//------------------------------// // Chapter X: Silent and Passionate Sea // Story: Across the Shimmering Sea // by Albi //------------------------------// Since her only outfit had an impromptu wash on top of being torn and covered in dirt and blood, Twilight had been given a spare set of clothing which consisted of an itchy beige shirt, a short jacket, and some trousers. At least she didn’t look like she had been kidnapped from her home anymore. The storm had passed, and though the ship had taken on some water and a cannon had been lost, everyone on board survived. The day after boasted blue skies and calm winds, like the storm had never even happened. According to Sunset, they had been thrown off course by a day or so, not that it mattered much to Twilight. It just meant an extra day before Sunset interrogated her about the next key. With no map and only one book to read, Twilight spent any free moments she had staring listlessly at the ocean, usually from the comfort of her room where no one bothered her. She enjoyed her time alone, but couldn’t deny that keeping busy stopped her from becoming bored. She could only get lost in the wonderful world of translation scriptures so many times. At least when she had the map, there was always some new detail she could focus on. Its image solidified itself in her mind. She hadn’t been lying when she told Sunset she had memorized all of it. Staring at it for days on end coupled with her perfect memory gave her a clear sight of every island, every rune, every stain, every tear. Fascinating and fun to think upon to be sure, but Twilight needed something else to occupy her thoughts. Something that wasn’t Sunset. Every time Twilight thought about her, she clenched her fists in confusion, anger, and annoyance over the two aforementioned feelings. Yet she couldn’t stop dwelling on Sunset’s actions and mannerisms and mood shifts. It was like Sunset had two different personalities. Calm, near emotionless, and caring just enough to preserve the lives of those around her for further use. Then, there was angry Sunset, violent, spiteful, and willing to destroy entire ships to get what she wanted. Neither of them were great, but at least in the calm persona, Twilight occasionally saw some humanity. She shook her head. Here she was again, thinking about Sunset and her perplexities. Twilight had better things to do than ponder what went on in Sunset’s head. She pressed her forehead against the wood next to the port hole. No she didn’t. Without a book in front of her, Twilight only had her idle thoughts, and they kept drifting back to her demon captor. Twilight had almost become numb to the fact Sunset was actually a demon, save for when she remembered her bouts of fury and fiery destruction. Sunset’s apathy just made her out to be a bitter woman with red skin and hair that danced like fire. Twilight raised her head and stretched her arms out, feeling a powerful knot in her shoulder. All of her new chores had left her sore in too many places. She didn’t say a peep though. The last thing she wanted was ridicule from anyone about her being weak, even if she wanted to collapse and sleep for three days straight. An actual meal sounds really good, too. Twilight returned above deck, her break being nearly exhausted. The work pace around the ship moved calmly in the late afternoon. After cleanup from the turbulent storm, no one seemed interested in doing more than they had to. The Crimson Heart bobbed along the waves, the wind blowing against them. On the horizon, Twilight made out a tiny spit of land. Half an hour later, when the island had only moved a few inches closer, Pip shouted, “Land ho!” from the crow’s nest. A few heads turned but no one gave the silhouette too much attention. The sun had almost completely fallen before they got a good look at it. Even up close, the island was still disappointingly small. It had a tiny port with only fishing boats, a few shops and houses, and an inn. When they were close to making land, Sunset stood at the helm of the ship. She cleared her throat, and all eyes turned on her. “Mercay Island may be small, but it’s also unprotected.” She waved an arm toward the island. “Go take a walk and do what you will. Just make sure to bring any leftovers you find back to the ship.” The crew gave a rowdy cheer and readied the gangplank, pushing and shoving over each other to reach land. Twilight watched them file off, having no desire to see them ransack a poor village. A profound emptiness filled her stomach, and it wasn’t due to her lack of nutrition. Was there anything she could do to help these villagers from the pirate attack? As Sunset’s crew stormed off into the town, whooping and hollering, she found her answer. She lowered her head, defeated before she even had a chance to fight. The only thing she could do was pledge not to join in the bedlam. No, now would be a good time to catch up on her sleep. Twilight headed for the cabin door, her eyes briefly looking over Sunset as she gazed out at the orange ocean. Twilight grunted and continued below deck. She kicked off her shoes, fluffed her pillow, and got as comfortable as she could in her hammock. The netting and the way it rocked whenever Twilight moved never got better, but at least she had learned not to fall out. She closed her eyes, pretending it was her bed back home, and Shining had just kissed her goodnight. A warm comfort and a heartbreak at the same time. The comfort won out though and took Twilight into the folds of slumber. She dreamed, but she didn’t feel like she had been asleep very long. Her eyes fluttered open, finding only more darkness. She sat up and yawned, exhaustion pulling harder at her eyes now that she had a taste of rest. A quick glance out her window told her it was the dead of night. Twilight laid her head back down and closed her eyes, but in the blissful quiet, she heard a soft strumming. Raising her head up again and tuning her ears, Twilight deduced the noise originated from somewhere above her. The strums were slow and soft enough that, if the world had not hushed to listen, Twilight wouldn’t have heard it. Curiosity drove her to examine what it was, so she slipped her shoes on and navigated her way through the dark corridor and headed upstairs. Upon opening the door to the deck, the melancholy of a strumming guitar brushed her ears. She lifted her head to the crow’s nest, where Sunset leaned against the mast, her wings to Twilight and her face to the pale full moon. From her lips came a slow song, sung by, what Twilight would describe as, a mourning angel. “Somewhere out there, “There’s a place for me, “Somewhere across, “The shimmering sea. “See how it sparkles? “See how it shines? “A treasure like that, “Could never be mine. “Where has it gone, “The lost piece of me? “It’s somewhere across, “The shimmering sea. “My search goes on, “Day after day. “Have you seen it, “My heart gone astray? “Somewhere out there, “It’s waiting for me. “My lost piece of light, “Across the shimmering sea.” Twilight leaned against the frame of the door, trying to picture such heartfelt lyrics lifting out of Sunset’s mouth. Closing her eyes, Twilight saw not the demon, but the crimson and gold haired girl from her book. She breathed in the wistful emotions Sunset poured out of her song. The lyrics ended, but she continued to strum. A snap and a discordant chord rang out across the boat, making Twilight jump. She landed, the wood creaking beneath her. Twilight froze, her hand on the door, praying Sunset would just dismiss the noise as one of the ships bodily sounds. Sunset wasn’t so easily fooled, however. She sighed and set her guitar down. “What do you want, Miss Sparkle?” “N-nothing!” Twilight said quickly. “I just… I heard a noise and I came to see what it was and…” She cleared her throat. “You have a really nice voice.” Sunset looked over her shoulder, her red face looking more pink in the moonlight. She looked annoyed, but an honest, “Thank you,” passed through her lips, even if it sounded a little forced. She looked back to the moon. “I shouldn’t be surprised you stayed on the ship tonight.” Twilight folded her arms in front of her. “I want no part in whatever they’re doing to that poor town.” “Well, it’s not on fire. So it can’t be as bad as you assume.” True enough, the town seemed mostly quiet save for a small ruckus coming from the inn. Either way, Twilight stood by her words. “Why didn’t you go join them?” “Someone has to watch the ship. Who better qualified than its captain?” She sighed. “I would just ruin their experience anyway. No, my plundering and pillaging days are over.” One less pirate to pillage villages was a good thing, but with the surrender in Sunset’s voice, Twilight couldn’t help but feel bad for her. “Don’t pity me, Twilight Sparkle.” “Wah! But, h-how—” “It’s in your nature. I can tell. Every bit of sentiment and sadness tugs at your heartstrings.” It happened again. Sunset let out her broken and stuttered laugh. “That you feel sadness at everything is, in itself, sad.” Twilight’s cheeks burned. “Yeah? Well, at least I feel something other than anger or nothing at all! The second something makes you mad, threatening or killing them is your go-to answer!” Sunset became perfectly still, and Twilight knew she had overstepped her bounds again. In one swift motion, Sunset leaped from the crow’s nest, swooped around, and landed in front of Twilight, towering over her. Silhouetted by the moon behind her, her blue eyes glowed with a haunting light. “You love to test me, don’t you, Sparkle?” Her dry mouth failed to produce any sort of response other than wordless gaping. “You’re right. I feel nothing. I have to feel nothing,” she said in a low voice, her monotone punctuating her words. “Do you know the full extent of my curse, Twilight Sparkle? Do you think an ugly appearance and fire powers are all I got?” Her wings unfurled, blocking the light of the moon and consuming Twilight in shadow. “I wish that was all this accursed crown had done to me. I fight every day to keep my emotions in check, Sparkle. I can’t let myself feel fear or pain or sadness or anger. I can’t indulge in these powers I’ve been given, otherwise, I lose control. I lose control to the true demon sleeping inside me. The one that would like nothing more than to set the world on fire and watch it burn while she laughed in delight. A demon born of my malice and avarice and lust for power.” Sunset retracted her wings and turned toward the front of the ship, her tail swishing behind her. “I’m immortal in every sense of the word. I have lived over a century in this form, never aging, never falling ill to any disease. I have been shot and stabbed and drowned, yet I always wake up again.” She lifted her claws and examined them. “A hundred years of aimless sailing… of trying to find some point to life after all my friends have been murdered. Of trying to find an adventure worthy of my time. Joy and excitement and surprise have all left me as well.” She whipped back around. As much as she was trying to fight it, Twilight could hear emotion leaking into her words. “So yes, Twilight Sparkle, I have no emotions to give, and the ones I do, you don’t want to see. I look upon you and see your noble heart weep for the sorrows of this world and I am torn between being grateful my heart is stone and being envious that you feel something.” The ensuing silence was poignant with Twilight at a loss for words, and Sunset staring her down, daring her to say she was sorry. Twilight did genuinely feel for her. Those explosive outbursts, the dual-tone in Sunset’s voice, those haunting eyes. That had been a different Sunset Shimmer in some way. She lost her humanity in those moments, something she clung desperately to if the shame Twilight had seen after the night at Hollow Shoals was anything to go by. “I…” Twilight chose her words carefully. “I apologize for what I said last night. I was mad but I shouldn’t have called you a selfish demon.” Sunset grunted and moved to the side of the ship, looking out across the still water. “You’re the only person I’ve met who would apologize after calling me a demon. You’re far too kind for your own good.” She sighed. “We’re all slaves to our emotions in the end. The heart can be a cruel thing.” “Maybe.” Twilight joined Sunset in looking at the moonlit sea. “But it’s what makes us human. I know you’ve lived a long time, but there are still reasons to be excited or happy.” “I find them few and far between.” She ran a hand across the rail. “My only joy comes from having my ship, the only companion to keep me company through these long years.” “See? That’s something, isn’t it?” Sunset smirked and looked down at her. “You’re surprisingly optimistic and kind for someone in your position. You do remember where you are, correct?” Twilight frowned and bowed her head. “Yes, I’m well aware of where I am and how I got here.” She turned away. “You’re right. Maybe I am too nice for my own good. I don’t know why I’m trying to comfort you.” “That makes two of us. Though if it helps your over-inflated heart, the sentiment is… appreciated,” Sunset said genuinely. “Pipsqueak is the only one around here who shows me any kindness.” Twilight looked over her shoulder, softening her hard expression. “You’re welcome. Maybe if you didn’t try to instill fear in everyone, they’d show you some more compassion.” Sunset narrowed her eyes. “Mind your boundaries, Sparkle.” “Sorry,” Twilight said, flinching back. Sunset folded her arms behind her back. “A captain has to run a tight ship. She has to make sure they know who’s in charge. And with the way I look…” Her voice grew softer. “You think they’d respect me if I was soft with them?” Twilight honestly thought they would, but perhaps that was her naivete. The two stood side-by-side in silence, and Twilight wondered what thoughts ran through Sunset’s head. She also wondered what she was doing out here talking and even comforting her captor. Anger, bitterness, resentment? No, those emotions were absent now. Maybe her lack of experience with them made them hard to hold onto. Her heart still ached at the thought of Shining, and she quietly fumed at the way she had been ripped away from him. But she had no direction to point her anger in. Sunset wasn’t entirely at fault, she had been consumed by otherworldly anger at the time. Though Twilight reasoned the events would have played out the same regardless, just perhaps with fewer death threats. Still, the embers of anger were weak tonight. Twilight could talk to Sunset on a human level, and while they had drastically different worldviews, it was nice to talk and be heard rather than yell or be given commands. And as jaded as Sunset was, at least Twilight now understood why. That understanding laid a strong foundation for sympathy, whether or not Sunset wanted it. Twilight looked down at the water, listening to the waves lap against the side of the ship. She laid one hand on top of the other and bit her bottom lip. “Sunset…” “Captain.” “Sorry, right.” The interruption derailed Twilight’s slow building confidence. She wet the inside of her mouth and tried again. “Last night… you saved me from the storm.” “Aye?” Sunset raised an eyebrow. “Well… that jogged a memory I’ve had ever since I was little. My mother and I went on an expedition to update some sea charts. On our way home, a storm hit and destroyed our boat. I thought that was the end for me.” Twilight gripped her hands. “But as I sank into the ocean, before I blacked out, I remembered a hand grabbing hold of my wrist. I remembered the sensation of flying through the sky. When I woke up on the beach and the navy found me, they had no idea how I could have survived.” She lifted her head and locked eyes with Sunset. “But last night, you grabbed my wrist and I felt the sensation of flying again. It was you all those years ago, wasn’t it? You saved me from the storm.” Sunset looked away, her mouth flat and her eyes unreadable. The longer she didn’t speak, the more the question ate at Twilight. It demanded an answer. She demanded an answer! Twilight opened her mouth, ready to yell again, when Sunset spoke. “Yes,” she said, so soft, Twilight barely heard it. “I pulled you out of the water.” There it was. Confirmation and closure Twilight didn’t know she needed until yesterday. She had always thought it had been a miracle. In some ways, it still was. “Why?” Sunset shrugged. “I was out flying. I like flying on stormy days. Closest thing to excitement I can find. I saw a broken ship and a girl fighting for her life, so I decided to show mercy.” She returned her gaze to Twilight. “I should be thankful I did.” “Weren’t you the one who told me the world was cruel and unforgiving?” “It is. But…” A smile graced Sunset’s lips. “I have a soft spot for children. If it’ll help them avoid the cruelties of the world for a little while longer, then I’ll lend a hand.” “Is that why you let Pip stay?” Sunset’s smile grew a little wider. “He wanted to be a pirate. Who am I to say no?” Twilight unclenched her fingers. “Thank you for saving me. Both times, I guess.” “Mmm.” So that was it. Twilight lived thanks to Sunset’s mercy. Did that mean Twilight owed her a debt? Was this the universe making sure Twilight evened out the scales of karma? She looked up to the stars glittering overhead. The light of the moon dulled some of the weaker stars, but they littered the sky, and constellations jumped out at Twilight. Sunset must have noticed her stargazing. She pointed to the northwest. “Look, you can see all of Hydra tonight.” Twilight followed her finger as it traced the long serpentine constellation. “Wow,” Twilight breathed. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen all of it.” “Do you know the story behind it? It’s one of my favorites.” Twilight eagerly nodded her head. “There once lived a beast with two heads that terrorized an entire city, stalking the night and eating travelers who strayed too far. It hid in the nearby swamp, its mottled skin blending in with the muck,” Twilight said, enthusiastically wiggling her fingers as she got into the story. “The people of the city were scared to leave, and merchants were scared to travel there. Everyone feared they would soon starve to death. “Then, along came the hero, Flash Magnus, who had heard of the city’s plight. Armed with only his sword, shield, and his legendary reflexes, he ventured forth into the swamp!” Twilight pretended to hold a sword and shield up. “He wandered through the bog, gazing through the dizzying swamp gas to find the Hydra before it found him. As he stepped over a soggy piece of earth, it trembled and rolled beneath him. There it was, the two heads of the Hydra, saliva dripping from its mouths! “Flash readied his sword and dodged the first head! Then he blocked the second with his shield, looped around and slice! Off goes the first head! The Hydra roared in agony and collapsed to the ground, and Flash thought his task nearly done. But as he stepped up to cut off the other head, the neck of the second bubbled, and before his eyes, two heads sprouted from where the one had been!” Twilight raised her arms and pinched her fingers together. She didn’t know why she was getting so into this, but Sunset watched her with a wide grin on her face. Twilight continued, “Faced with three angry heads, Flash retreated to higher ground, avoiding the vicious teeth! He ducked under a tree while the Hydra tried to smash through it. It left it stunned, allowing Flash to swing his sword and cut another head off. But his action would be his folly, for a few seconds later, two more heads sprouted! Faced with a seemingly unkillable enemy, Flash’s courage began to wane. How could he kill something that refused to die?” “Ah, and there lies the heart of the legend!” Sunset said, taking over with a flourished wave of her hand. “Flash Magnus realized that he could not behead the beast, and he could never reach its heart. The best thing he could do was seal it away, and he had just the plan to do it. The swamp he stood on was active and known for its powerful geysers that could send a castle skyward if disturbed enough. Flash led the great behemoth on a wild chase through the swamp, ducking and weaving through the thick underbrush, always staying just a hair’s breadth from the Hydra’s jaws. They stomped and trampled and tromped across the muddy swamp until Flash led the monster to the geyser field. Out in the open, Flash knew he was at the monster’s mercy. It would take timing and luck to get out of this alive. “Flash raised his sword and shield again, feeling the ground beneath him begin to bubble. He deflected each of the heads with deft skill, blocking one head while stabbing at another!” Sunset mimicked Flash’s actions, earning a giggle from Twilight. “He stood his ground, feeling it shake and writhe. Bubbles burbled from below, but still, he didn’t move. All four heads of the Hydra reared back for one united strike, one Flash had no hope of blocking. He grit his teeth. It was now or never! As the heads came down, Flash jumped back, throwing himself as far as he could. Some say he even flew at that moment. The Hydra crashed into the mud with a mighty force. And that force was enough to set off the geyser building below. With a mighty bellow, the geyser exploded, sending the Hydra up, up, up into the sky!” Sunset stretched her arm out to to the stars. “The Hydra became trapped there, unable to find a way to climb down.” She pointed to the cluster of four stars at the top of the constellation. “There are its heads, still writhing in anger.” Twilight held her hand over her mouth, laughing as Sunset concluded the fable. Sunset joined in, her broken laugh sounding a little more whole and practiced. “You make a good storyteller,” Twilight said once her laughs had subsided. “As do you.” Sunset kept her eyes on the stars. “You remind me a little of Clover,” she said wistfully. “Who’s Clover?” Sunset sighed, bringing her whole body down as she exhaled. “She was my first mate. Clever, she was. Always finding a way to help us get out of messes I usually made. She knew every legend, every star, and every gold piece in our treasury.” Sunset closed her eyes. “I miss her most of all.” “I’m sorry.” Sunset kept her eyes closed, her face twitching every few seconds, like she was fighting to recall a bad memory. Twilight wanted to offer some word of comfort, but a yawn rose up and escaped her instead. Sunset snapped out of her trance. “You should get to bed. We set sail at first light.” Twilight knew she had no room to argue. Her adrenaline from storytelling was gone, reminding her body of just how tired she still was. At best, she’d get a few hours before being rudely awakened. “I… enjoyed our conversation,” Sunset said, drawing out her words like she wasn’t sure she believed them. “I did as well.” The night air blew Twilight’s tresses to the side. “It was… fun.” She waved a hand in farewell. “Goodnight… Captain.” Sunset watched her retreat from the corner of her eye, arms folded behind her back again. “Goodnight… Twilight.”