Secrets of the Everfree

by PaisleyPerson

Chapter 14: The Secret Siren

Chapter 14
The Secret Siren

“No pony knows for sure what happened to her, but there sure are a lot of stories floating around,” Cascade began.

“Some say she’s a sea witch!” Jet exclaimed.

“She’s not a sea witch,” High Tide silenced. “She’s just had a bad experience with land ponies before, that’s all.”

“What kind of bad experience?”

“They say she fell in love,” Cascade sighed, dramatically staring off into the distance for effect.

“But he broke her heart,” Kelpie finished. High Tide looked me square in the eye before continuing the story.

“Her mother was the best siren in the history of Hippocampi. River Song was her name.” “River’s voice could make grown ponies cry. She wanted Current to follow in her hoofsteps more than anything. So Current did everything in her power to please her mother. She dedicated her life to learning the songs, and she was good, too. One of the best. Even so, she never earned her cutie mark. That only made her more focused, and more determined to become a siren. She practiced harder than ever, but it seemed that it just wasn’t her destiny. Time went on, and she grew up, still a blank flank. Even so, she was assigned a position as a Siren, given her mother’s reputation, and put on guard duty.

“One day, she spotted a ship sailing pretty close to a hippocampus pod. As a siren, it was her job to sing and lure them away. She’d sung before, but this was her first time actually drawing somepony way. Her song worked only too well. He chased after her, and for the first time, she felt like she’d really accomplished something. Like all those tedious hours she’d spent practicing hadn’t been such a waste after all. She still hadn’t earned her cutie mark, but her feelings of accomplishment were already beginning to change. She soon realized that it wasn’t pride she was feeling; she’d fallen in love.

“A siren’s job is to lure the sailors away, and deliver them to shore while another team of hippocampi take their boat back to the harbor. She had to deliver the captain of the ship. Really, he was just a rugged old unicorn sailor, but in her eyes, he looked like a prince. Once she’d dragged him to safety, she should have left, but she wanted to wait for him to wake up. It was love at first sight. Once he finally did regain consciousness, the feeling seemed to be mutual. They courted in secret, coming to see each other on the beach at sunset. This went on for almost a month.

“It was a full moon, and she went to see him, as always. It was their anniversary, and he told her that there was something special he wanted to show her. She was so excited that she didn’t think about what she was doing. He told her it was pretty far out on land, but he could hide her in his wagon during the trip. She agreed to go with him, but he had no intentions of bringing her back. She didn’t realize it until it was too late. He ponynapped her. He was going to try and turn her into a show pony, a freak for the world to see.”

“How’d she escape?” Torch gasped, eyes wide as she held us in suspense. I jumped when his voice pulled me back to reality. We were both too caught up in the story to remember here and now.

“That part’s a little fuzzy,” Tide admitted.

“Some say she tricked him with her siren song!”

“At any rate, after she got away, she became really sullen and holed up. They say that the next time his ship came out onto sea, she was waiting. She was so angry that she kicked up a storm big enough to sink his ship, and she earned her cutie mark doing it.

“No pony saw the survivors, if there were any. But what we do know for sure is that his ship, The Unbridled, is now at the bottom of the ocean. I’ve seen it myself. As far as shipwrecks go, it wasn’t such a bad find.”

“Wait, did you say The Unbridled? The hotel we’re staying at was named after a ship called The Unbridled!”

“What a coincidence,” High Tide muttered, lost in thought.

“That’s a pretty creepy coincidence!” Jet Stream exclaimed.

“What’s the story behind that ship?” Kelpie inquired.

“I’m not sure. We haven’t really thought to ask,” Torchwood confessed.

“We’ll do that, when we get back,” I decided. Torchwood nodded.

“There’s no rush!” Jet chimed.

“Yes, please do stay a little longer,” Cascade invited. “You must have more stories!” How could we say no?

---

“How do we ask about the history of the hotel without sounding suspicious?” I hissed to Torchwood. We were sitting in the lobby of The Unbridled Inn, staring at the unsuspecting receptionist as we gathered up the courage to pose our question.

“I don’t think we’re going to rouse much suspicion asking about the hotel’s origins. We’re curious tourists, remember? There are hundreds more just like us.” He started for the front desk without me.

“Oh. Right.” I hurried to catch up with him.

“Excuse me, Miss,” he began, “do you have a moment?” The cheerful young mare currently on shift brightly looked up at us, a wide smile plastered on her face. She must have been new, because there would be no way I could still be so perky this time of day.

“Of course, sir! How can I help you?”

“My wife and I are tourists,” he explained. I smiled and nodded as I was mentioned, and the mare nodded back, still smiling. “We heard that the hotel was named after The Unbridled, a ship. Is that right?”

“Yes it is, sir,” she cheerfully confirmed. “It was a cargo ship that was sunk in a tropical storm around fifteen years ago. It was a rather mysterious storm; nopony saw it coming. It was really detrimental to the town, though. The Unbridled was one of our main transport vessels. Anyway, one of the survivors from the wreck eventually founded this hotel in honor of the ship.”

“A survivor?” Torch and I looked to each other.

“Mr. Mark is my manager,” she nodded.

“Was Mr. Mark the captain of The Unbridled?” I asked, wide-eyed.

“No,” she shook her head. “Mr. Water Mark was, however, the son of the captain Buoy Mark. His father always told him stories of merponies, and he was young enough at the time to believe them. He stowed aboard his father’s ship to try and spot one the day of the storm, hiding in one of the ship’s barrels. Out of all the days to sneak aboard, right? Well, when the storm hit, most of the cargo was tossed overboard, including Mr. Mark’s barrel. It was probably the only thing that kept him from sinking with the rest of the ship.”

“Wow,” I dared to breathe. “He sure was lucky.”

“He doesn’t still believe in ‘merponies,’ does he?” Torchwood joked in an attempt to lighten the mood and pry additional information.

“Oh, of course not,” the receptionist laughed. “He grew out of that long ago. Besides, I think he reasons that if there were such things as merponies, they would have stopped the ship from sinking.”

“Sounds logical enough,” Torch nodded, displaying an expert poker face.

“It’s all so fascinating,” I agreed, failing to look or sound quite as convincing as he. “I don’t mean to keep you from your other customers, but maybe you know of a place where we could do some more of our own research?”

“The hotel’s brochure has an article on the whole story,” she informed, gesturing to the fliers laid out on the desk. “Feel free to take one. If you’re really interested, you might also have some luck at the book store.”

“Thank you for your time,” Torchwood smiled. “You were very helpful.”

“You’re welcome!” she exclaimed, looking like the happiest pony in the world. I took one of the indicated fliers on our way back.

“She was definitely new,” Torch whispered once we were safely out of earshot. I just giggled.

Once we’d made it back to our hotel room, we crawled onto the bed and opened up the brochure. Of course, it was nothing more than an advertisement, and only a tiny article on the back had been reserved for the history of the hotel. Most of it just boasted of the Inn’s services and prestige. We learned nothing new. In fact, the receptionist had told us more than the article.

“What do you think?” I sighed, closing the brochure. “Should we try the book store she told us about?”

“That’s not a bad idea,” he nodded. But looking over at the clock, his whole body seemed to sink as if the last few days were finally catching up to us. It was only nine thirty, but I was just as exhausted. “They’re probably closed by now. Let’s call it a night and stop by first thing in the morning.”

“I like that idea,” I happily sighed, sinking back into the sheets. Torch switched off the lights, and we were both asleep within minutes.

---

“This looks promising,” I said, reading the back of one of the books. He turned away from the one in his own hoof and peered over at mine.

“Hippocampi: Ponies of the Sea,” he read. “Isn’t that a bit suspicious?”

“It’s like you said. We’re tourists interested in the culture of Tall Tale Beach. Hippocampi seem to be a popular urban legend. And besides, it’s not illegal to buy books on mythical creatures. They wouldn’t sell them here if it was.”

“Alright, fair enough,” he chuckled. “This one is all about The Unbridled. It looks like it’s mostly statistics and fun facts, but it looks like there are a few promising chapters.”

“Great. Just these, then?”

“Unless you’ve found another that you must have,” he lovingly teased.

“I’m good,” I assured.

“Alright, then. I’ll pay for these if you start getting the food together.”

“You got it,” I agreed, trotting out the store and out to the market. We’d been invited back to the hippocampi lagoon again, and since we’d probably end up spending another full day, we were going to bring our own lunch. We figured the girls would get a kick out of it, too, if we brought enough food for everypony. Of course, since we were staying at a hotel without a handy-dandy refrigerator, we had to buy the food just before we left. Fresher was probably better, anyway.

After I’d gathered enough snacks, I met Torchwood on the beach. There wasn’t a pony in sight.

“Ready?” he asked, wings poised.

“Only if you are.” I took off without waiting for an answer, and it wasn’t long before he was up in the air, playfully chasing after me. I twirled a couple of times before I remembered that I had to mind the food. Even so, now that we had a little extra altitude and knew where we were going, the flight was much shorter than before. We found Cascade waiting in the lagoon with Kelpie. Nopony else had arrived yet.

“Ooh! What’s this?” The ever-curious Kelpie asked as soon as we touched down, scurrying up to investigate the picnic basket.

“We brought lunch,” Torchwood answered.

“Lunch? What’s lunch?”

“It’s... lunch. You know, when you eat food, usually around noon. Don’t you have mealtimes?”

“Mealtimes, of course,” Cascade sang, slithering up to greet us, “but we just eat when we’re hungry. We don’t have set times for when we dine.”

“Can I have some?” Kelpie hopefully inquired.

“Didn’t you hear Mrs. Acrylic, dear? We must wait until noon,” Cascade scolded.

“Why?” the younger one pined.

“Because that’s how the land ponies do it, sweetie. Don’t you want to experience their culture?”

“Oh, alright,” she grouchily consented.

“She can eat now if she wants,” Torch sounded.

“No, no, no! That’s quite alright, Mr. Torchwood. Kelpie must learn patience. If we are to share ‘lunch’ with you, we must do it properly.”

“If you say so,” I chuckled. She was taking lunch far too seriously in my opinion, but perhaps that really was how they saw ‘land culture.’

“I trust you had a fair night’s sleep?”

“We did, thank you. I hope the same is true of you?”

“Yes, it was quite restful.”

“Speak for yourself!” Kelpie exclaimed. “I was too excited to get a wink of sleep!”

“Sorry. I guess that was our fault,” Torch winced. I blushed, too.

“Don’t worry about it. Besides, it was all worth it. I came up with a billion more questions to ask you about land life!” I shook my head in amusement. I couldn’t think of a question she hadn’t already asked.

“Well, ask away, I suppose.”

“Wait! Don’t start without us!” Jet called, crashing clumsily through the trees and tripping in time to flop into the water. I hoped she was more graceful underwater, because on land she was just as much of a klutz as Ditzy.

“Yeah, hold up!” Whirlpool was able to join us today, and sluggishly pushed her way through the brush. Land didn’t seem to be her forte either.

“Where’s High Tide?” Kelpie hopefully asked.

“I think she’s still trying to talk Current down.”

“Yeah. I convinced her to keep her trap shut yesterday, but she still might go back on her word,” Whirlpool sniffed.

“Do ya think we should wait for them?”

“No need,” the familiar voice called. We all turned in the direction of the rustling as High Tide’s face appeared above the undergrowth. She held a bushy fern out of the way as the stern-faced mare I’d come to know as Current crawled out. Even as she sat on the grass, nose turned up, she looked important and regal. Everypony had fallen silent upon her arrival.

“So, you are the land ponies,” she finally sniffed, giving us a critical look-over.

“Yes, we are. My name is Acrylic. It’s good to meet you.” I moved from my seat to offer my hoof to the mare. She shied away from it like it was a snake, wrinkling her nose.

“It’s a land custom, Current,” Kelpie whispered. “When you meet somepony new, you shake hooves.”

“Like this!” Jet Stream and Cascade volunteered to demonstrate from Cascade’s special rock in the center of the lagoon. I warmly stretched out my hoof a little farther to prompt her to try again. She just cast me a disdainful look, ignored my extended hoof, and moved for a more comfortable seat by the water. I released a quiet sigh of defeat, and returned to my husband. Cascade cleared her throat, if just to break the silence. Finally, High Tide spoke up.

“Acrylic, Torchwood? Why don’t you tell us about how you returned thestrals to Equestria?”

“But Tide, we’ve already heard that one,” Kelpie complained.

“Well, I don’t seem to remember it very well. Please, would you tell it again?” I realized by her tone of voice that she really wanted Current to hear it. We all seemed to catch the hint after that.

“It would be my pleasure,” Torch answered. The hippocampi mares all settled in to get comfortable, but Current remained as rigid and unmoving as ever. She barely blinked throughout the entire story, though the others tried to encourage her with enthusiastic ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ of their own. Whenever Torch asked for my side of the story, I offered it, not trying to make us sound heroic so much as trustworthy. Mostly, though, he did the speaking, and I used the extra time to carefully study Current’s unchanged expression.

“And so here we are, happy and well,” Torch concluded.

“Great story!” Jet applauded.

“See, Current? They kept their race a secret for years. We can trust them.”

“Yet, now all of Equestria knows of their kind.” Current looked like she was exerting serious effort to keep from snarling in disgust.

“But, don’t you see? It was our time to return. Maybe it’s time hippocampi did, too,” I pressed.

“We will never belong on the surface,” she snapped. Turning our back to us, she managed to regain her composure. “Believe me. I know.”

“Current, just give them a chance,” Kelpie begged.

“I did, once. That was the worst mistake of my life. It’s one I never intend to make again.”

“Current, please, we aren’t like Buoy Mark. We’d never tell.”

“How?” She whirled on me like I’d slapped her. “How dare you speak his name? How did you find out?” Next, she turned on your friends. “What did you tell them? How could you betray my trust like this?!”

“They didn’t say anything! We did some digging around last night,” I cut her off. “We worked it out on our own.”

“The land world knows about me? About what happened?” she angrily cried.

“No! They don’t know about you specifically.”

“What do you mean, ‘me specifically?’”

“There are legends about hippocampi as a species-”

“WHAT?!”

“They’re just legends! There were myths about thestrals too, before now! Nopony actually believes them!”

“Then how did you know about Buoy Mark?”

“We heard a little bit here, and it was enough to piece some stuff together back at the hotel...”

“I told them.” High Tide stepped forward, head held high.

“How could you?” Current’s furious distress seemed even more threatening than her cold, stern face. “Out of everyone here, I trusted you the most. What have you done?”

“I think we can trust them, Current. Don’t you?” Current’s blazing eyes turned on me, then on Torch. I tried to make myself look as earnest as possible.

“No,” she decided. “And I never will.” She began to march away, but her hoof brushed the bag our newly purchased books had been placed in. The disturbance caused them to slide out and into view. The hippocampus on the cover of mine caught her eye, and she froze.

“Where did you get this?”

“I was just curious. It was at the book store and...” I bit my lip, her very presence almost causing me to burst into tears. This was the last straw. She’d finally had it with the incompetent land ponies. In one swift, furious motion, both books were kicked into the lagoon. Cascade hadn’t been quick enough to save them, but now offered the soggy, ruined tomes. They weren’t salvageable; the water had instantly soaked the pages, causing the ink to bleed everywhere. My heart fell.

“Get out,” Current ordered.

“I think we’ve outstayed our welcome,” Torch agreed, coming up to wrap a wing around my crestfallen frame.

“But-” Kelpie began to protest.

“OUT!” Torchwood nodded once more, cuing us both to wave farewell to the rest of them. We finally had to leave our new friends.

---

Torchwood had done everything in his power to cheer me up. We’d gone to swim with dolphins, which really was a treat, though I required a little more encouragement after my recent, unpleasant experience with water. Even after a rather luxurious dinner, I still felt miserable. The fact that my foul mood was ruining what was supposed to be a happy honeymoon only made me feel worse. I’d blown it. Everything had gone fine when Torchwood was talking to them, but then I had to open my big mouth and ruin all his hard work. He finally decided that maybe another walk on the beach would put me in better spirits. Of course, a walk on the beach at sunset is far more romantic than one on a sunny evening, so we waited a while.

In the meantime, we had nothing better to do than return to the hotel. We remained in the lounge, where we found a small selection of books. It was by no means a library, but we both decided to find something to read and pass the time. Torchwood seemed to have no trouble in settling on a decent mystery.

My hippocampus book had been destroyed, but I found another, smaller volume on them here. Intrigued, I plucked it from the shelf and joined Torchwood in the neighboring armchair. We were close enough to hold hooves as we read, just as a tender way to spend the time together.

“A fascinating read, is it not?” I looked over the top of the page into the face of a young blue stallion. He had sea green eyes, and a brown, matted mane. His beard was short and grizzly, as was his tail. Despite this rugged appearance, he was strangely handsome. And interestingly, his cutie mark was of a buoy floating on the water. He was a unicorn.

“I’m sorry, I don’t believe we’ve met.”

“No, we haven’t. I’m Water Mark. I’m the manager of this hotel.”

“Ah. It’s good to meet you, Mr. Mark.” I glanced over at Torchwood to make sure he was listening. A subtle nod on his part told me he was. I allowed him to shake my hoof. “I’m Acrylic, and this is my husband.”

“Torchwood,” he greeted, also shaking hooves with the unicorn as it came his turn.

“It’s good to meet you both. I trust you are enjoying your stay at The Unbridled?”

“The service has been wonderful,” Torch assured. Remembering the last time I opened tried to say something ‘nice,’ I let him do the talking.

“I’m glad to hear it!” he enthusiastically exclaimed. He made no move to leave or continue the conversation, and I instinctively opened my mouth again.

“Would you care to join us, Mr. Mark?” Torchwood cast me a disbelieving look, and I instantly realized what a bad idea that had been. Too late, now.

“Don’t mind if I do,” he said, welcoming himself to the armchair across from us. He seemed to relax in the plush cushions for a moment, but then the cover of my book, displaying a hippocampus, attracted his eyes like a magnet.

“You know, my father would tell me stories about those.”

“About what?” I asked, playing innocent.

“Hippocampi,” he clarified. Leaning back, his eyes seemed to shine in remembrance of fond memories. “Ponies from the sea. My father was the captain of The Unbridled, a small cargo ship. He’d always tell me, ‘Mark, my boy, they’re out there. You might not see them out under the water, but they’re out there. The prettiest ponies ya ever did see, with even prettier voices.’ Boy, could they sing! He and his crew would sometimes get lucky enough to catch bits and pieces of a siren song out on the water. He taught me one of their songs, once. I only remember one of the verses now. It quite bothers me that I don’t remember the rest. I know it went something like,

“The blackest night, a star-speckled sky-

“Is it so different from pearls shining in the deep?

“Why does it have to be so unreachably high?

“I dream of swimming through the stars when I sleep.

“Sure is a pretty tune, ain’t it?”

“Oh, Mr. Mark, hippocampi are nothing more than legend. Just myths thought up by homesick sailors,” I chuckled.

“Laugh if you will,” he huffed, “but I know they’re out there. You know, there was a time when we thought you thestrals were nothing more than myth. But here you are, in the flesh. Is it so crazy to believe in another pony breed? I’m telling you, hippocampi are as real as you are. And one of these days, I’ll prove it.”

“Acrylic, dear, I think we should go,” Torchwood interrupted.

“Right,” I agreed, standing. “It was very good to meet you, Mr. Mark, but we must be going.” The colt almost seemed offended at our sudden departure.

“We’re on our honeymoon, and I’ve promised the Missus a walk on the beach,” Torch winked. At that, Water Mark eased up a bit.

“Well, I’m honored that you chose to stay at The Unbridled Inn for such a special occasion. I, too, have someplace to be. The best of luck to you, and remember, if you need anything at all, we’re just a call away.”

“Thank you, Mr. Mark.”

“What were you thinking?” Torch hissed once we were out of earshot. “Inviting him to sit with us?”

“I wasn’t,” I admitted. “Just trying to be polite. But as of late, that seems to get me into trouble more often than not.” Torch’s expression softened. Neither of us had needed such a reminder.

“Come on,” he beckoned. “Maybe a walk on the beach will clear our heads.”

I was taken to our own little strip of sand; the one where we’d first found Kelpie. I was unsure about it at first, since I was supposed to be trying to forget about them, but perhaps a stroll here could provide some closure.

“I’ll miss them,” Torch said, finally bringing up the unavoidable topic we’d both been dodging. “But they certainly gave us an unforgettable honeymoon.”

“Yes, I guess there is that,” I agreed. Memories of our brief time together began floating up, giving me a warm fuzzy feeling inside. The encounter had changed our world, and theirs.

“Perhaps they just aren’t ready to come back. Maybe some things just aren’t meant to be found.”

“Maybe,” I doubtfully agreed. “But we made friends with most of them. We were so fascinated by one another, I bet we could have spent the whole week learning about their world and teaching them about ours, and we still wouldn’t get bored.”

“Even so, we must respect their privacy.”

“I know, I know.” It wasn’t their privacy I was meant to respect so much as Current’s. Just because she’d had a bad experience before didn’t make all of us bad. I was tired of being labeled as a criminal. They didn’t know me. I hadn’t done wrong to them. I hated that species had to be such a barrier in friendships. Just because I was a thestral, I had almost lost my Ponyville friends. I didn’t want it to prevent me from making new ones.

“Is that...” Torch muttered aloud, squinting off into the distance. I could make out a dark form off in the distance, but I couldn’t tell quite who it was over the glare of the sun. I shielded my eyes from the light and tried to make out who it was. It was definitely a hippocampus.

“Kelpie?” I guessed, taking a few steps forward to greet our friend.

“No.” Torch held me back. “Look closer.” So I squinted again and watched, waiting for the sun to hit her just right to give me just a hint at her coat color. It wasn’t her coat that sparkled so much as her neon blue mane.

“Current?! But what’s she doing out here? She hates us!”

“I don’t know. Stay down. Let’s get a closer look.”

We scuttled around the boulders at the base of the cliff, using them as cover until we neared the tide pool where she came to rest. No longer was this a stern-faced, arrogant mare, but a soft, broken filly. She climbed into the pool, letting her head and hooves rest on the edge. She gazed at the sand below, sometimes flicking her tail to create a soft splash that would break the silence. I barely dared to breathe.

The first star appeared in the sky, and Current was there to greet it. When Luna raised her moon into the sky, she looked about ready to cry.

“I promised myself I never would,” she quietly wept to herself. I cocked my head. She wasn’t so tough as she looked, but I still didn’t understand why she was out here. She sighed, seeming to lose an argument with herself. Against her better judgment, she poised herself on the rock, turned her face to the moon, and sang.

...

“The blackest night, a star-speckled sky-

“Is it so different from pearls shining in the deep?

“Why does it have to be so unreachably high?

“I dream of swimming through the stars when I sleep.

...

“Are we so different?

“Must we remain apart?

“I’d return to you in an instant

“If you could have just loved me,

“My dear Buoy Mark.”

...

So this really was about a tragic love complex?

Current didn’t get the chance to dive into the next verse before a bright spotlight glared down on her. The bright light temporarily blinded Torch and I, causing us both to press closer to the rock.

“Oh, is that how the song goes?” a strangely familiar voice asked.

“Buoy?” Current breathed, shielding her face from the light. None of us could get a clear look at the approaching figure. “Is that you?”

“I’m afraid not, dearie. But why don’t you come with me? There are some ponies I want you to meet.” Current tried to scurry away from the approaching figure, but the approaching colt proved to be quicker. He bolted to block her path, easily subduing her on land. She was pinned in an instant. “Leaving so soon? What’s the rush, Current? I know my ship ain’t so grand as The Unbridled- you know, the one you sank- but she’s still a beaut.” Torch started to jump to her aid, but I held him back. We needed to know what he was up to first. And, as much as I hated to admit it, there was a tiny voice at the back of my mind that didn’t want to help her.

“Who are you?” she frantically cried.

“The name’s Mark,” he snorted in reply. “Water Mark.” The hotel manager then levitated a cloth sack and a piece of rope that he promptly used to bind the mare. Resistance was futile. With his victim secure, the unicorn casually levitated his whole load into the air behind him.

I was frozen from shock. I’d just witnessed a ponynapping. Current’s ponynapping.

Author's Note:

A/N: Yes, another Doctor Who reference. Sorry, I just couldn't resist.

Comments

[Remmy4warlord]

i.imgur.com/XP3vlzM.jpg

[Nightmare Loopy]

Oi, don't tell them about the reference!

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