A Touch Of Evil

"Thank you so much for bringing her home," Sonata mumured, hugging Flash and giving him a light kiss on each cheek.

"Uh... not a problem." The teenager blushed, glancing around the foyer. After a moment, he lifted bent his elbow and managed to pat her shoulder awkwardly. "There, there?"

Sonata giggled, releasing him and backing off. "Sorry. I'm a little grabby, sometimes..."

"It's fine. Really. Around Canterlot High, I'm apparently the number one hug-destressor." Flash coughed into his fist. "It's just, uh... you're kind of not a teenage girl."

"It's the body," Sonata explained. "Well, kind of. When we were thrown through the mirror, we ended up just post-puberty, physically... I think it's a glitch the portal has, but we managed to freeze our development with our gems..."

Her eyes grew downcast. "It's been so long since we've actually aged... now we're actually getting older, and having to deal with all these hormones flowing again, and..." She trailed off, rubbing her arm.

Flash Sentry bit his lip for a moment. "...Um. Well. You're... very good looking for a millennium old teenager," he finally offered.

Sonata rolled her eyes, but there was, at least, a smile on her face. "And you're quite a fine specimen. For an ape from an alien world."

"Oh, right, you're one of those... fish horses."

"Seaponies."

"Right."

They stood in the foyer for a few moments longer.

"Do you want a cookie-cream sandwich?" Sonata asked suddenly. "There are some in the freezer, and... well, I don't think Aria is going to be done with Adagio for a while." She glanced significantly up the stairs.

Flash opened his mouth to turn her down politely, but his grumbling stomach betrayed him. "...maybe just one."

"Alright. Kitchen's this way."

The blue girl gestured for him to follow her, walking into the main room. Flash couldn't help but give out a low whistle; instruments of all kinds and eras were set up in a careful pattern on the floor, while shelves of sheet music, records, and CDs dominated one wall. Every other wall was devoted to the sea; shells, nets, oars, a boat of some kind, starfish, and against one wall a large aquarium, filled with fish of every shade.

Sonata had already stepped over the bagpipe and crossed into the kitchen. "Don't bump the hydraulophone, please," she requested with a wave toward an oddly leaking pipe assemblage. "It took us a while to get ahold of."

Flash nodded, standing behind the counter. "I've heard of those. Water-keyboards, right?"

"It's a little more complicated than that." Sonata opened the freezer and bent down, reaching into a cardboard box. "But, yeah, that's how it's played." She straightened up and shut the door, turning around. "Took us a bit to realize it wouldn't make whalesong, though."

The teenager cleared his throat. "You know, I just noticed... out of the three of you, you're the only one that usually goes bare-legged."

Sonata dropped a plastic wrapper on the counter with a wry smirk. "You just noticed that."

"...yes."

"Did you see my panties when I was bent over?"

Flash blushed. "Wh--No! I'm sorry, I, I wasn't thinking--"

Sonata giggled. "Relax, it's perfectly normal for a growing boy. I'm not going to tattle on you. Besides," she added casually, "it's a thong."

"Gruuuuh. First Adagio with that threesome quip, and now you with... do you three just like to tease people or something?"

"Mmmm... yeah. It's good for a laugh." She pushed the cookie-cream sandwich toward him. "You've got to remember, we've been around for a while. It's gotten to a point where nothing is sacred."

Flash opened the wrapper, raising an eyebrow. "Except seafood."

"Yeah. Except seafood."

He nodded, dropping the cookie-cream sandwich into his hand. After a moment, he brought it up to his mouth and bit down.

Then he swallowed. "So... um. Outside, when Aria and Adagio were... fighting... Adagio kind of said something strange."

"Yeah?"

"She said Aria used to bite heads off of Charps." He gauged Sonata's expression, noting the sudden frown. "I'm sorry, if you don't want to talk about it, I can--"

"A Charp," Sonata explained, "is a lobster. As big as a dolphin. As cunning as an octopus. And as cold-hearted as a shark. Also they have swords that stay on fire underwater. Don't ask me how that works." She sighed. "They'd attack seapony settlements in groups of... a couple hundred, I think, led by a Krang. Blue-purple Charp, extra strong and smart, also has magic."

"...oh."

"I remember, when I was a kid, we got a warning keel. The Charp were coming, and everybody had to head for the bunker, but somehow me and my parents got split up. I heard them screeching, I could feel them in the water, and I hid in this tiny coral outhouse--I thought, hey, who'd want to destroy a pooping place, right? Then this big brown claw burst through the wall." Sonata shook her head. "If Adagio hadn't seen me... they saved my life that day, those two."

Flash let out a breath. "That... wow. That's pretty amazing."

"Joined the sirens because of it."

"Huh." He drummed his fingers on the table. "You know, all this time I've been thinking that sirens were, like, a species, not a group."

"Yeah, well, we were all seaponies. And to be honest, I kinda think most of the seaponies joined the sirens in the end. Things got... bad."

Flash finished the cookie-cream sandwich, pushing himself away from the counter. "So I've gathered... uh, the Charp wasn't the only thing that got brought up. They also mentioned something called an Antiphon?"

Sonata's eyes shot wide, her breath hitching as she backed into the hydraulophone.

"Oh gosh." Flash moved around the counter, slowly. "Are you okay? I didn't mean to--"

"Don't." Sonata held up a finger, shaking. "Just... just don't."

For a moment, the only sound was the trickle of water.

"I... I think you should go." Sonata forced her breathing back to a calmer level. "Now."

"...Alright." Flash held up his hands, backing away. "I'm going. You know where to find me if--"

The bagpipes wheezed under his foot. He glanced down for a moment, maneuvering it off the instrument.

"...yeah."

Sonata shook her head. "Yeah."

The teenager turned, heading for the door.

"...Flash?"

He stopped. "Yeah?"

"I really am grateful you brought Adagio home. I... don't want to lose her."

Blood, blue and red, seeped into the water all around her. The metallic tang on her tongue, in her nose, could not be denied, could not be ignored. The powerful grip of a claw suddenly clenched round her tail, a cry of agony rolling out of her throat as she felt her spine crack--

"GET... OFF!"

Adagio shook off the haze, tossing the Charp toward one of the kraken's massive arms. At the very least the monster didn't care enough to discern between what landed in its suckers; she huffed a tired grin as the lobsterfiend shattered. A jolt of pain lanced from her tail, and she winced, giving a look at the twisted thing. "Sand, I hope the medics will be able to fix that."

"Captain!" Sonata dashed up to her, absently blasting away a small squad trying to sneak up behind her. "Are you alright?! Can you swim?"

"I'm fine," Adagio reassured her, "I'm totally--GNNNF. Well, I can still fight, anyway," she insisted, even as the water round her grew slightly more red.

"Oh, that doesn't look good, not at all not at all... ARIA!" Sonata shouted, waving wildly at the purple siren.

"What the fin is it now--Swirling waters, Adagio!" Aria's eyes widened in shock, and she tail slapped a Charp away as she swam over. "Okay, just focus on me, captain. We're going to get you out of here--"

"I'm not dazed!" Adagio snapped. "I can still swim! We're almost at the beak, and I am NOT curling this one out!"

"Captain--Adagio, please--"

"ARIA BLAZE, WE NEED EVERY SIREN ON THIS! YOU WILL GET BACK TO--guuug--TO FIGHTING THE CHARP. THAT IS AN ORDER!"

The purple siren flinched. "...yes ma'am. With all due respect, though, I'm not letting you out of my sight."

"Me either!" Sonata insisted. "We're in this together!"

Adagio rolled her eyes. "...Fine, if it's--grf--the only way to get you two idiots to do what you need to."

The three of them rejoined the battle, pushing further down into the pit. Their enemy was scrambling out of great cracks in the rock wall, leaping at them as they descended, but for every siren they took down five of the Charp were smashed, sliced, or shattered. It was the arms they had to watch for--when one of the great eyes focused on a group, the kraken would sweep them against the wall.

And yet--the webbing of the beast was only a few knots away. Already she could see Antiphon and her group swimming under it; Adagio pushed herself as fast as she could, ignoring the stream of blood behind her and the shocks of pain from her tail. They were close, she could almost taste it past the bloodied waters. They were going to take this monster down, they were going to destroy the Charp, and all of the sea would be safe at last!

With a great cry, the trio darted beneath the creature, ready for anything.

Krangs swarmed across the kraken's underside, flinging dark fire at the sirens swimming by as they screeched and scuttled in their own harsh language. The beak hung from center, a great black edifice with four petals each as large as a blue whale. And, oddly, a great glowing crystal was clutched between them, its color reminding Adagio uncomfortably of the gem round her own neck. Four pink tentacles shot out of the gaping maw, sweeping blindly through the water as they chased after the invaders.

"Great hippocampus," Sonata breathed. "I've never even heard of quad-beaked krakens before..."

"Let's hope this is the only one." Adagio narrowed her eyes. "Those tongutacles could drag us in, we can't let them catch us."

"Belly up, swim high," Aria suggested. "We'll be able to keep a better eye if we've got a surface to swim against."

"What?!" Sonata cried. "But there are Krangs all over that!"

"I've seen you sing, we can handle a few Krangs." Adagio winced, nodding to the two. "We're going with Aria's idea. Shoo be doo."

"Shoo shoo be doo," Aria replied.

"...waves be with us," Sonata muttered.

And they dove up into the fray.

"Flash asked about Antiphon."

Sonata's quiet voice drew a wince from Aria. "Sorry, I... let that slip in front of him. Kind of forgot he was there, really, after..." She trailed off, glancing at Adagio.

The yellow girl raised a hand out of the water. "Yes, yes, I made a mistake. I was planning on coming back today anyway."

Sonata said nothing, poking at the tray floating in front of her.

Aria crossed her arms over her bare breasts. "You know that's not going to cut it."

"Fine." Adagio sighed. "Sonata, I'm sorry. There, I said it."

After a moment, the blue girl reached for the anchovy pizza on her tray. "I know you are. I just..." She bit down, chewing softly. "Why don't you ask us to help you? With your research, I mean."

She opened her mouth... and shut it, awkwardly rubbing the long red scar on her hip.

"Yeah, why don't you ask?" Aria flicked her hair out of the water. "I mean, I've got a mind like a steel trap, and Sonata might be spacey but she's not stupid."

"...I wanted to do this on my own," Adagio admitted. "I just thought... if I could find a way back, before today, I could surprise you girls."

"You showed up with that Canterlot prettyboy. Consider us flippin' surprised."

"Aria!" Sonata scolded, lightly shoving a wave at her.

Aria rose a hand, parting the water to keep her own plate from getting soaked. "What? You can't deny that was pretty random."

"He apparently started working at Sea Swirl's place," Adagio explained. "Somehow he got it into his head that I needed an escort home."

The purple siren rose her eyebrow.

"Look, I would have turned him down, but... he's working at Sea Swirl's," Adagio defended, pathetically. "I couldn't do that to her."

"Never thought you'd have gone soft."

"Hey!"

"Aria, she was being polite," Sonata interjected. "That doesn't mean she was being soft."

"Yeah," Adagio agreed.

"Really." The purple girl gave her a flat look. "You, being polite."

"Well..." She tapped her chin, grinning wickedly. "I pulled the grandma threesome line on him. I've got to show you the pic later."

Sonata snorted. "You're terrible."

Aria smirked. "Might have been interesting to invite him to dinner, though."

The blue girl looked at her quizzically. "I don't think he'd be all that comfortable."

"We're three naked chicks, sitting in a pool, and there's pizza. What's not to like?"

"Well, gee, I don't know, the part where we're more than a whole millennium older than him maybe?"

"That," Aria stated with an uprised finger, "just means we're experienced."

Sonata rubbed her forehead as the other two sirens started cackling. "I can't believe I used to idolize you two..."

"Oh come on, Sonata!" Adagio cried. "Aria's just twiddling your fin. We wouldn't really try to seduce him."

"Or invite him for dinner," Aria added. "Unless he brought shrimp or something."

"And we definitely wouldn't have him over today," Adagio finished, suddenly very serious. "This is... this is just for us three."

A somber pallor descended on the group as she reached out, gathering three wave-engraved goblets and the winebottle off a small table set beside the pool just for this purpose. With utmost respect, she poured; the cup with purple gems, then the one with blue, handing each to the matching companion before she filled her own.

"To absent comrades." She lifted her yellow-gemed goblet high, and the others matched her motion. "May the sea rest your bodies where beautiful coral can grow."

"May the ocean guide your souls to the deepest lights," Aria added.

"And may the waves lead your children to glorious songs," Sonata finished.

"Shoo be doo, shoo shoo be doo."

With that quiet chant, they drank. The empty goblets descended onto the trays with a series of clinks.

"...it wasn't that he asked about her," Sonata murmured into the silence. "Not just that. It was... that he asked today, of all days. Everything just flooded back, all at once..."

She clutched her shoulders, curling forward far enough that her chin rested in the water.

"It's a pretty grim anniversary," Aria agreed, wrapping an arm around her. "I don't really like remembering it, but..."

Adagio lifted a hand, running it through Sonata's hair gently. "...I don't think any of us can ever really forget."

"DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE!"

Aria rose an eyefin, giving Adagio a wary look. "You're pretty enthusiastic right now."

Adagio replied by ripping a claw off one Krang, stabbing another through the head, and using the resultant amalgam to smash three more into the pit above her head. "Is that a problem?!"

"No. Just weird." Aria put her hooves through two blue lobsterfiends, popping the heads off and punching at the others around her. "You sure the inverted swimming isn't getting to you?"

"I am a sand-rippling siren," Adagio growled, fighting back the pain in her tail. "I can fight through anything."

Sonata shook her head. "Good for you. I'm getting seasick." She blanched, forcing something back. "Oh hippocampus..."

"Suck it up and sing, Sonata!"

"Aria, please--" Sonata screeched into the crowd of Krangs. "--stop picking on me like that! I'm doing the best I can here!"

"Sirens!" Antiphon shouted, blade slicing through seven separate foes. "With me! The beak is within reach!"

Adagio looked toward the commander, seeing her red form swimming through the Krang ranks. "You heard the commander! LET'S GET THIS DONE!"

Aria and Sonata nodded, and together they shot forward. Lobsterfiend after lobsterfiend fell into the great pit, clearing the path for the remaining sirens as they swam closer--ever closer--to the great black obelisk that towered down above them. At last, Sonata let out a final note, and the path was cleared. Antiphon darted forward and cut into the fleshy foundation with her fiery blade.

"If I fall, take my sword! We must--!"

O̧̨y̸͞e̶̕ ͞j̴͏ȩ̕é̸͢x͟me̸͘ q͝e̸͝os̨͢͢r͝e ͘͏͏e҉l̢͜é̵ý̸ ̷͜m̴̶ ͏̸s͏ ͏͠x͢i̸r͠į̷m̸͟.̕

Across the kraken's flesh, Krang's eyes all started glowing with a pale yellow light, their screeching fading away as their claws becoming enveloped by dark fire. The tongutacles peeled in half, great stalks unfurling from within that each ended in a large black orb. Then, in a blink, they snapped out--one reaching for the four at the beak's base. Adagio and Aria managed to slip its grasp, but Sonata and Antiphon were tight in its clutch, whisked toward the beak-held gem with all the sirens that the other strange limbs had managed to catch.

The sudden motion combined with her inversion-induced nausea, and Sonata heaved into the dark waters around her--thankfully, the beast was carrying her too fast for the results to stay close. "Hippocampus.... Oh waves, what's going on?! Krakens can't do this, it's--I don't even know what it's doing!"

"Keep it together, Siren!" Antiphon struggled in the grip of the stalk next to her.

"Right--Right!" Sonata shook her head. "Sorry, commander, lost myself there!" She pushed against the stalk wrapped tightly around her, trying to find some sort of give--and her eyes fell on the orb at its end. With a desperate jolt, she leaned forward and dug her teeth into it. The stalk spasmed, uncoiling and drifting after Antiphon. She turned to the commander, grinning. "The sphere! Commander--!"

Antiphon was pushed against the red crystal with all the other captured sirens. All of them let out a scream of incomprehensible pain.

Ó́s̶҉ x͟s͘͠o̶y̢͘ ̶͝xy͠͝v̛͜͏í͟ ͝͠x̸̕͝ir͜i͘͟ḿ:̸͠ ̡͟a͏l͡eo҉̀͠eq̡͞͡e̴̛lme ͠͞i̛ ҉̶o̧͘͜s͠į̴͡ x̡́ş͘͠o̡͠y ̡oe͝l̀͝e̢͘͜,̧́ ̴r̵̡ȩ ̀o̡è̸҉ ̢͘͢a͏ȩ̛ml̷͝s͘͢ ͜o̸͞s͟͞i̧̨ ҉̵̕x̷̡e̡o̶͢y̷̴ ͡ts͏r̢͘s͢r̶̵̀ke̕ ͟em͢e͡r͞i͢m̡̀ ͏e҉̨ e͏̵o̡͡i̸ ͝͡x͟s̨̛͠ry.̀ ̛̀L͝ei̴̕vi ̧q̸̛e̸m̡,̀ ̴͢ò̵͡e̴̶̕ ̧a̷͠lȩ͢a̷҉҉lem͘ ͠x̸̷e͝l̸e̸ ̶̢m̸̀̕ x̴i ̨̕͏x͝el̨e̴͝ o̢̧m̢̀ ̢͜e҉ơ̛y҉ ̷͞͞x҉̕eq̡e̡̡v͞m̴̀o͢͞m͏̢.̛

The necklace Antiphon wore sunk into her chest, veins of light spreading across her twitching form. Her scales peeled away, unfurling into strange kelp-like ribbons with shining edges. Her eyes shut and sunk in; her teeth lengthened incredibly. Sonata watched in horror as her body stretched, tore, a pair of limbs bursting from her hips and ending in sickle-like claws, the flesh around her tail disintegrating into long straps. And then, and only then, did the great stalk uncoil, pulling back from the panting...

"...commander?" Sonata swam forward cautiously. "Commander Antiphon? Can you hear me?"

Sunken eyes snapped open, glowing a pale yellow.

The thing that had been Antiphon pushed itself off the red crystal with a wild screech, darting at her and trapping her hooves under its forelegs. Sonata struggled against the grip, flailing her tail as the scythes swung down at it, head butting the fanged visage, screaming as it swam towards the rock wall at an incredibly fast clip. She tried to gather her voice, tried to sing, but the skeleton of Antiphon's tail constricted around her barrel, holding back her voice--

They slammed into the rock wall--how fast, how fast had they swam--and the aberration reared back with a fierce shriek--

--and a sword lanced through the gem embedded in its chest.

Sonata gasped as the bony tail released her, relief flooding her when she saw the yellow light in the eyes fade. It was just as quickly followed by disgust, and then horror, and then sorrow, all mixing into a strange and unstable concoction in her chest.

"Good to see you made it kid." Aria swam out from around, a broad smile on her face--for only a moment, before she turned back. "Nice sword-work there, Adagio. Where's the commander, she'll want to know about whatever these things are--"

"That..." Sonata pointed at the corpse. "That... was the commander. It pressed her against the big crystal and..." She shivered.

Aria looked at her. "What?"

"The crystal, it... did things--to her, and the others, I think--"

"Swirling waters... I guess that means you're in charge, captain. What now?"

The yellow siren hadn't said anything. She was staring at the sword in her hooves, at the body floating on its point... she looked up, up to the beak from which she had pulled the sword, around at the strange forms chasing the sirens, at the shivering figure against the rock wall...

Pain lanced through her tail, and the scent of blood overwhelmed her.

"Fall back."

"What?"

"FALL BACK!" Adagio shouted, releasing the sword and turning to the battle. "SIRENS, RETREAT! WE MAKE FOR SCALLOPING COVE!"

"Scalloping Cove?!" Aria objected. "That's three day's swim--! We can't just abandon the assault!"

"You have your orders, lieutenant!" Adagio snapped. "It's time to follow them."

Her eyes drifted to the slowly falling corpse below them. "Or maybe you want to follow her, instead."

"I--" Aria sighed. "No. You're right, we're losing here." She turned to the shivering Sonata. "Come on kid, we've got to go."

As the hundred sirens that remained swam away, they heard a great boom from behind them.

I̧ ͟v͏̴i͞v̡̀͟i,͝ ͜͜e̡͟m͞e̢͞͠r̛̀i͠m҉͢.͡ ̵O̕͢͡e ͢xe̸͘͞x̨͢e̴v͢͞m͟͜ e̵̸̢l̢͘͘e̷y̴̢. ̸O͝͠ę͡ ̴҉ļs̸͢l̵͢s͏v̧́s ̡x̸̡i̡ ̴͞v̕͜͟e̕͞ ҉͟m҉̕͝ ̨͜l͡e҉͏i̷vi̵ ̸̢̧q̶́͘eḿ͜ ̵͠e̢̡m͘ ̢͞l̶̨̛e̛o͏͠e̡͢v̶m̧̀̕ ̨̡e͏l̶̢e̴͠y҉ ̛͡o̶m̡͡ ̷v̢y͝ŕ̵k̨͟e̕͡ ̕͏ơ͝m͏ ̷̀x̶͜s̶͘ ̵̛́ơ͜s̶y͘͢xs̸̡y ́̕o̕ḿ̸o̡s̶͏o͘͜m̧̧͟ớ͠s̶.̧͘

Adagio narrowed her eyes. "We'll be back, you bottomfeeder. Just you wait."