Comforting Shade and Toots watched together from the railing of the ship, passing by ponies doing yoga and sunbathing as they headed towards the bow of the cruise liner. Once they reached it, she took out her phone and drew Toots in close, stretching her arm out and aiming it just right.

With a loud click, she captured their first of many pictures. "Welcome to our weekend adventure!"

Toots peeked at the result before putting away his sunglasses. "Nice one! Looks lovely. And that's a real camera app you're using, none of that silly nonsense the youngsters add to these phones."

Comforting waved a hand in front of her face, each time it went past allowing her to take on a new apperance. "You don't like me with a filter or three?"

"No, no!" Toots chuckled, waving both his hooves. "That sort of thing is great and looks mighty spiffy, but, for memories of important times, sometimes I like things plain and simple."

Comforting pulled Toots closer. "I'm just playing with you."

"Comfs!" Izzy waved wildly. "They have a pool! Isn't that nuts? A pool, on a ship, in the middle of water!" She laughed in delight, rushing in for a quick hug with each of them, then turning away and gesturing with her entire forelimb. "I gotta try this out!"

Izzy hopped along, diving right into the deep waters with a tremendous splash that caught several ponies by surprise, to a mixture of expressions.

Toots chuckled at the antics. "Did you want a dip, or something else?" His hoof drifted towards the bar.

"Oh, you know me!" Comforting latched onto his offered arm, humming contentedly at his touch. "Drinks sound amazing." Her eyes locked onto the drink menu. That menu hadn't been there before, but that didn't bother her. "They have some interesting options."

Amber was running, but getting nowhere at all. If she wasn't on a treadmill, she would be upset at this. Instead, she just tried harder. After a few minutes of that, she was sweaty and panting. "Nnf..." She slowed, letting the machine come to a halt, and drank heavily from her canteen. "Phew! I never really had the chance to just workout while I was doing the librarian thing."

As she worked on controlling her breathing again, she paced back and forth. Before her hooves touched down on one spot twice, Sunny walked up beside her and waved hello. "Hi there!"

"Oh!" She returned the wave. "Having fun? The fitness options in here are a little overwhelming, in a good way!"

"I'm here because I thought you were missing out!" Sunny tugged on Amber gently. "Come on!"

She willingly trotted forward. "Hm? What'd I miss?"

"Nothing yet." Sunny nudged at Amber. "And I don't plan to let you start. There's a show about to start." She took a pose like a performer, striking it perfectly, then releasing it with a soft exhale. "It's dancing. Lots of dancing. Would be a real shame if I couldn't dance with the nicest pony on this ship!"

Amber colored at that. "Is Misty coming?"

Sunny blinked. "She should be there." She leaned in closer even as she led Amber along. "Why, you want to dance with her?"

Amber shook her head quickly, clearing it. "Nonono. But we should definitely go to her room. If she knew we were skipping out on the dancing, I think she'd cry."

Sunny laughed at that. "I promise, she'll be there, at the dance. And you can totally sweep her off her hooves." She winked and threw open the doors to the dance hall.

Every kind of music pumped through the speakers, reverberating in their chests. Ponies of all sorts moved in time to the beat.

Misty was on the floor, rocking along with several unicorns, putting them to shame with her perfect form, the beat infusing her movements with life. Spotting Amber and Sunny, she beckoned to them. "Join us!"

Misty stretched gracefully, extending both arms to reach for her sister and study buddy.

Amber accepted it with mild coloring, hugging right back. "Good to see you're having a great old time."

The song ended and transitioned smoothly to a slow one.

Amber grinned, drawing her friend closer. "Let's show these ponies some real moves!" They started moving in tandem, going through practiced motions. Sunny stood aside with another stallion, watching with keen fascination.

On the side of the room, outside of the circle of dancers, Zipp was reclining into cushions. "Ah, this is some fine relaxing. Like when we were back at the palace. Remember that, Sis?"

Pipp basked under the light of attention upon her, giving soft cheers to ponies who paid compliments to the display on stage, flashing hearts on her own phone and shooting some hearts out. "Oh yeah, totally. Every day was relax, then not relax. Back and forth!" She held her phone high for a new angle. "But, right now, all relaxing with my pippsqueaks!" She blew kisses to the phone before waving and walking off with it.

Zipp trailed after Pipp with a stretch. "Where we goin'?" She walked along comfortably, turning to face ahead. "Or are you just giving your streaming buddies a tour?"

"They'd love a tour, but I wanna go to the spa part!" Pipp spun to walk backwards with ease, never breaking eye contact with her phone. "It's so huge, Sissy! You've just got to see it!"

Zipp raised a brow. "Huh, a time for you to enjoy what you're usually giving out, huh?"

"Exactly!" Pipp hugged in against her sister's side, snapping a selfie of the two. "It'll be fun! Nothing says vacation like letting somepony else do what you're usually working so hard to do. I can barely imagine how wonderful that's going to be..."

They soon entered the spa and sat down, side by side. From there, a whole range of treatments awaited, everything from facials to massages, mani-pedis to hooficures, and every shade of color imaginable for application of subtle, or garish, colors afterwards.

Comforting nodded gently. "And all the ponies we brought are having a good time. That's nice. Some of them really needed a vacation."

"I'm glad we could do this for them." Toots smiled at Comforting gently. "You're a real sweetheart for thinking of it."

Comforting giggled. "Don't make me blush!" She tapped her chest. "Inside, though, I'm screaming in delight." She casually pulled out her filly self, caught in a silent squeal of joy. "But let's put them aside for now." She put down her filly and she dashed out of view. "Right now, I say we enjoy each other and let the other ponies handle themselves."

"Yeah!" Toots bumped hooves with Comforting. "You and me! Let's go!"

A pair of young mares spotted Toots, gazing at him dreamily. One whispered to the other, "Check out the hottie, mama! Mm-mm!" She turned fully to regard him. "Where's he been all my life? Maybe I oughtta introduce myself." She pointed both hooves at herself. "Think I wouldn't?"

"I mean, you could give him a smile..." Her friend trailed off.

"Ooh, yeah! Good thinking!" She turned back towards Toots only to find he was now gone.

Comforting had casually swept has stallion away from the eyes of curious mares. "I swear, the moment a stallion's taken, the interest goes up." She rolled her eyes before going cheek to cheek with him. "There's a magic show starting in half an hour, if you want to watch that?"

He adjusted his bow tie lightly. "I suppose it would be interesting to see how it compares to a unicorn's real magic. Not that they can't pull off impressive stuff of their own."

Comforting reached to help adjust the tie, using her cheating fingers. "You look great." She kissed the very tip of his snout. "Stagecraft is different from unicorn magic." She thought back. "I knew a unicorn magician, great act! She tried to use stagecraft whenever she could, but she wasn't above sprinkling in some unicorn magic in there, keep it fresh. She really wowed crowds, because you weren't sure if the next act was going to be pulling a rabbit out of a hat, or conjuring a dragon!" She kissed him again. "But let's check out the non-magic performers."

Toots laughed on the way inside the ship and towards that show. "You knew a lot of ponies."

"You get old enough." Comforting drew out a calendar that began to flip and tear, showing untold years. She grew old and wrinkly as it did so. "You learn ponies." She tossed the calendar away, returning to her usual form. "But, yes, I'd love to see what modern day magic can do."

***

Lights flashed and sirens whirred to life, bathing the darkened stage in brilliant color. Two pegasi wheeled around overhead, juggling glowing balls between themselves, passing them on in perfect rhythm. An earth pony on the floor shot upward on a pillar of air, landing atop it like nothing happened. His hat flipped up off his head, followed by the rabbits bursting free and dancing off. "I'm so glad all you lovely ponies and creatures could make it." He nodded at Comforting, the creature in the room.

Comforting waved back idly, tossing popcorn kernels between herself and Toots so they could catch them in their mouths. "Howdy! Glad to be here!"

The earth pony laughed as he put his top hat back in place on his head. "I have quite the show planned for you all today!" He hopped down off the pillar. "I hope you're ready!" With a wave, he directed the other performers from view. "My name is Spectacle! It's a pleasure to meet all of you." He bowed before pointing to random audience members. "I hope I'll get to meet each and every one of you, but first... It would seem some of you tracked mud in here. Naughty foals." He shook his head as ponies gasped in shock, noticing some of them did have mud on their hooves they were sure hadn't been there earlier.

Spectacle waved a hoof over a bucket of water, a wave of sparkling rainbow spraying outwards. When it hit the ground, the mud was washed away. "Now, where was I?" He clapped his hooves together. "We won't let a little dirt stop things!" He looked from his right side to the left. "I can't see why not." He jumped, grabbing the front two legs of a chair. He twisted himself, climbing onto it, then flipping midair to stand on it. "You!"

He pointed at Toots. "Please, please join me on stage."

The whole crowd turned to stare at Toots.

Toots puffed himself up, clearing his throat and putting on his game face. He marched up to join the magician. "How can I help?"

"Hold this." Spectacle produced a box and set it down before Toots, then jumped off the chair and backed away.

The stallion gave it a light shake. "I wonder what it contains."

"No peeking," sang out the magician as he bounded off.

The audience laughed.

"Aw geeze." Toots blushed fiercely, but stayed in place to observe the magician and his shenanigans. "You got it." He managed to stay perfectly upright, though he wavered slightly.

Comforting jumped as she was poked. One of those pegasi from earlier was gesturing quietly to be followed. Being a good sport, she did with a little giggle.

The magician returned to Toots. "Sorry for making you carry that heavy box all this time. Your arms must be sore!"

"It isn't that heavy!" Toots reassured him. "It's more the suspense that's weighing on me!"

"Allow me." The performer shoved his head up into the box, falling in entirely, vanishing inside.

Comforting popped out head first, turning to look at Toots. "Oh, there you are." She smooched him, to the wild cheers of the crowd.

She leapt from the box and took another kiss from the stunned stallion. "How is it you manage to pop up wherever I'm about to go?"

"How'd you like my trick, folks?" The magician was back, bowing at them all. "Thank you, thank you. Give another round of applause to these great volunteers, the stars of our show!" He bowed to Toots and Comforting.

Comforting took Toots back to herself and their original seats, leaving the magician standing alone on stage. They were happy to applaud his tricks as he went on, bedazzling and surprising the crowd.

Author's Note

They're all enjoying themselves, from librarians to fashionistas. This boat has something for everypony!

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