My years mothering Sunny were the best of my life. I protected her throughout her toddler years, guided her as a teen and was now proud to see her fully grown. One subject that had never come up however, was the topic of her parentage.
In her twenty-sixth year she asked me a question that had no doubt been in her mind for all of her life.
“Hey Mum – there’s something I’ve often wondered about over the years.”
“Yes?” I prompted her.
“Why did you have me alone – without my Father around?”
My mood plummeted and I began to stutter.
“Oh…well…of course…you do have a Father. I just…”
“Well, where is he? And what about my lineage? Do I have any Grandparents besides Grandma Amber?”
I found myself regretting that I had educated my daughter so well. My Mother and I had given her all the knowledge that we had between us. She knew as much as any other child that had attended school.
As I looked at my smart, curious and mature daughter, I couldn’t help but feel proud – albeit scared of her many questions.
“On the night your Father and I met, he told me all about his family and regretfully, both of his parents had died many years ago from the same illness that eventually took my own Father’s life.”
I looked at her sad expression and felt sorry for her.
“I’m so sorry that you didn’t get to meet any of them Sunny Meadows. When my own Father died, I was such a young philly.”
“Oh Mum…I’m sorry you lost your Father so young.”
We hugged and shed a few tears. As painful as it was to lose my Dad, at least I got to know him for a few years. Poor Sunny never got to meet her Father at all – and now she’s learning that she’ll never know her Grandparents either.
“Why didn’t you stay with my Father?” she asked.
“I wanted to but it’s hard to explain….Grandma Amber was very sick and I was fearful that she’d pass on whilst I was away. Thankfully that didn’t happen but I never returned to your Father again.”
“Why not?”
“He was much older than me Sunny and lives in a place that requires magic to visit. It’s my understanding and assumption that he’s long gone.”
Sunny looked sad about this and expressed shock and dismay that she almost lost her Grandma. She was thankful however that I had put her health before my love affair with her Dad.
“Well I have another question,” Sunny Meadows said.
“Go ahead.”
“Will I ever get to meet my own Stallion? Will I ever get to experience that kind of love?”
“I understand Sunny…but we’re all alone down here and this is something that I should probably discuss with your Grandmother.”
“What is there to discuss?” she countered. “Grandmother let you go to this magic place. Why can’t I?”
I told my daughter the story of my deception. How I had feigned a fishing trip and had instead cast a spell that produced two hind legs enabling me to go onto the land above the sea.
“It was during that trip that I met your Father,” I told her.
“But why lie? Why don’t we just tell her I’m going up?”
“She’s old Sunny – and very over-protective. She forgave me my small lie after I returned. I’m sure she’ll forgive you to.”
Sunny winked and started to swim in search of her Grandma. I followed and looked back as I overtook her.
“Follow my lead,” I said with a smile.
“Will do…” she replied.
Amber Spark was now seventy-six years old and quite often took naps in the afternoon. We found her in her cabin and waited for her to awaken.
“Hey Mum,” I said softly as I saw her eyes open.
“Ah, yes Evening Breeze?” she croaked out, belying her age. “What do you need?”
“Sunny Meadows and I are just heading out to get some fish,” I told her.
“And how is my Granddaughter doing today?”
“She’s great – as am I Mum.”
“Okay – go off on your trip. Just be sure to be back within eight days.”
As we turned to leave, my Mother groaned and suddenly asked for help.
“Grandma?!” Sunny Meadows cried out.
My Mother rolled over and fell fast asleep once more.
“Just go on Sunny,” I said under my breath. “I’ll stay with Grandma. You’re an alicorn, you have the power to cast the spell yourself.”
I whispered the spell which would grant her the use of her hind legs into her ear. I then told her to swim as far as the iceberg and then veer up toward the surface.
I expressed the importance of casting the spell at the exact right moment and reminded her to be back on the seventh day.
After I watched my daughter leave, I took great care of my ailing Mother. When she awoke she was disoriented and confused.
“I thought you were going off to fish?” she said. “I was worried about you two. Where’s Sunny?”
I encouraged her to lay back down and asked how she was feeling. Before I could tell her where Sunny had gone, my Mother collapsed into a coughing fit.
“I haven’t felt this unwell since…since…Evening Breeze…can I tell you something?”
“Yes Mum?”
“I don’t think I’m going to last much longer. I don’t think I can last until Sunny gets back.”
“No!” I cried.
“And I know where she has gone. I know what you’ve done. Did you tell her to be back within seven days?”
She then sent me away, pleading exhaustion. I agreed to leave and left quietly.
I then summoned up my communication spell to send word through the ocean up onto the land. My message found Sunny not long after. My daughter sent word back that she had met a stallion named Jumbo. I replied that although I was happy to hear that, I had some bad news. Her Grandmother was deathly ill and she had to promise to get back on time. She had six days.
Up above, Jumbo was watching Sunny as she received these telepathic messages from a loved one.
“Um…Sunny? Are you okay?” he asked in a concerned manner
“Ah…um, I’m fine,” Sunny stammered. “Nothing’s wrong at all.”
She was hesitant about sharing too much. Her Mother had always told her that it was important to keep merponies a secret.
“But what’s going on? There is something wrong. I overheard your side of the conversation.”
Sunny made an important decision. She thought back on all the years that she had known her Mother. Although sensing much love and happiness from Amber Spark, she still knew deep down that something had been missing from her life.
She didn’t want to end up in the same boat (or ship…lol) as her Mother – forever being without a loving spouse by her side. Her next words sealed her fate.
“Okay – I’m going to tell you something that I’ve never told anypony before. You have to promise me that you’ll never tell another pony about this.”
“I swear to keep your secret,” Jumbo stated. “Cross my heart and hope to die.”
“Figuratively?” Sunny quipped.
“Figuratively,” Jumbo smirked back.
“I’m not really just a pony. I’m not a unicorn either. I’m a Alicorn crossed with a Merpony and my identity must be kept secret.”
Jumbo was shocked.
“You’re a what?” he said, looking baffled.
“Do you remember the Titanic tragedy?”
“Yes..”
“Well my Grandmother Amber Spark and my Mother Evening Breeze, had only one choice as the great ship sunk. She turned them both into merponies so that they could live.”
She waited a beat for Jumbo to process this.
“And is that how you came to be? Did your Mother do as you have done?”
“Yes she did. My Father was a Pegasus that lived on the land. I was a product of their great love. My Mother however, never told my Father the truth and she lived her life a single mother.”
I waited as I wondered how to broach my next move.
“Now that I’ve told you this – I have a proposition for you,” Sunny said nervously.
“Which is?” Jumbo asked.
“Will you come back with me? Back to the Titanic?”
“Wait, what?”
“If you do, you’ll have to live the remaining part of your life as a Merpony. And there’s one more catch. We have to leave within five days.”
“Five days?” he said thoughtfully, mulling this over. “Why wait?”
His words surprised her.
“We can leave now? You’d be happy to leave all this behind, right now?”
“If it means being with you and leaving my old stressed out life behind me, then yes…I’d love nothing more.”
They teleported into the ocean and the cold temperatures stunned Jumbo immensely.
“You’ll feel warm within moments Jumbo,” Sunny reassured him.
Sunny was happy to have her tail back and instructed Jumbo to look down at where his own legs used to be.
“Waa! I can’t breathe….wait…how foolish of me…I’m a merpony!”
I recalled my own Mother’s stories at the shock of becoming a merpony. This made me think of my Grandmother and I started to panic.
“Quick! We must hurry….my Grandmother isn’t well!”
“I’m right behind you,” said Jumbo.
The shield gave way as we swam toward home.
Now as I, Evening Breeze, watched out for my daughter’s return – I saw the shield start to shimmer and open as my daughter swam back towards home. But wait! What was this?
“Sunny!” I cried out fearfully. “Why did you bring Jumbo back with you?”
“We’ll talk about that later Mum. Where is Grandma?”
“Back there in her cabin aboard the Titanic.”
“Is she still alive?” Sunny squeaked out.
“She is…for now…”
We all entered my Mother’s cabin and crowded around her bed.
“Who is that?” my Mother spat out anxiously.
“Don’t worry Mother, this is Jumbo – Sunny’s new beau.”
I turned toward Jumbo pleadingly.
“Can you help us? Do you know how to treat my Mother?”
“No…I’m afraid not. Do you have any medical facilities? We could make her more comfortable and I know a few basics.”
I told Jumbo about the amazing mini hospital that was available.
“Okay – let’s get her moved there immediately.”
I teleported us all to the hospital and used my magic to make the monitoring machines work underwater. Jumbo asked why my magic couldn’t just heal my Grandmother and I explained that although to could be used for small ailments nopony was powerful enough to take on death. Not yet anyway…
We listened to the slow beat of the heart monitor as we held back tears.
For five days and nights we never left her bedside. On the sixth day she was lucid enough to speak a few words.
“Evening Breeze…?”
“Mum! Yes? What is it?”
“Make sure to look after Sunny Meadows for me…” she spoke softly, as her words were interrupted by a hacking cough.
“No Mum…don’t say that. We’ll get some more fried fish! It’s going to be okay!” I said fretfully, denying what was happening right in front of me.
“You know it isn’t…but that’s alright. It’s time for me to go Evening Breeze.”
I sobbed uncontrollably as I struggled to face the situation. I watched as my Mother started coughing again. Her breathing was also slowing down.
“Goodbye my beautiful Evening Breeze,” she said quietly. “Where’s Sunny? I want to speak to my Granddaughter one last time.”
“Grandma, I’m here…please don’t go…please!”
“Sunny…it’s okay. It’s the circle of life. It happens to all of us. What’s important is how you live whilst you still have the chance.”
Sunny hugged her Grandmother tight, and sobbed into the blanket. I saw a tear slip from my Mother’s eye but I resisted going to her as I knew that Sunny needed this moment to hug her Grandma for the last time.
Jumbo, who was watching from the sidelines, saw my internal struggle and approached me quietly. As he placed his arm across my shoulders, I was truly grateful that he was there.
We all listened as my Mother took her final breath.
Beep
Beep
Beep
Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep
“Nooooo!” Sunny cried out and we shared in her grief.
“I’m so sorry Sunny,” Jumbo said soothingly.
“Thank you Jumbo,” Sunny sniffed.
A memorial was held for my Mum – giving us all a proper chance to pay our respects and say one final goodbye. Sunny was struggling with the loss and cried by her graveside for hours.
I expressed regret in regards to any mistakes that I may have made over the years and how I wish I could take away all of this sorry.
We cannot have light without the dark however and I reminded my darling daughter that we still had each other.
THE END