//------------------------------// // Square One // Story: Surviving Sand Island // by The 24th Pegasus //------------------------------// They didn’t finish in time. Though the minotaurs had left them the cleaver and knives, there was simply too much to be done in a couple of hours to beat the storm. Before they had finished repairing their shelter, the rain began to pound them hard, like the sky itself was trying to push them into the sand. Rarity had hardly any time to realize that it had started raining before she was soaked to the bone. And unlike last time when she had welcomed the rain to clean her coat, this time she simply wanted it to go away. At least then she’d had someplace dry to hide in after she’d bathed in the storm. Now, there wasn’t anything. She wasn’t the only one upset with the turn of events. Rainbow stubbornly pressed on, trying to repair the damage the minotaurs had done to the supports even as the rain kept running off of her head and into her eyes. Her good wing acted like a makeshift umbrella to try to keep the worst out of her face, but every time she looked up she immediately lowered her head and wiped at her eyes. Her vibrant mane had been reduced to a tattered cord of damp, muted colors clinging to her neck and cheeks Rarity hung around the edge of their shelter, trying to lend a hoof or spell when Rainbow asked for it, but she’d largely resigned herself to the rain by this point. At least it was still tropical, so the water wasn’t cold, but the steady breeze blowing in off the ocean bit at her skin with frigid fangs. What was worse was that she could feel her nose running, and feathery tickles at the back of her throat warned her that she was catching a cold. Exasperated, Rainbow threw down the board she was working with, letting the corner of their shelter sag and list forward. Her hooves stomped at the soaked sand as she turned her furious glare skyward. “Why can’t you stupid clouds just fuck off?!” she cursed, as if by some miracle her ire would chase away the storm. When they insisted on hanging around, however, Rainbow grumbled and stormed off to the shelter of the trees. Rarity followed her, and together they found a bit of damp ground under a cluster of palms. It certainly wasn’t dry by any stretch of the imagination, but it at least sheltered them from the worst of the elements. Here, it was only rainy instead of drowning. Rainbow spread her wing for Rarity, and the two huddled together as they waited out the worst of the storm. Rarity heard Rainbow sniffle, and even at that moment, she felt herself having to sneeze as well. When she did, she wiped her nose and groaned, laying her head flat on the sand. “This cursed storm is going to be the death of us,” she muttered. “The last thing we need now is to get sick.” “Wouldn’t that just suck,” Rainbow said. Sighing, she laid her chin down next to Rarity’s, and both ponies simply stared at the wreckage of their shelter as it got pummeled by rain. “I think I’m becoming water-phobic.” “I know what you mean,” Rarity remarked with a bitter chuckle. “I’ve had about enough water for my lifetime, I think. First the ocean, then the cave, and now this storm and all the other times we’ve been soaked from rain in between—I don’t think I’d ever be able to bring myself outside in a storm if I can help it.” “Maybe I can clear the rain schedule over your boutique when we get back,” Rainbow joked. “Just leave it as the one spot of sunshine in the middle of our scheduled storms.” “Wouldn’t that be amazing…” They sat in silence and waited. It seemed like every so often, the storm would lessen, only to redouble its fury and send more whipping winds across the island. Rarity noticed Rainbow raise her head and start sniffing while opening and closing her mouth. “Rainbow?” “Getting a feel for the weather,” Rainbow told her. “I’m not really accurate at sea level, but I can still feel the pressure changes in the air.” “And?” “The storm should die out in a few hours,” Rainbow said. “I think there’s a depression somewhere a bit to the east of us. It’s not close enough to really mess with us, but I doubt it’s going to be the last big storm that hits us. It is hurricane season, after all.” Pieces finally fell into place that Rarity had forgotten about for so long. “Hurricane season? Why, I don’t know how search and rescue would find us now. They’d be running from the storms all the time, and airships aren’t all that fast.” Rainbow nodded. “They’d have to launch as soon as a storm passes and hope that there isn’t another one right on its hooves. Still, it’s not a good idea to be trying to explore uncharted territory in the middle of hurricane season.” “Guess we really do have to find our own way out of here, don’t we?” Rarity asked. “Either that or wait long enough for the season to pass.” Rarity’s eyes narrowed on their shelter. “I don’t know how long we can afford to wait, Rainbow,” she muttered. “The longer we’re here, the more likely it is that one day those minotaurs will catch us. And I don’t think we’ll last all that long once we catch their attention.” “Well, we’ll just have to hurry along with the raft, then,” Rainbow said. Shaking her head, she added, “We just keep getting set back. Celestia, I wanted to start working on this thing yesterday, but then the minotaurs showed up, and now we have to rebuild our shelter. We’ll have to be quick about it as soon as we get our shelter set back up.” “I agree,” Rarity said. “And even then, who knows what we’ll find on these other islands?” “Minotaurs, probably.” “Well, yes, but besides them.” Rarity frowned at the pile of scrap they’d collected in the clearing, now wet and soggy under the rain. “There could be anything on those islands. And we’re supposed to find three more tiny figurines? If the islands are bigger than this one, we’ll be searching for forever!” “Beats sitting around and waiting in my opinion,” Rainbow said with a shrug. “I’d rather be adventuring than hiding.” “Until it gets us all killed…” “It won’t happen, Rares,” Rainbow assured her. “I promise.” “If you say so, darling.” She swallowed hard. “I simply hope that you’re right.”