Yaerfaerda

by Imploding Colon


For What It Is Ever Worth

Rainbow squeaked like a distressed filly.

She trotted forward, only to stumble, her front left hoof splashing deep into seawater. The raft had split from the collapsing mast, and several logs spread apart to expose the depths below. Thrashing about, Rainbow rolled onto a dry surface again.

She hyperventilated, her wide eyes darting all around the surface of the raft in the dim morning light. Gnashing her teeth, she lifted every loose piece of debris, including the shattered remnants of her lean-to.

“No... oh no...”

She fumbled and felt around and searched every square surface of the craft.

“No... please... no no no no no no no!

Seething, Rainbow Dash spun about, staring at every horizon. Her dizzy spell had lasted an untold amount of hours, but the ocean around her was dead-still. There was no reason to believe that she had drifted toofar. Plus, Arcanista's bag wasn't completely full of junk. For all Rainbow knew, it could very well have been buoyant... or at least neutrally buoyant.

Nostrils flaring, Rainbow Dash flapped her wings. She leapt—only to fall flat on her chest.

“Ooomf! Nnngrh...” She snarled, angry at her own forgetfulness. “Darn it!

Hopping back onto her hooves, she flapped her wings... then flapped them harder. It was no use. Her body refused to fly.

So, panicking, she fumbled with her bagstraps until she untied Luna's satchel. Shrugging it off her flank, she positioned it neatly in the center of the remaining raft, took a deep breath, then dove straight into the placid waters around her.

Splassssh!

Rainbow Dash plunged into the depths. She was blind. To her aching shock, there was no seeing further than a few feet ahead of her muzzle. The morning light just wasn't bright enough to pierce the depths. What's more, the salt water stung her eyes. After a meager bit of thrashing about, she kicked her way back up to the surface.

“Scrkk-gaahgh! Sptt!” Rainbow pony-paddled around the raft, slapping her forelimb across the bent wooden logs. She dragged Luna's satchel to the edge, rummaged around inside, then grabbed Scootaloo's goggles. Tossing the satchel safely back into the center, she fitted the eyepiece around her skull, took another deep breath, then dove again.

Rainbow sank through the murky depths. There were no fish, no detritus, no hints of anything but bubbles and dense lifeless water. Thinking fast, her lungs aching with each prolonged second, she ran a hoof over her pendant so that her ruby pendant would glow. But nothing happened—short of a tiny strobe of scarlet light, that is. There was no helpful searchlight to expose the depths of the ocean. And even if Rainbow could illuminate even a fraction of the expanse, how was she to find Arcanista's satchel amidst all of that? There was no telling how far the satchel could have sunk. It could be on the ocean floor for all Rainbow knew.

That didn't stop her from trying.

Splashing and sputtering, Rainbow surfaced and resurfaced constantly, floundering about, peering through her goggles as she swam tiny, frantic circles through the upper layers of the salt water desert that she was stranded in. She paddled and swam and kicked until every limb was sore—including her wings. Her body was thoroughly soaked, and she could feel her lungs struggling to give her the regular supply of oxygen. Having fasted as much as she did over the past few days, Rainbow simply lacked the strength to dive any further—even if she was lucky enough to find Arcanista's satchel. And would she even be able to salvage the Nebulum and Heaven's Slices? The only thing keeping their enchantment even remotely intact was direct exposure to the harmonic energies in Rainbow's Element. But on their own, sunk in the sea, and exposed to the elements?

Rainbow Dash splashed to the surface one more time. She shivered in the cold currents, gazing at the undulating expanse all around her. She knew that there was no point in pursuing what was lost any further. So, cussing under her breath, she twirled about.

She couldn't see the raft.

“... … …!!!” Rainbow spun and spun, wings and legs thrashing. She let loose several inarticulate bursts of fright.

Then—past a wave of water formed by her own struggles—Rainbow finally saw the tell-tale sign of drifting wood. In her frantic, blind searches, she had inadvertently put over forty feet of distance between herself and the Scootaloo.

So, with steady motions, she stroked and swam towards it.

But—after a solid minute of kicking—the raft didn't appear to be coming any closer.

Rainbow's eyes twitched beneath her goggles. Gritting her teeth, she pivoted her body sideways and kick-stroked with both her front and rear limbs. She felt the water gliding past her, but it was doing so at a snail's pace. Horror gripped Rainbow's heart as she realized that the same mechanics of the Choke that made it impossible to fly or cast a sail was now flustering her attempts to swim normally. Nevertheless, she persisted, kicking and stroking faster as she attempted to return to the one and only source of buoyancy.

For what felt like a half-hour, Rainbow stroked and stroked. She inched towards her destination, her limbs numb. The sun rose, glaring into her eyes. A foggy condensation formed across her goggles and her mouth quivered from the bitter taste of salt water. There was barely even a tingle left in her senses by the time Rainbow reached spitting distance of the raft.

“Nnnngh!” She flung a hoof out.

It splashed ineffectually into the water, just inches shy of the raft.

“Rrrr-raaaugh!” She lashed again, dunking her body in the effort. She sputtered up to the surface, wheezing for breath as she fought to stay afloat. “Mrmmmf—Celestia!

The pegasus lunged again, once more coming short. Her body grew cold. Gravity tugged at her harder and harder, as if a whirlpool was trying to drag her under. Then, with a calm breath, she pivoted about and tilted her head forward. Her teeth gripped to an edge of the raft, and she pulled the rest of her body forward. At last, she was within grabbing distance, and she rolled onto the dry wood.

“Grkkkg... spkkt—augh! Kaff! Kaff!” Rainbow crawled, squirmed, and inched her way to the center of the raft. There, she curled up with her back to Luna's satchel, dripping all over with ocean water. Rainbow Dash was a shivering, numb, soaked mess.

But she was alive... for what it was worth.

A lump formed in her throat—the first thing she felt since the anguished act of swimming took it out of her. She was aware of how terribly empty her stomach was—and how dry the back of her mouth. Now she was stuck on the raft, with nowhere to swim or fly, and a dead ocean stretching on all sides.

The pegasus never thought she'd miss the stale-tasting enchanted gift of the Val Roans as much as she did then. She was too exhausted to cry, and yet too panicked to fall asleep. So she did the next best thing.

She covered her wet face with her forelimbs, rolled over, and waited for the Sun to roast her pathetic body.