Servant of the Queen

Monday came and Silver Rose found herself in the front seat of Ivory Wings’ car, while the back seat was taken up by Adagio Dazzle, Aria Blaze, and Sonata Dusk. The three sirens were dressed smartly in Crystal Prep uniforms that they had borrowed from the younger princess.

“Feels weird, dressing like this,” Sonata commented. “Do people really have to wear this every day to go to your school, Silver?”

“Yeah.”

“Bleh,” Sonata stuck her tongue out. “I feel bad for you; this uniform has like, no personality beyond ‘hey look, I go to some fancy school that doesn’t let us wear what we want’.”

“You’ll only have to wear it for today,” Ivory Wings said as she spun the steering wheel to round a corner. “We’ve been over the plan. You all know what to do.”

“We have about seven hours to do it in,” Aria nodded. “Shouldn’t be too hard.”

“Well, people do know about the existence of magic now,” Adagio reminded her sister. “We’re not here to feed on the discord and disharmony here, as tasty as it might be. We’ve actually got an objective.”

“Yeah, yeah, Dagi. We know.”

“I even memorized the faces of our targets,” Sonata chirped brightly. “They’ll never see us coming!”

Silver Rose rested her head against her seat, a small smile on her face. She was grateful to the sirens for being willing to help her out with her problem. The previous night when they had done all the planning, She had seen how well the three sisters and her aunt worked together, a familiarity and trust built up over centuries of cooperation and mutual scheming. They just seemed to click in all the right ways.

“And I’ll be watching the whole time,” Ivory said. “Adagio, you’re wearing the camera. Do all of you have your earpieces?”

“Yes, Ivory, we do,” Aria rolled her eyes. “We already went over this before we left the house.”

Ivory Wings glanced back in the rearview mirror. “Alright. Just making sure. Oh, and Adagio? Do you have that thing that my sister gave you?”

Adagio held up a yellow envelope in response. On it was printed the logo of the band, Copperrear. “Might as well deliver what was promised.”

“How did mother manage to get a backstage pass to Copperrear that quickly?” Silver asked as Adagio put the envelope away.

“Oh, you know your mother. Hotheaded and stubborn, but she knows how to use her connections.”

“Ah.”

Silver Rose settled back into her seat. She was feeling considerably better now that she knew her aunt had come up with a plan. She wasn’t sure she agreed with everything that this plan entailed, but it made her feel more confident that she had her aunt’s full support, and that of the sirens as well. Even her mother had given this plot the green light, as the Copperrear backstage pass seemed to indicate.

Ivory Wings stopped the car outside Crystal Prep, the tinted windows keeping anyone from seeing in. She smiled faintly.

“Normally I would give you some kind of forgetfulness drug or gas to use here, but your magic surpasses most of that kind of alchemy anyway. If anyone sees or hears anything they shouldn’t, just make sure you enthrall them so that they don’t remember you. The last thing we need are the magic Canterlot High girls coming back for a round two with you three.”

“Gotcha,” Aria said, reaching for the car door’s handle.

“Because then we’d get our pendants broken again?” Sonata asked.

Ivory Wings shook her head. “No, because then I would probably need to drug or kill them, neither of which are very high on my list of things I want to do. Just keep things nice and quiet; get in, get out, get paid. Simple as.”

“We won’t let you down,” Adagio promised before the four girls got out of the car. “Or you, for that matter,” She added to Silver Rose.

Ivory’s car drove away, but Silver Rose knew that she was only going around the corner in order to stay within range of the earpieces and camera.

“Right then,” Adagio said as she adjusted her bow tie. “Where should we start?”

Silver Rose saw Sugarcoat lurking under the eaves of the entrance, watching them.

“I might have an idea.”

Sugarcoat watched Silver Rose arrive at school with three girls she only vaguely recognized. Were they all new students as well, she wondered? She had definitely seen them before, but with those uniforms on it was difficult to recall.

Sugarcoat watched as the four girls advanced on the front of Crystal Prep. She had a bad feeling about this, and was about to make a break for the front doors when she heard something unlike anything she had ever heard before.

It was such a beautiful song, Sugarcoat thought to herself. It blessed her ears like a choir of angels, and she felt any inhibitions that she had once had slipping away, out of her mind.

A tiny voice in the back of Sugarcoat’s mind was screaming that something was deathly wrong, but the telescopes on planet Sugarcoat weren’t pointing that way. She swayed on the spot to the angelic music, feeling all of a sudden the urge to take what she had learned about Ebony Wings and her family and throw it in the metaphorical trash.

You don’t want anything more to do with Ebony Wings or her family anymore, the sublime chorus seemed to say to Sugarcoat. You want to be a normal Diamond Prep student.

“Huh?” Sugarcoat briefly stumbled out of her haze as if hearing a record scratch, just in time to see the orange girl smack the blue one over the head. Then the beautiful song resumed and Sugarcoat’s mind went blank once more.

Crystal Prep, went the music, as if correcting itself. You want to be a normal Crystal Prep student. No more monster or demon hunting, right? There is nothing suspicious about Ebony Wings at all. She’s just an ordinary actress.

The small part of Sugarcoat’s mind that was as of yet unaffected by the song was fighting back. No. Something’s not right here. Ebony Wings… you need to focus on Ebony Wings!

However, this valiant effort seemed to go unnoticed by the rest of Sugarcoat’s psyche as the bespectacled girl’s last defenses folded.

Silver Rose walked up to Sugarcoat cautiously, as if approaching a dangerous wild animal. Sugarcoat stood there, fixed to the spot with a kind of glazed expression on her face.

“Sugarcoat?” Silver Rose said gently. “Sugarcoat, are you okay?” She waved a hand in front of Sugarcoat’s face. There wasn’t much of a reaction.

“We may have come on a bit too strong,” Aria said, walking up to the dazed Sugarcoat. “Still, I don’t think she’ll be making any more trouble for your mom.”

“You didn’t break her, did you?” Silver asked the sirens out of concern.

“Probably not,” Adagio shrugged. “Her brain’s most likely just adjusting to our influence. Scrubbing out the image of your mom trying to kill her is going to take some time.”

“Yeah, our singing has that kind of effect,” Sonata smiled. “Can we go inside now? Your aunt wanted us to get all of them.”

“Yeah, she did,” Silver said, perking up. “So after Sugarcoat’s brain settles, it’ll be like it used to before they started looking into the family?”

“That’s the idea,” Adagio nodded. “Now, why don’t you show us the next victim?”

Silver clapped her hands together. Now she could truly see why her mother and aunt had teamed up with Adagio and her sisters. Magic was just so convenient, and put together with changeling wit, it made for a fearsome weapon.

They cornered Indigo Zap next in the bathroom while she was changing for gym class.

“No!” Indigo shouted, hopping away with her shorts around her ankles. She took a sachet of salt from her pocket and threw it at Aria who simply brushed it aside. “You can’t do this to me! I’ll have you know my brother is a lawy-”

Then her face went slack the moment Aria’s mouth opened to sing her song, joined by Sonata and finally Adagio, who had propped a chair against the changing room door to keep anyone else out while they worked their magic. Indigo’s protests became more and more feeble as she tried and failed to fight off the sirens’ song.

“Have… to… get… away…” Indigo crawled on the tiled floor and reached for the door, only to collapse on her face and fall unconscious.

Sonata prodded Indigo with the toe of her shoe.

“Hey, is it just me, or does our singing seem stronger after our pendants got fixed on Halloween?” She asked while Aria and Adagio picked up Indigo Zap’s prone body and hid it inside a shower booth before removing the chair against the door.

“Now that you mention it, you could be right,” Adagio said, unlocking the door and leading the trio out of the changing room. “What do you think, Ivory?” She asked. Ivory Wings could hear everything they were saying, as well as see what Adagio was seeing thanks to the pinhole camera the eldest siren was wearing. “It’s quite amazing. All we had to do was wear these uniforms and we’re allowed anywhere in the school.”

“Disguises are my forte, after all,” Ivory purred. “Blending in like this is perfect for the job at hand.”

“If I’d known it would be this easy, I would have done it ages ago,” Aria snickered, brushing a speck of dust off her uniform’s collar. “So, who’s next?”

Adagio checked the schedules that Silver Rose had helped compile for them. It showed which classrooms each Shadowbolt would be in at which period, and how to get to each one. It had been a stroke of luck, nailing Sugarcoat at the entrance, but now there were still three targets left roaming around the campus, who had to be silenced before the end of the day. Silver herself had to attend classes, but the sirens were free to roam around and take down their targets one by one.

“Sour Sweet,” The eldest siren traced her finger on the schedule. “According to this, she has study hall next period.”

“Perfect,” Aria grinned darkly, her vocal chords already warming up. “Let’s go get ‘em.”

The three sirens followed Silver’s map towards the library. Like every other room in this school, it was glitzy and shiny, with crystalline edges and reflective surfaces all over the place. Students were scattered about, reading books and doing homework from other classes.

Sonata was the first to spot Sour Sweet. The Shadowbolt sat in a corner by herself, her headphones plugged into her phone as she listened to music. Her eyes were fixated on the textbook in front of her, while her right hand was writing out mathematical equations.

“Is that her?” Adagio asked into her earpiece.

“Affirmative,” Ivory Wings said in Adagio’s ear. “Go get her.”

Quietly, the sirens crept up on Sour Sweet. Their shadows fell across the Shadowbolt, but before she could do anything except gasp, Aria lifted the headphones off her ears and Adagio and Sonata were singing softly on either side of her head.

“Aaah-aaah aah, aah aaaaaah,” They breathed in sync, the song entering Sour Sweet’s ears. The girl’s eyes went unfocused, caught off guard by the three sirens.

The magical music wormed into Sour Sweet’s brain, rearranging it to a state more in line with what the sirens wanted. Sour Sweet’s eyes flashed green, the pencil falling from her fingers onto the tabletop.

Ivory Wings watched with satisfaction through the camera feed as the sirens’ song wound its way into Sour Sweet’s psyche. With the sirens feeding off discord and the changelings feeding off harmony, one might think that the two beings would be bitter enemies. But when they worked together, they could achieve and gain so much more than if they fought against each other. Ivory Wings greatly appreciated the sirens, and they appreciated her in return.

Sour Sweet was totally under the sirens’ spell by now, and with one final note from Adagio, they left the library with no one the wiser about what had just happened.

“Three down,” Aria said smugly.

“Two to go,” Adagio finished. She reached into her pocket and took out the envelope with the Copperrear backstage pass. This next one was going to be interesting.

As it turned out, Lemon Zest was very easy to locate. The girl’s mop of green hair stood out among the flood of uniforms, and with Ivory’s guidance, the three sirens were able to catch up to her at lunch, watching from a distance.

“They don’t even have tacos here,” Sonata complained after checking out the menu. “Dumb uniforms, boring classes, and now no tacos? That’s it; this place blows.”

“At least you don’t have to come here every day,” Silver Rose said, settling down with her lunch at the sirens’ table. “I kind of wish mother had sent me to Canterlot High instead.”

“Too risky,” Ivory told Adagio. “It was right of your mother to not want to tangle with the Equestrian magic girls unless we absolutely had to.”

Adagio relayed it to Silver who sighed. “I know. But there’s not as much food here at Crystal Prep than at CHS.”

“What do you mean?” Sonata said as she spooned coleslaw into her mouth. “There’s just as much food as there is at CHS. Tastes nicer too. Still wish there were tacos, though.”

“Not that,” Aria told her sister. “Good emotions. Did you forget what Silver is?”

“Oh. Right.”

Aria touched her forehead and sighed. She looked about to say something when Canvas Splash joined them at the table.

“Hi, Silver!” The artist said cheerfully. “Who’re your new friends?”

“New friends?” Sonata repeated. “But we’ve known Silver for m-”

Aria clapped her hand over Sonata’s mouth, getting salad dressing all over her palm in the process.

“They’re family friends,” Silver explained, not completely dishonestly. “They came to Crystal Prep to make sure I’m doing alright.”

“Oh?” Canvas said as she began on her lunch. “Have there been problems at home or something?”

“You could say that,” Silver told Canvas. “They won’t be staying here at CPA. My friends are just here to…” She paused as Adagio gave her a loaded look. “Here for today only.”

“We thought Silver Rose could use the moral support,” Adagio picked up smoothly. “Not that I’m saying you don’t give her moral support, but a little extra never hurts.”

“Yep! Silver Rose and me are like, best friends.” Canvas said with some kind of smile. “I’ll give her all the moral support she needs.”

“I’m sure you will,” Aria nodded once. “Well, I don’t want to be rude, but we’ve got to have a word with Lemon Zest, preferably before lunch ends. Are we going, Adagio?”

Adagio stood up, straightening her uniform's collar while Sonata shoveled the last of the coleslaw into her mouth and swallowed it.

“It should be easy to convince her to come with us,” Adagio said as she adjusted the hidden camera on her front. “We do have a present for her.”

“Not to mention she already thinks you’re hot,” Aria smirked. “Humans can be a little strange.”

Sonata snorted. “A little?”

“Okay, a lot. Now shush. We’re almost there.”

Lemon Zest was sitting at a lunch table with Sugarcoat, Sour Sweet, Indigo Zap, and Sunny Flare. The first three seemed to have recovered from their dose of magically laced song and were now eating as if nothing was out of the ordinary. Sugarcoat’s eyes still looked a little bit unfocused, but she looked much better than she had that morning after the sirens had been done with her.

Lemon’s back was to the sirens, and she jumped when Adagio tapped her on the shoulder.

“Aah! Oh, it’s just you, Adagio- wait. What’s the big idea-!” Lemon squeaked, flustered. It was clear she hadn’t forgotten her little fling with the eldest siren sister. However, all protests stopped when Adagio dangled the envelope in front of Lemon’s face. The Copperrear logo seemed to have the green-haired girl hypnotized just as good as a song.

“Ebony Wings sends her regards,” Adagio said throatily to Lemon.

Lemon tried to grab the envelope, but with a twitch of her wrist, Adagio tweaked it out of her reach. The siren beckoned with a crook of her finger and led Lemon out into the hallway, which was quite empty and free of any people.

“Is… is that what I think it is?” Lemon exclaimed once the door to the cafeteria closed behind them. She didn’t seem to register Sonata and Aria boxing her in with Adagio, leaving her no path of easy escape.

“It most certainly is,” Adagio said, handing the envelope over to Lemon, who tore it open in a frenzy, her eyes going wide as saucers as she took out the backstage pass to the next Copperrear concert. “A gift in exchange for your silence. Oh, but before you go, there’s something we have to tell you.”

“What’s that?” Lemon looked up from the pass in her hand, into Adagio’s eyes.

Then the three sirens opened their mouths and their sublime, bewitching song wafted out. Lemon had no time to gather any form of resistance before her mind was under the control of the three sisters.

Ebony Wings kept her promise to get you your backstage pass, The music breathed into Lemon’s psyche. Now, uphold your end of the bargain. No more investigating Ebony Wings or those she lives with. As far as you are concerned, that little project is over. You want to keep receiving gifts, you do as we say. Understand?

“I toooootallllllyyy understand,” Lemon drawled, her eyes shining bright green from the magical song. “No more poking around with Ebony Wings and her family and stuff. No problem at all. You’ve got, like, my word. Girl scout’s honor and stuff.”

“This one shouldn’t take that much convincing,” Ivory Wings said to Adagio in the earpiece. “She was the only one who was already mostly on our side at the luncheon.”

After a few more seconds of sirens’ song, Adagio gestured for the other two to be quiet before retreating back to the cafeteria, leaving Lemon Zest standing out in the hall, blinking as if coming out of trance, which, Adagio supposed, she had.

“Four down,” Ivory said with satisfaction. “Just Sunny Flare left. That’ll be the hardest one, if we go by experience.”

“Yeah,” Aria agreed with a huff. “Writing over months of an unhealthy relationship is going to take a lot of time.”

Sonata, however, was thinking hard.

“I mean, we don’t need to completely wipe out all the relationship,” The youngest siren said carefully. “We could just make it so that Sunny Flare and Silver Rose break up or something, then sing to Sunny to make her forget all the weird parts like we did with the other girls. It’ll be way faster. Right?”

Adagio and Aria were stunned. “That,” Aria slowly said, thinking about what she had just heard. “Might be one of the better ideas you’ve had in a while. What do you think, Dagi?”

“It would definitely be faster than the original plan I had in mind,” Adagio nodded with approval. “Yes, I think that your plan will do nicely, Sonata. Good job coming up with it.” Sonata beamed at her older sisters’ praise.

“It’s probably better to make it as authentic as possible. For that, we’ll need Silver Rose’s help,” Aria decided. A sly smile crept onto her face. “After all, it’s not like she wants to keep this whole charade going any more, right? We’d be doing Silver a favor.”

“I… At least ask Silver if she wants to do this first, okay?” Ivory Wings sighed. “And be careful regardless of what you choose to do. The last thing any of us want is more trouble coming back to find us.”

“Ivory, Ivory,” Adagio crooned as she led her sisters back to Silver Rose’s table. “Please, we’re always careful.”