The Lost Tribe

by Mike Dugan

Chapter 2

In the middle of the shimmering blue ocean, two ponies bobbed in the water. Rainbow Dash was still in the sturdy embrace of the mysterious sea pony stallion who had saved her life moments ago.

"Oh my gosh..." she said softly. "Thank you..."

The sea pony gave a bashful half-smile.

"Oh my gosh, I can't believe you're real!" the pegasus blurted out. "I can't wait for you to meet my friends!" Rainbow Dash pressed herself closer to her savior. "I'm Rainbow Dash! What's your name?"

The sea pony blinked, and his smile faded. He seemed strangely unnerved by Rainbow Dash's words. "I... uh..."

Suddenly, a series of splashes caught both his and Rainbow's attention. A few feet away, Twilight Sparkle and the rest of her friends had arrived at the surface. Catching sight of Rainbow Dash, the five ponies began jabbering all at once, bombarding their friend with questions like, "Are you okay?" and, "Oh my gosh! What happened?"

The yammering ponies gasped in unison as they saw the blue stallion cradling Rainbow Dash. Twilight Sparkle's eyes shot back and forth from her pegasus friend to the strange pony with her. She tried to speak, but could only stammer in bewilderment. "R-r-rainbow? Is that a... I mean, is he a... ?"

Rainbow Dash smiled upon seeing her friends. "I'm fine, guys, I–" She and the sea pony exchanged startled glances as they both realized they were still draped in each others' forelegs. The two leaped from each other, smiling awkwardly.

Rainbow Dash scratched the side of her head. "Whoa, heh... I guess I had somepony looking out for me, huh," she said.

The sea pony pursed his lips. He looked around himself, meeting the eyes of each of the mares fixated on him. There was a look of mild dismay on his face, as if he had been caught in some wrongdoing. Smiling sheepishly, he finally introduced himself. "Breaker," he said. "They call me Breaker."

After her magic air bubble had been restored by Twilight, Rainbow Dash had returned with her friends to the undersea realm with Breaker the sea pony.

Deep below the surface, seven ponies gathered atop the rippled sandbars. Breaker floated close to the sea bottom, allowing his land-based friends to stride along next to him. He moved in a slow undulation, propelling himself along with his tail and occasionally pushing his two front hooves into the sand.

The sea pony scratched the side of his head. He went to speak, but soon found himself crowded by excited mares from all sides.

"Oh my gosh! We have to throw you a party! A 'Found the Lost Tribe' party!" Pinkie squealed.

"I've heard that pearls can be found by the bushel down here! You simply must show me where to find some!" Rarity crooned.

"How fast can you swim? What does breathing water feel like? Oh! Are you able to keep books down here?" Twilight asked.

Applejack stamped her hoof. "Land sakes!" the scowling earth pony interjected. "Did y'all leave your manners back ashore or somethin'? Let's at least show a little gratitude afore we start grillin' the poor guy!"

Looking rather embarrassed, the other ponies collected themselves and resumed their stroll.

"You're right, Applejack," Twilight said. She turned back to Breaker. "Please excuse our behavior. We're all very grateful for what you did. It was very brave of you!"

Breaker shrugged. "Hey, it was, um, nothing," he said.

"Hogwash! Who knows what woulda happened if you hadn't come along!" Applejack added. "Speakin' of, how's the head, Rainbow Dash?" Applejack waited for Rainbow Dash to respond, but received no reply. "Rainbow Dash?" Applejack turned toward the blue pegasus.

Rainbow Dash had not even heard Applejack's voice. Her focus was entirely on Breaker. She was staring at the dark blue pony as she sauntered along next to him, oblivious to the fact that her friend was speaking to her. Applejack picked up her voice. "Rainbow!"

As if snapping out of a trance, Rainbow Dash blinked and shook her head. "Wha– huh?" She glanced around herself, looking as though she had just then noticed her friends were with her. "Oh, uh, well I guess I–" Suddenly, Rainbow Dash uttered a frantic squawk as she toppled forward and landed face-first in the sand. She had caught her front hoof on a rock.

Breaker flinched. "Are you okay?"

Rainbow Dash popped back up, waving her forelegs to dissipate the cloud of sand she had stirred up. "Uh, I-I'm fine!" she said. She chuckled and gave a toothy grin, trying to maintain her composure.

Pinkie Pie sprang up next to Rainbow, looking very concerned. "Rainbow Dash, you should watch where you're going! If you keep staring at Breaker like that, you could get hurt!"

Rainbow Dash's cheeks flushed. She shot Pinkie a sharp look, and the others began giggling. Breaker smiled slightly, relieved that the attention was away from him for a moment. His own cheeks had turned red as well.

"So, Breaker!" Twilight said, "You've got to tell us about your kind! What do sea ponies do?"

Breaker suddenly looked mortified. His eyes darted from side to side as he stammered for a few seconds. "Uh... Hey, how about you tell me about your kind instead!" he said finally.

Twilight and her friends were puzzled by Breaker's response. "Oh! Sure!" Twilight replied. "I guess you've all been down here by yourselves for so long, you probably aren't familiar with us either!" She cleared her throat as she began her speech. "Well, we do things like study magic, science and history!"

Fluttershy then spoke up. "We also take care of all the animals and keep the weather."

"And we throw the best parties!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

Applejack stepped in. "That's right! And we grow some mighty fine apples up top too! Heavens to Betsy, you probably never even heard of apples down here! You'll have to try some once you get a chance to visit!"

Breaker pursed his lips in response to Applejack's words. "Uh... Y-y-yeah..." he said slowly.

Rarity slinked over to Breaker's side. "And what of you, dear?"

"That's right, fair's fair!" Applejack added. "Tell us a little somethin' about yourself!"

Twilight hopped toward Breaker excitedly. "Yes! Please, you've got to tell us!" she said. "I have so many questions!"

Again, Breaker looked distressed, as if struggling to think of what to say next. "Uh... well..." Then, his face brightened. "You know what? We do just those sorts of things too! Just underwater! Nothing special at all!"

Twilight's expression wilted. "Huh?"

"Yup! We're just like all of you! Except we swim! A-a-and we don't have those apple things! But other than that, we're just plain ponies! So that's it!" Breaker smiled awkwardly.

The six friends were dumbfounded. They all looked at each other, muttering in confusion.

Seeing the opportunity, Breaker started to swim away from the other ponies. "Well, uh, it's been really fun meeting all of you!" he said. "But it's getting a bit late, so I should probably get going. Lots of sea pony things to do and all!"

The six mares looked at Breaker with shocked expressions.

"What?" Twilight exclaimed. "But... but there are so many things we need to learn! You've got to come with us to the surface and tell us about your kind! All of Equestria will want to know about you! After all these years! Breaker, you're a huge discovery!"

Breaker's face filled with dismay. "Look, I'm really sorry," he said. "I am. But I've got to get going!" He began to swim away.

"Wait just a minute!" Rainbow Dash shot through the water and in front of Breaker, halting him. "You saved my life, and now you're just gonna take off? Just like that?" She folded her forelegs and glared at the sea pony.

Twilight and Applejack pulled themselves up through the water alongside Rainbow, further impeding the sea pony's escape. Behind him, the others had also risen up in the water, surrounding him.

Breaker glanced around himself, looking as though he was about to panic.

Rainbow Dash inched closer to the sea pony. "What are you hiding, Breaker?" she pressed.

Breaker rubbed the back of his head. He looked more worried than ever. "I... I..." Suddenly, the sea pony's eyes widened. He looked out to the depths, his ears twitching.

Rainbow Dash peered at Breaker. "What is it?"

Breaker turned back to the pegasus with a terrified expression. "Hide. Now," he whispered. Rainbow Dash tilted her head. "Go!" Breaker hissed through clenched teeth.

Taking the hint, Rainbow Dash shot back down to the sea floor with her friends, and the six ponies took shelter as best they could among the rocks and plants. Rainbow Dash peeked out from beneath the large flaps of seaweed she concealed herself beneath. In the open water, she could see Breaker, swimming back and forth, as if on the lookout for some sort of danger. Rainbow Dash wondered if another shark was about to attack.

Breaker nervously scanned his surroundings, hoping intensely he was mistaken about what he had sensed. For a moment, he felt the danger had passed. But then, two shadowy forms rose up before him.

Breaker gulped upon seeing the creatures who had appeared before him, then forced a smile. "Hey guys!" he said cheerfully.

Two burly sea pony stallions clad in body armor and helmets leered at Breaker. Still wearing his fake smile, Breaker continued to speak. "So how are things in law enforcement?" Neither of the armored stallions reacted. Breaker chuckled. "Hey, come on, you guys aren't still sore about that trespassing thing from a while back, are you?"

Silence.

Breaker's smile weakened as he cleared his throat. "Well! It's been nice seeing you gentlecolts again!" he said. He began swimming backward, away from the two warriors. "Hope you have a nice day, and that we can do this again real–" Breaker went silent as he bumped into an obstacle that had risen up behind him. The blue sea pony turned, his smile completely gone. "… soon..."

Floating before Breaker was an enormous sea pony stallion, even larger than the two brutes nearby. He was adorned in an ornate variation of the armor his companions wore, and a huge trident was strapped to his back. His thick forelegs were folded across his broad chest, and he glared at the young stallion.

Breaker's face lit up. "Riptide!" he exclaimed joyfully. "How's my favorite captain of the guard?"

Riptide snorted, sending a stream of tiny bubbles from his nostrils. "Oh, not well, lad," he grunted. "I'm afraid I'm not doing well at all."

Still trying to pass himself off as cheerful, Breaker replied to the beastly guard, "Gee, that's a shame. Well, you know what always lifts my spirits? A nice, relaxing nap by the thermal vents. Cures all! Now, if I were you, I would–"

"I've been hearing stories about you, Breaker," Riptide interrupted. "Stories about you going near the shoreline. Again." Riptide pushed himself toward Breaker as he spoke, and Breaker hastily paddled backward as he did so. "Stories about you getting much too close to land ponies, Breaker. Much too close to breaking Sacred Law." Riptide continued to advance on the terrified Breaker until he bumped into the two stoic thugs behind him, cornering him.

Riptide leaned forward. His voice had taken on an even harsher tone. "Stories that make the elders very unhappy, Breaker. And if the elders are unhappy, I am unhappy. And when I am unhappy..."

Breaker swallowed. "Hey, come on... It's me, remember?"

Riptide jerked his head forward, jamming his muzzle against Breaker's. He smiled menacingly, and snorted another stream of bubbles into Breaker's face. "Keep your snout clean, lad," he grunted. Finally, the hulking guard moved away from Breaker. He gestured to his troops with one of his forelegs, and swam off into the depths. The two enforcers followed, and soon the three were out of sight.

Breaker watched Riptide fade away into the deep ocean. He remained motionless, wanting to make certain the monstrous guards were far enough away before he dropped his act. Exhaling shakily, Breaker slowly sank down to the seabed. He sat back on his tail and stared at the ground, his face filled with horror. Putting his hooves to his temples, he slowly rocked back and forth. "Oh, no..." he muttered. "Oh, no, no, no..." He repeated himself several more times, before he saw the light blue hooves of a mare standing before him.

Breaker looked up to see Rainbow Dash and her friends gathered around him. They all looked at their sea pony friend, eyes wide with concern.

Fluttershy had barely emerged from her hiding place, still shaken by the sight of the armored warriors. "Wh-wh-who where those guys?" she whimpered.

"'Sacred Law?'" Twilight asked.

"'Too close to land ponies?'" Applejack looked insulted.

Breaker lifted himself off the seabed and floated in place, wringing his forelegs. Rainbow Dash stepped closer to him. "Breaker?" The sea pony turned his head away, unable to look the pegasus in the eye. Reaching up with one of her forelegs, Rainbow Dash touched him on the chest. "Breaker, what's going on?"

Breaker sighed, and finally met Rainbow Dash's gaze. "I guess it's time I explained a few things, huh..."

It was nearly sundown, and the bustling metropolis of Canterlot was preparing for nightfall. The industrious goings-on of the day were winding down, and the sparkling nightlife of the big city was starting up. Well-to-do ponies trotted about, excited for the day's end and the fun that followed. But at one side-street cafe, spirits were low as five forlorn ponies convened at an outdoor table.

Twilight Sparkle and her friends glanced at each other with sullen faces, and the purple unicorn sighed heavily. "Complete isolation," she said flatly.

Applejack shook her head slowly. "The whole mess of 'em, never to come anywhere near other ponies. Ever," she said.

"Or suffer terrible punishment..." Rarity breathed.

A distraught Pinkie Pie blurted out, "It's just so sad! All those new ponies, and none of them are allowed to be friends with us!"

Twilight sighed again, and went to sip her drink. She was so lost in the dilemma, she nearly jumped out of her skin when the nasal voice of the waitress pony chimed in from her side.

"Freshen your carrot juice?" the yellow unicorn mare asked.

Pinkie Pie clapped her front hooves over her mouth, silencing herself.

"Uh, no thank you," Twilight replied. She waited until the server departed, then the five ponies leaned in closer to each other, trying to keep their voices low.

"What're we gonna do, y'all?" Applejack said. "The princess expects us to report to her in just a few days! We can't lie to her!"

Fluttershy's ears drooped. "But if we tell the truth..."

"Who knows what will happen to Breaker..." Twilight finished.

Pinkie Pie slumped in her seat and pouted. "As Granny Pie would say, 'bummer...'"

Twilight tapped her hoof on the table. "One thing's for sure, we've got to keep the discovery of the sea ponies to ourselves until we figure out how to handle all this," she said. "I don't know what we'll do yet, but at least Rainbow Dash volunteered to stay behind to see if she can learn a few things from Breaker. That way, maybe we can get a little more information that will help solve this."

Applejack nodded. "Mighty strange, though," she said thoughtfully. "Rainbow isn't usually into all that academic stuff. I wonder what's gotten into her."

"'Sky ponies?'" an amused Rainbow Dash said. "Is that really what you guys call us?"

"Well, yeah," Breaker replied matter-of-factly. "Isn't that what you are?"

Rainbow Dash flapped her wings and put her front hooves to her hips. "I beg your pardon, mister," she said in a tone of mock-indignation, "but I'm a pegasus."

"O-o-h, well please pardon me!" Breaker bowed. "Am I forgiven?"

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "Well, I suppose," she giggled. "This time."

The two ponies laughed and continued to swim about the Equestrian sea. Rainbow Dash eyed the sea pony for a moment, trying to think of what to say next.

"Say," she finally said, "what is it with you and those guards exactly? I got the feeling there's some history there."

Breaker grinned. "Yeah, kind of," he said. "We've had a few run-ins. I don't follow the rules that much."

Rainbow Dash glanced at the image of a cresting wave along Breaker's side. "Oh, so your cutie mark, and your name, they must mean–"

"Breaker by name, breaker by nature," the sea pony explained. "It's just how I am." He puffed his chest out slightly, smiling broadly. "I've never been the fit in and play nice type, you know?" Rainbow Dash cocked an eyebrow. Breaker cleared his throat, his attempt at posturing dimmed.

"Well, don't get me wrong," Breaker continued, "I don't try to hurt anypony, it's just little things. Like the time I sneaked into the Coralseum to watch the games. Man, what a scene..." The sea pony chuckled to himself, as if remembering something fondly.

Rainbow Dash's eyes widened with increasing interest. "Games?"

"Sure, you know, like racing and stunt swimming," Breaker responded. "Actually, I'll tell you, I used to do try-outs myself, back in the day. But..."

Rainbow Dash looked perplexed. "But you stopped? How come?" Now it was Breaker's turn to raise an eyebrow. Rainbow Dash smirked and rolled her eyes. "Oh, right, Breaker by name," she said. "Gosh, that's too bad though."

Breaker just shrugged. "It's okay. Hey, it's still fun trying to get away from the guards all the time. Gotta be quick!" With that, Breaker burst through the water, circling Rainbow in a display of flips and twists. "Know what I mean?"

Rainbow Dash responded in kind. She bolted toward Breaker and swam around him rapidly, spinning the sea pony, then returned to form. "Yeah, you could say that," she quipped.

Breaker steadied himself and shook off the dizziness. "Whoa, Rainbow Dash, you're a real torpedo!" he remarked. He swam up to the pegasus eagerly. "Hey, where'd you learn to swim like that?"

Rainbow Dash beamed. "Who, me?" she said. "Swimming's not too different from flying, y'know. And you're talking to one of the best fliers in Equestria!"

Breaker looked intrigued. "Wow, that's kind of awesome," he said. He thought for a moment. "Hey... wanna show me what else you can do?"

Rainbow Dash blinked. "Well, wait a second, my friends are expecting me to learn a bunch of stuff from you. I can't spend all this time just playing around," she protested.

Breaker smirked. "Hey come on, show me what you got! You swim pretty good, for a mare!"

Rainbow Dash's eyes narrowed. "You're on!"

Soon, the two ponies took off through the water. They raced, tested each others' speed, and created stunts and tricks. Soon, they had made their way to the surface, giving Rainbow Dash a chance to show off her flying talents. She zoomed along the surface, while Breaker breached the water and started to combine his own unique tricks with Rainbow's aerial stunts. The two ponies laughed and cheered, their impromptu competition turning into a dance in the golden rays of the setting sun.

Time passed, and the sun disappeared over the horizon. Rainbow Dash and Breaker had settled down on a sandbar, relaxing after their athletic array. The two gazed out at the undersea landscape. The depths had grown dimmer now that the sun had set, and the moon sent silver shafts of light through the water.

Neither of the two ponies spoke for a long time. Breaker was still looking out over the undersea landscape, but Rainbow Dash had since turned her gaze towards him. As before, she found herself fixated on the sea pony. There was something about him that fascinated her, but it was more than the mere fact that he was a pony with a fish tail.

Rainbow Dash watched his subtle movements, the occasional twitch of his tail, the way his shaggy black mane, slightly longer than most boy ponies she knew kept it, swayed in the current. Most of all, she found herself lost in his vivid green eyes. Finally, she broke the silence. "Hey," she said softly, "Can I ask you something?"

Breaker turned to the pegasus. "Sure, Rainbow. What is it?"

"Why did you do it?" Breaker looked confused, and Rainbow continued. "When I was in danger... why did you risk so much for me? I mean, all that Sacred Law stuff, you said it was wrong for your kind to even come near us." It was a question that had been burning within Rainbow Dash for a while now. In fact, it was the real reason she volunteered to stay behind with him, while her friends returned to the shoreline.

Breaker looked unsure of what to say. His eyes turned to the ground. "Well, you know, like I said before, I... break the rules. That's all," he said. His voice started to trail off.

Rainbow Dash shook her head. "It's more than that."

Breaker prodded the sand for a moment, lost in thought. "Gosh, it's kind of hard to say," he said. "We were always told that the other ponies hated each other, which is why our ancestors cut themselves off so long ago. Ever since, we've kept to ourselves, and tried to avoid all the strife and distrust. Go with the flow, not get involved, that's how we've always been." Breaker rested his chin on his hoof. "But, me being me, I couldn't help being a little curious."

The sea pony sighed, many thoughts crossing his mind. "But I never, ever took it this far... I never meant to break the biggest law we have." The sea pony looked pensive for a moment. Then, his eyes brightened as he recalled the events from earlier in the day. "But, when I saw you and your friends together, all different ponies, all helping each other... Gosh, Rainbow, you tackled a shark! Where I come from, only the bravest ponies would do something like that! And all for the sake of another pony who didn't even have wings? Well, I thought that meant things were different. So I guess that's why I did what I did."

Rainbow furrowed her brow. "Has anypony ever broken the law before?"

Breaker shook his head.

Rainbow Dash leaned toward her sea pony friend. "Breaker," she said worriedly, "how bad is it if you get caught breaking that law?"

Breaker frowned. "Bad," he said. "Real bad."

Rainbow Dash's ears drooped. "If you had the chance, would you do things differently?"

Breaker looked to Rainbow Dash, his expression becoming very serious. "No. Never. Not in a hundred years," he said. Rainbow Dash smiled.

Breaker chuckled. "I mean, after a hundred years, yeah I'd probably just take off, but other than that!"

Rainbow Dash scoffed as she swatted Breaker on the shoulder, and the two ponies burst out laughing.

After a moment, Rainbow Dash spoke. "Y'know, things are different up above. Maybe they can be down here too?"

Breaker inched closer to Rainbow Dash. "I'd like things to be different."

Neither pony said anything. They held a comfortable silence as they smiled at each other.

A bold voice cut through the water. "And some things never change!"

Breaker gasped, his face contorted with shock and horror. Wheeling around, Breaker saw the source of of the voice. The mighty Riptide and his two cronies had reappeared.

The enormous warrior stallion glowered at the two horrified ponies before him. "Oh Breaker," he sighed, "What have you done, lad?" Breaker said nothing. He simply gawked at the huge warrior with terrified eyes.

Riptide floated closer to his prey. An exasperated look was spread across his face as he parodied an expression of sorrow. "It's only one law, lad. One simple law," he said. Breaker and Rainbow Dash slowly crept away from the advancing guard. Riptide's voice went flat as he spoke again. "I'm very, very disappointed, Breaker." Riptide's expression hardened. He shot Rainbow Dash a contemptuous sneer, then turned his angry eyes back to Breaker. "Take him."

At the command, the two armored guards quickly moved toward Breaker. Breaker turned to his pegasus friend. "Rainbow Dash, get out of here!" He pushed her away, urging her to make her escape.

"I'm not leaving without you!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. The two ponies began to make a desperate attempt to evade the marauding guards, when the tough fibers of a net lashed out and wrapped around the base of Breaker's tail. He snapped back, and was quickly reeled in by his captors. Rainbow Dash turned to see her friend being restrained by the two gormless bruisers.

The guards held Breaker by his forelegs as he thrashed desperately. "Rainbow, run!" he shouted. In a swift move that defied his tremendous size, Riptide swung his huge trident and aimed the lethal points at his captive. A fierce red glow emanated from the weapon, and violent blast of crimson bolts surged into the struggling stallion. Breaker howled in pain as the crackling energy enveloped him, then he slumped in the grip of the guards.

"Breaker!" Rainbow Dash shrieked.

The two sea pony guards began to swim away into the deep, dragging the stunned Breaker along with them. In a rage, Rainbow Dash threw herself at one of the soldiers, battering him with her hooves. "No! Let him go!"

The sturdy handle of Riptide's trident struck Rainbow Dash, knocking her away. She slammed into the sea floor, yelping from the painful blow. Trembling, Rainbow slowly began to pick herself up, only to find herself being loomed over by Riptide.

"This matter does not concern you, sky pony!" Rainbow Dash recoiled from the bellowing sea pony. "Now, leave this place," he snarled. "Never return." Riptide heaved his massive bulk away from the defeated pegasus, and he and his minions swam away, with Breaker in their custody.

Breaker looked up weakly as he was taken away, meeting Rainbow Dash's horrified eyes. The stricken pegasus could only watch helplessly as her friend was dragged into the depths.