Divine Interventionby Snowflake DissonanceChaptersNew ArrivalDebriefingThe SirensGathering IntelNew ArrivalSnow blanketed the entire area, flakes still falling lazily from the sky. The city life bustled with shoppers, carolers, and people just going about their daily routine. Umbrellas, scarves and hats dotted every part of the landscape, along with lights strung from rooftops, menorahs and kinaras sitting in windows, passersby trading dreidels and gift ideas, and large trees topped with stars, angels, pentagrams, or any other symbol of hope one could think of. However, despite the upbeat atmosphere of the city, Canterlot High School was the exact opposite. Looming over the courtyard, the school appeared more imposing than usual, the cold winds roaming through the grounds pushing drifts of white fluff against the equally as cold stone. Within the last four days, the school had gone from cheerful and excited to angry and chaotic, descending quickly into the madness and distrust that currently held it. On the steps out front, clearly skipping class and not giving two flying rats about it, was a student named Morning Star. She leaned against the railing of the stairs, fiddling around with her phone as she waited. Every few moments, the cold wind blew strands of her black-streaked platinum hair into her bright red eyes, which she rolled as she pushed her hair backward. She had forgone a hat this year, deciding to buy a scarf with her pocket money instead. Not that she needed either, but she had to blend in somehow. A sudden crack of thunder in the sky made Morning Star glance up. That should be exactly who she was waiting for. Unless Mom was just screwing with her again. If She was, when Star got up there, she was going to give Her a good kick in-. A bolt of bright green lightning shot from the ground, soaring into the sky. Star watched it carefully, not wanting to be taken off guard by an unexpected visitor. The lightning lengthened as it moved through the sky, connecting points to lines to curves until, finally, a pentagram no wider than Morning Star’s shoulders shimmered in the sky. With another crash of sound, the pentagram slammed onto the ground in front of where Morning Star was waiting and expanded upward, revealing a figure slightly shorter than that of the student. A woman with platinum hair the same as Morning Star’s, but with red streaks instead of black, beamed as she brushed herself off. Her bright golden eyes turned in the direction of the school and she cocked her head. “So, this the place, Ten?” she asked in a clear ringing voice. “You’re late,” Morning Star responded, turning to lead her into Canterlot High. “Good to see you too, sis,” the newcomer giggled. Morning Star merely rolled her eyes. The pair made their way through the halls, students whispering as they passed. The visitor glanced around in confusion. “I know high school is literal torture and all, but this place seems… brimming with hatred.” “It is,” Morning Star told her. “Didn’t Dad brief you on the issue?” “Yeah, but you know Him.” She shrugged. “Two minutes of listing off the major points and then fifteen to grab whatever I’d need before he blasted me through the Channel.” She rubbed her neck slightly. “You’d think we’d have discovered an alternative to traveling by lightning by now…” “Well, if you’d use your Mom-given wings…” her guide muttered. “Anyway, the hostility is particularly high in this school because, four days ago, an internet blog called Anon-a-Miss started spilling secrets.” She swiped her phone and typed in the passcode, handing it over to her companion. The newcomer examined the screen with interest, scrolling through the posts. As she did, something in the comments caught her eye and she looked up. “Who’s ‘Shimmer’?” Morning Star froze for half a second before continuing on as if she hadn’t paused. “I’ll tell you when we get to Principal Celestia’s office.” “Ah,” her guest said lowly. “They must have to do with our assignment, then.” Morning Star stopped in front of a room with the door slightly ajar. Firmly knocking three times, she waited until they were given permission to enter. “Principal Celestia,” she called, dipping her head to the head of the school. “Vice Principal Luna,” she added with a nod in the second-in-command’s direction. “Hello, Morning Star,” Principal Celestia greeted her, smiling warmly. The bags under her eyes belied how tired she was, but Morning Star decided not to say anything. “How may we help you?” “My sister has come to enroll.” Morning Star stepped aside so the stranger could move forward. “Hi!” she grinned. “I’m Shadow Wings.” Vice Principal Luna opened up one of the drawers on her desk. Rifling through the folders inside, she pulled out a sheaf of papers and handed them to Morning Star, who was closest. “These are the enrollment forms,” she explained. “They shouldn’t take more than ten minutes to fill out. We will have her schedule by tomorrow.” Morning Star nodded and turned, leading Shadow Wings out of the room. Once they were out of earshot, Star looked down at the papers. “No wonder those Sirens managed to get in so easily. All any Equestrian has to do is take ten minutes and come back the next day. Honestly…” “Something up?” her sister asked. “No, no,” Morning Star sighed as she leaned against a locker. “Gimme a sec to fill these out?” “You got it!” Shadow Wings settled on the floor beside the other woman and watched the students occasionally go by. Usually, Shadow would love to be in a place with so much distrust and hostility. It was ripe feeding ground for her and her siblings. But if something like this had built in only four days, it wasn’t natural and needed to be rectified. The Balance didn’t have time for this. “Alright.” Morning Star’s voice broke through Shadow’s thoughts. “Let’s get these back to Celestia and get you properly briefed.” Shadow bounced up and followed Morning Star back to the Principal’s office. Celestia and Luna nodded to them both as Morning Star set the papers on the desk. Celestia looked them over as Luna appraised Shadow Wings for a moment. “Alright, everything seems to be in order,” Celestia stated. “Welcome to CHS, Shadow Wings. If you report here tomorrow morning, Luna will have your schedule ready.” “Actually, Celestia, there’s something the two of us need to discuss with you,” Morning Star told her. “Shadow, if you could get the door?” “Sure thing, Ten,” Shadow Wings chirped. “Don’t worry, ladies. This won’t take long.” Celestia and Luna shared a weary glance as the door shut with a slight click. Author's Note Alright! There's the start. I can't believe I'm actually going through with this so early, but everyone needs something for Christmas! Hope you enjoy! Debriefing“Demons.” Celestia’s head dropped to her desk in utter disbelief. Why was it always her school? She always encouraged open doors and welcoming everyone, but so far, she’s had unicorns that turn into demons, mind-controlling hippocampi, alicorn princesses, and what could possibly be an evil entity behind Anon-a-Miss. If this kept up, she’d have to put a ‘Species’ tab on the enrollment forms. Luna took a deep breath and pressed a hand to her forehead. “Correct me if I am wrong, but are you telling us that you two are demons sent here to investigate Anon-a-Miss?” “Almost exactly right!” Shadow Wings chirped. “I’m a demon. Big Sis is an angel.” “But… you’re siblings?” Celestia wanted a drink. Desperately. “That’s correct.” Morning Star nodded. “Now, for the issue at hand-.” Luna interrupted. “Wait, is that why you’ve been enrolled here for so long?” Morning Star had been at the school for as long as Celestia and Luna could remember. It was almost as if her presence at CHS was eternal. They hadn’t known how correct they were until now. “I am the guardian of CHS,” the angel responded calmly. “Mom got a strange feeling the day Celestia was appointed principal, so she sent me to keep an eye on things.” She rolled her eyes. “Not that I’m really needed with the ‘Elements of Harmony’ around.” “Yes, well, I doubt even the Elements of Harmony can save the school from whatever is causing Anon-a-Miss,” Celestia sighed. Shadow smiled and leaned down to look the tired woman in the eyes. “Don’t worry, Celestia. Ten and I will get to the bottom of things. All you’ll have to worry about is patching up the aftermath!” The ivory woman nodded wearily. “Very well, then, Morning Star, Shadow Wings. Luna and I will assist your investigation as you need us, but please try to be inconspicuous about the whole thing? We don’t want the students thinking another magical phenomenon is building.” “We will try to be as secretive of our true purpose as we can be,” Morning Star agreed. “Come, Shadow. School will be getting out in a few minutes. Let’s see if we can gather some information before talking to any of the students.” Celestia could only sigh as the two celestial beings strode from her office. She hoped CHS could survive through this. Was it too much to ask for them to have a regular school year? She snorted. With magic about, how could anything be regular? “Alright, Ten,” Shadow Wings piped up as they strode down the empty hall. “What’s first on the list? Beat up some bullies? Going undercover? Interrogations?” “We need to print out a copy of the Anon-a-Miss page.” Shadow frowned with a soft groan. “Don’t be like that,” Morning Star admonished. “We need to have the evidence with us at all times. Otherwise, how are we going to piece things together?” “Still doesn’t sound like any fun,” the younger of the pair pouted, crossing her arms petulantly as she headed into the library. Star shook her head at her sister and settled at a computer. Typing in the Anon-a-Miss page, she noticed that it was one of the suggested websites already. Whoever was running the blog must use the school computers in order to post things during classes. Or so many students have looked up the blog that it just automatically came up now. Still, she would take note of that. Printing out a few copies of the Anon-a-Miss page, Star handed one to Shadow and stored the rest into her messenger bag. The pair settled at one of the tables and looked over the page. Star handed Shadow a red marker. “Circle anything you think is a clue to this being a frame-up.” “Does this have to do with that Shimmer person you still haven’t told me about?” Shadow watched the way her sister froze up again and she raised an eyebrow. “Oh, now you gotta spill!” Morning Star rolled her eyes and explained lowly, “Sunset Shimmer is a girl who arrived here six years ago. She’s in her sophomore year, but she’s been attending Canterlot High in all that time. The funny thing is, she’s eighteen this past year, which means she should have graduated by now.” “Maybe she was held back?” Shadow suggested, only for Star to shake her head. “She’s the smartest person in CHS, so that’s not a plausible reason. I’ve been pondering it ever since she arrived, but it wasn’t until this past August that I finally found my answer. She’s not from here.” Shadow Wings snorted. “So, what? She stayed at the school because they lost her transcripts or something?” “No, she’s a unicorn from a different dimension.” Star wrote something down in her notes as she waited for her sister to absorb that little fact. “You’re… joking?” Shadow searched her sister’s bright red eyes, but found them completely serious. “She’s really a unicorn from another dimension? But… how? Mom hasn’t approved interdimensional travel yet!” Star shrugged. “Apparently some unicorn in their dimension created a portal a thousand years ago and used it to banish things here. Sunset hopped through one day, but the portal only ever opened once every year and a half, so when she came through, she was stuck.” “But if it opens every year and a half, why didn’t she go home?” “Turns out, she liked it here. She was in charge, she ruled the school, almost everyone was under her command. The control went to her head and she didn’t bother going back.” Shadow blinked. “So, she’s the one turning the school on its head like this?” “Nope,” her sister stated matter-of-factly. “After turning into a minor demon during the Fall Formal this past August, she let magic loose in this world. One of the princesses from her dimension utilized the doppelgangers of some of her friends to use the 'Elements of Harmony' and turn Sunset back into herself. Ever since then, Sunset has been trying her hardest to prove to everyone she’s trying to change. Her reformation was ultimately proven this past October, during the Battle of the Bands.” “The school had a Battle of the Bands?” Shadow gasped. “And you didn’t tell me?” Star gave a noncommittal shrug of her shoulders. “Some Sirens, banished here from Sunset’s universe a thousand years ago, showed up looking for the magic. Unfortunately, I was ‘suspended’ at the time for punching someone through a locker, so I couldn’t be of any service.” “You know Mom hates it when you hurt her 'babies',” Shadow snickered. “How long did it take your wings to grow back?” “A few days,” Star grumbled before clearing her throat. “Thankfully, Sunset helped the Rainbooms defeat the Sirens. Don’t know where the cuties went off to, but it’s not my problem, so long as they aren’t causing trouble for the school.” They stopped for a moment and looked to the MyStable page printout. Star sighed, “We’ll go find them once school lets out for the day.” “You think this could be a revenge plot for being beaten?” Shadow inquired softly. “No clue, but we can’t rule out anything just yet.” “So, how did this Anon-a-Miss thing get started then?” the demon prodded, circling a few things on the printout and looking back up at her sister. Star pressed a hand to her forehead. “The account just appeared. No warning, no hints. One day, everything was fine, the next, Applejack is getting taunted over a childhood nickname. Unfortunately, it was revealed that Applejack had told her friends the nickname the night before, so they suspected Sunset, but ignored the account. “The day after, though, Sunset’s friends confronted her in the hallway over some pictures she’d taken at their latest sleepover. Anon-a-Miss had posted them. They did ask her if her phone had been stolen, but when she confirmed it hadn’t been, they immediately jumped down her throat about Anon-a-Miss, barely even gave her time to speak before leaving her in the hall. I don’t think I’ve seen Sunset cry like that since the Fall Formal.” Shadow’s fists clenched. “Well… that certainly sheds some light on the situation.” “We’re not here to pass Judgement, Shadow,” Star warned her. “We’re only here to find the true culprits. Unless Mom gives the signal, we don’t pass Judgement on anyone. We need to look at this from every angle. Clear?” “Fine,” Shadow growled. “But I’m sticking around town after this is done. After something like this, the students here need to be watched.” “Yeah, yeah,” Star chuckled, taking the red marker and circling the silhouette of Sunset in the avatar, as well as the creation date of the blog. “Come on, before you start raining hellfire on everything. School lets out for Winter Break next Friday and I want this wrapped up before then.” “So, we’re going to go see those ‘cuties’ you mentioned?” Shadow asked, perking up as Star put the last printout in her messenger bag. “Are they actually cute or are you just saying that to string me along?” Morning Star licked her lips as she remembered returning just as the Battle of the Bands was finishing up. She’d watched the three young women flee from the stadium and wondered what was going on. It wasn’t until later that she heard some of the students singing their songs and found a few of the photos the tech students had captured. Even if they couldn’t sing anymore, those girls were more than easy on the eyes. “Let’s just go,” Star huffed, not voicing her thoughts to her sister. “We don’t have much time to investigate.” Shadow snickered as she followed her sister out. “Looking forward to Christmas? Got a date this year?” “Shut up and let’s go.” Laughter was her response as her little sister followed. Author's Note Celestia and Luna are now in the know! Thankfully. Next chapter, we get to see the Sirens. The SirensShadow stared up at the building in shock. This was not the kind of place she had been expecting when her sister had told her about the people they were going to meet. She had expected a manor of some kind, because how can you be on this world for a thousand years and not be loaded? Otherwise, she expected a much lower housing deal, just in case they weren’t loaded. She hadn’t been expecting, well, this. Star watched her sister’s reaction calmly, waiting for the younger woman to gather herself. She did have to admit that the hotel was gorgeous, especially from the outside. She had no clue what the inside looked like because there was no point in her knowing, but she couldn’t help but be curious now. If the Sirens lived in a place like this, who knew what they were up to now? “You done gawking yet?” Star inquired. Shadow picked up her jaw with a slight struggle and gasped, “It’s so pretty, though! Look at it, Ten!” “I can see it, Shadow,” the angel responded, her lips tugging up into a slight smile. “Come on, before they get on us for drooling on their threshold. We need to take a look around the lobby. I want to know how fancy it is before we try anything unorthodox.” Stepping through the front doors, the undercover sisters peered around. Bellhops pushed luggage toward the elevators, wealthy tourists mulled about, receiving their room keys, talking to management, or waiting on some other service. Star cursed under her breath when she found butlers waiting at every elevator. “Looks like we might have to do this the unorthodox way,” she sighed. “Unorthodox?” Shadow inquired distantly, examining the gold detailing on one of the room's support beams. Star rolled her eyes with a slight smile and grabbed her sister’s collar. “You can loot the place some other time, Shadow. We have a job to do first.” “But this place is ripe with gluttony and pride!” the demon whined as she was dragged back into the street. “Not right now.” Star rounded the corner of the building, heading for the parking area. It was an enclosed, roofed-in area with an entrance fee. Star passed the ticket booth and made her way toward the other side of the parking enclosure. Once out of sight of the ticket booth, she lifted Shadow properly into her arms. “You need to hold on tight, Shadow,” she said calmly. “Don’t gotta tell me twice!” Shadow responded, burying her face in her sister’s shoulder as Star unfurled her large, blue wings. With a few powerful flaps, the two of them lifted into the air, Star searching for a place to land that wouldn’t make people immediately call the authorities. Spotting a small balcony at the very top of the hotel, Star smirked and slowly landed atop it. Shadow took a few deep breaths before gingerly stepping from the angel’s arms. “You good?” Star inquired. “Y-yeah,” Shadow whispered. “Let’s go, then,” Star chuckled, patting her shoulder as she walked toward the door to the penthouse. “Once we’re finished speaking with these three, we can find somewhere to get you fed.” Shadow instantly perked up at that and eagerly followed her sister. The pair of them melded through the balcony’s doorway, stepping into a spacious penthouse with more gold detailings. Most of the furniture was made of velvet, hued a deep violet or dark pink. They had stepped into the largest area, a television hanging on the wall to their right and a hallway, no doubt leading to the bedrooms, stretched on their left. Shadow whistled as she trailed her fingers over a nearby side table. “Well, this place is quite a sweet pad. Wonder how they accomplished this.” “They’ve been here for a thousand years,” Star responded calmly. “They’ve had time to amass their fortune. Their leader is cunning, very intelligent. I wouldn’t be surprised if she was the one to even start the concept of the stock market.” “I’m flattered,” a husky voice said from the direction of the hallway. “Care to tell me why you’re here?” Both turned to find a sunny-skinned woman with a mass of ginger curls and sharp amethyst eyes glaring at them from the hallway. Beside her stood a magenta woman with two silky violet and aquamarine twintails, holding a crossbow aimed right at Shadow Wings. Slightly behind them, a woman with cyan skin and bright pink eyes held a baseball bat defensively. All three glared at the intruders expectantly. Morning Star turned to the Sirens as Shadow huffed. “You were not joking,” the demon murmured lowly, eyes tracing the contours all the trio's bodies. “I didn’t even tell you anything,” Star grumbled. She looked to the Sirens with a nod. “You can put the weapons away. We’re only here to talk to you. We’ve got a few questions.” “Not a good enough reason for me not to shoot you here and now,” the magenta woman snarled lowly. “You can, but it won’t do you much good,” Shadow snorted. “We only want to ask you about something that’s going on. We don’t want to stay any longer than necessary if we’re bothering you.” The woman bared her teeth angrily, but the sunny one, obviously the leader, held up a hand. “Don’t shoot, Aria,” she stated calmly. “But Adagio-!” “No.” The magenta one, Aria, immediately quieted at the single word. “There’s something… off about these two. Keep the bow on hand, but lower it for now. We don’t want to call security for something that might be a waste of their time.” With a grumble, Aria lowered her crossbow. “Sonata, I guess you can lean the bat against the wall. Looks like we won’t be needing it.” “Aw,” the cyan woman, Sonata, whined. “But I never get to defend against burglars!” “If we’d wanted to steal something, it would already be gone,” Shadow snickered. “Not now, Shadow,” Star told her as Adagio walked forward. “What is it you want to know?” the leader asked, settling on one of the violet couches. Her comrades moved to flank her. Star and Shadow remained by the balcony door. “There’s something going on at Canterlot High right now and we wanted to rule you three out as possible suspects,” Star explained. Beating around the bush would only further aggravate Aria. Best not to do that. “Like we’d bother with that rundown dump again,” Aria snorted, checking her crossbow over for any nicks. “Aria is correct,” Adagio said, her eyes trained only on their visitors. “We haven’t been near Canterlot High since the beginning of October. Once the Battle of the Bands ended in the favor of the Rainbooms-” the band’s name was practically spat out “-we had no reason to return.” “Makes sense,” Shadow murmured. “They did beat you pretty badly from what Ten told me.” Adagio’s eye twitched and Sonata and Aria both touched a hand to their throats. “Did you come here just to mock us?” Aria demanded. Her eyes narrowed on Shadow, who smiled calmly. “No, no. Not at all. Just me wondering how three Sirens managed to lose to five teenagers and a unicorn, that’s all.” Star’s eyes flashed at her sister. “Shadow, not now.” “Hang on, Ten, I want to know the answer. Even more than that, I want to know why these three haven’t sought revenge for the loss of their power. You were on top of the city, you know? You had everything and you just… let them take it away?” Aria gripped her crossbow tightly and knocked an arrow, whirling it to face Shadow. “One. More. Word.” Shadow raised her hands calmly. “Wow, must not be that sore over your power, huh? Can’t even think of a simple revenge scheme? Nothing at all?” Star noticed the way Adagio looked away at the word ‘scheme’. Her eyes narrowed on the siren leader as Aria finally snapped. “Shut up!” she shouted. “You don’t know anything about us!” “I was told that you were smart, though,” Shadow stated, facing down the arrow. “You really couldn’t think of anything? Not even a petty prank to have a small sense of satisfaction?” Aria released the trigger on the bow. The bolt shot through the air faster than the human eye could see. Shadow followed it with her gaze and let it pierce her chest. Star pressed a hand to her face in irritation. All three Sirens watched in shock as Shadow pulled the bolt out with a grunt. “That kinda hurt,” she muttered. “What part of ‘undercover’ just… eludes you?” Star demanded in frustration. “I wanted to make sure they really knew nothing about it,” her sister responded, rolling up her shirt to make sure she wasn’t hurt. For all she knew, that woman could dip her bolts in holy water. “Seems they’re telling the truth, though, so it’s no big deal.” “No big- for the love of Mom, are you kidding me?” Star rubbed her hand down her face. “Forget it. If you’re positive they’re telling the truth, then I guess we’ve no point staying any longer.” “Hold up,” a stunned voice called from the other side of the room. The sisters looked back to find all three of the other women standing and staring at Shadow curiously. “How did you survive that?” Aria asked in a quieter voice than before. “Easy!” Shadow replied. “I’m a demon. Human weapons are kinda useless against me.” Star threw her hands in the air and walked over to slam her head into the wall. “A demon?” Adagio raised an eyebrow skeptically. “Like what Sunset Shimmer turned into during that pathetic Fall Formal event?” Shadow’s eyes narrowed. “Ten told me about that. A minor shudder in the energy flow back in your August month? Please, that was hardly a demon. It was more on the level of one of our minions. To be so thoroughly defeated by… what was it again?” “The Magic of Friendship,” Morning Star and Adagio said together. “Something as stupid as that. Honestly-.” Star pressed a hand over her sister’s mouth at the glare Adagio was sending in their direction. “That said,” Morning Star coughed. “We should probably be going-.” “Wait.” At Adagio’s command, Morning Star felt a cold shiver down her spine. Oh, great, she thought irritably. I better not regret this. Author's Note As much as I love the Sirens, unfortunately, they will be minor characters in this piece. Expect to see more of them, though! Tomorrow and Monday, I will be packing to go home. I'm not sure when I'll have the chance to write again, after that, but I'll try to get another chapter up before Christmas! Gathering Intel“I am going to kill you!” “It was a minor deal! They’re immortal, too!” “That’s not the point and you know it!” Star stomped through the snow as she led Shadow home for the day. They had just left the Dazzle household with a few conditions from one Adagio Dazzle. Star would rather spend five Hell days with her father than follow through on said conditions, but unfortunately, the Sirens had them in a small corner. At least until Anon-a-Miss was over with. The encounter replayed in her mind’s eye, only further fueling her ire. “So, you’re divine beings? Immortal messengers of these humans?” Star stayed close to Shadow, keeping a firm hold on her sister’s wrist as the three Sirens surrounded them. It would have been no problem slipping out the door, but Aria had blocked that path off, and Sonata was standing in front of the glass to the balcony. They were forced to face Adagio. “We don’t want trouble,” Star said slowly, looking for an escape that didn’t involve one immortal going through another. “We were only here to conduct our investigation.” “Pray tell, what investigation would that be?” Adagio inquired, keeping her stance relaxed. Star knew she was ready to pounce on any information she could get out of them. They needed to be careful about what they revealed or things could get worse for CHS. Shadow was not on the same wavelength. “We’re just investigating some Anon-a-Miss stuff happening at the school. Some bully’s making everyone all cranky, so we were sent to put a stop to it.” Star slapped a hand against her face. Aria gave a soft snicker. “Those kids can never stay out of trouble. They would’ve been better off letting us brainwash them.” “It would certainly keep their feeble minds safe, that’s for certain,” Adagio agreed with a slight smirk. “I take it you came here to be sure we weren’t the cause of this new uproar?” “We needed to be sure there was no reason to suspect you,” Star told her tightly. “Since there isn’t, we can be on our way.” “I don’t think so,” Adagio stated. “You broke into our home under false pretenses. I believe some compensation is in order.” Red eyes narrowed. “And how are you so sure we have something to give you?” “You’re an angel and a demon!” Sonata giggled. “If there’s anyone who can give us something we want, it would be you two. Can’t you, like, rain fire on things?” “I can’t,” Shadow told her. “I’m not old enough yet.” “An indication that one of you can.” Amethyst eyes met Star’s red ones and the angel huffed. “We only came here for our investigation.” This was not going as planned. Star could have been in and out if she had done this on her own. “We should really be leaving your territory since there’s no way to give you whatever you want anyway.” Sonata pouted behind them. “So much for a Christmas Wish…” Star froze up. H-how did she know about that? No. They couldn’t possibly know. Her sudden nervousness did not go unnoticed by the leader of the trio. “Is there something about this Christmas wish we should know?” Adagio smirked, walking closer. “Perhaps something you could do for us after all?” Shadow ducked behind Star, her cheeks flaming as the siren moved closer. “O-only Angels have the ability to grant those. Demons can’t. Because of the nature of Christmas, it was only granted to Angels, like Star.” “Shadow!” Star exclaimed, rounding on her sister. “Can you shut up for five minutes? How badly do you want Dad to torture me?” “So Angels grant wishes?” Aria snorted. “What, like a genie or something?” Star spun on her now. “There is now way I’m granting wishes to any of you! Who knows what you three would wish for any-.” “You have to hang out with us whenever you’re not investigating!” Sonata blurted out. Everyone stared at her in utter shock and even Adagio asked, “What?” “W-well, we don’t really have anyone else coming over for the holidays, s-so I thought they could spend the holidays with us…” Sonata shrank under the flat glares of her sisters. “These are two heavenly beings with immense power and the ability to destroy the world at their fingertips, and your wish from them is to hang out with us when they're not doing their job?” Aria’s face had darkened to an indignant prune color as she glared at the ponytailed woman. “U-um, yeah?” Before Aria could go on a tirade, Adagio cleared her throat. The pair settled down immediately and glanced to their leader. Adagio stared at Shadow and Star pensively, tapping her chin in thought. The blondes shared an uneasy glance as they waited for her to say something. Finally, Adagio nodded. “I think that’s a wonderful idea, Sonata,” she stated. “WHAT?” Aria’s jaw hit the ground as she stared at her leader in shock. “I see no reason why Sonata can’t have her wish granted,” the lead siren shrugged. “And it doesn’t negate that you and I still have our wishes, Aria. If that’s what she wants to wish for, it will give us time to think about our own.” Aria’s eyes narrowed as she surveyed Adagio. The two of them held eye contact for a long moment before Aria slowly nodded. “Okay… fine. It’ll be nice to have someone new to wipe the floor with in videogames anyway.” Shadow snorted, breaking the tension in the air. “Yeah, we’ll see about that.” Adagio and Star leveled each other with wary gazes. “So?” Adagio prodded. “Do we have a deal for Sonata’s wish?” Red eyes glared around at the entire room for a moment before closing. With a deep breath, Star conceded this battle. “We have a deal.” Star gave a soft groan of aggravation. Spending their downtime in the company of three very manipulative, very cunning, very questionable women was not how she expected her Winter Break to go! “We were asked to be inconspicuous. Our presence is supposed to be secret. Our mission involves stealth, undercover operations, interrogations, and other things that would help us clear up this case as soon as possible. Telling possible suspects of our true nature was not part of the plan!” “I just wanted to make sure they were telling the truth!” Shadow pouted. “Just asking them doesn’t give results. People tell the most truth when Wrath is triggered.” Star grumbled under her breath as she turned into a nearby shop for a brief respite from the cold. “Could’ve triggered Wrath without exposing us to the most manipulative, intelligent-.” “Don’t forget curvy,” Shadow piped in with a goofy grin. “-ancient monster to swim the seas of that Equestria place!” Star continued, shooting a glare at her sister. “Now we’re stuck spending our downtime with them!” Shadow shrugged, rubbing her arm. “What’s so bad about that, though?” Morning Star clenched her jaw and took a few deep breaths before her shoulders slumped and her steam ran out. “Nothing,” she muttered defeatedly. “I was probably going to spend the holidays alone drinking anyway. I’m just… Adagio isn’t one to be messed with. I don’t know what plan she has for us and it makes me nervous, I guess.” Shadow Wings threw an arm around her sister’s shoulder. “Think about it this way!” she chirped. “You and I will be spending every moment we’re not investigating in the company of three gorgeous women.” “I’m not going to fall for Lust again, Shadow,” Star smirked. “I fell for it last millennia and I’m still getting over some of the after effects.” Shadow laughed and was about to comment when her ears twitched. Star’s did as well and both turned their attention to some nearby students from Canterlot High. They were poring over their phones and one of them appeared to be seething. Shadow’s eyes lit up and she slipped to the angry student’s side. “Mind if I look?” she asked softly. The group looked up at her. “My phone broke last week and my sister is being mean and won’t let me look at hers.” “Check out the newest Anon-a-Miss post,” one of the students chuckled. “What’s happened now?” Star walked closer to get a better look. “Shimmer put Cruise Control here on blast!” another of the group laughed, bending over in mirth. While Shadow looked to the phone, Star took a deep breath. Smiling at the group, she lowered her voice. “So, you cats think it’s Sunset, too?” The students all scoffed. “Who else could it be?” one of them snorted. “Shimmer’s done this before. Knew it was only a matter of time before she went back to it.” “So, there’s no possibility of it being anyone else?” the angel inquired. Her shrewd eyes watched the group carefully, looking for even the slightest break in composure. Someone she recognized as High Speed spoke up, “Why would anyone else even bother? CHS is a friendly place, you know? Ever since those Rainbooms stripped Shimmer from power, the school’s been great. Everyone is finally getting along better than ever.” “Except during the Battle of the Bands,” Star threw out casually. There it was. The smallest change in expression, a slight shift of shame. “Th-that doesn’t count,” one of them—Nitro Shot?—piped in. “It was those Sirens doing it to us. We were fine before they arrived, too!” “Face it,” Cruise Control grunted. “Every problem at CHS has come from that other world. We’re all perfectly fine with each other without those Equestrians butting into our business.” Star and Shadow shared a glance. This was more than they were expecting. If they had to guess, quite a few students shared that sentiment. Not bothering to mention that the Sirens had no control over what the students said to each other, Star sighed. “Yeah, I can see that,” she mused. “Would honestly come as a surprise if this wasn’t a magical problem, you know?” The students stared at her in confusion. “Well, I mean, the account could be Shimmer, or it could be, say another magical entity from that Equestria place, right? I don’t know if they have computers over there, though, being ponies and all.” “If this isn’t a magical problem, I’ll destroy my model car collection,” one of the students snickered. “Don’t worry, Scale Design,” Nitro Shot laughed. “I think your collection is safe. There’s no way this is anyone but Shimmer.” High Speed smirked. “Remember how she was when she ruled the school? This is probably her just spilling all her blackmail stuff. All those embarrassing pictures and humiliating secrets are probably coming to light now because she knows no one will cave to her blackmail anymore. Without any use of it, she’s just airing it for everybody.” “That’s just how bullies are,” Cruise grunted, laying his head on his folded arms. “Should’ve known people like Shimmer never change.” Star spotted Shadow breathing deeply. A deep blue essence lifted from a few of the students and she smiled. Well, she thought. I did promise I would get her something to eat. She frowned as they bade the students good night. This was troubling, though. The students were content to think the problem had come from Equestria, but none of this had the same feel as things from that world did. There was no magic in the air, no underlying scent of danger. Everything about the ordeal was painfully human, loathe as Star was to admit it. Worse than that, none of this had any of Sunset’s old tells, either. It didn’t have any of her finesse. Sunset Shimmer was many things, but she wasn’t stupid. She would have known the students would come after her if she did this. None of this was making any sense. “Those kids really don’t like that Shimmer chick, huh?” Shadow’s soft voice brought Star out of her musing. “Hm?” the angel asked. Shadow shrugged. “The way those kids were talking about her, she must have been pretty bad, right?” “Yeah, she kinda was,” Star sighed, running a hand through her hair. “She didn’t get physical with anyone unless they got physical first, but… She used embarrassing secrets and photos and other blackmail material to keep the school under her thumb. Even students who tried to report on it couldn’t find any concrete evidence, so Celestia and Luna couldn’t dish out any consequences.” Star shook her head. “She had the entire school terrified of her for three years. That kind of thing doesn’t just go away.” “It’s gonna be hard convincing these kids she’s innocent,” Shadow whispered. “Will any of them even believe us when we find the real culprits?” Star glanced to her sister, then up at the stars. It was a clear night, but there were clouds on the horizon, foretelling of another bout of snow coming in a day or two. A day or two. That much closer to Winter Break. Star heaved a deep sigh and threw an arm around Shadow’s shoulders. “I dunno.” Author's Note Sorry it's been a while everyone. I needed to buy a new charger to make my laptop last just a little longer. I'll be buying a new laptop as soon as I can, so hopefully updates will be smoother after that.
New ArrivalSnow blanketed the entire area, flakes still falling lazily from the sky. The city life bustled with shoppers, carolers, and people just going about their daily routine. Umbrellas, scarves and hats dotted every part of the landscape, along with lights strung from rooftops, menorahs and kinaras sitting in windows, passersby trading dreidels and gift ideas, and large trees topped with stars, angels, pentagrams, or any other symbol of hope one could think of. However, despite the upbeat atmosphere of the city, Canterlot High School was the exact opposite. Looming over the courtyard, the school appeared more imposing than usual, the cold winds roaming through the grounds pushing drifts of white fluff against the equally as cold stone. Within the last four days, the school had gone from cheerful and excited to angry and chaotic, descending quickly into the madness and distrust that currently held it. On the steps out front, clearly skipping class and not giving two flying rats about it, was a student named Morning Star. She leaned against the railing of the stairs, fiddling around with her phone as she waited. Every few moments, the cold wind blew strands of her black-streaked platinum hair into her bright red eyes, which she rolled as she pushed her hair backward. She had forgone a hat this year, deciding to buy a scarf with her pocket money instead. Not that she needed either, but she had to blend in somehow. A sudden crack of thunder in the sky made Morning Star glance up. That should be exactly who she was waiting for. Unless Mom was just screwing with her again. If She was, when Star got up there, she was going to give Her a good kick in-. A bolt of bright green lightning shot from the ground, soaring into the sky. Star watched it carefully, not wanting to be taken off guard by an unexpected visitor. The lightning lengthened as it moved through the sky, connecting points to lines to curves until, finally, a pentagram no wider than Morning Star’s shoulders shimmered in the sky. With another crash of sound, the pentagram slammed onto the ground in front of where Morning Star was waiting and expanded upward, revealing a figure slightly shorter than that of the student. A woman with platinum hair the same as Morning Star’s, but with red streaks instead of black, beamed as she brushed herself off. Her bright golden eyes turned in the direction of the school and she cocked her head. “So, this the place, Ten?” she asked in a clear ringing voice. “You’re late,” Morning Star responded, turning to lead her into Canterlot High. “Good to see you too, sis,” the newcomer giggled. Morning Star merely rolled her eyes. The pair made their way through the halls, students whispering as they passed. The visitor glanced around in confusion. “I know high school is literal torture and all, but this place seems… brimming with hatred.” “It is,” Morning Star told her. “Didn’t Dad brief you on the issue?” “Yeah, but you know Him.” She shrugged. “Two minutes of listing off the major points and then fifteen to grab whatever I’d need before he blasted me through the Channel.” She rubbed her neck slightly. “You’d think we’d have discovered an alternative to traveling by lightning by now…” “Well, if you’d use your Mom-given wings…” her guide muttered. “Anyway, the hostility is particularly high in this school because, four days ago, an internet blog called Anon-a-Miss started spilling secrets.” She swiped her phone and typed in the passcode, handing it over to her companion. The newcomer examined the screen with interest, scrolling through the posts. As she did, something in the comments caught her eye and she looked up. “Who’s ‘Shimmer’?” Morning Star froze for half a second before continuing on as if she hadn’t paused. “I’ll tell you when we get to Principal Celestia’s office.” “Ah,” her guest said lowly. “They must have to do with our assignment, then.” Morning Star stopped in front of a room with the door slightly ajar. Firmly knocking three times, she waited until they were given permission to enter. “Principal Celestia,” she called, dipping her head to the head of the school. “Vice Principal Luna,” she added with a nod in the second-in-command’s direction. “Hello, Morning Star,” Principal Celestia greeted her, smiling warmly. The bags under her eyes belied how tired she was, but Morning Star decided not to say anything. “How may we help you?” “My sister has come to enroll.” Morning Star stepped aside so the stranger could move forward. “Hi!” she grinned. “I’m Shadow Wings.” Vice Principal Luna opened up one of the drawers on her desk. Rifling through the folders inside, she pulled out a sheaf of papers and handed them to Morning Star, who was closest. “These are the enrollment forms,” she explained. “They shouldn’t take more than ten minutes to fill out. We will have her schedule by tomorrow.” Morning Star nodded and turned, leading Shadow Wings out of the room. Once they were out of earshot, Star looked down at the papers. “No wonder those Sirens managed to get in so easily. All any Equestrian has to do is take ten minutes and come back the next day. Honestly…” “Something up?” her sister asked. “No, no,” Morning Star sighed as she leaned against a locker. “Gimme a sec to fill these out?” “You got it!” Shadow Wings settled on the floor beside the other woman and watched the students occasionally go by. Usually, Shadow would love to be in a place with so much distrust and hostility. It was ripe feeding ground for her and her siblings. But if something like this had built in only four days, it wasn’t natural and needed to be rectified. The Balance didn’t have time for this. “Alright.” Morning Star’s voice broke through Shadow’s thoughts. “Let’s get these back to Celestia and get you properly briefed.” Shadow bounced up and followed Morning Star back to the Principal’s office. Celestia and Luna nodded to them both as Morning Star set the papers on the desk. Celestia looked them over as Luna appraised Shadow Wings for a moment. “Alright, everything seems to be in order,” Celestia stated. “Welcome to CHS, Shadow Wings. If you report here tomorrow morning, Luna will have your schedule ready.” “Actually, Celestia, there’s something the two of us need to discuss with you,” Morning Star told her. “Shadow, if you could get the door?” “Sure thing, Ten,” Shadow Wings chirped. “Don’t worry, ladies. This won’t take long.” Celestia and Luna shared a weary glance as the door shut with a slight click. Author's Note Alright! There's the start. I can't believe I'm actually going through with this so early, but everyone needs something for Christmas! Hope you enjoy!
Debriefing“Demons.” Celestia’s head dropped to her desk in utter disbelief. Why was it always her school? She always encouraged open doors and welcoming everyone, but so far, she’s had unicorns that turn into demons, mind-controlling hippocampi, alicorn princesses, and what could possibly be an evil entity behind Anon-a-Miss. If this kept up, she’d have to put a ‘Species’ tab on the enrollment forms. Luna took a deep breath and pressed a hand to her forehead. “Correct me if I am wrong, but are you telling us that you two are demons sent here to investigate Anon-a-Miss?” “Almost exactly right!” Shadow Wings chirped. “I’m a demon. Big Sis is an angel.” “But… you’re siblings?” Celestia wanted a drink. Desperately. “That’s correct.” Morning Star nodded. “Now, for the issue at hand-.” Luna interrupted. “Wait, is that why you’ve been enrolled here for so long?” Morning Star had been at the school for as long as Celestia and Luna could remember. It was almost as if her presence at CHS was eternal. They hadn’t known how correct they were until now. “I am the guardian of CHS,” the angel responded calmly. “Mom got a strange feeling the day Celestia was appointed principal, so she sent me to keep an eye on things.” She rolled her eyes. “Not that I’m really needed with the ‘Elements of Harmony’ around.” “Yes, well, I doubt even the Elements of Harmony can save the school from whatever is causing Anon-a-Miss,” Celestia sighed. Shadow smiled and leaned down to look the tired woman in the eyes. “Don’t worry, Celestia. Ten and I will get to the bottom of things. All you’ll have to worry about is patching up the aftermath!” The ivory woman nodded wearily. “Very well, then, Morning Star, Shadow Wings. Luna and I will assist your investigation as you need us, but please try to be inconspicuous about the whole thing? We don’t want the students thinking another magical phenomenon is building.” “We will try to be as secretive of our true purpose as we can be,” Morning Star agreed. “Come, Shadow. School will be getting out in a few minutes. Let’s see if we can gather some information before talking to any of the students.” Celestia could only sigh as the two celestial beings strode from her office. She hoped CHS could survive through this. Was it too much to ask for them to have a regular school year? She snorted. With magic about, how could anything be regular? “Alright, Ten,” Shadow Wings piped up as they strode down the empty hall. “What’s first on the list? Beat up some bullies? Going undercover? Interrogations?” “We need to print out a copy of the Anon-a-Miss page.” Shadow frowned with a soft groan. “Don’t be like that,” Morning Star admonished. “We need to have the evidence with us at all times. Otherwise, how are we going to piece things together?” “Still doesn’t sound like any fun,” the younger of the pair pouted, crossing her arms petulantly as she headed into the library. Star shook her head at her sister and settled at a computer. Typing in the Anon-a-Miss page, she noticed that it was one of the suggested websites already. Whoever was running the blog must use the school computers in order to post things during classes. Or so many students have looked up the blog that it just automatically came up now. Still, she would take note of that. Printing out a few copies of the Anon-a-Miss page, Star handed one to Shadow and stored the rest into her messenger bag. The pair settled at one of the tables and looked over the page. Star handed Shadow a red marker. “Circle anything you think is a clue to this being a frame-up.” “Does this have to do with that Shimmer person you still haven’t told me about?” Shadow watched the way her sister froze up again and she raised an eyebrow. “Oh, now you gotta spill!” Morning Star rolled her eyes and explained lowly, “Sunset Shimmer is a girl who arrived here six years ago. She’s in her sophomore year, but she’s been attending Canterlot High in all that time. The funny thing is, she’s eighteen this past year, which means she should have graduated by now.” “Maybe she was held back?” Shadow suggested, only for Star to shake her head. “She’s the smartest person in CHS, so that’s not a plausible reason. I’ve been pondering it ever since she arrived, but it wasn’t until this past August that I finally found my answer. She’s not from here.” Shadow Wings snorted. “So, what? She stayed at the school because they lost her transcripts or something?” “No, she’s a unicorn from a different dimension.” Star wrote something down in her notes as she waited for her sister to absorb that little fact. “You’re… joking?” Shadow searched her sister’s bright red eyes, but found them completely serious. “She’s really a unicorn from another dimension? But… how? Mom hasn’t approved interdimensional travel yet!” Star shrugged. “Apparently some unicorn in their dimension created a portal a thousand years ago and used it to banish things here. Sunset hopped through one day, but the portal only ever opened once every year and a half, so when she came through, she was stuck.” “But if it opens every year and a half, why didn’t she go home?” “Turns out, she liked it here. She was in charge, she ruled the school, almost everyone was under her command. The control went to her head and she didn’t bother going back.” Shadow blinked. “So, she’s the one turning the school on its head like this?” “Nope,” her sister stated matter-of-factly. “After turning into a minor demon during the Fall Formal this past August, she let magic loose in this world. One of the princesses from her dimension utilized the doppelgangers of some of her friends to use the 'Elements of Harmony' and turn Sunset back into herself. Ever since then, Sunset has been trying her hardest to prove to everyone she’s trying to change. Her reformation was ultimately proven this past October, during the Battle of the Bands.” “The school had a Battle of the Bands?” Shadow gasped. “And you didn’t tell me?” Star gave a noncommittal shrug of her shoulders. “Some Sirens, banished here from Sunset’s universe a thousand years ago, showed up looking for the magic. Unfortunately, I was ‘suspended’ at the time for punching someone through a locker, so I couldn’t be of any service.” “You know Mom hates it when you hurt her 'babies',” Shadow snickered. “How long did it take your wings to grow back?” “A few days,” Star grumbled before clearing her throat. “Thankfully, Sunset helped the Rainbooms defeat the Sirens. Don’t know where the cuties went off to, but it’s not my problem, so long as they aren’t causing trouble for the school.” They stopped for a moment and looked to the MyStable page printout. Star sighed, “We’ll go find them once school lets out for the day.” “You think this could be a revenge plot for being beaten?” Shadow inquired softly. “No clue, but we can’t rule out anything just yet.” “So, how did this Anon-a-Miss thing get started then?” the demon prodded, circling a few things on the printout and looking back up at her sister. Star pressed a hand to her forehead. “The account just appeared. No warning, no hints. One day, everything was fine, the next, Applejack is getting taunted over a childhood nickname. Unfortunately, it was revealed that Applejack had told her friends the nickname the night before, so they suspected Sunset, but ignored the account. “The day after, though, Sunset’s friends confronted her in the hallway over some pictures she’d taken at their latest sleepover. Anon-a-Miss had posted them. They did ask her if her phone had been stolen, but when she confirmed it hadn’t been, they immediately jumped down her throat about Anon-a-Miss, barely even gave her time to speak before leaving her in the hall. I don’t think I’ve seen Sunset cry like that since the Fall Formal.” Shadow’s fists clenched. “Well… that certainly sheds some light on the situation.” “We’re not here to pass Judgement, Shadow,” Star warned her. “We’re only here to find the true culprits. Unless Mom gives the signal, we don’t pass Judgement on anyone. We need to look at this from every angle. Clear?” “Fine,” Shadow growled. “But I’m sticking around town after this is done. After something like this, the students here need to be watched.” “Yeah, yeah,” Star chuckled, taking the red marker and circling the silhouette of Sunset in the avatar, as well as the creation date of the blog. “Come on, before you start raining hellfire on everything. School lets out for Winter Break next Friday and I want this wrapped up before then.” “So, we’re going to go see those ‘cuties’ you mentioned?” Shadow asked, perking up as Star put the last printout in her messenger bag. “Are they actually cute or are you just saying that to string me along?” Morning Star licked her lips as she remembered returning just as the Battle of the Bands was finishing up. She’d watched the three young women flee from the stadium and wondered what was going on. It wasn’t until later that she heard some of the students singing their songs and found a few of the photos the tech students had captured. Even if they couldn’t sing anymore, those girls were more than easy on the eyes. “Let’s just go,” Star huffed, not voicing her thoughts to her sister. “We don’t have much time to investigate.” Shadow snickered as she followed her sister out. “Looking forward to Christmas? Got a date this year?” “Shut up and let’s go.” Laughter was her response as her little sister followed. Author's Note Celestia and Luna are now in the know! Thankfully. Next chapter, we get to see the Sirens.
The SirensShadow stared up at the building in shock. This was not the kind of place she had been expecting when her sister had told her about the people they were going to meet. She had expected a manor of some kind, because how can you be on this world for a thousand years and not be loaded? Otherwise, she expected a much lower housing deal, just in case they weren’t loaded. She hadn’t been expecting, well, this. Star watched her sister’s reaction calmly, waiting for the younger woman to gather herself. She did have to admit that the hotel was gorgeous, especially from the outside. She had no clue what the inside looked like because there was no point in her knowing, but she couldn’t help but be curious now. If the Sirens lived in a place like this, who knew what they were up to now? “You done gawking yet?” Star inquired. Shadow picked up her jaw with a slight struggle and gasped, “It’s so pretty, though! Look at it, Ten!” “I can see it, Shadow,” the angel responded, her lips tugging up into a slight smile. “Come on, before they get on us for drooling on their threshold. We need to take a look around the lobby. I want to know how fancy it is before we try anything unorthodox.” Stepping through the front doors, the undercover sisters peered around. Bellhops pushed luggage toward the elevators, wealthy tourists mulled about, receiving their room keys, talking to management, or waiting on some other service. Star cursed under her breath when she found butlers waiting at every elevator. “Looks like we might have to do this the unorthodox way,” she sighed. “Unorthodox?” Shadow inquired distantly, examining the gold detailing on one of the room's support beams. Star rolled her eyes with a slight smile and grabbed her sister’s collar. “You can loot the place some other time, Shadow. We have a job to do first.” “But this place is ripe with gluttony and pride!” the demon whined as she was dragged back into the street. “Not right now.” Star rounded the corner of the building, heading for the parking area. It was an enclosed, roofed-in area with an entrance fee. Star passed the ticket booth and made her way toward the other side of the parking enclosure. Once out of sight of the ticket booth, she lifted Shadow properly into her arms. “You need to hold on tight, Shadow,” she said calmly. “Don’t gotta tell me twice!” Shadow responded, burying her face in her sister’s shoulder as Star unfurled her large, blue wings. With a few powerful flaps, the two of them lifted into the air, Star searching for a place to land that wouldn’t make people immediately call the authorities. Spotting a small balcony at the very top of the hotel, Star smirked and slowly landed atop it. Shadow took a few deep breaths before gingerly stepping from the angel’s arms. “You good?” Star inquired. “Y-yeah,” Shadow whispered. “Let’s go, then,” Star chuckled, patting her shoulder as she walked toward the door to the penthouse. “Once we’re finished speaking with these three, we can find somewhere to get you fed.” Shadow instantly perked up at that and eagerly followed her sister. The pair of them melded through the balcony’s doorway, stepping into a spacious penthouse with more gold detailings. Most of the furniture was made of velvet, hued a deep violet or dark pink. They had stepped into the largest area, a television hanging on the wall to their right and a hallway, no doubt leading to the bedrooms, stretched on their left. Shadow whistled as she trailed her fingers over a nearby side table. “Well, this place is quite a sweet pad. Wonder how they accomplished this.” “They’ve been here for a thousand years,” Star responded calmly. “They’ve had time to amass their fortune. Their leader is cunning, very intelligent. I wouldn’t be surprised if she was the one to even start the concept of the stock market.” “I’m flattered,” a husky voice said from the direction of the hallway. “Care to tell me why you’re here?” Both turned to find a sunny-skinned woman with a mass of ginger curls and sharp amethyst eyes glaring at them from the hallway. Beside her stood a magenta woman with two silky violet and aquamarine twintails, holding a crossbow aimed right at Shadow Wings. Slightly behind them, a woman with cyan skin and bright pink eyes held a baseball bat defensively. All three glared at the intruders expectantly. Morning Star turned to the Sirens as Shadow huffed. “You were not joking,” the demon murmured lowly, eyes tracing the contours all the trio's bodies. “I didn’t even tell you anything,” Star grumbled. She looked to the Sirens with a nod. “You can put the weapons away. We’re only here to talk to you. We’ve got a few questions.” “Not a good enough reason for me not to shoot you here and now,” the magenta woman snarled lowly. “You can, but it won’t do you much good,” Shadow snorted. “We only want to ask you about something that’s going on. We don’t want to stay any longer than necessary if we’re bothering you.” The woman bared her teeth angrily, but the sunny one, obviously the leader, held up a hand. “Don’t shoot, Aria,” she stated calmly. “But Adagio-!” “No.” The magenta one, Aria, immediately quieted at the single word. “There’s something… off about these two. Keep the bow on hand, but lower it for now. We don’t want to call security for something that might be a waste of their time.” With a grumble, Aria lowered her crossbow. “Sonata, I guess you can lean the bat against the wall. Looks like we won’t be needing it.” “Aw,” the cyan woman, Sonata, whined. “But I never get to defend against burglars!” “If we’d wanted to steal something, it would already be gone,” Shadow snickered. “Not now, Shadow,” Star told her as Adagio walked forward. “What is it you want to know?” the leader asked, settling on one of the violet couches. Her comrades moved to flank her. Star and Shadow remained by the balcony door. “There’s something going on at Canterlot High right now and we wanted to rule you three out as possible suspects,” Star explained. Beating around the bush would only further aggravate Aria. Best not to do that. “Like we’d bother with that rundown dump again,” Aria snorted, checking her crossbow over for any nicks. “Aria is correct,” Adagio said, her eyes trained only on their visitors. “We haven’t been near Canterlot High since the beginning of October. Once the Battle of the Bands ended in the favor of the Rainbooms-” the band’s name was practically spat out “-we had no reason to return.” “Makes sense,” Shadow murmured. “They did beat you pretty badly from what Ten told me.” Adagio’s eye twitched and Sonata and Aria both touched a hand to their throats. “Did you come here just to mock us?” Aria demanded. Her eyes narrowed on Shadow, who smiled calmly. “No, no. Not at all. Just me wondering how three Sirens managed to lose to five teenagers and a unicorn, that’s all.” Star’s eyes flashed at her sister. “Shadow, not now.” “Hang on, Ten, I want to know the answer. Even more than that, I want to know why these three haven’t sought revenge for the loss of their power. You were on top of the city, you know? You had everything and you just… let them take it away?” Aria gripped her crossbow tightly and knocked an arrow, whirling it to face Shadow. “One. More. Word.” Shadow raised her hands calmly. “Wow, must not be that sore over your power, huh? Can’t even think of a simple revenge scheme? Nothing at all?” Star noticed the way Adagio looked away at the word ‘scheme’. Her eyes narrowed on the siren leader as Aria finally snapped. “Shut up!” she shouted. “You don’t know anything about us!” “I was told that you were smart, though,” Shadow stated, facing down the arrow. “You really couldn’t think of anything? Not even a petty prank to have a small sense of satisfaction?” Aria released the trigger on the bow. The bolt shot through the air faster than the human eye could see. Shadow followed it with her gaze and let it pierce her chest. Star pressed a hand to her face in irritation. All three Sirens watched in shock as Shadow pulled the bolt out with a grunt. “That kinda hurt,” she muttered. “What part of ‘undercover’ just… eludes you?” Star demanded in frustration. “I wanted to make sure they really knew nothing about it,” her sister responded, rolling up her shirt to make sure she wasn’t hurt. For all she knew, that woman could dip her bolts in holy water. “Seems they’re telling the truth, though, so it’s no big deal.” “No big- for the love of Mom, are you kidding me?” Star rubbed her hand down her face. “Forget it. If you’re positive they’re telling the truth, then I guess we’ve no point staying any longer.” “Hold up,” a stunned voice called from the other side of the room. The sisters looked back to find all three of the other women standing and staring at Shadow curiously. “How did you survive that?” Aria asked in a quieter voice than before. “Easy!” Shadow replied. “I’m a demon. Human weapons are kinda useless against me.” Star threw her hands in the air and walked over to slam her head into the wall. “A demon?” Adagio raised an eyebrow skeptically. “Like what Sunset Shimmer turned into during that pathetic Fall Formal event?” Shadow’s eyes narrowed. “Ten told me about that. A minor shudder in the energy flow back in your August month? Please, that was hardly a demon. It was more on the level of one of our minions. To be so thoroughly defeated by… what was it again?” “The Magic of Friendship,” Morning Star and Adagio said together. “Something as stupid as that. Honestly-.” Star pressed a hand over her sister’s mouth at the glare Adagio was sending in their direction. “That said,” Morning Star coughed. “We should probably be going-.” “Wait.” At Adagio’s command, Morning Star felt a cold shiver down her spine. Oh, great, she thought irritably. I better not regret this. Author's Note As much as I love the Sirens, unfortunately, they will be minor characters in this piece. Expect to see more of them, though! Tomorrow and Monday, I will be packing to go home. I'm not sure when I'll have the chance to write again, after that, but I'll try to get another chapter up before Christmas!
Gathering Intel“I am going to kill you!” “It was a minor deal! They’re immortal, too!” “That’s not the point and you know it!” Star stomped through the snow as she led Shadow home for the day. They had just left the Dazzle household with a few conditions from one Adagio Dazzle. Star would rather spend five Hell days with her father than follow through on said conditions, but unfortunately, the Sirens had them in a small corner. At least until Anon-a-Miss was over with. The encounter replayed in her mind’s eye, only further fueling her ire. “So, you’re divine beings? Immortal messengers of these humans?” Star stayed close to Shadow, keeping a firm hold on her sister’s wrist as the three Sirens surrounded them. It would have been no problem slipping out the door, but Aria had blocked that path off, and Sonata was standing in front of the glass to the balcony. They were forced to face Adagio. “We don’t want trouble,” Star said slowly, looking for an escape that didn’t involve one immortal going through another. “We were only here to conduct our investigation.” “Pray tell, what investigation would that be?” Adagio inquired, keeping her stance relaxed. Star knew she was ready to pounce on any information she could get out of them. They needed to be careful about what they revealed or things could get worse for CHS. Shadow was not on the same wavelength. “We’re just investigating some Anon-a-Miss stuff happening at the school. Some bully’s making everyone all cranky, so we were sent to put a stop to it.” Star slapped a hand against her face. Aria gave a soft snicker. “Those kids can never stay out of trouble. They would’ve been better off letting us brainwash them.” “It would certainly keep their feeble minds safe, that’s for certain,” Adagio agreed with a slight smirk. “I take it you came here to be sure we weren’t the cause of this new uproar?” “We needed to be sure there was no reason to suspect you,” Star told her tightly. “Since there isn’t, we can be on our way.” “I don’t think so,” Adagio stated. “You broke into our home under false pretenses. I believe some compensation is in order.” Red eyes narrowed. “And how are you so sure we have something to give you?” “You’re an angel and a demon!” Sonata giggled. “If there’s anyone who can give us something we want, it would be you two. Can’t you, like, rain fire on things?” “I can’t,” Shadow told her. “I’m not old enough yet.” “An indication that one of you can.” Amethyst eyes met Star’s red ones and the angel huffed. “We only came here for our investigation.” This was not going as planned. Star could have been in and out if she had done this on her own. “We should really be leaving your territory since there’s no way to give you whatever you want anyway.” Sonata pouted behind them. “So much for a Christmas Wish…” Star froze up. H-how did she know about that? No. They couldn’t possibly know. Her sudden nervousness did not go unnoticed by the leader of the trio. “Is there something about this Christmas wish we should know?” Adagio smirked, walking closer. “Perhaps something you could do for us after all?” Shadow ducked behind Star, her cheeks flaming as the siren moved closer. “O-only Angels have the ability to grant those. Demons can’t. Because of the nature of Christmas, it was only granted to Angels, like Star.” “Shadow!” Star exclaimed, rounding on her sister. “Can you shut up for five minutes? How badly do you want Dad to torture me?” “So Angels grant wishes?” Aria snorted. “What, like a genie or something?” Star spun on her now. “There is now way I’m granting wishes to any of you! Who knows what you three would wish for any-.” “You have to hang out with us whenever you’re not investigating!” Sonata blurted out. Everyone stared at her in utter shock and even Adagio asked, “What?” “W-well, we don’t really have anyone else coming over for the holidays, s-so I thought they could spend the holidays with us…” Sonata shrank under the flat glares of her sisters. “These are two heavenly beings with immense power and the ability to destroy the world at their fingertips, and your wish from them is to hang out with us when they're not doing their job?” Aria’s face had darkened to an indignant prune color as she glared at the ponytailed woman. “U-um, yeah?” Before Aria could go on a tirade, Adagio cleared her throat. The pair settled down immediately and glanced to their leader. Adagio stared at Shadow and Star pensively, tapping her chin in thought. The blondes shared an uneasy glance as they waited for her to say something. Finally, Adagio nodded. “I think that’s a wonderful idea, Sonata,” she stated. “WHAT?” Aria’s jaw hit the ground as she stared at her leader in shock. “I see no reason why Sonata can’t have her wish granted,” the lead siren shrugged. “And it doesn’t negate that you and I still have our wishes, Aria. If that’s what she wants to wish for, it will give us time to think about our own.” Aria’s eyes narrowed as she surveyed Adagio. The two of them held eye contact for a long moment before Aria slowly nodded. “Okay… fine. It’ll be nice to have someone new to wipe the floor with in videogames anyway.” Shadow snorted, breaking the tension in the air. “Yeah, we’ll see about that.” Adagio and Star leveled each other with wary gazes. “So?” Adagio prodded. “Do we have a deal for Sonata’s wish?” Red eyes glared around at the entire room for a moment before closing. With a deep breath, Star conceded this battle. “We have a deal.” Star gave a soft groan of aggravation. Spending their downtime in the company of three very manipulative, very cunning, very questionable women was not how she expected her Winter Break to go! “We were asked to be inconspicuous. Our presence is supposed to be secret. Our mission involves stealth, undercover operations, interrogations, and other things that would help us clear up this case as soon as possible. Telling possible suspects of our true nature was not part of the plan!” “I just wanted to make sure they were telling the truth!” Shadow pouted. “Just asking them doesn’t give results. People tell the most truth when Wrath is triggered.” Star grumbled under her breath as she turned into a nearby shop for a brief respite from the cold. “Could’ve triggered Wrath without exposing us to the most manipulative, intelligent-.” “Don’t forget curvy,” Shadow piped in with a goofy grin. “-ancient monster to swim the seas of that Equestria place!” Star continued, shooting a glare at her sister. “Now we’re stuck spending our downtime with them!” Shadow shrugged, rubbing her arm. “What’s so bad about that, though?” Morning Star clenched her jaw and took a few deep breaths before her shoulders slumped and her steam ran out. “Nothing,” she muttered defeatedly. “I was probably going to spend the holidays alone drinking anyway. I’m just… Adagio isn’t one to be messed with. I don’t know what plan she has for us and it makes me nervous, I guess.” Shadow Wings threw an arm around her sister’s shoulder. “Think about it this way!” she chirped. “You and I will be spending every moment we’re not investigating in the company of three gorgeous women.” “I’m not going to fall for Lust again, Shadow,” Star smirked. “I fell for it last millennia and I’m still getting over some of the after effects.” Shadow laughed and was about to comment when her ears twitched. Star’s did as well and both turned their attention to some nearby students from Canterlot High. They were poring over their phones and one of them appeared to be seething. Shadow’s eyes lit up and she slipped to the angry student’s side. “Mind if I look?” she asked softly. The group looked up at her. “My phone broke last week and my sister is being mean and won’t let me look at hers.” “Check out the newest Anon-a-Miss post,” one of the students chuckled. “What’s happened now?” Star walked closer to get a better look. “Shimmer put Cruise Control here on blast!” another of the group laughed, bending over in mirth. While Shadow looked to the phone, Star took a deep breath. Smiling at the group, she lowered her voice. “So, you cats think it’s Sunset, too?” The students all scoffed. “Who else could it be?” one of them snorted. “Shimmer’s done this before. Knew it was only a matter of time before she went back to it.” “So, there’s no possibility of it being anyone else?” the angel inquired. Her shrewd eyes watched the group carefully, looking for even the slightest break in composure. Someone she recognized as High Speed spoke up, “Why would anyone else even bother? CHS is a friendly place, you know? Ever since those Rainbooms stripped Shimmer from power, the school’s been great. Everyone is finally getting along better than ever.” “Except during the Battle of the Bands,” Star threw out casually. There it was. The smallest change in expression, a slight shift of shame. “Th-that doesn’t count,” one of them—Nitro Shot?—piped in. “It was those Sirens doing it to us. We were fine before they arrived, too!” “Face it,” Cruise Control grunted. “Every problem at CHS has come from that other world. We’re all perfectly fine with each other without those Equestrians butting into our business.” Star and Shadow shared a glance. This was more than they were expecting. If they had to guess, quite a few students shared that sentiment. Not bothering to mention that the Sirens had no control over what the students said to each other, Star sighed. “Yeah, I can see that,” she mused. “Would honestly come as a surprise if this wasn’t a magical problem, you know?” The students stared at her in confusion. “Well, I mean, the account could be Shimmer, or it could be, say another magical entity from that Equestria place, right? I don’t know if they have computers over there, though, being ponies and all.” “If this isn’t a magical problem, I’ll destroy my model car collection,” one of the students snickered. “Don’t worry, Scale Design,” Nitro Shot laughed. “I think your collection is safe. There’s no way this is anyone but Shimmer.” High Speed smirked. “Remember how she was when she ruled the school? This is probably her just spilling all her blackmail stuff. All those embarrassing pictures and humiliating secrets are probably coming to light now because she knows no one will cave to her blackmail anymore. Without any use of it, she’s just airing it for everybody.” “That’s just how bullies are,” Cruise grunted, laying his head on his folded arms. “Should’ve known people like Shimmer never change.” Star spotted Shadow breathing deeply. A deep blue essence lifted from a few of the students and she smiled. Well, she thought. I did promise I would get her something to eat. She frowned as they bade the students good night. This was troubling, though. The students were content to think the problem had come from Equestria, but none of this had the same feel as things from that world did. There was no magic in the air, no underlying scent of danger. Everything about the ordeal was painfully human, loathe as Star was to admit it. Worse than that, none of this had any of Sunset’s old tells, either. It didn’t have any of her finesse. Sunset Shimmer was many things, but she wasn’t stupid. She would have known the students would come after her if she did this. None of this was making any sense. “Those kids really don’t like that Shimmer chick, huh?” Shadow’s soft voice brought Star out of her musing. “Hm?” the angel asked. Shadow shrugged. “The way those kids were talking about her, she must have been pretty bad, right?” “Yeah, she kinda was,” Star sighed, running a hand through her hair. “She didn’t get physical with anyone unless they got physical first, but… She used embarrassing secrets and photos and other blackmail material to keep the school under her thumb. Even students who tried to report on it couldn’t find any concrete evidence, so Celestia and Luna couldn’t dish out any consequences.” Star shook her head. “She had the entire school terrified of her for three years. That kind of thing doesn’t just go away.” “It’s gonna be hard convincing these kids she’s innocent,” Shadow whispered. “Will any of them even believe us when we find the real culprits?” Star glanced to her sister, then up at the stars. It was a clear night, but there were clouds on the horizon, foretelling of another bout of snow coming in a day or two. A day or two. That much closer to Winter Break. Star heaved a deep sigh and threw an arm around Shadow’s shoulders. “I dunno.” Author's Note Sorry it's been a while everyone. I needed to buy a new charger to make my laptop last just a little longer. I'll be buying a new laptop as soon as I can, so hopefully updates will be smoother after that.
