Do Tinkerers Dream of Electric Princesses
Do Tinkerer’s Dream of Electric Princesses?
Soliloquy
How could it be so hot on the mountain today? The siren walked along though just barely limping as her mechanical rear legs whirred and whined, an awful crunch coming from them when gears ground together. As if they day couldn’t get worse. First she screwed up a landing and damaged her legs and now she had to limp through the heat of summer Canterlot with all the other ponies staring and whispering to each other. As if it wasn’t obvious to her they were whispering about the injured princess limping through the city streets.
Voca lifted her head to the sun and thought for a moment to curse Celestia but knew that just wasn’t who she was inside. The teal siren sighed and wiped her brow free of sweat, pushing her teal, blue and purple mane out of her face, keeping it from sticking to her sweating skin. She tried flapping her wings a few times to take off but she was far too exhausted from the journey here to do anything more than fan herself with the webbed membranes. At least that was a small relief.
She came to a crossroads and let out another sigh as she looked down at a map she was carrying. There was a tinkerer somewhere in this part of the city but she had grown so used to the more rural life in Equestria that she felt completely lost in the city. After a few long moments of looking down at the map and then up at the buildings and the streets she heard a small voice speak, “A…are you a Princess?”
Voca lifted a brow and turned her gaze to spy a small lavender unicorn filly. The little one’s soft pink eyes were filled with wonder as she wagged her long white and periwinkle tail. The siren smiled and nodded to the little one speaking softly, her voice smooth and musical in nature, “I am. I am Voca Pacifica, Siren Princess of Forgiveness. And who might you be?”
“I… I’m Glimmerbeam,” replied the filly starting to bow.
Voca lifted a brow and shook her head quickly, “Oh don’t do that little one. I’m no different than any of you. I don’t deserve any sort of formality.”
The filly stumbled slightly as she tried to pull out of the half completed bow. Voca quickly reached out a wing and caught her with a smile, “oops. Careful there little one.”
Glimmerbeam seemed embarrassed and excited at the same time, her little hooves doing a bit of a dance as she looked the princess over for a few moments, “Wow! A real siren and a princess! Th… this is so neat! B…but why are you limping your majesty?”
Voca lifted a brow at being called majesty and shook her head, “Let’s just stick with Voca… it feels less… weird.” She looked back to her injured and twitching rear mechanical leg and frowned a little, “I’m afraid I’m not the strongest flier. Many of the princesses had to earn their wings… which means we never went through the training the pegasi do.”
The filly looked at the leg and her eyes lit up, “Oh oh oh! I know somepony really close! She’s always tinkering with things like that!”
Voca smiled at the enthusiasm Glimmerbeam showed in her desire to help. It was always comforting to see that harmony was so alive and well in the hearts of the youth. It affirmed a small part of what she and the other princesses work so hard to foster and grow. She took a few moments before she replied, “Oh you do? I would be very thankful if you would show me the way Glimmerbeam.”
The filly blushed as her name was used before nodding, “Okay! Just follow me princess!”
The siren smiled at how Glimmerbeam took up a high step with her chest puffed out, proud to be escorting a princess in need. It was a little endearing though she still felt like she deserved no special treatment in her heart of hearts. Perhaps the summer just sapped her of confidence in general. After the events of the last summer she could feel a scar on her heart, blame that remained on her shoulders for not being strong enough to stop that monster Umbral Oath. She shook her head quickly after the thought knowing it was foolish to linger on it.
After a short walk they arrived at a storefront showing gears that actually turned together. Looking down at the filly, Voca smiled broadly, “Thank you Glimmerbeam. You’ve been very very helpful. You should be proud of yourself.”
Glimmerbeam looked up to the princess and just beamed with pride. She was quick to open the door and run inside, “Furrose Furrose I found somepony that needs your help!”
“Whoa whoa whoa… you’re bouncy today Glimmerbeam. Who is it,” asked a mature mare voice from inside.
Voca couldn’t help but smile, even in her miserable state, at the eagerness of the little unicorn. She stepped into the shop, the walls lined with clocks and contraptions made by the resident tinkerer, a grey unicorn that had painted her eyelids with blue eyeshadow to match her wavy mane. The siren saw the gears cutie mark and felt relief as this pony was clearly made for this job.
“O…oh my. You’re…”
“She’s a princess,” exclaimed Glimmerbeam with that pride still in her eyes as Furrose’s own were filled with shock and awe.
Furrose slipped out from behind her counter and gave a bow making Voca feel that pang of guilt again, deep inside of her chest. The grey mare rose to her hooves again and nodded, “When I heard that the new siren princess has legs like your own… I just… I always wanted to see them.”
Voca nodded slowly and forced a smile, “I wish you could have seen them not in this state. Lady Lovelace’s work is… well she put everything she had into these.”
The princess turned to show them in a profile to the unicorns though Furrose frowned as she saw the twitch and heard the stress the legs were under just to move. “Oh my! That won’t do at all. I assume you are here for repairs?”
Voca nodded again as she spoke, “Normally I would have Lovelace service them but she is gone… exploring the crystal mountains last I heard but she would be impossible to find there.”
Furrose nodded quickly and looked down to Glimmerbeam, the filly’s tail practically sweeping the floor with how excited it was waving behind her. “Glimmerbeam why don’t you run along. I’m sure Caretaker is worried sick with you running about on your own in the city again.”
“But…”
“No buts little lady. You know better.”
“Ugh… fine…”
Voca smiled as the filly passed her by and leaned down to give her a little wing hug, “Thank you Glimmerbeam. You’ve been so helpful… but Furrose is right. You shouldn’t be wandering on your own.”
The filly froze at the hug and nodded at the words of encouragement. She was out the door like a bolt singing, “I helped a princess, I helped a princess…” down the street.
Furrose looked the siren over for a few moments and smiled, “I’ve never actually met a siren before. I see they are just as gorgeous as the stories say they are.”
Voca blushed and cleared her throat, “O…oh… uhh… thank you.” She wiggled a little and shimmied her way out of the mechanical legs, letting them fall limp to the floor next to her as she too collapsed to just her front legs, having never had back ones in the first place.
“Oh! Uhh…” said Furrose as she quickly lifted a small couch with her goldenrod magic and set it next to the siren, “there. You can lay there while I take a look.”
Voca nodded and spread her wings but was soon lifted by that same golden magic to rest on the soft cushions of the couch. She smiled and replied, “Thank you. It’s been a rough day…”
Furrose was already inspecting the legs with a small eyepiece magnifying the inner workings for her, “I can imagine. These are… they are pretty damaged Princess. It may take me a while to fix them.”
Voca shook her head quickly in response, “Please… Just call me Voca. I don’t warrant any honorifics.”
The unicorn looked up from the legs and tilted her head to the side, “I… I guess if that’s what you want. It’s a pleasure to meet you Voca. I’m Furrose. I run this shop.”
The siren nodded a few times as she looked at her damaged legs and sighed, “I’m sorry I had to come here really. It was my own poor flying that caused that damage.”
“Hey it’s cool. We all make mistakes from time to time. I’m just glad you didn’t have to see a doctor. The damage here looks like it was one heck of a landing,” Replied Furrose as she continues to peek into the inner workings of the machine legs.
Voca nodded and sighed, “I’m going to have to help rebuild a statue probably… That’s okay though. How long do you think this will take?”
“Oh gosh… this might take a few days if I’m totally honest. The level of detail in here is… well it’s well beyond what I’m used to. I don’t want to make any errors and have you limping or have them glitch out on you,” replied the unicorn tinkerer as she sat back and let out a bit of a sigh, “You may want to think about getting a room at one of the inns.”
Voca shook her head for a moment, “Unfortunately my bits are in one of the compartments in those legs… which is somewhat bent and inoperable at the moment. Though I suppose I could stay at the castle. Luna and I often work together so I can’t imagine…”
“The princesses are in the Crystal Empire at the moment trying to figure out the whole Flurry Heart situation. The castle is closed off,” Replied Furrose as she began to probe about inside, looking for bent gears.
“Well… That’s a problem then.”
“It’s okay. You can stay with me until we get the compartment open… though… that might be a while,” she lifted her gaze and bit her lip as she saw how damaged the legs were. “You might want to get comfortable.”
“I… I couldn’t possibly impose,” Replied the siren, a blush appearing on her cheeks. Maybe should have stayed in the water where she belonged? Of course if she had done that she would have never met Luna or had her moment of realization. Equestria would be different without the princess of forgiveness but she honestly couldn’t say it would be any worse.
Furrose looked up from her work for a moment and lifted a brow, “Voca you’re not imposing if I offer… Are you okay? You seem upset.”
Voca bit her lip and frowned, “I… I just… It’s hard living in a place you aren’t meant to be.”
“Aren’t meant to be? You are here and I think you do good for the world as a whole… I’m sure it’s hard getting around sure but… this isn’t about your mobility is it,” asked the grey mare with concern in her eyes. “I’m here to listen if you want to talk about it.”
Voca looked pained for a moment as it had become so obvious. She sighed and shook her head, “To be honest… my story is not one of happy endings. It’s one of constant struggle and frustration. I wish I could have some sort of happy conclusion like the other princesses do but I’m afraid the sea is not so… kind.”
“Are you talking about that hubbub up in the north last summer? I heard you were involved but didn’t hear much outside of what Caretaker told me. Something about a nightmare from the sea and… oh… I hadn’t made the connection until now but…”
Voca just nodded for a few moments and sighed, “I… I was too weak to stop him. He took me… stole away my will and used me like a puppet to wreak havoc on the home I loved. I had to leave… I couldn’t look at the destruction and no feel the guilt.”
“But you are forgiveness… surely you know they don’t blame you…”
“I… I know but… I just came to realize how dangerous I was. Ponies almost died because I couldn’t hold back that thing…”
“You blame yourself then.”
Voca nodded slowly and closed her eyes as she rest her chin on the cushions in front of her. She trembled for a moment, “None of this would have happened if I had just stayed in the sea… The vale would still be whole and unscarred… and that monster Umbral Oath would have never had a chance to escape.”
“Aye… you could be right there, but I don’t think you would be happy,” replied the grey mare as she pried a spring lose and let out a surprised sound as it shot out and it smacked her eyepiece. She looked sheepish for a moment before she went back to work.
“I don’t think I’m happy now to tell you the truth. The Peace Corps have been flooded with requests for petty conflicts to be solved… I worry that my creation of that group only gave ponies excuses to not solve their own problems… I’m sorry that sounded bitter.”
Voca sighed and shook her head quickly, “Let’s talk about something else. Like Glimmerbeam. You two seemed to know each other pretty well.”
Furrose nodded a few times as she pulled a broken gear out of the legs and set it aside as she spoke, “I’ve known little Glimmer since she was born really. She lost her parents in the changeling attack… Oh I don’t mean like they died or anything like that! They just… It’s really sad. They were too drained to be able to love their daughter. They were changed ponies.”
Voca shook her head, “That’s awful.”
“Yeah, sometimes bad things happen to good ponies. It’s random and often unfair,” Said the grey mare with a sigh. She took a few moments before she spoke again, “Anyway, Glimmerbeam ended up at the orphanage under Caretaker’s care.”
“I actually know Caretaker. She was the headmistress at the orphanage when Lady Lovelace was a foal as well. We have met in pass a few times though Lovelace insisted we sit down and have a meal after last summer,” replied the princess as her expression went from excited to depressed again.
“Everything’s connected in some way I suppose. Like these legs. Each gear plays an important role in your movements. Just one little hiccup and things go awry quickly,” She looked up for a moment, resting her chin on the legs for a moment as she looked at the siren and frowned, “Caretaker is a sweetheart though. Little Glimmerbeam is a bit of a hellion at times, never following the rules and whatnot but she means well. You made her day you know. She’s always wanted to meet a princess.”
Voca nodded slowly, “I could tell… though honestly I don’t like the celebrity that comes with the job. I’m a private pony and like to spend time with myself. It’s how I have lived most of my life… alone. Well, not entirely alone I guess. I always had the kraken but he’s an awful conversationalist.” She giggled slightly at the last comment as the kraken really couldn’t do much but make animal sounds and blow big bubbles.
Furrose nodded as she started to just dismantle the whole chassis of the machine legs so she could get at what was inside, “I can imagine it was quite a shock when you suddenly became a public figure. I don’t think I’d ever want that for myself honestly. I enjoy my simple life.”
Voca sighed and rolled onto her back as she had to agree. “Yeah… I wasn’t prepared for it at all. And the agony that came with it was just…”
“Agony?”
“The problems I have faced I could have dealt with in my own time but with them being so public...”
“ahh. Keeping up appearances must be a full time job.”
Voca rolled onto her side and looked the tinkerer in the eyes with a frown, “Full time torture… as if losing a husband wasn’t enough…”
“I… I didn’t realize you and Prince Blues had…”
Voca nodded with a sigh, tears in her eyes, “Some things are not meant to be… We found a door back to his time… to his world. It was wrong of me to try and keep him here… to hold so tightly to him when his world needed him. His world was so… so violent. He loved another me there and it would be wrong for me to keep him from her.”
Furrose stopped her work for a moment, “Wait… time travel is a thing?”
“I wouldn’t call it time travel… more… interdimensional travel… and yes… it’s a thing.”
The grey unicorn started to work again and shook her head with a frown, “I… I’m sorry Voca. I had no idea.”
“Umbral Oath gave me everything I have… and he took it all away…”
Furrose sighed as she surveyed the damage and shook her head, “I’ll need to order some parts I’m afraid… I have a guest room upstairs. I’m sure it’s not what you are used to but..”
Voca raised a hoof and shook her head, “I’m used to sleeping in small pools of water… I’m sure it will be fine.” The siren slowly lifted herself with her forehooves and spread her wings though soon found herself being lifted by the goldenrod magic again making her lift a brow.
“Almost forgot about the whole… no legs thing. I got it Voca.”
The siren blushed and looked somewhat ashamed at her inability to really get around on land. Were she not so weak she could have dealt with this problem on her own. Once again she was helpless and she could feel her confidence waning even more than it already had. She could only turned her head down and close her eyes in quiet shame.
The room wasn’t so bad, kind of cozy with a soft bed and lovely purple linens. She looked around as she was set down, enjoying the dark wood of the furniture from the nightstand to the dresser and vanity. She offered a small smile to Furrose as she backed out of the door and closed it behind herself with a smile of her own.
Voca set her head down on the pillow and wiggled her way under the duvet, closing her eyes.
“Darlin… you know if there was any other way we woulda thought of it already,” Said the tawny stallion, his blonde mane hanging over his scared face.
The siren looked out over the sea from the cliff vantage they both stood on. Her body trembled as she tried so hard to appear strong and regal, her confidence shaken by the recent defeat of the nightmare Red Tide. She was holding back tears as she spoke, “That’s why I said go to him. He needs you more than I do. I’m a princess of Equestria. He is but a siren in need… in a world that is ready to consume the life of all within.”
Blues looked to the portal leading back the hellish world he had come from. There was clear hesitation in his eyes as his wings trembled a little. The things he had seen in his life, they all came flooding back to him as he realized his stay in paradise was coming to a close. He turned to his wife and shook his head, “This ain’t fair.”
“Leaving him alone is far less fair.”
“Yeah… I know that damnit…”
“Blues you’re a prince now. Language.”
“Look at me Darlin.”
Voca turned to face the Pegasus stallion, dressed in his battle gear with his rifle strapped over his back. His eyes showed so much pain that it broke her heart just looking into them. She trembled and sniffled, “I… I love you.”
“I know Darlin… I know.”
She ran to him and wrapped her forehoves around the stallion tightly, holding as if she would never let go. She cried openly against his shoulder, “Go… go before my heart shatters in front of you. I don’t want you to remember me as a mess…”
“I’ll always remember you as the proud and powerful woman you are… as my wife and companion Darlin. Every time I hold him know that my love for the both of you reaches across time and space,” replied the stallion as his voice began to drop, growing dark and unnerving.
Voca let go but the stallion did not as his gaze rose and she saw his eyes were black, a sickening and twisted grin beginning to cross his face as he was distorted and changed, his voice becoming sadistic and mad with glee at her horror, “I’ll never let go of you… You might let go of everypony important to you but I’ll always be there for you.”
The siren felt her heart begin to race in her chest, the feeling of dread overcoming her as the color faded from her face. “N…no… you’re dead… Y…you can’t be here…”
“Oh sweet Soliloquy… or was it Crescendo… oh no… it’s Voca now isn’t it? It’s so hard to keep up with your names these days… and look what you did to yourself. My handsome siren turned into nothing but a fragile mare,” replied the creature as its body became more fluid, twisting and turning as if made of thick coal tar.
“You aren’t real! This isn’t real! Umbral Oath is dead! Luna! Luna where are you!?” cried the siren as she looked around her for any sign of the moon princess. The world itself began to darken, the sky turning to grey as the maelstrom roiled in the clouds above, the great storm having returned.
“Oh I’m very real Voca… I’m you after all. I always was you. I’m the bit of you that pushed everypony away… that made you independent and strong… I’m the part you need to survive. Especially now that you sent him away,” said the nightmare Umbral Oath as he grinned, his chin dripping with black fluid only to take it back up through his ‘hooves’.
“Luna!”
“She’s not coming Voca. You’re not important enough for her anymore. You’re a wreck, a complete sham of what you used to be. Forgiveness… Hah! You’re the princess of wallowing in self-pity and regret. Isn’t she?”
“Voca!” came a feminine shout from behind making the siren princess turn her gaze to see her mother and Midnight Reverie standing there. Voca’s eyes began to water and she shook her head as she saw her mother’s dead eyes and the blind eyes of the siren she had forever wounded in that same moment so long ago.
“Voca!” came the voice of Blues making her turn her gaze again to see him reaching out, his wings broken and his features twisted in pain, scorch marks all over his barding.
“Voca!” shouted Umbral Oath and she turned to face him once again, seeing his sins standing next to him, the grand dragon Greed, Lies the pegacorn, Sedition the siren, Wrath the changeling, Despair the unicorn… and finally the nightmare siren Red Tide… her nightmare.
“VOCA!
The world melted away around her as the siren shot up in the bed, panting and startled from her nightmare. She looked around quickly only to look down as she felt hooves on her chest. Looking along the legs attached she saw a very concerned looking Furrose there, her eyes wide was fear for what she had just witnessed.
“Voca? Voca are you okay? I was headed to my room and heard you crying.”
The siren took a few moments to catch her breath, trying to regain her composure but found that her will just wasn’t strong enough. She shook her head as her tears began to flow freely, “I… I’m not okay. I’m broken.”
The unicorn’s gaze turned from fear to concern and then sympathy as she moved her hooves and wrapped them around the siren shaking her head, “hey now… It’s okay. You’re gonna be okay. Sometimes life is just a little hard on all of us. You’re not weak for needing to cry now and again.”
“I… I let him go… my prince. He’s gone forever… and Midnight… how can I forgive myself for what happened to her? Her eyes… her song… I stole it from her in my weakness. The Vale is permanently scarred because I was weak,” cried the siren as she buried her face into the mare’s shoulder, her body trembling.
“Shhh… You can’t blame yourself for everything that has happened around you. You’ve had it harder than most and still you continue on. I don’t think I would have that kind of strength,” replied Furrose as she settled onto the bed next to the siren, holding her and rocking her form in the candlelight of the dark room.
Hours had passed as she had disassembled the complicated legs and took inventory of the replacement parts. She hadn’t expected to see the princess in such distress but based on their previous discussion she could only imagine how tortured the mermare must be inside. Furrose hummed a song her mother used to sing to her when she was upset and continued to rock the crying siren in her embrace, feeling a few tears of her own coming on from the sympathy pain she could feel.
It took some time before Voca stopped her sobbing and was trying to catch her breath and regain her composure. She looked up embarrassed but relieved that she had somepony, anypony to hold her as she poured her sorrow out. “I… I’m sorry.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for. You’re just a pony, not some superhero. Even Celestia cries I’m sure,” replied Furrose, running a hoof gingerly under the siren’s eyes to wipe away her tears, at least the ones that hadn’t yet matted her teal fur to her face. “It’s going to take a day for the parts to be delivered. Why don’t I get you a wheelchair tomorrow and we can wander Canterlot together? I think you could use a day off and I know I could.”
Voca sniffled and nodded as she cleared her throat, “Y…yeah. I think I’d like that.”
Furrose smiled and nodded, “Good. Maybe we can go see Caretaker and Glimmerbeam, take her with us.”
Voca smiled a little and let out a small heh at the mention of the filly so full of pride in helping others. She nodded and spoke softly, “That would be wonderful.”
The grey mare started to let go with a smile and nodded though soon found herself wrapped up in the siren’s webbed wings. She lifted a brow as Voca looked up, her strange cuttlefish eyes glowing slightly in the darkness just like the marks on her body and angler. “D…don’t go. I can’t face the night alone.”
Furrose blushed before she let the edges of her lips rise into a smile. She nodded and slipped herself under the linens with the siren, holding to the mermare softly, resting her chin on the princess’ head. She smiled a little more as Voca snuggled into her form, still trembling from whatever she had seen in her nightmare. The unicorn’s eyes closed and it wasn’t long before she was out like a light, her work having been exhausting today.
Voca lifted a brow as she could hear the mare’s breathing had gone even and deep. She closed her eyes as well though opened them as she felt a presence in the room with them. It wasn’t long before she realized who it was and she didn’t bother getting up; she knew she was in the realm of dreams and this one wasn’t so bad, “where were you?”
“Some nightmares we must face on our own Voca Pacifica,” Replied Luna as she stepped out of the shadows.
“That was cruel Luna…”
Luna shook her head slowly, “I should have said… some nightmares are so strong that even I can’t chase them away Voca.”
Voca’s expression softened and she rolled over, keeping herself in this dream Furrose’s hold. She could see the empathy on Luna’s face and nodded, “T… that was cruel of me. I… I know you must have similar dreams sometimes…”
The dark alicorn nodded slowly with a sigh, “They still plague me from time to time. I so desperately wanted to help you… but I couldn’t break in. I could hear your cries and knew the panic as that which we share. The nightmares we carried have forever scared us.”
“H…he’s really gone… right?”
“Yes Voca. Umbral Oath has joined the likes of Envy. Red Tide and Nightmare Moon are no more. Our nightmares are dead but the marks they left on our souls remind us that we must remain vigilant… Even though you… you had no choice,” replied Luna with pain in her eyes.
Voca saw the pain and shook her head, “I… I’m sorry. I haven’t been myself. I know that I have been slacking on the tides and you have been picking up that slack.”
The moon princess shook her head slowly as she offered a gentle smile, “No Voca. You need time. I needed time after my nightmare was beaten… and your husband… I cannot imagine the pain you must be in.”
Voca looked down and nodded a few times, “It was the right thing to do… His world needed him more than I did.” Her voice cracked as she held back the pain. Her hooves reaching up to hug the ring she held on a chain around her neck to her heart.
“That does not mean it didn’t hurt you. You’ve been a grand example of the importance of sacrificing ones wants and needs for the greater good of others. Your whole life spent taking on the burden of other’s sins. You truly are forgiveness incarnate… but that does not mean you are beyond the vices and pains of all of us. Take your time Voca. Celestia and Twilight dearly miss you. Cadence sends her love. The princesses of Equestria and the lands beyond have all sent their condolences to Canterlot when they couldn’t find you themselves.”
Voca felt her lip quiver at the outpouring of sympathy the lunar princess spoke of. She closed her eyes and nodded with a smile, “T…thank you Luna.”
“You’re welcome Voca… You should rest. It seems others are grateful for you as well. Grateful enough to help you in your time of greatest need,” said the princess with a smile on her face as she nodded to the sleeping Furrose.
Voca nodded as she snuggled back into the unicorn’s embrace, even if it was just a dream she needed to feel the touch of another, letting her know that she wasn’t alone.
“I am here, ever vigilant Voca. Know that even if I cannot scare your nightmares away I am trying to. I am there so fight back… forgive yourself before your regret destroys you. It’s okay to be weak,” said the princess in parting as Voca felt her eyelids growing impossibly heavy.
The smell of fresh, warm pastry greeted the siren as her eyes opened slowly. She looked over her shoulder and saw the bed was empty though there was a tray with a fresh apple fritter and orange juice waiting by the bedside. She lifted a brow and blinked a few times before stretching out with a yawn, her hooves rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She wiggled to the food and gave the fritter a nibble and closed her eyes, smiling broadly. It had been so long since she had anything but the seaweed she scavenged on her own.
How long had she been alone now? A year? It seemed like time had just stopped for her, real time moving forward and shunning her from its constant march onward. She consumed the sweet pastry and juice quickly, closing her eyes and laying back with a smile on her face as the food took her mind off of the self-induced torture her life had become.
The siren sighed and looked up at the ceiling of the room, staring blankly as she was lost in her own thoughts. She couldn’t help but smile at the words of support the princess of dreams had given, or the feeling of being held again. She was always so quick to exile herself when it only turned her back into the bitter soul the Witch of Blackwaters used to be. It was time, time to stop being miserable and afraid.
“Oh you’re awake,” said Furrose as she slipped into the room with the wheelchair, the stirrups changed into a hoop that would fit around the siren’s tailfin where a pony’s flanks would normally be. She beamed at the princess and tilted her head, “I’m ready when you are.”
Voca nodded a few times, “Ye…yeah I think I’m ready.”
Golden magic encapsulated the princess as she was lifted from the bed and then situated into the wheels, strapped in tight to ensure she didn’t slip out. She took a few moments to feel the fit and nodded, “Lovelace had me in one of these while she made the legs… I never did like it but it’s just for a short time.”
Furrose smiled warmly and nodded, “Just until I get the parts. It shouldn’t take me long after that. I think I understand how everything goes together.” There was confidence in her eyes, putting Voca at ease.
“To the Orphanage then,” ask Voca, her brow raised.
Furrose only nodded and turned to lead the way out of the shop and her home into the morning streets of Canterlot. The city was alive though Voca still felt that pang of shame as ponies gawked at her appearance. She was careful not to meet their gaze as she wasn’t sure she had the power in her at the moment to forgive their gossiping.
The orphanage wasn’t that far it seemed as they arrived in no time at all. Voca stayed in the front yard while Furrose wandered in to talk with the headmistress Caretaker. She looked to a tree and frowned slightly as she saw little carvings in the bark. She wondered if it was Lovelace’s own made when she wasn’t so broken. Voca felt guilty again for being so depressed when that mare had things so much worse than she did.
The shouting of a familiar small voice broke the princess from her brooding as the little Glimmerbeam came running towards her with a loud, “Princess!”
Voca smiled and softly took the filly into her forehooves as she approached, holding her softly. To be innocent again. “Hello there little Glimmerbeam!”
“Voca? I hadn’t expected you of all ponies,” said the pink earth pony as she walked out the door with Furrose.
“Caretaker it is good to see you… This little one helped me find Furrose yesterday and we thought it would be nice to give her a day on the town. This time escorted by adults,” She gave a bit of a stern look to the filly at the last bit though it soon faded to a smile as she put the little unicorn back down on.
Caretaker nodded slowly and chuckled, “Oh I know… she wouldn’t stop talking about how she helped a princess yesterday.” She looked to Voca with concern in her eyes as she spoke again, “Y…you haven’t heard from her at all have you? It’s not like her to be out of contact for this long.”
Voca shook her head slowly, “It’s not… especially with me. We’ve always been fairly close.”
“She thinks of you like a sister. I worry about her but that will get us nowhere. Lovelace is a tough mare. I’m sure she’s fine,” replied Caretaker with a smile, though Voca could tell it was forced. “well, you three have a good day! Just try and make sure she is back before nightfall.”
Furrose, Glimmerbeam and Voca turned then and started out on the town, stopping by a few shops the filly wanted to visit before they came to the gardens. Voca liked it here, it was peaceful and serene, helping to calm the storm she held inside. She settled down next to a pond and watched the young Glimmerbeam chase the butterflies.
The grey unicorn mare sat down next to the siren and lifted a brow, “Last night still on your mind?”
“There is a lot on my mind… but yes last night is one of those things,” She looked into the smooth as glass water and saw her own reflection there. She looked to the side and saw the smile of the Unicorn, comforting her.
Furrose softly set a hoof on the princess’ shoulder, “Hey it’ll be okay. You need time to recover and that’s okay too. I imagine it is pretty frustrating but it’s just life.”
Voca shook her head and sighed, “No… I think I’ve had enough time. This is just depression at this point. I need to start fighting back.”
“It’s good that you’ve gotten to the point that you realize that actually. We’ve all been there at one time or another, but we gotta help each other out of it. No pony is an island… not even you,” replied Furrose with a gentle smile.
Voca looked into those goldenrod eyes and smiled a little more as she saw how genuine the mare was. Something was driving her to get closer, to accept the comfort she had the night before. She wanted to lean in close, to smell the scent of machine oil mixing with the mare’s own scent. She couldn’t explain the attraction but wanted to follow it and see where it led, even if she was just attaching to the one thing that had offered her comfort in this time of vulnerability.
“Furrose I…”
A shriek echoed through the garden snapping the two mares out of their moment as they saw a creature standing in front of Glimmerbeam. The thing stepped out of the shadows and a bright red flame engulfed it as it changed into a rather flamboyant looking stallion. A smirk crossed his face as he walked closer to the filly. Voca was quick to get to her hooves and galloped quickly to stand inbetween the filly and the creature.
“Get Glimmerbeam out of here,” shouted Voca as her fins bristled and shot upright making her look larger and certainly more menacing.
“Oh my… Princess Voca Pacifica… what a lovely find I have made. She will be so pleased,” Said the stallion with a grin as he walked with a certain bounce in his step, as if there was a music no one else could hear. There was drama dripping from every little movement he made as if he were walking the runway in a fashion show.
“I don’t know who you are but you won’t hurt anypony while I’m here!”
“Oh how rude of me. I am Vanity my dear princess… and I don’t really care what you think you might do here. I’ll collect my quota of ponies regardless of what you try,” replied the stallion with a giggle and a bit of a pose, as if he were looking in a mirror that just wasn’t there.
Furrose was backing away with Glimmerbeam though she looked over her shoulder at the princess standing up to the shape shifting creature. A slightly smile appeared as she whispered, “Go get em…”
The princess and changeling began to circle each other, their eyes locked in a staring contest neither would back down from as Voca spoke, “The missing ponies… the reports that Lovelace is investigating… that’s you?”
“Oh yes… Well… me and my brothers and sisters. You see… Father needs all the ponies he can get. So father can make perfect this Imperfect world… So that Love can live in a pure and clean world,” replied Vanity, that smug look never fading, as if his face was stuck into permanent creeper smirk, “I’m sure she will be very pleased when I bring you in.”
“You’re not taking me anywhere you monster,” Shouted the princess as she rushed forward, her wings spread and her head down, landing a firm headbutt against the changeling and sending him flying into one of the side buildings of the castle with all of the force of a proper earth pony, the horns on her head helping to distribute the blow.
She spread her wings and soon was flying through the hole into the building to tackle the creature as he continued to smirk only to be blasted by a heart shaped beam from his horn, throwing her into the ceiling and splintering the wooden wheelchair.
Voca grit her teeth as she had to stay aloft and fight through the pain. She opened her muzzle and let out a shriek as her siren magic came to bare, blasting back at the changeling and breaking the wooden floor around him as he braced through the assault of musical magic. She panted hard as she looked down at the broken floor only to open her eyes wide as he looked up, though his guise had fallen. The changeling smirked as he narrowed his pink eye, the other replaced by some crimson crystal. This wasn’t a changeling, no simple changeling could have survived that.
Vanity licked his lips and cackled, “Oh ho ho I do so love it when they resist!” She clapped his forehooves together and smashed them against the ground sending raw red magic everywhere around them, igniting the wood and scorching marks into the siren’s fur and scales as she cried out before falling to the ground, wounded.
“W…what are you,” coughed Voca as she tried to lift herself only to have a hoof push her head down to the ground hard. She grit her teeth and tried to push back but couldn’t seem to gain anything on him, “w…what k…kind of magic is… is this…”
“I… am… Perfection…” whispered Vanity into her ear as he bent down to speak, the fire raging around them. “I am a harbinger of Love. I will spread her warmth to all of this forsaken land until all bend to Love.”
Voca tried to resist again but found herself pushed down even harder than before, “Y…You’re not perfect… you’re crazy.”
Vanity laughed and shook his head at the response, “I’m not the one that went ballistic on a poor little town in the north. I’m not the one with voices in my head… I am not a nightmare.”
The words cut deep into her heart, spilling it open to let the emotions bleed from it. She trembled as all she could think of is what she had done as Red Tide, all of the guilt she had pent up for a year now. The changeling began to spin a cocoon around her as she was restrained physically and emotionally crippled. Her eyes went glassy with trauma.
“Voca!” shouted Furrose, her horn alight with goldenrod magic, Glimmerbeam standing next to her, the foal’s own horn alight with a purple hue.
“N…no… R…run. He’s too...” replied Voca with tears in her eyes as she tried to reach out for the two.
“Get up! You’re a princess! No one can beat a princess,” cried Glimmerbeam as she shot a little ineffective bolt of magic at the changeling making him laugh as it bounced off his chitin.
“Voca we need you! We can’t do this alone! Get up,” shouted Furrose as she fired a beam of magical light which also bounced off the creature though left a scorch mark unlike the filly’s.
Voca shook her head in despair as she saw the two unicorns trying to fight Vanity even though they knew it was a losing battle. They were doing it for her. She closed her eyes as tears flowed, her mind and heart reeling from the guilt. She grit her teeth as something welled up inside of her. No more, not one more inch. No more lives would be ruined because she was too weak to stop the darkness. No new orphans, no new widows and widowers, no new sorrow. This was her penance… her calling. Her path to forgiveness.
The princess opened her eyes, filled with the magical glow as the siren lifted herself from the creature’s grasp and. There was a glow around her as the princess floated through the air as if it were water, her body moving with the music of her soul, the siren having found her song once more.
“I am Princess Voca Pacifica, Princess of Forgiveness. Tamer of the tides and patroness of the trade winds!” She took up a firm and commanding stance with her wings splayed behind her, her mane flowing through the air that crackled with her power, “But above all… Protector of Equestria!”
The siren princess let out a cry that shook the entire building to its foundation, sending Vanity flying once more, this time into the flames of his own creation. She didn’t let up as her body moved through the space with what seemed like impossible speed, smashing her head into his again, chipping the red gem and for the first time wiping the smirk off of his face.
Voca spun about and slammed her tail into his side, sending the changeling creature into a wall as she shouted again, “and I will be the justice you are due monster!”
Vanity fell to his knees as beams began to fall from the ceiling, the building starting to fall apart from the fire and the fighting of the two powerful creatures inside. He slowly got to his feet, tasting his own blood in his mouth. He looked up at the princess and smirked slightly, “Are you so sure about that Princess?” He nodded behind her.
Voca turned and saw the building coming down, a rafter about to fall on Glimmerbeam and Furrose. Her eyes went wide as time seemed to slow. Furrose hadn’t seen it, her eyes too focused on the battle. Voca shook her head and in a moment realized what she had to do. She let out a cry that blasted the unicorns back and out of the doorway they had come in through, the rafter falling along with much of the floor above it to block the exit.
The siren turned with grit teeth only to see that Vanity was gone and she was alone as the building came down around her. She watched as the burning wood fell around her, the world still moving in that slow motion of an adrenaline high. This is okay. She saved them. She was strong enough to save them. That was all that mattered. She found the price of her forgiveness and she could be happy.
She closed her eyes as she could feel the sting of the smoke in her lungs and the burning of the flame against her fur and scales. This was… not okay. She opened her eyes and shook her head quickly. What was she thinking?! There were monsters out there threatening Equestria! She needed to be there to protect the ponies she so cherished! This was not her end but her moment to rise from the ashes!
The siren looked up and with a powerful flap of her wings began to fly, no, swim through the air, breaking through the floors above her with a loud cry. It wasn’t long before she felt the sun kiss her skin and the cool air of the outside. She looked down to see the fire ponies were on the scene a few pegasi flying to her, asking if she was okay. She nodded slowly, “I’m fine… Glimmerbeam and Furrose.”
Voca flew to the ground level and saw the two unicorns under blankets, talking to the fire ponies. She quickly went to them and wrapped her arms and wings around them, “Oh thank the harmony you are okay! I’m so so sorry.”
“Voca you’re okay! I thought that worst when the rafters came down… I… I” Furrose had tears in her eyes and quickly returned the embrace.
The siren princess had sympathy in her eyes as she nodded, “I know… it’s okay.” She held the two, a sobbing Glimmerbeam clearly going to have nightmares about this for a long time. There was a little pang of guilt for that but she knew Luna would be there for the foal.
“Let’s get her home to Caretaker, Furrose. I think she’s had enough excitement for the day.”
Furrose nodded and turned from the smoldering ruins, placing the warbling filly on her back as she walked away, the siren floating along beside her. They left Glimmerbeam with Caretaker after explaining what had happened and receiving a few angry looks. Voca managed to calm her eventually assuring her that this was indeed a random and senseless act. There was nothing they could have done to prevent it from happening and it was good that they were there to stop it… even if it cost quite a bit of collateral damage.
The two mares then found themselves in a small café near the tinkerer’s shop, talking over dinner as the sun went down. Voca looked out the window, a few bandages around her form, watching the moon rise with a smile. The world was still moving, time no longer leaving her behind.
“Bit for your thoughts?”
Voca lifted a brow and turned to look at the unicorn across from her and smiled a little more, “Nothing… for once… nothing.”
Furrose chuckled slightly and tilted her head to the side, “Oh? That a good thing then?”
Voca nodded, her smile staying, “Yes, a very good thing.”
“So you wanna talk about how you became some superheroine in there today or…”
Voca laughed softly and shook her head, “It was just adrenaline… I saw you and Glimmer and… just something inside me clicked. I knew I had to stop him from hurting you. I couldn’t let him hurt me either. Ponies were depending on me. I had to be strong for them… for me…”
Furrose smiled and rest her chin on her hoof as she looked the princess over, “You’re glowing you know. Not like that cloud you came into my shop with. I feel like I’m starting to meet Voca, the real Voca.”
Voca took a bite of her salad and chuckled a little, “We are not defined by our highs or our lows but how we exist between them in the eyes of those around us.” She looked into Furrose’s eyes for a few more moments before she looked down, “I’d rather talk about what was happening next to the pond…”
Furrose blushed and bit her lip, “Y…yeah that might have been a bit… uhh…”
“It was fine… I wouldn’t have brought it up the way I did if I didn’t want to explore it.”
“What do you mean by explore?”
The siren sat forward and smiled a little as she tilted her head to the side, “Sparks like that come rarely. What do you think about it?”
Furrose stopped for a moment as she had to think it over. She knew what the siren meant about sparks and exploring, but wasn’t sure if she was able to return any feelings like that. The unicorn bit her lip and tilted her head, “Friends first?”
Voca laughed softly and nodded, “Of course friends first! What did you think I meant?”
The unicorn blushed and looked a little flustered as she shook her head, “I uhh… well I thought you meant dating and… you know…”
“You know we can learn about each other through dating right? How about this, let’s try it… and if it turns out we are better friends then we can stay like that. No strings attached,” replied the siren, her smile sweet and comforting, as if all the weight of the world had finally been lifted from her shoulders.
Furrose reached out with her hoof and softly took the siren’s own. She smiled and held it, looking into those odd fish eyes for a few more moments, “I can accept those terms… but you’re still paying me for my world on the legs.”
Voca laughed outright and nodded a few times, “Of course I am. I would never take advantage of your kindness like that!” Voca looked back into the Unicorn’s eyes for a few long moments before nodding, “Right… well… we should finish up here and settle in for the night yeah? Big day tomorrow.”
“Oh! Yeah… of course!”
Canterlot nights were just as exciting as the days, though not quite as hot. The cool moonlit streets were alive with ponies going about their business in the darkness. The summer sun festival was in the morning though the newly established moon festival the night before was just as lovely. Voca walked the streets in her regalia, smiling and greeting the other ponies happily. Still trying to blend into the crowd, the siren princess just couldn’t ever hide.
She turned to smile at the grey mare standing next to her, her wing over the unicorn’s back. She tilted her head at those golden eyes smiling back at her. It had been so wonderful since that day she wandered into the tinkerer’s shop, her life filled with purpose and light. She tilted her head and planted a small peck on Furrose’s lips and a whispered, “I love you.”
“Voca!” shouted a feminine voice as a young mare ran up to join the two, happy as can be to see Furrose and Voca together. Glimmerbeam had grown a bit since they first met but not by much.
Voca took up the young mare into her arms, pulling her wing close as it draped across Furrose’s back. She smiled a little more happily than before, the siren content. This was home… and this was her family.
Author's Note
This was written for my boyfriend. Yes Voca is Crescendo and there is much to explain. I know I haven't finished the other story but I find this part of Voca's life just more interesting to me.
