Radiance

by flamevulture17

2. Rain

[Rain]

---

Cadence woke to the soothing sound of gentle waves crashing on the ocean surf.

As her senses slowly came back to her, a small uncomfortable sensation washed over her hind legs. It didn't take long for her to notice a dark shade of gray above her as she shot her eyes open. Her body was in a strange position. She hardly felt the ground underneath her like the usual sensation a cloud often provided. But she wasn't on a cloud, no. She was on a beach.

Her equine form dug into the flexible terrain as would any sandy surface. Solid rock, and even he softest dirt floor, wouldn't allow for her body to carve to the shape of her back.

After a few seconds of staring off into the sky, an agonizing pain suddenly struck almost every muscle and ligament in her body. She didn't even have to move a single inch to feel it. To substitute for a loud scream to voice her extreme discomfort, she tightly wrinkled her facial muscles and squeezed her eyes shut. She inhaled deeply as she attempted to stretch, but the pain was unbearable. She finally let out the yelp she was looking for. She could feel the bitterness that resided in her dry mouth, cringing to the awful taste.

Shortly after her painful groans, she felt that same cold, uncomfortable sensation creep up her hind legs. All senses of touch in her lower body finally reached full potential. Refraining from moving her head, she angled her half open eyes as far down as she could. She found white sheets of cold sea water rising up to cleanse her lower body, then recede back into the ocean of which it came. She wondered how long she had been out cold and just how the others were doing.

Her last question was partly answered when another, more direct, sensation brushed up against her left side. She turned to find Twilight curled up in a ball and snuggling against her wing. From any perspective, that was an adorable sight. Twilight began to stir from Cadence's small movements. The purple unicorn perked her head up and yawned.

Twilight opened her eyes to find purple irises blinking back. Not her own, but those of a very gloomy looking pink mare with a disheveled name and mild scratches on her face. With the very sight, Twilight quickly propped from her fetal position, only to scare herself in process.

“Cadence,” she tried to shout, but her weary state wouldn't allow for anything louder than a whisper. “Are you hurt?”

“I'm okay, really,” Cadence let out a painful cough, followed by a wince as she tried to sit up further. “I can't feel my wings.”

Twilight shared a similar numbness in her legs when moving about so quickly. She had no problem getting to her hooves, and she knew Cadence was far too weak to stand on her own. She only hoped no bones were broken or limbs out of place.

“Can you move?” Twilight asked.

Despite her sore legs and muscles, Cadence was not limited in her speech.

“Hardly,” she replied. “How's Rainbow Dash?”

Twilight was so caught up in Cadence's condition that she forgot about an equally incapacitated pegasus. She glanced over her shoulder, but in an effort for relief, none came when her eyes widened and her mind raced in a panic.

Rainbow Dash was nowhere to be found. Twilight frantically scanned her entire surroundings, side to side, up and down, but received the same result every try. No tracks in the sand and no way of determining where she went or what happened to her. Her heart rate elevated in her chest.

Cadence interrupted Twilight's thoughts when she let out another grunt when she attempted to lay on one side and push herself on her stomach. Her wings did not register when she attempted to fold them. Once again, she scrunched her facial muscles in response to the unpleasant sensation of cold water that added to her plight.

She paused, waiting for an answer from the unicorn.

“Well?” she said.

“Um... …” Twilight couldn't take her eyes off the empty beach. “She's not here.”

A dreadful thought hit Cadence over the head, one that she wished to have never thought of it in the first place. She immediately tried to stand up with little success.

“AHHH!” she screamed as the sting of tight muscles squeezed every bit of energy from her brain to compensate. She collapsed in the sand, landing on her stomach.

“No no no no, hold still! You're hurt bad.” Twilight leaned in the catch Cadence from falling over.

“Is she...” Cadence trailed off.

“I highly doubt it.” Twilight lowered her voice to a near whisper to save energy and in hopes that she was right. “She was just over there before I fell asleep. She could be anywhere. It's not like her to get up and leave like that.”

Indeed, Rainbow would never do such an act. The Element of Loyalty was never one to abandon her friends on the beach. Such a thought was completely absurd. Although in this case, Twilight was unsure of what to determine of Rainbow's disappearance. Several scenarios ran through her head as she tried to come up with the most plausible reasons that did not contradict the facts. Loyalty and desertion did not mix. You couldn't even put faith and surrender in the same sentence.

...oops.

One possibility may have been that somepony spotted them and helped Rainbow recover first and would return for them later, though it would make more sense if they were all helped at the same time. Ponies had a tendency be more caring for those in worse condition. At least, that was based off Twilight's experiences with ponies she knew in Ponyville, so there's no telling how ponies acted in this place. Cadence was in more critical shape than Rainbow from her appearance before Twilight took her short nap, so it would have been fair if they were rescued first.

Perhaps they weren't in Equestria at all. What if this was the Gryphon Kingdom? Celestia knows that encountering gryphons in their own territory was less than desirable, especially if you trespassed without their permission. This couldn't be the Dragon Lands. This environment was far too cold and calm, whereas the land of the dragons was nothing but hazardous volcanoes and rugged plateaus. The largest city in Equestria is built on the eastern coast. Even though Manehattan sees a heavy flow of traffic in and out of the city, this place seemed completely uninhabited. Surely this land must be on a map somewhere.

“Do you think... she was taken?” Cadence managed to ask.

Twilight thought of that as the second most plausible scenario, but was convinced that couldn't have been the case with her earlier thoughts. The cold breeze that brewed in the last few minutes caused her to hesitate before responding.

“Unlikely. If bandits took her away, we would be right alongside her.” Twilight shuffled again to shake off the chills and position herself into a more comfortable stance.

Cadence was quite once more, allowing Twilight to think again. The rattling wind and crashing waves drowned out complete silence, making it harder to composed any more critical thoughts. Cadence tried to figured she'd get herself standing properly. She no longer felt so sore from screaming pain in her muscles as they began to relax. She tested the status of her body by shifting in the sand and stroking her wings with a hoof. She winced, not from pain, but from the lack of any feeling from the wing she crushed under her own weight minutes earlier. She became increasingly anxious for the overall condition of her wings, whether she'd have the ability to use them in the future. Losing her wings was like losing a large part of her identity. She couldn't let that happen. They were part of her original self before her status of Princess.

After a few minutes of redundant observation, Twilight cautiously trotted in place on the sand to regain her balance and shake off any remaining discomfort under her fur coat. She then lent a helping hoof for Cadence to grab hold of to pull herself up. It was no easy task, but the pink alicorn wouldn't give up until she was on all fours.

Once Cadence found her footing in the sand, she wrapped a hoof around the base of Twilight's neck for leverage. Her wings dangled off her back as the feathers brushed along the sides of her body.

“Where to?” she asked after a quiet yawn.

Twilight thought back to the moment before they fall into the ocean. Now that she thought about it, she can't recall how long it has been since then. It still daylight, so they couldn't have been asleep for more than a few hours. While they were still airborne, she saw what looked to be two small structures bordering the coast not too far from where they had landed. There may be ponies living there who can tell them where they are and maybe give them directions to home. She couldn't make out any detail of the structures at the time, so that was another reason to investigate.

“This way.”

Twilight pointed a hoof to a hill rising above the beach. The hill also hugged the ocean, but did so vertically. The water had carved into the rock over the eons, leaving a jagged cliff face behind. Even though they could not see the houses from their vantage point, she was convinced they just over that hill. If only they could get there before nightfall, which appeared to be approaching quickly. The sky harbored nothing but a thick blanket of gray that stretched for as far as the eye can see.

Cadence walked with a limp while Twilight provided the necessary brace for her injuries. They drifted further inland to escape the annoying waves while maintaining a consistent and parallel track with the ocean.

Hardly ten minutes into their snail pacing and Twilight heard a faint boom in the distance following a brief flash of light that she regarded as a hallucination. Cadence heard the sound, too, and the both of them stopped walking, frantically searching for the source.

All went quiet again.

Instead of another sound, another brief flash of light flickered at the corner of their eyes. It originated far off shore. A few seconds later, they heard a boom much louder than the first and fade away just as quickly.

“Thunder?” Cadence said.

Twilight did not take her eyes off the horizon. She appeared to be looking for something.

“That's weird,” Twilight muttered. “No weather ponies.”

That was her original assumption. However, not only did pegasi have control over the weather, but even gryphons and dragons possessed some ability to manipulate their environment, including the weather. Not a soul in sight.

“That can't be right.” Cadence realized what the unicorn was looking for. She then shared Twilight's confusion.

Another flash of light and a loud boom followed shortly afterward. They couldn't see the lightning itself, but each discharge sprayed light upwards to illuminate the clouds above. With each flash and thunder, the lightning seemed to get more frequent and closer to shore.

“A storm?” Cadence suggested.

“Let's not be here when it hits.” Twilight remarked.

Before they could press on, Twilight felt a tiny tap on her back. Shortly after, more tapping sensations followed suit all over her body. It became apparent when small streaks of water raced past line of sight. She looked up, letting tiny, invisible droplets of water collide with her face. It was like hundred of small feathers tickling every point on her face. As much as Twilight disliked the rain, she let it slide this once.

Both mares continued their journey. The rain was nothing but a light drizzle, but they knew it would get worse over time. They tried to pick up the pace to reach their destination. In less than five minutes, their bodies were soaked from horn to hoof. However, a little rain wasn't enough to stop them from carrying on.

Occasional lighting flashes flickered and thunderous booms came and went. Cadence and Twilight were focus on more important things. Twilight had her mind on two things, the houses and Rainbow Dash. Cadence, on the other hoof, was focused on more sleep. She would normally lose all motor functions in her body and collapse if she was alone, but with the modest help from her lavender friend, she was sure a good night's sleep was her reward for her past efforts. She hoped their goal had a nice large bed with warm plush pillows and soft fuzzy blankets. The more she thought about it, the larger her smile became.

Twilight wasn't sure how much further the hill was. They had been walking for about an hour now maybe more. The sky grew darker, lightning flashed brighter, the thunder sounded closer, the rain spilled stronger, the wind blew wilder, and her stomach growled louder. Boy, she was hungry. Starving. She couldn't remember the last time she ate. For some odd reason, she craved Pinkie's famous rainbow cupcakes. Speaking of which, if Rainbow Dash were here, she'd get rid this rain for us.

Cadence's condition got worse by the minute. Her breathing sank heavier and her steps made her falter several times on the sand, but she held strong, keeping herself awake by shaking her head and taking deep controlled breaths.

Finally, after walking on damp, squishy sand for over an hour, they made it to the field of ill-maintained grass that covered the hill. The beach itself just transitioned into a slope and the sand disappeared to make way for soft soil and vegetation. Cadence was tempted to lie down and sleep on the bed of grass if it weren't so wet and dirty.

Before they reached the top, a sudden whoosh sound and a gust of air sped past their ears in the opposite direction. Twilight and Cadence whirled their heads around and Twilight's horn lit up in defense. Behind them, a blurred figure was flying away from them, a rainbow streak trailing behind it.

“Rainbow Dash?” Twilight whispered to herself.

Her worries seemed to wash away at that moment. A huge wave of relief drowned out all concerns she had about her fast flying friend and was replaced by a new state of mind. Anger.

She tried to yell out to the pegasus, but was too weak to conjure up anything louder than her normal voice. With a stroke of luck, Rainbow Dash seemed to spot them before flying any further away and managed a loop before turning around. She headed their direction, slowing down to greet them. Rainbow touched down directly in front of them with a sloppy landing.

“There you are,” Rainbow said, panting.

Rainbow Dash's mane was no different from that of Cadence and Twilight. She had a few cuts and bruises of her own, but nothing that didn't add to her pride or constitute as a sign of weakness.

“Where did you go?” Twilight quickly asked, obvious voicing her frustration. Cadence, however, was indifferent, on the verge of collapsing.

Rainbow finally got herself to calm down from flying so fast while injured. Twilight's attitude towards her wasn't surprising. She half-expected some form of annoyance.

“I flew around to see where we are.” Rainbow shrugged. “I still don't know.”

“I thought you left us to-”

“No, I would never do that!” Rainbow cut her off before she could finish that sentence.

*BOOM*

The sudden thunderous sound pounded in their ears. The ponies were startled, but they expected it to happen. They shook off every strike as it came.

“I'm sorry,” Twilight apologized. It was at that moment she let off a some steam and let curiosity take over. “I was just so worried about you.”

“You looked like you needed the rest when I woke up. I thought I would look around a bit.”

“Did you find anything?”

“There's these weird houses over here.” Rainbow Dash turned around and gestured a hoof up the hill. “I was on my way to tell you. How did you know?” She furrowed her brow.

Just as Rainbow finished speaking, Cadence let out a painful cough, grabbing each mare's attention.

“Never mind that.” Twilight said. “We need to take shelter there. Cadence is hurt bad.”

Without a moment to spare, Rainbow trotted to their side to lend the Princess another hoof without further argument. This made walking significantly easier for Cadence rather than having to limp the rest of the way.

As the trio reached the top, the hill then inclined back down to sea level. Two large shapes became visible about two dozen paces from the base of the hill, a fair proximity that alleviated another long walk. They appeared to be uninhabited with the lack of light emanating from any of the windows. Not a sound was heard other than the rain hitting their ears and their hooves squishing against the soggy grass. When the structures came into full view under the dim light of dusk, they paused a moment to observe the sheer size of the strange houses. It was nothing like any building back home, or any other city and town known in Equestria for that matter. They needed to find a good spot to crash before the storm got any worse.

As they approached the houses, Twilight devised a mental analysis of their unique contruction.

The smallest structure appeared to be incomplete, missing half of its walls. It stuck halfway out on the ocean and halfway on land. The wall missing were on opposite sides, yet perpendicular to the ocean. It almost looked like a tunnel made of wood that ran straight into the water. It lacked any variety, with only thin slabs of wooden panels for walls and tall metal beams supporting the weight of the angular roof above. There were two rails inside that appeared to sink into the ocean on the far end, like a railroad track sticking out of the water. Twilight guessed it was some type of boat house, unlike any she has read about in all her architectural history books.

The largest building appeared more natural and complete than the first, but was surrounded by a variety of objects she had never seen before. First of all, the house itself was enormous. It was as big as Ponyville's town hall at least three stories high, if not more. It stuck out of the empty green field around them like a huge rock sticking out of the ground. No wonder she could see it from a mile away. On the edges of the porch, tall vegetation grew directly onto the wood and slithered up the walls. Off to the side sat a large white object, near a tall wooden fence. It appeared to be a strange misshapen carriage with small black wheels. Twilight presumed it was made of metal and glass. However, Rainbow Dash was more focused how a pony could to pull such a ridiculously large carriage. They must be extremely muscular. Not really the type of stallion she was interested in, but impressive nonetheless.

When they finally reached the small boat house, the rain decided to pour down on them much harder harder than before. They finally made it to safety and found a dry spot on the wooden floor, next to some boxes and barrels. Conveniently, Twilight found some crude textiles lying on top of the boxes and used her magic to lay them out neatly on the floor. For some reason, it was exceedingly difficult to use her magic to lift such a light object. Her magic shouldn't be depleted for she felt healthy enough to preform advanced magic. She made a mental note to figure out the problem later.

Rainbow and Twilight gently set Cadence down on the rough tarp and lay down next to her. The alicorn fell asleep immediately.

“Whew.” Rainbow Dash wiped her forehead with a hoof after slumping next to her purple friend. “The storms coming down pretty hard, huh?”

*BOOM*

Now that each of them were safe for the time being, Twilight contemplated their situation more carefully. The boat house was more comfortable than the rough bed of sand on the beach, but far less gratifying that her bed in her own room at the library.

“I didn't see any pegasi in the air.” Twilight stated. “Or gryphons. Or dragons.”

Rainbow shuffled around in her previously slumped position, unsatisfied of any position for no more than five seconds.

“And?” she replied, uncaring.

“Well, what do you think that means?”

“I don't know. Maybe the weather schedule is different here.”

“It's a bit much, isn't it?” Twilight put a hoof to her chin. “I mean, a storm this big, don't you think you would see pegasi roaming around up there.”

“Uh hu,” Rainbow yawned with even more lack of interest, stretched her legs, and cracked her hooves together. She didn't seem to care what Twilight meant.

“No ponies means no weather control,” Twilight continued, unaware of Rainbow's deliberate snores. “No weather control means wild weather. Wild weather moves on its own. The only place I know that has wild weather is the Everfree Forest, and we're definitely nowhere near the Everfree. If were not in the Everfree and the weather here does as it pleases.” Twilight gasped. “Rainbow! Do you know what this means!?”

Twilight looked back at the rainbow-maned pegasus. The only response she got back was flick of the ear and a snore. The unicorn sighed. Turns out she was talking to herself the whole time.

“Humph, I guess I'll explain it in the morning,” she said to herself.

With that, she laid her head down on the ground and closed her eyes, hoping things would improve when she wakes up. Again.

Comments

[Visuality]

Keep this up. I wanna know when they meet humans!

[Drynwhyl]

Interested to see where this is going.

[Jack Kellar]

A little slow, but you can't rush the exploration of an "empty" island with three injured ponies without missing out on all the important details. I approve of this.

[TestaccNo2]

I really like how this story is going. However, I did see a rather large number of grammar and tense errors, not to mention missing letters or whole words between sentences. I would suggest you get yourself a proofreader.

Keep it up.

[flamevulture17]

2472114 I notice errors every time I go back and read what I wrote and I am never satisfied to the latest version. I don't have an editor nor proofreader and it would be great if I did, but I don't know anyone IRL or online who could serve as an editor (like my best friend for my last story, but is too busy now) and don't know where to look (excluding Groups).

If anyone who reads this story wants to edit coming chapters, you're welcome to reply to this comment. I just wanna make sure that the story makes sense without grammar and spelling getting in the way. Thanks.

[TestaccNo2]

2483592 I can actually help with that. You see, I am also working on a story and will eventually post it here and a very nice person passed me a few links to some groups that may help you a lot.

This one.
This one too.
And this one also.