Twilight Sparkle, the latest Princess of Equestria, was currently sleeping sitting behind her desk, with her head fallen on top of it. She'd been up late to address important royal duties.
Spike came down the stairs, stretching, after having a good night's sleep, then going to prepare breakfast for him and Twilight. The little dragon then noticed his alicorn friend sleeping on the desk. He approached her and called her by giving it a slight touch:
"Twilight?"
She then woke up suddenly and asked:
"What?! What's the emergency?!"
"Twilight, calm down" Spike soothed. "It’s just me."
She sighed and then said, wearily:
"Sorry, Spike, but I'm too tired."
"You've been working all night?" Said Spike.
"Well, I would not say all night" Twilight replied, as she used her magic to tidy the desk. "I ended up falling asleep halfway through. This is the less good part of being a princess: have a lot of royal duties."
"I think you should rest" Spike suggested, helping tidying up. "If you keep working this way, you will end up getting sick."
"Yes, you're right, Spike" Twilight agreed. "But I find it very difficult to make time for a vacation with so much to do."
Then Spike burped, releasing his magical fire that turned into a letter. Twilight used her magic to pick up the letter and opened it and began to read it:
Dear Twilight,
I know you must have a lot of work on your hooves right now and, as I know you quite well, you must be giving one hundred and ten percent of you... or more, to do it. However, life cannot be all work.
Why don’t you come spend a few days here at the Crystal Empire. We haven't seen each other for a long time and your brother misses you a lot too. Don’t worry about the work. I'll talk with Celestia and ask her to give you some vacation. If you want, you can also bring your friends.
Answer when you can, please.
With love,
Cadance.
"So what does it say?" Spike asked.
"Cadance is inviting me to spend a few days at the Crystal Empire" Twilight said.
"But that is fantastic. That way, you can relax and, at the same time, be with Cadance and Shining. You kill two birds with one stone."
"Yes, but... I don’t know."
"Twilight, you're not thinking in refusing it, are you?" Spike asked.
"I don’t know, Spike" she said. "Even if Celestia gives me vacation, there is so much to do here in the library."
"Hey, I can handle it" Spike answered. "After all, I'm your number one assistant, remember?”
Twilight laughed and then replied:
"Yes, you're right. I think I deserve a vacation. Are you sure you don’t mind staying here?"
"Of course not" Spike replied. "It's not the first time you leave me alone in the library."
"Yes, you're right" Twilight agreed. "Well, looks like it's decided. But before writing back to Cadance, I have to ask the others if they can also come."
So Twilight went to her friends to see if they could go to the Crystal Empire. First, she flew to Rainbow’s home and made her the invitation, but she told:
"Sorry, Twilight, but we have a rainstorm scheduled in Ponyville in the next few days and I will be busy coordinating everything. I will not be able to go."
"It's okay" replied Twilight. "Maybe next time."
Then Twilight went to Sweet Apple Acres to invite Applejack.
"Ah can’t, Twilight, Ah'm sorry" she replied while bucking apple trees. "Ah have tah get these apples bafor it starts rainin'."
"Yes, I understand" Twilight replied.
Then he went to Fluttershy’s cottage, but she said:
"Oh, Twilight, I'd love to go with you to the Crystal Empire. Unfortunately, my bear friend is sick and I have to take care of him."
"It's okay, Fluttershy. Treating your bear friend has priority to vacation."
Then she came to the Carousel Boutique and made the invitation to Rarity who replied:
"Oh, Twilight, I'd love to go with you."
"But let me guess" Twilight said. "You have things to do."
"What? Of course not. Things have been pretty calm. Going on vacation is always better than staying here dying of boredom. Moreover, I never miss an opportunity to go to the Crystal Empire."
"Oh, thank goodness you can come" Twilight said, relieved. "I would have hated to go alone. Now I just have to ask Pinkie and then..."
When she prepared to depart, Pinkie appeared in front of her and saying:
"Here’s Pinkie!"
That made Twilight flinch.
"Pinkie, how many times I have told you to not do this?" Twilight asked angrily.
"About one hundred and fifty-two times" said Pinkie. "Oh, wait... one hundred fifty-three. But, hey, it's very funny."
"Not for me" Twilight answered, still recovering from the shock. "My heart almost jumped out of my chest."
"Oh, silly, that's impossible" Pinkie said, laughing. "That only happens in cartoons. Hey, what do you want to ask me?"
"Twilight will spend a few days at the Crystal Empire" Rarity said.
"Yes, and I was wondering if you want to come" Twilight invited.
"Oh, of course yes!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. "I'm so excited to try those flugelhorns again."
"Well, then it’s decided" Twilight said. "We three will go. It's good you get ready, because we’ll catch the train that leaves in the evening to get there early tomorrow."
And having said this, she walked away.
When she reached the library, she sent a letter to Cadance saying she would arrive the Crystal Empire in the next day morning with Rarity and Pinkie Pie and began to prepare her saddlebags to leave. When the time to go to the train station arrived, Twilight Spike said as he put her saddlebags:
"Don’t forget to clean the dust of all shelves."
"Yes, Twilight."
"And Owlowiscious has to have his feathers brushed at least once a day."
"Yes, Twilight."
"And don’t forget too..."
"Twilight, I know everything I need to know" Spike said as Twilight reached the door. "Don’t worry, everything will be fine."
"I know you know what to do, Spike, but I can’t not help but worry" Twilight insisted.
"You go to the Crystal Empire to relax, so I suggest that you go now to be able to catch the train before it's late" Spike said, opening the door.
Twilight smiled and said:
"Yes, you're right, Spike, it’s better I go."
She hugged the little dragon and said:
"Behave yourself, okay?"
"You can believe so" he replied, doing a salute.
"Well, goodbye then" Twilight say, leaving.
"Bye, Twilight" Spike answered.
Twilight walked to the train station where there were already Pinkie and Rarity.
"I see you’re already here" Twilight noticed.
"I arrived right now, a few seconds before you, dear" Rarity said.
"And I've been here since morning" Pinkie said.
That made Rarity and Twilight exchange a look and Twilight said her:
"Pinkie, I said we would catch the train of the evening. You hadn’t to be here since morning."
"What, are you crazy?" Pinkie Pie asked. "What if I delayed and I missed the train? So I wouldn’t go with you to the Crystal Empire."
"And what did you eat, just out of curiosity?" Rarity asked. "Knowing you as we know, you can’t stay too long without eating some candy."
"That's easy" Pinkie Pie answered. "I have cakes stashed all over Ponyville, in case of cake emergency."
"Wait, but the cakes don’t spoil?" Twilight asked.
Pinkie Pie was going to answer, but before she could do it, Twilight said:
"Please, don’t tell me you have battery-powered refrigerators to preserve the cakes."
"Okay, so I won’t say it" Pinkie Pie said, going after that hopping around.
"How did you guess?" Rarity whispered into Twilight’s ear.
"Please, it's Pinkie Pie we're talking about" she said. "It was to expecting something crazy like refrigerators powered by batteries."
"Yes, you're right" Rarity agreed.
"By the way, I noticed you brought little luggage, this time" Twilight observed, looking at Rarity’s saddlebags.
"Oh, Twilight, I hardly think it necessary bring a lot of luggage behind me for a simple trip to the Crystal Empire" Rarity said.
But then she noticed Twilight’s look and then admitted:
"Besides, my bags were for cleaning. Sweety Belle and her friends had the bright idea to try painting my bags with ink just to get the Cutie Mark of bag decoration."
That made Twilight drop a laugh.
It was then they heard the sound of the train whistle and then it came up and stopped at the station. Twilight, Rarity and Pinkie Pie entered and, when all passengers were to come out and the passengers who were on the platform entered, the train doors closed and the train advanced.