Let's Talk About "The Mare Who Once Lived on the Moon" (Chp 7-9) · 1:57am Apr 28th, 2017
Part Three of my follow-up for "The Mare Who Once Lived on the Moon!" This part covers the chapters The Mare Who Would Gift Twilight The Moon, The Socialite who Schemes, The Mare Who Would Escape The Moon. If you want to start at Part One, you can find it right here!
Once again, let's just jump right in!
The Mare Who Would Gift Twilight The Moon
Like: "We are all capable of travel through time, but only ever in one direction."
Or perhaps something better than that. That one wasn't very good.
Hehehehehehehehehe. It really wasn’t, Twi. It wasn’t very good at all.
And so the portrait moustaches continued.
The two had a lot in common; they were both loud, bombastic, excitable, passionate, and – perhaps most important of all – they were both madder than a hatter in their own way.
I ship it.
Asking Rainbow to leave right now... Twilight would sooner kick a puppy. At least the puppy might enjoy its brief moment of flight.
Now that’s rationalization.
Pinkie blinked. "What's a bakery?"
"You'll love it," Twilight assured her, "it's where they make cakes, and cookies, and eclaires--"
"And muffins and pies!" Rainbow added emphatically.
Pinkie Pie asking “What’s a bakery?” This is a travesty! A travesty!
Twilight checked her filing cabinet. It had become significantly less dusty over the course of the last two weeks. There she found a rainbow file, sitting happily next to the orange and pink.
You’re so adorkable, Twi.
...also weird that you can pick up the emotional states of files. Just sayin’.
Twilight raised an eyebrow, and her lip tugged upward in wry amusement. "Fair maiden?"
Pinkie Pie caught up to Dash and pantomimed a swoon, or at least an over-exaggeration of one, hanging off the pegasus just the littlest bit and batting her eyelashes coquettishly. "Is that what I am, now, is it?”
The eyebrow thing was so very Twi. And by the way…
“What?" she demanded, rather testily.
"Oh, nothin', nothin'," Applejack hummed, wiping a hoof off on the doormat. "Just a nice sparklebutt you got there."
"You were looking at my cutie mark!" Twilight tried to snap, to snarl, but really it came out as an embarrassed squeal. "That's really personal!”
Oh, what now?!
I remember coming across this the first time. I know I talked about this before, but I want to bring up it again. This was magnificent. I simply adored this little detail. Even if you used it as a hand-wave to not have to explain the other’s cutie marks, I don’t care! It’s still a magical differentiation.
Simply the idea that nudity was actually a taboo is just a great bit of world-building, while giving you the ability to set the scene even better with the ponies’ attire!
Her bedroom was nestled into an alcove, buried behind – and this should come as no great shock to the observant – great piles of books.
...nope. Not a great shock. Not a little shock. Pretty much the opposite of shock.
Negashock. 
Kept company with the memory of her naked rear end. Gah!
Quittit. I’m starting to ship them instead of Twilight and Luna.
(And giggles)
Twilight winced a bit, but couldn't help but snort. She'd been had! Foiled by a mere earth pony farmer!
The audacity!
It was only a few hours of work before the Princess-damned heap of metal was ready for field testing.
Wow, the Princess is going around damning things. She really is evil.
Now she could never truly be part of the Unicorn Master Race. They'd take away her membership card, they would.
./blink
...I wanna get a card.
“Reckon now we can settle old scores.”
Oooooh boy.
“Are either of you willing to quit, yet?”
“Nope!” they both shouted simultaneously, leaning into the other. Twilight rolled her eyes.
Screw it! I ship them all! Equal-opportunity shipper! And you can’t stop me!
It didn’t really matter who was right, even if it was almost certainly Applejack, what mattered is they stopped fighting. They might damage the books!
Oh, and also Twilight valued their company and it would be great if she could have them in the same room at the same time.
Priorities. It’s a thing.
The decidedly naked Mare on the Moon was quite figuratively and literally mooning her.
...I still laughed. I’m a terrible person, but I laughed.
Twilight had to fan herself a bit. That was... intense. A mare that old could still be that flexible, then? Very, very flexible... and with all those years, would surely have some experience before she became trapped up on that cold, lifeless rock...
At the very least, hundreds of years of pent up urges and frustrations...
Oh my stars, I think I’m comin’ down with the vapors!
With great power came great irresponsibility, if one was sufficiently petty.
If what is foretold is to take shape
The stars will aid in her escape
I wonder if we’ll ever find out about those stars in the main show. Probably not now that we’ve have the Tantabus episode. Heck, even the Nightmare Rarity comic didn’t touch on them.
It was just dark enough, the moon was visible through the tainted light curling through the atmosphere.
Nice mindset description.
A canzone that looked like it started to get rather turgid towards the end, and there, Luna herself, furiously destroying the evidence with flushed cheeks.
...I love that you continue to run with this gag, though it made me want to read it even more. 
“And now you have given me the strength to journey into dreams again without fear of the Nightmare.” An error in translation? Twilight didn’t think so, but she couldn’t explain why not. “And I reached out to you and–”
Huh, I had forgotten about this little tease.
This chapter was just fun. By throwing Rainbow into the mix, the status quo is completely thrown off. Suddenly, Pinkie’s got a whole new lease on life (again) and AJ’s got a sparring partner. And how the hell did you get me shipping Rainbow and Pinkie that quickly?
"That's an academy record!"
As for the rest… well, I think one particular quote sums it up.
It would not do to ruin such a wonderfully precise, modern, advanced instrument on backwards, degenerate thoughts.
That didn’t mean she wasn’t allowed to save them for later, though.
You’re incorrigible.
The Socialite who Schemes
Well, there wasn’t much question who the pony in this chapter would be, was there?
Only one book would have come close to her needs at this moment, "How to Win Friends and Influence Ponies", but at the time it had so enraged her that she had used it for kindling.
For the record, that book drove me batty too.
She was certain, without any shadow of a doubt, that the book contained no information on how to court your crush if she lived on the moon.
In fact, if anypony had written a book on the matter before now, they were obviously mad.
Unless Luna had cheated on her.
Oh my God, this is amazing. And quite sad that nopony had at least theorized about such things!
But why would she want to cheat on Twilight if she were so smart? Ridiculous.
Logic! It’s a thing.
She supposed, then, that she could try her own hoof at poetry. It was simply writing, wasn't it? Surely, surely it couldn't be that hard.
This will not end well. Mark my words. MARK THEM DAMN YOU!
“I need you to read this!" Twilight urged, thrusting her latest, and frankly her best, attempt at a poem at him.
"This is a really bad limerick," Spike muttered lamely.
Twilight paused, wondering which part of that to be most concerned about. "...It's not a limerick, Spike."
"... Oh."
Probably all of it, then.
I said to mark them! Did you? Because this is why!
The Capital had, at its very core, the Hollow Palace.
Now isn’t that descriptive… of just about everything.
Twilight had certainly never seen her smile, though she had been around the Princess her entire life. Even on the rare moments that the black veil she wore was lifted, for meals or tea, the Princess was far too sombre to truly take joy in anything.
Fascinating, simply fascinating. And now we get an even deeper look at just how ruined this world is… if Celestia herself is like this… the light of this world is quite a bit dimmer.
Whilst she cared not for the families themselves, the employees of half-a-dozen factories could not have their jobs placed at risk over Twilight's careless remarks...
I wonder if she thought like this before AJ wandered by…
He took great pleasure in playing tin soldiers, painting them with an almost obsessive attention to detail.
This was a great bait and switch. You hold this up as an example of how much of a dork Shining Armor was… only to find out what this really means later.
Even their chevrons and epaulets were meticulously applied with delicate brushstrokes.
D’awwwwwwwwww…
...his younger self had named every single tin soldier under his 'command' and remembered them, each and every one. This habit had carried on to those of flesh and blood.
Yeah. Totally didn’t catch this the first time through. I should have. The double meaning in this.
No reckless charges for glory, genuinely considering notions of retreat, and a bizarre obsession with strategy.
Reminds me of Lord Rust from Terry Prachett’s Discworld books, namely Jingo.
It is fair to say, then, that Rarity was a miracle worker for getting the wonderful Cadance to have fallen head-over-hooves for her brother, only a lieutenant at the time, a lieutenant who still kept his tin soldiers from childhood in his top desk drawer, and remembered each and every one of their names.
Oh wow. You know, I don’t remember if we ever find out if Cadance was an alicorn in this or not.
The Princess of Mourning never did anything but conquer; more glory for the empire, more land in the empire to fill the void in her hollow chest.
Wow. So very much not our Equestria.
A position whose sole job description was to disagree with the Princess as loudly and as often as possible, a position that Twilight took great pride in. But it was a powerful position.
I don’t have the words to comment on this other than say… wow once more. I will say that this introduction scene does tend to drag on a bit, but that’s consistent with the style. There’s a ton of build-up before we get to the actual narrative, but the build-up is usually so good it doesn’t actually matter.
Unlike bees, they didn't have the good courtesy to die in the attempt.
...dark much?
She would have to find out who and castigate him, or at least a word that sounded eerily similar.
“I am her... seneschal, of sorts. Scarlet Letter, pleased to make your most honoured acquaintance, Philosopher Sparkle.”
Heh. Interesting—and appropriate—choice.
“Of course, darling, shall we abscond to the fountains to discuss the business of pleasure?”
Twilight may wince, but I loved it.
“Oh, of course not, she's harder on me than she is on anypony else." Scarlet snorted with a smile.
Well, that’s something I understand all too well.
Rarity, much to Twilight's shock, pulled out a little tobacco pouch and rolling papers, setting herself on the task of rolling a neat little cigarette. She offered Twilight one, of course, but Twilight rather adamantly refused.
...really now? You’re really going for a very particular look, aren’t you? Eh, I’m not thrilled with them smoking, but I’ll give you that it’s quite evocative, so bravo nonetheless.
A red pince-nez emerged from another pocket, settling itself on the thoughtfully-scrunched face of the Lady.
I love those glasses.
“My apologies, darling, but you blissed out.”
Now there’s a turn of phrase.
“If it weren't for a quick and precise blow to the head, he'd sit with a dopey grin on his face murmuring Cady-bug' over and over to himself for almost an hour."
Twilight snickered. Yep, that was Shining Armour.
Well, you already killed me at least three times of cuteness, now death by laughter. You’re racking up quite the body count here.
“Now, please lose this bet so I can go back to extorting you for ludicrous sums of money for my own personal gain.”
At least she’s honest!
“You really haven't been able to talk to anypony without your mental filter on maximum setting for a long, long time have you?"
Rarity smiled, and her eyes turned smoky. "I swear, every word with you is almost like another long, rolling orgasm." She blinked, the smoke clearing from her eyes and leaking out her ears. "Oh, dear, I just said that out loud didn't I? I suppose that rather adequately answers your question, then. Now! Stop stalling! Go! Answer mine.”
This was pure brilliance. Masterwork. Pinkie-Pie-Level-Genius. It was… magnificent.
“A she, though? Now, that's interesting."
"That's the part you picked up on?!" Twilight shouted from her position on her back, throwing her forelegs up into the air above her in exasperation, "not the fact that there is a pony on the moon and she's writing me poetry?!”
Focus, Twilight. Scandal first, reality second.
It would burn the whole way down. Rarity seemed to anticipate it as if the burn were the gentle warmth of a good scotch. She would learn.
One might call it… a trial by… fire?
If it truly were the Fountain of legend, then the Princess would have stopped supping from it long ago and just allowed herself to die and rot, as she should have.
Bitter? Twilight? Never.
Well… that’s dark.
With an internal heaving of much breath, a white folder with purple trimming was firmly inserted into the 'business' filing cabinet. A pity.
Awww… Sadness.
“You like it when I hurt you," Twilight screamed in the confines of her own head, "Because then you at least feel something don't you, you sick, twisted, warped–”
...no, not bitter at all.
...like the wisp of kettle too long on the hob.
God, I love this story.
The two guards closest to her, flanking her throne, ripped their helmets off, falling to the ground clutching bleeding ears. Their eardrums had been ruptured.
...and that’s darker.
Twilight hesitated a moment. That was all it took.
Aw crap.
As they left, Twilight felt a chill run down her spine as Rarity's smile grew, little by little, at the panicked screams behind her, ponies rushing madly back and forth trying to extinguish the tapestry she had 'unintentionally' set alight.
Cackle. Evil Cackle.
“As soon as those doors close behind us," Rarity whispered, making sure nopony would pay attention to her words between the fires and the enticing sway of her hips, "run. Dignity be damned, you lead the way.”
./squeeeeeeeee
“Well, that may be, perhaps, because they haven't noticed what I did with my lighter whilst they were all distracted by the cigarette," Rarity remarked.
...oh boy.
So, not only do we get the deliciously jaded Rarity-the-Matchmaker, but we get to see the core of the Equestrian Empire. What’s more, we get to see it heavily filtered through Twilight’s perspective. Even though we don’t fully understand why Twilight hates her so much, her capricious cruelty toward Rarity makes us at least sympathize with the feeling.
Rarity was simply beautiful. Again, we have a position that’s completely different than the one we know (ironically, doing Cadance’s supposed job), but still wonderfully in-character for her. It was spot on perfect. Rarity was probably the character who needed the least amount of dialect changes. She already purported herself in this way in the show, down to the occasional bouts of immaturity and excessive bouts of melodrama.
Another perfect addition to Twilight’s growing collection. Another character we know woven into this intricate story… another example of being so different while being the same. And that’s one of the things I love most about this story.
The Mare Who Would Escape The Moon
Finally, we get to see Rarity without the socialite mask on. Well, really, we get to see it completely cracked, since we got to see that first part already. And just how delightful she sounds. Just how authentic, both to her character and to the time period. Welcome to Equestria’s Roaring Twenties, fillies.
“That may be, but do you know how much cardio one must perform to keep a figure this sumptuous? No, no, of course you don't, look at you, you’re like the little engine that couldn’t.”
Actual Note: “I love her.”
“You'll… you'll have to put the cigarette out first, though. It's a bit of a fire hazard.”
The haunted look in Rarity's eyes was answer enough. “No. No, I shan't do that, not right now, no.”
Don’t try and take somepony’s coping mechanism when they’re having a breakdown Twi. Only bad things happen when that occurs. But you wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?
Twilight froze. Oh, no, that's not to say she was suddenly still. In fact, the speed she turned away from the machine and to stare down Rarity was downright supernal. No, she felt cold, her heart was pumping liquid nitrogen and she had a terrible ice-cream headache all of a sudden.
Oh jeez, the simple word choices here. “Supernal.” Using “liquid nitrogen” again. Glorious.
Great, now her face felt hot and wet. It must have been starting to rain. Rarity should… should come inside... talk about this inside...
I actually missed the sheer level of denial the first time through. I caught the next one… but wow.
Could she see why it was tight? A raindrop fell to the corner of Twilight's lip. She sucked it in a bit, flicked her tongue at the annoyance. It tasted salty for some reason. Air pollution, probably.
Beautiful denial. Simply beautiful.
“You asked what she is like when she is alone. She is lonely. Painfully so. Pain I can't even imagine.” A lie. She didn't need to imagine.
Well, just twist the knife a little, why don’t you…?
For the record, Rarity forcing Twilight to actually face her feelings and her motives was brilliantly done. Emotional. Powerful. And riveting. Especially how Twilight corrects herself.
“Then it is exactly what I think, and a Lady doesn't peek.”
“A Lady doesn't set fire to her nation's throne room either, but here we are.” Twilight wriggled her rump insistently.
...details.
“Are we comparing butt-pictures? 'Cuz mine's balloons! Like static! Zzap! Yours is really nice, too, Twilight. Super pretty! I heard yelling, was it about butts?”
Thank you, Pinkie. And I had forgotten we knew about hers.
“Yes!” Twilight announced proudly, hiking her dress back up, “It means it was destined to be me. The stars will aid in her escape!”
Rarity sighed. “Well, probably, that. More importantly it means you are fated lovers. You have officially ticked off the last criteria on a very, very long checklist to be the single most cliché romance for me to ever deal with.”
Which makes it awesome.
She gripped the sides of a nearby ladder and slid down, ignoring the laws of friction that inconvenienced her.
Thank you Pinkie. For being Pinkie.
“She was too busy trying to get rid of one. Silly thing to do with a tongue or something. Why would a mare put her tongue there? It wouldn't-”
Twilight blushed furiously. So, Pinkie had seen the canzone. That's… ecchem.
Was Rarity noticing?
She was. Disbelief, yes, but no small amount of amusement, either.
Twilight blushed harder.
...squee.
“...Apple Bloom, was it?” The little filly nodded eagerly, and Twilight felt a warm bubble of pride for the minor social accomplishment.
Speech has leveled up! Choose 1 Point In:
[ ] Adorakable
[ ] Science!
[ ] Antagonizing National Rulers
“What about a beautiful white Lady, sweeping you off your hooves from such rustic beginnings, and showing you a life of grandeur and splendour? The Lady and the Farmgirl, oh, it would be a story for the ages… and those applebucking thighs...” She said this last snippet with the inflection a starved gryphon might use to say 'rare steak'.”
And during this whole thing all I was thinking was that Tchernobog is probably going to string you up. Don’t worry, he’ll simmer down. Because this whole thing is… delicious.
...what? Stop looking at me like that!
Twilight looked up to check Pinkie, as if wondering what the appropriate thing to do would be, and found that Pinkie had found herself a bag of roasted peanuts from somewhere and was crunching them delightedly, transfixed. Well, alright then.
Seems legit.
Rarity sighed blissfully, and her eyelashes fluttered audibly. How did she even do that? “Ooh, so principled and hardworking.” She swooned as shamelessly as it was possible for a mare to swoon, which was apparently quite shameless indeed.
Oh. My. Goodness. Can I just say that this Rarity chasing AJ thing caught me completely off-guard and I thought it was hysterical all the way through. Even if nothing came of it (I think), to see Rarity hounding AJ non-stop was brilliant. She’s completely unabashed, unrepentant and unstoppable.
“The Lady turned back to Twilight with a delicate mask of deadpan. “What is she?”
“It's Pinkie Pie. You get used to it.”
BEST DESCRIPTION EVER.
“Truly?”
Twilight sighed. “No. But it makes things infinitely easier if you try to believe that.”
BEST BEST DESCRIPTION EVER.
“That's twice now in two statements you've fumbled for words a bit. Such a well-read mare? Hardly a coincidence. Was that a hint of jealousy, too?” Rarity cooed. “Now, are you jealous of me, perhaps? Or that you might have to share me?”
Of course she would coo. How else would you say that? I could only coo those words.
“You- but?! - I! - What?!”
Never change, Twi. Never change. Because you’re in for a doozy.
“The Lady was leaning closer now, too close, Twilight could almost feel her breath on her neck, but she wasn't backing away, why wasn't she backing away? Did she want this? Okay, yes, she did, but did she want to want this?
“Oh, Twilight Sparkle.”
Yes.
Why you hussy!
...no, I don’t know which I’m talking to. Okay, I’m lying. Totally talking to Twi.
“An eager little student, dripping with inexperience, begging to learn? I'm sure together we could have been… magical.” Twilight had darn near melted into the floor, either from the heat of her blush or the trembling of her weak knees or both, and Rarity wasn't even looking at her. ”
...Okay, Rarity’s even giving me the shivers. Seriously, I could totally imagine Tabitha saying these words too. That’s weird, isn’t it? Oh well.
“I like her!” Pinkie declared grandly. “She's very friendly, isn't she?”
1. Well done, I had forgotten she was even there.
2. That’s one word for it, Pinkie. Probably not the best, but it is a word.
There was a question as to how bad Twilight's poetry was that assistance was required. Twilight had provided an example of her work. Applejack made a quiet little 'Ah' of understanding.
That was less than relieving.
Snicker.
Pinkie, being the lightest of the three and the most immune to the laws of common sense, tied herself in.
...just wanted to point out this awesome line. I think I’ve squeed myself out for the moment.
Twilight took a moment to remember that she was dealing with children, and the horrible, horrible things she was thinking in the name of defending literature were entirely and wholly inappropriate.
...ish? Inappropriate-ish?
Slowly, the impromptu weather balloon began to inflate. Slowly, yes, but not quietly. It sounded
Pinkie checked over the scrawled equations one last time. “What if the weight difference is too much? You'll catch me, right?”
Okay, looks like we had another one of those sections where a part of the story got missed/pulled out/deleted/something.
Stop leaving parts out! Your writing is too good to have parts missing!
“Well, thing is, if we can catch Pinkie if she's fallin', doesn't it make sense to get Sweetie there to jump and just to catch her?”
Twilight stared first at the inflating balloon, then at Sweetie, and finally back to the balloon again, slower. Finally, back to Applejack. “But, we already made the balloon.”
This is the greatest defense of an idea ever. “But… we already made the cool thing. We must use the cool thing!”
THE BUTTON MUST BE PRESSED. THE BUTTON EXISTS SO IT MUST BE PRESSED.
God, I can read this line again and again and I still love it.
“So, panicking?” Pinkie called cheerfully down.
“Not yet, you have to grab Sweetie Belle first, and not drop her. Then we can panic.”
“Okie dokie lokie!”
Please stand by for your regularly scheduled panic.
“Rarity, catch me!” Pinkie cried.
Is it terrible that I’m imagining her giant grin from that scene in The Last Roundup? No? Good.
“Science later. Friendship now,” Applejack declared.
Awwww. Spoilsport.
Probably nothing.
Sure she had some stolen pots, but she hadn't stolen them.
Well, she was the acting guardian, of sorts, to the children who had stolen them, and the stolen property was still in her house, and they might have been very nice plants...
Oh dear, she was going to jail, wasn't she?
“Oh dear.” Fluttershy hasn’t appeared on screen yet! You can’t use this! Objection!
Guards. Royal guards at that.
Oh dear oh dear oh dear oh-
I thought they were guards not deer…
...sorry.
“Why is it that my little sister, smartest darn filly this side of anywhere, thinks I'm here about the potted plants?”
Because, Shining. Sometimes, your sister is a damn idiot.
“Shining!” Twilight shouted – because squealing in delight was very unbecoming and not something she absolutely just did – all-but-flinging herself at his armoured chest with a clang.”
And don’t you forget it!
“He's not going to shoot anyone!”
“Well-”
“He promises!”
Shining closed his mouth.
Well, you’re screwed now, Shining. You promised. Even if by proxy.
It was placed on a bookshelf behind him alongside his helmet, and the newly anointed Captain Potted Fern began an illustrious career guarding literature.
First story I’ve ever read where a plant gets a promotion. I approve.
“Well, it's an honour to meet you. My name's Shining Armor.”
You’re slightly inconsistent with your use of the British “our” as opposed to the American “or.” You’ve referred to Shining Armor and Shining Armour. This is a travesty.
I demand, as a Californian, that you immediately change them all to the British spelling so I can properly squee over it!
How a pony who had racked up almost, or even possibly at least, a triple digit body count over the last few years could appear so absolutely non-threatening was a mystery, but still Shining managed it with his usual aura of inner peace and calm.
And if the guns weren’t a reminder of how dark this Equestria is… this certainly is a good one.
“...and my favourite colour is pink. You're actually the only pony I've seen pinker than my fiance, which is impressive.”
...didn’t see the favorite colour being pink thing coming. (Yay I got to type Colour!)
“Twilight kept up by making lists of absolutely everything, because life isn't a closed book exam darn it, but she was always jealous of his—
“Fiance? Did you say…?”
Shining's pupils shrank fast, and his turning to look at Twilight was conspicuous only for its absence.
“Later.”
DAMMIT SHINING!
“Lady Rarity! Uh, my poetry got better, if that helps?”
“No it didn't,” Rarity chided, shaking her head.
“No, it didn't,” Shining agreed, nodding.
“Cadance doesn't mind?”
“Cadance doesn't mind.”
Well, we’ll file that one under "Yay."
“Sort of. The Princess believes I'm the only pony that Twilight wouldn't dare attack. She knows Twilight's dangerous.”
Oh.
Oh.
...eep.
Applejack seemed to consider that, though. “Yeah, alright, I'd buy that. Bettin' the Princess hurts that fiance of yours, maybe your parents if they're still around, if you don't?”
“Pretty much, yeah,” Shining sighed.
Oh.
Oh.
...well 
(Buy some apples)
“Ah, that explains it. I would have been honoured to— wait, hang on a sec; Twilight, there were one thousand, eight hundred and thirty seven soldiers on our side that day. Four hundred and two were in my regiment. What are the odds Braeburn was in my regiment? To the nearest single digit fraction, what are the odds that her cousin was in the same regiment as me?”
“Four oh two divided by one eight three seven, naught point two two rounding up, multiplied by one hundred is twenty two percent, rounding down to the nearest whole fraction being one fifth,” Twilight answered robotically, unblinking.
...okay?
Rarity and Applejack stared at Twilight, agog. Agog was a good word, Twilight thought, and she would have to use it more.
Yes. Yes it is. I need to use it more too.
And on the base of each and every one of those little tin soldiers was a name and a cutie mark.
Oh.
Oh.
Wow.
“Why, yes, yes I am,” Shining laughed. Pinkie took a moment to get it but when she did, she darn right fell off her chair from giggle-snorting so hard and continued rolling on the floor laughing for a lot longer than any self-respecting pony aught to at a bad pun.
Okay, scene definitely needed that pressure valve.
Applejack and Rarity both dove under the table, like sane and rational ponies.
I object! Nopony here can really claim those titles! Not really! (Also, squee)
“I aimed away her from the books,” Shining announced, finally chancing a look back at Twilight. “Thought you'd appreciate that.”
“That was very thoughtful.”
“Sorry for nearly shooting her. Reflex.”
“It's fine. She probably deserved it a little.”
“You don't mean that, sis.”
“No, I don't, but my brain is still catching up to the absurdity that is my life.”
It’s got a long way to go.
So this is how my house arrest starts. Not with gunshots and threats, but laughter and smiles.
As it should be!
…I think.
So now, we get a full integration. Setup of Rarity as constantly hounding AJ (so freaking delicious), but what’s more, an even bigger picture on just how screwed up this Equestria is. Beyond measure. We’re definitely in Imperial Britain at this point.
And honestly? That’s terrifying. It’s usually shown as glorious. But it’s not. It’s horrific. The addition of the Applejack and Shining Armor conversation was great. It set things on solid ground. Made it real. Honest (ironically).
You also naturally set these ponies up to meet one-by-one effectively. We got to see them each with each other and then rapidly introduce a new element while still keeping things going effectively. That’s impressive.
Now, if only that pegasus had listened to the warning about the death ray…
And that's the end of the follow-up for chapters seven through nine of "The Mare Who Once Lived on the Moon!" Tune in tomorrow for the next three chapters!
The Mare Who Once Lived on the Moon Follow-Up:
Chapter 1 through 3: The Mare Who Lives On The Moon, The Farmer who Builds, The Mare Who Runs On The Moon
Chapter 4 through 6: The Madmare Who Invents, The Mare Who Writes On The Moon, The Explorer who Dreams
Chapter 7 through 9: The Mare Who Would Gift Twilight The Moon, The Socialite who Schemes, The Mare Who Would Escape The Moon
Chapter 10 through 12: The Guardian Who Loves, The Mare Who Would Love The Moon, The Science of Magic
Chapter 13 and 14: To Love the Moon, To Love the Moonshine & The Student who Defies
Chapter 15 and 16: The Mare Who Once Lived on the Moon & The Stars Will Aid in her Escape
These make me insanely, indescribably happy. And I'm usually so good at describing things.
I'll think on it...
I swear, Novel, if we get another terribly named X-Men character...
I think you got some numbers wrong, buddy.
4512202
I think my exact words at the time were "oh god damnit, not another one". Which happens whenever a fic throws in rarijack for the hell of it when it's not the focus of a fic.
It's a freaking crutch for authors or comic artists, these days.
I was very amused when Rarity's sights shifted to
. Made AJ beating Rarity away with a stick far funnier to me.
4512202 Then these are doing exactly what they're supposed to be doing.
4512293 Actually, I was going with NegaScott from Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World...
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4512399
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4512677
Yep. I was referencing someone else.