Soon as they appeared on the beach, the group gave the area a look. The beach itself proved to be a sort of semicircle, with a partially submerged sandbar helping to form a decently-sized lagoon, sparsely dotted with palm trees. The main building, that doubled as a small hotel, was visible about a couple hundred yards off, just before the treeline. An intact, if slightly battered-looking, volleyball court could be seen nearby, and one of the bungalows wasn't far off.

"A pity this place is abandoned." Rarity sighed. "It must've been a sight in its heyday."

"Eh, it's a little run-down, but I think they didn't even bother packing when they left it, so there should still be some usable stuff here." Tempest replied, getting her bags up. "All right, everyone grab your stuff and either pick a bungalow, or find one of the hotel rooms. C'mon, babe." She bumped her hip against Spike. "Let go get one with a view."

"Oh, Spikey, darling, could you..." Rarity stopped. 'No! No! What are you THINKING, Rarity!?' She yelled at herself mentally, knowing full well the next worlds out of her mouth were going to be asking him to 'help with her bags'. AKA, talk him into carrying them for her. 'It's antics like that that started this whole thing! You only brought a couple, and you're strong enough to carry them your own bucking self, so do it!' "Um, c-could you let me know if you see my other bag over there?"

"Oh, ok." Spike replied, taking a quick look while he grabbed up his duffel bag.

Rarity breathed a sigh of relief, but not before Tempest gave her a sidelong glance and mouthed 'Smart move' to her. The fashionista felt like kicking herself for her near slip-up. 'Celestia...I have a looot of bad habits to break...'.

A couple of minutes later, and the group scattered somewhat to pick their rooms. Rainbow picked out one on the hotel's top floor since it was up high, though the slight musty smell made her find one missing a window. Fluttershy picked a bungalow near the jungle, with AJ next door since both mares felt more at home there. Starlight and Trixie took the pair just across from their's.

Rarity took one of the beach, for easy sunning. And Pinkie, for reasons that made sense to her, moved into a cabana that looked like it had been intended to be a snack stand at first. Spike and Tempest took a top floor room too, picking one that gave a view of the jungle and mountain on the other side of the island.

Twilight, doing her best to act like she'd just picked at random, had moved into a near Spike's, hoping this would help with her plans. "Celestia, please let this work..." She said to herself while unpacking. She wasn't sure what she was feeling more, anxious about whether of not she could fix things between her and Spike, or mad at herself for not realizing until now how how stupid she'd been acting. Now she just had to think of where to begin.

Taking a deep breath of the incoming sea breeze, Rainbow started looking through her stuff for her bikini - may as well dress for the occasion. When she looked for it, she started thinking about what do. "Think, Dash! There's gotta be something..." She frowned before taking on a contemplative look. "Huh, maybe some fun'd work for a start...just no pranks. No pranks." Looking out over the beach, an idea hit her when she remembered the volleyball court. "Oh yeah, hehehe. Hope the balls are still good, though.

Fluttershy had yet to unpack. Instead she was curled up on the bed, looking morose. 'You really have been a bad friend to him, haven't you Fluttershy...' She told herself, almost scathingly. 'Even after the Power Ponies comic, after you promised...' She sniffled, knowing she had to try and make it up to him somehow. "Maybe...maybe starting simple'd help..." She wondered. After all was her tarring him with the same brush, and keeping her distance, that had started her own part in this mess.

"Well, looks like the others have quite the problem to sort out." Trixie said, stepping outside for a moment and meeting Starlight.

"Looks like it." Starlight sighed, thinking about the argument that day. "Like I said, I don't really know much about what's going on. But, I should probably, at the very least, let Spike know I have his back in this."

"Well, I don't really have a stake in this; however, knowing he's got at least two out there for him should help."

"So...this from a sense of altruism, or you hoping Tempest'll let you have some vitamin D?"

"Yes."

Applejack finished emptying her bags, but her mind was somewhere else.

Mainly the same problem five of her friends were experiencing. She felt like dope slapping herself. Rule No.1 of the Apples was 'Family'. It didn't matter if they were by blood or not. And she'd come to see all six of them in that respect...except she sure as hell didn't treat Spike like it. A small part of her was glad Granny and her siblings didn't find out. 'Bloom an' Mac never would let me hear the end of it. Granny...' Applejack shivered a bit. 'Probably be lucky if she just tanned mah hide for breaking Rule One.' She racked her head for a solution. "Maybe jus' showin' him he matters'll work as a start to it at least...jus' hangin out, or similar."

"Spikey, I'm really REALLY about those pranks! No, that doesn't sound sincere at all!" Pinkie paced around her cabana anxiously. "I am SO SO sorry! I didn't mean to make any of my friends feel like that." She shook her head. "Maybe, but it don't cover everything! Think, Pinkemena, think!" She rapped herself in the noggin. "I gotta show Spike I'm really, absolutely, one hundred and eighty-three percent sorry about what I did!"

"So, now it starts." Spike said, enjoying the view out the window.

"Yep, this whole island is our playground." Tempest slipped her arms around him from behind. "And our bedroom."

"Intriguing." He smirked, turning to face her, only to see she didn't have anything on. "Ok, I take it back." He scooped her up. "THIS view is much better."

Tempest laughed and wrapped her legs around him. "Well, this is MY island. I don't have to wear anything if I don't want." She gave him bedroom eyes before kissing him. "And the same goes for a certain dragon."

"You, Miss Berrytwist, make a very convincing argument."

"Oh? Then how come your pants are still on?"

Author's Note

I'll try and make the following chapters a bit longer.