Nightfall over Mount Aris. A rather beautiful spectacle under free sky and clear weather, as one could watch the sunset atop the great mountain. It was a beauty that had quickly lost its attractive value, however. Aris' citizens were far too grumpy and frustrated now to stay awhile and watch the end of the day with a friend or loved one, assuming they still had either.
The nights on Mount Aris proceeded quietly, with only the usual bickering in the streets or homes, through open windows, being audible. And even those sounds would die out soon enough.
However, Aria would not be getting the sleep she knew she wanted and needed. She sat at the large desk inside her exquisitvely furnished bedroom, fit for royalty. Presumably, because it was meant for royalty, originally. The sunlight coming through the windows had all but died out now, and she opted to turn off the lights and use a pair of candles instead, which she had placed on her desk; one on her left, one on her right. For someone who seemed to constantly berate Adagio for her refusal to follow the trend of a modernising world and acknowledging new technologies, she still enjoyed the old ways sometimes, herself. A candle in the dark was still a far greater moodsetter, and comforting aura than any lightbulb could hope to be.
The siren vocalized her exertion with a huff and sank deeper into the extra wide chair that her form filled out nearly entirely. The flickering but dim light of the two candles illuminated the frequently bored creature's face on both sides. Right now, though, Aria was worried primarily, with a lack of sleep coming in as a close second.
She raised her head and looked to the ceiling, staring at nothing in particular but not daring to close her eyes even then, out of fear that she might fall asleep during this crucial hour.
Tomorrow was the day she and her two companions would formally begin their quest for revenge in kind. Their first conquest and even this, looked to have long-reaching consequences within the region. Colthage wasn't a total pushover, and Chiropterra was still clouded to her, their exact capabilities hidden from outside observers due to their secretive nature and fanaticism.
Were their forces ready yet? Had she done everything she could? Would this whole 'modern war' thing work anywho, with mind control being involved on all levels?
The purple siren groaned and gently placed her right hoof over her forehead, looking as if something had just stung her.
She had been working her tail off for months, day in and day out. First, to research what this new world really was after they had just returned after probably more than a thousand years, then she did the majority of work against the resistance because Adagio dismissed the issue at first. Then she had to handle all of the revampings of the military also because Adagio again didn't value her warnings.
She took a deep breath in and out again, striking a frown underneath the hoof that covered most of her eyes.
No. No, as much as she kept telling herself and the other two that... no, she didn't 'have to' do any of this. It was her own choice and had been since they'd gotten out. That ominous dread, that lingering fear of the next banishment being far worse than the last... if it would even be banishment, this time. She never, ever, wanted to give up her freedom again. Of course, revenge was still her ultimate objective - yes, yes, yes, Adagio, for the millionth time, it was! Yet what truly drove her mad beyond compare and got to her core more than anything was that they were like fish out of the water in this world. They were practically a historic artifact returned to life after an eternity, and all the things that were now all too natural for all walks of life in many parts of the three continents - cars, airplanes, radio and tv, not to mention the far more destructive, dedicated and thought-out tools of war. And yet, here they were, having taken control of a whole nation by storm. Sure there had been some... bumps in the road, so to speak, with the resistance and whatnot, but for what it was worth, their takeover had really been a miracle of sorts.
That, if nothing else, scared her. Their rise to prominence here, where they now stood towering over the hippogriffs and seaponies, was perhaps owed more to a stroke of extraordinary luck and the incompetence of their foes at the time rather than their actual own skills and doings. Which... if true, and she toyed with the idea at least, was enough to make her reconsider the coming day.
Tomorrow, the region would be thrown into chaos, most likely. Nocreature beyond them and the military knew it yet, of course, but Zumidia's days across the channel would soon be numbered. But the issue was not with them or their child-king, but with the two major powers nearby who might reasonably become allies of circumstance and come for their throats prematurely. She was relatively confident in a victory against the Colthaginians alone but not so much against them and the thestrals.
The siren's snout moved back down as her eyes fixated on the reports and orders on her desk. They looked almost randomly thrown about, creating an uncharacteristic overlapping mess for the otherwise very focused and dedicated siren.
Perhaps she was wrong. Was she? She had been moved by Adagio to boldly claim they were ready to fight, but... well, the reality was a little more complicated than that. Neither Adagio nor Sonata would likely have understood if she had tried explaining to them in more detail, and the former would probably have just harassed her over it again... but even so, she felt a little guilty.
Hm. Guilt? No, that wasn't it. She didn't feel guilty about lying to reassure her two partners about a subject they had little to no knowledge of, a subject she had taken on alone for them, and she certainly did not feel guilty about the possible deaths to come in the wars she was going to begin.
She slowly moved a hoof towards her desk in front of her. She gently brushed aside two papers and picked one previously half-hidden beneath them. Her eyes started moving along the black rows of dry, bureaucratic lingo at first. Reports of divisional strength and combat capability, of position and morale. Her read slowed to a crawl as she felt something stinging in her left eye. She moved a hoof to remove whatever was causing it but was unable. She shook her head ever so slightly as she felt her eyes wet, holding back a sob.
Until, only moments later, the dam broke, and the tears ran wild. The otherwise nonchalant siren tried her best to at least keep her sobbing subdued, but it was difficult. Difficult like so much was, right now.
She wasn't guilty of anything she had done. She forced herself to realise that because it wasn't guilt she felt but dread and fear. She was afraid of failing, not because it would mean revealing that she may have lied to her companions, but because it would harm them and herself.
She could never let that happen. Sure they were annoying at turns - many turns actually - but they were the closest thing to a family she had left. They had roamed the world for thousands of years, and had gotten so close to victory in Equestria before Starswirl had his way with them.
She shook her head and covered her eyes with her hooves, not able to contain the tears anymore.
In the end, she figured, they were all pulling on the same lever. They all wanted revenge; they all wanted to sing and rule over the mortals of this world. But Aria? She tried to make up for past mistakes that had cost her dearly and never wanted something like that to happen to her or her two... friends.
Friends. Yeah. It felt odd to call them that, in a way. Not because she didn't like them but because spending thousands of years of existence together, a fair chunk of which was in total isolation with only one another to keep each other company makes 'friend' sound far too simple. Sure Adagio was bratty and stuck up, always tunnel-visioned in on her own world and dismissing her concerns. Of course Sonata was scatterbrained and lacked the focus she had, or the vision.
And yet, they were all sirens. They were, in a really odd way, destined to be together. To stick it out whatever the conditions may be, and to make up for one another's weaknesses. She loathed that very fact in front of Adagio and Sonata all the time, of course. How she had to do all the organising of the military alone, for example, and yet she knew, in a way, that this was the best. Sonata wasn't a military genius, that much she knew. While Adagio was undoubtedly intelligent and cunning, she was far too dismissive, too high and mighty for her own good, making her constantly jab Adagio for that very thing when they talked.
Yes, this... was the only way. Her lack of sleep and concern for the others and herself were right because it's how she could pay her due for the group like she knew the other two would, in their own ways. Admittedly, she didn't understand those contributions sometimes, but Aria was always a thinking individual and, after giving initially outrageous, stupid concepts some thought, could come around on them. She wasn't open and friendly like Sonata was, but when she talked to her, she could realise valid opinions that differed from hers.
She took a deep breath and looked down at her body. The paper she had dropped when covering her eyes was clinging to her pale underbelly, and upon removing it, she realised that it was already a little soggy in some places where tears had fallen.
She sniffed, one hoof wiping away tears in her left eye. They immediately reappeared as she placed the paper off to the side of the desk.
It was a matter of hours now until she sparked a war. But she felt no regret, not for the ones who would fight and die in her name. They were tools, as Adagio had put it, but every good craftspony knew to keep their equipment in good shape. An Army to crush their opposition and spread their song into a new age. Bombs, rifles, artillery, tanks. She had read about them and inspected a few to get a first-hoof impression of these odd but undoubtedly powerful weapons systems.
Thousands would die, she realised. But that was irrelevant, then. She fought not with regret but with the fear of not being good enough for the task, that she would be the sole reason the only two creatures she earnestly cared about perish, and she along with them.
She rolled her hooved fins into makeshift fists and bashed them against the desk in a sudden spark of rage, tears still streaming out as before.
That would not happen. Never. She would sooner sacrifice herself if need be and save the other two before allowing that great tragedy to come full circle. She ran away then... but not anymore. She would fight her battles without doubt, no matter what.
The others were counting on her.
Sonata's room seemed peaceful at first glance. The lights were off, and, as the sun had set some hours ago already, the siren had gone to bed. A silver plate with two burgers and a half-finished taco rested on a white, wooden bedside table beside where she slept.
And yet, she didn't sleep. She had tried to, but she really couldn't manage to fall asleep that night. Sometimes her eyes opened, and she didn't know why and just closed them again. Was it something she'd eaten? The tacos, maybe?
She ended up theorising that she was probably concerned about, well, a lot of things. Tomorrow was a big day, after all, what with an invasion and such. She would need to be close behind Aria and essentially clean up the mess when her troops cleared any village, town or city. She had already prepared the things she thought necessary, which included a considerable amount of existing beacons of music - that is the hippogriffs wearing pendants with gems like the sirens' own to enthral creatures themselves - as well as hippogriffs she expected to come in handy. And by handy, she meant helping her.
Ah. That thought made her frown for a moment. That stupid fact of being the youngest of the three of them. She didn't personally dislike it of course, rather she thought it was remarkable in its own way, and when you're older than anycreature you'll meet, being 'the youngest' seems relative, right?
Well, not with Aria and Adagio. They always treated her as the youngster—someone who needed to be taught how to behave and what to say. Someone who was so obviously not like them, and yet, was... clearly meant to be. It was destiny, they said, and natural.
The teal siren was tired but could not find the slumber she desired. Slowly, she opened her eyes, willfully this time, and simply stared up towards the ceiling above. Or rather, she stared into the darkness that clung above her on this starry night.
Sonata's relationship with her two older partners had always been... unique. Ever since the two found her, it was clear that the three of them belonged together and would inevitably need to weather the storm together. Under normal circumstances, the three would probably have sneered at one another and simply parted ways due to their great contrasts... but those weren't regular circumstances back then.
She wasn't stupid. She told herself that many times per day because every time she spoke to Aria and Adagio it was implied she was. She was different, sure. She wasn't blind to that fact but saw it as a cool thing because... well, why wouldn't it be?
Adagio was such a confident and stern leader, charismatic and manipulative whenever she chose to be, or bold and brazen when she didn't. Aria, on the other hoof, was a lot more reclusive, but even so, Sonata respected her a lot. Her older friend had always helped her a lot, not as much as Adagio had, but still a lot, and she knew full well how hard she always thought and worked on everything, about things and scenarios Sonata really couldn't wrap her head around at times.
The young siren frowned at the darkness clinging to the ceiling above her. She found it... odd, really. Well, there were a lot of things she found odd in life, actually, but it seemed that now there was just too much she really had no hope of understanding. All of this new stuff, this new 'world', and all that came with it... it was all so terribly confusing. She had tried and still did try to learn about it all but it was hard letting go of things she had always thought to be irreplaceable in life. And yet, Aria made it seem so easy to adapt.
Hrmn. She always loved that about the two, no matter which of them. Sonata had known them since she started thinking consciously, or at least, so she thought, and so it's really a wonder that Adagio and Aria could still amaze her. If there was perhaps one thing she needed in life, it was excitement. Change of pace. Trying out new things.
But... that just made her wonder why she couldn't get this new stuff through her dense skull. Was she afraid of all these changes? Not really, right? She had already used them to great effect to create the magical pendants from crystals to create the beacons of magic, and she was really looking forward to toying around with radio and television a lot more, as well. Not to mention, modern housing and healthcare! There was such grandeur and luxury now, things she had never thought would be possible before she and the others were rudely locked away.
Sonata turned her head to the left, eyeing the tray with the remnants of her last meal. She considered a midnight snack but... decided against it.
Was this all because she was the youngest out of the three of them? Hmm, no. No, that wasn't it either. Was it maybe... hrmn.
The siren looked back up from her pillow as if searching for an answer amidst the darkness. Her tail fin began to move up and down underneath the blanket as she pondered harder and harder.
Maybe she really was just all over the place, huh? Obviously Adagio had told her that many times already, and Aria even more so, but those two said a lot of things about her which were either jokes or knowingly untrue. Probably. Yet it was not far from the truth that she had always tended to be random and disorganised, to try out unexpected things and consequently enrage her peers.
Did... that make her stupid? No, but it certainly made things none the easier for her or the others. She was often told that she didn't take their 'cause' seriously and that she had lost sight of the goal ahead. She hadn't. She was mad at Starswirl and the pillars the same as her friends were and wanted payback, but unlike the other, two she felt... different, usually.
Aria and Adagio were always driven by hatred in a way. It was more blatant and obvious with Adagio, sure, but even Aria had it gnawing at her spoken words. They weren't mad; they were outraged and willing to do things Sonata admittedly considered unnecessary. It actually scared Sonata, sometimes, what she heard them say and claim to want to do in the future if the three of them had their way.
Her frown deepened, and she bit her tongue out of frustration.
She couldn't blame them. Sure she was scared and disagreed at times, but she couldn't blame the other two. They had gone through terrible things that she had not... not to mention that her being a part of this group of theirs, a lonely trio singing their song, was why she was still alive in the first place.
Aria was her friend, as was Adagio. She genuinely, earnestly believed this to be true, and always had. She had so much to be thankful for to both of them. Sure their relationship was... rocky, to say the least, but that didn't stop them and never had in the past. They always came through in the end.
And yet... Sonata was constantly asking herself if she could bring them around. She was seen by the other two as being too soft usually, to be losing her way as a siren, but she didn't think so. It was a new way - her way - to live as a siren. It was a rational, considerate way that was fun for creatures other than just the three of them.
Things changed so quickly nowadays, and even now, she knew that in less than 24 hours from then, they would be waging war against the mortals across the channel. That was a scary thought, in a way... war, and all. She had lived through countless 'raids' on villages where the trio enthralled the population before moving on, and had watched Adagio and Aria use their thralls to fight others in a violent mob. But war was new, and it was frightening in its own sort of way.
Sonata sighed and closed her eyes again. She pulled the blanket up a little and tried to cosy up as best she could.
She wanted not to think about that. About losing her two friends and lifetime companions to a stray bullet or worse. She would just have to do her best these days and show off her own traits and skills wherever possible. Perhaps if she showed the other two some results, they really could be brought around to conceding on some of her line of thinking. The gem necklaces had been the first taste of that, and it was great, soothing hope for the future to come.
Maybe there was hope for a better future yet. But whatever that future may turn out to be, she would want to spend it with the two to whom she owed everything to. She would give it her all if it meant making them happy... even if it meant doing things she felt were not right.
The others were counting on her.
That accursed wizard... and his stupid, impudent band of thugs. Even now, the final images before their supposed defeat marked her perception. She had felt hopeless for a moment, then anger. But by the time she felt the latter, it was already too late.
The usually so proud and outspoken leader of the trio leaned out of one of the several tall windows in her bedroom. She constantly moved her head about, almost as if unsure whether to watch the stars in the sky, the moon, or the sleeping city of Aris.
All of this, she thought. All of this, the three of them had conquered and won for themselves in such little time. The mortals were hardly a challenge, and now they ruled supreme and would make way to add more subjects under their iron hoof.
She liked to pretend these victories were hers. That she, through her excellent leadership, speaking ability and manoeuvring had managed to get them this far... but she knew, someplace in her heart, that it wasn't true at all. Aria was doing lots to help her, and chances are she would have been panicking about all of the newfound items and technologies in this world if it had not been for Aria. Even Sonata, for all her shortcomings and infuriating traits, was valuable. She had thought about Aria's decision to let the young one take the lead on overseeing the garrison and occupation of their newly conquered lands. It seemed like such a foolish thing to do and say, like setting up for ensured disaster.
And yet, Sonata had always had this... peculiar way, of sorts, with mortals. She had always tried to argue to her that mortals were valuable, in a sense. Sure they were food, she had told her after being screamed at by Adagio, but what was food if not a finite resource? Sonata wanted to acknowledge that and try to make a finite resource into a near infinite one. To end a constant hunt for new thralls and subjects and be satisfied with what they had.
Adagio didn't listen back then. That was... well, long ago now. Before, the pony tribes had even organised into anything coherent yet; she didn't even dare guess the number of years.
Things were different now in more ways than she liked and likely realised. So much had changed, and so much had moved on from when they'd last seen the light of day. For the lack of a better term, the world had forgotten about them. The knowledge of, even so much as the forged fillytale told by the pillars, was now reserved to scholars and learned creatures only, far from the commoners. Insulting as that was in its own way, it had been beneficial in some ways so far.
Still, with so much changed, how could she just 'move on' and adapt to these new times? It seemed Aria already had, and even Sonata was not complaining about all the new things to do. Why were her two friends and allies so comfortably shedding what once was in favour of the unknown? Why did they not struggle and irk with pain at the thought as she did?
Deep down, she knew why. How was a creature like her meant to move on when the one thing cemented in her mind was to do the exact opposite and hold onto a grudge? Free after banishment, her one purpose in life seemed to be to get revenge on the pillars and all of Equestria. Vengeance for over a thousand years of isolation, for tricking the world into believing they were evil.
The yellow siren's head wandered again as she grasped the frame of the window she was leaning over tighter.
But there was something... deeper, as well. Something far more ancient than Starswirl and his goons. Them? They were foolish ponies that had defeated them because they had lowered their guard. But there was something far more important that needed to be done after that due was collected.
She felt her chest pounding at the thought. Those memories... ones that were scorched into her mind long, long ago, never to leave her alone. Always with her, constantly torturing her day and night.
The screams... the shouts...
Her eyes widened as she reached out a hoof from where she stood. She reached for... them. She knew it; they were alright. They always had been.
She wavered as the mirage playing out in her imagination faded as if carried away by the wind of the mountain. She reached out further, almost climbing onto the frame as she did... but the two were already gone. Her eyes teared up, and the siren froze.
"Mum... dad..."
A quiet hush in a silent night, her words were heard by nocreature. Slowly, her held-out hoof returned to her, and she held it close to her chest.
"I'm... so sorry..."
She tried her best to stay strong then. She was meant to be strong, the leader of the last of them, to avenge all and correct that terrible wrong, at long last.
"I'm sorry I couldn't find you..."
She lowered her head as low as she possibly could in visible defeat. Her hooves wanted to crack and break the wooden parts of the window frame in her mix of rage and anguish, but instead, she slid back into the room behind her, floating gently in mid-air as her tail fin flapped back and forth ever so slowly.
The usually bold leader wiped her eyes multiple times as if in denial of her emotions. She couldn't be crying about this, about any of those days long gone.
She began to take deep, calculated breaths to calm herself. The hoof on her chest had moved down towards her embedded gem, which glowered faintly in the otherwise mostly dimly lit room.
She could not be mourning. She could not tear herself apart over her mistakes back then, when her world came crashing down. Because her journey to redeem herself and all the others had only just begun. She had made that promise and pact with Aria, and knew her counterpart would not go back on her word, and neither would she.
She had a realm to rule over, subjects and enemies to manipulate to serve her intentions, and two close allies and only remaining friends and kin with whom she could accomplish everything. At least, that's what she made herself think, perhaps out of desperation for victory.
Tomorrow would be a big day for all of them, and she would be the public face of it all as their informal leader. They had quarrels and issues, but that was utterly irrelevant in the face of their great quest. A quest that went far beyond just Starswirl, far beyond simply a mad drive for conquest. But she couldn't do that alone, and she hadn't for the last thousands of years of history.
She needed the others. Then, now, and for all future days to come.