//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: Vacation // Story: The Last Vacation // by Noble Thought //------------------------------// It’s hard to believe that it’s been a month already. Twilight looked up from her journal to the friends she had made in that month. Four of them were in various stages of packing Applejack’s van. Well, at least, one of them was. Rainbow was napping in the back seat while Applejack finished loading the rest of the luggage. “Hey! Can ya stop jostlin’ the ride?” “Sure!” A bag with a rainbow bolt emblazoned in shining plastic sailed over the seat-back. “Just as soon as it’s packed.” “Oof!” Rainbow jerked upright, rubbing at her head. “Watch it! I’m nappin’!” “Yeah, and I’m doin’ all the work.” Another bag thumped in the back. “You could’ve at least loaded your own bags instead of just tossin’ em on the pile!” “Gimme a break, I just got back from trouncing the Shadowbolts at a game. I’m exhausted.” Applejack tossed a glance at Twilight and softened the landing of the next bag. “Alright. Jus’ promise me you’ll—” she leaned forward to hold a whispered conversation. Twilight blushed and leaned back against the front porch pillar, tapping a foot against the concrete. Shadows from the spreading oak in front of the house flickered back and forth in a light, late morning breeze, and the open page of her journal asked her to tell it more. They’re getting ready for a trip to the beach for Spring Break. It’s also sort of a break from the drama of the last month and a half for them. I still don’t believe half of what happened, despite being involved in the half that made the least sense. Ponies? And Sunset’s one of them? Her hand curled of its own accord into almost a hoof. It was hard to believe that creatures that couldn’t even hold a pen could be as smart as Sunset. And Sunset was at least as intelligent as the majority of Star Swirl’s student body. She’s not coming. She’s got something going on with the sirens or... something. I don’t pretend to understand how that works. Something about reconnecting with others from her homeworld? Anyway, the girls have been on this kind of trip before, they said, freshman year. They’re still a little fuzzy about what happened sophomore year, but I get the impression none of them are proud of it. And that it has something to do with... me. Except not me. They tried to explain that there was another me. That’s the hardest to wrap my head around. Not just someone who looks like me, but another, whole me. The rest of it? Princesses? Monsters? I mean, I saw magic. Real magic. I can believe that. I understand that. Those are real, concrete things that I have touched, and witnessed, and… I think used. Maybe. The girls Rainbow Dash poked her head out the side of the van. “Hey, Twi. You gonna write in that book the whole time?” Twilight glanced at the unfinished line, sighed, and finished the thought before she looked up. “Well, no. I’m just not sure what I can do. The organizing is already done. All that’s left is doing.” “Yeah, well, we kinda want you to do stuff with us. That’s, like, the whole point!” “Oh, leave her alone, Rainbow Dash. She’ll do what she wants. This is a vacation to relax, after all.” Rarity patted Twilight’s head lightly. “It may be new to all of you—” She sighed when Rainbow opened her mouth. “—excepting you, Rainbow, darling.” Rainbow visibly bristled. “I am not darling.” “Psh-tosh. Of course you are. But I know how good it can feel to just relax and do nothing.” “And y’all have done nothin’ this whole morning!” Applejack punctuated her statement by tossing Rarity’s last piece of luggage in the back of the van. “I mean, gosh darnit. I’ve done all the packin’.” “Pinkie Pie and I have been most busy making lunches for all of us, for your information.” Rarity’s hand strayed down to pat Twilight’s cheek. The close contact felt odd, but Twilight forced herself to stay still—it was just something Rarity did. “And Twilight here has been trying to deal with all of us, the poor dear. Why, it’s a miracle she’s still sane.” “I know.” Applejack wiped the back of her hand across her forehead, and nodded to Twilight. “I’m just hopin’ you’ll open up to us. I mean, we’re friends’n’all, right? But I keep gettin’ the feeling that you’re not comfortable.” She shot a glance at Rainbow and shrugged. “We like ya a bunch, and it’d be a darn shame if we just let it go.” Rainbow nodded vigorously from the van’s side-door. “Yeah! We want to know more about you!” “And I like you all, too. And I will.” Twilight looked down at the unfinished entry and closed the book. “I promise. I-it’s been a lot to take in. That’s all. I mean, would you believe me if I told you that you all had pony versions of yourselves that—” She looked down again at the book, the cover designed like the embroidery on her vest. Somewhere, there was another one of her with the same mark. “It’s just a lot to take in.” “Don’t we know it!” Rarity patted Twilight’s cheek again. “I wonder... where is... ah. There she is.” Rarity waved to a yellow bug just turning down the street to Applejack’s ranch house. “Can’t very well go without games now, can we?” “Of course not! I still don’t understand why you didn’t let me go to buy some games. I would totally have picked the best games!” Pinkie danced around Rarity and Twilight, her arms full of bags of sandwiches, drinks, and chips. “Hi, Fluttershy!” she screamed. Twilight winced and leaned back. “You know she can’t hear you, right? She’s not even halfway down the street.” “When Pinkie wants to be heard, she’s heard.” Rarity rubbed at her ear. “Trust me.” “Spluh. I mean, why would I be shouting if she couldn’t hear me? It wouldn’t make any sense.” Pinkie handed the bags off to Applejack. All Twilight could do was stare. “But that doesn’t—” “Hush, dear. Don’t hurt your brain.” Rarity smiled down at her and patted her cheek again. “It’ll only lead to more questions.” Fluttershy’s bug hummed into place next to the much larger van, and even Rainbow Dash got out to see what games Fluttershy had bought especially for the trip. “I’ve got the games, girls!” she called out, dragging a large box and two smaller bags out of her back seat. “Aw yeah! Badminton!” Rainbow shoved the box haphazardly on top of the luggage. “Hey, AJ! You an’ me, tomorrow!” “You lookin’ for a rematch? You’re on!”   Pinkie took the two smaller bags and rifled through them. A moment later, her grin never faltering, she handed them off to Rarity. “No Twister? Bummer.”   “You always win, Pinkie,” Rarity said, unpacking the bags into the scant space left in the middle row of seats. "Thank you, Fluttershy, for bringing some games we all have a chance of winning.” “You’re welcome! I’ve always wanted to play Badminton. So much more peaceful than tennis.” Twilight watched from the front porch steps, uncertainty of her place in this group of friends growing again. “Ooh, travel chess.” Rarity held up the little box and waved it at Twilight. “You know, I used to play a mean game. I’ll play a few games with you.” One last glance at her journal, and she shoved it back into her backpack. “Sure! It’ll be fun.” With the last of the baggage and the snacks for the trip packed, Applejack slammed the doors shut and took out her keys. “All aboard the beach retreat express!” My friends. The words on the page looked odd. She’d scrawled them out rather than taken her time, and it looked sloppy next to the rest of the entry. “My friends,” Twilight whispered, drowned out by the myriad of other noises in the van. The words felt better when she said them, and brought a smile to her face. It was too bumpy in the van to do much writing, and whenever she tried to doodle, it turned into a sloppy, lumpy mess. In the silence between radio stations and trying to sing along with Pinkie Pie and the others, she’d taken to re-reading old entries. The sound of the tires on pavement, the sound of her friends chatting, and the radio filled her with an unusual sensation. She couldn’t put words to it, exactly. Research, then. She stared at the page, written a few weeks ago, clicking her pen against her teeth, and read. Is it happiness? I don’t know if I’ve ever been this happy to be around other people. I don’t have any baseline to gauge it against except Shining Armor and Cadance, and they both let me do my own thing. Most of the time. Does being friends mean giving up some of that freedom? Does it matter if I lose it? Was I happy before? Am I happy now? Was that what the feeling was? The words on the page, written by a Twilight she barely knew anymore, didn’t give her any more answers. “Questions... more questions. None of my textbooks ever said anything about friendship.” Which was a lie, and she knew it. Sociology, psychology, sciences hard and soft, had much to say about the role of friendships. But they never said what those friendships felt like, or how they could be… magical. With a sigh, Twilight closed the journal again, marking her place with a folded piece of ribbon and tapped her fingers on the binding. Outside her window, the landscape rolled by and mile markers flashed by one after another, counting down to wherever they were going. Louder, she said: “I forgot to ask. Where is the beach house?” “What’s that?” Applejack risked a glance behind, then snapped her eyes forward again when Rarity slapped her arm. “She was asking where the beach house is.” Rarity twisted around in the front seat and smiled at Twilight, sandwiched between the door and a bag of snacks in the middle seat. “It’s my parent’s vacation getaway, north of Las Pegasus. A very nice, secluded beach. And the sunsets...” Rarity beamed a smile at her. “They’re the stuff of dreams.” Pinkie popped her head over the towering bag of snacks. “Rarity’s, like, super rich. And her family’s got bags and bags of money everywhere.” “Psh-tosh. We are comfortable, Pinkie Pie. My parents just wanted someplace relaxing they could visit any time of the year. It was a good investment.” Rarity sighed. “Was. They’re thinking of selling it.” She slapped Applejack’s arm again. “Watch the road! I would like to get there in one piece.” “I am watchin’ the road. I’m just surprised to hear your parents would sell the place, is all. Isn’t that where you—” Applejack flinched again. “Would you quit hittin’ me?” “Girls, please.” Fluttershy, sitting behind Twilight, was barely audible over the other noise. “You are not watching the road!” “Am too! Besides, this old jalopy, well, she might not look like much, but she keeps it straight and level. Don’t ya, girl?” Applejack took her hands off the wheel. “See?” “Applejack!” The van swerved as Rarity grabbed a hold of the wheel. “Girls!” Fluttershy’s shout cut through the noise of everything else going on, and seemed to even command the road to be quieter. “Please, behave yourselves. Is this how you want our first vacation with Twilight to be remembered?” “No.” “Nope.” “Then please, try not to act like chldren.” Silence fell for a short stretch of road before Pinkie twisted around in her seat to talk with Rainbow Dash in hushed tones. Well, hushed for Pinkie Pie. Tales of pranks they had played, and pranks they could play came back in snippets and snatches of conversation. Applejack and Rarity struck up a debate about scenery as opposed to memories. If Twilight’s past experiences with their arguments was anything to go by, it was going to get heated after Applejack got too blunt, and Rarity too hyperbolic. It was just a matter of time. And then things would settle down again. They always did. Of them all, Fluttershy seemed the least interested in talking. It was easy to forget that she was there, except for the occasional tap on her arm, followed by the chess game being passed back and forth. Rarity had gotten frustrated after two games left her trounced inside of two dozen moves, and tended to go for the bold stroke. Fluttershy, for all of her quiet, was more thoughtful and played a more timid, if intelligent, game. It was hard to trap her in a gambit, and harder to tell what she was thinking. Twilight studied the game for a moment, then used a pawn to take Fluttershy’s last knight and passed it back. It would leave Twilight’s bishop exposed to a counter by a rook, but if Fluttershy took the bait... More moves passed back and forth. Fluttershy didn’t take the bait, and had offered Twilight several other counter-traps in return. Minutes began to pass between exchanges of the board, and the sun crept ever lower, bathing the surrounding plains in golden light. Tractors could be seen in distant fields, churning up dust clouds as they prepared the ground for planting season. It was just like her old road trips. Except, instead of Smarty Pants or Shining Armor, she was playing chess with Fluttershy. “Are we there yet?” “Five more minutes, Pinkie Pie.” Rarity shook her head and snorted. “Really? Because, it’s five hours to Las Pegasus, and we’re only—” “She ain’t pullin’ your chain this time, Pinkie.” Applejack pointed at a sign. “We’ll be there in, how long?” “It’s about twenty miles.” “That is so not five minutes,” Pinkie grumped, folding her arms over her chest. The sun was well into its descent, just above the horizon, by the time the van rambled down a winding gravel road. It was less of a road and more of a slope that just happened to lead where they were going. Little had been done to improve it, but that didn’t distract from the view that swept in and out of sight down the long path. “...and you just know Prim Hemline’s tastes are to die for. This was her ‘Get away from the high life’ vacation home. Obviously, it was the first to go when her fashion line a decade ago was met with less than adoration. And daddy, being the savvy businessman he is, offered to cover her production costs in exchange for some pieces of property. This is the last one he’s kept. For... sentimental reasons.” “That’s why it’s so surprising they’re willin’ to sell it. This is a piece of your childhood, Rarity.”   “Oh, I-I know.” The catch in Rarity’s voice tugged Twilight’s attention away from the slow roll of waves. “Then why don’t you try to convince them to keep it?” “Because sometimes, it’s important to move on and grow up. I am growing into a young woman, and the things I enjoyed as a child shouldn’t hold such sway over my decisions.” A doll at the bottom of her memory chest back home flashed through Twilight's mind. Stitches falling apart, fabric faded, and both glassy eyes long ago replaced by shiny-turned-dull buttons. She tried to imagine giving up her Smarty Pants doll. She couldn’t. Logic said the doll was old, and well past its prime. So why have I kept it? “Maybe,” Twilight said, “because you loved it.” “Loved it? Yes. I suppose I did.” The forlorn note in Rarity’s voice suggested far more than supposition. She stared out the window at the craggy limestone cliff as the house drew closer. “But it is hard to maintain, all the way out here. Shouldn’t I let them sell it before it gets to be too much?” “Hogwash. If you love it, don’t just let it go.” Applejack reached over to hold Rarity’s hand gently. “Hold onto what you love.” “It...” The house came into view around the cliff, and Rarity sniffed, squeezing Applejack's hand in return. “You may have a point, Applejack. Even just seeing the old place brings back such happy memories.” Maybe that’s what friendship is, Twilight thought. Her fingers itched to hold her pen, to write down the idea, but the gravel road was even worse for writing than the straight, smoother highway. Besides, the sun was even lower, and the few scrub trees lining the pathway down sent shadows flickering through the van that would have made reading, let alone writing, even harder. Rarity shook her head again as the house, a glittering golden collection of cubic shapes, appeared around a bend. “But it is getting awful expensive to maintain. Why, just last year, we had to replace the roof after mold caught in the shingles.” Rarity shook her head again and drew her hand away. “I can see why they want to get rid of it. Just the labor alone was close to thirty thousand. Bussing them out, lodging, and the delays. Materials were… a lot cheaper. Less than ten percent of the total cost.” “They let you know a lot about it,” Twilight said. “My parents didn’t even tell me how much Star Swirl cost until I asked them.” “I want to be a businesswoman someday, Twilight. I’ve made that no secret to them. It’s a part of learning.” “I suppose that makes sense. If it’s that expensive to maintain, I can see the logic.” But what if it cost me as much to keep Smarty Pants whole? It had cost her time away from learning to learn how to sew well enough to make the button eyes almost seem right, and patch up the seams. Shining had helped somewhat. Of course, he was the reason the eyes had popped off and the seams got strained in the first place. Twilight shook her head slowly and smiled. “But I don’t think I could let go.” “You gotta show em what it means to you.” Applejack glanced back at the four faces looking out through the windshield, and turned back around before Rarity could scold her. “What it means to all of us. Heck, I’d be willing to help out. I may not be able to donate money, but I can fix things up. I’d just need money for supplies. And a bribe for Big Mac.” “I could paint. Oooh! And party planning. I could raise money like that.” “I could raise some money to help out, maybe.” Rainbow scrubbed the back of her neck. “I mean, what was I gonna spend my paycheck on, anyway? Shoes?” She shrugged. “It’s not much, but... I suppose I could also help AJ with the work.” “I could put a donation jar in the vet clinic for it. You know, tips. I don’t think the owner would mind.” The van fell silent for a moment, an expectant silence. “I could organize? I mean... and...” What can I even do? Ask my parents for money? “I could also—” “Well, we will need help getting it all organized,” Rarity said, turning to rest her hand on Twilight’s knee. “It is quite a large undertaking. For such a small house, I mean.” She squeezed gently. “Thank you.” “I-I haven’t done anything yet.” “Hogwash. You’ve done plenty. Why, I doubt I woulda passed my history test if it weren’t for those flash cards.” The van filled with her friends telling her things she’d done, homework help, mostly, as the crunch and grind of gravel gave way to the hiss of sand and dirt for the last hundred feet. The golden crowned home was getting lost in the gloom of approaching night and the molten gold clouds drifting low over the distant horizon. The van’s constant, low rumble faded into the tick-tick-ticking of cooling steel. The rush crash of waves on the shore swelled as the van doors swung open, sending a whistling breeze through the interior. “Welcome,” Rarity said, stepping out of the van and sweeping her arms open to the cool night air, “to Casa De Rarity!” Sand crunched under Twilight’s feet, and her arms prickled with goosebumps as the wind rose and fell with the sound of the waves a few hundred feet from the house, bringing warmer air and a hint of salty freshness. “Come on, girls. Let’s get everything inside! You do not want to be caught outside when the fog rolls in.” Rarity waved a hand at the low bank of fog waiting at the mouth of the cove, tendrils of it already climbing the cliff faces. Rainbow snuck up behind Rarity and slapped both hands down on her shoulders. “Because it gets spoooky?” “Eep! Rainbow Dash!” “Hey, just joking!” Rainbow laughed and slung her duffel over one shoulder and snagged the handle of one of Rarity’s suitcases. “Lighten up. I almost thought you were afraid of the fog.” “Heavens, no. It’s actually quite beautiful. But think of what the fog will do to my—” Rarity shook her head. “Our hair. Frizzy does not even begin to describe the horrors that await!” Applejack leaned up close to Twilight, carrying a double armload of bags, including the snacks. “She means she looks like a dog decided to style her hair.” “Too true, Applejack. Too true. But... the rim of the cove is usually safe.” Rarity paused to point at one of the horns of the cove, jutting out over the water, sweeping her finger all along the inner rim. “Up there, the fog doesn’t reach, and it’s absolutely the best place to watch the sunset. It’s too late to get to tonight, but maybe tomorrow or... well, we’ll figure something out, I’m sure.” “I’m sorry, Pinkie, but there’s no TV here, and the only electricity is in the solar batteries for the lights. Other than that...” Rarity pointed at the fireplace. “We have heat, a propane water heater, and we’ve got a campfire already planned for... sometime this week.” “Bummer! So, no Smack Brawl?” “Nope. We do have plenty of games, though! Who’s up for some poker?” Rainbow zipped the deck of cards between her hands and flipped up an ace of hearts. “Not for me, thanks.” Fluttershy flicked a finger against the ace, sending it floating to Rainbow’s lap. “I’ve got no poker face.”   “Aw. Twilight?" Rainbow waved the fan of cards at her. "Poker?”   “Um. Maybe?” “What about this new game?” Applejack pulled a yellow box out of her bag. “Apples to Apples!” “I’ve heard of that game," Twilight said. "Shining Armor said he plays it with Cadance and their friends a lot. I’ve always been too busy studying...” The bitter memories of Shining offering to let her play soured her stomach, and she smiled ruefully at the colorful artwork on the box. She’d always turned him down… Not always. Just since she’d started at Star Swirl. She shifted against the couch, looking down at her hands folded in her lap, empty hands grasping at nothing. “I really haven’t done much with my life, have I?” “Psh. Don’t talk that way, Twilight.” Rarity patted her knee gently. “You’re still young, and whatever your life was like before, you’re with us now, and we’re going to make up for lost time! Aren’t we, girls?” Pinkie, laying on the couch, folded her arms around Twilight’s neck and hugged her close. “You betcha!” “So, Apples to Apples?” Applejack shook the box. “It’s gonna be juicy! The warmth around her neck, and the casual disregard for her personal space wasn’t odd anymore; it was just something Pinkie did. Their first Slumber Party, she’d barely gotten to even look at her journal. At least, not until she’d snuck off to find Sunset furiously scribbling in a notebook. The formulae had been in a notation she’d never seen before. Arcane mathematics. “Hey. Get back here!” Pinkie bit her ear. Lightly, but it still stung. “Ow! I am here.” “Yeah, now. Stay here. Please?” It was uncanny. “Are you… sure you can’t read minds?” “Darling, it was obvious to all of us you weren’t here here.” Rainbow snorted. “Yeah. You were staring at your hands. Even I picked up on that.” Twilight snatched her hands from her lap and picked up a the box cover. It was just artwork. She held onto it anyway, studying the bright art and the happy family slapping cards on the table. “So, how do you play?” “Simple. It’s word association, but funny,” Applejack said while passing around cards to everyone around the table. “See, we take one of these cards,” she said, holding up a card with ‘Funny’ written on it, “and then we all play a card that we think is funny. But you can only play one of those cards in your hand. And someone, I’ll go first, picks what they think is funniest.” “Is there a winner?” Twilight’s cards held little that was ‘funny’. “I mean, I don’t really have anything—” “That one!” Pinkie poked the card that said ‘kumquat.’ “But that’s a fruit. It’s not—” “Trust me, Twilight. I know funny.” Twilight placed the card. “Well, Twi, to answer your question: there ain’t exactly a winner. We just kinda play until we get tired of it.” Applejack spent a moment looking over the cards given for funny and giggled. “Kumquat is pretty funny.” She set it aside, and then passed out another card to everyone. “Although, I suppose we could keep score this time.” Her eyes flicked to Rainbow Dash. “As long as we don’t get too competitive.” “I’m not gonna do anything. This is Apples to Apples, Applejack! There’s not much to be competitive about.” “You said the same thing about washing cars.” Applejack prodded Rainbow’s shoulder. “You remember how that turned out?” “Yeah, yeah. I apologized, didn’t I? I’ll save the competition for tomorrow. Tonight’s for silly fun!” Nestled against Pinkie’s shoulder, looking over her cards and Pinkie’s at the same time, Twilight’s fears about belonging, and the queasy thoughts about the last month and a half to melt away. But do I belong? With them or at their school? Twilight sighed. None of the cards in her hand fit the descriptor card, ‘dangerous.’ Pinkie, nibbling on her ear before placing ‘kittens’ for the ‘dangerous’ card, dispelled the thought and its worry. None of them fit. So what? “I’ll see your kittens and raise you grass!” “Good one. Beware the evil grass! It’ll tickle your toes!” Pinkie’s hand poked Twilight’s stomach, making her flinch and giggle. None of them fit, either. But together... The spark in her heart grew brighter.