The Dazzlings aren't building a pack, but they certainly won't turn down another member. Unless that person happens to have been the one to secure their defeat.
A pack of Sirens, an Alpha and two Betas, come to Canterlot High looking for a chance to regain their full magic potential. Sunset Shimmer, an Alpha trying to redeem herself in the eyes of the school after her Fall Formal fiasco, notices something off about the trio, more than just their abnormally delicious pheromones. It's up to her friends to take down this new threat just as they did months ago.
However, things get a little stickier than expected when Twilight accidentally assigns Sunset as the Sirens' new monitor. The Sirens are adamantly against anything even remotely friendship-related, preferring to continue on their destructive path. Sunset and the Humane Five have to convince the trio that being helpful and kind is the best option for survival. And they have to do it before the Sirens' Nourishment Amulets grow back.
ABO-verse Rainbow Rocks, with Alphas Sunset and Twilight, Betas Rainbow Dash and Applejack, and Omegas Pinkie, Rarity and Fluttershy.
Warnings and Kinks: intersex!Sunset, intersex!Sonata, sex (like three chapters involving it planned at the moment), lots of MENTIONS of sex (because ABO-verse), incest (only implied, but best to warn about it anyway).
“Adagio, are you sure we have to go to school to find the Equestrian magic?” Aria had been asking the question ever since they all saw the rainbow of color months ago. Unfortunately, the closer they came to solidifying the plan, the more she asked and it was beginning to grate on the lead siren’s nerves.
“Aria, are you sure Betas do more than complain?” Adagio snarled lowly, stopping outside of the school. She received a scowl in response, but Sonata butted in before Aria could say anything.
“Of course, we do more than complain!” the youngest siren chirped. “It’s our job to protect Omegas from big mean Alphas that only want them as sex toys!” Amethyst eyes narrowed at her and Sonata smiled sheepishly. “Ah, no offense.”
Adagio shook her head and flipped a curl from her face. “I suppose that if you’re protecting helpless Omegas, that counts as doing something. Still, the energy definitely came from this school. I’ve felt it ever since that night. And the plan could change at any minute, so we need to be prepared, which means being as close to the magic as possible.”
Aria scoffed and followed her older sister into the building. The trio stared around at all of the students milling about. Some were making their way to classes while others appeared to be loitering as long as possible before the next bell. Adagio eyed a few of the nearby Omegas with interest, pondering how easy it might be to get them to do as much of the work as possible. Aria bared her teeth at every passing Alpha while Sonata waved to a Beta or two that glanced over at them.
Suddenly, Adagio stiffened as her nose pricked. The most divine scent to ever hit her nostrils filtered through the air as a red-and-yellow-haired woman appeared. As she drew closer, Adagio felt her knees go weak and she clutched Aria’s arm as the aroma pervaded her senses.
“Adagio?” Aria asked lowly, steadying her mate. “What’s wrong?”
“H-her scent…” the yellow siren groaned. “So good…” A pulse shot through her body and Aria’s eyes widened.
“Sonata!” the purple siren hissed. “The suppressants, now!”
Sonata reached into the pouch at her waist and hurriedly handed the small pack to Aria. Popping free two of the gel pills, Aria took hold of the shuddering woman beside her. Adagio’s heat cycle was hitting hard at the smell, but a few moments after Aria forced the pills into her mouth, she began to calm down. Taking deep breaths, Adagio nodded to her thankfully and straightened.
“That was unlike you, Dagi,” Sonata murmured. “Usually, your nose wrinkles up at any smell that’s not mine or Ari’s.”
“Usually, every other scent smells disgusting and unworthy of my time,” Adagio remarked. She now eyed the woman who must have been Sunset Shimmer from how she was heading in their direction. “Hers, though… Hers is divine.”
Aria shook her head. “We’re going to need the freaking suppressants more often if we’re going to be around her a lot then. Hopefully we find what we came for quickly or we’re gonna run out.”
Adagio didn’t respond as Sunset Shimmer greeted them all. Smirking at their tour guide, Adagio took the lead as she always did. Fighting not to inhale the woman’s scent, Adagio held her breath to avoid coming off as too suspicious. Granted, her remarks certainly weren’t veiled very well, but the confused glances Sunset Shimmer sent her were just priceless.
“If you don’t mind my asking,” Sunset Shimmer murmured as they made their way through the halls. “What are your statuses? It’s okay if you prefer not to answer, I was just curious.”
“I’m an Alpha,” Adagio stated calmly before either of her sisters could speak up. “Aria and Sonata are Betas.”
Sunset grinned at them. “Another Alpha and two more Betas, huh? Sounds like an awesome crowd. I’m the only Alpha in my group of friends, but I kinda just let’em do whatever right now. Don’t much feel like taking the lead at the moment.”
Thankfully, Sunset Shimmer had turned away because Adagio shot a doubtful (she wouldn’t call it worry, per se) glance to her sisters. Their guide’s status may have been why she was so attracted to the scent. If she wasn’t careful, Adagio could blow their entire plan by going into heat around Sunset Shimmer. Best to avoid the woman as much as possible once the tour was finished.
The tour went fairly well. There were numerous places Adagio had scoped out to help them with their plan and a few of the students she had seen looked potentially useful. If she could just nudge a few of them in the right direction until she and her sisters gained enough power to use their song-.
A gasp from Sunset Shimmer shook the lead siren from her thoughts to hear about some musical showcase happening that weekend. How exciting, to have the very thing they need practically fall into their hands on the first day. The plan would need to be adjusted accordingly, but she was always able to think quickly (her flexibility was one of her best attributes, naturally).
Speaking of the plan, if Sonata didn’t shut up, Adagio was going to cut her vocal cords out! And Aria, of course, only made the situation worse. If Sunset Shimmer didn’t suspect something by the end of this conversation, Adagio was going to assume the woman was exceptionally dim, even more so than Sonata. The thing she did next certainly made Adagio think so. What sane person reaches for another’s chest without permission? Granted, had she made contact, Adagio wasn’t sure she would have refused, but the danger to her pendant was too great to risk it.
Leading her sisters to a side hallway, Adagio took a deep breath. That was an exhausting encounter. Glancing to the Betas before her, Adagio scowled as they erupted into another argument (of course).
“Ya coulda blown the whole plan!” Aria snapped irritably.
“It’s not like I meant to!” Sonata huffed, placing her hands on her hips. “I was just-.”
“Opening your big mouth without thinking,” the twin-tailed woman interrupted her. “As usual.”
Sonata gritted her teeth together, but Adagio had heard enough of this. They couldn’t be arguing when they needed to be enacting their plan (that she had mainly brainstormed, so it was bound to be foolproof). Stepping between them, she sighed, “Aria, you know this is how Sonata usually is. And her not thinking has certainly gotten us out of a few tight spots in the past. I’ll have no fighting until we’ve achieved our full power again.”
Her sisters pouted at her and Adagio took another deep breath. “Now, there’s somewhere we need to go before we head to lunch.”
“Where?” Aria inquired as she and Sonata followed Adagio from the hallway.
The grin the lead siren shot her sent an excited thrill down the purple siren’s spine. “We’re heading to the principal’s office, of course. We need to get our schedules, after all.” A soft laugh built in her throat as Adagio strode for Principal Celestia’s office.
Hypnotizing the heads of the school had been much easier than anticipated (not that she thought it would be difficult). Adagio checked over her schedule calmly as Aria snickered over their small victory. Procuring the head of the school in their pocket ensured anyone who had even the slightest inkling of what they were doing would be met with resistance.
Storing the page in her satchel, Adagio strutted through the empty halls toward the cafeteria. Peering inside a moment, she smiled. Even if, by some miracle, the entire school population wasn’t in there (and that would be quite the miracle), enough of it was present for her to exact a new plan. The eldest sister turned to her siblings with her usual smirk in place and said, “This is it, girls. The moment we’ve been waiting for.”
“Lunch!” Sonata exclaimed excitedly. Well… she wasn’t exactly wrong…
Still, Adagio pressed a hand to her face. “The chance to get our true Equestrian magic back.”
Beginning to outline her new plan to her sisters, Adagio’s smug mood was once again interrupted, this time by Aria’s lack of faith in her plan. Have they not known her for five thousand years (and even longer on this miserable mud ball of a world)? Do they know nothing of how she plans things? As if she would choose to do the same thing again without the expectation of different results. They could’ve stayed in a diner and gotten food there, if that were the case.
“Look, I know it seems like we’re just doing what we have done for thousands of years here, but this time will be different. The negative energy from the wielders of Equestrian magic here will give us the power we need to have this entire world eating out of our hands.” And not even Star Swirl will be able to stop them this time. “Just follow my lead.”
“Or my lead,” Aria smirked to herself.
Adagio scowled. She didn’t have time for Aria’s Beta instincts to kick in. They needed to get on with the damn plan before the students started leaving. The usual struggle for power in the group could wait. Grabbing her sister, Adagio pulled Aria close and growled lowly with the power of an Alpha. “My. Lead.” Emphasizing the phrase, Adagio let go of the shorter woman and prepared herself. Throwing open the cafeteria doors, the eldest sister began the song.
Practically purring the lyrics of the first verse, Adagio felt the power flow from her chest and out between her lips. The gazes of the students filled her with a swell of pride (in more places than one). Aria and Sonata harmonized beautifully as backing vocals (not that she expected differently) as she began putting the spell into effect.
Looking a few students directly in the eyes, Adagio sang almost directly to them. By doing so, she implanted the seed of greed and desire, urging several of the students to argue with one another. As the student body joined in the song, Adagio spotted the nuclear green energy flowing from those around them. Beside her, she felt Aria and Sonata’s power ignite, sucking up the energy hungrily.
Shortly after the song ended, the bell for classes rang. Several students smirked as they passed the Dazzlings, but the girls simply sauntered off without letting the effects of their spell affect them. Adagio dug into her satchel and handed her sisters their schedules.
“You two are going to Beta-oriented classes while I’ve been put in the Alpha lot.” She gave each of them a stern glare. “Be careful who you use your song on. We don’t know exactly who has Equestrian magic here and we don’t want to give ourselves away.”
“Yeah, we got it, Adagio,” Aria sighed, accepting her schedule. “Let’s get this over with. We’ve got, like, three days before this stupid Battle of the Bands even starts.”
Adagio rolled her eyes and set off down the hall with a wink to her sisters. Aria shook her head at her older sister before setting off with Sonata for their class. Noticing a strange lack of irritating chatter beside her, the twin-tailed siren glanced over. Sonata’s expression was contorted into one of worry and Aria sighed.
“Hey.” The soft alto made the blue-haired siren jump slightly. “What’s wrong?”
Sonata bit her lip for a moment. Aria raised an eyebrow expectantly. Finally, Sonata whimpered, “Ari, they split us up. What if someone corners Dagi? She’s on her own in a new place. Someone could attack her-!”
“I doubt any of the Alphas or Betas here are that stupid,” Aria scoffed reassuringly. She cast a contemptuous glance around them at all of the students. Personally, she thought several of them might have been that stupid, considering they were human. However, that would not help Sonata’s anxiety about being away from their big sister for the first time in several years. “And even if they are, we all have our song. Adagio will be fine.”
Sonata breathed a soft sigh and nodded. “You’re right. Besides, soon, we won’t have to worry about it anyway.” Aria smirked at her sister’s enthusiasm and the pair strode off for their first class.
Adagio strutted through the halls of Canterlot High. Students grinned at her from all sides and the yellow siren smirked happily at the attention. She always loved the adoring stares of others and now was no different.
Slipping into her seat, Adagio spotted a purple-haired woman watching her more closely than some of the other students. She appeared to be surveying the siren leader intensely and it made Adagio uneasy in the pit of her stomach. Could this woman tell what was going on? She needed to be watched just in case.
Shooting the woman a charming grin, Adagio turned her attention to the front to wait for the start of class. Out of the corner of her eye, Adagio watched the woman slowly go back to her sewing project and smiled. Even after a thousand years in this miserable world, she could still fool anyone.
Perhaps coming to this school could prove to hold more entertainment than she and her sisters had originally planned.
Sonata bounced along beside her sisters as they made their way through Canterlot High the day after their infiltration. Ooh! Ari and Dagi would be proud of her for remembering that one! Maybe she could convince them to take her out for burgers after this is finished…
Jerking back to the present, Sonata paused as Adagio stopped in front of her. Peeking around her big sister, Sonata found an Alpha leering at them. His stench was burning her nose and she just wanted to punch him in his ugly face for wasting her time. Before she could, however, Adagio stepped forward and glared at the Alpha.
“We would be simply ecstatic if you would move.” Dagi was using the Alpha voice. Sonata always felt sorry for anyone on the receiving end of that voice, especially if it was her. Right now, it was mild so that the Alpha didn’t give off fear pheromones, but if Dagi got any angrier, she might have them physically attack the guy. Nah, Dagi wouldn't do that; she wanted them to keep a low profile, so attacking was a big no-no.
“I know something else that’ll make ya ecstatic, babe,” the Alpha sneered, stalking closer. Sonata and Aria stiffened before letting off pheromones to cover their sister. The last thing they needed was this Alpha pissing off Adagio more than usual. She’d been crabby the last few months. Sonata thought it had to do with suppressing her heat cycle to work on the plan, but she’d never mention it if she wanted to continue living. “How’s ‘bout you three join my pack? Got plenty of room for a couple lookers.”
Adagio gave a cruel smirk, the kind that sent shudders of terror down Sonata’s back. “I suggest you back away now,” she said lowly, her voice losing the Alpha quality. It didn’t mean she’d given up, though. Completely the opposite. Aria and Sonata gripped each other’s arms tightly as the idiot Alpha across from them paused in confusion.
“Now why would I back away from three hot chicks with hips like those?” he asked with a slight smirk. But Sonata could see him sweating. Ick, smelly and sweaty. Too gross for her.
Adagio took in a deep breath. She’s a siren, so she can hold lots of air for singing. It's how they all held long notes for their songs. Within seconds, she had released a fearsome howl that made Aria and Sonata cower behind her. The Alpha paled noticeably and took several shaky steps backward. He fell over himself and hurriedly scooted into a corner between the lockers, whimpering.
The other students in the hall had all frozen and a mixture of shocked and terrified pheromones filled the air. Adagio flipped her hair and continued on her way, glancing back to smirk at her sisters. Sonata and Aria gulped before hurriedly following after. Everyone did as Adagio wanted them to. No one messed with Adagio. No one pissed off Adagio.
Taking deep breaths to calm themselves, Aria and Sonata resumed their usual struts and casual smirks slid onto their lips. No one pissed off Adagio. Their big sister always got what she wanted. Control of this school and victory at the Battle of the Bands would be no different.
Adagio broke away from them a few moments later and headed off toward one of her classes. Allowing Aria and Sonata to do as they wished, the leader of the Sirens made her way to her geometry class. It irritated her that she was expected to explain her mathematical process in solving equations and formulas she was literally alive for the creation of, but she needed to remain inconspicuous if her plan was to work.
Throughout the class, Adagio listened to the teacher drone on about whichever formula they were working on at the moment. She could honestly care less considering she wouldn’t be taking the test anyway. Every great dictator knew that the best way to control their people was to cut their education. (Fear usually came in second to keep the more rebellious imbeciles in line.) Why would the people need to learn if they would spend every waking moment reminding Adagio of how marvelous she was?
Once the insufferable monotone finally cut off, the lead singer strode from the room and to her locker. Stowing her textbook away, Adagio checked her makeup in a compact (not that she needed to, as it was always flawless). Nodding at her immaculate work, Adagio reached for her English textbooks and shut her locker. If she remembered correctly, the room for her English class-.
Adagio gasped as Sunset Shimmer’s decadent scent filled the air around her. Turning sharply, she found the fiery-haired woman watching her from down the hall. Sunset pushed off from the locker she had been leaning against and made her way in Adagio’s direction. The yellow siren bit her lip in worry. Aria and Sonata had scent-marked her that morning, to ward off anyone who would want to proposition her, but that didn’t stop her nerves from throwing terrible scenarios at her, regardless.
Sunset stopped in front of the leader of the sirens, turquoise eyes narrowed at the woman. Sunset couldn’t get a good angle on what the sirens wanted. It was clear they were using some kind of magic in conjunction with their admittedly-delicious pheromones, but this one seemed different than the other two. The former unicorn couldn’t put her finger on it, but something about Adagio was calling to her more than Sonata and Aria. It couldn’t have been Alpha pheromones, as those don’t work on other Alphas, but if not pheromones, then what?
Adagio’s head was swimming. She needed to get away, but running now would make her appear weak, something no Alpha would dream of doing. Regardless, her heat cycle was going to be full-blown in a few seconds and all within radius would smell her pheromones if she didn’t escape soon. Clenching her jaw and meeting Sunset Shimmer’s eyes, she asked, “May I help you?”
The pair stared at each other for a little longer before Sunset sighed. “I don’t understand. Something is… different about you.” Adagio’s heart stopped for a split second. Had she figured out that the trio were using magic? Adagio held her breath as Sunset continued. “I’m not sure what and I’m also not sure how you got the whole student body to agree with this whole Battle of the Bands thing, but having the answer to neither is making me more than a little frustrated.”
“And your frustration is my direct business because?” Adagio smirked, forcing herself not to stare at the other woman’s breasts. They were larger than her own and looked perky, soft to the touch… A hand slamming into the locker beside her brought Adagio back to focus. Unfortunately, it also brought to light Sunset’s sudden proximity.
“It’s your business because every time I so much as think about you, my teeth ache.” Sunset’s eyes darkened as she stared into Adagio’s. “Your scent is borderline overwhelming and I want it. It just sucks that Aria or Sonata is your mate, but that doesn’t stop me from craving you…”
Adagio had faded out of the conversation the second the woman had begun speaking. The proximity was driving her hormones wild and it was all she could do not to beg the taller woman to take her right then and there. It had been so long since anyone's scent did this to her body and it had certainly never happened in this pathetic realm. She needed to remember her training and regain control before she blew the whole plan (which she worked long and hard on). Taking a steadying breath, Adagio came back just as Sunset trailed off and she huffed.
“That seems like your problem to me,” she stated calmly, turning on her heel and strutting down the hall. “Tell me when you figure out a way to fix it.” Sending a wink over her shoulder, Adagio strode into the nearest classroom and took a deep breath. Thankfully, there was no one around, so she was able to compose herself relatively quickly.
Shaking off the haze, Adagio frowned. This was getting tedious. If Sunset Shimmer made it habit to seek Adagio out, then they would run out of suppressants before the Battle of the Bands in two days. That would make it difficult to concentrate with that mouthwatering scent around. No, Adagio couldn’t let that happen. She would have to avoid Sunset Shimmer until the Battle was over. By then, it wouldn’t matter if Adagio was attracted to her scent or not.
A small sneer filtered onto the eldest siren’s lips. Once their power was secured, she might even make Sunset Shimmer a personal part of her pack.
Sunset watched the Dazzlings stroll through the school. She wasn’t fool enough to approach Adagio again, not when the lead singer had her bandmates with her. The last thing she needed was to get into a fight with a territorial Beta like Aria. Still, it was perplexing, not knowing what drew her toward Adagio. Perhaps her scent? No, it was hard to distinguish from Aria and Sonata’s scent-marking each morning. Alpha pheromones didn’t work on other Alphas, so that couldn’t have been it, either.
“Maybe you’ve got a crush on her?” a voice piped up, startling the leather-clad woman from her thoughts. Turning, Sunset found Pinkie grinning at her.
“Pinkie, what are you talking about?” Sunset asked, holding a hand to her chest to calm her pounding heart.
The pinkette shrugged and chirped, “Well, you’ve been staring at that lead girl, Adagio Dazzle, for days. Maybe you’ve got a crush on her?”
“How can I have a crush on her?” Sunset blinked in confusion. “We’re on opposing sides.”
“Doesn’t mean a thing!” Pinkie giggled. “You can have a crush on the enemy. Maybe once Twilight gets here, you can make a move on’er.”
“I doubt dating someone you all are going to kick the butt of will help my reputation with the school,” Sunset chuckled. “But thanks for the thought Pinkie.”
The pink bombshell stepped in front of Sunset with a serious expression… kinda. It was overly exaggerated. “Don’t think about the school,” Pinkie ordered. “If asking her out is gonna make you smile, then it’s my job to make the rest of the meanies at school shut up so you can smile. Once we kick their butts, you’re gonna march over to her, ask her on a date, and Rarity is helping with the outfits, ya hear me?”
Sunset gave a soft laugh and placed her hands on the Omega’s shoulders. “Loud and clear, captain. Loud and clear.”
Pinkie’s usual disposition was back in a flash. “Great! Now, come on! The others are meeting us at the statue outside before band practice.”
Sunset nodded and turned to follow, only to trip into someone else. Quickly righting herself, Sunset reached out to wrap her hand around the other person. Her hand fit snugly in the apex of hip and waist, a pair of deep pink eyes glancing to her in shock. A slight blush colored Sunset’s cheeks as she gently righted Adagio.
How cliché, she thought. Maybe it is a crush. This is something Flash and Twilight would do.
“Well, Shimmer,” Adagio purred as Aria and Sonata stepped up to her sides. “If I’d known you were so forward, I would have bumped into you days ago. I take it you’ve figured out how to fix your little problem?”
Sunset gave a slight shake of the head. Sonata and Aria were letting out a lot of their pheromones; all that could be smelt was those two. “Not yet, but Pinkie’s thinking of a solution.” She gestured to the bouncing girl, who was lost in her own world at the moment. “Sorry about that, Adagio. See ya at the welcome party this afternoon.”
“And the Battle of the Bands tomorrow, I hope?” Was that a husky tone to her voice? Considering how flirtatious Adagio was, it was difficult to tell.
Once the Dazzlings were out of earshot, Pinkie leaned over. “Good cover,” she whispered loudly. “I don’t think she suspects a thing!”
“I hope not,” the Alpha laughed. “Otherwise, it might make your plan a little shaky. Come on, you can be in charge of making a congratulations party if she says yes, but we have to meet up with the others.”
Pinkie nodded and bolted off, Sunset hot on her heels. Down the hall, the Sirens stood in a darkened hallway, Adagio calming her slamming heart. She had done it (with her sisters’ help of course, but that was neither here nor there). Aria and Sonata were keeping a lookout as she reeled in her hormones.
“I still can’t believe you want to let that Alpha into our pack,” Aria grumbled. “We’re doing just fine with the three of us.”
“I… I don’t feel this way often, Aria,” Adagio murmured, rubbing her chest. “My nose just won’t let this go. She’s got to be at least similar to us if she’s got such an enticing scent.”
“Maybe she was banished here from Equestria, too!” Sonata gasped. “That would explain why Dagi feels this way about her.”
The other two shrugged. It sounded plausible, but Adagio still wasn’t sure. “Either way, we’ve got to keep a close eye on her. Especially tomorrow. I don’t want her scent interfering with my performance; we need to be at our best tomorrow to gain our full power back.”
“Won’t have to worry if you’d stop flirting with her,” the middle sister snickered.
Adagio gasped, affronted. “I most certainly have not been flirting with her!”
“It’s against Siren Code to lie, Adagio,” Aria laughed. “You’ve totally been making eyes at her since you met up with us yesterday.”
“Making eyes does not count as flirting in my book,” Adagio responded, flipping her hair.
“Then what about just now?” Aria continued as they exited the hallway. “‘Oh, Shimmer, I’ll see you at the Battle, right?’”
Adagio scowled at her sister and flipped one of the younger woman’s twin-tails. “That was a terrible impersonation.”
“Not my fault,” the purple siren shrugged. “That’s Sonata’s talent, probably the only one. And you totally dodged the situation.”
“I was being friendly,” her big sister declared.
Sonata snorted and hip-bumped the yellow siren. “Since when are you friendly to other Alphas?” she giggled.
“I’ll be plenty friendly once the Battle of the Bands commences,” Adagio snickered. “Just they wait.” Turning down the hall, she called, “Come on. We need to get to the gym to help prepare for the Band Gathering.”
“I call making the fruit punch!” Sonata cheered, she and Aria hurrying after their sister.
“Do you even know how to make fruit punch?” Aria scoffed.
Finally, the ‘big’ day was here. Aria scowled as she made her way along the halls of Canterlot High, following Adagio toward the gym. It was one of the only places big enough for a competition like this to be held, but that didn’t mean she wanted to be stuck in a room with a bunch of teenagers. Violet eyes narrowed at the thought of all the pheromones in one place and a snarl tugged Aria’s lips. The gym the day before had been bad enough. Hopefully, this whole thing would be over quickly so she could grab a nap before Adagio’s world domination plan went into effect.
Stepping into the gym with her sisters, the purple siren took a glance around and resisted a sigh. There were a ton of bands in the place. There went the entire middle chunk of her day. As she settled onto the bleachers—at the top, naturally, since they were above all of these pathetic humans—the middle sister calculated how long each song might take. The rocker bands were easy, as they clearly would have three to four minute songs. Unfortunately, the tree freaks likely had longer songs because of the nature of their music. Ugh, and there were people who would be playing classical instruments. Classical pieces, even modern ones, went on forever.
A headache began pounding behind Aria’s eye.
Adagio glanced over to her second in command and rolled her eyes. Aria never was one for waiting around, preferring to get what she wanted as quickly as possible. It was probably only Adagio’s influence over her that ever stopped her from diving directly for a target. Without the older siren, Aria would have no doubt drained dry several ponies back in Equestria (not that Adagio could blame her; ponies tasted delicious, but they needed to continue living to provide a constant source of energy).
However, because this world kept them at limited power, Adagio knew Aria was more restless than usual. With a sigh, the siren leader said, “Make fun of them if you must, Aria.”
Violet eyes swiveled to gaze at her in confusion. “You’re giving me permission to taunt the food?”
Adagio shrugged. “I’ll join in. After all, the humans are antagonizing one another already. What’s two or three more helping build the hostility?” Aria raised an eyebrow and Adagio rolled her eyes. “And you need to release your pent-up frustration somehow. If you keep seething, you’ll skyrocket the room’s temperature and I’m too glamorous to sweat.”
“Well, we’re in luck, then,” Aria grinned, her mood doing an instant one-eighty. “Most of these losers don’t know how to carry a tune and the ones doing instrumentals are fumbling a little with their instruments. Turning a friendly show into a competition has thrown most of them off their game. Though, the muscle dude with the viola is pretty good.”
Sonata squinted at the instrument. “Isn’t that a violin?”
“It’s clearly a viola, dimwit. It’s too small to be a violin.”
“But he’s way bigger than average, so maybe it looks smaller than usual next to him.”
Adagio tuned the argument out as she watched the performances. The girl with the cello was surprisingly good in her instrument. And she had a certain level of composure about herself. Perhaps she would make a good pack member once this all was over. Adagio wouldn’t be opposed to having someone else with a level head among them.
Contrary to what the trio thought, most of the performances were actually quite good (though obviously not on their level). A few, including the cellist, were enjoyable to listen to. At least, Adagio thought so until the most laughable performance she had seen in decades stepped onstage in the form of two amateur beatboxers/rappers. It truly was priceless and the siren leader wished she had brought a camera to record the entire thing.
By the end of the performance (if one could call it that), she and Aria were clutching their sides in silent laughter, fighting to breathe. Sonata had, of course, enjoyed the song and stared at them in confusion. However, all perked up when the Rainbooms stepped onto the stage. Aria and Adagio quickly sobered themselves and turned to pay attention to the show.
Aria smirked as a few of the other performers tried to sabotage the band’s chances. The idiots had no idea that Adagio’s plan relied on furthering them into the final round. If she wanted them out, she would have done something to their performance herself.
Still, it was pretty killer watching the fashion nut struggle across the stage—how the hell did they manage to pick her up like that?—and seeing the shy one scamper across the entire area hiding from a light—how pathetic!—was definitely worth sitting through the cringe-fest song they were singing. At least when Adagio writes their songs, she doesn’t make it too over the top—a few of the showier lyrics notwithstanding.
Adagio watched the band performance intently. From her information gathering around the school, she had learned that one of the Betas, the obnoxiously arrogant rainbow one, was mated to the shy Omega with the tambourine. The other Beta, the farm girl, was mated to another of the Omegas, the fashionista. The pink Omega wasn’t mated as far as anyone knew, but the one that really drew the lead siren’s attention was the purple Alpha.
The girl had come from left field and joined the Rainbooms band the day of the welcoming party for all of the bands in the showcase. Actually, it had been that girl that had tipped Adagio off to the knowledge that the Rainbooms were the ones with the magic. That meant that the girl must have been from Equestria. With that knowledge, it was safe to assume a portal was somewhere in this area. Adagio couldn’t risk the girl returning to Equestria after their return to power, so she needed to adjust her plan accordingly.
Amethyst eyes surveyed the Alpha suspiciously. In Equestria, Alphas of opposing packs would fight one another to solve any disputes between them, but these humans had evolved over the years to outlaw such behavior. As such, Adagio would have to find a way to put the girl out of commission until she and her sisters had taken control of this world. Then, not even those pathetic Equestrian princesses would be able to stop them.
A slight pang lit her skull and Adagio sighed. Something exceptionally unpleasant was about to happen. She needed to leave before it did. Standing, Adagio snapped and Aria and Sonata followed after her. The trio strode from the room shortly before the Rainbooms performance ended. Adagio leaned against a wall outside the gym area and rubbed her temple.
“What’s up, Dag?” Aria asked, cocking her hip against the wall on Adagio’s left.
“Something highly unpleasant was about to happen,” her older sister responded. “Best to leave.”
“Yeah, the odd girl with the lopsided eyes was going to play,” Sonata shrugged, cocking her head to listen. “It doesn’t sound that good, like a violin bow on some kinda serrated edge.”
Adagio was just about to respond when she heard raised voices nearby. Motioning to her sisters to remain quiet, she titled her head to hear better. It sounded like one of the boys from a rival band was telling off one of the Rainboom girls, the Alpha no less. A smirk curled Adagio’s lips as the girl and her friends walked past. A slight thrill slid down her spine to see the Alpha wiping her eyes.
“Tears already?” she cooed mockingly. “This is only the first round.” Aria and Sonata snickered at the joke before they needed to head backstage for their performance.
A familiar scent filled Adagio’s nose and she stopped the others, glaring at Sunset Shimmer. Aria’s pheromones filled the space to combat Sunset’s scent for Adagio. Able to focus, Adagio sneered at the former bad girl of CHS. Sunset returned the glare calmly.
“You’re never going to get away with this.”
Adagio couldn’t believe the audacity of this child, this… infant. She had no idea the power the Sirens possessed and dared to question them. Circling the poor soul, Adagio took a deep, silent breath before her taunting. She couldn’t have her hormones raging out of control around the enemy, after all. Sunset Shimmer seemed not to notice, though, if the troubled expression covering her face was any indication.
Smirking at the Alpha, Adagio placed a finger under her chin momentarily and smirked at her. “Why bother being on the outskirts of a pack that doesn’t want you? In our pack, you could be appreciated, Shimmer.”
“Y-you’re wrong!” Sunset growled, pulling her chin from Adagio’s grip. “My friends do want me around!”
“If they wanted you around, they would trust you with something as simple as backing vocals,” Aria sneered as their circle finished. “They couldn’t even be bothered enough with you to offer that.”
“Too bad!” Sonata chirped. “So sad!”
Adagio gave a soft chuckle as she murmured, “If it’s any consolation, no one is going to remember you at all by the time we’re done.” To punctuate her statement, the lead singer checked Sunset with her hip (ignoring how good the contact felt, even if for only a moment) as Sonata did the same with her shoulder.
Slipping backstage, the three women moved into position with Aria on Adagio’s right and Sonata on her left. Before the curtains opened, Adagio cautioned her sisters not to use too much energy just yet. Then, as one, they all turned to face the front, lifted the mikes to their lips and began to sing.
Adagio grinned out at the crowd as the students swayed to her tune. She loved the stares she received when she sang, the way these adoring onlookers soaked up her honey-sweet voice like bees, unknowing of the poison within. It was always the best part, leading them right into her trap. Pride and exhilaration swelled in her chest and Adagio couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled up from her throat as the song finished.
They passed the first round, of course. Even without influencing the principals, the trio knew they would have gone on. Adagio always wrote catchy songs; catchy songs kept people interested. Retaking their seats, the group prepared themselves for the next round, as their turn would be coming up faster with fewer people to go against in the quarterfinals.
Adagio’s mind worked on autopilot for the next round, watching the other singers and performers. She did keep a close eye on the principals to be certain both the Dazzlings and the Rainbooms continued to advance. She couldn’t have them booting one of their bands out (not that she thought they would dislike any of her songs). As Trixie took the stage once more, the trio cocked their heads and turned to one another in confusion.
“Didn’t she sing that for the last round?” Aria whispered.
“I thought the tune sounded familiar,” Sonata affirmed.
Adagio shrugged. “It was originally supposed to be a showcase, so she probably only had one song prepared.”
“But the principals actually like it enough to advance her again?” Aria exclaimed, spotting a few of the positive comments Luna was writing on her sheet.
“Maybe they were dumber than we thought,” Sonata mused.
Her sisters looked to her then one another. “The fact that it’s Sonata saying that means something,” Aria muttered.
“Regardless, despite her only singing one song, this may work in our favor,” Adagio hummed thoughtfully.
As the round drew to a close and the trio faced off against the Flashlights—both Aria and Adagio facepalmed at the name of the band—it was clear that their plan to tear down the Rainbooms was working in their favor. Sonata leaned against a wall in the backstage area to relax away from her sisters for a moment. But only for a sec because Dagi would be worried if she was gone too long.
Voices could be heard nearby, but the blue-haired siren ignored them, not wanting to use her sonic hearing when she was trying to center herself. However, an annoying nasal voice cut into her meditation and light pink eyes snapped open in irritation. How was she supposed to find her happy place if she couldn’t concentrate?
Tilting her head slightly, Sonata listened in. It sounded like that Trixie girl was mocking the Rainbooms. She must have been what interfered with Sonata’s relaxation. That mean girl had no idea who she was dealing with. Even if Sonata was a Beta, she was just as strong as Dagi and Ari. She would give that girl a piece of her mind-.
Oh, shoot. She had to get back to Dagi and Ari before they worried. Making a mental note to teach that Trixie girl a lesson once they took over the world, Sonata hurried back to the bleachers to join her sisters. Aria spotted her first and raised an eyebrow.
“Where’ve you been?” she grunted.
“I was just breathing backstage,” Sonata replied. “But that Trixie girl interrupted me when she started teasing the rainbow girl. Yeah, that one singing down there. The rainbow girl said she could carry the whole band, which seemed to make her friends mad, but-.”
“Good work, Sonata,” Adagio jumped in quickly. “That’s good information. If we can use that to our advantage-.”
All three stared in open shock as Sunset Shimmer vaulted across the stage and into the rainbow-haired girl. The entire song came crashing down shortly after. Aria looked closely with her hypervision and spotted magic disappearing from the rainbow girl.
“Looks like little Miss Shimmer was trying to stop us from seeing the magic,” she snickered to her sisters.
“How noble of her,” Adagio laughed, watching the band storm offstage. “Come along, girls. We need to pull our influence or they won’t make it.”
“But what if they’re planning to use their magic against us?” Sonata pointed out uncertainly. “Isn’t that why they’re hiding it?”
Adagio patted her head calmly. “Don’t worry, Sonata. What you heard earlier might just help us get the magic they’re trying so hard to keep from us. Let’s go have another talk with dear Celestia and Luna.”
At last, the moment had arrived. Night had fallen and the stadium was packed with every student from Canterlot High. Several had even invited friends and family from outside of the school to join them. They would supply more than enough power for the Sirens to regain their full strength. And the best part? Those possessing the Equestrian Magic had fallen right into their ploy.
Adagio watched the mist begin to rise, tinted with sparkling hints of magic. The magic she craved and would soon control. Those humans didn’t know what they were doing, giving her the one thing she desired more than all else. Best not to look a gift horse in the mouth (how fitting) and absorb all she could.
“It’s time, girls,” Adagio grinned, straightening her back and walking toward the stage. As their gems absorbed the magic coming from the trapped band, the trio began their chant. It would be one of their longer ones, but they needed to make sure the crowd was captivated. Each and every second counted (not that her plan would allow waste of magic anyway).
Allowing their natural heritage to guide their movements, the trio slowly began their song, Adagio’s wicked grin full-blown. This was it. This was her moment. She would finally be able to stop hiding, to be herself, to be considered above all others. Her sisters wouldn’t have to scent mark her because all will bow to her. No one would dare to challenge the queens of the world.
As the magic consumed them and restored their power, Adagio finally felt her heart lighten. The second she had the minds of all of these pathetic humans, she was going after that Alpha from Equestria. Sunset Shimmer would kneel before her when she witnessed Adagio’s true might. The lead siren’s body tingled at the things she would have that girl do to her. She hadn’t experienced a heat cycle in so long, it would be wonderful to take a break from planning just for a moment so she could have someone fill her needs (not that she won’t be able to do that once she had the world in her claws, but she wanted the spoils first).
Suddenly, something cut into their music, other voices. Gritting her teeth irritably, the lead siren followed Aria’s gaze and found the Rainbooms on the hill in front of them. They’d escaped (of course they had). Resisting the urge to sigh, Adagio allowed the engagement of battle. If these girls wanted to battle Sirens, she would make them regret it. As her precious familiar swam through the air, Adagio’s eyes narrowed on the purple girl, the newcomer. Even at this distance, she could sense the Alpha power radiating from the woman.
And it infuriated her.
As the lead singer sang out in an attack, Adagio opened her lips and released her own combat. If this girl thought she could go head-to-head with a siren, then she had another thing coming. Regardless of status, no mere Equestrian could take on a siren one-on-one in a battle of voices. Smirking, Adagio watched her familiar call Sonata’s and Aria’s to it. Together, the three of them overpowered those pathetic humans and that Equestrian priss.
Until… Sunset Shimmer stepped up. Adagio ignored the hurt in her chest as the girl glared at her familiar. And as Sunset began to sing, Adagio found herself unable to respond, her power fading as a rainbow of magic slammed into her and her sisters. Staring across the hill incredulously, the trio found themselves facing a gigantic, spectral alicorn, the creature’s soulless white eyes glaring directly into Adagio’s amethyst.
Sunset Shimmer had created that? But that kind of power was only present in Grand Alphas, and those were exceptionally rare, Principal Celestia being the only one for miles. How… how could a lowly Eqesutrian pony do that? That girl… what kind of power did she truly possess?
Suddenly, everything was awash in rainbow hues, the alicorn’s beam smashing down on them. Their cells burned as the Light Magic washed over them, forcing as much of their Dark Magic from their bodies as it could. As one, all three Sirens felt a searing pain in their chests and realized what was about to happen. Unable to stop it, the trio watched as their Nourishing Amulets shattered before them. And the light only grew brighter.
Mercifully, the beam ended quickly and the sisters found themselves dropped to the stage. Adagio groaned softly. They… they had been so close. Everything had been theirs! Maybe, if she just tried to… Picking up her broken gem, the lead siren stood with her sisters and attempted to recreate the power they held.
And failed miserably.
Food flew at them as the students they had previously held the minds of booed them off the stage. Despair swelled in Adagio’s chest as she took off with Aria and Sonata close behind. How could they ever recover from this one? There was no way! Not without their pendants.
The Sirens rushed to the front of the school, glancing behind them worriedly to make sure no one had followed. Stopping to catch their breath, the trio leaned against the statue of the rearing horse and took deep breaths. They needed to assess the situation, figure out what to do and where to go from here.
Their Nourishment Amulets had been broken, the ramifications of which were unknown and provided a sense of unease for the three women. They had never been without their gems; the little garnet stones (in Equestria, they had been rubies) were part of them, so there had never been a need to be without them. None of them knew what to do without their Nourishment Amulets.
As they all caught their breath beside the statue, one of the three felt an odd sensation overtake her. Adagio groaned softly as a flash of heat shot through her body. She removed her jacket, assuming all of the running had made her too hot. The night wasn’t cold, but the breeze certainly wasn’t doing anything to quell the burning in her skin from the sprint. Adagio’s panting became slightly heavier and she leaned more heavily on the marble structure.
“Great!” Aria snarled as she began pacing, her arms crossed irritably. “Now what do we do? Who knows how much havoc is going to wreak through our bodies because those rainbow freaks broke our jewels.”
“They’ll reincarnate, though, right?” Sonata pointed out. Her hand touched the hollow of her throat for a moment. “Mother said so when we were younger.”
“But we don’t know when,” Aria retorted. “It could take a whole other thousand years or longer. Can you really be okay with surviving on human food until then?”
Sonata bit her lip for a moment, understanding her sister’s worry. She really did enjoy the energy they absorbed from humans. It was delicious and, while she was certainly partial to tacos and hot dogs, human food simply couldn’t compare to their main source of sustenance. Sighing, the blue siren pressed a hand to her chin and her eyebrows furrowed, both she and Aria wondering where to go from here.
Meanwhile, Adagio was on fire. Breath coming in heavy, the yellow siren’s knees grew weak as she just barely held onto the statue. Her vision was swimming as flashes of white light struck across it every few moments. Her canines and nails elongated and sharpened, drool filling her mouth as the heat only continued to grow worse.
Aria paused at an enticing scent in the air and sniffed at it curiously. Violet eyes widened in recognition as the purple sister whirled on her mate incredulously. Adagio’s hair had grown wilder with the impending heat cycle and Aria knew it was only a matter of time before someone else smelled her sister. As it were, Adagio’s pheromones were already thickly filling the air around them and Aria began to panic.
“We need to get her out of here,” she hissed to Sonata. “Now that our jewels are broken, human suppressants might do, but we need to get home.”
“Why is it hitting now?” Sonata moved to Adagio’s side and gently grasped her sister’s shoulder, only to jerk back as the lead siren’s pheromones increased at the contact. Adagio fell to her knees with an obscene moan and her scent started to cloud Sonata’s mind. Aria, thankfully, retained her senses and looked around for any escape route.
Back on stage, Sunset and the others were celebrating their victory with the whole school. The fiery-haired woman was ecstatic that she had finally gotten others to trust her again and Rainbow Dash had even offered her a part in the band! The grin on her face seemed permanent until a strange prickling in her nose made her frown slightly.
Sniffing the air, Sunset stiffened and took a deep whiff. Oranges, metal, lilies and leather invaded her senses and the Alpha couldn’t resist following the scent. The others glanced to her in surprise and went after her as Sunset’s nose led her toward the front of the school. Coming around, the group was shocked to find the Sirens right next to the portal. Twilight made to rush forward, but Sunset stopped her with a warning growl.
Sunset gravitated toward the statue, eyeing the sisters curiously. Aria and Sonata knelt beside a panting Adagio. It was clear within seconds that the delicious scent making Sunset’s head spin was coming from the yellow siren, but it was far different than what Sunset had smelled all week. The scent was more potent and didn’t smell like Aria and Sonata anymore, giving light to something new.
Applejack took off her hat and began fanning herself. Rainbow Dash licked her lips at the decadent aroma, her fangs sharpening slightly as Twilight took a long, deep breath. “Whoo, that is a mighty nice smell,” Applejack purred, to which the others agreed. Sunset paid them no mind, still stalking ever closer to the Sirens.
Aria noticed the incoming figures and whirled around, ready for a fight. As a Beta, she couldn’t take all of them on, especially not the Alpha Sunset, but she would try. These people had already broken their gems and caused them enough suffering for the future, who knew what they would do if they got their hands on Adagio in this state.
Sunset ignored her, darkened eyes only on the gasping siren held protectively behind Sonata. Thankfully, the trio were on the side of the statue, away from where the portal was located. Sunset wouldn’t have to go diving after them to get closer to Adagio. Sniffing the air, Sunset licked her lips. “She’s… she’s not an Alpha…”
“Don’t say it,” Aria warned her.
Pinkie gasped and rushed forward to stand on Adagio’s other side excitedly. “She’s an Omega just like me and Rarity and Fluttershy, isn’t she?” A purple hand reached over and clenched at the front of her shirt. Aria pulled the pinkette to her and snarled in her face.
“I told you not to say it!” she growled as her fist tightened. “Adagio doesn’t like having her status questioned.”
“She’s got an awful lotta power over you two if y’all follow the orders of an Omega,” Applejack murmured as she walked forward with Rainbow Dash and grabbed Aria under the arms. The purple-haired siren huffed at them, wrestling against their grip. Sonata looked from one struggling sister to the other worriedly.
“It’s not her power,” the blue siren piped in slowly. “Dagi doesn’t like being seen as weak. She’s the oldest, so Mother didn’t want her to be targeted like the other sirens… not that it matters since we’re the last ones.”
Before the Six could question her about that last part, Aria jumped in. “We let her boss us around because she’s got the acting skills and charisma to back up the personality jump. She pits herself as an Alpha because it’s believable. We don’t bring up her actual status. Ever.”
Sunset knelt beside the yellow siren and Adagio whimpered at the proximity of the scent. She lifted her head and took in a deep inhale, the drool in her mouth increasing. Sunset was pleased to see that Adagio’s pupils were full-blown. The heat cycle was in full effect.
“How’d ya stop her from going into heat before now?” Rainbow Dash asked as she narrowly avoided being smacked in the face with Aria’s elbow.
“Yes, those pheromones are quite strong,” Rarity agreed. “It’s a wonder none of us noticed until now.”
“The suppressants we gave her were enhanced by our gems,” Sonata said softly, watching Sunset carefully to be sure the Alpha didn’t hurt her mate. “Without them, all of the heat cycles must have come back all at once.”
This made the group uneasy. A single heat cycle alone would be enough for anyone to handle, but from the strength of Adagio’s pheromones, it was clear that one heat cycle would have put the yellow siren out of commission for the length due to her potency. None of them knew who could smell the pheromones now, but if the faint footsteps coming in their direction were any indication, quite a few people were picking up the scent.
“We need to get her out of here,” Sunset called to the rest of the group. She made to stand, but a yellow hand caught her arm desperately.
“D-don’t leave,” Adagio whispered, moving closer to the leather-clad woman. “Don’t leave yet…”
“She’s completely gone,” Aria groaned, finally shaking free of Rainbow Dash and throwing off Applejack. “Come on, Sonata. We need to grab her some suppressants-.”
“No.”
Both sirens froze at the single word and turned to Sunset, who still hadn’t let go of Adagio. Darkened turquoise eyes focused on the woman in heat and Sunset clenched her teeth tightly. “The suppressants won’t work now; she’s too far gone. She needs to be mated.”
Sonata gasped and jumped up jubilantly. “We haven’t mated Dagi in ages!” she cheered. “It’s been at least six months since our last one!”
Aria surveyed the way Sunset was holding their sister and noticed the gentleness there. “You think you’re going to mate her,” she snarled lowly. “Not on my life.”
“What’s wrong with me mating her?” Sunset demanded heatedly, not liking whatever Aria was insinuating.
“Everyone knows Alphas only use their mates for sex!” Aria spat back. “We’ve seen it countless times in this world. Mother specifically told us to avoid Alphas because they were greedy and selfish. You’re not mating Adagio!”
“Sunset’s not like that!” Rainbow Dash snapped, snarling in the siren’s direction.
Aria snorted and replied, “She gave you the power necessary to break our gems and you’re going to say that? For all we know, she wants to take Adagio as a hostage to make sure we be good!”
“Can we talk about this elsewhere?” Fluttershy spoke up nervously. Those footsteps were getting closer. “They’re coming for her.”
Applejack stepped up with a sigh. “Alright, why don’t we all discuss this at your place?” she asked Aria. “Everything can be sorted out and we can help y’all figure out where to go from here. How’s that?”
Violet eyes bore into green for a moment before Aria slowly nodded. “Fine, but Adagio’s not going in a car with the Alpha.” There was a whimper from the yellow siren, but Applejack nodded.
“Deal. We’ll take Rainbow Dash’s car and my truck. Let’s go, y’all.” The group sprinted for the parking lot, Sonata carrying Adagio with Pinkie’s help. Piling into the cars, the party pealed out of the parking lot just as a small group of people appeared, sniffing around the statue curiously.
Aria gave Applejack directions to their place as she glared at Sunset in the bed of the truck. Pinkie held tight to the orange woman as Sunset watched the glowing blue car behind them. Sonata was restraining Adagio with help from Rarity and Twilight as Rainbow Dash hurried after Applejack’s truck. The group raced across town to a large manor.
Not bothering to question how the Sirens managed to procure such a nice home, Applejack slid to a stop in front of the house and Aria leaped out. Racing over to Rainbow Dash’s car, she wrenched the door open and helped Sonata drag Adagio inside. As the others filed in, Aria ordered them to keep the door open.
“Adagio’s pheromones will fill the house in seconds if you close it,” she explained. “We need to open the windows.” Pinkie instantly darted off to do just that while everyone else waited in the front hallway.
As soon as Sunset stepped through the door, Adagio pulled against Sonata’s grip, aching to be close to the enticing scent. The pulsing in her lower body begged to be satisfied and that delicious aroma only made it worse. Likewise, Sunset felt her teeth sharpen against her tongue, ready to mark the expanse of flaxen flesh before her. Her eyes darkened and a growl slowly filtered from her chest. Aria matched it note-for-note and Sunset turned burning eyes on the twin-tailed siren. Aria refused to back down and stood protectively in front of Adagio.
“You’re not mating her,” the purple siren snarled. “You may have made us powerless, but we’re still Sirens. You’re not using her just cause she’s weaker now.”
“Sunset doesn’t want to use her, though,” Rarity explained tentatively. “She merely understands that Adagio is in need of assistance and wishes to offer her own. If anything, Adagio would be using Sunset.”
Aria glared at them all and huffed stubbornly. Glancing back to Adagio, she found her sister shuddering and panting in Sonata’s arms, pupils completely dilated and a slight sheen of sweat covering her skin. Her claws were shredding at her dress, desperate to relieve some of her heat. Clenching her teeth, Aria glared at Sunset and snapped, “Fine! But if you hurt her, I don’t need my voice to kick your ass, Alpha.”
Sunset nodded in understanding and Aria motioned for Sonata to release Adagio. “The basement’s the best place,” she said, pointing to a door nearby as the blue-haired siren prepared to let go. “It has everything you’ll need, including contraception, which you will use. Get her down there quickly because she doesn’t like to wait.”
Sonata opened her hands and Adagio threw herself at Sunset, slamming into the orange woman. Sunset caught her before they could fall over and lifted the smaller woman into a bridal carry, heading for the door Aria had indicated. The others watched her go before turning to the remaining Sirens. Aria eyed them suspiciously and moved to stand protectively near Sonata.
“We’re not leavin’,” Rainbow Dash said before the purple siren could say anything. “So long as Sunset’s here, so are we. No exceptions, no arguments.”
“You’re not intruding in our house,” Aria growled, baring her teeth at the other Beta.
Twilight took a deep breath and stepped forward. “Yes, we will be.” The others glanced to her at the tone of authority in her voice. “You will let us stay here as long as Sunset is helping your sister.”
Aria’s eyes were slits as she gritted her teeth. Fists clenching and unclenching for a moment, the middle siren sister growled and snapped, “Come on, guest bedrooms are upstairs. Don’t touch anything, don’t go anywhere and don’t say a single word.”
“Is there anything we can do?” Rainbow Dash smirked. Her face fell when Aria pulled her close and snarled in her face, “You can stay as invisible as possible in our house until your Alpha is done with Dag and then you will leave.”
“What makes ya so sure o’ that?” Applejack raised an eyebrow as Aria smirked at her.
“Even if Dagi’s an Omega, she was raised as an Alpha in the old days of Equestria. Your little princess there won’t make her budge a second, so you’ll be outta here as soon as she’s done.” Turning gracefully, both sirens continued up the stairs.
Down in the basement, Sunset took a moment to look around appreciatively. It was clear that this was either Adagio’s bedroom or just the room the trio mated in. On the far side was a queen-sized four poster bed with violet bedding. The floor was covered in a carpet of deep blue tones and the walls were a darkened orange, similar to the setting sun. A wardrobe sat in the corner opposite the bed and a door off to the side most likely led to a restroom. A small chest of drawers sat beside the bed with a box of condoms on top along with a paper towel dispenser.
Sunset’s attention was pulled from admiring the room as Adagio pawed at her chest with a desperate whimper. The sun-kissed woman licked her lips as Adagio’s pheromones filled the room. Leaning down, she buried her nose in the amber neck and licked the soft skin. A moan lit the air and Sunset tossed Adagio onto the bed, just barely maintaining control over herself.
Climbing over the gasping woman, Sunset wasted no time in tearing off the remnants of Adagio’s ruined dress and gazing hungrily at the pale expanse of flesh exposed to her. The Sirens’ tight clothing had given a few indications what their bodies would be like, but this was more than even Sunset could have imagined.
Long, creamy legs, rounded at the calf and full in the thighs, stretched below her, completely shaved and silky to the touch, each one capped at the bottom by a dainty foot, arched in the sole from walking in heels for Celestia-knows-how-long. At the top, thick thighs flowed into strong, wide hips, prominent in Adagio’s almost pear-shaped body and framing a soaked, pulsing heat at the core of Adagio’s very being, the musky smell permeating the room stemming from the dripping canal. Above the hips, a smooth, flat stomach expanded upward, quivering with each motion and contracting slightly with each exhale, showing off the bit of muscle underneath, most likely from Alpha training.
Along the sides of the toned stomach was a narrow waist, most likely kept tightly under control to accentuate the larger hips’ swaying motions. It flowed upward into a bumping pattern, outlining each rib, expanding and contracting with each breath, just as the plain of stomach had been. Right between the partition of the ribs, a narrow valley awarded Sunset the sight of two perky, modest breasts, round enough to fit snugly in each hand and glowing with a slight sheen of moisture in the faint light of the room, each capped with a tiny pink nub, already hardened and straining against the air.
Turquoise eyes roved from the breastplate upward, following the line of the body’s midline and coming to a strong, prominent collarbone. Always covered by the bolero jacket, Sunset was finally able to take in the love hollow of Adagio’s neck, no longer covered by a large, red gemstone. Smooth bone melted into the silky, fragile flesh of Adagio’s throat, long and clean apart from two nearly-invisible scars on either side of the yellow skin. Drool filled Sunset’s mouth at the thought of adding her own to the collection, even as her eyes finally reached the top.
Plush, succulent lips, rounded to perfection and currently positioned into a slight pout, tilted up at the corners in a semblance of the ever-present smirk always astride them. Wide cheekbones emphasized soft curvy cheeks and ended just under half-lidded, darkened and smoky, deep pink eyes. A wild mane of silky, orange and yellow curls splayed out in a backdrop of fire behind the heat-hazed woman, only enhancing the natural beauty spread before Sunset.
A soft growl built in the redhead’s throat as she lowered her lips to Adagio’s clavicle, feeling a pair of claws scratch encouragingly at her scalp. Flicking her tongue out to taste the soft skin, Sunset was rewarding with a floral tang filling her mouth along with the natural salty taste of flesh. Adagio’s scent was all around them, lilies and oranges clouding Sunset’s senses as she trailed her lips lower, finally making contact with a moderately-sized orb. Adagio’s back arched, her breath hissing through her teeth as tingles spread from her aching nipple to her throbbing core. Sunset was meticulously ignoring her hardened nub in favor of trailing kisses and licks around it tauntingly.
As one hand dug into the dual-colored hair of the Alpha, the other scratched pleased trails up and down the toned orange back, tearing into the fabric of Sunset’s halter top. The fabric brought back a terrible reminder and Adagio growled softly, a bit of her Alpha upbringing shining through.
“You’re wearing too much clothing, little pony,” she snarled, her claws ripping further into the top.
“Why don’t I fix that then?” Sunset murmured. She kept the power out of her voice, not wanting Adagio to feel threatened and also not wanting her to also go into Alpha mode in the middle of a heat cycle. A thought for another time.
With a last tweak to Adagio’s nipples, Sunset pulled back and slipped from her halter, her breasts bouncing forward to perch on her pecs as she kicked off her boots and shimmied out of her skirt and underwear. Clothes successfully dealt with, Sunset returned to hover over the lusty siren, smirking down at her calmly.
Adagio’s eyes roved the Alpha’s body ravenously, not nearly as awestruck as Sunset due to her lust-hazed state. Rose-colored eyes traveled up the strong, powerful legs, sculpted to perfection and rippling with lithe muscles just under the skin, to wide hips, almost as wide as her own and just as round. Between them, Adagio purred happily at the sizable length, easily bigger than her hand was wide and already dribbling a bit of pre as she watched it, two creamy testes hanging below it and waiting to mate her. Above the delicious present waiting for her, Adagio couldn’t help her hand trailing across the washboard over Sunset’s stomach, the abs prominent against her hand, flexing under her touch and firm in her press.
Sunset’s narrow waist complemented each muscle as Adagio slid her hand higher, cupping as much of a large, perky breast in her hand as she could, the dark orange nipples stark against the lighter skin. Adagio’s eyes were momentarily drawn to a beauty mark directly underneath the left globe, and, for a moment, her mind cleared enough to be curious before she fell back under the fog.
Sturdy collarbones flowed into broad shoulders, accentuating Sunset’s more athletic build over her own, thick cords of slender neck clearly on display without the leather jacket’s shadow to shroud them. Adagio’s eyes finally traveled all the way up to her lover’s face, taking in the reassuring smirk curling the lush pink lips and subtly flared nostrils. And to cap it all, burning turquoise eyes framed by a vortex of flames, red and yellow crashing together to suck Adagio further into the gall of the enticing, leather and lemons scent.
The siren's body began to tremble as the thrumming in her core only amplified.
Sunset grinned as she positioned her head, lining it up with Adagio’s dripping center, knowing the siren was more than ready to take her length and then some, no doubt. Adagio bit her lip as she waited for Sunset to enter her, but the Alpha spotted what she was doing and paused. This drew a slight whine from the needy Omega.
“Why?” Adagio whimpered, reaching a hand around to Sunset’s back and preparing to plunge her aching core onto that delectable shaft if this Alpha didn’t hurry up.
“Don’t bite your lip,” Sunset told her calmly, reaching for the box of condoms as she stalled. It was a good thing she remembered them; Aria would have her head if she impregnated her mate. She continued as she slipped it over her bobbing member. “The first impale is always the most surprising. I don’t want you to accidentally take your lip off.”
Adagio glared up at her and grunted with a slight nod. Opening her mouth as Sunset finished securing the protection, the siren leader was rewarded with the Alpha above her finally beginning to infiltrate her. It was slow at first, allowing the both of them to get used to the size difference. Sunset gritted her teeth at how tight Adagio was; the siren’s first orgasm of the night wasn’t too far off. Adagio was preoccupied with holding tightly to the woman above her as she assessed the size of Sunset’s endowment. Perfect, naturally.
Both panted for a moment as Sunset held still inside of Adagio. When the flaxen woman rolled her hips up to meet the guitarist’s, Sunset took that as her cue. Pulling herself back, much to Adagio’s protest and her own delight, Sunset took a deep breath, her hand sliding down Adagio’s waist as she plunged back into the waiting cavern, ready to explore the depths waiting for her.
Adagio threw her head back with a shout, eyes slamming shut as she clenched her fists in the bedsheets. Her body arched upward into Sunset’s wandering hands, aching to be closer to the Alpha already doing amazing things to her. An intense tingling spread through her pelvic region, further enflaming her body, and it only grew as Sunset pulled back and thrust back in.
“Yes!” the Omega gasped, claws tearing holes in the bedspread.
A sharp-toothed grin spread over Sunset’s lips as she wrapped one arm around Adagio’s arched back and grasped her hip with the other hand. Shifting one knee forward and between the siren’s legs, the redhead began a rough pace, pulling Adagio into each thrust. The tight grip the siren held on her tugged deliciously at her length, dragging each ridge and velvety inch over her shaft.
“I take it it’s been a while since you’ve had a good pounding?” Sunset chuckled deeply, licking a trail between the bouncing mounds on the yellow woman’s breastplate.
“Yes!” Adagio groaned, one hand coming up to dig into the red-and-yellow locks of the woman above her. “Yes! Don’t stop, little pony, don’t stop!”
The slapping of flesh filled the air along with the flaxen woman’s desperate gasps. Sunset grunted slightly as she pushed herself into the constricting tunnel as deeply as she would go. Adagio’s cave flowed around her at each pull and widened to accommodate her at each push. The siren in question groaned desperately as the heat in her stomach continued building, stoked by the lighter pistoning inside of her. Already, she was so close to a powerful orgasm, one of many to come, she was sure.
Beads of sweat trailed down Sunset’s back, making it slick and harder for Adagio’s claws to find purchase on the smooth surface. Her thighs burned with the exertion, but she couldn’t find it in herself to hate it, since she was nearly balls deep in the sexiest woman she had seen since entering this world. She churned, ready to blow all over Adagio, even if the condom was going to stop any of it from escaping. The thought of Adagio, ripe with her pups and begging for release, caused Sunset to redouble her efforts, wanting to reach that edge just as badly as the woman moaning beneath her.
It was getting closer, Adagio could feel it, twisting and coiling in her stomach. All she could hear were her own gasps and moans of rapture as she rode the cock as best she could, thrusting her hips up to meet the beast pounding into her. She just needed a little more, she could taste the salt of her sweat on her lips, the sticky liquid covering her body in a light sheen. The thought that it wouldn’t be the only sticky liquid covering her sent Adagio spiraling over the edge, white-hot energy coursing from the base of her stomach and spreading out to every inch of her body.
Sunset gave a deep moan as the walls holding her suddenly clamped down, pulsating as Adagio’s legs locked around her hips. Despite this, Sunset continued her thrusts, gaining just the last bit of sensation needed to feel her sack tighten with the impending jet. Gritting her teeth against the urge to mark the pale throat before her, Sunset groaned as she shot string after string into the condom’s waiting bubble, wishing desperately that it was Adagio she was filling instead of the troublesome piece of rubber.
The pair rode out their orgasm, Adagio’s stomach tightening with aftershocks once her initial release had tapered off. Sunset chuckled and gently pulled out, not wanting to spill anything inside of the heavily gasping siren, lest she incur the wrath of said siren’s sister. She expertly tied the condom and tossed it into the trashcan right beside the bed, rolling off of Adagio and lying on her back.
Adagio purred as she nuzzled into Sunset’s chest, her own expanding as she took deep breaths. Sunset chuckled as pale fingers ghosted over her breasts and along her stomach. “Not had enough, huh?” she husked, not bothering to stop Adagio’s hand.
The wandering hand stopped just above Sunset’s pelvis and pressed down. Adagio lifted and turned her darkened gaze to Sunset. A downright salacious grin crossed her face as she cooed, “Not even close, my little pony.”
“It’s been, like, three days!” Rainbow Dash groaned as the group convened at lunch. The previous day, Rarity had explained to Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna where Sunset Shimmer and the Dazzlings were. None of them understood why Aria and Sonata refused to come to the school, but it most likely had to do with not trusting Sunset with their sister. Rarity was careful not to mention Adagio’s actual status, knowing it wasn’t her place to disclose such information. “How long does this chick’s heat cycle last?”
“Considering her, ah, status,” Rarity murmured, filing her nails calmly. “and potency, for that matter, it is highly likely that her heat cycles can last anywhere between three to seven days.”
Rainbow Dash gasped. “What? We might have to stay there for a week? Seriously?”
Twilight nodded. She had stayed behind to ponder some things about the Dazzlings and actually experience human high school. Having already ascended to princesshood, most of the scientific and mathematical classes were below her level, but the differences in history and literature were intriguing. The purple alicorn found it fascinating how humans have no knowledge of magic and yet, had known of unicorns, pegasi, dragons and other creatures found in Equestria. Considering the portal’s existence, it was highly likely the creatures had come through long before now, or perhaps been banished like the Sirens.
Rainbow Dash laid her head on the table with a sigh. “If I’d known an Omega’s heat cycle could last that long, I’d’ve brought more videogames.”
“Rainbow, I don’ think it’s a good idea to talk about’er status out in th’ open like that,” Applejack scolded her. “People could be listenin’ and that’s her private business.”
“Please,” the athlete snorted, waving off the concern. “Everybody’s clearly lost in their own thing. Besides, it’s not like no one’s ever gonna find out.”
Rarity placed a hand to her forehead and felt her mate place a hand on her shoulder soothingly. Neither of them knew what they were going to do with Rainbow Dash. Thankfully, they didn’t have to do anything.
“Dash,” Fluttershy piped up. “You remember those Alphas that Sunset Shimmer saved me from in freshman year?”
“Uh, yeah?” Rainbow responded. Her eyes narrowed at the memory and she had actually thanked Sunset at the time.
Fluttershy bit her lip. “I’m not the only Omega they went after.”
“What does that have to do with…” Amethyst eyes widened in understanding and Rainbow sighed. “Okay, fair point. Fine. No talk of that girl’s real status at school, got it.”
“Thank goodness for Fluttershy,” Rarity breathed as Applejack chuckled in relief.
Just then, the bell for classes rang and Pinkie jumped up. “Last one to the Dazzlings’ place after school is a party-pooper!”
“Aw, no fair!” Rainbow called. “I’ve got practice!”
Fluttershy laughed softly and took her mate’s hand. “I’ll stay behind with you, Dashy, that way, you’re not alone.”
The group dispersed for classes and the day continued on as usual. Once classes let out for the day, Applejack, Rarity, Twilight and Pinkie waved goodbye to Shy and Dash before climbing into Applejack’s truck and heading for the manor. None of them were particularly happy about needing to return there every day, but they didn’t know what the Sirens would do to Sunset if Adagio’s heat cycle ended without them there.
Pulling up, the group strode for the front door. Rarity paused to, once again, take in the beauty of the large home. She really needed to ask the Sirens how they had managed to procure such a beautiful abode. Following after the others, she found them standing in the foyer in shock.
“What is the matter, dears?” Rarity asked, turning to the sitting room and understanding why they had paused.
Aria and Sonata glared at them irritably from one of the couches, both nude with Aria straddling Sonata’s hips. Neither group moved for a moment before Aria growled lowly and slid from her sister. “Buzz officially killed,” she grumbled, helping Sonata up. “Haven’t had a proper pounding in months and you just have to walk in now.”
“Aw, Ari, don’t be that way,” Sonata chirped, wrapping her arms around her mate from behind. Voice deepening to a husky murmur, she added, “After all, now we can shower.”
Aria’s eyes lit up at the reminder and the pair sauntered passed the stunned group and up the stairs, not bothering to pick up their discarded clothing. As they disappeared, Applejack took a deep breath and shook her head to clear it of the image of perky blue breasts. Pinkie blinked swaying magenta hips from her mind’s eye and turned to the others. “So, who wants something to eat? Anyone else hungry?”
“Don’t touch the kitchen until we get down there, you little shit!” Aria’s voice rang out from upstairs. “If I find even a little of our chocolate or icing missing, I’m shaving your head!”
Pinkie pouted at that, but complied. After all, it was rude to ignore someone else’s wishes in their own home. “Perhaps, just some water,” Rarity suggested, making her way toward the large kitchen.
“Sounds good to me!” Applejack agreed. “Might have to bring some cider for these gals tomorrow, cause their beverage selection is lackin’.”
The group settled around the kitchen table as they waited for the sisters to return from their shower. As Pinkie grew lost in a daydream and Twilight began studying her literature book, Rarity and Applejack cuddled together. There was silence for a few moments before a thought occurred to Rarity.
“I wonder…” the fashionista murmured. “Twilight, darling, could you tell us about the Alphas in Equestria?”
Twilight glanced up at her friend in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“Well, dear, the Sirens seemed fairly adamant that Alphas were bad news in Equestria. However, it is understandable that such a concept could have come about because of their upbringing. So, if you wouldn’t mind, I would love to know what your Alphas are like.”
The purple princess blinked to her alabaster friend and slowly tapped her chin. “Well,” she mused. “Alphas aren’t as evil as the Sirens were saying. I’m not sure about the era they grew up in, but status is more of just a title than anything now. We still lead packs and are ripe for positions of power, but it’s not a free-for-all. No Omega slaves, or Beta-slaughtering or any of that.”
Twilight momentarily cringed at the memory of Aria explaining how things had been in the old days of Equestria. To think, ponies used to trade one another like cattle. Granted, Rainbow Dash had attempted something similar at one point, but nothing quite as serious as what the Sirens had told them. It made her stomach turn at the thought and she wondered if the Human World had a parallel of such events.
Rarity nodded in understanding and the group lapsed into silence once more. Pinkie glanced to the basement door a moment and cocked her head. “They must be resting,” she muttered. “I can’t hear anything from down there.”
“Considerin’ it’s been three days, I reckon Sunset’s probably tired,” Applejack chuckled. “I can imagine Adagio might be a bit tuckered too. No tellin’ whether her heat’ll be over when they wake up, though.”
“I hope it ends soon,” Twilight sighed. “I don’t want my friends in Ponyville to get too worried about me.”
Spike popped from her backpack, stretching and yawning. “I’m sure they’re fine,” he mumbled, rubbing his eyes sleepily. “They know ya can take care of yourself.”
Twilight smiled at him and allowed him to jump onto her lap. She scratched behind his ears as she went back to her reading. Spike always was good at assuaging her fears… even if it didn’t help get rid of them completely.
The sound of footsteps drew the group’s attention to the stairs. Aria and Sonata sauntered into the kitchen, blessedly wearing clothing. The sisters smirked at them all and Sonata strolled to the fridge, grabbing some drinks. Distributing them to their guests, she nodded to them and settled against the counter with Aria.
“Enjoy your shower?” Spike asked curiously.
Sonata giggled as Aria gave the softest of purrs. “Yeah, it was a good one,” the blunette snickered, turning to grab a box of crackers from one of the cabinets. “Haven’t exercised like that in a while.”
The group shifted at her casual tone and shrugged to one another. Aria eyed them contemptuously and her eyes alighted on Twilight. They narrowed ever-so-slightly as Aria replayed the order in her mind. If Adagio was an actual Alpha, Aria could have called her for help against the command, but with her heat cycle consuming her so completely, Adagio wouldn’t have been much help as an Omega.
“So, what’s up at the prison?” she grumbled, crossing her arms.
“School’s fine,” Applejack shrugged. “Buncha students talkin’ ‘bout the Battle.” Aria’s eyes narrowed just slightly. “They liked ya music, minus the mind controllin’ bit.”
Sonata beamed at her. “Dagi writes good songs. And we’re naturals at singing cause we’re Sirens.”
“Translation: of course they liked our songs,” Aria laughed with a self-assured smile. “We were born to sing for them.”
Rarity perked up. “So, Adagio is the only one to write songs for the group?”
“And I don’t have the patience to learn,” Aria added. “It’s just easier to let Dag write’em and all we gotta do is sing and eat.”
“Sounds a bit lazy,” Applejack murmured skeptically.
Two pairs of eyes glared at her irritably. Aria bared her teeth and growled, “Maybe to a farmgirl, but Sirens aren’t human. The more energy we expend to get food, the more we need. If the payout can be bigger than the cost, we’ll take it.”
Applejack huffed at the concept, but Rarity placed a calming hand on her arm. The blonde settled down at her mate’s touch and sat back in the chair, sipping the apple juice Sonata had tossed her. The group lapsed into silence once more until the front door opening caught their attention.
“…and did ya see the way I broke the defense? Awesome! They didn’t stand a chance. We are so gonna kill it at the upcoming game.”
Sonata and Aria rolled their eyes at the sound of Rainbow Dash’s boasting. “Great,” the violet-haired siren snarled. “Another headache incoming.”
“Yo,” Rainbow Dash called, waving as she and Fluttershy entered the kitchen. “Flutts stopped by my house so I could grab some games. Anybody wanna play?”
“Ha!” the athlete snorted. “We’ll see about that. To the living room!”
Sonata shook her head at them and began rummaging around in the cabinets for materials for dinner. Pinkie, who had kept herself quiet for the time being, finally piped up. “Can we make cupcakes?” she pleaded, turning her large eyes on Sonata.
Sonata glanced to Aria, who shrugged and waved her on. With a smile, Sonata bounced over to Pinkie Pie and the pair began getting the supplies together for some cupcakes. The twin-tailed siren rolled her eyes, but spared a small smile to her mate’s excitement. She pulled out her phone and began scrolling through the notifications, boredly thumbing away the ones that didn’t matter.
Twilight glanced to Spike as he coughed slightly. “You alright, Spike?” the lavender princess inquired.
“I think the princesses are trying to send you mail,” the dragon murmured, coughing once more. “There’s a disturbance in my ability to burp it out.”
“It’s most likely due to the lack of magic and your changed form,” Twilight murmured. “Well, hopefully it’s not urgent. The others knew I was leaving and they know I won’t be back until I’ve made sure the problem is stable. Everything should be fine until then.”
Spike nodded, but the musing had caught Aria’s attention and the magenta woman cocked her head. “You just left?” she asked slowly. “Just like that?”
“Yeah,” the princess replied. “Ponyville is pretty self-sufficient, so I can leave and return as necessary without disrupting too much.”
“So, lemme get this right,” Aria huffed. “The royalty is so lax that a princess can go missing and nobody bats an eye? What do you even do then?”
Twilight bit her lip. She herself had been wondering the same thing for some time. Thankfully, with the defeat of Tirek, she was more sure of her position than before. “It’s the duty of myself and the other Elements of Harmony to spread the message of friendship and harmony throughout Equestria,” she responded. “We defeat enemies that Princesses Celestia and Luna are unable to, like Tirek and Discord. Princess Cadence is so busy in the Crystal Empire that it’s too difficult to call upon her for help in those situations.”
Aria shook her head as Sonata removed the first batch of cupcakes from the oven. “Weird freaking ponies,” she muttered.
As the next batch of cupcakes went into the oven, the basement door slowly creaked open. All paused in their actions as they turned their attention to the lone figure making her way up. Hair mussed and gait slightly sluggish, Sunset appeared in the basement doorway and made a beeline for the kitchen.
“Hey, sleepyhead!” Twilight called to her friend, Spike giving the former villainess a friendly wave.
“Hey, everyone,” Sunset called, covering a yawn. “Something smells good.”
“We’re making cupcakes!” Pinkie cheered, gesturing to herself and Sonata.
Sunset nodded and strode for the refrigerator. Leaning down, she found a water bottle and grabbed it happily. It wasn’t necessarily that she was tired of Adagio’s heat, but three days of sex and sleep was not healthy. She figured it must have been their magic keeping them from flat-out dying. Still, water. Water was good, both for her throat and her energy. Adagio had at least one more day in her. Sunset needed to be ready to deliver.
“So, how’s Adagio?” Spike called to the fiery-haired woman.
“She’s insatiable,” Sunset chuckled, leaning against the counter. “So hungry and wanting.”
“Dagi’s always been like that,” Sonata chirped as she tossed Pinkie the sprinkles. “Her heat cycles before the suppressants were invented lasted a whole week.”
Sunset hummed appreciatively and took a drink from her water bottle. “That kind of appetite is hard to come by. I haven’t found a lot of Omegas or Betas in this world with a sex drive that high.”
Aria’s eyes narrowed at the insinuation and she grunted, “Have you marked her?”
A blush covered Sunset’s cheeks and she scratched the back of her head awkwardly. “She’s asked me to several times, but I haven’t marked her yet.”
“Why not?” Sonata asked. She was also suspicious of the Alpha’s motives for wanting their sister, but she was also genuinely confused as to why Sunset wouldn’t take the chance.
“It’s a little… complicated,” the orange woman sighed, taking a seat at the table beside Rarity. “I don’t want to mark her only to have her come down from her heat and realize she didn’t want me to. I want it to be a conscious decision on her part for me to become her mate.”
Rarity cut in with a nod, placing a hand on the taller woman’s shoulder. “Sunset is correct. We just defeated you three and stripped you of your power. We’re lucky the ramifications seem minimal, but your resentment towards us is quite obvious. If Sunset were to mark your sister and Adagio is still angry with us once her cycle is over, that puts Sunset in a very unfortunate predicament.”
“How?” Aria snorted. “It’s not like she doesn’t have her eye on the alicorn from Equestria. Why not just leave Dag for the princess?”
Sunset shifted and glanced to her friends. Pinkie Pie and Rarity both shrugged at her and the former unicorn sighed. Twilight gave no indication that she had heard aside from the slight blush covering her cheeks as she stared hard at the textbook in front of her. Spike merely snickered behind his paw. “Twilight and I aren’t interested in one another romantically, but even if I was, marking Adagio would prevent me from marking anyone else. Alphas can only have one marked mate in this world.”
There was the sound of something breaking and all heads whipped up to find Aria and Sonata staring at Sunset with their jaws wide. The two sirens blinked at the Alpha for a moment before Aria asked, “You… can only mark one mate for life here? What kind of sense does that make? How the hell are you to lead a pack if you can only have one mate?”
“Well, I can still conceive with Betas and Omegas,” Sunset explained. “I just can’t mark them unless I’m absolutely sure. The most Adagio and I have been doing is flirting all week, but we were on opposing sides. I don’t even know if my scent is attractive to her.”
“Of course it is!” Sonata exclaimed. “You didn’t notice the first day we met you? Your scent when you came into the hall nearly sent her spiraling into heat right then and there. She’s been into you since she met you!” Aria smacked the ponytailed girl over the head irritably. Adagio was going to kill them if she ever found out Sonata had spilled.
Sighing, she conceded that some further information was necessary now that Sonata had said so much. “Look, Adagio is picky. Like, really picky. Almost every scent she’s ever come across has disgusted her to no end.”
“Sometimes, she even holds her breath when in a large crowd,” Sonata added.
“Your scent is the first one since we were born that Adagio hasn’t rejected, even a little,” Aria continued with a pointed glare thrown at the blunette. “The only scents she’s ever liked are mine and Sonata’s.”
Sunset stared down at the table for a moment. “I suppose that makes me feel a little better. Still, I don’t want to mark her until she’s of her right mind.”
Sonata shrugged and took the cupcakes from the oven, handing them to Pinkie Pie. The party girl easily extracted the treats from the pan onto the platter and went about prepping the pan for the next batch. Sliding the pan to the blunette, Pinkie grabbed up the icing to decorate the warm pastries.
Aria watched them for a moment before her eyes strayed to the basement. She licked her lips, thinking of Adagio lying down there, ready to be mated again. Sonata hadn’t been lying when she’d said they hadn’t mated their sister in a long time. Ever since they saw that magic, Adagio had planned nonstop on how to extract it properly. She hadn’t let them mate her at all during that time and had used suppressants to help her focus. It irked the violet-haired siren to no end that Adagio finally went into heat and they weren’t the ones taking care of her.
The rest of the group simply sat around the table, minding their business. Rarity filed her nails to perfection as Sunset took another drink from her water bottle. Pinkie and Sonata finished their tower of cupcakes as a groan from Rainbow Dash sounded in the living room.
Suddenly, Sonata’s head whipped up as Sunset’s and Aria’s did the same. All three looked to the basement as a soft moan was heard. The youngest siren licked her lips and grinned happily. She made to bound for the basement, but Aria stopped her with a roll of her eyes. The twin-tailed siren motioned to the amber woman already heading for the basement. Sonata pouted and Aria huffed, “Maybe next heat cycle, Nata. But you know Dagi doesn’t switch partners during a cycle. We’ll tag-team her on the next one.”
“My, she really is picky, isn’t she?” Rarity murmured, blowing on her nails. “It seems we may have more in common than I originally thought.”
The pair of Sirens glanced at her skeptically before Sonata went back to decorating and Aria headed to the living room to see if the rainbow head had lost another round yet. A pitiful moan affirmed her suspicions and she smirked. At least she could still glean some pain from these pathetic humans, even without her magic.
Adagio hummed softly, shifting against the body beside her. Large, soft breasts, it must have been Sonata. The assumption was strengthened by the flaccid length pressing against her thigh. Snuggling closer to the warmth, Adagio allowed each of her senses to return gradually.
Light filtered through her eyelids from high above, so they must have been in the basement. She must have missed her suppressants, which was unfortunate. They would need to have one of their human minions make some more. Her mouth tasted sour; she needed to brush her teeth after however long this cycle had lasted. There was movement from upstairs, so Aria was awake. Hopefully, she was making breakfast because Adagio was starving. Even human food would satisfy her at this point. Finally, her sense of smell returned and with it came a thundering realization.
Sunset’s eyes flew open as a blood-curdling scream rent the air. Seconds later, a foot connected with her stomach and she was flying off the bed. Landing heavily on the floor, the orange-skinned woman groaned and rubbed her head as she turned bleary turquoise eyes to the trembling figure on the bed. Clearly, Adagio did not approve of who she had woken up to.
“You!” the yellow siren snarled, teeth sharp and eyes burning. Sunset suddenly understood how Adagio could pull off the role of Alpha so well. The woman’s temper and expressions alone would have fooled anyone, even without her song. Claws gripped the blankets to Adagio’s body as the leader of the singing trio glared daggers at the woman on the ground.
From upstairs, the others awake in the house perked up. Aria sighed from where she was cooking breakfast for herself, Pinkie Pie, Applejack and Rarity. “Looks like Adagio’s awake,” she grumbled. “And not at all happy.”
“It’s a good thing Sunset didn’ mark’er,” Applejack huffed as Rarity sipped her morning tea nonchalantly.
“Shall we go check to make sure our friend is still alive?” suggested the fashionista. “After all, though she is an Omega, Adagio has the personality of an Alpha. Sunset may have a bit of trouble.”
Pinkie hopped up and led the quartet into the basement where Adagio was ranting on the bed and Sunset was sitting cross-legged on the floor, listening to her. The four of them leaned around the doorway as they watched the situation calmly.
“…not degrading enough for you to strip us of our power for who knows how long, but this as well?” Adagio demanded, waving her hands between them. “So often, my plans fail by one small missed factor, but this is even worse than Star Swirl banishing us. To be mated by the enemy! I’ll never be able to show my face anywhere ever again. My status as an Omega will be known to everyone and no one will look at me with the same level of respect. And to top it all off, I’m the lapdog of an Alpha!”
Sunset rubbed her head tiredly as she listened to the enraged woman. “If I remember correctly, there was a point at which you enjoyed being in my lap,” she grumbled. Aria cringed, spotting the mistake instantly.
Amethyst eyes turned to slits and burned brightly. Grabbing a nearby pillow, Adagio launched herself off the bed and slammed the weaponized mass of fluff into the side of Sunset’s head. The taller woman’s neck cracked as she toppled slightly. Adagio did not let up, smacking the pillow into her head again. Tears streamed down Adagio’s cheeks as the siren continued her assault. She didn’t stop until Sunset was flat on her back and holding her head in pain.
Pinkie Pie and Rarity giggled slightly at the display while Applejack cocked her head. “How can a fluffy pillow hurt so much?” she wondered aloud.
“The force behind each swing is one of Adagio’s best traits,” Aria smirked. “One smack alone, if she’s angry enough, will send you into whiplash. It’s her preferred attack method.”
“That’s so cute!” Pinkie Pie cooed, before Aria covered her mouth quickly.
”Once, she nearly broke my neck with a throw pillow because I broke her favorite unicorn figurine. You wanna be on the receiving end of that?”
The trio grimaced at that and turned to their friend with a tad more concern. Adagio panted slightly as she sat cross-legged beside the agonized Sunset Shimmer. Tears still slid down her cheeks, but she wiped them away irritably. “Every single time,” she whispered. “Every time, something goes wrong. Some minor flaw that couldn’t possibly have been accounted for leads to our downfall. First banished, which, admittedly, wasn’t all that bad. Now? Now, starving, hoarse, and disgraced.”
“Starving?” Sunset grunted, pulling herself into a sitting position and moving slightly away from the fuming ginger.
Adagio scoffed and crossed her arms irritably. “We’re sirens, nitwit. We feed on emotions. Human food can sustain us, but just barely. Until our jewels come back, we’re stuck being hungry for Poseidon knows how long.”
“In our defense, you were trying to take over the world,” Sunset pointed out. She finally regained her breath from the attack and rubbed her neck to ease some of the soreness. “We couldn’t just let you do that.”
“We would’ve won had you stayed out of it,” Adagio retorted calmly, amethyst eyes glaring into Sunset’s turquoise.
The former unicorn shook her head. “As I said, couldn’t let you do that.”
There was a moment of silence before Adagio turned to Sunset curiously. “I was able to hurt you,” she stated. “How?”
Sunset quirked an eyebrow in confusion. “You… hit me…?”
“But isn’t there a rule of some kind preventing the mates of Alphas from injuring them in any way?” Adagio asked curiously, her natural intellect sparked. “Mother told us that being an Omega and mated to one of you was similar to being chained down. Unable to fight back, forced to take orders, being watched at all times and used for nothing but sex.”
“Look,” Sunset sighed, rubbing her head. “I don’t know how things were in Equestria a thousand years ago, but they certainly aren’t that way now if that’s what it was like. Being an Alpha is more of a personality trait than a position now. We are still leaders, still in charge, but we don’t just dominate whoever walks in our paths. We’re not barbarians.” Adagio’s eyebrows furrowed and Sunset added, “There’s also the fact that I haven’t marked you.”
This caught the yellow siren off guard. “How could a creature so ruled by desires not mark me…?” she murmured, clearly trying to understand the situation. “All you do is take…”
“Like I said, Alphas in Equestria aren’t like that anymore. And there are some mirrors of that in this world, too. For starters, so long as I’m in this world, I can only have one marked mate because I’m an Alpha.”
Shock colored deep pink eyes and Adagio frowned. “That makes absolutely no sense if you’re building a pack…”
“That’s what I said,” Aria piped in, coming to sit beside her sister as it seemed the pair had calmed enough for company. Sunset immediately blushed, but the purple siren and Pinkie seemed indifferent to her state of dress. Applejack and Rarity, on the other hand, looked anywhere but at Sunset as they settled on the carpet as well.
Adagio nodded to her sister. “So, I take it only being able to have one mark is why my neck is still clear?”
“That’s right,” Sunset affirmed. “I figured you would wake up and still hate me, which would suck if I had marked you. Wanted you to let your steam out first before we talked about the several times you asked me to mark you. You have a right to a conscious choice in this, not some decision made in the heat of passion that you’ll regret later.”
To her credit, Adagio actually looked touched at the sentiment before her smirk returned. “While being mated to you might not seem so dire now that a few things have been cleared up, there’s still the part in which my sisters and I no longer have our voices nor proper sustenance. Truth be told, Sirens don’t take their mates when in weakened states.”
“Maybe we should move this party upstairs?” Applejack suggested.
Pinkie Pie perked up excitedly. “Party?” she gasped, but Aria shut her down immediately with a glare. “Right. Seriousness first, then party.”
Adagio stood and swayed over to a wardrobe on the other side of the room. Stepping inside, she closed the doors for a moment before reemerging in a golden tank top and purple shorts. Sunset caught a similar outfit and quickly clothed herself. The group proceeded back up the stairs where Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Sonata and Twilight were all waiting in the kitchen.
“Where were you guys?” Dash asked. “We heard a scream, but nobody was here when we came down.”
“Adagio and Sunset just needed to talk some things out,” Rarity explained calmly, retaking her seat.
“And Adagio attacked Sunset with a pillow!” Pinkie added.
Rainbow Dash snorted at the mental image. “That doesn’t sound so bad.”
“Why don’t you piss her off next time then?” Sunset challenged, rubbing her neck subconsciously.
The group all settled around the table. Aria handed out plates of food and both she and Sonata flanked Adagio’s seat, keeping a close eye on their guests. There was silence for a few moments as the two groups watched one another and ate their breakfast. Finally, Twilight cleared her throat. “Now that all three of you are here, there are a few things we’d actually like to ask you about yourselves. Since Adagio seems to be of her right mind, I think it’s time to talk.”
“What exactly do you wish to know about us?” Adagio inquired cautiously, all three of the Sirens eyeing the other group warily.
Twilight cleared her throat and began with the most perplexing thing on her mind. “A few days ago, Sonata mentioned that you three were the last of the sirens.” The trio stiffened and Sonata looked sheepishly at her sisters for a moment. Twilight looked between them as she asked, “Could you clarify that? I thought you three were the only ones…”
“You mean your precious mentor didn’t tell you?” Aria snorted sarcastically. “There’s a surprise.”
Adagio shot her sister a reproachful glare. She knew Aria was not at all interested in doing anything with these women that didn’t involve giving them a painful death, but since they were being civil for the time being, it was only courtesy to reciprocate. Taking a deep breath, the lead siren murmured, “It is quite perplexing that your darling teacher didn’t tell you about it. Perhaps she didn’t want you to know that genocide was part of Equestria’s history.”
The group gasped in shock and all eyes found Twilight and Sunset. The pair looked to one another in utter bewilderment before their eyes switched back to the three women frowning at them. “Equestria’s had trouble with certain species before,” Twilight stammered. “B-but genocide?”
“Let me guess,” Adagio smirked. “Your precious history books told you that we sirens caused havoc because it was the source of our power and we wanted to rule over all of Equestria?”
“W-well, it only mentioned you three…” Twilight mumbled, shrinking on herself.
“Cause we’re the most famous!” Sonata chirped, nearly spilling her coffee. “We’re the ones Star Swirl couldn’t beat!”
Aria rolled her eyes at her sister’s ditziness while Adagio placed a hand to her face to quell her irritation at only having part of the story revealed. Sonata was simply happy to be telling someone the true story for the first time ever. Waving for Adagio to continue, she sipped her brown beverage almost giddily.
Taking a deep breath, Adagio began her tale. “We were among the last-born sirens. We don’t remember if there were any born after we were, but Mother took great care in hiding us. She taught me to use Aria and Sonata to mask my status so that I wasn’t an easy target for the hunters. At the time, our species was dwindling. Hunters took great pleasure in killing us to sell our tails, our fins, our gems. Sometimes, they didn’t bother killing us, but would carve the pieces of us they wanted and throw us back into the ocean to die.”
Rarity’s hands covered her mouth as Applejack removed her hat, her arm snaking around the purple-haired woman’s shoulders. Rainbow Dash kept Fluttershy close as she listened, knowing her mate was not at all fond of animal cruelty of any kind. Tears pricked Sunset and Twilight’s eyes while streaming down Fluttershy’s cheeks. Pinkie Pie simply listened to the story in uneasy silence.
“When Sirens are maturing, our gems form to absorb best the emotions we are feeling at the time. Some matured to absorb compassion, love, aggression and even friendship.” She smirked at the other side of the table before her face fell once more. “Unfortunately for the three of us, when we were nearing our state of maturation… the hunters took Mother.” Gasps were heard all around the table and Sonata crossed her arms, nails digging into her skin to keep from crying at the memories. Aria fought to keep the pain from her expression as well, but Adagio’s face was a blank mask as she recounted the events almost mechanically.
“She was swimming us to a new place to live, further out in the ocean to avoid the majority of the hunters. They expected that, though, and caught Sonata.” All eyes flicked to the blue siren before back to Adagio. “Their primitive status detectors told them she was a Beta and they were interested in getting a good pay for her. Mother cut Sonata loose, but caught a harpoon to the tail instead. Aria and I pulled Sonata with us, but Mother…” Adagio grit her teeth for a moment. “She told us to swim as fast and far away as we could. She struggled in the water, creating a diversion for us, and we swam. When we thought we were far enough away, we looked back…”
There was silence as the three women fought back their sorrow. Tears leaked from Sonata’s eyes and hers certainly weren’t the only ones. Fluttershy sobbed into Rainbow Dash’s shoulder and the expressions on Sunset and Twilight’s faces were nothing short of devastation. Pinkie, Applejack and Rarity simply waited for the sirens to continue, not wanting to push them.
Finally, Adagio took a deep breath. “Our hatred for the hunters and despair over our loss solidified the negative emotions our jewels absorbed. We modified our songs to cause havoc so we could gain power. It was our plan to conquer Equestria, but not just to rule it.”
“That would’ve been too easy on the current throne-holders,” Aria snarled, her fists clenched on the tabletop.
“We wanted to make them all suffer,” Sonata growled, magenta eyes harder than any of the other group had ever seen them.
Adagio’s lips twisted into a horrifying sneer as she said, “We were going to conquer Equestria and tear apart everything Star Swirl and those precious princesses had built up just to spite them, to give them the same taste of despondence we felt. They refused to remove our species from the hunting list, so we would make them part of it.
“Unfortunately, when Star Swirl caught wind of the plan, he attempted to finish us off himself. Our voices combined overpowered him, similarly to how we did you at the Battle.” The group shifted at the mention of their near defeat. “We were going to win, but he drew together his magic power and banished us before we could finish him off.”
“Coward,” Aria spat. “Couldn’t even take his death like a noble.”
Adagio rolled her eyes at her sister and continued, “Here we remained for thousands of years. We’re sure it only felt like a thousand in Equestria, but here it was so much longer. And with each passing day, our ability to feed grew, but only by a minuscule amount. Without inherent magic in this world, we needed to scrape by, unable to have a full meal as we used to in Equestria.”
Three sets of eyes turned on the pair of Alphas and the Sirens gave borderline sadistic grins. Sunset and Twilight shifted uncomfortably and Adagio purred, “Then you two brought magic here. You gave us the opportunity to continue our path of revenge on those who had wronged us so long ago. With the magic released from Princess Twilight’s crown, we could snub Star Swirl once more. He sent us here, so we would conquer this world instead and prove to him that no siren is weak.”
“So much for that plan…” Sonata sighed wearily, swirling her coffee as Adagio glared at her in offense. “Sunset Shimmer sent it all the way to Tartarus.”
“Now we’re gonna starve until our jewels regenerate,” Aria grumbled.
“Or starve to death if they never regenerate at all,” Adagio added, placing a hand to her head.
Another silence ensued as the ten of them tried to come up with any possible solution to the problem. The Sirens just looked tired with the world while the Humane Seven wondered what to do with the trio now that they were relatively powerless. Overpowering them with numbers and keeping an eye on them seemed like an effective solution, but that wouldn’t make the three sisters any more partial to the group.
Finally, the silence was broken by a confused musing. “Pardon me for saying,” Rarity murmured slowly, knowing it best to tread carefully. “But it sounds more like you were hunted to extinction rather than, er, victims of genocide…”
Shrewd eyes focused on her and Adagio replied evenly, “It may not seem that way to you, but think about how our people felt. We were just as intelligent, resourceful and civilized as the ponies on land and yet they hunted us like animals, for sport. We were not considered equal, but lesser and killed for it. They put prices on our mutilated bodies without thought to who we are and those in charge refused to put a stop to it, despite our pleas for help. Would that not feel like genocide to you?”
Rarity shrank back at the comparison, realizing that, considering the Sirens have proven themselves to be just as knowledgeable as those around them, hunting them would be quite cruel. Fluttershy sniffed into Rainbow Dash’s shoulder as another question was posed.
“Well, what happens when those jewels of yours come back?” Applejack inquired slowly. “Y’all gonna go right back to tryin’ to take over?”
Aria snorted and huffed, “We’re not stupid. We know we can’t do anything with you here now, so there’s no point in trying to take over again.”
“Besides,” Adagio cut in. “There’s no guarantee they will suck up animosity when they’ve matured. As I explained, they absorb the emotions we are feeling strongest at the time.”
Twilight smiled slyly at this and chirped, “So, theoretically, if you were experiencing something positive, say companionship, strongest and ended up spending a lot of time around other people, like these six do, you would, I don’t know, never go hungry again?”
The Sirens all narrowed their eyes at her, even Sonata. Aria leaned forward just slightly, her tone low as she hissed, “We get that you think we’re all buddy-buddy with you because you’ve stayed here for five days,” Adagio’s eyes widened at this new information and she shot a glare at Sunset. “but we’re not doing that whole magic of friendship bullshit.”
“Ari’s right!” Sonata insisted. “Just cause you beat us with your big mean shiny alicorn rainbow laser cannon doesn’t mean we’re just going to agree to be like you now. We’re Sirens. We stick together just fine without some dumb, power drunk humans butting in.”
“Not to mention you can’t be certain our animosity toward you will have faded enough by the time our jewels are restored.” Adagio watched the group opposite her calmly, not appearing as angry as her sisters… which was probably just as dangerous. “Nor can you be sure that, even if the animosity fades, we will be feeling friendship and not despondence at our situation.”
Sunset placed a hand on Twilight’s shoulder to stop the other Alpha from speaking. “Look,” she said to the Sirens. “I get that you don’t want to be friends with us right now, or possibly ever, but at least let us help you adjust to living without your gems? Talking down on humans will get you nowhere here. Maybe we could at least… guide you through this? You don’t have to like us, but I still want to help.”
“We get along just fine at our nightclub job,” Aria grumped, receiving an elbow to the ribs from Adagio.
The septet blinked in confusion. “Nightclub job?” Rainbow Dash inquired.
“As in, you’re dancers?” Rarity’s nose turned up and both Sonata and Aria turned their glares on her, the latter cracking her knuckles.
“Is there a problem with us being dancers?” Aria grit out between clenched teeth. “How do you pay your rent?”
While Rarity floundered for a response that wouldn’t further upset the two younger Sirens, Adagio kept her eyes on Twilight and Sunset. “We are not so easily changed by your notions, Princess,” she murmured calmly. None of her more explosive traits were present at the moment and it was highly disconcerting for all present. “We are over five thousand Equestrian years old and were left to stew in our own loathing and hatred for nearly as long. It will take more than ‘friendship magic’ to help us warm up to any of you, especially two students of Princess Celestia.”
The name was spat out and Sunset sighed. “Okay, I can understand not being particularly happy with Princess Celestia-.”
“You used to be like us!” Aria snapped at her. “How can you support her like this? And with the student that replaced you, no less? You were at the top of the world, just like we were at the Battle! How can you just be so calm sitting with the same people that took away your power like they took ours?”
Adagio could feel a headache coming on. She was surprised it hadn’t started sooner, considering their predicament. Rubbing her head for a moment, she took deep breaths and stood. “I think it’s time for us all to spend some time away from one another and think about everything that’s happened,” she stated levelly, eyes on their guests. “You need to leave.”
Twilight stood and faced her calmly. “We’re not leaving until we’ve come to a compromise between all of us,” she stated, using that same powerful voice she had the night of the Battle.
Adagio didn’t bat an eye as she responded, “You are on our territory and you are no longer welcome. You will leave and you will not return.” Twilight immediately flinched at the power behind the yellow siren’s voice. While it wasn’t the power of an Alpha, Adagio’s natural charisma and personality worked in her favor for the match. Aria smirked up at Twilight smugly, raising an eyebrow challengingly. Knowing she would have trouble, the princess glanced to her fellow Alpha desperately.
“I really don’t think that’s a good idea,” Sunset responded, coming to her friend’s aid and matching Adagio’s stance. “You three were left to your thoughts for a thousand years and it only caused your resentment to grow. If we leave you now, you’re doomed to tread the same path again once these girls are dead.” Twilight sent her a reproachful glance, but Sunset only had eyes for Adagio. “We can’t let this stew, Adagio. If you let it sit, you’ll try again eventually and it will fail, again. Please let us help you.”
Slitted pink eyes glared at her and Adagio grit out, “While I understand that my larger plans tend to fail by some unforeseen force, how can you be so sure a third try will not succeed?”
“And what if it does?” Sunset whispered. “What do you do? No one in Equestria, save me, will even know of your victory. What’s the point if you can’t even rub it in the princesses faces?”
The Sirens faltered at this. While conquering this world would have been a wonderful snub at Star Swirl, succeeding would have only ensured Princess Twilight never returned to Equestria, which would only bring the other two princesses to this world. However, if Sunset was the only one remaining in the future and they eliminated her early on, there would be nothing to signal Equestria that they had won.
Adagio’s eyes narrowed as her mind raced through several different possibilities and Twilight had a sudden realization. “And attacking Equestria would only bring you within reach of the ponified Elements of Harmony,” the princess stated quickly, not wanting the Sirens to get that idea. “They all have inherent magic, unlike here where it’s basically borrowed. If Sunset, who’s from Equestria, could beat you, so could they.”
The Humane Seven waited tensely as three shades of violet glared back at them all. Clenching her teeth, Adagio sucked in a single deep inhale. “Tell us, O Great and Powerful Princess of Friendship, what we are to do with ourselves then? With our refusal to so much as even breathe the same air as the wretches before us and our continued banishment from our home, what will you have us do?”
Aria and Sonata cringed back as the hard edge entered their sister’s voice. Adagio, by all outward appearances, seemed calm, but that was a tip-off to the other two Sirens that she was anything but. Slowly, they both stood and backed toward the door. If Adagio was going to do what they expected her to, it would be safest for them to be as far away as possible. Unfortunately, their natural instinct to protect her got in the way and they remained by the door, watching the eldest siren warily.
Their movements hadn’t been missed by the others in the room and the group looked to one another uneasily. While Sonata was decidedly the most light-hearted of the trio, to see Aria become unsettled meant that something big was going to happen. Sunset and Twilight shared a nod and Twilight stepped up to speak.
“Whether you don’t want to be around them or not, it’s still best that Sunset kept an eye on you three, especially when your jewels come back. She’s going to stay here with you from now on and watch you.”
Aria and Sonata looked to one another worriedly and each took a deep breath. Seconds later, an intense aroma filled the air. The smell alone brought Rarity, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie to their knees, but the intensity served to shake Applejack and Rainbow Dash to the ground as well. All five panted heavily at the scent coming from the yellow siren, rendering them incapable of anything else.
Twilight fought the haziness in her head and stumbled toward the table. She couldn’t fight it for long, her pupils dilating and her teeth elongating as she took in deep breaths of the scent. Sunset rolled her eyes and grumbled, “You haven’t been practicing controlling your heat, seriously? Geez, you’ve really slacked off.”
The orange woman turned to Adagio and found the eldest siren glaring at her with her arms crossed. “Your pheromones aren’t going to work the same way on me,” Sunset said calmly. “I’ve been around them for five days.”
“They weren’t meant to work on you,” Adagio told her nonchalantly. “I was simply getting tired of having an alicorn tell me what I could and could not do in my own territory. If this were the ocean in Equestria, she would be dead. I think they should all consider themselves lucky. Sonata, Aria, why don’t you help them to the door?”
“With pleasure!” Sonata chirped, hefting Fluttershy, Rarity and Twilight. Aria grabbed Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie by their collars and dragged them for the door. Sunset switched her attention back to Adagio in confusion.
The yellow siren moved around the table and stood face-to-face with Sunset. “Since it seems cemented in your heads that we will somehow ‘realize the power of friendship’ and how great and miraculous it is, why don’t you enlighten us?”
“I-I’m not really an expert on friendship…” Sunset murmured nervously.
“Well then, we can learn together,” Adagio purred. “After all, you’re staying here with us from now on.”
The grin on her face was positively predatory and Sunset wondered if she would live through this. The sneers on Sonata and Aria’s lips when they returned did not help her unease at all. Adagio reached out and stroked her arm before taking her wrist in a similar vice grip to the one she had used during the tour of the school.
“Come along, Shimmer,” she husked. “I’ll show you where you’ll be staying.”
