JAWS in Equestria

Chapters

Summertime Blues
Bubble and Pipsqueak
Shark, Anyone?
Another One Bites the... Surf?

Summertime Blues

Though it would still be another hour before sunrise, the early morning horizon was slowly beginning to fade from deep blue to a hazy violet. The air was soft and still, a perfect reflection of the tranquil ocean waters that were completely devoid of even a ripple. Only the screech of an occasional seagull broke the silence hanging over the abandoned beach just a short walk from town. Give it a few hours and this place would be packed.

Yep, you're a smart one! Gilda thought to herself as she ran at a steady pace. Get your exercise out of the way early and avoid the crowds of morons.

The female griffon came to a halt at the still waterline, huffing and puffing for breath. Inhaling the cool and salty air, she scratched at the top of her feathered head and began stretching. "Time for my five mile swim!" she said, a cocky glint in her eyes.

Charging into the frigid ocean waters, she started paddling. Adrenaline rushed through her as she swam, her heart pumping and churning like a well-oiled machine.

After a few minutes, Gilda looked over her shoulder and saw that she was a fair distance from the shore and adjusted her direction so that she didn't lose sight of land.

The cold, salty water splashed against her as she swam past a floating buoy that responded to her disturbance by tilting back and forth on the ocean's surface and clanging.

The griffon smirked as she paddled, but a nearly unnoticeable bump against her kicking hind leg caused her to stop. She looked behind herself and, upon seeing nothing, shrugged.

"Eh, whatever," she huffed as she resumed swimming.

After a minute more, she went to change course but felt another bump against her leg, stronger than the first.

"Okay," she yelled as she spun around, "who's the chump fishin' for a knuckle sandwich?!"

Again, she saw nothing behind her. Growling, she brushed the wet feathers out of her face and turned around to continue her swim.

A sudden, forceful tug against her same leg dragged her back through the water and caused her to sputter in surprise.

"Hey! What's going on?" she shouted. "Whoever you are, I'm gonna clean your clock when I catch you!"

She surveyed the calm surface of the ocean around her, still seeing nothing but the buoy and the distant shore.

Suddenly, she noticed that the water around her felt ... warm. She suddenly realized she couldn't feel her leg either.

Gilda reached down to rub her leg and her eyes widened in stark terror.

Where her hind leg should have been, her claw only swirled and clutched at increasingly warm water.

Her entire body went numb as her heart froze in her chest and she panicked. Frantically, she beat against the ocean's surface as her breaths came in hurried, terrified bursts. She paddled for shore with all of her might, but it was too late.

A wave of absolute fear hit her as she felt a powerful force latch onto her other leg. Gilda's mouth opened wide to scream. But before any sound could escape from her beak, she was pulled beneath the waves and disappeared.

The surface rippled for a moment more and became still. As the sun rose, it gazed out upon the peaceful, blue ocean.

Summer had officially begun.

"What do you think, darling? Isn't it simply to die for?"

Twilight Sparkle pried herself from the engaging novel she'd been reading and looked over at the white unicorn sitting next to her. Rarity had just adorned her head with a particularly large sun hat, one she'd made just for this very trip.

Frankly, it looked rather ridiculous on her, but Twilight wasn't about to crush her friend with brutal honesty.

That was Applejack's job.

"It looks great, Rarity!" Twilight said, with all of the fake enthusiasm she could muster. It was really hard to not laugh at the fashionista some days.

Rarity giggled and cooed, "Why, thank you ever so much, Twilight! I don't believe it to be my best work myself, but I didn't see any reason to get carried away. This is a vacation after all, isn't it?"

"I think it's the most beautiful hat I've ever seen," a pathetically dreamy voice said from the seat behind, "but it's nothing without your head, Rarity."

"Yes, yes, thank you, Spike. Do be a dear and fetch me another glass of lemonade, please," Rarity impatiently stated.

The baby dragon was all too willing to fulfill his crush's wish and promptly hopped out of his seat to retrieve her refreshment.

Applejack leaned over and put her head in between the two mares in front of her and grumbled, "Now, why in the hay do I gotta sit next to him fer the whole trip? All he goes on about is 'Rarity this'n Rarity that!'"

Twilight sighed and facehooved. "We talked about this, AJ. The seats were divided fairly so that there are two of us in each... and one for Pinkie."

She looked over at the exuberant party planner who was excitedly bouncing around in her seat, singing a song expressing her love for travel via locomotive.

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash sat in the seat up from her, trying to make conversation in between the loud bursts of music from behind.

Twilight leaned back in her seat and tried to find her spot in the novel she'd been reading. Suddenly, the book was knocked from her hooves and she found her vision filled with a poofy, pink mane as Pinkie Pie wriggled across her and pressed her face against the window.

"Oooh, look girls! We're here!" she excitedly squealed.

Twilight dug her muzzle out the cotton candy-like mane and looked out of her window. Sure enough, the train was in sight of its destination: Maretha's Vineyard, the best little seaside town in all of Equestria!

Twilight smiled as she gazed at the quaint tourist spot in the distance. Saving Equestria time after time was exhausting work and being a princess on top of that didn't make things easier. So, she had been quite ecstatic when her friends agreed to go on a vacation with her (Spike had to grovel to come along) and everypony agreed that Maretha's Vineyard was the place to go.

Yes indeed, no better place to get away from it all than the beach...

Bubble and Pipsqueak

As Twilight and her friends hopped off of the train at the station, the first thing to greet them was the invigorating smell of the sea being carried on a light breeze. Everypony stopped what they were doing and took a moment to appreciate the salty, refreshing scent under the warm sun.

Everypony except for Spike, of course. The luggage wasn't about to carry itself, now was it?

The group made their way down the charming and old-fashioned main street, tourists flooding the sidewalk as the occasional cabbie trotted by with a loaded buggy. Fillies and foals grasped balloons and begged their parents for sweets, the distracted adults too preoccupied with purchasing overpriced seashells and shirts sporting pineapples and dolphins.

Seagulls squawked and circled in the breeze overhead, next to their pigeon brethren, both of whom took endless enjoyment out of snatching hapless tourists' meals and defecating on everything in sight (the sidewalk was practically paved with the white stuff. Unsurprisingly, Fluttershy could tell which bird's excrement was which.)

Despite the commotion from crying children, bickering adults, barking salesponies, and shrieking sea-fowl, the relaxing sound of a big band playing a slow tune somewhere by the beach could heard in the distance.

If one focused hard enough and pushed everything else aside, they might even have heard the ocean's waves crashing into the sandy shore.

Rarity let out a high-pitched squeal, barely able to contain her excitement.

"It is soooo gorgeous here! I... think I might be at a loss for words!" she sighed, dramatically fanning herself.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and smirked, "Yeah, if we should be so lucky."

Rarity turned to the sarcastic pegasus, brushing her fabulous mane away from her face. "I'm sorry, darling. I couldn't quite make out what you were saying, care to repeat it?"

"Girls, hush," Twilight scolded, pointing a hoof at the bustling little town before them. "We came here to relax and have fun! Absolutely no fighting!"

She furrowed her brow and sternly glanced at each of her friends, just to be sure they'd understood her.

Blank stares were all that the group returned to her. With the exception of Pinkie Pie, who hopped up and down with an impossibly large inner tube around her middle and a snorkel in her mouth.

A big grin on her face, the pink mare enthusiastically shouted, "C'mon, girls! Enough gibbering, time to go SWIMMING!"

As if on cue, the group of friends felt their spirits lift again and excitedly raced off in the direction of the beach, leaving Spike alone in the crowded street.

"Wait!" he called in vain as he struggled with the mountain of luggage heaped on his back. "Wait for me!"

"Yippee!" a little pinto foal joyfully yelled as he charged into the awaiting surf. His short, skinny legs paddled and carried him out into the water with the numerous other ponies enjoying the cool ocean.

The beach was packed, with hundreds of ponies stretched out on the warm sand or playing a variety of games. Lively conversations, joyous laughter, and the music of the band filled the crisp summer air.

"Whoo-ee!" Applejack exclaimed. The cowpony pushed her weathered hat back and looked at the sight before her, shielding her green eyes from the glare of the sun against the sand.

"I declare, I ain't seen nothin' like that before! Why, this here town is busier than a cow's tail in fly season! Ponies actually come here fer relaxin'?" she chortled, jabbing her elbow at Rainbow Dash's ribs.

Rainbow rubbed her side and grinned back at Applejack. "You better believe it! I've been dying to come to this place for, like, ever! And now that the fate of Equestria isn't in the balance for once, we're gonna have some fun!"

She flicked her tail at the group and took off like greased lightning, splashing into the cold surf with an impressive dive.

"BEACH PARTY!" Pinkie Pie shrieked as she blurred through the crowd and - as only she could - rocketed high into the air and crashed into the ocean in a ludicrous cannonball.

The others laughed as they watched the colorful pegasus and the excitable party pony frolic in the crashing waves. Fluttershy set her towel over the warm sand and stretched out on it, letting out a relieved sigh as she did so. Twilight and Applejack did the same, while Rarity turned and trotted off towards the changing rooms.

"Where are you going?" Twilight inquired, lifting up her sunglasses.

"Oh, I'm just going to slip into my bathing suit, darling. You needn't worry, I shall return shortly."

Applejack stared unbelievably at the unicorn for a moment before busting up laughing, snorts and hiccups escaping uncontrollably from her.

The fashionista crinkled her muzzle at the farmpony's most un-ladylike outburst and asked in an unamused tone, "Whatever do you find so funny, dear Applejack?"

"Are you serious, Rares?" Applejack wheezed as she desperately clutched at her sides. "It's apple-pickin' hot out here and you're gonna go put on clothes?!"

She burst into a fit of laughter again, drawing more than a few glances from curious vacationers.

Rarity huffed and flicked her mane to side as she continued trotting to the changing rooms. "Well," she said, her perfectly powdered nose in the air, "somepony around here has to conduct herself with dignity and grace!"

Just a few short miles away from the tourist-occupied beach, a buoy gently rocked back and forth to the serene rhythm of the sea.

For the briefest of moments, it suddenly jolted to the side, as though something massive had just moved past it underwater. It clanged in response to the minor disturbance, but nopony was close enough to hear it.

The buoy quickly settled back into the ocean's familiar ebb and flow, cool waves softly beating against a rusty metal hide.

The breeze felt good. Not strong enough to take away from the sun's radiant warmth, yet just enough to keep one from being baked on the sand.

Twilight smiled and closed her eyes as she lay on her beach towel.

Fluttershy had joined Pinkie and Rainbow in a game of water tag, squealing in the most adorable fashion every time she got splashed. Applejack and Rarity had been the only ones immune to the ocean's call besides Twilight.

Applejack seemed to be struggling with the idea of a body of water larger than the duck pond back on Sweet Apple Acres, only responding to Twilight's teasing with, "I'm buildin' up to settin' hoof in that there salt water, don't rush me!"

Rarity - naturally - just didn't want to get her gold-trimmed swimsuit wet.

Twilight sighed in contentment as her soft fur absorbed the summer sun and her nostrils gladly welcomed the salty scent of the sea. She had definitely needed this vacation!

Her ear twitched slightly as she heard two ponies break into a heated argument a short distance away.

She turned and caught sight of the participants in said scuffle, both stallions. One was middle-aged and considerably fat. The bulk of his cream-colored, pudgy form was stuffed into a ridiculously expensive suit, with a white mane and tail cut to short perfection.

The other was a skinny, tired-looking police officer in a tan uniform with a light grey coat, his brown mane and tail cut to professional lengths. He pushed a large pair of glasses back up onto his muzzle as the fat one started lecturing him in a hushed voice.

Whatever they were arguing about, they didn't seem to want it overheard.

Twilight wasn't able to make out much of their conversation and she really didn't feel comfortable eavesdropping in any event. However, just before the two parted ways, she did happen to hear the fat one firmly declare, "We are not closing the beaches. Is that understood, Chief?"

He turned and waddled away, leaving the frustrated police chief to fume amongst the merry beach-goers.

After staring down the ocean before him for a moment, the disgruntled stallion started walking up and down the shoreline with a pair of binoculars at the ready.

Twilight shrugged it off and went back to peacefully lying against the warm sand, listening to Applejack and Rarity bicker and pick at each other.

Presently, she heard the familiar sound of exhausted huffing and puffing and lifted her sunglasses to see Spike wearily hobbling up to her under his load of stuffed suitcases.

"Thanks for waiting for me," he grumbled as he set his burden on the ground. He flopped down onto the sand and let out a tired sigh, while Twilight rolled her eyes.

Silly dragon was always making a scene.

"Finally, I can relax!" he happily sighed into the sand.

At that exact moment, a collective gasp of shock reverberated through the surrounding crowd. Twilight sat straight up and lifted her sunglasses in curiosity to see what the commotion was all about.

Startled ponies were pointing to the ocean with perplexed looks on their faces and Twilight looked just in time to see an enormous, violent fountain of seawater erupt as a whirling flurry of large fins disappeared below the surface a short distance from shore.

"Sweet Celestia, did you see that?!"

"Aaack! What was that?!"

"-just came out of the water and disappeared!"

"The horror, the horror!"

"Get out! Get everypony out!"

The relaxing calm of the beach quickly vanished, replaced with the sound of terrified screams as the crowd panicked and ponies dashed into the surf to retrieve their loved ones. Some just threw their hooves in the air and shrieked, frantically running in circles like rabid rubber chickens.

Twilight's mind swirled as she tried to comprehend what was going on and she sprang to her hooves, looking desperately for her three friends among the chaotic mass of ponies. Rarity and Applejack rushed to her side and did the same, while Spike simply buried his head in the sand.

"I'm on vacation!" he furiously screamed at the top of his lungs (though it came out somewhat muffled as a result of his ostrich impression.)

Once everypony had cleared out of the water, a tense silence hung over the huddled crowd as the police chief darted back and forth in front of the water, his steely eyes searching the shoreline.

"Whoo-hoo! Let's do that again!" Pinkie Pie giggled as she, Rainbow, and Fluttershy rushed towards Twilight and the others.

Upon seeing her friends safe and unharmed, Twilight broke into a large smile and threw her hooves around them. Squeezing them tightly, she sighed in relief, "Thank Celestia you're alright! I was so worried!"

"Goodness, so was I!" Fluttershy squeaked back, her teeth chattering uncontrollably.

The crowd started to settle down and a few anxious laughs were heard.

But then, the police chief jumped in fright, yelling, "Alright, everpony back! Get back!"

Fear returned to the faces of the ponies as they obeyed and quickly retreated from the shoreline.

However, determination filled Twilight's fierce, violet eyes and she trotted towards the chief to find out what was going on. It was her duty, after all.

Seeing her approach, he thrust his hoof forward and barked, "Miss, I'm going to have to ask you to stay back!"

Twilight stopped in front of the stallion and narrowed her eyes at him. She wasn't about to be deterred.

"Excuse me, but I happen to be Twilight Sparkle and, as Princess, I need to know what in Equestria is going on." Her tone was respectful, but firm.

It seemed to work. The chief's professional demeanor didn't drop as he straightened up before her. "My apologies, Princess. But... I don't think you want to see this."

He swallowed reluctantly as he pushed his glasses up and tried to block her view of the incoming waves.

The sound of hooves splashing in the wet sand behind her told Twilight that her friends had joined her.

"Oh yeah?" Rainbow said as she gave the chief a suspicious glance. "See what?"

The stallion started sweating and tried to keep them all from looking, but a terrified gasp from Rarity told him he'd failed.

Carried on the waves rippling against the shore, a little head bobbed in the water and washed up onto the sand. The decapitated head of a pinto foal.

The tip of his tongue drooped from the corner of his mouth and two large x's where his eyes used to be.

The chief uttered something under his breath and raced to control the crowd while Twilight and her friends stared slack jawed in horror. Rarity turned pale green and quickly swiped Applejack's hat off of her head, galloping away with it at breakneck speed.

"Hey! You ain't relievin' your innards in my hat!" the farmpony angrily called. She darted after the traumatized fashionista while Spike leaned down to examine the head.

Much to the disgust of the startled mares, the inquisitive dragon carefully picked the head up and started looking it over.

"You know, it's funny," he said while squinting at it, "he almost looks familiar. Do we know him?"

"That's enough, Spike!" A disapproving Rainbow Dash stepped in front of Spike and punched the head out of his scaly claws. "Have some respect for the dead, for pony's sake!"

The head sailed over the crowd and more than a handful of screams were heard.

Twilight felt her stomach make knots as she tried to make sense of what had happened. Fear, anger, and curiosity rushed through her, the rest of her friends trading uneasy glances.

Twilight gazed out upon the shimmering surface of the sea in all of its blue serenity. It was as if nothing had happened at all.

What could have possibly done this? And would it happen again?

Author's Note

I apologize for how long it's taken me to crank out this latest chapter, I hope it was worth the wait. Working a night shift most of the week and sleeping all day tend to burn through my time, not to mention pesky writer's block (I HATE writer's block!)

Anywho, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and if you didn't, please leave comments describing how you think I could make the next one better. Love you guys!

Shark, Anyone?

"Do we really have to be here right now?" Fluttershy whispered to her friends as loudly as she could. "It's so... crowded."

Unfortunately, her efforts to make herself heard were swallowed up by the chorus of anxious ponies vying for the attention of Pompous Plump, the illustriously rotund Mayor of Maretha's Vineyard. The overwhelmed politician pulled a handkerchief out from a pocket to dab his brow as he faced the legion of townsponies who'd swarmed his office. Despite having all of the windows open, the air in the room was stuffy and hot.

"Please, everypony settle down!" Pompous shouted over the crowd from behind an elaborate desk, frantically waving his flabby hooves in the air.

Twilight and her friends had somehow ended up in the middle of the chattering crowd that now filled up the mayor's office, despite attempts to muscle forward. Twilight was beginning to think that Spike had been crushed under a sea of hooves, but then again she questioned as to whether she was actually that lucky.

"Make room, you fiends!" Rarity screeched in vain as the crowd pressed in around her. "Touch my mane and I'll smite you all, I swear to Celestia!"

Twilight huffed in frustration. She was a split second away from casting a spell to teleport everypony in the room into the void that was Luna's mane, when the shrill chirp of a whistle being blown cut through everything.

The crowd all simultaneously plugged their ears and turned in unison to face the sound coming from the corner of the room.

Sitting on a stool beside an old chalkboard was a rather crusty, brown earth pony wearing stained fisherman's clothes. A ragged, grey cap was pulled down over his eyes, leaving only his over-grown sideburns exposed. He pushed the cap up and squinted at the crowd, his fiery gaze slowly making its way from pony to pony. As the room fell silent, he spit out the whistle clamped firmly between his chapped lips and, confident he'd gained their attention, spoke.

"Y'all know me, know how I earn a livin'." His voice was gruff and filled with enough salt and vinegar to make a chef jealous.

From out of the center of the crowd, a pink hoof shot into the air and a cheery voice shouted out, "Ooh, ooh! I don't! I don't!"

The old seafarer blinked in confusion, but decided to ignore the mare and continued.

"Like I was sayin', most of ya know me and how I make a livin'. I been listenin' to y'all spittin' yer bits on watcha' think happened on that beach today. 'Bout what coulda' mangled and munched that poor wee lad, may he rest in peace and all that sorta' thing."

He paused to spit onto a potted plant beside his seat.

"But, lemme tell ya, I'm the only pony in this room what knows the truth: what decided it'd be worth risin' outta' the murky abyss to make a meal outta' y'all is the stuff of nightmares and legends. It's a shark, I tell ya all."

Fluttershy gasped and brought a shaking hoof to her mouth. She leaned over and hissed in Twilight's ear, "It can't be! Sharks are only an old mare's tale!"

"I know y'all are thinkin' sharks are an old mare's tale. But mark my words, it's Celestia's own truth." The salty seapony slapped his hoof across a crude sketch of... something on the chalkboard next to him.

"And, uh," the Mayor Plump asked, scrunching his brows, "what is that supposed to be?"

"Ya tellin' me ye never heard of sharks before, Mayor?"

"I meant that... thing on the chalkboard."

The fisherpony raised an eyebrow as he rapidly looked back and forth between Pompous and his drawing. "That? That's a shark!"

"Forgive me," the Mayor said, on the verge of laughter, "but I've heard descriptions of sharks. And they look nothing like that, Salty Squint."

"Ya accusin' me of not knowing what the buggers I chase fer a livin' look like?" the sailor angrily barked.

"Well, you've obviously mixed up sharks and blimps with overbite, that's all I know," Pompous retorted with a wheezy laughed.

The one called Salty Squint grit his teeth and cursed under his breath as he swiped an eraser off of the chalkboard and hurriedly did away with his crude sketch.

"Forget the drawing, ya ignorant sods! I'm here to tell ya that I'm the only pony round these parts with the know-how to do battle with this overgrown chum guzzler! I'll lend ya my services fer a paltry ten thousand bits. And before ya go sayin' how I must be touched by the sun to be pullin' that number outta' my flank, may I remind ya of how many good tourist bits y'all lose if Happy Teeth out there has his way."

Salty Squint huffed and rose from his stool, turning once more to face the baffled crowd. "Remember," he bellowed, "ten thousand bits, fer me, by myself. Fer that ya get the head, the tail, and... uh, everything in between!"

With that last bit of stunning eloquence, he beat a hasty retreat and left the crowd to reflect on his generous offer. Though he was quickly gone, his words were left to haunt the ponies, in addition to his briny stench.

Awkward silence hung in the room for a minute or so before everypony burst back into hurling questions at the despondent mayor.

"Well, that was a waste of time," Twilight grumbled as she slammed the door to Town Hall behind her. Trying to convince the mayor to let her investigate the occurrence at the beach had been less than successful. Apparently, the news of her coronation hadn't spread this far yet.

And if he thought she believed that load, he could go kiss a parasprite.

"Oh, I don't know," Fluttershy quietly remarked, "I think we should try to find that fisherpony and see if he really does know about sharks. I always thought they were just stories, but... maybe the stories have some truth to them."

Before Twilight could respond, she found herself bumping face-first into a stallion. She rubbed her forehead and noticed that it was the police chief from the beach.

"Oh, forgive me, Princess!" he exclaimed as he recognized her.

"It's alright," Twilight groaned, "Celestia forbid anything should go right today!"

"Allow me to introduce myself," the stallion said, offering his hoof in greeting, "Chief of Police Brave Badge, at your service."

Twilight begrudgingly shook his hoof and he continued, "Actually, I was just on my way to see you. I'm grateful for your help handling that crowd earlier and I know you want to find out exactly what happened out there today. Frankly, so do I. That's why I decided to give the Oceanographic Institute of Manehattan a call. They said they'd be sending one of their top marine biologists down here to have a look at the victim's... remains. He should be here sometime tomorrow morning, if you'd care to join me in meeting him."

The chief pushed his glasses back up his muzzle and awaited Twilight's response. She put a hoof to her chin and scrunched her face in thought.

"You know, I think I'll take you up on that offer, Chief Badge!" she happily replied, a determined gleam in her eye.

"Excellent, meet me at the police station at ten tomorrow morning. Farewell, Princess Sparkle."

Appearing relieved, the chief took his leave.

Twilight and her friends made their way back to the hotel. It was a blessing to finally get a chance to sit down after a hectic first day. Some vacation.

"Look on the bright side," Rainbow Dash cheerfully said as she flopped onto one of the beds, "at least something's being done about it. Just wait and see, this'll all get cleared up tomorrow and we can get back to enjoying this vacation before you can say 'awesome sau-'"

"AWESOME SAUCE!" Pinkie screamed, popping up next to Rainbow and scaring her half to death.

Twilight rolled her eyes and she snuggled the soft covers of one of the beds, an exasperated groan escaping from her.

"C'mon, y'all! Let's go grab a bite to eat, I think Twilight needs some time relax," Applejack said as she herded the rest of the group out of the room.

"Thanks, AJ," Twilight gratefully sighed.

"No problem, sugarcube. You just get some rest."

The door softly closed behind the party and Twilight's taxed mind started to finally wind down as their voices faded down the hallway.

Just as she was about to drift off, the door quickly opened and slammed shut again as an irritated Spike stomped into the room.

"Thanks for leaving me behind at Town Hall, you jerk."

Trotting down the street at a brisk pace, Twilight smiled. It was a beautiful summer morning in the little seaside town. The sun was burning brightly above, casting its warm glow upon her as she made her way past quaint Victorian homes guarded by white picket fences. Seagulls filled the silence with their calls as they circled above the town, waiting for some poor tourist to leave their food unattended. The smell of the ocean hung in a light breeze as it always did, a pleasant and unending fact of life in Maretha's Vineyard. Twilight breathed in, allowing the crisp air to fill her lungs.

It was all so delightfully calm and serene, it was hard to believe that something as horrifying as the attack yesterday could take place here. Twilight's brow crinkled as she went over what had happened. One minute everything had been fine, the next... terror. That poor foal had just been out to enjoy the ocean and instead, something else enjoyed him for dinner.

"It just doesn't make sense," Twilight thought aloud, "I've never heard of anything like this happening before. Although..."

Her mind went back to what that fisherpony had said in the mayor's office yesterday. Sharks...

Twilight laughed and dismissively waved her hoof. Sharks, of all things! Those were just stories told to frighten young fillies and foals, nothing more! Tales told by old sailors who'd probably had too much cider while at sea, that's all...

"Yep," Twilight confidently said, "sharks are just a lot of hooey!"

It wasn't long before she reached the medical examiner's office, a small brick building right beside the police station. As she reached the front door, the reality of what she was about to see again made her a little sick. Examining the... remains of the foal.

She tried to clear her head and quietly pushed the door open. In the middle of the bland main room, three stallions stood talking in a circle. One was Chief Badge and the other - an older, tight-lipped earth pony in a suit - Twilight assumed to be the medical examiner. The last was a younger unicorn with a bright orange coat, his curly mane and tail a light brown color. He wore a white sweater and blue jeans, with a large pair of glasses sitting on his muzzle.

All three turned as Twilight entered the room, the chief walking over to greet her.

"Princess Twilight, welcome. Thank you for coming." Gesturing to the older gentleman, he said, "This is the medical examiner, Mr. Quack."

The old stallion grunted a half-hearted greeting while adjusting his tie.

"Oookay... and this," Badge continued, "is City Slicker, our expert from the Oceanographic Institute."

Mr. Quack quietly scoffed, "Ha! Expert, my wrinkled rump."

Twilight walked over to Slicker and held out her hoof. "I'm Twilight Sparkle, it's nice to make your acquaintance, City Slicker."

"Please," he chuckled as they shook hooves, "just call me Slicker."

Mr. Quack rolled his eyes and grumbled, "The remains are back this way, if anyone still gives a feather."

He led the others to the next room, a completely white and sterile examination chamber. Cabinets full of various medications and medical instruments lined the walls and large, glaring lights illuminated the room. The floor was covered with spotless, white tiling that was so clean and slick that it made the ponies' hoofsteps squeak like dying bunnies. In the middle of the room stood an examination table draped with a white cloth. Beneath the cloth, a square object rested, likely the container where what was left of the unfortunate foal now resided.

Mr. Quack walked up to the table and flung the cloth away, turning to face Slicker and Twilight. "Please," he sarcastically grumbled while gesturing to the container, "have at it!"

Slicker stepped up first, with Twilight timidly following. She wasn't exactly itching to see what was in that metal container again, but her curiosity to find the truth about what had done this compelled her to stay.

Slicker slipped on a pair of latex gloves and slowly peered into the container. "Oh," he said, his voice tinged with a degree of surprise, "uh, alright then... this is, er... something."

Slicker winced a little as he reached in and pulled the head out. The little pinto foal was a few shades paler then he had previously been, but other than that he was in much the same condition: gruesomely separated from his body and - to top it off - dead.

Twilight swallowed the lump in her throat and promised herself she wasn't going to be sick.

"Well," Slicker said after examining the head for several minutes, "you've got a shark on your hooves."

Twilight snickered and punched Slicker in the shoulder. "Ha, good one!"

"No, I'm quite serious."

"Hee hee, sure."

"This is the work of a shark, I'd stake my reputation on it."

"You're actually kind of cute when you're joking." A snort unwillingly escaped Twilight while she laughed.

"Uh... no, really. I'm serious."

Still laughing, Twilight stated, "But, sharks don't exist! Everypony knows that!"

Slicker rubbed the back of his neck and nervously looked away. "Yeah, well... funny story."

"Say what?" Twilight asked in mid-laugh.

"We at the Oceanographic Institute might have neglected to mention that we proved that sharks do, in fact, exist... so, there's that."

"What?" Badge interjected, walking up to the examination table. "You mean you knew that these things are real? How long have you known this?"

"Uh... try about fifty years, give or take a decade."

Twilight scooped her jaw off of the floor. "WHAT?!"

Slicker shrugged. "Well, sharks are so exceedingly rare and they live so far out at sea, we assumed it would never be a problem."

"WHAT?!"

"Although, if I read the reports right, several of the researchers in charge of the one sharks they did manage to capture alive might have died horribly. The reports mentioned pools of blood, missing limbs..."

"Enough!" Badge shouted as he made a beeline for the door.

Twilight was right on his heels, with Slicker following not far behind.

Bursting out of the building, they tore through the quiet streets and headed for the beach in a desperate race.

"Chief!" Twilight called, gasping for breath, "What is it?"

"We have to tell the mayor about this and have him close the beaches immediately! That thing is still out there and ponies are out swimming today!"

The ocean gently rocked back and forth to its calm rhythm, the wind creating lazy waves that aimlessly went nowhere. The sun struck the glistening surface of the blue depths, as unaware of the secrets contained within as the swimming vacationers a few miles away.

Slowly, a dark fin slashed through the salty foam, the sole herald of the ravenous titan that swam beneath. It made its way towards the beach in the distance, determinedly cutting through the blue surf like a knife. An entourage of seagulls followed above in anticipation of the carnage that was to come, circling and eagerly shrieking.

After a few minutes, the large fin quietly slipped back beneath the surface of the sea and disappeared into the abyss.

Author's Note

Well, there you go! Sorry we couldn't get to the fountains of blood this chapter, but they will come soon... very soon. Hope you enjoyed it!

Another One Bites the... Surf?

Spike finally succeeded in opening the cumbersome beach umbrella he'd been wrestling with for the last fifteen minutes and planted it into the soft sand beside Rarity's beach towel. He wiped the beads of sweat trickling down his brow away and gave a satisfied grunt. "It's all set, Rarity!" he called.

Rarity turned from the line to the cotton candy stand she and Fluttershy were standing in and raised her sunglasses. "Thank you ever so much, Spike darling," she replied with a dainty wave. "Do be a dear and fetch my fan, please."

Eager to please, the little dragon grinned and started rummaging through the bag Rarity had packed for the beach that day. "Sandwiches, hoof filer, sunscreen... ah, here it is!"

He snatched the paper fan up in his claws and raced to the nearby cotton candy stand, just happy to be of service to the elegant fashionista.

"Thank you, slav- I mean, darling," Rarity cooed as Spike handed her the fan.

"Goodness, it is really warm today," Fluttershy observed, fanning herself with a hoof. She couldn't help but stare at the cool surf a short distance away with a twinge of longing.

Of course, nopony on the beach dared to enter the water after the events of the previous day. The atmosphere was noticeably less jubilant and there was a smaller crowd gathered than expected.

For the most part though, the ponies there seemed to be having a good enough time. It seemed such a waste for all of that cool ocean water to go unappreciated...

"Here you go, Fluttershy dear," Rarity said, snapping Fluttershy back from her thoughts and passing her a cone of cotton candy. The pegasus gratefully accepted the freshly-made confection and the two began trotting back to their beach towels.

Fluttershy's eyes kept wandering to the surf splashing the shoreline and she thought of how nice it would feel just to go in for a bit. Turning back to Rarity, she saw her companion giving a perplexed expression from behind her sunglasses.

"Darling, you aren't thinking what I think you're thinking, are you?" Rarity asked, concern drenching her voice.

"Oh no, I... well," Fluttershy stumbled, racking her brain for words.

"You mustn't think of going in there, dear," Rarity chided, "After what happened yesterday, I mean."

"I know... I'm being silly." Fluttershy lowered her head.

They reached their towels and Rarity plopped down with a sigh. Fluttershy swept her mane back and quietly munched on her cotton candy, remaining standing and gazing at the water with a transfixed expression.

Rarity lowered her sunglasses and looked at Fluttershy. "Aren't you going to have a seat, darling?"

Fluttershy kicked her hoof in the sand and squirmed. "I... I think I might go in the water, just for a bit."

"Oh no, you mustn't!" Rarity cried, bolting upright. "What if that... thing is still out there?"

"I'll stay in the shallows, I promise," Fluttershy replied. "It's just so hot, I can't stand it."

Astounded, Rarity stared at Fluttershy for a moment before hesitantly replying, "at least take Spike with you so you aren't alone down there."

Fluttershy nodded and smiled. "Don't worry, I'll be careful."

Rarity sighed and called for Spike, who was off to the side making a sand castle with Pinkie Pie. She gave Fluttershy a worried look as the two made their way to the shoreline. "If anything happens to you, I shan't be held accountable!" she called after them.

Twilight's pulse raced at a million miles a minute as she fought to keep up with Chief Brave Badge. Judging by the wheezing close behind her, City Slicker wasn't doing much better.

The clatter of three sets of hooves against the smooth pavement was deafening and many tourists were giving the little group befuddled stares.

"Out of the way!" the chief barked as they rushed through the confused crowd.

Beyond the white picket fences and storefronts, Twilight could see the beach in the distance. She only hoped that they would make it before something else did.

"You're cheating, Rainbow!"

"Am not!"

"And I say you are so!"

Rarity groaned through gritted teeth at the banter between Rainbow Dash and Applejack as they shared yet another argument. The argument in question was over whether or not Rainbow had been using her wings to her advantage in a nice, friendly game of volleyball... and it had been going on for ten minutes.

"It's not my fault I'm so awesome! You're just jealous 'cause you can't fly!"

"You take that back!"

"Enough!" Rarity shrieked, jumping up from her beach towel so quickly she sent a wave of sand flying.

All eyes within fifty feet snapped to the enraged unicorn as she stomped over to Rainbow and Applejack, fumes of steam puffing from her nostrils.

Rarity forced herself into her comrades' terrified faces and yelled at the top of her lungs, "I have had just enough of this! You two will cease and desist with this prattle at once, do I make myself clear?! I have had it!"

With a swish of her finely groomed tail, she stomped back to her beach towel and left the two standing frozen in shock.

Applejack finally mustered up the courage to kick her hoof about in the sand after a few minutes and cautiously whispered, "So... uh, my serve?"

Rainbow slowly nodded. "Sure."

The two resumed their game, gingerly striking the volleyball over the net and casting nervous glances in Rarity's direction.

The fashionista however, removed the incident from her memory, as it is quite unladylike to hold a grudge. She instead turned her attention to Fluttershy and Spike, who were laughing and splashing in the surf not far from where she sat.

Rarity took a deep breath and sipped from a cool glass of lemonade as she watched the two. She couldn't help but feel a teensy bit nervous for them, despite how unworried Fluttershy appeared to be.

It seemed that others on the beach had begun to make their way into the water as well, their fears somewhat relieved by Fluttershy's bold decision.

Rarity shrugged and reclined back onto her soft towel, trying her best to relax under the shade of the large umbrella.

She closed her eyes and let the calming sound of crashing waves sooth her. The waves, the gulls, all so relaxing. The whisper of a gentle breeze, band music...

Her moment of bliss was interrupted by a spray of sand pelting her from the side.

"Oh, for Celestia's sake!" Rarity shrieked as she sat up and immediately began brushing herself off. She felt hooves firmly grab her shoulders and spin her about, bringing her face to face with a rather desperate-looking Twilight.

"Rarity," Twilight wheezed, gasping for air, "have to leave... where are the others?"

"Leave? Whatever do you mean, darling?"

"No time... shark out there... where are the others?"

"You're not making any sense, dear," Rarity said, a quizzical expression plastered on her face. "A shark?"

The sharp screech of a whistle shattered the air, followed by the Chief of Police shouting at the top of his lungs, "Get everypony out of the water!" Rarity looked beyond the frantic Twilight before her and saw the chief darting back and forth in front of the surf, clumps of wet sand being thrown every which way in the commotion. A rather nerdy-looking, younger unicorn stallion galloped up to where the chief was and proceeded to join him in urging ponies out of the water.

Turning back to her frazzled friend, Rarity asked, "Twilight, what's going on?"

Before the alicorn could answer however, a sound nopony wanted to hear split the air. Screaming.

Fluttershy was screaming. She was being yanked back and forth in the surf like a rag doll, the bloody water beneath her churning as though it was boiling. Spike was clinging desperately to her hooves as she was pulled through the water, a look of utter terror upon his face.

The crowd of ponies gathered on the beach began running about and screaming in panic, grabbing their loved ones and clinging them tightly.

Twilight let go of Rarity and bolted down towards the surf to join the chief and City Slicker, both of whom had charged into the water and were paddling to Fluttershy as quickly as they could. As she frantically tore into the cold ocean, Twilight felt the adrenaline course through her body, her heart threatening to tear through her chest as it ferociously pumped.

"Fluttershy!" she called out as she paddled to get to her friend.

Suddenly, Fluttershy was pulled under, leaving only Spike.

"No!" the dragon shouted. He thrashed about in the blood and clumps of fur that still floated on the surface, looking for the pegasus.

"Spike!" Twilight yelled, "Where is she?!"

As if in response, Fluttershy lunged back up from the abyss, blood and various pieces of internal organs spewing from her screaming mouth. Spike latched back onto her flailing hooves and yelled, "I've got you, I've got you!"

"Help me!" Fluttershy managed to gurgle out as she was ripped through the water.

"Give me your hoof!" Chief Badge shouted as he reached her, extending his hoof out to her.

She reached out to him, desperation in her terrified eyes, before she was once again pulled underwater.

"Help!" Spike cried out as he fought to remain above, before he was dragged under as well.

"NO!" Twilight hoarsely screamed as her assistant vanished from sight. She reached Brave Badge and City Slicker and joined them in frantically searching through the bloody surf for her friends.

Yet, no matter how many times she dove under, hoping against hope that she would find them, she would only resurface covered in blood and some strands of pink mane.

As the crowd panicked on the beach, Rarity lay on her beach towel, streaks of mascara trailing down her cheeks as she sobbed.

"I told you not to go in the water!" she dramatically bawled.