//------------------------------// // The Sand Island Spa // Story: Surviving Sand Island // by The 24th Pegasus //------------------------------// The rain never seemed like it would end. Hour after hour, a gray sheet of falling water clouded the world around their shelter. Hour after hour, cool winds weaved their way between the walls of their shelter, sending the occasional shiver down Rarity’s spine. Hour after hour, the two ponies sat side by side, watching the rain gradually fill up the pool in the sand before them. Rarity felt Rainbow shift at her side; she was starting to grow restless and bored. Even Rarity, who had learned from a young age that patience was a virtue, couldn’t help but feel increasingly agitated and energetic the longer they remained confined to their shelter. The monotony would be the end of her, the swaying palm trees and heavy rains the last sensations she would experience before going mad. Rainbow sighed and rolled onto her back, taking away the support Rarity was leaning on. “Celestia, kill me,” Rainbow muttered, staring up at the roof of their shelter. “I’m so friggin’ bored.” Rarity had to clear her throat; it’d been some time since she’d last spoken. “Any idea on how long the storm will last, darling?” “Like, the rest of today, at least,” Rainbow said with a shrug. “The rain’s too heavy for me to give you a better answer. It’s like trying to see through a heavy blanket that somepony put on your head.” “Mmm.” Rarity stretched her forelegs out ahead of her, digging shallow trenches in the wet sand. Days and nights replayed in her head, and she came to a realization. “We’ve only been here for a week, haven’t we?” “I guess? I wasn’t really counting.” Rainbow sighed and sat up, her stiff back cracking and making her wince. “We’ve still got another week then until somepony finds us.” “Hopefully,” Rarity said. “If we keep getting rough patches of weather like this, then actually searching the islands here will be something of a hazard for our would-be rescuers.” “Rescue ships are sturdier than big cruise liners like the Concordia,” Rainbow assured her. “They can weather tougher storms. So long as no big hurricanes go plowing over the islands, then they should be fine.” “Certainly comforting to think about.” A deep bass rumble of thunder in the distance rattled the foundation of their shelter, and the rain seemed to redouble in its fury. “Of course, at this rate, it seems like these storms may be our undoing before they even get here.” “Eh, that’s what the big hill’s for,” Rainbow said. She twisted her torso this way and that, working out the stiffness in her muscles. “This island probably gets pounded by storms all the time, but it’s still here, and there’s still a lot of vegetation. I bet Chirp’s been through a bunch of bad storms before. Right, Chirp?” The macaw raised his head slightly at the mention of his name and eyed Rainbow for a moment. After a few seconds, he fluffed up his wings and flipped his head around, burying his beak in the feathers of his back. Balancing on one foot in the sandy and dry corner of the shelter, Chirp closed his eyes and went back to sleep. Rainbow smiled at the fluffy bird and rolled back onto her stomach. “See? Chirp’s not worried. This weather is foal’s play to a badass bird like him.” “I bet he just appreciates the nice, dry shelter that we made to keep the rain out,” Rarity said, tossing her salt-crusted mane from one side to the other. But after a moment’s thought, she grinned and snatched the comb and brush she’d salvaged from the shipwreck. Without a moment’s hesitation, she galloped out into the rain, drenching herself in seconds. Rainbow watched her from the dry shelter. “What are you doing, Rares?” she asked her. “You’re gonna get soaked to the bone!” “That’s the plan!” Rarity sung back. She fanned out her mane, letting the water permeate every strand of hair. “I’ve been covered in salt and sand for a week! This is fresh water! I can finally be clean!” On instinct, Rarity tried to pick up her comb and brush with her magic, and a shaky blue glow surrounded them. But a few seconds later, her horn sparked and fizzled, and she ended up dropping both onto the wet sand. She ended up falling on her flank and started rubbing her horn, feeling the small notch in the tip. A few drops of bright blue mana oozed from the end of her horn before evaporating into the air. “You alright, Rares?” Rainbow asked, stepping out into the rain. She placed a hoof on Rarity’s shoulder while the unicorn rubbed her horn. “Still not healed yet, is it?” “Another day or two and it should be fine,” Rarity said. “I didn’t split it that badly, and horns heal quick, so I shouldn’t be without my magic for much longer.” She looked longingly at her comb and brush. “It only complicates things in the meanwhile.” Rainbow traced Rarity’s gaze. She bent over and picked up the brush, settling it between her teeth, and started working over Rarity’s coat. Rarity rolled her shoulders and hummed softly as Rainbow teased the salt and sand out of her white hairs. “You’re too kind, darling. Shall I return the favor when you’re finished?” “Mmrf…” Rainbow grunted around the handle of the brush. She blinked away some of the water rolling into her eyes and focused on brushing down Rarity’s fine body. Even after a week of slim eating, the unicorn’s figure was still soft and shapely. Rarity could feel her brushing around her flanks and tail with careful interest, so she flicked Rainbow’s nose with the tip of her tail. “Behave yourself, darling,” she teased, sticking her tongue out. “You haven’t even properly courted me yet.” Rainbow rolled her eyes and went back to work. Within a few minutes, she’d completely brushed Rarity’s coat down, removing a week’s worth of sand and salt in the process. She spat the brush out into her hooves and handed it back to Rarity. “Here.” Rarity gestured with her hoof. “Spin around, darling,” she said, taking the brush away from Rainbow. Rainbow did as she was told, and soon Rarity began returning the favor to her friend. Now it was her turn to admire her friend’s body, in the way her small but strong muscles shaped her figure around strong but light bones. The network of thick and bulky muscles around the base of Rainbow’s wings intrigued her. They were all part of a whole pair of limbs unicorns and earth ponies lacked, one whose shape was always different from pegasus to pegasus and often required specific tailoring to get a tight dress to fit perfectly. For a moment, Rarity tried to imagine what it would be like to have six limbs instead of four. How could a pegasus gallop and flap their wings at the same time? That much multitasking had to be confusing without practice. She could see now why Twilight had struggled for so long after suddenly sprouting wings. Her brush slipped around the base of Rainbow’s right wing, and the pegasus flinched and lurched forward a bit. At first, Rarity thought she’d hit a sensitive spot, but then she saw how Rainbow hunched her head forward a bit and turned her shoulders inwards. A devilish grin broke out on her muzzle and she momentarily set the brush aside. “Are you ticklish there, darling?” “No…” Rainbow protested, lowing her head further. “Are you sure?” Rarity asked, and she darted the tip of her hoof into the space between wing and back. Rainbow jumped again, instinctively flapping her good wing as she tried to get away from Rarity. “I think you are!” “Rarity!” Rainbow protested, scuttling away from the unicorn. “Stop!” “I should file this information away for safekeeping,” Rarity teased her. “I suppose now it makes sense why you don’t want anypony touching your wings.” “Rarity, I will hurt you!” “A risk I’m willing to take.” Shaking her head, Rarity gestured to the sand in front of her. “The rain’s starting to lighten up, and I haven’t even finished your coat, darling. Now get back here and be a good mare, and I promise I won’t tickle you. Much.” Rainbow sighed and slowly trudged back. “I’ll dump sand on you while you’re sleeping if you do. Don’t think I won’t…”