A much deserved vacation

by Ponelover

Chapter 1

The shifting of papers could be heard through the great spires of Canterlot Castle, it was another usual workday and everypony had woken up to the great light of Celestia’s sun, the roads are being filled with a torrent of unicorns, pegasi and earth ponies as the city of Canterlot wakes up and begins another day.

And through this mess of a city was Princess Celestia herself, she has already woken up to raise the sun and is already reviewing the daily news from Canterlot’s premier newspaper agency, the Canterlot Herald.

“Looks like that high speed railway is near completion Raven, most impressive of those French engineers” said Celestia as she read through her morning news.

“Yes Princess, the Canterlot-Manehatten high speed railway will be an achievement for Equestro-French engineering, it will be a testament of our continued relationship between our respective nations and peoples.” Raven replied.

“As if the trade agreements already established isn’t enough” Celestia said as she scanned through the papers again, finally ending her read and signalled the start of her day court with a simple nod to her assistant.

“Of course Princess” was the only reply she got before the guards opened the door and a torrent of nobles and the occasional commoner come streaming into her throne. She is of course used to this situation after thousands of years of experience, nobles are always a rowdy bunch but they do serve a purpose.

It does not make it more bearable for Celestia though, and she suppressed a sigh of annoyance as the screaming of nobles was calmed down by her royal guards trying to keep order in her day court.

“What in the world is this Celestia?!?!? I thought Equestria was still a standing nation that has a proud tradition of independence, this railway project with France has endangered our national standing!!! The local nobles in Manehatten are also not very happy with the installation of this new train system, it ruins the natural beauty of this great country and for us this is unacceptable!!!”

“Frankly I agree with the great Baron Gold Crust, that railway with all it’s…..powerlines and…….sleekness is completely not to our great standards of aesthetics Princess!!! That is what we get when we cooperate with a nation of commoners of all things, I frankly think that Equestria should go even farther and declare that we must reevaluate our relationship with a nation that has killed it’s king.”

“I….think that would be too harsh of a measure Jet Set, Ironhoof industries has prospered cooperating with local French steel manufacturers in terms of steel production, If any of you have been to Los Pegasus or Vanhoover than you can clearly see that France has produced nothing but overall benefits to Equestria” the foundry magnate among the group retorted.

“Only Duke Ironhoof would say that!! I Prince Blueblood frankly thinks that this ‘skyline’ towering in Vanhoover and Los Pegasus tarnishes the natural beauty of those cities, only ponies with money on their minds would think that they look good on any scale!! Snd no, the French doesn’t count!!! They are a nation of commoners! Therefore don’t have an opinion in this!!!” the nephew of the ruling Princesses blurted.

“SILENCE!!!!!” Shouted Celestia as the crowd of rowdy nobles suddenly turned their attention to the now very assertive monarch. “Now before you resume to your normal debates, please do note that this is the throneroom of Equestria and it would be best to keep it civilized in here”

“But auntie, you must understand that this is an affront to Equestria!! For a bunch of…..commoners to come here and build an-”

“I said enough Nephew, the construction of that railroad is already nearing completion and a bunch of nobles acting like foals demanding attention is not going to change my opinion, that is final!!” said Celestia in a very loud roar that echoed through the castle.

“Now let’s move on to other things shall we?” the alicorn urged.

---

The sun was nearing twilight and Celestia walks through the busy hallways of Canterlot Castle with clear tiredness in her eyes. Today, despite the support from sensible nobles like Ironhoof and Fancy Pants. The local nobles have been unusually pissy about the railroad issue tonight, far more than usual actually. I need to take a vacation she thought as she entered the dining hall, greeted by the usual sight of a groggy Luna drinking coffee.

“Good….evening sister, I trust daycourt has been most productive?” Luna said as she continued drinking her coffee and occasionally suppressing a yawn as she waits for it to kick in.

“Yes it has been, did some tax rebates, oversaw the construction of the railroad, and did a bunch of appointments with some very important ministers, a most productive day indeed Luna” she conveyed in irked sarcasm.

“Celestia, did someone tick you off? I can tell from your tone that it might be Blueblood and his cronies again” the nocturnal sibling surmised.

“Well what do you think? Of course it’s Blueblood and his cronies! They have been very…..very resistant to that railroad ever since it has been announced, don’t they see beyond their delusions how beneficial this railroad will be for Equestria?!?”

Celestia took a rather vehement bite from her salad.

“I think an appointment with our ‘nephew’ would be beneficial if he keeps railing you like this, Celestia. Or, you can…..y’know, exclude him from your court,” Luna offered.

“I can’t, there’s some old law that prohibits the princess’s relatives from being excluded from court, he’s going to complain about that ancient text if I try to do anything…..ugh” complained Celestia as she slumped on her table, lazily eating her salad in a definitely unprincesslike manner.

“Perhaps you need to consult mother about this one Celestia, if there is somepony capable of taking on unruly nobles, it must be our mother” the dream walker proposed with glee.

“Oh……” Celestia responded.

“What? Are you still afraid of mother?”

“Not afraid…..just…...disappointed”

“Oh? Is it because you failed to rescue her during those years in the Everfree?”

“N-no”

“Be honest Celestia”

“I don’t need this” as Celestia took off to her bed, bringing the still unfinished salad with her, Luna could only stood by, looking at her sister with clear worry in her eyes.

“To only be greeted by the whining of nobles after all those battles, Celes- no, we need a vacation” as Luna finished her dinner and went off to her throneroom, eyes filled with determination.

---

“Can you please summon mother? We need to discuss something of utmost importance” Luna ordered.

“At once milady” a Night Guard responded as he opened his bat-like wings and flew outside her throne room. The dreamscape had been unusually quiet today, so with some free time left, Luna decided that a discussion with her mother about Celestia is sorely needed.

Whether or not Celestia realizes it, if she keeps this up…….there will be consequences, I must put an end to this before she breaks.

“Princess!! Your mother has arrived”

“Please, let her in” Luna responded as the gates to her throneroom were opened to reveal the Queen of Equestria herself. Well a Queen in name only, we are still not sure what responsibility we should give to her…….Thank the stars she has been very supportive in all of this.

“You summoned me my daughter?” Harmony said as she trotted ever so slowly towards Luna’s throne. Eyes focused onto the Princess herself.

“Y-yes, pardon me for the sudden intrusion into whatever you’re doing mother”

“Oh think nothing of it my dear Luna, I reckon that such a short notice must mean something important must be ahoof”

“Yes, but not the usual kind. This is something…...different”

“Oh?”

“It pertains to the…...emotional health of your eldest daughter, she has been through so much…”

“I would believe it, fighting an enemy thought long forgone and to return, only to be greeted by the whine of nobles must not be a healthy thing at all” Harmony said, ending the sentence with a small smirk in her face.

“W-wha? H-how did you?”

“You think I didn’t use an invisibility spell during your dinner? As a mother I will always listen and take into account your thoughts and feelings Luna…..even if you’re not fully aware of my presence”

“O-oh…...can you….please not do that, it’s a bit…...creepy y’know, spying at your own daughters and all”

“Okay-okay, I may have gotten a bit overboard at that dinner but I do understand your concerns, I think a suitable vacation is in fact necessary for all of us, staying in Canterlot for too long will not bode well for our health and well being yes?”

“Of course mother…….do you want to invite the element bearers?” Luna asked shyly, anticipating the response she’s going to get.

“Please no….”

“But why not?!?!? They are all nice ponies and it would be for the best!!!”

“Please no…...I don’t need the Element of Laughter of all ponies to accompany Celestia, she needs bonding and healing, not some……….ponies who will ruin the moment.

“Hmpf, fine” Luna pouted as she continued her paperwork. Working through the deployment of the Royal Night Guard into Bat Pony settlements to rework their relationship with Equestria, the bat ponies had always been feared as Nightmare Moon’s loyal guardians and that tripe must be-

“So I’ve heard that you have a coltfriend now Luna, so who is this dashing stallion hmm? A member of your night guard perhaps?”

“MOTHER!!!!!” Luna shouted, never expecting a line so out of context to be uttered.

---

“So you are planning to move the 20% tax rate to Ponies who earned 200.000 bits upwards?”

“Yes Raven, this accompanied by the moving of the tax brackets generally upwards would improve our coffers and provide enough of a break for ponies to invest more. It would be for the betterment of Equestria to do this, have you brought this to Minister Whitestar?”

“Not yet Princess, but I’m planning to meet him for lunch, the finance minister would surely be interested in the new tax code you’re planning, too bad it must come at such resentment from the Canterlot elite.”

“Don’t let their whinings get to you Raven. Our loyalty is ultimately to Equestria, not to the Canterlot nobility”

“Most true Princess, I’ll pack these in my folders on the way out” Raven responded as she took off from the throneroom.

“Now let’s see what do we have next……….visit to Ponyville, meeting with Baron von Hooferston, Appointment with…...Applejack? Since when does the Apples need a meeting with me?” Celestia wondered, looking at the piece of paper with clear suspicion.

The door suddenly opened to reveal Applejack in a clearly unamused state of affairs.

“Oh...Applejack, to what do I owe you this visit? I understand that this visit is not about your farm yes?”

“Actually Princess it is, have you read about the letter ah sent to you?”

“I was about to before you showed up, rather unexpected I might say”

“Then you should get to readin it Princess, it might be ‘to your interest’ as somepony might say it”

---

The meeting with Applejack, something Celestia expected to resolve within just a few hours, turned into a drawn out debate about the Apple Family’s ability to compete in the new market, with Applejack trying to explain that they can’t compete with French Agriculture and Celestia arguing that it would be better for the Apples to adapt. In the end Celestia manages to convince Applejack to at least consider modernizing with the assistance of Twilight and her other friends, but it was a drawn out battle.

“I’ve never had such vigorous debates since the early days of court” Celestia grumbled as she entered the dining room.

“Another bad day I presume?” Luna asked, amused at her sister’s current mood, usually by next week things would swing right in her favor and she would become the usual cheery Celestia she would know of, but apparently this week has been anything but cheery.

“You wouldn’t believe it Luna, Equestria is entering a new era of change and yet Applejack of all ponies is the one resisting it, I can’t believe that one of our element bearers are resisting the Sun Princess”

“I guess that is the price of change isn’t it Celestia? New enemies will be formed without a doubt”

“Easy for you to say, I managed to convince Applejack in the end, but by the stars will this be the start of a round of complaints from Ponies all over Equestria” Celestia sighed as she took a slurp from the soup. “Anyway, how’s mother doing?”

“Oh really well. She just visited the city of Fillydelphia just last week, the ponies are absolutely throwing themselves at her! it appears that rumors travels fast indeed”

“Her personality shouldn’t be too much of a problem either. Anyways, any news from the French?”

“Still occupying our homeland, minimal resistance and rebuilding is currently underway. I heard that French mages are apparently very well regarded down there”

“So I’ve heard, humans are wonderful yet terrifying allies aren’t they?”

“We both went on that trip Celestia, we both know just how culture shocked we both are. I swear I never thought steel could be mass produced that quickly, it took quite the effort to build the Equestrian railway network and here we have humans mass producing the needed materials in copious amounts, darn humans.” Luna grumbled as she slurped her soup once more

---

“Well it has been nice talking to you Luna, I pray for your safety in the dreamscape” Celestia said, ending their conversation on a formal note.

“Psh, as if I needed safety anymore, the active defenses have been in place before my banishment Celly, what am I? A foal?” Luna replied, unamused at Celestia’s antics.

Now with Celestia gone, Luna just nodded and a white mist seemingly out of nowhere burst out to reveal the image of Luna’s mother, her face saddened at what she saw.

“It appears that you are right Luna, I think a vacation is in order, have you organized the necessary contingencies?”

“But of course mother. Should I announce the trip at her by dawn? The royal traincar is being prepared as we speak, and…..ah you’re here”

Just at Luna’s announcement, some of Celestia’s finest ministers and assistants just arrived at the dining hall, fully knowing what Luna’s intentions are.

“So, a two week vacation?” Raven blatantly asked, curious into what the night Princess and her mother had planned.

“To Horseshoe bay yes, you do understand that this is a personal matter yes?” Harmony replied, her eyes stern just to get the message through.

“Personally I think this vacation is overdue, she has dedicated an insane amount of time servicing Equestria with all her needs and she deserves frankly more than two weeks time,” Kibitz said, grabbing the attention of some of the ministers.

“I have no problems as well, the finance ministry has got everything under control, the finances of Equestria are safe under my guidance,” Minister Whitestar also replied.

“I have to agree with Kibits and Whitestar here, the Maritime Ministry won’t implode for just two weeks without Celestia’s guidance” Minister Seawave Froth said, warming up to the idea of a royal vacation.

“Fine, if that is what her majesties wants, then a vacation is what you will get, the Royal Guard will keep Equestria safe in the meantime”

Following this, a wave of ‘yesses’ followed suit as the remaining ministers agreed to the idea, it looks like Luna’s idea is working.

“Very well then, we shall depart tomorrow at night, you are thereby dismissed” Luna said, seeing the group of ministers and assistants dispersing like bees from a hive.

---

With her daily duties over, Celestia looked over at the warm sight of her bed, this bed has been recently commissioned under the personal order of her majesty and is magically imbued with a natural fluffiness once the solar monarch throws herself into it. Sometimes she asked herself whether a personal commission for a bed of all things was worth the expense, but on days like this. She was reminded that all of the money spent on searching for the best bedmakers and enchanters has not gone to waste.

“Best. Bed. Ever” Celestia muttered as she took of her regalia and put on her socks, magically imbued as well for maximum comfort. Celestia is one pony that takes no exception when it comes to personal comfort, and many dreamfilled nights were had due to her foresight and attention to detail. “Well, nighty night Celestia” she finally said as she levitated herself into her bed, letting the deep enthrall of sleep overtake her as the solar monarch slept.

---

Celestia was in an open field.

She took a step forward and it turned into a sight she never saw for millenia. Her old castle in Everfree at her heyday, what a sight to behold indeed.

She took another step and saw the faces of Twilight and the rest of the Element Bearers. Something tells her that danger might be coming, but she pressed forward nonetheless.

The wind became more howling as a sleet of snow suddenly arrived in her third step, she was sure that this must be somewhere near the crystal empire, and her fears are confirmed once she saw the dark tower in the distance.

She took another step forward, and another, and another. Her body could not handle the snowstorm and she collapsed.

She suddenly woke up at the sight of a great forest, untouched for millenia by the looks of it, she is at full regalia again and saw Discord, Sombra and Chrysalis mingling with one another.

“Ah! There you are Celestia!! What are you waiting for? I told you that the forest is awesome!!” Chrysalis said, her face practically beaming with confidence and happiness.

“It is certainly a pleasing sight Celestia, that castle of yours is too stuffy for my tastes,” Discord said, he’s a bit of an annoyance yes, but a good friend nonetheless.

“I just looove the sight of this forest, certainly beats my stuffy hive in appearances”

Celestia suddenly felt that she has known all of them for a long time, taking a step into the trio of ponies (and draconequus), reaching in no time at all.

“Soooooo Celestia? What are we doing here? Are we here to play hide and seek or something else?” Chrysalis asked, her eyes practically beaming in excitement.

“Nononononono Chrysalis” Sombra replied, “I think a better game would be…...hmm what do you think Discord?” Sombra asked.

“Ah I get it!! I think a good game to play was…..guess the traitor.” His last tone possessing some venom within it.

Suddenly all eyes were on Celestia, “W-what?!? What did I ever do to you?!? We’re friends right?!?” Celestia said, flabbergasted at the very thought of betraying her friends.

“Oh please, who exiled me into the Crystal Empire for over a thousand years?”

“Oh, and don’t forget using the elements of Harmony to banish me”

“And don’t forget ignoring the needs of my hive!!!!”

And with that, the trio suddenly closed in on Celestia, their cheery looks suddenly turned into a predatory sight, like a lion sighting it’s prey for the first time.

“Stay back!!! I said STAY BACK!!!!” Celestia screamed, preparing her most potent magics, her heart dropped when she realized that she is just a mere pony.

“H-help!!! Help!!!” Celestia screamed, taking off at great speed.

“No one’s here to help you Celly my dear”

“You betrayed our trust, betrayed our friendship”

“And turned allies into enemies, some friend you are Celestia!” as the trio closed in, wrapping Celestia into darkness.

---

Celestia woke up. Cold sweat running throughout her body as she grasped for air. She is back on her bed, back in Canterlot, back in Equestria.

“Back home…..” as Celestia woke up, lighting up her horn to bring in morning for all of Equestria.

Once the deed is done, Celestia decided that she needed some time on the bed, ordering her sock covered hooves to move. She slowly trotted into her bed and cuddled for a while.

She realized that she couldn’t do this forever (despite how much she loved the idea of cuddling forever) and woke up, trotting into the royal showers for a much needed shower after that mess of a dream came knocking.

“Another day at work by the looks of it” as Celestia lighted her horn and took off her socks, throwing them onto the rack and turn on the faucet for the shower, getting ready for another day once more.