Misconceptions

It was believed that they were as

wondrous as they were mysterious…

Kept safe by their vast, watery

surroundings, the Seapony Kingdom flourished in peace and harmony with the

other creatures of the sea. Then came a time when the light that shone down

from the surface was blotted out by a newcomer: something large, round, and

dark, that glided over the water’s surface. Its passage overhead disrupted the

Seaponies’ activities momentarily, but like a passing shadow the pause ended

with no lingering effect.

However, what had been one grew

into several, and soon several of the objects glided overhead on a regular

basis. The Seaponies became curious, and eventually that led them to

investigate. Some chose to observe the objects from a distance, while some

braver ones decided to get much closer. Those brave few told the others that

the objects were the size of whales and made entirely of wood, yet hummed with

life like any other creature. The answer for this came at a much later date,

when a Seapony on a night venture to the surface saw one of the behemoths’

upper halves. What they saw were lights and structures similar to houses, and

from them there stirred creatures that looked a lot like Seaponies.

Curiosity became fascination

among the Seaponies, as did the numbers of these large vessels as they were

revealed to be. Stories sprung up amongst the youth as to what the creatures

that inhabited them could be. Some speculated that they were phantoms, others

thought them as a higher form of Seapony, free from the bindings of the ocean

depths. There were even some Seaponies who claimed to have spoken to them,

though they were the least to be taken seriously.

Though the Seaponies remained

cautious and observed the creatures from a distance, they began viewing the

mysterious beings as something amazing, mostly due to the stories that had been

circulating even amongst the adults. Murmurings began among the populace that

they should make contact with the creatures, to learn of their fascinating

lives above the water and solely in the realm of air and land. There were even

rumors that the ruling party was set to consider sending a diplomatic envoy.

That was about the time the hooks appeared.

They twinkled like stars as they

descended from the wooden vessels, and this beset the Seaponies with newfound

wariness. However, a particularly curious Seapony found themselves caught in

one of the hooks and taken away to the surface, never to be seen again. They

wouldn’t be the first victim of those dreaded hooks.

A week after the disappearances, one

of the missing Seaponies was discovered floating on the surface and in a grisly

state. Maimed, drained of their blood, left to float as a rotting husk. More of

these awful discoveries were made in the coming days. The fascination turned to

fear, and then into anger.

It was decided unanimously by the

ruling party that the wooden vessels and their inhabitants spelled doom for the

well-being of the citizens, and they had to be removed. The Matriarch,

harnessing her powers of the sea, willed the currents to swell and drive away

the sinister vessels, and kept battering them even as they attempted to return.

Soon the vessels stopped coming, and the sea regained its former peace, but at

the bitter price of wisdom. What the creatures really were, that would never be

known, and all for the better. Such tragedy was more than enough to deem these

denizens of the surface.

It was believed they were as

wondrous as they were mysterious.We were only half-mistaken in that belief.