Searching for Sirens
It was the day after they finally figured out where to start their search. Despite how gun-ho they were after looking over the amphitheater yesterday, they realized the search would have to wait until the next day. It had taken them a lot longer to get Twilight clothes and search around the place than they first thought and they needed to prepare before proceeding.
That night, like the night before, Twilight ended up using Sunset as a body pillow. This time the fiery haired girl didn’t really mind it so much. It was surprisingly cozy being Twilight’s body pillow.
As they made their way over to the Grand Gala Hotel, Sunset gave a quick glance over to Twilight sitting next to her. She was looking at the map in thought as they waited for a light. Sunset kind of wished she had come up with the idea to check the hotel first, because she wanted to impress Twilight for some reason. She really wasn’t sure why that was though.
Sunset had many times in the past wished she thought of something first. In those cases, she almost always pretended she did or felt a little jealous of whoever actually did. In this case, she didn’t feel any of that. She just wished she had figured it out first so she could impress Twilight and her pretty friend would think better of her.
That was something she had always wanted as well, to have others think better of her. This time her reasons were much different from the past. Sunset didn’t want a person to think she was above them and better, but instead it was something different she wanted.
She knew someone usually wanted their friends to think high of them in some respect, but this felt… “different from that” she thought as she focused once more on driving. She wouldn't mind looking at Twilight more really, but when driving she knew it wouldn’t matter who you were in a traffic accident.
{-} {-} {-}
It didn’t take long before they reached the Grand Gala Hotel. Sunset knew the place lived up to its name. It was the most expensive and richly furnished Hotel in the City. It was definitely the place pre-battle-of-the-bands Sirens would stay at the cost of just a few musical notes.
“To think, they probably stayed here for just a song…” Sunset unknowingly voiced part of her thoughts as they got out of the car. She could only imagine how addicting such a power would be to use. The vile power she held briefly was addicting, but for different reasons than she was sure the sirens' power was.
A barely audible “Yah…” was the only response Twilight gave as she too looked at the place.
Sunset looked to her friend with concern at the response and asked, “What’s wrong?”
The friendship princess frowned as she said, “It’s just… I think I can better understand just how much I failed them a little.”
Sunset wasn’t sure what to say here. She decided to simply ask, “What do you mean?”
Twilight seemed to be looking at the hotel, but her mind seemed to be elsewhere. “I may not know exactly how they feel, but I do know what it's like to more or less have godlike powers and then lose a fair amount of it.”
Sunset raised an eyebrow, “I’m not saying this to be mean, but you do realize most ponies would consider you a goddess, right Twilight? You are an Alicorn Princess.”
“Yes, I am. But I was referring to my fight with Tirek. I held, for however briefly, all of the Alicorn power in Equestria. Sure, I was relieved when it was taken back from me, but I think it was more because the battle was over and things were back to normal,” Twilight replied.
“What about the Elements of Harmony? Celestia admitted their power was far greater than her own and even she couldn’t understand it. You have at least part of that power inside of you at all times,” Sunset said.
“True… But you experienced that power yourself when you wielded it with the rest of us. How would you describe it?” Twilight asked as they started walking to the hotel entrance.
“Powerful, beautiful, wonderful, terrifying and wild,” Sunset answered as she paused in her steps and reflected on that night again.
Twilight turned to look at Sunset as she spoke. “Exactly. You weren’t and didn’t really feel in control of it. We get to experience that power flowing through us and it is everything you said. However, we don’t control it. We can’t call it at will and do with it as we want. We are merely conduits for the power and give it focus to do what it does and maybe a little aim to help reach the target.”
Sunset gave a nod as she started to understand what Twilight was saying and continued to listen. “But when I fought Tirek, I had all of Celestia’s, Luna’s, Cadence’s and my own power at my command. It was tricky to handle, but I was starting to already learn how to control it by the time I fought Tirek. I get the feeling my body and soul just had to acclimate to it a little longer and then it would have seemed very much part of me.”
Twilight looked down and gave a sigh as she said, “I never really told anyone else this, but even after everything... I missed all of that magic power. I can only imagine how much worse it would be for beings like the sirens. They had that kind of power for thousands of years then to suddenly lose it all.”
Twilight took in a deep breath and let it out as she seemed to focus more on the present. “It doesn’t excuse them for what they did, but I should have been there for them after that.”
Sunset placed a hand on Twilight’s shoulder and gave her a smile. “Even if that was true and you were somehow really at fault here. What matters now is that you're trying to do something about it.”
Twilight gave a warm smile as she placed her own hand on Sunset’s, which caused the fiery haired girl to blush. Twilight then closed her eyes and took another deep breath before saying, “Thanks, Sunset.”
Sunset removed her hand and turned towards the hotel as she said, “No worries. Come on let’s go, Twilight.” Her cheeks seemed to heat up further and she was thankful the other girl didn’t seem to notice.
While Twilight smiled, she thought to herself a little on Sunset’s reaction. She had noticed her friend’s odd behavior while she had been around. She felt a little disappointed at Sunset’s reactions. She did think they were cute, but at the same time she feared what they might mean.
“The last thing I want is for my new best friend to act like I used to around Celestia. I hope things get better,” she thought to herself. She had said what she said because it was how she really felt. She had hoped this trip might help Sunset see her as Twilight instead of the Princess of Friendship Twilight Sparkle.
At the same time though, Twilight had to admit she was a lot more forthcoming about things in general with Sunset than she was even with her pony friends. Twilight thought this a little odd. Sure, she wanted to be seen as a human or rather a pony, but she was going to further lengths than she needed to with Sunset.
Twilight shook her head and refocused as they entered the lobby of the hotel. Her eyes widened a little in surprise. She hadn’t expected the place to be so fancy. She was used to fancier places, having spent most of her youth in Canterlot Castle, but this place would definitely be seen as “adequate” by the nobles of Canterlot.
It was also the fanciest place she had been to in the human world. Though that didn’t say much since the only other places were the high school, Pinkie’s house, AJ’s farm, Sunset’s apartment and a couple of shops and restaurants. Of the places she had seen in the human world so far, this hotel was the fanciest. She still preferred Sunset’s apartment the most of the places for some reason.
The two took a couple of minutes to look around the place from the entrance. The main lobby floor was covered with polished marble stone slabs bordered with polished granite slabs along the base of the walls. There were several sitting places with luxurious rugs to protect the floor and for the guests comfort.
Towards the back of the lobby there was a set of grand staircases curving up to the second floor on opposite sides with a fountain in the middle towards the front. The fountain was large with a small island in the center with a beautiful statue of a mother holding a child in her arms with plants surrounding it. There was a high ceiling with several grand crystal chandeliers hanging down to provide light. Twilight and Sunset managed to take in every detail of the place quickly before approaching the front desk located along the left side wall of the lobby.
{-} {-} {-}
Clark gave a sigh. He usually did when there wasn’t a customer in front of him. He felt he did so because he had to make up for all of the smiling and cheerfulness he showed guests even when they were complaining about something. He wasn’t really opposed to working his job and he really did like the Grand Gala Hotel. Heck, he’s worked at the place for years now.
He thought it was interesting to see all of the different people who came to stay at the hotel. He had been here for a good while and as a result learned how to get a good grasp on people. It wasn’t really judging them in his mind. It was more like observing and learning what to look for in people and possibly expect of them.
He did treat all of the customers fairly for the most part, but he had learned how to tell the real rich and classy people from those that just put up a front. There was just a certain air about the different types of people and then there was their eyes. Of course, you couldn’t really make out the eyes until they were close, but there were other signs you could notice if you knew what to look for in a person.
Regardless of his expertise and honed senses, he would still find it interesting every time he saw new people. It was even more interesting when he actually got to talk to the different people in more depth for a short while. This was part of the reason he kept working here. He met all kinds of people and he was the type to get along with most and learn a lot with just the brief interactions he had with guests.
Because of his experience he did try to help out his younger coworkers when he could. It was also because of his expertise he never really put too much stock in his current co-worker's “Expert observations”.
“Oh great… looks like we have two bratty popular girls here. They always think they deserve the best of everything. They probably just want to look around the place so they can go and brag about it to everyone at their school. No doubt they'll make up a story or something,” Kimberly said quietly to Clark.
Kimberly was actually a good person she just didn’t always let it show. She was at least good at her job and polite to customers despite her real thoughts. She was at least getting better, but she always had something against certain types of people. Clark had told her many times she needed to get over that and she had mostly listened to him. She still clung to her own preconceived thoughts, since sometimes she was right.
This was not one of those times though. Clark looked up to the two girls who had just entered and he could already tell they weren’t what Kimberly said they were. On top of that, he could tell there was something extra special about the girl with the purple hair and her friend. “I’ve told you before you need to get over that habit of yours, Kim.”
She gave a sigh because she knew he was right and she knew what he was going to say next. “Besides… even if you were right. We're supposed to treat all of our customers fairly,” he finished like many times before.
“Maybe, but I still stand by what I said. They aren’t really the type to come here for any actual business. They seem too normal,” she said with a half frown.
Clark gave a half smile in return as he spoke. “You’d be surprised how many of the quote unquote rich and famous started out as just regular people or worse. Look at the author of that book series you love so much about the boy wizard. She started out as a single mom barely making it by in life. Now she’s become much more than that. There's also quite a few normal people that are actually rich and famous out there in the world.”
Kim frowned at that. She hated it when he won their little battles that he never actually seemed to consider a battle. She nodded to him as the two girls seemed to finally make their way over to the desk.
“Look at them. The one with the red and yellow hair doesn’t walk as if she is some high and mighty ‘popular’ girl. In fact, I’d say she walks as if she used to be before she realized how stupid it was or something happened that brought her back down to Earth.” Clark spoke in a volume only Kim would hear. He then pointed out hints in said girl’s demeanor that lent to his observations.
“As for the girl with the dark hair, she actually has the poise of a younger leader in high standing who chooses to lead by example instead of just words. I wouldn’t be surprised if she was similar to a princess who wished to remain approachable. She has that certain poise even if it isn’t very well practiced yet,” he concluded. Kim put on a welcoming smile like she did for all guests as they approached, but she doubted Clark was right this time.
“Excuse me. I’m Twilight Sparkle. I was wondering if you could help us with something,” the girl with the purple hair started politely.
“Of course we can ma’am and welcome to the Grand Gala Hotel. How may we help you today?” Kim greeted her. She wasn’t sure about the whole ‘princess’ thing Clark said, but she was pleasantly surprised how polite the girl seemingly was.
“You see we're looking for a trio of girls. They're going through some hard times lately and we're here to help them, but they've been hard to reach for some reason,” the girl said.
The girl with the fiery hair spoke next, “I’m Sunset Shimmer. We know they were here, but it might have been a while ago. There were three of them. They went by the names Adagio, Aria, and Sonata.”
Kim was silent here. She wasn’t sure how to handle this situation. She knew who those three girls were. All of the staff knew who those three girls were. The trio had stayed here for a good while and there was some drama around their stay. Plus, there were certain orders regarding those three the staff were given. She never thought it would be something that popped up again, so she wasn’t sure what to do here. Fortunately it seemed Clark did know what to do.
“I’m not exactly sure who you are talking about, but if you don’t mind waiting over there." He pointed to a sitting area nearby as he continued, "I can ask the manager to help you. We have many guests who pass through here. Mr. Sinclair always makes sure to know who comes in and out to the best of his abilities. If anyone can help you, he can.”
Twilight gave a polite smile and a nod in thanks. Sunset gave a thoughtful expression as she looked over both workers and soon followed Twilight. As they sat down, Sunset spoke. “They were here and it seems like something happened while they were. I think the staff was told to get a manager if those three were mentioned.”
Twilight gave a hum sound and a nod in understanding. “You're very perceptive, Sunset. I thought they really didn’t know them. I wonder why they were given such orders.”
“No idea,” Sunset said offhandedly. She then turned and looked the beautiful girl straight in the eyes and spoke. “If we don’t get anywhere with the manager, then I’ll take the lead a little if you don’t mind. I'm sure someone here will have seen something and not mind talking about it.”
Twilight looked Sunset over for a few minutes. She didn’t notice Sunset’s blush nor did she hear the girl’s thoughts. “I really hope she likes what she sees! Why am I thinking that at a time like this...” Sunset blinked at her thoughts and mentally sighed. She knew Twilight was just getting a read on her and knowing the pony princess, concerned she might be pushing Sunset into falling to old habits with this mission in some roundabout way.
Twilight gave a smile as she finished looking over Sunset. She was a bit concerned about her friend, but Twilight quickly was reassured there was nothing to worry about regarding Sunset returning to her old self. Twilight knew sometimes you had to get tough and a little "dirty" when on a mission. It honestly made her feel better that Sunset would be able to do such things if needed without any problems.
The pony princess thought, among other things, Sunset would have to more or less become the “Princess of Friendship” for the human world. This was something Twilight was happy and thrilled about, but also a bit saddened about.
She knew it was selfish, but part of Twilight wished she could return to Equestria after this mission with Sunset and they could have a joyful reunion with Princess Celestia. She also really wanted to introduce her friend to everyone in Equestria. She really didn't like the idea of leaving Sunset here in the human world.
{-} {-} {-}
Despite his many years working at the hotel, Clark was a little nervous about what he was doing. “Those three girls were really a bit of a dramatic and sore spot for Mr. Sinclair… I hope we aren’t about to discover something really bad about them…” the veteran desk worker thought to himself.
The staff all knew about the somewhat troublesome trio. They had money issues and Mr. Sinclair reacted strongly against them. They didn’t really do anything to the girls, but they all kept a suspicious eye on them under his orders. This was something they weren't technically supposed to do, and feared what might happen if it was discovered.
Eventually with time they each kind of grew a little bit of a soft spot for the trio. They knew the girls had been through something and were struggling to survive. The staff as a whole gave a collective sigh of relief when Mr. Sinclair finally told them “The Prolonged Penthouse Guests Situation is taken care of”.
Still, he did warn them there might be future issues with them and to report to him directly if anyone was to come looking for them for whatever reason. He would take care of the matter and deal with it as he saw fit. He also would take full responsibility if something happened.
At first, it was mostly lip service that he said what he did. He had no intention of ever mentioning or admitting to having known of any trio of girls who may or may not have stayed in their penthouse suite for a prolonged period of time. However, Mr. Sinclair did eventually take his promise to heart in his own manner.
Clark straightened up and knocked on the door to the manager’s office. “What is it?” came the question.
“Ummm… Sir… We have two girls asking about that trio in the lounge,” Clark answered.
It didn’t take long for the lanky manager to open the door with slightly surprised eyes. “What's your take on them?”
“They're at the very least polite. They both have a certain air about them. It seems like they actually want to help the trio, but I'm still not too sure about that part. It is possible, though unlikely, they are just very good at getting what they want with subtly.”
Mr. Sinclair was in thought for a couple of seconds before nodding to himself and asking, “Where are they?”
“I’ll show you, sir,” Clark replied.
{-} {-} {-}
It took less time for the manager to meet with them than Twilight thought it would. He introduced himself and invited them into his office. They were seated across from each other. Twilight and Sunset were on one side while Mr. Sinclair was sitting behind the desk in his chair.
“So you're wondering about a trio of girls calling themselves Aria, Sonata, and Adagio?” he asked for clarification.
“Yes, we are,” Twilight answered simply.
“What do they look like? If you don’t mind telling me? I've heard many names here at the Grand Gala Hotel and sometimes I forget them. Maybe if you describe them I might be of more help to you. I can usually remember faces and looks when it comes to people,” he replied calmly. He wasn’t about to lose his composure, but Clark was right about there being something different in a good way with these two girls in front of him.
“Adagio would be the easiest to recognize. She had really large orange and yellow curly hair. I mean it was really large. She kind of acts as the leader of the trio at times,” Sunset started.
“Aria had purple and bright turquoise hair usually styled in twin tails and can be a bit snarky at times,” Twilight added.
“And then there's Sonata. She has Light blue and dark blue colored hair usually in a simple long ponytail. She can be a bit air headed at times, but is mostly cheerful,” finished Sunset.
“Can you please help us, sir? They have been through some hard times recently and kind of panicked about it. We want to help them, but they're hard to track down,” Twilight asked in a slightly pleading manner.
She then blushed a little and looked to the side as she added, “It took a while for some important things to settle down, so we're a bit late in our search to try and help them. Which is a little embarrassing and I'm very sorry about.”
Sunset then added, “Yes. Please sir, help us if you can. It’s kind of important we find them.”
Mr. Sinclair had promised himself to not get really involved if those girls were ever mentioned, but after sometime he decided it would be best if he did talk about them to the right people. He soon realized these two girls just might be said right people. He could tell these two girls were actually looking to help Adagio and her friends.
The manager gave a sigh before looking to the two hopeful girls. “I do know who you are talking about.” The duo gave a sigh of relief.
“But…” Their relief faded. “It’s been a while since they were here. And I think they might be in a worse situation than you know. They were guests here for a good while in our Penthouse Suite, which is unusual. They also had some money issues. They did manage to solve those in some way, but I don't know how.”
Twilight and Sunset looked to him with interest. “When they left they each looked like a bit of a mess as well. I was suspicious of them due to the bizarre manner in which they booked their room. There wasn’t a card on file or anything like that.”
Sunset’s eyes widened a little at that news. She half expected them to have credit cards without spending limits or something. "Then again when you can get anything for a song you probably don't really need to worry about money much," she thought to herself as the manager continued.
Mr. Sinclair shifted a little uncomfortably in his desk chair. “I acted in a rather unbecoming manner with them because of this. Looking back on it I shouldn’t have behaved in such a way, but it seemed like the best course of action at the time.”
“So where did they go? Do you have any idea?” Twilight asked a bit more forcefully than she wished.
The manager gave another sigh. “I don’t really know much I’m afraid… Just that they were looking for and found an apartment to stay at here in the city somewhere.”
Twilight looked relieved to hear this news, but Sunset seemed to frown. Sunset knew just how big the City was and that there were tons of apartment complexes in it. Not to mention it might be hard to get information on residents at any of these apartment complexes.
Mr. Sinclair looked the two over and then added, “Just to give you a warning as you continue your search for those three. As you said, they are panicky and seemed to be concerned about many things when they left. So, wherever they are now they may not even be using their own names due to their panic and fear.”
Twilight frowned deeply to this. “Is there anything else you can tell us, sir?”
He thought for a moment and spoke. “They seemed very defeated about something. Apart from that… There isn’t really anything else I can tell you I’m afraid. They kept mostly to themselves as they made their plans. Miss Dazzle only told me what she needed to tell me. As I said earlier, I’m not even sure how they got the money to pay for the room and their food.”
Twilight and Sunset exchanged a look for a few seconds before they stood up and gave him a quick bow in thanks and made for the door. “One other thing,” he started as they paused in their steps. “I wish you two the best of luck in your search. And despite how I acted towards them at the time. I really hope you can help them out if they still need it. I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more assistance.” The two then left his office and headed back to their car.
Despite knowing they still had a lot work to do for this mission, Twilight turned and gave him a friendly smile. “You’ve nothing to be sorry about. With just this much, you’ve already helped us out more than you know.”
As she left with Sunset, Twilight said to her quietly, “We need to get back to your place… And figure out what to do next about my failure.”
After Twilight spoke to him, Mr. Sinclair couldn’t help but feel as if he had just been pardoned of something grave by someone of royal status for some reason. It was silly really. America didn’t have a royal family or even nobility, but he still felt that way. Also, he hadn't really done anything too terrible. He took a moment to himself before taking a deep breath and getting back to work. The Grand Gala Hotel wasn’t going to run its self after all.
Twilight seemed to be speeding up a bit as they left the hotel. Sunset frowned at this. She really didn't like where this was going. It seemed as if her friend might try to start rushing things. Sunset would have to do something about it. She already kind of knew how bad Twilight could get when she felt too pressured and/or down about something.
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One way to lure them out: Tacos.
Interesting! Hope Twilight doesn't pressure herself too much. That could lead to disaster. Not only that, she has to remember that she has Sunset to help her out!
I must admit, I did not expect new chapters to come out so early! Not that it's a bad thing, mind you, quite the contrary.
Also, I never thought about how Twi must've feel after losing the power she gained... Thanks for including that in your story.
Well, off to the next chapter I go!
sorcery this is impossible should not be possible to accurately know a person exact past.
don't take comment seriously you author can do whatever you want with your story
Wow sounds like Clark pretty much hit the nail on the head with both case scenarios