Aah, ah ah ah~
Another soft step. The damp ground made little sound.
Aah, ah ah ah~
The stallion’s eyes were glazed over with the cloud of song that overcame his mind now. He walked, mindlessly, knowing not where he was going. He did not care.
Not too far now~
Then you will meet us
Here, and then you will
Fall under our spell, under our spell-
Another damp, silent step. He began to smile. So… beautiful. Such a lovely melody. He stumbled slightly over another root, but did not notice.
Come to us
We wish only for love, for
Love, for your love, give us love, give us love~
He was trotting faster now, his mouth stuck in a crooked grin. Love. He could give that. He could go to them. He could give them love. Their every wish, every desire - only wish, only desire - he could fulfill. He felt so warm. So light headed. Was he that important?
Aah~-Come to us-
Aah~-Heed the Siren’s call-
Aah ah aah~-Come to water’s edge-
Aah~-We will greet thee there, greet thee there-
His smile grew as he trotted ever faster. His hooves tripped up now and then as he crossed over roots and branches, but he paid the stumbles no heed. They were waiting for him by the water’s edge. He would be with them soon. He could give them all they wanted if he heeded their call. He would listen. He would love them.
Aah~ -You’re drawing near-
Ahh~-There’s nothing to fear-
Aah ah ahh~ -Soon you will be ours-
Aah ah~ -Now the time has come, yes now, at last-
The stallion crossed into a glade, the vicious snaggles of trees and roots left behind. His face a mask of pleasure, he looked at the Siren creatures and saw only beauty. He stepped up to the crystal clear water as the Sirens still sang, their tender, hypnotic song drawing their prey closer.
Aah~-Our song enhanced-
Aah~-Prey entranced-
The teal siren emerged from the water, her long, serpentine body gliding through the air like water. Come now, do you see it, how, how the water calls you? Come to our home, to our safe refuge, dear~
Take the plunge, just take a chance, come, just dive in! Join us in this realm of happiness~
The purple siren joined her sister, coiling next to the stallion and nuzzling his cheek as she sang in his ear. Just one little step my dear, one hoof, then an-other, can’t you see the beauty to be found here?
Wade out in the crystal blue and face the Sirens! Give us all you’ve got to give, your love, your love.
The stallion moved a hoof into the clear water, his body never trembling from the cold. He began to wade into the vast lake, his fur soaking in the frigid water. Together, the two sisters sang their chant for adoration, gently pushing him forward with their magical melody.
Give us all you’ve got to give, your love~
Give us all you’ve got to give, your love, your love…
Further and further he walked, the water rising to his barrel, his tail beneath the now mobile waves he caused. He began to hesitate ever so slightly, the chill causing him to shiver. His hesitation faded as the chanting of the two sisters rose to his ears again. He started forward again, his mind blissfully unaware of the fate he walked to.
Give us all you’ve got to give, your love~
Give us all you’ve got to give, your love, your love…
The water was to his chin now, his head just resting on the surface of the water. He stopped as the final siren emerged, her golden scales shimmering as dewdrops of water settled on them. She leaned in close to the enraptured stallion, her violet eyes staring deep into his clouded ones. She smiled briefly before opening her mouth, drawing back slightly. She began to sing, her song the most beautiful of the three sisters.
Do you see
Now what we really are?
Are we beings to be feared, no.
Come with me
I’ll show you to a land
Where together we can stay.
The stallion nodded softly, never noticing as his muzzle sank below the water as he did. The siren simply smiled, drifting out further in the water, sinking below the surface. The stallion blindly walked forward, and in seconds, he was beneath the water. The two sisters followed him, coiling around his barrel as they claimed him for their own.
Still the golden siren sang.
May your breath become a need no more.
May our song find a way to save…
Your life which may
Surely end
Should with Sirens you stay.
The stallion’s eyes widened as he took a deep breath. Quickly, he clasp his mouth shut, his eyes alert with terror. He began to thrash about, trying to break the grip of the two sirens. Greedily, they clung to him, never wanting to admit that their latest catch would surely drown.
His surprise and fit did not last long. However violently he stirred up the water between the two monsters that held him, they did not release him. His frenzy ended after a minute or so, his mouth opening as he gasped for air. His agitations appeared to end, and he froze in the siren’s grasp. His jaw hung open and he swallowed as he breathed in, his fate sealed.
His pupils dilated. He stopped blinking. He stopped swallowing. His eyes ceased searching for an escape.
He began to convulse and gasp. Each agonizing breath he took came with a strangled sound of a need for oxygen. The sirens regarded him sadly. There was nothing they could do. He was doomed.
The sirens let him go. He bobbed to the surface, but did not move to push himself out of the water. The teal siren swam up and silently dragged him back down to the very bottom of the deepest part of the lake, the area littered with the most bodies. Fresh kills lay, slowly decomposing. Bones eroded as the water took its toll. The unknown stallion was laid to rest in his watery grave with the rest of them.
The golden siren sighed. “The latest prey… We got so little love from him…”
The purple siren shook her head, hanging it in her sorrow. “We will starve at this rate, Adagio. What can we do?”
Her eyes hardened. "We had discussed this possibility..." She shut her eyes tightly. “We can survive on any emotion. Not just love. I believe desperate times call for desperate measures, Aria.”
The teal siren swam to them quickly, eyes wide. “You mean… We must eat hatred? Sow… disharmony?”
“It is not the most delightful opportunity… but we must. If we are to survive, we must. You must understand this, sisters… Sonata… Aria… We must become the monsters they believe us to be.”
"Adagio, this cannot be! Surely we can survive on the love of passerby?"
"Sonata, have you seen anypony in days but the poor soul we just killed? Even if we had a way to lure them here in droves, their lives are so short in these waters... We are too weak to leave this lake. When the next pony comes... we will try the power of hatred. We can only hope it is strong enough to sustain us three."
The sisters all looked at each other, sorrow filling every heart as they all realized this was their only hope. They could not know that centuries from now, they would have embraced hatred and distrust. The doubts they would plant in the hearts of ponies and humans alike would grow and fester as an open wound does, causing them to grow more powerful as time went on. Yet they would abandon the love they once craved, forgetting the taste of the forbidden fruit they were never allowed to bite.
So the three sisters turned their backs to the others and swam to their own sections of the lake to think the golden siren’s proposal over. Together, they mourned the loss they would soon feel, never knowing then what they would do later.
Together, they wept, their tears filling the lake as they always had. Together, they sang.
Weep for us
Bitter, lonely tears
Weep for aching hearts
Sirens, all alone,all alone
The only thing
That we could ever want
Is stolen from us
By the breath of the sea!
Aah~ So now hear our call
Aah~ We will be adored
Aah~ And if love’s too much
Aah~ Hatred’s just as good, just as good
Aah~ We will feed
Aah~ The Sirens, full at last!
Aah~ For our loves we’ll mourn
Aah~ In the depths of the sea!
Adagio watched her sisters from afar, scared and confused for them. This would be new. This would be terrifying. This would be hard. She hanged her head, shutting her eyes tightly.
If you only knew…
what we really were…
would it be this hard…
to feed my sisters, few?
But now it’s just too late…
Your hatred’s on the plate…
So if we monsters be…
then you will monsters see...
Author's Note
The music is based on this song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0slQ1-2emQ
Adagio - Yellow
Aria - Purple
Sonata - Teal
