Tensions Run Thick

Wet sand beneath her. Water gently crashing around her body. The sun’s rays mercilessly beating down on her. Yep, it’s a beach. Daring Do blinked the last vestiges of sleep away and hoisted herself back onto her hooves. A head shake brought her fully back to the real world. She flared her wings and shook off some accumulated water before checking to make sure her hat was still on her head. It was, amazingly enough, which brought a smile to her face. Her purple dress was missing, but she still had her adventuring clothes. Her A.K. Yearling disguise was ruined, but she could still make do.

Checking her surroundings resurfaced her memories. She’d booked a ticket on Candy Cruise No. 4 to get to the Marequesas for her next adventure. Something crashed into the ship to sink it, most likely a giant sea monster. She’d only had time to grab one random pony before rushing to escape the sinking ship by hopping onto a fallen lifeboat and using her wings to push them as far away from the wreck as possible until she got too tired to continue. Whatever sank the boat was still going to be around and anypony that wanted to live was going to get out of there fast. Now they were on what was likely a deserted island in the middle of the South Luna Ocean. Another check of her person revealed she still had her travel pack, containing her machete, water canteen, and two travel rations.

The beach was long but thin. The treeline was a short distance from the waves and the jungle itself was thick with foliage. Palm trees ripe with coconuts swayed in the wind. Water wouldn’t be an issue, then, at least as long as they could keep finding coconuts. The island itself was probably small, but she hoped they could find some good, edible plant life or even fruit trees.

Her maroon companion laid face up a short distance away from her with his hooves sticking up in the air and a clump of seaweed wrapped around his horn. His coat was white and the waterlogged remains of a fancy suit stuck to it— some high-class government official or rich pony looking for a tropical vacation stuffed with fancy drinks and masseuse services, probably. But she was stuck with him for the foreseeable future, which meant a second mouth to feed.

She spotted the lifeboat a short distance on her opposite side, but she went to the stallion first. She used her wings to remove the seaweed and gently slap his face.

“Wake up.”

No response. She put her ear to his chest; he still had a heartbeat.

“Wake up!” she said louder, slapping him a bit more forcefully.

This did the trick. The stallion woke with a start, instantly sitting up and breathing heavily. He pressed a hoof to his chest to calm his heart.

“Ah! Auntie Celestia! Come and help me, please!” He blinked. Reality seemed to dawn on him. He blinked again. “What?” Confusion flashed across his face. “This isn’t my private quarters. Where’s my personal maid at? And— what is this horrid material grinding against my rump!?”

Daring cocked her head. “You mean sand?”

He sprung to his hooves and pranced in place, swinging his head around as if looking for a clean, developed patch of ground. There probably wasn’t one for hundreds of miles in any direction.

“Wait a minute… ‘Auntie Celestia’?” Her eyes widened. “Prince Blueblood!?”

“Quit gawking at my brilliant countenance and help me find a shower to wash all this horrid ‘sand’ off of my person!” At that moment, a crab skittered by his hooves, paying absolutely no attention to him. “AH!” He jumped back, nearly tripping over himself. “What manner of foul beast is that!?”

“Probably dinner if we can’t find any fruit,” Daring said casually, more so to herself than to him.

She turned and headed for the lifeboat, leaving him to scream about stepping on shells this time. The boat was partially buried in the sand, forcing her to use her machete as a makeshift shovel. She eventually dug away enough to unlodge the boat and flip it over. Her heart sank upon seeing the giant crack along the bottom; they really were stuck on this island, now. But at least they had the means to craft a decent shelter.

“Hey!” she called to him, raising her voice to be heard over the crashing waves. “Mind helping me out here!? Could really use some magic to help me move this thing!”

This seemed to snap Blueblood from his panicked trance. He turned his head, regarding her with an incredulous look. Daring sighed; she knew exactly what was coming.

“Excuse me?” he said, striding over to her, seemingly unmindful now of the waves crashing around his hooves. “I’ll have you know that I have assistants whose job it is to perform labor-intensive tasks such as moving a boat.”

Daring spread her wings and hooves wide. “Look around you, bub! We’re the only ponies here. We need to work together if we’re going to survive.”

Blueblood gave her a once over, rubbing his chin with a hoof. “You certainly seem a capable mare. Would you consider a job as my maid?”

Daring felt equal urges to laugh and scoff. She settled for simply shaking her head. “Name’s A.K. Yearling. I’m an adventure story author. Don’t suppose you’ve ever read Daring Do before?”

Blueblood scoffed. “One in my station has no time to trifle with silly little foals’ tales. Government documents and treaties to ensure good relations with other nations are far more important.”

Didn’t think this guy had an ounce of imagination in him, Daring thought; that’ll make maintaining my cover easier.

“Well, Blueblood, sorry to say it but we’re all alone here.” She gripped her hooves under the boat and struggled to lift it up. “Can I get some help, please?” she repeated, grinding it out between strained breaths.

“Not my cup of tea.” He turned and began trotting off down the beach. “I’ll be going to find the nearest washroom.”

Daring watched Blueblood disappear around a bend in the beach out of sight. He’d be back once his delusion was shattered. In the meantime, she needed to craft a shelter. She dropped the boat and pulled out her machete again. A few expertly positioned strikes along the crack in the bottom allowed her to split the boat in half, making it easy to carry the two pieces up to the treeline where she began crafting a shelter using them as a roof.

The day passed by and she eventually finished the shelter, using some bamboo sticks to prop up the boat pieces and vines to secure the whole thing to a tree. Next was a fire pit, accomplished by digging a little hole in the earth in front of the shelter, surrounding it with rocks and throwing a bunch of dry wood in the center. Making a fire could wait until she had the energy to rub two sticks together for a long time, so she flew to the top of a nearby palm tree and knocked down some coconuts. A few strikes with her machete and she had refreshing coconut water.

Her thoughts drifted to the adventure she was missing out on in the Marequesas, but being forced to survive on a deserted island was no less thrilling even though there wouldn’t be an ancient artifact in it for her by the end, nor a run-in with either Ahuizotl or Caballeron. Instead, she was forced to share it with a pampered noble whose head was firmly plugged into the stars-damned machinations of government bureaucracy.

Lovely.

Daring managed to get a fire going before sunset. She sat by the fire, her wet clothes laid out next to her to dry out while she unwrapped one of the rations. Pasta and vegetables didn’t compare to trail pizza, but food was food; she couldn’t afford to be picky right now. She dug into her food, savoring what was likely going to be her last decent meal for a while. Blueblood still hadn’t come back, but she wasn’t worried too much. He’d come running back once he realized they were on an uncharted island with no luxuries. In the meantime, she’d just sit back and enjoy the beautiful nighttime atmosphere without him. A gentle breeze blew through the palm trees above, brushing along her coat and sending a tingle down her spine. The distant sound of a coconut dislodging from its tree and falling to the ground reached her ears. This reminded her to take a swig of water from her canteen.

Hoofsteps sounded through the darkness a short while later. Blueblood’s shadowy silhouette materialized on the beach, approaching her. The firelight illuminated the face of a broken stallion. Sand covered half of his face — likely a result of tripping — while his hooves were battered. Somehow he’d lost his suit, leaving him naked and exposing a few cuts and bruises littering his person.

“Whoa, you look like you went through a gauntlet of traps,” Daring remarked. “You ready to play ball with me now?”

Blueblood wordlessly came around the fire and took a seat next to her, his face never changing. Daring passed the ensuing silence finishing off the last of her food. Her attempts to offer him his own ration as well as the last of her canteen’s water proved unsuccessful. For a while, at least. Blueblood was finally snapped out of his stupor by the sound of his stomach growling.

Daring chuckled. “Ready now?” She used her wings to pass him his ration and her canteen.

He looked at the offered provisions with a visible amount of scrutiny. His horn lit and he took them in his magic, examining the ration like it was a foreign object.

“Is this how your kind prepares their meals?” he asked.

“That’s how an adventurer prepares food when they’re gonna be away from civilization for a long time,” she explained. “Don’t worry, it’s edible. I already had mine.”

Blueblood set down the canteen and pulled a pasta noodle out of the ration. He examined it, too, as though he was a food critic or whatever, before popping it into his mouth. A satisfied smile split his mouth and he began digging into the food more readily, yet gracefully, or at least what snooty nobles thought was graceful but was really stuck-up. Bit by bit he downed his food while Daring watched, glad he wasn’t complaining about its quality. He finished off the last of her water once he was done eating, letting out a satisfied sigh. Daring took the ration’s wrapping and bundled it with her own; it would help make a great smoke signal in the morning.

“Why can’t you fly to get us help?” he suddenly asked.

Daring turned to him with a raised eyebrow. “We’re in the middle of the South Luna Ocean. The boat probably sailed hundreds of miles from the mainland. I can’t fly that far.”

“... I was afraid you’d say that.” He curled in on himself, shaking like a leaf with a faraway, terrified look in his eyes. “I want my high-quality shampoo, my fancy china… my full-length mirror…”

Daring sighed exasperatedly. “Please don’t tell me you’re gonna—”

He dropped to the ground, cutting her off, continuing to shake like a frightened foal in bed. It was warm out, so any chance he was just cold was non-existent. Daring blinked, a feeling of awkwardness overcoming her. She rubbed the back of her neck, unsure how to deal with him. No way was he going to be any help to their survival like this, meaning she had to do something. Hesitantly, she reached a hoof over to him. In reality, she had no confidence in her ability to calm frightened children, no motherly quality to speak of, but anything was better than nothing. Right?

“Hey, uh, everything’s going to be okay,” she tried to soothe, gently stroking his backside. His trembling settled down a little, which she took to mean her attempt was working. “We’ll get back home, I promise. We need to work together to get through this, but I’ll stay with you. Can you promise me the same?”

A few moments passed before he nodded and muttered, “Y-yes, of course.”

“You’ll probably get lots of sand and dirt stuck all over you,” she mentioned. “So will I. Promise not to complain?”

A longer stretch of silence passed between them before Blueblood responded, “Yes, I… I’ll help you.”

Not the most convincing response, but there wasn’t much else Daring could do or say. “Let’s get some shut-eye. We’ve got a lot of work to do tomorrow.”

Blueblood got to his hooves. The two of them strolled over to the shelter. Blueblood ducked his head in, examining the setup.

“There’s only room for one of us,” he noted.

“Yeah, one of us is gonna need to stay up to watch the fire,” she said. “I’ll take the first shift and wake you up after a little while so you can take yours. We’ll alternate shifts until morning.”

“... I beg your pardon?”

Daring sighed and affixed him with her best death glare. “Yes, we’re going to take shifts. Deal with it. Be thankful I’m letting you rest first.”

Blueblood said nothing as he crawled into the shelter and laid upon the palm frond mat. Daring took a seat by the fire and began adjusting the fire pit. The sounds of Blueblood’s snoring soon filled the otherwise quiet nighttime air.

The first thing Daring thought after waking up was the realization that she was still alive. A look around revealed that the shelter hadn’t burned down. Looking outside revealed that Blueblood had fallen onto the sand next to the fire, thankfully not onto it, and that the fire itself was still going strong. He’d done his job, at least.

She stepped out of the shelter, wiping away the last vestiges of sleep. The first item on the to-do list was to create a good smoke signal that passing ships could see from afar. The wrappings from her rations would help, but she would also need grass. Lots and lots of green grass. Or ripe leaves, that would do too. She got to work picking palm fronds from the trees above as well as coconuts and grass from the jungle, throwing the accumulated pile of greenery by the fire. Their supply of firewood and dry straw was healthy, and building the fire back up was a cinch. She threw small clumps of greenery atop the crackling flames, producing a large amount of black smoke that rose through the trees into the atmosphere above the island. She waited until the smoke had built up for a long while before throwing the ration wrappings on it, producing a larger amount of smoke than usual.

A little time passed before Blueblood stirred to life. He sat up, yawned, and rubbed his eyes. Then he realized he had a bunch of sand stuck to his face and he brushed it off with a hoof. The sand got stuck to his hoof as a result, to which he used his magic to pick it off bit by bit. Then he got bored with the monotony and stopped, letting out a defeated sigh.

“Good morning,” Daring finally addressed him. She grabbed her machete and tossed it at his hooves. “Why don’t you chop open some coconuts while I work on improving the shelter?”

He stared deadpan down at the machete for a moment before lifting his gaze to her with a raised eyebrow. “You would have me work before I get some well-needed rest?”

“Only if you want breakfast,” she replied, bemused. “Also, you just woke up.”

Blueblood blinked, then sighed. He grabbed the machete in his telekinesis and strode over to the pile of coconuts. The sounds of metal striking against coconut shells filled the air as Daring focused on reinforcing the shelter. More palm fronds were thrown over and weaved together to clover every remaining hole in the roof. Extra sticks were dug into the earth and stacked alongside the walls. The palm fronds were pulled out of the shelter and weaved together to make more comfortable sleeping mats.

“Did you want some water?” Blueblood asked after a while. A coconut half-filled with water entered Daring’s vision.

“Yeah, thanks.” She wiped some sweat from her brow and took the coconut from his magic, greedily gulping down all the water. She turned to see Blueblood standing over a few neatly organized rows of split coconut shells. He downed all the water in one himself and set it aside.

“What happened to the ship?” he asked.

“It sank.” Daring pulled off her shirt to wring out some sweat. “Not sure how, though; I wasn’t really paying attention to anything except getting us out of there.”

A sorrowful look crossed his eyes. “Did anyone else get off?”

“D’unno.” It was surprising how much concern he was suddenly showing for other people. Maybe it was because the reality check he’d gone through yesterday had fully settled in. Come to think of it, she hadn’t really been thinking about everyone else on the ship through her focus on survival. “It was dark, so maybe I didn’t see them getting out.”

“How long will it be before we’re rescued?” There were notable traces of fear in his voice now.

Daring thought for a moment before answering. “Well, we were about two days away from the Marequesas, so we were supposed to dock sometime today. But they would’ve sent a radio transmission yesterday to update their progress, so assuming people are doing their jobs, they should already know something’s wrong.”

“So we’ll be home soon, right?” Now his tone was hopeful.

“The problem is that they have no way of pinpointing exactly where the ship sank. They know its route, so they can get something of an idea of where to designate a search area. Just hope they see our smoke signal sooner rather than later.”

Blueblood’s expression turned crestfallen. He levitated another coconut up and drank its contents without a word.

“Don’t go crazy on the coconuts,” Daring warned. “We need to conserve our supply.” She grabbed some coconuts with her wings and refilled her canteen. “I’m going to go do some exploring. Think you can keep the signal fire going while I’m gone?”

Blueblood silently nodded.

Daring took a huge whiff of the jungle air around her. This was the adventure she craved from this vacation. Trudging through uncharted land, hacking away overgrown flora, keeping an eye out for dangerous creatures and quicksand— it almost made getting stranded on a deserted island worth it. Almost.

She trudged up a steady incline, hooking her forelegs around tree trunks and digging her hooves deep into the earth for solid bracing. A thick vine crossed her path between two trees, only to be cleanly cut in half by a single swipe from her machete. She could use her wings, of course, but that would make things too easy. She wasn’t in any immediate danger, anyway. A few bloody cuts covered her legs, but that just came with the territory. Eventually, she hooked her leg over the edge of the incline and hoisted herself up and over, rolling onto her back. She spent a short while catching her breath before standing up and observing her surroundings.

A broad smile crossed her face at the sight of several banana trees lining the edge of a small dirt clearing. The bananas were ripe and yellow. The best part, at least based on past experience, was there weren’t any monkeys around to challenge her for them. In fact, she hadn’t spied another form of fauna beside herself, Blueblood, a couple of crabs and the occasional insect, flying or otherwise. It suggested that the island, back in prehistoric times, had broken off from the supercontinent Ponygea without any substantial life forms occupying it. With that in mind, it made Daring’s next discovery confusing but exciting enough that her smile stretched from ear to ear.

Off to the right, partially hidden by some plant life, was a series of stone steps leading up another steady incline. They were cracked and littered with overgrown vines. At some point in this island’s history, there existed a civilization of some kind. And, if Daring’s adventuring instincts were spot on like they usually were, an ancient temple stood at the top of these stairs, guarding an ancient artifact just waiting to be claimed by a zealous adventurer like herself. Ahuizotl and Caballeron were far away which certainly made the prospect of exploring such a place less thrilling without them competing for the prize, but it was better than being stuck on a deserted island with nothing.

For now, though, she had fruit to gather and bring back to her pompous maroon companion. She flew up and freed a couple of banana bunches with her machete, placing the collected fruit on her back before hovering above the treeline to return to camp; it wouldn’t do to take the hard way back and likely damage the goods. She quickly spotted the smoke signal and carefully flew back to the site. Blueblood was in the middle of carefully laying a clump of grass atop the fire when she touched down. He looked to her and beamed at the sight of the bananas on her back. Without even asking, he levitated off a bunch and brought it over to his mouth. He stripped off the peels of one and began delicately nibbling on the fruity contents.

“Thanks for keeping the smoke signal going,” Daring said.

He didn’t reply, continuing to nibble on a banana as though it were a fancy gourmet dish heavily lacking in calories, the kind Daring hated whenever her adventures took her to a fancy dance party chock full of stuck up aristocrats. But food was food, no matter the speed by which one chose to consume it. Daring peeled a banana from another bunch and furiously snarfed it down without a care for etiquette or grace.

Blueblood ceased his own meal for a second to stare bemusedly at her before asking more politely, “Where did you find these?”

Daring popped another chunk of banana into her mouth and pointed in the direction she’d come from. “There’s an incline about fifty meters that way,” she said with her mouth full. “Up at the top is a whole bunch of banana trees and some stone steps.”

Blueblood’s eyes bulged. “Is there civilization here!?”

Daring finished off her food. “No, they’re ancient. Somepony built them a loooong time ago. This place is definitely deserted.” She finished off her banana and headed over to the split open coconuts, tossing her banana peel in the fire to help build more smoke. “Definitely gonna go explore the— What the hay!?”

“Ah, my apologies, I couldn’t help myself,” Blueblood stated, returning to his banana.

All the coconuts were drained of their water. They were still arranged neatly on the earth, but not a drop of water remained within each of their cores. Daring rounded on Blueblood, glaring icy daggers at him and baring her teeth, set within a firm scowl. Completely apathetic towards her opinion of him, he set down his banana and levitated up a coconut he had next to him and began drinking its contents.

“I told you we needed to conserve our supply of water!” she shouted.

Blueblood shot her an annoyed look. “Just go find some more.”

“You think coconut trees just sprout up overnight or something!?”

Blueblood looked confused.

“You actually thought that!?”

Silence.

Daring felt some of her blood vessels pop. That would have been concerning anywhere else, but all her attention was squarely on the idiot sitting by the fire. Before she even knew what she was doing, she had closed the distance between them, his expression remaining annoyed. That is until she lifted her wing and viciously slapped him across the face. Spit and banana chunks flew from his mouth, littering the ground nearby. The force of the blow toppled him and he fell face-first into the earth, quickly getting back to his hooves and backpedaling away from her. He trembled like a little foal who’d just been caught stealing money from their mother’s saddlebag.

Daring glared at him for a while longer. He didn’t deserve an apology from her, but she couldn’t expect him to apologize for his own actions, so she eventually took flight with her machete, retrieving some additional coconuts from the nearest tree. She would need to explore the island a bit more to find some more coconut trees or, better yet, a body of fresh water. They didn’t have a pot, so boiling water from that source would prove a challenge, but she could get it done with some grit. She chopped the coconuts and quickly downed the water inside them before tossing the shells aside without a care for where they ended up. She was too angry to get into the mindset of doing any work or exploring, so she strolled down the beach and plopped herself onto the sand. A little time spent staring at the ocean might calm her down. She still had her banana bunch with her and Blueblood wasn’t going to do anything without her machete, so she was good on provisions for now.

All the pain from the slap was irrelevant, as was the very real possibility that pushing his back against the tree bark was ruining his coat. Blueblood was fearful of A.K. now. The slap was so sudden and unprovoked. All he did was drink all the coconut water; why did she slap him? There were plenty more coconuts, weren’t there!?

Time became a blur. Blueblood couldn’t summon the will to remove himself from the tree. Fear held an iron grip over him. The sun moved across the sky. At one point, A.K. got up from her spot on the beach and returned to camp, making him shrink in on himself. She spared him a disgusted glare before taking some time to work on the signal fire. At any moment, she could stride over and slap him again. Every quick movement of hers made him flinch. Every time she got too close to him he pressed himself harder against the tree. A couple of times she met his gaze, terrifying him, but she never looked angry, more confused and… concerned? There was a brief period where she left the camp to fly off somewhere. He found the courage to break away from the tree and walk into the middle of the camp. A quick glance around revealed she was actually gone, to which he sighed in relief.

“Finally! You’re over it!”

Blueblood screamed and immediately darted back to his position against the tree. The sound of flapping wings reached his ears and soon enough A.K. entered his field of vision. A new mattress woven using palm fronds was held in her mouth while a sizable rock was cradled in her hooves. For a split second, he thought she was going to bash him over the head with the rock. Instead, she reared her head back and tossed the mattress to him, landing it at his hooves, but he kept his terrified gaze on her. The rock was then dropped in front of the mattress and he relaxed.

“Good thing I expected to be wrong,” A.K. said. She touched down on the ground, crossing her legs with a look of annoyance on her face. “It’s time you learned how hard survival is. You’re banned from camp until tomorrow.”

Blueblood blinked. Her words failed to register for a short while. He looked to her, then to the objects she was apparently giving him, then to the camp. This circle of his attention persisted all the while realization gradually dawned on him in conjunction with her statement. When it finally clicked, his fear of her melted away, replaced by shock and disbelief. He tore himself away from the tree again, standing up straight before her.

“You cannot possibly be serious!?” he exclaimed. “You mean to force me to survive in this uncultivated, uncivilized prison all on my own!?”

“For one night,” she answered. “Consider it a learning experience. A much-needed one, actually.”

“You believe this is within my capability!? Has madness claimed your ability to reason!?”

A.K. pointed at the mattress. “Use that to make a bed.” She pointed to the rock. “Use that to smash open coconuts. I made you a mattress because it takes time to learn weaving, but getting water and shelter will be your own responsibility. Now get.” She made a shooing motion with her hooves.

Blueblood gasped. “The nerve!”

“Again, get.”

Words failed him at first. His shock was now replaced with indignation. A pony of his stature deserved better treatment! Only a mangy, disease-ridden bum could call a place such as this island home. No, no he would not stand for this! He started to trot forward, only for A.K. to push against him with her hoof.

“Get your filthy hoof off of me!”

A.K. did just that… only to raise it up into a punching position. Blueblood screamed and covered his face with his hooves.

“Good grief.”

Blueblood brought down his hooves to see A.K. walking across the camp. She entered the shelter and sat facing him, crossing her forelegs.

Blueblood scowled. “You… You…” He deflated. All seemed hopeless, but only for a second.

An idea sparked in his brain. It was very uncivil and not at all fitting for one of his stature, but it would save him from certain doom. He lit his horn and grabbed onto A.K., surrounding her in a blue nimbus. He started pulling her from the shelter, but immediately upon trying she flared a wing.

“Let go of me or I’ll smash this shelter apart,” she said darkly.

“You wouldn’t dare,” Blueblood replied, trying his best to fake sounding confident.

“Try me.” She pulled her wing back.

Blueblood yelped and released her from his magic. “What do you want from me!?”

“Are you deaf or something!? Go spend a night on your own. Come back when you’re actually, truly ready to cooperate with me.” She narrowed her eyes. “Or maybe you really are the pampered, spoiled little rich prince that I always saw you as? Maybe you’re willing to get shown up by, what does your kind call people like me… Oh yeah, ‘plebs’?”

Blueblood scoffed. “The nerve of some ponies!” He picked the offered mattress and rock as well as his banana bunch up in his magic before turning tail and trotting down the beach. “I don’t know why I ever thought it was acceptable to associate myself with somepony who treats their protectors with such disrespect!”

“I don’t need a government snob to protect me!” A.K. called behind his back.

Blueblood continued down the beach, fuming silently to himself, not really paying attention to his surroundings aside from keeping a safe distance from both the crashing waves and the treeline. Even the sun beating down on him couldn’t lift his attention away from the rage and indignation that consumed him. Only after he turned around a bend in the beach, probably after a half-mile of walking, did he stop to collect his thoughts.

A.K. really had kicked him out of camp, hadn’t she? And she expected him to survive all on his own for one night. He trembled as that reality fully set in. Alone, on an island, with sanitary conditions below even that of the grimiest backwater village. He knew nothing about how to survive in the wilderness! He set the leaf mattress and rock on the sand in front of him while placing the bananas on his back. He stood there for a long time, staring at them, trying to discern if there was a special technique to using them that A.K. hadn’t informed him of. Nothing sprang to mind after a good long while, so he eventually gave up and continued walking.

He had no idea how far he walked before exhaustion took hold and he collapsed to the sand. Normally, he would be appalled to have his pristine, perfectly manicured coat be ruined, but the time to worry about that was long past. His coat was covered in not just sand, but stains of both dirt and blood from his fruitless misadventure the previous day trying to find civilization. His mane was also a grimy, sloppy mess, tangled and unkempt, weeping at the lack of fine-toothed combs to straighten it out. Fantasies of long, steaming hot showers flitted through his mind, of soap and fluffy bath towels and a freshly-ironed suit waiting for him.

He blinked, an idea taking root in his head. He turned to the crashing waves just a few meters from his position. Beyond the waves, the ocean was calm and tranquil. Could this water make for a suitable substitute? His only experience with the ocean was yesterday, but he didn’t recall it feeling particularly unpleasant against his coat. Far from ideal, of course, but perhaps it could help him get somewhat clean.

He trotted down to the water’s edge. A small wave crashed in front of him, making him yelp and jump back. The water receded just like any other wave, leaving nothing but flat, wet sand behind. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves and approached the water again. This time he let the wave crash around his hooves, allowing it to run past him before receding back. A brief moment of panic seized him when his hooves started to sink into the sand, but then realized he didn’t feel anything pulling him down and easily pulled himself free. He walked further out. The water rose above his legs, then his barrel, until he eventually stopped when it barely covered his back. He could feel all the dirt and grime slipping off his coat with each wave that passed by him. A smile crossed his face. Emboldened, he dipped his head beneath the water’s surface for a moment. Oh, the feeling of splendor at having a clean face again was heavenly!

He spent some time washing himself off before making his way back onto the beach and shaking himself dry. Now that he was as clean as could be achieved on this island, he stared ahead at the treeline. A few coconut trees swayed in the wind in front of him. Not a cocktail, but it would satiate his thirst. He picked his things up and brought them over to the trees. Picking the coconuts was as simple as using his magic to rip them off their stems. With three coconuts assembled in front of him, he picked the rock up in his magic. He positioned it above the first coconut and brought it down with all the strength he could muster.

The coconut instantly smashed to pieces under the force of the blow. Blueblood’s eyes bulged when the water that was inside splashed across the sand, lost.

“What the—!?” He raised the rock up to his scowling face. “What kind of use is this tool supposed to have!?”

He dropped it and sat down, folding his hooves, disgruntled. He stayed like this for a good long while. The sun had greatly shifted its position by the time thirst overcame him and he started craving the water inside the coconuts. With a sigh, he picked the rock up again and levitated it over the second coconut. Again, with as much force as he could muster, he smashed the coconut, only to be met with the same result as before. He wailed in despair. The urge to smash the rock for being so useless overtook him. But the only other object he could lift with his magic was the coconut— it would do. He levitated up the coconut and began furiously beating it against the rock. Each strike failed to damage the rock which proved far too durable to be smashed, so matter how hard he tried.

Only after the first dozen or so strikes did he notice something interesting; the coconut had a large crack running along its entire length. Experimentally, he struck the rock again and the crack grew in size. He tried it again and the crack grew larger still. An epiphany struck like lightning and a smile stretched across his face. He ceased striking the rock and held the coconut in front of him, keeping the crack horizontal with the ground. Carefully, he used his magic to split it apart along the crack. The coconut flesh proved resilient, forcing him to pour in more strength. The flesh started ripping, gradually, breaking apart bit by bit. Eventually, the last bindings broke away and Blueblood tossed the top half away. He peered into the bottom half, delighted beyond belief by the sight of sweet, succulent water resting in the center.

He downed the whole thing without a second thought before throwing the bottom half away and turning his eyes to a few more coconuts sitting in the trees above him. Picking them and repeating the process of extracting the water from them could wait until later. Right now, he needed to find a roof, or some reasonable facsimile thereof, to get him through the night. To that end, he needed to venture into the jungle. He gulped, not-at-all enthused by that reality… But there was no other way.

He gathered all of his belongings on his back and stepped up to the treeline— nothing but green and brown as far as his eyes could see. No deplorable creatures, either. Hesitantly, he took a step across the treeline. Nothing happened. He took another step. Still nothing. Confidence filled his strides as he went deeper and deeper into the jungle, shifting between trees and smaller plants to avoid any further blemishes to his coat. His eyes darted every which way, constantly on the lookout for something to spend the night in— no way was he going to bother trying to build a shelter himself.

Not too long after he ventured into the jungle did he spot something peculiar; a rock face with a giant open space underneath at the edge of a small clearing with unusual, yet colorful flower patches swaying in a soft breeze. All he could focus on was the fact that the… ‘cave’, it’s called? Was it? Whatever, he could use it as a shelter for the night, which was all that mattered. He crossed the clearing and stepped into the cave, laying the mattress on the ground and setting the rock, bananas and coconuts on top, leaving just enough space for him to lie down himself. He rested his head in his hooves, intent on getting a nap in before he proceeded to eat the rest of his bananas.

At least I can survive like this, he thought before drifting off to sleep.

Daring woke up feeling more refreshed and lively than ever— no rain or rats to ruin her good night’s sleep. No rats period on this island. A part of her wondered how the island’s ecosystem sustained itself without any substantial wildlife, but that was a question better suited for an ecologist. She was an adventurer, a competent survivalist and — from her time spent with Blueblood — a halfway decent substitute parent. Right now, however, it was time to delve back into her adventuring ways by exploring the ruins she’d found yesterday. Blueblood might come back while she was gone, but he’d be fine without her.

She spent some time throwing a good amount of grass on the signal fire before sticking a stick tipped with dead grass inside. The grass caught aflame and she quickly took flight, rising above the treetops and soaring her way over to the banana tree clearing. An extra large pile of dead grass was tucked within a tree’s roots that she’d stuck there yesterday. The temple that was definitely at the top of the stairs was likely going to be dark. Without a flashlight, she had to make do with her makeshift torch; far from ideal, but nothing was going to quell her adventurer’s spirit aside from actually exploring.

Holding the torch in her mouth and balancing the grass on her wings, she was careful not to let the flames touch any low hanging trees as she ascended the stairs. The temple soon peeked over the top; it took every ounce of willpower not to lose herself in her excitement. Then she got a full view upon cresting the stairs and saw how little the temple actually was. It was little more than a bunch of stone bricks stacked together to form an entranceway into a deep, dark tunnel with a little bit stacked on top engraved with some Ponynesian writing; the words were too faded and covered with ivy to make out. The real temple was underground.

Daring approached the entrance cautiously, keeping on the lookout for anything that indicated a trap was set— all clear from her vantage. She ducked into the entrance— still nothing aside from lots of cobwebs and grime. Her torchlight revealed more eligible Ponynesian writings on the wall, so she took a moment to translate it.

“‘Ascended Third’,” she read one section aloud. She turned her torch towards a different section. “‘Power sealed. May it rest forever’.”

Yep, this temple had a cool secret just waiting to be discovered. Curiosity bubbled within her and she turned down the corridor. Each step she took was careful and measured; any number of bricks could spring a trap upon being stepped on. The corridor was straight for the most part, only turning a couple of times down a ramp leading further underground. Questions about what could await her at the end flitted through her mind. Whatever it was, she hoped it would make getting stranded with Blueblood worth the grief.

Finally, after ascending five levels, she reached an entrance to a wider space. She added a fresh batch of dry grass to the torch and stepped inside. The torchlight illuminated a spacious, circular chamber, covered from ceiling to floor with more writings. From what she could see, most of it was just the same that she’d already seen but with a greater sense of urgency and a command to ‘Turn back’ and ‘May destruction fall upon foolish souls’. Standard warnings as far as she was concerned; nothing to worry too much about. She swept her torch toward the center of the chamber and her eyes alighted on what was to be her prize.

A single statue rested on a bronze pedestal in the center of the chamber, surrounded by four pillars etched with Ponynesian designs. The statue depicted an earth pony stallion standing straight up, a mask with more carvings and a little slot where the mouth would be covering its face. A black medallion that wasn’t part of the statue hung around the neck. That was the artifact this temple was guarding. She strode over, remaining careful where she stepped as this was the last place to put any traps.

Her hoof sank and she immediately ducked. A whoosh of air blew her mane and all the grass off her back, followed by a thud as something, definitely an arrow, embedded into the wall of the chamber. She took another tentative step forward, expecting another trap to spring. Nothing happened. She took another step. Still nothing. Confusion gripped her as she gradually made her way up to the statue without any further challenge. There should have been a million traps strewn all along the way here, but one measly step switch? Were the ancient Ponynesians that built this place in a giant hurry or something? The bare-bones design of the temple certainly seemed to indicate as much.

It was a topic to ponder for later, she decided. There was a medallion to recover! She held her torch up to the statue’s head and examined her prize. The medallion was designed with a similar motif to the stallion’s mask, but whereas the general expression of the mask depicted a blank look, the medallion beheld a more serene, angelic face. Some kind of holy spirit or something? Definitely worth studying in great detail. She set the torch on the ground and flew up, grabbing the medallion with her mouth and carefully lifting it off the statue. Once it was free, she put it around her own neck and waited a moment to see if anything would happen. Nothing did, so she grabbed the torch, retrieved all the dry grass, and turned back to the entrance.

She froze. The entrance was gone. Nothing but the wall surrounded the entire chamber.

What the heck? she thought to herself.

Before she had a chance to ask herself any more questions, the cracking of stone sounded behind her. She whirled around. The statue was gone, little flecks of rock dust littering the pedestal. Before her now stood a living, breathing stallion, the one the statue depicted. The one that the statue was. His coat was the color of tree bark while his mane was a shade of forest green. The mask was a jarring contrast of purple and yellow and, despite covering his eyes, he was clearly staring directly at Daring.

He said nothing, nor did he make any indication of being surprised to have woken up after likely thousands of years of slumber. Daring stood on guard. She certainly hadn’t seen anything quite like this before, but her gut was telling her this guy might not be particularly friendly. Slowly, she backed away from him.

“Ayayayaaaaay!”

The stallion’s mouth opened and a long, fleshy tendril shot out towards her. She reacted quickly by taking flight, dodging the attack. As it whizzed past her, she saw little teeth surrounding a circular opening. She flew back towards the chamber wall and began furiously searching for a lever or switch or button or something that might open a secret escape passage. The series of hooffalls that followed behind her was impossibly fast. She turned just in time to see the statue pony launching his tendril again. She dodged once, then again when he redirected the attack. The third time she let the tendril come right to her and struck it with the torch, lighting it aflame. The fire spread along the tendril’s length onto the stallion, quickly immolating his entire body. To Daring’s shock and horror, being burned alive did nothing to deter the stallion aside from a brief grunt and a few moments where he didn’t move. The tendril dropped to the floor and rolled over, smothering the flames. Despite being black and charred it launched toward her again. She dodged, but then the stallion closed the distance between them in an eye’s blink and tried it again. Daring tried to smack the tendril away but it latched onto her foreleg.

The teeth sank through her coat into her skin. The pain was negligible, more concerning was what he wanted from her. She furiously pounded her other hoof against the tendril to break it off. It took a moment before she felt the blood being sucked out of her. Beating the tendril proved ineffective so she bit down on it to try blocking the blood’s passage. This prompted a new reaction from the stallion in the form of a punch to her eye. This dislodged her teeth from the tendril but also dislodged the tendril from her skin as it staggered her back a few steps. It didn’t matter, however; he got what he wanted from her. She fell backward in a heap, pain ringing through her face. Adrenaline coursed through her and she pushed herself to her hooves. The clump of dead grass had caught aflame at some point, creating a fair-sized fire in the chamber that lit everything.

The statue pony himself was no longer on fire. His body was trembling in a revolting, spastic manner. The sound of ripping flesh filled the chamber as two little slits opened up along his sides. Two stumps sprouted from them that quickly grew in size. Bone structure materialized, sprouting feathers to form a perfect imitation of pegasus wings the same color as his coat. His body stopped spasming. He looked at his new wings and used them to lift himself into the air, proving they worked. A sound emanated from him that was probably an ancient, bizarre way of expressing happiness that Daring couldn’t describe.

“Ah A.K., there you a— what is that!?”

Both Daring and the statue pony turned to see Blueblood, or, rather, his head inside the chamber wall, staring in disbelief at the statue pony. The shock of seeing his disembodied head in the wall was quickly broken when Daring realized the wall itself was an illusion. Her moment of relief was shattered when the statue pony made a dash for Blueblood.

“Don’t let him get near you!” she shouted.

Blueblood yelped. His horn lit and Daring’s machete floated through the illusion wall. The statue pony’s tendril shot toward him, but it never connected. The machete flew through the air, piercing clean through his mask and head, making him stagger backward and retract his tendril. Blueblood ‘s body trembled, shock and confusion clouding his face. Daring pushed through the pain in her face and rushed over to him. She tried to rush past him back through the tunnel, but her hoof hit solid stone. She tried again to no success. Through the panic gripping her, things became clear; this wall wasn’t an illusion, but a one-way entrance.

“Wh-wh-what’s going on!?” Blueblood stuttered.

Daring ignored his question at first, taking the opportunity to try to push him back through the entrance. It didn’t work, so she pulled him through instead. They retreated as far away from the statue pony as possible. They watched, disgusted, as the statue pony’s mask split apart and fell off, revealing his face; a normal pony face adorned with ancient tribal markings, but the flowing blood from the machete wound made it hideous and grizzly. He reached up and yanked out the machete, letting it drop to the floor, leaving a giant, gaping hole where his eyes just were. He began wandering around aimlessly, blindly trying to find his targets.

“I dunno what that thing is supposed to be,” Daring finally answered Blueblood’s question. “It was a statue before it came alive and attacked me. He was an earth pony at first, but he sucked out some of my blood with that tendril and grew wings. If he got some of your blood, he probably would’ve grown a horn, too.”

“We need to get out of here!” Blueblood wailed.

Daring was about to answer when the statue pony’s head snapped in their direction. With a predatory howl, he charged. Daring and Blueblood bolted to either side. The statue pony chose to follow Daring, but she lifted herself up towards the ceiling, out of his reach. Thankfully, he apparently wasn’t able to hear the sounds of her wing flaps with the distance between them. She was about to fly over to Blueblood’s position when something caught her attention. Embedded in the wall between her and Blueblood was the arrow from the trap she had sprung earlier. It could prove useful, so she rushed down, yanked it out of the wall, and flew over to Blueblood.

“We can’t get out,” she whispered. “The entrance is closed from this side.”

Blueblood grabbed her by the shoulders, panic and pleading in his eyes. “There has to be something you can do?” he begged softly. “Right? Please?”

Daring gently pushed him off of her. “Maybe.” She lifted the medallion off of her neck and looked at it. “This thing was around his neck; it must have some kind of freezing charm on it or something. As soon as I took it off, he came to life and the entrance solidified. We need to get it back on him.”

“Okay, good, you do that.”

Daring shook her head. “He’s too tall for me to reach and if I try to fly too close then he’ll hear my wing flaps.” She held the medallion out to him, face stern yet as reassuring as she could manage. “You need to use your magic to levitate it around him; that’s the only way to do it silently.”

“I can just use my magic to keep him still,” he argued.

“Yeah, but can you keep both him and his tendril immobilized?”

He said nothing. She could see the gears of fear versus the gears of heroism working against each other in his eyes.

“Don’t do it if you want to chance this thing getting off the island and probably ruining the world,” she hissed. “Who knows what it might be capable of if it had a horn?”

Back and forth she shifted her gaze between him and the statue pony, nervously waiting for an answer while the statue pony blindly combed the floor for them. He was several meters away from them, but the tension in the air was thick regardless; Daring felt like he could deduce their position and charge them at a moment’s notice.

Finally, much to her relief, Blueblood gulped and said, “Okay, I-I’ll try.”

“Thank you.”

Daring held the medallion out to him and he took it in his magic. Slowly, quietly, she backed a good distance away from him. She then threw the arrow onto the floor in between the two of them. The cling of metal against stone immediately alerted the statue pony and he came charging to the spot. The arrow was swiftly crushed under his hoof, but he realized something wasn’t right and began pacing around that spot, trying to locate his prey.

Blueblood lifted the medallion in his magic and slowly, carefully floated it over the statue pony’s head. Sweat poured from his head, soaking his coat and mane. He grit his teeth in fear and anxiety. Daring did everything she could to silently encourage him, mouthing ‘you’re doing great’ and ‘just a little more’ repeatedly. Blueblood levitated the medallion down, only for the statue pony to take a few steps forward. Blueblood reoriented the medallion’s position, but he moved again.

Come on, hold still, Daring thought.

Blueblood repositioned the medallion again. This time the statue pony didn’t move. He lowered it closer.

That’s it, Daring thought, that’s it. Just a little bit closer.

The medallion levitated around his head. For a brief moment, Daring believed they were in the clear. Then she realized, to her horror, that the actual medallion part was on track to touch the stallion’s muzzle. She tried to signal to Blueblood to move it forward a bit, but it was too late. The medallion touched his muzzle and he immediately shot a hoof up to bat it away.

The sudden action prompted a yelp from Blueblood and the statue pony immediately charged him. Blueblood held his hooves up to try and defend himself. The statue pony punched him, sending him careening through the air and crashing hard into the chamber wall before falling to the ground. A low, pained moan escaped his mouth.

“Blueblood!” Daring called.

The statue pony turned and charged her as well. She flew all the way up to the ceiling to avoid his tendril. He took flight as well with his tendril flailing wildly in the air, searching for her. Daring came super close to being touched by it, prompting her to back away suddenly, only for him to follow. A speedy game of cat and mouse ensued with Daring trying to avoid the tendril and the statue pony furiously swiping it in front of him. He already had her blood, but he could want all of it from her body for all she knew about his motivation.

Down below, Blueblood got up from the floor and tried to stand up, but staggered. He looked down at his hoof and his eyes bulged.

“You… you…”

Daring caught a closer glimpse and saw a giant crack running through the middle of his left forehoof. The fear was gone from his eyes, replaced by uncharacteristic, murderous rage that sent a shiver down Daring’s spine. A blue nimbus enveloped her machete and brought it over to him. He glared at the statue pony.

“Come here you abhorrent brute!”

The statue pony dived towards him, lashing at him with the tendril. With one swift motion, Blueblood used the machete to slice through it just before it reached his neck, sending it flying into the wall from the momentum with a splatter of blood. The statue pony stopped in midair just above the floor, crying in agony from the injury. Blueblood dropped the machete and used his magic to bind him. Daring watched transfixed, jaw hanging, as Blueblood walked forward. It may have been the firelight playing tricks on her, but she thought she could see a vein popping on his forehead. The thought that now was the best time to grab the medallion surfaced in her, but she wanted to know what Blueblood would do.

What happened made her jaw open even further in disbelief. Blueblood threw a punch with his good hoof right across his snout, making him cry out. Then came another punch. Then a third. Then Blueblood went rapid-fire, launching into a flurry of punches, fast as he could with only one hoof. Each blow knocked the statue pony’s head back and forth, his cries and the hard sounds of hooves meeting flesh and bone filling the chamber. Blueblood’s scowl widened the longer he went on, even after the statue pony had clearly been knocked unconscious.

Daring snapped from her shock. “Hey, Blueblood…?”

He didn’t hear her, continuing his beatdown.

Daring flew down and put her face right next to Blueblood’s ear. “Hey, Blueblood, you can stop now!”

Blueblood didn’t stop immediately, instead slowing down over time, eventually letting his hooves fall tiredly to his sides. Daring put the medallion over the statue pony’s unconscious body. It immediately returned to stone.

Daring sighed. “Well, that’s taken care of.” She turned to Blueblood— he was staring longingly at his cracked hoof. “That was… amazing, really.”

Exhaustion fully overcame Blueblood and he collapsed to the floor. Daring knelt down and gently stroked his back. “I never thought you could hold your own in a scrap like that. In fact, you’re the one who took him down on your own.”

Blueblood smiled weakly. “I’m surprised myself...”

Daring helped him to his hooves, supporting him so he didn’t need to lean on his injury. He returned the favor by levitating her machete over to her without being asked. Slowly, they worked their way back through the reopened chamber entrance, the tunnel, out into the open air of the clearing. A light breeze blew over them and Daring relished in the pleasant feeling. She’d had enough adventuring for one marooning; time to kick back and wait to be rescued.

“Sorry for drinking all the coconut water,” Blueblood said.

“It’s okay, we have plenty still.” She gave him a stink eye. “Don’t do it again.”

“Promise.”

She smiled. “You know, after what we just went through, another week or so on this island is nothing.”

“Especially with you.”

“Ditto.”

"I still wish I had my mirror..."

"Get over it."

They gave each other stink eyes before laughing and heading towards the treeline.

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