Comparing Notes

by Rose Quill

Bonds

"Mmmm," Sunlight happily hummed while hugging Midnight from behind. The pair had moved over time to the more familiar lagoon-like area that formed the pool to the rear of the villa at the end of the official path. There were only the gentlest of waves there since most of the movement was screened out by the various sandbars and rock formations sheltering the area. They were near the entrance to the half-submerged underground labyrinth.

Midnight was enjoying the feel of him embracing her from behind. Though she had been the one to kiss him first, he did not shy away from affection. His transformation returned the closer they were and, even though his horn wasn't solid, the bright light of it was easy to see as it bathed over her shoulder. A smile was on her face as he had been resting his head in the crook of her neck as he held her.

"You really like hugging, huh?" she lightly teased.

Sunlight just squeezed her in return.

After sticking out her tongue, Midnight thought to remark. "You know, Rory is going to be up and about any time now. She'll probably look here for us or the parents."

"I've got an idea," Sunlight replied and then reluctantly released her. He loved the contact so much it was hard to let go. He did, however, want to go to one particular place with her. Thinking that she wouldn't pause and lose sight of him, he dove down underwater to just the right spot where he could enter the special cavern maze. One could still surface and breath in there so he had no worries of whether or not Aunt Dagi was arround.

Just as expected, Midnight was right behind him, popping back up to the surface after they cleared the entrace. Rocky cavern walls and cieling closed around them but the air was well ventilated by shaft openings scattered about. Sun was practically non-existent, but Sunlight's glowing horn was providing illumination in abundance.

I brushed my hair from my face and looked around.

"I didn't know there was any sort of cave system here," I murmured, keeping my voice soft to reduce the echoes. "How far does it stretch?"

"Not overly far," Sunlight said from ahead of me, treading water while I got my bearings. Even with his horn glowing, the light was soft enough that the lenses of my glasses had washed back down to clear and I tucked them through the shoulder strap of my swimsuit, looping the material in a way I had practiced countless times before.

"So, is there a particular reason you brought me into an underground cave?" I asked, humor in my voice. I brought a hand up to my chest. "A secret hideaway? A little place to avoid attention while you hold me and protect me from whatever horrors might be in here?"

He gave me a look that made me smile, my reason for teasing forgotten as he smiled.

"You're going to just have to wait and see," he said, his horn more solid in the semi-darkness. He turned and stroked forward, my eyes easily following his movements in the dim warmth given off by his new appendage.

"In all seriousness, though," I said as he drew to a stop and looked around. "Rory is going to wonder and if she calls Mother, the wrong impression is going to flow out of her mind."

Sunlight tilted his head back in thought at the comment.

"If our parents are gone then I suppose it might be a problem," Sunlight thought aloud in agreement. "I just wanted to show you around the Siren's Haven, but I don't want to worry anybody. If you think Rory might think something is wrong then we should go back."

Midnight was torn in different ways. On one hand, she didn't want there to be some troublesome misunderstanding. Then again, this Siren's Haven intigued her. She had never been aware of a thing by any such name on the island. There was also the matter of being alone with him some more. She would be lying if she said she hadn't been enjoying it deeply. The soothing touch of his hand upon her arm was hardly necessary but it was quite comforting. That and his honest concern over her sister as well.

"Let's go get her up to date," Midnight conceded with a reluctance. "Besides, she hates being left out even if she does sleep half the day away."

"Aww," Sunlight pretended to pout as they readied to swim back out. "I was hoping for another kiss when we got to the Haven. Perhaps some magic candlelight."

"I guess you'll just have to get by with two girls rather than one," Midnight snarked in response, a sly grin on her face. "If you can handle it."

Sunlight giggled at that and dived down after her when she went below the surface again.

I hauled myself up onto the edge of the lagoon, pulling my soaked hair around and squeezing the water out gently. I knew my hair was thick, but I was always amazed at the sheer amount of moisture it could hold. Lighty had that smile of his on his face.

"That's a lot of water," he teased.

"Compliments of having Mom's hair," I sighed. "You and Rory lucked out, getting fine hair like Mother's. Doesn't hold in as much wet." I squeezed the end of the impromptu ponytail again, a small trickle of water dripping onto the rock I sat on.

"It looks good on you," he said, sliding out onto the shore as well. Water slid down his body and pooled at his feet as he grabbed the towels we had grabbed earlier. "Having gotten to know you now, I don't think I could picture you without the way your hair is."

I grinned at him as I took the towel he proffered. "That is probably the most awkward compliment I've ever gotten," I said, toweling my hair as dry as I cloud before looping it around his neck to pull him in close.

"Let's get going," I whispered before kissing his cheek. "I still want to see the Haven you mentioned."

He leaned down and rested his forehead on mine. I could sense his playful mood and deeper down, a warmth that was growing stronger. I didn't know why we connected like we could, but at that moment it didn't matter.

When we got back to the villa, I walked in on Rory setting her phone down.

"Who'd you get?" I asked cheerfully.

She gave me a pouty look that was absurdly cute considering the sheer amount of mussed hair she had and the purple parasprite still in her lap.

"Mom," she replied. "They're at the south beach. And apparently, Mel is here." She grinned as she delivered that news.

I blinked. "Melody's here?" I parroted. I smiled. "I haven't seen her since school let out. This is great!"

Lightly cleared his throat.

"Who's Melody?"

"One of our cousins," Rory said. "Fluttershy and Rarity's daughter."

"That'll be something if we meet up with them," he said. "My Rarity married AJ instead."

"That would be weird," I said. "I can't imagine not having Sparrow around. She's as much like a sister as Ebony is."

The lad nodded. "I know what you mean," he said. "Rarity and AJ's daughter, Apple Pastry, has been part of my extended family for a while."

Rory raked some bed head out of her face, her hair automatically going where she wanted it to.

Lucky. Mine took a brush, careful planning, and luck some mornings.

"So apparently we're having them over for dinner," she said, setting the parasprite to the side and grabbing her robe.

"Plus, I need some coffee," she said as we headed to the kitchen. "I don't know why, but I'm still sleepy."

I reached out and hugged her to my side. "You know it's past noon, right? How are you still tired?"

She reached over and gently pushed me away, a pained look on her face. I followed her gaze and saw that I had forgotten that I was still in just my swimsuit, not the coverups. In the hug, I had just pressed against her nightgown and gotten it damp, the material slowly turning translucent. I stepped away and she pulled her robe closed tightly.

I smiled sheepishly. "Oops,"

"In that case," Sunlight quickly formed a plan as he looked between the sisters, "maybe we should do something inside until Rory can handle swimming."

Although both Midnight and Sunlight had dried themselves off so as not to drip all over the well-cared-after floors, they were both still inevitably damp. Knowing his parents would likely disapprove of dampening the sofa with his swim trunks, Sunlight made for the bedroom to grab a change of clothes. Even if they wouldn't be hanging around for long, he still wanted to be able to rest a bit.

"Swimming?" Aurora looked to her sister and they shared a quick conversation. It didn't take a detective to know that both Middy and Lighty had been swimming, but the missing information did involve part of the reason behind it. "Siren's Haven?!" she practically squeaked when her sister revealed it.

Sunlight heard something about coffee again as he went down the hallway and into the bedroom. He hit the bathroom next and was changed into a simple pair of shorts and overshirt in short order. When he was nearly back to the living room, he was pounced by Midnight. The girl had also changed quickly, seemingly picking up on his idea without him having mentioned it. However, she had obviously used their bedroom to change instead, which gave her the speed to grab him on his way.

Sunlight giggled as she pulled him by the waist to the massive living room sofa. Aurora's voice overcame anything she might have been thinking to say aloud, though.

"Geez," Aurora yawned again as she waited for the coffee to brew. She observed the pair from over the kitchen counter that adjoined the living room. "You guys really hit it off. Can't you keep your hands off him for two minutes, Middy?"

"Nope!" Middy grinned with exaggerated cuteness towards her sibling.

"I offer free hugs if that's what you want, Rory," Lighty explained in good cheer.

Midnight blurted in response first. "You are so honestly sweet, I think I'm getting cavities. I don't have to share everything with Rory, though. Let her get some caffeine in her so she doesn't collapse and we'll see about a light lunch."

Before Sunlight could protest, she pulled him down with her onto the plush sofa. It was a soft rather than hard landing even though he basically fell back with her onto the cushions. She pulled him up so that she rested against the comfortable corner while holding him. He, in turn, was faced away from her and thus addressed Aurora instead.

"Will you be in bed same time tonight or do you go night owl when you sleep in this late?" Sunlight asked in an easy mood.

Soon the smell of coffee was filling the kitchen and wafted into the living room. Rory turned to serve herself some of the life sustaining nectar and spooned in some sugar and milk into the dark brew before answering.

"No," she answered simply, gesturing to the pot in offering. I shook my head as did Sunlight. "Just sometimes I crash hard, especially when I know I don't have to be up early the next day. I'm usually pretty good during the school year, but this is a vacation! Besides, the days are long enough that I can still go have some fun."

I smiled at that, knowing the slight stretching of the truth hidden in her words. Rather than pull the rug out from under her, I moved the subject along.

"So," I began, standing and flitting over to the cupboards. "When are they supposed to be here?"

"Mom said that they were going to hit the resort shops after a while, so they could be a while," she said, hands curled around the barrel of her coffee mug. "You know how Aunt Rarity gets when it comes to shopping. Everything is an inspiration."

I giggled. "I can just hear her now," I said, rummaging through the boxed goods. I lowered my pitch a little and tossed my still damp hair over my shoulder. "Idea! This would look marvelous on you, darling!"

Sunlight snickered from his spot on the sofa. "That was actually a pretty good likeness."

I smiled as I pulled out a box of pasta. "She doesn't care for it," I answered. "Says I make it too 'overly dramatic' to be accurate. Pasta salad and leftovers sound good?"

I started a pot of water boiling after getting their assent. Aurora went to get properly dressed as Light came over to help.

"If it bothers you," he said softly as he pulled some of the leftover teriyaki vegetables from the refrigerator. "I could tone down the PDA."

I reached I one ruffled his hair. "Don't you dare change for me," I said as I started mixing up the dressing. "Our folks are just as huggy as yours. The only difference is Mom never really got over the pony gestures with as often as she visits. So if I nuzzle you at some point, don't comment on it."

"I like nuzzles," he said into my ear as he came up behind and squeezed me as he reached into the cabinet next to me for a platter. "They did it when I was growing up, too. Kept calling me their little colt. Never understood until I was told everything about Ma's past."

I slowed my mixing as the words percolated through my head. I had never really given thought to the various nicknames and terms of endearment our parents had used growing up, but now that Sunlight had mentioned it, Mom did tend to fall to Equestrian terms more often than Mother did.

"Middy, you ok?" Sunlight asked as he saw my vacant look. I nodded, placing a wooden spoon over the rim of the pot with the pasta to keep it from boiling over.

"Just realizing how similar our upbringing must have been," I said, turning to lean against the counter. "I mean, with the exception of trips to Equestria, our parents don't seem overly different. Both of our mothers are scientists, yours with genetics and mine teaches. Both Mom and your Ma are creative types, though they use different mediums."

"Your mom is pretty intimidating," he said, running his hands through his hair. "She has a totally different bearing."

"That's because you're wooing one of her daughters," Rory said as she swept back into the kitchen, a simple pair of capris and a loose blouse on. She was barefoot like the rest of us. "Between that subconscious worry and her status as a part-time Princess, she can be intimidating to guys."

"You would know," I said as I poured the cooked pasta into a colander to drain. "You've brought home a few more dates than I have."

"Middy," she said, leaning against the island counter and smiling softly. "You still haven't brought a date home. Technically, at least."

As my face turned red, she smiled at Sunlight. "You're pretty much her first real boyfriend. She's a little rough around the edges," she winked at me as I huffed. "But she's the happiest I've seen her."

"Boyfriend?" Sunlight repeated with a blush.

"Well, what did you think we are?" Middy rose an aura of snarkiness despite a fierce blush. "Kissing strangers? I don't just get on like this with whoever's available."

Seeing her sister's jabbing look turn to her, Aurora rolled her eyes. "Like I said," she responded simply.

Sunlight wasn't unaware of the term applying to them since they had discussed some of that earlier. It was just pleasant to actively consider. He placed the heated vegetables with a serving spoon on the counter while Midnight sat down with the finished pasta. The pair were seated opposite as they ate, Light having retrieved the other various utensils prior.

"I just never...to think of you as my girlfriend and me as your boyfriend..." Sunlight searched for a phrase after swallowing his first bite of the food. "It's really nice."

"Enjoy it," Midnight said, indirectly referencing the limit of their stay at Hello Tropics. She took another bite herself and enjoyed the leftovers that were actually better than most.

"So I was saying," Sunlight switched rails while turning his gaze across the counter to Aurora. "There's this place down in the Maze - the part-submerged tunnels that run along one side of the island. It's an old underground dwelling you have to see to believe. When Aunt Dagi took a look...well, it's got a very interesting history behind it. You'll see what I mean when we get there. We'll have to be careful of the separate exit pool though. It's too unsafe to use without Dagi or the twins."

I tried to pay attention but found myself slipping inward, the sudden seriousness of things brought into sharp focus. Five days. That's all the time we had left. Less, maybe, since I didn't know how long he and his family had planned on staying.

Boyfriend... I thought absently. I have a boyfriend.

I felt another blush rise on my face at the thought. In school, I had been approached a few times for school dances but nothing ever serious. Aunt Fluttershy had taken to referring to me as a Tsundere, which as near as I could follow meant tough exterior or something. I don't understand a lot of Nieghponese.

But...the prospect was nice. Here was someone that could understand the unusual upbringing I had without having to explain a lot, someone that I genuinely felt a connection with. It was nice.

It scared me to my depths to think of the end of the week. Mom had said they were going to work on a pair of journals for us, but if they worked but we couldn't see each other, would I even want it? A constant reminder of something I had by could never have again?

Suddenly, I wasn't as hungry as I had been before.

A week...is that enough time to do anything, really?

Aurora seemed quite excited enough at the prospect of exploring some ancient ruin with Sunlight. On the other hand, her sister had become reflective. Sunlight was far from having missed her thoughtful mood and reduced appetite. They spent a moment longer at the villa before heading out to the lagoon in order for their food to settle, which gave him a chance to connect with her again.

Sunlight sat back at the sofa with Midnight after he finished putting up the dishes of their meal. It was intentionally that he moved to embrace her there. "Hey," he spoke softly at his contemplating companion. "Mind if I...?"

Midnight gave a lopsided and perhaps halfhearted grin in return, letting his forehead rest gently on hers once again. It gave him an opportunity to connect, causing a mild transformation on his part.

"I hear you," he agreed solemnly. "We just have to enjoy the present, right? Enjoy what we have and cross bridges when we get to them?"

Midnight let out a breath along with her bothered feelings. "I know. It's not like our parents won't figure something out. I just-"

"-really like being with you," Sunlight finished for her with a simple kiss to her lips.

The girl smiled more genuinely to that. Aurora joined them on the sofa and they passed the remaining "wait" time with conversation - sharing interests and occasional friendly jabs. When it came time to change and head out, Rory was the first to it. She even made it to the lagoon sooner and practically pulled on Sunlight to hurry them along. The boy only took time to enjoy every moment he had with his girlfriend.

"Come on! This has got to be the most exciting thing since the first time we came to this place - and I remember," Aurora insisted, swimming about eagerly.

"Follow me," the boy instructed. "It's not far but we do have to go underwater."

Midnight came up to him in the water and held him. His horn hadn't ignited earlier so she connected with him again, this time resting into his shoulder and kissing him fondly once upon the neck. He returned the grateful embrace, his glowing unicorn horn returning and able to provide ample light under the surface. Though he desired the genuine contact more than any practical light source.

It was a short trip just like last time. Again, for the better. Not being sirens, they didn't exactly have a permanant means of staying underwater. Both sisters were beside him when they went down and when they came up.

"Here we are," Sunlight breathed out, first having breathed in some fresh air. He could hold his breath well, but he was no olympian. Breaking the surface even in the underground cavern system was a welcome break. "Just a mishmash of twists and turns and we'll be at the Haven. No diving."

"So do you mind illuminating more?" Aurora giggled and flipped her soaked hair aside.

"The Haven used to be a secure sanctuary but all the years of abandonment led to one of the sidewalls of the entryway caving in. This maze now presents an alternate path in. Without it, we probably never would have discovered it," Sunlight cheerfully remarked as he swam forward at a relaxed pace. He lead them down one fork and then another in the multitude of branching paths. Light would have been more challenging if not for the glow of his horn.

I bobbed in the water as Sunlight paused go check his bearings. There was still that lingering worry, but somehow, he had made them ease. Everything was simple with him, even his view of the possibility of being separated.

We'll solve that when we get to it, he had said. And I believed him. Our parents were some of the smartest people I knew, so surely it wouldn't be a problem.

Would it?

The light dimmed again, and I dove to follow it, my eyes picking it out easily in the haze of the water. However, it was tough to match speed with him as he cut through the water. I wasn't an athlete but I wasn't a slouch, either. When we surfaced again, I called out to him.

"Are you sure you aren’t part Siren?" I asked as we bobbed there. "It's a little hard to keep up with you sometimes.

He grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head in a way that made it easy to see the bits of Mom in him. The angle of his nose, the tilt of his eyes, even that slightly off-center grin. But I also saw Mother, too. His hair, his frame, and chin.

The moment was broken by Rory.

"Yeah! I thought I was going to drown for a moment there," she gasped.

"It is a tiny bit long to get back to the surface if you don't have practice at the route. I swam a lot when I was younger because we'd always come here every year at least once and I'd drag my parents to every diving and swimming attraction when we weren't on the island. But I swam most here. Well, around the island I mean," he explained while continuing to lead them through the dark and rocky caverns. "If you think I'm part siren," he said while looking back to Rory, who was illuminated by the pale yellow light of his horn, "it's probably because I've swam a lot with my cousins - the siren twins."

"I take it they're good swimmers," Aurora suggested in a joking tone.

"Yeah," Sunlight agreed without hesitation. "In fact, if they weren't such good swimmers then they wouldn't have gotten Aunt Dagi in time to save me from the whirlpool. I almost died."

"What?!" Midnight widened her eyes at him.

Sunlight gave a nervous chuckle in return. "Don't worry. It's safe. The whirlpool is what makes the old official exit pool dangerous - only sirens can use it safely. Dagi sealed it up, though, so it's not like we can accidentally fall in."

"So your Adagio has some-" Midnight began to ask before Sunlight stopped their continuous passage through the tunnels.

"Here we are," he declared while climbing out of the water onto some rocks that looked like they fell there in a rockslide.

The cavernous ceiling stretched up higher above their heads, which allowed them to climb up like Lighty did into what appeared to be a sort of natural hallway coming up out of the water. When he was fully up, he turned carefully and reached down to help his companions.

"Careful. The rocks are slippery and you have to watch your head," he advised upon getting Rory up first and then Middy. "You were saying?"

Midnight's lip curled up pleasantly. "Adagio can swim like a siren?"

"And the twins, though they're not as powerful as their mother yet," he answered before carefully moving around Aurora in the tight space so his horn could light the way.

"Hey there, sailor," Aurora joked with a wide smile as he passed not an inch around her due to the tight space.

"Rory," Midnight smacked her palm to her forehead.

Sunlight giggled and continued once he was ahead. "Just a few rocky spots and then it's all even stone. Still got to be careful not to slip. It's pretty safe and not bad for old ruins. About Dagi though, something happened to her after she and Aunt Dashie got together. Like Ma and Mother. She got some kind of siren wings she could transform and use and she got crazy good at swimming - not that she wasn't already really good to begin with."

The non-water passageway quickly opened up to smoother surfaces like he had said. They came out of the tunnel to find a much larger underground chamber furnished with a mostly smooth stone floor and smooth rounded walls. A dome-like stone cottage occupied the chamber space to one side while the rest of the space was filled with a pair of intact pylons and some sort of washbasin before a boarded-up section of floor. Everything consisted of the same stone, which a small beam of light coming from a fissure in the ceiling helped Sunlight's horn to illuminate. Under light, it appeared more as a brilliant pearl-like material than dull gray stone.

As I looked around the revealed space, I was struck by how simple it all was. It honestly reminded me of Fluttershy's cottage across the mirror. I gently made my way to the building, feeling the smooth stone under my feet.

As I approached, I heard something faintly under the rush of water coming from the boarded up section of the cavern, a whistling sound almost. I cocked my head slightly and listened, beginning to hear a harmonizing sound to it. It sounded almost like...

"Flutes," Rory whispered, having apparently picked up on the sound as well. "Harmonizing along a chordal structure. I can pick out the thirds and seventh."

I ponied up as Sunlight began to speak.

"You're right," he said, his horn sparking brighter. "It probably started as a natural formation that was refined later, but they always sound at the change of the tide. Probably an alert of some sort."

I reached inside and brought up my magic, casting light out myself. The stone underneath us began to shine with the same lustrous sheen as mother of pearl and far to the one side of the cavern was a sparkling wall of crystalline rock.

"Quartz veins," I whispered. "They made crystal flutes out of the quartz."

An arm slid around my waist. "It may just be random, but their song is pretty at high tide," he said as I reached down and laced our fingers together. "Those are what keyed off Aunt Dagi about just what this place used to be and how old it probably was. It surprised Ma and Mother to hear about it too. After they got done scolding me for diving near a whirlpool."

"It's not like you knew it was there," I said, listening to the rising and falling tones of the flutes. "Accidents happen."

"One of the first things I was told was to always scout an area if possible," he said. "The rock edge gave way and I slid in. Prism had gone to get his mother at the time, so Trance was the only one around and she wasn't strong enough to pull me free. She had just lost her grip on me when Dagi dove in."

"Sounds like a close call," Rory said, rubbing her arms. "Is it just me, or did the temperature just drop?"

I nodded, having felt the chill just beyond the body heat radiated by my boyfriend. "If the flutes only sound at tidal shifts, then it's likely that cooler water is being forced up into the shafts, causing the ambient temperature to drop."

"Which means the surrounding water will take longer to transfer the heat from the sun," she concluded. "The rock bed will soak it up first through thermologic transfer."

"You sound like Mom again," Sunlight giggled as he playfully tapped her on the nose.

Midnight stuck her tongue out but retreated quickly due to the chill. Lighty held her and rubbed her arms to help keep her heated. Although he wouldn't deny the cool temperature that resulted from the natural processes, he felt even warmer than usual down here. Perhaps, he began to reflect, it was a result of his current state of transformation. His body did feel warmer, but not unpleasantly so. In fact, it was similar to the pleasant warmth of laying on a smooth boulder warmed in the morning by a gentle sun.

The boarded up exit pool continued to thrum in a steady but dull vibration as the quartz flutes delivered their notes. It was almost hypnotic in rhythm. Little doubt that one could even be lulled into sleep or hypnosis if one relaxed too much. There was an almost natural beauty to it.

"Just like sirens to make such a musical system," Sunlight commented as he moved along with his girlfriend to the cottage entrance.

Aurora stepped around the entrance path first and took a look at the deceptively small house. "Have the half-siren twins ever put you under a spell?"

Midnight looked to him closely in spite of her already intimate distance, interested.

Sunlight gave a "pfft" of amusement, however. "No, no. They're both pretty bad at singing so far. Though, Trance does have a knack for the ocarina. She always packs it, so you could probably get a demonstration out of her if you wanted. If Prism can play an instrument then he's never had an interest in sharing that fact. My aunts have only told me they've explored lots of musical things with them."

Rory was about to ask about Lighty's own possible musical interests until both of them got a good look of the house interior. What appeared to be a single dome-like room from the outside was really a quite spacious-looking room on the inside. Empty shelves lined the walls that curved around to the entrance. Against the opposite side from the entrance, though, was an open doorway that led downwards several steps via a short stairwell into the next room.

Sunlight nodded to them and ushered them down into the much larger room. "Mom had all sorts of theories as to what the antechamber was for. Lucky for us, Adagio hadn't lost her memory from her siren days in Equestria. Putting that aside for the moment though, this is what is really cool!"

There appeared no more doorways in this considerably larger chamber minus the passageway they came down from. It would be hard to understand why any more rooms were necessary, however. The place was massive. A good twenty feet was illuminated by Sunlight's glowing horn. The pearl-like quartz shimmered beautifully, but the other lights were even more dazzling. A series of glowing lights was set periodicaly and then somewhat randomly on the walls, ceiling, and some parts of the floor - mostly in the room's few alcoves. They were shaped like sea anemone's and glowed with a mesmerizing hue that shifted gently from purple to blue to red and back to purple.

The walls and ceiling were all etched with intricate murals that seemed to tell stories if one knew where to look for the beginning. All manner of creatures and actions were depicted, miniscule shadows of the etching grooves shifting about along with the light of the anemony lamps. Likewise, the massive statue at the center rear of the chamber cast a shimmering shadow. What it was could not possibly be mistaken. It was an enormous quartz statue of a siren. An actual half-equine half-fish siren. When Sunlight looked back to the girls from in front of it, the size was easily twice his own.

The neither angry nor joyful visage of the statue was reflected in six scooped depressions in the floor that were arrayed in a circular fashion before the statue. Each was filled with water and might have been five feet deep at their center. The boy did not cross through them and it would be hard not to notice one was getting into deeper water with the way they gradually went from a mere inch of water at the edge to a foot deep in twice that distance.

There must have been some of the anemone lights within the array of small pools because each glowed their own inviting hues, which cast in turn upon the siren statue and the boy in front of it.

"I wonder what those depressions are for," I posed aloud as I knelt down next to them. I could smell the barest hint of salinity with my heightened sense while transformed. "It's seawater."

Sunlight nodded. "Aunt Adagio said they kept fish there that was intended for supper sometimes. I'm sure you noticed the lack of fish in the inland freshwater sources."

Aurora was fixated on the statue's face, her gaze narrowed as though in dim memory. "I've seen her before," she whispered.

I glanced at her. "That's ridiculous, Rory," I said. "Adagio, Sonata, and Aria were the last of their kind in our timeline."

"I know, I know," she said, reaching up to brush some hair from her face. "But i feel like I've seen her before."

I stood and looked closely too, and recognition flickered as well. "You're right," I said, casting a light spell to illuminate the statue a little more, suffering the slight discomfort of the increased light. Something about the shape of the muzzle and forelock of the depicted image.

After a moment I shook my head. "I can't figure it out," I said, dismissing my light and rubbing my eyes. I looked at Lighty and put a hand on my hip and smiled.

"So, proof of Equestrian Sirens on this island predating Star Swirl banishing our Aunts," I said. "Do you think that this might have something to do with why these two points are connected?"

"I can't rule it out," he said, coming back over and hugging me. "I wanted to show you this to show why I was optimistic about the future."

I smiled at him. "I thought that was just your nature," I whispered, resting my forehead against his.

He giggled. "Well, that too."

"Wait," Aurora stopped herself and looked over to the lovebirds, who were fawning over each other. "If this is from this island that you know then maybe it's not from the one we are used to."

Midnight drew her gaze back to her sister with a thoughtful expression. "Maybe. We never found this, after all. It might not actually be from our King's Land - only existing on this one."

"But maybe the siren that the statue depicts is from a place you know," Sunlight spoke to Rory while reluctantly letting Midnight go to the other girl. They crouched before one of the pools.

"Hmm," Rory hummed in thought then shrugged. "Anyways, thanks for showing us here. This is beautiful!"

Sunlight joined them in front of the pool that was glowing with a mesmerizing maroon shade. It was slowly pulsing to a space-like deep blue. "I know right? My parents wouldn't let me go here alone after the whole drowning thing. But we came here together quite a bit with my aunts. The water's safe even though it's not exactly spacious to swim in. Come on."

Midnight gladly followed his weak pull into the gradually deepening water. Aurora followed while keeping her eyes fixed on the glowing anemone lights below in the pool.They reached a point in the center where the depth was just enough for them to have to swim to keep their heads above the surface comfortably without touching the bottom with their feet. A trio of the anemonies was also there on the bottom, glowing in changing shades of red, green, and blue.

"No worries," Lighty assured with a cheerful giggle. "They're harmless. My mom already researched them to death."

"They're kind of cute," Aurora smiled and came over to her sister and Sunlight. "Like this."

Midnight gave a "heh" as her sister joined their hands together. "Yeah," she agreed while looking at her boyfriend. Although his body was underwater, his face was above it and illuminated by the multiple deep hues of the lit water. Her hand tightened on his.

"Not bad at all."