12-06-2019, 10:29 PM
She's dizzy with heat, the very blood beneath her skin feeling moments away from boiling. A sick lurching in her stomach made the sea mare groan softly, wishing it would end already. Unsteady feet gave up at last, and it was with no grace she fell to her knees. The sand flew up into her face, itching grains that dug beneath her scales. Would they turn into pearls? She didn't know. Any thoughts she might have had fled when her muzzle touched the water's surface.
It was as real as her own ocean, cool and so blissfully wet. She drew in a long swallow, savored the strange mineral flavor so different from what she knew. It felt like life itself was flowing back into her, and she let it draw her in. Her aching legs obeyed when she ordered them into the pool, shaking with every step but so happy to have found this little solace from the heat.
It was a short lived euphoria. No sooner had she lifted her head to take a gasping breath than the precious water left her. Where it had bathed her legs, only air wrapped, dry stone beneath her feet. A whine of despair split the air, and it was with surprise she noted that it had come from someone other than herself. A figure that cut through the wispy fog that obscured all but the nearest objects. Whorls of mist clung to the distraught mare, a woman calling a name that the nereid didn't know. It sounded like her sister's, almost, but then who was this mare and why did she cry so miserably?
There was no answering clatter of hoof on stone when Aquaria moved to ask the black mare of her troubles, and her voice didn't echo back when she cried out too late. Whether intentional or not, shrouded cliffs claimed her, and the sea mare found she could only watch horrified as the fog spun to reclaim the air the fallen woman had disturbed.
There was no time to process the vision before the mist congealed about her again, only to lift on another scene. Warm, golden sunlight struck every curve of the dunes she found herself returned to. She had no way of knowing if this was the same desert as before or an entirely new location, only that her eyes fixed upon the clearest variance in the scene.
Another mare, haloed by light and beautiful as the setting sun. She looked made of light herself, and with a feeling of helpless sorrow, the nereid knew this story was as doomed as the last one had been. She screamed impotently as the stallion appeared, a cry of warning that went unheard. A useless sound even as they fell upon each other and let their own voices rend the evening.
It was terrifying and sickening the way the two sought to destroy each other, each with murder in their eyes. She was so innocent, so unexposed to the darkness in the world. Had never so much as imagined that this kind of violence could exist. It seemed that perhaps the pale golden mare might win, might fight well enough that her attacker would be driven off. Until the sand betrayed her, and slipped beneath her hoof in such a way that left her exposed for a vital second.
The dark stallion's hooves fell as inevitably as the sinking sun, to land with a sickening snap against the mare's ribs. Aquaria wanted desperately to look away. Instead she was forced by whatever magic had hold of her to watch the blood begin to seep from the mare's lips as the salty liquid pressed into her lungs. She was drowning in her own life force, observed by her killer and a phantom girl who had no power to stop it.
The rest happened in gut-wrenching sequence. The sand became red stained with blood and the dying light. The palomino woman fell to the ground with a finality that said she'd never rise again. And the deranged stallion turned his inner demons on himself, dragging already bloody hooves across his face with agonizing determination until the flaming orange eyes were gouged from their sockets.
A new wave of horror crashed around her as his wretched words met her. Mother. His own mother lay glassy eyed and still at the now blinded stallion's feet, the gorey remains of his eyes stare empty at the darkening scene.
The scene dissolved like a sand castle at high tide, leaving darkness in its wake. Aquaria trembled in the nothing, wondering what came next. Another scene of tragedy? Why had she been made to watch these ghastly visions with no hope of aid or influence? Women black and golden, images of souls long gone now haunted her, and she didn't know why.
Each one... They both held deep sorrow. One lost in search of a soul they'd never find, the other at the merciless attack of her own son. What had come before to bring such different ends about? The nereid felt her heart breaking for each of them, even for the fire eyed son who had been somehow driven to the actions she had seen. That, in particular, had struck her hard.
She had not chosen with any conscious knowledge, but her heart had shifted ever so slightly to the palomino mare, the sunset scene.
It was a tiny shift, but the sand resolved beneath her feet anyway. Time rewound, and once again the sea mare found herself staring at a setting sun, and the golden mare haloed in its light. "No, oh no." She whimpered, fearing that she was about to witness the murder all over again. Instead, the sunlit mare turned to face her, as if she'd heard the tiny plea Aquaria had made. It was the only encouragement needed by the nereid. She trotted quickly over to the stranger woman, saw her eyes track the newcomer with surprise.
Well. It wasn't everyday one found a fish in the desert.
There wasn't much time, so she got to got to her point quickly. "You need to leave. Now." Her voice was ragged with dehydration and her silent screams, but she got the words out as well as she could. "There is a stallion coming here very soon, one with dark hair and eyes as orange as that sunset and he means to kill you." She paused, though the truth spoke loud enough in the other mare's eyes. "Your son, I think." Adrenaline coursed through her, making her vibrate with unspent energy while the golden mare considered her words, nodding at the last.
In the opposite direction that she had seen the hellbent stallion appear the last time she had seen the scene play, she guided them away, hoping to be gone before their absence was discovered. "Please. I did this because no child should wear their parent's blood. If he has reason to want yours, you must fix this. Or I have wasted my time and your chance." She breathed hard as they ran. Had she acted in vain? It was impossible to know. There was only the fluttering hope that settled in her heart that the story had changed, and for the better.
It was as real as her own ocean, cool and so blissfully wet. She drew in a long swallow, savored the strange mineral flavor so different from what she knew. It felt like life itself was flowing back into her, and she let it draw her in. Her aching legs obeyed when she ordered them into the pool, shaking with every step but so happy to have found this little solace from the heat.
It was a short lived euphoria. No sooner had she lifted her head to take a gasping breath than the precious water left her. Where it had bathed her legs, only air wrapped, dry stone beneath her feet. A whine of despair split the air, and it was with surprise she noted that it had come from someone other than herself. A figure that cut through the wispy fog that obscured all but the nearest objects. Whorls of mist clung to the distraught mare, a woman calling a name that the nereid didn't know. It sounded like her sister's, almost, but then who was this mare and why did she cry so miserably?
There was no answering clatter of hoof on stone when Aquaria moved to ask the black mare of her troubles, and her voice didn't echo back when she cried out too late. Whether intentional or not, shrouded cliffs claimed her, and the sea mare found she could only watch horrified as the fog spun to reclaim the air the fallen woman had disturbed.
There was no time to process the vision before the mist congealed about her again, only to lift on another scene. Warm, golden sunlight struck every curve of the dunes she found herself returned to. She had no way of knowing if this was the same desert as before or an entirely new location, only that her eyes fixed upon the clearest variance in the scene.
Another mare, haloed by light and beautiful as the setting sun. She looked made of light herself, and with a feeling of helpless sorrow, the nereid knew this story was as doomed as the last one had been. She screamed impotently as the stallion appeared, a cry of warning that went unheard. A useless sound even as they fell upon each other and let their own voices rend the evening.
It was terrifying and sickening the way the two sought to destroy each other, each with murder in their eyes. She was so innocent, so unexposed to the darkness in the world. Had never so much as imagined that this kind of violence could exist. It seemed that perhaps the pale golden mare might win, might fight well enough that her attacker would be driven off. Until the sand betrayed her, and slipped beneath her hoof in such a way that left her exposed for a vital second.
The dark stallion's hooves fell as inevitably as the sinking sun, to land with a sickening snap against the mare's ribs. Aquaria wanted desperately to look away. Instead she was forced by whatever magic had hold of her to watch the blood begin to seep from the mare's lips as the salty liquid pressed into her lungs. She was drowning in her own life force, observed by her killer and a phantom girl who had no power to stop it.
The rest happened in gut-wrenching sequence. The sand became red stained with blood and the dying light. The palomino woman fell to the ground with a finality that said she'd never rise again. And the deranged stallion turned his inner demons on himself, dragging already bloody hooves across his face with agonizing determination until the flaming orange eyes were gouged from their sockets.
A new wave of horror crashed around her as his wretched words met her. Mother. His own mother lay glassy eyed and still at the now blinded stallion's feet, the gorey remains of his eyes stare empty at the darkening scene.
The scene dissolved like a sand castle at high tide, leaving darkness in its wake. Aquaria trembled in the nothing, wondering what came next. Another scene of tragedy? Why had she been made to watch these ghastly visions with no hope of aid or influence? Women black and golden, images of souls long gone now haunted her, and she didn't know why.
Each one... They both held deep sorrow. One lost in search of a soul they'd never find, the other at the merciless attack of her own son. What had come before to bring such different ends about? The nereid felt her heart breaking for each of them, even for the fire eyed son who had been somehow driven to the actions she had seen. That, in particular, had struck her hard.
She had not chosen with any conscious knowledge, but her heart had shifted ever so slightly to the palomino mare, the sunset scene.
It was a tiny shift, but the sand resolved beneath her feet anyway. Time rewound, and once again the sea mare found herself staring at a setting sun, and the golden mare haloed in its light. "No, oh no." She whimpered, fearing that she was about to witness the murder all over again. Instead, the sunlit mare turned to face her, as if she'd heard the tiny plea Aquaria had made. It was the only encouragement needed by the nereid. She trotted quickly over to the stranger woman, saw her eyes track the newcomer with surprise.
Well. It wasn't everyday one found a fish in the desert.
There wasn't much time, so she got to got to her point quickly. "You need to leave. Now." Her voice was ragged with dehydration and her silent screams, but she got the words out as well as she could. "There is a stallion coming here very soon, one with dark hair and eyes as orange as that sunset and he means to kill you." She paused, though the truth spoke loud enough in the other mare's eyes. "Your son, I think." Adrenaline coursed through her, making her vibrate with unspent energy while the golden mare considered her words, nodding at the last.
In the opposite direction that she had seen the hellbent stallion appear the last time she had seen the scene play, she guided them away, hoping to be gone before their absence was discovered. "Please. I did this because no child should wear their parent's blood. If he has reason to want yours, you must fix this. Or I have wasted my time and your chance." She breathed hard as they ran. Had she acted in vain? It was impossible to know. There was only the fluttering hope that settled in her heart that the story had changed, and for the better.