>>29075858 >Aria slams the door the their house closed, teeth grinding, eyes narrowed, and stomps all the way down to the kitchen. >Wordlessly, she opens the fridge, grabs open a Mike's Hard, pops it open, and chugs. >Adagio, sitting on the couch in their living room, raises an eyebrow. >Ad: "Don't you think it's a bit too early to get smashed." >Aria, takes another pull from the bottle and flips Adagio off. >Ar: "I just had the WORST day ever. I'm going to go stir crazy in that damn place." >Adagio makes an "awww" face. >Ad: "You're so cute when you're flustered." >So: "No, she sounds mean. Kinda like when another choir would come in on her turf!" >The other two stare daggers at the blue girl, who looks blissfully unaware of what she said. >Ar: "I take it back, Dagi. Sonata here is the worst." >Instead of responding, Sonata takes a magazine and chucks it at Aria. >Adagio snatches it out of the air and puts it on the table. >Ad: "Sonata... why exactly did you think of Mom just about now?" >The blue girl looks back at Adagio and purses her lips in thought. >So: "I'm not sure. I was just thinking how crummy it is that we lost our necklaces, and how hungry we are now, and how Mom would tell us these super-awesome stories when we'd be sad back home-" >Back home. >The words hung heavily in the air as the other two sisters exchanged meaningful glances, while Sonata talked on. >So:" -don't really remember any of them, but what I do remember is that I really liked the one that had the three sisters-" >Ar: "-and the Pesky Pony! I remember that one too! Mom would tell us that one whenever Dad would be raising up a storm to lure some sailors close by!" >Adagio looks at the two of them with a disbelieving look. >They. >Were. >Not. >Fighting. >A slow smile spread over her face. >Not the evil triumphant smile that she had on a couple of weeks ago. >A genuine happy smile as her mind wandered back to what was ages ago. >Back when they frolicked under the waves, singing in concert with Mom, her sisters and choir-mates, and Dad. >Back before they knew what hunger and hardship was. >Wordlessly, she gets out of her chair. >Her two sisters look at her quizzically. >So: "Hey, what's up Dagi?" >Ar: "Yeah, what's got your hair in a tangle?" >Same old, same old. >Ad: "Nothing, nothing. I'm just gonna... go... to..." >Sweat is dripping down her forehead. >Ad: "...start... our... taxes. Yep, that's it." >Aria and Sonata exchange glances and shrug. >So: "Seems legit." >Ar: "Hey, you know best." >Adagio moseys her way upstairs, goes to the bedroom, and grabs a large book. >She grabbed a pen and opened it to a clean page. >Ad: "Now let's see. How did it go... once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria..." -IN THE EVENING- >Adagio was finished writing. >Humming a tune to herself, she cleaned the dishes, while Sonata vacuumed, and Aria took out the trash. >With the three of them working in tandem, nothing was beyond their grasp. >No household chore would remain undone. >And eventually, they would re-learn how to sing again, and use that to take over Canterlot High! >And then the world. >Her fist reflexively closed in a gesture of triumph. >Aria pats her on the shoulder as she passes by. >Ar: "Having that dream again." >Adagio snarls at her purple sister, who shrinks back from her. >Ar: "You're crazy, glorious leader. Anyway, Sonata and I are gonna watch some TV before we clonk out. You in?" >Adagio shakes her head, her curls going all over the place. >Ad: "Nope, no TV. I got a better plan." >Sonata sticks her head out of the living room. >So: "Ooh! Are we gonna try to sing at the Battle of the Bands to control every...one..." >She breaks off at the death glares of Adagio and Aria. >So: "Eh-heh-heh. Nevermind. What's your plan, Dagi?" >Ad: "Well, I actually have a surprise for you, in the bedroom." >Aria raises her eyebrow very slowly while a small smile plays on her lips. >Adagio hangs her hands in front of her, staring at her sister in exasperation. >Sonata looks at the two of them quizzically. >So: "I don't get it." >Aria gives a quiet chuckle. >Ar: "All right, sis. We'll go to the bedroom and see your surprise. Should we maybe change or perhaps get some lube?" >Adagio facepalms. >Ad: "Just... go there and get your PJs on. I swear this is the last nice thing I do for either one of you." >Muttering to herself, the orange-haired Dazzling marched up the stairs. >Sonata and Aria exchanged glances. >Aria makes an "oh" of realization. >Ar: "Wait. I think I know what she's up to! Oh man, this is gonna be awesome!" >With that she races up the stairs, leaving Sonata looking confused. >So: "What's got into them? I better go check it out." >She makes her way up to their bedroom where Adagio and Aria are changing. >So: "Oh, it's bedtime already? But I'm not even tired." >Aria throws her shirt over Sonata's face. >Ar: "You're the worst, Sonata." >Ad: "Go change, brush your teeth, and march back on here." >Sonata goes off to do so, then Aria does her thing, then Adagio. >When the orange haired girl comes back in, she sees that her two sisters are lying in bed. >Aria is leaning back with an absolutely smug expression, happy in the knowledge that she figured it out. >Sonata is gripping her covers tightly, with literal stars in her eyes. >She's literally shaking with excitement. >Adagio gives a small pleased "hm," and grabs the book off the writing desk. >She lays it on the bed and flips it open to the first page that she wrote. The Three Sisters and the Pesky Pony. Once upon a time in the magical land of Equestria, there was a big blue ocean. And in that big blue ocean lived a choir of sirens. There was Mama Siren, who was named Opera; Papa Siren, who was called Concerto; and their three Siren daughters - Toccata, Cantata, and Etude. Now there were other sirens who lived in this big blue ocean, but Toccata, Cantata, and Etude were the strongest, fastest, and singiest sirens of them all! Why, when Toccata would sing, the ocean itself would freeze solid! And when Cantata would sing, the winds would whip into a hurricane frenzy! While Etude would sing, the waves would rise to hundreds of feet into the air! But the three of them were content to live with Mama Opera and Papa Concerto and not have a care in the world. But one day, the happy choir was awoken by a loud banging on the rock they used to hang around on and sing pony sailors to their doom. The choir swam up and saw that there was a Pony in a boat who was knocking some kind of staff against their rock. So the choir sang to make the pony forget about whatever he was babbling about and go under the waves with them so that they could eat. But the pony was a powerful magician and used magic to seal his ears. And the Pesky Pony said "Sirens! Your singing caused sailors to sink and not swim! You cannot keep doing this!" The choir was confused. How else would the sirens eat if not by singing some sailors to the bottom of the ocean where they could eat them with their sharp teeth, and by singing to others and feeding on their adoration and love energy. This Pesky Pony was very annoying, so the three sisters sang a song to freeze him, to whip him with a hurricane, and to sink him. But his magic was powerful, so powerful that he flung Mama Opera and Papa Concerto to the North and South Pole respectively! And his magic was so powerful that he shrunk Toccata, Cantata, and Etude until they were no bigger than a pony! And he said that until they learn to stop eating and draining sailors, they would stay in these forms, and Mama Opera and Papa Concerto would stay at the North and South poles. The three sisters swam away, when Toccata said "I really don't want to do what the Pesky Pony is telling us to do." Cantata reared above the waves. "I agree. I think we should show the Pesky Pony that we are the true masters of the sea!" But Etude sadly said "But how can we? We are so small and puny now. Any other chorus would attack us and kill us and eat us. And his magic is so strong." Toccata smiled at her sisters and said "But we can go and find the Music of the Maelstrom! His pony magic is not stronger than that!" And Cantata and Etude started smiling too because Toccata had the best ideas. So they swam off into the direction of the Music of the Maelstrom. All of a sudden, a giant wave of water crashed into them, and a voice bellowed from it as the wave grew a mouth and eyes! "Hold, sirens! I am Aquarius, King of the Water Elementals, and Ruler of the Tides! You cannot pass through my domain sirens! Instead, I will cage you and you will sing for me!" Toccata laughed at the silly wave. "Foolish Aquarius! Don't you know that we are the sirens, and our song is the last thing that anyone hears!" And Toccata began to sing, and froze Aquarius, King of the Water Elementals, and Ruler of the Tides completely solid. The sirens laughed at it and told the Dukes and Barons of the Kingdom that they were in charge now and so they grew a tiny bit bigger. So they kept swimming. Suddenly a large shape snaked around them, and snake he did because he was the Sea Serpent. "Hello Sssssirensss! I am the Sssea Ssserpent and you are tresssssspasssssing in my domain. I am going to eat you!" But Cantata laughed at him and said "Stupid Sea Serpent! Don't you know that it is the sirens who will eat you instead?" And Cantata sang a song and the winds picked the Sea Serpent out of the water and dashed him against some convenient rocks. The the sirens laughed about it because they were hungry and they ate the Sea Serpent and so they grew another tiny bit bigger. So they kept swimming. Suddenly a Kraken rose from the depths. And the sirens heard a voice in their heads saying "Mortal sirens! The stars are almost right! I will command you to sing the song that ends the world!" To which Edude replied "Go away stupid Kraken, nobody cares about the Old Ones and your silly old faith!" So she sang a song and the City of the Old Ones was swamped by giant tidal waves and dragged back down into the abyss along with the Kraken. Then the sirens laughed about it and made a magical gesture with their finned tails and so they grew even bigger. And eventually they came to the place where the Music of the Maelstrom was held. They dove down deep and far and opened the chest that had the Music, but it was empty! And the sirens were sad and swam back to the surface. Toccata said "The trip was for nothing." Cantata said "Now we'll always be small and tiny." And Etude said "Wait a minute sisters. The Music of the Maelstrom was inside us all along! When we sing in a chorus, we can make the Maelstrom appear!" And the other sirens laughed and giggled and splashed about it and raced back to where the Pesky Pony was. And when they rose out of the water, he saw that the tiny sirens weren't so tiny any more. The sirens opened their mouths and began to sing. And how the waves rose! And how the wind churned! And how the ice cracked! Toccata, Cantata, and Etude unleashed the power of the Maelstrom, and dragged the boat of the Pesky Pony down into the depths. And then they sang to the Pesky Pony whose magic went down with the boat and sang to him until he was completely smitten with them and then they drained him and ate him. And then they rescued Mama Opera and Papa Concerto and they all lived happily ever after. >Adagio closes the book and puts it back on the desk. >Ad: "The end." >With that she climbs under the warm blanket with her sisters, who immediately snuggle up next to her. >Adagio hugs her around the shoulders and Sonata nestles up on her stomach. >So: "That was awesome, Dagi! Just like Mom used to tell it!" >Aria instead winks at the elder Dazzling. >Ar: "I think you changed some of the names and ideas around, didn't you?" >Adagio gives a low throaty laugh, reaches over, and turns off the light. >Her voice is cool but full of conviction. >Ad: "I think it's important to know that soon we'll master singing without our gems, and then..." >The three of them laugh. >And if there was an outside observer in the bedroom, it would be really creepy, but also kinda hot. >More importantly, the observer would notice that just for a brief moment, maybe a second, their eyes glinted red, just like their gemstones did.