There are many schools and forms of magic frowned upon. Be it for their esoteric practices or unusual learning processes, they are disregarded and disliked, shunned and even hunted. However, many still follow such paths in hope of ascension to becoming a master of the arcane.

Lazily, the young unicorn sat under the tree, reading a book. Spread out beneath her was a soft blue-ish blanket with yellow stripes, so that she may not have to stain herself from the grass. Not that the pony would mind it terribly much.

Next to her was a small grouping of a sizable basket and a bunch of saddlebags. Laid out in front of her stood a couple of bottles, alongside two plates. From one, juicy looking fruit slices invited anyone with hunger to indulge them.

One of such practices is the ‘Way of the Body’, as the idealists of the Cloudthroat like to call it. Professionals like myself have long since attributed a more befitting name to the art of shaping active and living matter to our will. A more, simplistic yet elegant designation of this craft, equal to those long-since accepted by the stuck-ups in their fancy schools. Biomancy.

By all accounts, this mare would not look out of place in a painting. Her spot was right on top of a small cliffside that overlooked the sea, a nearby path leading easily to a wonderful beach. She was serene in her calmness, reading her old, leatherbound tome. Only sometimes did she lift a snack from the second plate to her mouth.

Biomancy is in on itself a family name for five different disciplines that have thus far been breached by our bright minds. This magic beholds so many secrets and possibilities! To bring a body back to life, not by binding a soul to it or turning it to an affront against life but by simply bringing the vessel itself back to complete function. Healing a wound not by forming energy to bind it shut but by allowing the skin and muscle to knit itself together. Entire limbs could be brought back like this with ease and no complications!

And there were no signs of any ill-workings or misdeeds, only genuine peace. Only two things might raise the brow of an inquisitive observer. For one, the book seemed incredibly old and used. The cover had lost much of its colour, the paper was thin and looked as if it would break easily. Faded magical symbols adorned the book, a knowledgable individual could identify them as the only thing preserving this book from turning to dust, even though the glyphs seemed ancient in their own right.

The other thing was that the second plate, from which the mare was happily eating from, contained strips of raw meat.

The aformentioned Cloudthroat monks might be religious idiots, praying to their fever dream goddesses that they call ‘They of All Our Flesh’; no one can deny that their disciples are not masters of what we call carnesmancy, or flesh magic. The arcana to mold the substance of every living being into new creatures or weapons is as terrifying as it is intriguing and with gritted teeth have many of my collegues been forced to admit that even our masters of this craft are found wanting when compared.

Onto this scene a new creature walked. Or slithered.

A long, serpentine body dragged itself forward on only two hoofed limbs, its lower half moving reminiscient of a snake. The sunlight reflected off the remaining water that still clung onto brilliantly purple scales. Translucent fins crested her head and the end of her tail, shimmering in a woven mix of fuchsia and turquoise.

It was a Siren, a mythical monster even in these lands, as evidenced by the blood red crystal that shone from the creature’s chest. It radiated the same light as the sea monster’s eyes as it looked down at the reading pony, easily towering at twice her height.

Even greater though in skill and knowledge I must say, are their high priest. The Flesh Weavers, or ‘Followers of the True Mistressess’ as they call themselves, the ‘True Mistresses’ being their tribal dual-deity. I had the fortune of talking with several about their craft, even though they managed to hide most of what I wanted behind lectures and empty plattitudes over their ‘mistresses’.

“Is it always going to be like this?” Aria asked as she dropped the three fish from between her razor-sharp teeth. “I work while you sit and read.” Despite the question, there was only playfulness in her voice.

“We both know that I am working, you just want to be lazy and doze in the sun.” The unicorn replied with a smile as she flipped a page. In response Aria snorted and half moved-slithered behind and around her friend. Her forelegs crossed right next to the smaller pony, while her tail was draped over the other’s torso. This caused the mare to complain. “Aaaria, you’re still wet!”

“Aww, can little Dawn not handle a bit of water?” The Siren teased with a shark grin. Her snout nuzzled through the fiery hair of her friend to further annoy her.

These Flesh Weavers have achieved a proccess they call ‘Embracing the Aspect of Life’. It is, as far as I have managed to find out, a sort of preparation to join the ranks of Flesh Weavers. The Acolytes not only forego physical but also spiritual training. Atleast as they have told me, to truly command the flesh one must allow it to change, and allow the mind to become truly open.

“W-will yo-u stop i-it!” Dawn demanded, though her command was almost lost in childish giggling. Finally the Siren relented and sat her larger head onto the smaller pony one beneath her.

“Hmm. I don’t think I ever will.” She responded. Just then the shimmering fins on her tail flapped out to their fullest extend and moved in front of Dawn’s face. Aria grinned wholeheartedly as she waved it around like a classical fan, ignoring the pony beneath her attempting to stop her.

As charlatanian as it sounds, upon subtle inspection I discovered they are not completely wrong. A Flesh Weaver’s body has transcended, for lack of a better term, beyond their normal form and thus can be molded by the wielder to an unfathomible degree and an ease that I still think of with envy. I saw them perform and truly, they treat their bodies like a potter works with clay, so perfect and flawless did they grow limbs or changed their flesh into too many things to write.

As the sun was slowly dipping towards the horizon, the pair collected their things and prepared to be on their way back. Just as Dawn was done with stuffing everything away, she could hear the beautiful song of her friend again.

With a pulsing gem, Aria produced a specific set of tunes, before her whole body began to glow. It reformed and contorted and before long a pony with similar complexion stretched her legs. The long mane was mostly purple with turquoise streaks through it.

“Right, let’s be on our way, before Miss Princess starts to worry because we missed her schedule.” She said.

“Well, we were pretty late last time.” Dawn replied with a smile. “And that is how Twilight just is. I am looking forward to study with her, she should be most interested in what we found so far.”

The siren, now in pony form, rolled her eyes and gave an exaggerated sigh. “Yeah, two full days where you leave me alone to give her more things to nerd out over. Greeeaaat. Just don’t be surprised when I go off into the forest to hunt something. Don’t want her Highness to throw a fit, especially since I am nice enough already to spare her precious townsfolk. I want atleast something in me before we go back through the portal.

Such wonders I have witnessed, I see myself forced to not only regard their teachings but accept them as a source for my work, until I have found the essence of this art myself. This also means that I need to look at the second part of the ‘Embracing’. Though I find this heavily doubtful and, in all possibility, simply ritualistic nonsense; the monks say that a being can only fully command the flesh if it is sanguine with its spirit. For reference, I have an exert one of them was kind enough to write for me at the end of the book.

“I do hope everything is fine over there.” Dawn said, looking into the far as they casually trotted along the path. In the distance, one could make out a small village. “I mean yes, I know, we can communicate with Twilight and Sunny through the journal now. But there is still so much that could happen that they don’t tell us! I mean, it could be lost, or stolen, or-“

She was interrupted as a fuchsia-furred hoof draped across her shoulders. For good measure, Aria also nuzzled her shortly before speaking. “When will you learn to not be an overbearing mommy? They are fine, we have been receiving updates every three days atleast. You think all the progress we made with them is going to dissipate in a mere two weeks? They can tolerate eachother. Hell, since that stupid School Contest they can actively work together!”

“You’re right.” Dawn confessed embarrassed. Then her eyes widened momentarily. “Also, I am not acting like a mom!”

“Yeah sure.” Aria replied.

Dawn blew her a raspberry.

Aria blew one right back at her.

Staring at eachother, it did not take long for them to fall into giggling.

“Now come on, enough time wasted. Twilight is probably getting anxious already.” Dawn said. Her horn lit up in arcane energy, bathing both creatures in a soft red glow.

Then, with a pop, they vanished.

Fall had come to Canterlot. The sun had sunken beneath the horizon only a couple of hours ago, and yet the streets were already crawling with monsters. Everywhere she looked, she could see them. Creatures of horror, and she stood amongst them. It had truly been too long…

“HALLOWEEN PARTEEEE!!!” Pinkie shouted with unmatched glee. The people around her cheered and applauded as she summersaulted of the back of her friend’s truck, landing with a loud clack of her boots. Her long robes slowly settled around her, the black cape big enough to hide her entire body and excellent for just such dramatic stunts.

Straightening herself, Pinkie smiled brightly behind a mask that resembled most of a human skull, the straps hidden like her mass of hair underneath a long and pointy hat. And just like her cape, and the inctricate jacket and suit she wore underneath, it was all a rich black.

Unsheathing a delicately carved wooden stick, she waved it around in a random pattern. “I ORDER you to enjoy this awesome party! Hookidy Pookidy!” People laughed and clapped again, many shouting in agreement and continuing in direction of the nearby attractions.

Behind the lively pink girl, a scarecrow climbed out of the truck’s driver cabin. The top of its head-sack was shorn open, revealing a lot of straw as well as an exposed human brain that jiggled around. At multiple spots, the thing’s clothing was torn open to reveal yet more straw and flesh underneath.

“Ah must say Pinkie,” The Scarecrow spoke, putting a single straw between its lips. “This year’s party is a mighty fine thing, from ta looks of it. Can’t remember when we had it this big ‘n nice before.”

The country girl gestured towards the attractions. Just outside the city, multiple patches of grass and some empty fields had been built upon to host this year’s halloween festival. It was truly a sight to behild.

An entire parking lot had a big stage built on one end, the other side holding dozens of banks and tables with more than enough of empty space between to serve as a dance floor for the celebrating masses. Currently, the band was lead by a menacing duo playing strange yet catchy music with a mixture of an electric cello and a full drumseat plus keyboard. The two musicians both had what looked like hooks with loose string sunken into their shoulders, joints and other body parts.

Not only was their combined outfit striking, they played up a storm, stirring those on the 'dance' floor into energetic motion. From outside, someone might wonder how the crowd maintained their seemingly endless energy. But neither Applejack and, especially, Pinkie did bother to question it. They were starting to get restless from the music themselves, even at this distance.

"Those two really are really putting on a show." Pinkie exclaimed, twirling around a couple of times and enjoying the swirl of bright lights all around her. Applejack just nodded wistfully and let her gaze wander over her surroundings. As great as it was to just mingle and enjoy the atmosphere, they wanted to find the rest of the group. "I'm glad they're doing ok now. Octy really deserves it."

"Yep, we all been doing good again." AJ agreed, though her mumbling was mostly drowned out by their surroundings. Not that it mattered much.

"Ah think Ah see them Pinks."

And indeed, there in the crowd she could make out the rest of her close friends, costumized as they were. It probably helped that Rainbow Dash had done nothing to hide her signature hair. She had chosen a costume which consisted mostly of a deep red uniform and a pair of thin stockings that had some holes in them. The most prominent part however was her left arm. Rainbow had crafted herself a cast that was painted in swirling streaks of deep black and crimson red, giving the now bigger-sized arm with long claws the appearance as if it was made out of fire. Said arm soon waved through the air as the athlete spotted her friends.

With her were the other two members of the group. Rarity had her purple hair flow freely back over her uncharactersitly dirty and used blue coat, which opened to reveal similarly dirty, brown pants and and an aristocratic blouse. There were (fake) daggers stuck in her belt alongside a pickaxe that looked too real and too sharp to be used for a costume. To top it all off, the fashionista had placed a wide-brimmed hat with a cylinder point on it.

She also waved to her friends, briefly turning away from the ghostly horror next to her.

If Applejack were to come across Fluttershy like this, late at night in the dark, there would be a real chance the farm girl would believe to have come across a genuine ghost.

The make-up let her skin glow and sparkle ever so slightly in the multiple lights; her hair was shaded just slightly lighter then the skin and clothes, giving a sense of translucence to the strands flowing into almost every direction from the head. Just like Rarity, Fluttershy had straightened her hair down, partially hiding her face.

Still, the normally shy girl's smile was visible as she spotted her friends approaching. She seemed strangely at ease, even in such a big crowd that would normally have her retreat behind her hair. It had only been worse then normal during the last six months or so; yet the Fluttershy here stood straight on smiling, uncaring to the masses around her.

"Daaang girls! You look awesome tonight!" Pinkie bounced over them, AJ following her at a more leasurely pace.

Rainbow smirked widely as she heard her energetic friend. "What, you think we would show up with a bed sheet that we cut holes into? Of COURSE we look awesome, because we are!" Her last words came out more as a shout, accompanied her raising her mismatched fists into the air. This caused several other costumed party-goers to also punch their fists upwards and howl energetically, including a particularly big individual dressed only in a robe from the waist down, the big pyramid-shaped thing on his head muffling his shout of "YEEEAAAAAH!" It was unlikely any of them had actually heard what had been said.

Rainbow grinned as she lowered her arms again. "Man, the party-atmosphere here is wild!" She exclaimed, bouncing on the spot almost like Pinkie was. "So, what are we gonna do first?"

"The scare attractions first, definitely." Rarity said matter-of-fact. "I don't want to spent money on food only for some of us to loose theirs because they fell into something."

Rainbow groaned heavily, much to the rest's entertainment. "Oh come on! I fell right into it and it was disgusting. I wanna see you hold your stomach then!"

"There is a super-duper-big maze they set up, we can do that one first and then get something to drink. I saw this really cool smoothie stand." Pinkie was already going into the direction oof the maze as she spoke, the rest of the group simply following her.

"Yeah right, this way AJ won't need to worry about having to change her pants." Rainbow cackled as she ducked under AJ's arm and sprinted to the other side of the group. The farm girl growled and muttered under her breath, fixating the athlete with a short glare.

Luckily for Rainbow, the maze was nearby. And it truly was impressive, the hedge walls reaching a head higher then even Applejack's brother Big Mac. The entrace was a stone archway resembling a gothic church. In front of it were pair of pedestals with two gargoyles biding people entrance. Electrical torches gave off a flickering light, making the carved depictions of skulls and bones over the entrance that much more ominous. Just behind the stone archway, a wall was sliding out from the side, closing the way behind a group of party goers that had just entered. Only a minute later in slowly ground back, revealing empty space and allowing fog to spill out from the maze. There was a small orchestra of strange sounds, growling and the occasional scream coming from deeper of the maze.

The five girls took it all in before looking at each other. One after the other, grins were spreading across most of their faces.

"Allright! Looks like we're at the fun house!" Rainbow cheered.

"I am starting to think that this was a bad idea." Sweetie quietly said to herself, her hands tightening their grip.

"What!"

"I said, this is a bad idea!" She yelled back at Scootaloo, turning her head so that her friend might be able to read her lips. In front of them, Appleboom just rolled her eyes.

The trio was slowly making their way through the literal maze they had managed to trap themselves in. Whoever had designed it had obviously spared no expense at all. There were multiple clearings and small rooms with amazing looking setpieces, from a graveyard to a wooden bridge leading over a small swamp, a courtyard-like area with torn bodies, what looked like a ruined chapel area. It was wonderfully atmospheric, authentic, and extremely frightening to go through.

It certainly did not help that the walls were actually moving, much like the entrance of the maze. They had passed through some areas multiple times by now, and yet the pathways before and after these clearings had not been the same. The only constant was the fog flowing over the ground and the sounds of chittering, whispering, and screaming that echoed from all around.

It would have been a scary journey for sure, for the CMC however, it was complicated even further. For their costumes they had gotten a rather unique idea, one that had sounded so good at the time, though now, they were certainly regreting it. All three were clad in warm clothing, over which they had draped hospital gowns that were spattered with blood stains. Sweetie Belle had wrapped multiple layers of bloodied bandages over her face to cover her eyes, leaving her completely blind, with fake-blood applied so as to imitate bloody tears coming from under the wraps.

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo also had blood-stained bandages around their heads, though they had completely covered their mouth and ears respectively. And so, each member of the small group had one of their primary senses blocked, having to rely on their teamwork to keep together and able to move forward. In the maze however, their decision slowly began to turn on them. Sweetie, not able to see a thing, was condemned to keep her ears sharp, though since neither of her friends could speak much she had to mostly listen to the creepy background noises. Scootaloo on the other hand had to content with a numb silence while walking ever further into the maze, which left her vulnerable and paranoid. And while Applebloom was able to see and hear clearly enough, she was unable to communicate and calm down her friends.

Even through communication was difficult, each member knew that the others agreed with them. Going like this into a haunted maze had not been the best idea.

"OH COME OON!" Scootalo said, or rather yelled, causing Sweetie and Bloom to flinch. They had once again entered the room with the swamp bridge.

Sighing into her bandages, Applebloom marched forward, pulling her friends after her. At first, walking over the rickety-looking construction was a daunting process. Now, after about four or five times, they had lost their apprehension for it. The only new thing was the unusually strong amount of fog.

That was, until the fog was blown away, revealing the rest of the bridge. And the person standing upon it.

All three girls came to a sudden halt, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo freezing in their tracks at the sight, while Sweetie Belle tensed up as she sensed her friends doing the same.

The woman in front of them was tall, adorned in a heavy-looking victorian dress that reached the wooden planks. Over the multiple layers of black cloth and silk, what appeared to be two metal plates covered most of the sides of the massive skirt, small spike-like studs glimmering in the diffuse light. In contrast to the heavy skirt, the upper part of the dress only seemed to consist of a sturdy corsett with shoulderless sleeves attached. This showed both the woman's strong arms and a impressive view of her cleavage, her skin pale and grey like marble. However, there were multiple things drawing the girl's eyes instead of that.

For one, utop the figure's head sat a cruel looking metal headpeace shaped like a spear-head, leaving only the woman's mouth and chin free. A mouth that dripped with gleaming blood, just like both of her hands. The hands that held a massive greatsword.

"W-we're fine! This is a simple attraction, they cannot h-hurt us." Scootaloo sqeaked. In her false confidence, she took a step forward, only to stop as the woman's voice echoed through the air.

"A lie." The way the woman's mouth moved felt simply wrong, it didn't match with the words and yet they all heard it. Bloom was staring at the sharp teeth as they moved, she felt reminded of a predator giving its meal a playful grin. Scootaloo frantically tucked her friends away, wanting to run the way they came. She had also heard the voice, loud and clear.

"You really like your lies. You tell them to your friends. You tell them to your family. Even…" The woman stepped forward, the wood creaking under her. "… to yourself!"

Shaking, the trio backed away from the towering figure as it approached. Sweetie Belle pulled desperately on the arms of her friends, trying to get them to run away. They would not however. Almost as if hypnotized, they stared at the woman's mouth as she stepped closer and closer to them.

"So many lies, too many lies." She sang, lifting her massive sword and twirling on the spot like a dancer, before turning back towards the trio.

"W-we should l-leave." Sweetie urged on, pulling as strong as she could on her friends, yet they still wouldn't budge. Scootaloo was holding her own head, shaking it as if to loose the voice that somehow spoke clearly in her ears.

"Especially the lie that you told about Sunset!"

Their bodies went ice-cold. A sickness formed in their stomachs, a festering feeling of fear and dread.

Realization. This was definitely not part of the attraction. And with that, all bets were off. None of them knew what could happen next.

The Greatsword suddenly seemed a lot sharper than before; as it lazily cleaved through the air, it made a sound that put the girls' spine on ice. Even Scootaloo traced the sharp tip with her eyes, shaking like a leaf.

"H-how do you… who… Who are you!" Sweetie Belle yelled, panic threatening to rob her of her sweet voice. All three started to back away frantically, yet as Apple Bloom turned, she saw nothing but hedges. As usual, their entry-way was closed.

The woman was now right in the middle of the bridge, with her prey backed against the wall in front of her. Out of her immediate reach, but it would not take long to cross it. Not long at all. She grinned, a savage and vicious smile of dagger-like teeth.

Apple Bloom whimpered behind her bandages, trying to put herself in front of her friends even though she wanted to run and not look back. Sweetie Belle could only keep herself upright by clinging to her friends, real tears trying to force their way out from under her coverings.

It was Scootaloo who finally cracked, her voice already shrill from not being able to hear herself talk for some hours now, made only worse by mortal terror. "WE'RE SORRY-Y-Y!!" She wailed, water flowing freely, her knees giving in and letting her fall onto them. "Please! We k-knohow we fucked it, ple-ase don't h-hurt us!" It was hard to speak without being interrupted by hick-ups.

The woman's grin changed, the edges of her mouth turning down, her teeth still barred. She kept advancing.

"Are you? If you were sorry, you have not acted like it. You still hide behind your lies like cowards." With only one step she was suddenly right in front of them. Even though neither hand nor blade struck out, the surprise of her sudden dash caused the CMC to jump back collectively, with all three now on the ground. In terror, they held eachother like lifelines.

The figure towered over them like an angel of death. The fog seemed to dance around her, looking as if it was alive.

"Shouldn't a mistake so heavy carry a consequence with it? Because I don't think you have fully gotten yours. But there are ways to change that." The grin was back, even wider than before. "Forgiveness has its prize. Sooner or later, you must pay it."

The hedge wall opened up to reveal a graveyard. Markers and slabs of what looked like stone were strewn around with no real sense of organization, with only a single tree in the center. Carefully, all five members of the group stepped into the clearing, the hedge already closing behind them.

The atmosphere was chilled, the fog waving between gravestones moving back and forth as if someone was breathing it in and out again. Only a few lanterns here and there gave a diffuse light, barely strengthened by the stars in the night sky.

In short, "This is awesome!" as so helpfully stated by Rainbow Dash.

"Ya gotta feel right at home, dontcha sugarcube?" Applejack teased her purple-haired friend, elbowing her gently. As a response, she only got an eyeroll half-hidden underneath the wide hat.

"You think they have a scare-attraction here?" Pinkie was looking back and forth faster than should be good for her neck, peeking between gravestones here and there. "Seems like a good place for that."

"If not, Flutters could just hang around for the next group."

The shy girl just made a small squeaking sound, hurrying to stay close to Rarity. This whole thing was only bearable because of her friends, if she were here alone…

"Shht! Girls… upfront!" AJ raised a fist to make sure her friends all stopped where they stood. They were approaching the exit, which was of course on the directly opposite side of the clearing, and just had started to round the tree. Which is why they only now saw the figure kneeling in front of it, with her back towards them.

The figure was bare-footed, indeed they seemed to be wearing too little for this time of year. White cloth went from the waist down, held together by red rope. From their head, a long veil obscured almost all facial features, before wrapping itself around the chest. The legs were clothed in what looked like an improvised long skirt, reminiscient of a wedding dress, though torn and dirty at the edges. Yet where there was no clothing, smooth cardinal red skin was revealed. This person, for the girls were sure it was not a prop, was kneeling in front of a gravestone.

The group stood and stared at them for a moment.

"… alright, do we leave or do we get closer?" Rainbow asked, her excitement showing that she really just wanted to do the latter. The responses ranged from giddy agreement from Pinkie to more reserved urging to continue away, with Fluttershy leaving Rarity to speak it out loud and only nodding heavily in support.

It fell to Applejack to decide. Her instincts wisely advised to simply go on, as her neck hair was already standing straighter than her barn. And yet…

It was Halloween. Being scared is why they entered this maze, right?

Fluttershy could only hum in despair as three of her friends slowly approached the veiled person. Rarity sighed, before taking the painted ghost's hand and leading her towards the tree as well. At a safe distance of course.

"Sooo, you come here often?" Applejack's only reason to not facepalm immediately was her costume. The whole thing had taken hours to prepare. What came next surprised her however.

"Can't say that I do. Haven't been here in, well, a couple of months." The voice was smooth and quiet. And it seemed so familiar. The veiled person turned towards the group, showing for one that is was definitely a woman, with the cloth covering her chest very formly. Her turning also revealed the texts carved into the stone in front of her.

"… That's kinda… morbid, isn't it." Rainbow mumbled, any excitement gone already. Indeed, all five of the group were looking downtrodden at the name of a person they had once called friend. A person they all had left alone.

"There is some dark irony in all this, yes." The young woman said evenly. "I guess it would be rather tasteless out of context, but it does have a reason to be here." With that she slowly raised herself and turned to fully face the group, lifting the veil away from her face. A few locks of crimson with yellow streak falling out. Clear cyan eyes beheld the people in front of her.

They looked back at her. There was recognition spread amonst them, some more than others. Interestingly, it was Fluttershy who first spoke up.

"You… We saw you with… with Aria!" There was no accusation, only slight shock in her voice. Next to her, Rarity nodded slowly.

"Wait, waddya mean?! Aria as in one of them Siren's!?" Applejack exclaimed loudly, looking between all the faces around her. She could only somewhat remember seeing that girl last Christmas Eve at Pinkie's, she certainly didn't remember a siren! To make it worse, only Rainbow seemed to be as lost as her.

"Neither of you are wrong with that. Aria is… around. You don't have to worry though, she is not up to anything malicious." The veiled woman spoke. "She is... giving us space to talk.

Five set of eyes were fixated on her. She fought against the wild feeling in her heart, the uncertainty. She had thought about this moment, ran a dozen different approaches. In the end, the simplest would hopefully be the best. And so she turned to the gravestone.

"It has been a long while since we last saw eachother. I hope you will understand that I needed time away. I… there is no easy way to put this." She swallowed. No turning back. She looked them all in the eyes. "I am… or was, your friend Sunset Shimmer."

"I think that sounded better in my head." She said akwardly at the five girls staring at her in disbelief. "So, sorry about that."

"This… you are joking, right? Dawn?" Pinkie said meekly. It didn't sound like a question. More like a plea.

"I'm afraid not, Pinkie." Sunset replied. "I know it makes little sense. And I am afraid this story is far from simple."

There was silence again. She could see tears starting to form on multiple faces. Fluttershy stood stiller than a statue, not even trembling, her eyes wide and shocked to the core. As she spoke, her voice was barely hearable. "H-h-ow? You… you d-died. I s-saw… you…"

"As I said, the story is rather complicated. But I can proof that it is me, if you want." Sunset smiled sadly at them.

They seemed unsure what to answer. Whether they wanted to see the proof of this revelation with all that came with it, or try to protect themselves in ignorance. But, ultimately, there was and never would be a going back to not-knowing. They had to know, they wanted to know, they simply were afraid of actually seeing it. A situation with no good path to take. She pondered, what would be the best thing to say to prove herself?

Rainbow Dash hesitated for a small moment, looking to her friends. "No, I… We, we believe you. So, it is truly you? Sunset?"

"Not… completely, I suppose." Sunset replied. She carefully sat down on the ground, motioning for the others to do the same. "You know pretty much all that happened in the week before Christmas. Uhm… to cut a complex thing short, there was a problem of… I guess conflicting magical residue in my body, held in conflict with eachother. With all the harassment that went around and people, y'know, taking it out on me the whole thing went volatile. That was why I… collapsed."

She spoke carefully, not wanting to rekindle painful memories of her breakdown. It was already somewhat uncomfortable for herself, she didn't want to cause even greater effects on the others. "On the bridge then, it all went critical. I… fell into the river and I guess… I actually died." The five girls were listening with rapt attention and wide eyes. Rarity was holding Fluttershy's hand. Rainbow couldn't keep her own still, while Pinkie seemed unusually stiff and motionless. Applejack had a grimace on her face that spoke of guilt and shame.

"And I know it sounds stupid. But I woke up again. I had changed. I am different." She sighed. This was probably the hardest part to tell them. "I… don't think I am Sunset anymore."

"What do you mean, darling? You are right here in front of us." Rarity sounded hopeful. Sad but yet so hopeful. In response, she lifted up one of her bare arms, showing the rich cardinal red where once there had been light amber.

"I emerged like this. I became different both in appearance and… other ways." They did not have to know. That now her body was not under normal restrictions anymore, that now it bowed to her will, that she could mold and change herself at will. It would not help them much, for now, it was not necessary. "And I was picked up by Aria Blaze. She took me in, sort of."

It spoke a lot about the heaviness of the news she brought them that none of them spoke out against the Siren. She hoped it was a good sign for things to come. Perhaps there would never be true friendship between the Siren and the Rainbooms, but Aria had managed to tolerate Pinkie. She may be able to accept the rest, and they her. But once again, something for later.

"I eventually managed to regain memories and realize who I was, or had been. I know it is painful to hear, but I don't think I can see myself as Sunset Shimmer anymore. I died and I am alive again. This, this feels like a new life." She could see the tears in their eyes. Tartarus, she could feel her own threaten to flow. She could stop them, simply force her tearducts close, yet she chose not too. It felt freeing to let the water flow freely. "I decided to take on a new name. Well, initially I just didn't remember who I was called. But, when it all became clear again, I decided to stay with it. So, now I am simply Dawn Fire"

"But… we can still be f-friends right?" Pinkie asked tentatively. Before Dawn could reply, Applejack spoke up. The farm girl was barely able to meet her gaze.

"Are ya… are you angry at us?" She asked quietly. "We abandoded ya, left when ya needed us most. Even if our reason mighta been completely justified, an' I don't think it is, we shoulda given you an actual chance."

For Dawn, there was little hesitation anymore. She had thought about it enough, talked and argued with Aria more than enough. She didn't want to feel the need for revenge, this consuming anger, never again.

"It has happened. I came to terms and moved past it. Hopefully you can do the same. I would like to help, if I can. I would like to be friends again." Dawn reached her hands out towards them. Pinkie was the first to grasp one of them, turning to clasp hands with Rarity next to her. One after the other, the girls joined in a circle until Dawn took Applejack's left hand. She squeezed slightly and gave a reassuring smile. They hesitated, but eventually all girls were smiling at eachother, even if they could not fully get rid of their tears.

"Maybe we can't go back to how things once were. But what we can do is go forward. And I would like to do that with all of you."

From her hiding place, Aria watched as the group finally exited the maze. They had spent nearly half an hour in the fake graveyard, talking and holding hands and generally being close with eachother. She had watched it all of course, her own business hadn't taken her nearly that long to miss any of the exchange. Seeing them all was… conflicting to say the least. The siren still had a strong displeasure towards most of the Rainbooms.

But, Dawn was trying to reach out to them, to once again form tender bonds of friendship. And Aria would not deny her friend.

She had certainly changed. But that could be thrown around at this point, afterall, they all had.

The group's exit was swift and relatively free of any more big scares. Having planned the maze between eachother, Dawn and Aria were rather familiar with the layout and could navigate it with little problem. Having controls for all the moving walls also certainly helped a lot. Dawn simply made sure that her group took enough time for Aria to exit before them as planned, since the Siren had told her that she would watch. The colour of an electric lantern near the exit served to show that Aria had left the maze.

Aria knew that Dawn felt some small guilt for planning something so "complexively extravagant" for, what she thought would be, a simple reunion. But convincing her had not been that difficult and once into planning, the young woman had shown great interest in making the maze a reality.

The exit wall slowly ground to a close, leaving the six girls to finally rejoin the festival activities. Immediately, they seperated with some going to either relieve themselves or finally acquire food and drink.

Aria had taken off her headpiece by now. Both because she didn't want three particular young girls to notice it from a mile away, and because it was rather constricting. Letting her hair flow free was more comfortable by far.

Her eyes were on Dawn like a hawk, watching her gently hold the shoulder of the quiet ghost girl, her lips moving as they talked about things. Of course, Aria was able to make out what the conversation was about, it was simply that she cared not enough in the moment.

Her concentration was only disturbed when she noticed someone approaching her directly. Still, she refused to look, for she now who was coming. Only when Pinkie was a couple feet away from the highly dressed siren did the mystical creature turn to look.

"Pinkie."

"Aria."

There was… a lot going on behind those hyperactive eyes. Remnants of the heavy revelation and the whirlwind of emotion that it had caused; there was sadness and guilt, happiness and careful hope. And now there was even some anger in the mix. For Pinkie, that was highly fascinating. The bubbly girl rarely held such anger.

"Are you here to be mad that I withheld her identity from you?" The pink girl was disarmed by this simple sentence. The siren could tell that her opponent was thinking about how to react, to deny it or to double down and press the issue. She restrained a smirk.

It did surprise her when Pinkie instead breathed out her tension and locked eyes. "Yes, of course. You can't fault me for that. I dunno what I would have done had I known, but I wish I hadn't had all these times meeting her and not knowing that was my friend there talking with me."

With a heavy sound, Pinkie slumped next to Aria onto the bench. From their point they could see much of the festival ground surrounding the maze's exit. The air was heavy with happy chatter and the noises of a merry event. Both of them could make out several people they knew either by sight or closer in the crowd. It was a full seven minutes until Pinkie spoke up again.

"From what Suns-… Dawn said, it was her choice. And I can't be angry at her for that." She turned to the Siren, a sworn nemesis just about a year ago. “I must thank you, Aria. You took Sunset in and cared for her. I am still conflicted about it, but I can't change it."

Aria met her eyes, nodding and giving a smile. It was small, but it was still genuine. Letting her gaze wander again, she saw three small figures off to the side, near the spot where Dawn and most of the Rainbooms were coming together again.

She pondered. Should she do it? It wouldn't serve any real purpose, she had already gotten the message across to the kids. Dawn would certainly tell her to leave it.

But, Dawn was not here. And Aria, despite everything, was a creature that enjoyed messing with people. This was a night of fright and games wasn't it? She had improved so much when with her friend, became what Dawn would call a 'better person'. She was entitled to some selfish enjoyment.

Aria glanced at Pinkie, who tried to busy herself with fixing up her costume. Was she really so petty, to destroy this moment of genuine acceptance and thankfulness by revealing the last little secret?

She was a siren. This? She would consider this the last piece of her revenge against the Rainbooms, for all they ever had done to her, and her sisters. One last act of pure pettiness, then she would join in step with Dawn's reconciliation. But now, now she would enjoy it to the fullest.

“Say.” She spoke casually, not even bothering to hide the smirk from adorning her face. “You never did manage to find out who this Anon-A-Bitch was, did you now?”

Pinkie immediately stopped. Slowly, she turned and looked directly at Aria. There was confusion written plainly on her face. In her eyes, Aria could see the girl's mind trying to understand the question, to understand the reason behind all this. Eventually she spoke, carefully. “No one ever did. The thing wasn’t really revelant for long, so people never really investigated properly.”

“Not relevant huh? I mean, maybe I am wrong but something that culminated in the death of one of the students would seem like pretty important to me. “ Aria spoke, her voice dripping in sarcasm. This felt too good, she knew. But now the ball was rolling already. She grinned widely. “But oh well, what do I know. Except the secret of it all. Looks like I have one over you.”

“You KNOW?! How? And who?!” Pinkie exploded, loud enough that people near the bench turned and looked at them. She ignored them however, eyes glued onto Aria.

The Siren just cackled for a moment, relishing in withholding the information for just that little bit longer.

“Ohohoh, so eager! Y’know, I am tempted to give you demands now, but I think I’ll pass on that. I will tell you. Out of the goodness of my heart.”

Her grin left what should be perceived as natural, widening to the point it began to resemble a shark. The view brought a shiver down Pinkie's spine. Then the Siren started to lean forward towards her, causing the pink girl to start leaning backwards herself. Yet Aria continued to get into her personal space, looming over her more and more. It was a threatening display. And then, once she deemed the tension to be at its maximum, the Siren went for the kill.

“It was your friend’s sisters. Missies Mute, Blind and Deaf over there.” One hand grabbed Pinkie's face and forcefully turned it. Aria had kept a sideways glance on the trio, who had not left the space near the maze exit. They had talked with eachother nervously, glancing over to their sisters now and again. “That little Brat-club has been behind all of this shit. Your stupid bandmates have certainly helped drive the dagger into poor Sunny’s heart, but the little monsters were the ones to craft it.”

Her voice was sweet and yet venomous, as she whispered into the other girl's ear.

“And here, as an additional courtesy. They did it because they were jealous. They wanted to spent more time with their sisters. Now, I don’t know that one for a fact, but I imagine the plan worked out for them in the end. Afterall, Sunny wasn’t really in a spot to take their sisters away from them once the whole thing was done.”

Pinkie couldn't take it anymore, she planted her hands squarely on Aria's shoulders and pushed her away. She succeeded, mostly because the other girl did not resist, instead sitting herself on the bench and leaning back victoriously. Pinkie stood up and stormed away, though only for a few feet before she stopped. Her eyes were staring at the CMC, then her friends. Eventually she spoke, her voice quiet and wavering. “So, this is your plan?”

She didn't have to look to hear Aria's cheshire grin. “You’re doubting me?”

“No. That is the problem.” Pinkie admitted. Tears were forming in her eyes again, but she tried to force them back. “Why lie, when you have the perfect truth? You get your petty revenge. Applejack, Rarity and Rainbow Dash will be destroyed when they find out. To think that their own kin has caused all this. Fluttershy will be affected no matter who it had been; we will have to look out for her again, just to make sure she remains stable. And me?”

Pinkie huffed. “I’ll have to be the one to break it to them. To tell them to their faces who it really has been. And I have to, otherwise you will do it yourself. The perfect plan.”

“Myes. Ah, your face just now was all worth it, as petty as it may be. Sadly, I fear I will not be able to watch your friends despair over this newfound truth. Unless of course they find out today.” Aria stood up and casually strolled next to Pinkie, who immediately increased the distance between them. The Siren's next words however, still caught her off guard, as they held no sadistic joy but cold seriousness. “This is as much of a revenge that I will make for my sisters. True, we caused our own deaths in more than one way. But you and the Rainbooms still dealt the blow, so to speak, just like you helped in Dawn’s change. So consider this my official act of vengeance. Dawn wants to be friends with you again, and I will not stand in her way, but by her side.”

They stood there in silence for a few moments. Pinkie's hands were balled into fists, trembling. She started walking towards her friends again, trying to steel her resolve, but she once again stopped when Aria spoke up again. “Though, maybe you do not have to tell them. I spooked the three little idiots in the maze. If they are brave enough, they will come out on their own, so you don’t have to.”

In response she got a sad laugh from the usually chipper girl, as well as a glare from these usually so bright eyes. “Are you really asking me to be selfish here?”

“Just informing you.” Aria shrugged. “I have a few things against you, Pinkie Pie. But I also respect you, to a certain point atleast. And not just because of your siblings. They picked me up after the deaths of my own. They care for me. You do too, even though you have good personal reasons not to. And I care for them, even for you. Just a bit, but still. I think that might count for something. Afterall, you and your family took me in when I was in a bad condition. You looked past everything and even kept it a secret from your friends."

They stared into each other's face, one calm, the other agitated. Anger was slowly building up again inside the pink girl, as she looked at the one person she thought she could consider, if not a friend, a friendly aquaintance. Now, she didn't anymore.

"I don't understand you. First you tell me all this! Now you sound like you care about me?! What is your deal!?" She all but yelled at Aria.

The Siren didn't reply for multiple seconds, simply staring at her into the eyes. Now that she had gotten her satisfaction, her face showed none of her earlier smugness.

"Truth to be told: I am a petty, distasteful creature. I like to create conflict because I can and because I am good at it." Her gaze drifted away, observing the cardinal red figure talking with old friends. "But I feel that things are changing. Everybody is and I am not the exception. So, in a way, I wanted to make sure things are settled. I wanted that the three kids know that someone knows their secret, what they do with it is their choice. Deep in my heart, I still wanted to avenge my sisters. Now, this things are done. And Dawn will probably chew me out for it. But, I will still stay with her, and odds are good she is going to change me to the point that I won't do this sort of stuff for a long time, if ever again. So this was my last big act."

"I am honored that you chose us." Pinkie spat venomously. She turned and, without any more words, walked away towards her friends. Aria watched her go, feeling serene and gratified. And, perhaps, slightly guilty. That she was sure to suppress, drowning it in telling herself that now, they were even.

Observing Pinkie, she watched as the girl rejoined her friend group. They seemed to try and inquire about her downed mood, but the pink girl wouldn't tell. They talked, starting to move away from the entrance of the maze and further into the rest of the festival. Most of the Rainbooms didn't seem like they were ready to drop Pinkie's sudden attitude change, yet only Dawn kept stealing quick, knowing glances towards Aria. The Siren could feel disapproval in them.

She was about to call her friend over, when she spotted another group starting to move on their own. It was the CMC. Seeing their sisters walking away, it seemed the three young girls were racing to catch up to them. There was determination, but also fear in their eyes. Dawn noticed her friend's gaze stray from the Rainbooms and, following the look with her own eyes, she could also see the trio approaching. It wasn't much of a stretch to guess what might happen next, she had been informed of Aria's plan afterall. Neither of them had expected the girls to decide this fast however.

Tapping Applejack on the shoulder, Dawn notified the farm girl of her approaching sister and as the Rainbooms turned to the younglings, the fiery girl started to back into the crowd. Deftly she weaved between people until she came out right next to her Siren, turning to watch what was happening from a safe distance.

"I don't recall dumping the truth on Pinkie was part of the plan."

Aria suppressed a grimace. Her suppressed guilt was being roused by the chastising words of the friend besides her. How was it that she, a magical creature once so ruthless, could be made to feel sorry by simple words spoken by another person? Perhaps she had gone soft in these last months.

"Not that it matters much. Seems like they are actually going to confess it." Aria tried to pass off her actions, pointing towards the group that was being lead away from the crowd. The young girls had all taken off the bandages around their heads, sharing uncertain glances with eachother nearly every other second. Yet, they didn't bail out. Once far enough from anyone who could overhear, through normal means anyway, they all took a deep breath and faced their older siblings. Only two magical beings were capable of making out the essence of the exchange through their own special means.

Dawn didn't listen for very long, dismissing the enhancement on her ears to catch the girls' confession. She turned away, she didn't particularly want to see it all unfold. Surprisingly, Aria also turned away. They started to make their way further into the streets of vendors and food stands.

"This doesn't mean that you're off the hook." Dawn said. "Confession or not, you've only made it harder for yourself with them now. I doubt that Pinkie is going to keep quiet about you telling her. I don't know yet how strongly they will react to it, but it still was completely unnecessary."

Aria clenched her teeth to stop her cockish answer. Her friend was really starting to make her feel bad, and the worst part was it didn't seem like trying to change the topic would work this time.

Dawn sighed. "Not that I can change anything now. We are going to continue this conversation later but I really don't want to feel angry right now. This evening has been emotional enough, thank you."

Before rounding a corner, Dawn allowed herself a glance towards the Rainbooms. Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash were standing close to their respective siblings. From this distance, it still looked like a heated exchange of words, at the very least from the older girls. As expected. But, Dawn hoped, that eventually they could start to forgive their younger siblings.

True, things would never be the same again, but she of all people knew the importance of second chances and mending one's own ways. Especially after one had committed such a massive mistake. It would be up to them to see how they would deal with the situation, and how they would cope with the knowledge. Dawn could only offer to help as she was able to.

So, she walked in silence next to her partner.

Eventually, they arrived back to the massive stage, upon which Vynil and Octavia were still harmonizing and enchanting the crowd with their music. In fact, they seemed to be starting up another piece right now, its catchy rhythm already stirring up the dancing crowd before them into a movement again. Dawn couldn't stop her head from starting to nod with the bead, nor her expression to lighten up more and more. Next to her, Aria also allowed her body to move in tact with the music as it swelled.

"Hey, I think I can see Twilight and Sunny Flare over there." Dawn had spotted the two in the dancing crowd by their matching outfits. Old and rusty-looking pieces of armor were secured overflowing and transparent robes stained with dark splotches. Their faces painted to give them a ghastly appearance and thus complete the look of two wraiths. Yet the costumes could not hide the joy both held as they moved close together with the music, completely lost in the rhythm and their own movement.

"You wanna go dance a bit?" Aria playfully nudged her friend with an elbow. Two cyan eyes gave her an amused look with raised eyebrows, looking up and down at Aria's quite elegant and bulky looking costume. The Siren simply snorted and spoke again in an overly formal voice. "Apologies. Would my lady honor me with a dance?"

The red girl could not hold back her laughter at that, especially when the Siren gracefully curtesied in her costume and extended a hand towards the dance floor. Dawn skipped past her partner with a mirthful grin, Aria smiling after her, simply content to stand and watch her friend twirl and move with the tact of the music.

"What are you waiting for?" Dawn called as she half-turned, smiling and gesturing the other girl to follow.

Aria quickly caught up to her partner and, together, they entered the moving mass of bodies, heading straight to their friends.

Who cared if she was actually going soft?

She didn't, as long as she got more opportunities to make the girl smile, or laugh.

Being petty and vengeful hadn't ever brought her more than this.

It had only given her short moments of satisfaction, but in the end it had cost her too much.

So maybe she was losing herself as a Siren, defying what she had been intended to be and very much so been for longer than she cared to remember.

Dawn was worth it.

The End

Author's Note

It feels both very akward, but also good to finally do this.
...
My apologies to everyone who waited for this epilogue to come out sooner (aka a year ago, like it should have). To give a short explanation, I could not find the right headspace, had to worry about a bunch of stuff, and then I simply forgot about this for quite a while and never managed to pick the half-finished thing back up until a week ago. It might also not have helped that after the final chapter a year ago, I felt like I was almost done and thus kinda let go of most of the pressure to actually keep up with writing this. So again, I apologize for that, and I hope this late final ending is still good.

The final confrontation with the Rainbooms and the CMC. Dawn extends a hand to build new bridges, while Aria pushes three girls into cold water (figuratively). And again, I do hope that their decisions can both be sensible in a story where letting go of revenge is a theme, but also satisfying enough for the reader. Not an easy line to walk, but I hope I did a good enough job of it.

What else to say? I don't know.
Will I write more about Dawn and Aria, or on this site in general? I can't promise, though I also don't want to say I won't. It will most likely be some time, because even if I get enough drive to write fanfiction again, I will take my time to make sure I have enough before starting to post.

Well, that is that I suppose. I don't know anything else to say, so let us wrap this up finally.

I want to thank anybody who read this story for doing so, especially those who followed its progress back in 2020/21. Hopefully you saw that I finally managed to make the ending to this.

Until next time, have a wonderful week, and don't forget to love eachother.
Bye-