Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria…
War, War never changes. It was once said that the fate of the world hinged on friendship. It was so much a fact of life that when it was cast aside wholesale, the entirety of Ponykind was punished for it. In just two short hours most of the planet was reduced to cinders. Some had the good fortune to survive the apocalypse by taking shelter in the great underground shelters called Stables. The less fortunate attempted other, more desperate measures. A rushed mass migration took place as ponies set sail from the mainland, sailing on anything that could float, hoping to reach the Summer Sunset Isles. All of them gambling that the resort islands would be spared the holocaust. What waited for them was Toxic fire and dark magic raining from the sky. The surviving ships disappeared behind a vast wall of wild weather; cutting Summer Sunset Isles from the rest of the world. The survivors would then seek out an existence in the Oceanic Wasteland.
Fallout Equestria: Dark Shores
I guess this is where you’d get the scrolling text or some narrator telling the audience the who, what, when, where, and why of the story. If the director is good, they can tell the exposition though the story without a boring the viewer. Really good directors can nab the audience’s interest with just one line. Well, here goes nothing.
My name is Riptide, and I am a Seapony.
Heh, Figured that’d get your attention. Yes, Seaponies do exist. We didn’t originally. At least not in the traditional sense. We were fictional. Something you’d see in a picture book or children’s movie. We are a product of the apocalypse. The first of us, Lord Poseidon, was born roughly ten years after the end of the old world. He rose and brought the rest of the Seaponies into existence with him and ruled over Oceania. Fifty years later he shed his mortal shell to govern the seas of the world as Celestia and Luna governed the sun and moon. He left a void of power that, to this day, left the seaponies scattered and alone. Or that’s how the myth goes. He’s more of a saint than a god, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a cult of him somewhere.
You’re probably curious about seaponies in general. We’re a tribal society, spaced out in isolated parts of Oceania. There are three types of us. Just like normal ponies. We have your run of the mill seapony with two front legs, a mane and a back end like a dolphin’s tail. Then you have ones that have a unicorn’s horn, like me, and finally you have ones that have fins instead of front legs. We’re amphibious. Land doesn’t bother us that much; it barely even slows us down, though we prefer to be in the water. Just the freedom of movement under the waves, it’s something you just can’t find on land. I suppose a Pegasus might find the air to be the same, but I digress.
My particular tribe, The Reef Dwellers, is centered on a very small island with three buildings on it; The Dock-house, The Tower, and the Theater. From what we could find about the island, it was one of those hidden gem vacation spots that you’d only find ‘off the beaten path’. We use The Dock-House as a clinic and for housing our land based cousins. The Tower is first and foremost a lookout tower. Then there’s the workshop and armory at the base of the tower. Nothing military, just a collection spears, war clubs made from the coral, a few squirt guns, and a rifle we could never get working. Then we have our crown jewel (in my eyes at least), The Theater. Half stage, half silver screen. This is where we have important meetings, ceremonies, open mic night, and my personal favorite the nightly film showing.
The other tribes that I know of are the Bottom Feeders and the Spotted Sharks. We don’t see them very often. Our little neck of the woods, I think that’s the term, pretty out of the way for their hunting grounds. If we do meet them; they’re mostly admissible. Some have even traded with us for medicine and a private showing. However they have been known to pick a fight with our four legged family members. Other than them, we don’t get outsiders. In fact my parents were the last land ponies to end up here.
Oh yeah, Mom and Dad were unicorns. It’s very possible for land ponies to have seapony foals. Dad’s the one who got me hooked on the silver screen. Ever since he fixed the projector and opened up the archives. They passed away when I was still young. So Shaman Hollow Bones adopted me and made me her apprentice. Her guidance and those old movies raised me into the stallion I am today. Don’t worry there was a whole section of Educational films in there.
Anyways, the previews have been dragging on a bit too long. Unless I plan on making this a trilogy, I should probably get to the opening scene. Please silence all PipBucks and radios, stay courteous and avoid talking during the film, concessions can be purchased in the lobby and emergency exits are at the front of the theater.
Enjoy the show…
--- --- --- ---
The night is hot as hell. It’s a lousy room, in a lousy hotel, in a lousy city. I’m staring at a goddess. She’s telling me she wants me. I’m not going to waste another second wondering how I got so lucky. She smells like princesses aughta smell. The perfect mare. The Goddess. Goldie. She says her name is Goldie…
Three hours later I wake up with my head feeling three sizes too big and that cold thing happens to my stomach and I realize Goldie’s dead. Not a mark on her. You’d have to check her pulse or notice those beautiful wings of hers weren’t moving the way they would if she was breathing. She was murdered and I was right here when it happened. Lying next to her, stone drunk just like she was.
Dammit Goldie, Who were you and who wanted you dead? Who were you other than an angel of mercy giving a two time loser like me the night of his life? It sure as hell wasn’t my looks. So why the sleazy saloon? Why the kindness, Goldie?
*Sirens*
The cops. They’re telling me too much. Showing up before anyone but me and the killer knows there’s been a murder. Somepony paid good money for this frame.
No reason to play it quiet. No reason to play it anyway but my way. “Whoever killed you is gonna pay Goldie.”
*Bang bang bang*
“Open up! Police!”
“I’ll be right ou-ou-ou*VVVRRRRIIIIIITT!!*
--- --- --- ---
“Aw come on!” I yelled as somepony pulled the movie from the player. The shutters opened. The cloudy light from outside was blinding compared to the near pitch of the empty theater. I hissed as hid myself from sudden brightness. My braided salt and pepper mane reflected onto my sea green coat; which in turn reflected more light into my eyes. Eyes were still busy adjusting to the light.
“Now how did I know you’d still be in here.” A soft, weathered voice came from the entrance to the theater. It was Hollow Bones. She was a very old unicorn ‘zony’, half zebra, striped blue and grey, red mane, and a splint for a Cutie Mark. To the untrained eye she looked emaciated, but that’s just how she was built.
“You’ve been cooped up in here for near two days. It’s time to go outside and get your tail wet,” She ordered. Friggin mandatory exercise horse apples. I just wanted to pick out the next movie from the X rated section everyone else was too embarrassed to touch, but nooooo.
“I was just getting to the good part too…” I complained. I looked at the projector, still spinning as if the film wasn’t rudely pulled off not a moment ago. That could have damaged the film. I could almost feel tears welling up.
“The movie will be here when you get back, Riptide.” She wrapped her front leg around my neck dragging me, out of the screening room. I dug my hooves into the wood paneling.
“but-” I started to protest before she shoved a hoof in my mouth.
“Ah-ah! No buts. Besides, we need ingredients and I can’t swim.” And the cat is out of the bag. Figures she needed something and wasn’t really concerned about my physical fitness.
“…Fine,” I said defeated. Hollow Bones and I would have these exchanges all the time. It usually ended with me giving in and going along with whatever she had in mind. She’s old, and the closest thing to a mother I had. “What do you need me to get?”
“I need an extract of a fluffer fish, some xander root, and sea cucumber.”
“Fluffer fish, xander root, sea cucumber…” I thought for a moment as we walked past the main theater and into the lobby, “Soul nectar?” Soul nectar was a drug. Medical books would call it a class S hallucinogen. The stuff was rough, but it did its job. We used it for vision quests. Colts and Fillies get of a certain age and not have their cutie mark would get pumped full of the stuff. Four out of five times you got you cutie mark before you sobered up. One out of five times, it’d kill ya; Hence the ‘of a certain age’ clause.
“Glad to see you remember some of the things I taught you.” She smiled thinly.
“Who’s it for?” I asked.
“Sea Breeze.” We went outside; the salty cool breeze hit me like cozy blanket. The sky was cloudy, it always was. You could see little pillars of light poking through the holes. The palm trees swayed ever so slightly in the wind. A couple of fillies were playing with a ball.
“She really that old now?” I mused.
“If your eyes weren’t so glued to the silver screen, you’d know that.”
“If my eyes weren’t so glued to the silver screen, I would have never found out how to treat a sucking chest wound.” I snapped back, giving Hollow Bones a gentle nudge. I was referring to an advanced first aid film I found in the romance section a month ago.
“Fine, I’ll let you have that. Star Gazer would be dead without you. Now, get you hence. I have to make Sea Breeze Ready and the sun is falling.” She gave me a swift kick in the hind quarters as she went off towards the Dock-House. I dragged myself to the tower. If I was going out into the sea, I was going to need my effects.
--- --- --- ---
Fishing spear… check, coral club… check, diving knife… check, canteen… check, shark stomach saddle bags… double check. More than enough for a short trip past the reef. Heck, Brass Bits said I was over packing. Then again he probably just didn’t want me taking his best looking club. He studded the sucker with bullet casings and carved a likeness of Poseidon into the side.
I stood at the water’s edge. The ebb and flow of the water gently tapping the wooden supports of the dock. I leapt into the water. Its coldness enveloped me. Slowly, it faded and the sensations of the sea took over. Micro currents of water, only noticeable to a practiced mind, pelted my skin. I breathed in deep. Sucking in, allowing the water to fill my lungs. The smell of the seaweed drifted past my nostrils. The taste of the salt as I filtered the air from the water itself. This was home.
I made my way past the grottos. Somepony was deboning a fish. Another couple was in the middle of flirting. I could feel eyes on me. ‘Oh, it’s the Shaman’s apprentice, Movie Freak’ I could feel ponies thinking. That or ‘Oh hey Riptide, What’s up. Bones got you doing stuff? I’d help but I work for a living.’ Stuff like that. Nothing too bad though.
Don’t get me wrong, the other villagers are decent folk. Though if you could get them to be straight up about it, they would tell you that the prospect of me being their future spiritual leader was disconcerting at best. In fact I’d be the first to tell you to be worried. There’s too much to keep track of. First there is Celestia and Luna then you got the Zebra faith. On top of that we got Poseidon’s worship.
I sighed as I reached the edge of the reefs.
--- --- --- ---
Fluffy.
Fluffer fish are fluffy. However they are also very, very poisonous. Every single tuft of fluff could kill a pony. The whole fish? Forget about it. So when a saw a whole school of the suckers get swallowed whole by a Radshark and the thing didn't die, I was convinced to keep my distance.
The thing was at least long as six ponies, with a mouth big enough to get me whole. It had mean eyes. Three of them. And three rows of teeth. Heck the thing had three dorsal fins.
I sank down to the rocks, careful not to nick myself on the sharp ones. Pony blood doesn’t attract radsharks as much as some would think. Fish oil on the other hand will. Pony blood mixed with fish oil? Forget about it.
Three eyes roamed around as it slowly made its way away to some new spot. I rose from my spot. Scanning the area I found some stragglers from the fluffer fish school. My telekinesis wrapped around my spear, as I floated towards the fluffer fish.
Then I waited.
The fish started to gain their bearings.
I waited still.
They reformed a school.
I floated the spear closer to me.
One of them abruptly turned.
My spear pierced its side. I grabbed the fish and shoved it into my saddlebag, ensuring a tight seal. A little fish oil seeped out. I could smell it. It was time to leave.
The corners of my mouth pulled themselves toward my ears. Today was go-
I stopped dead. That scent. It was sour. It hurt like iron going into my nose. Blood. Pony blood. And it wasn’t mine.
-- -- -- -- -- -- --
My head burst from the surface. Vomiting up water, my lungs re-adjusted to breathing open air. I felt heat. Fire was on top of the water. I could feel my stomach churning as I scanned the area. The ruins of a boat floated along the surface.
I stuck my nose back in the water and sniffed. The source of the blood was ahead of me. Swam over to what looked like the nose of the boat. I swam back under, holding my breath. Not enough time to adjust to the water again. The boat had cracked in half. Or mostly, it looked like a good chunk of it was ripped through. They didn’t run aground, nor were there any ice burgs to hit. I swam into the wound and found a pocket of air. The smell of blood nearly floored me on the way up. An earth pony mare and filly were tied to a buoy. The mare had several shards of shrapnel sticking out of her back.
“Shit!” I rushed over to their side when I got to the pocket. Both of them were out cold. My head bumped against the top of the nose. The wreckage was sinking, and the unconscious don’t have a history of holding their breath.
I pulled out my club and started beating the ‘roof’. I couldn’t go down, so I had to go up.
Wham!
The wood splintered. A couple shards hit me in the face.
Wham!
The hull parted just barely.
Wham!
Large chunks of wood fell down from a now pony sized whole. I grabbed the buoy and the two others and pulled them through the portal. The nose of the boat was swallowed by the sea. I dragged the injured ones to a floating piece of wood, big enough for two.
A wave hit me in the face as I hoisted the two onto the raft. Running the rope the two had tied the buoy to themselves with through a hole in the raft.
“Now I know you probably can’t hear me but you’re going to be alright. You’re gonna- why do I smell fish oil?” blurted to myself. I glanced backwards. My saddlebag was sliced open by a sharp wood splinter. The fluffer fish floated by my tail, marinating in the blood of the injured mares.
A thousand searing hot needles pierced my tail as the Radshark clamped down on me, dragging me under. My lungs filled with water as I adjusted to breathing it. I could feel sinew and muscle tearing as it kept pulling at me. The world blurred as I felt helpless. My telekinesis wrapped around the diving knife.
“SonofaBITCH!” I heard my voice screaming as I rammed it into one of the Radshark’s eyes. Red sludge flew everywhere. The pressure around my tail released. The giant rushed on by. I could feel in the currents that it was circling around. I pulled my spear out. If it wanted something to eat, it was getting it. I could barely see but I felt it coming.
Jaws burst into view. I rammed the spear forward. The tip caught itself into the roof of its mouth. I then shoved the other end into its tongue. It kept coming forward, mouth propped open like it was at the dentist. I shifted left. The corner of its mouth bashed me as it rushed by again.
Again I felt it circle around. I pulled out my last weapon. The club.
“Come on big guy, let’s do this.” I said aloud, more to myself than to the Radshark. The water swelled as I saw its pearly whites. I swung upwards. Its jaw muscles working in tandem with my swing. The spear forced itself into the brute’s brain. The momentum of the huge beast carried us up to the surface.
I vomited up water, blood and probably a tooth or two. Most likely, not even mine. Thankfully, I floated up to the raft. I wrapped the rope around me, the shark and the raft. I needed medical attention for three. Oh, and the other two mares could use getting looked at as well. I swam as fast as my punctured tail would allow. I could see the tower light. It was only a few more minutes. After a few minutes even the tower light wasn’t visible.
-- --- --- ---
A singular ray of sunshine hit me in all the right places. My eye fluttered open. I felt really warm.
“Open up! Police”
“I’ll be right out.” A huge muscular pony burst through the door. Knocking several cops off their hooves. He then proceeded to lay the smack down while he was unfazed by the metric tons of bullets hitting his body.
“Kind of them to fast forward it to where I left off,” I mused aloud, I drifted off to the smell of antibiotics and popcorn.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Tag Skills: Medicine, Speech, Melee
Traits: Skilled: You practiced your technique quite a bit but never got out much. You Receive +5 to all Skills; but get a -10% experience gain.
Hot Blooded: You don’t like getting hurt, it makes you angry. They won’t like you when you’re angry at <50% health +15% damage w/ -2 to Perception and Agility.
Author's Notes: This is my first MLP fanfiction. So if anything seem a miss, please point it out so i can fix it. Also please suggest how this story can be better. I'm writting for your enjoyment as much as mine. Lets make this good!