Eyes of Sunset, Siren Song

Adagio stalked out of the lunchroom, a angry scowl on her face. She shook her mane of orange and lemon striped hair, sending a cascade of taco shell crumbs, shredded cheese, and lettuce tumbling to the floor. Her pale golden face was smeared with salsa and sour cream. Just her luck that it was Taco Tuesday on the day that someone decided to start a food fight.

Immediately, she cringed slightly, lifting a hand to automatically rub the three crimson gems that adorned a black choker on her neck. Sonata loved tacos.

Some would say that Adagio Dazzle, leader of the sirens that had terrorized Equestria all those centuries ago, didn't have any feelings, and they would mostly be right. She never felt pity for her victims, nor remorse for what she had done. However, one thing she did feel was the pain of loneliness. Her fellow sirens, not as strong as she was, hadn't survived long in this new world, with its limited magic. Arrogant Aria. Simple Sonata. Both gone. Their two gems were the last vestige of their existence that she had. Even now, all these years later, their death still stung.

Shaking her head, Adagio walked into the nearest bathroom to clean up. The people that were already there looked up when she entered, and, realizing who she was, scurried out the door. Adagio couldn't help but smile. Next to Sunset Shimmer, she was undoubtedly the school's top predator.

At the thought of Sunset Shimmer, she frowned. Ever since she had come to this school, she had sensed something off about that girl. Equestrian magic hung over her like a cloak. It was faint, yes, and different from the magic of the pony inhabitants, but it was there. That, and the way that everyone seemed to bend to her whims, made Adagio certain that girl was hiding something. She just wasn't entirely sure what.

She wasn't going to spend too much time thinking about her, though. Not when she had other stuff to do.

She grabbed several paper towels and, after dousing them with water, rubbed her face vigorously. Once she was satisfied that the last traces of food were gone, she whipped a comb out of her pocket and started on her hair.

It took a few minutes to get all of the taco crumbs, cheese, and fruit slices out of her hair, but once she was sure they were gone, she stowed away her comb, slung her backpack over her shoulder, and walked out of the bathroom.

The final bell echoed through the halls as Adagio exited Canterlot High, groaning inwardly when she remembered how much homework she had. Despite not being entirely human, she tried to keep the guise up as well as she could. Equestrian conquest was the last thing on her mind nowadays.

Adagio walked down the silent roads, she thought she heard a noise behind her, like...footsteps. And laughter. She whipped her head around, but she didn't see anything. Feeling slightly uneasy, she continued on her way.

She turned down the alley that led to her street. As usual, the walls were covered with obscene graffiti, there was trash everywhere, and several large dumpsters buzzed with flies. Adagio's nose wrinkled in disgust as it was assaulted with the pungent aroma of rotting garbage. She really didn't have to walk this way, but going around meant an extra ten minutes of walking while carrying a heavy book bag. Avoiding that was worth a little trash.

As she walked down the alley, she was aware of the noise again, footsteps and suppressed chuckles. She sped up ever so slightly, anxious to get home. She looked behind her to see if there was anything there, but there wasn't. She turned around in time to slam into what felt like a solid brick wall. Stumbling back a few steps. she looked up to see that what she thought was a wall was actually a boy. He was giant, with pale green skin and greasy teal hair feathered into a mullet. His face was shredded with scars, some white and faded, others newer, still scabbed over, so that his face was marred with spots of rough red crust. He had three green jewels in his eyebrows, one over his lip, and one in his nose. His clothes were filthy; shredded and battered like he'd never washed them with water, only gravel and sand.

"Hey, pretty girl," he sneered, in a voice that made him sound as if a cat had torn his vocal chords apart. "Need some help with that?" He grabbed her backpack with one ropy arm, tugged it out of her hands, threw it to the ground behind him.

Adagio turned to run, heart pounding, only to find that there was another boy behind her. This one was skinnier, with skin a sickly shade of yellow and a dark red buzz cut that made him look like his skull had been dipped in blood. He smirked, stepping up to her so she was forced to back up. "Not so fast, girl," he said. "We ain't finished yet."

Adagio backed up until she hit the brick wall. Both boys were leering at her now, cracking their knuckles in anticipation. Adagio, since coming to this world, had learned plenty about its inhabitants, and she was pretty sure she knew what was about to happen if she didn't do something.

She took a deep breath, focused on the three gems around her neck, and sang the first song that came to mind-an ancient lullaby created by a princess of Equestria for her sister. Adagio poured her soul into her words, filling them with as much love and sadness as the princess who composed it.

"Fate has been cruel and order unkind

How can I have sent you away?

The blame was my own; the punishment, yours

The harmony's silent today.

But into the stillness I'll bring you a song

And I will your company keep

Till your tired eyes and my lullabies

Have carried you softly to sleep..."

The boys stepped back, shocked, but just as quickly started to slump, a tired, dull expression appearing in their eyes. The green one shook his head slightly, and glared at her weakly. "W-what a-are you...?" he muttered, swaying on the spot. Adagio just smiled at him. She was in control now. She closed her eyes and kept singing.

"Once did a pony who shone like the sun

Look out on her kingdom and sigh

She smiled and said, "Surely, there is no pony

So lovely and so well beloved as I!"

So great was her reign and so brilliant her glory

That long was the shadow she cast

Which fell dark upon the young sister she loved

And grew only darker as days and nights passed..."

As one, both boys hit the ground with matching thumps, totally unconscious. Adagio smirked. Usually it took more than that, but these two seemed particularly dim-witted. She walked up to them, eyed them distastefully, then kicked the green one in the ribs. "Get up," she sniffed.

Both boys immediately sprang to their feet, pupils green and shrunken to pinpricks. They stood perfectly still, waiting for her commends.

"You," she pointed to the green one, "-pick up my bag and carry it. Both of you, follow me." She began walking towards her house, the two boys trailing behind her like she was the Pied Piper. Which, in a way, she was. Once she reached her house, she turned and took her bag from the boy's unresistant grip. "Now..." she mused, putting a finger to her chin. "If either of you do this again, the instant you start following the girl, you will both suddenly realize that your arms are on fire. You'll feel your skin blacken and burn, and only once the girl is out of range will it stop. Afterwords, you will forget the girl and what you were doing, but remember the pain. Is that clear?"

The boys nodded, both perfect robots. Adagio smiled. "Good," she said, turning to her front door. She paused. "Oh, yes. When I go in the door, both of you will suddenly have a burning hatred of each other, and fight for the next fifteen minutes. Once those fifteen minutes are up, you'll forget everything, wake up, and leave."

She opened the door, walked inside, and slammed it shut. Outside, she could hear yells, followed by thuds as the boys began fighting. She peeked out a window and saw a green gas begin to appear between the boys, drifting towards the house.

Perfect. She'd get a good meal tonight.