//------------------------------// // Lasting Impressions (Twilight Sparkle) // Story: Siren's Call // by Thornwing //------------------------------// A million thoughts raced through my head. Most of them weren’t particularly positive. As much as I cared about Sunset Shimmer, I now regretted opening the portal without a contingency plan. Thanks to me, a dangerous assailant was loose in Equestria, and Celestia had suffered the initial blow. My little surprise in having her greet Sunset upon our return completely backfired. The Princess had let her guard down in anticipation of meeting her daughter. Adagio’s preemptive attack cleared a path for escape before Celestia knew what hit her. Luckily, the siren’s magic wasn’t as strong as it could have been. Spike witnessed it all and hurriedly recounted the brief exchange in the critical moments before I sent him to gather the others. Even after being attacked, Celestia remained calm and apologetic, that is, once she regained consciousness. Her daughter’s return meant more than anything the siren’s threat posed or her wound could take away from souring the tender moment. Luna agreed that we had a national emergency on our hooves and quickly left to try and track down Adagio before the trail went cold. I asked that she follow her, but not engage. We still had no idea how dangerous or desperate she was. Judging by the damage the lead siren caused within seconds of returning to Equestria, I couldn’t underestimate the risk that she posed. As for the other two sirens, I needed to know more about their plans. Leaving Celestia and Sunset to their reunion, I felt obligated to both welcome and interrogate Aria and Sonata. Owing to their patience and general lack of aggression, I was hopeful that they would be of assistance in resolving the matter peacefully. Looks could be deceiving, even when they appeared to be normal ponies, so I kept a protection spell at the ready, just in case. “Aria Blaze and Sonata Dusk, welcome home.” I began with a bit of positive reinforcement. For all I could tell, and going off Sunset’s depiction, they were both on our side, and I wanted to keep it that way. “As you can see, we have a bit of an issue that needs to be addressed. For the time being, you may consider yourselves trotting on thin ice.” “Look,” Aria said, “We don’t want any trouble. You can’t blame us for whatever Adagio is up to. We had nothing to do with attacking the Warden, uhh, Princess.” Sonata sobbed and sniffled alongside her friend. “I just… want to go… home.” Aria laid a foreleg over Sonata’s shoulder and pulled her close. “Keep it together, Sonata. We’re almost there.” “So, I take it there is more to your plan than making it through the portal?” I cast an inquisitive eye down on the pair. “Do I need to be worried about you two?” Aria cradled Sonata, gently stroking her mane and nuzzling her cheek. “We’re not the ones you should be worried about. My plan was only to make it back home and try to reclaim my old life. I have no idea what Adagio is up to, and I don’t really care. We’re the victims here, so you might want focus your efforts on finding her before she stirs up more trouble. I’m sure that she’s cooked up some crazy new scheme to try and take over the world, but I want no part in it. The last time I went along with one of her plans, it got me locked up in jail for sixteen hundred years. I definitely don’t want a repeat of that.” “Then you have no idea where she is or what she’s planning to do beyond the general ‘take over the world’ goal?” I asked. “Remember, the more you help me, the more I can help you.” Aria shook her head. Sonata raised hers. “She’s trying to recharge the siren’s magic.” She stretched a foreleg across her eyes wiping away the persistent tears. “She’s gathered the remnants of our gemstones and plans on using their combined energy to take over this world. Even an idiot like me can see that plain as day.” Aria looked stunned at Sonata’s revelation. “So that’s how she made it through the portal under the radar and with her magic somewhat intact. The broken fragments don’t register with the complete siren signature.” Given my limited understanding of the magical history involved, I had to question how Adagio planned on accomplishing such a feat as convoluted as restoring shards of broken magic. “How is that even possible? Weren’t the stones destroyed at the battle of the bands? How does she plan on recharging them?” “No offense, Princess, but you have no idea the kind of power you’re dealing with. And to think, I believed her when she told us she tossed them all away, just worthless old junk.” Aria pulled back and reached up to feel for the missing necklace which wasn’t dangling from her neck anymore. “There couldn’t have been a lot of magic left in those gems when they shattered, but if she’s gathered all the pieces, who knows what she’ll be able to do with their combined energy. If she manages to restore their raw power, she’ll be unstoppable.” Aria paused, the color draining from her face like she’d seen a ghost. “It’s even possible that she could restore the original curse. We can’t let that happen!” I watched the fire in her eyes flare. Big warning lights and sirens blared in my head. Everything was starting to make sense. “So, that’s your plan. Keep us busy while your friend restores your magic. I should have—” “No!” Aria yelled. “I don’t want anything to do with magic ever again! Magic ruined my life, and the lives of my friends and family. You have to believe me, Princess.” “How can I trust anything you say? You could be leading me in the wrong direction from the start.” I wasn’t all that comfortable playing the role of antagonist, but the information coming out of our talk actually seemed like we were getting somewhere. “Because, Princess, I wouldn’t wish the siren’s curse on my worst enemy, let alone myself.” Aria sat up tall and brought a hoof over her chest. “I promise that I want nothing more than to be done with this blasted curse, forever. If that means helping you track down Adagio Dazzle, and stopping her before she can recharge the siren gemstones, then that’s what I’m going to do.” “No offense, but I think we’ll wait for Princess Luna to pick up the trail. We can’t be too cautious.” “She’s headed for the Frozen Reach,” Sonata said, interjecting once more. “Aria’s telling the truth, and you need to listen. We don’t have much time to waste.” I studied both their faces, trying to detect any hint of lie or deception. “That’s still only the word of two sirens to go on. You’ll have to forgive me if I—” “And what if I gave you a third?” a familiar voice filled the hall with an ominous echo. Just the thought of his presence sent a chill down my spine, bringing my day to an unfathomable new low. “My little sirens, returning home after all this time, I see.” Evidently, it had a similar effect on the sirens. No sooner than our newest guest had arrived, Aria sprung from her spot. “Discord!” Aria screamed, leaping at the Lord of Chaos mere seconds after he materialized. She flung herself at him, hind legs bucking wildly. One hoof almost caught him square in the face before he vanished and reappeared behind me. Aria landed in a heap after missing her target and spun around to reacquire him. She reared up and charged. I sat in her direct line, Discord clinging to my mane in a futile attempt to hide himself. “Save me, Twilight,” he said. “The crazy mare wants to hurt me.” I lit up my horn, catching Aria in an immobilization field. “Let me go!” Aria yelled. “He deserves the bucking I’m about to deliver!” “Ouch!” Discord yelped. “That’s for my family.” Sonata drew back and kicked him again. “And that’s for my friends.” “Oww. Quit it!” The sight of Sonata kicking Discord in the shin actually brought a smile to my face. She wasn’t nearly as ferocious as Aria, sort of like watching Fluttershy scold a Timberwolf. “And that’s for me.” Sonata finished her kicks while Discord fit himself with pads and a feather-filled pillow strapped around his mid section. “Such hostility,” he said, turning to better place me in between himself and both of his assailants. “And to think, I came all the way over here to say hello to my old friends. Whatever have I done to deserve such a rude reception?” “This is all your fault, Discord,” Aria said, still struggling within my containment field. “You’re the one that cursed us with the magic that ruined our lives!” “Now, now, miss… Aria Blaze, if I recall. Temper, temper.” Discord made his way out from behind me and over toward the immobilized pony. “As I remember, I was only doing what you wanted me to do. A mutual agreement was struck that we both benefited from. That’s how contracts work.” Discord’s devilish grin spread across his face. “No pony benefited from that deal, you liar.” Aria tried to raise a hoof to strike out at Discord, but my magic held her in check. Knowing that Discord was involved made everything else that much easier to comprehend. “Whatever do you mean? You got your magic which helped you win over the hearts of those around you, and I got to chalk up another win in the ol’ chaos department. We all came out winners!” Discord chuckled and placed a little gold star sticker on Aria’s crown, just below her mane. “You turned us into sirens!” Aria screamed. “Isn’t that what you wanted? It certainly sounded like what you wanted at the time.” “Not considering the cost!” Aria closed her eyes and hung her head. The fire inside her went out just as quickly as it had ignited. Curious as to the details of their ancient agreement, I watched as the former siren broke down into tears. Carefully, I loosened my grasp on her and let her sink to the floor. Sonata circled around and laid down next to her friend, comfort reciprocated in the reversal of roles. “You tricked us, and we all paid the price,” Sonata said, looked up at Discord and I, her eyes filling with tears once again as well. “We wanted to find love, Discord. We didn’t want that love to be stolen.” “Oh well, it’s not like you can conjure such things out of thin air. Who do I look like?” Discord snapped his claw and a bright, tri-colored mane resembling that of my sister-in-law’s cascaded down the back of his neck. “The Princess of Love?” Even I wanted to smack him now. “So let me get this straight. Sonata, Aria, and Adagio made a deal with you, Discord, and you turned them into sirens? Why?” “Why not?” Discord replied. “It seemed like such a good idea at the time. Who was I to know what sort of far reaching consequences our silly little bargain would have? In fact, you should be thanking me, Princess Twilight Sparkle. Without my participation in this little love pact, the entire kingdom of Equestria wouldn’t even exist today.” “What do you mean?” I asked. “Where do you think he stole the magic from that made the three of them sirens in the first place?” Sunset asked, having rejoined the conversation with Celestia as well, a bandage wrapped around her barrel and a slight limp in her step. “I have no idea.” I glanced around at the five other faces all staring, smirking, and smiling back at me. For the life of me, I couldn’t place the final piece to the puzzle. “Look, it’s been a really stressful day so far, so will somepony please fill me in here?” Celestia broke the silence lingering in the wake of my awkward question. “Twilight,” she said in her plain speaking voice, “Discord created the siren’s magic by stealing the fire of love from the hearts of those dearest to them. Using that love, he crafted the jewels that formed the core of their powers. The cold void he left in their coltfriend’s hearts is what turned them into windigos, which, in turn, led to the events we now celebrate as Hearth’s Warming Eve.” “Well, when you put it like that, it makes me look bad,” Discord said. “Still, who doesn’t love making fun and exciting new creatures?” “Demon!” Aria shouted through her tears. I could feel my anger rising to a boil. “Discord…” He took a few steps back. “Now, Twilight,” he began. “Fix this now!” I said with a firm and commanding tone, my horn lit and not at all bordering on thoughts of physical violence. Discord continued to back away as I advanced toward him. “Well, you see… it’s sort of… well, complicated.” “I don’t care. You started this. You’re going to fix it!” “Would you look at the time…” Discord backed into the wall. “Aria, Sonata, you’ll find everything you need right where we left it. I trust you know the way. Good luck!” With that, he snapped his claws again, and vanished. As if to add insult to injury, as soon as I turned around to face the others, the throne room doors opened. In charged Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and even Spike riding atop Fluttershy. “We’re here!” Rainbow Dash yelled. “Where’re the sirens?” Applejack asked. I glanced over toward Sunset and Celestia. “Can I go back to bed and forget this day ever happened?” Celestia placed a leg over Sunset’s shoulder. “No, you may not. I wouldn’t trade anything for having my daughter back home.” Her smile matched with Sunset’s. Out of everything else, at least there was one bright ray of sunshine to come out of this mess. With everyone gathered, somepony decided it was a good time to hold a welcome home party. It ended up being a less than fancy lunch with a few last minute cupcakes added to the mix. Fortunately, Spike was able to whip together a respectable table on very short notice. I tried to keep the meal short and stay focused on the threat Adagio posed. Unfortunately, the others had already strayed deep into friendly conversation territory by the time Luna returned. “So, let me get this straight,” Rainbow Dash said. “You’re Sunset Shimmer, the pony that stole Twilight’s crown right after her coronation?” Sunset looked up from her plate with an already half eaten pile of hayfries and alfalfa loaf smeared across her muzzle. “That’s me. Man, I forgot how good Equestrian food tastes!” She licked her lips clean and dove in for another mouthful. “And, you’re the daughter of Princess Celestia?” Rarity asked, a little taken back by the sloppy eating. “Mm-hmm,” Sunset replied, smiling through the bits of hay sticking out of her mouth. “Adopted, of course.” A couple bits of food sprayed out with her answer. “And let me say, it’s totally weird to be meeting you guys as ponies for the first time. I feel like I already know you so well, but not really, if that makes any sense.” Celestia beamed with pride, barely touching her food, although I wasn’t sure if that was on account of her injury, the quality of the meal, or the way she couldn’t keep her eyes off Sunset. “Of course,” Rarity replied, magically levitating the food particles off of her own face, “though it’s hard not to see a strong family resemblance between you and your… umm… mother.” Most of the attention remained on Sunset throughout the meal. Sitting next to Celestia on one side with me on the other, I felt a little out of place. Aria sat quietly, munching away on her loaf and fries. Sonata licked the frosting off her cupcake, already finished with her meal and starting on dessert. Pinkie clapped her hooves, taking an immediate liking to Sonata. “I just know we’re going to be best friends; we eat our cupcakes the same way!” Sonata blushed before shoving the rest of the cupcake in her mouth. With how fast she gulped down her meal, I felt like offering her the leftovers from mine. She seemed to be starving. “What about you two?” Applejack asked the former sirens, turning the focus around and off of Sunset for a change. “I’m still not sure I understand this whole magic siren business.” Aria sighed. “It’s a long story, something I’d rather not get into right now. The bottom line is, Adagio needs to be stopped before she does something we’ll all regret.” Right on cue, Luna swept into the throne room turned banquet hall. “Friends, I have tracked the siren threat as far as I could. Her trail leads west, although the residue of her magic signature diminishes with distance. I believe she is headed for Rainbow Falls, perhaps even the mountain caverns and ocean beyond.” I availed myself of the opportunity to clear the food and bring up the map. With a quick flash of my horn, and against the protests of the few that hadn’t finished lunch yet, the land of Equestria now occupied the table before us. “Alright, that means we don’t have much time to plan our defense.” I laid my hoof on the table, and a familiar sensation gripped my cutie mark. The glowing, pulsating magic that activated within my mark whenever there was a friendship problem brought my miniature beacon to the point indicating the Castle of Friendship. I glanced around the table looking for an indication of the same magic affecting each of my friends. Surprisingly, I didn’t see it. Sunset reached up to get a better view, but recoiled as the magic took hold. Her actual cutie mark glowed like a miniature sun, adding itself in miniature to the map next to mine. “What is that?” she asked. “It’s the magic of the cutie map,” I replied. “Whenever there’s a friendship problem that requires our help, it shows us where to go and who should help.” “Well, that’s where you’re headed.” Aria pointed out the peaks of the Smoky Mountains. As soon as she leaned over the map to make her indication, her own cutie mark joined mine and Sunset’s, hovering above the castle. “And there’s our home!” Sonata added, pointing to a clearing on the far western side of the map next to the ocean. Her hoof grazed the table, and a fourth mark joined the others. Rainbow Dash poked her hoof at the table along with Applejack and Pinkie Pie. “Hey, wait a sec. Why isn’t this thing working? Where’s my cutie mark?” “I don’t know, Rainbow,” I said. “I’ve never seen it use any other cutie marks except for the six of us. Maybe the map is broken?” “Hold on,” Celestia said, raising her hoof for calm. “Let’s be sure we aren’t forgetting anypony.” With a wave of her horn and a gentle touch of her hoof, eight other marks, including a miniature version of Spike, one for Luna, the rest of the element bearers, and herself, all appeared on the map. Not only that, but what I assumed to be Adagio’s mark also appeared on the map, a bit further off to the west of town and continuing on in the direction of Rainbow Falls and the Smoky Mountains. I gasped as I felt the familiar tingle radiate up my spine, the cutie map’s magic couldn’t be denied. The marks for myself, Sunset, Aria, and Sonata all floated away from the castle. Following their short flight, they all arrived at the location that Aria had pointed out, joining Adagio’s in circling the peak of the tallest, snowcapped mountain in the Smoky range. The rest remained right where they were, hovering above the castle in Ponyville. “Hey, this isn’t fair!” Rainbow Dash said. “The map is definitely broken.” “Hah,” Luna said, deriding the map’s instructions, “I shall not sit idly by while there exists a threat in my kingdom!” “Hold, sister,” Celestia said, calmly ending further discussion. “The magic that guides this map comes directly from the Tree of Harmony. Since this is Twilight’s domain, she has the final say on the matter, but I would council that we abide by the map’s indication.” She turned and looked down at me. “Twilight, what do you think we should do?” All the eyes in the room fell on me. I studied the map again, hoping to find a better explanation. The indication was clear. “We need to stop Adagio before she restores the curse,” Aria added. “I can’t go back to life as a siren. I can’t go back to prison!” I took in Aria’s words which felt like they came from a place of honesty and fear. Looking over at Sunset, I watched her nod back at me. “I need to fix this—we need to fix this, together,” she said. “We need to help our friend before she makes the same mistake again,” Sonata said. “She won’t listen to anypony else, but Aria and I should be able to get through to her.” I nodded my head and addressed the group at the table. “The map is right. There’s no point in risking anypony else. We know what we have to do, and we have the right ponies for the job. Let’s saddle up and get moving.” Everyone helped us pack. We had to travel light, but there was no sense in heading out unprepared. In no time at all, we found ourselves at the Ponyville train station, ready to board the train for Rainbow Falls. “Thank you, Rarity,” I said. “These cloaks should help keep us warm, especially if the Frozen Reach really lives up to its name.” “Trust me, you haven’t felt cold until you’ve been to the Reach.” Aria slung her new cloak over her back. The packs hanging under that had what little climbing gear we could find on short notice and a small bundle of provisions for the road ahead. Sonata took some pointers from Pinkie Pie and came away with a pack half full of rock candy, a necessity for the area where we were headed. I wasn’t too sure if we would run into any trouble, but it helped to have that contingency covered. Sunset packed up one of the journals and gave the other to the Princess. Their parting hug almost brought me to tears. It felt really weird to think of Sunset as Celestia’s daughter, but I was getting used to the thought the more I saw them together. I left Spike in charge of the castle, as usual, but the rest of my friends seemed less accepting of the mission plan. I called them all together to try and smooth everything over. With everyone gathered in a circle, away from the rest, I secretly laid out my backup plan. “Girls, I have something that I need you all to do. While the map may have a better idea of how this is all supposed to work out, I don’t think you should all just sit here and wait it out. While we go after Adagio, I want the rest of you to track down Discord. He started all of this, and I have a feeling we’ll need him to finish it too.” “What if we can’t find him, or what if he doesn’t want to help?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Then we use our secret weapon,” I said. “We send in Fluttershy.” Fluttershy gulped. “Me?” “Yes, Fluttershy, I want you to help convince Discord that he needs to fix the problem he created. If you can’t convince him, then nothing will.” “We’ll do our best, Twilight,” Applejack said. “You take care, and don’t let those sirens out of your sight.” “I will, Applejack. Good luck to you, too.” I said my goodbyes and boarded the train. A few minutes later, I settled in for the ride with my unusual traveling companions. If I didn’t know any better, hunting down a siren with two former sirens and a unicorn that once tried to steal my element of harmony would have been the least likely thing I would have thought could have happened to me today when I woke up this morning. Fortunately, I trusted in the magic of friendship, and I knew Sunset had my back. I wasn’t too sure of Aria and Sonata, but I had to start somewhere. Hopefully, their friendship with Adagio would lead to a swift resolution. As the train raced down the tracks, I had to keep fighting the feeling that I was galloping straight into a trap.