//------------------------------//
// Chapter 2 - Meet the Addams 
// Story: The Addams Family Sirens 
// by Universal Librarian 
//------------------------------//

Adagio had to hand it to the Addams', they really knew how to make a guest feel welcome. She was sitting at the end of a long table, in the place of honour, with Aria to her right and Sonata to her left, while Lurch was serving up an incredible spread of seafood and well-considered accompaniments. Adagio still wasn't quite comfortable around the towering servant, but at least he seemed to be docile.

Gomez had gathered the whole household to greet the sirens. He himself was sitting directly opposite Adagio, clasping the hand of Morticia, seated to his right, while at his left sat a pudgy, bald man with sickly pale skin, clad in what appeared to be a filthy monk's habit. 

Two children, a girl and a boy, were sitting together in the middle of the table, between their mother and Sonata. The girl was her mother in miniature, at least physically, and appeared to be in her very early teens. The boy was a little younger, with cropped brown hair, a little leftover baby fat, and was wearing a striped black and white t-shirt with patched black pants. Opposite them sat an old woman dressed like a vile hybrid of a witch and a crazy cat lady, with a bit of old tramp thrown in for good measure.

None of the sirens dared to ask about the all-too-alive disembodied hand that had a place set for it next to the old woman.

With everyone seated, Lurch placed the last of the food on the table and sat down himself. All of them stared at the sirens curiously, but, thankfully, the silence was broken quickly.

"My cherished family," Gomez began. "Tonight we welcome the most honoured guests we have ever had the pleasure of receiving." He held out a hand towards the girls. "The Dazzlings, the long-lost cousins of our ancestors from Seaquestria itself!"

The rest of the family stared at the sirens with renewed interest. Being the centre of attention was hardly new to Adagio, but this intense scrutiny still made her a little uncomfortable. Still, propriety had to be observed. "Thank you, Gomez, we greatly appreciate your kind hospitality."

"Not at all," Gomez said genially. "You helped our ancestors when no-one else would. It is entirely thanks to the three of you that our first matriarch was able to flee Equestria all those centuries ago, with the courage and strength to live as her true self. Granting you our aid in turn is the very least that we can do!"

Adagio managed to plaster an ingratiating smile on her face, though her insides clenched as long-buried feelings stirred. To her relief, none of the assembled Addams's noticed anything amiss.

"Now, introductions! You have already met Morticia and Lurch, but this truly disturbing gentleman-" Gomez gestured to the creep sitting to his left, "-is my dear brother, Fester!"

"It's an honour!" Fester said in a raspy voice, displaying a grin worthy of any deviant predator.

"And these little terrors are our beloved children," Gomez continued, indicating the two youngsters. "Pugsley." The boy nodded in greeting. "And Wednesday." 

"Hello," Wednesday said in a deadpan voice.

Gomez chuckled at his daughter's muted reaction, then gestured to the last 'people' at the table. "Last but certainly not least, we have Grandmama-"

"It's a pleasure, my dears," the old lady said with a creepy smile, revealing a shocking number of rotten teeth

"-and Thing!"

The disembodied hand reared up on the stump of its wrist and waved enthusiastically. Sonata grinned and waved back.

Adagio dipped her head respectfully. "It's a pleasure to meet you all. My name is Adagio Dazzle, and these are Aria Blaze and Sonata Dusk," she said politely, keeping her typical arrogance out of her voice as much as possible as she gestured to the other two in turn. 

"How is Seaquestria, these days?" Grandmama asked as the others turned to their food. "We haven't any news from there in over a century."

"Honestly, we have no idea. It was abandoned many years ago." Adagio replied wistfully, spearing a chunk of salmon on her fork. "I imagine the Hippogryphs of Mount Eris would have taken custody of the place after we left." She plopped the forkful in her mouth and felt a delightful surprise on her tongue. "Not bad, fresh from the ocean?"

Sonata shook her head. "Nah, river-caught, just seasoned well."

Gomez gave her an approving nod. "A connoisseur! We shall have to see if we can satisfy your tastes!"

Adagio was glad that Sonata had too much food in her mouth to mention tacos. 

"Is it true that it was your job to enslave creatures with your songs and make them drown themselves?" Wednesday suddenly.

Aria sighed wistfully. "Man, I'd almost forgotten about that. That was years ago." Her face fell as memories flooded back. "Huh. Things sure have changed."

I told you, Adagio thought. The Addams were a goldmine to any who simply had the audacity to ask, and doubly so for the sirens, but they were also a solid reminder of the darkest time the Dazzlings had ever endured. Wishing to spare her fellow sirens, and herself, from thoughts of their own miserable past, Adagio decided that a quick explanation was in order. "As I said, Seaquestria was abandoned shortly after your Matriarch's last visit. The three of us travelled together through the wilderness until we found the pony realm of Equestria."

"Ah, very few tales of the ponies have been passed down through our family," Gomez said, his eyes sparkling with curiosity. 

"There's not much we can tell," Adagio admitted. "We had had enough by that point, and we decided to use our powers to enslave the ponies and rule over them as queens."

Morticia smiled appreciatively. "A worthy goal. Did it not go to plan?"

Adagio shook her head. "The ponies had powerful guardians of their own. They found a way to banish the three of us to another world where there was no magic whatsoever. We were forced to get by on what little scraps of power remained to us."

"Oh, how awful," Morticia said quietly, looking genuinely sympathetic.

"That wasn't the worst of it," Aria grumbled.

"Nope." Adagio took a sip of the white wine Lurch had prepared; a very good selection, she had to admit, though Sonata was the better one to ask for that. "After some time, I heard that a thousand years passed by in Equestria, a couple of ponies brought their magic through the portal to that world." She grinned at the memory of Sunset Shimmer's pathetic attempt at intimidation. "It was the chance we had been waiting for. We tried to take their power and regain our original strength." 

Seeing the enraptured looks on the faces of those around her, Adagio briefly wondered if maybe she should give true acting a try. She would have to give it some thought. Heaving a theatrical sigh, she continued, "Alas, the ponies had more power than we ever expected. We were defeated once again, and this time our magic was utterly destroyed. We have been trying to get by on our own, working as traveling musicians, but a series of letdowns have left us with no other option but to throw ourselves on your mercy."

Gomez sniffed, an actual tear rolling down his cheek. Adagio realized immediately that he had a soft spot for the melodramatic. She'd have to poke that spot whenever she got the chance. 

"Fear not!" Gomez called out in a voice filled with emotion. "As you came to our ancestors' aid in their darkest hour, so shall we come to yours! Our home, our wealth, our hospitality, consider them your own! From this moment forth, we are family!"