Her back still hurt from where the after-wave of the tsunami had thrown her onto the cave wall, but she didn't care. Adagio merely sat and endured it, looking down over the edge of what had once been her home, the mighty spire at the centre of the Siren city. Now, a broken husk of what it once was. Her people were destroyed, and only she and her sisters remained. She was the eldest, and as such it was her responsibility to look after them. But how? How do you look after your family when everything and everyone you knew was gone? Where would they go and how would they live from this point onwards? Adagio wracked her brain, trying hard to find the answers. But every time she tried to think of something, her mind wandered to that one memory. That terrible image of her Mother, lifeless and cold, that was now burned into her for the rest of her life.

Her tears had been exhausted long ago, or else she'd have still been weeping at this point. Instead, she simply looked solemnly at her hooves, where she carried a single object. The great golden crown, bearing the red jewels she'd known since childhood. The crown of the rightful ruler of the Sirens. It was all she had left of her Mother, save for her memories. And besides that, it was hers. As the eldest, she now succeeded Pacifica as Queen of the Sirens. But what was she Queen of? Her sisters and a ruined city? Was that to be her kingdom? Her legacy? Harshness crossed her face as those thought crossed her mind, but she softened considerably as she began to sense and approaching figure. Gently, Adagio placed her Mother's crown beside her, turning her head and watching as Aria approached her. As her eyes drifted downwards, Adagio noted that her sister's hooves, despite the presence of water all around them, were encrusted with dirt. Sadness filled her eyes as she looked up at her.

"Did you find a good place for her?"

Aria nodded gravely.

"Yes...up on the hill, where that coral grows."

Adagio nodded in response, forcing a small smile.

"Mother always loved that spot."

As Aria watched her sister turn away from her, she hesitated for a moment to speak, but nevertheless did so after a few false starts.

"You...you could have helped."

Adagio shut her eyes tightly, her voice practically catching in her throat.

"I...I couldn't look at her anymore, sister."

Aria could feel the pain in Adagio's voice, and thought better than to carry on with this. Instead, she simple swam over and sat next to her, looking out upon the ruins of their once-proud city. Silence hung between the two sisters for a long while, until eventually that silence was broken by Adagio, who looked around a bit as she did so.

"Sonata...?"

She didn't finish her words, but Aria already knew what she wanted to say, and simply nodded before speaking up again.

"Still crying. She wanted to be by herself for a while."

Adagio nodded. She knew Sonata well, and thus knew that this was not something that was going to go away for her for a very long time, far more so than either her or Aria. Not that they were doing much better though. This was a pain unlike anything anypony had known, the loss of not only family, but their entire lives. And as such, Adagio found herself once more mentally pacing up and down on the same spot, trying to figure out what to do. She had to look out for her sisters, that much was clear. Even if it had not been her Mother's dying wish, she would have done it. Letting out a deep sigh, Adagio finally caught Aria's attention, and the middle sister looked at her elder sibling with worry. She regarded Adagio for some time, knowing instinctively what she must have had going through her mind. She raised a hoof and gently placed it upon her shoulder.

"Adagio..it'll...you know...be alright."

The elder sister looked at her with both sadness and anger in her expression.

"How, Aria?! Our home is gone! Our people are gone! There's just the three of us! I...I don't know what to do!"

Aria looked away slightly, worried that she might have made things worse.

"I'm sorry, I just...I'm sorry."

Adagio's expression softened considerably after seeing her like this. She hadn't meant to snap like that, it just came out that way. The stress of all this had gotten to her, and the last thing she needed right now was for it to cause any kind of rift with her sisters. They were all she had now. Well, them, as well as all of Siren history and memory to carry around. One more burden to bear, she thought to herself. However, as she dwelt on that thought, the Kingdom she came from, her mind wandered to the past, to the memories of the old stories her Mother had told her. Tales of how their nation was founded, and how their people first came together. They were old memories, blurred by the passing of years, but even so, there were lingering images that now tugged at her mind, urging her to find out more. So, picking up the crown once more, she began to swim away from her spot. Aria looked on with some concern before following her.

It took some time, but the two of them eventually found themselves amidst yet more ruins of their city. It was a wall stretching around the outermost Northern edge of the place, crumbling and cracked like everything else. But unlike the rest, this was adorned with many images. Carvings, meant to record the history of their race. Being underwater, they naturally lacked the means to produce paper chronicles like the surface races, so they often had to make do with either oral history or murals like these. Aria looked upon them, at the images of Sirens and historic events, with more than a little confusion upon her face. She turned and looked at Adagio, who was enraptured by these old stories. Thinking for a moment, Aria finally spoke up.

"Adagio? What are we supposed to be looking for here?"

The elder sister kept her eyes on the wall as she gave her answer.

"It's...an old story. One that...there!"

Aria watched as Adagio raised a hoof and pointed towards a particular section of the wall. There was a carving of many Sirens, gathered and looking upwards. Above them were what appeared to be three jewels, glowing brightly. Aria looked upon the image for some time, wondering what Adagio was so interested in it for. But then, understanding began to dawn in her mind, as she turned to the crown in Adagio's hooves before looking back at the mural.

"Those jewels...the crown?"

Adagio nodded as she finally looked at her sister, a small smile upon her face.

"Yes. In the ancient days of our people, these gemstones, the hearts of the ocean, were what brought out kin together for the first time. They had a power, a kind of magic that held sway over people. What kind of power, I don't know. But I do know that it's unlikely that magic has been lost completely. We just need to find a way of using it."

Aria gained a look of concern.

"Adagio...are you sure about this? Even if we do somehow get this power you’re talking about, what could we do with it?"

Determination is now what covered Adagio's face as she regarded her sibling.

"I will not let this ruin be the resting place of the Siren Kingdom, Aria. We were a great people, and we will be again. I don't know what power these gemstones have, but if it helps us regain the kind of glory our race once had, it'll be worth it."

Aria knew that whenever Adagio talked like this, she meant every word of it. So, she looked on as she turned away from her and back towards the wall, studying it carefully to no doubt try and find some means of awakening whatever magic their Mother's crown possessed. Aria simply didn't know what to make of all this. While she shared her sister's wish to do something to regain what they'd lost, there was something in the pit of her stomach after hearing about all this. Some sense of foreboding. She couldn't place it, but it worried her a great deal. Still, she took solace in the knowledge that her sister always had their best interests in mind, and as such let out a sigh before placing a hoof upon Adagio's shoulder. The elder sister turned to her and gave a warm smile, which Aria returned. After which, Aria began to swim away, intent on finding Sonata and seeing how she was getting on. And all the while, Adagio kept on staring at the wall, determined to learn as much as she could.

"I am the Queen of the Sirens now. And I swear...our kind will know greatness again."