It had been a long day, but at last, the night had come. There were many bio-luminescent fish swimming around the central spire of the Siren city, and that, coupled with the natural blue glow of the place, gave an almost otherworldly look to it. It was a calming and soothing sight, and for Adagio, it was just what she needed after everything she and her sisters had been through today. With her hooves resting upon the edge of the main window of her room, she smiled as she surveyed her Mother's domain. One day, this place would be hers, just as it had been her Mother's. As the eldest of her sisters, it was her destiny to one day reign as Queen of the Sirens, and her people would look up to her as they had done with Pacifica these many years. It was a daunting prospect to say the least, and Adagio sighed as she hoped deep down that she could live up to her Mother's example.

However, she was disturbed from that thought by the sound of giggling coming from behind her. Turning, she smiled as she saw that it was Sonata, who was swimming fast in circles above her bed. Though in truth, the "bed" was actually just a collection of soft sea plants they slept upon at night, rather than the artificial structures made by the land races. Even so, that did little to deter Sonata from her happy display, even though the nearby Aria showed a look of mild annoyance at her sibling's behaviour. Adagio however merely chuckled as she began to move away from the window and towards Sonata. And it was only once she came within a few feet of her that the youngest of the sisters finally spoke up.

"Tonight was so much fun! I had no idea we could sing so well! Everypony loved us, and did you see the look on Mother's face?"

Adagio smiled with more than a little pride in her eyes before nodding to her sister.

"Yes...it was good."

Sonata smiled widely at that before, to Adagio's shock, she leapt forward and finally managed to catch her older sister in a tight hug. Although initially taken aback by this, Adagio nevertheless chucked at that, as did Aria, who found the whole display quite amusing. However, the three were interrupted from this little get-together by the sound of their bedroom door squeaking open. As they turned, their eyes widened with surprise as they saw that it was their Mother, Queen Pacifica. Instinctively, they all began to swim into their usual formation of greeting, but were stopped from doing so by the Queen, who raised a solitary hoof. They all stopped in their tracks and watched as their Mother spoke up, all while she bore a kind smile upon her face.

"You sang beautifully tonight, my daughters. The Gods truly blessed me when that granted me your birth."

The sisters all smiled at each other, happy in the knowledge that their Mother was pleased with what they'd done tonight. They carried on listening as she kept on speaking.

"And now all the kingdom knows just how special you are. Savour that moment, my children. Remember and embrace that adoration. That feeling of being loved by others, that is something special."

Adagio smiled at that thought. She knew their people had always liked her and her sisters, but to be there in front of them, showered by their adoration, knowing that she had done something that astounded them, it was a feeling unlike anything she'd ever known. In that moment, Adagio would have given much to experience it again. Turning her head, she saw the smiling yet thoughtful looks of her sisters, and knew in her heart that they felt the same as her in this matter. Looking back to her Mother, Adagio began to approach her and spoke softly.

"We were proud to have done this for you, Mother. Not matter what you ask of us, we will do our best to make you happy."

These words brought a smile to the Queen's face, as she now approached her eldest, raising a hoof and stroking her fin-mane as she looked down at her in an affectionate manner. The feel of her Mother's hoof was comforting to Adagio, almost to the point of making her feel younger again. However, there were clearly others there who felt that in a more literal sense, as Sonata now spoke up in her usual childish tone.

"Mother? Could you tell us a story before we go to sleep?"

Aria slapped a hoof to her face after hearing her sister's words, and in truth, Adagio wasn't that far behind her. However, rather than simply turning her daughter's request down, Pacifica merely chuckled before approaching Sonata and placing her hoof upon her shoulder, looking at her with a warm smile.

"Of course, Sonata. In fact, I have just the tale to tell."

Sonata squealed with joy over hearing that, at which point she leapt towards her bed, making sure she was comfortably nestled amongst the soft plants before eagerly awaiting what her Mother had to say. Adagio and Aria both glanced at each other and chuckled at their sister's innocent behaviour, shortly before following suit and making their way to their own beds. Once all three were comfortable, the Queen regarded each one in turn before clearing her throat a little. And it was here that she finally began to speak, in that serene and motherly tone they all knew so well from her.

"Once upon a time, many years ago, there was a young Siren who loved to play and explore the furthest reaches of her people's land..."

Adagio smiled as a feeling of nostalgia washed over her. This was a story their Mother had told them many times when they were younger, and while she personally considered herself too old for such things nowadays, there was still a sense of comfort in revisiting such familiar tales. So, she simply carried on listening as her Mother continued.

"One day, she ventured so far that she came upon the coastline, the place where land and the ocean met. There, she met a handsome stallion. These two could not have been more different, and yet, despite that, they eventually fell in love. And from that love, the Siren was blessed with three beautiful daughters."

It was after finishing those few words that Pacifica moved closer to Sonata, nuzzling her affectionately and causing the latter to giggle a little. It was a heart-warming sight, but it did not last long as the Queen soon carried on telling her story.

"Though the Siren loved the stallion deeply, she bore a heavy burden, and one day parted ways with him because of it. They continued to love each other, even knowing they would most likely never see each other again. But even so, the Siren would always be reminded of him because of the gift he gave her; the children that would serve as a bright light on even her darkest days."

Even though it was a story she had heard many times in the past, there was always something about it that made Adagio feel strange. She always suspected that her Mother was trying to tell them something in this tale, and the fact that there were three daughters in it had not escaped her notice. It was something that had led to many questions in the young Siren's mind, but something had always kept her from asking her Mother outright about it. Maybe it was fear or perhaps something else, but regardless, something was keeping her from making this anything more than a story to her. As such, she remained silent as she watched her Mother lean forward and give Sonata a quick kiss upon her forehead, prompting a big smile from the latter. Pacifica hovered over to Aria and did the same, which Aria smiled at even though she, like Adagio, felt that she was too old for it. Then she finally came to Adagio, and after she'd received her kiss, Pacifica whispered something to her.

"I know you'll always make me proud, my little Princess."

It was a childish nickname, but even so, Adagio couldn't help but smile affectionately towards the Queen after hearing it. Pacifica, once again happy with her daughters, hovered over to the door of their bedroom before giving them one final glance. The three sisters all smiled at her before she finally closed the door behind her. Now, with their Mother gone, the sisters finally began to try and get some sleep. As they'd all agreed, it had been a long day and they were eager to get some rest. Adagio's thoughts, naturally, turned back to her singing, and the way it had caused so many to look at her with love in their eyes. But above all else, she'd made her Mother proud of her, and that was a feeling she was adamant that she'd hold onto for the rest of her life. As such, she began to drift off into a peaceful sleep with a look of calm and contentment. However, this was a short-lived experience as Adagio was, quite literally, shaken from her rest. Opening her eyes, she looked to see that it was Sonata that had woken her. Frowning, the eldest sister addressed her younger sibling.

"Sonata?! What do you want?!"

The blue Siren smiled at her before speaking up.

"I got this great idea! What if we go to the coast?"

Adagio looked at her as if she'd just said the most ridiculous thing imaginable.

"What?! Go to the...ugh! Even if I was inclined to, why would you want to go there?"

Sonata pointed to their window and kept on smiling as she gave Adagio her answer.

"Because it'd be great! We've never been there before and I'll bet there's so many things to see!"

Adagio rubbed her temples with her hooves in an annoyed manner before noticing that Aria was also awake, glaring angrily at Sonata whilst also waiting for Adagio to give her response. Eventually, the eldest sister gave it.

"Sonata...it's the middle of the night! Can't this wait until morning?"

Sonata shook her head at that.

"Nope! It's gotta be tonight! Today's been so great and doing this will just make it perfect!"

Adagio did her best to try and wrap her head around that logic, but knew from past experience that trying to think like Sonata was more than likely to just give her a headache. Looking at her, it was clear that Sonata was set on doing this, and one look at Aria confirmed that she too felt this. Both of them knew that Sonata was the kind to never let up until they'd gone ahead and done this, which meant a bad night's sleep for both of them if they just tried ignoring her. Adagio didn't want to go, but for the sake of her sanity, she was willing to do just about anything. As such, she simply gave her sister a short, but clearly annoyed, nod. This lead to Sonata squealing with joy yet again and embracing Adagio in a hug. Adagio, however, merely groaned in annoyance.

When she finally parted from Sonata, she got out of bed, as did a very irritated-looking Aria, and the three of them made their way to the window. Adagio looked out of it, making sure that they weren't going to be spotted leaving the palace at this time of night. When she was convinced that they had a clear shot, she nodded to her sisters before the three of them started swimming fast out of the spire. They kept a careful watch to ensure they weren't seen, and eventually managed to get to the edges of the city without incident. Although none of them had ever been near land before, they'd known from their Mother's teachings where the nearest one was, and began heading in that direction. Adagio couldn't help but look annoyed at being led out here like this, but after Sonata saw her like that, she simply giggled.

"Don't worry, Dagi. I promise you we won't regret this!"