Silent Song

by SonicFan117DASH

The Freshman Fair

Two Months Later, Canterlot City

On the edge of Canterlot City stood a brand new single-story house, its roof designed to look like a combination between a sand dollar and a starfish. It was a moonlit night and in the kitchen of the house was Cirratum, wearing an apron woven out of seaweed and kelp, currently sweating over a steamed voltfin trout, her son’s favorite meal.

Tomorrow was Canterlot High’s Freshman Fair, a form of open house for new students to meet and greet their teachers and schoolmates, sign up for the various clubs and after school activity groups, learn your way around the campus, and more.

If Cirratum was perfectly honest with herself, she had been as hesitant, and scared, to leave her ancestral home as her son and their escorts were. She was just as unfamiliar with the unknown beyond the protective walls of Zora’s Domain as the next Zora and feared as much. However, she was determined to not be slowed down by the potential prejudice and backlash she’d receive and stay strong for her people, but more importantly, her son.

Speaking of her offspring, Cirratum looked behind her to see him sitting on a stool in the living room, practicing his harp. It brought a nostalgic smile to her face; he couldn’t be separated from that harp to safe his own life. In her eyes, it was his way of talking since he never spoke a word following...

Cirratum shook her head to banish any resurfacing, unhappy memories. Now was not the time for tears. She turned back to the stove and turned down the heat to hear her son play.

***

In the center of an endless, starry void, Ecco stood. In his left arm was a silver harp, with sapphires embedded on the sides. His eyes were closed as he was caught in a therapeutic trance, lost in the notes his harp made every time he plucked the strings.

As Ecco began the second half of the first verse, the sound of a second harp filled the void. He opened his eyes slowly and looked to his left, the silhouette of an adult Zora standing right next to him. The Zora had indigo scales, snow-white underbelly, and dark green eyes. He, too, held a harp in his hands, a harp bearing a striking resemblance to the one Ecco was playing, and strumming the same tune as him.

As the song reached its climax the adult Zora turned to look at Ecco, a gentle, loving look in his eyes. Ecco felt himself begin to tear up as he stared at the adult. He recognized him.

The duet finished the song with passion and soon the echos settled down, filling the void with absolute silence. The two Zoras remained locked into each other’s gazes for a time, waiting for one or the other to make a sound. Soon though, the stars that filled the void began to simmer down and flickered out one by one. As the void got darker the older Zora’s silhouette started fading. Ecco reached out his right hand to try and grab the adult but it only caused him to phase out entirely, leaving Ecco alone as the final stars snuffed themselves out. Before the darkness could fully engulf him he had enough strength to mutter a single word.

”Dad...”

***

Orcinus’ eyes shot open as he plucked the final string on his harp, concluding the melody.

“Sweetie, dinner’s ready!”

Ecco perked up at her mother’s announcement and began to salivate at the aroma emanating from the kitchen. He stood up and placed his harp on the stool. He took a brief moment to admire the harp before turning his attention to the house. It had a main entrance hall, a living room, a kitchen, a dining room, two bathrooms, and two bedrooms. The best part of the property the house stood on was the large pond out back. It was three acres big and was deep enough to house the guards stationed with them. The guards themselves were currently getting there bearings of the property, drawing themselves a map for good measure.

It was a good house, Ecco had to admit. Smaller than their previous house but he didn’t really care.

“Sweetie, your voltfin trout’s getting cold!”

Ecco snapped out of his sightseeing and walked to the dining room. Once he arrived he was relieved to still see steam coming off the trout. Cirratum had aleady sat down and helped herself to some fried oysters. Ecco took a seat across from Cirratum and began snarfing down the trout like a frenzied shark. He could feel the natural electricity of the trout buzzing in his throat but he didn’t let that slow him down. Then he remembered that his mother was present and calmly swallowed what was still in his mouth and wiped his mouth with a napkin.

Cirratum giggled. “You could never resist a good steamed trout. How your able to withstand the electricity given off by those voltfins are still a mystery to me. Regardless, I’m just glad you like it.”

Ecco blushed a little but smiled nonetheless.

Cirratum then looked at her son with a curious expression. “Are you excited for the Freshman Fair tomorrow?”

Ecco looked down at his plate, deep in thought. He didn’t really know how he felt about attending a human school. Granted, he didn’t know enough about humans to judge, but based on what he heard from the elders at Zora’s Domain, human’s were not a force to be trifled with. But he was going to be enrolling at a school for young humans, teenagers to be precise, most likely around his age. He honestly didn’t know if that made it better or worse. In any case, he best be prepared for the worst of them.

Ecco looked up at Cirratum and shrugged his shoulders.

Cirratum sighed; she expected that answer. “If it makes you feel better, I don’t know how to feel about this either. New environment, new faces, it starts out scary at first.” She then smiled as she continued. “I mean, King Carcharodon could have done worse and banished us, period. I think we should take this opportunity and make the best of it.”

Somehow, seeing his mother enthusiastic about all this saddened Ecco. He wished he could see the best in all things like she did, but given all that’s been happening to them now, and in the past, it was difficult to remain in high spirits. Cirratum seemed to sense her son’s doubt and stood from her chair. She walked around the table and pulled Ecco close to her in a hug.

“I know how you feel about all this,” Cirratum whispered to her son. “But try to let it all go. This is a new beginning for us and we should be happy to be away from all that reminds us about the past. I, too, received as many disapproving glares from all other Zoras as you have. I’ll admit it: things have been horrible for you and me ever since your father...”

Both mother and son held each other tightly. The memory of what happened was equally as painful for the both of them.

“...b-but as long as w-we have each other we can get through anything,” Cirratum concluded while fighting off tears. Ecco brushed his head under his mother’s chin, the salty smell of her apron slightly stinging his nostrils but he didn’t care. He just wished to be as close to her as possible while trying not to think of that fateful night...

30 Minutes Later...

Eventually, after their much-needed heartfelt embrace, Cirratum and Ecco finished dinner and not long after it was time for them to get some sleep. Ecco kindly helped Cirratum clean the kitchen and soon enough they started to feel the need for sleep.

“Well,” yawned Cirratum as she untied her apron, “Time for bed, sweetie.” Ecco followed his mother after she dropped her apron into a pool of water beside the kitchen door. It was to keep the kelp and seaweed from rotting. They exited the dining room and entered the main entrance hall, which served as a central hub linking the rest of the rooms together. Cirratum stopped at the first door on the left from the dining room and held it open for her son to enter. Before he did so, Ecco stopped in front of his mother and looked into her eyes, slightly blushing with a hopeful look on his face.

Cirratum had taught herself for the longest time how to read her son’s facial expressions. Since he wouldn’t talk, Ecco obviously had to learn other ways to communicate with people. Aside from basic “yes” or “no” head movements, one of the ways Ecco “spoke” was by looking at his mother in specific ways as if asking specific questions. The one he was giving her now caught Cirratum off guard.

“Y-you... You want me to sing to you?”

Ecco bashfully nodded.

Cirratum was at a loss for words but before she could overthink anything, she smiled a motherly smile and scooped her son into her arms. Ecco didn’t make any attempt to be let go and just embraced it. Cirratum carried her son into his room, a single chamber with a ramp leading to a nine-foot diameter pool of water in the center. Aquatic by nature, Zoras had no use for mattresses like humans and preferred to sleep in bodies of water.

Cirratum got down on her knees at the edge of the pool and tenderly placed her son into the water. His head remained afloat as the rest of his body sank into the pool. Ecco’s eyes were droopy but showed no signs of closing just yet. He looked up at his mother watching over him. Cirratum cleared her throat, closed her eyes, and sang her son’s favorite lullaby.

[Artwork Coming Soon]

”Far away, across the sea~,

I’m missing you, you’re missing me~,

But no matter how far away you are, know that I’m here to guide you home~.”

The room rang with the echos of Cirratum’s voice, the lullaby working its magic as Ecco fell asleep within moments. Cirratum leaned down and placed a kiss on her son’s forehead. She stared down at him a moment longer before standing up and making her way to the master bedroom, a prideful stride in her step.

“I still got it,” Cirratum smirked to herself in triumph.

The Next Morning...

Cirratum and Ecco stood side-by-side, staring at their reflections in the tall mirror in the master bedroom. They were specifically eying the new clothes they were currently wearing. To say wearing clothes was surreal to them would have been an understatement as Zoras, except for guards and their armor, don’t normally wear clothes.

During the second half of the two month period of moving from Zoras Domain to Canterlot City, Cirratum and Ecco were subject to a series of classes by government officials as a way to more “civilize” them. When Cirratum questioned why these sudden orientation lessons were necessary, her answer came in the form of their new case manager, a Mr. Smooth Progress. He was a middle-aged man with green skin, sand-colored hair, and brown eyes. His explanation was plain and simple: to help blend in with human society and make their way of life on land easier.

Ecco privately thanked Nayru that Smooth Progress was chosen to help because if it had been anyone else who acted remotely like any of the adults back at Zora’s Domain, he would force himself to eat another sneaky river snail.

Through Smooth Progress’ help, Cirratum and Ecco learned how to manage and maintain basic household items, use the bathroom, read and write human language, how to hold a conversation with certain people, and much more.

The more challenging lesson in how to blend in with humans was what Smooth Progress said was one of the most important aspects when maintaining an image: wear clothing.

To make a long story short, Cirratum and Ecco were slow in adapting to clothes. Especially since Zoras had extra bodily appendages to take into account and would make taking them on or off difficult.

Cirratum was currently wearing a navy blue business suit, complete with a jacket and knee-length skirt. She also wore a pearl necklace and magenta lipstick. Ecco wore a plain and simple green jacket and sweatpants. He also had his harp strapped to his back. Thankfully, neither of them wore shoes.

“So, how do I look,” Cirratum asked her son?

Ecco was still new to the concept of wearing clothes and how they made people look, but he couldn’t deny that his mother actually looked pretty good. He smiled and gave her a thumbs up.

“You really think so? This... uh... What-do-they-call-it? Uh... skirt! This skirt feels a little bit tight, though.” Cirratum pulled on the skirt’s hem for emphasis. “And this so-called “bra” is a little itchy,” she continued as she tugged at said clothing through her shirt. “However, given Mr. Progress’ explanation of why human females wear them, I’m surprised the Zoras didn’t think of something like that before.”

Ecco blushed immensely at that statement. He then shrugged his shoulders and then gestured to himself, wondering what his mother would think of his outfit. Cirratum released her skirt hem and bra and brought her hands together. “Like a handsome young Zora growing into an even more handsome grownup,” she answered.

Ecco blushed again and hugged his mother in gratitude. Cirratum returned the hug and looked into her son’s eyes. She could recall when she first laid her eyes on him, covered in yolk as he broke free from his egg. She held her son tighter and began to sniffle, which made him look up at her with concern.

Cirratum wiped away any tears that began to form and knelt down in front of Ecco. She held his shoulders and looked him dead in the eye. “I want you to know that, despite all that you have done before we left, you will always be my little pup. I don’t care about what they say about you, you are still my son and I love you. And seeing you here today, ready to tackle the first of many trials to come your way, only shows that you have grown up so much. I am so very proud of you. Oh, if only your father could see you now...”

His mother’s heartfelt speech hit Ecco in his very core. He didn’t bother to hold back the stream of tears coming from his eyes and threw his arms around Cirratum’s neck. She returned the hug in full, likewise letting her tears flow as they held each other.

Sadly, their moment didn’t last long as Cirratum heard a knock on the bedroom door. Cirratum looked up and saw the door open and Leucas walk in. He paused for a moment before clearing his throat.

“Please pardon my interruption, Mrs. Cirratum, but it is time to depart for the school. The Freahman Fair should be starting any minute now.”

Nayru damn you to the darkest pits of the Abyss, Leucas, Ecco swore in his head! But as much as he wanted to stay in his mother’s embrace he knew the lieutenant had a point. The two Zoras broke their hug, took each other’s hands, and followed the guard out of the house.

Out front, there was a horse-drawn carriage waiting for them. Another fun fact about Zoras was that they were a conservative, traditional, and yet adaptable race. Although they preferred to travel by water, the first few Zoras who made their way to colonize inland bodies of water in the past often had to improvise by riding horses in order to save time. But that’s another story. Anyway, Canterlot City officials were made aware of this tidbit of information and, being a civilization whose culture apparently heavily revolved around equines, generously donated a horse and carriage to the Zora guards as a means of escorting their charges through the city.

Isurus was seated at the front of the carriage and gripping the horse’s reins. Sphyrna was at the back, setting a stepping stool down for passengers to climb onto the carriage more easily.

Cirratum and Ecco climbed up and took a seat side-by-side on the right side of the carriage. After making themselves comfortable, both mother and son waited patiently as Leucas climbed in and sat down behind the driver’s seat, back-to-back with Isurus. Sphyrna, being the tallest of the five Zoras, effortlessly hopped up into the carriage, reached down to pick up the stepping stool, and finally sat down on the floorboards.

With everyone secure, Isurus got the horse to move out of the yard and onto the public roads.

Meanwhile, at Canterlot High School...

The Freshman Fair was in full swing. Hundreds of teenagers flocked the grounds of the two-story building, eager to start off the new year on a very high note. Rows of booths representing the wide variety of after-school activities were busy handing out fliers detailing what each individual club did. It was a day that many young teenagers would remember for years to come.

The hustle and bustle of excitement nearly died down when a most unexpected sight came into view in front of the building: a horse-drawn carriage with a banner hanging on the sides, bearing a strange symbol on it.

Inside the carriage were strange creatures, the likes of which most of the students have never seen before, or just heard rumors about. Almost every soul at the fair stared at the newcomers in a mixture of awe, curiosity, caution, and fear. There were five in total. Three of them wore pieces of armor while the other two wore regular clothing.

Speaking of the other two, once they stepped down from the carriage, they began to approach the building side by side. One of the creatures was tall and pink while the other creature was short and blue. A majority of the students pretended not to notice them and went back to their business while the rest continued to stare at them. The pink one halted and whispered something to the blue one, then turned to walk into the building itself. The blue one was left alone, staring at the front door where the pink one disappeared behind a moment later. He then looked back to the fair in front of him, seemingly debating with itself before entering.

***

Ecco walked down the first row of booths he saw, ignoring the humans around him as he read the signs. He had been mentally preparing himself for the reactions the humans would give him and how he could avoid trouble should it find him. So far, the humans just stared at him while keeping their distance. Good for them.

That didn’t stop him from overhearing the whispers sent his way.

”Whoa. The rumors were true...”

“A real Zora!”

“Ugh... They’re even uglier up close...”

“That country girl from earlier was more presentable than that thing...”

“Do you think it has sharp teeth like sharks?”

“I don’t think so. Those tail fins are horizontal, like dolphins or whales...”

Orcinus found himself feeling impressed by those last two statements. At least they knew how to distinguish the more dangerous marine creatures from the rest. He saw very few dolphins throughout his life but he heard they were very smart and playful.

“Hey you! Fish dude!”

Ecco jumped in alarm and spun around to face where the voice came from, his arms raised up in a defensive posture.

“Whoops. Sorry, didn’t mean to scare ya. Anyway, ‘Tavi here has been eyeing your harp and I thought she’d like to hear you play!”

Ecco took a moment to calm his rapidly beating heart. Once he lowered his arms, he eyed the one who called him with a raised eyebrow. She was a girl with pale yellow skin, lime green hair, and amber eyes. Sitting next to her was another girl, with light gray skin, black hair, and purple eyes.

“Cherry,” the gray-skinned girl said with irritation in her voice, “When I asked you to get his attention I did not mean shout and cause a scene!”

Ecco dared to look around him and saw that she was right. Many other students were looking their way, giving him in particular looks of distrust and tension.

“You’ll have to forgive Cherry Crash, sir.” Ecco turned back to the one called, “Tavi.” “She tends to act on impulse before thinking things through.” Cherry Crash only shrugged her shoulders and rolled her eyes. “Anyway, my name is Octavia, Octavia Melody, and let me be the first one to welcome you to Canterlot High School.”

Octavia held her hand out towards Ecco, expecting a handshake. Ecco stood motionless. This was not the outright prejudice and backlash he expected to happen. These two human girls were actually quite polite and welcoming to him. A complete contrast to those large, metal monsters out on the streets that kept barking loudly at their carriage. The contraptions that Smooth Progress had said were called, “cars.” Anyway, Ecco couldn’t turn down such a kind gesture and kindly shook Octavia’s hand.

“Now, regarding what Cherry Crash said before,” Octavia stated as she sat back down, “I did happen to catch a glimpse of your gorgeous harp. Are those real sapphires embedded in it?”

Ecco was very flattered that someone would compliment his harp and happily nodded, causing Octavia to smile brightly.

“I’ve never seen such a beautifully crafted instrument! It looks as though it was forged with real silver! If it is not too much trouble could I hear you play it?”

Ecco was humbled that this girl was so polite to him and excited that she wanted to hear him play so he quickly unstrapped his harp and held it in his left hand. He looked to the girls again and, seeing their eager expressions, closed his eyes and played another good melody he knew.

After Ecco plucked the final strings, dead silence followed. He opened his eyes and saw that Cherry Crash, Octavia, and everybody else who heard him, were staring at him with wide eyes. Ecco felt unnerved. Had he done something wrong? Why were they all staring at him?

Ecco then noticed a tear streak down Octavia’s face. He figured that that must be why they were all staring: he made a girl cry.

”Way to make a good first impression, stupid.”

Before he could do anything else, Ecco was surprised to hear Octavia say, “That was beautiful.”

Ecco was taken aback. Did she just say that it was beautiful?

Octavia wiped her eyes and said, “It was at tad bit repetitive but it was absolutely soulful! Magnificent! Glorious! You performed that number divinely despite having to use only one hand! Would you like to sign up for the music club?!”

Ecco was stunned speechless. This had to be a dream, did it? If it’s was, he hoped he’d never wake up. He nodded his head again, took a sign-up sheet, and pulled up an offered pen to fill it out.

“You don’t talk much, do ya,” asked Cherry Crash?

Ecco stopped writing briefly before looking up to the girl and shaking his head. She shrugged her shoulders in return.

“S’alright, we all have secrets.”

More than you know, Ms Crash.

Pretty soon, Ecco finished filling out the sheet and gave it back to Octavia. She accepted it and rose again to shake his hand.

“Welcome to the club, Mr. Orcinus. I have a feeling we’ll get along splendidly.”

Ecco gave the two girls a grateful smile and turned to look at other booths, but suddenly found himself face-to-face with a girl with large poofy hair, blue eyes, and an enormous grin.

”HI!”

Orcinus was so startled that he flung himself backwards, performing a backflip and landing on his feet approximately 30 feet away. He brought his arms up to defend himself like he did before.

“Wow! That was an impressive jump! Are you an athlete? You look strong enough to be one. But then again what will you do with that harp? Athletes don’t play the harp in sports. If you aren’t an athlete then maybe you’re a musician? I thought it might have been you who played that melody a few minutes ago because I don’t see anyone else here carrying a harp. It was so good that I almost began to cry which is rare because I never cry unless it is something super duper heartbreaking. Also, wow! You’re a Zora, aren’t you?! I saw in the news that a Zora would be moving into town and attending school somewhere but I’d never thought it would be here and now I get to host a “Welcome, Zora, to Canterlot” party! Do you like parties? I LOVE parties! If you like parties then I think we’ll make the best of friends and then we’ll get to do fun friend things together! Oh how silly of me, I didn’t introduce myself! My name is Pinkamena Diane Pie, but you can just call me Pinkie Pie. What’s your name?”

If Ecco was at a loss for words at two random girls asking him to play his harp, he was beyond flabbergasted at the speed of which this new girl spoke. He could hardly keep up with her and his ears began to hurt from the very high frequency in her voice. Lowering his arms, he thought of how he could answer the last question she gave him. Silence fell once again and before long the new girl, Pinkie Pie, began speaking again.

“Oh! Oh! Oh! Is this a guessing game? I love guessing games! Okay, is your name Fishy?”

Ecco gave the pink girl a monotone look and shook his head.

“No? Okay. Um... Is it, perhaps, Shark Boy?”

Ecco shook his head again.

“Aquaman?”

And again.

“What about Nemo?”

And again.

“His name is Ecco,” called Cherry Crash while pointing on the sign-up sheet where he wrote his name!

“Ecco,” Pinkie Pie asked?

Ecco nodded.

“Hmmm. That sounds like a boring name. How about ‘Silent Song’? Your very quiet and yet you make sound by playing musical instruments, so it makes sense!”

Ecco was initially offended by having his name considered boring but he stopped himself from glaring at Pinkie and thought for a moment. He didn’t know why but “Silent Song” actually had a nice ring to it. It really did make sense and he remembered his mother telling him before that music was his way of “talking.” He looked back to the pink girl and shrugged his shoulders.

“Great,” exclaimed Pinkie Pie! “Another group photo!”

Another what?!

Pinkie Pie then grabbed Ecco’s hand and dragged the helpless Zora away, dropping his harp in the process. Before long, he was tossed towards a group of four other girls, who were very surprised to suddenly find a Zora land at their feet.

“What in tarnation?”
“Good heavens!”
“What the heck?!”
“Oh... my! A real live Zora!”

Ecco got to his feet and was about to bolt when he was approached by a girl with butter-yellow skin, light pink hair, aquamarine eyes, and wearing a white tank top and pink skirt with a large green butterfly emblem on the side.

“I’ve always wanted to meet a Zora. I heard they are very good swimmers and that their heads alone look like fish or marine mammals. Your head looks like a dolphin...”

So I’ve been told.

“Enough chitchat,” Pinkie Pie shouted again! She then proceeded to pull Ecco closer to the other girls while a fifth girl wearing a black and white dress was readying a small black object on a tripod nearby. Before long, the group of five girls, and a confused, scared, annoyed Zora, were all taken in a new group photograph. Ecco, however, didn’t anticipate the black boxy device to be a camera, or the fact that it had a flash, until it was too late. As a result, his world went white and his eyes suddenly felt they were melting. It was a miracle he didn’t scream.

Later...

Ecco managed to relocate the music club booth so he could begin searching for his harp. The time he wasted with those five girls almost drove him crazy.

I swear, if I had to hear one more of that Rainbow girls arrogant boasting... At least that Rarity girl was tactful and had some… constructive criticism in my appearance… Applejack was nice but a little bit prideful... Fluttershy’s presence wasn’t so bad at all. Her hands were very soft when I let her pet my fins. Who knew someone like her could love animals that much? As for the pink menace... The less said about her, the better.

Ecco was relieved to see that Cherry Crash and Octavia had picked up his harp and kept it in case he came back. He gave them a grateful bow but paused when he turned to leave. There was something he wanted to do first. He turned back to the booth, gestured to the blank sign-up sheets and to himself.

Octavia raised an eyebrow. “You want to see your sign-up sheet again,” she asked?

Ecco nodded. Although confused, Octavia complied and placed it in front of the waiting Zora. He took the pen, and wrote something next to his name. He finished, slid the paper and pen back to Octavia, then walked away. Both girls looked to see what the Zora changed on his sheet, but couldn’t find anything different except for another name written in brackets next to the first one.

The other name read, “Silent Song.”

Comments

[The Correspondent]

this is actually pretty decent.