Songs of the Siren

by Silver Inkwell

Chapters

Prologue
The Sea Kingdoms
The Lakeside Shore
The Mare of the Sea
The Sea King
The Lakeside Bath
Under the Sea
The Siren and The Seamare
Exploration
The Deal
The Dream
The Walk
Waking Up, The Breakfast, The Beach
Silence of the Night
The Next Days Come and The Third Day
The Battle
The Wedding
The Honeymoon
Bonus Chapter 1
Bonus Chapter 2
The Discovery
The Sirens

Prologue

Prologue

Stop whatever you’re doing right now and just listen to me instead.

Listen to me, listen to your surroundings in your local area and current location.

Basically, just listen to what’s around you first.

Are you doing that right now? If you are then good, if not, do so.

This is supposed to be a slow story, meant to be read slowly.

Not fast, for just as a storm can ruin the calm and peace of the sea and ocean, so can your reading speed too as well. But who am I?

Simple, I am the author, the storyteller, my name really doesn’t truly matter, all that matters now is that we have always been and always will be.

But anyhow, enough, on with the story.

This story doesn’t begin with once upon a time because no pony can remember where or when the Seaponies came to us exactly. But I suppose that they have always been with us since even before the land of Equestria began and that they will always be with us until even after Equestria is gone. Or at least that’s what I have heard and been told. There are many myths, tales, and legends of these strange, mysterious, and beautiful creatures, but while they are incredible to see and wonderful beyond description, they are extremely shy. That’s the true reason why no pony thinks that they are real. They aren’t ever seen by any pony else. But they are still there, underneath the waves, hiding, waiting, watching, never coming up to the world above because of their great fear.

But all the stories agree upon very few things, and these are that the Seaponies bring great good luck, this is true, I have seen it for myself, the Seaponies are thought to be sirens because of their lovely voices, trust me, they’re not, I’ve seen a siren, and you do not ever want to meet them. But some stories, many even, they can only agree on very certain specific things, sometimes very special things.

Some stories say that the Seaponies can take the form of a pony, and it doesn’t matter the race of the pony because they can take the form of any pony that they want since the Seaponies have a very special magic, one that I have seen.

Some stories, but very few, say that they eat the flesh of a mortal pony who has eaten their flesh and lived since seapony meat can be a very deadly poison indeed. This is false. The Seaponies are no more violent than you or me, they are not thoughtless beadings without logic and sense, they have reason, and the ponies who spread this nasty rumor and lie, I have no idea what type of pony they are, but I only know one thing for sure, I wish to never meet them.

Some stories say that they can grant your deepest darkest wish of your heart, that they can see into your mind and read your thoughts. The wish of the heart… well… that story depends… it’s not as easy as merely just finding a seapony and asking for your wish to be granted, it require an act of bravery and selflessness, one that is true and real, you cannot ever fake it by trying to put the life of the seapony in question in danger, they will know it, and they may take action upon you then, for trying to kill a seapony is a very great sin indeed, actually completing your desired task and goal, your quest, well that’s an even greater sin, much greater indeed. The act of such a killing could result in a curse upon you and your whole entire family, or at least that’s what the stories say.

But are you really truly cursed? Answer: I’m not going to say, for if I said yes, one pony might believe I was lying and try to kill a seapony, if I said no then they would have no fear of ever killing a seapony. But I will say this, should you ever kill a seapony I would highly advise and recommend that you and your whole entire family move very, very far away from the place where you killed it, and stay very, very far away from any source or body of water, this includes the sea, ocean, and even ponds, marshes, and swamps too.

Naturally enough, the curse can’t be broken unless you or one of your family members saves the life of a seapony in exchange for the one killed.

That’s all I have to say on that matter, and no more is needed.

Some stories say that while they may be able to take the form of a mortal that they can only do so for a very short time as they will need to return to the sea.

Some stories say that they can only change form at the full moon, or sometimes the new moon instead, sometimes it can be waxing or waning, sometimes they say that they can only come out near a Solstice or Equinox instead, specifically on the night of the Solstice or Equinox. Sometimes the stories say that they can only come out of the sea into mortal forms near Midsummer’s Eve, or the Summer Sun Celebration as you know it.

To the very best of my shaky recollection and knowledge of the Seaponies, there is no minimum or maximum time that they can take the form of mortals. But, of course, the real question here is this, can they ever possibly become mortal? Seaponies of course, live forever young and immortal, they do not ever age, but they can die in combat for there are many ways to kill them, the trick is in just knowing them. I, of course, will not be telling you any of these, I have sworn an oath of secrecy, and I never ever break my promises.

But by now I am sure that you are questions who I am, for I am talking too much about these creatures, but what could ever possibly be the reason for this? I can only come to the logical conclusion that you think that I have met them.

This is a very reasonable conclusion, and it is the truth, I have.

But why then, am I telling you my story, their stories if I have a fear that they could ever possibly be hurt? Answer: I’m not, their stories are their own, they can do what they want with them as they so wish and please, they will choose if they are ever to share their stories, but not me. However, my own story, that I can tell, that is within my boundaries, my limits, however the real true question here is this, should I? Or, should I leave it to another who has already heard it instead? One might say that I lie if this whole entire story it told by me, but then again, they could also say that the one who tells the story lies anyways.

But I think that I’ll leave it to my friend instead, for now at least, after all, there’s more mystery of to where I have gone and where I am now.

But don’t worry, I’ll be back again at the end.

The Sea Kingdoms

Chapter One: The Sea Kingdoms

There once were two kingdoms, one that was in the sea, and one that stood by the sea. Remember that. They were very prosperous, and the ponies very happy, they lived in peace and were very content with their lives and neither wished for any more than the other. But one day, there was one who was not content, one that was not happy with his life, he yearned for something more, he didn’t know what he wanted. He searched for many years just like his fathers before him, for they too had searched, the very first of his line had found this beach and shoreline, and he had started the process of building the kingdom.

But for what true reason and purpose he would never say, and if somepony asked him, he would simply reply that he was waiting. When asked what he was waiting for, he would laugh and say the perfect mare and all the answers to his questions. After all, what more would one want in life to make them happy?

For he, his sons, his loyal subjects, and the seaponies all knew the answer to real, true joy.

That is why they were always happy, because it was a mindset and not just a momentary fleeting feeling and emotion.

No, they grasped unto it, held it, and never ever let it go.

But despite having the very secret knowledge of this, the first king and his sons still always stayed there by the sea, or, at least, the eldest son always did.

The younger sons were allowed to roam free and wild wherever they pleased doing whatever they wanted and wished to, but the desire for something more was always in the blood of the eldest, always at the back of the mind. And they had no idea why that was. But when the first king was old and dying, the first son asked his father if he had found the perfect mare yet. His father smiled very weakly at his son, coughed, and then responded. “No, I have not, yet I know that she is still out there because I saw her in the sea one day, your mother, she was a very lovely wife to me, but she was not perfect, not the one that I wanted.”

“What happened to that mare?”

“I lost her to the sea a very long time ago, and I have never seen her since.”

“Well, I’m going to try to find her.”

“Good luck then, but don’t waste your life chasing a hopeless dream.”

“Don’t worry father, if you believe that it was real then so do I.”

And then with that said his father slowly smiled and then died.

The son searched for this mare, but he too like his father only saw her once.

But unlike his father, he managed to approach her before she vanished.

He spent his years and the rest of his life searching for her, and so did his son too as well. But it was finally the fourth son who managed success where all the others before him had failed. That is where this story begins, with my best and closest friend.

His name was Forrest Ocean Moon, son of Eric Ocean Moon son of William Henry Allan Ocean Moon, who was the son of the very first king who was named Crescent Moon. But before we get to the story of his romance, let me first tell you of how royalty was raised. They had everything that they could possibly want or wish for, but they always had this strange unusual fascination with the ocean and see. It was always just a bit odd to see a member of royalty staring out at the distance ignoring any conversation or idle useless talk of any pony else.

They always said that they wanted something more, they just didn’t know what it was. The very first king could have explained it, but he never did, but there was a letter that did, but it was one never previously found or opened before.

But one day, the most recent son, the latest prince, came upon it.

When he was finally done reading it he was greatly shocked and surprised too as well.

The letter said that the first king must have lied about seeing the sea mare, but in the letter, the king denied that, saying the reason he always wanted something more, something part of the sea, was because they had both a great gift and terrible curse.

They were blessed to have a much deeper understanding with nature and all the animals, beasts, and creatures within it, but they yearned for the sea and ocean because the king himself had heard the rumor that one of his fathers had finally managed to persuade a seapony to marry him and stay with him on land. However, one day he just vanished after raising his child for many long years and he was never seen again, but he suspected that he was living with his wife in the very deep sea below, he also said that he thought it would be great to make that tradition and so he too had eventually found a seapony.

He said that each king led others to believe that they failed until the time was finally right for the new king to learn that they had all succeeded instead.

Each had a wife from the sea, each had the blood of the sea, each yearned for the sea, each had finally found the perfect wife and answers.

But the king also said it would be wrong to continue this tradition forever, after all, they were taking the Seaponies from their natural home, which is why he explained that he, his father, and his sons would all have to fake their deaths.

He also explained that this letter would be found by each son believing it to be lost, but not really since each king would place it in a different spot, area, and location each time to ensure its continual safety. There were many more pages to the letter and notes from the other kings before the current prince.

This however, is just mere, very brief recap of the events in his life.

And even I cannot fully explain it all.

But my friend, he explained all of this to me before leaving,

And I was tasked with keeping his secret safe.

I write this in my journal in the hopes that someday it may be ready to show to the whole entire world. But until then, it will never see the light of day so as to keep the secret of the Seaponies safe. So, here is his story.

The Lakeside Shore

Chapter Three: The Lakeside Shore

I never knew of this secret message until my lord told me, for my lord can, of course, do whatever he pleases whenever he wants to, but I am just a lowly servant. I always serve where needed, I go where he wants me to, and I do what he wishes me to do there. I always try to make my lord happy because it brings me great joy whenever he is.

Anyway, my name is Sebastian. Though, you probably figured that out from my lord's writing already.

But I think it is about time to recount the strange events that happened so many years ago. But what will my mind recall, if it even recalls anything? My head is, after all, filled with many things that I hardly have any space left for memories. I used to be able to, but that was so long ago. The events, should you choose to them that, were nothing short of amazing. They were so wonderful and beautiful, but also very mysterious. They were also, in a way, not that strange. After all, what is so odd about having a friend over to your house, even if that friend is a Seapony?

But I digress. We first met my lord's wife at the beach, I would like to call her by name, but I was told to tell the past as it happened, and we did not yet know her name.

My lord also says to call him Forrest instead of "my lord," as that is his name. Well, as the king commands, for I will always do what Forrest wants no matter what the price could be.

But, as I've started to ramble again, here is the past as it truly happened. I suppose, then, that I should start from the very beginning. The ocean, called Moon Ocean, is where my lord, I mean, Forrest gets his name from. Ever since his first family member was inspired by the moon setting down across the ocean, each king made their official last names 'Ocean Moon.' Even the very first king, Crescent, had done this. But he, just like the rest of his family, liked to be called by only one of his names, never both at the same time.

Moon Ocean feeds into a river, which merges with a larger river that feeds into a sea. This sea is called Lakeside, not because there was no creativity in the name, but because Forrest felt there was no need for something that perfect to be ruined by the image of ponies. There were other possible names, of course, but he felt is was best to name it something simple and harmless.

Forrest and I were wandering around on the shore of Lakeside when we first saw her. She was the most splendid beauty, more amazing than anything else you could see in the world. Oh, how could I ever describe her glory? But, nevertheless, I shall try.

She had the most lovely golden hair that shone like the sun. Though, perhaps I am mistaken since I was nearly blinded by her beauty.

Maybe sand would be better to compare her hair with. But sand can be so dirty, and her hair was completely pure. Not a single speck of dust or dirt to taint her absolute perfection. And her eyes. They were like deep pools of iridescent turquoise, and you couldn't tell where the blue and green began nor where it ended. The only clear thing about them was the vast number of gray specks in her eyes that made her look very wise. On second thought, I cannot recall the exact color of her eyes, but maybe it's that I could never be able to describe their beauty. And who knows if I will ever be able to other than time itself? Oh, what are words but merely the vain attempts of ponies to describe something that can never be experienced again?

As for the rest of her, well, I'm going to leave that to Forrest. After all, I think you would rather hear his thoughts than mine. But, it is quite possible I am wrong and you would rather hear mine. But you will probably hear from both of us many times since we are writing this together.

The Mare of the Sea

Chapter Four: The Mare of the Sea

The rest of her was as follows: Her body was the most brilliant white that you have ever seen before, she was wearing nothing on her.

This was not uncommon to do, but in front of royalty it seemed rather indecent since I was wearing a suit.

And yet, I was not any more regal than she was, in fact, I actually started to criticize myself when I first saw her.

Yes, sir, you did. And to the best of my knowledge, you acted exactly how I expected you to, which was you panicking.

I did not overreact and panic. I was just simply taking a very careful calculated measure of the whole entire situation, after all, it’s not every day that you say a naked mare at the beach all alone… unprotected… vulnerable… beautiful… incredible… amazing…

Sir, I think that you’re going to start worrying the audience that you’re some kind of creep and predator who takes advantage of these mares, or at the very least has thought of that, really sir you should try to control yourself first.

Alright, fine, very well, anyhow the mare, well she was just standing there in the water silent and still, and she didn’t even react to seeing us there right then.

She seemed startled at first to see us, but she still did not yet react despite her great surprise and shock. She still stood there silent and still just staring at us with curiosity until finally, I decided to speak so that I could get to know her.

“Well hello there,” I said slowly approaching her as not to startle her anymore, “Are you new here to the kingdom? I’m Forrest, the current ruler of this land, if you are new then you’re free and welcome to stay however long you wish to if you’re just visiting, if you plan on staying then I’m sure that you or I could work something out, right?” I said. She still said nothing as she continued to stare at us still unmoved and fixed in her current spot and location, almost like she didn’t want to move out of her natural area to startle us or something like that.

“Can you please tell me what’s your name exactly?” I said.

She still didn’t say anything. “Okay then, let me try guessing then, is it Mary?”

She still didn’t move. “No? Okay then, Ariel? No? Natalie? No? Stephanie? No? Okay then, you clearly obviously won’t tell me your name yet, but can you tell me why you’re here at the very least, please?” I said trying to reason with her.

She still didn’t say anything. “Look, as the current ruler of this land since my father is very old I can make you tell me though I really don’t want to, do you-,”

“Your father, sick? No, that’s not possible, he just needs water, that’s all.”

She interrupted my question, but I was more surprised at her very first words to me that I had to stop and start all over again. “You spoke to me,” I said.

“Yes, so what of it? I can speak all the time as much as I want to, but only when others wish it of me will I speak as needed, but no more, and no less either.”

Huh, these were very odd strange things to be saying, it was just so unusual.

“What’s your name and why are you here for exactly?”

“My purpose is only merely just a message, the sea king sends his greeting, and he wishes to meet with you very soon to work out some official royal matters.

He wishes for peace, and he also wants to talk of the past too as well.”

“So, there is such a thing as Seaponies,” Forrest said trying to contain his short burst and gasp of air as he reacted with great shock and surprise.

The mare smiled as she raised her… well… that certainly wasn’t a hoof.

Instead it was just a flipper. Well not exactly, she had four legs, or at least I guess that’s what you could call them, but past where her knee began a scaly, shiny, beautiful flipper thing. And where there was supposed to be a hoof was an elongated, white scale thing that clacked against the stone. Look, I don’t really know how to describe it.

“The sea king shall come visit you whenever you wish, after all, he has all the time in the world, and compared to him you have almost none.”

“Tell him to come meet me tomorrow at dinner time, we shall talk then, but first may I know your name please?”

She smiled, “No, you may not. Nor will I show you my tail or any other part of me. But perhaps, I’ll be able to walk on land with you soon."

And with that said she smiled and then suddenly dived into the ocean waves below as Forrest suddenly collapsed on the sand reciting poetry.

“Thou blind fool love, what hast thou done to mine eyes that they behold and see not what they see? They know what beauty is, see where it lies, yet what the best is take the worst to be,” he said gazing longingly out at the sea.

“Ah, Number 137, a sonnet from Sir William Hoofsphere then?”

“Yes, indeed, but I have so many more poems to tell her when she finally manages to get back to us, or, rather, me. So many great things to tell her and show her, but ah, if only I were not constrained by just my words!!!”

“But perhaps maybe it is far better that way, sir.”

“Yes, perhaps, but I think that I’m already in love with her!!!”

“How can you ever possibly say that sir? You only just met the poor mare.”

“I know that I am in love with her because I can feel it in my heart, I know that the words of my parents before me were true and real, they all married Seaponies and so shall I as well, and nothing in the whole entire world can stop me no matter how hard they try do so or whatever they might put in my way to stop me. She’s the one for me, I just know that she is, I can feel it in my bones.”

“Well then sir, if you’re sure, but I never thought that I would see the day come that you fall in love with a mare, you’ve always seemed to be the loner type,”

(My statement was true then just as it still is right now.)

“Hey, I could have gotten a mare anytime, it’s just that none were perfect for me, and now I know why, I was waiting for her,” he said.

“Yeah, sure thing, right, anyhow I’ll leave you to yourself sir if you don’t mind now,” he said starting to leave before Forrest quickly stopped me.

“Tell me this honestly and truthfully, do you really think that I could ever stand a chance with her, that I even have a shot with her?”

Sebastian took a quick deep breath of air in before responding, and it was a delay that Forrest knew all too well. “Well, that would depend, sir.”

Dammit, it was the same exact response that he always gave to a very difficult question that he would rather not answer just in case he upset his lord and master. “Sebastian, how many times do I have to tell you not to say that?”

“Until I die, sir, you know that I’ll always try to cheer you up first.”

“Yeah, I know that, and I thank you a whole lot for that small little kindness.”

“Well sir, here’s my real true thoughts, yes, you do stand a chance since you’re a prince and are of noble blood, you could ask for marriage, but I don’t know if it would be granted because you would have to pay a very great price for her, or do a very brave act showing and displaying your bravery, it’s what your fathers did before you, and they all succeeded, every single one of them.”

“Well, so far at least but don’t worry, I don’t plan on failing.”

“I hope not, where else would I get a job quite so satisfying to me?”

“Nowhere else, your position is here fixed with me and my family forever.”

“Yes, indeed it is, and you have no idea just how much, though…”

“Wait, what was that last part again?”

“Uh nothing sir,” he said coughing, “Let’s go back to the castle now, shall we?”

“Yes, I suppose so, I think it would be best for me to reflect upon my thoughts and ideas while I wait for the sea king to come to me tomorrow.”

And with that said they both left to the castle walking very slowly.

When they finally eventually got there Forrest went down to rest, but Sebastian stayed up to write some stuff down in his journal.

When he was done, he put down his ink and quill and then decided to retire to bed himself after making sure that everything was quite safe, sound, and secure within the whole entire castle, and then all was well.

The Sea King

Chapter Five: The Sea King

The next day came as it always does and they all awoke from their sleep.

“Sebastian my friend, I do not know what to call the sea mare that I saw yesterday, so I shall call her Venus. For she is exactly like my Aphrodite, perfect in every way no matter how small."

“Sir, not to be rude, but don’t you think you’re just a little bit over obsessed with her?” Sebastian said.

How can one such as I ever be obsessed with a beauty such as her?”

“Alright, fine then sir, I think that you are now officially insane.”

"Perhaps I am, but maybe I am not. Who can ever say for sure?"

“Sir, if I have to deal with this behavior then I just might leave your service and work, but I shall abide until the sea king comes here.”

“Very well then, until that time I shall wait and write poetry for my love.”

“I don’t think she’s your love just yet, sir.”

“Well alright, fine then, very well, just go and leave me in peace... please.”

And so Sebastian left him alone while he composed in his head songs and poem until he saw that the sun was setting.

He got up and went down to the beach to greet the sea king.

“Hello there, good sir, what’s your name?”

The sea king looked up at Forrest and said, "My name is not important, but if you must know it is Triton. Any and all royal titles shall be left for you to use if you choose to use them.

“That is a very long, complicated answer for such a simple question.”

It is not my goal to ever make it simple for anyone. But tell me, where is your castle?" Triton said while taking a long look at the surrounding landscape.

"It is near here, and I already have a grand, elegant meal planned out for you," Forrest replied.

"I am not hungry at the moment, but you offer is most graciously accepted. Please, take me to your castle."

"Yes sir, as you wish."

And so it was that Forrest and Triton set off for the castle.

When they got there they went into the dining hall and sat down at the head table.

“I see that you have not lied, for it is indeed grand and elegant," Triton said.

“Yes, I had hoped that you would think of it as so. But please, tell me, why did you come to meet with me?”

"I wish to speak with you about very important matters, some concerning your parents, others concerning the future of out citizens." Triton said as he sat down on the traditional seat for guests of great honor, no matter their status.

"I see. Please, speak of that which you came here to say," Forrest said.

You see, your parents were very close friends of mine, as were their parents, and theirs... all the way to the first king himself have we been close friends. Because of this, we have never bothered each other except for the occasional trade, celebration, and sometimes, death.

I have always kept our relationship very close for many years, and peace has always been maintained between our two kingdoms because of this. But, if the secret of my citizens were to get out to the world, I fear greatly of what they would do to us. They might try and use us for their own wants, they might even try to kill or study us like experiments.

It is in this regard for the safety of my citizens that I request you keep the secrecy of my people. If you will do this, we will have a portion of our wealth be delivered to you every time we collect the taxes. Would this arrangement be acceptable?"

“My dear king, while your offer of wealth that is beyond even my own imagination is a very tempting one, I'm afraid I must decline…”

“Are you saying that you would make war with us instead? Because if you are, then I must warn you... nothing will stop us from destroying you and your citizens completely until not even two stones stood here.”

"My dearest king, I am suggesting nothing of the sort! Now, please let me finish. I will accept your offer if instead of riches you will give me one thing." Forrest said.

"And what exactly would that one thing be?" Triton said raising an eyebrow.

"I would humbly request your daughter's hoof in marriage."

At this, Triton laughed and said, "You would request my daughter's hand instead of gold? Well, I can't say I blame you for thinking this way, but I cannot allow you to marry her until you have proven yourself worthy to me. Only then may you try to win my daughter's heart. But be warned, this is no easy task. For I would require you to do three hard, specific things.

Things many others before you have failed. But if you still with to try your luck then I won't stop you. However, before I tell you what you must do, I must remark that you are like you forefathers in many ways. They have all wanted marriage to a seapony, and they all had to do three hard things to be deemed worthy enough.

Now please, give me a moment to think of something new for you since your ancestors have already done so very many things," Triton said putting a hoof to his chin in deep thought. He was silent for a long time until he said, "Yes, that will work. These are your tasks in the order that you must do them. First, you must take a flower from the garden of Aluviar, then you must bring me an ice diamond, and finally, you must give me the Rose of Death."

"You want me to go into a cyclops' garden, then bring you an ice diamond from the lands to the north, and then give you the Mortimus flower, correct?" he said.

"Yes, that is correct," Triton confirmed.

"One question before I begin, though. Is there any sort of a time limit on when I bring these to you?" Forrest said.

"No, not really. Just don't die, ok?"

"Alright, I can do that," Forrest said smiling at Triton.

“Very good then, I look forward to hearing about how your adventure goes.”

As the sea king was standing up to leave, he looked at Forrest and said, "I look forward to hearing how the adventures go. But, in the meantime, I wish you good luck."

As Forrest watched the sea king disappear into the ocean, he said to himself, "For you, Venus, I will do anything. You are my Aphrodite and I wish that I could say so right now with all my words, thoughts, songs, and poetry. But no. First I must prove myself worthy of your love, and then I shall return to be with you again."

"Please sir, I grow tired of you being in love," Sebastian said.

"Sebastian, my friend, will you come along with me on this adventure even though the road ahead might be filled with peril?"

"Yes sir, but only because you are my friend," He replied, letting a slight smile creep onto his face.

"Thank you, Sebastian, you've always stood by my side when I've needed you the most. I just wish there were some way to repay you.

"Being with you makes me happy, and that's payment enough."

"And the check I give you at the end of the month, of course," Forrest teased.

"Yes, that too. But enough talk, let us begin this epic adventure that the poets will surely write about in the future.

"Don't forget all the other adjectives like awesome, amazing, perhaps even radical."

"Please sir, let's just get going."

First on their list was the flower from the lands of Aluviar, which, and everypony knows, is infested with all kinds of creatures, though mostly cyclopes.

Cyclopes, of course, were very big and dangerous, but Forrest had no fear...

He challenged them to games of strength but he always managed to always trick two of them to play the game for him, he also used games of the mind, and soon enough he had a flower in no time at all.

“Very good,” Triton said upon his return.

“You have proven yourself to be one third ready and worthy, but two tasks still lie ahead of you yet,” he said.

Next, he went to the frozen countries of the north, where he met Winter Frost and managed to gain a diamond by courting her and nearly breaking her heart as he left.

"Excellent, you have brought me two of the three objects. But I fear the third and final task is impossible. Please, give up your foolish quest before you die trying to attain this stupid goal. You don't need my daughter's love to be happy, surely there is another mare..."

“Sir, there are none other like her elsewhere in the entire world. There never was and there never will be, not even until the very end of time itself.”

“Very well then, you may continue on your stupid quest as you wish.”

And so he left to complete the third task. As he found out, the sea king was right, the Flower of Death was the hardest as he had to travel to Tartarus itself. There, he had to seek an audience with Anubis, the keeper of the gates. Then, go talk to Nyx, the goddess of darkness, death, and blood. Next came Hades, but both him and Nyx were the wrong version of death that Forrest wanted.

Finally, Mortimer came to meet him, for Mortimer was the pony of death. "What do you want from me?" Mortimer asked.

"I would like a Flower of Death of course," Forrest replied.

"You are brave and stupid to come here, and because I'm feeling generous today, though partly because I'm impressed you made it this far, let me give you this advice: keep trying to do the impossible, but never lie. Never say you can do something if you cannot truly do it."

"Alright, fine then, but might I ask why?"

"Because one day you might die trying to do just that."

"I see. Any more advice for me before I leave?"

“Yes, someday you’ll meet the sirens, wear wax then. And always keep your friend close by, he might just save your life one day,” Mortimus said with a smile as he handed him a flower. “Here is your flower, now go, leave my realm and never return unless you wish to die permanently.”

"Congratulations on doing the impossible. And now, it seems like you are ready to begin courting my daughter. And if she should choose to love you, then you will have my full permission to marry her. But this is only if she accepts your proposal, for my daughter's happiness is one of the few things left that I truly care for. Now go, and may you have the best of luck," Triton said upon his return home.

"Thank you, Triton," Forrest said to the sea king as he left and his daughter came up from the sea to greet him. "Hello there," Forrest said to her, "I have now received permission to try and win your heart now, but I will never be able to do so without first knowing your name. So I ask, fair lady, what is thy name?"

"My name is Lily," She replied.

“Ah yes, of course, because what is more serene, peaceful, and beautiful than a water lily on a pond of water? What is more incredible and amazing, what is more wonderful than that which my words cannot fully ever possibly describe? Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou are more lovely and more temperate. Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May. And summer’s lease hath all too short a date. Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines. And often his gold complexion dimmed, and every fair from fair sometimes declines. By chance or nature’s changing course untrimmed. But thy eternal summer shall not fade. Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st; nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade. When in eternal lines to time thou gow’st. So long as ponies can breathe, or eyes can see. So long lives this, and this gives life to thee,” he said.

“What was that?” she said trying not to cry.

“Poetry,” he said, “Although not my own, but I do have some that is my own and I will speak them only if you wish to hear it.”\

“In time, I think that I would like that very much. But first, is there any more that you can recite for me?

“Who would you like to hear first?”

“Whoever you think will be the best for me to hear.”

"Very well, I believe one by William Hoofsphere will suffice."

“It lies not within out power to love or hate, for will in us is overruled by fate… We wish that one should lose, the other win… Where both deliberate, the love is slight. Who ever loved that loved not at first sight?” he said.

“Those who live the most do not talk of their love,” he said. “Oh, my love’s like a red, red rose, that’s newly sprung in June; Oh, my love’s like the melody that’s sweetly played in tune.

As fair thou art, my bonnie lass, so deep in love am I; And I will love thee still, my dear. Till all the seas run dry. Till all the seas run dry, my dear, and the rocks melt with the sun: Oh, I will love thee still, my dear, while the sands of life shall run.”

He coughed and then continued onwards. “Take all my loves, my love, yea, take them all; What hast thou then more than thou had before?”

He coughed again and then continued onwards. “If my love for you was any greater, the trees would line up in poetic forms...awe you in sonnets written......part...to allow winds to cool your face... to trace it with natures hand. all the oxygen that covers all the waters rise, supercharge the breath of my emotion. Mountains would melt, shed their peaks like tears of joy. Even the arid deserts serve up fruits, their prickly pears peeled on a platter. Sunset would pause and sunrise hurry......exist in a paradox to herald your presence. Petals would climb their stems regroup to bloom again. Butterflies re-cocoon emerge as glorious fairies for all children to adore. The skies would willingly shape, etch, paint, frame my exuberance. The planet would swell, the galaxies expand.in the endless depth of my singular love I hold you dear, safely contain you in my admiring smile, for now, forevermore,” he said. “I think that’s all that I really have for you right now,” he said.

“Well, that was enough, it was very lovely, wonderful, and incredible. You should read your poetry aloud more often, you know.”

“I will, but only if you come out of the sea," he said..

She looked nervous at the thought about this. “No,” She said. “The sea is my home, I live in the water, the ocean bothers me not, fish are my friends, and you won’t ever convince me that the land could possibly be greater than the sea.”

“Well, I’ll try to do my very best before the end ever comes close to that.”

“If you try then you most certainly will fail in the end.”

“Well, you and I, we can’t be too sure of that fact, now can we?”

“No, but I don’t see how you can convince me of anything.”

“Just wait and see, I will soon enough, my dear. But until the next time that we meet, I wish to say good luck and that I love you.”

“And good luck to you, too, Forrest,” She said with a smile right before disappearing into the sea.

Later on, Sebastian had to drag his friend back to the castle. And except for that one moment on the beach, everything was absolutely perfect.

The Lakeside Bath

Chapter Six: The Lakeside bath

“Oh Sebastian, I am truly in love for the first time in my life.”

"Yes, sir, that you are," Sebastian said, straightening out the bed in front of him.

“Have you ever been in love before?” Forrest asked.

"Only once, sir.”

“Whatever happened to her?” he asked.

“Our love just wasn’t meant to be, that’s all. Just as yours and that Seamare in my opinion,” he said.

“Oh, come now, our love can work out well enough.”

“How, though? She’s part of the sea, sir, and I mean no disrespect, but you're not.”

"True love will always find a way, or do you doubt that as well?”

“I don’t doubt it, but I am very quickly losing faith in many things, including some of my oldest, strongest beliefs, sir.”

“Well don’t, please don't, you have to stay strong for me, you’re the only real friend I have left after mom and dad…” he began.

“After they left, sir. I don’t think that they’re dead yet, just hiding. Not because they don’t love you, but because of the Seaponies, because of their love for each other.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” Forrest said, walking to the balcony and leaning over it. “Do you think that she’s out there somewhere trying to look for me in my castle, or do you think that she will just stare out at the moon?”

“I really don’t know, sir. but King Cosmos sure does his job well, and I think that anypony given enough time will look at the moon.”

“Thank you. For your words, and support... it means a whole lot to me.”

"You are very welcome, sir. But for now, we'd best be off to bed."

“You are right, for tomorrow will bring me more hope and joy if I see her again. And yet another chance to sing my songs, and speak in words that together form the most beautiful poetry.

She walks in beauty, like the night, of cloudless climes and starry skies, and all that’s best of dark and bright. Never seek to tell thy love, love that never told can be; For the gentle wind doth move, silently, invisibly. I told her my love, I told my love, I told her all my heart, trembling, cold, in ghastly fears, Ah! She did depart! Soon after she was gone from me, a traveler came by, silently, invisibly, he took her with a sigh,” Forrest finished softly with a very heavy sigh.

“I sense that you are sad sir, but why?" Sebastian said.

“Because I cannot see her,” he answered.

"Well then, why don’t you get into your bed, and if you're lucky, maybe you will get the chance to see her tomorrow.”

“Yes, that sounds like a good idea,” Forrest said while climbing into his bed, where Sebastian then gently tucked the blankets in and dimmed the lights. But before he left, he spoke one final thing in a soft voice, “Good night, my friend."

Forrest, as per an unofficial tradition, was awoken the next morning by warm rays of light when the curtains were drawn back by Sebastian.

"Good morning, Forrest," Sebastian said. "Lovely day outside, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is," Forrest replied in an unusually awake manner. For you see, Sebastian quite often compared Forrest's distaste for mornings to that of a vampire, or sometimes a zompony, and Forrest being awake in the morning was often reserved for important holidays, birthdays, and parties.

"Is there anything special you would like to do today, or should we begin working on the usual chores?" Sebastian asked.

"Let's go down to the lakeside for a bath as usual, but after that how about we walk to the beach? I would like to see Lily this morning

And so it was that they went down to the lake for Forrest's bath. But what they saw on approach was quite shocking. For there, in their usual spot, they saw Lily bathing. [New Paragraph] Sebastian, unlike Forrest who struggled with whether or not it was alright to watch a mare bathe right in front of him, quickly averted his eyes.

Sebastian, while waiting for Lily to be done, distracted himself by commenting on various aspects of nature. Forrest, however, decided to alert Lily to their presence.

"Hello there," He said. "It's nice to see you, not that I like seeing naked mares or enjoy watching them, I'm just saying that it's very nice to see you even if you just happen to be naked and bathing at the moment." He silently cursed himself, why did he ever say something as stupid as that? Why didn't he just shut up when he still had the chance? But now it was too late, and he would have to wait for whatever punishment she gave him.

Much to Forrest's surprise, Lily laughed and flashed him a smile.

"You're funny, I like that about you, " She said. "But, as I'm almost done, if you would be so kind as to look away for a few minutes..."

"Of course milady," Forrest replied, turning slightly red in the face as he turned to face Sebastian.

After a few minutes, they heard Lily call out, "Alright, I'm done now, you may look."

As they were turning around, Forrest asked, "Do you ever think it silly that ponies care more if you see them bathing than in public since we all walk around naked anyway?"

"No, I don't," Sebastian replied. "And that's because ponies usually reveal more parts while bathing then when they go to the market 'completely naked,' as you say."

"Oh, that makes sense," Forrest said.

And it was now that they got their first good look at Lily. Her mane was black as ink, while her coat was a purer white than even Princess Celestia. And her eyes were the deepest shade of green that Forrest and Sebastian had ever seen.

“Oh my gosh, hot hell and heaven damn me to hell for my lust right now,” Sebastian said.

“Uh, yeah, what you said,” Forrest said gawking at her.

Lily giggled and smiled at this, but they lasted far too short of a time for Forrest. “Now then boys," She said. "You don’t need to stare at me all day.”

"Oh, right. But if you don't mind my asking, why are you here? Not that you can't be here, I'm just curious." Forrest asked.

“Well, I don’t mind you staring, in fact, I rather like it. But I’m here partly because I’m bored and partly my father says I should either put an end to your grand illusions of your shot at love with me, or I should instead take it seriously. And depending on your actions, I’ll better know which one to lean towards as time goes on.”

"Would you like to hear more poetry now?" Forrest asked.

"Oh, yes. That would be lovely," Lily answered.

“Yes please,” she said.

“Very well then, as you wish.

One word is often too profaned, for me to profane it, one feeling too falsely disdained, for thee to disdain it; one hope is to like despair, for prudence to smother; and pity from thee more dear, than that from another. I can give what ponies call not love, but wilt thou accept not the worship the heart lifts above, and the heavens reject me not, of the night for the morrow; the devotion to something afar, from the sphere of our sorrow?”

"That was very beautiful, thank you." She said once Forrest finished.

"You're quite welcome, milady, but I have done nothing worthy of praise for I am only using the words of those before me."

"Well, may I at least commend you on your excellent re-telling of those words?"

"I suppose that's only fair. And in that case, thank you."

"I get the feeling this relationship could work out, and yet..."

"Well, I would hate for it to not work out."

"I, too, would hate for it to fail," Sebastian chimed in, disrupting their solitude.

"Sebastian, is that really you? How have you been doing?" Lily asked, turning to smile at Sebastian.

"I am doing well, thank you. Life on the land is working well, and I find myself enjoying it here," Sebastian responded.

"Excuse my interruption, but Lily, how do you know Sebastian?" Asked Forrest.

"He hasn't told you? Well, he's sort of an ambassador between our two races," Lily answered.

"Sebastian, why haven't you told me this? Oh well, no harm was done, I know now anyway." Forrest said.

"I have been in your family line longer than you think. Actually, as long as your family has ruled this land," Sebastian added.

"So, you're super old then..."

"Compared to you, yes. But in terms of seapony life spans, I'm still very young, especially for an ambassador, but they thought I would be right for this family. And it turns out they were right, or, at least, they turned out to be right in the end. Also, if you ever ask what my real age is, I won't tell you. If there's one absolute for a seapony, it's that they will always lie about their ages. This is because they look young no matter how old they are, and that just causes ponies to become confused. Maybe one day I will tell you, but not for a long time."

"Alright, I'll just call you old until then," Forrest joked. [New Paragraph] "Well, that's a bit rude," Sebastian retorted. [New Paragraph] "Hey man, you gotta do what you gotta do. And if that means being slightly cold to you, then so be it."

"Ah, but can also be kind to get what you want, for a much better price, too," Lily commented.

"Yes, you are right my dear. But please, do tell about your kingdom. What are its secrets? Does it have any problems? What’s the currency and exchange rate like? Do you have a national flag? Do you purchase things with currency or is it just a direct trade?”

“Woah, calm down there, that’s just a few too many questions to answer right now. But don’t fret, you will have your answers soon.”

"I guess I should start with currency. We have many valuable gems, crystals, gold, and the like, along with swords, cannons, and other such weapons since so many ships sink when there's a storm. And even though we often try to help keep it afloat, it often sinks anyway, in which case we just try to save as many ponies as possible. For trading, we normally use whatever we have, whether that be gems or something else, it doesn't matter. For our flag, I think we technically have one, but we do live underwater. Whatever problems we might have either take too long to explain or are none of your business..”

"I've always loved the technicalities of royal matters," Forrest said, clearly egging Lily on.

At this Lily sighed and said, "Very well, I shall tell you. Our only major problems are because of the sirens."

Once she said that, Forrest was reminded of the warning provided by Mortimer: "Someday, you'll meet the sirens. Be sure to wear wax then." Although Forrest wasn't sure what this meant yet, he was sure he could figure it out. In the meantime, he figured it would be good to learn more about them: "Why are they a problem? [New Paragraph] "You see, they sing in such a way that it lures sailors into rocks or coral, which sinks their ships. Another way, is that they often trick ponies, no matter what kind, into giving them their souls and put them in a garden which we, very fittingly if you ask me, call the Garden of Lost Souls."

"Wait, how can anything use singing to bring ponies to their deaths? Furthermore, how do they trick ponies into giving them their souls?" asked Forrest.

Well, the singing is an easy explanation, magic. A magic of such kind that nopony can resist it. As for the second question, let's just say they can tell what others want and they trick ponies into trading their souls for it."

"And where is this Garden of Lost Souls?"

"Down in a cave under the ocean. And don't even ask me to bring you there, because I won't."

"So you know where it is, you just won't take me there because of safety reasons, right?"

“Well yes, that’s exactly right,” she said. “Look, just take me there.”

"Yes..." She said hesitantly.

"Just take me there, please."

"I won't. You could get hurt, or worse..."

"Don't worry, I know how to avoid their spells. I'll put wax in my ears," he said.

"Oh? And how do you know of that solution?" Lily asked.

"Well, um, Mortimer told me when I was asking him for a flower."

"Of course he did, I mean, why wouldn't he?"

"So are you going to take me to the garden or not?" Forrest asked, a grin on his face.

"Fine, I will take you there." Lily said, but upon seeing the victorious grin on Forrest's face, she added, "Just not today."

"Then when?" Forrest asked, his smile fading slightly.

"I'll let you know if it comes up," She said, clearly enjoying his dismay.

"Fine, be that way, it's not like I care."

"Forrest, the sirens are no laughing matter," She said with a slight frown.

"And I'm not laughing. Do you see me laughing?"

"You just can't take anything seriously, can you? You always have to make a joke out of it."

"Why so serious, Lily? Life is better when you're laughing at it more."

"If you truly believe so. But until next time we meet, I wish you good luck," She said before diving into the water and vanishing.

"And to you as well, my fair lady." Forrest replied with a sigh.

“Come on sir, let’s get you back to the castle,” Sebastian said.

"Yes, let's," Said Forrest, with a sad tone in his voice as he realized he might not see Lily again for a long time. {New Paragraph] Later that night when he went to bed, Forrest laid there letting his mind compose wonderful things to say to Lily when he next saw her until he drifted off to sleep. Sebastian, however, did not get much sleep that night, but, then again, he never did get very much.

Under the Sea