The Land of the Half-Horses

Steven The Sand King

"Excuse me stranger. Are you in need of assistance?"

Ugh... My lungs hurt, and I can't help but cough up some sea water. I barely find the strength to stand, let alone open my eyes. What is this underneath me? Is this sand?

WHAM!

AWW! My head! Did something just hit me with a stick?

"Hey! What's the deal?" I yell.

"It's alive! Darn, now I owe Countess 5 bits."

"Who the heck are yo..." My words were hijacked by my eyes.

It was only then did I actually notice who, or what I was talking to. It was a pony... with a shell on it's back? Oh dear Celestia, don't tell me this is some cruel game Tartarus has set up for me.

"Wh.. who are you?" I asked him.

"I AM STEVEN! THE SAND KING!" He shouted loudly as if he wanted everyone in a mile radius to hear him.

Oh great. I'm on an island of insane turtle-ponies. Also, does the introductory have to be so loud?

"And your name might be?"

"My name is Onyx... Onyx Tides."

"Onyx? That's a weird name."

"Well to me Steven is a pretty weird name too."

"Fair point."

At least we can agree on something here.

"So.. uh.. where the heck am I?

"You are on my beach!"

"Your beach?"

"It always has been and it always will be."

"I'd hate to impose, but why do you have a turtle shell on your back?"

"Oh that thing?" He taps his shell with the stick he used to hit me. "We don't know. What we do know is that everyone has something special to them."

"Wait. Everyone has something like this to them?"

"You should see my friend Nate. He's part snake."

"Does everyone have some assonance to their name?" I asked jokingly.

"I mean there's some assonance and some alliteration. A few rhymes too." He stated plainly.

"Is there somewhere I can like... eat something? I'm starving" Not eating for a few days can do that.

"Of course. Please follow me to my house."

With the hope of a good meal I find the strength to get up, and with so many questions it hurts to think.

Dear Princess Celestia, what did I do to disserve this?