The streets of Ponyville were shrouded with the inky cover of night, and Sugarcube Corner was shaking violently, and an eerie green light poured out the windows. The voices of several young girls rang inside, and the trembling building was barely enough to drown them out.
“Pinkie! Stop! It’s not worth it!”
“Of course it is! I need it!”
“Give it up, Pinks!”
“NO! It’s mine!”
“It’s gonna blow!”
“Someone stop her!
In less than in instant, the shaking and light stopped.
“Uh oh...”
The walls of Sugarcube Corner caved in, condensing into a single point. The gingerbread walls and everything inside were crushed into a sphere the size of a golf ball. The very light around this sphere was pulled into it as well, forming a dark, circular void. Pieces of loose debris and specks of dirt were lifted into the air, being sucked in as well, and the other houses of Ponyville bent toward the dark object.
And soon, the sphere shrank into nothing. The debris fell to the ground, and the night was still again. A few citizens wandered out of their homes, gasping in awe at the empty spot of town where Sugarcube Corner once was.
<><><><><><><><>
Rarity never liked the ocean. Or laying on anything that wasn’t a cushion. Or seagulls. So, why was it she awoke to all three of those things? Rarity’s eyes slowly peeled open, looking at a cloudless sky overhead, with a white gull lazily drifting above, cawing loudly. She sat up, and got a better look at her surroundings. She sat in a small dinghy, floating endlessly on clear blue water, spanning out for as far as Rarity could see. But the biggest surprise was the person sitting across from her.
“Oh, my head’s killing me.” The passenger grumbled. Her hair was short, but striped with several colors.
“Rainbow Dash?!” Rarity said, both relieved and confused to see her.
“Rarity? What happened? How did we get here?” She asked, looking down at the small raft they sat on. “Is this... gingerbread?” Rainbow Dash asked.
Rarity curiously inspected the raft, and it smelled of cinnamon and vanilla. It felt like wood, but the grainy sprinkles that dotted the boat was a definite give away. It was concave, which made it look more like they were floating in a cereal bowl than a boat. “By Celestia, it is!” Rarity squeaked. “B-B-But how?! Why?!”
“Beats me.” Rainbow replied. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say this looks like it came off of-” She said, before her eyes widened along with Rarity’s.
“Sugarcube Corner.” The two said in near-perfect unison.
“It was Pinkie Pie! Her accursed antics must’ve done something to strand us here! What did she even do?!” Rarity cried, rubbing her forehead.
“Probably something egghead-y.” Rainbow Dash said, crossing her arms. “Some kinda ‘dimension-quantum-whatzits’.”
Rarity turned her head. “I’m surprised you were able to string those words together. I thought you didn’t like ‘egghead’ jargon.”
Rainbow Dash shrugged. “I dunno. I guess hanging around Twi will do that.”
Rarity sighed. “Well, whatever happened, we’re both stranded. In the ocean. With no way home.” Rarity said, hanging her head over the side of the dinghy, gazing at her reflection in the water.
“Uh, hello? You got me, remember?” Rainbow Dash gloated, pointing toward her over-confident smirk. She then soared up into the clear blue sky. She looked around, before soaring higher. Rainbow Dash saw nothing but water in every direction. It was only until she did a quick fly-by of the ever expanding ocean did she realize there was no land.
No matter how far she flew, she was greeted with nothing but water. If she flew any further, Rainbow Dash would lose track of Rarity and the boat. But she had the feeling that she wouldn’t find land anytime soon. She glided back to the raft, with her heart a little heavy.
“Well?” Rarity asked. “Anything?”
“Nothing.” Rainbow replied, sighing. “We’re gonna be stuck here for a loooong time.”
“We?” Rarity said, raising an eyebrow. “Couldn't you just fly until you see something?”
“I didn’t see anything. No islands, no other boats, nothing. Besides...” Rainbow paused. “I couldn’t leave you here... by yourself.”
Rarity felt a warm smile form on her face. “Thank you, Rainbow Dash. I’m glad you’re here with me.” She sighed.
There was a low rumble from Rainbow Dash’s stomach. “Ugh, I’m hungry... if we’re stuck out here, what are we gonna eat?”
“Well... we are floating on a piece of gingerbread... but we really shouldn’t. I mean, it is our-”
*CHOMP*
Rarity’s eyes opened with shock as Rainbow Dash took a big bite out of the edge of the gingerbread dinghy.
“You.... you just ate a piece of our boat.” Rarity said.
“What? I said I was hungry.” Rainbow said, wiping the specks of sugar off her cheeks.
“Rainbow, this is our boat! The only thing keeping us alive and dry! We can’t eat it, unless you know how to swim indefinitely.” Rarity scolded.
“Chill out, Rare.” Rainbow Dash said, and oddly, Rarity felt herself relax. She truly couldn’t stay mad at Rainbow Dash.
“I’m sorry. But please... try to restrain yourself. We don’t exactly have unlimited resources.”
“Gotcha. But we have plenty of water.” Rainbow Dash said, looking over the ocean.
“Surely you jest. You know saltwater isn’t the same as our drinking water.” Rarity said flatly.
“Really? Could’a sworn...”
“Just take my word for it.” Rarity said. “It’s going to be a long... stay.” Rarity said, unsure of how long they would be on the ocean.
“Hey.” Rainbow Dash said. “Don’t worry. I’m not gonna let anything happen to my friend.”
Rarity smiled once more. “Nor will I.”
The sun kept inching across the sky, hour by hour. The two of them sat in silence for a while, the only sound being the water lapping against the hull of the dinghy as they stared out over the open water. It wasn’t long before Rarity’s mind began to drift.
“If Rainbow Dash and I are stuck here, what happened to the others? Oh, poor Fluttershy. She could be trapped somewhere horrible. I suppose Applejack could muscle through it, like she always does, and Twilight would be smart enough to survive for a respectable amount of time. Pinkie Pie, however... I don’t know what she would do. Probably celebrate for some inane reason, like always.”
Rarity turned her head back to Rainbow Dash. The winged girl reclined her athletic build on the boat’s floor with her hands resting behind her head, and her eyes gazing up to the near-cloudless sky above. The sun was close to setting, making the sky glow a dim orange, and the night sky rolling in from the other side of the horizon. Rarity saw her short, prismatic hair that softly rested on her shoulders. The sunlight bounded off Rainbow Dash’s magenta iris’s, making them faintly glimmer. And her smile... Rainbow Dash’s lips were positioned so perfectly, reflecting her cocky attitude and confidence.
Rarity snapped out of her trance as she heard Rainbow speak to her. “Uh, Rarity? You alright?”
The fashionista blinked her eyes. “Huh? Oh! I-I didn’t-” She stammered as Rainbow glanced at her
“You look kinda cold. You’re shivering.” Rainbow Dash interrupted.
Rarity looked down at herself. And her hands were shaking slightly. As Rainbow mentioned being cold, Rarity did begin feeling a chill wash over her as the sun set. Not not mention Rarity wore a thin white blouse, which did little to keep the heat in. “Uh, yes... I suppose it gets frigid rather quick here. Aren’t you cold?” She asked.
“Nah. My feathers are insulated. Keeps me warm when I’m flying way high up.” Rainbow Dash said, unfurling one of her wings. “C’mere.” She said.
“What’s this about?” Rarity asked, but didn’t complain. She scooted a little closer to Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow Dash took her unfurled wing and draped it around Rarity’s shoulder, the feathers working like a makeshift blanket. “Keepin’ you warm, that’s what. I told you I’m not gonna let anything happen to you.”
“Rainbow... that’s very sweet of you.” Rarity said.
“You’re my friend. I’m sure you’d do the same for me.” Rainbow said, without a hint of doubt in her voice. She leaned her head on the raft’s side and closed her eyes. Rarity’s heart fluttered around in her chest, and slowly closed her own eyes, awaiting pleasant dreams and blissful sleep.