It was a pretty normal day for the Dazzlings. The same routine that played out every other day played out the exact same way today. The only thing different was the array of cleaning supplies that littered the floor. After their defeat at the Battle of the Bands, the three sisters were quite sore, but they had long since gotten over it and decided to completely start over. Both Adagio and Aria got jobs, leaving Sonata to keep house, which she did quite well. The Dazzlings refused to return to Canterlot High as Adagio feared that it would only bring them pain and suffering as their banishment had done so long ago. Ever since their defeat, the sisters had become closer, and there was a significant decrease in the amount of disputes and arguments between them. The household had never been so peaceful in all the years that they had been alive.
Sonata had just finished cleaning and straightening up Aria's room, and as she closed the door, she breathed out a heavy sigh. Cleaning was always a strenuous task, but someone had to do it. Sonata wiped the sweat from her brow and glanced at the clock that hung on the wall. Adagio and Aria wouldn't be home for about another hour, so Sonata decided to get dinner started. As Sonata gathered her supplies she soon came across a door that she didn't recognize. The door creaked loudly as it slowly opened. Inside, the room was dark, but there were dust and cobwebs everywhere. Sonata crept inside and walked into the darkness. This reminded her of every single horror movie that she had seen before. The person walks into a dark room, the door closes and locks behind them and then the killer strikes. Sonata kept cautiously looking back to check if the door was still open. Sonata hadn't been paying attention to where she was going and walked right into something hard.
"Ouch!" Sonata yelped.
Looking down, Sonata saw a large brown, dusty trunk. Adagio and Aria hadn't said anything about this room or this trunk. Sonata was tempted to leave it and not mention anything about it to her sisters, but her curiosity would not let her leave it alone. Sonata struggled, but she eventually got the heavy trunk down the stairs. After a thorough dusting, Sonata got a better look at the trunk. She saw what looked like ancient symbols carved into the aged wood. Looking back at the clock, Sonata realized that her sisters would be home soon and dinner still wasn't ready. The trunk could wait, she had a meal to make.
The front door lock clicked and the door swung open revealing Adagio and Aria, both exhausted from a hard day's work.
"Sonata, we're home!" Adagio called out.
"Oh, hi girls," Sonata said from the couch. "Dinner's on the table. Heat it up if you need to."
Adagio and Aria walked into the living room to see Sonata on the couch with her food and looking through a very old looking photo album.
"Sonata, what is this stuff?" Aria asked, looking into the trunk.
"I dunno," Sonata replied, taking a bite out of her food. "Found it in a secret room upstairs.
Adagio and Aria exchanged confused glances. Adagio then reached into the trunk and pulled out what looked like a small flower Sonata looked at the flower and for some odd reason, her heart became heavy.
Abandon Ship! [1912]
The morning was warm on the day of April 10, 1912. The RMS Titanic had recently set out on her maiden voyage and was now cruising on the open sea. The deck was teeming with life as men and women conversed amongst themselves, and children played games with each other. A young and sprightly girl named Sonata Dusk was leaning over the ship's railing as the wind blew through her cerulean hair. She breathed in the salty sea air while a content smile stretched across her face. She stretched her arms out wide and shouted to the heavens.
"I'M QUEEN OF THE WORLD!!!"
Sonata heard an annoyed groan behind her. The voice belonged to her elder sister Aria Blaze.
"Sonata, would you stop saying that? You've been doing it for the past hour and a half!"
"I can't help it," Sonata said. "It feels so good to be out at sea again, even if we aren't under it."
"Thanks for opening that wound," Aria said with a scowl.
"Aw, don't be like that, Ari," Sonata said, putting her arm around her sister. "At least we get to enjoy the sweet smell of the ocean for a while."
"Yeah, sure," Aria said, pulling away from Sonata's embrace.
She straightened her dress, that the eldest sister, Adagio, had forced her to wear. It was uncomfortable and hot, but there was nothing else to change into. Aria glanced at the glistening waters below and thought about leaving all of this nonsense behind and leaping overboard. On second thought, that was a bad idea, as the three had tried swimming before in these new bodies. It had not been a pleasant ordeal.
"Oh, come now, Aria, it's not that bad," came a third voice behind Aria.
Aria rolled her eyes as the owner of this voice was her eldest sister, Adagio. Adagio sauntered next to her sister and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Our adventure has only just begun, sister dear. Besides, new land means new experiences, and new food," she said with a slight lick of her lips.
"Yeah, I'm sick of tea and crumpets every day," Sonata chimed in.
"Not that kind of food, Sonata," Adagio sighed.
"Ohhh, gotcha!" Sonata said with a wink.
"Now, try to enjoy yourself, Aria," Adagio said. "An opportunity like this only comes once in a lifetime."
"The only way I'm going to enjoy myself is if this whole ship capsizes..." Aria growled under her breath.
Little did she know her wish was going to come true very soon.
April 14, 1912.
The night was filled with laughter, music, and dancing. The elegant ballroom was filled to the brim, yet there was a slight cloud hanging over the festivities. That cloud's name was Aria Blaze. She had just put a slightly drunken Sonata to bed and tended to her own glass of sparkling wine. She watched with disgust as these humans laughed amongst themselves and shared stories. It made her sick. She glanced over at Adagio, who was mingling with a young man, who seemed infatuated with the young siren. Typical. Out of the corner of her eye, Adagio saw Aria sitting alone, and looking like her typical grumpy self. She turned back to the smitten young man with a smirk.
"You stay right here, handsome, I'll be right back.~" she said with a wink.
Adagio made her way over to Aria's table and sat down next to her.
"Why so glum?" she asked. "Aren't you having fun?"
"Bah," was Aria's only response.
"Oh, don't be such a Scrooge," Adagio said, slightly giggling. "We're in the lap of luxury! There's absolutely nothing that could go wrong!"
"Adagio, you're only ever this happy when you're drunk," Aria deadpanned.
"Pssh, I am not drunk," Adagio shot back; taking another sip of her drink.
"Right, so, how many have you had?" Aria asked.
"Oh, just a few," Adagio replied, slurring a bit. "Come on, Aria, you need to *hic* l-loosen up a bit.~"
With a huff, Aria downed the rest of her beverage, and angrily marched her way up to the deck.
"Oh, well, her loss," Adagio shrugged, and returned to her drink.
As Aria leaned over the railing, she sighed. It was times like these that Aria wished she were home. Home. The feeling of the water moving against her fins, swimming with the sharks; stinging Sonata with jellyfish. A soft chuckle passed her lips, but just then, she felt the ship shift, as if it were turning. Brushing it off as nothing, she continued to gaze out onto the horizon.
Sonata was soundly sleeping in her cabin's bed. Cute little snores came from the youngest siren's mouth as she happily dreamed of fancy tea parties with her sisters. Suddenly, a loud blaring interrupted the dozing girl's dream. She shifted in bed and pulled the blankets over herself in a futile attempt to block out the noise.
"Dagi, I don't want any more tea..." Sonata mumbled. "I want more cake...Yummy, yummy cake..."
Without a moment's notice, Adagio burst into her sister's cabin. She looked frantic and scared.
"SONATA, GET UP...NOW!!!!" she screamed.
Sonata slowly awoke with a yawn. Before she could fully awaken, Adagio dragged her out of bed and into cold water? Sonata looked down in confusion and saw water up to her knees.
"Dagi, what's going on?" she asked.
"Sonata, the ship is sinking; we've got to get out of here!" Adagio replied.
"See Dagi, I told you there was too much tea." Sonata scolded her elder sister.
"What...?" Adagio asked, but shook her head. "There's no time for nonsense, we've got to get out! NOW!!"
Adagio and Sonata quickly waded through the rising water until they made it to the ship's deck. Sonata frantically looked around for Aria through the large crowd.
"Aria!!! ARIA!!!" Sonata called, but her voice was drowned out by the screams of the other passengers as they began to board the lifeboats.
Just then, two large men grabbed the two sirens and pushed them forward onto the waiting lifeboat.
"Wait," Sonata cried. "We've gotta wait for my sister! She's still on the boat somewhere!"
"No time, little lady!" one of the men said, and sat Sonata in the lifeboat with Adagio.
"What are we gonna do, Dagi?!" Sonata asked.
"Don't look at me!" Adagio said, raising her hands in defense.
"Aria, if you can hear me, GET TO THE LIFEBOATS!!!!"
"WOMEN AND CHILDREN FIRST!"
Aria gasped as she was suddenly snapped out of her fantasy. The sound of screaming filled her ears. She looked around and saw wives kissing their husbands goodbye, and children being ripped away from their fathers. The ship shifted again and Aria moved her way through the crowd; making her way below deck. She couldn't even make it to the ballroom as it had already flooded. Then, reality came crashing down on her like a crack of thunder. She ran back up to the deck and began calling out for her sisters.
"Adagio, Sonata! Where are you?!"
There was no answer. Aria leaned over the ship railing again and saw lifeboats slowly floating away. Then, she realized. Her wish. She paid no heed to the incredible amount of negative energy that was in the air. Her sisters were nowhere in sight and were most likely long gone by now. The ship shifted once more and she lost her balance and fell over the side. Aria gripped onto the railing and held on for dear life. No one turned to pull the dangling girl up; no one heard her cries for help. There was only one other way out, and that was down. Down into the icy depths of the ocean. Aria attempted to pull herself up, but her hands slipped from the railing and she plummeted into the water.
The morning sun shone in Aria's eyes and she winced at its brightness. She groaned softly as her eyes tried to adjust. She gazed at her surroundings. She was in one of the lifeboats, but how? Aria was certain that she fell far from any rescue.
"Glad to see you're awake," came a small voice.
Aria turned to see a little girl with blonde hair looking at her.
"Your sister saved you from drowning," the girl spoke. "She swam all the way to the sinking ship and back. You should thank her when she wakes up."
Aria looked toward the sleeping forms of Adagio and Sonata. They were both covered in a large blanket, and she was as well. Aria slightly shivered and pulled the blanket tighter around herself.
"You should really be careful what you wish for, Aria Blaze," the little girl whispered.
Aria gasped and turned back to the little girl only to find no one there. Aria sighed and decided that she was too tired to put up with any more insanity. She laid down in the lifeboat and drifted off to sleep as the survivors slowly floated to safety.
Bonus - Pompeii: Dawn of the Final Day
Twas a peaceful day in the beautiful city of Pompeii. Children ran about the streets shrieking in glee, while merchants sold their goods to passersby. The air was clear, the sun shining bright and there was not a worry in the world. Little did the citizens know of the imminent disaster that would soon be upon them.
Adagio Dazzle, Aria Blaze and Sonata Dusk walked the streets of the city giving half hearted waves and smiles to the people. They had been banished to this strange new world only two nights ago by the ancient Starswirl the Bearded, but they had already gained mind blowing fame. It was all thanks to their entrancing voices. You see, these three girls were not ordinary humans at all, but were in fact, sirens. Mystical creatures born with angelic and hypnotic voices. The people could not resist them, and even the emperor was impressed. The three sisters received only the best quality food, treasures, and housing that an average citizen of Pompeii did not.
Adagio, the eldest, led the way through the market. She came to a stop at a local produce stand, smiling at the elderly shopkeeper.
"Adagio, Aria, Sonata, buongiorno bella raggaze!" he croaked out in joy.
"Buongionrno, Emilio," Adagio spoke. "Is there anything good in stock today?"
"Ah, si," Emilio replied, reaching down beneath the stand.
He returned with a basket filled to the brim with gorgeous fruits and vegetables and handed it over to Adagio.
"Picked fresh just for you," Emilio said.
"Grazie, Emilio," Adagio said and handed him a handful of silver coins.
Meanwhile, Sonata, kneeled on the ground, was playing with a young goat that she had grown quite attached to. Sonata pet the goat and scratched behind its white ears as it bleated in happiness. A blue collar sat around its neck and on a gold tag, the goat's name was printed. It read: "TITO". Aria could only roll her eyes at Sonata's childish behavior. However, since Sonata was the youngest of the three, it seemed almost normal for her to act this way.
"Sonata," Adagio called. "Time to go."
"Aww, but Dagi," Sonata protested. "Just a little longer? I want to stay with Tito."
"We don't have time Sonata," Adagio said. "We have some more shopping to do."
Sonata sighed and hung her head in defeat as she slowly got to her feet. Adagio and Aria walked ahead, and being the mischievous one, Sonata fell behind before running back to Tito. As Sonata was scratching Tito's ears, the ground began to lightly tremble beneath her. Tito began bleating excitedly and shaking his head as if trying to tell Sonata something. Sonata looked toward where Tito was shaking his head at. The mountain, Mount Vesuvius, appeared to have smoke coming out of it. Sonata didn't think much of it, until the dogs of Pompeii started howling. When dogs howl in numbers, it either means that they are speaking to each other, or that danger is afoot. Sonata quickly kissed Tito goodbye and ran to catch up to her sisters, who were on their way to the bakery .
As Adagio had finished making her purchase of bread, Sonata had finally caught up.
"Girls," Sonata cried, panting heavily. "Thank goodness I found you!"
"Sonata, where were you?" Aria asked crossly. "You were playing with Tito again weren't you?"
"Yes, I was, but you have to listen to me!" Sonata said. "Look at the mountain!"
Aria turned to look at Vesuvius. She saw the smoke coming out of it and raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"It's probably nothing but a fire, Sonata," Aria said. "Someone will handle it."
Sonata glanced up at the sky, and then back to Aria.
"If that doesn't convince you, Aria, then look at the sky," Sonata said.
Aria looked up and shook her head at the blackening sky.
"It's probably just a storm," Aria said, then turned to Adagio. "Adagio, let's get home, looks like rain!"
"You're right, Aria, let's go." Adagio said, and began to walk away. "Come on, Sonata."
Sonata ran after her sisters, never taking her eyes off of Vesuvius. The smoke was becoming thicker, and the sky was almost completely black. Suddenly, Sonata felt something fall onto her head. She looked up and held out her hands. Tiny pebbles fell from the sky and into her hands. She could see Adagio and Aria still walking as if nothing was happening. Sonata was still as a man passed her with a weary smile and a wave. Sonata waved back before a large rock struck the man in the head and he dropped to the ground. He wasn't moving or breathing when Sonata approached him. Her heart dropped into her stomach, and suddenly the ground trembled again, but much more violently. Houses of the people were beginning to burn and fire surrounded her from every direction. Her sisters had vanished from her sight and she was alone, that is until a crowd of screaming people came rushing toward her. Of those screaming people, were Aria and Adagio.
"Sonata, we have to get out of here!" Adagio cried. "We have to find shelter!"
"See?!" Sonata said. "Didn't I tell you?!"
"Gloat later, run now!" Aria yelled.
Aria, Adagio, and Sonata ran for their lives, but the chaos would not cease. Sonata looked back at Vesuvius and saw a black cloud of billowing smoke racing toward the city. Then, her heart stopped dead when she remembered Tito. Sonata made a mad dash for the produce stand before she was grabbed by Aria.
"Aria, let me go!" Sonata screamed. "I have to save Tito!!"
"There's no time!!" Aria shouted back. "We've got to go, NOW!!!"
"Please, Aria, I have to save him!!" Sonata begged, tears streaming down her face. "I love him!!! Please let me save him!!!"
Just then a soft bleating sound came over the roar of flames, screams, and crumbling buildings. Sonata looked in the distance and saw a little white goat running her way. A hopeful smile crossed Sonata's face. Tito was almost in arm's reach, before a building crumbled between him and Sonata.
"TITO!!!!" Sonata screamed and began digging through the rubble of the building to get to Tito.
"Sonata, COME ON!!!" Aria shouted, and dragged Sonata to her feet.
"NO!!! NO!!! TITOOOOOOO!!!!!" Sonata cried.
As Sonata was dragged away by Aria, she could hear Tito's frantic bleating, as if he were calling out for his mother.
In the distance, Aria could see Adagio waiting for her sisters at the pier. She saw the billowing smoke cloud in the distance and quickly dove into the water, and ordering her sisters to follow. The sisters swam under the surface, watching as the surface became complete darkness. Adagio instructed her sisters to swim for as long as they could hold their breath, and once they came up for air, Vesuvius rumbled once more before another cloud of smoke came hurtling toward them. After going down this time, the sisters swam until they found a cave by the shore where they could take shelter for the night.
The next morning, Adagio, Aria, and Sonata swam back to shore to search for anyone that could have possibly survived. Looking over the ruins of Pompeii, the sisters could see that the entire city had been completely buried. It was gone, and everything was silent. Aria suddenly felt something brush against her foot, and when she looked down, she felt a lump in her throat.
"Um, Sonata," she began, when she picked up the thing.
Sonata turned and in an instant, her body was wracked with sobs. She collapsed to her knees and held the scorched blue collar in her quivering hands. The faded and dented gold tag read: "TITO".
