A new day, new adventures
Special thanks to Alexstrazsa for editing the story.
The first rays of light pierced through the thick canopy of the forest and found their way into Trixie’s eyes. She frowned and turned over, but her slumber had already been disturbed. Slowly, she returned from dreamland and opened her eyes. Rolling onto her stomach and raising her head, Trixie yawned loudly and blinked out the last of her tiredness. Glancing around, she watched the wind gently rustle the leaves and the waves lick at the sandy shore. It was a new day, and if fortune smiled on them, they would find Octavia. With fresh strength and new resolve, she looked to her side where Vinyl was sleeping. Gently, she poked at the unicorn.
“Mmph… jus’... one more minute...” Vinyl mumbled, then continued snoring as if nothing had happened.
“Hmph! Have it your way, then.” Trixie focused her magic and willed some cold sea water out from the ocean, then floated it above Vinyl. Meanwhile, she stood up, stretched out, then walked several paces away as the mass of water floated precariously in the air. Without any further delay, the ball of water dropped.
“Yargh!” Vinyl jumped up with all her might, hitting the top of the boat and then falling back to the ground. “Urgh… Trixie!” She clambered to her hooves and looked around with rage in her eyes. Trixie had already walked some distance away and picked up a piece of fruit that had been collected earlier.
“Quick breakfast?” Trixie called out calmly, but her carefree demeanor began to evaporate as Vinyl charged towards her.
“What the hay was that!? Are you out of your mind!?”
“I tried to wake you up, but you ignored me.”
“So you go ahead and dump seawater on me!?”
“Well… yes.”
“Buck you, Trixie!” Eyes blazing, she pushed Trixie back with her muzzle. After several moments of staring the opposing unicorn down, she grabbed a piece of fruit and stomped back towards the boat. Before taking a bite, she shot a glare to Trixie, who at this point was only quietly watching.
Perhaps her methods, while effective, hadn’t been the best approach.
“Do not. Ever. Do that. Again,” Vinyl growled.
Trixie nodded slowly.
The two sat in silence, eating their small breakfasts. After they had finished, Vinyl spoke. “Alright… time to find Octi.”
“Trixie agrees.” The illusionist stood up and levitated one of the packs from her bag, containing a survival kit, first aid, and more food. Once prepared, the two entered the forest again in search of their friend.
Octavia opened her eyes, immediately noticing that while most of her body was cold, there was something warm against her back. As she began to wake up, memories from the previous day came back to her. Turning over, she saw the strange creature, Dave, soundly sleeping next to her.
The fire was long gone, only telltale embers visible within the ashes. Rays of sunlight pierced through the canopy above, illuminating patches of the ground around her. Octavia felt calm, and any fear she had towards the human had disappeared. Of course, the bones of the consumed animals were a distinct reminder that she was still in the presence of a predator.
She sat up and stretched out, feeling the stiffness leave her body in a series of small pops from her joints. Sleeping on the cold ground wasn’t something she’d experienced before, and she prayed that it wouldn’t become standard anytime soon. Turning over, Octavia began to nudge the human out his slumber.
“Good morning, Dave. Time to wake up.”
After a bit of nudging, a sudden breath of air marked Dave’s awakening. Moments later, he leaned forward and yawned, stretching his arms as he did so. Octavia couldn’t help but notice his teeth, and the meat-tearing canines were all too apparent.
“Morning, Octavia. I take it you slept soundly.”
Octavia smiled. “That may not be the most accurate thing to say, but I’ve gotten enough rest.”
“Oh, right, you’re not used to roughing it in nature, are you?”
“No, I'm not, but I suppose there’s no way to avoid it now,” she said, sitting up on her hindquarters.
Dave stood and finished off his stretching by swinging his arms in a circle. “I guess it's time to eat some breakfast. Want one?” he asked, reaching for the net that still contained plenty of the unknown but delicious fruits.
“Yes, please, thank you.”
“You’re welcome, my little pony.”
Octavia rolled her eyes and grinned, pointing a hoof at him. “Be careful before you strain your tongue, grandpa. At your age you should know better.” She smiled again, then took a bite from the fruit.
“Oh child, grandpa isn’t that old just yet.” The two laughed together and quickly finished the fruits, then started packing up.
“So, do you know where your friends might be? I know you’re lost, but I think I have a good guess to where we are in relation to other landmarks on this island.”
“Well, when we went our separate ways, we were at the beach where our boat landed us. Trixie meant to set up a camp there, while me and Vinyl went scouting around. I suppose there’s no need to say how that turned out. I hope they’re alright.”
“You can consider yourself lucky. Well, not extremely lucky, but you’re alive after all, and you got through it with only a few cuts and scratches.” Dave then motioned in a direction that Octavia assumed to be the way to the shore. “I guess our next stop will be the beach, that way.”
Octavia nodded and trotted beside the human as he picked up the net with fruits. He was about to grab some of the meat but Octavia quickly stopped him. “Um, I apologize for being a nuisance, but I don’t think it would be a good idea to have a bunch of dead animals when you meet my friends. For one, you look quite intimidating from my perspective, and with those you’d be downright terrifying.” There was a hint of disgust in her voice which couldn't be helped, but she tried to put aside their differences.
Dave sighed. “You’re right, but I really don't like to waste any food. You never know when it could mean difference between staying alive or not. But, I guess for the sake of inter-universal relationships, I can hold off my meat cravings for a while.” With a shrug, he threw the meat aside and positioned the net over his shoulder.
“Thank you. I really appreciate it, even though I know it’s rather selfish on me and my friends part. Getting used to your… omnivore nature is going to take some time.”
“That’s fair. I’ll consider the needs of you ponies as you’ve considered mine, but rest assured I won't pass up a good BBQ chicken,” he said, with a laugh. Octavia gave a nervous smile, but she understood him well enough, no matter how alien the thought of eating another creature was.
With Dave taking the lead, they vanished into the green vegetation, chatting the entire way.
It had been a few hours since the two unicorns wandered into the jungle, searching for their friend, and now they were even deeper than they had gotten the previous day. As they trotted along, they kept calling out Octavia’s name, hoping she might hear, and every so often Trixie would cast a searching spell. In between those, they talked about their lives.
“I didn't know you were an orphan, Trix.”
“Many ponies don't know about Trixie, Vinyl... And yes, that's how our caretaker used to wake us up if she caught somepony sleeping in.”
“Ah, I get that now, though here’s a piece of advice. Don't continue that habit. It’ll earn you a black eye or two from other ponyfolk in no time. What that mare was doing to you foals was truly uncool.” Vinyl gave Trixie a pat on the back, but leaned in and whispered, “But I’m gonna get you back for that, Trix.”
Trixie frowned at the remark, but couldn't argue. She then stopped and began charging her magic for another searching spell, but an unexpected noise not too far away interrupted her. Her and Vinyl shared a glance before calling out into the forest.
“Octavia! Is that you?!”
“Octi, baby, say something if it’s you!”
They looked at one another again, unsure of themselves. The bush continued rustling, and after several moments, something began to emerge.