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Coloratura stood transfixed on the shores of Horseshoe Bay; there were no crowds screaming her name, no cameras flashing in her eyes, just the echo of crashing waves in her ears, the warm sand beneath her hooves and the salty air in her lungs… and that suited her just fine.
“Mm, I needed this.” She sighed. Her touring schedule had kept her busy these past few months, flying around Equestria for concerts and charity events, but now, she could finally relax and enjoy some personal time by the ocean. The only question was, where to begin?

“Well, I’ve got the whole beach to myself.” Coloratura noted. “Maybe I’ll take a quick nap before it gets too hot…” But as she scanned the area, looking for a good spot to lie down, the gentle splash of water on the shore seemed to call to her, and the receding waves seemed to beckon her closer. A gentle smile played across her lips. “Oh, what the heck!” She said, and galloped headlong into the surf, laughing as the cool, briny water cascaded around her before drawing her into its velvety embrace. Coloratura gave a great cry of joy, and dove beneath the surface; the salt stung her eyes, but she didn’t care, she was so transfixed with the bounty of life below the water’s surface. Crabs scuttled here and there among beds of clams and lounging starfish, and a school of fish swam so close to Coloratura that she was able to reach out her hoof and tickle their fins as they swam past. Finally, the pain in her eyes and lungs became unbearable, and Coloratura whipped her head out of the water, screwing her eyes shut and taking great, shuddering gasps of air. In spite of the pain, she was overjoyed.

“Yes!” She cheered between gasps. “I’ve missed this so much!” Coloratura began paddling around in the water, giggling as the gentle surf rocked her back and forth, and staring longingly at the multicolored menagerie that was spread out beneath her. “I could stay down there all day,” Coloratura mused. “If only I didn’t have to breathe or keep my eyes-!” Suddenly, an idea popped into her mind, something that she hadn’t done in a long time, and for good reason… but when would she get another chance? She was alone, she could just duck under the water and nopony would be the wiser. Coloratura took a deep breath, then closed her eyes and plunged headfirst beneath the surface; the ocean’s cold, soothing embrace surrounded her once again as she reached back, traced a circle around her cutie mark, and then tapped it in the center.

In an instant, her cutie mark shone with an intense light, and the glamour magic that had disguised Coloratura for so long began to dissipate as she regained her true form. Her hind legs fused together into a long, powerful fish tail, and fins erupted down the small of her back, and on the edges of her face and hooves. Her gills, long-since obsolete during her years as a pony flexed achingly in the brisk wind, and her smooth, flat molars elongated into razor sharp fangs. Finally, her fur vanished, giving way to sleek, shimmering blue scales, and she swelled to a considerable length of fifty feet, which effectively scared off all sea creatures in the general area. But Coloratura hardly noticed their absence; she was too focused on the fact that for the first time in so many years…

“I’m a siren again!” Coloratura trilled. “Sweet Celestia, it’s been too long!” She twisted and turned in the water, gleefully thrashing her tail before propelling herself into the depths of the harbor. As she glanced around at the racing seascape, her keen eyes caught glimpses of scuttling crabs, slithering eels and even a seal peeking out from within a thick bed of kelp. “Hi there!” She called, and the seal shot a curious look at her in passing. Finally, the harbor leveled out into a great sweeping plane, which Coloratura lost no time in exploring. A trio of sturgeon, sleek and fast darted past her right ear, and soon after, Coloratura found a flat, lumbering sunfish, who watched indifferently as the siren swam circles around him before swimming away again. She gracefully weaved her way through the kelp forest, and upon finding a seal, chased him playfully around the seabed before they were confronted by a bull shark, which Coloratura scared away with an angry glare.

Coloratura continued to explore the harbor and interact with the sea life for what seemed like hours, until a low, chugging rumble broke the tranquil silence. Coloratura looked up, and saw the distinct silhouette of a ship sailing into the harbor. “Oh hey, that must be one of those tour boats that goes looking for whales and dolphins!” Coloratura said with a smile. “Well, it’s probably best if I stay hidden, I don’t want to scare the captain, looking like this…” Her voice trailed away as she considered the situation, and all of a sudden, she was visited by a reckless, but potentially fun idea. “Maybe I COULD show myself, just for a minute.” She thought out loud. “I bet they didn’t get to see any sea creatures at all, and they’re really disappointed. And it’s not like I’m convincing them to crash the boat, I’m just going up to say hello.” Even as she processed this idea, Coloratura was wary: ponies had long mistrusted sirens, ever since a trio of malevolent sirens known as ‘The Dazzlings’ terrorized several coastal cities and fed upon the negative energy that they induced. Coloratura wasn’t malevolent in the slightest, but the stigma left by The Dazzlings was one of the major reasons why Coloratura disguised herself as a pony in the first place.

“It’s definitely a risk,” Coloratura admitted. “But I’m sure there’s no harm in singing one little song as they pass by.” She turned and flicked her tail, keeping pace with the ship as it sailed toward the shore. The sunlight glinted off her scales as she ascended toward the surface, but even as she kept pace with the vessel, she couldn’t lift her head out of the water to sing. Coloratura gave a great sigh, and prepared to dive back down when she saw a large outcropping of rock in the near distance. Perfect! She thought, and dipped just beneath the surface of the water before propelling herself ahead of the ship, toward the outcrop. “Did you see that?” One of the passengers gasped. “Something just swam past the boat! I think it was a whale!” “I don’t know about that.” The captain called from above. “Whales are bigger and slower than that, and they almost never enter the harbor. Could’ve been a barracuda, or maybe a-!” But his words died in his throat as the creature lifted itself out of the water, turned its slender head toward the boat, and began to sing:

Equestria, the land I love,
A land of harmony,
Our flag does wave
From high above
For ponykind to see..
Equestria, a land of friends
Where ponykind do roam!
They say true friendship never ends,
Equestria, my home!

And it was heaven, pure heaven to behold. The gentle melody carried itself across the wind and tickled the ears of everypony on the ship, and even a few onlookers from the boardwalk. The song soothed their nerves, and reminded them of parties and festivals, sporting events and holidays, all of the occasions when ponies joined together to celebrate, regardless of their differences. Coloratura smiled proudly at the little ponies: unlike The Dazzlings, she could captivate an audience with her natural voice, without the need for emotional manipulation. She could literally taste their emotions on the air, as all sirens could, and their bliss filled her with a warm, contented feeling that was akin to drinking a mug of hot chocolate.

“Thank you.” She said, and bowed respectfully to the ship’s passengers before plunging beneath the waves once again. Coloratura watched as the ship slowly coasted across the harbor and into the dock, and then spared a final glance at the bounty of life around her, before swimming back into the shallows. “I think that’s enough for today.” Coloratura said to herself as she breached the surface of the water beneath the boardwalk. She lifted her hoof, traced a circle around the musical note-shaped gem embedded in her chest, and tapped it gently. In an instant, Coloratura shrank back into her terrestrial pony form and trotted back onto the shore, shaking the briny water from her fur as well as she could. She was pleased to see that nopony gave her a second glance as she stepped out from under the boardwalk and scooped up her towel. It had been wonderful to be a siren again, but her kind was still largely unwelcome in Equestria, and she wasn’t eager to rock the boat.

* * * * * * * * * *

This story-picture combo was a lot of fun to create! Coloratura is one of my favorite characters from MLP:FiM, and the idea that she's actually a benevolent siren masquerading as a pony is too awesome to resist!

Credit goes to lopoddity for her Siren Coloratura headcanon, and for designing Coloratura's siren form.

www.deviantart.com/lopoddity/a…

www.deviantart.com/lopoddity/a…

Upvotes at import: 38 | Stars at import: 29
Posted previously at: 2019-08-28T10:35:49 | Posted previously by: jamestkelley