Carmino

Pea could tell that Dew was uncomfortable, even Oza seemed irritable as he studied the map. Dew munched on an apple nervously. She was talking with Pea, more mumbling than actual conversation. Pea looked into the campfire's center. Faint memories of two ponies very close to her swam through her head, she glanced at Dew. The red mare seem equally distraught. Pea took a deep breath and shifted her weight as she lay down next to the welcoming fire.

"Hey Dew?" she sighed.

"...y-yeah?" Dew replied.

"Do you like stories?" Pea asked whimsically.  Dew crinkled her nose at the thought, she ate the rest of her apple while she thought.

"I suppose," she placed a hoof to her chin,"...w-what kind of stories?"

Oza craned his neck around the campfire,"Story Pea! Tell real scary one!"

Pea smiled as Dew looked nervously between the two. Pea stood to her hooves as Oza scooted closer to the other member of the audience. Pea paced as she thought about which story to tell, since she had so many dwelling in her mind. She decided to pick one of her favorites...the first love story she heard. Pea turned to her audience with bright eyes and a smile.

"Okay...here it goes, its not to long;

"Once in a distant land, there lived a pony with red hooves. His parents didn't think anything of it, since his father had a brown coat while his mother's was red. The child's cutie mark was also strange, unlike other ponies who earn it later in life, he was born with his. It was a caramel apple with a bite out it. Other than that he lived a rather normal, dull childhood. Its not that nopony disliked him...he just had an unsettling feeling about him. The land he lived in was dry, dull and nearly dead. He spent most of his time playing at the shore and sometimes just gazing out at the sea. His favorite place was a cove hidden by hanging vines and rocks.

One spring morning as he gazed at the sea's sunrise in his little cave he saw something splash in and out of the mysterious water. The shape swam closer to the cove. The only way out was where the shape was coming from so he did his best to hide. He leaped behind some rocks before the thing surfaced. He heard tales of nasty, horrible creatures that lived in the deep...maybe this was one of them?

He heard the water splash softly as, whatever it was was, slid out of the water. He expected it to sniff the air for him or growl at him, but all he heard was a sigh...he inched his head over the mossy rock to get a peek. To his surprise he saw a hippocampus, or a seapony. And she was beautiful...her orange-yellow skin blazed with an brilliance in the sun's rising light. She nestled into the cove's sandy floor and waved her flowing tail slowly-"

Dew interrupted," Pea?"

Pea rolled her eyes," Yes, Dew? What is it?"

"Its a lovely story...but weren't you supposed to tell...," she paused, almost afraid to ask,"...a...um...scary one?"

"Give it time Dew...jeez!," Pea said," Now where was I...oh thats right;"

"The red hoofed pony was smitten by the elegant seapony. He leaned over the rock to get a closer look, her lips were open slightly as she began to fall asleep. The red hoofed pony gazed at her beauty, like the sunrises and sun sets he always looked forward to but she was so much more than that. He was so absorbed, he didn't notice himself slipping off the rock and falling loudly into a puddle of sea water. The seapony launched off from her spot in the sand and into the water. As quickly as she arrived...she had vanished into the sea. Our hero sat silent, not sure if he just woke up from a dream or actually saw her. He decided to wait for her.

Every day he went to the cove, one or twice he thought he caught a glimpse of her. The tide grew in and out, ships plowed by, seasons changed and a year or more passed. His mind was starting to grow sick from all of the waiting. As he arrived to the same spot one spring morning, his waiting was over. She seemed even more beautiful than ever. She didn't notice as his heart ached from not knowing what to do. He didn't wan't to frighten her again, but couldn't bear to keep his eyes off of her. He his behind another rock and sat. His heart was beating fast and his stomach churned, what should he do? He slumped into the sand and lay limply on his belly. He didn't know if she was even still there or not, but he almost jumped over the rock when she began to sing.

He felt like he was melting as he listened to the angelic voice. Her operatic tones echoed smoothly in the little cove. He was lost in the heavenly melody, so much so that he couldn't help but cry. Suddenly the beautiful sound stopped. He felt water drip on his back and a sweet voice said above him," Oh, goodness...are you alright?" His body froze.

He tried to speak but nothing came out. She patted of of her finned hooves on his back," Say," the seapony cooed," you're not a hippocampus...what are you doing by the ocean?"

"I-I...love to look at the sea, its so beautiful," said the red hoofed pony. He finally loosened up enough to speak.

"The ocean?" the seapony asked," You may like it, but I find the land to be much more exciting!"

Pea looked at her audience who was asleep. Oza and Dew were huddled comfortably next to the campfire. Pea wanted to keep telling the story even though no one was listening. Instead her mind trailed to her parents. Their faces hadn't crossed her mind in quite some time, but letting a story out beside a fire among friends made her remember them. Paco Gravel wasn't really from anywhere he just could fit in. He had been a wanderer in many lands before he met Pea's mother Nina.

Pea remembered sitting between her parents as she and her mother listened to Paco paint pictures with his words. Some of those moments were blurred, others were vibrantly detailed. She wondered how it all ended...then she remembered. She took a shaky breath and slinked over to her friends. Pea tried to wipe images of the past away from her mind and drifted into a fit full sleep.