Shark Attack!

“Hey, Twilight?” Rainbow Dash’s voice permeated the cold morning air, piercing the mildly unsettling silence that was present in the library. She shivered as the air hung around her like an oppressive blanket. Stagnant. That was the only word for it.

For Twilight, this would be a morning like any other. She would get up, and walk into Spike’s room. She would knock on the door until he woke up. Then, Spike would make breakfast for the both of them—he made fantastic pancakes—while Twilight would prepare herself a checklist of the things she would be doing throughout the day.

For Rainbow Dash, this would be a morning unlike any other. She would get up, and then fret about her upcoming date with the most unlikely of creatures, a great white shark. Being the incorrigible, reckless pony she was, however, she would bury those feelings of uncertainty with thoughts of what great tricks she would be doing when she got this infernal cast off and resumed flying. Surely that was the way to keep herself from worrying too much about things.

Twilight’s ears perked up as they caught the familiar gravel of Rainbow’s voice. “Yes, Rainbow Dash?” She turned around to see Rainbow Dash leaning in the doorway, trying her best to look laid back and relaxed. Twilight could see right through her ruse, however. The way that her right eyelid was twitching, and her hindlegs were shifting…

“Rainbow? Is something wrong? You’re acting kind of… weird.” Twilight waved her hoof around in circles for emphasis.

“I, uh… need your help.” Rainbow rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly as she readjusted her stance against the doorframe. The corners of her mouth were creased downward into a slight scowl, and her eyebrows furrowed slightly as if preparing for some sort of attack.

Twilight’s interest was peaked. Rainbow Dash asking for help? And using the door no less? Twilight’s eyebrows raised slightly as she eyed Rainbow with curiosity. “Help with what?”

“Well, you know how I hurt my wing, right?” Rainbow pointed to the midbody cast that covered her wings and most of her torso. She winced as she looked at it, feeling the phantom pains from the incident.

“Yes…” Twilight’s eyes shot open as she rushed over to Rainbow’s side. “Oh my gosh, it’s not hurting again, is it? Did you do something to hurt yourself? Are your wings aching?” She grabbed a hold of Rainbow’s hoof and examined her midsection, frantically looking for any misplaced bones or other abnormalities.

Rainbow nudged Twilight away with her nose and gave a nervous chuckle. “No, it’s nothing like that! It’s just that… Well, the doc had me try out surfing. It’s really awesome. There’s waves, and boards, and oceans…”

Twilight breathed a sigh of relief before smiling at her. “Do you need any books on surfing? I’m sure I have something around here somewhere about the subject!” Twilight burst from her chair, half-walking, half-running towards the shelves.

“No, I got sidetracked. Anyways, while I was surfing, I fell in the water, and met…Oh geeze, how am I going to explain this…” Rainbow began trotting in place, trying to jog her mind. “Look, Twilight, this is going to sound weird, but you have to promise not to make fun of me, okay?”

Twilight tilted her head in confusion but still held the same scholarly enthusiasm as before. “Sure, Rainbow. You know you can trust me.”

Rainbow chuckled again and nodded. “Well, I guess you’re right. So, when I was at the beach, I was surfing and having a whole bunch of fun. And then I got knocked off of my board. And I sorta, kinda… met a shark.” Rainbow winced and jerked her head back slightly, waiting for the berating response that was sure to come.

Twilight’s excitement quickly faded into confusion. “You… wait, could you repeat that?” She chuckled at herself and shook her head. “I thought for a moment that you told me you’d met a shark.”

Silly Twilight, Rainbow couldn’t have met a shark. It’d kill her as soon as it saw her.

Rainbow took a deep breath and planted her hooves firmly. She looked Twilight dead in the eyes and spoke in the most serious tone that she could muster. “I met a shark while I was surfing.”

“I’m sorry, one more time.” Twilight’s cheery smile was now gone and replaced by a look of genuine bafflement. She lifted a hoof up to her eye and rubbed it, trying to see if she had any excess earwax blocking her from hearing correctly.

Rainbow sighed. “I. Met. A. Shark. While. I. Was. Surfing.”

Twilight blinked and stared straight ahead. “You...you met a shark.” Her voice held a slight mirth as she struggled to hold in a chuckle.

Rainbow nodded and frowned at Twilight. She could feel the doubt coming from her friend like it was permeable.

“And you’re alive. You managed to get away just fine?” Twilight was now on the verge of giggling madly.

Rainbow nodded again as her frown increased and her body tensed. I knew I shouldn’t have told anypony about this. It just sounds too crazy to believe…

“Rainbow, how is that possible? Everypony knows that all sharks are murderous psychopaths!” Twilight hung one of her forelegs over the back of Rainbow’s neck and patted her. “Come on Rainbow, tell the truth. It’s okay to admit that you wiped out a few times! Not everypony can be a surfing champion!”

“No, that’s not what happened!” Rainbow nudged Twilight away again and frowned. “And sharks aren’t all bad. Not all of them. Only the mean ones.”

Twilight huffed and gave Rainbow a condescending glance. “You mean to tell me that everything I know about sharks is wrong, Rainbow Dash? Because I have years of research under my belt.”

Rainbow’s eyes darted around, as if they were looking for a well-placed answer on the walls of the library. “Uh… yes?”

Twilight sighed and chuckled to herself. “Rainbow, if you wanted a book about sharks, you could’ve just asked.” She pulled out a large, grey tome. “A Guide to Sharks: Equestria’s Cold-Blooded Killers Revealed.” She tossed the copy to Rainbow. “There. Are you happy now?”

“Uh...yeah. Thanks for the help, Twi.”

Twilight smiled at Rainbow and helped her settle the book on her haunches. “Sure thing, Dash.”

Rainbow Dash began to saunter out of the library, leaving Twilight to think about their exchange. Well… that went a lot better than I thought it would. Did I forget to… Rainbow’s eyes widened in recognition as she blazed back into the library. “Oh, hey, Twilight? I forgot to ask you something.”

“Yes, Rainbow?” Twilight turned from the shelves that she’d been reorganizing and look at Rainbow confusedly.

“Have you…” Rainbow went crimson. “Have you ever…been on a date?” As soon as the word left her mouth, she felt her gaze automatically drifting towards the hardwood floor of the library in a desperate attempt to escape scrutiny. She pawed the ground in anticipation as she awaited Twilight’s response. For a moment, the library was silent.

“A date? Well, yeah. A couple.” Twilight tapped her chin in thought. “Why do you ask?”

“Do you have any advice?”

Twilight realized the implications of what Rainbow was saying and gasped. “R-rainbow, have you never been on a date?” Her speech came out as a surprised stutter.

Rainbow went even more red. “No, I haven’t. Do you have any advice?”

Twilight pondered this for a moment. “Well...don’t do anything to make your date uncomfortable. Respect them.” She frowned as she tried to wrap her brain around how to best explain the complicated thing that was the dating process. “I wish I could explain it better, but do you get what I mean?”

“Yeah, I think so.” Rainbow nodded as the flush began to fade from her cheeks. “Thanks, Twi.” She turned and walked out of the library as quickly as she could, leaving an utterly confused Twilight watching her from the doorway.

“Uh… no problem, Rainbow. See you later.” Twilight closed the door and sat herself against it. Why had Rainbow been acting so weird? Why did Rainbow need dating advice? She simply shook her head and sighed. “Something strange is definitely going on with that mare…”

Tidy swam around his small home at the bottom of the ocean. The frantic back and forth motions of his fins as he swam around in circles to keep himself alive caused the water around him to froth and ripple. If a passing pony saw it, they would’ve probably assumed that there was some sort of fierce undercurrent messing with the otherwise calm visage of the beach scene.

Just breathe, Tidy. You’re fine. It’s just a date. Everything’s going to be alright, all you’ve got to do is relax…

“A date with a very pretty mare, whom I barely even know!” Tidy’s frantic circles increased in speed as he gazed around his home. Oh, what do I do? What are the customs for a first date again? What do ponies like to eat? Oh…

Tidy slapped himself with a fin and swam over to the jumbo mirror that he had in his ocean home. It rested atop a large dresser made of sand, directly across from the large sand table that lay in the middle of the room. He reared up and flexed his powerful muscles, watching as his whole body rippled and twitched with hidden strength.

“Remember those self help recordings, Tidy…” He opened his mouth and smiled, showing of the sparkling white rows of razor sharp teeth that hid behind his thin lips. “You are a big, strong, powerful predator of the sea. You can take down any challenge in your path! You are a great white shark that fears nothing!”

He told himself the same thing for several minutes. At least, until the vivid image of his crush and soon to be date plastered itself on his minds eye like a curtain. He had to take deep, steady breaths as he watched the bubbles from his fretting rise to the surface. For some reason, the rising bubbles brought a lingering calm over his mind, allowing him to think clearly.

“It’s just a date. Just a date! How hard can it be? You just go and have fun, right?” His image in the mirror wasn’t nearly so confident. His dorsal fin drooped slightly. His razor thin lips were now curled into a slight frown instead of a small smile.

Tidy had never been on a date before in his life. Sure, he had asked, but had been rejected by all of his high school classmates. The pretty girls always went for the jocks. The jocks were all douchebags. It was a vicious cycle, and one that Tidy’d never had any interest in taking part in. Tidy pushed those thoughts from his mind.

“Be positive, Tidy! She said yes.” He took a deep breath.

Reluctantly!

Tidy shook his head and chuckled. “She still said yes! And she asked me!”

She forced it! It’s not real!

“Stop it stupid mental projection of my doubt!” Tidy bonked himself on the forehead. “Even if it’s not, it could blossom into something that is! So just… shut up, you! Oh, what am I doing? Arguing with my reflection? Yeah, that’s going to make a good first impression...”

Tidy snapped himself out of it. He was fine. His logical, rational side was telling him Rainbow Dash didn’t care, but his caring, trusting heart was telling him she did care. Tidy usually trusted his brain, but this time... He really, really wanted to trust his heart this time.

So he did.

He swam down to his bedroom. Opening his closet, he debated what to wear. The blue tie looked great with the black, but so did the purple. After a few moments of deliberation, he decided to go with the purple tie.

He swam outside. For their date, they had agreed to meet at sea. Dash would paddle out about twenty yards into the sea. Tidy would meet her there.

He moved towards his door, looking in the mirror one last time to make sure his tie was straight, remembering to grab the colorful corals he had gathered for her earlier. He chuckled softly to himself. Can’t look like a fool. He took a deep breath, steeling his resolve before swimming out the door.

It was time.

You’re fine, Tidy. It’s just a date. Just a date.

He swam out his front door, gently closing and locking it behind him and began his ascent to the surface. Whether he was ready or not, it was time.

Rainbow Dash picked up her surfboard with her mouth and trotted towards the open shore. As she walked, doubts continued to plague her mind. What if this all goes south? What if Tidy goes berserk and just decides to eat me? Celestia, that’d be terrible…

Rainbow Dash expelled these thoughts from her mind, taking deep, slow breaths. “Tidy’s a nice shark, and everything’s going to be alright. Get yourself together and stop being a baby, Dash.” She plonked her board into the ocean. It landed with a satisfying splash, coating her legs and body with droplets of water, which helped to calm her burning doubts..

She climbed on to the board. Easing herself onto the flat surface, she propelled herself forward and out into the ocean. After a short while, she had finally made it to twenty yards out. Her eyes searched the water as she waited nervously, paddling the water in idle anticipation.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a shadowy figure approaching from the depths.

No turning back now, Dash.

Tidy slowly emerged from the murky waters, his fins slowly peering out, making a cascade of the ocean water. A small smirk formed on her face as she noticed that he was wearing a suit and tie. She couldn’t help but giggle at the thought of this ferocious creature dressing up to impress her or all ponies. Still, he did look pretty awesome.

He wore a fancy looking tuxedo, with a white undercoat that matched his black coat and turquoise vest. His pearly white cufflinks glinted in the sunlight, causing Dash to silently gasp. The thing that really caught her eye, however, was his tie. Purple with diagonal stripes. Fancy, yet at the same time simple. Wow. He looks pretty nice. And I’ve always loved purple…

Dash suddenly found herself feeling extremely self-conscious. The contrast between Tidy’s fancy dressings compare to her naked, cast covered body was as distinct as night and day. She sat up on her board and gulped, trying to find something to say.

“Um... hey, Tidy,” she said, trying to start conversation.

“Uh, hi, Rainbow Dash.”

“I’m sorry for not dressing up, but my cast got in the way…” She rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly and gave him a sideways grin.

“It’s okay, I understand.” He reached into one of his suit pockets. He pulled out a small clump of colorful materials. They came in all different shapes and sizes, but the entire group of them was about the same size of a handful of flowers. “I-I got these for you…” he said, extending his fin to her.

She blushed. She had never been offered flowers before. Well, they were corals, but they served the same purpose.

He blushed in return. “I...I know they’re not flowers…”

“N-No, they’re great, Tidy! Don’t worry about it! I like them!" Rainbow Dash stated, waving her hooves out in front of her.

"I-uh, er, well, I-I'm g-glad you do!" Tidy chuckled nervously.

There was a silence. Both creatures were looking for something to break the ice with, but to no avail. All of the sudden Rainbow Dash came up with something.

“So, Tidy," Rainbow Dash began slowly, "what do you like to do? For fun, I mean?”

“Well…” He pondered this for a moment. “I like to listen to music when I can.”

“How do you do that? You know, since you're underwater and all."

"Ah, well, that's a tricky thing. You know that sound travels much faster in water, right?" Tidy asked, leaving Rainbow Dash kind of clueless from that knowledge.

"Um, yeah! I do now!" Rainbow Dash nervously exclaimed, trying to give a strong smile. "C'mon Rainbow!" she thought, swallowing the lump in her throat, "Be yourself!"

"Well," Tidy continued to explain, "my kind aren't able to produce such products such as a microphone due to the resources we lack. I listen to the gramophone most of the time. And that's basically what I only have; a gramophone, some records, and lots of paraffin."

"Is that all you have?" Rainbow Dash asked, having a bit of pity for the shark.

"Eh, I manage, " Tidy said, shrugging his shoulders, "I sometimes find records on the ocean floor. Its always a treat when I find something new!"

Rainbow Dash giggled. “What do you listen to?”

“Well, I like pretty much anything. Except for country. I can’t stand it.”

“No?”

“Eh, that genre never really clicked with me.”

“Well, I have a friend who would strongly disagree with that.”

“As do I. I also like rock music.”

Rainbow’s ears perked at the mention of her favorite genre of music. “Really? What bands do you like?” she asked, feeling her heart beating a bit faster to finding out a similarity.

“Fall Out Colt, All-Equestrian Rejects, My Chemical Romanece, Breaking Benjamane..." Tidy said, listing a few, "all that stuff.”

“Awesome! Those are my favorites!”

“Really? Mine too!”

“That’s awesome!”

“I know! What do you think of Fall Out Colt’s new album?”

“Save Rock and Foal? It’s my favorite so far.” Tidy replied, "I remember being really excited when I popped it in!" he said, waving his fins like a fan-filly.

Rainbow Dash chuckled at his hilarious gesture and carried on the conversation, “Mine too! What about Breaking Benjamane?”

“I liked Phobia and Dear Agony more than the other two.”

“I know, right?”

Alright, something new... Something new... Maybe something he never heard of before..." Rainbow Dash thought, looking at the gentle eyes of the Great White. "Hey, Tidy..." Rainbow Dash began.

"Yeah?" Tidy said, going into the water for a second to get fresh oxygen.

"Have you heard of 'dubstep'?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Dubstep?" Tidy asked, raising an eyelid, "What's that?"

"I'm not a big fan of it myself, but it's sort of like a bunch of noises mashed together to make music." Rainbow Dash tried to explain, "I stick more to rock though."

"Same here then," Tidy said, "Rock and roll, is my soul," he rhymed.

After a few more hours of talk about music, current events, and the likes, Rainbow Dash and Tidy both found themselves having wonderful times.

Rainbow Dash blushed a bit and smiled cheek to cheek, “T-This was...this was awesome.”

“Er, yeah, it was.” Tidy said, gleaming his sharp teeth to smile, "It really was, Rainbow, it really was..." he said, trailing off.

“Listen... do you maybe wanna, you know, do this again sometime soon?”

His eyes went wide, almost as if he heard the most beautiful noise in existence, “Like...like another date?” he mumbled a bit shyly.

“Yeah.” Rainbow Dash said, the crimson color on her face growing a bit brighter.

Tidy’s face also went red, “Uh, yeah. Sure.”

“Great! Well, I… uh… I guess I’ll be seeing you again. Same time, same place next week?”

“It’s a date.”

“Good to hear. See you, Tidy.”

“Yeah, b-but Rainbow Dash..." Tidy said, stumbling upon a few words, "Um..." his lips couldn't make out words, but he made an effort.

Rainbow Dash eagerly waited as the beautiful sunset shined upon them. The light reflected off of Tidy's moist wet skin, making him shine.

"Yeah?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Uh, n-nothing Rainbow Dash.” Tidy said, giving a warm smile, "I will, uh, see you soon!" he exclaimed.

Rainbow Dash nodded.

"Yep. Soon."

With a wave of his fin, Tidy plunged back underwater. A small pillar of water softly sprouted up. Rainbow softly gasped by it, the ocean water wetting her mane more. Rainbow Dash saw the setting sun reflect light into the water, seeing all sorts of color in her eyes.

Rainbow Dash quietly giggled to herself.

"We're going to see each other soon."

With that said, Rainbow Dash paddled away.

Rainbow Dash lay safely in her makeshift, temporary home at Golden Oaks Library.

As she lay in her bed, which was mildly uncomfortable compared to her cloud bed, she contemplated her date with Tidy.

He’s really nice, she thought to herself. He’s also kind, gentle, gentlemanly, smart, cool, and likes the same things I do. It’s like…

She smiled.

It’s like we were meant for each other…

Dash’s eyes felt heavy. She could feel her mind start to shut down as she fell asleep.

That night, she dreamed of another date with Tidy.