Equestria. Ponyville. Day.
The day after Christmas and Hearth's Warming had come. Everyone had a blast yesterday for sure. Now it was time to simmer down during the aftermath.
The Dazzlings, mostly stayed indoors to avoid any chills. Mainly Adagio, who was cold-blooded due to being a full-fledged siren while her sisters were just ponies now. Except for today. While they enjoyed Hearth's Warming with Adagio putting some effort in, something else had to be done in their eyes. And this decision was made by Adagio.
"You two. Come here for a bit." She called for her sisters as they sat around a table. "I know this whole Hearths Warming Christmas thing is long gone, plus those presents too..."
"They were some good presents, that's for sure." Sonata nodded in response. "Best we've gotten even though it's our second one this year."
"Well...yes...I'll admit it. Those presents were nice." Adagio shrugged as she did quite enjoy the concept of giving presents n this festive holiday. "But aside from that, we need to get one present. All three of us."
"All three of us for one present? What's the catch here?" Aria asked. "And who's it for?"
"There's no catch. And who else? With mom living at the Sea Temple now, we can see her again. But that also means we need to get her something when we reunite."
"Oh, that's not a bad idea." Immediately, Sonata was on board. And so was Aria. This was a harmless decision as they could all agree upon this.
"Of course. However, the gift we should give her...needs to be nostalgic!" Adagio sat up. "One f the best feelings out there. I should know. And I know the place to go to. A place that's just as nostalgic."
"Wait a sec..." Hearing that made the second older sister process it. Adagio was mentioning one place that was all too familiar to them. "We're heading back home?!"
"That's right. Even if the sirens don't populate that area anymore, the objects there still exist either way. So we're heading there to get mother a gift from that island before she gets back. And we'll have enough time for it because we will be sculpting a gift instead of just grabbing it."
"Sculpting? Sounds fun!" Sonata cheered. "Plus, I've always wanted to head home again. Do you think it's the same as it was before?"
"Who knows? Either way, we're heading back there. But we should be careful too. Thanks to Pokemon, no doubt that area's been changed to suit their habitats."
"Sounds dangerous." Aria frowned before putting on a smile. "Let's do it." She and her sisters were all-in on this. The three of them were heading back home with some small friends by their side via Pocket Monsters.
Sweet Apple Acres.
Meanwhile, over at Sweet Apple Acres, Cold Colt was currently helping Apple Bloom with her new task. Apple Bloom wished to try out the job of being a Pokemon Breeder after remembering Brock's occupation and how he was a Pokemon Breeder Teacher over at the Pokemon School.
"You won't need to go to Brock's class for any of that." Cold shook his head. "I can teach you. I'm well versed in Pokemon after all."
"More than Brock?"
"Well..." But after thinking about it, his knowledge was fairly limited. "No, not really. Dang it."
"That's okay. I still think you're great at knowing a lot about Pokemon." Apple Bloom complimented him, sparking up hope and confidence in the Rift Pony instantly.
"Hehe...thanks..." He truly enjoyed that. But in his moment of happiness, he sensed a familiar presence via Rift Connection. Cold's eyes widened after sensing this. It wasn't Jade at all. She still had no idea how to use Rift Magic at all.
Emerald Aura was who he was sensing. Cold Colt was happy about that. Granted, he would've liked it if Emerald showed up during Hearths Warming, but seeing her arrive either was great nonetheless. And she showed up via the scooter that she had made via the limited Rift Magic she now possessed, thanks to the Rift deeming her as a threat to enjoyment.
"Emerald!" Cold cried out as he saw her approaching over the hills. "Hey, Emerald!" He flailed his hooves around. Emerald almost fell off her scooter as she looked exhausted, something that was unexpected considering how Rift Ponies can never feel exhaustion.
"F-Finally..." Eventually, after a long trek here, Emerald Aura had arrived at Ponyville, breathing in and out. "Made it."
"Emerald? What's up?" Cold Colt went to his fellow Rift Pony. "You looked...tired?"
"That ain't normal, is it?" Apple Bloom asked only for Cold to respond with a head shake. This was not normal indeed. "You doing okay?"
"N-No...Listen!" Emerald got off the scoter, grabbing Cold by the face. "Right now, we could be in trouble, kid."
"W-We could?" The young colt stammered in response.
"The Rift put some heavy limitations on me. And I mean heavy. I couldn't feel exhaustion like you. But now I can. And boy do I hate it...I had to travel so far just to get here!" She roared out of frustration. "But aside from that, you're in danger, Cold. Since the Rift did this to me, if you improve and get better with your magic to do what I could do before, he might limit you as well."
"Me?!" Cold pulled back. "No way!"
"Yes way! And I can't let the same thing happen to you. You have the most potential out of me, Obsidian, Lucille, Sienna and anyone else that could show up. And the Rift knows that. And it's waiting for you to get a bit too great. Greater than it expected."
"W-What should I do?!" Cold started panicking immediately. "This is bad! I just started getting the hang of everything else! Emerald, you gotta help me!"
"I'm limited here if you didn't remember? The Rift did this to me so that I can't help out as much as used to. I'm just an average unicorn now. It's gonna be up to you and your friends to sort that out. I'll be out of the picture."
"O-Oh...Okay." Cold gulped as he now had a new reason to worry. Just after he had finished having a fun Hearths Warming. But, at least Emerald was right about one thing. His friends. They could help him through this without a doubt.
"But uh...In the meanwhile...could I stay over here?" Emerald requested with a sheepish smile and audible squee. "My home kinda got erased sooooo..."
"Sure you can!" Apple Bloom was up for it. "Any friend of Cold is a friend of mine. Plus, can't leave somepony who's got nowhere to go. I'll ask Applejack and Granny."
"Oh...Thanks, kid." Relief came to Emerald as she had a new place to stay. While not as fancy as the massive mansion she created, it would suffice. Plus, it had a homely feel to it.
East of Equestria. An unnamed island of unknown origin.
Over at the east, the original home of the siren species could be found. Located at an island that many do not visit due to how it once belonged to the sirens, a feared species, it remained in solitude, distant from other islands with only a massive body of water surrounding it and some mountains in the distance.
The Dazzlings approached the peak of these mountains before witnessing the place they grew up at. And where they saw all the other sirens disappear, including their mother.
There, they could see it once more. However, despite it being in the same location, over time, it has certainly changed to the due geography of Equestria and the existence of Pokemon and their influence.
"There it is. Looks like we were right about it looking different today," said Adagio as Aria pulled Sonata up to the peak.
"Feels a bit unfamiliar now for some reason...Not sure what it is but I don't like it." Aria grumbled.
"Nothing we can do about that. Let's just grab the materials and start sculpting. I'd say we have at least 2 or 3 weeks until mom returns to the Sea Temple. If we hurry, we could maybe place the statue at the Sea Temple for her to see it."
"Wait uh...What are we actually gonna make it out of?" Sonata asked.
"The same material our gems were made out of." Adagio held out her necklace which had the red gemstone within it. This gemstone at first looked like a crystal. And it could be considered one. However, it was separate from ordinary crystals. Sort of a rare type of it. "Let's just hope there's enough. Come on."
Adagio grabbed her sisters with magic before leaping off the mountain. She took flight while carrying her sisters. Adagio was the only one who still had her gills, allowing her to swim in the sea. Aria and Sonata did not since they were now full-fledged ponies.
However, as they approached the island, they could feel the harsh chill of the snow. It was still winter after all. But this chill was unusual to them. It was made worse since, while her sisters were not full-on sirens anymore, Adagio was and was cold-blooded. This did not fare well for her as she shuddered.
When approaching the island, she could see that these strange navy blue crystals were popping out across the area. These were not the same crystals like the one on her necklace. Rather, something else. Adagio had never seen them before. Neither have Sonata and Aria.
This chill quickly ended once they landed on the island. Strangely, it was sightly warm there. But, there was still something amiss. However, it was not the island that they were focused on. It was what was beneath the island. This part of the sea.
"What's up with these crystals? Have they always been here?" Sonata asked.
"No clue. They're not the ones our necklaces had." Aria shook her head. "They feel kinda different too." They observed it a bit longer, noticing how it was constantly glowing.
An with each glow, Aria and Sonata could swear that they saw a face also appearing. It was faint and hard to see due to how it also came and went in a split-second. But it looked to be some sort of cephalopod creature. At least, from what they could tell. As they stared at it, they felt compelled to continue looking at them as well. As if the crystals were impossible to resist at all.
"Ignore them for now, you two. Alright. You all stay up here while I head underwater." Adagio ordered since she was the only one who could swim and breathe underwater. She used her magic to also remove Kricketot from her massive mane. "You as well, Kricketot. You can't stay there for too long."
"Krick."
"Well, you won't be alone. Even though we can't come, these two can." Aria said as she and Sonata had their answer. By taking out their Poke Balls, they had sent out Brionne and Vaporeon. Two Pokemon that could swim beside Adagio with no issues.
"Brionne!"
"Vaporeon!"
"Sure. You two. Stay close to me, alright?" She spoke to the two Water-Types. They promised to do so as Brionne saluted to Adagio.
"It's still pretty cold out here..." Sonata shivered. "Just don't be too long underwater. Or else, we're gonna totally freeze our flanks off."
"I won't. I just have to remember where the Melody Crystals could be found the most. The sea can change over time too so they most likely won't be there either." Adagio pondered. "But I can find them thanks to their melodies."
Just as Adagio spoke, a new sound emerged. One that wasn't music, however. Neither did it come from any of the Pokemon or even the sea.
It came from the small withered trees of the island. Adagio stayed alert as she felt as if this could be something approaching them. She didn't want any harm done to her sisters and friends. And from what she could hear, it sounded like ice being hit against each other while also hoofsteps approaching.
"What is that sound...?" Aria shuddered with Brionne getting in front of her. Sonata stayed close to her as well. A figure appeared with the shadows obscuring the full appearance. But ice-like wings could be seen. They had then been spread out, seemingly a form of intimidation. Adagio lit up her horn, preparing for the worst.
"Hey th-" It was revealed to be a pony as the light of the crystal showed his face. And it didn't look threatening at all. But this pony stood out due to his wings.
The moment she spoke, he was cut off by an instant beam from Adagio. "Oh!" The pegasus gasped, ducking his head as the beam had pierced through a large boulder.
"Adagio, wait!" Sonata halted her sister from taking another shot. Adagio promptly stopped as the pegasus breathed in and out, seeing his life flash before his eyes. He fell on his back, taking a moment to take in what just happened. That blast from Adagio was no joke.
Sonata went up to the pegasus, helping him off the ground. "Sorry about that. Sisterly defences, ya know." She giggled before helping him up.
"I-It's fine." He sighed, adjusting his scarf. "Sorry if I startled you there. These wings look pretty sharp in the dark sometimes."
"Hm. Looks like I need to work on my aim better if I want an early takeout," Adagio uttered. "Who are you? And how come you're here of all places?"
"Oh. I'm Arctic Ace." He introduced himself. "I'm just here to investigate these crystals right here." Arctic Ace then turned to these strange crystals that constantly flashed faces. "Located here in these unknown waters."
"This is our home, actually. Used to be. I mean..it kinda still is." Sonata shrugged. "Home of the Sirens, we used to call it!"
"Sirens? You three? I mean, I see it in her but..." Arctic pointed his hoof at Adagio since she had some siren qualities via the fangs, gills and wings as well.
"Don't worry about that right now." Aria dismissed it. "But I've got a question...What's up with your wings? How come they're all ice?"
"Oh these? Uh, unfortunate circumstances led to this happening." He spread out his wings as icicles had dropped from them. It was as if he had an entire cavern of ice on his body. "Can't get rid of it all and I'm stuck with these. But hey, at least they make me look cool. Eh?" He gave a pun.
Adagio and Aria didn't find any amusement in the joke. Except for Sonata as she wheezed at it. "Pfft! Hahaha! Good!" Sonata cackled at the pun.
"There's always something or someone that wastes time, isn't there?" Adagio said to herself before turning around. Can you at least tell us what you know about these crystals? I don't want anything funny happening while I'm underwater."
"Oh, right. I'd be careful around these crystals." That's when his tone changed to something more serious. "They were made by a Pokemon. Not one you want to get close with." He was giving off a warning as Adagio looked back to hear this. "Do you see the face that shows up for a second?"
They all focused on the crystals, squinting their eyes to see. But again, it was too fast for them to keep up with at all. Thus, they could not make out the face. "Nope. Still got nothing," said Sonata.
"Yeah. It was tough for me to make it out too since it's so fast and faint. But after a bunch of hours blinking and staring, I found out that this Pokemon was Malamar."
"Malamar? Ugh. I get bad vibes just by hearing that name." Aria shuddered as she and her sisters were reminded of Livadi's Malamar. Unpleasant times. "But what's the big deal about it anyway?"
"Uh, well...do you know about that one time in Canterlot? A Malamar once attacked Canterlot, trying to rule all of Equestria. It apparently gained high power by using magic from the Elements of Harmony, boosting its already great intelligence." Arctic Ace explained. "Thankfully, he was defeated and his body was turned to stone. But after that, it was unknown where he went. Most say his body drifted out to sea or was taken away by some Flying-Type."
"I heard about something like that before..." Adagio pondered. "Celestia told me some stories after I finished my magic lessons. There was something about a Malamar attacking Canterlot and being turned to stone. So if it's that same Malamar, these crystals mean that he's close, right?"
"Eeehhh..." Arctic couldn't give a clear answer to that. "I don't know. But if he made these, then there's a scary chance he broke out of his stone prison. Not sure how honestly. But these are effective. Some of my Pokemon ended up being drawn to them. They have some mind control properties in them. Just like what Malamar usually does."
"Oh!" Sonata backed away from the crystals after hearing about their mind-controlling capabilities. She and the others were at risk of being controlled by the crystals.
"Touching them too isn't a good idea. They're kinda just stuck here because of this. Trying anything could just lead to total mind control. But I haven't seen Malamar anywhere near the island. Most likely, he's somewhere else."
"Well, thanks for the information. We'll make sure to stay away from the crystals," said Adagio before focusing her attention on the sea. "I'll be right back." Afterwards, she, Brionne and Vaporeon jumped into the water to find these Melody Crystals.
"So no touching them, huh?" Sonata turned her focus back to the crystals and spoke with Arctic Ace. "Can't we just, ya know...pick them."
"Sorry. One of my Pokemon got a bit touchy with it and just one touch was enough to make Malamar's words flow right through them. These crystals are 100% part of Malamar's plan. But they also interest me. I'm a bit of an adventurer and I love discovering new things. And maybe collecting them. Not that though. And are you adventurers too?"
"Nope. But I'd love to be a full-time one. This is like our second adventure ever! Well, mostly for me and Aria. Adagio's been on like a bunch. Lucky."
"That makes us both rookies at it. It's a lot of fun, isn't it? Getting out there. Works well with my Pokemon too. Gets their muscles up in the long run."
"Sure is. But my home's pretty cosy. I kinda prefer that." Sonata shrugged until her mind recalled something. During the small party at Canterlot, Sonata wanted to devour some food that caught her attention. However, she had been informed that a pony by the name of Arctic Ace had consumed it all.
And right now, she was standing in front of that same pony. The matching name. Sonata's eyes then narrowed, seeing anyone who devours food that she desperately wanted as an enemy. "Wait a minute...you're the one who chomped down all the food back at the party, aren't you?"
"Huh?!"
"Yeah, yeah! I wanted to eat that Stuffed Chickpea so bad. And just like that. It was gone."
"O-Oh. That moment." Arctic nervously backed up. "Uh...sorry? I just couldn't help myself. The moment I got the first bite it was so addicting. So I grabbed as many as I could. I got carried away there. It was just so good."
"It was good...Too bad I couldn't eat it." Sonata pouted, sitting down and crossing her hooves. "I was gonna dip it in horseradish sauce..."
"Oh, that does make it better. But I personally like ketchup on it."
"Oooh, that's good too." Sonata's ears rose as she then swivelled to face Arctic. "And with salad dressing too?"
"Buttermilk dressing is the way to go." He finished her sentence, giving an approving nod as a smile graced Sonata's face suddenly.
"You're speaking my language! Do you like it with Cole Slaw too?!"
"Yeah!"
"And hot sauce?!"
"Uh-huh! Well...that makes my eye water sometimes so I skip out on it a lot." Arctic Ace chuckled along with Sonata. Just like that, the two of them shared their similar interests, bonding quickly. "I could go for some right now though..." He had a dumbfounded face with his tongue out.
"Same..." So did Sonata as they were thinking of the same food.
"Ugh. Get a room, you two." Aria could only groan at this, wanting it to be over be she could hear any more.
Underwater.
Meanwhile, Adagio, Vaporeon and Brionne swam through the sea as Adagio had the best way to find the Melody Crystals. Listening to their wonderful melodies.
The crystals could give off a unique melody that echoed throughout the sea and only the sea. Unless someone was to wield it and bring it to the surface. Adagio paused for a moment in the sea as she held her necklace out. The Melody Crystal inside of it started glowing as Adagio sang near it.
By singing at it, the other Melody Crystals across the sea would respond. Their tunes echoed, reaching Adagio's direction. Adagio looked for which direction the sound came from. She found out that there were two directions so any path was a good enough option.
"This way." She said to Brionne and Vaporeon, guiding them as the Melody Crystal's kept singing. When advancing further, Adagio came across familiar waters.
She had ventured into this vicinity before. Already, many memories were meeting her. And once she came across a massive crater, it reminded the siren of the past and the many actions her fellow sirens got into.
Adagio approached the crater, noticing how a tail dent was on it. This tail dent was made by another siren as Adagio recalled how it all happened. She smiled before uttering words. "Hm. She wasn't kidding when she said she was the muscle of the group."
Adagio moved on, passing the crater and entering another part of the ocean while following the sound of the Melody Crystals. Aon the way, she saw more and more sights that were familiar. Massive holes that led to different pathways. The sirens would use these to travel from area to area quicker. It was their best form of travel.
Many Conversations were previously had throughout these seas and most of them were banter that then evolved into arguments. And how singing lessons were constantly held here. Utter chaos happened between the sirens a majority of the time thanks to their personalities but they all made up in the end.
Adagio's mother Vivace, while strict, was kind to Adagio in every way and treated them all fairly. She was essentially the leader of all the sirens and Adagio's idol. And Adagio was happy to know that she would soon reunite with her mother in a few weeks
When suddenly, advancing into darker parts of the water, Adagio felt an ominous feeling that caused her, Vaporen and Brionne to pause for a moment. The siren stayed alert, unsure of what that feeling was. An eerie silence had taken over and was only interrupted by the flow of the ocean. Adagio had come across a wall of darker water stood in her way.
And right as she came across it, giving out a jumpscare was a statue that had startled her and the Pokemon. That was something she didn't expect. And that jumpscare came from the statue of Malamar. It had been here the entire time.
"Malamar...?" Adagio gawked as the statue kept drifting. However, as she saw the statue of the defeated Malamar hurl away.
Just then, the wall of dark water had started rippling. It had dispersed and after going so, revealed more of those crystals. They were underwater as well instead of just on the surface. Not only that, but some Melody Crystals were there as well.
Having the same red appearance as the gem that Adagio had in her possession, these crystals took the form of rock chunks, piled up together. The Melody Crystals were paired up with these crystals that were potentially made by Malamar. But Adagio was confused by that. Malamar was still stone. How could he have made these crystals?
But once Adagio came across them, they flashed more than ever before. Her necklace also started reacting to this, glowing repeatedly. This was the result of the Melody Crystals singing to Adagi's gem. That's when, out of the shadows of the sea, tendrils flew out suddenly wrapping around Adagio and the Pokemon.
"H-Hey?! What is this?!"
"Vaporeon!"
"B-Brionne!"
After grabbing her, the crystals and Adagio's necklace emanated a crimson light that was blinding to the eyes. That's when Malamar's statue began to crack. The light eclipsed a majority of this area of the sea with a red glow and tint being seen on the surface. The Dazzlings and Arctic Ace wondered what that could be.
Once the statue had cracked, Adagio witnessed the emergence of the Overturning Pokemon as the result of the Melody Crystals, her mother's necklace and even those navy blue crystals reacting to each other.
The light faded away as glowing gold eyes could be seen flashing. Once they flashed, a devious laugh echoed in Adagio's general direction. This meant only one thing.
Malamar was free.
Adagio could only gasp at this revelation. Judging by how it looked, this did not spell good news for her currently as the tendrils were still restraining her and the others.
"Finally!" And had the ability to speak once more. "After so many months and almost two years, I am free! Thank you, my little pony."
As the journey continues.
Chapter 629 End.