The sand down by the water was warm and mushy from the waves rolling in and out. Rarity could feel it separating and sliding around with every step she took. Clumps of moist sand would cling to her fetlocks, only for the next wave to wash them away.
Rainbow walked by her side, wing over her back. Together, they leisurely walked the perimeter of the island under the silver glow of the moon and the fiery twinkling of distant stars. It was a clear night, and the waters around the island looked like crystal. The air was warm, coupled with a gentle breeze. With Rainbow’s feathery wing draped over Rarity’s shoulders, it was the perfect night to simply sit outside and do nothing.
But the two ponies weren’t just getting into a whole lot of nothing. There were innumerous little touches, nuzzles, and squeezes along the walk around the island. They talked, they giggled, they were happy. Occasionally, they’d stop by the water and kiss for a few seconds, then turn and stand side by side as they looked out over the dark infinite around them. Like so many times since they first washed up on the island all those weeks ago, Rarity felt like it was just her and Rainbow, all alone in an infinite starry void.
Eventually, their walk took them to the lagoon. They had to cut over the west arm of the south hill, given that the beach turned into craggy rocks around the hidden entrance to the shrine under the island, but soon enough they found themselves standing at the edge of pearly white sands. In the moonlight, the perfect beach looked like fresh snow.
Rarity felt like she was trespassing on some holy place as her and Rainbow walked to the water’s edge. Their hoofprints tore up the perfect sheen of the sand, ruining what would be an otherwise picturesque moment. But those thoughts were drawn out of her mind when her and Rainbow sat down side by side at the edge of the swash zone, just barely out of reach of the lapping waves.
“This place is beautiful,” Rarity said. “I haven’t been back here since long before we left for the other island.”
“We’ve been busy,” Rainbow said. “But yeah. It’s weird how awesome this island can be if we just ignore all the bad stuff.”
Rarity leaned against Rainbow’s shoulder, even though she was still bigger than her marefriend. “Ignore all the bad stuff,” she echoed, her thoughts spreading out. “It’s moments like these that make me think, and I don’t know what to make of them.”
“Make of what?” Rainbow’s eyebrow climbed up her head. “You… aren’t thinking of staying, are you?”
It was a tough question for Rarity to answer—surprisingly difficult when confronted with a view like this and the happy companionship of the mare at her side. “I want to go back to Equestria,” Rarity said. “I miss civilization and its comforts. I miss fashion and our friends. I miss my job and our hometown. But there have been days when I just wanted nothing more than to… ball it all up and throw it away.”
She frowned out over the waters of the lagoon. “Dismantle my fashion empire or sell it off and be done with all the publicity and celebrity shoots and… and bullshitting it takes to advance in that world. The asses you have to kiss just to stay ahead of the game. The ponies you have to smile and wave to when you want nothing more than for them to just go away.”
Rainbow watched as Rarity’s face contorted between several conflicting emotions. “In a way, this whole thing has been a vacation for me. My schedule was completely booked from the moment I arrived in the Confederacy to the moment I left. I had to channel my inner Twilight and block out six hours of sleep each night before I had to get back to work. Apart from the leisurely flights there and back, I would have had no free time to just live and enjoy myself. And then we ended up here and I haven’t had to deal with any of it. Nothing at all.” Her lips trembled as she fought between the urges to smile, frown, or simply cry. “Am I a bad pony for enjoying this? For part of me wanting it? What am I?”
“You’re not,” Rainbow insisted. She leaned back against Rarity, nudging her into the embrace of her wing and dusting her lips over the unicorn’s cheek. “You’re just stressed, Rares. That’s all there is to it. It’s the craziness of trying to do what we gotta to survive here. And we will survive, okay?”
Rarity dipped her head. “Stress… okay.” Her eyes met Rainbow’s and she blinked back a confused tear. “But it’s… it’s not like me,” she insisted. “I feel like even thinking about this means I’m giving up on home. That I’m content to live out the rest of my days like a hermit on this tiny island and eat nothing but fruit with ‘apple’ in the name and coconuts. I don’t want that, but I don’t want to go back to what I came from, either. I nearly broke these past few months.”
Rainbow blinked. “Broke? What do you mean?”
“You don’t read the tabloids, right.” Rarity sighed and pawed at the sand. “The tabloids are running smear campaigns on me. But that in itself doesn’t mean anything, right? They do that to everypony. They make up things about us that are blatantly untrue just to get ponies to read them. But they started accusing me of using my charm and beauty to sleep my way to the top. How else would you describe such a meteoric rise in just a few short years?
“That isn’t what bothers me, though,” she continued. “It’s the mail. I get letters from ponies who call me names, say they’re sickened with me and don’t want anything to do with me or my company—over a lie published in a paper that spoon-feeds its own feces to the idiots who buy it! These ponies take what they read at face value and insult me and accuse me of betraying their trust and the trust of Equestria as an Element. And the paparazzi are always camped outside of my homes, even when I’m out of town, just waiting for a chance to snap a picture of me deep-throating some executive for capital to launch a new line or something like that! I haven’t had privacy in forever, and I’m just… so tired of it all!”
Rarity didn’t even know that she was heaving and panting or that tears were staining her cheeks until Rainbow hugged her and wiped them away with a wingtip. Trembling, Rarity closed her eyes and leaned into Rainbow’s embrace, sniffling and hiccupping—but not crying.
Eventually, Rainbow tilted Rarity’s head back and planted her lips against hers. There wasn’t any tongue, nothing passionate, but the mere act made Rarity rein in control of her nerves. Placing her hooves on Rainbow’s chest, she tried to slide in as close to the pegasus as she could, synchronizing their breathing and letting their lips and teeth gently tug at each other. With a sniffle, she opened her eyes and broke off the kiss, her breathing tentative and restrained.
It was Rainbow who drew her back in. Pivoting about to face Rarity head on, she slid closer until their chests almost touched. “You’re stronger than all that, Rares,” she said. “Idiots aren’t worth your time. You just gotta ignore them and keep doing your thing.” Smirking, she added, “There’s a reason why I don’t read the tabloids, and it’s not because I’m just an oblivious idiot who doesn’t think about them. Spitfire gave me that talk the day they made me a full member of the Bolts. If you never read what’s in the tabloids, they can’t get you, and at the end of the day that’s just what they want, because it gives them more crap to write about.”
“It’s just… so hard when it’s everywhere,” Rarity mewled. “Can you blame me for wanting an out?”
“No, but I know you, Rarity. This is what you’ve always wanted. And I’ll clip my wings if a bunch of anonymous bullies force you to retire.” She gently jabbed a hoof into Rarity’s chest. “We’re gonna get out of here, and you’re gonna get back to the job and do it better than ever. And nopony is gonna be able to touch you after all this.”
That brought a little smile to Rarity’s muzzle. “I… You’re right,” she said. “I just need to keep being myself and not let anypony change that. Thank you, darling.”
Rainbow answered with a kiss instead of words. Moaning and grunting, the two mares drew each other close as they exchanged kisses and nuzzles. Rarity’s heart started fluttering, and she felt tingles of electricity crawling up and down her skin as their passion grew more and more heated. Within minutes, it reached a climax, a point of no return where both ponies knew what waited for them if they proceeded further.
They broke the kiss just long enough to catch their breath. Then, smiling, Rainbow leaned in and rubbed noses with Rarity. “You ready?” she whispered. Those two words held so much in them: anticipation, hope, anxiety. They were a mirror of Rarity’s own feelings.
Rarity kissed Rainbow’s nose and took her hooves in her own. “Take your time,” she said softly. “Don’t feel rushed on my account.”
Rainbow chuckled. “I may like going fast, Rarity, but even I know when it’s time to slow down.” They kissed one more time, and then Rainbow put her hoof on Rarity’s chest, gently forcing the unicorn to lie down. Crawling on top of her, she pinned Rarity to the ground, their ragged tails twisting together. “I love you, Rarity.”
Rarity squeezed her legs against Rainbow’s flanks, holding her in place. “I love you too, Rainbow,” she said, locking eyes with her marefriend. She brushed a lock of yellow hair out of Rainbow’s face and smiled.
Then she gasped as Rainbow nipped at her neck and started working her way down, down, down…