The Siren

by McPoodle

Interlude 2E

Sonata told Stygian the worst thing she had overheard: that the wizard had been handing out copies of the siren book to various important ponies. Copies that had “Star Swirl the Bearded” as the author instead of “Stygian”. When he doubted her, she imitated the wizard’s voice. And then she told him where he kept the pile of books with the altered author credit.

Later that night, Stygian confronted the wizard. Did it next to the cage so that Sonata could overhear. It was the angriest that Sonata had ever heard Stygian. But the wizard didn’t get mad. Instead, he argued that the information on Sirens was too important to have Stygian’s name on it. That the work of an ex-slave would never be read by a noblepony. It was not a prejudice that he shared, the slimy wizard assured Stygian, but it was one that had to be acknowledged. Maybe if Stygian did something, anything to make his name stand out, then it would be worthwhile to allow Stygian to obtain his immortality.

~ ~ ~

The next day Stygian stole the magical items wielded by the Pillars. When they caught him doing this, he claimed it was so he could find a way to obtain some sort of magical ability of his own, something that would allow him to be useful.

Star Swirl laughed in his face. “You’re a slave, Stygian!” he exclaimed. “You don’t actually think that anypony will remember you after you die? That you deserve anything so lofty?”

“You freed me!” Stygian cried out incredulously.

“Because I knew you would be more useful to me under the delusion of being a free pony. But the liberation was meaningless. I mean, do any of you consider Stygian your friend?”

There was an ominous silence from the other Pillars.

“Well, I thought he was nice,” the pink earth pony said finally.

“Do you even know which village he comes from? What subjects he studies beside the Siren?” Star Swirl challenged her.

She was unable to answer.

“None of us are your friends, Stygian,” Star Swirl said coldly.

“I’m his friend,” Sonata said, having pulled aside the tarp.

She was turned to stone for speaking out of turn.

---

And that is the end of this particular story.

The next time that Sonata was flesh and blood, it was hundreds of years later. From her scrambled memories she was able to pull Stygian running off into the night, but she never saw what happened next. And she did not know the ultimate fate of the wizard, his cold friends, or of Stygian, Sonata’s first friend.

She suspected that they blew each other to smithereens. After all, that’s what she would have done in Stygian’s place and with Stygian’s genius for destroying his enemies.

Author's Note:

Here are the notes for all parts of Interlude 2.