4530931 And I can go back to it!

4531009

4531025 Eh, she's got a Twily to get back to... and I'm gonna have Tahiti!

4531038

Oh, yeah, it's a new page. We need a new prompt list!

Caramel
CAPS LOCK
Frame
Greeting Cards
Mardi Gras
Clover Shampoo
Onomatopoeia
Musical
Competition
Kalon
Obmutescent
Twilestia
Yex

Prompt: Onomatopeia

*Tick, tick, tick* It took her a minute to place the sound. “Clock. Bedside. Right, got it.” Slowly Celestia rose towards consciousness. It’d been a long week and now that the weekend was here, she was determined to make the most of it… by doing nothing. Luna had volunteered to take care of the sun and Celestia had leaped at the opportunity.

The quiet sounds of a lazy morning surrounded her. Outside the open window the leaves rustled as a light breeze moved them about. In the distance she could hear the babble of a small brook. All around her the world was waking up.

*Dee duh duh! Dee, Dee Duh Duh* The piercing trill of a killdeer rang out, greeting the morning. Celestia’s lips twitched with the trace of a smile. The palace in Canterlot was too full of ponies for the birds to be comfortable there, so she only got to really enjoy them when she left. She lay there, eyes closed, soaking in the morning.

She sighed in contentment, remembering the previous evening when she’d teleported to Ponyville, stolen it’s most precious treasure and ran away with it to the mountains. Speaking of… she cocked her ears and listened. *scritch scritch scritch* There it was. The sound of a quill scribbling notes. There was a light musical hum underlying it. Twilight using her magic and writing something down at the desk. Her treasure, stolen in the night and whisked away.

*Fweeeee* a sharp whistle rang out through the house. A tea kettle, put on to boil, was apparently her wake up call for the morning. She listened to the hooffalls of her mare. Waiting as the went into the kitchen. Then she waited for them to return.

*Clip clop, clip clop* When they halted at the foot of the bed, Celestia knew the gig was up.

“Good morning Celestia.” Twilight Sparkle was watching her open her eyes with a smile. “How is everything this morning?”

With a slightly deeper hum of magic, Celestia accepted the cup of tea. She sat up and smiled. She took a sip and smiled happily. “Thank you Twilight. Everything is just… perfect this morning.”

Word count:366
New prompt:Pomp (and circumstance)
Notes: Yeah, I can see why that one was on the list for so long. It was tough. I hope this was good enough for enjoyment. I grew up in the boonies, so the sound of killdeer in the morning is something I remember with great fondness.

4531834 I love killdeer. We get them down by my local park. Lovely birds.

4531070

Think I'll snag Frame.

4531834

Good stuff.

she sighed in contentment, remembering the previous evening when she’d teleported to Ponyville, stolen it’s most precious treasure and ran away with it to the mountains.

Adorable!

4529856

Apologies. Didn't realise you'd claimed this already.

4535756
It's fine. We can both take the prompt.

4514001
Sequel? Here's a sequel.

Yes, this is a sequel to Return, I had an idea for what's next.

Prompt: Frame
Celestia sighed deeply her body still tense. What had begun as a wonderful day where she could finally relax away from the troubles and trials of managing the nation had soured quickly; she knew just how easily the hard-earned peace could abruptly turn for the worse.

She looked around her chambers and wince as only hours earlier it was as clean as it ever was, her quarters were usually in good condition so much so that the maids employed by the castle had little to do here when they made their rounds by her chambers.

Now however it was in disarray as though a powerful maelstrom had swept through the room. The maelstrom was relentless and strewn possession and upturned furniture scattering them with no heed to their value monetary or sentimental.

Few things had survived the raging maelstrom in good condition and two examples sat between her hooves. One was a heavy bound book and the other was one of the few photos to remain in their frames, both reminders of Twilight.

Celestia sighed again; it had been a long time since she lost control over her mind and magic. Centuries of dealing with the Court had led her to perfect a mask of composure that few ever saw her without. Twilight was one of those few who had seen the mare that was kept locked away from a judgmental public. Yet happily and sadly Twilight had managed to get closer to her heart than many had in countless years, it truly had been a long time since her last close companion.

Not even her previous student, her nephew, or her niece was as close as she would have liked. Sunset Shimmer before she fell prey to darker magic and left Equestria, Polaris Blueblood before the pressures and demands of high society broke his joyful youth, and even Cadance with her love magic had helped to ease the pain of loneliness, but there was always this gulf that made finding closeness and companionship with them difficult.

Seating on the table where it had been carelessly dropped was another example of what had survived the maelstrom, that scroll. The one that started this chain of events with Twilight and while she wanted nothing more to burn the offending scroll to mere ash, she knew that she could not. It was her only chance to know how the letter, this should-have-never-been-sent letter was sent.

Enveloping the scroll in her magic as she prepared to cast a trace spell; every mage’s signature was distinct regardless of species. No two beings had identical magic and while they could be close or nearly imitated, yet none of those were perfect. With the spell finished all she needed to do now was wait for the results to materialize.

Slowly the magic enveloping the scroll faded and began to gradually form a new shape. As the shape formed her eyes widen as she saw a seemingly familiar form before her. The possible implication of what the shape showed was too much for her, taxed and stressed as she was and she quickly fainted.

She came to sometime later when the Moon was higher in the sky. She blinked her eyes as she struggled to stand. Once she managed to steady herself on her hooves she looked around for the scroll only to find it on the table where she had left it earlier still as could be as though it had never been moved.

Celestia sighed again and massaged her head with a forehoof, whatever the implication of her spell was it was too much for her to deal with tonight. Tomorrow was a new day and a fresh start on finding who had sent Twilight the scroll.

New Prompt: Troll (How has this prompt not come up yet with Celestia around?)

4539841

Excellent. The plot thickens.

I may have gone just the slightest bit overboard with Frame. This is literally the most painful and difficult thing I've ever written. Trying to respect the traditions and artistry involved while also ponifying it and keeping it smut-free ... Celestia knows, it's probably pretty bad. I tried to keep it strictly T-rated, but I'm gonna throw it up as a link just in case. I'd really appreciate any and all views you may have on this (as well as corrections, criticisms, etc: it's really late, and I won't be able to edit coherently until the morning).

Apologies for the messed-up line formatting. I don't know how to get it to not do that.

hxxp://www.geocities.ws/ashk09/twilestiaframe-2.html

4548518 I... don't know how I feel about this. On the one hand, there is nothing explicit. On the other hand, there is definitely something very.... intimate going on there.

Claiming Pomp

Pomp

“Because, dammit Luna! I have been alone for a thousand years!” Celestia shouted with tears streaming down her formerly pristine coat. “And this bright, inquisitive young filly damn near blows up my school trying to hatch a dragon egg. She’s scared, she’s showing off more raw power than most unicorns will show in their entire lives, and she’s in need. And I help. I’m there to calm her down on the most stressful day of her young life. And I’m rewarded with a personal student who wants nothing more than to be the very best student of magic she can be, because she fell in love with how I rose the sun.”

Celestia sniffled and kicked the ground. Luna sat on her haunches across from her, not moving: even her mane stayed still and lifeless.

“She’s the closest thing I’ve had to a daughter. I’ve cared for her for so much of her life, Lulu, and now she needs me again!” Celestia slumped to the ground and covered her face in her hooves. Through her hooves, Celestia muttered, “You know what it’s like to be alone with no one there. Banishing you to the moon remains my deepest, most bitter regret. But you don’t know what it’s like to alone for so long, surrounded by ponies who care only what you can do for them. Every relationship was business or politics. There was nopony for me, Luna. Twilight changed everything for me. She brought me joy and purpose again. And she brought you back. I would do anything to pay her that kindness.”

Luna settled down next to Celestia and stroked her older sister’s withers with a hoof. “You’re right, as always, dear sister. But still, I worry this princesses-only-slumber-fest is for your benefit, not hers. All pomp and circumstance and nothing to help her heal.”

“It is for her benefit. All she wants is to be loved, Lulu. Like anypony else. Like you did.” Celestia nestled further into her hooves, whispering to the pillows. “Like I do.”

Next prompt: Hiatus

4551596

Yeah, that was pretty much my view, too. It still needs some work, so maybe I'll just post it as a stand-alone (or maybe Fuzzy could add it to the clop collab). We'll see. Thanks for the comment.

4551783

Gimme Hiatus.

Before I get to the prompt, I'd just like to say: I've been a member of this forum for a year now!

I'd like to thank all of you who've read, commented, and voted upon my stories over that time. I know some of them were a bit weird (Asexual, Hat, and Chuck Norris for instance), but never once did anyone say, "Hey, Ash, you're a total idiot. Stop ruining our lovely thread with your dumb ideas." I appreciate your kindness, support and compassion.

Anyway, enough of my drunken babbling. On to the Twilestia! Fittingly, it contains an anniversary.

Prompt: Hiatus.

Rainbow Dash felt the top half of her face – the only part of her body that wasn't covered by Rarity's hastily-fashioned cold weather clothing – scrunching up tightly against the bitter cold of the mountain breeze that sought to turn her and her friends into icicles. She wondered for the zillionth time why she was being dragged away from her flight practice to climb this foreboding peak.
Ponies didn't tend to wear clothing, except on those rare days when protocol or the occasion demanded it, and now Rainbow Dash understood why: they sucked. They pinched you in places that nothing and nopony had any business going near. How anypony could make a living out of this, much less be one of the richest ponies in Ponyville, was beyond her ability to comprehend. She guessed that none of the others were entirely happy about this little jaunt either, though they were all doing their best to be supportive. The things one did for the sake of the Princess of Friendship ...
“Thank you, again, for agreeing to come with me, girls,” Twilight Sparkle said, the lower part of her face likewise almost obscured by a scarf covering her muzzle. So much so, in fact, that every third word of her speech was muffled by the warm fabric. That was the price you paid when you wandered into low temperatures that even a polar bear might've found a bit on the chilly side. “I'm not anticipating any major problems, but it doesn't hurt to have a bit of backup in case things go awry.”
“That's okay,” said Pinkie Pie airily, chirpily bounding across the slippery path rather than trudging alongside the others, her half-closed eyes suggesting that she was oblivious to the danger posed by the ice. “You know how much we love going off on these little quests with you, throwing ourselves into incomprehensible peril for no good reason!”
“It's for a very good reason,” said Twilight, though she couldn't help the twinge of guilt that shot through her at that moment. It wasn't often that she did something that was purely for selfish ends, and she felt entitled to indulge herself just this once. Okay, it wasn't technically selfish, but still.
“Indeed, it is,” Rarity said, her eyes lighting up as brightly as the diamonds of her cutie mark as visions of romance novels, handsome princes and beautiful princesses swam through her mind. “The best reason of all, actually: she's in love!”
“Well, we all knew that already, sugarcube,” Applejack said impatiently, her trademark Stetson threatening to abandon its customary position atop her head every time the wind shifted. “But it still doesn't actually explain why we're climbing this mountain.”
“You didn't know?” Rarity's eyes widened even further, though this time it was because of the surprise she felt at her friends' forgetfulness of dates. “It's been a year.”
“Oh,” the group – minus Twilight and Rarity – said in unison.
“We're here,” Twilight said, as they crested the ridge of the mountain. Just a hundred or so feet away lay their final destination: the mouth of a large cave.
A few moments of trudging through the snow later, they stood at the periphery of the cave. “Is everypony ready?” asked Twilight, feeling just a shred of doubt about her plan. It seemed vital to her that she do something really meaningful to show Celestia just how much she valued their relationship, but it was only now that she realised how hare-brained her scheme truly was.
“It would help,” said Rainbow Dash, suppressing a whine of annoyance, “if we knew what we were supposed to be ready for exactly.”
“Well,” Twilight said hesitantly, “you remember five years ago when we asked that dragon to leave its lair over Ponyville because of the smoke pollution he was causing?”
The others looked at her, mouths agape. It was Fluttershy who, predictably enough, spoke first, her eyebrows quickly hitting their apex in alarm. “Did you say … dragon?”
“Don't worry, he knows that we're coming,” said Twilight hastily, “but he doesn't know what the reason for our visit is.”
“He isn't the only one. What does any of this have to do with your and Celestia's anniversary?” asked Applejack, the strain of being kept in the dark for so long beginning to bubble over.
“All right. I guess I should've told you from the beginning, but I was afraid that … well, I was afraid that you might try and talk me out of it.” Twilight's cheeks flushed lightly, although it was barely noticeable because she was already so red from making the exhausting climb. “When Celestia was forced to abandon the Castle of the Two Sisters in the Everfree Forest after the battle with Nightmare Moon, there wasn't time to move many of its treasures to Canterlot before the vault became too unsafe for anypony to enter. Some of them were lost to the swamps, others were taken by foolhardy bandits, and some were stolen by creatures with an insatiable lust for shiny objects.” Twilight slipped so easily into lecture mode and the others just looked at her askance as she completed her spiel. “When we faced the dragon for the first time, my eye was drawn to a particular jewel, but I didn't know its full significance back then. Now I do.”
“What is it and why should we care?” Rainbow Dash asked, tapping her hoof impatiently, wishing desperately that she was back in Ponyville hanging out with Scootaloo. Or napping on a cloud. Or … anything else, really.
“Back in ancient times, newborn ponies had a special jewel cut for them that signified the qualities their parents wished to bestow upon them. I remember reading about it in one of my history books. Anyway, to cut a long story slightly shorter, Celestia once told me about hers and how she believed it lost in the old castle.”
“And you're sure it's the exact same one?” asked Fluttershy. Her desire to help a friend outweighed her fear of the dragon.
“Positive,” Twilight said with a nod. “The drawing in the book is a dead-spit for the emerald in the dragon's lair.”
“Well, let's go get it, then!” said Rarity, urging the others on with a forceful tone.
With a certain amount of trepidation, they crossed the threshold; the cave was large, dimly lit and cold, but it kept the worst of the wind out, so the ponies were at least able to take the hoods of their jackets down and remove their scarves. At the very back of the cave was a large, red dragon, slumbering over his jealously-guarded horde of jewels. He opened one eye and scrutinised the visitants to his realm. “You are the Princess Twilight Sparkle?”
“Yes, I am,” replied Twilight, masking her irritation at the use of her title. She'd only included it in her message because her studies had told her that older dragons had a deep respect for old-fashioned epithets. Just underneath the dragon's enormous, razor-sharp claw, she spied the emerald which she sought.
“For what reason have you come here?”
Straight down to business, then? Fair enough, Twilight was ready to do just that. “I wish to barter with you for one of your treasures.”
A deep, hideous guttural noise filled the cave and it took Twilight and her friends a moment to realise that it was the sound of the dragon laughing. “Dragons do not easily relinquish their treasures.”
“I'm not asking you to relinquish anything, I am asking you for a trade. From what I understand of the Ancient Protocols of the Draakon tribe, you may part with an object if it is replaced by another of equal or greater value and you will receive no stain upon your honour,” said Twilight, an edge of pleading in her voice.
The dragon considered for a moment, impressed by the pony's knowledge of his kind. “Which of my treasures do you seek?”
Twilight snagged the emerald in her magical grasp and levitated it in front of him. “This one. It has great sentimental value to both me and my mentor.”
“Sentimental value?” The dragon huffed a smoke ring which encircled Twilight Sparkle. She coughed in protest. The meaning was plain: she was on thin ice here. “Sentimentality is not true value.”
“What would you ask of me in return for the emerald?” Twilight asked, batting away the last of the smoke with her hoof.
Burning amber eyes traced Twilight and her friends, finally alighting upon Rainbow Dash. “I ask for … satisfaction.”
“What does that mean?”
“That rainbow one impugned my honour when she attacked me and I was left unable to fight back.”
“So. You want to fight Rainbow Dash? Is that it?” Twilight readied a flow of magic to her horn; if things were about to go bad, she wanted to get everypony out of this cave in a hurry.
“No problem,” Rainbow Dash said, cutting into her preparations, already limbering up.
“No,” the dragon said, leaning close to Twilight, “I wish from her something … else.”
The sinister tone with which he'd spoken made even Rainbow Dash gulp nervously.

*

“This is fantastic, Twilight, I never thought I'd see my birthstone again!” Celestia said excitedly, practically bounding around the throne room like a filly. “But how in Equestria were you able to find it?”
Twilight quickly recounted the story of her visit to the dragon.
“But what did the dragon want from Rainbow Dash in recompense?” she asked in confusion. Her mien darkened somewhat. “She is all right, isn't she?”
“Wha-?” Twilight feigned shock at the implication that she'd let one of her best friends be injured on her account. “Of course she is. Do you really think I'd let some measly dragon hurt her?”
“Then, what?”
It was with a small smirk that Twilight spoke her next words, “Her mane.”
It was Celestia's turn to look surprised. “Come again?”
“He asked for a lock from each colour of her hair. Apparently, in Ancient Draakon society, a way of redressing the balance if there's no clear winner of a duel is for each participant to take something of value from their opponent as a means of calling a truce. Rainbow Dash took the dragon's dignity, so he did likewise. That, it seems, was worth more to him than the emerald.”
“Ah,” Celestia said, understanding. “So we won't be seeing her out of doors for a while?”
“Not for a few weeks, no. Unless she has designs on joining a punk band, though Rarity's trying to talk her into going for a whole new style.”
“I will have to remember to thank her for her sacrifice,” the Princess of the Sun said, hiding her grin behind an elegantly-shod hoof.
“But hopefully later,” Twilight said, a seductive smile creasing her muzzle. “I went to a lot of trouble to get that thing for you, and I think that you should spend the rest of the night thanking me.”
“Seems like a fair trade to me,” Celestia said, crossing the room to embrace the younger alicorn.

New prompt: Come-hither.

4552816 First off. I liked this, it was enjoyable. I do have to ask, what about this did Hiatus prompt? I'm not saying it didn't and its not related. I'm just curious as to how the prompt tickled your imagination.

4552816 Happy anniversary!

4553061

Being a fan of word-play, I was thinking of all the meanings of the word Hiatus, so that's how I ended up with the cave (Hiatus can refer to a physical gap, as well as a temporal one). I'd had a notion to do something involving Rainbow Dash and the dragon, as well as a Twilestia anniversary story to celebrate being here for a year, so I ended up mixing all that together into one story.

4553298

Thank you!

4554239 Ooooooooooooohhhhhhhhh, I get it now. That's interesting.

4554576

I don't always know what I'm doing either.

Thought I would repost an updated prompts list;
Caramel
Clover Shampoo
Come-hither
Competition (ultra1437)
Greeting Cards (Jonesly)
Kalon
Mardi Gras
Musical
Obmutescent
Troll
Twilestia
Ugly
Yex (palaikai)

Also of note is that we're about ten away from hitting 450 total chapters (Here)

4555563

That's a lot of C-words.

4556920
Huh, it is. Never noticed that before.

4557669

In retrospect, I suppose I shouldn't have added two of them.

4557716 Do we know what the oldest of them is?

4557725

Of mine or in general? Of mine, it's Caramel (four weeks). In general, it's CAPS LOCK (six weeks), I think.

4557725
Greeting Cards from Page 52, 31 and a Half Weeks, also mine....

I need to create easier to use prompts.

4557835 Claim: Greeting Cards. I like a challenge :D

Claiming competition.

Got an idea for a Troubleshooters prompt.

Edit - Relinquishing my claim. Keeping the idea, but it just won't happen soon.

4560405 You can't have it. Denied.

4560666
I'm taking it anyway, I don't have to listen to you!

4560669 My nonexistent authority has been disrespected.

4555563 Claiming CAPS LOCK

4555563

Go on, then, I'll do Yex.

4555563 Caps Lock

"AND ANOTHER THING!" A chalice went flying against the wall, causing cracks to form in the crystal. Earth pony strength did have its advantages. “WE GROW WEARY OF OUR SOBERING CIRCUMSTANCE! WE WISH FOR A ‘ROM-COM AND CHEETOS’, PER OUR SISTER’S SUGGESTIONS! ONLY THEN MAY OUR DESIRE TRULY BE SATIATED! COME, TWILIGHT. TO THE SOFA WITH US!" Celestia, her eyes drooping and her cheeks overwhelmed with a radiant blush, motioned for another chalice of wine.

"Err, I was actually thinking now would be a good time to get some sleep.” Twilight tried her very best to look diplomatic, but a better word would be “baffled” or “slightly terrified”. She tried to speak as reasonably as possible, making sure to discreetly concentrate the room’s remaining wine into a single place well outside Celestia’s reach. “But, uh, could you teach me that Canterlot Voice spell some time? It would be very useful for getting Dash's head out of the clouds." Twilight looked over at the hunched form of her one-time mentor, the smug look in the latter's eyes being met with worry by the former.

"'TIS NOT SOME MYSTIC ART OR ROYAL SECRET! WE ALICORNS HAVE VAST...GREAT..." She seized a bottle from Twilight’s stash with a burst of singularly powerful magic, then downed it in one gulp and threw it at the wall with just as much force as the first. The sun princess completed her demonstration by motioning with her hooves to show some object of immense size, "...LUNGS LIKE BAGPIPES! OUR VOCAL CHORDS ARE PIANO STRINGS! SOON YOUR GROWTH WILL BE COMPLETE, AND YOUR VOICE WILL JOIN THE CACAPHON...CACAPHO...THE GREAT CHORUS OF OUR OWN!"

In hindsight, perhaps inviting Celestia to a private drink after the Summer Sun Celebration had been a bad idea. One private drink had become ten, then seventeen, and then the privacy had become...personal. And loud. Some kind of current of tension had started building up between them, a sort of tension she only felt when Celestia was giving her time meant for her and her alone. Things like “faithful” and “only for you” and “worry” and “always” were tossed around. Warm and cozy grins mingled with bashful blushes and glances that held some kind of risk Twilight couldn’t quite pin down. It had been a blessed evening, for a while...

"Umm, Princess--"

"PRINCESS! PAH! WE ARE MORE THAN SOME WORD!,” Celestia spat, a scowl overtaking her face. "SPARE US YOUR TITLES. YOUR "PRINCESS" IS IN ANOTHER CASTLE!" And then it had all gone wrong. There had been a moment when Celestia had moved forward, with a confidence and potency that was only meant for her. Her lips had pursed, and Twilight had moved up her ear to hear what she was certain Celestia was about to whisper. The Princess, in a somewhat flat and exasperated voice, had dutifully informed Twilight that she was very grateful for the chance to catch up and the evening. The quality of the time spent together and the quantity of wine bottles within her cellar had declined much more rapidly (and much more uncomfortably) from that point onward.

“Err...right. Celestia.” Twilight hastily made sure to remove as much of the wine from the premises as she could find. “Maybe we should find you a place to lie down.”

“WE NEED NO CREATURE COMFORTS! AND THOU ARE NOT OUR VASSAL! WE WILL NOT HAVE OUR CLOSEST AND GREATEST OF BOSOM-FRIENDS RUNNING ABOUT LIKE SOME CHAMBERMAID FOR OUR PETTIEST OF CONCERNS!” Celestia teetered back and forth in her chair. Grand, theatrical gestures punctuated each of her words, wings and hooves splaying at each turn.

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “‘Bosom-friend’? I don’t think we’ve ever done anything quite so risqu--”

“NOR WILL WE BOW TO COWARDICE IN THE FACE OF SO SWEET AND VOLUPTUOUS A CREATURE! WE ARE THE VERY MEASURE OF MIGHT, BY WHICH ALL ARE--WHAAA--OMPF!” The wind was knocked out of Celestia’s lungs by the arrival of a potent and worthy opponent: gravity. Celestia pouted, examining the floor upon which she had so roughly landed. “We are the never-ending sun…” The larger pony meekly protested.

“How many hooves am I holding up?” Twilight stood over Celestia, her teeth grinding against one another and her eyes wide with worry.

“ONE!” Celestia’s voice came out clear and triumphant.

Twilight, who had in fact not been holding up any hooves, gave the longest-suffering of sighs in the pony world. “I can’t tell if that’s alcohol or dizziness talking, but that just about does it.” Twilight approached Celestia slowly. “What set you off drinking anyway? What was it you wanted to tell me so badly that downing half my wine cellar seemed like a better idea? And, uh, ‘voluptuous’?” Twilight glanced at her flank with a half-frown. “Where did that come from?”

“My sister…”

“Oh, Pri--lestia.” Twilight found her mouth engaging in some truly impressive gymnastics just to evade bringing forth a potential “P” word and setting off her old tutor. “Is this about what you told me about last year? She forgives you for what you did, you know. And you should, too.”

Celestia waved a hoof away, nose scrunched up in irritation. “NAY! She’s been making fun o’ me.” Celestia sighed her own sigh of legends, this one suggesting that what she was about to confess to had been a favourite trump card of her little sister for many moons now.

Twilight’s concern immediately fell into irritation. “Seriously? That’s why you’re drinking? Come on, Prin--elestia.” Even when chastising her, the name Twilight had called her mentor by for all her existence lived free and died hard. “We’re not school fillies. You’ve gotta have a little thicker skin than that.” She looked down at the mess of a creature in front of her. “...Right?”

“Tis not her jest…” Celestia sighed. A dim part of Twilight’s mind noted that Celestia was still talking in Old Equish. “Tis the shadow of truth behind it. The jab to our courage and to our attractiveness.” Celestia’s eyes went wide again. “WE NEED MORE DRINK! WHY ARE WE NOT CUSHIONED IN GLORIOUS SLUMBER, TWILIGHT?!”

“No! You’ve had more than enough. Far more. And, uhh, I think I should consider soundproofing my walls.” She noticed the fracture lines running along the walls with a wince. “And making them shatterproof.”

“We know a mending spell! WORRY NOT, FAIR TWILIGHT, WE SHALL--” Celestia’s attempt to cast a spell was silenced by Twilight’s hoof applying itself to the tip of her horn.

“What we’re going to do is get you to sleep. Then we’re going to have a talk about this in the morning. Besides, you’re plenty attractive. I don’t know what Luna think she’s talking about, but we’ll--”

“NAY! If we do not speak it now, we will hide it from you forever!” Celestia pressed a hoof of her own against Twilight’s chest. “You are SO much more than a chambermaid, my faithful companion. A weaker pony would hide what I must say eternally, and a PRINCESS,” again she spat the word, this time with more venom than she had ever done in Twilight’s presence, “would wrap it in decorum and sap the emotion from it with empty words. I will not be so WEAK! I failed you once, and now I decree NO MORE! Tis why we took to the bottle from the start! We are--I am fearful, Twilight. And nopony deserves cowardice from one they so obviously care so much for, least of all one so wondrous as YOU!”

“Princess, volume.” Twilight said quietly, nervously looking at the walls around her. Celestia’s rant had rattled the room’s supply of delicate works of art--several of them gifts from grateful court attendees--to sit precariously upon their perches and hangings around the room.

“NAY!” Celestia stood up, then flopped forward, her hooves working, if only just. “I DID NOT HUMILIATE MYSELF IN FRONT OF YOU ONLY TO MUTE MYSELF WITH PRETTY, QUIET AND CLEVER WORDS! I MUST TELL YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART, THE TRUTH ETERNAL.” The sun princess rose to her feet, then unsteadily towered to her full height above Twilight.

Twilight began to make some remark to the effect of the ponies in the Crystal Empire not needing to hear the truth, but Celestia cut her off. “YE GODS, TWILIGHT SPARKLE! WE HAVE MET WITH NO FEWER THAN FORTY SPECIES OF CREATURE IN OUR TIME AS RULER OF THIS KINGDOM, AND OF THEM, YOU ARE TRULY THE DENSEST!” Celestia put a hoof to her forehead, and this time it was she that gave the most long-suffering of sighs. “THE SECLUDED LOCATIONS, THE FINE FOOD AND DRINK, THE ENDLESS COMPLIMENTS. WE EVEN FLIRTED! WE, THE SUN ETERNAL, WHO IS NOUGHT BUT A VERITABLE PILLAR OF GOOD FAITH, PLAYED THE CHEEKY FOX! BUT ALL THAT SAILED RIGHT OVER YOUR PRETTY, BUSY LITTLE HEAD, DID IT NOT?! SEVEN WEEKS OF THIS MADNESS!” Celestia stalked forward, her hips swinging and her legs moving in the most awkward of jaunts. “TWILIGHT SPARKLE! IN LIEU OF A PROPER COURT, I MUST BESEECH THEE NOW DIRECTLY! I HAVE FALLEN FOR YOU! IN THE MORNING, WE WILL EXPLAIN PROPER! BUT TONIGHT, WE SHALL SAY NOT ELSE MORE THAN THIS: WE LOVE YOU, TWILIGHT SPARKLE! WE PRAY YOU WILL SATIATE OUR LONELINESS FROM THE BOTTOM OF OUR HEART!” Celestia let out a few breaths, her dangerous eyes daring Twilight to snark about her drunken state now.

Twilight, for her part, only let forth a few exclamations of her own. “I--You--WHAT?!” Her eyes went wide, and she stared at Celestia in utter shock for a tense, exhausting minute of total silence. Celestia, for her part, wobbled on her legs, then fell to the ground with a simple “there, that’s better.” Twilight ran over to Celestia, looking at her still in a mixture of stunned confusion and concern. At this, Celestia cuddled her head and neck up to Twilight’s leg, a perfect smile running over her weary and sweat-stained face.

Twilight looked at the situation before her for another minute, then moved to take her leg away from Celestia. At this, the other pony grumbled and wrapped her great ivory forelegs around Twilight’s own front hoof. After much struggling and attempts to free herself, Twilight let out a massive groan and made to teleport. A heavy country accent echoed through her window. “You okay up there, Twilight?!” Dragging the larger pony with her, Twilight peeked her head out to look at the outskirts of her great crystal spire.

A gathering of friends, acquaintances and townsfolk she’d never truly met was gathered at the foot of her castle, several of them clad in some form of pajamas or nightwear and all of them looking concerned. Applejack led the group, her trademark Stetson having been replaced by a sleeping cap and a blindfold that was currently perched upon her forehead. Twilight looked down at the crowd outside, then at the pony curled up on her leg, and immediately knew what she needed to do.

“I need a drink.” Twilight declared, slamming the window shut.

Next Prompt: Ugly

4565560
Well I've seen drunken Celestia, but not a drunken Celestia who screams out in speech more akin to the Early Modern English that Luna favours. This was entertaining of how Celestia decided to try and start courting Twilight, I like this one.

Oh, also what is the new prompt?

4565588 I edited to add the new prompt below, as well as to space the whole thing out better and add indents for each new paragraph.

Apropos of nothing, when I was looking into Yex, I came across this (mildly-NSFW).

Prompt: Yex.

Princess Celestia rolled over onto her side, one of her forelegs snaked out, searching for a Twilight Sparkle to snuggle in her sleep; the bare white hoof tapped at the empty spot where the unicorn should've been a couple of times, then slowly the sleepiness began to drain from Celestia's body as she realised that her lover was not there. She pulled herself into a seated position, her ears perking up, and listened. There was a muffled, scratchy sound coming from the next room over. Using her magic to levitate her dressing gown from its perch on the wall, Celestia got up out of bed to find out what was going on.
The door to the other room was open just a hair – Twilight normally left it like this so that she could get in and out of the study without having to undo the heavy iron deadbolt which, in the dead of night, would've made an awful racket – and Celestia peeked in: sitting at a table, surrounded by books, as well as numerous beakers, mugs and other detritus which seemed to have been appropriated from a school science lab, was the purple unicorn. Her violet hair was in disarray, and her face looked haggard and worn. Clearly, she had already been at this, whatever it was, for some time.
“Twilight, honey,” Celestia said quietly, pushing the door open a fraction further, “is everything all right?”
Taking a deep breath, Twilight replied hurriedly, “Icouldn'tsleep.”
“Sorry, what was that?” Celestia frowned, wondering why she was talking so quickly.
“I said-” she paused for a moment and Celestia noticed the tiny involuntary spasm that her body gave before she spoke again “-that I couldn't sleep.”
“Are you all right?” the princess asked quizzically, stepping further into the room and approaching Twilight.
“I have -hic- the hiccups.”
“I see.” Celestia was unsure as to what the problem was. They were annoying, sure, but they didn't require all this. “Have you tried a glass of wat-”
“No, you -hic- don't understand!” Twilight said plaintively, interrupting the princess with a frustrated cry. “I don't get them -hic- very often, but when I do they last for -hic- hours and I've never been able to -hic- find a way to stop them. None of the-” Twilight gestured to the plethora of books scattered across the worktop “-cures, old mare's tales or -hic- spells seem to work for me. Drinking water -hic-, traction on the -hic- tongue, even sneezing.”
Celestia took another look at the equipment Twilight had gathered around her and began to connect the dots. “So. You've been trying to make one of your own?”
“Uh-hic-huh.”
“And they're so bad that they rob you of sleep?” asked Celestia, her eyes going wide with concern. She'd heard stories about chronic hiccups, but she'd always assumed that they were just that. With all the healing magic in Equestria, it was difficult to believe that such a condition could exist. That such a condition had befallen her best friend and lover, and she hadn't known about it until now. Either her observational skills were failing, or Twilight was a lot better than she'd thought at keeping secrets from her.
“Yeah,” replied Twilight with a nod of her head. She only got halfway into the bow before her chest heaved again. “It's not the hiccups -hic- themselves that are the problem, per se. It's the cramping in my neck, the -hic- pain in my back, and the fact that -hic- if they go on long enough, I start to throw up.” She remembered how, as foals, Shining Armour had thought her hiccup-attacks were so hilarious and he teased her constantly about them ... until he'd become the unintended recipient of her outpourings.
“I'm sorry,” the Princess of the Sun said, wincing slightly at the mental image. “May I sit with you?”
“Sure, but it isn't -hic- much fun to watch.” She'd rather Celestia went back to bed; it wasn't fair for both of them to be robbed of sleep because of her little problem, but equally she wasn't that fond of suffering in silence either.
“I imagine it's even less fun to have.”
“Well, yeah, that's -hic- true.”
Celestia sat on the stool opposite and studied Twilight while she poured through her books. The spasms would come every six-to-eight seconds and from the way her breast disgorged with each one – to say nothing of the little cry she would give – they had to be pretty powerful. “Have you been to a doctor?”
“Mm-hm,” Twilight replied, not looking up. “A couple -hic-, actually.”
“And?”
The unicorn sighed irritably. She knew it wasn't right to get angry at Celestia, and she wasn't, not really. Just these maddening jerks made her so exasperated. Exasperated and tired.
“Sorry, right, you probably don't really want to talk.” Exhaustion had made her impolite. She stood up, “Would you like me to get you anything from the kitchen? A drink? A snack?”
Twilight held up her hoof in apology. “No, I'm sorry. It's just -hic- incredibly annoying. Yes, I've been to -hic- doctors. They said that short of severing the -hic- phrenic nerve in my neck there wasn't much that they could do,” Twilight said. “That -hic- can cause breathing problems, so I decided -hic- against it.”
“Why didn't you ever tell me about this before?” asked Celestia, sitting back down.
“Because it's so -hic- silly,” replied Twilight, her face reddening slightly. “Plus, there's nothing you can -hic- do about it, so I didn't want to bother you with something you couldn't change.”
The Princess of the Sun got up off her seat again and walked around to Twilight; she pulled the unicorn into a tight embrace, just as another hiccup rocked her body. She felt the powerful jerk twitch against her own chest. “Twilight, there may be some things in this world that I can't change, but that doesn't mean that you shouldn't tell me about them, anyway.” Her grip on Twilight intensified. Trying to lighten the mood, she added, “Hey, did you know that, in some cultures, hiccups are said to be because someone is talking about you?”
Twilight's response was to hiccup again and utter a groan of agony.
“Are you okay?” asked Celestia, concern radiating from her voice, loosening her grip on the unicorn.
“Yeah, I just -hic- felt that one is all,” Twilight replied, rubbing her sore chest. “Uh, -hic- excuse me for a moment!” She dashed out of the room, clutching her stomach. When she returned a few minutes later, she looked even worse than she had done before. As she wiped away a few remaining stains from the sides of her muzzle, Twilight shot Celestia a don't ask look.
The princess didn't.
The unicorn returned to her seat and picked up another book. “You don't need to -hic- stay if you don't want to.”
“I do want to, though.”
“Celestia?”
“Hm?”
“Thank -hic- you.”
“For what?”
“For being with me. Right -hic- now, I mean. I appre-hic-ciate it.”
Celestia cuddled the unicorn close to her again, feeling yet another contraction; maybe she couldn't do anything useful to help, but she could be there to share the pain, and sometimes that was enough.

So. Not very good is what you're not saying? Fair enough.

New prompt: Precision.

4560405
4560815
Relinquishing my claim. Keeping the idea for Troubleshooters, but it just won't happen quickly.

Going to try writing Obmutescent.

New page with updated prompts list;
Caramel
Castle
Clover Shampoo
Competition
Ebullition
Kalon
Mardi Gras
Musical
Panda
Precision
Troll
Twilestia
Ugly

Ever closer to 450 total chapters overall, we're on 443.

I think I want to claim come-hither

The eyes, a window to the soul. Not the central feature of one’s face but by far the most important. They not only allow you to see the world and distinguish other ponies from each other but they are expressive. In this world there are so many ways in which the eyes can express not just emotions but thoughts. The eye can also betray you by giving away your thoughts to those who know what to look for. Most of all though the eyes are used to give to others something called looks.

These looks are very numerous and they are categorized in a sense. There are looks mothers give to children or to significant others. These are motherly looks, but do not be deceived, not all motherly looks are kind. On the other side of that are fatherly looks, often those are not mean or kind. Generally fatherly looks are full of pride or annoyance. Often they are full of anger as well, and though that look may be terrifying little comes of it if one leaves the father alone.

Other looks are more often seen with teens. Those are mostly annoyance or rebellious, seeing as those are the default stages of a teenagers mind. Children also have their own set of expressions that they use their eyes for, most of which are very innocent or basic. The big thing with looks though is that even if one ascribes a look to a certain category it more often than not doesn’t fit a category.

There is though, a special set of looks. These are the looks of lovers to each other. The doe eyes, the eyes of a love struck mare or stallion, or even the dreamy look one gets when seeing your crush. The most famous of these looks though is the one known as the come hither look.

This look is special, very special. It is given to one whom the giver of the look wishes to have join them in certain activities explained to children using the famous birds and the bees speech. Now everyone who has gone through puberty is familiar with this look. There is no training needed to achieve or understand the look, though some have been known to train this look to perfection. This look is basic, it reaches down into our most basic of needs and wraps itself around them before tickling these needs under the chin, coaxing them to follow it.

In this vast world there are almost none who are immune to this look and so when it is given it is heeded. It does not matter what one is doing at the time of the look, you will drop that activity and follow the giver of this sacred look. So it was on the day in which the sun stood still.

As many days start, it was normal. The sun rose and the moon set as ponies stood from their beds and headed of to work for the day. The guards of Canterlot castle switched to the day shift and the usual patrons filed in for the day. Breakfast was served to those who had stayed at the castle for the night and preparations for court were made.

During all this the youngest princess, Twilight Sparkle arrived. She did what she always did and greeted the guards as she made her way to her room. She met with her older brother and stepsister for lunch and then went to attend court.

What happened next is why I explained to you the value of our eyes and the looks they give. Twilight entered court and stood in the back until she caught Celestia’s eyes. What happened next baffled everyone in attendance. Celestia stood from her throne, blushing so hard many thought she would fall over then and there. Instead though she announced the ending of court for the day with a very shaky voice and teleported from the room.

By this time Twilight had slipped out and left none of the nobles any wiser to her presence. A few guards would speculate on her arrival being the cause but none could be sure until that night. That night the sun did not set until Luna stepped forward and lowered it, four hours late. When asked she simply stated that her neighbors were excessively noisy and she had trouble sleeping. It wouldn’t be until a week later when a tabloid published an article about Twilight and Celestia having dinner at a cafe in Manehatten that the pieces would fall in place for Equestria.

Needless to say, I the seneschal of Princess Celestia saw the look Twilight gave her that fateful day. I will admit that even I was struck by the smoldering look she gave our Princess that day and I understand now why my mother used to tell me of the awe inspiring power of the come hither look.

New prompt: ebullition

Prompt: Greeting Cards

A young colt was standing in front of a large, ornate door. Dusk Shine fidgeted nervously. “C’mon Dusky, you can do this, just like we practiced in front of the mirror.”

He took a deep breath, pulling his foreleg up to his chest. As he exhaled he pushed his leg out as if throwing his worries away. Lighting his horn with a soft blue glow, he knocked lightly on the door.

“Come in.” Came the reply.

Dusk Shine pushed the door open and walked in. He crossed the room to stand before a desk, more specifically, before the tall, white, alicorn mare seated behind the desk. “Princess… I… I have something for you.”

Celestia smiled at him. “Princess? Since when are you so formal Dusky?”

Dusk blushed. “I made it for you.” He hoofed over a card.

Celestia looked at it. The cover had a childish picture of her standing next to a small purple unicorn. They both had large smiles on their faces. She opened it up to find a small note scribbled in crayon on the inside. “Will you be my Valentine. _ Yes _ No”

“How adorable! I’m not sure I can answer that question though. I might have to ask permission.” She winked at him.

He squeaked. “What? From who?”

A soft feminine voice came from behind him. “From me.”

A purple glow enveloped the card and lifted it away from the desk. Dusk spun around to face…. his mother. Twilight Sparkle smiled at him. “How cute Dusky. But why don’t I get one?”

Dusk blushed. “I made you one too. We all made them for our Momma’s at school. I was gonna come find you next.”

Twilight grinned. “Well I’m here now, why don’t we go get mine. Then you can go out to supper with your two Valentines.”

Celestia cut in. “And ice cream, we want Ice cream, don’t we Dusky?”

Dusky cheered. He happily ran off to fetch the second card.

Twilight looked over to Celestia. “I don’t know what we did to deserve him, but I’m glad we have him.”

Celestia looked at her and gently rubbed her belly. “How glad are you?”

Twilight’s eyes widened. “Are you…?

Celestia looked at her calmly. “I think one good trick deserves another.”

This time Twilight cheered and rushed over for an embrace and a kiss.

New Prompt:Panda
Word Count: 391
Notes: Weak sauce. Writing to an old prompt, I didn't feel much rush on it. I also didn't know what to do beyond what y'all got. There are several bits that could be fleshed out and improved. Oh well, I tried.

Prompt: Obmutescent
Silently a Alicorn made her way slowly up the hill. She did not fly though she possessed wings nor did she teleport though she had a horn. She made the trek on hooves.

Just ahead of her was another Alicorn, larger than the first though not so much so. The trek took them up the steep hill covered in dense forests. The top of their climb was a bare rocky cliff with only a few scraggly shrubs clinging on.

The vista here was likewise mundane, vast forests stretched out before them. A few large stumps could be seen at the far edge of the forest. While far in the distance was a tall mountain faintly visible from the rocky cliff.

Here on this cliff were two small stones, different from the cliff by their colour and polish.

One was visibly older than the other, it retained its polish yet the rough stone it had been cut from had been worn smooth over the years.

The etching on its face was faint though not gone, instead it bore the signs of inexperienced work done over the masterfully original. Yet it was done with painstaking care to keep the etchings sharp.

Its companion was far newer, the rough stone still retained it rugged edges. The etching on this was also masterfully done and its lines sharp and clear.

The two Alicorns walked over to the newer of the two and with a faint pop of magic had brought out fresh flowers. A fine bouquet of daises, lilies, sunflowers, and pansies was laid out in front of the stone.

Words weren't shared, they couldn't be. The younger held onto the elder as they both hunched over the stone. Silent tears streaked down their faces as they did the best they could to comfort each other.

All the while the etching of a familiar Sun stared at them, a burning reminder of what they had lost.

New Prompt: Castle

Claiming and submitting Competition

In the same AU as Arguing Pizza's Blaze (linky), used with permission, blah blah legalese or whatever

Applejack trotted back to the barn, her saddle-baskets laden with the day’s harvest. “Phew, am Ah glad we got that Golden Delicious orchard harvested. Ah bet Big Macintosh that we could get it done before lunch, and since Ah won, he’s gonna walk through town wearin’ one o’ Grannie’s girdles! Ha!”

Celestia huffed and puffed behind her, equally laden with a mound of apples in her saddle-baskets. “I’m glad we’re finished, too. I could eat a house.”

“Don’t let Pinkie hear you say that, she might either break off a piece o’ Sugar Cube Corner or ban ya steppin’ near, dependin’.”

Spike, sat on Celestia’s back, rooted through the baskets searching for the perfect apple. “No, no, worm, no...”

“Would she really?” Celestia asked, eyebrow raised. “Break off a piece of her house, I mean. Is that possible?”

“Ah haven’t the faintest.”

Spike belched green flames and smoke as another apple bounced off of Celestia’s head. A scroll sealed with a series of starbursts materialized and fell into Spike’s outstretched hands.

“Ahem!” he said. “Her Royal Highness, Princess Twilight Sparkle of Equestria cordially invites you to the Grand Galloping Gala. Held annually at Canterlot Castle, the Grand Galloping Gala promises the best night of the year. Blah, blah, blah. Enclosed are two tickets for Celestia Solaris and one guest!”

Celestia gasped. “Princess Twilight said she’d invite me once I came of age!” She squealed. ‘The Grand Galloping Gala!”

“Say, sugarcube, any chance Ah could be yer plus one? An opportunity to peddle the ol’ Apple family sweets wouldn’t be amiss. Might even go so far as ta make ya an honourary member. If’n that’s alright with ya.”

“I—I— Let’s get these apples into the barn, and, uh, let me think about it. I know we have this magical and powerful connection, and I’d love to give any of you girls my second ticket, I— well, that’s just it, isn’t it? I’d give any of you the second ticket.

---

Celestia covered her muzzle with her hooves while her friends argued all around her. “STOP!” she shouted at the top of her lungs. Everypony froze. “I can’t choose, OK? Each of you, all of you! You’re dear to me. You’re my friends. I can’t make a decision like that and then live with disappointing even just one of you, let alone four.” Celestia looked down and to the side while she summoned a small bit of parchment and a quill. “So if we all can’t go, none of us will go.

“Dear Princess Twilight,” she recited while writing, “While I appreciate the invite to the Gala, I’m afraid I will not attend unless all of my friends can come with me. Even if I could make two of my friends very happy, I could not live with disappointing even one of them. As such, I’m returning the tickets with my sincerest apologies. Your ever faithful student, Celestia.

“Send it, Spike.” Celestia magicked the scroll over to the young dragon and in a puff of green flames, the letter sped away in a beeline to Canterlot.

---

“Admit it, you were scared to death that she’d outright say no.”

“Hush, Shiny,” Twilight muttered, betrayed by the cursed red blush staining her normally pristine lavender muzzle. “She’s a grown mare and can make her own decisions as to how she spends her time, even if I had made promises for years that she could spend the Gala by my side. I did stipulate that she needed to become of age, Gala rules and all, but...”

“Chasing jailbait, eh?”

Shining Armor found himself pummeled from all sides with pillows, the least enjoyable of which seemed to be some sort of hard, formed foam that became a particular pain in his neck, in spite of its intended purpose.

Furious scribbling followed Prince Armor’s slow crawl to consciousness.

To my faithful student Celestia, why didn’t you say so? Here are eight tickets and carte blache, if you will, to invite anypony you see fit. I hope to see you soon. Yours sincerely, your mentor, Princess Twilight.

---

“Hold up, eight tickets?”

“Haven’t I talked about my sister, Luna? She’s... well, not exactly Princess Twilight’s personal student, but she attends the school on an astronomy fellowship made just for her...”

Edit(s): write sober, edit drunk, or write drunk and edit more drunk, or write whatever and be a paralyzing perfectionist.
So next prompt: Push my luck

Because I'm on such a roll, claiming and submitting Kalon.

Still part of the Blaze AU and therefore a sequel to it and Competition.

“Thank you so much for hosting this little get-together, Mr. and Mrs. Cake. I can’t begin to tell you how rewarding it is to take a day off and spend time with my favorite student.” Twilight smiled at Celestia across the room and took a sip of her tea.

The moment she set it down, it was refilled. Twilight chuckled good naturedly. She took another sip, set down the cup, and watched as it was refilled again. Her smile broadened. She levitated the cup and made a loud slurping noise, but did not drink. True to form, however, one of the Cakes tried to refill her full cup and it overflowed.

“Gotcha,” Twilight whispered, and all three shared a hearty, if somewhat embarrassed, chuckle.

Celestia turned her attention back to the conversation in front of her, however, a debate between Rarity and Rainbow about whether Shining Armor was really going stag to the Gala or if it would just be Prince Blueblood in attendance.

“So how well would you say you know Princess Twilight?” Rainbow Dash asked casually.

Celestia chuckled. “I am her personal student, so I would say I know her as well as anypony else would in my position. I’ve long admired her wisdom and compassion, that soft, easy-going—”

“How personal are we talkin’ here? Ya got any special ‘positions’ you’re fond of with her? I bet she’s loud, too, right?” Rainbow Dash waggled her eyebrows.

“Rainbow Dash!” Rarity hissed. “Must you be so crude?!”

Celestia fumed silently for a few moments while she waited for her blush to subside. “It’s nothing like that! Princess Twilight is a paragon of magic, friendship, and leadership. She has done more in my lifetime to benefit Equestria than you could hope to learn in twenty of yours!”

“Yeah, yeah,” Rainbow waved her hoof dismissively, “it still sounds like you’re going to be her plus one, so that just leaves Prince Hunky Armor and Prince Blue Balls—”

Rainbow got smacked on the back of her head. “Whoa, hey, miss Princess Wannabe. I’m just telling it like it is. You wanna bag the princes, and I want all the Wonderbolts. I mean, all we hafta do is agree to stay out of each other’s way and get Zecora to mix up a couple special potions so we’re not regretting anything in the morning, if you know what I mean. Maybe even a little something extra for you, because if his wings are anything to go by, I think Shining Armor might be an endurance flyer.”

Another smack cut Rainbow’s innuendo laden train wreck short, and Rarity nearly made a move to strangle the offending pegasus. “You uncouth little s—”

“Girls!” Celestia hissed through gritted teeth and burning cheeks. “Enough!”

Rarity and Rainbow quickly ducked their heads in a short bow, and Celestia turned to see Princess Twilight gracefully striding over to them. “My little ponies, is everything all right? I heard raised voices.”

Celestia bowed further than either of her friends in clear deference. “Princess! I’m sorry, we were just having a discussion and things got out of hoof.”

Rainbow Dash muttered something Celestia couldn’t hear, and earned a swift smack upside her head from Rarity. Rainbow’s glare was severely undercut by the grin she shot Celestia’s way.

“Princess Twilight, if you don’t mind,” Rarity interjected, “I believe we were just trying to clear up a few matters of the Royal Family.”

“Ah, curious about my brother, Shining Armor, are we?”

Rainbow Dash snickered, Celestia rolled her eyes, and Rarity stammered, “W-well yes. B-but not just him! I’m lead to believe you have a niece and nephew, as well?”

“It’s not quite as simple as all of that, but that is my living family. What did you want to know?”

As Rarity peppered Twilight with questions, Celestia looked over the table the Princess had just left and spotted Fluttershy behind it, opening the cage and plucking the sickly Philomena from her “prison.”

“Oh, you poor thing! I’m sure Princess Twilight is just very busy and hasn’t got around to getting you the care you need.”

Oh horse apples, Celestia thought darkly before she excused herself from the party and dashed after Fluttershy.

---

A pile of ash gathered in Fluttershy’s outstretched hooves, and tears streamed down her face. She had failed. Failed herself, failed Philomena, failed Celestia, failed Twilight. She would surely be banished, imprisoned, or both.

“Princess Twilight! Please!” Celestia stepped in between Fluttershy and Twilight. “This is my fault. I asked Fluttershy to do this. I’m the one responsible for Philomena going missing.” Celestia cast a somber glance back to Fluttershy. “I’m the one who should be punished.”
“Punished? Whatever for?”

“For taking Philomena without asking and allowing her to...” Celestia couldn’t bring herself to say it. She just gestured to the pile of ash still held in Fluttershy’s shaking hooves.

“Allowing her to burst into flame?” Twilight offered. Celestia barely nodded her head. “Surely, my dear student, you remember what kind of bird Philomena is?” An almost imperceptible shake. “Philomena, dear, stop fooling around and worrying everypony.”

With all the drama of a stage actor, a glorious red-and-gold bird with a wingspan to rival that of a pegasus lept from the ashes and soared above the gathered crowd before landing on Twilight’s outstretched foreleg.

Celestia visibly relaxed and wiped her brow. “Of course. Philomena’s a phoenix. She didn’t die, per se, she just regenerated.”

“That she did, and she was a touch mischievous about it, too. Have you been talking with my brother, hmm?” Twilight playfully chided. “I think you owe poor Fluttershy an apology.”

Philomena hopped off of Twilight’s leg and swooped over to Fluttershy. She nuzzled Fluttershy’s cheek and cooed. Fluttershy dried her eyes and offered a smile. Philomena hopped into the air and left behind a long, red tail feather.

Twilight smiled, too. “You must be an exceptionally dedicated caretaker, Miss Fluttershy. Phoenixes do not part with their feathers lightly, and that she offered one to you speaks volumes. I am overjoyed that Celestia has friends like you, even if she is quick to rush to their defences with hairbrained ideas of being banished.” Twilight pulled Celestia close and nuzzled her. “Take care, my faithful student, and try to stay out of trouble. I look forward to seeing all of you soon!”

Next prompt: Ashes