The best part of Flowing’s day usually came at around noon.

Incidentally, this was the same amount of time it took her to swim from her home in Seaquestria, to the Equestrian port town of Herring Harbour. Assuming of course that conditions held fair , and her nosy roomie did not interfere, and she headed out early into the morning light.

The town of Herring Harbour was nestled in a little bay where the waters were always a little bit cool, but still warmer than Flowing was used to. Seaquestria lay past the Celestial Sea’s twilight zone, where the warm ocean waters became dark and cold, and inviting to none besides those who already called the Celestial Sea home.

Herring Harbour was a far more welcoming place. A town of mostly earth ponies, though the ratio was only slightly in their favour compared to the other tribes. There were even some griffons, which Flowing figured owed to the town's status as a fishing community, and their willingness to accomodate the diets of their more predatory friends.

Herring Harbour’s total population: not a lot, but still enough folks for Flowing to terrorize comfortably and not risk following the Three Sirens.

She knew it wasn’t exactly ‘nice’ of her, but it was only ever in good fun. Sometimes, when she was swimming into the bay and she saw the submerged hull of a fishing boat, she’d swim beneath it, thudding her tail onto the bottom to trick the hapless sailors into thinking they’d struck a rock or lonely piece of driftwood. Sometimes, she’d leap out of the water, arching over the deck of their ships and colliding back into the sea on the other side, for no other reason than to scare the tails off the poor ponies.

Of course, terrorizing the locals was good fun for a seapony bored of the monotony of Seaquestrian life, but it wasn’t the real reason she made the lengthy swim practically every week.

She breached to gauge her placement relative to the town she was approaching. She was still a little ways off, her destination off to her port side. She was headed for the docks; the ones intended for the larger, heavier fishing boats. Most had already shoved out for the day, but Flowing found that there would always be a dock-hoof or old sailor or fisher pony on the dock regardless.

This time around was no exception. She startled the poor colt--he surely couldn’t have been older than ten, and Flowing had to admit she found the miniature fishing rod he held in his wing quite adorable.

“Boo!” she breached right in front of him, causing the poor colt to nearly tumble backwards off the bucket he’d been using as a seat. “You stealin’ my lunch again, kiddo?”

The colt stared, gawking, for but a moment, before his surprise vanished and he descended into a series of tittering giggles. “G’morning, Missus Seapony!”

“Good morning, Mister Fisherpony!” she waved a fin back, smirking. “Can you go fetch my stallion for me?”

The young colt’s excited response was instantaneous. She got a quick little salute, and he started to trot off immediately.

“Tell him to meet me at the boardwalk!” she called as he left. “Thanks, Lucky Catch!”

She swam in the direction of the boardwalk in question, giving a wave to the dock-workers or fisher ponies or older retiree’s out on their walks. Herring Harbour wasn’t really a tourist town, but it always seemed nice and busy to Flowing all the same. She took her time swimming, and stopped to chat with one of the griffons that ran the town’s fishmongering stand in a quiet spot by one of the boathouses.

A few ponies even called out as she swam past. That got a warm smile and wave back.

“Seapony!”

“Heya, Flowing!”

“Fish Mare!”

She smirked, and hollered her own greetings back. She knew it was wrong... And a heavy weight of guilt hung over her knowing that these ponies all recognized her. But at the same time, she liked it. The town seemed to like her, too.

But none more than the earth pony stallion that was waiting for her at the docks.

“Star Point!" she called out, as the boardwalk came into view around a boathouse and she spotted her stallion waiting for her, half submerged with water up to his barrel. She swam directly into his outstretched hoof, and he pulled her in close, squeezing her tightly.

“Flowing...” he cooed out softly, giving her a quick little kiss. “How was the swim in?”

“Uneventful!” she reported. Gently, they detached, Flowing letting the waves bring her in towards the ‘beach’ by the boardwalk, which, despite it’s designation as such was really mostly rocks and molluscs.

“Sounds like my mornin’, too. One last lazy one, ‘fore I shove off for the week.”

“Swam by your boat on the way in! You get a new net-crane?”

“Yeah. We were, uh. Well, I wanted to get one with more suspension for when we, well...”

She snickered. “For when we get busy with it?”

“Flowing!” he splashed a bit of water in her direction. “We’re in public!"

She blew him a raspberry. She noticed that his hooves seemed to be struggling for purchase on the rocky beach, so she nodded her head towards the boardwalk. He followed her gaze and made the wordless connection, kneeling down and presenting his back to her. She gingerly swam aboard, wrapping her fore hooves around his neck, while her tail trailed behind. She was a good few feet longer than her earth pony coltfriend, but almost all of that length owed to that serpentine tail of hers. Fortunately for Star Point, she wasn’t as heavy as she was long, and he was a rather well-built stallion regardless. Not muscular--he didn’t lift weights or anything like that, but one could not run an entire fishing boat by themselves without a decent build and degree of strength.

Combining such with his natural earth pony bulkiness and strength, he clambered up the beach and onto the boardwalk without so much as a wavering in his pace, even with his piggy-backing seapony passenger.

Ponies stared--they always did, but most were familiar with the sight of Star Point showing his fishy marefriend around town. Flowing knew that Star Point himself loved it. He practically waltzed her about like a showboat, like he’d just brought in the greatest catch of all and she herself was just as pleased about it.

“Fish ‘n chips?” he asked, giving her a knowing nuzzle, as best as he could with her atop him.

“Mmm. As if you have to ask,” she replied.

Star Point chuckled, and Flowing could have sworn there was a skip in his step as his hooves crossed onto the boardwalk. They passed fish vendors, tackle stands, a gryphon selling hats (that one was an oddity to Flowing, and she really, really wished she’d had the bits to buy Star Point one). She fiddled with the fish-hook in her left ear, which she had fashioned into an earring ages ago, back when remnants from the above world were a bit rarer than they’d been when she’d met Star Point. Besides the earring, she didn’t really have much of anything to her name, and she’d been disappointed to learn how little value a fish hook actually had.

Star Point’s response had comforted her, at least, in equal parts because of its wisdom and it’s dorkiness. ‘A fish hook has as much value as every single fish you can catch with it,’ or some nonsense along those lines.

“Which place do you wanna hit up?” Star Point asked her. For such a small fishing town, Flowing had been surprised to learn there were, like, half-a-dozen fish and chips joints to choose from, and she hadn’t yet been disappointed by any of them.

Flowing pointed a fin above his head, in the direction of one of the stands at the far end of the boardwalk, just before it turned back into docks for a few more yards before the cliff-face steepened and the town effectively ended.

The mare at the stand regarded the two of them with amusement as they approached. “Star Point! And his lovely catch of the day, lookin’ as pretty as ever!”

Flowing smirked. She would have thought the designation would’ve gotten old long ago, but it still endeared her every time. “Hiya!”

“What can I getcha two lovebirds?” The mare was all smiles and cheeriness. Then again, most ponies in Herring Harbour seemed to be. “The usual?”

“Yes please!” Flowing said, nodding excitedly. “With the chips! Lots of chips!”

By the Sirens, did she ever love the chips.

A quick exchange of bits and a few moments later, and Star Point was passing Flowing the two boxes of fish and chips up for her to hold. She supposed he normally just put things on his back to carry them, but she was the ‘thing’ in question this time, so she would have to carry her own weight a bit, too. He carried them back down to the docks, where he gently knelt down to let her off.

“Thanks for the ride, trusty steed!” she snickered out, giving him a little pat on the rump with her tailfin before putting down the fish and chips and hopping off of him, returning to the waves with a mighty splash. A few dock-workers turned to stare, first at the splash and then at the mighty tail-fin that churned the water before Flowing resurfaced.

“Show off,” Star teased, smirking while he fiddled open the two styrofoam boxes of fish and chips. “Wow. She uh. He took your request for more chips seriously.”

Flowing let out a gleeful little ‘eeee!’ They were practically overflowing out of the box. She swam in close, putting both fins up on the dock to keep herself relatively eye-level with Star Point as he sat down at the edge of the dock with his hooves dangling half-into the ocean.

“Good! He knows it’s the best export any of these little coast towns’ve got!”

“Yeah,” Star deadpanned. “Not the, y’know. Fish.”

She waved a fin. “Please. We’re everywhere. There’s plenty of us in the sea, right? That’s how the old saying goes.”

He shook his head, and then eased his hoof into her left fin. “Well, with so many... How lucky that I caught the only one as beautiful as you.”

That got a little blush out of her, her smug smirk turning sheepish. “D-dork.”

“You love it.” Star chuckled, cracking open his soda and tossing her the other, which she used her teeth to open.

She did.

By the Three Sirens, did she ever love it.

They’d been dating for a few months, and they’d quickly become the best months of her life. At first, it had just been lazy afternoons together, at the fishing spot where they had just met. She’d hop up on the deck of his schooner, or nestle herself comfortably into that big old net he’d spread out trying to catch something.

And catch something he would! She knew he liked the uncertainty, the eager anticipation he surely must have felt as he pulled up that net, only to see his fishy marefriend break the waves and give him a quick peck right on the cheek! Those days were always fun, but they were... Infrequent. Star Point was still a fisherpony by trade, and fishing in the same spot every single day was dreadfully inefficient.

She had... Less obligations. It was complicated.

Regardless, Star Point still had a living to make. And so, she would visit him every week he wasn’t fishing out her way. It was dangerous, she knew. She was putting all of her trust in the ponies of the little fishing hamlet of Herring Harbour. But if she was by herself, how much danger were the rest of her kind really in?

It was foolish, she knew. She was a fool for love, she supposed. She didn’t know how she was suppose to stay away from something that felt so important to her. When she lay with Star Point on some warm rock with the waves at their fins and hooves--or when they swam together in the crystalline waves deep at sea... It was as though her entire world made sense, and was complete.

Besides, there were worse ponies to trust than the folks at Herring Harbour. They made her feel welcome, and at home, and presented a clear contradiction to the undersea, Hippogriffian claim that trust was dangerous and the above-waves were suicide.

And they made a damn good helping of fish and chips. She’d never had fish cooked before, and the fried potato snack that had come with it had gone from a welcome surprise to an utmost necessity practically every time she visited. She didn’t have Equestrian bits to spend, but she knew Star Point would have refused to have let her pay even if she did.

He must have noticed she’d gone silent, nursing her soda in her fins. “Whatcha thinkin’ bout, Flow?”

“Us,” she replied. There was no secret to keep.

“Good thoughts, I hope.”

“Of course. But, well. Worrisome ones are there, too.” She took a little sip of her soda. “Hey, does Rising Loaf still call me a ‘kelpie?’”

Star Point stifled a laugh. “He, uh. He’s still a little mad you stole that pie he left out, yes.”

“He put it on a windowsill! On a boardwalk, overlooking the ocean! It was gonna taste like sea-salt in a few hours anyways!”

“Apparently, that’s his bakery’s gimmick.” Star Point snorted. Then, he fluffed out his chest and did his best impression of the bitter old crone. ‘“Star Point! You’d best keep that damned kelpie you hang out with away from THIS one! Or you’ll be paying for it!”’

Flowing snickered. “Hey, I did say I was sorry.”

“You splashed him!”

“I said sorry for that, too!” Flowing protested. “Neptune. I am a bit of a kelpie, aren’t I?”

“And I love you for it. Most of Herring Harbour does, too.”

“Aw, they like me?”

“You’re probably the most interesting thing to happen to ‘em in a long, long time.” Star Point nodded. “Y’know... I know it hasn’t been more than a few months, but... I’ve been meaning to ask you...”

Flowing braced. She already knew where this was going. It’d only been a few months. He’d been meaning to ask her...

“Why don’t I stay here.” Flowing leapt upon Star’s nervousness, saying the thought before he could.

“Y-yeah. That. You, well. You don’t talk about home much, so it’s hard to get a read on... Well. What it’s like for you. But if what you told me when we first met is true, I think maybe ‘home’ for you isn’t really a set place.”

Flowing gave a single nod. She munched on her fries, letting out a sigh. “Star Point, do you know about the hippogriffs?”

Star Point tilted his head thoughtfully, and didn’t immediately answer--Flowing could tell he was wracking his brain for the memory, and so she saved him the trouble.

“They’re... Well, originally they lived above the waves, with the rest of the world. But they were... Attacked. An evil creature tried to enslave them, so our--so their Queen used her magic to hide them under the waves. Like... Well, like seaponies.”

“Like?” Star Point frowned. He seemed to read the uncertainty on Flowing’s face. “Their Queen?”

“It’s complicated. There were seaponies in Equestria’s oceans before the hippogriffs ever came. But when they did, they kinda... What’s the word? Annexed? They annexed us?” Flowing explained, her mouth half full of french fries while she did.

Star Point blinked. “O...oh.”

“Sorry, that makes it sound bad! It’s not bad!” Flowing quickly assured. “See, a lot of seaponies are... Nomadic. We travel with the ocean currents, wherever they may take us. It’s a peaceful existence. But, when Queen Novo and the Hippogriffs showed up, that kinda... Stopped. See, us seaponies are a pretty helpful sort. When we see some creature in distress, we help. Sooooo, when we saw a whole new group of strangers flopping around their sea-fins, we did our best to help. Kinda hard to be nomadic while doing that, and their Queen wanted a new kingdom to replace the one she lost. So, we... I guess we shared ours?” Flowing gave a little shrug. “It all happened a long time ago. Long before I was born.”

“I see.” Star Point sipped his soda. “That still doesn’t explain why I haven’t heard much about your home.”

“Well, y’see. Remember what I said about that big bad tyrant forcing the hippogriffs to hide? Well. He’s still lookin’ for them. So, our Queen doesn’t really like us swimmin’ around, y’know. Makin’ friends with the land folks...”

Star Point stared. His eyes widened. “You weren’t supposed to be out there, were you?”

Flowing blushed. “I... Might not have been. Even me being here is... Well. What if I do settle in, and he finds out somehow? I don’t think you understand... The Storm King--that’s what the tyrant fella’s name is, by the way--he’s hunting seaponies. We’re the best way he can get to that Queen, y’know?”

Star Point was speechless. Flowing took the opportunity to steal a few of his fries.

“So, that’s why I can’t... Even being here is... Risky.”

“The ponies here wouldn’t ever give you up to any sort of tyrant, Flowing,” Star Point promised. “Not even Rising Loaf.”

Flowing chuckled. “And that’s why I love it here! And it’s why I love you! And it’s why I can’t wait for somepony to do something about that big mean tyrant, because lemme tell ya. I hate having to hide away from everyone. We seaponies never used to have to do that before the hippogriffs came.”

Star Point nodded. “Can you... I mean, sending them... Back, would be a little rude, but...”

“Not just rude,” Flowing said, rather quickly. “Taboo. Seaponies help. If there’s a call, we drop what we’re doing to see to it. Sinking fast, stuck on the rocks. We’re there.”

Star Point nodded. “Yeah. Guess you really are stuck between a rock and a hard place.”

Flowing sighed, munching a haddock fillet sadly. “Yeah...”

“I’m sorry, Flowing.” He saw that she was still peering greedily at his fries, so he took to feeding her a couple as they talked. “Really. I didn’t... I mean, I kinda assumed, but I didn’t know that it was quite so bad.”

Flowing hummed out as she munched on the fries. Star could have sworn she’d given his hoof a loving nibble as she did so. “It’s okay, Starry. But I’m... Well. I know I’m in love with you. I’m certain about that.” She gripped his left forehoof in one of her own. The fact that it was coated in french fry grease hopefully didn’t diminish from her intentions. “But I can’t help but worry that we’re from two different worlds. And we only ever exist together by chance.”

Star Point shook his head. “It’s not chance. And even if it is, that doesn’t mean it’s not real. I’m not ready to let any distance get in the way of our love.”

She kissed him, at that. Beating the water with her tailfin to propel herself up a bit, wrapping her front flippers around him...

The dock workers, had they glanced over, might have seen a flash of colour, or heard a surprised little cry... Followed by a mighty splash.

Star Point was surprised, but only for a moment. The water was nice and warm this time of year, and though he wasn’t the best swimmer, Flowing had already reoriented herself so that he was comfortably atop her back. It was another tradition of theirs, at the end of their dates in Herring Harbour. A bit of repayment for Star Point lugging her scaly flank around town on his back. At his best, he could tread water helplessly for a few minutes, before going under. He wasn’t particularly confident in his swimming abilities, but he seemed confident in hers. She’d show him the waves, the sea birds, the sun sparkling off the water as it sunk beneath the horizon. She liked to think she was a good enough swimmer for the two of them.

After, Flowing would lie on her belly, and let the tide carry them both in gently, to come to rest upon the sands of one of the dozens of small little wharfs that lined the coastline. And there in the wet sand, the two of them would make passionate love, intertwined around each other, with nobody but the sea-birds (Flowing hoped) as their witness.

This time, though, they were content to simply lay together and cuddle. Flowing lay on her back, letting Star Point lay atop her, so that he was safely above the water. Her fins ran through his mane lovingly. When she wasn’t staring into those bright eyes of his, she was locking her lips around his own, eyes closed in comfort and bliss.

Her life felt perfect, in this moment.

“I love you, Star Point,” she breathed out as they detached.

He kissed her back. “I love you, too.”

As perfect as the feeling was, it was fleeting. The sun was falling, and it would be a long swim home by the glow of the angler-fish-like light on her forehead. She felt the tide beginning to rise up past her belly... Feel it against her chin as the two of them kissed, and she knew it was almost time to go.

“Hey... Wanna see something cool?” Flowing whispered out, as the salt-water threatened to submerge her land-bound lover.

Star Point gave a few quick nods.

“Okay... Breathe normal, through your mouth. And trust me.”

She took a deep breath to fill her lungs.

Then, before Star Point had much time to process the implications of her statement, Flowing leaned forward and locked her lips around his. At the same time, she gripped him in both of her forehooves, holding him tightly as she kicked at the sand with her tailfin, launching her back out to sea. She maintained the kiss, but began exhaling gently as she swam, slooooooowly emptying out her lungs still bloated with oxygen her submerged form no longer needed.

She was surprised at how efficient of a seal the locked lips of two lovers apparently was. Star Point’s eyes had lit up in surprise, for but a moment. But he seemed to catch on quite quickly, as he took in a wary breath and realized that there was still a semi-steady flow of oxygen escaping Flowing directly through their kiss and into the earth pony.

She’d taken a deep breath, which meant she was able to keep them swimming underwater for nearly two minutes. She had to swim a little slower, with her stallionfriend in tow, but it was still enough time to take him on a gentle, leisurely tour of the humble little reef beds that lined the shoals outside of Herring Harbour.

The sun had set, but her glowing angler light kept their journey ahead lit in a subtle, orange glow. Minnows swam close to check out the strange sight, only to immediately turn and flee when they saw the enormous fish they were attached to. Flowing would’ve smirked if she hadn’t been breathing for her stallionfriend.

They resurfaced after a few minutes. Star took a few shaky breaths, eyes open wide as the moon beginning to peak over the ocean.

“F-Flow! T-t-that was...”

She smirked. “Sorry, should’ve warned you.”

“You devious kelpie!” he snickered, splashing her with his forehoof, while his other three doggy-paddled somewhat helplessly.

“You gotta admit. It was kinda cool.”

“It was incredibly cool! B-but you scared the blazes outta me! Got me wonderin’ if I went and said somethin’ to offend you!”

She laughed. “Oh, you did not think that. I’m not THAT bad.”

“Okay, I didn’t,” he chuckled. “How do... I mean. I know you can breathe air, but... You can store it?”

“It’s a ballast thing!” Flowing excitedly explained. “We can hold in some oxygen, which increases our mass. Helps us dive deeper, and adapt to changing water pressures. We release it as we don’t need it. We call it a swim bladder!”

“That, uh. I don’t like to hear that I was just breathing outta your ‘swim bladder’, Flowing.”

“Oh, don’t be gross,” Flowing scoffed. “It’s a different bladder. Dork.”

“Kelpie,” he returned, blowing a raspberry at her.

“I can still drown you, y’know.”

“Try it, sea demon,” he returned, and then quickly clambered onto her back. His forehooves wrapped around her neck, and his head rested above her own.

“Onwards, trusty steed,” he cooed out teasingly. His hot breath directly in her ear. She responded by kicking the waves with her tail, sending a torrent of water splashing up at his direction.

She started towards his fishing boat. The sun was beneath the waves, now, and the lights from Herring Harbour were dancing across the tides beginning to rise with the coming dark.

“Headin’ out tomorrow, then?” Flowing asked, as she swam onwards in the direction of Star’s docked ship.

“At first light,” he nodded. “Gotta get my boat prepped tonight, while I still have time.”

“Where are ya goin’ this time?”

“I dunno. Your recommendation?”

“Well, stay away from Sunny Shoals, for one. I’ve seen nothin’ but baitfish there all week.”

“Duly noted. Y’know... You can come, if you want. I can set up someplace for you to sleep in the live-well of my boat.”

“I do want,” she said, letting out a long sigh. Gods, did she ever want. And to deny it felt so, so unsatisfying, for both of them. “But I should get back soon. If Queen Novo finds out what I’m doing... And besides. I can’t help but worry about home, too. It’s hard not to, when I know that someone, somewhere, is hunting them.”

Star nodded. She felt his hooves hug her tighter. They were coming up on Star Point’s fishing boat, moored at one of the docks on the north-end of Herring Harbour. She swam right up to the dock, and let him climb off of her.

“Well. Why don’t we hit up the ol’ fishin’ spot together tomorrow? First thing in the morning?” he offered. “Then, you can head for home from there. That way, you’re only gone for the evening, and you don’t have to swim all the way home tonight.”

Flowing pursed her lips. It was tempting. Very tempting. Much more tempting than the thought of swimming for hours under a cover of darkness. Nothing on her mind besides the mournful reality that, for as wonderful as her day had been, she’d be spending yet another night alone...

“I can pack us lots of tuna sandwiches. Fresh bread and everything...”

She smirked. “You know just how to bait me, fisherpony.”

They kissed again, Star Point kneeling down to do so, uncaring of the eyes of any of the other dock-hooves who might have seen the strange couple.

Flowing swam into his outstretched hoof. He grunted a little as he lifted her onto his back, and then began to carry her towards the gangplank joining his ship with the dock. She nuzzled her snout into his mane, a long, content inhale flooding her with the scent of Star’s shampoo intermingled with sea-salt. Her eyes closed, contentedly.

It was temporary. She knew that. They would have to part ways before too long, same as all the times before.

Maybe soon, maybe not. Yet, Flowing knew a time would one day come when no tyrants nor distance could keep them apart.

Author's Note

Here we go.

I've been working on this story for some time, and it has developed into something more passionate and conceptual than I originally intended. I do hope you enjoy.

The story is fully written and will update regularly.