//------------------------------//
// Ch. 5 Adagio's Bargin 
// Story: Of Sirens and Feathered Serpents 
// by TheronSniper 
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	Sunset groggily rubbed her forehead, feeling the ache of waking up in the middle of the night round about only then when Flash left. Locking her door, she trudged back to her room with the intent of snuggling back into the soft fluffy comforter that called for her. It was not to be, the dream realm would have to wait however. As each step her bare feet took herald worry and regret over the sirens and what Twilight told her. Nothing of her desire to sleep again could shake off the encroaching sense of responsibility she had banging warning bells against the innards of her skull, the racket getting louder as she reached her bedroom.

A hand gently rested on the surface of the door itself, she stopped moving and stood to ponder, "What if... I'm too late? They could leave now and we'd be the reason they... why am I feeling like this towards former evil beings?"

She crouches down, the hand sliding down with her as the other clutches around her legs, the skin on painted wood squeaking from friction. The aching came with visions of the battle between the two bands, flashes of memories from how they treated her and manipulated everyone to harvest their source of power. Adagio's wits that nearly fractured the friendship her friends had, even with Princess Twilight there and under extreme duress. How they nearly won and would have likely gone out to take over the globe. 

With a pounding heart filled to the brim with worry, "They're human... like I am." she brought her other arm around her body as the thoughts were barely making any sense in her state, "I'm not them, that's why I want... no. Need to help them or else I'm no better than they were. Celestia would have... she'd do the same wouldn't she?"

She gripped herself tighter and harder as the bursting need to go into action blossomed into something beyond reason. Having barely still able to learn much about the reason for magic in this world, with much more to research for the safety of the girls and the school. It was not as if life currently were any easier on her, with school work in the back of everything and then to fight against the Dazzlings. She'd hoped for a break of some kind before anything crazy happened, to practice in the band with the Rainbooms. Enjoy the new found respect she earned with the school's student body after she helped save them from slavery. Now it was all turned upside down, all of that would amount to nothing if they really would become the killers with blood on their hands.

With a deep sigh she stood up and rushed to the bathroom, flicking on the light switch and hitting the cold water faucet. Immediately, her hands pulled up the icy liquid and splashed it upon her face a few times before supporting her upper body on the counter with outstretched arms. Curls and locks of red and yellow hair draped down to the sink, some strands sticking to her dripping face. The cold water still ran and emptied into the drain, swirling a little loudly as the flow from the nozzle filled her ears.

She soon looked up, staring herself in the eyes with conviction, "No matter who they are, they don't deserve this. Just like me... they have a right to a second chance!"

Shimmer quickly shut off the stream, and assembled something to dress herself for heading out. All the while, her mind and thoughts screaming at her to hurry up and get there in time, to give them some of her magic before it was beyond the bar of return. She could perhaps catch up to Flash who was still heading home still, she'd need to know the layout of approach so as not to spook the sirens or instigate a fight. She was their aid, their life line now and she couldn't just go barging in.

Slapping on her boots and leather jacket for warmth, she exited her place and locked up fast. Adrenaline serving as her wake up cup of coffee and the shame of potentially ending lives the sanity to keep her motivated. Flash wouldn't be far away now.

The Shed

Sonata's eyes opened as she yawned from waking up, her limbs and back contorting to stretch. Every muscle tensing up, popping a few joints in the act as she prepared herself to sit up. It was dark outside, still nighttime for them and a ways to go before morning breakfast. The first thing to mind came pastries of sugary goodness, breakfast tacos, several cartons of milk, and eggs as her body went into its normal waking procedure. Her still awakening awareness guided her eyes around the fabricated building that was their temporary home, looking for nothing in particular until her fellows came into view.

Adagio and Aria were snoring away, cozier than a moray eel in his little rocky den. She tilted her head as her thoughts strayed away from food and to a beckoning question as to why she felt a need to wake them up. It felt important like a nagging need to eat or drink now that they were human, or the lazy sleepiness that came with the act of consuming. Whatever she dreamed of before waking up had trouble coming to the fore thoughts, but it was still there and trying like a desperate dog attempting to escape its leash.

Her long blue hued hair moved and tickled her as something moved about within, enough to cause her hands to go through the hair for whatever was disturbing it. It felt long and cool to the touch as it grazed the back of her neck, like a wet noodle from what Aria had gotten so mad that she threw a pasta dish at her long ago because she said her hair style was weird. A long forgotten fight that was one of many, though now this noodle was alive and working towards the scalp of her head. Whatever it was, it kept evading her fingers even when it should have been easy to have nipped it by then. Yanking free one of her hands while the other was tangled and pulling hairs, she dove at it again and attempted to smash the squirming thing against her head to pin it. It abruptly turned towards her left ear and avoided the attempt which only earned her a jarring slap from herself.

She could feel something tiny and cold flicking her ear, immediately ceasing her movements as the sensation reminded her of something. The voice would later confirm it, it was the little garden snake no doubt and she had let it fall asleep on her. She yelped realizing she almost harmed the little thing and with the overwhelming sense of guilt she put away her hands as the dream came back to her.

"If you were not so unique, I'd have removed my proposal for attempting to smash me like a troublesome fly. Now quiet down and awaken your group, we have little time before that other shows up." the coatl sounded tired and miffed at the same time.

"Oh right! Well here goes nothing?" Sonata shrugged and proceeded to crawl over to Blaze as she slept away.

Using her usual method to either annoy or wake up the particular siren from their nap if Adagio wanted them up and active. It was her flick of the finger to the nose, and of course serving two purposes for the time being. One would startle the ancient being, second which she'd then scream at her or commence fighting to attain revenge for breaking the restful nights sleep. The plan did as she'd expected, as she hovered over and primed her fingers for maximum sensation and pain to a minor degree.

'Flick'

'Pat'

Aria's face scowled from its peaceful and beautiful serene state with a hand coming up to feel and swipe away what caused her dreams to jolt. Groaning with vicious venom, she awkwardly sat up and rubbed the dust from her eyes. Her hair loose like Sonata's had a few stray ends curling everywhere complimenting the lines under her eyes, she was far from her normal state but nothing anyone could lay blame on. Unless it was the pain soon to come to Dusk who sat nearby with a lovable smile as she followed the order given to her by the god of some land.

Making herself obvious as to the source of the rude wake up call, Aria soon turned her head to the siren and gave a long very inactive stare. The kind she only gave when she was far gone from brushing away what the aloof girl did that she tolerated. This time it would do exactly as things flowed into as it had been done so many times in the past, to teach the girl a lesson through fighting her. To that, Blaze launched an arm and grabbed hold of the collar of the shirt and brought Sonata into a choke hold. Using her other hand she roughly knuckled the scalp cursing to Tartarus all the way for being stirred up as she was. Her victim yelping and moaning in pain, no matter how much she struggled the strength of her fellow siren was beyond her ability to escape.

"OWWW OWWIEEEE!!!"

"YOU gonna wake me up again like that! AGAIN!?!!"

"NOOOOooooooo I was told tooooo!!"

"Like Tartarus you were you pleb!"

"PLEASE!!!! It hurts...."

Adagio's luscious thick hair jiggled as she too was forced from rest by the shouting nearby, sighing heavily as she knew what was to be done to eradicate the problem. Bashing two skulls together and going back to sleep usually fixed the issue, even if they were going at it as bad as they were then. The warmth of their makeshift bed left her as the task that had to be done led her body to rise and twist around, as expected the two former singers were embroiled in a struggle of submission. Dazzle's magenta eyes locked onto the targets, wearing a look of hate and exhaustion she brought her hands up and prepared to do the job. They'd cry out and let go of each other, reeling from the pain with little reason to continue warring anymore.

"STOP!! I just did what Quetalzwhodal asked me to do!!" Sonata whined under the assault, the very garden snake she mentioned coiled on her pillow who had been watching the ordeal took the moment to announce herself.

"I don't care! Don't WAKE me up like this again! Or so help me..." Blaze shouted as she dug her knuckles a little deeper in her agitation.

The little garter snake began to glow dimly at first, summoning her powers for the few moments she'd need to convey her message and earn her lapdogs. The scaly head rose upwards slowly just as the illumination grew ever more intense, the sun eclipsed by the moon eyes with radiating fire from the pupil in its intensity. Flowed outwards into a cloud of energy whisping out above that would soon give form to her great majesty. True to her word, the serpent body she inhabited was the only way to keep alive in a realm which literally sucked away any magic unless you were a Rainboom or a pony princess. Having arrived long ago, she came as a human at first with her power still intact but without a recharging to the source from. For the first time the god felt mortal as everything about her that made Quetzalcoatl the feathered serpent deity to Equeztecs was finite. She chose to possess instead with what powers were still at her disposal and in doing so, trapped her remaining might to maintain its potency. Yet whenever it was summoned, it would bleed off like a severe puncture wound to the neck and there was little she could do.

This was a vital important task the coatl had to carry out herself, everything rode on the proper method to gaining help. Adagio held firm just inches away from slamming craniums together when she noticed the rising blaring sun in their little shed. Her eyes winced in pain at first, her hands withdrawing to shield them from the painful sensation light adjustment. Aria and Sonata followed suit very soon as they noticed the odd occurrence that did the same onto them and their vision.

The god taking form burst from the skin of primordial energy, its lengthy body escaping the light as if it were shedding its skin. Twisting and turning above the sirens in a scaled down version of its proper self, though none of the details Sonata then remembered were left out. The gold armor, colorful feathers, and the fangs were all still there upon the coatl as it soon swam through the air and amassed itself at the other end of the shed. Her red eyes and black slits contracting, instantly locking onto the Dazzlings with forked tongue tasting the air every other ten seconds. The green scaly form far longer than any bus, hovered in the air in defiance of gravity as the birth of magical light faded away. Half of the new comer was shrouded in shadow from the little sources of visibility available to the sirens, they only saw what the god wanted them to.

Recovered from the painful experience from the little show, Sonata wormed her way from Aria and crawled towards Quetzalcoatl on her hands and knees over the blanket base that served as their bedding. The very sight of the powerful being had shaken the siren's strong grip enough for an escape to happen. She managed to get to the serpents side before turning back to her comrade with an oblivious grin and a casual wave.

"I kind of had to wake you guys up because she wanted to save us?! Isn't that cool!!" Dusk beamed with joy as she finally reached her pain threshold and was able to ignore the aching of her head.

Aria and Adagio were a chaotic mix of fear, curiosity, and utter shock swirling through their heads as they eyed their dullard of a siren and the obvious threat before them. If it were not for locked up muscles, the two would have done two things with post haste and pride. To have escaped the shed with the possibility of Sonata in tow, or perhaps attacked seeing as they still had the world to see and a monster would not deny them the proper end to their now short little lives.

All that until the creature spoke as it hovered menacingly in the air, "Greetings... little hippocampi, I am here in this very desolate wasteland the same way you were. I shall say my peace and you will listen, it is in your best interest after all for we are kindred spirits in that we are unjustly imprisoned here. I know a way out and I offer you your previous lives back... gems and all." the serpent god spoke with such might and softness, rivaling Adagio's own illustrious voice.

Aria was far beyond the ability to speak, she simply wanted to leave or fight as per her instinct. Confused by how Dusk was somehow implicated in the situation, her limbs were stayed from action hoping Adagio would wrangle some kind of silver lining out of the trouble. The golden siren unfortunately would not deliver on what was expected of her, deep down she hated having to give into mortal life even with the hope to up show the Rainbooms. It was a petty little thing to her, but it was the best way to comfort the others in the circumstances thrusted upon them as it were. Whatever being Sonata had made contact with it was saturated in magic and not just any kind, it was pure Equestrian mana in all its glory shining like a lighthouse on a coast assailed by a horrendous storm letting passing ships know of dangerous land ahead. She had to hear the proposition if it meant living, the threat of death was pure evil to a siren and this was the key to escape even if there was a catch.

Dazzle nodded in agreement, the coatl took the silence as consent and resumed, "I am Quetzalcoatl, ruler over Mezzotech, the god of life, the light and wisdom of the Equeztec Empire, Lord of the Winds, and Ruler of the West. But here... I am by a dying savior in need of access back to our home. I cannot act on my behalf for long and thus I need help. I promise you your precious gems you've so lost to those who broke them in exchange for finding the portal to Equestria and ensure safe passage for us. I must get back to my loyal subjects before a certain blue monkey spirit either ruins what is left of it or he destroys the world for his own fun!" a short hiss of aggravation escaped the serpent as her feathers rustled.


Adagio took a moment to weigh her responses, figuring an evasive way was probably the best. Their pendants and a way back home because this so called deity had no way of doing it herself gave them much leverage to get their dues. She'd need to secure a true promise to hold any deal solid, as it was true that upon their return the overgrown reptile could easily disappear like a freed jin from a lamp. Nothing left for them to scrap from, all except for having some kind of magic to sustain on for a little longer life span. They'd still perish nonetheless, this being her new drive and problem to solve with this deal with the infamous Grogar as the humans might have put it with their fallen spirits.

"Your offer is tempting, but what makes us so sure you won't leave us empty handed once we leave back? I mean you could simply vanish with whatever mighty magic you have at your beck and call right? A rival to Celestia and we just simple little pawns to get your way. Give me a reason to agree if you will..." she shivered in thought, though her physical body held firm and confident.

Sonata gazed at her leader and the god unsure of what was going on, surely they had to take the chance. They'd get their powers and immortal lives back, what was wrong with the god and her needs? Such a being couldn't turn back on their word would they?

Aria snapped a stare of unmitigated fury to Dazzle, hearing nothing close to what she hoped would have been a response. She would have berated her for even considering the deal, no matter if she took the path of least resistance. They could trust no one to bring back what was their golden days or even the sliver they lived with before that cursed battle of the bands. She could feel her fists clenching so hard it began to hurt, teeth grinding, arms quivering in righteous anger.

Quetzalcoatl did not appear fazed by the response, "That is the reason I trust you'll live up to my expectations young siren. Smart and cunning... no matter how close you are to salvation you will question the hand that gives. Or in the least the tail. Very well... I offer one gemstone in return for your service, one gemstone born from my blood that will be forever yours. I know you need all three to function, but this will goad you best. It will do your bidding as your old ones had, but the rest will come when I am free. How is this?"

Aria could take no more with the baited hook in front of them, "ONE!?!! You expect us to just dally up to you like dogs and serve you for a measly bone!? You could still take off and leave us with one gem only Adagio could use!"

"Settle down Aria. Let the big girls talk." Adagio scorned her suborindate before clearing her throat, "You are suggesting still a deal with a hole in it, I ask that this be changed to include a little something more to avoid... complications." Adagio asked calmly, giving no respite to the serpent who simply huffed before slithering in the air to get closer to the leader.

Her red sclera and black viper eyes locked in on the teenager, "You tempt a painful fate young fry, do you know this? It will take much of my current magic to create you your gemstone, I cannot will much else beyond that. I ask that you trust me in my word, I am no pony nor mere silver tongued salesman selling their snake oil." the coatl shifted to twirl around Adagio without touching her, "How about this? I know of a trio just like you... a group of mermaids not like mermares who were banished to this world and refused my offer. They possess power and magic unique to them as yours were, I can help steal that and give a seed to germinate into the other two gemstones only after I have passed through the portal? Doesn't that sound concrete? Set in stone as it were?"

Aria growled, "Those fish demons..."

"Mermaids? Adagio didn't we run into a group of them like sooo long ago in Aquestria?" Sonata asked since no one bothered to explain why they hadn't run into the rival singers since they'd been in the human world.

Adagio grinned wide, "A worse enemy than the Kelpie... a lone group in this world too?! Now this I've got to see. First we make this happen and then we help you. No other changes or alterations, I've long since wanted revenge on those puffer fish and their drab singing acts!"

Sensing a new found willingness, the god smiled as hope became palpable, "Good then, I shall be with the one you call Sonata Dusk and speak to her from this point on. I will guide you to the three and set this in motion, besides... I too want them to suffer for denying me my rightful escape! I went as far as to promise them a spot among my defenders, to sing to their hearts content and drain my enemies of their will to live. They'd have been as happy as a fat tick... no... they were too good to aid one such as I."

The powerful emotions coming from the deity was unrefined and red hot in its honesty, Adagio was sure this new chance was true to the bone. Mermaids had long since given her a headache in the beginning of their tour throughout Equestria, there was much pain to inflict upon them and nothing better than turning mortal would suffice. The long drawn out punishment would be agonizingly slow and methodical, and for them it would be a mere few seconds of their unending lives. Mere knock-offs of what true music was, not to mention their methods of attaining power often met with harvesting lives. To Adagio, they were reapers of the wheat fields, taking all and leaving no seeds behind, leaving barren soil behind unlike sirens.

Sonata looked again at Adagio still lost to the bit after the mermaids, though if both parties had a grudge to settle and a peace could be made what better to agree upon?

Sure as the sun rose each morning in this human world without magic to will it, the god herself pulled away and coiled next to Sonata. With an outstretched yawn in a gaping fanged maw, the coatl exhaled a red mist as a dragon would breath fire which sunk to the ground as a foggy haze. The cobalt rattle at the end of the serpents tail shook and chimed in a short burst, affecting the mist as it then began to compact and take form. Concentrating into a rough shape no larger than the desired object of the Dazzlings. The feathers around the coatl's head shivered for the duration of the act as they sparkled with magic like they were coated with glitter, the promised gemstone was really coming forward.

Aria lost her defensive behavior to the sight of a real pendant that they once had. Still standing in place as she had been since the start, down on the floor not a few feet away formed their immortality begging to be claimed as the last of the crimson cloud disappeared into it. It was as beautiful as it was mind breaking, their way out and more had been true all along and not some twisted scheme to undo the three for anothers fortune. They'd receive their voices again and live, a chance to return the favor to those who harmed them with compounded interest. The Rainbooms to start and then all of Equestria who were blood relatives of the infamous wizard, she could find a way to send them to the human world with no chance of returning. Though was it worth a promise, she pondered in thought knowing Adagio would never let a sly deal go without truly putting every consideration into effect?

The very siren fell to her knees and crawled to the ruby, its many faceted sides shined as it called to her. Her breath shallow, eyes affixed to the stone as it drew closer and closer till it was within reach. A hand went to feel it, hesitating at the last second as if it were fire coral that could send her fingers into Tartarus's inferno. The wait ceased when an all too familiar glow came shone out like a beacon, the lingering mana was unmistakably theirs though she failed to wonder how it was all possible. Bringing both hands, Dazzle cupped the newly forged pendant stone and gentle as a loving mother to an infant she brought it to her eyes as they too sparkled with brimming tears of happiness.

"I... I agree to your terms." Adagio finally answered before something loud hit the door to the shed.

The god laughed deviously, "Make sure Suvanna, Thessa, and Gatis all know what darkness and helplessness feels like! Make them cry till they can't no more..." her voice faded away as her form vanished in the blink of an eye once the bang upon the wooden entrance resounded again.