//------------------------------//
// All Work 
// Story: My Dearest Princesses 
// by Chickenscratch 
//------------------------------//

Celestia opened her eyes slowly, blinking to adjust to the morning light. The window in their room had been left with the curtains drawn, and the room was completely lit. Celestia rolled out of bed, yawning loudly. She fumbled about until she made it to the window and opened it. She was immediately greeted with a blast of cool morning air, thick with the smell of leaves and dew. She looked down to the emptied town square, which had been bustling with excitement only last night. There was little evidence that the festivities had ever taken place, spare for a few bits of litter or forgotten mugs that had once contained cider. 

“G’morning!” Celestia looked down abruptly to see a pony in the square gazing up at her. 

“Morning!” Celestia returned. The pony walked away without another word. Celestia was sure she hadn’t known them, but found herself with a smile nonetheless. Earth ponies seemed to be more cheerful and accepting than any other kind of pony she had ever met. Despite being put below the other types of ponies when the kingdoms were separated, they still treated Celestia and Luna with the same neighborly respect they held for each other. There was a stirring behind her, and Celestia turned in time to see Luna fall face first to the floor. 

“Washroom,” she grumbled, rolling onto her side. 

“I think it’s downstairs,” Celestia said, trotting over to her nightstand to retrieve the room key. “Come on, I’ll go down with you.”

“Carry me.”

“No.”

After a great deal of complaining, Luna was finally on her hooves, and the two of them made their way down to the bar. There were only a few ponies awake and eating breakfast. Celestia was sure the rest of them would be sleeping until late, especially with all the cider they drank in their bellies. Strawberry Creme was already awake, serving a particularly groggy stallion a bowl of oats. She caught sight go the fillies and approached them quickly. 

“Sleep well?” she asked.

“Washroom.” Luna wasted no time getting to the point. Celestia couldn’t deny her sister’s lack of modesty, especially in the mornings. 

“Oh, um…over there.” Strawberry Creme motioned to a door on the other side of the room and Luna hurried off without another word. The white earth pony chuckled, turning to Celestia. “Curious lil’ filly, ain’t she?”

“I guess,” Celestia returned. Neither of them were quite sure what the classifications on ‘normal’ were, so Celestia couldn’t quite tell if her sister was a bit strange. Of course she was more emotional than other ponies she had seen, but it had never come off as strange. Strawberry Creme led her guest to the bar, where she offered her a seat on one of the stools. The counters had been hastily cleaned, and there were still a few streaks of the general grime from the previous night’s festivities. Celestia did not mind this so much, but still avoided small bits of residue. She was soon presented with a small bowl of oatmeal. 

“Thank you,” she said, taking a careful taste. It was very creamy and tasted heavily of apple and cinnamon. Her face lit up in delight, and she began eating quickly, much to Strawberry Creme’s content. It was not long before Luna returned, and was treated to the same oatmeal.

“This is so good, Miss Strawberry!” Luna exclaimed, burying her snout in the bowl. Celestia pulled her sister out while their host laughed. 

“Glad ta hear it,” she said, wiping Luna’s face with a rag. The filly giggled, swiping away a bit of residue with her hoof. 

“Clover never made us anything like this,” Luna continued, using her weak magic to clumsily eat with her spoon. Celestia stopped eating, a heaping spoonful of oatmeal hovering before her. She set the spoon back down slowly and stared off in no particular direction. She had nearly forgotten Clover already. How was it that she could push something out of her mind so easily? Even in her independence, the unicorn still clung to the things that had kept her for so long. She undoubtedly missed Unicornia and everyone in it, but in the same sense she did not wish to return home. There were many things she did not understand in this world, and though she had been reluctant to leave she was still drawn to its mystery. 

Celestia finished her breakfast as ponies from the night before began to make their ways down to the bar for their meals. The golden colored colt by the name of Pumpkin that Celestia had seen the night before was left to tend to the groggy ponies. Strawberry Creme took the sisters’ bowls from them.

“Enjoy tha meal?” she asked with a grin.

“Yeah!” Luna replied in excitement. “It was super!” 

“Very good,” Celestia said, placing a hoof on her sibling to calm her. 

“Glad ya liked it.” Strawberry leaned onto the counter. “What plans have tha two of ya got? For yer travelin’ I mean.” Celestia tapped a hoof on the counter. 

“I don’t really know,” she admitted. “All Clover arranged was our trip to Maytown. I didn’t really think about what would come next.” Strawberry grinned. 

“Well, ya could always stay fer the end of tha Fall Festival,” she suggested. “Ponies ‘round here kin always use an extra hoof about now. Bringin’ in fall is a pinch a work, ya know.” 

“That sounds so cool!” Celestia turned to Luna, who was standing on her stool, hooves propped against the counter top. She hadn’t quite expected the outburst from her sister. Luna seemed to be growing more assertive by the day. 

“Well, if Luna wants to stay, why not?” she said, grinning. Strawberry Creme appeared delighted with the verdict. 

“It’s only mid week ‘bout now, and the work won’t end ‘till its over,” she explained. “Most everything starts up ‘round evening time, so you two kin enjoy yourselves ‘round town ‘till then.” 

Strawberry Creme was soon drawn back to her work, and the sisters returned to their room. Celestia approached the open the window, greeted by a cool breeze. Ponies were beginning to move about down in the square, and a few waved up to her. Luna was rolling around on the floor, looking at one of the maps that Clover had given them. 

“Equestria is really big,” she said, holding the map above her head. “Are we really going everywhere?”

“I guess so,” Celestia replied, trotting over to her sister.

“Even the places in the sky?”

“Don’t be silly, we can’t fly.” 

Eventually Celestia and Luna set out into the town to see what there was. Though it was early in the morning, there were many ponies out and about for their daily business. The occupations taken up by the members of Maytown varied greatly. Earth ponies were famous for rustic crafts, such as farming, but their professions ranged widely across the spectrum. There were woodworkers, metal smiths, stone masons, and many other choices that required the superior physical strength earth ponies were born with. Maytown itself was wrought with woodworkers, and for good reason. Just outside of town to the east was a small forest, which was the source for many goods in the town. Many ponies took occupation chopping down trees there or surveying the land. They were always careful to give back as much as they took, and in turn kept the forest healthy. The wood from the trees was strong, and every home in the town was built from it. 

At the edges of the town was a large apple orchard, run by the presiding Apple family. Their heritage ran deep, as did their traditions. The orchard was abuzz with activity for the fall as ponies from all over town came to help pick the ripened fruits and make ciders and jams. It was a Maytown tradition to help with the harvest in the orchard, and Luna begged her sister to attend. 

“Maybe tomorrow,” Celestia said. “There’s still much to see.” 

“You have to promise to take me though!” 

“I promise.”

The farms that Celestia and Luna had passed on the way into town were also considered part of the community, and the farmers that worked them would come in to sell their goods. A large autumn market was set up, and ponies from all over Maytown came to buy produce. Celestia herself went in for a while and bought several items for the trip, among which were fresh corn and an assortment of berries. The farmers were eager to rid themselves of their summer crops to make room for the new plants in the fall, and there was a huge variety of foodstuffs to choose from. The two stopped beneath a towering tree to eat some raspberries from Celestia’s shopping trip. 

“These are really good,” Celestia commented, popping another berry into her mouth. 

“Mmhmm!” Luna’s face was dripping red with juices as she tried to shove more berries into her already full mouth. 

“Oh slow down!” her sister said, taking a bit of cloth that had been used to wrap the berries and swiping it across Luna’s face. “You’ll be sick if you eat so quickly, you know!” 

The two of them rested in their hotel room until evening, when Strawberry Creme called them down. 

“T’day’s festivities are startin’,” she said, coaxing the fillies outside. “Wouldn’t want ya ta miss ‘em.” 

Outside, the sun was beginning to sink lower into the sky, and the entire town was coated in a pale orange glow. Ponies from all over the area were gathering around. Celestia even recognized a few of the farmers she had met in the market earlier on. Strawberry Creme turned to a tree outside of the inn. Leaning on her front legs, she gave the trunk a swift kick, and small flakes of green showered down to the ground. 

“Woah!” Luna cried out, looking at the tree in astonishment. “How did you do that?” 

“The green on tha leaves is beginnin’ to peel away, an’ in tha evenin’ the new coat will stain to tha color of th’ sun,” Strawberry explained, motioning to the leaves up on the tree. Celestia saw where the flakes of green had begun to peel away, and the leaf beneath was a strange, pale color. In time, the sunlight would stain it orange, or so their host claimed. 

“Interesting,” she said. “Back in Unicornia, we use magic to peel the green coating away, and it’s already orange underneath.”

“It doesn’t take long fer the leaf ta stain,” Strawberry said. “The clear color you saw a second ago ’s already orange.” Surely enough, the leaves were already stained with flairs of orange, much to the amazement of the two fillies. “It mighta looked like they were already orange, but it just stains quick.” 

“Cool,” Luna breathed, her eyes wide. The ponies around town had also begun to shake the green coating from the leaves of the trees that grew in the square. 

“It takes a right long time ta change all the trees in Maytown,” Strawberry said, kicking the tree again. “Not ta mention the orchard. Tha sooner we get ta work tha sooner we’ll be done.” Celestia and Luna complied eagerly, and helped with the work. At first, the sisters found it difficult to be of any use. Kicking the trees was a lot more difficult than it looked, and it took them several tries to land their strikes on the trunks of the trees. Strawberry Creme was very patient, and helped them the best she could to learn the technique. It took a great amount of force to get any real work done, and the two were tired out very quickly. 

Rest areas were set up around the town, and the ponies that took charge of them appeared to be too weak or old to help with the actual work. The stations provided water, and apple cider for the older ponies. Celestia and Luna took several breaks at various stations and got to know the other ponies resting at them. They were all incredibly caring and curious ponies, and Celestia grew quite fond of them. Several of them were incredibly interested in the journey they were on and asked many questions about Unicornia and the culture there. They appeared very surprised at the Leaf Turning Festival, and asked over and over how they managed to transition to fall in only a day. It was then that Luna overtook her sister in the conversation and proudly told the earth ponies about the magic that Unicornian ponies used, much to the listener’s bewilderment. Celestia allowed this, laughing at the seeming importance Luna held in the topic. 

Work carried on late into the evening, and soon the last rays of light disappeared from view. It was now that the lanterns were lit and the celebrating began. A great deal of the trees had been changed to their new wardrobes, but many still remained only half colored or fully green, waiting until the following evening to be transformed. Celestia and Luna were already very tired and hungry, and returned to the Goldenrod Inn without hinderance. There they ended up mingling with the towns ponies for dinner, and told them all about their times in Unicornia. They drank in the information readily, asking question after question about how magic worked. Celestia, fortunately educated in the subject, was able to explain to them in fair detail, and answer most of the questions asked of her. Luna had taken to furiously consuming the steamed corn they had been served, and smothered it lavishly with a thick butter. A few ponies stopped just to watch her eat, making comments now and then. 

After saying their farewells, the two of them went up to their room, exhausted. 

“Ohh Tia,” Luna groaned, throwing herself onto the bed, “I ate sooo much corn.” 

“I saw,” she replied, retrieving the journal Clover the Clever had given them and placing it on the desk. “You’ll feel better after you go to sleep.”

“No, I’m going to explode!” This was followed by a sound effect, which Celestia guessed was meant to be the explosion of her sister’s stomach. 

“Well, if you do, make sure not to get it on me.” 

“Thanks.” 

Luna was soon fast asleep, and Celestia worked on recording their day in the journal. The sounds of music and merriment could still be heard from the town square late into the night, and even after finishing her writing, the filly watched by the window. The ponies here always seemed to be celebrating for something. Even the most minor things seemed to be a cause for great commotion, which was what drew Celestia to them the most. The ponies in Unicornia had always taken things for granted, their magic making everything easy for them. Earth ponies never had such an easy way out, and celebrated in their hard work that allowed them to do what others could so effortlessly. Celestia admired this about them the most. She eventually fell into a contented sleep. 

The next morning she was awoken by Luna, shaking her violently. 

“Lulu..?” Celestia groaned, burying her face in her pillow. “Go back to sleep.”

“But Tia,” the blue filly whined, pounding on her sister with her hooves, “you promised!” 

“Promised what?” Celestia turned over to face Luna, who was pouting. 

“You said we’d go to the orchard to help harvest the apples!” 

“Oh yeah.” 

It was already late in the morning, and Celestia reluctantly rolled out of bed. Luna had apparently already gone down to eat without her, and was waiting anxiously to leave. Celestia hastily brushed her mane and went down to the bar, where she ate a quick meal of cornflakes with bits of fresh strawberries. Luna sat beside her sister, whispering encouragement for her to hurry as she ate. As soon as the last bite of cereal was taken, Luna sped off to the door, where she hopped in place as she waited for Celestia to follow her. 

The two of them made their way through town, arriving at the orchard around midday. The orchard itself spanned across a very large area of the countryside, and there were many ponies there working. Many of the ponies had cutie marks that corresponded to anything related to apples, who Celestia guessed were the members of the Apple family. A large, creamy brown stallion approached the two of them. 

“Ya here ta help out, lil missies?” he asked in a gruff tone. 

“Yeah!” Luna replied in excitement. The stallion smiled down at her. 

“Well, it’s nice ta see you youngins wantin ta help out,” he said, ruffling Luna’s mane. “You kin get right on in there, the baskets are already under yonder trees.”

“Thank you sir,” Celestia said, dipping her head respectfully. “We’ll do the best we can.” Luna took a less dignified approach, and took off yelling into the orchard. The stallion chuckled, shaking his head.

“You’ll have ta keep an eye out fer that one,” he said. Celestia sighed, grinning. 

“I know.” 

The two of them worked in the orchard for a good while, using the same techniques as the night before to kick the apples from the trees. Although they were physically weaker as unicorns, the sisters still had a good time. As it drew on into the afternoon the work stopped, and the family thanked all the volunteers for helping. Celestia and Luna were sent back to the hotel with a small basket of apples, which they snacked on along the way. 

Again that evening they helped with the work of shaking the green from the trees, and celebrated when the work was finally done for good. Celestia and Luna stayed out late that night, making merry with the rest of the town in their happiness. They only retreated back to the inn at the early light of morning, exhausted. Celestia fell asleep as she tried to write in her journal.