6 months passed, months filled with dark nights fulfilling dark intentions. Obsession doesn’t happen immediately. It comes as you slowly open your soul to influences you don’t understand. Eventually, you begin to see things as they are. And by that time the barbs are too deep, too painful to simply rip out.
Alastar was obsessed. In Scarlett Shell he had found the perfect haven, bitterness and heated passion mixed into a dangerous poison he would return for over and over again. Soon though, it wasn’t just about an act of insolence, his soul became hopelessly intertwined with hers. He said things in the dark that were only uttered in the deepest chambers of his heart, he took his portion of comfort in her smooth, scaly arms.
As for Scarlett, the air of innocence slowly bled away from her childish eyes; replaced by a maturity and understanding of the net she had become ensnared in. But it was a change she couldn’t bring herself to regret, because for the first time in her life she realized how immature and shallow she had lived. It was common, it was what was expected of her.
But as the days wore on in the company of her siren sisters, she began to feel scorn for the way they spent hours combing their manes, hours chattering and humming on those sun-baked rocks waiting for some shallow entertainment for their hollow eyes to devour.
The meetings by the silver pool became increasingly frequent, beginning sooner, ending later. Eternity, oblivion, it was all within the shade of that hidden grove. Weeks would pass, where amongst their peers they would function almost mechanically as they waited for the moon to rise and release them back into their tainted garden.
Alastar knew this all too well. Standing on a cliff in his territory, he reflected on his spiraling fate with a surprising amount of indifference, considering that it was his own. He gazed out at the glassy green sea, a singularly forlorn expression darkening his brow for the briefest of moments, before he turned to begin his nightly trek back into the depths of his territory where hid his burning sin.
“Alastar! Wait up!” Alastar was shaken from his quite reflections as he spied the form of one of his comrades. He turned to glare at the approaching kelpie, who trotted up to his friend’s side with a look of suspicion on his face.
“Where are you off to tonight? You haven’t joined us for a proper hunt in months.”
“Tch! Idiot. Of course I haven’t, you know just as well as anyone that I eat during the day.”
The confused kelpie gave Alastar an annoyed look. “I KNOW you prefer grazing during the day, though why you would want to settle for rabbits, chickens, and other small game is beyond me. I know the truce makes it a pain to properly hunt, but you still need to try. If you don’t, your Blood-Right will build up; you need to bleed it!
Alastar reared his head in anger. “You take me for a foal?! Of course I can handle my own Blood-Right. You worry for yourself, Seraph! I heard you couldn’t draw blood during the last moon. How dare you criticize ME when you can’t take down a singal boar!”
Seraph shied back from the aggressive kelpie. “Calm down, Alastar! I didn’t draw blood because I chose not to. I can’t stand being reduced to hunting wild animals, when my blood craves pony flesh.” A strange glint came to their eyes at the mere mention of pony flesh and blood. It had been a hundred years since the blood-moon treaty between the kelpies and Princess Luna had been made.
“That truce took more than just our right to hunt ponies, it took away our way of life! A single pony would have bled us enough to last weeks against Blood-Right! These days, we need to work twice as hard just to keep from keeling over from the back-up poisoning!”
Alastar nodded in agreement. It had been over a hundred years, but he had not forgotten the scent or taste of pony blood. In those days, kelpies hunted freely. They could “feed and bleed” as easily as breathing, and no one died from the back-up poisoning of Blood-Right.
“I understand your feelings, old friend. So, can you not understand why I prefer to hunt on my own? If you understand the shame as you profess to, you would not deny me my dignity, wounded though it may be.”
Seraph lowered his head for a moment in consideration. Of course he understood the shame of hunting animals, when he himself had once devoured villages. He too felt that burning shame and anger. But so did everyone! Why then was Alastar’s pride so special?
Then again… Alastar had been a true monster in his own right, in the golden age before the treaty. He—more than many of the others—had lost more than just his hunting privileges, or even just his pride. He had lost his legacy.
Seraph looked up at his friend, Alastar met his steady gaze with his own piercing one. For now, letting him to his devices seemed the wisest option. Alastar—after all—had taken the restriction of the treat especially hard. He had even fought with his own father—the clan leader—over it! Of course he’d lost, but his hate still had carried on long afterwards.
“Fine! Get out of here you old goat, before I change my mind and drag you by the ears back to the pack.”
Alastar flashed his wicked grin, before turning to gallop off towards the depths of the moors.
“Make sure to kill something tonight, Alastar! If you get yourself poisoned I’m gonna rip up your useless hide!”
Seraph watched his comrade fade into the gathering mist. For now, Alastar’s rebellious ways were tolerable. He was stronger than most, so it wasn’t too great a surprise that he hadn’t succumb to the build-up. But even the strongest were subject to the burden of Blood-Right, and sooner or later he would have to fulfill his own bodily needs. If not…
The suspicious look came upon the kelpie’s face again. How long could a kelpie go without even showing symptoms? Either Alastar was joining a separate hunt, or something was going on. And in any case, either one could get him in major trouble with the pack leaders.
~@~@~@~@~@~
Scarlett Shell lifted her delicate nose to the reddening sky. Soon her troupe would be relieved of their duties by another group, and each of them would be released to spend the night as they pleased. She flicked her tail with annoyance, seeing the sun tremble upon the horizon without showing any signs of actually sinking. She and her sisters had sung many ships into the blue waters, yet she would sacrifice that honor if she could only sing to sink the sun!
“Scarlett, Darling. Staring at the sun will only wrinkle your skin. Come! Relax, we only have a few more minutes of sovereignty left. Oh! If only a ship or a boat would sail by before those tramps in the night troupe come and steal our thrones!”
Scarlett turned her gaze over to the mermare at her side. A wild azure mane flew in every direction around a pretty baby blue face, embedded with eyes that flashed like golden jewels. Ever Blue was a very popular mare, and unlike her siren counterparts, she had been given the great honor of traveling to the holy city of Atlantis to complete her siren training.
The young mare considered the blue siren with a curious expression. Would Ever have an answer for her burning questions? Scarlett didn’t regret her actions, but it had stirred something in her. Where she had once had no other desire than to grow up and become a great siren, now she found new desires taking place in her heart. There was no light to guide her in the path she had taken, and as she gazed into the eyes of her superior—and best friend—she hoped to find the guidance she craved.
“Ever Blue… did you ever wish to become something other than a siren?” The blue mermare wore a shocked expression in response to the question.
“What do you mean? What else could I possibly want to be?”
“Well, let’s say you found something else. Something even better than sitting on these rocks day after day, waiting for some stupid ponies to come by so we can steal their hearts?”
Ever Blue narrowed her eyes at the pink mermare. These were dangerous questions for one so young, and certainly not befitting of such an accomplished siren! But, maybe she was just feeling confused, and didn’t properly grasp the great honor they were blessed with.
“Scarlett, I can understand if you are feeling conflicted in your feelings. These things do tend to become tangled, especially when you start to develop new passions…” Scarlett’s eyes lit up; so Ever could help her!
“…but you must never forget your first passion, which is your devotion to the sea.” Her hopes were dashed like a ship upon the rocks.
“There is one love in this world: the love of the sea for us. All other love is only a form of this, and stands to remind us of our first love. The love of mother and child, sister and brother, friend to friend, and stallion to mare, are all just shadows of the ever standing affection the ocean gives to those who benefit from it.”
Ever Blue’s face glowed with an inner light, an expression of the burning loyalty that ran freely though her heart. Scarlett was ashamed to be questioning the likes of Ever about having another passion. To Ever, it wasn’t passion, it was her entire purpose and being!
“We serve the sea, and in return we are blessed with experiencing it’s love directly.” She turned to pluck an orange glowing shell from her belt. Gently, she took Scarlett’s hoof and placed the shell onto it. “When we take hearts, they are filled with the love and ecstasy we call forth with our songs. The greatest sirens will get only the purest emotions, and their hearts will glow. If you look closely, you can still see shadows of what that heart loved the most.”
Ever Blue nudged Scarlett’s hoof closer to her face. In the depths of the warm glow, Scarlett could just make out a group of three glowing figures. One was smaller than the other two, and danced around the larger ones in a circle. The two in the center seemed to be nuzzling each other, with the taller of the two wrapping a hoof around the other’s neck. Her heart gave a tug, knowing instantly that it represented a family. A family that was now broken apart.
“Sirens spend their whole lives trying to create and capture these emotions. You yourself still have yet to perfect this, though it is understandable why you have not. Barely any ships come this way now that they are aware of our presence here. When you have, you will experience for yourself how the love of the sea truly feels!”
How it truly feels? What the flying fish did she mean? Scarlett scrunched her nose in disbelief. Did she really believe all that stuff about stolen hearts representing the sea? She knew the stories she was told as a foal and during her training. The legends told of how the guardians of the sea stole the hearts of their enemies, so they could never be turned against the sea again.
Those who served purely, in return for their sacrifice would be filled with the love of the sea. They would never feel the cold winds or the beating sun, and they would never feel the great loneliness of separation that their duty required.
Foals tales. That’s all they were.
Ever Blue looked into Scarlett Shell’s eyes. “You don’t believe me, of course. You think I’m telling you a child’s story. That’s why your heart is conflicted, and it’s why you question your duty.”
She took the shell from her hoof, and lifted it to Scarlett’s lips. “But I think it’s time you understood. Usually this would be a heart you caught yourself, but since you are struggling in so great a way, I will help you find your path again.”
Scarlett took the shell between her teeth and looked at Ever.
“Don’t bite it, that would release the heart. You would be able to see into everything that heart has been through, but that’s not what we want right now. Just swallow…”
She obeyed. It slipped down her throat, and she felt it’s warmth all the way down to her stomach. At first, she couldn’t feel any change. But then, the warmth started to creep up her neck. It spread up to her face, to her lips, to her nose. It moved over her back, down her legs and tail, and soon it filled her entire being!
A pang in her heart, a twinge in her eyes, a pit in her belly. She felt likes waves were moving through her, pushing, pulsing, leaving her breathless under the weight of the feelings they brought. A fire heated her soul, then a chill ran down her spine, she was frantic with ecstasy and swept with a feeling of bittersweet despair. Yet amidst the crashing ocean that assailed her, she was overshadowed by a feeling of peace. A gentle tug on her soul that kept her anchored. She couldn’t think anything that even came close. Or could she?
With a frown, she realized that some of the emotions were familiar. The burning fires, the feeling of despair, and the heavy pit in her stomach. She knew it all too well, for it was exactly what she felt with Alastar. Was this… love?
Ever Blue took her face in her hooves. “Do you feel it? The warmth, the shivers, the peace?” Scarlett slowly nodded yes. Ever took on a serious expression, her hooves still holding Scarlett’s face.
“That is how we never feel the cold, it is why we never burn. It is how we can separate ourselves from our families for so long without breaking. I have a husband, and two foals of my own. I love them terribly and am constantly reminded of that love. My mother was a siren before me, and every time I consume a heart I can feel her hooves embracing me, and her voice whispering our favorite lullaby.”
Scarlett was surprised hearing this; Ever Blue had never once mentioned her mother or her family before, she sat on the rocks and sung as freely and capriciously as any of them.
But that was just it: Ever Blue was a true siren. She didn’t need anything else, because to her, the sea provided everything she could ever need or want. This cove was her castle, these rocks her throne, and the waters they watched a vast kingdom over which she ruled.
“Ever Blue! The night troupe has arrived. We’re being asked to leave.”
Ever turned to sneer at the approaching sirens. “Wenches! They always have the perfect timing, don’t they?” She glanced at Scarlett one last time.
“You needn’t worry, darling. One day, your song will become pure enough to capture a heart like that one. Then, you won’t watch the sun ever again.”
And with that, the blue siren plunged into the water, on her way to see her little family below the waves. A pink siren slipped in behind her, but instead of following her to their village she turned away, following a heart that finally decided on it’s passion: a little grove, where waited a stallion who had a power far greater than hers.
She could sing and steal hearts, but he only needed to look at her and steal much more. A destiny, a fate where two stars were pulled from their orbits to be cast into the darkness. And though the ending made her heart ache as she anticipated it, that moment where both stars shone bright against a black veil, was worth it.