Aria Ablaze

by mouch30

Chapter 3

The spotlight always lingered a few steps away from Aria. Instead, it would hover on Adagio, with her confident voice, swaying movements and oodles of charisma. If the number called for it, Aria would get a few fleeting seconds of fame, her voice adding to the richness of her sister's. She didn't mind that much. Scratch that; she never let her sisters see how much she minded. She knew that it was for their own good. Adagio knows best. Adagio won't let you down.

With eyes closed, Aria moved her body in a slow, sensual motion. She played with tendrils of her hair as she continued crooning into the microphone, relishing in the magic emanating from her audience. This is where she was meant to be, not in the background like a secondary character. She was deaf to the cries and screams of the brawling boys and girls below her. They were below her. She was an angel of arias, a soul sucking soulful saint, a musical magician…

A true Siren.

She opened her eyes, lidded with pleasure, and gazed at her adoring fans. Her stare swung from person to person, landing on two strange figures in the back. They stood close together, drinks in hand, casually surveying the scene around them. Even from here, she could make out their glowing pendants, sending a pang of wistfulness for the weight on her throat.

She was singing, right? She glanced at the microphone in her hand and heard the melody she was making. So why weren't they being affected?

As her brow furrowed in confusion, the two figures began to move. They split up, weaving their way through the crowd, gradually approaching the stage from opposite directions.

They were cornering her.

Aria continued, not willing to give up the focus on her so easily. Maybe they were just going backstage; they didn't want anything to do with her.

Then why were they getting closer, intent eyes glued to her?

Bzzzt.

Aria lost her voice. Or rather, someone had disconnected her microphone, silencing her.

"What the hell?" she snapped, whipping around to find a slender girl smiling at her, aux cord in hand.

"In a few minutes, your spell is going to break," the stranger warned, her voice soft and sweet. "I suggest you get off that stage and follow us."

Aria felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry, we won't harm you," purred a male voice. "We want to protect you. Now, go on."

Aria glanced longingly at the microphone, at the stage, at the bright lights. The darkness she had brought to this club was evaporating, and the partygoers were regaining their senses.

"Now," urged the girl.

Aria dropped the mic and scurried off, staying close the strange girl. "Where are we going?" she asked.

"To the back of the club. It’s safe," the girl replied. She looked back and gave Aria a gentle smile.

"Who are you?"

The girl's smile widened. "Your biggest fans."

***

Aria smiled gratefully, wrapping her hands around the glass of water. She took a sip, and took that time to drink in her new friends.

First, they were twins. They shared the same height, the same willowy figure, the same large eyes. Inky black hair hung in front of their faces, casting shadows on their steely chrome skin. The girl called herself Venus. The boy called himself Mercury. They were...weird.

“So,” Aria broke the silence between them, “What do you want with me?”

Venus chuckled, causing Aria to raise an eyebrow. “Sorry, I’m just so excited to be near you. You see, my brother and I are very...interested in the world’s unknowns. Supernatural phenomenons, miracles, magical anomalies…”

“We’ve become quite attuned with exposing magical strains in our little dimension,” Mercury spoke up. “We’re of sort the resident magical experts. So, when you were performing tonight...well…”

“Naturally, we were intrigued by you! It was such an honor to be experiencing such strong magic up close!”

Aria raised a hand. “But you weren’t affected by my magic. Neither of you were fighting.”

Venus giggled again. It was becoming a little annoying.

“Well, we wouldn’t have ventured out without a few protective spells,” she tittered. “We may be hedge witches, but we’re not stupid.”

“Hedge witches?”

“We weren’t born with magic,” Mercury explained. “We had to grab it with our own hands and force it to bend to our will.”

“That sounds...violent. Wait, so, humans know about magic? Adagio said we had to keep magic to ourselves because it would cause a huge panic!”

“Not everyone knows about magic,” answered Mercury. “The majority of people here don’t believe in that. That is, until that little fiasco at Canterlot High. More and more people started hearing about that giant demon, but magic is still a fantasy to most people. Some of us, the ones who live on the cusp of the impossible, we know there’s something more out there. For example, how did you make a whole club of people beat one another up?”

Aria’s gaze dropped. “W-well, that was…”

“Magic. Exactly.”

“Okay, yes, that was magic. So what do you want with me?”

“When people are faced with a question, they will do whatever it takes to get an answer,” Mercury continued, ignoring Aria’s question. “After photos and videos emerged on the internet of the event at Canterlot High, people got curious. What is this, they asked. Will it happen again? The internet can only tell you so much about what it doesn’t know. That’s where we come in.”

“When people started to wonder, we reached out to help answer some questions,” Venus began. “Some people were satisfied with the answer, laughed it off even and complimented the CGI in the video. But others, others like my brother and I, weren’t satisfied with one answer, and demanded more. That’s when we decided to form our little...club. A safe place where people can freely discuss the possibilities of magic and...perhaps learn to tame it in a practical and cautious manner.”

“But alas, there is only so much we as mortals can do,” sighed Mercury, a forlorn expression settling on his features. “We’re just ordinary flesh and blood.”

“But you!” Venus’s eyes lit up with perverse excitement. “You’re something more than that, aren’t you? That magic you were using, it was powerful, we felt it!”

“That’s why…”

“That’s why…”

Mercury and Venus stood in front of Aria, grasping each other’s hands tightly, their free arms extending towards Aria.

“We want you to join our club,” they said simultaneously.

Aria stared at them, and slowly placed a hand in each open palm. “You want...me?”

“Of course,” Mercury gushed, pulling Aria in a standing position. “You...are the epitome of what we are trying to achieve. Power.”

“Strength!”

“The ability to wield magic as effortlessly as you.”

“Control over the weaker mind!”

“What do you say?” Mercury pulled her closer, gazing intently at the trembling Siren. “Would you join my sister and I on our quest to gain magic?”

This is crazy, Aria thought. Adagio always said to stay away from humans looking to use magic. She said that there was no way a human could learn how to, anyways. But these guys weren’t affected by my magic, so surely they must know some magic, otherwise how would they have protected themselves against my magic? Anyways, Adagio didn’t want me to mingle with these people, she said they were crazy, that they were unsafe.

“Yes,” Aria replied, surprising herself. “I...I don’t know much I can teach you, but I’ll try.”

The twins let out peals of mirth.

“How fantastic!” Venus cried, enveloping her brother and Aria in a hug. “This is going to be so much fun!”

“My sister and I are eager students,” Mercury murmured, smiling at his sister’s excitement. “We have every confidence that you’ll be a wonderful teacher.”

Aria’s own smile was strained. “Thanks.”

***

Venus flicked the switch, bathing the room in a dingy white. “Home sweet home,” she said, ushering Aria indoors.

Aria took a careful step, eyes wandering over her new living quarters.

“This is the dining room, that’s the kitchen. Down the hallway is the bathroom, and to the left are the bedrooms.”

“How many people live here?” Aria asked, wrinkling her nose at the mouldering dishes in the sink.

“We’re a small and selective group. Currently, we have fourteen members in total, but only five of us live here. That’s me, my brother, Dusky Haze, Fissure, and Summer Spice. Six, now that you’re here.”

“You’ll be sharing a room with everyone,” Mercury interjected, reaching into the fridge and grabbing an almost empty bottle of water. “My sister and I share a room alone. Leadership perks.”

“I don’t want to share a room with three others,” Aria muttered, crossing her arms. “Doesn’t having powerful magic mean I get a room to myself?”

Venus tsked, waggling a finger. “You have to contribute to the team and prove you are a valuable asset to us before you can get rewards.” She knocked on the first door on the left. “Hey, everyone! We’ve got a new member we want you to meet!”

The door opened, and out stalked the remaining members.

“Aria, meet your new family!”

“Hello,” the shortest one said. He had long green locks of hair, and his brown skin was speckled with light green freckles. He extended a friendly hand.

Aria took it, internally gagging at the sight of his missing fingers.

“Well met,” one of the girls murmured. It had to be Summer Spice, with her fiery crimson hair and golden skin. “We needed some fresh blood here.”

The last one, Fissure, hid behind soft layers of dark brown hair. She peeked at the newcomer, exposing the scars on her face, dark against the baby blue skin.

Aria nodded at her, a silent greeting. Fissure nodded back, her gaze casting downwards.

“Well” — Venus clapped her hands — “Everyone, Aria here is very special. She has shown us some wonderfully intense magic, and we are pleased to announce that she will be teaching us how to use it!”

“However,” Mercury said, “Since we aren’t too sure what kind of magic it is, she will only be teaching my sister and I. We will pass down the knowledge once we are ready.”

The trio nodded sagely, accepting what was said.

“Why don’t you three show Aria where she can put her stuff?” Mercury asked.

“Sure,” Dusky Haze piped, wrapping his fingers around Aria’s wrist and pulling. “You’re gonna love it here!”

Aria gasped when she entered the bedroom. The floor was filthy, with takeout cartons and tissues scattered around the place. The walls were caked with mold, and a foul stench burned her eyes. There were no beds; instead, thin mattress draped with holey sheets were the only options. A dresser stood in the back, with a few scant possessions on the top. Aria counted three empty bottles with no labels, a bowl of...something, and what appeared to be small bones.

“You can sleep there,” Summer Spice said, pointing to a dark corner. “But honestly, we share beds and sheets and everything else. Be warned, Fissure wets the bed sometimes.”

“Only when I’m nervous,” Fissure whispered. “Which is usually always,” she mouthed.

Aria snorted in disgust. “You really expect me to put with this?” she snapped, turning to face Venus, who was watching from the doorway. “This is a joke, right?”

“Whatever do you mean?” Venus asked, the slightest hint of a smile on her lips. “The most important thing right now is that you have a place to sleep, and friends to hang with. My brother and I will be waiting in the dining room for our first lesson.”

“You want a lesson now?” Aria was already growing sick of this gang. “I...I don’t know if I have the strength to do any strong magic right now. Can I get something to eat first?” The meal at the club filled her magic reserves well, but Aria had always liked eating physical food from time to time.

Venus made a small sound. “I’ll see if we have any food.” She hopped away.

“You don’t like it here?” asked Dusky.

“Am I the only one with working senses here?” Aria growled, throwing her hands out. “Look at this place! It’s disgusting!”

“It’s our home,” snapped Summer, eyes narrowing. “If you don’t like, leave.”

“You can’t leave,” Dusky protested. “You just got here!”

“You smell like you’re powerful,” whispered Fissure, discreetly sniffing Aria’s arm.

“Don’t come near me,” Aria seethed, running out of the room. She watched Venus opening and closing all the cabinets in the kitchen, a blank look on the leader’s face. “Well? Got any food?”

“Hmm, not at the moment,” Venus replied. “As usual. We’ll get something tomorrow.” She turned to face Aria. “If you’re really tired, you should go to sleep now. We’ll talk more in the morning.”

She left Aria alone in the kitchen.

“I’m literally going to have a stroke,” Aria said to herself. She sighed, and walked back to her new room. Her roommates were already in bed, muttering to one another about their plans for the next day. Aria silently removed her shoes, toes curling inwards in fear. She didn’t have any night clothes, so she stayed in Dew’s dress. A stray thread peeked out from under the hem; she picked it until it came loose. It was a white strand, soft to the touch. She twirled it around her little finger and tied it securely, as if it was a little ring.

Holding back tears, she fell into a fitful sleep.

Author's Note:

¯\_ツ_/¯ everyone waited so long and this is what you got lmao

did u know ive eaten mcdonalds every week

Comments

[Starlight Nova]

Will the other Dazzlings appear?

[mouch30]

7584208

No, not in this story. This just focuses on Aria, since the other story followed Adagio and Sonata.

[BluePony1]

I don't like what's going on... somebody unprepared can do a lot of harm when given something very powerful. And magic is definitely something of that kind.