4472377

Snagging Brush.

Prompt: Brush.

I've never written a mother/daughter type story before, so I deeply hope this doesn't suck.

When you lived to the age that Princess Celestia had reached, there were very few things that could surprise you; in hindsight, she figured that it wasn't all that unusual that this one student would ignore her edict, but she was still taken aback to see the tiny purple unicorn propped upright at her desk, a beatific smile set upon her face, as she made some changes to the notes she'd copied down the previous day.
There were those who merely tolerated school; there were those would go to ridiculous lengths to feign illness just to be away from the place for a day, but not Twilight Sparkle. More than once, she'd dragged herself to class despite being in the grip of a heavy cold, the pony pox, or some other debilitating affliction.
“Twilight Sparkle?” Celestia put as much authority as she could muster into her voice. “You do realise that classes were cancelled due to the weather, don't you?”
Even if the school hadn't been officially closed on her order, Celestia doubted that many of her students would've been brave enough to make the journey; an ugly storm battered against the heavy wooden shutters protecting the windows, beating out a woodwind percussion. It was not a natural phenomenon either. It had blown in from the east, birthed in the dark heart of the Everfree Forest were such conditions were considered normal. While it was bad enough here in Canterlot, the settlements that had sprung up around the periphery of the forest such as Ponyville would have it so much worse.
“I know, but ...” Twilight hesitated, as if trying to find the right words to articulate her feelings. Spending the day with her big brother wouldn't have been the worst thing in the world, especially if Mi Amore Cadenza was there, after all.
“But you felt safer here than you did at home?”
“Mm.” She nodded before letting her head sink a little, embarrassed as always at how most ponies could read her as easily she she read a book. Or maybe it was just that she'd spent so much time in the princess' company that Celestia always knew what she was thinking? “Are you … I mean, do you want me to leave?”
Even if she'd harboured any notions of sending the filly home – which she hadn't – the way in which Twilight's mulberry eyes widened to twice their normal size, to say nothing of the adorable pout of her bottom lip, would've put the kibosh on Celestia's plans, anyway. “No, of course not,” she replied, doing her best to stifle her giggle at Twilight's pleading expression. “But rather than spending the whole day stuck in the classroom copying old notes, why don't we go down to the library instead?”
The princess had been heading down there, anyway; with the students and staff gone, Celestia had figured that now was as good a time as any to give the old building a once-over.
Just as Celestia had expected she would, Twilight practically leapt out of her seat at the mention of that particular word. She flattered herself by thinking that her company was part of the appeal, but she knew that the main draw for the filly was the promise of a room full of books and no distractions. Still, if it weren't for mandatory closing hours, Twilight would probably live her entire life in the school's well-stocked library. If she ever paid a visit to the grand respository in the Castle of the Two Sisters, then her head would probably explode.
“Princess?” Twilight asked quietly, feeling as though she was intruding on something. “Are you okay?”
“Huh?” replied Celestia, blinking slowly, returning to Equestria. “Yes. Why do you ask?”
“Well, you just looked sad for a second,” said Twilight, a pensive expression on her face, fearing that this line of questioning was perhaps crossing a line that shouldn't be crossed with her mentor.
“I'm fine.” The princess favoured the filly with a small smile. She hadn't thought about the old castle in some time, and doubtless the Everfree's bizarre environment had caused it to crumble into a ruin by now. If not, it would be infested by the oddities which called the forest their home.
“My mom always says that I should talk to her or my dad, or even Shiny or the babysitter, if I'm feeling down,” said Twilight quickly, worried that, if she had to stop – even for breath – she'd lose her nerve. She cast a sideways look at Celestia. “D'you still talk to your parents when you're sad?”
“Sometimes,” Celestia replied, not at all proud of the little white lie that she was telling her student. Her relationship with her parents had been strained long before her ascension to alicorn status; she'd tried very hard to make sure the same thing didn't happen to Twilight: that, important though they were, her magical studies were still secondary to the connections she formed with other ponies. Given the way that Twilight talked about her family in glowing terms, it seemed to be working well so far.
“D'you think I'll get the chance to meet them one day?”
“They're, ah, difficult to get hold of.” Celestia's low mood sunk just that much further at the second lie. Still, there were some things that you just couldn't explain acceptably to a child, no matter how bright they were. “They live very … far away.”
Twilight accepted all this with a nod of her head. Celestia was both gratified and a little afraid of the blind trust the filly displayed in her; the kind of loyalty only the very young, the very innocent, are capable of. Before life became a series of disappointments, compromises, complications and half-measures that pleased no one. The princess shook her head, her multi-hued mane falling over her eyes, wishing that she could also shake loose the thousands of years of stray thoughts collected there-in.
When they finally reached the library, they found that the heavy oak doors were lay open already; there hadn't been time for the librarians to put everything neatly away on their respective shelves before the storm warning had come in, thus there were books, pamphlets, and many other texts strewn around the various tables. Celestia smiled at Twilight's aghast expression as she took in the disarray: very few crimes affected the filly as deeply as those perpetrated against the written word.
Still, the dim lantern light lent the large room a cosy, homely air; even the dust motes were happy, dancing as they were in the shafts of radiant orange.
“Should we tidy up first?” asked Twilight, annoyed by the disorder but also keen to bury her muzzle in a book. It was a war of competing compulsions, and Celestia had to admit that the play of emotions across the filly's face were amusing to watch.
“Let's leave that for the librarians to deal with, eh?” Celestia said with a conspiratorial wink as she led Twilight further inside the darkened room. The storm seemed very far away all of a sudden, though it could've just been the muffling effect of the roof's insulating materials. The princess disappeared into one of the aisles, searching for something that might interest the filly (something that she hadn't read a thousand times before); she was barely out of Twilight's sight for a moment when there was a loud scraping sound, followed by a thunderous crash, and then a howling wind began to whip up loose sheaves of paper.
Darting quickly back to where she had left Twilight at one of the tables – vowing that she would never forgive herself if something had happened to the filly – Celestia was shocked by what she found.
It appeared that a stray bolt of lightning had winged the roof, dislodging part of the ancient structure; the cave in would've crushed Twilight had it not been for her powers kicking in at just the right time, and now the loose brick and mortar were suspended just above her head as if dangling on an invisible strand of twine. “Twilight,” Celestia said, taking a deep breath in relief. “Are you …?”
Twilight's eyes glowed a hot, bright white; her untempered powers had been triggered by the danger, but now she couldn't shut them off. A storm, every bit as fierce as the one that continued outside, threatened to consume the library … and more besides.
“You have to focus!” Celestia said, shouting to be heard over the rising mistral. “Focus on something that calms you, something peaceful. Think about your family, Cadance, me, anything!”
“I can't do it!” Twilight replied sobbing, milk-coloured tears pouring from her eyes. The power was literally bleeding out of her the longer it went on.
Fear and adrenaline were fuelling her power, and if Celestia didn't do something soon they would continue to drain Twilight until she had nothing left to give and all that pooled energy would spill out in an enormous explosion. Forget the school, half of Canterlot could be wiped out in such a blast!
She tried to approach the scared filly, but the buffeting waves forced her back; rain flooded in through the gap in the roof, soaking Celestia's pelt, but none of it was reaching Twilight. The burning furore around her evaporated any liquid before it had the chance to touch her. Bracing herself, Celestia soldiered on. She ignored the rain, the scalding heat, the pulsing cyclone that would've knocked her off her feet and likely through one of the walls, until she reached Twilight.
Finally, when she was close enough, she pulled the filly into a tight embrace; the princess brushed her mane softly, and cooed gently in her ear. “Sh, sh. It's okay, I'm here, Twilight. Let it go, let it all go.”
It took a moment, but eventually Celestia's calming hug and soothing words had their effect, and Twilight's eyes returned to their normal state. She blinked confusedly for a second before the debris from the roof clattered to the floor, shaking her out of her reverie. “Are you all right?” asked Celestia, taking stock of the dented floorboards.
“I'm ...” Twilight choked back her tears, rapidly becoming aware of what had just transpired. Her voice filled with concern for her injured mentor. “Never mind me, are you okay? I'm so sorry. Did I hurt you?”
“I'm fine. Really ,I am.” There were a couple of scorch marks, and she was sodden to the core, but nothing permanent.
“Is that going to happen again?” the filly asked unhappily.
Celestia, still stroking Twilight's hair, decided that it was best to be honest. You couldn't properly deal with something unless you had all the facts at your command, after all. “Probably, yes, until you learn to control your powers as all unicorns and alicorns must do. Granted, you are an exceptional case, however,” she added with a slight smile. “It won't be easy, but I have no doubts that you'll succeed.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“I have faith in you.”
“I don't want to hurt anypony.”
“You won't.”
After disentangling from herself, Celestia stood up with some effort. “Come. We'd best get out of here in case the storm decides to take a turn for the worse.”
Twilight nodded, but looked forlornly at the library. “But what about all the books?”
Suppressing a laugh, Celestia looked down fondly on the filly. So innocent, so brilliant, so full of potential. “They can be easily replaced, but you and I … are a different story.”
As they left together, a realisation dawned on the princess: as important as she was to Twilight, it wasn't until this moment that she'd become fully aware of just how much Twilight meant to her. She hadn't been this close to anypony since … a long time ago. She looked up ruefully at the hole in the library and caught a brief sight of the moon before it was hidden by dark clouds.

New prompt: Caramel.

4475237
Shh...let my insanity be right for a little bit.

4476238 Okie dokie, just pointing it out, cause ya know someone's gonna

Also. Claim: CAPS LOCK

Prompt: Quacksalver
"Celestia, did you know this mare here?" asked Twilight indicated to a name that she had seen quite a few times already.

Celestia looked to what Twilight was trying to show her.

"Hmm, oh it's her. Yes I knew her," Celestia said after a while.

Twilight's ears perked up at the prospect of finding something on the mystery mare.

"Really? She seems to have been heavily credited with medical advances and some of the older medical reforms still in place. But there's no mention of her in any books or historical accounts. The only account I found was a journal written by a Court official who accuses her of false medicines and he details some other testimonies from the Court and from the illiterate rabble as he called many of the lower class Ponies. It looks like either nopony wrote about her which is unlikely or she was erased from history…." Twilight said as she levelled a glare at Celestia.

Celestia didn't flinch but she instead sighed, "That's sort of complicated. She was a complex mare and I knew her well, we had an interesting relationship."

"There's quite an emphasis and tone on the word 'interesting', although I just find it strange that such an accredited Pony is essentially gone from history. Perhaps it was the accusations leveled against her," Twilight commented as she returned to her book.

"Ah, she became a close friend over time," Celestia said in way of an explanation.

Twilight looked back to stare at Celestia, "Right. Okay, could I get the story please?"

"She was a wonderful charmer who was more than she said she was in more ways than one," Celestia said wistfully.

"It's somewhat too early to be this cryptic Celestia," replied Twilight in a weary tone.

Celestia nodded, "Just relax and I'll tell you the whole story, although this will take a while to explain."

“As you can see Nobles of the Court this,” the mare said holding up a number of small vials, “are the very tools of my trade. The tools by which I cure what it is that you find yourself stricken with.”

Celestia smiled brightly at seeing the smooth mare present herself before the Court. She was a potential candidate for a soon to be vacant position as one of the doctors was on his way to retirement. There weren’t enough medically inclined Ponies around and more where needed now more than ever especially as some of Equestria’s neighbours were looking for the excuse to start a war. If this mare did as he promised, they could be a position for her in her Court.

“Let me guess, she did well enough that you invited him to stay," Twilight said.

Celestia shook her head, “What she did was not enough for me to grant her a position. I would have preferred to wait a few more years so she could learn more, but the war forced my hoof. It was then I learned just how far her extent of medicine went.”

“-hat of poultice, herbal medicine? Do you know that?” Celestia asked sternly as she loomed over the lounging mare.

“Nope,” she said not even heeding the tone in the Princess’ voice.

Celestia leaned in the mare before her. “What do you know mare?” Celestia said coldly.

The mare stretched out slowly before answering Celestia. “About medicine, nothing; my Mark is for alchemy not curing the ill.”

“What followed was a long and difficult questioning session between us. Eventually I imprisoned her for fraud, there wasn’t more I could do while so much of the country was occupied by the war.”

“Now I understand why the Court official called her for performing false medicine.”

She had little idea of what was going on other than she had been dragged out of her cell that morning by a pair of stony-faced Guards and brought before the Princess. Between her and the Princess was a small table with small unlabelled glass vials.

“Well I never did believe I would see your face once more my Highness, I almost thought you had forgott-“

“Quiet mare, you claim knowledge of alchemy. Now you are to prove it,” Celestia said curtly.

“What is my incentive, nothing’s for free.”

Celestia glared, “You’ll be moved to better quarters and assigned as assistant to one of the practicing doctors as well your record will be cleared.”

The mare’s face split into a wide grin as lifted up the first glass vial, “Of course my Highness.”

“That was her contribution to the war, creating potions and poultices to help the wounded,” Twilight said.

Celestia nodded, “That was the beginning of her contribution to the war effort.”

“That’s how she learned medicine and I’m guessing that she would eventually gain a position in Court for her contribution to advancing medicine,” Twilight said as she started to sort her reference materials away. “Although I’m amazed that some of her medical reforms are still in place, but that doesn’t answer the question of why there’s almost no historical accounts about her.”

“Strangely that was her last request to me. Despite how she was in life, in death she wanted Ponies to forget her. She never told me why exactly she wanted that, maybe to break connection between her old life before the war and her life after the war.

Although I still have her private journals, the other half of her last request was giving me her journals. I think she wanted me to have them as a reminder of her and in some way I think she did wanted to be remembered even if only a few ever remembered. You can read them later if you like.”

This was a strange prompt and I think this works.

New Prompt: Competition

I have something for silhouette, it's mine again.

Silhouette:

Dear Dearest My Most Loved
To Celestia

Since I was little I have watched you. Ever since that first day when I saw your silhouette in the sun as you lifted it high into the sky I have known but it wasn’t until I was older that I understood. You burn so bright, so strong that no one has ever seen the mare who casts the light. You create a shadow over yourself and it is that shadow we all see. I, though, wanted to see past the silhouette of you that is cast over the world. At first I approached your sister, who could possibly know you better than your own family. Sadly she did not know you as well as family, she had been gone for a thousand years.

Next I went to Discord, he had known you once, why not see if he remembered you. It was foolish of me to think he might help, all he did was laugh. He did give me some advice, advice I hope to use one day.

My quest continued though, who is Celestia? Everypony knows Celestia but none of them KNOW you. Lost as to what to do I turned to books. Books have never let me down but when trying to see beyond the light to the pony beyond, they did fail me.

Who is Celestia, who is the mare under the mask? Perhaps the outline tells us more than we think. We know she is kind, loving and caring. She lifted a nation upon her shoulders through it’s darkest days after losing her only family, so she must be strong. Those are attributes though, a part of her surely but not who she is.

So we know what she is. She is a ruler of greatness with the aforementioned attributes and so many more. It still leaves me wondering who she is. Who is the mare inside the silhouette she casts? Who is Celestia, and why does no one know her.

I finally chose to speak to Cadence, the mare you raised after her kingdom was lost. She told me that if I wanted to know who Celestia was I needed to follow my heart.

So today I sat down to pen this letter. I write you Celestia because I want to know who you are. I want to know the mare I grew up with, the mare who means more to me than anything else in this wide world. I want to sit beside you and talk about your past. I want to be there for you when dark moments from your past make you shudder, when the sadness of your eternity wracks your body with tears.

I have seen these moments in you, these moments that others call weakness and I want to be there for you in these moments. I want to know the mare who hides behind closed doors so the world cannot see her flaws. There is nothing more in this world that I want than to be the pony you lean on in bad times, the pony who brightens your day and consumes your thoughts when you wake and sleep.

I love you Celestia, with everything I have and more. Please, consider this one request from this selfish mare, hear me say I love you and don’t push me away. You don’t have to love me back, I just need you to know that no matter what, I love you Celestia. I love the silhouette of you, I love the mare in the silhouette. All her flaws, all her strengths, all her weakness, I love them all and I always will.

Love,
Twilight Sparkle, your most faithful friend.

New Prompt: obmutescent

I feel a little bad but I thought up a decent followup to my last prompt with silhouette using Tuxedo so I am claiming Tuxedo

Dearest Twilight,

It is wonderful to hear from you again. It is quite rare now with all your princessly duties that you take the time to write me. I must admit it was rather disheartening to have gone so long without receiving a letter from you, I believe the last time you wrote me was over a month ago.

The reason behind why though are very clear after having read your previous letter. I imagine you ran yourself into quite the panic over how to properly word such a powerful letter. It is a little surprising to me to hear such things from you. I guess it does make some sense though, you are the pony who has spent the most time besides me outside Cadence or Luna.

In light of what you have told me I think I will withhold my answer until the end of this letter and instead pose some questions for you to ponder. My first question is, are you sure? This may sound harsh but there is much about me I have kept hidden from you. As you know I am quite an ancient mare which in of itself may pose a little bit of unease in you but it also means I have a very long history, not all of it is as happy as you may think. I am not trying to dissuade you with this question but it is one you need to consider.

My second question is a little more simple. You stated you wished to know the mare not the title and I wonder if you don’t already know. To rephrase, you have spent most of your life with me and while I often keep my mask up you are one of the few privileged ponies who I feel relaxed enough around to let it slide from time to time. Are you sure that you have not already glimpsed the mare you wish to know but chose not to acknowledge it in favor of the image I project?

Of course those two questions are not the only ones you should consider but they are very important. Once you have thought on those I want you to consider the fact I have had no small part in raising you, some would say I am a second mother to you, If this does not bother you, then I am indeed glad but are you ready for how others may in fact perceive this? Are you prepared to deal with how the nobles will take this and the media may portray any relationship we persue? If you think you are then next I have one more question.

My final question to you is, are you sure you can keep your promise? Can you truly keep your promise to love the mare, her flaws, her weaknesses? Will you Twilight promise not to run when you learn of the darker parts of my past, be there for me even in my weakest moments as a pillar of strength for me when I most need it? If the answer to nay of these questions is no, or there is any doubt in your mind then return the package I sent with this. Do not open it, just return it and we will continue on as friends.

Love,
Celestia

Twilight put the letter down and took a deep breath. Her mind raced in circles as she thoguht about the questions Celestia had posed. There was plenty of doubt but the doubt wasn’t about whether she could accept Celestia or anything. Her doubt was squarely in the category of this being so new and so unexpected. Twilight’s horn lit up and she pulled the small package that had come with the letter.

The twine took on a mulberry tone as she untied it and unwrapped the garment within. Twilight lifted a gorgeous tuxedo from the package, a tear of pure joy rolling down her cheek. Pinned to the tuxedo was a piece of paper that read simply, “Wear this and pick me up at seven tomorrow.”

Twilight gently laid the tuxedo out over her bed and grabbed the letter again. She reread it a few times before placing it on top of the tuxedo reverently. A smile pulled the corners of her mouth up as she sighed. “Yes Celestia, I can keep the promise and weather any storm that may come between us. I will never let anything stop me from being there for you.”

New prompt: yex

Claiming "Return".

Octopus

"...ilight Spar..."

Something roused her from sleep. Which was an achievement in itself - she was decisively displeased to leave such vividly vibrant dreams behind. Yet... Reality calls. Still groggy, she blindly pawed around until she found the nearest wall. Wait, wall? Glassen wall, even?

Suddenly, she was wide awake and alert, trying her best to determine what exactly was going on. And why exactly was she sleeping in the aquarium. Wait. What. Twilight pulled herself together, tentacles pressing against the wall to create suction that`d allow her to climb out of water. She peeked out of the aquarium, befuddled and curious, and almost bumped noses with princess Celestia.

"...Ah. Twilight. Finally awake, I see?" - proffered Celestia wryly - "And coherent, I hope?" Twilight`s nose wobbled as she did her best to stare at Celestia. It was hard to do so with both eyes at once.

"Why am I an octopus?" - she finally managed, silently happy that whoever cast the transformation spell didn`t skimp on including the translation dweomer. Celestia merely chuckled. "That`s what I`d like to know as well." - she returned, making herself comfortable on the sitting pillow - "Let`s make a deal, dear? I`ll explain you how, and you`ll tell me why. Because this form? Entirely your doing."

Twilight snorted. Or, at least, made an attempt to. The resulting sound was something more befitting a sink then a pony. "Your guess is as good as mine." - she proffered - "Last thing I remember, I was working cough medicines and then... this." Celestia`s grin widened.

"Let me clarify, dear. What I really want to know is why octopus, and not some other thing. As to why did you do this? That much I already know." - she proffered jovially, pulling over a cup of tea with her magic and taking a sip from it. Twilight`s eye twitched.

"Why not octopus? I suspect I didn`t think straight when I did this. Maybe I was simply frustrated with the clumsiness of my hooves and wanted something more flexible." - she proffered in return - 'The question remains... What happened?"

Celestia quirked her brow. "To answer this, I`d need a few answers from yourself. To begin with... what exactly kind of cough medicine were you making?" - she inquired patiently.

Twilight rubbed her head in thought. "...As you probably know, most modern cough medicines rely on dextromethorphan." - she proffered, slipping into a lecture easily - "While it`s generally pretty good at getting the job done, I noticed that it could be more efficient if the aromatic rings could be connected with an extra oxidizer. Unfortunately, on it`s own it tends to overshoot the desired effect and cause spasms, but I managed to stabilize it by adding two acetil groups. That should give us something I preliminarily called diacetyloxymorphinan... And that`s as far as I remember."

Celestia nodded thoughtfully. "No wonder. I must disappoint you, however. The substance you created is already known and called a little bit differently. It`s diacetylmorphine." - she explained - "It is indeed efficient medicine against the cough, but I`m afraid we simply can not put it into use as such."

Twilight`s tentacles writhed as she wracked her memory trying to recall the name Celestia just mentioned. "I can`t recall what it is." - she grumbled - "I have a hunch it`s important and it keeps just... out of my attention scope. Help me out here, please?"

White alicorn snickered. "You might know it better as heroin." - she proffered - "I think you`ll agree with me - we simply can`t put something like this into public drugstores. As to what happened to you? You dropped the beaker, cut your fetlock on it, and... the rest is history."

SPLUSH! Twilight`s involuntary reaction was to wrap all her eight tentacles around herself, falling back into aquarium. There was a lot of things she wanted to say, but first and foremost on her mind was resounding "D`OH!" She dimly felt Celestia`s magic pulling her out of the water, then a familiar feeling of fluidity as Celestia restored her to her normal form.

"I`m such a dunce." - she muttered bitterly - "Of course the better it acts, the easier it hits the brain... OF COURSE." She grumbled and stood up, silently grateful for Celestia`s wing pulling her into a gentle hug.

"At least, now I have an excuse to be doting on you, dear." - teased bigger alicorn as she leaned in to kiss Twilight`s nose - "Sincerely speaking, I doubt a one-time exposure will cause anything particularly untowards, but better be safe then sorry, no?"

Twilight muttered - "....I`m hungry. And horny. And tired. And feeling stupid." Celestia chuckled - "Well, the last problem you`ll have to get over on your own, and the third is easily handled by some sleep. But first, let me help you a bit with first two."

Next prompt: Clover Shampoo

Reclaiming Return, hopefully should be finished by tomorrow.

4503258 This is 24 carat gold

4504679

Heh.

Prompt: Return
Celestia sighed allowing herself to finally relax, everything for the moment was done and everypony, courtiers, petitioner, servants, Guards, had all been asked to leave her quarters alone. The faint smell of her favourite tea permeated the air of which she poured herself a cup exactly the way she preferred it, a little sweet and a hint of milk.

Everything was calm, peaceful; free of the usual distractions and demands on her time.

That was until a small flash popped into the room unimpeded by the strong wards. Celestia tensed at the sight of the light before relaxing when she realized who had teleported into her chambers. Her visit was unexpected, but it might be nice to spend her time with a friend.

“Twilight,” Celestia greeted as the lavender Pony came into view. “I was just about to have some tea, won’t you join me?”

Twilight was unusually silent and instead of answering she merely marched up to the table and took a seat opposite of Celestia before unceremoniously dropping a loosely rolled scroll in front of Celestia.

Celestia quirked at eyebrow at her friend’s unusual behavior, but grasped the scroll with her magic and began reading it over. Not even a sentence later her eyes widen as she realized just what she held in her magic.

“How?” Celestia whispered.

“I had come here to ask the same thing Celestia,” Twilight said curtly, “Mind explaining this ‘letter’ for me?”

“I-“, Celestia started before stopping. She allowed herself to take several deep breaths before she started again. “This letter was private. I had never intended for anyone, but me to see it.”

“Then why write it?” Twilight said quietly as she tried to keep her composure, “You already know I’m with somepony else.”

Celestia sighed again as her posture drooped slightly, “It was my release.”

Celestia looked up and noticed that Twilight had said nothing which she took as a sign to continue.

“One of the subjects I’ve taught you was history, you know for how long my reign has been. For all those millenniums I had few I could count as a friend, Luna was my constant companion except for one of those millenniums. I found it…. hard to express myself freely with others. So many heartaches, heartbreaks, and sorrow; my life wasn’t all sad for I also found happiness and joy. But it was hard to speak about myself especially during my sole reign. There were so many expectations on me as Princess; I was distant yet caring, unapproachable yet warm.

Eventually the pressure became too much and for a time I nearly lost myself. A physician I had on staff at the time suggested I find a way to vent and express myself and I began writing down everything. It was how I could express myself in the absence of somepony I could trust.”

“Yet somehow this letter,” Twilight said cutting into Celestia’s explanation, “found its way to me.”

Twilight sighed and said in a softer tone, “Why Celestia?”

Celestia shook her head; she knew all the unsaid intricacies wrapped up in that one question. She focused on the question in an attempt to maintain her composure, but she knew it wasn’t working. Slowly she began to speak, “It all began after you rescued my sister, after we began moving from teacher and student to friends. There is much I love about you and not just your intelligence, but your kindness and resolve to do what was right. I never wanted for you to read this, I don’t know how you got it either.”

Celestia took a few calming breaths before continuing softly, “But please Twilight forgive me?”

Silence filled the air, heavy silence without the usual warmth or comfort that they shared. After a long pause Twilight slowly began to speak, “I want to forgive you, but from what you wrote I feel uneasy about our relationship right now. You want me deeply and I know this and you would also never hurt me, but…. I need time.”

Twilight walked around the table and firmly hugged Celestia, “I’m sorry Celestia.”

The purple Unicorn backed away from the Alicorn Princess and bowed, “Please excuse me Princess”, before she teleported away leaving the Princess alone.

New Prompt: Answer

A bit of a downer, but I wanted to try something a little different here.

4506932 Brutal, but very good. The emotions were very heartfelt and the execution fit the tone perfectly. You've really been upping your game these last couple of prompts. Looking forward to more!

4507081
Thank you. I wanted to try a different approach with the prompt this time and I am glad you like it.

4506932 I like how this one went, we all love TwiLestia but that doesn't mean it will always work out for the best. Well done.

4509267
Thank you. I wasn't sure this would be well received, but I glad you like this contrasting story to the usual ones when it does work out.

4506932

I have just one thing to say to you (well, it's more of a question):

Sequel?

I'm claiming Power Armour.

Ideas, ideas.

4510954
A sequel is not impossible, but it is unlikely. As open ended as the prompt ends I feel it stands well enough without a sequel. Although one will be considered if I have a good idea how to continue on the story.

Here is an updated Word of the Day Prompts List;
CAPS LOCK
Caramel
Clover Shampoo
Competition
Frame
Greeting Cards
Mardi Gras
Musical
Obmutescent
Onomatopoeia (Jonesly)
Otherwordly
Twilestia
Yex

EDIT: I've updated the Prompts List for the most recent chapters and the total number of Prompt Stories is up to 430; Prompts List.

4512002

Totally didn't pop in my head when I saw the prompt.

4512692 What prompt has been on there the longest?

4513293
Good question, I'll look, but I think it was one of the prompts I added.

And the verdict is Onomatopoeia which I added about 39 Weeks ago on Page 48.... (That's longer than I thought.)

4513404 I thought it was that one. Consider Onomatopoeia claimed.

4512681

We need to find out who sent the letter. (Spike? Luna? Or somepony with a more sinister purpose, hoping to drive a wedge between the two?) How will it affect their relationship? Can they go back to being friends? Will something more evolve between them? Did I use enough question marks?

4512692

Can I has Answer?

4512846
That'd be a good inspiration, if I didn't already go a different way with it. I'm well over 1k into the prompt, but it's not likely to be done until tonight!

I tried to take my mind off the hook a bit with this one and suppress my natural urge to overanalyse every sentence to death. Hopefully it'll feel a bit more natural and organic. Or it'll be really, really terrible. The bit about Celestia at the end is something I've been thinking about writing for a while, so I'm glad to have got it down finally. (I expect it's been done before, and better.)

Prompt: Answer.

“Twilight, my faithful student, you can talk to me about anything.” These words echoed in the mind of the Princess of Friendship as she prepared yet another piece of paper, placing it, with a soft exhalation of irritation, on the slanting desk in front of her.
A quill hovered tentatively in the air, caught in the magenta aura of Twilight Sparkle's magical field, never quite dipping low enough for the nib to put ink to parchment. Writing a letter to Princess Celestia had never been this galling, Twilight thought bitterly, chewing nervously on her bottom lip, but then this isn't just another friendship report. Well, that wasn't quite true; friendship certainly formed part of the letter's overall message, but the broader theme was something altogether … else. Something that was impossible for even the best quill tip to put too fine a point on.
How can I tell the Princess that I love her?
“Love.” Twilight said the word out loud. It sounded alien, strange, to her. It didn't take too long to figure out why: she said it all the time – just this morning she was telling Pinkie Pie that she loved the new range of glazed doughnuts Sugarcube Corner had on offer – thus there was a slight element of cognitive dissonance at work. Why do we use the same word to signify a deep connection between two ponies as we do to express our hankering for baked goods? Maybe I should write that? If anything, I'm sure it'd be one of the more unique compliments Celestia's ever received in her long life: I have almost the same depth of feeling for you as I do for deep-fried batter. Unless it has apricot jam in it, in which case you're out of luck.
Sucking in a great lungful of breath, Twilight's eventual sigh sounded more like the existential howl of an animal confronted with the purposeless futility of life. Turning her eyes on the scroll again, she was shocked to see that her subconscious mind had taken control of her magic temporarily and had written down her insane internal monologue. Groaning, she crumpled up the piece of paper and deposited it with ten thousand of its brethren in an overflowing waste basket.
It wasn't often she was glad that Spike was out – he was away mooning over Rarity in the guise of helping her out around the shop – but Twilight didn't want anypony, even him, who had seen her eat three jars of apricot jam when the last Daring Do novel had ended on a downer, to see her like this. It was pathetic.
Her thoughts turned to the baby dragon and she wondered how Spike was able to cope with his crush as coolly as he did. How he coped with the jealousy when anypony even so much as spoke to Rarity. How he coped with knowing that it couldn't possibly work out. He couldn't possibly be content just being around her all the time, could he? Or had he accepted that as the extent of their relationship, and was happy to take what was offered?
So many questions, so few answers.

Proposition: How do I tell the Goddess of the Sun that I am in love with her?
Feasible alternatives: Go and bury my head under a rock until we're the only two ponies left in Equestria, then she'll have to have a relationship with me by default in order to repopulate the species! (Dial back on the craziness a tad, Sparkle. Love, The Fragile Remnants of your Self-Respect.)
Conclusion: Would telling her to her face REALLY be the worst thing in the world?
Summary: Everything hates me. I want apricot jam. Spike has it too easy.

Just fly over to Canterlot and tell her? Could that work? Twilight's mulberry eyes scrutinised the veritable mountain of papers that she'd gone through, trying to find the right words to express her feelings. The right words, as if so ephemeral a concept actually existed.
She could save herself the effort of flying, of course, but she wanted to give herself some time to think; maybe there were no right words, and she should just come out and say that one simple, effective phrase that ponies have been saying to each other since time immemorial, but didn't Princess Celestia deserve something a bit more special than that?
Doesn't she deserve somepony a bit more special than me? No! Now was not a time for self-doubt. The worst that Celestia could do is reject her, and Twilight felt herself ready for that, if only to get the weight off of her withers once and for all.
Stepping outside the Castle of Friendship, Twilight found Ponyville bathed in a sea of ruddy orange light; Celestia's magic was at work, lowering the sun so that Luna could raise the moon in turn. From what she knew of her habits, the princess would soon be taking her evening meal, followed by her winding down routine, then off to bed for an early night. Twilight elected to try and catch her after dinner. Nopony liked having their meals interrupted after all, even if it was for a good cause.
Rainbow Dash would doubtless have critiqued her ungainly running start, but flying was still a new thing to her; she was sure that she'd master it in time, but the tingly feeling of nervous anticipation punching her gut out of shape wasn't exactly helping matters.
Looking down, she saw the rooftops of Carousel Boutique, Sugarcube Corner, and even the distant outlines of Fluttershy's cottage and Sweet Apple Acres looked close enough to touch with her alicorn-enhanced senses sharpening every detail, all picked out in delicate shades of vermilion. Had she asked them, Twilight knew that her friends would support her decision. Some of them had guessed already, while the others merely joked about the way she turned beet red every time she was in the princess' company.
Rarity, so obsessed with romance, had been the first to notice, of course:

“Darling,” Rarity had said while fitting Twilight for a dress for the upcoming gala, “when are you going to tell her how you feel?”
“What do you mean?” replied Twilight, acting the innocent.
“Nice try.” Rarity had pulled the laces of the bodice so tight that she'd practically liquefied Twilight's internal organs. “When are you going to tell Princess Celestia that you're in love with her?”
“How did you know about that?” Twilight took several deep breaths while checking that all of her bones were still in more or less the right places.
“It's written all over your face, dear. To say nothing of the way you follow her around like a little lost puppy whenever you're at a function together.” The white unicorn clapped her hooves together and screeched like a filly. “Oh, it's so romantic! Falling in love with a princess.”
“I'm a princess, too, y'know.”
Rarity's enthusiasm refused to abate at this information, however. “Still, though ...”

Shaking her head free of these thoughts, Twilight continued her journey; the last of the thatched-roof cottages gave way to wide open fields, hills, babbling brooks … all of them bathed in the light of Celestia's sun. The castle was but a distant speck on the mountaintop. The cool breeze washing over the land was refreshing, taking the edge off the last of the dying heat, and Twilight leaned into it a bit more, enjoying the way it ruffled her mane dramatically. There were precious few times in life when you felt more like a superhero than when you were soaring over the land that it was your duty to protect, and even if she wasn't very good at flying, Twilight knew that it was not a feeling she would willingly give up.
“Princess Celestia,” she said out loud, testing the water, “I love you.” No. Too quick. Too direct. I need to cushion it with something.
“Princess, we've known each other for so long ...” Yeah, remind her that she's watched me grow up from a filly. That isn't weird at all when I'm trying to confess my feelings.
“Princess, I have nothing but the deepest respect and admiration for you ...” Ugh. That's exactly the kind of thing that creep Blueblood would say right before saying the most disrespectful thing he could think of.
Panting hard, wings a chaotic jumble, Twilight came in for a landing in the castle's courtyard. How did Rainbow Dash make flight seem so effortless? Somewhere deep in that girl's ancestry was a mad relative who had been overly familiar with an eagle or something. Grateful to be able to use her legs again, even if they were a bit wobbly, she walked along the cool stone path to the entrance, her mind in turmoil. Half of her being wanted to break into a trot until she reached the throne room, and the other half wanted to run all the way back to Ponyville and commence with her contingency plan of hiding under a rock.
“Princess Twilight Sparkle,” a guard said, bowing theatrically. “I wasn't aware you had business with Princess Celestia tonight.”
“I don't,” replied Twilight, nodding politely at the guard. “I'm here on a, er, personal errand.”
“Go right ahead,” he said, gesturing inside. “She should just be finishing dinner.”
Twilight allowed herself an internal cheer, glad that her impeccable timing skills hadn't diminished. “Thank you.”
“Princess.”
Legs taking on the consistency of jelly all the way, Twilight made her way to the throne room. Celestia would just be in the process of telling a bored-looking Luna about any minor tasks that needed to be attended to during the night. Her heart hammered in her chest until she was certain that somepony was going to tell her to keep it down. Luna would be flitting off to make preparations. Hammer! Celestia would be about to head to her chambers. Hammer!
Her hoof faltering in mid-air, Twilight tapped weakly on the heavy oak door.
“Enter,” Celestia called. If she was surprised or annoyed at somepony making demands on her time when she was supposed to be off the clock, she certainly wasn't showing it in her voice, which was as pleasantly lilting as ever.
Releasing a breath that she didn't even realise she was holding, Twilight pushed the door open and stepped into the room. Despite the calming bluish tint the raised moon lent to the room, her insides felt as knotted as they had when Rarity had tried her best to compact them. “Hello, Princess,” said Twilight, almost choking on those two simple words.
“Twilight!” Celestia's smile managed to light the room up by itself, and Twilight felt herself buoyed by it. “What brings you here?”
“I, uh, there's something that I, um, want to tell you ...”
If Celestia noticed her stammer, she was polite enough not to mention it. “Which is?”
Twilight looked up at the princess – something that she had been doing for almost her entire life – and for the first time she felt as if she were looking at another pony, not an all-powerful goddess. The distance she maintained from those around her felt curiously absent, as if it were something that could be activated with a flick of a switch. Maybe it was? Maybe there was an element of magic to it? Twilight shook her head, desperately trying to regain her focus. “I love you.” Huh. That wasn't so hard after all. Before Celestia could say anything, Twilight pressed on, “I mean, I love you in a romantic sense. I would like for you to be my special somepony. I, uh-”
“Twilight ...”
“-no, let me finish, please!” Amazingly, she felt lighter for having got the confession off her chest. “I don't mind if you don't feel the same way about me, Princess. It's just something I had to tell you.” She affected a smile which quickly dissipated as the enormity of what she'd said hit her. “Um, should I go now?”
“No, I think you should stay,” Celestia said, her shimmering, translucent mane covering her eyes for a moment. “We have much to discuss.”
It wasn't the reply that she had been expecting. Even a refusal would have been less vexing than this. “Of course, Princess,” Twilight said, the confusion evident by the contorted set of her muzzle.
The room seemed to grow half a degree colder and when Celestia spoke, it wasn't with her usual harmonious tone, but something altogether … plainer. “I had my suspicions regarding your feelings for me, Twilight, but I didn't want to say anything until I was sure. Now that I am, I feel there is something you must know about me.”
In the blink of an eye, pure, snow-white Celestia with the iridescent, multi-hued mane was gone, and in her place stood … somepony else. Her coat was light grey, there were deep lines on her face, and her mane was a dark blue with none of its usual lustre. “I am thousands of years old. You knew that already, of course, but perhaps you didn't know this about me. The appearance to which you've become accustomed is nothing more than a carefully applied glamour spell. This-” she waved a foreleg in front of her muzzle “-is the real me. I love you, too, Twilight, and I would very much like to be your special somepony, but a relationship can only work if both parties are honest with each other from the outset.”
After her initial bout of shock, Twilight adjusted quickly. It had never been about looks, and a warm glow suffused her as she realised the depth of trust that Celestia was placing in her. This was more than giving her a title and a castle, she was handing her the keys to her heart. Twilight approached Celestia and placed a tentative kiss on her cheek. “You're still beautiful to me, my princess.”

New prompt: Spines.

4512002
Here's Power Armor!

The air rippled with explosions as a tall, purple mare was chased down a demolished block of Old Ponyville. ‘Three of them! How did I miss three of them!’ She looked back to the three raiders currently attempting to murder her with their high explosive stash.

A few seconds after she leapt over a refrigerator, it blew apart, sending shrapnel in all directions. She stopped for a split second to shield herself with her left wing, proving to be her near-fatal mistake.

A chunk of one of its panels slammed into her wing, snapping it before striking her face and throwing her off her hooves. She cried out in pain as she looked at her wing. It was clearly broken, the rifle strapped to her side underneath in just as bad a shape. A clink at her side spurred her back to action, scrambling away quickly before the little grey apple exploded.

Only the adrenaline flowing in her veins kept her from certain death. ‘Cover. Cover! Anywhere, cover!’ There was another loud clink at her hooves and she reflexively beat at it with her remaining good wing. Two more grenades were tossed clear before going off.

“Come back here and we’ll kill you!” a raider pony yelled, tossing another grenade in her direction. She leapt away as she darted toward the only remaining not-quite-demolished structure in sight.

The Castle of Friendship. It had certainly seen better days, with chunks missing from its base, giving it a teetering look, like it would topple over at the slightest provocation. A glint from one of the windows sent a chill down her spine as she closed.

The window flashed and a gunshot rang out from the castle.

“Gah!” she didn’t have time to react as the bullet whizzed past. It struck a raider’s armed grenade in his hoof, detonating it instantly. ‘It… missed me?’

Another gunshot sounded and felt like it had missed her by a scant few inches, slamming into the second raider’s leg, severing the limb entirely, and the raider pony dropped to the ground, clutching his stump and cursing, completely forgetting the live grenade he’d just dropped. He never got the chance to get away before it detonated, killing him.

Realizing now that she’d stopped and watched, the last raider took the chance to reload his missile launcher, and it was aimed right at her.

‘Oh horseapples…’ she thought as it fired.

A third gunshot rang out and slammed into the missile, detonating it. The last raider was thrown backward from the explosion and didn’t get back up.

The mare took a look at the castle and flinched when she heard another gunshot. After a few seconds, she realized that either the sniper had missed, or shot at another target. She watched the castle for a minute as the entire area quickly fell silent.

Cautiously taking a look around, she examined the last raider’s corpse, taking his launcher and four spare missiles as well as his dozen grenades. She debated taking his armor, but it was so patchwork that it looked like it would’ve ripped apart if she removed it.

As the adrenaline wore off from the battle, the mare sat down and examined her wing properly. ‘It’s broken. Have to set and splint it to heal properly,’ she coldly thought, her thoughts helping to distance her from the coming pain. Her horn lit, a dull raspberry, before the ruined rifle under her wing was dropped to the ground. She she cried out as she set her wing, magically realigning the bones. Her pack opened and a long strip of medical tape came out, winding around the wing and her abdomen.

Taking a stimpak out of her pack, she injected her wing with the healing fluid. It helped ease the pain as the cuts and gashes on her wing sealed. ‘There. Now it’ll heal properly, if I live that long.’

Stowing the broken rifle and her loot away in her pack, she ruminated on the sole building left. ‘Home again, after so long.’ She looked up to the castle, her castle, and arduously made the trek toward it.

---

She had reached the front door. The main staircase had been trapped, but she stepped lightly around the mines. Those had been easy. The tripwires had been hard to spot, but once she figured out the pattern, it was easy to find and step over them. A pressure plate linked to a grenade bundle had been harder, but she managed to get three grenades out of the trap.

Her horn lit and she pushed the doors open, stepping inside. The sniper’s rifle had disappeared after the fight and had yet to come back. ‘Whoever that sniper was, I have to thank them if I find them.’

She looked to the castle she’d owned back before the war. At a glance, it was mostly intact, but looking deeper, the entire structure was spiderwebbed with cracks.

Knowing where she was going, she ended up at her own room pretty quickly. The seals she had placed on the doors all those years ago were still in place and yielded to her signature as easily as the day they’d been installed.

For the first time in over six hundred years, the Princess of Friendship had returned home.

Twilight Sparkle strode in and shut the door, the seals reapplying instantly. She looked over her room. The books she’d left behind were still in good condition, surprising her. The picture on her mantle drew her eyes next. Six ponies, including herself, hugged together in Old Ponyville’s town square. It floated down to her, and one of her hooves stroked across the dusty glass surface. Almost absentmindedly, a second picture floated down next to it, of her and an older, white alicorn kissing passionately, still in their wedding dresses.

‘Where had it all gone so wrong?’ Her ears pinned back as she remembered her best friends and her wife.

A knock sounded at the door, knocking Twilight from her thoughts. She stared at the door for a few seconds before it was knocked on again. She set both the pictures off to the side and made her way over to the door. She’d grown some since she was last in the room, so she had to crane her neck down to look out the peephole.

On the other side of the door was a large pony. Its face and body were covered in a dark greyish armor, and a massive sniper rifle was slung under a white wing.

A hoof reached up once more, and instead of knocking, held up a note.

Twilight Sparkle

I know you’re in there. I just wish to talk. No tricks. No traps.

T

Her subconscious told her she knew this pony. Not just as the sniper, but from before. The wing was familiar, comforting.

After a few seconds, the seals unlocked and the door opened. The pony strode in before the door shut again.

“Alright, who are you?”

The pony chuckled, a tinkling laugh that Twilight knew. Only one pony laughed like that. Twilight took a step back, her ears perking. “T-Tia? Is that you?” she asked, unbelieving.

A hiss sounded and the helmet split in half before dropping to the floor. The first thing Twilight saw was the pony’s mane as it sprung free of its confines. Four colors, waving gently in a non-existent breeze: blue, pink, green, and purple. White coat, with a horn sat atop its head, accompanied by the most piercing, violet eyes she could ever recall.

“You came back,” the mare, Princess Celestia, spoke. Another hiss sounded and the armor seemed to peel away from her body, separating into sections and dropping to the floor in a specific pattern. Underneath the heavy armor, Celestia wore a simple jumpsuit.

“You finally came back,” she whispered, more to herself than Twilight. Once the armor had finished it’s process, only the shoes covering her feet remained on her. She stepped away from the armor, closer to Twilight. Everything went silent as both ponies stared into each other’s eyes. Each noted that the other pony had scars across their face and neck, likely from just trying to stay alive.

“I did.”

“Why did you go?” Celestia held up a hoof. “No. Pertinent questions first. Where did you go?” Celestia eyed the rest of the room as she gave Twilight time to answer. It was nearly as she left it, minus the pack on the floor and two pictures sat on the floor in the middle of the room.

“Where did I go?” she asked, drawing Celestia’s attention again. Twilight had looked away silently, refusing to meet Celestia’s gaze. She sniffled once before responding, “Away.”

Twilight whispered, “Someone had to try and rescue Spike.” She laid down and curled into a ball as best she could. The memories of failure overwhelmed her, and she started crying earnestly.

Celestia lifted a foreleg, as if to close some distance, but thought better of the action.

Twilight’s spiral continued, “Couldn’t. Wasn’t fast enough. Wasn’t strong enough.” She slammed a hoof on the floor before yelling, “I couldn’t save him! He was–” Her tirade stopped suddenly and she coughed. “He was almost gone… by the time I got there.”

Celestia’s heart sank. She knew what Twilight was trying to say. The drake they’d both helped nurture and care for was gone. Steeling herself, she stood up and made her way over to Twilight.

A clanking brought Twilight from her memories, but she refused to acknowledge Celestia.

A cold hoof touched her shoulder as Celestia whispered, “I’m sorry.”

She laid down next to the smaller mare, her wing laying over Twilight. “I’m sorry I couldn’t go with you.” She crossed her neck over Twilight’s, a hoof reaching over and holding on to Twilight’s counterpart. “I’m just so–”

Twilight squeezed Celestia’s hoof as she finally turned to look Celestia in the eyes. “I was there when he… went.” Celestia’s wing tightened around Twilight’s form.

“The fallout got to him quickly. He was so sick. I stayed and took care of him as–” Twilight’s voice cracked. “–as best I could.” She buried her head in Celestia’s neck before breaking down completely.

Celestia held Twilight tight as the smaller mare wailed and cried in her embrace. Her own tears fell, but not nearly as intensely as Twilight’s did. She cooed and whispered to console Twilight, trying to help calm the mare down.

As minutes the minutes passed and turned into an hour, Twilight finally calmed down. A forehoof wiped away the snot that accumulated on her nose, but it wasn’t her own. Celestia nickered and nuzzled into Twilight’s neck as she continued, “He said something before he left. Something I desperately hoped with all my heart.”

A kiss on her forehead prompted Twilight to continue.

“He said, ‘She’s waiting for you to come home. Don’t ask me how, but I just know.’ He also added, ‘Tomorrow, you are going home to her. Leave this sick bag of scales to his rest.’ before going to sleep for the last time. That was three years ago, but I’m home now.”

“He was right. I waited here for the better part of a millennium.” She looked at her armor on the floor. “All in the hope you would eventually return. I only ever left if I needed supplies, which I scavenged from the town and surrounding area.”

Twilight shifted, turning over so they were face to face. Her wing twinged in pain, but ignored it as she stared into Celestia’s eyes. It took a moment, but she realized they hadn’t changed since the last time they’d spoken more than six hundred years ago.

“I love you. With all my heart.” She nosed forward and kissed Celestia.

Surprised, but not unpleasantly so, Celestia returned the kiss. “And I love you, Twilight. With all my heart.”

Gdoc link.

Well, I've been playing a lot of Fallout lately. It was kind of obvious after seeing the Fallout 4 stuff at E3, that I had to use this one. It's been sitting awhile. Feels good to write a prompt again.

New prompt: Flight. We haven't done flight yet, right?

Claiming Flight.

4513466 Oh look, a holiday weekend. Onomatopeia to be delayed due to fireworks. But, I have what I think is a pretty good idea for it.

Prompt: Flight
The purple Pony standing on the streets breathed in the clear mountain air allowing the fresh air to relax her. She extended her wings to their full span as she steadied herself for what she planned to do and with a few strong flaps took off into the starry night sky. Slowly with strong beats she climbed higher and higher bringing her above the tallest tower of the mountainous capital before she levelled off.

Surveying her surroundings before mentally marking a course to her destination so that now ahead was the tall tower where she hoped tonight would be the night everything changed. Silently she made her way to the balcony before landing softly on the polished marble. She took in a few more breaths to steady herself before confidently striding into the room.

Within the room a white colour Pony with a multi-hued mane sat with her back to the open balcony. She was completely engross in her work that she did not hear the purple Pegasus enter until she felt the soft, strong purple wings envelope her. The white Unicorn was a bit confused, but she turned to see the mysterious Pegasus who had suddenly arrived in the city only days before.

The mysterious Pegasus was captivating to the Unicorn Princess, she was strong, charming, yet almost no one in the Court recognized the proud Pegasus even though her fine armour and armaments hinted at her wealth and skill.

The purple Pegasus gave a small half smile, almost a smirk. With swift movements she placed the Unicorn Princess on her back before turning and galloping out onto the balcony where she launched herself into the night air.

The Unicorn Princess would have felt fear at her would be kidnapper yet she was nothing, but entranced by her and settled herself for the flight as the Pegasus soared over the lands. Below she could see more of her future Kingdom than she had ever seen or read in the Palace. Her parents and her sister would throw a fit later, but right now she didn’t care.

Her ears perked as she heard a low voice singing and realized that her Pegasus was singing to her! She smiled at the efforts the Pegasus was making to serenade her and ahead she saw that they were nearing a high plateau and that the mysterious Pegasus was preparing to land. She grinned broadly, tomorrow was for worrying, but tonight however was the chance to know her Pegasus better.

Twilight sighed loudly and even gave into to her urge to facehoof. It was the new Disneigh movie that had only recently came out and as was customary a copy was sent to Canterlot Castle. It had been a lazy and relaxing evening with Celestia or it was until Celestia had suggested they watched this new movie.

It was fine for about the first ten minutes. That was when Twilight realized the inspiration for the movie…. and how it exaggerated everything.

Looking up from her hoof she saw a grinning Celestia who wasn’t even paying attention to the movie anymore.

“This was your idea,” Twilight commented, “this has your hoof marks all over it.”

Celestia gave her lover a broad grin, “Oh Twilight, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Twilight sighed again and muttered, “And of course I fell in love with one of the biggest pranksters in Equestria.”

Celestia bent down and nuzzled Twilight, “Oh cheer up Twilight. The movie’s not that bad, I’ve watched it just before the made it public. It’s actually pretty good despite how inaccurate it may be.”

“Yes, me the bold warrior and you the reclusive Princess,” Twilight said sarcastically, “When did we suddenly change roles.”

Celestia wrapped a wing around the smaller Alicorn, “Just relax Twilight and watch. Better enjoy it now before Luna drags you into one of her movie nights.

Twilight shuddered at the thought and the memory of those movie marathons, before she relaxed and turned her attention back to the movie.

Obvious inspiration is obvious.

New Prompt; Musical

4517828 Claiming Spines

4506932

"Have you ever heard of something called Hedgehog's Dilemma?" Twilight regretted even so much as speaking the words. "It's, uh, it's a psychology term." But then, that was the problem, wasn't it?

"I can't say I have." Celestia continued looking at her menu. Twilight's mind whirled. Why do I want to do this here? Now? In public? She sucked in a breath. It felt like she'd just broken out from under the ice of a frozen lake, greedily taking in a lungful of air. Alone, exposed to nature's harsh elements, but free at last.

"It goes like this." Twilight lit her horn, providing two images of the prickly mammals in question. She looked up to see if Celestia was paying attention. Of course she was. Out of the corner of her eye. Letting Twilight know that she was watching from a safe distance. There's no such thing as cold fusion. Twilight noted dimly. She cleared her throat.

"I'm listening." Celestia's voice was polite, but the smile didn't reach her eyes. There had been a smile just for her there once. But then it had all gone wrong. Twilight had pushed too far, clung too firmly and the strange mollusk she called her marefriend had tucked itself back into its shell. It must be awfully warm in that shell, Twilight mused.

"We're not holding court, you know. And you ordered five minutes ago." Twilight looked over at the menu. "You already gave me that smile. You never frown for me. I've seen you frown three times since we've started...this. Said "no" seven times, five of those to strangers. None of them recently."

"You want me to be more negative? Less supportive?"

Twilight looked down. "That's not what I meant and we both know it." Silence. Celestia's eyes were back on the damned menu.

"It's the idea that two hedgehogs can never touch, even if they might want to." The ethereal creatures chased their way through the plastic pages captured in Celestia's magic, stopping to roll and play directly under her nose. Abruptly, one of them tried to reach out to the other, only to prick itself on one of the spines nestled in the other's back. "It doesn't matter if they're cold, or upset, or just...lonely." Twilight made sure the strain trying to work its way into her voice was fought down. "They may care about each other, but...they're too afraid of those awful spines. The ugly things about them that would hurt their counterpart. So all they can do is endure the pain, together, or the loneliness of being apart." Celestia put the menu down.

"I wanted to give it a try, Twilight." She looked over at the hedgehog that had pricked the other one, if inadvertently. The look of guilt upon its face made her own crease and tense up. "I never meant for..."

"The application in psychology is, of course, for ponies. We all have flaws, things about ourselves that don't gel. And when we try to get closer..."

"It hurts." Celestia said softly. "I'd always suspected that you--felt that way about me. In your eyes. I could always feel it. And, I suppose, part of me felt it, too. But it was never in this way. Not in my heart of hearts. Twilight, I just--" She looked at the menu, then picked it back up. It promptly incinerated. Twilight's horn sizzled with freshly cast magic, and a thousand invisible spines approached her and radiated from her.

"You just...?"

Celestia looked down. "Don't make me say it, please."

"Normally I wouldn't. But it took me three weeks to get here, Tia. Three weeks of never hearing back from you. Of dodging questions. Of ignoring my letters. You're my marefriend. I care. And I thought you did, too." Both ponies looked away, a stab at both of their chests simultaneously.

"Do you love me?" Celestia looked up, eyes intense. Their spines were intertwining now, sticking into one another quickly and freely.

"Yes." Twilight whispered the word with all the solemnity of a funeral, and another barb struck into Celestia, reeling her closer.

"Please, then, just leave it." Stab.

"I can't. Because you don't love me, too." Another stab, this one forcing the two to press away.

"Of course I do!" Celestia threw out her wings, hooves pressing down against the table with perhaps too much force. "I never haven't. But I never...I tried to make this work. I really did." The eyes of the whole restaurant may have been on her, for all that Celestia knew. But she did know she didn't care, even a little. "But it wasn't because I felt the same, and we knew it from the first date on. It was because I was afraid. I was afraid of losing you." The two of them bit their lips, and again they avoided looking one another in the eye. Neither could bear to see the other's pain writ so large across their faces.

Silence, only briefly interrupted by the waiter. He was, mercifully, tactful enough to leave without a word when he saw the mares' faces. "Are you satisfied?" Celestia said the words bitterly.

"Yes." Twilight said the words with the same solemnity as before. "I am. Princess, I--I love you. I always have, and I always will. But...how I love you can change." She swallowed, trying to hide the heartbreak in her face and voice. "Maybe it has to. I know that, either way, hurting you isn't what I want. It never has been. But for the past few weeks, it seems like...like that's all I've been doing."

"Twilight, please." Celestia began.

"I'll find somepony else! I know I can, if I try hard enough."

"Twilight--"

"And then, maybe, we'll be able to stay together. As friends. It won't be the same, but we'll be able to do it. Together." She paused, biting down on her lip. She pushed the pain against her gums as far as she could. It couldn't outstrip the pain of the inevitable loss, but she would be damned if she didn't try. "Right?"

"Twilight, please!" Celestia once again let the mask slip free, throwing her caution to the wind. "I just need...space. Please." There was no decorum in the words. No diplomacy. Just a wounded animal. Stop hurting me, the Princess said.

Twilight's shoulders collapsed down, defeated by the weight of the frost that had gathered along their tops. "Alright." She sagged down in her chair.

Celestia's eyes softened. "Twilight..."

"Go!" Twilight's turn for animal hurt was no less pleasant for Celestia than Celestia's had been for her. There's no such thing as cold fusion, Twilight's mind repeated. "Have your space. Just find something to tether to. 'Cause I know for sure now, it's never gonna be me."

"Twilight--" Celestia's protest was cut off by a flash of light. And there it was. Space. The pony she loved was gone, leaving nothing but an empty, open space for her. Only one thing remained of Twilight at that dinner. The barbs she'd stuck into Celestia lingered with the other pony, and her absence only resonated the pain provided by those awful, jagged spines."

Next prompt: Otherworldly

This trend of sad fics and broken hearts pleases me in ways that I love. It fuels my twisted and scarred soul, it must continue. I can't believe what I am going to do but I am going to take otherworldly now.

I'm taking Frame.

It was a simple mirror. Nothing more or less than any other mirror in any other room. A simple wooden frame in the shape of square with a single pane of glass pressed over a reflective metal sheet. In the reflection was the same pony that always looked back at her. The same white coat with the same violet eyes and the pastel colored mane. There was nothing special about this mirror at all.

It wasn’t the mirror that was special, rather what the mirror reminded her off. In a far off kingdom ruled by her niece was another mirror, a special mirror. In the past it has resided in Ponyville before it had been moved back to it’s home in the Crystal Kingdom. The mirror in question was not like any other mirror in the world. A pony named Starswirl the Bearded had fashioned it into a portal.

The portal led to a dimension he had used as a prison for a trio of creatures known as the sirens. For a time it had been monitored and watched then it was lost. When it returned an old student of Celestia’s had passed through it and made a home for herself in the other world. Again the mirror was forgotten and buried, only the ageless ruler remembered were and what it was.

It would be decades before the old protege came through and stole her newest students crown. This would set of a change of events that would lead to the mirror being moved and the misguided mare learning of friendship.

So goes the story of that mirror. A mirror to another world. All of that makes it a unique mirror but that does not make it special. For something to be special it does not need to be unique, instead it needs a story. The story of this mirror did make it special but there is a part of the story that only two mares know. It goes something like this.

One mare, the ruler of a nation, takes under her tutelage a young promising filly. This young filly lights up her world in ways she never thought would ever happen again. The days they spend together, the curiosity the filly exhibits, it all brings new life to the old castle. For the ruler they are some of her most cherished memories.

But as all stories go when speaking of the young, the filly grew up and left. She moved to a nearby town where she made five wonderful friends. With those friends the world was changed and things the ruler never thought possible begin to happen. And as the ruler watches the mare grow and learn the way she feels changes to.

Her first feelings were familia; which blossomed into a more friendly relationship. This was not enough though and soon her feelings grew warmer and more consuming. She wanted her old student. It was not a primal need but it was a spiritual one. Her heart ached to be closer to the mare, every fiber of her being wanted to stand beside the mare. She had fallen for her and it pained her greatly.
Finally the day came when her wishes came true and the two joined together. There was fear at first but they worked through it and their relationship was stronger than ever. Everypony knew they would someday end up married and rule the nation alongside each other. Not all fairy tales though have a happy ending.

It started simply, the younger mare left the castle and returned to her small town to be with her friends. As the days grew into weeks and the weeks into months bothe mares friends grew worried. After half a year of separation they decided to intervene. Some would call their actions a mistake, others a calamity. Whichever it was does not matter for afterwards the young mare vanished.

This is where the story of the mirror becomes special. The mirror in question is special because it has taken two great things from the same benevolent ruler. Twice has she lost something precious to the mirror and twice has it broken her heart.

Now the ancient ruler sits in front of a normal mirror with no special qualities and she remembers. She remembers the mirror that sits in a storage room in the Crystal Kingdom. Thoughts of the mare she loved and spurned swimming through her mind all because of an otherworldly mirror.

New Prompt: kalon

4529569

Wish I could upvote this twice because of the unique take on the prompt suggestion.

4530059 I've always wanted to do something around the Hedgehog's Dilemma.

have some slow jazz for your troubles.

4530163

Isn't all jazz slow?

4530165 Somebody has obviously never heard a jam.

4530189

My girlfriend's dad is quite into jazz music. Sadly, I've never developed a taste for it (I like some examples, like the NGE one above, however).

4530200 I'm much the same way. Not too fond of jazz but I like some examples, like with all music.

Returned from vacation, work on Onomatopeia re-commences.

Edit: Response 3000. WHERE'S MY FREE TRIP TO TAHITI?

4530375

You can have an all expenses paid trip to Tahiti

or

Ten minutes with Princess Celestia.

Choose well.

4530882 Tahiti! Ten minutes with Celestia would just ruin everything else.

4530916

How so?

4530918 After that ten minutes, what can compare?

4530925

But it is something unique and special. Tahiti ain't going nowhere ('cept for wherever tectonic shifting takes it).