"And so, like, there's this cool view of all of Aris over here," Sonata Dusk giggled bubblily as she lazily floated through the pearl-studded hallway of Mount Aris's royal palace, brushing the top of a teenage zebra's mane that was walking in step with her. Resting her head on a hoof, she circled him a couple of times before zipping over to the window and gesturing wildly with a foreleg. "Doesn't it look totally amazing?"
She smiled, her ruby eyes glistening with excitement. Her young entourage, King Zamni of Zumidia, shook his head and trotted lightly over. They both gazed out over the city of Aris, the palace at the peak of the mountain providing a perfect vista across all of Sirenalia. At one point, the nation was the home of the hippogriffs, or at least the portion that wanted to live above water.
Would that make them hipps or griffs? Sonata noted to ask Aria or Adagio that the next time she met up with them to scheme.
Either way, it only felt like she and her fellow sirens had just claimed Sirenalia for themselves yesterday, even though it'd been almost six years since they resurfaced. If it weren't for all the sea-loving hippogriffs that'd gone exploring in the Mareiana Trench, she, Adagio, and Aria would have never been able to escape from that cursed place.
Between Starswirl and the rest of the Pillars' magic and the fact that the trench was really—like, really—dark, there was no way the trio could have returned to the world. Sure, she had a lot of fun hunting for fish, making wiggly hats with the deep-sea sea cucumbers, and occasionally showing Aria what she'd been able to carve out of some rock, but it got boring after a while. Could only rename some stone friends so many times before all the personalities got messed up and they all started to tell her to make a nice scarf out of Aria and Adagio's frills.
But now that they controlled all of Hippogriffia's former lands, and also dealt with the thestrals in Chiropterra, things could finally relax a bit. Besides, all those plans and maps that Adagio kept pulling out so she and Aria could talk war and military invasions and logistics and stuff made her head spin.
"What'dya think, Zamie?" Sonata asked, descending to be level with his head. With a flashing of a big grin, she added, "Pretty cool, huh?"
"Uh, sure, Sonata," Zamni replied. He scratched the back of his head. "All those hippogriffs. They're all, uh..." He focused his gaze on the brilliant red ruby that was embedded in her scaly chest. "You know."
"Under our spell?" Sonata finished, knowingly giving him a smug look. "You betcha! Don't worry, the green clouds don't stink. Normally." She blushed.
Zamni blinked. "I don't even want to know," he replied with a shake of his head. After clearing his throat, he quietly shuffled back a few paces, his hoofbeats partly absorbed by the regal purple carpeting that covered the middle of the hall. Smiling weakly, he muttered, "Uh, I guess you should tell Adagio that the crystal research is going okay." He pulled out a much smaller gem just like Sonata's from his saddlebag.
As it caught a few rays of morning sunlight and a couple of the magical shell lights on the hall's pillars, the jewel glittered and sparkled at Sonata "Managed to keep the alchemic infusions from inducing permanent night terrors this time." With a wince, he grumbled, "Or maybe Adagio would want that."
Gazing at the gem for a second, Sonata's eyes widened in awe before she declared, "Pretty!" With a small smack, she returned her focus to Zamni directly. "I mean, yeah, Dagi would totally be down for a progress report." Wriggling her tail to push her back up a few feet above him, she stated, "All she ever says is, 'Sonata, where are those crystals?' 'What's that dumb zebra doing with the crystals?' 'Sonata, I need those crystals to make a super-duper, death-spitting, killer golem that also makes burritos. Could you hurry up?'"
At Zamni's confused stare, she giggled, "Okay, maybe I made the last one up."
"Burry-toes?" he inquired, tilting his head in confusion.
"Oh yeah, they're like, this cool food recipe I found a little while ago. Not as good as tacos, but still tasty!" She licked her lips at the mention of food. "Just lots of fish, and stuff them into a wrap and—"
"Does eating fish make you a cannibal?" Zamni interjected as he scratched his head. "Like, you're a fish, and then there's a bunch of other fish, and—"
"Ugh, don't tell me you're talking about that dumb recipe again, Sonata!" a grouchy voice snapped as a purple siren flew down the corridor. Shortly, Aria Blaze stopped and glowered at Zamni before snarling and fixing her glare on Sonata instead. At that, Sonata wilted almost imperceptibly.
"And you brought your lapdog here too?!" Aria barked, jabbing a foreleg at Zamni. The zebra bristled, his ears flattening against his head while he bared his teeth at Sonata's compatriot.
"Wake up on the wrong side of the reef, Aria?" he retorted, which only earned a dourer scowl from Aria. Stomping a few inches closer to the other siren, Zamni thrust his chin forward and flared his nostrils. "Maybe you should take a couple of lessons from Sonata and learn to try to befriend creatures instead of enslaving them!"
Staring for a second in shock at Zamni, Aria burst into a fit of laughter. She remained far above the young king's reach. "Kid," she quipped as started to circle him like a shark waiting for its moment to strike, "sirens don't do friends." She lowered herself slightly. "We just use them for all they’re worth, and then when they're nothing but a little shell of themselves..." She snapped her jaws together. "We toss them to the sharks."
"H-Hey," Sonata cried, plaintively raising a hoof in objection. "Maybe if we all j-just, calm down and—Oh! Maybe if we all let Shelly listen to our—"
"Shut up, idiot!" Aria barked back, which caused Sonata to flinch away in fear. "I don't care what Adagio says, we should have shot this twerp when—"
"Oh, if I had a thrall for every time you two argued, I could drown Equus in bodies," the snooty voice of Adagio groaned as the yellow siren swam up to them. A few enthralled hippogriffs, plus their primary liaison to the outside world, Plumage Moonfeather, trailed about a dozen paces behind in the hallway. When Zamni spotted the three or four dominated hippogriffs, their eyes nothing but clouds of green, he shivered and took a couple of steps back before he bumped into Aria's chest.
Aria had lowered herself to block him, her snarl contorted into a testy grimace.
With another sigh, Adagio massaged one of her temples. In a painfully sweet voice, she asked, "Sonata, why is that zebra in our palace?" She zipped a bit closer. "Instead of in his little mudhole." Pressing her muzzle against Sonata's, she flashed her front teeth. "In chains?!"
Although sirens couldn't sweat, they could still show other signs of distress, and Sonata's fins and frills quickly drooped to flatten against her scales. Uncomfortably tittering, Sonata pulled back from Adagio's muzzle. She rubbed one of her forelegs against the other. With an apologetic whimper, she stated, "Well, Dagi, you see, uh, Zamie just finished some of his tutoring for the year, and well, I thought he could come visit?"
She timidly grinned, her pupils nearly the size of pinheads. She anxiously squeaked. When Adagio remained stone-faced and deadpan, she shrugged and grunted, "Ehh?"
"We're giving him schooling?!" Adagio finally declared as she thrust a hoof in his direction. "Where is the money coming from, Sonata? Or are you enthralling a tutor when it could have been for a scientist, or a general?!"
"I still have my own personal funds, you know," Zamni interjected with a flat snark.
"Then we should have—" Adagio didn't finish her sentence before she groaned and facehoofed. "Fine, fine. Fine fine fine."
With a weak chuckle, Sonata added, "Well, and I don't really have anycreature to talk to, either." At Aria and Adagio's combined glowers, she quickly backpedaled and exclaimed, "Not that I'm saying I don't like talking to you guys! Oh, no-no."
Scoffing with mock indignation, Adagio placed a hoof on her chest and declared, "Ah! The nerve, Sonata! You would rather fraternize with a lowly zebra like him instead of a siren?!" Zamni frowned and pulled his ears back in defiance at Adagio's quip.
"What's ‘fraternize’?" Sonata asked, scratching her head, as her brain was unable to come up with a suitable definition.
"Ugh," Aria grumbled. Sneering, she crossed her hooves and swished her fishy tail in irritation. "You really are the worst."
"Am not!" Sonata retorted. "I don't go searching around for magazines about hippogriff... stallions? Roosters? What do you call male hipp—"
Suddenly, Aria's face turned a bright red as Adagio focused her ire upon the purple siren instead of Sonata.
"Y-You're making it up, idiot!" Aria retorted with a small puff of nervousness. "I haven't done anything of the sort!"
"Oh, really?" Sonata inquired as a smarmy grin started to spread across her muzzle. "Then why could I just go to your room and—"
"Keep. The buck. Out. Of my room," Aria hissed, her frills expanding and flaring wide into an aggressive, battle-ready crest.
"Enough!" Adagio finally interjected. Pushing both of them back with a strong slap of her tail, she jabbed a hoof first at Aria, and then at Sonata. "I swear, I don't know why I put up with either of you!"
"Because you need a conscience?" Sonata suggested. When Adagio glowered at her, she whimpered and pulled herself into a small ball of fear.
"Obviously this was a waste of time to try and figure Sonata's reasoning out, again," Adagio continued as she rolled her eyes. Flicking her head, she motioned for Moonfeather to continue on without her, and she effortlessly sung a few notes to instruct her thralls to follow him.
When the four were alone, Adagio focused her attention on Zamni and she huffed, "Be thankful you're useful to us without wasting our magic, zebra." Zamni remained steadfast as he glowered directly at Adagio. With a small, melodic call, Adagio pulled from his hoof the red gem he was still gripping. Inspecting it, she snorted condescendingly. "Not bad. At the very least, you've not broken it. Yet."
Zamni growled.
After a few seconds, in which Adagio passed the gem over to Aria to size up, Sonata cleared her throat. When Adagio and Aria both glared at her, she hesitantly stated, "Well, there was another reason why I brought him here." Adagio merely arched an eyebrow. "You see..." Sonata scratched the back of her neck. "Zamie was telling me about 'summer vacation,' and I kinda thought that sounded fun."
Adagio stared. "What."
"Y-Yeah," Sonata giggled. Absentmindedly swaying from side to side to distract herself, she tittered awkwardly, "You see, uh, now that he's done his studies for the year, he gets the summer off to just, you know, do whatever?" Stretching her muzzle into a wide grin, she winced under Adagio's withering glare. "So... I was thinking, now that we kinda own most of Northern Zebrica, we could just... take a break?"
"What."
"Like, you know, chillax, hang out, make some tacos, maybe go to the beach. You know, just, not having to worry about world conquests or anything!" Sonata gesticulated with a hoof to emphasize each point. Since Adagio or Aria had yet to actually explode at her, she was pretty sure that she was safe from being yelled at again. Now that she was a bit more calm, she waved a hoof dismissively and added, "Like, doing normal ruler vacation things, y'know?"
Slowly, Adagio and Aria slid their gazes to look at each other. When Adagio returned to peer at Sonata, Adagio smoothly said with a tone like silken bedsheets, "Sonata, honey. Are you KIDDING ME?!" The sudden quadrupling in volume nearly bowled Sonata over.
With a snort, Adagio charged up to Sonata again, ignoring her cries about personal space. "You want to take a vacation?! When we're nearly at our apex?!"
"This has to be the most Sonata thing you've suggested," Aria agreed as she nodded her head at Adagio's declaration. Leaving Zamni's presence, she started to circle around Sonata. Sonata wilted further. "Like, honestly, I say that you're the worst sometimes, and I really mean it, but still, it's at least somewhat in jest." With a harsh stare, she leaned down and then rapped Sonata on the side of the head. "But seriously, this is the worst idea you've come up with."
"She's right," Adagio declared. "We don't need vacations. We need results! Like from that whelp!" She jabbed a hoof at Zamni again. "Anything to destroy the Pillars and get our revenge on Starswirl!"
"Couldn't we just, not, for a day or two?" Sonata inquired, shrugging and gazing earnestly at her two fellow sirens.
"No!" both barked at the same time.
Holding back a couple of tears, Sonata drew some deep breaths and managed to mutter, "I just... I just thought it'd be fun. We've never been to the beach before. At least, not to just relax there." Pointing at Zamni, she exclaimed, "And Zamie told me all the cool things you can do there, like snorkeling, or volleyball, or finding seashells, or ice cream, or—"
"We were in the Abyss for a thousand or more years!" Adagio cut her off with a growl. Prodding Sonata's chest angrily, she furrowed her brows and snarled, "And you want to take a daytrip?!"
"Don't bother, Adagio, she's an idiot," Aria retorted as she returned to her predatory circling. Every time she passed in front of the window looking out onto Aris, she caused a great shadow to fall across Sonata. Sonata held back a couple of whimpers, since she knew Aria was doing it to show that she was bigger and stronger than her.
Not by much, but Aria spent a lot of time toning her strength. Once, Sonata had seen her crush a boulder in two for her training. The thought of what Aria could do to another siren made her shiver.
"I-It's just for a day," Sonata protested. Switching her gaze between her two compatriots, she quipped, "Like, I know that you and Ari are really super-duper focused on getting back at Starswirl, and I'm like, totally with you guys, but didn't you ever think you should take a break?" She looked to Zamni for support. Merely shaking his head, he indicated that she was on her own. "Like, you probably are getting high blood pressure thinking about all this."
"Of all the—" Adagio retracted from Sonata's personal space bubble and then sighed and facehoofed.
"Am I wrong?" Sonata asked.
For once, she had silenced her fellow sirens, and maybe, just maybe, it wasn't from one of her own inane statements. Maybe she hit a nail on the head somewhere.
Begrudgingly, Adagio crossed her forehooves and floated a bit farther back in the hallway. The fins on her tail brushed lightly against the top of Zamni's head, which caused him to shiver away. Working her jaw, Adagio was clearly puzzling over something and Sonata waited in anticipation. Had she maybe struck gold again in one of her suggestions? The last time she had was when she asked for Zamni to work on their gems, and that had been far too long ago.
With a final huff, Adagio puffed out her cheeks and she declared, "It's still stupid! Just like the beach!" She grimaced. "Hate that stuff, anyway. Even if we did go!"
"So... you're saying you would go if you didn't have to be on the sand?" Sonata asked hopefully, rapidly fluttering her eyelashes and beaming widely.
"No! T-The beach is stupid! Sirens don't need—"
"Don't listen to the idiot." Aria huffed and then started to fly her way through the hall. "All she comes up with is useless!"
"Hey! If it weren't for me, you wouldn't be getting closer to stronger gems!" Sonata protested.
"Did I stutter?"
"Yes." Sonata jutted her jaw out defiantly, which only caused Aria to growl and shake her head. "And another thing!" She pointed a hoof at Adagio. "You've never been to a beach! Like me! How do you know you won't like it?!"
At the accusation, Adagio sputtered and spurted as she jerked her head to the side. With a regal snort, she scoffed, "If I wanted to go to a beach, I could use one of the many here! We're an island, after all!" Her gemstone started to glisten a bit as her agitation worked its way into her magic. Her cheeks faintly flashed a soft pink, and Sonata hummed when she noticed it.
"The beaches kinda suck here," Sonata stated as she took it upon herself to make a swirl or two around Adagio. Surprisingly, Adagio didn't attempt to break out of it, instead doing all that she could to avoid Sonata's prying eyes. "What else aren't you telling me and Ari, Dagi?"
"Like I would hide anything important from you," Adagio retorted as she scrunched her muzzle and pursed her lips.
"You hid that you ate my last taco yesterday," Sonata quipped.
"That was to try them!" Adagio replied. "Besides, they tasted awful."
"Meh, to each their own." Shaking her head, Sonata forced herself to remain on her main train of thought and declared, "But there's something else! Come on, Dagi, what is it?!" A small smirk wormed its way onto her face, and she prodded in a singsong manner, "Don't tell me you're allergic to fish."
"No!" Adagio snapped back before she sighed and gazed up at the ceiling of the hallway. Exhaling a groan of defeat, she deflated a bit and muttered, "Fine, it's because I hate sand, okay?" At Sonata's bemused look, and Aria's mirthful snicker, she petulantly clarified, "It's coarse, and it's rough, and it gets everywhere in my scales."
"Wow," Aria giggled as she struggled to hold back further laughter. "That is pathetic, Adagio!" She cackled. "Are you really my sister?"
"Shut up!" Sticking out her tongue, Adagio pouted and crossed her hooves irately as she glowered at Sonata. In return, Sonata only wiggled her eyebrows. "If it'll keep you quiet, then fine! We can go to one of the beaches in Zumidia. Just don't talk to me if my scales get all scratched up!" Adagio protested with a snort. "I have to maintain a standard level of beauty."
"Honestly, you have a face only a mother could love," Zamni huffed. Adagio flinched and turned around.
"Why you little bi—"
***
"Bit more to go!" Sonata exclaimed as she poked her head out the back of the truck bed that she was riding in. While the sirens could fly through the air. Somehow. She didn't question it. It would have been a tiring trip to go from Mount Aris in the Hippogriff Islands to the shores of Zumidia. When they arrived in the primary city of Ain Trotgourait on one of the capital ships they had commandeered from Hippogriffia, they soon had secured transport to one of the many beaches of Zumidia.
As effectively the local guide, Zamni had worked out with Sonata which one would be the most pleasurable for all three. Although some were more suited for physical activity, which would have satiated Aria, those were not ideal for more relaxed activities which would have probably pleased Adagio. Plus, the sands on some beaches were rougher or coarser than others, which would have affected the things that Sonata wanted to do.
After all, she'd learned so many things about what hippogriffs or zebras did with their families when they were at the beach. It was honestly a pretty fun concept. Especially sandcastles, which she could then knock over and rebuild! She could come up with cool scenarios each time, like sirens besieging Canterlot, or maybe a whole host of thralls beating down a fortress to get at the brains of the last few unenchanted creatures.
Or maybe the last taco stand of the world, fighting against swarms of hungry customers.
"Ugh," she heard Aria grumble from the same truck bed. Adagio had opted for her own transport, but Aria was "stuck" with Sonata, to save on magic usage and also fuel. Apparently, even though they had probably half the oil fields of Zebrica, it wasn't enough, according to Aria.
"Yeah, Ari?" Sonata asked as she pulled herself back into the bed. Tilting her head concernedly, she prodded, "What's up?"
"How did you talk me into this?" Aria grumped as the wind bit at her large hat that was covering her head. Unlike Sonata, she and Adagio had elected to go for some sun protection, because they could have possibly dried out if they were in it for too long.
Of course, they were literally right next to the ocean, so Sonata had no clue why they were so concerned about it. Adagio had claimed that it was to "protect her fair complexion," but if Sonata understood right, Adagio just wanted to lay in the sun most of the day and get a tan. If sirens could get tans, that is.
Even now, she had yet to figure out the logic on that one. Maybe it was because she just wasn't meant to be their leader. She didn't have the schemes like Adagio did.
Poking Aria in the ribs with an elbow, Sonata leaned her head over and answered Aria's rhetorical question. "Because you like me so much that you want to make sure we all have a good time. Riiiiiiight?" She flashed a wide grin, but Aria just grunted and avoided her gaze.
"Idiot," she huffed, a small blush on her cheeks.
"Hey! I can see the shore now!" Zamni exclaimed as he peered out of the passenger seat window of the truck. As he did, a blast of sand from the dirt road they had moved onto struck him headlong in the face. Shaking his head and sputtering, he whipped the grains out of his mane and flattened his ears when he caught a loud laugh from Aria.
Sonata huffed and crossed her forelegs before she glared daggers at her fellow siren. Aria just gave her a shrug and asked, "What?" When Sonata's glower only deepened, she rolled her eyes and snorted, "The zebra's not hurt, so don't get your gills in a twist."
Unsurprisingly, Sonata didn't feel very consoled by Aria's words.
After a bit more spluttering and coughing, Zamni called back, "I can already feel the waves under my hooves! This'll be fun!"
"So long as predators don't nibble at them, zeeb!" Aria quipped back. Sonata only sighed and stared out from the truck bed, watching the pearlescent ocean waves ripple onto the distant beach.
Given that Zumidia was only across a strait from where the trucks currently were driving, she could just barely make out the crest of Mount Aris, obscured by haze and atmosphere. Briefly, she felt her heart soar with a bit of awe. They were hundreds of miles from their terrestrial palace, but she could still see it and reach out and grab at it if she wanted. In that short moment, she suddenly felt her body quiver as a realization struck her: she was one small siren in a vast world, probably even bigger than the deep of the oceans.
She'd never admit it to Adagio, but it was a bit sobering. They had so much land they could share with other creatures. They didn't have to constantly feed off anger and negativity or enthrall them.
Maybe they could form a singing group and entertain ponies? The Sirenlings, or the Dusklings, or something like that.
Turning back to catch Zamni's attention, she huffed as she saw that he'd returned to the truck cabin and rolled up his window. With only a moody Aria as company, she decided it was better to wait, anyway. Save her energy for the beach. And ice cream.
Soon enough, their escorts arrived at the shoreline, the dazzling sun glittering on the almost bone-white sand that made up both edges of her peripheral vision. From as far and wide as she could see, the beach ran across the shoreline, completely flat and untouched, save for a few shacks and cabins to signify they had passed a small zebra settlement. At Sonata's querying, Zamni confirmed that yes, there was indeed an ice cream stall near its boardwalk. All the flavors he listed left her famished. Maybe they'd be the perfect garnish to a nice, fresh, sizzling fish taco?
"Sonata, you're drooling again," Aria snarled as she jabbed a hoof in Sonata's ribcage.
"Am not!" Sonata shot back a pout.
Aria merely pointed to the floor, where a small puddle of saliva had formed, and Sonata tittered uncomfortably. "Tacos," she admitted with a blush.
"You and your stomach," Aria retorted in a hiss. With the trucks stopped, she pushed herself up and back, taking to the air and then readjusting the wide-brimmed hat that she wore. It even had a few flowers, although Sonata had added that touch on the trip over.
"Which way to, 'I don't give a buckville?'" Aria asked with biting snark as the second truck pulled up behind them.
"Oh, this trip is already going to ruin my scales," they heard Adagio gripe as the yellow siren dashed up from the bed of her truck and then lazily floated over to the duo. I can't believe you convinced me not bring any thralls," she scoffed as she pulled out a large bottle of sunscreen and splatted some onto her chest.
Zamni hopped out of the passenger seat and his hooves hit the sand with solid, soft thuds. In return, the ground coughed up small plumes of sand, which blew directly toward Adagio. A few particles managed to land on her one hoof, and she squawked as she quickly brushed it off. "Sand! Sand!" she cried, oblivious to the scheming grin on Aria's face.
Zamni arched a brow and shot Sonata a bemused expression. Responding in kind, Sonata called, "Okay, okay! How about we, uh, set up some beach stuff and then all—"
"No," Adagio huffed as she finally ridded herself of the final assaulting pieces of sand. Zipping up to Sonata, she jabbed Sonata in the chest with a slimy, sunscreen-covered hoof. "I am going to go right over there." She pointed toward the east.
"I am going to lie there, and I'm going to get the best possible rest in the sun. My vitamin D levels are going to be perfect, and my scales better be healthier and shinier than ever by the time we're done here." She glowered at Sonata. "Is. That. Clear?"
"Sure, Dagi," Sonata replied with a dismissive wave. Inwardly, her throat tightened, and her chest felt heavy at Adagio's outright rejection of any fun activities. "Don'tcha worry. Ari and I won't bug you, right, Ari?"
"Hmm?" Aria asked absentmindedly, shaking herself from her thoughtful stupor and then catching Sonata's minute gesture toward Adagio with her head. "Oh, yeah," she grumped. "No plans on disturbing you. You need the D for that planning brain of yours, right?"
Adagio merely stared at Aria, completely deadpan. "You're scheming something," she flatly stated, and Aria rapidly shook her head and flashed her a confident smile.
"No! Why would you say that?"
"You always get distracted when you're planning something. Usually against me," Adagio huffed. Momentarily glaring at Aria, she huffed, "If you so much as think of making a fool of me, I will rip that gem out of your chest here and now."
Aria patted Adagio's head. "Don't worry. Sonata and I will just..." She paused and glanced around. "Check out those cabins. Maybe we can enthrall a few zebras to wait on you hoof and tail."
Adagio grunted. "I should have brought Moonfeather so he could tell me how I'm turning out while sunbathing."
She pulled away from Aria and softly sang a few notes. A single zebra hopped out of her truck, carrying a large umbrella and a towel. Following Adagio obediently, he set up the sunbathing area, and Adagio shooed him off before settling down and giving a content sigh. Removing her own sunhat, she closed her eyes and soon ignored anything further around her.
"Puh," Aria snorted. "Lazy bitch." Grumbling under her breath, she focused her eyes on Sonata, and Sonata held back a cringe. "You bet your fins that I'm going to get her. Serves her right for wanting to have counterplans for counterplans."
"Uh..." Sonata hesitated as she drew a hoof to her muzzle and tapped it worriedly.
"Just get us out of here," Aria huffed.
"Oh, okay!" Sonata beamed brightly, her teeth glinting in the sunlight and looking like razors ready to shred anything that came close. Which they were, but only for her food. Eating on ponies or hippogriffs was gross, and the wriggling and protesting got tiring after a while, anyway.
"Sooooo," she drawled as she spun to face Zamni. The young king was giving some hushed instructions to a couple of soldiers that had come from Adagio's truck. Both wore desert camouflage uniforms and wielded some of the latest weaponry that the scientists in Sirenalia had come up with. Their twin magical energy rifles buzzed with power, which made Sonata's eyes sparkle for a second.
"Oh? Sonata?" Zamni asked as he turned around. "Didn't think you'd be ready so quickly. Is Adagio..." He glanced over at the resting siren. "Didn't she say she didn't want to dry out?"
"Don't question it, kid," Aria snarked. "It's not worth it."
"O-Okay," Zamni stuttered. Blinking a couple of times, he finally inquired, "Well... what do you want to do?"
"I dunno, what do you want to do, Zamie?" Sonata countered, ignoring the exasperated groan and facehoof from Aria.
Zamni shrugged. "I mean, I've not been here for years." Under his breath, he quipped, "Definitely not because of a certain siren." Louder and with more confidence, he declared, "But I guess we could just see what's on the shoreline? I barely remember Father doing that with me."
"Boring," Aria huffed.
"Oh! Oh!" Sonata exclaimed as she thrust up a hoof into the air. Zamni reluctantly pointed to her. "Or, we could make sandcastles. Oh! Or play beach volleyball, or Mareco Polo, or grab ice cream, or maybe grab creamed ice, or we could count seashells, or—"
Holding up both his hooves to motion for her to stop, Zamni exclaimed, "I think we get the idea, Sonata." He smirked as he saw how she was almost ready to explode from excitement. "Let's... let's just explore a bit, okay?"
"Okay," Sonata blithely answered, her mind already on the different sandcastle designs she could think of.
For a few minutes, the sound of a single set of hooves splashing on the very edge of the coastline was the only noise that was audible. Both Sonata and Aria floated lightly above Zamni, about five feet over the ground. Behind them both, keeping a safe distance away, Zamni's guards observed the two sirens and anxiously fiddled with their guns.
Although Sonata was a regular to Zamni's palace, Aria and Adagio rarely visited Zumidia, and the purple siren was an unknown variable.
"So, boring!" Aria griped as she glanced over at Sonata. Sonata was happily chattering at Zamni, who was mainly listening but smiling every so often to indicate he was paying attention. "Sonata!" Aria snapped. When it caught her compatriot's attention, she huffed, "Seriously, is this what you wanted?! Just a stroll along the waterline?"
"Well, partly," Sonata admitted.
"We could have been busy planning our invasion of Equestria!" Aria barked, throwing up her forehooves in anger. "The changelings have bogged them down, and with the Meridiennes under our spell, it'd be foal's play to slice them up and get our revenge!"
"Okay okay," Sonata replied without breaking her gaze on Zamni. "I, like, hear what you're saying, okay? But, y'know, sometimes you just gotta relax. Chill. Enjoy life, Ari." She clicked her tongue. "What's a few days?"
"The difference between ransacking Canterlot or getting it stolen from us by those damn bugs!" Aria snapped.
"Like, chill out, Ari," Sonata sighed as she finally broke her concentration from Zamni. Her ruby eyes flashing with annoyance, Sonata stated, "We'll do something else soon."
"Buck it," Aria growled as she caught some activity about a hundred feet away. A few zebras were doing something in the sand, and she could just about spy a net that they were tossing something over. "Whatever they're doing, it'd be more entertaining than you two." Sonata whimpered at that. "At least with that game, I can prove how superior sirens are and keep a bit in shape."
She bolted off, leaving Sonata and Zamni alone. Raising a hoof and limply calling after Aria, Sonata sighed and glanced at Zamni. "Well," she mumbled, "I guess it's just you and me." She smiled sadly. "So much for a fun time for all four of us."
"Hey," Zamni stated as he walked underneath her and reached up. Placing a hoof reassuringly on her underbelly scales, he quipped, "We can at least hang out. Right, my friend?"
"Right," Sonata answered with a moan. "Oh! Seashell!" she exclaimed, her disappointment at Aria's bailing disappearing in an instant. She darted over to a couple of small shells that had been revealed by the ocean waves, and she picked them up, her eyes widening in awe.
"Don't you see those all the time when you're underwater?" Zamni asked as he trotted after her. "And isn't all of Seaquestria made of shells and coral?"
"I mean, well, yeah," Sonata admitted with a small, sheepish grin. "But, like, this is different! These little guys ended up so far away from their home, washed up and alone, no way to get back. And they stay so pretty." Sonata paused for a second as she inspected the two shells. "Kinda like me, Dagi, and Ari, I guess. Minus the pretty." She pouted testily. "More like petty."
Before he could respond, she brightened up. "But at least we aren't dead like those shells!"
Zamni bit his lip. "I'm not sure if that's the best way to—"
Gasping excitedly, she tossed them and flitted a bit closer, "Oh! Can we make a sandcastle?! I've never made one of those, not in a thousand-thousand years!"
"Ha! Suck it!" she heard Aria suddenly exclaim in the distance. Whirling around, she and Zamni saw Aria pointing triumphantly at a zebra, whose hindlegs were the only thing indicating where the zebra was. "Sirens rule! Zebras drool!"
"Mature," Zamni quipped. Facing Sonata again, he nodded and stated, "But yes, whatever you want to do, Sonata." He gestured across the beach. "It's really your vacation, not mine."
***
"So, what'dya think, hon?"
Adagio's left eye twitched as she heard the nasally voice of somecreature ask, rousing her from her dosing and sunbathing. Cracking open an eye, she spied under the bottom of her beach umbrella two sets of hippogriff paws and claws. One a verdant green, the other a light cyan.
"Well, it's certainly quiet," the male hippogriff stated, his darker blue mane blowing in a sea breeze. "Perfect place to spend a day off." He huffed. "Damn taskmasters finally let me have a break. Just wish I could do something about it all..." He pointed with both front legs toward Aris Island. "That! Can't keep a government accountable with no press to print!"
"Coral, you did all you could."
Adagio snorted. The name sounded familiar. Something about Moonfeather bemoaning a persistent reporter, or something like that. Whatever. It wasn't her day to care.
When the pair went quiet, she finally sighed and closed her eyes, waiting for sleep to overtake her again. For a moment, it did. Then the music started. Loud. Obnoxious. Music.
While Adagio was an appreciator of many fine genres, whatever strange folk music that was coming from their player device was a mix between a cat being castrated and a tone-deaf yodeler getting their throat crushed. Needless to say, it was rather horrible.
Her muzzle contracting back into a snarl, and her lips quivering without control, she gritted her teeth and tossed around a couple of times on her towel. As she was hidden from the hippogriffs' view, all they must have seen was a bit of motion. She heard Coral call out, "Sorry about that! Hope you don't mind a bit of music!"
Slowly rising from above the umbrella, Adagio focused on the pair, a smarmy grin plastered on her face. "Oh, I have no problem at all. I'm somewhat of a musician, myself." She chuckled as they both winced when they recognized her. At least she solved her missing thrall problem.
***
With a grunt, Zamni hauled another bucket of sand from the beach onto the large castle that he and Sonata were constructing. Thankfully, his guards became much less anxious when Aria took off. One agreed to return to the truck to grab the rest of the beach items that Sonata had packed for the trip, eventually coming back with a pair of large, bright pink metal buckets that they were now using for their build.
Aria had managed a solid three-o streak against the zebras playing volleyball, although now she had disappeared into the beach town. Not before paying the pair a visit to snark at their castle, though. After she had left, Sonata's visage was less confident than before, and every so often, she'd sigh as she tidied up some of the seams on the castle.
Zamni looked at her with concern as he sculpted out a few holes for windows, recreating the north wing of his palace to the best of his ability. Thanks to a bit of zebra magic, he was able to keep the sandcastle much more solid and rigid than a normal one, and it was shaping up to be a fairly impressive monument, especially with the accurate recreation of Mount Aris to prop it up.
"Are you okay, Sonata?" he asked at last when she tiredly scooped up another bucket of sand.
"Hmm?" Sonata muttered. Blinking dopily, she breathed, "Oh, yeah. Just... thinking."
"About?"
"Nothing much," she said with a shrug. "It's probably stupid, anyway."
Biting his lip, Zamni returned to his work, although he kept an eye on Sonata as she still labored on her section. Although he would have thought a horse-fish-hybrid-like creature that was easily four times his size would have been clumsy and oafish as an oarfish with constructing the castle, she had about as much dexterity as he did, if not more.
Definitely a better eye for detail, too. When she wasn't distracted by a seagull or something.
Unable to bear her brooding silence any further, he finally demanded, "Would you please tell me what's bothering you? It's obviously something with Aria and Adagio. What's going on?"
For a moment, Sonata wriggled and squirmed awkwardly as she tried to figure out a way to lightly put her thoughts into words. Once or twice, she opened her mouth and tried to speak, but would always cut herself off. At last, she sighed, "It's stupid. Just, it's stupid."
"You're upset that they rejected you?" he asked.
"Maybe," Sonata mumbled, her frills falling in a bit of shame.
"I thought that the gods rejected me when my father died in the Storm King's attack. I was barely old enough to understand it when I was told I was king." Zamni sniffed, a couple of tears forming in his eyes. "I was left parentless, and the hippogriffs, while caring, didn't really do much to help me understand why the Storm King happened. It took... years, to finally accept Father's death." He huffed. "So, at least be thankful you still have your family."
"Huh?" Sonata inquired, tilting her head and blinking in confusion. Working her mouth left and right for a few seconds, she ignored the waves lapping at her tail and she finally exclaimed, "You think Ari and Dagi are my sisters?"
"Yes?"
Bursting into a sad laugh, Sonata shook her head. "I think I'm lucky. I never knew my mom and dad. Or maybe I don't remember them. I'm... well, forgetful sometimes." She shrugged. "And Ari and Dagi? They're sisters, but I'm not related to them." At Zamni's bewildered gag, she nodded and added, "Yeah. They found me wandering the waters, stealing some of their thralls, and they decided they could use a fin, so to speak. I was the only other siren they knew, too.
"I have no clue if there are any other sirens, and if there are, if they're like me, or Ari and Dagi." With a whimper, she slumped her shoulders and glanced to the side. "I kinda wonder why I stay with them some days. But it's a lonely life without another siren, and if there are others, would they accept me? At least Dagi and Ari watch out for me." She winced. "Mostly."
At that, they both went quiet, the only noise the occasional whack of a volleyball or the lapping of the water against the shoreline. Overhead, a seagull bleated mournfully, and Zamni simply stared at Sonata in shock. Despite how much bigger she physically was, she seemed so deflated that he could wrap her up in a hug and she'd be squished like an ant.
Pondering for a moment, Zamni finally got up and let his bucket land with a thunk on the sand. He trotted over to her, his hooves damp from grabbing some fresh wet sand, and he rested a reassuring hoof on her shoulder. She balefully peered at him, her eyes hiding much of the grief she had experienced retelling that story, and Zamni smiled.
"I never knew that it was so... solitary," he stated, staring deeply into her eyes. Holding back an emotional cough, he declared, "But you always have me as a friend, Sonata. You've been kind to me, helped me when Adagio and Aria would not. Advocated for some leniency for my subjects." He sighed. "I... have accepted that siren magic is horrible, but I believe that you could one day convince them both of their mistakes. Use your music for good."
At that, Sonata's frills perked up, and she asked, "Really?"
"Really."
Before he could react, she swept him up in a tight embrace, and she giggled happily before she exclaimed, "I'm glad you're my friend, too! Besties?!"
"S-Sure," he wheezed, pressing his forehooves against her chest. "B-Besties! Now can you let me go before I, before I pass out?!"
"Woops," Sonata chortled as she released him. "Sorry."
Hacking and coughing a couple of times, Zamni just motioned for her to not worry about it. They both recovered their composure, and then took in their sandcastle. While not perfect, it was a decent amalgamation between Mount Aris's castle and the Zumidian royal palace. Some steepled towers completed the ornate look, and it appeared to be able to withstand at least the next tide or two of erosion, thanks to Zamni's low-level magic.
Before Sonata could comment, they both heard the small jingle of a bell, and Sonata gasped. "Is that—?" she started before Zamni nodded enthusiastically.
"Ice cream," he finished. "Want to get some?"
"You betcha!" Sonata cried in glee, hopping into the air and running a couple of quick circles around Zamni. "Do you think they have fish taco flavor? Oh! I gotta ask Dagi first if she has—"
"Sonata," Zamni interrupted, causing her activity to halt. "I'm king, remember? They'd be happy to serve us both for free."
"Ohhhhhh, yeah. I totally remembered that. That you're king. The king of Zumidia, I mean. But also king as in—"
"Sonata, I get it."
"Okay, kingy."
***
"AAAAAAHHHHHH!" Sonata screamed as she held both her forehooves to her head and pressed hard against her temples. The shriek echoed across the beach boardwalk, causing a couple of the staff that worked at the stalls to look in her direction. Not that they weren't passively observing anyway, given that she was a giant, blue, horse-fish.
In front of her, held in a faint cloud of green, a large wafer cone floated tantalizingly near, filled to the brim with at least half a dozen half-eaten scoops of ice cream. Beside her, Zamni merely looked up from his own ice cream, which was much more reasonably stacked with two scoops, and let out a small chuckle.
"You have to be careful how fast you eat it, Sonata," he quipped, taking another lick of his frozen treat.
"The great mental pain!" Sonata groaned as she curled into a fetal position. With a whimper, she asked, "Is this what Ari or Dagi feel when I talk to them about food?"
Zamni shrugged.
"Goodbye, cruel world!" Sonata moaned as she moved from her fetal position to instead stretch out and flop lifelessly onto the boardwalk. "I hardly knew ye!" She let out a single, dramatic "bleh," and went completely limp. She remained that way, even after Zamni lazily prodded her with a hindleg, which he was dangling off the bench he was sitting on.
The sun was beginning to descend toward the horizon, signaling the last few hours of the day before their beach jaunt would be concluded. Some citizens from the beach town had wandered in when news that Zamni had decided to visit reached it. Of course, none were expecting their true overlords, the sirens, to be there, so they kept their distance and tried to appear busy with other things.
With a roll of his eyes, Zamni poked Sonata again and huffed, "You're not fooling anycreature."
Sonata merely "blehed" harder.
"You can press your tongue to the roof of your mouth. That fixes brain freeze in a split."
"Okay!" Sonata exclaimed, bolting up and visibly moving her tongue up. After a couple of seconds, she declared, "Hey! I don't have excruciating, existential pain anymore!" Zamni held back a chuckle.
"How about we head back to the castle. See if Aria has come back?" he suggested. When Sonata agreed, they trotted and flew their way the five hundred or so feet back to their construct. In her eagerness, Sonata bolted along faster, although he saw her pause before falling to the ground in despair.
His heart skipping a beat, he galloped the last fifty feet, and he saw what caused her to react in such a way. Where their sandcastle had been, there was now nothing but a giant crater. His lips quivered as he heard Sonata whine in defeat.
"You maniac!" she screamed, beating a hoof into the sand. Gazing despairingly down to the ground, she added, "You dug it up! Damn you! Dagi damn you all to Tartarus!" Her last few words were broken up by sobs, and she whimpered as Zamni gently placed a hoof on her back.
"It's okay, we can build another one if you want," he stated. "I was wanting to get some swimming in, but, well, it's your—"
"No!" Sonata exclaimed as she shrugged off his hoof and looked defiantly at the ruined sandcastle. "I know who did this! Aria was jealous I was having more fun than she was! It had to be her!"
"That's a bit of a leap, don't you—" Zamni tried to say, before Sonata shook her head again and pushed him back.
"It had to be her! It'd be like her to ruin the day!" Splaying out her frills furiously, she nickered and hoofed at the air. "I know just what I'll do!"
"Which is?" he asked, mildly worried she'd go for something far more extreme than called for.
"I'll snitch on her to Dagi!" Sonata exclaimed before she bolted back toward where they first entered the beach. Zamni simply smacked a forehoof to his muzzle and trailed her.
It didn't take long for the two of them to return to Adagio, who was now flanked on either side by a pair of hippogriffs, their eyes nothing but green swirls of siren magic. At that, Zamni let out a sigh and gazed upward. Gods above, he complained internally. She really has no ability to relax.
"Dagi!" Sonata barked while dashing up to Adagio. "Dagi, Dagi, Dagi!"
"What?!" Adagio finally snarled as she cracked an eye open. Furling back her upper lip, she bared her teeth as she was fanned by her two new thralls, and she glared daggers at Sonata. "Can't you see that I'm getting the best sunbath of my life here?" She closed her eyes and snorted.
"Dagi!" Sonata moaned more plaintively, which finally earned a full-on growl from Adagio. The yellow siren pushed herself up to eye level with Sonata and gave her a dangerously deadpan look.
"Say your next words very, very carefully," she hissed, although Sonata didn't acknowledge the danger she had placed herself in.
"Aria destroyed my sandcastle!" Sonata whined. Flashing Adagio with the most begging puppy dog look she could muster, she pleaded, "Could you please tell Aria not to touch my stuff?"
For a whole minute, Adagio stared at Sonata, who for the entire time, kept the same begging expression plastered on her muzzle. Finally, exhaling loudly and pinching the bridge of her muzzle, Adagio asked, "What?"
"Aria—"
"I heard what you said!" Adagio snapped, her volume bowling Sonata over and leaving her face up in the sand. Adagio hovered over Sonata, her fury growing to almost palpable levels as she pressed her muzzle against Sonata's. Zamni could see Sonata's compress with the pressure. "Why. Don't. You. Tell. Her. YOURSELF?!"
"B-But Aria never listens—"
"Oh, 'but Aria never listens to me!'" Adagio mocked, her voice growing nasally for a second to mimic Sonata's. "Honestly! Do something for yourself for once! Stand up to her or don't! But leave me out of this!" At that, she huffed and spun around, falling back onto her towel as Sonata whimpered and whined.
His chest growing tight, Zamni saw a few tears trickle down Sonata's muzzle as she sputtered, "B-But I was just wanting—" She never finished as she bolted from the scene, a couple of soft sobs carried on the wind before she disappeared further up the beach.
Gazing where Sonata vanished, Zamni gave a small sigh as he focused again on Adagio, then trotted up to her. Standing directly in the path between Adagio and the sun, he glowered at her until she finally cracked an eye open and returned the glare. "What do you want?" she grumped. At least she hadn't yelled. Yet.
Drawing up his courage, he stared her down and sternly barked, "First off, seriously?!" He gestured at the hippogriffs, and Adagio just shrugged. "And second, Sonata was just wanting to help everycreature have a good time. She feels like you don't care about her."
"Should we?" Adagio countered.
"I don't much care if you do or don't, but this is her mini-summer vacation, and she wanted to enjoy it with you two," he retorted, stomping forward and then standing directly overtop Adagio. Hesitating a second, he then pressed both his forelegs down on Adagio's chest, lightly, to emphasize his point. "It needs to be made up to her. You're going to follow my idea."
Guffawing, Adagio shook him off and exclaimed, "My, what gusto you have, zebra!" She wiped a tear from her eye. "But fine; she'll probably be insufferable on the way back if we don't, anyway." With an arched brow, she asked, "What do you have in mind?"
Zamni smirked as he went in to whisper his idea.
***
"Oh tacos, you're my only comfort in life!" Sonata wailed as she thrust another one of the soft, delicate bread shells into her mouth. Instantly, she was met with the explosion of flavors that she'd come to adore in the strange concoction. The muted sweetness of the shell mixed perfectly with the fishy taste of tuna and sturgeon, the two fishes of choice from the entire stall that she had taken in her despair.
After kindly repaying the owner by not enthralling her, Sonata had run to find a spot on the beach to hide, remaining just above water enough to keep her dish of food floating on the surface with a hoof. Every so often, in between sobs about her predicament, she'd throw another emergency taco into her mouth. So far, they had not accomplished their goal, which meant she needed more.
With a whimper, she pulled out the small shell that she had taken from Skystar after the sirens had broken all resistance on Aris Island. "Oh, Shelly," she sighed. "How could I have been so dumb?" She whined sadly. "All I wanted was for Ari and Dagi to have fun with me. Is that too much to ask?!"
Shelly didn't say anything. Shelly was a shell.
"Even Zamie didn't stand up for me," she moaned, dropping Shelly for a second to chow down on another taco. With a small cough, she continued defeatedly, "He probably thought all that talk about Ari and Dagi was stupid. Something an airhead would say, like what Ari and Dagi tell me!" Pouting, she watched through teary eyes some movement on the shoreline. For a moment, she pondered going in to see who it was, especially since they were waving at her, but she finished her tacos instead. There was only a dozen left anyway.
"Shoulda listened to Somnambula when I had the chance," she huffed. "Coulda made friends with her and gotten rid of Ari and Dagi."
When she returned her focus to the shoreline, she saw the faint outlines of Adagio and Aria, swirling over something in the sand. The figure that was waving to her earlier was gone, and she let out a small squeak of surprise as a head popped up in front of her. "Sonata!" Zamni exclaimed, his mane plastered against his face with water. "We were looking for you!"
She eyed him warily. "Why? So you could make fun of me more?"
Shaking his head, he let out a small laugh and declared, "No! You're my friend, I'd never—" He gagged as Sonata pulled him into another hug.
"Oh! I knew you'd be my bestie!" she cried. Gently brushing his head, she whispered, "Nocreature will ever come between me and my precious Zamie." She let out a protective growl, and Zamni struggled to get free of her grip.
Spluttering a bit, he pushed back his mane and quipped, "Okay, tone it down!" After splashing her playfully, he added, "Mareco!" Then he began to swim as best he could back, which was not nearly as deft or graceful as a siren.
"Polo!" Sonata retorted as she managed to cover him in a wave. For the next couple of minutes, they continued their chase, until Zamni finally got her onto the shore, and he gestured toward a different sculpture in the sand. With a proud "ta-da!" he hooked a hoof over Sonata's and dragged her closer. Sonata's eyes widened in surprise.
Although it was clearly a bit rushed, and sand could only have so much detail, the sculpture was of the four of them, Adagio, Aria, Zamni, and Sonata. She sniffled, her nose wiggling in flooding emotions as she took the entire thing in. Aria and Adagio flanked Sonata, both watching out for any dangers, while Sonata sprang out of a wave, carrying Zamni on her hoof. Zamni's likeness was laughing in glee, and Sonata's was just as joyful.
"Is this?" she began, before Zamni nodded his head.
"We all thought we should remember this occasion, and Adagio and Aria are sorry for upsetting you." He glowered at both of them. "Right?"
Aria grumbled, rolling her eyes and hiding a small smile, while Adagio just brushed a hoof against her chest and nodded in affirmation. She was still flanked on either side by the two hippogriffs, who were covered in sand from their work.
Pulling her aside, Zamni indicated to Sonata a wide net that had been set up, and a couple of zebras that were nervously fumbling with a ball. "And, we still have time to play a bit of sports." He grinned, the setting sun's orange orb appearing like fire in his eyes. "Hopefully this has made your day a bit better."
For a second or two, Sonata's mouth quivered as she switched her gaze from Zamni, then Adagio and Aria, then the sculpture, then back to Zamni. After giggling a bit, she squealed excitedly and drew him into another hug, as well as one with Adagio and Aria. All three of them struggled to escape, and she declared, "You bet! You guys are all softies after all!"
"Right," Aria griped as she managed to break free from Sonata. After coughing, she demanded, "Now, are you going to get your tail whipped in this game or not?"
"Ha! Me and Zamie can cream you any day of the week. Especially if it ends in a y!"
"That's every day, idiot!"
"My point exactly!"
Facing Adagio, Aria called, a big grin on her face, "You better join up, too!"
"No!" Adagio countered. "Too dirty. I'll get—"
"Catch!" Without warning, Aria summoned a massive ball of sand from the ether and hurled it toward Adagio. Only having time to notice it and recoil back in horror, Adagio screamed as the clump impacted her with a deafening "wham!" and buried her in at least half a ton of sand.
"Ha! Thanks for the castle, Sonata, it worked wonders!" Aria chortled as she then furled her brow and glared Sonata down. Before she could react, there was an ear-splitting roar, and Adagio burst from the pile she was buried under. She chucked some of the sand that covered her toward Aria. Aria just barely avoided getting splattered.
"Aria Treble Blaze! You will pay for that!" she screamed, then barreled toward the volleyball arena. With a single slam, she kicked the ball directly at Aria, who just barely dodged and returned with a playful, defiant raspberry. Adagio snarled and ordered one of her thralls to throw the ball back in. "It. Is. On!" she hissed.
As the quartet struggled against each other, Sonata and Aria on one team, and Zamni and Adagio on the other, Sonata could, for once, forget the responsibilities of world conquest, of revenge. Even if it wasn't in blood, she had her family. And sometimes, families just needed to chill.
FIN