It was raining.
It had been raining alot lately.
Aria Blaze gave one last long drag at the smoldering cigarette between her teeth before winding down the window. Stray drops of water sneaked into van as she threw out the bud onto the winding road. She gave a brief look down at herself. Her torn baggy jeans rested against her legs comfortably and her dirtied white tank top hung lazily off her shoulders. With a quick motion, she flicked irritably at the stick, leaning back in her seat, letting her cheek fall onto her now empty fist. Her other and steadily held onto the wheel, her eyes kept on the slick road ahead of her, past the thick glass window. Not like her sister's eyes. Sonata excitedly sat up, clasping her fists over her taut knees, smiling brightly as she watched the wind-shield wipers go back and forth. As if their dance was the most interesting thing in the world.
Truly, she had to be the worst.
But she was practically one of the only things Aria had left.
Here she was. Another day as a human. Another day as an ordinary, powerless, fucking human. Just how long had it been? How long had it been since their power was taken? Since their most precious possessions, no their very hearts were shattered to a million pieces right in front of them? Weeks? Months? By the Sea, it might as well have been her whole life with how long it felt.
The constant rattling of the equipment and supplies sliding around in the back and pitter-patter of the rain near drove her mad.
Aria slumped back in her seat. She gave a quick glance over to her sister. Clad in her favourite pink skirt but opting to rock a woolly sweater around her torso. Sonata just sat there, kicking her legs back and forth, smiling up at everything. Not a single thing her gaze snapped to wiped her happy grin from her delicate, young features. Aria couldn't help but wonder just how long those looks will last. For her and her sisters both. There was nothing special about them now. Not a single thing. For centuries, they had been kept sustained by their immortal blood, fueled by the negative energy of the humans. Now they couldn't absorb it so it was only a matter of time before they started to age just like they do.
Why didn't that bother her? Aria wondered. There was no way Sonata didn't know how bad their situation was. She had been alive almost as long as she had. Sure she wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, Aria made sure to let her know that practically every day. But she was a Siren and the last thousand years hit her just as hard as did her and Adagio.
As Sonata turned her gaze outside, watching the bright headlights of cars go by, mesmerized by the way they blurred in the rain, Aria quickly looked behind her seat. There sat Adagio, her once perfectly kempted hair now seemed dull and sagged as she leaned her back against the inside of the van. She had long since abandoned her overly stylized outfit and sported a cheap windbreaker over a black tube-top paired with simple tight-fitting jeans. She was frowning, something Aria gritted her teeth slightly at. Ever since that night, Adagio just wasn't herself. Something broke inside her. There was always an empty look in her eyes and truth be told, that tortured Aria.
Her gaze came back to the road, clasping both her hands tightly on the wheel. She glared hard at the traffic. She was just angry. All the fucking time. Sure, they weren't that bad off. Their bank account was still loaded. What? You really think that she and her sisters would be so stupid as to not collect and save money over the last melenia? That's just absurd.
Still, leaving their home behind wasn't something Aria was all that pleased about. It had happened so fast. She was scared, she was crying. She looked to Adagio for answers but as it started to happen when they staggered back to the house. The life drained away from her big sister and when Aria pleaded to her, screaming;
"What do we do?!"
All she responded with was;
"I don't know.."
So ever since, Aria had to be the big sister. She told them to pack. Pack lightly, she told them.
"Get in the van, we're leaving!" She said.
So that's what they did. They hit the road. Sonata had this bright idea to become a different kind of band. Music was in their blood, how could they possibly just give it up? So now alongside their clothes and belongings, rattling around in the van with them and Adagio was all their band equipment. Aria's guitar, Sonata's entire drum-kit and Adagio's...well, she didn't have anything. Aria could barely get a word out of her. She was like a doll that just followed them around wherever she and Sonata went.
Aria didn't know what else to do but run. She figured for sure that those girls would call the cops. In their eyes, in the humans' eyes...in the ponies' eyes, they were evil. Never had they ever been caught like that. They were always smart, calculating, working in the shadows to further their ends. Never living too large, never getting a little too greedy. That was the danger and beauty of real Equestrian magic, it seemed. It clouded their judgement, made them sloppy, reckless. They were just too over-confident, too assured that a fucking pull door could keep their plans secured.
Now all their plans, all her plans was to just keep alive. Keep managing to get food, keep finding shanty little places that'll let them play.
How dare they think her and her sisters evil? Aria angrily slammed her forehead against the steering wheel. If there was one thing she had learned about humans over the years, it's that THEY'RE evil. The horrors they commit to eachother and their planet and for what? As far as she was concerned, the three of them taking over would have been best for them.
It didn't matter though.
Aria searched around her pocket and pulled out another cigarette.
"Sonata."
At the sound of her voice, the cyan girl turned to her sister with an adorable, puzzled look. "What?"
"Light."
Aria gestured to the cigarette in her fingers, never looking away from the road as she pushed her hand further towards her sister. Aria heard her fumble around a bit in the glove compartment before she heard a light, satisfied gasp then a soft click. She gave a quick look over to Sonata, giving her a thin smile before bringing the smoke to her lips and taking a long, greedy drag. Sonata just beamed wide.
None of it mattered now. They had been beaten. It'd just be better if they each could just forget and move on. Try to adapt to their new lives. But when you've lived the same way for the last ten life times, how do you just...change?
She had to learn how to change because after all, there was no going back.
Right?
Just then, the engine gave a rasping click and smoke belched from the hood of van.
Aria punched the steering wheel.
"Fuck!"
Author's Note
Just a little idea I had while watchin' the movie. Expect the second half soon.
We Will Be Adored
Aria's hair fell free from her head, unkempt and unrestricted by the rain pouring down on her. Her clothes clung tight to her frame, craning her body to reach into the engine. The hood above her at least kept her head roughly safe, she supposed.
With wrench in hand, she gave the bolt a firm pull, twisting it tight. She wiped her forehead with her arm, gritting her teeth realising that was about as useful as tits on a bull. She was saturated. Aria poked her head and signalled Sonata behind the wind-shield. She sat in the driver's seat, awaiting the green light. Aria's eyes narrowed, she was all high and dry in there.
"Alright, try it now!"
At that, Sonata gave the keys a quick flick. The van rasped, struggling to come to life but nothing came of it. All that did was belch out another puff of smoke right in Aria's face. Sonata just looked at Aria sadly and shrugged, shaking her head.
Aria's eye twitched. She gave an exasperate roar and slammed the hood down, walking around the van and kicking the slowly deflating tyres the hardest kick she could manage. She looked up at the rain, heaving in rage.
Part of her deep down thought it would be okay to cry and just blame it on the rain.
But she couldn't. She wasn't allowed to. She had to be strong. Sonata and Adagio were counting on her to be strong. It was her responsibility to carry the team now so she just had to be strong. For them.
But damn did she not want to right there and then.
With an angry motion, she ripped open the door.
"Scoot."
Sonata obediently hopped back over to her seat, watching Aria with curious, concerned eyes. Aria took the smouldering cigarette laying in the ash tray and took a slow drag, leaning back in her seat. There they were, on the side of the highway, practically miles away from anything. Neither one them had a working phone, they were either broken, dead or just discarded. Aria took a long survey of the supplies they had with them. Enough cash to get them through the next six months if they weren't lenient. About three days worth of food and some spare clothes and Adagio. Along with their band equipment which was still unbelievably in good condition. They weren't really all that bad off but a working fucking car would be cool too.
Aria sighed, slamming her head against the wheel. It wasn't like they out here for nothing. She had spent months calling and calling different places that would set them up with a gig. If Sonata wanted to be a rock band, what did they have to lose? You know, besides most of their savings on the gear they needed. Finally, finally she found a place that would let them play but it was practically across the fucking country.
So here she was. Broken down, powerless with cancer quickly building in her lungs and she was pretty sure that one of those human women cycles that she was forced to go through was fast approaching.
Life was good.
"Do...do you..."
She supposed maybe they could hitch a ride. Maybe she could utilize Sonata's adorableness. There was no way Adagio was going to do that sexy thing she does or used to do, rather.
"Do you feel that..?"
No, there was no way she was going to use Sonata. Last thing she wanted was to have some grease-stained trucker try and have his way with her. She needed her fingers intact to play guitar...will, maybe a right hook would work. It was only her left she needed to take care of nowadays.
"I can...it's close..."
Aria perked up at that, was that Adagio?
She looked back behind the seat only to see her big sister reaching for the slide door and pulling it open, letting the rain in.
"Dagi'?" Sonata asked, confused. Aria was just even more baffled. Not once had she ever seen Adagio move quite on her accord like that since.
Oh wait, she was running away.
Off to the side of the road was a treeline as far as the eye could see. A thick forest barely kept at bay by the asphalt pavement.
And Adagio was damn near sprinting into that dark wood.
"Adagio!"
Without wasting any time, Aria kicked open the door, swinging it wide open as she took off after her sister. She looked back at Sonata just as the cute little airhead jumped out of the van herself and followed suit. They ran after Adagio as she weaved through the trees and vines. Aria was shocked, never had she ever seen her move quite like this in all her life. If it wasn't for the sheer brightness and volume of her hair, Aria was sure they'd lose her.
"What's wrong with her?!" Sonata shouted.
Aria glared ahead of her, running as fast as she could. "I don't know!"
"Could she be-AH!"
Aria skidded to a halt, turning back to see Sonata laying on her back, wincing as she held her head in pain.
"Sonata!"
She sat up, rubbing her forehead. Aria spotted a bit of blood falling from behind her hand. Above the cyan girl was a low-hanging branch. She must have hit it. There was slight glare in her eyes before she stood up and started running again.
"I'm fine! We have to get 'Dagi!"
Aria couldn't help but just smile. Sonata was tougher than she looked.
After what felt like hours of running through the woods, they finally caught up to Adagio. As she bent down to catch her breath, exhausted, Aria looked up at her big sister. She was standing stock still in front of some cave entrance. The mouth was enclosed slightly by large boulders but there was a gap between them that allowed passage. Aria couldn't see Adagio's face, all she saw was the poofy orange hair that hung from her head. She could swear that it had regained some colour.
Aria noticed that the rain had finally stopped.
"Dagi'...where...are we?" Sonata panted, looking over at her oldest sister with a slight flare of anger mixed in with her concern.
Wait...something was strange about this place..
"Can't you feel it?" Adagio asked them, slowly she turned to face them. Aria recoiled slightly. There was a manic, teary grin spread out across the once borderline catatonic girl.
"Feel what...?" Aria asked, cautiously taking a step towards Sonata, never looking away from Adagio.
"It's...it's...calling to us..."
Adagio slowly walked to the mouth of the cave, sliding her body between the two boulders and disappearing inside. Aria and Sonata looked at eachother with worry before they each gave a silent nod. Aria didn't care that Sonata had taken her hand as they approached and entered the cave. Part of her needed it too. For all they knew, their big sister had finally snapped.
She was scared but she had to be strong. If Adagio really has gone insane, well...they're in a cave in the middle of nowhere...
Aria gulped, squeezing tighter on Sonata's hand.
"Aria..."
She looked down at her baby sister, her eyes were wide and her mouth agape in awe as she looked around the walls of the cave. Confused, Aria looked more closely, finding the luminescent stones embedded in the ceiling and walls. There was something...familiar in the air. Something invisible but she swore she could almost taste it.
And it tasted so good.
That's when it hit her. She looked back down at Sonata, wide eyed as the cyan girl stared back up, absolutely speechless.
"I knew it!"
They both looked up, finding Adagio standing in front of something. Something glowing. Such a familiar light. All they could was her unkempt fluffy hair as she rummaged around in something. Aria could hear her giggling. Snickering lowly like she used to. Just what was this place? What had Adagio found?
Sonata and Aria walked up alongside her and now saw what she saw. On a naturally formed podium sat seven tiny geodes. The was no doubt about it now, that was Equestrian magic. Not even an arm's length away sat the very thing that they craved more than anything and was also their downfall.
The gems' blinding light danced in Aria's eyes as she stared down at them. She was stuck. Just what was she meant to do?
She watched Adagio take two of them, leaving only five sitting together.
They were so beautiful. She may have just been a human now but you never forget the feeling of being so close to tangible Equestrian magic. She had almost...almost forgotten what it tasted like. It was delicious. It stirred something primal in her, brought her back to the days when she was still a demon of the sea in Equestria.
She barely noticed Sonata reaching down to take another two geodes away, leaving only three. Three for her to take.
Aria's hand hovered over the glowing gems. It was as if they were pulling her towards them, begging to be taken. Slowly, she curled her fingers around them. They were so warm, almost feeling like electricity was softly arcing furiously but softly in her palm.
She looked over at Adagio and Sonata, both of whom were smiling brightly at her. Sonata started giggling childishly like she used to. Adagio developed that trademark cocky grin of hers, a look Aria hadn't seen in ages. There was something in their eyes. Something that stirred a wide grin to spread on her face. It was like for the first time in forever, their lust for power had been sated.
Aria toothy grinned widened still as she watched their eyes slowly be enveloped by a lovely, glowing red. Their respective geodes flew out of their grip, forming into necklaces that coiled around their necks much like their old pendants did. Soon, their bodies were hoisted off the ground, a blinding light taken over them.
It felt so good. It felt so familiar.
"I feel..." Sonata grinned manically.
"Yes..." Adagio said huskily.
It came to each of them as naturally as breathing.
"Ahhh ahhh~ Ahhh ahhhhh~"
It was different this time. Their singing was more haunting, louder and...madder.
Aria loved it.
The glow filled her to the core. She felt her clothes give way as the magic weaved her new garments that would trult bring out who she was. All at once, they lit up the cave and sang.
Aria felt like a new born Siren.
"Ahhh~ AAHHHHHH~ HAHAHAHHAAHA!!"
The light gave way. Each of them lowered to the ground, adorned in their new attire. Adagio sported a spiked heels and a provacative red dress. The hem coming down just below her knee as the tribal accents adorning it glowed a fiery orange. She gave her shining hair a thorough shake, smiling sinisterly. Sonata's hair now swung around braided around her figure, the magic had conjured a dark purple duster coat to wrap around her striped crop-top and red skirt. Aria felt her head, the left side of her hair had been buzzed off, leaving only the right side to hand freely over her shoulder, the green stripes flooding with ebony. A black, spiked leather jacket hugged her arms tight. Her jeans had been repaired and now tightened around her legs.
Aria, Adagio and Sonata and all shared a maniacal grin as their fingers came to their necks, finding their new found pendants.
Just like that, there was the hunger. The hunger for more power.
And revenge.
With these, they could have it. No slip-ups. No mistakes this time. They got their voices back.
This whole would adore them.
And Sunset Shimmer and her pathetic friends would pay. Dearly.
"Shall we, girls?" Adagio smiled slyly, red flashing her eyes as she walked towards the mouth of the cave. Sonata following suit, chuckling.
Aria grinned. She wasn't scared anymore.
She lifted her hand, a cigarette magically conjuring between her fingers. A small purple flame sprouted from her thumb. Bringing it up to the bud, she lit it and took a long drag.
She will never be scared again.
Author's Note
It is implied that Adagio has a greater affinity for detecting magic.
