//------------------------------// // You Get Used to It // Story: Rainbow Dash Around the World // by MagicS //------------------------------// Rainbow Dash was green in the face, her hoof pressed against her mouth to keep herself from hurling as she draped herself over the side of the boat. It had come on so suddenly. One minute she was fine, and then it felt like every minute rocking of the boat was treating her insides like she had just swallowed a pie along with a gallon of beer. The more the boat went up and down the waves the more she was certain that the next one would finally cause her to completely lose the contents of her stomach. Her entire body felt nauseous, her vision was all tilted and she had no balance. “Yeah I remember that look,” Daylight Gleam said from beside her. “That’s classic seasickness.” “I feel like a pair of Yaks are jumping up and down in my stomach...” “Yep. Seasickness,” Daylight nodded. “Why now? I was feeling fine… this has never happened before,” Rainbow Dash managed to say before clamping her hoof over her mouth again as her green cheeks expanded. With difficulty she swallowed it down and kept from puking. “Your body must finally be feeling the effects of sea travel,” Daylight shrugged. “Maybe you spent too much time sitting on the boat all at once instead of flying. Maybe the smells and the constant movement finally got to you.” “I fly. How can a pony who flies get seasick?” “I dunno, Gilbert got seasick too at first.” “It’s true!” The griffon shouted from the bow where he was watching their boat go up and down over the waves.” “These waves are a little rougher than what we’ve gotten so far too… maybe that’s why?” Daylight mused. “Don’t care… just don’t want to be sick anymore...” Rainbow groaned. “I never got seasick while we’ve been traveling,” Senax said with a shrug as she walked up to them as well. “You’re a merpony. It would be weird if you got seasick,” Daylight frowned at her. “You’ve just gotta get it out of your system, Rainbow Dash!” Breakwater called from the helm. “Once that’s done, you’ll get your sea legs! And sea wings too!” “By getting it out of my system do you mean puking all over the side of your ship?” Rainbow groggily yelled to him. “No… I mean giving it a couple days of rest for your body to adjust. But once that’s done I’m sure the swaying of the ship won’t affect you so badly anymore,” he said. “Couple of days… I’m going to be feeling miserable for a couple more days...” Rainbow Dash groaned. “Even I used to get seasick when I was younger. It’s something a lot of ponies go through when they first start sailing. The rocking of the boat, especially smaller ones like my Heart of Azure, can just make you sick until you’re really used to it.” “Thanks for letting me know...” Daylight started rubbing her back. “That help?” “It might be better for you to go below where you can’t see the ocean or smell it as much… or that might make it worse. It depends,” Senax said. “Don’t we have any medicine?” Rainbow asked. “Not for this. It’s just seasickness, it’ll pass,” Senax said. “Oh, easy for you to say...” Daylight continued to rub her hoof in circular motions across Rainbow Dash’s back. “Just relax, close your eyes, try not to think about how your stomach feels right now. Just think about walking along the grass, the nice stable ground, or maybe even flying. Thinking about flying, being in your natural element, might work best for you.” “Mrmmm...” Rainbow Dash grumbled but closed her eyes all the same and just tried to focus on Daylight’s attempts to soothe her. “Maybe swimming more will help you get used to the ocean quicker? After you get over this bout of seasickness we should go for a swim together. You’ve already flown with Gilbert enough,” Senax said. Rainbow Dash weakly nodded. “Alright… sounds good.” “I don’t exactly think that’s the best idea,” Daylight frowned. “Do you just want another pony to go swimming with?” “Nooo...” Senax averted her eyes. “That cold saltwater, the fishy smell, I think she should avoid it for the time being until she’s fully gotten over her seasickness.” “That could take forever though. Rainbow Dash isn’t the type to let something like this slow her down or beat her. She’d want to get right back out there and tackle any problem.” “What problem? You’re acting like there’s some big deal about going swimming together. I just don’t want her to get sick—er.” “That’s not what I’m saying, I just think she’d like to learn how to be the best swimmer she can be and she wouldn’t want to put it off or see it delayed just cause she got a little sick.” “How come you’re being so impatient with this? If you want I can go swimming with you more often. Are you upset because neither Gilbert or I have swam with you much lately.” “...maybe.” “Please,” Rainbow Dash suddenly groaned. “Please, just a little quieter.” “Sorry,” both unicorn and merpony said at once. “Ugh… forget this,” Rainbow Dash pushed Daylight’s hoof away and got up from the side of the boat. Her legs were wobbly and she still had dizzy vision almost like vertigo, but she managed to keep on her hooves. Her stomach did a few backflips but Rainbow kept it down for the moment. “If the boat is causing this, then I’m getting off the boat.” “Wait—you’re not going to go up and fly are you?” Daylight asked her. “Bingo,” Rainbow said and spread her wings. “That’s not a good idea, you’re just going to make yourself sicker, you’ll end up tumbling out of the sky before anything.” Rainbow would’ve rolled her eyes if they would stop spinning. “I know what my body needs, Daylight.” “Gilbert has tried the same thing you’re about to. Do you want me to tell you how that ended?” Daylight frowned. “I’m not Gilbert—no offense,” Rainbow glanced towards him. “None taken!” “Rainbow, I think Daylight is right about this. You’re not going to have a good time,” Senax said, looking worried for her. “Well if that’s the case then the joke’s on me,” Rainbow said and started flying up from the deck. “Don’t puke while you’re flying over the ship!” Breakwater shouted at her. Rainbow Dash didn’t bother replying as she went over the mast and the crow’s nest, flying out to the port side of the ship. Now it was just the rocky waves beneath her and she was flying and moving entirely under her own power. No more tilting, no more swaying, it was her wings keeping her afloat and flying smoothly. Mostly smoothly. Not very smoothly. Unsteady. Uh oh. “I do not feel good...” Rainbow Dash said to herself. Her vision was swimming like a fish and the queasy feeling from her stomach hadn’t abated at all despite leaving the boat. The green discoloration of her face had surely gotten worse and Rainbow Dash lifted both her hooves to her mouth as her cheeks puffed out once again. Maybe flying up here and moving around so much with a nauseous stomach was a bad idea after all? “Uh oh,” Rainbow Dash felt her bile in her throat rising as she shook and wobbled about in the air. Down below, Daylight Gleam and Senax both watched her jerky movements. “Better get an umbrella,” Daylight sighed. She glanced over to her merpony friend. “Are you ready to go out there and grab her once she falls in?” “Mhm,” Senax nodded. Rainbow Dash’s entire stomach was rising up into her mouth, her once blue face now completely green and an all new wave of nausea and dizziness running through her. Her wings became frazzled as her body seized up and- “BLEEEEGGHHHH!” “Oof. That is not pretty,” Daylight winced from below. “No it is not,” Senax shook her head. After that unpleasant event, the blue and rainbow body of Rainbow Dash went into a lazy spiral before plonking right down into the ocean. The two mares on the boat who had been watching merely shrugged at each other before Senax jumped over the side and swam out to retrieve their fallen comrade. Gilbert then waddled over to Daylight and raised a talon above his eyes, peering out to where Rainbow Dash was floating and watching Senax quickly reach her. “Perhaps we should’ve done a better job of, um, not letting Rainbow Dash do something like that?” Gilbert said. “Considering the pony in question—I’d say this is kind of good for her,” Daylight smirked. “Ah, now she might listen better?” “Unlikely. But possible.” “I think she’ll more than likely just continue to be annoyed and act before thinking. Like me,” Gilbert nodded a few times. “Well at the very least, for the moment we’ll have her rest down in the hold and keep her from flying out again until the seasickness is gone. I think even Rainbow Dash will accept that.” “Agreed.” Senax meanwhile had reached Rainbow Dash’s bobbing form and wrapped her thin hooves around the pegasus’s body, swimming back with her to the boat. Rainbow Dash grumbled and groaned the whole way until Daylight and Gilbert helped pull the two of them back onboard. She was a wet doll on the deck after that, cold and tired with both her stomach and head feeling like garbage dumps. Senax retrieved a towel from down below and dried her off while Daylight admonished her. “Are you perhaps going to get some rest now?” The unicorn asked. “Yes, mom, I’m going to get some rest,” Rainbow growled. Gilbert snickered. “Oh, very funny. Yes the one looking out for you is the mom.” Daylight slowly clapped her hooves together. “You don’t do yourself any favors when it comes to the label you know...” Rainbow Dash groaned and rolled over onto her back as soon as Senax was finished drying her off. “She’s right you know,” Gilbert said. Daylight glared at him hard enough for the griffon to cough and turn away. “Enough you two, let’s just give Rainbow Dash some air now,” Senax said. She then leaned down to whisper into Rainbow’s ear. “Let’s go swimming tomorrow.” Rainbow Dash weakly nodded. “I’ll think about it.” While the rainbow pegasus was safely laid down in the hold with a blanket (and a bucket) the others stayed up above deck. Senax took over from Captain Breakwater when it came to manning the wheel, both giving him a break and giving herself something to do. The Captain then retreated into his cabin for some rest, and to properly map out where they were. That left Daylight Gleam and Gilbert together by the bow of the ship as they continued to sail west towards the Sea Lion Reefs. “If all goes well it shouldn’t be much longer before we arrive,” Daylight said. “And perhaps we’ll even be lucky enough to finally find one of Senax’s treasures,” Gilbert said, as optimistic as ever. “It would be nice but I’m not holding out hope,” Daylight sighed, as pessimistic as ever. “I can’t imagine things would end up being this simple for us.” “Well… I do see what you mean. The sort of treasures that we’re looking for can’t just be sitting out there. But that’s what this rumor about the treasure chest at the Sea Lion Reefs sounds like,” Gilbert acknowledged. Daylight glanced back to Senax at the helm for a brief moment. “It just.. it seems hopeless sometimes. We have nothing to go on, Gilbert. Nothing at all. It’s only these little rumors that always end up being the same dead end.” “Well we can’t just give up, can we? The fact you’re still here searching means you won’t, right? After all it’s not like you have any true stake in this. You’re not looking for anything. You’re merely helping a friend, as am I. There’s nothing keeping you here except your word and your bonds… something that I feel is stronger than any physical reason or reward,” Gilbert smiled. “Heh. Same as you, huh?” “In the end we’re just tagging along and helping out. And I know that as much as you complain and get dejected that we haven’t found anything yet, that you’d still never give up and leave. Not until Senax has found her home. You’re a good pony. You and Rainbow Dash both. And I’m just a lunkhead who doesn’t recognize danger when it comes up and bites him in the butt.” “As annoying as you can be you’re still selling yourself short, Gilbert…” “A word of praise from my dear Daylight Gleam? Truly this is a happy day!” He grinned and reached out to pat her shoulders. “Ugh… yeah… don’t get used to it.” As they both stood at the bow while the Heart of Azure went up and down over the oncoming waves, it reminded them of their own first bouts of seasickness and how unpleasant it was. They didn’t envy what Rainbow Dash was going through. In the end though, their pegasus friend would get over it. She was certainly tough enough to quickly adjust to life at sea, the both of them fully believed that. Gilbert was still monumentally impressed by her thanks to how she fought against his brother. For Daylight, she reminded her of several other very impressive and extraordinary ponies she had met in her previous journeys. “I still think it’s relaxing, you know?” Daylight Gleam looked up at Gilbert. “Huh?” “Just being out here. Our lives, even with what we’re searching for, even with my brother chasing us, we’re so free. Standing here and seeing how big the ocean is—watching as we sail over it—I feel more relaxed than I practically ever have in my life.” Daylight slowly turned her head and stared out at the ocean too. It was still so endless looking. “I think I get what you mean. My life has… always kind of been like this… but doing something good, something selfless, at the same time. It just… feels nicer.” “I’d say I enjoy having an actual purpose too.” The two friends looked behind them as Breakwater strode up and joined them. “Been too long that I’ve just been aimlessly sailing around, with nothing to do except see how far I can go,” the captain said. “This is the first time in a while I’ve done something important. For ages my dream was just to get my own ship. Then I got one and, well, haven’t done nearly enough with it when it comes to things that actually matter.” The trio stood there contemplatively together for a moment, until Breakwater glanced down at the deck. “Hm. Was thinking how this might be the only time that crazy pegasus isn’t going to want some of the rum we’re storing down in the hold. On any other occasion I’d be worried about her cracking one of the barrels open and taking a drink.” “I dunno… knowing her I wouldn’t put it past her,” Daylight grinned. “Well, either way I expect her to be better by tomorrow. After all she already cleaned her stomach out earlier…” “She’s indeed a tough mare. She’ll recover quickly,” Gilbert said. “Just so long as you don’t go down there and start eating more fish in front of her,” Daylight said. “I promise I won’t do that. On purpose. Today.” Daylight rolled her eyes. “Best I can hope for from you.” For the next few hours until the sun went down, the rest of the crew of the Heart of Azure were on deck, appreciating the world and the blue ocean they sailed on. Senax near the stern was keeping them on a steady path and planned to keep to the wheel all through the night. While down below… a green-faced pegasus was currently thinking about how she might start to hate oceans almost as much as deserts and the snow. Rainbow Dash groaned in discomfort, any thought of food or drink just making things worse. Her stomach feeling like a broken washing machine right up until she finally managed to fall asleep.