The sound of seagulls, crashing waves, and smell of salt filled the air, as a small ferry made port at the small island community of Silver Shoals. Not many ponies visited the isle due to its remote location, so it was always news when the ferry brought passengers along with its usual load of supplies. Doubly so when those visitors happened to be Princesses Celestia and Luna, rulers of Equestria. Or more accurately, ex-rulers of Equestria. With Twilight Sparkle newly crowned as Ruler of Equestria, the sisters had decided it was finally time they step aside and leave the life of royalty behind them.
The two alicorns stepped off the ferry, burdened with what luggage they could carry as they made their way up the dock, and onto the sandy shore. With one final wave back to the crew of the ferry, they made their way up the sloping sands, and onto a dirt path that leads them through the center of the small retirement community.
If you were to ask anypony who saw them arrive they might tell you it was hard to believe it was really two of the most powerful ponies alive walking through town that day. Not only was the situation itself firmly out of the ordinary, but the sisters no longer wore any of the trappings of royalty. Instead, they opted for casual summer wear, including sun hats oversized shades and -in Luna's case- a liberal amount of sunblock.
As they exited the town proper, the dirt path began sloping down, curving around a low hill and towards the western shore. Rounding the bend they finally saw what they had come all this way for. A newly built structure lay just a few hundred yards up the path.
“There it is, sister… Our new home!” Celestia gestured grandly to the structure in front of her. It was a bit large by pony standards but modest in its design. The wooden walls rose three stories above the ground, with a large deck protruding from the second, overlooking the small private beach that accompanied the property.
“A bit… smaller than we are accustomed to” Luna chuckled to herself “Though I believe we will adjust to it in time” She bumped Celestia playfully with her flank, moving past her older sibling towards the front door of the house. Igniting her horn she enveloped the door in her magic, slowly pushing it open and leading the way inside.
As the two ex-princesses entered their new abode they were greeted with a cozy pre-furnished living space, complete with a plethora of couches and chairs. Dropping what few bags they carried at the door, the two sisters began exploring their new home.
Wandering through the ground floor of the home, they found that the living area opened directly onto the kitchen on the western side of the home. It too was fully furnished with the newest appliances, ample counters and cabinet space, as well as a conjoined dining area with plenty of space to entertain company.
Looping back around to the living area and moving towards the north side of the house they found a large open-air porch through a set of double doors. The porch was furnished with cushioned wicker chairs, and couches. The space was separated from the outside world only by a wire mesh to keep insects out, through which a door lead to an outdoor seating area, covered by the deck above.
As they re-entered the house Luna opted to recline on the nearest couch, pulling a book from her nearby bags while Celestia made her way to the staircase, and up to the second story. There she found a completely open floor plan. The floor itself dotted with piles of plush lounge cushion surrounding squat study tables. Three of the four walls were taken up entirely by shelves lined with hundreds of books covering just about every topic imaginable. The fourth wall, on the north side, was comprised entirely of glass with a sliding door leading out onto the balcony which wrapped around the building's western wall. Walking across the room, and through said doors, Celestia found herself with an unobstructed view of the beach below, as well as the seemingly endless blue waters of the sea beyond.
Walking around the corner to the western side, and up to the railing, Celestia summoned one of the plush cushions from inside, placing it down, and giving it a few pats with a hoof to fluff it up before laying herself belly down onto the soft fabric. Getting comfortable with her legs tucked tightly against her, the white alicorn looked out over the sea, her eyes seemingly focused on something unseen over the far horizon. Lost in thought, she wasn’t quite sure how long she just sat and watched the waves roll across the surface of the water. Her silent contemplation was eventually interrupted by the sound of hooves coming from behind.
“Oh ho, no. None of that now, sister”
Celestia's mind was drawn back to reality as she heard Luna’s voice from behind her. Before she could turn to face her sister, Celestia felt a weight press into her side and turned to see Luna pressed against her. She allowed a small smile to find its way to her lips as she spoke “My apologies, Luna. I suppose I’m having trouble taking it all in...” She fidgeted against her sister, wings twitching at her side. “I’ve dreamed of the day we could do this for so long, but now that we’re actually here… I’m not sure I really believe that we’ve finally made it”
Luna let out a low hum, softly nuzzling her sister's neck “I understand, sister. It does truly feel like a dream, from which we could wake at any moment” She adjusted her seating to get a bit more comfortable before continuing. “I am not entirely convinced we have prepared to the best of our abilities” A look of concern clouded the younger alicorn's features as she spoke. “The changes we have been through these past weeks will likely have consequences we had not accounted for”
It was Celestia's turn to share comfort, nuzzling the top of Luna’s head, and ruffling her mane. “I know, sister.” Her gaze returned to a point beyond the horizon as she spoke. “However, I believe Twilight, and her friends have proven themselves more than worthy of the challenges ahead. Equestria is in capable hooves, and the future is bright” She turned to give the younger alicorn a reassuring smile, only to be met with a slightly confused looking Luna. “Is… something the matter, sister?”
Luna blinked a few times before responding “I was not referring to young Twilight, or her friends' ability to lead Equestria” She extended a wing, gesturing vaguely over their new surroundings “I was referring to how we will settle into our new lives here. It is quite a leap from royalty to retiree after all”
Celestia couldn’t help but smile at that, her lips parting in a quiet chuckle “It’s true that we may be a bit out of our element here, but I don’t think you have too much to worry about” She extended her own wing, wrapping it around the dark alicorn to give her a reassuring squeeze. “After everything we’ve been through together, I hardly think this will prove to be much of a challenge” With that said, Celestia stood from her seated position, giving her legs a little shake to work the feeling back into them. “Now then, I think that’s enough wallowing in my own melancholy thoughts. What say we go and get settled in proper, hm? I don’t know about you, but I think lunch sounds wonderful right about now”
“Lulu… could you come here for a moment?”
Luna looked up from the book she’d been reading on one of the living room sofas at Celestia’s calling; she could see her sister’s flowing pastel tail peeking around the corner to the kitchen. She had gone to the kitchen to see if she could whip up a light lunch but it’d been taking an oddly long time.
With a sigh of defeat, she put her book down on the coffee table, and stood, trotting over to the kitchen where she found Celestia standing in front of the open pantry, stock still with wings outstretched. Coming around to Celestia’s side, she followed her sister's gaze, and immediately deduced what she was so concerned about.
The pantry was completely empty.
After the two had spent a good few seconds staring in abject horror at the sight before them Celestia turned to her sister, with a small that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Well… I suppose Twilight overlooked groceries when she had this place prepared for us”
With a frown, Luna began circling the kitchen, open every cabinet in turn, finding each one barren, other than some basic cookware, and dining sets. Her frown only deepened when she arrived at the refrigerator, opening it only to find yet more empty space. “What do you propose we do about this… unfortunate revelation?” She muttered through gritted teeth, eyes turning to the window, and the setting sun beyond. “I doubt any shop in town will still be open
She gave a small cough, shaking her head “No worries. We’ll just have to head down to the market tomorrow to get what we need” She hummed to herself, tapping her chin with a wingtip as she pondered. “We do still have some snacks left from the boat, right?” Luna nodded, the scowl still plastered to her features. “Those will have to do for the time being. Why don’t you go grab them, and I’ll get some tea for us”. Celestia smiled encouragingly at her sister “Luckily I never leave Canterlot without my emergency stash” Her horn ignited in golden light as her bags floated slowly through the air towards them.
Luna did not return her sister’s smile but wandered back to the living room where her saddlebags rested against the side of the couch. Muttering to herself about ‘ill omens’ she opened the flaps on her bags. Digging around until she found what she was looking for. She pulled out several bundles of clear plastic wrap, containing sandwiches, cookies, and other assorted treats, setting them down on the coffee table as she placed her bags back on the floor. Just as she was about to unwrap a daisy sandwich, however, she heard Celestia call to her from the kitchen once more, laced with poorly a concealed waver.
“Sister… You don’t know how to work the stove, do you?”
All Celestia heard from her spot in the kitchen, overlooking the stove, was an exasperated groan and what sounded like a pony headbutting a solid oak coffee table.
Author's Note
Hey, hey, hey! After more than five years of inactivity, I've gone and finally published a new story.
I apologize if it seems a bit rushed, because... It kinda was. Not to mention I'm pretty rusty at this point.
Please leave any feedback, or point out needed corrections in the comments below!
And let me just say... It's good to be back~
