4. On those whom we love
4. On those whom we love.
Adagio was idly sitting on a beach chair, looking at the Rainbooms plus Sonata playing a tag game in the cove. A parasol projected a delightful shadow over her body. Normally, she would just let her body tan while faking ignorance of all the stares she got. But the beach was almost empty, only a few dozens of people here and there, and she just wanted to enjoy herself, which would be difficult if she had to put on a show.
She took a sip of her cold beer, watching amused how Sonata had tripped on Rainbow Dash and both were pushed by the waves. She sighed pleasantly, adjusting her sunglasses before stretching her arms. This world's beaches weren't even a thousandth part as good as Equestria's, but at least they weren't bad. Well, at least not the crowded ones. It was a good thing that she had bought a residence in this paradisiacal island. Not many people had enough money to go there.
Plus, by inviting the Rainbooms stay on summer break in this beautiful place, she had won even more trust points.
Teenagers were so gullible.
"Adagio." Aria's voice snapped her from her thoughts. She looked at her left and found Aria looking at her.
"What is it?" Adagio asked. She sipped a little more of her beer and sighed contently. "If you want beer, just take one. I can't possibly drink all on my own."
Aria shrugged and sat down on the nearby beach chair, taking a bottle of beer and opening it. She gave a long sip, drinking a quarter of the bottle in one go. Sighing, she looked at the Rainbooms.
"You really think it'll work?"
"Oh ye of little faith," Adagio replied with a smirk, but Aria only frowned, not looking at her. "Of course it'll work. The Rainbooms think we're friends. Sunset Shimmer, especially, believes that we're reformed." She made a quoting motion with her fingers at the last word.
Aria made a face of concern.
"Isn't it a little too early?" she asked. "You normally wait at least a year to pull this kind of plans."
"And you normally don't care about these things either," Adagio replied with an eyebrow raised. She straightened up, hugging a leg against her chest. "But you're right. In normal circumstances, I'd wait at least a year. But this isn't a normal circumstance, and we don't have that much time."
Aria looked at her. "What do you mean?"
"Haven't you been paying attention?" Adagio asked. "After this vacation, the Rainbooms will go to college. They won't have as much time for us anymore." She forced a sigh, and then smiled. "Fortunately, they believe in that friendship nonsense. Just take a look at that." She pointed at the girls playing in the cove.
Apparently, Pinkie Pie and Sonata had teamed up in the tag game, and they were chasing the other girls, laughing loudly and childishly.
"They truly think we're good girls," Adagio said with a big smile. "Just stick to the plan, and I assure you that they'll do anything they can to help us return home."
The fresh air ran through their hair, creating waves of indigo and orange and caressing their skin. It had been many centuries since the last time Adagio had used that word with so much hope in her voice.
"Home…"
~~~~~~~~
Night fell, and the air was cold enough to force everyone cover up their bodies. The sun was long gone, but the promise of fun in a beautiful landscape gave the Rainbooms enough energy to keep playing. Fortunately, the sirens' experience and young bodies helped them easily keep up with them.
At some point, when the moon was shining brightly in the sky, Applejack and Rainbow Dash had brought some firewood and had started a small bonfire. After a while, everyone had sat down in a circle around the fire.
"I hope we don't get in troubles for this," Rarity commented, though she didn't sound very concerned.
"Don't worry, Rarity," Adagio said, drinking some more of beer. This was probably her twentieth bottle in the day. "I'd just throw some money at 'em and they'd leave us alone."
"You've been drinking a lot," Sunset pointed out, "I didn't know you were the kind to get drunk."
Adagio blew a raspberry at her, leaning back and resting on her left hand.
"I'm not drunk until I try to make out with you," she replied, winking at Sunset.
Sunset blushed and turned away, frowning when Rainbow, Applejack and Pinkie started to laugh at her expression. Fluttershy tried to hide behind Rarity, who involuntarily wiggled her eyebrows.
"Anyway, how about we start telling stories?" Rainbow proposed. "Horror stories!"
"Why do you have the need to tell horror stories every time we gather up at night?" Rarity asked. "Honestly, Rainbow Dash, we already know all the stories you have to tell."
"Oh, come on!" Rainbow complained. She then looked at Aria, then at Sonata and finally at Adagio. She smirked. "I'm pretty sure our old friends know a good story or two!"
Aria snorted.
"Well, as a matter of fact, I know all kind of stories, both fictional and real," she said, "which one would you like to hear?"
"Real, of course!" Pinkie exclaimed.
Aria smirked deviously.
"You know many stories about vampires, right?" The girls nodded. "But have you ever wondered how humans came up with the concept?" She smiled even more when the girls shook their heads. "Then I will let you in on this little secret. I'll tell you the violent and sanguinary story of slaughters and carnages that led humans to believe in vampires."
As Aria started to tell her story, Adagio took one last sip to her beer. She stared at the flames as her mind began to wander. The fire crackled and flickered, dancing in front of her, bringing on memories of the many stories of her past she had yet to share with the Rainbooms.
Aria was decorating her story, adding more blood and violence than what it really had been. But, that didn't mean they hadn't experienced worse situations. Images of torturing, of dismembering, of flaying and of many other horrors flashed in Adagio's mind. She tried to dissipate those images by closing her eyes, but it backfired, as she started to remember all the times she and the other girls had been murdered.
Stabbed. Drowned. Burnt. Choked. Poisoned. Shot. The list went on and on. Sometimes it was only one, other times it was the three of them. Sometimes they didn't even notice, but most times, it had been extremely painful. And every time, there was a constant: Humans were responsible.
Back in Equestria, the thought of killing or being killed had never crossed their minds. That concept only existed in wars; don't even think about the other atrocities humans were capable of.
In all the centuries they had been trapped in this world, there had yet to be one day they didn't long to return home. In fact, at some point during their first decade here, their main goal had changed from survival to finding a way back to Equestria.
And finally, after millennia of agonizing search, that goal was nearer than it had ever been. They only needed to be patient for a little longer, and wait for the right moment. Months of meticulous planning and endless rehearsals were all coming down to just the perfect excuse…
"Adagio, are you all right?"
A moment of weakness.
"What?"
Adagio lifted her head and looked up. Everyone was staring at her with concern and surprise and understanding. She noticed that her eyes were moistened. She cleaned her tears with a thumb and gazed at it with a blank stare. Crying was an unexpected outcome, but it was just what she needed.
"You aren't scared of the story, are you?" Rainbow said with a mocking smile.
Looking up, Adagio stared at her with a tired expression.
"Aria, why don't you tell them about the time we were killed in a cellar?"
In that moment, Aria and Sonata bleached, looking about to throw up. The Rainbooms just looked at each other with worried expressions. Rainbow had guilt written all over her face.
"All those horror movies about people being killed in the most horrid ways…" Adagio said with a wicked smile. Her voice was hard but quivery, and tears were forming in her eyes again. "But who needs movies when you have the experience? Tell me something, Rainbow Dash. What are you afraid of?" She leaned further, tilting her head in a menacing way. "Are you afraid of losing a tournament? Are you afraid of losing your friends? Or maybe you're afraid of being tortured for days and being slowly killed just for the sake of it?"
"Adagio, please," Sonata begged. Her eyes were closed as she tried her best to block those memories once again.
Adagio closed her mouth in a twisted frown as her eyes glared holes in Rainbow's head.
"You don't know what it means to be scared." She stood up and dropped the bottle of beer to the ground. She huffed and turned around, walking away.
Adagio followed the cove, focusing on the soothing feeling of the cold sea against her bare feet, and the wet sand playing between her toes. She knew that her little outburst had worried the girls; it wasn't the first time. And she knew that at least one of them would follow her and try to make her speak. But, this time, she did want to speak.
After a couple of minutes, she saw a small dune a few yards from the cove. Perfect.
The water never got past her knees as she walked to the dune. It was a pretty small place, but it was enough. She sat down, hugging her legs against her chest, and stared at the sky. Fortunately, she didn't have to wait too long before she heard someone getting closer. She let out a silent sigh while putting her head between her knees.
"Adagio."
It was Sunset. Adagio had expected her to be Rainbow, after her stupid comment about being scared. It usually was the girl that made her angry the one who'd talk to her. But it didn't matter. She just needed one of them.
"Go away." She couldn't be easy. It would seem suspicious.
"Adagio, please." Sunset kneeled next to her. "You can't keep bottling up your feelings like this. We just want to help you."
"You can't help me, us."
"Not if you don't tell us what's wrong," Sunset pleaded. "Adagio, we've been friends for three months now, you can trust me."
Silence was her response. Sunset sighed through her nose, trying to find the best words, but it was hard. Even if she herself had once been a power-hungry bitch, nothing she had ever done compared to a lifetime of thousands of years of bad things. Heck, she had never killed anything bigger than a Poodle -and even that had been a sad accident-, while the sirens had killed hundreds of people. How could she give any advice here? How could she offer support?
An idea occurred to her. If words were useless, maybe some physical contact would let her know that she understood her. But just as she lifted her hand from the ground, Adagio shifted, looking up at the sky.
"I'm tired."
"What?"
"I'm tired," Adagio repeated, this time tilting her head to gaze at Sunset. "I'm tired of this world. I'm tired of humans. I'm tired of being immortal…" That last one was a lie. Eternal youth was a bless from the heavens, no doubt. She managed to shed another tear, turning to look at the full moon. "We've been searching for a way back home for thousands of years. And not once had we even been close." She choked back a hiccup, putting her head between her knees once again. "I miss my home."
Sunset could feel her heart racing at that. She knew that the Dazzlings were from Equestria, just like her. And just like her, they missed it so much. She could return if she wanted to, Twilight would gladly open the portal just for her. But the sirens didn't have that privilege. She remembered how she felt right after that fateful Fall Formal, when Twilight disappeared through the mirror and the portal closed. Knowing that she'd be unable to return for another thirty moons had shaken her so much. And now that she knew she could return whenever she felt ready, she hadn't put much thought on it.
But the sirens didn't have that luck.
She could hear Adagio quietly sobbing, trying her best to suppress her crying.
They were friends. The sirens had proven that they had changed, that they had embraced friendship just as she had done. Of course, they were a little sharp around the edges, but she couldn't blame creatures thousands of years old for how they acted.
They were friends. But then, why couldn't she bring herself to tell Adagio about the portal? She had spent six months trying to prove herself worth of friendship, even though she had changed since the very first day she was blasted with the rainbow. She knew what it was like, yet she still had doubts about the sirens. But why? They were friends now! Twilight had been teaching her about the magic of friendship for three months now; she ought to show that she was a good student!
She placed a hand on Adagio's shoulder.
"I…" Sunset hesitated. The rational part of her mind was telling her to wait, if only a couple more months. But her heart was screaming her to help her friend. She sighed. Maybe it was time to follow her heart. "I… I know… of a way back to Equestria…"
Adagio's body tensed immediately, and ever so slowly, she turned her head to look at Sunset with true disbelief. Was it really going to be that easy? No more drama needed? No more fake tears shed?
Not that Adagio complained, but it just seemed so unlikely, she almost pinched herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming.
"You…" Adagio swallowed. She still couldn't let her guard down. She looked away and to the horizon. "You're just saying that to shut me up."
"What? No! Of course not!" Sunset frantically moved her hands in front of her. "Listen, I can't assure you that you can return, mostly because I don't get a say on that matter." She inhaled, trying to order her thoughts. "But, I can promise that I'll do anything I can to let you three return to Equestria."
Adagio looked down at the sea, staring at the calm waves. A thought occurred to her. She knew that the Rainbooms were aware of Equestria's existence. Not because it had been a topic when the questioning started, but because they had used Equestrian Magic against them. And even if they had shared many of their stories about their past in the human world, they had talked very little about the life back in Equestria.
And, while the Rainbooms had reacted differently at the mentions of Equestria, it was Sunset who always acted strange, almost distant. And now, it was Sunset the one offering a way back to Equestria. Sunset had harnessed Equestrian Magic all those months ago before the Rainbooms. And Sunset was always the most interested in knowing about the ancient Equestria.
Adagio's eyes widened in understanding. She looked at Sunset, leaning back a little and resting the weight of her torso on a hand.
"You…" Adagio started, and Sunset looked at her expectantly. "You're from Equestria…" Sunset's mouth became a thin line, and her eyes started to quiver from side to side. Adagio leaned closer to her. "You're a pony, aren't you?"
Sunset looked away, biting her lower lip with a guilty expression. She shifted, hugging her legs while lifting her gaze to the ocean.
"I'm sorry," she said, making a sad frown. "I didn't want to keep it a secret, it's just…" She took a quivery breath as the air became a little colder. "To be honest, I didn't want the girls to know…" Adagio raised an eyebrow at that. "Don't get me wrong, it's not like they don't know, and I love them, honest! I just… If I mention it, they'll think I want to return, and they won't leave me alone until I do it…"
"Why?" Adagio asked. "Why don't you want to return? Equestria is millions of times better than this pathetic world!"
Sunset flashed a sad smile.
"If I return, I'll be forced to face Princess Celestia… I'm not ready for that just yet…"
Adagio blinked, looking at the ocean once again.
"Well, I won't force you to do anything…" She closed her eyes for a moment. "But I'll be really angry if you're lying to me."
Sunset gently placed her hand on Adagio's.
"I'd never do that. We're friends, aren't we?"
Adagio sighed through her nose.
The rest of their stay at the Dazzlings' beach house went uneventful. After Rainbow apologized, no one touched the subject again. But Sunset used the last few days there to talk with Princess Twilight about what she had promised to Adagio.
At first, Twilight's words seemed insecure, but Sunset had spent a lot of ink to assure and reassure her that the Dazzlings didn't have any bad intentions, that they only wanted to be home. But, even though Twilight trusted her judgment, she didn't quite trust the Dazzlings themselves. Mostly because, even though Sunset had been telling her about them, she hadn't met them after their reformation yet.
In the end, Twilight agreed to let them return, but obviously, she had a few conditions. One of them, of course, was that Sunset accompanied them. Naturally, Sunset declined, as she didn't want to return just yet. She didn't want to meet Celestia just yet.
Twilight told her that she didn't have to meet Celestia if she didn't want to, after all, the portal was in her own castle, and not in Canterlot or in the Crystal Empire. Besides, she wanted to meet Sunset too, as the only time they met in Equestria wasn't exactly pleasant, and the two times they met in the human world weren't peaceful either.
Sunset wanted to meet Twilight too, she was the reason her world was brighter, after all. Besides, she had promised Adagio that she'd do anything she could to help them return, and she wasn't going to be a good friend if she denied them the opportunity for a selfish reason.
And so, with a shaky hand, Sunset agreed.
A week later, Sunset found herself in front of the portal to Equestria with the rest of the Rainbooms there.
"So, they're really leaving, huh?" Pinkie asked with a pout.
"Yes," Sunset answered with a sad frown. She looked around, watching the sad expressions of her friends. "You have to understand, they've been away from their home for thousands of years. And this is the only chance they've had in all that time to return." She leaned back and hugged herself with one arm. "If we want to call ourselves their friends, we have to let them go and give them our best wishes."
It wasn't exactly an encouraging speech, but the girls nodded. Rainbow walked to the portal and placed a hand on it.
"Why can't we go with you?" She asked, trailing her fingers down the surface. "We wanna see where you come from, Sunset!"
"Yes, I bet their fashion is unique!" Rarity lit up at the thought. "Perhaps I could take an idea or two."
"And all the magical animals!" Fluttershy said.
Sunset chuckled weakly.
"I wish I could invite you, and I bet Princess Twilight would love having you there, but-"
"Having so many beings from one dimension go to another would cause a magical unbalance and we'd have to begin an epic adventure to save both worlds and probably the multiverse?!" Pinkie asked bouncing on her tip toes.
"No…" Sunset answered. "At least, I don't think so. I mean, this world has Equestrian magic, something that shouldn't be. And as far as I know, nothing's out of the ordinary." She tilted her head. "It's just that it'd be a bit confusing if all of you meet your counterparts, and even though that sounds like a really crazy and fun situation, I think it'll be better if we postpone it for another time."
After that, they went silent. Sunset was still unsure about returning to Equestria, but she had to do it for her friends. Not that she had a choice anymore. She had told the Dazzlings that they were going to return today, and they were waiting for them. She couldn't chicken out now.
"Here they are," Applejack said, and everyone watched a black Lamborghini parking right in front of the school. "And they have a new toy."
Aria practically jumped to the ground the moment the car stopped, kneeling down and panting heavily.
"Help! She's crazy!" Aria shouted, pointing at Sonata, who was getting off the pilot's seat.
"Aw, come on Aria!" Sonata pouted. "I had to make sure it was a fast car! Besides, I didn't hit anything, did I?"
"No," Adagio answered as she slowly closed the co-pilot's door. "But you could have had an accident."
"But I didn't," Sonata said, shrugging. She saw the Rainbooms staring at them and waved her arms. "Hello!" She saw Rainbow Dash and leaned back, adopting a throwing position. "Think fast!" And with that, she threw something at Rainbow.
Thanks to her fast reflexes, Rainbow caught the projectile before it hit her. She looked at it and felt her stomach fall.
"Happy Birthday in advance," Adagio said. It was the keys of the car.
"Wait… You bought me the best car ever?!"
"Yes," Adagio said with a small smile. "We don't have plans to return to this world at least for another three thousand years." She chuckled at her own joke. "So we decided to give you all birthday presents."
"Fluttershy," Aria said. "You said you couldn't study veterinary because you don't have enough money." She pointed at the car. "There's a suitcase in the trunk with your name on it. You will be able to pay for your studies in the best university of the country." She could actually see the sparks in Fluttershy's eyes. She decided to continue before she got blinded. "Rarity, we made an investment to your boutique. You should be able to finish all your projects and then some more."
"Thank you!" Was everything Rarity could mutter as she frantically searched for a place to faint safely.
"Applejack," Sonata started, "Canterlot's General Hospital received a donation in your name. Now you can take Granny Smith there for her surgery." Applejack took her Stetson hat and placed in on her chest as tears of gratitude started to run down her cheeks. Sonata smiled at her and then turned to Pinkie. "Pinkie, there's a T.V. network very interested in your idea of the party show. I think they'll call you tomorrow."
Pinkie rushed to Sonata and gave her a bear hug, lifting her from the ground.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
"And the grand finale," Adagio continued, looking at Sunset. "You are helping us in ways we wouldn't ever imagine. You're giving us what we most desire: to go home…" She smiled, and unlike any other smile she had given these past months, this one was a real one. "That's why everything else we have; our properties, our possessions, our businesses, and all our wealth, is now yours." Sunset gaped, unable to answer properly. Adagio only kept smiling. "Yes, with everything we had gathered now in one place, that makes you now the richest person in the world, and by a wide margin."
"I…" Sunset couldn't stop gaping. "I don't… I can't accept that!"
"Yes, you can," Adagio said. "But if you really feel like that, you can donate the fortune we gathered for thousands of years to charity or something." She shrugged. "It's not like we'll need it anymore."
"I don't know what to say…"
"How about 'you're welcome'?" Adagio proposed. "You know, because these are our thanks to you."
Sunset smiled, and Adagio could see her arms slightly moving. She frowned, as she had been dreading this moment for months. She wanted to avoid it forever, but now she knew she couldn't get away. Not after these giving everything material to the Rainbooms. She sighed heavily.
"Fine… But make it quick."
She didn't even finish the last word when Sunset closed the distance between them and hugged her. Immediately after, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow, and Sonata joined them, while Pinkie managed to pull Aria into the group hug as well. There were some tears shed, and some reassuring words said, but it wasn't too long before Aria snapped.
"Alright, that's enough!" She yelled, escaping the embrace.
When the girls stopped hugging and unconsciously made a semi-circle in front of the statue, Sunset took her journal from her bag that was lying not too far from them. She let out a heavy sigh and opened it up.
"We're really going to miss you, girls." Sunset said, looking at Sonata, then at Aria, then at Adagio, and finally at her journal again.
"That's the way to Equestria?" Aria asked, making Sunset chuckle a bit.
"No," Sunset answered, "but you can say that it's some kind of ticket." She took a pen and started to write, saying out loud the words. "We're ready." And then, she closed the book and looked at the statue. "Girls, I present to you the portal to Equestria."
In that moment, the statue's surface started to glow dimly. It was hard to tell, but the Dazzlings could see a few sparks coming from it. They could feel the soft waves of magic pouring from the portal; they were unable to do magic, but they could still feel it. Sunset walked up to it and softly placed a hand on it, watching her fingertips cross a little to the other side. She turned around with a sad smile.
"I'll go first," she said, snapping the Dazzlings out of their reverie. "You three can go once you say your last goodbyes…"
"You're going to come back, right?" Pinkie asked, idly playing with her hands.
"Of course," Sunset answered. "I may be from Equestria, but this world is my home now, and you girls are my family." She then took her journal with a hand and threw it to Pinkie. "It needs to stay here as a sort of gateway for the magic. And it also serves as my promise to return." With that said, she turned around and inhaled deeply.
She had to do it now, or she would never do it, so she forced her feet to walk. The arcane magic wrapped her body, and she suddenly wanted to chicken out, but it was too late. She found herself in a turmoil of colors that had no name, and sounds that she could not understand. The feeling of imploding within her stomach and then expanding at the other side was so weird, she didn't think she'd ever get used to it.
At least it wasn't exactly unpleasant.
Sunset landed on her hooves. Her balance was a bit off, but she managed to stay standing. She blinked a couple of times, forcing away the white spots in her vision. Once she was sure her sight was ok, she lifted her head.
The first thing she saw was Princess Twilight, staring at her with a warm smile.
"Welcome back, Sunset."
Sunset smiled weakly. Twilight looked a lot different in her real form, yet at the same time, really similar. Sunset was going to say hi, but a strange sound from behind startled her.
Standing majestically on a pedestal, the mirror that served as a portal to the human world was shining brightly. The sparks of magic indicated that someone was crossing through. Sunset waited patiently. She wanted to see how the sirens looked like in their real forms; the books about them had very simple illustrations, and she couldn't get a good look at them during the battle.
A flash of light forced the ponies to cover their eyes. It was strange, to say the least, because the times they had seen someone crossing the portal, the flash hadn't been so bright.
Unless…
When Sunset uncovered her eyes, she felt her stomach fall a little.
In front of her were the Dazzlings, that was pretty much obvious, and they were in their real forms as expected: a kind of amalgam between ponies, dragons and fish. But she hadn't thought that they would be so incredibly big. They were at least four times her size!
One of them, whom she could barely recognize as Adagio, rose to her full height. She tottered, resting her tail on the floor in a somewhat uncomfortable position, as her forelegs wobbled and bent.
Adagio was extremely disoriented. Her balance was off, and she felt so weak that she couldn't even hover. Her vision was a bit blurry, and everything was spinning wildly around her. With a titanic effort, she turned around, finding Aria and Sonata tangled on each other and in her same state.
For a moment, Adagio felt at ease. She really was in Equestria again. After all this time, they had finally returned.
"I'm home…" She tried to say, but the words died in her throat as she suddenly felt a stinging pain at the base of her throat. She gritted her teeth as her body started to writhe in agony. She fell to the ground, and before she could mutter a call for help, the world blacked out.
~~~~~~~~
Her eyelids felt as heavy as rocks, and her eyes were covered in dry tears, but the pain had faded away. Adagio shifted, slowly opening her eyes to inspect the world once more.
She was surrounded by crystal walls, a perfectly polished floor and a ridiculously high ceiling. She was on a bed made of crystals and a surprisingly comfortable mattress. At her left was Aria, sleeping on a bed equal to hers, and beyond was Sonata, snoring loudly. Fortunately, the room was big enough to fit the three of them without any problems.
"H-Hey…" A voice snapped her out of her thoughts. She looked down to the source, finding a very small and fragile-looking purple dragon. "Good morning."
Adagio narrowed her eyes, making the little dragon step back nervously.
"How long was I out?"
"A couple of hours. It's almost noon though."
Adagio hummed as she tried to get up. The little dragon shifted awkwardly out of her way when she climbed down the bed. She could feel the air currents smoothly flowing through her fins and scales, and her body felt lighter than before.
Finally, she could hover.
"Whoa…"
Adagio looked at the dragon, who was staring at her. She started to feel a little uneasy as the little guy looked like he had stars in his eyes.
"What is it?" She snapped. She hadn't meant to be so aggressive, but she had never liked children.
"Uhm…" He looked away, making a nervous humming. "You're pretty…"
That statement caught her off guard. Of course, she was perfectly aware that she was gorgeous in any world, but the dragon had said it so out of the blue that she didn't know how to react.
"Thanks…" She said slowly.
"The name's Spike, by the way! And I'm Princess Twilight Sparkle's number one assistant and guardian of the Friendship Castle!" He said, inflating his chest in an attempt to look bigger.
Adagio rolled her eyes.
Spike was about to say something else, but a loud yawn interrupted him. Adagio turned around to see that Aria and Sonata were waking up. It took them about the same time as Adagio to get off their beds.
"This place is so shiny!" Sonata said, inspecting everything shiny.
"Where are we, exactly?" Aria asked. Unlike Adagio, who had her torso straightened up and her forelegs bent against her chest, she was more near the ground, always looking like a predator about to bounce. "It's too bright to be a prison…"
"Because it isn't!" Spike said, smiling widely. "My name is Spike the dragon. I'm Princess Twilight Sparkle's number one assistant, guardian of the Friendship Castle, and your personal guide!"
"Cool!" Sonata circled him once and lowered her head to look at him from the same height. Spike somehow managed to produce a blush on the scales of his cheeks. "Can we see the dungeons first? I bet they're as shiny as this room!"
"Well… We don't have dungeons," Spike said, feeling a little anxious. "At least, not in this castle…" He saw the spark of disappointment in Sonata's eyes, and he forced his mind to think of something. "B-But I can take you to the library! It has all sorts of crazy books!"
"Pass," Aria said, lazily climbing onto her bed.
"Well, how about the throne room?" Spike proposed. "Twilight and Sunset are waiting for you there too!"
Aria groaned at the mention of having to leave her bed again. Adagio on her part gave Spike a small smile, making him blush.
"Could you give us a couple of minutes to get ready?"
"Sure!" Spike saluted and ran off, closing the door behind him and leaving the sirens alone.
Adagio sat down on the floor, resting her body on her hooves and tail. She forced out a heavy sigh. Her ears dropped to the sides of her head, and her fins folded against her back. She felt Sonata sitting in front of her, followed closely by Aria, who decided to lie down. The three made a perfect triangle, looking at the same point in the center to avoid the others' eyes.
"So…" Aria started, drifting her sight to her hooves. "Was that a sign?" She looked at Adagio in search for an answer, but Adagio didn't look back, seemingly ignoring her. "What does it mean?" She asked, but Adagio remained silent. "Adagio!"
"Don't ask me!" Adagio snapped. Tears started to form in her eyes. "Don't ask me… when you already know the answer…"
Sonata managed to pale, deciding to lie down when Aria got on her hooves and stomped them on the ground.
"I can't believe it!" Aria cried, sobbing back her tears. "After all we've been through…"
"What do we do now?" Sonata asked.
"I…" Adagio choked, lifting her head to look at Sonata in the eyes. "This is the moment where we separate…" At the horrified looks of the girls, she explained. "You've been following me around ever since we were born, and I've brought upon you nothing but disgrace and pain…" She hiccupped, still trying to fight back her tears. "This… I can't decide for you… If you want to return to the human world, I won't hold you down…"
Aria stood up, and Adagio closed her eyes in shame. Aria walked up to her and slapped her with so much strength that Adagio fell.
"Stop self pitying yourself," Aria said, and although her voice was stern, the look of her eyes spoke of concern. "We've lived together for thousands of years. I can't imagine a life without you to guide us, or Sonata to drive me crazy." She inhaled sharply through her teeth. "We finally returned to Equestria, if…" The words died in her throat, and she choked for a moment. Sonata slid to her side and nuzzled her leg. Aria nodded slowly and took a deep breath. "If the prize of returning to Equestria is dying, then so be it. But I won't die alone."
Adagio frowned in a failed attempt to hold back her tears. She didn't know when was it that Aria became so smart. No, that wasn't right. Aria had always been smart, but she always did what Adagio ordered, even if she knew it could lead to their deaths. In fact, Aria probably knew what their fate would be if they returned home, and yet decided to follow, just because she trusted her with her life.
And then, there was Sonata. That girl could be so dull at moments, unable to understand sarcasm or double meaning, and the next moment, she would get the brightest of ideas. Since the beginning, Sonata made herself the follower; she'd never question anything Adagio told her to do, even if she didn't like it. She was so loyal and devoted, it was a wonder she hadn't thrown herself from a cliff as Aria had suggested millions of times.
Adagio blinked. For thousands of years, she had ordered these girls around as if it was her right, but the only reason she could do it was because they let her; because they trusted her. One day, they just spawned in the world, and they were already together. How could she suggest that they should separate? As Aria said, she couldn't think of a live without them either. They weren't her minions to order around, but they weren't her partners either. No, they were much more than that: They were her family.
Of course, she understood the concept of family, but she had never thought about it. She believed that she didn't need that, but she was wrong, because ever since she could remember she had one, she had always had a family. Aria and Sonata were more than her friends; they were her sisters.
Adagio stood up, and her mouth managed to form a smile. She hung her head as she approached Aria, and for the first time in her entire life, she hugged her.
Aria didn't react at first, but when she felt Sonata joining the hug, she eased her body and responded, circling her legs around Adagio and Sonata. For the first time, they all were voluntarily hugging, and for the first time, they were opening their hearts to each other.
They were family. They were sisters.
~~~~~~~~
Sunset paced around the throne room, circling the centric table that doubled as a magic map. She stopped, her eyes quivered in concentration, she sighed, and reassumed her pacing. Twilight, on her part, was sitting in her throne, showing a mix of concern and amusement in her face.
"Sunset, honestly," Twilight said, "It's not that big of a deal."
"How can you say that?" Sunset asked without looking at her, still pacing. "It's too much money! It's the equivalent of the entirety of Equestria's wealth! What if I become greedy again?"
Twilight shook her head.
"We've talked about it several times, Sunset," Twilight said, calmly sipping some tea from a porcelain cup. "The reason you craved for power was because you thought it would help you get closer to Celestia." She placed her cup on the table. "If the Dazzlings gave you their money, it's because they trust you're going to give proper use of it. And I too trust you."
"But…"
"Sunset, you're a good pony," Twilight interrupted her with a calm voice. Her smile was warm and welcoming, and Sunset couldn't help but smile a little. "I know you'll do so much good with all that money. The human world will be a better place thanks to you. I know it."
Sunset's ears bent against her head as a faint blush appeared in her cheeks.
"Thank you…"
In that moment, the giant doors opened a little and Spike stepped in.
"Now presenting, the Dazzlings!" He yelled, making Sunset and Twilight turn to him.
The doors opened wide, revealing the sirens. Sunset was about to trot to them, but she noticed that something was off. Their faces had a weird mix of happiness and grief at the same time. It was physically impossible, or at least it should be.
"Good afternoon," Adagio said, hovering past Spike and stopping next to the thrones. Aria and Sonata followed closely, while Spike stood behind, just staring at the beautiful sirens.
"Hello," Twilight said with a smile as she waved her leg. "I'm glad we can meet in friendly circumstances."
"How are you feeling?" Sunset hurried, looking up to Adagio, then drifting her eyes to Sonata and Aria.
"We're fine," Adagio assured her. "We just got a little dizzy for the travel." She circled Sunset with a wave of her body and got a little closer to Twilight. "So you are the fantastic princess Sunset always talks about."
"I-I didn't say fantastic!"
"A pleasure to meet you. All of you," Twilight smiled brightly.
Adagio observed the purple pony for a moment, seemingly lost in her thoughts. She closed her eyes and hummed, sighing through her nostrils. Sunset was about to inquire if she was ok, but Adagio opened her eyes a little and forced a smile to Twilight.
"From what Sunset told us about you, I understand that you have a lot of questions about us."
"Oh, yes! Where do I begin?" Twilight answered, unconsciously beating her wings in excitement.
"And we'd love to answer every single one of them, but…" She raised a foreleg, silencing whatever protest Twilight was going to say. "But, that will only happen if you aid us with something first."
"Adagio…" Sunset whispered loudly through her teeth.
"It's ok, Sunset," Twilight said with a bright smile, then looking up to Adagio again. "As long as it's within my capabilities, I'll do anything I can do to help you."
Adagio smirked and lowered her body so that their eyes would be at the same height.
"I bet Sunset told you that we really missed Equestria," Adagio said slowly. Twilight nodded in silence. "Well, the thing we missed the most was the ocean. If you take us to the ocean, we'll answer everything that mind of yours come up with."
"Sure!" Twilight stated, and immediately looked past Adagio and to Spike, who was talking with Sonata. "Spike! Prepare our luggage! We're going to Horseshoe Bay!" She then looked at Sunset. "You're coming with us, right?"
Sunset grinned nervously at her.
"S-Sure! Why wouldn't I? It's not like the train makes a stop in Canterlot or anything!"
Adagio looked at her with an eyebrow raised as Twilight trotted over her.
"Sunset," Twilight said softly, putting a hoof on Sunset's shoulder. "You won't see Celestia if you don't want to. I can assure you that."
Sunset stared into Twilight's eyes. She almost wanted to find a spark of lie, if only so that she wouldn't risk herself getting caught. But she didn't, for Twilight's eyes spoke volumes of her loyalty. Sunset sighed softly and smiled.
"Alright… I trust you…"
Sometimes, Twilight still felt a little uncomfortable with her title as Princess. She still wasn't used to be called as such, or to the preferential treatment everypony gave her, or that they asked her for her autograph. Sometimes, she wished she was still a regular unicorn so that she could go eat some hayburgers without getting harassed by paparazzi.
But at the end of the day, being a princess had more advantages. Like getting a whole train's wagon just for her, and adapted so that the sirens could get it with no problems. She knew that she was causing troubles to those ponies that had to comply her requests, but she was doing it for the greater good! Sirens were completely unknown territory for ponies, and she was going to record everything she could before they left Equestria.
"Ok, we should arrive at Horseshoe Bay by sundown," Twilight announced as she got into the wagon, closing the door behind her. "Wish I could invite my friends, but they all are busy. Well, I suppose there's always a next time."
"Sure," Sunset answered, looking through the window as the train started to move.
Twilight was about to say something, but she noticed something by the corner of her eye. She turned around and saw the sirens, lying on the floor on top of each other with the most tired expressions she had seen since Luna in the mornings. Sonata and Aria were asleep, looking as if they had lost a fierce battle, while Adagio, who was on the top, had her eyes narrowed, fighting the urge to sleep like her sisters.
"Are you alright?" Twilight asked.
Adagio didn't seem to hear her, as she remained silent for a few seconds, looking at nothing in particular. She blinked very slowly before her eyes moved to look at Twilight. Sharp pupils slowly focusing on the pony.
"Yeah…" She answered in a low whisper, not wanting to spend more energy than strictly necessary. "Just a… little tired…"
"Is there something I can help you with?"
"You could…" Adagio chuckled a little, closing her eyes for a moment as a sigh escaped through her teeth. "You could help me… with a spell to… not fall asleep…"
Twilight cocked her head for a moment.
"Now that I think about it, you haven't eaten yet, right?" Adagio nodded so slowly, Twilight could've missed it if she hadn't been paying attention. "Well, I'll get you some food. What would you like to eat?"
"Fish."
"Well, we don't-"
"Amber."
"Amber it is!"
That was something Twilight was going to take notes of. Sirens could eat meat and gemstones, just like dragons. She wondered if they could also eat vegetables, or grass, or something else. There was a lot of research to do, and so little time. She had to keep Adagio awake, so she had to bring her food fast.
She ran to the other wagon, and after a couple of minutes, she returned, levitating a plate full with ambers. She was relieved to see that Adagio not only wasn't asleep, but she was talking with Sunset, who seemed a little less nervous.
"Here's your food!" Twilight announced, putting the plate on the floor right next to the pile of sirens. Adagio thanked silently before starting to eat. She was very unused to the action of chewing rocks, but at least it tasted heavenly, just as she remembered.
There was some shifting as Sonata rolled her body, somehow managing not to disturb Adagio or Aria.
"I smell Amber," she said, and then found the plate. Adagio eyed her for a moment before pushing the plate closer to Sonata with her snout, so that she could eat too.
"I'll bring more, in case Aria wakes up," Sunset said, and quietly went to the other wagon.
Twilight looked at her for a moment. Sunset had told her that she didn't want to stay more than a couple of hours, but she was doing so just for the siren's sake. Twilight knew that Sunset was very uncomfortable, so she started to think of how to repay the favor. But, she had first to interview the sirens. She'd have time to speak with Sunset when they returned to Ponyville.
"So, Adagio," Twilight started, sitting in front of her and feeling really tiny. "Is it ok if I ask you some questions?"
Adagio looked at her for a moment. She chewed very slowly, savoring the amber before swallowing.
"Sure."
"Great!" Twilight lit her horn and conjured parchment, a quill and a bottle of ink. "I think the best question to start with is: Where do you come from?"
"The sea, of course!" Sonata answered as Adagio took another mouthful of amber.
"Uh, yes, but-"
"I think she wants to know which part of the sea," Aria said, not even bothering to turn around. She was at the bottom of the pile, and too lazy to want to move. Although hunger was winning her inner battle.
"Oh." Sonata put a hoof below her chin. "It was… nine miles at the south of Saddle Arabia, I guess…" She grabbed an amber with her teeth and started to chew it. "Twenty miles below the surface… Oh! There was an island too!"
"More or less what Sonata said," Adagio muttered with her mouth still full of gems.
"So, you were born under the sea?" Twilight asked, making sure to write everything down.
"Mmhm," Adagio swallowed and gave out a little sigh.
"Hm I know this might sound invasive, but… How are sirens born, exactly?"
"Every thousand years, a dragon, a pony and a shark have a wild sex night," Aria answered lazily.
Twilight couldn't hide the blush appearing on her cheeks, much less when Sonata started laughing loudly.
"Wish it was that way," Adagio said after a couple of chuckles. "Under the sea, there are billions upon billions of gemstones. The majority are just shiny rocks with nothing outstanding. But there are a few that have perfect shapes. Like perfect triangles, or squares… or hexagons…" She put a hoof on her chest and sighed. "Under the sea, there's an incredible concentration of natural magic. The kind of which ponies have never experienced before. Now, sometimes, these concentrations accumulate in dense balls of energy that later disperse, and nothing happens. But when these concentrations are near one of these perfectly shaped gemstones, there's a small probability that the gemstone will absorb the energy.
"If that happens, the gemstone will affect the other perfect gemstones that are near this one in a radius of approximately twelve inches. Once this happens, the energy divides in even parts through the gems, and they start to mutate. Now, normally, these reactions only create sea monsters with simple minds. But there was one more ingredient at our birth: There was a dead dragon there. It had only a couple of days there, so a lot of its magic mixed up with ours, and thus we adopted many of its features."
"I see…" Twilight was scribbling in the parchment, but she never stopped looking at the sirens. "That's… amazing!"
"Yeah!" Sonata exclaimed. "We literally just spawned there. It was only the three of us, and we decided to stick together forever!"
"Which proved to be an unbearable challenge…" Aria muttered as she rolled over, making sure not to disturb the others too much. "Make space, I'm hungry." Sonata did as was told and let Aria eat some of the ambers.
In that moment, Sunset returned, levitating another plate of gemstones. She had decided that the sirens would like some variety, so she brought some rubies, sapphires and amethysts. She cocked her head and smiled at the sirens.
"I'm glad to see all of you awake. I brought you more food."
"Thanks," Adagio said as Sunset placed the plate next to the other.
"Oh! I love rubies! I missed them so much!" Sonata said, burying her head on the other plate and chewing as much as she could.
Sunset looked around for a moment and then turned to Twilight.
"Hey, where's Spike? I haven't seen him since we got in the train."
"Didn't you hear? He wanted to stay to help Rarity with her boutique."
Sunset made a face.
"Poor guy, when are you going to tell him?"
"He has to realize it someday… I wish Rarity didn't get his hope high, but I can't blame her either… She just doesn't want to break his heart…"
"He'll suffer anyway."
"Yeah, I know…"
"Hey!" Aria called out. "What are you talking about?"
"It's nothing!" Twilight said with a smile. "So, uh, when did you notice that you could control ponies with your magic?"
"We didn't control anyone," Adagio answered. "We influenced in their decisions.
"We always had this need to sing. So we sang. One day, we noticed a shadow above, and we went to investigate. It was a ship of minotaurs. We noticed the smell of something tasty, and we wanted it, so we went to have it. The minotaurs didn't like that we wanted their food, so they started attacking us with spears. That was when we started to sing out of instinct. We sang, and the minotaurs stopped moving. We took advantage and went for their food before returning to the sea.
"We later discovered that we had this ability, and started to use it to get whatever we wanted. At first it was only food, but with time we started to want more things, and eventually, we found out that we could feed off negative emotions, and that it gave us more magic… And you know the rest."
"Interesting…" Twilight wrote as fast as she could. "I noticed that you absorbed that energy through those red gems. Are those the ones you were born from?"
The three sirens stopped whatever they were doing and looked at each other for a moment. And after almost a minute, they all sighed at the same time.
"Yes," Adagio answered, and she decided to rest her head upon Sonata. "You know what? I'm tired, I want to sleep."
"Me too," Aria said and rested her head on her hooves.
"Me three," Sonata said, looking unnervingly quiet, and rested her head upon Aria.
Twilight looked confused, but Sunset grabbed her from a leg and dragged her at the other side of the wagon.
"Why did you ask that?" Sunset asked with an angry tone. "We broke those gems, remember?! We literally destroyed the reason they're alive!"
Twilight's ears folded against her head as she lowered her head.
"S-Sorry! I didn't mean to be rude! It's just-"
"I know…" Sunset sighed. "It's just… I've never seen them like this…" She turned around, looking at the pile of sirens with concern. "They're always together, but they're never this close to each other. And Aria letting Sonata touch her, let alone sleep on her, is the thing that worries me the most."
Twilight observed her guests as they slept. Not only were they close, they looked like they were trying to protect each other, as a litter of wolves trying to keep warm in a freezing night of winter. She had more questions she wanted to ask; she needed to feed her curiosity. But she couldn't bring herself to disturb them.
After all, she could always restart her research when they woke up.
~~~~~~~~
"Girls, wake up."
Sunset's voice echoed through the darkness, just like a drop of water falling into a lake hidden underneath a cave. As her mind started to walk up the path of consciousness once again, Adagio could feel warmth leaving her body. She almost wanted to go to sleep again, to ignore that voice and be comfortable once more.
"Adagio, Aria, Sonata. We've arrived!"
The image of the endless sea former in her half-awake mind. It was turquoise, and it mixed up with the clear sky almost perfectly. Adagio could smell the sea filled up with scents of salt and seaweed and coconuts, and her heart fastened its pace, forcing energy into her veins and making her open her eyes.
She saw Sunset's face looking at her with a frown of concern.
"Hey." She muttered, blinking slowly and forcing a smile.
“Are you alright?” Sunset asked. “You haven’t moved an inch for three hours straight. I was starting to worry…”
Adagio could feel a pressure building inside her chest. She inhaled sharply, closing her eyes.
“The smell of Equestrian sea,” she began, gently nudging her sisters. “it’s as heavenly as I remembered.”
Before Sunset could repeat her question, both Aria and Sonata shifted, sniffing the salty air, and slowly standing up. Sunset could see the look in their eyes; old and tired and sad and hopeful, all at the same time. Aria mumbled something, to which Sonata agreed with a grunt. Adagio sighed and opened her eyes, looking down at Sunset.
“Where’s the princess?.” Adagio’s voice was a dry whisper.
Sunset’s eyes drifted from siren to siren until locking stares with Adagio.
“She went to talk with the guard stationed here. She doesn’t want them to think you’re enemies and start attacking you.”
“Much appreciated,” Adagio said, lowering her head to be at the same eye level with Sunset. Her jaw gently touching the floor. “Sunset, I need to ask you one last favor.”
“S-Sure, what is it?” Sunset asked nervously.
“Tell the princess we’re sorry.” At Sunset’s confused expression, Adagio explained, “We won’t answer more of her questions. We’re leaving now.”
“What?” Sunset lifted a foreleg, gazing at a nodding Sonata. “You made a promise to her!”
“That’s why we’re sorry,” Adagio produced a sad frown. “We don’t have any more time…” She sighed, lifting her head and straightening her body. “Thank you, Sunset Shimmer. For everything.”
Sunset stepped back a little, her eyes widening in confusion and denial.
“Is there…” Sunset gulped, searching for will to finish her question. “Is there something you’d like to tell me?”
Aria and Sonata looked away, while Adagio narrowed her eyes. Her expression unreadable.
“Sunset, we are dying.” Sunset gaped, and Adagio decided not to let her ask the obvious. “We were fine in the human world; we could have had normal lives there. But here, being in our original bodies without our cores…” She shook her head. “We’ve run out of time.”
“No.”
“We wanted to return where we were born, but it’s impossible now…” Adagio looked to the window, admiring the early sunset. “At least we’ll die in the sea…”
“No!”
“Sunset, please,” Adagio said, not wanting to look at Sunset, “don’t make this more difficult than it already is.”
“No!” Sunset cried out, tears already dripping from her face. “Why didn’t you tell us in the castle?! We could have figured something out!”
Adagio placed a hoof upon Sunset’s snout. It was tiny compared to her gargantuan leg.
“We’ve made our choice. There’s no going back now,” Adagio said. “In fact, we only used you and your friends to return home. You were only a means for a goal.” Her voice quivered, and she was glad that her reptile eyes were unable to cry like those of a pony. “You are nothing but a stupid, gullible pony.” Her chest felt heavy, and her throat closed slightly. “Now that you know the truth, you can just forget about us.”
Adagio motioned her sisters to get off the train. They were reluctant at first, but obliged anyway. And just as Adagio turned to leave too, she felt Sunset’s tiny hoof against her tail. She stopped, but refused to turn around.
“Please,” her voice was a shaky whisper, “please, Sunset, make it easy.”
“I…” Sunset hiccuped in a failed attempt to hold back her tears. “I will never forget you… I’ll make sure nobody forgets you!” She yelled.
Adagio said nothing, and after a moment, she nodded and followed her sisters.
As the three of them reached the cove of the beach, scaring many ponies on their way, Twilight came trotting to the train. She looked at Sunset, who was standing in the doorframe, as rivers of guilt and sadness cascaded through her cheeks.
“Sunset? What happened?”
Adagio, Aria, and Sonata, hovered above the waves of salty water. Their bodies pulsed in agony, and they stopped, right in the middle of the bay. They formed a circle and looked at each other. For the first time in millenia, Aria had a peaceful smile on her face, and for the first time in millenia, the three of them pressed their heads together, pulling one another in a loving embrace.
Sunset didn’t dare look at Twilight, and she just pointed at the bay. Twilight followed, and her heart jumped at the sight. Even from this distance, she could perfectly see the silhouette of the three sirens, hovering in the middle of the bay, just as the sun started to reach the horizon.
Adagio let out a sigh as the pain started to fade away, followed by a soothing sensation. Sonata moved the fins of her back a little, and was the first to close her eyes, followed closely by her sisters.
“Sunset…” Twilight’s jaw worked silent words for a moment. “What’s going on?”
Aria started to hum. It was a low and raspy note, but somehow, even without her core, it was in perfect melody. Adagio and Sonata followed suit, humming vowels. And for the first time in a lifetime, it wasn’t a spell. It was just a song, coming from the bottom of their hearts. Their wordless song resonated throughout the bay, a crescendo that were never too loud.
The water below them formed a spiral as their magic began to mix with that of the sea. Little waves reached higher and higher, until they touched their tails. They began to sink their bodies, slowly, and the water seemed to circle around them, hugging them. Their song was in perfect synchrony with the water’s movements.
And when their tails had completely disappeared inside, their bodies began to change, adopting a whitish color. Their fins were the first to melt, running like water through their bodies, but they didn’t seem to notice. And as the song reached its final notes, their bodies began to fall apart, falling into the sea, not as flesh or scales, but as foam. They never stopped singing, not even when their mouths fell apart, or their heads was the only thing left.
Sunset clenched her teeth as her heart poured her emotions into her tears. She looked at Twilight, not really watching her. And as impossible as it were, she managed a smile.
“They are home.”
It was until they had finally become one with the sea, that the sirens’ song ended.
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Not only that, but it's complete!
I feel a little bad admitting it, but Imma have to re-read the whole thing to make sure I remember what was going on before I finish up,
Lovely story, and that was the perfect ending.
Noooooooo!
Why?!
Very nicely done
Manly tears were shed this day...
i.imgur.com/l5fFu.gif
Well done, Hakuno,
I do feel like the scene where the Sirens wake up in Twilight's castle and realize they're dying could have been stronger. Their plan was always to make it back to Equestria and then find a way to restore their cores, but they rather quickly changed their minds after they felt... whatever it was they felt when they came through the portal. I think a slightly longer scene and a little more emotional weight as they struggled with the realization might've helped really sell their plight.
Also...
This line killed me,
6553525 Thank you for reading! I'll definitely take your advice for future fics!
This was sad, brought me in tears. Thanks for such an amazing read.
Sad.
Sequel would be good.
I don't think elements work like that. They would ensure taht they woudl stay alive even in Equestria.
You can has review!
спасибо теперь я плачу автор ты доволен ???!!!!!(
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10363237
I will assume you're saying you cried. And I am very much satisfied with this reaction :3
The way the title is placed in the image, it makes the rock look like a piano to me.