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."