How I Became the Sea

The first thing I register as I wake is a swelling of pain in my chest. I thrash my forelegs, then cough violently, choking up water. I gag to remove as much of it as possible. Panting, I look around.

I'm in a cave, it looks like. It's dark and damp, and it smells like fish. I don't see an opening anywhere, so I'm doubly confused as to how I got here. I whip around when I hear a shuffling sound. There's a small crevice that I can squeeze through.

I suck in my gut to pinch myself between the walls and pop out the other side. Now, I'm in a tunnel. My heart thumps as I begin to think claustrophobic thoughts. How the hay did I get in here?

Towards the end of the tunnel, I hear that sound again. With no better option, I follow it. The tunnel isn't very long, fortunately. I exit into yet another bulbous opening in the rock, this one lit up by an unknown luminescent material. Blue light paints the outline of a pony- no, hippocampus- sitting by a pool of water.

"...Fluttershy?"

She doesn't respond. I cautiously trot towards her. Before I can tap her shoulder, she swings her tail up, splashing water onto the glowing blue stuff on the ceiling of the cavern. Instantaneously, it turns dew-green, and illuminates the entire cave. I gasp shortly when I see Fluttershy.

Her entire body is riddled with claw and teeth marks. Her hair is torn in some places. She's even bleeding from a couple of wounds. I place a hoof over my mouth.

"What happened to you?"

Fluttershy still doesn't face me. Instead, she lifts a hoof to her left ear, which is torn and bleeding. Hoof now teddened, she takes it and dabs at a spot on the cave wall. Baffled, I look to see what she's doing.

Again, my breath falls short. The entire wall has been painted like a mural. It's a landscape peeking over a cliff to watch the waves crashing in from a wide span of ocean. That's the cliff where Blaze lives. The painting is minus his cabin, but the lighthouse is still there.

That's where Fluttershy smeared blood. At the top of the lighthouse, she colored in the signal; even though it's a glossy red now, I know it will turn dark and murky. Still, it stands out from the soft violet Fluttershy used to paint the sky. I stare blankly, no idea what to say.

"Fluttershy... Fluttershy, are you okay?" I place a hoof on her shoulder. For a moment, I think she's ignoring me, but then I follow her eyes on the mural. Down on the rock, her rock, there's the shadowy orange outline of a pony with their lower half deceptively turned, dipping into the water.

On the beach, there's another pony, this one clearly on four legs. By the smudges of yellow, and the streaks of pink, I put two and two together.

"You used to be a pony?" Fluttershy nods stiffly. I fall back onto my haunches. Whoa. But then... "Who is that?"

I point to the orange figure. "Is that another hippocampus?" Again, Fluttershy nods slowly. "What happened to it?"

Silently, Fluttershy points her bloody hoof up. At the top of the awe-worthy mural, three ghostly beings lurk overhead menacingly. They are serpent-like creatures, with long forked tongues stuck out between jagged, jutting teeth. Their hot-red eyes are like burning coals.

Each of them look alike, except for their color. The one on the left is a purple hue. The one on the right is the color of a clear sky. And the one in the middle, with the most malevolent smirk captured on its face, is a stark gold.

I look back at Fluttershy. She's shaking now. Her eyes are clenched shut, and her chest heaves terribly. I move towards her to catch her in a hug. Her ears fold back as she leans into me. One last time, one of my suspicions about the hippocampus is proven.

She can't cry.

I go most of the day without knowing what happened. Or, I assume it's day. I honestly have no idea what time it is. All I can do is watch Fluttershy slowly heal. It's fascinating, but also really gross seeing her cuts gradually scab over.

But hey, score one for hippocampi. I guess enhanced healing is one contributor to their longer lifespan. I roll over on the stony floor to look at her again.

"This is where you live, right?" She nods. "And, it's close to the beach?" She pauses, then waves her hoof in a kind of gesture. I sigh.

"So, I can go home?" Fluttershy motions at the open pit of water, as if to say, I'm not stopping you. I bite my lip nervously. "But the Sirens, they aren't supposed to still be here," I jab a hoof at her. "You expected them to be gone."

Fluttershy only offers a defeated shrug in return. I tap my hoof on the ground in thought. Before I can comment again, my stomach rumbles thunderously. I look up at Fluttershy sheepishly.

"I don't suppose you keep any hay fries around down here?"

Fluttershy rolls her eyes, then slips down into the water. Just as I begin to wonder if she abandoned me, Fluttershy pops back up. She dumps a pile of small, rocky objects on the ground. I pick up one of the oval-shaped thingies and knock it against the floor.

"What are these?"

Fluttershy takes it from me. She produces a thin, jagged rock from somewhere in the cave, and slips in into a crack in the thing. She yanks harshly, creating a meaty schhk sound. I shudder as she passes one half back to me. Inside the reeky thing is a disgusting bundle of meat.

I look back at her in horror. Fluttershy facehooves, then takes it back. She then demonstratively slurps it down, eliciting a small amount of bile in me to bubble up.

"Thanks, but I think I'll pass." I moan. Fluttershy shakes her head, then dives back down. The next time she surfaces, she carries a tangle of seaweed.

Alright, now that's a little closer to home. I test a bite. It's kind of like long, chewy fettuccine. That's cold. And tastes like stale fish food. I don't complain.

I stuff myself until I can't eat anymore. After all, I haven't eaten in at least a day. Once I'm done, I lick my chops to get all the juice that dribbled down. I notice then that Fluttershy has been watching me. She smiles in amusement.

"What?"

Fluttershy shakes her head in a, Oh, nothing way. I belch, causing her to laugh soundlessly as she recoils.

"Thanks," I nod at her, chuckling a bit. I wipe my chin, then cough. "So, are the Sirens still a problem? I mean, I have to get home."

Fluttershy shakes her head. At this, I am actually surprised. "So, I can go? How do I get back? Can you show me?"

Fluttershy points at the opposite end of the cave. There I see a small pile of junk. I look back at her in puzzlement. She holds her hooves over her eyes, then points again. What is she... oh. Goggles. There's a pair of goggles among the scraps.

I trot over to the pile, and secure them over my eyes. They're kind of old. Fluttershy motions for me to step forward. Eagerly, I obey. She hooks her hooves around my forelegs, then nods for me to hold my breath. I inhale a big breath of air. I grunt as she tugs me down.

The cold water throws me into shock for a few seconds. The underwater cove spills directly into the open sea. I can't help but look in every direction to see incoming monsters ready to eat us. I expect Fluttershy to pull me up towards the beach, but I get a sinking feeling. Literally.

My eyes widen when Fluttershy leads me down. Farther. And farther. I begin to struggle, and her hold on me tightens. Bubbles escape my lips as I begin to scream.

She's trying to drown me!