Sparkiverse: Fireflies

The sun was going down, and it was taking the colors of the skies with it. Blues, oranges, reds, purples and pinks were being pulled away into the horizon, leaving behind the twinkling night sky. The light of many stars would come to many a pony's eyes now, reminding them that they were always there, even if the sun covered them up. Down below, in a field of grass, fireflies were all aglow. They twinkled and sparkled, showing only for a few minutes before they too would disappear. It was moments like these that were to be cherished. The glowing field of gently waving blades of grass was quiet, save for the sound of chirping crickets, a babbling stream... and the hoofsteps of a pony.

A light, cream colored unicorn mare lulled her way through the fields, singing as she went. It wasn't any chipper party tune, but more of a hypnotic chant. It was if the whole world revolved around every note that her crystal voice sang. Even her swirly, free-flowing, orange and blue mane seemed to sway to the rhythm of her song. The fireflies in the field for their brief, magical moment, followed behind her, swaying as well.

"The words that I sing and the magic it brings

The tone of my voice makes you sway

You can't help yourself

As you feel yourself

Wanting to linger

To stay

Why try to run? Why, that's no fun

See how happy you'll be

When you want to stay

Feel the need to obey

When you choose to linger

With me"

She sat down, fireflies circling around her, though now in a natural way. Those circling her red necklace that glowed when she sang quickly got away from it, though. The unicorn laid her head down in the grass, with a look of gloom that usually wasn't there. She, for once, didn't have a plan at this moment, and there was nothing that needed doing, so she was content to enjoy the moment. Or, try to, anyway...

Siren sulked through the library with the rest of her class. She wasn't very eager when she found out that her class was taking a field trip to the Royal Canterlot Library, she was expecting something like a trip to "Pizza Pie's Pizza Parlor". Oh well. She was in Celestia's School for Gifted Young Unicorns, so she was supposed to like learning, but... Magic Kindergarden was just too early! This was her fillyhood, for crying out loud! She walked along, sort of near the back.. until a red glint caught her eye.

She saw a book sticking out of a shelf, spine decorated with lovely rubies. Her class hadn't noticed that she had stopped, and her presence wasn't missed, and besides, she was supposed to be learning, so... what was the harm? She grabbed the book with her teeth and struggled to pull it out. She couldn't hold it once she lost the shelf's support, so it dropped to the floor with a loud thud. Magic quickly wrapped around the heavy book, as Siren quickly picked it up and acted as if nothing had happened. Seeing that no one had come to find the source of the noise, she relaxed a little, and looked down at the book. After blowing away the dust of many forgotten year, she read the title, "A History of Sirens."

Siren sat in the grass, humming a tune. It wasn't anything fancy, it was just her voice aimlessly creating and weaving a song of her own. This song was different from any other that she had sung recently (or since Magic Kindergarden, for that matter). It didn't have any control over ponyfolk, and it didn't make ponies lose themselves. It wasn't anything at all like the song she had used to convince the upper class of Canterlot to accept her as one of their own, no. It was nothing like that. Nothing like any of the songs that helped her get into her almost dream-like life that she had today.

She almost felt bad. She knew that she didn't deserve to have the things she did, and who was she kidding? When was she ever going to use that yacht? It was all because of a single book that she had those things... Siren thought back to the years she spent pouring over the pages of the thick volume. Heh... I was so young... so foolish... Siren stood up. What have I been doing? Cheating? Lying? Shoving my way to the top? And for what? She started to pace the fields. I was a filly! Why do I feel bad now? A voice in the back of her head began to speak.

"You still feel bad because it's still your fault," it said. "You've known that what you were doing was wrong, all this time, but have you fixed it? No. You've just been studying that book as much as ever, learning new songs and such." No... stop... I don't use my songs as much anymore! "Don't you? Even now, you make the fireflies dance because you wish it so."

Siren abruptly shut her mouth, realizing that she had been singing this whole time. The fireflies that weren't swarming around her red, glowing necklace were dancing in circles around her, and when she stopped, they froze in midair before dispersing. Siren sighed. Maybe it's too late. Maybe I can't go back now, I already have everything, right? I can't reverse time...

"But you can reverse a mistake."

Siren stood up, and smiled. She went off in the direction of Canterlot Castle. After all, she had a book that she needed to return, and it was probably overdue...

And the fireflies followed after her.