Taken

“How long should we wait?” Sonata asked, casting a glance towards Pinkie. She was lying unconscious on the extra bed in the basement with her wrists and ankles bound with rope, a black blindfold covering her eyes, and a strip of duct tape across her mouth.

“I say we should wait a day or two,” Aria smirked, folding her arms. “Make ‘em squirm for a while.”

Adagio, however, shook her head. “While making them go into a state of panic does sound enjoyable, we can’t wait too long. They’d call her parents, which would lead to a police investigation. We can’t afford that kind of attention. Which means we need to think up our demands while we have the time.”

The lead Siren strolled over to a wooden table in the far corner and pulled up a foldable chair while Sonata sprinted upstairs to retrieve her notebook. “First things first,” Aria said pointedly as she sat down. “I want our pendants back. To hold us over for the next few days. We’ve been starving since the battle of the bands! I’m wasting away here!”

Sonata came bounding down the stairs with a poorly torn piece of paper and a pencil. Adagio nodded in agreement.

“Alright. Put that as our first demand.”

“What is?” Sonata panted, placing the paper in the middle of the table.

“Our pendants for our nourishment. And we should have them destroy their own instruments so they don’t try anything.”

“Good thinking,” Aria said with a nod. “What else?”

“I could go for a taco with nacho cheese and a drink!” Sonata piped up.

Aria rolled her eyes. “We’re demanding things that we absolutely need. They’re not supposed be be taking our order.”

“That’s the same as demanding. And I demand lunch.”

Adagio sighed and rubbed her temples. “Fine. But you know that’s not a filling meal. It’s not even worthy as a small snack!”

“It is for me,” Sonata said as she jotted it all down. “It keeps me from getting headaches all the time.”

Aria drummed her fingers on the table in thought. “Throw in some blankets too. Thick ones.” She paused reluctantly. “Our heating bill’s going to be late.”

Adagio sighed heavily. “Alright. We should at least consider…” She trailed off her sentence when a soft moan reached their ears. The Dazzlings turned and saw Pinkie shift her head to the side.

Adagio silently motioned the others to stay quiet as their captive began to stir.

Pinkie's head shifted again as she tried to move, but she eventually caught on to the fact that her wrists were tied behind her back. Pinkie mumbled confusedly as she attempted to move her legs, only to find them tightly secured. Pinkie’s breathing grew more shaken as she wriggled in her bonds. The drug from earlier still remained in her system, so her efforts were barely profitable. Knowing that she was in deep trouble, Pinkie tried to shout for help, but the duct tape kept her almost completely silent. The Dazzlings silently walked over to the bed and watched Pinkie Pie wriggle and squirm on the bed beneath them; it was admittedly fascinating to see such a joyful and cheerful individual in such distress.

As the minutes stretched on, Pinkie went into a state of panic, prompting Adagio to finally speak up. “Relax, Rainboom, you’re perfectly safe….for now.” She reached down and peeled the duct tape from Pinkie’s mouth, making the ladder yelp in unexpected pain.

“Wha...Wha What happened?....Where am I?” The Sirens cringed at the raspiness of Pinkie’s voice. Aria turned and went to go fetch some water. “I...I think there’s been a mistake,” Pinkie whimpered, tugging at her bound wrists.

With a slight smirk, Adagio gently rubbed Pinkie’s arm up and down. “It’s no mistake, Pinkie Pie. We brought you here for a reason.”

Pinkie’s expression shifted from fear to confusion. “How do you know my name? Who are you?”

“Just relax, dear. As long as you cooperate, this will be nothing more than an unpleasant dream to you.”

“Cooperate with what? And why do you sound so familiar?”

“That’s because we are!” Sonata piped up. “You know us and we know you! I bet you can't guess.” Adagio fixed her sister with an irritated glare.

“Is...Is this a prank?” Pinkie said with a frown. “Because if it is, it’s a really really mean one. I don't think it's funny at all! Now c'mon, somebody untie me!"

“This is not a joke, Pinkie,” Adagio said smoothly, sauntering to the other side of the bed. “I’m afraid for you, this is very...real.” Slowly, she leaned over Pinkie’s trembling form and brushed her wild magenta curls aside, lowering her mouth to the younger girl’s ear. “Do you really not know who we are Pinkie?" she whispered. "Do you wish to find out?”

Pinkie swallowed. “N-Not really…”

Adagio straightened up a little and reached behind Pinkie’s head. “Well, you’re about to find out. It’s only best if you get acquainted with your mistresses as soon as possible.” She untied the knot and removed the blindfold. Pinkie’s eyes looked bleary and milky as they blinked rapidly at the dirty light bulb in the ceiling.

Adagio and Sonata waited patiently for Pinkie’s vision to clear up. The party planner looked up and saw a mix of orange and blue. She closed her eyes and shook her head slightly before blinking a few more times, determined to find out who she was talking to. The grey clouds cleared away, and Pinkie’s eyes nearly popped out of her skull. A wave of shock and terror washed over her features. Adagio clamped her hand over Pinkie’s mouth before she could scream.

Adagio’s eyes flashed as she spoke through her teeth. “Not. A. Sound.” She squeezed painfully, causing tears to well up in Pinkie’s eyes. “Do you hear me? Don’t disobey me….don’t fight me….don’t test me. Understand?” Pinkie nodded as best she could under the pressure of the Siren’s hand. Adagio released her while Aria appeared above Pinkie with a small glass of water, her expression indifferent.

“We’re not monsters, Pinkie Pie,” Adagio said. She nodded in Aria’s direction. The purple Siren lifted Pinkie’s head and held the glass of water to her lips. Pinkie quickly gulped half of it down before Aria pulled away. “We’re only taking back what was stolen from us. And you’re just the girl to help us with that.”

Pinkie’s eyes widened. “What do you mean? Where did you guys even come from? Is this like a weird Siren interrogation?"

Aria rolled her eyes. “No. We’re going back to Equestria through the portal...the one hidden inside the Canterlot Statue.”

“How’d you know about the portal?” Pinkie gasped.

“Oh, we’ve been watching your little group for some time now,” Adagio said casually. “And as the weeks passed, we’ve come across some... interesting phenomenons.”

“No thanks to you do gooders,” Aria growled.

Pinkie lifted her chin and smiled bravely. “Well, of course we couldn’t tell you about the portal! You’d probably do something rash like take over Equestria! And we can’t have that! You still can’t get through--we put a barrier around it, and we spent a whole lotta time on it just to put it up.” She smirked triumphantly at the Dazzlings. “So no taking over the world for you three~!”

To her surprise, the Sirens were smiling right back at her. Adagio leaned in and purred, “And that’s where you come in, Pinkie Pie.”

Pinkie frowned slightly. “What are you talking about? What do I have to do with anything?”

“Sunset Shimmer and the rest of your pathetic little human brigade will open the portal for us...and they’ll do so to their own consent.”

“That's silly talk! No they won’t! They’d never give Equestria to you!”

Adagio smiled and caressed Pinkie’s cheek with the back of her hand, making the pink girl shiver in discomfort. “They will for their precious little party planner. Once they discover that you are in our clutches, they will do anything for your safe return.”

Pinkie jerked her head away from Adagio’s head, her mouth twisted into a scowl. “They wouldn’t do that..” Her tone was fierce, but her eyes grew uncertain. “I know they wouldn't.” She squirmed a little, tugging at her skin-cutting bonds. "If you..if you let me go now, I won't have to tell my friends, and they won't rainbow-nuke you to space!"

Adagio stood back and smirked, placing a hand on her hip. "I don't think we'll have to worry about that anymore."

Sonata suddenly appeared beside her and held a red colored bottle to her lips. “H-Hey, what--!” Aria pinched her nose while Sonata poured the nasty substance down Pinkie’s throat. Pinkie gagged and tried turning her head, but Aria held it still with her free hand. After what felt like an eternity, the Sirens released her as she coughed and sluttered. “C-C-Cough Syrup!” she wretched. “What kind of sick torture is this? YUCK! Blech!”

The Dazzlings merely cackled at Pinkie’s plight. “Get ready to make a call in an hour,” Adagio said to Aria.

Pinkie squinted at them through the fog forming behind her eyes. She saw Sonata move in again and watched as she ripped off a strip of duct tape from it’s roll. “Hey...hey, stop…” Sonata smoothed the tape over Pinkie’s mouth and draped a blanket over her before she could finish her sentence.

“Sweet dreams, Pinkie,” Sonata said as they crossed over to the stairs.

Pinkie blinked slowly as they turned out the light and locked the door behind them. “Mmph…” Her eyes trailed up to the ceiling with one thought in mind. So that’s why they gave me cough syrup...Her eyes closed. That wasn’t...very...nice...