As The Waves Laugh And Sing

by Starlight Shadow

Rating: everyone
Tags: Slice of Life
Length: 984

A casual swim, from the viewpoint of a seapony named Sea Star.

To a passerby, it looks like a seapony swimming, and they'll treat the sight with a smile, knowing how much seaponies enjoy the water.

But to Sea Star, it is true enlightenment.

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2014-04-30 21:30:09 UTC

And As The Sun Flashes Its Last Rays Over The Horizon

I glance to my left and my right; nopony. I smile victoriously. An evening alone to swim. My body aches for the feel of the water against it, and I can no longer ignore the sea's call.

I walk in until the sea is tickling my stomach. I laugh as I see my front hooves; broken and distorted as the water ripples all around me. Walking in further until I'm up to my neck, I can feel my back legs transforming into a fish's tail, my cutie mark disappearing. Then my swim will truly begin.

The tingling sensation that had crawled up my legs and flanks stopped. I know without looking that a silvery blue fish's tail has taken my back legs' place.

The waves are calling, beckoning for me to rush toward them, to let them toss me up, the sun's rays reflecting off my tail and turning a lucky few water droplets into gemstones. I answer them, diving below the water's surface.

I briefly enter a new dimension, with shafts of sunlight poking through the sea's roof, like the trees in a forest. With a flick of my tail I go deeper, needing that much more depth for a good leap. I can't stop, another tail flick bringing me closer to the surface, going faster, and then I'm in the air, catching a glimpse of the pier of the coast of Manehattan. A few ponies are still walking on it, looking out at the sea.

I go back under, a wave pushing me back towards the shore. The waves are the gatekeepers to the deeper, more magical parts of the sea, pushing back less skilled swimmers.

I could plunge right past them if I so chose. I could take the rocky, strife-filled way home.

But I don't feel like it, and I instead go under, entering once more the dimension of water-filled forests and fish. Sea plants are scattered over the sea floor, waving up at me. The fish mostly ignore me, off to do whatever fish do.

I increase my speed as I prepare for another leap above the surface. Leaps and tricks are so much fun; the waves are at your mercy, yet you have to know and trust the waves as well. It's an endless push and pull that pumps adrenaline through my veins and feels like a drug in the sense of the euphoric happiness it brings me.

My yellow horn pierces the surface as I leap, the sudden feeling of air instead of water on my fur chilling me slightly. I hear an excited "Look!" from somepony over on the pier. A mother and child, perhaps.

Another leap and it's head over tail; I hear another excited gasp from the pier. I feel a slight pang of sadness. I am the only seapony in the Manehattan area, and sometimes I get rather lonely.

Taking a moment to relax, I glance at the pier. It is indeed, a mother and a child watching me swim; two unicorns. I swim up to the pier, looking up at the little filly. She looks down at me in awe, not sure what to make of a pony with a fish tail. I look at her mother, who has a hoof gently resting on the filly's back. "Can she swim?" I ask. "Because I could take her for a swim if it's alright with you."

The mother's eyes open wide with concern and uncertainty. "Oh, please, can I swim with the seapony, Mom?! Please, please, please?!" The filly begs, jumping up and down.

The mother bites her lip and stares at the smoother wood below her hooves. Eventually she carefully lowers her filly onto my back with her telekinesis, and puts a protection spell on her. "Just keep her safe."

I nod and swim a few feet away from the pier, leaping no more than a few inches. The filly seems to like it, as she squeals and screams in glee. Another glance over at the pier reveals the mother about to have a heart attack, so I bring her back over. Her mother picks her up a little too quickly for her to have completely trusted me, and gives me a nod of thanks. The filly thanks me, too. I smile and wave to them, then dive below the water. Maybe I'll give them a little show.

Another few leaps, tossing water droplets from my tail up toward the last rays of sun. A seapony's tail is like a pegasus' wings, or a unicorn's horn, or an earth pony's hooves. If it were to be taken away, I would be less than nothing.

I can hear the mother and daughter gasping excitedly with each new trick. Their glee, the sea's laughter as I play with its waters, is my drug, like a changeling's love.

The moon is peeking over the horizon now, the circle of white that stained the sea at night starting to take shape. The water starts to get colder around nighttime, so this is when I normally go home. But I think I have an hour or two left to go before it really starts to freeze.

The sun is singing its last farewells as I wave to it below the water, the last few feeble rays kissing the sea floor before disappearing entirely. The moon rays will soon be replacing them, cold slashes instead of warm streamers of light.

A few more figure-eights and the warmth is pretty much gone. I shiver and go above the surface for the final time, swimming towards home. I live in a small cave that's nigh-impossible to get to unless you've got a tail like mine.

As the waves laugh and sing, and as the moon begins to shine in the sky, I leap for the last time tonight.