The Case of the Songless Sirens And The Wandering Strangerby Needling HaystacksChaptersChapter 1: Siren Swan SongChapter 2: Weird Times At Canterlot HighChapter 3: Back To The Past, Forward To The FutureChapter 4: Bat FamilyEpilogueChapter 1: Siren Swan SongChapter 1: Siren Swan Song When Sonata Dusk, Aria Blaze, and Adagio Dazzle's crystal necklaces broke and their voices cracked, they had fled. The students threw some fruit at them, but otherwise nearly all of them were happy to let them go unharmed. All but one. Unnoticed in the back of the stadium, one student was not happy. The student was a short female in jeans and shirt sleeves. A white flower was embroidered near the bottom of her shirt. All the students knew she had been at the school all year, but had they though about it none of them remembered anything specific she had done prior to a few weeks earlier. She went by different names in different worlds, but to the students of Canterlot High she was Pale Fire. She insisted on either the full name or "Fire", as she was not pale but dark blue. Fire was angry. She had been mentally violated, used! She clenched her fists and moved quickly after the sirens. She noticed another student who was watching them escape rather than keeping their attention on the stage. "Hey, you!" she said to him as she approached. "Yeah, red shirt! Come with me!" she said as she passed him. She did not confirm that he had followed, but hoped he had. Three on one were much worse odds than three on two. She could have tried to grab more, but they all seemed to still be a bit out of it, fixated on the people that had broken the siren's spell as they did something on stage. Fire did not really take note of that. She sprinted out of the stadium gate, glancing quickly behind her to see that the boy in the red shirt actually had followed her. Ahead, the three sirens were moving away at a jog. Their gait was uneven. Good. "Go right!" Fire shouted to red shirt as she poured on speed. The sirens glanced over their shoulders and their eyes widened. The one on the left, Fire thought her name was Aria, could not react fast enough and went down to Fire's full-body tackle. "Oof!" "Uhh... halt, evildoer!!" Red Shirt said. What was that about? Fire had managed to get Aria in a good hold and looked up to see that Red Shirt had basically just bear hugged the blue one. Fire thought her name was Sonata something. This left the third siren, who had some other music-themed name that Fire could not remember. This one had seemed to be their leader. Fire silently cursed her lack of foresight at not taking her out of the equation first. Fire braced for a struggle and hoped the leader valued her subordinates enough not to try anything too extreme. She need not have worried. The leader only looked from one pair to the other dejectedly. Fire noticed that Aria was making only a half-hearted attempt to struggle, while Sonata did not appear to be trying even that much. "Ok, you got us," the leader said. Adagio was her name: Fire had just remembered. "But you can see we can't cause trouble anymore." Adagio looked down at her necklace, now sans gem. "So what's the harm in letting us go?" Adagio sounded very tired, as if she had run a marathon after staying awake for two days straight. Or maybe like an older person who has gotten tired of life. Fire felt a pang of sympathy but she shook her head. "Sorry, it doesn't work like that here," Fire said, "You've shown that given the ability, you'll cause trouble. Even without magic, there are plenty of ways you could do it. That means you're going to jail." Adagio sighed. "Well, I guess life here could not get anymore pointless," she said. She held out her hands. "Well Spades?" she asked, looking at Red Shirt, "We all know you've got some handcuffs or batcuffs or whatever on you." Fire raised an eyebrow at Red Shirt, who apparently was named Spades. "Er, I didn't have a chance to grab my backback," he said sheepishly, "And I thought it would be a little strange to hang those on my utility belt." He looked at Fire as best he could without letting go. "I have a glue bomb but I don't think that would work. I have a little rope left, but I'm not sure it's enough for all three of them?" "So you're letting us down, too, Spades?" Sonata said. Was that a joke? Fire wondered. Spades, Fire noticed, had loosened his grips. She looked directly at him and shook her head. He looked puzzled for a moment but when she looked down at his hands, he hastily switched to holding Sonata's arms behind her back. Fire likewise shifted her hold on Aria, ultimately winding up twisting one of Aria's arms behind her back in a position where it would be easy to break it if anyone tried anything. "I don't know that I would have said this a few days ago," Spades said, "But do they really have to go to jail? They can't do their singing thing anymore, and they let me go when they didn't have to." Fire glowered. "So they can show a small amount of sympathy. They magically controlled the thoughts and feelings of dozens, if not hundreds, of people, and that's just what we know of!" Her voice lowered to a growl. "That's far too close to rape for me to just let that go." The look in her eyes was dangerous. Spades had heard the expression 'a clouded face', but he had never seen one that promised a hurricane before. "Mmph," Fire grunted as a new and unpleasant thought occured to her, "On the other hand, I doubt mind control is a crime anyone bothered to write laws for here. I guess it would be inciting a riot? Might get off light for that. If we could even prove it..." "I hadn't thought of that. What would Batman do in this situation?" Spades wondered aloud. Fire rolled her eyes. "Like nah NAH nah NAH nah NAH nah NAH Batman! You have that here?" "Yes, but that's not my favorite version," Spades said, his grip loosening again as he started to geek out, "I much prefer the Dark Knight." Fire glared at him again and he both stopped talking and loosened his grip. "Was... that a song?" Adagio asked. She looked puzzled. "Yeah, for an old Batman TV show," Spades said. "I think she means..." Aria said slowly, as if working something out, "Was that music?" "Oh come on!" Fire said indignantly, "I know it was not the best rendition, but it was at least recognizable!" Sonata tilted her head. "So there were like, notes and everything?" "Of course there were...! Wait..." Fire narrowed her eyes at Sonata. She then looked to Adagio, then to the one she had a grip on. "Try this..." Fire began. She sang the hymn version of the Ode to Joy, but on 'la's so as to not use any words. "Recognize it?" she asked, watching Adagio closely but also feeling for Aria's reactions as best she could. "What?" Adagio asked, "That was just a bunch of..." she stopped. "What was that?" "The Ode to Joy?" Spades said, "Even I know that. It's like the most famous tune in the world!" Aria was shaking. "We've... heard it," Aria said, "But that was just..." "N...*sob* noise," Sonata said. Sonata started crying in earnest. Aria went limp and despite her efforts to suppress her sobs, they were still clear. Fire saw tears running down her cheeks. Adagio, the only one standing on her own power, collapsed to her knees. Fire caught a glint of tears, but unlike the others she did not cry. The look she had was one Fire had seem before. Someone beyond tears, who has given up hope to the point that even the natural urge to cry for catharsis is gone from them. Fire's eyes widened as she realized what this meant. She released her grip in shock. Spades released Sonata and hesitantly put his left hand on her right shoulder. He glanced at Fire questioningly. Pale Fire stood stock still, staring back with wide eyes. Spades, seeing no help there, patted Sonata's back awkwardly. "Er, there there," he said, "It'll be alright." "No... it... won't," Sonata got out between sobs. "I..." Fire started to say before halting. After a moment, she began again. "Just... just go." The trio turned to look at her. Sonata's sobs lessened. Fire turned her head, not wanting to look. "Maybe... maybe there's something that can help you," Spades said, "Somewhere in the world or... maybe those girls with the weird powers can do something?" At this, Adagio's head snapped around to look at Spades. "No," she said with an attempt at a growl as she got to her feet. Her voice broke a little so it was not very menacing. "But... Adagio," Sonata said, "Maybe... maybe they can..." "I said no!" Adagio said, stronger this time, "Even if they didn't banish or imprison us somewhere else, they won't want to help us! We started this as sisters..." "And we'll continue as sisters," Aria said with a nod, straightening up. Adagio looked skeptically at fire, then at Spades. As she looked at him, her expression softened. "Thanks," Adagio said, though it was not clear who she was addressing. The other two each took one of Sonata's hands, lifted her up off her knees, and the three moved in the opposite direction of the stadium. They started slowly, but soon progressed to a jog. After watching for a moment, Spades walked over to Fire. "So, what happened to them?" Spades asked, "Why were they so upset?" He noticed that the strange girl, whose name he still had not gotten, was tearing up. She swiped at her eyes before answering. "It's... they can't hear music anymore..." she started hesitantly. It was something more easily grasped intuitively than explained. She could tell from Spades' face that he was not getting it. "Ok, just... imagine if everything you heard, the sweetest music, your lover's voice... errr, or parents' voices," she said as she considered his age and apparent social standing. "My... parents are dead," he said, looking at the ground. "Well, hopefully you still remember their voices. But imagine if that, even in memory, were replaced with nails on a chalkboard. Actually, I guess it's more banal... like say the hum of an air conditioner," Fire said. Spades considered this. "Well, I guess that would be pretty bad, but there are people who are completely deaf." "Yes, but they don't define themselves by their ability to hear music. Think of it like Beethoven, and he had time to get used to it. Think... think of if you were defined by just one thing, and suddenly you didn't have that thing anymore. That's where they're at now," she said. Realization dawned on Spades' face. "Ooh. So... I'm gonna sound like a total nerd... and I guess I am... but like when Bane paralyzed Batman? Now, he got better but... Bruce just wasn't himself if he couldn't be Batman." "I don't think I've read that one, but you seem to have the idea," Fire said dryly. She glanced back towards the stadium. Students were beginning to file out. The Sonic Rainbooms must have finished their encore. She bit her lower lip in thought. "Errr, so..." Spades began, unsure what to do. Fire nodded and glanced back at the stadium. "I would love to hear how those Sirens or whatever were on a first name basis with you, Spades," she said, "But right now I have to catch those magical girls or whatever they are before the purple one leaves again." "That's actually my last name," Spades said when Fire paused, "My name's Jim." He held out a hand uncertainly. Fire looked at it for a moment before she shook it. "Pale Fire. Look, I gotta go do this. You got a... what's it called... cell phone? Just give me your number and I'll get the story later." "Uhhh... sure," he said, momentarily thrown by the fact that she apparently was not sure what a cell phone was called, "It's..." She held up a hand. "Wait... crud no pen," she said, patting her pockets, "...and I left my backpack inside." She looked over at the stadium, then back at him. "Actually, so did I," Jim said, "So I guess we both gotta go back in anyway?" "Right, just don't bolt," she said, fixing him with a stern stare and then turning back towards the stadium. Chapter 2: Weird Times At Canterlot HighChapter 2: Weird Times At Canterlot High Jim Spades followed Pale Fire into the stadium, but while he went up to his seat to retrieve his bag, she went up on stage to talk to the Sonic Rainbooms. He glanced that way as he rooted through his things for paper and pen. He then had a thought. Of course! He had already written out a full explanation. All he had to do was link her to it. Jim looked up as he found what he was looking for. He could not hear what was said, but the discussion seemed to be involved. Fire held up a finger, then pointed towards him. A moment later he started down, meeting her halfway. "Hey, I gotta get their numbers. Write down yours and I'll get back in touch later." "Sure, but I just remembered I wrote up an account of what happened to me," he said, "If you give me your e-mail, I can just send that to you." Fire scratched the back of her head. "Well, I don't actually have an e-mail address," she said. Jim boggled at this. "Seriously? How does that even work?" Fire grimaced. "Look, it's a long story. I'll get one. Just give me your number and I'll text you. Hurry up about it." She curled her fingers up twice in a 'hurry up and give it' gesture. Jim quickly wrote down his number, hoping it was legible, and handed her the piece of paper. She snatched the pen out o fhis hand and turned back towards the stage too fast for Jim to react. "Sorry, I'll get it back to you!" she called over her shoulder, quickly walking towards the Rainbooms. Jim was not sure what to make of that, but he supposed it was only a pen. He lingered for a moment, unsure what to do, until his phone chimed. "Nana-nana nana-nana na-na na-na Batman!" That text notification could be a bit embarassing. He checked and saw Fire had texted that she would contact him later. He decided this was a polite way of suggesting he not stick around. Up on stage, Pale Fire was attempting to explain her situation. "Alright, so if someone could give me their number?" she said. "Ooh, ooh, pick me, pick me!" the pink one, who Fire thought was called Pinkie. That was a bit too on the nose. "Err, sure," Fire said, handing the pen and paper to Pinkie. After a second's hesitation, she added, "Oh, and I borrowed that pen, so don't forget to give it back." "Maybe you should finish explainin', sugar," Apple... tini, was it?... said. Oh wait, Applejack. She knew it was a booze reference. "You said you needed our help with somethin'?" "Right," Fire said with a nod, "It's just a little hard to explain. You see, I'm from another dimension, like Twilight and Sunset there. Did I get the names right?" Twilight and Sunset glanced at each other. "Yes," Twilight confirmed, "So you're from Equestria?" "Actually no," Fire said, "A third dimension, somewhere else. There are a very, very large number of dimensions. It might even be an inifinite number... I'm not sure." "Uh, is infinite even a number?" Rainbow Fash or Slash or whatever asked. "In a manner of speaking," Twilight said, "It's quite fascinating, actually..." "Twilight?" Sunset interrupted, "I don't think that's the point here." "Oh, sorry," Twilight said, blushing slighltly. "So what's up? There some other bad guy whose butt we need to kick?" Rainbow asked, cracking her knuckles. "Possibly?" Fire responded, "There are rules to this sort of thing, though. I'm honestly not sure if you'll be able to help." "Hmmm... so there are limits to interdimensional travel? But since you came here... is it the number of people?" Twilight said. She looked Fire up and down, as if searching for what made her unique. "No... well, yes, sometimes, but that's not the primary issue here," Fire said, "Alright, let me try and explain this as succinctly as I can..." Later, in the school library, Pale Fire crept out of her hiding place. She was not crazy about the sleeping accomodations, but she did not have a lot of options. Besides, it was that Twilight who had given her the idea in the first place. The security at this school was just the worst. She had been staying here for weeks and no one had noticed yet. She supposed she COULD have managed to find something better, whether by scrounging together money or with some clever scheme, but she had been fairly certain the targets were in or near this school (and she had been right), so it seemed simplest. Her meeting with those seven girls had gone about as well as could be expected. She had agreed to follow Twilight into her world by her own methods to enlist the help of the people... sorry, ponies there. Fire groaned to herself as she remembered the dawning realization. That other world was one she had been too before. It had its advantages: largly peaceful, fairly high magic, and a rather loose economic system that allowed plenty of opportunities for a vagabond like herself (she was growing fond of that word). However, the whimsy of it got on her nerves. What was she, ten years old? That was an annoyance for another time. Right now, she had work to do. Fire took out her phone (or at least, what functioned like a phone in this world), started up a school computer, and set to it. Setting up an e-mail address was simple enough, and a text to that Jim guy was answered fairly quickly. Soon she had the promised account in front of her, and she began to read. The text she read is recorded elsewhere, and so it will not be recounted here. The next morning, Pale Fire examined the statue that the Rainbooms had told her served as the portal between worlds. She tapped on it experimentally. It seemed, to all intents and purposes, to be an ordinary statue. The portal was apparently in the pedestal, so was the statue on top even necessary? And what would happen if the pedestal were moved? Would the portal move with it, or would it now be suspended in midair? She would have to ask about that when she met with them later. First, however... "Hey, there you are!" Jim Spades called from the sidewalk as he walked up, "Why did you want to meet here on a Saturday?" Pale Fire looked up from her examination. "Because I live in the school, obviously," she said casually. She carefully maintained a blank face so he would not know if she was joking or not. "Huh. Really?" he asked curiously. Pale Fire sighed. Apparently, some people were too simple to pick up on false irony. Or... wait, did that follow? Whatever, it gave her a lead-in. "Yes," she said with a nod, "You see, I'm an interdimensional traveller. That means I generally don't have much money." She paused for a moment. "Plus, this school has like, the WORST security." Jim tilted his head, a puzzled look on his face. "Are you making fun of me?" he asked. Pale Fire shook her head, "Actually, no, though I was hoping you'd think I was. As it is, I'm guessing you won't be that surprised when I show you this." Pale Fire took her cell phone out of her pocket and held it out to one side in some sort of anime or sentai pose. As Jim watched, it stretched out like taffy. It's color and texture changed to that of wood, and within moments Fire was holding a walking stick about the same size as her. "Woah!" he exlaimed, "So you're magic like those other girls?" "Eh, not quite," Fire said. With a flick of her wrist, the staff started to contract and soon she was holding a cell phone again. "Their magic comes from one dimension over. I'm from one much further away." "Huh... so it's a multiverse kind of thing, like Crisis on Infinite Earths? Like, their dimension's vibrational frequency is just a bit off from ours, but yours is way different?" Fire rolled her eyes. "Ok, first off, that vibrational thing is a load. That's not how matter works. However..." She thought about it for a second. "Ok, so it's wrong but it's at least a good enough picture that it saves me some time explaining. I gathered from your little story that you're big into Batman? He's not the biggest on multiverses I don't think." Jim nodded, then looked at her curiously. "You're into Batman, too?" She shrugged. "Well, my brother was, and I read his stuff. I do like that Morrison fellow. I looked into it last night and it seems like this dimension's comics aren't too different from those in mine." Jim then asked the other question that had sprung to mind. "So are you some sort of interdimensional cop or hero or something? Were you after Sonata, Aria, and Adagio?" "Well, not exaaactly," Fire said, waving her hand in an 'eh' gesture. "Here, take a seat and I'll fill you in." She gestured at the ground. Jim looked around and there were no seats. He moved back from the statue and sat cross-legged on the grass. Fire stood with her hands behind her back and began. Author's Note The record mentioned in the text is the preview, if you couldn't tell. Overall, this is my least favorite chapter of this. I thought of folding it together with the next one, but this way kinda isolates all the awkward set-up. I always have trouble with that. Chapter 3: Back To The Past, Forward To The FutureChapter 3: Back To The Past, Forward To The Future "Long ago, in a distant land..." "Does this have anything to do with a shapeshifter?" Jim interrupted, though showing some courtesty by raising his hand as he did so. "What? No. Well... sort of but that's not the point," Fire said, looking confused, "Why'd you even...? No you know what, just don't interrupt." "So as I was saying," Fire began again, "Long ago in a distant land, there was a young woman... And just so you don't ask, yes I'm talking about me. Well this woman was... going through a rough patch. But then one day, an angel appeared, and offered her the chance to see worlds she had never even dreamed of. I won't go through everything I've done since then, but let's just say I'm older than I look. Age doesn't translate between some world. Anyway, after a long journey and many adventures, I found an interesting world where I made some friends. Plus I could fly. What's not to like about that? But then one time I visited... something else had come to that world." Fire paused here and furrowed her brow in a grim expression. "He said he was a god from another universe, and I guess in the polytheistic sense he'd qualify. We fought back but..." Fire mimed some punches for emphasis. "It wasn't enough. A friend of mine kind of died... long story... as did several others I care somewhat less about. When I saw that he had won... I fled. Since then, I've been traveling the universes, finding people or objects with powers that I think might help. Since universes have asynchronous time flows, I should be able to make it back to that universe without too much time having passed there. There's some restrictions, but I stayed there long enough to find out that that thing wasn't planning on destroying the universe right away. He captured a lot of people alive, which could mean several things but mostly it means I have some time." Fire took a deep breath and plopped down heavily on the grass facing Jim. "Well, that's as much detail as I feel like giving," she said, "You might be able to guess the rest. I came here to try to find a source of power that seems to be that band. I talked to them earlier trying to figure out a way for them to help." Fire stopped here and looked at Jim. Jim felt that she expected him to say something. "Wow," was what he came up with. When she grimaced, he added, "But why are you telling me? I don't think I can do anything to help..." "Heh, yeah, that's true," Fire said with a shrug. "A few reasons. First, you gave me the information I wanted to know about those Sirens. That was more curiosity than anything else, but I still appreciated it and it seemed only fair to tell my story since you told me yours. Second... Hmm..." Fire looked off into the air thoughtfully. "Ok, first off... I've done a lot of thinking about this myself but I want a second opinion. What do you think will happen to the Sirens?" "Huh," Jim said, blinking, "I... hadn't thought about it. But they lost something really precious to them..." He gasped. "You don't think they'd...?" "Mmm," Fire murmured with a grimace. "Maybe... maybe." "Well then, I guess I should do something," Jim said, a serious expression on his face. Fire thought about that for a moment and then her lips twitched into a smile. "Heh...heh...hahaha!" Fire started with a chuckle and finished laughing loudly, clutching at her sides. It was infectious, and Jim started to laugh, too, but he did not really know why. "Heh... sorry, sorry," Fire said, wiping a tear from her eye, still grinning, "That was just... so appropriate and so ironic. And maybe, but first, let me ask you a question. What is the first truth of the Batman?" "Uhhh..." Jim said, blinking uncertainly. "Is it...to bring justice to the oppressed so that no child ever have to suffer the tragedy of senseless violence the way he did? " "Heh," Fire chuckled, "That's again so appropriate for you and so ironic. Also, wrong." Jim cocked his head. "What? Why?" Fire shook her head, still smiling. "Well, because that's a GOAL, not a truth. In this one story... Well, Bruce had this whole spirit journey thing and he had to realize what the first truth of the Batman was, one he didn't like to admit. Back at the beginning, who was there?" "Commissioner Gordon," Jim said immediately. "...I don't actually know the history, so maybe? But in continuity, not the publishing history, Alfred," Fire said, "So, the first truth of the Batman?" Fire's face adopted a solemn expression and she looked Jim square in the eye. "He was never alone." Jim thought about that. "Heavy stuff," he said, "But yeah, that makes sense." Fire shrugged. "Yeah," she said, "That's what life is, sometimes. Heavy. More to the point... Here, hold out your hand." She held out her own hand, palm-upward. "Like this." Jim hesitantly complied. Where was this headed? Fire fished for something in her pocket, and her hand came out with something clenched tight in it. "Ok, let's do this right," she said. Fire cleared her throat. "Jim Spades of Earth," she began. Jim's eyes widened. Wait, what...? "You have the ability to overcome great despair." Jim's expression turned confused. That was... what were those words? He was pretty sure he had not read them in any Green Lantern comics. "I do not know if you will ever be able to use this, but..." Fire dropped a light blue object into Jim's open hand. "Welcome to the Blue Lantern Corps." Jim carefully held the ring up. It seemed perfectly ordinary. It appeared to be a well-made replica, like the Green Lantern ring he had. But then, what was that all about? Was she making fun of him? Slowly, he tried to put the ring on. But it was too small to fit on his ring finger, or even his pinky. "Oooh," Fire said with a wince, "I was afraid of that. It doesn't work right in this dimension, so it doesn't auto-resize." Seeing his skeptical look, she sighed. "Look, I know that even with all that's happened, this is a leap. It's up to you whether you want to believe me, but that's the real deal. It's just... objects in one dimension don't always work, or don't work correctly, in another." "Well... Ok," he said hesitantly, casting about for what to do with it. "Oh, hold on," Fire said. She opened her backpack and fished around in it for a moment. She came out with a simple metal chain necklace. She gestured with her hand and Jim reluctantly handed over the ring. She strung it on the chain, latched it, and handed it back to him. "I know it's not manly or whatever," she said, "but wear it around your neck and you can at least keep track of it. To be clear, this isn't me making a pass at you or anything." Jim blushed slightly as he put the new necklace on. "I didn't think it was!" he protested. "Right, right," Fire said dismissively, waving off the notion. "Now look, if I can make this work, and that's a big if, one day, that ring will start to glow. When that happens, find those Rainboom girls and say the oath. I think you know or can figure it out, but it should in theory tell you. If we're very lucky, that will transport all of you to where you are needed." "Oh," Jim said, looking down in disappointment, "So I'm a taxi service?" Fire raised her eyebrows in surprise. "What? No, of course not. We'll need people who can think laterally and do crazy things. Judging by your account, I think you'll qualify. But I do want to be clear, that's not a condition. That ring is yours, no matter what you decide to do if and when the time comes. Because it will be dangerous, and you're just a kid. I'd rather not see you killed, and if it comes to it I would prefer you stay out of the thick but... Well, if that thing I ran from has it's way, it'll be on to more dimensions sooner or later. Best to stop it before it does even more damage." Jim nodded along as she spoke, a feeling of excitement welling up in him, even though he was not sure what to make of it. This would be something he would have to think about. "Now then," Fire said, standing up and brushing off her hands and bottom, "I have an appointment to make but I do believe you have somewhere to be as well?" Jim started and stood up himself. "I do...? Oh!" His eyes lit up in realization. "I got so sidetracked I almost forgot! But where would they even be?" He put hand to his chin in thoguht. "Hmmm," Fire put her fist to her chin and looked at the ground in a similar gesture. "Well... There are two broad possibilities. Either they would be trying to get as close to music as possible to try and regain what they lost or as far away from music as possible to avoid the reminder." She looked up at Jim. "I think you know them better than me, so you're on your own from there." Jim's face looked troubled. Come on, world's greatest detective. This was exactly the sort of thing that meant. After a moment, his eyes lit up. "Ok," he said with a definitive nod, "I think I should hurry." He started off in one direction, then turned back and waved. "And don't worry!" he said, "I'll remember when the time comes!" "If it does!" Fire said back, "If this part of my plan doesn't work like I hope... well, if I can I'll come back and let you know how it went." Jim walked backwards a few steps, uncertain what to say, but then settled on "Good luck" before he turned and picked up the pace. "Good luck," Fire said, returning the sentiment, before heading off to Sugar Cube Corner and hopefully her introduction to the heroines on the other side of the portal. Author's Note Here we go. Not my best work, but I want to get this done before I lose my inspiration entirely. Also, I wanna go on to the next thing. There's an epilogue coming as soon as I figure out a few details. Chapter 4: Bat FamilyChapter 4: Bat Family Sirens in Greek mythology sang on a rock in the middle of the ocean, Jim thought, going over his line of reasoning more closely as he rode his bike, Plus, those energy forms looked aquatic. The ocean is nowhere near here, but there are ponds. And at a field trip in elementary school, we saw one that had a small island in the middle of it. It took a good fifteen or so minutes to get to the turn-off by bike. No paved roads led there, just a dirt one through a gate marked "Private." Jim stopped here and thought. On the one hand, a bike was more likely to get him noticed on the way in, and if he was wrong it would be hard to explain why he was there. On the other hand, if he left the bike here, someone could notice it left there and take action. Judging the latter to be the greater danger, Jim maneuvered his bike around the gate on foot and rode it the fairly short distance to the pond. The Sirens were not out on the island, which was a good fifty yards or so out, but were by the shore. There was a small house near the dock. Adagio sat on the porch steps looking at the ground. Aria leaned against a tree and stared out over the lake. Sonata skipped a rock across the pond, but only managed two skips. "Awww," Sonata said dejectedly, kicking at the ground. All three of them looked a bit dejected, come to it, although Aria was also angry. "Must you?" Aria asked irritatedly, glancing at Sonata. "No, but what else is there to do?" Sonata said, a touch brighter than she had sounded the previous day. "Oh, leave her alone," Adagio said without looking up. Aria turned her glare on their leader. "Why? We have nothing now! No magic, not even music! And it was YOUR stupid plan that got us here!" Aria said. Adagio looked up at her. Her eyes were red and puffy. "Then go do what you want," she said. She looked back down. "It doesn't matter anyway." Aria bit her lower lip. Sonata looked nervously between her sisters. It was then she noticed Jim getting off his bike. "Hey, it's that Bat-guy! He-eey!" she called, waving at him. Jim had not been able to hear the preceding conversation, but from the actions and expressions he had been able to see he got the general idea. "Err, hey," he said, raising his hand weakly as he left his bike and walked over. The other two girls turned to look at him. "What do you want?" Adagio asked resignedly, "Changed your mind and come to take us to jail or whatever?" "Or did you just want to gloat?" Aria added. "Neither," Jim said, coming to a stop roughly equidistant from all three, "Actually... well..." "Don't tell me you're going to declare your love for us or something," Aria said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. She had gone back to leaning on the tree, arms crossed over her chest. "Awww, that would be kinda sweet, though," Sonata said, though her usual cheer sounded forced. Jim shifted awkwardly. "Not that either. Actually..." He paused and looked at the house. "Are you three living here?" "Yeah, well, when our magic left, our landlord stopped being under our spell," Adagio said, "We went looking for some water because... Well, because we're Sirens. No one seems to be using this place, so..." "Ah," Jim said. He looked between the three. "Well, I was looking for you because I was worried." Aria snorted. Sonata tilted her head curiously. Adagio spoke. "Yeah, always gotta be the hero, don't you? Well don't worry, we'll figure something out. I mean, if we've lost our magic we've probably only got a few decades to live anyway." Sonata and Aria looked at her in surprise. Jim furrowed his brow and thought about this. "So, you've been in this world for... decades? Centuries?" "I don't know, it all looks the same after awhile," Sonata said with a shrug, "Either of you keep track?" "Not really. Time feels different here compared to back home, if that makes sense," Adagio said, "But at least a hundred years." Jim whistled softly. "So you didn't age? Kinda like Ras Al Ghul or Vandal Savage?" "I don't know who those are?" Aria said with some bite, "But no, as long as we could steal energy, we didn't age. I guess we do now... I hadn't really thought about it." "Yeah, but you've got the same problem they did. All that time and you never really did anything with it. You just... stopped moving," Jim said. Aria opened her mouth as if to say something, probably something sarcastic, but stopped and closed it again. After a moment she answered. "You may have a point." "Yeah and everything before fast food came along was pretty boring anyway," Sonata said. "Without magic you need to be careful not to eat too much of it," Jim said. Then he shook his head. "But that's not the point. I also came with a suggestion. If you don't have a place to stay, you could come stay at my Aunt and Uncle's. Errr, as long as you don't mind sharing a room." He paused for a second before adding, "I mean, the three of you sharing a room. I'd be in a different room, in case that needed saying." Sonata and Aria looked shocked. Adagio sneered. "Yeah, I'm sure you'd like that. Pretty girls under your roof and keeping your enemies close all at once." "Oh come on, don't be like that," Sonata said. "Hey, it's not like that!" Jim protested, "It's just... well, Batman needs a Robin, right?" "Or three!" Sonata said with a giggle. "There have actually been five Robins," Jim said, "Six if you count 'The Dark Knight Returns.'" Aria rolled her eyes. "You are such a nerd." Adagio glared at Aria, then at Jim. "Why should we? What's in it for us?" "Not sleeping in an abandoned house with no power or running water, duh," Sonata said. "I hate to admit it, but she's right," Aria said grudingly. "Besides," she added, "YOU said we could do whatever we wanted." Adagio threw up her hands. "Fine! If that's what you two want, I guess we'll go live with this Aunt whoever." Aria rolled her eyes. "Don't do us any favors," she said. "Or do, that would be a nice change," Sonata said. "It's an expression!" Aria snapped. Adagio sighed and looked at Jim. "You see what I put up with?" she said, "I hope you know what you're getting yourself into." Jim's hand went to his chest, where the blue ring was concealed under his shirt. "Not a clue," he said with a grin, "Oh, and it's Aunt Cassie and Uncle Todd." Adagio finally stood up. "Right, guess we'll have to learn that." "Errr, yeah and actually... I haven't talked to them about this yet," Jim said. "WHAT?!" Aria and Adagio exclaimed together. "Yeah I kinda just decided this on the way over... but I think I can convince them," he said, "They're really nice." "And if nothing else we can just sing to them," Sonata said. "Oh, wait..." Her expression fell as her sisters glared at her. "Sonata, you do the best sob story," Adagio said, "So you go with Bat-nerd here while Aria and I try and get our stuff from the last place we stayed." "Yeah we DID kind of leave in a hurry," Aria said. "Huh, I guess you would have a few things after all this time," Jim said, "I mean, even if you could hypnotize people for everything, it would be inconvenient." Aria rolled her eyes. Sonata giggled. "So come on, let's go!" she said, grabbing Jim's wrist and starting to drag him along, despite the fact that she had no clue where they were going. "Wait, wait," he said, "Before all that, I might have some good news." Sonata stopped at looked back at him. "Yeah?" "Yeah," he said with a nod and a grin. "I did some research and found out that the inability to hear music is rare in this world but occurs enough to have a name. It's called amusia, and while it's not usually caused by magic... well, as far as I know..." "So there's a cure?" Adagio said, sounding genuinely hopeful. Up until now the best she had managed had been annoyance or bossiness. Aria and Sonata also perked up. "Errr, no, not exactly," Jim said. The Sirens visibly deflated. "Errr, but there are treatments that are being tried," he said, "And it's nothing too expensive so maybe...?" Aria sighed. "Great." "Well," Jim said., "If nothing else, it's something to hope for." He grinned at his joke, though it was probably not one they would get. "Yep!" Sonata said bright, still gripping Jim's wrist, "Now let's go!" As Sonata dragged Jim away again, Jim fingered the blue ring through his shirt with his free hand. If it ever did work, he thought, which of the three would make the best candidate for the next Lantern in the chain? EpilogueSome time later, whether months or years, Jim slept in his bed, down the hall from his three adopted sisters. In the dark, a ring he had worn around his neck all that time glowed a soft blue. Into the quiet of the night slipped a gentle voice. Hope. Author's Note And here's the end. I had the epilogue in mind for awhile, but it took me awhile to figure out how to make it work with the previous chapter. I think what I settled on works pretty well. Also thought about putting this as part of the last chapter but it really is an epilogue and not a proper part of that chapter.
Chapter 1: Siren Swan SongChapter 1: Siren Swan Song When Sonata Dusk, Aria Blaze, and Adagio Dazzle's crystal necklaces broke and their voices cracked, they had fled. The students threw some fruit at them, but otherwise nearly all of them were happy to let them go unharmed. All but one. Unnoticed in the back of the stadium, one student was not happy. The student was a short female in jeans and shirt sleeves. A white flower was embroidered near the bottom of her shirt. All the students knew she had been at the school all year, but had they though about it none of them remembered anything specific she had done prior to a few weeks earlier. She went by different names in different worlds, but to the students of Canterlot High she was Pale Fire. She insisted on either the full name or "Fire", as she was not pale but dark blue. Fire was angry. She had been mentally violated, used! She clenched her fists and moved quickly after the sirens. She noticed another student who was watching them escape rather than keeping their attention on the stage. "Hey, you!" she said to him as she approached. "Yeah, red shirt! Come with me!" she said as she passed him. She did not confirm that he had followed, but hoped he had. Three on one were much worse odds than three on two. She could have tried to grab more, but they all seemed to still be a bit out of it, fixated on the people that had broken the siren's spell as they did something on stage. Fire did not really take note of that. She sprinted out of the stadium gate, glancing quickly behind her to see that the boy in the red shirt actually had followed her. Ahead, the three sirens were moving away at a jog. Their gait was uneven. Good. "Go right!" Fire shouted to red shirt as she poured on speed. The sirens glanced over their shoulders and their eyes widened. The one on the left, Fire thought her name was Aria, could not react fast enough and went down to Fire's full-body tackle. "Oof!" "Uhh... halt, evildoer!!" Red Shirt said. What was that about? Fire had managed to get Aria in a good hold and looked up to see that Red Shirt had basically just bear hugged the blue one. Fire thought her name was Sonata something. This left the third siren, who had some other music-themed name that Fire could not remember. This one had seemed to be their leader. Fire silently cursed her lack of foresight at not taking her out of the equation first. Fire braced for a struggle and hoped the leader valued her subordinates enough not to try anything too extreme. She need not have worried. The leader only looked from one pair to the other dejectedly. Fire noticed that Aria was making only a half-hearted attempt to struggle, while Sonata did not appear to be trying even that much. "Ok, you got us," the leader said. Adagio was her name: Fire had just remembered. "But you can see we can't cause trouble anymore." Adagio looked down at her necklace, now sans gem. "So what's the harm in letting us go?" Adagio sounded very tired, as if she had run a marathon after staying awake for two days straight. Or maybe like an older person who has gotten tired of life. Fire felt a pang of sympathy but she shook her head. "Sorry, it doesn't work like that here," Fire said, "You've shown that given the ability, you'll cause trouble. Even without magic, there are plenty of ways you could do it. That means you're going to jail." Adagio sighed. "Well, I guess life here could not get anymore pointless," she said. She held out her hands. "Well Spades?" she asked, looking at Red Shirt, "We all know you've got some handcuffs or batcuffs or whatever on you." Fire raised an eyebrow at Red Shirt, who apparently was named Spades. "Er, I didn't have a chance to grab my backback," he said sheepishly, "And I thought it would be a little strange to hang those on my utility belt." He looked at Fire as best he could without letting go. "I have a glue bomb but I don't think that would work. I have a little rope left, but I'm not sure it's enough for all three of them?" "So you're letting us down, too, Spades?" Sonata said. Was that a joke? Fire wondered. Spades, Fire noticed, had loosened his grips. She looked directly at him and shook her head. He looked puzzled for a moment but when she looked down at his hands, he hastily switched to holding Sonata's arms behind her back. Fire likewise shifted her hold on Aria, ultimately winding up twisting one of Aria's arms behind her back in a position where it would be easy to break it if anyone tried anything. "I don't know that I would have said this a few days ago," Spades said, "But do they really have to go to jail? They can't do their singing thing anymore, and they let me go when they didn't have to." Fire glowered. "So they can show a small amount of sympathy. They magically controlled the thoughts and feelings of dozens, if not hundreds, of people, and that's just what we know of!" Her voice lowered to a growl. "That's far too close to rape for me to just let that go." The look in her eyes was dangerous. Spades had heard the expression 'a clouded face', but he had never seen one that promised a hurricane before. "Mmph," Fire grunted as a new and unpleasant thought occured to her, "On the other hand, I doubt mind control is a crime anyone bothered to write laws for here. I guess it would be inciting a riot? Might get off light for that. If we could even prove it..." "I hadn't thought of that. What would Batman do in this situation?" Spades wondered aloud. Fire rolled her eyes. "Like nah NAH nah NAH nah NAH nah NAH Batman! You have that here?" "Yes, but that's not my favorite version," Spades said, his grip loosening again as he started to geek out, "I much prefer the Dark Knight." Fire glared at him again and he both stopped talking and loosened his grip. "Was... that a song?" Adagio asked. She looked puzzled. "Yeah, for an old Batman TV show," Spades said. "I think she means..." Aria said slowly, as if working something out, "Was that music?" "Oh come on!" Fire said indignantly, "I know it was not the best rendition, but it was at least recognizable!" Sonata tilted her head. "So there were like, notes and everything?" "Of course there were...! Wait..." Fire narrowed her eyes at Sonata. She then looked to Adagio, then to the one she had a grip on. "Try this..." Fire began. She sang the hymn version of the Ode to Joy, but on 'la's so as to not use any words. "Recognize it?" she asked, watching Adagio closely but also feeling for Aria's reactions as best she could. "What?" Adagio asked, "That was just a bunch of..." she stopped. "What was that?" "The Ode to Joy?" Spades said, "Even I know that. It's like the most famous tune in the world!" Aria was shaking. "We've... heard it," Aria said, "But that was just..." "N...*sob* noise," Sonata said. Sonata started crying in earnest. Aria went limp and despite her efforts to suppress her sobs, they were still clear. Fire saw tears running down her cheeks. Adagio, the only one standing on her own power, collapsed to her knees. Fire caught a glint of tears, but unlike the others she did not cry. The look she had was one Fire had seem before. Someone beyond tears, who has given up hope to the point that even the natural urge to cry for catharsis is gone from them. Fire's eyes widened as she realized what this meant. She released her grip in shock. Spades released Sonata and hesitantly put his left hand on her right shoulder. He glanced at Fire questioningly. Pale Fire stood stock still, staring back with wide eyes. Spades, seeing no help there, patted Sonata's back awkwardly. "Er, there there," he said, "It'll be alright." "No... it... won't," Sonata got out between sobs. "I..." Fire started to say before halting. After a moment, she began again. "Just... just go." The trio turned to look at her. Sonata's sobs lessened. Fire turned her head, not wanting to look. "Maybe... maybe there's something that can help you," Spades said, "Somewhere in the world or... maybe those girls with the weird powers can do something?" At this, Adagio's head snapped around to look at Spades. "No," she said with an attempt at a growl as she got to her feet. Her voice broke a little so it was not very menacing. "But... Adagio," Sonata said, "Maybe... maybe they can..." "I said no!" Adagio said, stronger this time, "Even if they didn't banish or imprison us somewhere else, they won't want to help us! We started this as sisters..." "And we'll continue as sisters," Aria said with a nod, straightening up. Adagio looked skeptically at fire, then at Spades. As she looked at him, her expression softened. "Thanks," Adagio said, though it was not clear who she was addressing. The other two each took one of Sonata's hands, lifted her up off her knees, and the three moved in the opposite direction of the stadium. They started slowly, but soon progressed to a jog. After watching for a moment, Spades walked over to Fire. "So, what happened to them?" Spades asked, "Why were they so upset?" He noticed that the strange girl, whose name he still had not gotten, was tearing up. She swiped at her eyes before answering. "It's... they can't hear music anymore..." she started hesitantly. It was something more easily grasped intuitively than explained. She could tell from Spades' face that he was not getting it. "Ok, just... imagine if everything you heard, the sweetest music, your lover's voice... errr, or parents' voices," she said as she considered his age and apparent social standing. "My... parents are dead," he said, looking at the ground. "Well, hopefully you still remember their voices. But imagine if that, even in memory, were replaced with nails on a chalkboard. Actually, I guess it's more banal... like say the hum of an air conditioner," Fire said. Spades considered this. "Well, I guess that would be pretty bad, but there are people who are completely deaf." "Yes, but they don't define themselves by their ability to hear music. Think of it like Beethoven, and he had time to get used to it. Think... think of if you were defined by just one thing, and suddenly you didn't have that thing anymore. That's where they're at now," she said. Realization dawned on Spades' face. "Ooh. So... I'm gonna sound like a total nerd... and I guess I am... but like when Bane paralyzed Batman? Now, he got better but... Bruce just wasn't himself if he couldn't be Batman." "I don't think I've read that one, but you seem to have the idea," Fire said dryly. She glanced back towards the stadium. Students were beginning to file out. The Sonic Rainbooms must have finished their encore. She bit her lower lip in thought. "Errr, so..." Spades began, unsure what to do. Fire nodded and glanced back at the stadium. "I would love to hear how those Sirens or whatever were on a first name basis with you, Spades," she said, "But right now I have to catch those magical girls or whatever they are before the purple one leaves again." "That's actually my last name," Spades said when Fire paused, "My name's Jim." He held out a hand uncertainly. Fire looked at it for a moment before she shook it. "Pale Fire. Look, I gotta go do this. You got a... what's it called... cell phone? Just give me your number and I'll get the story later." "Uhhh... sure," he said, momentarily thrown by the fact that she apparently was not sure what a cell phone was called, "It's..." She held up a hand. "Wait... crud no pen," she said, patting her pockets, "...and I left my backpack inside." She looked over at the stadium, then back at him. "Actually, so did I," Jim said, "So I guess we both gotta go back in anyway?" "Right, just don't bolt," she said, fixing him with a stern stare and then turning back towards the stadium.
Chapter 2: Weird Times At Canterlot HighChapter 2: Weird Times At Canterlot High Jim Spades followed Pale Fire into the stadium, but while he went up to his seat to retrieve his bag, she went up on stage to talk to the Sonic Rainbooms. He glanced that way as he rooted through his things for paper and pen. He then had a thought. Of course! He had already written out a full explanation. All he had to do was link her to it. Jim looked up as he found what he was looking for. He could not hear what was said, but the discussion seemed to be involved. Fire held up a finger, then pointed towards him. A moment later he started down, meeting her halfway. "Hey, I gotta get their numbers. Write down yours and I'll get back in touch later." "Sure, but I just remembered I wrote up an account of what happened to me," he said, "If you give me your e-mail, I can just send that to you." Fire scratched the back of her head. "Well, I don't actually have an e-mail address," she said. Jim boggled at this. "Seriously? How does that even work?" Fire grimaced. "Look, it's a long story. I'll get one. Just give me your number and I'll text you. Hurry up about it." She curled her fingers up twice in a 'hurry up and give it' gesture. Jim quickly wrote down his number, hoping it was legible, and handed her the piece of paper. She snatched the pen out o fhis hand and turned back towards the stage too fast for Jim to react. "Sorry, I'll get it back to you!" she called over her shoulder, quickly walking towards the Rainbooms. Jim was not sure what to make of that, but he supposed it was only a pen. He lingered for a moment, unsure what to do, until his phone chimed. "Nana-nana nana-nana na-na na-na Batman!" That text notification could be a bit embarassing. He checked and saw Fire had texted that she would contact him later. He decided this was a polite way of suggesting he not stick around. Up on stage, Pale Fire was attempting to explain her situation. "Alright, so if someone could give me their number?" she said. "Ooh, ooh, pick me, pick me!" the pink one, who Fire thought was called Pinkie. That was a bit too on the nose. "Err, sure," Fire said, handing the pen and paper to Pinkie. After a second's hesitation, she added, "Oh, and I borrowed that pen, so don't forget to give it back." "Maybe you should finish explainin', sugar," Apple... tini, was it?... said. Oh wait, Applejack. She knew it was a booze reference. "You said you needed our help with somethin'?" "Right," Fire said with a nod, "It's just a little hard to explain. You see, I'm from another dimension, like Twilight and Sunset there. Did I get the names right?" Twilight and Sunset glanced at each other. "Yes," Twilight confirmed, "So you're from Equestria?" "Actually no," Fire said, "A third dimension, somewhere else. There are a very, very large number of dimensions. It might even be an inifinite number... I'm not sure." "Uh, is infinite even a number?" Rainbow Fash or Slash or whatever asked. "In a manner of speaking," Twilight said, "It's quite fascinating, actually..." "Twilight?" Sunset interrupted, "I don't think that's the point here." "Oh, sorry," Twilight said, blushing slighltly. "So what's up? There some other bad guy whose butt we need to kick?" Rainbow asked, cracking her knuckles. "Possibly?" Fire responded, "There are rules to this sort of thing, though. I'm honestly not sure if you'll be able to help." "Hmmm... so there are limits to interdimensional travel? But since you came here... is it the number of people?" Twilight said. She looked Fire up and down, as if searching for what made her unique. "No... well, yes, sometimes, but that's not the primary issue here," Fire said, "Alright, let me try and explain this as succinctly as I can..." Later, in the school library, Pale Fire crept out of her hiding place. She was not crazy about the sleeping accomodations, but she did not have a lot of options. Besides, it was that Twilight who had given her the idea in the first place. The security at this school was just the worst. She had been staying here for weeks and no one had noticed yet. She supposed she COULD have managed to find something better, whether by scrounging together money or with some clever scheme, but she had been fairly certain the targets were in or near this school (and she had been right), so it seemed simplest. Her meeting with those seven girls had gone about as well as could be expected. She had agreed to follow Twilight into her world by her own methods to enlist the help of the people... sorry, ponies there. Fire groaned to herself as she remembered the dawning realization. That other world was one she had been too before. It had its advantages: largly peaceful, fairly high magic, and a rather loose economic system that allowed plenty of opportunities for a vagabond like herself (she was growing fond of that word). However, the whimsy of it got on her nerves. What was she, ten years old? That was an annoyance for another time. Right now, she had work to do. Fire took out her phone (or at least, what functioned like a phone in this world), started up a school computer, and set to it. Setting up an e-mail address was simple enough, and a text to that Jim guy was answered fairly quickly. Soon she had the promised account in front of her, and she began to read. The text she read is recorded elsewhere, and so it will not be recounted here. The next morning, Pale Fire examined the statue that the Rainbooms had told her served as the portal between worlds. She tapped on it experimentally. It seemed, to all intents and purposes, to be an ordinary statue. The portal was apparently in the pedestal, so was the statue on top even necessary? And what would happen if the pedestal were moved? Would the portal move with it, or would it now be suspended in midair? She would have to ask about that when she met with them later. First, however... "Hey, there you are!" Jim Spades called from the sidewalk as he walked up, "Why did you want to meet here on a Saturday?" Pale Fire looked up from her examination. "Because I live in the school, obviously," she said casually. She carefully maintained a blank face so he would not know if she was joking or not. "Huh. Really?" he asked curiously. Pale Fire sighed. Apparently, some people were too simple to pick up on false irony. Or... wait, did that follow? Whatever, it gave her a lead-in. "Yes," she said with a nod, "You see, I'm an interdimensional traveller. That means I generally don't have much money." She paused for a moment. "Plus, this school has like, the WORST security." Jim tilted his head, a puzzled look on his face. "Are you making fun of me?" he asked. Pale Fire shook her head, "Actually, no, though I was hoping you'd think I was. As it is, I'm guessing you won't be that surprised when I show you this." Pale Fire took her cell phone out of her pocket and held it out to one side in some sort of anime or sentai pose. As Jim watched, it stretched out like taffy. It's color and texture changed to that of wood, and within moments Fire was holding a walking stick about the same size as her. "Woah!" he exlaimed, "So you're magic like those other girls?" "Eh, not quite," Fire said. With a flick of her wrist, the staff started to contract and soon she was holding a cell phone again. "Their magic comes from one dimension over. I'm from one much further away." "Huh... so it's a multiverse kind of thing, like Crisis on Infinite Earths? Like, their dimension's vibrational frequency is just a bit off from ours, but yours is way different?" Fire rolled her eyes. "Ok, first off, that vibrational thing is a load. That's not how matter works. However..." She thought about it for a second. "Ok, so it's wrong but it's at least a good enough picture that it saves me some time explaining. I gathered from your little story that you're big into Batman? He's not the biggest on multiverses I don't think." Jim nodded, then looked at her curiously. "You're into Batman, too?" She shrugged. "Well, my brother was, and I read his stuff. I do like that Morrison fellow. I looked into it last night and it seems like this dimension's comics aren't too different from those in mine." Jim then asked the other question that had sprung to mind. "So are you some sort of interdimensional cop or hero or something? Were you after Sonata, Aria, and Adagio?" "Well, not exaaactly," Fire said, waving her hand in an 'eh' gesture. "Here, take a seat and I'll fill you in." She gestured at the ground. Jim looked around and there were no seats. He moved back from the statue and sat cross-legged on the grass. Fire stood with her hands behind her back and began. Author's Note The record mentioned in the text is the preview, if you couldn't tell. Overall, this is my least favorite chapter of this. I thought of folding it together with the next one, but this way kinda isolates all the awkward set-up. I always have trouble with that.
Chapter 3: Back To The Past, Forward To The FutureChapter 3: Back To The Past, Forward To The Future "Long ago, in a distant land..." "Does this have anything to do with a shapeshifter?" Jim interrupted, though showing some courtesty by raising his hand as he did so. "What? No. Well... sort of but that's not the point," Fire said, looking confused, "Why'd you even...? No you know what, just don't interrupt." "So as I was saying," Fire began again, "Long ago in a distant land, there was a young woman... And just so you don't ask, yes I'm talking about me. Well this woman was... going through a rough patch. But then one day, an angel appeared, and offered her the chance to see worlds she had never even dreamed of. I won't go through everything I've done since then, but let's just say I'm older than I look. Age doesn't translate between some world. Anyway, after a long journey and many adventures, I found an interesting world where I made some friends. Plus I could fly. What's not to like about that? But then one time I visited... something else had come to that world." Fire paused here and furrowed her brow in a grim expression. "He said he was a god from another universe, and I guess in the polytheistic sense he'd qualify. We fought back but..." Fire mimed some punches for emphasis. "It wasn't enough. A friend of mine kind of died... long story... as did several others I care somewhat less about. When I saw that he had won... I fled. Since then, I've been traveling the universes, finding people or objects with powers that I think might help. Since universes have asynchronous time flows, I should be able to make it back to that universe without too much time having passed there. There's some restrictions, but I stayed there long enough to find out that that thing wasn't planning on destroying the universe right away. He captured a lot of people alive, which could mean several things but mostly it means I have some time." Fire took a deep breath and plopped down heavily on the grass facing Jim. "Well, that's as much detail as I feel like giving," she said, "You might be able to guess the rest. I came here to try to find a source of power that seems to be that band. I talked to them earlier trying to figure out a way for them to help." Fire stopped here and looked at Jim. Jim felt that she expected him to say something. "Wow," was what he came up with. When she grimaced, he added, "But why are you telling me? I don't think I can do anything to help..." "Heh, yeah, that's true," Fire said with a shrug. "A few reasons. First, you gave me the information I wanted to know about those Sirens. That was more curiosity than anything else, but I still appreciated it and it seemed only fair to tell my story since you told me yours. Second... Hmm..." Fire looked off into the air thoughtfully. "Ok, first off... I've done a lot of thinking about this myself but I want a second opinion. What do you think will happen to the Sirens?" "Huh," Jim said, blinking, "I... hadn't thought about it. But they lost something really precious to them..." He gasped. "You don't think they'd...?" "Mmm," Fire murmured with a grimace. "Maybe... maybe." "Well then, I guess I should do something," Jim said, a serious expression on his face. Fire thought about that for a moment and then her lips twitched into a smile. "Heh...heh...hahaha!" Fire started with a chuckle and finished laughing loudly, clutching at her sides. It was infectious, and Jim started to laugh, too, but he did not really know why. "Heh... sorry, sorry," Fire said, wiping a tear from her eye, still grinning, "That was just... so appropriate and so ironic. And maybe, but first, let me ask you a question. What is the first truth of the Batman?" "Uhhh..." Jim said, blinking uncertainly. "Is it...to bring justice to the oppressed so that no child ever have to suffer the tragedy of senseless violence the way he did? " "Heh," Fire chuckled, "That's again so appropriate for you and so ironic. Also, wrong." Jim cocked his head. "What? Why?" Fire shook her head, still smiling. "Well, because that's a GOAL, not a truth. In this one story... Well, Bruce had this whole spirit journey thing and he had to realize what the first truth of the Batman was, one he didn't like to admit. Back at the beginning, who was there?" "Commissioner Gordon," Jim said immediately. "...I don't actually know the history, so maybe? But in continuity, not the publishing history, Alfred," Fire said, "So, the first truth of the Batman?" Fire's face adopted a solemn expression and she looked Jim square in the eye. "He was never alone." Jim thought about that. "Heavy stuff," he said, "But yeah, that makes sense." Fire shrugged. "Yeah," she said, "That's what life is, sometimes. Heavy. More to the point... Here, hold out your hand." She held out her own hand, palm-upward. "Like this." Jim hesitantly complied. Where was this headed? Fire fished for something in her pocket, and her hand came out with something clenched tight in it. "Ok, let's do this right," she said. Fire cleared her throat. "Jim Spades of Earth," she began. Jim's eyes widened. Wait, what...? "You have the ability to overcome great despair." Jim's expression turned confused. That was... what were those words? He was pretty sure he had not read them in any Green Lantern comics. "I do not know if you will ever be able to use this, but..." Fire dropped a light blue object into Jim's open hand. "Welcome to the Blue Lantern Corps." Jim carefully held the ring up. It seemed perfectly ordinary. It appeared to be a well-made replica, like the Green Lantern ring he had. But then, what was that all about? Was she making fun of him? Slowly, he tried to put the ring on. But it was too small to fit on his ring finger, or even his pinky. "Oooh," Fire said with a wince, "I was afraid of that. It doesn't work right in this dimension, so it doesn't auto-resize." Seeing his skeptical look, she sighed. "Look, I know that even with all that's happened, this is a leap. It's up to you whether you want to believe me, but that's the real deal. It's just... objects in one dimension don't always work, or don't work correctly, in another." "Well... Ok," he said hesitantly, casting about for what to do with it. "Oh, hold on," Fire said. She opened her backpack and fished around in it for a moment. She came out with a simple metal chain necklace. She gestured with her hand and Jim reluctantly handed over the ring. She strung it on the chain, latched it, and handed it back to him. "I know it's not manly or whatever," she said, "but wear it around your neck and you can at least keep track of it. To be clear, this isn't me making a pass at you or anything." Jim blushed slightly as he put the new necklace on. "I didn't think it was!" he protested. "Right, right," Fire said dismissively, waving off the notion. "Now look, if I can make this work, and that's a big if, one day, that ring will start to glow. When that happens, find those Rainboom girls and say the oath. I think you know or can figure it out, but it should in theory tell you. If we're very lucky, that will transport all of you to where you are needed." "Oh," Jim said, looking down in disappointment, "So I'm a taxi service?" Fire raised her eyebrows in surprise. "What? No, of course not. We'll need people who can think laterally and do crazy things. Judging by your account, I think you'll qualify. But I do want to be clear, that's not a condition. That ring is yours, no matter what you decide to do if and when the time comes. Because it will be dangerous, and you're just a kid. I'd rather not see you killed, and if it comes to it I would prefer you stay out of the thick but... Well, if that thing I ran from has it's way, it'll be on to more dimensions sooner or later. Best to stop it before it does even more damage." Jim nodded along as she spoke, a feeling of excitement welling up in him, even though he was not sure what to make of it. This would be something he would have to think about. "Now then," Fire said, standing up and brushing off her hands and bottom, "I have an appointment to make but I do believe you have somewhere to be as well?" Jim started and stood up himself. "I do...? Oh!" His eyes lit up in realization. "I got so sidetracked I almost forgot! But where would they even be?" He put hand to his chin in thoguht. "Hmmm," Fire put her fist to her chin and looked at the ground in a similar gesture. "Well... There are two broad possibilities. Either they would be trying to get as close to music as possible to try and regain what they lost or as far away from music as possible to avoid the reminder." She looked up at Jim. "I think you know them better than me, so you're on your own from there." Jim's face looked troubled. Come on, world's greatest detective. This was exactly the sort of thing that meant. After a moment, his eyes lit up. "Ok," he said with a definitive nod, "I think I should hurry." He started off in one direction, then turned back and waved. "And don't worry!" he said, "I'll remember when the time comes!" "If it does!" Fire said back, "If this part of my plan doesn't work like I hope... well, if I can I'll come back and let you know how it went." Jim walked backwards a few steps, uncertain what to say, but then settled on "Good luck" before he turned and picked up the pace. "Good luck," Fire said, returning the sentiment, before heading off to Sugar Cube Corner and hopefully her introduction to the heroines on the other side of the portal. Author's Note Here we go. Not my best work, but I want to get this done before I lose my inspiration entirely. Also, I wanna go on to the next thing. There's an epilogue coming as soon as I figure out a few details.
Chapter 4: Bat FamilyChapter 4: Bat Family Sirens in Greek mythology sang on a rock in the middle of the ocean, Jim thought, going over his line of reasoning more closely as he rode his bike, Plus, those energy forms looked aquatic. The ocean is nowhere near here, but there are ponds. And at a field trip in elementary school, we saw one that had a small island in the middle of it. It took a good fifteen or so minutes to get to the turn-off by bike. No paved roads led there, just a dirt one through a gate marked "Private." Jim stopped here and thought. On the one hand, a bike was more likely to get him noticed on the way in, and if he was wrong it would be hard to explain why he was there. On the other hand, if he left the bike here, someone could notice it left there and take action. Judging the latter to be the greater danger, Jim maneuvered his bike around the gate on foot and rode it the fairly short distance to the pond. The Sirens were not out on the island, which was a good fifty yards or so out, but were by the shore. There was a small house near the dock. Adagio sat on the porch steps looking at the ground. Aria leaned against a tree and stared out over the lake. Sonata skipped a rock across the pond, but only managed two skips. "Awww," Sonata said dejectedly, kicking at the ground. All three of them looked a bit dejected, come to it, although Aria was also angry. "Must you?" Aria asked irritatedly, glancing at Sonata. "No, but what else is there to do?" Sonata said, a touch brighter than she had sounded the previous day. "Oh, leave her alone," Adagio said without looking up. Aria turned her glare on their leader. "Why? We have nothing now! No magic, not even music! And it was YOUR stupid plan that got us here!" Aria said. Adagio looked up at her. Her eyes were red and puffy. "Then go do what you want," she said. She looked back down. "It doesn't matter anyway." Aria bit her lower lip. Sonata looked nervously between her sisters. It was then she noticed Jim getting off his bike. "Hey, it's that Bat-guy! He-eey!" she called, waving at him. Jim had not been able to hear the preceding conversation, but from the actions and expressions he had been able to see he got the general idea. "Err, hey," he said, raising his hand weakly as he left his bike and walked over. The other two girls turned to look at him. "What do you want?" Adagio asked resignedly, "Changed your mind and come to take us to jail or whatever?" "Or did you just want to gloat?" Aria added. "Neither," Jim said, coming to a stop roughly equidistant from all three, "Actually... well..." "Don't tell me you're going to declare your love for us or something," Aria said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. She had gone back to leaning on the tree, arms crossed over her chest. "Awww, that would be kinda sweet, though," Sonata said, though her usual cheer sounded forced. Jim shifted awkwardly. "Not that either. Actually..." He paused and looked at the house. "Are you three living here?" "Yeah, well, when our magic left, our landlord stopped being under our spell," Adagio said, "We went looking for some water because... Well, because we're Sirens. No one seems to be using this place, so..." "Ah," Jim said. He looked between the three. "Well, I was looking for you because I was worried." Aria snorted. Sonata tilted her head curiously. Adagio spoke. "Yeah, always gotta be the hero, don't you? Well don't worry, we'll figure something out. I mean, if we've lost our magic we've probably only got a few decades to live anyway." Sonata and Aria looked at her in surprise. Jim furrowed his brow and thought about this. "So, you've been in this world for... decades? Centuries?" "I don't know, it all looks the same after awhile," Sonata said with a shrug, "Either of you keep track?" "Not really. Time feels different here compared to back home, if that makes sense," Adagio said, "But at least a hundred years." Jim whistled softly. "So you didn't age? Kinda like Ras Al Ghul or Vandal Savage?" "I don't know who those are?" Aria said with some bite, "But no, as long as we could steal energy, we didn't age. I guess we do now... I hadn't really thought about it." "Yeah, but you've got the same problem they did. All that time and you never really did anything with it. You just... stopped moving," Jim said. Aria opened her mouth as if to say something, probably something sarcastic, but stopped and closed it again. After a moment she answered. "You may have a point." "Yeah and everything before fast food came along was pretty boring anyway," Sonata said. "Without magic you need to be careful not to eat too much of it," Jim said. Then he shook his head. "But that's not the point. I also came with a suggestion. If you don't have a place to stay, you could come stay at my Aunt and Uncle's. Errr, as long as you don't mind sharing a room." He paused for a second before adding, "I mean, the three of you sharing a room. I'd be in a different room, in case that needed saying." Sonata and Aria looked shocked. Adagio sneered. "Yeah, I'm sure you'd like that. Pretty girls under your roof and keeping your enemies close all at once." "Oh come on, don't be like that," Sonata said. "Hey, it's not like that!" Jim protested, "It's just... well, Batman needs a Robin, right?" "Or three!" Sonata said with a giggle. "There have actually been five Robins," Jim said, "Six if you count 'The Dark Knight Returns.'" Aria rolled her eyes. "You are such a nerd." Adagio glared at Aria, then at Jim. "Why should we? What's in it for us?" "Not sleeping in an abandoned house with no power or running water, duh," Sonata said. "I hate to admit it, but she's right," Aria said grudingly. "Besides," she added, "YOU said we could do whatever we wanted." Adagio threw up her hands. "Fine! If that's what you two want, I guess we'll go live with this Aunt whoever." Aria rolled her eyes. "Don't do us any favors," she said. "Or do, that would be a nice change," Sonata said. "It's an expression!" Aria snapped. Adagio sighed and looked at Jim. "You see what I put up with?" she said, "I hope you know what you're getting yourself into." Jim's hand went to his chest, where the blue ring was concealed under his shirt. "Not a clue," he said with a grin, "Oh, and it's Aunt Cassie and Uncle Todd." Adagio finally stood up. "Right, guess we'll have to learn that." "Errr, yeah and actually... I haven't talked to them about this yet," Jim said. "WHAT?!" Aria and Adagio exclaimed together. "Yeah I kinda just decided this on the way over... but I think I can convince them," he said, "They're really nice." "And if nothing else we can just sing to them," Sonata said. "Oh, wait..." Her expression fell as her sisters glared at her. "Sonata, you do the best sob story," Adagio said, "So you go with Bat-nerd here while Aria and I try and get our stuff from the last place we stayed." "Yeah we DID kind of leave in a hurry," Aria said. "Huh, I guess you would have a few things after all this time," Jim said, "I mean, even if you could hypnotize people for everything, it would be inconvenient." Aria rolled her eyes. Sonata giggled. "So come on, let's go!" she said, grabbing Jim's wrist and starting to drag him along, despite the fact that she had no clue where they were going. "Wait, wait," he said, "Before all that, I might have some good news." Sonata stopped at looked back at him. "Yeah?" "Yeah," he said with a nod and a grin. "I did some research and found out that the inability to hear music is rare in this world but occurs enough to have a name. It's called amusia, and while it's not usually caused by magic... well, as far as I know..." "So there's a cure?" Adagio said, sounding genuinely hopeful. Up until now the best she had managed had been annoyance or bossiness. Aria and Sonata also perked up. "Errr, no, not exactly," Jim said. The Sirens visibly deflated. "Errr, but there are treatments that are being tried," he said, "And it's nothing too expensive so maybe...?" Aria sighed. "Great." "Well," Jim said., "If nothing else, it's something to hope for." He grinned at his joke, though it was probably not one they would get. "Yep!" Sonata said bright, still gripping Jim's wrist, "Now let's go!" As Sonata dragged Jim away again, Jim fingered the blue ring through his shirt with his free hand. If it ever did work, he thought, which of the three would make the best candidate for the next Lantern in the chain?
EpilogueSome time later, whether months or years, Jim slept in his bed, down the hall from his three adopted sisters. In the dark, a ring he had worn around his neck all that time glowed a soft blue. Into the quiet of the night slipped a gentle voice. Hope. Author's Note And here's the end. I had the epilogue in mind for awhile, but it took me awhile to figure out how to make it work with the previous chapter. I think what I settled on works pretty well. Also thought about putting this as part of the last chapter but it really is an epilogue and not a proper part of that chapter.
