Divide and conquer. An age-old saying that, regardless of where one is, still has weight. And so it was that this was the means by which Queen Adagio and her sisters began their plan to make a new Kingdom for themselves. Through the power of their voices and their magic, they could nurture the seeds of distrust and malice in the hearts of ponies, letting it fester until it finally sprouted into full-blown rivalry with those they considered friends and allies. The ponies, powerless to resist the allure of their songs, was entranced by this rage that now consumed them, fighting amongst themselves and shattering any semblance of harmony or unity amongst them. And it was into this chaos that the Sirens became strong. For through their gemstones, the infighting of the ponies gave them power greater than they had ever thought possible, strengthening their voices and their magic, thus enabling them to spread their song across even greater distances. Needless to say, it was a cycle that left very little room for failure on their part.

Many months had passed since that fateful day when they had made this vow, and so it was that, in the centre of a major coastal city, they made their temporary residence. Smiling to herself, Adagio felt greatly pleased by the progress she and her sisters had made for themselves. Even more so, considering what new talents this dark power had afforded them. For in stark contrast to their oceanic beginnings, the Sirens no longer swam. They flew. Bathed in the red glow of her gemstone, Adagio soared high above the city, looking down at what were now her subjects. Their strife and discord had allowed this to happen, to have her fly high above the petty concerns of those beneath. She was, in her mind, a veritable goddess amongst mortals. She smiled at that thought, almost as much as she did to the sound of arguing and fighting down below. They may have ruled here, but the Sirens were not foolish enough to want to stop the chaos that lived in their domain. It was, after all, the means by which they fed.

Swooping down from the sky, Adagio hovered above one of the many streets, watching with glee as she saw unicorns, earth ponies and pegasi all bickering amongst themselves. The matters they fought over might have been petty and, in another time, might have resolved themselves. But here, with the Sirens power over them, resentment was all they felt, and with every harsh word, every blow of a hoof, they produced more and more of the magic Adagio needed. Grinning widely, Adagio closed her eyes and felt the magic be drawn to her amulet, wherein the ancient gem drank it deeply. A feeling of strength and rejuvenation washed over her with this absorption and she opened her eyes, which now bore a distinct red glow to reflect her newfound power. It was here that she departed from her subjects, flying instead to find her sisters, though it didn’t take her long to find them. For Aria and Sonata were found where they usually were, in what was once the abode of the city's Mayor. Now, their personal palace.

Adagio, having entered the building through the window, smiled as she looked upon her sisters. Sonata was doing what she usually did at this time of day, lying on an ornate couch, surrounded by young and good-looking stallions, all of whom had that feint green glow in their eyes to show that they were under the influence of her magic. They were showering the younger sister with many compliments and shouts of adoration, not to mention offering many plates of confectionaries, which was a combination Sonata showed nothing less than joy over. Aria, on the other hoof, was on the other side of the room, lying belly-down on a similar couch with a pair of similarly-enchanted mares giving her a full and expertly-done back massage, prompting no end of relaxed moans from her. Adagio shook her head at the sight of those two, but could not fault them. After all, this was what they planned, to gain a new Kingdom of their own, to be adored and to have ponykind grovelling and obeying their every whim. So, she thought, why interrupt their fun?

Making her way down from the window, Adagio began to hover towards a large golden chair engraved with symbols of not only the Sirens, but of the sea in general, seashells and the like. It pleased her to see this, given how long it had taken her thralls to construct it for her. A proper throne for a proper Queen, she thought privately. Sitting upon it, the red glow around her finally dropped and she allowed herself to relax a little, letting out a sigh as she did so. It was only after letting out that noise that Sonata looked up from her adoring crowd to see that Adagio had returned, after which she let out a smile. Now covered in her own red glow, Sonata lifted herself up from her couth and hovered away from it, much to the disappointment of the fans she'd collected. Adagio watched as her younger sister approached, looking just as happy and content as she was on the day of the Festival of Song. It was a happy sight for the elder sister, and one that caused her to smile just before Sonata spoke up.

"Isn't this great, Dagi? It's like we're Princesses again!"

Adagio's expression grew somewhat stern after hearing that, but she nevertheless kept smiling as she spoke.

"We were always Princesses, Sonata. Well, a Queen in my case these days. The only difference is that these little ponies now know it."

Sonata looked over to where Adagio was looking, at the main door of their chamber, which led out onto the streets beyond. There, they looked on as pony after pony kept on fighting one another and shouting over every little problem they had. It was a sight that Adagio couldn't help but chuckle at.

"They fight each other instead of us. Their bickering brings us power, and our power gives us control."

She glanced over at Sonata and gently placed a hoof upon her sister's shoulder, catching her attention.

"I promise you, Sonata, we will want for nothing. We will be loved and treated like the royalty we are. We will not be left in the cold and the dark again."

Sonata looked at her elder sister, at the fierce determination upon her face, and returned it with an affectionate smile. Before Adagio could stop her, Sonata leapt forward, wrapping her hooves around her neck and embracing her in a hug. Although taken aback at first, Adagio soon sighed and smiled before returning the hug. It was a warm feeling for her, to know that her decision had allowed her sisters and her to gain some semblance of their old lives again, even if it did mean making such huge changes to themselves to do so. But it was all worth it, at least to her. They had lost everything once, and now their power had given them everything she'd hoped it would give them. A new people to reign over. A place to call their own. The obedience and adoration of all around them. Had it not been for the fact that they were above the water instead of beneath it, she'd almost have assumed that nothing had changed at all. With that comforting thought it her head, Adagio and Sonata parted, still smiling at each other before sharing a giggle. And it was here that Aria finally spoke up.

"Ugh. What time is it?"

Adagio and Sonata looked over to the middle sister, seeing the groggy look on her face as she looked up for the first time since her massage began. It was clear that she'd enjoyed the experience so much that it had put her to sleep, and as such, the other two sisters couldn't help but giggle together at the sight of her like this, much to Aria's chagrin. The latter waved her masseuses away before stretching a bit, with a slight shiver going down her spine as she did so. After letting out a yawn, she finally regarded her other sisters, Adagio especially, with a smirk on her face as she rested her head on her hoof.

"So...how goes the Kingdom?"

The elder sister chuckled a bit before replying.

"It goes well. We’ve brought every city on the coast under our power. Our magic is so strong now that even the cities miles away from us are still fighting amongst themselves. And with that fighting, the power just keeps flowing. Soon, I daresay we'll have enough strength to risk expanding further inland."

Aria's smirk widened after hearing that, but Sonata looked at Adagio with a less certain look on her eyes.

"You sure that'll be a good thing, Dagi? It'll be so weird to be so far away from the water."

Adagio looked at her little sister and gave a reassuring smile before gently placing her hoof upon her shoulder.

"It'll be fine, Sonata. As long as we're together, nothing can stop us."

Sonata considered that for a little while before returning Adagio's smile, much to the relief of the latter. The last thing she wanted at this point was for her siblings to get unduly worried about all this. She glanced at the two of them, as confident as ever that their ultimate goal would succeed. But then, without warning, they all began to feel something. Their gemstones glistened brightly and they began to feel that now-familiar sensation of hunger. It was a feeling that only came to them in the presence of strong magic. The kind of magic that could give their own power a serious boost. They looked at each other, showing their shared surprise at feeling this, as they were certain that they'd taken all the power this city had to offer. Then it struck them; a newcomer must have been approaching the settlement. Somepony strong. They all smiled and gave each other a nod before concentrating, allowing their magic to engulf them in that bright red glow.

With their power now in use, the sisters floated above the ground and flew forward, right out of the door of their home and up into the sky. Now that they were here, far above everypony else, they had a much better view to see where this new feeling was coming from. They scoured the edges of the city, trying to spot anything or anypony out of the ordinary. At first, they couldn't see anything that really caught their eye, but eventually, Sonata let out an excited squeak, prompting the other two sisters to look towards her. With a big smile on her face, Sonata was pointing towards something far away, leading to Adagio and Aria trying to see what she was looking at. After a while of them squinting, Adagio finally saw what Sonata had seen. It was unmistakeably a pony, all alone, and slowly walking down a dirt path towards the city. Even from this distance, the Sirens could see that he was clothed, clad in some sort of blue attire. Regardless, Adagio knew what needed to be done, as shown by the smirk on her face.

"Well, sisters...let us greet this new arrival. After all, there's no reason we can't be civil with our supper."

Aria and Sonata both chuckled darkly before joining their sister, as they now all flew in unison towards their new target.