Fins

by daOtterGuy

Hook

Flash lifted himself out of the water and onto the slipshod wooden dock using his wings as leverage. He looked past his withers, his fur soaking wet, and a mischievous grin on his face as he waited for his colt friend to join him.

Breaching the water and climbing onto the dock next to Flash, the sea-green pegasus readied to speak before Flash shook himself, pelting the other pegasus in cascades of water.

“Flash, you feral mongrel!” the pegasus cried as he attempted to shield himself using his wings, “would you stop!”

“Oh, sorry, Wave. I didn’t see you there!” Flash said, his wide grin betraying his lie, “Total accident. My mistake.”

Wave Crest stared back at Flash unamused, or at least Flash assumed as his face was covered by his soaked dreadlocks that hung over his eyes like long lengths of thick rope.

Using his wings, Wave swept back his mane confirming the ire in his expression. “You are such a jerk,” he said as he took off his breathing mask and clipped it to his saddlebags.

“Aw, don’t say that Seaspray,” Flash said as he copied Wave’s action and nuzzled Wave’s neck, who, begrudgingly, allowed the contact, “I’m too cute to be a jerk.”

Scoffing, Wave said, “Nice try, Flash, but those flanks can only get you so far.”

“Oh?” Flash said, a teasing lilt to his voice as he brought his lips close to Wave’s, “that seems to imply, these flanks get away with some things.”

“Some is the operating word here,” Wave answered as he touched his nose to Flash’s, a smirk growing on his face, “and barraging me with water like a wet dog is not one of those things.”

“I think it should. I look adorable while I do it, plus you get to be around me when my fur is at its fluffiest.” To demonstrate his point, Flash shook his head lightly, causing his substantially thick fur to poof in response.

“A nice benefit for sure, but you’ll have to do more to make it up for me.”

Flash chuckled warmly before he closed the distance between them and kissed Wave chastely on the lips. It conveyed Flash’s comfortable affection for his partner, a smoldering love.

Returning the kiss with one of his own, Wave pulled back and said, “I’m glad you’re okay. I was worried when I saw you got ambushed by those unicorns.”

“It was a close one, but it will take more than that to take down Flash Sentry.” He hugged Wave close and buried his snout in his mane, hiding the worried expression on his face. “They’ve been getting more active lately.”

“I noticed.” Wave frowned. “I’m worried about things will get worse and—”

“We’ll get through this,” Flash interrupted as he pulled back to face Wave, anticipating the line of conversation.

“You can’t know that.”

“I don’t need to.” Flash held Wave’s head gently with a wing. “I just need to believe in us.”

Leaning into the touch, Wave relaxed. “The raids are getting more dangerous every day.” His brow furrowed in agitation. “I’m not so sure this place is as safe as our dear mayor,” he hissed the word with distaste, “likes to insist it is.”

“It might not be, but, at least for now, it’s the only option we have. Now, come on,” Flash said as he pulled back, “we need to get these supplies dropped off so we can get some rest.”

Snorting, Wave said, “when did you become the responsible one? I remember dating some feral colt, not this strange confident adult.”

“Couple of years in the guard would give anyone a sense of responsibility, the confidence comes from the toned rump I got from working out with them.” Flash grinned as Wave giggle-snorted. He pecked him on the cheek. “Seriously, though, we need to get going. I still need to drop some stuff off to my mom before I can get to my evening cuddles.”

“Oh?” Wave said with a toothy grin, “got some hot new stud to keep you warm?”

“Yeah, he’s cute. Bit of a shortstop. Looks like kelp.”

Jabbing Flash playfully in the barrel with a hoof, Wave trotted past with Flash following shortly after. He slung a wing over Wave’s withers using his taller height to his advantage.

The docks soon transitioned to rocky terrain as they traveled deeper into the Vanhoover Safe Zone, a cove off the coast of the city, tucked away from view and a popular destination for pegasi.

Water rivulets dripped down twisting paths along the naturally formed walls with glowing moss lighting the way forward.

Flash looked up and through the openings in the stone ceiling. The sky, split between night and day, peeked through bathing the world in an orange glow. The stars hone in the night half, a tableau of lights. A small blessing given to them when the sun had moved a fraction across the sky.

As he felt Wave lean in closer to himself, a content smile spread across his face.

For just a moment, he could forget the struggles of the day and pretend that he was just having a walk with the pony he loved.

“Did you get everything?”

Taking a deep breath as he felt the feeling leave him, he looked down onto a short pony with a gray coat and thin black comb-over mane. It took a massive force of will to ignore the pony’s snapped-off horn.

“Hey, Ledger. Yeah, we did. I got some supplies from Pharma’s place and Wave managed to gather some stuff from the Mulberry house.”

Strict Ledger nodded as he brandished the clipboard in his hoof. He quickly scanned over his list. “So, you managed to procure some medical supplies and food from Pharma?”

“Yep,” Flash answered as he took his wing off of Wave and began to undo the straps on his saddlebags, “the wet stuff had gone bad, but there was still plenty of dry food. I also managed to find the medical supplies and brought back a lot of stuff.”

Grinning, Ledger nodded and turned to Wave. “And you got the spare batteries from the Mulberry’s?”

“Along with some more dry food. Between the two of us, we should be good for a day or two if ration properly,” Wave answered whilst following Flash’s lead in undoing his saddlebag straps.

“Excellent.” Ledger smirked. “Too bad neither of you could get any alcohol.”

“I considered grabbing some from Pharma’s private stash,” Flash said with a devious grin, “but we all know you’d get washed out within the hour on anything above five percent.”

“Now, now, Flash. Not everyone can be as massive as you,” Ledger chided teasingly, “it may not take much to take me out to the tides, but at least I can comfortably fit through doorways.”

“Hey! I’ll have you know that my rump is fantastic and exactly the right size,” Flash said indignantly, placing a wing to his chest in mock hurt as he dropped his saddlebags to the ground.

“I can attest that to be a true statement,” Wave added as he dropped his own bags by Flash’s, “especially when it's stuck in narrow doorways.”

Ledger wheezed in laughter as Flash stuck his tongue out at Wave. “Glad to see you both still have your humour. Now, off you go. I have supplies to sort and you two need to rest before the next supply run.”

Both stallions saluted, Flash’s crisp and professional, Wave’s more casual.

“Yes, sir!” Flash stated firmly.

“I’m not some officer in your unit, Flash,” Ledger said with a bemused expression, “none of this ‘sir’ business.”

“But you deserve the respect that comes with it,” Flash said.

Humming in amusement, Ledger answered, “I’m not so sure, but I accept the compliment just the same. Now, off with you two. Get some sleep.”

Flash and Wave started to trot whether into the cove, but Flash stopped as he swerved back to his bag remembering to grab a few items. He grabbed Pharma’s pin and, after some rummaging, an unopened bottle of painkillers.

Concern crossed Ledger’s face. “Wait, Flash, I don’t know if—”

“It’s just one bottle, Ledger. Please?” Flash held his wings together pleadingly.

“The supplies need to all be accounted for!” Ledger exclaimed as he furrowed his brow. “We’re running low on everything and just taking something before it's tallied could lead to shortages in the long term.”

As Flash’s face fell, Wave leaned in and whispered. Ledger’s face then turned to sympathy. “Oh, well if that’s the case… I suppose a bottle could have potentially fallen out of your saddlebags on the way here. Nothing for it.”

Nuzzling Ledger companionably, Flash said, “thank you.”

“You’re welcome, now get going already!” Ledger waved a hoof in a shooing motion. “You both need to get out of what’s left of my mane before there’s nothing left!”

Both stallions finally trotted away laughing lightly to a chorus of okays. They turned off the side corridor and into the main hub of the cove.

Stalactites hung from a high ceiling, cold droplets cascading down upon them from above. The space was taken up by makeshift lean-tos and tents between tide pools, dim lights providing much-needed illumination in the darker reaches of the cave, but not enough to potentially attract the attention of the unicorns.

They made their way through camp, exchanging greetings with other survivors before finding themselves in a tucked-away corner of the cave. Looming over a draft table, staring intently at a detailed map of Vanhoover was an orange pegasus mare whose size dwarfed Flash.

“Hey, ma,” Flash called out.

Tumultuous Skies, the mountain of a mare, turned towards them, revealing the burn scars that covered half her face. She grinned widely at them both. “Well, if it ain’t my little vapour and his seaspray back from their run!”

“Yeah, it was a close one, but—” Flash was cut off by a bone-crushing hug from his mother.

“Come here Wave!” Tumultuous said cheerfully, “come give your mother-in-law a hug.”

“We’re not married, Mrs. Sentry,” Wave said, wincing as he heard a snap coming from his entrapped coltfriend.

“Oh, nonsense. You two have been together since you were colts! Even before you started dating, you were practically family.”

“I think he just doesn’t want to be crushed, ma,” Flash interjected.

Wave, half the size of the smaller of the pair, nodded remembering the many hugs given by Mrs. Sentry over the years, and his inability to walk for several minutes afterward.

“Stallions.” Tumultuous rolled her eyes. “Always complaining about breaking a few ribs! Weak-willed is what you lot are. Your mom, Flash Guard Sentry, she…” Tumultuous’s face fell for a moment before perking back up, “well, she took them like a champ! Only grimaced once and that was on our first date!”

“That’s because mom loved you more than her own wellbeing,” Flash said as his smile waned, “sure, you can break a metal bar with just a hoof, but mom always said that just meant you were more huggable.”

Dropping her son back on the ground, Tumultuous said, “and she was right! I’m very huggable.” She touched the burns on her face tenderly with a wing. “Only one she loved more than me was you.”

Flash nuzzled his mother’s face, who returned the gesture.

“She'll be back once this is all over,” Wave said as he placed a hoof comfortingly on Tumultuous’s withers.

Tumultuous held it with a hoof of her own. “I’ll believe it when I can hug her again and not that… thing she became.” They held each other for a moment more before breaking away. “Now, what can your dear old ma do for you colts?”

“Aw, ma, don’t say that. You look barely over 30.” Flash nudged her playfully with a hoof.

“30? Flash your mom barely looks like she’s out of her twenties,” Wave added.

Laughing, Tumultuous said, “your flattery is welcome, but you and I both know you colts are signed up for another raid later on. So, tell me what you need so I can toss you both off to bed.”

“It’s not what we need from you, it’s what you need from us,” Flash said, “We got you the good stuff.”

“Raspberry jam?” Tumultuous asked excitedly.

“The other good stuff,” Flash said as he pulled out the bottle of painkillers and hooved it over to his mother.

“Oh my little vapour, you’re a real treat. I needed these.” She furrowed her brow in concern. “Won’t Ledger need these for the stockpile?”

“It’s off the books, so don’t worry about it,” Flash answered, “I just hope this helps with the pain.”

“So do I.” She heaved a weary sigh. “I could do with a night of sleep that didn’t have me feeling like I was burning again. Now, off you colts go to bed. You need to rest up.”

“So, we keep being told.” Flash hugged Tumultuous with his wings, shortly followed by Wave. “Love you, ma.”

Tumultuous returned the gesture. “Love you too.”

With that, Flash and Wave unentangled themselves and headed off toward their shared tent.

“Your mom seems to be handling things well,” Wave noted.

“I suppose she looks like she is, but I can tell it’s bothering her.” Flash leaned up against Wave. “Enough worrying about others though, let’s get some sleep.”

“Sleeping, eh?” Wave said with a lecherous grin.

“What does that mean?” Flash asked.

“You know exactly what that means.” Wave nudged him with a wing. “We’ve been together long enough that I know that sleep is the last thing on your mind when we’re in bed together.”

“I’m pretty tired. Will probably end up passing out soon as we get into the hammock.”

“Uh-huh. You said the same thing after your 24-hour shift during the Nightmare Moon fiasco and still came home raring to go.”

“I was running on pure adrenaline worrying about you.” Flash flicked one of Wave’s braids with his muzzle. “Soon as I saw you again after so long apart, I couldn’t help but think ‘dang, I gotta get me a piece of that.'”

Wave scoffed. “Flash, you…” he trailed off as a loud obnoxious voice carried towards them.

“—safe in this shelter of our making! We will weather anything the unicorn monstrosities throw at us. For we are strong! We are united! We—”

A scowl marred Wave’s face as he glared at the grandstanding beige pegasus stallion waving around a megaphone at a crowd of concerned ponies.

“Ugh, blowhard,” Wave said, venom underlying his tone.

“Still not fond of our Deputy Mayor?” Flash asked.

“Vice Scroll is a buffoon! The fact he’s in charge of anything is ridiculous. That spineless coward tried to throw out Ledger as soon as we got here despite him being the one to evacuate everyone and undermining your mother constantly even though she’s the captain of the storm breakers.”

“Well, he hasn’t ruined anything yet and—”

“That! Yet!” Wave exclaimed as he threw his wings in the air. “He’s going to screw everything up. I know it! His insistence that we do nothing but sit in this cove is driving me mad.”

Pulling Wave in close to himself with a wing, Flash rubbed his withers soothingly as Wave continued his tirade. “Try to settle down, seaspray. You can’t sleep when you’re this worked up.”

“I am not settling down,” Wave hissed, “he’s a pompous jerk! Worse, he’s an idiot in power. I spent half my time in Canterlot getting rid of his stupid half-drawn-up bills because he could never be bothered to do any actual research.”

“As much as your righteous need to do right by others is extremely attractive to me, I really need you to calm down so we can sleep.”

Instead of taking his Flash’s advice, Wave devolved into dark muttering and angry non-words as he continued to rant about Vice’s incompetency.

Stopping Wave in his tracks, Flash circled around and kissed Wave deeply on the lips. He continued until he felt the tension in Wave’s body begin to ease.

Staring back mutely, his face flushed, Wave said, “what?”

“Got the angries out?” Flash asked teasingly.

Blinking in confusion, Wave groaned, “yeah, I did. You know you could just tell me to stop, right?”

“Tried that. Only got you worked up into a bigger tizzy. Now—” Flash gestured with his wing toward a large hammock strung between two rocky walls and covered by a tent. “I believe it is time for that sleep thing we keep getting told to do.”

“Lead on, Flash.”

Taking the incentive, Flash leaped into the hanging cloth and laid down with his belly up amidst a nest of silky sheets. Wave dived in after him, settling over his chest with his face buried into the crook of Flash’s neck, his wings wrapped tightly around Flash’s barrel.

Pulling Wave tightly to him with a wing, Flash used his other wing to pull the blankets over top of them, covering most of his body and the entirety of Wave.

He eased himself further into the comforts of the hammock and his lover’s embrace as a sense of peace overtook him.

“Love you, Flash,” Wave mumbled.

“Love you too, Wave,” Flash answered.

As he heard Wave’s gentle snoring, a soft sound that reminded Flash of the tides, he stared up through the mesh roof of their tent and at the partial night sky above.

In that private corner of the cover, Flash let himself slip into the delusion of safety he craved. That they were just a couple resting after having an ordinary day together.

As he slipped into slumber, Flash smiled, finally content after the long day.

Comments

[a creature]

thank you

[AgentKorpsman]

So they’re like zombies basically.. interesting so cutting off the horn is like cutting off an infected arm or leg when you get bitten by a zombie