The Siren's Remorse

by TheronSniper

Ch. 31 Friendship Games: Arrival

Ch. 31 Friendship Games Day 1

Over the course of the next few days, the lives of the marked went on to ready themselves for the most important part of their lives. Adagio and her sirens performed in smaller venues then before, feeding and practicing under the radar which the Rainbooms failed to notice their prior incidents. Thankfully, the lack of the heroines allowed them to grow and mature their talent ever more, using the existing genres of the human world to modify some of their older acts that captivated Canterlot and defeated Starswirl the Bearded. None of the other girls were coaxed into falling low by the corrupted gems, the sparse little that the lingering emotional taint had to cling to. As the date drew to the last day before the convention, Dazzle decided a break was needed to relax and make final revisions before the big day.

In their bedroom, lounging about till the next meal of the day, Sonata had remained in close contact with Twilight even now. Using her phone to talk late into the night and send photos of their latest shows now that they were subdued. Her bubbly happiness became a beacon of the trio's health, as noted by Twilight to Yellow Tail. Aria had remained content with things back to normal and her old Adagio back in control, though she took far more practice sessions alone to better her voice. Which had the benefit to Adagio being in a better mood more than usual, without butting heads much progress had been made. Spending the silence creating the latest tracks to their first album to be used at the convention debut. Weaving new magical enchantments to claim most or all of their audience into adoring them, fine tuning each word to draw out the most negative energy possible till their gems could feed no more if that was possible.

Twilight Sparkle of the human world spent much of the days in her studies of magic, drinking in every manuscript she was given, no tomb escaped her hungry mind, no detail or glyph left out. Hydromancy, Pyromancy, Aeromancy, Geomancy, how to rule over life and death, Light, Shadow, Necromancy, spirit magic, and time itself were laid out before her and categorized in their various applications worth greatly to humanity's prosperity. Though some subjects were at best summaries and few actual ways to use them, but she understood that there was likely only so much Yellow knew himself and what he came with. If she ever spent time in Equestria, she'd look up some of the arts including the forbidden. To her joy, the most vital magics were in depth with many spells to test when she did gain some more mana to do so. Thus, they would prepare her project for the inevitable applications to be put to, taking into account the many safety protocols she'd need and likely without Yellow to help with in the future. To someone as bright as her, magic was no different from handling explosive Cyclohexane chemicals in a college level chemistry course for nursing majors. A proper scientist knew their boundaries to push and when to stop, even if magic had so many mistakes to make which there would be no turning back from. As far as she knew, the good that would come of all this was nearly in her grasp, and that was all that mattered. The Golden Age of technology that humanity would enter into with magic.

By the last day before the Friendship games arrived, Sparkle had been inducted into the event forcefully by Principle Cinch who needed the school to secure its victory. Going so far as to use her brother and childhood babysitter against her better judgement, but it scared her not in the slightest with the empowerment from being a Dazzling. Normally, she'd hold reservations and worry from the fact that she lacked the physical abilities for the relay portion. Yet thinking of the girls gave her a boost of confidence to handle Cinch's decision to include her, after using the threat of pulling her application from the Everton Independent Study. After all, she had magic to fall back on, and once she reached the peak of the research no school would turn her away.

As for Sunset and Flash, they awoke with no idea as to why they'd slept on the couch of the living room after dinner, with no memory leading up past the hallway they left Rose shortly after. Feeling refreshed and rather crisp, Sunset's life had felt as if it had taken a new turn for her and out of the danger she once suffered. As Flash had originally proposed, she became the coach and leader for the team to rally against Crystal Prep even after enduring the little blight of her She-Demon past during Rainbow's pep rally. The girls were all in for what she had to offer to secure victory, from new diets to training in the gym. Pinkie Pie took over the food prep happily, knowing that she could still produce sweet treats using the amber of the gods, the bee made honey. To Sunset's satisfaction, their ever energetic friend kept her word to make the meals that would give them faster recovery and stronger bodies, using her Equestrian diet with some modification thanks to Coach Iron.

He too assisted during the final stages with archery, taking Applejack and Fluttershy as personal protege's. While the derby club honed Rainbow Dash and Pinkie in the art of the roller blades for the wacky course that awaited them. Though they ached from the extra rigor, tended to by Rarity for calluses, blisters, and more the girls were all happy with their improvements in the days proceeding the games. Rarity of them all had been the most exhausted having been nominated as the substitute for the group. Taking training in everything the others worked on in stride, she would prove that even a proper lady could master the three sports.

Shimmer and Sentry took joy in the dirt bike course Mud Slinger allowed them access to, learning to control the two wheeled mechanical beasts and their agility. Though they fell off more than staying on in the initial start, soon enough they along with Rarity had developed passable skills to beat the novices that were Crystal Prep. In the act, the two best friends became closer than ever as they worked themselves raw and treated each others scrapes and cuts from the tumbles taken. Rarity still held reservations about their bonding but said nothing, as they aided her since she took the longest of the three to understand the motor bikes. What kind of friend would she be if she put them on the spot after they eased her into the sport with so much support? Mud Slinger gave them his seal of approval as well as old highly prized helmets he'd won back in his hay day, so long as they promised to wear them during the event.

Shimmer had no further problems with the curse since that last incident, as if it waited for the right opportunity to strike. Though she still feared being alone and giving the dragon a window, she stayed around densely populated areas and crowds as a percaution. Often leading her to maintain as much contact with the Rainbooms, Sentry, and Rose with whatever excuse she could muster. Like any good harmonious team, they shared many meals together, sometimes two to three of the girls would be available or the whole gang itself.

They spent the time wisely, discussing new tactics Dash devised to counter some of the underhandedness the Shadowbolts were known for. Pinkie Pie tested her latest creations on them that sent their taste buds to heaven, due in part to the Cakes also giving her some additional pointers she wouldn't have known otherwise. Applejack and Sunset were quite the duo in the science, math, and spelling categories having been the more academic of the six. They became the tutors for the others to hone their minds in where they lacked. While Flutteryshy's affinity and kindness towards animals proved to be a boon in the carpentry game, where something would be designed and crafted for critters. Capitalizing on her memory of what animals liked and disliked, she guided them in the proper types of dwellings people could make for birds, insects, reptiles, and mammals of the smaller sizes. No matter what creature was chosen, the girls and Flash were rehearsed in the finest ways to appease animals while showcasing some amount of flamboyancy.

By the time the games were close at hand, the Rainbooms and others were at the peak of perfection of body and soul. Confidence was sky high, material they covered could be easily remembered down to the last detail, Rarity's dresses for the relay games were being finished, and best of all their training had not gone unnoticed. The school soon caught on to their dogged determination to win back the Wondercolt pride, and slowly they all warmed up to the idea of possible victory. Even Shimmer received far fewer negative receptions when she walked about, it all seemed like everything had turned around. More so that no one caught any stranger to their parts of the town, no sneaky individual who did not belong and stalked them in the shadows. Though that did not removed the issue entirely, it did mean they were able to concentrate better, and it all culminated to one more day before Crystal Prep would arrive with their snobby noses in the air.

Back in Equestria, Princess Twilight Sparkle had failed to find the book after looking everywhere, even in her mentors study room. Despite Luna's warnings and hope that she would abstain from becoming consumed by the missing item, Celestia had been the one to settle her down after stumbling upon her going through her personal study. Needless to say, seeing the error of her path it became clear that Celestia had to order a break from the research for her, while Luna and the Adepts continued on with the notes she accumulated. With a brief send off and lists of what she felt were vital objectives, Twilight left reluctantly back to Ponyville where she spent a few days with her friends and Spike. The little forced vacation worked its charm and brought back to old Twilight, the one who could work through stress and organize anything from a celebration to a royal wedding.

Upon her return, the others had drudged up plentiful of data to sift through and flag the more relevant. Sparkle would sleep the day just to research at night, investigating each lead with the Adepts in depth. Through Luna's help, a little lineup of possible vile beings ever to grace Equestria were labeled for records of their banishment or defeat. The Night Guard commanders would handle that, and allowed Sparkle to make serious headway with portal invasion possibilities. All that was left was to test them and report back to Princess Celestia on their final findings. Regrettable, she would soon be closed off from the Black Tape Archives soon which still held the majority of its content still unexplored to them after the perimeters she set.

Dazzling Hotel Room

The three magical singers sat on their respective beds, taking it easy and carefree. The window covers were open to let the light in with the big screen on mute while it played the local news. It was peaceful and mellow, having had their midday meal not long ago, their minds were prepared to go over the latest fruits born of Adagio's brilliant mind. They took the moment as comfortably as possible, simple tee shirts and shorts as they lounged on the bed spread.

With her hair unbound and flowing straight down, "Man she's been working alright! How do we you know? Test them and all that, just to make sure?" Aria asked as she went over the new songs they'd use for the convention the next day.

Written in basic paper notebooks they purchased at the store with the huge bit pool they amassed, all the latest hits that would win them the adoration of humanity were dissected before the girls. Every ounce of negative emotion would not go missed, if she judged the complex enchantments right. Adagio had indeed been inspired by the modern day music stars, the contents and style were identifiable but unique all the same.

"With these, no one will escape our beats, no word shall be missed without cheer, even the oldest ape to the smallest monkey will be eating out of our hands and more..." Adagio laughed into a minor cackle.

"Wow, even I can't understand the lyrics anymore, but I mean I can still sing them though. That's what I meant to say of course." Sonata said as she tried to decipher the handiwork of her leader.

Seeing Sonata lacking she pointed to the opening act, "Look here! See, I've added additional octave variations here and here and.... there which will caste the proper enchantment for a wide range trap. When we reach the second verse, the frequencies change again to cast a more powerful spell to cause the audience to love us. Once we reach the last verse, the crowds will go into a frenzy... a mild one of course. After that, we will feed on all the negative energy from people who heed from all walks of life, the energy will be magnificent!" she looked to Aria who gave her a weird look before returning back to the papers.

"Far deeper than our songs at Canterlot, so you used the frequencies to cast the spells? Wow, I'm actually impressed with that. To hid the new enchantments, your as sly as a lamprey Adagio." Blaze complimented nodding away as she sifted through the other songs for the same alterations.

"Nigh detectable, made for this our biggest venue, and strong enough to handle channeling the negative emotions we will amass. I knew that our old songs would barely feast on the first ten rows and barely enrapture those beyond. Though this means it will take more magic to do so, which is why we've been out and about so often besides fine tuning our voices. I will warn you two, we will likely dip deep into our reserves just to make this work, but the payoff will be more than enough." the two looked a little worried at the gambit.

"So we like, put our all into our singing and hope to get something back?" Dusk tilted her head a little lost at the plan.

"Kinda in that manner yes, but the immediate draw will buffer if we have... an incident. But we won't get another shot at this, we come back with all or nothing. It's the best I could do with what we'll be handling, after all you two remember the layout of the convention center, several thousand humans... we have to take the risk if we're to fill these up in one go and over saturate them for the portal. Canterlot was barely two thousand, and we're going on a third more or over that here." she boasted as she crossed her arms.

"Ya, they did say a few outlying schools would be entering the animal rearing contests. Guess that means a few hundred more could make it four thousand heads. Then again, the beer crafting might definitely draw in the crowds even more, you've seen how much these monkey's self medicate! They put ponies to shame in their love of apple cider" the two looked at Blaze who shook her head in distaste at the humans use of alcohol, it reminded her of that one sea slug she once tried to eat as a hatchling which spewed out something as similar and burned her nostrils.

"Maybe even five thousand or six? For realzies!?" Sonata gasped.

"Exactly why I had to do this, you cannot catch a shoal of sardines with a little hand net can you?" the golden siren quipped.

The other two nodded in agreement, drastic times called for bigger nets and this one cleared the cake. They needed little time to prepare, with their voices so highly honed to their recent works the adjustments were simple enough. Fortunately that was the case, so that even Sonata had no issue with the little fixes here and there that she wouldn't be able to mess up.

"Gotta say, I'm looking forward to this feast!" Blaze fell onto the bed and relaxed to the many visions of glory that were ahead.

Adagio gathered the notebooks and set them next to several other duplicates she made just for emergencies, "Yes and I dare say we're quite deserving of a nice dinner for tonight, we'll need the energy for tomorrow. Sonata can you call Twilight and see if she'll be joining us? I'd like to try that other place on the list, the last one we've yet to try before we leave this doomed world."

Sonata blinked for a moment before the hype consumed her, "OOhhh!! You mean we're eating out again with bestie best friend! Yay! I'll call her, you mean that place called Take eeh saw?"

Blaze slapped her forehead out of sheer frustration at the butchered name, "No Sonata, its Takenewa, you know that asian place where they serve the freshest seafood around?"

"Oh! Ya what you said is what I mean to say, that's what I mean... to say." she flipped her wrist about before quickly diving into her phone on the night stand even as the others groaned at the usual Sonataness she exhibited.

As the cerulean girl texted and picture chatted away, it allowed Aria the moment to seek answers. The end game plan after they reached the pinnacle of their powers and returned home, nothing was ever really said other than the looming threat of loosing the new stones they had. It was something Adagio wanted to figure out at first before she went on her demented phase and plotted out their actual scheme to conquer Equestria. What was never cleared by her were the replacement stones, gems from dead sirens...

Looking over to verify Sonata was deep into her phone conversation, "Hey, Adagio? If we go through the portal or whatever and lose our pendants again, when and how are we going to get new ones. The ones Yellow promised us?"

It was legitimate and valid to ask of she had to admit, "We put our trust in him, and expect the end of his bargain at a timely delivery. He said he hid the ones he took from those Acarnes, so likely we'll have to hitch a ride with him or something. Maybe if he's a dragon of some kind he'll have wings and we'll be able to ride him on our way there. Save us the time."

"Riding those awful monsters? Huh? So essentially we're up a bog with out a paddle?" Blaze scoffed.

Though she wished to avoid using such a metaphor, what her compatriot spoke of was the summation of their situation as hostages, "Yes Aria we are, and we're going off what he believes will happen to us when this whole mess is done and done. We're sirens not mages, so who knows? We might still keep these things well after we cross over?"

"Let's just hope this won't be another bug hunt..." much to Dazzle's aggravation, Blaze left the conversation at that and closed her eyes to rest.

Noting nothing good would come from pursuing the issue, the two left everything at that. Sonata very shortly concluded her chat with their newst human siren, the new inductee which Aria had been itching to test her with Adagio being the one to postpone their next gathering till now. She told the others about Twilight's inclusion a day after it was authorized, which surprisingly Aria put up little resistance to and seemed to draw joy at having someone else to tease other than Sonata. Though for the aloof girl, she took it as only she could by becoming the annoying and the very hyperactive literal one who grated their nerves, leading Adagio to regret mentioning it. She had not only jumped about the room on the beds and the sofa, but she raved about celebrating a new member to their pod. For her, it was as if the family had grown and by chance it was someone who did not belittle her and instead raised her spirits when they were down.

"Hey I just thought of something." Sonata popped her head up from the phone.

"That's a first..." her bully pod mate chided.

To which she gave a miffed grumble before grinning wide to the point it put Aria off, "Do you think when we get back that Aria will go find that really attractive kirin we met back at that island place? You know before we hit Aquestria and Coltlantis!"

Adagio gave a short giggle to the nice relief of the mood permeated by the unknown future ahead of them. Indeed the little memory did not go missed as even she recalled that short soiree we were invited to by the Emperor and the Empress during that sacred holiday of that place. She could remember it vividly as it came to her forethought, the day one of her sirens fell in love.

Neighpon, Tokyo: Long Ago before Banishment

The Dazzlings had traveled from the mainland of Cinia to the west, across the East Cinia Sea aboard a Neighpon merchant ship. At first Adagio wanted to sing their way on board, but they were found to be as welcomed as they were on the mainland. It seemed anything of dragon heritage had been held of the highest esteem no matter how little they belonged to and their passage was granted free of charge. They were even given some fish from the ships storage destined for its homeland, the first mate described as an act to bring good luck. Kindness given to dragons or their relatives often were seen as such superstitious and brought fortune to charity, something the sirens shrugged at and accepted the gifts well from the ponies.

The journey had been long and boring, though the sea had thankfully be merciful to them and to that they gave blessings and gratitude to Poseidon for the moderate waves. The shaky seas under cloudy skies inevitably delivered them to the island nation who had been rumored to keep its borders closed off to all save for the lucky few. A country rich is possibilities and culture, thriving off exports from its surrounding waters, silk, pottery, and the most expensive master crafted weapons and armor only the richest could afford. They seemed mature enough for the Dazzlings to feed on, even if their numbers were estimated to be a fraction of Cinia, they likely possessed more concentrated negative emotions being stuck on an island chain type of continent.

Not long after they made landfall on a green forest covered coast, Adagio and the others traveled about to learn about their latest prey. Which at first the densely packed city centers and festival prone villages showed much promise, but they were sadly rebutted the chance when the denizens that consisted of the main population were confirmed to be children of dragon hybridization. Dracony or Kirin, creatures of pony and fire breathing lizard genealogy who possessed no usable negative energy they could utilize. The entire nation itself was a desert, as a little research and visits to the many areas showed the reason they could not sing and acquire their precious food. Dragons were the embodiment of greed and vessels of fire, negative creatures by origin and thus negative creatures could do nothing else to one another other than fight.

What few ponies and non-dragon hybrids were around were the minority, too few to really gain anything usable or serve as a decent snack. So it left the sirens to enjoy the sights and smells of the interesting country they would linger in for a time till they moved on. Their presence proved to be a boon to their experience, sirens were technically specialized sea serpents or water wyrms. Their auras and status alone had Neighponese citizens given them blessings and free stuff if it would allow them to send their prayers to the long dead and hopes for better fortunes. It became a rather strange incident where they had adoration but without the negative energy to absorb, and to that they relished the most of the attention during the Sakura Festival.

Adagio and Sonata soon found that they could attract admirers besides the use of their voices to enslave them. As they floated through a long street filled with vendors in red booths for games, food, trinkets, and wares under stringed paper sphere lights. Characters decorated many signs, the language of the nation was nothing more than alien to the Dazzlings so they often became lost and simply followed the crowd. They took in the fun and food given to them for free, Sonata who took on the joyous activities more than her fellows as her simple mind could only do with any challenge even if she failed. She gawked and wondered at the many crafts for sale as well as the variety of grilled and freshly prepared seafood that permeated the air with their savory aroma. Though Aria enjoyed the moment she found Mochi and watched the gluttonous cerulean siren reach a point she couldn't eat anymore with her mouth gummed up by the little treats.

Aria laughed from her gut at the scene of finally reaching a moment of peace where Dusk could not bug her with words and confusing logic, "Finally we found a weakness in the great speaker! Oh man who would have thought her stomach would be the doom of her!"

Sonata seemed to register the jabs and frowned still trying to devour the gummy wad in her dry mouth to no avail. Adagio simply giggled and looked around for something new to test on Sonata for ways to hamper the more aggravating qualities of her without any attempt on their part. That was when it happened, a lone hybrid approached them and specifically aimed his sights on Aria in his stride. He bowed before them, with the main tied up in a lone bunch cleanly and perfectly as if he wore an obsidian cap.

Dazzle looked at him as he rose up, sensing something a little off with him yet not in a bad way, "Hello and welcome, I do hope your enjoying our little festival here, the annual cherry blossom event. It's always been spectacular every year."

At first the three regarded him as a peasant talking to his leaders, but knowing they had to keep cover they gave into the pleasantries. With all the good being bestowed upon them, it would have been a very bad end to label themselves as hostile entities now. The fact that he had some charming qualities about his draconic features did not make it difficult to do so either.

"Yes, very humble and diverse for a mere changing of the seasons, your kin know how to celebrate the little snowfall your trees make." Adagio answered calmly as she eyed the ki.

"Ya, whatever..." Blaze looked away from the male before them as she cared little of interacting with others.

While Dusk tried to still chew the food conundrum hampering her speech without choking, "I was wondering if I could ask one of you to join me seeing the festival before the fireworks begin? Would that be okay? By the way, I'm Tokuga Tachi" the scaly being spoke up with a voice as soothing and gentle as the others of his kin.

Adagio studied the kirin before them that wore a simple silk garb draping over his forelimbs and legs, covering his body up to the start of his neck. A long slender spiked tail poked out and waved like a serpent from underneath the garment in a slow swaying motion. The fabric seemed to be a dull dark blue for the upper portion of his torso and barrel, while the rest below the belt had been a golden gray. If she were to make any assumption, the kirin might have needed the clothing to keep in warmth if they were as reptilian as they seemed to be. Their knowledge on this species had been lacking, but it was not of any need with their stay limited as it were.

His scales tinted a pleasing turquoise of the back, neck and, tail up to the spines that lined along the dorsal part. They seemed as if she could stare into them for long periods of time, the way they glimmered under the hanging candle lights she had to give compliment. Accent colors along the edges where the main armored keratin ended were a light emerald. Though only visible where the claws and feet began and the edges of the neck that met with the underbelly scales, contrasting with a low vanilla hue. His hair appeared jet black, with the characteristic horns of kirins poking out in a burgundy brown, their source of magic casting.

Of his silvery pristine fangs, the clean mane, and carefully tended claws, the eyes of the young dracony were what captivated Aria when she gave him a look over, they were a beautiful and venomous Alice blue. Which just like his armored body they were as spectacular as any jewel with a fire behind them, something unique to these inhabitants of the island country. She respected that color combination his parents gave him, but it still had to convey through his character if she would even consider giving even a modicum amount of praise. They had seen plenty of fancy looking beings, most were vain and rotten inside though perfect for a quick feeding session. Then she stopped thinking at all, instead questioning why she would have even wasted time talking to the chimera. Viewing out of the peripheral of her vision, the rules of attraction had snared her.

Adagio shook her head as if having the impact of a full cup of that strong tea back in Cinia hit her system, "Sure, I don't see any harm in that, to whom are you wanting to ask? Would it be me by chance? I often have many seeking my attention these days." recovering quickly as she assumed her usual nature and charm.

He pointed to Blaze with his muzzle, "The lady of the court, I saw her through the crowds and felt the need to try for her attention. I can also sense you are the one they follow so out of respect, you will allow it one of gold and majesty? I then humbly ask her the same, as it is customary for consent here."

Taken aback by the forward Ki, Aria stalled in a response and seemed to keep studying him for any signs as to why he fancied one of them let alone her. Sonata seemed to be slack jawed as she did the same, a line of saliva leaked out of the right side of her lower jaw through the green wad of food. The stupor would not last as her fast acting mind lept at the next thing her attention span demanded. Using her talons to shove the sweet treat down her throat, she gulped it down painfully until the gummy treat ended up in her stomach before speaking.

"Ohhhhh!! Someone's got an admirer!!" she laughed and poked her elbow into the stoic siren beside her before clapping her talons together.

Adagio simple shrugged off the missed chance for a non spellbound captive to her own beauty, however his sweetened words were true and he had found her to be as he described. That she had not been under his privy became dust to remove off her scales, but to respond as she wished to would have landed them in a culture clash. With nothing left to do with the kirin, the matriarch nodded to him turned around to leave them using one of her forearms to lasso the taunting siren with her. The rest was in Aria's court, the puck passed quickly and could not be returned as she later spun around to somehow escape the moment. Only to find her fellows lost to the crowds by the time she snapped to, the odd unfortunate circumstances that kirins were as tall as they even as they levitated with their magic. A quick growl was given as she gave up using the girls as the ticket out, she faced the ki and glared at the enigma that surrounded the very air about him.

"What...?!!" she couldn't believe the situation she was placed in.

"It is a simple proposal, nothing of the sort of binding agreement. I just wish to accompany you, that is all. Merely going about to enjoy all that our festival offers, I hear its better with another to experience it all." his ghostly eyes locked onto hers never dallying to insult her with devious investigations over her body.

"If I say no?" she asked folding her forelimbs over her chest plates with the best unamused look she could foster.

Though the effect was not even registered upon his face, he chuckled to himself before looking away at a mother and her hatchlings as they purchased a few treats from a grilling booth. Even his tail showed no sign of betraying the reaction he likely hid if she denied him.

"It is no lose to either of us, a friendly gesture is all and I had planned to pay for fun to be had. You see I'm a rather bookish kind of fool, and I've been meaning to come to this event for a while now. Surprisingly enough when I willed myself out of home, I'm met with an even more glorious development than I could have ever imagined. Seeing you... the flutters within my spirit vanished and I am at peace. If I could just say you are a wonderful specimen of your kind and leave it at that, then my night is made and my goals achieved far beyond the bar." she noticed the sincerity in him as good emotions wafted off his body only she could detect.

"When you put it that way... your actually the sappiest male I've ever meet. And the girls and I have met many. I'll... take you up then if just for the free goods and stuff. Besides we're leaving in a few days, might as well enjoy it before we're back in the monster filled oceans again." she suppressed the flushing of blood to the underlying skin beneath her facial scales with the utmost determination.

"Fantastic, I will say this you will have a great time that I will promise. Just let me know if I ramble or anything, I... I'd hate to ruin this night for you." he turned to road ahead brimming with all kinds of entertainment and goods to partake.

Aria looked up to his chosen path, the rest of the festival Adagio had planned on not going through as the crowds grew thick. Since they couldn't feed, it was as if to her they were in a kingdom sized buffet and not a crumb of food to eat spiritually speaking. She herself found the food, colors, and patterns the dracony used to be a pleasant atmosphere to linger in, but like Adagio saw no other need to stay. Singing and practicing was all that a siren needed, it was that and family rearing which made them happy as a pod should be. The civilities of nations were loud and obnoxious to the quiet lives their kind lived in, getting their dose of adrenaline when a sea beast tried to feast on them every so often. But here she was about to spend time doing the exact opposite if just to feed her actual stomach with the culinary delights of Tachi's nation.

'What am I getting myself into... I'll get those two back soon!' she sighed and followed her impromptu chauffeur.

Large fluffy trees hovered over the festivities shadowed by the peak of the full lunar cycle. The glorious moon and the dark starry sky around it, giving a closed off world to those who'd notice and concentrating everyone's attention to the lighted areas created in the massive park. A very gentle breeze kept the heat from the lights to a minimum and the cooking meats with tantalizing sweet aromas of baked food constantly floating past Aria's sensitive nose.

The two soon vanished into the sea of kirin and colors, which Adagio and Sonata soon reappeared from the nearest booths they had hid behind and watched from. An elderly rin who had a small layout of woodwork craft laid out before her, her naples yellow irises looking to the golden siren who peaked from the corner of the fabric blind that boxed in her booth. She watched the female laugh as her other friend snaked through the street traffic and joined in the giggling, like little ones after a prank on a classmate.

"She actually took it! I can't believe she thought we ditched her!" Adagio squealed in joy at seeing the whole thing play out.

"Ohhh!! Isn't it romantic..." Dusk smiled as much as her elongated muzzle could.

"And she's none the wiser as we observe from afar, I'm sure those two will have a good time with each other and plenty of raw juicy goods to hold over her when she gets antsy again. Especially for you Sonata, you know how much she just loves to hear you talk." she said as the dorsal crest of her fellow tented as the memories of the mocking and insults came back to her.

"Hey ya! Now I get to do the same to her!" she clapped her taloned forelimbs together again.

That was when they heard a sigh and the words of Neighponese being spoken in a frail haggard voice beneath them in the booth nearby. It was the old rin shaking her head as the silver mane uniquely pulled back in several directions like waves into a bun in the back. Flora hair ties and clamps neatly situated into the elegant style that shimmered under the light above. Her tail sticking out of her wardrobe with a tuft of hair at the end curled around her seated form. She possessed four antler like spikes which appeared weary with age, though her facial qualities had aged very well and still possessed some youth. Interestingly enough she dawned a long flowing silk robe decorated with flora which complimented her peach colored scales with the forest green of the cloth.

Adagio used her translation spell immediately to find out what was being muttered under the elders breath, using a little magic she hated to use now. As the spell took effect, the rin looked up to the two of them as her ancient eyes examined them before speaking. Salmon pink orbs seemed to speak for herself, the years of knowledge behind her life and it hit Dazzle with what she then assumed was about to be a lecture.

"You children and your little tiffs, you should work in harmony with the way as we do. Instead of cutting down the plum tree because it failed to bear fruit this year, tend to it and nurture the plant. Love... not bickering and resentment... foster goodness in the world and in you. Let her have fun and not be berated for it, it will repay itself in due time." she waved a clawed finger, wagging it at the two.

"Its just harmless little fun is all, now be a dear and let us..." Adagio stopped when the elder whipped out a walking cane made from a freshly pulled tree limb that jabbed in her direction.

"What is fun but the delight of your own ventures, why not seek fun and peace with all? I can sense in you something to be held in the future where you will be given choices to go to greater heights or fall to karma. Whichever path you take, what will your fun play into that when you will need support? My young one..." she shook her head, "Overcome what you think you need and see that only together can we all exist, to exist and live, to live and be one. If displeased with your friend you are, realize you can't change anything or else you will live in a fantasy realm that will doom you."

Dazzle was unsure of how to proceed further, the two sirens levitating in place trying to figure out if they could just leave or if that would cause a ruckus. With the cane still pointed straight at Adagio's face, it made her want to slap it away with her tail if not for the fear of having everypony around turn on them. So with a cool and calm sense of things, Adagio let out the breath she'd been holding in.

"Your so right, we'll let our Aria go without us. I mean there's so much to do here anyways, why waste it spying? Right Sonata?" she gazed at her subordinate.

She simply shook her head and shrugged unable to respond to anything the old kirin spoke of, she'd already gone past her limit after the plum tree metaphor. Without verbal backup, it left the leader roll her eyes and sigh as she found no backup to get the female off their case.

"See even she doesn't think, we should have just been nice and I'll remember to do so from now on. Let's go Sonata, there's so much culture around here we haven't even begun to see." she nervously shuffled the cerulean hippocampi away with her.

"Heed my warning youngsters, you will lose the path... the way is the only salvation!!"

'Now we can't even follow them after that decrepit thing held us for so long. Guess you win this time Blaze, but there will be more oh so much more.' she thought as they cleared past the crowds around them and towards the cherry trees.

Crystal Prep

Twilight sat in her lab with Spike in her lap, the computer before her sorting through many calculations of using Hydromancy for an advanced form of hydroelectric generators. She recently stumbled upon and self repeating mana wash which would constantly implode and explode without the possibility of losing any energy in the process. The spell would be self sustaining, though in theory it would possess a part of the users mana well to remain thus reducing their overall magical potential. In return however, clean environmentally friendly source of energy could be erected anywhere as long as water was available. She even went into the generators design and the towers for the mages to caste from one by one to oversee the spell and trade off for a rest cycle. The employment alone would help many and the job was very simple as well. Then there would be the jobs for upkeep of the generators and infrastructure, people would be able to earn money when it wasn't even possible with barely any degrees of higher education. It was the first tangent project she made after she completed her reading of Yellows manual.

Currently, she had contacted him after she arrived to the school to discuss the uses of the energy creation and if he knew of any flaws she might of missed, "So nothing wrong with it other than mana exhaustion? Your saying they'd have to create a containment spell to keep the mana from dispersing regardless? But then that defeats the whole objective! The ward will sap mana itself unless... we redivert it back into the perpetual momentum through a conduit spell! The first one will do its one task while the ward contains, yet feeds off the first while giving back if the ward were outside itself... like a self sustaining glass biome! All three magic casts would work with each other and lock the mana into itself so long as the caster remains healthy and awake! Wow thank you so much Yellow I wouldn't have realized that sooner."

She heard him chuckle on the phone, "My pleasure Mrs. Sparkle, I'll be happy to offer my time to you with as little as I have now. Just keep in mind that mana is like energy in your world, once its used it will evaporate without the Ley Line gravity well to keep it earthbound."

"I understand sir, oh and I was thinking if it would be alright to take the scanner with me to Canterlot High for the games? If I can see if it will absorb any lingering magic I'll be able to do more than think and plan. Could I?" she asked with hope, knowing soon the buses would begin to load in everyone.

"Well, seeing as Sunset did not realize what you did, she should be unaware of the device and what it does. Nonetheless, keep it hidden from them. We're too close to have to build another and I don't have another gemstone like that one. If you discover anything worth while, report it to me as I'm unsure of what has gone on in that school and who is what. If you can try to keep allies nearby, if you get cornered your school may be the only salvation from being discovered of your true intentions. Mob mentality is something you humans and the ponies share in common." he answered to which she gravely nodded.

"Understood, I'll be careful with everything, and your right the rivalry between the schools is so thick anything could set a fight off with a drop of a thermometer. Anything else sir?" she pondered about the ally bit.

"No, your free to go, stay safe Mrs. Twilight... we can't afford to lose you anytime soon." the sound in his voice dipped as if he could already envision the Rainbooms stripping her of the device and tracking his group down.

"Goodbye sir." she hung up and looked to her pet as she scratched his ear.

Setting the phone on the desk she pondered the newest experiment, what could possibly contain magic other than the portal if there was a chance?

"Oh Spike, I know doing this will power up the scanner but I'm worried that those Rainbooms might be the only other source of magic in the school. Other than the portal, would I be going against Yellow's wishes to keep away from them if I weakened them? Perhaps siphon enough magic from their bodies that it would render them powerless to stand up to Adagio and the others? I think its impossible that there would be anything harboring magic unlike this. So I have nothing really to test this on... and I'm no special operators of the armed forces either... can't even go through the hallways without running into other and being pushed around even if I tried to avoid them." her little puppy awoke and noticed her dour mood.

Stretching his little compact body, he soon took to nuzzling her hand that petted him trying to remove the dark cloud forming over his pack leader.

"I'm not a mage if I don't have mana, thus I can't help them when they might need it. But to get it means going into the lions den... even if its for the greater good. I might even take enough magic to aid with the portal too, if what I read on summonings that will take all if not more than what the sirens will have even if they're full. But the nature of dark magic means that isn't a guarantee they wouldn't have enough. I could be risking my self for nothing and just out of subjected fear..."

The dog's innate senses were on alarm, he could feel his owner losing hope. Yet it would be his little peppy self to come to her aid and bring back happiness, all he had to do was leap at her with a wagging tail and a few licks to her face; then she'd be right as rain.

"I haven't even tried out any spells since they just happened on their own, I only memorized the new ones and their casting requirements. Even if I earned the mana, I have way too much testing to do with it before I wouldn't be just some kid playing with fire for the first time... uh... hey spike! Haha ahaha quit it!" she giggled as the canine gave her a break from the thoughts that started to stain the day ahead.

"Okay okay! I get it, no more deep thinking!" she pulled him off her as he barked before whinning.

She stared at him and knew his wondering eyes and tilting head gestures meant he still felt the shadow of doubt. Holding her pet in the air she wondered about what she was soon going to do, Adagio's most hated foe that could bring them down once and for all. If she indeed found those Rainbooms to be the only other source of mana and that she could take it from them. Would it not be in their favor?

After she talked to Sonata, hearing about their latest outings to feed and grow in power she had a growing need to be there for them. A tall house of cards her life had become now, with the last few levels that remained and at any time it could collapse before the form completed. They were so happy thus far and the mere thought of something ruining it all, stranding them in her world where they'd soon perish to the faults of magic users sent over. Immortality at a price, rapid aging that would end their long lives in a month or less, a cruel fate that awaited them.

Spike took the instance to shake himself from her grip and once again jump up her chest to help. His nose desperately cuddled the crook of her neck as he licked every now and then, his tail furiously shaking to a constant beat of seconds that passed. The fur tickled the skin and jarred Sparkle from the poison, as it seemed he would not relent until she ceased.

Instead of trying to get the puppy away, she thought of Adagio's pain and a heart felt wish to have gone with her family. Someone who wished they had died together instead of being saved to live and seek a life out to make their sacrifice worth it. Twilight wrapped her arms around the little bundle of help and cuddled him as every situation she could think of swam in her mind. Though because of his doggedness, his actions pulled her out of the pool of uncertainty and into the way of action. The invigorating positive energy he gave her set the mission ahead that would be her new dawn.

"You know what Spike? I'm going to tell Adagio what I'm about to do, I vowed myself to them and I serve the good of the pod. If she thinks this will be a good idea, then I'll take it head on and disable those guardians. She says no... well I can just put this all behind me. Thanks Spike, your always there for me just like Sonata." she lightly squeezed him again before his little doggy brain commanded him to squirm out of her grip.

Letting him loose on the floor in order to pull out the roller tape to remove his hair, making sure no evidence of him would be seen once she left to the buses. While doing so, the phone came out again and she dialed Sonata post haste, now was not the time to be foolish and go out doing things because she thought they were right. She was a Dazzling, apart of a fascinating team of mythological creatures who respected her enough to make her one of them. She'd be nothing if it all fell away because she acted alone.

As the little canine began to search out his food bowl and water dish, the phone connected with the recipient. The all to familiar voice came up as jubilant as ever.

"Hey Twi! What's up, I was actually about to like call you?"

Holding her breath and tensing up first, "I need to talk to Adagio first if that's okay?"

"Hold on a momentee! Adagio its Twilight. She wants to say stuff to you." she could hear the device being transferred over.

"Ah if it isn't Twilight Sparkle, hows my new inductee doing?" the sultry voice of her leader came through.

"Oh um everything is fine, about to head off to Canterlot High for the Friendship Games." she replied.

"That heathen place...." the dislike was almost palpable through the phone, "Yes I remember, your going... well forced to compete as it were, probably be in the same vicinity as those cursed girls...... Anyways, to what do I owe the contact? We are on our day off right now."

Knowing her matriarch meant she wanted to be left in her own thoughts and peace, she needed to make this quick and to the point.

"I wanted to pass a plan on to you, and get your approval for the good of the pod. I want to use the scanner which gave me magic and use it to take away their powers if its doable. It would render them a non threat if my theories are correct, and they'd be weakened when the time comes. Mana regeneration if the books were correct takes days to replenish, so they should be at fifty percent or less if they should show up before you leave. Would you permit me to try this out and help?" she squeezed a fist as the anxiety kicked in when the conversation seemed to have frozen at her last words.

She waited for a couple minutes, hearing a light breathing in the background as well as what sounded like a TV. There was a thought of what if she overstepped her boundaries as the lowest ranking siren of the pod. She'd seen plenty of documentaries with wolves and other pack animals and how the newest members were always at the back of the action.

"Twilight... do it. I want you to make them as powerful as unicorn foals! Take their magic away so that I can humiliate them even more, because I plan leaving our mark on that school that will haunt them throughout their lives. Make them be as able to to caste magic as a snail could! Contact me once the deed is done, and don't fall into a trap. Get out of there if things go south, I can't lose you now nor ever. I don't care if you have to bunk with Yellow Tail and his minions either!" Twilight nodded to herself as the door knocked to her room.

She jumped and panicked while listening, rushing out of her chair to grab her dog and stow him in the nearest empty filing cabinet. Caught by surprise, Spike just looked up at her as she set him down using her shoe to open the drawer and gently place him inside. Quickly using a finger to her lips to hush him, a trained reaction she made sure he knew that would keep him quiet till he was released by her. The knock came again and had her snap back to attention of the two things beckoning her.

"Twilight? Are you still there?" Adagio asked a little worried.

"Ya! Yes ma'am! Just had someone call for me and I'm rushing to get my things before the bus leaves." she answered as her hand gripped the door handle.

"Okay... well you have your orders so carry them out, and remember to log it all in. I want to savor their misery when they realize what has happened. Goodbye my dear Twilight." to which thankfully the call ended and allowed her to see who had come at such a bad time.

"Cadence!? Is it time to go? Did I miss the bus!!" her eyes darted to her childhood friend to her backpack.

"Calm down Twilight!" she giggled at the standard reaction when the young girl thought she lost time, "I just came to inform you that we're lining up at the pickup point. So go ahead and get everything you'll need and meet me there. Try to be the first one, I know how the others tend to treat you..."

"Right, of course, excuse me for a moment I have to shut everything down and go over the list! See you there!" she closed the door abruptly.

"Same old Twilight, never changes for a moment." the dean shook her head and left to the point.

It had been a blur of motions as Sparkle closed down everything and backed up her hard drive to several thumb drives that she left on the desk haphazardly. The computer still ran its original program as she put it to sleep, all the inventions she'd sketched up as of late were strewn along the work table on the other side of the map she made trying to allocate magic when she first detected it back then. With spike hidden in her bag, she locked up his bowls in the closet before leaving and securing the entrance till she returned.

In no time she ended up at the transports where a line of fellow Crystal Prep students had formed, but the only thing on her mind was to find the buses as she was told to do so. The drive unfortunately put her in a rather unfavorable situation soon enough, though in hindsight she should have seen it coming.

"Dean Cadence! I made it as you asked! What do I do?" she huffed trying to catch her breath standing before the young woman scanning over her clipboard.

She looked away to register the new arrival, "Oh Twilight, good you made it, please wait here for a second I need to ask Principle Cinch about sending a few more students to this bus since the first one is overloaded and we have spare seats."

Knowing the dean had a quirk for efficiency as much as her, she let it go and waited for her return. Though it became clear standing where she was had sown yet another unneeded social contact with the students she got along so well with.

"How about you could TRY the END of the LINE!" the all too familiar unhinged Sour Sweet declared behind her.

Wincing at what was going to happen she tried to defuse the issue, "I'm sorry?"

"Oh it was nothing. You should be first in line, after all Principle Cinch did use your opinion of us to make the team and we're so flattered at your appraisal that you deserve first in line while we've been waiting in the sun for the last ten minutes." the pony tailed said with honeyed words.

"But I... I didn't mean to..." she tried to excuse herself to walk to the back as Sunny Flare gave her a smug look.

"Twilight, sorry to keep you girls waiting for so long, seating placement was looking a little choppy there. You may now board, I'll put you down on the list first, so go find a seat and we'll be off the Canterlot High." Cadence smiled at them as she started to focus back on the clipboard and scribble the immediate names oblivious to the student interactions with one another.

"Wait, I didn't mean to cut in line?" she tried to stop the official documentation.

"Too late for THAT isn't it?" Twilight turned around to see the others made up their minds to follow the dean's command.

Already she had started the walk across hot coals and they had yet to even reach their target destination. With defeat, she left into the bus hoping to avoid any further issues with other students, the energy was best left to setting up her psyche for the battle ahead.

Unfortunately for her, fate deemed yet another test, "Are we gonna WIN!?!" a shrill voice assaulted her ears as she felt her heart leap.

"Wh-what?!" she stuttered.

"WRONG answer try again!" Indigo Zap shouted into her face as her amped up state drove her to do so without care.

Twilight thought of how she handled Adagio and Aria, overbearing and easily able to sail above the concerns of others. Instead of trying to do what she'd normally do, knowing that Indigo was a vain person when it came to contests and sports the only way to excuse herself would be to stroke the ego.

"With you at the helm I know we'll get through it right? I mean you are the top Shadowbolt C.P. has. We will win...!!" she grinned nervously sensing Sour Sweet stepping up the bus steps.

Zap merely tilted her head as the answer she got was far from what she expected, but it was welcomed as she gently punched her available shoulder playfully, "You're cool, I am at the top of my game and we're gonna wipe the floor and streets with those Canterlot dweebs. Stay fresh Sparks!" pointing her index finger at the girl with the thumb up.

"Ya... you too." she returned the gesture and moved on down the bus.

It seemed as if the little flattery had earned her a break, as for once no one moved to deny her a seat seeing as The Indigo Zap found her to be cool enough. However, she wanted to be left alone to gather her thoughts, she needed allies just in case the Rainbooms tried to get the flanking maneuver on her but none so far seemed to fit the bill. Most of the initial students were really people she didn't know, and she figured the prestige she earned just then would only go so far. The hunt ended when she caught sight of Lemon Zest, the school's music enthusiast and rock aficionado. The one person who'd be too consumed with her latest acquired album to bother her, but the down side had been Sugar Coat on the other side of the isle.

"You were right, Zap will carry the physical aspect of the team in the relay portion, thus securing our victory in the actual meaningful portion of the games. Good job admitting to that." she flat out stated before going to stare outside the window on her side of the vehicle.

"Uhh... um thanks?" she looked away to avoid further talk with the most blunt girl of the preparatory and looked into her backpack.

A quick unzip and there she had Spike pop his furry head out panting happily to see his owner no longer feeling negative. She uttered a few words of gratitude to him for the morale boost he gave her before closing the bag just in time for Zest to finish rocking out.

"HEY! YOU GOTTA TRY THIS! JUST CAME OUT FROM GERMANY! IT'S SPANGDAHLEM!!!" she shouted above her music before she slapped her headphones over Sparkle, much to her chagrin of not being able to say no to the ear busting sounds and rough voices.

Canterlot High: Front Entrance

Sunset made her way to the statue to check the crack for any more damage, having also thought she might need to cross over for just a moment and find Twilight or at least get a message to her in some form. She figured she'd get it over with soon before the rival school appeared, after having practiced again with the others. Rarity had brought out their new uniforms for the games and figured the others would make the better decision as a team than herself. Fashion just was not her forte and would have opted for a more practical attire if anything, but morale needed to be charged up and good get ups were a must.

As she descended down the stairs, she wondered if she could actually pass through. In truth, she still couldn't will herself to even if the thought passed by, things had gone on so well with the others. She had helped build up a team into well coordinated competitive machines, and rehearsed so many lessons for the first half the event. They had spent many hours of the day with each other, if not out of her worry about the nightmare which had yet to visited her still. Impending doom like that would have had her walking on glass if it were not for the dirt bike lessons with Flash and Rarity. She even had the chance to see his father and have fun with the mechanic and police officer. With Rarity needing the extra courage to get down and dirty, seeing as much as Flash and her crashed as often as that occured their fashionista took longer to train. Though it took a simple wardrobe change into expendable wear to finally make much headway in time.

With the school counting on them, the last thing that was warranted would be a Celestial being shedding light on something she messed up. That or her other universal counterpart that she had yet to find in Equestria, that one day she feared would happen and have much to explain. Nonetheless, the statue before her offered two choices which she felt already had one selected no matter what.

Her feet stopped before the marble work of art, her hand going to touch the crack that ran down three of the sides. Ever since that day she'd been so busy that she hadn't been able to check on it for any real damage. Magical artifacts such as this one should in theory withstand damage to a good degree before being rendered unsafe for travel. Now that her undivided attention could be given she felt the injury that could not heal. It made her want to write to Twilight to test the portal before coming over if she ever got her messages.

Closing her eyes, she felt the magic within as it shined to her fingers. It felt as strong as ever if not a bit shaky, but there was no mistaking it that the way to Equis had enough fight in it to weather the stranger's touch. Relief felt as good as eating a fine cold sundae ice cream dish Pinkie Pie loved to make, the sensation of her mana connecting to the gateway was a very comforting feeling. Sending the upcoming jitters for the Friendship Games aside as she mouthed a blessing onto the statue, closing her eyes to focus. It was an old song of prayers she remembered back from her time home, a magical release of positive energy which had the potential of affecting daily life on a very small level.

She needed to do it, after all the extra time after practice and school, she had Pinkie over to help her meditate into the Librarium to continue her research. Each solid piece of data she felt was relative had been scribbled down while Pie seemed content to entertain herself with the food she always brought. So far out of her hard labors, she nailed something on the Greed character in Starswirl and Nocturne's journals. It coincided with something terrible that had to be exiled and had been temporarily put on high alert for vengeance should it ever return. However, her memory only went so far after how long it had been since then, and unfortunately she did not read every page as she should have due to Celestia always showing up and saying her peace. The worry she had in her looking into the forbidden arts and heretical witchcraft, which sadly ended her dive into the Black Tape Archives as shortly then she was shown the mirror. The rest was history and the most important history she needed to know with it as well, but she at least had the name of the book and its location for Twilight to find. A very old collection of journals almost hidden away from prying eyes held behind a few rather out of place books.

'Its been weeks since she's gone silent, but if Discord spoke the truth then I guess... what am I saying he's chaos incarnate. But he's not without his peace to enjoy it, if he's here then he's missing out on the disharmony he had made back home.' That nugget of reality reaffirmed her of his standing, that he had indeed been reformed or struck a deal with the Princesses.

As she teased the portal by sinking her hand into the surface but by a few inches, her attention far too absorbed to hear the buses arrive and begin disembarking their contents. Twilight exited behind the main bulk of her group and set her eyes on the scanner which began to light up.

"Good, the portal is still active since last time. Let's see if I can draw some more from it. It may let me get a few options to get away if I get caught by those girls. At least Lemon said she'd hang out with me during the opening ceremony and social. I'm sure Indigo would be the biggest boon now that I'm in her circle, if I assumed right that is." she walked up to the horse posed on its hind legs.

She failed to see the fissures in the base or Sunset on the other side as she brought the device up to the structure. With a deep breath, her hands inched the collector just close enough to begin the act. To her astonishment, she was able to see light being sucked in which sent the blue lights to cease pointing at the source and begin glowing from the top light on down. The programming had not permitted what appeared to be a gauge for contents, but since she dealt with magic now anything was possible. It fed quickly before the blue lines stopped half way up the unlit ones and blinked in place.

That split second it happened, Sunset felt a pull on her hand as her good mood seemed to be yanked into the statue itself. A mild burning sensation greeted her body, as well as a sudden onset of exhaustion as if she had eaten a very heavy oily meal.

"Somethings... somethings drawing magic... out of... me..." she breathed heavily as if a part of her own soul was being torn away from her.

The emptiness had been indescribable, it was as if she had a chunk of her core removed and a lighter than air feeling arose with it. Try as she might, her failing strength failed to extricate her from the statue until the horrible deed was done no matter how hard she pulled on the hand. A few moments of the draining sensation and she finally fell back with a heavy thud from launching herself away, but the pain in her rear and skinned palms she used to catch herself were the least of it. She felt old, like a senior woman who just woke up in a nursing home and needed to stretch her joints to avoid having an accident. At most, her head swayed around as if the world spun around her, forcing her to lie down completely out of it. Nausea soon set in as images whirl pooled like some horrible tornado, her head moving side to side as she tried to fight the need to vomit.

Twilight had not been aware enough to hear the other girl fall and mumble in agony, her heart and mind were dedicated to the strange occurrence with the machine. When it stalled, the lights changed red after the halfway marker giving the striation of lines a combination of blue and crimson illumination. Once again, she never had installed red LED lights in the scanner nor was it able to act like it did, but something strange happened and it appeared she absorbed something else in the process.

"I gotta tell Yellow about this... it may be dangerous to use if that red means anything of caution." she muttered and walked back to the bus as Cadence started to call out for attendance.

Little did she know that Sunset's skewed vision caught her leaving, but the sight of her had become far too warped to really pinpoint a person other than the form. With a wavering hand, Shimmer lifted it towards the departing person trying desperately to call out to no avail. She simply was too weak to do much but plead to herself. All she could determine were faint lines of something by the street which the person left and merged into, the picture her eyes drew from looked as if it were a watercolor sketch with a hand that smeared the image.

"... w...w.wwait... come come back.... plea...se..." her legs shifted in place as they tried to get her up.

The sound of heavy foot steps somewhere around her she could feel where her body made contact with the concrete. Someone was calling to her, but even her hearing started to go with a pervading ring that only grew more powerful. With one last look as she felt something touch her and lift her off the hard ground, and a blue streak was all she registered before passing out.

Comments

[Raistlin]

7596925

How does Sci-Twi reconcile her belief of benefiting humanity throught magic, with actively joining a group of mind slavers, hate driving Sirens?

[TheronSniper]

7622170 Well that will be covered in a soon to be chapter, the first meeting with Yellow Tail. I'll say this, he showed her something about magic. That and in previous chapters a little bit of Twilight's history plays into the Dazzlings hand or talons. Its the desperation to fill the lonely void left by her brother and the fact that she never really could make friends being so driven to learn. Sonata's past opened the willingness to help them, feeling a sense of empathy and similar feelings between the sirens and Sci-Twi. Two main driving factors that are her young naive mind sees the good in the evil, and given the fact that she's very self educated, what the Sirens are doing are no more different than what humans do. Much like using nuclear weaponry to lead to nuclear power in a sense would be best to describe this. She also sees the Dazzling nature to feed as they do as nothing short of their own nature, who is she to kill the wolves just so the farmer can have his ranch of cows and sheep when the wolves were there first. Though to really hit it home, Yellow revealed that immortals without their power die quickly as is the law of magic, so she feels ever more concerned for them no matter their past.

It was also mentioned that the Sirens had enough of her world they cared not to conquer it anymore, so with that off the table and them leaving for home. Twilight can logically feel less threatened by them. She only knows their side of the story so its easy to go with the flow.