The Siren's Remorse

by TheronSniper

Ch. 38 Adagio for Strings Part 1

Ch. 38 Adagio For Strings Part 1

The food had soon been cooked, seared, simmered, and served before the fifteen who had seated with some extra chairs brought out for the sirens and their human compatriot. It was now that Tis had gotten hold of her anger and simmered down in a slightly broken chair that had once been throttled away. Much to Yellow’s amusement, Sonata found the squeaky noise the furniture now made to be like that of a little mouse peeping out of some corner of the home. Tis seemed to get the reason for her giggling and found her honor was not shamed in that action, thus the wrathful creature abstained from more violence.

With the remaining leftovers placed on serving dishes and positioned at the epicenter of the glass table, there were easy takers for more. It was after all the final dinner before the big shock and return to a world they knew. Adagio kept to herself and monitored the behaviors of the little feast, wondering how long they all knew each other and the amount of time it must have taken to tolerate one another. For her, the oyster had opened its shell and revealed the pearl glistening in all its opalescence.

Chewing into her fork full of food, ‘A very interesting bunch here, far more entertaining than those snot nosed brats at Canterlot High or anywhere else we’ve been. Then again they are Equestrians… humans are boring compared to these ones here, such a temper Tisiphone has almost as if she made herself out to be some kind of vengeful being like me? I'll savor her sob story when the time comes.’

Her inquisitive covert gaze studied the quiet and sober woman, trying to find any noticeable hints as to her origins before she popped the question. Arms which looked to be barely evident to the power and rage she demonstrated earlier, she appeared to be nothing more than a china doll as the human saying went. Her facial features carried a weight of their own like a predator at the top of the chain mixed with womanly allure.

‘She’s no me, but I do have to give her credit where credit is due. A sound tactic to appear like a glass model, only to harbor the ferocity of a Dogan whale underneath that placid calm. Makes me wonder what really exists out there back home that I wouldn’t have come to know about if that didn’t happen to me... to them.’ Dazzle tilted her head and swallowed, mulling over the information of the one called Tis.

Yellow cleared his throat after a few mouthfuls, “So Mrs. Twilight Sparkle, I think we should all be very thankful for your participation in this matter at hand. I believe without you, the two of us…” he set his fork before him and spread his arms wide out, “… would never have seen eye to eye so easily. You’ve outdone yourself in more ways than one, and so thank you.”

“I’m just happy I can be of help, especially after now and the resources you’ve given me freely. All of your contributions will aid in making my home planet a safer place for every human, animal, and plant. Gee! I have so many ideas to test out for clean energy and defensive spells alone?!” the young woman who had been handling her glass of water set it down and pulled out a small notebook merely a few inches in either dimension.

“You see, a flat out genius we were given by fate. Emerath if I ever believed in your gods I’d thank them myself.” Yellow laughed as the elegant man scoffed before resuming his meal.

“Aye then lass, to what do ya plan on mak’n?” the Scottish maintenance worker still in his work cloths asked before stuffing an entire chicken breast into his mouth and chewed it loudly.

The leader of the group egged on, “Indeed, I think I speak for everyone here that we’d like to know more about your plans with magic? After all, unfortunately as you heard and no doubt have been meaning to ask this, where will the magic come from once the portal is gone? Are you still going to help us now that the cat is out of the bag?” his eyes shimmered with a golden sheen for a few seconds, fading to gray.

Frozen Heart looked up with a rather saddened expression as they all had been wanting to know where the human now sat with them. Having absorbed so much magic as of late, but to soon run out of it eventually once the bridge had burned. They all took heed of her compliance and it intrigued them to no ends at how well the human seemed to either not care anymore or valued the sirens she teamed up with since the start. Would she penetrate the time and space barrier sporadically to feed like a mosquito upon Equis and risk causing some kind of catastrophic event? Even the Empress seemed to give a little glance over to the four, and with all the eyes upon Twilight she had to give the answer which had become muddled now.

Twilight gazed over to Adagio as if asking for permission to speak about it, and the golden siren held a moment before nodding. Sonata gently elbowed her with a wink to also give her assurance at the little surprise she had to spill. Though Aria seemed like her old self and shrugged, half lidded eyes and attitude to high heaven which Sparkle quickly took as her little mask while in front of Yellow and his followers. So that was it, admittedly she wasn’t planning on having the gateway removed for her to come back. However, she took it well only because of her powerful capabilities that opened up portals to Equestria, solidifying her confidence she could become a mage of all magics to be practiced and learned. Able to tear through the the wall between universes at will once she honed her abilities. Though still all for the sake of the betterment of humanity, and not to become a tyrant like the rulers of Equestria who allowed ecological disasters to go unpunished; for who knows how long.

With a deep breath she attempted to still her increasing beat of the heart, “It’s alright sir, I had already promised to go with the Dazzlings so I may use the environmental mana there to always be charged up rather than having a battery system here. If the portal was to still be up that is.” She grinned sheepishly, “Adagio made me a Dazzling not long ago and I want to help them bring the rightful justice they deserve. Over the empire that carelessly acts with abandon like the Rainbooms and their reforming spell if that’s what they use.”

A few eyebrows rose from those who thought to see a more broken and in denial husk of a brilliant mind, others waited to hear more. It was Paradox and his little chubby self who looked pleased to see that an intelligence had not been wasted and rather lept at the opportunity as it presented itself. This little human reminded him of his old self before being sent to the human world, good memories of chances and risks before the red robed Arcana puppets came.

“That is a bold move Adagio Dazzle…” Yellow gave her a sideways glance.

“Private reasons only for us to know about, but rest assured my little siren here has what it takes to be one of us in one form or another. She knows where to put her vast curiosity and somehow… pull out of a bottomless pit before it is too late.” She looked at the human with a soft motherly smile, “It was her decision to come along, no magical enchantment, and no songs of our doing in case some of you were wondering and I know you were.” Dazzle then returned her vision to the gathering, strict and stern as she could shut off her own emotions like a light switch.

A few nods were seen, “She’s right, and to add, I used the weeks preceding now to understand and apply the magical arts to enhance and replace the infrastructure of my country and those abroad who suffer. I recently developed the O.W.E.G. design which uses momentum spells to propel a fixed amount of water until the caster ceases which generates clean electrical energy by spinning the turbines without having to dam a river and spend the costs of the maintenance of it. Depending on the size of the final model, jobs can be made anywhere and everywhere, employment easy through training of users and safety for the environment. I also have ideas for a conical weather shield to deter clouds from solar farms to increase productivity and increase the duration of solar exposure. Oh! Oh I also have fuel free vehicles using levitation spell and certain crystal capacitors that allow a vehicle to forgo wheels as traction and instead hover! Portals themselves would remove tons of vehicle traffic off the roads everywhere and employ casters to operate, utilizing many depending on the size of the shipment. After seeing what I can do accidentally, opening a small wormhole would do wonders for global needs to send goods and aid to disaster areas. I thought of creating conduits for heavily used ports and depots, structures to build and maintain beyond operating. I could go into the cost effective ways of using magic to handle waste as well or for space exploration!” Sparkle’s little excited rant ended when a gentle finger paused her lips, Adagio looked a little peeved only to sigh and smile seeing her cease at her command like the good Dazzling she was.

“You have been studying, that is good and you will have no restrictions in Equis to do so. You’ve really thought this through haven’t you?” Yellow inquired as the forks and spoons of everybody stopped moving, all now really focused intently for the answer they were waiting for.

Swallowing a lump in her throat after Adagio removed her digit, “I… I have Yellow sir, after what we’ve all been through since I came to know Adagio, Sonata, and Aria I know I have more than just a calling to science and knowledge of the world as well as magic. And I intend to see through it all while handling everything else, it’s what friends do for each other. Best friends…” she shivered under the many, feeling a tingling of sweat starting to pop out of her pores as she became ever more nervous.

“BESTIES!!” Sonata shouted loudly and tightly hugged the poor girl who yelped at the suddenness of the physical contact, her glasses skewed.

It became hard for Adagio to sense the air of the group of exiles, some were easy to feel as they displayed some modicum joy and excitement. Those like Tis, the short gruff red headed man near Yellow, Havoc, and Monet were the ones she had no feelings that her senses couldn’t taste. This limited information available to her was a bit miffing, a siren could detect any range of emotions even if they were but whispers. To meet such creatures who could either hide or had excellent control over themselves, was a very bad position to be in. The golden siren had been sure these criminals were lacking in magic, but perhaps it was a time to rethink the resources they still had beyond what was needed for the travel fee.

“There you have it everyone, just as I expected of my little gems…” Yellow sounded proud, “Now that we have that cleared up, I believe we must yield our end of the bargin. Adagio? Do you have anything you’d like to ask of us? After all, we are suppose to be working together as one and I can safely say there are no Equestrian saboteurs amidst your number.” His smile came with the insult, though as a fellow leader and her caution towards Twilight she had to regard him with some modicum of respect in that.

“Good we see the same way and think alike, I had you all pegged as well… unstable individuals with the whole demon thing coming to ruin our coming reunion tour.” Adagio admitted and expected a minor upheaval at her choice of words, not that she cared really.

She did acquire negative emotions at the use of unstable, though the flickers of emotional responses were brief, “I can assure you we are any but, though I can understand from our initial meeting that I may have been a bit… overzealous.”

Aria huffed, “Ya, if you call deceiving us, pulling out dead souls with magic, and ranting overzealous then you hit the nail hard.”

“Please excuse her, she’s an idiot. Now I’d like to know more about this threat you all seem to stand against under one flag. I’m sure we don’t have to worry ourselves with our beautiful crowd slaving voices, but if they are dangerous enough that even the God of Chaos deems worrisome then as Matriarch of this pod I’m required to be concerned. Could you perhaps go over where you came across such knowledge of these demons?” Adagio took a sip of her water and held firm for an answer.

Emerath did not take her words easily as he scowled directly at her like a noble before a peasent, “Children the lot of them, do we really have to handle this one Yellow Tail? She seems like the ever scheming ones, and the gods know those kind well… never the good bunch of them when the thick gets thicker.” Tis notably eyed him with disdain yet not giving a response of any kind.

Frozen Heart however voiced his conflicting views at the both of them, “They will be the ones to open the portal or at least ensure it will not be closed off. You should have a better line of respect for them if you wish to go back. However I do agree with him, aside from the human I too feel a bit of the itch to my better judgment. I’d like to see something more tangible with trust here.”

Adagio suppressed the want to scowl, she could finally sense emotions though none were all that well received. Though she was finally happy to have something to hang onto and keep her radar on alert. They were afraid of her pod, they were still unknown and it was a good thing for them too. Which meant they could manipulate if needed, or play it as cool as the arctic waters and let them ride this out.

Yellow took notice as well and gave each of his comrades a quick look over, it appeared as if things were not going the way he wanted. Group inconsistencies, a delicious situation if it wasn’t banking on them all working together for the last push. Negative emotions all around and nothing to feed on, the lead siren was very displeased with the new heading yet as with anything else her mind soaked it all in for further information. She watched Yellow as his eyes glimmered again, like a gold coin being flipped into the air that Havoc seemed to catch. The man with sass licked his chops and settled against his seat, he looked as if he’d seen enough to know what was coming.

“I don’t need to remind anyone at this table what it is that we face, what we are trying to prevent. If anyone here enjoys this dead world and a short human life, by all means depart from this room and be on your way." his venemous tone spoke and for a time he waited to which none moved out of their seats, "I’ve shown you what we will be ending before it begins as some have also stumbled upon, I had hoped you all to be smart enough to realize this. Have you not all come into this fold much like these four girls? Unknown and prying for what scraps of bread to pick up for your own survival and contingency plans? Emerath, you may have an invaluable amount of resources of foreign help to give, as well as your desire to please your gods who see the vile filth as much of a stain to Equestria as the rest of us. Do not let it cloud your judgment.”

Something about the head of the snake once again gave a quiver within Dazzle, just like the first they met. A kind of power within him that was not exercised outright, but flowed from the spirit not quite like the mindless monsters of the forests and oceans. He hid something from view, scraping off just enough for him to use to keep the others in line from the hint of magic she sensed. Magic infused with spiritual energy like negative emotions that tasted colorful and hard to hone on. Adagio could see the group’s dissenters waver under the might of Yellow's aura, not like the domination she used on Aria and Sonata whenever they got out of hand. If she assumed correctly, it was a miasma of some kind that was very subtle, fog that induced fear. Few races could caste such a thing, so what was Yellow Tail to them and Equestria?

“Understood.” The British man conceded and took a sip to withdrawal from the situation.

Frozen nodded and said nothing just as the others, turning the celebratory dinner into a graveyard devoid of liveliness. No one objected any further which meant Yellow was back in control, a rather scary development to the sirens and Twilight.

“Now, with that settled, Adagio I shall answer your curiosity. I suppose that is a valid query and one I should tell you now than later. Where to start....” Yellow soon brought his wine glass to his lips and took a short sip.

“Perhaps as to where you came to believe in these Demons you speak?” she asked in a more precise manner.

He nodded to her as he took a sip from his glass and sat back, “I had once been a unicorn Adept of the Arcana myself back in the good old days, pursuing my thesis at the time of taming the more monstrous creatures through the use of melding so they could see the error of their ways and learn to live harmoniously or at least to the extent of Manticores and Dragons compared to Quarrey Eels and carnivorous plants. I believe… yes, I had gained passage to the western coast of Equestria past the borderline and the guards. I had a pass through the Scholar’s symbol only an Adept could have, I’ll show it to you when we replace your gems, might come in handy. Anyway, a place nearby the abandoned Trading town where ponies once lived until they left after the Unification era.”

Adagio quirked an eyebrow, “You don’t say?”

“Yes, I had chosen as my independent study to search for the proof of my thesis. To track down a notoriously large and aggressive Wyvern to experiment on, and do not worry the process is harmless. Now….” He began to eat into the salad dish, “The Trading town use to be a prime harbor for businesses until the ponies pulled out, once the ships stopped coming so did the lives that use to call it home that were said to be of others like griffons and minotaurs to name a few. It had been a place devastated a few times after a random tsumani struck it periodically over the ages. Said to have been alive since the Iron Age and that is saying a lot.” He gave a snort.

“Neighwesterman sir.” Emerath said as he looked on with disinterest though a tad bit of apprehension edged on his words.

“A yes, Neighwesterman, that was the name… so oddly enough when I gathered a raven and sought the trail of the magnificent creature as it called the decrepit harbor home. A sinkhole opened up underneath me and at that moment I thought I was dead.” He sighed as the memory became a vivid recollection.

Near the end of the Equestrian Reneighssance…

The darkness was thick, sand continued to sift through the many fissures of the rock around. It was a trench of some kind, etched away by underground waterways which receded and gave way to the surface weight. A chamber pot of some design, unique how nature acted behind pony eyes even for earth ponies the land still had its own mind and life magic could not manipulate.

Yellow shook the pain away from hitting a few surfaces of jagged rock on his way down, thankful the trench bottomed out and allowed the sand to filter further down into the landmass. Otherwise as his brain figured, he’d have had a sand burial this day and no one would be there to mourn him. The sands were loud as they were filtered from him, his soft blue coat and sea green mane came visible as his horn became the focal point for a Bright spell. His flashlight shone the new surroundings he had fallen into, a cave network as it were and one he’d need to evacuate soon unless he risked being trapped in the earth.

“What a time to regret not learning levitation spells…” the stallion batted his mind in frustration, he had favored biomancy instead and though it got him so far it had its shortcomings.

His dark chestnut brown eyes gave a look over himself as he rose up with the bruising laughing in his face despite the pain killer spell he tried to use as well. It appeared fortunate he still had his saddle bags with invaluable equipment guarded by a shield spell just for such emergencies. Though the rest of him was worse for wear as the royal blue Adepts robe only one of his station owned began to stain with small cuts along his coat. Nothing a few healing spells couldn’t fix, and a quick test of his skeletal system proved he thankfully had not broken a bone on the way down. The depth of his near death had him curious enough to look up and that he regretted immediately.

Looking up the light of the fading day was barely the size of a carriage, “Guess the luck of the draw or the Princesses saw it fit that I survive. Not sure how I’m going to get out of here now, what was this cave in called again? A swallet?”

Sand still pouring down though they’d soon disappear, Nickle Flame looked back down the only way out of the chamber. No other fissure than ahead which had any number of death sentences for him if he was far down enough. Anything from creatures of the nethers or poisonous gases from nature itself, but he had come so far and to call it quits now would be a fatal mistake. He though how strange another pony in his place would be panicking and likely harming themselves out of fear. Perhaps the thick welt on the back of his head meant that he had a head injury?

“If only Topaz Luster could see me now, she’d be hurling playful insults like no tomorrow....” he said to himself as he began to trot with a slight hitch in his walk to the hopeful exit.

Plenty of Gypsum rock was evident around him and the reason he was down here. The ocean water must have been slowly coming in and out of the ages, probably making a giant sinkhole under the town too. Luckily for him, the waters made the way out easy to negotiate and easy on his hooves, though some hard work was needed to go up and down, squeezing through the smallest gaps. The darkness and claustrophobic trek had yet to still get to him, though a trickle of something warm and wet down the back of his mane reaffirmed the reason. He’d need to reach the surface soon and perform the necessary first aid before infection set in.

“Just my luck I was close to the specimen and I get tossed into a hole… Typical.”

What felt like hours or days, hunger setting in, Nickel did not cease as he hurried along the more he felt he was losing track of time. Not to mention his mana was slowly being drained by the Bright spell he used to see with, he had likely a few more hours before his well was drained. It left him at a disadvantage, which the negative emotions from that were abated by the hope of finding water. If he could locate a submerged section, it meant he had a way out and he could use the last of his mana to create a bubble of air around him. Permitting him to swim out to the ocean most likely and finally escape even if it was a risky chance. That plan in of itself was also a death sentence, then again he had no choice if the water crafted way did not lead upwards somewhere soon.

Twenty minutes passed and still no sign of where he was going, though the lapping of water in the farthest reaches finally spurned hope. It sent the unicorn scholar in a rush to get out, as the air was slowly becoming less and less oxygenated. That had been his mistake and undoing, as the cavern opened up ever gradually with its water smoothed textures. His hooves lost their grip and he slipped and stumbled down a steep decline, crying out as he desperately attempted to both stop himself and avoid knocking his glowing horn into the hard unforgiving stone.

“FOR THE LOVE OF CELESTIA AND LUNA!!!” he yelled as he became little more than a yo yo spinning and hitting the sides every so often.

It was a harrowing moment for the young mage, as a surprise fork in the road soon appeared and he hoped he could push himself to one side lest he split his back in two.

“Come on…. Come one!” he kicked at the nearest vertical face and took the right.

“Please by the Daughter of the Moon let this be a way out!” he said in harsh whisper as he was either heading to more tunnels or into a bottomless pit perhaps one with sharp stalagmites to make his end quick and with less suffering.

He journeyed for another ten minutes, slowly greeted by a green light up ahead which grew and grew till he realized it was a way out. Giving a quick holler of thanks to whatever god saved him from the depths of the nether, he soon slid out like a shot puck and into a brightly lit area. Of course he couldn’t focus on it as he fell and fell still, easily washing out his prior joy of hope as a body of water closed up on him. It was deep thankfully and with an Airburst spell he had saved himself from a painful landing. Using his horn to condense the air before him and released it forward, slamming into the glassy surface of the neon green lit water. The pressure wave was enough to that he all but belly flopped and floundered onto the small island of dry land in the center.

“Sweet Celestia this wasn’t in the plans at all!” he hacked out seawater from his throat he’d unintentionally took in, “Just hope I didn’t fall into a nest of something…”

Letting his eyes leak away the salt that seeped in his frantic splashing, the burning stayed even after he long climbed out drenched to the core smelling of seaweed. Of all his travels this had been his messiest yet, and he’d likely never hear the end of the taunts when came time to return from either the student body or the staff.

“Where am I?” he let himself become aware of where he was at after letting go of his predicament in cleanliness.

His head rose up and gandered at the tremendous little pocket in the soil, completely eroded by water and time by the looks of it. It was as if he were inside a hallow gourd with algae and plants stuck to the walls like a foals first piece of artwork in school. Some gave the source of the light that allowed him to see, the rest were normal by any means to describe as they probably fed off the rock or the light in some kind of mutation that let them survive. Rock up to the top looked as soft and bulbous as Hematite, how strange nature acted upon this place and secluded its little life in the safety of the depths.

A slight shiver escaped Flame as he realized something crawled in his coat and robes, looking down he beheld the wiggling forms of tiny shrimp and fish. They appeared blind and nearly pale to any coloration, but upon further inspection when he carefully plucked them off his person with a little spell. They frantically reacted to being levitated before his muzzle, giving the affirmation that they did perceive some kind of sight.

“Guess the flora gave them just enough to keep some kind of vision? Incredible?!” he noted in his head before returning the creatures back to the water and continuing his investigation.

It became clear where he was as he neared the center of the some seventy foot mound out of the moat of lit water. His hooves crunched on debris and shells as he gained an conflicted look to what appeared to be a broken brick structure just enough for a lone pony to live in. It was odd that such a thing even existed what was likely hundreds of feet below the topsoil, though whatever built it was likely passed onto the next life if the barnacles and dead sea grass along the exterior were clues. Then it started to make sense to Nickel, how the chamber appeared as it did with life. This was definitely constructed and meant to look as such, it had a purpose and he’d only find it if he managed to get inside the masonry.

“This was no ordinary pony hoof built construction, all of this had to be from a unicorn or a team of them. Maybe… ah, I was right then.” His eyes had just barely begun to look around the old rock when the slight remnants of stone stairs came into his inspection, rubble trailed to the water garden which his eyes looked towards the top where what was likely the passageway.

Like a wad of stuck gum, soil and soot had congealed from the exit which meant the way had long since collapse from natural tectonic behavior. With as far as it was it may have sealed over from something up top, but it mattered not the fate of the stairs as the structure begged to be explored. So the young scholar paced around the square building trying to discern traps of any kind if the magic or mechanisms even lasted long enough through the corrosive salt or time. Though that was hoping he was right on the age of the entire thing room and all.

“Well, I can’t sense anything primed or ready and the sea lice have done their work on anything of wood, nothing but rust and more rust.” He did a second glance just to be sure before coming up to a collapsed section the stairs had once been.

He tittered slowly, careful over the broken bricks and mortar to avoid injury or setting something off he wasn’t accustomed to yet. At first it looked dark inside, as if light was absorbed by some blackness even Celestia’s sun couldn’t pierce. Still could be a nest for any kind of nasty evolutionary child of time, so Nickel drew in a deep breath and summoned a mana flare into the structure. It hissed into the air and bounced about like a glass orb, fizzling sparks and an eye searing ice blue illumination. Its tinkling ended as it came to a stop in the dead center of the interior, shadows were caste and the abyss finally relinquished the treasures thrust upon Flame.

“Whoooooaaa….” He gasped softly.

Within the drab stonework appeared to be something vaguely similar to what one would find in a shipwreck to an extent or a left over farm of a rock farm. The few tapestries which were not whittled away by organisms or exposure appeared to be pre-equestrian with the barely visible iconography of the one and only Faust. She was myth at best, but many saw her as the mother of Equestria and nothing more since texts from that far ago had been lost to the past. The dyes that colored the clothed paintings were washed out, a long lost version of Equestrian language scribbled in black or gold trailed up the vertical banners from the shredded bottoms that crustaceans must have eaten. Nickel stepped into the building to get a better look while the flare lasted, it was a sad thing he was not a historian otherwise this would have made his life easy. The textile art appeared to glorify Faust with her being halfway discernible on all of the works, though something akin to fire and arms reached up towards the light of her horn.

“To see such things last this long in such a humid atmosphere… shocking!” he gawked before looking elsewhere for some new discover.

To his left, he missed what appeared to be stacks of carved stone cases all of which opened from their faces. None had locks or any that even existed now, though they had been vacuum sealed as it felt when he tugged away with his magic. Though the defense wouldn’t hold as the cases cracked and released the suction to each one he touched. Gifts from the gods came in the form of perfectly preserved stone tablets that held away from the sands and life. It was at this time Flame counted the stores before him, all in all he had sixteen to go through and a lot of material to read in a hurry lest the tide start to come in and destroy what he opened up just then.

They were interesting to view the runic symbols of lost languages and imagery, all stockpiled neatly and orderly through some kind of system a librarian would love, “Priceless… absolutely priceless historical items, but why were they left here?”

The stallion questioned it again and spun his head around to really see the room itself. He was not prepared to see it all in its full glory, a moment in his life he would remember forever more.

Back to the Dinner Party

“So you essentially stumbled upon some kind dwelling purposefully dug deep to hide things?” Adagio asked as she still gave rope to the story.

“Yes, it turned out to be a grave to some unicorn noble or royal, I found it hard to tell apart the rank without being an anthropologist as their silks and such were long eaten away. Nothing but bone.... I knew a few good ponies at the time that could have needed the treasure trove around the crumbled bed the corpse still laid in.” He answered taking another bite of his food again.

“Go on.” The golden siren waved away.

“Okay, wait, what kind of time frame are we considering all this? I’d like to understand this from a historical perspective to see how ponies lived and evolved through technological and magical means… if that’s okay with you?” Twilight had interjected with a stern need to make sense of everything, though becoming timid when she realized everyone looked at her with questioning gazes.

Yellow laughed a little, “That my little gem is probably good of you to know and for all of us to connect the dots then. I’d have to say my time was of course near the Modern era of ponykind, but the knowledge I had acquired looked to be early Pre Classical Era or late Iron Age. Reason being, I noticed a well carved picture of a unicorn lord surrounded by followers similar to how human hieroglyphics appear. Detailed the rule of the stallion during the Demonic Age, though at the time I could only assume through imagery without some way to interpret the literature. I matched them with human history and I was able to make a rough idea of Equestria's timeline. Largely due in part to the others here, all are from different epochs on Equis so that helped fit the puzzle pieces together.”

Emerath cleared his throat, “Equestria’s Arcana has done a great misdeed by covering up the past before the Windigo Winter and Hearth’s Warming Eve. No pony actually knows about the founding of the old empires and cities, nor Fausts sacrifice to stop the horde of the unclean, all the better to keep the demons from public knowledge and from enticing them to break free sooner.”

“Quite true, I had to burn the runes of each tablet into my skin and fur to preserve them for later, I barely found enough resources to translate much of them after I escaped the tunnels. Only outside sources of Canterlot were able to figure out what I had found, though interpretations varied. It seemed as if the start of the Pre Classical Era was the demon era, where the true Cutie Pox outbreak had actually occurred no matter what anyone else says. Magic was then granted to pony kind to use beyond the smallest tasks, giving unicorns the ability to attack and defend with magic itself as well as possess infinite possibilities in spell crafting. Pegasi could control weather rather that keep aloft in the air beside their bodily proportions to naturally keep them off the ground. The Earth ponies were originally just strong natured and muscular, but they soon could cultivate the land and handle tools they crafted themselves. I can assume all this because the Classical Era followed after the…” he tried to continue before Aria grumbled loudly at being lost to the topic that swayed.

“Layman’s terms people! Some of us are not savvy like you all…” she hissed to no one.

Yellow shrugged at the girl’s butting in, noting his eagerness to talk probably ruined what he had to tell them. Though going by word of mouth could only be trusted so much, he at least looked forward to going back where he had the evidence to speak of. If it meant keeping the sirens in his deck of cards, it would be worth the hassle.

Sunset's Hospital Room

Shimmer had been given a briefing over what happened since she was knocked out cold, the rush to the medical facility by an ambulance, how the doctors thought the numerous symptoms she underwent was catastrophic organ failure, only for her to suddenly come out of it in a self induced coma that thankfully had only lasted eight hours. Of course during the explanation, actual human police officers removed the imposters with one being tended by a nurse for his rather unfortunate condition. All in all, no one was hurt from the magical fight between Twilight and her, no one having seen the girl since. As it turned out Flash and Principle Celestia had remained by her side out of worry that the new She Demon would come after her while she recovered, and how right they were though for another foe.

"Wow... just wow..." Sunset appeared utterly out of it as she fathomed where things had taken a turn for the unbelievable.

"Ya, so it seems folks from your world are here and are acting of some kind of other leadership. I don't know what they would have done to you or if you could have been released, but I'm glad the staff here let us stay." Flash rubbed her right shoulder.

"Investigator Dusty Thumbs has left two nice officers stationed at your door till your better. As much as I would like to stay here, I do still have a school to run and the outcome of the games to determine with Crystal Prep." Celestia wore a solemn pain knowing another incident might occur without her here to protect the young woman, "Flash, can I trust you to be here in my stead? I'll excuse you from any obligations to school and inform your parents where you are at?"

The boy nodded, "Understood, besides after that I don't think I'll want to leave anyways. All this magic stuff going on, with the way you are Sunny there's not enough help in the world right now."

His insistence was charming at the least, and of course the little kiss they shared before the battle recalled the newly built bridge between them. An extra pair of eyes in the room were not a bad decision either, if more of those Arcana henchmen decided to send another squad after her. She had no magic to protect herself and her body as it needed to heal, the great hole in her heart where mana use to flow with the gentleness of a calm stream surfaced just then. The girls and her were as vulnerable as mice in a box trapped with a cat, they were easy to dispatch targets of opportunity. If what she remembered of Twilight were something to haunt her even during a time of peace.

"... Adagio sends her regards."

Celestia could see her student contemplate her life, a troubled and stressed out young girl that did not need to be placed into a corner. Though if fate played its cards right, perhaps there was a silver lining somewhere in these dire times. Internally she thanked whoever watched over humanity for her not being in Principle Cinch's position and having to explain to parents about their missing child after being overcome with magic and wreaking havoc all around.

A quick chortle at the quagmire Canterlot High had become, seeing as she had little time to sleep before tomorrow and the insurance company as well as the board of schools she'd have to call. It was possible try to put Luna in her stead if just to ensure Sunset would be safe to the next day, but the priorities of reconstruction were too high a duty even for Luna. Celestia neared the exit to the hallway, hugging herself as she still tried to wrap her mind around the fate of Twilight and her students. Where her students even safe and could they move on from these magical disturbances if they persisted?

"I bid you a fast and quick recovery Sunset Shimmer, I'll see you at school soon." her motherly smile seemed to smooth the anxiety evident on the girl.

Before she could turn the handle of the thick wooden entrance, it swung before her and at first it was a nurse backing in. Though it appeared she had someone in tow, that or a cart of some kind perhaps a tray of instruments to check up on Shimmer since she awoke?

"Now be very careful, we don't want to cause anymore harm to you than you've already sustained. Your lucky its just your radial nerve and not your back, young bodies are so resilient even at your age." the uniformed registered nurse stepped in, Celestia backing up to let the new arrival in.

"Ms. Caring, I'm almost thirty years old, I'm practically nearing that age where my bones will ache in the cold and I'll need to sleep longer." a strange voice which sounded oddly familiar croaked with a crack in the feminine voice.

A plump lime skinned old woman of the hospital cleared out of the way holding the hand that lead up to an adult woman. One who slowly limped in wearing a plaid long sleeved shirt in an array of blues and red, worn blue jeans showed patches of her bare skin, and black boots with mauve lightening patterns going towards the floor. Celestia stood stock still as her vision grasped the visage of the young woman behind her a few feet away, only older and taller with the same red hair with blonde streaks through it's curls. Though unlike the student, the luscious wavy locks were pulled back into a ponytail which showed off the numerous marks and cuts on the left side of her face. Dried blood and some bruising was evident, emphasized with many stray ends pocking every direction in its frazzled state. She had to be ten years younger than herself, but it was so hard to believe anything could trump the disorder that passed recently until now.

"Mrs. Shimmer I must take this precaution as nerve damage is no laughing matter even if you feel fine. You still have the test to determine the state of the nerve itself, and let us hope its only partially crushed rather than severed." Caring shook her head at her patient's desire to avoid treatment.

With a giggle from the older Sunset, it wasn't long before Celestia and her met each other. For the other party, she winced at the ghastly shock that partook the principle, causing her to stop against the nurse's motion and jerking her. Caring huffed as she glared at her charge, surely a good tongue lashing would rally in the rebellious youth.

"Sunset dear now I know your worried about the hospital bill but you... must...? Honey what's the matter? You look like you've seen a ghost?" Caring looked behind her to see Celestia gobsmacked and a miniature version of the woman she was bringing in peaking out from the still broken privacy curtain, followed by a young blue haired boy.