Eight days under the Zebrican sun

by The Cheeser

Chapter 8-The Day of Burning Rest

Swift Glaze had been walking through the entire night. He was extremely cold. However, the sun began to rise as a soft orange enveloped the desert.

"Celestia's deadly day!" as he had come to call it. Looking behind himself he saw the moon

"Goodbye, Luna's cruel night," He said. He had thought of the names while he was traversing the dunes at night. Though they weren't good, it gave him some joy by saying them.

As he continued, he found a suitable place to rest. It was in a more flat area between some dunes.

Digging a deep hole, Swift Glaze prepared himself for rest. Untying his saddle bags he put each bag on a side of the blanket. This wasn't quite enough since he needed four weights to fully hold down his improvised ceiling. Taking out the two jugs of water (one half as empty as the other) he placed them on each side of the blanket. Slipping into the blanket via a hole (Which was almost large enough to hold him. He just had to lift the blanket a tiny bit before entering) he fell asleep.

However, sleep did not come easy. Instead, he was tormented by nightmares. He saw his Squadron lieutenant, controls walk up to him along with his other comrades.

"Don't bother sending rescue. He's just a waste." said Burning Mittens

"He deserves this, doesn't he? He was the one to disobey orders and try to be a hero" added Fluffy

Finally, Controls spoke up "You are right, he should burn in the desert for his foolishness"

After this they mocked him. Then his Father came up with his Mother.

"Why couldn't you have been like your brother?" his Father asked

Then his brother, Baked Glaze came up. His Father looked at him "At least I have one good son" he said.

Soon he had nightmares about Celestia making the sun beam hotter upon the desert because he had disobeyed her. Over time the nightmares became more and more hectic as the heat of the afternoon approached. Near the end of his nightmares, Swift Glaze was assaulted by strange creatures. Then he woke up, thirsty. Swift Glaze quickly took out his canteen and drank from it. It was almost empty again and he soon would have to get more. Swift Glaze looked around his foxhole, it was very humid. However, the holes in the blanket provided some relief from the humidity, instead replacing it with heat. He then wept. Not only had his Father denied him, but Celestia wanted him punished. "I deserve this, don't I?" he said, with tears in his eyes.

"Why couldn't I be like my brother?" he repeated his father's words from his dream. His brother was a successful baker and had been able to buy a shop for himself right before Swift Glaze joined the Equestrian Air core. His parents had tried to dissuade him by offering him free tuition. He had denied it, and against his Father's wishes, he joined the Equestrian Air Core.

Pushing back his emotions, he wanted to prove all of them wrong. He wouldn't die here in this cursed desert! He'd prove to them he was stronger than they thought.

Taking another drink from his canteen, it finally dried out. Swift Glaze realized that he only had a day or two of water remaining. Swift Glaze made a decision

"I need to move during the day and night, so I can escape this desert," he thought to himself. Packing up his things into his saddle bags, he promptly refilled his canteen before heading west once again.

It seemed to Swift Glaze that every day it got hotter. He still felt alright. His water was hot, though he still had water. His food was dry and tasteless. But he still had food.

Every hour or so he stopped to eat a little bit of food, along with some water. He also shook out his makeshift shoes of any sand that had collected in them.

However, eventually, after many miles, Swift Glaze was worn out from walking. He climbed over another dune before finding a suitable place to rest his tired hooves for the day. As usual, he dug a small hole and covered it with the blanket. Taking off his turban before entering, he felt the sun on his head for the first time. It was burning. The turban had helped keep away heat from his head, and suddenly Swift Glaze was thankful for his parents showing him that old, and boring movie.

Slipping into his foxhole, he rested from the afternoon, when the heat was unbearable, till evening.

When Celestia's sun finally set, and Luna's moon rose, he swiftly packed his items, and started once more, west.