Sabbatical

by mbulsht

Cobwebs

When Fluttershy arrived back at her house, her spirits dampened and her face perpetually stuck in a dejected expression, the last thing she expected to happen was for something to come along and make her smile.

Two somethings happened, actually; a rare occasion for her.

The first was that the moment she opened the door to her homely cottage, she beheld Angel sleeping peacefully on a pillow cushion on her dining table, having finished the entirety of his meal. The entirety, meaning the parts he had refused to eat just over an hour earlier. She suspected he had eaten his dessert first, something she constantly had to discourage him from doing, but at least this was a step in the right direction. She sighed softly and smiled at his sleeping form. A cunt he could be, but at least he had done what she asked in the end.

The second something that lifted her spirits was that she stepped on an envelope near her doorway. This was a common occurrence, and it wasn’t the envelope that would eventually cure her blue mood, but rather the contents of it. Cocking her head, she stared at the white parcel and raised an eyebrow. The mail had already been delivered earlier in the day, so this was something priority that had been sent that day. This wasn’t something that happened often. She rarely got any mail from anypony at all anyway. So it was with curiosity that she used her teeth to tear open the top and remove the small note from it.

She laid the note out and planted her rear on the floor to read it.

Friends,

Some rather distressing news has been broken to me this morning by our mayor involving the Spring Festival coming up in a few days, and how Ponyville will now be hosting it. As you can probably guess, I’ve been put partially in charge of planning it. Naturally I have hair falling out of my mane by the hooffull from the stress of having to do in less than a week what most ponies will have almost a year to do. So I need your help. I really, really need your help. Please meet me tonight at 8pm at our usual table at the cafe. Drinks will be on me, of course. Some of you will no doubt need them when I tell you what we’re going to have to do.

-Twilight

Forget the tone, forget the circumstances, forget the nature of the note. Fluttershy almost didn’t even care about what was in it. Her heart soared when she read the words “I need your help.” Twilight needed her. That alone was atonement for her pathetic display earlier, out in front of the library. Twilight needed her and come hell or high water, she was going to be there for her friend.

With another sigh, this one of happiness, she threw a small blanket over Angel’s sleeping form and began preparations to feed all her animal friends an early dinner. She wouldn’t have to cook for herself tonight, either, she realized. The day kept getting better and better.

=-=-=

Much to Celestia’s disappointment, it wasn’t Twilight who stood behind the librarian’s desk when she entered the Ponyville Library. Instead she found Twilight’s friend Rarity, who greeted her with a gracious smile and a warm welcome. She asked after Twilight and gave her name. Rarity notified her that Twilight was currently otherwise disposed elsewhere in the library-slash-makeshift-home and that if Amber was, in fact, looking for her, then she would have to wait a bit and while you’re at it why not browse our shelves?

That sounded like a fair idea, Celestia decided, returning the greeting and welcome with a few words and a flip of her navy blue mane. And since she was in disguise, Celestia felt absolutely no shame in making a beeline for the Romance section to select a few of the trashiest specimens she could find. Nopony would know about her small obsession with the fictional trope-tastic love stories if she was in another pony’s skin, after all.

The first thing she noticed upon reaching the section, however, was that there were large holes in the shelves, where book upon book had been checked out.

“Yes, my dear, I’m afraid a good portion of our Romance novels are currently off the shelves,” called Rarity from the desk. “They have all been er… checked out already, you see.”

Celestia waved a hoof over her shoulder as a response, rather than speaking. She was already quite lost in her thoughts.

For some reason, she was unsettled by the sight of the Romance section. It wasn’t the gaping holes where ponies had checked out large numbers of books, she knew that. But beyond that, the thought eluded her. It seemed important, however, because the feeling was ever-present in her mind. So she stood there, raising a hoof to her chin, thinking deeply.

There was something very specific missing from these shelves, she realized. Though try as she might, couldn’t imagine what it was. She knew, for whatever reason, it wasn’t going to be here, whatever it was. But the fact that she knew that, and the fact that it wasn’t there tickled the back of her mind as a reminder that she couldn’t, for the life of her, think of what it was she couldn’t think of.

“Are there…” she began aloud, but stopped.

“Are there what, madame?” Rarity asked

“I’m sorry, I’m just looking for a very specific author,” Celestia said. “I’m sure their work isn’t here, but for some reason I can’t recall the name.”

“Actually, I’m quite well versed in the genre, perhaps if you describe to me a book, or give me a title?”

Celestia thought for a moment. She didn’t know any titles, she realized. Because she had never read any of the author’s books. Of course she didn’t know the author’s name either. There was only a vague feeling of there having been an author whom she’d always meant to read, but never had.

It was a strange catch-22 she found herself in; she needed to find a book by an author she couldn’t remember, but couldn’t remember the name of a book with which to divine the author’s name. She thought and thought about the situation; what had the books been about? They had been romance novels, she knew that for a fact. And they had all involved something very important to her. A subject in romance to which she was drawn strongly.

Rarity, sensing that she was not going to finish the thought, launched into a line of conversation with some sort of explanation about Twilight and books, but Celestia was deaf to it. She was already losing herself in thought.

In the back of her mind, in some dark and sidelined recess of her memory, an idea sprung forth. There were places in her memories that had begun to develop cobwebs, something she had noticed a few hundred years earlier. The memories build up over time, and some get pushed aside. So like an old grandpony digging through their attic to relive the bygone years of their youth, she mentally blew the dust off of a small box in the attic of her mind.

The novels, she remembered.

She had always meant to read them, but for some reason had never done so.

They were important to her.

Why?

Because they were about something dear to her heart. A collection of plotlines that she felt a deep and personal connection to.

And then, like the sun peeking over the horizon, the distant memory dawned upon her.

The author had written many stories about

=-=-=

“Royals and commoners?” Celestia asked incredulously. “I realize you are working in the bounds of fiction, but the topic will surely draw criticism.”

Amber looked up at her with a raised eyebrow. “Really, we live in such a ridiculous world. They will be just stories, after all. The old conservative pundits may whine and moan about how they glorify something that is socially unacceptable, but I argue the opposite. Writing a story about the impossible coming true is a lesson to never let go of the dreams that make you.” A small laugh. And then, “Besides, you and I both know that it’s not impossible, no matter how wrong others may think it is.” Her last sentence was in jest, even if it was true.

“Just fiction, though?” Celestia lay down next to her. “Will they just be stories, or will you be drawing from your own experiences?”

“All the writing I do,” answered Amber, “whether it be for your speeches and mandates, or for the books I wish to write, draws from my personal experiences.”

Celestia nodded. “You will have a hard time publishing them, though. And you should be careful to not draw too much unneeded attention.”

“Oh don’t worry.” Amber tossed her mane in annoyance. “I won’t write anything scandalous. I wouldn’t dream of slandering your reputation.”

“It’s you I’m worried about,” Celestia placated. “I will outlive the criticism anypony can lob at my rule by at least a thousand years. But I don’t want you to get caught up in it.”

“Books are a male-dominated industry anyway. I’ll be using a pseudonym to get published.”

And that was that. She answered in a matter-of-fact tone that intimated no argument. Her mind had been made up, and nothing Celestia could say from that moment forward could ever dissuade her.

The two of them lay there for a moment, Amber caught up in her manuscripts, and Celestia gazing out a nearby window, her body pressed up against Amber’s. She was content like that for a little while, feeling Amber’s rhythmic breathing against her side.

“Why are you really writing these?” Celestia finally asked. She had been afraid to ask it, but curiosity often wins over fear.

“Because when I leave this job I have with you, I will have to put my skills to work elsewhere. A trophy wife I may be to my betrothed, a prize to be paraded around in a marriage of familial convenience, but I would like to still make some money of my own. I don’t particularly feel like settling wholly into the role of stay-at-home wife to a rich husband; a mare whose only duty is to pop out children and greet guests.”

The answer stung, but it wasn’t an answer that Celestia wanted. “You know what I was asking,” she said.

“And you know the answer,” retorted Amber.

“I just think it would be best for you to… that perhaps it isn’t mentally healthy-”

“Do not think of me like that,” Amber interrupted, almost angrily.

Celestia drew her head back in surprise; that had stung. “I hadn’t finished.”

“You needn’t finish. I know what you’re thinking.”

Celestia scoffed. “What am I thinking that I shouldn’t, then?”

“Do not imagine me as some poor young mare caught between her love and her duty to family. That is such a miniscule part of this.” Amber whipped her head around and stared at Celestia with a piercing gaze. “Do not weave such a picture of me in your head. That I write these books out of frustration born from a love that I always knew would never last. I write these not for me. I write these for you.”

“For me?”

“I know you, Celestia.” Amber’s eyes softened to a look filled with both love and guilt. “As arrogant as it may sound, I know you better than any other living pony. I know you in a way only a lover could. And so I know how much my leaving hurts you. This is not the foolish pride of a mortal who thinks herself equal to a goddess, but intuition born from laying beside you night after night. We cannot be together any more, Celestia, and I know it hurts you more than me.” Her gaze fell to the ground. “I regret not telling you sooner about the arrangement.”

“Well I don’t.” Celestia wasn’t angry, but her voice was harsh nonetheless. “I don’t regret a single minute of it and if I had the chance I would do it all over again. I don’t care if we now have to go our separate ways. We knew the danger when we started this, we knew there might come a day when it became too complicated. But we did it anyway. Both of us; you and me.” She paused for a moment. “Besides, we’ll be able to send each other letters. Nothing conspicuous about a Princess and her former assistant exchanging the occasional friendly letter.”

“Letters that can be intercepted, Celestia,” said Amber with a sigh. “We won’t be able to write anything truthful, anything real in them. Lest they be found out by those who would blackmail. Which is why,” she said with finality, “I write these stories.”

“A bit cliche, don’t you think?” Celestia laughed. “Hiding messages in books.”

“Not hidden messages.” Amber poked Celestia in the side with a forehoof. “The stories themselves will be my love letters to you. Written in secret, delivered to presses by close friends, and published under a fake name.”

“How will I respond, then?” asked Celestia. “How will I return your messages?”

Amber stood and flicked a tail dismissively. “You won’t need to,” she said. “I’ll know.”

“But if I don’t… how can you possibly-”

“Because I’m stronger than you, Celestia.” Amber turned to her lover. “Not in magic or physical prowess. But in heart, I have always been stronger. I can bear what is coming. I do not know if you can. So please,” she asked, almost begging, “please read them.”

“I will.”

“I will write so many of them, I swear,” Amber’s voice was beginning to break. Her lower lip trembled, and for all her talk of strength of heart, she was on the verge of tears. “I’ll pour every last ounce of my love into them until I have nothing left to give. And I’ll hope that somehow it reaches you.”

Celestia stood and wrapped her in a tight embrace, just as her composure failed. Betwixt her forelegs, Amber’s body shook as she gave quiet sobs. Celestia too felt tears brimming upon her eyes, and she let them fall. There was nopony to see the two in this distraught position, huddled together in tears. And Amber was probably the only pony save her sister that Celestia would ever have let see her weep.

“I’ll read them all. Every single one,” Celestia said. She ran her hoof through Amber’s mane, whilst tucking her into her chest with the other. Softly, she repeated, “Every single

=-=-=

“-book here is catalogued by our town librarian, so I’m sure she’d know right away if…” Rarity’s voice trailed off as she saw that the newcomer was lost in thought, eyes glazed over, and that she had been preaching to an empty congregation. “Miss Amber?” she asked tentatively. “Miss?” she repeated, louder.

This seemed to yank the mare from her reverie and her gaze snapped up to meet Rarity’s

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I was so lost in thought that I… well I was just…” she cleared her throat. “...some memories came back from many years ago,” she explained vaguely.

“Right,” said Rarity. “Well Amber er… what did you say your last name was again?”

“Skye.”

Rarity blinked and paused for a second. She was quite sure that she had heard that name before, though from where she couldn’t remember. The thought tugged at her from the back of her mind. She shook her head.

“As I was saying miss Skye,” Rarity continued, “I’m sure Twilight could help you better than I. I’m only standing in here for a few minutes while she takes care of some business.”

“It’s fine,” Amber replied. “It wasn’t that important.”

Rarity was about to open her mouth to answer that with a query, but all thoughts down that line of conversation vanished with the sound of hooves descending the stairs that led down to the library from the living space above. Both Rarity and Amber looked up to follow the sound and saw Twilight coming down.

“I gotta say, Rarity, I really don’t think I can- oh… there’s somepony here.” Twilight stopped mid sentence when she saw Amber standing by the Romance section.

Twilight  smiled brightly at Amber as she took her place next to Rarity behind the front desk. “Hi there! You must be visiting from out of town to see the Spring Festival.”

“The… what?” Amber asked.

“The… nevermind.” Twilight cleared her throat. “I’m Twilight Sparkle. I run this town’s librar-”

“Oh, I know full well who you are,” interrupted Amber. “I’m Amber Skye, and it really is a pleasure to meet you.” She trotted over to the counter excitedly, placing her forehooves upon it so that she could lean over to talk to Twilight. “I’ve been meaning to for a while.”

“Do I… know you?”

“Most likely not.” Amber waved her hoof. “But I’ve heard quite a bit about you. I work in the castle, you see. Closely with the two princesses. So naturally I’ve heard all sorts of stories about you and your friends. And the thrilling tales of the Elements of Harmony.”

“That’s really odd,” said Twilight. “I used to live in the castle. Last year, in fact. But somehow I’ve never managed to actually meet you. What do you do, exactly?”

“I’m a sort of… personal assistant to Celestia. Among other things, I primarily work as her speechwriter. It isn’t surprising we’ve never met, I’m usually locked away in an office reading up on foreign policy and drafting Her Majesty’s rhetoric.”

“I see. What, um…” Twilight coughed. “I really want to ask this question, but I don’t know if it will be appropriate.”

Amber cocked her head and smiled, saying nothing, but waiting expectantly.

Again, Twilight coughed. “I was just wondering…” she twirled a hoof in the air. “What does… what sort of things does Celestia say about me?”

Amber seemed taken aback by the question, but answered readily. “All kinds of things. How you work yourself to exhaustion, how you’ve been diligent to the point of it almost being frustrating, how hard it is to tear you away from your books and your studies…” she trailed off as she saw Twilight turn her head to the side, a blush creeping up her cheeks. “B-but that’s absolutely nothing bad!” She rapped her hoof on the table. “Celestia has so much respect and love for you as a teacher, you couldn’t possibly begin to understand! She talks about you so much, why, I feel like I already know you!”

“That’s…” Twilight laughed. “That’s actually really relieving to hear.”

It was at this point that Rarity began to zone out of the conversation. The two began talking very animatedly about subjects that Rarity was quite disinterested in. Her ears choosing to ignore every word, she sat there watching them and losing herself in her own thoughts.

Amber certainly seemed like a nice pony. Sharing a similar love for romantic stories with Rarity undoubtedly raised Rarity’s perception of her. She was definitely cultured. And knowledgeable. A mare in her position needed to be; world history, economics, Equestrian politics, all these things were necessary for a speechwriter to do their job. Especially for such a high-profile ruler.

Like Twilight, in a way, she thought. Here are two mares who both read a colossal amount of books. Amber probably read the dryest of non-fiction imaginable for fun. So much like Twilight. She laughed inwardly. These two were certainly going to be fast friends.

And for a moment, Rarity’s mind, warped by the inordinate number of romance novels she’d read over the years, imagined that they could easily fall for one another. The conventions were all here; the liked the same things, they talked similarly, and they had a similar fashion sense. Both were simple in nature, but complex in mind. And Amber was certainly beautiful.

I’d ship it, Rarity said to herself. She’d never dare to say such words aloud, but thinking them was hardly a social faux pas. A fine pairing.

And for the first time (though most certainly not the last), she entertained the notion of bringing them together. Twilight had been frustrated earlier at the spa. And Rarity, in her divine intuition, had discovered the reason through incessant poking and prodding. Perhaps a little bit more of that poking and prodding could be done, she wondered. Perhaps the two could be pushed into neat little spots next to each other on Rarity’s immense Mental Map of Relationships in Ponyville. Perhaps she could cure Twilight’s romantic quandary with this chance meeting. Perhaps it was time to put the “shipping” goggles on and play Grand Matchmaker. What could possibly go wrong? After all, it was a noble cause.

Twilight could have herself a pretty little marefriend.

Now wouldn’t that be nice.

=-=-=

A knock at Luna’s bedroom door disrupted her match.

Fighting games were on today’s menu, since she was pointedly ignoring her shooters, having been thoroughly trounced by that FarrierBlue character. She had never seen his username in any of the lobbies for her fighters so she felt herself safe.

The noise at the door caused her to jump and look away, giving her opponent enough time to seize the moment and launch into a long and complex combo that knocked her character out for good. With a sigh of frustration, she turned her Ponystation 3 off and trotted over to the door. Her face was twisted into a look of extreme annoyance, though when she saw who was at the door, it melted away instantly and turned into a look of forced cheer.

“Why hello, Magus. Is there something you needed?” she asked through gritted teeth.

The old unicorn coughed once, a wet sound brought upon by the years of inhaling pipe tobacco. “Your Highness, I’m here to remind you that you haven’t finished signing all of the paperwork laid out for you this morning.”

Luna’s eye twitched. She could have sworn that she had finished all of it, but knowing herself there was likely a large amount of work left that she had blown off earlier to play games and quickly forgotten about. “Oh, thanks for reminding me, Magus. I’ll get to that right now, actually.”

“I’ll walk with you to the offices. There is a small matter we must discuss.”

Luna closed her bedroom door behind herself and began walking down the hall. “What is it?”

Another meaty cough. “I’m afraid your decisions this morning have ruffled a few feathers. The mayor of Cloudsdale is not very happy with the decisions you made.”

“The decisions are final.” Luna huffed.

“Why exactly did you decide to change the location of the Spring Festival?”

“Personal reasons.” This was true to an extent, but Luna was not about to tell him the exact reason.

“Well far be it from me to question the decisions of the Princesses, but in one fell swoop you’ve managed to anger both the Cloudsdale and Ponyville mayors.”

“I’m sure they are up to the task.”

Magus sighed. “Your Highness, may I speak freely for a moment?”

“I wish you wouldn’t,” muttered Luna under her breath.

“What was that?”

“I said,” Luna answered, turning to look at him, “Please do.”

“Ponyville accounts for one eighth of Equestria’s main crop. And Cloudsdale accounts for the entirety of the nation’s weather. Now, I will never say that your Highness’s rule is not absolute, but I don’t think these are cities that you want to arbitrarily anger.”

Luna didn’t have much to say to that; there was little to say anyway. Magus was right, and the decisions she’d made had been made with the knowledge that some might not be happy about them. So all she said was, “Thanks for the advice, Magus.”

At this point the two had reached the offices of the Princess of the Night. And when Luna nudged the door open and saw the immense stacks (more than one oh goddess, was her first thought) of paper on the desk, she groaned inwardly. She wasn’t about to do it out loud; she refused to give Magus the satisfaction of hearing her frustration.

At this point she would have rolled up her sleeves if she had worn clothes with them, which she would have worn if ponies wearing clothes with sleeves were a regular occurrence.

“Time to get to work.”

=-=-=

“So tell me about the Spring Festival,” said Amber.

Her long conversation with Twilight had been wrapping up for some time as they ran out of topics to throw at each other. Sometime during the marathon of vocal communication, Rarity had migrated over to a shelf and was absorbed in what was likely the only form of entertainment in this library-slash-livng-space.

“What was that?” Twilight had been staring at Amber but she had spaced out for a second during their dwindling conversation.

“You asked if I was here for the Spring Festival. Are you guys getting an influx of ponies staying here for the ground-level festival in Cloudsdale?”

Twilight laughed mercilessly. “Heh… no, actually. This morning Princess Luna switched the location of the Spring Festival to Ponyville. Apparently she went so far as to suggest it be a festival ‘fit for a princess.’”

Amber’s eye twitched. “She WHAT?”

There was a very loud sound as Amber slammed her hooves on the front desk. Rarity was snapped rudely out of her reading and both her and Twilight looked up at Amber in surprise.

“I’ll help.” That was all that Amber said.

“You’ll what now?” Twilight didn’t follow.

“I said, I’ll help. I organize things like this for the Princesses all the time and you guys only have a few days to plan and execute this beast. I don’t know why Luna would do that out of nowhere, but that is really, really inconvenient, and you’re going to need lots of help.”

“Wow, Amber, I don’t know. Aren’t you on like… vacation or something?”

“Yes, I am. But it’s Spring Festival time. You should be too, and Luna made a rather…” Amber looked as though she were going to say something quite rude about the princess, and it made Twilight raise an eyebrow. But instead, she continued, “...well, a rather inconvenient decision. Do you not want my help?”

“No! Not at all. It’s just…” Twilight twirled a hoof. “I didn’t expect somebody to just drop on my doorstep and help out, is all.”

“Well luck favors the…” Amber’s squinted, trying to remember the last of the saying she had started. “...the lucky, or whatever. Tell you what, where are you guys meeting to plan this?”

“The cafe, out in the town square. It’s our usual meeting spot.”

“Well I’ll be there shortly. I just need to get a few things prepared.”

Without so much as a backward glance or parting word, Amber was out the door.

“Well, I do say,” Rarity did indeed say as she put her book back on the shelf next to her. “That was quite nice of her.”

Twilight didn’t answer. In fact, it was almost as though she hadn’t heard a single word Rarity had said. She just stood there, with a quizzical look on her face, staring at the entrance to the library from which Amber had just left.

“Twilight?” Rarity asked. “Twilight, dear.”

Slowly, Twilight swiveled her head to look at Rarity. “I wish…” she began. “I wish I didn’t have to do this damn festival.”

“You and me both, darling. It’s going to be so much wo-”

Twilight didn’t even bother to let Rarity finish her thought. “Because it just hit me.”

“What just hit you?”

Twilight laughed. She laughed and laughed. She laughed at the absurdity of it all. That of all times, when she had no time to act, no time for frivolities, she would realize this now. That such a thing would, as she had said, hit her.

“What is so funny, Twilight?” Rarity was beginning to worry about her friend’s mental state.

Twilight’s laughter ceased and she wiped away a tear. Smiling widely at Rarity, she had but four words. Four words that told Rarity everything she needed to know.

“Damn, she was hot.”

=-=-=

The cafe in the town square was a quaint affair. It had a small indoor seating area, and most of its seating capacity was located outside. These tabelle al fresco were where Twilight and her five best friends (as Rarity called them, “the girls”) often met when they did anything together. Particularly, a table in the north corner that sat apart from the rest.

It was at this circular table that Celestia now sat, surrounded by five of “the girls.” Twilight sat in the seat closest to the enclosure fence. To her right, Fluttershy, and her left, Applejack. Across from her was where Celestia had planted herself. Rarity had taken a seat next to Applejack, and Pinkie Pie in between Fluttershy and Celestia. All were present, save Twilight’s friend Rainbow Dash, who was late. This came as no surprise to any of them (“fast as she is, for some reason she is always late,” complained Rarity with a sniff) so they were sitting around and chatting. Orders for food had been made already so that Rainbow Dash would arrive at the same time as their plates.

Introductions had been made, and each of the five,soon-to-be-six, had welcomed Celestia graciously to the table. They needed no introduction for Celestia; she had already heard so much about them through Twilight, but all of them had yet to meet Amber. Except Applejack of course, who was surprised to see her again (“well if it ain’t the newcomer!”). They had all been very forward with greetings and questions about her job. Except Fluttershy, of course, who mumbled something as she sat down next to Twilight, and then remained silent for most of the ensuing conversation, her only communication a light smile on her face and the occasional nervous twirl of her hoof through her mane.

“So what’s it like,” asked Applejack, “Workin’ for the Princess? We hear all about the castle and Canterlot from Twilight, but Twilight’s never worked for the Princess.”

“Well, it’s like any other job in government,” replied Celestia. “I get paid lots of money to make things run smoothly, and even more money to never say anything bad about my employers.” This wasn’t exactly true; Celestia had never needed to encourage her employees to keep quiet about her. There was the occasional need, however, for her to strongly encourage certain cabinet members to keep their mouths shut about Luna’s various hobbies.

The five around her laughed and for a few moments there was a small bout of silence.

“Jeez…” Twilight exhaled sharply, blowing her bangs out of her eyes. “Where on earth is Dash?”

“She’ll come swooping in just as the food hits the table,” reassured Rarity. “She’s punctual for food, at least that can be a constant with- speak of the devil.”

The food had just arrived, and as if on cue, there was a light clopping of hooves as Rainbow Dash came out of the main cafe building and started walking towards their table. She wasn’t alone, however. Behind her was another young mare with a white coat and an electric blue mane. The white mare was wearing a large hat, pulling it down over her eyes, as if she were trying to vaguely disguise herself.

“Oh, she brought her marefriend, lovely.” Rarity muttered under her breath. “Late and with an unannounced guest. That loud uncouth tramp, no less-”

Twilight shushed her and the Amber felt the table vibrate as Twilight connected a hind hoof with Rarity’s side. Rarity gasped and forced a smile, pretending as though nothing had happened.

“‘Sup guys?” Rainbow Dash pulled up a chair for her marefriend and sat down in the one that had been left for her, next to Celestia. “Sorry I’m late. Can’t fly with my uh…” she paused. “I guess you haven’t really been introduced. Guys, this is Vinyl Scratch.”

Another round of introductions came, and within seconds, everybody was once again acquainted with everybody else.

“Amber Skye?” Rainbow Dash said, her mouth full of food. She wolfed down half her dish before passing the other half to Vinyl. She swallowed. “Isn’t that like, a pornstar’s na-”

Again, the table vibrated as hind legs shot out to meet midriffs. This time it was Dash who gasped.

“Amber’s going to be helping us out,” said Twilight. “She offered to help when she heard about what happened with Princess Luna, and is being very gracious by doing so.”

“That’s actually great,” said Rainbow Dash after that was over, “because I can’t stay too long. I know, I know,” she added, “I got your message, Twilight. But I just can’t help.”

“You…” Twilight sighed. “Dash, I’m going to really need you for this Festival this week. There are going to be all kinds of weather control that needs to happen for this Festival to work. And you’ve got the most experience here.”

“I know.” Rainbow Dash looked incredibly guilty as she cast her eyes downward. “I’m sorry, Twilight. I just can’t.”

“Why not?”

Dash cleared her throat. “Well, you see, I…” she shot a glance to the white mare standing next to her. “Vinyl and me, see, we’re-”

“I’m sorry. This is my fault.” Vinyl spoke up. Her voice had a distinct rasp to it that denoted years of chain smoking. “I didn’t know about all this Spring Festival stuff. But Dash and I have made some plans already, and they all have to do with me. See, I’m a music performer and DJ up in Canterlot. Not to brag, but I get a lot of attention. Some of it has been negative. And this morning, the gossip columns for the local newspaper got a little too personal-”

“And you’re trying to get away,” interrupted Celestia. “I saw the article this morning.”

“You actually read the gossip column?” Pinkie Pie spoke up. She had been surprisingly quiet this entire time. “I thought the only mare here who enjoyed reading about other pony’s horrid life failures was Rarit-”

Another vibration as yet again hoof met stomach. Pinkie Pie laughed.

“‘Local DJ Outed’ is a pretty fascinating title at 7am before coffee,” Celestia admitted. She turned to Vinyl. “I completely understand.”

“Really?” the musician’s dark red eyes widened.

“Yes. Sometimes you need to get away from the public. Sometimes rumors fly around, or you’re involved in something you don’t want others to know. So you’re asking Dash to come with you because she’s a rock, right? Loyal to the end. She’ll stick by you no matter what others may think. Because you need the moral support. Because she’s your marefriend and you want to spend time with her, and because it’s great to be out of the public eye sometimes. Right?”

“You speak from experience.” It wasn’t Vinyl who spoke, it was Rarity.

“Well, I-” Celestia stopped herself. She couldn’t really go around talking about how experienced she was because it would inevitably end up on the subject of why she was so experienced and who she had such experience with. “Yeah, a little.”

“So anyways,” interjected Rainbow Dash, “Vinyl and me are going to have to get out of here. We’re thinking about traveling, but we don’t really know where yet. Somewhere far away, though.

Somewhere far away, indeed. Celestia was no stranger to the concept. She and Amber had, a thousand years in the past, tried many times to get away. And once, they succeeded marvelously. That had been the beginning of the sabbatical mandate, hadn’t it, she wondered. Then she realized, there certainly was a place for Dash and Vinyl to get away to. The same place she and Amber had gotten away to.

“Actually, miss Dash, I might be able to help you out there.”

“Hmmm?” Rainbow Dash and Vinyl had been conversing in soft tones with each other.

“I know of the perfect place for the two of you to get away.”

“Really?” Vinyl Scratch smiled, her eyes shining.

“Yes, actually. There’s this…” she trailed off, frowning.

“This...what?” Dash prodded.

Celestia tapped a hoof to her chin. Where exactly had it been again? She realized she couldn’t remember.

“Hell, I’ll take any place, really.” Vinyl Scratched sighed. “maybe outta the country. Ponies probably don’t know me across the border. Shit, I’d settle for a deserted island at this point.”

“An island!” Celestia nearly shouted, causing every pony at the table to jump, and some heads to turn.

That was it! Celestia finally remembered. The one place she and Amber had gotten away to all those years ago. The memories rushed back to her from some long forgotten corner of her brain.

There had been an

=-=-=

“-island out in the middle of the Eastern Ocean,” Celestia told Amber.

The two were sitting in the Hall of Records in Canterlot Castle’s West Wing. Celestia was showing Amber a page from a large tome that had clearly been sitting there for a very long time.

“And what, exactly, have you been keeping a secret island for?” Amber cocked an eyebrow.

“Well it’s not completely a secret. I mean, any flying creature can probably find it really easy. We bought it from the Griffons a few hundred years ago, and cordoned it off for goverment use. We don’t allow ships to travel to and from it unless they have a special Pass to dock at its port.”

“But why, though?”

“A few hundred years ago, Luna was negotiating borders with the Griffon Kingdom. She agreed to push ours back a fair distance in return for some of their islands, which we felt were uncomfortably close to our mainland ports. At the time, I was also in talks with Neptune about sea currents, so I took this island to use as the location of our negotiations. After that was resolved, we decided to simply keep it, and keep it a secret.”

“So you have a secret island. That nopony knows about.”

“Nopony but you, Luna, and I. And a few very tight-lipped guards who are loyal enough to keep their mouths shut.”

“And you intend to use this for our plan?”

“Yes.”

Amber grinned. “It’s perfect. Secret, far away from prying eyes, and surrounded by beaches.”

Celestia closed the book. “This will be our last time together, Amber. My sabbatical begins today. In two months, you’ll be marrying Lord Blackriver and I will be signing your resignation. We have until then.”

“And we have a damn island. We’ll make the most of it.” Amber nuzzled Celestia’s shoulder. “The Sabbatical plan was a stroke of genius.”

“I wasn’t finished, though,” continued Celestia. “I was just saying that this doesn’t have to be the last time we see each other forever.”

Amber pulled back. “What?”

“Luna and I will be keeping this island for Royal use. Even after you’ve married, there’s no reason we can’t still meet here.”

“You know that’s a horrid idea. What if my husband finds out?”

“I know,” said Celestia. “I just want you to know that the possibility is there.”

Amber thought for a moment. “Even you cannot tell the future. Perhaps circumstances may change.”

“Yes. So, here.” Celestia lifted an envelope with her magic. It was sealed with wax, stamped with a royal seal, and had several markings on it which denoted it as an envelope not to be opened by anypony save its recipient. “In this envelope, which is an envelope only you can open, is a note. If ever we are to meet on that island again, you will read that note to a ship captain from the East Trading Company.”

“East Trading Company?” Amber asked.

“The company whose ships we use to transport goods and equipment to and from the island. Their ship captains are the only ponies who know how to get there by boat. More importantly, they’re sworn to secrecy about any cargo they transfer.”

Amber took the note with her magic, and tucked it away in a bag. “Just in case,” she said. “I pray that one day I may be able to use it.”

Celestia rested her chin upon Amber’s neck. “So do I.”

Not for the first time, Celestia felt a surge of sadness as she thought about Amber’s imminent departure from her life. With this wave came the tightness in her throat, an ache that brought with it a wetness in her eyes.

I’ll be alright, she thought to herself. I’ll be

=-=-=

“-alright, Amber?”

Celestia was snapped out of her thoughts. Before she had realized, her mind had taken her on a journey down memory lane. “Hmmm?”

It was Twilight who had spoken. “I said, are you alright? You spaced out there for a second.”

Celestia coughed. “Yes, I’m fine. I was just trying to remember something for miss Dash here.” She turned to Rainbow Dash. “Tomorrow, meet me at the library. I’ll have some things to give you, and a place for you to stay out of the public eye.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I need to get some things first. But I promise, it will be absolutely, completely,” her eyes shined. “awesome.”

Rainbow Dash pumped a hoof in the air. “Yes! Thank you so much, Amber. I know we’ve just met and all, but you’re totally cool, alright?”

Celestia laughed.

With that, Rainbow Dash and her companion stood to leave. They had only shown up to tell Twilight and the girls about their situation. So, with a wave, they left.

“I honestly can’t believe,” said Rarity as she watched them leave, “that she would abandon us for that hooligan.”

“Now, Rarity,” chided Twilight, “Dash and her get along very well, and Vinyl seems nice enough.”

“She’s a simple and wild mare and I do think she is a bad influence on Dash.”

Applejack scoffed. “Y’all didn’t seem to have a problem with simple wild mares last night when we-ooff!”

Applejack was cut off as Rarity violently kicked her in the shins beneath the table. Again, Celestia’s glass jiggled from the vibrations.

“Well I think she’s pretty cool,” Pinkie chimed in, either unaware of, or pointedly ignoring what had just happened.

“All I’m saying,” Rarity said, “is that Dash isn’t being very Loyal here.”

“She absolutely is,” Celestia defended. “She’s being loyal to her marefriend.”

“I mean to us,” said Rarity.

“It’s very simple,” explained Celestia. “She’s in love.”

The girls all gasped at the same time.

“Nuh-uh, no way!” Pinkie exclaimed. “Dash in love? That’s crazy!”

Applejack nodded. “I’d never say nothin’ bad about a friend, but she has been hoppin’ between relationships like a rabbit for as long as I known her.”

“But Rarity has made a good point.” Celestia said. “She didn’t once think about helping out. The embodiment of Loyalty right there, and she’s not being loyal to the friends she’s known longer than Vinyl. So Vinyl is more than a friend. Loyalty is her element so long as friendship is involved. But love? Friendship may be what gives us magic, but Love is another level of power entirely.”

Rarity sighed. “Of all ponies to fall in love with, Rainbow Dash would fall in love with a DJ.”

Twilight rapped her hoof on the table. “Girls, we’re forgetting the most important thing right now. Dash is going to be leaving and I still need somepony to take her place! Weather, the fireworks show, I had a lot of work planned out that she could do better than anypony. But with her gone, who’s going to-”

“I’ll do it!”

Everypony at the table paused. It was Fluttershy who had spoken up, and loudly too. She hadn’t said a word the entire evening and now she had just started. They all looked over at her. She was sitting straight up, her lips pursed together tightly, and her face turning bright red. Evidently she herself was surprised by her own words.

“Fluttershy, I can’t ask you to pull double duty. Especially since…” Twilight trailed off, not wanting to point out that Fluttershy probably wasn’t the most reliable when it came to things Rainbow Dash was particularly good at. “Well… I just couldn’t ask you to take over for Rainbow Dash entirely.”

“I said I’ll do it. I’ll do it.” The redness in her face became darker, but she wore a determined look.

“Are you su-”

“Absolutely.”

“You do realize that she was going to be pulling fireworks and weather duties, ri-”

“I know.”

“Fluttershy, do you even know what fireworks ar-”

“I want to help you, Twilight!”

That last response was nearly shouted, a volume that many of the girls didn’t even know was possible from Fluttershy. Celestia raised an eyebrow. She had met Fluttershy a few times, and this was almost like seeing an entirely new Fluttershy. She wondered for a moment about where this was coming from, and came up with a few ideas. She’d have to talk to Luna later, she decided. Luna would be able to tell for sure.

“Well…” Twilight hesitated. “Let’s go through the plans first, before we decide completely on everybody’s roles. There’s a lot of ground to cover, so we should probably get started before midnight.”

Everypony nodded. It was time to get down to business.

And so they did.