//------------------------------// // Chapter Two // Story: A Heart Like The Sea // by Drunk Luna //------------------------------// “Oh, no, Della, don’t go near the water without Nana Lulu,” Luna called to her little granddaughter as the foal galloped towards the ocean. She had been playing in the sand with the filly until two-year-old Edelweiss had caught sight of some seagulls near the water’s edge and taken off towards the white birds. Luna used her magic to pick up the white filly and set her on her back. Giggling, Edelweiss leaned over to hug Luna’s neck, and Luna trotted over to where Neoma, Silver, and Cassie were lounging. “I think I might take Della for a swim,” she said. “Anypony want to join us?” “I’ll come,” Cassie said, reaching up to tickle her niece. “Let’s go!” The three of them waded into the calm, clear blue ocean. “Hold onto Nana, Della,” Luna gently reminded Edelweiss. “We don’t want you to fall off and get swept away.” They walked until the water reached Luna’s stomach. “Oh, this feels so nice,” Luna sighed. “We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day.” Edelweiss squealed as the water gently lapped at Luna’s sides. Cassie swam up to Luna and held out her hooves. “Come on, Della,” she coaxed her niece. “Jump to Auntie Cassie. I’ll catch you.” The foal’s eyes widened, and she giggled as she jumped into Cassie’s hooves. "Nana Lulu, Auntie Cassie, I did it!" Edelweiss yelled excitedly. “Yay, Della, you did it!” Cassie cheered. Edelweiss squealed happily and kicked at the water, and Luna magically picked the filly back up and lifted her onto her back. This time, Edelweiss jumped without hesitation, laughing as Cassie caught her again. Cassie left her niece with Luna and swam out to where she could no longer touch the bottom. The ocean was a brilliant turquoise, so clear that Cassie could see the white, sandy bottom as she treaded water. Diving underwater, Cassie spun and twirled as she swam, relishing the feeling of weightlessness that the water gave her. As she surfaced, she caught sight of a triangular fin cutting through the water as it rushed in her direction and began circling her. Cassie immediately recognized it as the blunt dorsal fin of a shark, and she froze with fear. Looking towards the beach, she could see that Luna and Edelweiss had left the water quite abruptly. She was trapped. She remained motionless for a few seconds, knowing that she would be killed if she panicked. All of the sudden, the tip of another dorsal fin sliced the water as it headed towards Cassie, but this one had a gentle curve to its shape. The soft puff of air that followed as the fin broke the surface made Cassie sigh with relief. She dipped underwater and came face to face with a dolphin. Squeaking, the dolphin took off towards the shark, chasing it off. Cassie swam to the beach as fast as she could and was relieved when she saw the dolphin resurface nearby, accompanied by his pod of well over forty others. “Cassie!” Neoma cried, giving her sister a towel. “Are you okay? We saw the shark, and we saw how that dolphin saved you. That was incredible!” “Yeah, I’m fine,” Cassie breathed as Luna trotted towards them with Della on her back. “It does not surprise me that a dolphin rescued you, Cassie,” Luna said as she levitated a giggling Edelweiss from her back and gave the filly to Neoma. “I have seen dolphins in most of your dreams. You swim with them quite frequently.” She gave her daughter a knowing smile. “For thousands of years, dolphins have saved ponies from drowning. There is an ancient Equestrian legend that says if you are rescued by a dolphin, you will be blessed with wisdom for the rest of your life. I have swum with them quite a few times, myself. They have the softest, smoothest skin I have ever felt. They love my moon because it changes the tides, sends them food, and gives them waves to play in at night. I have watched them frolic under my moon many times.” She smiled and gazed out at the water dreamily as the dolphins leapt and splashed nearby, the bright sunlight glinting off their backs. Cassie tilted her head. Even from the shore, she could hear and feel the dolphins’ high-pitched whistles and clicks; shockingly, she could also understand what they were saying to each other. “Oh, wow,” she gasped. “Mom, they’re talking about me! They’re asking that dolphin why he rescued me.” “Cassie,” Luna said, surprised, “you can understand them? How? That ability is usually only reserved for aquatic ponies.” Cassie shrugged and took another few steps towards the water as she listened “They… they want me to come play with them,” Cassie said. “They’re calling me.” “Don’t keep them waiting, then,” Luna urged her daughter. “Go and join them. I'll come with you; It's been a long time since I last swam with dolphins. Neoma, why don't you and Silver bring Della? She loves animals." "As long as we only go in up to our waists," Neoma said cautiously. Cassie scoffed. “Don’t tell me you’re afraid of dolphins, sis,” she teased. “They’re the puppies of the ocean. They won’t hurt you.” Cassie paddled out into the water and was immediately surrounded by the dolphins, who greeted her with excited chatters and squeaks. She turned around to look at Luna, who was cooing over a very young dolphin and stroking his soft, smooth belly. The baby dolphin wiggled under Luna's gentle touch as the princess of the night spoke to him in a high-pitched singsong voice, making Cassie turn away and simultaneously cringe and try not to laugh at Luna's baby talk. Neoma swam up beside Cassie, her eyes wide as a dolphin surfaced next to her. “They’re… magnificent,” she marveled. “Their eyes are so expressive, and awww, listen to their little sounds! You were right, Cass; they’re like ocean puppies!” "Only much smarter," Luna interjected, giggling as the young dolphin she had been showering with affection suddenly flipped over and swam back to his mother, who gave him an insistent shove back in Cassie's direction, content to leave her rambunctious baby in Cassie's care while she hunted nearby. "Cassie, that's amazing," Luna gasped. "The fact that she trusts you enough to leave her little one with you speaks volumes about your relationship with these creatures. Are you sure you've never met them before?" She smiled knowingly at her daughter, waiting for Cassie to connect the dots. "Wait," the pink alicorn said slowly. "No, that can't be right. Are these dolphins... from my dreams?" She inhaled sharply as her eyes widened with realization. Luna grinned and nodded. "Our dreams can sometimes give us glimpses into the future," Luna explained, "like 'deja vu,' but in reverse." "So, did you know this was going to happen today?" Cassie asked. Luna shook her head. "I can honestly say that I had no idea," she said, glancing at the horizon as the tide began to recede. "I'm as surprised as you are, but I can tell you that you clearly have a deep connection to the ocean and all her creatures, especially dolphins." Luna gestured toward her daughter's flank, and Cassie gasped as she looked over her shoulder at her brand new cutie mark: A cream colored sand dollar. "Better late than never, I guess," Cassie said with a dry chuckle. "Finally, everypony will have to stop calling me 'blank flank.'" "See, my dearest? I was right," Luna teased. "You really should listen to your mother more." Cassie rolled her eyes, and Luna responded to her daughter's sarcastic look by splashing her in the face. "Come on," Luna said, grinning. "It's starting to get dark, and I think it's time for us to go get some cocktails. This summer is going to be so much fun!"