//------------------------------// // Transoceanic // Story: Surviving Sand Island // by The 24th Pegasus //------------------------------// The air was just beginning to cool by the time Rainbow and Champagne took flight. It annoyed Rainbow that she’d waited this long, because now all the thermals that would’ve given them easy lift were dying, but making sure they were adequately prepared for the flight was more important. She also knew it wouldn’t be a fast flight, but hopefully with the pressure differences between the sea and the land, they’d have a nice tailwind to push them toward the south island once they were halfway there. It would help ease the strain on their burdened wings, carrying all the extra supplies as they were. They had the light of the setting sun for the first leg of the flight, but soon the colors of the world began to bleed away, replaced by the stars above. As night beat on, the horizons closed in on them, the ocean and sky melding into one shadowy globe, a dome encasing them in darkness. Thankfully for the two fliers, there was plenty of moonlight and starlight for them to see their way, and the sandy shores of the island stood out in the darkness like a pale strip of white in the middle of a black sea. It also provided enough light so the two pegasi wouldn’t lose track of each other in their flight. Rainbow wished they had candles or some other means of carrying light with them, but without that, she could do nothing but make sure she didn’t outpace Champagne too much. Though Champagne was an adequate flier, she was neither a fast nor a strong flier, and as such Rainbow knew it would be all too easy to accidentally leave the Prench mare behind. To make sure that didn’t happen, she comfortably settled in by Champagne’s side, leading just slightly off her nose so the drafts off her right wing created favorable air currents for Champagne’s own flight. “You got the breath to talk?” Rainbow asked. “It’ll make the flight go by faster.” “I do,” Champagne said. “I’m not overburdened by our supplies, they’re simply bulky and inconvenient.” “Yeah, I feel ya,” Rainbow said, momentarily shaking mid-flight to try and adjust the makeshift bags across her back. “These things definitely aren’t high grade flight bags!” “At least we have bags,” Champagne said. “It would be worse without them.” “You got that right.” Rainbow let a friendly smile decorate her muzzle for several seconds. Eventually, though, she switched back to small talk, her desire for entertainment quickly chasing the silence away. “So, like, you’re from Prance, right?” Champagne nodded; Rainbow barely saw it out of the corner of her eye. “Yes, I am.” “But I don’t think I’ve ever heard you speak Prench,” Rainbow said. “You just use Equiish all the time.” “Nopony else understands Prench,” Champagne said. “What is the point in using it?” “I dunno, it’s just weird.” Rainbow flew on for a few more wing strokes before she elaborated. “Not, like, Prench is weird and all. I just meant that I would’ve thought I’d hear you speak Prench at some point.” “Est-ce que ça, ça compte?” Champagne asked. Rainbow smirked. “Heh, yeah, that’s pretty cool!” Grinning, she flew a little closer to her. “Say, ‘Rainbow Dash is awesome’ in Prench, now!” Champagne smiled back. “Rainbow Dash n'est pas aussi impressionnante qu'elle pense être.,” she said. “Rainbow Dash n'est pas aussi impressionnante qu'elle pense être!” Rainbow proudly echoed to the best of her ability. “Impressionnante! That’s the Prench word for ‘awesome’, right?” When Champagne nodded, Rainbow grinned some more. “I’m gonna have to tell that to Rarity! She loves Prench!” “Is she fluent?” Champagne asked. “I mean, probably! She’s a fashion designer, isn’t that like the mandatory language for them or something?” Rainbow shrugged midair, not exactly letting Champagne pose an answer to her question. “Anyway, she uses Prench words and stuff all the time, so she at least knows the basics.” “Then I’m all the more interested in rescuing her,” Champagne said. “Saving the only other pony who understands Prench is more than worth my time and effort.” “I’m surprised she didn’t try to corner you when we first all met and everything,” Rainbow said. “She loves to show off like that.” “I wouldn’t have considered Rarity to be a show off,” Champagne said. “At least, not when placed next to you.” Rainbow chuckled. “Oh, well, yeah, of course, because I love competing and stuff. But Rarity does it more sneakily. She likes to show off without making it look like she’s showing off. That’s why she’s always trying to make better and better dresses and stuff.” “Interesting.” “Yeah, it’s weird. If you’re gonna show off, why not be proud about it?” Champagne chuckled. “Perhaps there is more to savor in acting humble and innocent while reveling in the dismay of those you’ve beaten.” “Okay, seriously, where did you learn your Equiish?” Rainbow asked. “It’s really good. You probably speak it better than Applejack.” “I took classes in Mareis before I joined CelestiAir,” Champagne said. “Being bilingual is very important when serving on a luxury liner like the Concordia. It’s why I was able to become a concierge, and not a cleaning mare or member of the wait staff like Fresh Linens.” “I bet the pay’s better, too,” Rainbow quipped with a wink. Champagne returned the laugh. “It was, yes. I expect a hefty bonus from CelestiAir after all the suffering I’ve endured before I serve on my next ship, though.” Rainbow blinked in surprise. “You’re actually thinking about serving on another airship? After this crap, I don’t think I can ever travel on one again!” “Why wouldn’t I?” Champagne asked. “I’m still young enough to need a job. Working as a concierge on an airliner has been a wonderful opportunity for me. I’d happily go back and serve aboard another ship when this is all over with.” After a few seconds, she laughed to herself. “Though perhaps, I may avoid transoceanic flights in the future.” “Heh, ain’t that the truth.” Rainbow shook her head. “The next time Cloudsdale needs somepony to go to the Confederacy and talk to the griffons, they can send somepony else. The Wonderbolts too, for that matter. I’ve done my time in the sand.” “I didn’t know that you worked for the weather companies,” Champagne said. “I thought you were a Wonderbolt full time.” “The Wonderbolts are only in season half the year,” Rainbow said. “I get too bored otherwise. I know some ponies on the crew like to take half year vacations, like Fleetfoot and her obsession with the Caymare Islands, but I just like to do stuff, keep me occupied.” She flapped her wings a few more times, her eyes locking in on the island in the distance. “What about you? Is airship stuff like, all year round for you?” “Oh, goodness no,” Champagne said. “Every five months I get a month off to go and see my family in Prance. I’m flying the rest of the time.” Rainbow whistled. “That’s still pretty long, if you ask me. I don’t think I could be away from home for that long.” “We’ve been away for a month and a half so far,” Champagne said. “I don’t want to say get used to it, but…” The blue mare chuckled. “Yeah, yeah. We’ll be home soon, though. Don’t worry about it.” “I’m not worried,” Champagne said. “So long as you’ve got a plan, I don’t imagine it will be all that long before we’re back in Equestria.”