The pony trudged along, head down. Orange street lights cast an eerie glare over everything, making the vague shadows look even more ghastly. The pony did not look up. He couldn't look up. Not unless he wanted to see...nonono, don't think about it, don't think about it! The pony breathed, in and out, in and out. He squeezed his eyes shut, but it only made it worse, made the memory clearer. He began running, he had to escape from this awful place, with its unnatural-
The pony crashed into a trashcan, heavy and full of junk. He flipped into the air, landing hard on his back. The wind was smacked out of him, and in his shock, the pony forgot to turn away. He began screaming, screaming as he saw it....
As he saw the terrible, empty black void of the night sky.
Winter Wrap-Up, Winter Wrap-Up, I sang. As I passed somepony, I paused to say, Good evening, miss! She smiled, replying, Good evening, Sea Shanty! We then went our separate ways. I soon reached the Lighthouse of Canterlot. I was its caretaker. Tonight, I needed to replace the spark bulb at the top. It had gone out unexpectedly, though it wasn't that old. Obviously a dud I thought, unlocking the door. I climbed to the lighthouse's top, and saw something horrible. When I reported it, authorities said there wasn't an entry for it...not even the shattered window.
It was great having you over, Sunset.
I had a ton of fun. See you tomorrow. And happy birthday!
Good-bye.
Wow, that's the best party I've been to in...I don't even know how long. This is probably the best era of my life. I have great friends, and everybody is starting to forgive me...things are looking up-
Uurrggh...
Huh? Who's there?
...Ssssooo....huuungryyy...
Hang on...that voice...
Gaaah...
I...it's
Come on, even YOU can't be cruel enough to call me an it.
That's not what I was going to say!
You were going to say "It's one of the Dazzlings!". You probably don't even know my name, do you? Not that I count as somebody worthy of having a name in your eyes.
What gave you that idea?
It's how it's always been. We were never called by our names. Adaigio was never called Adaigio. Sonata was never called Sonata. I was never called Aria. No, we were just "the Sirens".
That was a really long time ago...nopony would think that now...
Riiiiight.
...
Aria?
What now?
Why don't you just go to a soup kitchen? I know there's one near the park.
Because that wouldn't do me any good.
What do you mean?
Mortal food can't sustain me. It certainly didn't help my sisters.
Are you saying that Adaigio and Sonata-
DON'T! You. Dare. Speak. Their names.
Oh...I'm sorry...
Oh, you're "sorry"? That fixes everything! It fixes my hunger, it fixes my sisters' deaths! Everything is just hunky-dory now!
If you can't have food, then how do you survive?
Those amulets you destroyed? We fed on negative emotion and magic with them.
So, by destroying the amulets...
...I've been doomed to a horrible death. Now you're catching on.
But...it was the only option! You wanted brainwash everyone! You wanted to take over the world! You wanted-
-To be adored. As we never had been in Equestria, as normal ponies.
You...were ponies?
Yes. We all had the same talent-singing. In spite of our beautiful voices, nopony paid us any attention. It was always about Princess Celestia or Starswirl the Bearded. Anypony else was hidden by their shadows. Everypony was content with this. Everypony but us. We didn't like it. Not. One. BIT.
If your talent was singing, then how did you get so powerful?
That's the thing about dark magic. A great deal of power for a "low" cost. A small sacrifice here, another one there. They all pile up, until you're twisted into something very different than what you started out with.
I had no idea...if only...if only we'd known...
You couldn't have done anything. We were too far gone a thousand years ago. What you did...was the best...for everyone...
...Aria...Aria? Can you hear me...?
Gods I'm hungry...so hungry...
Aria?! ARIA!
