//------------------------------// // Beach Songs, and Seeing the Sunset // Story: Vacation Revelations (Or, Why Do Humans Bother to Wear Bikinis?) // by ssjgokillo //------------------------------//         “So Twilight, what was it you wanted to show me?”  Rainbow Dash asked.  Twilight had asked her to follow her up to her chambers in the castle, saying that she had something important to show the pegasus.         “It’s a surprise Rainbow Dash.  Close your eyes, I’ll tell you when you can open them!”  Twilight said.  She was smiling giddily, almost unable to believe that she was going to do this.         Rainbow Dash huffed in annoyance, but did as Twilight asked.  As soon as Twilight saw the pegasus scrunch her eyes closed, she used her horn to summon the surprise she wanted to show her.  With another simple spell, the scene was set.  She felt her body practically thrumming in nervous excitement.         “Okay Rainbow, you can open your eyes now.”  Twilight said.  Her voice sounded husky, even to her own ears.  Apparently Rainbow had noticed it as well, as he had raised an eyebrow in confusing before opening her eyes.         “Alright Twilight, so what is hamanahhamanahhamanahhamanah…”  Rainbow Dash trailed off unintelligibly as she got a look at her “surprise”.         Twilight, who was standing on her rear legs and leaning against one of the posts of her bed, was wearing clothes.  Only they were unlike any clothes she’d ever seen.  For some reason the top piece covered the top-middle of her barrel.  But the bottom piece.  It was pulled tightly against her, making her plot seem to be even curvier than it naturally was.  It enhanced her most intimate areas, yet hid them from view, making them all the more enticing. Rainbow felt her mouth go dry, and could hear the tell tale signs of her wings springing to attention.  “Twi..wha… I…Is it my birthday?”   Twilight opened her mouth to say something to the affirmative.  Maybe even mention that Rainbow Dash should “unwrap” her present.  Before she could however, there was a flash of light from behind her.  She turned around to see some nondescript stallion with a camera.   Before she could figure out what was going on, the scene changed.  She was standing before Princess Celestia who was looking down at her in disappointment.  A look that actually made Twilight’s heartache. “I can’t believe you would wear something so inappropriate Twilight Sparkle!  You are a Princess now, surely you knew better.”  A newspaper hung between the two, a picture of Twilight standing seductively against her bedpost in the bikini she had shown Rainbow Dash.  Above the picture, in big, bold red letters, was the title: Newest Princess Presents Perverted Ponywear to Persuade Pegasus to Pucker Up! At least she thought that’s what it said.  The text was starting to look more like scirbbles than anything else.  She turned to Princess Celestia to try and plead her case, only to notice that Princess Celestia was moving in slow-motion.  She was saying something, but Twilight couldn’t understand what it was. “Princess?”  She asked in confusion.  Light began to fill the throne room, and Princess Celestia was soon swallowed up in it.  “Princess!  I’m sorry Princess!  I didn’t mean to disappoint you!  Please come back!”  Twilight wailed into the light. Princess Twilight opened her eyes to the bright light that was flooding the room.  She sat up, looking around in the momentary confusion that befalls most people when they wake up in a strange place.  She slowly began to remember.  She was at Pinkie Pie’s house.  She had stayed the night, and the two had talked long into the morning about this and that.  She had finally passed out on the trundle bed that Pinkie kept in her closet “in case of sleepy emergencies”. Princess Twilight groaned and sleepily rubbed at her face.  She wasn’t sure if she’d ever have a normal dream again after visiting this place.  She also made a mental note to see if she could have papparazzi banished to the moon when she returned to Canterlot. She had a feeling that Celestia might actually approve of that idea. She looked at the alarm clock sitting on the stand next to Pinkie’s bed.  It was 10:48, which meant they had about an hour before they were supposed to meet the others at the school so Rainbow Dash could drive them to the beach. Once again, the thought of Rainbow Dash made her face feel like it was on fire.  That was the second time she had dreamed about the pegasus since she had been here.  Did that mean anything?  Or was her subconscious just hyper-aware of the fact that a version of her was dating a version of Rainbow Dash? Princess Twilight shook her head.  It was entirely too early in the morning to start thinking about such things.  At least until she had a couple cups of coffee.   Noticing that it was now 10:52, she decided she should probably wake up Pinkie Pie.  She didn’t know how long the party girl would need to get ready, or how long it would take them to get to the school from here. “Pinkie.”  Princess Twilight said.  She nudged Pinkie in the shoulder a couple times, gently shaking her.  “Come on Pinkie, we need to get up and get ready.” Pinkie mumbled something and turned over in her sleep.  Princess Twilight huffed in annoyance, but gave the pink haired girl a smile. She shook Pinkie again.  “Rise and shine Pinkie.  You wouldn’t want to be late would you?”         Pinkie mumbled in her sleep again.  It sounded like she said “Butterfly”, but Princess Twilight couldn’t be sure.  Pinkie slowly sat up, and gave a yawn, stretching her arms out above her head as she did.         Once she was done she turned and smiled at Princess.  “Morning sleep-over buddy!  Did you sleep well?”         “I did, thank you Pinkie.”  It wasn’t technically a lie.  The dream had woken her up, but before that she had slept deeply.         “No problemino Princess!  But hey, we shouldn’t be dawdling!  We need to hurry up and get ready or we’ll be late.”  Pinkie jumped out of bed and bounded out the room, towards the bathroom if Princess Twilight wasn’t mistaken.         “But that’s what I was saying.”  She mumbled to herself.  She stepped out of the turndle bed and stretched, surprised that she could almost touch the ceiling when she did so.  She heard something pop in her back, and she groaned in pleasure.         She went about making her bed, and then Pinkie’s, while she waited for the other girl to get out of the shower.  Seeing that she still had time, she began to pick up the wrappers from the junk food they’d eaten, that were now strewn around the floor.  She had just finished throwing the last one away, when Pinkie came bouncing back in.  She had a towel wrapped around her head and one wrapped around her body.         “Shower’s all yours Princess!”  Pinkie exclaimed.  Princess Twilight was about to say thank you, when Pinkie grabbed the top of the towel that was covering her body.  The words died on Princess Twilight’s lips as she watched Pinkie pull the towel off.  Her eyes widened, before she quickly covered them with her hands.         “P-Pinkie?!  What are you doing?”  She exclaimed, surprised by her friend’s sudden bout of exhibitionism.         With her eyes still covered she couldn’t see what Pinkie was doing.  She could hear it very well however.  It started off as a small snort, then a giggle, then became the full-blown laughter that Twilight associated with one of Pinkie’s pranks.         “Oh Princess!  You should’ve seen the look on your face!” Pinkie said between laughs.  Curiosity won out and Princess Twilight lowered her hands.  Pinkie Pie was wearing what she could only assume was one of the one-piece swimsuits that Rarity has been talking about yesterday.  It was light blue in color, and covered up quite a bit more skin than the one Twilight would be wearing.         Yet the lack of skin didn’t stop Princess Twilight from blushing at the sight of her friend.  She had more covered, but the suit clung to her like a second skin.  She honestly wasn’t sure which one was worse… or better.         Pinkie’s laughter finally died down.  “I was going to tell you, you should just wear your swimsuit under your clothes.  They have changing rooms at the beach, but they can get kind of crowded and junk.”         Twilight nodded, scooping up her clothes and heading for the shower, still trying to decide if she should curse or praise whoever had created these types of clothes. ~~VR~~         Twilight had showered quickly, and after a bit of fumbling had managed to put on the swimsuit Rarity had given her.  She donned her normal clothes over them as Pinkie suggested, and the two set off to meet the others at Canterlot High.         Rarity was already waiting when they arrived.  She greeted both of them warmly, though it was slightly ruined by a large yawn that made its way out of her mouth.         “Long night?”  Pinkie Pie asked, though the way she waggled her eyebrows made Princess Twilight sure she was talking about something else.         “Hmph.  I won’t even dignify that with a response!”  Rarity said.  She crossed her arms over her chest and stuck her nose in the air, the very picture of lady who had taken offense.         “But you just did.”  Pinkie said in confusion.         Rarity opened her mouth to retort, but was interrupted by the sound of a horn.  They all looked to see a light blue car drive up to the school.  The car had a yellow lightning bolt going down the center, completing the Wonderbolt motif.  Or perhaps Wondercolt?  Either way, Twilight knew who what car belonged to, even if she couldn’t see the rainbow hair through the window.         “C’mon guys!  Let’s get a move on!”  Rainbow Dash said as she stuck her head out the window.  They could see Twilight through the windshield, sitting in the front of the car reading a book.         The back door of the car opened, and Applejack stepped out of it.  She smiled and waved at them as they approached.         “Well howdy there Princess!”  She said, grabbing Princess Twilight in a hug.  “I almost thought Rainbow Dash was pullin’ my leg when she told me ya’ll had come to visit.  Sure is good to see you again!”         Princess Twilight smiled, and returned the hug.  “It’s great to see you too Applejack!  How have you been?”         “I can’t complain.  But I’ll tell ya all about what I’ve been up to once we’re on our way.  We make Rainbow wait any longer and I reckon she’ll just take off without us.”  Applejack held the door open, and motioned with a hand.  “After you!”         Princess Twilight stepped into the car and slid across until she was sitting behind the driver seat.  She yelped in surprise as Pinkie almost literally dove in after her, smushing her against the door.         “My, how courteous.”  She heard Rarity said, before she daintily stepped into the car.  Applejack followed after her, and shut the door.         “Sorry if it’s kind of cramped guys.”  Rainbow said from the drivers seat as she began to pull away from the school.  “We’ll be at the beach pretty quick though!”         There was a screeching sound from under the car as it took off.  Princess Twilight stared out the window in amazement as she watched buildings fly by.  It was like riding the Friendship Express, only without as much room. After she got over how fast the small vehicle was capable of going, she once again asked about Applejack’s experiences since they’d last met.  Applejack told her that she’d mainly just worked at the farm and gone to school.  She had mentioned that some sleazy corporation, called FlimFlam INC, had tried to buy up her family’s farmland to put up some kind of housing development.  Thanks to some quick thinking by Twilight however, the sale had been stalled long enough for the offer to expire. It was only when Applejack had asked Princess Twilight how she had been that she realized she hadn’t told her friends about what she’d been through since she’d last seen them.  Or about what had led her to take her hasty vacation. So she began her tale.  Telling them about what had happened after she returned to her world.  She told them about her magical studies, and her princess studies.  How she still felt overwhelmed by the whole princess thing, even if she was more comfortable with it.  She told them how she’d been forced to sit and listen to petty nobles bicker and squabble about things that didn’t matter, if she wasn’t being called to save Equestria with the rest of her friends. She finally got to the point where she had left, after hearing from her mentor that the portal to this world was open once again.  Everyone was quiet after she finished telling her tale. “Wow… and here I thought finals were tough.”  Applejack was the first to speak up. “My stars!  No wonder you needed to get away.  It sounds like you were being run absolutely ragged!” Rarity said. “It… It wasn’t that bad,”  Princess Twilight said, “Princess Celestia is actually taking it pretty easy on me.  She’s told me multiple times that I can take a break and go back to Ponyville if I need to.  I just…” “You don’t want to disappoint her.” Twilight finished the sentence for her double. Princess Twilight nodded.  “Exactly.  I feel like I have so much to live up to.  I just don’t want to let everyone down.” “Really?” Rainbow said, surprising everyone.  “C’mon Princess.  If you’re even half as much like Twi as I think you are, there’s no way you could let anyone down.  Besides, I’m sure your friends would rather you be spending your time enjoying yourself instead of listening to a bunch of politicians drone on.” The others in the car all agreed with Rainbow Dash, seemingly putting the subject to rest.  Twilight turned and looked Princess Twilight in the eye though.  They both knew that, despite Rainbow’s kind words, both of them would still be working to meet the goals they felt they were responsible for.  It’s just part of who they both were. However, Twilight’s story had kept them entertained long enough for them to reach the beach house.  Rainbow Dash pulled into the driveway and turned the car off.  Princess Twilight opened the door, and moaned in satisfaction as she got the chance to stretch her legs. “Ahhh!  Pins and needles!”  Pinkie Pie said, leaning on Princess Twilight as she shook one of her legs back and forth.  “Silly leg!  This isn’t the time to be sleeping!  We’ve got beach partying to do!” Princess Twilight glanced behind her just in time to see Applejack offer Rarity a hand out of the car, as Twilight walked around and stood next to Rainbow Dash. Rarity gingerly stepped out and shot Applejack a warm smile.  “Alright girls, I’ll unlock the door and you can drop off anything you need to, then I suggest we make our way down to the whole reason we’re here, no?” There was no argument, and only a couple of bags needed to be dropped off inside.  It was with some trepidation that Princess Twilight pulled off her shirt and skirt.  It helped that all her friends were dressed similarly.  In fact, Twilight was wearing an almost identical swimsuit to hers.  The only difference was that Twilight’s had some green trim on hers. They walked out the back door of the beach house, onto the warm sand of the beach.  Princess Twilight took a deep breath, enjoying the smell of the sea air and the feel of the sun on her skin.   She noticed quite a few other people on the beach, some playing in the water, other simply sunning themselves on towels.  Thankfully, she noticed, most of the girls on the beach were wearing something similar to her and her friends, displaying varying amounts of skin. “Alright!  BEACH PARTY!”  Pinkie Pie cheered as she ran across the sand towards the ocean waves.  Princess Twilight shared a look with her friends, before they chased after the pink haired girl, who was already diving into the water. ~~VR~~ Princess Twilight sighed in contentment as she laid on a towel in the sun.  She had tried swimming for a bit, but found that she just wasn’t used to it in this body.  She had played out in the water she could stand in with Pinkie Pie, Applejack and Rainbow Dash until she began to feel tired.  She decided to go dry off for a bit and enjoy the sun. She heard the sound of a page being flipped and turned to her side.  Twilight was sitting on the towel next to her, reading the same book she’d had in the car. “Aren’t you going to play in the water?”  Princess Twilight asked curiously. Twilight smiled sheepishly and looked away from her book.  “I can’t swim either, so I mainly just like to read in the sun.” Princess Twilight nodded at that, wishing that she had thought to bring a book of her own.  If nothing else, she’d have to try that when she returned to Equestria.  Lounging about on a sunny beach with a good book sounded like a splendid way to spend an afternoon. She would need to bring some water with her, she noted, as she was starting to feel parched.  She turned to her otherside where Rarity was lying on her own towel.  “Hey Rarity, could I run up to the house and get a drink?” Rarity cracked open one eye and looked at Princess Twilight.  “Of course darling!  There should be some cups in the cupboard to the left of the sink.  We have some soda and juice in the fridge as well, if you’d like.” Princess Twilight nodded and stood up, stretching in place (and gaining quite a few looks as she did so).  She turned and headed towards the beach house, letting her mind wander as she did.  This had been really fun, but she’d have to head back tomorrow before the portal closed.  She only wished that the portal opened sooner.  It was hardly fair that she’d only ever get to see her friends here once every year. Perhaps there was something she could do?  Perhaps trick the mirror into thinking that much time had passed?  Or trapping the mirror in some kind of temporal stasis field while the portal was open?  But if she did that she wouldn’t be able to pass through the mirror.  Or if she did it would break the stasis, which would be pointless. She would have to ask someone else for advice.  There was that one stallion in Ponyville that dealt with clocks, but he always said that time was his business.  Maybe he’d have an idea?  What was his name again?  The first time she’d met him he’d introduced himself as a doctor. She snapped out of her thoughts as she felt herself collide with someone.  “Oh!  Hey, sorry about that, I wasn’t watching where I was going!” Princess Twilight shook her head, focusing back on where she was.  “Oh no, it was my fault, I wasn’t paying any attention… Flash?!” Sure enough, she had walked smack dab into the (pleasantly muscled) body of Flash Sentry.  She blushed as she noticed the light sheen of sweat on him.  Her blush quickly faded however, when she saw the look on his face. He was backing away slowly, looking slightly panicked.  “S-Sorry Twilight!  Seriously, I didn’t mean to bump into you.  I’ll just… I’ll just be going now.”  Before Twilight could say anything, Flash turned around and began sprinting down the beach, as though he was being chased by an Ursa Major.  Princess Twilight watched him run until he came to a stop, in front of a girl with hair that looked like fire.  Sunset Shimmer She saw Flash say something, and Sunset Shimmer looked in her direction.  Sunset Shimmer stared at her for a moment, before her eyes widened in what Princess Twilight assumed was recognition.  She then smiled, and waved, even as Flash hid behind her. Princess Twilight smiled back, returning the wave enthusiastically.  The two continued to look at each other for a moment, then Sunset Shimmer turned and started walking down the beach, Flash Sentry beside her. She really had changed.  Princess Twilight felt her heart swell at the thought.  She’d have to make sure to get a message to Sunset Shimmer that she would always be welcomed back in Equestria, if she ever decided to return. “She really has become something else hasn’t she?  I can’t remember her ever smiling like that before she met you.”  Princess Twilight jumped in surprise at the sound of Rarity’s voice.  “Sorry darling, I didn’t mean to scare you.  I was simply coming over to help smooth things over with Flash Sentry, if need be.” “Yeah, what was up with that?”  Twilight asked, the panicked expression Flash wore still fresh in her mind. “You’ve already heard the story of Flash and our Twilight’s little altercation, no?”  Rarity asked.  After Princess Twilight nodded, Rarity continued.  “Flash Sentry is… well, he is a boy.  Not only that, but he is a popular, good looking boy.  He is used to girls practically lining up to date him, even when he isn’t interested.  Unfortunately, this has made him a little… clumsy when it comes to girls.” “When Twilight transferred to Canterlot High, Flash thought she was you.  So he didn’t understand when she wouldn’t give him the light of day.  So he tried the same old “We need to stop bumping into each other routine.”  Rarity shook her head at the memory.  “Of course, our Twilight wasn’t interested. Flash really doesn’t understand flirting however.  He simply thought if he kept trying the same approach, eventually Twilight would fall for it.” This time Princess Twilight shook her head, a small smile playing on her lips.  She wondered if the same thing had happened to the Flash Sentry in her world?  He had become head of the Royal Guard after her brother, which was bound to attract some attention from the mares.  Perhaps he simply didn’t understand how to woo a mare either, like this Flash? “Anyways, when Twilight finally threw him into the salad bar, I suppose it shook up his confidence pretty bad.  He’s been sure to give out Twilight a fairly wide berth since then.  He probably thought you were going to toss him into the ocean when he bumped into you.”  Rarity giggled a little at that, which was shared by Princess Twilight. “Well,”  Princess Twilight said, staring at the direction that Sunset Shimmer and Flash Sentry had gone, “I’m just glad they’re happy.” “And what about yourself Princess?”  Rarity asked.  Twilight blinked her eyes in surprise.  “Is there a special somebody waiting on you back in your kingdom?” “No.  I honestly hadn’t thought about it too much before I came back here. I mean, I had a bit of a crush on Flash but…”  Princess Twilight stared across the beach, back towards her friends.  Rainbow Dash and Twilight were currently building a sand castle, which Pinkie Pie was trying to destroy with a catapult she had made out of planks of wood and seashells.  “I think that maybe I’ll try looking for my special somebody when I get back.” Rarity smiled.  “Wonderful darling.  Now, would you be so kind as to accompany me back to the house?  It seems the rest of our friends are also thirsty and I volunteered to get everyone some drinks.” “Sure thing, Rarity!”  Princess Twilight said, as the two began to make their way to the house. ~~VR~~ Princess Twilight stood on the balcony of Rarity’s beach house (or the beach house that her parents sort of owned.  She still didn’t understand the whole timeshare thing), looking over the sea as the moon lit the night sky.  Everyone else had already gone to bed, exhausted from a day of playing in the hot sun. “Huh, I figured I’d be the only one still up.”  Princess Twilight turned, and saw Rainbow Dash step out of the house and slide the screen door shut.  She walked up and leaned against the rail next to Princess Twilight.  “So, did you have fun?” She asked. Princess Twilight smiled, thinking of everything they had done.  Even Pinkie’s goofy ukulele songs had been fun in their own way.  “I did.  I’m glad I got to spend this time with all of you, even if it was crazy to start with.” Rainbow Dash looked uncharacteristically sheepish.  “Yeah, sorry about that.  The kiss I mean.  I wouldn’t have done it if I had known you weren’t…” Princess Twilight smiled.  “That I wasn’t your Twilight?” She asked.  Rainbow Dash nodded, still looking nervous.  “It’s alright Rainbow Dash, I understand.  And to be honest… I didn’t not like the kiss.”  She admitted, though in a round-about way. It took a moment for Rainbow Dash to work out what Princess Twilight said, but once she did a grin spread across her face.  “Well of course you did!  I mean, how could anyone not like being kissed by Canterlot High’s star athlete?” That was more like the Rainbow Dash she knew.  Twilight chuckled as she looked out across the black waves.  They stood there in companionable silence, the only sound being the wind and the surf. “The Rainbow Dash in your world,”  Rainbow said, breaking the silence, “What’s she like?” Princess Twilight smiled.  “She asked me the same thing about you when I got back.  You’re both alike in a lot of ways.  My Rainbow Dash is brash, arrogant, friendly, competitive, loyal, an amazing flyer, and a huge fan of Daring Do.” “You guys have Daring Do over there too!”  Rainbow Dash asked.  Her eyes widened when Princess Twilight nodded.  “Man, I wonder how much they’re like our Daring Do books?” “Well, our Daring Do can fly…”  Princess Twilight said teasingly. “Pfft, so can ours.  She’s an ace pilot, even if she does typically crash her plane in the beginning of the books.” Princess Twilight laughed. “Ours typically breaks her wing or something like that.” Rainbow Dash nodded, but she didn’t laugh along with Twilight.  She looked thoughtful as she stared at the moon in the sky.  After a moment, she brought her gaze back to Princess Twilight.  “So, if our worlds aren’t that much different, maybe you and the Rainbow Dash in your world…”  Rainbow trailed off, not quite sure how to say what she wanted to say. Princess Twilight smiled kindly at Rainbow as she fumbled for the right words. “That doesn’t sound like a bad idea.  I guess we’ll have to see what happens.” Rainbow Dash stood stock still for a moment, before she relaxed and smiled again.  “Well, whatever happens, you totally need to bring her with you the next time that portal-thingy opens.” Princess Twilight nodded.  Now there was an idea. ~~VR~~ The seven friends stood in front of the statue in the courtyard of Canterlot High.  It was just a little after noon, but Princess Twilight had insisted that it was time for her to go home. “I had a lot fun with all of you, but I really do need to be getting back.”   So even though the portal wouldn’t be closing for hours, they had taken Princess Twilight there so she could go home. “I’m sure you understand how surreal it’s been to meet you.” Twilight said, as she gave her a hug. “Y’all come back as soon as ya can!  Next time ya gotta spend some time on my farm!”  Applejack said. “Oh, and I’ll totally throw you a party next time you come over!  And we can have a sleepover again!” Despite Pinkie Pie’s bright tone, there were tears forming in the corners of her eyes. “We’ll have to make you some more clothes next time you visit.  We can’t have you walking around in that same outfit all the time now can we?”  Rarity said. Finally Rainbow Dash approached.  She gave Princess Twilight a hug, and whispered into her ear.  Princess Twilight felt her face grow hot from the blush that appeared at Rainbow Dash’s words, but she nodded and gave her a smile. “Say hi to Fluttershy for me, and tell her I’ll be sure to visit next chance I get!”  Princess Twilight said.  With that, she waved farewell to her friends, before stepping through the portal. ~~VR~~ After the disorienting spin through dimensions, Twilight found herself further disoriented when she was tackled into a pony pile before she could even get back on her hooves. “Why didn’t you tell us you were going back there?”  Fluttershy asked, her voice tinged with worry. “Yeah!  Why didn’t ya’ll tell us ya were needin a vacation?  We woulda gone with ya!”  Applejack said. “Did the other me pull the bathing suit under a towel trick on you?”  Pinkei Pie asked with all the seriousness a question like that deserved. “Tell me darling, did you meet up with that stallion you fancied whilst you were there?”  Rarity asked, her voice a bit dreamy at the prospect of romance. “Was the other me just as cool as mpphhh!!!!”  Rainbow Dash’s voice was quickly cut off, and the others were thrown off the pile as her wings snapped open.   The others felt their jaws drop at the sight before them.  Twilight, who still had Rainbow Dash laying ontop of her, was currently kissing the pegasus.  More importantly, Rainbow had closed her eyes, leaning into the kiss. At least she was for a few seconds, before she fainted under the sensory assault.  Twilight pulled away from the kiss, gasping for air as she smiled at the pegasus. “Huh, she was right.  You do like it when somepony else takes the lead.” Twilight said with a satisfied smirk on her face.