> Let The Chips Fall Where They May
>  by AliceSprings
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Introduction
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is set in the EQG universe.  The time: Several years after The Battle of the Bands, and Twilight and her friend’s graduation.  Most are through college and some like Micro Chips are in post grad work.

Aria Blaze will discover that Micro Chips has skills that might lift her out of her current dilemma, and it will change her mind and perhaps her heart on some other things.

It is rated Teen for some drinking, smoking, mild language and implied sexual situations.
Aria Blaze’s behavior and siren lore is loosely based on parts of:


https://ariasarchives.tumblr.com/tagged/archive/chrono


https://dusk-oceanos.tumblr.com/page/8


Both by same author. 

Artistic license has been taken.

Sometimes what we want is not what we need.  And what we need can be more than we ever wanted.
> ACT ONE: A Siren Without A Song
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Since the defeat and humiliation at The Battle of the Bands where the sirens had lost their magic, the three had been as direction-less as a ship without a rudder.  

The first night without their magic, Aria blamed the overbearing Adagio Dazzle and the ‘clueless’ Sonata Dusk for their plight.  

Aria was slightly less belligerent to Sonata.  And for good reason.  Despite Sonata being the shortest and smallest build; her type of siren meant Sonata could take down both Aria and Adagio at the same time if really angered.  Luckily she didn’t have the temper of Adagio!

It was several weeks later.  They were struggling and failing to come to terms with their new situation, Adagio and Aria’s tempers came to full boil.

After an extended shouting match, Aria turned to walk away.  She didn’t want to listen to Adagio tonight.

“Aria! Get your arse back here when I’m talking to you!” Yelled Adagio.
“Who the fuck died and made you Alpha of this siren pod?” Shouted Aria in response.
“I’ve been the brains of this pod for the last thousand years!”
“And look where it’s led us!” exclaimed Aria, “The Battle of the Bands was just the straw that broke the camel’s back!”  
“What are you babbling about?” demanded Adagio.  “What else are you blaming me for?  

Give me one example.”

“That’s easy! How about that incident with the Spanish Inquisition.” 
“Yes Dodgy,” said Sonata, speaking up, “they almost burned Aria at the stake for being a bitch.”
“WITCH!”  Shouted Aria, “the tried to burn me for being a witch, not bitch.  And stay out of this Nat.”
“Both were true,” said Adagio. “And leave Sonata alone.  You know if you ever piss her off, she could reach down your throat and rip your heart out, if she could find one.”
“Don’t give me that.  She’s as worthless as you!”
“Shut that up or your arse will be mine.”
“Why would you want my arse?  Yours is big enough for the two of us!” said Aria.
Sonata let slip a small and quiet snicker, but the glare from Adagio shut her up quickly.
“Say that again!” warned Adagio getting in Aria’s face.
“I won’t say that again,” said Aria.
“You damn well better not,” snarled Adagio. 
“I won’t say it,” said Aria.
Adagio was smug until Aria did something she’d never done before.


Aria was sick of Adagio, and she’d had enough of her.  She felt she didn’t need her as much as she had before.  At the time, Aria blamed Adagio for her plight, so she decided to leave.
She was almost ashamed that it had come to blows, almost.  Not fisticuffs but hair pulling, plenty of slaps and a couple finger nail scratches.  All while Sonata Dusk cowered crying, begging them to stop. 
Sonata finally pulled them apart none too gently, they flew to the opposite sides of the room.
“Stop this!” Shouted Sonata with tears.
Adagio looked stunned, Aria looked mad.

“Fuck you both!  You’ll never see me again!” Yelled Aria leaving.

Aria wasn’t sure she actually meant that last part.

After that, she quickly grabbed what little was hers from out in their van.  Just a hoodie, a jacket, a couple changes of underwear and two changes of clothing.  She was glad the other two didn’t see the tears streaming down her face.
She was going to take the van, it was in her name, but she didn’t have the bits to buy the petrol and insurance on her own.
That was all she owned with the exception of the shards of her siren gem, which she’d super-glued the pieces and was able to reattach it to the choker which she wore at all times.  But it was pretty worthless to her now.  It might’ve been able to be sold to a jeweler for some fast cash but otherwise it was nothing to her sentimentally, It served as a warning that if she ever could return to Equestria, it would be an instant death penalty.   

Not for past misdeeds, which were many, but there were none alive that could bring charges against her or her fellow sirens, with the possible exceptions of Princesses Celestia and Luna.  
It was because she was fed by the magic of the gem, it gave her the magic of her voice and it was the secret of her immortality.  But it also was the magic of her existence, at least in Equestria.  

Few knew that sirens didn’t ‘procreate’ like ponies or humans.  When they’d been banished to this human world, they discovered that in spite of sex being something they couldn’t do in their siren form, they could ‘do it’ as humans do.  It was still unclear if they could actually become pregnant.  But after all this time, they never had.  So sex had been both recreation and a tool to control men and women.  

In Equestria, sirens were formed when a ‘Brood Mother’ had collected and concentrated enough negative energy, and if successful, the child would appear whole from the sea foam.  A siren gem was the only physical thing the brood mother need to complete this. This rare gem naturally occurs on the ocean floor, or gems from past sirens which had died in battles, duels, accidents or the rare case of them taking their own life (by removing the gem) when they were too old and tired of the daily struggle.  

The differences in sirens depended on the race of the brood mother.  Usually there were up to three brood mothers in a pod, one of each race, but not always.

The races are as follows:




Common (Aria): This is the siren breed everyone is familiar with. The common siren is versatile in both magic and physique, making them a sort of “jack of all trades”. They make up the majority of all sirens in Equus, so they are simply known as “sirens” as a result. 
Due to their equal balance in magic and power, they often make up the authority in their respective pods, and keep the hunters in line due to their natural bloodlust.  
Aria’s mother had been the pod Alpha back in Equestria.


Hunter (Sonata): If there was ever a siren more terrifying than the common, it was the hunter. What they lack in magic, they make up for with incredible strength and brutality.  While a single dragon, their natural predator, can take on up to three common sirens at most, a hunter is the only one to be able to handle a fully-grown dragon on her own. 
Along with their physical superiority, a hunter also possesses venomous barbs at the end of their tail, which they use to paralyze both predator and prey before going in for the kill.


Courtesan (Adagio): Aptly named for their beauty, the courtesans possess fins similar to beta fish, giving them a very graceful appearance. The courtesans are the rarest of sirens to the point of being endangered as they are favored among dragons as the easiest prey, and their lack of physical strength makes it difficult for them to defend themselves. 
But it’s thanks to their advantage in magic over the other breeds that they are most successful in causing anger from the citizens of Equus, making them very prominent harvesters.


So it was that after a year, and if the infant was deemed worthy of life, it was welcomed fully into the pod.  But if the siren was judged to be weak or lacking in ferocity or magic, at the end of the first year, the pod would remove (as in, viciously tear out) the siren gem and the young one would dissolve back into the sea in agony.  
The screams of the ‘unworthy’ yearling, Star Song, a friend of Aria’s while she was still a yearling, still haunted her dreams.  It hurt most that she was calling out Aria’s name but she dare not show any weakness.  After that she had to find someplace to cry.  
Strangely enough, another yearling found her.  Instead of berating her, or reporting this weakness, she helped comfort her.  

That yearling who comforted Aria was named Sonata.


So it was another reminder what would happen if she and the others returned to Equestria.

That was the reason for the panic at the defeat at The Battle of the Bands.  If a siren’s stone would be destroyed, the siren would starve to death within a week, then they would painfully dissolve into nothing.  So Aria and her fellow sirens were afraid that they’d dissolve painfully into nothing.  

But by the end of the first week, following their defeat at The Battle of the Bands, they were sure that they’d survive.  However, they were sure if they’d ever return to Equestria, they would most certainly die most unpleasantly.

That was now just over two years ago.  

Late one evening, Aria Blaze was walking home from work through the dimly lit portions of the ‘red light district’ of Canterlot.  She’d gravitated here due to her unfortunate circumstances.  
At first, without any substantial bits in her pocket, and on her own for perhaps the first time in her long life.  Her desperation caused her to give her services to one of these shady establishments that catered to the base impulses of men and some women.  It didn’t require any real skills and only cost her self-respect.

Truthfully, it wasn’t the first time she’d given herself for money, but at that time it was just another form of fun.  

Though she could make more bits in a night than what she was getting now at her waitress job in a week, she’d had enough.  Her pride finally gave her enough dignity not to turn fun into work.  So she’d taken a waitress job at a greasy spoon.  It was some bits, tips and a free meal every day.
The other worry was with her gem gone, so was her immortality.  She’d cried for three days in her little ‘two bit room’ when she found a white hair. 

She arrived at the seedy boardinghouse/bordello where her room was located.  She tossed the lit butt she’d been smoking into the wet gutter, then entered the rundown building and climbed the three flight of stairs to the floor where her room was located.  
Along the way she tried to entertain herself by checking out the new tags which were freshly painted in the stairwell and the hall.  
The lower two levels were for ‘business’.  Any drunken ‘John’ that mistakenly came to this floor and insisted on gaining access to her room, left with fewer teeth than when they arrived.  

When she reached her room, she saw that there was a notice taped to the door.  A warning that her rent was overdue and was needed by the end of the week or she’d be evicted.  
Or she could work it off with a week’s service to the establishment.  

‘Like that last part will ever happen again!’ Aria mused, but she was almost afraid it might have to happen.  She tore the notice off the door, unlocked it and went in. 

“I hate this fuckin’ world!” said Aria out loud and to no one.

She went to the fridge and took out a can of beer and guzzled down the entire thing in one breath.  She then took out another.  The empty was tossed into the recycle bin.  The deposit was a way of saving some of her meager income.
She took out a microwave pizza and let it cook as she went out into the hall to go to the shared bathroom.  The door was locked, so she had to wait until whoever was finished.
When finished she returned to her room, took out the pizza and sat down in her only comfortable chair.  After she ate most of the pizza and had drank half of the can of beer, she lit another smoke and read the notice again.

She knew she had enough bits to pay the rent, but that’d mean she’d have to do without food, smokes and beer for two weeks at least.  
The food wasn’t a problem.  She could eat a big meal at work.  And if she flirted, the manager would let her take a sandwich and chips and perhaps a slice of pie home with her.  But by her priorities, the rest would be hard to do without, or so she thought.

Just too tired to care, she put down the half drank beer, undressed and walked to the bed.  She did pass an open window, curtain-less but she could care less if anyone saw her naked.  She always thought clothing, like most things in this world, was stupid, even after a thousand years.  She climbed into the bed, put out the almost finished butt and lay back hoping to at least dream of a better life.

This night her dreams were different.  There was the usual cheering and applause she so craved.  But she wasn’t singing, and the applause wasn’t for her.  She was sitting at a table covered with green and sitting next to some guy she didn’t know but looked familiar.  He wasn’t much to look at but he was making her truly happy.  A feeling she’d not felt in a while, if ever.  But even asleep, she smiled as she kissed the guy an honest kiss.


The sun showed through the dirty curtain-less window.  The dream had put her in a rare good mood.  She sat up bare-chested and unashamed.  There was no one here to see her, and again, she didn’t care.
But incase there were any interlopers from below. She threw on a robe, without fastening it, not caring if her ‘goodies’ weren’t completely covered.  The boardinghouse was women only, so no big deal.  She grabbed her towel, toothbrush, toothpaste, soap and shampoo then left her room to walk down the hall to the shared bathroom.   
Thankfully it was unoccupied so she didn’t have to wait.  After she went in and double locked the door, undressed, started the shower to warm up while she relieved her bladder.  Then she got in the sadly too lukewarm water1  and commenced to clean herself and wash her flowing hair.  On every wall of the shower was the warning to keep showers to a maximum of five minutes.  

‘Who brings a fuckin’ timer to the WC?’ she chuckled to herself.

Back in her flat, she threw her robe on the unmade bed, sat naked in her chair, turned on the TV and ate the leftover cold pizza and drank the warm flat beer from last night, for her breakfast.
‘Human language is so confusing, even after all this time,’ thought Aria, ‘the beer is warm and the pizza is cold.  But they are both room temperature.’ 

Later, she went to the closet and took out her waitress uniform, got dressed and left the flat for the day.
> ACT TWO: A Meeting
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Aria couldn’t believe she put up with this crap for twelve measly bits an hour!  Having to put up with all the leering down her blouse and indecent offers.  

But word had somehow gotten out not to try to touch her arse.  The last guy who did, she seductively invited out back where she grabbed him by the neck with one hand and lifted his approximately 140 kilogram arse three feet off the ground while she explained she’d snap his neck like a twig if he ever tried that again.  Then still with only one hand, she tossed him in a dumpster across the alley.  
He couldn’t believe the strength of this girl.  She might look like a late teen/early 20’s girl, she still had the massive strength of the siren.  

Aria still felt the embarrassment every time she remembered how a drunk Sonata, on a bet, lifted and body slammed an elephant at a circus.   

So much for keeping a low profile.

As the evening wore on, she kept noticing a geeky looking guy sitting by himself in a back booth for most of the evening.  He was reminding her of her dream.  He’d finished his burger and chips and was on his third refill of cola.  
Except when he ordered, his nose was buried in a book and scribbling on a large pad of paper, or making entries on a tablet device.  He wasn’t much to look at; his thick glasses were the most noticeable feature.  They made it look as if his eyes took up most of the lens.  
“Another refill?” asked Aria.
“Y-yes m-ma’am,” he replied in a nervous, almost comical nasally voice.
As she returned with his drink, she noticed the title of the book opened.


Principles of Blackjack


“You a gambler?” asked Aria, not sure why she was interested.  But it was slow and she needed to past the time.
“Oh… Ah, n-no… No ma’am.  I just find advanced probability fascinating!  Did you know that the casinos can use up to eight decks when dealing blackjack?  That’s a 4.745% chance of getting a 21 on the first two cards!  But if you pay attention to the cards played, you can narrow the odds in your favor.”

Looking around, there were no tables that needed to be tended to, and she was due a break so she sat across from the guy.

“You mean counting cards?”
“Heavens no, nothing so mundane.”  Interest in what he was saying kicked him into a more confident way of talking, “I’m talking probability and the Uncertainty Principle of Chaos Theory.”
Aria was blown away, this was so far over her head, but it sounded interesting.  To look at her, no one would guess that she was well over 1,000 years old.  So she’d had her fill of pretty boys.  This guy definitely wasn’t one, but he had something that grabbed her.  He was smart, and didn’t present it in a showy way.  And to be polite was a plus.

“Have you ever tried out your ideas at the casino?” asked Aria.
“Oh, no, ma’am.  I couldn’t do that.  Crowds scare me, and going there alone would just make it worse.”
“Won’t your girlfriend go with you?”

The guy started to laugh an empty laugh.

“I’m sorry, I’ve never had a girlfriend.  Outside the chess club and science club, no girls will even talk to me.”
“What am I,” asked Aria with a smirk, “chopped liver?”
“You’re just being polite, ma’am.”
“The name’s Aria Blaze, not ma’am.”
“Sorry ma’… Ah Aria… I do remember you.”
Aria wasn’t sure if this was a good thing or bad.  But she continued.
“What’s your handle?”
“Eh?”
“Your name, Poindexter.”
“It… it’s M-Micro Chips.”
Aria smiled at how intimidated he was.  He was, in a way, acknowledging her beauty in honest admiration, and it was refreshing. 
“Nice to meet you, Micro.  I have to get back to work, but I’d love to talk about that blackjack thing again, soon.  If that’d be okay with you.”
“I’d really like that… Aria.”
Aria reached and gave his hand a little squeeze as she smiled and returned back to work.  


Micro closed his book and put it and the writing pad and tablet into a book bag.  There was no way he could continue to think.  He just had a very pretty girl talking to him and showing some interest in what he was saying.  And she even touched his hand!  He left the bits for his meal and a generous tip.

Later, Micro Chips walked home, just thinking of Aria, the girl he recognized from The Battle of the Bands.  But she wasn’t what he remembered.  
He remembered the ‘Dazzlings’ and this Aria was the most rude and bad tempered of the three.  But she wasn’t anything like he remembered, except her looks.
But just like when Sunset Shimmer ‘ruled’ CHS with terror, he never noticed how attractive she was until after Twilight Sparkle came on the scene and changed her heart with friendship.  
Now Aria wasn’t scary and threatening.  She was a nice and pretty girl that took some interest in what he was doing.  Truthfully, he never considered such a pretty girl would give the time of day to a card carrying geek like himself.

At home, he climbed the stair to the ‘mother-in-law flat’ above his parent’s garage.  He’d been allowed to stay here after he graduated from CHS.  As long as he continued his college studies.  It was a bit of freedom; freedom from living directly under his parents supervision and freedom financially because he didn’t have any rent or utilities.  He made some bits by making himself available as a tutor to high school kids who needed help in math and science. 

Micro lay down his book bag and took out the blackjack book and his statistical studies that had got Aria’s notice.  The figures and equations were perfect.  They spun in his head like cogs in a well oiled machine, but the equations kept getting interrupted by the face of a certain longhaired girl who’s mulberry eyes and smile were more of a puzzle than any of the blackjack problems.

He took out his cards and put all 8 decks in the shuffler twice, then played a dealer’s hand and 6 dummy hands and his own to round out the traditional 7 spot table in casinos.  
He’d written a program for his computer that did a normal card counting routine.  This ran as he played his own system.
As each hand was played, he’d note it in his journal.  He was riding high with a 95% success rate over the card counter.  The card counter’s win rate was 1% over the house.  That didn’t sound like much, but the more hands played, the greater the accumulation of winnings.  But Micro’s system was a 25% win rate over the house.

Then Micro took out a single deck and played pitch blackjack. At the end of four hours, the card counting computer had increased its money by 150%.  
He on the other hand (no blackjack pun intended) had increased his money by 500%

He went to bed after a shower and dreamt of hands of cards.  But there was a girl with long purple hair with aquamarine stripes and beautiful mulberry coloured eyes sitting by him, urging him on.  
Apparently Aria had made an impression on him.  He never felt for any girl like this before.  But even his subconscious mind wouldn’t let him get his hopes up.  Even if there were any feelings for him, he never had any relations with girl before and he would probably make a bigger fool of him that ever before.


The next day, he was in the advanced calculus class.  It was if his hand were on autopilot.  He was accurately taking down the lecture notes.  But his mind was still trying to analyze what had happened the evening before.  How out of nowhere, Aria Blaze sat at his table and talked to him as if she was actually interested in him, or at least what he was talking about.  But no girl had ever just touched his hand in a friendly gesture before.
But a voice broke his train of thought.
“Mr. Chips?”
“Oh, yes professor?”
“Are you going to be sitting there long?  The class was over fifteen minutes ago.  Should I leave the lights on?”
Micro looked around himself.  There were no other students there.
“I’m sorry professor, my mind was elsewhere.” 
The professor smiled, he’d seen this type of look before and would’ve bet that a girl was involved.  But he didn’t expect it from this student.
“Have a good weekend Mr. Chips.  And good luck.”
“You too professor,” said Micro as he collected his things and left to go home.  He wasn’t sure what the professor meant by ‘good luck’.


About a month later, Micro Chips had been at the café almost everyday.  Aria would often sit with him at her break or lunch and she was even becoming disappointed the days he didn’t show up

Now Aria was sitting in the café.  Her shift was over and she was enjoying some coffee and a slice of apple pie.  It’d been decades if not centuries since her mind had been captured by a man or woman.  

“Micro Chips,” mused Aria out loud, “why’d I never notice him at CHS?  I guess my mind was on other things.  Other things that really didn’t mean anything.  Why’d I ever put up with such shit?”

A voice interrupted.  It was Alice, a coworker.  She sat across from Aria.  In the not to distant past, she’d have been upset or even angered to be disturbed.  But now she probably needed a friendly ear.
“Talking to yourself?” kidded Alice.
“No Alice, I‘m just trying to figure things out.”
“Your boyfriend?”
“I don’t have a boyfriend,” said Aria.
“Could have fooled me,” giggled Alice.  “You’ve been less up tight...”
“I’m not up tight,” interjected Aria.
“You are normally so up tight, everyone avoided you.”
“Really?”
Alice nodded her head.
“Aria,” said Alice, “you’re a very pretty girl.  But you’ve always appeared to be a very sad girl.  Until lately when that one guy started to show up a lot.  
We all here can tell these things because all of us have had some type of issues. 
I had a husband that one day just disappeared.  I came home and the place was cleaned out!  Worst of all, my 3 year old daughter was gone with him.  I haven’t seen her since.”
There were tears in Alice’s eyes.  Not knowing why, Aria reached out a hand and took Alice’s.  Alice gripped Aria’s hand tightly.
“I’m so sorry,” said Aria.  
Her inner mind didn’t understand her own actions.  Previously, she wouldn’t have cared about such feelings from another. She might have gladly absorbed the negative emotions.  Now she was feeling real compassion. 
“It’s okay,” said Alice, “my problem, not yours.”
Aria slid off the bench seat and went and sat by Alice and put an arm around her shoulder and took her hand again.
“Believe me, I understand pain and losing everything.” Said Aria, “but if I told you my story, you’d think I was lying or crazy.”
Aria handed Alice a napkin, and Alice wiped her eyes and smiled a weak smile at Aria.
“Thank you,” said Alice, getting her composure, “what I was trying to say, before I became a cry-baby is, we here are always there to listen and help the others.  We’ve wanted you to feel you could trust us, but we never could find a right time.  And you never appeared to be open to anyone approaching.”
“Thank you,” said Aria, hugging Alice, “I’ll try to keep that in mind.  And I’d really like to hear about your daughter sometime.”
Alice smiled a grateful and honest smile as Aria gave Alice a comforting hug.


Back at the flat, Aria was starting to realize she really had been less grumpy, as Alice had said.  She was even singing in the shower.  It was kind of funny, when she finished there would be several of her neighbors outside the WC listening to her.  In the past she might have been irked that there were people hanging outside the bathroom, just to hear her.  But now, she was happy that there were people that appreciated her.  She’d even stop and talk with them.  Yes, she still wouldn’t completely cover herself, but the others didn’t mind or were doing the same.
She’d never even cared who lived on the same floor as herself.  Now she found that there were several other girls who had almost as hard of a time as herself (at least without being banished from a magical world 1000 years ago).  
Like with the girls at work, Aria was discovering that she, Adagio and Sonata weren’t the only hurting girls around. 
It made her feel less lonely.  And she even opened up enough to talk, laugh and have coffee with her neighbors.


Micro was sitting in the family room of his parent’s house.  They were talking but Micro could tell they wanted to ask questions.
“What’s wrong?” Micro finally asked.
“Well honey,” said Mrs. Chips, “you haven’t been home for dinner much lately.  And if you’re tutoring that hard, we don’t want you to wear yourself out.”
“It’s okay mum, I’ve been eating down at the café by the university.”
“But son,” said the father, “isn’t that expensive?”
“No dad,” said Micro, “most of the time I don’t have to pay.”
“Don’t have to pay!” Exclaimed the parents.
Micro blushed.
“I’ve been meeting my friend there.  Well, she actually works there and giving me the food is her idea.” Said Micro, “But I mostly go there to talk and visit with her.  She’s interested in my Blackjack theory.  Well, at first she was, but we haven’t talked about that for weeks.”
“Micro,” said the mother with some surprise, “you have a girlfriend?”

The parents looked at him expectantly.

“No,” said Micro, “she’s a girl and she’s a friend, but not a girlfriend.  I doubt a pretty girl like her would want me as a boyfriend.  
She’s probably just being nice, but that’s okay.”
“Pretty girl?” asked the father with an upswept eyebrow.
“Do you have a picture?” asked the mother obviously excited.

Micro blushed even more.  He took out his phone and showed it to his parents.  His ‘wallpaper’ was a picture that Aria allowed him to take while sitting across from himself.  She had an honest smile and her eyes had a look that Micro missed but the parents did not.
“Micro!” said the mother, “she’s beautiful!  What’s her name?”
“Aria Blaze.”
“Isn’t that the name of one of the girls that caused all that trouble back in high school?” asked the father.
“Yes dad, she’s one of them.” Said Micro, “or at least, she was one of them.  She left the others because she didn’t like how her sister was running things.  I think she needed to get away to find herself.
And I don’t ever remember her ever smiling like she does now.”

The parents smiled at each other because the son was missing an obvious sign.

“Honey,” said the mother, “just be careful.”
“Of what?”
“Micro,” said the father, “girls are sensitive about feelings and relationships…”
“What relationship?”
“Exactly,” continued the father, “you’ve never had a girlfriend or even a girl that was a close friend.  You have to be careful of how you say things so you don’t give any false expectations.”
“But you also have to be aware of what signals she’s sending.” Said the mother, “the most important thing is to be open and honest.  
And I don’t think you could ever be deceitful or manipulative.  Just be yourself and everything will workout.”
“Okay,” said Micro, thinking that his parents were making more out of this than there was. “I’ll remember what you have said.”
> ACT THREE: An Opportunity
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Aria sat at home, she didn’t care much for television or radio.  It was just too artificial; she was a siren for Faust’s sake.  An expert singer and musician, her taste in music transcended the bourgeois artist of today.  She picked up the guitar that she’d purchased cheep at a pawnshop.  Her voice may not have been what it once was, but she still had her ear for music.
As she strummed and picked at the worn strings, the music would carry her away to a land of magic.  
There her voice would carry pure and clear across the waves.  It was a voice so beautiful that it could lure unsuspecting sailors to their doom.  Yes, her voice could capture a pony’s full attention.  She and all the sirens would use their magical voices to cause strife and fighting so they could consume the negative energy as a type of food.  But what most didn’t realize that they could influence more than fighting.  Sirens could evoke love, sadness, heroics and calm.  She now tried to copy this with the instrument… 

Maybe she was close.  

When she played with the window open, the sounds of the alleyway would often go quiet, even silent.

She didn’t intend it, but she started playing a tune that inspired love.  She thought of Micro and chuckled.  Truthfully, if the old definition of a generation is 38 years, she could be his Great26 Grandmother since coming to this world.  But for some reason, it pleased her to think like this.  It’d been a long time since she’d anything in her heart other than anger, rage, hate, hurt, strife and a hopeless homesickness.  
So she continued to play as the vision of the geeky human played before her eyes.  But when the vision of him holding her close, and she removing his glasses then kissing him started, she stopped playing.

“Don’t think such stupid crap Aria!  Do you really want to go through all that mess again?  You remember all the past pain of mortal lovers and mates!”

Aria put the guitar down and lit a smoke as she went to retrieve a beer.  She sat back in her chair, looking out of the window at what sky she could see.  It amazed her when she first got here that the stars were exactly as in Equestria.  She could try to figure what this meant.  After all, living here over a thousand years, you pick up a thing or two.  But for now, the stars she could see through the city haze were probably for the first time… 

Beautiful.

Aria sat and thought about the nerd she couldn’t get off her mind.  If that system of his really worked, and if she could spot him some money then they could stand to make a lot of money.  It would benefit him and it could get her arse out of living above a whorehouse.  Not having to share a bathroom with anyone,  except Micro…

Where the hell did that last part come from?

“Stop it Aria!  Don’t be such a fool!” Aria scolded herself.  She tried to get her mind back on what she had been thinking.

Two problems with the blackjack thing:

#1.  Would he actually want to go to the casino and play?

# 2.  Where could she get money to give him to play?

She looked around at the few possessions she still had.  Nothing of worth jumped out at her.  Even the guitar she was playing wasn’t worth very much.  Then her eyes saw something glinting on her dresser.

“No, I couldn’t do that,” said Aria out loud to herself, and not too convincingly. “Could I?”



It’d been a couple of weeks since his talk with his parents.  This only made his mind think of Aria most of the time.  Being inexperienced with relationships, he didn’t understand it.

Now Micro sat at the café.  He hadn’t gone out to eat much in the past.  But for the last month and a half he was here almost every day.  It was obvious to Aria and she didn’t appear to mind it at all.  He’d even come early for the shift change.  
No girl had EVER caught his attention like this.  Plus to think a girl as pretty as Aria would ever actually want to be with him.  But she’d sit with him at her break or mealtime.
The only thing that concerned him was that Aria wouldn’t let him walk her home.
As he thought, the sight of Aria walking in the door early interrupted him.  He smiled a large smile Aria didn’t miss.  This time instead of checking in, she came straight to him and for the first time, sat beside him.  
“Listen Micro,” said Aria with a smirk Micro didn’t miss, “I know if I waited for you to ask, you’d be old and gray before you got up the nerve.”
“What do you mean?”
“It means that I’m going to have to be the one to ask you out.”
“Beg pardon?”
“I know you’ve taken some fancy to me, don’t deny it, your blush gives you away.  And you're here quite often.” Said Aria with an honest smile, “and believe it or not, you’re a breath of fresh air in my stagnated life.  So I’m asking if you’d want to go out with me this weekend?”

Out of the corner of Aria’s eye, a couple of Aria’s coworkers had over heard this and were smiling at Aria.  Alice was giving thumbs up!

“Are you serious,” said Micro not believing this was happening to him.
Aria leaned over, put a hand behind Micro’s head and kissed him.  Not only was it the first time a girl had ever kissed him, but it was a total surprise that she’d ‘slipped him the tongue’.  It wasn’t too long, and at the feeling, Micro was wishing it would go on forever.  Plus he wasn’t sure if it’d ever happen again.
When she broke the kiss, she took and held his hand.
“Does that answer your question?”
“Yes,” said Micro, “forgive me, but why?  I’m sure there are plenty of better looking guys out there who’d love to take you out.”
“I don’t want to go out with fake pretty boys who only want to get me on my back.  Or to have me with them to make themselves look better.” Said Aria being totally honest. “I want to go out with someone who’s nice, polite and smart.  Not just looking for a trophy, or a conquest in bed.
But if you’d rather not…”
“NO!” said Micro with a burst of confidence and loud enough for people to stop what they were doing and look their way.  Then more quietly, “I’d love to go out with you!”
Aria smiled at this.
“We’ll talk about this at my break, if you want to hang around that long, okay?”  Said Aria, then in a whisper, “I’ll get you a burger, chips and drink on the house.”
“Yes, I’d love that!  The talking, but the food would be good as well.”
“Good,” said Aria and leaned over and kissed Micro a long kiss again.
Aria got up and went to work while Micro sat there trying to sort through what had just happened.

Aria was also trying to figure why she’s kissed him, twice.  The first she’d planned.  But the second came out of no where.  But it felt so nice and Aria was sure it wasn’t just the ‘dry spell’ of no boy or girl friends in the last several decades.  And not prey, but an actual romantic relationship.

The other girls at the diner would giggle and kid her, Aria would just smile.  
“Not your boyfriend, eh?” asked Alice with a smirk.
“You’re just jealous,” Aria would kid back.  
The girls were getting used to Aria acting like a real and likable person and not just the sad-sack she’d came across as in the past.


Several days later, Micro and Aria were walking to Micro’s home.  Aria wasn’t ready to have Micro see what part of town she lived in… If ever.  

Since the middle of the movie, they’d been holding hands, Micro had actually made the move.  
In the past, Aria had always considered that handholding was a juvenile courtship ritual, something that hadn’t any relevance.  But now, Micro’s hand was soft and warm, yes the palm was slightly sweaty, but so was hers.  
The only thing that came up was that Micro objected to Aria smoking.  Sirens are immune to the addictions of most human substances, but it had become a habit.  Aria was surprised at herself when she threw away a new pack of smokes with as little concern as throwing away a fast food drink cup.
‘This will save me money,’ thought Aria with a smile.
Luckily, Aria had also curbed the crude language.

Contact with and in the company of Micro was a real new experience.  In her long life (she’d actually lost count of her age before she was exiled to this world over a thousand years ago) she’d never felt this way.  This certified geek, whom she may’ve never taken notice of or even would’ve berated, was doing something to her.  She didn’t know if it were herself becoming more human or if she was just discovering something sirens never experienced.  

Perhaps it were both.


But something happened that made Aria afraid that Micro might fear her or even hate her altogether:  


“Micro,” said Aria, then she paused thoughtfully, “would you mind if I called you Mike?  It’s easier and doesn’t sound… Diminutive.”
Micro had never had a nick name that wasn’t derogatory.  
“I’d love that Aria, to have something nice no one else calls me.”
Aria smiled at this.  They stopped, embraced and kissed quite passionately.  

Unfortunately, they were rudely interrupted.  A large, muscle bound man grabbed Micro and shoved him aside.

“Doll, is this dweeb really the best you can do?  Why don’t you try a real man instead?”
“Sure,” said Aria with all her past snippiness and looking around as if someone was with the imbecile, “do you know where one is?”
His self-confident smile changed quickly to a snarl. 
“Listen bitch,” said the creep, grabbing Aria’s wrist hard, “I’m the one you’ll be waking up with in the morning.  And that isn’t a request, so get used to it!”
The man was obviously drunk.  And Aria was about to teach him the error of his ways when he was suddenly pulled aside.  
Micro was trying to intervene.  He had a brave look on his face but Aria’s predatory senses could feel his overwhelming fear.  
But she knew that bravery wasn’t the absence of fear, but doing the right thing in spite of the fear.  Or the old saying:

‘A hero is a coward who has said his prayers.’

“Leave her alone mister!” said Micro, not allowing any fear to sound in his voice.
“How dare you touch me, little man!” Shouted the jerk as he brutally backhanded Micro and sent him into the street.  It wasn’t certain if it were on purpose, but Micro landed in front of an approaching car.  The fool laughed when he saw this.  

But the laughing was cut short.

The car was on their breaks but it was obvious it wouldn’t stop in time.  Micro’s arm was over his eyes, but it’d only hide the sight of the impact.





For Aria, what followed was that adrenaline induce hyper awareness that appears to put time into slow motion.





Aria grabbed the man’s wrist so hard that she could hear and feel bones snap.  He let go of her immediately howling.  Then with the speed of a cheetah, Aria ran in front of the oncoming car. 
With all the strength of the siren, she planted her feet solidly and braced herself.  She was able to catch, lift the front and stop the speeding car without her losing any footing.

The driver, Micro and the bully were stunned.  Aria dropped the front of the car, picked up Micro and sat him on the sidewalk, then she turned her attention to the brute.
“You’re lucky my boyfriend isn’t hurt.  If he were, I’d pull your dick off and shove it down your throat!”
The jerk was believing this strange girl could do what she threatened.
“H… How?  How did you…?”  said the man, his astonishment overriding the pain in his wrist.

“Sssssss!” Aria hissed as she snarled, the fool could see fangs!

“You have exactly two seconds to be completely out of my sight!” Aria threatened.
“But?”
“One…”
The guy saw his death in Aria’s eyes, so he took off running down the sidewalk.
“Two!”
The guy turned and shouted.
“Fuck you!”

But Aria had already bend down and picked up a respectable fragment of concrete.  

The next thing he knew, he was waking up on the sidewalk with a splitting headache and blood running down his face.  
At the insult, Aria launched the projectile faster than the jerk could register.  So he actually didn’t realize he’d been hit with the stone between his eyes.  
He was afraid to admit to the emergency room doctors how his wrist and nose had been broken.

“I fell down,” was all he would say.


The couple were sitting on the porch swing at Micro’s house.  Micro had been very quiet since the incident.  But he still held Aria’s hand.  

Finally Micro broke the silence.

“Is it true what you said earlier, am I really your boyfriend?”
“Mike, do you think I’d catch a moving car if you weren’t?  Well, maybe I might, but that’s beside the point.  I’m not going to say I’m sorry about shocking you.  I couldn’t let you get hit by that car.  And I certainly had to teach that bastard a lesson.  However, I was honored when you came to my defense.  No one has ever done that for me.  Not that I needed it.”
Micro looked at her in wonder.
“You’ve nothing to apologize for, and I’m very grateful.  Plus that was amazing!  How did you do that?”

Aria was, for the first time, embarrassed about her origin.  She drew a deep breath and started:

“I know you know that Sunset Shimmer and Princess Twilight Sparkle aren’t from this world.  That they’re actually ponies.  Not like the ponies here.  Ponies are the dominate intelligent species of their world of Equus.”
“And you come from that world?  You’re a pony as well?”
“Yes and no.” Said Aria, trying to tell this as easy as possible.  She also was trying to figure just how much she should say now.  “Yes, I and my sisters2 , Adagio and Sonata are from the world of Equus.  But no, we aren’t ponies, we’re sirens.  I know you have stories of sirens in this world’s past.  Or also called the Loreley.
As you may have seen back at CHS, we are, or were, able to cause strife and negative feelings with our voices.  These emotions were a type of food for us, it fed our magic.  But when we were defeated at The Battle of the Bands the magic gems that allowed us to have such magical voices and was the means of us feeding on emotions, were shattered.
We still retained the strength and probably the immortality of the siren.”
“Immortality?”
“My sisters and I were banished to this world by an Equestrian wizard…  

Over a thousand years ago.”

“You’re a thousand years old!”
Aria’s eyes were filling up with tears.
“No, we were old by your measure before we were exiled here.”  

Micro sat silent, taking this all in.

“May I ask something,” asked Micro.
“Yes.” Said Aria, holding back sobs.
“Legend says sirens would lure sailors to their death.”
“Yes.”
“Have you been responsible, directly or indirectly for the deaths of sailors or anyone?”
“Yes,” said Aria, very quietly.  For the first time in her life feeling ashamed of her past deeds.
Aria started crying hard and started to get up.  But Micro still held her hand.
“Why are you going?”
“Now that you know what I am and what I’ve done,” said Aria, “you probably won’t want to be around a monster like me.”
“No,” said Micro with a smile, then matter-of-factly, “remember that I study probabilities?  
Well I have to correct you.  
That particular probability is in error.” 

“But my past…”

“Have you killed anyone since coming to this world?”
“No,” said Aria.
“I can hear the remorse in your voice.  That past is the past.  As far as I’m concerned that was a siren, not a human.  A different world, a different being and a different lifetime.”
Micro started to pull Aria close.
“But my age.”
Micro did something he hadn’t done up to this point.  He initiated the kiss.  Aria was surprised at just how passionate it was.  Then when they broke the kiss, Micro said with a smirk.
“Maybe I like older women.”
The two laughed.
“Are there any other non-humans living under our noses, undetected?”
Aria looked into his eyes, then with trepidation.
“Well... There are the Octanoids,” said Aria.
“Who are they?”
“Ancient enemies of the sirens, they are an intelligent type of octopus.  They too look human here.  They hypnotize their prey.  Then when they are alone, a tentacle will go up the victim’s nose and devour their brain.”
“Really?” Asked Micro suspicious.
Aria paused, but couldn’t keep a straight face.  She’d never kidded anyone before like this.
“NO!” she laughed nudging him in the ribs, “got you!”
They both laughed hard until they kissed again, as they did, Aria’s hand slipped down to Micro’s crotch.  She was surprised that Micro moved her hand away.
“Aria, this isn’t the time or the place.  Plus we hardly know each other.”
“If you say so,” said Aria smiling at the sense of proprietary.  Then  winking, “your loss.”
But she laughed again.
It was refreshing.  And to tell the truth, if Micro had just ‘went for it’, she wouldn’t have respected him as much.  
“Thanks, that proves you’re special.  I need to get going,” said Aria giving Micro a small kiss.  “I have an early shift tomorrow.”
“I can walk you home,” said Micro.
“No honey, I can take care of myself, as you saw.  But I really don’t want you to see the dump I’m living in.  Maybe one day.  Okay?”
Micro nodded his head and Aria kissed him one more time.

At her flat, Aria got ready for bed.  The evening kept replaying in her mind.  She snickered remembering feeling his crotch.  Aria was certain she knew what Micro was NOT named for.

Micro had thought that Aria had asked him out to find out about his blackjack strategy.  But nothing was even said about the subject. Not that he would’ve minded.  And he was amazed that she was into the documentary they’d gone to see.  Some of her comments were very deep.  Her age was a puzzle, but her strength was amazing!  He snickered thinking that a hug could probably crush him if she wanted.
Then his mind started to get a little more adventurous, maybe Aria was helping him to loosen up.  Maybe he should try his luck at the casino.  
“You can only prove a theory by experimentation,” his scientific side caused him to say.
> ACT FOUR: A Proposition
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was a couple days later on one of Aria’s days off.  Aria decided to go early to a shop she’d passed by many times before.

After Aria had came back to her flat, she was just playing the guitar to herself.  But she was interrupted by her phone ringing, it was Micro.

“Hi Mike!” said Aria happily, “I’m so glad to hear you as well.  I was just thinking of calling you, I was wondering if we could meet somewhere for coffee.  I have something I need to talk to you about.”
“Funny,” said Micro, “that’s why I called.  I’ve something I need to talk to you about.”
“Of course I’ll meet you,” said Aria, “where?”
“Great,” said Micro, “how about we meet at the Ponybucks near your café, say noon?”
“I’d love to do that, Mike!”
“I’ll see you then,” said Micro as the line went dead.

Aria thought, ‘this is it’.  It was an opening that she was waiting for.  She looked at the clock.  A half hour until noon.  She changed into her best clothing and put on a minor bit of makeup.  Never had she done this for anyone in the past.  When finished, she left the room and was soon on her way to meet her boyfriend. 

Micro sat at an outdoor table.  He’d ordered coffee for himself and the coffee he’d learned that Aria preferred.  He saw Aria approaching and stood.
The two hugged and kissed a more than friendly kiss, then they sat.

Aria sat, took a drink of her coffee and then took Micro’s hand.
“So what’d you want to talk about?” asked Aria, and then slyly, “or just an excuse to see me?”
“Any excuse to see you is good.  But I did want to talk to you about something in particular.”
“What’s that, Mike?”
“I decided that I wanted to try my Blackjack theory,” Micro paused, “at a casino.”
“That’s great,” said Aria, “good luck.”
“I want you to go with me.”
“Really?  When?”
“Well,” said Micro, “this coming weekend.  I wanted to try it out at the small casino that is a fund raiser for the local disabled veterans.”
“Why such a small venue?”
“Well,” said Micro, “I’ve 500 bits put aside.  At the big casinos, that’d hardly go that far.”
Aria just smiled a strange smile.
“What?” said Micro.
“It’s why I said I wanted to talk to you,” answered the girlfriend.
Aria let go of Micro’s hand and lifted her purse.  She pulled a large envelope out and put it in front of Micro.
“Do you think 10,000 bits would help?”

Micro looked pale, more than usual.  His mouth hung open.

“Where…”
“My siren gem was worth a hell of a lot more than I thought, even fractured”
“Don’t you need it?”
“Yes, but no.  This is an opportunity that may not come along again.  Plus it’s putting the last remnant of Equestria behind me.”
Aria looked deep into Micro’s eyes.
“I think I have more incentive to stay in this world than go back to the old way of living.  There I was always angry, sad, lonely and most of all hungry.  In nature, predators are always on the edge of starvation.  I know if I now were presented the chance to return to Equestria and live my old life, I’d refuse.  A year ago I would have jumped at the chance.  But you, Mike, have given me more happiness than I ever felt in the last 1,000 years here and Celestia knows how long over there combined.
Aria kissed Mike a deep and loving kiss.  Micro had tears in his eyes.

“I’m so happy you feel that way.  And I’m happy that it is I that has done that for you. But…”
“But what?”
"You can’t give me that much money! I won’t take it!”
“I’m not giving it to you,” said Aria, “call it an investment in your system, and maybe OUR future.”
“Our future?” said Micro amazed.
“You have a problem with that?” said Aria with her old smirk.
“No!” said Micro, “not at all!”

The two kissed again and got up to spend a day about the town just holding hands, kissing once in a while and mostly just being together.

Saturday came, the money she’d given Micro wasn’t all the money from the gem.  Aria had enough to buy herself some nice clothing, shoes and a purse.  Plus she’d paid all her past due bills. 
She’d given her notice at the flat’s management office and at the Café.  Aria told Alice she wouldn’t forget her and gave her phone number to the woman telling her that she wanted to remain friends.  Alice was happy and hugged Aria deeply.
Aria was so sure of Micro’s system that she figured that her share of any winnings would allow her to get a decent place to live.  And put that damned whorehouse behind her, literally and figuratively.


The cab stopped at the local casino.  The bright lights and atmosphere were overwhelming.  The couple strolled around just taking in the sights and getting a lay of the place.  There were several shops for souvenirs so people could remember their visit, or at least have something so they weren’t going home empty handed. 
One caught Aria’s eye and they walked to a large shop that sold expensive diamond and precious stone jewelry.  Obviously a way for the casino to get back some of the money that the wealthy and lucky had won.  Aria almost drooled over some very large and beautiful diamond rings.
After checking out these shops, they went to the buffet and ate heartily.  They knew, or at least they hoped that they’d be up for a long time and would need their strength.

Finally, they were full of hope and food plus a couple of drinks.  They made their way to the “High Rollers” room.

Micro was a little overwhelmed, it was all new to him.  Whereas Aria had been in casinos many times, she’d never been around tables that had so many black, blue, gold and brown3  chips ever.
First thing they did was to find the lowest initial bet table.  They found one that said:



8 DECK BLACKJACK
100.00 BIT MINIMUM BET



They stayed back with some other “spectators”.  Some people did this when they were seriously card counting and could jump in when they were sure.  Many professional gamblers thought this was tacky and a bit inappropriate.  Micro was just waiting for them to bring out a fresh shoe4.  
When a new shoe was loaded, Micro sat at an empty chair and handed the entire 10,000 bits to the dealer.  She smiled as she counted out a variety of black and blue chips.

Micro was nervous as he placed a black chip on the table, his starting bet.  As they were dealing out the cards, Aria’s siren senses could feel his unease.  She put her hands on his shoulders and whispered in his ear.
“You’ve got this Mike.  And no matter what happens, remember I love you.”
It was like a bolt of electricity through him.  Without taking his eyes off the cards, his mind ran through all the time he’d spent with Aria so far.  The time at the café, the little dates, walks, movies and extended kissing on his porch swing. 
He knew in his heart it was true, but this was the first time that Aria had told him that she loved him!  His confidence was at a higher rate than it ever had been.  He turned quickly, kissed a small kiss and said it for the first time as well.
“I love you too, Aria.” 
Aria smiled at this.  Others had said this to her in the past, most of the time it was them trying to play an emotion card to get something (mostly in bed) from her.  But this was the most honest declaration of love she’d ever received.  She was now just as confident as Micro was as well.

The first hand, Micro lost.  This wasn’t anything bad, at this point it was only luck.  He did have to get into the flow of the numbers to get his system going.  For the first half hour, Micro held his own and was even a little ahead.  
But as the rhythm came, his stack of chips was mounting, so much so, the others at the table were starting to watch him with interest.  After 3 hours, Micro gathered up all his chips, handed 5 blue chips to the dealer as a tip.  Then he and Aria went to the table with the highest minimum bet limit.  It took the two of them to carry all the chips.  Luckily, Aria’s purse was mostly empty.
As before, as the new shoe was loaded, he sat and started to go through the same thing as he had started before.
This time as the first couple of hours went by, they had Micro exchange most of the pile of black and blue chips for gold and brown.  In no time at all, the stack of chips was becoming more than impressive.  
They were attracting a crowd.  Each winning hand, the crowd would cheer.  It was like a show.  People would go silent as the cards were dealt.  Some mumbles as Micro would ask to hit a hand that should have stayed.  Or stay when they thought he should get another card.  After a large success, Aria would throw a hug around Micro’s neck and kiss his cheek or lips.  Unknown to them, they were attracting more attention than just the other patrons.  
After a couple more hours, the dealer said he had to take a break and closed the table.  Micro and Aria felt that they needed a break as well.  
They were gathering up the chips.  Three employees came and asked to help them.  They put the chips in three large locking bags, for security they said.  
But the two felt something was wrong when a very large man approached them and said that they needed to come with him.  Aria noticed the bulge in the breast of the mans jacket, he was armed.  Micro had noticed this as well.  It was obvious, for the moment, they had no choice but to follow.  

They, along with the other 3 employees with the bags of their winnings, rode a private elevator to the top, 5th, floor.  There were several offices, but the one they were led to was the manager/owner’s office.
> ACT FIVE: A Deal
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The large man, the employees with the bags, Micro and Aria went in.  The bags of chips were placed on the large desk and they employees left.
“These are the people, boss,” said the large man.
“Thanks, Big Joe,” said the boss.  “Why don’t you take the broad and make her ‘comfortable’.  I’ll call and tell you what needs to be done.  Make sure no one disturbs us.”
Aria and Micro didn’t like the way the man had said comfortable. 
“Yes boss,” said Big Joe.  He reached into his jacket and took out a hand gun, pointed it threateningly at Aria.  It was as much to force Aria as it was to intimidate Micro.
As Aria left the room, she looked at Micro with a look that said ‘don’t worry, I have this’.

Big Joe took Aria through a door to an open stairwell, obviously a fire escape.  It went down the 5 floors, you could look down and see that there was a clear square that the stairs went around.  There was no obstacle to stop a person if they went over the rail until they hit the floor, about 15 meters below them. 
Aria was sure that this was what Big Joe wanted her to see.  
“What are you going to do with me?” asked Aria.
“If’n yer partner doesn’t come clean, then you and I will have some fun.  Or at least I’ll have some fun.”
“You should put that gun away,” said Aria.  “You don’t need it with me.”
The man smirked.
“You don’t like it, eh?” said Big Joe menacing Aria with the gun.  “You don’t shut up, I’ll have no choice but to use it.  And no one can hear anything that goes on in here.  I know that for certain.”
“I asked you nicely,” said Aria with a fire in her eyes, “you don’t want to make me mad.”
“And what do you think you can do about it, little lady?”

What happened next, it took several days in the hospital for his memory to clear up enough to remember what transpired next.

Aria hissed at him, fangs bared.  
“What the fuck?” Said Big Joe.  He was startled enough that he couldn’t have defended himself, if he actually could.
Aria ripped the gun out of the man’s hand.  She held the barrel and grip, then twisted and bent the steel weapon.  It clattered harmlessly to the floor.
Fear showed on his brutish face.  Before he thought clear enough to run away, Aria had him by the throat and was holding him off the ground.
“I asked you nicely,” growled Aria, “you asked for this!  Like you said, good thing no one can hear us.”
Aria was able to lift the man over her head and walked him to the stair railings.  The man was in so much fear, he was wetting himself. 


Back in the office, the boss was tired of hearing what this geek had been spewing.
“Now tell me the truth Goddamn it!” Shouted the boss, slamming a fist on the desk.  “And none of that math probabilities mumbo-jumbo, You are gonna tell me how you were cheating and you will only be arrested.  If not, then Big Joe is gonna hurt your partner…  Badly!”
Micro didn’t look that concerned which confused the boss, the chuckle from him wasn’t what he expected.  Then, as if on cue, the office door opened.

“Big Joe, I said we weren’t to be disturbed…” His voice trailed off when he saw it was only the woman who walked in by herself.
“You?  Where’s Big Joe?”
“He couldn’t come.  He fell down 15 flights of stairs,” said Aria.  “He won’t be back to work until the broken bones heal.  Oh, and he won’t be needing this anymore.”
Aria put a twisted and bent handgun on the desk.
The boss looked amazed.  Then he realized something.
“There are only five floors.  How did he fall down fifteen?”
“He did it three times.” Said Aria, there wasn’t any jest in her eyes.

The boss looked down at the mangled pistol.  He was beginning to realize that he wasn’t in as much control as he assumed.  Then he sat quiet for a moment looking at the woman and the man.  Suddenly he let out a long, hard and honest laugh.  He respected people who could handle themselves and didn’t take shit off anyone.

“Okay, tell me this system of yours, and make it simple for me,” said the boss still chuckling.
“Only if we get to keep our winnings.” Said Aria resting her hand on Micro’s shoulder.
“If this is true and you can prove it, you’ll get that and more.  No more threats, I believe you.” 
Micro tried to explain his system again.  It all went over the boss’s head, but he’d heard the same exact thing each time so he was sure that the man wasn’t lying.  
“Listen,” said the boss, starting to sound less a thug and more a business man. “I need a mind like yours to help catch cheaters.  Believe it or not, that is more for employees than patrons.  
If you understand the gaming this much, you should be a whiz at detecting who is being dishonest.  I believe I could make the compensation package, worth your while.  It would mean the two of you couldn’t game here anymore.  But you won’t have to.”
“I need to talk to Aria about this,” said Micro, “I’ll be right back.”  


Aria was led to the front doors.  There was an ambulance carting off Big Joe.  She snickered at this.  Soon she was riding in the back of the casino’s limousine.  It was taking her to Micro’s home.  She was thinking of the proposal the casino had made Micro.  It was a great opportunity for him.  And maybe soon it could be for her, but she dared not think like that.  
They’d cashed out the chips Micro had won.  At this moment, she had in her purse a cheque for more money than she’d ever had in her possession now than all the money she’d ever had combined in all her long life.  
She knew in the past, she might have just taken the money and disappeared like she had many times.  But this time there was something stronger than iron binding her here, it was love.

Aria arrived at Micro’s home. The parents let her in and had her wait in the front sitting room.  Micro had called them and asked for Aria to stay there while he did something.  

It took a couple hours.  

The parents had left her alone, for the most part.  But Micro’s mother stopped by often to offer soft drinks, a snack and some occasional small talk.  
The parents had became fond of Micro’s girlfriend, and Aria was really liking them.  She’d never interacted with a real mother and father before.  She had been admonished to call them ‘mum' and ‘dad’.

But soon enough Micro walked through the door with a worried look on his face, the mother left the room.

“Well, did you take the job?” asked Aria excited.
“No, not yet at least.  I said I would under one condition. I’d have to talk to you first.”
“Me? About what?” Asked Aria.
Micro took out a small box, it had the logo of the casino jewelry shop on the top.  Micro knelt down in front of her.  He opened it to show a very large diamond ring. 

“I’ll take the job Aria, but only if you’ll marry me.”

Aria was stunned, in all her many relationships, this had never happened to her in her long life.

“Mike!” said Aria shocked, “we’ve only known each other for just over a couple of months.  Are you sure about it, this soon?”
Micro took the ring out and started to put it on Aria’s left hand.
“I’ve never been more sure about anything in my life.  Plus I figured that you gave your gem up to put us here, I should do something to replace it.”

Tears started to flow on Aria’s face.  She’d cried many times in the past with hurt, betrayal, hate and pain.  But never had she cried like this out of joy!
“Yes Mike,” said Aria, “oh yes!”
Micro finished putting it on Aria’s left ring finger.  Then Aria pulled him close and hugged him tightly.
“Too tight!” Squeaked Micro, “can’t breathe!”
Aria let him go but they both laughed.
There was laughing at the door.  Aria saw the parents peaking through a not quite closed door.  They came in and hugged the couple.  The father and mother kissed Aria on the cheek and welcomed her to the family.
> LAST ACT: Fifteen Years Later
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The two women stood in front of the nondescript house on the corner of the block.  The sun was just going down, but they could see well enough to give them an impression of the place.
The women had walked up the side sidewalk so they saw a house that really didn’t stand out from the rest.  It was much like the rest of the houses in this upper-middleclass neighborhood.  
It was a cozy two story house looked like and painted the same color as the rest of the houses on the block.  It was a cookie cutter style being all the houses were of the same architecture.  On this house, all of the lower level front facing windows had flower-boxes with bright flowers.  There were flower beds in the yard and a white picket fence which was more ornamental than functional.  
There was a porch swing and a children’s swing set in the backyard.  

The only thing that may’ve suggested this was the right place was a statue in the flowerbed of a mermaid playing a harp seated upon a rock. 

“Are you sure this is the address?” asked the first incredulously.
“Yes,” said the second, “she was insistent that we’d find her here.  She said that she and her wife had visited her here just this month.”
“Well I don’t bloody well believe this!” Said the first shaking her head.  “There’s no fuckin’ way she lives here, like this.  She must be mistaken.  And why would she be visiting her?”
“We can knock on the door and at least see.  Maybe they know where she is.  It’s the best lead we’ve had, if you can trust Sunset Sparkle-Shimmer.”

The two opened the little gate, entered and it swung closed behind them, then walked the little path, up the two steps, across the porch and to the front door.  
The door was brightly but tastefully painted.  Under the doorbell was the name:


CHIPS FAMILY


They first rang the bell and waited, then a second time, but the door opened as the first moved her hand away from the bell.

The two visitors were shocked.  The woman who answered the door was wearing a pastel, unpretentious and modest dress with a frilly white apron.  A pair of glasses hung from a gold chain around her neck.
But her skin tone, mulberry eyes and hair colors gave her away, even with a few lines on her face and a few strands of white in her hair, which was worn down and cut shoulder length.





The woman’s face lit up in recognition.  

“Dodgy!” cried the woman, “Nat!”
“Aria?” said he two in shock and at the same time.
She did something that was shocking.  She pulled the newcomers into a tight and loving hug and kissed them on the cheeks.
Taking them by the hands, she pulled them into a front room and leading them to a comfortable sofa.
“Come in here sisters!” Said Aria, “it’s been way too long, have a seat!  I’ll get us some lemonade and we can talk.”
Aria left the room presumably to the kitchen.

“Was that Aria?” asked Sonata confused.
“I think it is,” Said Adagio, “but if we were passing on the street, I might not have recognized her.”
“Do you think she’s had a head injury or was brainwashed?” asked Sonata, who gasped at an idea. “Do you think she’s a Changeling?”
“I don’t know,” said Adagio, “I don’t think there’s any Changelings in the human world.  However we would have sensed one of our old enemies.  
But I don’t ever remember Ms Grumpy-Arse ever calling us sisters.”

They looked around them at the meticulously clean and tidy home.  There were pictures on the wall.  Several were scenes of a family on holiday at the beach and in the mountains.  
On shelves, there were nick-knacks of mermaids and seashells.  
The big shocker was the large wedding photo in the center of one wall with a picture of Aria with her hair styled up.  She was on the right side of the picture in an uncharacteristically beautiful white dress and veil.  On the left side, there was an unknown man in a sharp tuxedo.  
On the same wall were pictures of two young girls.  
But there was a couple pictures that confirmed it. Aria must have managed to have had made from a photo from The Battle of the Bands.  It was portraits of Adagio and Sonata.

There was a desk with a computer in a corner with some certificates and diplomas above.  
A piano was on another corner, with an old guitar on a stand beside it.  Pictures of a family sitting around the instrument.  There were holiday decorations and the family singing with the piano as Aria was playing.  
There were a couple of musical trophies on top of the piano along with some pictures of a little girl, with Aria’s hair color playing at what looked like a recital. 

Aria came in the room, she was wearing the glasses and she’d removed the apron.  Aria was smiling a smile the other two had never seen on their sister.  Aria was carrying a tray with a pitcher of lemonade, three glasses with ice and a plate of homemade cookies.
She handed a glass to Adagio and Sonata, poured them full glasses and offered them the cookies.  Then she poured herself a glass and sat in a chair facing them.  She took a drink and then looked at the guests.

“I hope it isn’t too sour for you,” said Aria, “Mike likes it this way.”
The two visitors took a drink and nibbled on delicious cookies.
“It’s very good,” said Adagio, then paused before going on, “forgive me for asking, but you are Aria Blaze, right?”
“No,” answered Aria with a giggle (another act the others had never seen Aria do).  
Adagio and Sonata looked confused until Aria reached out her left hand. There was a very nice diamond ring and a wedding band. 
“It’s actually Aria Chips now.”
“You’re married!” said Sonata excited.
“I don’t fuckin’ believe it!” said Adagio.
A small shadow passed over Aria’s face.
“Dodgy, can you not talk like that when they get home?  And yes,” said Aria, her smile returning.  “Mike and I’ve been married about fourteen years now.
He and the children should be home in an hour or so.  So we have time to catch up.
You don’t know how long I’ve been trying to find you.  I wanted you two at the wedding as Bride’s Maids.  But I looked everywhere I could think we used to hang out, but I couldn’t find you.  It was a shock to Sunset and Twilight when I asked if they’d fill in.  After all, I was in their wedding.”
Still confused about any relationship with Twilight and Sunset, they continued on.
“These children you mentioned, they were his before you were married?” asked Sonata.
“Or you adopted?” asked Adagio.
Aria laughed.  
“You know how in the past how we never got pregnant and we believed we couldn’t?”  The others nodded their heads, “it appears that the siren gem's were the magic that prevented us from conceiving children.”

“Speaking of the gems,” said Adagio, glad to change this uncomfortable and unbelievable turn of fortune, “we’ve been scouring libraries from Vanhoover to Saddle Arabia.  But we finally found an old tome in the royal library in Canterlot.  
Of all things, It was about Loreley, and they thought we’re fu... ah they thought we’re low life mermaids.  It said many things that were just inaccurate and some things we already knew.  
But there was a section about the gems being the source of our powers, and if a siren over the age of one doesn’t have one, they dissolve back into the sea foam.”
“Yes,” said Aria sadly remembering her friend, Star Song, “we saw that when we were young.”
“Tell her the best part!” said Sonata excited.
“What’s that?” asked Aria.
“The gems don’t have to be intact!” Said Adagio, “hell, they don’t even have to be complete.  We only have to find a siren pod that may be able to give us new ones or could help us find gems.  We’ll have all our powers and immortality restored!”
“What?” said Aria surprised.
“Yes,” said Adagio actually excited, “we can use the portal at Canterlot High School to return home at anytime!”

Adagio and Sonata looked excitedly at Aria.

Then after an uncomfortable pause…

“Don’t you get it?” asked Sonata. “We can go home away from this world that’s been the worst!”

Aria sat there shocked, there was the start of tears in her eyes.

“I find you girls,” said Aria, “or you’ve found me.  The only family I’ve had for over a thousand years.  And you show up just to tell me I’ll lose you two forever.”

Aria picked up a napkin and wiped the tears from her eyes.  Adagio and Sonata, looked confused at each other.

“You don’t have to lose us,” said Adagio, “you’re coming with us!”

There was an uneasy silence.

“I can’t go with you.”

“What?” the other two almost shouted.
“What do you mean, you can’t go with us?  Of course you can.  Hell, you were always the one who was wanting to go back to Equestria worst than the rest of us,” said Adagio, not believing what she was hearing.
“Why?” asked Sonata.
“Well, I don’t have my gem anymore.  I haven’t had it for about fifteen years now; I sold it.  Maybe my not having the gem at all allowed me to get pregnant.”
“Sold it?” said Sonata, “how much did you get for it?”
“Nat!” said Adagio as she elbowed Sonata.
“That doesn’t matter,” said Sonata, “as Dodgy said, it doesn’t have to be complete.   And we can give you part of ours.”  
“There, that’s settled, you’re going, and that’s final!” Said Adagio, sounding like her old self when she was calling the shots.
She didn’t expect the look of defiance on Aria’s face.
“No!” said Aria firmly.
“Why the hell not?” asked Adagio angrily.
“Why?” asked Sonata, sounding more hurt than angry.

At that moment there was the sound of the front door opening, and feet quickly approaching.  Two young girls ran to Aria and hugged her, then let go.
“Mommy! Mommy! Daddy said we were good and got us ice cream!” said the taller of the two, she was wearing glasses and had the purple hair of her mother.
“The movie was funny, mommy,” said the other, she had dark blue hair and braces. “You should’ve gone!”
Aria looked at her sisters with a strange look in her eyes and said quietly; 

“This is why.”

“Girls, I want you to meet your aunts,” said Aria.
“Aunts?” said Sonata and Adagio quietly.
“This is your aunt Adagio Dazzle, and your aunt Sonata Dusk,” said Aria in introduction.  
“They have our names,” said the youngest.
“They’re very pretty,” said the oldest.  “Just like their pictures.”
“No honey,” said Aria chuckling, “you were named after them.”
“Sisters, this is Adagio Dazzle Chips” said Aria pointing out the older/taller girl, then motioning to the other, “and this is Sonata Dusk Chips.  Say hello girls.”
Little Adagio politely shook hands with their aunts with a; ‘Nice to meet you’. 
Little Sonata hugged her aunts warmly and kissed their cheeks and said ‘welcome’.
“The two of you are very pretty too,” said Sonata Dusk smiling a very proud and warm smile.

Probably for the first time in years if not centuries, Adagio didn’t know what to say.

“Now girls,” said a man coming in the room, “get washed up for dinner.”

Aria’s face lit up as she got up and rushed to the man.  He wasn’t much to look at.  He had thick glasses straight dark blue hair but the look on his face was that of a man that was completely happy. They realized that Aria had the same look.  Something the guests had never felt and immediately envied.  
Aria embraced the man and gave him a long deep kiss.  When they broke the kiss, Aria just smiled and looked him in the eyes.

“How were the girls, Mike” asked Aria
“Little angels,” said Mike.  Then he noticed the visitors. 
“Oh my gosh!” said Mike, “can it be Adagio and Sonata?”
“Yes honey, they just showed up on the doorstep just a little bit ago.  You girls remember Micro Chips?”
“So good to see you two again.” Said Mike, “Aria has wanted to find you for longer than we’ve been married.  I hope you’ll stay for dinner.”
“I don’t know,” said Adagio.
“But its Taco Tuesday,” said Aria slyly.
“We’re staying!” said Sonata, ignoring the glare from Adagio. 
Aria snickered.
“I guess we can stay,” surrendered Adagio.  Actually she was glad to be able to get a free home cooked meal. 

At the meal, the girls insisted to sit with their aunts.  Adagio was still a little hesitant about interacting with children.  She’d never had that much time around the young of humans or any other species.  
Sonata was eating up the attention with as much relish as the tacos.  She was laughing and kidding with the girls.  Telling them the most fun (and messy) way to eat tacos.  She and the kids laughed a lot.
Adagio couldn’t remember Sonata ever being so happy.  She was almost as happy as Aria was showing.

After dinner, Micro, Aria and Adagio went in the living room sharing pie and coffee.  Adagio actually asked for seconds.  Sonata had went with the children.
When that was done Aria brought up the reason Adagio and Sonata were there.

“It’s okay, Dodgy,” said Aria, “Mike knows all about us.  We can talk freely.”

It was quiet for a moment, with the exception of laughing from the children and Sonata in another room.

Aria was sitting with her husband on the sofa.  She was clinging tightly to Micro’s arm and hand, Micro could feel the fear.

“Honey, Dodgy and Nat came here looking for me because they discovered that we could actually return to Equestria."
“What?” said Micro, “you told me that you’d die if you did!”
“That’s what we’d thought,” said Adagio, uncomfortable explaining this to a human, “but Sonata and I discovered that even with broken or incomplete gems, we’d survive.  And we’d be able to find or be given new gems and all our powers and immortality would be restored.  
Wouldn’t you want Aria to live forever?”
“Dodgy!” interjected Aria, “that’s not fair!”
“Honey,” said Micro, “I think it’s a fair question.  Immortality is a dream of many and to have it handed to you, or at least handed back to you is something great.”
“See,” said Adagio sounding smug, “he thinks you should go back.”
“I didn’t say that,” said Micro, sounding more assertive than Adagio.  “I said it’s a great opportunity.  But not her only opportunity.  
And I can’t make that decision for her and neither can you.” Then looking at his wife, “it’s entirely up to you.  I love you and will stand behind anything you decide.  Your happiness is always first with me.”
> EPILOGUE: A change in the Winds
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Adagio was acting mad, but she was really disappointed and painfully jealous.  Sonata, didn’t want to leave but Adagio was pulling her by the hand.  
Halfway down the path to the gate, Sonata stopped and easily pulled her hand free of Adagio’s grip.  She was, after all, the strongest of the three.  Sonata then turned around and stood there looking back at the happy lights coming through the windows of Aria’s house.  

She was thinking how happy Aria was.  She felt the joy of being with the children.  Not just playing with them but they looking to her as family and an adult that they loved.  
It made her happy, a happiness she’d never felt before, even at an all-you-can-eat taco bar.  She was feeling Aria’s happiness, even if it were just a sample of it vicariously.  She looked at Adagio.

“Dodgy,” there were tears in her eyes as she reached to her neck then handed her choker with her gem to Adagio, “I’m not going either.”
“The hell you’re not, Nat!”
“I want what Aria has!” demanded Sonata, “I want a husband and a family!  I want children! 
I can’t have that in Equestria.  
And a predator is always starving, I don’t want to feel that way ever again.  I want to be happy.  As happy as Aria!
I’m sorry Dodgy.”

Sonata quickly kissed Adagio and hugged her before Adagio could react. However, before Adagio could say anything, Sonata ran to the still unlocked door and went into Aria’s house, closing the door behind herself.  There was excited noise from within.

Adagio stomped off madder than she’d ever been, which was saying something.  She went straight to CHS where she went through the portal and was determined she’d never return to this world that’d taken everything from her.  
Her voice. 
Her powers…  
And now her sisters!

As she went to step through the portal, she realized she hadn’t moved from the spot in front of Aria’s house.  

It’d all had played out in her mind.

Adagio was looking down at Sonata’s gem.  There were tears pouring down on her hand and onto the gem.  In her long life, she’d never been this sad and lonely as she felt now.  Nor had she ever cried this hard.

But Sonata was right, she realized that she’d always felt sad, incomplete, angry and hungry.

Try as she might, she couldn’t get her feet to take her out the gate and into the street.  

She just stood there crying a paroxysm of sobs.  Looking at the door and hearing sounds of joy from within.  
Then with a great force of will, two gems fell to the sidewalk. And with all the strength of the siren, her heel came down on them.  They were pulverized to dust.  Adagio bent over and scooped up as much as she could, her foot scattered the rest. 
She’d have to apologize later for the crack in the path.

As Micro, Aria and the girls were hugging and welcoming Sonata.  Suddenly and unexpectedly, the front door opened.  

Adagio was standing in the doorway still crying.  In her hand was a bit of red crystalline dust which she poured out then wiped her hand clean.  Aria and Sonata realized what it was.  A breeze blew it away before it touched the porch.  

Aria and Sonata noticed Adagio’s choker was gone.

“May I come in?” said Adagio, tears pouring down her cheeks. “I really don’t have anywhere I can go now.  And I don’t want to be without any of my sisters again!”

The sisters hugged Adagio with tears of joy.  Two little girls hugged the Aunts and Micro put his hands on the newcomer’s shoulders in welcome.

Adagio had never felt such joy in her long life!