Aqueous Pony: Aria Blaze

It 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.