Ocean Eyes

by Soothing Stone


Let's Just Say We're Good

The heat was always bad around that time of the summer, from high temperatures to humidity that made it seem like you were in a sauna after just a few minutes outdoors. Regardless of the month, the ocean had a funny way to make it feel cooler than it really was. The water knew how to cool off even the hottest pony or dragon with just a brief splash of mist, let alone diving underneath the surface. 

That’s what Ember experienced when she dove into the sea. She had a snorkel and pair of goggles around her head, and her hooves lightly kicked around the water. Even from a foot or two below the surface, she saw a vista of sea life she never thought she would see so clearly in her life. It was one thing to read about a school of swordtail fish, but another to actually see it in person.

On top of that, she spotted numerous gardens of coral reefs, some of them wearing all the colors of the rainbow. Everything about it was oddly soothing to her. All the peace and relaxation she was looking for when she first set sail to Equus Beach, she was finally experiencing it now. Despite that, there was still a sense of guilt to everything she did. It bore down on her, and she didn’t feel like it was appropriate to stay like this. 

She raised her head above the water, a lot of it dripping down her mane. “Ahhhhh…nothing like actual air in the lungs after all that.” She drifted down to the little boat she rented out for the occasion, where there was one certain guest with her. 

Naturally, Frigid had another icy bench in the boat, but it didn’t weigh the vehicle down any more than his own mass did. He pulled away from the bench and sat on the edge of the port side. “Is it pretty down there? I’ve never been able to see it myself.” 

“Then you should go down there for yourself.” Ember used her magic to pull the goggles and snorkel off her face, and she levitated them in front of the dragon. In the meantime, she climbed herself back on board, shaking all the water off her fur like a dog. “What’s stopping you? Actually, now that I think about it, can dragons swim? I never really found out…” 

“We swim in lava. That’s enough for most of us.” Frigid lended Ember a hand back on board, and he stared at the instruments for a moment. “How does this work? I’m not familiar with either one of these things.”

Ember wanted to snark at such a silly comment, but then it hit her. “I guess that makes sense when there’s a bunch of volcanoes and stuff in the Dragon Lands...here. Let me put them on you.” She adjusted the straps of the goggles along Frigid’s head, and the dragon remained still. “The goggles are for seeing underwater, and the snorkel is so you can breathe while you’re one or two feet deep, if that makes sense.”

Frigid stared at the snorkel, and he slowly put it down. “I can hold my breath for a minute or two. Thanks for the goggles, though.” He tightened it around his eyes, and he got himself comfortable. “And thanks for hanging out with me.”

“No problem.” Ember kept checking for any signs that Frigid was secretly upset. She had a habit of hiding when she was going through a rough time when she was a filly, and she would tell in seconds if someone did the same. But he didn’t. “Hey, I really do like hanging out with you. You’re kinda cool. Pun intended.”

He let out a brief but deep grunt, something that almost sounded like restrained laughter to Ember, although it wasn’t meant to be. “And you’re like a warm flame. Pun intended. I think.” Before Ember could tell him that that wasn’t how puns worked, Frigid took a deep breath and dove deep into the water. It created a wave so large, it lifted the boat up and nearly tipped it over.

“Ahhh! I rented this…they’ll chew me a new one if I ruined it...” Ember was prepared to use a spell to level it out, but the wave stopped its course of action before it came to the worst case scenario. With that out of the way, she noted that the water around this little part of the ocean was crystal clear. Keeping that in mind, she gazed over the deck and watched Frigid swim along the water.

To put it lightly, she was blown away with the grace Frigid carried around in the water. He moved with a quick pace around the boat, and he dove at least a dozen feet below the surface. The poise he swam with was like watching a Wonderbolt master the skies and clouds, and she was mesmerized. There were soft drinks on board...frosted by Frigid, of course...and she had to know the ice would melt on this occasion. That was the last thing on her mind when she was witnessing something this special.

Frigid’s legs kicked around, and he was careful not to touch a coral reef bed or harm a fish by accident. A current of cool air brushed around him with each move, and it was so strong that Ember felt it on the boat. Before long, his eyes were closed, and he was letting the currents of the ocean carry him where they pleased.

Knowing she was alone, Ember brought her front hooves along the barrier and sighed. “Damn. He’s a nice guy, considerate, got the drinks cold for me just because, and he’s a great swimmer, too. Why did you have to say all that stuff to him, Ember…”

On the plus side, she thought he appeared to be at complete peace with the ocean as he glided through its currents. It dawned on her that he wasn’t even using his wings, and he was still that fast. As if dragons don’t already have a ton of advantages over ponies…

Then he glided his body back to the direction of the boat, and he lifted his head above the water just ten feet away from Ember. It was the first time he carried any emotion on his face, and she swore it was something resembling happiness. As it turned out, she misread it, and he was merely opening his mouth for air. He pulled the goggles off his head gently tossed them into the boat.

“I see why ponies like it down there,” he noted, taking in more oxygen while he climbed back on board. He flopped on his back and spent a moment to recover. “It’s beautiful. The fishes are so vibrant. And those...I think they’re called coral reefs...I liked them. I wish I could touch them, but when I hit my foot on one of them, it burned my scales like the hottest lava pools.”

“Oof, yeah. I think it’s called fire reef or something like that. You gotta avoid that stuff.” Ember finally helped herself to some soda, and she was at peace. Well, when she wasn’t worried that Frigid might be gasping for air. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I’ll be fine. I’ve held my breath for longer under lava.” Frigid’s breathing relaxed after he finished speaking, and he sat upright. “There, much better. I’m glad I got to try that.”

Given how long he was underwater, that raised a red flag in Ember’s mind. “How did you learn to hold your breath for that long, anyway? It can’t just be because you have big lungs, given you’re a big dragon.” 

Frigid curled up his legs and rubbed the feeling back to his knees, and he let them loosen out underneath him. “I don’t really know. I hated the heat, but now and then, it was relaxing to swim in a volcano. It’s like everything was so clear to me. It became one of my favorite hobbies after a while.” 

The idea of a younger Frigid swimming alone in lava all day was both badass and saddening to Ember’s mind. “You...didn’t have many friends growing up, did you?”

Despite how emotionless he remained, Ember wasn’t sure if she should have brought it up. Still, he didn’t appear to be upset after the topic came up. Then again, he didn’t appear to feel anything most times. That was just the way he was, as Ember figured out.

“No,” he spoke softly. “When Torch was the Dragon Lord, it was hard to make friends in the Dragon Lands. You only really made friends by throwing your weight around or dominating everyone. I don’t enjoy doing that. It never felt right.” 

If Ember thought she was a jerk for friendzoning him immediately, it was cemented after learning that. “At least things are different now. I visited the Dragon Lands after Dragon Lord...um...the other Ember worked with Princess Twilight. We’re all practically friends now. She’s made a lot of friends, and that little dragon, Spike, he’s got so many friends, too. They’re both dragons.”

“And they’re both smaller than me, and they talk a lot more than me,” Frigid sighed. “It’s still been hard to make friends. Might be why I like hanging out with you already. You’re nice. You want to hang out and talk. I like that.” 

Ember’s ears still parted down her head. “Why do I feel like there’s a ‘but’ coming?” 

“...there shouldn’t be. I was just surprised you said you didn’t want to date when we just met.” Frigid wouldn’t say or show it, but there was a sting in his chest. “I wouldn’t have pushed it.” 

And then Ember’s ears were practically glued down to her head. “I’m sorry. I kinda felt like it was a sore point when I said it. We can still hang out, though.” 

“Then what did you have in mind?” 

Now that she had her back against the wall, Ember checked around the boat. It had a motor to it with a few simple controls, and she knew it could go fast if she felt like it. “I might have an idea. Could be a great way to cheer us both up.” 

Frigid tilted his head over in her direction. “Where is this going? And I’m okay. You don’t have to worry about me like that.” 

“Nah, I’m not accepting that as an answer. We’re gonna have some fun while we’re out here.” Ember scanned the ocean around them. Using the controls on the boat, she guided them down to the deeper parts of the blue horizon, to the point where it was hard to see Equus Beach from there. She wasn’t worried about getting lost, given she had a dragon on board.

After a bit, she observed the water below. Just as she expected, the ocean turned deeper to the point where any fish or coral reefs would be way below them. “So my idea is...you use your ice breath to make an obstacle course for us.” 

He remained calm and controlled, but he tilted his head again. “You seem fixated on my ice abilities. Are they that special to you?” 

“Hay yeah, they’re special!” She gazed across the waterscape ahead of her, and she used a hoof to get a good idea of where everything was. “How about...you make a huge ramp that we can fly on? We could use it to gain some air like crazy.”

Frigid countered by flapping his wings around. “But I have these. Why would we need a ramp?”

“Come on, this is more fun and exciting. Do you wanna give it a shot?” She was hoping by Luna’s mane that he would say yes. Anything to help his mood out.

She could practically see the gears turning in his head, wondering if this was such a good idea. At the end of the day, he nodded. “I’m going to do it for you, though. I’ll be fine either way.”

“That’s the spirit! Now make the best ramp you can make!” 

The more she talked, the more perplexed Frigid was about her well being, but he went ahead and got off the boat, hovering above the surface with his wings. He would guide his lips to the water, and he wondered if this was a good idea or not. Either way, the pink pony really wanted this, and that’s what mattered most of all.

In turn, he breathed down along the ocean. The beginning of a ramp would take form, and he used his breath with precision and grace. She was positively giddy when she saw the ramp emerge into form, and he used his wings to slowly come up with the structure.

When Ember first came up with the idea, she figured he would take it easy, no matter how much she wanted the biggest ramp in the world. And then he actually went through with her crazy plan. The ramp was...well...the top was at least twenty feet tall. It helped that he made the curve a gentle one, but she gulped from the sheer size of it. “By Celestia’s mane...he did it…”

Frigid finished up his work and brought himself back to the deck of the boat. “I figured that was big enough to make you happy. What do you think?”

A drop of sweat rolled down Ember’s neck, and she was second guessing herself. “I...I had no idea it was going to be that big. That might be the biggest boat ramp I’ve ever seen…”

“Should I make it smaller? I could make it half that size with a few punches if you like.”

Despite knowing this was a horrible idea that could break the boat in half, Ember shook her head. “No. We’re doing this.” She grabbed the handle on the boat’s controls, and she braced herself to pull up. “We’ve come this far. This is our destiny now. We’re going to fly like pegasi!” 

“Or dragons…” Frigid found himself gripping the sides of the boat a little tighter than before.

Everything in Ember’s heart and soul was telling her this was a terrible idea. Well, except her hoof. That part grabbed the handle with the hoof hook made specifically for ponies, and she pushed it forward. The ramp remained ahead of them, silky smooth and ready for the boat that was about to glide over it. 

More sweat poured down her face from the nerves she had to summon to make this happen, and she turned to Frigid. He was his usual stoic self, but his eyes were glued solely to her. “We’ll be fine!” she tried to convince herself. “It’s gonna be fine!”

“I’m not worried about me…” Frigid trailed off. 

And then the boat finally made it to the beginning of the ramp. He didn’t just make the curve easy, he built the ramp for the kind of boat they were on. It’s why the boat glided so easily along its surface. The wind around the boat picked up, and Ember’s heart sank from getting so close to the top. 

Then the moment of truth was coming...the top was just mere feet away. “AHHHHHH!” Ember pushed the handle all the way for max speed, but Frigid wrapped an arm around her. She didn’t have to think to see he was doing it to protect her skin. That didn’t stop the boat from flying off the ramp.

Then, at long last, there was nothing but air around them. The skin around Ember’s jawline nearly peeled back, and her eyelids were almost flapping against the wind. Frigid’s grip on her turned tighter, and they nearly fell off the boat. It was the first time she swore she saw a hint of worry on his face, no matter if she was just seeing things. Given the huge drop in her stomach, she was pretty sure the same thing was happening to her, too.

It was sinking more, more, and more, and she realized in a split second that she should have asked if the boat would survive such a drop. Then it crashed back on the surface. Frigid and Ember both landed on their sides along the deck, and the impact created a wave in all directions around them. Amazingly, though, the boat didn’t sink. It didn’t even take any damage. How that happened, only the princesses would know.*

*If Twilight had seen this, she would have spent the next few hours explaining that Frigid angled the ramp just right, so the boat would take the pressure of the impact across all of the bottom, not just one part. That’s why it didn’t take any damage. She would also question if it was okay if a “true” princess was still allowed to lecture ponies like this. Celestia didn’t stop princesshood from lecturing others when she had to. 

After the impact, Frigid and Ember alike were in a daze. She slowly creaked her eyes open, and Frigid was doing the same thing. His own eyes were widened but still stoic, and he slowly came to her side. “Are you okay? Does it hurt anywhere?”

“....those were the best twenty seconds of my life…” Ember lifted her head up in his hands and slowly got up. “Dude. That ramp, we gotta do it again. Once the head trauma’s gone, at least….I’ll wear a helmet next time…”

Frigid merely sighed and shook his head. “You’re crazy. You’re all crazy in Equestria. I’m just glad you’re okay.” After seeing she was okay, he lifted his head up to check out the ramp. “I don’t think we can use it again, though.” 

Curious what he meant, Ember stood on all four hooves and saw that the boat caused a huge cut along the surface of the ramp. “How fast was I going? Well, we can’t use this again, and it’s not gonna melt, so…” She used a spell to cover the entire ramp in her blue flame. Soon enough, it would slowly melt from all of her magic. “There we go. Give it a few minutes, it will be like nothing ever happened down here.”

“Yeah.” After he caught his breath from everything they just did, he sat down on his rear. “That was heartpounding. Swimming and then risking our lives for fun. Is this what you normally do?”

“It’s what I wish I was doing all the time.” Ember sat down on her flank as well, sighing along with the dragon. 

After a long little pause, though, Frigid’s eyes lowered to the floor, staring at his legs. “...did you say you didn’t want to date because of that ‘plothole’ ex of yours, or for some other reason?”

That brought all the life back to Ember, and not for the right reasons. “I...uhhh…”

“I’m a big dragon. I can take it. I just…” He seemed unwilling to continue at first. “I want to date someone, eventually, and I don’t care if it’s a dragon or pony as long as they like me. I don’t want to force you into it, though. I just want to know if that was the true reason or not.”

Ember rubbed at her front hooves, and she was hesitant to continue. “I really don’t know. If you haven’t dated before, it sucks when you break up. There’s always a fight that sparks it or leads up to it. I just...I don’t know.” 

Seeing the wince in her eyes, he let it go. “Okay. I’m still okay if we’re friends. Just wanted to know.”  

“I get that, Frigid. For what it’s worth, you’re a nice dragon, and anyone that has you as their boyfriend is going to be lucky.” YOU BUCKING IDIOT, just tell him the truth. Why is that so hard? 

You know why it’s hard. Because it’s a selfish reason why you’re not wanting to date him…

While the ramp continued to melt in the flames, a certain figure used it as cover to observe the proceedings. The little sigh in the dragon’s throat after Ember finished speaking was delicious to the orange lady’s eyes. She saw the boat turning back to Equus Beach, and she dove under the ramp to get herself some cover. 

After it was all said and done, she wound up back at the cave that she called home for the time being. When she returned, the amount of ponies and griffons there had already doubled since the morning. They were all entranced by the presence of their new master, and many bowed before her.

“You know that’s not necessary,” she told them all. They rose back up to their hooves and feet. “I just want to know if you’ve made the preparations as I commanded.” 

“We have,” said one griffon. “There’s a lot of lonely and lost people here. When do we strike?” 

“Tomorrow,” she spoke with a calmness that was almost unnerving. “Based on what I saw, I just need to have a little conversation with that dragon.” A heavy, but lovely sigh escaped from her lips. “To think I’m so close after waiting for this long…”