Secondo

Chapters

Piano
Accelerando
Crescendo
Fortissimo
Serenata
Sotto voce
Sonata
Battaglia
Presto
Stentato
Sforzando
A Capella
Epilogue
Pianissimo
Forte
Cadenza

Piano

"Violet, are you really certain this is a good investment of time and effort?"

Queen Novo half-floated above her throne in the aquatic medium of the throne room in the depths of her Palace in Seaquestria. She looked down at a fellow seapony floating before her throne, her fishy scales a mix of pink with violet stripes around her head.

"Absolutely, your majesty," the seapony replied. "The Anti-Harmony Activities Commission takes the threat of Aris First very serious, as you know, and with their recent outspokeness against your governance and our harmonic policies, we highly suspect them to be establishing secret meetings, or even stockpiles of weapons for a later date, in the Mareiana trench."

The Queen sighed. Gently, she massaged her temple with her right hoof.

"Are there any actual leads to indicate as much?" asked the royal, but she already knew the answer.

"No concrete information, no. However, given Crack Lightning's past in the military, it's safe to assume he has contacts that can deliver such weaponry. He only needs a far-away place to put them while stockpiling. If your majesty does not cave to his outrageous ideology, then we suspect it won't be long until his followers take more radical action."

The room fell silent as the Queen tapped her forehead with that same hoof a few times over. She'd trusted Violet Facade to safeguard Harmony, something her government and family had always aimed to preserve and uphold. But by this point, Violet's AHAC was derailing fast, reaching for pettiness and complete outlandishness. The Mareiana trench was miles away from Aris. Did she really think the Phalangists would stockpile weapons that deep underwater, in international waters?

"Fine. Yes, fine then. Just get on with it please. I won't hear the end of it until I let you do it, I suspect, knowing you. Just please keep an eye on Posada and her red gangsters while you waste your time on things like... This. I don't want you trivialising your powers for things like this on a regular basis."

Violet looked like she was about to be spurred into an argument, to defend her actions, but her mouth remained shut just at the last moment. She'd probably remembered whom it was she was talking to.

"Of course, your majesty. Thank you."

The pink seapony bowed her head out of respect for her sovereign and made way to leave the way she came. What a bother, Novo thought. That pony's suspicions were growing more and more ludicrous. She could only hope her warning, this time, held meaning to her.

A week had passed since the Queen agreed to Violet Facade's request. A Patrol of the Mareiana trench, the deepest depths of all the oceans in existence. Never before had anyone gone all the way down there - or, at least, nobody had written as much, so it may as well not have happened at all.

Coldbeak and his squad of 8 were on their way back after that patrol, now. They were supplied with a free meal and drink once they reached the coast at the port of the City of Howlington, northwest of Mount Aris. After that, they were ferried over by truck to Aris itself, to HQ so they could report in person about what they'd seen.

They began to argue and bicker on their journey there. Petty arguments, too. One private snarled at another for their loud munching during lunch minutes prior, and felt obscenely annoyed and infuriated by it seemingly. Another called out that their neighbour smelled horrible, and desperately needed a bath. Even Coldbeak complained, citing that his team had been far too loud during patrol, always whispering and talking amongst one another when they were on duty. They were childish and, yes, stupid.

The Truck stopped, and two hippogriffs came up and opened up the rear where the squad was seated. The two of them greeted them with smiles, glad to see everyone was still in one piece.

"Glad to see you folks back again so soon!" one of them remarked.

"Chief's waiting for you in the conference room inside, upstairs. We'll take you there and..." the second griff pondered, cocking his head a little as he noticed how nogriff was actually bothering to even look at him. They all seemed like they were deeply insulted, or annoyed, or both, with crossed claws as they looked the other way. "Hey, uh, are you folks alright?"

"Pfft. Yeah? Why shouldn't we be?" Coldbeak snarled back, looking at the soldier with a deadly glare. His squad all seemed to follow along and did the exact same thing. "You expected us to die? Huh? Think we're trash and couldn't handle things, huh??"

"Woah, woah, woah, alright," the other griff intervened, gesturing for calmed tempers. "Let's settle down. We're just happy to see you. That's all."

The other griffon turned away, giving out a defiant 'hmph' as he did.

"Why don't you just come on out and we can move along, yeah?"

Coldbeak rolled his eyes but complied. It was gonna be far less taxing on his mental state if he just followed along for the moment. These stallions were clearly not the brightest either, much like his squad.

"Right, uh, follow me, please!"

Trying to put on the best, nicest smile he could in the situation, after that odd outbreak of hostility, the group was led across the backyard they found themselves in. With only dirt under their claws, it was not the most premium of sites. A stone wall encircled the yard, and several other vehicles were parked up next to the walls as a sort of makeshift parking lot. Gods forbid it rained out here, on all this dirt and mud.

The squad followed along into the AHAC headquarters. A relatively innocent, civilian-grade building made of red brick, and a neat, black-tiled gable roof.

"Please stomp and clear your claws before moving along, they're probably-"

Their host watched as the group entirely ignored him, walking over a wide welcome mat and onto the wooden floor inside, their clawed extremities leaving behind what dirt they'd picked up along their short way here. What bothered him even more so was how none of them even seemed to be bothered that they'd just ignored his request.

"Why d- never mind. Ugh," he groaned. "Just, follow along, please."

He took them further inside, passing through a busy office-like complex where hippogriffs worked at their work stations while compiling, deciphering and otherwise sorting information and files. A simple flight of stairs connected to the first floor.

"Right in here. Violet should already be waiting for you there."

The group of soldiers was pointed at a set of wooden double doors. After a brief glare at their guide from Coldbeak, and a press of the door handle, they entered.

The meeting room was comparatively dimly lit. Enough to read and write without issue, but certainly not as fully lit as the other rooms. Perhaps that was a byproduct of lacking windows. A sole hippogriff appeared sat inside, at the tail end of a long, otherwise rectangular wooden table. Violet Facade, the Chief of the AHAC, was looking over some documents she'd seemingly retrieved from a folder that was also right next to her. There was also a notebook and an otherwise empty folder that appeared labeled 'Mareiana Trench'.

"Ah, good. Finally. Take a seat, please."

The squad entered, grumbling and moaning as it did, and the doors were closed behind them. As they each took a seat, the hippogriffs looked anything from bored and disinterested to openly grudgeful and annoyed. Violet didn't really care.

"Alright. It's good to know you're all well. Nopony knew just what lurked down there. I assume, though, you have the answers we-"

"Nothing."

Violet looked up from the paper she was reading out loud, her own sort of to-do list for this, and looked over towards Coldbeak.

"I... Beg your pardon?"

"We saw nothing. There's nothing down there."

"Ahah... Well, I think we should go through everything one after another and-"

"Don't believe us, do you?" another squaddie spoke up with a hateful frown.

"Think we're a bunch of liars, huh?" another groaned likewise, stomping one hoof on the table.

"I... What?" Violet gave out in relative shock and disbelief. Had she not asked these people to be selected for the mission for their discipline and integrity? Someone was gonna be fired for this...

"No, I- look. I had you go down there to explore what's to be found. I'm just saying I want to go through various things one by one so I can take a note of it. I'm not calling anyone a liar."

"There is nothing down there, you clown, and I mean it," Coldbeak reiterated, crossing his claws defiantly as he sat. "I'm not sure what you want us to say or what you mean to imply unless it's to make us look like liars and idiots."

"Hmph. Ironic, isn't it?" one of them remarked, followed by a snickering laugh by two of the squaddies.

"Would you please settle down and actually listen to me!" Violet demanded, bashing a fist against the table in rapidly mounting anger.

"Would you?" Coldbeak countered. "Pfft. Don't think we'll come out as liars just because you want us to. We found squat down there, and that's that. Tell that to the Queen, and press, and whomever else, so they can stop crying about nonexistant monsters there."

He laughed. Laughed directly into her face, and gave her a triumphant, smug grin.

"What's wrong? Expected a big, scary story to present to the Queen? Awwww..."

The room erupted into a cocophony of smug laughter. Cackling, all directed at the woman who was supposed to be in charge. Their superior. Violet felt her right eye twitching just at the audacity of it all, but knew she couldn't just charge at Coldbeak or any of the others and... No.

She bashed both her fists against the table and silenced her 'subordinates', though right now it felt more like handling a kindergarten of sorts.

"Fine! You know what, fine! I think you're all unwell from that deep pressure down there, even if none of us had predicted as much until now."

"Yeah right, we-"

"Therefore-" she continued quickly and loudly to not even give these folks a chance to have another try at infuriating her, "I will be postponing this conference to a later date. I will keep your... Current 'report' close to heart, that being 'nothing', of course. Until then," she rose from her seat and quickly sorted her things, "goodbye. And please, shut up now. Thank you."

She stomped out of the room, barging through the unlocked door and surprising the soldier that had led the squad there in the first place.

"You!" she exclaimed, pointing at him from point-blank. "Make sure they clear their damned minds. This is both infuriating and undignified. Get them to a psychiatrist if need be. I'm damn-well done with them until then."

"Y-Yes, ma'am..!" he replied haphazardly, but Violet was already on her way down the hallway. He turned his head the other way, towards the open door to the room, where he could already hear the choir of voices inside. Arguing, this time with one another.

CLASSIFIED

Anti-Harmony Activities Committee

Mareiana Trench Report

Date of Writing: 24th of September, 1007

The Anti-Harmony Activities Committee, spearheaded premierely by Chief Violet Facade, had jointly decided that certain 'dangerous or suspicious organisations' [See Addendum 1-1 through 1-5] are of great concern regarding the stability and longevity of Hippogriffia's longlasting traditions and morality, upheld through generations by the Royal Line of Novo.

To combat this threat, AHAC had requested, among many other measures, an expedition into the Mareiana trench with armed forces. The soldiers would be able to map out the deepest part of the oceans currently known to griffon- and ponykind, and disspell both rumors of vile monsters lurking there, as well as secure the area from any potential malicious activities. Specifically, Chief Facade had had her eyes on the area due to the suspicion of it being far and elusive enough to be used by the political movement of 'Aris First' [See Addendum 1-2], specifically for extremist, isolated rallies and meetings to organise dissent, as well as a possible storage area for illegal weaponry, to be used at a later date when and if the Queen did not give in to their demands for an abolishment of harmony as we know it.

Under the advisory of Miss Facade, therefore, her majesty agreed and supported such an expedition, donating a squadron of soldiers from her royal guard personally to the effort, the exact members of which were handpicked by the Chief according to their service record and resumé. A total of 8 ponies were selected and sent to the Mareiana Trench [For full roster of expedition members, see Addendum 1-7].

Operations began at 0930 hours on the 17th of September, 1007. Destroyer RHS Pearl sailed to the location of the Mareiana Trench in International Waters. The warship had been disarmed before setting sail, with ammunition stores being emptied and removed from the ship. From aboard the ship, the 8 guardsponies were set off into the waters below, and moved down towards the depths of the trench.

Each pony was equipped with a camera around their neck for purposes of taking pictures of any noteworthy discovery, as well as standard-issue military gear, including a standard-issue M1 Cloudfall semi-automatic rifle in possession of each of them. The Squad was under the leadership of the highest-ranking member, that being 1st Lieutenant Coldbeak.

Following disembarking from RHS Pearl, the team was underwater and on-duty for the next 10 hours. AHAC agents were about to alert Chief Violet of this development, and the start of a possible rescue operation, when the operatives returned to the surface. They were secured aboard RHS Pearl once again, and shipped back to the port of Howlington where they were given food and drink to regain their strength. Afterwards, they were taken to AHAC HQ on Mount Aris for debriefing with the Chief.

The Squad displayed a sudden, outwardly negative outlook towards the Chief, other AHAC colleagues, and even one another. They were observed constantly bickering and arguing with one another, though so far none of these arguments became open fights. Initial debriefing had to be rescheduled to a date 3 days later (20th of September) because the Squad, including 1st Lieutenant Coldbeak, proved too rebellious and defiant to properly answer the Chief, instead choosing to insult her, and implying that they were being called 'liars' and 'no-do-wells'.

A second conference for debrief was held on the previously mentioned date, but held short. The Soldiers had been given psychiatric evaluation but were said to be perfectly stable and healthy by licensed professionals. Even so, their hostile attitudes remained. Subjects were ultimately separated and interviewed one-by-one, after which interviewing staff concluded the debrief and dismissed the soldiers to their regular duties.

During interview, the squad unanimously claimed to 'not have seen anything' during their mission, and that there was 'nothing down there'. This unanimous opinion was likewise fiercely defended whenever interviewers poked them for further details, or showed any doubt in this statement, at which point the soldiers claimed they were being called into question as liars among other things. Often times, they began pestering the interviewers with insults or tried to bully them otherwise, implying that, rather than them, the interviewing staff were the liars and no-do-goods.

No damage could be detected upon any of the equipment worn by the squad after an intense examination by AHAC staff. Their weapons were all loaded, and not a single round spent. None of their clothing appeared damaged or showed any signs of combat of any kind. Dismissal was issued following the final approval by local Psychiatrist [See Addendum 2-7].

Violet Facade has requested the soldiers to be monitored closely for the time being due to their uncharacteristically hostile behaviour towards others and one another. However, decision was overruled by Princess Skystar directly when she learned of this request using royal prerogative, citing that 'everyone is down or frustrated sometimes' and that 'they are probably super frustrated, as much as some of you are, that they couldn't make the big catch down there. Give them some time and space'. Detailed log of Princess Skystar and Chief's discussion available via Addendum 3-2, see below. Queen Novo has not seen fit to overrule her daughter on the matter by time of writing.

Expedition of Mareiana Trench is deemed complete with no inordinary sightings or threats discovered. Mission is officially designated a success with no casualties or harm done.

Signed,
Sandy Breeze, AHAC Deputy Chief.

Accelerando

They could feel it now. The spite and anger, the hatred and strife of the seaponies and hippogriffs, of those idiotic, clueless mortals... it was all streaming out back towards them, now.

They enjoyed these moments to the very end. It had been so long since they last fed. It seemed to them that only now did they realise the fact they had never once eaten since their unjust imprisonment there. A sudden hunger filled them, a desire for more. They craved to be let out, to allow their voices to be heard far and wide once more, and enjoy a sumptuous feast as they had so many years prior. That's what they were born to do, after all.

Their hatred subsided for those few moments of relief and... yes, they even felt a little relaxed. The mortals were doing their part, playing right into their hands of course, as they always did. A lesser species being used as a tool by those above their station, as was right.

They came back to their senses and tried to somehow, by any means, squeeze through the tiny crack that had formed in their prison. But although the gap had seemingly widened very minimally already, there was no way the trio could force it open. Not yet, at least. They would need to be patient now. They had been patient in their desire and lust for revenge and vengeance for over a thousand years already.

A few more weeks couldn't hurt.

Coldbeak swam through the intricate canals that wound through the metropolis that was Seaquestria, with rows and rows of uniquely-designed underwater houses and shops to his left and right. Things were relatively quiet by this hour, as they were readily approaching 11 PM already. Still, some ponies were out and about as he was still, mostly in groups heading to one final destination for the day or home. He frowned whenever he passed any of them.

He could hardly explain it, but, since his team and he returned from the Mareiana Trench two weeks ago, he'd realised a fair few things. It was like someone had flipped a switch on the back of his mind, shifting it back into gear. Everything he'd realised then was... well, frankly, so self-explanatory. He almost hated himself for how oblivious he must have been all that time before.

He realised just how annoying everypony and everygriff around him was. All the questions they asked, all the commands issued. Who did they think they were to order him anywhere, anyway? Did a stitched-on insignia on some fancy pants uniform make them better? Did it? What stupid nonsense that was. He grumbled under his breath as he swam along. The image of him barging into his Major's office back at the barracks and bashing a hoof into his face flashed before his eyes. He smiled at that before the imaginary image faded.

No, he had more important things to do now than deal with the many imbeciles he was surrounded by. There was no end to them, anyways, always coming out of the woodwork one after another to swarm him, one sentence, one phrase, one word dumber and more annoying than the next. "Could you-" this, "I want-" that, "You should-" bla bla bla. Grrr, how he-

...Aha. He shook his head, losing track again as his temper flared. That seemed to happen a lot nowadays. He wasn't bothered by it, actually, but he did need to get some things done right now.

The Soldier in civilian dress took a left, dashing through a comparatively small offshoot canal in the city. Nopony was out and about around here, but he did know where he had to go. Safe to say he wasn't scared of any creeps in the dark, either.

He slowed down, floating up towards a door to what looked to be a single-family home. His fin moved slowly as it kept him in place, and he knocked a few times in quick succession. He rolled his eyes as he was left waiting, counting every second impatiently.

The door opened then, and the dim light from the interior streamed outside, covering his face and torso. A fellow seapony met him at the entrance. Like him, she had primarily blue scales, but from her torso up, there were also specks of white.

"Ah. It's you, Cold. Come to bother me again, so soon, did you?"

She was equally as annoyed at him as he was at her; that much was evident.

"Shut up and let me inside, Azure. I'm not in the mood for your stupid games."

"Hmph," she muttered with a pout. Yet, she made way and stood aside. "Fine. Right now, I'm in a good mood, so I'll entertain your idiocy, if even for a little bit."

Coldbeak made his way inside, eyes averted from the young woman. He frowned, but she could tell as much even without looking at his face.

"Riiight... my idiocy..." he murmured.

He wasted no time making his way to the right, where the living room was. He was not surprised to find that there were a fair few seaponies already assembled. Six, not counting him and his host. All of them soldiers of the royal guard like him, who went with him to that Trench expedition weeks ago.

"Oh look, our great leader finally makes an entrance," one of them uttered sarcastically, crossing her hooves.

"Took you long enough. What, too busy for the likes of us?" another complained.

"That's so like you..." a third quietly added, averting her eyes from the stallion in disgust.

"Shut up already. I'm only here because we all have a part to play. I think you ponies are all despicable frankly, but if there's one thing I hate even more than you folks then it's that our saviours are under lock and key."

Coldbeak tried to flex his speaking talent, which wavered when he was rudely shoved aside by the mare that had opened the door for him.

"Coming through, darling." She grinned at him as she pushed past him into the living room. "I do hope you weren't followed. Wouldn't be beyond the likes of you to be stupid enough to let Violet Facade's lackies tag along, you know."

"That's why I showed up late, dirtbag," Coldbeak crudely replied with contempt. "Ever since they subjected us to those brainless examinations back at AHAC, they won't give us a quiet minute. Always tailing us. No different now."

"Yes, thank you for stating the obvious, 'Sir'. Anything of actual value to say, too, perhaps?" Azure Wings countered, situating herself on a chair. The fact she had to sit on a chair and not her very own sofa because those scumbags had taken up all the seats on it already... gah, she did hate them so very much. She wanted to entertain them in her home only for as long as this really required.

Coldbeak clenched a fist but continued. "I lost whoever I believe to have pursued me. But that's not important now. We must work to bring the enlightenment of our saviours to these imbeciles as soon and fast as possible. I... argh, I hate to say this very much, but I cannot do it without your help."

"Ehhh? Our brave Lieutenant suddenly so weak and incapable, is he?" a green-scaled mare on the sofa replied hastily and with a chuckle.

"Hardly a surprise, though, is it? I always knew you were only pretending to be all big and strong. Probably only half as smart, too," a red-scaled stallion added.

"I don't give a shit about your stupid, worthless opinions. If it were entirely up to me I'd have you live someplace far, far away from me where I would finally have solace from your stupidity."

He took a deep breath and continued.

"But that's not the point, now. If there is anyone I hate more than you it's Queen Novo and her complete failure of a daughter, who runs amok like a pre-schooler despite her age."

"Ah, what about Violet Facade?" someone threw into the room.

"Hmph. Yes, her as well. But regardless, you all know as much as I do that Novo is occupying a throne that does not justly belong to her. It's thanks to her and her absolute failure of a government that all of us have to deal with as much annoying crap as we do now. Only thanks to her do students flock to the streets waving their idiotic, red banners, shouting about rights and privileges that they don't even understand. Thanks to her, we have nationalists trying to tear apart the nation for... essentially, no reason besides some veteran asshole thinking he's above everyone else or whatever. As if a healthy dose of racism and nationalism will somehow intimidate Colthage from eyeing up Zumidia, and stop them from trying to regain it."

"I think I saw Crack Lightning once - or I think that was his name? - and my goodness he is certainly full of himself if nothing else. I'd go out and say he's probably more of a nuisance than even you, Coldbeak," Azure Wings commented with probably the biggest 'compliment' Coldbeak could expect from his audience that night.

"Correct. Queen Novo, and for that matter, everyone and everything she has caused to happen has been a disaster, and the people she inspires to act up against her are somehow nearly as stupid, or more stupid, as her. Something has to be done to save ourselves from such ponies. Thankfully, I think, we all know who must take up the reins to achieve just that."

"Of all the ponies I know, only our masters are capable of actually running a state and leading us anywhere that is not the depths of tartarus. Posada would probably accomplish that in record time, too... that stupid commie..."

Plenty of nodding and murmured, hushed agreement was motioned with the statement of the private.

"Still," he continued, "while our masters are the only ones fit to rule, that doesn't exactly make it easy to accomplish that. We are only 8 - maybe you forgot to count after all - and I doubt Novo will just let our saviours waltz in through the front door."

"Well, we just have to use force, then. Easy enough. We're Royal Guards trained to kill, so I say we barge into that ugly face's throne room and hold her hostage until she surrenders and makes way!" Azure Wings was fired up, but a glare from Coldbeak killed that off, even if her enthusiastic grin was just as quickly transformed into a grumbling frown.

"And you called me idiotic, Azure...?" Coldbeak said right back to her and shook his head. He looked into the room at large once again. "A direct confrontation now won't serve us any good. Those ponies are idiots but pulling a trigger is, unfortunately, not rocket science. Even they would be able to gun us down if it's just the few of us moving against them."

"...So? What then?" one wondered.

"We recruit more. Dumb as they may be, everypony will come to see our masters as the just and right saviours of Hippogriffia if only they are made to hear their voices."

"But... that's all the way at the bottom of the Trench, Coldbeak. And the Trench isn't exactly an afternoon trip for fun either. How are we going to get ponies to follow us along?"

"I never did say it had to be voluntary. We are guardsponies, in the end. I think all of us, dim-witted as some of you might otherwise be, know how to knock a pony out cold. At that point? We just have to drag them with us, back to our saviours, and they'll see the error of their ways."

The room's inhabitants were uncertain. Skeptical.

"That sounds like a lot of work. A lot of work which, frankly, I doubt the AHAC won't catch onto."

"Are you afraid?" Coldbeak returned with a raised eyebrow. Everyone in the room suddenly seemed to shift and look at the stallion who'd questioned Coldbeak's actions.

"I... of course I'm not! I'm saying if we get caught red-handed, we may as well have just stumbled into the throne room and shot the damn Queen already. It wouldn't make a difference then, would it?"

Coldbeak, for his part, rolled his eyes. "And I suppose you also never go outside because you think you might swim into something and break your neck and die?" The room snickered, quietly. "If you're going to deal and think in maybe's and perhaps' then we won't get anywhere. I thought even a brainlet such as you would understand that much, Storm. If we really want to win as at least I do, and get rid of that Queen who has already doomed us to so much dumb crap, then we must take risks. As it stands, we can't win unless we expand our ranks, until eventually we can actually mount an assault. But until then, we just have to recruit faster than the AHAC can arrest us if that's what it boils down to."

"Why so bothered about the AHAC anyway? Aren't they the ones who literally let us off the hook to begin with? We literally insulted Violet in her stupid little face, and she did... well, nothing. What makes you all think this wanna-be secret police has the guts and intellect to actually catch onto anything we do? I'd bet that, if they do, it'd already be far too late for them to actually do anything."

Everyone looked over to Azure Wings, who simply sat in her chair, raised both her hooves to her sides, and shrugged.

"That's... surprisingly, not entirely untrue and stupid to say," the Lieutenant admitted, though it hurt him having to concede as much. "Violet Facade is hellbent on tackling those Communists and Nationalists right now, and from what I could overhear in the throne room during her talks with the Queen, and Princess also, she is not exactly doing a grandiose job at the moment. Probably under a lot of pressure... so who is to say she would ever spare the manpower and divert resources to another issue?"

A few regretful nods are seen. Like Coldbeak before them, they hated to admit that the rhetoric made sense.

"If we're fortunate, Violet is dumb enough to even cover up our doings." A purple-scaled stallion, not too dissimilar to Violet Facade in colouration alone ironically, spoke as he floated in the water behind the sofa. "After all, if she reports it to the Queen but nothing is done, she gets the blame. But if she doesn't report it to begin with... well."

"I somehow find myself in agreement, Blaze. Even someone like you can say something slightly less annoying and pointless, from time to time, I suppose." Coldbeak glanced around the room and everyone in it. "I'll begin drafting some rough plan of action throughout the next day or two. I'll contact you about it, and we can get started by the end of the week."

"Hmph," one gave out.

"I suppose I must..." another muttered.

Morale was... iffy. The idea of working with those they thought to be annoying fools was undoubtedly not enticing. Still, the idea of removing an idiot of a Monarch and their even more reckless daughter who together were a destructive force for all of them; bringing to power the only ones they could all agree to be capable and sensible... yes, that would suffice, for now, to have them entertain the notion of cooperation.

They could all hear the Abyss call to them now. They were calling to be lifted up, empowered, and freed. Soon would be the time when everypony would hear their song and realise just how pointless the Royal Line of Novo was and that, in the end, the Hippogriffs needed to be saved.

Crescendo

They grew more impatient by the hour. Their prison was failing, crumbling, but so slowly. The ripples of light that pierced into their dark domain faded just as quickly, and the sliver of the exterior they could see was far too slim to allow escape.

They began arguing with one another, as usual. Arguments over rather petty things. The clutz of the group never even seemed to realise she was driving them mad, too, with her innocent, do-no-harm line of thought. The most simple concepts were obscure to her, it seemed, which was at times intriguing to the other two, but usually just an infuriatingly annoying fact of life that they had had to deal with for a long time now.

She was the youngest of the three, too. Too young, in a way. Or perhaps young enough, that depended on one's point of view. Too young at the time to consciously witness the...

No. No, they didn't want to even think back to those times of horror. Far, far before they were banished to this awful place. Something even more terrifying and unjust, yet. It was best forgotten.

Their Leader moaned, impatient and uneasy. She had been betting on those pathetic mortals to do their bidding, after all. They were the key to unleashing a snowball effect that would, in no time at all, unleash them from their prison. Enough magic and food to weaken their prison whilst empowering them, and allowing certain escape.

Just as another argument was due to break out, they heard the faint noise of creatures approaching. They all darted towards the crack in their 'cell', listening attentively. Someone was swimming, approaching. A fish? No, there were multiple... and then they heard voices.

Ah. So she hadn't banked on mortals that were entirely useless, after all. What a relief that was.

They witnessed muffled screams and exclamations, entirely incomprehensible. Perhaps the pony was gagged or otherwise shut up. Another voice, a scruffy, male one, spoke up and told him to shut up. A female appeared to approach their prison further, if the sound of her swimming and voice gradually increasing in volume was any indication.

"Relax. Just relax, and listen to your saviours. Even someone like you will understand."

A hint of hostility and strife was in her speech. They all smiled. Even this small hostile intent fed them a tiny little bit due to the proximity. The stallion, meanwhile, appeared to ignore her advice. He probably jottled back in forth, perhaps he was tied up, as well? It certainly seemed he was held against his will. Well, he wouldn't mind, soon enough.

All three of them closed their eyes, and opened their mouths all at once. A quiet, smooth serenade crept out of the tiny crack in their dark prison to the outside. They briefly heard the stallion's fear and muffled exclamations increasing as his panic mounted further. The mare holding him, they imagined, was probably grinning.

The volume increased gently but remained soft. A chorus of three, in perfect harmony with one another, called out to the stallion. Not even a song, merely holding a note or two was sufficient for this simple, isolated seapony. The harmonic sound surrounded him, he felt. Ensnared his body, left him motionless. He couldn't move, now, he thought. He had to stay. Had to listen to this more. He would always want more of this... this angelic choir.

His resistance faded just as his movements did. His eyes had a sort of glare in them. Not quite empty, but... not really normal either. It was surely odd, if not outright creepy to the outsider. To the mare holding him, though, it was satisfying.

"Do you understand, now?" she asked the stallion, removing the gag to allow him to speak. The three of them listened as attentively as the captor did. They knew the answer. Obviously.

"Yeah. Yeah, I... wow, I didn't ever realise how blind I was until now."

The mare grinned. There was a sudden cutting noise as a knife ran through the stallion's binds, releasing him.

"I'd always thought that... if I just pressed on and ignored the tiny things I hated that... it would all be alright. The Queen... she always said we should make friends, and then we'd be free and at peace."

He shook his head as the mare, and the stallion a little further up, watched and listened.

"That damned Queen lied... friendship has only ever caused us harm! How are we supposed to rely on one another when one pony is worse than the next!? All that idle talk of friendship and harmony... and what has it ever done for us? First the Storm King, then the Communists and Nationalists duking it out on the streets, and now Hippogriffs and Seaponies aren't even able to work along with one another anymore, stupid as they are."

"But you know how to save Hippogriffs and Seaponies now."

The Stallion perked up, and spun in place to face the mare. He gulped, but found himself nodding.

"Yeah. Yeah, I do. If everypony heard... this then... well, I think a lot of our issues would be dealt with in an instant."

The mare nodded, this time, and waved for him to follow her along as she was heard swimming back upwards where her partner was waiting, still.

"Come on, then. We're already working to get rid of that despicable Queen. As much as I hate asking for 'help', I think you will find that you could be of assistance."

The banished trio grinned and chuckled. Their ploy had caught on, and was now progressing quickly, it seemed. How delightful, indeed.

Queen Novo was unusually nervous, sitting upon her throne like so many other days. But this wasn't just any other day. She wished it was, but frankly the situation in Seaquestria was... deteriorating, and rather quickly, too.

"Violet. What can your agents report regarding all of this?"

The throne room was cleared of all guards for this special meeting, as even guardsponies could not be entirely ruled out of participating in these... odd activities, anymore. It had to be kept secret. Specifically, a secret between Queen Novo, Princess Skystar who was seated besides her mother's throne on a near identical, albeit smaller version of said throne, Violet Facade of the AHAC, Sandy Breeze, Violet's deputy, Coral Fin who served as the Speaker of Government for Novo, and, most unusually, Silverstream, a friend of the Princess whom she had convinced her mother to draw in for advice also, given her experiences and education in Equestria after the fall of the Storm King.

Violet, for her part, spoke up. She held a brown folder in her hooves, on top of which a classified document was laid out for her to read.

"Intelligence reports are... varying greatly. It's hard to make a concrete picture of what is true and what isn't due to that."

"Go on, please," the Royal pressed. Violet nodded her head at the request.

"Of course. As I said, reports vary. Some of our agents report eavesdropping in on secret meetings, during which members frequently insult and others growl at one another, but are ultimately drawn together for the purpose of helping along their 'saviours' and 'masters', whoever those may be."

Coral stroked his greasy beard, running a hoof across it.

"Forgive the question, Missus, but what do you mean by 'members' in this context, exactly? I suppose I might be out of touch a little bit in this regard - a lot of government priority has been on Aris First in recent times."

Sandy Breeze spoke up before her superior could: "Members of what we suspect to be... well, we don't know what they stand for exactly. They're certainly an organised group that is looking for members, but pinpointing exactly what they want is much harder to say. Members seem to be drawn from... well, nowhere in particular, seemingly. Anyone from minimum wage labourer to higher-class CEOs are a part of them from what we suspect or have confirmed. Even members of the Royal Guard are a part - including the very ponies originally sent to the Mareiana Trench weeks ago, as you may recall."

Coral Fin nodded twice over, but remained silent.

"So what's the big deal with them?" asked a dumbfounded Silverstream into the group. "If they're all, well, so different, what's really the point of them all coming together like this?"

The Friendship student looked specifically over towards the Princess for advice and counsel. There was... little to give.

"I can't say I know, Silverstream. At least the communists all stem from the working class in some form. Makes sense in a way. The Nationalists from Aris First? Hmm, I suppose they're mostly from disenfranchised groups. Maybe they were, or feel like they were, wronged in the past by the government, and by our foreign friends. This though...? I... don't see a real connection."

The Queen had looked over her shoulder, down and over towards her daughter right by her side. Skystar noticed and met her eyes directly. They both bore a worried frown. Uncertainty hung thick and heavy in the room. Once again, all eyes turned to Violet Facade.

"Violet, please go on. Surely you must have an answer?" Novo insisted.

"I err... well, as you wish, majesty," hesitated the purple-scaled seapony. "Besides the aforementioned possible aim to bring about the revelation of their 'masters', as it were, those same agents also reported conspiracies against your person specifically, majesty. Usually also in conjunction with your daughter, and a defininite desire to destroy your Royal Line and the Monarchy."

Novo remained steadfast and focused, though her daughter and Silverstream, both much younger and less prepared for these topics and situations, looked rather terrified.

"But... it's not as simple as that. What I presented to you then was merely the most egregious, threatening reports from but a handful of operatives. Most of them seem to report nothing of the sort relating to conspiracy or active rebellion. Others again make this organisation look more like a simple gang of thugs than terrorists or political extremists."

She drew a deep breath before moving on.

"And... further others, again, claim that these people are actually a charity organisation, of sorts. That they're helping ponies in need. Coincidentally, the agents who reported these types of findings, or lack thereof I suppose, have become uncharacteristically hostile towards both me and all their coworkers, and likewise anyone around them. Similar indeed to how the original 8 squad ponies reacted to our interviews after the Mareiana Trench investigation, and similar to how other agents pictured the members of this organisation constantly arguing with one another... despite seemingly following the same goal."

"You believe they're infiltrators, then?" Novo asked her, straight to the point.

"We... can't be too certain. Suspected, yes, but since there is no psychological change that doctors can make out, they're certainly mentally fine from what ordinary medicine can attest. These are skilled mares and stallions and... frankly, the AHAC can not afford to just cast them aside so easily."

"We are keeping them on stand-by and low-risk assignments, for the time being, to be sure," Deputy Chief Sandy added on. Violet gave him a reaffirming nod.

"This is most worrisome..." the Queen remarked quietly, resting her chin on her left hoof. She appeared to ponder, drowning in her own thoughts for but a moment.

"Sorry but," she snapped back to reality at the familiar and ecstatic voice of her daughter besides her, "if I'm gonna be real? This... is starting to act kind of creepy, you know? People leave for home one day, and by the next morning they're all grumpy and hate everyone? That doesn't sound like some mental disorder, Violet."

"Skystar is right! This doesn't seem natural, anymore. There has to be some foul magic in play here!" Silverstream added onto her friend's statement. Skystar seemed at least a little bit relieved, in a way, that Silverstream was in agreement. In her mind, her friend probably had the best idea of evil, dark magics in the entire room. Ironically not because she was some powerful mage herself, but because Equestria had been rather riddled with villainous mages throughout the previous decade. If anyone knew bad guys and bad magic when they saw it, it was someone who had spent at least a few years living in Equestria.

"Foul magic...?" Violet, Sandy and Coral each returned with raised eyebrows.

"You don't seriously mean to imply that there is magic in play in Seaquestria itself, right under her majesty's nose, and that we are totally oblivious to it?" Sandy Breeze put out, giving Silverstream a frown and stare.

"Well, actually, that's basically what I did mean to say!" reaffirmed the friendship student with usual ecstaticness. Sandy Breeze almost seemed to deflate a little.

"She makes a valid point," Coral Fin remarked for his part. He cleared his throat, and looked up towards his Queen. "I find it unlikely, no, dare I say, impossible that anypony could change so drastically in such short time through natural causes. I find myself leaning in favour of the notion that something vile is at work, your majesty."

"Noted. Thank you." The Queen ran her right hoof along her chin and pondered on things further. People suddenly becoming hostile, but... also, all this inconclusiveness from the AHAC. Just who were these people, anyway? And what did they want? And why such vastly different 'flavours' of people, also? And how did they recruit people, anyway, if all they did was argue with one another? Were they even a threat if they seemingly argued not just with others, but even among one another?

"Violet."

The mare in purple scales straightened out at the mention. "M-Majesty?"

"What records do you have on this organisation regarding crimes? How much of a criminal threat are they according to police records?"

Violet gulped. "Their... yes. Well, majesty, actually they..."

She cleared her throat, pretending to be coughing as she turned her head away from the Queen right before her. A brief glance towards Sandy floating right beside her showed he was just as nervous, all of a sudden, as she was. If she said the wrong thing now, they would both....

"Sorry, your majesty. Had something stuck in my throat there, I think," the mare apologised nervously as she reestablished eye contact.

"Please go on." The Queen always did have a focused, deliberate appearance and stare of a sort, but right now that really bore down on Violet, she felt.

"Their... crime records are..." she paused for a second, "there's nothing. Majesty."

"Come again?" Novo replied hastily in seeming disbelief.

"Huh?" Skystar likewise uttered, even more confused and unbelieving than her mother was.

"Yes, well, beyond crimes current confirmed or suspected members have committed before membership in this group, there is... basically nothing to show. When it comes to actual crime, they seem comparatively... harmless."

Violet seemed unusually careful with her wording, if not a little weak on her feet from a glance.

"Miss, are you feeling quite alright?" Coral asked her politely.

"I'm just fine. Thank you."

"Err, well, I don't want to say you're a liar buuuut..." Silverstream started.

"But?" Sandy Breeze asked her back.

"But isn't that, like, really unlikely, though? Plus, if these folks are really so harmless, why are we here? I thought these guys were dangerous! And given the magical stuff going on, they probably are!"

"You're inflating the problem beyond what it actually is," Sandy countered sternly. "The AHAC keeps tabs on these people because of their unusual... mannerisms, and because they cropped up so suddenly. That does not automatically mean everypony in these clubs is a criminal. Or that any of them are. We are meant to defend Harmony, not arrest anyone we don't like."

"Ehh? But Skystar told me you already do plenty of tha-"

"Thank you, Silverstream, I think that's quite enough!" Skystar interjected quickly, waving her hands at her to somehow motion her to shut up. "Ahem, I do however think it is indeed odd to think these people never commit crimes. Are you sure, Violet?"

"I am. Regardless of agent or method of investigation, no crimes are on record, thus far." Violet was adamant in her stance.

All eyes turned to the Queen one after another, seemingly searching for a decision or arbitration in favour of one way or the other. Such was the fate of an absolute monarch.

"If you are absolutely sure, then that at least means they aren't an immediate threat..." Novo considered, speaking out loud for all to hear.

"But... mum, if this really is the work of magic, then we can't just shrug this off," Skystar insisted.

"We can't, but we must look at the greater picture right now. Remember, Skystar, this is not an isolated issue. There are communists rallying on the streets and nationalists inciting friction between our citizens. And unlike this... mysterious collective, those two groups are very much violent at turns, and people like the communists are openly against our royalty status, as well."

Skystar's ears drooped. Novo sighed, not intending to accidentally hurt her daughter's feelings with her reply. It was... more so a lesson in governance. Eventually, after all, it would be her turn up here on the throne, when she was gone.

"What I mean is that we can't do everything all at once. We just don't have the means, right now. And since this is a comparatively unthreatening issue, at least right now, we simply have to put it on the back of our minds until the more important things are dealt with. Ok?"

Skystar nodded slowly. Silverstream, though, had more to say.

"Queen Novo, why don't we ask Equestria for help? The Elements could-"

"We do not need the Elements or Equestria over here, right now," Sandy Breeze quickly interfered.

"Huh? Why? They're our friends, aren't they? Did I miss something?" Silverstream innocently returned.

"Friends? Of course. But we are quite literally already dealing with nationalists who claim her majesty's government is too weak to rule. That she can't get things done on her own. What do you think will happen if we ask Equestria for help in policing, now? When we call over the damned elements here?"

"You sound like a small little nationalist yourself right now, Mister Breeze," Skystar commented in favour of her friend.

"Princess.... majesty," Sandy continued, eyeing Skystar and then Novo herself. "You must understand this. If we seriously did as she wanted, we would all be seen as... weak, at best, and traitors at worst. It would only fuel the fire further and Aris First would grow exponentially from that point. It would be concrete evidence anyone could understand and see that they are 'right' in their rhetoric."

He bowed his head to further signify the significance of what he was asking for.

"Please, I believe your majesty and our government are capable of handling these things ourselves, in due time. We need not call for Equestrian help that would solve one problem but drastically enlarge another."

"I don't think Aris First is really going to thi-"

"Thank you, Deputy Chief," Novo spoke, interrupting her daughter. "I will refrain from as doing as much, for the time being. As far as Equestria, our neighbours, and the world at large is concerned, Hippogriffia is capable of handling its own affairs perfectly well. We are a proud, independent people, and need not the assistance of foreigners to help keep our own people in line. If there really is a threat, and right now those threats are identified, I believe, then we will act accordingly. Until then, we cannot and shall not act on rumors alone. With the extremist Batponies in Chiropterra, and the Zebras in Colthage both eyeing our lands on the mainland with desire, we must not look weak, now."

Skystar quietly sighed and frowned. Violet and Coral both joined Sandy Breeze in bowing their heads before their sovereign, something Silverstream did a few seconds later when she caught on. Etiquette was never her strongest suit.

"Very well, your majesty. I will keep observations ongoing and inform you if anything does change."

"Please do, and thank you. You may consider yourselves dismissed for the day."

The Queen waved for them to vacate the room, and their four guests did as ordered.

On their way out of the place, back onto the open streets of Seaquestria, Sandy Breeze tugged on Violet's fin, getting her to stop. He looked her eye to eye.

"Violet..." he said weakly.

"Don't worry about it now. We'll do our job, as told, and worry about those guys later."

"Violet, dammit, you... you know this stuff is not normal! Dammit, we literally have confirmed reports of ponies being kidnapped!" Sandy wanted to scream, but he knew to keep his voice down as best as possible. Out here, the walls had ears. "Ever since that stupid expedition this crap has been going down, and you just used the only chance we realistically had to tell the Queen-"

"Tell her what, Sandy!?" Violet snapped back at him. Sandy seemed taken aback, moving back a pace from his superior. "Tell her what, huh? Tell her we're all a bunch of incompetent idiots? Tell her the Committee failed to quell another extremist, pseudo-religious nutjob cult while it was in infancy, and now they're abducting ponies at will? Is that what you wanna tell her?"

Sandy barely had time to react before Violet grabbed him around the torso, and quickly shoved him around the corner they'd just passed, where she pressed him up against the wall.

"If you asshole want to destroy everything this Committee has done so far, if you want to lose your job, if you want to potentially lose your head because you're a stupid, incompetent little traitor that failed to defend her majesty and her rule from extremists as you were tasked to do, then go ahead and fucking do it!"

She sneered at him, breathing loudly. He did too. Both of them were loaded with adrenaline by that point, and it seemed as though either of them were about to throw a first punch at any point.

"Do it, but I won't. I saw what Communism did to countries abroad. Countries that were once flourishing and beautiful, now authoritarian dystopias. Think of Stalliongrad. Think of Brodfeld, who are literally trying to fight for their own King right now against the red menace. And what about Aris First? Look me in my damn eyes and tell me they aren't just a bunch of fascists, like the blackwings that destroyed all that was right and good in Wingbardy just north of us in Griffonia. Do you honestly expect me to sit around idly and ignore this? To tackle a bunch of lunatic cultists or whatever the hell they are instead, who aren't actually causing material harm right now?"

She lifted her right hoof, and Sandy closed his eyes expecting a hefty punch but... she relented. He felt himself released from her grab, as Violet looked around quickly to make sure nopony in the palace had seen them just then.

"I will not allow myself to be sacked before I stomp out that menace, no matter if I must gun down Posada myself. Until then..." She drew a deep breath, and gave him a stern nod. "Until then, we'll just pretend those people are fine and a non-issue. I can live with cultists that are mad at me all-day but otherwise don't harm anyone. What I can't live with is Communists trying to destroy our entire culture."

She distanced herself from him.

"If you wanna go back there and tell her, be my guest but, I won't. I'm in too dep, friend. And I don't think they would think twice about you if this came out, either. If I was sacked, you'd go along with me as my right-hoof stallion."

Finally, the Deputy Chief gathered enough composure to sound something back at her.

"Violet, are you really thinking this is... a good idea? What if Skystar is right, and there's magic at work?"

"We'll worry about that when we get to it. For now? There are bigger fish to fry."

Fortissimo

Mount Aris, and Hippogriffia as a whole, was in peril.

What had initially been a small crop of odd-job seaponies that turned from perfectly sociable to anti-social grumps had now become a nation-spanning issue. The group all of these people belonged to was somehow still elusive and unknown to authorities such as the AHAC or common law enforcement, though it was most commonly branded to be a Cult of some sort, though to whom or what they preached was unknown.

More importantly, the Cult had grown. Verily so. Originating from Seaquestria itself, it had expanded to cover much of the underwater capital, at which point it began to appear above the waves too, where the seaponies' kin, the Hippogriffs, lived. City after city saw 'infestation' with this cult, people suddenly becoming hostile to coworkers, friends and sometimes even family. It was inexplicable beyond simply saying it was the work of magic, but more over it was something Queen Novo and her government was rapidly losing control over. Mayors of many towns and cities had already become apart of this group, seemingly, as had other high-seated officials such as ministers, police chiefs and officers, and even the big enemies of the past months, Posada's Communists and Crack Lightning's Nationalist Far-Right, had both become infiltrated by these people, also. Both movements became internally fractured as fights broke out among their followers, whilst tensions between both of these radicals seemed to be deliberately stirred, as well.

The Queen, seated upon her throne within the newly rebuilt Royal Palace on Mount Aris - originally destroyed by the Storm King during his sweep across the continent, looked grim. She hated to admit it, and probably never would publicly, but she had moved herself and her government from Seaquestria to Aris not to be closer to the increasing issue with this cult on the mainland, but because the underwater capital was so vastly infested with them that she no longer felt safe there. There was something in the works, she felt... something that did not bode well for her and her long-standing house of royalty.

Now, though, she found herself in a similar situation. Violet Facade was a seapony she had seriously overestimated in the past, that much she now knew. Standing before her throne in her Hippogriff form, she appeared distraught, helpless, tired, when Novo had hoped that her 'security expert' would display the opposite of such emotions. Novo didn't think the pony was incompetent per se, but she had played her hand all wrong while going all in on what was a gut feeling based entirely on her past, negative experiences with Communism. Regardless of that, the monarch was furious with her. This was in large part her fault, all this had been under her prerogative to deal with, or at least to report at earliest possibility. How exactly did this tiny group become so expansive? How did she, the Queen, personally find out that Seaquestria was nearly overrun by these ponies and had to evacuate her own capital out of fear, whilst her Chief of Domestic Security was twiddling her claws and chain-smoking all-day?

"Violet Facade, I hope you have something to tell me?"

The royal spoke with her usual boldness, but Violet could feel it was beset with another ingredient: anger. She began to shiver lightly.

"Your majesty... I... I..."

"Do you wish to inform me of this Cult you were hiding from me all this time? How you, of all ponies, looked to deceive me on the state and well-being of my own subjects to serve your own goals and own vendetta?"

Violet's pupils grew in shock at every word she heard.

"H-How did you..."

"It is rather obvious, by now, isn't it?" Novo replied hastily. "But if you really want to know? Your Deputy told me everything."

"Sandy told- no, wait I-"

"I think I've waited long enough, don't you think, Violet? All that waiting has led us where we stand today."

"Majesty, no, wait! I can explain! Please!" Violet pleaded.

"Explain what? Your deliberate lies in the face of myself and my daughter? Your sabotage of Hippogriffian society as a result? Your stupid, incoherent hate for anypony who appears to be leftist in any way? I was told you were even in favour of executing that seapony leading the majority of them, Posada?"

Violet's head sank. Novo really did know everything. She'd said all of that in confidentiality to Sandy and Sandy alone... and now... oh gods.

"You wanted to speak? Fine. Then tell me what your defence is. Your reasoning for all of these travesties, and the spit in my face directly. I will allow you this chance."

Novo was not perfect, and certainly not a perfect ruler either as a result. She was sometimes too self-absorbed or self-important, or lacked long-term planning. But when all was done and dusted, Violet thought, she remained a fair and just ruler, who, even when faced with direct insult and insubordination like her own, offered up a chance to explain one's own actions. A chance for mercy, perhaps, or at least the courtesy of allowing a defendant to speak up. This sense for justice was one of several things she loved about the long royal line of Novo in Hippogriffia, and was a reason she had even wanted to defend the state so desperately to begin with. But... she had failed. Did any of her work even matter, now? Somehow, in her pursuit to do everything right, she had undone everything.

"I..." she spoke up, not wanting to look at the disgruntled monarch and keeping her head low. "I just wanted to-"

"Look your sovereign in her eyes when you answer for your crimes," the Queen commanded. Like the loyal subject she wished she was, Violet obeyed, and raised her head high to look up towards the throne.

"I just wanted to do my best, your majesty... to rid Hipoogriffia, my - our - home, of evil."

"And look where that has brought us," answered an unimpressed Novo.

"I never had imagined that your daughter... I mean, that the Princes... she was right. The Cult, these... people, they... we weren't prepared. I kept it from you not because I wanted to harm you, but because I thought we could do our work with those who were a bigger threat at the time, and then tackle these but..."

"Hmph. You gambled." Novo squinted her eyes, and frowned. "You utilised what trust I dispensed and forwarded to you, and you gambled with it. It was a best guess, not an educated opinion, even. You were blinded by hate, but continued claiming to fight against enemies of Harmony."

Violet fell silent, once again.

"Tell me, Violet Facade. Does this hatred not make you what you vowed to destroy? Is your destructive attitude towards people who believe the wrong thing not the exact thing you accuse them of?"

So many times now had Violet been face-to-face with the Queen, and everytime she had endured the stoic monarch's glare. Not today. It bore deep into her heart and mind. Because she was right. In the end, she could only mumble something to herself, and let her head hang low, once again.

Novo, seeing this as a sort of capitulation in a way, sighed.

"Very well. Violet Facade, for your crimes of-"

She was interrupted by a loud, thundering sound. And then incoherent babbling, yelling, talking, and yes, marching of a sort, all coming from within the Palace.

"What was..." Novo wondered. She quickly looked and scanned the throne room itself, but... no, nothing. Her eyes bore down on Violet again. "Violet, what is going on? Is this another one of your games?"

Violet, somewhat shaken from her predicament, raised her head - thin streams of tears visibly running down from her eyes as she sniffed quietly - and looked towards the big, thick double doors that led to the throne room itself. She figured it came from outside the chamber.

"I don't... I don't k-know, my Queen. I think it may have been the door?"

"The door? To the Palace?"

The shouting increased, as did the approaching footsteps. Novo realised the hippogriff before her was right. There were people coming, people that had broken in.

"B-But how!" quickly asked the monarch, normally so composed but now, finally, flustered.

"Th-that's not right. I told Sandy Breeze... he was meant to withdraw our forces here, to Mount Aris. There should be soldiers and agents and police, all around the city, to stomp out-"

The doors creaked, then, as they were heaved open. Four Hippogriff guards, two on either side of the double doors, pushed them open, and a familiar, brown-coated hippogriff entered.

"Sandy..? What's happened? What's going on?" Violet quickly asked her supposed deputy.

"Oh, well, I assume you mean why most of Mount Aris' population is currently making their way here through the palace?" replied the griff rather smugly.

"What!?" Violet cried back.

"Explain yourself! At once!" Novo demanded, lifting her rear from her throne. This did not bode well...

"Well, you see, I realised recently just how bothersome Violet here really is. I'd worked with you for months now but... bleh, you only ever became more unbearable. And do you even shower, anymore? Disgusting."

"Sandy...!" Violet quietly resisted.

"But I was shown how to make things right. Our saviours will show us the way, but for them to do that... well. We must free up the throne they rightfully deserve."

"Traitor! You're with them!" Novo proclaimed, something everyone in the room, by now, had caught onto, even Violet.

"But Sandy... why...? We fought so hard, month after month, to-"

"No, you fought hard against your petty rivalry with the left. I was just dragged along with you, through the dirt, and got all the flak for small fuck-ups that you never wanted to take for yourself. I always covered for you, I always moved along with your bullshit, and frankly, this was a long time coming. I'm glad I now have the confidence to stand up to you and tell you what's what." He turned and pointed a claw up towards the throne and the Queen standing upon it. "Or to you, for that matter. Your incompetent rule ends today, 'majesty'. Thankfully Aris is with us, and I made sure to pull off all the guard detail you had ordered, Violet."

"You- No!" Violet quickly shifted to face the Queen. "Run! My Queen, you have to get out of here!"

A quick shuffle came from where Sandy stood, and when Violet dared look at her ex-friend again, he held a pistol up and towards her.

"I would advise you stay. For your own protection. The masters are benevolent and wise. Unlike both of you. They will know not to unnecessarily harm you."

Novo herself was shocked when the contingent of royal guards arranged outside the throne room came marching in. Rather than detain Sandy on the spot, though, they readied their semi-automatic rifles, and formed a improvised firing line, each pointing the muzzle of their weapon at the Queen whom they had vowed to defend to their last breath.

The Queen, so long the undisputed ruler of the Hippogriffs and Seaponies, ruling over the metropolis of Seaquestria as well as mighty Mount Aris... found herself, all of a sudden, thrust into absolute helplessness. With no way out, with no one to call and beg for aid. There had been more than enough time to do that, of course... but that time, she now realised, had run out.

"Sandy, I'm begging you! Look at what you're doing!" Violet pleaded to her comrade and friend, once more.

"Oh, shut up already, Violet. We both know you always treated me like shit. I always only ever your subordinate, little fool whom you commandeered to do the dirty work for you. Quit your yelping and shut up. For both of us. Or I'll have the crowds have their way with you. Your choice."

Indeed, the incoherent babbling and yelling of the crowd of hippogriffs marching towards the throne room was now imminent, and Violet and Novo both knew they were powerless to do anything about it, now. Violet had a gun with her, of course, in one of her pockets, but Sandy knew she did. She'd told him as much, and even if she hadn't, it was standard-issue for her. He would know either way and react before she had any chance. Not that she wanted to shoot somegriff that had been a loyal assistant for so long.

She sighed, lowered her head, and sat down on the floor. She raised both her front claws up, and then placed them on the back of her head, surrendering to the inevitable. This was all her fault. The Cult, the Queen's fate... the fact that Sandy, too, was consumed by whatever it is the Cult was doing to its members... all her doing and fault. She had to bear the consequences now. The Queen was already going to do that moments before. If not Novo, then whoever these people wanted to put in charge would.

As Sandy Breeze moved to cuff her past boss, Queen Novo now found herself truly, finally, on her own. A line of gunmen - no, not just gunmen... her own, personal, loyal guards... all there. All aiming at her. She looked down upon them in disbelief. She saw their eyes, which lacked a certain glimmer in them... like something wasn't quite right with them. Yet, otherwise they looked healthy and normal. What had happened to these poor griffs? And... was it going to happen to her, now, too?

"I..." she stuttered, her self-assured stature all but crumbled by now. She was afraid. Deeply afraid. This was akin to the Storm King's wrath when he approached their homes, when they had to cower under the seas and prayed he would never discover and reach them everyday. Though... no. No this was worse. Because back then it was the fear of being found and defeated. Now, she had already lost, with no way out.

"I just wish to be sure, so forgive me..." the Queen muttered, trying to pull herself together as much as she could to retain her royal stature and composure in what was most likely her last words as Queen. The last of her line, most likely... though, she did wonder where Skystar had run off to now of all times.

"Are you all really sure of this? Do you all, with absolute certainty, desire this? Do you earnestly believe this to be the right path?"

The guards looked at her with disgruntled frowns, as if she was a tyrant or dictator. Never before, not even from the Communists, had she received such deadly glares. No vocal response was given, but like robots all the guards shared the expression almost precisely. It was creepy for one, but likewise

"I... see," she replied, simply. She looked up a little further, and saw the first hippogriffs of the crowd rush into the throne room. She simply sat down, tried to keep calm by breathing regularly, and lowered her head. There was little point in anything else, now.

Hippogriffia was lost.

At long last.

For far too long had they been unrightfully kept from the world. Imprisoned at the whim of some decrepit, old stallion wizard and his lackies, and their flawed vision of the world and its natural rules and laws. The Ponies then had believed they were right in their evil punishment. That mortals such as them were meant to rule, through friendship and united strength.

Fools. The world was theirs by definition. Wherever a voice could be heard, whomsoever had the anatomical ability to even so much as hear, was theirs to rule over. All of them should have fallen under their song and spell, but they were forbidden the opportunity.

Now, though, the show was back on. Their prison, finally, had caved. The immense magical powers the three of them had gathered thanks to the Hippogriffs and seaponies had empowered them to a degree that their supposedly permanent confinement - meant only to hold their hungered and powerless selves - could no longer keep up. It burst, and then, they were free once more.

They postponed their victory celebrations as they moved the way that all their new servants had whenever they left back to their homes. When first they reared their majestic heads and appeared from out of the waters of the coastal city of Howlington, many bowed their heads in recognition of their power, magnificence and benevolence. Others again shivered, cried or screamed in fear and terror.

They took great joy in their first live concert for the masses as they darted through the skies of the city, moving in between high-rise buildings. Like all their performances, this one, too, was a master-piece and perfect harmony. Their three voices, though separate, combined into one beautiful whole as they flew and gave it their all. It was a liberating feeling for them. To finally, truly and without reservations, sing once again. More over, to be heard, and to be adored. They saw as the screams and cries died out below them, replaced only with more adoration and signs of servitude from their new, loving subjects.

Howlington had been the first to become entirely compliant, the first to be theirs in its entirety and first to bear witness to their grand return. But it was not the main prize. That, they knew, was the capital. In this case, Mount Aris where they were told the Queen of the Hippogriffs was held up. She would not be Queen for long.

They moved together, as their ragtag trio always did, towards the Mountain. They could already see it in the distance, reaching for the sky. Their 'band' was not always the most... functional, but in the end there was a clear hierarchy, and the three of them had a shared history and, more importantly, shared destiny and shared gift. This was the only thing that mattered. Their destiny. One that they were attempted to be stripped of so long ago, but now, found themselves within arm's reach of it, it felt. A genuine aura and feeling of victory was afoot for all three of them, even if they were glad and happy to be free for slightly... varying reasons.

The Capital was ominously quiet. It, like Howlington and other settlements they had come across during their flight here, was peculiar. It looked nothing like the cities of old, back before their banishment. The last city they had laid their eyes on then was filled with crafted houses, made out of wood, occasionally reinforced by stone. There would often be castles or palisades that surrounded the core of a city, and usually some noblepony's residence.

Instead, the trio was baffled to find only more concrete jungle. Concrete buildings rising from the ground like square sticks reaching into the sky, whilst lights flickered from oh so many windows below, some flashy and colourful, for advertisements. The old, muddy roads of old were gone, too. Back then the best you could get was paved stone, which was usually far from a smooth ride, but now even that had changed. That was not even to mention cars, air planes, and all the other modern equipment and utensils they had spotted, so far.

The second-oldest among their group, always the realist between the three of them, gave this all some food for thought. This was a different world, almost, she thought. Back then, ponies were simple-minded and defenceless, their settlements small and easily overseeable. But now a single settlement packed as many individuals as at least 10 if not 15 of those old towns and cities, and all this criss-cross of small, tall and wide buildings and lights... it was all so confusing, and would make it hard to spread their song to every nook and cranny as they had done before their imprisonment. That was going to be a problem.

Their hot-headed leader grew impatient, and snapped her slightly younger companion back to reality, the here and now. She pointed down towards the largest and most pompous of all the structures built upon Mount Aris - the Palace. An obvious target, one that they were all too keen to take their rightful places within.

All outside the palace, it seemed, huge crowds had gathered already. This, ironically, was not their direct doing, and at a first glance they suspected there was some sort of celebration ongoing among these locals. When every single Hippogriff in the crowd bowed their head before them upon arrival, though, they knew it was something far better.

Moving through the Palace at a slightly more leisurely pace, the three singers revelled in every bow and show of servitude they got from the Griffons along the way. An occasional pony and Zebra, too, perhaps immigrants to this place, caught in the most unfortunate - or rather, fortunate - crossfire of this takeover. Displays of respect towards them, a begging for the three of them to sing for these creatures... how they had missed such adoration. And yet even still, they felt their magic being empowered. For as soon as they passed these griffons up, they snapped to the nearest local with furious disappointment, and blamed them for being the fault that the trio didn't stop and acknowledge them.

And finally, they turned a corner and found themselves approaching two looming, heavy double doors, protected by a Hippogriff in regal, but mostly now aesthetic plate armour. They held weapons, too, which... neither of the three knew how to identify. No spear or sword, but some sort of wooden boomstick. Hm.

The guards bowed their heads as all others had, then raised their heads, and pushed open the doors. Like Royalty, they were welcomed into the throne room - now theirs and theirs only - by a line of guards lined up along the red carpet that was rolled out and ran all the way from the doors and up to the single, majestic throne. It was empty, vacant, waiting for a fitting, rightful ruler. The eldest among the three sped up, eyes fixed on a throne that was hers for the taking. As she passed along the guards, they each presented their rifles as a military salute.

With her company trailing not far behind, but already nagging with one another as they usually did, the oldest lowered herself. Gently, slowly, until her scaled rear touched down upon the seat of the throne. With two hooved fins resting upon the construct's armrests, she gave her 'friends' a smug grin. The younger one among the two smiled happily back at her, while the older one besides her, usually always so monotonous and samey, couldn't help but grin as she did.

"Welcome to the Show, Hippogriffs," Adagio triumphantly proclaimed, letting out a victorious laughter.

Serenata

"For the last time, Aria, what is with you and your persistence on this?"

Adagio rolled her eyes and rested her head up against her left fin as she sat upon her newly claimed throne.

"We can't just move on, Adagio. Think for just one moment and forget about Equestria while we're here. We've only just gotten free and you already want us to move on Equestria - that's madness, and it won't work."

The stoic realist of the trio crossed her fins defiantly, giving her supposed leader a slight frown.

"What is there for us to do here, still? We have these mortals under our spell and they feed us magic enough to sustain us. That is the extent of their usefulness, so why stick around?"

Aria face-palmed and moaned.

"Adagio, are you really that blind? Look around yourself for even just a second! This world is not the one we left when Starswirl locked us away. There's no feudal towns, no castles, no simpleton peasants and no knights and archers here. This is a world far beyond our understanding now, and that's not good. We need to understand what we're fighting with, and fighting against."

"Oh yeah, I was wondering why these knights' swords looked so oddly shaped!"

The two of them looked to their youngest member as she hovered mid-air next to one of the royal guards. Their pupils visibly grew in size as the blue siren took the odd, unknown weapon out of the soldier's claws and began to inspect it up close.

"Sonata, don't-"

BANG!

Everyone, even the sirens themselves, ducked their heads instinctively as the rifle in Sonata's fins went off, the bullet digging itself into the nearby wall without any casualties. Thankfully.

"Ehehe..." Sonata grinned back at Adagio and Aria who looked positively furious with her, before quickly turning back towards the soldier and pressing the rifle back into his claws. "Here you go! Sorryyyy!"

"Ugh, you two are the worst to be doing this with," Adagio remarked with rolling eyes.

"You're not much better yourself, you know. Sonata might be a hinderance at times but at least she isn't scheming stupid plans that will just get us right back to square one and banished again."

Sonata perked up and smiled. "Yeah! Wait... hey!" Aria didn't bother paying her any mind that time.

"You've always held us back with your stupid 'what if' scenarios. While I was living in the here and now, you always theorised about a world that doesn't exist."

"But it does exist, Adagio! Look around you!" She gestured towards Sonata, then. "Look at that, even.

"Me?" Sonata asked innocently, and both grumpily frowned. She shrank a little. "Sorry."

"Look at that weapon. This stuff is common here now, and I doubt even we would be able to live through a volley of them. A Bow was never a big threat to us, swords even less so, but what now? What about the machines that they fly through the air to meet us? What about the weapons that can kill in an instant? What about-"

"FINE! Fine. Just shut up already, ugh. We'll do it your way just this once if it means you will quit bothering me about it. We do have other things to be doing right now, you know?"

"Suits me," Aria replied simply.

"Awww, look at us!" Sonata gave out with cheer. "We're getting the band back together! Though I guess we never were apart...?"

Aria gritted her teeth and specifically looked the other way.

"We'll finally get to do everything we've always wanted to do, after all this wait! And we'll do it together!"

Aria gasped audibly as she was grabbed and held close to her younger, blue partner in an attempt for a hug. She resisted it heavily, trying to keep herself away as best she could.

"Hm. You know, for what it's worth, Sonata, you make a good point," Adagio remarked. Sonata's eyes glittered from the rare approval of one of her kin. "We lost everything way back then, all to that group of ponies who thought themselves above the rules of nature."

The yellow siren eyed Aria, who by now had managed to shake off Sonata.

"Perhaps you're right, Aria. This is a new world, in a way. New ways, new opportunities. Still, our magic will reign supreme in the end all the same, and we'll finally have what we've been asking for all these long years."

Aria grinned, for once supporting the pompous, self-pronounced leader. "It'll be interesting to see what the world has become as we sway them. But doing that won't be as easy as it was in the past, and even back then we dropped our guard in the end."

"Not this time, Aria. We've had a thousand years to prepare for this, and I will personally make sure that nopony takes this chance for vengeance and rightful domination from us, again. Without the pathetic pillars, the world is a playground, technology or not."

Aria seemed less convinced of those words, but conceded, too tired to start just another argument. "We'll have to work for it," she argued, instead. "But victory will be all the more satisfying."

"And we'll win together!" Sonata jumped in. This time, Aria was quick to slap away her fins as they tried to grab and hug her again. "Like way back when! Or, well, maybe not like back then... but it'll be fun!"

Adagio chuckled, and smirked at the younger siren. "Oh we'll do it together, alright. And the ponies, zebras, griffons and more won't want to turn away."

Many hours had passed since the initial takeover by the Sirens. After their initial 'orientation' in the throne room, they had gone out throughout the nation of the Hippogriffs to spread their song to every town and city in the land, including Seaquestria beneath the waves which, to their surprise, was already mostly under their spell to begin with. Those mortals had really done a decent job for them.

Now, as that was done, they had time to turn to slightly less pressing matters. Specifically, the Royal Dungeons beneath the Royal Palace, dug into Mount Aris as a high-security prison ages ago. Most of it was empty now, as most prisoners needed only to be sung to in order for them to become completely loyal citizens - if anything their violent tendencies were a benefit for the sirens in public now, as it would stir up more strife and hate. Still, a few high-importance prisoners remained for the three to deal with.

"This way, excellencies."

A Hippogriff in a white cloak of feathers led the three through the dimly lit prison. Its hallways were narrow and only allowed the bulking creatures to float along single-file one after another, at which point Adagio of course took the lead.

After another half a minute of travel through the catacombs, past the many empty cells whose prior inmates had already been enthralled by them throughout the day, they stopped as the griffon did. He gestured towards the cell he was adjacent to. It looked no different than the many others before it.

"This is the one."

Adagio slowly moved up towards the bars of the cell, and looked inside, already noting the pink-furred creature hunched up in one of the far corners of the cell. She grinned, and looked to the jailor.

"Open up," she commanded, and the Hippogriff obeyed without hesitation, his keys rattling as he picked out the right one.

A metallic creak cried out as the heavy, barred door was opened for the three of them to enter. Adagio was first in, and the two others tagged along behind her.

"Well, well, well," the yellow-scaled siren began, hovering slightly above the ground about a meter from the inmate. "Is this the new look of royalty?"

Novo sat hunched over in the dark corner of her cell, shrouded mostly in darkness, but her bright, pink feathers gave her away in an instant.

"What's wrong, majesty? Do you need a song to cheer up, perhaps?" Aria commented with a self-assured grin.

"Wait, but our spell just makes everyone hate everyone around them. I don't think it actually cheers people-" Sonata paused as the other two deadpanned at her, "-ooooooh. Right. Got it."

"Who... what are you...?" faintly asked the former Queen without bothering to look at either of the three.

"Sorry, what was that?" Aria remarked, holding a fin up to her ear as if she couldn't hear her.

"Yes, I think you should speak up a little. And isn't it common courtesy to look at somepony when you're talking to them?" Adagio added on, crossing her fins.

The Queen slowly shuffled and turned around on the spot, lifting her rear, turning to face the three, then sitting down as before again. Only now did she look up and saw who and what she was actually dealing with. Her eyes seemed to widen, probably in fear.

"What... what are you?"

"Hmm? You don't know us?" Adagio returned, as if insulted by the lack of knowledge.

"It's so hard for music to be remembered and praised these days," Aria added, shaking her head in shame.

The two of them gave one another a quick glance, and then laughed.

"We're Sirens," Adagio finally answered truthfully. "Does that ring a bell now?"

"Sirens...? But... no, no you can't be. Your kind was-"

"Ah, so you do know. Very good," Adagio interrupted.

"Please. Why?" Novo inquired. "Why did you come here? What did you do to my people?"

"Oh nothing much," the yellow leader claimed dismissively. "We're simple singers, you know. We go wherever we desire, sing our songs, and mortals can't help but dance along."

Novo remained silent. Her head sank again. The three enjoyed seeing a former Monarch, the incarnation of a whole nation, so helpless and defeated before them. Their first victory of many, they thought.

"So it was magic..."

She looked up at Adagio with a look of disbelief.

"Wasn't it?"

"You're smarter than you look, you know. I'm surprised they teach about us Sirens these days, still, in some capacity."

"No, we don't," answered the former Queen, shaking her head. Adagio almost felt a little disappointed. "But I'd heard from a friend of my daughter that Starswirl told her about-"

"DO NOT use that wizard's name in our presence!" Adagio lashed out in an instant. She lifted a fin to hit the prisoner with, but Sonata quickly held it back.

"Easy, Adagio! Easy!"

Aria, at the same time, looked openly surprised, and wondered more so at what that Hippogriff had said.

"Wait, so this... friend of your daughter, she met Starswirl? But Starswirl is long dead, isn't he?"

At that notion, even Adagio seemed to freeze. She took in her companion's question... and she, too, wondered now if it could be true.

"The Pillars and him were locked in limbo for a long time. Thanks to the Elements of Harmony, though, they are free once again. I assure you he is alive and well."

While the yellow siren was lost for words - a rare occurence - Aria continued eyeing the former monarch inquisitively.

"Why should we trust you in saying that? How do we know you aren't just spitting lies to irritate us?"

She sighed, and looked over towards the purple one.

"Would it matter? You could just sing a song at any point and I'd be unable to lie to you, anyway. Perhaps I can be spared of such a fate if I showed myself... cooperative."

She shivered, hating herself for saying these things, and it was visible. Normally Adagio, especially, would have taken great pride in such things, but right now, she seemed almost petrified.

"Hmph. You're not much use unless you're under our spell to begin with. Adagio, what's your take on this?" Aria looked to her companion, but found her idle, unresponsive and frozen. "Adagio?" she repeated.

"Helloooo~! Adagioooo~!" Sonata added, poking her repeatedly.

"He..." Adagio finally gave out. "He's alive?"

Aria already saw how her fins were rolled up into de-facto fists out of boiled up rage.

"Adagio, snap out of it, we-"

Ignoring both Sonata and Aria, Adagio snapped, and grabbed the Hippogriff sat before her. With all her strength she lifted her from the ground, darted forward, and finally pressed her against the cold, hard stone wall. She barely even took in Novo's groans and moans from the pain she had probably just caused her.

"WHERE!? WHERE IS HE! AND WHERE ARE THE OTHERS!"

"Adagio! Calm down!" Sonata cried out, trying to pull her off of Novo but without success.

"TELL ME!" the Leader further shouted and insisted.

"He... he's in Equestria. Probably."

"PROBABLY!?"

"Adagio, this isn't helping. Stop it," Aria complained, as well.

"Hmph."

The lead singer's frown grew more fierce for a second, before she relented, dropping Novo onto the ground rear-first with a hard thud.

"Congratulations, majesty," she said to Novo as the latter was recovering from the pain so suddenly inflicted on her. "You've indeed proven very useful to us. Unfortunately, I don't want our revenge to hinge on such petty mortal things as 'trust'."

"You really think it's worth it, Adagio?" Aria chimed in, gesturing to the dethroned monarch. "She's effectively a hostage, now. If we leave her like this, she could come in handy as a bargaining tool."

"We won't need bargaining tools with our powers. Besides, we can still fool the masses if she's under our spell. It's all a matter of presentation."

Aria showed herself satisfied enough to concede, much to the grinning delight of Adagio. Sonata, on the other hand, seemed very upbeat about the proposition.

"I mean, manipulating the masse is basically all we've ever done, right? I don't think that's gonna be an issue!"

Somewhat needless to say, in the minds of Aria and Adagio, but they agreed, either way.

"Wait, wait, I-"

"Sorry, majesty," Adagio interrupted, giving Novo no time to defend herself as the Sirens readied themselves.

"Making you dance to the beat is kind of our thing, you know?" Sonata finished.

"Wait! No! You have to listen to me!" Novo pleaded, but without success.

"Maregypt?" Aria muttered along with a shrug.

"If that Queen is really right, then apparently so. Somnambula is originally from there, so it isn't as if it's illogical. Especially if the pillars really did splinter. Most of them are probably settled down and in the equivalent of retirement... those fools," Adagio replied.

They entered the throne room once again, which this time was entirely vacant and empty, unlike the first time where a procession of guards had welcomed them.

"Well it seems they're all kinda old now. What if they're just too old to do their jobs now?" Sonata wondered.

"She's got a point. For once," Aria admitted. "The Queen told us the pillars were somehow woken up from their own limbo banishment of sorts by the 'Elements of Harmony' or whatever. What if Starswirl is just an old stallion now who isn't a threat, and those Elements are the real threat?"

"Don't worry. We'll be taking them all down bit by bit. Remember, together ponies have always been stronger, and luckily we're rather proficient at manipulating those groups into tearing themselves apart."

"You wanna make them fight each other? Ooooh. Smart!" the blue siren replied with a series of nods.

"Even so, we can't be underestimating that a lot of things have obviously changed. The Pillars still exist and might still be powerful and therefore problematic in their own right, but now they have the added back-up of the Elements of Harmony, not to mention those pony princesses who themselves are over a thousand years old by now." A little pesimistic as usual, but in her mind realistic, Aria crossed her fins as Adagio moved to take her seat on the throne again, as before. "Oh, and did I mention yet how everything in this world has advanced while we were gone? Nothing's the same now, Adagio. We'll need time and effort to prepare our revenge. Running at Somnambula in Maregypt, even if that means she's close-by, won't do us any good. I don't personally want to end up as a laughable foot note in history because a random soldier there shot us down with their weapon - it wouldn't even be Somnambula then, and we would be a joke forever."

"Well that, and we would also be dead."

Aria gave Sonata a stern look, causing the younger siren to shrug.

"What? It's true!"

"Relax, you two," Adagio commented, taking a seat as her monstrous form squeezed itself onto the throne. "We aren't exactly without help, you know? We already have an entire realm under under spell, and many other tiny fiefdoms are just across the channel for us to swoop into."

"It's... not gonna be that easy. I can already assure you of that."

Adagio rolled her eyes. Aria was always so pessimistic and ruining the mood.

"Perhaps. Hence why you will be looking into how to manipulate and utilise our new 'subjects' into serving us in this new world, and how they can aid us best in conquering this world."

Aria deadpanned. "You just want me to do the work for you, don't you?"

"You object, then?"

The purple one sighed. "I'll do it. If nothing else then because otherwise you'd have Sonata do it."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sonata quickly wondered.

"It means you break everything you touch, Sonata. Or worse, you blow it all up."

"Do not!"

"Yes you do."

"If you're finished, I suggest getting to work, Aria," Adagio interrupted. "In the meantime, I'll look more into what the pillars and Equestria have been up to, meanwhile. Perhaps there's something we can exploit in recent history..."

"You do you. Just remember that this isn't a one-mare show."

Aria briefly frowned at Adagio, but the latter's grin was enough to make her want to simply get out as soon as possible.

"Oooh, and what can I do!?" Sonata shouted out, dashing back and forth mid-air with excitement. "Do I get to fight the bad guys? Oh! Or maybe-"

"Sonata."

Stopping dead in her tracks, the youngest of the three looked up towards her older companion.

"Yeah?"

"I've left two prisoners in the dungeons to interrogate and get information out of. Regrettably, I'm busy, so I'm even more regrettably leaving that task to you. Got it?"

"Interrogation? Why don't you just go down there, sing to them and have them tell you everything?" Sonata, somewhat understandably, wondered. For once, Adagio didn't blame the ditz of the group for responding to an order with a question.

"We may have use for them if they remain... independent, still. Or, so I believe. Look into it for me and see what they tell you. Don't use your magic without my permission. You got that?"

Sonata straightened out and saluted. "Yes, ma'am!" She giggled, and turned away to do her job as Adagio ran a fin across her face in embarssment at the childish demeanour of her companion.

The Pillars. The Elements. The Princesses. So much to do, and what seemed like very little time, and all in such a new environment, too. Her two partners were certainly bothersome and unideal picks, but they were the only picks, and all she had left, now. They would have to make do, and she would need to, somehow, exploit their strengths and minimise their annoying weaknesses to ensure a repeat of last time did not occur.

This time, they would not go down so easily.

Sotto voce

Canterford. One of the larger cities of Hippogriffia. Located on the coast neatly to the northeast of Mount Aris itself, it was still a comparatively 'unimportant' urban hub. It didn't have a large naval port like Howlington in the west did, nor did it have the immediate vicinity to the Zebrican mainland to facilitate a lot of commotion and trade. Not that trade was really happening much, right now, with the takeover and all.

The shutters were fully lowered on all the windows, shrouding the room in near pitch black darkness with the exception of small rays of light piercing through the slits. Skystar sometimes would peak just for a second before backing away from the windows once again. She knew she was a 'most wanted' now, so to speak, and she had found this makeshift refuge thanks to somegriff who, like her, had avoided the Sirens' charm and was still loyal to her and her mother. Pure happenchance, really, but she obviously found no reason to object to shelter.

The past days had been... difficult for the Princess. She had initially been invited to observe and take part in the deliberations about the Siren's cult when it was in its infancy, back when they had no idea what the afflicted ponies were doing, and why. Violet Facade had repeatedly given assurances that, yes, they were keeping the cult under observation and that, yes, it was all under control.

She shivered a little at the thought that, just perhaps, Violet had already become apart of the Cult herself by then, but nopony had realised. Had she been under the influence of the sirens all along? Was that why she lied to her mother for so long?

She didn't know. All she knew was that eventually the situation around Seaquestria, and therefore the Royal Palace, became... uncomfortable. Ponies began banging against the palace gates in anger at... them. But why? Mother had pulled in guards to ward away these troublemakers, but found that at some point even the guards were furious at her. Skystar knew it was a deep blow politically and even more of a deep blow to her personally, but that was when she was told that they would be fleeing Seaquestria.

Flee Seaquestria. That had made Skystar perk up in both shock and fear, but also confusion. How did everything spin out of control so fast? So unnoticed by everypony in charge? Why was everypony mad at her mother and... her? She never even did much of note, at best visiting schools and shaking claws or hooves with teachers and principals for media to take photos of them in the stead of her mother. That was usually the extent of responsibilites she was entrusted with. So what was the big deal with these ponies?

But there had been little time. She was urged to pack her things, and quickly, and get moving. Together with her mum, and a small company of guards that, at least seemingly, were still acting normal, they rose from the waves and flew all the way to Mount Aris, to their 'second capital' so to speak. But even there, she was not involved in what was clearly a grave matter. They had just had to flee their own capital, their home! And her mother was... sending her away elsewhere!?

She paced the room, looking over towards the shuttered windows again. That had been the last time she saw her mother.

Furious at the time by her decision, the Princess now gradually realised, or at least tried to make sense of the decision of her mother to send her away from Aris when clearly the country at large was turning against them for unknown reasons. Skystar was told by her mum that the latter would take care of it, and deal with the security issues and the AHAC. She, meanwhile, was meant to scout the countryside and see how bad things were there. To her surprise, it was indeed pretty untouched by the cult, but even so every town, village or singular farmstead had at least one member whom she judged to be apart of the cult.

That's when she realised her mother had wanted her to be away from her not because she didn't trust her, but because the last time they were together, in Seaquestria, they had almost both fallen to the mercy of those odd seaponies. Sure her task wasn't unimportant, but had she not been sent out there purely so that, if the same thing happened in Aris as it did in Seaquestria, but her mother was unable to flee, that she, at the very least, would remain free and on the loose? A strategy to not put all eggs in one basket by her mother, just in case?

She could only really sigh at all that now. To be honest, as depressing as those thoughts were, they were perhaps the most upbeat ones she had right now. She knew the sirens had come and taken over, and ever since there had been no sign of her mother, so she could only assume the worst. She had ran away and been taken in, secretly, here in Canterford, but knew that basically the entire city was against her. Using a greatcoat she had snuck through some of the less populated alleys and streets, but even so, everywhere she went she saw and heard arguing, yelling and frowning faces. All of them were deep under the influence and spell of the sirens. She felt a bit embarassed, actually, that she didn't know what the sirens even looked like. All she'd learned was that they were monsters from the sea that controlled people using their singing, and that said magic made people not only obedient but also filled with hate and anger, which in turn the sirens fed on. All of that was only second-hand intel too, though, told to her by Silverstream who, in turn, had once or twice met Starswirl the Bearded back in Equestria, and apparently he had recalled that tale to her. So was even this totally accurate?

Knock, knock, knock.

Her heart almost skipped a beat as somegriff knocked on the door. She'd been expecting visitors, of course, but every visit could be the last right now.

She quickly threw on the makeshift cloak that her host had given her to hide her face and most of her frame, and made her way over to the door. It creaked quietly as she pulled it open, leaning forward very slightly just enough to see who was outside.

"Come in," she said quietly. opening the door in a wider arc, just enough for the three Hippogriffs outside to enter. As soon as they were through, she slammed the door shut, once again.

"Where's Raft Wood?" Skystar asked the three new arrivals, removing the hood to show her face to them. "Did he...?"

"He... he didn't make it. I managed to blend in and escape from our party headquarters, but... I guess he was caught."

The second griff to remove his hood was a green-feathered Hippogriff with a red, slightly spikey-looking mane sticking up from his head and running along the back of it. A pair of small glasses was stuck to his beak.

"Typical for the famous Crack Lightning. Famous aviator and veteran in the fight against the Storm King."

The second arrival revealed herself to be none other than Posada, the red-feathered leader of the Communist Party in Hippogriffia. Few times had the radical leftist imagined she would ever be side-by-side with the leader of the nationalists, who to her were Fascists, though his party Aris First would never call themselves as much.

"You probably sold him out to buy time, knowing you folks."

"Say that again, one more time, to my face, red pig."

Crack Lightning turned to face Posada directly, but the latter only countered his frowning, growling glare.

"You heard me, fascist dog."

"Uuuuh, heyyy~!"

The two both broke eye contact and looked to the third person that had come along with them. Or rather, the one that had informed and led them here to begin with.

"I don't wanna bother or anything, but I thiiink we have bigger issues right now?" said Silverstream as she, too, lowered her hood.

"She's right," Skystar agreed, coming closer now to the feuding radicals. "I asked you both here because... well, for one, hoping you were still of sound and free mind, but second, to help."

"Help you? With what?" Crack retorted.

"Not me. Help Hippogriffia. Our people." She gestured further into the building, towards where the living room was. Their host was currently out of the house, so nopony else was there besides the group of theirs. "Please come and sit, would you?"

Silverstream and her walked ahead, setting an example. The two political opponents shot another glare at one another before also following along. Silverstream sat down first upon a green sofa chair, while the other two took up seats on opposing sides of the sofa - making sure to keep their distance as such. There was a medium-sized coffee table in front of the sofa and the two sofa chairs oriented around it, while to the front, there was a TV. The lights remained off, and the shutters were still completely shut. Skystar quickly made sure no one else had followed or noticed the trio enter, before also coming along and taking her seat on the remaining chair, closest to where Posada sat.

"So, you want us to help you? With what?" Crack asked.

"Oh, I don't know mister Lightning, the bad weather perchance?" Posada retorted, causing Crack to growl at her.

"I meant what exactly we were meant to help with. Obviously I know this is about the sirens, dog."

"Hmph," was Posada's only reply.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd assume you two were already on the side of the sirens, you know..." Silverstream remarked, getting the attention of both.

"Sorry, but I agree. Silverstream assured me you two were alright, and... well, I guess now it's too late anyway if you really were on the side of the sirens already. But this infighting has to stop. I know you two don't see eye to eye a lot, but we have to make this count and hold together. We need everygriff and everypony we can find and save. That includes those whom you were at odds with in the past."

The two guests remained silent, but looked at one another for a moment with questioning frowns before looking back to the Princess.

"Our home is in peril, and... I am to believe that my own mother, whatever your stance may formerly have been on her rule, is not well. But we can't just sit around and hold out now. The Sirens know there will be ponies and griffs they missed, and they'll be looking for us. We have to push back, fight for Hippogriffia!"

She did her best trying to sound bold and collected, like the leader these people probably needed now. But the two political extremists seemed skeptical.

"Boldly said, but that brings us no closer to defeating the sirens, princess," Crack Lightning retorted.

"We need a plan, and more so than even that, we need hooves and claws to go along with us. We won't do anything on our own."

"Exactly!" Skystar replied to Posada. "That's why you two are here, right? A lot of ponies and griffs know you, and trust you. They looked up to you and know they can follow you. The same way that many trusted me and my mother. They need to know we're all alive and well, and we need to organise-"

"A Resistance?" Posada cut her off, raising an eyebrow.

"Y-Yes." Skystar gulped.

"I... don't know, princess. I love Hippogriffia and its people, it's what I fought for on the streets and in the party debates we've had after all, but this... may be beyond my reach."

"For once I agree with the red devil here," Crack chimed in. "We don't even know what we're dealing with exactly beyond the obvious, and as if that weren't enough, we're going to be fighting against our fellow countrygriffs. I don't wanna be the one to pull the trigger fighting back against anygriff who isn't in charge of their own mind."

For once, Posada and Crack Lightning looked at one another, but not with the pure disdain from before, but a shared, discouraged frown.

"But if you do nothing, you're dooming all these Hippogriffs forever!" Silverstream argued, as all heads turned towards her. "Sure I'm afraid, but I can't just leave friends and family here while they're mind-controlled by some scary, evil magic, can I?"

"I know, Silverstream," Posada agreed, "and I don't want to leave my own friends behind either. But things are too dangerous here, now, and we would all be best server if... we..."

The red hippogriff's speech trailed off and fell silent as she looked towards Skystar, as did the other two guests present. The former princess had her face buried in her claws, as soft, muffled sobbing was heard.

"P-princess, I-" Posada stuttered, holding out a claw towards the royal but retracting it haphazardly, unsure of how to react.

Silverstream took action instead, jumping off her seat and rushing over to the aid of her friend in need. Skystar felt her friend pat her on the shoulder, while the other claw gently caressed the other.

"There, there," Silverstream said quietly. "Let it all out, alright?"

Skystar could only nod weakly as she did as was asked, continuing to sob and cry. These were tears she'd been keeping to herself for a few days now. It felt good letting them all out now, even if the situation she was in was anything but good. She had tried her best. She had asked Silverstream to endanger herself to fetch both Posada and Crack, both of which were in hiding, and she had actually done it... but what Silverstream had never returned? Or worse, what if she did, but brought the sirens with her? In her quest to embolden herself and act like a true leader, had she perhaps already acted like an irresponsible tyrant?

"I... I... I'm sorry."

Posada blinked, then looked back towards Crack Lightning on the other end of the couch, who looked slightly less touched by the royal's emotional breakdown, but only slightly.

"I just... just wanted to help everygriff..."

Silverstream's right claw began passing along through Skystar's mane as she stroked it gently.

"I just... I'm sorry..."

Posada took heart and reached out for the princess, gently laying a claw of hers over that of the lost royal.

"It's alright, princess. Let it all out."

Using her remaining, free claw, the usually so cheerful heir to the throne tired to wipe away her tears, but more came to replace them.

"Sorry... I thought that with you... t-together, we..." she sniffed, "that maybe we could defeat the sirens. Free our friends and... my mother..."

Posada listened, his eyes turning to Silverstream who had a mixed sort-of frown on her face, split between feeling sad for her friend and showing disappointment towards Posada and Crack. Even Crack felt sorry for the still young griff. She was royalty and had enjoyed luxury all life, sure, but this was not a fate he'd wished upon anyone.

"It's alright, Skystar. We're all here for you, see?" Silverstream encouraged. "We've all come here, together, to work things out! So don't cry, ok?"

The lost royal's sobbing continued for some time, but it was at least dying down now. Silverstream moved over to the couch table and picked up a handkerchief to give her friend. She moved it across her eyes, then blew her nose into it. The former friendship student smiled again when Skystar gave her a weak smile, and a nod.

"Look, I... I really am sorry that I'm not like my mum. I know you may not have approved of how she ruled fully, but she was always so confident and adamant about her decisions and always knew what to do. I'm not like that... maybe I never will be, but I'm willing to try for the sake of all of us, and all those the sirens have already swayed. This isn't for me, or my mother, it's for everygriff and everypony we know and love."

Posada pulled back her calming claw from Skystar's, and scratched the side of her face along with a low hum.

"It will take a lot of effort, precautions and... luck," the green-feathered griff on the far-end of the couch spoke up, though his voice was far less condescending and doubtful, now.

"And even then, all odds are stacked against us. And we don't even know where, or if, there are others holding out like us." Posada sighed, but then looked over towards Crack. For once, not with intent to insult or otherwise clash, but with a held out claw. Almost like for a clawshake. "However, if there really are other 'survivors' like us, then the three of us-"

"Four! Hello!" Silverstream joined in.

"-Four, yes, we will be the last icons and idols any Hippogriff has left. I know fleeing to Zebrica or, heck, even Stalliongrad would be far safer than this... but to tartarus with it."

Crack's eyes darted up and down, switching between staring at Posada as she spoke, her stretched out claw, her face again, and so forth.

"You... really are gonna stick around, huh?" he asked, Posada remaining undeterred.

"If not us, nogriff will. We've got to play hero now, I suppose."

Skystar smiled, and looked to Crack also now. "I know we're all a very... colourful bunch, and we might not totally see eye-to-eye. But this isn't about politics. It's about our home, the one you always spoke so boldly about wanting to defend, Crack. We need you. All of us need you."

"Mmmmnnrgh..." grumbled Crack, slowly getting over himself as his right claw reached out for Posada's. "Fine then," he finally concluded, shaking claws firmly with his former rival. "If the reds are staying, I am too."

"Always looking to imitate our successes, are you?" Posada returned, but with a chuckle to lighten the mood.

"Well we can't let you have all the fun and glory now, can we?" Crack responded, smiling. Posada did also.

Silverstream and Skystar turned to give one another a brief look, before embracing one another. A single tear, this time a hopeful one, escaped the princess's eyes. Maybe everything would work out, after all. Maybe she would see her mother again, soon, and she could help her fix everything.

Maybe, just maybe, Aris was not yet lost.

The Royal Palace, deep under the waves amidst Seaquestria. One of the royal suites, formerly Queen Novo's own bedroom, had been repurposed for Adagio personally. She enjoyed especially the new and enlarged mirror on the wall, but also a large table she had ordered for. It was actually two, long tables placed right next to each other, but they served their purpose.

A large, spanning map of special, water-proof material was laid out across the surface of the tables. Adagio brooded and pondered, a hint of her usual looming anger still floating about on her frown as she stroked her chin.

The map, specifically a political map, was a map of the world. The de-facto leader of the sirens had taken it and requisitioned the tables to study it properly, and upon first viewing found herself a little... shocked, though she would never have admitted to it. Back in their days, the world was so much smaller. Local, one might call it. Their feeding grounds were Equestria, specifically the eastern coast, though they had moved further and further inland to feed more and increase their magical powers ever further. Until the pillars made their move, anyway. Grrr... she shook off a flash of anger at that thought.

This... 'new world', as Aria had already dubbed it, was far more expansive. Three huge continents were laid out in front of her, each with its own... peculiar? Yes, peculiar people and statehoods. And there were many states indeed. Equestria was obviously the first to match the eye, by far the largest entity on the continent of Equus, but there was also the Changeling lands to their northwest, perhaps large enough in size to even threaten Equestria. Already she had heard of their Queen posturing and swearing 'vengeance' for something that happened in the past. She smirked a little, and thought that perhaps she might one day shake hooves with that Queen for a common cause. There was also the famed Crystal Empire, likewise renown but on more 'positive' notes, which is to say they were probably run by incompetent ponies as Equestria was. The rest of that continent she paid little heed to.

Her eyes wandered south, across the 'Canteribbean' and the many small, splintered islands that encompassed them. Moving east from there, she finally found Zebrica, a vast but mostly splintered and pointless continent. She was lucky, in a way. The Hippogriffs were positioned in Northern Zebrica, closest to Equestria by sea, but Maregypt, which was most likely going to be their first order of business due to Somnambula, was a little ways south of them, situated east of Abysinnia, running south along a large river. Budging their way in-between her and her revenge on one of the pillars were a number of small bothers. The Kingdoms of Zumidia and Warzena, both Zebra-led nations, and finally the...

She forced herself to read the print on the map twice over, leaning forward.

Aha... a... Batpony colony, of sorts? Or, some sort of rump state or empire? If it was the most former, then she was unsure where to find its overlord on the map, and if it was the latter, then this 'empire' of theirs was certainly rather pathetic, indeed. But oh well. She shrugged, and moved on. What were a bunch of thestrals against her spell when they were as vulnerable to it as anypony else. Their submission was not in question, but only a matter of time, reliant on when she demanded for it. This 'Chiropterra' as they called it was going to be little more than a stepping stone towards their goal further south. That was the extent of their utility.

The rest of the continent? Eh. She gave it a brief glance and skimmed over, finding a particularly sizeable Realm of the Kirin to the far east of it, but beyond that, nothing seemed to strike her fancy. Her eyes moved steadily north, inspecting the third and final continent: Griffonia.

Wow, she figured. Zebrica had already been a mess but... this was certainly adding insult to injury in that regard. A Pony colony of Equestria in the southwest, labelled 'New Mareland'? Part of her wondered if those mistutored Princesses had actually showed some expansionist ambition at some point in the past, looking at that. Another, bigger part of herself figured it was ponies trying to paddle as far away from Celestia and Luna as possible.

Right to the east of that was the Kingdom of Wingbardy, with at least a dozen splintered client states. Northwest from them? Aquileia with... more vassal states of its own. And northeast of them? The Griffonian Empire, or... what was left of it, anyway. Looked rather limp and fragile, but alas - more vassal states.

There were at least 3 different civil wars denoted on this map alone, and there were so many tiny fiefdoms, republics, kingdoms and further that the print describing some of them was absolutely microscopic, which probably also denoted their political importance overall which, she could only assume, was non-existent. To her, anyway.

There was a final 'blob' of nations, indicated with a green outline on the map which collectively referred to the area or alliance as the 'River Federation'. Whatever that meant.

She grumbled and sighed. For a world that was so much more vast than she had given it credit for, it surely was... disappointing. Had they not been gone for over a thousand years now? Where were all the mighty realms? Equestria had stagnated evidently, as it was sure to do with rulers tutored by Starswirl himself. But the others? The Griffons were notoriously incompetent, their greed and the suspicion of others that resulted from said greed always toppling regime after regime. She was theorising, of course, and actually had not a single clue what had happened on Griffonia, but knowing the Griffons, it was all to easy to make that assumption.

She put a fin down on where Hippogriffia was on the map. A large island off the coast, with Seaquestria laying in a deep, trenched channel that seperated it from the mainland of Zebrica. From there, the fin ran across the open ocean, through the equestrian east coast, and stopped at Canterlot.

Adagio's other, free fin moved to touch and cover the red, shining gem embedded into her chest. She looked down upon it. Even now it was passively absorbing magic, gathering power.

"Adagio!"

The siren gasped, grasping her gem tight as she snapped around the other way. Just as she came to face towards the door, it bursted open, and in came her slightly younger companion.

"Adagio, we've got a problem," Aria began, her fast breathing from the dash to the room betraying her otherwise monotonous frown which she so often kept.

"I am busy, you know, so this better be worth my time. What is it?" Adagio countered, letting go of her gem and crossing her fins expectingly.

"Apparently we didn't sweep the towns and cities entirely when we made our rounds," the purple one explained. "I'm told there's some kind of 'resistance' forming."

Adagio blinked. "You realise we are sirens, yes?"

"Ugh," Aria responded, facepalming with her right fin. "This is not a joke, Adagio. Do you remember what I said about this new, modern world? There are ponies and griffons out there still not under our spell, and they're ready and willing to depose us just as we deposed their little queen."

"So what?" the yellow siren countered, boldly pointing a fin to the gem in her chest with a smile. "We will enthrall them as all the others. We're sirens, we sing and make people dance around like our little puppets. That's what we do, Aria, have you forgotten after all these years?"

"You still don't get it!" the usually calm and monotone siren shouted back, finally portraying a true sense of urgency in her voice. "This isn't a thousand years ago! This is not Equestria! And this isn't a time in which magic reigned supreme as it did way back then!"

Shocked, her 'superior' leaned forward, frowning. "Magic has always been our fount of power, and continues to be. Mortals fall to our song as much as they did back then, and all the others will, too! Magic has ruled in the past, rules in the present, and will for all times!" She dashed the short way over towards her opposite, and poked her in the chest, seeing deeply eye to eye. "That's how it has always been, Aria. And I don't want you saying our magic is no longer what makes us who we are."

Aria herself grimaced, using both her own fins to push Adagio off of her. Now even she frowned as much as only Adagio usually did.

"I'm not saying our magic is pointless, Adagio, and never have. Our spell is the same, but the risks of casting it are now so much higher than before, and having this army of goons under our command isn't an insurance policy either."

Though Adagio seemed unbothered by her words, she continued.

"Of course we can sing as we always did and control people. But unlike thousands of years ago, common ponies have the means to just... click, and end somepony else. Guns, Adagio. Guns and all their varying forms, that's what I'm worried about."

"Guns?"

"Yes, that's what they call those weapons we saw. I mean, you literally saw Sonata fire one. Imagine if that thing hit you? You would be dead, Adagio, or at least out of action. And given how singing is usually not the most sneaky of things to do? I already had time to do some research, and given how easy they are to produce in high numbers, there are going to be those not under our spell lurking to try and get a shot on us in any public area, I bet."

"You really are pathetic, you know, but I never thought you were such a scaredy cat. I figured that was Sonata's thing."

"This isn't about fear. This is about making sure we don't die, or get removed and banished again. When we could so easily get shot down by a single resistance fighter as we pass by, the nation we've conquered becomes a whole less safe overall."

Aria sighed deeply and put her fins up against the sides of her scaley torso.

"Look, we both know you want revenge more than anything. I do too and, though she doesn't show it much, I think so does Sonata even," Aria began anew, "but we will never get that far if we don't make absolutely, 100% sure we think about every step along the way. This is one of those steps. This is no longer a world where creatures like us can just travel back and forth on a whim, show up to a town and bewitch them, and then disappear again. That's not how the world works anymore."

"So what? You ran all the way here, crashed through my door and rant at me to tell me that... what, I can't go outside anymore? Pfft hahaha!" The lead siren burst into a fit of laughter, much to the dismay of her visitor. "Again, we're sirens, Aria. I don't think pathetic mortals have any right intimidating us and forcing us to go anywhere."

"If you want your revenge, Adagio, if you really, really want it, then believe me. This is not a joke, and I'm not making this up, either. I'm on your team, as is Sonata, but we need to stick this through together, and not die while we're at it. We'll wrap all those fools up in time, as we always have, but it'll take longer now. The world is a much more dangerous place now that anypony can enforce their views with gadgets that have the potential to kill on the spot. And unlike a sword back then, these things aren't always immediately visible, either."

"Do you really think that mortals could pose a threat to us? Really? We are-"

"YES, Adagio," the purple siren quickly intervened. "Yes, I am aware we are sirens, thank you. But we aren't invincible, and definitely not so to these things. I'm not saying we should all three hole up in here and let our minions do the job for us, because that probably won'd do the job, but I am saying we need to be careful, something you aren't even so much as considering."

A little taken aback by the sudden snap from her usually so monotonous and, admitteld, held back partner, Adagio straightened herself out and regained her composure.

"Hmph. You really are as stubborn as you ever were."

"I was going to say the same about you," was the logical counter from Aria.

"Fine then. We'll do it your way. But I won't let the mortals restrict where I go or when I go. I will put that task in your hands. Organise us a, well, I suppose guard or the like, as it were, if that keeps you happy."

"Hardly. I think you're missing the point I've made, but whatever." She could only sigh at the continued ignorance of her ally. "That still leaves us with the issue of this resistance, however."

"Ah, of course, the puny, mortal resistance," Adagio gave out. "Well, what do we know about them?"

"Well, not all too much, yet. We know that the Princess of this place, Skystar, is still on the run obviously. We also know that the leading figures of the most influential Hippogriffian political parties are likewise unaccounted for - Posada for the 'marksists' and a certain Crack Lightning for the nationalists."

"Marksist? What is-"

"Later. I'll... explain later. Argh," complained Aria. She was gonna be explaining a lot of modern things to Adagio, and she knew it. Just as she thought that was gonna be annoying, though, she realised... she'd probably be having to explain the same things twice over for Sonata, as well.

"Anyway, what matters is that these are renown and important figures, and the fact they are all missing and not under our spell is no coincidence with the sudden, anonymous announcement of a resistance. They're most likely part of it, or leading it. Probably the latter."

"So to summarise," Adagio started, "we can't just go out and confront these mortals because, supposedly, that's too dangerous. At the same time, we know that the resistance is a blend of various views and preferences."

Surprised, almost, Aria answered with a nod.

"Well, I see little issue, then. Remember, even without our magic, we can still manipulate the masses to our desire. We just have to pull some... strings, push people the wrong way, make them blame each other for their own short-comings."

"You really think they'll fall for manipulative tactics like that?" Aria wondered somewhat unfaithfully. "They know we'll be coming for them, so... I doubt it."

"Don't worry, mortals are always such petty, helpless creatures. They know we're coming for them, which means they're all afraid of us - as they should be. And where there is fear, there is always a notion of mistrust." The yellow creature let out a joyous chuckle. Turning her back to Aria, she began to swim back towards the map spread out across the tables. Aria, curious as ever, joined her, and looked amazed if not a little frightened at the big, wide world she now took in for the first time.

"Claiming to be bold, they all look at one another twice over, wondering if perhaps they already have a spy among their ranks. And with all that paranoia mounting... who can you trust, really? Why trust anypony but yourself?"

Sonata

Everything had come crashing down on her. She'd lost track of everything, and so quickly too it felt like. One moment she was fully there and... speaking to the Queen, giving her reports as usual. Everything was normal. Then? She... couldn't really say.

Frankly, she was conflicted. Was she already under their spell? Maybe she had been for a while. Would explain why she'd lied to Novo, and so many others. Her motive had, ultimately, been a stupid, childish vendetta against the communists, and Posada especially as their leader. She'd wanted nothing more than to tackle them, and she had bargained everything on that desire. Was that not acting on pure hate? Maybe she really was already under the spell of the sirens. Or maybe she wasn't and... was just a terrible pony, deep down.

Violet could hear doors open in the distance, their metal creaking sending rippling echoes down the long hall which she tried not to pay any mind to. She looked down, eyeing the thin plastic platter a guard had passed into her cell. There was a bowl of lettuce, a slimey, rather sticky substance which she couldn't really identify, and a fork and spoon. She sighed, seeing it. Her hunger had faded throughout the last days.

She had lost track of time. Not that she really had much reason or opportunity to do so, down here in the dungeons. For all she knew she was going to be here forever. Or maybe only until a siren was kind enough to free up a slot on her timetable to visit her. Some part of her wished they would just be done with her, and spare a bullet instead. At least have her die with thoughts and will in tact.

She heard the gentle noise of somepony approaching. Some kind of chit chat, it seemed, definitely upbeat. How cruel to do that, down here where ponies were left to rot.

The scene in the throne room had been the last time Violet saw the Queen. Sandy Breeze had taken her to the dungeon's cells first, so she had really no idea when or if the Queen was also taken in. Obviously she assumed as much but... really, the assumption was as much of a guess as anything. When thinking of reasons for sending the Queen here, there was practically no reason beyond using her as a hostage of sorts, which while probably not unrealistic was also something that they could do even with the Queen under their command.

Her tired eyes looked at the vegetables dispensed to her, and her hoof wrapped around the plastic fork and poked it into the mess of random, low-quality underwater vegetables. A taste of nothingness, of disappointment. Fitting, in a way.

She poked around some more, this time in the weird, green-ish sludge she was given to eat, though her mind continued to wander. She had lost everything in record time. Her job, her friends, among which she counted Sandy Breeze whose words had struck deep that day in the throne room, even if she knew he was under some kind of influence. Worst of all, though, she had lost her home. For all she knew, Hippogriffia as a whole was now supremely under the thumb of these sirens, whatever or whoever they were. All she really had left now was her thoughts. Her mind. Maybe she needed to treasure that? Hm. Maybe. Though she was feeling herself going mad in her cell already. That was not gonna work out.

She took a deep breath, poking the sludge 'food' harder than the other few times before, and ripping a piece out of it which stuck to the fork. She raised it up, close to her mouth and ready to give it a try, as much as she hated it, when her eyes caught something... big, and blue, standing just outside her cell, behind the bars. She lowered her fork, looked closer, and realised it wasn't a seapony at all, but some... monster, of sorts.

"W-Woah! Wh-what are you!?" cried out Violet Facade as she stumbled backwards, the fork dropping to the floor as she instinctively tried to backpaddle away from the looming creature, which effectively meant crawling on her back until she hit the wall with the back of her head with a thud. "Aurgh!"

The creature seemed to smile, then laugh at Violet's injury. How fitting. Then, however, the monster deadpanned, as if surprised by something. It looked to its left, to the jailor with whom it had arrived, and to her right, where there was nopony at all. Finally, the creature looked back at her with a sheepish smile.

"Ooooh, you mean me!" it said in a surprisingly high-pitched and casual voice. Violet was usually good at detecting when ponies lied but... could not tell if this thing did. Either it was genuinely surprised Violet had just almost had a heart attack due to its monstrous heart attack, or it was a pretty good liar.

"Well, I'm Sonata, actually! Y'know, one of the sirens and all that."

Whatever tension and surprise had cooled in those few moments immediately returned and increased by another 20% as Violet pushed herself up against the wall further, eyes fixed on the siren.

"No, no, no! Oh no, oh gods, don't!"

The siren blinked a few times, looked back at the jailor, who gave her no visible reaction, then looked back to Violet.

"Please! I don't want to-"

"Hey, uh, are you alright?"

"W-W-What?" Violet retorted with quick, short breaths, her heart beating faster than ever it felt. This was it, her final moments as a free-minded seapony.

"You don't have to scream and all that. I mean, I'm right here!" Sonata exclaimed with a smile. "Plus, it''s no biggie. I'm not here to harm you. Just to talk, really."

"You..." Violet began, but shook her head, and moved alongside her cell wall towards the nearest corner. "No... no, you're lying! You're just lying to me, messing with me! Like everypony else!"

"Huh? No, I'm for realsies. I only just got here, after all." The siren shrugged as Violet arrived in the dark corner, thick, solid walls to her left and right which she found some relative solace in leaning against.

"You already corrupted all my friends... my people... just tell me if you're here to finish the job with me, as well!" the prisoner demanded.

"Ohhh. Well, yeah, we did kinda sing and make everyone do what we want for us. But how else could we have gotten out, y'know? It's been so long!"

Violet blinked. "Just... tell me. Please."

"I just did! Hellooooo~? Anypony in there?" Sonata joked, chuckling into her right fin, though she found that her chat partner had covered her ears. Her elongated 'hello' had sounded like she was about to sing to Violet. "Oh... sorry! I guess I shouldn't do that but, like, I'm excited, you know!? I mean I've just been locked up for thousands of years and only had Adagio and Aria and then there was the-"

Sonata let herself pause, catching her breathe, and cooled down. She'd learned how to stop her endless rants like that from Aria sometime during their banishment... granted, it had taken a long time for her to be able to do it half-reliably, but it was an improvement.

She gave a nod to the jailor, who obliged her and opened the cell'S barred door. Much to the terror of the inmate inside, the blue creature came swimming inside, with the door remaining open behind her. Theoretically an escape path but... realistically she knew all this thing had to do was open its mouth and sing a few musical notes and she would probably turn about and salute her or something.

"Right, right!" Sonata continued anew with equal excitement written onto her face. "So, I'm Sonata. As I said. Hehe..." she blushed a little, then gestured towards Violet, who cowered a little at such a simple gesture, even. "And you are?"

There was no reply. Sonata blinked a few times, watching as Violet had effectively curled into the equivalent of a ball in a corner of the room. She was really confused... but realised she needed to do... something here.

"Adagio is gonna be soooo mad at me if I don't get her to talk back...." the siren quietly panicked. She took a deep breath, and... swam backwards a few paces.

"Ok... sorry, me again. I know you're scared and... well, maybe you need a second and a breather, and hey! That's fine! Just... well, I'll just wait here, aaaand you can stay there, and we can pick this up from the beginning when you're ready. Ok? Ok! Good talk!"

It admittedly took a few long seconds, which to Sonata felt like loooong seconds, but she watched as the comparatively small seapony unravelled in her corner, slowly, very slowly, rearing her head at her once again.

"What... who are you...?" Violet asked in disbelief. Why was this siren just... floating there, watching her? Waiting?

"Right, third time's the charm. I'm Sonata, one of our trio of sirens! It's nice to meet you!"

Blinking a few times in continued disbelief and weariness, Violet looked the siren up and down a few times over. This was no costume. It really was some sort of creature... so the siren part was no joke.

"I don't... I don't get it. Why are you talking to me?"

"What do you mean?" asked Sonata plainly.

"Just... everyone else you meet gets mind-controlled. Why are you here talking to me like it's the most normal thing?"

Sonata cocked her head off to the side.

"Because... it is?"

"What?"

"I mean I know we sing and entrance folks with our music. Duh!" Sonata followed up. "But I don't know why that means I can't come and talk to people?"

Violet pulled back a little, distrustful of those seemingly too innocent intentions.

"I doubt that's the full story, frankly..."

"Hmm... well, technically Adagio did tell me to come here and speak to you. But that's really about it."

"Hmph. Knew there was something else behind it..."

"Hey now, don't get the wrong idea! I mean it!" Sonata pleaded to the convict. "I don't even know why she wanted me to talk to you ironically but... I'm here now! So... heya!"

The pink-scaled seapony finally took a deep breath, and pushed herself off of the wall, coming closer to the siren that was probably twice her size but acted nothing like it.

"If you really are here to 'talk', then I have a question for you."

"Sure!" Sonata quickly and jovially replied.

"Why are you doing all this? Why are you invading my home, and making all of my people... I don't know."

Sonata nodded twice, and began to explain at her own pace. "Well, we're sirens as you know. Basically, we have the magic ability to make people do what we want using our voices through singing. Look!"

She pointed both fins to her chest where the red, shining gem was embedded. A part of her very body, it ominously glowed from time to time, clearly not an ordinary piece of jewelry.

"The reason we use that ability is because, well, we have to, kinda! Or at least that's what Adagio always told me, so that's what we do! Essentially, we feed on hate and negative emotions overall. Kinda like Windigos! You know those, still, right? They were, like, a big deal back in our days."

Violet nodded slowly. "Y-Yeah. Yeah I've heard about them but... more of a fillytale, isn't it?"

"Ooooh, nonono. Very real, actually. Or, maybe they aren't anymore.. hard to say! Anyways! What I meant to say is that like them, we feed on all that negativity you folks let out. Unfortunately there isn't usually a lot to go around since societies usually collapse when everyone hates each other or something. Meaning-"

"Meaning you use your magic to make everyone hate each other...?"

Sonata blinked, and chuckled.

"Yep! That's right! Oh, and they also blindly obey us, I guess, which is an added bonus."

"But then... why not do the same to me? I'm not angry right now, and I'm not blindly obeying. Aren't I everything you don't want out of somepony like me?"

"Hmm," the siren pondered, looking up as she pondered, a fin of hers tapping her chin. "Well, we already have your nation in that sense, so our hunger is actually sated for now, though the more creatures that obey us, the stronger our magic gets. Even so, a single seapony isn't going to make a difference. Plus, you seem nice to talk to! So why not?"

"I... thanks. I guess. But I still have so many questions..." Violet rebuffed, sighing and holding a hoof to her head.

"I know, I know," the blue-scaled siren returned, moving slowly towards Violet with an extended fin, intent on patting her on the back.

Violet, instinctively, darted backwards a small distance.

"Sorry," she apologised immediately, "but... don't. Please."

A little disappointed but also understanding of the limitations of her visit, at the moment, Sonata moved back to where she was before. "Right, right. Sorry!"

"No worries, but... I... a lot happened."

The Siren watched as the seapony planted herself on the ground, sitting on the cold ground whilst she floated mid-air in the water.

"Guess you went through a lot, huh?" Sonata asked carefully.

"You could say that..."

"You... wanna talk about it?" the blue creature poked further. "I know I'm probably reason for a lot of bad things happening in a sense but... I'm here to talk."

"Just... a lot dumb decisions on my end. That's all."

The siren produced a wide grin, and a brief chuckle. "Oh, I do a lot of dumb things myself, actually. Trust me, Adagio and Aria hate me for them, hehe."

Violet slowly nodded her head. "Yeah, well. If you do a mistake, it doesn't cost you your entire people and nation..."

Sonata cocked her head, once again, and inquired further. "What do you mean?"

"I was the head of... well, doesn't matter, I guess. An organisation meant to stop things like you. Internal security," Violet explained. "We obviously knew people were acting off, I presume because of this magic of yours, but... I put it off as something that wasn't harmful. I had my own stupid wish to bring down enemies and wasted all my time and efforts on that, instead."

"Oh... that..."

Sonata paused for a moment, pondered for the right words to express herself and continued.

"...sounds a lot like me, actually."

The seapony was the one to cock her head in confusion, this time. "I know you want to cheer me up or something but... yeah, no. I doubt that."

"I'm not kidding! I admit, I haven't caused my own people to get invaded or something like that, but I do really really bad mistakes all the time. I already told you, right? My two friends, Adagio and Aria? They hate me for that! I just can't get things right, always mess things up, and they always say I can't be allowed to handle things on my own."

There was an awkward pause, silence looming between the two different creatures. Sonata's head sank a little, her smile fading as she took in what she'd said. She did that a lot - talking before thinking, much to the dismay of Aria - but this was perhaps one of the few times she felt ready to reflect on just how often she was essentially made fun of for being the fifth wheel.

"That... does sound pretty rough to endure nonstop."

"...Yeah..."

She almost couldn't believe it but... Violet almost forgot about her own tragedy a little when she saw Sonata's happy face, which as far as she could remember had worn a smile all throughout her visit so far along with an ecstatic demeanour, had now turned into a silent whisper and a sad frown.

"Why do you..." Violet cleared her throat and started anew. "Ahem. Sorry but... I have to ask. The way they treat you sounds... awful. Why do you tag along with them like you do?"

"That's... a long story," Sonata weakly replied.

"How long is... long?"

Sonata sighed, but seemed to ponder, which wasn't really a good sign, in a way.

"I... don't actually remember, fully. It was so long ago now and... to be fair, being locked away doesn't much help, either."

Violet was too curious not to ask. "Locked away? Like, in prison?"

"Like that, kinda, but worse. Imagine being in this cell except it's totally, 100% pitch black, with no food or other kinds of sounds, and no escape. That was where I spent the last... I think Adagio said a thousand years or so, probably more. Even she doesn't know for sure, yet, but I'm glad she and Aria were with me, still."

"That doesn't sound like any prison I know," the former secret police chief countered. "I'll assume that's part of why it's a very long story?"

The siren nodded her head. "Yeeeah..."

Pondering, Violet took a deep breath, and spoke up once more.

"Well, I don't exactly have anywhere else to go now. If... you want, I'm here to listen to your tale."

The seapony heard a weak gulp from the creature she had initially described as a monster, but now found herself on almost cordial, even friendly terms with.

"You really would?"

"I admit, besides wanting to make you feel better, I'm also curious. I was hoping knowing who and what you are might put my mind at ease, a little more."

A smile returned to the ditzy siren's face.

"Right. Right! I think we can do that. Perhaps you can recount your own story, too, after. Been ages since I had this kind of storytelling with friends, you know."

Smiling also, the seapony nodded twice slowly.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'd like that very much."

Battaglia

What a pain this had become, and so quickly, too.

Aria was the only one among the three of them that was initially concerned about the formation of some semblance of organised resistance against their rule, whereas Adagio kept insisting these mortals would fall over like dominoes and Sonata... well, she failed to grasp the severity of it, as usual.

The purple siren was usually keeping to herself wherever possible. She had meant to study the new technologies and ways of the world they found themselves in, and see how their magic could exploit them. Adagio thought she was an idiot for bothering with mortals like that, but she knew that it was vital. There was a lot to gain from learning from their new subjects, but also much to fear. She was a siren, yes, but as much as she would never admit it, she was not without fear. The fear of being banished yet again, or worse, killed outright, was omnipresent these days. Never again did she want to go back, and never again would she knowingly subject herself or the others to that thousand year torture, not if she had any say in preventing it.

That's why the resistance bothered her so much. As much as she understood Adagio's claim that they were 'just mortals' and not any serious threat... things were different now. The world was, overall. Even still, there was much for her to study and learn, but even now she understood that such a limited group could wreak havoc and cause them a lot of harm. And havoc they did cause.

A blown up railway here, stolen weapons deliveries there, and plenty of posters all around Aris instigating revolt against them. Sabotage was their bread and butter, but even so they were proving dangerously resolute, opening fire on police and military forces hastily dispatched to fetch the traitors.

Due to her insistence that the resistance was such a big threat, Aria was made to deal with the resistance personally on the insistence of Adagio, as uninsightful as ever. Sometimes she thought that the stubbornness of her elder partner would be the certain nail in their coffin as a group... but there was little time to dwell on that, right now. She could and would grumble and bark back at her, but they had to act and tackle this together. Which is why this arrangement was obviously problematic with only her in charge whilst Adagio kept plotting some intricate attack plan to seize revengea abroad and Sonata gathered intelligence from prisoners and locals. She'd repeatedly asked to be allowed to, that she was 'good at talking to creatures', and Aria had acquiesced, primarily to get some peace of mind and focus on her own issues.

Her vaguely fish-like form's shadow loomed over a city map of Howlington which was pinned against the wall. Street names ran along their designated roads, while notable establishments or locations were pointed out by name, such as parks, schools and police stations.

She raised her right fin, holding three separate red pushpins in it, and stuck one of them into the map, right through the word 'Canterford Main Station'. She lowered her fin again, scanning the map at large. There were now dozens of these pins spread across the area. Areas where the resistance might strike. Black pins, too, for the few areas already struck in the past.

She didn't feel much if any remorse for the locations hit by these fools. The Police, the cargo workers and all. She didn't care about them much. Adagio was right when she said mortals were a tool to be used by them, though she was obviously wrong in how she was intending to utilise them, not understanding the full extent of their utility.

No, what was beginning to concern her was her magic. The sirens came here to feed off of the population through its strife and anger, which their spell helped facilitate. However, directly commanding their subjects to followe orders was... intensive, to say the last, on their magical powers. A sort of laissez-faire was the norm, where those under the command of them were left to their own devices and lived their regular lives freely, with the difference that they wouldn't disobey any orders, and that they hated everycreature else, minus the sirens of course. That way, they afforded minimal magic for keeping control, but gained the most. That was how they fed, how their powers increased.

Hence why this was rapidly becoming problematic. This micromanagement, this increased level of direct control... it was starting to show its consequences on her magical powers. The gem within her chest, her source of power, did not glow as bright and often as it did a week ago, when first they seized this land for themselves. It was being drained. Effectively, this meant Aria was now on a timed counter, and if she ever ran out of magic entirely... well. The Hippogriffs that wake up would probably have a word or two to say to her face.

That could not happen. But she was doubtful of ever being able to tackle this alone. Even with a whole nation supposedly under her command, finding rats was still finding rats, which was exceedingly difficult.

Adagio had made a good point, though. Sure they usually relied on their magic purely out of convenience and ease... but it wasn't as though they weren't capable of natural manipulation, either. And with so many splintered elements within that group of wanna-be revolutionaries, that was probably not all too difficult to do. A shove here, a planted rumor there, and voila.

She turned her back to the map, and pondered her options. If these Hippogriffs really wanted to battle, she would gladly accept their challenge. On her own terms.

Skystar let out a sigh of relief as she lowered herself onto her seat. They had recently discreetly moved out of the home they were given refuge in, both to not endanger the owner there, and because they needed someplace more remote. This warehouse had the benefit of being bigger, too.

"Hey Skystar!" Silverstream called out as she entered her make-shift office of a sorts. It was little more than a simple dinner table and wooden chairs, really, but she had needed someplace remote and quiet among all these creatures. Someplace to think. As much as she was an outgoing individual, she didn't quite work like that in situations like... this, as it turned out.

"Silverstream! What's up?" she called back with a smile as her friend moved up towards her desk, standing due to the absence of chairs and leaving the door half-way open.

"Any word from Blue Frost and the others yet? They were meant to get here, like, a while ago, right?" Rather than worried, the Hippogriff teen seemed to simply be curious. Even she knew now that delays were all too normal in this situation. Sometimes it was best to risk a delay rather than risk being found out while on the move.

"Nothing yet. Guess they were held up on the rail south of here," the princess responded, before her smile widened. "Oh! By the way, great work with that raid on the warehouse yesterday. I was told to thank you by the doctor downstairs. A lot of medical supplies were in those crates which he really, really needed. Probably already helped save a life or two."

"Doctor Woozy said that?" Silverstream returned happily. "Haha! Well I guess I won't say no to praise, ehehe..."

Skystar chuckled as her friend blushed and scratched her face awkwardly. That chuckle faded when she heard someone running down the hall towards the door behind Silverstream, and consequently burst through the already open door.

"Skystar?" Posada called out loudly, seeming to orient herself for a split second before finding Skystar on her chair. "Skystar! You gotta see this!"

Skystar gave the red-feathered hippogriff a questioning look, but already the communist partisan was scurrying back out of her office, again. The princess looked at Silverstream, who looked at her also, and they both made a dash for the door, following wherever Posada had run off to.

The two friends found themselves in the 'common room', which was a very generous way of describing a dirty but large storage room where empty crates were used as chairs and benches. There was a dartboard on the wall, two buckballs in the corner, and most importantly right now, a civilian-grade radio posted up on one of the crates in the center of the room. Plenty of Hippogriffs were seen huddling around it, listening keenly.

"Come. Listen to this crap," Posada told them, waving for them to get closer.

"What's wrong?" Skystar asked back, quietly as she walked up to her ally.

"Just listen."

She turned to face the radio as somegriff appeared to adjust the volume, turning it up a tad. A male voice began to sound from the small device.

"Earlier today, authorities managed to intercept a large group of terrorists west of the city of Canterford. According to the local police chief, all members were part of the recently proclaimed resistance terrorist group, and highly armed and dangerous."

The voice spoke monotonously, as if he felt nothing. Skystar wasn't surprised, he was probably made to say those things by the sirens directly. A dictate he couldn't disobey. Wasn't the first time they were called terrorists either.

"Special Forces of the Police arrived to tackle the threat after gunshots were heard in a remote village. As investigations quickly showed, it appeared as though the terrorists had broken into several homes there while fully armed. Police have so far come out to confirm 5 civilians as confirmed deceased, with another 12 in hospital, possibly in critical condition. One 6 year-old hippogriff boy was also confirmed to be among the deceased victims, as well as their mother."

Skystar could already tell Posada was furious just by hearing her faint growling.

"Following investigative efforts, it was revealed that all the attackers of this particular group once belonged to the Socialist Party of Aris, and are likely to have been under the command of Posada, who herself is one of the leading figures of this grotesque rebellion. We-"

The voice cut out as a green-feathered Hippogriff rose and turned it off.

"I fucking knew it!"

Crack Lightning pushed himself through two rebel fighters to get to Skystar and Posada. Pointing at the red hippogriff, he continued.

"Fucking knew you scum couldn't be trusted!" He looked over to Skystar. "I told you!"

"Crack, I think-"

"Oh, shut up," Posada interrupted the princess, retorting in an equally hostile tone. "Are you really stupid enough to believe this? To believe them?" She gestured towards the radio briefly, then pointed at Crack. "Wow, Crack Lightning acting stupid? Colour me surprised!"

"Watch your fucking tongue or I'll cut it straight out!" Crack barked.

"Whose side are you on? Ours, or theirs? Because you're the one buying all this stupid propaganda of theirs!"

"Oh yeah? Do you really expect me to buy that?" Crack answered, nodding his head slightly. "Do you have any idea what they did years ago in Stalliongrad? What the reds are doing in Brodfeld to people that don't approve of them?"

Posada's frown deepend as she was poked in her chest over and over by Crack's talons.

"You're the most blind creature in the land if you earnestly think your petty, stupid, destructive ideology is as innocent as you claim it is! It's in your fucking blood to kill innocent creatures. Do you hear me? You assholes do this crap for a living! It's the bread and butter of your thought process!"

Crack's eyes widened as Posada shoved him backwards at least 6 paces, nearly stumbling and falling.

"Posada! Crack!" Skystar called out, intent on moving in on both of them to keep them apart, but Silverstream held her back at the last moment. There was an almost murderous glare on Posada's face, now.

"I won't stand here and be lectured on morality by a fascist!" she answered him. "Your kind are the real parasites of any society, and maybe we should be dealing with you folks first before anything else! I can't imagine a society like in Wingbardy over here, where only violence matters and all conscience and logic is cast aside. Your regressive, destructive ideas end here!"

"Stop it! Both of you!" the princess insisted one last time.

"I'm not going to be called a parasite by the true vermin in the room! You're going to be the downfall of all of us!"

Skystar closed her eyes as Crack gritted his teeth and began to charge at his opponent, right claw outstretched for a swipe. She didn't want to witness this.

Skystar looked down at the two scarred, bruised bodies of Posada and Crack. Both of them had definitely delivered and received punches and scratches, until the eventual K.O. but at least no guns were involved. Everycreature had survived.

She frowned and sighed, still. This was worrying, but... sadly, not entirely unexpected. She knew these two were on bad terms for reasons that were obvious. Their agreement to cooperate was loose at best, and both sides had begun accusing the other of being apart of the resistance only to bolster their own ideology, and that - upon victory - they would proclaim a government of their own that suited their ideals. Skystar was part of neither side, and had with her her own camp of 'followers'. Those once loyal to her mother, and those generally satisfied with the old government, or just Hippogriffs that didn't want any part in the partisan politics of Far-Right and Far-Left. She was the moderate in the room, and in a sense the scale which had to balance out the other two sides in this struggle. The sirens were already a huge enemy as is... but here she was, feeling like her own friends and allies were becoming foes, also, always bickering and fighting.

The Radio broadcast had been propaganda, obviously. She knew that it was, though it is true that Posada's team west of Canterford, meant to scout for rural train lines to sabotage, had not returned, and was over 3 days due, now. The sirens must have caught them and used the opportunity to prop up some delusional scenario. She was ashamed that it had worked.

She turned about and marched out of the infirmary in the cellar of the warehouse holdout. Silverstream already waited at the door, and began to walk with her back upstairs.

"So... where are we going, again?" Violet Facade asked as she swam alongside her new, blue friend.

"Aria said she wanted to see you! Apparently she heard of your time at AyyHayy... the...." Sonata stopped trying as her friend chuckled.

"The Anti-Harmony Activities Committee?" the purple seapony corrected.

"That's what I said! Buuut let's just call it Anti-Harmony thing, ok?"

"Works for me." Violet looked down at the metal cuffs holding her hooves in place. She felt... good, and free, in a way, moving along with Sonata. But she really wasn't. And who even knew what was coming now, with her 'friend' Aria and all. Would it be another surprise like with Sonata? Perhaps. She could only hope, because she didn't know what was so interesting about her that kept the siren next to her from turning her into an obedient thrall.

They arrived at a purple and white door. Violet knew it as Skystar's bedroom which... it probably wasn't, anymore. Sonata gave the door a somewhat hefty trio of knocks.

"Ariaaa~! We're hereee~!" she called out to her friend on the other side.

The door opened a few seconds later, revealing a purple siren with an annoyed frown on her face. Violet felt a bit tense, looking at her.

"Took you long enough. Come on, I don't have all day."

She gestured inside. Sonata led the increasingly timid seapony, as Aria shut the door behind them. Swimming back towards a desk close to her majestic bed, she picked up what looked to be a rather ordinary clipboard with plenty of papers on it. The siren flipped through it ceaselessly as Sonata and Violet shot curious looks at her, and one another.

"Aria? What's the issue? Isn't this normally when you tell us about some big plan of yours?"

Violet didn't say anything but... Sonata had a point. That's sort of what she had been expecting, given everything that had happened.

"What's the issue?" Aria returned, looking up from her papers in hand. "Why, Sonata, I'm just happy to see you and called you here to shake fins and have a good time, because everything is great."

Sonata gasped, and Violet saw her eyes sparkle. She raised both her chained hooves and meant to speak up, telling her quietly to not engage, but Sonata was faster.

"For realsies!? Because, like, I told Violet here that you probably had something big planned and like, needed help with it, y'know?"

Aria deadpanned, her monotonous glare returning as it drilled into Sonata and cut out her gleeful joy of the moment.

"Sonata, do you ever... think?" Aria wondered. Sonata seemed to genuinely ponder, but Aria waved dismissively. "Do not answer that. Anyways."

She looked back at the clipboard, and again looked at paper after paper, skimming contents briefly.

"The issue is pretty clear. Adagio thinks the newly formed resistance isn't an issue, so she's told me to deal with it. Like all things that Adagio refuses to do, though, it's actually relevant and important, though."

"Ohhh, got it!" Sonata nodded. "But where does that put us two?"

"Hm?" Aria wondered. "Well, I need the backup. More importantly, I need extra eyes and ears. You'll be helping me a little bit with the tinier chores and duties that I'm too busy to handle, Sonata. As for that one," she added, looking briefly at Violet, "she's the ex-chief of some secret police or the like, right? So I'm gonna put her to good use."

"But Adagio already said I should stay here and talk to the prisoners. Something about information gathering?" Sonata seemed to shrug at not fully understanding the sense of her own task.

Aria, for her part, rolled her eyes, and sighed.

"Adagio just wanted to get rid of you for the moment, Sonata," the purple siren revealed monotonously. "I can't blame her. She wanted you away from danger so that you couldn't break or harm anything while we got things in order. Which means my instructions are far more relevant since they actually need you to make yourself useful. For once."

"Ahah... right," the blue siren chuckled, seeming to be a little embarassed. Violet, on the other hand, seemed a little upset at how her new friend was addressed and handled.

"Are you sure you should be treating her that way?" she spoke back to the siren. Aria paused, eyes darting towards the pink seapony floating next to her ally. She blinked, remaining silent for but a few seconds.

"Sonata, did... you not sing to her?"

"Nope!" was the fast and ready reply.

"Are you stupid?"

"Uuuuh-"

"Don't answer that. Whatever." Aria shook her head, and lowered her clipboard. She reached for the gem in her chest with her right fin, and closed her eyes as the gem shone through her fin little by little, as if powering up.

"S-Sonata, what is she doing?" Violet quickly asked, panic mounting.

"Uhhh..." Sonata muttered. "Aria, what are you doing?"

"What does it look like? You obviously messed up - as expected - so I'm doing your job for you."

For a second, Sonata seemed relieved. "Ohhh, phew, that's- wait!" she called out. "Don't sing to her, she'll-"

"Be one of our thralls? Yes, that's the point, Sonata. Have you forgotten you're a siren again?"

Sonata panicked also, now, as her stubborn friend's monotony seemed to shine through once again. With nothing else on her mind at that second, she did the only thing she could think of.

Aria opened her mouth to sing, and just as the first note attempted to escape, a blue fin was slapped around her snout, intent on keeping her from talking, let alone singing. The purple siren was naturally livid with her friend's actions, and shook her head, and finally used her own limbs to push Sonata off.

"Sonata! Will you stop being a hurdle in everything we do for once?" Aria complained.

"You didn't listen to me, so I had to!" was the defence of the younger siren. By this point, Violet had moved to hide half her body behind Sonata. She'd long clocked on that Sonata was an odd one out... not the norm for how these sirens acted.

"I didn't listen to you because it made no sense, Sonata! Like always!" Aria clenched her fins into impromptu fists and boiled with anger. "Grrraaa! When will you finally come to terms with this? We're not mortals, Sonata! We're not their friends, and we're not meant to be living as they do!"

Sonata remained steadfast, not moving from where she floated.

"We're meant to rule them. The magic we have is a gift and you're painfully wasting and disregarding it. I thought Adagio had drilled that into your head by now as much as my own, but I guess your head is still as empty as ever."

"We don't always need magic to make people follow us, though!" Sonata insisted. "I didn't need my magic to have Violet trust me and explain her story to me, after all."

"Sonata's been trying to comfort and be nice to me," Violet added, to support her friend's own statement. "I know it doesn't mean a lot but-"

"No." Aria interrupted, refusing to hear this nonsense out fully. "Sonata, this is absolutely not negotiable or arguable. These are rules more ancient than any of us are. Rules written by nature itself. More importantly, I'll tell Adagio if you don't do as I say, and she'll be an even bigger pain than me."

"A-Aria! Come on!" Sonata pleaded.

"I said no. I will not be arguing this nonsense. You need to get your head in order, and stop with this pontless friendship stuff. That's for ponies, not us."

"But..." Sonata pondered, quietly giving out, "we're... friends, right?"

Aria sighed, and rolled her eyes, dodging the question.

"Just do as I tell you."

"Sonata?" Violet said, resting both of her cuffed hooves on the blue siren's body. "I... I don't want you getting into trouble."

"Violet, what-"

"Look, I already screwed up... really, really bad. I don't need to tell you that twice. If this is my punishment then... I'm fine with that. I deserve it."

"No, no, no, no, no, wait wait, that's not-" Sonata quickly gave out.

"Sonata, it's fine," the seapony interrupted again. "Really."

Sonata blinked at her mortal friend, then looked over to Aria who seemed to be incredibly bored and unentertained by the whole charade put up before her.

"You... are you really, really sure?"

"Yeah. After everything that's happened... this was kinda what I expected anyway. I don't think I want you getting into trouble over something that I've felt was inevitable to some degree anyway."

Sonata remained petrified for a moment, before nodding once, slowly.

"Right. Alright."

The siren looked over to her purple partner, then.

"Do you mind if I do it?"

"If it lets me move ahead with my plans any sooner? Do it."

Sonata lifted herself upwards, to where Violet now had to look up 70 degrees to look her in the eyes. She knew what was coming, and felt like she should somehow prepare herself. Her mind was gonna be tortured in some way, her independence as an individual would fleet, and she'd probably start hating everyone and everything, too. A miserable existence, if even she was conscious enough to find it miserable.

Yet, she remained where she was, eyeing her newest and perhaps last friend as she prepared to sing her a song that would change her world forever. She remembered everything one last time. Her time in Griffonia, her promotion to Chief of the AHAC, everything surrounding the siren's cult and her time in prison, including with Sonata. She remembered her family, all her friends, neighbours, even those people she didn't like very much. A faint smile came across her face. Maybe she wasn't so alone after all. Maybe she hadn't always done such big mistakes. Perhaps, one day, somepony would forgive her for letting this all happen, and maybe she could forgive herself, too.

She felt her eyes forced shut as a melody began to engulf her. Heavenly and harmonic, sung in such a familiar and friendly voice. She felt as she began to lose herself, gradually, in song. Every note felt as though it caressed her mind. She finally felt peace of mind, for the first time in a long time.

Presto

Adagio rolled her eyes. Waiting was not what she had broken free for, having already done enough of that for the last thousand years or so.

To the right of her throne sat Aria, at least equally as bored as she by the looks, though it was harder to tell given how her default expression was a bored, monotonous frown anywho.

It had taken some time but finally their minions had constructed and put in place a trio of regal thrones for them, one set in the Palace on Mount Aris and another in Seaquestria. Colour-coded for each siren specifically, Adagio's seat in the center was outwardly golden, whereas Aria's was made out of some sort of sturdy, cold rock, seemingly painted in the colour of her scales. Sonata's throne, meanwhile, was carved out of a mixture of silver and magical crystal to create a unique and reflective sort of throne.

The two sirens looked at that throne; it was empty. And they groaned and grumbled at that fact. She was late. Again.

Finally, the guards posted at the throne room's entrance moved up to pull open the doors, revealing the teal siren, as well as a comparatively small Hippogriff tagging along with her. The black business suit he wore above his light brown cloak of feathers immediately identified him as a sort of businessgriff, whilst his silver mane running from the top to the back of his head was starting to grey. Evidence enough of his advanced age.

"We've been waiting, you know." Adagio crossed her fins expectingly.

"Sorry! Sorry!" Sonata gave out with a sheepish smile. "Wait, when were we supposed to meet..?"

Adagio facepalmed.

"How about 20 minutes ago?" Aria answered with a grumble.

"Riiiight..." Sonata replied quietly.

"Ugh, whatever. Let's just be done with it." Adagio sighed and tried to calm her nerves. She waved for Sonata to come along, and so the teal siren moved towards her, taking her place to her left on her own, sparkly throne.

"Now then," the lead singer continued, "you are..."

"Moonfeather, ma'am..." the Hippogriff replied immediately, bowing his head slightly. "Plumage Moonfeather."

"Right," Adagio simply responded. "Do you know why you are here, at all?"

Moonfeather gulped and fiddled with his talons nervously.

"I... I presume I... did something wrong...? I have to say, I never meant to hurt the-"

"No."

"-Oh." the Hippogriff retorted, calming himself with a big exhale. "Right... then what can I do for you?"

"Before we begin, we should inform you that nothing we tell you here escapes this room and never again crosses your lips unless we tell you to speak up about it. Is that understood?"

Moonfeather nodded. In a way, he thought, Adagio had a very similar, commanding aura as Novo had had. More self-important, maybe, but he didn't feel as though that was a bad thing for some reason for the siren.

"I'm sure you have heard of the resistance, by now?" Aria asked the businessgriff.

"Heard?" he quickyl retaliated. "Their posters appeared all over my damn factories one night! Not to mention how machinery keeps breaking down mysteriously, these days. I doubt its my uneducated, incompetent workforce, so it's probably sabotage."

"Right, so you do know." Aria nodded once, not particularly interested in this one's personal rants and stories about becoming a victim. "Their operations are actually quite expansive, and threatening. While not dangerous to us personally, the effort of managing so many different subjects at once is quickly becoming a drain on our magic, and without our magic this realm would quickly collapse in on itself."

"I... see..." Moonfeather muttered quietly. "Though, I admit that I'm not sure why you are telling me this. I am just an honourable businessgriff, yes?"

"Aria here had one of her new underlings, a certain Violet Facade, dust off some old files about you," Adagio revealed with a smirk. "You certainly are an influential business owner. You are also a renown liar and scumbag, a ruthless opportunist and positively egotistic. Still, your business was, and is, one of the most successful in this realm due to your cut-throat management."

Moonfeather felt his body shiver then. Another big, audible gulp. This was it, then. They'd lured him out with a nice prelude only to come around on him and get him good. He'd really fallen for it, that time.

"You will be working for us."

His body froze, as did his mind. He blinked with empty eyes at the siren leader, unsure what to make of any of this.

"W-What...?" was all he managed to stutter out.

"You appear to be opportunistic enough to try your claw at this, and ruthless enough for us to believe you can actually pull through with it without constant overwatch."

He continued eyeing down the yellow siren as if he was dreaming.

"I... still don't understand. What do you need me to do, even?"

"As the Resistance continues to operate, our magic weakens due to overuse from managing the country at large," Aria chimed in. "As we continue our operations to squash them, we must focus our magic on this likewise. To conserve as much as we can, we agreed to appoint a third party as a sort of governor in our stead for now."

"A... governor? You mean you want me to rule Hippogriffia for you?" Moonfeather asked, now less so with fear and confusion but an increasing sound of enticed greed.

"According to our needs and desires," Adagio reprimanded, already knowing that this was not a totally carefree decision to make. "If you rule well, there will not be any issues. If you fail to do so, and obstruct our own operations and plans, we will not hesitate to toss you aside. Is that understood?"

He bowed his head as quickly as he could, eagerly accepting the opportunity fate had hurled his way.

"Clear as crystal, ma'am."

"Good. We will be keeping a watchful eye on you, so don't believe this is all yours for the taking. To the public, you will be acting as our direct attendant and servant, the constant that translates our desires, whims and commands into reality."

"She calls it Siren Constant," Sonata spoke up. "Pretty cool, right?"

"Read the room, Sonata," Aria remarked with an annoyed pout on her face.

"Whaaat? It's a good name! I never-"

"Quiet!" Adagio intervened loudly. "You two really are the worst, ugh."

Sonata quieted down, while Aria rolled her eyes and looked the other way from Adagio.

"Anyways, you can go," Adagio finally continued, looking back at Moonfeather. "We will be in touch later."

"Of course." The Businessgriff bowed his head for a lengthy period of time, before recovering from the bow. "Thank you for your trust."

The trio watched as their new puppet leader turned about face and marched back out the doors. With a loud slam, the entrance was sealed, once again, by the guards, who then stood at attention as before.

"Having to hire a mortal to rule in our stead... ugh, how humiliating." Adagio frowned and leaned back in her seat lazily.

"We don't exactly have a choice, right now, Adagio," Aria reminded her.

"Our magic is weakening, after all..." Sonata likewise agreed.

"Hmph. Perhaps if these fools could just accept the inevitable and not delay all our plans with this cat and mouse game then everycreature would be better off."

"Wouldn't it mostly just be us who are better off?" Sonata innocently wondered with a shrug. The two others deadpanned, not even wanting to bother engaging with her stupid question that time.

"Wishful thinking is going to get us nowhere though," Aria instead continued. "We need a concrete plan on how to get revenge, and that includes making sure our spell doesn't thin and run out. We need that stupid resistance gone, and fast."

"Hmph. You might be giving those pathetic mortals too much credit, you know," Adagio suggested.

"You aren't afraid of being banished again? Or worse?" Aria wondered with a questioning frown.

"I know destiny is inevitable," the leader replied calmly, in her usual, sinister tone of voice. "And I know that, no matter how 'modern' society may be, mortal races never change. If our spell is able to create discord between them, then we can create that discord on our own terms just as well. We will break their already fracturing group bit by bit, into tiny little pieces, and then stomp down on those remainders one-by-one."

Aria gave it some thought, then nodded her head, crossed her fins and spoke up. "Not a bad idea," she admitted, "but actually doing so will still need a good plan. Do you have one?"

"Duh!" Sonata raised her voice. "This is Adagio! She, like, always has a plan!"

Rather than feel annoyed, Adagio chuckled, taking the obnoxious squealing of her fellow siren as a compliment.

"As it turns out I do."

Tensions were high within the resistance headquarters. Originally intended to be a united front against siren rule, it was now de-facto sub-divided into its three splinter groups: the left under Posada, the right under Crack Lightning, and the Harmonists and Royalists under Skystar, who were effectively the moderates of the group. Much to the dismay of Skystar, though, this moderation did not earn them universal praise and understanding though. Plenty of Hippogriffs murmured that the princess was too weak of a leader and would eventually screw them over as a result of being too soft, not to mention that some believed Skystar's tactics were too mild overall. To her shock, she was hearing calls for operations she considered to be horrible. Assassinating police officers and civil servants, bombing public spaces and trains, and other, even more terrible things that she had not the desire to put her mind to.

Originally operations had, somewhat deliberately, been planned to include members from each of the three factions, both to build trust and disspell any sort of theory that one side had primacy over the other. That concept fell apart quite fast, though, as reality was not as ideal as on a piece of paper. Some agents and fighters found themselves in the wrong or right spots for an operation, and sometimes that meant it would exclude one or two groups entirely. It wasn't deliberate, it wasn't even a conscious decision half the time, but it sure did the trick in spurring those aforementioned fears and theories.

Skystar was trying her best to mend the rift as best she could, but the sirens were going on the offensive, and they could all see it, so time was a precious resource that she could seldom spent on peptalks. Her head was buzzing under all the stress and commotion, and a relative lack of sleep. She really needed a timeout and break, but knew it was not to be had.

And then, one day, as if things could not have gotten any worse, Crack Lightning walked up to her with a beaming smile on his face - already unusual and suspicious in a way for the fascist leader - and told her that Raft Wood, his friend and co-leader of the Aris First nationalist party, had escaped confinement somehow.

Skystar was, understandably, less overjoyed. She wasn't angry or sad, per se, but... suspicious and wary. And yet, it was not a lie.

Skystar tagged along as the overjoyed Crack Lightning led her into the large, open storage hangar of the warehouse. It was mostly cleared out, now, and had given way to various crates of military and medical supplies, food rations, and various vehicles, both civilian and military in nature - all of them appropriated, of course. There, what looked to be most of the base personnel were on the move or already watching as, indeed, Raft Wood stood there before them, shaking claws with an ordinary rebel fighter from the nationalist faction.

Skystar recognised him immediately, as did Crack next to her, needless to say. His bleak red coat of feathers, and grey-ish mane, not to mention his eyes which always seemed to stare whenever he turned to look at you. Creepy...

"Raft?"

The entire room seemed to gradually fall silent as the voice of the royal rang out. Everygriff stepped aside to let the young heir to the throne pass, and Raft Wood gasped upon seeing her.

"Princess Skystar! Your majesty!"

Skystar opened her beak to respond right away, but found herself mute as the newly arrived guest bowed his head in honour of her. A vague reminder of times now gone by, and perhaps a more stinging reminder of how everygriff always did that in front of her mother.

"Y-Yeah. Hey!" she gave out, looking around briefly as she realised everygriff was now looking at her. Great. "How are you? Are you alright?" she asked first and foremost. "Did you get hurt on the way here?"

Raft Wood raised his head and consequently shook it. "Not a scratch. I managed to sneak out of Seaquestria and swam to the local harbour. Luckily nopony saw me on the way there."

"Right," Skystar remarked simply, still rather dumbfounded by this.

"It's so good to see you again, Raft," Crack chimed in, walking up to his friend and ally. The two performed a quick claw bump and smirked. "Guess the sirens really did let their guards down. Or underestimated you. Both is fine by me, hah."

"Not so fast!" another voice chimed in. Skystar blacked out for a split second, knowing exactly whose voice that was. Oh gods.

Posada pushed her way through the crowd who, unlike with Skystar, did not make way for her. Behind Posada, a large part of the communist membership at the HQ piled in, also, creating an overall much more tense atmosphere as the two camps quite literally opposed one another.

"So it's true!?" Posada let out in disbelief as she arrived next to Skystar, looking at the new arrival. "I thought it was a stupid joke, but it's true. Let me guess, the sirens sent you as an infiltrator?"

Crack frowned at the communist leader with open disdain. Sure they had their differences, but insulting his friend was a new low even for her.

"Back off, Posada. I know you reds hate when people are free, but Raft just so managed to escape prison as it happens, though of course if it were up to you, he'd go right back there, wouldn't he?"

"Indeed he would," Posada responded quickly. "You're a blind idiot if you think this guy seriously escaped the royal dungeon underneath the Royal Palace all on his own, and without the sirens manipulating him!"

"Calm down! Both of you!" Skystar intervened prematurely, eyeing both of the leaders down. "While I admit I'm curious of how he managed it also, I won't support blind accusations either."

Surprisingly, of all Hippogriffs present, it was Raft Wood who seemed the most surprised.

"Wait, what do you mean you're curious, Princess?"

"Well, I want to know how you escaped, that's all. We can figure out the rest after."

This only further confused Raft Wood, who then appeared to fumble around on his clothing, reaching for a pocket. Posada squinted her eyes at the griff, one claw moving close to where her holstered pistol was stored... just in case this was some shady trick.

"Not sure if I understand... here, look." Raft held out his right claw towards the royal, showing a small, folded piece of paper. "This is the note you wrote me, right? I found it stuck under the salad bowl the day before escape."

Skystar reached for the note, and began to unfold it, the words of Raft worrying her and only making her speed up in doing so.

Everycreature fell silent as the princess was consumed by the note she held out before her. She read it once, then twice, then a third time. Posada knew something was up. She could tell. Raft Wood though seemed confused, more than anything.

"Raft Wood, I... I'm glad you escaped and all but..." she lowered the paper, shrugging, "...I didn't write this note."

"W-What?" Raft gasped.

"I told you!" Posada cried out, unholstering her. "I told you he was screwing with us! He's with them!"

Skystar didn't even have the time to react to Posada's brute-forced statement as, already, Crack Lightning had answered with his own drawn firearm.

"Back away from one of our own, red dog! I don't give a damn if the princess helped her or not, he's still one of us!"

"Put the guns do-" Skystar tried, but was quickly silenced.

"One of us? One of us!?" Posada repeated in disbelief. "He's just a meat puppet of theirs! This is no friend of ours!"

"B-But I'm not! They never sang to me!" Raft gave out in defence of his own sanity. "Or... I-I mean, I don't think they did? Would I even remember that?"

"Is this how you're gonna treat all new arrivals of ours, Posada? Hold them at gunpoint, shoot them if they happen to not be filthy reds like you and your goons? Because I don't think I want any part of this if that's how this 'resistance' functions!"

"Stop!" Skystar cried out again. "You're both making a mistake!"

"Am I?" Posada countered. "Princess, this is so obviously a spy, I can't believe you're seriously defending and covering for him!"

"We don't know that for sure, Posada!" Skystar said in opposition.

"How else could he have escaped then, Princess? How else would he have gotten all this way without even a scratch? And who gave him that faked message of yours if not the sirens? This is such an obviously faked story... are you, unironically, going to be standing in for them?"

Skystar took a deep breath, but couldn't bring herself to speak. That was enough for the Hippogriff eyeing her though. There was a quick sliding noise as Posada stowed away his firearm once again.

"Fine then. Play your games. I don't care anymore. We've been fighting for a free Hippogriffia all this time, but you're all too crazy to accomplish that without putting us all at risk."

"Talk for yourself, commie. We're tired of fearing you people are going to betray us and stab us in the back at any point," Crack returned. "Raft, come to my office. I'm gonna give you a rundown as I pack up my things. Everyone else here, do the same. We're gonna get out of here..."

"Crack! I..." Skystar raised a claw as if to stop him, but she was too far away, and already the nationalist leader had become apart of the huge crowd gathered all around them. "...wait..." she muttered quietly.

"I'm sorry, Skystar."

The princess looked over to her right. Posada was giving her one last remorseful look.

"I really thought it could work, but I can't put everyone's life on the line if I know things are going oh so wrong. I'm sorry. Again."

She turned away as Crack had done, and likewise left to grab her last remaining valuables to desert Skystar and her own forces who remained.

Skystar's legs felt weaker with every passing second, and her eyes began to tear up. She no longer had the strength to keep her head up high... and then she dropped to the floor. She sobbed loudly, crying her eyes out for the first time in a long time. She had given this her all, had tried to be the leader these people needed. She had thought that she could inspire unity in disparate groups somehow, but that plan had backfired now.

She didn't care about Raft Wood. She didn't care about Posada or Crack Lightning, now. She just wanted to go home, sneak underneath her warm, fluffy blanket and sob until her mum came up to her bedside to stroke her cheek and give her a gentle kiss on her snout. She wanted to open her eyes, then, to see her mother beaming a caring, loving smile back at her. That's how it should be, how it always had been.

That's not how it was now, though. It was just her and her alone, against the world, with half the world abandoning her and the other half against her.

Stentato

The days had gone by slowly. Skystar was unsure if she was truly hopeless by now or whether she was just telling herself things were hopeless when they really weren't. For what it was worth, though, she had no grander scheme in mind in how to overthrow the sirens now.

Sure, she wasn't alone now, there were still a couple dozen Hippogriffs fighting along with her, but with Posada and Crack gone to form their own 'Red Front' and 'Aris Liberation League', she was effectively caught dead in the water in terms of reach and ponypower.

Everygriff was nervous now, not just her. She felt that every bit of them wanted to fight back and do what's right, but whenever she'd looked anygriff in the eye then, she saw that hint of desperation. Before, there was a mood of liberation and rejoicing. Now briefings were gloomy and bleak. Everyone was quiet, and nocreature celebrated when an operation succeeded.

It was all the same when the former princess entered the briefing room, then. Usually the room had been rather tight for everygriff, but since two thirds had now deserted the cause for their own operations... it was a lot more roomy. Skystar took note of every gap between any two hippogriffs present. It pained her to know that beforehand, there would have been friends and allies standing right there. But no more. They were on their own.

Skystar stopped just short of the lengthy metal folding table that everygriff had posted up against as the whole room saluted her. She took a deep breath and returned the gesture. Military stuff had never been her thing, funnily enough, as ecstatic and free-willed as she tended to be. Yet, in these grim times, discipline installed at least a vague sense of belonging and security in a sense.

Everyone's claws lowered as Skystar moved up to the table. Her eyes immediately fixated on a military radio that had been assembled on said table. Somegriff was tweaking the frequency as she stared at it. The sirens had announced publicly that a speech by Queen Novo would be given on a specific frequency, directed at the princess who was still on the run.

Was it some kind of trap? Distraction? Part of some bigger plan the sirens had? Probably. Skystar wasn't dumb and knew something was up, but no one in the room could raise their voice to object to tuning in anyways. Skystar had more than enough reason to want to hear her mother's voice, and they, too, longed to hear the voice of a sovereign under whom everything was right, in their memories. A time before all of this mess.

Static filled the room as they waited for the transmission. The princess felt a claw pat her on the back, and looked to her left to find Silverstream standing right beside her. They both smiled, heard the transmission slowly come to life, and looked to face the radio.

"Skystar."

Not just the princess gulped when they heard that familiar voice roar to life, with an added layer of static through the speakers. It was undoubtedly the Queen.

"Skystar, my dearest daughter. If you are listening, please give up and turn yourself in. Right now I am alive and well, but the longer you continue to resist the less the sirens will be able to guarantee my safety."

The voice was Novo's. That of her mother. And yet it was... cold. Unmoving. That type of voice of a thrall of the sirens whenever the sirens commanded them directly to speak. Already a sole tear ran down her cheeks, and she felt Silverstream's hug tighten.

"I know you are afraid, my dear. I am also. But we must look to our responsibilities as Queen and Princess of our people. You were always quick to remind me that we must set an example for our people to follow, to show mercy when nopony else would, and avoid conflict so that our people would, also."

There was a brief pause, leaving only the static of the radio to fill the room. Some Hippogriffs looked at one another with concerned, saddened frowns. This was the first real confirmation that the Queen had been enthralled by the sirens, or even information that the Queen was alive at all. The sirens had kept that a tight secret, it seemed. A trump card for moments like this. They were using her as a hostage, and everygriff knew it... but they felt so powerless to do anything about it.

"Skystar, I beg of you as you always begged of me to let go of your fear and anger. Please, lay down your weapon and surrender. Our people, Skystar, they are suffering from the strain your resistance is causing. There are dead and wounded on both sides, Arisians killing fellow Arisians. It should not be like this, my daughter."

A sudden sniff and sob caused heads to turn all throughout the room. The princess immediately placed her right claw over her eyes to prevent anygriff from seeing her cry out in the open like that, and she wished to just run away right at that moment, but she could not. This was her mother talking to her, and nopony else. Mind-controlled or not... she wanted this.

"I hope one day we can see each other again, my dear. Know that, while many things may change, I will always be there for you, and will always be your loving mother. I hope this message finds its way to you, my dear child, and that you find yourself able to return to my embrace soon."

The radio gradually switched to a fizzling static noise as the voice cut out.

"Skystar..."

Silverstream's voice was already being drowned out under a hail of sobs, cries and incoherent shouts and curses. Anger, fear, regret, sadness, it was all there and in Skystar's head right then and there. The young princess just couldn't handle it. She was not her mother, she was not the leader she was, and even if she were they were all doomed and lost.

Silverstream gasped and was left with her mouth open as her friend turned tail and rushed out of the room. The former friendship student's own heart dropped when she heard a final, hurried chant from her fleeing friend as she burst through the door before rushing down the hallway outside.

"I'm sorry, mum. I love you too."

Silverstream's claw lowered only slowly, and before she closed her mouth, a heavy sighed escaped the Hippogriff who was otherwise so carefree and ecstatic about all things of life. She had read about so many things in Equestria while in school there. How villain after villain had attacked Equestria, only for good and friendship to triumph in the end. Tirek, Chrysalis, Discord, Nightmare Moon and many others.

That's what really made her worried. Her many lessons about friendship and the power it held? They proved useless now. This was nothing like what the professors had taught her, and evil was winning, and fast.

She and the rest of the room, who was about as gloomy and depressed as she was now, perked up as the radio sprung to life for a second time. A voice came through, but a different one, now.

"I hope you are still with us." The voice of Adagio sounded as manipulative as it sounded outright sinister. "I expect our honoured guest to have made a positive impression on you all. Though, just to remind you, and this means you specifically, little princess: surrender now, and you will all be unharmed as your little resistance is made to be forgotten. Continue to resist, and... well, I suppose we might start plucking a few feathers, so to speak."

Nocreature found the will to turn the radio off. The voice was savage and borderline sadistic, and they could hear her giggle at her own threats, too.

"But we know that every good performance requires an audience, of course," the voice on the radio continued fiendishly, "and so we had helpful servants of ours do some digging and investigation. Funny how some ponies and griffs never did regularly show up at work anymore, or how they weren't seen in public in who knows how long."

The voice cackled again, impressed by itself even still. Silverstream found her annoying and unbearable.

"If you believe the pretty, little princess is the only one in trouble, think again. Let's just say I would recommend you surrender when we come for you, else your families might not be around to see you again. Or maybe I'm bluffing? Tssk, tssk, tssk. Who can tell, really?"

The radio transmission cut out abruptly, and reverted to pure static. Someone finally bent over the table and turned the device off, ushering the room in silence, finally.

Silverstream, for her part, simply turned about, back to that stupid thing that had spouted all those things, and marched out of the room, both angry and upset at a lot of different things. But that didn't matter to her then. She was concerned about her friend, because whatever she was feeling, Skystar was probably feeling it three times over.

Adagio was ready for another endurance test on her temper. Sonata, of all creatures, had asked to speak to her as soon as possible about something she had apparently 'invented'. The thought of her teal-coloured helper 'inventing' anything inspired boredom and frustration as much as it did dread.

When the door to her bedroom opened without a prior knock, she already knew who it would be. Nopony under their spell would have been suicidal enough to carelessly roam into her chambers like that. One creature, though, continuously was.

"Adagio! Oh good, you're here!" The youngest of the three sirens as familiarly loud and cheerful, which fell on rather deaf ears for an Adagio that was resting on her bed, eyes closed.

"Of course I'm here, Sonata. This is my room, you know."

"Well yes! But we all have a lot to do now and you and Aria are always doing thing together and also there's that new Hippogriff you tasked and also-" Sonata paused and took a deep breath. "Aaanyway, I was looking for you!"

"Yes, you told me so." Adagio's eyes opened to a squint as she looked up and over at her companion who floated in the water besides her bed. "Care to tell me why or do you just plan on standing there all-day?"

"Oh right!" Sonata replied as if she had completely forgotten up until then. "So, you know how this resistance thing came to be because it's, like, really hard for us to sing to everyone at least once, right?"

"Right," Adagio replied coldly.

"And you know how it's suuuper hard and tiring to do that for, like, millions of creatures?" the teal siren continued.

"Yes."

"And you know how you tried to use that radio thing a few weeks ago to see if we could spread our song through that, but it didn't work?"

"...Sonata, what is your point?"

"Ta-daaa!" Adagio's eyes, previously barely open as she rested on her bed, shot open wide as Sonata revealed a glowing item from behind her back. The yellow siren hadn't even noticed how her guest had kept one fin behind her back that entire time until now, but here she was presenting a black necklace, with a stainless, refined, red gem hanging from it. A perfect, albeit smaller, copy of the very gems inlaid upon the chest of the sirens themselves. "Eh? Ehhhh?" Sonata continued, teasingly presenting her product as she moved it about left and right. "What do you think?"

Sonata brought out a wide smile as Adagio rose from her resting position and tried to immediately snatch the necklace, but its 'inventor' was faster and pulled back in time.

"Not so fast, now!"

"Sonata, what... what is this!?" For perhaps the first time since their return... or ever, maybe, the self-anointed leader of the trio felt respect for the usual clutz of the group. This.... yes, yes this seemed interesting even on a surface level. "This isn't just jewelry you found in a store, is it?" she asked further, just to make sure.

"Nope! I had this made fro magical crystals! You know, the ones that are really, really rare over here?"

"But... only the Crystal Empire has-"

"Double nope! Turns out ponies just needed to dig! There's a few sprinkled around on Aris, so I took them and had some tests done."

Adagio blinked at the ditzy siren twice over, and shook her head as if waking from a brief trance. "Tests? Are you telling me you made this?"

"Somehow!" Sonata seemed surprised by her own words, but the result she was holding in her left fin was proof enough. "Ok, to be fair, it took like, a lot of attempts... but it worked! On an unrelated note, the research lab near Howlington blew up..."

"The-"

"Twice."

Sonata could only blush and look innocent as Adagio facepalmed hard, shaking her head. And to think she had been proud of Sonata just a moment ago.

"Ugh, nevermind that. What does it do?"

"Basically, it's like our own gems. Whoever wears it is able to enthrall others with their singing. But! There is an added catch!"

"Being?"

"I had the spell modified by fusing it with our own magic spell. Anycreature wearing this will be put under our spell, and anycreature they themselves sing to will therefore also fall under our spell."

Slowly, this time, Adagio reached out for the necklace, and this time, Sonata was glad to pass it on.

"So you mean to tell me that you found a way for us to pass on our spell to others and spread it even faster, further, and more thoroughly?"

She inspected the gem carefully, stroking its crystal clear surface with her left fin. This was not a joke item, she could tell. She saw herself mirrored in it, and likewise saw the sinister grin that formed on her face.

"Yep!" Sonata appeared to reply very simply, but still carrying the same type of happy smile as before. She was glad her invention had caught on with her personal idol.

"Sonata, how many of these can you make?"

That question caused the teal siren to pause for a little, and she shrugged with a slightly embarassed grin.

"Ehhh, not a lot. It's still a prototype, and the exact crystals it needs are pretty hard to find. I guess... maybe one every two months? Assuming I don't blow- I mean, assuming the scientists don't blow anything up. That's what I meant to say." She nodded and crossed her fins confidently. Adagio rolled her eyes for but a moment at the remark.

"Hmph. Then we'll have to make the most out of the ones we can get." The siren leader held up the necklace before her face, letting the gem dangle in front of her eyes. "Tell Aria we- no, you, have found another key to solving the magic deficiency problem."

"Tell Aria about the magic defa... defe..."

Adagio lowered the necklace and groaned.

"Just tell her you found something to help with our magic problem," Adagio repeated, in laypony's terms.

"Got'cha!" Sonata responded, and was already moving back out as she forgot to shut the door behind her.

Sforzando

The door to Skystar's office clicked as Silverstream shut it behind her before approaching her friend who sat behind her makeshift work desk. She had been called urgently, half expecting to be needing to calm and comfort her friend as he had had to do several times before then. Not that she minded, though. Things were all too bleak, and for Skystar to be the one bearing the brunt of it all was... rough, to say the least, but more so cruel.

"Silverstream, I... I have bad news."

Even the friendship student had lost her usual positive outlook these days, and just stood straight, listening.

"According to a radio broadcast, the sirens hit Crack and Aris First's resistance. Maybe Raft really was a spy, I don't know, but they're effectively wiped out."

"Dead?" Silverstream asked

"There seems to have been a gunfight for their base but... beyond that, everycreature was taken prisoner."

Skystar sighed, clenching fists with both her claws as they rested on the desk before taking another deep breath and loosening those same fists.

"Crack and all the others know where our base is. Who we are, and who Posada and all his followers are, too, from their time together here. This place isn't safe anymore."

Silverstream gulped. She wasn't made for these kinds of things. Adventure, yes, but not life-or-death situations where she was on the run from the law... especially not when 'law' was having your free mind stripped away with magic.

"T-Then we must get out of here, and quickly!" the Hippogriff spoke up, accidentally stuttering a bit. "Right?"

A bleak, dreadful silence loomed. Silverstream tried to be patient, because she knew things were rough on her friend. While in the past the two had been very much alike, and acted on what often seemed to be a whim, now that was not the case at all. She felt and saw Skystar try to aspire to be somepony bigger than herself in this time of crisis. All that effort, though, had come back to haunt her with what had happened to the resistance, though.

Skystar twiddled her talons and closed her eyes, deep in thought. Silverstream almost went and spoke up, but forbade herself at the last moment. Then, she saw her friend shake her head slowly.

"No," the princess muttered. "No, I don't think we can."

"Skystar...?"

The former royal opened her weary, sleepy eyes to again look at her old friend, whose face was practically begging for her to help her, to save her and everypony else. Skystar closed her eyes again, because she couldn't. She couldn't save Aris.

"The sirens have us cornered, Silverstream. They know who and where we are, and they won't leave us be until they run us down by force if need be. Not to mention... they have hostages..."

The pink-feathered Hippogriff frowned as a tear escaped Skystar's left eye, though it was quickly wiped away.

"My mum, she... I can't, Silverstream. I can't keep on running."

"Skystar, they're toying with us!" insisted the pink Hippogriff. "That's what they want us to think!"

"I know." Silverstream fell silent at Skystar's deadpanned reply. "I know that. But I'm not sure if I care anymore, or if I can mount up the courage to resist."

The young student moved in a little closer, and put one claw on Skystar's desk.

"You still have me. And all of the others around here. We're all there for you."

Skystar shook her head again, however.

"What good will that be?" She finally opened her eyes again, and only now could Silverstream tell just how watery they were. Skystar must have been holding back tears, but they began to pour out now. "What good will it be!" Skystar shouted as her eyes turned red from the tears. "What good will it be!" she yelled out again.

She tried to breathe but coughed repeatedly inbetween sobs. Silverstream wanted to move around the desk to come and comfort her as she so often had, but Skystar held out a claw to oppose and stop her.

"Silver... Silverstream..." the broken princess stuttered intermittently, "...I don't think you can stay..."

"So... you do want us to get out of here?"

"No... no, just you, Silver." She sniffed and lowered her held out claw to wipe her eyes. "The sirens, they... they'll be here anyday now. We can't keep running so..."

"Skystar..." Silverstream whispered with a frown.

"so... we'll just have to go down trying in here..."

"Skystar, think about this!" her friend pleaded. "Think about what you're doing, please!"

"I did. Or, I hope I did... everything is a mess now and... I... I don't know anymore." The royal sniffed and turned her head away from Silverstream. "I know I messed up a lot but... maybe one day there will be ponies braver than myself to free us."

Silverstream's mouth opened to speak, but she found herself unable to voice much of anything in response. She watched instead as her friend, weak on her feet, reached out to the desk and retrieved a purple letter. Her eyes widened when said letter was presented to her.

"Silverstream. I beg of you. Please, you have to get to Equestria. Find the Elements... anypony that would help us. Give them this and plead for help. The future of our people and... probably me, too, will depend on it."

The pink Hippogriff remained locked in place, unmoving as if petrified by the offer.

"I'm tired, Silverstream," Skystar continued to insist. "I can't keep running. I don't wanna. Not anymore."

Slowly, her friend's right claw came up to meet her own. She felt an unusual sense of relief as the envelope was taken from her grasp.

"I've arranged for a last trip into the open seas via fishing trawler. That should get you a ticket away from here without immediately attracting attention. From there, you can fly or swim to Equestria... hopefully."

Silverstream looked down at the envelope she was holding, then her friend, then the envelope again. She moved her claw, quickly, almost shedding a tear on it as she, too, teared up now.

That's when she felt her friend press up against her, her arms wrapping around her neck and pulling her into a tight hug that was equally comforting and necessary for both of them. Sobs came from both ends, and Silverstream was quick to return the gesture as her own arms wrapped around her longterm friend.

"I'm sorry, Silverstream... I tried so hard but... I can't do it..."

The friendship student shut her eyes, enduring and enjoying these moments.

"I know."

"Can you... forgive me, for all this, before you go?"

"There is nothing I could blame you for to begin with, Skystar."

In any other situation the two friends might have chuckled and laughed together. Now, they just remained bonded and wrapped up together for what felt like hours to them. They didn't mind. It was perhaps the first real, true comforting moment after weeks and weeks of hardship, terror and loss. Knowing it might be the last timey they got to enjoy the gesture only made them sob louder and press the hug tighter.

The clock was close to striking 4 AM. The sun was probably only just dawning. Not that any of them could tell.

Bunched up inside the warehouse, everygriff had been ripped out of slumber by the sentries raising the alert as hostiles approached. Quickly suited and geared up for a fight, even Skystar now stood among them with rifle in claws. The princess looked grim, visibly worn out, but even still she was the last remaining role model for many of the fighters and their last remnant of iconic, inspiring leadership.

Some of the Hippogriffs raised their guns at the large metal doors the attackers were attempting to breach open. They heard the furious banging first, then as there were kicks made against it. It wouldn't hold forever, and the sirens andtheir henchgriffs certainly wouldn't just pack up and leave, either.

The worst part was not even that they knew they couldn't win - they were hopelessly surrounded and outnumbered - but the fact that the creatures outside were, at least in part, friends and even family of those in the hall. They could hear them shouting from time to time, telling them to open up, to surrender. It was creepy and honestly kind of sickening, but Skystar was almost used to it now. Others weren't, and especially the younger fighters were shivering, made painfully obvious by the noise their rifle made in their claws.

Skystar, for her part, was at least a little bit relieved that she hadn't heard the voice of her own mother out there yet. Jokingly, she told herself it was royal privilege that was the reason for it. Her mum was too valuable as a hostage to risk losing in a raid like this. These other enthralled Hippogriffs though? The sirens probably didn't care at all. They were noponies to them, but not to the ones inside this warehouse.

"Princess." Skystar perked up, turned to her right and saw face-to-face with a sergeant who only held his rifle a little tighter, foregoing the usual salute. "Your majesty... what are we gonna do?"

There was no reply as the young royal remained painfully silent. Her head turned towards the doors again as the banging resumed, this time with what looked to be a hammers or some sort.

"P-Princess, majesty!" the Sergeant inquired again, louder this time. His voice inadvertently attracted the attention of everygriff around. "What do we do! What are your orders, ma'am!"

Skystar gulped. Before she could even bother responding, another griff, a young fellow and ordinary rebel, raised his voice.

"We aren't really gonna shoot our own folks, are we? Princess?"

"They're puppets! It's the only way!" another responded in contrast.

"They're friends and family! We can't just do this! We're no better than the sirens, then!" a third chimed in.

Quickly, the hall was beginning to emerge into a large mess of heated conversations on what to do in the absence of leadership. Skystar was no siren but... even she could feel the hatred and negative emotions seep out from everygriff and flood outside, to be feasted upon.

They had all been played. Or, were they? Had they been played, or was it just she who had been fooled, and everyone else ran along with her? Had her royal titles caused all these creatures to follow her, and now they were doomed? Perhaps. It didn't matter, now.

"Silence." Skystar said. "Silence!"

And so did silence shroud the room, as if by a button press, Some looked petrified, others wary, other expected great words of encouragement to come, but Skystar had none left to give.

"I... thank you all, for going this far along with me. The past weeks, months, have all dragged us through hardship and unrest, and I cannot possibly imagine the courage it must have taken to stay and put your faith in me. For that, I have to thank you all."

They all grasped their rifles a little tighter as a big bang came from the doors as something big and heavy crashed into it. There was now a visible dent in them. It wouldn't hold for very much longer.

"But... I can't ask any of you to do this for me. The sirens know who we are and where we are, and have our families gathered outside. If we retaliate now, it would be us who were the criminals as we gun down our friends and families."

The princess shook her head sternky as everyone looked at her with a mix of dread and disbelief.

"I was once meant to be Queen after my mother, but that was then. Hippogriffia may be lost, but I trust that the flame of harmony will live on elsewhere, and that our friends abroad will set us free from the sirens' spell in time. But until then..."

A loud echo rang out as the wood and metal of Skystar's rifle hit the ground below as she dropped it.

"Until then, we must endure this hardship."

Another bang against the door, then another. The door looked just about ready to bend or break outright any second.

A series of rippling, loud echoes of wood and metal hitting the floor. One rifle after another, dropped as one soldier surrender after another. Skystar was unsure if she was meant to be happy everygriff followed her along, then. That everyone was surrendering, and giving up hope. Seemed like the opposite of what she should have said, and definitely the opposite of what she had always believed in. She did have one last sliver of hope, thinking back to Silverstream.

Ah... she hoped she was alright. They should be on their way to the maritime border by now, and in a few days, Silverstream should be reaching Equestria proper. That was perhaps one of the last chances Hippogriffia had, now. Yes... the last hope. Hope which they, right here and there, did not have. Between surrendering to a terrible foe and becoming a terrible foe themselves by gunning down their friends who had no choice but to obey... they chose to fall as heroes, at least.

A terrible sound rippled through the large hall as the doors were busted open. Bright light from the outside streamed inside through the new opening, and briefly blinded Skystar. She held up a claw to cover her eyes, but before she could even so much as raise her hands, a Hippogriff with a mindlessly numb frown and stare lunged towards her. The last thing she had at that moment was the butt end of their rifle. Then a fade to black as she began to lose her senses, and a thud as she faintly felt her limp body drop.

A Capella

Everything had turned to darkness. She couldn't remember what had happened. Where was she? Was she... dead? She tried to move but found that she could not, her limbs not responding as if they weren't there at all, yet she could feel a stinging pain that reminded her that, no, she was certainly alive.

A weak moan escaped her mouth, aching with pain as her body involuntarily twitched in pain. She was waking up, slowly. What little strength she had was returning to her. She tried to open her eyes but her eyes were too heavy. Gods, she felt all her exhaustion return to her now and... and the pain, too. Aurgh.

She tried to lift herself up, one claw at a time, but fell flat on the ground with a thud, hitting a surprisingly soft ground below. Finally she managed to rally what strength she had to at least get a glimpse of the world around her, and her eyes slowly opened. They revealed a soft, red carpet underneath her talons. It... seemed familiar, for some reason. She tried to turn her head but, no way, her head ached and she groaned in pain at just the attempt alone. Resting her head instead, the Hippogriff tried to focus her sight and looked ahead, but saw only blurred visions. A distinct, blurred construct or... creature of blue, another purple and then a final golden, no, yellow one? It... was hard to tell.

"...ell then...cess..."

She closed and opened her eyes to try and see clearer, but it just was not to be. Argh, and that pain in the back of her head was only worsening, she felt, nevermind the muffled voice speaking to her through what sounded like a mile long tunnel and with at least 10 echoes all at once.

"..et her up..." the voice boomed and echoed again.

She jolted as a set of hooves grabbed her buzzing head and quickly pulled it upwards, causing her world to spin for a second time from just that movement alone. She looked visibly dazed, her eyes wandering as she closed and opened them repeatedly in an attempt to regain her senses.

"...r princess..." the voice echoed for a third time. She kept her eyes shut for a bit, huffing as she tried her best to focus somehow and get herself back to working order, all whilst feeling somepony grasping her mane, which wasn't particularly comforting either.

"Isn't that right, princess?"

Skystar's eyes shot open, adrenaline beginning to pump through her fishy veins as she identified that voice. Adagio.

"Ah. I think you might finally have woken up?" Adagio said with a wide, vile grin.

Skystar shook her head, or tried to, but only managed to do it briefly before the pony behind her intensified their grasp on her mane and consequently her head, keeping it in place, eyes front. There, she took in what was once part of her home - the throne room, the center piece of the Royal Palace in Seaquestria. Except this was not the place she'd once known. Odd-coloured banners hung from the ceiling, the two outermost ones depicting some flag she had never seen before, whereas the 3 in the center hung from above the three thrones arranged for each siren. One teal banner, one purple one, and finally a yellow one, each with the signature markings of the siren in question.

"Sleeping on the job? I expected better," Aria said, grinning as much as Adagio did.

"Wakey, wakey, princess," Sonata called out with a mean smirk, "you'll miss the show!"

The trio seated before Skystar began to laugh and cackle which, for better or worse, shook Skystar awake, at least.

"Awww... poor thing, you," the lead siren faked, "all alone, are you? Where did all your friends go?"

"Where is that resistance of yours, princess?" Aria added on.

"Oh sorry! Guess we forgot they're all locked up. Sorry there!"

For a second time the three broke out into laughter, thoroughly enjoying their victory over what remained of the once proud and active princess.

"Where..." Skystar weakly coughed up.

"What was that?" Aria responded.

"Gotta speak up!" Sonata added.

"Where... are they..." the princess managed to get out quietly.

"Ah, your friends, was it?" Adagio retorted. "Why, they're safely in the dungeons, of course. Well, besides for two special guests, anyway."

Skystar didn't like the sudden, big grin on Adagio's face as she said that.

"I suppose there's no harm in a brief reunion, right girls?" The yellow siren looked both left and right, but only saw confident smirks, and continued by clapping her fins together to summon two additional guards into the room, which pushed before them each a prisoner. Skystar couldn't physically turn around to look, her head still locked in place by what she presumed to be a guard as well, but she heard as the other two prisoners were essentially hurled onto the floor violently. She heard painfully familiar voices both to her left and right as the prisoners groaned and moaned as she had. The cuffs that bound their hooves rattled as they were made to sit upright just the same way as Skystar.

"Posada..." the princess gave out, closing her eyes again. "Crack..."

"Argh... princess..." Crack Lightning returned quietly, recovering from the impact on the floor.

"They got you, too?" Posada voiced, somewhat louder and clearer than his counterpart on the left.

"If you will excuse us, I think we have a schedule to upkeep," the yellow siren interrupted, sitting somewhat casually in her pompous, golden throne.

"Gah... what did you do to the others!" Posada barked back.

"We already told your little royal here. They're waiting for you... in prison, that is," Aria replied.

"You'll be meeting them soon with a gift!" Sonata cheered.

"What are you talking about? We're not going anywhere unless you tell us if everypony is alright!" Crack demanded, and was quickly met with a flattening choir of laughter from his captors.

"Bahaha! Oh yes, I am sure you are quite the defiant one! Or, you are now, but in a minute or two I'm not so sure."

Crack gritted his teeth at Adagio's remark. "Never! I'll never be your puppet!"

"How did you... find us, even?" Skystar asked, silencing the other two captives with her question.

"It all depends on the methods and means, dear princess," Aria remarked with a grin, very much proud of what she personally believed to be primarily her personal victory over the resistance. "A helping hoof here, a little espionage there, and a general sowing of mistrust and deception wherever you do go. It wasn't all too hard once I had found a way to crack your shell."

"Once we found a way," Adagio corrected.

"Sorry, Adagio, but to my knowledge you told me the resistance wasn't an issue originally?"

The two elder sirens glared at one another and grumbled.

"Hmph." Seldom showing herself defeated willingly, the lead singer allowed her contender this small victory just this once, and turned her attention back towards the spoils of war lined up for her. "If I must be specific, Crack Lightning here is an excellent orator and pilot, and certainly is remarked to be very brave." Crack himself cringed a little at the praise from the siren. "Unfortunately you're a rather... hmm, I suppose Violet Facade's records were a little vulgar, so let me just say you were regarded as a rather oblivious, simple-minded individual. Easily distracted, easily fooled."

Skystar and Crack didn't even realise it, but Posada tried her best to get a glimpse of Crack at that time, but wasn't able. Still, she rolled her eyes, thinking back to when she had quite literally warned everypony about this guy and called him out for being an idiot.

"Not to mention your red friend there - literally, I suppose," Aria added and spoke, hinting to Posada who perked up as she was mentioned. "Scatterbrain and seemingly traumatized after capture by the Storm King. Though not as oblivious as Crack, she's so easily convinced of the 'good' in somepony else, believing in second chances."

Aria seemed to chuckle at the mention of Posada wanting to give ponies a second chance in life, as if it were a negative trait. The communist partisan bit her tongue and hissed.

"I mean, really, how could we not win this, you guys!" Sonata exclaimed. She chuckled to herself briefly and added "you almost made it to easy for us, in the end."

"Why you..." Crack grumbled, and felt a consequent pull at his mane from behind, as if to discipline him and get him back in line. "Argh!"

"I know this is a bad time, Skystar, but..." Posada spoke up, "I tried to warn you about Raft Wood. I told you that pony was a spy of theirs."

Surprisingly, the sirens laughed at that notion. Adagio held up a fin and signalled for the other two to simmer down, and the laughter died out with her command.

"Funnily enough, your friend Raft Wood isn't under our spell. Not yet, anyway."

"W-What? No way!" Posada hastily replied.

"I told you! I told you he was on our side! It's all your damn fault!" Crack hissed back.

"You had no damn proof! And who in tartarus was meant to know!?" Posada argued back vocally. The sirens leaned back and enjoyed the argument for the moment. They really didn't even have to cast a spell on these fools to feed on their negativity.

"Anypony with emotions, or at least a rational sense of compassion would have done as we did!"

"You were a blind fool and still are, Crack!"

"Oh, bite me you-"

"Please."

The two paused at Skystar's quiet vocalisation.

"Please. Stop." She sighed audibly. "Can't you see that this is exactly what they want? This is what they drove us to do. To become. We played right into their hooves by turning on one another. Does it even matter if Raft Wood was enthralled or not when we were giving the sirens more hate to feed off of than Raft could ever give them?"

"I..." Crack mumbled, wanting to let his head hang low in shame, but he squinted as he was reminded that his head was still kept in place forcibly. "Argh. I'm... so sorry, princess. And Posada."

"To think we're really sitting here and doing this crap in our last moments..." Posada contemplated out loud.

"Ah... crap..." Crack sighed. "Posada, look, I... sorry."

"Yeah... me too."

"Oh, lovely, lovely," Adagio chimed in, sounding off a slow golf clap. "However, as cute as that is, I believe the cutesy friendship talk is over."

"So what? You're gonna turn us into your thralls now?" Crack asked.

"Why not do that right away?" Posada wondered also.

"Oh we will," the siren quickly confirmed. "Well, two of you, anyway."

"You caused us a lot of trouble. We wanted to do something special for the occasion." The purple siren grinned, and rested her head against a fin of hers as she continued watching.

"Sonata? Would you do us the honours?"

"Right away!" the teal siren beamed. She lifted herself from her glimmering seat and revealed, hidden from sight from where the three prisoners were sat, a regal, red pillow, upon which a black necklace laid. Alarmingly, it carried a red gem not at all dissimilar to the one seen on the sirens.

"Is that..."

"No way..."

Crack and Posada were equally bewildered, frightened and angry as the youngest of the three sirens swam up only to stop in front of them.

"Yes way!" Sonata answered as she tilted the pillow slightly for them all to take in the item. "We figured enthralling all of you would be kind of... boring. So! Adagio had this awesome idea, which is to make you," Skystar froze when the siren pointed straight at her, "become one of the first beacons!"

"Beacons...?" Posada wondered.

"The gem enthralls its wearer under our spell as if we had sung to them directly. Additionally, if that wearer sings, they will likewise enthrall all who hear them, just like we do," Aria explained.

"We decided on 'beacons of music' for their wearers, as they will be spreading our wonderful song far and wide to ensure all hear it. Do you like it? I hope you do."

"You didn't give us much of a choice in naming, did you, Adagio..." Aria quietly complained.

"This isn't right!" Posada shouted. "You can't do this!"

"Oh, can't we?" Adagio retaliated.

"Who's gonna stop us? You?" Sonata added on, and the three of them laughed once again. Posada tried to lunge at the cursed siren standing only a few meters from her, but was still tightly held. No chance.

Skystar looked Sonata in the eyes, looking almost like a pleading dog. "Is all this really necessary...?"

"Sure it is. Adagio came up with it! Plus, I get to use my new invention here, isn't that awesome?" Sonata responded with a more light-hearted response than Skystar had expected.

"I don't know what we ever did to harm or wrong you but... I'm sorry. We don't mean you any spite or harm, we... we could be friends, if we really tried."

"Quit your begging, princess." The teal siren swam aside to clear a line of sight between Skystar and Adagio across the room, once again. "Do you have any idea what we have gone through? What we had to endure to stand here now?"

"Yeah? Well what about us? We had to go through tartarus and back once you three popped up!" Crack argued.

"Silence! I will not be compared to some mortal welps, and you're causing me to grow tired of your continued stupidity. Your comedic value has worn off."

Crack growled, but he, and Posada knew that this was hardly something they could escape from now. Skystar remained eerily quiet during all of this, her eyes locked onto the gem that was proclaimed to be her fate. She didn't have much to say back to these creatures now. She had tried, one last time, to reason and argue the pony way, but that was all pointless.

"Adagio is right. We should get this show on the road," Aria spoke, and waved through the water with one of her fins.

Skystar felt herself be pulled back even more just a tad, and she clenched her eyes shut expecting the worst. What came next was... not what she had expected.

Ear plugs. She tried to raise her hooves to remove them but could hardly move them; chained together with thick, heavy cuffs of metal. Her heart began to beat faster as the world around her was silenced. She had used and issued ear plugs aplenty in the resistance to help and protect agents if need be, but... this was perhaps the one time she didn't want to wear them.

She watched Adagio and Aria rise from ther seats, both with a big grin on their faces, until they arrived side-by-side to Sonata, only about two meters from where she and the other two were seated. Her pupils shot as far right as they could, catching just a glimpse of Posada as he kept trying to lean forward whilst shouting vigorously.

She looked forward again, and took in as the lips of the sirens all moved in unison. Adagio again took center stage, as with most of the trio's performances in history, while the other two sang in support of their de-facto leader. Skystar shook her head, finding the eerie silence of this tribunal almost more horrifying than if she were actually exposed to the siren song. She no longer wanted to take her eyes off the monsters before her, knowing that the friends flanking her would not be the ponies she had known seconds prior.

Seconds felt like minutes that moment. For how long the sirens must have sung, she could not tell. To her it seemed as if everything was on repeat, like a dreadful spiral that she was locked into. Some sort of reprisal for all her screw ups in the past, for pretending to be somepony she was not. She was never a real leader like her mother was. She was not regal and royal. She was, for all intents and purposes, a rowdy, ordinary young lady that had grown up in luxury and away from others as a result of the Storm King's invasion and the royal family's seclusion in the royal palace under the waves. Entire years of childhood bled away then... on her own. And when that time was over, she emerged a new pony. Outgoing, friendly, always looking to make new discoveries and friends.

But that was not what her mother wanted. It wasn't what the country needed, she had told her. A country needed a strong, resolute and knowledgeable ruler. She had to be strong but fair, wield a sharp stick with one hoof and flowers in the other. That was the pony her mother had envisioned for Hippogriffia's next generation to be led by. But that was not who Skystar was. It never was, and now, it never would be.

The singing stopped, apparently, as the sirens looked to be once again chuckling to one another. The purple one rolled her eyes at one point, and jabbed a fin into the teal one's side, causing her to jolt sideways. After some visible grumbling and gritting of teeth, the mood was apparently defused once more, as the three looked to Skystar specifically. Only now did she finally see Posada and Crack again, but she could immediately tell their movements were slow and mechanical, as if remote-controlled in some sense.

The teal one, picked out to be unusually cheerful among the group, shot an evil grin at the princess when noticing that she was being watched. The siren held the pillow containing the necklace out, and Posada picked it up and lifted it with one hoof.

The sirens retreated to resume their places on their thrones to watch the final act of this play in full comfort, as both Crack Lightning and Posada stared at Skystar. She felt an unbelievable dread consume her. Their pupils had shrunk considerably, and they remained unflinching. Moments ago they had been chained and held against their will, and now they stood in front of her, theoretically with an open path to the sirens, and followed their every whim.

The two seaponies approached her then, probably after a signal from Adagio if she had come to expect anything from the sirens by now. She shivered, her mouth hanging open as the two shared the necklace, Posada holding one end and Crack the other. Its gem shone in the light of the throne room as it was pulled ever closer to Skystar's chest.

Skystar closed her eyes. She couldn't bear watching what was paramount to her death as an individual. She cringed, shook and began to sweat, but no amount of sobbing or adrenaline would save her now. She reminded herself one last time of Silverstream. Skystar had no idea what day it was now, and it didn't matter, but she hoped by all that was holy and good that her friend had gotten out alive and well. Perhaps she was even in Equestria, already. Maybe, just maybe, help would arrive from their friends overseas. Maybe. She twitched, realising that if the Elements arrived now, she would be made to fight them. She would probably fight Silverstream, too. Or enthrall her, if that purple siren was honest about all this.

She clenched her eyes shut as hard as she could and focused for what was probably the last time as she felt the leathery collar of the necklace being placed around her neck. She felt a strange, pulsating sensation from her chest. It felt like a second heartbeat almost. It beat faster and louder with every passing moment, seemingly looking to silence her heart and mind both.

She concentrated as her body began to disobey her commands. She lost the feeling in her hooves and rear, and whatever it was was quickly moving up her body from there. She wasn't sure anymore if she was crying, shouting or calm as ever, as she completely lost her sense of self, her heart completely inaudible over the hypnotizing beat of the aura from her chest.

She focused back one final time. She remembered the hug she had shared with Silverstream before she went off to Equestria, and she remembered the last time her mother had lectured her, only to hug her for half a minute after, unwilling to let go. Only now did Skystar realise that she hadn't failed her mother at all. She was always going to be her dearest daughter. She embraced that final moment, that last hug they shared, as a tidal wave rushed through her head and flushed away what was.

The trio of sirens chuckled, while the two former friends of the princess stood before her mindlessly, waiting for orders. The gem on the Hippogriff's neck pulsated, and finally glowed brightly in its natural colour as the sirens' own would. The eyes of the princess shot open and flashed an unnatural, magical aura of red before showing a picture similar to that of the other two seaponies before her.

Epilogue

Silverstream huffed heavily with exertion. It had taken her 3 days of travel to reach the Equestrian shore, not to mention the day before then in which she was bypassing the strict watch of the sirens and their minions as she inconspicuously left for internal waters by means of an old fishing trawler. She was almost surprised not to have been caught, but then again the sirens were probably busy with Skystar and the others.

The City of Baltimare was not the biggest, but it was the largest industrial and urban hub in the Equestrian southeast. It was also the only town in the southeast that Silverstream actually remembered by name, and so it had become the natural destination for landfall. By the time she'd arrived, she was exhausted, hungry and thirsty, and really needed a day's rest. She was already garnering some odd looks from the inhabitants as she wandered the streets, but wasn't sure if that was because Hippogriffs were still a rarity in Equestria or because she looked like she hadn't cleaned her feathers for a year.

She'd wanted to take a breather so badly, but a voice in her mind forbade it. Forbade her from finding a hotel for the night, or grab some food at a restaurant, or anything like that. She was on a mission, and one that all her friends and family hinged on. She couldn't just sit back now and take her time. This letter... it had to reach the Princess of Friendship, and fast.

The lone Hippogriff made her way to the train station instead. That was another benefit for landing in Baltimare, as it was the furthest extent of the Equestrian railway network down southeast. Beyond this point it was dirt roads at best and dense jungle at worst. She had a hard time deciding if jungle was a preferable alternative to the huge desert in the southwest, where she heard the buffalos lived among others. Oh well.

The train slowly rolled out of the station, and the friendship student wasted no time in ordering on-board refreshments during the trip. Two bottles of water and three bags of peanuts. It was better than nothing, and at least the water rejuvenated her visibly. Prices were incredibly inflated just for being served aboard a train, but she didn't complain.

She rested her head against the backrest of her seat and closed her eyes. The end of the line would be Canterlot main station, with the second-to-last stop being Ponyville, but it would still be a 4 hour journey until then, roundabout. She dozed off, and caught up on the sleep she had been missing out on. Slowly, the rumbling of the train carriage or the steaming of the engine far ahead faded.

She found her eyes open once more, and suddenly found herself in some grim, almost abandoned-looking village. She looked to her left and right, but nopony was to be seen. She intended to shout 'Hello?' and 'Anypony there?' but found her beak wouldn't open. She raised an eyebrow, and wanted to raise a claw to touch her beak, but likewise her limbs would not do as she ordered them to. She felt her heartbeat accelerate as panic came over her.

Fine... this was fine... she was probably just exhausted after her trip... Yeah.

"H-Hello?"

She perked up as a voice called out, after all. She meant to move around to face where she believed it to have come from, but her stupid limbs just wouldn't do it.

"Hello? Can you hear me?"

Yes! Yes she could hear them! But why couldn't she move!?

She was almost surprised when she began to move after all, but not on her own accord but seemingly independent of her own volition. Steadily, slowly, almost like some form of machine, her body shifted to face a lime-green pony that had snuck out of what was probably her home's front door. Or maybe just some kind of hideout? Just what was this place, anyway?

"You... oh, oh no! No!" Silverstream was baffled as the pony scrambled and dropped onto her belly for a moment in panic. "Dear Celestia, please!"

The look of absolute horror on the pony's face was evident as her frantic attempt to escape boiled down into cowering and placing her hooves over her ears.

Silverstream was so confused. Had she somehow missed a memo? Were Hippogriffs the bad guys in Equestria somehow? What had gone wrong here?

Her head moved to look down upon her chest, and everything became clearer... if not a lot scarier. A necklace hung from her neck, and dangling from it, a red gem akin to those the sirens themselves possessed. The stone began to glow in an ominous red light as her right claw moved upwards and grasped the stone, her talons moving slowly across it as if gently caressing it.

What. Was. Going on!? What was she doing!? Who even was she, at this point? Where was she, and why was she doing any of this!?

She tried her best to scream, to voice a warning and tell the pony to help her... but the pony was in no position to do much of anything but cower in fear anyway. Not that her own beak obeyed her commands to begin with.

Her eyes fell shut as she felt her beak opening after all. She tried to scream instead of letting out whatever she would do to the pony, having gotten the hint of what was gonna happen by now.

"Miss?"

Silverstream's body shook and twitched violently as a hoof pushed against her shoulder. She gasped, and took multiple deep breaths. Slowly, her eyes turned left, to her seat partner.

"Sorry... but didn't you say Ponyville was your stop?"

She briefly inspected the brown-coated pony, then flicked her head back around to the right, looking out the window to see they were stopped at a train station. This one, in particular, she knew very well. Ponyville.

"A-Ah!" she gave out, realising she was going to miss her stop momentarily. "Yes, yes, yes! Sorry!"

She got up and gave the pony no chance to make way as she pushed past into the aisle, her wing clipping the face of the helpful pony by accident. "Sorry sorry sorry sorry!" Silverstream called out over and over as she rushed out of the carriage to arrive on the train platform.

She took a few deep breaths again. She needed a second or two to... process things. A nightmare? Yeah. Yeah, probably. It felt surreal though and... ugh. It made her shiver even now, thinking back to it. Is this how the sirens felt when they sung to helpless creatures? Yikes.

She shook her head, quickly spreading her wings and lifting off to hover above the ground before beginning her short journey over towards the Princess' castle. It was good to see it again after such a long time, especially in the situation she now found herself in. She looked around further, seeing if perhaps she could find any of the elements roaming about at this time, but had no luck with that. Oh well.

The flapping of her wings increased as she braced herself in her descent, before finally touching down safely. She took a deep breath and moved up to those big doors. The princess was no stranger to her, far from it, but usually they had spoken in a relation of teacher and student, or simply as friends. This was something far more dire and formal... and she wasn't sure how that would work out.

With a gulp, she knocked on the door once, twice, and then a third time. She took a step backwards, waiting for a response.

A heavy thud and click as it sounded like somepony turned the lock on the doors, and then one of them opened.

"Oh, hello Silverstream!" Spike's familiar voice gave out as he appeared in the door. Sweet relief to finally hear a familiar face in a familiar country.

"Hey Spike!" she replied with her usual positive demeanour, forgetting about the grim background of her visit for but a moment.

"Haven't seen you visit for a bit. Came to visit Twilight?"

"You could say that. Is she around?"

Spike nodded and waved her along. "Follow me."

The pink-feathered Hippogriff nodded and followed along, taking care to close the door behind herself as she did. Spike led her through the winding halls of the huge castle which, in her mind, still seemed smaller on the outside than it really was on the inside, which was saying a lot given how it was already huge on the outside.

They entered the library to the sound of book pages being turned. Figures, Silverstream thought to herself.

"Hey Twi! Silverstream came over to visit!" Spike remarked as he halted and presented the guest to the purple alicorn.

"Heya Profess- I mean, princess," Silverstream greeted.

Twilight chuckled, placing a bookmark in the thick book she was reading before closing it. "You know you can just call me by name, Silverstream. We're friends, after all." She hopped off her seat placed around the cutie map and moved towards her guest. "Besides, you and the others graduated, so I'm not your teacher any longer."

"Wellll, old habits die hard, right?" Silverstream joked.

"Right." The princess chuckled into her hoof. "Well, what brings you all this way back to Ponyville?"

Silverstream's positive frown made the equivalent of a U-turn as it quickly turned into a depressing frown. Twilight's demeanour soon followed as she observed, visibly concerned.

"Silverstream? Is everything... alright?"

The Hippogriff shook her head. "No. No it's not, princess. Err, Twilight."

"What's wrong?" Spike asked, placing a claw up against the Hippogriff's own.

"It's Hippogriffia, we..." She stumbled over her own tongue, finding no real way to explain what had even happened. It was all so nonsensical in a way. "The sirens attacked and took over. Everyone is under their control now I think and Skystar told me to-"

"The sirens?" Twilight interrupted. "But according to Starswirl they were banished long ago. Are you really sure?"

"Very," the young griff replied with a nod. "I never did see them, else I wouldn't be here probably, but I saw what they did to others! All zombie-like, and they always fight and argue with one another!"

Silverstream looked close to losing it, so Twilight placed a calming hoof on her friend's back. Even with the absurdity of the situation, Twilight wanted to take it seriously. As quirky as Silverstream tended to be, there was usually a core of truth to her ramblings and fears.

"Calm down. We're both here for you. Now, can you explain what happened in detail?"

Silverstream nodded once again, took a deep breath to calm herself, and began reciting the horrific happenings of the last two months.

"It all started when a few ponies began acting weird. Once friendly and outgoing, they turned sour and hostile, always mad at you for nothing. I guess we realised too late how big of an issue it really was, and the sirens used them to take over the government. Skystar and I tried to organise some semblance of resistance to fight back but..."

"But?" Spike wondered.

The Hippogriff shook her head. "It all fell apart. Skystar sent me here, to you, as a last request."

"A last request?" The Alicorn looked appalled and was starting to look frightened herself, now. "You don't mean-"

"Not that, no," Silverstream interjected. "But I can only assume she's with them now. All of the resistance is. I don't know of anypony else who escaped."

"What about Queen Novo?" Twilight asked.

"We heard her over the radio one time, but she's already under their control. Skystar never really recovered from hearing her mum like that, I don't think..."

Twilight removed her comforting hoof as Silverstream looked for the envelope on her person, quickly presenting the purple item to her friend.

"Skystar wrote this and told me to bring it to you at all costs."

Briefly hesitating, Twilight grabbed the letter and moved back towards the cutie map, where she sat down on her seat. Spike and Silverstream moved along to watch her from closeby, as the princess levitated over a scissor to cut open the envelope. Retrieving the white paper, they all went silent as the princess read the contents.

"Dear Princess Twilight, dear Elements of Harmony.

I know we haven't seen one another since forever, or at least it feels like it, but I write to you in an hour of crisis. By the time you read this, our resistance holdout will probably have been found out and overrun. I saw no other solution anymore but to petition you for help, heroes of Equestria.

My home, Hippogriffia, has been taken over by an ancient enemy, the sirens. I am sure the princess will already know of their tale, as she is closer to Starswirl than me, but please trust that this letter is not a joke of any kind. My people suffer under the tyrannical rule of these 3 monsters, and are made to act in accordance to their whims. Those under their spell are no longer the creatures we once knew, and they have resorted to using enthralled ponies as hostages against us to break our spirit.

I don't have much time, now, so I'm sorry if this letter is short. There are so many, too many, things I need to take care of now, and I can feel already that things are crumbling all around me. I have decided to stay behind and see things through, but I hope at least that Silverstream has managed to slip through the sirens' defences to bring this to you.

I plead of you, as my last message written to you, to free my people from this nightmare. Like the Storm King prior, we are once again forced to endure the unbearable, but this time we are made to be complicit in the crimes of this new regime. Not even our minds will be our own, and I fear that we will turn even on you, Twilight, once you arrive to aid in our liberation.

If you are reading this, then I will probably no longer be of sound mind. Please hug Silverstream for me one more time, and take this as an apology if I should ever try to do you harm while under the sway of the monsters. Please understand that no matter the tricks the sirens play, you must remain true to harmony and friendship and stop this madness.

We look to you for freedom, because we could not free ourselves. I apologise for my failure, in that regard.

Signed,
Skystar."

Twilight leaned back. She read a few of the paragraphs twice, and Silverstream was in no hurry to interrupt her as she did so.

"Skystar gave you this?" Twilight asked just to doubly make sure.

"Yeah. I really didn't wanna leave her alone but she insisted."

Silence, again. This time, Silverstream was eager to know more, though.

"You'll help us, right? Defeat the sirens like you defeated Sombra and Chrysalis and all the others before?"

The purple alicorn put the paper down on the map and looked to her Hippogriff visitor with a frown.

"We will," she answered. "But not now."

Silverstream perked up, gasping as if someone held a hoof over her face to choke her. "Wh... what?"

"We can't help the Hippogriffs right now, Silverstream. The others? They're all over Equestria with their own things to do."

"But... Skystar..."

"I know, Silverstream. I know." Twilight hopped off her seat and wanted to comfort her guest a second time, but this time she was met with a hasty retreat backwards from the pink griff.

"You... don't believe us, do you?" Silverstream questioned, her voice clearly raising the suggestion of betrayed trust.

"I do trust you. Both of you," Twilight refuted. "But times have changed. We were able to defeat Sombra and Chrysalis at a time where magic was still undisputed, but now?" Twilight sighed. It was a rough time to be the element of magic. "Magic can do a lot of things for a pony, but even then the world is starting to grow too dangerous for us to simply go over to hostile places and shake hooves. I don't want to even imagine a timeline in which Fluttershy or Rainbow Dash get shot at while flying through the sky. And since the sirens have taken over all of the Hippogriff Kingdom? That's... probably not too far from the truth."

"Twilight, we need your help...!" Silverstream pleaded, a sense of betrayal still hinging on her voice. "If not you, nopony else will come to help Skystar and all the others!"

"I know," Twilight agreed, "but although the magic of friendship is a strong force of good in the world, it does not guarantee us safe passage. We need Equestria as a whole to get involved, have escorts and more... but Equestria isn't ready for that, right now."

"What do you mean 'not ready'? Have you seen how huge Equestria is?"

"I know what you mean, and I know why you're angry at me right now and... I think I would be too. But Equestria needs to protect itself if it's ever meant to come to your help."

The alicorn turned around and walked up to the edge of the cutie map. She waved Silverstream closer, to her side. The two of them, plus a curious Spike who climbed on top of Twilight's back to see, looked over the map for a moment.

"It's true, Equestria is pretty huge," said Twilight as she began to levitate the scissors used beforehand. Silverstream's eyes followed them as they were used to point to the northeastern frontier of Equestria, "but that also means it's a big target. You mentioned that we defeated Chrysalis at Canterlot, but that's not entirely true. The Changelings took their defeat more so as a setback, and it only seems to have made them hate ponies more than before. The thing is, they're gearing up for a full-out war this time, not just a quick and easy, deceptive takeover like before."

"What does this have to do with the Hippogriffs though?" Silverstream asked her.

"The Princesses are concerned about Queen Chrysalis overstepping the boundary and waging war, because as large as Equestria may be, it's... not exactly geared for that. As a result, the brightest minds of Equestria are being pooled to help them with organising some semblance of a fighting force to oppose changeling aggression, and to ensure peace. That's why the others aren't here, by the way."

"What do you mean?"

"Rainbow Dash is helping Spitfire and the other Wonderbolts with training recruits, Pinkie is out to recruit young mares and stallions, Applejack is helping with organising supplies thanks to her great range of connections, Rarity is helping to design uniforms in Manehattan and Fluttershy I believe is helping in Canterlot with something that is technically classified."

Silverstream was left staring and blinking like some sort of empty husk.

"I'm really, really sorry, Silverstream," the princess said to the Hippogriff one more time, dropping the scissors on the map as she let go of them with her magic. "I really wish we could help you, but everypony is tied up doing their part to keep Equestria safe right now."

"If Chrysalis has her way, there wouldn't be much of an Equestria left to help out, right?" Spike chimed in. Twilight was inclined to nod at least once.

"I promise you we will come to help as soon as able. But right now... that's not something we can afford. I would hate my home being overrun like yours as well, which is why we're trying to prevent that from happening, for now."

The friendship graduate frowned, understandably. This isn't what she had hoped for at all. She had wanted to make Skystar proud, wherever she was now, and prove that the trust placed in her was worth it. And what did she have to show for it in return? A whole lot of nothing. Even the most powerful magic of all, used to repel enemy after enemy of Equestria, was showing itself pre-occupied and powerless against the sirens.

The Hippogriff felt a hoof on her back again, and just as she looked over to Twilight, she was pulled close for a hug. She was a little irritated for a moment but... accepted it more and more. The tension escaped her body as if Twilight was taking it all in for her.

"I really am sorry, Silverstream," her former professor said quietly. "We'll save everypony in due time. Can you trust me on that?"

The alicorn waited for seconds on a reply, tightening the hug a little bit. She felt her guest's head nod in response.

"You always trusted me in the past despite everything... so yeah. I'll trust you like Skystar trusted me."

Twilight felt her former student's face bury itself into her mane. And... a quiet bit of sobbing started coming through as they remained locked in place for second after second.

"We won't disappoint you. I swear it."

Pianissimo

Author's Note

Please remember to leave a like if you enjoy the story. It helps me out a lot in bringing my work to the eyes of more people.

Enjoy the read!

Pianissimo

They had been so close. So very close. Their symphony was nearly complete, the show's final act nearly upon them. An appearance so grand and majestic, Equestria would bow to them forevermore.

So long had it taken, too. Months, no... years? They couldn't agree anymore; it had been too long by this point to recall just how long they had toiled to get where they had been. Gradually their power had grown across vast swathes of Equestria. No matter where they went, ponies adored them for the melodies they graced them with. They went far and wide, feeling like they could spread their song to all. It was in their nature to sing, to enthrall all beneath them in the beat and make them their own. It was the natural order of things, how the world should have been.

But that never came to be. Their final crescendo was never heard... All because of them.—those accursed ponies. 'Pillars' they called themselves, or maybe that name had been ascribed to them by 'fans' of theirs and had stuck. Given their flashy dress, they surely did enjoy partaking in all the glory that came with enforcing injustice whilst making it seem like they enforced law and order, protecting everyone from evil.

Yet, they weren't evil. Or, perhaps, in some distorted form they were. They were manipulative, abusive, and especially now, filled with unending hatred. But was that really 'evil'? Never had they wanted to do injustice, only to sing their perfect harmonies as nature demanded. It made them manipulate people, in the eyes of others. What made them monsters? Well, until they actually heard for themselves that is, at which point they were promptly convinced of the serenity of their vocalizations. Was that criminal? Evil?

Of course not. But that didn't matter to that hated Wizard. That stupid hat of his, extravagant and flashy as it was, not to mention his unkempt beard. He gave his stupid speech, forcing them, and the Pillars, to hear him out. They don't even remember what he told them way back then. It had been so long, and none of them cared what that demon had to say, anyway. He had cast them away before they could even muster a response.

Darkness. Silence.

It all came so... suddenly. The Pillars had told them that Banishment was their only fate, but they had never thought about actually being banished until then. The sudden blackness hit them like a kick in the gut. For those like them, darkness and silence were far worse than for any ordinary creature. No one was there to hear their beautiful voices and entrancing melodies. Nopony that could behold their glory, no one they could sing to. Nothing and nopony at all.

They were alone. For over a thousand years, all on their own, with little more than their own voices to keep them company, which... was not a positive thing, most of the time. The endless, pointless arguments and... augh, that clumsy ditz was too simple-minded to even remember the most basic of things at times.

The days went by. Days turned into weeks, then months. Slowly, year after year passed. Of course, they knew not what year it was, being all alone in the dark eclipse, but they could feel it in a way.. Their hate began to fester, year for year. Hate against Equestria, the ponies who had failed them, the world at large that was rebelling against its own natural way of things... and most of all, that deep-running rivalry with Starswirl. If only they could get a hold of that stallion now, they would not even bother bestowing upon him the gift of song. They would rather play buckball with his limp body.

And then, suddenly, a crackling noise pierced the shroud of darkness and grumbling silence they had had to call home for so long. A sliver of light, so very dim, shone into their prison now from the beyond.

Their prison... it was fading. Weakening. Decaying.

A sudden burst of energy overcame them. They dashed towards the light, as fading as it may have been. Like moths, they charged towards it... but could not escape. The opening was too slim, yet. The veil still too strong. It was too little to even glance outside. But it was more than enough for their song to pierce and be heard beyond.

Regularly, they began to chant as they had over a thousand years ago, each of them huddled up against that crack in their dungeon, hoping that somepony, anypony, would stroll by and hear their soft, perfect voices in perfect harmony.

They knew, now, that it was only a matter of time.

Forte

They felt more powerful by the day, now. With every waning day, they fed on more hate and anger. Their ancient magic, denounced by the pillars and ignorant ponies as evil, was rejoicing and returning to them bit by bit. It was such a distant memory at first, but quickly, they remembered a time when they were far more powerful and mighty than now. A time when they were so close to grandeur, and domination. Ponies far and wide adored them, and that adoration drove them to believe all others were simply unnerving, undeserving, annoying fools. Exactly what they wanted them to believe, of course.

The mortals came down to their prison more and more frequently. A few times a week at first, then eventually once a day. Now, it was at least 3 times a day, and sometimes with multiple ponies in tow, too. If they had been in any position different than this, they may have felt annoyed themselves. Singing for only one, or a handful of ponies at once was such a slow-go. What they craved was a great performance, a true show and concert like in days gone by. All should hear their voices, follow their beat and fall under their spell. But they found themselves begrudgingly complacent, at this point. Their time was fast approaching, now, after all.

The crack in their cell had splintered further, much to their delight. Sometimes it ruptured a little further while those mortals were visiting them, too, causing great delight from the outsiders as their so-called saviours were one-step closer to freedom. A delight that was definitely shared by the trio.

For over a thousand years they had been quietly, or sometimes not so quietly whenever their hot-headed leader lost her temper, contemplating their return to Equestria. Their Revenge, a swift sweep to topple Starswirl and the pillars and achieve payback for their great crimes. And once the pillars were gone, Equestria, and then the world at large would hear their voices. Everycreature would bop their heads and shake their limbs as their melody dictated. An age of strife and mutual hatred would begin, and together they would take their place as the just, natural rulers of the world. A world where musical and song ruled. As nature had intended for them.

But now? Now they were actually about to break free. It was almost surreal, in a sense. Sure they had always wanted this, and they definitely did, now, but demanding for something that seems a far cry away from actually happening, and demanding something that is perhaps a week away, now, is... different.

How were they going to rule, exactly? What was going to be their first move? What even did the world look like? And... wait. A thought crossed their mind, then. If they really had been locked up, banished to isolated oblivion for over a thousand years then... were the pillars even alive?

First desperation and dread filled them, or most of them anyway. The youngest one didn't seem to know what they were flustered about. If their designated arch-rivals were just ordinary ponies... then they were really long gone. Probably buried and long decayed, with their graves perhaps not even known to ponykind anymore. A footnote in ancient history, by chance.

The two elders felt rage overcome them. Imprisoned for all these years, a thousand years of nothingness, and then those demonic, accursed ponies have the gall to just up and die of natural causes merely years after they did this unjust crime to them!? Who did they think they were, those petty, idiotic mortals, to brazenly interrupt their world tour and final crescendo, to lecture them and lock them away! No way this was the natural way of things. No mortal could ever beat them by means intended by nature itself. It was that buffoon Starswirl and his alchemistic witchcraft magics that did this to them. Probably some demonic concotion or spell that caused all this.

And yet... they would never get their rage-filled hooves on that pathetic stallion. That fool was nothing but a skeleton by now, they reckoned.

And then... a smile crossed their lips. The clutzy ditz of their group, the youngest one, made a good point, once in a blue moon. This time, she reasoned that, since the pillars are dead, but they aren't... wouldn't that be a good thing? Wouldn't that reinforce that the pillars knew they could never defeat them in a fair fight?

Surprised, the other two acknowledged and affirmed her words. It's true, the pillars didn't so much as attempt an open fight with them. Nor did Starswirl, for all hos boastful demeanour of how great, wise and powerful he was, have the magical power to actually, truthfully 'defeat' them. Perhaps he even claimed he defeated the three of them to the ponies of Equestria, or even the pillars themselves. But he knew what he had done. And what he couldn't do. He could not destroy the trio. At best, he used his powers to try and contain them. Somehow, anyplace where they couldn't be heard or reached.

He was a fool. They heard the Seaponies approach again, for the second time that day, with another two captives in their grasp. They were terrified and resistant. Perhaps by now word has spread about them in this 'Hippogriffia' as they were told it was called? No matter. There would be no fear of them once they revealed true harmony to the Hippogriffs, and there would only be one triad that was fit to rule them, in the end. Them, and then the world.

Starswirl, you old, pathetic fool. You could not stop this show. Only delay it.

Violet Facade sat in her office within the AHAC Headquarters on Mount Aris, reading through heaps and heaps of paperwork spread out before her. Most of them read 'TOP SECRET' or 'CLASSIFIED' on them in read, bold print.

Her purple cloak of feathers, in her hippogriff form anyway, was uncleaned and uncared for these days. She looked visibly exhausted and nervous, an impression only further amplified by the visible cigarette smoke that hung in the air all throughout the office. Even now she raised a half-burnt cigarette to her beak, and inhaled deep, only to release more smoke into the already contaminated air around her. It really didn't do much to calm her nerves anymore, but she continued smoking anyways.

The blinds on her windows had been lowered days ago by her. Ever since, the only light in the room came from her desk lamp, and the occasional light from the hallway outside whenever someone entered the office. It was a depressing mood, but... it reflected her predicament perfectly in a way.

Had she messed up? Had she played her cards wrong? Could... she still turn this around, perhaps? It wasn't too late, was it?

She took out another paper from yet another classified folder. Another report from yet another agent.

"The damn Mayor of Howlington..." she muttered all to herself, quietly. She clenched her right claw into a fist and bashed it against her desk in rage, squeezing the cigarette butt she was still holding all the while. "Fuck, fuck, fuck," she continued, tossing the butt of the used-up cigarette in a half-full ashtray on the desk.

Whatever hope she had just managed to talk into herself was all but gone again, now. Word for word, her agent's report mentioned that, like virtually everyone else who was 'associated' with that cult-like organisation whom they still somehow didn't know much of anything about, the Mayor of the City of Howlington too had begun showing those same symptomps. He was suddenly hostile to his own civil servants, and even reprimanded his bodyguards and police staff. He, too, must have somehow been snatched by those people when the AHAC was looking the other way.

Her eyes darted towards the door when she heard somegriff approaching. She simply waited, petrified almost, with the paper she'd read still in her claws.

"Violet."

She relaxed a little, hearing Sandy Breeze's voice as he opened her door and let himself in.

"Yeah, I'm..." she paused for a moment as she looked at him, then broke eye contact and looked back at the report she was holding. "I'm here. Hey."

She couldn't help it but she somehow felt uneasy. Granted, she often felt uneasy in these days. People you like or love chit chat, shake hands or hug you, you part ways, and the next morning they might absolutely despise you. It's all the work of that... well, she didn't know even what to call them. They were something of a cult, but were they really? Despite these changes in attitude, nothing actually seemed to be known about what they do. What was their goal, and why weren't they a violent bunch like all those fundamentalist, esoteric cults from abroad that she'd heard so much about. Even just looking at the Batponies across the channel, in Chiropterra, had her thinking of the violent, unforgiving faith of theirs in Nightmare Moon. If you didn't praise her and follow their exact tenets? Well, forced labour would be the best outcome, though a bullet was probably more likely if what she'd heard was correct.

"-Violet!"

Violet's sleep-deprived eyes widened, and she blinked three times over as she looked over to her Deputy again.

"Damn, what's wrong with you nowadays? I was talking to you."

Had she really lost herself in thought so much just then? Ugh. Her head really was buzzing.

"Sorry, Sandy. Really. It's just..."

"Yeah, yeah, you're probably 'busy', huh? You always are. Stop looking for excuses, y'know?"

The purple-coated hippogriff sighed. In a way he was right, though the comment was rather cruel and unappreciative of all she'd been doing and sacrificing for this job. Then again, she was the reason the Cult was still rampant, with her deadeye set on the Far-Left and Far-Right instead who, ironically, were now tearing themselves and each other apart more and more on the open streets, with suspicions that the cult members were already infiltrating and using both sides to stir up trouble to cover for them. She hated that. Because it worked for them.

"What's the news?" she asked the stallion.

"Well, Posada was nearly bombed by a member of Aris First who threw a grenade into a Communist Rally. Surprisingly, nopony was seriously injured or killed, seems to have been a rather incompetent attacker anyway."

"A Grenade...? Gods.."

A deep breath, and sigh. That's all the Chief could really do.

"Police caught the griff?"

"Well, yes, but he was released the day after," Sandy said, surprisingly not seeming very disturbed at those news.

"They what??" Violet gave out. Sandy only shrugged.

"Seems to be that the local police chief is as anti-communist as you. He withheld a court trial and, more or less illegally, freed the griffon. He said the Communists were the source of all evil, and that since we, and the Queen, couldn't protect society against these kinds of threats, others have to."

Slowly, Violet felt herself fall back against the backrest of her leather office chair, her eyes falling shut.

"Does... does the Queen know of this?"

"I thought you wanted to keep it wraps? Can't decide what to do, as usual?" Sandy returned. She knew he wasn't entirely on side with her idea of keeping the cultist problem from the Queen, but even so she couldn't use the sudden hostile poking right now.

"I did. Then. But this is..."

She paused. A deep sigh escaped her beaks and she opened her eyes to stare at the ceiling. She saw the faint, thin cigarette smoke clinging there, still, though much of it was escaping through the half-opened door to her office, into the hallway now.

"This is out of our control, now. We fucked up, Sandy."

"You did. I don't think I was the one stupid enough to keep this deliberately a secret, huh?"

"Sandy, just, shut up right now, please."

"Or what? Are you gonna threaten me again? It's all thanks to you that this is happening, you know, and I told you in the past that you were far too zealous with your anti-left zeal."

Violet's eyes rolled over to eye her subordinate, but she kept her head in place. He was capable and intelligent, but his methods differed from her own. Whilst she was always suspicious of foreign influences and especially political movements, he was always willing and intending to snuff out anti-harmonic activities before they even cropped up, and requesting whatever help was necessary, even from abroad.

She diverted her eyes back to the ceiling. She tried to not think about his insults right now. They didn't usually fight like thi, and even when they disagreed Sandy didn't insult her like that, but she couldn't say she blamed him. Not now.

"We've lost control, Sandy. The Queen must know. As much as I wanted to tackle the left and right first, I fucked up and now I fear we're almost at a checkmate. Commies won't matter when everyone in Aris hates one another. And they will if we don't do anything. 3 weeks ago this Cult was purely a Seaquestrian thing that seemed contained to the Seaponies. And look at us now. It's taking over the fucking hippogriff cities, Sandy. I don't wanna say we might lose Mount Aris itself, soon enough."

"Surely you don't mean to say you're that stupid to let that happen?" her deputy inquired.

"I hope not," she answered, deflecting the hostility in his voice with a depressed monotony. "But we can't do it alone, anymore."

She leaned forward again, slowly. A brief glance at all the reports on her desk, then at Sandy.

"I'll telephone the Queen to come here post-haste. In the meantime, we might have to consolidate our... 'defences', dare I say. This group needs a reclassification, and fast. Non-violent or not, if they absorb everyone into their ranks, Aris won't be what it used to be, and we can't let that happen."

Sandy seemed to roll his eyes.

"Riiight. You want me to call some people up, then, since you're 'busy' as usual?"

"Please do," she replied simply.

"Sure. Try not to mess things up anymore than you already did, please."

The Hippogriff turned his back to the Chief of the AHAC, and moved to shut the door behind him. A quiet voice came from her, heard just before he shut the door:

"I'll try."

Cadenza

One by one, they had all fallen before them. For all of Aria's talk of this being a dangerous new world, they found that the mortals roaming it were still just as gullible and vulnerable as ever.

The sirens had gathered on the balcony of the royal palace on Mount Aris, and from there, they overlooked not just the capital below, but also much of the realm far below. They all smiled, be it out of accomplishment or because they were now one step closer to their ultimate goal. They knew that everycreature they could see was theirs to command now, as it should be. It was one pivotal step closer to a world as it should be: ruled by sirens, bowing deep before their musical brilliance and serving them as the one and only rulers of all creaturekind.

And yet, though they had accomplished much, that particular vision was still but a distant pipe dream. The road to victory was littered with threats both known and unknown, with possible betrayals and surprised, and it certainly would be contested by the pathetic militaries of the mortal realms of the three great continents. Equus, Griffonia, Zebrica. They were all theirs to rule... in due time.

For now, they savoured the moment together. A rare moment in which all three of them looked on to a common goal, where they didn't fight and bother one another as they so often did. Their banishment so long ago, and those many, many years of imprisonment had fanned hatred and lust for revenge, but in doing so also revitalised their bond... as odd of a bond as it was. They all knew they needed one another, and although they weren't the most compatible most of the time, they saw eye-to-eye often enough to remember that they each brought their own skills to their unordinary trio.

Sonata, the free-minded and friendly, if not scatterbrained and ditzy young one among the group.
Aria, the calculating and rational siren, though she often tended to overthink projects and situations the three were in.
Adagio, the somewhat self-elected and yet relatively undisputed leader of the trio. Manipulative and charismatic to a punch, though thin-skinned in arguments and often tending to overestimate her and her companions' strength.

Together, the three of them had feasted so many years ago, until their rule was interrupted and cut short by that Wizard and his friends. Now, though, they were back again, and they have become smarter and stronger than ever. With a thousand years of careful consideration and reflection, they intended to make sure that they would never again face such a horrid, unjust fate. Never again would they allow for it to happen. No, this time they would be the ones holding all the cards. It would be the ponies and their pretty little 'heroes' at their mercy, not the other way around.

They all looked at one another and gave each other a nod. The resistance was broken, its members captured and enthralled like anypony else, or had scattered into the wind. The letter was actually rather entertaining, as it would prove to be the first practical use for the beacons of magic that Sonata had helped develop. Among the few creatures bestowed this 'honour' for now, due to limited materials, was of course the princess herself.

Sonata still felt bad, to a degree. She couldn't lie to herself about that. The princess had appealed to her and the girls specifically for mercy, which, if it had come from somepony that was actually innocent, she may have considered. Yet, even as good-willed and innocent as she always tended to be, to the frustration of Adagio who had been trying to discipline it out of her, Sonata did not want mercy for Skystar.

The young siren was all for second chances, but was the princess not the one who had organised a whole bunch of ponies to group up in an attempt to overthrow them and, quite possibly, kill them? All these past weeks, Sonata had witnessed the girls dealing with the laborious task of rooting out her group, and yet she had asked her for mercy?

Sonata was kind but... not blind, and not stupid as much as Aria insisted on that at times. The sirens were ultimately a force for good, and it was ponies like the three before her that day who had caused so much carnage for everycreature. Nopony benefited from an ultimately failed resistance, all it had done was make everyone miserable and live in fear. Of course, if she were to have said this out loud, Adagio and Aria would have likely reminded her that this was 'the point' and a positive, and yet, that wasn't entirely true, and even the older two knew as much.

She saw it everywhere she looked, especially from where they were then, so high up, looking down upon their realm. Everypony who knew what a siren was knew only half the tale. The sirens were a magical, ancient race that used their magical song to entrance and enthrall others. Simultaneously, their spell created discord among the affected creatures, which is what sirens ultimately sustained themselves off of. As they fed, their magic was bolstered, and as their magic was bolstered, they grew bolder and enthralled more subjects, leading to more negativity and food.

That was what everypony was always told. That they were the malevolent creatures risen from the oceans to wreak havoc. What nopony told anyone was that villages under the spell of any siren were obviously not suddenly popped out of existence. Society had to continue... somehow, and despite all the anger ponies felt, they would always have jobs and duties to fulfill to earn their daily bread and make a living for themselves and family. And although it was true that the sirens generally made socialising awkward and tense, if not unbearable, it actually was a... unique sort of society in of itself. A closed circle, where everypony was, in a way, tended and cared for. Depending on the siren in charge, anyway.

Sonata recalled, still, when Adagio had begun teaching her about this so very long ago. It was Adagio's way to use her thralls as disposable minions to advance her goals with, little more. When it was her turn to attack a village and enthrall its inhabitants, Adagio frequently lectured and reprimanded her about her techniques. Rather than disregarding her mortal subjects as worthless, she was caring for them in an almost tenderly fashion. She was still keeping them under her spell, of course, and hate was as rampant as it was in any other siren-controlled society, but she had looked to ensure that all her subjects were healthy, fed and given at least basic accomodations. When Adagio asked for her reasoning for such extensive, seemingly pointless efforts, she told her as such:

"Well, dead ponies can't give us magic, right? So I keep them healthy enough to walk and talk, fed enough to not starve, and give them a roof and bed so that they don't die out in the open."

Much of that statement came to define Sonata's outlook on not just life, but how she treated other creatures, under her spell or not. Unlike Adagio and Aria, she was actually a proponent that not everycreature had to necessarily be enthralled to be loyal, not to mention that they would probably need a handful of free-minded individuals to run key institutions. When they weren't controlled directly by the sirens upon given an order, thralled subjects were, for better or worse, left to their own devices and retained free will. However due to the obvious... complications, that nopony wanted to work together very much anymore, it would make many things hard to accomplish. Science, Healthcare, education and more. All of these were real issues - Aria had taught her about those recently! - and they needed to be addressed in a manner that wasn't Adagio's usual 'it's not important right now' manner.

It was almost funny to Sonata, actually. They were always slighted and ascribed to be vile villains, or even demons, intent on ruling all through tyrannical use of magic. And while, yes, they did indeed want to rule all through magical means, their rule was surprisingly benevolent and unnoticeably in day-to-day life for most subjects. Aria had even argued, at one point, that certain races were pretty much unaffected by the mind-altering effects of their spell which made them inexplicably angry at others. Griffons, for example, were a prime example of a race already culturally devoted to greed, and though there were movements to shed that cloak, it only seemed to underline the theory that life was not as apocalyptic under the three as many would slander and make it out to be. If you already hated your neighbours and coworkers before their arrival, would anything really, realistically change? And if the sirens never had need to command you directly, which a minority ever would be, then was it not just the equivalent of ordinary, day-to-day life? With perhaps added bonuses of healthcare and more if the young siren had her?

Maybe.

Sonata couldn't imagine it fully, truth be told. She was comparatively inexperienced to the other two, and even then, she was always the one holding all the cards over her subjects, and never a subject herself. And yet, with the resistance in mind especially, she wanted to strive towards a better tomorrow. A better siren society, which would benefit all. One that could reasonably disspell villainous slander, would care for its citizens and protect them, and would in turn allow for a bigger and healthier magical harvest than they could imagine right now.

Alas, that project was mostly still a pipe dream as of yet. The resistance had really done a number on their magical reserves, and although they had won out, it would take some valuable weeks, if not months, for them to regain their full strength once again. She was eagerly hoping to pitch her ideas to her partners in the meantime, but knew that there were big projects for all three of them already lining the walls, not to mention that both Adagio and Aria probably had pet projects of their own in mind for running this place. She reeeally wanted to get her ideas across, and yet... as with most things in the siren group when it boiled down to a tie, it would likely boil down to a compromise, or Adagio pushing her idea through with brute force.

And indeed, though the resistance to their new rule was all but eliminated now, they still had much to do and even more things to learn. That was, primarily, what was on Aria's mind, and had been since their takeover... if not for that stupid resistance distracting her. At the very least the mortals rising against them helped prove to Adagio, in some small part, that mortal technologies were indeed dangerous and to be studied and understood.

Aria was all too aware that things had radically changed, and was still a little bit amazed at how Sonata seemed to accept things so readily, while Adagio didn't seem to acknowledge the new reality at all. She was... somewhere in the middle. Her greatest desire was still revenge, as was the desire of all three of them, but her greatest fear was to be banished another time, or worse. Never again, she had promised herself. Never another prison sentence. She would work to prevent it, something that she felt was primarily done by studying what the world would throw at them.

Planes, tanks, rifles, factories, warships, television, the list went on and on and on. A dreary prospect and task for most, she assumed, but not for her, not in this situation. She actually found herself inspired and drawn to her studies, and therefore hated any interruptions of them by whomsoever dared. Mortals were beneath them, that much she agreed upon with Adagio, but they weren't useless, and they certainly were able to endure a lot of things by pushing the envelope of science ever further onwards.

Her monotonous frown would betray it, but deep down Aria shared at least parts of Sonata's rhetoric regarding their subjects. A firm but fair rule, to ensure that their magic would remain at a stable supply and not suddenly plummet due to uncontrolled fires, disease outbreaks, uncontrolled violence and murder or other scenarios that inevitably culled the population. Of course, Aria's ideals were a little less... idealistic and friendly than Sonata's. She supported a healthy base of subjects not because of some equal exchange of 'services', with sirens taking magic from the thralls and the subjects utilising public services and more. No, she needed a capable, healthy and orderly society so that, when times required it, or when the three of them desired it, there would be an army, a navy, an air force, and all the necessary public services beyond to keep the state running.

The resistance had already proven vividly that the direct micromanagement of their underlings was... exhausting, in the magical sense. It's why they had taken in Moonfeather as a de-facto governor, under the title of Siren Constant, to run the civilian governance of things in their name and under their overwatch. Yet, if the resistance was rough on them, then a full-out war would become even more of an issue.

Yes. Yes, they needed to adapt. There was quite literally no other way in Aria's mind. They needed an army, a chain-of-command where only the most capable of strategic and tactical minds were under their direct control, so that they could wrangle the troops for them. But to accomplish that would require training, reorganisation and institutionalising a modern officer corps. Hippogriffia had already had one, luckily, but that didn't necessarily mean the ponies previously employed in it were... any good for them. Nepotism was so often a deep-running trend for mortal realms.

She almost felt as though the real challenge would not be establishing all these things, though, but rather to convince her partners of their importance. And by partners, she meant partner, singular. Adagio was all too often blocking her ideas on the pretext that she was 'dwelling on what if scenarios' and 'fearing futures that would never come'. And true, they wouldn't come... if they prepared as Aria called for.

And yet, change was slow to be pushed past her supposed superior. The idea of not directly commandeering everycreature, the idea of basic divisions of labour and authority through chains of command... all of these things were foreign for Adagio, and in stark contrast to her ideals of absolute superiority over the mortals. But they were necessary changes. And frankly, the more they conquered, the more this would prove its worth, with local rulers and governors overseeing and managing the newly conquered states in their absence, while being a source of magic - and troops - all the same.

Yes. Aria nodded in her mind. They had the music, but they needed these mortals all the same. To govern, to administer and tend the lands they ruled, and to fight and if necessary die for them. Only if that was true could their ultimate dream, their final act of vengeance, be realised.

Adagio looked to her left, and eyed Aria. For a moment she witnessed a confident smirk on her face, but that was quickly swapped out for her usual monotonous frown when Aria realised she was under watch.

Adagio then looked to her right, where Sonata was already looking back at her. A warm smile awaited her from her young follower.

And then, Adagio looked out ahead again, and the others did also, and they took in their realm once more as the sun began to set before their very eyes, the bright sunlight of the day flickering and converting into a gentle orange shade. Even the fierce and often mean leader of the sirens couldn't help but smile, then.

There was a long road ahead of them, still. A lot of trials and tribulations, and probably one mortal mob after another throwing themselves at them to try and oppose them. Perhaps they would even come to battle with the pillars, princesses and elements of harmony. Perhaps.

She raised both of her fins, and surprised both of her partners as she pulled them close into what was perhaps the closest the sirens had gotten to a group hug in forever. Aria blushed, embarassed and confused more than anything, but Sonata gladly accepted the gesture.

These two had their uses. And in the end, it was the three of them against the world. A world full of dangers and enemies, but no matter what the obstacle might be, they would persist through it. Adagio knew it. Counted on it.

They would have their revenge. They would right a great wrong committed countless years ago, and maybe then, at last, she could rest easy knowing it was done.

But for now, she was complacent with having Aria and Sonata by her side, and a realm to rule over. From here, their ambitions could be molded from abstract into reality, and they could aspire for greater and greater things until the deed was done. No matter if the world defied them, cursed them, assaulted their bastions. They would weather each and every storm, no matter the cost if that is what it took to get what they so desperately needed to accomplish.

And they would do it side-by-side. Together. This time, it was personal.

Author's Note

This concludes the story of Secondo! I hope you enjoyed, and further hope that you'll stick around through a follow, because a sequel is planned as I expand on this as a series.

Also stick around for an epilogue chapter to be published this week as a cherry on top!

If you did enjoy, please leave a like, maybe a comment too. It all helps out a lot in getting stories out there for more people to read and appreciate.

Thank you!