Her plan was perfect, the execution even more so. They had been so close to their goal, closer than they had been in over 1,000 years. Adagio could taste victory upon her tongue as she felt the surge of disharmony flow through her veins and into her very core in that moment at the Battle. The humans had behaved just as she had predicted, letting their own emotions and desires block their vision of what was really happening, and nearly became the Siren's slaves for the rest of their miserable existence.
And yet, they had failed. The plan that had taken the Dazzlings more than 400 years to design to perfection had failed. All of that time and energy they used was for nothing, wasted on a broken dream. Their pendants, the one thing that connected them to Equestria were shattered, ensuring they could never return to the place that they once called home. Sonata had been devastated to say the least, Aria silent for days. But that barely compared to the conflicting thoughts and emotions Adagio was going through.
Adagio had been the one to design most of the plan, the one who always ensured Sonata that they'd go back home when she had nightmares, the one who taught Aria how to play instruments, the one who supported their goals even in the darkest days. But now, looking back at the results of the battle, had it all been worth it? Was every moment of chaos she and her sisters created really the best idea in the first place?
She always told herself that she'd lead them back home, back to that little cove they grew up in, back to singing silly songs and enchanting the ponies that sailed by. She just had to do some good by being the bad guy. That's all that she was doing, right? She certainly wasn't the one who broke their pendants and hopes of home forever. She had simply done the right thing for the right reasons in the wrong time.
It was those pesky Rainbooms who did it all. They opposed her plans from the start, right to when they had enchanted the humans in the school for the first time. Adagio knew they were meeting in secret to stop them. She knew that they had enlisted the help of an Alicorn princess from Equestria to defeat them. She knew everything about the Rainbooms.
And yet, she did nothing to stop them. She sat there and watched as they made their way up in the rankings to face the Dazzlings in the end. She had been so focused on her own goal that she didn't even blink an eye when she saw that they were rebelling. But, she did have a good reason for doing so. Like fine wine, they needed to be tapped into when the time was right and they couldn't stand each other anymore. They were the only ones who had Equestrian magic, and it was only a matter of time before they could be exposed. But even if they were valuable, they cost the Sirens everything in the end.
That didn't stop Adagio from regretting her decisions however. Regardless of intentions, regardless of timing, she had been a fool in the end. Who was she to think that she'd be able to get her sisters and herself home? They would never be able to return home in the first place! And now, they had lost their pendants, their source of life, and a large portion themselves. All because of her stupid plan.
"Adagio!"
Letting out a small yelp of surprise, the Siren shook her head to rid herself of her lingering thoughts. As her vision cleared and focused, she finally took notice of the calm, quiet café she was in. The air smelled of delicious beverages and pastries alike, sending a wave of happiness through her. A small crowd had gathered at the back left corner of the shop, eagerly anticipating the next performer to take the stage and letting out a few whoops of approval and excitement here and there.
After taking in her surroundings enough for her comfort, she realized the two lanky forms sitting in the cherry red booth before her, the left figure belonging to an irritated Aria and the right belonging to a blissful Sonata noisily slurping at a chocolate milkshake. They were both in their regular hoodies and jeans from before they lost their powers, most likely because Aria didn't want to do the laundry again, and much to Adagio's surprise so was she. She rather adored her hoodie much more than she would admit, mainly because the soft texture let her slip away into a state of vulnerability, and Aria would tease her about it until the end of time.
"Earth to Adagio!" Aria said rather loudly, snapping her fingers inches from Adagio's to pull her sister out of La-La land. Adagio smacked Aria's hand away instinctively, before realizing her actions and slumping down in her seat, folding her arms on the table and hiding her face.
"What happened to you? You were out for like, half an hour," Aria asked in a growly voice. Adagio had grown used to Aria's angry voice, but what truly surprised her was the hidden amount of concern in her voice. Not many could detect it, but those who did knew how grave the situation must have been for her.
"Sorry, girls," Adagio apologized, sitting up in the booth and resting her head on her clenched fist for support. "I was just... thinking."
"Thinking about what?" Aria asked, the same concern laced through her words as before.
Adagio was considering saying 'The Battle', but after what they had gone through she decided against that idea. "Nothing important," she answered quickly, blowing off the question entirely.
Aria blew a piece of hair out of her face irritably. "Well, I hope you think of something productive soon. Sonata's not going to be able to drink that milkshake forever, and we need a new plan for what to do now."
Adagio bit her lip, trying to think of something to do. She was right. She was their leader, the eldest sibling of the trio, the one that kept them all from collapse. She had to make a plan. It was up to her and solely her to know what to do next. Otherwise, they were just a group of average, everyday human teenage girls. The thought of being like everyone else in this dying world sent shivers down Adagio's spine.
"Just... hang in there, girls. We have a lot of money in our bank account, so that should keep us floating for at least a little while," Adagio advised, remembering the amount of currency the girls had collected over the years for singing at various restaurants and events.
"So does that mean I can have another milkshake?" Sonata asked eagerly, slightly bouncing in her seat while gently pushing forwards her empty glass.
Adagio gave a motherly sigh. "Yes, Sonata, you can have another milkshake."
"Yay!" Sonata squealed with joy, leaping up and out of her seat with incredible athleticism to the bar with her wallet in hand, no doubt going to spend the rest of her allowance on milkshakes. Her rather strange food fads were something Aria and Adagio had learned to accept over time- one day she'd love burgers, the next tacos, and the next day she'd love fudge pops. Today was one of the days where she craved something sweet, as Adagio had observed.
Aria leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes, trying to find peace in her own mind, while Adagio was doing the exact opposite. She rubbed her temples, intent on thinking of something to do now. Like Aria had stated previously, they couldn't stay here forever. Though, she wished that they could. Her younger sister's meditation was something that she'd use quite a part of the time to keep from exploding, drifting off into her happy place to keep herself calm. She loved seeing her that way, so content instead of angry at everything.
However, her own efforts at forming a plan didn't restrict Adagio's ears to prick up at a new band going onstage. Perhaps they would be better than the last few bands trying to make a good show, and let her slip away into her own mind much as Aria was doing.
The song started out with a few simple yet intriguing notes being played, though to what song Adagio hadn't a clue. Though as the song went on, it almost felt as if the song played just the right notes to whisk away her soul from the petty distraction of plans. She closed her eyes, enjoying the beginning instrumental with incredible pleasure. She nearly jumped as the vocals came in, and turned to see who was performing, her eyes widening at their appearances.
"I see me behind a door,
Don't know what it is for," the lyrics were sung in a teenager's voice that fit the song perfectly, each strum of his vocal chords sending the Siren into a state of enchantment. He was tall and had fair skin, with navy blue hair that had streaks of teal running through it. His clothes consisted of rather simple styles, a navy blue t-shirt, a white streaked with teal jacket, a pair of dark blue jeans and teal converse. A pair of beats were on his head, ensuring that he could only hear the music and his own voice.
"Celestia,
Don't leave me," the female background singer sang in an auto tuned voice, the one most likely doing the music itself. She was tall as well, though with tan skin, and had brown wavy hair streaked with bleach blonde in a ponytail. Her clothing choices were a bit more wild, a black beanie upon her head, a black tank-top on her torso depicting characters from the horror game Five Nights at Freddy's in a cartoonish style, a pair of capris, and converse with the same picture that was on her shirt.
"Make my dreams have gone away,
Don't know just what to say," the boy sang, making hand movements to go along with each line of the song, though limited by the microphone in one hand.
"King Sombra,
Don't deceive me," the girl smiled as she sang, in her own state of happiness while skillfully controlling her keyboard.
'King Sombra. The king of the Crystal Empire who was called a tyrant by Celestia for a misunderstanding in first impressions,' Adagio thought to herself in complete and utter shock. How had they known about him? And much less, as mere teenagers!
"I have tried as best I can,
And I don't understand," the boy used facial expressions to make his performance more intriguing.
"Celestia,
Don't leave me."
"Your voice told me I should go,
And that is all I know."
"King Sombra,
Don't deceive me."
"My worst nightmare right in front of my eeeeeyeeeees,
But who knew that it was all a disguiiiiiiiise?
Somebody tell me this is a dream,
A door to a world I never have seen,
A shudder runs through me as I pass through,
Sombra's door."
Adagio felt a shiver run down her spine at the mention of Sombra's Door of Fears. She had heard legends about such an item, and how the humans knew about it as well was beyond her completely. She considered telling Aria and Sonata about it, but decided against it, just to make sure these humans truly knew the meaning of the words they were singing.
"Adagio?" Aria tapped her sister's shoulder.
"Shh!" Adagio silenced her as Sonata took her seat once again. "Listen!"
"Loosing faith with every stair I climb,
I'm unaware."
"Celestia,
Don't leave me." The girl sounded almost exactly like Twilight in that moment to Adagio, calling out for her mentor. That mere fact made Adagio even more intrigued upon the song and singers.
"Can't help thinking that was real,
And not just how I feel."
"King Sombra,
Don't deceive me."
"I tried so hard,
And got so far,
But in the end it doesn't matter!
But it's too late for me to stay,
I've got to save the day!"
"King Sombra,
You will shatter!" That line made the eldest Siren wonder just how much the humans actually knew about Equestria, and what exactly she and her sisters had missed over the past 1,000 years.
"My worst nightmare right in front of my eeeeeyeeeees,
But who knew that it was all a disguiiiiiiiise?
Somebody tell me this is a dream,
A door to a world I never have seen,
A shudder runs through me as I pass through,
Sombra's door."
As the musical interlude was played by the teenaged lead singer, Adagio turned to her sisters with a wicked smile the two has not seen since before their powers were taken away. "Do you know what they're singing?" Adagio asked. "And do you know what they sound like?"
The two former Sirens shrugged, Aria out of complete and total boredom and Sonata to hear what their leader had planned next.
"They sound like Sirens," she said, lowering her voice with an excited tone still kept to it. "And with the song they're singing, not only do they sound like Sirens, but they could be Sirens. With their abilities, I don't doubt that they could be our tickets to get back our original power and back to Equestria."
"But, isn't the connection in our gems like, totally cut off?" Sonata asked, shrugging.
"Not yet," Adagio smiled. "The connection is cut off only if the connection can't be restored within a week, and it's only been four days. Girls, I have a new plan. And this time, I'm determined that it won't fail."
"I've put my trust in youuuuu,
Pushed as far as I can go,
For all this there's only just,
One thing that you should know:
I have faith in youuuuu,
It's up to you now in the end,
It doesn't really matter who,
So please now go my faithful friend!
My worst nightmare right in front of my eeeeeyeeeees,
But who knew that it was all a disguiiiiiiiise?
Somebody tell me this is a dream,
A door to a world I never have seen,
A shudder runs through me as I pass through,
Sombra's door."
As the ending played out, the girl vigorously moved her hand across her keyboard, keeping every note perfectly until the end. The two stepped away from the microphones and off the stage, raising their arms for the abundant applause in appreciation.
"Thank you!" the boy yelled over the crowd, a bright white smile upon his face. "That was our last song for the night. See you all next week!" He and his female companion walked over to a booth right next to the Dazzlings, slumping down in deep red seats that were identical to the booth the former Sirens were sitting in.
"This is our chance," Adagio whispered to Aria and Sonata, beckoning them up to join her. She slid out of the seat with an unnatural grace, as did Aria and Sonata, Sonata reluctantly abandoning her milkshake to join her sisters. The three of them stood before the two who had performed, both of them slouched in their respective seats. The boy was in a slouched position, looking rather chill with his headphones around his neck, while the girl sat to attention as soon as she saw the three walk up.
"Can I help you?" the boy asked, his eyes making the two younger Sirens' blood run cold, despite his tone of voice being quite warm.
"We couldn't help but hear you earlier when you were singing, and I must say you are quite the excellent singers," Adagio said conversationally, her loss of Siren magic not affecting her silver tongue. "What are your names?"
"I'm Total, and that's my adopted sister Desarae," the boy said, motioning to his female companion upon mentioning her.
"You know, with your talent, you could be the next big stars to pop up out of the blue."
"We've heard that a lot," Total said, slightly irritable. "Listen, we've already been approached by record labels, and we don't want the fame or fortune, whichever one you offer us."
Adagio gave a light laugh, putting her hand on her chest. "Oh, why, I wouldn't dream of it. What we're offering you instead is something much more than silly fortune or fame. Power."
The two lit up at the mention of power, mainly Total, who had come out of his relaxed position to an upright one, listening intently.
"What kind of power?" he asked, seemingly disinterested, though his body position said otherwise.
"The best kind there is," Adagio replied nonchalantly, leaning on the table, her magenta eyes peering into his turquoise ones. "Magical power."
"You're kidding me," Total stated with a hint of defeat, his head turning to the window.
"What if I wasn't?" Adagio questioned in turn. "What if we have a bit of magic that could make your voices so strong that you could make an entire school bow to your will, or even a country? What do you say to that?"
"What do you think we are, little kids? We don't believe in magic," he snapped.
"I do," Desarae said in a soft voice, though it was loud enough to cause all eyes to train on her. She turned to Adagio with a light smile, more trusting than the boy. "You can make us have magic?"
"Indeed," Adagio smiled, winning over the half of the group. "To be honest with you both, magic does exist in this world, though humans don't accept that fact as they grow older and dismiss it as something of fiction. However, if you have a good eye and skill set, you can tap into that magic, and do so much more with it than most humans can even dream of. And fortunately, me and my sisters have tapped into it enough to make our voices strong enough to create an army.
"Though, we've run into some trouble, and the items that originally contained our magic are now shattered, and the only way to restore them is through song. But it can't be any song, it has to be the right song with powerful singers, and both of you have shown us that tonight. So, I come to you with this proposition: Help us repair our gems with the power of your song, and you'll be able to possess that magic and be the rulers of your own world."
"So, let's just say that we go along with your little plan," Total rolled his hand for effect. "What do we do then?"
"Join us. Come back to our place and we'll take care of the rest," Adagio explained. Scribbling on a napkin with a pen she found in her pocket, she wrote the address of the Dazzling's home and gave it to the boy. The boy looked at the napkin warily, but took it anyways.
"That's it? No catch? No "ha ha, this is all a hidden camera show"?" he asked, his eyebrow arching in suspicion.
"Not at all," Adagio said, making an 'x' over her heart in the sign of a promise. "Now, come around 9:30 or 10. We'll be waiting."
With that, she, Aria, and Sonata walked away from the booth with an almost hypnotic swagger, exiting the cafe and into the cold night air.
"Well now what?" Aria asked in a rather annoyed tone. "We gave a promise to some kids we don't even know and we can't keep it."
"No, we can keep it," Adagio said calmly, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a small red gem, a crack going straight down it's center. "This is how we'll keep our promise."
"Your gem? Not to be a downer here, but I'm pretty sure that we need more than just one gem in order to restore our full power," Aria stated. "Sonata and I can't have our power back without our gems, too."
"Which is why I grabbed yours before we fled," Adagio said with a smile, reaching into her pocket once again and pulling out two identical gems with different cracks in them. "Listen: that duo, with their singing abilities, they'll be able to put the power of song back into our gems so we can get our full Equestrian magic back and go home. But, I do have a plan for them after they've fixed our gems."
"And what would that be?" the smaller girl asked, folding her arms across her chest.
"Once we get our gems back, we'll need more power, and that's where we hold up our end of the bargain. I have never told you this, but our gems, when given enough power, can transfer the power of the Siren into an ordinary gem. That's how the Queen of Sirens created so many children without a mating partner. Anyways, over time, we're going to get the two on our side so we can finally have the human world in the palm of our hands and the portal we need to go home." Adagio explained, earning the lifting spirits of her younger sisters with each word.
"Uhm, 'Dagi?" Sonata piped up warily.
"Yes, Sonata?"
"I kinda left my milkshake inside," Sonata explained sheepishly, causing Aria to groan and facepalm.
"Really, Sonata?" Aria nearly yelled at her. "This is why you're the worst."
"At least I don't leave pizza boxes piled up in my room like a slob!" Sonata retorted.
"What I do with my room is none of your business, plushie-hog," Aria said in turn, messing up Sonata's bangs.
"Hey! Sparkles likes it in my room and always has!" Sonata yelled.
"He would have liked it with me had you not stolen him!" Aria raised her voice.
"Girls," Adagio growled, causing their little feud to stop abruptly. "Sonata, go get your milkshake very quickly."
"Yes!" Sonata fist-pumped, running back inside for all of 3 seconds to retrieve her milkshake.
"So, you really think they're going to take the deal?" Aria asked once Sonata came back outside sipping her strawberry milkshake with a content smile.
"Of course they are," Adagio promised as she led them back home, no doubt to clean up their apartment before the duo arrived. "If there's anything humans want more than anything else in the world, it's power. And what better way to have a win-win situation than giving them just that?"
"Are we really going to do this?" Total asked skeptically. "I still think they're pulling our leg."
"Of course we are," Desarae replied. "Well, I think we should. I mean, you know how I can detect when someone is lying, and they weren't! I swear!"
"Uh-huh," Total nodded with a deadpanned expression. "Sure they weren't. You of all people should know that sometimes your 'power' fails."
"It's not this time!" she nearly shouted desperately, slamming her hands on the table. Seeing the faces of the other patrons let realization sink in and she quickly recoiled from her position. "They're not lying. And if they are, I want to give them the benefit of the doubt."
"You're seriously set on doing this?"
"Mhm," she replied with a quick but certain nod of her head.
Total let out a sigh, considering changing the will of his adopted sister and best friend. After a few moments, he spoke again. "Alright. For your happiness, I'll go too."
Desarae let out a happy squeak, wrapping her arms around Total's neck tightly, nearly suffocating the boy, though he didn't seem to notice. "What time is it again? I really don't want to show up late."
"It's 8:49 right now, which gives us plenty of time before we have to be there," Total said, letting Desarae relax. As soon as she pulled out her earbuds and phone to play the game upon her shirt, he gave an internal sigh at seeing her so happy and excited. Don't let your dreams get to your head, Des. I don't want you to get hurt again. Please, Des. Please.
