The Sirens' Song: Part 3
"Never explain—your friends do not need it and your enemies will not believe you anyway."
- Elbert Hubbard
"Shoot," Applejack said as they waited in line to get into the stadium. "I almost forgot. Twilight's pretty much blacklisted me! Pinkie won't want me workin' the stand either!" She looked down at the badge around her neck. "My vendor's pass is probably no good anymore."
"I figured as much," Rainbow Dash said. "Which is why we're going in the old-fashioned way."
"What's that?"
Rainbow held up three tickets. "Duh!"
Applejack rolled her eyes. "Still, I bet those guards have a picture of me. Don't forget Twilight knows my secret identity and wouldn't let Mistress Mare-velous or Applejack Smith in!"
"Thought of that too. Here." She produced a pair of glasses out of her jacket pocket and handed them to Applejack. "Take my spares."
The earth mare raised an eyebrow as she put the spectacles on. "No way this'll work."
"Why not? Works for me all the time." Rainbow tilted her head. "Though ya might wanna lose the hat. It's a real telltale sign."
"My rope's in here," Applejack whispered, touching her hat.
"Then we gotta hide it somehow."
"Whaddya suggest?"
When the three heroes reached the front of the line, Rainbow smiled as she handed the tickets to the ticket taker. As he ripped off the stubs, he looked Applejack over.
"Enjoy the show," he said, handing the stubs back. "And congratulations."
Applejack forced a smile as she patted the belly bump beneath her beige trench coat. As soon as they were out of the ticket taker's hearing, she narrowed her eyes at Rainbow, who had a smug look on her face.
"Told ya it'd work," she said.
"I can't believe it," Applejack said, shaking her head.
But she couldn't help smiling to herself. It was a pretty good plan, albeit ridiculous.
"So how are we going to do this?" Fluttershy asked. "I mean we can't just walk onstage and sing."
"Got that covered," Rainbow said, waving a hoof. "I got in touch with one of the sound ponies, Vinyl Scratch. She agreed to set up some equipment so we can sing over the Sirens during their song."
"How'd ya manage to do that?" Applejack asked.
"Vinyl was the only one on the crew not under the Sirens' spell, so she was more than happy to help. Plus we went to Maretropolis U together."
"Why isn't she under their spell?" Fluttershy asked.
Rainbow smirked. "She never takes off her headphones. Come on, she said she'd meet us in the sound booth."
Fluttershy looked out at the stadium and saw how many ponies were in the stands. The sight made her slow her pace. Applejack turned back to her.
"Ya comin', Sugar Cube?"
Fluttershy shook her head. "Y-You girls go ahead. I have to, uh…" She spotted the mares' restroom. "Powder my muzzle!"
As she whizzed into the bathroom, Applejack and Rainbow glanced at each other.
"We'll meet up with ya later," the former said, following after her roommate.
When Applejack opened the bathroom door, she heard hyperventilating. She pulled her hat out of her coat and placed in on her head so she could feel more like herself. Peering around the corner, she saw Fluttershy staring into the mirror and gripping the sink.
"Who am I kidding?" she said, hanging her head. "I can't do this!"
"Sure you can."
Fluttershy spun around as Applejack approached her.
"Ya sounded great when we were practicin' together," the earth mare said.
"But that's when it was just you two," Fluttershy said, looking away, ashamed. "I don't know if I can sing in front of all those ponies."
"Hey," Applejack said, placing her hooves on her shoulders. "Remember why we're here. If we don't do this, our friends and all of Maretropolis will be under the Sirens' influence forever. We'll beat 'em if we work together, I know it."
"Is that so?"
Upon hearing Adagio's voice, Applejack turned to see her and Aria in the doorway wearing smug expressions.
"Somehow we knew you'd come back for more, Mistress Mare-velous," Adagio said.
Applejack was silent.
"Oh, yes," Adagio said as she began circling the two heroes. "We recognize you. It wasn't hard figuring out that cowgirl who ran out of the bathroom and the masked mare who tied us up a few minutes later were one in the same."
"Same coat color, same eyes, same mane," Aria said as she joined her sister in the circling, "not to mention those lame glasses don't work."
Applejack took off the glasses and tucked them into her coat. "So whaddya gonna do? Call your brainwashed minions to throw me out? Tell every pony my real identity?"
"No need," Adagio said. "We've already ruined your reputation. What would be the point of spilling your biggest secret?"
"It's not like you can defeat us either way," Aria said.
"Even trying to attack us again will only make the mortals of Maretropolis hate you more."
Applejack crossed her forelegs. "Y'all seem pretty confident about that."
"We're merely stating the facts. You think we're afraid of Demeter's little rope?" Adagio scoffed. "Demeter's not even remotely that powerful."
"Nothing but a flower-picker whose secret weapon is honesty," Aria said in a snarky tone.
"Now, if your patron god were Daddy Poseidon…"
"…or Apollo, who's all about the music…"
"…heck, even Dionysus would be better suited for this situation." Adagio smirked at Applejack. "The Goddess of Plants is nothing against three sea sirens."
Applejack narrowed her eyes. "Ya better hope Demeter didn't hear ya say that. Or did ya forget she can literally put ya on ice?"
Adagio laughed. "If any of the gods still had any power in this world, they would've done something about us already."
"Besides," Aria said, "it's you we're fighting, not Demeter."
"Really, Applejack, how can you expect to defeat us when you couldn't even defeat your parents' murderer?"
Applejack's and Fluttershy's eyes widened in shock.
"Oh, yes," Adagio said with a dark chuckle. "We know all about your dear old Mummy and Daddy. I'll bet if they were alive," she stuck her face in Applejack's, "they'd be severely disappointed in how poor a hero their daughter turned out to be."
Applejack clenched her hoof. "At least my pa wouldn't be disappointed enough to steal my singin' voice."
Adagio stepped back, surprised at her comeback. She growled at the cowgirl.
"Enjoy the show," she said, turning her back to her. "It might be your last."
Aria followed her sister out of the bathroom. Fluttershy was still hiding behind Applejack. The pegasus looked up at her roommate, whose cheeks were red with fury.
"Applejack, I…" Fluttershy said. "I'm so sorry."
"Why should you be sorry?" Applejack asked, looking down at her.
"Well, those Sirens…what they said to you…it was…just awful."
The earth mare shrugged. "Yeah, well, they can go buck themselves."
Fluttershy blinked. "You're…not upset?"
"Oh, I'm downright furious. But it's gonna take a lot more than that to bring me down. If I can go to the Underworld and back, I can handle a few harsh words."
The pegasus tilted her head. "You've been to the Underworld?"
"Long story," Applejack said, waving her hoof. "Besides, I know they're spoutin' hooey, you know they're spoutin' hooey, Demeter knows they're spoutin' hooey. That's all that matters."
Fluttershy glanced at her reflection in thought. "So…what you're saying is…it doesn't matter what a bunch of strangers think, all that matters is what the ones you care about think…and what you think of yourself?"
Applejack tapped her chin. "Yeah, I guess that's what I'm sayin'."
Fluttershy remembered the words from her dreams: I know that anything that comes out of your mouth will be beautiful.
She blushed. "He may be right."
Applejack raised an eyebrow. "He?"
Fluttershy turned to her. She didn't feel like there was any need to keep anything from her roommate, as Applejack already knew the source of her power.
"Y-You know?" Fluttershy said. "When you told me that…my powers from Discord protected me from the Sirens' magic…I…I wasn't surprised. I mean…I already know he wants to protect me. For all I know, that's why he gave me my powers in the first place. After all, when I first saw him, I told him about what had happened at Flight Camp, he may have wanted to give me the opportunity to defend myself and…"
"Sugar, whaddya talkin' about?" Applejack asked in a concerned voice.
Fluttershy gripped the edge of the sink. "I…I've been dreaming of Discord."
Applejack took a step back.
"Not nightmares, no! In fact…he shows up whenever I'm dreaming of something scary and he makes it all better." She smiled softly. "It's…comforting, actually, knowing that someone's looking out for me." She looked at Applejack. "That's what inspired me to write the song. If not for Discord, I wouldn't be what I am today. I…I wouldn't feel stronger, greater, like…like I can do anything." She put her hoof to her heart. "It's like having my own guardian angel."
This revelation induced fear in Applejack. She had thought Fluttershy had been completely unaware of her connection with Discord, but it seemed…he had already reached out to her. Discord was the most dangerous entity to ever exist, the one who had cursed Fluttershy in the first place, and she was speaking of him as if he were a guardian angel.
What other lies had Discord told her?
Applejack wanted to remind her of why Discord had been imprisoned in the first place, to give her Demeter's warning that if Fluttershy wasn't careful, she could unleash hell upon the world.
Then the earth mare saw the expression on her roommate's face. It was so hopeful, so confident. As evil as he was, Discord had induced that confidence in her. Applejack couldn't take that away, not when she needed Fluttershy to go out there and face her fears.
Taking a deep breath, Applejack said, "I…feel the same way about Demeter. But…in all honesty," she laid her hooves on Fluttershy's shoulders, "all she did was give me a rope. She wasn't the one who told me to defend the world. She wasn't the one who sent me to Maretropolis. She wasn't the one who had me join the Power Ponies. That was all me."
She gently lifted Fluttershy's chin. "Havin' faith in a higher power sure can help sometimes, but ya also gotta have faith in your own abilities. Discord may have set ya on the path, but you were the one who took yourself the rest of the way. That's why I believe you can do this."
Grinning, Fluttershy nodded in determination. "You're right, Applejack. I can do this. Now let's go…whoop those Sirens' butts!"
She marched bravely towards the bathroom door. Applejack smiled at her confidence, but then frowned when she remembered where it was coming from.
"Fluttershy."
The pegasus turned. Applejack bit her lip as she struggled to find the right words.
"Promise…that no matter how confident ya are in yourself…you won't do anything stupid, will ya?"
"Don't worry, Applejack," Fluttershy said. "I don't think anything could make me that confident. Not even a god."
As they exited the bathroom, Applejack murmured, "I sure hope so."
The door to the sound booth was opened by a white unicorn mare with electric blue hair. Covering her eyes were tinted purple sunglasses and on her head was a set of headphones. She grinned when she saw Rainbow Dash.
"Come on in, Crash," she said, opening the door further.
Rainbow laughed awkwardly. "Please don't use my old college nickname, Scratch."
"Hey, Vinyl!" the mare at the lighting board called. "We're not supposed to have visitors!"
Vinyl put her hoof around Dash. "Rainbow Crash here is an intern from Maretropolis U, majoring in Sound Design. I said she could come here and learn a thing or two."
The other crew members shrugged and returned to their work.
"But if you wanna make yourself useful," Vinyl whispered to Rainbow, "you can go grab some extension cords from the supply closet. They're long and…"
"I know what extension cords look like," Rainbow said, brushing her off.
She went over to the supply closet and opened the door. What she saw made her eyes bulge out of their sockets. Sonata and Pinkie Pie turned to the pegasus in the doorway. The two of them were locked in a tight embrace, their lower legs entwined, Pinkie's glasses hanging from Sonata's tangled ponytail.
"Hi!" they piped, apparently undisturbed by Rainbow's interruption.
"Urg…" Rainbow uttered.
"Whoopsies!" Sonata said with a giggle. "I think we might've mentally scarred her for life!"
"Did ya need something, Dashie?" Pinkie asked.
"Uh…uh…"
Vinyl poked her head in. "Extension cords."
Without untangling from Sonata, Pinkie reached for the shelf behind her and grabbed a roll of extension cord.
"Here you go!" she said, handing it to Rainbow.
Rainbow was still too shocked to move, so Vinyl took the roll.
"Sorry, but you two are gonna have to leave," the unicorn said. "The show's gonna start soon and we can't afford any…distractions."
"Oh, yeah?" Sonata said.
She opened her mouth but Pinkie quickly covered it. "Come on, Sonny Doo. Let 'em do their job. Besides, you're gonna have to rest your adorable voice for the show. This is your chance to take over the world, remember?"
Sonata moaned. "Fine!" She grunted as she pried her legs free from Pinkie's. "But we're continuing this after the show."
"Okie dokie lokie!"
Sonata pushed Rainbow and Vinyl aside while Pinkie bounced after her. Once they were out of the sound booth, Vinyl turned to Rainbow.
"Sorry, had no idea they were in there. I can barely hear anything with these babies on." Rainbow said nothing. "Dash?" She waved her hoof over the pegasus' wide eyes. "Dash?"
Tapping her chin, Vinyl came up with an idea. Reluctantly, she took off her headphones and placed them over Rainbow's ears. Dash cried out as loud dubstep music blared in her ears! She hastened the headphones off her head.
"How do you listen to that stuff all the time?!"
Vinyl shrugged as she picked up her headphones and put them back on. "Saved me from being brainwashed, didn't it?"
There was a knock at the hallway door. Vinyl opened it to find Applejack and Fluttershy standing there.
"Hi, we're friends of Rainbow Dash?" Applejack said.
"Of course," Vinyl said. "She's right here, though…" She chuckled. "Not all here."
"Did I just see Pinkie Pie with one of the Sirens?"
Rainbow nodded dumbly.
"What was Pinkie doing with her?" Fluttershy asked.
"Trust me," Rainbow said, shaking her head and holding up her hoof. "You don't wanna know."
While the competition was in the middle of its third act, Vinyl Scratch helped the three heroes set up their act on a catwalk facing the stage. Vinyl had hooked up a pair of speakers to the sound booth with the roll of extension cord. She had plugged in three microphones for the heroes, who were now dressed in their costumes and holding those mics.
"Ya sure ya can trust this mare not to reveal our secret identities?" Mare-velous whispered to Zapp.
"Oh, sure," Zapp said. "We sealed our secret with the Zeta Nu Sigma secret hoofshake. She's bound by the sacred bonds of Zeta Sisterhood not to say anything."
Mare-velous snorted. "You were part of a sorority?!"
Zapp rolled her eyes. "I'll have ya know that Zeta Nu Sigma's the more chill kinda sorority. We don't waste time gussying up like most sororities." She tilted her head towards the unicorn. "Vinyl was a year ahead of me. When I realized that she was part of the sound crew and protected by her headphones, I knew our college ties would come in handy."
Mare-velous grinned at Zapp. "I've figured it out."
She turned to her. "Figured out what?"
The earth mare set down her mic. "Why Zeus hasn't given ya any guidance yet."
Zapp's eyes wandered as she tried to think of what she meant. "I'm a sorority girl?"
Chuckling, Mare-velous shook her head. "I don't think he needs ta."
"Whaddya mean?"
"Zapp," Mare-velous said, pointing to herself. "When Demeter first spoke to me, I'd just lost my parents. While I still had my granny and siblings and all, I had no pony to tell me how to control these new powers of mine. Demeter came to me because I was a lost filly who needed help."
She placed her hoof on Zapp's shoulder. "When you first became Zapp, I was there to help ya control the storm. Even after that, ya had Matter-Horn, Daring Do, lots of ponies who have been teachin' ya how to be a hero and how to use your powers. I didn't have all that.
"Ya say ya need Zeus to tell ya what to do, but look at all the stuff ya've been able to do without his help! Ya've faced bad guys, took down the Shadow King, heck," she said, gesturing towards Vinyl, "you were the one who got us into this place without a hitch! Don't ya see? Zeus hasn't offered his help yet, because he knows ya don't need it, because," she gave Zapp's shoulder a gentle squeeze, "he's proud of what ya can do on your own."
Zapp stared at Mare-velous in wonder. Then her lips slowly curled into a smile.
"T-Thanks, MM." She wiped away a tear before any pony could see it. "I…I didn't realize…how much I need to hear that."
"But who knows?" the earth mare said, retracting her hoof. "Maybe someday you'll mess up so bad, the big guy'll have to show up."
"Hey!"
Mare-velous laughed, earning a light punch in the shoulder from Zapp, who was also laughing. Saddle Rager grinned, amazed at how much their relationship had changed in a matter of a few minutes.
"It's good to see that the two of you are friends now," Saddle Rager said. "Now I'm really confident this song is going to…"
She squealed as she was suddenly knocked over by a pink blur. Zapp dropped her mic as she and Mare-velous turned to the left side of the catwalk. Radiance stood there, and Fili-Second zipped up to her side. They were glaring at Zapp, Mare-velous and Saddle Rager angrily.
"Fili, what's the big idea?" Zapp said.
"I'll tell you what the big idea is."
Upon hearing the Matter-Horn's voice, Mare-velous and Zapp turned to their right. Humdrum was waddling up to them, pounding a fist into his claw. The Masked Matter-Horn hovered above him.
"The big idea," the Matter-Horn said, "is that I made it explicitly clear that I didn't want you disrupting this event, Mare-velous. But now I see that you've turned two more of our team members against me."
"Twilight, stop," Mare-velous said, reaching for a horseshoe. "You're not yourself."
"Takes one to know one!" Fili-Second cried.
"We hate to have to do this, girls," the Matter-Horn said, "but it's our job to protect the city from evildoers."
Spike cried out in fury as he leapt at Zapp. She easily dodged him by stepping to the side. Even so, it gave Radiance and Fili-Second reason to charge. Fili, of course, got to the clear-headed heroes sooner. Zapp quickly flew upward, but Saddle Rager was knocked over again.
"We're not seriously gonna have to fight our own teammates, are we?" Zapp asked.
"We just gotta incapacitate 'em long enough to sing!" Mare-velous said. "I got Matter-Horn!"
She launched a horseshoe towards the Matter-Horn. She melted it down with a heat ray.
"Hey!" Mare-velous shouted as a golden blob dropped onto the catwalk. "Ya owe me a new horseshoe!"
She yelped as the alicorn shot an ice beam at her hoof. Mare-velous retreated as the Matter-Horn chased after her. Meanwhile, Radiance was closing in on Saddle Rager.
"I half expected this sort of behavior from Mistress Mare-velous and Zapp," the unicorn said, scowling, "but you Saddle Rager! It's like you're that awful monster all the time now!"
Saddle Rager was crouched on the floor, her hooves over her head. "Please don't make me get mad at you!"
Radiance used her bracelets to summon a net. Before she could snare Saddle Rager, however, Humdrum jumped at the pegasus and got caught in the net instead.
"Humdrum!" Radiance shouted.
"Oops," the dragon said, smiling awkwardly.
The unicorn facehoofed herself. "Must you always get in the way?!"
Fili-Second was zooming circles around Zapp, making her quite dizzy.
"Fili, stop it!" Zapp shouted. "The Sirens—ow!" She cried out as Fili-Second slapped her every time she went round. "Are…not…what…they…seem!"
"Liar!" Fili-Second said, pinning her to the ground. "You just want my Sonny Doo all to yourself!"
Using her hips, Zapp bucked the pink mare off. She flipped over so she could pin Fili-Second down.
"She's using you, Pinkie!" Zapp yelled. "She doesn't really love you!"
"Yeah, she does!" Fili-Second said, zipping out from under Zapp's hold. Then she started rapidly punching Zapp in the face. "She loves me and tacos!"
Mare-velous found it hard to concentrate on her lasso with the Matter-Horn zapping at her every few seconds.
"You would start a schism, Smith!" the alicorn shouted with another ice beam. "You always wanted to be the leader!"
"I won't deny that the thought may have crossed my mind at one point!" Mare-velous called over her shoulder.
It was clearly the wrong thing to say. The Matter-Horn charged at her, tackling her to the floor.
As the fight went on, all six Power Ponies, plus Humdrum, started glowing green. Mist emitted from their bodies and floated over towards the stage. The Dazzlings were watching the scene from backstage.
"What I tell you, girls?" Adagio said, grinning in satisfaction. "Turning those heroes against each other was genius. Soon we'll absorb their powers, including Demeter's!" She turned to her youngest sister. "Can't believe I'm saying this, but…good job, Sonata, for getting that information out of your girlfriend."
"I just hope my Pinkie Poo doesn't get hurt," Sonata said, sounding genuinely worried.
"She'll be fine," Aria said, rolling her eyes. "She's super-fast, remember?"
Adagio inhaled deeply as the green mist transferred into her amulet. Aria and Sonata did the same.
"Ah," Adagio breathed. "Yes. Just the boost we needed. Who knew we'd end up getting a little Olympian magic out of this?"
Suddenly, she stiffened.
"What is it?" Aria asked.
Adagio touched her pendant. "Something's…off."
Sonata looked down at her own pendant. "I don't feel anything weird. Except maybe a little gas."
"No, that's not it." Her hooves tightened around the gem. "Some of that magic's Gracian, but it's not…Olympian. It almost feels…"
She trailed off when the audience applauded for the singing group onstage. Adagio shook her head.
"Never mind." She put her hooves around the other two. "This is our moment, sisters. Soon the whole mortal world will be under our control, and then dear old Daddy will be sorry that he ever ignored us."
"Think he'll come next Winter Solstice?" Sonata asked excitedly.
Aria groaned. "They don't celebrate Winter Solstice anymore, Sonata. They celebrate Hearth's Warming now."
Sonata huffed. "Still. Think he'll come?"
"After today," Adagio said as she led them onstage, "he'll come whenever we want him to."
The music started and the Dazzlings walked out onstage. As they sang, they bathed in the green mist coming from the battle on the catwalk. The audience was transfixed.
Upon hearing the Sirens' singing, Saddle Rager looked around at her teammates as she dodged Radiance's pink mallet. Only now did she notice the green mist.
"Zapp, Mare-velous!" Saddle Rager said, jumping out of Radiance's blow. "We have to stop fighting them! The Sirens are feeding off the negative energy we're all creating!"
"What?" Zapp said, looking down at herself while Fili punched her again. "Ow!"
"But we're not," Mare-velous said, sliding away from the Matter-Horn's ice beam, "under their spell!"
"I don't think it matters," Saddle Rager shouted as she attempted to shake Humdrum off her leg, "as long as we're fighting around them!"
"But we can't—ow!" Zapp said. "Stop 'em!"
"I have an idea," Mare-velous said, psychically spinning her lasso into the air. "Try and get 'em all in one place!"
Having successfully thrown Humdrum off her leg, Saddle Rager broke into a run towards where Mare-velous and Matter-Horn were battling. "Bet you can't catch me!"
Radiance and Humdrum angrily ran after her.
"Hey, Fili!" Zapp shouted, pointing to the stage. "Your Sonny Doo's on!"
Fili squealed as she zipped to the catwalk's rail to watch. "Go Sonata! Go, go—wah!"
Demeter's Lasso snapped around her, then caught Radiance and Humdrum. Saddle Rager ducked before the rope could snag her. The rope's other end tied itself around the Matter-Horn, bringing her down. The rope swung around the three brainwashed mares and dragon, tying them together. They struggled against their bounds.
"My magic!" the Matter-Horn cried, looking up at her horn. "It's not working!"
"Did I mention Bessie renders all magic and powers useless?" Mare-velous said, kneeling down to her. "Guess we know who'll win in a fight now."
"Uh, Mare-velous?" Zapp said. "Hate to burst your gloating bubble, but the battle's not over yet!"
She pointed to the stage where the Dazzlings were still vocalizing. The three heroes hastened over to their mics.
"Welcome to the show," Adagio sang, spreading her hooves out towards the audience.
"We're here to let you know.
Our time is now."
They sang together while pointing, "Your time is running out."
"Their voices," Mare-velous said.
"They sound…" Zapp said.
"Good," Saddle Rager finished.
Indeed, their voices were haunting. The backing vocals were so strong, it was almost as if more than three voices were singing.
"That taste they got of our powers must've made 'em sound good even to us," Mare-velous said. "We gotta sing now!"
She looked over to Saddle Rager, who was frozen with fear as she looked down at the crowd of ponies. Mare-velous gently took her hoof while Zapp laid hers on her shoulder. Saddle Rager looked between them and smiled. It made her feel better knowing her friends were with her in this.
As the Dazzlings sang their next verse, enormous red sound waves pulsed from the stage.
"Feel the wave of sound," they sang, reaching their hooves up and then towards the audience, "As it crashes down."
The red waves spread across the stadium. Every pony's expressions, including the tied up Power Ponies', went blank and their pupils shrunk.
"You can't turn away," the Dazzlings sang. "We'll make you wanna stay-ay."
Their pendants glowed brightly as they rose slowly into the air.
"We will be adored.
Tell us that you want us."
They sang so fiercely, commanding the ponies to love them. The light from their pendants wrapped around them, encasing them in red cocoons.
"We won't be ignored.
It's time for our reward.
Now you need us."
As their cocoons broke, transparent bat-like wings sprouted from their backs.
"Come and heed us.
Nothing can stop us now!"
They sang too soon, for in the middle of that last long note, three other voices broke out. The Dazzlings flinched and searched for the source of the "ahs." Sonata shrugged, as if she were being blamed.
"There!" Aria cried, pointing up to the catwalk.
Zapp, Saddle Rager and Mare-velous stood on the catwalk, vocalizing into their mics. The harmony was slow and, Adagio had to admit, pitch-perfect. It was enough to make the crowd turn their attention towards them.
"What's going on?" Aria asked.
Adagio growled. "It seems Demeter's lackey wasn't the only one unaffected by our spell."
She and Aria glared at Sonata.
"What?" Sonata asked. "If Pinkie didn't know, how was I to know?"
"Gods of Olympus," the heroes sang,
"Hear our plea,
Help us to set
These mortals free.
"We call upon the spirits
Of those who fought before us
To join us in our humble
Gracian chorus.
"Bless us with your power
Grant us your will,
Give our voices strength,
Make them low, make them shrill."
Golden light engulfed their three bodies as they slowly rose into the air. The audience gawked in amazement.
"We are your soldiers
And so we will fight
For our home, for our friends,
And all that is right."
"What do we do?" Sonata asked in worry.
"They want a real battle of the bands," Adagio said with a sneer, "so let's battle." She returned to singing. "What we have in store."
Her sisters sang backup.
"All we want and more."
The audience turned their attention back to the Sirens.
"We will break on through."
They sang the last line together, "Now it's time to finish you!"
Their eyes suddenly glowed red. Saddle Rager gasped in fright.
"Don't let 'em scare ya!" Mare-velous said. "Keep singin'!"
"Gods of Olympus,
Hear our plea,
Help us to set
These mortals free."
Down below, red beams shot upward out of the Dazzlings' pendants. The heroes gaped as three giant hippocampi were projected into the sky. These were the Sirens' true forms. The giant avatars charged towards the heroes while the Dazzlings floated idly onstage, smiling wickedly as their glowing eyes remained open.
"What now?" Zapp asked.
"We go to the solos!" Mare-velous exclaimed.
"Solos?!" Saddle Rager squeaked.
"Trust me!"
"I'll go first," Zapp said, bringing her mic closer to her mouth.
As she sang her solo, Mare-velous and Saddle Rager vocalized as backup.
"I call upon Zeus,
Lord of the Sky,
Who fashions the storms
And made pegasi fly."
The Sirens' avatars drew back as Zapp glowed brighter and a white beam shot upwards. When Zapp opened her eyes, they were completely white. The beam then took the form of a giant pegasus stallion. In his hoof was a jagged lightning bolt.
"Zeus?!" Aria exclaimed with a jump. "They have Zeus on their side?!"
"Pinkie didn't tell me that either," Sonata said. "Or she may have, but I forgot."
"Doesn't matter!" Adagio shouted. "Keep singing!"
They vocalized as they controlled their avatars. The giant hippocampi swam around the image of Zeus. He threw his lightning bolt at him, striking Aria's avatar and sending her momentarily backward. Mare-velous then sang her solo.
"I call upon Demeter,
Lady of the Fields,
Who nurtures and protects
The crop that she wields."
Gold light surrounded her and then shot up into the sky, taking the form of an earth mare with a lasso. Mare-velous opened her eyes to reveal that they were completely golden. The Demeter avatar whipped her golden lasso towards Sonata's avatar, snagging her tail.
Grunting in annoyance, Adagio sang louder. Red sound waves came out of her avatar's mouth. The avatars of Zeus and Demeter were sent backwards. Aria and Sonata also sang louder, sending red waves through their avatars. Saddle Rager had to cling to her friends to keep them all from moving backwards. Unfortunately, that forced her to drop her mic.
Now she was going to have to sing her solo. Without a microphone. All eyes were on her, and it didn't help that twelve of those eyes belonged to three scary red-eyed sirens and their holograms. Saddle Rager shut her eyes, wanting to crawl into a hole and hide.
Then Discord's voice echoed in her head: Even if I'm in stone, I will be with you. They can take my statue to the edge of the world, but my heart and spirit will never leave you. Sing for me, because I know that anything that comes out of your mouth will be beautiful.
Feeling sudden warmth in her heart, Saddle Rager squeezed her friends tighter, opened her mouth, and sang in the sweetest, clearest voice anyone had ever heard.
"I call upon Discord,
Lord of Chaos…"
The Dazzlings all stiffened, their expressions turning from smug to fearful.
"Did she just say…?" Aria said.
"It can't be," Adagio said.
"Hear me," Saddle Rager sang, "I surrender…" She opened her eyes to show that they were as red as the Dazzlings'. "In our singing séance."
As a red beam shot into the sky, the heroes sang the chorus again.
"Gods of Olympus,
Hear our plea,
Help us to set
These mortals free."
As they started their song all over again, the red beam emitting from Saddle Rager transformed into a strange, serpentine being. Adagio recoiled in fright, her eyes returning to normal.
"Discord," she murmured.
The three godly avatars joined hooves—or claw and paw in Discord's case—and raised their appendages into the air. A ball of red, gold and white light swirled above them. Sonata and Aria backed away with their sister.
The ball blasted towards the Sirens' avatars, dispelling their images, and then swept over the Dazzlings. As they were overwhelmed by the divine magic, their pendants cracked and shattered. There was a flash of light that nearly blinded the entire stadium.
When it went away, every pony blinked as they tried to get a sense of their surroundings. The tied up Power Ponies glanced around in confusion.
"Where are we?" the Matter-Horn asked. "And Mare-velous, why did you tie us up?"
Mare-velous, Zapp and Saddle Rager were no longer glowing and were now standing on the catwalk, looking down at the stage. The Dazzlings were on the floor, shaking from the explosion. Opening her eyes, Adagio saw the shards of their amulets. With a horrified gasp, she picked up the shards, looked out at the audience and attempted to sing.
"We will be adored!" Her voice came out as an off-key screech. "Tell us that you…"
The audience booed at her awful singing.
"No," Adagio said, staring at the shards in her hooves. "No, no, no, no!"
"Ha!" Zapp cried, flying down to rub the victory in their faces. "That'll teach ya to mess with the Soldiers of Olympus!" She put her hoof to her chin. "Hey, I like the sound of that. We should make it a club or something! Can ya have a club within a club?"
Saddle Rager also flew down to them. Mare-velous wore a smug expression as she used her lasso to lower herself down, after freeing her comrades, of course.
"Not so hot and confident now, are ya?" she said tauntingly.
"You fools!" Adagio shouted, growling as she stood up. "Do you have any idea what you've just done?!"
"Uh," Zapp said, "I think we just defeated you!"
"We, um," Saddle Rager said, blushing, "whooped your butts."
"You've damned us!" Adagio cried, showing them the shards. "Do you think Circe just gave these to us?! Do you have any idea what we had to trade to get these?!"
There was a loud boom as a swirling vortex suddenly opened up behind the Dazzlings. Sonata cried out as she was sucked into it. She disappeared instantly. Aria tried to run away, but the vortex pulled her in too. Adagio gripped the edge of the stage as she fought against the portal's force. She growled up at the heroes.
"Our souls!" she shouted as she attempted to heave herself forward. "We traded our souls to get those amulets! Now that they're broken, we'll be forced to serve Circe forever on her island!"
Sonata's head poked through the vortex. "Adagio!"
She squeaked as she was sucked back in. Saddle Rager felt the vortex pulling her in too. Mare-velous quickly used her lasso to tether her and her friends to a stage light. Adagio was losing her grip as one hoof slipped out from under her.
"You think you've won?" she said to the heroes. "You have no idea what evil you've just unleashed!"
"Yeah?" Zapp shouted over the swirls of the vortex. "Well if you come back, we'll be ready!"
"I'm not talking about us!" She narrowed her eyes at Saddle Rager. "I'm talking about her!"
Saddle Rager blinked. "Me?"
"It took twelve gods to lock that demon away! You think you ponies stand a chance against him?! Even Hades shuddered in his presence! Soon you'll wish we had succeeded! At least under our rule, under our spell, you would've been ignorantly…"
Her other hoof gave way and she fell back into the vortex.
"HAPPYYYYYYYY!"
The portal closed around her and all was still. The three heroes fell to the floor. The Matter-Horn flapped down to help them up.
"Now," she said, "can some pony please explain to me what in Tartarus just happened?!"
One full explanation later, the Power Ponies and Humdrum were sitting in a booth at La Comida. After the craziness of the past couple of days, they felt they needed a breather. Since they were all in costume, no pony questioned them hanging out together. As a bonus, the restaurant owner had offered them dinner on the house as a reward for saving Maretropolis yet again.
"So we were under a spell the entire time?" Radiance asked, blinking in wonderment.
"Guess that explains why I was so angry at all of you for no apparent reason," Fili-Second said as she scarfed down some nachos.
"Uh, Mare-velous," the Matter-Horn said, clearing her throat, "if I said some things while in that trance…"
"Don't worry about it," Mare-velous said, waving her hoof. "What matters is y'all are back to normal." She watched as Fili-Second devoured their bowl of nachos with lightning speed. "Whatever that means."
"And Saddle Rager!" Radiance exclaimed. "I had no idea you could sing like that, darling!"
Saddle Rager blushed. "I was afraid at first, but once I had faith in myself," she clutched Zapp's and Mare-velous' hooves, "and faith in my friends, and faith in…"
She paused when she caught Zapp's and Mare-velous' fearful glances. They shook their heads insistently. It'd been a long night, and the rest of the team just wasn't ready to know about Saddle Rager's divine link.
"That is, I…" She grinned. "I just needed to believe that I could do it, and it made me feel better knowing my friends believed in me too."
"You know something?" Zapp said. "I think I kinda felt Zeus out there. Like…he was inside me for a moment." She frowned. "Not in a weird way, of course."
Mare-velous chuckled. "Ya ain't alone, Zapp."
"So," Fili-Second said, her voice sounding sad for a moment, "are the Sirens really…gone?"
"If I know my Gracian mythology," the Matter-Horn said, "if they had sold their souls to Circe, they should be on her island, Aeanea."
Fili twaddled her hooves together in thought. "Think they have phones in Aeanea?"
Mare-velous raised an eyebrow at her.
"I'm just saying it'd be nice if Sonata were able to give me a call."
They all looked at her strangely.
"What?" Fili-Second said with a shrug. "She wasn't that bad a girlfriend. Aside from the whole brainwashing thing, she was kinda fun."
Radiance and Zapp facehoofed themselves while the Matter-Horn shook her head.
"What?" Fili said again.
"There's somethin' wrong with ya," Mare-velous said.
"What? It's not like she made me do anything inappropriate. The whole making out in the sound booth supply closet was my idea."
"Please!" Zapp said, holding up her hoof. "I don't want that image back in my head!"
While Zapp and Fili-Second argued, Saddle Rager glanced sideways at Mare-velous.
"I felt him too."
Mare-velous turned to her.
"What…Adagio said," Saddle Rager said, biting her lip. "I…I don't believe it. I mean…I know he was put in stone for a reason, but…he helped me today, Mare-velous. I know it."
"Hon," Mare-velous said, placing her hoof over hers. "I…I won't lie that I'm…wary about this…connection ya have with…" She heaved a heavy sigh. "Just…remember what ya promised me, okay?"
Saddle Rager nodded. "Okay." She frowned. "But what did Adagio mean when she said…I'd unleashed him?"
"She was probably just talkin' about ya usin' his magic," Mare-velous said quickly. "Probably nothin' to worry about."
Meanwhile, in the sculpture garden of the Maretropolis Museum, a dark light pulsed against the chest of Discord's statue. There was a loud crack as the crack in the statue's chest snaked up to his left shoulder, up his eagle arm, and to the tip of his talon. There was a deep laugh as a voice spoke.
"Well done, my darling." If anyone were looking closely, they would see a speck of yellow on the statue's fingertip. "It won't be long now."
Stats
Page generated in 0.024 seconds
Total duration
747 users online
640,615 hits today, 2,591,549 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Great chapter again!
"Maybe someday you'll mess up so bad, the big guy'll have to show up." , so a literal Deus Ex Machina... Zeus literally coming out of a machine to talk with Rainbow/Zap... This I got to see.
well there are a few options, based on the story thus far, there is Longhorn, based on the cover art, we have Sunset and Starlight and based on the series proper, Chrysalis, Garble (maybe a Spike unique foe), Arinaspi (the being that took the idol of Grphyonstone), Gilda, Lightning Dust, Flim and Flam and from EQG, Gaea Everfree, Juniper and Cinch... yeah SO many ways. If I might suggest... bringing Longhorn to justice with the rest trying to stop Applejack from going too far, maybe Applejack gets help from Starlight? But with regards to Discord, the arch ends one step closer to freedom, much like the opening of the Return of Harmony... , but those are my thoughts
Something weird: The "Gods' Song" as you call it works rather well with the music from Led Zeppelin's Immigrant Song, due to the lyrics being almost the same in terms of timing.
Also:
Aaaaaand that's how you make the fandom hate you, folks!
i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/634/852/d51.gif
(One quick trip later)
i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/896/902/c4f.gif
I like this! OMG, this is actually one of your best fictions! Great job!
Sometimes, I need a break from my fanfic too. Hope the Lavender Arrow turns out alright!
This was a great chapter! Loved how you included Vinyl Scratch's help.
I'm sure that will be fun to learn about. I wonder what exactly happened?
The battle and the song were amazing! Excellent work on both. Now we have a warning from Adagio about Discord's revival. That draconequus is a crafty one like in the actual series, so his arc is going to be great! Take you time with it because I know it'll be great when you figure out the direction for it. If that is the next arc...
Oh, for consideration, I'd like to share something that could be included in the story. I know that it could be a while before Lord Tirek is an opponent (probably like Trigon or Darkseid in terms of comparison to comic book villains), but I have an idea for an opponent that can be a threat to the heroes just like him. A demonic horse creature called a "Nuckelavee" from Celtic mythology. I'll give you links to show you what it looks like. This and this. Hope you'll at least reply to this and tell me what you think. I won't mind if you decline the offer, but I just wanted to share an idea.
Hm...... you know...... if Discord breaks out I.......... I actually kinda hope Fluttershy's kindness has been rubbing off on him. That he's..... actually LOST some of his evil.
I'm surprised you updated so quickly. That was such a great battle. What a way to end it. I wonder who they'll face against next? Will it be the Phoenix in which Matterhorn will take interest in, The Equalizer or soon enough the God of Chaos himself?
I know it, the fight between Twilight Rarity and pinkte pie vs Apple jack Fluttershy and Rainbow dash and i know that Fluttershy was going to sing to save her friends but the end i didn't know so that was a great Change for me.
Good job disneyfanatic
Hey DF does the "God's Song" have a tune the we can sing it to?
This fan fiction reminds me of the Justice League cartoon. Each episode was a 2 parter with a handful of exceptions It was a little annoying but I would watch every episode because they were all that good just like this fan fiction. Also really hope the sirens come back. Great work again DisneyFanatic you always make such great stories.
8307174
Well I am a fan of the cartoon so you're not far off.
8306593 not particularly, no.
8307392
How can you not be?
By the way will you be uploading a new chapter of CMC The Next Generation soon?
I really like that fan fiction it's one of your best and that's saying a lot.
8307394
Any chance that the Mysterious Mare Do Well will be part of this story in some way? I can already imagine a few ways that could work.
What I'm thinking about Discord: maybe he isn't really that evil now that fluttershy is around.
8308502
how so, because all the ponies have their superhero persona already.
8311339
I didn't say Mare Do Well had to be one of the Mane Six, if you know what I mean?
8312103
Well, nopony else seems to fit the part. Let's let Disney decide :P
8312316
Well I didn't want to just give my idea away so I'll just do this. What I was thinking was that Sunset Shimmer or Starlight Glimmer could become Mare Do Well. You know, villain when introduced but becomes a good guy after being beaten and sees the light, just like in the show itself.
8312350
ohh, you're a very clever person
8315808
Thank You
Not mentioning this to her teammates really shows off that batman mentality.
So, AJ pulled an Orpheus?
I certainly agree with that. The Dazzlings are good villains, but they were too smart, hence the reason I believe they should be put down instead of arrested.
That was a poor choice of words.
She was doing her.
You made the deal with the devil. Now you gotta pay the piper.