Chapter 2
Adrift
I was drifting, though I couldn't tell if this was some ethereal no-pony's land or the afterlife. There was no ground beneath me, no sun above, just black, empty space. I floated on in silence for some time, until I finally spotted a light in the distance. Drawing nearer to it, I saw that it was a pony. Not just any pony, but the cream-coated Slipstream. She was facing away from me and hadn't noticed my arrival.
“Hey Slipstream, do you know--”
“Why did you leave me, Tinker?” she said, interrupting me. “Did what we had mean nothing to you?”
“Wha...What?” I said, incredulous. “Is this some kind of joke, Slip? If so, it's not funny. Not in the slightest.”
“The only joke was on me, when I fell in love with you,” she said, still not facing me.
“Come on, Slip. Quit being ridiculous.”
Silence was her only reply. I stepped forward on the cold floor that had come from nowhere and laid a hoof on her back. Instantly, I recoiled, my hoof feeling as if twenty magically-supercharged wasps had all stung me simultaneously. Only now, looking closer and listening, could I hear her sobbing in time with her shaking body. Her wings hung limp by her sides.
I didn't know what to do. She thought I had left her and something didn't want me to comfort her. I tried speaking to her, but my words fell on ears that didn't want to hear. With no way to console the mare standing mere feet from me, she may as well have been a million miles away. I tried again to lay a hoof on her back, to the same painful result. Since touching her was completely out of the question, I did the only thing I could think of that didn't involve magical shocks. Sitting on my hindquarters, I began talking. Slowly, at first, I confessed all of my failures to her, whether she was listening or not. For every time I had lied, for every time I hadn't been there for her, and for apparently leaving her, I apologized. Eventually, I had nothing more to say, so I simply laid down and tried to sleep my way out of this place. Sleep wouldn't come, no matter how I tried. Her sobbing continued for what seemed like eons.
Eventually, I tried getting away just to lessen the sound, but no matter how far I went, the sounds of her racking sobs remained just as loud. If anything, they actually got louder. Looking around in desperation, I noticed another mote of light, this one flickering and dim. Approaching it, I saw that the light was being emitted by a unicorn's horn. Attached to the horn, barely visible, was Frostfire. She looked like she was searching for something or someone.
“You okay Frostfire?”
She let out a startled “eeep!” at the sound, quickly facing me. “I've been looking everywhere for you!”
Although she was standing mere feet away, it sounded like her words came from a great distance. At least she seemed willing to speak with me.
“You have to get out of here, Tinker,” she implored. “Now, while there's still time!”
“What are you talking about?”
“This place,” she said, gesturing around with her hoof. “This isn't real.”
“I kind of figured that out already. Slipstream would never act like that, even if I had left her. But why is there a rush to get out of here?”
“Wait, you talked to her?”
“Yes. Is that a problem?”
“Did you touch her?”
“Yes.”
“Oh crap,” she said. Then, looking thoughtful, she added “how many times?”
“Twice.”
“Not good. Not good at all.”
“Again, why the rush?”
“Because if you're in here too long, your physical body will die, and you will be stuck in this, this....” she said, trailing off as she looked for a proper word. “This 'between' place.”
“Oh... well how do I get out? And if this is my consciousness, how are you here?”
“I am here to save your life. As for how, that's irrelevant right now. All you need to know is that I can be here, and you have to get out.”
“Okay, but how can I?”
“Normally, through concentration, but you haven't got the time to be trained. An intense shock will be the only way to get you out this time.”
"Like what happened when I touched her?” I said, gesturing to Slipstream.
“That's not intense enough, or you would have woken up by now. You also need to know that anything that happens to you in here will affect your physical body.”
“If this isn't real, then how?”
“Because your senses are telling you that it is real. There's ground beneath your hooves, light for your eyes to see, sound for your ears to hear, and so on.”
“So how do I find a shock that will wake me up without killing me when there are only three things in this place?”
“The surest way is to find something that goes completely against what your dream state wants and doing that. Even then, there's no one-hundred percent guarantee that it'll work, but it's a lot better than the alternative. Look, I have to go, my magic can't keep this up much longer,” she finished. Sure enough, her horn glow was growing dimmer by the second. “Find a shock, and get back to the real world. Hurry, you haven't got much time...” she said, disappearing as her horn glow faded.
I waved my hoof through the place she had occupied and met no resistance. Frostfire was gone, leaving me alone in this emptiness with what was apparently a figment of my own imagination.
'Hmm.... an intense shock... but touching her outright won't work. What is more intense than that?' I thought to myself. I pondered it for a few moments before it finally hit me. Above my head, a dim candle suddenly lit, then disappeared. Not wasting time to ponder on that, I galloped towards Slipstream. After stopping a few feet from her, I moved around to her front. I figured a firmly-planted kiss would be the most intense shock I could find. Noticing me in front of her, she raised her head to fix me with the most dejected look she could form on her tear-streaked face. As I struggled with the sudden emotional strain, she slowly turned to face away from me once more.
Okay, maybe this wouldn't be as easy as I thought. Recovering from the look she had given me, I quickly walked around to face her once more. As she looked up at me again, I went in for the kiss.
'Here goes nothing,' I thought as my lips approached hers. When they met, it was like someone had clamped wires from a spark generator to me and turned it on to full power; yet at the same time, I was somehow capable of feeling her lips... for all of an instant. The shock suddenly stopped, leaving only the residual pain, and the sound of rushing wind. Opening my eyes, I saw Slipstream was already several feet away and shrinking rapidly. Her image shrunk to the merest pinprick of light as I flew away, then the same speck of light rapidly grew to encompass my entire vision, blinding me.
I awoke with a start. The sunlight was bright, and it took my eyes awhile to adjust. Looking up from the piece of wood that had served as my raft, I saw only empty, calm seas for miles around. As the waves gently carried me up and down on the way to wherever it was that the current led, I could spot a few other pieces of debris in the distance, but nothing nearby. With no way to get out of here, it seemed like I had escaped the frying pan only to fall into the fire. The sun beat down on me mercilessly. A sharp sting in my leg signaled injury, but it didn't seem serious. Trying to conserve what little energy I had left, I lay my head back down on the wood and simply thought. I probably wouldn't live through this, so my thoughts naturally settled on Slipstream, my marefriend for nearly three years, and how I'd never see her again. That led to thoughts of my mother, growing old in Fillydelphia with no children left. I also thought of Frostfire, whom I had only just met, but who had been friends with Slipstream, and had given me the knowledge needed to escape my own consciousness.
That part, at least, was reassuring, as it let me know that she was still alive after the storm. For how long though, was anypony's guess; she was certainly in the same proverbial boat as I was. Come to think of it, a boat would have been great right then. I halfheartedly cursed my luck and the sisters, my words nearly as colorful as Celestia's mane. It was almost surprising when no lightning struck me down for my words, but at the same time, mildly disappointing. Truth be told, I would prefer a quick, painless death over wasting away in the middle of the ocean.
The sun was beginning its descent when I began to look around again. Some of the debris had come closer, but was still far too distant to risk a fruitless swim to. Behind me, I could see some kind of land, but it was many miles away and indistinct in the hot air.
Soon, I noticed something else in the water. It was a fin, and it was heading towards me. Each time I spotted it from the crest of a wave, it was closer. Panic gripped me as I realized it was probably some predatory creature attracted by the scent of blood. In a frenzy, I turned and began kicking, propelling myself in the general direction of "away." As I grew weaker and weaker, the fin continued its inexorable advance. I could vaguely make out a dark shape beneath the waves. Realizing the futility of fleeing, I turned to face the oncoming predator and tried to stop it with my magic. Unfortunately, a large sea creature was far more than I was used to moving, and in my current state, all I could muster was a faint glow before my concentration failed. Desperation sank in as I tried to think of what to do. The only thing that came to mind was fighting the creature, a bad idea even on a good day. Turning away from the creature, I lined up a desperate kick to fend it off. As the creature's pointed head came into range, I kicked my leg backwards with all of the force I could muster. I'd like to say my kick carried all of the force of a cannon, knocking the creature all the way back to maneland Equestria... but it didn't. It was a feeble kick and ill-timed to boot. I clenched my eyes shut, waiting for the bite that would surely be end for me.
After what seemed like an eternity passed and nothing happened, I warily opened my eyes once more. The creature, which upon closer inspection, appeared to be a dolphin, was floating in the water beside me, curiosity in its eye. I was no expert on animals, let alone marine life, but it seemed the dolphin was also mildly peeved at me for trying and failing to kick it. The effort of my brief struggle made itself known as my eyelids began drooping of their own accord. As I struggled to stay awake, the dolphin moved behind me. Panic briefly returned as I felt it bump into me, but quickly dissipated as I realized it wasn't trying to eat me. Instead, the dolphin was pushing me toward the island in the distance.
“Heh, thanks,” I said weakly, promptly lowering my head once more as exhaustion carried me to some semblance of sleep.
I awoke some time later to the crashing of waves ahead of me. The sun had just set, it seemed. The helpful dolphin was nowhere to be seen. Inexplicably, I felt sad for not thanking it properly for its help. Seeking it out would have to wait however, as the current was carrying me to shore. As the sound of waves breaking drew closer, I was able to get a look at the shore. A sandy beach, backed by dense vegetation greeted my eyes. It ended a few hundred feet to my left at the base of a tall, rocky outcropping. On the right, the beach stretched out of sight in the darkness. I also got some inkling of the height of the waves crashing on the shore.
“Well, shoot,” I thought to myself. This was going to hurt. The waves were more than a few feet tall. I cast away the wooden wreckage; chances are having it nearby would do more harm than good at this point. Bracing myself as I drew nearer, I squeezed my eyes shut against the spray and curled up into a ball. Hopefully, there weren’t any rocks hidden in the -- a sudden, sharp pain in my back dashed that hope. The powerful water continued to carry, or rather toss, me about as the shore drew closer. Finally, with a mighty heave, the waves deposited my pathetic body on the sand. Weakly, I drug myself up the beach and out of the surf. As the waves continued their incessant pounding, I scanned the beach once more. Some dark shapes nearby showed where other debris from the crash had already washed ashore. Seeing nothing of immediate interest, I got up and made my way slowly to the edge of the forest and peered inside. In the increasing gloom, I couldn't make out many details, so I tried using my horn again. The glow was feeble and flickering, but with it I at last got a good look into the forest. My frayed nerves took another hit as the forest looked back, but it was short lived as the creature came into the light. Looking down at the squirrel, I shook my head, then returned to the beach. In the morning, I would take stock of my situation, but for now, sleep was the only thing on my mind. I found a comfortable patch of sand and curled up against the chill of night. The repetitive crash of the waves soon lulled me to sleep.
Several hours later, bright rays of sunlight warming my face woke me. As my eyes adjusted, I once more saw the rock. Where it had been black in the darkness, it now shone gray in the morning light. Closer at hoof, my suspicions of the dark shapes on the beach proved mostly correct. Many revealed themselves to be pieces of wreckage, whereas a few others were simply common driftwood. Among them, I spied a food storage cask, and my stomach immediately made its presence known. The rumbling it gave off reminded me that I hadn't eaten in over a day, If not more. I rushed to the cask and took a closer look. It was labeled “APPLES” in bold red lettering. I pried off the lid and took a look inside. My nose was immediately assaulted by the stench of rotten apples, and my eyes confirmed that the contents of this particular cask had spoiled, soaked in saltwater. My stomach rumbled once again. I looked around from my new position on the beach. Spying another cask, I headed closer to the rock formation. This second cask listed pears as the contents.
“Oh well,” I said. “Not exactly tasty, but they'll do.” However, my hopes were once again crushed by the rather smelly contents. I looked around again, and spied a small crate labeled “Salt Crackers.” Peering inside, I finally saw what I had been seeking. Dozens of containers were inside, each one holding a pair of saltine crackers within. Many had burst, the contents turned into a rotten mush, but several were intact, or only had the crackers themselves crushed. I quickly ripped a hoofful open with my telekinesis and dumped the contents in my mouth. Chewing in satisfaction, I took the opportunity to look around. The rocky outcropping was only a few dozen yards away, and it looked like there was a way to the top. Opening up another pack of crackers, I downed them and trotted warily toward the rock. True enough, as I got closer, I could see a narrow path winding its way up the hill. Setting my hooves on the path, I kept my attention to the ground in front of me and carefully began to climb. Soon, I came to a hairpin in the trail and risked another glance around. This time, my fear of heights made itself known once more. A slip now would mean a very quick, painful descent thirty feet down to the beach, or worse.
Continuing my ascent, my fears were nearly realized as a particularly bad section of the path gave out beneath me. I ran as I felt the rocks shifting, and only just made it to solid ground. Treading my way carefully up the rest of the path took most of the morning, and the sun was high in the sky by the time I finally crested the rocky hill. The view didn't disappoint. Further inland, the land rose sharply upward, with a valley ending at my beach. The hills themselves were covered in vegetation and blocked my view of whatever lay on the other side. One hill, on the opposite side of the valley caught my attention with a patch of foliage that didn't quite seem right. It was hard to make out from this distance, but it looked like some kind of overgrown structure. My curiosity was piqued, but it would have to wait. Turning around, I trotted towards the seaward side of the rock. Stopping a few feet short of the edge, I looked out across the water for any sign of help arriving. The crystal blue water and a cloudless sky were all that I could see in any direction. No boats, no airships, not a speck in sight. Sighing, I lowered my head in resignation. Only then did I hear something that sounded strangely like a voice.
“Can it be,” I thought. “Or is the isolation driving me crazy already?” Looking around at the beach I had washed up on, only the remains of some crates greeted my eyes. "Yep, I'm going cra—There it is again! Only...I think it's behind me.” Turning around, I trotted over to the other side of the rock and looked around. The beach below was considerably more rocky than the one I had landed on. I scanned it with my eyes for a few moments, spotting a few more pieces of debris, including what looked like one of the benches from the Tornado. All of the debris that I could see was in considerably worse condition than that which had landed with me, and likely was that way because of the rocks. Still, I didn't see any ponies below. “Wait, did that rag just move? That's a pony!”
Exuberant now that I knew I wasn't crazy, I quickly looked around for a way down to the rocky shoreline. Spotting a relatively gentle slope near the forest, I ran towards it and began my descent.
Keeping my eyes on the pony, I never saw the rock poking out from the sand. My descent quickly turned into a tumble, rolling down the hill at frightening speed. When I finally came to a stop, my mouth was filled with sand, and I was sore all over, but thankfully nothing seemed broken. I took a few steps toward the pony on the beach before wincing in pain. Looking back at my legs, I saw the reason. The cut in my leg had reopened during my tumble, and the dried salt that stained my brown fur had gotten in. Ignoring the minor pain, I ran towards the other pony. Getting closer, I realized it really was a rag. The movement I had seen must have been the wind. Disheartened, I sat down on my haunches right there and just stared at it. “I am alone after all. Why? Why me? Why not some other pony who knew about survival?” I glanced down at my flank, where the screwdriver and half a gear seemed to mock me. “I'm just a unicorn with a gift for small machinery, not anything that will be useful here.”
I had sat there for a good length of time when the rag moved again. Only then did I see a leg sticking out from underneath the fabric. Dashing over, I quickly pulled the rag up and away to reveal the pony beneath. It was a black unicorn, covered in dirt. Blood seeped from several wounds all over his body, and a bruise had one of his eyes swollen shut. His uninjured eye opened ever so slightly, and the pony looked at me. He tried to get to his hooves, but collapsed back to the sand. I then noticed his right hind leg looked wrong, either dislocated or broken. Mustering all of my strength, I conjured a levitation spell and helped him stand. Making sure to keep the weight off of his injured leg, we made our way up the beach and toward the trees. It was slow going and oddly quiet, with me focused on my magic and the other pony in too much pain to make any sound but the occasional grunt.
As we got into the shade provided by the forest, he stopped.
“Here...” he said weakly. Taking care to keep the weight off of his leg, I carefully set him down.
“Ahhh!” he said, wincing as his leg brushed a rock. Once settled, he took a moment to look around with his one useful eye. “Any...any others?” he said weakly. At first, I didn't understand.
“Others?” I asked, tilting my head.
“Other... ponies,” came the response.
“Ohh... no, not yet. I've only seen you.”
“Arrgh,... probably too much... to hope for.” he replied, pausing to take breaths. “Still... best to... keep eyes open.”
“No need to worry on that account,” I said, thinking of a certain cream-colored pegasus.
“Good,” he said, pausing to take another breath before continuing. “Any food? Any water?”
“I found some crackers. That's it so far.”
“Crackers...no good. Don't eat crackers.”
“Why?” I asked, thinking of the ten or so I had wolfed down.
“Without water... crackers have salt.” he said. “Will... speed dehydration.” I facehoofed.
“Shoot. Why didn't I think of that?”
“You... ate some.” It was more statement than question, but I answered anyway.
“Yes.”
“Best find... water then.” He said, looking up at me. “Have to go... alone, unless you can fix... my leg. Don't worry... I'm not going anywhere. Take a bucket... or something to... arrgh... hold water.”
“Where am I going to find a bucket?”
“Look around. I'm sure there's something... in all this wreckage.”
“Right, duh,” I said, looking back towards the beach. “I'll go find something usable.”
"Clean too...” he muttered as I walked back down to the beach.
A short time later, I trotted back up the beach, bucket in hoof. It was dirty, dented, and had a hole near the top, but it would serve. Approaching my only companion on the island, I presented it to him.
“Yes... that will work,” he said, eyeing the bucket. “Do you know a... purification spell?”
“No, I can't say I do.”
“Then bring the... water back here before you... drink any. Dehydration is bad, but so is...arrgh illness.” he said, obviously still in pain from his wounds.
“And where should I look for water?”
“Anywhere inland. With this many... trees, there's got to be some streams...or ponds. Try to make it quick.”
“Okay, streams and ponds, got it.” I turned to leave, then hesitated. “What's your name?”
“Firestride. You?”
“The name's Tinker.”
The beach was lost to sight as I trudged into the forest, bucket at my side. After trudging some distance, the sound of the surf was overpowered by those of the forest, though it never truly disappeared. Making my way up the incline, I searched for signs of water. Foliage was everywhere, making a canopy high above me and a carpet beneath my hooves. The signs of water were at once everywhere and nowhere. Working my way deeper into the forest, the incline gradually became steeper until I was climbing just as much as walking. Soon, the sound of a burbling creek greeted my ears. Following the sound for awhile, I found the source. There, in front of me, a creek flowed over a rock and into a pool before continuing to the sea. It was a small thing, partially choked with debris, but it would serve. My dry throat made itself known, but I remembered what Fire had said and resisted taking a drink. Scooping up a bucketful after rinsing out the bucket, I turned and trotted back the way I had come.
About a quarter of an hour later, I emerged from the vegetation onto the sun-drenched beach. My companion, however, was nowhere to be found. Panic briefly gripped me as various grisly and unrealistic scenarios played out in my head, but passed when I realized that I had come onto the beach at the wrong place. Making my way between the smaller rocks towards their larger cousin, I soon came upon where Firestride had washed up. After taking a left, I found him.
He was asleep when I arrived, but woke at the sound of my hooves on the forest floor.
“Oh good, you found water.” he said as I presented the bucket to him. “Now all we need to do is this.” With that, he lowered his horn to the water and began purifying it. I had never seen a purification spell before, and it was quite the sight. Miniscule motes of light emanated from his horn, traveled into the water and moved about for a bit before leaving and disappearing one by one. The spell was obviously taxing to him, as he was shaking and sweaty by the time he was done, but the water was clearly clean. He took the first sip, blinking blearily as he did so. While I was drinking, he peered at something to my right. “Who... who are your friends?”
“What? Friends?” I said in confusion. He must have been delirious from the strain.
“Those three... in the red.” came the response.
“There's nobody here but us,” I said, turning around to show him. To my surprise, a dirty pony with a shock of red mane and a red tank top was only a few feet away, brandishing a bat.
“Wrong.” the red-maned pony said. Then my world went black again.