Say hello to the longest chapter by far in the series. Took me four days to write 'cause I kept hitting writer's blocks, but here it is now. This whole chapter is an emotional drama-bomb.
Sonata opened her eyes slowly, and her large jaws separated in a massive yawn. As her interpretation of the world became clearer as her mind started coming to full conscience, she noticed the comfort of where she was lying. She looked down and saw a golden body wrapped around her. She looked to her left and saw the head of the creature. It was Adagio, who was sleeping peacefully while wrapped protectively around the blue siren. Sonata smiled. it made her feel safe and secure. This is so because, when they were but little seaponies, Adagio would always do the same thing. Comfortingly wrap around her when she was scared or troubled. Guess it was just her instinct. Sonata blinked a couple times, ridding herself of the last of the sleep, before coming to full terms with everything. She began recollecting what had happened previous to being here, and her eyes widened before she gasped loudly. This sudden sound caused Adagio's head to shoot up, and she began looking blindly around until her eyes came out of their sleepy haze and into focus. She looked at the blue siren.
"S-sonata?" She said sleepily, her words slurring a bit. "What...what's wrong, sweetheart?" Sonata looked at Adagio in horror.
"Dagi, we fell asleep!" She yelped.
"So...?" She asked, becoming more awake.
"Dagi! Don't you remember?! We only have three days, but now we only have two! What are we gonna do?!" Adagio finally came to full consciousness and looked squarely at the panicked siren.
"Sonata, calm down. It's only early morning. We have all day today and tomorrow to get her."
"Okay, then let's go now!" Sonata urged. Adagio sighed. Sleep was calling her back, and she wanted to sleep longer. But...she had made Sonata a promise.
"Ugh...okay, fine."
~o~
Sonata led Adagio to where she last saw Aria, making sure to keep out of the sight of the citizens. They landed in front of the broken-down barn, and Sonata looked around sadly.
"This is where I found her, and where Steven came along, too. She attacked Aria." Adagio looked at the dragon.
"And...uh...how much damage did she do?" She asked. Sonata whimpered.
"Well...that's why I'm kinda worried..." She looked at Adagio. "You see, when Steven attacked her, she left three big gashes on her chest, and she even scratched up the gem a bit." Adagio winced.
"Ouch. You think she'll be okay?"
"I...I really don't know. But after the attack, she flew away. She could be anywhere by now!" Sonata then squeezed her eyes shut. "Rgh, everything is just so fucked!" She growled in frustration. Adagio blinked in surprise. Sonata was never really one to curse. She only did that when she was on the brink on some emotion. The golden siren sighed.
"It'll be fine, Sonata. We'll find her. I'm sure she didn't go far if she was injured that badly. And she probably stopped to rest somehere because of it. So, come on! Don't give up just yet!" Sonata looked at Adagio and smirked a bit.
"Hey, stop it. I'm supposed to be the optimistic one." She muttered. Adagio chuckled.
"Then come on! Be optimistic! Be the old Sonata! Would Sonata Dusk ever let something get in her way?"
"I...uh...no...?" Sonata muttered.
"I can't hear you!"
"No." She said.
"Louder!"
"No!" She yelled, feeling herslf suddenly pump up with excitement.
"Are we going to let anything come between us?"
"No!"
"Are we going to find Aria and not give up until she's safe with us once more?!"
"Yes!"
"We'll do it for Aria!"
"For Aria!"
"Okay, feeling better?" Adagio asked, her voice returning to normal volume.
"Yes!" Sonata yelled, still caught in the pep talk. Adagio raised an eyebrow.
"Sonata...you can stop yelling now." Sonata paused and looked at her leader sheepishly.
"Oh...heheh...right."
"Okay, now..." She began, about to say something she thought she'd never say. "...let's go snag ourselves a raging purple seahorse."
~o~O~o~
Aria didn't go very far. East of Manehattan, which was nothing but vast ocean until the next mainland, the purple siren was lying on a random bunch of rocks jutting from the waves, recuperating after her run-in with the dragon. The only reason she was doing this in the middle of the ocean was because it was far from where anyone would be able to find/bother her while she healed. Siren's had a rather fast healing rate when compared to most other creatures, but it would still take time. Especially for gashes as deep as the ones on her chest. It would take about two and a half days. Maybe more. 'Til then, she would have to keep herself out of harm's way. How boring.
She lied her head wearily on the rocks, thinking of what she could do. There wasn't much she could do without getting noticed. Suddenly, a familiar voice popped into her head. Good going. Nice job. You were beaten by a creature a bit more than half your size. Way to go. Aria growled at the voice.
"Shut up! Leave me be!" She snarled, then winced as the pain in her chest wounds spiked. The voice cackled. Still easy to anger, I see. Well, that won't be for long. As I've stated before, I'm the future you. You will become me. And I'm never serious or angry. You'll be more fun to talk to then. "Yeah, right." Aria huffed. "Like I'd ever become like that." The voice scoffed. You've already begun the transformation, dear. Just look at yourself. Aria rolled her eyes and glared at the water. And what she saw made her gasp. There, looking back at her, was nearly a spitting image of the creature she'd met in her dreams that claimed to be her. Her pupils were constricted, her fangs were jagged, and she looked somewhat frazzled. The only real difference she had from the 'Other Aria' was that deranged grin. She shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut, backing away from the water. She heard the voice chuckle. What'd I tell you? You're nearly there. Aria snarled. "No! I will not become you! I choose my own path! Niova told me so! So did you!" The dark chuckle was heard again, which quickly became psychotic laugher. Aria started getting frustrated with the invisible entity. "What?! What's so funny?!" Gradually, the laughter died down, and the voice spoke. Oh, nothing. It's just...I'm amazed by how easily you actually trust others. Someone with your wit and personality, I'd expect you to do the complete opposite. You must've been really desperate. Such a shame. Aria slammed her hoof against the rocks in anger. "And what the hell do you mean by that?!" The voice was silent. "Answer me!" When everything still remained quiet, and she was devoid of an answer, she huffed and let her head fall back onto the rocks. Her gaze softened as she looked up to the sky, and she exhaled lightly. "Wow...I was just having an argument with myslef..." She muttered, shaking her head slightly. "Maybe I really am going insane..."
~o~
Hours passed, and the sun had risen to it's full peak in the sky. It bore down on the purple siren, and she groaned in annoyance. WIth a sigh and a flick of her tail, she slid herself into the water. As she did so, the rocks rubbed against her wound, causing her to wince in pain, but she tried her best to ignore it. Once she was settled in the water, she looked up.
"Eh, I was getting bored up there anyway..." She grumbled as she began swimming uninterestedly in a random direction. As she swam, her eyebrows remained furrowed as her mind kept wandering back to the events with Sonata. Her stubborness and repeated telling her to 'come back' to her really got on her nerves. She needed some space, and that's exactly what she was getting. And the longer she swam, the calmer she felt, despite the spontaneous little spurts of pain she'd feel in her chest every now in then.
~o~
She didn't know how long she swam for. It had just become a mindless task by now. She felt tired from the days events, and she needed to find a place where she wouldn't be bothered so that she could rest her battle-worn body. Eventually, she came to an area that...gave her a strange feeling. She looked around. It gave her a sense of deja vu, and some mild nostalgia. This confused her. She didn't know why this place seemed so familiar. She kept swimming until she came to a large underwater cave. She blinked, and her eyes widened.
This place...this cave...after all these years...
Aria's breath caught in her throat as she slowly swam towards the cave entrance. She swam inside and looked around. Her eyes landed on a corner of the cave, where a pile of beautiful seashells rested...
"What's the point? We see seashells all the time. I mean, we live in the freaking ocean, if you hadn't noticed." A little, golden sea ceature rolled her eyes.
"Yes, Aria, but I only collect the really pretty ones." She said, bringing one of her many seashells up to her face and admiring it. Aria raised an eyebrow.
"But that's just dumb, Adagio. A seashell is a seashell. No matter how pretty it is, it's still a seashell." The small, purple one tried to reason. Adagio pouted.
"Would you stop trying to ruin this for me? You have your hobbies, and I have mine." Aria rolled her eyes.
"Yeah. Mine are just cooler." She bragged. Adagio glared at her friend.
"You're asking for it, Blaze. I may be smaller than you, but I know how to fight!" She growled, a playful grin on her face. Aria got into a defensive stance and growled back.
"Bring it, shortstuff." With a tiny roar, little Adagio lunged at the slightly bigger Aria, managing to get her off balance. Aria countered by biting at Adagio's neck. Not enough to do any real damage, but just enough to show her that she meant business. Adagio screeched and wriggled in Aria's grip. Aria was about to celebrate her quick victory when, all of a sudden, Adagio whipped her small tail against Aria's face, causing her to release the smaller siren.
"Ha!" Adagio taunted. "Can't hold me down!" Aria grinned, a competitive look on her face.
"Wanna bet?" She asked, her small tail whipping about. Adagio's expression also turned competitive.
"Oh, yeah!" She said, getting into a defensive position as well. Given the go-ahead, Aria wasted no time in diving at the golden siren, who tried to dodge out of the way, but was too slow. She pinned the smaller siren down with a cocky grin.
"Gotcha!" She laughed. Adagio giggled and tried wiggling out from under her.
"Ah! No!" She yelped. "Don't do it!" Aria chuckled, her competitive look gone, and replaced with a playful one. She smiled and began nipping at the smaller siren all over. Adagio sputtered and began laughing.
"Aria, no! I-ahahahahaHA!-stop! That-haha!-that t-tickles! Ahahahaha!" Adagio tried her best to wriggle away, but under the mass of the bigger siren, she was helpless. All she could do was pray for the torment to end. "P-lease, Ariahahahahaha! S-stop it!" She yelped. Aria began nipping at Adagio's neck, which was her weak spot when it came to tickling. At that, Adagio completely lost it, and she was laughing to the point where she couldn't breathe. Then, the little golden siren began coughing and choking from lack of air. Aria immediately stopped and climbed off of her, watching her. When Adagio's coughing fit was over, Aria offered her a smile.
"You alright, now?" She asked kindly, as if they'd never been fighting. Adagio inhaled deeply before nodding. The thing about Adagio was that she was the smallest of the three sirens, as she hadn't exactly hit her growth spurt yet. And, to top it off, she'd been made somewhat frail, and had minor breathing problems, all of it due to her slow development. Aria sighed in relief and nuzzled Adagio's cheek with a chuckle. "Good. You had me scared there." Adagio gasped in fake exasperation.
"Oh my gosh, Aria Blaze was actually worried about someone other than herself? Shocker." She said mockingly while sporting a playful grin. Aria elbowed her.
"Shut up. You know I care about you guys. I'm just...not that great at showing it." She chuckled. Adagio lied herelf down over Aria's forelegs and looked up at her.
"Yeah, I know." She giggled, leaning up and licking Aria's chin. "I know under that hard shell is a sweet caring soul." Aria rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, whatever." She grumbled with a smirk.
Aria swam up to the pile of seashells and stopped in front of them. She reached out a hoof and caressed one of them. She closed her eyes and sighed before deciding to move on. But she didn't get far before something else caught her eye. She looked to her right when something glinted in the dim cave. It glimmered, and Aria swam towards it. There appeared to be something buried in the sand. With her muzzle, she nosed aside the sand until what was underneath came into full view. It was two golden necklaces with heart-shaped pendants. Aria gasped as heart began thudding in her chest, and she had to look away from the two ornate pieces of jewelry.
A pre-adolescent Aria quickly swam into the cave. Dangling from her mouth were two shiny, golden things. She looked around until she saw a little blue siren rolling around in the sand out of boredom. Aria smiled and swam over to her.
"Hey, Sonata!" Aria called, getting the blue siren's attention. Sonata stopped rolling and sat straight up, looking at the purple siren.
"Oh, hey, Ari. Whatcha got there?" She asked, noticing the glimmering thing in Aria's jaws. This caused Aria to smile wider, and she took one of the things and put it around her own neck. Sonata then realized that they were necklaces. Aria then took the other one and held it out for Sonata to see. It was a beautiful golden necklace with a heart-shaped pendant. She looked at the one around Aria's neck and realized it was exactly the same. Sonata looked at it questioningly before looking at Aria. "What's that for?" She asked. Aria rolled her eyes with a giggle.
"It's for you, silly!" Sonata's eyes widened as she looked back to the necklace. She smiled a bit.
"Where'd you get it?" She asked. Aria shrugged.
"Eh, I found them in a box I found on a sunken ship." Aria then looked at Sonata and smiled, slipping the piece of jewelry around her neck. "I thought it would be perfect for you and me to have something to signify our bond. So, why not have matching necklaces?" Sonata smiled, then suddenly frowned a bit.
"But...what about Adagio? Did you get one for her, too?" She asked. Aria chuckled and shook her head.
"Silly siren. Of course not. She doesn't have what we have." Aria put a hoof to Sonata's pendant. "And as long as you wear this, you'll always be my best and closest friend. And nothing will ever change that." Aria said, sincerity dripping from her voice. Sonata smiled wide and threw her forelegs around Aria's neck.
"Oh, thank you, Ari! I love it! You're the best friend a siren could have! And we'll be best friends forever, right?!" She asked. Aria smiled and closed her eyes, hugging her friend back.
"I promise. Nothing will tear us apart..." She whispered into Sonata's ear, holding her close.
Aria's eyes began to water. We were so close then... She closed her eyes and sighed. She stayed still for a bit. She then remembered why she came here, and she let that push the memories out of her head. She looked to the deeper part of the cave and yawned. She needed rest. She swam through the rather deep cave until she came to the very back. She lied herself down with a heavy sigh, but before she lay down to sleep, she noticed something on the cave wall. She couldn't see in that well in the dim light of the cave, and curiosity got the better of her. With a groan, she got up and lethargically propelled herself to the cave wall. She leaned close to it and squinted her eyes to try and see what the hell it was. Immediately, her eyes widened. There were several little things that looked like drawing on the cave wall. She just couldn't get a break.
Young Aria swam into the cave boredly. She looked around lazily until she saw a rather strange sight. Sonata was doing something strange with the wall, and was humming a little tune to herself. Eyebrow raised, Aria swam over to her curiously. She stopped behind Sonata so that she could get a better view of what she was doing. She had a strangely-shaped rock in her mouth, and she was moving it around on the cave wall, creating lines and shapes.
"Sonata...what in Tartarus' name are you doing?" Sonata stopped humming and looked at Aria in surprise.
"Oh, hey, Ari." She said, though it was a bit hard to understand with a rock in her mouth. Sonata looked back to the cave wall. "And, to answer your question, I'm drawing." She stated simply before going back to the activity. Aria blinked and looked at the other drawings she'd made previously. One showed three small sea creatures playing together, presumably the three sirens. Aria smiled a bit.
"Hey, guys, what're you up to?" A voice suddenly said. The two turned around and saw the little golden siren looking at them curiously. If you couldn't tell, sirens were very curious creatures. Kinda like cats. Sonata smiled.
"Oh, hey, Dagi! I'm making drawings!" She said, turning around to continue the one she was on.
"Oh, cool!" She said, swimming up to get a closer look. As Aria and Adagio were examining the other drawings, Sonata backed away from the wall.
"Done!" She yelped happily. The other two sirens turned their heads to view her latest creation. But it wasn't that exciting. It was the outline of one of Sonata's hooves. Aria raised an eyebrow.
"It took you that long just to do that?" Sonata pouted.
"Hey, it's hard to draw around your hoof using just your mouth! That's why unicorns are so lucky." Aria rolled her eyes. Adagio, however, was fascinated by the simple outline. She put one of her hooves out.
"Sonata, can you do mine, too?" She asked eagerly. Sonata smiled brightly.
"Sure, Dagi!" She said. "Just hold your hoof against the wall." Adagio did so, and in less time than it took for Sonata's, the blue siren was done. "Wow, it's much easier to do someone else's!" She said. Sonata then looked at Aria. "Hey, Ari, how 'bout you?" She asked. Aria shook her head.
"Oh, come on, Aria." Adagio pleaded. "If we get all our hooves up there, then when we're older, we can look back and remember how close we were. That way, we'll never part!" Aria rolled her eyes at Adagio's dumb logic and sighed.
"If I do this, will you leave me alone?" She asked. Adagio and Sonata both nodded rapidly. Aria sighed again. "Fine." She said, putting a hoof to the wall next to the other two. In less than a minute, Aria's hoof outline was among the other two, and the three sirens looked at them. Adagio swam up to them and placed her hoof over them with a smile.
"Sirens stick together no matter what. Forever." Sonata swam up and placed her hoof next to Adagio's.
"No matter what. Forever." She repeated, smiling brightly. The two then looked at Aria expectantly. The purple siren rolled her eyes, but she knew they were right. All the three of them had were each other, and nothing would change their kinship or their bond. Not even the end of time. Aria sighed and slowly swam up to the wall. She placed her hoof next to Adagio's where her own hoof outline was, and smiled a bit.
"Sirens stick together. No matter what. Forever." She said.
"Together...no matter what...forever..." Aria whispered, placing her hoof over the three tiny outlines. She looked at the size difference. Her hoof was now about five times the size of the outline. Aria huffed. "We've been together since we were that little?" She asked to no one in particular. "Wow...I never even remembered my childhood. It was so many hundreds of years ago..." She squeezed her eyes shut and placed her forehead against the cool stone wall, all of the memories flooding into her head at once, filling her heart with emotion after emotion. She gritted her teeth, and she felt tears start coming out, though they weren't noticeable in the water. She squeezed her eyes shut tighter, and she began to sob. "My god, what've I done?!" She cried. "Sonata, I'm so sorry!" She pulled her hoof from the wall and let herself sink to the sandy floor of the cave. When she landed, she huddled herself in a ball and continued sobbing. Right then and there, Aria wanted to disappear from the world, never to be seen again. How could she face anyone now...?
Eventually, the poor siren cried herself to sleep, and her head was invaded with dreams. Dreams of her past. Dreams of the three of them together, when it seemed like nothing bad could ever happened. When they were young and innocent. Nothing but three friends together in a lonely world, where no one accepted them but each other. But, honestly...that was all they ever needed.
She just needed to realize that.
I really hate how this chapter came out... :/ Oh, well. Hopefully, you guys liked it more than me.
