"You are certain all will be well, Sister?"
It was ever to Luna's envy, even to smaller, saner degrees than in centuries past, that Celestia bore such a calm and confident exterior. "I am certain."
"I know I've not made public appearances or done any of leadership's heavy lifting since my return, but to hoist all of my duties upon yourself-"
"I can handle it."
"But did you not once delegate such-"
"Yes, and if need be, I can do so again."
"I, that..." Luna sighed. "I suppose that will-WAIT, what about the night sky?"
Rolling her eyes, Celestia offered an amused smirk. "For the next three days? Mine."
Dark-blue lips formed an angry pout. "You never get the northern stars right, it was a complete mess when I returned, but I could easily manage it from-"
"No."
"But-"
"No, I don't want you thinking about work even a little bit. I know you, Luna, you'd spend all afternoon preparing the moon and stars if left to your own devices, and that's not what a vacation is about."
Luna crossed her forehooves in grumpy fashion. "A second exile, you mean!" Luna, Moon Sky, had technically agreed to leave Canterlot for a short time, but the terms of the arrangement had complicated considerably when Celestia caught wind of this.
Throwing her head back, Celestia loosed a short, maniacal cackle. "Yes, and with you out of the picture for a whole three days, my secret plan to usurp the moon once and for all shall finally be completed!"
Luna was not amused. "'Tis no laughing matter, Tia! I have worked to establish a very particular-"
Giggling, Celestia indicated a nearby window. "I know. Look."
"Huh?"
"Outside. Did you notice that in the time we've been talking, I switched the sun and moon? How did I do?"
Racing over to the window, Luna pushed it open, eyes peeled and tongue ready to tell her sister each and every way she'd made an error with the many constellations... only to find none. The night sky was in perfect alignment, as though she'd arranged it herself. She turned to look back at Celestia in confusion.
Celestia smiled warmly. "I've studied your method closely since your return, Luna."
Touched, but still wanting to be angry for the whole forced-vacation thing she was rapidly running out of arguments against, Luna scowled. "You've been planning this for months."
The smile stayed. "Yes. What of it?"
Jaw drop. "Y-you... you can't just, aren't you even going to...?" There was no yield in Celestia's eyes, only that I've-already-won stare she still had after all this time. Luna sighed. "The bags are already packed?"
"Yep!"
"The coordinates set?"
"A pleasant little hotel in Manehattan."
"Do I have escorts?"
"Just the pony that invited you, and the other I should probably tell you a little about..."
---
Moondancer sniffled. "S-so, I-I guess this is it. I... I-I'm, I'M GONNA MISS YOU GU-"
The dorm room door slammed in her face, Sunset's voice muffled through it. "Nice try, Moondancer."
Twilight offered her muffled sentiments as well. "Yea, you're only gonna be gone for three days, why dramatize it?"
She could almost hear Sunset rolling her eyes. "Freebie glomps, Sparkle."
Moondancer sniffled. "S-Sunny! Twily! I already miss your biting remarks accompanied by well-timed eyerolls and adorably hopeless naivete respectivelee-hee-hee!!"
The two replied in unison. "GET GOING!!"
Moondancer would have kept this going for a few more tearful minutes, but she really needed to be catching that train. Besides, she was sure she could at least hug the others on the ride over!
She couldn't believe Sunset and Twilight weren't even a little interested in going to see her distant cousin, Fan Dance the big Broadhay star, performing in Manehattan! But there was no fooling, they really didn't care! Still, that gave the two of them a kind of extra-huggable shut-in charm, so it was lucky good ol' Moon Sky was in the cafeteria when Moondancer proposed the idea!
That was a good day, because her shyest classmate's ears perking up at the sound of 'Broadhay' were all Moondancer needed to see to know that if she offered her one of the two tickets Fan Dance had sent her family, she'd say yes! And she did! It was an adorably shy, hesitant yes, but still a yes! At least, once it had been explained that Marble Magnanimity wasn't interested in the trip and never remarried, and thus accepting wouldn't mean Moon Sky was taking a ticket from anypony else.
Moonbutt's such a considerate pony. I should hug her for that!
And then, she was double lucky in that Trixie was there too! She popped up from somewhere, there was no time to figure it out, but she seemed even happier about a trip to Manehattan than Moon Sky did! Trixie accepted the instant a ticket for a free ride was halfway offered, just barely stopping herself from paying for it with huggles up front. They were still in public at the time.
Darnit.
Well, there'd be time for that later. Three days in Manehattan with her two fellow Moonbutts! It was gonna be a blast!
---
Back in the dormroom, Twilight Sparkle and Sunset Shimmer did a rare thing. It was a rare, secret thing that they'd never mention when the action was complete, something coveted by many stallions (and a few mares) far and near, a show of intimacy the likes of which they'd not likely admit to in public any time soon!
They smiled at each other. Warm, earnest, friendly smiles. No words were really necessary, but Twilight wanted to record it verbally regardless.
"Three days."
Sunset nodded. "Three days, Sparkle."
They locked eyes, Twilight's beginning to shine with passionate delight. "Three days!"
"Yes," said Sunset with a giggle, looking right back at her, "three days."
Twilight couldn't help herself, sweeping Sunset up in a hug. "Three days!!"
Ordinarily, the fiery-maned sometimes-necromancer would never have tolerated this, but she understood the value of this occasion. Not that it stopped a little blush from spreading across her cheeks as she grinned. "Yea, yea, I know!"
Letting Sunset go, Twilight skipped merrily around the room. "Three whole days, just the two of us!" She hopped up onto her bed, her face the very picture of barely-contained excitement and glee as she barely resisted the urge to jump up and down on it. "I love Moondancer and all, and I know you do too, but now, we can do what we haven't been able to since... forever!" Not literally, of course. Not even close. It surely said something that Twilight could let her excitement override her need to use correct terminology.
"Yea," Sunset uttered softly, approaching the bed as she smiled up at her purple rival, "at long last..."
"We can both..."
"Finally..."
.
.
.
.
.
.
They beamed together, shouting. "FOCUS ON OUR STUDIES IN PEACE!!"
Twilight zipped over to the pile of books she'd prepared in advance as Sunset moved in perfect demonstration of a magic-free haste spell to her desk, quills and pages moving in a blur for both, going about their work in near-silence.
This was the life!
---
Moondancer, Moon Sky, and Trixie Lulamoon all stepped off the train at Manehattan, the first giving the last a slightly worried look. "You okay, Trixie? You were quiet the whole ride over."
Trixie wasn't looking at them, her eyes hidden by her hat as the air filled with a sense of anticipation. Moondancer and Moon Sky could see her start to grin, taking a long look at the city skyline before turning toward them, standing on her hind hooves, dramatically throwing out her cape, and starting to sing.
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Oh, Manehattan, there's so much to see!
Trixie's fav-or-ite community!
Trixie walks here, with impunity!
And it just makes her want to sing!
As the singing showpony led on, her two companions quietly let her do just that while the three of them got into a taxi.
Hop on a cab and, see the town!
From the markets to Downtown!
Even if life's, gotten you down,
they're the best riiiiides a-round!
Trixie winked at the cabbie as they got off and he smiled appreciatively back at her.
"Welcome back, Miss Trixie!"
"Thank you!" She touched a hoof to the rim of her hat. "Would Trixie's usual fee be acceptable?"
The cabbie grinned with delight, fishing a camera from his bag in the carriage's luggage compartment. "Ready!" He got a snapshot of Trixie holding her hat in the air, cape billowing in a gust as she stood in the center of a colorful swarm of dragonflies. Moondancer had acted just quickly enough to don a pair of sunglasses for the photo, smiling widely as Moon Sky facehoofed.
Here in the city, the law is finally on my side!
Here in the city, they don't care who you are,
Just that all the rules, you abide!
Trixie smiled and waved at a cop pony in thick sunglasses as they walked by him. "Good day, officer!"
Not turning his head, he gave a little nod. "Staying out of trouble?"
"But of course!"
"Good."
Some, they say, "the city,
it's just an apathetic cloud.
There is no room for you,
this town's too cramped, and lo-ou-oud!
But Trixie sees another side,
if you can work the crowd!
When you take the stage, you're all the rage!
Trixie stands tall and proud!
"Trixie is referring to room in the entertainment business, of course, so many ponies vying for the spotlight at the same time in a place like this."
Moondancer nodded. "Yea, makes sense. It's like-"
In Manehattan, there's all kinds'a folks!
Moon Sky hesitantly joined in. Ponies in pants, ponies in cloaks…
Bet I can make them take those off-
Please stop these indecent jokes!!
"Aww, Moonbutt, you're no fun sometimes!"
Seeing their hotel up ahead, Trixie retook the song.
Here in the city, Trixie is free to fly, spread her wings!
Here in the city, it works for me,
Manehattan, I love, everything!
Everythiiiing!
The hotel clerk, Grace Manewitz, coughed once. "So, will you ladies be checking in, or...?"