Ch. 6 High Tide
It had been a productive breakfast meeting for Adagio, having only to go into detail and explain herself once to Sonata. With full stomachs and bits to spend they made their way to the nearby shops in the heart of the shopping row, they scoured several stores for the latest look to give the Dazzlings come back. With a new start came a new appearance from their old trappings with a few alterations to maintain a slight similarity. At Adagio's behest she gave the two behind her free reign to select their new garbs, and much like their new deal among themselves they had the sky's limit. Shop after shop they hit and picked what would last a few weeks worth of shows they'd busy themselves with, after all their return shouldn't be marred by the same attire.
Stepping into the sixteenth outlet store with bags in tow, "Hmmm... I wonder if they'll have the headbands I'm looking for?" Dazzle said as she looked about.
Sonata fumbled a little with Aria's bags among her own, "I hope they have the boots I saw in that poster! They look so comfy!"
Aria shoved her way past two girls who were not looking where they were going, a viscous scowl struck enough fear in them to avoid saying anything. They had come across a modern shop after four others had more country attire much to Dazzle's chagrin, but before them lay stands and hangers of designer clothing marketed as straight from New York itself. Bright lights up above made every color pop and there were plenty of areas to try on the shirts, blouses, jackets, pants, and everything else under the stars. With a large warmth spreading through her, Adagio sighed happily at the selections to be tried.
"Girls? Have fun..." they soon dispersed to seek their own look once more.
Adagio aimed her tastes into corsets and skirts on top of a number of thin jeans, something she could run in without problems if they happened into the Rainbooms out of dumb luck. The few outfits she tried on in front of other women earned envious looks caused by both her appeal and the gemstone that activated from her museful hum. With a little snack from the few shoppers who mysteriously started to fight over a scarf or a blouse she touched, she couldn't have had a happier time among the fumbling apes.
Aria wandered off into the night life section to a punk look which incorporated numerous straps and bindings to accent the fabric and leather materials. Unlike her boss in charge, the eyes she received were fearful and intimidated which suited her ideal flavor while she checked herself in the many mirrors. Perhaps it was her loathing eyes or fierce vibes, her own perception pinned it on the dominating aura she always held up. There had been a saying concerning females who adorned themselves with the strappings and leather, but with the fun she had the term flew over her head.
As for Sonata, while the sea of fashion was vast her older clothing she had before Canterlot High seemed to cling to her choices out of reminiscence. Though it was not that she remained stagnant in the next sets of clothing she'd procure for future performances, but something about the skirts and rolled up sleeves with large collars just seemed to remind her of the fins she use to have. Her siren form still a beckoning to her to return to though a dream it was at best. She had strolled through islands of stands before the right ones came into her favor. Plaid skirts, long sleeved shirts, and denim jackets with matching hats which deviated only slightly from the clothing she'd come to adore. Odd things had come around as she put on the wardrobe to find which ones she wanted to keep, other women nearby had found it hard to not compliment and call her 'delightfully adorable' whenever she hummed a mirthful tune to herself. It was a funny thing to attain adoration in such a sense had she realized her wordless song was somehow capable even without the gem right next to her. The goofy girl took in the positive vibes off those nearby and enjoyed the attention.
"That dress sooo suits her!" said one of the two girls who passed by the mirror she looked into.
Minutes later, "Oh my gosh! She's sooo cute! She reminds me of my daughter at that age!" an older woman with her friends commented.
Dusk looked over her shoulder and waved back at the four older women, "Wow? I guess I'm keeping this set?"
Deep within her chest as if her own pendant still remained with her, she felt empowered if only slightly more so than earlier. It was a straight shot of caffeine to her and it had been some time since breakfast at the Inn, leaving her little giddy.
"Ohhh!! Is that on sale?" she gasped after catching a glimpse of jacket that called out to her.
By the time the aroma of cooking food and bustling kitchens filtered through the air of the shopping block, the Dazzlings had struck gold with the last item needed. They quickly paid off the final articles of clothing and shoes and deposited the treasures back at the room, promptly adorning one set of the many choices they had at their discretion.
Their bits were nearly depleted and it had only reached an hour after noon, but they had plans to fill up their personal bank Sonata bought on a whim. Although it was unnecessary, she did need something to keep herself occupied at the hotel when she herself needed to be kept quiet during Adagio's musings over new songs to captivate new audiences. An odd selection however it was it still possessed a quaint charm of novelty, a carved wooden personal cash box that depicted a scene near by rocky coast a few miles from the town. Waves were smoothed and polished with the many ripples and varying heights of each peaking whitecap, and to top it off there was a strange human hybrid in mid leap out of the water. With long flowing hair that reached to what looked to be a scaly tail parody of their siren firms, thin fins were carved with tiny details to the webbing between the spikes. An odd little nick knack that seemed rustic in its charm if not baffling. The curio had been given its place in the living room under lock and key it had been designed with, they didn't trust the cleaning staff.
Heading off with a few of Aria's brochures in hopes of finding a good meal for lunch, they paused in the lobby of the Inn for a moments break. The walking they had done the whole morning had been a little taxing, but the single gem could only do so much for their then aching soles of the feet. A short reprieve on large comfy seats on their way to fill their growing hunger for sustenance was all too perfect. The trio flopped harshly with a puff of air on the foam cushions, with sighs of relief from her subordinates it was then that the rest of the schedule would be accomplished.
Dazzle fixed her hair so she avoided resting her back onto it painfully, "So you all remember the plan correct?"
Dusk seemed happily resting against the furniture while Blaze put her shoes on the short table between them, "Ya, kinda... getting our new rigs sorta distracted me. Same old same old right?" Aria shrugged, "Get some food, sing, and return here?"
The golden siren huffed, "I was going to let you chose where we ate at first but with that attitude we're waiting!" she glared.
"Okay! Alright, soorrrryyyy!" Blaze scoffed as the grumble came from her belly rather than her vocal cords.
"Weren't we going to like search on the computers here for places to sing at?" Sonata dangled a pointed index finger in the air before dropping it like dead weight.
Dazzle smirked, "At least she can appreciate what I'm trying to do.", earning a roll of the eyes from her usurper of a pack mate, "I've seen enough of the youth embrace this internet thing the humans use in this day an age rather than paper and flyers years back. We figure out how it works which shouldn't be too hard and locate the proper place to gain some power and more bits. I wouldn't do more than one for now, last thing we need is to attract the Rainbooms in our current predicament."
A nod from Blaze, "Going to assume we're hitting the venue in the evening when everyone's off their nine to five jobs right?"
"Which is why we'll practice some more in our room after we eat, I want a solid performance and nothing less. We are the Dazzlings after all and we have an image to keep up." Adagio smiled proudly.
A large family arrived through the entrance with luggage in tow, a wide age group from seniors to toddlers. Drawing Sonata's attention she yanked her head up from the relaxing pose she laid in, her eyes went over the colorful shirts and dresses of the adults like a bouquet of flowers with fleshy bits. Little annoying butterflies danced around them like hyperactive hatchlings would around mothers in congregation. From observing the family with the others an idea popped up that served to thankfully keep her up to pace with the gestalt will of the pod.
"Ohhh ya!? I forgot we were going to be doing a whole new crowd this time. Big older people like Principle Celestia and Vicey Lunny, they probably won't like the teen stuff we did for the school." she said with a content smile.
The curly haired one gave a pleased grin and patted her siren on the head gingerly, "We have three hours to get some new work out there, I don't want our first day truly testing our powers to bomb. Now let's find a computer and..." a baby began to cry loudly at the receptionist desk which quickly grew in cresendo, "... and get to lunch soon!"
Seeing Adagio grit her teeth at the cacophony, "Guess we can't just wing it?" Aria mumbled as she gave a scorning glance at the large human pack and their inability to control or tend to the baby, her ears were stinging.
After a stressful thirty minutes of trying to work the machine only to have a different receptionist assistant pass by for which they ordered over to provide help. They were soon in possession of three prime locations for the night and left as quick as a deer escaping hunters, for with the new pendant came an enhanced audio range they were only then beginning to become accustomed to.
Adagio swept back her curly locks back as they finally left the building, they stood outside which began to grow cloudy. It was the loading zone with a shuttle bus still parked as the driver took a break off to the side. It was a feature that had been posted as a picture in the brochure for the Inn, transportation that only arrived for use at specific times since it primarily waited at the mass transit station for new customers. She would delight in its convenience and eyed the young woman that had her bottle of sweet cider nearly finished, though a one trip method they could handle the walk back if need be.
The smell of lingering exhaust coated the air, "Aria? Wasn't there a nice place a few blocks away that had wonderful caviar and lobster specials?" Dazzle asked as she waved a hand before her to get the acrid scent away.
"Ya, Tom's Landing I think? Get's their supply from the waters not far from here so it's as fresh as it'll get." Blaze replied as she snorted a sneeze from happening.
Sonata peaked up at the mention of the crustracean, "Ahhhh.... I haven't had that in soooo loooonggg!!!"
With a tap of a small sac under her new attire of overlapping clothing with segmented trim, "We have enough bits for a good meal, so I believe it is time to sate one of our hungers."
Seven Days Later
The feedings had become a fascinating ordeal to learn more about their precious donated pendant, things were not as they use to be with their original gems. Adagio took each session to heart and studied the reactions of their listeners who indeed were of the older variety, harder of the mind which only made the negative energy all the more succulent.
It was a peculiar discovery that the new gem bestowed upon them, leading them to nervously check if they were in fact given a siren stone at all. As the more they used it every person in the audience who heard their song contracted the infectious urge to fight and brawl which was a huge step up from the teenagers they use to target. While fortunately not deadly nor too destructive, the fighting of such a degree rather than verbal harassment yielded greater volumes of the precious fuel to power their abilities. The downside came from the vastness that was the gem itself which had three times the volume of space in order to sate the unending hunger for adoration. They had only preyed upon the young after the Great World War of Wars had spawned large numbers of them years after it had come to a conclusion, it was a choice they had to make to survive barely a century ago. Chase after large tuna or harvest the shoals of herring which were easier to feast on.
On the fifth such expedition to one of the many locales to perform at on open mic nights or simply pay some bits to sing, it was then that the other part of the ruby revealed itself. The memories of their fans were directly affected to forget the violent wave which swept through their ranks, leading everyone to guess blindly as to why the black eyes, missing teeth, or torn clothing. Despite the other smaller injuries that wouldn't impair their daily lives, they seemed to have no memory once the Dazzling's began to sing. Their sultry lyrics unintentionally manipulated their minds to not only drain them of their lingering frustrations and anger, but swiped clean their tracks so that not even the Rainbooms could even track them. There was one time that they went for an encore to see what would happen, though no energy was absorbed they did garner a strong love from the crowd. Under the colorful lights, upon a decent stage, good sound systems, and the right number of ears they were loved and wanted again.
On the seventh day they stood before a Rodeo Bar hot spot, "Feel that girls? That's what we've been missing!" Adagio lavished in the swooning calls for more from the battered listeners, most were covered in food and drink after a food fight had broken out. Strangely they were saved from a spec of staining drink or globs of matter as if intentionally pardoned from the airborne meals.
"Ya... feels nice." Aria sighed.
"Totally..." Dusk dreamily smirked and waved to a few young men that caught her eye.
After departing the little mass, the trio made off with their own sugary drinks of fizzy soda as a treat to themselves on their way back to the Inn. On the moderately quiet street as the evening had transitioned into the night, Dazzle bathed in the delicious negative emotions they had taken and sensed it transforming into dark magic to power their voices. Each time they were becoming ever more eloquent and notes perfected as if they received a boost from each use.
Her lips locked upon the white straw of the styrofoam cup and drew a sip, letting the sweet liquid bath her taste buds. The victories were beginning to pile up and yet no word from their benefactor who gave them a second chance, what more could she ask for with such free reign?
"Ahhhh... to be us once again." she said in her euphoria, a gentle breeze passed by tickling her ears with swaying hair, "To think our new powers also secure our place in this world by controlling memories? I mean can you believe they can't even remember taking a chair to the back?!"
Sonata seemed to take the notion, "It kinda seems a little bad though, I mean they have to believe something caused those bad hits right?" following with a loud slurp from her own soda.
Aria shrugged, "So far so good far as I'm concerned, we're not on the news so they don't remember anything and that means no lame hacks from Canterlot High. Unlike them we actually have some hold, bet we could even get them to throw chili and burgers at them if they ever dared crashed one of our shows!" she grinned feeling sure of her assumption.
"Yes quite right. I'm so glad we got this fixed into a proper pendant for me to wear until we get the other two." she gleefully felt the jewel under her intricate blouse of stripes and strapping.
The twin pony tailed singer chuckled darkly, "Hey remember when we hit up Club Zinc the other night? Packed like a reef, bouncers at the doors holding the lines...."
Adagio felt the memory fresh off her mind flood into her forethoughts, it was one of their most crowning tests to date. The day she pushed their powers to the brink in terms of the size of the audience and the will they could enact upon them. She had back up plans worked out in case something happened or their powers lost control of the humans, but thankfully nothing went wrong. It was a location closest to the small acreage of huge hotels and condos, where tourists bunked in and journeyed out to see the sights. The business had seen enough attention that police patrols were frequent as flies to a dumpster, they were ready to quell any rabble should it happen or that could be seen.
When they had neared the venue her own voice echoed in her head, 'If it happens here, then without a doubt this stone will allow us to control this town quick and easily.'
Aria's voice joined right after, 'Ya, if we get into their heads and don't set that place on fire! Remember that thing on the news? The club was over capacity and throngs of these stupid monkeys died from the inferno and stampeded over the weaker ones.'
'Except! We can just command them to stop fighting and put out the fire right?!' the cheerfullest of them inquired.
'We will have control over them, that you don't need to worry. If something happens we will have every body under our spell and handle the issue before it causes a problem. Simple as that!' Dazzle assured with haste as they went to the doors to be admitted.
The two guardian staff members took one look before opening the way inside after Adagio flashed the pass code card given to them by the owner. From there, the Dazzlings took their queue behind the next attraction and waited for their moment to shine, using the valuable minutes to analyze the space and numbers they'd be riling up like an angry wasp nest. The particular business led the way in entertainment, each musician had to go through intense screening and if they were given a spot. They had two songs attributed to their block before they stepped down for the next act, the strategy not only helped budding performers gain attention. Every act was different from the next to keep the club spicy and alive, something for everyone rather than a narrow genre.
For the Dazzlings, a simple taste of their illustrious voices and the selection process gave them their time slot. Of course it was after they reviewed the past months worth of participants and adapted to the specific customers there. Once they were called on stage, they wrought their havoc which barely reached a simmer in the lake of bodies. So many hearts contributed to a sizable influx of negative energy that any extraordinary conflict needn't even be fostered. Under their tantalizing vocals and soothing chorus the sirens had silenced the club's massive numbers. Then allowed them to bicker and draw out the ambient anger within them, being cramped into Club Zinc had its affect on the apes like ponies so often felt. How feeble the human being was to be jostled so readily, they were ticking time bombs waiting to be lit.
As for the test to their newfound powers, Adagio allowed some of the humans to to go even further than words and go beyond a lit moshing. The gray area between shoving and a little physical contact that could have lead to general chaos tickled her in a way a scientist would be expecting the catalyst to transition a chemical change. Before too much could be had as in the days of Manehatten's influx of migrants after the war, the test was terminated with enough results to please her majesty.
Their quick intervention through a simple note held for a moment forced a puppeteer's strings onto every attendee in a trance-like state once pulled. The stillness in the room would have been eerie to anyone else, but silence was golden.
Right on cue, the red lights of the security cameras dotted around the club faded away as the enraptured security staff did their part in command of their musical subliminal message, 'Looks like it's time to collect our payment right girls?' Adagio snapped her fingers to begin leaving.
A quick altered rendition of their old 'Welcome to the Show' song had half the room tip the trio generously. Bits were gently deposited at the forefront of the stage while those further away used the sea of hands to wash the currency at the siren's feet. This was their favorite part when and if they ever took tips, it was hard enough to store the coins on their person considering their attire. However, much like feeding off the negative energies, taking too much would inevitably draw attention. As much as it was to hope their ability with amnesia was permanent and did not permit any recollection; of both themselves and their wallets.
'Guess our rent is paid for the next... thirty years?' Dazzle giggled as the stage floor seemed to become nothing but golden coins.
'Ohhh baby!! Mama loves her bits!' the fushia girl hollered while groping at the money.
Once they picked up what their purses and coin bags could hold, they left the club to come too their senses as soon as they exited with no one outside any wiser to the event. Free from any way of being seen or recorded, the sirens song had made leaps and bounds they'd never thought to ever see. The completion of the memory had Adagio awaken back from her day dreaming, they were on their way back home content like fattened ticks after a good blood meal.
"I can't believe it's true!?" Sonata squealed happily, taking another sip.
Blaze stretched her arms feeling ready for a good nights rest, "Me either, I can't believe it all to be honest."
"She's right." Dazzle added, "None of this feels real but it is..."
A sobering air fell upon the girls, a reality check came to heap upon their shoulders as a reminder of what earned them their latest success.
"And all we had to do... was lose... our own gems?" Aria grimaced losing her joy in an instant, what exhilaration was there vanished.
Dazzle stopped walking which halted the small procession, and turned to look at her subordinates with a soured face of bitterness. A truth hard to swallow but one they couldn't evade no matter how many gains they surmounted onto the tally chart. They survived a hurdle fate threw at them yet it was one which stole a piece of their being that no replacement gem could ever hope to make up.
"Robbed we were of our lives yes, but that only made us more powerful as we refused to be ground under the Rainbooms heels! Remember who we are inside these stick figure monkey suits. We are sirens... glorious daughters of the Ocean Lord and future conquerors of any world we stand upon! Our mothers told us each the same thing and we are not of the same pod that is true. But look at us!?" she brought a hand up and swayed it as if to make the others see the greater scene.
Sonata put her drink low to her stomach as she listened out of curiosity, like a child whose mother was about to sit them down and teach a valuable lesson. Blaze seemed to care little though she gave an ear, she hated revisiting the hatred she bore at sharing a single gem. The truth was still not an easy thing to cope with even after regaining their powers, their perfection in music and fortune. It felt stolen and wrong deep down, yet far too gratifying to ignore the benefits of the changes. After all they had been told so many times that they shouldn't even have lived after that fated battle, that they should have shattered along with their gems they were born with. The humiliation of being bested by younglings like the Rainbooms and they thousands of years old with untold experience, whatever magic they used was of unfathomable might. How were they not baked like beached shad in the hot sun left to be swept away by high tide as the shriveled husks they could have been?
"We will endure and we will adapt, every siren knows this to be the way of life for us. We have our bits, we have a home, and we have our powers! Let that free your minds from what ever red tide taints it... know that I won't let us make the same mistake again either. I won't allow it... never again." in a moment of weakness Dazzle seemed to truly give a real emotion to her words, ones of earnest and honor as rare as it was to ever see.
At first quiet to her beckon, a helicopter hummed above as it passed through the town with its flickering red and blue lights. The stars were starting to come out and the moon appeared as crescent as a devious smile to the east, it rose slowly with an orange tint to it's normally bleached white light. Few vehicles were passing by, most only heard and not seen by the three as they pondered over the persistent incomplete sense of self, though Dazzle's words seemed to hearken to them in their sea of morose. Even Dusk had frowned at what she felt was a void in her belly that no amount of food or singing could alleviate. A wound that wouldn't close but it left no physical pain, like Aria she just wanted it to go away as alien of a feeling as it was.
Adagio took notice when she received no proper response, putting her head between the two till her mouth was between both their ears, "Just remember the humiliation those fools put upon us... their meaningless friendship nothing compared to our pack... don't you want to obliterate their every ounce of happiness? I can make sure that will happen." she whispered the sweet nothings.
For her efforts as she pulled away there was an angry malcontent upon her little usurper and a hidden ire behind the ditsy one's smile, she had won their morale back as a matriarch should. Nothing else needed to be said as they nodded as one, they would turn the emptiness into a drive which would propel them forward. The human world would either be theirs for the taking or they'd die trying, would the Rainboom's go that far as well?
"Well I'm feeling peckish now how about you two?" she asked before glancing at a nearby trash bin caged in a metal frame, she casually tossed her half finished beverage and made the basket with ease.
Sonata elbowed Aria next to her, "I could really tear into a leg right about now, like for realzies!" her toothy cheer found footing in the scornful one.
"Ya, I'm game... I want to see that colorful freak in a steak and just imagine her on my plate!" her tongue licked her chops in eagerness.
Thus with all in consensus they headed off to another restaurant they wanted to try, luck would have them that the town in the middle of ranches and orchards could have such diversity much less access to seafood as well. Her girls were primed once more and would likely tear into cooked flesh not to consume but to merely make a mess to serve a point. They were sirens after all and somehow it just felt right to indulge in hunger since they had bits to throw.
It was not long before the smell of wood smoking and burning herbs tempted them to the somewhat expensive business, a place which specialized in what would make the day all the more special. One place Aria thumbed up from her pile of adverts the tourist center provided, it was called the Deep Sea Chasm. The name though childish to an extent carried with it a bit of history being one of the first restaurants to open decades ago and bring in the only fresh fish and such unspoiled. They were masters of spice and flavor that were rooted in the years before the Great War, and no one ever hated their recipes as wide as the options spanned.
Dazzle flipped through the pamphlet that showcased the signature dishes, “I was thinking of getting that succulent salmon, their portion serving is unrivaled in this town. And I believe I deserve quite the feast!” her orange luscious hair swayed as she sang through a small tune, placid as a clam.
“Ohh! They have those Baja style shrimp tacos too! And six for seven value with sides!" Sonata nearly yelled in her ears as she peered over her shoulder to see herself, "They say from customer reviews their guacamole is unrivaled...”
“You would go for that. I’m going for the King Crab, seems like something for someone of my skills and talent.” Aria gloated, she had been going back to her old ways of being the center of attention much to Adagio’s disdain.
“Get what you want and enjoy, we've earned it girls." Dazzle giggled to herself.
Before they were nearing the property of the establishment in all its fantastic signage and lights, a cawing source of scorn flew in front of them hearkening back to the dreaded meeting with the demonic old woman. It was that same black bird from before, those beady little eyes had their own testiness as if it regarded them like kids. The way it tilted its head and eyed them up and down, cawing periodically in some sort of language it created itself they couldn't begin to realize.
Adagio whipped her head around fearing the arrival of the frost crone, yet all she manged to identify were two trucks passing by and the busy parking lot of the restaurant. Beyond that there was no one within seventy feet of them, no one bearing any resemblance to the ancient hag that nearly killed them. Even if they received the stone from her as a message she was not regarded very well, she was a deadly threat if toying with anyone by magic was any clue to heed.
"That wretched old hen! She's around here somewhere I know it!" Dazzle cursed under her breath upon giving up the search.
Sonata simply eyed the avian with a happy smile, which she waved at as if it were a stray puppy. It returned in kind by twitching a wing as if parroting her, then its head bent down to pull off a twine wrapped message on its scaly leg. Having deposited the tiny scroll, it cawed raucously before taking flight into the night where its obsidian feathers camouflaged its flight path. The cerulean girl took a liking to the rolling piece of paper and pinched at it, pulling it up and giving it a look over.
“Great! There goes a good evening.” Aria growled as she too had tried to preemptively locate the inhumane entity to no avail.
“Well, at least we don’t have to go looking for Mr. Mysterious Man anymore.” Sonata thoughtlessly labeled whomever they were collaborating with as she squinted at the four inch sized square message.
“What are you talking about?” the golden siren glanced over confused and befuddled by the statement, her hair still on end from the black bird's appearence.
Then came a blood chilling sensation that nearly paralyzed the curly haired diva upon hearing reply that was not from her foolish subordinate, “Ya… what are you talking about?”
A familiar vocal pattern they hadn't wished to experience again until they had at least one other stone, what power they had wasn't going to cut it. Visceral images of that fateful night with that monumental spectral alicorn in the sky bearing down on them, a beam of ruinous magic bathing their physical bodies as well as the phantasmal projections, then the cracking of their immortal souls. Immediately her face contorted in pure hatred, her eyes shrank in unbridled fear as her mind double and then triple checked where their gem was on her person without touching it. She assured herself repeatedly that it was hidden under three layers clothing, out of sight and out of mind to the only true danger to them.
Rainbow Dash's grating voice was sandpaper to Aria's mental sanity, requiring every fiber of her being to not lash out and destroy the little human. Swallowing the molten ire, a venomous glare was the least she could offer to the sudden arrival of the punks of Canterlot High.
"Huh? Didn't expect to see ya'll round these parts, course bett'n ya'll have changed for the better?" said the farm girl in her country accent as she tipped her stetson to the trio in kindness.
"The Dazzlings?!" Sunset appeared as if she'd seen a car collision happen, she had her carry pack over the shoulder while a phone sat in her other hand she'd been looking at.
Applejack, Rainbow, and Sunset stood with inquisitive gazes, of course the athlete among them mirrored Blaze in every way with no sign of backing down. Eyes attempted to burn their resentment upon each other as their loathing carried past the overhead street lamp's white light, nothing but crickets singing in the tall grass on the empty lot. A few vehicles noisily passed by and turned into the parking area, their blinkers flashing and one car's radio loud enough to hear through the metal and glass.
Crossing her arms over her chest, Adagio went with the flow and decided to play a lie gracefully as she engaged Sunset, “Sonata’s date of course, we’ve been working our fingers to the bone for a living and Sonata here has earned someone’s heart isn't that right?", she glanced to her fool who was too lost to reaction, "We've been living here among the humans peacefully and as you can see productively. We were just about to get a little dinner in before tomorrow's... um... hours!”
Sunset softened as she believed every word having known their gems were long gone with their voices, “Wow... well good for you three. I wasn't sure if you'd stick around or leave, but to be honest love wasn't what I was expecting either of you to indulge in? No offense!” she sheepishly held her hands up in placation once all three sets of eyes bore down upon her.
Rainbow shoved herself before Aria specifically with a fire in her eyes that nearly took the siren off guard, “Ya, like anyone would fall for you three sea witches! You probably tricked him or something, that’s how anyone will like you these days. You're pathetic if you think you'll get anyone to love and adore you!”
That blatant comment hit Sonata rather hard like a slap to the face, she cringed away looking to the ground in face of the insult. While Adagio's neutral expression caved into disdain with a compliment of a low growl, Aria leered at the chromatic haired simpleton that could have burned through iron. If anyone would have the right to put down the blue packmate it was her, she had the right in the pack to quarrel with her fellow and no one else. Besides, at least she never actually meant to abuse the ditz full heartedly, it was just what a pack did to keep themselves on their fins or toes.
"Take... that... back!" she snarled with a toothy scowl eager to let loose on the Rainboom.
Applejack put a hand on Dash's shoulder to pull her back as the meet devolved into a borderline confrontation, “Rainbow! For Apples sake chill would ya?!", putting a hand between the two, "Pardon her she's got umm... stuff she's... stress'n about? What we ALL meant ta say wuz that we're surprised ya went and got yourself a boy is all! Honest, would thought ya'll have gotten a new life across the country by now than stay here like Sunset said?”
With the sudden crossed paths Adagio placed her vision back onto Sunset once she was certain there would be no fighting between them yet. The visual message she conveyed was a warning to her rival and keep her dog leashed or consequences would come of her actions. Those raspberry eyes were as piercing as they were clear in their intent, but she quickly changed character to resume the innocence around them.
“Strange, why would you three would even care, with all the support and lack of priorities to live with other then sitting in a little room to learn insipid things? What's your reason for being this far into the town? Are you following us? Come to see if we are behaving as angels unlike this one right here?” Adagio thumbed at the powder blue teenager rearing to drop the gloves in an instant.
The sunny haired magical girl simply panicked and brought the other girl closer to her as if distance would simmer her down some, but for her efforts it accomplished little. Something had set off Rainbow and her allies were absolutely clueless as to why she was so volatile, eager to quell the unstable ground between them if a solution were instantaneous.
"It's true! We mean no offense, we just have... something... we're dealing with is all. In fact I hope Sonata has a great time with whomever she sees, best of luck from Canterlot High!" she forced a smile with giving a firm thumbs up, eliciting a little assurance of peace from Sonata herself.
With her little usurper up front as the muscle and Sonata behind her out of protective instinct, Dazzle ran a few simulations between the two if they couldn't keep their rouge muzzled. The anger itself was a negative emotion she wasn't quite familiar with as it was bitter her, and she was quite sure the others were aware of it as well. She would have been thrown for a loop at the strangeness of the off emotion had the pendant not give off its own answer to her. A strange warmth seeped from it against her fair skin as if hot water were cascading from a shower head, it wasn't activating of its own accord as she knew it did when they sang. What her mind could formulate was another ability they'd had discovered, but why it angered without song and fouled the fuel was queer in itself to all that made sense.
Grudgingly eyeing up the human females, 'Why are you doing this? Why just one of them if it's not a distance thing?', she thought to herself, 'Never have we ever devoured such awful energy, could this be a defense mechanism perhaps? Did the Rainbooms somehow learn to taint their emotional aura to prevent us from draining them?! NO!?! They're not that smart!'
“Get this stamped through that thick skull of yours, if anyone gets to say anything like that to Sonata, it's us! At least we don't meant it! So say something one more time you Sunshine reject! Say something one... more time.” Aria seemed poised like a cobra ready to strike, she needed to feel superior and hold the upper ground.
.
Sunset groaned as she slapped her left hand to her forehead, ‘This wasn’t how I wanted this to go, awesome job dash. Now we’re on enemy terms with that outburst.".
Noticing Adagio was doing nothing to do the same for Aria, the iced lake they stood over was quickly cracking the longer they dwelled on the unfortunate first words. Thus to avoid losing the Dazzlings into obscurity when they still were looking for their altered gemstone, Sunset put herself and Applejack between the two hostile elements.
“We’re being honest, aren’t we Rainbow?!” Applejack scorned her rambunctious friend behind her, “Anyway, we just came back from getting some tools for mah farm and just happened to cross your path. Honest!”
A quick whiff of the tan skinned girl confirmed her words, she was telling the truth if the three emotions Dazzle sensed were true. Where as Sunset seemed to have an irritable green cloud coming from her person, though it was directed at the other less palatable one she held away. They were indeed doing what they could to be none confrontational with the stone's passive ability, meaning she needed to end things and part ways. Least she fear their powers be detected and worse things came to pass from negligence in their secrecy.
Flicking hair out of her eyes the mild breeze kicked up, "Tell you what, let's just forget about all this and say this never happened? Shall we not meet again."
“We’re on our way to eat, so if you can make like scrambled eggs and beat it! We're hungry.” Aria huffed as her resentment took heed of Adagio's silent order to back down.
Feeling as if they'd forever lose the former sirens without a chance at becoming friends as she had enjoyed Sunset jumped at the withering window of opportunity, “Look, I’m sorry for what Rainbow Dash blurted out. We’re just helping Applejack pick out some colors for the painting of her new barn, friends do that. But seeing you three alone in this part of town and something about a…”
“Can we just go already…” Sonata muttered to Adagio, for her the bitter negativity was a little more harsh on her senses than the rest.
With a nod the golden girl turned heel and left like a lioness who stood off another who trespassed upon her territory. Her head held high as the clicking of her new stylish boots carried her away, Sonata close behind looked back to give a mournful frown towards Shimmer herself as if unpleased by how things turned out. Though Aria as agitated as she was left the air tense enough to feel through the flesh, careful not to let her powers surface and glint in her eyes. Sunset attempted to speak up and stop them if only to see into the missing stone for any connection, yet there was nothing but emptiness in their wake and utter refusal at parlay.
A large transport truck zoomed by as its loud engine coughed by the girls, “Ya keep going ya harpies! World’s safer without your voices anyway!”
“Rainbow Dash, that’s enough of that now, your acting way out of line there! Not ta mention how bad Sonata looked after yer off hand comment.” Applejack had little patience for mean folks but Dash really took the cake even if she was her friend, “Yer acting as if they were still sirens, their pendants are broken! They ain’t no harm as much as a rattlesnake is without fangs! Sheesh... what's gotten in those undergarments anyways?”
“I... it's just!?" Dash sputtered as if the folly were becoming known, "Whatever… let’s keep going, it’s getting dark and dad's going to be mad with me if I'm late again!” she steamed off with the farm girl fast behind still lecturing her.
The feeling of defeat was a sour one for the Equestrian in human skin, in some part of her imagination she had actually hoped to have the defeated champions of disharmony among their ranks. Like the mad power and vindictiveness she had herself, it was the release from that kind of emotionally charged magic which allowed her to feel for others and regret. It was a scenario she pinned upon that their gems were the source of their evil and would turn into good people, maybe even lending any talent to their band? Even going so far as to contemplate any lingering magic within their beings coming through like the ears and long hair they experienced at times. A formidable force against new trouble makers, great friends and a happy life for all out of the ashes.
She was shaken from her thoughts by Applejack a walk away, "Next time yer rude I'm cutt'n ya off from my family's cider season for a year! Ya'll hear me!"
Left by herself under the lone lamp post, Shimmer turned her head to her friends and then one last time at the Dazzlings. There was so much she had planned to help facilitate the trust she wanted to have with them, befriending in order to prove they were not involved in the theft. It would have helped ease her troubles, but it was undeniable that that ship set sail to never return to port. If she'd really want to excuse them from the incident then she'd have to track them down and spy on them, not something she wanted to do.
“Hey! You coming or not!” Dash yelled at the end of the block heading for home, having ignored the farm girl's warnings.
Meanwhile...
The walk was wordless, none of the three ancient beings wanted to say anything concerning their renewed sense of hatred for Canterlot's guards. The air still reeked of of Rainbow's echoing insult, ringing in Dusk's thoughts loudly enough to even discourage her from giving a reaction to the scent of aromatics spewing from the kitchen vents up ahead. Aria usual stone face sat upon her visage, but even as her legs carried her behind their leader her sight kept flicking back to the blue girl to the left. She felt pity for the little idiot, that slap of words just wasn’t something Sonata earned any day no matter how vexing her spontaneous behavior was. Humans unlike sirens were very straight forward when it came to fighting one another, and even if they later regretted saying things it as the moment the act was committed that they did mean each and every word. They tasted it like spoiled milk on he taste buds.
Brushing past customers who were either leaving to their cars or heading in as well, Adagio secured a table and they were lead through the restaurant double red doors. The golden handles pulled by staff inside, the wall of delicious meals being served slamming into them with a warm barrier of air. Like a breath after remaining under water for too long, the eatery did wonders on their mood to an extent. Distraction was desperately needed after what happened and Dazzle wouldn't spare any expense to remedy their dour night.
Seated at their booth with menu's waiting and water on the way, “Let’s just find some joy here, we’ll deal with those banshees later. And Sonata…” Adagio asked with a strange sense of care in her voice in a way as a mother might, “Any human would be praying to take any of us out, don’t let that fool tell you otherwise. Remember how you caught the attention of those royals from abroad? I mean strange they didn't find me or Aria as attractive..."
Sonata interjected, "I... I know, just... for some reason it hurt more than I thought it would?" she said as her fingers twiddled together on the table.
Nearly taking heed upon herself to rest a hand on her subordinate out of empathy, the waiter returned ready to take their order as they placed a large pitcher of crystal clear water down.
His cheery attitude floundered among the girls, "Welcome ladies, I hope your evening has been well." the rosy white skinned man asked as if it were a routine mechanical saying, more or less indifferent to their recent tiff.
He earned short lived scowls from two of the more aggressive looking patrons while the third gave him a small wave with little enthusiasm. To the human it was just a job to greet and get their orders, there were too many tables to see to and be emotionally committed to a single table. Dazzle figured as much as she detected the stress and exhaustion within the worker, not wanting any further fireworks to go off she excused his false kindness.
With a huff she replied, "We already know what we're ordering. She'll have the King Crab with the wild rice pilaf. She'll have the baja shrimp tacos while I'll have the King Salmon A La Plancha. As for the check we're..." she started to reach for one of the many bit pouches they had.
Before she touched the sac however a young girl in a crisp school uniform the likes they'd seen similarly through their journeys, with a purple backpack on her shoulders strolled up to the four with an eager peppiness. Pleated skirt of dark purple violet, a light blue blouse with gray cuffs, hair tied into a bun, and thick black spectacles giving her an educated nerdy appearance the sudden guest. Taking post by the table she looked at the spare seat left by Aria on her side, never once expecting their group to have anyone else among them.
“I’ll be paying for their food, if I could get the basil seared scallops over noodles please.” She asserted as she sat down in the empty spot, completely flabbergasting Blaze who couldn't believe the intrusion.
None hadn’t reacted quick enough before Sonata blurted out what they were trying to think much less throw the girl out and toss lambasting statements at her for thrusting herself upon them. They were still fuming at Sunset and her lackies, the fuse so short it would have gone off nearly immediately.
“Hey, you're Twilight from the Rainbooms!” she pointed a finger with furrowed eyes.
With a confused look, “I don’t know who the Rainbooms are, sorry. I’m actually from Crystal Prep, top researcher among my class… even if it doesn’t earn a good social standing or close acquaintances among my peers.” she looked away, “I’m Twilight Sparkle, how are you three?”
The strange serenity in the girl's emotional state was a confusing element Dazzle couldn't understand, she also sensed her differently than what she remembered of her. It was as if her aura was the same yet far different, no magic residual or otherwise could be tasted and likely the reason Aria hadn't shoved her out.
The very girl frowned with her rage coming to head, “What the heck! First they slander us on the street and now trying to play dumb and fool us?”
“What?” Sparkle reeled in her seat at the sudden outburst as acute dread seeped into her, how much a little puppy among a pack of wolves she let herself to be.
There were too many factors which painted her a peculiar one to not be targeted, eliciting a cease fire from her mouth so that she could figure out what was happening. Sunset may have been the smartest one of the Rainbooms, but even she couldn't go so far as to somehow mask one of them so efficiently. She hadn't shown that kind of proficiency in magic otherwise they would have had different fight on their hands.
“Hold up you fool! We don’t need to get kicked out of the restaurant!” Adagio snapped to keep the agitated siren in check, “She’s not the same, can’t you sense it!”
While oblivious to the exchange between the two Dazzlings, Aria took a reluctant note and huffed in response. She slammed a palm on the table and drew ever closer to the intruder, so close that her face became mere inches away from Twilight's nose. Like the heat pits of a viper sensing a rat she too drew in the information their one gem allowed, indeed a different yet similar flavor of emotions. The main point was there existed no magic in her body, but something else at the tip of her mind that bore familiarity. What was it that peaked her intrigue more than her ire, was it the scent of siren magic she picked up on?
Dazzle coughed to draw attention to her, the poor girl could only look with her eyes afraid to turn her head, “If you’ll excuse my friend, we had a rather… distasteful conversation with some Canterlot High students on our way here. And there happened to be someone like you among them the other times we met. Maybe you might know of this? You surely seem like you're a different person from the one we've... talked to.” she said through clenched teeth.
The overbearing presence of Blaze served only to pause any likely defense, leaving the four among the chorus of clattering dishes and spatulas with the busy restaurant. They were just close enough to hear the head waiter direct another party to their seating, people laughing and drinks banging against a table. Music played in the ceiling speakers just loud enough to be heard over everything, and not far down the other side of the building the sports bar TV's silently showed a game in action.
Twilight swallowed the moisture in her mouth as a nervous lump formed in the throat, she appeared unprepared for the moment as if she thought she could get in their grace easily. Yet still the facts remained and Dazzle would get an answer one way or another even in public, who was she and should they drain her of all the negative emotions.
"Aria! Let up, I wish to hear her explanation." she commanded before resting her chin on laced fingers with elbows on the table as if she were a mob boss listening to a snitch.
If the new girl didn't know better she was well informed at that point, evident even more in how she anxiously sought to make her collar and tie less tight around her neck. It was almost cute to see one of the Rainbooms so submissive, though it would have been more fun for the golden siren if she was positively one of their ilk.
At first she stuttered to get a word out being as stricken as that time she met with the CEO of Tesla Lightning, “I... I'm... I assure you I’m not that doppelganger I... I saw in the newspaper too and... everyone at school thinks it was me! I was talk... tal... talking to Principle Cinch's new donor to the school, she... sssshhhe...", Twilight had to look away in order to finish talking, "She even announced it to the school where I attend. I was away at an Industrial Designer's convention a few weeks ago and started another project. The donor ran a business in the field my work focused on, she wanted to help the Academy and... maybe hire me after I completed Everton's Independent Study.”
Again there was truth to her words, no differing vocal patterns to identify negative emotions associated with lying, “Well, aside from otherworldly impostors, mind telling me why you’re here and buying our food for us? We’re not real keen on trusting someone in your… situation.” Adagio kept her sight upon her feeling unsure as to why there might be two of the same girl in the banishment realm.
The question seemed to liven the teenager up as it transitioned things into her favor, “Oh! You didn’t get the note? I was told you'd be informed of my arrival? He even said so in his text?” which earned Sonata’s attention.
She reached into a jacket pocket and pulled out the little scrap, “So you’re the one we’re to meet tonight?” she said with the mini parcel in her right hand as it waved in her moving grasp.
Dazzle shot up in her seat and glared at her idiot, “Give me that!”
Snatching it away she squinted to read the tiny message and it clarified the arrival of their new guest written entirely in old Equish. She found it odd she even remembered the runes of the alphabet much less translate them, however it also jarred her to know they were working with other Equestrians or one knowledgeable about them. Looking at the purple hued human then back to the message which cycled back and forth a few times, she officially called it a blunder in her earlier assumptions.
"Okay, I'm done! Spill the shrimp girl and tell us all you know!" Adagio's ultimatum slapped the table, her left hand whisked the water ladened vessel and poured her glass to drink from.
All three sets of ocular organs glued onto the little human who sought to vilify herself quickly, “I can’t say much being in this open place, but you and I are to work together from here on out. He wants to see us soon, but he felt that for everything to work out that you and I should work as a team.”
“What…” Aria deadpanned hearing the context of 'him' in her sliver of explanation.
She shrugged, "What? It's true! I've studied under him when I could for the last week."
A quick chug of the ice cube chilled water lent to another rapid and clean fill of the glass tumbler, "Really now? Studied what by chance? Who is 'he'? And do you know what 'he' has done for us?" she asked setting out trick questions in one last ditch attempt to get the fowl to fly from the reeds.
Rather than recoil from the onslaught of questions Twilight seemed as lively as a minnow at the waters edge, “Again... I really am not supposed to divulge that information out in... public!" she whispered, "I guess though I can say this however, magic. For you three he gave you your powers back. As for who he is I've promised to keep it secret until otherwise or else he'll take away all the information he's given me. And I value new data far too much to lose such revolutionary wisdom!"
Sonata piped up, "Wow, so you humans really don't have magic huh?"
"Shut it!" Dazzle hissed, "Looks like you're almost genuine, anything else about us that only he would know?"
Sparkle nodded gingerly, "Yes, you had something that was taken away from you and he gave a portion back. You are sirens from a world not of my own, your mere voices can swoon and absorb latent negativity from hosts that suit your needs. But after a series of events that unfolded, the decisions you made Adagio Dazzle lead your group to dismay and your strengths revoked permanently... until he gifted you replacements."
"Excuse me?" the head of the trio asked in a miffed tone of warning.
"I mean uhhh... um... that you've shown very interesting qualities that will prove useful to him and your pursuit for more of those artifacts you hold dear! He’s promised me a chance to study such strange items that my instruments have tracked while I was gone. Ever since Canterlot had some kind of incident that tore down the front entrance, one of my latest detectors recorded a strange energy frequency a few days ago. The energy readings all point to something surrounding that school. Oh how right I was when he found me!” she squirmed happily in her seat further justifying her position among the girls.
By now the all but two were dumbfounded by Twilight before them, "You see I've kind of been a researcher since I was young, my family works at an observatory and such which grew my appreciation for the great beyond of our daily lives. I always excelled in my studies to the point I graduated top of my class, but that didn't garner any friends or allies. Around here things are really personal and to get ahead of everyone else you make enemies more than acquaintances. Crystal Prep was to be the safe haven for my intellectual pursuits but even there the other students are... hard to cope with." Sparkle sighed as if she had been fighting a long battle with no gains.
Sonata hummed gently, "So like, you're the odd fish in the school?"
Twilight agreed, "Yes, and things were still going as planned even without... outside assistance. But a mysterious donor stopped by and they wanted to see my personal laboratory Principle Cinch set aside for me. When I showed him my two ideas I had been trying to make reality, he personally displayed a whole new type of technology I couldn't pass up. Magic!"
Aria sat against the booth's cushioned seat more bothered by the running words than Twilight's presence anymore, "So a stranger shows you something special and you freak out. Big deal."
The Crystal Prep student furrowed her brows slightly, "When you can turn a fragment of aluminum into pure solid gold then yes it's quite the big deal! I even verified it with a small electron microscope... there was no room for denial!"
"What's an electrode microscope?" Dusk scratched her head in confusion.
The server arrived right before either of the other two could reprimand her, quietly he deposited the large white plates on a much larger plastic tray to the table. Each of the girls receiving what they asked for with a steaming pile of tantalizing food ready to eat at their whim. When he bid them a good evening none said a word to in return, more or less the sirens were occupied with just who exactly they were dealing with.
"How about this, tell us your name first and go easy on the words if you could? We're singers after all." Dazzle advised leaving her dish untouched, though after a snap of the fingers the rest dug in.
"Oh! I'm soo sorry! You can call me Twilight Sparkle, I live in the eastern area of the town at Running Rivers Residence. I'm about to turn sixteen in two months, you pretty much know the rest about Crystal Prep though." the young woman reached for her bundled up eating utensils and set about prepping to eat.
Again nothing but truth and it infuriated Adagio, she did not want to agree to an outsider getting close to them as it only meant another means for the Rainbooms to get information out of them. The girl herself was an easy nut to crack and would prove to be a weak point in their obscurity, even after the tiff with the Canterlot lames. Yet if she was the real deal, going back against their benefactor's generosity would only serve to retard their ascension or take it away completely. It was a tougher decision to make than she was ready to handle.
Dazzle sighed heavily finding no other way beyond seeing things through, which if worse came to shove they could use their memory altering magic to stall the potential blabber mouth at their table. Though it was one more loose end to worry about, she hoped would be a minimal factor they could easily cap the tube from spewing details about their activities.
"Look, let's just eat first and we'll worry about everything else afterwards." she grunted and dove into her fish with ravenous hunger.
Once the rather smooth going dinner ended, Twilight effortlessly took care of the payment with a hefty tip. To which she said was courtesy of their benefactor before setting the twenty bit gratuity down. Outside however, the girl followed them a ways before it earned Adagio’s curious attention, she wasn't leaving like she hoped would occur. Which only meant that there was more to the request than she expected to put up with, tagging along was one thing but sticking to them like a remora was another.
After turning a corner on their way to the Inn Adagio spoke up, “So what, you're going to follow us home? I don’t remember anything beyond association from this patron of ours.” Aria muttered something under her breath with her arms folded.
Twilight took the hint and motioned to her backpack by tapping it with her right hand, “Oh ya about that, he’s given me something to give you that needs me to re-calibrate for your use. You kind of surprised him with your progress and its accelerated the plans he's had set up for a while now. I can only show you behind closed doors however, so if you won’t mind I’ll need to bunk with you even if it’s just a couch or a chair?” Twilight adjusted her glasses and awaited the response in all seriousness, "The floor with a pillow and a sheet?"
If it were not the case of their shared venture, her likeness to their foe they vowed to fight again would have caused a loud answer of denial to her request. However, their gem could disappear for all she knew if they even so much as breathed a desire to leave with the ruby for their own accord. It would be just for the night anyways as Adagio kept telling herself, a headache starting to build up from the fantastic developments.
“Fine, you are on the couch and once the lights are off it's sleep. We get up around eight and we’re out the door in fifteen minutes. You're late, you're left behind. Consider this generous of us.” Adagio ordered before the Inn came within view.
Sonata patted the nerdy girl’s shoulder and smiled, "You're sooo gonna love it there, Dagi picked it out herself and she never skimps out on a good place to bunk in! We can share stories, you can show us what you're hiding, we have a laugh, and good times for realzies!!"
Canterlot Royal Library- Black Tape Archives
Night after possible night that could be permitted, the secret section only open to the highest clearance within the Arcana and to the Princesses finally saw use once again. Inside the vault itself was a design built during the middle years of the Classical Era, constructed into the mountain of Canterhorn with the express purpose of locking certain things away. The stone and old marble were carved long before the two sisters had ever come close to their power as the celestial entities they currently were. Where the huge doors opened up they lead down a main walkway three pony widths wide, high traffic was a rarity or never once considered by the makers.
To the right was the crescent wall bowing outwards, no shelves except neck high cubbies filled with ancient scrolls when ponies only knew of ways or writing. Nothing but four rows of rolled up papyrus which shimmered with magic that kept them locked in stasis for posterity still smelled of the fresh pulp they were pressed from, Luna knew it would get a rise from her fellow alicorn. Delicate data that had to be handled with utmost care extended along the half moon shape of the right side of the archive, the four rings radiated outward with the shortest at the very walkway. To the left were four carved and polished oak wood tables put together with little to no care of their elegance, there was still bark along the edge of the table and its one leg. Though treated with some kind of glossy resin, they'd probably not see much use by the new occupants even though their rustic utilitarian design was admirable.
Beyond the archaic furnishings were the meat and gravy to Twilight's presence inside the Black Tape section, eight rows of book shelves brimming with muted earth tones. While it had been only the third time that Luna would spend a great deal of time in the awful place of dark knowledge, her charge nearly drooled a little with glossy eyes in the temporary captivation that consumed her. Six more book shelves rest atop the second level where two granite stairways rose between the archive wall and the last row of books to complete the oval formation of the entire chamber. The musty smell of collected material were something all its own, to the lavender mare it was the scent of ultimate knowledge even if she couldn't read it all. The twitching wings of excitement were enough to Luna to say her peace on their first day in the vault. Her words were thankfully memorized as she checked with the young princess each and every time they entered for research, they were more than just words.
"Remember Twilight what I say, and I want you to repeat it each and every time we come here. Can you promise me this?" she had asked before they delved too deep into the lingering traps of black magic.
It took a moment before a reply was formulated from the librarian herself, "Yes... Princess Luna, whatever you need of me I can do it!" she hesitantly tore her gaze from the countless books and categorization she desperately needed to analyze, "l Pinkie Promise to uphold anything!"
Sensing the slight pull of natural curiosity tugging the alicorn's attention Luna made haste, “There are no things ponies were not meant to know. There are, perhaps, things ponies are unprepared to figure out." her visage bore the stone stillness of a bust in the royal hallways, "But that's a different problem.”
It thankfully sat well in her one pony audience, "What do you mean Princess?"
The dark blue diarch softened a little with a smile like the dear called Fluttershy, "Exactly that, what lies in this confidential vault which has been stricken from public knowledge... is in itself trying to seek open eyes and an innocent mind to which to latch onto. While yes this vault is encapsulated by the magic of the Old Order in which the powers here are prevented from acting out, their influence yet extends. Have you not realized that this location is not better guarded by ponies?" she asked a her legs gradually walked forward, Twilight followed alongside once she passed her.
"I would have thought the Palace itself was well fortified in terms of the defenses already in place? What else could get through?" their hooves clopped and echoed as the two were alone inside.
Princess Luna chuckled to herself recollecting the rest of the conversation, as there she stood upon the second level watching from the railing. Her horn glowed with her mana aura with a detection spell being fed during their time spent in the archive, she would know if something insidious were trying to get a hold on either of the two alicorns.
Her magic was not the only defense passively observing for any triggers, dotting all around the dome ceiling of the chamber's brick lining were mock unicorn statues. Busts jutting out of the very curvatures from the shoulders up representing and honoring the Old Order that once protected the watched over the ponies of yor. Their stone horns were said to contain the wards that kept the virulent evil trapped within and from entering, how they remained still powered was enscribed in each of the busts themselves. Marble plaques hung under with their names and the time of their great sacrifice, how they transferred all of themselves into the statues to forever guard the Black Tape section.
They too watched with unwavering sight of all sights, emotionless blank stares off into the void of space but everywhere all the same. She returned their immortal stewardship with the gratitude of that filly who once knew them during their time on Equis, their true faces and voices fading in and out in her thoughts. By sharing their duty she would make it up to everypony for falling to the shadows and their seductive promises, they would never harm another pony if she could stop it.
She relaxed a little gazing at one particular unicorn stallion and mare whose depictions were side by side unlike the rest, "Never again... Clover the Clever... Meridian of Magicks..."
A clink and bang from the only entrance into the library opened up, drawing her attention away if only in mental awareness. She knew the only ones who could come in were her own thestrals, anything else would have met battle before even setting a hoof on the gem studded doors.
The commander of the Night Guard walked in calmly and bowed to the princesses, "Anything to report Sir Steel?" Luna asked as her horn hummed from the scanning spell.
His piercing eyes honed in on hers as was customary of his tribe in sincerity, "No your highness, only two requests for your audience we deemed secondary importance. Court Aid Nightly Quill will handle the Nobles. As for operations..." the doors closed behind him from Stellar's mouth upon the handle pulling it shut, "No activity to discuss, all is quiet on every front."
"And I feel it troubles you?" she inquired keeping her focus split but malleable nonetheless.
He gave a glance at the other princess who had begun her work on the first row of shelves in the back half, "Quiet means they're planning Princess, quiet means they are not letting their runners try to spy on this room, quiet means... they have something big in the works. Perhaps just like the Argentum Falls incident."
"Hmm... yes the Agents as I've heard were on the rise not a few months ago. Now they've gone into hiding? For what nefarious purpose do they act out of the norm as they say?" she rubbed the upper side of her hoof under her chin attempting to guess herself.
"Commander Stellar's Haunters Platoon has been tasked with investigating new hide outs, missing pony reports, and strange occurrences reported to Guard Posts. From what I'd assume, this has happened almost too coincidental with the missing artifact Princess Twilight is looking into. I read the report Princess Celestia sent to all the Heads..." he explained, the depth of his voice low and questing.
Luna set her hoof back down to close her eyes, her mind working around the light strain of the spell still in use, "While she meant well in trying to understand a foe we may very well still have somewhere along our shores, it was perhaps... a venture best gained within Canterlot walls?" she attempted to convey her volume so that only the officer heard her, "Nevertheless, we have the reservists awaiting application, you have my permission to access their numbers and bolster the investigations. It should hurry the process and uproot those wayward ponies who have given into temptation, the Treasury has enough spare bits for a few nights of additional warriors. Sally forth and figure out why the A.O.S. has become calm and end what plans they have brewing in their summoning cauldrons. Sir Steel!"
"By your command." the armored bat winged pony bowed again.
He turned and tapped upon the large doors which cracked ajar for his leave to be permitted, but in his wake was a worry that sat upon Luna's withers. An entire kingdom suffering no ills of dark magicians who normally commit some crime thrice in a night, a hide out expunged and destroyed, or some summoned evil spirit hungry for magic that could grant a wish to the summoner. For all of the sudden to be no crimes against harmony and peace to last for the first week in an era, it only painted a dangerous picture that even the Princess of the Night dared not fathom.
'My fellow ponies know where to look, who to question, what to seek. If they can't find the Agents now... then indeed something is going to happen that will be of disaster to all. Twilight was right to insist on finding who might be at the cause of all this', she breathed out to relax, 'At least she only needs to read the journals and biographical content of this forsaken vault. She's already been through the spell specific section about that siren gem twice and none of that material was inherently dangerous.'
She turned her gaze from the only doors in the stone room to the little lavender pony surrounded by towers of books and old tomes. Papers and scrolls that would never leave the library were organized in size and category from the slot section of the shelves, they were read through with another stack of notes off to the side. Those would be burned once Twilight had what she needed, affirmation that the stone was dangerous or not and if somepony of great malice had taken it only solidified their immediate scrubbing to avoid another from repeating.
Twilight's job had only just begun after finding no pertinent information on sirens at all nor any mention of such gems and their specific spells. It was why she had such a hard time combating the Dazzlings in the first place, mind magic and soul leech were classified to all just for that reason of many. Of all the foes she had fought already to date, she had been sure there might be other powerful magical artifacts that shared their pendants properties. Unfortunately all she came across were the usual copy cat Alicorn Amulets and cursed objects which did their damage and were locked away by the Arcana or Celestia herself. Though what appeared strange to Twilight was the innate fact that beyond the alicorn amulet, the majority of the dangerous objects and spells were not made by pony hooves or horns.
"Well... that's strange indeed? I may not have found anything about Adagio's species, but you would have thought the scribes who created these records would have made record keeping a tad more organized? It's like these are just a bunch of notes put into a book and slapped onto a shelf!" she scornfully reviewed and wrote the issue on a small note piece for later request to update the archive's D.D.S., "I cannot fathom how the sirens were the only ones Equestria has ever seen?! Surely they're not spirits as they wouldn't have had real flesh and blood bodies after being exiled to Sunset's world? Right?"
Her focus soon interrupted by a burst of a bubble before her as it spontaneously manifested and grew exponentially, causing her back legs to launch her body into the air out of fright. Nearly falling backwards and slamming her behind on the hard stone blocks of the floor, she caught herself by a few flaps of her wings and avoided a painful landing with stability brought upon the hind hooves. Having already stressing through the proving information of irrelevance, her heart pounded against the rib enclosure like a cat that sprang a feral trap. Twisting and turning her head like a startled gopher, she feared that something had become of one of the supposed cursed books and tried to get her unawares. Yet as she searched for some tendril of dark magic or wisp of evil there seemed to be nothing to the little startle she received, perhaps at best an illusion played as a prank?
When her wings brought her back to all four hooves, she expected to find Rainbow to of somehow been involved but her speculation was granted only contained giggles. Her ears traced the source of mirth up to Luna from above the stone platform.
The elegant princess dropped her masking hoof and cleared her throat a little, "Do not worry young Twilight, that is just the fresh air being brought in by the guardians." she gave a glance to the unicorns around them, "Without that spell this whole room would be uninhabitable without oxygen and polluted by the gases of the crystal mines below. Ever wonder why there are so many windows in the Royal Palace if not just for observing the fair lands?"
The very idea seemed to glisten in Twilight's inquisitive orbs like a foal being shown a well orchestrated magic show, "Atmospheric control? During their times? But I thought general understanding of cavern environments were not understood until Gold Canary's studies in ventilation magic after the Discordian Era? They have to be generations old and predate his analysis of the dangerous gases that existed in subterranean systems?! On top of all that I didn't think they had capacitor gems that far back, the earliest use of such storage units goes back to the Reneighssance after Discord's first defeat? Or was it after the Bronze Age? Ohhh!! I haven't even looked into the Black Tape structure since we first arrived yet!!" berated herself for missing out on an educational discovery, a paper and quill manifested before her to jot down a new to do list.
What mirth had spread upon Luna's muzzle quickly faded away like the light of the sun from a passing cloud. For what she saw in the lavender mare was still such an innocent mind eager to learn with an open mind, one yet to be marred by the caress of darkness. It touched her within the depths of her chest to see such vigor and resilience to the trials the young princess had already endured, and while endearing it was still truly untested by what lurked in the vault they stood in. That in itself was a danger to go both unmolested and with no knowledge of secret chamber, that was what shadows loved in a new host. Even with her magic spread across the entirety of the room waiting for such a fell tempting power to stir, it was but a deterrent. If ever a time was appropriate to teach the new royal the reality of the world her fellows knew all too well, the sanctity of the vault was perfect.
Large nightly wings extended to their fullest before taking the princess off the elevated level, daintily she drifted like a butterfly down onto ground level ever graceful as she had been groomed into since fillyhood. Hooves tapped lightly onto the stone masonry where the two soon closed in distance, but her eyes were set on the busts themselves all the while. That gaze bore the memories of the past, to any aware enough of others they could detect what was going to be said before even a word was uttered.
Waiting with bated watched patiently as her note and quill popped away out of respect, "I had hoped we would not have to discuss this matter so soon... of all places in fact. Rather with my sister and I before a tray of tea before a gentle fire... but all things must happen at some point in time and what more pressing to divulge than now?" she said to herself aloud, "The founding of Equestria, the stories like Hearth's Warming Eve, the defeat of the Windegos, and Discord... stories our little ponies and compatriots hold so dear. What would their lives be if they knew the whole story?"
The question seemed tricky to take with no easy way to comprehend at first, "I'm sorry? I don't follow Princess, what do you mean the whole story? What else is there to know about the kingdom's creation? The three tribes came across Equestria, quarreled when their differences fed the Windegos, and came together before they were lost to their own lack of harmony and friendship?"
The title was received with a dim chuckle more depressing than of muse, "Please young Twilight, let us keep to simplicity. Where we stand we are equal, so I am Luna and you are Twilight as friends and sisters. Remember how you helped me integrate into pony society those crucial times? Begone is our magic as alicorns, for the contents of this place see as as nothing more than pawns no different than the next."
"Luna? You're kind of spooking me with that kind of wording. What do you mean when you said the 'contents of this place'? It's like we're in more danger than you already let on?"
"Only in the term of adequate knowledge and how one would receive it is anypony in any elevated way of harm." she turned her sight upon the smaller mare squarely as if a teacher were trying to instill a lesson into a new student, "All of this... what does it mean to you as a protector of Equestria and the true meaning of Friendship? To know that something like this exists? You knew only of it because Celestia mentioned it some time ago am I not correct?"
She nodded with worried brows expressing the sense of disconcerting ever growing, "Uhh... yes, it was after the Changeling Invasion where I finally learned about the entrance to here. I had attempted to look for the Changelings in any further details to no success before I returned to ponyville once the wedding was over... I happened to see Scholar Arcana staff enter a door I was always told was a storage closet, but it had guards posted at all times. I never would have thought it was a hidden vault until I asked Celestia about it."
A smile graced the elder alicorn for a moment, "To say that the aforementioned moments of our kingdom were the pinnacle of hardship and later the likes of Grogar and Tirek. It is to admit that they were but trying times of many, and of those times these records, diaries, spell tomes, and manuscripts of fell magicks and rouges were apart of which made our home the way it is today. But it is a keep of potential ponies can often fall to the wayside and into ruin that not even harmony itself can prevent. Which is why she did not ever tell you of it until you asked after the attack. I'm sure she denied access into it either way?"
"Unfortunately yes, she said it wasn't a regular archive I could simply walk into and read, but I was not informed that it kept records of our history or of past criminals I never knew about? Why would any be stored away as if it were a bad thing to know, I mean we have the necromancer Grogar as common knowledge?! What records are so horrible to read about that it had to be hidden... was my first question when she said no. I... I..." she deflated from the building indignation, "I understood I couldn't go in there when she made me promise. I was also later told about an old student of hers to whom she was glad I did not harbor the same drive in information acquisition. The same pony I have helped and now call my friend, she lives on the other side of the magic mirror."
Luna felt a peak of humbling happiness, "Ah yes, the mirror of Starswirl the Bearded, I remember that magical conundrum from so long ago. Both a moral and an ethical plight that cranky old mage struggled with his own collegues." she shook her head to the other mare's queues to know more of that particular information, "Tis the peaceful nature and friendship that you embody Twilight which separates you from the chaff. But it is why I or my sister in any case must be here for your protection, I'm sure the battle that secured the Crystal Empire's return and permanent stay is still fresh in your memories is it not?"
"You mean King Sombra?" she replied as the thought crept a sliver of fearful caution into the air around her more potent than before.
Luna looked back up to the gray static heads as a few new bubbles began to grow high near the ceiling, "The saying I had you memorize is actually a passive ward for your safety Twilight, it is to prevent the same from befalling you as had the Dark Crystal Tyrant. It is why only high level mages who pass Celestia's test can gain use of this grotesque storage, you may never even feel the few here attempt to call you towards them. It is because of my magic that you are in little more than a simple confidential records depot."
That admittance got a rise out of the young princess, "I don't understand how I couldn't have sensed your magic though? Wards usually trigger some sensation along the epidermis or coats to signify it is properly performed?"
"A good response, while most wards have a viable sensation you seemed to have forgotten the realm of which I protect? Mental magic is my domain, and with it is more subtly than standard magical spells. It only serves to strengthen the protective barrier if the one who receives it is unaware, least they hear the whispers over there." Twilight followed the older mare's gaze to the rows of book shelves as if there were vipers sleeping among the books.
She swallowed the moisture that grew in her mouth and nervously glanced back and forth between the tomes and her guardian protector.
Luna gave a hateful glare at the bulk of the archive, "As I said before, Equestria and its pony denizens have had more foes than we'd care to divulge."
Twilight squinted as if in disbelief, "Wait? You don't mean that all of this... these confiscated materials and accounts nearly doomed ponykind?!"
A strong nod followed, "Evil is not only in the form of a power hungry foe, nor a necromancer from a foreign land young Twilight. It can also come in the form of the curious, the inventive, the studious, and the hopeful where their efforts do not always produce the next common household good or new magic to help everypony as much as contributing to society. It is only thankful that this Archive has only amassed so much from the diligence of the Scholar Arcana's ceaseless efforts since the Old Order, taking up the mantle in their steed so that foals may sleep and the laborer earns their fair lives."
Still aghast that much of what she knew of supposed baddies were likely no better than cookie jar thieves by the growing evidence, "I cannot understand why learning about ponies who commit crimes is apparently forbidden? Everypony I ever helped and reformed were sorry for their actions and went on to lead better lives... well except one pony." the one unicorn who pressed for equality was the only one other than Trixie who refused to become better, yet even that egomaniac calmed down eventually.
Luna stared her dead in the eye with a stern posture befitting the Dream Walker of the land, "As I asked you to remember the phrasing, I meant it when I said that ponies do not understand with what powers they goad. Not everypony can be reformed, some just... have enough resentment, drive, or are merely puppets to something far greater than themselves. You cannot hope to save them all young Twilight, that is why this Archive exists... you and your friends were not the only group who championed peace and harmony." wings of dark blue stretched out from Luna's withers, her appendages soon shimmered as orbs of white light took form at the tips of the feathers.
The spheres soon gave way to pictures, the likes of which were uncannily like those of the busts above them in the ring around the ceiling. Unicorns sometimes by themselves, others had members of the other tribes including the thestrals happily posing as jaunty friends in a cheerful moment. All different colors of the vast spectrum, all in different times and bits of clothing, all of varying appearances both of battle weary and age. Twilight managed to identify most if not all of them to their corresponding statue, once Luna knew it too she canceled the spell and folded her wings once more.
"Others like us?" Twilight softly gawked with a mouth ajar, "The Old Order... they kept the peace from those who'd bring ruin... Just like Trixie and the amulet, Sunset and my crown! The same thing happened elsewhere in the past generations ago? But why? Why where they removed from common knowledge? If ponies grew up learning about the Old Order and their love for their fellow pony regardless of tribal differences, wouldn't that have helped us as a whole for years to come? When did they live Luna? I have to know more!"
The teacher could only nuzzle her peer with empathy, she'd come to understand even if she hated how things had been decided as just. Truth was not always a cupcake with sprinkles from the pink earth pony, it was often a hard lesson to accept as the means justified the end.
"They lived during the great migration and established themselves as the Old Order when pony hooves came ashore. Forged from the fires wrought by those who unwittingly brought dark magic to the new land and which the Tree of Harmony reacted to as an immune system would respond. Whether it was a family heirloom that brought fortune, a trinket which promised rain for crops, or even special gems which protected ponies from the new creatures that they came into contact with. Evil had taken over the once holy and pure items, gradually the darkness usurped the migrants lives for its own ends." Luna said sensing the tugging nag of questions waiting to be asked by her peer.
She waited and heard, "But it sounds like the migrants were innocent? Why still are they not spoken about?" I..."
A silver armored hoof rose up as gentle as a breezie in flight which paused her questioning before it went unchecked, "The evil young Twilight was defeated by the Old Order and their mediums destroyed or buried in the deepest holes to never see the light of day again. These fights rallied others to the unicorns side once they were free, and the final blows were dealt to deliver victory. But alas, the sweat and tears of success were temporary as the true foe the unicorns banished were only halted... not vanquished for eternity. They came back a second time with a vengeance which brought about the ire which drew the Windegos and lead the three tribes to fight over the whole of Equestria back then. By that time it was discovered that they survived through lingering memories, merely recollecting them without proper wards allowed them to leech magic away from an innocent pony. Giving them form and the ability to act on our plane of reality. That is the primary reason this archive exists, those scrolls over there date back to pre-exodus times that were saved."
The reason left the young royal all but motionless, never had she ever heard of a magic that worked in such nefarious ways. Even Black Magic needed to be acted upon to take hold and to affect others a spell would have to be placed on them as well. Yet merely mentioning them was a shoe in way for the unnamed darkness to step hoof into reality, it begged even more questions as to the homes of the ancestral ponies that made Equestria. But she panicked instead, wondering if she were in fact eliciting a call to the very fell magics and jump start the doom of so many lives. She had forgotten the passive ward upon her that Luna granted an all encompassing shield against the Archive itself.
Luna heard the growing crescendo of breathing as it became laborious, her peer appeared to be experiencing a minor freak out as it seemed. The hairs on her mane began to stick out, pupils shrank, a quiet nearly silent mumbling passed between her lips as she tried to find a spell in her memories that might stop the infection. The blue alicorn took a deep breath herself and blew upon the other with the softness of a fall wind, and with it came a nullifying placid aura which calmed Twilight from her dread.
The very mare fell onto her rump lucid yet a little dazed, her eyes blinking away as her mind came back from the blank slate washed by Luna's magic, "Wha... what happened?"
She came to with only the sights of the scrolls and books she ruffled through earlier and something about a popping sound that scared her witless. A pair of downy soft feathers blanketed her body before she realized that another pony was hugging her, their chin resting upon the top of her head in an endearing way. It was oddly comforting when the nightly feathers and fur were just like another greater pony she knew since she was filly, that large pearl white barrel with an emanating warmth the kind Spike gave off being the dragonling he was. Yet in the opposite fashion she felt the fresh grasp of a mountain fed stream, crystal clear and unsullied by light sediment or mud. Still unsure of what just happened she did what she could only think of in a situation as such, cautiously she nuzzled into Luna.
"You have so much to learn young Twilight." the larger princess whispered, "We will pick up where we left off at another time. But perhaps for now we should indeed focus on your friend and the fate of their world if that is to be the case with that gem."
"Ummm... okay?" Sparkle answered with reservation.