Aqueous Pony: Aria Blazeby dragon-breathChaptersChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Author's NoteChapter 4Chapter 1Names meaning in music Aria’ Mother: Allegretto Blaze—Light, graceful and moderately fast in tempo Aria Blaze—an elaborate song for a solo voice Sonata Dusk: music of a particular form consisting of four movements. Each movement differs in tempo, rhythm and melody, but is held together by subject and style. Adagio Dazzle: A tempo having slow movement, restful, at ease Do You Know what it feels like to be unwanted; to have everyone fear you and you in turn fear them? Do you not know why I became who I am today? Does anypony care about my story, about what I have to say? The world is a cold cruel place and if you don’t learn how to play by its rules or overcome those rules you die. Such was the outcome for my kind. All of them gone, except for us 3, Adagio, Sonata, and I, Aria; the last Aqueous Ponies, or Water Ponies as we were sometimes called. My story began long before I was even born, when Aqueous Ponies were plentiful, when we and other ponies actually got along and lived peacefully together in the land of Equestria. The Aqueous Pony originates from the water, more specifically the ocean; as our name implies. With the front of a pony and hind of a sea serpent as well as a pair of delicate butterfly wings, we looked quite odd to the Land Ponies. We always knew they existed, but they didn’t always know that we existed. We used to watch them from afar, until one night when there was a terrible storm. A fishing boat full of Fisherponies was struck with lightening. The lifeboats were small and the large wild waves threatened to overturn them. A group of Aqueous Ponies swam into action. They guided the lifeboats to safety, one of each side of the boat to keep it upright. The Land Ponies were very grateful and a friendship was made. Water Ponies differ from land ponies in many ways besides appearance. Music is in our blood. All Water Ponies have a special unique singing voice. Our voices are so enchanting that we can even use it to manipulate weak minded ponies. Most of our kind had a bit of arrogance. They sought out love and attention. All wanted to be recognized for our special talents, that eventually, overtime, drove some mad in their quest for adoration and power. A group of Aqueous Ponies were finding ways to make their sweet songs stronger, to the point that they could control ponies’ attention for longer periods of time. There were no Alicorns then, No Princess to protect them. Earth ponies especially, were practically defenseless against our melodies. Pegasi weren’t much better, but the unicorns were different. They found ways to elude us. Of course not all Aqueous Ponies were bad. There were plenty that Disapproved of their brethren taking control of ponies. Ponies eventually didn’t care if we were good or bad; in their minds now, we were all bad and our species had to be controlled. Once the slaying began most good Water Ponies turned on the ponies. They had believed Power hungry Water ponies needed to be stopped, but killing them, especially with no trial was wrong. It angered my kind and an all-out war started. By the end, there was only a small population left of us, maybe about 100. I was born several years after the war. Chapter 2The Night was Stormy and dark, except for the sparks of lightening flashing across the sky. The ocean was in constant turmoil, the wild waves lapping up at the sea caves where a pregnant Aqueous Pony lay, sprawled out across the cold stone floor, breathing heavily with pain with light ocean spray hitting her back. The mares name was Allegretto Blaze and she was preparing to give birth.[hr WARNING Below Text Holds Sexual Terms and Some Description of Giving Birth Please Skip to Next Section labeled in Red if This Makes You Uncomfortable Tears welled in the corner of her eyes. There was no medication to ease her pain, No doctor or nurse to guide the foal out of the birth canal and make sure the birth went smoothly; No warm hospital bed for her to lie in. she struggled to push herself upright. She moved slowly to get to a dryer area of the cave, her tail swishing back and forth. She felt a sharp pain as her contractions sped up and her water broke. She barely made it to the back of the cave, before blood began to drip from her vagina. Sweat already covered her body and she wasn’t even through the worst of it yet. The birth canal began to dilate and grow in width. She collapsed with a sharp inhale and attempted to push the foal out. The pain was overwhelming. She trembled and felt it difficult to push. She gritted her teeth. It was hard to concentrate on the task at hand with intense pain. With a frustrated cry, she squeezed her eyes shut and focused all her energy into her pelvic region. Start Here Push, she internally screamed. Slowly the contractions started becoming more frequent. Time seemed to pass by slowly. Finally, after an agonizing hour, the foal was out. Allegretto lay there exhausted, almost forgetting she had just given birth until she heard a small whimper. Turning slowly, she reached out with her hooves and gently picked up the small newborn Aqueous Pony. The foal’s eyes were closed. It was female with a light purple body, with a darker purple tail with green fins and small patch of mane, a mixture of blue-green and purple in color. The mare held her newborn daughter to her chest to provide her warmth in this chilly cave. The newborn whimpered again, as she tried to snuggle deeper into her mother for warmth. With nothing to keep her child warm, but her own body heat, Allegretto curled up as tight as she could around the cold foal and spread her wings out onto block any cold breeze and to try and contain the heat in one area. She nuzzled her daughter gently as the warmth made the foal sleepy and the newborn let out a big yarn and moved a hoof to her mouth to suckle as she slept. The new mother smiled and gave a yawn as well, and as she laid her head down to sleep as well. she decided to name her daughter Aria. Being a single mother was hard for any female, but it is even harder when Pony’s want your species gone and because of that, you have to necessities and no way of getting help. All Aqueous pony towns were pretty much destroyed, so there were no communities of water ponies living together, a least to her knowledge. The water pones that were left had been separated from each other. If her species didn’t die out from being hunted, they would die out from not being able to breed and reproduce. Allegretto wanted what was best for her child, but wasn’t completely certain she could provide everything that was needed on her own. The first year was difficult. She couldn’t leave very often or be out for very long to hunt fish and gather edible grasses and seaweeds. She could only go down the rocks below the cave to gather plats. There were no opportunities for fishing and with no adequate protein her body could barely produce enough milk for her little Aria. There were times when her daughter would try to suckle her nipple for milk and there would be none. With no formula, her mother didn’t have anything else to feed her. Allegretto resorted to using her voice. She had sworn to never use it to manipulate any living creature, for that’s what made ponies hate them in the first place. But now, it might be the only option to obtain enough nutrients for lactation production for Aria. It’s easy to manipulate a small animal with a simple sweet song. It was practically child’s play. She had to be careful not to draw attention to herself with animals coming and going. Using a group was out of the question. Only 1 or 2, perhaps even 3 individuals would have to be enough. She was able to sit at the mouth of the cave, with Aria wrapped by her tail dozing lightly, and sang softly. The tune had no words, just a simple pleasant melody. It was the middle of the night, the only light coming from the moon and stars. Who was it that raised the moon now? She couldn’t quite remember. It wasn’t long till a small seal took to her song. He bobbed around in the water listening to the song for a few minutes before diving down into the ocean to start catching fish. Aria yawned and rolled onto her back and smiled up at her mother with her right hoof in her mouth. The foal made gurgling sounds, trying to copy the sounds her mother was making, without much success. It did make her mother smile at her attempt however. At the end of an hour or so, there lay a small pile of fish atop a flattish rock. The song stopped and the seal disappeared. Allegretto turned and picked up aria and put her at the back of the cave, and then hurried back to the mouth of the cave to get the fish before Aria could follow her out. Aria whined in protest as she was put down and her mother ran away from her. The mare pushed up of the rock floor and glided swiftly out of the cave and down to the rock where the neat pile of fish sat. Quickly scooping up the fish in her arms she turned back to the cave. Aria had finally managed to crawl to the entrance and let out a neigh when she didn’t see her mother right away. Allegretto flapped her wings and rose of the ground and flew the short distance back. Aria let out a squeal of excitement as she found her mother. As soon as she had landed her daughter grabbed her tail and clung to it, afraid her mother would leave her again. She hushed her child before she could cry and adjusted the fish to on arm and stroked her daughter’s mane soothingly. The foal buried her face into her mother’s fins and whimpered lightly. The mare set the fish tidily by the wall of the cave and lifted Aria up and nuzzled her lovingly. The small aqueous pony perked up and nuzzled her mother back. The nutrients from the fish almost instantly helped the lactation start up again. Aria fed greedily and started to gradually put on more weight. The system worked great. At the beginning of each week, she would sing to the seal to gather fish. The fish would last for 2-3 days. It was easy to keep Aria entertained. Simple games and activities would keep the foal busy. After a few more years Aria started to become more curious about the outside world. She wasn’t aloud out of the cave and couldn’t understand why. Her mother said it was dangerous, but she couldn’t ever find any danger in sight. There was only the rocks, lining the cliff that held their cave and wide open ocean with sky. She hadn’t even been in the ocean before. The only water she had experienced was the rain and the small crook that ran through the cave during the rainy season. When her daughter had turned 3, Allegretto decided it was time to explain to her why the outside world was dangerous. Aria listened to her mother inventively while she explained why she wasn’t allowed outside. “Long ago our kind was plentiful and happy. Life was good. Food was readily available and there were friendships between us and the land pony. There are 3 kinds of land ponies, Earth Ponies, who grew food on the land, Unicorns with a single horn protruding from their forehead and gifted in magic. Then there were the Pegasi, ponies with wings who controlled the sky and its weather. We all lived in harmony with one another. There was a small group of Aqueous Ponies that wanted more. They wanted power and ponies to adore them. They used their voice to take advantage of the ponies. They tried to twist the ponies minds to love them above all else. They did this so fast and secretly that we had no time to even respond to the problem and arrest those mad water ponies. By the time we got involved, it was too late. Already, ponies were beginning to turn against us. They slaughtered those power hungry Aqueous Ponies. Their action upset many of our kind. That small group was supposed to be taken by us, put on trial and then punished. Those ponies never gave them a trial. They got nothing. Friends and family of those Aqueous Ponies became outraged and lashed out at the ponies that had harmed their loved ones. Everything turned into a mess. Things got worse and a war started. The ponies won that fight, making the small amount of our kind go into hiding. If one ventures out too far and is seen then they were killed on the spot. Every time I leave this cave I run the risk of being caught.” Aria’s eyes were wide. “But isn’t killing and hurting each other wrong?” Allegretto nodded. “Yes, but anger clouded their judgment. Maybe one day we can make amends, but it will take time.” Aria never asked about going outside again and would grow worried whenever her mother left. What if she never came back? Chapter 3It was a clear cold night and the moon was full. The ocean was calm and shone silver from the moonlight. A small fishing vessel sat quietly, rocking back and forth in the water. A large net hung over the side. Unaware of the net, fish would swim straight into it and entangle themselves worse as they thrashed around for freedom. Allegretto swam near the sandy bottom and maneuvered around the net slowly and carefully. The boat sat in the direct path of home, where her daughter waited for her. There had been no time to change course and go around. The boat hadn’t been there before, as she neared the area. She had stopped when it suddenly came into sight and stopped almost right above her. The nets were dropped and she stayed still, watching where the net landed. Her heart raced. For all the years she had stayed in that cave, she had never seen a boat out in these waters. She tried to move away from the net. She dropped the fish and plants she had gathered and hunted. She had to get back to Aria. The food would slow her down, not to mention make it difficult to move around the net. Aria poked her small muzzle around the corner of her home’s entrance. She was frightened. She had never seen a boat before, but her mother had talked about them. A boat was bad news. It meant land ponies were here. She gave a quiet whimper. Her mother was still out there. She didn’t dare call out to her mother. It would alert the ponies on the boat. As much as she wanted to scream for her mother she held back. It would be their doom if she did. Instead, she bit down on her hoof to keep quiet. Her eyes widened as she saw large nets being thrown overboard. She bit her hoof harder and looked away. What if she got caught in that net? She squeezed her eyes shut and tears welled in the corners of her eyes. She was so afraid, so worried. Her body trembled lightly and she curled up into a tight ball. All she could do was wait, wait and hope. She hid her head under her wing and sniffled, trying to stifle the tears. Her heart raced in her chest and her breathing was abnormally heavy. She bolted upright as she heard excited yells. Startled, she hesitantly looked around the corner. A net had been hoisted up and was bountiful with fish. She gave a large sigh of relief, which was short lived however, when she heard more shouts, but these shouts were more angry than excited and there was thrashing in the water and one of the nets twisted and turned. Her heart leapt into her throat and she covered her muzzle with both hooves and added her tail to keep quiet. There was absolutely nothing she could do. She could only watch on in horror as the body of her mother was hauled up out of the water, entangled in the net and fighting to free herself. “Use your voice” she breathed behind her hooves and tail. She didn’t hear any singing. Why wasn’t she singing? Her voice was the only thing she knew her mother had to defend herself. So why wasn’t she using it. Was her mouth being forcefully shut by the net? No. Her mother let out a scream of pain. She wanted to look away, but she was frozen in place. She couldn’t take her eyes off the awful scene in front of her. It was horrible. She watched as the ponies beat her mother and she did nothing to fight back, except struggle in their grasp. “Sing” pleaded “Aria in her mind. “Use your voice she begged silently. All hope slipped away as her mother’s body became limp and the crew cheered. She couldn’t be… she couldn’t be, could she? Her heart practically stopped as a deep pain washed over her in a tidal wave. Was her mother dead? Had that crew of ponies really just killed her mother? Her eyesight was blinded by tears, but she was able to make out the body of her mother being thrown overboard and sink almost instantly. A cloth sail was lifted onto the ships mast and the boat sailed away with aid of the wind. As the boat became smaller she was finally able to advert her eyes and look away. She burst into tears and sobbed loudly. She laid her head in her arms and cried. “Why?” she wailed, “…Please come back to me… Allegretto’s weak body hit the somewhat shallow ocean floor. Her breath was weak and uneven. Blood rose from her multiple wounds and dyed the surrounding water red and pink. The salt water burnt the open wounds. Searing pain was everywhere. She knew it was her time to give in and lie down and die. Her daughter crossed her weak mind. No! She had to get back. She couldn’t leave this world without saying goodbye to Aria. Using all the strength she had left, she stood up on her two hooves, her back half floated lightly and she began to walk across the sandy bottom. She focused on putting one hoof in front of the other. Her breathing was raspy and short. She could feel her heartbeat. It pounded in her ears. There were several times she almost collapsed. Her knees shook and threatened to give out. Blood still seeped out of her wounds and she was glad there were no sharks in this area. The amount of blood polluting the water was enough to draw a large group of sharks. She flicked her tail and began to swim to the surface. She struggled to pull herself up onto a rock. She rested for a moment. She could lightly hear Aria’s sobbing. It was barely audible and no one would have noticed it over the crashing of the waves among the rocks, if they hadn’t been listening for it. Spreading her wings and shaking the extra water off, she readied herself for flight. Her wings flapped, but her body did not rise. She hadn’t any energy left. She was completely drained. Her life was barely holding on by a thread. With sheer will alone she flapped harder and against all odds slowly rose into the air. Holding her head high she flew to the entrance of the cave where she collapsed, startling Aria out of her crying fit. Aria practically jumped out of her own skin when she heard a loud thud. She quickly uncurled herself and leapt to attention. Seeing her mother, she shouted with joy and dashed to her side and threw her forelegs around her mother’s neck. She buried her face into her shoulder and wept slightly. “I didn’t think you were coming back.” Allegretto sighed lightly and did her best to wrap an arm around her daughter and nuzzle her. “Not before saying goodbye.” That caught Aria’s attention right away. Goodbye? Why would she be saying goodbye. The little filly pulled away. “Why would you say that?” It was then that she truly noticed how badly her mother’s body was and how weak and lifeless she looked. Her eyes were practically colorless and blood coated the mare’s coat. Aria gasped. No! Her mother was dying. She had only come back to say her final farewell. Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks. “No! You’ll make it! You have to!” Allegretto smiled weakly. “You must be strong Aria. I want you to promise me something.” “Anything” cried Aria. “Forgive those ponies. It’s not their fault. They did what they did out of fear and anger, for the way our kind as hurt them.” “No! You were defenseless. Why didn’t you sing? Why didn’t you fight back?” “Aria please, listen to me. Our voice is what made the ponies distrust us in the first place. I vowed to never use it against them. I wouldn’t become what they feared. Forgive and forget.” “No!” “Please, Aria, promise me.” “But…” “Don’t let anger and hate overwhelm you like it did the ponies. Be better than them. Forgive them for they did not forgive us. This is my last request.” I…. I promise. I promise to forgive them.” “That’s my good girl. Stay out of sight and stay safe. I’m sorry I couldn’t stay with you longer.” Rolling onto her stomach from her side she crawled to the ledge and looked back at the filly one last time. “Goodbye Aria. I love you.” She leaned forward and began to slip off the ledge. Aria watched with wide eyes, her lip quivering and looked away sadly when she heard the crash below. Tears continued to drip from her eyes. She dropped her head and starred at the ground blankly. What was she supposed to do now? She was only 5 years old. Why did this world have to be so cruel? What had she done to deserve this or her mother? The emotional pain was overwhelming. Closing her eyes and curling up once again she began o drift off to a dreamless sleep. She was exhausted. The fear, worry, sadness and tears had tired her out. Her eyes were too heavy to keep open any longer. Sleep overtook her. Author's NoteHello all! This story is far from perfect and is more of a draft. I'd like to start out with some basic info. The species of the Sirens is Aqueous Pony also known as Water Pony Some basic physiology Aqueous Ponies can breathe both under and above water and can live on land if a good water source is nearby. They can also live in both salt and fresh water, as long as time is given to adapt. Aqueous Ponies give birth to their young on land if they can. Foals are born unable to breath underwater and cannot swim straight away. Their gills develop over the next week and by week 2 they are able to begin to swim. If land/rock/reef is unavailable they will give birth in water, but must hold infants head above water. Foals are born tail first, in case they are being born in water and can breathe. Their wings can be used for flight, though it is more commonly used to propel oneself though the water. Their diet consists of algae (seaweed), small fish and other sea food such as shellfish. They however do not eat crab, lobster, octopus or squid. Author's Note I'd also like to note that I am a scientific person and scientific terms will be used. I will label any paragraphs with a red WARNING if they contain terms or descriptions that may make you uncomfortable. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED Chapter 4A deep depression set in. for several days I could neither eat nor drink. I lay there in a heap and drifted between the realm of sleep and the world of reality. I hardly moved. The only movements made were small adjustments into different laying positions. My eyes were red and sore from so much crying. Finally I made myself move. I was weak and had lost some weight from not eating. I had to eat and drink something if I wanted to survive. I would not leave the cave. I couldn’t I’d never left before and the memory of my mother’s death was still fresh in my mind. I was able to coax a seagull off of a cliff with a soft sweet hum. I struggled to keep a hold of the gull. This was my first time. He’d fly down to a rock uncovered by low tide and covered in seaweed and then turn back around to go back to his resting perch. And then once halfway back to his perch, he’d turn around again to complete the task I had given him. It was several long hours before I finally received the sea grass from the bird. I panted for a few minutes, trying to catch my breath. That had taken a lot of energy, a lot more than I had expected. My mother had made it look so easy. That last though brought on fresh tears. I wiped them away with a hoof. I wouldn’t let myself cry over it anymore. That is all I’ve been doing. I was tired of lying around crying. It was time to get back to life. As much as it pained me, I had to move on. It’s what she would want. I n ever saw that boat again, or any other boat for that matter. No pony had returned and after being cooped up in this cave for 5 more years I dared to venture out, if only for a short while. I wanted to get my own food. It made me feel weak that I had to sing to a bird or perhaps a seal every time I needed food. I should be able to do things for myself. Author's Note Well That's all I have for now. This chapter isn't finished. This is just what I have written for it so far. any comments would be much appreciated.
Chapter 1Names meaning in music Aria’ Mother: Allegretto Blaze—Light, graceful and moderately fast in tempo Aria Blaze—an elaborate song for a solo voice Sonata Dusk: music of a particular form consisting of four movements. Each movement differs in tempo, rhythm and melody, but is held together by subject and style. Adagio Dazzle: A tempo having slow movement, restful, at ease Do You Know what it feels like to be unwanted; to have everyone fear you and you in turn fear them? Do you not know why I became who I am today? Does anypony care about my story, about what I have to say? The world is a cold cruel place and if you don’t learn how to play by its rules or overcome those rules you die. Such was the outcome for my kind. All of them gone, except for us 3, Adagio, Sonata, and I, Aria; the last Aqueous Ponies, or Water Ponies as we were sometimes called. My story began long before I was even born, when Aqueous Ponies were plentiful, when we and other ponies actually got along and lived peacefully together in the land of Equestria. The Aqueous Pony originates from the water, more specifically the ocean; as our name implies. With the front of a pony and hind of a sea serpent as well as a pair of delicate butterfly wings, we looked quite odd to the Land Ponies. We always knew they existed, but they didn’t always know that we existed. We used to watch them from afar, until one night when there was a terrible storm. A fishing boat full of Fisherponies was struck with lightening. The lifeboats were small and the large wild waves threatened to overturn them. A group of Aqueous Ponies swam into action. They guided the lifeboats to safety, one of each side of the boat to keep it upright. The Land Ponies were very grateful and a friendship was made. Water Ponies differ from land ponies in many ways besides appearance. Music is in our blood. All Water Ponies have a special unique singing voice. Our voices are so enchanting that we can even use it to manipulate weak minded ponies. Most of our kind had a bit of arrogance. They sought out love and attention. All wanted to be recognized for our special talents, that eventually, overtime, drove some mad in their quest for adoration and power. A group of Aqueous Ponies were finding ways to make their sweet songs stronger, to the point that they could control ponies’ attention for longer periods of time. There were no Alicorns then, No Princess to protect them. Earth ponies especially, were practically defenseless against our melodies. Pegasi weren’t much better, but the unicorns were different. They found ways to elude us. Of course not all Aqueous Ponies were bad. There were plenty that Disapproved of their brethren taking control of ponies. Ponies eventually didn’t care if we were good or bad; in their minds now, we were all bad and our species had to be controlled. Once the slaying began most good Water Ponies turned on the ponies. They had believed Power hungry Water ponies needed to be stopped, but killing them, especially with no trial was wrong. It angered my kind and an all-out war started. By the end, there was only a small population left of us, maybe about 100. I was born several years after the war.
Chapter 2The Night was Stormy and dark, except for the sparks of lightening flashing across the sky. The ocean was in constant turmoil, the wild waves lapping up at the sea caves where a pregnant Aqueous Pony lay, sprawled out across the cold stone floor, breathing heavily with pain with light ocean spray hitting her back. The mares name was Allegretto Blaze and she was preparing to give birth.[hr WARNING Below Text Holds Sexual Terms and Some Description of Giving Birth Please Skip to Next Section labeled in Red if This Makes You Uncomfortable Tears welled in the corner of her eyes. There was no medication to ease her pain, No doctor or nurse to guide the foal out of the birth canal and make sure the birth went smoothly; No warm hospital bed for her to lie in. she struggled to push herself upright. She moved slowly to get to a dryer area of the cave, her tail swishing back and forth. She felt a sharp pain as her contractions sped up and her water broke. She barely made it to the back of the cave, before blood began to drip from her vagina. Sweat already covered her body and she wasn’t even through the worst of it yet. The birth canal began to dilate and grow in width. She collapsed with a sharp inhale and attempted to push the foal out. The pain was overwhelming. She trembled and felt it difficult to push. She gritted her teeth. It was hard to concentrate on the task at hand with intense pain. With a frustrated cry, she squeezed her eyes shut and focused all her energy into her pelvic region. Start Here Push, she internally screamed. Slowly the contractions started becoming more frequent. Time seemed to pass by slowly. Finally, after an agonizing hour, the foal was out. Allegretto lay there exhausted, almost forgetting she had just given birth until she heard a small whimper. Turning slowly, she reached out with her hooves and gently picked up the small newborn Aqueous Pony. The foal’s eyes were closed. It was female with a light purple body, with a darker purple tail with green fins and small patch of mane, a mixture of blue-green and purple in color. The mare held her newborn daughter to her chest to provide her warmth in this chilly cave. The newborn whimpered again, as she tried to snuggle deeper into her mother for warmth. With nothing to keep her child warm, but her own body heat, Allegretto curled up as tight as she could around the cold foal and spread her wings out onto block any cold breeze and to try and contain the heat in one area. She nuzzled her daughter gently as the warmth made the foal sleepy and the newborn let out a big yarn and moved a hoof to her mouth to suckle as she slept. The new mother smiled and gave a yawn as well, and as she laid her head down to sleep as well. she decided to name her daughter Aria. Being a single mother was hard for any female, but it is even harder when Pony’s want your species gone and because of that, you have to necessities and no way of getting help. All Aqueous pony towns were pretty much destroyed, so there were no communities of water ponies living together, a least to her knowledge. The water pones that were left had been separated from each other. If her species didn’t die out from being hunted, they would die out from not being able to breed and reproduce. Allegretto wanted what was best for her child, but wasn’t completely certain she could provide everything that was needed on her own. The first year was difficult. She couldn’t leave very often or be out for very long to hunt fish and gather edible grasses and seaweeds. She could only go down the rocks below the cave to gather plats. There were no opportunities for fishing and with no adequate protein her body could barely produce enough milk for her little Aria. There were times when her daughter would try to suckle her nipple for milk and there would be none. With no formula, her mother didn’t have anything else to feed her. Allegretto resorted to using her voice. She had sworn to never use it to manipulate any living creature, for that’s what made ponies hate them in the first place. But now, it might be the only option to obtain enough nutrients for lactation production for Aria. It’s easy to manipulate a small animal with a simple sweet song. It was practically child’s play. She had to be careful not to draw attention to herself with animals coming and going. Using a group was out of the question. Only 1 or 2, perhaps even 3 individuals would have to be enough. She was able to sit at the mouth of the cave, with Aria wrapped by her tail dozing lightly, and sang softly. The tune had no words, just a simple pleasant melody. It was the middle of the night, the only light coming from the moon and stars. Who was it that raised the moon now? She couldn’t quite remember. It wasn’t long till a small seal took to her song. He bobbed around in the water listening to the song for a few minutes before diving down into the ocean to start catching fish. Aria yawned and rolled onto her back and smiled up at her mother with her right hoof in her mouth. The foal made gurgling sounds, trying to copy the sounds her mother was making, without much success. It did make her mother smile at her attempt however. At the end of an hour or so, there lay a small pile of fish atop a flattish rock. The song stopped and the seal disappeared. Allegretto turned and picked up aria and put her at the back of the cave, and then hurried back to the mouth of the cave to get the fish before Aria could follow her out. Aria whined in protest as she was put down and her mother ran away from her. The mare pushed up of the rock floor and glided swiftly out of the cave and down to the rock where the neat pile of fish sat. Quickly scooping up the fish in her arms she turned back to the cave. Aria had finally managed to crawl to the entrance and let out a neigh when she didn’t see her mother right away. Allegretto flapped her wings and rose of the ground and flew the short distance back. Aria let out a squeal of excitement as she found her mother. As soon as she had landed her daughter grabbed her tail and clung to it, afraid her mother would leave her again. She hushed her child before she could cry and adjusted the fish to on arm and stroked her daughter’s mane soothingly. The foal buried her face into her mother’s fins and whimpered lightly. The mare set the fish tidily by the wall of the cave and lifted Aria up and nuzzled her lovingly. The small aqueous pony perked up and nuzzled her mother back. The nutrients from the fish almost instantly helped the lactation start up again. Aria fed greedily and started to gradually put on more weight. The system worked great. At the beginning of each week, she would sing to the seal to gather fish. The fish would last for 2-3 days. It was easy to keep Aria entertained. Simple games and activities would keep the foal busy. After a few more years Aria started to become more curious about the outside world. She wasn’t aloud out of the cave and couldn’t understand why. Her mother said it was dangerous, but she couldn’t ever find any danger in sight. There was only the rocks, lining the cliff that held their cave and wide open ocean with sky. She hadn’t even been in the ocean before. The only water she had experienced was the rain and the small crook that ran through the cave during the rainy season. When her daughter had turned 3, Allegretto decided it was time to explain to her why the outside world was dangerous. Aria listened to her mother inventively while she explained why she wasn’t allowed outside. “Long ago our kind was plentiful and happy. Life was good. Food was readily available and there were friendships between us and the land pony. There are 3 kinds of land ponies, Earth Ponies, who grew food on the land, Unicorns with a single horn protruding from their forehead and gifted in magic. Then there were the Pegasi, ponies with wings who controlled the sky and its weather. We all lived in harmony with one another. There was a small group of Aqueous Ponies that wanted more. They wanted power and ponies to adore them. They used their voice to take advantage of the ponies. They tried to twist the ponies minds to love them above all else. They did this so fast and secretly that we had no time to even respond to the problem and arrest those mad water ponies. By the time we got involved, it was too late. Already, ponies were beginning to turn against us. They slaughtered those power hungry Aqueous Ponies. Their action upset many of our kind. That small group was supposed to be taken by us, put on trial and then punished. Those ponies never gave them a trial. They got nothing. Friends and family of those Aqueous Ponies became outraged and lashed out at the ponies that had harmed their loved ones. Everything turned into a mess. Things got worse and a war started. The ponies won that fight, making the small amount of our kind go into hiding. If one ventures out too far and is seen then they were killed on the spot. Every time I leave this cave I run the risk of being caught.” Aria’s eyes were wide. “But isn’t killing and hurting each other wrong?” Allegretto nodded. “Yes, but anger clouded their judgment. Maybe one day we can make amends, but it will take time.” Aria never asked about going outside again and would grow worried whenever her mother left. What if she never came back?
Chapter 3It was a clear cold night and the moon was full. The ocean was calm and shone silver from the moonlight. A small fishing vessel sat quietly, rocking back and forth in the water. A large net hung over the side. Unaware of the net, fish would swim straight into it and entangle themselves worse as they thrashed around for freedom. Allegretto swam near the sandy bottom and maneuvered around the net slowly and carefully. The boat sat in the direct path of home, where her daughter waited for her. There had been no time to change course and go around. The boat hadn’t been there before, as she neared the area. She had stopped when it suddenly came into sight and stopped almost right above her. The nets were dropped and she stayed still, watching where the net landed. Her heart raced. For all the years she had stayed in that cave, she had never seen a boat out in these waters. She tried to move away from the net. She dropped the fish and plants she had gathered and hunted. She had to get back to Aria. The food would slow her down, not to mention make it difficult to move around the net. Aria poked her small muzzle around the corner of her home’s entrance. She was frightened. She had never seen a boat before, but her mother had talked about them. A boat was bad news. It meant land ponies were here. She gave a quiet whimper. Her mother was still out there. She didn’t dare call out to her mother. It would alert the ponies on the boat. As much as she wanted to scream for her mother she held back. It would be their doom if she did. Instead, she bit down on her hoof to keep quiet. Her eyes widened as she saw large nets being thrown overboard. She bit her hoof harder and looked away. What if she got caught in that net? She squeezed her eyes shut and tears welled in the corners of her eyes. She was so afraid, so worried. Her body trembled lightly and she curled up into a tight ball. All she could do was wait, wait and hope. She hid her head under her wing and sniffled, trying to stifle the tears. Her heart raced in her chest and her breathing was abnormally heavy. She bolted upright as she heard excited yells. Startled, she hesitantly looked around the corner. A net had been hoisted up and was bountiful with fish. She gave a large sigh of relief, which was short lived however, when she heard more shouts, but these shouts were more angry than excited and there was thrashing in the water and one of the nets twisted and turned. Her heart leapt into her throat and she covered her muzzle with both hooves and added her tail to keep quiet. There was absolutely nothing she could do. She could only watch on in horror as the body of her mother was hauled up out of the water, entangled in the net and fighting to free herself. “Use your voice” she breathed behind her hooves and tail. She didn’t hear any singing. Why wasn’t she singing? Her voice was the only thing she knew her mother had to defend herself. So why wasn’t she using it. Was her mouth being forcefully shut by the net? No. Her mother let out a scream of pain. She wanted to look away, but she was frozen in place. She couldn’t take her eyes off the awful scene in front of her. It was horrible. She watched as the ponies beat her mother and she did nothing to fight back, except struggle in their grasp. “Sing” pleaded “Aria in her mind. “Use your voice she begged silently. All hope slipped away as her mother’s body became limp and the crew cheered. She couldn’t be… she couldn’t be, could she? Her heart practically stopped as a deep pain washed over her in a tidal wave. Was her mother dead? Had that crew of ponies really just killed her mother? Her eyesight was blinded by tears, but she was able to make out the body of her mother being thrown overboard and sink almost instantly. A cloth sail was lifted onto the ships mast and the boat sailed away with aid of the wind. As the boat became smaller she was finally able to advert her eyes and look away. She burst into tears and sobbed loudly. She laid her head in her arms and cried. “Why?” she wailed, “…Please come back to me… Allegretto’s weak body hit the somewhat shallow ocean floor. Her breath was weak and uneven. Blood rose from her multiple wounds and dyed the surrounding water red and pink. The salt water burnt the open wounds. Searing pain was everywhere. She knew it was her time to give in and lie down and die. Her daughter crossed her weak mind. No! She had to get back. She couldn’t leave this world without saying goodbye to Aria. Using all the strength she had left, she stood up on her two hooves, her back half floated lightly and she began to walk across the sandy bottom. She focused on putting one hoof in front of the other. Her breathing was raspy and short. She could feel her heartbeat. It pounded in her ears. There were several times she almost collapsed. Her knees shook and threatened to give out. Blood still seeped out of her wounds and she was glad there were no sharks in this area. The amount of blood polluting the water was enough to draw a large group of sharks. She flicked her tail and began to swim to the surface. She struggled to pull herself up onto a rock. She rested for a moment. She could lightly hear Aria’s sobbing. It was barely audible and no one would have noticed it over the crashing of the waves among the rocks, if they hadn’t been listening for it. Spreading her wings and shaking the extra water off, she readied herself for flight. Her wings flapped, but her body did not rise. She hadn’t any energy left. She was completely drained. Her life was barely holding on by a thread. With sheer will alone she flapped harder and against all odds slowly rose into the air. Holding her head high she flew to the entrance of the cave where she collapsed, startling Aria out of her crying fit. Aria practically jumped out of her own skin when she heard a loud thud. She quickly uncurled herself and leapt to attention. Seeing her mother, she shouted with joy and dashed to her side and threw her forelegs around her mother’s neck. She buried her face into her shoulder and wept slightly. “I didn’t think you were coming back.” Allegretto sighed lightly and did her best to wrap an arm around her daughter and nuzzle her. “Not before saying goodbye.” That caught Aria’s attention right away. Goodbye? Why would she be saying goodbye. The little filly pulled away. “Why would you say that?” It was then that she truly noticed how badly her mother’s body was and how weak and lifeless she looked. Her eyes were practically colorless and blood coated the mare’s coat. Aria gasped. No! Her mother was dying. She had only come back to say her final farewell. Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks. “No! You’ll make it! You have to!” Allegretto smiled weakly. “You must be strong Aria. I want you to promise me something.” “Anything” cried Aria. “Forgive those ponies. It’s not their fault. They did what they did out of fear and anger, for the way our kind as hurt them.” “No! You were defenseless. Why didn’t you sing? Why didn’t you fight back?” “Aria please, listen to me. Our voice is what made the ponies distrust us in the first place. I vowed to never use it against them. I wouldn’t become what they feared. Forgive and forget.” “No!” “Please, Aria, promise me.” “But…” “Don’t let anger and hate overwhelm you like it did the ponies. Be better than them. Forgive them for they did not forgive us. This is my last request.” I…. I promise. I promise to forgive them.” “That’s my good girl. Stay out of sight and stay safe. I’m sorry I couldn’t stay with you longer.” Rolling onto her stomach from her side she crawled to the ledge and looked back at the filly one last time. “Goodbye Aria. I love you.” She leaned forward and began to slip off the ledge. Aria watched with wide eyes, her lip quivering and looked away sadly when she heard the crash below. Tears continued to drip from her eyes. She dropped her head and starred at the ground blankly. What was she supposed to do now? She was only 5 years old. Why did this world have to be so cruel? What had she done to deserve this or her mother? The emotional pain was overwhelming. Closing her eyes and curling up once again she began o drift off to a dreamless sleep. She was exhausted. The fear, worry, sadness and tears had tired her out. Her eyes were too heavy to keep open any longer. Sleep overtook her.
Author's NoteHello all! This story is far from perfect and is more of a draft. I'd like to start out with some basic info. The species of the Sirens is Aqueous Pony also known as Water Pony Some basic physiology Aqueous Ponies can breathe both under and above water and can live on land if a good water source is nearby. They can also live in both salt and fresh water, as long as time is given to adapt. Aqueous Ponies give birth to their young on land if they can. Foals are born unable to breath underwater and cannot swim straight away. Their gills develop over the next week and by week 2 they are able to begin to swim. If land/rock/reef is unavailable they will give birth in water, but must hold infants head above water. Foals are born tail first, in case they are being born in water and can breathe. Their wings can be used for flight, though it is more commonly used to propel oneself though the water. Their diet consists of algae (seaweed), small fish and other sea food such as shellfish. They however do not eat crab, lobster, octopus or squid. Author's Note I'd also like to note that I am a scientific person and scientific terms will be used. I will label any paragraphs with a red WARNING if they contain terms or descriptions that may make you uncomfortable. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED
Chapter 4A deep depression set in. for several days I could neither eat nor drink. I lay there in a heap and drifted between the realm of sleep and the world of reality. I hardly moved. The only movements made were small adjustments into different laying positions. My eyes were red and sore from so much crying. Finally I made myself move. I was weak and had lost some weight from not eating. I had to eat and drink something if I wanted to survive. I would not leave the cave. I couldn’t I’d never left before and the memory of my mother’s death was still fresh in my mind. I was able to coax a seagull off of a cliff with a soft sweet hum. I struggled to keep a hold of the gull. This was my first time. He’d fly down to a rock uncovered by low tide and covered in seaweed and then turn back around to go back to his resting perch. And then once halfway back to his perch, he’d turn around again to complete the task I had given him. It was several long hours before I finally received the sea grass from the bird. I panted for a few minutes, trying to catch my breath. That had taken a lot of energy, a lot more than I had expected. My mother had made it look so easy. That last though brought on fresh tears. I wiped them away with a hoof. I wouldn’t let myself cry over it anymore. That is all I’ve been doing. I was tired of lying around crying. It was time to get back to life. As much as it pained me, I had to move on. It’s what she would want. I n ever saw that boat again, or any other boat for that matter. No pony had returned and after being cooped up in this cave for 5 more years I dared to venture out, if only for a short while. I wanted to get my own food. It made me feel weak that I had to sing to a bird or perhaps a seal every time I needed food. I should be able to do things for myself. Author's Note Well That's all I have for now. This chapter isn't finished. This is just what I have written for it so far. any comments would be much appreciated.
