The Wind In Your Mane, The Sand In Your Hooves

by RainbowDashian

Rating: teen
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Romance, Spike, Comedy, Princess Celestia, Main 6
Length: 7096

My February Write-Off entry. The mane six go to the beach.

When the mane six go on vacation, Twilight has no idea what to do. All she's ever known is reading. How can she cope at the beach with strict orders from Princess Celestia not to read?

Published 2012-03-06 18:23:25 UTC
Last updated 2012-02-16 12:48:01 UTC

Departure And Arrival

They left first thing the next morning, catching a train to Canterlot. From there, Celestia's royal guards gave them a ride in her Chariot. It took an hour or two, but they eventually arrived at the beach. Pinkie Pie was the first to jump out of the chariot. In fact, she jumped out before they landed, and face planted into the sand.

Pinkie immediately hopped up onto her feet and exclaimed, "WOW! It's SO beautiful!" By this time, the chariot had landed. Rainbow Dash and Applejack immediately ran off to play volleyball. Fluttershy flew away to introduce herself to the birds. Pinkie Pie dashed over to the ice cream stand to check out their goodies. Rarity laid a towel down on the sand, and lay there tanning herself. Not knowing what else to do, Twilight walked to the hotel to check them all in.

On her way to the hotel, Twilight looked over at the surf shop to find the most beautiful colt she'd ever seen in her life. He looked her way. Twilight's face turned as red as an apple as she ran the rest of the way to the hotel. She checked the group in, and then gave her things to the bellcolt, which showed her to their room. It was the penthouse, large and spacious, with six beds, a large balcony, and a kitchen. Twilight slept the rest of the day away.

The First Day

The next day, Twilight woke up before dawn. She'd always enjoyed watching the sun rise, so, after she'd put on her bathing suit, she walked out to shore and sat as close to the waves as she could to watch the sun paint the skies. Just as the sun was peaking over the horizon, there was a voice from beside her. "Beautiful, isn't it?"

Twilight jumped. She turned her head to see the colt who worked at the surf shop! "Your friends are seeming to have fun." He continued. "Why aren't you? You didn't come out of the hotel yesterday.

"I, um, I uh, I as just, uh." Twilight stammered finally, she managed, "I've always, um, read when I've been bored, but, uh, Princess Celestia said not to -"

"Wait," He interrupted. "You know Princess Celestia?"

"Yeah," Twilight answered. "She's my teacher, so, when she told me not to -"

"Whoa. "He interrupted, much to Twilight's annoyance. "The Princess Celestia is your personal mentor?"

"Well, yes." Twilight continued. "So, when she said I couldn't -"

"That," He yet again interrupted. "I amazing. I mean, I can't believe I'm talking to possibly the only person I'll ever meet that's spoken to Princess Celestia."

"Well," Twilight continued, an indignant air in her voice. "After my friends and I defeated Discord, Celestia said we could -"

"I knew you looked familiar!" He interrupted, driving Twilight off the edge. "I saw you in the newspaper after -"

"WILL YOU LET ME FINISH?" Twilight screamed. "Oh, I'm sorry, it's just, I -"

"No," He said. "Don't be sorry, it's my fault. Continue.

"Well," Twilight continued. "Princess Celestia said we could go on vacation as a reward for beating Discord. But, she told me not to read. That's how I've always passed the time."

"I could teach you how to surf." He said.

"Surfing?" Twilight asked. "I mean, I've read books on ponies who have gone surfing, but I've never really wanted to try it myself."

"Well, why not try it now?"

"I suppose I could." Over the course of two hours, Twilight had fallen off of the board forty-seven times. Over on the volleyball court, Rainbow Dash had just won her fifth game in a row against Applejack, and they were sitting on the sand watching the two ponies in the water.

"I wonder who that colt is." Applejack said. "I've never seen him before."

"Yeah," Rainbow Dash replied. "And why is her paying so much attention to Twilight?"

"Whoa, there." Applejack said. "Calm down, Sugarcube. Just because you think he's cute doesn't mean he thinks you are."

"What?" Rainbow Dash replied. "I don't think he's cute, I just, um, I just, I think the people working at the beach should pay an equal amount of attention to everyone, that's all." Rainbow Dash's face was a bright red.

Applejack laughed. "Yeah, I believe you."

"What are you laughing at?"

"Nothing."

"Sure. Because ponies just randomly burst out laughing willy nilly."

"Well, of course they do, Dashie!" Pinkie Pie said, suddenly appearing between them, her arms full of cupcakes and ice cream cones.

Rainbow Dash and Applejack both jumped. "Where did you come from?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"The ice cream stand, silly." The pink pony answered. "Where else do you think I got these?"

"I don't know." Rainbow Dash said.

"Exactly." Pinkie Pie replied. "There's no where else on this entire beach I could have gotten these!"

"Can I have one of those?" Applejack asked.

Pinkie Pie held out her arms. "Cupcake or Ice Cream?" She asked.

"I'll take a cupcake." Applejack replied, grabbing one out of Pinkie Pie's arms. Applejack took a bite. "Wow!" She said. "These are really good!"

"I know, right?" Pinkie Pie said, handing one to Rainbow Dash. "You wouldn't think an ice cream stand would sell cupcakes, and you certainly wouldn't think the cupcakes would be good!"

Fluttershy touched down beside them. "Oh, hello." She said. "I was just talking to Andrea, and she said that -"

"Wait." Rainbow Dash interrupted. "Who's Andrea?"

"Oh, I'm sorry." Fluttershy said. "You haven't been introduced yet." Fluttershy held out her hoof and hummed a few bars of a song. A pelican flew down and landed on her arm. "This is Andrea. Say hello, Andrea." The pelican squawked.

"Wait." Rainbow Dash said. "How did she tell you anything? She can't talk!"

"Oh," Fluttershy answered. "She used gestures. Here, like this." Fluttershy set Andrea down. Then she pointed to Andrea. After this, she raised her arms in the air and flapped them up and down. Then she flung her hoof in front of her face as fast as she could.

"What does that even mean?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Ooh!" Said Pinkie Pie, her mouth full of cupcakes. "I know! It meansh zhat Anzhrea fries rearry fast!"

"What?" Rainbow Dash asked.

Pinkie Pie swallowed. "It means that Andrea flies really fast!" She repeated.

"Yes," Said Fluttershy. "That's exactly what it means."

"So," Rainbow Dash said, turning to the pelican. "You can fly fast?" The bird nodded. "I challenge you to a race." She pointed towards the sea. "You see that buoy? We're going to race there and back." They shot off.

After about twenty, seconds, Rainbow Dash won by a small margin. Seeing the dejected look on the pelican's face, Fluttershy said "It's okay, Andrea. No one can beat Rainbow Dash. I haven't even seen a falcon go that fast!" The bird seemed to become happier.

The rest of the day passed like normal. Rainbow Dash beat Applejack by one game. Twilight fell off of her board a total of one hundred and sixty-four times, but managed to ride one wave before the sun set.

The Second Day

The second day, all of them slept in. Except Pinkie Pie. When the other five ponies awoke, they were greeted by multiple cakes, cupcakes, and some apple fritters. (Which, much to the orange pony's annoyance, were made of Applejack's emergency snack apples) After eating their breakfast of junk food, they all headed to the beach.

Rainbow Dash managed to get all of them to play a volleyball match. Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rarity were on one team, with Rainbow Dash, Twilight, and Pinkie Pie on the other. The match was, after twenty straight minutes of play (With most of the possession occurring between Rainbow Dash and Applejack), Twilight scored the winning point.

After she won the game, Twilight heard a familiar voice cheering for her. She turned to see the colt from the surf shop standing a few yards away. She walked over to him. He said, "Wow, you're pretty good at volleyball."

"Oh, not really," She replied bashfully. "It was just a lucky shot."

"No," He said. "You were amazing. It wasn't a lucky shot, you were awesome!"

"Thanks." Said Twilight, her face turning red.

"I suppose I should keep teaching you how to surf?" He asked.

"Yes." Twilight answered. "That would be nice."

Over on the volleyball court, Rainbow Dash was busy gloating. "Oh, can it." Applejack said. "It's not our fault we lost. You have wings. You cheated!"

"Oh, not that excuse again." She said. "I didn't even use my wings! I can just jump higher than you!"

"No," Applejack retorted. "I saw you use them. You flew!" They then ended up rolling around on the ground, pulling at each other's manes and yelling.

"Girls, girls." Rarity said, pulling them apart with magic. "There's no need to fight, even if Rainbow Dash did cheat."

"Oh, I cheated?" Rainbow Dash asked, furious. "At least I didn't score using magic! At least Twilight used her hooves and not her horn!"

"I didn't mean to score." Rarity replied. "I was simply trying to knock it away so it didn't mess up my makeup."

"You're wearing makeup at the beach?"

"Well, there are always cute colts at the beach."

"Yeah." Said Applejack. "Like that colt Twilight's with. Right, Rainbow Dash?"

"That's it!" The rainbow-maned pony yelled, diving at Applejack. Rarity joined in on the fight.

Pinkie Pie walked over and said "Ooh, I love this sort of thing!" Then jumped in with them. Suddenly, a shout came from the water.

The colt Twilight was with was dragging her out of the water, yelling for someone to go get help. Rainbow Dash flew to the hotel, while the colt began CPR. After thirty compressions, he used mouth to mouth. during the third repetition of this, Twilight's eyes opened during the mouth to mouth to mouth section of CPR. Her eyes grew as big as plates, and, once he'd finished mouth to mouth, saw she was awake.

"Wow," He said. "I thought you were a goner. Good thing I learned CPR a month or two ago."

"Yeah." Twilight said, her face bright red. "That's a good thing."

"Hey," He said. "you're face is really red." He pressed his hoof against her forehead. "Yeah, you have a fever. Here, I'll take you to the surf shop, it's got some first aid equipment."

As soon as the pair had walked out of sight, Rainbow Dash flew in with some doctor ponies. "Here, they're right -" She said, looking at the spot that Twilight was laying moments ago. "I swear, they were right here."

"Oh, don't worry, Sugarcube." Applejack said. "That colt used CPR and woke her back up, but she had a fever. So, he took her down to the surf shop for some medicine."

"What?" She asked, shocked. "He took an egghead like Twilight to his house?"

"It's not exactly his house, per se." Rarity answered. "It's his workplace."

"It doesn't matter!" Rainbow Dash said, sitting down and crossing her arms.

"Um," One of the doctors asked. "Can we leave now?"

"Yes, you can." Applejack said. "Now, Rainbow Dash, just because you like that colt doesn't mean he likes you. He likes Twilight, even if she can't see it."

"You guys don't understand." Rainbow Dash said. "You don't think he's cute. You don't understand how it feels."

"Now, darling." Rarity said. "I think all of us here find him cute."

"Really?" Rainbow Dash asked. She looked at each one of the other ponies in turn, and they all nodded. "Well, that still doesn't change the fact that it's unfair." She continued.

"Now Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy said. "It's not unfair, he just doesn't like you back, that's all."

"That's the unfair part!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. He like Twilight. Which means he doesn't like me."

"Dashie," Pinkie Pie giggled. "That's not unfair, it's just unfortunate, that's all!"

"Regardless," Applejack butted in. "We should get back to the hotel. It looks like it's going to rain." Sure enough, there were multiple clouds darkening the horizon.

"But what about Twilight?" Fluttershy asked.

"Oh, don't worry, she'll be fine." Applejack answered.

After a half hour, the hurricane had let loose. The colt was just starting to escort Twilight back to the hotel when the rain started. After they'd ran back to the surf shop in the rain, The colt had to nail some surfboards against the windows because rocks had shattered some of them.

"Well," He said once he'd finished. "That should do it. I'm sorry you had to stay here. I should have waited for that one pegasus to get back with doctors, not taken you here."

Wringing out her wet mane with magic, Twilight replied, "No, it's fine. I've never really liked doctors, anyway. They want to stick me full of needles all the time."

"Wait, didn't I have to give you medicine through a syringe just a few minutes ago?"

"Um, I, uh, I'd, uh, I just, you know, been resuscitated and all, so I was still kinda groggy. Also, I wasn't in a room full of flashy lights and screens."

"Well, yeah, I suppose those are valid reasons."

"So, do you think the storms gonna blow over tonight?"

"No, it looks a lot like a hurricane. This could last a day or two. So, I should probably make a place for us to sleep." He made a little raised section out of surfboards, because, as he put it, it might flood a bit. Then he folded up some towels on the floor next to it, to be used as blankets.

Twilight was exploring the shop, and she came across a room with a window that was wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling, directly on the edge of the ocean, which was, at the moment, surging up onto the glass. "Hey, what about this window?" She asked. "Shouldn't you board this one up, too?"

"Nah," He answered, walking into the room. "That glass is built for this kind of stuff, when there's a storm and the waves are hitting it really hard. It's almost completely shatter-proof."

"Oh, okay." Twilight said, sitting down in a chair. "Why is it even here, though?"

"Well, that's there for ponies who are really nitpicky and can't decide what to buy." He answered. "If they've picked out a few items they can't decide between, we can't exactly let them try it out. So, we tell them to sit here and watch us as we use the items they've picked out."

"That makes sense." Twilight said. The colt sat down next to her. "Um," She said. "This is a bit awkward, but I still don't know your name."

"Yeah." He said. "I was about to say the same thing. My name is Jake," He said, extending a hoof for Twilight to shake. "What's yours?"

"My name is Twilight." She said, shaking his hoof. "Twilight Sparkle." They spent a few hours staring at the sea, and then went to sleep in the makeshift bed that Jake had created. Much to Twilight's liking, Jake suggested that they sleep closer to each other to conserve body heat.

Back at the hotel, Rainbow Dash was flying around the room, saying, "Why isn't she back yet? They should have gotten her hours ago!"

"Now, Sugarcube," Applejack said. "There's a hurricane outside. Nopony can walk around in that wind, much less all the way from the surf shop! That's a fifteen minute walk anyway."

"Well," Rainbow Dash replied. "That doesn't change the fact that Twilight is with him, and they're alone."

"Now, Rainbow Dash," Applejack said. "We've already gone over this. Just because you like him doesn't mean that he -"

"I know, I know!" Rainbow Dash yelled. "I'm going to bed."

"I am kinda tired." Fluttershy said. The other ponies agreed and exchanged good-nights, then went to sleep.

The Third Day

The five ponies in the hotel all woke up at the same time, due to a large thunderclap. After another breakfast of Pinkie Pie's junk food, they all sat and watched the rain. Suddenly, Applejack asked, "Um, Rainbow Dash? If you're so jealous of Twilight and that colt, then why did you start this storm?"

"What makes you think I started it?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Well," Applejack answered. "Only pegasi can control the weather. And the only other pegasus on the beach is Fluttershy."

"Well," Rainbow Dash said, turning to the yellow Pegasus. "I didn't start it."

"Okay." Fluttershy said. "I admit it. I started the hurricane."

"YOU WHAT?" Rainbow Dash screeched.

Fluttershy curled up into a ball and whimpered, "Well, they looked so happy together, so I flew out over the ocean, made the storm, and sent it this way. I never thought it'd get this big. It must have picked up some other clouds on its way here."

"So," Rainbow Dash said, startlingly calm. "You started this storm because you thought they were happy together?"

"Well," Fluttershy said. "I just wanted Twilight to be happy, I mean, the Princess said she couldn't read books when she was on vacation, so I wanted to give her something to do."

"Now, Rainbow Dash," Applejack said. "Why don't you just fly up there and stop the storm, if you're so upset?"

"It's too big to stop!" Rainbow Dash said, laying down on the bed, burying her face in her pillow. Her shoulder started shaking.

"Now, darling," Rarity said, placing her hoofs on Rainbow Dash's shoulders. "There's no need to cry. You can't change that colt's feelings. He would have liked Twilight even if this hurricane never happened."

Rainbow Dash sat up. She wiped her tears away with her hood, then said, "That's not the problem. I know that he would have liked Twilight, we've gone over this. It's just the fact that they're alone. Who knows what they're doing in the surf shop right now?" Rainbow Dash's eye got wide. "They could be -" She didn't finish her sentence.

"Now, Sugarcube," Applejack said. "Twilight's a smart pony, she wouldn't do that unless she married him, and I doubt they've gotten married in a surf shop."

"You don't know!" Rainbow Dash screeched. "Twilight's probably never had a coltfriend since the day she was born! She's probably desperate!"

"Oh, Dashie," Pinkie Pie said. "You know Twilight. She wouldn't do that."

"She might." Rainbow Dash said. "And that's what I'm worried about!"

This went on for hours.

Back in the surf shop, the same thunderclap woke up Jake and Twilight. As Jake wiped up a little bit of water that had flooded over the night, Twilight went and watched the sea as she had done the night before. To her left, Jake said, "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

Twilight jumped. "You scared me." She said. "But yes, I agree, it is beautiful."

Jake placed his hoof on Twilight's. A tingle shot up the unicorn's spine. "You know," He said. "You are, too." Twilight's face turned the brightest red it had ever been. Jake kissed her. Twilight didn't know what to do at first, but she closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around the Earth Pony. After a minute or so, Jake pulled away and said, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that."

"You're right." Twilight said. "You should have done it sooner." They kissed again. Longer this time, more passionately. They got off of the couch and onto the ground. Long story short, Rainbow Dash's fears didn't come true. But they did lay on the ground kissing each other for a long while.

Jake stood up and said, "This won't work out, will it?"

"What do you mean?" Twilight asked.

"Well," He answered. "You live in Ponyville. That's on the other side of Equestria. My family worries too much. Right now, they probably think I've drowned. If I moved to Ponyville, then they'd worry too much, and probably move with me. Not only that, but I have two extremely old grandparents. They won't survive the trip."

"I can still come and visit." Twilight said.

"No," Jake said. "You can't. Princess Celestia sent you to Ponyville for a reason. If you go against it and come here all the time, she probably wouldn't like it."

"But, Jake -"

"No buts. In four days, when you leave, we probably won't see each other again." Seeing the dejected look on the unicorn's face, Jake added, "But that doesn't mean we can't make the most out of today." They started kissing again. "See me at midnight the night you leave." He said.

Turns out, Twilight was the one who wanted to go farther, but Jake said no. "I don't want to make that much of a commitment." He said. "I would if you were staying longer."

By noon, the hurricane had died down to a minor rainstorm. The other five ponies went out to the surf shop to see if Jake and Twilight were there. They were. When Rainbow Dash knocked on the door, Jake, with a messed up mane and tail, answered the door. Due to the colt's frazzled appearance, Rainbow Dash believed that her fears had indeed been fulfilled, and she flew away into the sky.

"I'll get her." Fluttershy said, taking off after Rainbow Dash.

"Hey." Jake said. "How are you guys doing?"

"We're doing fine." Applejack said. "Is Twilight here?"

"Yes," Jake said. "Yes she is." He walked into the shop. After a minute or so, he walked back out with Twilight.

"Hey, you guys!" Twilight said, enveloping them in a big hug. "Wait, where are Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy?"

"I'll explain later, Sugarcube." Applejack said. "We have to get you back to the hotel. That mane of yours is full up of wet sand. You need a shower."

"I know." She said, looking back at Jake. "Just - give me a minute." She and Jake walked back into the shop. After a minute or two, Twilight walked back out, her bathing suit hovering in front of her due to magic. "Okay." She said. "I'm ready, let's go."

When they got back to the hotel, they found Fluttershy standing next to a bed upon which Rainbow Dash was laying, her arms, legs, feet, and wings tied securely to her body. "How did you do that?" Rarity asked.

"Oh, that?" Fluttershy said. "That's just a little trick that you use on bears, eagles, and other big animals if they're being aggressive. It helps to calm them down."

"I'm sure it does." Rarity said.

Then Fluttershy saw Twilight. She flew over to Twilight in the blink of an eye, wrapping her arms around the purple unicorn. Fluttershy said, "Oh, I'm so glad you're back."

"Me - too." Twilight gasped "I - can't - breathe."

Fluttershy let go. Twilight crumpled to the ground, gasping for breath. "Oh, I'm sorry." Fluttershy said. "I was worried. I thought you were dead."

"Thanks for your concern." Twilight said. "I need some sleep. I had to go to bed on the floor last night. Good night, everybody." Twilight climbed into bed. Fluttershy dragged Rainbow Dash out of the room as the other three ponies followed. The five spent the rest of the day at the beach, while Twilight lay in bed, dreaming of an impossible future with Jake.

The Fourth Day

The next morning, Rarity decided that the group should go shopping. They went into town and, after asking multiple ponies, found the mall. Rarity immediately ran into a dress shop. Rainbow Dash spotted Soarin', Spitfire, and Fleetfoot signing autographs. She bolted over to the stand. Fluttershy flew into an animal care shop, and Pinkie Pie dashed over to the food court. Applejack saw an apple stand, and walked over there. Twilight was left alone, not knowing where to go.

At first, Twilight walked towards a bookstore, but then she remembered Princess Celestia's rule not to read. She spent a few hours wandering around the mall until she found a chocolate shop. She walked inside and was greeted by a unicorn with a chocolate bar for a cutie mark. "What would you like to buy?" She asked.

"Well," Twilight said nervously. "I was thinking of buying something for this boy I like. Do you have anything for that?"

"Well, of course we do!" The pegasus said. She guided Twilight to the far wall of the shop. On the wall there were multiple shelves with different boxes of chocolate, some heart-shaped, some with hearts plastered all over the box. "Here's our selection of love candy." the pegasus said. "Take as much time as you need."

Twilight spotted a heart-shaped box near the top. It was small, and kind of nondescript, but she thought Jake would love it. "That one." She said, taking it off of the shelf and floating it towards her with magic. "I want this one."

"That will be five bits." The pegasus said. Twilight paid. "And, if you like, I can throw in a love note for free, if you want the gift to be anonymous."

"No, thanks." Twilight said. "I'm going to give it to him in person." She dropped the box into a shopping bag, and then went to the food court.

Pinkie Pie saw Twilight and trotted up to her. "Hey!" She said. "There's so much food here! I've had a meal from almost every place!" Seeing the bag Twilight was carrying, Pinkie Pie asked, "Ooh, what did you buy?" And started for the bag.

"Nothing." Twilight said, moving the bag away. "It's nothing."

"That's not nothing, silly!" Pinkie said. "It's obviously something."

Pinkie Pie kept lunging for the bag. "Pinkie." Twilight warned. "Pinkie, stop." The earth pony persisted, still attempting to grab the bag. "PINKIE, STOP!" Twilight yelled. The earth pony's hair straightened out and her eyes started watering. "Oh, Pinkie, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to -" Twilight didn't get to finish her apology. The earth pony started bawling in the middle of the food court. Everpony looked at them. Twilight used magic to pick up Pinkie Pie and ran to the bathroom.

Pinkie Pies stopped crying after a few minutes of consoling. Her hair poofed up like normal. Twilight washed off the earth pony's face. "I'm sorry," Twilight said. "It's just - it's private, okay?"

"Then why did you leave it in the food court?" Pinkie asked.

"I left it in the food court?" Twilight asked.

"Yep!" Pinkie said. Twilight ran into the food court. The bag was sitting on the table. When she was a few feet away, Fluttershy swooped down and picked it up.

"Fluttershy, wait!" Twilight yelled.

Fluttershy turned around and said, "Oh, is this yours? I was going to take it to lost and found."

"Yes," Twilight answered. "This is mine. I accidentally left it here." Fluttershy handed Twilight the bag. "Thank you."

"Rarity told me to tell everypony a message." Fluttershy said. "She said it's getting late and we should all meet up by the front doors."

"Okay, let's go." Twilight said. They walked to the front doors. They were the last ones to arrive.

"It's late, everypony." Rarity said. "We should head to the hotel."

Twilight couldn't sleep. She'd gone to bed early the day before. She was staring out of the window at the ocean when she spotted a small shape on the waves. She put on her coat and walked down to the beach. It was Jake, surfing. "Jake!" Twilight called out. "Over here!"

Jake spotted her and surfed back to the shore. "What are you doing out here this late?" He asked.

"I could ask you the same." Twilight answered. They kissed.

"There's always a big swell after a storm." Jake said. "Now, why are you here?"

"I couldn't sleep." Twilight said. "I went to bed early last night." They kissed again. "Now, could I finish my surfing lessons?" She asked.

Jake kissed her. "Of course you can." That night, Twilight successfully surfed for the first time.

When Twilight left the room, the door closing woke up Rainbow Dash. Thinking Twilight was sneaking off to - do things with Jake, Rainbow Dash put on her ninja suit and silently flew along behind the unicorn. She was hiding behind the empty ice cream stand watching them.

When they kissed, Rainbow Dash sighed. She felt as if a great weight had been lifted off of her chest. There wasn't any doubt in her mind now that Jake liked Twilight and not her. Feeling surprisingly relieved, Rainbow Dash flew back to the hotel and went to sleep.

The Fifth Day

The next day, Twilight woke up to a pegasus knocking on the window. She was holding a piece of paper that read:

SURFING COMPETITION IN THREE HOURS!
LAST MINUTE SIGN-UP AT THE SURF SHOP!

Twilight put on her bathing suit and rushed out of the hotel.

She arrived at the surf shop and had to wait in line. For two hours. Then she finally got to sign up. After this, she waited for them to give her a board. They didn't when she asked, they said that she had to use her own. So, she had to buy a surfboard.

When she walked up to shore, Jake spotted her and ran over. "What are you doing?" He asked. "You just learned how to surf yesterday."

"Well," Twilight said. "I don't think I'm going to drown. And besides, it's probably the only surf competition I'll ever get to be in."

"Just be careful." Jake said, walking back into the audience.

The competition started a half hour later. There were one hundred ponies in the competition, of which only fifteen were mares. The first five rounds were simply three-minute time sections in which the bad surfers were weeded out from the good ones. By the end of the first five rounds, the other members of the mane six had arrived. Also, there were only thirty six ponies left in the competition, and only four of them were mares.

The next to rounds were time rounds. Each pony had to, in turn, ride a wave. The ten ponies who stayed on their board longest moved on to the seventh, final round. Twilight placed fourth in this, moving on. There were now only two mares.

The final round was a trick round. Twilight wasn't prepared for this, being that she'd only known how to surf for about twelve hours. Thankfully, she got to go last, so she was able to learn how to do tricks from the other ponies that went before her.

The other mare, also a unicorn, walked up to Twilight and started talking to her. "Hey," She said. "Is that a new board?" She asked. She yanked it out from underneath Twilight. "This is so shiny!"

"Hey," Twilight said. "Give it back!" She grabbed it.

"I just wanted to look at it!" The unicorn said, strengthening her grip. They yanked back and forth until the unicorn let go. The surfboard was skewered on Twilight's horn. "Oops." The unicorn said. A horn blared from the judges table. "Guess it's my turn." The unicorn left.

"Oh no!" Twilight said, studying the hole in her board. It was big enough to fit her hoof through, and it was near the center, wear most of the water was concentrated. "I can't surf with this board!" She looked at the judge's clock. "And I'm next! I don't have enough time to buy a new one!"

The horn blared. It was Twilight's turn now.

Twilight paddled out in to the water, pressing her belly up against the hole in the middle of the board, so she didn't sink. As she approached the wave, she hopped up on her feet. Water began to gush through the hole. Twilight accidentally did a few spins and jumps on her way up the side of the wave, because she was afraid the board would sink. This continued on throughout the wave, until, in the middle of a flip, Twilight realized that what she was doing as a precautionary measure against sinking were tricks. Everypony was clapping when she made it back to shore.

While the judges spent a few minutes deciding who won, Twilight ran back to her friends. "Wow, Sugarcube!" Applejack said. "That was amazing!"

"Yeah," Rainbow Dash said. "It was pretty cool."

"I agree." Fluttershy said.

"Me too!" Rarity agreed.

"Me three!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

Suddenly the horn blared again. Everypony gathered around the judges table. the ten contestants lined up.

One of the judges started speaking. "In tenth place, with eight points, John Redwood." He said. "In ninth place, with ten points, Thomas Eliot." The judge continued on like this. Finally, there were only three ponies left. Twilight, the mare that sabotaged her board, and a bright blue colt. "In second place," The judge continued. "With twenty-eight points, Isaiah Strong!" The colt walked over and stood on the second place stand.

"And in first place," the judge said. "With a perfect score of thirty is -" He paused. "Twilight Sparkle!"

Twilight was amazed. She never thought that she would win. Especially since she had just learned how to surf the night before. She walked over and stood on the firs place pedestal. Somepony placed a large trophy, adorned with a surfing pony, in front of her, and put a medal around her neck.

Tons of reporter ponies flocked around her. She could only catch one or two words from each question. Finally, she said, "I didn't expect to win. I just learned how to surf last night. And, about the tricks, I had a hole in my board. I was trying not to sink

Twilight grabbed her trophy in her mouth. Then she used magic to teleport out of the crowd and into the hotel room. Being that it was one of the hardest spells she'd ever used, she immediately fell asleep on the floor.

She woke up in her bed. It was dark outside. Rainbow Dash was yelling at her. "Do you have any idea how worried we were?"

"Yeah Sugarcube." Applejack said. "We couldn't find you."

"I'm sorry." Twilight apologized. She looked at the clock. It was 1:30 AM. "Oh my gosh!" She said. "I'm late!" She jumped out of bed.

"Late for what?" Fluttershy asked.

"I told Jake I'd meet him an hour ago!" Twilight said, grabbing her bag and running out of the room slamming the door.

She found Jake sitting and watching the waves. "I'm sorry I'm late." Twilight said.

"It's fine." Jake said, not turning around to face her.

"What's wrong?" Twilight asked.

"It's nothing." Jake said.

Twilight walked over and sat in front of Jake. "What's wrong?" She repeated.

Jake sighed. "You could have died out there." He said.

"But I didn't."

"But you could have. And that's what's wrong. You had me worried sick. You just learned how to surf last night. Not to mention you used a broken board. You should have quit when that unicorn sabotaged it."

"But, Jake, -"

"No buts. You could have died, Twilight. I love you . I don't want you to get hurt."

A tear rolled down Twilight's cheek. "I love you, too." She said. They kissed.

"You have to leave in a few hours." Jake said, pulling away.

"That's a few hours away." Twilight replied, and kissed him again.

"But you still have to leave tomorrow." Jake said.

Quoting Jake, Twilight said, "But that doesn't mean we can't make the most out of tonight." They kissed again. Until about three in the morning. "I have to go." Twilight said. "Will you come to see me off?"

Jake grabbed her hoof in his. "Of course I will."

"Ooh!" Twilight said. "I almost forgot. She picked up the bag she'd brought. She pulled out the box of chocolates and handed them to Jake. "Here." She said. "It's a bit cliché, but I bought you this."

Jake kissed her. "It's not cliché." He said. "I love it. Now head back to the hotel. I'll see you before you leave."

Twilight walked back to the hotel and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

The Pendant

Twilight arrived at home after lunchtime. She dropped her bag in her room, and locked the door. She laid on her bed and opened the pouch Jake had given her. Inside was a note and a pendant hoof-carved out of wood. She read the note.

Dear Twilight,

If you're reading this, it means you're in Ponyville again. Earlier today, we said goodbye for the last time. There is almost no way we could ever meet again. By the time my parents let me go, You'll probably already be married, and I would be, too. It's inevitable that his would happen, even if we do love each other.

Before she died, my great great grandmother (She lived an extremely long time) gave me this pendant with a simple message: "Give this to your true love. It will ensure that you will never be apart." I've never been sure whether she meant this figuratively or literally, but regardless, I'm giving this to you.

I love you. Never forget that.

Love,

Jake

Twilight started crying. She unlocked the door and walked out. "What's wrong?" Spike asked.

"It's nothing." Twilight replied.

"So," Spike said. "What do you want to write to the Princess?"

"I think I'll write it this time, Spike." Twilight said.

"Okay." The dragon said, handing her a quill, ink, and some paper.

After putting on the pendant, Twilight wrote the letter in her room. Tears streamed down her face, smearing some of the ink. She didn't care. The Princess would understand.

Dear Princess Celesita,

This week, something happened that I hadn't planned on happening. I fell in love. I've always heard about the beach and the spell it casts on its visitors, but I've never been superstitious enough to believe these stories.

Now I know that they're true.

Considering I'm already crying, I won't go into details about Jake. There's on thing I can say, though. Love isn't just an emotional tie. It can even make you want to give up your friends. But one thing's for sure, if you truly love sompony, you love them enough to let them go.

Your Faithful Student,

Twilight Sparkle

Notification

It was a happy day in Equestria. Discord had just been defeated by the Mane 6. Celestia herself had made a special visit to Ponyville to congratulate the keepers of the Elements of Harmony. After the Mane 6 and the Princess had been showered with praise and affection, they retired for the night to the Ponyville library, Twilight Sparkle's place of residence.

Celestia made a special announcement. "My faithful student," She was interrupted by a haughty ahem from
Rainbow Dash. "And friends" Celestia continued. "You have defeated one of the greatest threats to both harmony, and Equestria. As a reward, I am sending you on a vacation." The Mane 6 cheered. "And not just any vacation. You are going to the beach!"

The Mane 6 cheered louder. Even Fluttershy was audible. "Now," Celestia continued. "Go and pack your things for a five day vacation." Everyone except Twilight (Because she lived there) went home. As she left, Princess Celestia whispered to the purple pony, "Oh, and, have fun, Twilight. Don't read the entire time."

Twilight was shocked. how could she have fun without reading? that was how she had fun! As she pondered the idea, she packed all of her things into a suitcase. Her SPF 50 sunscreen, her unused, one piece bathing suit, and a few other items, such as Miss Smartypants and her lucky parchment and quill.

She went to bed filled with worry.

Departure

Twilight woke up at six the next morning. The other five ponies were already packing their things. Twilight shoved all her things in her bag to catch up. They left the hotel at six thirty.

They reached the beach to find that Celestia's royal chariot had already arrived. Rarity began loading their bags into the chariot, while Applejack and Rainbow Dash ran off to play a last game of volleyball. Pinkie Pie ran to get some snacks for the trip, and Fluttershy flew away to say goodbye to Andrea the pelican.

Twilight made her way to Jake. "I guess this is the least time I'll see you." He said.

"Yeah." Twilight agreed. "It probably is. I don't want to leave you."

"I don't want you to leave me, either." Jake said. "But you have to go. Ponyville needs you and your friends. When you work together, the six of you are like one pony. If one of you is gone, the connection is severed."

"I know." Twilight said. "And I know I have to go. But I still want to stay here, with you."

"You can't." Jake said. "It just wouldn't work. Regardless, I still love you."

"And I love you." They kissed.

By this time, the other five ponies were all watching Twilight and Jake. Pinkie Pie started crying. Rainbow Dash cried, too, but she'd never admit it. In unison, Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy let out a humongous "AWWWW!"

Twilight turned around, her face bright red. "You guys!" Twilight exclaimed. "Can't a pony get some privacy?"

"Now, Sugarcube," Applejack said. "I don't really think that a beach is the best place to expect privacy."

"I know." Twilight laughed. "Just, give me a minute, okay?"

"You got it." Rainbow Dash said, wiping a tear from her cheek.

Twilight did a double take. "Are you crying, Rainbow Dash?" She asked.

"No!" Rainbow Dash retorted.

"If you say so." Twilight said facetiously. "Now, leave us alone, you guys!"

"Okay." Fluttershy said. "Turn around, you guys!" The other five ponies turned around.

Twilight kissed Jake. "So, this is goodbye?" She asked.

"Yes." Jake said. "It is. At least until my parents let go of me enough to let me move to Ponyville. But, until that happens, this is all you have to remember me by." He handed Twilight a small pouch. "Don't open it until you get to Ponyville." He said, kissing her. "Now, go."

As the chariot took off, Twilight, with tears streaming down her face, turned around and yelled, "Goodbye, Jake! I won't forget you!"

Back on the ground, Jake replied, "I won't forget you either! I love you!"

"I love you too!" Twilight replied.

When the chariot disappeared from view, Jake allowed himself to cry. He laid down on the ground and let the tears pour down his face. He didn't stop crying until the sun had set.