The Vacation Crew

by Dafaddah

Chapter 3: Ponyfeathers

Luna awoke the next morning to the sounds and smells of breakfast being prepared. Spike and Twilight were banging around in the kitchen, laughter rising sporadically up to the bedroom, as they enjoyed the task. With blankets up to her chin, Luna felt a sense of... peace? No... too noisy! Joy?... no, not that intense. It felt like... home. She recalled a brief moment from her childhood: her mother and sister preparing for the day, hugs and kisses as Luna came into the kitchen, a tiny foal with her favorite plush toy (a dragon) safe on her back between her wings. She smiled at the sweet memory, and arose.

After her morning ablutions, Luna went back into the bedroom and looked upon all the little reminders of its normal occupants, and the comfortable spare bed Twilight kept for guests. 'I am on vacation, and so not a Princess today!' she thought to herself, making the bed. 'There's another millennial first!' she added mentally to the list started the day previous. She was still smiling at this private joke as she descended the stairs.

"Good morning, Your Highness!" beamed Spike, standing on a chair before the stove, a stack of pancakes half his height in a nearby plate on the counter, with two more cooking in skillets on the stove.

Twilight was setting the table. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, thank you. In fact I have not slept that well since..." Luna paused considering for a moment, "well, I guess that's three now!" she said, with a decidedly unregal snort of laughter. "Oh, and Spike, while it's just us, can we drop the 'Your Highness' stuff?"

"Absolutely, your you-ness!" quipped Spike, carrying the finished stack of pancakes to the table. "Grub's up!" he announced and hopped onto his chair, dishing out pancakes, salad and asparagus into plates.

"Tea or coffee, Luna?" asked Twilight with a pot of each levitating above the table.

"Tea, please. I know you and Celestia both enjoy coffee, but I missed tea so much during my incarceration!" She looked down at the tea in her cup, as Twilight poured herself and Spike each a mug of coffee.

They all started eating, in between bites complementing Spike on his cooking and generally recounting their personal highlights of the previous day.

"You know what my favorite was?" asked Spike, too stuffed to eat another bite.

"Please tell us," said Luna, herself having eaten far more for breakfast than she had for... 'Four!' she counted to herself with a smile.

"It was the look on Pinkie Pie's face when you raised the moon and it had Pinkie's profile on it! It took her at least a whole minute before she was able to close her own mouth. I don't think I have ever seen her stop moving for that long!" The little dragon guffawed thinking about it.

"It was a simple way to show my appreciation for Pinkie Pie's excellent suggestion to go to the carnival. It was so enjoyable to simply have fun together with friends." She gave a conspiratorial wink. "I must admit, part of the pleasure of doing that stunt was to see if I could surprise Pinkie Pie. Well, yes I did, and, yes it was fun!" The three of them shared a good laugh.

"I guess that makes five," said Luna with a grin. Both Twilight and Spike raised an eyebrow expectantly, making the Princess chuckle again. "That's my little secret!" replied Luna to their unvoiced question. "And it's time for 'Selene' to clean up. That's six!"

Dishes, cups, pots and pans all began to levitate as Luna strode towards the sink. Water and soap began to pour in, suds grew and dishes floated in and out of the water, towels wiping them dry on the way to the cupboard. All in all, it was a truly masterful display of telekinesis. As the silence grew long, Luna turned around, and spied both her hosts with their mouths hanging open, shocked that at the sight of a ruling Princess doing dishes.

Turning back to her chore, Luna remarked out loud "List number two - chin on floor count - three!"

***

Not long after breakfast, the remaining Elements of Harmony began arriving at the Library. Last to arrive (as usual) were the two pegasi, despite having the fastest means of locomotion of the six ponies. When they walked in the others were already engaged in deciding the venue for today's vacation adventure.

"Let's go shopping in Manehattan." proposed Rarity.

"Naw, there's a rodeo in Appeloosa, and that'll be way more fun!" said Applejack.

Rainbow Dash offered her choice: "There's a formation flying exhibition in Trottingham staring the WonderBolts. That's gotta be the coolest activity in Equestria!"

"Or we could go visit the Royal Museum in Canterlot!" suggested Twilight. All the other ponies stopped and looked at Twilight with a greater or lesser degree of horror on their face, and then began trying to convince each other of the merits of their own proposals, all at the same time.

Luna kept looking from pony one to the other, wondering how they could ever reach agreement. After a few minutes of bickering all that was accomplished was Luna's neck becoming sore.

Conspicuously absent from the debate was Pinkie Pie, who had already had her turn the previous day, and Fluttershy, who was softly mumbling something, while not looking at anypony. Seeing that nopony was paying the yellow mare any attention, Pinkie Pie bent closer to hear what she had to say.

"Hey, Fluttershy has a suggestion." said Pinkie, out loud, to no effect.

"Listen up!" said the pink mare louder, and the bickering continued unabated.

Having run out of boring options, Pinkie Pie then waved her forelegs in the air and shouted out "I SAID LISTEN UP!!!!!" Everypony froze.

"Good!" said Pinkie Pie happily. "Fluttershy has an idea."

Fluttershy looked up at the circle of ponies and said in her usual soft voice: "We could go have a picnic in the park."

"Well that thur's a mighty fine idea, if ya ask me. I can bring some apples, apple pies, apple cobblers, apple cider, and candied apples!" offered Applejack.

"We can wear sunbonnets and collect flowers, and decorate our manes!" proposed Rarity.

"We can play tag, and touch-hoofball and have six-legged races!" said Rainbow Dash.

"We can play hide-n-seek, eat cupcakes, and blow soap bubbles!" added Pinkie Pie.

"And I can bring books we can read!" said Twilight, getting excited. All the other ponies began looking anywhere but at Twilight. "Whatever rings your bell, sugarcube," said Applejack to end the awkward pause.

Oblivious to the reception of her suggestion, Twilight was warming up to the whole idea. "So Selene waddaya say to having a picnic?"

"I think that is an absolutely wonderful idea! And that's seven!" She said with obvious relief, rubbing her neck with a hoof. Spike nudged her in the ribs with an elbow and motioned for her to lower her head. He cupped a paw to her ear and whispered "I've got some cream that works wonders on neck aches. I'll get you some later, cause believe me if you hang around with this crowd you'll need it!"

In her element now that she had a defined task at hoof, Twilight got busy organizing the picnic. Thirty minutes later she, Luna and Spike were in the park laying out some picnic blankets, with the other mares arriving laden with various foods, games and sports equipment. As it was a beautiful day several families had also decided to have picnics. Soon ponies and foals were engaged in all sorts of activities, a lively scene that Luna was drinking in like it was water and she had spent a day in the desert sun.

Rainbow Dash dropped from the sky to stand before her gathered friends, blowing on a whistle attached to a string around her neck. "Awright! It's time for our first game: the six legged race! Pair up fillies. Spike, you and I will officiate."

Rarity looked at Applejack and said "Do you think we can cooperate long enough for a race?"

"Sure enough, sugarcube, but jess mind the priorities first, and that means ah mean ta win!" answered Applejack, lining up on Rarity's flank. Spike with his clever paws quickly tied Rarity's left foreleg to Applejacks right foreleg, then did the same for their left and right hindlegs, respectively.

"Uh, Selene..." said Fluttershy's soft voice. "Would you mind if we ran together?"

She still didn't look up at Luna, but Luna thought that might be more from fear of rejection than fear of her. She was extremely touched by Fluttershy's concern for her feelings. With a big smile she said "It would be my pleasure, Fluttershy! And that's eight!" Spike quickly tied the two mares' legs together as he had for Rarity and Applejack.

"Ooh, that means that we're a team!" Pinkie Pie started jumping up and down next to Twilight. "Me and Twilight are a team! Yay!"

Twilight laughed. "You'd better hold still for a moment or Spike'll never be able to tie our legs together."

Seeing Spike struggling to tie the two mares together, Rainbow Dash fell to the grass on her flank laughing. "Hey look, it's the brain and the pain! Hah, ha ha ha, ha ha!"

As the three pairs were lining up at the start, three young fillies arrived, a white unicorn and a yellow earth pony sitting in red wagon being pulled by an orange pegasus filly on a scooter, all three of them wearing crash helmets.

"It's the Cutie Mark Crusaders" said Spike. "Come say hello to our friend Selene."

"Hi there Selene", "Hi", "Hello miss Selene" said the three to Luna.

"Hello young ladies" replied Luna, "what brings you three to the park today? Other than your friend with the scooter, that is?"

"She's Scootaloo," and "and ah'm Apple Bloom, Applejack's sister." said the yellow filly in the wagon. "An I'm Sweetie Belle, and Rarity's my sister!" said the other. "And we're here to get our cutie marks!" said the orange one called Scootaloo.

"Well, we're going to have a six-legged race. Do you fillies want to watch?" asked Luna.

"Naw, we're faster than any of you anyway." said Scootaloo with the unconsciously blunt honesty of the very young. "We'll see you at the finish line!" With that, the little pegasus engaged her wings and buzzing like an angry bee the three rolled off towards the lake.

"Okay," said Rainbow Dash, having recovered from her laughing fit, "the finish line is over there towards the lake. Don't worry, I'll be there long before you will! On your marks... get ready...GO!"

Luna tried to remember how to pace for a six-legged race. "Fluttershy. I propose that I count one-two, one-two, like that so we can synchronize our steps."

"That's a good idea, Selene," said Fluttershy, warming up to Luna as she became more accustomed to her proximity.

Luna counted out the pace and they began to make good time, catching up to Rarity and Applejack, who trotted faster most of the time, but tripped every so often when one or the other got distracted. Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie were falling behind fast.

Fluttershy and Luna were building a lead. To the side they saw the Cutie Mark Crusaders race back and start cheering on Rarity and Applejack, who with the foals' encouragement began to catch up!

Twilight was growing exasperated with Pinkie Pie. This mare just wouldn't trot like normal, every few steps she had to hop instead. Then realization hit - just hop with Pinkie Pie instead. "Hey, Pinkie! How's about we try hopping for a while?"

"Okie, Dokie Lokie!" She started hopping and Twilight synchronized her hops to match. Now propelled by Pinkie Pie Power, they quickly regained lost ground.

Getting close to the finish line, the three teams were neck and neck, and neck and neck, and neck and neck! Rainbow Dash held a checkered flag ready, keeping a eye on the line to make sure she saw who crossed first.

As the six mares approached, the Cutie Mark Crusaders were running parallel a few yards away, keeping an eye on Rarity and Applejack. They never saw Rainbow Dash at the line, and neither did she see them.

As the three teams crossed there was the sound of a crash and Rainbow Dash went flying, knocked unconscious by a collision with the scooter, to finally splash into the lake. The three fillies in their helmets rolled to safety. Distracted by the accident, the three teams tripped and tumbled into a tangled mess of legs, wings and horns just beyond the finish line.

"EEEEEEEEE!" screamed a foal's voice. "Rainbow Dash fell in the water, and she isn't coming up."

Ponies in the park heard the commotion and started approaching to see what was the problem. Since there were no obvious sign of distress they proceeded at a leisurely pace.

In the tangle, nopony was able to extricate themselves to help Rainbow Dash. The mares were starting to get frantic, afraid she might drown.

Luna reacted without further thought, she teleported away from the mess of limbs to emerge next to water. She desperately scanned for any sign of the blue pegasus, finally seeing a splash of color that was either her mane or her tail. Without hesitation Luna dove into the lake and swam to the blue mare's unconscious form. Taking hold with her telekinetic grip, she lifted Rainbow Dash out of the water and laid her on the banks of the lake.

Rainbow Dash had stopped breathing. Luna again engaged her magical ability to press the water out of Dash's lungs and to get her breathing again. Finally the blue mare's barrel started moving on its own, and she sputtered and coughed up more lake water.

"Geez, thanks Luna" she panted, then her eyes grew wide. "Whoa, didja know you dropped your disguise?" and then she dropped back onto the grass, with Luna lying next to her from her exertions.

By this time many ponies had arrived, and some recognized Luna from her earlier visits. "It's Nightmare Moon! Run! " Many of the ponies galloped off, collecting foals on the way, leaving behind pretty much everything else.

Luna realized that she must have reverted to her normal form when she teleported. 'I musn't forget myself like that. Many of these ponies still hate me', she thought, 'and with good reason'. She looked around, and noticed that some ponies had stayed, in particular three little fillies.

Scootaloo approached her and bowed. "Thank you for saving Rainbow Dash!" said the filly. "You know, she'd my hero. And you saved her, so now you're my hero too!" The little orange pegasus ran up to her and gave her a tight hug.

Her two friends also approached. "Thanks for saving Dash," said Apple Bloom, "mah sister woulda been so sad if something bad a-happened to her."

"Mine too," said Sweetie Belle. Both fillies also ran in for a hug.

"Hey wait a minute - I'm way tougher than that!" objected Dash, coughing again. Then looking towards the tangle of ponies still struggling at the finish line of the race, she chuckled and said: "Let's go get these professional racing ponies back on their hooves!"

When she and Luna got to the tangle, she reverted back to the Selene image. It was inevitable that some of the ponies present might have noticed the transformation, but she hoped they would remain discrete about it. She would know when the paparazzi started popping out of bushes, but she doubted that any further vacation activities could be carried out in Ponyville. Spike arrived just about then, not being very quick due to his short legs. Together they got everypony untangled.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders were very subdued on the trek back to the picnic blankets. The Elements of Harmony, on the other hand, had no sooner gotten upright than they started bickering about which team came in first. They paused just long enough to invite the despondent fillies to join them in their picnic, to which the three wholeheartedly agreed.

Soon the picnic was back in full swing, with the added antics of the youngsters. The rest of the day just seemed to fly by, and before long it was time for everypony to go home. Luna, Spike and Twilight made their way from the park back to the Library.

"I am sorry if my lapse has caused you any embarrassment," said Luna.

"I'm not," said Twilight. She saw Luna's look of confusion. "Like I said yesterday, it's time for you to write the next chapter of your story. In today's chapter you ran in a six-legged race, saved a young pegasus mare from drowning, and blew soap balloons with three little fillies. A few more chapters like that and you'll be one of the good guys again, don't you think?"

Luna thought for a moment and nodded, a small smile replacing her frown.

"So what number are you up to now, Selene?" asked Spike from Twilight's back.

"You know Spike, I've lost count!" Luna's smiled grew wider.

The three friends spent the rest of the walk home in companionable silence.

Comments

[BenRG]

Luna always was one of the good guys. Even during the Nightmare Moon incident (and I think Celestia would agree with this) she was more sinned against than sinning.

[PinkieLunaShy]

Her two friends also approached. "Thanks for saving Dash," said Sweetie Belle, "mah sister woulda been so sad if something bad a-happened to her."

"Mine too," said Apple Bloom. Both fillies also ran in for a hug.

Sweetie Belle now talks like Bloomie... YES!