"How was the day, Octavia?"
Octavia kept her arms folded as she stood in the middle of the Den's cell. She had been in there all day and was finally getting some attention long after the sun had set. Twilight was on the other side of the bars, holding a rather awkward smile. She was fantastic at having awkward smiles but a failure at genuine ones. With a raised brow, Octavia did not answer the Grandbearer and remained silent.
"So, uh, did you do anything exciting?" Twilight hesitantly asked.
"I've been in this cell all day, you fool," Octavia said harshly.
"Oh, right..."
Octavia took a step closer to the bars. "Can we get started? I want to hear the music again! I can't sit in here any longer. The need for their songs is slowly killing me."
"Well, that's why I'm here!" Twilight said proudly.
The Grandbearer whistled a tune (which made Octavia plug her ears in) and opened the cell door. The Novice did not wait and practically leaped out of the cell to run towards the exit of the Den. Twilight at first panicked, but then realized they wanted Octavia to lead the way anyway. So instead, she waved her arms to gather the attention of the other Assassins.
"Brothers! Octavia's already leading the way. Let's go!"
"But Twilight," Spike yelled, "Octavia left without her proof of killing you."
"No time for that now! Let's go!"
"Oh yes! Finally I get to hear the songs once more!"
Octavia leaped from building to building. Nothing was going to stand in her way; nothing was going to be an obstacle she couldn't pass. With the other Assassins behind her, she led them all towards the abandoned brothel. Her excitement could not be contained. She didn't tire, she didn't think of anything else but the sounds of that wonderful music. What could be better?
The Canterlot night witnessed an entire squad of Assassins jumping along the rooftops. The moonlit streets would be temporarily shrouded in the shadows of the flying Brothers and Sisters. It was a sight to see, but Octavia saw none of this as she raced faster and faster towards her destination.
The fading memories of the sweet, enticing songs of the sirens blocked her mind from everything else. Her running was expertly done as her mind made no excuses. She was doing so well that the other Assassins had to work to keep up with her.
Knowing the exact route to the sirens, it did not take her long to reach their abandoned brothel. The Assassins held up on the nearby roofs and let Octavia enter the place without company. They were to watch and only interfere when the sirens were exposed.
"Make sure your ears are plugged," Twilight said to them. Upon receiving no feedback, she was certain they could not hear a hurtful musical note.
Octavia burst through the door in mad frantic ambition. Her footsteps fell still lightly on the rose-covered floor. That's when she heard it. The music, the sounds she had been waiting for all this time. Her breath was taken away and her mind was theirs once more. Her fanatical behavior was replaced with a solemn peacefulness. She slowed down and gently made her way down the steps to the three singing women.
Just like last time, the sirens had a group of men around them, losing their hearts in their admiration for the captivating song. Octavia was just with them, but like before, stood in awe instead of laying at their feet in mindless adoration. The sirens took notice of her almost instantly, and promptly finished their songs to the disappointment of all there.
"Welcome back," Adagio said confidently.
""Oooh! Oooh! Did ya kill her? Did ya kill her good?" Sonata giggled.
"I...I did as you asked," Octavia uttered hesitantly. "Twilight the Grandbearer is dead."
"Really?" Aria huffed sarcastically. "Got any reason for us to believe you?"
"I do."
Octavia reached in her sash to pull out nothing. It was only now that she realized she had no proof of the Grandbearer's demise. A sweat formed on her brow and on the back of her neck. Her pink eyes looked nervously at the trio and she sighed.
"I seem to have lost it on my way here. I had to run quickly to avoid capture," Octavia said.
"So, they know you did it then?" Adagio asked.
"I did not-"
"They saw you leave?" Aria demanded. "Did they follow you?"
"Wait!" Sonata stopped them all. "If they did, doesn't that mean we could you know, sing to them as well?"
Adagio calmed down after hearing this. "For once, you're right, Sonata. Fine, if they did come, we shall wait for them. Instead of one Assassin under our control, we'll have an army. This may be our second big break."
"What was our first?" Sonata asked confusedly.
"Her, you idiot!" Adagio gestured at Octavia.
"I did as you asked, Adagio," Octavia began. "Sing to me. Fulfill our bargain."
"I'm not wasting any breath until I get absolute prove of Twilight's death. Also, we'll need every saved breath for all the Assassins. We'll make this a show to remember."
So they quieted down and waited. It was not a long wait, but it was agonizing for Octavia, who paced about the basement, hoping her Brothers and Sisters would arrive soon. The sirens kept the men around them, softly humming some notes to keep them interested.
The quiet sounds of steps could be heard on the stairs. Octavia held her breath and listened intently. These were no doubt the Assassins. The sirens prepared by standing up and beginning to hum a bit louder. The amulets around their necks glowed with the magical qualities each contained.
Twilight was leading the group of Brothers. She was in no apparent haste as she casually walked down the stairs and stopped before them. With hands on her hips, she inspected the sirens. The Assassins behind her appeared on tense than their leader, having swords to and ready to fight.
"So, you didn't kill her!" Aria growled at Octavia. "We don't like liars, but I guess the Grandbearer would help us nicely."
The three began to sing, making Octavia's body tense up at every note. The men around them also tensed up and their gasps of awe were background noise to the perfect voices. The Assassins kept standing there, unfazed by the music. Twilight even crossed her arms and raised a brow.
"Um, Dagi, why isn't it working?" Sonata panicked.
"Keep singing!" Adagio ordered from the side of her mouth.
"We can't hear you," Twilight finally said with an unnecessarily loud voice.
"What?" Adagio stopped. "What's happening.
"They have plugged their ears with wax," Octavia told them.
"You betrayed us!" Adagio yelled.
"I did nothing of the sort. I only wanted to hear your music. They said they would help me listen longer."
"We made a deal, Assassin," Adagio pulled out a dagger. "Now finish what you started. Kill Twilight! The rest of you!" she yelled at the intoxicated men, "kill them all!"
The men jumped to action, pulling out small knives and other small weapons to fight the trained Assassins. Octavia had no weapons as she had left without them and threw herself at Twilight who casually lifted her into the air with magic. The Brothers and the men collided, ending quickly with the men being disarmed and beaten to the floor. Not one Assassin even earned a scratch or bruise.
"What do we do now?" Sonata squealed.
"How 'bout we just run?" Aria suggested.
"We appeal to them!" Adagio told them. "Listen girls, we can get out of here alive if we-"
Twilight pointed a finger at them and the Assassins behind her rushed to the sirens. Adagio screamed and swiped with her dagger, but to no avail. An Assassin ripped it from her hand and then threw her into the wall, pinning her arm behind her back. Sonata simply tried to run away, but was promptly tackled. Aria did not put a worthy fighter either.
Their necklaces were ripped from their throats and cast to the ground. The red crystals cracked upon landing and their glow faded. Instantly, Octavia felt all the tension in her body leave and she gasped for new air. Upon seeing that she was back to normal, Twilight dropped her to the ground. She then magically removed the wax from her ears.
"Oh," she mused. "I can hear everything now. Goodness."
"Grandbearer, I'm sorry!" Octavia pleaded. "I beg you not to hold this against me."
"Don't worry, Octavia, we already forgive you," Twilight smiled. "Just have more caution in the future, will you?"
Twilight then removed the wax from the other Assassins' ears. Jokes and chuckling was now going through the group. The three sirens were tied up and presented to the Grandbearer. Vinyl, who was holding Sonata, gestured at the three.
"Should we kill them now? Ya know, execution style?"
"I do not think that is necessary, Vinyl," Twilight answered. "Their amulets were weak and quite fragile. No wonder they were so easy to run away with. No, I think they deserve justice, but not by our hand."
"We are not Templar!" Adagio begged. "We left them! We do not hold their views! We do not work for them!"
"You may not be Templar, but you certainly hold their views, siren," Twilight said. "You are still criminals, using magic for your own gain and making fools of these poor men. You are also powerless now. The relevance you had was in those broken crystals. You are no threat to the Brotherhood, but you may still be a nuisance to society. No, you shall not receive justice from our hand, but what the Royal Guard do to them is their choice. I predict you shall be well-acquainted with a dungeon cell."
She then looked at Vinyl. "Tell Shining Armor that these three are presents from me. Also tell him that they are proof that the Templar are roaming our city. They may have valuable information and he can interrogate them if he wants. He'll tell me what they say."
"Yes, Grandbearer," Vinyl bowed and with some other Assassins, led the sirens away.
At the Den, Octavia was rubbing her forehead. The effects of the mind-controlling song were still disrupting her mind. Rarity and Twilight both took noticed and watched her with curious faces. The couch Octavia was laying on was soft and helping her cope with the headache. Rarity stood over her with a hand on her delicate chin while Twilight sat in a chair off to the side.
"Now you have tasted what Alicorn Artifacts do," Rarity chuckled. "It is fortunate no one was harmed."
"It is fortunate," Twilight agreed. "It makes me wonder how many other artifacts are within this city, in the hands of those who know nothing about them. These sirens left the Order because the Order moved on from them. I wonder how many wandering former Templars there are as well. We must find out. We must scrounge for every piece of information we can find. The Templar, the artifacts, everything."
"And how do you suggest we go about this, darling?" Rarity asked.
Twilight smiled. "In a library, of course."
"Oh! A library, can I do that? I rather take a break from something stressful," Octavia uttered.
"Are you willing to go back to the Grand Royal Palace to seek information in the Royal Archives?" Twilight chuckled.
"On second thought, how about no!" Octavia huffed. "I should avoid the palace, remember?"
"Oh, don't be daft, Octavia," Rarity rolled her eyes. "The Archives are far from wherever Celestia may be. This will be a good mission for you. You should do it. Oh wait, you are doing it. Reading and studying can be relaxing and good for the complexion, darling."
"Brilliant!" Twilight beamed. "Octavia, I already have a list of books. It's extensive!"
"Bloody hell!" Octavia grumbled. "This will take me a decade, I bet."
"Well, perhaps," Rarity shrugged. "When Twilight says extensive, she means it. Especially when it comes to books."
"Why did I open my damn mouth..."
~