//------------------------------//
// Dazzling Appetite 
// Story: Spiders and Magic IV: The Fall of Spider-Mane 
// by Maximus_Reborn 
//------------------------------//

Chapter Thirty-Five "Dazzling Appetite"

The evening sun slowly began to set, falling into the horizon. Every member of the Parker/Sparkle family stood in the kitchen, preparing dinner. At the start of her relationship with Peter, Twilight's cooking skills left a lot to be desired, being practically nonexistent. As a pony who spent more time reading and studying, she never had a reason to learn. Ironically, something changed when Applejack told her friend that the quickest way to a stallion's heart is through his stomach.

Ever since then, Twilight wanted to learn how to cook for her special somepony. However, she was far too creative for her own good, often trying recipes and unusual formulas in the desperate attempt to reach a breakthrough. After an incident involving a spicy cake, Aunt May took Twilight under her wing to teach her the culinary arts. After many incidents of trial-and-error, the princess became a competent cook, improving dramatically over the years as her children came into her life.

Twilight nodded inwardly, learning firsthand over the years that cooking for her family was just part of what being a wife and mother was about. She stood over the stove with a white apron. She stirred a wooden spoon through the savory, liquid substance in the nearest pot, smiling at the progress her vegetable soup was showing. She glanced to the side, giggling as her daughter offered a salt shaker to her.

Using her magic, Twilight retrieved the item and levitated it over the soup. Mayday held her hands over the salt shaker, playfully sticking her tongue out while she pretended to hold it in place. Twilight could only giggle at the sight, smiling cheerfully. The woman flicked her wrist, causing particles of magical energy to emit from her daughter's hands. Narrowing her gaze, Mayday continued to play with the salt shaker, enjoying the special effect her mother gave.

Twilight shifted her gaze behind her position, grinning upon spotting Peter and Ben. The baby sat in his special chair, holding a bemused glare as his father attempted to feed him a spoonful of peas, to no avail. The debate lasted minutes, mirroring the event of the unstoppable force meeting the immovable object. Peter scooted the plastic tray closer to Ben, only for the baby to push it away and coo defiantly. Before long, Ben took hold of his binky and placed it in his mouth.

"Don't back sass me!" Peter sternly declared, raising a finger inches away from Ben's nose before easing the plate back towards him. "A growing boy has to eat his vegetables!"

"Ah-Goo!" Ben gurgled incoherently through his binky, waving his arms about defensively.

"Don't you wanna grow up all big and strong like your dad?" Peter chuckled, stepping back before flexing his arm.

An awkward silence fell between the two. With a blank stare, Ben pushed the tray over the edge of his seat. Peter's eyes widened before he extended his hand, firing a strand of webbing onto the plate. He pulled the item upright into his grasp, preventing any of its contents from falling to the ground. Twilight could only laugh inwardly as she watched all three members of her family from the corner of her eye. Such a wild spectacle was normal, and she wouldn't trade it for anything in the cosmos.

Peter laughed triumphantly, spinning the plate over the tip of his finger. "Ha! And your mother said I wouldn't need my web-shooters this time!"

Ben raised his hands and cooed angrily, as if upset that his father foiled his plan. A sparkle of energy glowed from the baby's tiny fingers, dissipating before enveloping the tray. Suddenly, the plate faded from sight and materialized directly above Peter's head. The tray bounced off the young man's cranium, and the peas spilled into his hair, sticking. Ben laughed playfully and clapped feverishly as an exasperated glare formed in his father's eyes.

With a defeated sigh, Peter grabbed a towel and rubbed it over his head in an attempt to free the food from his unkempt hair. "It's only cute when you do that to your Aunt Trixie. We've talked about this."

"Are you giving Daddy a hard time, sweetie?" Twilight questioned as she raised a glowing hand, prompting every lid to close over their respective pot.

Wiping the sweat from her brow with a cloth, the young princess giggled as she approached her husband and son. Upon receiving an excited squeak from the baby, Twilight used her magic to retrieve a second small tray of peas from the kitchen counter. She scooped one of the green peas into her spoon before guiding it into her mouth. The woman hummed in delight after swallowing the tiny piece of food. She repeated the action until Ben's mouth fell agape with a small drool strand hanging from his lip.

Twilight offered the baby a pea, smiling once he ate the treat without hesitation and gave a pleased cooed. "See? They're not as bad as you thought."

Peter watched Ben pick through the peas, eating them slowly yet surely. He gave Twilight an affirming nod. "It's a good thing that you already wear a cape in your spare time, because you're clearly Supermom."

Twilight giggled sheepishly, unable to hide the pink tint blooming in her cheeks. She lightly tapped Peter's hand away. "Oh, stop it."

Mayday grinned, tugging at her father's sleeve. "Mom's pretty amazing, but you're okay, too, Daddy."

"Gee, thanks a lot," Peter sarcastically murmured, earning soft laughter from the child.

Just as Twilight took a seat at the table, Peter filled a glass with iced water before offering it to his wife. The princess accepted the item with a warm smile. While she downed the drink, Peter set the table up accordingly, placing plates with silverware in front of each chair. Sonata awkwardly staggered into the kitchen, pausing to lean her shoulder against the wall. Large bags formed underneath her large violet eyes, showing her exhaustion.

Beads of sweat fell from her forehead, and her fair skin was paler than usual, as if her blood had run cold. However, in spite of this, Sonata held a small smile before walking towards the stove. She inhaled the sweet scent induced within the fumes before shuddering involuntarily. As if on cue, the siren's stomach growled, causing her to clutch at her aching midsection.

"It smells great," Sonata whispered, her voice dry and gravelly. She winced, clutching again at her tightening stomach. "When will it be ready? I'm starving."

Twilight glanced to the side across the room, settling her gaze on the clock perched above the door. "Everything will be ready in a few minutes." Folding her arms, Twilight furrowed her brow. "I don't think I've ever seen someone eat as much as you and not gain a pound. It's truly unusual. I'd first believed it was because of a high metabolism, but you far exceed that logic."

"I don't know. I never really thought about it. I'm just happy that dinner's almost ready," Sonata weakly cheered, turning away from the stove. She placed a closed hand over her mouth before coughing roughly.

Peter arched a brow at the siren, carefully approaching once her coughing ceased. "Are you okay, Sonata? You've been kind of out of it lately." He placed a hand over her forehead, narrowing his gaze upon feeling her burning temperature. Sonata's eyelids grew heavy, but she shook her head, forcing herself awake once Peter ran his hand over her forearm. The young man's frown deepened. "What's going on? You have cold sweats, and you're running a fever."

Sonata lightly chuckled and waved her hand dismissively, unaware her legs trembled under her own weight. "It's nothing, silly. I'm just… hungry."

Suddenly, Sonata's eyes glazed over. Like a small tree at the mercy of both wind and gravity, the siren fell to the side in a heap, collapsing. Peter's eyes widened as he reached out, managing to capture Sonata in his arms before she could hit the ground. Mayday shrieked at the sight, throwing both hands over her mouth while Twilight rushed to console her daughter.

"Sonata!" Peter called out, receiving no response. The young man held two of his fingers against the underside of her jaw, searching for a pulse. His eyes widened at an alarming realization. "Her pulse is faint… and dropping."


-u-


Back in the realm of Equestria, Adagio stood in the dark depths of a cave. The Plunder Vines continued to hold everypony in place with vice-like grips. All of the captives had slipped into comas with the exception of one. Princess Celestia murmured lowly in the vine's hold, her eyes glazed over. Adagio narrowed her gaze on the alicorn, shuddering involuntarily as dark energies spiraled into her being. She had achieved her vengeance, avenging the siren race, but there was something amiss, leaving Adagio with an empty feeling, despite her clear victory.

She quietly left the confines of the cave and made it outside, passing by dozens of thestrals before coming to a stop. "Where is Aria? She should've come back by now." Adagio paced in place, keeping her gaze fixed on the ground. "She's run off before, but she's never been gone forthislong. Just whatisshe doing?"

Discord materialized into existence within the cave, hoof-lengths away from the Plunder Vines' captives. The draconequus folded his arms. "That accursed girl is making things more difficult than I would like." He narrowed his crimson gaze. "I've had enough. Hopefully, my favors are ready by now."

Adagio turned upon noticing every thestral in the immediate area glance in the direction of the vines. She inhaled sharply at the sight of Discord, running to the draconequus. "Discord!"

Discord's eyes widened at the sound of his name. He furrowed his brow once the siren had reached his side. "Oh, Adagio. I'm surprised to see you're still here. What can I do for you?"

Adagio furrowed her brow. "Where's Aria? I know you keep tabs on all of us."

"Usually, yes, but Aria made it clear to me that she wanted nothing else to do with our arrangement. Seeing as she had fulfilled enough of her side of the bargain, I saw no further need to hold or observe her," Discord stated, nodding. "Surely, you realized that's why I recruited Blueblood and Starlight Glimmer?"

Adagio's eyes widened. "So, you talked to her? Do you remember where she was heading?"

Discord furrowed his brow in thought, humming before pointing skyward. "Ah! I do believe she was heading towards that old lake of hers at that time. Perhaps you should try there?"

Simply nodding, Adagio raced out of the cave. "Of course! Why didn't I think of that place sooner?!" A pair of magical wings sprouted from her back, allowing the siren to take flight.

Discord watched Adagio vanish into the horizon, pulling at his goatee with a talon. "Well, I'd better move on with my plan. I can't let Eris roam about freely." Suddenly, the draconequus vanished from sight in a burst of light.





Back on Earth, Zecora stood over Sonata's sleeping form. She placed a warm cloth over her forehead. As the woman directed her attention to a nearby bowl, stirring the herbs together, Peter watched the scene with a furrowed brow. He stepped out of the bedroom, holding a bleak expression. Twilight immediately met her husband, taking hold of his hand. Patricia sat with Mayday, rubbing a hand over the child's shoulder warmly. The rest of the group shifted their gazes in his direction.

"So… how is she?" Sunset questioned hesitantly, rubbing her forearm in unease.

Peter folded his arms, glancing off to the side sadly. "Zecora's doing the best she can, but Sonata's barely stable." He paused, scratching the side of his head as if debating his next words carefully. "At this rate, she won't make it through the night."

Julia furrowed her brow, frowning. "What's wrong, exactly? Sonata seemed fine yesterday."

Biting down on his lip, Peter shook his head. "Sonata's body is shutting down. From the symptoms I gathered, she's starving. She's been starving for a while now."

Trixie raised a hand, holding a stern expression. "I don't mean to sound rude, but how is that even possible? Sonata ate more than all of us combined since we came to Earth. All of a sudden, you're telling us that she's dying ofstarvation?" Trixie folded her arms. "That seems highly unfeasible. The girl's practically a walking black hole."

Peter nodded. "Yeah, that's true. However, Sonata hasn't been eating the essentials."

Gwen arched a brow. "What do you mean? Are you sure it's not just her high metabolism?"

Twilight's eyes widened, smacking her forehead. "Oh! How could I forget?" She stepped in front of the others, holding her hands out to the side. "Sonata's a siren. She doesn't eat like the rest of us. For a siren to flourish, they need to feed off of negative emotions."

Patricia tilted her head to the side. "Negativeemotions? Wait. You mean she's like a changeling, but in reverse?"

Mayday nodded, raising a finger. "Yes. That's right. Anger. Jealousy. Envy. Sadness. Any of those are in someone, and Sonata can suck it up like a vacuum." The young girl scratched the back of her head. "That kind of stuff is everywhere. Even here. Why hasn't she eaten any of it?"

Peter blinked, alternating his gaze between the door and the others before shaking his head. "That idiot. She's doing that on purpose." Rubbing a hand over his chin, Peter frowned. "She's been avoiding negative emotions ever since those vines took hold of Twilight."

"But why? Do you realize how long that's been?" Trixie questioned, disbelief in her voice. "She has to have gone several weeks without a proper meal, so to speak."

Felicia huffed, tapping a finger against her forearm. "My question is whydidit take so long for her starvation to catch up with her?"

Mayday hummed, glancing skyward before leaning forward in her seat. "Maybe it was because of how much she ate? I mean, that's a lot of nutrients she tried to use as a substitute. That's probably why it took so long. She's been compensating with actual food."

"I think so, too, May," Peter lightly affirmed, nodding. "Ingesting everything only delayed the inevitable. For changelings and sirens, their genetic makeup can't survive without taking in their respective emotions. For Sonata, negative emotions are even more important than water is for ponies and humans."

Twilight frowned. "What should we do? We can't let Sonata die."

"We won't. I lost most of my research when the Treebrary was destroyed, but luckily, I managed to save everything onto a backup drive," Peter muttered, earning bewildered gazes from a majority of the group. He turned to face his daughter, extending an open hand. "Mayday. Could I see your iPod?"

The young girl arched a brow, stammering about before retrieving the device from her backpack. "Uh, this is a heck of time to listen to music, Daddy." She walked up to her father, placing the device in his hand. "Here you go, I guess."

Peter smiled sweetly. "Thanks, sweetie. It'll make sense in a second." He spun the device upright, inputting a few commands before furrowing his brow. The iPod's screen glowed brightly. "JARVIS. Activate."

The iPod hummed. "Yes, Mister Parker. I take it you are well?"

Peter chuckled. "Very well. Glad you're still intact."

Twilight inhaled sharply, leaning into Peter until she could see the lit screen. "JARVIS?!"

"Hello, Mrs. Twilight," JARVIS politely greeted, earning a small smile from the princess.

Twilight faced her husband with a widened gaze. "How? I thought I left him in the Treebrary!"

Peter smirked. "You did. This is a duplicate of the original. When I made Mayday's iPod, I knew she would keep it safe. So, I installed a backup server of JARVIS into it. Whenever I conducted research, I saved everything into the main drive, and in turn, that sent a backup file to Mayday's iPod."

Mayday tilted her head to the side. "Why didn't you ever tell me I had JARVIS in my iPod all this time?"

"That's because I only used that as backup. Considering this is an emergency, I had to make an exception," Peter coolly declared, pausing to open a few documents within the iPod. "Plus, I wanted it to be a surprise. Your mom loved that personal computer. I had Tony Stark make it for her, and it was only a few months older than you. While I'm here on Earth, I'm going to make her a new one to replace it."

This answer seemed to have satisfied the young girl, evident by her small smile. "Okay. I guess I can't get mad at you for that."

Twilight nodded, brushing a hand against her husband's cheek. "That's sweet, honey, but you can worry about that later. Right now, you need to focus on helping Sonata." Sobering, the princess pursed her lips. "So, what will you do?"

Peter narrowed his gaze, scrolling through the walls of text on the screen. "Sonata doesn't have much time. Like I said earlier, she has a few hours at most." He lifted his gaze. "I have comparison notes and formulas for the changelings and sirens. I think I found an alternative means for Sonata to feed. With a proper injection, we can reverse the polarities of her pylorus, duodenum, and the bypassed portion of her stomach to ingest positive emotional fluids instead of negative."

Trixie tilted her head with an irritated groan. "And in Equestrian, Peter?"

Gwen stood from her seat, raising a finger. "If he can find the right formula, he can make it so that Sonata can feed onpositiveemotions and give her an injection."

Twilight furrowed her brow. "How long will that take, Peter?"

Peter frowned. "That's the bad news. On my own, it'll take weeks. However, I think I can do this in a few hours with help. It's fortunate that I have a trio of geniuses here when it comes to biology."

"Why didn't you say so sooner? Of course I'm in!" Patricia cheered, throwing a hand into the air eagerly.

Gwen's eyes widened before a knowing smile formed on her face. "Sounds good to me. Let's do it!"

Sunset arched a brow. "Okay. That's two. Biology was never my strong suit. Is he talking about you, Twilight?"

Twilight shook her head, holding a smile. "It's notme, but youareclose."

Mayday beamed a smile, grabbing hold of her father's hand. "All right! Let's get started!"





Adagio glided through the sky, holding a concerned expression. She eventually reached the lake, landing gracefully mere hoof-lengths from the bank. The water held a luminous glow as tiny particles of energy sparkled across its surface. Adagio blinked at the sight, kneeling by the bank before running a hoof through the water.

"I knew the lake was magical, but I don't remember it emittingthismuch energy before," Adagio whispered, staring intently at the water. She eventually freed her gaze from the lake and analyzed her surroundings. "There's no question that Aria's been here. She must've been crying into the lake again. That would explain why its energies are so strong right now. Where could she be now?"

Adagio continued to analyze her surroundings with a furrowed brow. Aria's disappearance wasn't what unsettled the siren. Rather, it was the length of her absence. Throughout the entire length of their relationship, Aria had always retreated occasionally when she needed space, either from Sonata's spontaneous nature or Adagio's admittedly overbearing attitude. However, she always came back in time, ranging from a few minutes to a couple of hours. This was the first time that Aria ventured off for a number of days.

Adagio bit down on her lip, shifting her gaze to the setting sun somberly. Her mind drew back memories of a time long ago.

It was just Adagio and Sonata, an unusual pair in its own right. They'd spent the entire month planning to take over Equestria, and that meant taking on Starswirl the Bearded. In their present states, Adagio strongly believed that they had a chance, but she wanted a little contingency. It couldn't be just any siren. It had to be one as powerful as them. After weeks of searching, they seemed to have found a valid candidate.

"She's where now?" Adagio questioned, arching a brow.

Sonata turned to the lake. "There. She's very powerful. I tried to get her to come out, but she's too sad to do anything."

Adagio scoffed, shifting her gaze to the lake. "Is that right?" The corner of her mouth curled into a fanged smile. "Let's see if we can change her mind."

Suddenly, Adagio's eyes widened at a realization, and a cold chill ran down her spine. Removing the crimson gem around her neck, Adagio's equine body morphed to take the shape of her siren form. She dove into the lake, traveling to the bottom. Her mind raced, contemplating Aria's fate. The energies of the lake seeped into her scaly form, causing the siren to inhale sharply at the sensation.

While tranquil, the enchanted water also held a sense of deep anguish, seemingly reaching into Adagio as if it tried to draw out her own uncertainties. The almost alien sensation only served to strengthen her own anxiety as she swam deeper. After a brief journey, Adagio reached the bottom of the lake, her eyes widening at what was there waiting.

Still in her equine form, Aria floated with a glazed expression and tear-stained face. Small particles of energy broke away from her body and faded into the lake around her. Adagio quickly pulled the drifting mare to her. However, Aria's nearly crystallized form gave no protest, her vibrant mane floating seamlessly through the water behind her. Gently brushing a hoof against her friend's cheek, the siren received no response from the other mare's frozen gaze. Adagio inhaled sharply, her heart sinking at the evidence before her.

Aria… was dead.

Aria turned her back to the pair of sirens, keeping her gaze fixed on the ground. "Look, I already told your friend that I'm not interested." She curled into a ball before lowering her head. "Just leave me alone already."

Sonata's eyes softened. "You really just wanna sit down here by yourself? Won't you be lonely?"

"That's the idea," Aria bluntly replied, scoffing dismissively.

Adagio edged closer to Aria. "Youcoulddo that, but I think you can do something far more productive with your life." Holding a coy smile, the siren chuckled. "You have all the power in the world, and you just want to waste away at the bottom of a lake? That's hardly fitting. You should join us. I have big plans for the three of us."

Aria grumbled under her breath. "What makes you so sure I care? Why should I join you on your little crusade?"

Adagio's smirk only widened. "Because I'm a very patient siren, and my friend here is very annoying. Whether it takes days, weeks, months, or years, we'll stay right here until you change your mind." Aria slammed her eyes shut, as if trying her best to ignore the pair. Adagio shrugged, sharing a glance with the blue siren. "Sonata. Why don't you tell Aria about the time we met?"

Sonata nodded feverishly, giggling. "Oh! Yeah! That was fun! I met Adagio right after I ran away from Glacius! Do you know about Glacius? He's this big ice yeti. Pretty scary. Anyway, Adagio was, like, super grumpy. Have you seen her frown? Her eye does this funny twitch. It reminds me of this time I made her mad. I think it was just yesterday, actually. All I did was tell her a knock-knock joke. You want to hear it? It's a good one! Okay. Here goes! Knock knock!"

Aria sat still, listening to Sonata ramble on. She had hoped the torment would end, but it only dragged on for what felt like an eternity. Unfortunately, only an hour had passed. Sonata's mouth continued to run with no signs of slowing down. Aria's head pulsed, as if threatening to explode. Adagio huffed, watching the sight with a knowing smile.

Oblivious, Sonata grinned. "That was a funny story, but I've got an even funnier one to tell you. It starts with-"

"All right, all right! Just shut up already!" Aria exclaimed, her exasperation evident in her face and twitching brow.

Sonata leaned closer to the siren, laughing. "Oh, hey! Your eye does that funny twitchy thing, too!"

Aria forced herself from the ground, staring blankly at Sonata for several seconds before shifting her gaze to Adagio. "Fine. I'll come with you. I guess it's better than the alternative."

Adagio nodded, shifting her gaze skyward. "Trust me. You won't be disappointed." She floated, prompting Sonata and Aria to follow. They breached the lake and took to the sky. Adagio's smile only widened. "Come on, you two. We have much to discuss."

Adagio sobbed uncontrollably, collapsing after having accepted Aria's fate. As she weakly floated towards the lake's surface, her mind and heart raced, sinking to new depths. Sonata was lost due to her own weak will, and now, Aria had joined her, leaving Adagio alone. The siren race was on the very brink of extinction, as only one now remained. Adagio breached the water and crawled over the bank, releasing a high-pitched cry into the air as she held her friend's remains close.

Vibrational waves sent tremors throughout the forest, and they remained as firm through the rest of the night. The whole world could only listen to the the last siren's song. The siren continued to mourn for some time before a belated realization came to mind. Her eyes widening, Adagio levitated herself up from the shore and into the air. Taking a deep breath, the siren called out to the only one who could still save her friend.

"Discord!" Adagio howled, her voice echoing through the depths of the night.

The aforementioned draconequus appeared before her in a matter of seconds, garbed in full firefighter's attire. "Where's the fire!?" Discord called out, looking around the surrounding area before finding Adagio in her siren form. "Oh. Adagio. You're looking rather scaley today. Is there something…?" Discord trailed off as his gaze fell onto the being in the siren's grasp. "Good heavens."

Adagio grit her teeth and held Aria out to him. "Do something!Saveher!"

Discord furrowed his brow and snapped a talon. His choice of attire faded from sight, and Adagio reverted back to her equine form. With a wave of his paw, he gently brought Aria before him with his magic. Discord frowned, examining the deceased siren's remains for what felt like eons to the other siren. Before long, an uncharacteristically grim expression arose on his face.

Closing his eyes, Discord slowly shook his head. "I'm sorry Adagio. But there's nothing that I can do for her."

"Nothing you can do?!" Adagio blurted out in a half laugh. "You're all powerful! You canbend reality! I know you can bring her back!" she stomped a hoof forward before making a wide sweeping arch with the other. "I'm not kidding around, Discord! Bring her back!"

Discord let out a deep sigh. "I'm afraid it's not that simple, Adagio."

"Don't give me any more of that nonsense!Princess Lunawas able to bring Parker back when he died. Youhonestlyexpect me to believe that a meer alicorn can accomplish this feat, butyoucannot?! " Adagio stomped a foreleg again before pointing her other right at him. "Bring Aria back,now!"

Discord frowned, folding his arms. "There were certain circumstances present at the time which allowed for that to have happened. For Peter, he had only been dead for a few minutes. His body was still intact, and his soul had not ascended." The draconequus closed his eyes and sighed. "Plus, death and rebirth act as a trade. Princess Luna gave a vast majority of her very essence to bring Peter back. She lost years of her life and reverted to a younger state as a result. Had she not possessed eons worth of life and alicorn magic, she would have most certainly perished from the exchange."

Adagio's eyes widened in hope at the information given. "There is still time for Aria, right?" she asked nervously, taking a step forward and bringing a hoof to her chest. "I have plenty of life essence and magic to spare. Use me."

Discord's eyes softened "Aria's soul has long since ascended to the great beyond." Gently lowering the mare in his magic to the ground, Discord took a step back. "Even if I could return her to this plane of existence, her body is no longer in any condition to support life. The abundance of magic within the lake's water had begun to crystalize it. To bring her back to such a state would be a fate worse than death." Sighing, the draconequus nodded. "I am truly sorry Adagio."





Several hours had passed, but for Adagio, it felt as if an eternity had crawled by. She stood in front of a pair of tombstones, holding a bleak expression. "I know it's not much, but I thought you'd appreciate being buried next to… him." She shifted her gaze to the grave next to Aria's. "Take care of her, okay? You'll do a better job than me."

Discord materialized into existence behind the siren, folding his arms. His ears lowered shamefully as a saddened expression formed on his face. "How are you feeling, Adagio?"

"I'm fine, considering." She gritted her teeth, glaring at the draconequus. "It's laughably ironic. You can literally bend reality to your will, but you can't do something as simple as revitalization."

Discord shook his head. "I am the Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony. I am hardly skilled in repairing and healing. I healed Parker's leg once, and that took a major toll on me. I was actually lucky that I didn't misplace his leg." The draconequus sobered, frowning. "Trust me. If I had the ability to bring Aria back, I would without question."

Slow to respond, Adagio blinked before returning her gaze to the grave. "Well… Thanks for helping me with the burial." She brushed a hoof over the words inscribed on the stone. They read, 'Here lies Aria, a siren with a heart most could only dream to have'. Adagio smiled at the sight, sharing a nod with Discord. "This was really thoughtful of you. It's simple, but that's exactly how Aria was. It's… fitting."

"Don't mention it. I only wish I could have prevented this. Had I known that Aria was this saddened…" Discord murmured, trailing off.

Adagio scoffed. "She's always been like that. Well, at least she won't suffer anymore." The siren walked off, approaching the path in the forest. "Let me know if you need me. I'll be by the lake. I just need some space for a while." She sniffled, choking back a sob before straightening her posture. "It's going to rain today."

Discord frowned, nodding. He shifted his gaze skyward as a lone tear streamed down his cheek. "Yes. Yes, it is." As Adagio knelt by the lake's bank, the draconequus faded from sight and materialized within the reaches of the astral plane. He wiped his tear away, sighing. "Is this what Eris meant? Am I truly taking things too far?" Discord's face stiffened as a glare surfaced before he vanished once more.. "No! I will put an end to this game,now."





In the countryside, the moon was perched in the midst of the dark sky. Sonata's eyes weakly fluttered open, slamming shut once the ceiling light reached them. The siren used her hand to block out the light. However, her vision soon cleared, allowing Sonata to catch a glimpse of what awaited her. The siren's eyes widened upon spotting all of her friends smiling at her. She attempted to move, only to immediately cease her actions once a bolt of pain rushed through her arm. Sonata glanced down, finding a bandage tightly wrapped around her left bicep.

"Everyone? What happened?" Sonata weakly questioned, rubbing at her sore limb.

Sunset smiled, placing a hand over the siren's shoulder. "You gave us quite a scare. You collapsed in the kitchen."

Patricia folded her arms, stopping one inches from the siren's bed. "How're you feeling?"

Sonata blinked, furrowing her brow deep in thought. "Not too well. I feel lightheaded, and I'm really hungry. I don't know why. I just feel strange."

Mayday climbed onto the bed. "Really? Well, let's see if we can fix that."

Before the siren could react, Mayday wrapped her arms around her neck in a warm embrace. Sonata readied to return the gesture in full, but she inhaled sharply as a new sensation sent a warm shiver up her spine. The siren's body emitted a small light as particles of bright yellow energy seeped into her body. Color returned to her pale skin, giving it a fair tone once more. Most of her physical ailments vanished as quickly as they had appeared, but above all, the empty feeling in her stomach was gone. Mayday tightened her hold, sending yet another warm wave channeling through the siren.

Shivering involuntarily, Sonata held a baffled expression. "What… just happened?"

Mayday smiled brightly, giving a thumbs up to Patricia. "Looks like the experiment was a success!"

Sonata's mouth fell agape. "What are you talking about?"

Peter walked into the room, holding a small syringe with a substance within. He removed its needle and gave the item to Gwen. "You nearly starved to death, Sonata. You went so long without eating any negative emotions that it almost killed you. At the rate you were going, you wouldn't have made it past this hour."

Gwen secured the vaccination within a metallic case, where eight more syringes rested. "Peter saved a lot of notes about your biology. Ever since the whole vine incident, he had been working on creating an alternative mean for you to feed in his spare time." She smiled, playfully punching the young man's shoulder. "He came close, but he was missing a couple of key ingredients and formulas. He just needed a woman's touch to help figure out what was missing."

Patricia nodded, walking across the room before resting her forearm against Peter's shoulder. "Well, with all four of us brainstorming, we found out a way to remove your need to feed on negative emotions." Brushing a hand through her short hair, Patricia winked at the siren. "Now, you can feed on positive emotions. With a couple more injections, the change will be permanent. It'll be lot easier for you to keep yourself fed."

Sonata's lips quivered. She placed a hand over her mouth, choking back a sob. The siren brushed a hand over her eyes, sniffling. Sunset rubbed a hand over Sonata's shoulder affectionately, and Mayday embraced her once more. A pair of waves rushed into the siren. That feeling of old had steadily collapsed. Eons of having to cause misery to those around her just to feed were about to become a thing of the past.

The strength in her body returned, and Sonata only wanted to do one thing. The siren politely broke away from Sunset and Mayday, sliding from the side of the bed. Faster than Peter could react, Sonata jumped into his arms. She sobbed uncontrollably, burying her face into his chest. Peter simply smiled, patting the top of the siren's head. That warm sensation threatened to consume Sonata as a hint of light glowed from her body.

Sonata only tightened her hold, shuddering. "Youreallykept your promise!" She parted from the young man, holding a tear-stained smile. "Wow! Thank you so much, Peter!"

Peter nodded, chuckling as he shared a glance with Gwen, Patricia, and Mayday before settling his gaze on the siren. "I like to keep my promises, and I couldn't have done it without the girls." Grinning until he showed teeth, Peter held a thumbs up. "Now, all we have to do is give your friends the same vaccination."

Sonata giggled uncontrollably, hopping in place. "Yeah! I'm so excited!" Everyone watched the siren run in circles, laughing lightly until she stopped by the window. Sonata bit down on her lip, smiling inwardly. "Aria! Adagio! We'll be back soon!"





Deep within the reaches of the astral plane, Discord sat in midair with a scowl as he watched over Earth. "I believe I let Eris' little charade carry on long enough. If I'm to have any hope of getting through, I'll have to wither her power, slowly yet surely."

A portal materialized behind the draconequus, allowing a pair of individuals garbed in crimson and black to walk next to him. Discord nodded, holding a smile. "Ah! I'm glad you made it! I'm glad you remembered our favor." He arched a brow at the second guest, a woman wearing identical clothing to the man by her side with a blonde ponytail extending from the back of her head. "Remember our deal, Deadpool. Just have fun and cause as much chaos as possible. I hope you and Wanda are up to the task."

Before Deadpool could hope to speak, Lady Deadpool pulled a large gun from her pocket and held it inches away from his head. "Remember our deals! I get to say the cliffhanger line this time, and I get to hug and/or grope my husbando!"

Raising his hands defensively, Deadpool simply nodded. "Sure! Sure! Make sure it's a good one, though. We want the readers to be anticipating our long-awaited return!" He waved his hands. "Now, hurry up! I want to see my potential waifu soon!"

"Whydidit take the author so long to bring us back? You pretty much said that you would be in the sequel."

"He said the sequel. He just didn't saywhichsequel! He got away on a technicality!"

"Is that what you call it? I just thought he didn't have a good spot to put us in!"

"Hmm. He wrote himself into a corner. That makes sense."

Lady Deadpool cocked the gun, narrowing her gaze on her male counterpart. "Tell your voices to shush! I'm trying to think of a good one-liner to end the chapter on! Zip it!"

"Oh, God. You're stalling. You can't think of anything."

"When do we think? Have you seen the inside of our head? It's a total rat's nest up here! I mean, if rats kept dildos and vibrators out in the open."

"Wait. Can we use sex jokes? We're not Rated-R, I think. We have to show some restraint. Do you want this cameo to be our last? This can turn into a PR nightmare."

"Fine. We'll behave. Bah. This will be as tame as a PG-13 Deadpool movie."

"Wait. Wasn't the last PG-13 movie with a Deadpool in it complete crap?"

"Ah, shit. You're right. Fuck it. Let's just be us. People like it when we're honest."

Wanda's masked eyes widened before she raised a finger. "Oh, I got it!" Lowering into a defensive stance, Lady Deadpool held a gun in one hand and a sword in the other. "Dibs on the cute one!"

Deadpool mirrored his female counterpart's actions with a shrug. "Sloppy seconds."

Discord waved his glowing paw, causing the pair to vanish from sight in a burst of light. He directed his gaze to Earth. "Okay, Eris. Let's see how you handle this."

To be continued...