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The Rainbooms were doing a premiere show in Los Pegasus and Cherry Bomber was part of the fireworks display team. Her parting smile to Dumbbell had been tinged with anxiety but he had faith in her, the girl was almost too smart for her age. But the show was hours away and Hightide was a bundle of energy that just wanted to run. To pass the time, Dumbbell decided to take Hightide to a private beach not far from the glitzy city high above them. But the colt didn’t want to make sand castles or play frisbees, he wanted to swim.

Hightide's body braced against the strong breeze that whisked over the shores of the South Luna Bay. Undeterred, he continued to move forward, skipping happily from rock to rock, running after the small fish hiding in the shadows.

"Imma catch a fish!" He was covered in seaweed, the result of past attempts.

"Are you?" Dumbbell asked, mildly amused.

"No…" Hightide scanned the shallows closely. "A shark!"

Dumbbell raised an eyebrow. "A shark, eh? Now that’s pretty daring.” Though he knew there was no way a shark would be nearby, not in water this shallow, he noted how easily the water swept over the rocks.

“Don't leave your first mate behind!"

The waves lapped gently against Hightide's hooves as he scrambled over a group of weathered stones. Given his size, Dumbbell was surprised that the little colt could overcome the obstacles so easily.

"Watch your step, kiddo, the rock is real slippery up there." Dumbbell started taking bigger steps to catch up with his son, but Hightide already reached the top and was making his way over.

“Oooo! I found one!” Hightide shouted in excitement. Before Dumbbell could register these words, Hightide’s little rear end disappeared over the side.

“Woah, whoa hey wait a sec, Tide!” Dumbbell spread his wings and jumped to the top of the islet. Below, the foal had already scampered down to the bottom of the tiny island, pawing at something small and glittery. Dumbbell landed next to him, only to realize the colt was pulling the object out of a shallow pool, just a dent in the rock that collected water.

“What ya find?” Though Dumbbell had already seen it, he wasn’t exactly sure what he was looking at. Hightide turned his head up proudly, holding the thing firmly in his mouth. A shell? That’s what it appeared to be, but there was more to it than that. He noticed that it was carved and polished to an almost obsessed perfection; it shimmered wondrously in the light, a row of long spines sticking out from its base.

“Ifs af feeponees!” Hightide’s words slurred a little as he tried to talk with the object in his mouth, but Dumbbell understood him well enough.

“Wow, that’s a pretty cool find, bucko. Hey, let me take a look at it.” Hightide obeyed, and spit the object onto Dumbbell’s outstretched hoof.

“What is it, huh? What is it?” Hightide bounced up and down waiting for the answer. Dumbbell studied it for a few moments before he realized what it was.

“It’s a comb.” Or at least some kind of mane piece, a shell decked with shiny stones and fish bones for the teeth. Weird…why would something like this be here?

“A seapony left it.” Hightide frowned, apparently very sure of himself.

“Why do you believe that?” Dumbbell asked. Hightide fidgeted and looked around, like he didn’t expect a challenge to his conclusion.

“Because, um, because of the story Cherry read to me the other night!”

“The one about the magic songs?”

Hightide nodded. “Ya-huh, that one.” It was a storybook Cherry had gotten from the library, a thick compendium of magical creatures simplified for the minds of children. So of course over two thirds of the book were cautionary tales. But the tales about sea ponies seemed to imply that finding their treasure would give you good luck.

“Can I keep it?” Hightide asked. Dumbbell’s answer wasn’t immediate. As harmless as the comb seemed, Dumbbell hesitated. Then he had a sudden thought. They had been out for most of the day and the sun was hovering just above the water in its gradual descent, Luna’s moon wasn’t far behind. That meant the show would be starting soon. He looked at the mysterious comb and smiled.

“Sure, Tide. But how about you give it to Cherry as a gift? This is her first time working the fireworks and all, so this can be like a congratulations present.”

Hightide’s eyes lit up. “Do you think she’ll like it?”

Dumbbell smiled. “I’m sure she would.”

Upvotes at import: 35 | Stars at import: 22
Posted previously at: 2015-11-26T06:53:17 | Posted previously by: Mildgyth