An Island, Two Mares and a Bottle of Rum

Chapter Six

Been Dreamin', Been Waitin'

***

"And then they all fucked! The end," Vinyl proudly announced, grinning widely as she took a bow before the campfire that was barely lighing up the silhouettes of their faces in the dark, starless night sky.

Octavia groaned and smacked her forehead with a classic facehoof. "Vinyl, do all your stories end with that line?" she wondered, taking a cautious look around. The island was deadly silently, and it was surely giving Octavia the creeps, creeps so cold that the very shivers that were running down her spine could maintain a bunch of refrigerators each. She had to take her mind off the letter in the bottle and the possible dangers that might be concealed on the island.

The pony who had written the letter was surely dead, Octavia mused. Something terrible was lurking the island, something that was constantly putting both her and Vinyl to unease. What could it be? Ghosts? Ninjas? Ninja ghosts? Those were mere old mare's tales, nothing more. But when Octavia thought about the real dangers... Like black red-maned alicorns... or humans that, for some reason, had been travelling to Equestria on a regular basis for some time already. Or even worse... Octavia shivered. Seaponies...

"No!" the DJ exclaimed, bringing the cellist back to reality. She pondered for a moment, looking up to the black void that was blue sky some few hours ago. "...Yes," she admitted guiltily, hanging her head low.

The cellist sighed and shook her head. "What about that story about the giant robot and the dinosaur?" she asked, hoping that maybe this time Vinyl would have a different approach to storytelling. Yes, something that wouldn't qualify as verbal pornography...

"Um..." The unicorn blushed and scratched the back of her head sheepishly. "I kinda ship them too..." She chuckled uneasily. "Like, they are dating in the end! And, well, have sex too."

"What." Octavia's tone was flat, her gaze as unamused as possible. While she wasn't sure of the exact meaning of the word Vinyl had used, or rather, what meaning she had put into the word 'ship', she could very well see it was something sexual. And she was greatly perturbed by this.

"Well, you know, robots and dinosaurs need love too!" Vinyl exclaimed, taking a defensive state. "It's kinda racist to rip them off the opportunity!"

"What."

Meeting Octavia's flat stare, Vinyl cut her tirade short. "Um... yeah," she concluded laconically, nodding in proof of her words. Amazing, Vinyl. Your vocabulary is so damn unique that it seems to become narrower and narrower with each passing day... I wonder when I will be expressing myself with a few inadequate sounds and crazy gestures...

"You know, Vinyl, you really need to take your mind out of the gutter." The cellist shook her head disapprovingly. "All you ever think about is sex."

Vinyl opened her mouth to protest but realised that her marefriend was right on this point. Sure, she did think naughty thoughts, but hey, she wasn't the one to blame! It was all about hormones. And Tavi's sweet flank... The DJ groaned, trying to 'take her mind out of the gutter' at least for a few minutes. Whatever that meant.

"I do not," the unicorn still retorn, just out of the pure desire to argue. After all, arguing was her special talent... wasn't it. She looked at her cutie mark, the musical notes proving otherwise. Aw well, cutie marks don't matter that much, after all.

"Oh, is it so, Vinyl?" Octavia smiled mischeviously. "Then... Say, what if we weren't scared to death and telling each other stories to stay awake..." She winked at the white mare. "What would we be doing then?" She rubbed her chin, as if she were honestly thinking over the possibilities.

Oh, you don't fool me, Tavi... Vinyl thought, determined not to walk headlong into the grey mare's trap. At least not straightaway. "We'd just stay together," she replied.

"And?" Octavia smiled slyly.

Vinyl gulped. "Just stay together, and... cuddle?"

"Yes?" The cellist 'occasionally' brushed her tail against Vinyl's muzzle.

The unicorn shut her eyes. "And maybe kiss. Just kiss," she squeaked.

"Congratulations, Vinyl! You've won!" Octavia announced proudly, making Vinyl open her eyes. "The main prize is yours!" She bowed in a mocking manner.

"What is it? Sex?!"

Seeing hope in her marefriend's eyes, Octavia groaned and facehoofed. "No, Vinyl. Not sex. Really, honey, all you've been-"

"Tavi, ship."

"Don't you interrupt me, Vinyl. I have no time for your slang. Now, as I was saying-"

"Tavi, ship." The unicorn enveloped her marefriend in a telekinetic grip and forcefully turned the grey mare's head towards the shore.

And, indeed, there was something to see. Off in the distance, under the dark blanket of the starless sky, a single light penetrated the blackness; a light that outlined the silhouette of a large ship, its wooden body sailing regally through the ocean, its sail trembling on the sturdy mast.

"We're saved! We're saved!" Octavia yelled, jumping up, her last bits of dignity falling on the sand, metaphorically speaking; she even forgot about the lecture she was about to give Vinyl.

However, the white unicorn pressed her hoof again the cellist's lips firmly, limiting Octavia's happy shrieks to indistinct mumbling.

"Look at the sail, Tavi," was all that Vinyl said, and that was enough for the grey mare to fall silent and pale as her eyes registered what her marefriend was trying to tell her.

The black sail was crowned with a skull and crossed bones.