I slowly began waking up in a very warm and humid place, a far cry from the cold street I last remembered being on. There was a pillow under my head and a blanket over my body as well.

“Ah, you’re finally coming back to us” a familiar voice said, though I wasn’t quite awake enough to tell who it was. I opened my eyes a crack and saw a blurry white face with purple eyes looking back. “Yang, can you say something to me?”

“Our eyes are the same color” I answered.

As my vision cleared, I was able to tell it was Celestia looking over me. “Huh. I never actually noticed that before. It’s most likely a coincidence.”

“Where am I?”

“My personal sauna. It’s a well kept secret here in the castle, though not because I keep it secret. It’s more that nopony talks about it. And before you ask, you’ve been asleep in here for about three days now. In fact, it’s just after 1 PM.”

I bolted up at that. “Three days? I need to get back home!”

“Not in your condition. If you just calm down, I will explain what’s happened.”

I took a deep breath and stood up. I was still wearing my combat outfit, and the buckle was in one of its pouches. “Okay, start.”

I did some stretching while Celestia explained. “After you wrecked The Destroyer, some guards found you clinging to the part that looked like it was torn out of the body. You kept muttering the word ‘bumblebee’ while you and the thing were loaded up and brought back here, along with the rest of the machine.”

“So that’s what it is! I thought it looked familiar.”

“Care to elaborate?”

“Okay, so you know how I got turned into a fictional character from my world, right?”

“Twilight has mentioned you saying that before.”

“So the character has a vehicle of her own, a motorcycle she calls Bumblebee, and now it’s here.Is it immune to magic like my gauntlets?”

“No. It was fairly easy for our unicorns to levitate it, if a bit heavy.

“Moving back a bit; once I’d confirmed that it was indeed dead, I sent a letter to Twilight, requesting her to come look at you, which she did right after I got you off the motorcycle. She concluded that you had gotten, from fighting out in the cold dressed like that, mild hypothermia and a cold. She also believes that the hypothermia isn’t as bad as it could have been, thanks to your fighting keeping your blood pumping, and your clinging to the fires.

“After that, I decided to let you rest in here and took off from my duties, solar movement aside, to take care of you. I’ve been using my magic to, ah, keep you and your clothes sanitary. That being said, you could probably use some water.”

“Yeah, that sounds good.” A ball of water formed in front of me with Celestia’s magic. Against all manner of common sense, I grabbed the ball of warm water, brought it to my lips, and slurped it down, quenching a thirst I hadn’t realized I had. “More please?” Another ball of water was formed and I slurped it down as well. “Oh, that was good.”

“I suppose you’re going to want a meal next, yes?”

I waited for my stomach to answer for me, but it didn’t happen. “Yeah, some food would be nice.” It was then that my stomach decided to growl.

“I’ll get some food for you then. Oh, I recommend that you don’t go beyond my chambers yet. Since you’ve been in this heat for so long, I’m afraid the temperature difference will send you into shock, and we don’t want that.” As Celestia left, I caught a glimpse of her cutie mark. The east flare was detached from the body of the sun, marking the third one to do that.

While Celestia was out, I decided to see where the sauna lead and went out the door. On the other side was the bathroom, which also had my suitcases in it. It wasn’t as warm as the sauna, but it still felt like a midsummer day in there. Celestia’s room itself felt like a late spring day, though I could only imagine it was cooler than that near the balcony and hallway door.

Turning back, I decided to change out of the combat outfit and into a winter outfit. I stopped when I saw the luxurious bathtub and figured that it would be a good idea to take a bath and get clean first. Stopping me from doing that was the possibility of Celestia walking in on me, which I didn’t want at all.

Having dissuaded myself from changing my clothes or taking a bath, I decided to pass the time by doing some exercise in Celestia’s room. Unfortunately, due to a lack of food, I quickly ran out of energy and sat down on the very soft bed.

Celestia eventually returned with a dome covered platter. “I’ve got four large daisy, rose, and mushroom burritos covered with honeygrass and drizzled with a light Prench vinaigrette.”

“I can’t eat grass, Celestia.”

Celestia smirked at me. “Now who said that was your meal?” She lifted the dome, revealing the burritos she described and a plate with something more familiar to me: a large well done steak, a heaping pile of mashed potatoes, and a side salad. The plates floated to their respective recipients, along with the appropriate silverware for mine.

I started on the salad first, and it disappeared pretty quickly. The steak, instead of getting eaten, got cut up into lots of little pieces and mixed into the mashed potatoes. After giving Celestia a moment, at her request, to marvel at what I’d made, I dug into it. I’d nearly forgotten what steak bits in mashed potatoes was like, since I usually had other things for lunch back home for the sake of expediency.

“So, Princess, how long am I going to be here?” I asked after finishing my meal.

Celestia wiped the last of her food off her lips before answering. “Until you’re ready to go home.”

“That’s it? So, would you mind if I took a bath in your bathroom?”

“Go ahead.”

I made it over to the door when a notion struck me; an important one that I had to get out of the way immediately. “Can you promise not to come in while I’m cleaning up?”

Celestia put a hoof over her heart. “I promise not to enter while you’re taking a bath unless an emergency comes up or you give me permission.”

“I find that reasonable.” I went inside and, while the water started flowing, I took my clothes off. For a moment (or three), I simply stood there, allowing the air to flow across my uncovered skin before I got in Celestia’s tub.

The inside was, despite being made entirely of metal and designed for an alicorn, quite comfortable. It was also way bigger than I needed. Like, there were bathtubs, then there were hot tubs, then there was this tub. It looked big enough that Celestia and Luna could both fit in it.

I’d made a nice sudsy bubble bath and was relaxing nose deep in it when I heard a door open and close. I looked over to the door leading to Celestia’s room and the one leading to the sauna. Nobody was coming from either of those directions, so I was really confused.

“Greetings, Ms. Xiao Long” Luna said from behind me.

“Luna!” I instinctively covered myself with my arms and curled up my legs, despite the suds being thick enough to hide the motions and what was covered. “What are you doing here?”

“When we can, Celestia and I take a bath together. I heard the water and decided to join after reading some reports on The Destroyer’s body, though I see my sister isn’t here. Would you mind if I joined you?”

“Normally, no. And this time, no.”

“Fair enough. Regardless, it’s good to see you back in the waking world.” With a nod, Luna left, and I saw the door that she came through was opposite the one that lead to Celestia’s room. As I looked back and forth between the two doors, I couldn’t help but wonder how I missed Luna’s door. I decided to chalk it up to bleariness from having been out cold for three days.

After I was done washing and rinsing, I got out and dried off. I put one of my winter outfits on, put away the combat outfit, and double checked the suitcases. The formal dress was neatly folded up in one of them, and I let out a sigh of relief.

I went back to Celestia’s room, where she was laying down by the lit fireplace, reading a scroll. “Hey Yang, come read this friendship report. It’s one of my favorites.”

With nothing better to do, I went over to her and read the report.

Dear Princess Celestia,

I didn’t learn anything. I was right all along.

-Applejack

“That’s a short report” I observed. “What happened there?”

“A couple of salesponies came over to Applejack’s farm during cider season and tried to outdo her cider with a machine. They got the quantity, but they had to sacrifice quality pretty quickly. Suffice to say, Applejack knew their machine wouldn’t be able to make enough of the good stuff on first sight, and she was right. She didn’t lord it over their heads either, and after they left, it was right back to work making good cider. Have you ever had any?”

“It’s one of our most popular drinks at the Carne Den, and after I tasted it, I certainly understood why it’s so popular. That stuff is delicious.”

“Indeed it is.”

I sat down against Celestia’s side and she wrapped a wing around me. “So, any reason for the wing hug? I’m not complaining, just curious.”

“I used to do this with Twilight while she was my student, and other students of mine before her as well. It makes them more comfortable around me, and I enjoy it.”

“So, motherly instinct?”

“That’s what Luna said as well, and I’ve accepted that as the answer. I think the fact that I took care of you personally while you were out and even got our meal myself supports that claim as well.”

“Well, I appreciate it.”

“Group hug!” was all the warning we had before Luna joined us, pinning me between the diarchs. “Reminiscing again, sister?”

“Only a bit” Celestia answered. “Say, Luna, how about you tell Yang about your newest collection?”

“I’d rather not. It is a private collection of mine, and will be kept that way.”

“It’s things related to me, isn’t it?” I asked.

Luna hung her head and blushed. “It is. Replicas of the Ember Celica, documentary books, a model of the Carne Den, statues, and-” Luna’s blush became brighter “-a custom fitted replica of your combat outfit. I wear it occasionally when I have nothing else to do.” I took a moment to process everything Luna had told me. “And when it comes out, I’ll also be getting a statue of you and your bike.”

“Who’s making this stuff?”

“Two companies working together, both based here in Canterlot. GL Industries and ISW Manufacturing. Why do you ask?”

“I’m just curious. And maybe a part of me wants some of the profits from that.”

“I can’t fault you for that. If you want, I could give you the address of their shared headquarters and you could go talk to them.”

“I think I’ll pass for now.”

“Fair enough.”

“Also, I think I’ll go see how I handle the hall temperature. So, could you move, Luna?”

“When we’re so comfy?”

“Would you kindly move?”

“Hmm, no.” Seeing no other peaceful option, I got my hands under Luna’s body and flipped her over onto her back. Celestia, on the other hand, let me gently move her wing aside as I stood up.
I opened the door and took a step out into the hallway. It was chilly, something I can’t deny since my head wasn’t covered up, but the winter outfit kept me warm enough and my hair also provided some insulation. “I think I’m good to go home, Celestia.”

“Here you go, then.” Celestia floated my suitcases out to me, along with a first class train ticket. “Have a safe ride home, Slayer of Tirek, Songstress of Remnant, and Machine Breaker, Yang Xiao Long.”

“Another title?”

“Given by the masses. Fancy and Fleur wouldn’t do it, the others don’t care, and you’re too much of a friend for any of us to consider doing that. Oh, make sure you stop by the reception desk in the main hall so you can get your bike.”

“I’ll do that then. Bye, Princesses.”

Celestia and Luna waved as I left them and made my way through the castle with my suitcases. Finding the main hall was easy once I got a guide, who happened to be the exact same stallion that showed me to my room and carried my suitcases when I arrived for the Entrepreneur Award Ceremony. When he saw what I was taking back with me, he offered to come with me to the train station and assist by taking the suitcases there.

I couldn’t come up with any objections since I had no good way to take the bike and the suitcases at the same time by myself, so I let him help me. Once he was hooked up the the trolley and it was loaded with the suitcases, we began the walk to the train station. I took Bumblebee since moving a bike without hands was fairly difficult.

We may have walked in silence, but my mind was full of motorcycle based thoughts. How to drive it, how to maintain it, how to clean it, storage (I’d need a shed or garage added onto the Carne Den), fuel, a helmet, and more.

Before I knew it, we were at the station. The stallion even went so far as to help load my suitcases and Bumblebee onto the train. Before I could pull out some bits to give him, he had already vanished. I was only slightly irritated that I couldn’t tip him, but I got over it and into the first class car fairly quickly.

The first class car was comfortable and definitely warmer than the outside, though not warm enough for me to wear lighter clothes. Even if I could, I wouldn’t, due to the fact that I would eventually have to go back outside.

After my ticket was checked and the train started moving, I settled into the comfy chair I had chosen and let the sound of the tracks lull me off into a nap.

I woke up about fifteen minutes before the train was set to arrive in Ponyville, so I got up, stretched, and decided to stand for the rest of the trip.

When the train came to a stop, I got out and was immediately pulled into the center of a feathery group hug, with every griffon involved saying how much they missed me and were worried when they read the article about how I’d collapsed after my victory.

After a minute or so, Gilda took charge. “Okay everyone, that’s enough, let’s give Yang some breathing space.” At her word, everyone backed off a bit. “So, you wrecked an alien machine, did ya?”

“It was not fun.”

“I bet not. But more importantly, did you get a trophy?”

I walked through the crowd of griffons and over to where my suitcases and Bumblebee were. “Just a small trophy.” Before I could stop the flock of griffons from getting too close, I was tackled from the side by none other than an over-enthusiastic Asada, who was viciously trying to lick my face off. She wouldn’t succeed, since I had my aura protecting me, but her affection clearly got through. “Hey, hey, easy Asada, easy there.”

“So, what is it?” Gavan asked.

“It’s -okay Asada, please stop. Thank you- It’s a motorcycle. I call it Bumblebee. As soon as I can, I’m going to figure out how to ride it.”

The reunion, after nearly half an hour, was finally finished and we made our way to the Carne Den, Aegir carrying my suitcases for me while Asada hitched a ride on Bumblebee. “So, what’s happened since I left?”

Gilda answered. “Well. . .”

“We’re out of steak!”

“How are we going through all this food so quickly?”

“How does Yang keep everything in stock?”

“Is Asada charging ponies to pet her?”

“Alright, we’ve got no food, so we’re not opening today.”

“Finally! we’ve got food again.”

“. . . It was profitable and uneventful.”

“Thank goodness for that. Say, shouldn’t we be open right now?”

“We decided to be there to greet you at the station, so it’s not open right now. I put a sign up explaining the delayed opening, and seeing as you’re kind of a big deal around here, we figured everyone would understand.”

“I see. And how did you know I was going to be at the train station at that time?”

“Rainbow Dash.”

“Ah. Well, go ahead and open up. I’ll just put Bumblebee behind the building and I’ll be in briefly. Aegir, can you put the suitcases at the top of the stairs?”

“Sure thing, ma’am” Aegir said.

While everyone went in through the front door, I went to the back and put Bumblebee in its place. “Maybe Applejack will have some wood I could use to make a shed from” I thought. After the bike was parked, I caught a glimpse of the gauges on the dashboard. The letters on it were in English characters, which surprised me. The fuel gauge, as all are, went from E to F, though the dial was past F and rested on a prismatic Infinity symbol.

With Bumblebee parked, I went inside, brought my suitcases to my room, changed to my work clothes with the buckle, and went down to finally go back to work. I’d had a long enough vacation as it was, and it felt good to be home again.

Author's Notes:

Something I don't understand is people who say you should try to enjoy and/or explore as much as you can everyday while on vacation. I think you should try to enjoy stuff while on vacation, yes, but there's also something to be said for taking a few hours or even just a whole day during a trip to just do nothing and relax. It helps you enjoy everything else you've done just a bit more. [/rant]