How I Became the Sea

There she is again.

I lift my head up off of my pillow and gaze out the window. The violent pink sky bleeds out into the shimmering blue ocean. On the very edge of the horizon, the two colors meet, blending into a mottled grey color that's rather unsettling among the otherwise pretty colors. But that's not what I'm interested in.

Down at the rocky bottom of the cliff upon which the lighthouse stands, there is a small outlet that opens into a skinny stretch of sand; a pitiful excuse for what you could call a beach. The sand down there is a petty nuisance; it's always so gritty and coarse. It lumps together like cat litter, and takes forever to wash out. It's not even remotely close to the soft, silky paradise that Rarity wouldn't shut up about.

Regardless, every morning, and every night for the past three days I've been here, I see somepony down there. A lone mare, perched on a rock. I think she braids her mane down there. I can't tell; she's almost always shrouded in darkness, as if a layer of treacherous mist hovers over her at all times. I tried going down to talk to her, but every time I did, she was gone without a sound.

It creeped me out to no end. I told Blaze about it as soon as he came back from his daily fishing trip.

"Are you sure you didn't see a Siren?" He had laughed, slugging my shoulder.

I was unamused. Instead of taking him up on his offer to accompany him and his crew fishing (I hate water), I opted to dig into his little study and do some investigating. And wouldn't you know, he had a cute little section on oceanic mythology. Apparently Sirens are magical serpents that use their seductive voices to lure sailors to their doom.

Well, the thing I saw was definitely a pony. Also, I had never heard it sing. I crossed Siren off the list.

Cthulhu, Kraken, Hydra, they were all wrong! I doubt half of them even still exist. Exhausted, I tried to just shove it out of my mind. But every glance I steal down that gorge, she's still there. I wondered... could she be a ghost?

I mean, not like a spooky sheet ghost, but like, a spirit or something. It didn't not make sense. Three days into my stay, I heard a loud wail out from the seaside, and that's when I rolled over in bed to look out in shock. She's still up on that rock, though not sitting up like she usually does. This time, I am finding out who she is, once and for all!

I kick up the salt-stiffened sheets and stomp out the door. I don't worry about waking up Blaze; he can sleep through anything. I stop to put on a rain slicker and tuck my rainbow mane into a gray knit beanie. I will hide outside all night if I have to.

Now ready for anything, I charge outside. I gallop ferociously to the jagged path worn into the rock. I have to zigzag a couple times, but it's manageable. I peek over the hedge-brush every few seconds to make sure she doesn't disappear on me. I smirk when I burst through the dry, cracked bramble.

She's still there.

"Hey! Who are you?" I demand in the most authoritative voice I can muster. I scuff my hind hooves, hoping I look intimidating. When she turns around, I'm at a loss for words.

In the dying light of the sun, I can see her butter-yellow coat glistening over her skin. A flowing pink mane falls over a most pleasingly symmetrical face. A frightened expression vandalizes the angelic features that take my breath away. I stutter, then repeat myself.

"Hey! I'm talking to you!" I take a step towards her, then instantly backpedal. Now that I'm really looking, I realize with horror that there's a great big fish tail where her hindquarters should be. "Sweet Celestia!"

It's a sea monster! That's it, I'm out. I am not a mare of many fears, but sea monsters is where I draw the line! I turn to race for safety, when I hear a weak splash behind me. I dive behind a bush, and poke my head out slowly. My gut feels squeezed to see her writhing in a tiny pool, her hooves flailing wildly.

She looks up at me. I consider flying all the way back to Cloudsdale. Before I will my wings to work, I freeze as she mouths the word Please.

Please what?

I cock my head at her. I jump when I hear another eerie wail. She looks even more nervous than I do. Again, she mouths Please. Her shoulders heave, as if she were sobbing, but no tears come out.

"Do... do you need help?" I ask as I inch closer. She perks up, nodding intensely. "So, if I help you, you're not gonna eat me?"

She scowls at me, as if I just said something incredibly stupid. I bite my lip. She's... intelligent. I don't think I can just leave her. I mentally scream at myself as I walk closer.

"Okay, I'm gonna help you," I hesitantly move down to pick her up. My skin crawls at how slimy her bottom half feels. She's a little heavy, but I've lifted larger loads before. "Do you need to go back into the water?"

Her tail whips up to slap me in the face. I yelp, and give her a sour look. She's shaking her head. I frown.

"Why not?" Another gut-wrenching wail. She points her hoof in the direction it emanated from. I gulp. "Are there actual sea monsters out there?" She nods.

What a most unbelievable chain of events. I'm not convinced that I'm not dreaming. I grimace as I turn away. There isn't another body of water close by. I have no idea what to do.

The water churns out in the ocean, snatching my attention. My jaw drops as the dark, spiny fin of some great big creature begins to surface. The pony-fish-thing's grip around my waist tightens. As I zoom back towards the cabin, I think to myself that I'll just have to figure something out.

"Rainbow Dash?"

I jerk my head up when I hear knocking. "Huh?" A small splash of water hits my face. I look up to see the seapony, eyes glinting merrily as she forms a small o with her mouth and shoots another stream at me. This is probably the explanation for why my chest is damp.

"Rainbow Dash, are you okay in there?"

I freeze. Blaze cannot see this. "Don't come in here! I'm taking a bath!" I shout. Out of the corner of my eye, the seapony smiles invitingly, as if to say that I am welcome to do just that.

"Okay. Me and the boys are headed out. I'll be back tonight!"

As his hoofsteps recede, I turn to look back at my guest. "Should I be worried about him and his friends? Cuz the... you know." She considers for a moment, then shakes her head no. I sigh in relief. I didn't really feel like explaining all this to Blaze.

I slide back against the door. My back aches from sitting all night. The seapony, who rests half submerged in the bathtub, stares at me curiously. I stare back.

"So... I'm guessing you can't talk," She shakes her head. I groan. "Can you write?" At this, she gives me a deadpan look.

I groan again, this one more agitated. I curl up on the bathroom mat. "Okay, well, how long do you need to stay hidden? I can't keep you here forever."

She ponders for a few seconds. She grabs a shampoo bottle and squirts a short squiggly line on the floor.

"Uh, one?" She nods. "One day?" I don't think I can keep my cool if it turns out to be one year. Thankfully, she nods again. I exhale.

I caught a lucky break. I can hide her for that long. Speaking of which...

"What was that thing?"

I don't think I've ever been truly terrified until I saw that thing rise up from the depths of the water. I didn't get a good look at it, but my instincts told me it was dangerous.

The seapony shrugs. I glare at her; she obviously knows, given her intense desire to get the heck away from it. Well, if she doesn't want to fill me in, I am more than capable of finding out for myself.

"I'll be right back," I mutter as I climb to my hooves, stretching in the process. I stop, then add, "Don't go anywhere."

She blows a raspberry at me with a spiteful look on her face.

"So... you're a hippocampus." I muse. The newly determined hippocampus raises her head. Ah-ha, so she knows I know. Well, I don't know whatever it was that was, I guess chasing her. But hey, progress.

I am a little surprised, in fact. The hippocampi in Blaze's book are big, powerful creatures. This one looks comparatively puny. I mean, compared to a pony, her upper half looks like an adult mare. I peer at her closely. I must be the first pony to see a hippocampus in a while.

What Twilight Sparkle wouldn't give...

"Well, my name's Rainbow Dash," I wave shortly. "Nice to meet you."

The hippocampus waves back. She lifts the shampoo bottle again; I moan as she begins squirting more shampoo onto the floor that I'll have to clean up. When she's done, she looks at me expectantly. I roll my eyes, and look down.

IM FLUTTERSHY