//------------------------------// // Tender Hearts // Story: Surviving Sand Island // by The 24th Pegasus //------------------------------// With the excitement and danger of visiting the minotaurs’ island over with, getting back to work was almost like a reprieve for Rainbow. There wasn’t a reason to hide or sneak around. Once more, she could finally just walk around under the sun and enjoy the silver linings of being trapped out in the middle of nowhere. It really was like an island getaway vacation when she didn’t have to worry about finding enough to eat and drink and avoiding minotaurs to stay alive. But the warm sun and clear blue skies were also a curse when it came time to actually do work and not just nap on the sand or play on the beach. There weren’t any clouds to provide any shade, and the island was incredibly humid. By the early afternoon, Rainbow was dripping with sweat and constantly held her good wing out at her side like a feathery radiator. And there was still a lot to do. While Gyro took it easy near the spring and focused on recovering her strength, Rainbow and Rarity were busy almost until sundown. Once Rarity returned with another harvest of fruit, her and Rainbow started putting together a second shelter. Without the tools to add onto the existing one, at least not without tearing the whole thing down, they simply started scavenging planks from their salvage pile and erecting them into the frame of an even bigger hut. As Rarity had put it, it was “time to upgrade.” Of course, a bigger hut meant more work and more material to build it. By Rainbow’s estimates, they had enough salvaged wood and nails to put together something twice as big as their current shelter. Palm fronds weren’t a problem at all, considering the island was covered with the trees, but if they ever wanted to build anything more, they’d need to collect the wood themselves. At least building the raft had proven to them that they could cut down trees and work with the wood using stone tools. If they happened to find more survivors on any of the other islands, they would certainly need to do so if they wanted to make huts for them as well. By the time sundown arrived, Rainbow and Rarity had put together the frame of their new hut. At Rarity’s insistence, they’d shaped it like a blunted T, adding on a protrusion to the middle of the rectangle to form an entryway. It created a proper entrance to the structure, giving it a sort of refinement and purpose that made it seem more like a small house than a crude construction to keep the wind and rain out. As they finally decided to call it quits for the day, the two ponies took a moment to appreciate all they’d accomplished. “Looks like we’re getting set to move in,” Rainbow said. “Looks kinda permanent, don’t you think?” “I certainly don’t intend on tearing it down and rebuilding it like we did with our last one,” Rarity said. “The minotaurs already know we’re out here. If they ever come again, we’ll be forced to stand our ground and fight them off.” Rainbow shook her head. “It’s not that, it’s just…” She looked over the care they’d taken in placing every joint and the extra effort that had gone into the entryway. “It’s like we’re admitting defeat. That we’re going to be here for the long haul.” “I’m not sure I follow, darling.” “Like… I don’t know.” Rainbow scratched her chin. “It was fine when it was just a little crappy hut we put up to keep the rain off of us and everything, because we weren’t planning on using it forever. It was just there to keep us dry. But this is like, something more. It’s not just a hut to keep us dry, this is the foundation of a home. We wouldn’t put all this effort into something if we weren’t planning on using it for a long time.” Rarity furrowed her brow. “And why would that be a bad thing, Rainbow?” she asked. “We know that we’ll be here for some time. We aren’t going to simply pack up our things and be on a boat back to Equestria tomorrow. We could be here for… well, this could take months, Rainbow. I think it’s better to acknowledge that now instead of living in the vain hope that by not building a permanent structure and refusing to believe we’ll be here longer than a week, rescue will find us sooner.” Rainbow’s ruby eyes fell. “I guess you’re right,” she said, pushing her hoof through the sand. “I just don’t want to believe it. I just want to go home and get on with my life. I don’t want to spend Celestia knows how long out here in the middle of nowhere. And it’s stupid, but some part of me is afraid that if we build this big hut thing, we’ll never go home. We’ll be stuck here forever and either die horribly or live the rest of our lives like hermits.” Rarity sat down next to Rainbow and wrapped her tail around the pegasus. “Building something like this isn’t going to change anything,” Rarity said. “I think I understand what you mean, and I don’t blame you. I’m afraid that we’ll never come home, too. But so long as we keep trying, we’ll find a way back eventually.” She pointed her hoof at the frame in front of them. “Building a house isn’t going to change that. If anything, it will make the days more tolerable until we can finally go home. It will make our time on this island feel nowhere near as long if we can live in some level of comfort instead of the bare minimum.” “I… I guess.” Rainbow chewed on her lip. “Whatever. It’s stupid.” Rarity blinked. “It’s a valid concern, Rainbow. It’s not ‘stupid.’ You’re just worried about getting back home, and I understand that. There’s nothing more to it.” Rainbow looked to the side and saw Rarity watching her with concerned eyes. Still, that was enough to make her smile. “Thanks, Rares,” she said, nuzzling the mare’s cheek. “Thanks for caring.” “I really do care about you, Rainbow,” Rarity said in a soft voice. “You mean a lot to me, and we’re marefriends now, and, well…” She swallowed hard, blushing. “A-And I believe I… I love you.” Rainbow blinked in surprise, her eyes locked with Rarity’s. Though the seamstress was blushing fiercely, her gaze was unwavering and determined. She did not look away, even as the seconds ticked on and the only thing to break the silence was the crashing of the waves on the shore. “I…” Rainbow felt her tongue go dry and her chest begin to flutter. “You… you love me? Really love me?” Rarity nodded. “It’s… taken me some time to admit it to myself, to be fair,” she said, finally abashedly looking away. “I needed to feel out our relationship… make sure it was more than just the heat and stresses of the moment. But after the temple, after everything we’ve been through together…” Her eyes sparkled in the sunlight as they flitted back to Rainbow’s face. “I felt like I was missing something. That feeling of knowing there’s somepony you care about and who cares about you more than anything else. And given all we’re still likely to face before we get home… I didn’t want to wait too long and then never get the chance to say it.” Her throat bobbed as she swallowed. “So I love you, Rainbow. I just want you to know that.” Rainbow’s tail swished across the sand. “I love you too, Rares,” she said. “I just didn’t know when it would be right. The right time to say it.” She shook her head. “I’m bad at the romance crap. But I love you too.” Rarity leaned against Rainbow’s side. “You don’t have to be good about it, Rainbow,” she said. “Just honest.” “Just honest?” Rainbow briefly smirked. “I’m no Applejack, but I think I can do that.” “That’s all I can ask for.” She nosed the bottom of Rainbow’s chin, and Rainbow angled her head to present her muzzle to Rarity. Their lips met, only now it was for something new… something more. Rainbow never wanted to let that moment go.