Chapter Five - Ripped
“You have no idea how amazing you look, Dew,” I said as I hugged my sister.
“Lies will not be tolerated in my house,” she laughed, nuzzling me back. “How are the two of you?”
“Oh, we’ll survive,” Sunshine said, going up to nuzzle my eldest sister. “If I can learn to sleep through her snores, I can do anything.”
They shared a laugh at the jest. I merely rolled my eyes and scoffed.
“It’s not that bad,” I muttered under my breath.
“So, what brings you two mares to see me today?” Dew said, leaning back into her cushions, taking the weight off her hooves. “Surely you aren’t going to be inviting me back to your place for tea.”
“We were actually in Ponyville for research on the portal yesterday, and time got away from us,” I said. “We thought we’d just swing by and see how you were while we were here.”
“Happily on maternity leave, I should say,” she said, levitating a small pitcher over and refilling her glass of flavored water. “Glory has offered to take over any commissions that require traveling for the time being.”
“I thought she focused on restoration?” Sunshine said.
“It’s actually harder to do restoration of famous murals than new ones, in our experience,” Dew said. “You can’t just touch up the color, you have to match it to the style and exact execution of the brush strokes.”
“Glory may be a bit of a gossip hound and as excitable as Pinkie,” I said. “But she is unmatched in restoration. But that leaves one question.” I looked pointedly at a hat and coat hanging from a peg next to the door that were too large for my sister. “Where is Hue, I wonder.”
Dew tittered. “He just ran to the store to get a few things and to pick up the mail from my office,” she smiled. “He’ll be back before too long if you want to stay for dinner.”
“We’d love to,” I said with a sorrowful note. “But we’ve got to get back. Somebody planned a campus visit for later today, complete with a list of questions to ask.”
Sunshine blushed, glancing down for a second. “I like to be prepared, ok?”
We all laughed.
“Oh, before I forget,” my sister said, looking over to the side, horn lighting up. A package levitated out in her jade aura, her precise wrapping job evident. She set it down in front of me. “Happy Birthday, little sister. Glory and I put these together when we realized we would be seeing you more often. I thought you’d like them.”
I tore the wrapping paper and lifted the flap of the box it covered and gasped softly.
Inside were photos, at least a dozen or so. Each one was of my family, portraits taken at various ages, pictures of the three of us playing.
Photos of Mom and Dad holding each of us as foals. A tear slipped down my face. Mom, Dad... I saw now where I got my mane and coat colors. I apparently took after Dad a lot, and I saw features on him that I could recognize on my sisters and myself.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
"Mom had stored away the pictures of Dad shortly after he died," Dew said softly. "Too painful. But you never really got to know him, and Glory and I both feel a little guilty for that. It's not much, but it's something, at least."
I hugged my sister. "You have no idea," I said to her.
“I haven’t found anything in our records that match the runes on the book,” Starlight said as we walked towards the library. “But I haven’t scratched the surface of our resources.”
“There are at least twenty more books on runic and ancient languages here,” Spike offered. “And a wing at the Royal Library in Canterlot.”
“If you find anything useful at all, and don’t hear back from us after sending information through the book, you might be just as well off sending someone through to tell us.”
“Twilight said she’d look into the communication breakdown when she gets back from the summit,” Spike offered.
Sunshine glanced at the young dragon. “Why aren’t you there?”
He patted the satchel at his side. “She forgot some items and sent me back for them.”
I eyed him closely, narrowing my eyes.
“And there were dragon sneeze trees at the reception.” He twiddled his claws in embarrassment.
“Alright,” I said. “Time to go.” Hugs were exchanged and we hefted the bag with the collars in them and the box of photos and stepped through the portal.
The transition seemed to take longer this time, and the bag of collars became lighter as we finished the trip. I glanced inside out of curiosity and saw that they had shrunk down to fit around a human’s neck. A check of the photos showed that once again, they had retained the original picture taken. The loose bundle of notes we had made about Sirens was also unaffected.
“That was weird,” I whispered, walking away from the portal as the resonance started to build behind my eyes.
Twilight brought out her phone and texted the girls. “I’m having them meet us at the park,” she said, sliding her phone back into her back pocket and reaching out for my free hand, the ring I had given her glinting slightly in the sunlight.
We each held the collars in our hands, some tracing the lines of stamped metal. Rarity was the first to speak.
“I’m certain that these are the height of fashion in Equestria,” she said turning hers over in her hands. “But they’re a little heavy for modern tastes.”
“I’m sure the Tree considered fashion sense before giving them to us,” I said wryly. “I think the designs were meant to be armor in Equestria and this is the closest analog the portal gave them.”
“I think it’s cool,” Rainbow Dash said, sliding her collar on. “It’s kinda metal. It’ll make the Rainbooms seem twenty percent more badass.”
“Ah don’t think it’d be a good idea t’ wear those on stage, Dashie," AJ said. “Same as we don’t wear the pendants onstage.”
Pinkie’s phone pinged at her causing her to dig it out of her hair. “Nata wants to know if you found anything of any use.”
“Yeah,” I said. “Invite them over and we’ll just talk about it here.”
“Ooh,” Rarity cooed. “An impromptu picnic!”
Fluttershy put her hand on Rarity’s arm with a soft smile while I facepalmed.
“So basically,” Adagio said. “Our Song was meant as a soothing method?”
“Something like that,” Twilight said, pushing her glasses up slightly. “Basically, by channeling positive emotions you were not only sustained magically, you were able to do magic by using some of that energy. But by the time you three came along, the Sirens had turned to feeding on negative emotions. Those emotions, being naturally entropic in nature, they weren't as sustaining, so whatever catalytic response you would have stored was burned in sustaining you.”
The three sisters looked at my love with blank looks.
She sighed, hand on her forehead. “Good feelings let you cast magic, bad feelings make you addicts,” she said.
“We understood you the first time,” Aria said. “I can’t believe we can cast magic.”
“It only works if you have stored energy, so it’s more like channeling,” Twilight continued. “And it only works if you use your Song in a calm manner.”
A rustling in the bushes caught our attention, and Fluttershy got up to go see what kind of critter was making the noise.
“We also found out that you and Harpies feed on emotional energy,” I said. “Harpies like to cause havoc and pain, feeding off the madness. You all seem to be able to reverse the damage or prevent it.” I gave a wry smile. “The texts weren’t overly specific.”
Fluttershy gave out a cry of surprised joy and stood up with a small bunny in her arms. She turned back to return to the group and I returned my attention to the Sirens to continue speaking when an arctic gale razored through my senses. I froze and spun around, seeing a coiling tendril of black mist forming behind her.
“Fluttershy!” I cried. “Look out!”
She spun, taking in the view of the forming man in time to take a backhanded slap from the taloned hand. We all leaped to our feet in shock, Rarity rushing to Fluttershy’s side.
“Ah, everyone all together,” it said with a chuckle. “Good. That will make this easier.”
The three Sirens stood, glaring coldly.
“And the last of the Sirens,” Acerak continued. “Excellent.” He lifted and arm and casually flicked his hand. Dark clouds rolled in and the wind picked up, ruffling our hair and clothes. "All of you at once, then."
Acerak advanced slightly, grass withering beneath the spectral form of his feet. “Nascent bearers and adolescent Sirens,” he tsked. “I should have hoped this to be more challenging, but what should I expect after so many millennia?"
“How is Fluttershy?” I asked, not taking my eyes off the advancing wraith for more than a second.
Rarity looked up, tears and rage streaking down her face. She held up a hand, displaying blood on her fingers.
Rage spiked through me and I ponied up, red armor blossoming as I glared at the Harpy. I felt the tug of magic as the rest of my friends powered up as well. Rarity threw up a shield around Fluttershy.
Adagio leaped out ahead of me, showing a quickness that was astonishing. Her sisters also bounded out, each of them radiating a rage that I could feel without touching them. They let out a harmonized scream as they raced in, and I was astonished to see Acerak stumble backward. When they stopped to take a breath, he lashed out, catching Aria across the head and Adagio in the arm. Sonata ducked his backhand and unleashed another scream, lacking in power without her sisters.
I felt the impacts, and I found myself focusing on Aria, feeling the pain from her blow fading. I felt a slight discomfort in my head but it faded. I saw Adagio stumble and fall, her arm coated in blood.
Acerak howled, and the wind turned into a gale-force wind, branches and loose debris starting to fly about. I saw some of the lighter tables and benches start to stir in his rage.
Rarity was trying to staunch whatever wound Fluttershy had. I focused on her and found I could feel her pain, radiating from my cheek down through my shoulder. She needed help and fast.
"Dash, get her out of here!" I shouted.
Dash hesitated glancing over at AJ. The blonde girl waved angrily as she hefted a picnic bench.
"Git her an' go!" she shouted over the gale. "Ah'll be fine!"
The rainbow-hued streak left in her absence faded after a moment, bearing the slight girl out of the fray. Rarity picked herself up, her jeans and formal blouse being covered by our powered up clothing as she glared at the Harpy. He began to laugh at us as he lifted himself into the air, wings of ebony smoke forming behind him.
"How dare you hurt Fluttershy," she gritted. "How. Dare. You!" She hurled a shield fragment at the laughing man. Much like my bolt in the dream from the other night, it passed through him without effect.
Pinkie snatched up a handful of pebbles from the walkway and started throwing them at Acerak, each of the tiny explosions distracting him as I dived to the fallen Siren. Sonata reached her first, pulling off her sweater and pressing it tightly to Adagio's arm, staunching the blood flow.
I reached her side and tried to pull some of her pain like I had Aria, but I couldn't touch her emotions. Sonata looked at me with panic in her eyes.
"I can't focus!” she said. “She's bleeding really bad! I can't use my Song to heal her wound!"
"Deep breaths, Sonata," I said, laying my hands on her sister. I felt her pain and the edge of unconsciousness she was on. I was about to try again when I saw her eyes flicker open, then fly wide. "Sunset!" she wheezed.
I was grabbed by the throat and lifted up, finding myself facing the Harpy as he lifted me into the air. I beat at the arm holding me, but it was like pounding on steel. The unamused face of Acerak glared at me, the gaze feeling like shards of frozen glass in my soul at this range.
"I have had quite enough of you, Seer," he hissed, raising his other hand.
I screamed as he shoved it through my face, the feel of talons ripping at something in my soul. I was cast aside like a dirty rag as a combined assault of diamond shields and exploding stones shot up. I felt someone grab me as I fell, seeing purple through the haze of pain.
The pain started to fade, and I saw Twilight holding me, worry on her face. I couldn't form enough coherent thought to speak and I could see my wide, glazed eyes reflected in her glasses.
Applejack hurled the bench, and it sailed through the wraith, useless as all our attacks had been so far. He loomed over us, holding some sort of glowing mass in his hand. He looked at it for a moment, as though inspecting a fruit at a market stand. Then he crushed it in his hand, and fresh pain flooded through me.
Rarity threw up a shield as I fell to the ground, clutching my head in agony. I saw the vambrace on my forearm crack, spiderweb and then disintegrate, grains of dust blowing away in the dark wind. He then charged Applejack, fist landing solidly on her stomach, sending her stumbling away, another glowing orb in his hand. He made a ripping motion and AJ screamed and she was suddenly back in her street clothes.
He turned his attacks on the fashionista protecting Twilight and myself, sanity slowly coming back to me. Rarity cried out and her shield collapsed, her armor being dissolved back into regular clothes just as mine and Applejack’s had as Acerak pulled another mass of energy from us.
Twilight reached me, using her telekinesis to form a makeshift barrier with the nearby picnic tables against the maelstrom before us, but they were thrown aside like kindling. Aria and Sonata let loose another scream just as Pinkie launched another handful of charged stones. The combined attack actually seemed to harm him. He made another grasping motion, and Pinkie slumped, arms wrapped around her midsection, eyes wide.
“We will meet again,” Acerak said before vanishing in a dark cloud and the winds died.
I sat up slowly, my head pounding. I realized that not only had he dispelled my powered up form, he had also de-ponified me, Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie. Sonata and Aria were helping Adagio, a soft song harmonizing between them and a silver mist flowing around Adagio’s arm.
“Are you ok, Sunny?” Twilight asked.
I tried to reassure her through our bond, but I couldn’t find it. I reached inside to find any trace of magic, to pony up, anything. I realized that Twilight was touching my bare arm with her hand and I couldn’t feel her emotions or see her thoughts, despite wearing my pendant.
No…
“Sunny?” she said, worry starting to spread across her face.
“My magic,” I whispered, my voice breaking and tears streaming down my face.
“I can’t feel my magic,” I said, panicking. “Twilight, he took my magic. He took my magic.”
Twilight held me as I broke down and cried, crying softly herself.
I haven’t felt pain like this since my mother died, and I felt violated, a piece ripped from my soul.
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Aww, poor Sunset. Hopefully they can get this guy.
Is Fluttershy in the hospital now, or will the Sirens just heal her up? Or dose the Siren's songs only work on Siren's themselves?
I see you found that period.
Ohhhh my...
Can't say I expected that, so kudos. And...well, hopefully them having the proper Elements might mean something now.
In regards to the warning you gave me earlier, I'm afraid I can't say what condition my heart is in right now, because I am in pure, basic, unadulterated shock.
I predict Sunset's magic will come flying back to her, as it will BURN Acerak if he tries to hold it for too long.
Noooo sunset
good chapter though and also Acerak is so dead
That bitch is dead.
(Sorry about the cursing. I'm just mad. Really mad.)
Honestly, the hints at Sunset being close to ascending (the mentions of her itchy back) and the new elements made Sunset losing her magic here not all that impactful for me, especially when mister magic crush here seemingly pulled that power out of nowhere. That's just a nitpick though, still a great chapter.
8003739
I agree it's out of nowhere at the moment, but it will be explained later. Also, we never found out why SciTwi's tracker stole magic either when it was just supposed to detect it.
Right now we're still in the smoke and mirrors stage of the story.
*went Super Saiyan
8271205
*did some morphin' time
8271209
Used the force
I don’t know why, but I’m imagining him wearing a black cloak and a plague doctor mask with black angel wings on his back. A far cooler look than the son of bitch deserves.
Aaaaahhh! No!!!
This. Is not. Good. At all.