My little Short Stories

by Paradise Oasis

Oh deer... part one

Oh deer...Part 1

The Grand Vanhoover Canal. A pony-dug waterway that connects the Royal Paradise to the town of Bright Valley, it was one of the final projects that Princess Luna had commissioned before the Grogar wars. A hundred and fifty mile long silver ribbon that the ponies of Confederacy used to transport crops and goods along the old unicorn run, this eighty foot wide and nine foot deep trench had a constant stream of ships and barges traversing it's entire length.

It was on one such vessel, that four equines from Dream Valley now made their way east towards the earth pony town. Riding on a packet boat laden with wheat, flour and barley, the small group of earth ponies marvel at the scenic countryside they slowly glided past.

"Oh my goodness Shady, this is so amazing!" The pink mare exclaimed, looking off the bow of the boat. "Thank you so much for inviting Wigwam and I along on this voyage."

"Oh, I'm so glad you could join us on this trip." Shady replied, looking down on the deck. "I... didn't think you and your husband would really want come along on this dumb trip."

"Nonsense, Lady Shady. I've been wanting to show Cheerilee the rest of the Confederacy for some time." Wigwam waved a hoof dismissively. "She should get a look at how her homeland has changed over the last millennium, after all."

"Actually the unicorn run still looks much like it did when I visited here as a filly." Cheerilee replied nostalgically, looking over towards the yellow mare that were traveling with. "What do you think of all of this lovely scene?"

"UNICORN RUN....GOOOOD!" Magic Star hissed, drool trickling out of her mouth. "MAGIC STAR WONDER IF THERE BRAINS HERE?"

"Um... right..." The teacher replied skeptically, cocking an eyebrow. Trotting over to the other mare."Ummm, Shady? Why did we bring her along again?"

"Oh, I just couldn't leave poor Magic Star alone! Especially with both Fizzy and her hubby busy right now." The pink mare with the chartreuse mane replied sadly. "Besides, I thought this trip would be some good bonding time for her and her daughter, since she wanted to come too."

"Mommy, mommy! Look! captain gave me hat!" Baby Cuddles announced, galloping out of the ship's small cargo hold waring a small sailor's had. "Me look like sailor pony, huh?"

"CUDDLES LOOK LIKE SAILOR!" The foul-smelling fakie told her blue-colored offspring. "GET JOB ON BOAT!"

Wigwam only laughed, and Cheerilee rolled her eyes at the mother and daughters antics.

"I think she's a little young for that." The Pink mare added sarcastically, clearly critical of the decomposing mare's deteriorated intellect. "I do believe that Magic Star's intellect, has become as rotten as her hygiene."

"Oh come on. dearest." The tribal pony chuckled. "She's not that bad! Besides, maybe that's why she's so eager for braaaaains!"

Hoping to redirect the conversation, the pony teacher looked up to the ship hand working on the vessel's roof.

"Um, excuse me, Miss Coral?" Cheerilee asked the purple mare, who was tightening a knotted rope. "I'm truly sorry to bother you and miss Ocean while you're working, but I was wondering if you could tell me a little more about this vessel..."

"Why certainly, Miss Cheerilee! Always happy to educate an educator!" The mare smiled, "As you can see, we are traveling in a flat bottom packet boat, which is specially built to travel through shallow water like this." She pointed down at her peach-colored partner who was pulling the boat along by a tether rope. "Ocean and I take turns pulling the boat along, switching places up there on the towpath every few miles or so. While it would take two or three of any other kind of pony to do such heavy labor, one of us earth ponies is quite enough to get the job done."

"I probably couldn't get the job done." Shady whined, looking down at her wobbly reflection in the water. "I guess I'm just not good at anything."

"Now Shady, you need to stop being to hard on yourself!" Cheerilee insisted, stamping her hoof on the deck of the packet boat."You are just as capable as any other pony to do anything you set your mind to! Isn't that right, Wigwam?" The pink mare with pigtails looked up at her husband when he failed to respond. "Um, Wiggy?"

"Huh?" The stallion with the feathered headdress was looking out at the woods beyond the canal towpath, startled by his wife's question. "Oh, sorry... I was just thinking about some of the things I've heard about the local tribe who I have heard lives just to the north of here."

"What? There's a buffalo tribe living this far north?" Shady asked in shock. "I didn't think they could live anywhere this cold!"

"My buffalo brothers can live in extremely cold places, Lady Shady." The tribal pony corrected her. "But no, I was actually referring to a tribe of reindeer that are supposed roam just north of the confederacy's border. They are a very hostile group, and have little trust for outsiders."

"Oh no!" The dark pink mare with the sunglasses cutie mark wailed. "Does that mean we're in danger here?"

"I very much doubt it, Miss Shady." Coral told them with a laugh, motioning to the the mare pulling the boat to pick up the pace. "They rarely are bold enough to conduct raids this far south of Ponyland's border."

....

Hidden in the woods beyond beyond the towpath, four sets of eyes watched the approaching vessel with great interest. As the unsuspecting ponies drew closer, a large male buck gazed at them through a round spying glass he held in his hoof.

"A pink and white canal boat." He told the other deer surrounding him. "Seven ponies visible- four mare passengers, one stallion in buffalo tribe garb and two mares with ring cutie marks- the crew, judging by their uniforms."

"The Sal sisters. Their boat makes this run every for weeks." Another stag replied, sharpening his horns against a nearby tree. "They'll be laden down with a ton of lucrative cargo, no doubt, bound for thiose rich and spoiled ponies in bright valley."

"This will be quite a nice little haul." A third buck replied greedily, already imaging those unwitting ponies being skewered on his horns. "We should make sure there are no survivors."

"No!" A female voice came from behind them, ad a pair of pony hooves trotted up behind the three males. "No one is to die on this raid, is that understood?"

"But Forestpearl, they are just ponies!" One of the bucks challenged, standing up to the uppity female. "Why should we-"

"Are you questioning my instructions?" She asked angrily, her gemstone eyes flashing in annoyance. "Perhaps you wish for me to tell my father about your impudence?"

"No, my lady." The male stag replied, as he and his companions bowed. "We shall ambush them at the next canal lock."

"Indeed." Another stag agreed, as the three melted into the foliage. "they'll never know what hit them!"

...

It wasn't long before the boat arrived at a giant pair of wooden doors, set in the middle of the waterway. As the boat came to a stop, Coral and Ocean changed places.

"Boat in!" Ocean cried out, in the direction of a large house near the two sets of wooden doors. "Open the lock!"

At her signal, two stallions came out of the house, and began to slowly push the two lock doors open. The boat slowly glided between the two sets of doors, which the stallions then slowly closed the doors behind them.

"Oh my!" The mare exclaimed, watching the entire process with fascination. "What are they doing, exactly?"

"Moving the boat into the lock, so it can change elevation." Ocean explained, as water started to slowly pour in from the closed lock doors. "They flood the lock to raise the water level, so it can go through the next set of doors to continue on up the canal."

"Wow, didn't they have canals back in Equestria, Cheerilee?" Shady asked, puzzled by the teacher's curiosity. "I thought a teacher's supposed to know everything."

"We did have canals back then, Shady." Cheerilee sighed. "I was just trying to maybe teach Cuddles something about our trip."

"Wheeeee!" Baby Cuddles exclaimed, as the water levels rose. "Boat going up!"

"Wow, you're so smart, Cheerilee!" the dark pink mare sighed sadly. "I wish I was as-"

"Blast it, Shady! Why are you always so hard on yourself?" An exasperated teacher finally snapped. "Even when other ponies are praising you, you're always tearing yourself down!"

"I-I don't know Cheerilee... everything just seems so hopeless!" the mare moaned, her ears dropping heavily. "Everybody else seems really good at something, but I'm such a totally useless pony!"

"Well, I personally believe you have the potential to be a really great pony." The pigtailed mare put a hoof on her shoulder. "You just need the opportunity to prove yourself."

"Gee Cheerilee, maybe you're right!" Her ears perked up. "Maybe I-"

"AHHHHH!" Coral screamed, as three antlered fiends leapt into the canal , and landed on the boat. "Deer raiders! Deer raiders!"

It all happened so fast. Several bucks jumping and lunging with their antlers, knocking unsuspecting ponies to the deck. Shady was quickly knocked overboard, as a buck stood over a frighted baby cuddles.

"Aieeeee!" SPLASH! "Somebody help meee!" The scared pony wailed, splashing around in the shallow waterway.

"I don't care that Forestpearl said no deaths!" The stag snorted, his antlers at the terrified foal's throat. "Your mane wil make an excellent trophy on my wall!"

"AHHHHHHH!" The poor little pony shrieked, tears flowing down her face. "MAMA, HEEEELLLLPPPPPP!"

"BRAAAAAINNSSS!" The yellow zombie burst forth from below decks, her fangs bared and glowing red eyes blazing. Against her fellow ponies this creature held itself in check. But against this heartless monster who threatened her baby, Magic Star showed no mercy.

"What the heck are y-ARGAAHHHHH!" The buck wailed, as the mare bit into his flesh, both of them tumbled down the stairs below decks. There was the sounds of shouting and screaming, followed by crashing and banging noises. When the noise finally died down, a terrified baby Cuddles crawled over to the stairs.

"M-mama?" the foal asked, peeking down the steps. "Is mama ok?"

"Magic Star fine!" A voice hissed from the darkness below. "finally got brains! BUUURRRRP!"

On the other side of the boat, another buck did battle with Wigwam. The two circled each other, each looking for an opening.

"Ahh, so you're the buffalo tribe pony we've heard about!" The stag hissed, lowering his antlers. "Your scalp will make an excellent trophy!"

"We'll see about that!" Wigwam snapped back.

The buck lunged at him, and the earth stallion jumped to the side. With a swished of the tomahawk in his hoof, Wigwam chopped one of the proud deer's antlers off.

"ARGH! You stupid equine!" The buck hissed. "You shall pay dearly for that!"

The buck lunged again, this time stabbing Wigwam in the chest.

"Agrahhhh!" He cried out in pain, grabbing the wound with his hoof. Blood tricked out onto the deck, as the earth pony stumbled backward.

"You're not as tough as I thought, whelp." The Buck said with a laugh, lowering his one remaining antler. "I'm really going to enjoy this."

Not as much as I will." Wigwam replied. Lifting his tomahawk as the stag charged him, he dodged the remaining antler, and cleaved the deer's skull in two. But even as his opponent collapsed to the ground, Wigwam suddenly noticed he had little time to celebrate.

"You may have stopped us from claiming our loot!" A buck yelled back, jumping off the now-risen boat, and running back towards the forest. "But at least I've claimed a new female to satisfy me as a consolation prize!"

"Wigwam!" The teaching mare shrieked, tied up and draped across the fleeing buck's back. "He jumped me! Help!"

"Cheerilee!" Wigwam yelled in a panic. Starting after her, the stallion collapsed in pain from his wound.

"Oh no! Coal yelled, as the four deer that had been keeping her and the other pony crew busy fled. "They got miss Cheerilee!"

As the raiders all vanished back into the forest, a dazed Shady climbed back onto the boat.

"What happened? Where is everybody?" The confused mare asked, looking around. "What's going on?"

....

"Those IDIOTS!" The brown-colored mare with antlers, who had been watching from the bank snorted, her face twisted in an angry snarl. "What did they think they were DOING!?"

Watching the scene unfold on the boat for a few moments more, Forestpearl turned and vanished back into the woods, furious over the betrayal the bucks of her tribe had given her.

"My first raid, ruined by those alpha male brained morons!" The pony with antlers thought to herself. "Now just how am I going to explain this to father?..."

Comments

[La Vallett1]

Just for further information, a female dear is a doe, not a mare.

And I'm guessing the reindeer are the Norse race in this world?

[FleetlordAvatar]

So if the one commanding this raid is a pony, one with antlers mind you but a pony none the less, there is clearly some interbreeding going on here.

[Paradise Oasis]

3441939 3443347

Actually, she's described as a pony with antlers, but she's definitely no half-breed. Her story is interesting, though.