“Dear sister, we simply must do something for the poor things,” Luna pleaded, stopping in front of her for the hundredth time.
Celestia let out a patient sigh and let her head hang. “Luna, as much as I'd love to oblige, I just can't walk away from work for an entire day.”
“When you say it like that it sounds bad. Why can't you say it like, just one day?” Luna countered. “Their dreams have been oh so restless over their cutie marks and we fear it may be beginning to wear on them. So perhaps we should give them a day in which not to think of such things.”
“There's no time Luna.” Celestia shook her head.
“And why is that? Do we really do much work sister? We sign parchment and trot around the courtyard for hours on end whilst our advisers and scholars take care of the details. We are sure the castle wouldn't miss us for an afternoon. Perhaps it'd give the servants a break of their own.” Luna didn't move out of Celestia's path like the other ninety-nine times this idea had been shot down.
Celestia wasn't about to give in however. “Luna... This is simply not goi-”
“I think you should go.”
Both Princesses turned their heads to find Shining had entered the courtyard, looking rather embarrassed to have interrupted.
“Shining not you too.” Celestia groaned to herself.
“Princess please, just hear me out. I'll take care of the castle for the day. Nothing has happened in quite the while and the weekend promises to be uneventful. To my knowledge you have no official plans for tomorrow, nor appointments to keep.” Shining smiled at the two dumbly, enjoying the silent praise he was receiving from the Princess of the night.
“Pllllleeeeeeaaaaassssseeeeeee!” Luna whined. “It'll be but a day! Besides, when is the last time we have had fun ourselves? A hundred years? Two hundred? We must!”
Celestia looked back and forth between her foalish sister and the stallion she might possibly kill later and resigned with much reluctance. There was nothing she could say to avoid this without sounding like a prude. “Inform the three fillies to be ready tomorrow morning, and to be at the Ponyville Train station by nine. We're going to Equinity Beach.”
“HUZZAHHH!” Luna cheered and lept off into the air in an instant, leaving Celestia alone with a now very skittish Shining.
“W-well Princess... If you shall excuse me...” Shining backed away quickly, feeling as if he may burst into flames under the sun goddess's gaze.
Celestia merely watched him flee.
PONYVILLE TRAIN STATION 09:12AM
As the train whistle blew, announcing their departure the air inside the tram was filled with the squeals and cheers of three young eager fillies, two immature princesses and a small dragon. An exhausted Celestia sat next to a empathetic Cadence, who did her best to console her.
“It's not the end of the world Celestia,” Cadence cooed. “It's just one day, besides, look how happy everypony is!” Indeed they were. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Spike were all sitting at their own booth talking excitedly about something over their complimentary drinks... benefits of riding with royalty. Twilight and Luna were both giggling about something at their own booth. Cadence would love to have joined them but she thought it better to tend to Celestia in her less than joyful state
Celestia sighed. “I know... Tis just I am much too old for games Cadence.”
“Yet you still look young as ever! Enjoy your youth, however much longer it will last you. Look at your sister,” Cadence gestured toward Luna who was still giggling like a filly with Twilight.
“I have royal duties to attend to Cadence, you must understand as the elder I mus-”
“What royal duties? Harassing the guards? Signing papers? Making speeches you know more than half the population doesn't listen to anyway?” Cadence regretted that last statement almost immediately when the words seemed to bite Celestia a bit. “My apologies, I just feel as if you take life a little too seriously. What is the point if you're not having fun here and there?”
“No... You're right. Please, don't apologize.” She sighed again. “I just haven't let myself do anything but work for... centuries... Perhaps this will be good for me.” Celesita put on a fake smile to reassure the pink alicorn.
“It will, I promise.” Cadence took Celestia's forehoof for a second and smiled back. “Now, have a drink or two on the way. It'll be a few hours.”
At this Celestia groaned and let her head fall to the table. Three hours...
EQUINITY BEACH STATION 12:22PM
“Come on guys! We're here!” Scootaloo jumped out of the train car and onto the deck of the train station where they were she was greeted with many a bowing pony. She didn't understand why until she remembered that the Princess's were with her.
“Carry on. We're not here on duty, please... Just pretend as if we're not here.” Celestia shook her head and sighed. Of course the crowd would disperse but the stares and sidelong glances they would get from everypony would prove difficult to ignore. However she seemed to be the only one of the group that minded. Twilight, Luna and Cadence didn't even seem to notice as they were to busy entertaining themselves with the three fillies and the baby dragon. They were acting more like fillies than the fillies were... How embarrassing. At least they had reserved a section of the beach that would be most private so as to not draw any more unwanted attention.
A crash brought her alert, and she looked around frantically, only to find Luna upside down amongst the impossibly cumbersome amount of trinkets they had all packed for the beach. Luna just smiled dumbly at her while ponies who were unable to control themselves laughed at her expense. Celestia had half a mind to get back on the train.
After almost twenty minutes of making their way through the masses and dragging along the rest of her group who seemed to have rather short attention spans they made it to the guard house that segregated the part of the beach that was reserved for those willing to pay. Celestia was relieved to find the guard unamused with their unique situation, however neither did he render any courtesies as he should when royalty passes by. However Celestia was so relieved the common guard hadn't made a fuss over their presence she saw fit to ignore his lack of discipline.
“What first?” Apple Bloom pipped up.
“I'm hungry...” Scootaloo complained.
“HUZZAH!” A bright flash of magic later and a blanket was spread out across the sand, topped by many snacks, kettle's of tea and juice and baskets containing sandwiches prepared in the royal kitchen itself.
All three of the fillies, Spike, and even Cadence and Twilight cheered. Even Celestia had to admit the prospect of food was alluring. She hadn't eaten breakfast...
Their stomachs full and a whole afternoon ahead of them on the isolated beach brought joy to everypony's heart. Luna was already digging through her mountain of luggage, pulling several water guns from the heap. Again a cheer rose from all the ponies in the group, except Celestia, who wasn't so happy with the idea of being sprayed in the face with salt water. Though she didn't have long to think about it. A sudden blast from one of the toy weapons had her reeling back on her hind legs, trying desperately to stop the stream with her forelegs until she remembered her magic and materialized a force field to stop the flow. However she'd already been soaked from the shoulders up in water, her mane dripping and fur matted to her face.
Luna, Cadence, Twilight, Spike, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders exploded with laughter at the drenched Princess. Luna was already refilling the tool of her humiliation. Celestia had half a mind to demand the trip come to an end at once, and drag them all home. She dropped the force-field and glared at Luna, daring her to do it again. Luna had taken the hint, and looked mildly ashamed and disappointed her sister hadn't taken it in good heart. The look was enough to guilt Celestia into relaxing, and she sighed. Just one day. “You would attack an unarmed Princess dear sister?”
The question brought a smile to Luna's muzzle as she scattered the extra weapons around the beach, and ran in the opposite direction as the rest of the ponies made a dive for the weapons. The chaos that ensued left everypony drenched from flank to muzzle in water, without even had jumping in the ocean yet, which conveniently was next on the agenda.
Celestia had lightened up after the water fight and made the mad dash for the water with the rest of the ponies, all except Cadence who stayed in the shallows and refused to come forward with a upset demeanor. This caught Twilight's and Luna's attention, while the rest of them swam about in the ocean. The three fillies had made a game of who could stay submerged the longest. Something Celestia disapproved of and kept a close eye on.
“Cadence come in!” Twilight called, swimming up to her.
“I'm fine thank you,” she replied.
“What has you at odds?” Luna asked.
“Nothing, nothing at all. I just don't feel like swimming.”
“Why not? Everypony else is. The water is great!” Twilight exclaimed, splashing the pink alicorn who recoiled at the assault.
“I'm in the water already,” Cadence snapped.
“Barely,” Luna replied.
“What's wrong Cadence?” Twilight asked concerned.
Cadence blushed at the question and let her head hang. “I can't swim,” she finally admitted.
Luna stifled a laugh and earned a quick glare from Twilight who looked back to Cadence with sympathy. “Maybe you'd like to lay out on the beach then, let the sun warm your fur?” Twilight suggested.
“Yes... I think I will.” Cadence smiled weakly at Twilight before making her way back onto the beach, shaking her forelegs dry.
Twilight turned and splashed Luna who looked at her undignified.
“Tis not my fault she doesn't know how to swim... A thousand years upon the moon and I still remember.”
Once they had swam to near exhaustion in the ocean they all made their way back to shore, where they found Cadence with a hoop she'd dug from the luggage on her horn and she was twirling it about. Scootaloo, Sweetie and Apple Bloom forgot their tiredness and dove into the luggage for hoops of their own. They were soon followed by the three Princesses.
Apple Bloom surprised herself at how easily she managed, and even took too twirling it in different ways. She assumed it had to have been an after effect of the cutiepocks she'd had before. Everypony eventually had the hang of it, except Twilight, who couldn't keep it going for more than a few seconds at a time. Instead of finding his own Spike took to laughing at the expense of the uncoordinated alicorn who eventually found all four of her legs entangled in the loop and her muzzle in the sand. She attracted the attention of the whole party.
They ran about for a while longer, until eventually the time grew near for the sun to be lowered. As much as Celestia was enjoying herself she couldn't neglect this duty, nor could Luna raising the moon. However she did grant the fillies front row seats to the magic of the sunset who soon forgot their disappointment at the day drawing to a close.
Even Twilight and Cadence were happy to see it with such a clear view over the ocean horizon. Celestia's and Luna's horns grew bright, the sun lowering, casting a orange hue across the water, being replaced by the faint light of the upcoming moon, rising above the horizon just as the sun disappeared.
After a minute or so the transition from day to night was complete, and the sisters took a moment to breathe before addressing the others.
“I'm afraid it's time we go now,” Celestia told the three fillies.
“Can't we stay the night on the beach?” Sweetie asked hopefully, but received a hit on the shoulder from Scootaloo. “What was that for?” Scootaloo only shook her head, she didn't think it was a good idea to bug the Princesses after the day they'd set up for them.
Celestia however, couldn't help but to see a bit of disappointment on her sister's face as well as Cadence and Twilight's. She considered it a moment but decided against it. She had had fun, but needed to get back, for her own peace of mind and the comfort of her bed. “We'll do this again sometime,” she decided and brightened up when she saw the others smile.
PONYVILLE BOUND TRAIN 08:08PM
The ride back was much smoother, seeing as the fillies and spike all slept. Even Twilight dozed off. Cadence preoccupied herself with staring out at the landscape through the window while Luna and Celestia sat across from each other.
“I have to admit... I had fun today.”
“I told you sister,” Luna replied. “Tis not good to stay busy with work all the time, and even we need a break every thousand years or so.”
Celestia giggled and sighed. “Yes yes, you were right. Maybe next month I'll arrange another, more organized day and invite Twilight's friends as well.”
“Oooh... we could have the pink one throw a party at the castle!” Luna exclaimed, much to Celestia's horror.
“No! That won't do,” She shook her head. “She'd have it down in a matter of minutes if we let her.”
Luna rolled her eyes. “You were always the boring one.”
Celestia returned the gesture but couldn't help but laugh. “I suppose you're right.”
"Perhaps maybe you should take a nap dear sister. Tis a long train ride, and I'll be up anyway to gaze upon the sky." Luna smiled warmly.
"You know, I think I will," Celestia replied, laying her head on a foreleg on the table.
Luna nodded and left her sister be, joining Cadence at the window.
Celestia enjoyed the gentle rocking of the train and allowed her eyes to close and let her worries slip away as she recalled the day's events until eventually she too, fell asleep.
