The Siren's Remorse

by TheronSniper

Ch. 23 Under Pressure

Author's Note:

Due to lag, the publish button was accidentally pressed well before the chapter could be finished. Apologies for making this story pop up twice. Had to scrap part of the draft anyways.

Ch. 23 Under Pressure

The sound of a gentle shore moving with the tide, lapping the sands like the soft caress of a mother was music to the ears. Seabirds laughed as they sailed the ocean winds, how annoying they could be when one tried to take a nap under the warmth of the giving sun. The sensation of the beach wrapping around the body like a blanket of fresh kelp, perfect for bedding during the day as it stayed cool and moist below the surface . It was a heavenly world even if it was black as night, but home nonetheless in all its glory. A prodding nuzzle tried to wake up the dozing hatchling for the humdrum of the day.

"Adagio..."

With all the welcoming signs of home, the eyes would not open nor will to the demands of their owner. The scent of mangrove trees and the sea breeze greeted the sensitive nostrils with the soothing calm of nature's perfect world.

"Come on little one... it's time to awake."

The tide must have been coming in due to high tide, the saltwater tickled a bit at the lower extremity. The grains of sand brushed with the water, like ants made of glass trying to scale the body.

A soft nudge under the chin again, "My little Dazzle... we can't sleep away the day. You need to eat if you want your gem to grow large and strong."

"Whaaa...." a yawn followed as the dark void gave through to blurry images.

A young little hatchling siren finally stirred from her mother's insistence who laid in a protective curl around her. A cream colored fully grown siren with a translucent dorsal sail carefully continued to nudge her offspring as she attempted to blink away the haze of sleep awkwardly. The hatchling seemed unaware of her surroundings or how her body worked by the way she squirmed. It was a cute scene to see the four foot long pup try to lift her upper body up while her tail flailed as if it were naturally suppose to be split in two. The attempt at rubbing her eyes with the last joint of her forelimbs nearly poked them as they seemed quite alien to her. The minor pain for the mishap with her own body had her own tiny dorsal sail fin bobbing for a moment.

"The Matriarch has gathered today's meal, come on... you don't want to miss out on your favorite do you? Oratoria might get first pickings and you know how much she loves to eat." the motherly creature giggled as the young one beheld her with wide eyes and sharp draconic pupils.

"Mother?" it squeaked in a high pitched voice, "Mom! MOM!!"

Even as she scrambled and barreled into the armored chest of her birth mother, trying to hug her long snout just out of reach. The hatchling wiggled upwards with her weak tail as her tiny forelegs found no purchase upon the steep slope of glistening scales. Like a mackerel caught by a fisherman, she kept crying out to her mother in her antics as if she would be swept away from her in a second. The familiar muzzle that had roused her from sleep finally came close enough for her to grasp greedily as she rubbed her button snout on the silky nose. Her mother merely laughed as the two nuzzled the other, her only offspring as golden as the treasure the pony pirates often hoarded; as affectionate as ever too.

"My, my, what's gotten into you?!" she asked before raising her head away.

Adagio noticed too soon that her mother had escaped her, barely getting a single word or peep out before a long pink tongue began to clean her. Having no full control over her new body, she swayed like seaweed from a powerful undertow all the while fighting the calming feeling she long missed. The warning of what was to come fought the relaxing tingling feeling that threatened to force her back to sleep. Her mother laughed as her little one tried in vain to speak while she cleaned her scales of debris and the tears from her eyes, "Did you have another nightmare? Maybe its that octopus you love so much?"

Adagio relished in the bath she received, then remembering the past again that whipped in her head like the slamming of a metal door, "No mom! You won't believe it! I... I... I..." she stuttered as the adult relented, "Ponies! They have a place that will dump nasty stuff into the water! You and the others... they all died... but I'm here and your here!" her mother looked at her perplexed at what she had heard.

She shook her long head, giving another lick that caressed Adagio's eyes to wipe away the last of the tears, "My little Dazzle, you were just dreaming again. You've had that dream many times, but look I am here as you are. We are home and the pod is alive, and the others watch over us. You need not fear what haunts you in your sleep."

"But mom!? It was so real! Me and two others from other pods, I recruited them and we nearly took over Equestria! But we were sent away to another place and became monkeys! We almost had that world before... before our gems were smashed!"

She tried to say more, but her mother tickled her on the root of her miniature dorsal sail, sending her from her mournful recollection into a laughing fit to change the mood. A huge finned tail kept her from squirming away and endure the treatment for a minute longer until the hatchling couldn't breath. She couldn't escape anyways, the change to her younger siren body made that impossible as she mimicked a beached eel.

"There... now you know, I am as real as Poseidon himself, he who looks over the oceans and lakes." she gently nuzzled her daughter again.

Adagio wouldn't have it though, it felt like everything could be altered to prevent the timeline from happening. She experienced enough to know there was no happiness to that future, but the truth of it all was too blatant to ignore. As real as it all felt from her shimmering scaly body down to her own beautiful tail that replaced her legs. The touch from her mother, the bath, even the liveliness in those huge deep mulberry eyes that bid her farewell that fateful day. The way her mother disarmed her panic by going for her sail as sensitive as it was to end any further argument, had been her tried and true method to wrangle the hatchling. So many memories surged forward foggy and nearly indiscernible to be seen. Throwing all to abandon, the little pup desperate to feel reassurance again leapt onto her mother's snout and cuddled as if tomorrow wouldn't come. She wanted to remember how her mother felt, how large she was in comparison to her and the love that glowed between them.

"I want it to be true! Please don't leave me mom! Please!?" she turned quickly from her post hyperventilated laugh to crying as she wrapped her tail as best she could around her mother face.

Seeing no way of consoling the pup, "What am I going to do with you Adagio..." her mother's feelers fell onto her like tiny arms trying to hug her little form.

The moment felt as if it would never end, she wouldn't want it to end and go back to that life. No matter how hard she wished it to be, her desires were upon deaf ears when a loud boom rattled the air from afar. A crack like thunder and a rumble that accompanied it like an angry sea serpent was on the rampage. The water quaked visibly as the shock wave flew past the two. The mangroves shielded them with their thick towering canopy. Adagio had already lost some of her hold when the earth shook, her mother slipped out of her grasp as she looked up trying to hear something Adagio couldn't. Birds everywhere were startled and flying away or calling out in alarm, crabs that fed on the beach dived into their holes. Whatever it was that caused the huge explosion, it was nearby and it was powerful.

Adagio instinctively huddled close to her mother's prone form which reacted by tightening the gap between her thick muscular tail and her wide barrel. The noisy avians that flocked overhead had drowned out any voices she would have heard, which surprised her when her father arrived and poked his head over her mother's erect dorsal sail in her agitated state. She couldn't understand what he said, but he spoke a few words looking down at her. The sun blacked out much of his features even as he nuzzled her with the softest part of his armored snout. She could sense the vibration of his deep voice, followed by her mother's who brought her head to Adagio as well. The two parents checked on their hatchling like any worried family would, Adagio could almost make out what words made each specific frequency in their wordless talk.

Another distant explosion erupted, stopping her ability to decipher what the cawing birds obscured. The crack had been far more powerful than the last, as the passing soundwave had been visible this time with the warped air from the sheer force. A few outgoing waves from the waterway of the river that drained into their little piece of the coast departed for the open bay. Something splashed with enough force up river or the disaster had enough power to displace water. Adagio tried to look over the fins of her mother's tail at the scene for more detail, but she had been quickly picked up as her parents elected to get into the water. Trapped between her mothers gentle jaws like cragodiles often did for their clutches, it was her way of getting the weak pup to one place without having to wait for the still developing muscles keep up by swimming. The warmth of the sun disappeared as she went from the heated beach and into the cool deep blue water. The jolt of temperature change sent her into a breathing fit as her kind did not possess gills, she felt like she inhaled the crystal clear liquid surrounding her and the body was fighting to expel it.

'MOM! STOP!' she shouted in her head futility as the world around her grew dark.

With a yelp, her eyes were wild as she found herself choking from her lungs refusing to work. Having shot up in the downy soft bed of the human world she had been banished to, the shock of waking up confused and frightened the teenager even more when her loose hair whipped around her face. The room was dark through the curly locks save for the little light from the window blinds and the alarm clock's illuminated numbers in blue to her left. Her gasping had long since awoken the other two in a startle. Aria had found herself stumbling off the bed and crashing her head into the wall leaving a dent and a string of curses. Sonata had been the more fortunate one being on the side of the bed facing Adagio, harshly patting her back to get whatever was logged in her throat free. It felt like the wind had been knocked out of her, coupled with her vision starting to blur as tears accumulated from the swelling fear. In panic, her recovering hands clenched into fists as she tried to hit her chest, but no matter how hard she tried nothing abated the revolt her lungs were committing against her. Terror set in as she felt her body screaming for air burning like her muscles felt after they escaped the Battle of the Bands. Sonata could be heard shouting at Aria seeing her efforts unable to do any good as the situation started to dive.

Aria materialized before Adagio on the bed, her knees spearing into the covers with the ruby glowing brightly. With cupped hands the siren coaxed the power from within as a red tinted mist blew into her leader's face, disappearing as it seeped into the skin. The effect was immediate when whatever had gripped Adagio's breath relinquished its ownership, fading with her deep gulps of air. Aria leaned away yet kept her hands close to her bright pendant as she watched the magic do its thing. The two watched as their leader let little escape before the next forceful attempt to breathe in more like a greedy dragon shoveling coins and gems into a pile. All she could hear was a ringing in her ears that occurred after she had been given a little negative energy, that dreadful ringing which summoned the images of the seabirds fleeing from the mangrove trees. It was painful, but not as painful as her hands which flared up like they had been smashed with a hammer and then set alight. She hadn't felt how swollen they were since she passed out from exertion, now they made themselves known for good measure by locking up in a curl.

Sonata and Aria couldn't fathom what was going on with their compatriot, she came close to suffocating herself. It appeared the valuable energy stopping the worse from happening, which led Aria to believe her condition arose from being magically deprived. A thought occured if the gems might always need a sliver of power or less they feed upon themselves.

"Do you think we should take her to the hospital?" Sonata asked nearly tearing up at the close call they had.

"Uh! No you dimwit, they won't know about magical ailments because as you saw all I did was give her a bit of what's left in my stone. It fixed her and now she should be fine... I think?" Aria looked at the scared look of the messy haired girl that hugged herself.

"Maybe I can ask Twilight to get Yellow's help? If its magic then he might..." her quivering eyes began to tear up.

"NO! He doesn't need to know we're weak or down to two of us for that matter. He might just pull away our gems because he'll think we're not good enough. I will NOT go back to being human again." her voice seethed with anger at the mere notion.

"But she's used her own soul while casting! Its dangerous! She needs help!" Sonata stomped on the carpet floor and shook her fists.

"And I'm your new Matriarch, so you'll do exactly as I tell you to!" she ruffed up Sonata's hair and pushed her for good measure.

As the two nearly came close to clawing and scratching each other, the ringing subsided in Adagio's ear as did a steady breath. That was when it was replaced with the shrills of her pod mates going at each other loud enough that they'd probably get a noise complaint, but it was a welcomed barrage of cacophony. She was back in the real world, everything was real and had the option to alter the future. With a heavy sigh at their usual antics, she put aside the suffering hands and blood pressure for her commanding aura to rise to an extent just enough to stop them.

"Will you two idiots SHUT UP!!"

Goodwill's Park 3pm

The entire morning had come and gone with a share of hardships she didn't need with the rough awakening during the night. Not only had she managed to gain back her stolen role even though she was passed out when it was unjustly taken. Sonata and the revolutionist berated her with questions upon questions before she could properly react, all the while telling her how they found Twilight with her. They tried to explain what led up to the incident, but before anything could be said a horrible migraine spiked like nailgun using a railroad spike. Needless to say, using her most venomous tone she stopped any further words spewing from their mouths which made her head pulse with agonizing pressure. With the pod back in order, her first task had been to find medicine for her aching brain which Sonata pestered her if she didn't need a hospital.

"Are you surrrrrre you don't need people in white coats to check you out?" she asked for the twentieth time on their way to the little pharmacy store.

"Yes..."

"Cause your starting to sweat and you've been holding your head since we left. You didn't even eat anything too?" Sonata skipped ahead and walked backwards to look at her in the eyes.

"I'm fine... now stop." Dazzle could feel the spike dig deeper with each heart beat.

"Remember that TV show Dr. Osborne? He said people who suffer from headaches and start to sweat, looking like they're about to explode need medical help as well as a change in diet and lifestyle! He's a doctor you know." she spouted while looking to the sky trying to remember word for word.

"Sonata... I swear if you don't shut that pipe off, I'm going to give you a new lifestyle from the.... GAH!" she stumbled to her knees.

With the cerulean skinned girl closest of the two, her arms balanced the suffering leader as she gripped the sides of her head. For a moment, she had vertigo that subsided after a hand gently rubbed her back in utter quiet. Adagio breathed through her clenched teeth, trying to bare the brunt of the blade's edge in her skull.

"Wow, can't even help without causing trouble. Hold on I'll go get the stuff." Aria looked ashamed at the scene before her just as she sprinted to the store not a block away.

The whimpering did not cease, Sonata knew nothing of what to do other than make sure she had someone to trust with her. Her eyes noticed how hard Adagio was grasping her scalp, the fingers were buried beneath the fluffed orange hair as if she tried to massage it away. In all honest, she knew who to call for help seeing the unusual condition that could only have been attributed to the rampage in the bathroom. Twilight and Yellow could fix this where she could not, they had all the answers or could at least be the other Adagio for the moment. Seeing that her matriarch could hold herself up, she swiftly reached for her phone and tried to dial the only other contact on it besides her team. Upon seeing the picture icon of Twilight, her thumb went to the call button just as a hand with an iron grip caught the tendons in her arm to release the device.

"DONT... Calllll... herrr..." the low growl practically froze Sonata in place, she couldn't comprehend what just happened except for the hold that on her that wouldn't let go.

"Hey! Your hurting me!" she squeaked trying to pull free.

"Unless... unless I tell... you..." Dazzle nearly drooled as her jaw remained locked shut.

"Adagio, please let me go!" yanking her hand free, she scooted away on the pavement looking on in terror.

Adagio actually harmed her, she never did anything to her other than verbal obscenities that were second only to Aria's attitude. Though she couldn't see the mark of the thumb which pushed into the underside of her forearm through the long sleeves, the bruise that began to form took her breath away.

"All you... two do is argue and talk! Just be quiet for once! My head feels like it wants to split open..." Adagio doubled over, having made a scene which had already garnered a few eyes that strolled by.

"HEY! I'm back." Blaze shouted as she huffed from exhaustion.

In her hand was a red bottle with a small plastic cap onto covered with protective plastic wrap. As she tore off the unneeded material, she took in the situation and immediately figured out Sonata had made it much worse by thinking again. Seeing as she was the only level headed one once more, she ripped the childproof cap clear off the container and knelled down before Adagio. Without any notice, she slammed the palm of her free hand into Dazzle's forehead to lift her face up, then used the shock of the moment to administer the medicine. Her disinterested frown displayed how little joy she got from doing a favor like she had, but the two were drawing attention to themselves and that meant the possibility of discovery by their foes. To rectify, she ensured half the contents were swallowed to the best of the choking siren's capability before she withdrew and stepped away.

"Whatever you were going to do, don't do it again. Especially if she's in this condition. Knowing you, you didn't even think it through either." Aria scoffed at her stunned pod mate.

"I did! I knew Yellow and Twilight could help, they have the same brains like Adagio. I was just trying to help." she rubbed her sore arm looking down at her phone she dropped.

"Ya, without her orders to do so, you know how important this is to her that things go her way. Freak'n dunce. Anyways, I got the strongest stuff in there, wasn't cheap but it should kick in soon. Help me lift her up so we can move on." she flicked her twin pony tails before going to the aid of her leader.

Reluctantly, the timid teenager collected herself and grabbed Adagio's other arm as they lifted her up before they started walking. Just as Aria promised, Adagio began to look better as her groans became nothing more than a few hisses here and there. Under the former usurpers advisement, they stopped for something to wash it down with at a gas station not far from the pharmacy. The rest of the bottle would be consumed since she spent her bits on it and it would handle whatever was wrong with the unfortunate girl for the rest of the day. She mixed the medicine into the the store's goofy named soft drink at the dispensers and purchased a small bag of ice for her aching hands. Even with the painkillers, Adagio had caused them swell from using them on her temples earlier ago. It all had become a mess she had to pick up and she wasn't the matriarch anymore, she figured fate enjoyed seeing her put into such situations.

Thankfully, the golden siren had regained enough of her wits to support herself and nurse away at the plastic cup through its red straw. While Sonata kept a bit of a distance from the pacified girl, Aria maintained her spot by her side having little to be bothered with amid the wordless stroll through the streets. A simple four acre plot of land turned into another park graced their eyes with its serene green grass and swaying oak and cedars. A few people were on the walkways, but they were primarily elderly out in the sun and getting their rusty joints moving.

"Sonata, tell Twilight we're at..." she squinted at the wood sign far out to the right where the park nearly ended next to a dealership, "Kadic park, the sooner we get this all done the sooner I can rest. Never felt so tired before."

"Probably the med your downing, it was the strongest stuff they had without a note from the doctor." Aria commented dryly as she looked away.

"Thanks. Now lets sit for the time being, Twilight will find us easier if we are in one place." ignoring the slack jawed Blaze who looked as if she stubbed her toe.

"I don't even know who she is anymore." Sonata whispered into her ear before texting a message.

"She actually thanked me?!" quickly burying the notion under an emotionless mask to hid the reaction, something was definitely going on and she would find out soon enough.

The sirens sat on a park bench forced into silence by their restored matriarch's tumultuous actions, even if her gem had little to no negative energy stored she still could awe them into obedience. Aria lost most of her stored power after the fiasco yesterday and to aid Dazzle from Poseidon's seabed for the departed. Having used almost all her power, she was no match for the sheer tenacity and utter natural talent as the dominate one. No magic was needed in the case of her kind, true matriarchs had piercing eyes and could summon cold attitudes only the rare few could resist. This was the way they maintained peace and order in a pod, if the spirit had the right elements then their ascension would come when the chance arose. Aria failed to make an argument of any kind or resist as she handed the position back without a fight. Not only was her moment ruined by the chaos Adagio wrought, but she didn't have an intact unit and were nothing more than sitting ducks. Nothing was worth the trouble she went through, settling for her pack member status which at least took away the responsibilities. She at least gained some solace in the migraine that left her for Adagio.

Until their human associate showed up, they sat observing the peaceful surroundings which had become a welcomed passage of time. Blaze looked away to the streets and passing vehicles while she debated talking to Adagio about her health, she was becoming so screwy that if her dominance wasn't so strong she'd have had a true mutiny on her hands. Figuring not moving or saying anything wouldn't earn Adagio's ire any further, the thought of a break from the weirdness was appropriate for her. Sonata took to her mobile phone and the free games loaded into it, her easily distracted focus soon found purchase and presented no more of an issue with her leader for the moment. Rather than call upon the Adagio that had no qualms at physically hurting her, she turned the volume off for added insurance.

To nurse her pain, the lead siren sipped away at the nasty liquid into her stomach. Thoughts waved in her head of what Sonata kept asking her about as she completely forgotten the fear she put into her as she writhed from the aching cranium. How she got on her feet after siphoning a part of her essence like she did. How her pod found her and the destroyed bathroom just from her struggle to suppress her emotions, a torn ceiling, bent metal, and a crushed sink and mirror. Nothing of it ever came to mind, it all seemed nothing more than a story to her if her suffering hands were not a clear sign. Even troubling more, some of the humans who walked passed them were gossiping about the Sushi Bar they had eaten at that closed down for repairs. The only memories she knew were real was seeing her mother and father once again.

Her mother's voice, her caring nature, her soft warm tongue, and her enormous size which provided a sense of protection. That reality aided in her stamina against the soreness that she endured, wishing her mother listened to her warnings for once in all the dreams she had. However, that explosion in the distance always ruined every chance she tried, no matter what methods she attempted. Regardless, the moment with the adult was fresh in her mind and she relished in the past, being a helpless hatchling just about to peak into her own with the cherished ruby crowning soon through her chest.

"Guys!!" a familiar voice beckoned annoyingly as it interrupted her reminiscing.

Sonata quickly left her entertainment device on her seat and flew to the voice, colliding with the human girl and lifting her up off the ground effortlessly. Sparkle couldn't even get a word out as her insides were put under the pressure of the bear hug she once again walked into, at least it delayed the inevitable questions she would be asking. Even if it were delayed by a few seconds as Sonata put her down and blasted her ears with questions of her state of being.

"Look as much as I want to answer everything, I need to talk to Adagio if I may?" she asked trying to let the blue siren catch her request.

"Oh... um, your going to probably have like the hardest time then. Aria and I have been trying to get anything out of her since last night, but she won't say a thing other than threaten to slap our heads together. Good luck trying though!" she relented and let Twilight through to return to her game.

'Why does life hate me so...' Adagio thought to herself as she tried to ignore the pestering human.

"Um, Adagio? I wanted to ask if your okay? Are you well? Can I help in any way?" she meekly asked with a bit of a cowering posture.

The Dazzlings could taste the fear coming off of her as she directed her concern for the girl, "I'm fine, I have ice and a pain killer mixed in this soft drink from Aria, so no... I don't need anything from you. So don't ask about it again." she commanded with a flat stare of disconnect and irritation.

Adagio looked on with intrigued at how the human seemed to flinch at her words, it seemed odd at how readily she put her hands up to protect herself. As a siren, she prided in the ability to do such a thing to any being, but it was usually something she did consciously. Yet everything seemed to point to whatever happened last night, Twilight reacted to her like a cautious rabbit in front of a fox who wasn't on the hunt yet but still possessed a look of hunger. Rather than enjoy the domination she had over the insignificant creature, it bothered her all the same. What did she do to make such waves?

"Okay, but... if... if you need anything just let me know! Yellow will be here soon, but I'll pass your word on if he asks anything about your condition. I didn't tell him about last night." she flinched as if expecting retaliation.

Cocking an eyebrow, "What did you say?"

"You... you don't remember? Nothing at all?" she stuttered.

"No of course I don't, I only remember eating us getting our food and even that is a bit hazy. These dimwits keep pestering me about it, but my answer is the same. Even after a million times!" she growled at both their doggedness and the sore fingers she tried to flex.

"Right... I won't ask anything else then, but he'll be here within five minutes. You'll be able to walk right?" her fingers twiddled with themselves awaiting a response.

"My hands are bothering me and my headache is from all three of you bothering me, but my legs still work. We will all be having a nice little chat with him today, not tomorrow, not a week from now. Today." she looked on with a frown of aggravation.

It had been a strange thing to see that Aria kept her words to herself, even though she looked as if to be in pain to suppress sarcasm she so loved to fire forth. Sonata mentioned something happened when she woke up, back to her normal self at least. She couldn't believe how someone made such a one eighty degree turn in health. Likely, the others tried to ask while telling their side of the story only to be rebuffed by her amnesia, and she herself would have divulged the terrifying moment. However, she already learned her lesson with Yellow's request to not become too involved with them, she'd never make the same mistake again. Sparkle could very well start a new violent episode within the troubled heart of the siren, and hurt Adagio even worse than before. She'd likely not be so luck as she had been. Creatures of negative emotions seemed to have vast strengths and lack of control concerning pain they withheld, who was she to risk someone's well being?

With that, Twilight took to Sonata and watched her play some mindless game on her phone. Apple Smash had her occupied and thankfully it appeared entertaining enough for the Crystal Prep student, an app made in honor of the Apple Family's orchard when a bad drought struck their southern fields a year ago. The funds from buying in game purchases went to help them last through the season while they rigged up a watering system when the flowers failed to set.

Seven minutes passed by uneventfully, a boring slow span of time amidst the green park and partly cloudy skies. Few vehicles disturbed the solemn air around the four, they had another hour before the rush of workers from the business district who'd be returning home for the day. A blessing Adagio enjoyed as she looked to the skies past the spotty oaks around them, even the birds were rather tame. It wasn't quite home, the air lacked in that wonderful sea salt tang and the occasional waft of bacteria breaking down organic matter on the sandy beaches. With the spiked drink doing wonders for her, the golden siren found some solace in the moment where the other three hadn't been bothering her with inane questions. It was just the wide open blue air with the occasional fluffy amorphous water vapor condensed enough to become visible. Whether she had too much of the liquid bottle of numbing elixir since she poured the entire thing into a convenience store monster beverage, or the rustling of the leaves seemed like the light splash of waves onto the shore. Her hands practically felt like nothing had harmed them, they were almost nonexistent to her. She was in the veritable garden of eden in terms of spiritual neutrality, one that felt odd and almost wrong to indulge in.

'Why...' she thought as the last of her spiked drink turned into a long drawn out sputter of air bubbles through the straw, 'Mother... why don't you ever listen to me? You keep stopping me from altering the outcome even if it is a dream... why do you always dive straight into the water with me... why do I... almost drown...'

A growing clacking of shoes on concrete tapped in the distance, growing louder as the owner appeared in Aria's perspective. She noticed Yellow casually walking to them looking rather aloof and happy. He appeared different though, not like the one they saw the other day considering he promised no more veils since Adagio saw threw them naturally. Hands were inside the outer pockets of a beige suit with words in white stitching written above his right breast, she'd be able to tell what was embroidered once he closed the distance. She soon noticed the bleach white undershirt and indigo tie beneath the coat, with the pants neat and crease free. He had been far from the man who saved her from the three drunks who looked like your average nine to five human worker. She didn't like it at all, there was no consistency to this point, Aria was always as careful about threats as Adagio had been. Black loafers had caused him to gain her attention shined in the sunlight whenever they peaked from under his shadow.

The others soon caught wind and watched the man approach them, Adagio dropped the straw from her lips as Twilight rose to greet Yellow. Sonata seemed too engrossed in her game to realize the moment, no one bothering her to put the device away.

"Afternoon, I hope you haven't been waiting for long, I got caught up with some business unfortunately." he pulled out his hands and gently clapped them together in barely contained jubilation.

With a look that bought nothing of his entrance, "I thought we agreed no more fake getup's. What's all this? Another attempt to woo us into a sense of safety?" Adagio asked rather venomously.

A look of shock at how he was received from the leader of the group and the grim gaze from Aria, "Oh, well you see I'm employed, have to eat and sleep somewhere. Considering I don't have such enchanted voices such as you lovely girls do. I..."

"YOU work at the Museum of Science and History!" Twilight nearly yelled, "That explains why Principle Cinch must have allowed my project through! One of the biggest museums in the country, and you didn't even tell me YOU worked for them?!"

By now the three sirens had all their eyes on the two, Sonata's game on pause as she seemed worried for a moment by the jarring reaction of her human friend.

"Please, calm down Mrs. Sparkle your causing a scene?" he asked with both hands up even though Sparkle kept her joy at maximum, "Yes I work for the Museum of Equestria, but who would have known my position would have meant so much to you."

"Twilight!" Adagio turned her magenta eyes upon her as she jumped in place, "SIT!"

Oddly enough, it worked as she imagined it might have, that deep seeded fear she could taste wasn't just an odd passing emotion. Something strange happened last night, she logged that in for another time with this new discovery now that Yellow was before her.

"I'll talk to you later Mrs. Sparkle, my little gems do deserve my time today as I'm sure you have plenty of questions. Please, let's go to the shuttle waiting for us and go to my office, it'll be the most secure place to be behind alarms and guards. The place is closed while they install a new exhibit, and I believe we can pass you four as scholarship applicants if the other staff ask any questions." he pulled out four lanyard passes from the inside of his suit.

Adagio was the only one to not attempt to grab the item, her hands still refused to move properly even with the medication in effect. She received a curious glance from Yellow as she sat with the empty plastic drink and ice bag. When it appeared that Yellow was about to ask something, Twilight took it for her.

"She hurt her hands by accident, she'll be fine in a few days or less. So I'm helping her, like you asked, in terms of bonding, right?" the human jumped in nervously enough to draw him from talking to Dazzle.

"Well, that's fine, dandy in fact to see you two getting along. Though please refrain from any more damage, you'll find out why very soon." the temptation to try to use their songs to pry open the enigma before them was strong, but not enough to stir her into action.

"These are needed to get in, the guards will throw us out if we don't have them on once inside." Sparkle iterated as she unlatched the lanyard like a necklace, "Wou... would you mind if I clipped it on for you?"

"Watch the hair." Adagio sighed.

As the two dealt with the identification placement, Yellow gestured for the girls to follow. To his word, a white shuttle bus covered with a huge advertisement of the coming attraction of Greek treasures and artifacts sat parked and idle with a uniformed woman at the wheel. After they boarded, the trip took no more than ten minutes through the percolating traffic as the rush hour just started to trickle in. All the while Yellow spoke no words, merely smiled and waved his hand when any of them asked a question about his job in detail. Adagio sat alone keeping her eyes glued for anything she could see or detect as a reason to distrust him.

The bus arrived behind the building and unloaded the group before leaving for the garage, apparently it was requisitioned by Yellow to provide the travel as he explained moving to the attraction. They went through one of the garage doors currently opened to the workers unloading a huge freighter, the latest exhibit was far from being completed by the mass of wooden crates and displays in the staging area. It was loud however, tools were being used to open the cases, hammers banging away to assemble the first of the special displays which looked to support some kind of huge item or even a ship. Sonata recognized the stabilizers on the docks she use to venture to with her pod, they often held the wooden ships for repairs or something. A few security guards stood watch over the light blue jumpsuit workers who handled the priceless items. A few of the officers gave the girls a glance before a few tipped their caps or waved at Sonata, she had a huge smile and wildly lashed her arms about at them to say hello.

They trekked through the halls, past the lonely cafe, but not before getting a glimpse of the Triassic exhibit. The sirens were the most affected considering the skeletal forms and recreations of dinosaurs of all sizes and shapes brought back many memories of the beasts their kind fought daily out of their territory. For Adagio, it was a moment she flinched and stopped in place that Twilight ran into her. Many of those beasts, they were eerily reminiscent of those she had escaped with her life and hid from after she lost her family. All the close calls, the ponies she used as distractions after running in the pathways of caravans, the jaws that snapped at her. The talons which occasionally chipped away at her scales and tore her sensitive sail membrane, the hisses and roars when her scent had been picked up followed by the crashing of trees and snapping branches. Those beady hungry eyes, lacking any intelligent thoughts other than to sate a hunger. A time in her life she'd never forget, what forged her into the siren she was today the jungles and forests molded.

The collision of the two hadn't been enough to jar her from memory lane, only Twilight's face between the extinct animals and her worked enough to get through. A gasp of surprise and a quick shake of the head had the golden siren looking away as if hurting, she quickly left Sparkle to the open office door up ahead without a word. Having left the human girl alone and questioning the mental state she was in, becoming a growing concern if last night had to be told to Yellow and risk breaking the trust placed upon her.

'We have to help them through whatever they've gone through, there's no way this will work with if they're so troubled by it. I'll have to tell him soon.' Sparkle nodded with a goal dead set in her head.

Whether Adagio was actively forcing the memory away or tapping into her own soul had stolen it, that only put them back at square one. The collective heads were only cured of one, Sonata who trusted her enough and would likely be the only easy one to get through. Redundant thoughts riddled the scientist's young mind like a lab rat stuck in a labryinth, with Adagio's incident the last wall which had no entrance nor exit. The only way out would be from Yellow scooping her out of the endless maze, a creature like them who'd understand better than her. Just as he tried to point out when he said to avoid the baggage they probably had over the course of their long lives. With a solution to the issue, Sparkle smiled and proceeded into the waiting room with the others.

Once the door closed behind her, she noticed Yellow behind his desk in a room filled with bookshelves and file cabinets that stopped her in her tracks. Providing the only color in the otherwise sterile white walls and cream colored tile floor and ceiling, she couldn't help but fathom the science and biology texts he had in spades. A few strange objects sat on his desk, trinkets and strange jewels that would have seemed like they belonged in one of the exhibits. Though, Twilight knew they were likely objects from his world, in whatever way they came with him. As much as she desired to study them, Adagio cleared her throat and made herself known to the observant one who quickly took her seat.

"I'm sure the first question on your mind is why I asked for this to happen so soon?" he began as he crossed his arms on the desk to support himself.

"One of many to be sure." Dazzle said looking at him with hawk eyes after forcing the past away.

"You mentioned that the time frame had been pushed up, is there something we should know? Another group as dangerous as the Rainbooms, is that name correct?" Twilight immediately drew a small notebook from her satchel halfway filled as she skimmed through it.

"Yes in fact, I've been keeping an eye on one of those Equestrian vigilantes, but the bug we planted on her for a lack of a better term, malfunctioned from tampering." he sighed as he shook his head.

"So? What's that got to do with us?" asked Aria who wore her standard frown from being unamused by the present threat.

"I've been on this planet for a few centuries now, and I've recorded others who've been sent here in and around the time I was. Most have gone on to lead some kind of life or etch out a niche somewhere in this world, those I could confront I've convinced them to join me. You three were the last ones to appear where we all have manifested after being exiled, so someone or something with powerful magic is nearby. Another factor I do not wish to have meddle in my affairs." at his mention of another, Adagio took an interest even if Aria still didn't seem to care.

"What did they specifically do to cause you worry and in all likelihood caution from us as well?" the golden siren inquired as her numb hands perched on her thighs.

Yellow crinkled his nose in distaste at what he was about to say, "I had one of my associates use a special curse on one of those six at that high school, in hopes to... persuade her to our side by opening her eyes. I dare say it might have gone on too far and had not the desired effect I wanted, she kind of disappointed me when I sought her out personally through another spell. Rest assured, she couldn't know who I was due to the nature of the method."

"YOUR trying to make one of them turn traitor?!" Sonata sounded just short of yelling.

"Mental magic is a very unpredictable art to use, even for us we just push everyone into the right mood. Your trying to do something far more precise with a result which can never be promised no matter the caster." Adagio commented dryly.

"From the most recent use of the spell we tagged her with, she's begun to question things and put distance between her and the others if only by a little. I'd rather have one of them doubt and see the truth for when we meet as I know we will." his eyes held determination as their gold shimmer from the lights flickered.

"We tried that as well, sowing the seeds that would crumble their confidence... it didn't work." she retorted.

"I'm sure you did all you could, that was never in question my little gem. However, the details are... something of a secret, you should remember the type of beings the Equestrians banished, they are not to be underestimated much like yourselves." clasping his hands together and rubbing them while in thought.

"But if what you say is true, someone exists that could cause trouble right? Either they arrived long before you, or there's person out there who has the magic I'm studying to harness and control? Isn't that correct?!" Twilight looked as if she'd seen a ghost.

"We doubt it was human in origin, I don't mean to sound condescending but humanity lacks in planning unless its apart of a large group. However, I have eyes all over this town who could sense the magic of another. No one's detected any such blossom of mana other than from those seven, so it's safe to say you'll still be the only human of your kind to bring magic to the people." the warm smile he gave her eased her worries at lost grandeur.

"So then there's a ghost out there who you can't find and has immense power. Sound about right?" Aria scoffed.

"Yes, a rather dreary summation, but we are many and with all the sectors of this town under my watch. This 'ghost' will not be one for much longer. In any case, let's continue with your... payment for the stones shall we?" he smiled genuinely once his gaze fell upon only Adagio.

"Now, I'm trusting you four with a crucial part, something I can't just thrust upon just anyone." he opened a desk drawer and pulled out a few maps, "Do not betray it, I've given you your stones and your lives back from the pit of mortality you so despise. I did not lie when I said the demons were coming back..."

"Ya, you said that already but excuse me for not seeing the truth in that statement. What demons! Sirens have lived throughout the start of Equis without ever seeing or meeting a Demon. Why should I believe you!?" Adagio shot out with all the might behind her that had been hard at work trying to put the information into facts.

Shaking his head, "Because the Demons never bothered with avatars of discord and disharmony, anything that fed upon negativity and threw off the balance of harmony were incompatible with the way they sustained themselves. Ask yourself this, has a siren ever fed upon another siren?" the question came at a rather intriguing road.

Even when Matriarchs fought, they only did when one was weak or sick. Even then it was physical might as the sirons would do to establish the pecking order, it was taboo as to feed on another of your kind. The opportunity just never presented itself, siren's only sensed ponies, griffons, minotaurs, and the likes for which to sing and feast upon the disorder.

"I thought as much... they probably avoided your kind, I know how secretive pods can be. Equis is a large world and your species doesn't breed very often, that has been to your benefit."

"We still don't have proof they existed, which means you still have to prove to us why we should truly give our all to your mission." Dazzle held firm in her seat with unwavering eyes.

Twilight wanted the say something, but Sonata had caught her before her lips parted. The blue skinned girl shook her head, knowing Adagio had the brains and knew when things were too iffy to take. That was the reason Aria and her took the gambits without a fight, she always often hit the mark even if there was little to gain from it.

"Then if you will not believe the reasoning, then take the task for your payment for the gifts bestowed upon you." he looked at her with sad eyes at failing to convince her to side with him.

She nodded, still unmoved from her original position since the meeting began.

"To get back to Equestria, we need to find the portal which deposited us here, since so many of us were thrown into this world like trash. By now, a permanent gate should exist which would explain why the seventh one of that group keeps coming back. Twilight... I need you to find it with the plans I'll provide for the device, build it first and let it guide you to the location under the cover of darkness. From there we'll ascertain its status and see if we can't use it as is. If not, like any portal it will need energy, which you three will gather in the meantime to power it. That is why I needed you, you have the ability to empower yourselves through conflict and ire then convert it into mana. We'll have our way home at that time and back on Equis soil. There is a large convention coming to town, one centered around the bread and butter of this habitation. There will be an opening act to welcome the thousands of patrons who will arrive within the week. We've secured a spot for your group, you'll have five days to prepare before you'll feast upon the largest number of bodies you've ever had. The power will be god-like." the grin on Aria broke her grumpy mood while Adagio and Sonata simply drooled at the attendance numbers.

"Figured that's what you wanted us for." Aria she snickered.

"Due to this unknown entity, we'll be going through the portal right after you've fed. Before then we should have the location of it and secured for passage. You'll arrive in the fastest manner possible, then the rest is up to my people." said Yellow.

Snapping back into her calm and collected demeanor, "Interesting plan, but what if the Rainbooms decide to pull off another magical horse thing and try to stop us. They could find Twilight in the act and hold her hostage." Adagio looked to him unamused all the while failing to suppress the rush of excitement.

"For that I'm prepared to teach Mrs. Sparkle here how to defend herself while you work your part. I've decided to give her a bit of magic before that time comes, she will learn and in due time utilize it to disrupt their method of casting their magic if my intelligence is correct. The others who can contribute to her studies will speak at their leisure, they are their own after all." Yellow looked to the human girl before leaning into his chair.

"If we can get to the final part of the plan, I'll tell you who I really am Adagio Dazzle because I know you still don't trust us. But keep in mind, I intend to keep my promise to give you back your old gems as I fear the portal may ravage those stones you have now, and they won't be compatible with Equestrian magic that saturates the very air. I have replacements for you, something I stole from Canterlot's Arcana vault before my... more intensive research began." he noticed the siren's were even now more than invested in the deal.

"Your saying the ponies had siren stones? What is this Arcana you speak of?" Adagio inquired with a hint of subdued rage at the very notion.

"The Arcana are probably the most formidable opposition we have to face now and when we arrive home, they are the ones who sent most of us here. Well except for you that is. How they came to possess those rubies I cannot say, but I knew who they belonged to... the unique matrix engraved upon their surface... they had no right to own those gems and so I removed them until I ran into such a creature in the future. But as you can see, I was prevented from doing that. So upon arrival, if my cache is still where I hid it you can have all eight of the gemstones I managed to absconded with." which upon the mention of the number he flinched at the coming reaction that built upon Dazzles anger.

"Those blasted ponies dare take those... THEY must have defiled... THEY!! she bit her tongue as her anger met with the medication still in her system, leading to a lightheaded state that stalled the passion.

Her sirens gripped her shoulders to keep her from falling out of her seat, but there was no dismissing her reaction. Yellow's sharp eyes narrowed on the limp form with scrutiny, watching as the girls did what they could to aid their matriarch. A short snort and a shake of the head, he rose from his seat before putting away the maps seeing that the discussion had taken a ten minute break.

"Mrs. Sparkle may I talk to you outside?" he gestured to the door as he walked out.

She nodded and followed, looking back as Sonata held the quivering hands of Dazzle to keep her from using them. Once the door closed her line of sight off of the three, she turned to him with a bit of worry now that the choice was likely going to be forced. Tell Yellow now and betray the friendship with the sirens, or lie for their sake so he would trust their competence. The question was, could she really lie if the odds were against buying anymore time for them. They needed to go back home, and this place harbored no sanctuary for them. If they appeared weak, could Yellow caste them away with their unstable nature he knew was a factor already?

"You know what I'm about to say don't you?" he asked rather defeated.

She nodded, finding it difficult to keep eye contact with him.

"Did something happen then? I'd like to know, because Adagio is proving to be a wild card that may prove troublesome in the future. How she reacted just now, not a good sign." he crossed his arms along his chest.

She faltered, not sure quite yet of what to say, her eyes going anywhere as she cowered beneath his gaze.

"I remember when you informed me of Mrs. Sonata's little... misfortune with her voice, how they were easily swayed to toss her out to the wild for a simple mistake. More often than not, its the way of life for their kind and those like them, the weak and dangerous threaten the very survival of the pod or units they're born into. I'm getting the feeling that this is likely the case for all those in Adagio's group, including her." Twilight hated to admit anything, but having such an on the spot educated guess put her in the hot zone.

"To tell you the truth, I know enough about the biodiversity of Equis which you'll learn why of once we get the portal up and running." he chuckled to himself, "I've met a siren before, on my many travels. Just as you've befriended one of them, I did as well and we... talked. A memorable moment in my life indeed, considering their nature and the fear mongering by the Arcana of anything non-pony."

She began to feel the chill of sweat forming on her skin, her mind ablaze with the two options she had to take. One meant he'd act and likely worsen Adagio's sanity, the other she'd risk collapsing their only way home if she destabilized then. The only shared factor of the two, was that she had to get help one way or another and under his watch for her safety. What could she do?

"I"m going on a tangent now, excuse me... my question still stands however. I will not risk the others if something needs to be tended to, we all have to be calm and collected or else we'll lose all hope of going back... to save Equis from a fate that make humanity's problems look like foal's play. You have to think outside the box on this Mrs. Sparkle, for the greater good, just think about it... your world may even very well be targeted if the Demons become drunk off Equis once it's under their claws. We're talking billions upon billions of lives used for nothing more than playthings to feed off of!" she felt a hand on her shoulder, looking up to see glimmering yellow irises looking deep into her very person.

"Tell me the truth, and the truth will set you free."

'For the greater good... just like my research, for the many...' she thought to herself as her answer was spoken.