//------------------------------// // What Makes a Villain a Bully? // Story: Aria's Challenge // by Gear Works //------------------------------// The sounds of thunder and flashes of lightning woke me up. I noticed that it was a bit after six in the morning. The weatherman did say that there would be storms coming early in the morning. I looked over and saw Aria sleeping on her chest, topless. I didn’t understand why she wanted to sleep this way, but after what happened last night, I guess she just needed some comfort to ease the pain. I started to slowly get up, making sure I didn’t disturbed her. Seeing the bruise on her cheek, I leaned down and kissed it before getting dressed and walking out of my room. I made my way to the kitchen and grabbed the bacon and eggs from the refrigerator and two pans from the cabinet. I placed the pans on the stove, turned on both burners, and cracked open some eggs on one pan and laid several strips of bacon on another. I placed the rest of the food back into the refrigerator. As I was busy scrambling the eggs, my thoughts went back to last night while we were watching the movie. “Death is a primitive concept. I prefer to think of them as battling evil…in another dimension.” “I wonder if my father is doing that right now?” whispered Aria. “What was that?” I asked her. “Oh…nothing.” If I didn’t hear right, I thought she brought up her father. I was curious as to what he was, or even any of the siren’s parents back in Equestria. I wonder if Sunset Shimmer has ever asked about them. My thoughts were broken when I heard footsteps coming from my room. It was Aria, finally awake and now wearing the jersey I gave her. Only catch was that she left it unbutton, still showing her panties as the only other piece of clothing she had on. “Morning, sexy,” I said. “Sexy? What brings that on?” she asked. I just looked at her body, then back to her face with smug on my own face. She looked down and saw what I was referring to. “Oh. Well…I figure I show my…sexy side, that’s all.” She started to button up her jersey. “Yea, right,” I responded. I turned my attention back to my cooking. “I hope bacon and eggs will do for breakfast.” “No problem there,” she replied. “We are meat eaters anyway.” “You mean back in your own home?” I asked. “Yep.” “With your parents?” It was then that she decided not to answer. Either she wanted to avoid being homesick, or she just wanted to avoid remembering her past. “Do you have a problem with your parents back then?” “No. It’s just…” I took a moment to glance at her before returning my focus on my cooking. “If we want to make this work, I would like it if you told me about your own life. I mean before you came here.” Aria was hesitant at first, then said, “I guess it wouldn’t hurt to tell you.” “So, what was your father like?” I asked her. “He was a captain of the city guard back home…in Aquatica. And my mother was the head maid to the queen of Aquatica.” “Aquatica. That’s the home of sirens?” “Sea ponies,” she corrected me. “We were born and raised as sea ponies before we became sirens.” “I guess those gems that you carried turned you into sirens, right?” I asked her. “It’s more than just that. I might as well explain from the beginning.” Off in the western sea from Equestria, there lies an underwater city called Aquatica, home to the sea ponies. And in this city, there’s a coral house where a female purple sea pony is playing with a wooden sword attached to her hoof. She was sword playing in the area before her mother called her. “Aria,” her mother yelled. “It’s time for music practice.” Aria groaned at the thought of music practice. Her mother, who was a spitting image of Aria, but older, came out of the house with a displeased look. “Aria, what did I tell you that only male sea ponies can become knights of the royal guard. You’re wasting your time playing with that sword.” “But mother,” replied Aria. “Don’t you ‘but’ me, Aria. You might have a role to play in Aquatica’s future,” her mother replied. “Have you even heard my voice? It’s scratchy and unfit,” said Aria. “But our queen has given you this chance to improve your voice. I didn’t put you in this class unless she asked for it,” explained her mother. Aria knew that her mother was right. It was the queen that wanted her to attend the class to improve her singing voice. She put her sword away and went with her mother to the castle grounds. When they arrived, Aria went on to class while her mother went to the castle to check up on the other maids of the castle. As Aria was swimming to her class, she hear a voice from behind, one she didn’t want to hear. “Hello Aria.” Aria looked behind her to see a blue sea pony swimming up to her, Sonata Dusk. “Hello…Sonata,” replied Aria statistically. “Ready to sing?” asked Sonata. A groan was all that Aria could give. Both of them went inside the classroom, where other female sea ponies were talking to each other before class began. It was then that an older green female sea pony with glasses swam in and went to the stand. Everyone went to their places for singing. Sonata went to the front row, with Aria standing behind her. The teacher looked at everyone before she spoke. “Now, before we begin, we have a new student joining us.” It was then that a yellow sea pony with orange puffy hair swam in. Everyone was exchanging whispers at who they were seeing. Aria leaned up to Sonata and whispered, “What’s the queen’s daughter doing here?” “I don’t know,” whispered Sonata. “I thought she practiced in the queen’s chambers.” The music teacher tapped her baton. “Now, now. Princess Adagio will now be practicing with us for now on per the king’s request.” She turned her attention to the new student. “Princess Adagio, you will be standing next to Aria.” Adagio swam her way to the second row, next to Aria. Both of them exchanged glances before placing their focus on their teacher. “Wait a minute. You mean Adagio is a princess?” I was a bit caught off guard to hear about this. “Was a princess,” Aria corrected me. “She gave up the title long ago. And just so you know, Sunset doesn’t even know of this, so don’t even think about telling her this, or you’ll be walking with two black eyes, OK?” “OK. But why did she give up the title anyway?” I asked her. “If you let me finish…” Practice came to an end, and all of the sea ponies were swimming out of the room. Sonata waved goodbye to Aria, which she only responded by rolling her eyes. She swam off the other way and went to a balcony that overlooked the castle grounds. “Why do I have to go through this,” Aria asked herself. “It’s bad enough I can’t sing well like everyone else, but now I have Miss Adagio singing next to me.” “That’s Princess Adagio, Miss Aria.” Aria looked back to see Adagio staring back at her. Aria turned her head back to the view in front of her. “And what are you going to do, lock me up in the dungeon?” asked Aria. Adagio swam up next to Aria. “Now what makes you think I would do something like that?” “You’re the princess, what else.” “And your father is the captain of the city guard.” Aria was surprised at this. “Oh I know about your family. Your mother has helped out with my needs as princess. And your father is very loyal to my father. Enough that he wanted him to be captain of the royal guard.” “But my father’s captain of the city guard,” said Aria. “Because he works well with the citizens of our kingdom, and my father likes it to be peaceful in front of him,” explained Adagio. “He doesn’t have a problem with that. In fact, it has made life easier than before.” “So why are you attending our class anyway? Don’t you take private lessons?” asked Aria. Adagio let out a chuckle. “You don’t really know, do you?” “Should I even care?” responded Aria. “It’s simple. So that I can lead the sirens to glory, what else.” “You really believe in that legend?” asked Aria. Adagio looked at Aria and said, “It’s not legend. It’s fact. And my father has the proof of it.” This started to get Aria’s interest. “Oh yes, the legendary gems have been found years ago. Now they await for three gifted singers to bare them. And you are looking at one of them.” Aria let out a small chuckle. “Yea right. You know they won’t let a princess become a siren. You would have to surrender your title to do so.” “If that’s the case, then so be it,” replied Adagio. “The sirens need someone who can lead them to victory for our kingdom, and I’m willing to make the sacrifice to do so. But a leader needs someone to do the heavy work, like you.” “If you think I’m going to be a siren, forget it. My voice doesn’t come close to any of the others in the class. I’m out of here.” And with that, Aria swam out of the balcony and left the castle grounds. Adagio gave a small smirk. “You really don’t know, do you?” Aria swam all the way through the alleys on her way home. “What makes her think that she can be a siren, or even me,” she said to herself. “It’s silly. There hasn’t been a siren in ages in our kingdom.” Still frustrated at her encounter, she bumped into another sea pony without looking. “Hey, watch it,” replied the sea pony. Aria looked up to see a red male sea pony, who was also with a dark blue male sea pony. “Back off, loser. I have no time with you,” replied Aria. “Oh, a feisty one we have here,” replied the dark blue sea pony. “Perhaps we should have some fun with this one.” “Why not? Maybe it would help her show some respect around us,” replied the red sea pony. Aria realized that she was out numbered and out matched. “Oh, two boys against one girl. Now that’s not nice.” They looked back to see a lady in a hooded coat. The red sea pony looked at her and said, “You might want to move along, miss. Otherwise, you might get hurt.” “Oh really?” The lady removed her hood to reveal her puffy orange hair. “I-I-I-It’s Princess Adagio,” replied the dark blue sea pony. “Let’s get out of here.” And both sea ponies hastily swam away. Aria went up to Adagio and said, “Are you trying to follow me?” Adagio responded, “I help you drive those losers away, and this is how you thank me?” “I can handle those losers myself,” replied Aria. “I know you could, but two on one just doesn’t seem fair,” replied Adagio, “unless you were a siren.” “Still believing in that story?” Aria asked Adagio. “It’s the truth, and I plan to be the lead siren in the group. And I want you to join me in my…our quest.” Adagio placed her hoof around Aria’s neck. “Think about it, as a siren, your voice will be so powerful that the surface ponies will be at your hooves, worshiping you.” “Why should I be a siren anyway?” asked Aria. Adagio looked at Aria and said, “I need someone with street smarts. Someone who can force others into our favor. The sirens of the past were strong, but even there are those that were immune to their song. I need someone who can deal with those threats, and you fit the mold.” Aria still wasn’t sure about this. “Not convinced? You mother has told me that you like to sword play, even if she thinks you’re not fit to be part of the guard. That kind of talent can be useful on the surface.” “OK, you might have convinced me, but how can you make sure I become a siren?” asked Aria. “I have my ways, Aria. I’m even thinking about that one in front of you to be my third siren,” replied Adagio. “Sonata? Seriously? That’s a laugh,” replied Aria. “She might have a good voice, but she’s dumb as ever.” “Maybe so, but someone needs to do the risky stuff, and her high pitch voice can be helpful in a pinch.” Aria raised an eyebrow. “You mean someone to do whatever she’s told?” A sly grin came across both of their faces. “Now that would be a site to see. If you can make it happen, then count me in.” “At the time, I thought we were doing something great,” Aria told me. “Now I regret becoming a siren.” I was finished cooking breakfast and turned off the stove. I grabbed two plates from another cabinet and placed our food on both of them and placed her plate in front of her. I went to grab two glasses from the cabinet and the orange juice from the refrigerator to go with our breakfast. “Is that what made you a bully?” I asked. “More like a villain, but a bully just the same,” she said. “So what was the story about the gems?” I asked her. “Well, long ago, there were three sirens who were able to control all pony kind. It has happened many times, and were believed to be immortal. But even past sirens were defeated and their gems were lost. Someone found the gems one day and requested an audience with the king. When he saw them, they were taken to a secured chamber where the siren’s ceremony would take place.” “And you went through this ceremony?” “Painfully,” she replied. “But when it was complete, the gems were fused to our chest, and we had fangs and looked more fierce. Once we saw our new powers, we traveled to the surface. We learned that the gems allowed us to float on the surface. From that day forward, we traveled around Equestria, putting ponies under our spell and absorbing their negative energy.” “Did you ever thing about returning home?” I asked her. “Not until our mission was done, and that was to have the surface world under our control. But that all changed when we encountered…the changelings.” The three sirens were leaving another town, filled with all the negative energy that they were able to collect. As they traveled the road, they were faced with a group of ponies who were angry. “So, it was you three who caused trouble in that town,” replied a white mare unicorn with a pink mane. “Girls, it looks like we missed some ponies,” said Adagio. “Let’s show them our…hospitality.” The three siren began to sing releasing a green mist from their gems. But as they kept singing, Aria stopped to see that it wasn’t working on them. The other two stopped singing. “What are you doing, Aria?” said Adagio. “Our powers aren’t working on them, Adagio.” Adagio looked and saw that Aria was right. There was no green glow from their eyes. “Oh, I’m sorry. Was that magic you were casting? Perhaps you should see who we really are.” Green fire started to appear from their hooves and went across their entire bodies, revealing their black bodies with holes in their legs and bug like wings. They had horns and blue eyes on their faces. The leader of the group was much taller and had a rugged horn to match her legs, but she also had green eyes and a blue mane. “My name is Queen Chrysalis, ruler of the changeling army. And no magic can ever stop ME!!!” Her horn lit up and shot a blast of green magic at the sirens, blasting them. But the queen’s magic had little effect on them because the magic was absorbed into their gems. “Looks like all you did was supply us with you anger, for it is the fuel to our power,” replied Adagio. Queen Chrysalis and her army were preparing to attack. Aria asked, “Shall I ruff them up for you, Adagio?” Adagio raised her hoof in front of Aria. “Not yet. Perhaps our goals are similar.” Chrysalis looked at her army and raised her hoof in front of them, calling them to hold their ground. “Adagio. As in Princess Adagio Dazzle of Aquatica?” asked Chrysalis. “So you’ve heard of me. I am she, but I no longer bare the title of princess any longer,” replied Adagio. “Do pray tell, why is that?” asked Chrysalis. “We are the Sirens of Aquatica, and you will show respect to Lady Adagio,” replied Aria. “Aria, stand down.” “And to think the sirens were just a legend,” said Chrysalis. “Oh they are, but we’re now the new sirens,” replied Sonata. “Sonata, will you just shut up,” said Aria. Adagio placed her hoof in front of her face. “Will both of you shut up!” She lowered her hoof to look at Chrysalis. “So, you know about the previous sirens.” “And the fact that they feed off of anger to survive by controlling them,” said Chrysalis. “Our goals are similar, but we feed off of love from other ponies.” “So you change your appearance to please other ponies?” asked Aria. “To a point,” replied Chrysalis. “But sometimes, and bit of mind control is needed to those who are strong willed.” Adagio started to rub her hoof on her chin until she had an idea. “I’m guessing that the energy you need is what you use to create your disguises and use your magic, correct?” Chrysalis nodded. “I have been wondering if our powers can help others fall in love instead of fighting each other.” “If they fall in love, then we won’t be able to absorb their energy,” said Aria. “Not unless they were fighting for our love,” replied Adagio. Chrysalis started to think for a moment, then said, “If they were in love, we can absorb their love, then they start fighting, and you can absorb their hate.” “A win-win for all of us,” replied Adagio. Chrysalis went up to Adagio, placed her hoof around Adagio’s neck, and said, “Adagio, this might be the start of an evil friendship.” “And so, we spent months with the changelings taking energy from other ponies, in proper order anyway,” said Aria. “Sounds like it changed for the better for you,” I said. “It did. But we started to learn about more problems that we would have to face.” “The Umbrum,” I said. “Exactly.” After leaving another town, the sirens and changelings decided to rest at an empty cave before moving to another town. This gave them time to learn about what the other breed has faced. “You know, love and hate makes a great mixture of energy for both our breeds,” said Aria. “And think about all the riches we have earned in the progress,” said Adagio. “Always helps to have a backup plan if we can’t control them.” “It helps to have some bits on the side, but not every breed can be bribed,” said Chrysalis. Adagio was curious at Chrysalis’ words. “What do you mean?” “Have you traveled up north?” “Up in the cold? Not us. We can’t handle the cold,” said Sonata. “She’s right. Our scales can’t handle the cold north unless there was a way to protect us from the elements,” Adagio added. “Be grateful for that, sirens, because there are some threats that are hard to control,” said Chrysalis. The captain of the changelings walked up to add his thoughts. “It is the Crystal Empire. We learned that it is home to the crystal ponies. Special ponies that even we can’t change into.” “They also possess the Crystal Heart, and magical item that could hold the power to fuel our entire race,” said Chrysalis. “But it’s not the only breed to worry about.” “There’s more?” asked Sonata. “Yes. The crystal ponies have been battling a breed called the Umbrum, a breed that feeds off of despair, a poison to our kind. And I fear that they can be a poison to you three as well.” “Isn’t that also a negative emotion?” asked Aria. “Yes, but it’s different from anger, more…unstable to sirens,” explained Adagio. “That’s what I figure. And they look more like smoke when they are not in their physical form. Your powers will have no effect on them,” explained Chrysalis. “But the Crystal Empire have been able to imprison most of them.” “We even faced some of them during our journey. We barely made it out alive,” the captain added. “We think something from the crystal ponies is what gives them an edge against them, allowing the Umbrum to be captured. Some say the snowfields are a prison to those who pose a threat,” explained Chrysalis. “Then we will need to control every pony if we want to take over the Crystal Empire,” said Aria. “That would take a lot of energy to do so.” “Unless the ponies were deceived, it would be a big challenge, for both of us,” explained Adagio. That was when a pegasus came from the sky. When it landed, it transformed into a changeling. “Captain.” “Report.” “I have just learned about the alicorns of this world,” the solider said. “It is true that there are two that now live in the Everfree Forest. And word has it that they plan to be crowned princesses.” “Are these the two that brought the three breeds together from the Windgo?” the captain asked. “Yes sir. But there is also talk that the Crystal Empire is also ruled by another alicorn princess.” “WHAT!!!” Chrysalis was furious at what she has heard. “It might be the reason they have captured the Umbrum easily.” “This complicates things more,” said Adagio. “Maybe your father would have an idea to deal with this,” said Aria. “You might be right,” Adagio replied. “Chrysalis, I hate to do this, but we must return to Aquatica and inform my father of this.” “Do so. My army doesn’t have any other allies except for you. We will looking into these alicorn princesses while you find a way to take over the Crystal Empire and control the crystal ponies, if there is a way.” “If there isn’t then we will find other ways to remove these threats,” said Adagio. “So we parted ways and made our way back to Aquatica,” she said. “So you were worried about the crystal ponies and the alicorn princesses?” I asked her. “That and what Umbrum forces were still out there. Even if we were to take out the Crystal Empire, we wouldn’t be able to defeat the Umbrum.” “So you were able to return home again?” “Yes, but it wasn’t the same home we once knew.” The sirens were swimming deep in the ocean, returning to Aquatica. “I can’t believe it. We’re going home,” said Sonata. “Easy Sonata. This is just a small visit,” said Aria. “She’s right. I must talk to my father and see what action we should take in this matter,” explained Adagio. “You two can visit your parents if you wish, but remember, we still have a job to do.” “I just want to tell them what I saw on the surface,” said Sonata. “Well I just want to-” Aria stopped to see Aquatica ahead, but she was shocked to see it in ruins. “What happened?” asked Aria. “It looks like a typhoon went through here,” said Sonata. All three of them went to get a closer look at what was I front of them. As they got closer, they could see some skeletal remains at the entrance. One of them had a coral sword in it. “It looks like a war happened,” said Adagio. “But against who?” “Wouldn’t your father maintain peace in the city?” Sonata asked Aria. “Father?” Aria then realized and made a mad dash to her home. “ARIA!!!” Aria didn’t listen to Adagio’s commands. She was worried about her parents. It was all that she could think of. But when she arrived, the doors were destroyed. She looked inside, calling her parents’ names, but there was no response. She then remembered the castle. If there was an attack on the kingdom, the castle would be the last line of defense. So she made her way to the castle grounds, going past the music classroom, which was destroyed. She made her way to the throne room, only to see the remains of two sea ponies. One was none ever that the king himself. But when she looked at the solider nearby, she was able to see the symbol on his trident. It was the one that was proof of the captain of the city guard. “Dad.” Tears stream down her face, realizing that it was her father’s remains. She remembered that her mother had to be around. The best place was in the queen’s chambers. So she swam to her room and saw the doors open with Adagio looking down. When she entered, she could see the remains of the queen and a maid in the room. She wanted to look closer, but Adagio stopped her. “It both of our mothers, Aria. I remember what your mother always wear when she was with my mother.” “But, who could have done this?” asked Aria. A call came from outside the room. “Adagio, I found something?” Adagio and Aria went out the window and swam to where Sonata was at. Adagio asked, “What is it?” Sonata pointed to the ground to see hoof-prints planted in the sea floor. She started to get into a rage. “Surface ponies.” “How could they have traveled to the ocean floor?” asked Aria. “It’s not possible for them to do so.” Only one thing came to Adagio’s mind. “Alicorns. If they are that powerful, then they would pay dearly. I’ll do whatever it takes to destroy them, even if it takes me hundreds or thousands of years, THEY…WILL…PAY!!!” “So it was clear to us that the surface ponies had to be punished for the assault on our home.” “Are you sure it was them?” I asked her. “It had to be. The alicorns were the only ones who would have the power to invade our home.” “And in the process, you came across Star Swirl, and he sent you into our world,” I said. “Yes. We didn’t know him at first that he was with the princesses, but he challenged us in a music contest, which we dominated. But he decided to take another path to stop us. During our performance, I saw him there with a mirror. He started to cast a spell into the mirror, and it sucked us in. I saw him do it and wasn’t fast enough to warn Adagio and Sonata before it happened. And now…” I can see tears coming from Aria’s eyes. “And now we’re stuck here with no home to return to.” I went to hug her, conform her, make her feel better. “Listen, this is your home now.” “But everything we did…in Equestria…in this world, was for nothing. Now we’re just mortals without a home,” Aria said crying. “But now you can live a normal life, Aria. A new life. You no longer have to bare that curse that you had on you before. And…” I placed my hand on her chin and raised her head so that she can look at me. “You have me as well.” I gently place a kiss on her lips. Aria was able to wipe away the tears from her eyes. “Thank you.” “Now finish your breakfast before it gets cold.” I let her go and went back to my side to finish eating my breakfast. We finished having our breakfast and decided to watch the rain fall the rest of the day.