>There were times when you regretted walking into the school cafeteria.
>Messy, loud, obnoxious and not to mention full of self-absorbed jocks.
>But today you didn’t.
>You hear loud singing coming from the cafeteria and decided to investigate what all the noise is.
>It sounds like girls singing, that much is certain, but you must’ve caught it at the last minute. All you catch is “Battle... Battle of the Bands!”
>Swinging the door open, you’re greeted by the sight of students arguing and bickering with each other whilst three new students stand in the middle of it all seemingly unaware.
>If anything they look rather pleased with themselves.
“Did I miss something?”
>Snips and Snails march past you and nearly knock you over. “Move it Anon, we got a competition to win!”
>A competition?
>They weren’t talking about that music showcase thingy, were they?
>Suddenly a stampede of angry students nearly trample you.
>You scramble off to the side for safety; none of them even seem to notice you.
>All they kept talking about was how they were going to beat the other in the Battle of the Bands.
>Gathering yourself, you peer into the cafeteria and notice three females in the midst of a dank green mist.
>You didn’t recognize any of them.
>But they look to be your age at least.
>The three of them turn around and head your way. ”Now all we need to do is wait for—“
>They stop short, the orange one cutting herself off from finishing. “Oh, came by to admire our singing?”
>Out of the three girls that stood there, the one your eyes fall on first was the one with blue hair.
> . . .
>Oh.
>Sweet.
>Lord.
>You quickly snap out of your stupor and answer her question.
“Oh... I thought I heard something. Was that you guys?”
>”Naturally. We’re new to this school and thought we would... motivate the student body to do a little competition. Are you interested in joining?” She smirks at you.
>Already you knew you didn’t want to do it. You couldn’t care less about some novelty band competition.
“I just might. That’ll be next Friday, yeah?”
>It never hurts to lie.
>The purple hair girl speaks up. “That’s right. Wouldn’t want to fail and be a complete loser, don’t you agree?”
>Something was off here, but you couldn’t put your finger on it.
“I suppose...”
>The girl with the afro softly chuckles. “Then we’ll be seeing you.” She takes her leave with the other two following her. “Awww, but it’s Taco Tuesday...” The blue haired girl whines.
>You look back to her for the last time.
>As they walk down the hall, she looks at back you smiling.
>You feel your heart skip a beat.
>Who is she?
>Holy crap, she’s gorgeous.
>You have to find out her name.
>But before you could run off after them, you spot AJ and her group of friends walking out of the cafeteria as well.
>Applejack was one of the first girls you got to know when you were new to Canterlot High School.
“Hey AJ.”
>”Howdy Anon, when did you get here? Did you see those three strange girls walking away?”
“I was just coming back home from lunch, and I just saw them walk down that hall. Who are they?”
>”I don’t know, but Sunset here reckons there’s something strange about them.”
>You couldn’t help but grin. “You wouldn’t happen to know their names, would you?”
>AJ gives you an incredulous look. “What in tarnation you going on about?”
“I’m just curious is all.”
>You smile nervously, you knew AJ wasn’t the type to mince words.
>”Take it from me, those girls are nothing but trouble.”
>Rarity interjects. “Quite. I’m with Applejack and Sunset on this one.”
>You glance over to Sunset who stands there nervously fidgeting her fingers.
>Although you were sick for that week, you heard how she went full potato and transformed into some demon bent on world domination.
>Makes you wonder why the military or government isn’t involved in all this.
“I don’t think it would hurt to learn their names at least.”
>AJ and her group start to slowly make their way down the hall. “Alright, but just be careful around them, Anon.” Applejack warns you one last time.
>Sometimes you honestly wonder if they suspect every female that’s new to school.
>On the other hand, they did seem a little off.
>But that blue haired girl....
>You have to get her name.
>Or at least say hi.

>However, you couldn’t find her for the rest of the school day.
>Even during your classes you find everyone... irritated.
>They would make petty remarks about winning the music competition.
>This was starting to sound like some Grade A high school drama bullshit.
>But you had to stay focused on your work for now.
>And yet, a part of your mind keeps drifting off to wonder about that blue haired girl you saw in the cafeteria.
>Surely you’ll see here again tomorrow.
>You hope...
>The school bell rings and you resume your lonely walk home as per usual.
>You didn’t mind being alone most of the time.
>But no one you knew lived in this part of town.
>It didn’t help it was a low socio-economic housing area, but it’s the best you could afford.
>Being your own person and living by yourself has its perks.
>But living in a small house can be... grating.
>For a couple hours after school you would tend to your homework and get everything ready for the next day.
>By the time it was nine, you decided to have a bowl of cereal before getting ready for bed.
>However, destiny has a way of playing foul and tortures you.
>You already had a bowl of dry cereal when you go to the fridge and fail to see a carton of milk waiting for you.
>Greeting you instead was an expired container of cottage cheese and half a bottle of ketchup.
“FUCK!”
>You quickly close the door.
>Of all the shit that had to happen.
>You would need milk in the morning anyways so you have to make a trip to the convenience store now.
>Grabbing your coat and some change, you head out into the dark streets and make your way.
>You didn’t like walking these roads at night; this isn’t exactly a favourable part of town.
>Last thing you need is to walk into a gang or a lunatic demanding cash.
>But God help them if they take your milk money.
> . . .
>Okay, maybe that did sound a bit stupid.
>Just get to the store and back in one piece; avoid eye contact with any suspicious people.
>After a few blocks you see the dim neon sign of a local convenience store.
>The old man that runs the store is nice enough, but he doesn’t talk much even if you come across as super friendly.
>It’s best to keep it short.
“How’s it going tonight?”
>”Ah you know, not much.”
>Walking over to the dairy section on the other side, you grab a carton with a later expiration date.
“Yeah I hear ya.”
>You check out and had home.
>Time to reclaim that bowl of cereal.
>In the dim lighting of the streetlamp you notice a figure sitting against the brick wall of the convenience store.
>Whoever it was, she had a hoodie covering her head but there was no mistaking that face.
>It was the blue haired girl from school!
>At first you stand there with your mouth opening and closing trying to think of something to say.
>Are your eyes deceiving you?
>You hope that if you engage in conversation she won’t be startled.
>It has to be her.
>Her gaze is fixated on the concrete sidewalk below her.
>Why is she out here all by herself?
>You take a step towards her and try to speak gently.
“H-hello?”
>She quickly looks up to you with uncertainty. “Uh, hello?”
>One good look at her and you knew for sure it was her.
“I thought I recognized you. I’m Anon, we met at the cafeteria in school.”
>She pauses for a moment as if trying to compute your words. “We did?”
“Yeah, you and your two friends sang that song about a Battle of the Bands.”
>She stares at you blankly as if you’re from another world.
“. . . It was Taco Tuesday.”
>Her eyes light up quickly with a smile on her face. “Oh right, you’re that guy!”
>A small chuckle escapes your mouth.
“Yeah, so what are you doing out here by yourself?”
>Her smile quickly turns upside down as she looks back down to the pavement. “I was just... thinking about stuff.”
“You shouldn’t be alone out at night, especially around here.”
>She looks back to you, her violet eyes deep yet penetrating. “I don’t mind being out on my own.”
>Holy hell.
>Is she homeless?
>This is it. Your chance to help and get to know her better.
>You take another step closer and sit at the edge of the curb.
“My house isn’t too far from here. Maybe you’d like to come by for some hot cocoa and maybe we can work something out?”
>This seems to catch her attention and you suspect it had more to do with the promise of food.
>”Are you sure?”
>You flash a smile at her. “I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t mean it. Besides, you’re a new student and we’ll probably be seeing each other anyways.”
>She looks back down to the ground for a moment reluctantly, but quickly brings her head up nodding.
>The walk back home didn’t seem so dark after that.
“What’s your name? I forgot to ask.”
>”It’s Sonata.” She chirps.
“I take it you like to sing?”
>”Yeah, we sing like, all the time. That’s how we get people to do whatever we want.” She gloats.
>Your brain was too occupied thinking about other things to clue in to what she said right there.
“You and the others sound pretty great. Have you been singing since you were little?”
>Sonata pauses briefly, “Well, we’ve sung a lot together. They’re almost like family.”
>Speaking of which...
>But maybe you shouldn’t press the issue just yet.
>Walking up to your house, you unlock the door and Sonata follows you closely.
>”Woah, this is your house?” She asks.
>You didn’t plan on having a visitor, so the place was not exactly as spotless as it should be.
“I know, I missed laundry day so—“
>”This house is so cozy!” She squeals in delight.
>Popping your shoes off, you head into the kitchen to put away the milk. You notice Sonata didn’t take hers off.
”Would you mind leaving those by the door? Please and thank you.”
>She looks to her feet in confusion, “Wait, did something happen?”
>This one is quite the oddball.
“Well, you should leave your shoes by the door. I wouldn’t want dirt and mud tracked in through the house.”
>”Oooh! That makes sense.” She smiles and quickly takes her shoes off and puts them by the front door.
>Sitting herself down at the table she looks around the kitchen area. “Where’s the hot cocoa?”
“It’s coming; I got to make it first.”
>You were still busy trying to clean the kitchen but for now you simmer a bit of water in a pot over the stove.
“Why don’t you tell me about yourself? Did you... transfer here from another school?”
>Sonata hops up and down in her chair impatiently.
>”Yeah, it’s like, super far away from here.”
“Where?”
>”Oh, I uh, can’t remember.” She smiles nervously.
“Did you mean you came here when you were little?”
>She nods her head, “Totally. Can I get whip cream to go with my hot cocoa?”
“Um, I don’t have any whip cream. But trust me. This will taste fantastic on its own.”
>You grab some plain cocoa powder from the cupboard and add it to the simmering water along with a measurement of sugar.
>Next came some condensed milk and some regular milk for that creamy taste.
>It was simple, but really good.
>You whisk away at the brown mixture and you suddenly notice Sonata standing right behind you.
>You jump, feeling your heart jump into your throat.
>Catching your breath, you look at her as she bears a wide smile at you and goes back to eyeing the hot chocolate.
“Almost made me jump out of my skin.”
>”You can do that?” Her eyes widen with surprise.
“What? No. But please don’t stand behind someone when they’re in the kitchen. It’s a good way to cause an accident.”
>You stare her down for a moment but she still stood close by you.
“Ahem.”
>Sonata glances up sheepishly with a grin.
>Again you look at her, but this time with a frown.
>She slinks back further, her nervous smile growing bigger.
>Finally she slides far back enough and into her chair once more.
>Although she has some very questionable social skills, you still wanted to know more about her.
“Do you mind me asking how long you’ve been on the streets?”
>”Oh, for a while now.”
>She seemingly gave no thought to her reply and was rather frank.
“What about your two other friends?”
>You turn the heat off the stove and move the small pot over. Sonata eyes the room once more, “I don’t know. We each find our own place to stay every once in a while, but Adagio told me to find my own place.”
>That seems rather harsh.
“Well, what if I were t—“
>”Is the hot cocoa ready yet?” She interrupts with an innocent smile.
>Without another thought you grab two mugs and pour a cup for you and her.
>The steaming hot liquid smells fantastic as you bring the mug over to Sonata and sit down with her at the table.
>She quickly snatches it out of your hands and begins to drink it down.
>You gingerly sip on your brew since it was still piping hot.
“So I was thinking that you can stay here for a while until we get you up on your feet. How does that sound?”
>Sonata had her eyes closed the entire time while drinking her hot chocolate with a soft moan of satisfaction escaping her with every gulp.
>You’re starting to think she’s either ignoring you or in a world of her own.
>With a loud gasp she places the cup down and licks her lips thoroughly.
>You wait for a moment until she makes eye contact with you once again.
“So would you like t-“
>”Is there any more?”
> . . .
>You sit in stunned silence. Here you are trying to offer Sonata a chance to get back on her feet and she doesn’t even seem to care.
>A bad feeling starts to stir in the pit of your stomach.
>This is what a small child would do.
>More prone to speak their mind and not realize the things they say and do.
“Did you enjoy that?”
>Her eyes almost begin to sparkle as if she was in a dream. “It’s the best thing I have ever tasted in a long time...”
>You grab her empty mug and refill it with the last of the hot cocoa.
>She promptly takes it back and chugs it back down.
>It was hard not to look at her.
>Even if she was homeless, she was still gorgeous.
>You look down at your mug and realized you haven’t finished your drink.
>With another satisfied sigh she lifts her head up to expose a chocolate milk moustache on her upper lip.
“Sonata, would you like to live here with me?”
>As if your words finally caught up to her, she beams a wide smile. “You mean it?”
“Yeah, everyone deserves a chance, right?”
>”And we can have hot cocoa every night?”
“Uh, maybe... But listen, it’s starting to get late and there’s school tomorrow. We should probably get ready for bed. Did you want a snack before you go to sleep?”
>Sonata nods her head enthusiastically.
>You point out where she can get some cereal, bowls and utensils.
>Grabbing the biggest bowl, she pours herself an ample amount, splashes on the milk and chows down faster than you thought possible.
>Holy hell she must’ve been starving.
>Sonata even licks her bowl clean and lets out a small burp. “Alright, time for sleep.”
>She grabs a roll of newspaper and walks out the kitchen towards the living room.
>Nestling onto the couch, she starts to spread the newspaper over herself like a blanket.
“Woah, what are you doing?”
>She looks up to you quizzically as if she did something wrong. “Sleeping?”
>You quickly gather up the newspaper and throw them on the coffee table.
“Come on, you’re sleeping in a bed.”
>”Really?”
“Of course.”
>You look at her hoodie and other clothing.
“But first you need to shower. I’ll give your clothes a quick wash.”
>She wraps her arms around herself. “What? You mean, like, every piece?”
>You roll your eyes with a smirk.
“You aren’t wearing anything I haven’t seen. I’ve washed my sisters clothing before.”
>”You have a sister? Where is she?” She tilts her head.
>You pause for a brief moment.
“Come on, leave your clothes outside the bathroom. I’ll grab you some sleep wear while you wash up.”
>You lead her up to the second level of the small house and show her the bathroom.
>While she takes care of herself, you go about cleaning up the kitchen, getting fresh linens for the bed and some extra clothing for her.
>You collect her clothes from outside the door and throw them in with a small load of laundry.
>You go into your room and remove your bed sheets and replace them with fresh ones.
>She’ll have a better time sleeping up here for now.
>You hurry to get the clothes dry as quickly as possible.
>She’ll probably want her panties back at least.
>They were simple, white with blue horizontal stripes.
>. . . Or is it blue with white horizontal stripes?
>The back of your mind gnawed away with questions about the cost of supporting her.
>You knew you were on a tight budget, but if you could cut back your own expenses and focus on the more important things, you should be able to hold out for a while until she can get a job.
>You grab a long shirt that your sister used for pajamas and folded her panties alongside it.
>Bringing her clothes upstairs, you notice that the shower has stopped running. You put the clean clothes outside and lightly tap the door.
“Got your clean clothes out here.”
>”Ok.”
“I’ll be downstairs if you need anything.”
>As you walk down the creaky steps, you hope to God you’re making the right choice.
>You finish the last bit of cleaning up in the kitchen as you hear footsteps coming down the stairs.
>Turning around you see Sonata wearing a long shirt that drapes over her shoulders all the way down to her knees.
“How do you feel?”
>She lifts her arms and looks down around her new set of PJ’s. “Drabby.”
>You couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Anything else you need before bed?”
>This was beginning to feel weird, but in a good way. Here you’re talking to another high school student like she was a kid.
>A part of you felt weird for doing so, but you also feel good-hearted for looking after her.
>“I’m good. So where am I sleeping again?”
“There’s a bedroom at the end of the hall upstairs beside the bathroom. Can’t miss it.”
>”Oh.” Her gaze drops to the floor as she leans on the railing of the staircase. “Where are you sleeping?”
>”Down here. I sometimes crash on the couch.”
>Sonata turns to go up the stairs, but she looks a bit worried about something. “Well, goodnight then.”
“Goodnight, I’ll be sure to wake you up to give you time to get ready for school.”
>She doesn’t say another word and heads upstairs to bed.
>You look at the clock on the wall and it’s already 11pm.
>Dammit.
>Grabbing your pillow that you took from your bedroom, you toss it on one end of the couch, pull up a blanket and tuck yourself in.
>Fuck the clothing, you’ll change in the morning.
>A bit of tossing and turning later you manage to drift into sleep.
>However, a small kink in your back from the lack of spinal support wakes you up.
>You look at the faint glow of a nightstand clock and see that it’s almost midnight.
>But in the silence of the night, you hear something else.
>It almost sounds like... crying.
>And it’s coming from upstairs.
>You begin to debate if you should go up and see what’s wrong.
>Would that make you look nosey?
>What if she needs her space?
>. . .
>It couldn’t hurt to go and check up on her.
>You take gentle steps going up, trying not to set off the staircase like an explosive noise bomb.
>At the top you quietly walk down the short hall to the bedroom and knock gently.
“Sonata?”
>You hear her sniffling through the door.
“Is everything alright?”
>You grab the doorknob and softly turn the handle.
>Peering inside, you see Sonata sitting at the edge of the bed, her face buried in her hands. The bedroom window curtain is wide open allowing some of the natural moonlight to shine in and cascade over her small body.
>She takes one glance at you and immediately looks away, her sobbing intensifying.
“What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
>You can already see the tears rolling down her cheeks as she breathes harder through her clenched teeth.
>”W-why are you so n-nice to me? No one’s ever been...”
>You can hear her sorrow and misery building up in her throat like it’s ready to pop.
>Quickly, you walk into the room and sit next to her. Sonata buries her face into your chest as she seemingly curls up tighter.
>Her breathing becomes staggered through her burst of tears and moaning.
>You gingerly rub her back. Life must’ve been harder for her than it has been for you.
“It’s okay...”
>The runniness of her nose becomes apparent as Sonata sniffles loudly, as if trying to desperately pull herself together.
>Her hand clenches onto your shirt tighter as you hold her in your arms.
“Come on, things will work out.”
>Her voice begins to crack. “But I’m stupid... I’ve always been stupid!”
>You weren’t really sure what she was talking about, but it almost sounded like low self-esteem issues of some sort.
>Eventually her sobbing grew quiet and she begins to settle down.
>Slowly she slips from your grasp, falls back onto the bed and goes out.
>You sit at the edge of the bed wondering what made all her emotions suddenly go ‘pop’ like that.
>As quietly as you could, you pull the blankets over her fragile frame and leave her in one piece.
>You almost feel shaken up yourself; it wasn’t everyday you had to comfort a crying girl.
>Settling back onto the couch, you drift back into a sleep despite your mind puzzling over who this girl is and where she came from.
>But you have a gut feeling she just might worth the trouble.