Warning, this story is a bit darker than the other entires, and while nothing nsfw, falls more into the category of grimdark
Once upon a time, there were two little mermaids. One of Diamonds, and the other of Silver. However, they were spoiled things, who had everything except for, ironically, beauty. A carefree life and a diet of sweets will do that to you. As it was, the two girls were teased and never approached by any mermen in their teenage years. If only, they thought every hour, there was some quick way for them to become beautiful and loved.
Then one day, a pair of eels approached the girls in their misery and pain.
“You seem so sad,” they said. “But, the great, Adagio, is very powerful. She can give you anything you desire.”
Hesitantly, as the two girls had heard warnings about the sea witch, their curiosity and desire to find happiness stirred them on. They followed the eels to the darker parts of the ocean, and the witches lair.
“Come in, come in, my sweet children,” the witch beaconed. “I hear you two girls are, poor unfortunate souls, who need help. Luckily for you, I know magic, and can make your dreams come true.”
“You can do that?!” The one of Diamond, the more brash of the two, exclaimed.
“But of course,” the sea witch coyly smiled. “It’s what I live for. I can make you two the most beautiful creatures in the sea!”
The one of Silver, who was the more weary of the pair, asked, “And, what is it you want from us?”
The witch snickered. “Oh, I am hurt you think sweet, innocent me would want anything from you two! But, I’ll tell you what, instead of gold or anything, I’ll give you a chance to have beauty for free!”
The girls leaned in closer.
“A game if you will, but an easy one to win. I will make you both beautiful, but, within a week’s time, you got to get a boy to kiss you.”
“Easy!” Diamond snickered.
Adagio held up a finger. “But, upon receiving said kiss, said boy must then not kiss another.” At Silver's raised eyebrow, she added, “But only, for a day. If he doesn't kiss anyone else by the time the sun sets on the following day, you’ll remain beautiful, forever!”
Diamond's eyes widened at the prospect, the thing she longed for most, it seemed too good to be true.
Something that wasn’t lost on her friend.
“And, if we don’t find a boy to kiss, and he kisses someone else?” Silver asked.
“Then, you’ll belong to me.”
Both girls shivered at that. However, as Adagio summoned forth a pair of golden contracts that promised them all that they wanted, even Silver found the offer too tempting to pass up. So they grabbed the quills, signed their names, and the cave echoed in demonic laughter as the two girls screamed in pain as their bodies were transformed.
For the next couple of days, Diamond and Silver were all the merpeople their age could talk about. The girls envoy of their looks, while the boys could not keep from staring. It was all either girl wanted, and more. However, the ‘deal’ they made was not easily forgotten.
“So who shall we choose?” Diamond asked, combing her hair and puckering her lips. “To be rewarded with such a kiss?”
“Don’t you remember?” Silver asked. “We should pick carefully, or it will cost us our souls.”
Diamond huffed. “Whatever. It’s not as if any boy would ever want to kiss anyone again after me.”
Now, as it so happened, two such potential boys were not far away. One, was a very muscular merman, and somewhat a bully and jerk. The other, while not unsightly, was thin and scrawny, but kind and sweet, if not a bit dorky, underneath. On that day, both mermen crossed paths, and when they, the bully took the geek and shoved him head first into a trash can for nothing but sport. He then swam away, laughing, and as chance would have it, came across Diamond and Silver.
“Why, hello, ladies,” he said, flashing them a smile, drawing Diamonds attention. “Do my eyes deceive me, or are you two the finest ladies in the land?”
He flexed his muscles as Diamond giggled, while Silver rolled her eyes.
“Don’t suppose you ladies would want to, join me for a stroll in the kelp gardens?”
Diamond giggled.
Silver, on the other hand, was reminded of how often this jerk had bullied them when they were ugly.
“Thanks, I’ll pass, but we’ll pass, you cod,” she said to her friend, swimming off, expecting her friend to follow.
“Diamond, you can’t be serious?” Silver said when no such action followed?
“Well I can and will!” she declared, taking the merman’s arm. “Just watch and see, for now I can be with someone as beautiful as me.”
“And what if he’s the one you kiss?” Silver whispered in warning.
Blinded by her now lust filled desires as the handsome merman held her close, she whispered back, “Then I’ll just have to be a good kisser.”
And with that, the two swam away, as Silver felt tempted to chas after. However, she then heard someone call for help, and noticed a tail sticking out of a trash can not far away.
“Oh my gosh, are you okay?” she asked, helping the boy out.
“I’m fine, thanks,” he started, only to be memorized by his savors beauty.
“Miss… Silver? Is that you?” He asked, face turning red.
Sliver blinked, but then her face blushed as his. He was a boy, Button, she recalled, who would often show her and Diamond compassion now and then whenever they were bullied.
“Indeed,” she smiled, pulling on her hair.
“Well, you look ga… great,” he stuttered.
“Not that you weren't before!” He cringed.
Fortunately, Silver giggled. “Why thank you.”
There was an awkward pause, before Button said, “Well, thanks but, I should be going.”
Thinking for only a minute, she had a thought. Even before, in their brief interactions, he had shown interest in her. Maybe, just maybe…
“Hey, Button, wait!” she called to his surprise. “Would you, perhaps, like to hang out?”
Jaw agape, he asked, “Like a date?”
Silver was stunned for a moment, before smiling and saying, “Yes, in fact. You were always kind to me before, and back then I had no courage. But now, I wish to thank you,” she said upon taking his hand.
So by the end of the day, the two girls got their kiss. One out of fiery lust filled passion, the other, a much simpler, but more romantic. Now all they had to do, was keep their boy from kissing another. A simple task, but who said witches play fair?
While waiting for Diamond for their second date, the cod, admiring himself in a mirror, was approached by another beautiful mermaid.
“Hey, handsome,” she said, showing off her gorgeous figure. “You busy?”
The boy, with no honor whatsoever, shook his head as he gawked at her.
“Well,” she said, pulling him in, “show me a good time.”
Now, as it so happened, the contract said the boy had to kiss the girl. It wouldn’t count if some mermaid just ‘happened’ to rub lips, or if say, one of the witches' pet eels, disguised themselves for a nefarious purpose. That said, Diamonds merman, pressed his lips onto his, right as Diamond came into sight.
Jaw dropped, and eyes wide, she couldn’t even react before she was swept up into a whirlpool of magic and teleported back to the witches lair.
“Well, bad luck there,” Adagio gleamed at the little Diamond mermaid.
“Wha, what? No! I,” she cried, a fear she had never known before gripping her. “Pa, Please! Give me another chance! I can give you gold, pearls, anything you want!” she pleaded.
“Well what I want,” the witch said, as the contract Diamond had signed, sped off towards the mermaid, “Is your soul. Which is mine! For now, you are nothing.”
“N… NO!” Diamond cried. She watched as the contract circled around her midsection, spinning faster and faster until it became nothing but a golden vortex. When she attempted to swim away, she felt her tail in bed itself into the cave floor.
“Help me!” she screamed, her arms reaching upwards as her body shrank downwards. “Somebody, help me!!!” But no one did.
Upon opening her eyes, she found her arms and tail where gone, and what once had been a beautiful body, was now but a shriveled husk. The same of the many other unfortunate souls around her.
“Now then,” the witch said, not evening giving the poor girls wordless pleas a second glance, “To wait for the other.”
As it were, Button was also waiting for his second date with Silver. Much like before, one of Adagio pet eels, disguised as a more beautiful mermaid approached him.
“Hey, handsome,” she said, catching Button by surprise.
“Who, me?” He asked.
“Yes, you,” she said, showing off her body. “You busy?”
“I am, I’m afraid,” Button, having more honor, and actually loving Silver, answered. “My girlfriend is supposed to meet me here for our second date.”
Frowning, the mermaid got into his personal space. “Yes, but,” she stroked his chin, and grinned as he began to blush. “Wouldn’t you rather not have someone as sexy as I?” She asked, puckering her lips. “She need not find out, if you were to give me a quick kiss?”
Silver came into view, just as the mermaid was leaning in, her own eyes shrinking in fear.
While Button was tempted for a moment, he was able to control himself and pushed her off him.
“Ew, get away from me!” He said. “Sorry, but I’m not interested. I care too much for my girlfriend to hurt her like that.” He puffed and turned away, only to deflate upon seeing Silver.
“Sil… Silver! I swear, it’s not what it—
His words were cut off as Silver swam towards him, and planted her lips onto his. Button froze for a minute, but soon returned the kiss, to the eels, and ultimately sea witches, dismay.
In a teasing way, Silver was able to keep Button by her side the entire day as ‘punishment’ for being flirted on by another. To which the two shared many more sweet moments and kisses.
Eventually, when the sun did set, with tears in her eyes, she hugged Button tightly, and free from her contract, told him everything. At first he was fearful that he nearly damned her, but she assured him she was just happy he chose her.
Button smiled back and, with another kiss, said she was the only one for him. However, their happiness was short lived at the thought of what happened to her friend.
“You don’t think,” Button started.
Silver frowned. “I’ll check in a bit to confirm it, but I think she chose unwisely in who she kissed.”
“I’m sorry,” Button said, pulling her into a hug.
“It’s okay,” she sighed, holding him close. “Just, thank you.”
****
“So the Silver mermaid and her button merman lived happily ever after?” the little mermaid asked her mother.
“That’s right,” Silver Spoon said with a smile. “The Silver mermaid and her merman, whose love was true, and saw the true beauty on each other’s inside, were able to live happily ever after.”
“Shame about the Diamond girl thou,” the girl frowned.
Silver Spoon winched. “Yes. Very sad, but it was her own fault.”
The girl let out a sleepy yawn. “Well, it was a good story. Don’t worry, mommy, I won’t get into any bad witch deals or kiss anyone who doesn't love me.”
“Good,” Silver Spoon snickered, kissing her daughter's head. “Now sweet dreams, Silver Belle.”
“Night, mommy,” Silver Bell said, drifting off to sleep.
Silver Spoon made her way out, to her indifferent looking husband.
“You know I had to,” she simply stated, crossing her arms. “Maybe one day we’ll tell her the entire story, but for now, she just needs to know the basics to hopefully share with her friends, even if as a ghost story, to keep them safe. I don’t want her, or anyone if I can help it, ending up like Dia.”
“I know,” Button said, pulling his wife into a hug. Content with being as happy, and lucky, as they were. “I know. It still eats me up a little.”
Smiling coyly, she pulled her husband into a kiss. “Well, if so, there’s always one way to ‘make it up’ to me.”
Button sprouted a goofy grin, as the two lovers smiled at each other.
Meanwhile, in the remains of a leviathan, an almost pinkish looking poly, forever in misery for being such a foolish child, reached out to grab the arm of another young mermaid who went to Adagio, pledging that they didn’t make the same mistake.