Forfeit

Consciousness did not return peacefully to Diamond. Her eyes opened a crack, and an unpleasant welcome from the sun greeted her. She groaned, mustering enough strength to turn herself onto her side and away from the rude orb in the sky. The scent of saltwater and wet stone helped her identify why the ground sunk under her weight like a makeshift pillow. Sand. A beach. Why was she there? When the pieces finally connected, she shot upright with a silent scream. The events of the night before played back in her mind’s eye -- the ship, the water, the bodies…

Looking out across the river, few signs of the prior events stuck out. Aside from the broken wood planks and stray articles of clothing on the water’s edge, not a trace of the ship remained. The calm, steady flow of water crept past the shoreline, mocking and taunting her.

How long has it been? she asked herself. Judging by the position of the sun, she guessed it to be early afternoon or late morning. She tried to adjust her jacket, but found herself without it. She sighed, every muscle in her body aching in unified response. Whatever taffy puller she must have gone through took quite a toll; just keeping her eyes open proved harder than expected. A gentle tapping on her shoulder kept her lids from staying closed for too long.

“Morning, Diamond. Sleep okay?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“No. Not at all.” Diamond struggled against the invisible razor blades wreaking havoc on her throat.

The unicorn grimaced. “Yeah, I can imagine. I can’t believe… Those other ponies…” A pause hung over both mares like a horrid shroud until Sweetie piped up. “But hey, we both made it, right?”

“I guess.”

Sweetie Belle grabbed onto the seated mare and pulled her up. Despite the grumbles of protest, she wrapped the other mare in a tight embrace. “Thanks for saving me.”

Several silent moments passed and Sweetie did not let go. Finally, Diamond summoned the will to return the gesture. The warmth of her friend provided staved off the bite of the chilled air, if only for a time.

When the two finally broke away from one another, the heat dissipated, but the connection remained. “C’mon,” said Sweetie, “go see if the others know where to get some food. I’m gonna see if I can get my horn working again.” A pop and fizzling sparks signalled a clear failure, no change from the night before.

Diamond cracked a smile as she cantered towards the fire at the other end of the beach. Canter, much to her misfortune, translated to hobbling on weak, strained legs over a short patch of uneven ground. She practically drug herself across the sand. The promise of a place to fully dry her coat and mane coaxed her onward until she found an open spot to rest her rump.

Fancy Pants sat not far away and granted her a somber smile and a nod on her approach. “Glad to see you in one piece, Diamond.” His vision crossed over the other ponies gathered before moving closer to the mare. “At least one friendly face, hm?” His words came in a whisper, as though speaking any louder might set off a dreadful alarm.

Weary, Diamond craned her head to look at the others who survived the night. Lady Gaval in what closely resembled a fetal position, staring at the sand and prodding it with a hoof. Onyx Charge sat with his legs crossed a good distance away. He muttered to himself as Captain Breeze used strips of torn clothing to bind a wing hanging limp at his side. Another pony’s eyes met hers before she could jerk out of sight.

“Oh wonderful, you’re still alive.” The voice of Upper Crust sent a shrill crack through the calm. Graceful hoofsteps proceeded the older mare stepping past the other chatting survivors around the fire and standing staunch by her target. “Of all the ponies, you had to make it off.” Her nose turned up at Diamond as though deciding how best to squash such an insect.

Diamond held onto what energy remained to keep herself restrained.

“Miss Crust, I am aware you two exchanged some less than appropriate words on the boat, but that is no reason to wish such a fate on anypony.” Fancy Pants remained level in his words, though the tension edged to the forefront the more he spoke. “Please. Petty squabble won’t --”

“The words we exchanged should be the least of her concerns. My bone to pick goes deeper than some brief exchange with a prima donna who wants to put on her father’s horseshoes.”

“Upper Crust!” Fancy Pants’ formality came to a screeching halt. He glared down at the crone with a fire the likes of which Diamond had not seen from him before. Whether it was out of genuine disgust or frayed nerves from the boat sinking, she could not pinpoint. “That is enough! Apologize to Diamond Tiara this instant!”

By this point, Jet Set stood by his wife’s side and joined her in her statuesque indifference. “You would address my wife in such a way after affiliating with her?” He stomped a hoof on the sand and scuffed it towards Fancy Pant’s hooves. “Have some shame!”

“All of you, quiet!” Captain Breeze yelled. Everypony’s mouths shut in collective shock. All eyes fell on the grizzled stallion who stepped to the water’s edge and dipped a hoof in. “We’ve had our time to be upset, but we got bigger problems than goin’ at each other’s throats.”

“And who put you in charge?” Onyx Charge stood and puffed out his chest. “If anything, you’re the reason we’re stuck here. Can’t even drive a boat right.”

Lady Gaval cleared her throat before making the great effort to approach the irate pegasus. “I do not mean to be ‘that mare’, but how could he have steered the boat in any other direction? The river flows one way, and it isn’t like he could have turned it on a bit.”

Onyx Charge grunted, scoffing at the older mare’s suggestion. “Doesn’t matter. The guy led us straight down this channel, and now we somehow have no magic” -- he pointed to the multiple unicorns in attendance -- “and no wings.” A huff escaped through a crack in his armored bravado.

Squinting at Onyx, Lady Gaval chuckled. “You wouldn’t have steered it any better, Mr. Charge. But let’s not forget who thought it would be a better idea to take the river route when I knew in my bones a storm was brewing.”

The weight of several sets of eyes fell on Jet Set, who snorted in contempt. “Don’t look at me. I surveyed the boat myself before the voyage. Not a bit was out of place, as far as I’m concerned. And from what the captain said. Besides, the generator exploding is what started the sinking.” He turned to Diamond with a smug, grin. “And she was the only one of us who spent ample time out on the decks.”

Sweetie Belle stayed on the fringe of the commotion until then, but she marched up to Jet Set and stood between him and her friend. “Are you saying Diamond did this? You’re crazy!”

“Shut up!”

Silence fell once again at Captain Breeze’s booming voice. “If y’all keep fightin’ like this, we’re gonna have problems. Big problems. Arguments in the Navy used to end with a few good swings, so don’ make me enforce that.” He waited for any others to voice disagreement. None spoke up. “Now then. Who here knows what to do when you get lost in a place you’ve never been?”

“Find a way out,” Onyx Charge said as the solution was as obvious as how to fly. “And look!” he mocked a gasp and pointed to the river. “There’s the way. Follow the river, smart one.”

Captain Breeze smirked. “Yeah? Just follow the river for Celestia-knows-how-far on hoof? And you’ll be able to handle all the wildlife or any dangerous creatures with a broken wing? Alone?”

The pegasus grumbled, but said nothing more.

“That’s what I thought. So whether you wanna take your chances or not at making it to Manehattan Bay, it’s too dangerous to go alone. For right now anyway, we gotta stay put and breathe. We don’ need any more deaths than we already have. Whatever we gotta do, we gota do together.”

A reluctant agreement fell over the gathered ponies.

“I’m gonna start on setting up a system to filter the river water, gather firewood, and put together some kinda shelters. Anypony who’s looking to help is welcome to do so. The rest of you, go on out a little and see if you can find some grub.” He paused, eyes narrowed. “But don’ eat anythin’ until you bring it back for an inspection by yours truly. There’s a lotta stuff out here that’s okay to eat, but a lotta stuff you shouldn’t eat, too.”

Jet Set snorted. “Why shouldn’t we eat what we find? We’re starving!” The stallion did not manage to hold back the rumbling of his own stomach. He attempted to mask the sound by clearing his throat with little success.

The captain did not respond right away. Instead, he walked over to one of the nearby trees and plucked a leaf off the lowest branch. He bit into it, and the vibrant green soon turned to a small pile of dust in his hoof. He spat out the dust from his mouth before trying to speak. “Some things, like these Ash trees for example, aren’t too pleasant or helpful to eat.” Blowing the dust downwind, his audience shielded their eyes. “Now who’s goin’ to get food?”

Fancy Pants raised his hoof, so Diamond did the same. To her dismay, Upper Crust and Jet Set followed suit.

“Alright. Y’all don’t go too far in, don’t eat nothin’ without me gettin’ a good look at it, and just… Don’t do anything stupid.” The final words left a bitter taste in Diamond’s mouth. As much as she wanted to forget the wine, it remained fresh on her tongue.

Diamond let the prissy pair of pricks take the lead, allowing her to stick closer to Fancy Pant’s side. She did not get far before a hoof grabbed her to hold her back. “Don’t you want to stay back and help around here? It’d be good to get away from those two, right?”

“I would, but Fancy Pants is the last pony here I need something happening to. Besides you, of course.”

Sweetie Belle looked as though she’d watched a fish intentionally jump out of water onto land. “You’re still on that investment thing? We’ll be lucky if we get back to civilization without some kind of new disease or a missing limb, and you’re still thinking about Barnyard Bargains?”

“I can’t afford not to.”

Pity etched deep into Sweetie’s expression, she shook her head. “Okay. Do what you have to do. Just be careful out there, alright?”

Diamond nodded. “Of course I will.” The two mares embraced before they parted ways, one towards the shore and the other into the trees.

By the time she stepped into the brush separating the sand from the dirt, she knew she had already lost the other three. Wonderful, she thought. Nevertheless, she pressed forward. They couldn’t have gotten too far ahead.

The resounding song of wildlife and fauna the day before paled in comparison to cacophony she heard now. Chattering birds watched overhead, some darting down to land on a new, mobile perch. A carpet of fallen leaves, sticks and mud cracked and crunched under her weight as she walked. If nothing else, the prints would help her make it back to camp if she lost her way. Trees dotted her path like forlorn sentries, guarding the deeper recesses of the forest and what secrets it may hold. The air, clean and crisp as it was, carried with it the overbearing scent of burning. Of ash and smoke.

Great, are there no normal trees around here?

A flash of pastel color ahead reassured her of her course. She picked up the pace to a fast trot, ears swiveling this way and that to pick up on any potential danger. Her shifting eyes refocused ahead, but looking away from the ground proved to be her undoing. After a short distance, something took her legs out from under her. The resulting yelp accompanied her wet thud against the ground.

“What the hay?” Diamond looked where she fell. A wondrous sight greeted her and sapped away her irritation. Berries. Plump, juicy berries sat in a knee-high bush. The red speckles enticed her closer. One or two berries could hurt. Or four. Or ten.

She plucked one of the tiny morsels from the bush and examined it. Nothing raised an alarming flag as she held it in her hoof. It was a simple, nonthreatening fruit. Before she could pop it into her mouth, she remembered what Captain Breeze said.

Her stomach growled. The decision was made.

The skin of the berry broke more easily than she anticipated. Her teeth sank into the sweet, flavorful flesh and met a soft seed halfway through. She didn’t care so long as she could fill her angry stomach. Several more berries went down her throat without so much of a second thought

Diamond giggled, though she wasn’t sure why.

For the first time since she woke up -- hell, since the previous day -- her self-made weight lifted from her shoulders. As much as she didn’t want to be a greedy pony, she was driven further and further to eat from the bush. There’d be others around, surely -- she could just have this one all to herself. Before she could take another bite, hoofsteps rustled the ground nearby.

“Diamond? Oh, Diamond?” Fancy Pants called out the name as he scanned the treeline. The two ponies flanking him assisted in no way. When his eyes fell on the earth pony mare and what she was doing, he gasped. “Diamond Tiara! What in Equestria are you doing?!”

“Um…” As much as Diamond wished to deny her blatant disobedience to Captain Breeze’s rule, the juice on her lips and the berry in her hoof were damning evidence. “They’re really good.”

“And you think that makes you an exception to one of the few simple guidelines we were given?” Fancy Pants sat down on his haunches, crossed his hooves and stuck his nose in the air. “I don’t care how good they are. You were supposed to show it to the captain before you ate it. You knew that.”

Despite the scolding from Fancy Pants and what it could mean for her chances in getting his help, Diamond couldn’t stop smiling. They tasted so good.

Jet Set turned his nose up as well, but he cantered over to the bush, pushing past Diamond. “Indeed. It was not meant to be taken lightly. However,” he plucked up a berry and studied it, “we have had little luck in finding anything edible. And we are quite famished…” He finished the morsel in one chomp. His expression softened as he took in the flavor. “Mmm, this is not half bad. It’s no crème brule, but the sweetness is delectable.” He followed it up with another berry before gesturing for his wife to join him. “Upper, dear, you must try this.”

Upper Crust scoffed. “And eat from some strange bush that has her looking like a savage? I would never.” The loud rumble of her stomach brought with it a sigh of contempt. “Under normal circumstances.” She too went over -- not sparing a look at Diamond -- and ate one. Unlike the other two, she ate every individual berry in small, dainty bites.

“Fancy Pants,” Diamond began, putting on as wide of a grin as she could. Wider than she thought possible. “Come on. There’s nothing else to eat. You have to keep your strength up.”

The wrinkles on Fancy Pants’ face began to sprout wrinkles of their own. As hard as he strained in his pouting seclusion, the pressure from the other three grew too much to bear. He threw his hooves into the air and growled. “Fine!” he shouted. “But never let it be said by anypony that I wasn’t forced to disobey such an easy task.”

The party dove into the bush, munching on berries and filling their bellies until the bush lay bare.

“Thank you, Diamond Tiara.”

Upper Crust’s words brought Diamond’s world to a screeching halt. “Did… You just thank me?”

“Yes,” the unicorn deadpanned. “I give credit where credit is due. No more, no less.” She motioned to the bush. “You found this, and without it we’d still be hungry. As much as I despise the thought of thanking you, I will.”

Fancy Pants smirked. “That is awfully noble of you, Miss Crust.”

“Do not mention it. To anypony. At all.”

Diamond laughed. The sound echoed around the trees and distorted the farther it traveled, ending on a note more like that of a shrieking holler. A wash of unease crept across her skin. The chill of a cold sweat made her shiver, and somepony inside her head started to slam into her skull with a battering ram. She groaned, but the smaller sound echoed as well; the same wail greeted her ringing ears.

“Diamond, are you ok--” Fancy Pants cut himself off when the low rumble reverberated about the trees. The ears of all four ponies sprang up on high alert. “Please… Please tell me I am the only one who heard that.”

“I heard it, too.” Gone was Upper Crust’s upscale air, replaced in an instant with a tell-tale, fearful trembling. “Perhaps now is as good a time as any to get back to camp.”

The rumbling turned to a frightful hiss from all sides. Diamond tried desperately to pinpoint where it came from, what it came from, but nothing. Trees, bushes and leaves blocked the view of anything out of the ordinary. She recognized the sound, but the sheer magnitude and the way it thumped against her chest stiffened her stance amid the pounding in her head.

Slithering? Her throat threatened to close and cut off her breathing completely. Branches snapped, mud squelched, and the frighteningly-familiar sound drew nearer.

Before long, the culprit emerged from the bushes: a giant brown-scaled snake. Every pony froze. As it reared up, the snake stood at the height of three adult ponies on their hind legs. Its scales rippled as it breathed, slow and steady. A forked tongue the length of a wagon darted out of its mouth as it surveyed the smaller creatures.

“Don’t. Move.” Fancy Pants murmured. Though sounding assured in his words, he shook uncontrollably. “It can’t see us if we don’t move.”

“That’s a myth and you know it,” Jet Set whispered through a clenched jaw and chattering teeth. “What other bright suggestions do you have?”

“We split up on the count of three.”

“Are you insane? We’ll all be killed!” Upper Crust shared her husband’s doubt, breaking her eyes away from the monster and glaring at Fancy.

With a grunt, Diamond shot Upper Crust a glare and strained not to yell at the old witch. “Do you have a better solution?”

Fancy Pants swallowed hard. “Okay. One… Two…”

The snake made the final count by lunging towards its quivering prey. It missed, landing between the group and dividing them.

“Run!”

Fancy Pants and Upper Crust darted in one direction, Jet Set and Diamond in another. None waited for the serpent to recover.

“Do you know where you’re going?” Diamond shouted as she galloped behind Jet Set. Her hooves did not respond to her commands as usual. Something weighed them down, as though she’d gained significant weight in the past day. The pace of the older stallion appeared to be hindered as well, though for one of his age, he ran well.

“I thought you would know!” Fleet-hoofed as he was, he barely managed to speak between heaving breaths. “You’re the mudpony!”

Mudpony. Diamond knew its connotations, having heard it on several occasions in her time among those of higher standing. Jet Set had to have known, as well. Few did not know what it meant, though fewer still dared to say it to an earth pony’s face. It was classless, tactless and guttural, befitting a common street thug more than a pony of her importance. Hearing it made the mare nearly stop in her tracks.

The sounds of the beast’s approach provided great incentive for her to keep moving, and keeping a steady pace with Jet Set gave some semblance of direction even though neither of them knew where they ran. Away. They were running away, and that mattered most.

Once the slithering approach of the snake finally faded, the two ponies slowed their pace in kind. Exhaustion soon brought both Diamond and Jet Set face first with the cool embrace of the earth.

“You know something?” Jet Set asked, catching his breath. “This is… All your fault.”

Diamond, with her cheek in a patch of mud and her mane strewn in a wild bunch about her face, did not reply -- both to catch her breath and to comprehend such unmitigated gaul. “My fault?”

Jet Set clambered to his hooves and brushed himself off. “Yes. If we had just gone back to camp instead of eating what we weren’t supposed to, we wouldn’t have been pursued by an apex predator.” He scuffed the ground and sent a splash of dirty water into the mare’s face. “And if you weren’t here, my wife would have something other than you or your father to talk about. She won’t shut up about either of you!”

Rising to her hooves, Diamond wiped the water from her face and scowled. “What’s her problem? What did I do to her?”

Jet Set stepped up to Diamond and gave her a shove. “You naïve little brat! You don’t get it, do you?” He shook his head before giving Diamond another shove. “Typical, simple-minded mudponies.”

Though the last word distorted up in pitch, Diamond knew it well enough to return the push in retaliation. “Stop saying that!”

“I can say what I please!” By now, Jet Set’s voice varied in tone from several octaves above to a growl akin to haybacon sizzling. “You are a sham. A sham of a mare who never unlatched from mommy and daddy’s teats and wishes only to spread her toxicity to others!”

“Shut up!” Diamond stopped before she could say anything further. She did say those words, right? Did her voice deepen? She opened her mouth again, only for a shrill scream to escape against her volition. Something moved beneath her. Turning her eyes to the ground, fully expecting some other dangerous creature or monster to greet her. It was no animal; the ground moved.

The shifting earth rose in a small hill at the edge of her hooves, coming up to her eyes in level. Such a phenomenon did not go unnoticed by Jet Set, either, who fell back on his haunches and stared in wide-eyed awe.

“What the…?” The bulge began a slow descent back to its original position, a rushing of wind around the two ponies whipping their manes and tails about. Was that… A breath? she thought -- more so tried to think; she couldn’t hear herself well enough to tell.

Looking around at the several pockets of earth that followed the same motions, fear paralyzed her. The trees followed suit, the bark rippling and contracting with every “inhale” and “exhale”. The sounds drowned out the shouts coming from Jet Set, who put his face close to hers and gave her another shove. His eyes. Pupils like pencil dots bore through her outer shell and into her soul. She mouthed something to him. But she wasn’t sure if he heard her. A cascade of color crept up the fur of the stallion and bathed him in a sickly palate of fluorescent reds, greens and blues and every color in between. Flashing, sparkling, assaulting shades spread from his coat across the breathing ground, turning the browns and greens to a festive neon.

Jet Set delivered another shove, but the contact of his hoof went unnoticed. Every muscle in Diamond’s body relaxed. She could swear her hooves began to lift off the ground before he slapped her. No words left her lips; she only turned her gaze to him as the bee sting of his impact traveled over her like rippling water.

The utter terror twisting the stallion’s visage struck her as odd. He opened his mouth to scream, but only a muffled grunt registered. His thrashing and flailing about in the mud did little to draw concern and his cries pounded on the bubble around her ears. She tried to ask him what was wrong, but she could only screech in a distorted chitter.

Before long, he stopped cold. His head turned and canted unnaturally to the side, looking in Diamond’s direction. No, not at her…

Shifting around in her floating state, Diamond’s eyes met the hollow yellow irises of the snake, and the first pangs of fear pierced through the delightful numbness. Moving and struggling against the beast’s approach proved fruitless.

It circled around her, body coiling to envelop her in a grip that would surely be her last embrace. The cold scales seared against her burning skin and fur; she swore a sizzle broke through her sound barrier. Once fully in the tight squeeze of the snake, it dipped its head level with hers and stared at her, causing the forked tongue jutting out to brush across her face. Her senses returning, she struggled against her bonds, but it was no use. She was trapped. The blissful blanket of color and splendor and wonder faded, leaving only the beast and utter darkness.

The snake spoke: “Hey, sweetie.”

That voice -- the voice of her father. Diamond did not continue to struggle. Instead, she gazed at the snake, slack-jawed. “D… Daddy?”

To her horror, the snake smiled. A wide, toothy grin showed off a pair of fangs as big as her head. “I love you so much.” The tip of the snake’s tail raised and rested against Diamond’s lower lip. It traced the outline of her mouth in a slow, careful circle, the unnerving grin not leaving the predator’s face. “Don’t you love me, too?”

Diamond didn’t answer. She couldn’t answer. Everything was wrong, so utterly, totally wrong. The snake’s tail brushed against her tongue, leaving behind the awful combined taste of flesh and liquor. Every ounce of her screamed from within and slammed against her outer shell, but the mask stayed on. A different mask. The mask she made for him. He liked this one.

A tear rolled down her cheek. “Daddy…”

“Say it again…”

Something pressed against Diamond’s windpipe. Breaths came slow and forced, her limbs spasming and wiggling frantically to be free of the unseen force. She whimpered and mewled like a foal, knowing every second without the sweet taste of air would hasten her demise. The battering ram in her skull threatened to crack her open and her whole body contorted in breathless protest.

Her mouth opened wider to speak, to breathe, but nothing came. But as the tail slipped further between her lips, a bloodcurdling scream tore through the darkness. Her scream.

The pressure on her neck released and the constricting coil disappeared. She took a huge gulp of air and opened her eyes just in time to see the snake lunge at Jet Set. Those long, pointed fangs sunk deep into the unicron’s side. He squirmed and struggled, but his frantic throws only hastened the inevitable. No more screams came; his lungs were likely punctured.

Diamond could only watch as Jet Set’s life ended. His was a whimpering, fearful death with no dignity, no class. Blood seeped from his mouth and wounds and spilled onto the patch of grass below. Her eyes locked with the snake’s, but she did not make a move to retreat. The monster did not move towards her, it merely met her gaze and let the blood drain from its prize.

Numbness returned, though nowhere near as pleasant as before. She stumbled back and sat against one of the still-breathing trees and unsure what to do or what to think. Run? Hide? Fight? Her answer came when the snake returned to the ground, dragging the stallion’s body with it back into the forest.

Diamond sat still and watched the world alter color and morph around her. No concrete thoughts crossed her mind -- none that she could decipher among the other millions. She wanted to stand, but her muscles ached. She remained motionless for a time. How long? She did not know.

Her mouth opened to scream, but a laugh came out instead. What? No, that’s not -- Another laugh. This laugh was not pleasant, however. It hurt. Her lungs throbbed and her chest tightened in a vice grip around her heart. She laughed, and tears fell. Tears, sobs, laughter, pain.

She laughed and cried and laughed and cried and laughed and cried and laughed and cried and laughed and cried and…

“Diamond!”

Awaking with a start, Diamond shivered. How long had she been asleep? When she stirred, the cold sweat clung to her coat and skin and gave her nerves a jolt. The chill of the forest air did little favors, either. A new surge of warmth fought back the tide when she recognized the voice. “Sweetie Belle?”

Sweetie cracked a smile. “Of course it’s me. I’ve been looking everywhere for you. We all have.” She craned her neck to look around the surrounding fauna and underbrush. “We’re looking for Jet Set, too. What happened?”

Memories of the snake and Jet Set’s fate flashed across Diamond’s mind again. She simply hung her head; she had no more tears to cry nor the energy to do so. “Something got him… Took him away… Ate him.”

The gentle, caring hoof of Sweetie Belle rubbed Diamond’s back. Though the unicorn’s own hoof trembled, she did not voice any fear or concern on the matter. “C’mon. Let’s get you back to camp.” She picked the stiff mare up and helped her regain her bearings. “You look awful, by the way.”

With an exasperated sigh, Diamond gave Sweetie a nudge with her shoulder. “Thanks. So do you.”

The trek back to the beach did not take as long as Diamond anticipated, though she wasn’t sure how much time passed while traveling at her slow pace. With barely any way to see the sun through the canopy, her guess could have been anywhere from fifteen minutes to an hour. All she knew was the presence of her friend made it far more bearable. She stayed on alert however, listening for any rustling leaves or breaking branches not caused by herself.

Once she and Sweetie breached the treeline, the sun’s position made the time clearer, but not precise; she guessed it to be somewhere between late afternoon and evening. The sun’s rays behind the trees cast an eerie shadow over the campsite and the progress made by those who stayed. Planks from the ship’s wreckage sat stacked in the form of three makeshift huts. While nothing luxurious, they could provide some manner of shield from further rainfall. Some recovered articles of clothing lay on a large rock to dry at the other end of the beach. Given the tearing along their seams, they would likely be used as blankets for the cold nights to come.

Fancy Pants ran up and greeted her first. “Diamond Tiara! Thank heavens you’re alright. Are you hurt?” He ducked his head this way and that to try and survey the mare.

Before Diamond could answer, Sweetie Belle chimed in. “No, she’s doing just fine. It’ll take more than some ol’ snake to take her down.” She lay her foreleg across Diamond's back and pulled her close. “Shaken, but not broken, right?”

“Where is he?!” Upper Crust stormed up to Diamond, flanked closely by Captain Breeze.

“Miss Crust, calm down, we can’t lose ourselves to --”

“Where. Is. He?!” Upper Crust invited herself into Diamond’s bubble and jabbed her with a hoof. “You came back, but where is Jet Set? What happened? Tell me!” Her formal, reserved tone tore away, replaced with the guttural rage of a mare in anguish.

Sweetie Belle opened her mouth to retort, but she said not a peep. Nor did Diamond. Both stood rigid before the quivering, furious mare.

Diamond swallowed hard. All she had to do was tell the truth: the snake got him. Her mouth finally opened, only to give way to a muted croak; her mouth and throat were far too dry.

“He’s alright… Isn’t he?” Upper Crust’s voice faltered. A single, minute crack, but enough of a change to be noticed. Her posture stiffened and her jaw clenched. Looking between the gathered ponies, the answer became clear. Her sinking head betrayed her what hid behind her firm resilience.

“I’m sorry.” It was all Diamond could manage to say.

Upper Crust tried to retort or offer some manner of a venomous rebuttal, but a sob stopped her cold. She collapsed to the ground in a sniveling, crying heap. Her cries carried across the beach, attracting the attention of any not already in attendance.

Fancy Pants helped the mare up and escorted her to one of the huts, offering Diamond an apologetic look as he left.

The evening breeze kept Diamond standing staunch. She didn’t want to admit it to anypony -- especially herself -- but seeing Upper Crust in such a state pained her. At the same time, it didn’t. She knew the hurt and could relate on a personal level, but with a pony like Upper Crust, the tears almost brought a smile to her face.

Good riddance. She pushed the thought from her head. Bad thinking.

Diamond trudged her way to the water’s edge and leered at the pair of eyes that looked back. How did she get here? Where was she going? What mattered? Why did she look so terrible? No answers came, even after she dunked her head under.

The water shocked her body to life, but provided no such service to her spirit or mind. Seconds ticked by, and she did not bother to resurface. What if she…?

She could sense another step up beside her, perhaps waiting to see if she needed rescuing from her own action. Maybe she did, though not from the water. Pulling her head from the river, she sucked in a breath. Captain Breeze looked at her much as a scolding parent. “Yes?” Her soaking mane clung to her face and neck, but she’d take care of it later.

“Fancy Pants and Upper Crust told me about the berries.” His voice deadpanned. “And how y’all ate a bush-worth of ‘em. Red an’ shiny if I ain’t mistaken?”

“Correct,” Diamond replied matter-of-factly. She had no energy left for a verbal battle.

“Anythin’ unusual happen after eating ‘em? See anything funny? Colors, lights, voices?”

“What are you getting at, Captain? I know what I did was wrong, but --”

Captain Breeze raised a hoof. “But nothin’. Joke Cherries ain’t nothin’ to be messed with. Seen plenty’a ponies in my day chow on ‘em. Nothin’ good ever came of it.” The stallion huffed, pointing to a small stack of flowers and roots stacked on a flat rock by the fire. “We found some proper rations after the others got back, but before I even think about lettin’ you near ‘em, I need to know somethin’.”

Diamond canted her head, curious. “Know what?”

The captain looked to see if anypony else was listening before coming closer. “The snake,” he began in a whisper when their snouts sat inches apart, “did you… Did you really see it?”

Jaw steeled, visions of the day’s chase and Jet Set’s demise coming back to her, Diamond nodded.

He jerked back, wide eyes darting to the ground, then to the trees, then back to Diamond. “Koulev,” he muttered under his breath. He turned away to where Upper Crust still lay in a heaving ball of unsophisticated tears. Before he left Diamond alone, he turned back. “Don’t eat anymore’a those Joke Cherries. For your own sake. I don’ know what you may’a seen other than… That thing, but,” he sighed and shook his head. “We all gotta watch ourselves until we get rescued or figure out what’s wrong with our magic. This ain’t the Everfree.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Captain Breeze did not answer. He left the mare where she stood, cold and dripping.

In silent disdain, Diamond rung out her mane and watched the last few flecks of orange-crimson fade into the trees’ shadows. The fire crackled and popped, the other survivors gathered round to enjoy the evening meal as best they could. She would not join them, nor eat any of the food provided for the night. She wasn’t hungry.

Diamond lay awake in the sand. The roof of the hut provided shade from Luna’s moon, but even the lack of light did not sway her to close her eyes and drift. She pulled the cut-up dress over her body closer, casting a loathsome glare at Fancy Pants, her hut-mate who found the solace of sleep long before. She begged for some manner of gift from the Princess of the Night. The look from Sweetie Belle, while concerned, may as well have been a gift.

“Can’t sleep?” Sweetie Belle asked. She lay under the same dress, but a small patch of ground separated the two mares.

“How could you tell?”

“Lucky guess. Is it the snake?” No response. Sweetie closed the gap between them and her side brushed up against Diamond’s. “Diamond. Talk to me.”

The mare in question gulped, due in part by the images burned into her eyelids and now because of Sweetie’s sudden closeness. She rested her forehead on the sand, hiding her expression. Words did not come for several moments. “I’ve never thought about dying, Sweetie Belle. Not even last night. We… We aren’t supposed to die, right? Not when we’re just starting out in life. Or have we passed that point?” She growled and hit her head against the ground before continuing. “W-we-we can’t die. We can’t…”

“I don’t want to die, Sweetie. A-and I almost did today. What if I do tomorrow? Or the next day? Or --” She stopped when a pair of lips pressed against her cheek. Her head raised, eyes staring through her messy mane at the mare who kissed her.

Upon the shocked look she received, Sweetie Belle giggled. “What? Didn’t that help?”

“I thought I was just a friend,” Diamond said.

“You are my friend, but a friend helps friends however they can. And don’t think I haven’t been noticing how you’ve been looking at me.” Sweetie Belle gave Diamond a playful shove. “It stopped your little rant, didn’t it?”

“Yeah. I guess it did. Thank you, Sweetie Belle.” Now was her chance. Diamond scrambled for a further response, something, anything that would translate her thanks for such a gesture in a civil, tactful way.

She leaned in and gave Sweetie’s cheek a lick.

I’m hopeless.

Initially fearful her message would be misconstrued, Diamond’s concern dispelled at the unicorn’s soft laughter. “I like you, Diamond.” She heard that correctly, right?

Sweetie snuggled up to the petrified earth pony and let out a happy sigh. “G’night.”

“You… You too.” Diamond couldn’t help but grin. The giddy swell in her spirit couldn’t be denied. It didn’t negate the day’s events by any means, but it helped her to forget. She needed to forget. Unkissed cheek to the sand, drifted off to the solace of sleep, unaware of the eyes set upon her.