Surviving Sand Island

by The 24th Pegasus

A Hole with a View

Rarity had never felt so exhausted, frightened, and excited in her life. Exhausted because of all the effort it took to lift herself and two ponies out of the temple and then scramble down the side of the mountain for someplace to hide. Frightened because the minotaurs were hunting for them and would surely kill them if found. Excited because they were one step closer to home and on the verge of leaving this island behind for good.

But right now, it was the fear that held her the tightest. Her, Rainbow, and Gyro had scrambled down the southwest slope of the mountain as soon as they were able to, knowing fully well that the minotaurs would be trying to scale it to find them. What they needed now was somewhere to hide and wait the search out. Hopefully they’d be able to slip away under the cover of darkness and return to their home island. But even then, Rarity doubted they’d ever be safe again. Now the minotaurs knew that they were real, and it’d only be a matter of time until they sought revenge.

“In here.” Rainbow pulled back some scraggly scrub covering a dusty hollow in the side of the mountain. “We’ll hide in here and wait until dark.”

Rarity didn’t waste any time complaining; staying alive was preferable to staying clean. She made sure that Gyro crawled inside first before following suit and sliding over enough for Rainbow to duck in as well. Wedged in the little den between the two mares, Rarity fought for enough space to stretch out her stiff legs. Hopefully she wouldn’t cramp up in the meanwhile.

Rainbow finished adjusting the last of their supplies near the entrance of the den. She’d tucked them away as best as she could behind some of the shrubbery, but there simply wasn’t enough room for everything. But really, what choice did they have?

“If any of the minotaurs come close, they’ll see those,” Rarity observed.

“If any of the minotaurs get close, they’ll see and hear us.” Rainbow tried to find a better position to rest in, grimacing as dirt and stones dug at her back. “We just have to hope they don’t.”

“And if they do?” Gyro asked. The bony mare had huddled up into a nearly impossibly small ball in the back of the den. Without meat on her bones, she looked like a pile of gray toothpicks. Hopefully the bounty of fruit on their home island would help the mare fill out again.

“Then we go down fighting.” As she said that, Rainbow pulled one of the spears out of their supplies and laid it across her lap. “Maybe the threat of a pointy death will get them to go away.”

Rarity shook her head. “I doubt that. As far as they’re concerned, we must’ve defiled their temple or something. Plus, we burned down one of their granaries. And their canoes.” She shot Rainbow a pointed glare.

Rainbow did her best to ignore it. “Yeah, okay. Maybe they’re a little mad at us. But at least once we get off of this island, we won’t have to deal with them for a while. They’ll have to rebuild their canoes and their granary if they want to survive. They’ll be too focused on collecting food and rebuilding to go after us.”

“Celestia, I hope so,” Gyro said. “If I ever see a minotaur again it’ll be too soon.”

“At least not in this capacity,” Rarity said. “The occasional minotaur you find in Equestria doesn’t eat ponies. At least, I assume not.”

Gyro shrugged. “If only these ones could’ve been the same.”

“Well, we outsmarted them, and now we’ll outmaneuver them. We just have to be patient and not freak out.”

“Easier said than done,” Rarity said. “We still have another six or seven hours of daylight, maybe more. If we can’t move until it’s nighttime, we’ll have lots of time hiding in this dirty, cramped hole.”

“Then we’ll pass the time.” Rainbow leaned forward and made eye contact with Gyro. “Why don’t you tell us a little about yourself, Gyro? We haven’t really gotten a chance to know you yet. Now’s as good a time as any.”

Gyro offered a reluctant smile. “There’s not much to know about me,” she said. “Compared to two Element Bearers, I’m just a boring earth pony.”

“A ‘boring earth pony’ who saved our lives!” Rarity exclaimed. “I think there’s more to you than you think, Gyro. Everypony is special. You don’t have to be a celebrity to be worth talking about.”

Rarity could tell that she’d brightened Gyro’s day even more. “Oh,” the mechanic said, uncurling a bit. She managed to sit up some, or at least as much as she could manage with what little energy she had. “Well, I mean, I haven’t really done all that much that you girls would care about. I was born in Baltimare, went to a trade school to work with steam machinery, and I’ve served on a few airships for the past ten years or so. This was my third tour on the Concordia. Really, nothing special.”

“I bet you saw so many wonderful places on your travels,” Rarity said. “It sounds like quite the romantic life, flying from port to port, seeing all sorts of new things and people.”

Gyro abashedly blushed. “If it’s romantic, nopony told me,” she said. “I’m still waiting on that special stallion to come around someday. At least I’ll have a chance to actually meet him now.”

“And what a story you’ll have to tell him!” Rarity exclaimed. “If surviving an ordeal like this doesn’t impress and win over any stallion you set your sights on, it’s only because they’re jealous.”

“Yeah,” Rainbow agreed. “This’ll make a heck of a story to tell everypony back home.”

“Where else have you gone, darling?” Rarity asked the mechanic. “I’ve been fortunate enough to travel here and there, but not often do I get the chance to visit far-flung places around the globe. Where was your favorite?”

Gyro thought for a moment. “It’s going to sound ironic giving everything that’s happened over the past few weeks, but I loved it when we stopped at the Grand Caymare islands on the Sunset about five years ago.” She smiled as she reminisced. “Sunny days, beautiful beaches, wonderful food and wonderful ponies… If I was a millionaire, I’d retire there. Or at least, if you asked me a month ago, that’s what I would’ve said.” She pointed out the hollow. “After all of this, I don’t think I’d ever be able to look at a tropical island the same.”

“I know what you mean,” Rarity admitted. “Every time I see a beach I fear I’ll find myself back on the island with no way home. I would have loved to visit such beautiful islands like these under better circumstances, but they’re probably ruined for me now.”

“At least I’m not afraid of heights,” Gyro said. “After taking the plunge off the Concordia, I didn’t know if I’d ever be able to work on an airship again. But I didn’t freak out when we escaped the temple and climbed down the side of the mountain, so I think I’m fine.”

“Good to hear,” Rainbow said. “As long as we come out of this intact, then I think we’ve won.” Groaning, she closed her eyes and leaned back. “Speaking of which, I’m going to try and get some shuteye. Somepony wake me if you hear minotaurs stabbing us to death.”

Rarity rolled her eyes. “We will, Rainbow. You’ll probably be the first to know.”

“Good. I wouldn’t want to come in second.” And then she began to snore softly.

Chuckling, Rarity exchanged a glance with Gyro. “You get used to her. Trust me.”

Comments

[Silentwoodfire]

I sincerely hope they get back to their home island, maybe let Gyro off to recuperate with the bird.

[Matthewl419]

Gyro is soooo gonna die. Well, that or she’s gonna become my favorite character ever.

[Aurora Dimmet]

Really should have set the whole village aflame. Beef entrees for everyone!

[PonySage86]

8547027
I was thinking the same thing. I hope she survives obviously but I'm wary of stuff like this.

[FloydienSlip]

I'm worried the minotaurs will steal R&R's raft.

[zaponator]

Goddamnit Gyro is becoming endearing way too quickly. If the friendly faces of the Concordia are any indication, this means she's about to die.