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// Chapter the Sixth: Good Morning 
// Story: The Bigger Pony 
// by Kiernan 
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Rainbow woke up the next morning, her joints still very stiff and her skin kind of itchy. No doubt that was the salty air coming off the sea. She sat up, her back popping like a string of firecrackers.

"Ugh, that's very obnoxious," came Rarity's groan. This was immediately followed by an exact copy of the sound as she sat up, as well.

"You don't sound any better," chuckled Rainbow, stretching and trying to stand. She looked around and took stock of what was on the horizon. There were no ships on the water, the fire had burned out, and the water had receded from when she went to sleep. "What's the plan today?"

"Hm?"

Rainbow turned around. Rarity was still working on standing up. "You said last night that the reason you were bringing up problems was to know what needed to be done. Don't tell me now that that was a lie..."

"Of course not. I just want to know what you said. I wasn't paying attention, that's all."

"What's the plan for how to proceed today?"

"Well," she said, moving over to the wooden slab, "This thing, as beautiful as it is, needs to be propped up. It was a spectacular wall last week. As long as a kraken doesn't swim up to the island, I think it'll protect us from the wind."

Rainbow looked at it. "I guess that's my job?"

"That's right," smiled Rarity. "With the rocks and the clay, you'll want to build a wall that is strong enough to support it. A few notes, before we begin, though. Shall we go have some water, first? I'm absolutely parched."

As they walked down the cut path toward their water source, Rarity made her case. She wanted two stone walls, starting at the level their floor would be at and at least tall enough for them to crawl under something placed at the very top. This would determine the location of their roof. The slab needed to face the water, because it had the name of the ship on it, and anypony with a spyglass from a ship would see it, possibly be aware of it having been attacked, but at least know that it looked odd being in such a location, and come to investigate. That would for sure set them up with a ride home. They just had to wait and attract attention.

"So that's what you'll be doing today," nodded Rarity.

"What about you?" asked Rainbow. "If I'm going to be doing all of the heavy lifting, where are you going to be?"

"I have three jobs today," announced Rarity. "One of the first ones is going to grab some more coconuts so we can eat again tonight. Bring those back, and I can start building more of the roof panels. At least one more so we can cover our hooves and avoid the weather. Yeah, we woke up to the sun shining in our eyes this morning, but I don't want that every day. If, and that's a big if, I finish all of that, and still have time? I'll help you make more walls."

"What if I finish first?"

Rarity laughed. "Rainbow, I will not stop you from making more walls."

They had saved the shells from the coconuts the night before, the parts that didn't have eyes, and were now using them as cups. Now that the bog had cleared, the pond was down to just a plunge pool under a fountain. Even better, both were crystal clear, not murky at all, and did not produce any kind of stink. The plunge pool led into a stream that flowed under the logs from yesterday. It was a slow, steady, quiet flow, almost serene. They both enjoyed a cup or two from the stream before parting ways. After their sip, they both felt pretty refreshed, and ready to begin. 

Rainbow made her way back to their ramshackle overhang with her saddlebaskets filled with rocks and stones. Now that she had water, a little bit of food, and a plan, she was feeling much better and ready to follow Rarity's plan. Honestly, she thought it was a good plan, at least, now that she was in a better mood.

It didn't take long to build up the walls. It was just moving rocks, mixing clay with water, tamping everything down and baking it in the sun. Rainbow had been on the weather team long enough to know what it would take to knock down a wall made of rock and clay, and she was pretty sure this would hold against the weather.

After Rarity left, having brought half a dozen coconuts back, Rainbow looked over the wall again. Sure, it would keep out the weather, but would it keep up the slab she was supposed to put on top of it? Not until it was dry, at least, but she wasn't willing to test its integrity as it was. Rarity had said she was fine with Rainbow building more walls, and that's exactly what she was going to do.

It started with doubling up the walls she'd already built but leaving channels of air between them to help it all dry faster. After that, she grabbed a hard stick and started digging at the ground. She needed a pit for them to sleep in. If the walls failed, even doubled up as they were, the slab was falling down on their heads. That was not an option. With a pit, they might end up with a broken nose, or a few chipped teeth as the walls collapsed on them, but they'd probably survive.

She used her own body as a measurement, and when it was the right length, width and depth, she dug out a set of stairs, a channel to funnel out any rainwater in the event of a storm and finished it off by just building more walls of the same height above the rim. It was above and beyond what Rarity had described at the beginning of the day, and when she returned just before sunset with two long, filled in roof panels and a basket of palm fronds, she was greeted by the smell of freshly cooked coconut, a nice place to sleep, and a crackling fire. She almost came to tears at the sight.