My Little Sirens: Songs of Seduction

"Cannon ball!" Sunset shouted as she jumped off the side of the pool, curling her body up as best she could before plunging into the water with a big splash. Once in the water, she stayed under the surface for a few seconds before surfacing. "Woooo!" She shouted. "Come on in, Twi! The water's fine!"

"Alright!" Twilight shouted back before jumping off the side. "Woo hoooo!" She screamed before hitting the water. Like Sunset, Twilight stayed beneath the surface before coming back to the surface. "Where the hay is Trixie?" Twilight said as she swam around. "She's missing all of the fun!"

"If I had to guess, she's probably standing in front of a mirror somewhere." Sunset replied. "I can tell she likes to admire herself."

"Eh. She's more of a boasting type. Maybe she's trying to pull off another stunt to show how strong she is." Twilight replied.

"What kind of stunt do you think that would be?" Sunset asked. She then paused as she placed a hoof to her muzzle in thought. "Only thing I can think of is if she tried levitating this ship out of the water." Upon hearing that, Twilight's eyes quickly shrank at what Sunset said.

"She's right!" Twilight thought. "Uh... we should probably go find Trixie." With that said, the two ponies raced off in search of the blue unicorn as the sun began setting across the horizon.

Up on the bridge, Shining Armor was looking out in front of the ship for any dangers. "Umm... Captain Armor?" A voice from behind said. Shining turned around to see the one pony who he thought would never willingly approach him. "Could I t-t-talk to you for a moment?"

"Yes. Go ahead." Shining replied as Flash jumped up and rested his front hooves on the railing of the bridge wing.

"Look. About earlier.... you know, when we were about to crash into that other boat.... and you put a shield up around it before we hit..."

"Yes?"

"I just wanted to say... thank you. If you hadn't done what you did in time, that little fishing boat would have been crushed."

"Oh it's no problem." Shining replied. "I've actually been wanting to talk to you about something as well. Something that even though won't last much longer, I think you need to learn from it."

"What would that be?" Flash asked.

Shining used his magic to levitate Flash's hat off of his head. "This." He said, holding the hat in front of Flash's face with his magic. "Even though you've only been in charge of this ship for roughly 12 days, you seem to have let the title of "Captain" go to your head."

"Really?" The pegasus asked, staring into his reflection on the shined metal piece on the front of the hat.

"Yes." Shining replied. "Ever since we left Manehattan, you've been ordering everyone around, which granted is what a Captain usually does, but not to the extent that you've been doing."

"But I-"

"Like that time you asked me to pour you some tea and feed you a muffin." Shining said, his eyes fixated on Flash. "That is way out of line for what Captains do. I know Steel Blade would never do that... and I haven't even met him yet." He paused, breaking his gaze to watch the moon rise above the horizon, before turning his attention back towards Flash. "Once at sea, the Captain doesn't get the power to just make ponies do the most ridiculous things for him. He is supposed to be the leader for a crew, a pony to look up to."

Flash sighed once he heard that. "I guess I haven't been a good role model for the others, haven't I?"

"Not in the slightest." Shining replied. "But considering we still have four days left on this trip, you still have time to make up for it."

"I do?" Flash asked suddenly, his eyes locked onto Shining. "But how?"

"For starters, by knocking off the ridiculous orders."

"Deal!" Flash blurted out.

"Second, here is an example of the first rule of the sea. If I didn't put up that shield and we collided with that boat, every pony on board that smaller boat would have been killed. And guess who would've been held responsible."

"Me?" Flash asked sheepishly as he pointed at himself.

"Yep." Shining replied. "Since you're the Captain until we get back to Manehattan, not only are you responsible for this ship and everything that happens to it, but also for every single pony on board." Flash gulped as his eyes shrank in fear. "With great power and rank comes great responsibility." Shining added. "Something that I've grown accustomed to ever since becoming Captain of the Royal Guard. Each time we go out on a mission, whatever happens, I'm responsible for it." He looked over towards the pegasus. "What I'm trying to say is, you need to grow up. And I think this experience will help you do that."

"I think... I get what you're saying." Flash said as he looked out over the bow. "I'm sorry for the way I've been behaving. I just wanted to see what it was like to be in charge of something for once instead of just being some other guard."

Shining placed a hoof on the pegasus' back after hearing what he said. "Who knows." He said. "Maybe someday, you'll be more than just a guard. But that all depends on how much you mature and start taking responsibility while being in the Guard."

"Well, Captain Armor.... thank you for the talk." The pegasus said while yawning. "You have the watch until the night watch comes to relieve you."

"Alright." Shining replied. "You going to sleep?"

"Yeah. Gotta be up bright and early if I'm gonna relieve the night watch." Flash said before turning around and walking away.

"Gotcha." Shining replied as he watched Flash disappear inside. "Huh. I think I finally got through to him." He thought as he turned around to return his gaze to the front of the ship.

Twilight and Sunset were walking along the deck when they heard a familiar voice yelling out in front of them. "Trixie is Queen of the world!" Trixie cried out as she stood on her hind legs at the very front of the ship. Twilight and Sunset each laughed silently behind her.

"Uhh... Trixie?" Twilight asked, getting the blue unicorn's attention as she turned around to face the other two. "You feeling alright?"

"Trixie is fine." She replied. "Why do you ask?"

"Nothing, just wondering." The alicorn replied. "So... what do you guys want to do?" Sunset's stomach growled in response.

"I think I could go for some food." The orange unicorn replied, placing a hoof against her belly.

"Trixie agrees." Trixie responded. "She has grown quite famished since being on this boat."

"Well then, lets go get some food and cider." Twilight said as she turned around, Sunset and Trixie following close behind as they all walk towards the superstructure of the ship. As they approached, Twilight saw Shining standing on the bridge. She gave him a kind wave with her hoof as she walked inside, which was swiftly returned by a salute from her older brother.

"Well... things might actually go smooth on this trip." Shining thought to himself as he watched the three mares walk inside. Turning his attention back towards the front, he noticed something odd. A fog bank lay just ahead of the ship as it sliced through the moonlit waters of the Equestrian Sea. "Perfect chance to see if the guy was serious or not." He thought as he walked over to the Captain's cabin, located just behind the bridge. "Flash!" Shining yelled as he knocked on the door. "You up?" Some faint, yet audible grumbling was heard on the other side of the door for a minute before Flash opened it.

"Yes Captain Armor? What is it?" The pegasus asked as he rubbed a hoof against his eye.

"You might want to come take a look at this." Shining replied, motioning for Flash to go up to the railing. "This fog just came up out of nowhere." Flash did as he was told to do and went up to the railing. As he looked ahead, he put a hoof to his chin.

"Hmm..." Flash said as he looked out. "We might wanna slow down." He said before walking inside the bridge. Slowly, he turned each engine telegraph to "Half Ahead". The clanging of the bells inside each post made Flash's jaw clench tight as he was still partially asleep. "Hey uh... Shining?" He asked as he walked into the chart room. Inside, on a wooden desk laid the map that showed the ship's course. "Where exactly are we?" Shining walked inside and took a look at the map.

"Lets see..." He said as he looked closely at the map. "We've been sailing for roughly nine hours at full speed, which on this ship is.... 25 knots." He quickly grabbed a book from underneath the desk called "Beginner's Guide to Sailing." "Good thing Princess Celestia gave this to us." He thought as he opened the book. Flipping through the pages with his magic, he stopped on a page labeled "Knot Conversion". He squinted his eyes as he looked at the chart. "One knot equals 1.15077845 miles per hour." He read aloud. "Where's Twilight when you need her?" As Shining tried figuring out the mathematics, Flash stepped back outside just as the Mareitania became engulfed by the fog.

"Alright..." Shining said to himself as he tried writing the numbers down on a paper. "Just take 1.15 times 25...." He wrote the problem down and quickly solved it. "28.75. Now take that times 9." His mind strained as he tried solving the problem. "Roughly 259 miles."

"Hey Shining!" Flash yelled. "Figure out where we are yet?"

"Working on it!" Shining yelled in response. He quickly looked at the ship's compass that was mounted on the helm. "259 miles going south west." He turned his attention back towards the map. "Wish Twily was here right now. She'd have this figured out in no time." He thought as he looked closely at the map. "Uh.... Flash?"

"Yeah?"

"I think I just found out where we are..."

"Where?" The pegasus asked as he looked inside.

"If I'm right, we're roughly six miles... off the coast of... the Island... of Sirenia." Flash's eyes shrank upon hearing that name. He instantly remembered the argument that occurred earlier.

"Crap!" He thought as he stepped back. "Quick!" He yelled as he rushed inside towards the ship's wheel. "We need to-" His movements suddenly froze as his ears picked up faint singing coming from the fog.

"Ahhhh ohh ahhhh"

"Ahhhhhh"

"Ahhhh ohh ahhhh"

"Ahhhhhh"

".... listen to this lovely singing...." Flash said as he slowly stopped walking towards the wheel.

"What the heck are you talking about?" Shining asked as he walked back onto the bridge. "What-" Like Flash, Shining Armor froze in place once his ears heard singing coming from the fog. "... singing is more lovely than this?" Shining asked as he suddenly felt calm and relaxed.

"I don't know...." Flash replied in a calm tone. "But I want to hear more of it." He slowly placed his hooves on the wheel and started turning it to the left. Soon enough, Mareitania started listing over on her starboard side as she swung to the left. "Ahead full... Mr. Armor." Flash calmly ordered.

"Aye Captain Sentry...." Shining replied as he used his magic to push each engine telegraph lever down to "Full Ahead". The large turbine engines shuddered as they began picking up speed once again, making the entire ship vibrate. Soon, every guard on board was lining the sides of the ship, standing in relaxed poses as the ship emerged from the fog bank. In front of the ship, loomed an island with a large mountain in the center. The island shone bright under Luna's moonlight as the waves crashing on the sandy beaches glistened under it's rays. Looking on from inside the bridge, Flash and Shining watched as only a few miles separated the Mareitania's bow from the shores of the Island of Sirenia.

"So what are you guys hungry for?" Twilight asked as she and the others walked along a corridor towards the dining room.

"I could go for a slice of apple pie and a mug of cider." Sunset replied over the growling of her stomach.

"Trixie will have the same." Trixie added as they reached the elevator that would take them down to D Deck, where the dining room was located. Before Twilight could use her magic to open the doors, she felt the floor start to tilt beneath her.

"Uh oh...." She thought before she, Sunset, and Trixie all slid down the slanted floor, crashing into a wall just as the floor returned to an even level. "What in Equestria was that about?" She yelled as they all stood up.

"Think we should check it out?" Sunset asked as the floor vibrated beneath them.

"Yes. We should." Twilight replied before her horn lit up. In a flash, the trio disappeared momentarily before reappearing outside Mareitania's bridge. The audible singing that slowly became louder as the ship moved on made Twilight feel uneasy as she walked into the small enclosed area of the bridge. The first thing she saw was Flash Sentry hunched over the wheel in a relaxed state as her brother looked on from the other side of the bridge. "Uh... Flash..?" She asked in confusion. "You okay?"

"I'm fine, Princess." The pegasus replied. "Hey Shining... come take the wheel for me, would ya?"

"Aye sir." Shining replied as he walked over, taking Flash's place behind the large wheel. As Twilight looked on in confusion, Sunset turned her head to see the front of the ship.

"Twilight...?" Sunset asked in a panicked tone. "What is that island up ahead?" Twilight poked her head outside and looked ahead of the ship.

"I don't know." Twilight replied in her panicked tone. "But we're about to crash into it!" Quickly, she ran back inside and grabbed the wheel, trying to turn it as Shining placed his hooves on it at the exact same time.

"No touchy, little sis." Shining said as he pushed back against Twilight's force. Twilight looked into Shining's eyes as she struggled to turn the wheel. She immediately noticed that his eyes were flashing green as he held the wheel firm against his younger sister.

"This can mean only one thing!" Twilight thought while looking at his eyes. "The singing, the green flashes, the unusually relaxed state of each stallion here. This must be the work of.... the sirens!" "Shining! Snap out of it!" Twilight yelled as she waved her hoof in front of his eyes. She then tried pushing his body away from the wheel to no use. "Guys!" She yelled while turning to Sunset and Trixie. "Help me!"

"Trixie has an idea." The blue unicorn replied as her horn lit up in her pink magic. Twilight watched as a pink aura surrounded Shining's body. With a jerk of her head, Trixie's magic flung Shining off the floor, crashing through a wall before landing in the chart room behind the bridge. "Oopsie." Trixie said as she blushed. "Trixie thinks she might have overdid it."

"You think?" Sunset asked.

"Pretty.... pink.... princesses...." Shining's voice could be heard as Twilight grabbed the wheel.

"Hang on tight guys!" Twilight yelled as she swung the wheel to the right, prompting Sunset and Trixie to grab onto the railing. The ship immediately heeled over on her port side as she started turning right. "Ha!" Twilight yelled. "Nice try sirens!" Immediately after saying that though, Twilight heard a strange grinding noise. "Uh... please tell me that isn't what I think it is." She said as her eyes shrank in terror. As she said that, a few feet below the waterline, a rock had pierced the steel plated hull of the ship, tearing a large gash into the port side as water immediately started rushing in.

"Twilight!" Sunset yelled. "Run this ship into the beach! Now!"

"On it!" Twilight replied as she spun the wheel to the left. Slowly, Mareitania tilted over on her starboard side as she swung back to the left before her momentum carried her bow straight onto the sandy beach, grinding to a halt. Once stopped, Twilight let go of the wheel. "We need help!" She yelled. "We need to block out this singing!" After saying that, her horn lit up. Rushing out onto the bridge wing, she shot a beam into the air. The beam stopped several feet above the mast before transforming into a dome shape. "This sound-proof barrier should help." Twilight said as the dome encircled the crippled liner. Once fully in place, the only sound that could be heard was the groaning coming from the damaged hull as water continued pouring in through the massive gash.

"Ugh!" Shining groaned as he emerged from the chart room. "My.... head. What hit me?" He then looked at the wall beside him. "Or rather.... what did I hit?"

"Shining!" Twilight yelled. "Thank Celestia you're back to normal!" She quickly gave the confused stallion a tight hug before stepping back. "Quick! We need the watertight doors shut! Now!"

"Uh... why? What happened?" He asked, holding a hoof against his head.

"Well... we kinda hit something and now.... we're stuck on a beach." She replied, causing her brother's eyes to shrink in horror at what he just heard.