shouted.
Aria stopped shouting and looked at Sunset. Sunset could see the sadness and anger just by looking at Aria's eyes. She looked at her back with a great sense of sympathy.
"I-I'm sorry." Aria sat back down on the couch, resting her forehead in her hands.
Sunset could tell that Aria was tired, very tired. Aria was furious yet it seemed that she didn't really want to believe that Sonata, her own sister, would really betray her like this. Sunset knew the mansion had everyone hurt after the night was finally over, but she could never imagine that someone would end up as broken as the girl that sat before her.
She sat back down on her own chair. She felt very guilty for not seeing something like this coming. Aria had every right to be as mad as she was.
Sunset could not believe it herself either. Sonata Dusk, what everyone saw as just a very cheerful and goofy girl, even if she was an evil siren, had turned out to be a revenge seeking murderer.
Sunset was not entirely sure of what to do now. Was Aria finished with what she had to say? Was there a chance to make her feel just a little bit better? Maybe perhaps she could offer her more help than just talking?
"Do you want to stay here for the rest of the night?" Sunset offered. "You can use my shower, and I've got extra blankets, pillows, pyjamas, everything you would need."
Aria raised her head up to look at Sunset. She gave the offer a bit of thought which led to a small smirk creeping through.
She shook her head and stood up. "No, I don't want to cause you anymore trouble. I don't even know why I'm still here," she said before walking towards the door. "I'm sorry for troubling you with this so late."
Sunset stopped her by placing a hand on her shoulder. "Please. It's terrible how this has affected you and the last thing you need now is to be alone. What you need is to be around people you know you can trust."
Aria turned around and placed her hands in her hoodie's pockets. "But do you trust me?" she asked.
"Yes, because you've willingly come to me and opened your feelings for me to hear. You're clearly not the same Aria Blaze from back then, I can see that you're a changed person now, and now you need help from good people. So now I want to give you the help I know you deserve along with the second chance that you've earned as a result of opening yourself up to me," Sunset finished explaining. Sunset stepped closer to the hurting siren and hugged her tightly. "I trust you, Aria, and I want to help. I know my friends would really want to help you out too."
Aria's eyes watered. She glanced downwards with her eyes closed. She put her arms around Sunset, hugging her back.
"Thank you, Sunset," she said very quietly.
"What are friends for?" Sunset responded, not breaking apart from the embrace.
Aria's eyes immediately widened in response to what Sunset had said. Actually being referred to as a 'friend'? Aria almost couldn't believe it, she never did have an actual friend before.
Maybe this is the big turnaround that she needed. If she ever wanted to feel better and not be without family anymore, she had to seek out to those that are willing to listen to a girl like her. It was a strange feeling, but Aria thought it felt amazing.
Her family had been pulled away from her with extreme force which left a huge hole in her heart, and now someone wants one help her mend it.
She wondered just what Adagio would think, she'd probably get quite mad that she was now going to be with who used to be her enemy. Aria just smiled at the thought.
And Sonata... Aria just did not want to think about her any longer. Sonata showed her, front and centre, that she had no sense of remorse. She could have killed Aria if she really wanted to. In the end, all she cared about was her stupid mission that didn't even turn out well in the end.
Her old family is now gone, but maybe she can make a new one after she makes a few changes to herself and become better. This was what she wanted to do. She was sure of it. She could feel it, not in her gut, or her brain, but in her heart, the one with a large but fixable hole in it.
Author's Note
It's something quite short and I might even say that it's quite unnecessary, but I really wanted to give Aria her own ending after the events of Host, so that's what I've done.
This will be my last post of 2019. See you in 2020 for some stuff I'm very excited to soon share. 
