//------------------------------// // Carrots - Fuzzyfurvert // Story: Dark Paradise: the TwiLuna Group Collab // by Habanc //------------------------------// Written by: Fuzzyfurvert ***** Luna smacked her lips and looked down at the bottle again. “And you say this carrot juice is fermented? It seems fine to Our palate.” “Nononono… it isn’t fermented!” Twilight chuckled gently. “It has fermented spirits added to it by Carrot Top.” “This Carrot Top is a brewer, by profession, We take it?” “No, she’s a gardener. A sort of small scale farmer that uses a patch of land leased from Sweet Apple Acres to grow small batches of legacy vegetables, which she then sells at the Ponyville market. I get my tomatoes and carrots from her. As well as this oddly tasty carrot moonshine.” Luna raised her eyebrows at the mention of moonshine. “If this Carrot Top is a serf, then from whence doth the spirits hail? And, pray tell, why are they called ‘moonshine’? This modern form of nomenclature wouldst imply it comes from Our great duty.” Twilight grinned, the moonshine bringing a blush to her cheeks and loosening her mouth a little more than she might have planned. “Carrot Top gets the booze from Berry Punch, who - before you ask - is actually employed as a Florist of all things. She just happens to run a ‘still out of the woods behind her house. Somehow, Berry can drink the stuff straight. They rest of us have to have it cut and mixed with juice.” Twilight leaned over, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper even though there were no other ponies to overhear them in the empty library. “Rarity prefers hers with frozen fruit slush, but don’t tell Applejack that. She thinks we all drink her family cider.” Luna’s nose wrinkled at the smell of alcohol on Twilight’s breath. “Don’ get me wrong, we all like AJ’s cider, but she only produces th’ stuff for three months out the year! What else are we supposed to drink the other ten months?” “Fair Twilight… perhaps you have had enough? We can smell it from here.” Luna narrowed her eyes, looking the purple mare up and down. “You seem to Us to be well into your cups. A proper lady of Canterlot birth knows when she has reached her limits. We do not mean to lecture...We ourself are not known for Our own restraint, but since Our return We have tried to present a better role model.” Twilight continued to lean in close to Luna and remained silent for a long time. “You have a really pretty voice, Princess.” Luna blinked. “And reeeeeally purty...prety...pretty eyes.” Twilight took another sip from her bottle. “Theres a real good story behin’ the moonshine name. If you wanna hear it, we could go up to my room.” “I got books.” Twilight added as an afterthought. Luna looked at her own bottle and then back at Twilight. “Is it unbecoming of Us if...if We had a mind to take you up on your offer? It has been so long since last We visited the bed chambers of another pony.” Twilight blinked. “Sorry Princess, is that a ‘yes’? I’m kinda tipsy.” Luna nodded vigorously. “Oh good! Then let’s-!” Twilight’s eyes bulged and her turned quickly in her seat, her mane and body blocking Luna’s sight as she evacuated her stomach rather loudly. Luna placed a concerned hoof on Twilight’s shoulder as the other mare heaved. “Are we going now… or should We wait while you refresh yourself?”