Rarity sank back onto the warm fabric that separated her body from the hot sand beneath her. She let the ground support her as she stretched her limbs out. It felt good. Her feet enjoyed the pleasure of digging and caressing the fine powder that surrounded her.
'This is much more pleasant than reclining in a deck chair.' She thought. Pony bodies didn’t really allow for this kind of reclination due to their leg positions.
She let the warming rays of the bright sun beat down upon her pale white skin, bringing her a warming, relaxing sensation.
She was in heaven.
This was the closest she had been to naked the whole time she had been on this world. Her blue bikini fitting her perfectly, and supporting the two breasts she was now endowed with. In fact she was pleased that they did wear clothes all the time in this world. She felt like walking around with them unsupported might not be too easy.
Letting out a deep, conceded breath, she let all those thoughts float away. She was here.
She had her beach, there were no press, and there was no need to teach any friendship lessons.
Rainbow Dash ran along the beach front. The water lapped at her heels and the wind breezed through her hair. Applejack followed her, catching up step by step. They were on a level playing field now. A few steps later and splash!
Applejack hurled her body at rainbow, tackling her to the ground in a clumsy manner, not quite sure how the frail human body works. Rainbow tumbled into the sea with her as the waves roared next to them.
They laughed together and Applejack pecked a kiss upon Rainbow’s blue cheek. Another wave roared past and Rainbow used it to wrestle Applejack around and onto the sand bellow her.
“Gotcha!” She cried in victory, straddling Applejack and holding her shoulders down into the sand.
“Or have yah!” Applejack replied. She used her superior arm muscle to swipe Rainbow’s arms from her shoulders. Before Rainbow could fall onto her, she caught her torso, and lowered Rainbow down for a deep, intimate kiss.
As their lips touched another wave roared over them. Rainbow was knocked aside, but Applejack kept her grip strong, and they intertwined in their embrace.
Their discovery of this new type of intimacy guiding their new-found contact. Their bare skin between their bikini and swim shorts providing new sensual possibilities.
Sunset returned from the ice cream kart a few hundred meters away with two ice cream cones. She approached wearing her normal black bikini with orange swim-skirt.
“Those two seem to be having a good time.” She exclaimed, taking a seat on the towel next to Rarity beneath a shady wooden umbrella.
Rarity took the effort to raise her head just enough that she could spy Rainbow and Applejack’s embrace from behind her dark sunglasses.
“Oh darling, this is so good for them. They’ve been so stressed back home.”
Sunset smiled. “I got you an ice-cream, here.” She offered a cone to Rarity. “It’s just like pony ice-cream, you eat the cone and lick the cream.”
“Ooooohhh thank you!” She exclaimed, sitting up in delight.
The two sat in silence for a moment, admiring the golden sand of the sunny beach.
“Do you have anyone, sorry, anypony back home Rarity?” Sunset asked curiously.
Rarity stumbled before answering, “Um no darling. I’m afraid that running a fashion empire just takes too much effort to be able to hold down stable relationships.”
Sunset sensed something in her reply. “Would you like someone?” she asked, observing “Appledash” in action and thinking about her own coupled friends. Rarity turned to Sunset studying her for a second, then she followed her gaze over to Appledash. She felt her eyes start to water more than normal behind her big sunglasses.
She thought of replying for a few moments but then turned her attention back to the relaxation at hand. “Well a few times I’ve thought about it. But I must prioritise my business and my employees. I mustn't take my eye off the ball. A second spent is a bit earned as they say, and they all have wages and commissions that need paying.”
She put on her strong businesswoman attitude. Sunset smiled and turned her attention back to her ice cream, taking a bite out the side of the cone. Rarity smiled too. She pushed her long purple hair out of her sunbathed face and mimicked Sunset, using her newly arranged teeth to take a bite of the cold cream.
She concentrated on putting that conversation out of her mind, in an attempt to turn her smile into a more sincere one. She felt like there might have been more to Sunset’s comment but she didn’t like to pry. She didn't know Sunset all too well.
Another wave roared over the pair of kissing humans.
Rainbow pulled away, having made her way back on top. She moved Applejack’s hair out of her eyes.
“I bet you miss your hat.” She said softly.
“Ah bet you miss your wings.”
“But you know what I don’t miss?”
“What?”
“You.” She taunted, planting a kiss on Applejack's lips.
She pulled away and stared into her big green eyes, admiring their colour and beauty. She touched the soft, long blond hair with her hands, it was now coated in sand. Her heart was racing and she felt herself dawn to Applejack. She moved in closer.
Applejack felt herself excited. She was enjoying it too much. She pulled her head up to meet Rainbow’s lips.
CRASH!
Before their lips could meet, a large wave pounded right into the side of Applejack. Her ears, nose and mouth were filled with salty sea water and a greasy stream of seaweed clung to her hair.
Rainbow recoiled in shock. She had completely forgotten about the sea for a minute. She landed on her bum in the wet sand behind her looking up at the disgruntled Applejack. Then she fell about laughing.
“RAINBOW!” Applejack spluttered annoyed.
“Awww c'mon, that wasn’t my fault.” She offered a hand to her downed girlfriend. "Here I’m sorry.”
Applejack nodded it off and accepted Rainbow's hand. The moment however had passed. She looked over to see Sunset and Rarity sharing an ice-cream a little way away. Rainbow then pulled her up.
"Ah wonder how Rarity's doin'." She said thoughtfully.
Rarity finished her ice-cream, bringing her sandy hands together and dusting them off. "Where shall I put the Napkin Sunset?" She asked.
"Oh just pass it here, I'll go take it to the bin up there." She gestured to the bin. It sat in front of the rocky wall at the edge of the beach that separated the sand from the pathway.
"Oh are you sure?"
"It's no problem, don't worry. You just get back to sunbathing and enjoying the holiday." Sunset offered, taking Rarity's napkin from her hands. "Be back in a minute." She chirped, making her way over the sand to the bin. Rarity gave her a thankful smile.
Then she sighed. Her demeanour now heavy with loneliness. She let herself feel for just a moment before shrugging it off and putting on a smile again. She took a deep breath leaning back and letting the sun shine down on her face, enjoying the warmth it bought her.
Applejack and Rainbow Dash approached the sunbathing spot arm in arm. A neat trick they had learnt with this human body, they could link arms and walk at the same time. It was comforting. Ponies couldn't do that or they'd fall over.
"How's it goin' Rare?" She called upon approach.
"Oh, it's so nice to be able to just relax under the beautiful sun and not have anypony following us around!"
"You sure about that?" Rainbow quizzed, diving to her towel. They were separated only by Applejack's towel. Rarity gave her a defensive, investigative look. "I know chillaxing, and you don't seem chillaxed." Rainbow said in response, relaxing back on her towel.
"Y'all do seem a tad tense Rarity." Applejack asked concerned.
Rarity looked away from them and down the beach. Her smile had not held up. She took a deep breath and thought of Sunset's questions.
"It's nothing, I'm sorry, I've just had a lot on my mind recently, with the boutique and all." She sat up and turned around, checking on Sunset's location. Applejack took a seat on the towel next to her. She gave a concerned look to Rainbow.
"Sunset's been so lovely, it's a shame we never really got to know her back when." Rarity distracted from the conversation.
"Yeah, Twilight was always concerned about us bumping into ourselves. That's why she never came back here." Rainbow called over from her chillaxed position, reaching for a pair of dark sunglasses to shield her eyes from the beating sun.
"Ah know, but a copy of herself was always here, so it's not like the universe is gunna implode because us three are here now." Applejack added.
"She seems so excited for us to be here, I guess she must miss Equestria a little. I would." She realised this conversation was no more upbeat than the last one, she suddenly switched up her manner. "On the up side, the fact they wear so many clothes here is just fabulous. Bikini's! Equestria barely has any bikini industry, here there are some absolutely beautiful options."
Applejack shared a smile with Rainbow. Rainbow who didn't register the smile from behind the dark glasses. Rarity now brimming with vigour for fashion.
At that point, Sunset returned from her errand.
"Hey guys! Gettin' very cushy over there." She called, snidely mocking the couple next to Rarity. Applejack blushed, but Rainbow was already gone into her world of chillaxing, lost in a world of relaxation. "It's a shame you don't have enough time to learn how to swim, the water is lovely and warm this time of year.
"How come it is so warm?" Applejack asked. "It's nearing winter in Equestria, do you not have winter here?"
"Well, in Equestria, ponies control everything, from weather and seasons, to the time of day. Here it all just seems to happen." Sunset replied.
"You mean like the magic of the Everfree forest?" Rarity inquired.
"I guess so, it all controls itself. I'm guessing that at various points Equestria just became out of sync with this world. This is our late summer here."
"Well darling the late summer fashion is gorgeous. We don't have anything like this in Equestria."
"Aha, I thought you might like that." Sunset looked at her watch. "Time is getting on, do you guys fancy going out and getting some food?"
"Ah sure could go for somethin, mah stomach feels empty as a cider barrel after cider season." Sunset gave her a funny look, but Rarity was used to her countryisms by now.
"I know a great place at the mall that I think you guys will love." She chirped.
"What's a mall?" Rarity asked innocently, "and can we eat the same food we're used to here?"
"Well the food here is different, but I think there's a fair selection that will be familiar to you. As for the mall.., that you'll just have to wait and see." She teased, knowing full well Rarity would enjoy that experience... Hopefully.
They spent a few minutes packing up their towels. Waking Rainbow proved a tougher trick than expected. She had been working a lot, evidently the Wonderbolt's exercise regimen transposed fatigue to this body too.
They headed back to Sunset's to get changed.
Changed into other outfits. Rarity was excited.