As the evening rolled on, the three sisters swam as fast as their fins would let them, taking themselves to their beloved home. They passed many wonders along the way, from brightly coloured corals to enormous underwater crevices as deep as the most grand of terrestrial canyons. But eventually, they came upon their destination, and smiled widely once it came within view. It was, for all intents and purposes, a city, but one forged not from stone and mortar, but from the natural formations of rock at the bottom of the sea. There were mighty spires, rising high above the seabed in spiral formations, not unlike some elaborate crustacean's shell. The city spread as far as the eye could see, and was aglow with the many bio-luminescent plants that grew there naturally, bathing the place in a calming light-blue hue. At the centre of this place was the sister's own home, a spire taller than any other, adorned with many beautiful jewels that had been collected from the farthest reaches of their domain.

Swimming faster, they approached the imposing structure, looking down below at the many others of their kind that swam about the place. Other Sirens, both male and female, swimming about, either alone or in groups, and just going about their day. It was worth noting, however, that many of those other Sirens were collecting in a particular area of the city, an open space on one of it's edges, as if awaiting something special. All three of the sisters glanced at each other, knowing why they were there, and silently agreed that it would be for the best if they got to where they needed to be. Adagio swam ahead of Sonata and Aria, looking around as they entered an open area at the top of their spire. When she saw that the coast was clear, she signalled the other two with her hoof, who promptly followed her inside. Once within the structure, the three breathed a collective sigh of relief as they saw that nopony was here to greet them. Aria was the first to speak.

"You know, for a moment, I was worried that we'd find..."

But she was interrupted by the sudden sound of somepony clearing their throat. All three of the sisters stopped what they were doing immediately, and nervously glanced at one another. They knew what that sound meant. It was the sound made by one who merely wanted to gain somepony's attention. Their faces reflected their sense of nervousness as they all slowly turned in unison. Once turned, they looked upon the one they all knew would be there. It was another Siren, a female, but far larger than the three of them, leaning against the wall they'd just passed to enter this place. Unlike them, she was coloured a bright white, save for her eyes, which were the same pink shade as Adagio. Upon her head was a shining golden crown, adorned with three beautiful red gemstones. Her expression was one of calm and serenity, though all three of the sisters knew that there was disappointment beneath that visage. As she looked upon them, they all swam into a formation, with Adagio at the centre and her sisters flanking her on either side. They bowed their heads in a respectful manner before all speaking at once.

"Good evening, Mother."

The older Siren swam slowly towards them, regarding them carefully before lifting a single hoof, giving them permission to lift their heads. They waited patiently as she seemed to be deep in thought over something, considering how best to speak to them perhaps. Eventually, she broke the silence and spoke to all three at once.

"My daughters...while I am always willing to allow your little diversions, I trust you realise that it would not look good for the Queen of the Sirens to have her brood appear late for a night like tonight?"

The sisters all nodded together, but remained silent as their Mother carried on.

"As Princesses, you know you have responsibilities to uphold? You know that you must serve as an example to the rest of our people, understood?"

Another nod from the three young Sirens, and it was here that their Mother fell silent for a short while. A few minutes passed them by as they all waited for her to make the next move. But, eventually, it came, as the Queen approached them and placed a hoof gently underneath Adagio's chin, causing the latter to look up at her nervously. But, instead of looking upset or disappointed, the Queen looked upon her eldest with a small smile.

"One day, when you become a parent, you'll understand that these kinds of talks will be had often."

One look into her Mother's eyes made it clear that she bore none of the anger she and her sisters had feared, and that did much to relieve the tension of the moment. The three sisters returned their Mother's smile, and even Sonata broke the formation, approaching her Mother and nuzzling her affectionately. The Queen embraced her youngest in a brief hug before parting from her, instead turning to the window the three had entered from.

"Now then, if you three are properly prepared, the Festival of Song is awaiting it's three key players."

In stark contrast to the silence of Adagio and Sonata, Aria let out a groan of annoyance upon hearing her Mother's words. Adagio shot her a look that showed her clear disapproval with her sister's behaviour, but it was their Mother that spoke to her.

"Aria, it is tradition that you and your sisters participate in this. I did not enjoy public performances when I was your age either, but I did it anyway, just like my Mother, and her Mother before her."

Aria took a few moments before letting out a sigh and a nod, silently letting her Mother know that she was willing to go along with this, for her sake if nothing else. It was a gesture the Queen couldn't help but smile at.

"Thank you. You'll do well, all of you. You have practiced well and now it's time for the Kingdom to hear you."

The three nodded at her after hearing that, even Aria, despite her earlier reservations. They watched as their Mother swam past them and towards the door leading out of the room. After a brief gesture with her hoof, the Queen watched as her daughters began to follow her, and the family made their way down the vast and spiralling corridors that led to the base of their spire. All the way down, they were greeted by the many armour-clad Sirens which served as their guards, a reaction that caused no end of amusement for the young sisters. Eventually, the four of them found their way outside, where the Queen then led them to the open space their people had been gathering in earlier. They were flanked by those same guards from the tower, and those few Siren citizens that had yet to join the proceedings all bowed in respect as these royals made their way down the street.

Eventually, they reached their destination, and a solitary male Siren at the open space cleared his throat before addressing the gathered crowd.

"Announcing the arrival of Queen Pacifica, and her daughters, the Princesses Adagio, Aria and Sonata!"

All who had gathered there rose in unison and bowed deeply as the royal family swam upwards and above them. The four looked down below at those many Sirens who had gathered here to watch them, with the sisters occasionally glancing back at each other, smiling at just how much they enjoyed being viewed in this manner. Soon enough, the Queen and her daughters reached the end of the gathering place, and all fell silent as the citizens assumed their normal stance. Queen Pacifica surveyed the crowd, watching as they awaited her words with baited breath. She cast a glance down to her daughters, where Adagio looked up at her and gave a nod, a silent confirmation that the three of them were ready for what their Mother had planned for them. Returning the nod, Pacifica resumed looking at the crowd before taking a deep and calming breath. It was something not lost on Adagio, as it always came as something of a relief to her that even one as pristine and larger-than-life as their Mother could have moments of weakness like this. Though she remained silent as she finally spoke up.

"My people! Today we gather for our most holy of days! The Festival of Song! For it is with songs, back in the ancient days of our people, that we first came together and began our civilization! We became a great people, the rulers of the sea, and found a peace that none of this world have ever known!"

There were general murmurs of agreement at the Queen's declaration, as well as a few proud smiles and nods throughout. However, none dared speak up at their monarch continued.

"And so it is on this day, the anniversary of our nation's birth, that we come together to sing the old songs. Those cherished musics that so blessed our race. And thus, in keeping with our ancient traditions, the future leaders of our people..."

In this moment, the Queen raised a hoof, and pointed towards her three daughters, all of whom had been floating perfectly still there during all this.

"...my daughters, and your Princesses, shall begin the great song."

Pacifica, now having finished her speech for the people, began to slowly inch herself away from Adagio, Aria and Sonata. To say that the three of them felt nervous would have been a great understatement, as they all looked at each other as if they'd just been told to spill their deepest darkest secrets to the world. Adagio looked to her side, where she saw her Mother give her a smile and an encouraging nod. Adagio returned the smile before looking back at the expectant crowd. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she concentrated hard before opening her mouth and starting to sing. It was a low melody at first, but soon enough she was joined by Sonata and Aria, and together their voices filled the water around them with the most beautiful of sounds. They sang in perfect harmony with one another, much to the joy of all who listened to them. With every passing moment, their confidence grew, and they sang louder and louder, their voices carrying across the entire city. Enthralled by their Princesses' voices, the gathered populace began to join in, and soon the whole place was filled with a harmonic orchestra of voices the likes of which no surface folk had ever known.

And at the centre of it all were the three sisters, who were now smiling upon the realisation of just how good they sounded together, as their voices could be heard even above the collective sounds of the rest of their people. It was a soothing, almost hypnotic sound, the kinds of tune that only came from those truly blessed with beautiful voices. At the height of this collective song, the three sisters sang a high pitch perfectly, much to the amazement of the crowds around them. Their Mother looked on with great pride in her eyes as her daughters came down from this high place, opening their eyes at long last. The sisters looked on as they began to receive wave after wave of cheers and praise from the crowds. It was an immense sensation, as Adagio, Aria and Sonata all had wide smiles, loving every single happy word that was being thrown at them. So enchanted with the adoration they were being given, the sisters did not even notice their Mother approaching them from behind. But they noticed afterwards, when Pacifica gently placed a hoof upon Adagio's shoulder.

The eldest sister turned and looked up at her Mother, who practically had tears of joy in her eyes. As Adagio and her siblings smiled back at her, they heard the one piece of praise they had truly wanted on this day. That of their Mother.

"Well done."