Several years ago, things were calm and peaceful in the royal palace of Seaquestria. Seaponies working around the royal palace would be quickly interrupted from their routines as positive news arrived, such as when one seapony had excitedly swam across the reefs.
“It’s here! It’s here! The royal baby is here!”
For several months, the servants had known that the royal family would have a new addition, the first since Seaquestria’s founding. “It is!?” another servant exclaimed at the sudden news. “How do you know?”
“I overheard the delivery. It’s a baby girl!”
“Oh, Neptune! A baby girl!” Joy swept through the area. A newborn royal. It reminded them of a time when they were hippogriffs above the sea, a time of normalcy before they had to go into hiding from a dark storm.
“I bet that Princess Ocean Flow and Prince Skybeak are so happy.”
Meanwhile, a princess and a prince were in a cave at the edge of Seaquestria, far from the curious eyes and ears of most seaponies. They relaxed on a bed made from a giant clam and looked exhausted but content as they quietly watched their little newborn blessing. Less than an hour old, a small pink seapony slept calmly on her mother’s yellow-scaled belly.
“Can you believe it?” Princess Ocean Flow tearfully whispered.
“I can’t believe I’m right here with the most beautiful seapony in the world,” Prince Skybeak softly remarked as he looked at his child. His beloved smiled in agreement, resting her head on his. She was looking at the most beautiful seapony in the world.
“She has an adorable baby too.”
Caught off guard, Ocean Flow snorted. “Oh psh, stop it!” She playfully pushed away her husband’s head. “I’m a mess!”
“Doesn’t stop you from being incredible,” Skybeak said, moving back in and pecking Ocean Flow on the cheek.
The tiny seapony shuffled slightly, jolting her parents. Fortunately, the baby was still sleeping, giving them some relief. This was the happiest moment of their lives; it was just missing something.
Ocean Flow’s mood shifted as she realised what it was. “I wish my mother and father were here to see this,” she lamented. They were lost in the dark storm, as were many other hippogriffs that fateful day.
“Yeah, mine too,” Skybeak said, wrapping a fin around Ocean Flow to console her. I’m sure they love the family we have now.” The pair continued to lie in that soft and warm clamshell, silently letting their sombre past leave while taking in what the new future had.
Their peace eventually ended when Skybeak noticed a seapony enter the cave. Her grand white physique, with regal purple fins flowing through the water, was the head of the family, Queen Novo.
Immediately upon recognition, Skybeak’s instincts took over. He pushed himself upright and stood to attention, his arms behind his back. “Your Majesty,” he spoke deeply as if announcing the Queen’s presence. He had been an officer in the Queen’s Sea Fleet since Seaquestria came to being, trained to be alert and civil to the reigning monarch.
It was a habit that Queen Novo was aware of as she gave him a smirk.
“Relax, Skybeak. You’ve been a prince for a year. There’s no need to address me like that.”
Skybeak eased himself. “Yes, ma’am.” He relaxed yet remained upright and stood by his still-resting wife, whom Queen Novo turned her attention to.
“Now, how’s my sister?”
“I’ve been through worse,” Ocean Flow quipped.
Novo’s eyes panned towards her sister’s chest, and the newborn seapony was sleeping on top of it.
“If the rumours are true, this must be my dear niece.”
Ocean Flow nodded. “We’re naming her Silverstream.”
Queen Novo lowered herself so she was at eye level with her niece. Looking up close at the sleeping infant, she could see Silverstream was a perfectly fitting name. Her mane was smooth silver with a shimmering pattern. It flowed like a calm seafront.
The Queen briefly announced, “She looks perfect,” before moving closer to speak to her young niece. “Hello, Silverstream, I have a daughter who cannot wait to meet you,” she whispered gently. Little Silverstream reacted with a little shuffle.
Queen Novo moved back up to speak to the parents, as she had come to visit with an official matter. “While I’m here, I’ve been working on preparations for her blessing ceremony.” She brought up the blessing ceremony, a tradition for newborn hippogriffs to be blessed by the gods of the sky and ocean.
The Royal Palace on Mount Aris was ransacked during the storm, and any sacred building would have been destroyed. Ocean Flow remained calm, but she noticed Skybeak felt uneasy. She knew his upbringing was vastly different from hers, a much simpler one.
Perhaps he was questioning the need for old traditions while they were in hiding. Queen Novo, on the other hand, had her answer.
“The first royal blessing since the invasion will provide hope for the rest of Seaquestria and good fortunes for her.” Queen Novo then turned to her sister. “Have you decided who her godparents will be?”
“I’ve decided our midwife, Tilapia, will be the godmother,” Ocean Flow answered, “for bringing her into the world.”
“Good choice. And the godfather?”
Ocean Flow then turned to her husband. “I was going to let Skybeak decide.”
His eyes widened with surprise. “You are?” He looked to Queen Novo for confirmation. Despite being prince, he hadn’t had much say on the royal side.
That was when Queen Novo nodded. “You are a prince and the father. I think it’s time to make decisions for your daughter and this family.” Skybeak began to beam, and Novo smirked when she noticed. “Hopefully, you have a good one in mind…”
“Oh, I know exactly who I want to be Silverstream’s godfather…”
There was more gossiping about the new royal baby outside the cave, but not all of them. Seaquestria’s military force, the Sea Fleet, still monitored the area, looking for potential intruders.
Seaspray, Captain of the Sea Fleet’s palace guards, swam around the chandelier-like chambers, looking for anything suspicious. The tall purple seapony scanned the corners, watching like a hawk. Any land-dweller could infiltrate Seaquestria, causing another storm…
Fortunately, on that day, there was nothing dangerous, but there was something Seaspray found troubling. One of his guards was loitering in one of the chambers. Holding a spear upright around his arm, his helmet almost slipped off his head as it slumped forward. The only thing preventing him from sinking was his caudle fin moving autonomously.
Scowling at the thought of one of his guards sleeping on the job, Seaspray approached the sleeping guard to have a brief chat. He loudly cleared his throat. “Soldier, is the spear you carry and the helmet you wear for lounging about in?” he asked in his deep voice.
The soldier was awoken by the sound of clearing one’s throat and looked up to see the captain looking down at him with narrowed eyes and arms folded. “Uh, ye-no, sir!” the soldier replied shakily as his face went pale. In a panic, he almost dropped his spear.
“May I remind you: We are down here because a ruthless primate king sailed with an army in flying ships and took over our islands with a vast army this one was unprepared for. Anything that swims through these coral reefs without you noticing could mean we must hide further underground. Am I being clear?”
“Y-yes, sir! I won’t lounge again, sir.”
“I don’t want to see you lounge, even when I’m nowhere to be seen.” Seaspray remained firm. He knew the soldier was spooked into remorse, but only for being caught. “Now, go find a soldier guarding the entrance underneath Mount Aris and swap places with them,” he ordered. “I want to see a new soldier here in less than five minutes.”
“Yes, sir!” The soldier saluted before speeding towards the darkest cave at the bottom of Seaquestria.
Seaspray sighed as he returned to monitoring his area and supervising his guards. Three years since the storm, almost every seapony hid amongst the coral on high alert, yet the only danger he seemed to find was guards sleeping on the job. The only thing that made the present slightly different was the murmurs of a royal baby, a current of positive emotions.
It was a bit much for Seaspray’s liking, the Royal family having another child, just another mouth to feed amongst what was left of the hippogriffs. He figured there would be some celebration, like the royal wedding one year prior. That would mean more security would be needed in the next few days, which would be more work for him.
Yet, he gave a slight smile. He knew that the newborn child's parents would need time off work to take care of it. Given his familiarity with the royal couple, he felt relieved that he would have a few months to perform his duties without the pestering or disciplining of his most irritable lieutenant…
“Heey Seaspray~ How’s it going, Cap’?”
Seaspray grumbled, thinking the gods of the ocean wanted to torment him. “Prince Skybeak, when we are on duty, you are to be formal and refer to me as Captain or Sir,” he reminded his lieutenant with reserved frustration.
“But I’m not on duty… sir.”
Seaspray sighed, frustrated, but relented to get Skybeak out of his pale-blue mane.
“If something urgent is to be said, say it now; I have important matters to attend to.”
Skybeak grinned. He looked prepared to give some good news.
“Okay, you might have heard, but my daughter was born an hour ago.”
“Yes, the news travels like the ocean's current,” Seaspray acknowledged poetically. “Be sure to let the princess know I congratulate you both and hope for a smooth recovery. Good day…” He then tried to swim past with haste, but Skybeak quickly blocked the path, not having finished.
“As such, there will be a blessing ceremony, which Queen Novo is making a huge deal about.”
Seaspray wasn’t sure why Skybeak was stating the obvious until a thought of courteous intent crossed his mind. “Ah, yes. A momentous occasion, I’m sure. While I appreciate the invitation, I’m afraid I can’t attend. Security doesn’t rest for ceremonies…” After politely declining, he tried to swim past again.
“Okay, but… there was something else I wanted to talk about.” Skybeak rubbed his fins together. “See, Novo and Ocean Flow are letting me decide who should be my child's godfather and...” his speech trailed off.
Seaspray furrowed his brow. Skybeak's behaviour was peculiar for a seapony so obnoxiously positive and confident. Considering he’d been married to Princess Ocean Flow for a year, Seaspray figured Skybeak would have gotten comfortable with customs. Yet, there he was, talking with nerves so fragile.
For hippogriffs, choosing godparents was indeed an important task. They witness the child’s blessing from the gods and ensure the parents raise their child right. Perhaps selecting the godfather initially made Skybeak feel confident, but he soon had second thoughts. In that case, Seaspray figured Skybeak went to him, the captain, the prince—whom he had been shadowing for nearly three years—for advice, yet he was ashamed to admit it.
“Your Highness, you can choose the right seapony for the task without my advice. If I were in your position, I would likely choose the best-performing sea fleet guard or even my superior officer to express gratitude for his leadership and guidance.”
“That’s the thing. I’ve told Queen Novo that if there’s any seapony down here who I want to be my kid’s godfather, it… would be… you.”
Seaspray blinked. Admittingly, he didn’t realise Prince Skybeak wanted to ask him to be the godfather of his child. However, the moment that he did, he expressed that he was both flattered and surprised.
“Uh… sir?”
He explained that he had never expected the request, and given that it was not any daughter but the daughter of the Prince and Princess of Seaquestria, he was a little daunted by it.
“Captain?”
He nonetheless promised that he would perform the task, given that it would help Prince Skybeak feel like a valuable contribution had been made, and having the captain part of the blessing ceremony would guarantee it would be carried out with the utmost safety.
“Seaspray?”
Additionally, Seaspray thanked Skybeak for trusting him and indicated that he was moved by it.
“Cap’?”
After Skybeak waved a fin across his line of sight, it was only then that Seaspray realised that none of his thoughts had ever been spoken out loud. Instead, he had been stuck in place, staring at Skybeak with a wide-eyed, dumbfounded expression.
He shook himself and regained his composure. “I see. Allow me to speak with my superior to make some arrangements,” he calmly replied before swimming up to one of the chambers. He maintained a blank expression to hide any reaction to the request, leaving Skybeak confused.
“Is that a yes? You’ll do it?”
A few days later, Skybeak, Ocean Flow, and Silverstream were spending some quiet quality time together. It was a much-needed break from the hectic preparations back in the palace, and it was also a perfect opportunity for Silverstream to meet other members of her particular family.
Princess Skystar, the infant daughter of Queen Novo, was getting to know her cousin by introducing her shell collection. “This is Sheldon. I found him at the bottom of the cowal weefs,” she explained to Silverstream, showing off a blue seashell with eyes stuck on. She brought Sheldon to her ear to hear what he had to say. “He says you are vewy pwetty.”
Skystar carefully gave Silverstream the shell. The baby seapony could barely hold onto Sheldon and tried to suck on it, given that was all she knew how to do, being a few days old.
Unperturbed, Skystar picked up another seashell with eyes on it and listened to what it supposedly had to say. “No, Shelly, Silverstweam cannot go down to the cowal weefs yet,” she replied. Shelly had another question. “It’s cuz she’s a fwy, fwys are too young to swim yet.” Then Shelly had a suggestion, but it only annoyed Skystar. “No, Shelly! You can’t cawwy her down there!” she argued.
Skybeak and Ocean Flow, meanwhile, watched them bond. As Ocean Flow took pictures, Skybeak looked concerned as her niece continued to argue with a lifeless seashell. “Should I be worried?” he whispered.
“No, she’ll grow out of it,” Ocean Flow answered with a giggle, “maybe she’ll talk to jellyfish, like her mother.” A snide remark about Queen Novo having jellyfish to give her massages whenever she needed a break.
He chuckled a bit at the thought—like mother, like daughter. “At least Silverstream can see some seapony close to her age before the blessing ceremony,” he said, looking at his daughter playfully sucking on the seashell she was given. It was a silver lining to the last few days. On the other hand, Ocean Flow had something on her mind as she stopped taking pictures.
“Yeah, about that...”
“I know! The Royal Family has traditions to follow. No seapony except for family and nurses can see the royal newborn before the blessing. I just want Silverstream to have many friends her age, you know?”
“It’s about the blessing ceremony and your choice for Silverstream’s Godfather.”
Seaspray raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”
“I understand he’s your superior officer in the Sea Fleet. It sounded like a good choice then, but… are you sure he’s still the right choice?”
“Of course I’m sure, why wouldn’t I be?” Skybeak maintained his smile, but his face looked puzzled as Ocean Flow doubted the idea of making Seaspray Silverstream’s godfather.
“Well, he’s a bit too serious, and I’ve heard other guards talk about how tough he can be.”
“Yeah, he likes keeping me on my caudal fins. He’s all about keeping seaponies safe.”
“Indeed, he was arguing with Novo earlier today.”
One day earlier, Captain Seaspray was arguing with Queen Novo in the chamber where the blessing would take place. It was the highest chamber in Seaquestria and the closest to an opening in the ceiling where light could shine from outside.
“Are you daft!?” Seaspray exclaimed. “How in Poseidon’s vast ocean can there be no guards inside this chamber?”
“The chamber is a sacred place,” Queen Novo explained, showing incredible patience. “It is only for the gods, the child to be blessed, and the witnesses, including you and me. That is what the texts state, no exceptions.”
“What do the texts state about potential attacks?” Seaspray countered. “What if someone were to break into the chamber to hurt the child? What if the Storm King hears us from above the surface?”
“Captain, I assure you, no harm has come from a royal blessing before, and no harm will come to this one,” Queen Novo insisted, calmly pushing away Seaspray’s worst-case scenarios. “I have already prayed to the gods to protect us on the day, and I shall pray tonight to ensure they will.”
“And I believe the gods have already answered your prayers by bringing you a Seafleet Captain with trained guards at his command. I would suggest taking his advice.”
“… He kinda had a point?” Skybeak nervously scratched his head as his wife glared at him. Seaspray wasn’t putting himself on good terms with Skybeak’s sister-in-law, the queen and their boss in the Seafleet.
Ocean Flow continued. “Then there was the time he was practising his lines...”
Two days earlier, Seaspray was inspecting the guards around the ocean floor. Skybeak was with him, going over the ceremony schedule, despite his priorities being on the guards maintaining their posts. Skybeak even used a boulder to represent Silverstream while they practised their lines.
“Prince Skybeak, there’s no need to rehearse,” Seaspray said before grabbing the boulder from Skybeak’s fins. “All I need to do is say: ‘Yes, I, Seaspray as Godfather of Oceanstream’—“
“‘Silver’.“ Seaspray was interrupted and turned to a concerned Skybeak, who offered to correct him. “Our daughter’s name is Silverstream.”
Realising his mistake, he paused, nodded, and continued: “… ’Godfather of Silverstream, swear that her parents are good, loving, and faithful’. Return baby to her father and done.” He then dropped the boulder into Skybeak’s arms and continued his inspection.
Skybeak found that point more challenging to defend, particularly considering what could happen if Seaspray treated the boulder like his daughter. “He’ll be more careful when he holds Silverstream for real,” he tried to convince Ocean Flow.
“I don’t know. There’s probably still time to choose some other seapony,” Ocean Flow pleaded. “If you let me talk with my sister, she won’t mind.”
Skybeak had no doubt Queen Novo wouldn’t mind dealing with someone else, and the same with Ocean Flow. He knew what the ceremony meant to the family. They wanted it to go well and bring hope to the seaponies in Seaquestria. But he had difficulty answering whether he minded or if Seaspray would understand.
“Ocean Flow, I can’t.” He calmly refused. “After losing everything when the Storm King invaded, all I had to keep me going was you and him. I know he thinks I’m a pain, but he’s never given up on me either, and he’s stuck his neck out when I screwed up.” Skybeak then held Ocean Flow’s fins. “Being under his fins in the Sea fleet helped me get your family’s approval to be with you, and now we have a family of our own. Being Silverstream’s Godfather is the best way I can thank him.”
Ocean Flow paused for thought, looking down at his fins holding hers. She turned to look at Silverstream, lying there as Princess Skystar had been putting seashell after seashell on her body, seeing how many she’d be wearing before they fell off. It brought a smile to her face as she looked back at Skybeak and nodded. She trusted him and his decision.
“Hopefully, he’ll take it seriously, for her sake.”
“Hey, I used to be a fishergriff before the storm. If Seaspray can turn me into a lieutenant good enough to be a prince, he could help raise Silverstream to be a perfect seapony,” Skybeak assured her before glancing at Silverstream and getting concerned again.
“We should probably get those shells off her, right?”
Little did they know that, as both parents focused their attention back on the children inside the chamber, Seaspray was outside. He had overheard the entire conversation, including the doubts that he could do the job, his behaviour toward it, and his appreciation of Skybeak working under him.
He felt guilty, but he knew what to do.
It was finally the day of the ceremony. Several seaponies in Seaquestria looked up at the hanging chamber, patiently waiting for the reveal of the royal family's newest member.
Princess Ocean Flow was inside the chamber, holding Silverstream wrapped in kelp leaves in her arms. There was also Prince Skybeak, Tilapia, Seaspray, Princess Skystar, and Queen Novo. A typical ceremonial chamber would have stained windows depicting the gods of the sky and the ocean and a nest for the infant to lay in. However, down in Seaquestria, the seaponies had to make do with what they had.
Queen Novo also had to take the role of minister. Two guards were posted just outside the chamber in case of a dangerous situation, meaning Seaspray was relieved; however, he remained quiet as the ceremony began.
“Seaponies, we are here today to ask for a blessing for the child of Princess Ocean Flow and Prince Skybeak.” Queen Novo gracefully opened, and she turned to the parents. “Please state the name you wish to give your child.”
“Silverstream”
“Are you willing and able to fulfil your duties to bring up Silverstream in the faith of the skies and ocean?”
“We are”
“Now to pass Silverstream to the godmother…”
Ocean Flow then passed Silverstream to Tilapia, the golden-scaled seapony. Tilapia quickly cuddled the infant and quietly greeted her in a silly, high-pitched voice. Silverstream’s fins reached for her, given her vague familiarity with the midwife who delivered her.
“May you state your name and answer if you are willing and able to fulfil your duties to bring up Silverstream in the faith of the skies and ocean, and do you believe her parents can do the same?”
“I, Tilapia, will fulfil my duties to bring up Lady Silverstream, and I believe in their highnesses Princess Ocean Flow and Prince Skybeak to do the same,” Tilapia answered sincerely.
“And to pass to Silverstream’s godfather…”
The chamber became eerily quiet as Silverstream slowly passed back from Tilapia to Ocean Flow, then from Ocean Flow to Skybeak. Finally, Skybeak brought Silverstream closer to Seaspray to pass her over.
Seaspray looked down and saw Silverstream for the first time. He saw a small pink body with a bright smile and fins reaching to touch his face. Her eyes glistened like smooth amethysts, glistening under the glow of the chamber. Her fins flowed from the top of her head like the streams of a river.
Her innocent appearance wiped away all Seaspray’s fears and dangers. A seapony, unaware of the tragedy others had felt for the past three years. A seapony should be cared for by a loving mother and father and protected by all others.
“AHEM!”
Seaspray was suddenly alerted to the sound of a seapony clearing their throat. When he looked up, the other seaponies looked curiously at him, except for Queen Novo, who frowned at him with her fins on her hips.
“Do I need to repeat myself, Captain?”
In the moments' Seaspray was preoccupied watching the giggling baby seapony in his arms, he had wholly missed Queen Novo telling him to tell his lies. “I-I, Captain Seaspray, will fulfil my duties to bring up Lady Silverstream in the faith of the skies and ocean,” he said hurriedly, feeling nerves he hadn’t felt in ages as he tried to recompose himself.
“I have no doubt that Prince Lieutenant Skybeak and Princess Ocean Flow are the best parents to bring her joy, love, friendship, and light to this new world we seaponies call home.”
He quickly returned to Skybeak, holding out Silverstream for her dad to take her daughter.
Skybeak’s eyes welled up, not only for the impromptu speech but for being referred to as Prince Lieutenant. It was a moment he felt most honoured. Ocean Flow had a fin on her heart, moved by what was said.
Then, as if it were timed perfectly, light shone down from the hole in the ceiling directly into the chamber. Silverstream was covered in sunlight. The gods had answered the words of her parents and godparents. It was a sight of awe to those inside, as it was to the seaponies outside. Their sounds of amazement could be heard from above.
“It looks like it’s time,” Queen Novo said as she went to the opening to announce the news to the rest of Seaquestria. “Seaponies, may I present the newest member of our family, Lady Silverstream…”
Princess Ocean Flow and Prince Lieutenant Skybeak were next to exit, with Silverstream in their arms. As the crowd slowly began to recognise the newborn, the more they applauded to welcome the new blessed member of the royal family.
Eight years had passed since the storm, the founding of Seaquestria. The seaponies had become much more comfortable with their home. They used the environment around them, making their chambers into homes and the coral reefs into parks and farms for food.
No seapony loved Seaquestria more than young Silverstream. She loved the fish, the coral's colours, the seashells, and how pretty the chandelier homes looked from below. She was free to swim around Seaquestria as much as she liked and often took full advantage of it.
Anytime she saw another seapony, boy or girl, adult or child, Silverstream would talk to them with a big smile. Often, the friendly seaponies would talk back to her.
However, there was one thing she had to get used to. Whenever she met a seapony for the first, second, and sometimes even third time, behind their friendly expressions was a feeling of nervousness, like they were intimidated.
Silverstream never understood why those seaponies felt that way. To her, she was a small, shining bundle of joy who wanted to be friends with as many sea-creatures as she could find.
Besides, it wasn’t like seaponies were in danger, not when her daddy was around. Especially not when her godfather, Major Seaspray, always watched over her when no seapony was around.
Author's Note
Special thanks for LittleTigress for delivering on this adorable commission!
