Adrift
Written by: Secrets and Lies
Contest entry for the MLP Writing School subreddit’s, “1 Year Extravaganza Writing Contest”
The Summer sun rose high over Ponyville, establishing a new, bright morning in the awakening village below. Today was a pony’s most cherished day, which happens to be Sunday. It was a day to sleep in, a day to relax, and also a day to take a dip in the local swimming hole. The ‘Old Hole’, as they called it,was a natural pond that served as a local hangout since Ponyville’s creation. It wasn’t quite large, in fact it could easily take about ten minutes or so to trot around the circumference of it. The pool wasn’t that deep either, its greatest depth was near the center and it was only a mere six feet.
Ponies young and old would come to the hole to do all sorts of activities. Some might find it relaxing to stretch out, toss a towel over the small, sandy shore and sun bath near the water’s edge. Others might soak themselves in the cool confines of the pond, splashing and playing games with their friends. Sportsponies might find it fun to do some catch-and-release fishing in the pond, that recreation never seemed to tire out. Either way you enjoyed yourself at the pond was quite alright with the denizens of Ponyville. To three young filly friends however, today was not only a Sunday, but also a day to begin an adventure on.
From the distant hills overshadowing the lake, six ponies came sauntering along through the green countryside. These six you might perhaps recognize; three of which have been patrons of the Old Hole for quite sometime now. One was the apple bucking Applejack, another was the charming and delicate Rarity, and lastly, (we cannot forget), the Wonderbolt Fanatic herself, Rainbow Dash. They had the day to themselves and decided to spend it at the Old Hole for some bonding and relaxation. Each brought their own towels to lay upon and baskets filled with picnic foods to enjoy. Along with these three fine mares accompanied three younger ponies. They too had brought something to the swimming hole, something large and rather round. Together they dragged a large rubber raft with amateur modifications built atop and around it. It was painted white and red with the words splattered across its port side, “The Cutie Craft”. It had all a pond worthy vessel would dream about and was ready to brave the smooth waters of the Old Hole.
As the three finally made it to the water’s edge, the mares of the group found a nice oak tree to lay their belongings under. The thick, green foliage of the oak made a superb canopy and spot to cool off under. The fillies dragged their vessel to the pond’s shore and began their procedures. Apple Bloom made sure to hold on to the tow line and hastily fastened to the oak tree as they made their final preparations before launch.
“Today’s the day, girls,” said the overly ecstatic Apple Bloom. “Today we discovery our true talents as sea worthy ponies!”
Their imaginations were already in tuned to one another’s–they were overly envisaging their new lives out on the uncharted waters, searching for buried treasures, sailing to new worlds and having epic sea battles against other Pirate Ships. Their wild fantasies were only refined over time as they worked day and night for weeks on their vessel. The three had yearned for this day for a good while and now their dreams were becoming a reality.
Scootaloo called over to Sweetie Belle, “Hey, Sweetie Belle! Did you remember to pack food for our long voyage?”
“You bet,” she replied while tossing a few lunch boxes from her sister’s picnic basket towards their ship. The boxes landed directly on board as intended, a perfect shot.
Scoot complimented, “Good tossing!”
The preparations were almost in place now. The food was secure in an inward compartment of the water craft thanks to Sweetie Belle, the sails and lines were secured around the boat by Scootaloo, and the final inspection of the boat’s hull to make sure everything was fit for sailing was checked off by Apple Bloom.
Applejack approached the three and commented, “Well, it looks like you gals have it made! I’m impressed you three made such a nifty boat here; maybe ya’ll get your cutie marks as shipwrights!”
Apple Bloom waved her hoof and replied, “Are you kidding, we didn’t write about any ships, we made one!”
Sweetie Belle added, “And soon we’re all going to be,”
“Cutie Mark Crusader's Master Corsairs,” the three exclaimed simultaneously.
Applejack scratched her head while saying, “Er-, right. Well you three have fun!” Applejack left them on their own and joined up again with Rarity and Rainbow Dash.
The two mares had set out their towels already and were watching from afar the action their sisters and Scootaloo were having. Rarity had placed out an assortment of unnecessary items for her pleasure beneath the tree such as an oversized umbrella, a lavish lounging chair with a multitude of pillows, tea cups with tea pots, a foldable lunch table and the sort. Rainbow Dash had merely brought a beach chair to recline back into. She had already moved herself into the sun and began to catch some rays when Applejack approached the duo.
“I’m not so sure about this idea these fillies are hav’n,” the orange mare worried.
Rainbow Dash spoke up, “Lighten up, AJ. They’ll be fine!”
Rarity approved, “I hate to say it, but I agree with Rainbow.”
The cyan pony looked over at the unicorn and raised her glasses repeated in question, “‘Hate to say it’? What are you trying to say, Miss Prissy Pony?” Rarity only laughed at pegasi’s inquiry as she took a sip of tea and avoided Rainbow’s question all together.
Her attention came back to AJ’s as she consoled, “We’ll keep an eye on them, Applejack. Don’t you worry.”
“Ya,” Rainbow Dash lazily yawned, “you two can keep a pair on them. I’ll be busy soaking in rays and catching some ‘Z’’s.”
When Applejack finally sat down on her towel and stretched out underneath the oak tree, Rainbow put out, “Ten bits on the ship sinking?”
“Oh, count me in,” answered Rarity. “I’ll give them ten minutes.
“Five I say,” replied Dash.
The time came when the three deemed it ready to venture out into the pond. Apple Bloom hopped aboard and yelled out, “Unfasten the mooring line, Sailor Scootaloo!”
She replied with a hardy, “Aye aye!” Scoot ran over to the tree in a jiffy all the while kicking up sand. Scoot circled around the tree, untying the line with the rope in her mouth. Sand plummeted over Rarity and the meal she had just pulled out from her picnic basket.
“Scootaloo!” cried Rarity as she shielded her eyes from the sand.
She replied while running back to the Cutie Craft, “Sorry!” Rarity growled as she shook her mane to get the sand out.
Applejack laughed, “Don’t get so fussy over your mane, Rarity! It’s just fillies being fillies!”
Rarity barked back, “I’m not mad about my mane-” She then pointed at the bowl of food in front of her and remarked, “She got sand in the potato salad!”
Scootaloo returned to Cutie Craft as fast as she could, tossing the line she held in her mouth inside the hull of the boat.
“Anchors away,” Sweetie Belle beamed. The three gave a great shove and the ship hit the water. The fillies hopped in quickly and lowered the patched-up sail.
Applebloom entreated her pegasus friend, “Scootaloo, if you don’t mind?”
“Oh, right!” Scootaloo made her way to the stern, (which was only two steps away) and unfolded her wings. Then with all of her power, she fluttered her wings as fast as she could while keeping one of her hooves firmly on the rudder shaft, controlling the angle of the vessel. The updraft the filly made with her wings filled the sails and off they slowly went through the water. The fillies were living the dream and they could already picture what their cutie marks would look like. Upon movement, Sweetie Belle leaned herself over the bow like she saw in that one movie she watched with her sister. She closed her eyes as the wind gently hit her face, taking in the imaginary sea breeze. Apple Bloom yanked her back as she appeared to be falling dangerously forwards.
“You best be carefully, Sweetie Belle,” the yellow filly stated. “These waters are treacherous and we wouldn’t want to lose you this far out at sea.”
“The unicorn agreed, “Right! I’ll be more careful next time!” Their imaginations had taken full force on them. To the three friends, all they saw was the wide open sea all around them; though in reality, they had just made it to the center of the pond.
Applejack squinted her eyes and watched the fillies from afar. She chuckled, “Well it looks like they haven’t sunk yet, Rainbow!”
Dash griped, “Aw, shucks! They better not sink anytime soon.”
Rarity giggled with delight, “I sure hope they do, I wouldn’t mind having ten more bits in my pocket.”
“You don’t have pockets, Rarity,” Applejack stated with an eyebrow raised.
The unicorn imparted with less enthusiasm, “...It’s a figure of speech, darling.”
“Here,” Apple Bloom hollered, “Stop here!” The pegasus filly gently let her rapid wing movements come to a slow stand still on her friend’s command. The Cutie Craft eased to a stop as Apple Bloom searched the vessel for the anchor. The earth filly found what she was looking for and violently tossed something over board. The tremendous splash it made rocked the boat and everyone inside for a few seconds, jarring them up a bit.
Sweetie Belle squeaked in fright, “What in world was that!?”
“The anchor, of course,” dryly spoke the earth filly.
“What did you use as an anchor?”
“I thought that really heavy thing on my brother’s neck would make a great anchor!” Applebloom tugged on the rope Big Mac’s yoke was tethered to to insure it hit the bottom of the pond floor.
Scootaloo asked, “Doesn’t he need that? He wears it all the time.”
“I think he could live without it for a day,” Apple Bloom replied.
Sweetie Belle took a long whiff of the air around her and breathed out heartily. She then said aloud, “Don’t you just love it out here, girls? The salty air of the ocean just fills your lungs with vigor! Miles out at sea on a grand adventure with your best friends... What more could a filly ask for?”
Scoot sarcastically retorted, “A cutie mark would be nice.”
“Or maybe some food,” Apple Bloom added, rubbing her belly as it growled back.
“Well I can assure you that we have food!” Sweetie Belle then grabbed one of the three lunch boxes she tossed on board and began to open it up. “I hope you girls like peanuts!”
“What?” Scootaloo barked in agitation. She calmed herself after her brief outburst and stated, “As long you didn’t pack peanuts in every lunch box.”
Sweetie zipped open the box and dumped its contents on the floor of the vessel. “Dig in!” Applebloom and Scootaloo looked to see what she had scattered on the boat and then looked at each other in question.
Scootaloo snarled, “Sweetie Belle! These aren’t peanuts!”
“What? Yes they are! That’s what Rarity says they are!”
“These are packing peanuts!”
“What’s the difference?”
“GIRLS!” Apple Bloom yelled over the two. “Don’t worry about it! we have two more lunch boxes full of actual food. Right, Sweetie Belle?” The white unicorn scratched the back of her mane and looked away in embarrassment.
She replied, “Rarity had a bunch of peanuts in the closet and she said to get rid of them. Well, I thought instead of throwing them away and wasting them, I would pack them up and we could eat them. Because...” the two friends gave her irked expressions, which made her hesitate in response. “Because... peanuts are good for you?”
Scootaloo reached for another lunch box and asked, “So, you’re telling me that-” When she opened the next box, she immediately slapped her face with her hoof when its contents were revealed. She tossed the lunch box in the air and off of the ship, letting packing peanuts rain down all around them. “Well, we’re doomed.”
“Nonsense,” assured Apple Bloom, trying her hardest to stay positive, “we’ll just turn around and resupply at Port Ponyville.”
Scootaloo squawked, “But that’s a three day’s journey! We can’t turn back now! We’ll have to eat each other to stay alive!”
“But I don’t want to be a cannibal...” whimpered the white filly. “I wanted to be a pirate...”
Apple Bloom put each hoof on her friend’s shoulders and consoled, “We won’t have to eat each other and we will make it back to port.” Her attention diverted towards Scootaloo as she said, “Let the sail down and let’s turn back!”
“About time,” the orange filly added. Scootaloo began the process of retying the lines to open the sail.
Apple Bloom watched over the process of Scootaloo attempting to tie a knot and commented, “That’s not how you tie a knot!”
Scootaloo replied, “It is so! That’s how a tied it before!”
“I figure that’s the reason we lost time.”
“Excuse me?”
Applebloom explained, “I figured that we would have arrived where we are now faster if we would have tied the sailing line appropriately. I told you to practice your bowlines!”
Scootaloo stopped her attempts at tying and pressed her hoof on Apple Bloom’s chest saying, “I tied a great knot! Who are you to tell me how to tie a knot?”
“I’m the captain of this ship!”
“Not you aren’t! We agreed to have mutual captain roles on this vessel!”
“I’m the one calling the shots, and I say I’m the captain!”
Scootaloo was flabbergasted at Applebloom’s response. “Well in that case, I say I’m the new captain! I’ve been doing all the work around here, I deserve it!”
“No way! That’s... that’s mutiny! I could throw you over board for words like that!”
“I’d like to see you try!”
Apple Bloom backed off and spoke a bit more unruffled, “Let’s take a vote! Who votes for me being captain, raise your hoof!” Only the earth filly raised her hoof in response. She lowered it and continued, “For the traitorous pegasus?” This time, only Scootaloo raised her hoof.
The pegasus brought her hoof down and said with defeat, “It seems we have reached an impasse.” She turned towards Sweetie Belle on the other side of the boat and asked, “What do you think? You didn’t vote for either of us! What gives?”
Sweetie Belle sniffed, holding back her answer because she didn’t want to make anyone mad. Her eyes began to redden when she sniveled and suppressed her sadness.
Apple Bloom reached over to untie the knot Scootaloo made while saying, “Here, let me just try.”
Scootaloo butted in, “No! It’s perfect like it was!”
“Obviously not!”
The two were too busy bickering to realize the pun they made, but Sweetie Belle gave a light giggle through her gloom. The two eventually were yanking each other back and forth with the rope in their mouths, trying to seize over total control of the sail. With a sturdy pull, Apple Bloom yanked it out of Scootaloo’s grip and even out of hers. The line pulled the sail off of the hinge above and away the sail flew. The cloth caught wind and landed far out of reach from the ponies. It slowly sank below the water and it was gone. Silence fell over the two fighting fillies as Sweetie Belle finally released a torrent of tears and sobs.
“Now look what you did,” raged Applebloom towards Scootaloo.
“Look what I did? You’re the one that tossed the sail overboard and made Sweetie Belle cry!”
“You’re full of it, Scoots! This would have never happened if you would have cooperated!”
The pegasus gave a sign of irritation as she stated, “Now I’m stranded in the middle of the ocean surrounded by morons and packing peanuts!”
From the shore, the three mares eagerly watched the tension rise from the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
Rainbow Dash complained, “I wish I had a pair of binoculars, it looks like things are getting good!”
Rarity added, “I was wondering what she did with all those packing peanuts...”
Applejack joined in on the betting asking either of the two, “Ten bits says a fight will break out again between my sister and Scootaloo.”
Dash obliged, “You’re on!” The cyan pony turned towards Rarity and said, “Twenty says Sweetie Belle will cry again!”
“Oh, I know she will. No need for betting!” The three burst out in laughter at that last comment, knowing that that fact was purely true.
The blazing sun began to lower in the afternoon sky. The Cutie Craft was set adrift in hopes of finding land along the currents of the imaginary ocean. The temperature was scorching the three fillies in the rubber raft as each panted for relief. Apple Bloom had removed her bow and had wrapped it around her head like a bandana. Sweetie Belle was in a fetal possession, still sobbing from the argument her friend’s had. Scootaloo was pacing around the stern-end of the boat, thinking of a plan to stay alive.
The spark of an ingenious idea illuminated in Scootaloo’s mind as she victoriously declared, “I got it!” The other two looked up at her as she approached them.
The pegasus proposed, “Since Sweetie Belle has done the least work, we’ll eat her first!” The unicorn instantly bawled with despair at the idea of her good friends eating her and thinking of her as useless.
“Will you cut it out,” spouted an angry Apple Bloom. “We’re not going to eat anypony!”
“Then what are we going to eat! We’ll die by tomorrow at this rate!”
Apple Bloom rubbed her chin in thought and asked Sweetie Belle, “Hey, what’s in that last lunch box we haven’t opened?”
Scootaloo teased, “Probably more packing peanuts!”
“Hush!” Apple Bloom asked again more earnestly, “Well, is it?”
Sweetie Belle wiped a tear from her eye and feebly replied, “Ra-raity wanted to pack something just in case w-we were still hungry on our long voyage. You probably wouldn't eat them though, I sure wouldn’t from the sound of it.”
Scootaloo opened up the last lunch pail to see what she was talking about and fell back with surprise from what she saw inside.
Apple Bloom inquired, “What is it?”
Scootaloo cried with joy, “Saltine crackers! Dear Sweet Celestia, we’re gonna live!”
Sweetie Belle’s eyes widen as she peeped with excitement, “Crackers! I love crackers!”
She jumped over to see inside the lunch box herself. When she descended, the rubber floor of the raft bounced Scootaloo, which made her lose grasp of the lunch box. In a blink of an eye, the lunch box’s contents were scattered along the water’s surface floating away from the boat. In no time, fish from the bottom of the pond came up from the surface and began fighting amongst each other for the food. Before long, there was nothing left of the crackers as the three fillies watched over board; their eyes sapped of the remaining hope in their bodies.
The pegasus slowly turned her head towards Sweetie Belle with a look of pure hate in her eyes. The unicorn moved her head back, trying to prepare for the imminent out burst that Scootaloo was about to make. The pegasus spoke first in a whisper, but her words grew louder as her vexation rose.
“Why?... Why!... Why, Sweetie Belle, WHY!?”
Apple Bloom interrupted, “Girls, quick! Turn around!”
The two did so as their eyes fell towards a single saltine on the far side of the vessel. Without words, each made a mad scramble towards the cracker. They fought and pushed each other away to try to grab the food first; but before either could reach the cracker, a bird swooped down into the boat and snatched the saltine away. The three stopped at once and watched as the bird flew away and got the best of them.
Scootaloo threw her hooves up in a furious rage and screamed, “Curse you, bird! Curse you to the ends of Tartarus!” She then pointed a menacing hoof towards the earth filly and scowled, “You spotted it first and you didn’t grab it! What’s wrong with you?” Apple Bloom remained silent with swelling rage as the pegasus ranted on.
“You could have saved us! Some self-proclaimed captain you are! We’re going to die and it’s all your fault! If it wasn’t for your stupid idea to make some stupid boat in some stupid attempt to get our-”
In a sudden moment, Apple Bloom snapped and pounced on Scootaloo. Sweetie Belle gave a cry of horror as she witnessed Apple Bloom begin to choke out Scootaloo while pounding her head into the rubber raft floor. A fury none had ever seen burned in the earth filly’s eyes like twin super novas. The frenzy rocked the boat violently as Sweetie Belle dared not intervene, fearing for her life.
Applejack placed her hoof open before Rainbow Dash as the cyan mare dropped ten bits into the earth pony’s hoof with a sigh.
Apple Bloom roared in outrage as loud as she could with her hooves still gripping Scootaloo’s neck as tight as she could, “Listen, you pussy pegasus pony! We’re going to die because of you! And now I’m never going see my family again because some pony was too stubborn to take a little bit of critique! You’ve doomed us all, Scootaloo, you’ve doomed us all and now I’m going to die out here with you dumb piece of-”.
A screeching sound of sand and dirt rubbed up against the Cutie Craft, making Apple Bloom stop what she was saying. Sweetie Belle looked over the bow the boat to see what they had hit.
She turned back and squalled with bliss, “Home again! Home again! Jiggidy-jig!” Apple Bloom let go of Scoot’s neck and jumped to the bow of the boat with Sweetie Belle. The pegasus began gasping for breath as she rubbed her neck to soothe its pain. Apple Bloom hopped off the Cutie Craft and onto to dry land. She knelt over and began kissing the shore relentlessly.
Scootaloo threw her hooves over the the side of the boat and wheezed with a smirk on her face, “We arrived... alive...”
Sweetie Belle looked across the pond and waved at her sister. Rarity waved back all the while holding back her fits of laughter after seeing the drama that occurred on the boat.
Apple Bloom sat up from her shore and spat some of the sand from her lips out. She turned towards Scootaloo and immediately and awkwardly apologized saying, “Sorry about... that.” Scootaloo, even after being choked to death, hopped out of the boat and placed a hoof around Apple Bloom.
“It’s fine. I would have done the same thing!”
Sweetie Belle cut in, “You two would have murdered each other?”
Apple Bloom questioned, “Is that what happens when you squeeze somepony’s neck? I thought they just went to sleep?” She looked over at Scootaloo and gave a weary smile back to her pegasus friend.
The earth filly then asked her friend’s aloud, “Girls, I think we learned something today.”
“That we would kill each other in a life or death situation?” Sweetie piped in with a smile.
Scoot responded, “I think we learned that we aren’t sea worthy ponies... and that birds are the root of all evil.”
“I suppose so,” agreed Apple Bloom.
They smiled and laughed as the three walked away from the Pond in no particular direction. Years later they would need a few hundred hours of psychiatric therapy, as this moment was a gateway for future mental breakdowns; but as for now, they spent their filly years quite at ease with one another.
