//------------------------------// // Episode 21: Adoring Audience // Story: EoH Evolution: Season 5 // by Bahamut0 //------------------------------// Adagio let out a fond sigh as she took a sip of her tea. The eldest siren had been enjoying her new life more than she'd ever thought possible. Then again, it did help that her hobby of fashion was now being applied to a job. Currently she was on break, and enjoying some tea at a local cafe. 'Come to think of it, my sisters have made jobs out of their hobbies as well.' Adagio thought as she took another sip. 'Sonata with her cooking, and Aria with hitting things. But that's not what matters most.' Adagio smiled as she took a deep breath of fresh air. 'We're home again. That's all we've wanted ever since being banished.' "You got room for more people, or is your hair taking up those seats?" A familiar voice called out. Aria approached her sister with a smile. "Or is one of these seats for the guy you talked into paying for your drink?" "I'll have you know I charmed the employee who served this to waive any charges." Adagio quipped before she and Aria giggled. "You on break, too?" "Day off actually." Aria said with a shrug as she sat down. "Applejack was kind enough to give me some time to myself after what went down with Fang ascending into an Avatar." "Can he still turn into a puppy?!" Sonata asked as she popped in! Surprising her older sisters with her arrival! ". . . I brought snacks!" "No wonder her and Pinkie Pie get along so well." Aria muttered to herself as she shakily returned to her seat. "Sure. What'd you whip up in the kitchen?" "These!" Sonata proudly presented the treats she'd made to thank Arctic Ace. "Just a little something I put together to say 'thank you' to Ace!" "Huh." Aria said as she picked a treat up, and bit into it. "Faust almighty this is good!" "You got that right." Adagio said as she grabbed one of Sonata's treats. She then recalled who Sonata had made the treats for, and her lips curled into a mischievous smile. "It looks like our little Sonata's growing into a woman before our very eyes. She has a crush on a cool guy and everything." "W-Well, yeah." Sonata admitted as her cheeks were flushed red. "I really like Ace. . . " "Oh, Sonata. There's no need to deny your. . . wait, what." Adagio was stunned. She'd expected Sonata to reduce to a flustered mess, but that wasn't what happened. "I'm sorry, but, did you just admit you like the guy?" "Uh huh." Sonata nodded, still blushing like crazy. "Ace is always so nice to me. He helped me find a job, he lets me stay with him in his house, and he's always so cool." Sonata smiled blissfully as she thought of Arctic Ace. "He always has a calm presence, and he always has that cool look in his eyes. Like he's always ready to listen to you, and give you advice. I guess that's why he's the Element of Wisdom. He's never cold, I can tell because of that smile of his is so warm." "You got yours, I got mine." Aria said as she thought about Night Fang. "No matter how much of a grump I seemed like, he always tried to make me smile. And hey, it worked. He never gave up on me. Nothing else needed to happen for me to like the guy. Heck, I straight-up admitted I loved him!" "No way, Ari!" Sonata gasped in amazement! "Hey. When I like something, I'll admit it." Aria said as she began to blush. "Unlike that trope you see in anime, I can actually be upfront with my feelings. Trust me, if you like Ace, you'd do the same." "They grow up so fast." Adagio said with a giggle as she sipped her tea. "Well, since we're talking prospects, I've gotten my hands on quite the specimen as well." "Oooh!" Sonata said in wonder. "How fast did he fall for you?" "He didn't." Adagio said with a smirk. "I fell for him. Believe it or not, he was actually immune to my flirting. I was so stunned by that fact he had to show me his bare chest to snap me out of it. He even turned the tables on me in that instant. Of course, I really couldn't complain." Adagio's hand brushed against the flower she'd put in her hair. A faint smile on her mouth as she felt its petals. "And. . . he helped me find a reason to live again." "Yeah." Sonata said as she put a hand on her chest. "You know, whenever I think of Ace and what he's done, how I feel about him. . . no. It sounds crazy." "What does, Sonata?" Aria asked. "Well, it feels like. . . like I can sing again." Sonata said nervously. "I just get this good feeling. Like when we used to feed on negativity, but like a hundred times better! And when I get that feeling, I don't feel that gnawing hunger afterwards. I feel. . . full. But I still want more at the same time." "Hey, the same thing happened to me with Fang." Aria said as she placed her hand on her neck. "When he was being possessed, I actually sang to help snap him out of it. And the crazy thing is, I sounded beautiful! Like the way we used to sound when using our magic!" ". . . Do you two trust me?" Adagio asked her sisters with a serious look in her eyes. "Because if my suspicions are right, what I'm about to suggest could lead to something unbelievable." "What are you planning Adagio?" Aria asked. "It better not be-" "It isn't." Adagio said firmly. "It just. . . might be the last chance to find our voices. I've held no illusions about getting our old voices back. And with the harm they caused people, it's probably best that they remain lost. But this feeling is right, and I know we've all felt it, maybe these are the real voices we never bothered to use. Maybe, this is our chance to really sing what's in our hearts." "W-We could put on a show for Ace, Fang, and Venus." Sonata suggested. "Y'know, to thank them and tell them how we feel?" "Ah, what the heck?" Aria said with a sigh. "One last hurrah? I'm down." Adagio smiled as she and her sisters called up their respective love interests. That afternoon, as the sun was setting, the Dazzlings got on stage as Arctic Ace, Night Fang, and Venus Bloomer composed their audience. Each of the sirens felt a pang of nervousness strike them as they took the stage, but they banished it and resolved to see what could be their last show to the end. Each of the Dazzlings took a deep breath before letting their voices out, and melody escaping from their lungs. To their shock, a new sensation flowed through them as the sang the song of their hearts. While using their gem stones before, the power coursing through their voices always felt like a violent surge through their entire beings. But the sensation they were now experiencing felt different. In contrast to the violent surge, this was a gentle wave that flowed smoothly throughout them. While their previous voices had the effect of latching onto the attention of people and dragging them towards them, the melody they were now belting out felt more like a gentle pull that beckoned people to come and listen to them. As their performance reached its climax, the Dazzlings failed to notice the bright glow coming from their bodies. Each of them was glowing their respective color, and they hovered in the air as they delivered the final note of their performance. A brilliant wave of water crashed over the Dazzlings as their performance concluded. An instant late, the three shot up from the water! Revealing that their lower halves had turned into mermaid tails! But the most shocking change to the girls was the fact they had new gem stones with each of them having a gem in their specific color! "Adagio. . . "Aria said in awe as she and her sisters soon reverted to their human forms. "Have we-?" "Yes. Yes we have, Aria!" Adagio said as joyful tears fell from her eyes. "We've become majestic mermaids. I thought those were only legends, but they're true! We've become immortal beings whose songs surpass our old magic!" "Yay!" Sonata cheered! "We got our magic back, and better than ever!" "Venus." Adagio said as she approached the Element of Spirit. "You helped give me a new life here. When I was settling in, you mentioned that girls only liked you for your looks." She then smiled lovingly at him as she stroked his cheek. "But I adore that spirit of yours." "That's what attracted me to you, too." Venus said as he wrapped his arms around Adagio. "So. What's the score now?" "It doesn't matter." Adagio smiled. "In the end, you are mine." And she kissed him with everything she had. "The one who truly adores me like I do them." "Do I need to practice my swimming?" Venus asked playfully. "Depends on how big your tub is." Adagio quipped. "Or how long you can hold your breath~." "Get a room you two!" Aria snapped as she felt Fang's ears. "Hey, Ace?" Sonata asked. "Yes?" Arctic Ace replied. "What is it?" His only answer was a kiss right on his lips. ". . . Well so much for me going in first." "Sorry!" Sonata apologized as she got flustered! "I didn't know you had a plan!" "I'm messing with you!" Ace chuckled as he carried Sonata on his back. "So do you want to try sleeping in the tub tonight?" "No." Sonata pouted as she booped Ace on the nose. "You owe me snuggles as my boyfriend!" "I can live with that kind of punishment." Ace said with a loving smile. And with that, the Dazzlings and their newly acquired boyfriends headed home. Each of them singing their beloved to sleep before joining them in slumber. Peaceful smiles on their faces as they knew that when they would awaken, they would have their adoring audience right by their side.