Surviving Sand Island

by The 24th Pegasus


Clean Up

Rainbow sat with her back to the ruined lean-to, Rarity held in one foreleg, the white unicorn’s nose pressed against her wet cheek. Little by little, her heart began to slow down, and weary exhaustion started to seep into her sore limbs. The wind whipping through the camp had mostly died down by now, and even the rain was beginning to let up. A fitting end for a wild night.

But they couldn’t stay there forever. As much as Rainbow wanted to do nothing more than just curl up into a ball and sleep by Rarity’s side, she knew she couldn’t. They’d have to move before the pirates came back, and they needed to start that process now.

Gently shrugging Rarity off her shoulders, Rainbow stood up and winced as she forced her sore and exhausted body to move. She immediately took a few hobbled steps forward in an attempt to catch her balance, coming to a stop with her waterlogged wings held out at her sides. Groaning, she whipped her head back and forth, the vertebrae in her neck cracking with each motion.

Behind her, Rarity did the same. Her beautiful white coat was covered in mud and blood, making her more gray and red than pearly ivory. Sniffling, she wiped some of the blood and grime off her face and gave Squall a wary look. “Is she… is she truly dead?”

“I hope so,” Rainbow muttered. Staggering forward, she reached Squall’s body and put a hoof on the pirate captain’s neck. She couldn’t feel a pulse or much of anything through the cold mud clinging to her hooves, but neither could she feel the rise and fall of the mare’s chest. The pirate’s body was so decorated in wounds and cuts that it was almost impossible to tell where the blood ended and her coat began. If nothing else, blood loss and exposure would ensure the pirate died in the next few hours if she somehow wasn’t dead already.

Rainbow spat on Squall and walked away, leaving the cold red body behind in the mud. “She’s dead,” she said. “I don’t know where exactly you shot her, but I don’t want to take a look. The sooner we can get away from that freak, the better. Let the ants eat her up for all I care.”

Rarity nodded, her eyes locked on Squall’s body. “I… I killed her.”

Smiling, Rainbow helped her marefriend stand. “You saved my life,” she told her. “You saved both our lives. Squall was a monster. Don’t feel bad about it. She’s not even worth our pity.”

Shivering, Rarity merely dipped her head. Rainbow gave her a hug and kissed her cheek, trying to soothe her. “Come on,” she whispered in Rarity’s ear—her only ear. “Let’s pick this place apart and get out of here.”

Slowly stepping away from Rarity, Rainbow retreated a few paces before walking around the lean-to and back into the center of the camp. The whole place had been trashed by the storm and the fighting, and the fire weakly guttered with barely more than a few tiny tongues of flame sticking out of the fuel. Despite the onslaught of the rain, somehow it had managed to survive through stubbornness and determination, much like her and Rarity.

Her attention fell on the other body currently lying in the vicinity of the camp. Wet wings flailing as she galloped over to him, Rainbow quickly sat down next to Coals and checked his vitals. To her infinite relief, she could still feel him breathing, unlike Squall. But it was weak, and she didn’t think he’d survive the night without immediate medical attention. But what could she do?

“Who is that?” Rarity asked, approaching Rainbow from behind. “One of the pirates? What happened to him?”

“He wasn’t just a pirate,” Rainbow said. Looking over her shoulder, she made eye contact with Rarity. “Remember that stallion Gyro told us about? How they tried to bang in every room at their trade school?”

“Yes, now that you mention it…” Rarity’s eyes fell on Coals, and a spark of understanding flickered to life within them. “Is that really him?”

“Yeah. Crazy stuff. He was on another ship when Squall’s crew attacked it before she was captain. They forced him to be their engineer and he’s been stuck with them since.” Her voice faltered and her face fell. “At least until Squall figured out he was planning on helping me. Then she shot him. He’s still alive, but…”

Rarity knelt down by Coals’ side and looked around. “I suppose that’s where she shot him,” she said with a grimace, hoof pointing at the hole in his side. “And I’m also going to suppose that the bullet wasn’t removed.”

“I don’t have the tools to do it,” Rainbow said. “He needs to get that bullet out and he needs stitches, otherwise he’ll just bleed to death. I’m amazed he hasn’t already.”

“He’s no earth pony, but he’s certainly tough.” Rarity’s horn lit up, and the wound in the stallion’s side began to glow. “If you can find me some thread and something to use as a needle, I can remove the bullet and stitch the wound together.”

Rainbow quickly covered the wound with her hoof. “Don’t pull the bullet out yet,” she warned Rarity. “Without those stitches, it’s the only thing slowing the bleeding. Like a cork or something.”

Rarity bit down on her lip and let her magic die away. “Okay. Then help me look for a needle and thread.”

“You might be asking for quite a lot there, Rares,” Rainbow said with a shake of her head. Nevertheless, she stood up and made her way into the lean-to. “They were keeping all their supplies in here. Let’s be quick before those other pirates come back.”

“They shouldn’t be back so long as Gyro keeps ringing those metal plates,” Rarity said, moving to the other lean-to and rummaging through supplies with her magic. “They drew the pirates out in the first place, and so long as she’s still ringing them, then they should still be out there on a wild goose chase.”

Rainbow blinked. “Uh, Rarity? I can’t hear them.”

“You can’t?” Rarity blinked and raised her head, her ear pointing in different directions. “I-I can’t tell, my head has been ringing nigh constantly…”

Rainbow swallowed hard. “Gyro can get away though, right?” she asked. “She’s a strong mare. I bet she could cave a pirate’s face in with a kick if they even got close to her.”

Rarity winced and bit on her lip. “About that…”