Riptide

By Plume

• November 1, 2014




Age: 21, but varies

Gender: Male

Species: Earth Pony

Appearance: With a fabulously striped mane, Riptide has an untameable bird's nest plopped onto his head. Due to his insane amount of exposure to the sea, the wind, and the sun, his mane has a permanent and natural curl to it and falls to cover one eye. Somehow, he manages to keep it clean and salt-free even though he practically showers in the sea. His tail is basically the exact same. His eyes are a gold like the shore on a sunny day. His coat is a blue-ish tone, and he has a good physique. He always has a shell necklace, and a tattoo on his back leg.

Cutie Mark: A perfect wave with a white, foamy peak, and a palm tree hidden behind it. It represents his talent for surfing and his love for the sea and the shore.

Personality: Riptide is basically as mellow as a pony can get. Always relaxed and chill, he's as calm as the sea on a windless day. Whenever ponies are panicking around him, he's always the one to calm them down, or the peacemaker. Some might even go so far as to say that he's a hippie. However, he does have a bit of a mischievous side, and can spout some interesting humour and holds up banter pretty well. He may seem mellow on land, but when he gets into the water, he's all concentration and drive, focused on getting that next wave. Riptide also has a somewhat protective streak, and will fight for his friends tooth and claw, standing up firmly for what he believes in no matter what. He's quick to forgive and forget, and believes that what's past is past - ponies can and will be able to change. Romance to him is a bit of a change from his usual life style, and he's always considered himself married to the sea, as cheesy as that may sound. Many a time has he simply drifted out to sea on his board, falling asleep there.

Backstory: Growing up by the beach, Riptide had always held a fascination for it. His parents were overprotective to the max: they never let him even so much as set hoof into the water, in fear that he would drown, or get stung by a jellyfish, or eaten by a shark, the list goes on. When his friends invited him, he had to awkwardly refuse because he knew he would never be able to go.<br /><br />However, one day, his parents were both working late. His friends had asked and asked and asked him to go with them to the beach so they could swim a bit, and build sandcastles together. His parents wouldn't have to know. Thus, that afternoon, Riptide really went to the beach for the first time. <br /><br />They hadn't been there long, when, suddenly, one of the other ponies there pulled a trolley out of the nearby shed. It was laden to the brim with surfboards, and as the other ponies began pulling them off, Riptide watched in amazement as the smoothly paddled away into the water. Just watching them ride gave him goosebumps, and he knew he had to try it, despite the fact he had never done it before. Grabbing one himself, he dashed to the shoreline, pushing off as the ponies still on the shore anxiously called out to him to stop, fearing her had no idea what he was doing. Truth be told, he didn't, but that never stopped anypony. Paddling further from shore, he studied the others as they caught waves, and mimicked what they did. As soon as he thought he had it down, a monster wave suddenly started building and building, and all the other ponies decided to skip it due to it's size. Riptide wasn't intimidated.<br /><br />Turning to face the shore, he began to paddle. He felt the wave build behind him, and suddenly he was flying forward, perched precariously on the tip of falling yet keeping himself up. It was like nothing he had ever felt before. The water beneath his hooves, the wind in his hair, he could honestly say he felt like he was flying. As he rode to shore and the wave lessened, he heard cheers from the ponies on the beach as the clapped and jumped up and down for him. A stupid goofy grin plastered on his face Riptide dismounted and pulled his board onto shore, high-fiving the others as his cutie mark sparkled into existence on his flank.<br />