The Bigger Pony

by Kiernan

Chapter the Seventh: Finding Comfort

"You've certainly been busy," chuckled Rarity. "Those walls look very sturdy."

"They'll be sturdy when they're dry," smirked Rainbow, kicking a log next to the fire. "Have a seat; we need to talk."

Rarity set down her saddle baskets and sat down on the log. "Is something the matter?"

Rainbow nodded and pulled the coconuts off the fire. "I'm glad you're happy with how the walls came out, first of all. I know that's not the most important takeaway for this whole thing, but thank you, really. With those panels you made being lightweight, perhaps they wouldn't pull the whole thing down, but as of right now, I don't trust that slab not to fall on us in the middle of the night. I don't think the walls are strong enough for that."

Rarity waved her hoof. "Now's not the time to be doubting yourself, Rainbow Dash. I'm sure the walls you made are steady enough."

"Under the weight of that slab?" Rainbow shook her head. "That thing's really heavy. Even doubling up the walls, I don't think it's safe."

With a slow sigh, Rarity brushed back her mane with her hoof, smearing a bit of mud on her forehead. "Are you certain?"

Rainbow nodded. "I doubled the walls, but even then, I'm still concerned."

"Well, what do you want to do about it?"

"Actually, I already have," smiled Rainbow. "Well, kind of, anyway. I started. I dug a hole."

Rarity cleared her throat. "You, um... dug a hole?"

"I grabbed a sturdy stick, started chipping away at the ground, pulling it up and chucking it into a pile just over there." She indicated a spot just behind some shrubs. "I made it a little deeper than my shoulders are wide, as long as I am tall plus a few extra centimetres, and," she held her hooves out as far as they would go, "this wide."

"And how does that make your walls stronger?"

"It doesn't," confirmed Rainbow. "It's not to make the walls stronger, it's to make it so that if the walls collapse, we're showered with rocks and clumps of dirt."

Rarity shook her head vehemently. "I don't want to be showered in rocks and dirt."

Rainbow pointed to the slab. "That thing, if it comes down on top of your head, will kill you. The rocks might, but that slab will. I'm not going to risk that if my work doesn't hold up. I know I said being stranded on an island with you would be awful, but being stranded here without you? That's even worse."

Rarity put her hoof to her chest and smiled. "That almost sounds like a compliment."

"It very nearly was."

Rarity shook her head. "Where's this hole? Show me the hole you've dug."

Rainbow stood up, grabbed a burning chunk of wood for light, and stepped down into the pit. It wasn't particularly deep, and while she was standing up, her shoulders and hips would have moved the ceiling, even with the walls over the top. "The floor's still pretty lumpy. I tried to stamp it down, but I ran out of time. I wanted to have the fire lit back up before you arrived."

Rarity nodded. "Well, we'll probably have to duck down while we're inside it, but it'll probably be cozy enough."

Rainbow nodded. "In all honesty, I think we'll only be sleeping in there. It's not as though we're putting in a wardrobe, a sewing table, or a fully functioning shower. What are we going to be doing inside of here?"

"Sleeping," Rarity agreed, "mostly."

Rainbow started out of the pit, but stopped to make sure Rarity had enough light to see the steps. "Something wrong?"

Rarity nodded. "It's something we'll have to work on. I think tomorrow, for sure."

"What is?"

"You said the floor is lumpy, and you're not wrong. We need to do something about that. No time tonight, but we'll see how tomorrow looks."

They sat back down next to the fire, picking up the now cooled coconuts. The fire crackled gently, with the short waves lapping at the sand below. The wind was calm, and with the two of them silent, it was a very peaceful environment. Even the birds were quiet.

"There's one more thing that I need to say, before we go to bed. I should have said it last night, I should have said it this morning, and I need to say it now, because if I don't it's just going to fester."

Rarity leaned forward. "Fester? Are you telling me you have an open wound?"

"No, I..." Rainbow shook her head. "It was boiling up inside. It's an emotional thi-- Look, I'm sorry, alright?"

"Sorry?" scoffed Rarity. "Sorry for what? Do you have any idea how difficult this would be for me if I had to do all of the heavy lifting? All of the rocks, all of the clay, breaking that dam? If you hadn't mentioned how recently that pool had sprung up, I never would have even considered trying to remove it. I'd have tried to build a bridge going out there, if I'd even noticed the water at all. And then I wouldn't have checked down the river, I never would have found that coconut tree, and I still likely wouldn't have had somewhere to sleep comfortably. I should be the one apologizing to you. I've saddled you with all of the hard labour."

"Oh, don't even think about that," waved Rainbow. "Or do think about it. You figured out how to make rope, so you'd probably figure out how to make a crane to lift that slab easier than I can. Anything I could have done, you're capable of doing better with a smart idea."

"But an idea is meaningless without the means," argued Rarity. "I can sit and try to come up with all kinds of crazy things, but I need some way of making it, right? No horn, remember?"

"Yeah, but I still need to apologize for not trusting you."

"Of course you didn't trust me," huffed Rarity. "I was too focused on the problems and didn't have any solutions. I needed you, Rainbow. I still do. And yesterday, I drove you up the wall. I'm sorry."

"No, I was the one who snapped under the pressure. The exact same pressure. You handled the whole thing with grace."

"Grace, yes, but handled it? You did all the work!"

For a moment, they were silent, then they let out a chuckle. "Anyway, it feels good to say it," smiled Rainbow. "From this point on, remember that I'm behind you, all the way."

Rarity cracked open her coconut. "As long as you remember that I'm giving you one hundred percent."