High and Dry

by Artaelian

S1Ep2: Parasol

Previously on High and Dry:
After getting stressed out over being unable to have a simple daisy sandwich, Twilight Sparkle and her friends were invited to join the maiden voyage of the HMS Aurora. As she took a nap on arriving to the ship, chaos ensued when Pinkie Pie decided it would be a good idea to fill a swimming pool with a crack in the floor, causing a false capsizing ship alert to reach the captain after the lower decks were flooded.
Now all alone on the ship, Twilight and her friends are awaiting reply and rescue from Princess Celestia, the only one who currently knows of the situation....

---
“It’s fine Twi,” Applejack muttered, staring unimpressed at the purple alicorn who was currently curled in a ball, rubbing her tail, “sure it’s been forty-eight hours since ya sent the letter to the princess, I’m sure it’s just taking time to send help.”

In truth, Applejack didn’t believe what she was saying, but the last time Twilight had got like this, she had enchanted a doll and made all of Ponyville fall in love with it. Being alone with her on a cruise ship if she was left unchecked, it made Applejack shudder but she was sure it’d involve at least one vital organ rope swing somewhere.

“But she ALWAYS replies to urgent letters! Why isn’t she replying Applejack?” Twilight stopped rubbing her tail, speaking calmly. It was encouraging at least.

“Maybe she’s having to deal with Blueblood? Explaining it ain’t your fault, but Pinkie’s.”

“Speaking of her, how is she?” Twilight asked.

“She discovered there’s a market section on deck 16, and last I checked, she was going through every known type of candy to ponykind.” Applejack replied, shuddering at the memory of the sight.

“Maybe today we’ll find out if her stomach really is home to a black hole or if she eats too much she’ll pop like a party balloon.” Rainbow Dash added as she entered Twilight’s cabin.

“Speaking of black holes I know there’s one that needs a good kicking for getting us into this situation.” Twilight said dryly.

“Black hole? Where?” Rainbow Dash questioned.

“Do I really need to explain that? Think about it Dash, Pinkie got us in this situation, the black hole is located at her a-”

“OKAY, moving on,” Applejack shouted, “Dash, can you check with Spike? He might have had a reply, meanwhile, I think we’d best go to the steering wheel, maybe we can get this metal tub back to Equestria ourselves.”

“Helm, it’s called a helm Applejack.” Twilight informed.

“Whatever its called, it makes this thing move don’t it?”

---
Spike was currently reading a reply that had finally arrived from Princess Celestia while he had been admiring Rarity a nearby deckchair. Rarity lay there, a folding mirror under her chin as she gave her face more sun.

Rainbow Dash quietly trotted over, and raised an eyebrow at Rarity. While Fluttershy had become claustrophobic at the idea of being stranded at sea, and Twilight had all but gone mentally insane, Rarity’s behaviour at the idea of being stranded was vastly different. Applejack, Spike, Pinkie and Rainbow herself had been indifferent, they knew rescue would be on the way, yet Rarity was acting like nothing had gone wrong.

“Hey Rainbow Dash, this came from Celestia.” Spike held the letter out.

“So what’s it say?” Dash asked, smiling. ‘It’ll say the Wonderbolts are coming to help, I just know it!’

“Dear Twilight,” Spike begun, “it is rather unfortunate that this misunderstanding has occurred. As of yet, the public, and importantly, Prince Blueblood, don’t know of this, and that’s how I feel it should stay for now.”

Rainbow’s eyes widened. In effect, Celestia had just made their situation a cover up, and help wasn’t going to come.

“Now this isn’t anything personal to you and your friends, rather, its some perfectly timed payback on behalf of my sister, I won’t explain much, but I shall inquire why Blueblood had a maid’s outfit in the first place when he only has butlers. Think of it this way, there are books on the Aurora, some might tell you how to sail a ship, why not take up a hobby and enjoy everything on the ship at Blueblood’s expense?”

“Oh I SURE plan to!” Rarity chuckled, having been listening from where she was.

“Don’t worry, when you have finished every last supply, I’ll send a rescue party for you. Unless you manage to sail home by yourself first. Have fun and enjoy it! Signed, Princess Celestia.”

The sound of seagull was the only thing that could be heard right after Spike had finished reading. Both he and Rainbow Dash were staring at the other, the same thought going through their minds.

“Twilight’s going to have a nervous meltdown equal to the end result of my curry nights.” Spike spoke flatly.

Both Rainbow Dash and Rarity winced.

----
“SHE’S WHAT?”

Twilight’s yell could be heard from the deck, where Rainbow Dash and Rarity had stayed after Spike had ran off to deliver the letter to her.

“Huh, guess Spike was wrong.” Rainbow Dash chuckled.

“Why’s that dear?” Rarity questioned, folding up the mirror.

“He said she’d have a meltdown like the end result of one of his curry nights, and from what I can see, the windows at the helm are fine.”

As Rainbow Dash observed the helm, she saw Applejack, with Spike on her back, crash through a window, just seconds before the rest were shattered with highly explosive and uncontrolled magic.

“Oh, nevermind.”

--
Up at the helm, Twilight was attempting to calm herself down, breathing deeply and repeating Cadance’s calming technique as fast as she could. It wasn’t really working.

“It’s all fine, it will ALL be fine,” she said to herself, “I just have to learn how to sail a cruise ship before we crash and sink, it can’t be that hard right?”

Twilight slowly begun to calm down as she thought things over. If Celestia wanted to punish Blueblood for something, and was going to leave her alone, then she had to learn to control the ship.

“Spike, can you try and find any books about sailing? Applejack, can you go tell the others I may need help?” Twilight called out.

“Sure.” the pair both replied.

---
Rarity had finished sunbathing on the empty deck, and now wandered through the food court level of the ship. The eerie scene of many food stores, with thousands of chairs at empty tables seemed like something out of a horror novel, but the white unicorn was otherwise joyful as she browsed the stores.

She soon settled on Prench food and wandered to the counter. The menu was fairly standard for the plastic storefront, and she begun imagining eating the finest food that was available.

It didn’t occur to her until she had finished reading the whole menu, that the only living things aboard the ship were her, and her friends. Anypony capable of cooking the food had left on the lifeboats. Feeling a little disappointed, only one thing came to her mind, and she voiced it.

“Merde!”

---
A ten minute trip later found Rarity on the shopping levels. Unable to actually access the cooking appliances in the food court to cook herself, the now hungry white unicorn searched for a shop that would at least have packet food. While not to her sophisticated tastes, it would do until they were home or the keys to the kitchens was found.

A quick check of a grocery store, and Rarity spotted all the things she would need to make a fine lettuce and tomato with cheese sandwich. She gathered the items up with her magic, and humming happily to herself, left the store.

She barely got five feet from the door when she shivered. Something felt wrong, but she couldn’t quite place what.

“Rarity! Hey Rarity!” Pinkie called out.

Turning around, Rarity saw something on the other side of the floor, rapidly heading toward her. She squinted her eyes, trying to determine what she was seeing. Pinkie Pie was surfing on something, which didn’t make sense in her brain, which was trying the logical equivalent of having the last piece of a jigsaw, and trying to slam it into the empty space of a completely different jigsaw.

“COWABUNGA!” Pinkie yelled, as the candy tidal wave swept over Rarity.

---
An hour later, and Twilight had been given books about sailing a ship. She and Spike remained at the helm, while Applejack had been seeing to the others.

She was observing Rarity, who was exploring around the ship, in an apparent search for something. This search had cross the whole top deck, and was now into the first supply room on Deck 1.

“Rares, what exactly are you doing?” Applejack questioned.

“What does it look like? I’m searching for something. I need to relax after trying to escape the candy tidal wave Pinkie caused earlier” Rarity responded, never turning her head to look at Applejack.

“Yes, but what exactly? Will it be something helpful to keep Twilight calm and relaxed?”

“No.”

“Alright, is it food? You’re going to be our chef?”

“My goodness no! At least not yet. We need to find the keys to the kitchens.”

“Flares then? So we can let other ships know we need help?” Applejack questioned, getting irritated.

“I don’t even know what a flare looks like.”

“Then what exactly are you looking for?”

Rarity sighed and walked out of the room, stopping in the doorway to answer.

“I’m trying to relax in the sun, I’m looking for a parasol.”

Applejack’s eye twitched. Following Rarity, she remained quiet, hoping Rarity would reveal what she had said as a joke, and tell what she was doing that would be helpful to the situation.

“So you just plan to relax? You don’t intend helping us get back home fast?” Applejack pressed, when Rarity located another store room and entered it.

“And deprive myself of the chance of living in luxury at the expense of Blueballs?”

“Rarity,” Applejack held a hoof to her face, “you are about as much use as a fart on a wind farm.”

“Applejack! Please, don’t be so vulgar!” Rarity had shot up and stared at Applejack with a look of horror on her face.

“But you intend to live a life of luxury while the rest of us pitch in to get us home. To say your useless is an insult to all useless items, like a book rewinder, quill sharpeners, and those hotels that don’t put mints on the pillows for you to have before you get a night of sleep.”

“Ah ha! Here’s a parasol,” Rarity pulled it out from where it was stuck, causing a loud audible click, and the ticking of a device, “uh, what was that?”

“MOVE IT!” Applejack yelled, grabbing Rarity and running out of the room.

The pair ran half way up the corridor before the storeroom they had been in was engulfed with the sound and smoke of fireworks. After two minutes, the only sound left was the ringing in their ears, and after five, things had returned to normal. Applejack glared at Rarity.

“I hope there wasn’t anything important in that room.”

---
“Unbelievable. Twenty thousand loaves of bread, fifty crates of tomatoes, a hundred crates of eggs, a refrigerator that held half of the onboard supply of milk, water and cheese, all gone in the fireworks.” Twilight muttered, having read on the ships log of what had been in the storeroom.

“I’m sorry Twilight.” Rarity stated.

“The worst part is, that storeroom had every last daisy onboard too. Now I can’t have a daisy sandwich at all. And for what? So you could go and relax with a parasol on the deck leaving us to do the hard work.” Twilight looked at her friend, disappointed.

“Well yes, its a shame some of the supplies are gone, but surely you must be exaggerating that every daisy on the ship is gone.” Rarity said, desperate for any hope.

“It was where they made daisy sandwiches on the ship, or were going to. Where else would they have put them? In the deepest darkest dungeon of Canterlot guarded by Starswirl himself?”

The white unicorn was silent for a while, considering her possible replies to Twilight.

“...Is there really a dungeon in Canterlot guarded by Starswirl?”

“Just get out, it’d be safer if we talk again when I’ve calmed down over the prospect of having to go from now on without daisy sandwiches.”

---
Rarity sighed, floating the parasol beside her. Sitting on her back, ready to help if needed, was Spike. They approached the deck chair Rarity had chosen to spend the rest of the day relaxing on, and slowly, Rarity lay upon it.

“So she really told you to get out?” Spike questioned.

“Yes, I think I really messed up big time Spike. I didn’t know there were fireworks in there, I mean, if its where they were going to make food, why was a parasol even in there?” Rarity asked, attempting to undo the parasol with her magic.

“I meant to tell Twilight this, but Pinkie was moving stuff around in the storerooms, moving closer to the top of the ship what she felt was important.”

Rarity stopped what she was doing and blinked. The information Spike had just said sunk in slowly.

“Then, I’m not to blame! Pinkie shouldn’t have been moving stuff around without telling the rest of us! Wait,” Rarity turned her head towards Spike, “why did she decide to move the fireworks, and where had they been before?”

“She moved them for safety, because they were located towards the bottom of the ship, apparently, Prince Blueblood himself decided what would be stored where, and he thought fireworks should be kept at the bottom of the ship, just under the engine room. Had we not noticed it, in a few hours, the whole ship would have become a fireworks display of tacky tastes equal enough to rival the new year celebrations of Haydon.”

“Haydon?” Rarity raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah, short, fast and to the point, sort of like a young couple after the second date.”

Rarity resumed her attempt to open the parasol, smiling and choosing to ignore Spike’s crude remark.

“Well regardless. When Twilight calms down, I’ll let her know Pinkie had moved the fireworks there, and it wasn’t my fault, then I’ll bring her down here and she can enjoy some time in this chair in the sun and under the shade of the only parasol on the ship!” Rarity let a small laugh go.

As the parasol finally opened up, it was caught in a gust of wind which took Rarity by surprise. The wind carried the parasol away, almost in a way from a foals movie minus the unicorn in an old style black dress holding on to the bottom of it. It had quickly got too far for her magic to capture it.

She and Spike looked at each other for thirty seconds.

“You don’t suppose I could swim back home without wrinkling do you?” Rarity smiled nervously.

---Next Time on High and Dry: AEMAIS---
“So anything interesting in the book?” Spike asked, as Fluttershy caught sight of the cover and blushed at the infantile defacing of Prince Blueblood’s photo.

“Just the standard, where the restaurants are, the swimming pool, shops. I guess Pinkie Pie isn’t fully to blame for causing us to be left alone here, there’s no mention in the booklet about the pool not being ready for us.” Twilight sighed, lifting up the sandwich with her magic.

“You’d have thought the bright yellow signs, and even the flashing neon notice board, all of which said ‘out of order’, would have been the big clue.” Spike muttered.

Author's Note:

So for this chapter onward, my editor from RH (Ekevoo) is not editing, and I've not had anyone offer to step in.
As such for now, this is going to be my personal project, to make me write and edit all alone.
Regardless I hope this was worth the wait despite the fact that only I worked on this. For all intents, this chapter is the Rarity centred "episode".

Now onward to "episode three". And if you want to be the editor for High and Dry, send me a private message.

Comments

[Seether00]

Hehe. At this point they should just throw Pinkie overboard and claim it was an accident.