Canterlot Hospital in the human world a week ago.

Adagio walked to a room and looked at the door which was marked 312. Taking a deep breath she pushed the door opened. The sound of heart monitor beeping filled the room as she approached the bed. She wanted to say something but noticed that a nurse was checking the instruments and then changed empty bag on the IV Stand with a new one. The nurse looked over at Adagio and grabbed her notepad and an empty drip bag. She walked over to her and gave a reassuring smile.

“He is awake now,” the nurse said and then left the room.

Adagio cleared her throat and walked over to the bed trying to smile. “Good morning,” she said and leaned forward to kiss him.

A young man laid in bed with an oxygen tube in his nose. His head is bald and his face lacks any visible facial hair. He looked at Adagio and smiled as he absently rubbed his chin and noticed the lack of stubble.

“Hi, Adagio dear nice to see you,” Kevin Clydesdale said with a smile and push on a button to raise the back of his bed.

“I wanted to see how you are doing today.” Adagio said returning the smile and gently grab his left hand.

“Better than yesterday,” he said, noticed the bags under Adagio eyes. Kevin reached up to touch her face. “Have you been getting sleep?” he asked and she shook her head.

“I’ll sleep later when I get back home,” she answered and pulled up a wooden chair to sit next to him.

You didn’t have to stay the night here,” he said, leaning back against the pillow.

Adagio looked him. “It’s my choice that I am here,” she said, crossing her arms.

“Sorry,” Kevin said and looked out the window noticing the blue sky.

“Want to go outside?” Adagio asked and stood up.

“Sure a nice jog around the hospital will do me some good,” he said, with a smirk.

“I’ll get a nurse,” she said and walked out of the room.

A few minutes later Adagio returned with a wheelchair and a male nurse.

*****

Kevin was sitting in a wheelchair, wearing a hospital gown, squinted as his eyes slowly adjusted to the daylight. Adagio reached into her purse and pulled out a pair of sunglass which she gave to him. She then starting pushing the wheelchair and walked around the grounds outside the hospital.

“How is Sonata and Aria doing?” Kevin asked, leaning back in his chair.

“There doing fine, still going to college. By the way, Aira has taken over your project downstairs, she is determined to finish what you started.” Adagio said with a smile thinking about it.

“I hope I can see it someday, what about Sonata, what has she been up to?” he said, looking over at robin hopping on the grass nearby looking for a worm.

“She got a job at a jewelry store,” she said, proudly.

“Sonata, always loved jewelry, and what have you been up to?” Kevin asked, but Adagio didn’t answer right away.

“I have been thinking about going back to Equestria again,” Adagio said, breaking the silence.

“Didn’t you say that there was nothing to go back to,” Kevin said, looking a bit silly wearing Adagio’s sunglasses with a yellow frame.

“That was before you started to get sick.” she said, in a soft voice as she kept walking.

“Adagio if you want to go back to your world that’s fine with me. I am not going to get any better here, I don’t want to hold you back from living your life,” he said, watching as some children were playing nearby as a grandparent watched from her wheelchair.

“The reason I want to go, Kevin, is for you. Aira and Sonata reminded me that there is a rare sea plant that only grows in my world. It has been known to cure almost any illness,” Adagio said, as her voice cracked.

“It’s called cancer and it’s as bad as you can get in this world. I have already had radiation and chemotherapy,” Kevin said, grabbing the wheels and turned his chair around to look at Adagio. “There is no magic cure or vaccine for it,” he said, looking up a noticed Adagio was crying but also looked angry at him.

“You may have given up on yourself Kevin but I have not,” Adagio said, leaning forward and put her hands on his legs. “I’m going back to Equestria and I will find that plant and bring it back, so you better be here when I return,” she said and removed the sunglasses from his face.

“Alright, no point in arguing with a Siren,” he said, looking in her eyes,

“Damn right,” she said and kissed him. They then continued their walk.

Ponyville Equestria

Adagio didn’t sleep well last night. The waters in ponyville are colder than in the southern ocean. She ended swimming upstream near the park where the water was shallower and warmer. Finding a bit of land she climbed up to catch some of the morning sun rays.

“Oh, that’s better,” she said talking to herself and looked over at a bridge that has a large M engraved in it. After a few minutes of laying in the sun, her eyes were getting heavy as she was falling asleep. Minutes past and then there was the sound of hooves approaching.

“Good morning Adagio,” Sunset said, looking down at her.

“Aaahh,” Adagio yelled, opening her eyes in surprise her as fins poked outward revealing spikes on the tips of the spines.

Sunset flinched back at the sight of her spikes. “Careful there, I don’t want you to accidentally hurt somepony and by that I mean myself,” she said, stepping back.

“Rule 1, don’t sneak up on a Siren, especially when they are sleeping,” Adagio said with a growl feeling her heart beating fast, then relaxed, her fins folded back as she calmed down.

“Yes, I will remember that now", "Adagio, we have a big problem: some pony or creature has been snatching up filly & colts by the water", "You wouldn't by chance know anything about that?” Sunset asked, looking serious.

“Hey, now I haven’t touched any pony since I got here. Siren’s don’t eat ponies, well not anymore, not since the dark times,” Adagio said feeling uneasy about this conversation and slipped back into the water.

“I haven’t told the mayor yet that you are around, try to keep out of sight until I find Twilight,” Sunset said and noticed that some ponies were approaching so she walked away.

“I didn’t even want to come here,” Adagio said and disappeared under the water to avoid being seen.

Silver yawned as she walked over the bridge and spotted a yellow fin and a flipper. Panicking she fumbled with the camera and snapped a picture just as the flipper disappeared.

“I got it!” she yelled out in triumph and then noticed that she forgot to remove the lens protector. "Oh shoot," she said, popping the cap off with her hoof.

"What happened?" Diamond said, running up to meet her on the bridge.

"The, the Mokele-Mare I saw it!" Silver said, pointing to the water. "It was right there, yellow flipper and fins, it must be huge," she said, rearing up spreading out her fronts hooves.

"Did you get a picture?" Diamond asked, looking at the camera.

"Umm, I forgot the lens cap was on sorry..." Silver said looking embarrassed.

"You had one job and you forgot the cap, maybe Babs should be the one holding the camera." she said, sounding frustrated.

"Diamond where is Babs?" Silver asked, looked around.

"I don't know, maybe hanging out with that loser Applebloom." Diamond said and started walking. "Come on let's ask the animal expert if she knows what you saw," she said and motioned Silver to follow her.

Adagio caught some fish as she swam down a stream and took her time chewing thinking about what Sunset said. A creature by the water or in the water has been ponynaping youngn's, For what reason? I hope it's not for dinner, She spat out an uneaten fish tail. Why should I care, I got my own problems to deal with, like how am I going to get past the dam, She thought, finding a fork in the river and surfaced poking her head out to see that it headed into the forest. Curiosity got the better of her and with a push from her tail, she swam towards the Everfree forest.

*****

Sunset headed towards Twilight's castle. Which she was told is now called The Castle of Friendship. Looking up the castle looked like it grew right from a tree made of crystal. Twilight talked about it for hours in the human world, but this was the first time she saw in person. Walking up to the front entrance she knocked on the door which echoed back from the inside.

"Hello!, Twilight are you home?" Sunset called out.

"Twilight is not here," a voice from inside said.

"Where is she?" Sunset asked and push the door open.

"She is missing," Rainbow Dash said approached the door looking tired, "and who are you?" she asked not recognizing who it was.

"Sunset Shimmer remember," she said, pushing her way into the castle.

"Oh, right it's you, are you here to steal something again?," Rainbow said with a scarcest tone stepping back.

"What no... seriously I am looking for Twilight," she said, looking around.

"Rainbow is that any way to treat Twilight's friend," Applejack said as she walked up recognizing Sunset by her cutie mark. "Sorry about that, Rainbow has been up all night searching from the air for Twilight and Spike," she said as Rainbow yawned and walked away.

"Is Twilight back?" Pinkie Pie said as she appeared suddenly and started stringing up large welcome back ribbons on the walls with balloons at high speed.

"False alarm Pinkie," Rarity said and pulled on the ribbon causing it to fall to the ground.

"Awww," Pinkie said, deflating like a balloon and landed near Sunset who was looking at her closely.

"Pinkie Pie," Sunset said with a smile and moved forward to hug her but Pinkie stepped back she cleared her throat. "Sorry, you remind me of someone, what happened to Twilight?" she asked seriously.

"I don't know all the details. But it started over a week ago when Spike went missing. Twilight went looking for him and never came back," Applejack said, looking worried.

"I have looked everywhere in Ponyville, she must be in the Everyfree Forest, I can't see past the trees from the air," Rainbow said, with another yawn.

"I am afraid she is correct that is the only place we have not looked," Rarity said, shivering remembering the last few times she was there.

"Did you also know that children have gone missing?" Sunset spoke up and they looked at her and nodded.

"Fluttershy is looking for tracks and clues by the river," Pinkie said, sounding serious for a moment.

"Rainbow, for now, you should stay here and rest, just in case Twilight or Spike returns. We need to organize a search party and go into the forest," Sunset said, looking at them.

"Whoa, stop right there, who made you the leader, you are not Twilight, we don't have to listen to you," Rainbow said, looking angry at her.

"Sorry..." Sunset apologized, realizing again these are not her friends from earth. She walked to the exit. "You are right, I am not a leader or your friend, I will search on my own," She said.

"Wait!" Pinkie called out and ran in front of Sunset blocking her."Any friend of Twilight is my friend and like any friend we help each other, don't listen to Rainbow she is just being mean," she said, rearing up crossing her hoofs and blew a raspberry at Rainbow.

"She may not be an element but she has a point, we need all the help we can help we can get, to find Twilight and all the other missing ponies," Applejack said and walked up to Sunset.

"I agree with Pinky and Applejack," Rarity said looking at Rainbow as she joined them.

"Fine I will stay here and wait!" Rainbow said crossing her hooves. "But if anything happens I am holding you responsible," she said pointing her hoof at Sunset.

*****

As Adagio started to enter the Everyfree Forest she could feel air temperature drop and also the water temperature change. Her fins extended outward defensively with spikes as she started to feel uneasy. After a few more minutes of swimming, there was a loud crackle as a tree was snapped from it trunk and pushed aside like a twig. The sound of heavy footsteps flatting in the foliage as it walking nearby on the left.

"Help me!" a voice cried out and Adagio saw something large walking holding a cage in its large claws. In the cage was a young earth pony with light brown fur with a red mane and matching tail. She saw a cutie mark that looked like scissors.

"STOP!" Adagio yelled out which caused the creature to turn around. Two the eyes looked at her yellow with black slit pupils like a lizard.

"Siren," said in a deep rumbling male voice from the creature. "You're a long way from home," said the creature, as it moved closer to the water into view. Adagio gasped looking up at a full-size green dragon.

"So are you dragon," Adagio said, looking at the pony who was shivering curled up in a ball and then looked up at him. "Where are you taking this child?" she asked showing her teeth in a snarl.

"I have plans for them that don't concern you, go find your own if you are hungry," the dragon said and turned around, walking into the forest.

"Get back here!" she yelled as the dragon's tail knocked over a tree and slipped into the darkness.

Adagio was feeling panic she was not sure what to do. She swam in circles and then heading back to Ponyville. I got to tell Sunset about this. She thought, swimming rapidly picking up speed creating a wake as her body pushed the water to the shore.

Adagio could see the outline of buildings from under the water as she got closer. Suddenly a net dropped in front of her and before she had a chance to turn it was pulled tight entangling her.

A crowd of ponies cheered as some of them pulled on the net pulling the Siren out of the water onto the shore.

Author's Note

Thanks for reading.

A lot is going on in this chapter.

I originally wanted the story to focus on Adagio only but realized being stuck in the river is very limiting.
So Sunset will have a side adventure to fill in the gaps.

Sorry about Applejack accent.
I will try and correct that soon.