One in the Same Thing

Chapters

Song Module
Surreal
Vow
Home
Alone

Song Module

Adagio swam quickly through the water, glancing back every now and then to make sure her pursuer wasn’t gaining. Not spotting her in sight, the small guppy continued her retreat, looking for a sufficient place to hide herself. If she was out of sight, she couldn’t be caught by them. Fins flapping as hard as her little body could make them, Adagio hurried through the water.

It had been a beautiful day under the sea. The Equestrian waters were calm at the moment, hardly moving as the sun began its descent below the horizon. Of course, even if things were calm on the surface, the underwater life was always abuzz with activity. Adagio sped passed schools of fish and other marine life as she rushed through her liquid home world. All of them waved to her before going about their day, unaware that the little siren was being chased.

Adagio spotted her home not too far ahead. They wouldn’t dare chase her all the way inside, right? All she had to do was get home. Forcing her fins against the water, Adagio pushed herself. She just needed to get home. Getting home meant not being caught. She just needed to-.

Suddenly, she stopped.

With a pout, Adagio huffed, “That’s not fair, Sonata, you always catch me!”

A giggle could be heard. “Of course I do! This is my favorite game!”

A rough grunt penetrated the air. “I don’t see why you two even play this. It’s just a waste of time. Sonata will catch you every time, Adagio.”

Adagio crossed her hooves and huffed, “I’ll beat her one day, Aria. Just you wait.”

Aria snorted. “Yeah, okay. Whatever you say.”

Adagio swam a little closer to her home and settled on the coral in front of it. “I will. And Mother says that my leadership training is getting better as well. So, one day, I’ll be in charge of you two.”

Aria rolled her eyes. “You’re already in charge of us, Dag,” she pointed out. “We follow you everywhere, remember?”

“But a leader has to be the best at everything!” Adagio told her emphatically. “I need to get better at everything, so I can lead you. Which is why I’m gonna beat Sona one day. Then I’ll be ready to be your leader!”

Aria simply shook her head. Sonata smiled and chirped, “Then I’ll keep being the best so that you have a fair chance, Dagi! Then you’ll know you’re really the best when you beat me!”

Adagio’s chest swelled happily. “See? Sonata believes in me.” Aria merely snorted once more.

Just then, a voice broke into their banter. “Adagio?” a high melodic voice called. “Adagio, sweetie, come on inside.”

“Coming, Mother!” Adagio lifted up and floated through the doorway of their home. It was once a wrecked ship, but only parts of the… what had her mother called it? Parts of the hull remained and it created a nice cozy place for them to live.

Her mother was in the main area, lounging on a bed of kelp when Adagio entered. Fioritura Gloss had a lavender hide, with darker violet patches of scales on her back. Her large dorsal fin spanned the majority of her back and was highlighted with zaffire blue. She held herself with an imposing, confident posture and commanded attention the moment she swam by.

Fioritura turned to her daughter as Adagio settled on the wood below them. Her shrewd tyrian eyes surveyed the flaxen form before turning back to the drawings she was creating on the sand before her.

“What were you doing out there, dear?” She knew the answer, of course. Adagio always gave the same answer every time Fioritura asked.

“I was playing with Aria and Sonata,” Adagio responded.

Her mother hummed for a moment. “And who are they?” she inquired calmly.

“My friends,” her daughter replied.

Fioritura sighed. “Adagio, you must let go of these delusions. I know you wish not to be alone, but you never spend your time with anyone. All you do is swim quickly through the water, day after day.”

“But that’s because Sonata is chasing me!” Adagio piped up. “She wants me to pass my leadership lessons, so she’s helping me be the fastest swimmer in Equestria!”

“And what of when you’re swimming through the most dangerous areas of the ocean?” her mother pressed.

“Aria wants me to be brave and not be afraid of anything,” Adagio explained. “So she dares me to go through the scary parts of the water. She’s a hypocrite, though, cause she always clownies out.”

Her mother simply shook her head. Looking to the water outside, Fioritura murmured, “You should be heading to bed, dear.”

“But-!”

“Adagio, you don’t want to be tired for tomorrow’s ceremony, do you? It’s a big day for you.” Fioritura gave her a pointed look and her daughter sighed.

“Yes, Mother.” Adagio slowly picked herself up and floated toward her room. Glancing back, she whispered, “Good night.”

Drifting into her room, Adagio settled beside one of the holes and gazed out into the water. “Hey, Adagio,” Sonata whispered. They must have been listening to the whole thing, but Adagio didn’t take her eyes from the darkening surface. “Don’t be sad. I’m sure your mom will believe you.”

“No she won’t,” Adagio grumbled, laying her head on her hooves. “She hasn’t yet, why would she ever?”

“That’s no way for a leader to talk, doofus,” Aria growled. “How are you gonna keep the m-mor-the spirits of your followers up if you get down over something like this?”

Adagio simply sighed.

There was silence for a moment before Sonata said, “Your mom’s right, though, Dagi. Tomorrow’s a big day for you.”

“Get some rest, Dag,” Aria agreed. “We’ll be here in the morning to wish you good luck at your ceremony.”

“Thanks, you two.” Adagio drifted to her bed of seaweed and sand, settling down before closing her eyes. She was asleep within moments.

The next morning, Adagio swam with her mother to the largest reef in the area. Even though, the Great Reef was on the other side of the Equestrian continent, this reef still served as the place for any marine life this side of the ocean to hold their celebrations. It was also where Sirens received their Song Modules once they reached maturity. That was the reason for Adagio’s visit. She was now old enough to get her Module.

As Adagio swam into the reef with her mother, she stared around in excitement. The marine life here was so much more exotic than where she lived. All of the animals went about their business without a care, stopping briefly to wave before continuing on their way. Adagio smiled before flapping quickly to rejoin her mother.

Fioritura stopped in front of one of the larger enclosures in the reef and cleared her throat. Inside, an older siren with a cerise pink hide and crimson dorsal fin turned her head. She smiled when she spotted them and swam over. She rubbed her head along Fioritura’s briefly and the two smiled at one another.

“Serenata, you look well,” Fioritura murmured. “I take it immortality is serving you nicely?”

“Indeed,” the older siren chuckled, her voice sounding like the gentlest melody Adagio had ever heard. “And so it will you, as it does every siren that receives her Module.”

Fioritura hummed. “I do feel sorry for those who choose not to partake in the ceremony. Regardless, it is their choice to age.”

“What brings you here on this beautiful day?” Serenata inquired, drifting back toward what appeared to be an altar in the middle of the enclosure. One end of it was raised slightly, looking like a platform on the structure and Adagio was curious about why it looked such a way.

“My little Adagio is here to get her Module,” Fioritura answered. She used a hoof to usher Adagio forward and the youngest siren looked up at Serenata apprehensively.

“Ah, your little one has finally grown up!” The elder siren leaned closer to examine Adagio before nodding. “She’s definitely ready for the Module. Though, I sense a strange energy about her.”

Adagio blinked in confusion, but neither adult commented on this ‘strange energy’. Could they sense Sonata and Aria nearby? Did they know? That thought brought a small wave of hope. Did her mother believe her now, that she had friends?

Serenata had moved to the altar and appeared to be covering it with kelp. “Alright, dear,” she called to Adagio, waving one of her hooves at the altar. “Come over this way and settle on the altar.”

Adagio did as instructed, and then shivered as Serenata used her tail to spread sand over her body. A crab claw was placed in front of her and Adagio stared at it in bemusement. “Alright,” Serenata began, all seriousness. “This is very simple, dear. I’m going to go and check to see if a new ruby has formed. When I come back, if I have one, I’m going to prick your hide and let the blood flow to the stone. Then, you’re going to sing until I tell you to stop. Is that clear?”

“Yes,” Adagio responded. She was beginning to feel uneasy about this. She didn’t like the idea of being pricked with a crab claw.

A hoof landed on her shoulder and Adagio glanced up to find her mother smiling at her soothingly. “Don’t worry, Adagio,” Fioritura cooed. “This will be over quickly. Then we can go home and you can sing me a song, okay?”

“Okay,” Adagio agreed, turning as Serenata returned with a bright red jewel clamped gingerly but firmly between her teeth.

Placing the ruby on the raised end of the altar, Serenata looked to Adagio. “Are you ready?” she asked.

“Ready,” the youngest siren stated.

“Do you, Adagio Dazzle, vow to uphold the pride and honor of the Siren Nation throughout the rest of your immortal life?”

Adagio lifted her chin. “I do.”

“Do you vow to lead your Orchestra with a fair mind and kind heart, doing what is in the best interest of the Orchestra first and foremost?”

“I do.”

“Do you accept the burden of your immortality and any Orchestra you acquire, and the responsibility of being an upstanding member of Siren Society?”

“I do.” Amethyst eyes gazed levelly at the elder siren as Serenata nodded.

“Then let us commence the Song Module Ceremony of Adagio Dazzle.”

Carefully, Serenata lifted the crab claw in her teeth. She moved closer slowly so that Adagio wasn’t startled. The pink siren positioned the claw over the place she wanted to prick and carefully moved her head the appropriate distance away. Since siren hide was very thick to protect them against the sharp rocks near the mainland, a lot of force had to be put behind cutting into a siren's scales. With a practiced flick of her head, Serenata slashed into Adagio’s chest, eliciting a gasp from the shocked initiate.

“Now,” Serenata said, dropping the crab claw to the sand below them. “When you allow the blood to touch the ruby, begin a song.”

“W-wait.” Adagio looked down before asking, “Can I… can I have my friends sing with me? We’re always together, so-.”

“Adagio, now is not the time!” Fioritura snarled, tyrian eyes narrowing sharply. “We can discuss this after you’ve simulated your jewel.”

“But they like being with me when I sing!” Adagio pleaded. “We sing together all the time!”

Fioritura growled low in her throat. “We will have a serious talk about your nonexistent friends once we return home. Your Module, now!”

Adagio’s eyes turned to slits and she drew herself up, glaring at her mother. “They do exist!” she snapped, her voice taking on a deep tone as her blood finally settled onto the ruby beside her. “I’ll prove it to you. They always come when I sing, so their fear of you won’t stop them from showing up this time.”

Opening her lips, Adagio began a song. A simple melody always helped to draw out the others. Serenata’s ears flattened at this. If the girl’s emotions were so negatively focused when the Module was ready, her song type would be ingrained into the jewel. There would be no way to reverse it and the poor siren would be forced to sing of her negativity for the rest of eternity. Unfortunately, to stop her now would be to seal her fate.

As Adagio continued her song, two more voices slowly began to fill the air around them. Fioritura and Serenata perked up in confusion, looking around for where the voices were coming from. A triumphant smirk slid onto Adagio’s lips as she continued harmonizing, her friends following her lead perfectly.

The ruby in front of her began to glow, slowly lifting from the platform and hovering in front of the young siren. As Serenata and Fioritura watched in awe, the ruby began to spin, moving faster and faster until the edges were blurred and it appeared round. The jewel spiraled for a few moments as Adagio, Aria and Sonata continued to sing. Then, the ruby suddenly cracked, shocking the two adult sirens. Three cracks lined the surface of the gem, but it didn’t stop its spiral, allowing two of the pieces to break off as the third remained in front of Adagio.

“This is… phenomenal,” Serenata whispered as the three jewels spun quickly around Adagio. Enveloping the yellow siren in a swirl of golden light as she and her friends kept up their song, the rubies glowed with white light for a moment, forcing the two onlookers to turn away. When the light cleared, Fioritura and Serenata stared as two other sirens floated down to join Adagio in finishing the song, the rubies settling on all three’s chests, fully formed.

Fioritura gaped at the two sirens now rubbing their heads along her daughter’s flanks. She knew both of them from Adagio’s descriptions of them, but she had never seen them herself. They were always effective in hiding from her. Yet, here they were, floating beside her little Adagio and congratulating each other on earning their jewels with her.

Adagio turned to her mother with a grin, placing her hooves around the shoulders of her friends. In a voice slightly deeper than what Fioritura was used to hearing from her little guppy, Adagio declared, “Mother, these are my friends, Sonata Dusk and Aria Blaze. They’re the first members of my new Orchestra, the Dazzlings.”

Author's Note

Alright, decided to try something new. Drew a bit of inspiration from watching "Welcome to the Show" again. :pinkie crazy: This is also meant to be a kind of prologue to the rest of the story. Bits and pieces of the past will come out in the fic, but for the rest of the story, the Sirens are going to be in the Human World.

I also took some of the criticisms into consideration when rewriting this, so hopefully it's better off the way I'm writing it now. :twilightsheepish:

Also, for anyone wondering, here's a key:
Orchestra - a group of three or more Sirens
clownies - Siren slang term for 'chickening out'
Aria was stumbling over the word 'morale'
Sirens are considered guppies until they've received their Song Modules
Some Sirens refuse the Modules because they want to be able to die naturally
Siren age of maturity is... whatever the fuck you want it to be, honestly. These dudes live forever anyway.

As always, constructive criticism is welcome, comments are appreciated.

Surreal

Adagio pressed herself as flat as she could against the wall of her room, trying to listen in. Her mother had gotten a guest shortly after Adagio had retired to bed. Some old friend, not surprising since most Sirens chose to gain their Modules and immortality by extension. Still, such a late visit was uncommon and Adagio wanted to know what could be so important to warrant such a thing.

The two elder Sirens were whispering on the other side of the hull, away from Adagio’s room, so it was difficult to make out what was being said. A few things drifted on the water to the eavesdropping siren.

“…spreading all over, from what I’ve heard.”

Her mother’s voice piped up then. “Even the deep-dwellers?”

The friend gave a hum of affirmation. “Even down there. It’s far reaching… wanna take her… it’s the safest bet.”

A gasp was heard from her mother. “The Surface? But… haven’t been up there for… dismiss our existence as myth…”

There was a sigh. “Do you want her… blood gushing from her… or would you rather… healthy?”

Adagio felt her irritation prick at not being able to hear them in complete sentences. From the information she was garnering, something had happened to some other Sirens, but what? And what did the Surface have to do with it? She only went up there when she was jumping with the dolphins, Aria, and Sonata. There was nothing of interest to Sirens on the mainland unless they wanted a more plentiful meal than what they garnered from the marine life.

Taking a deep breath, Adagio turned her attention back to the conversation, hoping she could glean a little more info from the other Sirens. She wanted to know what was happening; she was of age now, so she could handle whatever it was. Glancing over to make sure Sonata and Aria were still snoozing, Adagio turned her ears back to the main room.

“…sure the Surface is best?” her mother was asking.

“Seems the best choice,” responded their guest. “It’s only attacking… and doesn’t let go… but not Surface-dwellers.”

There was a pause before her mother spoke up again, her voice sounding more concerned. “I don’t want to worry them… Adagio hasn’t even finished her leadership classes… how to survive? Their type of song… not anything most other Sirens do.”

“…just passing on the news. I’m gonna… don’t wanna be caught… not letting it get me.” There were a few flaps and Adagio momentarily covered her gills, wanting to remain as quiet as possible.

“Take care, Cadenza,” her mother called. “We may see you sometime soon, if you don’t head too far in.”

“Take care of yourselves, Fioritura,” their guest replied. “No need for any more Sirens to be taken.”

There was silence before Adagio heard her mother return to her bed of kelp. Bubbles flowed from her lips in a soft sigh of relief as she uncovered her gills. Adagio allowed herself to drift to one of the holes in her room that served as a window. Something was amiss with the Siren world. From the implications of the conversation, Adagio could safely assume that something was attacking Sirens, but what? And what did the Surface have to offer in the way of protection that the ocean possibly couldn’t?

Rubbing her temples, she was just about to return to bed when an odd sound caught her attention. It sounded like… someone calling her name? Drifting from the hole, Adagio made her way out into the waters, trying to see in the dark water. Sirens weren’t night-swimmers, so her eyesight wasn’t good at the moment, but she followed the sound of the voice.

“Adagio…”

The voice sounded… weak? Fragile?

“Adagio…”

She was getting closer now. The voice was clearer, but still just as… feeble as before.

“…dagio…”

She was almost there. Adagio could see a form in the darkness… she could almost make out the shape-

“DAGI!”

Adagio jolted up in bed, gasping for air (lungs, she only had lungs here, not the gills she possessed back in Equestria). Sweat (not ocean water) dripped down her back and made her clothes stick to her skin (human skin, not her golden scales). Heart racing, Adagio turned to smack the nearest thing to her, which happened to be Sonata. Yellow flesh met bright blue hair and the other siren stumbled forward slightly.

“Aw, that hurt!” Sonata pouted. “And that’s no way to treat someone who just made you breakfast!”

Adagio drew a hand down her face. “You interrupted it,” she grumbled. “Deciding whether or not to be grateful.”

“Another nightmare?” an alto piped in from the doorway. Adagio glanced over to find Aria leaning against the doorframe.

“Yeah,” the leader of the trio sighed. “Just as clear as the others, everything in perfect clarity and so realistic.”

Sonata straightened up and cocked her head. “I don’t understand why you call them nightmares, Dagi,” she murmured. “The humans say nightmares are supposed to be scary dreams, but yours are always memories, and not very scary.”

“I call them nightmares because of their realism, Sonata,” Adagio sighed, standing and stretching. It was their routine every time one of the others awoke her from a nightmare. Sonata would ask for it to be explained while Aria glared at the wall in irritation at having to repeat conversations. “Dreams are called that because mine are blurry and I can easily tell they aren’t real, that I can wake up any time. My nightmares are so clear, so sharp and real that I can’t tell if they’re really happening or not until I wake up.”

Sonata slowly nodded, but the other two knew she would ask again the next time Adagio suffered a nightmare. Speaking of… “That was the third one this week, Dag,” Aria murmured. “You sure you okay? Do we need to feed again?”

“No, I don’t think it has to do with feeding,” Adagio responded as she moved to her closet. “I’m just… it’s nearing that day, probably.”

“The day you found her?” Aria said softly, to which her leader nodded.

They tended to avoid talking about what had attacked their race, leaving the Siren Society in utter tatters by the time Star Swirl banished them. Still, the subject came up every time Adagio had nightmares. And they only grow in number around the estimated time Adagio found her outside their old home.

Before the mood could get too dampened, Sonata cleared her throat. Adagio, just reaching for a towel, glanced to her friend expectantly. A beaming grin lit the blunette’s face as she clapped her hands behind her back. “So, about that breakfast…!”

Adagio gave a dry chuckle. “Let me shower first, Sonata. Then we’ll eat.”

“Kay!” the excitable young woman replied, cheerfully bouncing passed Aria and back down the stairs.

Aria remained behind, watching Adagio gather her hygiene products for a moment. “Ya sure you don’t wanna talk about it?” she asked softly, allowing a rare moment of softness.

“It’s not anything we haven’t seen before,” Adagio responded tiredly. “Besides, they always pass once the event has.”

Aria shrugged and turned in the doorway. “If you’re sure. You heading out to scout for us today?”

“Yes, I should only be gone a few hours.” Adagio grabbed her deodorant and strode to her bedroom door. “Are you two going to be okay without me?”

Aria rolled her eyes, digging her hands into her pockets. “We handle it just fine, Adagio. We’ve gotten used to it after a thousand years in this hole, you know.”

Adagio nodded and continued on her way, slipping into the bathroom. Aria headed down the stairs to find Sonata setting out the dishes. She leaned against the doorframe. “Don’t drop anything,” she called, startling the bubbly woman.

Sonata gasped and just barely caught the plate she had been holding as it slipped from her fingers. Turning to level a glare at the smirking woman, Sonata contemplated throwing the plate at her. But Adagio would be upset because that was another plate she had to replace. Instead, Sonata settled for holding up the intact plate and sticking her tongue out at Aria before setting the dish down.

“How’s Dagi?” she asked calmly.

“She’s gonna be heading out after breakfast,” Aria responded. “Scouting for food.”

“So, it’s a TV day then?” Sonata perked up at the thought. “I’ve been meaning to watch that cute movie with the mice that live in a garden-.”

Aria held up a hand. “I’m feeling videogames,” she stated.

“But will you be able to play them once Dagi leaves?” Sonata pointed out.

“We get more energy from the larger population now, dimwit.” Aria waved off the concern. “I’ll be fine, but I really want to check out that game Dag got me last year.” Sonata’s eyes lit up.

“You mean the one with the people who are actually robots and have to fight-.”

Adagio appeared at that moment and Sonata switched her train of thought. “Adagio! I made pancakes! That aren’t on the ceiling!” Reflexively, Adagio glanced up before stepping into the room.

“Well, that’s a relief,” she muttered as she settled at the table. “I take it you and Aria are trying to decide what to do?”

“I wanna watch movies, but Ari wants to play games!” Sonata responded.

“It’s not like it has blood in it!” Aria shot back. “There’s blood in the movie Sonata wants to watch!”

“Is not!” Sonata shouted.

“Is too! There’s blood when-!”

Sonata covered her ears quickly. “Don’t spoil it, you idiot!”

“Who are you calling idiot, dimwit!”

“Nutcase!”

“Peabrain!”

“Lizard breath!”

“Blueberry!”

“That’s racist!”

“Everyone’s a different color!”

“Well your color is stupid!”

“Your color doesn’t exist!”

“Being stupid is worse than not existing!”

“Well you’re worse than anything!”

Adagio simply stood and made her way toward the front door. She would buy something quick at a bakery nearby. It was too early to listen to this right now. Grabbing her jacket from beside the door, Adagio made sure she had her wallet before slipping out the door. They would notice she was missing soon enough.

Walking down the street, the yellow siren watched the humans going about their daily lives around her. She had acquired a relatively nice house in the town of Canterlot after realizing how dense and potent the population was in the area. If she recalled correctly, this town in Equestria sat atop a leyline, so the potency of the area was most likely a mirror effect of that. Still, it provided her and her friends good meals whenever they would pass through the area.

Adagio turned her nose up in disdain at the humans milling about around her. These vermin had no idea that an immortal goddess strode before them. There was once a time in which she would make them cower and kneel before her might, but with the changing times, so went her legality in forcing others to her whim when she felt the need for force rather than song, which, admittedly, wasn’t too often.

Still, these lowly creatures knew not of the power she possessed and went about their lives as if a creature capable of securing their death with a simple song weren’t right in front of them. Adagio sighed and kept going.

She had tried to make the best of being in this revolting dimension. The three of them had certainly had wonderful times (the incident with the serial killer in Great Britain comes to mind), but it wasn’t Equestria, it wasn’t their home. With how much power was within Canterlot, Adagio wondered if, perhaps, they would gain just enough to find a way home.

Thinking a moment, Adagio shuddered. There would be no Siren Society to return to if they did, though. The three of them would be the last ones, no doubt.

I suppose I must give credit to Star Swirl, the siren thought, stepping into a bakery. His banishment saved our hides more than he’ll ever know. And I certainly won’t be the one to tell him.

Even so, this place, with these creatures, wasn’t home. Adagio wanted to go home. And she had promised Aria and Sonata that she would get them there. No matter how long it took, they would get back home.

Nodding to herself, the lead siren glanced around the bakery, noticing how packed it was. She would have to drag Sonata and Aria with her to check it out, but this might be a good next feeding ground. A small smile curled Adagio's lips. The energy was so close, she could taste it.

Author's Note

I have a pretty good idea where I want this to be going. The memories are going to be a constant for a while, though. Figure it's better to tell what happened through dreams than just outright. Especially considering I think the Sirens would avoid talking about what wiped out their species. We'll see how it goes.

Vow

Adagio swam quickly, glancing back to make sure Sonata and Aria were following. She herself was following her mother, Fioritura slicing through the waters as she led the three younger sirens toward safety. She had made a mistake in waiting so long, and now danger was upon them.

The quartet made their way across the ocean as quickly as possible. Behind them, the sounds of growling could be heard, their pursuers keeping on their tails. The snapping of sharp teeth could be heard and Adagio’s blood ran cold at the thought of being caught in those powerful jaws. Usually, Sirens would use their songs to avoid potential predators, but these were fish without the ability to feel vibrations. They relied on their senses of sight and taste, two things Sirens couldn’t combat.

Beating her fins furiously, Adagio sped after her mother. Something sped up from underneath them and Fioritura stirred up a swirl of bubbles trying to stop. The three younger sirens behind her crowded at her back as they stared in horror. Another group of predators was in front of them, cutting off their exit.

They had swam into a trap.

Adagio’s heart pounded against her Module. They couldn’t sing their way out, which meant fighting was inevitable. But Sonata wasn’t versed in fighting; she would be taken down immediately. Aria could hold her own pretty well, but against this many? There was no way she would survive for long. Worrying her lip, Adagio looked for any possible escape route. Thankfully, her mother provided one.

Fioritura gave a tremendous flap of her fins. Due to her size—around four shark-lengths—the flap was strong enough to ripple the water and throw their attackers off balance. It gave the trio behind her an opening to swim through quickly.

Adagio turned back as she waited for her mother to join them, but Fioritura shook her head and allowed the predators to close the circle once more. “Mother, what are you doing?” Adagio demanded, making to fight off the surrounding threats. Aria grabbed her under the forelegs, keeping her from going back.

“You have to go, Adagio!” Fioritura told her, keeping her eyes on the incoming attackers.

“What in Tartarus are you talking about?” the flaxen siren exclaimed. Fear tightened her chest. Her mother needed to come with them. Didn’t she understand that these monsters wanted to eat them? Why would she stay behind? They needed to go, but they couldn’t do that without her!

“Go, Adagio!” Fioritura shouted. “You need to go! Leave me behind and swim away!”

“Mother, we can’t leave you!” Adagio cried, fighting against Aria’s grip. “We can’t!”

Fioritura glared at her attackers before shouting, “You took an oath to do what’s best for your Orchestra, Adagio!”

“I know I did!” the yellow siren shouted. “But-!”

“I did not raise a liar!” Fioritura roared. “Are you going to allow your Orchestra to die because you made the wrong decision?”

Adagio clenched her eyes shut. Her mother was right. Aria and Sonata were her responsibility. She had taken an oath as their leader to protect them and do what was in their best interests. She grit her teeth. She hadn’t taken an oath to leave her mother behind, though!

Adagio pulled her tail up and slapped it against Aria’s muzzle, effectively dazing her best friend. Breaking free of the light purple siren’s grip, Adagio turned to Sonata. “Take Aria and continue on the path toward the mainland. I will meet you at the reef a few miles from here. Stay covered until I call for you. Do you understand?”

Sonata nodded and grabbed Aria under a foreleg, hurrying away. Adagio turned back to where the predators had surrounded her mother. Rushing forward, she slammed her head into the one nearest her. She slapped her tail into the side of another, gaining the attention of the rest of the group.

“Adagio!” Fioritura snarled. “I told you to swim away!”

Adagio ignored her and kicked out a hoof, smacking one of the predators directly in the mouth. The teeth dug in slightly, but Adagio retreated before damage could be done. Fioritura rolled her eyes at her daughter and absently swatted the head of one of the fish heading for her daughter. Her sheer size alone gave her an advantage over the fish. Still, with Adagio here, she had to be certain she didn’t accidentally hurt the smaller siren.

Swinging their fins together, mother and daughter kept the predators at bay and did their best to avoid the sharp teeth coming for them. However, the predators drew strength in numbers and Adagio began to tire. Her movements became sloppy and a stray bite nicked her hide. Blood leaked into the area around them, riling up the hungry pursuers further.

Fioritura swam protectively around the smaller siren, keeping the predators in her sights to the best of her ability. She needed to get Adagio out of here before they closed in for the kill. Gathering her strength, the purple siren wrapped her tail around her precious offspring and vaulted Adagio through the water.

Adagio cried out in shock at being propelled away from the fight. She flapped her fins desperately to right herself and turned back. “Mother!” she shouted, making to return to the fray.

“No, Adagio, you must swim!” Fioritura ordered. “Stay with your Orchestra! Protect them!”

Adagio bit her lip. Bowing her head, she nodded and turned tail, forcing her tired fins to push her toward the reef. Glancing back, she spotted her mother putting up a hard fight against the predators, but they were outnumbering her. Adagio averted her gaze as a set of sharp teeth finally tore into the purple hide. The scent of blood filled the water and made her want to gag.

Forcing herself to keep going, Adagio hurried on for the reef. Sonata and Aria would be waiting there for her. She needed to protect them. All they had left was each other.

Adagio stared around as she strode along the sidewalk with Aria and Sonata at her sides. Anyone who spotted them steered out of their way, most likely due to Aria’s death glare. The girl could glare a gang out of an alley if she was in a bad enough mood.

They were out scouting a feeding ground together. No flashy clothing, of course. In the current world, drawing attention to themselves tended to make it difficult to stay in one place for very long. They had donned simple tank tops and jeans beneath their hoodies. Summer hadn’t quite gone, but fall was definitely on its way. The weather was cool enough to warrant the extra protection for them.

Adagio watched the streets around them, looking for a place that would work as a proper feeding ground. It needed to be somewhere the trio could easily conceal themselves while still having enough people to provide a decent meal. Her lip curled at the thought. The fact that they even needed to scavenge for a decent meal always made her angry.

“What about there, Dagi?” Sonata asked, catching the attention of her friends as she pointed out a hot dog shop. “It looks pretty full!”

Adagio observed the hot dog shop for a moment. It did seem rather packed and there was enough room for the three of them to remain unnoticed as they sang. However, a sign caught her eye and she sighed.

“It won’t be that way when we feed tomorrow, Sonata,” she said. “It’s only packed at the moment because they’re having a sale on some of their specials.”

“Oh.” Sonata lowered her head. She was only trying to help, but most of the places she ever suggested weren’t good ones. She wasn’t good at this like Dagi.

“Why don’t we head in now?” Aria piped in. “We could go in, grab a quick bite, and book it.”

Adagio shook her head and pointed to the overhead sun. The orb was high in the sky, taunting them with its very presence. “You know it’s dangerous to feed during the day. We’re more likely to be interrupted.”

Aria huffed and crossed her arms petulantly, knowing Adagio was right. They had tried a few times in this place to feed during the day since the beginning of the new century, but someone always ended up calling the authorities before they could finish. They would always need to feed twice as much because of it.

The trio continued their trek, looking for ideal places to restore their strength. The streets were busy, people bustling about their day-to-day business. The flow of it passed along as the three Sirens continued on their journey.

Sonata craned her head in every direction, hoping she could find somewhere suitable so that all of the work wasn’t on Adagio. Dagi always took care of them, so Sonata always wanted to try repaying her for her hard work. It usually fell flat, but Dagi congratulated her on trying her best. Still, Sonata wanted to contribute more than just her voice to their usual feeding.

Aria grumpily glared at the passersby walking around them. The nature of their current outfits was to avoid having attention drawn to them. If the people couldn’t get the hint, Aria would drive it a little more home. Adagio had enough to worry about with Sonata and finding them a place to feed. She didn’t need some googly-eyed prepubescent-looking teenager trying to make the moves on her.

Violet eyes glanced to the side at her leader. Though she was loath to admit it, Aria did notice the small bags under Adagio’s eyes. It had been a few days since they had fed at the bakery and in that time, the nightmares still hadn’t subsided. They could never pinpoint the exact date of her death, but it always plagued Adagio, just as much as the memory of her mother’s death did. Hopefully, they would fade into the background again soon. They needed Adagio at her best in order to feed properly.

Adagio, for her part, merely let her eyes rove the areas around them. She was looking for a place to feed, but she also needed to unwind. Her latest nightmare had left her emotionally raw that morning. Feeling the outside, taking in the scents and sounds of nature and the life around her helped her switch her focus from memories to her status over these pathetic creatures. Reminding herself of her own greatness helped to ease the pain of the memories and aided her in pushing them away.

Of course, there was always something else that helped to push the memories away. Or rather, someone.

“What about there, Dagi?” Sonata gasped, tugging her arm and pointing to a nearby restaurant. The diner appeared quaint and relatively well-kept. A steady flow of customers seemed to be going in and out of it. Glancing around, Adagio couldn’t spot any promotional material or special deals, which meant that the diner must have usually been this populated.

A small smile curled her lips. Perhaps she was rubbing off on her friends after all. Usually, as the leader of their Orchestra, it was her job to provide for them, to keep them safe. It was her Oath, her Vow, her duty as their leader. However, seeing her little Sonata finding a suitable place to feed didn’t hurt either.

Reaching out a hand, the yellow siren placed it against her friend’s blue hair proudly. “You may be on to something with this one, Sonata,” she praised.

“Can I go check it out?” Sonata asked excitedly, already looking ready to cross the street. Adagio caught her arm quickly.

“Remember that you can’t stray too far from me in this world, Sonata,” Adagio reprimanded her. Sonata was usually very good about remembering that little detail, but when she was excited, she tended to forget everything except what she was focused on. As it were, the blunette smiled at her sheepishly and remained in her place.

Adagio examined the diner for a moment, watching the people who walked in and came out. It appeared that it was a common hangout. Not quite as popular as the sweets shop down the street, but enough that they would get some decent energy out of the people there. Nodding to herself, Adagio smiled to her friends. “Looks like we’ve got our place to feed, girls. Let’s get home and rest up. We’ll need it for tomorrow.”

Aria and Sonata dutifully followed after her. And why wouldn’t they? She was their leader, she kept them safe and fed. It was her duty to protect them. That was the promise she had made, not only to them, but to her mother as well.

Author's Note

Whoo, difficult figuring out exactly which flashbacks to put where, but since we're getting into Rainbow Rocks territory, not much I gotta do soon. Flashbacks almost done, shit bout to go down.

Home

Blood.

The stench of blood filled the water around her, staining it as it traveled through her gills. She couldn’t breathe properly, bubbles spilling from her mouth every few moments as her body tried to purge the terrible water from her system. After a while, she forewent breathing altogether, wanting to get to the bottom of this.

“Ada… gio…”

Through the blood and darkness, Adagio spotted something, a vaguely familiar shape. Thankful for the clear coating over her eyes, Adagio moved closer and sank down. She involuntarily gasped at the sight of another siren, but the stench of blood and sickness forced her to stop her gills and lungs once more. The siren gazed up at her wearily through the murk around them.

“You must…” she whispered. “You must warn… warn your mother… You must lea…ve…”

“I’ll get you to my home,” Adagio murmured, forcing herself to reassure this siren, even with the stinging stench around them. “My mother can help you.”

“No…” the siren pleaded, pushing off the hoof Adagio had wiggled beneath her. “You… m-must… leave… it… it’s c-coming… y-you’re in… in danger already… you must leave me… and go…”

Adagio ignored her entirely and continued trying to pick the siren up. Despite her obvious weakness, the sick siren was doing a very good job of stalling Adagio’s efforts. The yellow siren refused to let up, though, and as the mysterious siren’s stalling grew weaker, Adagio managed to float her partway back to the ship.

They didn’t make it very far before a group of predators descended on them, called by the smell of the blood. Adagio bit her lip, wondering what to do. She couldn’t leave this weak creature alone, but if she swam away from the predators, then the siren might not live long enough to receive aid. Buckling down, Adagio took a deep breath. If she could just swim home, she could get her mother’s assistance in fighting off these predators. She just needed to make it ho-

“Ouch!” Adagio gasped as a light nip to her hide shook her from her thoughts. In her moment of pain, she briefly released the siren in her grasp. The siren flapped her tail weakly, leading their pursuers from Adagio.

“W-wait!” Adagio called.

The siren glanced back at her. “Warn her…” she called with her last bit of strength as one of the predators bit into her side, much harder than the nip she’d given Adagio. “Get away…”

Adagio stared in horror as sharp teeth continued digging into the poor siren. Blood filled the area around them and, if she didn’t swim away soon, it would cling to her coat and follow her. With a strong flap of her fins, Adagio propelled herself away from the scene, doing her best to ignore the sounds of flesh tearing behind her.

She had no time to think about the siren now. She needed to honor her last wish. Setting her jaw, Adagio swallowed down her grief at being useless to help a fellow siren in need and instead, shot herself as quickly as possible for her home.

Adagio lie awake, staring at her bedroom ceiling. The Battle of the Bands would take place the following day, so she really should have been sleeping, but so many thoughts consumed her. The most recent nightmare had brought back far too many memories, of fleeing to the mainland, of the losses she had suffered, of those she could have lost…

Sighing, the lead siren sat up and placed her chin in her hands. The Equestrian Magic would be her safe haven. Having their full power once more would make possible several things Adagio thought would be lost. Even if the sea has not been made safe again for Sirens, they would still be able to return to the land they knew as their home. The three of them could sing for ponies once more, their song would beguile those around them and bring about the disharmony necessary to fuel their Modules.

Deep pink eyes narrowed at the thought of ponies. One pony in particular. Star Swirl. It was he who banished the three of them here, who caused so much chaos in their lives. To have stripped them from their home so thoroughly infuriated Adagio to no end. It was their birthright as Sirens to sing for other beings. The music within them brought about multitudes of emotions, not just competitive anger. If that wretched unicorn couldn’t see that, then he would get the sharp end of her teeth once they returned to Equesria.

If the old pony isn’t dead by this point. Adagio thought with a small sense of vindictive glee. One of the many things she enjoyed about their Modules was their immortality, no doubt the reason they had lasted so long in this magicless world. Pink eyes narrowed for a moment. Not magicless anymore. And with the magic finally introduced to this world, we can regain our power and go home.

Standing and moving to the window, Adagio stared up at the moon. The one in this world could never compare to the beauty of Luna’s moon. There were so many things in this world that could never compare to their homeworld. Adagio had nearly given up on going back, after a thousand years of banishment. But Canterlot High was their key. Equestria was within their reach once more.

And she would tear down anyone trying to stop them. Especially those Rainbooms.

Author's Note

Goodness... it's been a bit, huh?

Alone

Adagio grunted as she and her friends landed on the ground. A soft growl filtered from her throat at the audacity of that Star Swirl. How dare he sentence them to banishment? Sirens ruled the oceans of Equestria! Without them, there would be no emotional balance among the seafolk. Not… that they could ever return to the ocean as it were.

Lifting up, the lead siren glanced down and gasped in horror. Her hooves. Her beautiful hooves were replaced with… with these odd limbs. Each one had five protruding appendages curling on it. What were these? Where were her hooves?

“Holy Stallions!” Aria shrieked. Adagio turned to her quickly and found the purple siren staring down her own body. “Where the Tartarus is my tail?” the grumpy siren demanded, wiggling the odd-looking pair of… land legs she now possessed.

Hurriedly, Adagio whipped her head to the other side where she had heard Sonata land. She found the bubbliest siren holding her strange forelegs to her chest and blushing profusely. “Sonata?” Adagio asked slowly. “What’s wrong?”

Cyan cheeks darkened further and Sonata slowly pulled her limbs away. “M-my chest has… it has mammal parts…” Sonata whispered, showing her fellow sirens her mammary glands.

The blood drained from Adagio’s face and her… split hoof? Whatever it was, she used it to feel for her gills. Nothing. Her neck was bare. She only had lungs.

“He turned us into mammals…” she breathed in horror.

“But what kind?” Aria huffed. “We clearly aren’t ponies.”

“Whatever we are, we need to figure out what to do now.” Adagio used her new hooves to push herself onto all fours. Her new hindlegs wobbled unsteadily and she sighed. They would need to learn how to use them. This was going to be difficult. “We need to practice with our new parts before we can do anything. That means, until we get this under control, we have to stay away from others of whatever species this is.”

Gingerly, the lead siren lifted a single hindleg and inched it forward. That was progress at least. They seemed to work similarly to the front hooves she had possessed in Equestria. All she needed to do was bend the elbow—did the land ponies call them knees?—and move it forward. Now, she did the same with one of her front hoof things and she began to move, if slowly.

Her sisters followed her movements, stumbling over themselves slightly. Gradually, they began trekking through the forest they had found themselves in. “Whatever this world is,” Adagio murmured, watching the animal life around them. “It’s clear each animal has a different dialect. I’m not sure if they’ll understand us should we attempt communication.”

“Great!” Aria grumbled. “Turned into mammals and unable to communicate with the other animals. How are we supposed to survive?”

“We’ll figure something out,” Sonata said softly as she glanced around them uneasily. “We always do.”

Adagio smiled back at her. As she did, she noticed something off. Sitting on her tail—flank? Haunches?—she turned to the other two and cocked her head, staring at them hard. Aria and Sonata stared at her, wondering what the problem was. Adagio’s eyes narrowed as she tried to figure out what was different.

Looking down at herself, the leader of their Orchestra used her strange forehooves to grasp the fabric over her body and lift it. With the five protrusions, she felt around her chest area, ignoring her moderately sized mammary glands as she examined the area. Smooth fur or… flesh? Nothing but smooth flesh met her appendages.

Amethyst eyes widened in horror. “Our Song Modules!” she breathed. She stared over at Sonata and Aria. They wouldn’t survive long without the gems. If she didn’t find some magic soon, they would be-!

“Oh, they’re right here!” Sonata exclaimed quietly, reaching up to a strange neckpiece at her throat. There, glowing around her neck, was a smaller version of their Modules. Sonata turned it over in her fingers so Adagio could get a good look. “I guess this is how the mammals here would wear them if they were Sirens,” she suggested.

“Thank you, Sonata,” Adagio breathed. “I was worried for a moment. We should probably keep going. I don’t feel any magic in this area and without magic, you two will-.”

At that moment, Aria sank to the ground. Adagio rushed to her side. Or, well, hobbled to her side on her new limbs, using her oddly shortened muzzle to nuzzle her comrade. “I’m good,” Aria huffed. “Just… really tired for some reason.”

“It must be the lack of magic,” the yellow siren whispered, glancing over to see Sonata leaning heavily against a tree. “Star Swirl sent us to a world without magic.”

Biting her lip, Adagio glanced around. They had never tried their voices on regular animals in Equestria, just ponies and seafolk. Maybe…Taking in a deep breath (how bizarre) Adagio slowly began to sing. Her Module began to glow, providing the magic behind her song as she hoped the spell worked on animals. Sirens were meant to use it on sea life to keep the emotional balance, but…

Thankfully, the signature green mist of their magic began to flow from the bushes. It wasn’t a lot, but it was enough. Allowing her Module to absorb the energy, Adagio slowly focused her energy and shared it with Sonata and Aria. A bit of their strength seemed to return and they nodded to her to signal they were okay.

Adagio sighed and rubbed her head with her split hoof, muttering, “This new world is going to be hard enough learning about, but we may have to feed far more often now. That was barely enough to sustain the three of us for two days.”

“Then let’s get goin’,” Aria shrugged. “Sooner we find other mammals like this, sooner we can find somewhere to gather more food, right?”

Adagio nodded. She needed to focus on keeping her Orchestra fed. She couldn’t lose them. She couldn’t be alone again.

Adagio rubbed her head as the magical blast dropped she and her friends back to the stage. She could feel her power slipping away, fading back into what it was before discovering the school. Those children had stolen their birthright from them, just as Star Swirl had those years ago. Growling, she glared across at them before something red caught her eye. Glancing down, Adagio felt her heart skid to a halt.

Their Song Modules.

Before all three of them lay shattered gemstones, the red jewels glowing faintly before their power faded out. No. No, this couldn’t happen. They needed those. She needed those. Casting a quick look to the other members of her Orchestra, Adagio quickly scooped up the pieces of her Module and stood. If she could recreate the song that gave them the power, perhaps she could reseal the gems, fix them up and regain their energy.

Aria and Sonata quickly followed her lead, standing beside her. Sharing the swiftest of looks, the trio began to sing. It was clear within seconds that something was terribly wrong. Their voices… their voices weren’t harmonizing! They couldn’t muster up the magic if they couldn’t even harmonize. Adagio felt panic creep through her stomach, slithering up her chest as she shared a worried glance with Aria.

Food began flying at them and the trio took off. They needed to find shelter, find a place to regroup and figure out how to move forward. The panic slowly expanded to encompass Adagio’s whole body as the three of them raced off the stadium’s property.

From the hilltop, the Rainbooms shared cheers and high fives with one another. Twilight pulled Sunset into a grateful hug, grinning at her happily before lifting into the air with the fiery-haired woman in her arms. Rainbow Dash followed with Applejack in her arms and Fluttershy gently carried Rarity to the stage. Pinkie packed all of their instruments into Vinyl’s car and hopped in beside the DJ.

As the group reconvened on the stage, the students all cheered for them happily, a few shouting Sunset’s name gratefully. The amber-skinned woman smiled out at the crowd. She had finally gotten them to see that she was fully on their side!

Turning to Princess Twilight, Sunset noticed a worried look in the alicorn’s eyes. Smirking, she reached out to place a hand on her friend’s shoulder. “You wanna try reforming them too, Princess?” she chuckled.

“Well, it couldn’t hurt to try, could it?” Twilight blushed slightly. Sunset shrugged and turned to the rest of their friends. The group all gave their own shrugs and grinned at the pair of Equestrians.

“Well then, come on!” Rainbow Dash cheered. “I doubt they’ll come back to school after what happened, so let’s go find’em!”

At once, Pinkie took the lead, bounding from the stage and hurrying in the direction the Sirens had gone. Rainbow Dash and Sunset Shimmer were right behind her with Applejack and Twilight close behind, Fluttershy behind them and Rarity bringing up the rear. Pinkie checked around every corner she came to, trying to spot any sign of the women they were searching for. She was hoping to see any of the singing group, but their leader’s hair would be her best chance of finding them. The rest of the group simply followed along behind her. They all refrained from calling out the girls’ names—not that they knew any outside of the leader’s name anyway, apart from Sunset—knowing the trio were likely not in the mood to see them and would avoid them if they knew they were near.

A few blocks from Canterlot Stadium, Pinkie stopped and cocked her head. The others paused behind her and copied the action. It took a moment with the wind blowing slightly, but all of them could just make out… screaming? The group shared a panicked glance before racing in the direction of the sound. They didn’t know what was happening, but if someone was in trouble, they needed to see what they could do. Sunset easily gained ground and sped alongside Pinkie as the screaming grew louder.

Coming to an alley, Pinkie and Sunset slid to a stop in the entrance, everyone else peering around them warily. On the ground in the middle of the alleyway knelt Adagio. A bright white glow surrounded her, the energy sucking at everything around it, but passing over regular objects. Still, the energy reached out. It was as if the magic was… searching for something.

That something appeared to be the two Sirens Sunset identified as Aria and Sonata. The two of them seemed to be the only things affected by the magic radiating from Adagio. What struck the group was the sheer terror on the pair’s faces as sobs emanated from Adagio herself.

Sunset and the group stared as Sonata and Aria held tightly to anything within their grasp. “Adagio, make it stop!” Aria screeched, fingers curled desperately around a nearby fire escape ladder.

“I-I can’t!” Adagio shouted as she clutched her head between her fingers. “Not without my magic! It won’t work without our Modules!”

“Dagi, please!” Sonata sniffed. Her fingers grasped fearfully at a doorjamb. “I don’t want to go back inside! I don’t! I like being out here!”

Tears poured down Adagio’s cheeks as she watched the other two futilely struggle against the pull. “I’m sorry,” she whispered as Sonata lost her grip first. The blue-haired siren released a terrified scream as she slammed into Adagio.

The group watching winced and cringed as the blue woman’s limbs began melding with Adagio’s drawing an agonized cry from both women. The magic appeared to engulf Sonata’s entire body as the poor siren struggled to free herself. Within moments, Sonata had been sucked inside of Adagio, the yellow siren trembling with sobs. “I’m so sorry!” she cried as Aria valiantly held on.

“Dag, come on!” Aria begged. “Ya gotta fight this!”

“I can’t!” Adagio exclaimed. “I… I can’t… I don’t want to be alone again… please…”

With a last effort, the magic pulling at Aria gave a rough tug and the purple siren lost her grip in surprise. With a startled shout, she also smashed against her host, melting into Adagio with a bright flash, just as Sonata had. Now, with the other two Sirens gone, all that was left in the alley was a sobbing woman, holding her hands to her face in defeat.

Sunset and Twilight shared a stunned glance as the rest of their friends simply stared blankly at their crying enemy, unable to process what had happened. By all accounts, it looked like Sonata and Aria… weren’t real people. If either Twilight or Sunset had to hazard a guess, they would wager both of the other Sirens had been illusions created by Adagio herself. Slowly, Sunset moved forward and cleared her throat. Adagio turned to her immediately. Her face fell into a vulnerable expression, her eyes wide and body trembling.

“D-don’t come closer!” Adagio whimpered, standing and backing away from them. “Don’t… don’t hurt me…”

“We’re not here to hurt you,” Sunset cooed gently. “We came looking to see if you three were, uh, okay…”

Adagio glanced to the ground and sniffed, one hand going to her head. Twilight stepped up to stand beside Sunset and Adagio whimpered. “What just happened?” the princess asked softly, trying not to startle the terrified woman. “Why did your friends merge with you?”

“Without our-Dagi’s-magic, Ari and I can’t be outside.” Adagio bit her lip as her voice deepened slightly and she became more guarded. “They were part of me, since I was a little guppy. When I was given my Song Module, it was powerful enough to cast them out of my being. They were still connected to me, though, by an unbreakable link, keeping the three of us together all this time.”

“So,” Rarity piped in cautiously. “When we destroyed your jewels, it also-.”

“Cut off the magic keeping me and Sonata sustained outside of Adagio,” Adagio snarled, her eyes darkening to Aria’s deep violet as her voice took on a gruff quality. “Thanks to the loss of our magic, we’re…” Her expression fell into a vulnerable, childish one as Sonata whimpered, “Dagi’s all alone again, just like when she was a guppy.”

Sunset sent a smile to Twilight as she said, “Well, you know, you don’t have to be alone anymore.”

Adagio’s natural haughty expression returned as she sniffed in contempt. “I suppose this is the part where you offer me redemption through friendship? I take it you’ll invite me to join your little ragtag gang of misfits so you can parade me around like a showpony, proving to the school your unstoppable power by presenting them with another defeated enemy to add to your trophy collection.”

“It doesn’t have to be that way,” Sunset told her calmly, holding up a hand to stop the others, namely Rainbow Dash, from saying something that could jeopardize the situation. “We can introduce you to some of the people at school who have similar interests that you do. We won’t make you spend time with us, but we do want to be there for you.”

Adagio’s eyes narrowed calculatingly, almost as if the trio were in an argument with one another, except within her mind instead of out in the world. After a few moments, she bit her lip and Sonata’s more open expression returned. “We’ve… we’ve never been without each other. How would the other students react to… us? Like this?”

Now, Rainbow Dash stepped up with a confident smile. “They’ll be a little harsh at first, but we’ve learned from our mistakes with Sunset. We’ll entrust the student body to make you a better person, not tear you down. And we’ll be there, remember?”

“Dash is right,” Applejack agreed, giving the skittish woman an encouraging smile. “We’ll be there for y’all when ya need us. Ain’t no way we gon hang ya out to dry by yerself.”

Sunset grinned and reached out to Adagio, allowing her arm to hang between them. “Come back with us,” she said softly. “We’ll figure things out, I promise. But no one deserves to be alone, no matter what they did in the past.”

Violet eyes stared at the hand before Adagio receded slightly. “I don’t trust you,” she whispered. It was difficult to tell which of the three was speaking in that moment or if it was all of them. “You just stripped me of my best friends and our only chance of regaining our magic.”

“It could have been worse,” Twilight pointed out. “I could have told you I was taking you back to Equestria to have you persecuted for your crimes-.”

“Crimes?” Adagio snorted, her eyes flashing darker as she folded her arms with a scowl. Aria. “You mean the supposed crimes your oh-so-accurate Equestrian history books said we committed?”

“Mind control is a pretty serious crime…” Sunset muttered, scratching her neck self-consciously.

The contemptuous smirk that descended over the siren’s expression indicated that Adagio had returned. “Mind control is a side effect of our magic. We Sirens kept the harmonious balance in the Equestrian oceans before we needed to relocate to the mainland. Even then, we continued our purpose of balancing the discontent and peace of Equestria. How can harmony exist without disharmony?”

“Still,” Twilight interjected before any of the others could comment. “You could have a chance to… not be alone anymore, to have people like you for you instead of because of your magic. Don’t you at least want to try?”

The siren stared at her, eyes narrowed once more in suspicion. Slowly, Adagio took a step forward. “Fine, princess,” she murmured lowly, still eyeing them all warily. “We’ll do this your way. But this does not make us friends and I do not trust any of you.”

“Yeah, feeling’s mutual,” Rainbow Dash scoffed with her arms folded.

Instantly, Aria’s scowl returned and she bared her teeth at the sports star, violet eyes narrowed venomously. However, before anything could be said, Sunset stepped between the pair and smiled at the volatile woman. “Great! So, uh, we’ll… see you at school on Monday then?”

Adagio straightened. “I suppose so,” she drawled calmly. “I’ve nothing else to do now. Aria still refuses to be a showpony, though.”

“That would be insulting!” Sunset chuckled. “Just regular former enemies turned acquaintances, if that’s acceptable.” Adagio merely gave a curt nod.

The group began making their way back to Canterlot High. Adagio stayed slightly further away from the others, arms crossed as Aria scowled at Rainbow Dash the entire way back. Sunset and Twilight watched them all and shared a glance with a slight sigh.

“I imagine it’ll take some time for her to adjust to this new lifestyle,” Twilight muttered. “But I’m sure you all can do it. Just… try to be more open with her? They might actually start to warm up to you all in time.”

“Hey, these girls fought off a demon,” Sunset smirked. “How hard can acquainting the school with a former siren with multiple personalities really be?”

Author's Note

Fun fact, the beginning of the flashback in this chapter was actually the beginning of another story idea I had a while back, but couldn’t figure out how to expand upon.

Contemplating whether or not I should end it here. It originally started as a one-chapter thing, so I'm not sure...