A Trip to Remember

by Gallifrey

Surf's Up!

Luna and Twilight reached the top of the last hill before the land sloped down to greet the ocean. Twilight gasped at the view. She had never seen the horizon be so perfectly flat before, nor anything quite so blue. The shimmering water looked like a sparkling galaxy of stars, and the white froth of the waves as they crashed at the shore made the unicorn’s ears twitch, as they produced a unique sound Twilight had never heard. A gust of wind swept her mane and she inhaled deeply. The fresh, tangy smell of the sea went straight to her head, clearing her thoughts, she could even taste the salt on her tongue. With all this hitting her at once, Twilight couldn’t do much more than gape in awe at the scene. Luna inwardly smiled at the expression on Twilight’s face: she completely understood what the unicorn was feeling, having felt it herself all those long years ago when she first beheld the seas.

“Shall we go down to see where dear Applejack and Rainbow Dash are?” asked Luna.

Twilight vacantly nodded in response.

They descended down the hill to the water’s edge, looking for the pegasus and earth pony. They split up and searched different areas of the beach. Twilight walked around a large rocky outcrop and came upon the two ponies, but also…

“Twilight Sparkle! My most faithful student!”

“Princess Celestia?” said Twilight, halting in her tracks, astounded.

“Are you not happy to see me?” asked the Princess, mock sulkily.

“Oh of course I am!” said Twilight hurriedly, “But, um, why are you here?”

“Well, I came here to see you all. I have been here since this morning, assuming you’d be here around this time, and I came across Applejack and Rainbow Dash, being too preoccupied to notice my approaching, I think I may have given them quite a startle.”

Celestia grinned mischievously as the two ponies blushed. The implication flew over Twilight’s head.

“How in Equestria did you know we were coming here? We never told you where we were going.”

“Well,” said Celestia, “this occurred to me too, so I visited Ponyville. I went to see your family Applejack, and Big Macintosh told me where you all intended to go. He also requested I give his regards to you all, particularly to you Twilight.”

“To m-me?” said Twilight, placing a hoof over her face in an attempt to hide her blush.

“Yes Twilight, to you.”

“Oh… my.”

Celestia nodded with a meaningful smile on her face. Applejack meanwhile looked on, eyes slightly narrowed.

“Anyway,” said Celestia pointedly, “I also visited Spike, who told me that he had received a letter yesterday evening from a fellow dragon telling of your whereabouts, hence, explaining how I both knew where to find you and when.”

“That still doesn’t explain why you’re here Princess,” said Twilight.

“Ah, yes, for that, I must talk to my dear sister.”

They walked back down the sands to find Luna.

“Celly?” said Luna once she saw Celestia.

“Good afternoon Luna,” said Celestia.

“What are you doing here?”

“Oh, do I have to say it all again?” pouted the Sun Princess.

“As for why I am here,” said Celestia after she had repeated herself, “I need you back in Canterlot.”

“What am I needed for?” asked Luna, surprised.

“Partly because some ponies have been asking me where you are, wanting to have audience with you, but mostly because the newspapers have noticed your unusual absence- this is the first time you’ve properly left Canterlot since your return after all, and they have been publishing stories that I have, ahem,” she looked down at her hooves, “sent you back to the Moon.”

“What?!” came the incredulous responses from the four ponies.

“I know,” said Celestia wearily, “I have half a mind to send them to the Moon. It has been a nightmare at the Palace, I’ve been swamped by ponies, the press have been demanding I tell of your whereabouts, sister. Since I didn’t actually know, which only made me look worse, I had to go to Ponyville and find out for myself. Now unfortunately I need you to return to Canterlot to stop this whole fiasco.

"Did you learn by any chance the lessons I intended you to learn by sending you on this trip in the first place?” asked Celestia with a glint in her eyes.

“You sending me? Lessons learnt?” asked Luna, confused.

“Yes, I suggested this trip to Twilight, and here you are. Did you learn any lessons in friendship between you?”

She looked at both Twilight and Luna.

“If I’ve learnt anything,” Luna began, “it is that being a true friend to somepony is just as great as loving somepony, which I hadn’t realised until now, and that I am never truly alone when I have such good friends and family.”

“And I learnt that being there for your friends is very important, and kindness and understanding are the keys to helping them if they are down,” said Twilight.

“Very astute,” said Celestia, nodding. “Now, I would love to stay longer with you and hear your adventures, but I must hurry back to Canterlot before they start saying I have abdicated myself or something ridiculous.”

“Farewell girls,” said Luna, “we have greatly enjoyed this trip with you all, we hope to do it again someday.” She hugged each one of them, embracing Twilight last, “Thank you,” she whispered through the hug.

She walked to her sister’s side and Celestia’s horn began to glow with a golden light. There was a brilliant flash of light and they were gone.

“Well, that was certainly unexpected,” said Twilight, “I sure hope the princesses can sort everything out.”

She tapped a hoof worriedly.

“Ah’m sure they’ll be fine sugar cube, don’t you worry none, now what do you say we do? The weather is mighty fine.”

“Surfing!” said an enthusiastic Rainbow Dash, “I love surfing!”

“Where are you gonna get a surfboard from though sugar cube?”

“I saw a big, flat piece of wood further down the beach that looked perfect for the job,” said Rainbow, positioning her body to take off then remembering her wing was still injured. “Heh, I’ll be back in a minute.”

She trotted off.

“Surfing? I’ve never tried that before,” said Twilight, wondering how much of a fool she was going to look.

“Me neither, should be interestin’. I hear Rainbow is quite good at it ya know.”

They heard a huffing sound as Rainbow dragged a flat piece of wood across the sand.

“What d’ya think?” asked Rainbow, spitting the wood out of her mouth.

Twilight looked at it. It looked hydrodynamic enough to her, she just wondered whether she was hydrodynamic enough, she wasn’t the strongest swimmer.

She looked up to see Rainbow Dash was wading into the water to try it out first, she hauled herself onto the board and waited for a big wave to roll in. Once she caught one, she began to stand up. To immediately fall off. And again. And again. And again.

“I thought you said she was really good?” mumbled Twilight to the earth pony.

“Tha’s what she told me,” replied Applejack.

Rainbow soon gave up and grumpily trudged out of the water, dripping from head to tail.

“It’s this wing!” she said, “I usually use my wings to help balance me.”

“O’ course Rainbow,” said Applejack teasingly.

Rainbow snorted in response.

“Twi, do you want a go?” asked Rainbow.

“I don’t see why not, I can’t be worse than you,” she snickered.

“Alright, quit it!” said Rainbow agitatedly.

They continued chuckling, but Applejack gave Rainbow a wink to show it was just a joke. Twilight meanwhile was about to take her first ever steps into the sea. A wave washed over her hooves.

“It’s freezing!” she called.

“You get used to it!” shouted Rainbow.

She ploughed on, the water rising until it touched her tummy, which elicited a gasp of shock from the mare, then over her back completely. She jumped onto the board lightly, keeping her body low and using her tail as a rudder to keep her in the right direction. Twilight looked over her shoulder to see a very large wave coming her way. She started paddling forward with her tail. She caught the wave.

Going good so far, now for the tricky part.

Twilight stood up. She found it no more difficult than she would standing up normally- She waved at the two ponies on the shore, each of whom bore expressions of bewilderment. This was easy for the unicorn as she leaned to the left to travel down the beach, riding the wave all the way until it broke in an explosion of white froth. Twilight managed to hold her ground right up until the wave had died and retreated back down the beach. She stepped off the board and looked for Rainbow and Applejack, who were running towards her.

“How did you do that?” they both asked.

“Beginners luck?” said Twilight modestly.

---------------

After they had eaten dinner, they started a fire primarily composed of the surfboard.

“Piece of junk,” said Rainbow as she threw it on.

The Moon rose out of the sea as evening progressed, and Twilight gazed at the large silver orb, wondering whether the princesses had managed to sort out the furore at the Palace yet, but also whether a certain stallion was watching the Moon with her so far away. Twilight felt her heart pang slightly as she realised just how far away she was from him. She missed him a lot, and was determined to see him as soon as possible when she got back.

“Twilight, what do you think?” asked Rainbow.

“Huh?” said Twilight, snapping out of her reverie.

“Me and AJ were wondering what we're gonna do after today? About whether we should start going home or not.”

“We have had a very eventful journey haven’t we?” said Twilight, “I wouldn’t mind setting off home at some point tomorrow.”

“Okie doke,” said Applejack as Twilight turned her head and gazed wistfully at the Moon again.

--------------

Big Macintosh was in his bedroom, sitting at his writing desk, lost in his own little world as his quill flew over parchment as he wrote. Moonlight spilled through the window above him and onto his body. He looked up and saw the Moon looking down on him.

I wonder if she’s looking too? She probably is in all fairness, she does love her astronomy.

The stallion looked down at his work again.

Imagination
A poem for Twilight Sparkle

“Ah think she’ll like that,” said Big Macintosh happily.

I do miss her…

--------------

“Oh hello Big Macintosh,” mumbled Twilight, “fancy seeing you here.”

Applejack sat bolt upright in her tent as she heard Twilight in her sleep from a few yards away.

“Why yes, you certainly can inspect my bedchambers,” she murmured happily.

Applejack’s eyes widened and she threw her hooves over her ears, not wanting to hear any more of Twilight’s dreams.
Her sudden movement awoke Rainbow Dash.

“Mmmrrrhhh AJ, what’re you doing?”

“Ah’m trying not ter hear Twilight’s dreams about mah brother!” whispered Applejack loudly.

“Why, what’s wrong with-”

“You certainly live up to your name, don’t you?” came Twilight’s slightly husky voice.

Rainbow suddenly understood why Applejack looked so disgusted, then fell about laughing in a fit of silent giggles on the floor of the tent.

“It’s not funny Rainbow!” hissed Applejack, “Ah really don’ wanna hear this stuff!”

“We could go for a walk?” suggested Rainbow, trying so hard not to laugh her ribs hurt.

“We can’t leave Twi on her own here!”

“We won’t go far, just out of earshot for ya.”

“Alright, sounds good to me.”

They quietly left their tent and walked a little way down the beach together under the silver moonlight. Soon, all they could hear was the breaking of the waves.

“So, do you think Twilight likes your brother?” asked Rainbow.

“Ah think so, there hasn’t been any solid evidence yet but Twi has always been very friendly with him, and after what Celestia said today about him sending his regards especially to Twilight, and these… dreams she’s having, I think it’s pretty likely.”

“And you’re okay with it I assume?”

“Well, of course, ain’t no business of mine, s’just weird with it being my brother and one of mah best friends.”

“Yeah, I can imagine… Actually, I can’t, I’m an only child.”

“And ah’ve been thinking recently about how to tell my family about us…” said Applejack slowly.

“They’ll be okay with us won’t they?”

“Ah’m not sure, we are mares after all.”

“And?”

“For ponies in my Granny’s generation, they generally think ‘filly foolers’ and ‘colt cuddlers’ are wrong and unnatural.”

“I-I don’t understand,” said Rainbow, genuinely confused, “why would they think that?”

“Ah don’t understand any more than you do firefly, it’s none of their bucking business what ah do, you do, or anypony else does. Then again, Granny has always been different, she might be alright.”

“And Big Macintosh?”

“He won’t care, besides, ah swear I’ve seen him checking out Caramel before.”

Rainbow snickered.