Lailani watched in fascinated horror as the transformation changed her fins and tail to legs and long butt hair.
"Remember, it only lasts ten days. One day for each year." warned the sea unicorn.
"Yeah, I know. It's not like it was in the job description." Lailani rolled her eyes at the elder.
The unicorn drew back, offended. "Your tongue may be sharp, but your wits need to match."
The pegasus spread her wings. "Uh huh, right. Wise things and all that back." Lailani clumsily rose into the air.
As the elder watched the smart-aleck sea pegasus rise, he muttered under his breath "Her head is as hot as summer water." he silently dove down to the underwater world he called home.
Lailani soared awkwardly over the what was it called now.... orchard, watching the looming moutains in the distance and using her sharp hearing to do her job.
A sound caused her to adjust her ears and shift direction. A light, sweet voice was attemting the Princess hit, Another one bites the dust.
"Are ya ready, are ya ready for this, are ya hangin' on the edge of you seat? Out of the doorway, the bullets rip to the sound of the beat. Doo. Doo. Doo. Doo. Another one bites the dust. Doo. Doo. Doo. Doo. Another one bi-" a loud thump interrupted the chorus.
"Shut up, Sweetie Belle." a rough voice, also high pitched sulked.
Lailani landed near the voices, stumbled, and tripped into the clearing that the fillies stood in.
"Who're you? Ah'm Applebloom, that's Scootaloo, and thar's Sweetie Belle. We're-" a yellow filly scooched closer to the orange filly and the white filly. They all took a deep breath. "THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADER HELPERS!" They all proceeded to examine their flanks.
Lailani twitched and rubbed her ears.
"Applebloom! Sweetie! Scoots! Soup's on!" a mature sounding voice yelled in Applebloom's accent.
The three fillies squealed and brushed past Lailani.
Lailani sighed and took to the sky again, slightly smoother than before. From above, the sea pony spots a house that had many animals milling about the front. She landed in the road in front of the house and walked toward it. It seemed tobe the closest building for a while with the exception of the orchard with the singing filly in it
I'll have to go back. Lailani thought.
She walked up to the door and tentatively knocked. Lailani cringed at the loud noise and put her ears back.
A pale yellow pegasus opened the door. She had a long, slightly curly pink mane and her butt hair was likewise. Lailani studied her eyes and found them to be soft and kind, and a little weak. Years spent in college and "Personalities 101" taught her to read eyes and body language.
"H-hello?" the pegasus noticably shied away. "Do you need anything? N-not to be impolite, it's fine if you just want to talk, I'm sorry..." she rambled.
"Hello, my name is Lailani. I'm new in town and awfully tired. I don't think I can make it to town. May I stay here tonight? Once I get a job I can repay you."
The pegasus blinked, as if startled by my offer of money. "That's a nice name.You don't have to pay me, if you don't want to, I mean. You can pay me if you'd like but I can let you stay here without mo-"
Lailani raised a hoof. "I assure you, I will pay you as soon as I get the money. What is your name?"
"I'm Flursigh." she mumbled.
"Excuse me?"
"I'm Flutrshi." she repeated.
"One more time, a little louder, please?"
"I'm Fluttershy," she squeaked. "I'm sorry for shouting."
"It's fine. I have strangely good hearing, so that pitch is perfect for me."
A white rabbit appeared in the doorway and tapped it's foot impatiently on the floor.
Fluttershy bent down. "Oh Angel Bunny, I'm sure Ricky didn't mean it. You should just ask for it back." she cooed.
Thankfully, this Fluttershy didn't question further. She motioned for Lailani to come in and she obeyed.
Most ponies would wrinkle their noses at the odor in Fluttershy's house, but Lailani found it comforting. She kept animals at her house just outside the reef. Her favorite was a shark named Lodon. He was huge, but a real sweetheart.
"Um, your staying in this room." her eyes widened in alarm. "I mean, you can stay in another room if you want but this one is themost comfortable a-" her voice rose to the point where Lailani cringed.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-" Fluttershy began.
"Save it. It's fine. If anypony talks too loud, then it hurts," Lailani said firmly. "You're good."
With a glance out the window at the darkening sky, Fluttershy started down the stairs. "I have to start cooking. I have to feed the chickens, and the weasels, and the-"
"I can feed them if you give me some of their food." Lailani offered.
"Oh, okay." Fluttershy handed her the chicken food.
Lailani tuned her hearing around Fluttershy's house. She heard faint clucking in a hut near the forest.
She flit over to the chicken coop, feed bag in hoof. Lailani landed in the fenced in portion of the yard and poked her head in the coop.
"Chickens, I've got- what are you doing here? Get out!" Lailani shooed an orange pegasus out.
"Okay. Chickens, I've got food for ya." Lailani poured the food into the bowl and pulled both herself and the bag out of the chicken coop.
Tuning her hearing again, she heard Fluttershy over by something that hisses and she was... singing.
"I remember tears streaming down your face when I said I'll never let you go. When all those shadows almost killed your liiiight. I remember you said don't leave me here alone. But all that's dead and gone and passed toniiiiiiight." Fluttershy carried on the haunting tune until the hissing stopped.
Lailani softly landed behind Fluttershy.
"You're really good." she said in wonder at her own luck.
Fluttershy squeaked and turned around at a speed that would impress the Wonderbolts "I-I didn't know you could hear me."
"I didn't either."
"Dinner's ready, you can go and eat. If you want to, I mean. You don't have to, but I think you would be hungry after-"
"I'm hungry. Come on, let's go eat some grub."
Fluttershy stood there until her stomach committed mutiny. "Okay,"
Lailani woke up to the sound of music. No, not like that. Fluttershy was singing again.
"How can you see into my eyes like open doors? Leading you down into my core where I've become so numb. Without a soul, my spirit's sleeping somewhere cold, until you find it and lead it back home."
Lailani knew this song. Bring me to life by Ponyescence.
"Wake me up." Lailani rapped on the stairs.
"Wake me up inside." Fluttershy seemed unaware of Lailani's presence. Lost in the music, some would say.
"Wake me up." Lailani rapped once more.
"Wake me up inside." Fluttershy sang.
"Save me." Lailani reached to bottom of the stairs.
"Wake me up and save me from the dark."
Lailani knew the next part well. "Bid my blood to run. Before I come undone." she sang unanimously with Fluttershy.
"Save me from the nothing I've become." they sang together in perfect harmony
This carried on for a while. Well, however long it took Fluttershy to cook eggs.
She turned around and screamed, seeing Lailani swaying to the beat only she could hear.
The frying pan clattered on the floor, snapping Lailani out of her melodious trance.
"Uh, hi Fluttershy. Just uh, singin' along! Yeah!" Lailani whistled a happy tune.
"Oh, of course." Fluttershy picked up the pan and put an egg on Lailani's plate that already sat on the table. Fluttershy's plate remained sad and eggless.
"You take the egg. I can eat later." Lailani pushed her plate forward.
"Oh no, you're my guest. You take the egg." Fluttershy pushed it back.
"No, I insist."
"No, I insist."
"You're taking the egg and that's final!" Lailani pushed the plate far enough to hit Fluttershy across the table.
Fluttershy's response was a glare that rendered Lailani speechless, frozen.
"Take the eggs. Now." she said calmly.
Lailani ate the eggs.
Fluttershy happily hummed.
"Oh, you can sing if you'd like. I was born into a musical ah, family." Lailani told her.
"O-okay," Fluttershy cleared her throat. "I'm coming home, coming home. Tell the world that I'm coming home. Let the rain wash away all the pain of yesterday. I know my kingdom awaits. They've forgiven my mistakes. I'm coming home, coming home. Tell the world that I'm coming, coming, coming, coming, home."
Lailani nodded. "Very nice. This is what I always remember if I get stage fright: birds aren't scared, so why am I?"
"Birds aren't scared... that is true. Birds don't get scared if ponies watch."
"Exactly.I've seen that you like kinda sad songs. My personal favorite song is Blown Away br Urrie Canderwood."
Fluttershy squealed. "I adore that song!"
Lailani smiled. "Dry lightning cracks across the skies."
"Those storm clouds gather in her eyes." Fluttershy closed her eyes.
"Her daddy was a mean old mister,"
"Mama was an angel in the ground." Fluttershy's melodious voice filled the cottage.
"Weathermare called for a twister," Lailani tested Fluttershy without the latter knowing.
"She prayed blow it down." Fluttershy's voice dropped.
"There's not enough rain in Oklahomare to wash the sins out of that house. There's not enough wind in Oklahomare to rip the nails out of the past." Lailani narrowed her eyes as Fluttershy began the final phase of the exam.
"Shatter every window 'til it's all blown awaaay. Every brick, every board, every slammin' door blown awaaaay. Until there's nothin' left standing, nothin' left of yesterday. Every tear-soaked whiskey memory blown awaaaaay. Blown awaaaaaay," Fluttershy swayed to the beat only she could hear.
Lailani did a mental slow clap. Well done, Fluttershy. You passed. Lailani thought, congratulating herself.
"Good job, Fluttershy. That was amazing."
"No, I screwed up the part about blowing houses down." Fluttershy blushed.
"No,no. You were perfect. Truth is," Lailani shuffled her hooves. "I'm a talent scout."
Fluttershy's jaw dropped. "R-really?"
"Really," Lailani smiled sincerely. "I work for Under the Sea Albums. I want you to come with me and get famous." She felt a little bad about lying to Fluttershy, but it's part of her job.
"H-how long is the contract binding me for?" Fluttershy asked.
"A very long time."
"Oh, I have to tell my friends!" Fluttershy bolted out the door and flew up to a huge mansion dripping rainbow hued ooze on the horizon.
Huh. That was faster than I thought.
Lailani decided that she needed a walk. On the edge of the woods, there was a patch of blue flowers growing.
She inhaled their scent. Salty.
She shrugged and went back to the house, suddenly in need of a nap.
"Is she alive? It doesn't look like she's breathing." a rough voice much like the orange filly's scraped Lailani's mind from her slumber.
"She's alive, Rainbow Dash," a scolding and ... purple-sounding voice. Lailani didn't know why, but it sounded purple.
Lailani opened her eyes. Her parched throat desperately needed-
"Water," she croaked.
A blue pegasus flashed away and a few seconds later, she reappeared with a glass in her hoof.
"Here," she was the owner of the rough voice.
Lailani gulped to water down. She sighed contentedly.
A purple unicorn scrunitized her. Probably the purple voice.
"What?"
"You've been out for about a half hour. Why so thirsty?"
"I dunno. I just got tired after I smelled some flowers."
The unicorn widened her eyes. "What color?"
"Blue. Why?"
"That was Poison Joke. It messes something on your body up. My horn was down for the count for a few days when I got it." Purple winced.
Lailani checked under the covers to make sure her beloved tail wasn't there. She gasped in relief.
"What is it?" Purple clambered over.
"Uh, my back hooves are flat." Lailani pushed the blanket down.
Purple and Blue gasped in shock. Lailani's back hooves wereas thin as a fin, but still as strong as a hoof.
Damn bush must have sped my reentry up.
"Where's Fluttershy?" Lailani asked impatiently.
"Downstairs cooking dinner." Blue looked at Lailani oddly.
Lailani ignored the stare and rose out of bed by flight, of course. She flit over to Fluttershy.
"Oh, hello Lailani." Fluttershy greeted.
"Hello. I've gotta be back by tomorrow. Will you come with me?" Lailani talked fast, hovering.
"I have to tell-" Fluttershy started.
"You've already told them. We have to leave now."
"N-now? But it's getting dark!" she exclaimed.
"Yes. But if you're scared of bad animals, the dark hides you better than during the day", Lailani flung Fluttershy's door open. "I'm leaving now, so make up you're mind quickly."
Lailani flew away. A few moments later, Fluttershy followed.
"H-how far are we going?" she asked, fear creeping into her voice.
"We should get there by midnight." Lailani check the moon's position.
They soared in silence over the Everfree Forest. In the distance, a wave caught the moon's reflection.
Homesickness welled in Lailani's throat. Opening her mouth, she cried "You shine the lights that stop me, turn to stone. You shine them when I'm alone. So I tell myself that I'll be strong, and dreaming when thery're gone. Because they're calling, calling, calling me home." she sang in the pitch black sky.
"I've never heard that one before," Fluttershy commented.
"I actually composed it as I went along." Lailani admitted.
"That's cool,"
More silence. Awkward.
The beach rushed up at them, growing increasingly closer.
"Let's land." Lailani suggested.
"Okay,"
They landed, stumbling in the loose sand.
"Oh, I have an idea. Let's go swimming," Lailani thought out loud.
"N-now?" Moonlight shone on Fluttershy's face.
"Of course! The water's warmest at night!" Lailani waded into the tropically warm water.
"I-I'll try," Fluttershy walked ankle deep in the shallows.
Lailani giggled. "Come on,"
Fluttershy got braver and walked a little farther out; about chest deep now.
"I'm going under!" Lailani closed her eyes and dunked herself.
"I'm back. Transform the mare!" she clicked in Sae, the ancient sea pony language.
Five unicorn sea ponies swam up, horns glowing.
They made a rough pentagon around Fluttershy and began chanting.
Lailani took her head out of the water. She gasped for effect.
"Are you all right?" Fluttershy asked, concern lacing her voice.
"Better than all right. Cli grik gir kree!" she signaled for the unicorns to cast the transfiguration spell.
Fluttershy reared and was illuminated with paranormal light. Fluttershy collapsed into the water.
Lailani motioned for the unicorns to change her back.
She breathed a sigh of relief once she was back in her subsea home.
Turning to Fluttershy, Lailani noticed that she was unconscious.
"Welcome to forever, Fluttershy." she murmured and swam away, leaving bubbles in her wake.