Author's Note
Hey everyone! I hope you enjoy this really short story.
Really, in these trying times, we should all try to take a break for ourselves and not overwork ourselves. I should know, I've been stressing myself out from exams. Do take a break, read some horse words, play a few video games! The world will still be there, you gotta take some time for yourself.
Anyways, enjoy!
A Little Vacation
- Let your heart and mind rest for a while. You will catch up, and the world will stop spinning. Take that rest you always needed - Cynthia Go
A Walk Along the Riverbank
By iAmSiNnEr
Dewdrops on the grass glistened in the morning sunlight, reflecting the various golds and reds of the field of sunflowers nearby. Mushrooms dotted the grass, spread out in the field in front of the cabin.
“You know,” Luna commented. “I’m still surprised you managed to find a secluded enough corner for our vacation spot. I thought almost the whole of Equus had already been explored.”
Celestia sighed contentedly. “There are a few perks to being a princess,” she winked. “Rumors that this place is haunted, et cetera. Even if we’re not princesses now, those rumors should hold.” She glanced back at the cabin, where she could see smoke drifting lazily out of the chimney.
“Smokey, isn’t it?” Luna grinned. “Just the way you like it. I remember when we were foals you used to love watching the smoke drift out of the chimney and into the sky. You’d spend hours watching the trails.” She cleared her throat and made a face. “Jes a few more minutes, Luna! I wanna watch the smoke trails!” she imitated.
Celestia laughed. “Indeed. The nexus of my emotions and thoughts. Smoke. I thought it was a little bit of foreshadowing, since I became the Alicorn of the Sun later. Talking about when we were foals, I recall you liked the fiddle. Haven’t seen you play a tune recently, you’ve been focussing more on your gardening.”
“Well of course!” Luna huffed. “Why would I deprive mortal musicians of their rightful fame? They’re more skilled than me. Especially that one...what was his name? Lord Camembert?”
“Ah, the cynic,” Celestia grinned. “Least he wasn’t one of the nobles trying to usurp my throne. Little posh, though.”
“Anyways, sister,” Luna stood up from the beach chair she had been lying on and stretched. “Up for a walk along the gadot?”
Celestia tutted. “Riverbank, sister. Gadot is the old way of referring to it.”
“Pineapples, schmosh,” Luna shrugged. “Gadot rolls off the tongue better. You’re so stubborn and stuck in your ways that you could be in the middle of a raging tempest and yet not budge.”
“What can I say?” Celestia stood up too. “I’m a jack of all trades.”
“Does that include the time you tried to ride a bike?” Luna teased. “Or when you rode a sledge?”
“I’ll take a sledgehammer to you and make all your coffee decaf,” Celestia threatened. “I prepare breakfast, after all.”
Luna’s eyes widened. “No! Not decaf! How dare thou commit this sin?!”
“You broke the sacred star of ice when you first took up your mantle as the Alicorn of the Night,” Celestia pointed out. “I think you’ve sinned more than me. Anyways, you’ve been drinking so much that there’s not enough coffee for me.”
“Feh,” Luna stuck her tongue out. “It’s not good for you, sister. It makes you sleepless.”
“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” Celestia replied simply. “Anyways, shall we? This place is so peaceful that I can’t imagine us vacationing here and not taking a walk.”
“Arr Dee thee.” Luna grumbled under her breath, the words incoherent.
“What was that, sister?” Celestia turned to look at Luna.
“I said,” Luna repeated. “I said that first.”
Celestia giggled. “Did not.”
“Did too!”
“Did not.”
“Did too-” Luna glared at her sister. “We’re not doing this again.”
Celestia shrugged. “We’re only doing it if you continue it, dear sister. Come along. We’re going for a walk along the riverbank-”
“Gadot!” Luna corrected. “The gadot!”
They trotted along in relative silence, admiring the scenery as they made their way to the river. Celestia cast an admiring glance at the garden that Luna had been tending to. “You’ve been doing well, sister.”
“Pft,” Luna puffed out her chest. “I’d have done better if you told me there was a garden here. I would have brought along my gardening tools.”
“And who’s the old-fashioned one now?” Celestia teased. “Equestria has advanced techno-”
“Blah blah blah,” Luna interrupted her. “Nothing beats the traditional way of tending to your plants. The soil beneath your hooves, the feel of nature just singing to you. Technology could never beat that.”
“Gardens are nice,” Celestia agreed as they arrived at the river. “I’ve watched many generations of gardeners tend to ours. Their foals scampering along in it, playing, while the parents pruned the plants. It was always a heartwarming sight.”
“Talking about heartwarming,” Luna gently nudged her sister to look at the river. “Nature never ceases to amaze.”
In the river, there were otters playing about, swimming in it. The freshwater glistened, reflecting rays of light. Lilypads floated aimlessly on the surface, as insects buzzed past them. Celestia swore she saw an otter nuzzle another.
She looked up at the sun. “Twilight’s done a good job, don’t you think?”
Luna nodded in agreement. “I haven’t heard a single request for help since we abdicated to her. And it’s been what, a month? Impressive for a mare that, three years ago, would have broken down with this amount of stress and weight on her shoulders.”
“Mhm,” They trotted along the riverbank, and Celestia smiled as she witnessed a rabbit bound across the fields and into a hole. “I’m glad I chose this spot for us to vacation. Silver Shores is great and all, but this is much more peaceful.”
“Agreed, sister,” Luna replied. “I know we’ll have to go back soon, we’re too far off the radar. But really, I enjoy the time we spend here. Free of responsibilities, just us sisters taking a break. It really is a nice change from being the princesses everypony came to for advice.”
“We should come here for a week every two or three months,” Celestia suggested. “That way you can tend to your garden, and we can relax.”
“Sounds good!” Luna grinned, before an evil smile crept onto her face. “Sister, I just realized. There’s a large body of water next to us. You know what this means.”
Celestia raised an eyebrow. “Wha-” she spluttered as Luna lifted a clump of water and threw it at her, soaking her. “LUNA!”
“Pfeh!” Luna stuck out her tongue. “Catch me if you can!” She took off, galloping away from Celestia.
“Oh, I’ll get you if it’s the last thing I do!” Celestia swore as she galloped after Luna, her horn awash in light as she prepared to get back her sister. “Just you wait!”
- True silence is the rest of the mind, and is to the spirit what sleep is to the body, nourishment and refreshment. - William Penn.
