The sun dipped below the horizon, and soon nighttime drowned the island.
Rarity watched the stars come out, one by one, lying on her back in the sand. The damp sand down by the water clung to her coat and worked its way into her mane, but she didn’t care. She hadn’t cared about such trivial things in a long time. When the sand was everywhere, it didn’t make any sense to try and pretend you could escape it.
Conversation between the three mares wandered listlessly from topic to topic. From childhood memories to schoolyard crushes to weird family traditions, they covered a small sampling of nearly anything. To Rarity, it almost felt normal. A thousand miles away from civilization, and girl talk was still girl talk. Even Rainbow would chime in here or there, alleviating some of the conversational workload off of Rarity’s and Gyro’s shoulders.
After a minute of silence, Gyro launched the next topic with a surprising question. “If you had only one thing to eat while we were stuck here, what would it be?”
Rainbow’s ears perked. “Of course, the starving mare is talking about food.”
“Shut up,” Gyro said, chuckling. “It’s been on my mind a lot, lately. Can you blame me?”
“I can’t imagine the cravings I would have suffered had I been in your position.” Rarity grunted and rolled her shoulders, hollowing out a more comfortable form-fitting space in the sand. “Anything to eat would’ve been preferable to nothing.”
“No, no, I’m not talking about if you went through what I did,” Gyro said. “Like, let’s say we were trapped on this island for another year.”
“Heavens forbid!”
“Yeah, sucky, but whatever. What I mean is, if you had to eat only one thing the entire time here, for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, what would it be?”
Rarity frowned up at the night sky. “That’s a good question. There’s a lot of dishes I like, but I’m not sure what would be my favorite.”
“I’d want mushrooms,” Gyro said. “Sautéed with some olive oil, salt, pepper, maybe a little garlic too.”
“Mushrooms?!” Rainbow seemed shocked. “Out of everything you could ask for, you’d just want mushrooms? That’s crazy, girl! At least treat yourself!”
“There’s nothing I like better,” Gyro said. “I could eat them all day. My family was poor, but growing up, we always had mushrooms. And it’s a good thing I liked them, because I was SOL if I didn’t.” Rarity saw the mechanic smack her lips together on the other side of Rainbow. “Damn, now I really want some. I really shouldn’t have asked this question.”
“My mom always made this really awesome pasta and potato sandwich on sourdough,” Rainbow said. “A couple of those a day would be awesome.”
“Don’t take offense, Rainbow, but that sounds absolutely horrid.” Rarity shuddered. “I think I’d be sick of that by the end of the first week.”
“Oh yeah? What about you then, Miss High Fashion?”
Rarity thought for a moment. “A fresh piada straight from Bitaly,” she said. “Lettuce, cheese, peppers, and slathered in a rose sauce… do I get to add a wine to this as well?”
“Why not?” Gyro said with a shrug. “I’m curious how a pony like you is going to pick between a thousand different fancy wines.”
“Hrmm…” That was a good observation. Rarity had sampled wines from all over the globe—how could she possibly choose just one? But then she remembered the one she’d had before this whole journey started. “A Premier Cru Château Sigalas-Rabaud. It has good memories.”
Rainbow blinked. “A what?”
“It’s a type of sauvignon-blanc,” Rarity said. “I prefer the ones made in more tropical climates. They have a sweeter, fruitier taste. It’d pair nicely with my piada and the warm climate we’ve all found ourselves in.”
“I’ll pretend I know what you mean ‘cuz I don’t drink wine.”
“Hear, sister,” Gyro said, and the two mares bumped hooves. “I like gin.”
“Gin?” It was Rarity’s turn to be surprised. “I wouldn’t have taken a mechanic to be a gin enthusiast.”
Gyro raised an eyebrow. “What, you think I’d be pounding back beer and whiskey like my fellow grease monkeys?”
“To put it one way, yes.” Rarity shook her head. “I apologize, I just wasn’t expecting it. At least you have better taste than Rainbow.”
“Hey!” Rainbow crossed her forelegs over her chest, and her wings paddled some sand aside. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means that you think Boars Light and Blue Ribbon are alcohol.”
“They are!” Rainbow sat upright, forced to defend her honor. “They’ve got a percentage on the can and everything! That’s alcohol!”
“Anything below five percent isn’t booze,” Gyro said. “I’ve had root beer stronger than that.”
“Oh yeah? Bet I can shotgun a can faster than you!”
“Yeah, because you’re only drinking water with a little bit of liquid wheat in it.”
Rarity chuckled but decided to intervene before it got too far out of hand. “I feel like I should step in before you two ladies start measuring your nonexistent dicks against each other.”
Rainbow blinked. “Okay, that is not a word I ever expected to hear out of your mouth, Rares.” Smirking, she lied down on her side and put a hoof on Rarity’s chest. “‘Dick?’ You don’t have a fancier term for it?”
“You must be rubbing off on her,” Gyro teased.
Rarity huffed and gently pushed Rainbow away. “‘Penis measuring contest’ doesn’t have the same degenerate ring to it, I feel. Besides, I felt like I should speak in words that you’d understand.” She stuck her tongue out at Rainbow and winked, making the other mare roll her eyes.
“There’s another one,” Rainbow said. “Jeez, Rares, you’re full of them tonight.”
“Am I?” Rarity feigned looking around. “I’ve been stuffed before, Rainbow, but I don’t see any here. Unless you have a secret you’re not telling us.”
The reaction on Rainbow’s face made that comment worth it. “You… holy crap, Rarity, you’re not for real, are you?”
“I certainly hope you didn’t think I was an amateur at this,” Rarity said. “Rainbow, I’ve seen a lot of stallions over the years. Many tied to the fashion industry are decidedly effeminate, it’s true, but you meet a lot of ponies at high profile parties. And it’s hard to build a steady relationship when you have paparazzi breathing down your neck 24/7, so many of us… fit in a few flings here and there, so to speak.” She blushed a little bit, but girl talk was meant for stuff like this. Stuff she wouldn’t talk about with stallions or anypony outside of close friends. “I’m fairly certain I’ve seen the most stallion junk out of the three of us, unless I’m misreading you, Gyro.”
“You’re not,” Gyro grumbled. “I’m just a sexually frustrated mare who couldn’t catch a dick in a glory hole if she tried. And even if I did like mares, it’s obvious you two are… taken.”
Rarity and Rainbow exchanged looks. “True enough,” Rarity said. “At least being willing to play ball for both teams has its benefits.”
“I just don’t like dick,” Rainbow said. “Never been interested.”
“I couldn’t do that,” Gyro said. “Vaginas are nasty. As a mare with one, I can say that vaginas are nasty. I wouldn’t want to stick my nose near one.”
Rarity chuckled and went back to looking at the stars. “Oh, Celestia, how did we get here,” she wondered aloud.
“That one’s simple,” Rainbow said. “We were stupid enough to jump off an airship in a hurricane and lucky enough to survive.”
“I meant on this topic, but thank you for the reminder, darling.”
Gyro’s mouth opened wide as she let out an enormous yawn. “Yeah, well, it happens.” Grunting, she rolled over and paused for a few moments to gather her strength before standing up. “It’s getting late and I don’t have the energy to stay awake much longer. I get exhausted so easily now.”
“Oh, that’s fine,” Rarity said. “If you want to, use our bedding in the small hut. It will likely be better than sleeping on the sand.”
The mechanic blinked. “But wouldn’t I be taking your bedding?”
Rarity shot Rainbow a look and got almost the same look in response. “We… likely won’t be needing it, tonight.”
Gyro mouthed an ‘Oh’ and smiled. “Well, thank you. You two have fun,” she added with a wink. Slipping into the shadows, she was gone in a few seconds, leaving Rainbow and Rarity alone on the beach.
When they were sure she was gone, Rainbow grinned and sat up. “Well, Rares? Ready to have some ‘fun?’”
Rarity likewise smiled and forced herself to sit up. “Of course, darling,” she purred. “I’ve been waiting for this.”