The two women stood in front of the nondescript house on the corner of the block. The sun was just going down, but they could see well enough to give them an impression of the place.
The women had walked up the side sidewalk so they saw a house that really didn’t stand out from the rest. It was much like the rest of the houses in this upper-middleclass neighborhood.
It was a cozy two story house looked like and painted the same color as the rest of the houses on the block. It was a cookie cutter style being all the houses were of the same architecture. On this house, all of the lower level front facing windows had flower-boxes with bright flowers. There were flower beds in the yard and a white picket fence which was more ornamental than functional.
There was a porch swing and a children’s swing set in the backyard.
The only thing that may’ve suggested this was the right place was a statue in the flowerbed of a mermaid playing a harp seated upon a rock.
“Are you sure this is the address?” asked the first incredulously.
“Yes,” said the second, “she was insistent that we’d find her here. She said that she and her wife had visited her here just this month.”
“Well I don’t bloody well believe this!” Said the first shaking her head. “There’s no fuckin’ way she lives here, like this. She must be mistaken. And why would she be visiting her?”
“We can knock on the door and at least see. Maybe they know where she is. It’s the best lead we’ve had, if you can trust Sunset Sparkle-Shimmer.”
The two opened the little gate, entered and it swung closed behind them, then walked the little path, up the two steps, across the porch and to the front door.
The door was brightly but tastefully painted. Under the doorbell was the name:
CHIPS FAMILY
They first rang the bell and waited, then a second time, but the door opened as the first moved her hand away from the bell.
The two visitors were shocked. The woman who answered the door was wearing a pastel, unpretentious and modest dress with a frilly white apron. A pair of glasses hung from a gold chain around her neck.
But her skin tone, mulberry eyes and hair colors gave her away, even with a few lines on her face and a few strands of white in her hair, which was worn down and cut shoulder length.
The woman’s face lit up in recognition.
“Dodgy!” cried the woman, “Nat!”
“Aria?” said he two in shock and at the same time.
She did something that was shocking. She pulled the newcomers into a tight and loving hug and kissed them on the cheeks.
Taking them by the hands, she pulled them into a front room and leading them to a comfortable sofa.
“Come in here sisters!” Said Aria, “it’s been way too long, have a seat! I’ll get us some lemonade and we can talk.”
Aria left the room presumably to the kitchen.
“Was that Aria?” asked Sonata confused.
“I think it is,” Said Adagio, “but if we were passing on the street, I might not have recognized her.”
“Do you think she’s had a head injury or was brainwashed?” asked Sonata, who gasped at an idea. “Do you think she’s a Changeling?”
“I don’t know,” said Adagio, “I don’t think there’s any Changelings in the human world. However we would have sensed one of our old enemies.
But I don’t ever remember Ms Grumpy-Arse ever calling us sisters.”
They looked around them at the meticulously clean and tidy home. There were pictures on the wall. Several were scenes of a family on holiday at the beach and in the mountains.
On shelves, there were nick-knacks of mermaids and seashells.
The big shocker was the large wedding photo in the center of one wall with a picture of Aria with her hair styled up. She was on the right side of the picture in an uncharacteristically beautiful white dress and veil. On the left side, there was an unknown man in a sharp tuxedo.
On the same wall were pictures of two young girls.
But there was a couple pictures that confirmed it. Aria must have managed to have had made from a photo from The Battle of the Bands. It was portraits of Adagio and Sonata.
There was a desk with a computer in a corner with some certificates and diplomas above.
A piano was on another corner, with an old guitar on a stand beside it. Pictures of a family sitting around the instrument. There were holiday decorations and the family singing with the piano as Aria was playing.
There were a couple of musical trophies on top of the piano along with some pictures of a little girl, with Aria’s hair color playing at what looked like a recital.
Aria came in the room, she was wearing the glasses and she’d removed the apron. Aria was smiling a smile the other two had never seen on their sister. Aria was carrying a tray with a pitcher of lemonade, three glasses with ice and a plate of homemade cookies.
She handed a glass to Adagio and Sonata, poured them full glasses and offered them the cookies. Then she poured herself a glass and sat in a chair facing them. She took a drink and then looked at the guests.
“I hope it isn’t too sour for you,” said Aria, “Mike likes it this way.”
The two visitors took a drink and nibbled on delicious cookies.
“It’s very good,” said Adagio, then paused before going on, “forgive me for asking, but you are Aria Blaze, right?”
“No,” answered Aria with a giggle (another act the others had never seen Aria do).
Adagio and Sonata looked confused until Aria reached out her left hand. There was a very nice diamond ring and a wedding band.
“It’s actually Aria Chips now.”
“You’re married!” said Sonata excited.
“I don’t fuckin’ believe it!” said Adagio.
A small shadow passed over Aria’s face.
“Dodgy, can you not talk like that when they get home? And yes,” said Aria, her smile returning. “Mike and I’ve been married about fourteen years now.
He and the children should be home in an hour or so. So we have time to catch up.
You don’t know how long I’ve been trying to find you. I wanted you two at the wedding as Bride’s Maids. But I looked everywhere I could think we used to hang out, but I couldn’t find you. It was a shock to Sunset and Twilight when I asked if they’d fill in. After all, I was in their wedding.”
Still confused about any relationship with Twilight and Sunset, they continued on.
“These children you mentioned, they were his before you were married?” asked Sonata.
“Or you adopted?” asked Adagio.
Aria laughed.
“You know how in the past how we never got pregnant and we believed we couldn’t?” The others nodded their heads, “it appears that the siren gem's were the magic that prevented us from conceiving children.”
“Speaking of the gems,” said Adagio, glad to change this uncomfortable and unbelievable turn of fortune, “we’ve been scouring libraries from Vanhoover to Saddle Arabia. But we finally found an old tome in the royal library in Canterlot.
Of all things, It was about Loreley, and they thought we’re fu... ah they thought we’re low life mermaids. It said many things that were just inaccurate and some things we already knew.
But there was a section about the gems being the source of our powers, and if a siren over the age of one doesn’t have one, they dissolve back into the sea foam.”
“Yes,” said Aria sadly remembering her friend, Star Song, “we saw that when we were young.”
“Tell her the best part!” said Sonata excited.
“What’s that?” asked Aria.
“The gems don’t have to be intact!” Said Adagio, “hell, they don’t even have to be complete. We only have to find a siren pod that may be able to give us new ones or could help us find gems. We’ll have all our powers and immortality restored!”
“What?” said Aria surprised.
“Yes,” said Adagio actually excited, “we can use the portal at Canterlot High School to return home at anytime!”
Adagio and Sonata looked excitedly at Aria.
Then after an uncomfortable pause…
“Don’t you get it?” asked Sonata. “We can go home away from this world that’s been the worst!”
Aria sat there shocked, there was the start of tears in her eyes.
“I find you girls,” said Aria, “or you’ve found me. The only family I’ve had for over a thousand years. And you show up just to tell me I’ll lose you two forever.”
Aria picked up a napkin and wiped the tears from her eyes. Adagio and Sonata, looked confused at each other.
“You don’t have to lose us,” said Adagio, “you’re coming with us!”
There was an uneasy silence.
“I can’t go with you.”
“What?” the other two almost shouted.
“What do you mean, you can’t go with us? Of course you can. Hell, you were always the one who was wanting to go back to Equestria worst than the rest of us,” said Adagio, not believing what she was hearing.
“Why?” asked Sonata.
“Well, I don’t have my gem anymore. I haven’t had it for about fifteen years now; I sold it. Maybe my not having the gem at all allowed me to get pregnant.”
“Sold it?” said Sonata, “how much did you get for it?”
“Nat!” said Adagio as she elbowed Sonata.
“That doesn’t matter,” said Sonata, “as Dodgy said, it doesn’t have to be complete. And we can give you part of ours.”
“There, that’s settled, you’re going, and that’s final!” Said Adagio, sounding like her old self when she was calling the shots.
She didn’t expect the look of defiance on Aria’s face.
“No!” said Aria firmly.
“Why the hell not?” asked Adagio angrily.
“Why?” asked Sonata, sounding more hurt than angry.
At that moment there was the sound of the front door opening, and feet quickly approaching. Two young girls ran to Aria and hugged her, then let go.
“Mommy! Mommy! Daddy said we were good and got us ice cream!” said the taller of the two, she was wearing glasses and had the purple hair of her mother.
“The movie was funny, mommy,” said the other, she had dark blue hair and braces. “You should’ve gone!”
Aria looked at her sisters with a strange look in her eyes and said quietly;
“This is why.”
“Girls, I want you to meet your aunts,” said Aria.
“Aunts?” said Sonata and Adagio quietly.
“This is your aunt Adagio Dazzle, and your aunt Sonata Dusk,” said Aria in introduction.
“They have our names,” said the youngest.
“They’re very pretty,” said the oldest. “Just like their pictures.”
“No honey,” said Aria chuckling, “you were named after them.”
“Sisters, this is Adagio Dazzle Chips” said Aria pointing out the older/taller girl, then motioning to the other, “and this is Sonata Dusk Chips. Say hello girls.”
Little Adagio politely shook hands with their aunts with a; ‘Nice to meet you’.
Little Sonata hugged her aunts warmly and kissed their cheeks and said ‘welcome’.
“The two of you are very pretty too,” said Sonata Dusk smiling a very proud and warm smile.
Probably for the first time in years if not centuries, Adagio didn’t know what to say.
“Now girls,” said a man coming in the room, “get washed up for dinner.”
Aria’s face lit up as she got up and rushed to the man. He wasn’t much to look at. He had thick glasses straight dark blue hair but the look on his face was that of a man that was completely happy. They realized that Aria had the same look. Something the guests had never felt and immediately envied.
Aria embraced the man and gave him a long deep kiss. When they broke the kiss, Aria just smiled and looked him in the eyes.
“How were the girls, Mike” asked Aria
“Little angels,” said Mike. Then he noticed the visitors.
“Oh my gosh!” said Mike, “can it be Adagio and Sonata?”
“Yes honey, they just showed up on the doorstep just a little bit ago. You girls remember Micro Chips?”
“So good to see you two again.” Said Mike, “Aria has wanted to find you for longer than we’ve been married. I hope you’ll stay for dinner.”
“I don’t know,” said Adagio.
“But its Taco Tuesday,” said Aria slyly.
“We’re staying!” said Sonata, ignoring the glare from Adagio.
Aria snickered.
“I guess we can stay,” surrendered Adagio. Actually she was glad to be able to get a free home cooked meal.
At the meal, the girls insisted to sit with their aunts. Adagio was still a little hesitant about interacting with children. She’d never had that much time around the young of humans or any other species.
Sonata was eating up the attention with as much relish as the tacos. She was laughing and kidding with the girls. Telling them the most fun (and messy) way to eat tacos. She and the kids laughed a lot.
Adagio couldn’t remember Sonata ever being so happy. She was almost as happy as Aria was showing.
After dinner, Micro, Aria and Adagio went in the living room sharing pie and coffee. Adagio actually asked for seconds. Sonata had went with the children.
When that was done Aria brought up the reason Adagio and Sonata were there.
“It’s okay, Dodgy,” said Aria, “Mike knows all about us. We can talk freely.”
It was quiet for a moment, with the exception of laughing from the children and Sonata in another room.
Aria was sitting with her husband on the sofa. She was clinging tightly to Micro’s arm and hand, Micro could feel the fear.
“Honey, Dodgy and Nat came here looking for me because they discovered that we could actually return to Equestria."
“What?” said Micro, “you told me that you’d die if you did!”
“That’s what we’d thought,” said Adagio, uncomfortable explaining this to a human, “but Sonata and I discovered that even with broken or incomplete gems, we’d survive. And we’d be able to find or be given new gems and all our powers and immortality would be restored.
Wouldn’t you want Aria to live forever?”
“Dodgy!” interjected Aria, “that’s not fair!”
“Honey,” said Micro, “I think it’s a fair question. Immortality is a dream of many and to have it handed to you, or at least handed back to you is something great.”
“See,” said Adagio sounding smug, “he thinks you should go back.”
“I didn’t say that,” said Micro, sounding more assertive than Adagio. “I said it’s a great opportunity. But not her only opportunity.
And I can’t make that decision for her and neither can you.” Then looking at his wife, “it’s entirely up to you. I love you and will stand behind anything you decide. Your happiness is always first with me.”
