Under the Blue Moon

Chapter 17 – Blue Moon Sirens

Tidal arrived at Pinkie’s place with the pizzas that were ordered.  He walked up to the door and rang the doorbell.  When the door opened, it was Pinkie Pie who answered the door, wearing her blue pajamas with balloons on them.  “Thanks for bringing the pizzas.”  She grabbed the pizzas very fast and slammed the door before Tidal can do anything.

“Pinkie!  You’re supposed to invite Tidal in!” Rarity said behind the door.

“Oh!  OK!”  Pinkie opened the door again and yanked Tidal inside so fast before slamming the door shut again.

“Pinkie, can you at least show some respect for our friend here?” Rarity said as the rest of the girls came down to join them.

“But where’s the fun in that?” Pinkie replied after taking a bit of pizza.  Rarity just placed her hand on her face.

Applejack responded, “Typical Pinkie.  Hope you don’t mind us dressed like this.”

“After having Lyra and Bonbon staying with me after the Spring Fling, I don’t see why it can’t be a problem,” Tidal said.

The girls just stopped in their tracks and stared at Tidal.  It was Rainbow Dash who broke the silence.

“By any chance that you-”

“No,” Tidal quickly responded.  “If I did, I would have expected the same between Rarity and Clyde.”  Rarity went beat red on her face.  “Wait.  You did, didn’t you.”

“Rarity panicky responded.  “Me?  No, no, no.  I would never do something like that to my boo at that time.”

“Your what?” Twilight responded, feeling confused.

“She means her boyfriend,” Sunset explained.”

“You mean Rarity has a boyfriend?”

Tidal looked down to see a purple dog with the group.

“Wait, did that dog just talk?” Tidal asked.

“Tidal, this is Twilight’s assistant, Spike,” Sunset explained.

“Oh, so you’re the dragon that I’ve heard about,” Tidal said.

“That’s right,” Spike said proudly.  “Sunset said that you like dragons.”

“She also told us about the problems that you had to deal with as well,” Twilight said.  “I’m sorry that you had it hard for you.  I am grateful for you helping Sunset out the way she’s help you with what you had to deal with.”

“I’ve gotten used to it,” Tidal replied.  “But I have a feeling that being a princess must be tough.”

“Try being the princess of friendship,” Twilight replied.  “I mean, I had to surrender the element of magic back to the Tree of Harmony along with the other elements, and in return, I get a new castle and new rainbow powers.”

“Wait, when did this all happen?” Sunset asked.

“Weeks after you were defeated,” Twilight replied.  This caused Sunset to look down, reminded of her past actions.  “Not to offend you or anything, but if I didn’t have the crown back, then Equestria would have been covered in evil vines that were left in place over a thousand years ago.”

Sunset’s eyes were wide open.  “Wow!  Sounds like you had your hands full since last we met.”

“More than I bargain for,” Twilight replied.  “But dealing with these sirens might be a bigger challenge than we first thought.  I just hope this music counter-spell will work, once it’s ready.”

Pinkie decided to open the remaining pizza boxes and grabbed another slice of pizza.  Everyone else decided to do the same, but Twilight was a bit hesitant to grab one.

“I guess you don’t have meat in your world,” Tidal said.

“Oh it’s not that,” Twilight said, but then corrected herself.  “Well, maybe it is, but I’m still trying to get used grabbing things without my magic horn.”

Fluttershy decided to she Twilight how to grab a slice of pizza from the cheese pizza that was ordered.  “At least I’m not the only vegetarian here.”

“Thanks, Fluttershy.”

As they were eating pizza, Tidal decided to bring up the topic.  “So what are these sirens that you were talking about?”

“You mean those three girls that showed up?” Rarity said.  “Bad news, that’s for sure.  Clyde won’t even talk to me today.”

“Rivet was the same way,” Rainbow Dash added.  “He wanted to compete against me, but he couldn’t get a band together for the contest.

“So was Swift,” Pinkie added.

“Same with Night Chase,” Fluttershy said.

“I just got off the phone with my cousin, Eclipse before coming over,” Tidal said.  “He said that Aunt Luna and Cynder were acting the same way.”

“About everyone been acting like that,” Applejack said.  “Expect for us.”

“Maybe it’s because we’ve been exposed to Equestrian magic,” Sunset explained.  “I mean, you girls were able to grow pony ears and such.  And so far, Tidal has yet to come across them.”

Twilight decided to explain the situation.  “The only thing that I’ve learned so far was that they were sent here long ago.  How they were able to stay alive this far without magic is beyond me.  But somehow, they must have had some magic left in them to keep using absorb the negative energy to keep them alive.”

“Do you think they saw what happened when you… well… blasted that rainbow on me?” Sunset asked.

“With how big the blast was, no doubt they were able to see it from afar,” Applejack said.  “But why wait until now to come here?”

“Didn’t Applejack said something like that back home?” Spike said.

“You’re right,” Twilight said.  “Maybe they needed time to set everything up before coming to the school and finding the ones with the magic they need.”

“If they did that, they would have to go through Mr. Discord, the school board director,” Tidal explained.

“Well, however they did so, if we can defeat them, then maybe that will release everyone form their control,’ Rainbow Dash said, to which everyone agreed.

“But for now, I think it’s best to be careful if you come across them,” Sunset said to Tidal.

“Maybe you can tell me more about them,” Tidal said.  “Like, what do they look like?  How do they act?  I haven’t seen them, and your the only one that was able to show them around the school,” as he was referring to Sunset.

Rarity was the first to speak.  “Well, I can already see that the one with the puffy orange hair is the one in charge of the group.  I mean seriously, who styles their hair like that?”

“That would be Adagio Dazzle,” Sunset responded.  “And you’re right.  She did show signs of keeping the other two girls in line with her plans.”

“Could explain why they called their group ‘The Dazzlings’ for nothing,” Applejack said.  “Anyone who would use part of their name for their band name would be willing to take charge of the group.”

That’s when all eyes were on Rainbow Dash.  When she saw this, she wasn’t sure what Applejack was talking about until it finally clicked.  “Hey!  The Rainbooms is a cool for my band.”

“You mean OUR band,” Applejack corrected.

“Whatever.”

“Maybe it is a good name.”  All eyes were now on Twilight.  “I mean, the Rainbow Dash from my world was able to create a sonic rainboom, which lead to me and my friends earning our cutie marks at the same time.”

Rainbow Dash responded.  “See.  I knew that… Wait.  A sonic rainboom?”

“Yep,” Twilight replied.  Rainbow Dash’s jaw just dropped.  “It’s kind of a long story.”

“Maybe we should hold off of that story and get back to the topic at hand,” Sunset said.  “There are the other two girls that were with her, Aria Blaze and Sonata Dusk.  Aria has the purple pigtails, and might have somewhat of an attitude from what I was able to see.”

“Well, she did look a bit mean to me,” Fluttershy responded.  “I don’t know if I can deal with her.”

“Well, the girl with the blue ponytail is Sonata, who seem a bit off from the group,” Sunset explained.  “For some reason, if the girls were given a script to follow, she would be one who would forget what to say.”

“Like someone who might have been forced into the group?” Tidal asked.

“Maybe?  But it’s hard to figure out what their true motive is.  Not to mention how they were still able to keep using their magic in the first place.  But our best bet right now is defeating them and breaking the spell during the Battle of the Bands.”

“Well, so far, I’ll be busy getting the stage set up for the show,” Tidal said.  “What happens after that depends on what Aunt Tia wants me to do for the show.  All I can say is that I wish you luck in defeating them, and anyone that you have to face in the process.”

The group had a few more slices of pizza before Tidal decided to make his way back home.  While the girls went back up to Pinkie’s bedroom, Sunset walked with Tidal to the door.

“Thanks for coming over.  If you haven’t made me give the tour to those girls, I wouldn’t have raised my suspicions about them in the first place.”

“Right now, you girls have a job to do.  Just be careful, OK?”

“We will.”  Sunset gave Tidal a kiss on the cheek.  “You do the same as well.  I don’t want to lose a friend that has been by my side through all of this.”

As Tidal went outside, he looked back and waved to Sunset, who waved back to him, before closing the door.  Tidal went to his car and said to himself, “If they decided to cross paths with me, I’m going to see to it that they regret it.”

Principal Celestia was looking over Tidal’s work on the stage before the contest began.

“What do you think?” Tidal said to his aunt.

“Move that light a little bit to… your left.”  Tidal took the light in front of him and moved it a bit to the left.  “Good.  That should do it.”

Tidal started to make his way down the rafters and onto the ground.  “Where’s Aunt Luna anyway?”

“She’s suppose to be here by now.”  At that point, Luna finally showed up.  “About time you got here.”

“Well excuse me, Tia.  But I do have two kids to take care of.  And Eclipse had other things to do that he wouldn’t even bother telling me.”

“At least he’s staying out of this,” Tidal thought.

“Whatever.  Tidal’s got the stage set up.  Now we just need to get everything ready for the groups to show up.”  Celestia pulled out a key from her pocket.  “Tidal, we need you to make sure the outdoor stage is ready for the finals tonight while we handle the earlier rounds here.  Take this key to get into the room under the stage if you need anything.  Most of the stuff is there.  We just need you to get it ready for tonight.  You can come back here when you are finished.”

Tidal took the key and made his way to the outdoor stage.  “Maybe I’ll be able to stay out of the siren’s way so that the girls can work their magic, if they are able to do so,” Tidal thought.  He made it to the outdoor stage and saw the door had a deadbolt lock on it.  He took the key and used it to unlock the door.  When he opened the door, he could see that the knob to the deadbolt was broken.  “They could at least look into a new lock,” Tidal said.  “Oh well.  Maybe it’s to make sure no one tries to lock themselves in.”

Tidal began getting the equipment out for tonight’s finals.  During that time, he could hear the music from the gym where the prelims were being held from one of the bands.  And it was one that he was able to catch on.

Shake your tail 'cause we're here to have a party tonight

Shake your tail, shake your tail

“Well, I doubt it’s the counter-spell they have in mind.  But maybe they need time to have it ready.”  Tidal started to look around the stage.  “Now that I think of it, if the counter-spell was done here, then…”  He could see the hill from behind the seats.  “Maybe it could.  But they’re have to be in the finals to do so.  Might as well have it as a last resort.”

Tidal continued working on the stage until he heard another song coming from the gym.

Oh-whoa-oh, oh-whoa-oh

You didn't know that you fell

Oh-whoa-oh, oh-whoa-oh

Now that you're under our spell

“Under your spell?  That must be the Dazzlings that the girls were talking about last night.”  Tidal listened to the song and realized something.  “If they have the power to control others with their music, how come I’m not affected?”  He looked around to see if their music was emitting anything.  “I know I couldn’t make it out yesterday while I was in the library.  Maybe their victims have to be close by to do so.  Or maybe…”

Tidal started to rub where he was shot back then and couldn’t feel the pain that it was making in the past.  “I’ve gotten used to the pain from this wound.  I wonder if that has anything to do with it.”

Tidal has gotten used to the pain that came from his wound that he was able to handle most hits and mild shocks that happened to him in the past few weeks.

“Their music is supposed to make others fight against each other so that they can absorb the negative energy that comes from them.  But they can’t control the girls because of some kind of magic of their own that protects them.  If they were to take their energy, they would have to find a way to get them to fight each other without the use of their music.  I hope that doesn’t happen.  But still, how would they affect me if I can’t get angry unless I’m pushed to my limits.”

Tidal started to realized what he was talking about.  “Man, I really have changed since the Spring Fling.  Being wounded, having friends that care for me, standing up for Sunset, being immune to regular pain.  A lot has really happened since then.  If only my old classmates could see me now.  They would have never seen me like this.”

With the fact that he was talking to himself out loud, it made his throat feel dry.  So he decided to take a break and get a drink from inside the school.  He found one of the vending machines and put some money in so he could get a cola.  After taking a sip, his throat starting to feel better.  But his attention turned to a group talking farther down the school hall.

“Did you feel that?  Now that was a performance worthy of a meal.  And there’s nothing that Sunset can even do to stop us.”

“The Dazzlings,” Tidal thought.  “And they’re coming this way.  Perhaps it’s time to see if their magic is real enough to get what they want.”

Tidal was aware of the risks for what he was about to do.  But if he was lucky enough, he might be able to get some answers that were needed for the girls.  He went to the nearest door between the lockers and hid behind the side of the lockers, waiting for the sirens to pass him by.

“But how long do we have to wait for the main course, Adagio?”

“Patience, Aria.  The time will come.  They got by when they performed.  But how long do you think they can keep it together?”

“Well, it was no contest with who they faced.”

“Sonata, that’s because most of the groups are the worst.  The only others that are worth the challenge are Flash Drive and Trixie and the Tricksters, and those Rainbooms won’t be facing either one in the next round.”

“You might be right, Aria.  But they will break before the finals come around.  Trust me on that.”

The three girls started to laugh, enough that they didn’t notice what was about to come.  As they got close to Tidal, he stuck out his foot in front of them, causing each one of the girls to fall on top of each other.  The orange puffy girl names Adagio fell flat on the floor.  Aria, the girl with the purple pigtails, fell on top of Adagio, and Sonata, the girl with the blue ponytail, landed on top of Aria.

“Aria!  Will you get off of me?” Adagio ordered.

“I would, but Sonata’s on my back,” Aria replied.  “Get off!”

“I can’t reach the floor,” Sonata replied.

“Sonata, you are truly THE WORST!” Aria yelled.

Tidal was enjoying was was in front of him and displayed a slight grin.  “I’m sorry.  I didn’t know that you… fell.”

Aria was able to make eye contact with Tidal.  “Why you little.  When I get on my feet, I’m going to… Sonata, get you hand off of my face.”

“But I’m trying to get on my feet again.”

“Let me help.”  Tidal went to grab Sonata and got her on her feet again.

“Thanks,” Sonata replied.

“Good.  Maybe you can help me as well?”

Tidal decided to help and pushed Aria to the ground with his foot.

“You did that on purpose,” Aria said and she got on her feet.  “I going to-”

“That’s enough!”  Adagio got on her feet and dusted herself off before looking at Tidal.  “If you’re trying to make a first impression, you could do better than that.”

Tidal leaned back on the door behind him and crossed his arms.  “Whatever gave you that idea… sirens.”

When the girls heard them being called sirens, Aria was ready to beat him up.  But Adagio had something better in mind.

“This must be the first time we’ve met.  How about we show you how to make a… first impression.”

All three girls grinned and started to sign to Tidal.  As their pendants emitted a red glow, releasing a wave of mist, it started to wrap around Tidal.  But somehow, Tidal just stared at the girls and yawned.

“Seriously?  If you’re trying to put me to sleep, you might want to do a better job on that.”

The girls stopped singing and stared at Tidal, wondering why their powers were not working.  So they decided to gather in a huddle.

“Why isn’t our magic working on him?” Aria whispered.

“How should I know,” Adagio whispered back.

“You’re supposed to know these things,” Aria whispered back to Adagio.

“Maybe because he’s the principal’s nephew?” Sonata whispered.

Adagio and Aria started at Sonata.

“How do you know this?” Aria whispered.

“Because I came up to two girls who were talking about him,” Sonata whispered.  “Told me that his name was Tidal, I think.”

“That’s right,” Tidal responded.  “And you know I can hear you.”

The girls looked up and back at Tidal, to which he waved at them.  Seeing this, they stood back up and faced him.  Adagio decided to fool Tidal.

“Do you think that the three of us are sirens?  Whatever gave you that idea?”

“Cut the act, girls,” Tidal responded, not taking the bait.  “I know what you did to Aunt Tia, not to mention the rest of the school.  So I hope you have a good reason for doing so.”

“That’s it.  You’re working for the Rainbooms,” Aria responded, punching her fist on to her other hand.  “You’re going down.”

“You sure you want to mess with me?” Tidal said with a straight face.

“He does have a point,” Sonata said.

“And what makes you say that?” Aria asked Sonata.

“Well he did get shot by some robber that he faced, killing the guy in the process.”

Aria’s face went from anger to shock.  She slowly turned her head back to Tidal, worried if what she heard was true.  But this made Adagio curious.

“If you got shot, let’s see the wound.”

Tidal did what Adagio asked and lifted up his shirt, revealing the bullet wound on the side of his chest.  All three girls were surprised and decided to get a closer look.  As they were looking, Aria decided to poke at the wound.

“What are you doing?” Adagio asked Aria.

“Seeing if it’s real.”

“Of course it’s real, miss girl with an attitude,” Tidal responded.

Aria stood back up and got into Tidal’s face.  “What did you just say?”

“That’s enough, Aria.”  Adagio stood back up and started to think.  That’s when she had an idea.  “Girls.  Leave us.”

Aria and Sonata looked at each other, which prompted Aria to responded.  “Did you just… tell us to leave?”

Adagio quickly turned around to the girls and yelled, “DID I JUST STUTTER!!!”  Aria and Sonata panicked and ran into each other, before Aria pointed the other way for Sonata to take.  It wasn’t wrong until the ran around the corner of the hallway and out of sight.  Adagio started to pinch the bridge of her nose, feeling a bit stressed at the moment.

“Are they always like that?” Tidal asked.

Adagio stared at Tidal and said, “You have no idea.”  She walked over to lean on the lockers across where Tidal was.  “So.  You know who we are, right?”

“Yes.  Is that a problem?

“Maybe.”

Tidal raised an eyebrow.  “Maybe?  Care to explain?”

“I was about to get to that.”  Adagio looked around to make sure no one was listening.  “I hate bringing this up in front of the others after we experienced this happen, but there was one boy, a bit younger than you, that we came across long ago who was also immune to our magic.”

“I’m listening.”

“We came to an old, simple town, looking for more energy to absorb.  We did what we normally do, and got everyone, even the younger ones, to worship us, and fight against each other for us.  But I saw this one boy sitting next to a house.  Looked like he was homeless from the clothes that he was wearing.  But later on, some of the boys were picking on him.  We started to absorb more energy from that, but the boy didn’t respond.  At first, I was wondering if he had some magic from Equestria that protected him.  But I needed to know why our magic never worked on him.  So, I chased the kids away and approached the boy, looking for some answers.  Only problem was that he never talked.  I even asked Sonata to use her cute charm to open him up, but he didn’t even budge.”

“I’m guessing that the other two girls were wondering why you were curious about the boy,” Tidal said to Adagio.

“Yea, they were.  It was something that we never do.  But with the limited magic that we had back then, better safe than sorry.  So we took the boy along with us, trying our best to control others to bring food for the boy.  Took a while, but he started talking.  Told us that his parents kept punishing him for no reason what-so-ever.  He even showed us the whip marks on his back.  Said that he started to get used to being whipped until he found a way to escape from his parents.  Been on the streets for a few years.  Somehow, he gotten used to being beaten and hurt, which could explain why our magic didn’t have an effect on him.  He never got angry or felt pain.  He just… blocked it out.”

“And that’s why your magic didn’t have an effect on me, right?”

“That’s what I was thinking,” Adagio responded.  “Which comes to our problem.  You know who we are, and are also immune to out magic.  Plus, you’re friends with those Rainbooms, am I correct?”

“That’s right,” Tidal responded.  “And you know that my aunt is the principal of this school.”

“That is true.  But I could get the entire school against you.”

“But you can’t because your magic isn’t strong enough.  And the school does know about what led to the bullet wound that I have, which could scare them off unless you have a strong grip on the school.”

“A smart one.  I’m starting to like you,” Adagio said, pointing at Tidal.  “But I could cause some kind of problem with those close to you.  So basically, I can’t stop you, but you can’t stop me either.”

“Which means that we are in a stalemate.”

“Exactly what I was thinking.”

“So, how should we resolve this?”

Adagio started to think about it and had an idea.  “How about this.  You stay out of our way throughout the contest, and I’ll make sure that no harm will come to your aunt, and those two girls that Sonata brought up.”

Tidal, realizing this, decided to keep on his poker face and see if she can get Adagio to drop some kind of hint of what her plans really are.  “Come on.  You can sweeten the pot.”

“Well, most people would break down to something like that.  But you’re different.  Now I really like you.  I could have you as someone to… be with.  But seeing that you have two girls already, I hate to get caught up in your own love triangle with them.  So how about this.  Stay out of our way, and you can have both girls personally.  Plus, you can have control of the city, while we control everything else.”

Tidal was able to understand her plans and decided to make his move.  “You have yourself a deal.”  He stuck out his hand for Adagio to shake, sealing the deal.  But Tidal was able to glance down the hallway to see Aria and Sonata taking a peek around the corner.

Adagio stared at Tidal, asking, “They’re at the corner, right?”  Tidal nodded.  Adagio, letting go of Tidal, quickly looked at the corner with a mean stare, causing the girls to panic and hide again.  She looked back at Tidal and said, “I better make sure they don’t cause any more trouble.”

But as Adagio was starting to leave, Tidal asked her, “What happen to the boy anyway?”

“Him?  We came across an old couple outside of a city and were able to let them take care of the boy like it was their own.  No magic needed.  Just needed to unload the weight from us.  Besides, old couples like them never have enough energy for us anyway.  As long as they took care of the boy, I’m fine with that.”  Adagio started to walk away to rejoin the girls.

Tidal, now getting some questions answered, returned to the stage outside to finish up. Seeing that this would be his only chance to inform Sunset, he took out his cell phone and text Rarity.

Tell Sunset I came across the sirens.

Immune to their magic.

Plans to take over the world, maybe Equestria.

Might be needing the girls’ magic to do so.

Can guess they have an idea to do so.

Once he sent the text, it wasn’t long before he got a reply.

Sunset here.

Very risky move, but good job.

Now we know their plans.

Still working on counter-spell.

Reading this, Tidal decided to add one more hint.  After taking pictures of the stage for the finals and sending it to her, he text another message.

Stage for finals.

Might help with counter-spell.

Use as last resort.

Be careful.  You’re on your own.

A reply came back to him.

Thanks.  I’ll do what I can here.

Seeing that, he put his phone away and finished up before leaving the area.  It was in the girls hands as of now.

Tidal told his aunt, Celestia, that he was finished with the stage and was going back home, feeling tired.  He only said this so that he would stay out of the way so that the girls can do their work.  But when he came up to his car, someone was calling his name.  He looked to see that it was Twilight’s partner, Spike, running up to him.

“Tidal, I need your help.”

“What is it Spike?”

“It’s the girls.  Trixie opened a trap door on the stage, and the girls fell in and are trapped.  They can’t get out, and I can’t help them like this,” as Spike held out his paws.

“Why would Trixie do something like that?” Tidal asked Spike

“Well, Rainbow Dash started to pony up, and Sunset panicked and ran onto the stage to stop her.  The girls thought they wouldn’t make it to the finals, but somehow they did.  But now the entire school is against them.  I don’t even think they are even working together in the first place.  Rainbow Dash is trying to show off, Rarity is focused on the band’s fashion, and I don’t even think anyone else agrees with these choices.”

“No doubt the sirens already planned this.  What about Twilight’s counter-spell?”

Spike looked down.  “I really don’t know.  But we need to get them out.”

“I already made a deal with the sirens that I wouldn’t interfere.  And with the fact that they can control Aunt Tia and Aunt Luna, not to mention Lyra and Bonbon, it’s too much of a risk for me to make.”

“But there has to be a way.”

Tidal started to think how he could help without the sirens knowing.  That’s when he saw Vinyl strutting down the sidewalk with her headphones on.  An idea came to mind.

“I might know someone that could help.”  Tidal pointed to Vinyl.  “See that girl?”  Spike looked and nodded.  “She never takes off her earphones.  And with the way she’s walking, no doubt the sirens don’t have control of her.  If you can get her to help, then maybe the girls have a chance.”

“OK.  I’m on it.”

Spike started to run to the girl, but Tidal stopped him for a moment.

“Hold on, Spike.  You’re going to need this.”  He took out the key that Celestia gave him to use, and placed it around Spike’s neck.  “I never gave this back to Aunt Tia, but this will unlock the door.  It’s can only be unlocked from the outside.  Don’t even ask me why.”

“OK.  Thanks.”  Spike started to run off and get Vinyl’s attention.  When she saw him, she followed him to the main stage.

“So far, so good.  I just hope they can bring it together before it’s too late.”  Tidal gt into his car and drove back home.

Tidal was resting in his room, just waiting for the end result to the concert.  Just then, he heard a car drove up.  He got up and left his room.  That was when the door opened and Celestia.

“Tidal!  There you are.”  Celestia ran up and hugged Tidal.  “Thank goodness that you are safe.”

Tidal was surprised.  “Aunt Tia, are you OK?”

“I am now.  I didn’t think I would encounter another magical attack, but the girls were able to stop those three new girls in the process.”  Celestia looked at Tidal and asked, “Have you eaten yet?”

“Not really.”

“Well, how about I fix us some grilled cheese sandwiches for us, and maybe I can tell you what all happened.”

“That would be nice, Aunt Tia.”

The next day, Tidal drove up to the school to see if there was any damage done.  But it looked like that nothing had ever happened.  When he was close to the school grounds where the statue was at, he could see all seven girls and Spike nearby.  Spike saw Tidal and ran towards him.  Twilight and Sunset went to follow Spike.

“Tidal.  Thanks for helping us out without the sirens knowing,” Sunset said.

“Spike told us that you gave him the key to unlock the door and used the girl with the headphones to help out,” Twilight explained.  “I know it was a big risk before with what you did, but it all came out good in the end… with Sunset’s help of course.”  Twilight handed the stage key back to Tidal.

“So what happened to the sirens?” Tidal asked.

“Well, with their pendants now shattered, they’re just three harmless teenagers,” Twilight explained.

“The girls ran off,” Sunset said.  “We don’t know where they went off to, but they shouldn’t be any threat to us anymore.”

“At least everything’s fine now,” Tidal said.

“That’s right.  But I have to ask, how come you were immune to their magic?” Twilight asked.

“I guess getting used to the bullet wound played a part in all of this,” Tidal explained.  “So I’m guessing that you’re going back?”

“That’s right,” Twilight said.  “I have a lot to do back home.  But now that I can open the portal at anytime, I can come whenever I want to.  So it’s not goodbye, but just goodbye for now.”

“Besides, I think you have to work on choosing one of two girls before the end of school,” Sunset said as she pointed behind Tidal.

Tidal looked back to see Lyra and Bonbon walking towards their way.

“Thanks for reminding me,” Tidal said, rolling his eyes.

“Don’t worry.  I’m sure that whoever you choose, it won’t hurt the friendship that you have with both of them,” Twilight said.

Tidal nodded and ran up to join Lyra and Bonbon so they could talk about what happened yesterday.  Sunset and Twilight smiled and went back to their friends so that Twilight could say her goodbyes before returning to her home.