//------------------------------// // With Lightning In Our Veins // Story: Runic Notation // by TCC56 //------------------------------// "--Which is why I had such a hard time even being accepted to the Canterlot Symphony in the first place," Twilight finished as they walked around the craggy outcropping and towards the beach. "Fascinating," Octavia noted with a nod. "I would never have expected there to be substantial prejudice against a unicorn over classical music." Twilight dismissed it with a wave of her hoof. "It's less purposeful and more tradition. A bow is normally strung with horsehair and since pony manes are surprisingly magic-resistant, unicorns have a difficult time manipulating them. Which is why string instruments are traditionally used by earth ponies and why I play with my hooves instead of my magic." She shrugged. "Unicorns do dominate woodwind sections, however." Octavia smiled softly. "And so I've learned another new thing today. That's always a wonderful experience." Beaming back with pride, Twilight gave a small curtsy. "My pleasure to have helped." The journey had been relaxing and quiet, for the most part. Initially leaving Canterlot had been slightly contentious, but having the Element of Magic with you to say the phrase 'official government business' could smooth over nearly any ruffled feather. After that, it was merely a train ride to Baltimare. The arduous part was the hike from the city to the far side of Horseshoe Bay, which took the better part of a day. Fortunately the weather was good and Rarity had the foresight to acquire a picnic lunch before they'd gotten out of the city - eating it atop a hill overlooking the bay had slowed them slightly, but the view was worth it. Now as late afternoon drifted away and they came to Octavia's designated location on the south edge of the water, pleasant conversation covered their building unease at the task ahead. "Your words are a greater help than I can express, Twilight." Octavia paused, scanning the area before pointing to a spot on the beach. "There. And... truly, it is. As much as I love Vinyl and the others, encountering new ponies and learning from them is one of my greatest joys of late." Twilight smiled a little wider at that. "I understand that pretty well. Before Rarity, I was really sheltered and isolated - I stayed inside my own circles and didn't budge. Then," she added with a laugh, "Some crazy DJ pulled me kicking and screaming into a wider world, and I don't think I'll ever be able to thank her enough." Octavia glanced back to the other pair as they walked along a dozen or so meters behind. "She does extrovert quite well, doesn't she?" Laughing still, Twilight shook her head. "She's an artist - she likes to express herself. Now she's just found the perfect friendship for herself. Vinyl doesn't speak, and Rarity has enough words for both of them." As they approached ground zero on the beach, both of them shared a chuckle. "Twilight," Octavia began, "No matter what happens here? I would rather enjoy seeing more of Rarity and yourself. I'm sure Vinyl would agree. And while I'm certain we shall be in Canterlot fairly often..." She hesitated briefly. "Have either of you ever considered Ponyville?" "Rarity's originally from Ponyville," Twilight pointed out. "I don't think she'd be willing to give up Canterlot for it, not after she's fought so hard to get her hoof in the door." There was an edge of desperation in Octavia's voice, words rapid as she countered. "You could commute! Canterlot isn't that far by train and the living costs in Ponyville are... are..." She deflated, head bowing. "I apologize, Twilight. That was untoward of me. I lost my poise for a moment. Like you, it wasn't so long ago that I was sheltered and isolated in my own little world. And finding those who see me as more than the Element of Magic or the Princesses' Student or just 'the earth pony' is... sadly too rare." Shaking her head, Twilight dismissed the apology. "It's alright." She considered for a moment. "I mean, you're not wrong. The two of us each renting in Canterlot is the same price as buying a house in Ponyville. Plus," she added with a gentle laugh, "The company there sounds pretty good to me." A thin smile came to Octavia's lips. "Something to discuss once this is over then, yes?" Her reply was a simple nod, and that was enough. She waved the others in, and all three gathered around the earth pony. "Shall we review the plan once more?" Rarity shook her head, mane bouncing as she did so. "It seems a simple enough plan. You draw out the binding circle here at the ley nexus. Then once the... whatever it is appears, we lure it in. Once it's inside the circle, each of us stands in our designated spot until the process is complete." Twilight cut in. "And we have to remember to keep casting while we're there." "A critically important correction," Octavia noted. "The magical power within this beast is going to be siphoned off. The three of you will be acting as a battery, absorbing the energy as it's drawn away. So long as you're able to push it out as fast as it comes in, everything shall go smoothly." A moment's hesitation. "And if we don't?" A hint of unease crept into Rarity's voice as she asked that. Vinyl helpfully pantomimed an explosion. "Don't," was Octavia's advice. Actually drawing up the circle of runes wasn't quick. As Octavia had first said, it was Princess-level magic. Twilight watched the process with rapt fascination as the grey mare used the tip her hoof to carve line after line into the dirt. Occasionally she stomped on the ground, causing sections of it to churn and provide her firmer materials to work with. As time passed and the circle took form, Rarity grew nervous again. "That's an awfully big space you're using, darling. I could probably hold a concert inside there and not feel cramped." "The Princesses weren't sure what form the monster's in," Octavia admitted. "I would prefer to err on the side of caution with size." Rarity snorted. "Yes, well, you're preparing for something larger than a house and I feel it's entirely reasonable to be--" "Wait." Twilight cut her marefriend off, earning a pout from Rarity. "What do you mean, what form it's in?" That caused some hesitation. Octavia exchanged glances with Vinyl, and the unicorn nodded. "The Princesses," Octavia cautiously ventured, "Are somewhat in the dark on this one I'm afraid. They were able to decipher the when and the where, but little else. This creature - whatever it is - faced them once long ago. But they were..." She hesitated again, frowning sharply. But Octavia had to admit it - that her teachers were less than perfect. "They were unsure if it would be the same as what they battled. Over the intervening centuries, it may have changed from the magic it absorbed and gathered, and they didn't want to provide incorrect or misleading information." "So we don't know what we're facing. At all." Twilight frowned as well now, too. "We shall know..." Octavia glanced to Vinyl - who was looking at her watch. In the same moment, Vinyl pointed out towards the water and Octavia finished her sentence. "Now." And nothing happened. Not visibly, and not as dramatically as the gathered ponies had expected. The tension between them rose in anticipation - and just as it peaked, Vinyl pointed to a different spot closer to the mouth of the bay. All eyes went to in the water and a fin breaking it. Octavia sucked in a sharp breath. The color of the fin was obscured for a moment - the sun was just touching the horizon as it descended from the sky. But as the creature moved away and towards the center of the bay, it resolved into a deep purple shade that was barely lighter than Rarity's mane. Cutting through the water, it swept side to side sharply in a predatory search - until it caught the scent of prey. It was almost soundless as it burst from the water - a massive mulberry creature that was half pony, half fish. The face, however, was less pony and more draconic - the sharp predator's teeth certainly were nothing like what was in the mouths of the quartet. The creature loomed - swimming through the air as easily as it had the water - and turned its eyes towards the city on the far side of the bay. Octavia uncharacteristically swore. "A Siren." "What?" Twilight could barely breathe the question, voice trembling as her eyes stayed locked on the flying predator the size of a small house. "Starswirl told me stories about them." Octavia's voice was hushed, her heart trembling with ancient, primal fears. "Not long before the time of the Princesses, the Pillars fought a trio of creatures called the Sirens. Vicious, destructive beasts - but intelligent and cunning none the less. They lived by feeding off negative emotions, evoking them by the magic of the ruby gems on their throats. By the tale, the Pillars defeated two of them and sent the third fleeing to far exile." Rarity shivered. "A gem, you say? Like... the one that one wears?" She pointed, hoof outstretched to the gleam of red on the purple creature's neck. Octavia's grey coat turned ashen. "Sun and Moon. It can't be. Starswirl's tale is from more than a thousand years ago." "He survived," Twilight pointed out quietly. "The Princesses are that old, too." For a moment the horror of the thought overwhelmed them all - a millennia-old predator, powerful enough to match the Princesses. But that thought prompted Octavia to leap into action as the others froze. Sand and dirt shifted underhoof as Octavia sketched as fast as she could. Two new rings of runes, connected by a thin conduit. "Rarity, Twilight! In these! Now!" The unicorns jumped to, following the abrupt command. "Argue!" Rarity blinked. "Pardon?" "Every relationship is imperfect." Octavia's words tumbled out rapid-fire, her mind working faster than her lips could vocalize. "Sirens feed on anger and distrust, so we need a lure. The circles will amplify it to draw the beast's attention, but you must vent your relationship problems for the good of Equestria!" The two hesitantly looked at each other. "If you wanted a relationship councilor, darling, you could have just asked," Rarity joked, winking at Twilight. Octavia snapped, even as she tried to watch the distant Siren. "Wrong emotion! Try again!" There was another moment of hesitation before Twilight tossed her first volley. "Rarity, I... I wonder sometimes if you really love me." She winced, pained by her own words. "You put so much into securing yourself in Canterlot that I wonder... I'm afraid in my darker moments that I'm just another way to do that. A marefriend from a 'proper' family, with connections to 'proper' culture, who can anchor you into high society..." The runic circle around Twilight pulsed a dark blue. Rarity, tears in her eyes, took a step towards Twilight. "Darling, please, I... I know that it could be at a glance but I assure you that I would never--" Octavia interposed herself between them. "STAY IN THE CIRCLE!" The shout stopped Rarity in her tracks. "And we need anger!" A look of sorrow crossed her face. "I'm sorry, but you must. If the Siren reaches Baltimare and unleashes its magic on the city, the potential for damage is... Fighting. Riots. The city could burn for days, and that would only make the beast stronger for the next town it attacks." She glanced between the two lovers again. "I'm sorry to do this to you, my friends, but we are almost out of time." Rarity pinched her eyes tightly closed. Her mind flickered over moment after moment with Twilight - always with Twilight. Happy, smiling, laughing, giggling, amazing Twilight. And she had to... had to... "You are a terrible violinist." Rarity's hooves clapped over her mouth with a squeak. Twilight simply looked confused. "I'm what?" It was said. There was no backing out now. "Darling, I'm sorry, but you are." Rarity tried to soldier on, bracing herself. "I understand that you pride yourself on your musical ability, and you are quite talented with most instruments you pick up. But despite your skill with most other strings, your violin playing is abysmal. You're too used to the movements of the cello and you sound like a farm child trying to saw out a hoedown." Stricken, Twilight staggered back slightly. "How would you know what a hoedown sounds-- oh. Right, Ponyville." Rarity grimaced. "Yes. Ponyville." The tension hovered in the air. Twilight took a long, deep breath. "I don't like that you're so focused on appearances and high society." That made Rarity gasp. "Darling! You know that it's just to keep my place! Without that care, I'd never be able to survive in Canterlot!" The circle around Twilight pulsed red. "Who cares! Rarity, you keep forgetting that you've already proven yourself! You're one of the most famous musicians in Equestria - you don't need those stuck-up noble jerks anymore! And they are jerks! I know because this is the world I'm from! And every day I worry that they're going to taint the beautiful, wonderful mare I fell for! I don't want them to turn your pretty into petty!" Off to the side, Octavia nodded grimly in appreciation of that bit of wordplay. "Fame is fleeting, Twilight! You know that!" Rarity was getting properly incised now - the pulse of red on the circle around her told that story just as much as the growing vigor in her gesticulating. "But I need that fame to stay afloat - without it I'm just some sad filly with no name from a nowhere town. If getting to do what I love with who I love takes playing their games, I shall suffer it gladly!" She stomped a firm hoof. "I would think you could respect that, Twilight! After all, I respect your constant need to over-analyze everything." "Over-analyze?!" The circle under Twilight pulsed harder. Out over the bay, the purple Siren stopped and sniffed at the air. "Oh, I'm sorry but I like to learn about things!" Twilight's lips curled into a snarl. "I enjoy being educated! I thought you liked that! You said I looked cute when I was reading!" "You look cute all the time!" Rarity stomped again. "That's why I keep trying to put those outfits on you, because the only way you can look more adorable when you're curled up reading by the window is if you were wearing a beret while doing it!" Twilight threw the compliment right back. "I hate it when you do that! Hats are stupid!" Rarity gasped, scandalized. "YOU TAKE THAT BACK!" The runic ring under her flared like a bonfire. Vinyl interposed herself between them, holding out her hooves. A very frustrated Octavia stepped in as well. "You're both exceptionally bad at this, you realize. Even when you're angry at each other, you're too sweet." Both musicians blushed with embarrassment. "Fortunately, it appears that was enough to gain the Siren's attention." She paused for half a moment. "Unfortunately, it was enough to gain the Siren's attention. To your places, if you please." All three unicorns scrambled to their places around the largest ring as Octavia smudged out the emotional amplifier that Rarity and Twilight had been in moments before. Over the bay, the Siren was coming closer - slowed a little out of caution and eyes watching carefully, but still at a frightful speed. Twilight swallowed roughly. "Rarity? I just want to say that I'm... I'm sorry. I know that you really love me and that fear's just me being silly." Softly smiling, Rarity nodded. "It's fine, love. A bit of venting is good catharsis, and we're strong enough to survive the tiny foibles and follies of our self-doubts and fears. Besides," she airily added, "I know you didn't mean any of it." "...I meant the stuff about not liking hats," Twilight admitted with some reluctance. Rarity didn't get to respond - fortunately - though her stricken face spoke volumes. Then the Siren was upon them.