A call is Answered
She is singing again.
It’s low, but it always starts like that. It’s hard to make out, but you can hear it. You lay in your bed, and stare into the darkness of your room. The low tune of the forest is drifting in through your open window. The voice of whoever is singing reaches your mind, making you feel calm, relaxed. It always did that.
A few weeks ago, you had been woken late at night by a beautiful song, sounding like a fallen angel telling the tale of her misery. Even though it sounded like it was coming from right out on the street, you had seen nothing when you were looking for the source of the beautiful song. The following night the same thing had happened again, the song entering your room, drawing you from your slumber, and fills you mind with that serene feeling. And so, you would lay on your bed for hours until dawn arrives, listening to a voice that seemed to come from nowhere, and while you mind would be hypnotized by the bittersweet song, your heart would be filled with a desire, no, a yearning for more.
The streets of Canterlot is usually so lively even during the night, but that night and the nights followed nothing but the song could be heard. Not a bird. Not a car. Naught but the voice of the singer.
As the days passed by, all your woken hours would be spent thinking about that haunting melody. Who in this world would be able to sound so sad, and yet so at peace with it. In time, you stopped sleeping altogether, and instead just went to bed, waiting for the song to reach your ears.
Yesterday however, it had become too much. The feeling of longing in your heart had become too much, and so you decided to follow the song. Now that it had begun once more, you rise from the bed, and walk to the front door. Taking on your shoes, and walk out the door, you follow the low sound of the song towards the Everfree forest.
When you reach the outline of it, a thin trail meets you. The sound has gotten louder, not by much, but a little. This was the way. Under the clear night sky, with the stars looking down upon you from above, you step onto the path, determined to find the one singing.
Usually the Everfree forest is so imposing, but as moonlight shines across the land even this place, cloaked in dark legends, appears as inviting.
Even though the forest is dense, you can easily see where you’re walking. Partially thanks to the full moon hanging high in the sky, and partially the fireflies drifting in between the trees, illumination the trail as you walk.
The forest is beautiful at night, in the pale light of the moon the leaves seems to cast of an almost silvery glow. The flowers on the ground, covered in the early morning dew, looks much like the sky. The reflection of the moonlight in the small drops of water, make the ground look like it is covered in pearls.
The sound is growing stronger.
Now you can make out a few more things, like the slow rinsing sound of what appear to be… water? Where is it coming from? Even though you haven’t had any sleep for days, you feel more awake, more alive, than ever before.
You come to a cross road, and you can hear a little stream of water, running alongside one of the paths. The song is coming from upstream, you can feel it, and so you quickly head up the trail towards the sound that has kept you awake for so long. The terrain begins to climb, making getting forward a little harder than before. However, you hardly pay it any heed, because now the song is calling to you, getting louder with every step.
You feel your body begin to tire, but again you will yourself forward. As you’re nearing the top of the small hill, the sound of the water change from that of running, to that of splashing, and reaching the top tells you why.
At the top the terrain flattens out, before once more rising vertically into the air, creating a natural waterfall. You take a moment to look around, listening for the song. As you do, your eyes are caught by the smallest hint of light, hidden inside the waterfall. As you walk closer, the moonlight reveal a small passage behind the waterfall, not too big, but it’s enough for you to squeeze through.
Inside you find something breathtaking.
Behind the waterfall is a small cave, not much bigger than your apartment. A hole in the ceiling lets in a thin beam of the moon’s ghostly glow, letting you see in the small space. The walls are covered in something akin to the fireflies outside, the small insects giving off the faintest hues of green and blue, coloring the walls in a shade akin to that of clear seawater. If you weren’t so close you would have mistaken the wall for the starry sky. In the middle of the cave lays a small pond, maybe fifty feet across, the same bugs as the ones on the walls are glowing from below the surface, making the pond look crystal clear. In this wondrous place the song echoes off the walls, giving the tune more substance, more elegance, more power than ever. The hypnotic melody wash over you, taking away every worry, every unrelated thought until the only thing you feel is the calm sense of serenity.
While the sad lullaby fills your ears, your focus is drawn towards the pond, and the rings that make up the disturbance on the mirror-like surface. From the water emerges a gorgeous woman, her long, purple hair flowing lazily down her back. She is wearing a white dress, long and simple, but it nonetheless compliments her figure beautifully. As she throws her head back the water from her soaked hair spreads out into drops that fill the air, splitting the light of the moon, and create an array of glimmering lights around her.
She is gorgeous. Everything about her is perfect. From the way her hair flows, to the way she move, every little thing is flowing in sync, complementing one another in a display of unfathomable grace. Then it hit you, it was her, she was the one singeing, she was the one who had called you here. As you think about this another realization hits you; she was been singeing all this time, even from under the water you were able to hear her loud and clear. However you pay little mind to this fact, as you are once again aware of her voice, her beautiful melody tugging at your heartstrings.
“Hello,” you call out, drawing her attention yet she continues her song as her eyes fall upon you. As you feel her gaze on you, the sight of her eyes mesmerizes you. They’re a light shade of purple, unlike anything you have ever seen, and yet, as the light from the caves walls reflect itself in them, they light up like the purest of amethyst crystals. “Who are you?” you ask, but you never receive an answer. Instead, a name comes to you through the song: Aria, as could only be fitting for a lone singer. She raises her arm towards you and with a small gesture of her hand begs you closer to her.
You oblige without a second thought, stepping closer and closer until you reach the border of the water. With some minor part of your mind thinking about the fact that you’re still wearing all your clothes, you step forward into the pond. You expected the water to be freezing cold seeing as how it’s late at night, but are surprised to find that it has a rather pleasant temperature. As you move closer to the girl, she in turn takes a few steps towards you, circling around you in the water before coming to a stop behind you. Turning around to face her, you are now the one facing the edge of the small pool, but more importantly, you are face to face with the girl who has occupied your mind for so long. Once more, you try to talk to her.
“What are you doing out here…” you pause, “Aria?”
Like before she remain silent save for her lullaby, however she reacts when you call the name, and looks up into your eyes. Some small part of your mind is growing concerned with all the things that is happening, but all fears, doubts, and worries are washed away by her gentle voice. Staring into her eyes has left you petrified; you don’t know what to do nor what to say, but this seems to be of no concern to her. She lifts one of her hands towards your face, brushing it against your cheek. Her fingers are small and delicate, and as smooth and soft as anything you have ever felt. The sensation of her touch is near electric, and a wave of excitement rush over you.
Leaning forward she slides her hand down your cheek to your shoulder, and places another around your neck before drawing you closer to her. She closes her eyes, drawing ever closer with each passing second, and while everything else seem to be going so fast this moment appear to go on forever. With her calm lullaby easing your mind you surrender yourself to your heart, and let things happen. Placing your own hands on her waist, you close the distance between you.
The sensation is nothing short of magical; even though the kiss holds no passion, it is filling you with warmth. It is not a lustful kiss, nor is it a rushed action; rather, it is a slow, tender display of affection, meant to be savored in every way. The feeling of her lips is only comparable to that of the finest silk, not unlike the very fabric her exquisite dress is made of. Finally, after so many nights you had found the source of the voice that had brought you such peace. You stand there for what feels like forever, embracing her, holding her tight as to never let go.
Suddenly, feeling the grip of her dress loosen around her, you draw back from the kiss and open your eyes to find something that makes your eyes go wide. Her dress is gone, cast aside and flowing lacily on the water’s surface. Now, she stood before you, just as she was, with nothing to conceal her dazzling form. Everything from her slender legs and thighs, to her round hips and thin waist, to her modest chest and her pose with her arm crossed behind her back was on display. Not a single flaw in her skin was visible, and her hair draped down her back and clung to her divine figure. Even her most precious was exposed to the world. You could see everything.
How she had gotten her clothes off was beyond you, but something about her puts you off. There’s a small, gentle smile on her face, her eyes looking at your hands. Looking down yourself, you focus on your hand to find a lingering feeling of a zipper on your fingertips.
You had done that.
You had taken her dress off!
“I-I-I didn’t mean to…” you stutter, trying your hardest to figure out why you would have done something like that. She merely smiles, and cups your cheek again, craning her neck up to your face. She brushes her lips ever so lightly against yours, silencing you. The sweet melody commands you once more, fogging your vision and you mind. Shaking your head to try to wake yourself up, you find that your clothes are gone too. Your mind reeled at this, no longer understanding what was going on.
Your head however, has no time to respond to all the things that’s going on, as your attention is drawn to her as she turns away from you and walk further into the pond. You just stare blankly after her, but are snapped out of your confusion as she looks in your direction and lifts a finger, gesturing for you to follow her.
You do so slowly; making your way up to her while her back is still turned to you. You put your arms around her elegant body; the feeling of her skin against yours sends shivers up your spine. Meanwhile, you feel her arms tremble, her body quaking beneath your touch. You lean in to her, gently caressing her neck and she leans back into you, cocking her head to the side to allow you access. Her song now nearly deafening.
After a while, she turns to face you again, reaching up her arms around your neck she draws you in. The kiss swallowing up your mind, calming the raging sea of confusion that plagued you in the back of your head. For a time, this is your whole world. You, her, and the water surrounding you. The two of you swirl around in the water, lost in each other, not caring about anything else.
However, you are taken by surprise as she suddenly shifts her weight, leaning more into you, and causing you to lose your balance. You take a step backwards to try to support the added weight, but as luck would have it, your foot find no solid ground. Instead, it is meet by a ledge under the surface of the water, a steep decline of the bottom of the pond creating a gaping hole unseen from the shore of the water.
Falling backwards into the water, you hold onto her in a futile attempt to regain your balance, but this only serves to bring her down into the water with you. As the two of you fall through the surface of the pond, the echo off splashing water resonate throughout the cave, before being blocked out once you’re submerged entirely. Here in the water, where the feeling of weightlessness helps you calm down after the surprise of the fall, the quiet melody of her song still manage to reach your ears, and the feeling of her lips has, to your amazement, been present through the whole thing. Slowly the two of you sink deeper into the water, and the world that’s surrounding you is gradually fading away. However, you don’t care, the only thing you can think of is the girl in your arms as you descend into darkness.
On the surface, where the only disturbance to the mirror of the pond is a few bubbles slowly rising from its depths, the siren’s song has been silenced, her hunger sated, and if only for the time being the people of the town can feel safe. That is, at least, until her voice, her quiet aria begins to flow out through the trees of the forest once more, and her beautiful song begins to resonate through the dark of night.