A Heart Like The Sea

by Drunk Luna

Chapter Six

Cassie yawned and peered out her bedroom window. The sun was rising over the ocean, and the breeze was warm and gentle. Smiling, Cassie hastily pulled her unruly mane into a ponytail, opened the window and swooped onto the beach, inhaling the salty air as she landed. The sky was clear and ice blue, streaked with every shade of orange, red, and pink. Cassie closed her eyes, reveling in the recklessness of the breeze that tousled her mane and tail. She stood still for a few minutes and enjoyed the simple sensation of the foamy spray on her coat, then waded into the ocean, paddling out beyond the breakers to where the water was calm. Cassie rolled over onto her back and tucked her front hooves behind her head, floating easily. It wasn't until she was nearly crushed by a surfboard that Cassie realized she wasn't alone.

"Hey, what the hell?" she cried, flipping over quickly to glare at her assailant. A stallion who looked about Cassie's age sat up and offered her an apologetic expression.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't see you, I swear!"

"It's fine," Cassie grumbled, "nopony ever sees me, anyway."

"Oh, I highly doubt that," the stallion said, his mouth curving into a smile that revealed two adorable dimples. "You are way too pretty to go unnoticed, which is why I'm so ashamed to admit that I haven't seen you around here before. What's your name?" Cassie felt herself blush a bit as his crystal blue eyes met her turquoise ones. He was a pale yellow Earth pony with a tousled pale blue mane and tail, and Cassie had to admit to herself that he was incredibly handsome; still, he wasn't supposed to be there, and Cassie knew she had to draw his attention to this fact.

"Don't you know you're trespassing?" she demanded, narrowing her eyes at him. "Are you one of those photographers for the tabloids? Who do you work for?" The stallion looked genuinely confused, then his eyes widened.

"You're Princess Cassiopeia, aren't you?" he gasped. "Please forgive my disrespect, Your Royal Highness." He hastily bowed from the neck, and Cassie acknowledged his gesture with a smile.

"No offense taken," she assured him, "but I am still curious about your name."

"I'm Fletcher, Your Royal Highness," the stallion replied.

"Nice to meet you, Fletcher. Please, enough of this 'Your Royal Highness' shit," Cassie chuckled. "Just call me Cassie. Now, are you or are you not a photographer?" Her voice hardened a bit. Fletcher shook his head rapidly.

"No," he said. "I was just surfing. Your property line is just a few hundred yards from here, so I guess I just accidentally drifted into your waters. Please, forgive my intrusion."

"I wasn't worried about you posing a security threat," Cassie said with a little laugh, "but our guards don't take too kindly to strange ponies trespassing on our property, and you'd be surprised about some of the tactics the paparazzi have used to try to snap pictures of me and my family on vacation. Just be mindful of where you're surfing next time, okay?"

"I'm here with my parents for the summer," Fletcher said. "We live just about three miles from your palace; my dad is a naval officer, and funnily enough, he actually helps to patrol the waters in front of your palace. Your mom, Princess Luna, probably knows him. His name is Sea Swell." Cassie's ears perked up at this new information.

"I'll be sure to mention him to her," she said. "I better head back home now, though. I don't want my mom to worry. Nice meeting you." Cassie turned and started to swim towards the shore.

"Hey, Cassie, wait," Fletcher called after her. "Would you wanna meet up again sometime, off your property? You seem cool, and I'd like to get to know you better." Cassie glanced over her shoulder and gave him a little smile.

"If you're lucky," she said, paddling back to the beach.