(Don't) Fear the Reaper

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10

Chapter 1

There was an unexpected upside to beating a man to death. Sonata Dusk sat beside a dumpster in an alley in the bad part of Crystal City, licking blood from her fingers. It wasn’t the nourishment she had intended that night, but it turned out to be just the thing she needed.

Overall, her evening was looking up. After running her car out of gas, running her cell phone out of battery, and an attempted mugging at an ATM, it would have taken a miracle to turn things around. And that’s what she had gotten.

Some random thug probably didn’t intend to change her life for the better by robbing her. He hadn’t been very good at that, though, and now he was dead. And she was feeling awesome.

Sirens like herself fed on negative feelings. Hate, jealousy, fear. Just before she’d cracked the man’s skull open, he’d been utterly terrified. The emotion in his blood tasted sweeter than anything she’d ever sampled before.

It was as if her eyes had been opened anew to the world. After the fiasco at the school, where she and her sisters had been stripped of their magic, Sonata could still sense negative emotions, but was utterly powerless to feed on them. The scents and miasmas of emotion stayed just out of reach, frustrating her. But now, the negative energy of the world had suddenly turned from taunting her to feeling most inviting. She had just learned to get it from a new source.

It was, like, the best night ever.

Sonata pushed herself up, her head buzzing. She swayed, and gripped the dumpster for support. She’d never felt anything like this before. Her vision was clear, a red haze fading as the taste slowly left her mouth. She felt better than she had in weeks. Her hands shook, but it was more to do with unexpected energy than weakness. Definitely not weakness. She smiled.

Staggering out of the alley, she had some trouble going in a straight line. Sonata chalked it up to her body trying to go in so many directions at once, trying to rein in and control the infusion of power she’d just gotten. Who knew the solution to her problem was literally inside everyone around her?

Sonata walked a couple of blocks back to her car. There was so much energy vibrating around inside her body that she felt like skipping, but settled for flexing her fingers and wiggling her hands. She was still riding the high, but her mind had begun to sharpen up again.

She unlocked the car and put it in neutral. A push with just one hand got it moving. Sonata grinned even wider. Oh yeah, I’m back, baby. Down the street, she could just see the lights of a gas station. In just a few minutes she was there.

After filling up, she went inside to pay, passing the large cash only sign that had prompted her to go to the ATM. The clerk sat behind a thick plexiglass barrier. Their eyes met as Sonata walked up. The reflection of herself in the shiny plastic showed that her teeth were still on full display in a wide grin.

The clerk did not smile. He stared at her like she was crazy, keeping at least one eye on her while he made change from the money she gave him.

Sonata wondered if she could break the glass. Her fingers itched to try. Or maybe it would be easier to sing a little song and get him to do whatever she wanted.

Her fingers went to her throat. Oh-! Her voice had been taken away by those girls at school.

The clerk froze as he saw her manic smile suddenly change to a dark scowl. He stuffed her change through the slot and backed away.

She could smell the fear coming off of him. She couldn’t feed on that, though. But with her newfound discovery…

She suddenly realized that there were at least three security cameras pointed at her. She stared at one. The clerk stared, too. She turned back to face him, her lips turning up again. The cameras had saved his life, and she wanted him to know that. Based on the extra shot of emotion she sensed, he did.

Sonata turned on her heel and went back outside. As she got into her car, it occurred to her that the ATM had also probably had a camera. Well, there was nothing that could be done about it now. She’d cleaned up the mess from the whole head-smashing thing pretty well, so there shouldn’t be any reason for anyone to look at the tape.

She drove back to Canterlot, practically having a one-siren dance party in her car. Sonata didn’t remember the last time she was in such a good mood. Usually, Adagio and Aria would call her stupid or something and it would ruin her day.

After this, though, her sisters would see what she could really do. Sonata had discovered a way out of their predicament. They could get their power back and emerge from the shadows they’d been forced to crawl into.

Actually… A thought struck her just as she came into view of the secluded house she shared with her sisters. Should she tell them? What if she was wrong about this?

No, there was no mistaking that surge of power. Using blood to ingest the fear and emotion they had been denied was a stroke of genius. She was definitely on the way back to her old self. The real reason Sonata shouldn’t tell Adagio and Aria was that once they too started drinking blood, the three of them would be back to the status quo. Sonata was going to keep this little secret for herself. Her sisters were never going to look down on her again.

She pulled into the driveway and got out of the car. There were a few lights on in the house. Both her sisters were probably still awake. Her mouth grinned of its own accord. Showtime!

Aria was at the computer, looking even thinner and more skeletal than usual in the electronic glow of the monitor. She turned, stubbing out her cigarette when Sonata came in.

“How’s the surfing?” Sonata asked.

“What.”

“You know, how you’re always on the computer surfing the net, or couch surfing when you’re sleeping.” Sonata pointed to the rumpled blanket and pillow on the couch. Aria slept there to be closer to the computer.

Her joke didn’t get a reaction. Aria just turned around to get back to her online poker game. The counter indicated that she was up by several thousand dollars.

Adagio was in the kitchen eating something. None of them were very good at cooking, so an unidentifiable item on a plate was a common sight. That made Sonata smile again. A liquid diet was sounding better and better all the time. Especially since all Adagio seemed to do these days was eat, attempting to replace the nourishment she had once savored. It wasn’t working, but it had done a number on her body.

“Why are you wearing that stupid grin?” Adagio asked.

“I went out for pizza. I had a great meal.” Sonata only just realized that her original goal of driving around in the middle of the night hadn’t been met, but even pizza wouldn’t have made her so happy.

Adagio let it go and Sonata went on through the kitchen. She mounted the stairs to her bedroom, to be alone with her secret.

She sprawled out on her bed. Remembering her dead phone, she plugged it in to charge. As the screen lit up, she selected the music app and put in some headphones. She settled back to think about what she should do next.

If her plan was going to work, she’d have to find another person to murder.

Sonata’s brows furrowed at the thought, but then she shrugged. Well, if that’s how it has to be.

It might be cool to be a superhero, prowling the city at night and taking out criminals. Nobody would miss them. That sounded like a lot of effort, though, and nobody would like a superhero that ate people.

She was only mildly disappointed by the infeasibility of superherodom. That sounded like it would require a costume, and Sonata had never been great at that kind of thing.

The song shifted to something faster, one by the Hollywood Undead. That tripped another line of thought. She was technically undead, being immortal and feeding off the life force of others. But did drinking blood make her a vampire?

Well, as long as it doesn’t make me a zombie. Although she found herself curious as to how brain might taste, especially one charged with fear.

This would clearly require more nights out for research. But the power would be worth it. Dagi and Ari would see.

Tomorrow, Sonata decided, she would kill someone and drink their blood.

Author's Note

Chapter 2

The next day would have arrived a lot sooner if Sonata had been able to sleep. She wasn’t feeling hyperactive in the morning, though she wasn’t sure if it was because she had gotten used to the charge of power from the day before or if it was wearing off. It would be good to know how long she could expect the high from a sip of blood to last.

Answers like that would come as part of her nighttime research. Sonata couldn’t wait.

She tried to stay in bed as long as possible, but the sound of the TV downstairs would have kept her awake even if she’d been tired.

Sonata finally sighed and got up, leaving her room and going downstairs. Adagio was watching TV, chewing on a danish. Aria was asleep on the couch, the sound of the program apparently not bothering her. It wasn’t all that loud, really. Apparently Sonata’s hearing had sharpened.

Adagio didn’t look up as Sonata came into the room. She was watching the news. A body had been discovered when a dumpster had been emptied at the landfill. They showed the man’s mugshot, pre-death.

Sonata frowned. Granted, the man she’d killed the night before being discovered at a landfill after being transported in a dumpster was better than being found near the ATM where she’d been caught on camera. It would have been better if she’d hidden the body so it wouldn’t be found at all.

Her phone chimed and she looked at it. It was noon, and she had an appointment at one.

Going back upstairs, she took a quick shower and pulled her hair into its usual ponytail. Putting on a tank top and yoga pants, she headed out of the house.

Sonata rented a small studio downtown for personal training. She taught a few classes, but most of her income came from private instruction. It was a great way to stay in shape and make people feel bad about themselves at the same time.

Her appointment that day was with Mr. Tire Tracks, a man trying to lose weight. He surely needed to. If he’d gone to anyone else, he might have even been pleased with his progress.

Sonata wasn’t a strategist like Aria or persuasive like Adagio, but being able to sense negative emotions gave her insight as to which insults each person felt most.

“Let’s see if you actually want to work today and lose that fat ass,” she said to Mr. Tracks by way of greeting.

Sonata had also noticed that if her attitude was chipper despite her comments, people resented her even more. She smiled.

And it worked. Mr. Tracks exercised until sweat poured off of him, in an attempt to please her, or at least to escape her beratement. It was a delicate balancing act, making a person miserable but not fed up enough to leave, making them believe that the hostility was their own fault.

When the one hour session was up, sweat and misery poured off Mr. Tracks. He stood up and promptly swayed, nearly falling. Sonata grabbed his arm. “What kind of idiot are you? You know you’re supposed to stay hydrated.”

He mumbled an apology and left. Sonata glanced at her hand, wet with his sweat. A thought struck her. Would other bodily fluids work? She licked her hand and immediately grimaced, spitting. The sweat not only tasted like him, but it was also devoid of any negative energy.

“Fucknuggets,” she muttered, mostly about the taste but partially about the failed experiment. Killing people was a lot less convenient than her day job, but it was still the only solution she could see.

Sonata drove home, stopping for lunch on the way. Some guy openly ogled her ass in the yoga pants, so she keyed his car in the parking lot.

Back at the house, she changed clothes, adopting jeans and a hoodie. Adagio was still out at her job. Aria was still making money off internet poker. Sonata was not still anything. She had a plan, and she was going to change things.

In the kitchen, she inspected the knives in the drawer. The biggest carving knife was tempting, but it wouldn’t fit in the pocket of her hoodie. She picked up a steak knife, but the serration seemed like it wouldn’t make clean slices. The medium chef’s knife it was, then.

Sonata walked out of the house as the sun was setting without a clear idea where she was going. Back to the seedy part of Crystal City where she had been the night before seemed like likely hunting grounds, but someone might get suspicious.

Fuck it, she decided. A second one won’t hurt. She’d have to be more careful about the next one.

But who to choose? Not someone disgusting, Sonata decided. Even if that didn’t make them taste worse, the presentation was as important as the flavor.

Cruising the streets, she kept watch for a potential mark. The sun set and the streetlights - the ones that worked in this part of town - came on.

She searched for some music. Maybe ska, something to get her pumped, but not too pumped. Streetlight Manifesto? It certainly fit the aesthetic of the darkened city.

Sonata was getting a little hungry, but she was getting a lot impatient as the night wore on. Either there were too many people around as witnesses or there were no people to be found at all. Some of them were clearly strung out on something. Not that drugs would affect her system, but it was the thought that counted. Sonata turned a corner. And then she saw her.

The woman seemed to be in a hurry, carrying a purse over one shoulder. She was probably in her early twenties and seemed healthy. Appearances could be deceiving, of course, but hopefully they would also be delicious.

Sonata glanced around the street as she passed the woman. No cameras that she could see. She turned at the next block and parked.

Putting her hood up and placing her hand on the knife in her pocket, she started walking towards her mark. Taking a slow look up and down the street, she could see no one else. She smiled.

The distance dwindled as the two of them approached each other. The woman glanced at Sonata, who averted her eyes. They drew even.

Sonata pulled the knife and whirled, plunging it between the ribs on the left side of the woman’s spine, straight through to the heart. The mark’s knees buckled and she fell.

“Huh.” That was easier than expected. Sonata knelt and pulled the knife out. It was covered in blood and more oozed out of the wound. Her mouth watered. She stuck out her tongue and ran it over the blade...but tasted only blood.

Sonata’s brows furrowed and she licked the knife again. Nothing. No fear, no terror, just a heavy, sticky, iron-y flavor.

It hit her suddenly. She’d killed the woman so quickly that there hadn’t been time for the mark to realize, much less be scared.

“Son of a nag’s whore!” Sonata punched the body, hearing a crack that might have been a rib. She stood up, teeth snarling. Now she’d have to go find someone else.

The woman’s purse lay where it had fallen. Sonata kicked it over, spilling the contents. There was a small fold of cash. “Oh, sweet!”

That would buy her a snack, to help her forget that she was rapidly losing the energy she’d imbibed the night before. It would also make this look like a common robbery.

Sonata wiped the knife off on the body and went back to her car. She’d killed somebody for - Sonata counted it - forty dollars, not the negative energy she needed. She snorted. She was too good at killing, apparently. Although that was better than being bad at it, she supposed.

She shook her head. Snack first, and then try again later. Was Donut Joe’s open? No, she’d been banned from that place. Sugarcube corner? No, Pinkie Pie would be there. Facing her and her friends while this weak would be a disaster.

But if she could get her power back, they would pay for what they did to her and her sisters.

Speaking of her sisters, Sonata realized that they would be calling her an idiot for spending the last few minutes sitting in a car less than a block away from a dead body.

A burger, Sonata decided as she drove away. Rare.

Chapter 3

Sonata was beginning to realize just how difficult it was to kill people for a living. She had to not only find a suitable candidate and corner them, but she also had to take her time and make sure they understood what was going on so they would be properly terrified. On top of that, she had to do it incognito, because exposing what she was up to would bring the whole world down on her head. Sonata considered humans a lower form of life, but they held an enormous numbers advantage over sirens.

She spent the morning in bed, watching horror movies on her laptop and trying to expend as little energy as possible. The movies provided a distraction, and she hoped maybe a few ideas. A primary theme seemed to be running away from monsters. Sonata wasn't human, but she looked like one. And, curse her sexy spandex-clad ass, that could distract from her goal of inflicting total, paralyzing fear.

To get ideas for that, perhaps she could go to the dark web and look up snuff films. Sonata may have been called an idiot, but she was smart enough to realize that she didn't know how to set up the connection to those places though virtual private networks and onion routers, and that trying to do so would probably bring her to the attention of federal agents.

So she would just have to teach herself how to inflict pain and terror on people, and recognized that it would probably involve some trial and error. Fortunately, there were a lot of people out there. Probably more than she could eat. Ha, probably more than Dagi could eat!

Speaking of, Adagio opened the door. “What are you doing?”

“What do you mean?”

“Oh, just the bloodcurdling screams that I keep hearing from in here.” Adagio laid on the sarcasm.

“It's just a movie,” said Sonata. “This one’s by Rob Zombie.” She held up the DVD cover and grinned. “He kind of looks like you.”

Adagio slammed the door. In the old days, she probably would have beaten the crap out Sonata for that. Now none of them could summon the energy. All the more reason for Sonata to get her power back.

She decided that maybe she should kidnap someone first before going to work on them. That would give her ample time to get them good and scared before the bloodletting. But then where was she supposed to take them? A secure, private location obviously. Sonata thought of her fitness studio but dismissed it immediately. It was downtown, too public. What about one of the houses Adagio was currently showing to her realty customers? Maybe if Sonata had bothered to care what Adagio was doing enough to know where the houses were.

She grimaced. The hunger wasn't physical, not in her stomach, but it was coming back. After that glorious moment two days ago, after getting a taste of power, she never wanted to be so hungry again. She had to have someone. Now.

Getting up, she went out the door and got in her car, taking the laptop with her in a backpack. If she couldn’t find anyone or if she had to wait, she wanted to have something to do.

That’s as far as her planning went, though. She had no clue what to do next, and was vaguely aware that setting out aimlessly was not a good idea. But she was desperate. She would do anything to keep from going back to the weakness she used to feel.

Five minutes later, she was in the heart of Canterlot. There were too many people around and the late afternoon sun offered no concealment.

“Cocksucker,” she grumbled. That didn’t make any sense in context and that troubled her for a moment until she remembered she had bigger problems.

Sonata passed by the school and did a double take. It was summer, no one was there. No one, that is, but a lone teenager just leaving the building.

She turned into the parking lot. The kid was skinny and wore glasses. Sonata vaguely remembered his name might have been Microchip, but didn’t care to put much thought into it. He was alone.

His head was down, texting or something on his phone and didn’t notice until she’d stopped her car right next to him. He looked up as she got out of the car.

Chip raised his hands and started to back away. “I don’t know what you want, but-”

She slugged him across the face. She could practically hear his brain rattling inside his skull from the impact. Her fist broke his glasses and he went down.

Sonata grabbed him by the collar while he was still stunned. She paused to pick up his phone and the pieces of his glasses so as not to leave evidence and dragged him to the back of her car. She popped the trunk and stuffed him in, shutting the lid.

Well, that was step one. Sonata glanced around and got back in the car. Now she just had to find a good place to torture and kill him.

Well, okay, eat, torture and kill. No, not that order. Torture, kill, then eat. Or maybe do all three simultaneously? That would quicken her satisfaction and maybe enhance his level of horror.

The wooded mountains rising behind the school caught her eye. The forest would do nicely, especially as it got darker.

She followed progressively narrower roads out into the wilderness until the path dead-ended. Night hadn’t quite fallen, but surrounded by trees it was dark enough that Sonata was confident that they weren’t being observed.

The moon wasn’t up yet, but she could see Chip by the trunk light when she popped the lid. He stared at her and blinked slowly. “Well?”

“Well what?” said Sonata.

“Whatever you’re going to do, you might as well get it over with.”

He’d resigned himself. There was no fear, just weariness.

“What the fuck’s wrong with you?” Sonata demanded. “Are you depressed or something?”

“I’m the nerd nobody likes. My one shot at maybe getting some respect was running sound at the battle of the bands, until you ruined that. Even after you were gone, I made a convenient scapegoat for what went wrong. Pills and therapy didn’t do anything, maybe because of residual magic in the air or something. There’s no way to fix that. Or me.”

“I don’t believe this.” Sonata turned around, hand on her face.

Chip sat up and looked around. He sighed. “Well, if you aren’t going to suck my life force or whatever, I guess I’ll call a ride.” He picked up his cell phone from the floor of the trunk and put in a complicated unlock code.

Sonata suddenly had an idea. “You’re pretty good with tech, right?”

Surprised, Chip looked up, but then dropped his eyes again. “I guess.”

Sonata went around to the front of the car and grabbed out her laptop. “I want you to make my computer secure so the NSA can’t find me.”

Chip stared at her for several seconds. “Why?”

“I thought you didn’t care.”

Chip shrugged listlessly. He manipulated his phone for a moment and linked it with WiFi to the computer. After a few minutes, he’d downloaded a few programs and configured them. “I installed a multilayer routing routine and an encrypted VPN. There’s a readme file on the desktop. But you didn’t bring me all the way out here just to do that.”

“No, I was-” Sonata stopped short and cocked her head. Someone was coming. She turned, scanning the darkening woods. A man in a green uniform and Smokey Bear hat came out of the trees.

“Hello?” He walked over to them. “The park’s closed this late at night.”

“She kidnapped me,” Chip stated.

The park ranger’s hand dropped to the pistol at his side. “Wait a second, you’re Sonata Dusk!” The worry blooming in his emotion was beautiful.

Sonata grabbed him by the throat and felt his panic wash over her. The ranger jerked out his gun, but she grabbed his arm. He struggled, but she put some force behind her choking. Then, she crushed his wrist.

The fragments of bone shifting around beneath the skin felt like a bag of rocks. Or at least that’s what Sonata thought. She’d never felt a bag of rocks before.

The ranger managed to get a scream out through his constricted throat. His limp fingers let go of the gun and Sonata caught it. She glanced at it briefly. She’d never handled one before. Touching the tip of the barrel to his chest, though, sent his fear spiking even higher.

Sonata could hardly wait, but surely she could eke out a little more. She traced the muzzle of the gun down over his shirt, below the belt. Yep, that did it. She smiled and pulled the trigger.

His scream was louder than the shot. The ranger was crying and hanging limp in her grasp now. Sonata raised the gun and adjusted his head so he would watch her lick the blood off the barrel. The taste hit her mouth like a tidal wave, washing over her, filling her up. In the back of her mind, she recalled some safety precaution about not sucking on guns, but it was hard to stop.

Until, the feelings pouring from the man abruptly ceased. He had passed out, his eyes rolled back and head hanging limp.

“What the fuck?” Sonata slammed her knee into the bloody injury down below, but it only produced a hitch in the man’s breathing.

Utterly nonplussed, Sonata shook her head. “I can’t believe this.” She shook him. “Wake up!” No response. Anger rising, she put the gun to his head and pulled the trigger. A mist of blood splashed on her face.

Pissed, she turned around. Chip stared at her, wide-eyed. Sonata read the emotion on his face. Disgust.

She shot him, too.

Chapter 4

Getting home, Sonata searched online for how to get bloodstains out of clothes and cars. She discovered Pulp Fiction, which gave her a few ideas, but no real help.

She’d already dumped the two bodies in the woods. If anyone found them, she didn’t think there was anything to tie them to her. Well, except maybe the park ranger’s gun, which she had taken with her.

As night fell, her thoughts again turned back to where she could quench her thirst. Abducting Chip from the school had been dumb luck. She could maybe go trolling for targets in a bad part of town, but surely there had to be an easier way.

Somebody was still distributing phone books in this day and age. One had been dropped on their front porch a month ago and Sonata was currently using it as a doorstop. She picked it up and flipped to a page. Using the fancy internet incognito browser Chip had installed, she put in the first person’s address she saw. It was an apartment building downtown. No, too crowded.

Sonata tried another one, and then another. They were all in places that would be too easy to observe.

Her finger fell on Cinch, Abacus. “I hope this’ll be a cinch.” Sonata typed in the address. The mapping program revealed a solitary house, at the end of a driveway that put it a few hundred yards from the road.

Even better, the internet didn’t reveal any marriage records for her. And she was the principal of Crystal Prep Academy, so no one would miss her until school was back in session.

Sonata got in the car.

There was one light on in the house as she pulled into the driveway, headlights already off. Sonata got out but didn’t slam the door. Sneaking up to the front door, she peered through the window and spotted a solitary pair of low-rise heels neatly arranged near the inside of the door.

Sonata took a step back and assessed the door. Squinting in the meager light, she was just able to make out that the deadbolt was securely locked.

Circling the house, there were no obvious points of entry. Sonata hoped there wasn’t a dog or something. Nah, probably not in a house so freakishly neat. Looking through the windows, the place seemed like practically every surface had recently been washed - and waxed.

Sonata found Abacus Cinch in the living room absorbed in a hardcover book. She was older but seemed to be in excellent shape. Was she alone? Sonata hadn’t seen any evidence that pets or other people lived there.

After circling the house completely, Sonata had come up empty on a stealthy way to enter the house. Such a neat and clean place was airtight.

Sonata slapped herself on the forehead. What was the easiest way to open a door? Knock on it.

Sure enough, in response to her tapping on the front door, Cinch opened it. “What do you want?”

Sonata punched her in the gut and walked into the house as Cinch fell. Sonata paused to lock the door.

“What-” Cinch wheezed.

Sonata grabbed her slim throat and dragged her back into the living room. She pitched Cinch onto the couch where she had been.

A light classical number played from an expensive surround sound system. The book How to Win Friends and Influence People lay open on the coffee table. Beside it was half a glass of wine.

“Who are you?” Cinch demanded, though her words struggled through having the wind knocked out of her.

Sonata smiled. “I’m Sonata. I’m a siren. And I’m going to kill you.”

“Sonata...Dusk? You were one of the troublemakers kicked out of Canterlot High, as I recall.” Cinch got to her feet. “If you think I’m going to let some reject-

Sonata punched her again. Cinch fell back against the couch again, though she had at least attempted to block this time.

“That’s not how this is going to work,” said Sonata. “I’m in charge here.”

“You think-”

“Fishsticks, will you shut up!?” Not Sonata’s proudest swear, but shouting it did at least get the desired effect.

Left with a moment of silence, Sonata shook her head and tried to get the conversation back on track. Or she tried, if it weren’t for that damnable background music. She turned towards the stereo. Cinch got up again, attempting to get away.

Sonata grabbed Cinch’s arm, squeezing until the skin bulged between her fingers and her nails pressed deep. “You aren’t going anywhere.” She threw her back on the couch and again moved for the stereo, but as soon as she took a step, Cinch got up again.

There was nothing immediately apparent that could be used to tie up Cinch. So Sonata broke both her legs. A quick twist and stomping on the knee did the trick.

To Sonata’s surprise, Cinch didn’t scream. She convulsed in pain, and let out a strangled gasp, but no vocalization. Meanwhile, the smooth classical music continued to play.

Satisfied that her captive wouldn’t try to escape, Sonata walked over and ejected the CD from the stereo. She found the input port and connected her phone, hitting random. Another One Bites the Dust began to play. Not entirely what she was hoping for, but ironically appropriate.

Sonata walked back over to the couch. Cinch’s teeth were gritted, which only added to the glare she was giving Sonata. She managed to get out, “Why are you doing this?”

“I told you. I’m going to kill you.”

Cinch’s eyes went to the book on the table. Sonata slapped it closed and shoved it onto the floor.

“Could you tell me a little about what led to this?” Cinch asked.

“Wow, where to begin with that? Well, a thousand years ago my sisters and I were banished here. Last year, a bunch of girls from Canterlot High took away our singing voices and magic. Earlier this week, I discovered that drinking blood is almost as good. I picked your name at random from the phone book.” Sonata spread her hands. “Life’s shit, huh?”

Cinch was concerned, but not yet truly afraid. Was she really that resilient, even with broken bones and having already been told Sonata’s intent?

She still thinks she can get out of this. Wow, what an idiot. We should have enrolled at Crystal Prep instead.

“I understand that must have been rough for you,” said Cinch.

“Not nearly as rough as it’s about to be for you.” Sonata grabbed Cinch’s ankle and began to twist.

Cinch gasped as her broken tibia and fibula ground together. “I-I think this is unnecessary. If you want something from me, just ask.”

“I’m only going to drink your blood,” said Sonata. “And I can just take that.”

Cinch still appeared unmoved. “I should like to examine the biological process behind that. Surely my advanced laboratory at school could help you find a more convenient solution.”

What was with her? Was Cinch really so arrogant that she believed she could talk her way out of any situation? Sonata grabbed up the wine glass and broke it on the table. She swiped the jagged edge across Cinch’s cheek. The woman winced, although it probably wasn’t as painful as two broken legs.

Sonata wiped her hand across Cinch’s face. She lifted her palm, showing her the blood. She also made sure Cinch watched her lick her fingers clean.

The taste was still flat. Cinch’s concern was growing, but it was more along the lines of disgruntlement.

“Stop that! Stop that right now!” Cinch suddenly burst out. “Do you realize how demeaning this is? Do you understand just how far outside of societal norms you are? No one would ever look at you with any sort of acceptance ever again.”

“Bitch, I eat people!” Sonata had had enough. Was Cinch honestly more concerned about being unable to control the situation than about her own death? “Do you realize that I’m going to murder you in your own home? Do you understand that I’m going to consume you slowly while you’re still alive? No one is ever going to know what happened to you, or that you died alone by being fucking eaten.”

Sonata grabbed Cinch’s head and yanked her forward, putting her mouth directly on her wound. She licked up the trickling blood and then tore the cut wider with her teeth.

And suddenly, Cinch was afraid.

Sonata’s back arched in ecstasy as the fear hit her system. Whether Cinch was more afraid of dying or dying in obscurity, Sonata didn’t care. All that mattered were the results.

She picked at Cinch’s face with her fingernails. Cinch jerked and tried to pull her head away, but there was nowhere she could go. Sonata started to peel her skin. And then, finally, came the scream.

Sonata’s vision had clouded red and her entire world had narrowed down to just her and the blood. She felt like she was floating and it was impossible to say how quickly time was passing. It was all one long euphoric ride like nothing she had ever experienced before. Right up until it stopped, along with Cinch’s heart.

Sonata came out of her reverie, still feeling the aftereffects. She looked down. Everything within five feet was completely covered in spilled blood. Cinch looked like a mannequin covered in raw meat.

Well then, that was done. Sonata stood up, a carefree feeling settling over her. She couldn’t remember ever feeling so energetic.

“Good.” Sonata giggled. And it was. There really wasn’t any other word she could think of.

Good or not, however, Sonata needed to get going. She spied her phone and realized nearly half an hour had passed. She frowned, looking at the mess that had been left. That was a lot of evidence.

Sonata went into the kitchen, finding a candle and a box of matches. She turned the gas on to the stove and went back into the living room, setting the candle on the coffee table and lighting it.

She took a last look around, feeling like there was something she was missing. She had her phone. She had the house set to burn and erase the evidence. Sonata shrugged. She was sure she would remember eventually.

On her way out the door, she spied the forgotten book and on impulse decided to pick it up. Outside, she got in the car and headed down the road. A minute later, there was a fireball in the rearview mirror. Sonata smiled and turned up the music.

She was still jiving while getting out of the car at home. She danced up the sidewalk and went into the house. Adagio and Aria were watching the news. Helicopter footage showed a still-burning house.

Adagio glanced at her and did a double take so fast the bones in her neck clicked. “What’s that all over your clothes?”

Sonata knew she had forgotten something.

Chapter 5

“What have you got on your clothes?” asked Adagio, stepping closer.

“Just, um, raspberry jam,” said Sonata. “You know me, such a clutz. It was delicious, though.”

“This doesn’t have anything to do with this burning house or the body they found inside?” asked Aria, gesturing at the TV news.

Adagio grabbed the hem of Sonata’s shirt. “This looks like blood.”

“So, um, funny story,” said Sonata. “People are actually filled with raspberry jam. Which is delicious.”

Adagio let go of her shirt. “You idiot! Drawing this kind of attention was the last thing we needed! What were you even doing there?”

Fuck it. Sonata was the strongest now. She could do whatever she wanted. She smiled. “Like I said, she was delicious.”

The realization dawned slowly. Aria blanched. Adagio made a disgusted face. “Why would you do something like that!?”

Sonata’s grin stretched wider. “Because I discovered that emotion can be carried by blood. And when Cinch died, she was feeling a lot of things.”

Adagio started forward. “You utter moron! You just jeopardized us all! Now they won’t be looking for magical emotional tweaking, they’ll be looking for a murderer!” She raised her hand.

Sonata caught her wrist. Adagio came to a sudden halt, eyes widening. Sonata smirked at her. “Like I said, it was delicious. And nutritious.”

Sonata let her go. Adagio rubbed her wrist where Sonata’s fingers had dug in. Her anger flared up. “How dare you do this on your own! If you knew about this, you should have told us!”

“Well, I’m telling you now.”

“Are you really drinking people’s blood?” said Aria.

Sonata ran her hands down her ruined clothes. “Most of it, anyway.”

“And it actually works?” said Adagio.

“Better than you can imagine. I haven’t felt like this since before those asshats at school took our magic away.” Sonata curled her arms and flexed. She had been toned before the newfound source of power. Nothing had changed by outward appearances, but she felt powerful.

“Do we have to do this?” said Aria. “Surely if emotion transmits to blood, there have to be other ways to get it.”

“Don’t think so,” said Sonata.

Adagio crossed her arms. “If we’re going to do this, we’re going to do it right. We should come up with a plan, and it has to be careful and well thought-out. I say we take our time and make sure this is legitimate.”

“No, you’re not in charge anymore.” Sonata put her hands on her hips. “I’m the one that discovered this. I’ve put in the effort to figure out how it works. I’ve taken precautions to not get caught. I’ve got my power back, and we’re going to do this my way.”

“How dare you!” Adagio wound up a punch. Sonata sidestepped, and tripped Adagio as she went by.

As Adagio picked herself up, Sonata spun on her heel, clasping her hands behind her back. “You’re slow. You’re weak. You don’t know what I know. I’m tired of your attitude and I’m not going to be your punching bag anymore. If you want your power back, you’ll follow me and do exactly what I say.”

Sonata glanced over her shoulder at Aria, who still wore a shocked expression. “If you two want in on this, get dressed. We’re going out.”

Satisfied with her exit, Sonata went up to her bedroom. Even though she was alone, she couldn’t help but grin. She’d been dreaming of the moment when she finally spoke her mind. When it came, she hadn’t expected to be covered in crusty blood and fistfighting with her sister, but it was still just as glorious as she had imagined, like a second high.

She stripped out of her soiled clothes and headed for the bathroom. After a quick shower, she threw on some music and opened her closet.

The Hollies’ Long Cool Woman began to play. Sonata smiled. Definitely the little black dress tonight.

She got dressed and did her makeup with a ‘fuck subtlety, and then fuck me’ theme. Sonata had realized that getting targets to come to her would be a lot easier than trying to find them. The easiest way, she figured, was to get slutty. Though as a creature that fed on negative energy, the actual act of sex wasn’t exactly a priority.

She went downstairs where the other two were waiting. Adagio had her professional clothes, perhaps because she couldn't fit into her fancier outfits anymore. Aria’s dress hung on her, and her makeup wasn’t doing her or anyone any favors.

“I’m taking your car,” said Sonata, grabbing Adagio’s keys out of the bowl beside the door. Adagio started to protest, but Sonata cut her off. “You two, follow me.”

Sonata drove into town, leading her sisters in another car. She headed for a shady bar in Crystal City, one where she knew it would be dark and there were no cameras.

Sonata was no pickup artist, but within five minutes she had men talking to her at the bar. It was almost too easy. Adagio and Aria watched from nearby.

Sonata was careful with the drinks that came her way. Not that alcohol did much to a siren, but a smart man might be less inclined to make a move on a drunk girl. She wanted to keep her options open with as many potential targets as possible.

She knew her sisters were watching. The three of them didn’t feed on love like changelings, but surely they were envious of the attention Sonata was getting. Still, though, Sonata wasn’t in it for that and after half an hour or so made her choice.

She leaned forward and whispered in his ear. “Want to get out of here?”

His eyes lit up. The two of them quickly paid and left the bar together.

She had a short mental debate on whose car to take. Leaving his at the bar would arouse suspicion when he was dead, but Sonata decided it was better than taking it back to the sirens’ house and having to dispose of it later. She invited him into her car.

He was attentive on the drive back. Sonata played along enough to keep him interested, though not to the point he was drenching her with lust. He smelled enough like lust as it was.

They pulled into the driveway. He glanced up at the darkened house, but his attention was quickly brought back to Sonata as she ran her hand along his leg. The two of them leaned close. Sonata bit his ear off.

“What the fuck!?”

Sonata smiled and spit it out in his lap. He took one look at it, and yanked the door open. He forgot about the seatbelt and Sonata tugged at his arm while he struggled with it. The overhead light showed him the blood on her lips.

He finally managed to free himself and got out of the car, turning to face her. Sonata opened her door and got out. With one jump, she leapt to the top of the car, making a three point landing on the roof. She showed him the ear, retrieved from where it had fallen, and licked it.

He bolted for the woods.

The other car with Adagio and Aria pulled up just then. “He went that way,” said Sonata, as the two of them got out. They could hear him crashing blindly through the trees.

Sonata gestured. “Come on.”

She ran after him. Her high heels weren’t needed here, but she barely felt the ground beneath her feet. The smell of blood and fear was in her nose, and Sonata knew she was faster, stronger, and more powerful. That alone was a high, but nothing compared to the one she was chasing. Sonata licked her lips.

She caught up to him easily enough. Sonata moved like a ghost in comparison to her panicked prey. He didn’t even know she was right behind him until she gave his shoulder a light shove. He stumbled but recovered, glancing over his shoulder, eyes huge.

“I thought you wanted some action,” said Sonata, not breathing hard at all. She kicked him in the back of the knee and this time he went down.

She was on him before he could recover. Sonata flipped him on his back, straddling his chest and driving her knees into his biceps. It didn’t stop him from flopping, she didn’t weigh as much, but unless he was an experienced wrestler there was no way he was getting free.

Especially when Sonata reached back and grabbed one of his ankles, jerking the leg forward and hyperextending the knee until something popped. He howled in pain.

Sonata heard footsteps as her sisters arrived. Partially for their benefit, but mostly for herself, she ran her hand over the man’s wound, showing him his blood in the moonlight. The taste on her fingers…Oh yes, that’s it.

She glanced back at Adagio and Aria. “Well, what are you waiting for? Dig in.”

“What are you-” the man began. Sonata interrupted him, grabbing his nose and twisting it until it cracked. More screams, though with a little nasal gurgle this time.

“What are we supposed to do?” asked Adagio.

Sonata rolled her eyes. “You want the blood. He’s filled with blood. Use your imagination.” She scraped her fingernails along the skin of his neck, opening shallow cuts that oozed.

Adagio made a face. The man burst out, “Stop! What are you doing!?”

Sonata shifted her hips slightly and smiled. By way of reply to both of them, she said, “I hope you like it raw.”

Adagio would not let herself be teased and stepped forward. She knelt, pulling her hair back and lowering her face towards his neck. Sonata swatted her. “Get your own place.”

Adagio gave her a dark look, but yanked his shirt down at the collar and drove her fingers into his flesh at the clavicle. The man went through a fresh spasm of pain and his flailing arm caught her across the face. Adagio slapped him right back and used his recovery to put her mouth to the wound she had just created.

The pure fear hit her system and Sonata saw her shoulders clench, then release as she inhaled. Adagio pressed her face down harder, throat working to provide suction to consume as much as possible.

“There’s got to be a better way,” Aria muttered.

Sonata looked at her. “Are you going to drink or not?”

Aria hesitated, but then came forward slowly. She mimicked Adagio’s opening on the other side and took an exploratory lick. After that, her reaction was much the same.

Sonata looked down at their quarry and grinned. “No more holding back.”

His terror spiked again and she went for his throat.

Chapter 6

The next morning found Sonata thumbing through Abacus Cinch’s copy of How to Win Friends and Influence People. She wasn’t sure why she cared. Surely it didn’t take an entire book to say “be stronger than them.”

Maybe that wouldn’t actually get her friends, but why did she need those? She wasn’t a changeling that needed love, for fuck’s sake.

She was experiencing a few unusual biological effects from a steady diet of blood. For one, she was always thirsty. Blood was salty. Aside from that, her body seemed to have adapted quite well. A human wouldn't have fared so well.

Sonata smiled to herself. Once she took over the planet, then what? She'd have to get a hobby or something. Maybe she should start a collection. She already had Cinch’s book and the park ranger’s gun. Though taking their lives had been a lot more productive.

Sonata cocked her head. She thought she heard a quiet conversation from somewhere else in the house. She got up off her bed and went downstairs.

Adagio and Aria were sitting at the kitchen table. Aria’s hands shook as she smoked. Sonata was pleased to see that Adagio’s face took on a wary expression when she entered the room.

“So, how does it feel to be back at the top of the food chain?” Sonata asked. She couldn’t help adding, “Well, almost at my level.”

“We can’t do something like that again,” said Adagio.

“Did you wake up on the moron side of the bed?” demanded Sonata. “Don’t you like this?”

“Murdering people and drinking their blood?” said Aria.

“Yes!”

Adagio glanced at Aria before turning back to Sonata. She looked like she was going to say something that Sonata would make her regret, but softened her tone, to Sonata’s disappointment. “We’ve never done anything like this before. It wouldn’t be a good idea to just rush into it. Like last night. Somebody is going to notice that guy’s car where he left it. Maybe they’ll even remember that he left with us. Being careful never hurt anyone.”

“With this much power, why does it matter?” said Sonata.

“What part of seven billion of them, three of us don’t you understand?” said Adagio. Seeing a flash of fire in Sonata’s eyes, she quickly backpedaled. “I’m just saying, we’ve been waiting for so many years it won’t hurt to take a little while and make sure we do this right. We can be the strongest on the planet, and if we plan carefully, we can take over before anyone realizes what we’re doing.”

Sonata crossed her arms. “How.”

“Sustainability,” said Aria. When Sonata stared at her, she quickly added, “I-I know that sounds like some sort of recycling buzzword, but it’s just not sustainable to kill people in the street. If we keep doing that, someone will eventually notice.”

“What, are we supposed to keep them penned up like the livestock they are?” Sonata said. She put her hand to her chin. “You know, that could actually work pretty well. We grab someone and then keep them locked up, slowly bleeding them dry over a couple of days so we can make the most of it.”

“Uh-” Aria and Adagio traded glances.

“We’re going to need a holding facility,” said Sonata. “We can use the garage. We’ll chain them up, get some containers to store the blood. We’ll also have to come up with advanced techniques for inflicting fear and negative emotions. Oh! If we grabbed two at once, we could play them off each other like that movie Saw. Maybe if we had some psychoactive drugs, that could heighten the emotions. We could work them up slowly, like basting a turkey.”

Her mouth watered at the thought, and not the turkey. Fear turkey, though.

“Are we really doing this?” said Aria quietly.

“Do you have a better idea that gets us our power back?” Sonata challenged. She put her hands on her hips and stared at both of them. Neither met her eyes.

“Right,” said Sonata. “We’ll need to do a few things first. Dagi...be a dear and go bury what’s left over from last night.”

“Why me?” Adagio protested.

“Because Ari-” Sonata swung her gaze to Aria “-is going to help me plan a ‘sustainable’ harvesting operation.”

“Harvesting? Operation?” Aria asked.

“I can call it murder and exsanguination if you want,” Sonata offered.

Adagio abruptly got up and left the room. Sonata heard her pause for breath in the garage before heading out of the house. They didn’t own a shovel, and Sonata smirked at the thought of Adagio on her knees, burying the scraps of a human being with her hands.

She turned to Aria, who was looking at the table. “So, who’s our next target?”

Aria swallowed. “Uh… We’ll have to be careful. We can’t just take anyone out of a crowd.”

“No shit,” Sonata spat.

Aria flinched. “But maybe we can use that to our advantage. There are lots of people at, say, the mall. But there are also lots of places behind the scenes we can use.”

“Like a hidden utility hallway,” said Sonata, considering it. “The two of you could herd a meal behind the door and we’ll grab them. Maybe pick somebody who knows us, so they would be scared and try to get away and go through the door all by themselves.”

Adagio returned and Aria quietly told her the plan. Sonata was flipping through her music and trying to find something perfect for the moment.

She didn’t notice when Adagio went to shower the dirt off, and a flash of anger crossed her face. We were going to the mall! Then again, smelling like death would probably attract unwanted attention.

Sonata was in the bathroom when Adagio stepped out of the shower, though.

“Criminy! Can’t you wait?!” Adagio demanded.

Sonata thrust a hoodie into her hands, a little harder than necessary. “No. You wait on me. Get dressed, we’re going now. And make it snappy.”

A few minutes later, Sonata met the other two in her car. All of them were dressed down, hoods and nondescript colors. Sonata plugged in her phone. Courtesy Call by Thousand Foot Krutch began to play. It fit, she decided. She and her sisters were going to go let the world know just who they were and what they could do.

The plan came together surprisingly well once they got to the mall. Sonata parked her car near the loading dock and waited while her sisters went inside to find someone. In only a few minutes, a girl burst through the nondescript door from the public area of the mall and slammed it behind her.

“Hi,” said Sonata.

The girl froze, turning slowly. Sonata recognized her as Diamond Tiara, a younger Canterlot High student. Kind of a bitch, too.

Adagio and Aria came through the door and closed it, trapping Diamond between the three of them.

“We’re going to go for a little drive,” said Sonata.

“No!” Diamond shouted.

“Well, I tried.” Sonata cocked her fist back. “You know, I didn’t want to have to do this.”

Sonata rolled her eyes. “Oh wait, yes I did.” She slugged Diamond across the face. There was a crack as the punch connected.

Diamond fell and Sonata inspected her fist. Nothing was broken. Had she broken Diamond’s face? It couldn’t have happened to a better candidate. She bent down and grabbed Diamond’s ankles.

Sonata looked up. “Are you going to stand there or are you going to move your worthless asses and help me?”

She could have carried Diamond slung under one arm without breaking a sweat, but it was the principle of it. Adagio and Aria quickly moved to grab Diamond’s arms.

They got her out to the car and stuffed her in the trunk. Diamond’s face was swelling now, under her eye where Sonata had hit her.

After a quick trip back home, they strung Diamond up in the garage, tieing her arms up towards the rafters with bed sheets.

Sonata splashed some water on her face and Diamond started to come around, moaning in pain. Her eye where Sonata had hit her didn’t seem to be working correctly. It almost looked sunken in her skull. Sonata realized she must have broken Diamond’s cheekbone and eye socket, letting the eye fall out of place.

“What…” Diamond said, voice small.

“You’ve just been taken by us three sirens,” said Sonata. “And we’re going to torture you and drink your blood as you bleed to death because it’s more fun than just eating you.”

“I have money,” said Diamond.

Sonata indicated her sisters. “We’re a triple-income household with a thousand years’ interest on long term investments. Fuck your money.”

“My dad-”

“Fuck your dad. And his money.”

“No, you don’t understand. It’s millions!”

“Oh. Oh! Why didn’t you say so?” Sonata waved her hands around. “Well then, let me just go get my computer and we’ll make this transaction, huh?”

She retrieved her laptop. “So what was the account number?”

Diamond gave it to her. Sonata punched it in on one of the dark web sites. “Hmm. Look at that. It’s a pretty big number for a little lady like you. But you know what?”

Sonata put down the computer carefully and then screamed in Diamond’s face, “I DON’T FUCKING CARE! You are worthless! You are a piece of meat! You cannot do anything to buy, bargain, or plead your way out of this!”

“I’m pregnant,” Diamond whispered. She kept crying, her one eye that still worked staring at the floor. “Dad, he’s helping me keep it a secret. But I’m seventeen, I...my boyfriend, he…” She started bawling.

Aria walked quickly out of the garage and into the house. Adagio glanced at Sonata and hurried after her.

Sonata went after them. She found both in the kitchen. Aria stood with her arms clenched around her, looked like she was pulled so tight another pound of tension would rip her apart. Adagio’s face spelled out her worry, though it wasn’t clear who she was most concerned about.

Sonata spread her hands. “What’s with you?”

“We can’t kill a kid,” said Aria.

“Hello? We’re a thousand years old. Everyone is a kid.”

“And the baby. It’s not the same, but…” Adagio folded her arms across her stomach.

Sonata shook her head. “Okay, last night we killed and ate a man. Tonight, it just happens to be a teenage girl. That you two picked out, remember. What’s the issue? Sexism is the stupidest problem we could have.”

Adagio and Aria both made small noises that could have meant anything.

Sonata reached into the silverware drawer and pulled out the biggest knife that was inside. She turned and walked back out into the garage.

Diamond saw her come in, reacting to the knife by trying to jerk away as far as her restraints allowed. “Please…” she whimpered.

“Okay,” said Sonata. She pulled up Diamond’s shirt and sliced it off with the knife. Next, she did the same to Diamond’s skirt and panties. Then, Sonata started cutting Diamond’s flesh.

Diamond began screaming immediately and didn’t stop. The erratic expansion of her lungs was making it difficult for Sonata to get the knife where she wanted it to go.

She started at the lips of Diamond’s vagina, made a little quirk around the clitoris, and sliced upward across her belly, trying to gauge what was deep enough and what was too deep. As it turned out, Sonata got it perfect on the first try, spilling blood and amniotic fluid over Diamond’s front and the floor.

Sonata reached inside, rummaged around until she found what she was looking for, and yanked. Diamond certainly wasn’t very far along. The fetus was the size of a rat. It didn’t move or respond, being clenched in Sonata’s bloody fist. She looked at it briefly before ripping the umbilical cord free and tossing it over her shoulder.

Diamond, still screaming and still bleeding, sagged in her restraints. Sonata was surprised that she was still conscious. And the pain and fear wafting off her was incredible.

Looking at the cut she had made, a thought struck Sonata. Here was an avenue she had never explored. She crouched and ran her tongue over the incision, bottom to top. Diamond’s eyes were squeezed shut, but she felt it and pulled even harder to get away.

Sonata kept pressing, deeper and deeper. She reached forward and parted the skin with her fingers, probing inside Diamond’s torn uterus. She had her head inside before realizing it.

Sonata mentally shrugged and started chewing. Delicious!

Chapter 7

The sun was shining bright and the birds were singing as the girls met for the afternoon, going into Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie Pie came out of the back, taking off her apron. She dropped a quarter in the jukebox and an old Gloria Gaynor song began to play.

Pinkie sat down with Sunset Shimmer, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy. She assured them, “The goodies should be ready soon.”

Sunset smiled briefly. “Thanks. I think we all might need a pick-me-up.”

“So horrible,” whispered Fluttershy. “Two disappearances in a week.”

“Three, technically,” Sunset pointed out. “That park ranger vanished the same night as Microchip.”

“And the two murders over in Crystal City,” Rarity pointed out. “Even for Crystal City, that’s a bit much for one week. I’m not saying they’re connected to the disappearances of students from Canterlot High, but it certainly seems suspicious.”

“Something’s up,” Rainbow agreed.

“That’s why I called you here today,” said Sunset. “Something’s happened to our classmates, and to other people. We can’t let this go any further.”

“What are we supposed to do?” said Applejack. “We ain’t exactly the the planet’s official defenders of truth, justice, apple pie, and love.”

“Speak for yourself,” said Pinkie.

Sunset raised her hands. “I know, I know, this is a matter for the police. But I think we should all keep our eyes open. Kidnapping and murder is a little more serious than even magic mind control. But, if it came down to it, who else is better qualified than us?”

“Sorry I’m late,” said Twilight Sparkle, rushing up. She sat down and adjusted her glasses. “What did I miss?”

“We were just getting started,” said Sunset. She briefly summarized the problem.

“I think my brother’s working on that,” said Twilight. “As a police officer, he probably shouldn’t tell me the details, but maybe I can convince him that I could be useful as a consultant, like any number of fictional detectives.”

“When you put it that way, this doesn’t sound like such a good idea,” said Rainbow.

“Well, who else would know better than the police what is going on?” said Sunset. “I agree that Shining Armor probably has rules against giving civilians details, and I’m sure he doesn’t want his sister or her friends getting involved, but knowledge is power.”

“Couldn’t have said it better myself,” said Twilight. She frowned. “I’ll just have to convince him.”

“Hold on,” said Rarity. “Are we really doing this? Taking on murderers?”

“I just want to be informed,” said Sunset.

“So do I, but isn’t this illegal?” said Applejack, lowering her voice.

“So is vigilantism,” said Sunset. “I understand. I’m not saying we should hunt down killers. But what if we were the only ones who could? We have something that nobody else does.”

“The power of friendship,” said Fluttershy.

“Exactly,” said Sunset. “I wouldn’t want anything to happen to any of you, or anyone else.”

In the background, the jukebox played I will survive! Oh, as long as I know how to love I know I’ll stay alive.

“Protecting people is what the police do,” Twilight reminded Sunset. “I’ll ask Shining a few questions, just to see if there’s anything we can use to help keep us safe. If he won’t tell me anything, then, well, there isn’t anything we can do to force him.”

Sunset nodded. “I understand. Even if that’s the case, we still have each other. As long as we’re together, there’s no problem we can’t solve.”

“There! Problem solved!” said Sonata, showing her sisters the bloody, aborted baby that she’d ripped out of Diamond Tiara.

Adagio spun and vomited all over the floor. Aria seemed to collapse into herself, covering her face with her hands and turning her back.

“I guess Diamond was telling the truth about being pregnant after all,” said Sonata. She licked a little blood that trickled past her mouth, her whole head being covered after sticking it inside Diamond’s abdominal cavity to eat her from the inside out.

Sonata turned and lined up on the kitchen trash can. She gave the fetus a toss and it went straight in. “Nothing but net!”

Adagio was on her hands and knees, heaving. It looked like there wasn’t anything left in her stomach, though. Aria’s legs had collapsed and it was only by splaying her upper body across the kitchen counter that she was still vaguely upright. Neither one of them would look at Sonata.

“The fuck’s wrong with you two?” Sonata asked.

It was perhaps ten seconds before Aria was able to get up. She took a deep breath and demanded, “What’s wrong with you!?”

Sonata spread her hands, blood dripping everywhere. “Just, y’know, generating fear that the three of us need to get our power back and take control of this little marble called Earth. Pardon me for doing what you couldn’t.”

“There has to be a better way,” Adagio muttered, finding the strength to stand. She wiped her lips.

“Well, we tried picking up guys at bars and you didn’t like that either. I can’t keep carrying you two.”

“You aren’t,” Adagio protested.

“I’m sorry, but which one of us masterminded a return to glory and is willing to bring her sisters along? Who’s the stupid, incompetent one now?”

“The truly clever don’t announce it with the grace of a freight train raping a barrel of monkeys!” Aria shouted.

Sonata raised an eyebrow. “Did you hear that one on the internet?”

Aria flushed, but she still glared at Sonata. Adagio piled on. “I have never seen something so disgusting in a thousand years! What kind of utter abomination are you?”

“You think I’m…” Sonata stared, too stunned to speak. Then, she abruptly stepped forward and slapped Adagio so hard that it took her sister right off her feet. Adagio hit the floor, cheek splashing in her own vomit.

“Let me tell you how this is going to go,” growled Sonata. “I’ve shown you the way. If you won't follow me, I’m glad to leave you behind.”

“We’re sisters,” Aria breathed.

“So?”

Several seconds passed in utter silence.

Adagio got up quietly, wiping off her face with her sleeve. Sonata was pleased to see that the smirk had finally vanished from her face.

“Just because you two did such a good job selecting the last morsel, why don’t you pick again?” said Sonata. She grinned.

Adagio and Aria traded a look.

“A man,” said Adagio. “F-for the challenge.”

“What, you think I can’t handle a man?” Sonata said.

“Just something different,” said Aria quickly. “Someone who can run and fight. A challenge.”

“I’m actually impressed,” said Sonata. “So who do you think we should pick?”

Adagio and Aria again glanced at each other. Sonata threw her arms around them. Both cringed. “Look at us, working together! Dagi, Ari, and Soni ready to take on the world. I think we should absolutely go after someone like that. And I know exactly who.”

Author's Note

"the 10% don't announce their "cleverness" with the grace of a freight train raping a barrel of monkeys"
-Majin Syeekoh, August 14 2016

Chapter 8

Flash Sentry was quite pleased that during the summer, the hardest decision he had to make was which guitar strings to buy.

He spent a lot of time down at the music shop, and it seemed like everyone in Canterlot High knew to find him there.

Which is why he shouldn’t have been surprised to turn around from the guitar string display and run smack into Sonata Dusk. Quite literally. He bounced off her and fell back against the wall.

“Sorry, I should pay more attention,” she said pleasantly, grinning.

Flash remained flattened against the wall. “I...didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Well, it is the best music store in town and I am a bit of an audiophile,” Sonata said.

“Huh,” said Flash.

Sonata took a step back and he relaxed enough to stop cringing away from her. He turned and maneuvered past Sonata towards the door.

“So what are you doing later?” Sonata asked. It was delicious how his shoulders tensed as if she’d cracked a whip.

“I’m, uh, busy,” Flash said, before hurrying for the door.

Sonata caught the attention of Adagio and Aria, who had been over at the counter distracting the owner. The three of them followed Flash.

He wasn’t too hard to spot. He was the only guy with blue hair and a guitar slung over his shoulder in sight.

Sonata crossed the street, walking quickly. Adagio and Aria followed along behind Flash. He got to his tricked-out Camaro, but saw the cut in the front tire. Casting a worried glance behind him, the two sirens there were clearly visible. He started across the street, but pulled up short upon spotting Sonata.

Flash turned and fast-walked into the alley behind him. Sonata grinned. Like herding cattle.

She rejoined the other two and they followed Flash deeper into the maze of side streets. Alleys were so convenient, keeping prey boxed in, Sonata thought.

Flash suspected he was in trouble when he reached a dead end. He knew he was in trouble when three sirens cornered him and told him so.

“So, we’re going to do very bad things to you,” said Sonata.

They spread out, blocking his only means of escape. Tall buildings on both sides pinned him in, and a dumpster blocked the way in front.

Flash vaulted the dumpster and took off at a sprint. He should have had the good sense to drop his guitar. Maybe it would have helped him run faster. The sirens had even given him a head start.

He used the graciously-provided time to run like the wind, wet his pants, and send a text message.

He hadn’t made it two blocks, however, when the sirens caught up. Fortunately, his leather jacket seemed to be fingernail-proof in spite of their clutching hands. However, when they discovered that, they simply tripped him.

Flash’s jacket and jeans kept him from losing too much skin on the pavement, but with three ancient monsters bearing down on him, that was a relatively mild concern. Of course, he’d already pissed himself, so it was pretty clear that he was past worrying about the little things.

“Stop!” he shouted.

“Why do they think saying that will work?” said Sonata. “Every time, it’s been like that.”

“Stop!” Flash repeated. “I don’t consent!”

Sonata blinked. “Consent to what?”

“I think he thinks we’re going to do something sexual,” said Aria.

Sonata burst out laughing. “Oh, oh fucking shit, that’s the funniest thing I’ve heard in years. You thought we were going to rape you?”

Flash looked between the three of them. “A-a little.”

“Well, we’re not, but I can rip your dick off if that makes you feel better.” Sonata grabbed his crotch. Flash reflexively curled up.

“Hold him,” Sonata ordered. Adagio and Aria grabbed Flash’s limbs.

“Nah, the truth is we’re going to bleed you to death.” Sonata paused. “Okay, I didn’t mean to make it sexual, but the penis is a place with a lot of blood flow, right?” She looked back down at Flash. “The blood part is important because we’re going to drink yours.”

“I thought you ate emotions or something!”

“Punch him in the mouth so he shuts up,” said Sonata. A moment passed and she looked up, glaring at the other two.

Adagio made a fist and socked Flash across the face.

“Eh, he might have pubic hair,” said Sonata as she thought about it. “He’s that old, right?”

“He’s in high school,” said Aria. “I think that means he’s old enough.”

“If we’re going to keep doing this, don’t you think we should know more about people?” said Adagio.

“Well, let’s find out,” said Sonata. She ripped open Flash’s jeans like they were made of tissue paper. “Yep, looks like it. Ick. I’m not putting my face anywhere near that.”

She seized his penis. “I can still rip this off, though. I bet that would get a reaction from him.”

“He also might bleed out too quickly,” Aria pointed out.

Sonata weighed her options, stretching Flash’s organ as far as it would go. His eyes were wide and his back arched up, trying desperately to relieve the pain.

“Eh,” said Sonata. She let go of Flash’s penis, and since it was on display, grabbed his scrotum and crushed it in her hand. It squished and bulged between her fingers like putty.

Flash made a sound like a dying frog and didn’t even have time to writhe in pain before passing out.

“That’s supposed to be a really sensitive spot,” said Adagio.

“It’s not like I knew that,” said Sonata. “What, are you fucking earth guys now?”

“I think any world you go to, testicles are pretty sensitive,” Adagio pointed out. “Did you not know that?”

Sonata spread her hands. “Why would I need to?”

Aria lightly slapped Flash’s face. He started to wake up, tears running down his cheeks before his eyes even opened. The little noises now were a lot higher pitched.

“Okay, that was round one,” said Sonata, loud enough for him to hear. “What should we do next?”

The question hung in the air for a moment before Adagio and Aria realized she was asking them.

“He’s already scared shitless,” said Aria. “Can’t you smell it?”

“Smell-oh, the fear.” It was pretty enticing, Sonata had to admit. “But I think we can do better. He hasn’t literally shit himself.”

Adagio made a face. “Really? That’s - yuck.”

“Okay, fine, we’ll make sure he doesn’t.” Sonata turned and grabbed Flash’s guitar. “One plug coming up.”

Flash saw it. Judging by his expression, he didn’t fully believe what she was insinuating, but his imagination was running wild, just like Sonata wanted it to.

And in some cases, nightmares did come true.

And in the case of Flash’s rectum, tuning pegs will absolutely shred intestine walls when the neck of a guitar is roughly shoved inside.

Everything else the sirens did to him was worse than that.

...through the heart, and you’re to blame. You give love a bad name…

Sunset Shimmer glanced down at her phone. She already knew from the ringtone that it was from Flash Sentry.

She sighed and looked at the text he had sent. Her brow furrowed. It was just one word. Sirens.

What do you mean? she texted back. Minutes passed. Flash did not reply.

Growing concerned, Sunset sent a text to Brawly Beats, Flash’s drummer. He responded shortly, saying Flash had gone to the music store.

Sunset got on her motorcycle and rode down there. A quick conversation with the store clerk revealed exactly what Sunset had feared. Adagio, Aria, and Sonata had followed Flash out of the store.

Flash was her ex, but nobody deserved to be cornered by those monsters. It didn’t fit their pattern to go after just one person, though. And anyway, what were they doing? Their necklace gems had been shattered and their powers stripped.

Sunset got back on her motorcycle. She saw Flash’s car parked just down the street, and upon approaching it, noticed the flat tire. She stopped the bike and checked her phone. Still no reply from Flash.

If the sirens actually had taken him, where would they have gone? Sunset eyed the alley next to Flash’s car and turned her bike down it.

Not two minutes later, something lumpy on the ground came into view. It took Sunset a moment to process what she was seeing. To her horror, she realized it was a body, and the red splotches everywhere were spilled blood.

She jumped off the motorcycle, not bothering to set the kickstand. She pulled out her phone to call emergency services.

Hurrying over, she saw to her ever-increasing horror that it was Flash, and he had been…

Sunset’s hands went to her face and her knees hit the ground.

Chapter 9

To put it bluntly, Flash Sentry had died a horrific death. Sunset could see that easily enough, though she’d taken one glance and thrown up across the alley.

Sunset hadn’t wanted to stay at the scene with the police, but she felt like she should. If there was anything she could do to help catch whoever had done this, she was going to do it.

If there was much physical evidence, it was probably on Flash’s body or spread in the pool of blood around it. Sunset didn’t want to look. The police and medical examiners probably wouldn’t let her, anyway. She squeezed her eyes shut, heart palpitating in terror.

Why was she so scared? It was such a horrific act, but now Sunset was surrounded by police. She should be horrified, revolted, sickened, and hopeless, but the current danger was past.

Sunset realized that it wasn’t her fear. She concentrated harder. It was in the air, still hanging around after Flash had been killed.

The whole magical girl thing came with many unexpected facets, but Sunset didn’t think she could detect postmortem emotions unless there was some powerful force behind them.

She pictured what was left of Flash again and immediately regretted it. What kind of person could have perpetrated such a brutal attack? Who could have been strong enough to hold down an athletic high schooler and utterly destroy him?

Sunset swallowed hard. Who - or what. She thought about the last text Flash had sent her. Sirens.

Once the police had taken her statement, Sunset walked numbly back to the busy street. A crowd of people - photographers, reporters, onlookers - had gathered at the police tape. A couple of them tried to talk to her, but she ignored them.

Getting back on her motorcycle, Sunset rode to Sugarcube Corner. She nearly got in an accident on the way, but couldn’t even spare the emotion to feel bad about it. Her thoughts were elsewhere.

Pinkie was at the counter when Sunset came in. She saw the look on Sunset’s face. “Did something happen?”

Sunset fell into a booth and put her head in her hands. Pinkie came over. “You sure look like you could use cheering up. Hey, did you hear the one about the mermaid band?”

Sunset raised her head. Pinkie grinned. “They weren’t very good. They couldn’t even tuna guitar.”

Sunset burst out crying.

“Ohmygosh!” Pinkie touched her shoulder. “I’m so sorry! What did I say?”

Between sobs, Sunset managed to get out, “Flash is dead. Murdered.”

Pinkie grabbed her phone and called the others. They were there in minutes. By the time they arrived, Sunset had managed to stop her tears, but if anything, she looked worse. Fortunately, she didn’t have to explain. The news had already hit the internet, and they all quietly read the report on their phones.

“I think the sirens did this,” said Sunset, finally.

“If so, then this is a much different pattern for them,” said Twilight. “I can’t imagine how something this terrible could have happened.”

“We can’t let them do this again,” said Sunset. “What if they were also behind the other deaths and disappearances?”

A few seconds passed as that sank into the other girls’ minds.

“What about the police?” said Fluttershy.

“I told them what I knew,” said Sunset. “Even if they believe me...I don’t want to think about what might happen in a confrontation. The sirens have powers. More people could die.”

“Didn’t we take their magic away at the Battle of the Bands?” said Rainbow.

Sunset shuddered. “I don’t know what’s happening, but they’re a lot stronger than humans. I don’t know what we’re dealing with. The police have even less idea.”

“What can we do?” asked Rarity.

“I think it would be wise to never go any place alone,” said Twilight. “I’ll start working on something that might help. If they have any residual magic, maybe we can detect it.”

“Emotion,” said Sunset. “That’s what I noticed at the scene. It was so strong that I felt it, and I’m just a unicorn in a human body.”

“Sirens do feed on negative energy, like you told us,” said Twilight. “It’s possible that they found some new way to use that.”

Sunset opened her mouth, and, with some effort, got out, “Torture?”

The table fell silent again. Carefully, Twilight said, “If that’s the case, then we have a pattern. Something we can look for and figure out.”

“But what are we gonna do when we find them?” said Applejack. “If they’re so dangerous, we need a plan.”

“We’ll just do the magic rainbow laser thingy like always, right?” said Pinkie. She looked at Sunset, who still wore a frown. “Right?”

“I don’t know if that will work,” said Sunset. “We’ve already stripped them of their magic. What else can we do?”

“We show them the magic of friendship,” said Rarity.

“They ate his brain,” Sunset snapped. “And I’m not even sure if that’s the worst thing they did to him.”

Other people in Sugarcube Corner had turned to look. Sunset winced, closing her eyes. She shook her head and continued in a quieter voice. “When I tried to take over the school, I was misguided. I didn’t know what I was missing. The magic of friendship showed me the way. But now...we’ve already used that on the sirens, and it apparently didn’t work. What if they’re just simply evil?”

“I don’t know if anyone is truly evil,” said Twilight.

Sunset looked up, locking eyes with her. “You didn’t see what they did to Flash. They’re evil.”

In her fitness studio downtown, Sonata was in a good mood, dancing to Aerosmith in the window while she waited for customers.

She wore her usual spandex and lycra, pink over indigo today. More than a few people had stared at her as they walked by outside. That was vaguely intentional, to attract customers. Mostly, Sonata was giddy and still energetic after eating Flash.

...I met a cheerleader, was a real young bleeder, oh, the times I could reminisce…

And speaking of, her first appointment walked through the door.

Lemon Zest was a student at Crystal Prep. She still had that high school litheness, but under Sonata’s tutelage was getting toned and maturing. She was driven, and had made more progress than just about any other client. She also wore headphones most of the time, and so missed most of the backhanded things Sonata said.

Sonata smiled while Lemon turned away to put down her bag and take off her sweats. What fun it would be to pull her out of her own little world and show her how things really worked, to see her reaction when she learned that the top of the food chain had shifted.

Then, Tire Tracks walked in, already breathing hard. Sonata glanced at him in annoyance, only partially feigned. The fat man had an appointment, and that interrupted what Sonata had in mind.

She could kill them both. Hmm, she’d have to pull the curtain on the window, though.

A thrill went up her spine at the thought of drinking their blood within feet of unknowing people outside. All she’d have to do was turn up the music a little and gag them.

Sonata’s phone rang. Considering it was connected to the sound system, it was hard to ignore. Muttering under her breath, she went to answer it.

The caller was Aria. “Sonata! I just saw the news. Sunset Shimmer was at the scene.”

“What?” Sonata replied.

“She must have gotten there only a little while later, or maybe she even found it.”

“That was a question,” Sonata snapped. “What are you talking about?”

“The place where, ah, Flash Sentry was,” said Aria, seeming to censor herself. Was she worried about being overheard? What was making her so jumpy?

“What about it?”

“There’s a news article,” Aria explained. “I saw one of the photos. Sunset Shimmer was there. She knows what happened to him.”

“So?”

“So now the Rainbooms are onto the murders that have been happening.”

Sonata paused for several seconds.

“Sonata?”

“I’m coming home. We’ll talk.”

Sonata ended the call. She announced, “We’re closed today. Get out.”

“What?” said Lemon Zest, taking off her headphones.

Sonata barely resisted the urge to snap her neck right then and there.

She closed up the studio and went home. Adagio and Aria were waiting.

“At this point, it’s safe to say the Rainbooms know or suspect there’s a series of killings that are connected,” said Aria.

“And it’s personal to them,” added Adagio. “Since it was their classmates.” She gestured to a printout of the picture of Sunset at the scene. She was off to the side, on the inside of the police tape. “Look at her face. She’s emotionally connected.”

“So the Rainbooms are going to get involved?” said Sonata. “That doesn’t mean they know it was us.”

Aria showed her a phone. “This was Flash’s. The last text he sent was to Sunset.”

She showed Sonata the phone. Flash had managed to get his message out.

“Well, still, what are they going to do?” said Sonata. “We know what they’re capable of. It’s not going to hurt us now. Plus, they have to find us. If anything, this gives us the advantage because we can now pick our moment to strike. We can even set a trap for them and lure them in.”

“They aren’t stupid,” Adagio pointed out.

“Even if they aren’t, they’re still mortal. If we take out even one of them, the rest aren’t going to be nearly as effective.” Sonata grinned, teeth on full display. “And can you imagine how revenge will taste?”

Chapter 10

Sunset wrote furiously in her journal. The words on the page appeared in parallel on the pages of a book owned by Princess Twilight Sparkle in Equestria. Twilight’s replies showed up in Sunset’s book.

I can’t bring in a whole contingent of the Elements of Harmony, magical scholars, and Royal Guards, Princess Twilight wrote. Not even just the six of us girls could come through the emergency portal spell we developed.

We need to do something, Sunset replied. Friendship didn’t work here. I thought it stopped the sirens from spreading negative emotion, but now they’re literally murdering people.

Princess Twilight did not reply for nearly a minute. She finally wrote, When you first told me, I didn’t believe it. I still haven’t been able to determine what could make them do that.

Sunset had no idea, either. Monsters they may have been, but Equestrian threats were rarely deadly. Could it have been the influence of being on Earth? Had that been what had happened to her when she tried to take over? After all, even nonmagical humans killed each other all the time.

Sunset’s shoulders tensed. Had being here only made them worse? Or was it simply their decision? How could they possibly have made that choice? Was it out of desperation?

Did the sirens think what they were doing was wrong? Did they simply have different morals?

Sunset shut her eyes tightly and put her hands to her face. No! You are not rationalizing this! They are evil! Period!

Sunset’s phone suddenly buzzed. She glanced at it, but did a double take at the number that had sent the text. She grabbed the phone and opened the message. As she read, her eyes went wide.

She picked up her pen, but then put it down again and closed the journal. She had a plan. Princess Twilight wouldn’t like it, but it had to be done.

She sent a text to her friends, wording it carefully. Who’s up for a snack at Sugarcube Corner?

Sonata relaxed in her bedroom, surfing the dark web. After getting Sunset Shimmer’s phone number from Flash Sentry’s phone, she’d found a way to break in and read text messages. Granted, there was only something to see when Sunset sent a text or something, but it still gave her an edge.

She couldn’t read the incoming texts or listen in on phone conversations. She was still searching for another clandestine source for that. Aria had been helping her, but for a supposed computer expert, she hadn’t been very useful.

While Sunset met with her friends at Sugarcube Corner, Sonata considered her next move. Hopefully Sunset would eventually send a text that specified a convenient location, so Sonata could take her out. With their little leader gone, the Rainbooms would be useless. Sonata was looking forward to sampling them one by one. She could hardly wait.

Sonata navigated to a different place on the secure connection. This site had videos of people being butchered. Some of them came from terrorist propaganda videos. Some of them were cartel revenge messages. Some were produced for more selective audiences. Sonata watched for perhaps an hour, paying attention to techniques.

I should get a video camera, She decided. That would be perfect, showing the Rainbooms tapes of their friends being eaten alive. In that case, maybe she should save Sunset for last.

Sonata blinked and removed her hand from between her legs. Strange. She didn’t know how it had ended up there. It was almost like she was a human watching porn.

Shit. What if she was actually getting turned on by this? Sonata had never thought about sex before. If sirens could even do it, which she somehow doubted. So did that mean slaughter and drinking blood was what it took to get her off? What if she used blood and body parts in…other ways?

Sonata’s brows furrowed at the thought, but then she shrugged. Well, if that’s how it has to be.

Just then, Sunset sent a couple of texts to her friends. After what we talked about earlier, we have to have one last sleepover and one last campout before school starts again. What if we combined them? I know none of us have time to go out to the woods, so what if we found a camping spot in town? There’s a construction site near the school where they’re building a new parking garage. A big concrete building would keep us out of the weather and be a safe place to stay. Let’s meet up at 10pm.

All six of them were going to be outdoors overnight? This was almost too good to be true.

“Dagi, Ari,” Sonata called. “Get ready!”

“What do you want?” replied Adagio from downstairs.

Sonata grinned and got up from her bed, going to meet them. They would want to hear this directly from her, so they would know exactly who was in charge and who had just set them up for their revenge.

Adagio and Aria listened quietly as Sonata laid out what they were doing that evening. “We know where they’re going to be. There’ll be no one else around. We sneak in and capture them in their sleep.”

“Exactly how are you planning to do that?” said Adagio. “We’re outnumbered and they have magic.”

“Well, we might have to bust a few chucklefucks,” said Sonata. She made a mental note to find time to think of better swears. “I really want them all to watch us bleeding out their friends slowly, but even half of them would still give us plenty of tasty teenager to work with.”

She looked at Adagio and Aria for a reply, but nothing came. “What, no backtalk?”

“No,” said Adagio.

Sonata glanced between the two of them and put her hands on her hips. “What’s going on?”

“What are you talking about?” said Aria. “You’ve already got the plan to surprise them. What do you want us to say?”

Maybe they had finally bowed to her strength. Sonata smiled. After they pulled this off and eliminated their strongest enemies, then there would be nothing to stop the three of them from taking over. The city, the country, the whole world. And she would be the most powerful of them all.

“Right,” said Sonata. “Let’s go.”

“Just a minute,” said Adagio. She pulled knives out of the kitchen drawers, handing one to Aria.

Strong as she was, Sonata also recognized how threatening a blade could be. She took one for herself. There was no good way to carry it, but Sonata wasn’t worried that she would accidentally cut herself. It wasn’t like she was a klutz. She wasn’t even worried about the park ranger’s gun that she’d tucked into her jeans before leaving her room.

They drove to the construction site, arriving a few minutes early. Aria opened the trunk and pulled out a coil of rope. Sonata gave her a look. “We’re going to need it to tie them up,” Aria pointed out.

“We could have gotten here a little later,” said Sonata. “So we could sneak up while they were sleeping.”

“All we have to do is wait,” said Adagio.

“I think the basement of the parking garage could be a good place to wait,” said Aria. “It’s quiet, and with no windows there’s less chance of them spotting us.”

Sonata held up her phone. “Good, I brought music.”

She led them down the ramp into the depths of the underground level. There were a couple of switchbacks until they were finally met with a blank concrete wall in the deepest corner.

There were a few pieces of equipment that seemed to have been brought by the construction workers. Sonata had been using her phone for light, but turned on a small construction lamp to save her battery. They were far enough below the surface that the glow probably wouldn’t reveal their presence.

Sitting on the floor near the wall were three white cardboard cups.

“Coffee?” said Sonata, incredulously. She picked one up. “It’s still warm. Hey, it smells like pumpkin spice!”

“Who left these here?” Adagio asked.

“How did they?” said Aria. “Pumpkin spice-flavored stuff isn’t even sold during summer.”

Sonata didn’t care. There was some weird undertaste, but otherwise it was delicious. Adagio and Aria didn’t touch the other drinks.

With a few minutes to spare, Sonata put in her earbuds and wandered a few steps away towards the wall. She scrolled her playlist, looking for something to get pumped. Well, maybe not too pumped. It would be good to be calm before the blood would send her heart racing. Kavinsky? Sonata picked the song.

She’d no sooner started the music than a lasso of rope dropped over her shoulders. A boot pressed into her back and the rope pulled tight, pinning her arms and ripping out her earbuds.

Despite the binding, Sonata spun, finding Applejack on the other end of the rope and the rest of the Rainbooms arrayed across the floor, ponied up and radiating magic, trapping the three sirens in the basement with their backs to the wall.

No! She wasn’t trapped, they were!. Sonata snarled. Applejack pulled harder, but she was no match. Sonata ripped the rope in two and grabbed Applejack by the leg, swinging her in a half circle to slam into the concrete wall.

Something hit her like a piledriver between the shoulderblades, driving Sonata forward to smack into the wall herself. She spun, arm shooting out to backhand Rainbow Dash. The blow knocked the girl across the basement.

Sonata started forward, shoulders up and fingers clawed.

“I put enough sleeping pills in the lattes to knock out a horse!” Pinkie said.

“Apparently that doesn’t work on sirens!” Rarity replied.

“We need to do something!” Fluttershy shrieked. “Applejack and Rainbow are hurt!”

Sonata didn’t follow the conversation. Nothing these kids said or did could stop her.

Her attention did snap to Fluttershy as the girl rushed forward to where her two injured friends lay. Sonata sidestepped, shooting out a hand and hammering Fluttershy in the face hard enough to take her off her feet. Her nose collapsed around Sonata’s fist, spraying blood.

Sonata kept walking towards the others. She licked her fingers. There was no fear, but Fluttershy’s worry was enough to tide her over. And was that a little spark of magic she detected?

“S-stop!” Sunset shouted, shielding some girl who looked a lot like Princess Twilight Sparkle.

“Why do they always say that?” said Sonata, glancing to either side at Adagio and Aria. Both of them had their knives out, but had done absolutely nothing with them.

Sunset raised her hands, sparks of magic crackling off them. Sonata punched her in the abdomen. To Sunset’s credit, she took it better than any of the others, rolling with it and perhaps not even sustaining any broken bones. The force still sent her stumbling back, falling on the floor.

Sonata stepped forward and grabbed the new Twilight by the collar, lifting her clear of the floor. This one wasn’t ponied up. She scrabbled for some device that hung around her neck, but Sonata ripped it off her and tossed it over her shoulder. The fear, oh fuck yes, this one was afraid.

Sonata drove her fingers into Twilight’s neck, the nails slicing through skin and muscle. Twilight screamed and kicked, her shoes doing nothing to Sonata’s shins. Her hands grabbed at Sonata’s clothes.

Blood began to flow over Sonata’s hands. She smiled. The wound wouldn’t kill Twilight, not yet. Sonata’s probing fingers found her carotid artery. She literally held Twilight’s life between her fingertips.

Twilight’s desperate hands found the gun Sonata had packed. She jerked it free. Sonata looked down. Twilight pressed the barrel against her stomach.

The sound of the shot was nothing compared to the punch to Sonata’s guts. She staggered, letting go of Twilight, who fell, firing twice more.

The pain came on so suddenly that Sonata couldn’t even tell how many bullets had hit. She went to her knees, not even seeing Twilight fall next to her. She touched her stomach, the clothes already soaked with blood. Her hands came up, desperately trying to clean them with her mouth. She tried to hold the blood in, fingers trying to find and plug the bullet holes.

Her own blood coated her legs, spreading across the floor. Sonata went to her face, tongue on the concrete, desperately trying to scrape the blood back into her mouth.

She felt lightheaded, but the pain was fading. Her fingers slipped out of the bullet holes. Sonata rolled to her side, staring at her stomach. The wound was closing.

They couldn’t stop her! Sonata jumped up, power swelling in her chest. A laugh came easily. She’d taken out more than half the Rainbooms, and there was nothing they could do!

She looked at Adagio and Aria. The two of them stared at her, wide-eyed.

“What are you waiting for?” Sonata demanded. Aria’s knife slipped from her fingers. Adagio took a step backwards.

They were worthless. Sonata turned away. She was more powerful than them, than anyone!

Sunset had gotten up. There was a book in her hands, the pages glowing. Her eyes flashed white with magic, her feet floating from the floor. She stared at Sonata, meeting her eyes. No fear.

Sonata kept coming, passing Adagio and Aria. She reached forward. Sunset lifted a hand, activating the magic of a spell powerful enough that it seemed to distort the air.

Sonata braced, but nothing happened. Emboldened once again, she shouted “You can’t do anything to me! You tried once and you failed! I’m stronger than ever before, I’m stronger than you, and I will have my revenge!”

“I know that feeling,” said Sunset, her voice magnitudes calmer that the situation merited. “And I know you’re wrong.”

A flash of light and invisible force hit Sonata like a tidal wave. She turned. Against the wall was a portal taller than her, glowing with magic and drawing her irresistibly towards it.

Her shoes started to slide. Sonata turned and lunged forward, but made no headway. She dropped to a crouch, still sliding backwards, being drawn towards her fate. Sonata knew if she allowed herself to go through, she would lose everything, her place on this puny planet, her strength, everything she had gained, everything she had earned.

Her fingernails scraped across the concrete, desperately trying to hold her in place. She pressed down until they tore out of the nailbeds, but it wasn’t enough.

Sonata’s last ounce of strength wasn’t good enough. Her entire body left the ground, the magic swirling around her body dragging her to her fate.

As she went backwards, she grabbed at Adagio and Aria. “Help me!” she bellowed.

Both tried to duck, but Sonata’s hands found them, dragging them with her. They struggled, but neither put up even half her fight. They were weak, she was strong!

Sonata looked over her shoulder, everything in her field of vision going white as she went through.

The blinding light faded slowly. The force pulling on Sonata had stopped. She blinked. There was a blue sky above, turning golden in the late afternoon.

Her phone was somewhere in one of her pockets, music app still working. The song played on.

Sonata sat up, ill-fitting clothing binding her body. Her shoes had come off, being completely unsuited for hooves.

Adagio and Aria were nearby, similarly transformed into earth ponies. Sonata stared at them.

“Why did you bring us?” said Adagio. She blinked hard and then screamed, “What did you do!?”

“You deserve it as much as me!” Sonata shouted. “You were there, you drank blood too!”

“It was your idea!” Aria pointed out. “You forced us! The portal didn’t even affect Adagio and I. Not until you grabbed us.”

“Oh, you’re innocent?” said Sonata. “None of this would have happened if you two had helped me! I even knocked Sunset Shimmer down for you. A single stab, and we would have won! There would have been nothing stopping us from taking over the rest of the world!”

Adagio got up. “None of this would have happened to start with if it weren’t for you!”

Sonata met her nose to nose, but Adagio wasn’t backing down. “Look at us now,” Adagio snarled, gesturing to the open, featureless meadow in which they had appeared. “We have nothing. We’re broke, magicless, and mortal. This is all your fault, Sonata. We tried to stop you, but you just dragged the two of us down with you, you foolish, self-serving monster!”

Adagio turned and stormed away. Aria didn’t even spare Sonata a glance before following her.

The wind picked up, blowing the meadow grass around. Sonata looked down. It looked like any grass, no way to tell where she was located. She looked up at the sky, endless nothing. Just like her bank account, her house, and her stuff. Her sisters. Her power. Her whole life. Gone.

With the sun still setting, it would be dark soon. The wind rose again, stronger this time. The faint music still coming from the phone’s tiny speaker sounded hollow and feeble.

Sonata was alone.

She put a hoof to her chest. The feeling inside her...