Beneath the Surface

by MisterEdd

Hellos and Goodbyes

Neither one of them spoke for the next few hours, merely laying on the couch in each other's forelegs and enjoying their shared warmth. Rough Sketch continued to caress Sassie's mane, his ministrations not only feeling incredible but they also appeared to calm the kelpie down. Now they knew why she'd saved his life but this didn't make the revelation hurt any less. He wanted to do something nice for her and he screwed that up. "Sassie, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean...-"

A claw-hoof stroked his chin. "Shh. It's alrecht, Sketchy. Ya didn't know." She sat up and Rough Sketch followed, hesitant to let go. "Noo Ah remember whaur Ah cam frae. Thenk ye."

Their eyes met and slowly, their muzzles followed suit. Unlike their kisses in the lake, this was soft and gentle, a light smacking of lips but no less passionate than before. "Ah loove ye, Rough Sketch."

"I love you, Sasamare. Elspeth."

Sassie stroked his cheek and planted a chaste kiss on his lips before rising on wobbling legs. Rough Sketch leapt up on the couch in alarm. The kelpie's coat and mane lost much of their color. "Ah guess it's time."

"Time? Time for what?"

Rough Sketch watched as Sassie turned and hobbled towards the door, her mane and coat coming off in clumps. "Ah thooght ‘at it was hatred keepin’ me aroond. It was loove ur a lack ay it." She then threw the door open and stumbled outside, leaving behind a horrified and confused Rough Sketch.

"Sassie! Wait!"

He rushed outside and followed Sassie to the lake, where she stood in ankle-deep water, resembling more of a zombie rather than a water pony. "Sassie! No!"

She turned and beamed at him. "Ah loove ye."

"SASSIE!"

The rest of the kelpie's skin, mane and fur tumbled off of her and pooled around her hooves like a pile of garbage. A skeleton briefly stayed upright before she melted into the lake and merged with the water. Rough Sketch sank to his hocks and gripped his head, his chest heaving with anguish as the second mare he loved was taken from him too. He howled a cry of unimaginable loss and wept so much that it hurt. "Sassie...no..."

A soft hum filled the air and he was shocked to discover a glowing column of light materializing over the spot where Sassie was. Instead of a kelpie, it was a red-maned earth pony mare with a gray-brown coat and vibrant blue eyes.

"S-sassie?"

Sassie, or rather, Elspeth, smiled, "Aw thes time, Ah didne know whit Ah was waitin’ fur. It was ye. It was always ye."

"Please, don't leave me," Rough Sketch pleaded while the spirit floated over to him, rubbing his tears away with semi-transparent hooves. "Don't leave me alone." Elspeth herself looked to be on the verge of tears but managed to hold it off and instead smiled sweetly at him.

"Yoo’re ne’er aloyn, meh sweit Sketchy. Ponies main die but loove endures. Remember tha’ loove an’ yoo'll ne’er lose anypony." She laid a kiss on his lips and when Rough Sketch tried to touch her, she disintegrated into a cloud of asters that drifted away like smoke on the breeze. "Ne’er forgit me ur those yoo’ve lost. That’s hoo ye keep us in yer heart."

Weeping like a foal, Rough Sketch curled up into a ball on the shore. The lake had never been more silent.

Three Months Later...

Scribble Inkpot readjusted Rough Sketch's bowtie. "Don't be nervous. You're doing great!"

"Thanks Scribbs."

"By the way, are you ever going to tell me who the mystery mare is or what happened at Sasamare Lake?"

After saying goodbye to Elspeth, Rough Sketch returned to Baltimare and started once more on his work. He thought about hanging himself with the window curtains or tossing himself out the window. There were times when he sat there and thought long and hard about it. Instead, he convinced Scribble to open a gallery featuring his new artwork. He wasn't going to kill himself. Not when he made a bargain and he was raised to always keep his word.

Rough Sketch pulled on his lapels. "No. They're mine and that's how I'll keep them." That was all the answer he'd give and Scribble would have to respect that. The two made their way back into the art gallery where a crowd of applauding ponies and a few other creatures-such as griffons and even a couple of diamond dogs-were waiting for them.

All around them, several drawings and paintings were placed on display, all of them centered on one of two mares. The first was a coral-red earth pony mare, sometimes depicted holding a swaddled colt in her forelegs. The second was also of an earth pony except she was either red-headed and had a crown of flowers and a bouquet or was a water pony of some kind. Rough Sketch's most popular drawing was of the second mare in both forms, back to back on the surface of a lake on a bed of asters.

"Excuse me," an older mare said tapping on Rough Sketch's foreleg. "Wherever did you get the inspiration for these...masterpieces?"

"My wife and son died so I used them as a basis for my work."

"And the red head and the sea pony?"

Rough Sketch gave her a bittersweet smile. "A mare by the name of Elspeth MacWithers." Before the older mare could enquire the name, he'd already left. From across the room, Scribble shot him a wink and Rough Sketch replied with one of his own. He soon found himself in front of a sketch that made his chest ache. It was of a water pony and was so detailed, it was as though it were a mirror that captured her reflection for all time.

Approaching the drawing, he slid a hoof along the gilded frame. "I remember you, Elspeth MacWithers. I remember you, Rowan and my son. I'm keeping you all in my heart."

Comments

[Viper Pit]

What a lovely story

[MisterEdd]

9685383
Thaaaaaank yooooou

[Viper Pit]

9685391
Welcome

[Shrouded Lunes]

Can I squee? I want to squee. This was BEAUTIFUL! I jumped into it for the kelpie, I stayed for the beauty. Honestly, thank you for writing it.

[MisterEdd]

9685908
Squee all you want! I'm glad that you enjoyed it and thanks!

[MisterEdd]

9685836
I know right? As a fan of mythology/folklore, I wanted to rectify that.

[Green-Venom]

This story is way to underrated. It’s beautiful.

[Kuablaikan]

I usually avoid drama/tragedy like the plague, but I liked this story. Well written and kept me reading on. I would have preferred a non-tragic ending, but oh well... Anyway, good job! With a different ending tho, a longer sequel would have been nice. What would his friend think? How would the public react to a kelpie? What would the leaders of his nation do knowing what happened in the past?

[MisterEdd]

10786964
I've considered doing an alternate ending follow-up. It's not out of the realm of impossibility.