Another empty one. How nice.
You toss the oyster to the side and watch it float away to join the pile. A good number of them were laying about next to you, and they all shared at least one quality: they held no pearl.
You had grown to expect that. There was an immeasurably small chance of finding one anyway. Most of these scallops were far too young to bear a gem anyway. Still, you always held hope. The more you collected, the better.
You sigh lightly and decide to call it quits for the day. You had been pearl-hunting for the better part of an hour, and after some time, it gets rather boring. But hey, if your progress was anything to go by, you were doing something right. Back home you had a rather impressive collection. You have seventeen saved up, if you recall correctly.
Speaking of home, you turn around and begin swimming that direction. Waving your tail, you begin to move your body through the ocean water, heading for familiar territory. It was a rather nice day. The water wasn't too chilly, the current was gentle, and the sea life wasn't out to eat you. The only creatures you happened to pass, minus the scallops, were a few schools of fish.
This part of the seafloor was rather barren. Most of it was just rocks and sand. You saw a few coral structures here and there, but none of it was that impressive. The majority of them were dead or dying, so this area was rather depressing. You weren't out here to observe the serenity and beauty of the area though, so it didn't really make a difference to you.
You continue swimming, the satchel around your shoulder waving to and fro with your movement. It was currently empty, as your searching today failed to yield any fruit. It was the general outcome of these little excursions, but every now and then, you would hit just one pearl. It was those moments that made it all worthwhile.
At this point, you can see your home coming into view. It was a rather spacious cave that you had found one day. After having had to relocate after an infestation of lobsters in your previous home, you had scouted out a new location to live in. This one was much closer to the shore than he would have liked, but you didn't mind. It was roomy, had a good flow of currents, and you are rather fond of the shore, much to his dismay.
You swim up to the entrance and go right in. Once inside, you are immediately ambushed by a small, squishy creature latching itself to your chest. Though it took some time to get used to that, you knew well enough what it was to not be terrified by it now.
"Hi Linnaeus," you say. The small blob squeaks in response.
It was your pet jellyfish and good buddy, Linnaeus. You found the little guy when you moved. He was just maturing from a small polyp when you found him. It looked so weak and helpless, and you couldn't find it in your heart to simply leave him. You took him under your care and he grew to love you unconditionally. He often accompanied you on pearl-hunts, but you requested to go alone this time.
The little guy was rather cute once you get past the lack of a face. He had a transparent dome, along with several stubby, pink tentacles. Luckily for you, he was harmless. You've had encounters with jellyfish that aren't so peaceful. You thought those burns would never go away. Linnaeus was much more tame, greeting you happily any time you returned home.
You brush off the sticky creature and begin to swim towards your room, Linnaeus following close by. Your home was a large cave that had several annexes, one of which belonged solely to you. Passing through the main room, which housed some makeshift chairs, you turn right towards the small entrance to your portion of the cave.
Swimming through the small corridor, you look up to your left and bat the glowstalk on the wall, causing it to illuminate the room with a bright, blue glow. Your room was simplistic, just how you liked it. In the corner was a large sea sponge that served as your bed. To the right was a large stone slab which functioned as a door. You could slide it into place over your entrance, and it not only blocked anyone from entering, but also was soundproof. Across from the entrance was your chest, which held pretty much everything you had. You also had installed a secret compartment to store your pearls in the wall next to your bed.
The room wasn't much, but it served its purpose: housing a very bored seapony like you. You float over to your bed and lay on your back. Sighing again, you wonder when it would all change. You had been living in this room, doing the same thing you do every day, again and again. It grew to be a dull existence. After all, what is a life without friends?
Friends...the one thing you would never have. Sure, Linnaeus was good company, but you can't exactly hold a conversation with a jellyfish. He has no idea what you mean when you say 'life kinda sucks.' What could you do? You were forbidden from doing pretty much anything.
It's how it goes, being a seapony. You can't let anyone know about you. You can't let anyone see you. You can't converse with anyone. It's some stupid rule that has been enforced upon you for years. For as long as you can remember, this is how it had been. Some strange, innate sense of anonymity was required of you.
And you absolutely hate it.
Why must you be forced to hide? Those called the 'surface dwellers' probably have so much to offer than life down here. Why can't you just speak with them? It's not like they could hunt you down if they didn't take a liking to you. The sea is far more expansive than the land. What was there to fear?
For a long time, you never really minded this rule. You just thought that's how things were meant to be. But as you got older, you began questioning. Who decided you had to hide? What's the big deal? You've gone to the surface before, and it doesn't seem at all malicious. Who's to say you can't go up there?
"I'm back!"
Oh, right. He's to say.
You groan slightly and float off your bed, heading for the main room. Though you often don't want to see him, you knew you had to. Exiting your room, you find the familiar body of the only other seapony you knew.
"Hey, Swift." you say, unenthusiastic.
"What's up?" he replies.
"Nothing much." you respond simply.
It was none other than your older brother, Swift. As the only other seapony you know, you had spent your entire life with him. You had lived together, eaten together, and done pretty much everything together. He had been with you ever since you were born. Being the eldest, he was in charge of you.
And you absolutely hate it.
You often thought Swift had let that fact get to his head rather often. While you never knew your father (or your mother for that matter), he had apparently left Swift in charge. He had also apparently told Swift of that rule about never going to the surface. Whenever you argued about it and how it would be perfectly safe, he would always respond with the 'dad said' act.
But that's slowly become moot to you. As you grew older, you began to follow his command less and less. You still loathe the day that he had been put in charge, but you were slowly beginning to rebel against him. Discreetly, of course. Truth be told, he doesn't even know about your pearl collecting hobby. It was just one of the things you kept hidden from him. It's not like he knows of your little outings to the surface every now and then.
Speaking of that...
"Hey, Swift, I think I'm gonna-"
"I brought back some fresh seaweed. I'll start making dinner!" he says, cutting you off.
"Oh, alright." you reply with slight annoyance in your voice. "Hey, I'm gonna go out for a bit."
He quickly turns to face you. "Where ya going?"
"Out. Just going for a breather." you respond, keeping your voice cool.
"Alright, don't be going to the surface now." he replies.
You roll your eyes slightly. "Yeah, like I've not heard that one before, right?"
He takes a more fierce look on his face. "I'm serious, don't do it."
"I'm not going to, jeez." you reply, waving a fin nonchalantly.
He glares at you for a few seconds, as if he's trying to scare you. It's not like that ever works anyway, but if it makes him feel satisfied, you go with it. "Alright," he says. "Just be back for dinner, kay?"
"Yeah, yeah." you reply coolly. With that, you swim out of the cave.
Annoying wretch, you think coldly.
You've grown to hate him. For years and years he's repressed you, made you follow him. That one order that has constantly been uttered by him has been burned into your brain after so long. "Don't go to the surface." You've heard it countless times.
It's not like you ever listened to that order anymore anyway. Unbeknownst to him, you go to the surface rather often. You can only imagine his fury if he knew. You aren't stupid about it, though. The spot you surface in is rather secluded from the neighboring city. Very rarely are any ponies there, and when they are, they're nowhere near you.
Exiting the cave, you turn back to see Linnaeus following you cheerfully. Even with as safe as you found the surface to be, you still didn't want him following you up there.
"Stay here bud, I'll be back in a bit." You say to him, stroking his dome.
He squeaks quietly in sadness, but follows your orders. He pulses his tentacles and floats back inside the cavern.
Making sure that he's fully tucked himself away, you begin to swim away from the cave. Time to find your favorite spot to surface.
~*~*~
"Go on, get out of here!"
You flail your fins in an attempt to get a rather pesky school of fish away from you. They had taken a liking to you, for whatever reason, and had followed you for a good distance as you made your way to the shoreline.
"Shoo! Scram!" you yell, attempting to scare them off.
They simply stare at you with the smallest amount of comprehension in their eyes. Something about you just fascinated them, and it was getting rather annoying. They were just a bunch of harmless minnows, but they were still unsettling nonetheless.
You groan to yourself, trying to think of a way to rid of them. Looking around, your eyes settle on a lone sea turtle. Knowing this wouldn't even work, you decide to give it a shot anyway.
"Hey! Look!" You point a fin towards the shelled creature. "Sea turtle!"
At the uttering of the creatures presence, every fish in the group suddenly turns towards the turtle. After a moment of observance, they all simultaneously swim for it, bombarding it.
You couldn't help but feel a little bad. But hey, better the turtle than you, right?
Rolling your eyes, you focus back on the surface. Light was streaming into the water weakly as the sun began to set on another day, bathing the ocean in a faint glow. The water was rippling calmly, not a single strong current flowing through. Without hesitance, you begin to swim upward, ready to break the surface.
Reaching the top, you slowly push your head above the water, taking in the sight. Far in front of you was the beach, and right behind it was what you came here for. The city.
This city, which is called New Orreins as far as you know, was a sight to behold. Along the beach was a series of cabanas housing visitors to the shore. A large pier ran for miles, allowing easy access to all parts of the beach. On the beach itself were a few stray umbrellas, which was common, seeing as the land ponies would often lay under them. At this time of day, however, the beach was quite barren. No pony would come out at this time of day. Perhaps its because the sun has already set, you weren't quite sure.
Far behind the beach is what fascinated you though. In the distance, a large, bustling city stood tall. Skyscrapers and other huge buildings covered the skyline, dwarfing everything around them. You had no idea just how many ponies buildings like those could house. It was something you had been curious about ever since you first observed this strange, foreign land.
A strange foreign land you wish you could visit.
You sigh lightly. If only, if only, you think to yourself. There wasn't much in the way of land travel with your body. With only fins and a tail for movement, you had a bit of a hard time maneuvering on land. For as long as you can remember, you've wished you could visit that land, just to see what it's like.
If only you weren't stuck in the ocean.
You pull your head back underwater and begin to swim closer to the shore. With the beach being entirely barren today, there was pretty much no chance of being spotted. You weren't too worried about that.
After swimming a short distance, you resurface. Looking back to the shore, you get a better inspection. The sand on the beach looked as though it hadn't been disturbed too much. Perhaps today was just a slower day for the beach. The pier was also barren. All of the stalls and shops set up on it were closed up. It was a bit depressing to you. You liked seeing the ponies go about their business on the beach.
You turn your head to the left. You gasp lightly at what you saw.
On a dock that was hanging over the water about fifty feet away was a unicorn. A purple unicorn. A mare, at that.
And....wow. She was just...wow.
Looking at her from the front, you get a full view of her face. Protruding from her head was a finely filed horn. Her short cut purple bangs hung lazily around it. Mixed in with those bangs was a few streaks of pink, which complemented the dominating color perfectly.
Her coat was also a shade of purple. Not as dark as her mane, but not exactly bright either. Her tail was practically the same as her mane. Her eyes were, big surprise, purple as well. For some reason, the entire color scheme of her body was just...alluring to you.
She wore a small smile on her face as she looked down. Though it's tough to see, you think you spot a book beneath her. She was simply laying on the dock, reading peacefully. A calm breeze flows through the area, causing her mane to jostle slightly. You can't find it in yourself to turn away for some reason. She was just so...
At that moment, she closes her eyes. Before you could wonder what she was doing, her horn lights up. Before your very eyes, the bags that were laying next to her begin to glow. You watch in awe as one of the bags opens itself and a small bottle levitates out. Following it was a small white straw, which planted itself in the top. Once it assembled, the bottle set itself next to the mare, and she begins to drink from it.
You're absolutely baffled at what just happened. Did she just do that? How in the world....was she some kind of wizard? You had never seen something like that before. In one moment, you had learned something major about those land ponies: apparently, some of them are wizards. This mare was...she was...
You couldn't find a word for it. Pretty? She was definitely pretty, no doubt about that. Magic? Well, if that act was anything sort of proof, she was unquestionably some kind of wizard. But there was something else...some other word.
You struggle to find a word. What was she?
Snapping out of your stupor, you suddenly find a word to describe her. Or multiple words, that is.
She is looking at you. With a very surprised and confused look on her face.
You cringe slightly, and duck your head back underwater. Your mind suddenly fills with questions. How long had she been staring at you!? Why didn't you go under sooner!? What was she thinking!? You mentally berate yourself for getting entranced by her. Why couldn't you move? You just had to stare, didn't you? What if she comes after you? Granted, that might be kind of cool, but...
You shake your head. What are you getting worked up over? You had been observing those land ponies for a long time. They were peaceful, they wouldn't come after someone like you. Not like they could, anyway, You never could identify some kind of system for breathing underwater on them. Heck, they had some technology to let them do that near the surface, but you've never seen them in the depths that you live in.
Still though, you could only imagine what was going through her mind there. Did she notice you're a seapony? What would she think? Did she realize you were staring at her? How long did she notice you? There were so many questions about that one tiny instance that you couldn't stop thinking of.
Swimming at high speed, you already see your home coming into view. Looking back, you see that no pony was following you...not that you were worried about that, of course.
You swim around front and enter the cave. Floating through, you enter the main room and find Swift just exiting the 'kitchen.'
"Oh, hey!" he says. "Just in time, dinner's ready...." He trails off as he looks at you. "Uh, you okay?"
You look right at him. "Yeah, fine. Why?"
"You look kinda...freaked out." he responds, uncertainty in his voice.
"Oh, no, I'm fine. Just kinda tired." you respond, taking a few subtle breaths to calm yourself.
He stares at you with an unsure look about his face. "Alright then...So you coming to eat?"
"Uh, nah. I think I'm gonna turn in, kinda tired and stuff." you respond quickly.
"You sure? Got some fresh seaweed, dude."
"Yeah, I'm sure, thanks." You begin to swim to your room.
You quickly enter the corridor before he can respond. Swimming over to the side, you press against the stone slab and slide it over the entrance, sealing off the outside. Once it was in place, you sigh lightly. Looking up, you bat the glowstalk again and re-illuminate the room. The moment you do, a small blob floats up from your bed and rushes over to you.
"Hey Linnaeus," you say. He squeaks, happy with your return.
You give a small smile. Even though he couldn't properly respond to anything you say, he always seemed to understand what you were feeling. He was kind of a living record for you. You told him pretty much everything about you, and he would give what comfort he could when you needed it.
"Linnaeus, you'll never guess what happened today." you start. He perks up, eager to hear your words. "I went to the surface again, and I saw somepony. This mare, and....wow."
He raises two of his tentacles and makes a noise. It sounded like he was confused.
"She was...really purple." You chuckle slightly. "Great description, I know. But she was so....pretty."
He squeaks again, prodding you to continue.
"She was just on the dock, reading a book. She looked so peaceful, just sitting there...I wonder what she was reading." you think aloud. You feel a sudden pang of guilt. "And she might've, uh, saw me..."
He squeaks loudly, and flails his tentacles wildly.
"I-It's not a problem, it's not like she knows! Don't worry, it's no big deal." you say, waving a fin. With that, you begin to float over to your bed. Laying down, you speak. "I wonder if I'll see her again..."
Linnaeus, still floating, squeaks angrily.
"Oh, come on, nothing bad could come out of this." ...I hope.
He makes an odd humming sort of sound.
"Relax Linnaeus. Let's just get some sleep, alright?"
He hesitates for a moment, but squeaks in agreement. Floating over to the glowstalk, he plants himself right on it, causing it to shut off. He liked sleeping on it for whatever reason, but you were fine by that. It caused it to stop glowing, anyway.
"Good night, Linnaeus." you say. He doesn't respond, already succumbing to the grip of sleep.
You give a small laugh. Closing your eyes, you lay your head down on the bed and drift off to sleep rather quickly.
That night, your dreams were filled with visions of violet...