“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.
“The Fluttershark - Part II: Behaviors”
Fluttersharks are very much like most sharks: aggressive; unpredictable; apex predators.
A fluttershark always attacks from below. With a powerful leap, they surface next to their victim, grab on with both front legs and then pull the victim under the water.
Unlike all other shark species, they do not hunt to kill. They are far too kind for that. They are simple creatures driven by a simple nature: find a pony in the water, grab on, pull them under, and then hug the stuffing out of them.
What is unclear is whether this act is intentional or instinctual. Some victims claim this to be a conscious action; while others see this as a happy creature wishing to share their happiness with others. Regardless, the fluttershark isn’t saying. (Author’s note: we did try asking nicely.)
Once underwater, after the initial shock of being attacked has registered in the conscious mind, it is now that the victim sees the fluttershark for the first time: yellow body; pink mane; amused glint in the eye; happy smile on its face; lots of teeth.
Their attack complete, the fluttershark then releases their prey and with a quick good-bye boop from fluttershark hoof to victim snoot the fluttershark grins a toothy grin and then darts off back to the depths. The victim, now freed, struggles to the surface gasping to draw air and finding themselves dazed and very, very confused.
Rainbow Dash collapsed on her beach towel waterlogged and coughing. Clearing the last of the salt water from her lungs she sputtered, “What the hay was that?”
“Fluttershark attack, darling.”
“What?” Rainbow said, still coughing.
Rarity, reclining upon her own beach towel under a giant beach umbrella, took a sip from her drink, trying to avoid damaging the cute paper umbrella sticking out of the top of the hollowed coconut shell. “That was the elusive fluttershark, darling, It’s a rare sighting, indeed. They only come out seeking prey when the water is warm and there are friendly ponies nearby to hunt. And it seems she hunted you, Rainbow Dash.”
“Flutter...shark?” Rainbow Dash cocked her head in confusion, wet mane falling in her face.
“Oh, yes, it seems that our timid friend has discovered that she rather enjoys pretending to be a predator when at the beach. I think she was somehow inspired by a movie about a shark that came out years ago. I’m honestly not really sure. But last year, when she and I came here for a short vacation I found myself the victim of no less than three attacks. Quite terrifying actually.” She punctuated her terror with a delicate sip of her rum and juice.
“Wait. Are you telling me that was Fluttershy?! The mare who gets scared of her own shadow? The mare who couldn’t stand scaring us for Nightmare Night? I got attacked and almost drowned by Fluttershy?!”
“Oh, posh! Drowned my left front hoof! At worst you received a hug and a boop on the snoot. I know I did” Rarity sat her now empty coconut shell to the side and began to mix a drink for Rainbow. “Besides, you weren’t more than a few hoof lengths from the beach and you probably could have stood on the bottom and your head would have been above water. She really doesn’t like deep waters.”
Rainbow looked back to the sun-sparkled waters just in time to see what might have been a pink-tipped, plastic yellow shark fin and matching plastic snorkel submerge into the surf. “Seriously!?”
“Oh, yes, something here at the beach agrees with her. I don’t know what it is, but she seems to agree with it.” She finally added a twist of orange and a bright blue umbrella to the coconut shell and then hoofed it over to Rainbow.
“And you didn’t tell us about this?!” Rainbow asked, accepting and sipping at her own drink with a huff.
Rarity dismissed the question with a wave of her hoof. “Of course not, darling, that would be unfair to her. The fluttershark is something that must be experienced in-pony, not learned through second-hoof accounts. Why, just look at how surprised you were. Besides, if others knew in advance, they might do something to dissuade our normally skittish Fluttershy from being assertive for once! We can’t stifle her creativity when she’s found something that excites her so. Can you imagine how surprised the rest of our friends are going to be when they find out?”
Rainbow looked over to where Applejack, Twilight, and Pinkie Pie were playing on the beach bouncing a ball between them. They hadn’t noticed her encounter with the fluttershark; still none the wiser. With a loud slurp, she emptied her coconut and held it out to the unicorn for a refill. “Rarity, how much more of this drinky stuff do you have?”
Rarity took the empty husk and began mixing another round. “Oh, I believe we have enough for at least three more fluttershark attacks.”
Rainbow grinned and called out to her friends. “Hey, guys! You gonna just kick that ball around all day or you gonna ever get wet?”
The ball hit the beach in a spray of sand. “Heh, yeah, it is gettin’ kinda hot,” Applejack called back. Twilight and Pinkie nodded in agreement. “You gonna join us?”
“Nah, I just got out. You go have fun!” Rainbow watched as her friends bounded towards the water and then held her sloshing coconut towards Rarity, “Here’s to the elusive fluttershark.” Rarity gently knocked her coconut to Rainbow’s. “Here, here, darling.”
After a moment, Rarity spoke again. “Five bits that Pinkie is first?”
“I’ll take five on Applejack.
“What about Twilight?”
“Eh, I’ll bet she writes this up for some scientific journal.”
“Agreed.”
Dun Dun Dun Dun Dun Dun Boop!
"The Fluttershark - Part III: Summary”
Among all species of shark, the fluttershark is unique, so much so that there has only been one known instance of the fluttershark, but from that one individual, many encounters have been documented. While the author acknowledges that a single individual does not a species make, in this case, the author --after her own encounter with the fluttershark-- strongly felt that this one individual easily defines the word “fluttershark” and, thus, the author felt the need to document this unique creature for posterity.
The Fluttershark is a simple creature at heart. It seeks to enjoy its surrounding environment to the fullest and wishes only to share its happiness with others. (Granted, while underwater that sharing may involve partial drowning, this is, most likely, un-intentional.) Making use of their lungs they can escape just beyond the water’s edge and seek shady spots for naps and to consume sweetened, fermented fruit-based drinks usually found within the husks of coconuts all while wrapped in their favourite pink, fluffy towel. The fluttershark seems to especially enjoy this activity while surrounded by friendly ponies with their own fruity, umbrella garnished drinks. (Author’s note: from personal experiences, small paper umbrellas are optional but always seem to amuse the fluttershark when included. And, as the author can personally attest to, an amused fluttershark is much preferred to a grumpy one, especially after accidentally mistaking the fluttershark’s pink, fluffy towel for their own. It is recommended to never do this.)
Sightings of the fluttershark are rare. They are only found near peaceful beaches of Equestria and only during the warmer days of the year. They prefer areas with calm tides that are populated both by multitudes of sealife as well as ponies enjoying their summer vacations. So if you find yourself in the warm waters of some Equestrian beach resort where the sands are smooth and the drinks are fruity, and should you see a yellow and pink fin (and breathing tube) in the water coming towards you, take a breath and prepare to say hello to one of the most unique creatures you will ever meet. (Author’s note: no seriously, take a breath. That mare has a grip like a vice and sometimes forgets that the rest of us don’t usually have snorkels!)
Author's Note
Obligatory soundtrack link here:
The original two pieces of inspiration for me:
By Alasou
By foxxy-arts
2020-04-25 -- Fluttershark is now on youtube!
