The Fluttershark

by cogwheelbrain

Dun... dun

“The Fluttershark”
A Treatise
by HRH Twilight Sparkle
Fluttershark Victim

Sharks are found in almost all bodies of water around the world in both freshwater and salt. They range in scale from smaller as a minnow to as large as a full-grown dragon. They are sleek, agile, fast, and cunning, their evolutionary edge has been honed for millions of years. They are apex predators and deserve respect; perhaps the fluttershark most of all.

The fluttershark is a marvel of equine-ichtian evolution. A strange, unlikely cross between a native saltwater species and a sun loving, land-based equine. Like all other sharks, the fluttershark is completely at home in the water and have a natural, instinctive need to continuously swim. But unlike other sharks who swim to stay alive, the fluttershark swims for the enjoyment of it and for sheer curiosity. However, fluttersharks cannot spend all their time in the water because they have lungs and as such are required to breathe air.

To balance their instinctive desire to “just keep swimming” and the requirement to continuously breathe they have evolved an amazing ability to use simple tools to extend their time in the water, such as breathing through a curved hollow tube which acts as an extension to their snout. This effectively becomes a proboscis that sticks almost straight up out of the water from their muzzle while allowing them to swim with head and body just below the water’s surface. It is not unusual to see a short burst of water being expelled from the tube when returning from the depths allowing the fluttershark to take a fresh breath of air without completely surfacing.

In appearance, the fluttershark has a pony body with a butter yellow coat and pink mane and tail. Amazingly, this is perfect camouflage in the water. From above, light dancing off the yellow coat somehow matches the sand in the shallows. The mane and tail flowing in the current appears to be some strange jellyfish. But it is the fin on their back, the same yellow as the coat with a bit of pink at the tip, is their most defining feature. It slices through the water like a hot knife through butter. While it assists the fluttershark with sharp turns in the water, it also serves as a signal to the rest of the world as a warning: predator, beware!

While fluttersharks do have a tail it is not like other fish where the tail is simply the lower half of the body terminating in large fins. No, the fluttershark has nothing more than a common, yet graceful, pony tail attached at the usual location found on the average pony anatomy. Rather than propel themselves through the motion of a muscular tail and fins the fluttershark utilizes fore and rear legs in a more cyclical motion more akin to a dog; albeit a very, very fast dog.

The diet of the fluttershark is very different than that of the normal shark. In exception to all other known species of shark, fluttersharks do not eat meat. Rather, they must eat grains, fruits, and vegetables lest they grow weak and their manes lose their luster. (Author’s note: while not truely vain, fluttersharks are known to take pride in their appearance. So much so that they are known to brush their mane and tail with a hundred strokes of a brush every night before going to bed.)

It must be noted that because of the fluttershark’s vegetarian diet, it does not have the expected razor sharp teeth as most other sharks. But do not let that fool you. If you ever have the chance to meet up with a fluttershark in-pony, you will quickly discover that what the fluttershark lacks in pointy teeth they make up for that with their grin. Such an expression is something that can never be unseen as it is a true “sharky” grin: full of teeth and unintended consequences.

For all their differences, the fluttershark shares one critical characteristic common to all shark species: a driving urge to hunt. All sharks seek out prey, and in that, the fluttershark is no different. And like all sharks, they hunt in the depths because when on land, a fluttershark’s hearing and sense of smell is no better than your average pony. But in the water…

The fluttershark lazily cruised along the edge of the beach, skirting around boulders and dancing through floating bundles of seaweed. Occasionally, she dove, gliding just above the sandy bottom. Small crabs would scuttle away or dig into the sand when they finally realized she was there. Shoals of tiny fish darted to and fro when she appeared.

Today the clouds above were all but non-existent and the ocean waters were sun-kissed and warm. As Sun’s rays pierced the shallow waters they broke up through the waves and she darted from one Celestia-blessed sunbeam to the next. It was a wonderful way to spend an afternoon.

A sound caught her attention. It wasn’t the same as the roar of the surf overhead or the slap of the waves as they slammed into the beach. This was different. It was random, not rhythmic. It was an excited sound; the sound of something alive in the water. It might have been something struggling to stay afloat in the water, or possibly something swimming about unaware of what lurked nearby.

Something deep within her triggered. All thoughts of play vanished, they were replaced with an instinctual need to find the source of the sound. She ignored the sunbeams, the crabs, and the feeder fish. Surfacing long enough to snatch a quick breath of air, with a strong kick her legs drove her down to the bottom and straight in the direction the sound had come from.

Not far away, ahead and unaware, a sky-blue pegasus mare with a rainbow colored mane and tail splashed about playing in the surf. To the fluttershark, it was as if the pony was screaming, “here I am, come get me!” She rocketed across the sand inches from the bottom. At the last possible moment she launched herself upwards.

The water around the pony exploded and the mare felt a heavy pressure around her barrel. Then everything twisted, the pressure became a pull, and the mare felt the ocean close around her.

The pony was gone, rippling water the only sign anything had been there at all.

Comments

[WhispersInTheDark]

Oh noes! She got Rainbow Dash! And she was so young and beautiful!

[Comickook]

Have to say, this is a rather amusing piece so far. Love the Affectionate Parody of "wildlife documentary style" narration.

On to the next chapter.

[SamuelK28]

So silly, but funny.

[Coyote de La Mancha]

Gasp! Rainbow Dash! Whatever will become of you?!?

[B_Munro]

They range in scale from smaller as a minnow to as large as a full-grown dragon.

i.ytimg.com/vi/UUhme9_NxTY/maxresdefault.jpg

So Equestria has Megs. I am not surprised.

[acrazzyperson]

Where's the M rating for cold-blooded murder?

[redandready45]

10194040

And the graphic depiction of such a foul creature.

[kitsune_shadow]

guy
reading your story
remember those old drawings
where the narrator is talking and the character doing everything or at least almost with a lot of comedy and things like that.
the only thing i can think of nowadays of drawings like that, are some animations of the goofy character from the mickey group.

[Direct Access]

I can hear narrator going over this with the serious face.

[BlueYoshi]

Oh no! Rainbow Dash got attacked my the Fluttershark! Whatever shall we do?!

: Yay! Another victim has fallen to my attack!

[JakeAndDollars]

Just read this again for the first time since its publishing, still beautiful. Still heartwarming. Still frightening. Brain still reads it in Mr. Attenborough's voice...

Thanks for giving this to the world and this time, I remembered to follow you.

~Dollars