We Survived
There wasn’t much that needed to be done that day apart from the basics. With everypony agreed on a course of action, they had little to discuss save for the mundane task of preparing to survive another day. But with eight ponies and a siren, it was simple enough to divvy up the tasks so they were easy to handle. Thus, by the time night fell again, there was nothing that needed to be finished for tomorrow.
That didn’t stop Rainbow from being wary. She felt like she was personally traumatized by the night, and she worried that she’d never be able to sleep soundly once the sun set ever again. The previous night had been the worst night of her life, and she hoped that nothing would ever top it or even come close to it in terms of the sheer amount of pain she’d suffered through, both physically and emotionally. Even now, as darkness reclaimed the island once more, she found she couldn’t settle down just in case the evil god of darkness had something more in store for the rest of them.
But she’d checked the ashes of the pyre. Soft’s body had been completely incinerated, leaving only tiny shards of bleached bone that hadn’t been destroyed in the blaze. She had seen something that might once have been the wicked and curved horn, but she didn’t know for sure. Jolly Roger had badly broken it with a rock, and the fire had destroyed the rest. What had once been a cursed remain that had twisted Soft into an alicorn of darkness had finally surrendered to the dust and dirt of the earth. It should have made her feel better… but in reality, being unable to identify its remains only made her worried again. Perhaps more worried than she should be, even.
Rainbow hated herself for it. Why couldn’t she relax when they’d won? Didn’t she deserve some respite after everything she’d done the night before?
All this led to her sitting on the east shore long after most everypony else had gone to sleep. Though she was tired, her mind had pushed the exhaustion aside in favor of horrible paranoia. She was determined to not get caught flat-hoofed again. If something happened in the middle of the night, she knew she needed to be the first to respond. She had Chirp’s blessing, after all. Only she could foil the moon god’s plans if he happened to show his ugly face that night.
The waves crashed against the beach, once more bathing her in that hypnotic rhythm. Her eyes watched the swash come in and out without her even thinking about it. She felt like the ocean had the only calming remedy to soothe her troubled mind. Would this really be so bad to look at for the rest of her life? Would it really be so bad to wake up every morning to the sound of the tides, to bathe in the salty water, to play in its crystal clear hands from sunup to sundown? Would it really be so bad to leave Equestria behind, to make a home for herself and her friends out here, so far from civilization?
It was something that she realized was worth thinking about. That possibility seemed all the more real every day. If she couldn’t go back home, she could at least try to make herself comfortable out here. Maybe now that she had Chirp’s feathers in her wings she could negotiate with the minotaurs and learn their language. If they could work with the natives instead of trying to fight each other, then they all had a much better shot at surviving this ordeal. The cooperation they showed while fighting off Soft Step’s minions was a start. Perhaps it would be worth it to look into fostering a growing bond in the future.
She saw Rarity approaching through the water long before the siren actually made it to the beach. When she did, Rarity groaned and rolled onto her side, her tall dorsal fin keeping her propped up. “The siren thing is nice and all, but I’m really starting to grow tired of it,” she said in a weary voice. She yawned, opening her beak wide and revealing the sharp and pointy depths of her maw for the world to see. “If I want to go anywhere on this island, I have to swim around the edges. I can’t just walk into the middle anymore.”
“At least it means I won’t lose track of you,” Rainbow said, smiling slightly. “Besides, I’m sure you can fix that in some way.”
Rarity blinked. “Fix it? Fix it how?”
“With your magic, duh.” Rainbow looked Rarity’s scaly body over. “If you can sing and tear apart rocks, surely you can sing and turn yourself back into a pony, right? That sounds like something a siren could do.”
“I… suppose.” Rarity shrugged and gazed up at the stars. “I’d just need to figure out how to do it.”
“We’ve got time,” Rainbow said. “It’s not like we’re going anywhere any time soon.”
“I know,” Rarity said. Sighing, she idly drew nonsensical patterns in the sand with the tip of her hoof. “The other plans aren’t going to work, are they.”
It wasn’t a question, it was a statement, one that Rainbow unfortunately agreed with. “I don’t see why they would,” she said. “The sacrifice was made with hearts. Not blood. Soft didn’t care about the blood, she only wanted the heart. There’s a big difference between the two.”
“Is there?” Rarity asked. “I’m not quite up to date with my ritual sacrifice 101.”
“Isn’t, like, the heart where the soul is?” Rainbow asked. “That’s probably why she needed them. There’s nothing special about blood.”
Frowning, she shook her head and rolled onto her stomach. “It doesn’t mean we can’t try.”
“Oh, yeah, sure,” Rainbow said. “I’m just not gonna get my hopes up, because I know we’re going to be disappointed.”
Silence fell between them once more, long and uncomfortable. Both knew the truth but didn’t dare to speak it: that it would take nothing short of a miracle to go home once again. Perhaps they’d been doomed since the moment they set hoof on the island, or perhaps they had a window to go home long ago and missed it. Perhaps the opportunity hadn’t yet arisen. There was always the guaranteed way to go home, but it was too unacceptable, too wrong. Nopony was willing to kill another to make that final sacrifice. And even though it might mean that they’d all be stuck out here for the rest of their lives, Rainbow was proud of them for it. Surviving on this sandy island wasn’t merely about making it to the next day. To Rainbow, it meant making it to the next day with her equinity intact. If she sacrificed that, then Rainbow Dash would have died on the islands, and some doppelganger would be the one going home. It simply wasn’t worth it.
“You know, darling,” Rarity began once the silence had dragged on for long enough. “It’s simply beautiful out here.”
Rainbow nodded. “Yeah, it is,” she said. “It’s a perfect night. There’s almost nothing like it back home.”
Rarity hummed and moved closer to Rainbow, her large, purple tail fin curling as she stretched. “We’ve spent so much time grieving that we’re never going home. But just for once, I’d like to imagine the opposite.” When Rainbow turned to her with a brow raised, she smiled and gestured out into the great dark emptiness around them. “If this was to be our last night out here, darling, what would you like to do? If we were to be brought home tomorrow…how would you spend this last night?”
The question caught Rainbow off guard. “I… I don’t know,” she admitted. “It’s just… I haven’t really thought about it, you know? Because I’ve been expecting the opposite. I’ve just accepted the opposite.”
“It certainly wouldn’t hurt to at least imagine the best case scenario,” Rarity said. “But I think this is just perfect. I’d like to sit on the beach, listen to the waves, and let the noise of the ocean lull me to sleep. There’s nothing quite like the serene tranquility of the beach under the stars.”
“You know, I think I’d like that, too,” Rainbow said.
Rarity scoffed in surprise. “Really? I would’ve thought you’d be spending your time on a night flight high above the sea, where you can watch the moon glitter on the waves far below you.”
Rainbow chuckled. “Yeah, well, that sounds pretty awesome, now that you mention it.” But she shifted closer to Rarity and leaned against her scaly side. “But if I did that, I couldn’t be with you.”
It was sappy, Rainbow knew, but she also knew that it was exactly the kind of thing Rarity would have loved to hear. And judging by the siren’s stunned reaction, she’d played her cards perfectly. “Why… I… Oh, you’re too sweet, darling.”
“Hey,” Rainbow said, looking up into Rarity’s eyes, “just because you’re a big fish doesn’t mean you’re not my big fish. Even if you can’t change back, I’m gonna love you no matter what.”
Rarity blinked in surprise and had to look away. “Oh, Rainbow, you… you don’t know how much that means to me to hear you say that.”
“I think I do,” Rainbow said. “And no matter what happens, Rares, we’re gonna get through this together. Whether you’re a siren or a pony, we’ll always be in it to win it as a team. I promise you that.”
“And I promise you the same,” Rarity said. She turned back to Rainbow, eyes sparkling, and lowered her beak to the pegasus. “I love you, Rainbow. No matter what happens, and no matter what comes. If we go home or not, it doesn’t matter much to me anymore. So long as I have you, I can survive anything.”
Rainbow felt her heart swell, even if she didn’t want to admit it. “Same, Rares,” she said, nuzzling the siren’s cheek. “I love you, too. And we’ll get through this. We’re too awesome not to.”
Rarity giggled. “That, I can believe.”
She curled up on the beach, and Rainbow moved to huddle into her protective scaly warmth. Resting her chin on Rarity’s cheek, the two lovers watched the waves roll in and out and let the stars shine down on them from high above. They’d braved everything that had been thrown at them so far. They’d faced it all down and come out on top, no matter how dire things may have seemed. They’d lost friends of all kinds, but they knew the fallen would always live on in their hearts.
There were mysteries that had yet to be solved. The missing body from the sunken temple. What exactly the minotaurs had found in those papers that were so important to them. If Chirp was really just a bird with magical powers or something more. But there was always time to solve them. There would always be time to figure out what had happened. After all, it wasn’t like they were going anywhere, right?
What was important was that they had survived. And not only had they survived, but they had thrived, and they’d done so together. Now they had a group of friends so they wouldn’t be so alone, and even out here in the middle of tropical nowhere, they had made the magic of friendship bloom once more.
No matter what might come, no matter how good or bad, Rainbow knew that she would be alright.
They had survived.
And they would continue to survive.
No matter how long it took.
Also LikedSimilarAuthor
- Imploding Colon · 671k words · 624 24 · 15k views
- FloydienSlip · 2k words · 90 3 · 2.7k views
- fourths · 5.2k words · 71 5 · 1.4k views
- PropMaster · 2k words · 133 6 · 2.6k views
- The 24th Pegasus · 2.5k words · 100 4 · 1.9k views
- SingMeloetta · 14k words · 21 0 · 3.5k views
- shortskirtsandexplosions · 10k words · 327 10 · 3.2k views
- jasien · 1.9k words · 10 1 · 512 views
Stats
Page generated in 0.214 seconds
Total duration
671 users online
850,399 hits today, 2,724,632 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
'Escaping Sand Island' when?
It's a great ending for this story, to be sure, but I still was kinda hoping that they'd, you know, actually get rescued. I really hope you have a sequel planned.
Nevertheless, thank you for sharing it with us. It's been quite the ride from start to finish.
Whoa, wait...."complete"?
It....is this it? Is this something whee well just have to make up our own ideas for if they ever get off the island? Or is there a sequel planned after a brief break?...
....Wait, that's it?!!?
....
Not bad. I was kinda hoping for more closure, but the open endidness of this book leaves what Happens next to the reader's imagination. Bravo, good sir! I look forward to more of your writing in the future.
So now we wait for the sequel
I'm sorry, WHAT?! I was about to say how glad I was to get two chapters in one day, but COMPLETE?! No, no no no, NO. You can't just end it here! If this story is complete, there had better be a sequel. I NEED MORE!!!
Wait, it's... over? I'm not sure how I feel about that. It's a great ending, for now. And for the record, no one here would probably object to a sequel, if you get around to it. We're basically a legion of your own personal fanbase by now, so I guess there's that. Enjoy your horde of followers.
Sequel! You can't end it before they get home!
They haven't survived Sand Island until they leave, they're just surviving ON Sand Island FOR NOW. False advertising!
Sequel or else!
e.lvme.me/o3rw8jl.jpg
I'm sorry, 'Complete'? Forgive me if I find that hard to believe. I'm thinking that you have a hell of a lot more to give in this story, don't you?
9049906
The irony pains me physically, like a shaft of ice betwixt my ribs. Though I did initially rejoice that the day's chapters had been doubled, the tale's unforeseen ending hath turned sweet joy to bitter sorrow. May the provider soon relent and bestow upon us once more the continuation of this most epic of tales. Sun and Moon smile upon thee, friend.
This has been an excellent read from start to finish. Whether there’s more or not it’s been great being able to read this everyday for almost a year. Thanks 24, it’s been a wild ride.
What? Complete? It can't be! Noooooooooo! There better be a sequel! Poor Twilight and the others will never know what happened to them in those 2 months if they never leave the archipelago.
Oh well, all I can say is this story was a blast to read, I started reading it during the last couple months of University last year.
Wow, 482.4k words, it didn't feel that long of a story to me but dang..........I guess a proper way to fill the void now is to do some fanart like my Rarity one.
"Completed."
img00.deviantart.net/2970/i/2018/195/e/7/a_letter_arrived_by_baron_engel-dch7eu2.jpg
Really? Aw c'mon! At least they aint dead...
Congrats on the finish. Enjoyed it from beginning to end, and it was one amazing journey. Would have loved some more closure or a reunion, but an open ending like this is beautifully bittersweet. Nevertheless, seriously, congrats.
Please don't pull a Gilligan
9050650
No building a spaceship?
9050535
Ooh, baron's art
...
PLEASE LET THERE BE SEQUAL!!!
I know a few ponies in Equestria who would miss them.
Already? Because it seems like you will stay like that for some time...
I present you: Rainbow Dash, Element of Loyality.
(Sounds fishy, I know...)
(And an bad pun, I know...)
Wow, that was a long story.
I still have no idea how you did that; I would imagine writing an chapter each day is very demanding, but you somehow managed it.
Will you tell us your secret?
Anyway, good and impressive work.
I've got a feeling it the story will continue in some way. The only question is: Which way?
Will you make another, daily-updated story, write an 'normal' story or just leave the sequel to our own imagination?
Man, this story is one of the best examples of endurance in writing I've ever seen. Writing a daily story that goes for a week or so isn't that difficult to do, but I can only imagine actually staying persistent enough to continue writing daily chapters for pretty much a year. I wouldn't dream about every doing something like that, so all the props in the world there.
That aside, this was one of the most entertaining stories that I ever read. I normally don't even read big adventure epics like this, but I originally was caught on by the Rarity and Rainbow Dash dynamic you had going on in the beginning of the story. You wrote both of them to a tee, it felt incredibly believable, and their eventual relationship also felt just as believable as well. Particular praise for writing "Rainbow Dash's stubbornness to always want to help" and her idea of "always wanting to protect everybody at all costs" so well, I loved how you wrote her in those situations.
Both you ability to juggle multiple story lines with ease, and the immense world-building you undertook, were terrific. You managed to create a complex historical pony society, complete with its own sort of religion, along with multiple OCs (in particular Gyro and Black Flag who were standouts), and four different island habitats and their subsequent altars. You should pat yourself on the back for that alone, you did a fine job.
In the end though, I can understand everybody's surprise and some dissatisfaction with the ending, although I understand your reasoning with the blog post. To me, it felt like you did your climax with them defeating Soft Step, and then ended the story amidst the falling action, which after everything that came before it, was perfectly fine. It did leave a lot of questions at the end, so I guess perhaps one day they could be revisited, like Rarity remaining a siren, how they truly could get back home, and how Black Flag and Jolly Roger continue to adapt and become part of the family. But that's just my two cents on the matter, I'm just happy with how this all turned out in the end!
One last thing I do have to thank you for, unrelated to the story. I actually wasn't on the site for nearly two years or so before starting to read your story, and I ended up spending the last couple weeks reading the entire thing. In short, you actually brought me back onto this site, and even got me interested enough in this to read other stories and develop the itch to write more of my own. So thanks for that!
I'll be sure to check some of your other stories eventually!
- DJRD
I've been following this since chapter two. At first I was impressed by the daily updates. Then as the word count started to hit 70k and I realized just how big this story was going to be I was flabbergasted. It became a nightly thing to sit down and read the new chapter. I found this story great in both scope and quality. And while I wanted to comment earlier I never knew what to say.
I like how it ended, and if you want to leave it hanging that's fine, you aren't obligated to a sequel. That said, I would love to see your story continued. Even with a slower update schedule.
Thank you for the story.
Bravo.
There are only a handful of stories that are as immersive, detailed, and as well written and this tops the charts. I feel like my life is empty now that this story is over but it's a good empty because you were able to not only tell a story but create a world I got lost in. Your writing was captivating as well as your character development and characterization. I was with you from the very first chapter and I think the ending was a perfect finish.
You deserve a good break. Thank you for writing this.
This has been an amazing ride.. I hope it is finished someday.
9112220
If you're one of those absolute forgiveness types, I'm ending this prematurely.
So, the story still isn't finished? I mean, they are still stuck on the island.
This story was extremely fun from beginning to end. Probably the best pacing I've ever seen in a daily adventure story, which in my opinion have a tendency to occasionally fall into significant lulls. Surviving Sand Island had no such problem: it read like any other thrilling adventure story and that's an amazing feat to pull off with nearly a year of continuous writing.
The characters are for the most part very vibrant and have captivating personalities. I would say among the survivors that Stargazer suffered somewhat from lack of screen time or further development, but the strength of the other characterizations make it a weak complaint. I also adore the RariDash; I think the development was very natural and their relationship was continually exciting and refreshing with the constant bouncing around between drama and humor and sappiness and joy and fear, et cetera.
I also find that I really like this ending, despite how it seems like the story is not yet resolved. You really nail it with the final chapters: this story is not about returning to Equestria, it's about survival. And not just physical survival, but also survival of the soul, of staying humane and empathetic and trusting and hopeful, even as disaster after disaster and tragedy after tragedy strikes. In this respect, Rarity and Rainbow Dash and their company emerge battered, but thriving.
Thanks for the awesome story, 24. I'm half regretting that I wasn't reading it as it was being written, but I am deeply impressed with what you've done here.
Survive?
i can say this is a vary good story.
it does take a bit to get roiling but once it starts moving it never slows down.
the ending defiantly lets a few huge questions open if i had to guess this is set up for a sequel.
only time will tell but i am hoping we will find out what happens to everpony and siren.
i see 1 or 2 relationship ships starting or is it 3?
till we all meat agene for the sequel happy reading and a good life.
I enjoyed the story.
I never leave comments on sites (very anxious person) this might be my first, so 'secretly' hoping you see this. I just felt rude not to because this was a fantastic story. Incredibly well written and fully packed, didn't feel bored once. Binged the whole thing, with only one break in the middle just before landfall at the archipelago (and THAT was a certainly a momentous place to come back to it, wow).
The ending was great truth be told. Upon approaching the last few chapters I guessed that this was the way it was going to go, which if I'm honest did make me feel a little sad. Not because I thought it was bad (it was NOT) just the bitter-sweetness of the thing, which after a few minutes I decided really was the best way to end it. I read your post-story blog and you are absolutely right, after the climax it would have been awkward to build up to another one satisfactorily.
I just now want to say thank you so much for spending a whole year of your free-time telling a story that I and I'm sure many others will remember fondly for a long time. I really, truly appreciate it and best of luck in all your endeavours :)
another damn austraeoh. hell, haven't even finished the second book of austraeoh, but this is going on my read soon list i suppose.
You can has review!
Mighty great story
9818875
I'm a ghost
i would just like to point out real quick that rarity is immortal. she will survive until rainbow dies, at least. and as long as it isn't something unexpected, or rarity kills herself afterward, she will escape relatively quickly. also, some rando pegasus will eventually get washed up and that would still work if they are willing to sacrifice themselves. or also wait to die.
This story was the best kind of painful to read. Sure, it starts somewhat slowly, but there's that omnipresent feeling of suspense and desperation right from the very start.
It doesn't let up at all, then rises up into a crescendo of the same right at the very end.
I think its a safe bet to say this story is one of the best ever written on FiMFiction. It's certainly not the longest by any stretch, but this one just proves that quality beats quantity every time!
Not gonna lie, this stings. I understand that they want to do the right thing, and that none of them want to die. But I also think that none of them want to be trapped on that island forever or until one of them decides "fuck it I'll die." Don't get me wrong, I absolutely loved the story, but at the same time, they spent the entire story trying to get home. I just wish there was a sequel.
10362883
...what?
Please let there be a part 2. A way off the island, please... don't leave us with this cliff hanger
I’ve had this story on my RIL for about two years I think. Sometime a few months ago I finally finished a different long fic so my ‘nightly long fic in bed’ spot opened up and I slotted this one in. (I upvoted it ages ago, so never worry!)
It can be intimidating to start a big work! Though sometimes it helps knowing it’s complete. I enjoyed Lost the tv show very much the same way, coming to it years after the craze and just binge watched it. I sometimes wonder if reading / watching in the moment would have been a different experience, but I think it helped here. Especially with the short chapters, it made for bite sized candy bars before bedtime.
In anycase, I thought the premise was very strong and the opening on the airship was nice and strong. Good establishing of both Rarity and Rainbow. I do like how you write their dynamic and even if this story didn’t have the stranding on an island I would have kept reading an alternate reality fic where they get into silly odd-couple hijinx in their accidental business vacation together. You do some great world building and lore and I think you could make traveling in a foreign city might be as detailed as surviving on an island.
The action moments were thrilling, the crash itself and the later minotaur procession, Squall’s 2 on 1 fight, the retreat from the burial tomb, the siren battle were standouts. It dragged a little in some places, but I wasn’t ever bored.
I enjoy that the story can be sort of made into three acts with the second one being the introduction of the statues mystery and the third being the conflict with moon god. The later expanded cast made great for an evolving story that went past just the nuts and bolts of surviving on an island.
The story is long and slow paced enough that I got to enjoy many of the characters… right before they get killed off. Sometimes all in a rush! Ouch my heartstrings. I felt Melody’s death the most, especially since you were using her as a nice introduction to some very creative siren society / dynamics / lore. Her getting blasted and then seeing her dead body was tearful. I can only hope that by giving her heartstone to her mother, mayb some kind of re-incarnation / rebirth could happen
Another OC I enjoyed was Gyro. She is quirky and funny and added a nice bit of levity in the middle parts Though her injury sort of pushed her into the background role. Admittedly, it's a little disheartening that she spent the majority of the story either on the mend from starvation or on the mend from getting her back broken.
(Also spinal surgery on a mystery magic island? I too remember that particular Lost episode)
Her relationship with Coals is nice. Even if it sort of finished her Arc a little. At least these two can be happy together if there is truly no escape.
The ending was a bit bittersweet, especially with who got sacrificed and the survivors overall position. Though the whole turn to the camera of them shouting out sequel hooks does make me grumble juuuuust a bit. You better be writing a sequel if you are going to be that transparent about “OH hey look at all these mysteries we didn’t solve. Sure would be cool to explore all these mysteries!”
It’s fine if you are writing more and I’ll merrily pick it up!), a bit cruel if you are not since you could have woven the answers into the slower parts of the story. Though that’s my only nitpick, really.
I had an enjoyable time with this! Thank you for writing and bringing us such a grand adventure.
So is there an actual relevant OC in this or was the OC tag added to lure people in? Because the description doesn't mention an oc being on the island with them so I can only assume the OC is a passing captain who saves them or something?
11321398
...what?
an OC is an original character, as in a being who was not seen in any official media. I know that pretty much everyone knows that, but this story has a great many OC's and so the only reason I could think of for your confusion is that you somehow do not. I should also point out that a good 90% of stories have at least one OC, so I'm not really sure what you mean by "lure people in" given how common and expected it is. I can confidently say that I have never once refused to read a story because it had or lacked OC's.
or, wait. did you not actually read the story? upon re-reading your comment I realize that you only referred to the tags and description and appear to have not read the story. I was extremely confused for a while there.
Love the story!
11403057
I haven't read it yet because I wanted to know if any OC character was prominent enough to warrant a tag. And while yes reading your reply now does make me realize that the OC tag can be used for non MC OCs I didn't realize it at the time hence the 'Luring' comment. I had assumed the OC may have been a MC in the story and thus wanted conformation before reading.
The last chapter?!
Perhaps I should've read one chapter a day. Then at least I would've taken a year to get through this marvelous story...
Oh man.. i already read this story once back when it was released chapter by chapter. Recently i decided to re-read it and i've done so over the last two weeks. it was soooo worth it, it's surprising how little does one remember after a couple of years. i only remembered the first kiss, the battle with the red bitch and a couple of other small details. this fic used to be in my top 3 for sure but now i'd say it sits at no. 1 (possibly a tie with The Enchanted Library)
No other story i've ever read made me this excited, scared, happy and sad. Like the part on the minotaur island when they steal the medalion.. my heart was beating so hard i was beginning to be slightly concerned. unreal.
thank you for writing this masterpiece. it's an honour and a privilige, being able to read this. I would love to own a physical copy.
Love
dotLuna
an airship wreck in the middle of the ocean on a deserted island?
now where have I heard that one before?...