She stared blankly into the mirror, her good eye staring blankly back at her through the dark water. Memories slowly bubbled up from the back of her mind, and she tilted her head back to close her eyes and let them.
It hadn’t been two years since they had been in the final stages of repairing their defenses after a water dragon's attack. Only half-way through another came to tear them down again. They armed themselves with blades and harpoons, rushing to attack and kill it before too much damage was done. All too late they had realized it was the kind that just kept growing heads, and so head after head they lopped off before, with terror, realizing that they were making a grave mistake.
Her ears folded back and her hooves tightened their grip as she remembered the part she had played that day.
The waters boiled.
Foam and bubbles made everything impossible to see.
The thing came crashing down upon the spire, crumbling it and trapping or killing all who were inside.
A few escaped. A few were rescued.
Many, many more died. Less than 500 had survived that day. None of her Chorus had made it.
Her right side was scalded during that battle, and to this day, she couldn’t see, or feel, anything on that side.
Her memories were interrupted as a stallion swam in, and she straightened as he came up and kneaded her shoulders. “How are you, Carol?” he asked, leaning down to put his head beside her own. He looked into her eye through the reflection in the mirror with a gentle expression on his face. “You feel so tense…”
She sighed softly and closed her eye. “I am tense… This whole affair has me tense. The meeting is going awful, hardly any other Chorus is offering to help us, our hunting grounds are becoming too much for me to manage alone...” Since the death of her chorus, she’d been put in total control while the rebuilding was in process. Thankfully, their luck had held and the dragon had not returned. She’d picked a right hoof, Brutus, and was slowly growing fond of him.
“Brutus…” she started after a moment of silence, “how are you not repulsed…?”
The question caught him off-guard, considering she usually wasn't one to switch topics so suddenly. "What do you mean?" he asked, somewhat befuddled.
“I mean,” she snapped much harsher than she meant, “I’m hideous. How do you not cringe every time you see me?”
“You’re not hideous…”
She scoffed at him. “Oh, don’t deny it. I used to be the envy of every siren, the desire of every lure…" Her eye lidded as she sunk lower into her seat, and her her lips sunk into a deep frown. "Now look at me… Now they only pity me, because I’m ugly…”
He blinked and pulled back a bit in surprise. "Carol... Don't say that..."
“Stop trying to change my mind!” she screeched, standing up. “I know I’m hideous and so do you!” She shook, and he thought it might be with rage for a minute before she sat back down abruptly and tears started to flow down her cheeks. “The boils are gone," she slowly whispered, "b-but the skin… My skin…” She took off her headpiece and put a shaky hoof to her cheek. “Look at it… A-and my scales get so pale… M-my glow only spreads on half of my body, I-I swim crooked, a-and m-my mane…” She sobbed, putting a hoof to the short, faintly glowing hair. It'd been lopped off crookedly close to her scalp, and lost all but a little of its natural glow.
“How can you still insist that I still have beauty…?” she whispered brokenly.
He looked at her a while before he leaned down and put a hoof on her shoulder. He kissed her cheek murmuring, “Because it’s true… You’re still a lovely mare…” He smiled softly as he gingerly pulled back a bit to look into her eye.
She stared into the mirror a while longer before sniveling and closing her eye. She put a hoof on his slowly. “Thank you, Brutus…” she murmured as she leaned back into him. “Thank you…”
He felt a tinge of remorse seeing her affections, but it hardly lasted as he silently drew his sword. She’d grown too attached already… But at least it was only affection…
She gasped, her tail twisting in pain as she gripped the arms of the chair harshly. His eyes softened, and he pecked her forehead before whispering, “Goodnight, Carol…” into her ear. He stroked her mane as she choked, but soon had to turn and leave her to die.
After a minute of struggling, she fell limp. The tears still poured down her cheeks, but the blood ceased to flow.
He slowly made his way to Pearl’s room, feeling sick with fear-- Not over what he’d done, or being found out, but what was to come. He came face to face with the door, and took a shaky breath as he gathered his courage. For their spire…
He knocked, and Pearl took only a few moments to open up the door. “Brutus?” she asked dryly.
He swallowed a dry lump in his throat, standing straighter. “The deed is done…” he responded, his ears flattening against his head.
She nodded, and he had to move out of the way as she came out and closed the door behind her. “You know what this means, don’t you?”
“Yes…” he choked, a bead of sweat dripping down his forehead. “I am prepared…”
She nodded, motioning for him to follow as she started to walk down the hall. “You’d better be. If you try to run, Brutus, we will hunt you down personally and scald you to death before helping to mount your corpse on the mast of a ship for all to marvel at.”
“Yes ma’am…” he squeaked. They came to the end of the hall, and she stopped at the last door and knocked. A groggy-looking stallion answered, looking rather confused. It was late at night, and not a soul other than the watch-ponies and guards were up. But she’d put every single one of her Chorus on stand-by, so any one of them would be ready to open the door should they be called upon. Just like him.
“Yes…?” he yawned.
Pearl kept her same, blank, emotionless face. “Get your sword,” she instructed, and he looked fairly confused for a second before paling and nodding. Brutus sweated silently as he stood tense at Pearl’s side. He searched her face out of the corner of his eye for any sign of remorse, or perhaps even just a touch of sympathy. His stomach dropped when he found her still cold as stone and standing just as hard. It did less than nothing for his fear of his impending doom.
The stallion came back out, a sword on his hip and a similar, but not as convincing, straight face. “The meeting room, Pearl…?” he asked. Brutus could see in the other stallion's eyes that he didn’t want to do this either, but knew, just like he, that it was necessary for the plan.
“Yes,” Pearl replied, turning in that direction. “Come.”
All the guards had been paid off, so none would remember seeing anyone leave their rooms, even as they silently watched them pass by. If sirens attempted to get anything out of them, they could be dealt with as well. But for now, all they had to worry about was the swim there, to the sound- and light-proofed room, and keeping Brutus swimming in the right direction.
Both stallions were quickly growing more tense as Pearl continued to show no sign of emotion. She kept herself held high, her ears perked, and continuously ignored their own tension. She righted them when they hesitated, keeping them moving and having both, (while one was more scared than the other,) fearing for their lives.
She pushed Brutus ahead into the room, and he unsteadily swam forward and turned to face the stallion who'd followed him in. The stallion drew and hefted his sword, and Brutus closed his eyes tightly as he stood tall and prepared himself. “Thank you,” Pearl said at last, the door closing slowly and gradually muffling her speech, “You’ve done your spire good. I'll make sure you have a hero's funeral."
Cold Glances and Bitter Tears
A hush fell over the crowds as the priestess, garbed in glowing white and gold swam out, followed by her two apprentices. The colts carried tridents in their clasped hooves, and the three of them all had the symbol drawn in faintly glowing paint on their foreheads. The residents of Carol's spire hushed in the first two rows, the visitors ceased their murmurs in the next few rows up, and at the very top of the amphitheater-like seating, the Choruses begrudgingly shut up. The priestess moved to the center of a small stage, looking down at her hooves before turning her gaze up to the ponies filling the seats. After a deep breath, she started to speak.
"Carol was a strong mare... She endured, and she pushed forward. Even in her darkest hours, she still stood strong to help us through ours..."
The speech was touching. Moving, even. But to Pearl, it was merely fluff - Soothing words told by someone well versed in telling comforting lies, someone who knew her little, and someone only parroting the things she had heard about her...
Carol had been a mare who'd not cared for things that grew unsavory, and in those 'darkest hours', she had only became hard to them. None the less, she never lost her pleasantness, and was still able to share a small joke, or crack a smile - but as the priestess continued to praise her, Pearl couldn't help but roll her eyes at both the downright flattery and the ponies who were weeping at it. Even the ones who knew Carol were weeping, only furthering her disgust.
Her partner Tide kept her annoyance at bay with an arm around her shoulders, and her face relaxed into a gentler expression as she leaned into him. The soft fabric of his vest brushed gently against her cheek, warming her mood with its soft glow. She found him quite handsome in a vest... She found herself wishing he'd wear one more often, and with a very faint smile her tail slowly wrapped around his. As he pecked her forehead with a smile of his own, she further wiggled into his embrace, and eventually found herself against his chest, listening to the sound of his heart beating as his arms held her close.
Their silence was a comfortable one, but Pearl wished it would end. She loved the sound of his smooth, fluid voice, and the timbre it held... Hers was nothing special, even somewhat monotone, but still able to sink gracefully into the lower tones that a rare few could. She would gladly sing calm melodies with him in their spare hours, wrapped in his warm embrace. The memories only made her long even more for the quiet to end. She raised her head to his, looking into his eyes and begging quietly for a kiss.
He paused, leaning in before tilting her head down and pecking her forehead. She pouted unhappily, but he paused to whisper something in her ear. "Not here..." She smirked, but calmed herself enough to nod gently. She pulled back to regain her composure, and he let his expression harden somewhat again, but at the same time giving her hoof a reassuring squeeze. That was all she needed.
The speech lasted a while longer before it slowly came to a stop. The stone slabs covering the burial pit started slide away, letting the heat pour up and into the chamber. Carol's corpse slowly started to lower down, and the priestess raised her hooves. "Goodnight, Carol. And let our song see you peacefully into the Great Beyond."
The priestess started the chorus as her apprentices brought up the background a moment later, and their magic soon spread into the crowd. The lures, sirens, and their children all started to find their places, and one by one, their voices rose to the familiar lullaby that would ease the mare into her eternal slumber.
Mesmer, the magic of music, one even present on the surface, was the only magic the hippocampi had any sort of control over. But by the gods did they have a mastery of it... They all opened their voices, allowing themselves to fall into harmony and keep their voices from breaking as tears started to fill the water.
Two stallions left the ceremony together with heavy hearts. One rested his head on the other's shoulder, and for a while, they simply swam in silence. But when they neared the spire once more, Luan spoke up. "What are we going to do now, Catch...?" he asked, lifting his head to look to his partner's eyes.
He was quiet for a moment, looking up at the statues ringing the very base of the spire they called home. The empty government buildings were silent, barely a ripple going through the water even as the native hippocampi quietly talked and swam outside. There used to be business and, occasionally, laughter inside, and now all the halls were empty, lacking even a single guard. Thieves had already taken everything of value. Why bother?
Catch pulled back from his thoughts and again returned of the question posed to him. What would they do now...? "I... I don't know," he answered honestly. "But one thing's for sure... Someone's got to take charge. We can't go without leadership long."
Luan nodded in response. "Agreed... Even just one pony would be fine. I mean... Obviously, no one will be as good as Carol was, but if anything, she proved one pony can handle that weight." Catch nodded in turn, and they once more lapsed into silence together. The middle rings were still other than the occasional pony trying to cut through them as a shortcut, but today every shop was closed. Today was not a day for trinkets, pampering, or gossip.
Catch looked back up to keep himself from worrying, but Luan wasn't able to. "Let's just hope it doesn't stay this way..."
Catch's ear flicked. "Luan, we'll be fine... I'm sure someone will step up in no time. If not, one of the other Choruses will come to help us."
"Will they?" He frowned softly. "I mean... You've seen how bad the territory wars are getting... What if they just leave us alone, without leadership?"
"I..." He had to pause at the question. It was a reasonable doubt, but after a moment he sighed and pecked his cheek. "Don't worry about it. We have to keep positive." Luan paused a moment, then nodded and nuzzled him.
"Yeah... Yeah, okay. I'll try not to work myself up over it."
Catch smiled and nudged his shoulder. "That's the spirit."
Luan blushed and laughed as he shoved him playfully. "Shut up, you." He still nuzzled him, and they continued up to the spire to their home. He swam up to the door and unlocked it, moving out of the way to let Catch in. Catch stopped before entering to peck his cheek, and he smiled as he followed him in and closed the door behind him. "You want to go to bed?"
"In which way?" he teased, wiggling his tail at him.
He blushed and chuckled. "Stop that... You know what I meant..."
"I do..." He swam back over and hugged him, pecking his cheek. "I was just teasing you."
Luan smiled and nuzzled him. "I know... Come on... It's been a long day..."
The next day Catch rose to a knock on his door, and, with Luan still being too asleep to even remember his own name, got up and swam over to answer it. He straightened as he was met with a stallion in armor behind the door. Light armor, at that, but he was still of some importance to be wearing it. "Sir?" Catch asked.
The stallion dipped his head. "Catch. You are needed on duty today. Your shift will begin at 12, so come in your armor."
Catch blinked. "But I thought that we weren't guarding the governing rings anymore."
"We weren't. But we are now, due to the Choruses holding their meetings here. They'll be deciding among themselves who should stay to help govern the spire."
He groaned. "Alright... I just hope it wasn't like that case a few spires over..."
"Oh, don't worry," the stallion replied. "I know exactly what you mean. But hey, at least we can always move, right? "
Catch smiled softly. "Yeah, I suppose so."
"Well, I'll be off now. Got to go obligate the other guards to work tonight and all."
"Good luck with that." He closed the door after that, and turned to swim back over to his dresser. Luan, still just waking up, rubbed his eyes and mumbled.
"What's going on...?" he slurred. "Who was that...?"
Catch looked behind him and smiled when he found the groggy stallion just waking up. "That was just a messenger. I'm going into work today."
He blinked. "Oh... When?"
"Around twelve." He brought out his comb and started to tame his mane. "Don't worry, we've got plenty of time. It's only..." He paused to look at the clock. "Eight. So we've got a few hours."
Luan rolled his eyes, sighed, smiled, and slowly got out of bed to cross over to him and hug him from behind. "I like how you tell me we have plenty of time first before actually looking at the clock..." he muttered.
"Yeah, well..." He turned to peck him on the lips and smiled. "Didn't want you to get all worked up..."
Luan blushed gently, then leaned up to his ear. "Too late..."
Catch's eyes lidded as he chuckled sultrily, and Luan squealed as he was pressed against the wall.
An hour passed, and at last the two stallions collapsed on the bed, both satisfied and tired. They laid in bed together a while before Catch leaned over and pecked Luan and sat up. "Let's clean up and go someplace for breakfast. On me."
Luan smiled. "That sounds good."
He smiled back and leaned over to nuzzle him, then offered him a hoof. "Shall we?"
"If it's no trouble," Luan replied. Together they got out of bed and showered, and left the house to have breakfast. Luan happily rested his head on Catch's shoulder as they swam, a happy smile on his face. Catch lovingly pecked his forehead, and soon felt the other stallion cuddle into his side. "Mm... I'm going to miss you being around more..."
"Oh, I know... That's why we're doing all this now. I wanted to make sure you have plenty to keep you happy for when I'm gone..."
Luan chuckled. "Yeah, yeah, okay. I think we've had enough of that today. I do love you, but you're so high maintenance..."
"Aw..." Catch's expression softened as he nuzzled him. "Sorry Luan. I'll lay off..."
"Hey, I'm not complaining!" he laughed.
Catch smiled warmly. "I would if you asked me, though."
His eyes softened, and he stopped to nuzzle him. "I know. That's the great thing about you, Catch... You're so suave and flirty...but you'd still cut it out if it'd make me happy."
"Well, yeah, of course." He pecked his nose. "I love you, dummy. Isn't that the definition?"
Luan laughed. "I suppose so! Come on, we'd better hurry up before you have to go. It's already ten." After that they swam the rest of the way in comfortable semi-silence, occasionally saying a polite hello to hippocampi they knew and waving to the vendors they frequented. They arrived, ordered their meal, ate, and talked. They spent the rest of the time they had left at home before Catch reluctantly donned his armor, kissed his partner goodbye, and swam out.
When he arrived that day, he found the other guards were just as unhappy about coming back as he was. It had been sad with Carol being gone and all, but the extra time at home was certainly something they'd miss. He sidled into his position on the inside of the chamber, stilling his main fins and holding his spear to the ground. As the Choruses began to talk, he stared blankly ahead, trying to let their words filter into one ear and out of the other.
The mood was tense. The ponies looked unhappy. No one could decide who would lead them, and accusations, while subtle, still flew everywhere. Their words were fleeting his mind, but the atmosphere was starting to make him fear that there would be a point where it all boiled into something much more dangerous...
Pearl was fuming. Never in all her life had she been so peeved, so utterly disrespected, argued with, or downright spat on. No one gave a damn what she had to say during the negotiations, no one cared to listen on her points, and the arguments were just getting more and more circuitous.
"We should have it because we're allies!" one side would say.
"We should have it because we're more capable!" the other would retort.
Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth they would go on all day long. Every day, for two weeks. But even as they bickered The Spire was faring well, keeping itself maintained and practically running itself, while the Choruses bickered and fought over every little thing.
"Well whoever looks the most eager could be the culprit!"
"Oh, so wanting to help is a crime now?!"
Pearl's hooves came crashing down onto the table, her glow tinted red with her rage. "ENOUGH!" she cried at last, steaming the water around her with her rage. Everyone went silent. Even Tide shrank in fear of her temper, and no one dared to challenge it. "You all are acting like little fry fighting over a shiny toy! How the hell do you expect things to get done around here, when none of you can get anything done?! Carol was special, she was one of a kind, I FUCKING GET IT ALREADY! But for Poseidon's sake, GET OVER YOURSELVES! SHE'S GONE!"
There was silence. Complete, and utter silence. The mare continued to steam, but she slowly sat down and smoothed her scales down. "Now... My Chorus has shown time and time again that--"
"They're pompous assholes?" someone piped up. There was a sharp drawing of breath, the water quickly thinning. It stayed that way as everyone held their breath, and Pearl's ears slowly folded back to press against her head.
"... Excuse me...?" she asked after a moment. "Did I hear what I think I just heard?"
With his hooves folded, a stallion leaned forward on the table, his eyes lidded lazily. He didn't seem to care she'd just exploded at everyone in the room-- In fact it only seemed to bore him. Pearl was both intrigued, and insanely angry. "You did," he responded coolly.
"And, pray tell, what did I hear...?"
"You heard, Pearl, that I called your Chorus 'pompous assholes'."
At that she chuckled dryly. The room was filled again with chilled silence. One could even say the tension grew so thick you could have cut it with a knife. "And why, would...would you say that...?"
He leaned forward. "Because you are just that. Pompous assholes who believe in the power of wealth over the power of other ponies. You have no idea how to run a happy Spire, and the ponies that stay with you are simply brainwashed schools of fish who don't know what a proper system is supposed to look like."
She scoffed. Then she chuckled. Then she cackled. She laughed at the idea of him so boldly, arrogantly insulting her and spitting in her Chorus' face to be the most hilarious thing she had seen or heard in years. No one spoke. No one else quite caught the joke. When she was done with her laughter, she carefully and slowly drew her dagger, and laid it gently on the table with a small smile. "I could declare war, here, and now... I could crush your tiny little Chorus and have you eat your words. Tell me why I shouldn't."
"Because you're nothing but a vague threat, and I shouldn't have to fear you." He stood up quickly, and Pearl followed. "You are weak excuse for a siren, and your voice is hideous to boot!"
A furious cry tore from her throat as she tossed her dagger at him, only to be hooked in the face by someone from his chorus. Tide lunged for the stallion who started it, and from there, all hell broke loose. While some ponies tried to pull them off each other, others took the opportunity to pounce on each other. There were no sides established, and everyone just took the opportunity to beat on one another. Hooves flew, blood sprayed... The guards cried out in outrage, trying to settle the fight desperately but only being pushed out of the way.
More quickly rushed into the room to settle the fight, and when they finally broke it apart, Pearl's glow was still a vicious red and a scratch across her face only seemed to be making her anger even more potent. They held her back from attacking the stallion she'd been trying to assault, and he pushed against the ponies holding him to spit in her face again. Even with his body littered with nicks and scratches, with his tail missing scales and his nose bleeding, he refused to give up. "I'll have your hide, Pearl! I'll have your spire, and I'll have your pitiful Chorus, too!"
She ground her teeth as she pushed against the ponies holding her, her voice rising to a hideous screech. "You know what this means, Capri!"
He hissed. "Yes... Yes, it means war!!"
