//------------------------------// // A Rainbow Addiction // Story: Surviving Sand Island // by The 24th Pegasus //------------------------------// “Rainbow? Rainbow, darling, wake up.” Rainbow stirred and groaned, her blue wings shifting and shuffling the sand around her body. Bleary ruby eyes opened one after the other, and the pegasus grunted and moaned as she tried to wake herself up. Even when she managed to raise her head and stretch her limbs, her body still wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep for another day. After spending two days living in the constant fear of violence from a psychotic pirate with a mercurial temper, Rainbow merely wanted to capitalize on the safety and chance for sleep the survivors’ camp afforded her. Rubbing at her eyes, Rainbow slowly looked around the clearing. “Rarity?” she mumbled, her drowsy tongue slurring over her teeth. “What time is it? Anypony got an alarm clock?” “It’s well past midday,” Rarity said from behind her. “You should get up. There’s so much to do.” Rainbow heard shuffling hooves approaching her, and she hid an impish grin from Rarity’s sight. As soon as she heard the hooves stop by her side, she whirled around and tried to tackle the mare, her lips lunging for Rarity’s. Clever Ruse quickly stayed Rainbow with a hoof to her chest, stopping their muzzles from meeting by a few inches. “I’d prefer if you asked first,” he said, winking at her. “Sudden passion works a lot better in storybooks and show business than it does in real life.” Rainbow jumped backwards and fell back into the sand. The world momentarily spun, a lingering effect from her concussion, and her eyes went cross. “But how did… where’s Rarity?” Clever Ruse’s mint green horn briefly shimmered. “What are you talking about?” Rarity’s voice said, coming from his lips. “I’m right here, darling. Don’t you recognize me?” Rainbow frowned and rubbed her forehooves against her temples. “Grrrr… Okay, funny. I’m gonna assume that you’re like this all the time.” The stallion bowed with a grandiose sweep of his leg. “It’s my pleasure and my job to keep ponies entertained,” he said, switching back to his normal voice. “It’s what I earned my mark in, after all.” “Yeah, well, waking up to your marefriend’s awesome voice only to find out it’s just some stallion who likes playing tricks on ponies kind of ruins the experience.” Ruse shrugged and offered Rainbow his hoof. “I don’t merely use my talents for the sole purpose of entertaining an audience. I use them to entertain myself too, sometimes.” “Whatever.” Regardless, Rainbow took the stallion’s hoof and stood up, her limbs cracking and creaking as she worked her stiff joints. Grimacing, she extended and closed her wings several times. “All this sand and salt is starting to dry me out. Maybe Rarity’s right, by the time we get back to Equestria, we’re gonna be like leather.” “Have you tried rubbing coconut oil on your joints?” Ruse asked. “It’s a wonderful topical treatment for stiff joints, and Celestia knows there’s more than enough coconuts on these islands.” “I’m pretty sure Rarity mentioned something like that once,” Rainbow said with a shrug. “Honestly, I probably wasn’t paying much attention. It’s just boring beauty stuff.” “I would’ve imagined that you of all ponies would understand fashion and appearances,” Ruse said was they walked back to the camp. Rainbow cocked her head at him. “Huh? Why?” “You’re a Wonderbolt, are you not?” Ruse returned the look with a sly grin. “How many times have you had to wear makeup and nice dresses or uniforms for social events? You don’t get to wear the jumpsuit all the time.” Rainbow scowled down the length of her blue muzzle. “Okay, yeah, sure. Doesn’t mean I have to like it, though.” “I’m not saying you have to like it. I’m just saying that I figured you’d understand the benefits of caring for your appearance.” They walked past one of the huts, and Ruse nodded his head. “It’s not all ‘boring beauty stuff’ after all, once you look at it that way.” Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “Uh huh…” Smiling, Ruse turned around and began to trot off in a different direction. “Catch you around, Rainbow Dash. Enjoy your stay, darling,” he added, his voice once more mimicking Rarity’s. A shudder crawled along Rainbow’s spine as she watched the ventriloquist walk away. “That’s freaky,” she mumbled to herself, turning around and leisurely making her way over to the fire. Rarity, Gyro, and Soft Step sat around the low flames, simply letting the fuel burn away. Spotty clouds kept the air from heating up too much, and a persistent wind from the west blew away the smoke. The three mares saw Rainbow approach, and Rainbow sat down in an open space between Rarity and Soft Step. “Hey, girls,” she said, smiling at each of them in turn. “What’s up?” “Passing time,” Rarity said. Her horn lit up and she dropped a bowl of oatmeal in front of Rainbow. “They have oats at this camp, can you believe it? I haven’t eaten oats in forever!” Rainbow’s mouth began to water as soon as she set her eyes on the bowl. “It’s been nothing but fake apples and coconuts for forever now. Oatmeal sounds fantastic!” Before anypony could say anything else, she simply buried her face in her oatmeal, making all sorts of gurgling sounds as she practically sucked down the meal. Around her, Rarity and Soft Step watched with somewhat horrified expressions, while Gyro merely snickered and tried not to laugh. It hardly took a minute before Rainbow had completely licked her bowl clean. When she took her face out of it, random bits of lost oats clung to the hair all around her muzzle, and she spent several seconds trying to lick what she could off with her tongue. Eventually, she burped and pushed the bowl away with a contented sigh. “Could use some cinnamon.” Rarity sighed and put a hoof to her face. “You are an animal, Rainbow Dash.” “I thought we all were,” Rainbow said. “At least, that’s what Twilight keeps telling me.” “You know what I mean.” While Rarity shook her head, Rainbow looked around at her companions, she noticed how Gyro hungrily eyed the kettle of oats sitting on the fire and raised an eyebrow. “You hungry, G? Need some help getting some?” “Yes, I’m hungry, and yes, I do need help getting some,” Gyro said, but the amused smirk on the side of her muzzle meant something else entirely. It took Rainbow several seconds before she pieced together what exactly she’d said. “Ha, yeah, sure,” she said, shaking her head. “When Coals is feeling better I’m sure he can help with that. But actually, though, you need somepony to pour some for you?” Gyro shook her head. “I can’t,” she said. “I’m having surgery later tonight.” “Surgery?” Rainbow cocked an eyebrow. “What for?” “We’re fixing her spine,” Rarity said. “Doctor Gauze and myself. He believes we can cure her paralysis with a simple procedure. At least, I hope it’s simple. I’ve never done surgery before, but I offered my magic to help. I figure if I’m precise with a needle and thread, I can be precise with a scalpel too.” “And you’re good with this?” Rainbow asked the engineer. “Sounds like it’ll be risky.” Gyro shrugged. “Risky or not, I don’t have much choice. The doc says if I don’t have the surgery performed by tonight, then I’ll never walk again. I figure, why not take the risk if I have nothing to lose?” “Didn’t you say though that it could be dangerous?” Soft Step asked. “There’s a chance you could die if it goes bad.” “Only from blood loss,” Gyro said. “I’m sure the doc and Rarity can patch me up good if it comes to that.” Rainbow whistled and shook her head. “Well, good luck with that,” she said. “You need me for anything? I’d love to help if I could.” “Maybe just somepony for Gyro to talk to,” Rarity suggested. “Doctor Gauze made it sound like he won’t be able to completely anesthetize Gyro for the procedure. It might make it easier for her.” “Yeah, that’d be nice,” Gyro said, her throat bobbing as she swallowed behind an uneasy smile. “Nothing like lying there helpless while somepony goes digging through your back with a knife…” “I’m sure it won’t be too bad,” Rainbow said, trying to reassure the earth pony. “Just imagine it like a massage or something. When it’s done, you’ll be able to walk!” Her eyes turned to Soft Step, and she sheepishly smiled. “Speaking of which… you wouldn’t mind, would you?” Soft Step blinked, her attention having been elsewhere moments earlier. “I’m sorry?” Rainbow fidgeted. “I, uh, was kinda hoping that you could… you know… do your thing on my wings.” Rarity’s lip quivered as she looked away, trying to pretend she didn’t understand what Rainbow was abashedly asking for. After a moment, Soft Step opened her mouth and grinned. “Oh, why, yes, of course!” she said. “It’ll be a little bit more basic than usual, but that’s only because we’re out in the middle of nowhere instead of a spa. But yes, I’d be happy to give you a mass—?” “Thank you,” Rainbow said, harshly interrupting the pegasus before she could say the magic word. Looking around, she cleared her throat and stood up. “I’m, uh, gonna go looking around for a drink and stuff. Where’s your watering hole?” Soft Step faltered, but pointed a green wing off through the trees after a second of hesitation. “It’s… through that way?” “Awesome.” Rainbow immediately started to canter off in that direction. “I’ll, uh, see you or something when I get back.” “Right…” As Rainbow walked way, Soft Step raised an eyebrow and turned to the other two mares. “Is she always like this?” “Only when she’s embarrassed,” Rarity said. Winking at Soft Step, she added, “You will turn her into blue jelly, will you?” Soft Step shrugged. “I could…” “Do it.” Then, winking at Gyro, Rarity added, “You have to see her face when she gets a wing massage. It’s amazing.”