My Dearest Princesses

by Chickenscratch

Maytown

The road that Celestia and Luna followed was not stone and brick like that of Unicornia’s, but trodden earth and dirt. The path was well walked, but was still littered with blades of grass and stones. When they first set off there were cottages staggered across the meadows with large fields of farmland beside them. In some of the fields the two fillies could see farmers rushing to collect the last of their crops before autumn’s chill set in. Luna stopped at every farm, pointing to the fields excitedly, continually exclaiming: “Look, Tia! Farms!” About the time it was midday, there were no farms to be seen, and all that surrounded them was fields of pale grass flecked with bright flowers. They stopped beneath a large oak just shy of the path for lunch.

Luna dropped down into the grass, wriggling out from her large saddlebags and stretching out on the ground.

“My bags are soooo heavy,” she complained, rolling onto her back. “I bet Clover put bricks in them.”

“You’re carrying the water,” Celestia said flatly, pulling two water skins from her sister’s saddlebag. Luna grabbed one greedily, popping off the cork and drinking in large gulps.

“Don’t drink it all at once!” Celestia scolded, pulling the water skin from her sister’s lips.

“But I’m thirsty!” Luna protested, reaching out with a hoof. Celestia placed the skins out of her reach.

“You’ll be thanking be later on when it gets hot,” she said matter-of-factly, opening Luna’s second bag. It seemed her sister had been trusted with only trivial items, and Celestia produced a small amount of food from the bag. There were two large apples, a sack of hay, and a tiny bag of sugar cubes. Celestia kept the sugar cubes hidden from her sister, so as not to spoil her appetite. Luna devoured the apple quickly, even chomping through the core.

“Look Tia, I’m Pony Appleseed!” she said, spitting an apple seed from her mouth and whistling in remark to the distance it travelled.

“Remarkable,” her sister returned, taking another bite of her apple.

“You’re just jealous ‘cause I’m better at seed spitting than you.” Luna spat another seed. It soared through the air, landing in the path a few yards away. She threw her front legs up into the air, cheering for her great accomplishment. Suddenly, an apple seed whizzed past the blue fillie’s head and landed on the other side of the path. She looked in surprise to her sister, who grinned down at her triumphantly.

They ate the remaining food in the shade of the oak tree, taking their time without a care in the world. Celestia leaned against the tree’s trunk, chewing a piece of hay as she looked out over the fields. She felt a strange happiness deep down inside of her, something she had never felt before when she had been in the castle. She peered at the golden orange leaves of the oak tree and grinned. There was something about the fall that always made her feel fresh and new, but being out in the open air was an entirely different experience. As she watched butterflies flitter about the fields in the evening sun, she slowly forgot about Clover the Clever and her old home back in Unicornia.

When they had finished off the hay, Celestia produced the bag of sugar cubes, much to Luna’s delight. They each devoured about five cubes, and their sweet teeth were satisfied. As they packed up to continue their journey, Luna was delighted to find that her bags were significantly lightened, as most of their contents had been consumed by the two fillies. Celestia’s bags were left as they had been when they departed, and she decided that she would split the contents when they got to Maytown.

The two fillies set out once again, singing happy songs as they went. The evening was getting along, and soon the land was bathed in the orange glow of the setting sun. Celestia found the sun most beautiful when it was like this, and sang even louder than before. The stars were beginning to peek out from hiding when the two fillies began to hear the faint sounds in the distance.

“What is that?” Luna asked, turning to her sister.

“It sounds like…music?” Celestia cocked her ears forward, listening closely. Through the ambiance of the last cicadas and the chirping of birds, she could hear what sounded like the playing of instruments and ponies commuting over the next hill.

“Come on Tia, let’s go!” Luna began to run up the hill excitedly. Celestia sped after, ignoring the tiredness in her legs from their long journey. As they ascended the hillside the sounds grew louder, and when they finally reached the crest they stopped in astonishment. At the bottom of the hill was a small town, glowing with the light from candle-lit street lamps. There was the distinct sound of jazz music being played in the center of town, and there were ponies out and about all over town, dancing and making merry in any way they could.

“Look at all of them!” Luna exclaimed, bouncing along to the beat of the music from the square. “Oh Tia let’s go!” Before her sister could reply, Luna had begun racing down the hill.

“Hey-wait!” Celestia called, running after her. The trip down the hill was significantly shorter than the ways up, and soon the two of them were skidding to a stop at the edge of town. They were greeted by a group of merry earth ponies, who appeared to be farmers.

“G’d evenin’ to tha two of ya!” a large stallion called, tipping the hat atop his head.

“Evening!” Luna replied, still bouncing in place.

“Well lookit’ you!” one of the mares said to her, grinning. “Yer a real swinger there kiddo!” Luna did nothing but grin, and the group laughed in good nature.

“What’s all the commotion about?” Celestia asked one of the younger mares, who appeared to be more in her right mind than her companions. They all smelled strongly of apple cider, and a few staggered about on their hooves from time to time.

“The Fall Festival, dontcha know?” she replied, a little surprised. “The celebration doesn’t end for a while yet, ya know. It’ll be week’s end ‘fore these ponies give up for fall.”

“Your festival goes all week?” Celestia asked in astonishment.

“Takes us that long ta get fall in here, ya know!” the mare replied merrily, laughing. “You bein’ a unicorn and all prob’ly don't take as long ta get fall in here, what with yer magic an’ all that.”

“Hay, Golden Crisp, come on! We aughtta leave ya there fer the weight yer draggin’!” The group of ponies had begun to wander off again, leaving their friend behind with Celestia.

“Comin’!” she hollered, tipping her head to Celestia before rushing back to her friends.

“Ya old hay burner!”

“Stay with us next time!” The group laughed loudly again, and they were soon gone. Celestia looked over to Luna, who had a stupid grin on her face as she bounced about.

“Did you hear what they said about me?” she exclaimed. “They said I was a real swinger! How about that, Tia! A swinger!”

“You’re a swinger alright. Now why don’t you help me swing around town and find the Goldenrod Inn?” Celestia’s smug response passed right through the younger pony, and she began to trot around happily. The two of them stuck closely together for fear of being separated in the large crowds. The town was bathed in orange, giving it an unmistakeable rustic feel. Music could be heard from every corner, and there were vendors on every street. The festival was a much larger scale than the one held in Unicornia, and Celestia was amazed by the sheer size of everything. All of the trees in town had already been turned to their respective autumn colors, and the orange and gold hues fit in perfectly.

As the sisters wandered towards the center of town, Celestia spotted a large sign hanging over the street that had the bold letters ‘Goldenrod Inn’ carved into it.

“Luna, here it is,” she said, pulling her sister to her side before she could wander off. Celestia pushed open the door, which triggered a loud ringing of a bell inside. The two fillies stepped in, closing the door behind them. Instantly, Celestia was overwhelmed. The inn appeared to not only be an inn, but a bar as well. The room they had entered was furnished with many wooden tables, and there were ponies crammed at each one. There was a counter running along the side of the wall, creating a small hallway at the door’s entrance. Everywhere there were ponies drinking and shouting over the sound of a small band playing in a far off corner.

“Woah!” Luna’s mouth was agape in a huge smile, and she began to move towards the crowd. Before Celestia could stop her, Luna bumped headfirst into another pony. She was a stocky, white bodied earth pony with pale pink hair that slightly resembled unkempt shrubbery. The mare had an apron over her front and a tray of food balanced on her back. She looked down at the fillies and grinned.

“What can ah do ya for?” she asked loudly, her voice raised over the noise of the inn. Celestia stepped forward.

“Yes, we’re looking for Strawberry Creme?”

“Hm? Is that so?” The mare leaned forward, squinting at the two fillies. Celestia stepped back slightly, beginning to feel nervous.

“W-well…Clover the Clever sent us and-”

“Clover? Clover the Clever? Why how ‘bout that!” The mare grinned hugely. “Ahm Strawberry Creme ‘erself at yer service. What’s yer names?”

“I’m Luna!”

“And I’m her sister, Celesta.”

“What fine names tha two of ya got! You kin just call me Strawberry, ‘errypony else does.” Strawberry Creme tipped her head to the two of them, and the fillies returned the gesture. “Now you two just sit ‘ere for a moment, ah gotta feed some ponies.” The earth pony quickly trotted back into the crowd, shouting something illegible. Celestia breathed a sigh of relief, looking to her sister. Luna was rocking on her hooves, surveying the ponies around her with a huge grin. It was very obvious she had taken an immense liking to them already. Celestia had too. She enjoyed meeting other ponies much more than she had thought she would, and already felt close to the inhabitants of Maytown. They were much different than the unicorns back in her hometown, as there was something about earth ponies that gave an air of merriment and relaxation, which Celestia basked in readily.

Strawberry Creme soon came back to them, sliding a tray of empty dishes onto the counter.

“Pumpkin, git these washed!” she called out, looking towards a golden colored colt who was at the end of the bar, talking to a few other ponies. He jumped at the sound of his name and hurried over, grasping the tray in his teeth and trotting off. Strawberry turned back to Celestia and Luna, smiling. “C’mon you two, let’s git ya to a room.”

The sisters followed Strawberry Creme across the room to a wooden stairwell that spiraled up to the second floor of the inn. There was a thin strip of worn carpet down the center, which was hardly in the condition it had once been. As they headed up the stairs the noise gently died down, and a muffled sound of merriment could be heard through the floorboards. The second floor was a long hallway with doors on one wall and windows and tables lining the other. A faint glow could be seen from outside, and the hall was lit only by the candle light from a rustic chandelier hung from the ceiling. A strip of carpet ran down the hallway, and was in much better condition than the carpet that adorned the stairwell.

“Up one more floor,” Strawberry said, continuing up the spiraling staircase. “All these rooms’r full up.” The third floor looked the same as its predecessor, and now the noise of the bar was only a faint muffle. The staircase appeared to continue upwards to a closed door, which Celestia guessed was the entrance to the attic. Strawberry Creme trotted to the end of the hallway and produced a brass key on the end of a string from her apron, using it to unlock the last door in line. The unicorn sisters trotted over to her.

“Is this our room?” Celestia asked curiously as their host withdrew the key.

“Sure as sugar,” Strawberry replied, hanging the key around Celestia’s neck. “You be sure an’ lock it when ya aint usin’ it or when ya don’t want no pony comin’ in. Ah gotta git back ta work, I’ll check on ya in a bit.” With that the earth pony was gone, shouting something as she trotted down the stairs. Luna approached the door excitedly grinning.

“What’s got you so worked up?” Celestia asked, amused.

“Oh Tia, I take back what I said.”

“What do you mean?”

“When I said this was going to be like going to the Leaf Turning Festival every day, I was wrong. It’s a bajillion times better!”

Celestia grinned stupidly, nodding in agreement. It was true. Her first apprehensions about their journey had completely faded away now, and she was entranced with the world. There were already so many new things that neither of them had never seen before, and they had only set out that morning. Celestia could hardly wait to see what the rest of the world had to offer.

Using her magic, Celestia turned the doorknob and pushed open the door to their room. Both of the fillies were soon giddy with delight. It was a small, square room built of entirely wood. On the wall farthest from them was a large window, whose curtains had been drawn open to show a view of the town square. On the far end of left wall was a large wooden bed with a comforter and a surplus of pillows. On either side of the bed were wooden night stands with unlit candles. Beside it was a small chest of drawers with a tiny basket of apples sitting atop it. On the right side of the room was a desk and a small couch, and covering the ground was a large floor rug. The whole room smelled strongly of apple and fresh leaves.

Luna instantly leapt onto the bed, mashing her face into the covers. She screamed something illegible into the thick comforter and looked back at her sister in excitement. Celestia closed the door and moved straight to the window, where she looked down on the celebration in the town square.

“Look Lulu, the band!” she called excitedly, beginning to bounce in place. Luna flocked to her sister’s side, standing on her hind legs and propping her front hooves on the window sill. In the square below the band was playing a lively tune, and the ponies of the town were doing some kind of square dance. Luna swayed back and forth to the beat from the bass, bobbing her head up and down. Celestia found herself bouncing along to it as well, and eventually the two of them ended up dancing around the center of the room, laughing and carrying on as they pranced about on their hooves. This tired them quickly, and Luna flopped over onto the couch.

“Tiaaaaa,” she called lazily, wiping the sweat from her brow, “undo my bag for me.” Celestia quickly undid her sister’s saddle bags and placed them beside the drawers, placing hers there as well. She removed everything from the bags, placing them on the floor. From Luna’s bag came only the water skins, and from Celestia’s bag came a few maps, several bags of coins, an empty notebook, quills and a jar of ink, and a few slips of blank parchment. Celestia looked at the notebook with interest, flipping it open. On the first page was a note written from Clover the Clever, which read: ‘Celestia and Luna: I have given you this notebook so you may record your travels for future reference. Do not leave out anything that happens, for you will regret it later on in your life. I hope your journey proves to be as enjoyable as mine was. With love, Clover the Clever.’ Celestia quickly moved to the desk with the notebook as well as the quills and ink, and looked around for a light.

“Oh Luna,” she called, “could you bring me a candle?”

“Sure.” Luna brought one of the candles over, placing it on the desk. “What’s that?”

“A notebook to record our journey in.”

“Sounds boring. You do it.” Luna jumped back onto the bed, rolling around in the comforter. Celestia sighed, grinning. She bent over to the candle, producing a spark from her horn to light it. She set to work on recording the day’s events as best she could, sometimes stopping to chew the end of her quill. Eventually Luna went to sleep, and Celestia was left awake to finish her writing. Just as she was finishing, the door opened quietly, and Strawberry Creme peeped in.

“Y’all settled alright?” she whispered, stepping inside.

“Yeah,” Celestia replied, finishing her last word and putting the quill down. “Luna’s already asleep.”

“Can’t blame ‘er. Musta been a long day fer the both of ya. It’s late, you aughta git some sleep too.” Strawberry Creme smiled at Celestia. “If ya need anythin’ just holler now.”

“I will,” Celestia returned, carrying her candle over to the nightstand. “Goodnight, Strawberry.”

“Night,” the earth pony returned, slowly heading out of the room and closing the door. Celestia trotted over to the door a moment later, removing the key from her neck and locking it. She then returned to the bedside, placing the key on the nightstand before crawling into bed. She looked to her sleeping sister and smiled before blowing out the candle.

“Goodnight Luna.”

Comments

[Chickenscratch]

3982410

Thank you for telling me about the opening paragraphs, I'll be sure to break them up!

And thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoyed it so far, and I hope that you enjoy the rest of the story to come.