While no one may know much about the Mysterious Melchiorre, and even fewer know anything of his past, the story of his blackened existence is as real as the consequences it bears.
No one knows just why it happened. How would they? Kelpies and Merponies were never very fond of each other, and when it came to Sirens--the sworn protectors of the Merfolk--there couldn't be any set of creatures so ill fated to feel anything towards the other. But it happened, and for their sins there was a price to pay. But who would really end up paying it? Written and illustrated by MusicOverMatter, and co. illustrated by Lightning Pride.
"Through the shadows of these many hundred years, hear the story of a thousand falling tears."
A grey moon slipped across the frozen sky, spilling it’s tainted light upon a strange scene on the moors below. Five great black ponies—or what looked like ponies—stood in a semi circle around a trembling mare.
Her mane was a fiery red, that seemed to flow down her face and neck like a pouring fall of blood. Her pink flesh was smooth and made of pearly scales that fit seamlessly together like the skin of a snake. Her blue eyes, which were once called flames of mystic fire, now looked out with a dull expression in them. Devoid of life and passion.
The middle figure in the ring of black ponies rose it’s head and let forth a slicing voice to address the poor mare. “Siren, speak and tell us once and for all: Will you join your fellow sinner in his sentence, or take responsibility for your actions?”
The mare lowered her head, as if considering her options. On one hand, banishment meant never returning to her waters again. A life on land, for a siren, was comparable only to death. Even if it wouldn’t physically kill her, her heart and spirit would bleed away and leave nothing but a dry shell. But the other option was still nothing short of a living tomb. Could she really choose to live among her fellow sisters with such a black burden?
“I… I shall take punishment. I will raise the child.” A bundle of netting at her hooves began to squirm on the cold stone, before letting forth a cry for it’s mother. For in that bundle lay a small foal, still with it’s eyes closed. But the cry, if you could have heard it, may have made you cry yourself. It was certainly no earthly wail, but sounded more like a high, pure note. An impossibly beautiful sound for a mere babe to make.
However, for those present the baby’s crying seemed to have no affect, not even in the eyes of the young mother. Poor child! It would have no way of knowing just how wretched it’s existence really was.
“Then it is decided. And this is right, for while your cowardly mate was able to escape his earthly punishment, it is only just that one of you should atone for your shared sins!” The middle figure’s voice boomed and echoed across the empty moors.
“Siren, who is called Scarlett Shell, you will return to your home waters. There, you shall raise your spawn rightly and with all the strength your body will allow. When he is of age, he will be given his father’s territory, and if he be so inclined he may use it as his own. Should he decline he may be given a minor position to serve under the great house of the Kelpies, or be free to exert his will however he may see fit.
However, he will never be seen as one of our own. We will not join him during the hunt, he will not be permitted to join us on high council days, and he will be given no name and no right to mate among us.”
The mare lowered her head in consent to the ruling. For a fleeting moment she was overtaken by pity for the small creature before her. It was a merciful verdict for him, but heavy just the same. He would be an outcast his whole life. But as swiftly as it had come, the feeling was replaced by fears for herself. SHE would be an outcast, SHE would never be welcomed into her community again, SHE would never get a proper mate and SHE was now saddled with the responsibility of caring for this half-thing!
Her body shook with this new revulsion, and the night was not yet even over for this pathetic being. She had her own people to face now that the Kelpies had made their judgement. The ring of black ponies fell back to allow a lone pony to stand where the middle black figure had once stood. The new pony was covered in baby blue scales like the mare that stood before her, but around her middle hung a golden chain that was decorated with many hanging shells that seemed to glow many colors in the murky light.
“Sister Siren, you are aware of that law which is unwritten, but know by all just the same?” The blue mare looked down upon the child that lay between the two sirens, and with a condescending expression lifted her foreleg and let out a sound of disgust. The pink mare lifted her gaze to the eyes of the elder siren, the mistress of her troupe and her sole superior.
“Yes, I am aware that my oath as a siren binds me to the sea. That I am to forsake the things of the world in preference for my watery home. The stallion I mated to was not a land pony, but still was not one of my people. Therefore I have betrayed them, and my oath to serve their home.” The blue mare gave a short nod of approval.
“Yes, while it is not written anywhere that relations to such creatures as kelpies are prohibited, the ties you sought to forge were inexcusable in any case. Your vows made it perfectly clear that your devotion was reserved for your people. You have broken that, and now we do not know you.
However, since the council of the Kelpies has been so very merciful, I shall relent you this: You may continue to live in our waters, but you are no longer a part of our community. You and your thing will be sent to live at the edge of our domain, in the very place you defiled your legacy for all time!”
The young mare let out a gasp, the fear etched plainly on her face. “You mean, I can never return to Hollow Reef? How shall I live if I can’t get food? And what about my sisters? Are they forbidden to see me?!” The older siren was unmoved by this display of fear, but answered in a steady and final voice.
“You are not forbidden from coming to Hollow Reef, the condition is that you do not live there. You can buy from the market if you wish, no one will deny you their services. Your FORMER sisters may visit you if they wish, but no one will force them, and I doubt that any one of them would like to be associated with a traitor like you.” The words were harsh, but to the windswept soul they sounded like a benediction of peace, and almost as good as a pardon.
She bowed herself to the earth, and clutching the edges of the bundle in her teeth, she walked back to the shore, where she would lower herself into the waters and return to her former home for one last night before she was sent away to her new home.
The five kelpies walked forward to meet the siren mistress. “Your ruling has been acknowledged, and we will do our best to uphold it’s power. As I’m sure you will do the same for us.” Said the middle kelpie. The Mistress inclined her head respectfully before turning to pull one of the shells off her belt. The shell between her teeth was glowing a soft red, and as she bit down on it, the glow became more and more intense until the shell shattered into broken fragments and a translucent, shimmering red liquid. It dribbled down her chin, dripping onto the stone below her feet.
The kelpies’ noses perked up at the scent of the liquid, and their eyes took on a peculiar glint. One stepped forward, as if to steal from the Mistress, but she let loose a screech warning him to not come any closer. She lowered her nose to the red pool at her hooves, and with a soft blow from her nostrils, ripples began to form on the surface of it. The ripples changed to little waves, the waves grew larger, and larger, until the pool became as large as a millstone. Then the waters calmed, allowing for those present to observe two glowing figures swimming in the depths of the pool.
“Behold,” Said the Siren Mistress, “the true account of the matter. As seen from the eyes, and taken from the heart of your fallen brother.”
The six figures gazed into the red pool, observing the events it conjured forth, and when it had shown everything it had to show the Siren Mistress stepped forward and lowered her head to the pool. Her lips touched the surface, and as she sucked the pool dry to the stone her own scales seemed to become edged with a red glow. With the pool gone, the five kelpies turned to gallop off into the misty moors and the Siren Mistress turned to leap off the cliff into the churning waters below…
Alastar looked out at the churning waters with a passionless gaze. It was a moonless night, causing the dark night to blend with his own black coat. His red eyes raked the surrounding grove with a singular intensity, before he settled himself on the soft bank of the shimmering pool—obscured from the prying eyes of his kelpie brethren.
What a relief to be out from under their strict regulations! Alastar let out an annoyed snort. He disliked authority, and resented the control that was a constant source in his life. Maybe that’s why he’d conspired to meet with this strange Siren tonight? After all, if he decided he wanted to associate with a Merpony, who was to stop him? No one! And that’s precisely how he liked it.
The light breeze that swayed the willow branches was heavy with the scent of sweet pea. It was calming and cool, and altogether too unfamiliar for the carnal creature to fully cope with. He was used to his dark, briny home under the deep waters of the black lagoon; the only scent he was usually accustomed to was the smell of death—the fresh scent of a kill, the dried smell of blood, the rotting stench of flesh, and the salty oceanic air mixed with the aroma of seaweed and dead sea animals.
Needless to say the change was a great one, but perhaps that’s why he endured it. It seemed as if there was nothing he wouldn’t do in order to separate himself from the tradition and law of his order.
How fortunate he’d been then in stumbling upon such a miraculous opportunity as he had two nights ago! While wandering out among the cliffs at sunset, he’d happened upon a Siren Perch. Sirens are a danger to almost every race, as their duty is to ward off and destroy anyone foolish enough to come too close to their home waters.
Beyond that, their hearts are filled with nothing but a child-like playfulness and a dark desire for mischief. The rocky cliffs surrounding the cove were the perfect play-ground for the rowdy sea-mares, and a deadly set of jaws for any soul wandering too close!
However, kelpies are unaffected by siren song—since they use a similar magic themselves. So when he drew close enough for the sirens to recognize his race, they became annoyed and frustrated. There’s no fun in tempting a victim who can neither be tempted nor killed! Most of them glared and hissed at him before leaping into the water to wait for him to pass. Only one stayed behind, curious as to why he would bother a Siren Perch.
The frothy mare sat absolutely radiant before the setting sun; her blood-red mane was cast carelessly over her delicate shoulders, while the burning light reflected off her pink scales gave her a fiery glow that would put a dragon to shame!
In that instant, something snapped inside the young, hot-blooded kelpie. All of his pent-up passion, every ounce of his desire for rebellion was suddenly materialized before him in the form of a wickedly dangerous seductress that had the very fragrance of a forbidden fruit. How easy would it be to pluck it while the vine was still green, and how foolish could he be to turn away the opportunity?
He turned a wicked grin to the mer-mare, before stepping forward to take her forelock in his teeth and gently tug on it. It was a rather bold flirtation, but one that the playful mare couldn’t resist. Before the sun had fully set, a plan was made for them to see each other again.
Now the night was here, yet to the cold-hearted kelpie it was nothing more than a game; a chance to flout his superiors and satisfy his curiosity about the mysterious siren. And just as he was beginning to doubt if coming had been worth his time, there was a disturbance in the middle of the pool. Out of the water rose the pink mer-mare, her tail flicking playfully behind her.
As she approached the shore, a look of discomfort stole momentarily over her face. The sound of ripping flesh came from beneath the water, and in that moment a four-legged mare was suddenly standing where a two-legged one once swam. Alastar raised a questioning eyebrow to the strange occurrence but said nothing. He knew that sirens had the ability to change into legs because of their mysterious powers, but seeing it was quite different than hearing about it.
“What?” Laughed the mirthful mare. “Am I so strange to see now without my tail?” She gracefully strode forward and pushed her nose into his wild, thick mane. A musical giggle escaped from her throat, before she nudged him teasingly. “Don’t worry! It grows back. It’s actually harder to get legs than to get a tail; I guess it’s to discourage us from switching too often.”
A soft smile on her mouth and a secret laugh in her eyes seemed to speak of some fine joke she was keeping all to herself. What was the joke? It really didn’t matter. Because to a siren everything is it’s own joke. Those who can laugh so freely and gleefully at death have no trouble in finding plenty of entertainment in life.
“Tell me then, if it’s so very difficult to switch why do you do it at all?” Inquired Alastar with a tone of mock interest. The siren’s face lit up with excitement.
“Because the Siren Mistress hates it so much!” And with that she went back to nuzzling her face into his thick coat and mane. He was surprised by her answer! Not because it was all too unexpected for a siren to say, but because it reminded him so much of his own joy in defying his authorities—of the very reason he was here to begin with!
Alastar turned his head towards the siren with a new eye. Sure, she was frivolous, credulous, immature and inexperienced. But suddenly that didn’t seem like a bad thing anymore. She was now the most interesting thing in the world, and he eyed her like a new challenge, and the forbidden fruit that would be his greatest defiance against his order.
“Tell me again, what exactly was your name?” He inquired with a honeyed tone. She stopped her giddy fawning for a moment to glance at him with a saucy look in her eyes. Leaping up from her relaxed position, she circled to the front of her companion. Leaning down so that they were now nose-to-nose, she whispered:
“Can you forget so easily? I’m Scarlett Shell… and I’ll never let you forget it again.”
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.
