The Siren's Remorse

by TheronSniper

Ch. 2 Delusions

Author's Note:

Edited 11/23/17

Ch. 2 Delusions

A low flying aircraft passed overhead with a dull drone, its cautionary lights blinked like a police car on call to a crime scene down a lonely country road. Its wake echoed down the empty street the four were on, quickly fading away after it passed over the surrounding buildings to be no more. Just like the moment that nearly spelled disaster for the former sirens it too had left the area until not even a buzz could be discerned.

Adagio wanted to quickly thank the human male and leave the strange feeling behind she felt about him, something deep down yelled at her to put as much distance between the two as possible. Something innate and primal, the kind of sense she only had when she came across a dangerous monster with an ambiguous fur coat that betrayed its true nature. Yet the reason was obscure and lost to her current mindset unable to gain any further purchase, last thing she wanted was to turn those strange eyes onto them as they had to the dullard who left with his tail between his legs.

Blaze seemed to hesitate in giving any gratitude as it shamed her pride to do so, but her face was torn between glaring death's stare and utter confusion. It was not a situation she had ever been in before much less without any means to handle it herself, she'd rather have been put into a coma before it all even began than feel so insignificant.

“I…I…” Aria frowned trying to look away, she held her dull sore hand which had lessened into tolerable prickly needles jabbing at the flesh where she struck a nerve on the neanderthals skull.

“You like, totally took us out of the spotlight!” Sonata beamed, dancing slightly in place in jubilation.

The tall man leaned down and patted the unpredictable girl on the head softly along with a quickly hummed chuckle, "It is rare to see youth out so late, guess it was a good thing I needed a little stroll on such a quaint night? Such a shame you had to see the rabble that roams these streets."

Adagio sighed in defeat as she saw the little exchange unfold without a single hair harmed on her little idiot, “You have our gratitude… uh good sir? I don’t know what we would have done without your help. Right Aria?!” she noted elbowing the defiant girl in the ribs hoping to not sour their tepid foothold before the cliff of no return.

“Ya! Right…” Aria grumbled as she rubbed the abused flank, tired of being harmed so frequently in one day.

With a firm nod to her lesser, "See, we are all glad for your help. Now I believe it is best we head home before we meet any other unsavory wrecks isn't that right girls?" to which the two beside her acknowledge wordlessly, Sonata shaking her noggin like a pepper shaker on a fresh burrito.

Those gray eyes lay upon the golden leader once more with an intelligence behind those nearly piercing orbs. They clawed at Adagio's psyche in a way that made her take a step back grabbing the arms of the others just firmly enough to not set them off. She still could not figure out what was setting of the alarms that blindly shouted to run, but the instinctive reaction would not be her driver and thus she forced it away into a gradual sophisticated pace smiling all the way.

Almost as if noticing her snail's retreat the man gave a pleasant wave of the hand at them, "Good, have a safe night. Stay away from the west side of town during the night, it's often a spillover from the cider bars around here. Not a good place for young ladies like yourselves." with that he parted himself in the same way he arrived.

Dazzle observed the man head down the same path as the brutes, strolling slowly and methodically with no hint as to if he went to finish the job or just simply had to go that direction. A waste of time for Dazzle to contemplate any further as they had more important matters to deal concerning reaching their clothing stash and getting off the road, and vacating the area to avoid him and his gaze.

"Come on! We're leaving." she ordered releasing the two and marching away.

Aria glanced at the odd behavior and looked to Sonata mistakenly, receiving only a shrug and a shake of the head. With a roll of the eyes they soon joined behind Adagio as they made their way down the desolate void that was downtown, a few times a vehicle passed along the dead roads. Little else beyond a stray cat or dog crossed their path and even they scurried away upon seeing the worn girls.

While the curly haired ex-singer busily contemplated who the stranger was, her subordinates were left to their thoughts in silence under the starry sky. The hazy plum surrounding the full moon and the outer lying indigo depth beyond, only Dusk seemed to partake in the beauty of the nature that greeted them. How many countless nights they spent in their human husks traveling the world from days of yor before electronics and metal carriages?

She took her time counting the twinkling dots while skipping part of the way to their stash a little north of downtown. The mere act occupying her otherwise wayward attention, having been the most difficult of the three to do anything beyond musical performance it was a task similar to herding cats. It brought a sense of peace of mind to have her focus on something and not bring irritation to the already jostled hot heads. Low and behold they would soon come across something life altering, where their worries would be for nought and their wasted energy missed when things took a turn. Yet it was not something to blame them for, foresight was their handicap as time and again seemed to prove.

Battle of the Bands Concert Grounds

The concert grounds were nearly devoid of the throngs of students that had once been the audience to spectacular fight of magical talent. In place were scattered bottles of soda and water that littered the area that the little nightly breeze had stirred and played a cacophony of a tune with their hallow containers. After stopping another threat to the their world the youthful teenagers received the ponied up girls with a reception they'd not soon forget even for Sunset. Once the sirens were cleansed and departed like a fox chased by a hound, classmates that had once shown Sunset the cold shoulder asked for autographs and acknowledged her contribution. The siege lasted just long enough for the hype to wear off and the student body left for home with pictures and signatures to sport as prestige.

It left the girls satisfied and joyous as the rest of the time flew by slowly till they soon became the last souls on the school grounds. The janitorial staff were already given the pass to begin shutting down the stage for the night, lights were powering down and brooms were swept up the trash. Old man Fresh Swipe and his fellow Diligent Pine had taken it upon themselves to remove the traces of the event as if it never happened even if it were three hours till midnight.

While the Rainbooms and Princess Twilight went over what had happened, Sunset’s mood had been tainted by a tinge of worry that chipped away at the back of her mind. Amidst giving aid to the local DJ who had provided them with the means of putting the final nail in the Dazzling's coffin sort of speak. It was the least she could do to still be helpful to the school whom she nearly became the tyrant of and hoped that after the sirens she'd be seen in a better light for years to come. The little excitement earlier she greatly desired for an extension and that her relations with the school wouldn't digress to the stale air not weeks ago.

"I'm not sure I can see the issue? You're saying there's a jammed piston?" she asked the wild haired girl with sunglasses who gave a thumbs up with a shake of her electric blue spiky head.

She had taken it upon herself to work with Vinyl Scratch to fix a lodged stereo module in the miraculous mobile Scratch and Mix vehicle, the name still pending. Were it not for her curiosity over the shattered pendants still on stage a walk away, Sunset would have undoubtedly inquired into the costs of the vehicle and its many aftermarket accessories. Scratch seemed to be a bit of a mechanic herself, but she really just needed an extra pair of hands to let her get the contraption back into its original form. The entire thing was a fully customized job and somehow did not seem street legal in any sense of the word, or even if the musician was of age to have a drivers license.

Sunset nodded back, "Alright... well give me a moment to check again."

While the locally known DJ waited for the green light to restart the vehicle mechanism, Shimmer gave into her creeping paranoia as the Dazzlings song began to echo in her head. Their sultry tune something she couldn't forget no matter how many espressos or Pinkie's Spectacular Cupcake Surprise's she downed, it was an unpleasant sense of mind to feel so sick at the memory stained into her neurons. Like a cobalt oil paint that splattered onto her skirt in art class that one time, no amount of heavy duty oxidizer could clean the blue spot off her orange colored garment unless she wanted white spots with blue islands.

An eerie reminder of how close they came to failing the world at large as the sole protectors with magic at their side. Such powerful mental enchantments of the sirens had given them no bounds, especially concerning humanity which she learned had a very violent rise to being the world's top predator unlike ponykind. Early on in her first year after she exiled herself, a single semester in History class showed her all that humanity had wrought from its earlier ancestors and seemed to try and cover it up for its future generations. Several events that were brief and carefree she had decided needed some digging into, and low and behold she earned respect for the race she then belonged to at least in form.

If the Sirens truly enthralled and fed from an entire planet of such a mammalian species, Celestia would be nothing more than a bed bug to them. Fortunately, in this day and age people were more so at peace and placated by technological wonders that made life easy from her earlier research, not to mention the lack of pure mana in the atmosphere unlike Equis. Their inner fires were comparable to a dragon back home when given a spark, but thankfully they had gone some fifty plus years since the last greatest tragedy. Humans had not a reason to fear for their next meal for the most part, easily distracted by advertisements and social aspects in life like ponies in Las Pegasus. Now they were easy pickings and only the Rainbooms, Princess Twilight, and her were the last bastions between them and some nefarious force from her own home.

"I think I see it... hold on... let me... just..." Sunset stuck her tongue out as she used a small wrench to tap at the piston that refused to cooperate.

On the plus side the Dazzlings would likely have had a hard time getting out to the world quickly after likely discarding integration for subjugation. In theory, their magic was one of physical proximity if she remembered from her studies with Princess Twilight, recorded versions wouldn't pack the same effect and thus inhibited their influence. Minute pieces of information from research only then coming forth into conscious thought had rallied her hope, even if they had failed to win the Dazzlings would be in for a long haul. They would have to find a way to embed control into their fans or have them travel with their performance spreading chaos and disharmony in a race already prone to such actions innately. Such a thing was ludicrous at best, as they had yet to exhibit any power to slave the people like she had in her demon form. Judging from her earlier encounters, the Sirens were not the brightest bunch and far from the likes of the infamous Grogar or Tirek in terms of grandiose plotting and anticipation. Where she had the ability to not zombify but mind control the students, the sirens were merely mosquitoes that just became bigger and more stronger magically. Power hungry sirens who were no Nightmare Moon and would have fallen eventually, but not after leaving a wake of disaster from the cities and towns they drained.

Vinyl waited till a particular ping came from Sunset's meddling before the right ding sounded out, the former unicorn wondered about the ruby gems the sirens if they were ever weaponized. Those vile stones were broken and fragmented after their counter spell and she personally saw that they were obliterated after the their beam of friendship striped the trio of power. However, magic was much like matter, it could not be destroyed nor created as it simply existed in numerous forms. She concluded that being released from the pendants would be inert to the environment like a drop of saltwater into a large mountain fed lake. Whatever spell matrix that had been put upon the pendants were gone along with the physical form of the charms. Yet could those shards still be useful to someone if not the Dazzlings?

"I think I got it! Try to retract the stereos again?!" Shimmer called out as she pulled away from the machine to avoid getting caught between the module and chassis.

Those would be demigods thankfully left the shards in a hurry, after being chased away by a few students who seemed crazed by anger. She worried about harm coming to them if for a moment, but quickly considered what they had done and who they really were she forced back her conscience this one time. They were vile in attempting their world domination dream, they acted like she did before Twilight came along and were just as remorseless. Human or not, their victims didn’t deserve the forced conflict their songs imbued in them, destroying friendships slowly, and trapping her friends were red marks on her list of mercy. Some part of the old Sunset still existed within her and it would be years before she'd tame those dwindling quirks, but this was well earned and she was happy to feel so.

With a quick twist of the ignition key the portable mix booth retracted within the compact car and everything worked as it should. Sunset admired the little piece of work enjoying her help coming to fruition, Vinyl exited the still running mechanism to join beside her and gaze upon the marvelous job. The automatic process left nothing to be desired with each piece fitting together back into its proper spot to manifest the same idle mode that they had seen when it appeared over the hill.

With a relief washing over her, "Glad that's done and done, guess it just needed a little love tap?" Shimmer giggled as the musician fist bumped her.

Scratch gave her a quick pointed finger gesture that meant to 'check back at a later time', which she then proceeded to embark back into her special toy and ride off to her home. Sunset waved goodbye to the disappearing figure and then left to join Twilight and the others packing up their instruments and basking in the victory. Even through their joyous laughter and hearty banter a part of her figured there would be some kind of payback they should anticipate at a later date. A fate that seemed like it wouldn't and shouldn't come to be as dark magic in such a null void that was the world of humans couldn't be summoned anymore. Not if the bits and pieces of the pendants being swept away by the younger janitor were anything to go by to which she sighed in content. She made a note to ensure those pieces saw nothing but the garbage truck to be scattered in some landfill never to be found again. Only then would she feel free of another repeat and a struggle to overcome the charm of the siren's songs.

She jogged to the group and found they were already heading out to leave for a well deserved bed rest. Elated and tired cheers became yawns from dulling adrenaline brought from their stupendous fight, Sunset found it easy to pull the element of magic aside without alerting the others. She wanted to avoid ruining the moment for her friends, there were concerns that needed to be alleviated first before she too partook in the newly established peace.

“Twilight!?” she called out with a wave, earning a quaint smile from the princess.

“Sunset! Did you finish helping Vinyl with her machine? It's quite a marvel isn't it?! I wish I looked into it a bit more to be honest. Such a strange contraption that is still considered ‘street legal’ as they define it. I wonder if Vinyl made it herself or had help, I mean if you boil it down to skill and knowledge. Ms. Scratch would be worthy of Celestia’s School for Gifted unicorns back home, if not more! I’ll have to ask that musician before I leave tomorrow… I wonder if Vinyl in Ponyville might...” Twilight would have ran a one sided conversation again had Sunset not stopped her.

“She’s good to go and I'm pretty sure that metal beast was her personal pet project. I have to ask something that’s been bothering me though. Mind if we look into it when we get back to my place?” Shimmer asked in a hushed tone.

“I don’t see why not, but why are you being secretive about it? I’m sure whatever it is the girls and I can…” with a dawning joy brought on by the past accomplishments of friendship bonds, Twilight had once again been stopped mid sentence by a finger hovering before her.

Sunset looked to her with a nervous uncertainty as she diverted the both of them further away from the others, “Look, I can’t let their day end with some deep seeded worry I’m having, even if its probably nothing. Let's allow them to enjoy this night and tomorrow morning before you go. I cannot willingly accept being the one to cause trouble again.”

A sad look graced her as she gazed away thinking about the time she was such a horrible person and drove a wedge between the five girls. It was that momentary lapse in Sunset’s mood that earned undying trust in Twilight, so she agreed to the terms with a gentle pat on the shoulders of her friend and nodded.

“If a friend of mine needs to keep a secret, I’m not to be the one to deny them. So long as you tell me everything, I'll pinkie promise!" she answered going through the motions of the swearing to secrecy even as she accidentally hit her eye once again. "Owww... Plus, I figured I'd share with you what I found interesting, I plan on studying it as well just in case I encounter it back home."

Sunset found herself looking at the pieces of the pendants the Dazzlings left in the hand that wasn't rubbing her hurting eye. Twilight had somehow collected one of the gems and her very intuitive nature had her set on analyzing it. That left a conflicted feeling in Shimmer's heart, part of her would have her fears settled out while the other saw them as still dangerous items that had to be sent across the world to never be put back together again.

Looking around to ensure no one was too close, “You know it's actually about that in particular, I’m worried that they may still have some use either by those sirens or some curious person who happens upon them. I’d like to look for concrete evidence before I go dumpster diving for the other shards and bury them where they can't be found ever again.” She whispered still looking around for eavesdroppers.

“Well if it will make you feel safer, I do have a good memory on charms, enchantments, and magical artifacts I can refer to. Oh! Study session! Like a slumber party only we’ll be doing research into a potential secondary threat with damaged artifacts of dark magic!” Twilight proclaimed rather exuberantly and hopped in place, which thankfully the others were over a hill and well out of hearing range.

With a blank face, Sunset sighed and livened up with hope eventually. She had the closest thing to the Canterlot Royal Library with her and if anything could assuage the worry she bore. Twilight was the one for the job, safe to say they probably were not going to get any sleep.

7:30 A.M.

The Dazzlings had long since changed out of their torn performance garb and were walking aimlessly for a while until they came across one of the police stations of the town. Their hope brightened upon nearby source of protection if they ran into another problem that reared from the unknown that was their new bleak future. These human versions of the pony Royal Guard who watched over the two sisters domain were far more competent and better equipped to deal with troublemakers. Though, if they were not sometimes overzealous and tribalists like the ponies were known for. The passing police vehicle made them feel more at ease after last night, letting them rest at a bus stop in peace.

Adagio plopped onto the hard wood bench sighing as she looked up to the sky in her sweat pants and hoodie. Aria followed in the same manner still feeling the sting to her pride from earlier, to be so weak is was a heart ache she never wished to feel again even if she hid it well enough under her spiteful gloom. They had given each other a once over at the hide out to make them less like walking wrecks and some other human on the streets, but the few stray ends of Aria's ponytails couldn't be controlled without their magic. As usual however their third and most energetic packmate seemed to feel none of the doom, she toyed around on a small grassy patch before a clothing outlet behind the bus stop. Tiny rollie pollies were mingling about on the freshly applied mulch which she enjoyed watching as well as picking them up to examine.

Adagio stared at the sky as her mind deduced their situation as anything but unsalvageable, 'No power... no strength... no magic...' she contemplated to herself with arms stretched along the top bar of the bench's backrest.

The noise of traffic signaled the morning rush as humans of all ages were heading out to start their day. Passing trucks and motor cars were filled with suites, uniforms, texting kids, and baby seats in the back all easily noticed from the slow speed zone of the road before the Dazzlings. Half of which were enroute to their first morning meals with the lovely aroma of meats and bread wafting through the air in all the decadence of stomach rumbling enticement. Sonata was the first to acknowledge the pleasant smells which warmed her gut, they had long since eaten the left overs they managed to take from the diner. Her dainty little noise sniffed at the air like a hound on the tracks of a treat tossed by its owner, her throat hummed in pleasure.

"Hmmm... smells like waffles and steak!" she said as her tongue licked her lips, she stood on her toes looking cute with her arms outwards curving from her sides.

"Don' remind me." Aria grumbled as her own hunger peaked as well, the succulent air coaxing her biological needs beyond her willpower.

Another human shiver of mortality the sirens were finding as tempting as negative energy use to be crept into their very forethoughts. Their mouths salivated by reactionary response from the wafting waves of sizzling stoves and smoke stack emissions from fryers. They could easily envision how good a plate of food and pitchers of water felt about then. It would be the only thing they'd need for the remainder of their lives, their primary source of energy their bodies needed beyond rest.

"Are we really going to have to eat food food now? Like really deal with what happens after... you know?" Blaze bemoaned painfully with an arm over her face, mortified at the idea of using the restrooms like the hairless monkeys.

Adagio sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose, it was a thought she didn't want to even fathom much less keep up their bodies. No magic meant they had no easy means of keeping themselves prim and tidy every single day, no cleansing spell to freshen up easily. The idea of using the facilities was both disturbing as it was nauseating, their dark magic easily broke down anything they ate into usable energy and nutrition their former immortality took care of. Not wanting to incur vomiting on the side walk she lifted her head to observe the humans who were as busy as ants of a large colony in the forests of Equis. Aside from the roadway slowly growing in traffic, some pedestrians had taken to the walkways for some much needed activity as the trio would soon observe health maniacs jogging or bike riding past them. Shop keepers were parking into back alleyways, proceeding to open their businesses and earn another days pay like merchants of Romeing. How delicious those toga wearing ponies were when they stopped by for a two day performance, they even had the grand Caesar's Honor Guard at each others necks.

'How easy things were when we had our gems and we're not even a week without our powers!' she thought.

Adagio knew they had limited time before they would have to really rough it out, the sunrise was just coming over the building tops of the block just like the reality that dawned on them. The sky turned from a blue violet into an ethereal heaven’s gold that broke the bleak bewilderment of the former sirens. Dense with cloud pockets that appeared to glow like giant bits in the air holding no weight, it offered a strange moment to the new human forms the Dazzlings possessed without the dire need to feed on negative emotions. Unlike before she never saw any interest in the vast skies in Equis nor their imprisonment world, she'd been in both for long enough to see every variation which all bored her if it had not revolved around gaining power and adoration.

Not long ago she would have thought it to be a waste of time and a mindless task of Sonata to partake in. It felt then serene and humbling for if but a fraction of a second to feel so small like the ants that were the metal carriages and bystanders on side walks. Granted the clouds acted in their own nature devoid of magical influence, no pegasi to interfere and manipulate the natural way of the greater scheme of things. For the former siren it was almost as if she stood at the ledge of a steep coastal cliff peering at the dawn over the Great Lunar Ocean. A mere step from leaping off the high ground and into the dark indigo waters below that would swallow her entirely to never resurface again.

'Why do I feel... like the end is so close?' Dazzle's eyes quivered as the world became mute, 'I know we can bounce back! We've come back from worse... I've come back from worse. But why... does this really feel like... it will all end so soon?'

Her right hand went to her neck where the pendant would be and felt nothing, the absence of the gem only served to reaffirm the tendrils of darkness which clouded her planning. This was not them at all to find such a depth in banks of water vapor unless they were by a shoreline, no, they were indeed altered into the apes like those that inhabited the town. Simple creatures who lived on borrowed time and yet wasted each passing day with contentment in such little accomplishments and pleasures of commercial goods. Flickers of light that came and went only beaten by the speed of which they bred as a species, like ants to a greater whole they were easy to blink out while sirens held their own against time and odds. But they lost it in that battle, had all her fighting to secure power been nothing but a waste to the inevitable?

'Mother? I... I think I... may see you very soon. I hate to even relish the thought but I... even I can see the obvious just like you use to tell me. We die without our stones... we starve.' her right hand gripped her throat softly as if to stop the lump forming.

'I've fought for so long... sooo looong... and just looking at stupid clouds makes me feel...' she held back the need to cry with the utmost fervor, 'Tired... I'm feeling tired mother?'

The once indominable matriarch of the Dazzlings experienced a morose that even she couldn't hold all of it back, knowing such she let it go in her head while keeping her real self as composed as she could. After walking all the rest of the night looking for a place to stay their legs had become bothered and ached, they were homeless girls with no way to defend themselves. How the orb of shame weighed upon her specifically exhausted her mental stamina till she couldn't block it all out.

She swallowed the tightness in her esophagus, "Maybe I'm wrong?" she whispered to herself so that only she could hear, the last vestiges of her iron determination hanging on by threads.

Abruptly, Aria blurted out and stirred Dazzle from her wallowing, “Hey uh… so are we still planning on leaving. This place I mean?” Sonata busily kicking her legs at the ground repeatedly, scrapping the lose pebbles away from the green grass area annoyingly.

“Ya, what’s there left of us now. Just live out like human girls and get jobs? I wonder if I can work at a Taco Grub outlet we passed by when we came here?” Dusk questioned as she tapped her chin idly.

Adagio's hand released her neck thankful that her thick curly locks hid her from the other two while she endured the moment that lingered even as she rose from the cold water. She cleared her throat to ensure she wouldn't sound any bit weak especially to Aria who would no doubt leave or try to gain control, it was just her nature to be that kind of siren. Though whether she'd prove to be the better matriarch was still up for grabs.

“I’ll be honest, we’re either going to search for some kind of substitute for our gems or we’ll eventually die in this world. We could spend our whole lives looking for any other magic or possibly some other kind of way to steal from the Rainbooms. But the longer we stay mortals…” she admitted to her own worries if only to bolster their resolve and fight the inevitable, giving her subordinates something to latch onto like a hungry shark spearheading a dead whale adrift at sea.

“What will happen to us if we don't?” her blue idiot asked as she stopped her bored activity.

With the little rebound she could muster she summed up some of her contingency plans she worked out given the far-fetched results that would come of it. They hadn't given much thought into what meager magic was still in use, having survived the witch hunting days of the continent they ended up on. They did come across a covenant deep in a birch wood forest before performing some kind of ritual though it had no magic that she could taste then. Occasionally some mana leaked out of the most cleanest and well run cathedrals in later days, but those were like the tidal winds off of restaurants in the distance. They might still have an option with human magic but the issue remained the center focus, no gems meant no voices to feed an immortal soul. The chances of even recovering a fraction of their long lives to counteract their likely mortal state was a long shot that didn't even guarantee success, nothing but a more painful disillusioned death from there.

"What those fools failed to understand was that by taking away our powers... and shattering our livelihood. They've put us at death's door. I'm sure anyone of us can hold some kind of work down while we search for a way out of this sinkhole they threw us into. But time is not on our side if I am to be truly honest with you two, we will fade away just like mother said." Adagio's magenta eyes sagged to the road as the scheduled red apple bushel painted bus pulled in for any commuters waiting on it.

The squeal of the loud breaks had Aria growling as her hands went to her ears, Sonata the same with less hatred in her face. Adagio however ignored the ruckus and kept her head down as the bus driver opened the door which several people filed out and left to their own routes. It waited there for a moment longer before it became apparent the Dazzlings were not going to board, and with a hiss of hydrolics the folding door closed and the heavy engine revved to slowly power the huge thing along. The foul odor of exhaust had the three coughing in its wake, but it was a minor state of irritation before they were back to semi fresh air.

Aria waved off the last stinging miasma from her breathing space before speaking, "What did your mother say?"

"Ohh! Was it that if a siren ever loses her stone that they would soon join the Great All Father of the Waters?" Dusk inquired even as her eyes watered from the lingering smog.

Adagio hacked out the last of the dank pollution, "Some... something to that extent yes... we will perish from hunger."

That admission sent a small shockwave through the other two like a slap to the face, it was not something they were happy to hear at all. Aria at least figured they'd live to be old hags who'd torment the humans till their final days, leaving a lasting bitterness where ever they stepped foot in. Dusk was not anywhere near the same semblance and the fear of never feasting upon the delicacies of the human world at some point was not a reality she wanted to go through. Everything was sort of agreed upon that without their voices they were something feeble and fragile, but to be as perishable as a banana in the student cafeteria was downright atrocious.

Silence encompassed the once illustrious musicians, even Blaze's usual retorts found no ground to latch onto. For someone as mighty and strong as her it was just inconceivable, even her own mouth was agape in disbelief. In some portion in the back of her mind there had to be some hope Adagio could give them, but what was offered was a wild shrimp hunt with little potential of revitalizing them. She sat flabbergasted, Sonata seemed to collapse onto the heels and legs behind the bus bench unable to forgive the idea that they were on borrowed time with oblivion not far away. A passerby could feel and see the doom around the girls if they passed by as much as walking through a black cloud of truck emissions. Though in the crevice of uncertainty came a glimmer of hope that was caught by mere chance in Dazzle's peripheral vision.

The once glorious singer caught the colors of the dastardly duo among the growing crowd of walkers as if they were chum in the water, eyes snapping to them quicker than her head could focus. Between a mobile phone store and some kind of resale place Twilight and Sunset walked in tandem in some kind of discussion with each other, having not yet detected the beaten sirens on the other side of the two way street. Far too busy wrapped up with themselves and whatever destination they sought, which triggered the matriarch into action if even to get revenge seeing the two isolated from the others. No group meant no giant magical construct shaped like an alicorn to harm them anymore further than they were already.

A quick hiss left the dainty soft yellow lips, “We got company!” Adagio jerked her head in their enemy's direction.

As if to make this droll of a day even worse, the resistance that led their downfall were right before them and there was nothing they could really do. No magic or voice to act upon, just their fleshy bodies that at most they'd scare them before having to choose between running after or giving up and fighting like cornered lobsters. Without Adagio giving any signal, the Dazzlings simply sat and observed their foes walk towards a coffee shop just a few buildings down to their left. By the looks of things the two were doing some paperwork with the folders tucked under their arms. Adagio wanted nothing more than to leave and forget the pests, however, something was drawing her as well as the other Dazzlings toward them like blood in the water.

Adagio snapped her fingers to gain the others ears who were eager to act as the wolves they use to be, “Listen, we tail those two and figure out what they’re doing. If you can feel it too, they have something we must have. And that could be only two things I can imagine. Aria, you’ll go in the second entrance and find a corner to keep an eye out for them. I will find a spot to sit by the main entrance myself. We’ll both need to change our looks first, bundle your hair and put on your hood like when we use to feed.” Adagio sneered at the longing for that feeling to eat with its tantalizing sensation haunting her very soul in delight like an echo in a cave, pushing away the doubt and nothingness that had hung over them.

“What about me?” the third spoke up as she pointed to herself slightly worried.

“Just… go out and do something else while we work.” Aria growled as she set about to disguise herself, stuffing her long locks down her jacket to avoid making her appearance draw attention.

The golden girl took in options which even her little tiddle of a follower wouldn't fail at. If her little stake out failed, perhaps even Sonata could prove useful? A sudden wildcard was always the key to victory, that much she knew of what worked back in Equestria.

She grasped Sonata's hand to ensure the idiot knew to listen on such an important mission, “You will hang out by that phone outlet and window shop, but don't buy anything! If those fools get away from us and we don’t succeed in finding whatever they have. Then all you need to do is stick a foot out and trip them. Grab everything you can that looks shiny or anything like our gems and run for it to the construction site we use to hide our cloths in. Can you do that?” Adagio glared at the klutzy girl, locking her commanding gaze hoping a simple task wasn’t beyond her.

“Uh sure? Why not? If I see them, they fall down! Got it.” Sonata responded rather happily.

“Just watch her screw that one up too.” Blaze smirked as she slipped on her concealing clothing.

“No! Watch as you mess this up and then blame me for it.” With a quickly fired shot, Sonata stomped away to the nearest crosswalk.

“Typical…” Blaze spat.

“Enough! Let us get this over with. I need to find out what they have. Let's go!” Adagio snapped at her lesser as she compacted the cloud of orange hair behind her spiked tie, thanking the fact that her fabulous hair was easy to squeeze into a tight spot.

“Fine!” Aria shot up and went off to her designated post with a furious attitude that was easily dismissed given the situation.

It felt as if it was sheer coincidence that something drew them to engage the Rainboom's leaders. The energy she felt coming from their persons had fired up her hopes with the possibility of some kind of magical item or even if their gems were in their grimy mitts if in pieces. The latter being farfetched even for Sonata to believe it could be possible. They may be humans now, but the magic they were born into yet remained for the time being, like some kind of six sense. Sirens were drawn to two things, negative emotions either they or some other situation created. Or their amulets, that was how they could sense other sirens that encroached into their territory. She highly doubted their gems were rebuilt, even for those two it wasn’t a possibility as the magic should have been lost for good. Those gems were created from their very flesh as younglings and like breaking bones those were never as strong as they use to be.

A siren separated from her stone in Equis secured their fate with the inability to feed, their spirits would soon wither away and their bodies decayed. Surprisingly enough, the Rainbooms did just that but left them as the monkey's they were, still alive and a short time at that to endure. It was that anger she felt towards them, the indignation at not finishing the job as any combat between predator and would be prey ended in. What little she banked on loot to cure their ailing condition tantalized her soul as if a part of her was somehow in their grasps waiting to be freed.

Cafe 8:00 A.M.

Coffee Pot Hesta’s had become the spot to eat before work and a place to study for students. A mom and pop shop which held the signs of the old rustic history of the town. The interior dominated by well maintained cherry wood did not darken the restaurant's bright and welcoming atmosphere. Instead it livened the quaint place within, with the slight red tint of the polished wood that laid a subdued hint of excitement in the patrons. Inside, the layout was originally a tavern from ages ago and retrofitted to become a relaxing rest stop for all ages.

Entering the first door closest to the corner intersection the two crossed, customers were lined up before taking their seats if they didn't grab to go orders. Patrons had walked through the main floor studded with groups of tables and stools which opened up a two person lane for busy hours. The seats were currently occupied by locales chatting with their associates or staring into their mobile devices as they munched away their eats and sipped at liquid black gold for the spirit. The walls had sit in booths for large groups that could hold six and were better suited to the shops full menu or those who found the place a sanctuary. Light green leather cushions broke the red wood architecture, with wall anchored tables of marble holding up dishes or computers without letting table legs get in the way. Old fashioned blinds and square windows dictated the amount of outside light that came in. They were seldom touched by anyone but the owners who kept them dust free regularly, always cracked open just enough for the sunlight to peer in with lines of bright white striations.

To the other side of the coffee shop was the bar itself which sported numerous coffee making appliances and cooking instruments. Drip machines, french presses, latte, and espresso makers sported silver and black housings that steamed with heavy use with the decadent aroma. The stools which once awaited adult customers who sought a quick stein of adult cider were gone along with the tavern's alcoholic taps and barrels. Beyond the brewing machines, displays for freshly baked pastries awaited with protected plexiglass from the wayward fly let in by the constantly flapping doors to the outside. There were two slots open for a cashier to manage in between the kitchen equipment. The middle aged owners stood happily attending the customers as they handled teens, families, and adults who patiently waited to order. Seven rail lights attached to the ceiling provided the luminescence, highlighting the service counter and the source of hunger inducing smells.

“Let’s sit over there.” Sunset pointed to an empty stall near the back end after they navigated the packed lines of people awaiting their turn.

Aria had arrived just in time to take notice of her quarry and clandestinely leered at them with an eagerness to wrap her hands around either of their necks if not both. She spied the right spot to be within ear shot closest to the counter and the pickup lane. A lone two seated table had a couple groups between her and the two students, which the customers there were quietly eating and texting oblivious to her. If either the girls attempted to look for her she had enough shielding to remain hidden. A further bonus was the vantage point to see Adagio enter and take her position further down, their stake out was set and all that needed to be done was to hear or see the right things.

As the Sunset sat down, Twilight gently put a small lavender felt sac close to the window of the booth before setting down the folders to take her spot. After spending three minutes organizing everything, much to Aria’s chagrin the girls finally spoke of something worth her time. The Dazzling kept her gaze down to avoid attention and focused her hearing to phase out the background noise.

“Are you sure it’s safe?” Sunset asked in a rather stern manner from the pleasantness she originally sounded with.

“I’m not sure, but from what we’ve discovered thus far… it's nothing more than the equivalent of a battery?” Twilight responded in a rather questioning tone that seemed to be aimed at her references.

“But they were used for dark magic! How can it just be converted into raw power and not convey any corruption in its use? Are you sure they cannot be used again by you know who?!” Shimmer seemed aghast as she loudly whispered.

“I’m very certain the spell matrix would have disappeared as with any destroyed magical artifacts, it fades with the magic. However, this isn’t the case as with the siren gems. Whoever created these, they used very powerful and archaic arts to craft them but even then there are enough runes missing to make them useless to those three. I’d need the Canterlot Royal Library’s more classified section to find any comparisons with ancient mages who could have done this if they can be found. I mean there are spells upon spells that allow the gem to absorb passive negative energy, then give the user their controlling voice power over others and from there well... you know the rest. I've managed to count forty six different spells that form the matrix and all seem to be amassed over a siren's age given the fragments I snatched from the other two. I just hope my theory that they were created is debunked later this week when I return to Canterlot. I cannot imagine facing more of them back home... unlike Wendigos. " Twilight swept through her papers and handed a few over to Sunset, indicating how impressive the gems really were and how ultimately irreparable they were.

"Nonetheless, what I did was simply rearrange the matrix into a containment spell that in theory should just direct the dark magic into a stream of raw mana. Thus, being capable of fueling if but for a moment any spell such as portals, offensive magic, and shields without the user even coming into contact with the dark aspect of its source. Think of it as a self sustaining spell, all one has to do is enact the release and the floodgates open. Kind of how you use those digital tables or touch screens I think?” Sparkle mused as she brought forth the new matrix the gem had been formed into on a diagram which showed the new runes she managed to carve or replace.

Sunset hummed in slight mirth, “So the user is not at risk? Even someone with ill intentions? So if the sirens try to use this again... they could still control people but for what a moment and get nothing out of it?” Sunset pushed further as she let her thoughts run their way with her eyes scrolling over the documents.

With steady calm hands, she looked through a different set of notes she recently finished, clarification for the use of the stone, “Seeing as we only grabbed the fragments of one of the three pendants, I can only deduce that a single siren couldn’t do much without the entire group working together. Just look here at the new matrix zero one zero nine and its limitations, it's impossible for it to utilize negative energy as it is now much less convert negative energy into anything. To put it simply, the original spell may still on the surface, but the application the gem has now is merely a reservoir for the lingering power housed in each shard. It cannot absorb, it will only empty itself and strip the dark magic away from the mana in a conversion process like the process of desalinization plant. It's broken Sunset so you don’t need to worry. Here you can keep these notes for future reference, I made copies to take with me.”

Unknown to them that they were being eavesdropped, the sirens were shattered by the news of what little hope they had. Aria couldn't even see getting even a snack from the dark magic that remained, they were officially defenseless like a sardine without a shoal to protect itself with. They'd remain human for what little they had left and that disparity led her to walk off and out of the café. She left Adagio to figure out what those two meant by their investigation and meddling.

Power cells to be used and discarded, that was all that remained of their lives now. Their corporeal forms in this world couldn’t be brought back, nor their beautiful voices. They couldn’t perform magic here to even use the pendant the one called Twilight perverted. Nothing but useless pieces of rock, they were indeed lost in this world and nothing good to look forward to. A punishment those Rainbooms truly could not comprehend through their eyes, it was death row for a magical creature such as themselves.

With little other options at hand, the former siren left the shop just quietly as she came with no one noticing. She ignored the morning greetings of the other humans coming in, who only saw a hooded figure in deep thought. Yet as she exited the café, a man had walked along the booths soon slipped on spilled syrup that happened to be just before Twilight and Sunset’s booth. Adagio missed the racket from the sideways fall onto the table and the flurry of papers going in all directions as the noise of chatting people obscured it like the crashing tide of a shoreline. The surprised looks of the two girls would have been delicious to Adagio had she stayed to see it.

The man flailed trying to catch his footing as his hand grasped the lavender sac, as soon as he recovered he then went on a string of apologizes to the girls and the restaurant. The commotion distracted Sunset and Twilight from his little snatch and grab as they kindly accepted his pardons. They didn't notice the missing item until the man had long left ten minutes which took them just as long to clean up and properly order the notes Sparkle had painstakingly wrote throughout the night. He cemented his escape by paying for two cups of tea for them, which was greeted with a few claps of acceptance from the customers around them.

Outside...

Sonata had inevitably strayed from the job she was commanded to execute, opting to rather observe the little birds that pecked at the sidewalk for scraps of waste grains and food from people's shoes. It was not long before the screeching of the mass transit bus hearkened the arrival of her fellows. She greeted them whole heartedly when they looked perturbed and ready to blow up at the next persons face.

“Soooo… I take it we’re going to do something with whatever those girls had with them?” Dusk asked trying to liven the mood.

A long pause pervaded the group as they stood in front of the phone outlet she was suppose to be looking at, Adagio eyed the sky in a forlorn gaze as if a piece of her had already died away. Even Sonata could see something was wrong and that they were not going to get any further aid in their new pitiful lives, the gleam from the wondering eyes of her leader said it all. A life without music and their songs, a quiet world filled with static that not even the all father could comfort them in their final days yet to come.

The response came from the other who seemed visibly irritated beyond her normal range, “Nothing, we got nothing out of that and we’re back to this grimy pit hole of a life!!” Aria hissed as she kicked a crumbled can away to distract her from the sounds of public around them.

“So that’s a no I guess?” Sonata shrugged absentmindedly.

“Just go back to sleep…” Aria replied putting a palm to her forehead with no energy to spout insults.

Adagio began to walk into the deeper part of town without a word, not even a remark to her fellow sirens. They soon took note and followed in tow obedient as ever since they had nothing left anyways, with all hope lost it would be a nightmare for them. Their suffering soon to come would be the lasting impression of Starswirl, of what he left the creatures in would be a black hole in which they'd never escape. They had to blame somepony, they had an injustice to reconcile for the end that was shoved onto them. All the while, Sonata simply enjoyed the world as it were, seeing as it wasn’t a complete loss with the nature still around them as she began to really embrace the human mind she had left. It was the little things she could focus on, especially smell of food which thankfully didn't go with her gemstone.