//------------------------------// // Memories and Catacombs // Story: The Lost Prince of the Sea // by Cursory Note //------------------------------// “Luna! Wait for me!” “Come on Luna, wait up!” The little green colt ran faster, trying to catch up with the dark blue filly, even flapping his wings a little to try and boost his speed. Luna kept running and shouted “Come on! She’s gonna catch us if you don’t hurry up!” “I’m-*huff*-trying! I just-*puff*-Can’t! Go! Any-*huff puff*-Faster!!” Luna stopped suddenly, causing the colt to run right past her and tumble into a row of bushes. Luna laughed so hard she fell down when the colt popped out of the bushes with a completely intact bird’s nest and branches stuck on his horn. “What? What are you laughing about?” Luna stopped laughing long enough to yell “You look like a tree!” The colt crossed his eyes to look at the nest before laughing and using his magic to put the nest back in the bush. He jumped out of the bush and was about to tackle Luna when a high voice yelled loudly “3..2..1! Ready or not, here I Co-ome!” “Oh no! Hide!” Both foals jumped into the hedge and inched their way backwards, giggling. While the foals were trying to silence each other, a third foal came running through the garden, looking around with a playful glare. “I’m going to find you!” The colt laughed “No you’re no-ot!” “Shhhh!” Luna nudged the colt with her hoof The white filly that had been chasing them smiled and crept towards the hedge on her belly, like a cat getting ready to pounce. The two foals in the hedge stiffened up and tried to stop giggling, but it was too late. The white filly leapt into the hedge right in front of the two foals and chased them out, all three of them screaming. The foals ran through the garden laughing and dodging each other before Luna tripped, crashing into the other two. They wrestled for a few minutes and the colt leapt free, rolling around on the grass. The white filly stood up “I win again! You’re it now Luna!” “Awww, but Celestia, I was it before you.” The colt frowned “You were not! I was it!” “Were not!” “Was so!” “Were not!” “Was so!” Celestia huffed and sat down, rolling her eyes. Luna tossed her head and said with a snort “Why do we have to keep playing Hide and Seek anyways?” The colt sighed and trotted over to the fillies “Well what about a different game?” “Like what?” Celestia nodded “Yeah, what do you want to play, Aecorum?” Aecorum shrugged “I dunno, how about…” His face lit up “How about we go swimming?” Celestia smiled and Luna clapped her hooves “Yeah! Let’s go swimming!” Aecorum started running “Last one to the water is a Griffon’s toenail!” The fillies ran after him, laughing and jumping. --- Aecorum smiled, remembering those carefree days with his two best friends. It seemed like an eternity since he had been so happy. The only sound came from the water dripping from the stalactites and the flow of sea water into the cave. His cave. The prison that he had made for himself all those years ago, after he…He couldn’t bring himself to even think the last few words. He walked through the tunnels of his home, his hoof beats echoing off the stone walls in a never ending harmony of clips and clops. He splashed through some shallow water and looked down. “Of course, I almost forgot.” He looked towards the wall opposite him and shut his eyes, focusing his energy into his horn which glowed with a grey light. His mane and tail waved weakly as the water around him glowed very slightly with the same light as his horn. After a few seconds the water started to recede back into the ocean and he smiled, opening his eyes. A few moments passed before his horn stopped glowing and he resumed walking through his cave. “Another day, another tide.” Aecorum walked in silence for a while before stopping in a large cavern and looking up at the ceiling. All along the ceiling were stones and gems set up as a perfect replica of the night sky, even including a full moon with darker stones arranged to look like the Mare in the Moon. He sighed as a drop fell from a stalactite into the water and he watched the ripples spread to the wall. Aecorum looked up at the dark silhouette and as a single tear rolled down his cheek he spoke, his voice filled with a pain and sadness that only grew colder as it echoed. “Forgive me Luna.” He bowed his head “Forgive me.”