//------------------------------// // Where Angels Fear to Tread // Story: The Guiding of the Sirens // by Mamoru Kisho //------------------------------// Chapter Three: Where Angels Fear To Tread Comet stood at the counter of the music shop, his boss having called him in for work today. He planned on keeping tabs on Vorpal while he was in the library, completely certain that the sirens would be there as well. However, he was stuck manning the register at the manager’s request. Business today had be particularly slow, which is not surprising given that it was Wednesday. As his mind wandered due to boredom, the wall-mounted phone rang. He quickly jumped to attention and rushed to pick up the receiver. “Paradise Lost Record Store. How may I help you today?” The clerk perked up once he heard the voice on the other end. “Hey there, mom. What’s with the landline ring? I can’t take personal calls on-” he stopped abruptly as he listened to her explanation. “Oh, it is?” He pulled his cell phone out from his pocket. Even though he distinctly remembered to charge it, the phone was off. “I must’ve hit the power button by mistake. I’ll call him as soon as I’m out. Love you too, mom.” He hung up the phone just as another customer walked through the door, the little door bell ringing its familiar chime as he turned and greeted them. “Welcome to Paradise Lost Record Store, how can I help-” “Hi hi!” said a rather energetic girl. Comet’s smile quickly turned into a grimace at the sight of Aria and Sonata. “Oh great…” he said in a disdainful tone. Sonata kept waving rather innocently at him as she stood near the doorway. Aria grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her toward the bargain bin, the blue-haired songstress waving with her free hand until the store shelves blocked them from the clerk’s sight. “Okay, okay. They’re just two normal girls looking for some music. They’ll know exactly what they’re searching for, they’ll bring it up, I’ll have them checked out and gone in less than a minute.” The sound of a beaded curtain startled him, expecting the sirens to be upon him in a split second. Instead, a large stack of boxes pushed their way through the doorway, followed by a third girl. Unlike the other two, the clerk visibly relaxed around her. Pop Beat, Comet’s boss and manager of Paradise Falls, was quite the cheerful girl. Her blonde hair was fashioned in a large pair of buns atop her head, and the look in her rose-pink eyes was that of almost-pure innocence. A girly tank top and bubblegum-pink skirt covered her modestly, along with a blue staff apron that draped from her shoulders. The only thing keeping her from walking around barefoot was a pair of sandals, clapping softly as she made her way to a section of empty shelves. “Hey there, Pop” he said. “Hiiii!” she replied in a chipper voice. “I can’t apologize enough for calling you in today, but I needed someone to watch the shop while I sort out all the new inventory.” “Don’t sweat it. I needed the extra hours, anyway.” “How’s Vorpal doing?” she asked. “I noticed he wasn’t following you around giving you a lecture or hounding you for some notes he lent to you.” “He’s alright. I’m just worried that he might start hanging out with a very bad crowd.” He slightly raised his voice mid-sentence as he spotted the two sirens emerging from an aisle. “Really? That sweet little bookworm? He’s not in trouble, is he?” “No, no, he’s fine. At least for the time being.” He broke his gaze on the duo and looked over to his boss as she struggled to set the stack of boxes down. “Are you sure you wouldn’t mind switching? I can stock the shelves just fine.” “Don’t be ridiculous!” she answered. “The reason I asked you to man the register was so I could be the first one to lay hands on these!” After deftly cutting off the tape of the topmost box with a box cutter, she grabbed a few CD cases and started placing them on the shelves before turning back to her employee with one of them in hand. “The new Countess Coloratura album?” he asked with a raised eyebrow. “Mm-hm! I’ve been waiting all month for it to arrive.” She placed the case with the rest of the albums, then grabbed another handful. “But since store policy states that I can’t hide a copy for myself, I’ll just have to settle with the previous album for now.” As they continued to chat among themselves, Aria stood on her toes peeked over the rows of cases. Noticing that the clerks weren’t paying them any mind, she lowered herself and continued browsing through the selection of music. “They must really like music if they’re working in a place like this.” Sonata rifled through a stack of cases and grabbed a pair. “Just look at this stuff. There’s technopop, soft rock, heavy metal, even rap and country.” Aria rolled her eyes as she took Sonata’s items and placed them back. “It’s true that there’s plenty of genres to look through, but it’s not like it’ll ever rival our own talent.” “Hello, what talent?” asked the blue-haired siren. “Our gems broke, remember?” Her sister simply pouted and answered, “You don’t have to remind me.” Sonata simply ignored her sullen sibling, or at least didn’t acknowledge her disdain. “You don’t think we’ll also branch out and find something else we’re good at, do you?” “You mean like Adagio?” “Yeah, exactly! She’s really gotten into writing recently. I mean, it’s pretty terrible, but at least she’s trying!” Aria rubbed her chin in thought. “Now that you mention it, she HAS been pretty secretive about it. I looked through her bag to grab some notes for one of our classes and she practically tore it from my hands.” “Ooo, do you think it’s a surprise for us? You know, for all the hard work we’ve been doing by helping her out with finding some spell to get our gems back?” Aria shushed Sonata and looked back at the clerks. Apart from the faint sound of pop music coming from a portable radio on the counter and Comet burying his head in his arms, the store was still as quiet as before. “Listen, we came here to get some new music so we don’t tear our hair in boredom. That means keeping your trap shut about the whole gem business. Understand?” Sonata nodded and presented a couple of cases to Aria. “I like these the most, by the way.” Back at the counter, Comet jabs a finger onto the radio’s off button, unable to stomach Pop’s music for a second longer. “Unless it has people playing real instruments, I’d rather listen to elevator muzak.” “Pfft, no fun” she replied. “Excuse me”, Aria chimed as she and Sonata approached the counter. “We’d like to check out now.” Comet shot another dirty glance at the duo only for Pop to notice this time around. “Comet, what’s with that face? Ring ‘em up, but with a smile.” She punctuated her last statement with a smile that could only be described as unnecessarily cheesy from anyone but Pop Beat’s perspective. Fearing a dock in his pay, the clerk could only bow his head and sigh. “Fine.” Forcing a toothy grin, he greeted the sirens through gritted teeth. “May I ring those up for you, ladies?” “Why yes you may” Aria responded in a mocking tone. “Very well,” replied the grump with a bit more annoyance in his voice. “Will that be all for you today?” His manager smiled as she finished unboxing, apparently satisfied despite his obvious grudge against the sirens. Once Pop disappeared past the bead curtain, Comet quickly turned his gaze back at the sirens. “Alright, what’s your game, Blaze? The school wasn’t enough for you, so you’re plotting on taking local businesses instead?” “Give me a break,” she answered, brushing aside a wayward lock of hair. “We’re just here as normal customers. No need to go into interrogator mode.” He stared intensely into her eyes only to be met with an indifferent stare of her own along with crossed arms. After a few seconds, he relaxed and took the CDs from Sonata’s hands. “I believe you. Just this once.” Comet never broke eye contact with the sirens, scanning the cases all the while. “That’ll be twelve bits.” “Twelve bits for some plastic” Aria muttered under her breath while handing the money. “Practically highway robbery.” Comet gave her the change and placed the CDs in a plastic bag. “Thank you for shopping at Paradise Falls.” Just as Aria reached for the bag, he pulled it away slightly. “Hey, what gives?” Still holding onto the bag, he looked at Sonata then back to Aria. “Are you two aware of a particular alley nearby?” “Can you be more specific?” asked Aria. “Alright, listen up. Normally, I couldn’t care less about what happens to someone that messes with our school, especially if they aren’t even human, but I don’t want your sentient cheese puff leader to hunt me down like a dog if anything happened to either of you and I could’ve avoided it.” He paused for a second before handing the items over. “There’s only one place you three could be bunking at, and the alley in question just so happens to be on the way.” “Again, we need details.” Aria now showed signs of irritation at being kept waiting. “We pass like a dozen alleys on the way home. “The one between Mane Street and Hoofmark Avenue. Serious-looking group of students that are bitter about last weekend’s commotion. Word is that they’re hoping to catch you off-guard.” “I think we can handle some students on our own. Come on, Sonata.” Aria took her sister by the hand only for the latter to pull away. Sonata leaned on the counter toward Comet, much to his discomfort, casting a doe-like stare at him. “Is there a safer way back to our motel? Surely a human like you - someone who’s much smarter than us sirens - knows how we can avoid the big bad band of students?” This only proved to irritate him further, but decided to divulge the information regardless if only to finally have them gone. “Just walk one block south.” “Thanks again for the warning, I guess.” Aria made her way out of the record shop, Sonata following after giving Comet one last wave. Later that night, groceries and knick knacks in tow, the two headed home. Aria had been tuning out Sonata for most of the walk given that the latter was on another talk about adjusting to human society. The airhead continue her chatter as they approached the next block. “Just think about it! No more having to hide, no reason to even bother ourselves with preparing three meals a day! All we have to do is find our talent and put it to good use!” “The only problem is that our one talent is useless now!” Aria yelled between bites of a store-bought cheese sandwich. “As a matter of fact, it was our only source of income BEFORE this mess.” “That’s WHY we need to find something else we’re good at!” replied Sonata. “I was thinking we could do a bit of modeling, maybe something in the food department…” Neither siren paid attention to their current surroundings. As they walked down the alley between Mane and Hoofmark, there was a sense of dread hanging in the air. The girls didn’t notice until they were already halfway through the narrow alleyway, a group of students - ten in total - blocking their path in and out. “Well well well, look what we have here”, rang a feminine voice from ahead of them. “If it isn’t the runner-up stars of the Battle of the Bands.” One of the students stepped forward out of the shadows of the alleyway. She was rather tall for her age, giving her a more intimidating appearance than usual. Aria recognized some of them, unable to forget the same faces that glared at her during her daily class routine, but she didn’t exactly remember their names. “Oh, it’s you dimwits” she replied, making sure not to appear more arrogant than needed. “What’s this about?” “You know exactly what this is about.” The girl started pacing back and forth between her colleagues and the sirens. “A trio of girls arrive at our school on the day of the musical showcase. All of a sudden, Principal Celestia makes an announcement that instead of a showcase, we were going to have a competition.” “Let me guess”, interrupted Aria with a smirk. “You’re angry about the change because all of you are sheltered middle-class kids that can’t handle a little healthy competition.” “Exactly!” replied one of the boys in the group. “Quiet!” yelled their leader. “As I was saying, you and your big-haired moron of a leader changed something that was meant to be a bonding experience for the entire school and instead it tore us apart.” “If that’s what has your panties in a twist, then go do some of that bonding crap on your own. We have our own plans.” “Oh? Plans, you say?” The mob leader snapped her fingers. Several of the students pulled out rolls of duct tape and cardboard signs with humiliating messages written on them. “I’m afraid your plans are going to be put on hold...indefinitely.” The group started closing in on the two, their mouths twisting into devilish grins. The sound of tearing duct tape filled the air as they prepared to bind the sirens. “Aria, I know we’re not pushovers when it comes to fighting back, but I don’t think either of us could last long against this many.” “Just let me think for a second! This is usually when Adagio hatches some sort of brilliant plan to get us out of trouble as always.” *CLANGCLANGCLANG* The sound of a trash can struck repeatedly echoed loudly throughout the alleyway. As the mob covered their ears at the racket, the duo slipped past them toward the direction of the noise. Once they were away from the center of the group, the clanging stopped. “‘Ello.” said a very familiar, if somewhat accented voice. “I’m the store clerk.” “For god’s sakes, Comet.” said a girl in the mob. “What the hell was that about?” He deflected her question with one of his own. “What the hell is THIS about?” “Very funny, dude” said one of the male students in a sarcastic tone. “We were about to tie up those two for last weekend. You want in?” He tossed an unused roll of duct tape at the store clerk, who caught it with his free hand. Comet played with the tape for a moment before looking over at Sonata and Aria. He directed his gaze back at the mob before tossing the roll back. “Nah. Don’t really feel up to it.” “Well then, move” piped one of the female students next. “You hate them as much as we do, so you’ll keep this quiet, right?” Aria interjected, “Or he could save us and lord it over us for his benefit.” “What she said”, added the clerk. The mob all looked at him in surprise. He wasn’t serious, was he? “What was that?” asked the leader. “You heard me,” he replied. “I’m going to get them out of this, hold it over their head and call in a favor when I find it convenient. Maybe I can get them to show up wearing sailor uniforms or…” “And how do you propose to do that?” “I don’t know, figured you’d all sit down with me and talk about this like mature-- IS THAT A UFO?” Comet pointed above the alley. Several of the students fell for his ruse, but the girl leading the pack was unamused, as well as Aria. “You’ve got to be kidding, right?” The alpha girl stepped forward toward the trio, followed by her cohorts. “We’ve had a fellow student turn into a demon and enslave us, had those THINGS behind you drive us into a frenzy, and the only reason why we’re not under the rule of either is due to a group of girls - led by a princess from another dimension - and their magic of friendship. Did you actually think that aliens would surprise us?” “Well, yes actually. Didn’t think you’d see through my plan.” “Dude”, Aria added. “You are the worst rescue party ever.” Rummaging through one of her pockets, she pulled out some firecrackers before whispering in the clerk’s ear. “You wouldn’t happen to have a lighter or matches, would you?” Comet signalled toward his back pocket as the students drew closer. Aria fished out the lighter in question and lit the fuse, then tossed the bunch of firecrackers. The trio bolt out of the alleyway and run a fair distance as the crackling sound behind them fades over time. After their moment of shock, the mob runs out of the alley after them, only to find themselves unsure of where the three ran. “I think they went this way. Let’s go!” The mob leader rallied her followers down the opposite direction, giving the three runaways a moment of rest. Once the collective footsteps faded, all three of them peeked from around the corner of the building where they chose to hide. “What the hell were you thinking?” asked Aria. She and Sonata stared at Comet, who looked back at them in turn. The clerk simply turned on his heel and walked away from them. “Hey, I’m talking to you!” “I know,” he replied coldly. “Doesn’t mean I’m going to hear it. It’ll either be ‘don’t expect a favor’ or ‘we’re not your token damsels in distress’ or whatever excuse you’ll come up with just to deny the fact that you were in trouble and a ‘lowly human’ helped you out.” Aria opened her mouth to speak, but she stopped herself short after realizing that she was about to say something similar to his retort. However, this didn’t last long. Before Comet could reach the corner of the block, Aria rushed forward and grabbed him by the arm. “Hey, what gives?” he shouted. “Alright! So maybe we did need help from a non-siren! Do you honestly think your situation was as bad as our is now?” Aria attempted to contain her anger before she continued, but failed. “So we inconvenienced you for a few days! Big deal! Your troubles are over, but ours are just starting!” “Aria, relax.” Sonata grabbed her sister by the shoulders as Aria let go of Comet’s arm. “We’ll figure something out.” “Figure something out?” the clerk repeated. Aria was yet again about to speak, but Sonata simply calmed her and explained instead. “The funds we raised doing our usual street performances are starting to run low. Apart from groceries and paying for a motel room, those CDs we bought earlier were the last distraction we could afford.” “Those stupid classmates of yours do nothing more than plot behind our backs during class. I recognized some of them in that group.” Her voice lowered to its usual volume, Aria thanked Sonata by taking her hands and smiling. “Sonata here suggested that we stop by a music store and get something we might like so we don’t seem like such a bad crowd. Of course, it seems they decided to form a crowd of their own.” “And the store in question just happened to be the one I worked in.” Aria nodded. “We spotted you before we crossed the street over to your shop, but Sonata thought it would be a good way to, at the very least, bury the hatchet between us.” She crossed her arms. “Of course, she did suggest that we turn you into a bug and crush you or something.” “Hey!” Sonata waved her hands in dismissal of Aria’s comment. “That was just to make Adagio feel as if her plan might actually work.” “Wait a minute. You two don’t think that getting your gems back is possible?” Both girls shook their heads in unison. “Well,” Comet started. “This changes things.” He ruminated on the thought for a few seconds. “This isn’t some ploy to lower my guard and rob me blind, is--” “Seriously, dude!?” Aria shouted. “We walked into your store to basically say we surrender and you still think…” Aria stopped herself mid-sentence and took a deep breath. “Even if there was some way to get our gems and our magic back, it wouldn’t matter. There’s no magic in this world. No magic, no siren gems, no way for us to cause any harm to you or the school.” Aria leaned against the building and kept her arms crossed, a dejected look on her face. Slowly but surely, Comet was beginning to understand their predicament. They were outsiders in a world of humans, and losing their gems only made them lose their sense of self. He walked over to Aria’s side. Placing the plank aside, he joined her as he leaned back and crossed his arms as well. Aria simply stared at him as he stared back, only letting a few seconds pass before cracking a smile of his own. “I’m not going to say that losing those gems is a point on humanity’s scoreboard, but it’s not the worst thing for you either.” “Are you kidding?” Sonata interjected. “Sorry about what we did, but it’s definitely the WORST thing to happen to us! I used to sing in the shower every morning, but now I can’t even get a simple three-note tune right!” Comet scoffed. “Then all you have to do is learn how to sing.” Sonata groaned in frustration. “And how are we gonna do that?” “What, you think humans use magic to sing? We’ve been doing it for millennia without fancy gems or spells.” “Oh, this I have to see.” Aria pushed herself away from the wall and stood next to Sonata. “C’mon, show us what you’ve got.” Sonata beamed at Aria suggestion. “Doitdoitdoitdoitdoit!” she repeated. “Alright already, pipe down! You sound just like my…” He stopped abruptly. “Well, it’s just annoying, so pipe down.” He took several deep breaths, then start walking toward the direction of the girls’ motel, humming a starting tune. Both girls were quick to follow. “I think he’s just messing with us”, said Aria. Sonata shushed her just before the clerk finished humming. The song wasn’t ostentatious like the sirens’ usual routines, rather it was subdued and calming. They couldn’t understand a single word of his song, however. He was singing in a language other than Equestrian, but even the language barrier wasn’t enough to deter the soothing effect of the tune. The three of them continued walking and listening to the tune until they reached the motel. In a moment of realization, Comet remembered where he was and turned around. Aria was the first to break the silence. “What WAS that melody?” Comet looked away with slight embarrassment, kicking his foot against the sidewalk. “It’s just a lullaby that my mother used to sing. She learned it back in her home country, and she still sings it every so often. I just sang what I usually hear.” He looked back at them, his confidence returning. “So, what did you think about human singing?” “It was...okay.” Aria’s usual smug nature returned, but it wasn’t as harsh as it usually was. “I mean, it’s not as good as us in our prime, but not bad for a human.” “Keep telling yourself that, Blaze. I’m actually rather happy with my singing ability.” Sonata started at Comet with dazzling eyes, her smile slowly growing. “That was great! Please please pleasepleasepleaseplease tell us you’ll teach us how to sing like that!” “What? No!” The clerk cleared his throat a second later. “I mean, I can’t really teach you what with my job and trying to get my car working again. I could help you find someone that will, though.” “That’s good enough for me!” Sonata took Comet’s hand and shook it vigorously. “It was nice talking to you, Comet! We’ll see you at school tomorrow, right?” The clerk could only stare in slight surprise as the siren finally released his hand and walked toward the motel building with Aria. “Hey”, Aria started. “What made you change your mind?” Comet chuckled at Aria’s question. “Vorpal called after you left. He told me all about his time with your sister, Adagio. I figured that if she could take up a hobby, maybe you girls aren’t so bad. You know, once we’re on equal ground and not under the threat of mind control.” Aria turned around and made her way toward her motel room. She looked back at the clerk. “Hey. See you at school tomorrow?”