The Dazzlings' Shrines

by HorsesandMOARGaloar

Sonata

As they walked out of the hall-like cavern, they found that the larger hall ahead was bathed in sunlight. In the middle of the sun's rays was a hut, where an elderly cyan unicorn mare, wearing a stuffy old dress, continuously swept the ground outside it.

The two nonpareil brothers approached her and her place with curiosity. "Madam," the elder brother asked, "how may we help you?"

The light blue unicorn looked at the duo and put away her broom. "Why," she said, "you two must be the guests that Aria invited here. My name is Abacus Cinch. She insists that I explain to you about your current test." Her voice sounded as prim and proper as one of those socialites that they met back at Canterlot.

"So what would it be, Madam?" Flim asked. "My name is Flim Skim, and my older brother next to me is Flam Skam."

"It is a pleasure to meet you," Flam greeted. He and his brother took a bow, and the unicorn mare, Cinch, curtseyed with her hind legs.

"Do you two happen to know anything about this device?" Cinch lifted a purple shell into the air with her magic.

"We saw that one before at Adagio's ball pit shrine!" Flam remarked.

"That device uses magic to open portals, such as the one that led you and the Sirens into Equestria, does it?" the younger brother asked.

"Of course," Cinch replied. "However, I am not from this world of cutesy ponies and fantastic things that your Princess Twilight, the Dazzlings, and all this magical nonsense originated from. Back in my world, I was a principal of a prestigious academy who forced the students to become the best they can ever achieve, though they had more love for my academy and their teams than they ever had any appreciation for me. Without me, they have become a vulgar rabble, like that delinquent-ridden Canterlot High and its so-called 'students'!"

"Well, at least they won't bother you anymore, madam," Flim consoled her.

"Now, Madam Cinch," Flam added and asked, "what shall be our current test here?"

"Follow me," the unicorn mare in a dress gestured to them, leading them into another cavern filled with hot springs. The springs' geothermal heat, added by the plunges of its many waterfalls throughout its maze of cliffs and ravines, caused the whole cavern to be filled with steam.

~~~

"It's getting too hot in here," Flim panted. Cinch then gave him a folded fan to cool his uncovered coat from his bath of sweat, and a glass of orange juice with ice.

"At least you should be more comfortable without your shirt, brother," the mustached pony answered. He then removed his vest, and even his shirt, to the disgusted former principal and his brother's amusement. "I'd like to join you."

"I understand that you are trying to accommodate yourself to the sweltering heat, Mister Flam," the blushing unicorn mare unfolded another fan to cover her eyes from that indecency before her, "but you should not be doing this, especially in front of a respectable lady as me."

"I can't help it, Madam," Flam shrugged. "That's how we cool down." He wiped some sweat from his brow, and shook of more sweat like a dog, some of which had stained Cinch's frowning face.

"And that was how we got chased out of a restaurant back in Canterlot on a hot summer afternoon," Flim chucked and gave a sly smirk. "At least we were also chased by a horde of pretty mares who liked our hunky bodies." He raised his right foreleg and flexed his muscles, but his brother burst into laughter from how skinny it appeared.

"You are just as lanky as me, brother of mine, hahahahaha!" Flam guffawed, as he rolled around in his delightful fit.
Cinch could not take any more of this nonsense caused by two ridiculous stallions mocking each other. "Enough of this uncouth vulgarity, you two!" she yelled and stomped her hoof. The cavern's walls echoes her sounds and made them loud enough to stop them for their bickering. "Oh, if my day could not get any worse."

The two startled brothers got themselves up and quickly put on their coats.

"Now, about our test ... " Flim wondered.

"Basically, it is an obstacle course," Cinch cleared her throat. "The first to navigate across this archipelago of sedimentary rock -- and its clouds of steam that may obscure your vision -- will win a prize that lasts throughout your trial.

Flam bent his legs, like a beast preparing to pounce upon its prey. "It'll be a piece of cake," he snorted.

"But I have to warn you two, though, that there is one enemy that will try to stop the both of you from reaching the other end of the cavern." She pointed towards Flam's fuzzy yellow chest. "And one of them is here, and she is in love with you." Flam's eyes widened with dismay as he knew who was Cinch referring to.

His brother smirked and tapped his shoulder. "Oh, brother, do you now have a secret admirer, hmm?"

"I ... I prefer not to think about it," he blushed.

"I wish you all the best." Cinch folded her fan into a pistol.

"On your marks,"

"I bet I can beat you in this, brother of mine."

" ... get set,"

"In your dreams, apprentice!"

" ... go!"

At the burst of a gunshot, the two brothers vanished in puffs of dust before they briefly reappeared along the opposing cliffs.

---

Behind one of the water cascades, the blue siren filmed their leaps from ledge to ledge with a waterproof camera, hiding from their sight as she sought a suitable ambush spot. The further the two brothers ventured into the obstacle course, the more dangerous it had become, as they also had to deal with pools of lava hidden amid the steam fog formed by the lava's contact with the underground streams.

The two bare brothers taunted and jeered at each other was they raced through the course: as red-faced as they were without their clothes, they were nonetheless able to move more easily and quickly. At first, Flam was able to outwit his brother, who had to cool his tail in a pool after it was burned by a stray drop of lava. The mustached brother was about to gloat as he leaped towards an outcropping, when Sonata had tackled him, trapping him deep within her embrace.

"Don't you think I'm cuuute, boy?" the blue siren twitched her head and gave a sultry glance. "Let's kiss."

Flam was already amused by his brother showing off his skinny forelegs, but the weirdness of the siren's love for him was too much.

"Get off me, get off me!" he yelled, and shoved the infatuated siren off him.

"But ... I love you, Flam," the siren burst into tears, angered by his rejection. "My sisters left me because they don't like my love of fun, and now that everycreature has left me, I'M ALL ALOOOOOONE!" she bawled.

"You deserved it, half-fish freak." Flam resumed his journey. "I won't be convinced by your ridiculous lies. I despise disgusting creatures like you, for what you've done in Equestria's past!"

The irate siren wailed, and her strong voice caused the cavern to rumble and tremble. Even then, Flam kept on going, navigating through the shaken ground and dodging boulder after boulder. The mustached pony stopped when he approached towards a large pool of lava. He squinted his eyes as he scanned across its shifting islands, until he stared at the chequered finish line at the other side.

"If I can be quick enough, this should be a piece of cake," he smiled to himself.

But then, the ground continued to shake, until a stone cracked from the roof, struck his head, and knocked him out of consciousness. When he woke up, he found that his golden coat had been doused with a bucket of steamy water. Before him was Sonata, who had grown bigger to twice of her size.

"Now, Flam Skam of Sweet Apple Acres," the siren poked his chest, "you better be sorry for hurting me, or I won't let you leave!" She bumped her own hooves as she glared back at his grumbling, and went on, "You know that we sirens get stronger when we are exposed to hate? That's why we were able to fend off others' attempts to rule over us: our songs are strong enough to shoot the Storm King’s fleets down from the clouds!"

"Just go away, freak!" Flam swatted her foreleg away. "I've no mood to talk with you -- whoa!"

The azure siren grabbed him by the neck and threw him towards the hall. Whenever he turned around, she tore off a stalagmite and tossed it near him, until the resulting rubble around each stalagmite thrown formed a wall and the mustached pony grew frustrated and weary from frequently turning around.

"JUST LET ME GO ALREADY!"

Sonata shook her head. "Apologise."

"Never!"

Whenever he darted aside the siren, she quickly grabbed him and threw him towards the same spot.

"Say it nicely, and I will let you go."

"I hate you!" In spite of Flam's rage, Sonata still glared at him.

"Why won't you just get cooked up by some Arimaspi, freak?" Sonata still looked at him with crossed forelegs. "You're not even worth my time!" But as soon as he went sideways through a gap, the siren threw him back into his "prison".

"Keep raging at me, and your brother will be the only one who leaves this cave," Sonata spoke back. "Without anything to do, perhaps I might as well be your guardian angel for as long as you can stay here."

After a while, Flam groaned and turned towards the azure siren. “I am sorry for what I had done, Sonata Dusk,” he bowed his head, “my rage, my lack of respect, and for my rudeness.”

“Are you so sure about that?” Sonata twitched. “Will you accept defeat when it comes to you, rather than cheat your way out?”

As frustrated as he was in giving up his ways, the mustached pony was desperate to see his brother again. He feared that he would be trapped with this immortal siren for ever: perhaps ending up as roadkill if she ever went hungry.

“Okay, I’ll accept defeat!” Flam begged. “Please, let me go! Please!”

Sonata gave his lips a deep kiss. She then tossed the relieved pony past the pool of lava into the next chamber, where his brother threw his forehooves around his withers.

“It didn’t matter that I have won some prize,” Flim cried. “You’re more important than any reward in the world!”

Author's Note:

(Image by GreenMachine987)