Just a sneak peek at Her Royal Morning Coffee · 3:51am Nov 11th, 2017
NaPoWriMo is going slow. Went back into HRMC to do a little editing, and thought I'd let people take a sneak peek. At best, it will be out in January, so don't get too hyped up.
“Um…” Dry Roast was rather uncertainly getting used to coffee-flavored alicorn kisses of great intensity. This… was different. “Prin— Um, Luna.” He swallowed nervously. “I don’t think we should be kissing at the store.”
“Why?” Luna turned her head slightly, making the moonlight glitter off her mischievous eyes.
“Because I’m the owner and you’re an employee and it’s… Um…”
“Illegal?” asked Luna.
“I think so,” admitted Dry, although trying to figure out just how he could be accused of using his influence as the owner of a small coffee shop against the Princess of the Night in exchange for some sort of sexual favors.
“Really?” Luna flicked her lashes and shook her head with just the hint of a smile. “Well, I shall have to look into the proper judicial punishment for Mister and Missus Cake, for I did see both of them within their establishment several days ago, exchanging a most passionate kiss.”
“Oh, it doesn’t apply to them,” said Dry in a rush. “They’re marr—” His rebellious brain stopped Dry Roast's lips before the 'M' word could get all the way out and considered his path backwards through the verbal minefield he had just planted. Luna seemed to enjoy his befuddlement and blessed his cheek with a brief kiss.
“You are so sweet,” she cooed. “And a far better competitor than Shining Armor.”
“I wasn’t aware there was a contest,” said Dry, suddenly remembering that astonishingly smug expression on the young stallion when he had last talked to him during the flower festival.
“You sound so much like Princess Cadence,” sighed Luna. “Shining Armor was most blind to my entries, pretending not to notice when I would touch him on the flank as I passed by, like this—” Luna’s soft body brushed up against Dry Roast “—or when I would flick him with my tail like this—” Once she had demonstrated the technique, Luna reached out with a wingtip “—or even—”
“I get the message!” said Dry Roast.
“But there is so much more,” insisted Luna, making Dry Roast hold his hooves over his ears.
“I don’t want to know,” he moaned. After a few moments of relative silence, he removed his hooves and looked at Luna, who was simply sitting in the darkness without saying a word.
“Okay,” he admitted. “I want to know. Why were you flirting with Princess Cadence’s fiancé? Did Cadence know?”
“Of course.” Luna had a near predatory purr to her voice. “If there is no chase, there is no joy in the capture. To the victor goes the spoils, and without a contest, there can be no victor.”
“It sounds a little… competitive” hazarded Dry.
“It is an alicorn thing,” said Luna in a dismissive fashion. “When I returned to discover the young Princess Mi Amore Cadenza had a prospective suitor, and my dear sister was not providing the proper alicorn role model, I took it upon myself to educate her in the ways of our kind.”
Luna valued honesty, so Dry Roast decided to voice his opinion. “Are stallions just the prize in a carnival game?”
“Nay,” said Luna. “Only the most attractive stallion triggers the alicorn mating reflex, determined by the number and intensity of the mare's desires for him. If she is to dominate the social structure, she must fight over the bodies—” Luna looked over at Dry “—metaphorical only, of course. Anyway, she must fight over all other mares for her stallion until she is victorious and takes him to breed.”
“Breed?” asked Dry weakly.
“Not in a metaphorical sense,” stated Luna. “Once the hormones get stirred up, it is a natural consequence. Observe how swiftly Princess Cadence did become with foal.”
Dry had to ask. “What about what you told me before, how you and Celestia used to compete for a mate?”
Luna waved a dismissive hoof. “She is much older and has become a dried up old prune. As much as I would like to see her once again pursue some young stud, her flames of desire have cooled into embers.” She shrugged. “It is probably for the best. She used to set them on fire with her kisses. Only slightly,” added Luna at Dry's wince.
Dry could not help but follow his mind further down the road he did not want to tread. “Did any of them survive the… breeding afterwards?”
Luna shrugged again. “What better way to go out? We received no complaints in that regard.” The faintest smile tugged at the corners of her lips while she looked at Dry Roast’s reaction. “Strange,” remarked Luna with those mischievous sparkles in her eyes again. “Shining Armor did look much like that when we told him of alicorn proclivities too. We feel it is only fair and proper to give you such an education as well.”
This is pretty much the opposite of what you should be doing if you want to avoid hype.
Assuming, of course, you actually do want to avoid hype.
This did nothing but get me hyped...
4722815 4722828 If hype were *bad* for media releases, we wouldn't see so many trailers for upcoming movies, or book snippets in the New York Times.
Tormentor!!
How dare thou tantalise we poor beings with thy honeyed words and thence depart leaving us beguiled and moonstruck?
(I think my serious lack of sleep is getting to me....)
4722831
You make a very compelling argument.