If the sirens had their way, they would have divided and conquered all of Equestria. But a certain Star Swirl the Bearded wasn't having it. Rumor has it he found a way to banish them to another world – one where he believed their magic power would be lost. That world must have been the one where my Canterlot High friends live.
But Star Swirl must have sent them there ages ago. How come they're just surfacin' now?
A cursory look at the sirens' thousand years of history in the human world before the events of Rainbow Rocks. With apologies to Kim Stanley Robinson.
Absolutely no connection to Death and the Dazzlings.
Chapters (1)
Stirring opening, to be sure. Wish there was more coming, but hey, I'll take it.
I like this.
Like, I really like this.
This was... just awesome! I really wish there was more. Seriously. Awesome!
I cried
You are good at writing. This might actually be... beautiful? There was a really great balance of characterization and stupid-cool imagery and poignancy. Also making really references that seem really clever. I appreciate the things you do!
(also I read that other thing you wrote and liked it a lot! I had the the urge to call it "my favorite lyrabon fic")
5162466 Thanks! However, I'm not sure there could really be a "more" here outside of an immense anthology-like series of Siren Lives Throughout History, each one somehow building on and responding to the previous, and (even putting aside how time-consuming that would be to write) I worry that would be too different to be worthwhile. Here I have no idea what supposedly happened to Clover; in a drawn-out form, it would probably have to be explained. Were the stories more than end-of-the-line recaps, there'd need to be secondary characters with names, whereas here the point is not even Sonata even thinks of caring whether anyone who's not a siren lives or dies. Here settings are established with just enough details for you to fill in the rest from popular culture, etc; longer stories would require some actual detail. So no thanks, but I'm glad you enjoyed. :)
Huh. That was... a thing.
That was very muchly a thing.
I liked it.
But no seriously, it's a very interesting and unusual take on the Sirens that really works, (Also I'm a sucker for the Aria/Sonata hinting, though it sadly seems to be a doomed relationship.) and I just love how much sense it makes. It would be interesting if there was a go-around where they actually succeeded somehow, but the story seems to imply that is a literal impossibility. Still.
Just loving this premise!
This was great! A wonderful fantasy about our three sirens during the vast ages they've been exiled from Equestria but before they were three teenage girls in the vicinity of Canterlot High. It was imaginative and very well-written. It's a tribute to the characters and to the writer that they can inspire intelligent fantasy like this, it really is.
Poor Sonata! I'd really like for her to have a happy ending somehow.
Awesome! You gave the Humanoid Earth and the story of the Sirens some temporal depth. You also beautiful outlined an immortal, poisonous friendship -- they're doomed to love and hate one another throughout the centuries, ever-changing but never really changing. It's a trap.
I would LOVE for this to be continued. What if they emerge in ten years and see the Mane Seven (including Twilight's human counterpart) all grown up? Human Twilight can be the assistant principal of her own school and her friends can be teachers! And these new students show up and they're VERY familiar...
Also, LOVE the Aria/Sonata shipping!
5173917 Hmm. Ten years on is a thought. Not exactly like you put it, but there is a vague idea I've been kicking around that could conceivably work with this if I found the right magic technobabble, though I'm not sure what exact contours the plot would take. Or maybe that's a good thing.
Have you ever considered submitting this story to Equestria Daily? You can find out how to do so here. Where/How did you come up with the name of the title?
5182097 Aw, thanks. :) I've thought about it, but EQD is very anti-human. I don't remember seeing any Equestria Girls stories on there at all, and can't find any with a few cursory searches either.
The title is derived from the book The Years of Rice and Salt, which I linked to in the description. It's a book about the same handful of 'characters' across a long period of time, reincarnating into new lives that keep running into each other, and you can keep track of them by looking at the first letters of their names.
It took me a few moments to figure out was meant by "Srarswirl! Sreams Anguish/Suffering/Rage" But once I realized that these were the names of the sirens themselves, I immediately took a liking to the idea. It gives the sirens an ancient, godlike quality. Unlike the tired cliche of changelings being immortal "just because," it implies that the sirens are more akin to Discord: old and incredibly powerful.
And this story's central premise: that the sirens' defeat at Canterlot High was just the latest defeat in an endless cycle of reincarnation was so delightfully original that I honestly can't think of anything to say beyond "Wow."
And in the end, Sonata's decision to join Aria and Adagio in their hibernation because through all their iterations, for better or worse, the only constant was that they were together. Was a profoundly tragic scenario that I've not had the joy to experience in quite some time.
This story was something else. Splendid work. That's all I can think to say.
This was absolutely fantastic. The world-building, the characterization, the tragic doom of the Sirens. It was all great. And especially the ending. Just outstanding.
I thoroughly enjoyed the sense of futility this gave the siren's escapades. And it elegantly answered the question of why they don't act like there however many hundreds of years old.
This made me cry. I love it, somehow, despite or because of that. Maybe, if you write more, it might be an short alternate ending where they chose to break the cycle?
An amazing piece of work I would love to see more of!!
This is now my favorite EqG story. I can't believe it's not more well-known. Let me see what I can do...
You can has review!
5175481 I would very much enjoy it if there was a sequel where the sirens awake and find the adult Equestria Girls, but this time their good and by the very least hold a mutual friendship with them. Much like what a previous commenter suggested. Or you could explore the trios misadventures in Equestria. But I'd like the future sirens and adult Equestria Girls.
This is such a fascinating idea. A cycle of failure makes the Sirens unique and pitiable, without anyone (sans probably Sonata) coming off as too sympathetic. I also love that they had more abstract "Discord-esque" names before taking human form.
You know, it's got me thinking: I wonder if the other "immortals" in Equestria could have a similar "reincarnation cycle" with their EqG counterparts: immortal minds hopping from mortal body to mortal body. Reincarnation could be how Celestia and Luna's human counterparts could be born at the same time as their pony counterparts, but still exist in the present day with only mortal lifespans.
Riveting story, great exploration of the different sides of each character, and a fresh take on how they could be centuries old yet still act like teenagers and still be complaining about being banished in Rainbow Rocks. And without making one of them considerably nicer than the others
Really glad I read this, thanks for writing!
7692894 This story was written less than a month after Rainbow Rocks came out, so I question a little your description of it as a "fresh take," but otherwise thank you. :P
7694815 You raise a very good point. In that case, the approach of this story has been copied far less in the years since than the approach of most others from the same period?
2edgy4me.
Say what were to happen if say Sunset Shimmer or the Human Mane 6 were to find the Sirens house and the Pods, could they be cracked open to free the Sirens then?
8490568
I dunno, I guess? Assuming they had any idea what was in the pods in the first place, or otherwise I don't see why they would even consider it. But if the pods spend ten years reforming the gemstones, swapping memories around, and presumably instilling their minds with some degree of relevant cultural context (e.g. local language), it'd be hard to predict what'd happen if you tried to open one of them before its time.
(The pods are described as "improbably strong" and "indestructible" but I'm sure everything has its limits.)
8491623
I see, but what if they instead of breaking the pods open took them to the portal and shoved them through then, what would happen to the Sirens then when they come out of the Pods and find themselves in a cell in Friendship Castle.
An amazing take on the sirens' immortality and track record. I wish I'd read this years ago. Thank you for a fantastic read.
As a great fan of both ponies and The Years of Rice and Salt, this story is pretty much meant for me. A brilliant and interesting take on the sirens!
Well, that was nice. For a story that's been around so long, it feels like a really novel take on the sirens. This interpretation is definitely more interesting to me than either of their official backstories, especially the early scenes which tie the sirens to other Equestrian lore. And it accomplishes it all in a relatively short word count, too. I'm impressed.
There aren't nearly enough stories that cover the Sirens' history prior to Rainbow Rocks, and this one is just incredible. Super unique idea that you executed really really well.