They first met on the seashore, but it felt like they knew each other for longer than that.
Sunburst is a stallion found on the sandy shore near his home after everyone had taken him for dead. When he swears that a mare of great beauty saved him from a watery grave, he is taken for a madpony.
Starlight Glimmer is a mare whose voice was taken to keep her from revealing the secrets that only she knows. Now, she has to choose between the life that she knew and the new world that's opening up to her.
This is the song of the mermaids, the sea, and the storms that kept them apart.
“You can search the world for pretty girls Til your eyes grow weak and dim, But don't go fishing for a mermaid, son If you don't know how to swim." ―The Mermaid Song
It took him a moment to realize the time.
He stared at the contraption with an exhausted look. Long orange hair covered his left eye, shielding him from the light of his desk lamp, shining brightly at the pile of papers and books laid out in front of him. The glare of the light reflected on the glass of the clock, making it hard to make out the numbers with his tired eyes.
Leaning back in his embroidered seat, he exhaled ever so slowly, legs splayed out underneath his wooden desk. His neck was stiff, his hooves were numb, like hundreds of ants crawling underneath his skin, and the tightness of his bandages and the sting of his barely healed wounds made it hard for him to breathe.
He squeezed his eyes tightly, shutting out the world, and he shook his head to clear his jumbled mind. But all it did was spike his already racing heartbeat, he gritted his teeth as he breathed shallowly and white stars began to burst behind his eyelids―
―like the flash of fire spells and the shattering of magic shields, the smell of burning wood, the smoke, and the seaspray on his muzzle as he shouted orders, his throat raw from screaming, the boat rocking and shuddering dangerously underneath his hooves, the sound of the mast splitting in two resounding like a clap of thunder and drowning out the shouting, the icy water enveloping him and the burning wood pummeled him down, down, down―
The legs of the chair scratched the wooden floor in his haste to stand up, his forelegs grasping his desk as he stood, hitting the wood with a bang and rattling the objects in his desk. His glasses slipped and fell to the carpeted floor with a muffled clatter.
On the wall, the clock continued to tick the time away, out of synch with his labored breathing.
“Lord Sunburst, is everything alright?”
He took a moment to clear his throat before answering. “Y-Yes, everything is fine.”
A lie.
He hasn’t been fine in a long time now, ever since they found him on the sandy shore.
Like many others that night, he’d jumped from the burning ship before it crashed and while all of them managed to escape to the lifeboats, Sunburst never resurfaced. He read many reports recounting how the burning mast fell on top of him, the countless hours they spent searching among the burning shipwreck, how the mission turned from rescue to search and recovery of his body.
Clearly, he remembered the shouts and the shocked expressions of the soldiers when they found him on the beach, very much alive but wounded, the chaos had awoken him from an uneasy slumber, the pain of his wounds making him scream as they moved him back to the castle.
A miracle, they said, a miracle that he managed to survive, burned and bruised and delirious, but alive and recovering. He’d fallen in and out of consciousness the first week of his recovery, and it became clear to him that he’d been saved from drowning, even if he didn’t have the faintest memory of how it happened, he was sure of it. He wanted to thank his savior somehow, but...
His tantrum had aggravated his wounds and he bit back a hiss as he sat down. He looked down and sighed, relieved that he hadn’t reopened them.
“Spear Head,” he called and the door opened, the soldier standing to attention. “Could you tell one of the maids to prepare a bath?”
“Yes, sir!”
He put on his glasses and prepared to leave, putting on his cape over his back and covering his scars. With a flash of his horn, he turned off the lamp and walked away, plunging his office in darkness. The clip-clop of his hooves on the marble floor was the only sound in the hallway, lamps placed strategically on the walls lighted his way along with the moonlight and he nodded at some of the guards posted there.
It was times like these that his mind tended to wander and, like scratching a wound that had barely healed, he recalled the dark blue eyes that have haunted him ever since the shipwreck. He tried his best to ignore them by working and reading as much as he could, hoping that giving his mind something to work on would deter the idea of her. But now he was free and his mind reverted back to its favorite pastime.
The blue eyes came with a delicate-looking face, her fur a light pinkish color, plump lips full and...sultry? No, that wasn’t right, he might not recall the details of her face, but he would never forget the feeling of her mouth on his and the way the sun filtered through her dark purple hair, the saltwater that sparkled on her skin like diamonds. However, nothing could compare to those blue eyes that stared back at him softly, glittering with warmth. He shivered just thinking about it.
He was entranced by everything that she was, shackled against his will as she bestowed her kiss on him. And in a wicked, twisted way, he yearned for more. He sent out a group of his best scouts to search for any mare that matched her description, and while some came close in appearance, it only took one look to know that it wasn’t her. Their eyes would be the wrong color, their manes too short or too long, their fur the wrong shade of lavender, heck, even the names were all wrong, it was something like...like...
Sunburst blinked, the sudden intrusion jolting him out of his reverie. He was in front of his bedroom door, where Spear Head was standing guard, the soldier gave him a concerned look.
The guard hesitated before asking: “Lord Sunburst?”
Sunburst interrupted in a rather hasty tone. “Did you say something?”
“No, my lord,” Spear Head said, straightening up and his armor clinked together nervously.
“Yes, you did.”
Spear Head stayed silent.
The duke pushed his glasses up his muzzle, staring at the anxious pony with furrowed brows. Eventually, he realized that he was making the guard uncomfortable with his insistence, he mumbled an apology and entered his room.
The bath was steaming when he stepped in. He dipped a hoof to test the temperature and the rest of him followed shortly, and as the water touched his wounded back he hissed but pressed on and soon got used to it. A grateful sigh escaped his lips as his muscles relaxed in the scented water.
The water felt good, heavenly even, his troubles melting away in the warmth of the water and the silence of his surroundings. The porcelain basin was deep and full enough for him to sink even further until the water went up his barrel, his neck, past his ears, his eyes, and his chin. The water level rose and threatened to spill over as he went under, the heat stung momentarily as he closed his eyes, and when he opened them again...
A forest of kelp surrounded him on all sides, the tide made them sway in a hypnotizing manner as schools of silverfish darted from between the greenery. The small little animals glowed in the dark waters, leaving trails of light as they swam away. Moonlight shined down on him as he sank lower and deeper into the kelp.
A large fish was approaching from the corner of his eye, swimming in lazy circles, hidden in the long stalks of seaweed. Glimpses of its long flipper would appear from the greenery, catching the moonlight and making the turquoise stripes on its fin glow. It got closer until he saw its profile, too similar to a pony to be a simple fish, muzzle too small to be male, a horn on its forehead, ears perked in curiosity.
He nearly choked when the shadows around her face vanished. Dark blue eyes, pink scales covering her from head to hoof, full lips shaped in a surprised “o” came into view, along with the rest of her body, a long tail that swayed gently behind her, easily twice as long as his body, it’s purple fin the exact same color as her hair.
She stared at him with the same look of disbelief that was surely on his face, extending a hoof (or a flipper?) in a swift motion as she hurriedly swam to close the gap between them. Sunburst tried to reach her, but his body felt sluggish, and he reached uselessly as he sank further into the darkness. She wore a strange expression, and he wondered what the worried lines on her face could mean. The beautiful creature finally closed their distance, and her distress was clearly visible, she looked like she was about to cry. His anxiety grew as he watched and he extended his hoof towards her again.
They were only inches away, he could almost feel her touch, see the hope in her eyes, and it was all ripped away by the tide, sending them both in opposite directions, she was flung towards the moonlight and he was cast away into the bottom of the sea.
Sunburst!
He panicked, his mouth opened, and soapy water rushed in. His whole body jerked as he sat up, grasping the edges of the bathtub as he spluttered and coughed. He opened his eyes and was about to dive in again when he recalled where he was.
The vision vanished, the mare was gone and there was nothing but him in the shallow bathtub.
“Newly come from the river, she knew nothing. She was a mermaid who had lost her way... They blackened her with burnt corks and cigarette stubs, and rolled around laughing on the tavern floor.”―Pablo Neruda.
He closed his eyes for a moment, just basking in the heat of the summer, ignoring the chatter around him for a blissful moment. The sun and the ocean breeze felt divine on his skin after weeks of confinement, even if his sweat was making his cloak stick uncomfortably to his back, he took that feeling over scratchy bandages and cold smelly ointments. Sunburst would have stayed like that all day if the sound of some pony coughing loudly next to him hadn't dragged him back to reality.
Sunburst started, blinking and pretending to be interested in the piles of scrolls in front of him. “Huh, pardon me, could you repeat the last part?”
Spoiled Rich sniffed, giving Sunburst a little sneer before answering. “We were discussing the budget for the new port, my lord.”
“Right, of course,” Sunburst said, taking out the appropriate scroll and reading over the numbers quickly, his eyes widening at the price. “Oh, this is...I didn’t know the damages were so severe...”
“They weren’t.” Shining Armor sat with his hooves crossed, glaring at Spoiled Rich from across the table while she pretended not to notice. “She plans to turn Sire's Hollow into a tourist trap and destroy the town’s livelihood in one swoop.”
“It’s a private luxury port, captain, hardly a tourist trap,” she pointed at the map of the table. “Half the town was decimated by the raid, this is the perfect opportunity to make it new, beautiful, and exciting! Think of how much work and income this could bring!”
“What about the ponies that lived in the area?”
“We relocate them―not far from here, of course, they wouldn’t want to be too far from the action and the business that the new port will bring!” She pulled out a bunch of papers and laid them on the table, showing colorful drawings and sketches of wide boulevards with palm trees over neon signs and modern-looking buildings. “We can extend the main street even further and make it a proper road, build a functional commercial district―the only one in Equestria with a beachfront!―luxury houses, hotels, we could become the next tourist destination by the end of the year.”
The mare looked up and, seeing the bored look in Sunburst’s eyes, she quickly changed tactics. “Of course, if we just offered luxury and entertainment we wouldn’t be any different than Las Pegasus, we also have to offer culture!”
She pulled a couple of different pictures, this time depicting a series of museums and statues instead of palm trees lining the streets. “And what a rich culture we have! The stories of the mermaids that used to sing on the shores and the tales of the brave heroes that were born here, including you my lord! Just imagine a statue of yourself on the main renovated plaza, right in front of the museum dedicated to the history of our town.”
Spoiled Rich grabbed a drawing and placed it triumphantly on top of the others before sliding it over to Sunburst. Shining Armor peered over his shoulder, took one look at the sketch, and immediately covered his mouth, shoulders trembling as he turned away from the table. Sunburst just stared at the paper for a moment before placing it back down.
“This is an interesting proposal for the town Lady Rich, taking into account the urban planning and the use of the land is something we need to seriously consider in the future. If circumstances were different I would look into your proposal with a more open mind, but it’s simply not feasible at the moment.”
“My lord, if it’s the budget you’re worried about we can negotiate it.”
“It’s not that,” Sunburst said, though it was a major reason he wanted to put it down while he could: if his mother saw it she would approve of it without a second thought, and then where would they be? “I’m talking about the blueprints, the design you’re proposing, it’s taking away what little protection the port has to accommodate luxury boats that may or may not come. We can’t afford that, not while the future of the Crown is still so uncertain.”
The old mare frown and raised her chin indignantly. “The crown has always been in jeopardy. If we wait around for the court to settle itself we would get nothing done around here!”
“But we can’t foolishly expose ourselves even more than we already are,” Sunburst countered.
The wind blew through the tent, pushing open one of the flaps that served as the entrance, his eyes were drawn to the motion and he caught sight of the glittering blue ocean, and the blackened ruins of the town below.
Political unrest had sparked with the ascension of Princess Twilight Sparkle V, and ever since then the kingdom had been attacked on all sides, and the Duchy of Sires Hollow hadn’t been the exception.
Sunburst gathered the sketches and pushed them back towards Spoiled Rich. “Once things settle down maybe we can consider opening the port to tourism, but for now fortifying the town is our top priority. Have a good day, Lady Rich.”
Spoiled Rich accepted her defeat, though ungracefully so. She snatched the papers from the table and huffed, walking out the tent with her nose in the air and leaving a trail of sketches in her wake she didn’t bother to collect, shaking in anger and stomping her hooves as she went.
Once the flap of the tent closed, Sunburst’s blank and patient smile dropped along with his face as he let it fall on the table with a thunk. “Praise Celestia, she’s gone.”
Shining Armor stood and picked the papers she left behind. “A luxury port, good grief, it’s not like those low-lives need any more excuses to target our town. Why don’t we bend over and raise our tails for any other pirate that comes our way while we are at it?”
“Be nice Shining, her bits have bought a lot of influence in this town,” Sunburst's voice was muffled by the wood pressed to his snout.
“I’ll be nice alright, nice enough to point the pirates to her house the next time we get raided, and then she will be singing a different tune,” the Captain said angrily and then sighed. “Some ponies just get all the luck, it’s just unfair.”
Sunburst remained quiet but he didn’t disagree with the Captain’s words.
He lifted his face from the table, a piece of paper sticking to his sweaty cheek as he did so. He took it off and rubbed his cheek, hoping that the ink didn’t stain his face too much, and frowned when he saw the sketch that Spoiled Rich left behind. It wasn’t a bad drawing, there was skill and talent behind every line, she obviously had hired an artist or an architect for the piece. It wasn’t the merit of the drawing that irked him, but the subject matter.
It was a drawing of a monument of himself he supposed, it was hard to tell by the liberties the artist had taken with his appearance, standing proudly on top of a rock while stomping a staff in two, water splashing dramatically behind him as he looked at the horizon. The stallion in the sketch looked nothing like him and if it weren’t for the glasses and the goatee he would’ve said it wasn’t him, but the title underneath reassured him that he was the subject:
Statue to commemorate the bravery of Duke Sunburst Zenith II against the Storm King.
Bravery! What bravery? He’d been shaking in his horseshoes when he set sailed with a small fleet to defend the port against the opportunistic Storm King with nothing but a rushed battle strategy and intricate knowledge of the layout of the bay. The only reason he even went on board was that Shining Armor was too busy defending the town against the raiders that managed to disembark, the only other stallion with enough knowledge to defend the port from the incoming pirate ship.
Sunburst planned to stay behind the Naval ships while they duked it out with the Pirates―since their boats were better equipped to handle it than the boat he was on, offering assistance and ideas when needed.
He didn’t count that he would be going head to head with the Storm King himself.
Despite his painstaking planning the enemy managed to gain the upper hand, and when it all seemed lost and Sunburst’s vessel caught fire, he ordered the soldiers to sail full speed ahead towards the enemy ship, ramming it, splitting the larger ship in two and winning the battle with his last-minute, desperate gamble.
The Storm King drowned that night, and Sunburst almost paid the ultimate price for his recklessness. And he would do it again in a heartbeat.
Sunburst turned with a glare when he heard a snicker on his side. “What’s so funny?”
The Captain coughed lightly before answering. “Just thinking about how they managed to get your nose right.”
“And everything else painfully wrong,” Sunburst grumbled and crumble the paper, tossing it behind him. “I understand she wants to get to my good side, but she could’ve been less obvious about it.”
“Spoiled Rich isn’t known for being empathetic, she probably thought that any pony would want a statue of themselves because she would definitely want one of herself.”
Sunburst scratched the back of his neck, looking up to the tent flap and seeing it empty. “Was she the last one?”
Shining Armor looked at the list and grinned. “Seems like it.”
“Let’s go to the market,” Sunburst said quickly, jumping off his chair excitedly and heading towards the exit, dismissing the pair of guards waiting at the entrance of the tent. They nodded and began to pack up for the day.
“Hey, slow down for a bit,” the white unicorn said, following him out the tent and into the street. “What about your wounds? Are you feeling better already?”
Sunburst put a hoof behind his neck, pulling the collar of his robe higher, covering the missing patches of fur and barely healed skin underneath. He was grateful for his habit of wearing a cape wherever he went since it hid the worst of his wounds from the public. The doctors reassured him that the hair would grow back eventually, but the scars would always be there as a reminder of his brush with death.
Not like he needed a physical reminder, his nightmares made sure he never forgot how close he came to dying.
“I feel great, better than I have in ages,” Sunburst said as he walked. “I want to see how much progress has been made on the harbor and talk to the townsfolk, see about coming up with an evacuation plan if something like this happens again, even with a stronger and fortified harbor we can’t just leave that to chance.”
The town was teeming with life as they headed towards the market, even if the houses had seen better days. The Storm King’s forces had left their mark on the town, but they were slowly but surely picking themselves up, with ponies working around the clock to make their homes better and stronger.
The market square was busy, full of idle chatter and merchants selling their wares, children playing while the work ponies were busy repairing the harbor. This area received the worst of the damage due to its closeness to the port, many buildings had collapsed and were burned during the raid, the missing structures and the blackened houses were hard to ignore in the glare of the sun, even if the rubble had been cleared and the stalls were as colorful as ever.
It saddened him to see the damage, but every pony around him seemed optimistic. They waved and called out to him when they passed, asking how he was and that he should stick around for a drink later. Sunburst smiled and waved back, promising to talk to them later and to keep up the good work.
He and Shining were talking to one of the work ponies, discussing the progress of the new harbor and details of the construction, when the bells from the nearby tower started to chime loudly. The workers of the shipyard dropped what they were doing and rushed through the crowded streets, running past Sunburst and his group.
“Oh, they’re ringing the bells already? Then that must mean that the execution is about to start.”
Sunburst frowned. “Execution? What did the poor creature do to warrant such punishment?”
“Work for the Storm King, that’s who,” the stallion said, spitting at the ground at the mention of his name. “They took a bunch of them to Canterlot, but left this one behind ‘cause they wouldn’t say a word, serve as a warning to those that are still hiding in town, not that they would care, those lowly pirates, we should hang them all!”
Sunburst shifted uncomfortably on his hooves while keeping a straight face. “At least this one will pay for its crimes.”
“They should all pay! If the old duke were alive he would have thrown them all in the harbor with rocks tied to their necks!”
Shining Armor took a step forward, just a tiny movement that was barely noticeable, but got the message across, all the same, his armor caught the sunshine and made him noticeable to the angry stallion. The work pony clicked his mouth shut, coughing awkwardly before mumbling an excuse and headed towards the crowd.
Sunburst sighed and walked away from the harbor. He knew there would be some backlash when he limited executions to one per year, but the attacks had worsened it in a way he hadn’t predicted. With emotions running high, the town’s ponies were calling for blood, some kind of retribution, and Sunburst feared he would have to take back his decree in other to appease the crowd.
“The new watchtower is being built across the town, right?” Sunburst asked, staring at the ever-growing crowd in the market square.
“We would have to go through the main square I’m afraid,” Shining Armor said, walking closely next to Sunburst. “But that can wait until tomorrow, you’ve done enough for today.”
Sunburst considered this for a moment but shook his head. “Might as well get this over with.”
The two ventured into the plaza, and the further they walked the thicker the crowd was, making the wide streets and the market feel smaller than usual. Despite their efforts, the density of the crowd slowed down their progress and forced Sunburst to stay long enough to see as they brought the prisoner forward, the crowd growing restless as the drums beat out the infamous funeral march. Despite his misgivings, Sunburst was turned into another spectator as he stared at the gallows with pity and curiosity.
A burlap sack covered the prisoner’s head, chains on their hooves that dragged with every step that they took, their body covered by an oversize robe. They didn’t struggle or cry as Sunburst expected, they just walked slowly and calmly as the executioner tugged them by the rope around their neck.
The hangman lifted the sack in one fluid motion. Dirty purple hair tumbled out in disheveled waves over a young face, a mare’s face, judging by the wide eyes that stared at the crowd with sudden apprehension. She tensed and began to back away, only to be dragged back to the front yet again by a yank of the rope.
Watching her struggle Sunburst thought she didn’t look like a spy or a warrior. She looked too frail to be capable of much harm, small and thin when compared to all the ponies present. Her cheeks were covered in soot and grime, staining the natural shade of lavender of her coat, her lips chapped and cracked, with dried blood marring her lips and smearing a dark purple color over what should have been a healthy shade of pink.
Those lips trembled as she surveyed the crowd around her, her ears folded against her head at the sound of the jeering mass of ponies calling for her death. Whatever might have been in those dark blue orbs was fading quickly, swallowed up by fear and resignation to her faith. It looked like she was ready to cry and yet no tears spilled.
Like in his vision.
His heart pounded against his ribcage as he stared at those marooned eyes, which were the deepest, saddest shade of blue he’d ever seen, in both his dreams and in reality. Even if they now belonged to a fearful mare waiting at death’s door, he would be a fool to mistake her for any pony else.
And yet Sunburst paused, his mouth gaping open stupidly as he watched.
The hangman looped a thick rope over her neck, tightening it roughly as the scribe recited her crimes to the crowd. “This mare has been charged with piracy, espionage, and conspiracy against the crown of Equestria, her silence and refusal to cooperate with the authorities have sentenced her to death by the rope.”
Some ponies in the crowd cheered loudly, others nodded in agreement with the scribe, others screamed at the hangman to get on with it, but Sunburst was quiet, frozen with shock as the hangman pushed her to the front until she stood on top of the trap door.
“I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each. I do not think they sing to me.” ―T.S. Elliot
“Stop! Stop the execution!”
The scribe continued with his sentencing. The crowd jeered and chanted obnoxiously, their hooves stomping the ground in excitement and drowning out his screams from reaching the stage. Shining Armor called out to him when Sunburst rushed forward, but he hardly heard him as he pushed and shoved his way to the front of the gallows.
“Stop this! I order you to stop!”
The hangman walked away from her and placed a hoof over the lever, the mare followed the motion with apprehension in her eyes.
“I SAID STOP!” His voice boomed and alarmed the onlookers in front of him
The ponies gathered there turned to look, their surprise turned into enthusiasm when they recognized him. Shining Armor rushed to his side and the crowd parted to let them pass, whispering and mumbling to themselves as he approached the gallows. He felt their eyes follow him and tried not to think about it, for if he did he would freeze, back down and an innocent pony would die.
The scribe bowed when he approached. “My lord! How may I be of service?”
“Release this mare at once, she’s not a criminal,” Sunburst said curtly, the ponies closest to the front began to mumble loudly in surprise.
Sunburst put one the bravest face he could muster, even if he was trembling on the inside, and it seemed to work for the scrawny scribe looked nervously at his scroll. “My Lord, she was found on the beach near the wreck of one of the Storm King’s vessels,” the scribe said hastily. “Wearing the uniform of his troops, we tried to offer her a lesser sentence if she spoked up, but even now she refuses to say a word.”
Sunburst looked at the mare, who stared back at him in shock, jaw hanging loose and body trembling with fear. He smiled gently at her, hoping the gesture would comfort her, even if his heart wrenched at her pitiful appearance. Her lips moved and he waited to hear the timbre of her voice, but no sound came from her mouth. Either the scribe was right or she was too stunned by the turn of events to speak properly.
“Then let me clear her name right here and now: she’s the mare that saved my life and I’ll use it to defend hers,” Sunburst said loud enough for everyone to hear, and the crowd gasped and went to a frenzy almost drowning out the rest of his speech. “Let her go, so I may pay my debt to her.”
The scribe hesitated, looking at Sunburst like he grew a second head. Not that Sunburst blamed him, he felt light-headed as the sun beat down over them and the realization of what he just did was starting to catch up to him, but it was too late to back down now. The crowd grew restless as the silence dragged on, he heard Shining Armor approaching him but he kept his eyes on the scribe, holding on to what little courage he had to stand his ground. The scribe swallowed, looked at his scroll, then at Sunburst, then back to his scroll, measuring who had the most authority in this situation, and decided that arguing with the Duke just wasn’t worth it, and sighed.
“As you wish my lord.”
Sunburst let out a quiet breath as the scribe motioned for the hangman to release her. The mare staggered as the tension in the rope disappeared, making him realize she had been standing on the tips of her hooves to keep from choking. Once they took off the chains Sunburst approached her and she looked warily at him.
“It’s alright, you’re safe now,” Sunburst said gently, taking her hoof and motioning for her to follow him.
She reluctantly did, lowering her head so her mane would fall over her face as the crowd stared at them. Shining Armor followed and stood tall and menacing beside them, daring anyone from the mass to stop them. None of them dared.
“Go get the carriage, we’re heading home,” Sunburst said quickly as the trio walked away from the murmuring, gossiping crowd.
Starlight stared in awe at the strange structure growing closer in the distance. She didn’t know what to make of it, or the rest of what was going on around her for that matter: the strange contraption that was carrying them uphill, the strange scratchiness in her throat like she swallowed a mouthful of sand, and the two landlubbers that rescued her.
The mare tried to ignore them, but they were arguing loudly and she was forced to listen.
“First the ridiculous search for an imaginary mare and now this! You know that they call you the Kook of Sire’s Hollow, right? You’re proving them right with this little stunt you just pulled.”
Next to her, the red one shrugged and tried to look uncaring, but he was failing. “They’ll talk about me no matter what I do.”
“But that doesn’t mean you have to give them more reasons to talk.”
“What did you want me to do? Leave her to die?”
“Yes!”
Starlight looked away, watching the strange boxy structure in the distance growing closer, the tense silence dragged on for an uncomfortable minute before it was broken by a sigh.
“You’re taking in a criminal and obstructing the law, Sunburst. There will be consequences that even your title won't protect you from, once Chancellor Neighsay hears about this.”
“Good thing he’s tied up in Horseshoe Bay dealing with the pirates,” Sunburst said, pushing his glasses up his muzzle. "It buys us some time to prove her innocence."
“Don’t you want to rescue them too?” He murmured, but it was loud enough for all of them to hear.
The stomping of the horse hooves reverberated as they approached the black iron gate, which opened on its own to let them through and closed gently behind them. Her eyes were glued to the window as they rode through a winding path upward a hill, it had been a while since she saw so much greenery and color in one place, and her heart twisted when she saw ponies working in them, just like at home but…
They came to a stop in front of the boxy―she was sure there was a name for it, but it eluded her―structure and the white stallion was the first to get off, his hooves crunching the gravel underneath as he walked away, leaving them alone. The stallion with the orange hair slid off from the ride with ease, turning to her with a gentle smile as he helped her down.
“Don’t listen to him, he’s just worried about...well, about everything really since it’s been a couple of stressful weeks,” he looked at her pitiful appearance and his genuine smile remained, but she could see his concern. “For all of us.”
He ushered her to the building―house! That was the word she was looking for!―and through the dark green doors. She stared in awe of the foyer, marveling at how big it was and all the curious things she couldn’t name decorating the space. The wooden floors creaked slightly at their every step, even though the carpet muffled much of the sound. Pictures hung from the white walls and she wanted to stop and stare at everything she came across, but he had her by the hoof and he tugged her along whenever she stopped to stare at something unfamiliar.
“Goldie! Are you in here?”
The pair stepped into a cluttered, darkroom and at the sound of Sunburst’s voice, there was a crash and a thud, causing the mare to jump and hide behind her escort, looking warily into the darkness.
“Is that you Sunny? Nice of you to drop by!”
A light appeared as an old mare opened the curtains and Starlight felt her cheeks warming in embarrassment, feeling silly for her earlier fright. Goldie wore a faded pink shawl on her withers which look just as old as her, she was small and delicate looking, with white curls in her mane and kind green eyes that were sharp despite the crow’s feet. Those eyes took in her appearance with such pity that she felt her blush growing stronger.
Sunburst smiled warmly. “Sorry for just barging in, but I need your help.”
As he explained what had happened, Starlight’s dark blue eyes wandered around the room, taking note of the number of books piled on the walls and the floor, each one older and more worn out than the last. She approached a pile of them with a frown, touching the slightly dusty cover with a careful hoof. She’s never seen so many books in one place, and so carelessly tossed around too, not since she was...
The half-formed thought disappeared when she felt a tap on her shoulder, and her anxiety rosed sharply at the touch. Sunburst inched closer to her, kindness lacing his features, his messy hair flopping over his face and glasses despite his attempts to brush it aside. She smiled weakly at him, anxious about what lay ahead for her, and he introduced the old mare to her.
“This is Goldie Delicious, she used to look after me when I was a boy, and she will take care of you for the time being.” He said with a smile that mimicked hers. “Anything you need, just ask her.”
The small mare approached her, tilting her head up as she got closer, and she took her hoof with care. “Come along, dearie. Let’s get you into a warm bath and in something more comfortable. It’s unspeakable what they’ve done to you.”
She looked at Sunburst nervously, as though asking permission to leave, and he nodded with approval. “I’ll see you tonight.”
Goldie Delicious liked to talk and didn’t seem to mind the strange silence of her charge. Not that her charge had much to say, too busy lying in bliss in the warm bathtub as the mare brushed her hair.
“Your mane is lovely dearie, I’ve never seen such colors before!”
Starlight shrugged at the compliment. It had taken several minutes of hard scrubbing to wash out all the dirt and grime off her hair, a process that had been painful and slightly humiliating when the water grew dirtier every time Goldie poured water over her head. She never cared much about her pony form to begin with, when she was in her aquatic form her mane would be a solid fin on her neck and skull, serving a purpose and helping her swim faster, now it just floated on the soapy water, dead and useless.
Goldie patted her shoulder gently. “Now, don’t you worry your little head about nothing, you’re safe, and Sunny will make sure to keep it that way if it’s one thing I thought him is to keep his promises,” she put the brush on a small table to the side and walked to the door. “I’m going to go fetch you a change of clothes, step out of the bathtub whenever you’re ready.”
The old mare closed the door softly behind her, leaving Starlight alone in the bathwater.
Being back in the water was comforting but not enough to quell the anxiety inside her, and without Goldie’s chatter to keep her occupied her mind wandered into darker thoughts. She reached out and grabbed the brush from the table, brushing her mane with the same gentle motions as Goldie had, however, she found it out that it wasn’t the same to brush one’s mane.
Carefully examining the large, unfamiliar chamber didn’t bring her much comfort. She didn’t know what purpose or function most of the things she saw served, and she was too exhausted and anxious to find out. The last time she was curious it had landed her in a small, dirty cell, and she learned the hard way what being dry and thirsty meant.
The brush slipped from her grasp and it sunk to the bottom of the bathtub, she tried to reach for it blindly with little success and dipped her head underwater, opening her eyes as she normally would and taking in a breath, but when the water rushed into her nose it burned in a way it never had before. So surprised she was that she jerked her head to the surface with a gasp, coughing and spluttering and sending soapy water onto the tile floor.
It took her a moment to realize that she couldn’t breathe underwater anymore.
She stood up abruptly, eager to leave and search for clues. She didn’t know why she was suddenly being treated so nicely, or what they wanted from her, or what they had planned for her, but Starlight was tired of being kept in the dark and being subjected to the whims of others. Her best bet was to talk with the stallion that saved her, but she had to find him first.
Water dripped down her body as she stepped out of the tub and she hissed when the warm air touched her wounds, looking down she saw that most of the dried blood had washed away, revealing the red welts and lacerations she received during her imprisonment. Though the pain of her wounds paled in comparison to the one on her neck.
It was right underneath her jaw, hidden in the juncture where her jawbone met her neck. She touched it gingerly only to wince as pain shoot up her spine, it was deep and throbbing but otherwise healed.
She shivered as she opened the door to the bedroom, the air was much cooler than in the bathroom, but she ignored it and walked to the exit, still dripping from her bath and leaving a trail of water behind her.
Starlight opened the door and came face to face with the pony she was looking for.
Sunburst looked down at her in surprise, his white hoof still raised to knock on the door as he took in her soaked appearance. Starlight’s head dipped to the side as she watched the range of emotions that colored his face, she didn’t think a creature could go through so many facial expressions so quickly.
“W-Why are you walking around like that?!”
He looked on either side of the hallway before he ushered her inside, his cheeks glowing crimson as he closed the door behind him. He kept his eyes downcast, watching for the puddles Starlight had unwittingly left behind and to keep from staring at her naked form.
Starlight answered, her mouth opening to speak, but no sound came out. She frowned and tried again, forcing her stomach and her lungs to form some kind of sound, all she managed was a pathetic wheeze.
“Didn’t Goldie give you some towels?” He looked around and saw the pile of the white terrycloth next to the bathroom door. “Look here they are, you must have missed them when you left the room, but Goldie shouldn’t have left you alone like this, I’ll talk to her about being more careful in the future.”
She wasn’t listening to his rambling, too busy clutching her throat as the realization of what happened to her sank in and her body shivered in a way that had nothing to do with the cold. The muscles on her neck strained to make a sound, her breathing became shallow when she took in mouthfuls of air―air! It was so dry and scratchy, and she had to think about breathing or she would otherwise stop! She never thought she would miss the mindless movement of her gills! And her tail, and her voice…!
Starlight would’ve laughed if it weren’t for the panic clouding her vision. Shaking her head in denial when nothing came out she tumbled to the floor, hardly feeling the hardwood underneath her, just the despair of being in an unfamiliar body.
Sunburst jerked his head at the sound, turning to see his charge laying on the floor and shivering uncontrollably.
“Miss!” He approached her nervously, his hooves dancing with uncertainty. “Miss, are you alright?”
She shook her head, sitting up enough to pound at her chest, trying to dislodge whatever was that wasn’t letting her speak. As if it were that simple to break a curse like this. She only stopped when she felt something soft and light on her shoulders and head, taken by surprise by the clean smell and the warmth that it offered.
“Miss, please tell me what’s wrong, let me help you.” He said gently, rubbing his hooves over the white towel, trying to dry and comfort her at the same time.
Starlight sniffed and looked down at her hooves, focusing on the gentle motions of his hooves through her mane. It anchored her through her panic and she soon stopped trembling, the grief was still there, but it was manageable and it gave her the clarity to try to communicate.
Lifting her hoof she pointed at her throat and shook her head with agitation. Her movements dislodged his hold on her and he watched with confusion when she then pointed at her back legs, over and over again, before going back to her throat and her mouth while shaking her head. She looked like she was about to cry, eyes glistening with frustration before she gazed down at the floor with defeat.
Sunburst frowned and petted his goatee while he thought. He asked her in a doubtful tone. “Are you saying...that there’s something wrong with your body?”
She nodded eagerly, lifting her head and pointing at the scar under her neck.
He stared at it, taken aback by its appearance. It looked ghastly, like a piece of her flesh had been ripped off and sown hastily back together, and it must’ve been recent since the fur hadn’t grown back and the skin underneath looked pink and tender.
Comprehension dawned on him, touching his neck in sympathy he muttered under his breath. “You truly are mute.”
“All mortal girls were shadows, all earth-life but a mist, When deep beneath the maelstrom, The mermaid's heart I kissed.” ―Vachel Lindsay
Shining Armor opened the door with his magic, his face strained as he balanced a couple of heavy boxes in his magic aura, they were heavier than he expected and he was more than glad to drop them unceremoniously to the ground. The cardboard boxes hit the hardwood floor with a loud thud that Sunburst barely noticed, surrounded by a fortress of papers and books scattered on his desk and onto the floor.
“These are the last ones,” he announced with a relieved sigh, slumping on the couch after Sunburst hummed distractedly in agreement.
He rested his back legs on a pile of boxes, crossing his forelegs behind his head, and took in the mess of the room, not that it was ever an organized space, to begin with. Books and other knick-knacks lined the walls from floor to ceiling, the bookshelves tall enough to demand a rolling staircase for each wall. Thankfully there was a large window on the far end of the room that provided much necessary light, just behind the Duke’s desk, that gave a fantastic view of the bay and the gardens of the estate.
“I didn’t realize there were so many pirates in custody, no wonder we sent them to Canterlot, they wouldn’t have fit in the jail.”
“And those were the ones we caught, it’s hard to tell how many are on the loose and hidden in other ports.”
“Hopefully not too many, they aren’t enough rooms in this house to accommodate so many criminals.”
Sunburst dropped the paper he was reading to glare at him. “She’s not a criminal.”
“Don’t count your eggs until they hatch, or until you find them.” Shining Armor picked up one of the books in the boxes, leafing through the pages disinterestedly.
Hundreds of names and other details flashed before him written in neat but small cursive, the letters melting into incomprehensible smudges the longer he stared at the yellow pages. It would take him hours, perhaps days just to read through one of the records and Sunburst wanted to review them all? It was excessive, even for an avid reader like his friend.
“That’s why I’m looking for them,” said Sunburst, tossing him a pile of papers. “Take a look at this file and guess who it belongs to.”
The captain caught it in his magic and he read through it quickly. A picture of a grizzly-looking griffon glared at him, next to it there was his name, age, height, weight, and other details. The next pages detailed a list of his crimes and charges, which went on and on with every turn of the page.
“One of the captains of the crew?”
“That’s actually the cabin boy.”
The white stallion gaped, looking at Sunburst and then at the hefty file in his grasp. “Alright, so the Storm King doesn’t just hire any creature.”
“Exactly,” Sunburst said with a nod, “so far every creature in the Storm King’s crew had some kind of bounty on their head, even those that didn’t have some record or petty crime to their name. With those standards, why would he add a mute mare to his forces? He didn’t strike me as someone desperate for recruits.”
“Or it could mean that even though she was the cleaning lady she’s probably convicted for murder somewhere.”
“Then why wasn’t it stated in her sentencing? Why was she to be executed here instead of Canterlot or wherever she was from?”
His questions hang in the air, unanswered and buzzing in their minds like flies.
“There were a lot of arrests that night,” Shining said, “it would be easy for some of them to get lost in the shuffle...or to toss someone undesirable in the mix without any creature realizing. But why would anyone go through the trouble? And the ponies who have the power...”
Sunburst nodded but his face looked troubled. “Let’s hope this was just a mistake from Chancellor’s Neighsay part.”
Shining looked at the file in his hooves. The thought of the straight-laced Chancellor involved in something shifty put him on edge. The Captain never had to personally deal with the old stallion, mostly because the chancellor was always in Canterlot on the pretense of representing Sire’s Hollow in the royal court. Whenever he did come around it was the Duke that dealt with him, though Sunburst always looked frustrated and angry after talking to the Chancellor, quelling any desire he had to get to know him.
Those visits became more frequent when Sunburst came of age and Duchess Stellar Flare decided to move permanently to the capital. Shining Armor only heard rumors of what the chancellor was actually doing in Canterlot, and none of them were good, but there must have been some truth in them if the Duchess had to step in and put the chancellor on a short leash. With the Duchess breathing down his neck the Chancellor had more work than ever before, going from Canterlot to Sire’s Hollow and back again as a glorified gopher.
He couldn’t imagine the Chancellor was happy about being demoted in such a way, but enough to murder some creature? What did she have to do with this? His mind was filled with several possibilities as to why, but with no way to prove them, they just filled him with uncertainty.
“Alright, that’s a start,” Shining Armor said, pulling out a book and opening it on the first page. “I could write to one of my buddies in Canterlot if we don’t find anything here.”
The Duke looked up from his papers again, this time with a look of surprise. “You’ll help?”
“Sure, but that doesn’t mean I trust this mystery mare of yours,” said the captain, cutting off the Duke’s remarks. “The chancellor was trying to get rid of her for a reason and until we know that reason, I think you shouldn’t get too attached to her.”
“I’m not growing attached,” Sunburst said with a frown, “I haven’t seen her since the night we rescued her.”
Not a lie, but not the truth either. He hadn't technically seen her since the night she told him she was mute, but she was never far from his mind. Goldie didn’t let him see her, claiming that she was sleeping most of the time and should not be disturbed, so he hovered over his old nursemaid instead and bombarded her with questions about the mare’s wellbeing (Was she eating well? Should he call a doctor? How were her wounds? Did she need anything?) until Goldie had enough and had to chase him away with her trusty broom or sick one of her cats on him.
It wasn't that he didn't trust Goldie’s judgment—she would call him if something were to happen—however, the anxiety sat on his chest like a heavyweight. No matter how much he wished for it, the words of his old nanny weren’t enough to calm him. The mute mare looked so battered and lost when he brought her to his home, her sad eyes made his heartache whenever he thought about it, and then it turned to anger when he realized that somepony had put her there on purpose.
Whatever crime she had committed didn’t warrant such harsh punishment.
“I’m just helping her, she deserves a fair trial like the others captured that night.”
Shining Armor hummed in agreement, but his face was skeptical. He kept his comments to himself though and simply asked, “What’s her name? I could write a letter to my Canterlot colleagues and get a headstart on the investigation.”
The silence continued long enough for Shining Armor to look up. Sunburst was hiding behind the book he was reading, the tip of his ears going crimson.
“I...I actually don’t know her name…”
Shining Armor looked at him skeptically. “How were you ever going to find her file if you didn’t even know her name!?”
“Most of them came with a picture so…”
Shining Armor covered his face with his hoof, resounding in a loud smack.
“Hold still, dearie, just a little more and...there!”
Starlight’s head slipped through the hole of the material and Goldie was right there to smooth out the wrinkles. “See, I told you green was your color! I’m not sure what young mares wear these days, but a good cotton dress never goes out of style, along with this white apron you all set!”
Starlight shook her withers, still not used to the way the soft material clung to her skin. Goldie bustled around her, closing buttons, tying strings around the skirt, and fluffing Starlight’s tail until she was satisfied. “Look at you! Cute as a button!”
The young mare smiled at Goldie’s reflection. A small strand of her hair fell over her face and she frowned, grabbing a nearby brush with her hoof to put it aside.
“Hmm, dearie, I hope you don’t mind me asking but, is something the matter with your horn? I noticed you haven’t used it that much since you got here.”
The mute mare stopped her brushing and stared at what Goldie was pointing at. She touched her horn gently; there hadn't been much use for it back at home, just like clothes and bathtubs, but she heard the stories of landlubbers using magic for other things besides looking for food. She frowned and tried using her magic in the same matter, focusing her attention on the brush. It glowed with a turquoise hue, shuddering for a moment before it flew across the room, hitting the opposite wall with a clatter.
Starlight winced, looking at Goldie apologetically.
“Oh, well, it’s quite alright dear, magic is not the end-all-be-all like everyone says, but maybe you should tell—err—let the young lord know about this when you see him.”
Starlight nodded and followed Goldie around for the rest of the morning. Goldie was patient with her and had no qualms of answering every questioning glance that Starlight made at various things, and Starlight had a lot of questions. Even without her voice, Goldie had no trouble understanding her, saying that she had a lot of experience with ponies that spoke only a few words.
The old mare was explaining to her the difference between red apples and green apples, pointing at a still-life portrait of fruit, when the young lord and his guard walked in.
“Good morning, gentlecolts!” Goldie said and turned to Starlight. “Now, like we practiced.”
Starlight nodded and bowed, low and graceful, towards the approaching stallions that looked impressed.
“You thought her that?”
“Not really,” Goldie said, pausing to put a hoof under her chin pensively. “She knows more than she lets on, she just needs to be reminded.”
“Yeah, me too,” Shining said, suddenly all business as he approached the mute mare. “Miss, if you would be so kind as to come with us and answer some questions—”
“Papa!”
A small ball of white tackled the stallion from the side of his neck. He let out a strangled huff and stumbled, pushed by the momentum as he swung around slightly in place. The ball of white giggled, climbing onto his withers with a triumphant grin. “I found you, papa!”
The little pegasus filly ruffled her feathers, sitting on the captain’s back like she was a princess on her throne, her wild pink and blue curls messy from her race, and waved at the group. “Hi Sunburst! Hi Goldie!” She paused when she got to Starlight. “Hi, stranger! What’s your name?”
“Flurry Heart, sweetie, what are you doing here?” Shining Armor said once he recovered his breath.
“School’s out! We got out early because the schoolyard was full of rubble and we couldn’t play. Featherweight tripped on them and cut his hoof! You should’ve seen it, there was blood everywhere!”
“Alright, but why are you here? Where’s your mother?”
“Mama’s still at the hospital! Duh! She has a twelve-hour shift today and told me to go to you instead because today is your day off.”
Shining Armor sighed. “I know, but daddy is busy with...something that came up.” He made a vague motion towards Starlight, who looked a little offended by his choice of words.
The smile on the little filly’s face dropped, her lip trembling and eyes shining with unshed tears. “B-But dad, you promised to hang out with me today.”
The captain winced, knowing that tone full well, and tried to calm her down before she made more of a scene. Sunburst stepped in before he could make more than a few shushing noises.
“She’s right Shining, it is your day off!” Sunburst said with a nod. “I’m very sorry, I shouldn’t have kept you for so long, you’re free to go now.”
Flurry cheered, but Shining looked suspiciously at the Duke. “Are you sure? We have a lot of work to do and you've been distracted lately.”
Sunburst’s expression was pleasant and blank. “I can handle this.”
Sunburst took her to a gazebo hidden in the estate’s gardens, but it was a slow process. Starlight stopped and stared at anything remotely interesting in their path, be it a plant, a flower, a rock, or a bird. She liked the birds the best for some reason and she watched them until they flew away, startled by their presence or after he gently insisted on continuing.
He chose this spot for the privacy it offered. Located in a secluded area of the estate garden’s, surrounded by rose bushes not yet in bloom with a spectacular view of the South Luna Ocean, he deemed it the perfect place to talk about delicate matters, though he underestimated just how far it was and how out of shape they both were.
By the time they reached it, they slumped into the stone benches with a sigh, sweaty, and tired by the unexpected hike.
“I’m so sorry,” Sunburst wheezed, adjusting his glasses from slipping further down his muzzle. “I forgot how far this place was.” And that they were both technically wounded and in the process of recovering, he shouldn’t have pushed her this far.
She shrugged and offered a small smile. A breeze entered their space and Starlight took a moment to look around, the gazebo was made out of old and weathered wood, the vines crawling around the structure holding it together and acting as a covering, offering protection from the summer sun and the elements.
Her eyes quickly fell on the statue in the center and stayed there.
Poised on a stone pedestal, the small statue was made of the same weathered wood as the pavilion, but despite the moss clinging to the cracks, it depicted a beautiful and dainty mare standing on a seashell. Her long mane and tail were carved to look like it was swaying in an invisible wind, along with the piece of silk that wrapped gracefully around her, covering her shoulders and curling around her forelegs in gentle waves. She was smiling softly, looking demurely to the side like she was dreaming, a hoof raised like she was stepping out of her shell, perhaps even the ocean from where Starlight was sitting.
“That’s Aphrodite,” Sunburst said when he noticed her staring. “My grandfather had it made in honor of my grandmother. She was from the island of Cythera, where the goddess was born. From this point, if you take a boat and sail west for thirty days you’ll arrive there, so for my grandmother, this was the closest she could be to her home country without leaving Sire’s Hollow.”
His tone was so genuine that it prompted her to look at him. Studying his profile, his long orange hair was ruffled by the cool ocean breeze, the shafts of light from overhead twinkling merrily on the rim of his glasses. Their eyes met and she admired the bright blue of his eyes, the kind of blue she only ever saw in the sky, so warm and open when compared to the depths of the sea. His body wasn’t as toned as the other stallion that followed him around, neither was he as tall and imposing, but the way he carried himself commanded attention, along with the unusual shade of yellow and white in his coat it was difficult not to stare at him. He couldn’t be much older than her and yet he was knowledgeable and dependable.
Sunburst was about to talk more about the goddess but froze when he caught her staring at him so unabashedly. His mouth opened and closed, looking like a fish out of the water, the words forming on the tip of his tongue only to disappear at the last minute. Then, finally, he managed to utter a phrase.
“I’m sorry,” he said quickly, turning to look at the blue ocean in the distance. “A-About the other night...I shouldn’t have barged into your room like that, it was rude and disrespectful, especially since you were…” his cheeks burned at the memory of her dripping wet mane and soaked coat, “It won’t happen again, I promised.”
She had forgiven him days ago, even though she hadn’t been sure what the problem had been. It must have been bad because when Goldie walked in on them she’d been furious, practically kicking the poor stallion out of her room and berating him for his “poor manners” and yelling about how “she thought him better than to barge into a lady’s room.” He tried to defend himself but in the end, he was forced to retreat when Goldie started waving a broom, nearly hitting him in the head a couple of times.
She was so confused by the spectacle then, but now she couldn’t help but laugh. Her shoulders trembled as she giggled silently, only to flinch when the wound on her neck flared up with pain.
Sunburst noticed and he asked gently. “Are you alright? Does it hurt too much?”
Starlight shook her head, but her smile was gone. In just a few short days she was introduced to the best and the worst things that this world had to offer, the pain reminding her just how much it cost her, and she was starting to wonder if it all had been worth it. The wind blew, rustling the branches overhead and they scratched the wood of the gazebo, the wood groaning and creaking in the breeze, like the broken shipwrecks on the beach when she washed onshore, clinging to his shivering body as the water lapped at their legs and covered them with seafoam.
She studied his features again, a feeling of familiarity growing stronger the longer she stared, but the reason eluded at every turn. There was something about him, a reason she couldn’t put her fin—or hoof?—on, that compelled her to save him that night. There was a connection, however murky it was now, and without her voice, she couldn’t ask him about it; though she wondered how she would broach the subject, even if she had her voice. She looked away with a sigh.
The silence stretched for an uncomfortable minute before he spoke up again, his tone hasty. “Where are you from?”
She blinked and her mouth opened reflexively, then she closed it with a snap and pointed at the sea.
“Are you from Cythera Island as well?” he asked, part of him not surprised by the revelation. The mares of that island were said to be the most beautiful, thanks to their connection with Aphrodite.
But Starlight shook her head and pointed at the ocean with more insistence.
Sunburst paused, thinking of any other island that could be in the direction she was pointing at. “Hmm, Cape Horn? The Shrieking Reefs? Sandy Shoals?”
She shook her head again, her expression annoyed and exasperated when she stood up, walked over to the statue, and stood next to it, pointing at the ocean again, but lower this time, pointing at the water instead of the horizon.
“You came from...the water?”
She nodded in affirmation, but added a plunging motion and lifted her forelegs, drawing peaks and valleys with her fetlocks in a wave-like motion, making swimming strokes.
“Deep underwater?”
She nodded again, her eyes glinting eagerly as he got closer to the answer.
“You came from the ocean?”
She nodded, practically jumping with the force of her excitement.
“Oh, now I understand!” He said suddenly like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “You come from Sapphire Grotto, the hippogriff colony that’s twenty miles from here! How could I have forgotten? But I thought they were a hippogriff exclusive on account of it being underwater, are they opening up to other creatures nowadays?”
Starlight’s excited smile fell and she sighed, smacking a hoof to her forehead, exasperated. He was so close!
She looked around, fumbling for ideas on how to answer him with only her body language. Her throat throbbed and it only added to her frustration. She never realized just how dependent she was of her voice until it was taken and she scratched her head wildly in frustration, cursing her luck.
“Hey, it’s alright.”
He came up to her and gently pried her hooves from clawing at her scalp, smiling softly as he tried to calm her down. He laughed as she resisted and tried to pry her fetlocks from his grip, she looked at him with a scowl that quickly turned into a laugh, her shoulders shaking with her silent mirth. His gentle grip lingered on her, and she leaned her head on his shoulder with a sigh. Sunburst was taken aback by the gesture and he hesitantly put a hoof on her shoulder, rubbing her withers in gentle, comforting motions.
“I have never been good with charades,” Sunburst said apologetically, frowning for a moment until something clicked in his mind, causing his eyes to widen. It was a long shot but…
“Are you familiar with the Equestrian alphabetic system?”
Starlight looked up, giving him a blank look that dashed his hopes, he almost gave up but he didn’t. She knows more than she lets on, she just needs to be reminded.
“Here, it’s something like this.” He looked around and picked a fallen stick in his magic, clearing the dirt floor underneath them of leaves and loose stones with a swipe of his hoof.
Starlight watched fascinated as the glowing stick scratched the ground, forming symbols—letters! She recalled the word—that she understood. It was just one word and she read it out loud, mouthing the syllables silently. Sunburst.
She looked up with a smile and pointed at him, then at the word written in the dirt.
“Yes, that’s my name,” he said with a grin, then handed the stick to her. “Do you know how to write yours?”
This time she nodded, her hair bobbing around her with her excitement. He handed her the branch and she took it with her mouth—much to Sunburst’s confusion—she angled her head so the tip was on the ground and began to write. With her brow furrowed in concentration he didn’t dare ask her about her horn, just added it to the long list of mysteries that surrounded her, but his eyes did linger on it as she moved. Was it broken? Was she ill? Or maybe...she didn’t know how to use it? She needs to be reminded.
Once she was done she pointed at her writing, looking pleased with herself. Her writing was wobbly and she used lowercase and uppercase letters in the wrong places, he had to squint to make sense of the words she put down on the dirt. Underneath his neat writing, her penmanship looked childish.
stArlighT gLImMer
“Starlight Glimmer? Is that your name?”
She nodded, the stick still in her mouth. He smiled and repeated her name a couple of times, testing it on his tongue, a sense of rightness coming to him as he pronounced her name, a missing piece finding its place.
“Starlight. That’s a beautiful name,” he said with a nod. “I think it suits you.”
She looked away, hiding her blush with her bangs, and carved another word in the dirt. She wrote the letters as large as possible so it was legible.
“Wa...Water?” He looked up and she nodded, spitting the stick to the side. “Are you thirsty?”
She shook her head and made another swimming motion with her hooves. She thought about writing her answer on the ground but decided that the only way to get through to him was to show him what she truly was.
His gaze was downcast as he paused to think, he could see from his peripheral vision the look of frustration overcoming her again.
“You want me to...take you to water?”
She nodded and clapped her hooves together, making him realize that she wanted to go swimming.
“We shouldn’t go into town right now, and the beach is too far from here...but there’s a lake close by, will that be alright?”
She smiled with approval and started to march out of the gazebo.
“The lake is this way, Starlight.”
She turned around and walked towards the other exit, ignoring the blush on her cheeks as she motioned for Sunburst to hurry up. He was wise enough to hide his snickers behind a cough.
Starlight grinned when the lake came into view, she never thought she would feel so much happiness by just staring at the still body of water. The lake was small, nestled in a small valley surrounded by weeping willows, when they stepped through the greenery they felt like they passed through a portal into a place that was out of time. They walked towards a small pier, the wood groaning slightly with their added weight, the water gently lapping at the wooden posts that kept it above the surface.
“Well, this is it. I haven’t come here since I was a kid, but this place hasn’t changed one bit,” he looked at the sky and the big, white clouds rolling overhead. “Let’s not linger here too long, I think it’s going to ra—”
His face was covered by a white chemise. The sound of galloping hooves passed him by, and he took off the light material from his face just in time to see a splash in the water.
He rushed after her, stopping at the edge of the pier and looking down at the ripples in the water. Panic seized his throat like a vice when she didn’t resurface and the water grew still with every second that passed. His heart raced and his stomach churned; he didn’t know how deep the lake was, only having swum in the shallows during his childhood, under the close supervision of his nursemaid. Were there parts of the lake deep enough for a pony to drown? He didn’t know and he regretted not stopping her sooner.
“Starlight!” He shouted, desperation lacing his tone. “Starlight!”
The ripples were faint now. He could almost see his reflection.
He quickly disrobed, tossing his mantle to the side and uncaring of where it fell, and he undressed as many articles of clothing he had that could drag him down. His dark blue waistcoat followed, along with his white dress shirt, and he was left with nothing except his silver glasses. He dove in without hesitation into the murky water.
The dream came to him vividly, but instead of floating peacefully, he was swimming frantically, looking around the dark water for any sign of her. He felt a tug on his left back leg and he turned around as quickly as he could underwater. Dark blue eyes stared at him, a spark of mirth in their depths, and he didn’t hesitate as he snatched her by her fetlock and dragged her to the surface.
He gasped when his head broke the water, slicking his hair back to keep his bangs from his eyes. She appeared shortly after, grinning and splashing water at his face playfully.
But Sunburst wasn’t laughing.
“What were you thinking!?” He grabbed her by the shoulders, resisting the urge to shake her, and brought her so close that their noses pressed together and she had no choice but to look at him. “You can’t just run off like that without warning, I thought you drowned! Don’t you ever do that again, promise me!”
Her ears folded against her head, her shoulders rising to make herself small while she looked at him with wide eyes. He felt a tinge of remorse and he slowly relaxed his hold on her, giving her as much space as he could without letting her go entirely. “I-I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have yelled, but I was...no, there’s no excuse, I’m sorry.”
Starlight put a hoof on his chest, right over his stuttering heartbeat, and he looked up. She was so close to him that Sunburst had no choice but to study her features, not that he minded what he saw. Her dark eyes, her delicate muzzle, her lips, he became mesmerized in a second. At that moment, she could’ve asked him to do anything and he would have done it with a smile.
But she didn’t, she just lowered her dark eyelashes and moved closer, the water rippling around her with barely a sound, something possessed him then and he placed a hoof under her chin, bringing their faces closer. He’d been dreaming about her lips for weeks, and now that she was this close he could no longer hold his fervor. The dark, twisted hunger burned brightly inside him and ran through his veins like liquid fire, consuming everything in its path, her breath on his lips fanning the flames of his desire, and she all but doomed him when she closed the gap between them.
He returned the kiss without hesitation. He never kissed a mare like this before, societal norms never permitted more than a kiss on the hoof, or a kiss on the cheek if he was feeling especially bold. But all those tokens of affection were hollow and dead when compared to her embrace. Her lips were soft and he pressed his mouth hungrily against hers, she returned his eagerness by biting his lower lip roughly. His mouth opened at the unexpected pain and she wasted no time in exploring his mouth, the intensity of the kiss growing with each shallow breath. His hooves tangled in her mane as he let her do what she pleased with him.
A small thought in his head told him that he should stop, that she probably didn’t know that this was wrong, that this behavior was inappropriate and unwarranted, but he couldn't bring himself to care, not when Starlight cupped his cheek and trailed kisses down his jawline. After all, there was no one to witness this indulgence, and there were a lot worse things that nobles did behind closed doors that made this encounter almost innocent in comparison. His mouth twitched with the beginning of a smile before Starlight kissed him again.
Sunburst was so lost in the pleasure of their kiss that he failed to notice how Starlight had changed when she went into the water. Bright pink scales adorned her body from her neck to the tip of her tail, the dark purple and turquoise fins swaying lazily underneath the water and keeping them both afloat.
Little John Bottlejohn said, "Oh yes! I'll willingly go with you, And I never shall quail at the sight of your tail, For perhaps I may grow one, too!"―Laura E. Richards
Page 136. Ningyo...in a serious conflict of interest, anyone who eats the flesh of this creature is said to be granted eternal youth and beauty—but catching one is said to bring misfortune…
He slid his hoof over her back, feeling the soft skin and tracing her shoulder blades with delicate motions. Her fur was smooth and he was fascinated by the way her muscles quivered under his touch, he could almost feel the hidden strength coiled under her skin, but he was too preoccupied with the way Starlight was ravishing him to give it much thought. She pressed kisses on his neck, his jawline, going as far as his collarbone where she gave him a gentle nip, causing him to groan and hold her tighter. In his trance his hoof ventured lower down her back, tracing the gentle rise of her spine and making her shiver until he reached her waistline.
His eyes snapped open when he felt something placoid, similar to fish scales, but smoother and much more slippery, and it moved under his touch as if responding to him.
He grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her away, his eyes widening with horror when he saw the shimmering purple scales adorning her chest. He lowered his gaze and gasped when he saw more scales. They started at her barrel and grew more prominent around her waist, from there they extended to the rest of her lower back, and while Sunburst couldn’t see anything below the surface, he could imagine that the peculiar dermis continued through the rest of her body.
“Starlight...w-what are you?”
She stared at him anxiously, and she slowly swam away from him, putting some distance between them. Steadily, something broke through the water’s surface, causing gentle ripples in the lake, the water falling unhurriedly from the purple and turquoise fin that glimmered in the sunlight—in the same lovely colors of its owner.
Page 141. Selkie...their stories usually end in tragedy...their coat is stolen and they are forced to marry the stallion that took it, only for the Selkie to find it later and return to the sea…
He swam to the edge of the lake and scrambled to the bank, leaving the water in less than two seconds. He scooted backward in the sand, too startled to even think about standing up, crawling away like he was being chased by a vicious hound ready to rip him to pieces. He pointed a shaky hoof at her, his mouth opening and closing unattractively, his breaths coming out in shallow pants and his heart raced like he just swam a mile.
Starlight followed suit, swimming to the edge of the water and pulling herself out of it. For a moment she just sat in the bank, her long tail curling around her, and he could see where the fur turned into shimmering scales above her hips. The sun outlined her body, her wet hair clung to her neck and shoulders, and she stared at him with an imploring expression in her dark eyes.
His accusing hoof lowered and his heartbeat slowed. His eyes traced her body and, while it still freaked him out, he was...starting to get used to it, he supposed.
The fishtail looked more natural the longer he examined it—like it was part of her, instead of two different pieces fused together unnaturally—her dorsal fins delicate and translucent, the edges dyed in a brilliant teal color before fading into a dark purple. He noticed the same type of fins on her forelegs and fetlocks, but smaller and with a gossamer quality to them, and he briefly wondered what function they served, and why he didn’t feel them when they were…when she was...
There was a rippled in the air around her, like a heatwave or a mirage in the desert, and the tail disappeared, replaced by two shapely legs and a long tail—a normal tail, with hair instead of scales.
Page 155. Rusalka...the mythology has a darker side...thought to be the spirits of mares that died violently, and thus they frequently lure stallions and children to their watery graves…
They sat in silence for a while. Starlight unable to speak and Sunburst unable to find the words to say. A cool wind blew into the glade, thunder rumbled in the distance and it snapped them out of their stupor. Sunburst stood gingerly, picking up her green dress and walking towards her slowly, extending the garment towards her like a peace offering.
She followed his every move, looking at him with the same apprehension he saw on the day he rescued her, except he was the hangman and she was waiting for his judgment. And just like that his fear vanished, the dreadful substance exited his pores and disappeared in a puff of smoke, like magic. He sat in front of her and gave her a genuine smile, one which she slowly returned.
The storm crept closer, the wind blowing and making them shiver as they dressed. Sunburst wound up helping her into her clothes when it was clear that she wasn’t familiar with the buttons and the ribbons that held it in place, her cluelessness making perfect sense now. His nerves steadied slowly but surely, and he sighed in relief when he helped her tie the ribbon of her apron in place, finally gaining control over his momentarily distraught mind.
Starlight turned to him then. She didn’t look as scared, but there was a dark shadow under her eyes, a stiffness in her jaw that filled him with shame for his behavior. Starlight approached him carefully, extending a hoof to cup his cheek and caressing it tenderly, relief washed over him when he found no resentment or displeasure in her gaze.
He leaned into her touch and spoke softly. “Starlight...please be patient with me, this is a lot to take in.”
She nodded in understanding.
“What you did just now, what kind of magic was that?”
She paused, but shook her head in the end. She pointed at her throat, mouthing words that were indiscernible to Sunburst, and she proceeded to make a ripping gesture, the motion quick and almost violent. Then she pointed at her horn, making a few sparkles that died as soon as she cast them.
“You’re saying that...some creature stole your voice?” Starlight pointed at her horn with more insistence. “With magic?”
She nodded firmly.
Page 160. Finfolk...considered to be nomads that can live on both land and sea...they often abduct ponies to make them their spouses, but treat them more like servants than partners...
His hooves shook. He pressed them hard against the paper, creating creases and perfect impressions of his horseshoes on the pages. Heat coiled in the pit of his stomach and spread through his body. His teeth clenched and he had the greatest urge to punch through a wall.
“Why do all these stories end in tragedy!?”
He slammed the hardcover shut. The papers unhinged from its spine and scattered, floating aimlessly in the air and descending slowly to the floor, specs of dust permeating the air. He hunched over the large table, bare of anything else besides the old book, and he pressed his white hooves to his temples and felt the beginnings of a headache.
The bitterness of betrayal coated the back of his throat as he stared at the old tome, glaring at it and faulting it for not having the answers to his problems. All it had were sad stories of seaponies, none of which described or applied to Starlight’s situation, he had no answers or spells that could help her. He owned the most extensive library on this side of the South Luna Ocean and all of his books were useless, how could he face her now?
There was a knock on the door, and Sunburst was tempted to tell them to go away, but he resisted the urge and called for them to come in. The handle rattled for a moment and Flurry Heart flew in, a saddlebag strapped to her back.
“I got the books you asked for,” she said and dropped down to the table, giving him a curtsy, “my lord.”
Sunburst lifted his downcast gaze, smiling slightly at the young filly. The hooves that were gripping at his orange hair slipped away, his anger abated for the time being.
“Thank you Flurry, I’m sure Starlight will appreciate your help.”
Flurry nodded and looked at the pile of books in her bag with skepticism. “May I ask why you need my books? Don’t you have a lot of books already?”
“I’m afraid all my books are old and dull”—and useless, he thought to himself—“Starlight needs something more colorful so she can learn how to read and write.”
Though, by the way she was progressing, it wouldn’t be long before Starlight could pick up one of the books in his library to read if she wanted to. Often he found her sitting in the sunshine and reading one of the lengthy novels from Goldie’s collection, her eyes lighting up in wonder at the happenings of the story. He would sit with her then and she would point out all the idioms she didn’t understand, Sunburst did his best to explain them but with Starlight’s lack of understanding of Equestrian culture, he wasn’t sure she understood most of what he was saying.
When it came to her writing, Sunburst and Goldie were reminding Starlight—like Goldie liked to put it—how to do it. Starlight knew all the letters, punctuations, and exclamations marks well enough, but she had her own way of using them. She liked to put lowercase and uppercase letters where they didn’t belong, and she insisted on using the “J” where the “H” was supposed to be—like writing “jouse”instead of “house” or “jorse” instead of “horse”, for example—not to mention that she put accents or other symbols over the letters that he only saw in Andalusian or Prench, none of which were commonly used in modern Ponish.
At first, he thought it was just a bad habit of hers or a form of dyslexia, but then he wondered if that was just how she was taught. Maybe the seaponies had their own writing system that just happened to borrow heavily from Ponish. They were lucky then that Starlight understood modern Ponish as well as she did, but how? And why would she be so fluent in it? He had to stop thinking about it before he drove himself crazy and just added his questions to the long list of things to ask her later, once she had a better grasp of their writing system.
“I hope she likes them, they’re my favorite stories!” Flurry Heart glanced over the table ready to hop off but stopped when she saw the loose pages littering the floor. “Hmm, my lord, is there something wrong? You don’t usually treat your books like this.”
Sunburst chuckled at her decorum. “Flurry, I’ve known you since you been in diapers, there’s no need for decorum around me.”
Flurry huffed and rolled her eyes. “I know! But Papa says I have to practice in case some important ponies come around, and I rather not get in trouble for something so lame.”
Flurry Heart was only nine years old but she had enough sass and wit to drive her parents crazy. Her light violet hair and pinkish coat turned quite a few heads, but her brash attitude and strong head nature made sure you never forgot her. She was in training to be a handmaiden for his future wife, but Sunburst could see that her heart just wasn’t into it, since she looked more interested in her father’s armor and sword than the dresses and books she had to read. Not even the recent pirate raid dampened her dreams of becoming a warrior. If anything it just added fuel to her fire.
Sunburst would’ve loved to encourage her dreams, but knew that Shining wanted his daughter to have a safe and stable career, and would probably be against the idea of his child following his hoofsteps; so instead he occasionally let her hide from her teachers and taught her a little of what he knew about warfare and battle. Sometimes he let her swing her wooden sword around his office, pretending to be his bodyguard, and it was on one of those occasions that she saw the Storm King’s ships in the horizon and alerted him before the guards did, giving them the time they needed to prepare for the attack.
“You just seemed so stressed lately,” Flurry said, hopping to the floor and picking up one of the papers. “I don’t like seeing you sad, I want to help.”
“Thank you, Flurry, but you’ve done enough already,” Sunburst said, smiling patiently at her and picking the scattered pages with his magic, placing them in a stack on the desk. “This is just boring, grown-up stuff, I’ll handle it somehow.”
“You’re reading about seaponies right?” Flurry said, puffing her chest slightly when Sunburst gave her a surprised look. “You’ve been reading about magic creatures lately, particularly those of the sea, have you talked to Mr. Stygian about them? Mom says he knows a lot about the sea.”
He looked up immediately, staring at her with wide eyes.
Stygian Styx was the local hermit of Sire’s Hollow, as the town's ponies like to call him, since he lived on the edge of the town, deep in the woods in a little cottage that few ventured to. Sunburst was one of those few and had established a friendship with the reclusive unicorn thanks to their shared love of magic and history. Sunburst didn’t know what Stygian did before he came to Sire’s Hollow—he heard rumors ranging from him being a disgraced sorcerer to a scholar expelled for his questionable research—but nowadays he was a writer of moderate success, penning novels and short stories with dark undertones.
Sunburst thought about the walls of his home lined with books that Stygian didn’t let him touch, each nook and cranny filled with curious artifacts like turtle skulls and seashells the size of his head, and the dark green buoys hanging from the ceiling, shining with a soft light in the afternoons. But more importantly, he thought about the quiet nature of the stallion, the kind of silence that hovered around him that told him he knew more than he let on.
Stygian was just eccentric enough to have an answer. He had to.
A spark of hope lighted his blue eyes and he stood up from his chair. “Flurry Heart, you’re a genius!”
He gathered the mess of papers from the table and tucked them carelessly into the book before placing it back on the towering bookshelf behind him. He approached the young filly to ruffle her hair affectionately, causing her to squeal with delight.
“Could you tell Captain Armor to meet us after sundown at the entrance of Hollow Shade woods?” Sunburst said and lowered his voice. “And make sure no one else hears you, this is a secret and important mission.”
Flurry Heart nodded with a serious expression and they both left the library, once at the exit they went in opposite directions. Flurry Heart walked with determination, anxious to accomplish her goal, and Sunburst walked with a brisk pace, excited to give Starlight the good news, eager to see the glint of hope in her eyes as he was to hear the sound of her voice.
The sun lowered into the sea in a blaze of magenta and gold, the clouds painted with dark purple and the sky with deep blues. The half-moon grew brighter as it took its place in the heavens, surrounded by the stars that twinkle into existence one by one as the sun disappeared into the water. The sight usually took Starlight’s breath away, but she missed it today, on account of following Sunburst through dark, small corridors that were dusty enough to make her sneeze.
His horn lighted the way, silhouetting his body in harsh golden light while the rest was covered in shadows. He promised to take her to a pony that could help her, but she didn’t understand the need for secrecy. When she asked he just smiled patiently and told her to trust him, that it would be better for them if no one else saw them leave or knew where they were going. Not even Goldie was to know of their outing.
He came to a stop in front of a small wooden door, and she almost collided with him but managed to skid to a stop at the last minute. He pulled a ring of keys from his robe, the metal ringing merrily in his magic as he searched for the correct one. He put it in the lock and twisted it gently, opening the old door with excruciating slowness, a sliver of light poured through the corridor, lighting up the dust spores and shining over his face, the irises in his eyes contracting with the sudden intrusion of light and he blinked.
Sunburst looked through the crack for a moment that stretched to eternity for Starlight, and she let out a breath when he opened the door more fully, stepping cautiously outside before motioning for her to follow.
They sneaked around the garden like thieves in the twilight. The shadows grew darker as they moved, giving them much-needed cover from the guards patrolling the grounds. It was then she realized just how noisy the surface was with the incessant breeze, the chirping of crickets, the cries of the owls and other animals she couldn’t name.
Starlight’s heart hammered with every little noise and she suddenly missed the encompassing darkness of the sea, how she moved so silently and gracefully in the water, unlike now with her clumsy legs that seemed to stumble with every little stone and branch in the way. To her, her every breath came out in loud and annoying huffs of air as she followed behind Sunburst, tiptoeing around bushes and distracted guards, fearing that her harsh breathing would give them away at any second. But she let out a quiet sigh of relief when they managed to leave the last line of manicured bushes undetected, making a dash to the wild tree line up ahead.
By the time they reached the edge of the woods the sky was blue and purple and filled with stars, the edges of the clouds painted pink and red with the last rays of the sun that were fading quickly. They hid behind a large tree, Sunburst peering behind the bark to make sure they hadn’t been followed.
She heard abrupt hoofsteps up ahead and she picked up a fallen branch with her teeth, ready to swing it. Sunburst noticed and stood in front of her, stopping her from bringing the branch down on Shining Armor’s face. The captain swore, taking a step back, and Starlight would’ve probably done the same thing if it weren’t for the branch in her mouth, and her muteness.
Sunburst chuckled, reaching for the branch and lowering it gently. “This is the only time I’m glad for your lack of voice.”
“Yeah, me too.” Shining Armor quipped. “Mind telling me why we’re out here and sneaking around like common criminals?”
“We are taking Starlight to see Stygian,” Sunburst said after a pause, “the forest is dangerous at night and I need your help escorting her there.”
Shining Armor didn’t look convinced. “Couldn’t you have done this during the day?”
Sunburst looked at Starlight for a moment, she stared back with uncertainty but she nodded as if asking him to continue. If Sunburst trusted Shining Armor, then she would trust him too. He gave her a small smile before turning towards his friend, giving him a serious look.
“Starlight’s been cursed, that’s why she can’t speak.” He let the statement sink in before continuing. “I’m not sure of the nature of the curse, but it’s not a simple hex or jinx, I need Stygian’s help to figure it out and break it without hurting her.”
“Are you suggesting that it could be...dark magic?”
“It’s a possibility, yes.”
The captain’s eyes grew wide and he put a hoof over his chin, thinking hard. He heard whispers of ponies using whatever it took to obtain power, unhappy with their current level of magic and talent, and they would often resort to dark magic to get it. Dark magic alone couldn’t give its user what it wanted, though it did give them the tools to take it from someone else. If you wanted beauty you took from someone more beautiful than you, if you wanted power you took it from someone more powerful, if you wanted someone to be silent…
...you take their voice.
“Damn,” he mumbled, looking at Starlight with a tinge of pity. “You’re just one mystery after another aren’t you?”
“Oh-uh, Papa said a bad word.”
All three unicorns whirled around at the young voice, staring at Flurry Heart with wide eyes.
“Shining, what’s she doing here?!” Sunburst said with a harsh whisper.
“She insisted on coming,” Shining Armor said, but the frown on his face said he too was displeased with the arrangement. “Cadance has the night shift at the hospital, and her babysitter bailed on me.”
“I don’t need a babysitter! I’m nine years old and I can take care of myself!” She said resolutely.
Before anyone could argue further they heard the loud laughter of an approaching guard. Shining Armor grabbed his daughter and ducked under the bushes, while Sunburst took hold of Starlight and pinned her against the tree, shielding her with his body, his dark cloak draping over them like a curtain, blending with the night. There was a minute of tense silence as they waited for the guards to pass by, they walked slowly and talked about mundane things. Starlight’s heart pounded in her ears, Sunburst's face just a few inches from hers as he crouched over her, and she could do nothing but sit there as still as stone.
No one dared to move until the guards disappeared behind a bend of rose bushes. Sunburst stepped away slowly and the captain lifted from the ground as silent as a shadow.
“Stygian’s hut is far from here and it will take longer to get there now that it’s dark,” Sunburst said, taking Starlight’s hoof gently as he walked ahead. “Let's go.”
Shining Armor put his daughter on his shoulders and followed without complaint.
The woods were dark—though not as dark as the bottom of the sea—and once Starlight got used to it she walked more calmly, staring at the tall pines, the labyrinth of maple trees, and the prickly bushes that lined the unseen path Sunburst were guiding them through. The only witness of the strange procession were the owls and the foxes hidden in the woods, their eyes glinting mysteriously by the light of the unicorn's horns.
Sunburst didn’t let go of her hoof the whole time, and Starlight didn’t pull away. She liked how close he was and the way she felt around him. She couldn’t remember a time she felt this...content? Peaceful? She didn’t know enough words to describe the warmness inside her chest, the sudden quietness in her restless soul. She would have laughed at the ridiculousness of it all if it weren’t happening to her, but a smile did find its way into her face as she walked, hoping that the darkness hid it from view.
She heard a flapping overhead and Sunburst grunted a little when something fell on his withers. He turned and gave a fake pout to a grinning Flurry Heart. “Hey there, how can I help you?”
“It’s boring back there,” Flurry said. “I wanted to see how you guys were doing!”
Sunburst glanced behind them and saw the sour look on Shining Armor’s face, looking pointedly at the way he was holding Starlight’s hoof. Don’t get attached, his earlier words rang through his ears. Starlight noticed this too, and hastily withdrew her hoof from his, but he only held her tighter, squeezing it in a way that told her it was alright.
“I understand, the captain can be a bit of a party pooper,” Sunburst said, loud enough for Shining to hear.
Flurry laughed, but then her eyes rested on Starlight and her tone was gentle as she spoke. “Is it true that you’re under a curse, Miss Glimmer? Does it hurt a lot?”
Starlight blinked, taken aback by the young pegasus concern for her, but she nodded and reassured her with a wide smile. The pain in her throat had lessened in the past few days, though it flared up on occasions. Like it was reminding her of the crucial piece of herself that she was missing, the part of herself that had been so cruelly stolen.
“If you need anything just let me know,” Flurry Heart said with a nod, “I’m training to be a knight you know? I can help you and protect you at the same time, don’t worry, I have plenty of practice taking care of Sunburst, I can’t look after you as well.” She leaned in and whispered in Starlight’s ear. “Just don’t tell my papa, he wants me to be a boring handmaiden instead.”
Starlight pretended to zip her mouth shut and threw away the key.
Sunburst led them through a bend and they stepped into a clearing in the woods, where a small cottage stood in the moonlight, a stream flowing next to it and murmuring as it trickled over the rocks before disappearing into the forest.
The tiny house was old but sturdy, made of thick slate-colored rectangular stones, which were neatly arranged into a dome. Checkered shape stained-glass embellished the windows with its rainbow colors, and yet the entrance was only a simple wooden door, held together with simple iron bolts. The turf-style green roof was very steep, protruding downward like a slippery slope, but the bird's nest sitting atop it planted its home firmly to the sod.
Sunburst let her go and climbed the three steps that led to the front door, knocking three times and calling out loudly. “Stygian! It’s me Sunburst, could you open up!”
Starlight looked at the cottage, taking in the strangeness of the structure. She was sure she had never seen a house like this, not in the sea or in the town, and yet something about it stirred her thoughts in the back of her mind, like a dream she had forgotten and was suddenly remembering. The memory was covered in a fine blanket of smoke, but she heard the voice clearly, saw the outline of a hoof hovering over the page of a storybook, pointing out a cottage similar to this one drawn on the paper.
...she sailed by a large cherry orchard, where there was a little cottage with curious red and blue windows; it was thatched, and before it, two wooden soldiers stood sentry and presented arms when anyone went past...
The door to the cottage opened slowly, the creaks singing in a crescendo, and a blue eye peeked out through the crack, taking in the group waiting at the porch. The memory went back to where it came from.
“Stygian, I’m sorry for intruding but we need your help!” Sunburst pushed the door firmly.
Starlight heard a low cry of pain, and a thin unicorn appeared at the doorway. There was a deep scowl on his face, but his small size just made the gesture look comical. His dark blue hair was cut in a bowl-cut style, the dark blue mane slightly frazzled like he just stumbled out of bed. His gray coat was covered by a light brown cape that had seen better days, held together by a rough-looking cord on his neck.
“I’ve brought some friends,” Sunburst said with a guilty smile. On top of his head, Flurry Heart waved cheerfully at the grumpy stallion.
“Sunburst, I have a deadline and a manuscript that’s nowhere near finished,” Stygian said with a sneer. “I have no time to entertain guests or to talk pleasantries.”
“Then you’ll be happy to know that this isn’t a house call,” Sunburst said and stepped in, the rest following behind him, much to Stygian’s chagrin. “My friend here needs your help, the sooner you help us the sooner we’ll be out of your hair.”
He looked confused for a moment before his face cleared with the realization. “Sunburst, I haven’t dabbled in magic for a long time, you should talk to an actual wizard instead of bothering me.”
“But no wizard in Equestria knows the sea as you do.”
Stygian opened his mouth with a retort on his tongue but stopped when the words registered. His eyes took in every guest before they settled on Starlight and stayed there. She tried to meet his gaze but found that she couldn’t. She felt woozy all of the sudden, her throat ached and throbbed with each dull beat of her heart, her hackles rising the longer Stygian stared. She wanted to leave, to be anywhere but near him.
He approached her and Starlight took a step back, lifting a hoof to her throat protectively. He took another step and her lips curled into a snarl as she glared at him. Starlight's teeth turned sharp and they gleamed in the warm flicker of the candlelight. Her pupils blew open wide, the darkness drowning out the color of her eyes until only a thin ring of blue remained. She would have growled if she had the voice to do so.
Shining stood between Sunburst and Flurry, using his large body to shield them and to push them away from her, but Stygian stood where he was, not at all faced by Starlight’s aggressive display. His irritation was gone, replaced by a contemplative look like he was staring at a puzzle and was figuring out the pieces he needed to finish it.
“Hmm,” Stygian said calmly, ignoring Starlight’s rigid posture, “that’s quite the curse they put on you.”
