Octavia sighed as she glanced out the window to her left, the large, fluffy clouds seemingly only crawling by as they flew past them in the passenger airplane. She didn't know what it was about the sky that she found so beautiful, simply that whenever she was feeling stressed, there was nothing quite like lieing out in a field and watching the clouds float by slowly to sooth her frayed nerves. Well, watching from 30,000 feet in this particular instance. Regardless, watching the giant balls of assorted fluff was calming her down. That, and the gin and tonic she ordered roughly a half hour ago.

A small snore made Octavia glance to her right at the sleeping form of her friend, Twilight Sparkle. The bookworm's mouth was slightly agape and her reading glasses were at a comical diagonal across her face. Octavia let out a quiet giggle as she carefully removed the glasses and placed them in the case that was lieing on Twilight's lap.

Glancing at her friend's lap, she noticed the same brochure that she had shown her just a few days ago. Curiosity, and lack of something better to do, made Octavia slip the pamphlet out from under the glasses case she had just placed back and flip through the small tri-fold. Paradise Islands... Octavia thought to herself slowly, not sure quite what she should make of the pictures of white sand, teal waters and leaning palm trees with large coconuts hanging in clusters high above the shore. There's no saying the scene wasn't beautiful; it was breathtaking, in fact. Octavia just wasn't sure she was ready to spend three weeks in such a place.

As much as the tropical beauty was appealing to Octavia, there was something about the hustle and bustle of the city that was Octavia's favorite place to be. The tall buildings, the wide diversity of people, the sound of cars, conversation, construction; she loved every bit of it. She wouldn't change her Manehattan apartment for the world. The small, rather one-sided conversation she and Twilight had regarding their impromptu vacation sprang forth as she gazed lazily out the window again, taking a sip of her drink as she did.

"Come on, Octavia! I can tell you're stressed. Maybe a little break from it all would help you feel better, You know, unwind."

"Twilight, I appreciate your concern, but I can assure you that I'm perfectly fine."

"Is that why you just spilled half that tea pot on the floor?"

"... Well, I have had better days, I suppose. But still, my answer remains a firm 'no' to this vacation idea. I hardly have any spending money that I coul-"

"I'm paying for the whole trip."

"Twilight, that has to easily be a few thousand dollars! I wouldn't feel comfortable going on such an expensive trip without paying for myself!"

"I'm, in technicality, not paying either. You know my aunt Celestia, right?"

"Yes..."

"She remembers how she and aunt Luna explored about the world at our age and thinks that it's only fair that I get to share a similar experience. She offered to pay for the whole trip and even gave us some spending money so we could enjoy ourselves."

"... I suppose I could use a vacation..."

Glancing at the brochure again, Octavia flipped to the page that held an example room of the hotel they would be staying at. It was incredible in a way that still felt homey. The resort- with all the features it offered, there was nothing else it could be -was comprised of hundreds of different bungalows with tropical themes that were a mix of the tribal huts that dotted the jungle farther inland and the colonial styles and furnishings of the imperial expansion ages. Easily a five-star room, all paid for by a woman she felt shouldn't pay for her. While Octavia was extremely grateful for the trip, it simply felt wrong to accept such an expensive gift.

Paradise... Octavia thought to herself as the last of her drink drained down her throat, Let's hope so, she finished as she flagged down a passing stewardess. Next Chapter: Chapter 1: Welcome to Paradise! Estimated time remaining: 20 Minutes