- The First Fish
- >You are Sunflower, and you are terrified.
- >You have been terrified for so long now, for so many reasons.
- >Unicorns, pegasi, windigoes, cold, freezing, starvation, fear of the future...
- >Your leader saw the writing on the wall and lead your tribe far away from the feuding madponies.
- >Likely, they're all dead and frozen by now.
- >Going North seemed counterintuitive, but it was actually far warmer here than under the icy breath of the windigoes.
- >You have survived here, in these odd snowy plains of the far north.
- >Your people recovered a little and started to settle down, building the beginnings of a village in this snowpit.
- >However, it is autumn, and winter will be upon you all soon.
- >You did what you could, but there were too many things to do to, the land too foreign to know where and how to forage best.
- >There are no sunflowers here...
- >The supplies are meager, and ponies are rightfully afraid of dying from starvation.
- >The elders are already openly talking about not eating so the children can survive.
- >And so, here you are.
- >Carefully following bear tracks to see how they manage to survive around here,
- >You heard they eat berries and honey, besides other animals.
- >That means you could probably find something edible, even a berry bush, even some leftovers, if you followed their tracks.
- >As long as you don't become the food.
- >You're not the first to have such an idea, but ponies so far avoided tangling with the wildlife, as they were too weakened by the long march here.
- >Soon, you hear the sounds of rushing water.
- >It sounds like a fairly large river.
- >You find a convenient rocky outcropping from which you can watch the river, but which is too steep to get up to from the riverbank.
- >You examine the shore thouroughly.
- >There are no berry bushes here.
- >A couple bears are in the river, just standing there, looking downstream.
- >It doesn't take long to see how they get food here.
- >It's almost ridiculous - the fish are practically jumping in their mouths.
- >You watch for a long while, envy and hunger burning in your gut.
- >It looks so damned easy!
- >Eventually, the bears get their fill and leave.
- >One of them looks at you, but seems completely uninterested.
- >Likely stuffed with fish up to it's ears....
- >You stand on the outcropping a while longer, your emotions raging while your head is empty.
- >Without thinking, you stomp down to the riverbank, looking around.
- >There are some fish bones and nasty leftovers scattered around.
- >There's one that's practically untouched, though, just cut open with a few bites taken out, almost like it was left for you.
- >You stare at the fish, wondering whether you're really about to do this.
- >Your stomach growls, a sound you're very familiar with.
- >BUCK YES YOU'RE DOING THIS
- >The first bite is terrible, as you get a bunch of scales in your mouth.
- >Undeterred, hold down the fish with your hooves, spitting out the scales and going for the flesh.
- >It's... not the worst thing you ever ate.
- >It's not good, but you don't think you're going to throw up or anything like that.
- >It takes a while, but eventually, most of the flesh is stripped from the fish.
- >You stand there, thinking about what just happened.
- >You lick your lips. You taste blood.
- >For the first time in a long time, you feel full.
- >Not simply satiated for a while, but really full.
- >No wonder these bears like the fish so much.
- >And it looked so easy to catch it!
- >Your gaze is drawn towards the river.
- >You can actually see the salmon jumping over the rapids, right there.
- >No, Sunflower.
- >Don't be crazy.
- >...
- >All aboard the crazy cart!
- >You wade into the river, careful not to lose your balance on the stones.
- >It's a bit deep, but you find a shallower spot eventually.
- >You stand in the freezing water like some idiot.
- >You hope no one is watching.
- >Something flashes in the corner of your eye.
- >A fish!
- >Too far, though.
- >A few more fish jump through the water to either side of you.
- >You lunge towards them, but your reach is too short.
- >Then, a fish jumps right at your face.
- >You actually shout in fright, opening your mouth.
- >You get a mouthful of fish.
- >It's slimy, wet, and VERY wriggly.
- >Your first instinct is to spit it out.
- >But a flash of anger passes through you, and you grit your teeth in rage.
- >You're not going let anyone die of hunger, yourself or others!
- >Gritting your teeth helps you clamp down more firmly on the fish's tail.
- >You blink for a moment, wondering what are you supposed to do next.
- >Probably get out of this river.
- >Once you get to the shore, you remember that you don't really have any sharp claws or tools to cut the still-struggling fish with.
- >You decide to gallop back to the rest of your tribe.
- >The looks you get when ponies see you carrying a weakly-struggling fish are priceless.
- >Everyone is utterly flabbergasted, to say the least.
- >You carry it where ponies are making dinner, finally spitting it out on a table.
- >"What the hay, Sunflower?!"
- >That was Allspice, one of the cooks.
- >"Not hay, fish," you say smugly.
- >Before they can get too disgusted or throw away the fish, you immediately launch into your explanation.
- >The fact that you were willing to follow a bear earns you a lot of respect from the rest of the ponies.
- >More ponies join the forming crowd to listen to you.
- >Some gag and make sounds of disgust when you describe chewing on the dead fish, but you persevere.
- >That respect you earned probably goes a long way to explain why they even consider your proposal.
- >Also the fact that eating the fish didn't seem to make you sick at all.
- >After some more reassurances that you're fine, all eyes turn to the fish.
- >It stopped struggling, likely suffocated.
- >Ponies shuffle awkwardly, unsure of how to proceed.
- >You try to remember the way you ate the first one.
- >The scales on the outside were unpleasant, like the rough, inedible skin of a fruit.
- >The guts were slimy and nasty and you ignored them.
- >The flesh was pretty good, though.
- >A few ponies step up, not cooks, but ponies who used to be fighters.
- >They gut the fish awkwardly, but in the end, you're left with some fairly nice-looking cutlets of meat.
- >Then there's another round of shuffling as none of the ponies dare to try it first.
- >You roll your eyes as you try a tiny bite, showing that it's safe.
- >A couple more ponies take tiny bites, chewing on it experimentally.
- >When they don't throw up, others look more interested.
- >But Allspice intervenes, scoffing loudly.
- >"Oh, cut it out, you savages! Of course it's not going to taste great raw! "
- >"Now, I haven't got the foggiest idea about cooking fish, but let's try adding it to the stew I was making and go from there."
- >The ponies agree, and eagerly await the results.
- >It's... good. Honestly quite good.
- >Obviously, one fish doesn't really feed anyone, but lots of ponies try it, just to make sure it's good.
- >There's already plans being made to go fishing tomorrow, with all the important elders and warriors asking you for details and advice.
- >You feel awkward for being called a hero, but you agree to lead the ponies to the river tomorrow.
- >You no longer feel terrified for the future.