//------------------------------// // Your Pegasi are on Another Island // Story: Surviving Sand Island // by The 24th Pegasus //------------------------------// “Hey, Rainbow Dash?” Rainbow cracked a bleary eye open. “Yeah? What’s up?” Stargazer shifted in place on his makeshift bed of moss and palm fronds. “I was just thinking… if the Ponynesians way back when managed to create an avatar of their moon god, why didn’t the other Ponynesians who opposed them do the same with their sun god?” “And what?” Rainbow asked. “Have them fight in a huge, kersplodey battle of moonlight and sunbeams?” “I mean… yeah?” When Rainbow chuckled in amusement, Stargazer lowered his brow. “But seriously, though. If those cultists or whomever had used some kind of magic to create an alicorn avatar of the moon god, why didn’t the other ponies do the same to create one for the sun god? Why did they not do that and instead fought conventionally and to the bitter end to slay this avatar, only for their entire civilization to be in shambles by the time they finally did it?” “I don’t know, dude,” Rainbow said. “Maybe they couldn’t. Maybe it just wasn’t possible.” Stargazer sighed and lowered his head. “I guess. It just doesn’t sit right with me. I feel like we’re missing something that could be really important for stopping Soft Step.” “Dude, we’re missing a lot of somethings,” Rainbow said. She closed her eyes again and rolled onto her side, rubbing her cheek against the soft moss under her head. “This something isn’t going to be all that helpful to us, really.” “I thought you two were trying to get some sleep,” Champagne chided from the tree above them. Rainbow didn’t even bother to open her eyes to see the Prench mare staring down at them. “What’s the point of me taking first watch if you’re all just going to stay up anyways?” “Blame Stargazer, not me,” Rainbow said. “He won’t shut up.” “I’m just thinking!” She heard Stargazer huff from behind her. “Maybe we should trade, Champagne. My thoughts are too busy to let me get any sleep just yet.” “I’ll gladly take that trade,” the Prench mare said, and a second later, Rainbow heard her wings flutter as she touched down on the ground. “You’re the one who likes to stay up late, anyway.” “I thought I’d try going to bed early for once. I’m beat!” “Not as beat as me, I’m willing to bet you that.” Rainbow sighed and rolled onto her back, opening her eyes a bit. Above her, the fronds of the palms sheltered their makeshift camp from the moon and the skies above, while behind them they had the stone wall of a ruined building to block any wind. Though the original plan had been to explore the shrines and try to learn anything they could about the statuettes and lowering the barrier, the three pegasi had unanimously agreed to delay that until the following morning, when there would be more light to see by. After all, they’d left their fire-starting gear back on the home island, and while Rainbow figured she could get a fire started with nothing but her hooves, she really didn’t want to bother. There would be plenty of time to study what they needed, now that the door was protected, and they could handle that in the morning—after they finished the permanent cover on the temple door. Rainbow had to admit, she felt like she was being lazy, but when you have all the time in the world, is it really still laziness? “Do you still want morning watch, Rainbow?” Rainbow’s eye slid over to Champagne, who watched her from what had been Stargazer’s bed until he’d flown into the tree. “Yeah, of course. I’ve always been a morning pony, anyway.” She rolled her head back and yawned, even pushing herself off of her bed slightly with her stretching wings. “Just wake me up when you get tired. I’ll finish things off. Maybe get a head start on searching these temples over once the sun starts coming up.” “That would probably be a good idea.” Champagne shifted into a more comfortable position on the moss and called up to Stargazer. “Make sure you keep an eye on the cloud, okay? If it starts getting thin, wake Rainbow and I up.” “Yes, mom,” Stargazer teased from the tree. “Jeez, you’re really taking after Rainbow. When did I start getting bossed around by two mares?” “There are a lot of stallions in this world that would kill to be bossed around by two beautiful mares,” Champagne said. “Yeah,” Rainbow said, closing her eyes and relaxing to try and get some sleep. “Consider yourself lucky. Better than being bossed around by two ugly mares!” Stargazer snickered, and Rainbow heard the palm fronds above her shift as he settled into a more comfortable position. “Yeah, yeah, sure. Too bad the merchandise is already sold.” While Champagne and Rainbow chuckled, the latter took a few deep breaths and felt the fingers of sleep begin tugging at her eyelids. Rather than fight it off any longer, she rolled onto her side, away from Champagne, and splayed her limbs out in a more comfortable pattern. “Alright, it’s lights out for me. Better get what sleep I can now before I have to take my shift.” “Goodnight, Rainbow,” Champagne said. “I’ll wake you when it’s time.” “Yeah, night,” Stargazer said. “I’ll just try and look at the constellations while the clouds aren’t completely covering them, I guess.” “And the cloud,” Rainbow reminded him. “And the cloud, yeah. Don’t worry, I’ve got it all under control.” Rainbow Dash hummed and cozied her way into the soft embrace of the moss. At least she knew she could trust the other two to do their jobs. That took a load off of her shoulders; it was nice to have competent ponies with her so she didn’t have to rely on herself all the time. Maybe in a day or two, when the three of them finally returned to the home island, she’d find that the rest of her friends had uncovered something useful that would help them get rid of the barrier. Then they could finally all go home. It made falling asleep that much easier and quicker.