Aquaphobia - a short story

Is everyone comfortable?

Are you ready for a story?

If so, let me begin with a tale of a young colt, with a rather ironic fear...

Another beautiful summer's day had hit the Gold Coast.

The day was a usual as it could be - as soon as 10:00am hit, there were already scenes of young ponies playing and splashing in the water gave smiles to the mums and dads watching. The rides where in top condition, which gave pride to on-coming thrill seekers. Not a single cloud could be seen in the sky for miles and miles... and it was right the right temperature for a dip in the cave of waves.

Two ponies - one young mare, the other a colt - were seen at the edge of the deep end, near a wall that had a waterproof painting of a rather creepy cave. These two ponies had a rather obvious secret - not only where they brother and sister, but they each owned both Dreamworld and WhiteWater world.

The older one of the two - Ribbon dream - had a spiky red mane with a bright yellow outline, She also was covered with a pristine blue coat. She wore a bow tie that matched her hair and her cutie mark was a more simplified logo of what theme park she owned. The younger one - Ribbon splash - was similar, except his colours scheme resembled that of a green coal reef. And that he didn't have a cutie mark yet. And that he had a clamshell wrapped around his neck like a necklace.

The thing is, most of the local ponies know this - even the ones that don't - and they're treated like everybody else. In fact - saying that they were treated like celebrities is an overstatement (or even a lie) as no one gives them any attention - except for a single hello.

"Are you sure it won't be too cold?" Ribbon dream smirked at her younger brother in an almost sarcastic nature.

"Nah. I'll assure you that it'll be fine" That younger brother replied, throwing back a generic smile and dipping his hoof in the icy water. It brought small chills down his spine.

Dream looked at her brother, before turning her head to the deep waters, and asked her brother "have you heard about this 'dark, nightmare coral' that currently lives at the bottom of the deep end?"

"Nope. Never heard of it. And besides, I would've found out and exterminated it ages ago"

"But it snuck in last night..." Ribbon dream gave a slow cold, evil smile at Ribbon splash, giving a sense of suspense.

Splash's heart skipped a little when seeing his sister's scary face, but he soon gave a sarcastically bored look at his sister before blurting out "Don't care. Because I won't be the one taking a dip. You will"

They both paused, causing a rather strange silence between them.

Dream suddenly broke that silence by giggling. "But you made a promise that you would go first!" She tried to gasp for air, containing her hysterical laughter in.

"No I didn't, you did!" Ribbon splash protested.

"But I clearly remember you saying 'I'll be the first one to go in, the youngest goes first'"

"No it's - you're right."

Splash paused for a second, waiting for his sister's response.

"...I should go first."

Ribbon dream took a deep breath, finally calming down from her laughter. "It's ok. I can go first if you want..." She soon smiled at her brother, before dipping her hoof into the water.

Her facial expression changed, her hairs were standing on end and her pupils shrunk. Her whole body was shivering. Dream looked more shocked than that time she rode on the 'Buzz-saw' for the first time. Some things will never be forgotten.

"OH, BY CELESTA'S WINGS IT'S COLD!!!!!" She hollered, falling back onto the concrete with a thud. Ribbon splash soon went into a fit of laughter himself, thinking that his sister's chilly demise was funny.

"I can't believe you did that!" Splash began rolling on the ground with laughter, containing his hysterics in gasps.

And then as soon as the caught a good breath, he rolled into the freezing water by accident.

Ribbon dream got up - her body was still in shock - and she realised that her brother was gone. "Ribbon splash... where are you?..." Her voice was nothing more than bare muffling, her lips began quivering.

"Come on, Splash, this isn't funny anymore. Where are you?!" Tears began rising from the corners of her eyes, she wanted to know where her brother was.

She soon turned to see him struggling in the water. She stared in horror, only realising the situation.

Ribbon splash was drowning.

"Oh crap!!" Ribbon dream gasped, covering her mouth with her hooves, only just realising that she was cursing a little there. In a fit of panic, she rushed to find a lifeguard and a lifesaver, not realising the horror that her brother was going through...

...

"Calm down. You can get yourself out of this." Splash attempted to calmed himself down, knowing that staying still, not struggling and waiting for help was a good way to survive.

But he needed air. Now.

So ribbon splash ditched the idea and struggled to swim to the surface, trying to reach for air. He was sure he would go into panic.

"Just keep swimming, just keep swimming..."

The more Splash tried to swim to the surface, the more air he was losing. The force in his lungs was getting weaker.

"Just keep swimming, just keep swimming..."

He couldn't breathe. The world around him was darkening. The water was pulling him down. He was sure he going to die.

Ribbon splash was still under water, unable to get to the surface.

And then a mysterious, black, slimy thing, wrapped around his left leg.

Splash looked down in horror to see black seaweed-like things were trying to grab him and pull him down into the darkness bellow. "Just when things can get any worse." Ribbon splash thought "my sister was right. There was a mysterious, nightmare coral under the deep end..."

"And now I'm going to die..."

His heart began to race, as darkness pulled him down. He began flailing his arms in panic. trying to grab hold of his sister. But the more he struggled, the tighter the black, slimy thing wrapped around his leg. His pupils were dilated in fear, his tears were trying to seep out. The fur behind his back began to stand on end, and he tried to breathe... but he couldn't.

Ribbon's surroundings were getting darker and darker. And it wasn't long before everything was almost pitch black. He couldn't see anything.

"Sister, where are you?..." Ribbon splash tried to speak, but water got inside. He panicked again.

"Sister, where are you!?" He raised his voice, despite the water rushing into his lungs.

"SISTER!!" He screamed. But no one could hear him, as the darkness got a hold of his body and wrapped around his neck. He was dying quickly.

Dying...

Dying...

"SISTER!" He cried. The world around him soon... Disappeared.

Splash was dead. His body soon was covered by black, never to be seen again.

"Where are you!!??..."

The waters echoed eerily.

"Where... Are... You..."

...

Ribbon dream woke up to the sound of hyperventilated crying. The sun was shining right outside their windows.

The bedroom was long, having four windows in the same room that gave way to the colourful theme park. The colour scheme was more simple - gumtree green walls with cream white corners. The beds they were sleeping in were dark green with patterns of light pinks and purples and blues and... nearly every colour of the rainbow you could think of. The walls the beds were leaning against hanged posters and pictures of Dreamworld's historic past and of the times they've had with their friends.

Ribbon dream got up and turned to the right to see her brother up on his bed with tears flowing down his face, hugging the blanket that covered him.

"What's wrong?" Ribbon asked, her throat dry and needing moisture.

Ribbon splash turned to his sister - not giving too much eye contact - and spoke weakly "I - I... I drowned... and you didn't save me..." More tears were soon evoked.

Dream got out of her bed. The air was fresh and cold, despite the sun being warm and forgiving for the coldness. She soon hopped onto her brother's bed and sat next to him.

"So... you had a nightmare about your fear of swimming, huh?" She asked, knowing of his fears and how they would impact his dreams was obvious, but she was still curious.

Ribbon splash nodded slowly.

His sister soon wrapped her right around her brother.

"Can you tell me about that dream you had?"

Splash slowly began his story, trying to hold back tears from the thought of being dragged down by black nightmarish things.

By the time he was done, he was crying on his sister's shoulder and Dream was wrapping both of her arms around her brother.

"It's ok, they're all gone now..." Ribbon dream cooed, stroking her younger brother's back like a relaxed cat and slowly swaying side by side - just like their mother used to do.

"Shhhh... Everything will be ok..."

The two soon embraced a few minutes silence together.

Just them, themselves, and they.