20 Celebrations
Chapter Twenty
Celebrations
Comprised mainly of pleasures and delights
of the mind and of the flesh.
January, 1013 - March 21st, 1013
Equestria
I was exhausted. Luna ought to have been exhausted, but no, there she was, Princess Sleep-Through-the-Day, nudging me gently and telling me to wake up.
"I want to stay here with you." I murmured into her mane.
"As dearly as I would love that," she replied, mercilessly pulling the covers off of the bed with her magic, "you will be late for your appointment with your friends at the library."
I rolled over and spooned with her for warmth. "Dancer won't notice. Once she sticks her muzzle in a book, she'll lose all track of time."
"I can see why you two are friends," Luna commented dryly. "Nevertheless…" She prodded my rump with a little bit of magic.
"Mmmm. Do that again!"
"Oh, Twilight, you are impossible! You must get up."
I sighed. "Well, you are the senior princess. I suppose I have to obey your commands." I wiggled toward the foot of the bed and indulged in a long, luxurious stretch, keeping my head pillowed on Luna's side. I gazed up at her through half-lidded eyes, lifted a wing to stroke her cheek, and said, in as sultry a voice as I could manage, "So command me."[1]
----------
[1] I often encouraged Rarity to write down all her romantic tricks and tips, but she insisted that seduction was something that shouldn't be learned from a book. It's a pity, because she would make a fortune in sales.
----------
The look on Luna's face was wonderful… for a moment. Then her expression clouded over and she turned away from me. "You must keep to your appointment, Twilight," she said flatly.
"What's wrong?" I tried to turn her head back to face me with a wingtip, but she pulled away.
"'Tis nothing."
I teleported to her side of the bed, with my muzzle almost touching hers. "Look, I'm an insensitive dummy, and I have no idea what I did wrong, but I'll never know if you don't tell me. Hurting you, even accidentally, is something I can't bear to have on my conscience, so please tell me what it is, or I'll go nuts trying to figure it out, and…"
"Nay, 'tis no fault of thine, my love!" Luna said. "I am the one to blame. Thy gentle teasing deserves not such unseemly thoughts."
"Whoa there! You mean you…" I forced myself not to smile. She was taking the situation very seriously and I was at least socially competent enough to know that making light of her distress would be the worst thing I could do. "Luna, I meant it. If you thought of something you'd like to do with me, I want to hear it."
Luna's coat was so dark it was usually difficult to tell when she was blushing, but at that moment it was foal's play. "I would not have thee think less of me," she said, quietly.
I thought furiously for a moment. I wanted my reply to be perfect. "Luna… no, don't interrupt! I would never presume to judge you for anything you ask of me. Never, understand? I… I might refuse, but I would never think less of you for asking."
She nodded, but still kept her eyes downcast.
"Luna…" I was frantic to get through to her. "I trust you, and I want you to trust me. Tell me. If it's something that you would enjoy, I want to give it to you."
"But if my desire repels you…"
"Then we'll find a work-around!" I said, earnestly. "I'm the best problem-solver in the kingdom! You think I can't do it?"
She finally looked at me. "Truly?"
"Yes," I said. "Thou art my true love, and naught that thou canst conceive will e'er serve to lessen my heart's love one whit. Speakest thou to me of thy desire… uh... of that which thou desirest? Oh, Tartarus!" I shook the tangle of Middle Equuish off my tongue and took Luna's head between my fore hooves. "I can't put it as poetically as you can, so I'm just going to say it straight out. The fact that you want to do kinky stuff with me makes me feel loved and sexy and desirable and proud. So, tell me before I die of anticipation!"
"I… I have thought how it might be enjoyable to… to.." She bit her lower lip and hesitated.
"Go on, lover."
"To make love on the wing… in a violent storm!" She gasped out. "To be buffeted and tumbled by the winds… to be soaked by warm rain and touched by lightning as we… we…" Her eyes were wide and her nostrils flared. "Is that too strange to be thought of?"
I was grinning my head off by that point. "Are you kidding? That sounds like fun!"
I missed the research session entirely.
= = =
I planned to depart for Zebrica sometime after my birthday. It wouldn't be considered an early start for a serious trader, but it fit in perfectly with everything else in my over-full schedule, and our primary goal wasn't making money.
Pirate hunting was going to be dangerous and I was still worried about the safety of my friends and Nebula's crew. I spent a great deal of time working out new protections, as well as improving on old magic like my Fail-Safe spell. I convinced Celestia to let me take the Amulet of Night out of the Deep Vaults with a promise to use it only as a last resort.
That's when I found the old scroll that mentioned the Labyrinthine Stairs and what lay beneath them. I was intrigued and excited. So many wonderful things could be accomplished with a magical engine of such power!
My Fail-Safe spell was designed to restore "normal" conditions to a catastrophically[2] altered system, but it had to be cast directly and needed a template or example to work from. Hardly practical for use on a unique living being. But, if the "template" was constantly being recorded remotely, the spell could capture the essence of a pony and be triggered by an interruption in the flow of information. With the rapid amplitude-deviation interpretive oscillator[3] as a method to carry that flow, I could create a pair of amulets that would...
----------
[2] In the mathematical sense.
[3] Which we'd agreed to call RAPTOR after the first and last three letters of the longer name.
----------
"Twilight, aren't you coming in?" Celestia asked.
I realized I had been standing outside the door to her study for some time, lost in thought.
"Sorry," I said. "Multitasking."
She matched my grin as I trotted into the room. Twilight Sparkle, staring off into space and muttering to herself was not a new experience for her.
I set out my notes on the little table by the fireplace. "I think we can use raptor crystals to control the changeling's anti-friendship amulets if we can tap into a strong, reliable power source."
Celestia nodded. "Good. I've spoken with Cadance and she's confident that she will be able to integrate the control system you've designed with the Crystal Palace. It already spreads magic across Equestria, and a small addition should be easy to implement."
"We still need to alter the changeling amulets to receive the signal," I said. "It won't be easy to get hold of them without blatant use of royal authority."
"I have taken care of that little detail," Luna said, appearing out of the narrow shadow of a tapestry. A shiver of delight ran through me. I loved it when she did stuff like that.
Celestia didn't look up from the paperwork, but a smile spread across her face. "Crystal Star has agreed to allow us access to the amulets she makes for Chrysalis, then? You are amazingly persuasive, sister. Perhaps I should include you in more diplomatic situations."
"She is afraid of ants." Luna said, flatly. "After three nights of dreaming of swarms of them crawling into her ears and nose and…"
"Perhaps not," Celestia interrupted, still smiling.
The corner of Luna's mouth twitched upward a tiny bit. "She will also tell Chrysalis that she needs to service and upgrade the amulets that have already been given out."
"I am very impressed, sister!"
"There were a great many ants."
I hated to interrupt their playful banter, but we were behind schedule. "Shall we decide on what spells we want to be able to induce?"
A tracking spell was reasonable. A thaumo-reactive cantrip to detect high-energy magic was even obvious. But the third spell Celestia wanted… "That would kill them outright!" I gasped.
"Yes, but I can't think of a situation where I would actually use it," she said, shrugging off my concern.
"Then, why include it?"
"Do I really have to trot out the old proverbs, Twilight? Chrysalis might have been truthful when she claimed she only wanted to integrate with Equestrian society." Celestia's ears twitched with a tiny sign of irritation. "But with a significant number of her drones in place, she could just as easily put herself into a position to dictate terms to us. It would be a bloodless coup, but a coup, nonetheless."
"And you'd kill countless changelings to prevent that?" I don't know when I'd become an advocate for the insect-Equestrian citizens, but it just popped out of my mouth. I suppose having Khaatarrekket as a friend and Queen Csharreee as a pen-pal had something to do with it.
She paused for a moment. I'm pretty sure it wasn't because she had any doubts as to the action she proposed. It was because she didn't want to admit it to me. Finally, she lowered her head and looked me in the eye. "If there were no other way, then yes. Without hesitation or remorse, I would, Twilight. Any changeling who went along with her plan would be a traitor to the realm. Any who opposed it, need only remove their amulet to be free of Chrysalis forever and safe from my wrath."
Before I could absorb that, there came a slow clip-clop of applause from where Luna stood. "And here I'd thought that a millennium of unchallenged rule might have softened you, sister. I am glad to see that it did not." I knew her well enough by then to be able to tell that there was no sarcasm whatsoever in her voice. Another shiver ran through me.
"I did not survive a millennium by being soft, dear Luna." Her smile would have made a timberwolf cringe.
I suddenly felt very, very young.
"Okay…" I said, trying to keep my voice light. "Localized Implosion spell it is, then."
= = =
The Tree of Harmony wasn't feeding magic into my castle any longer, but that didn't mean I couldn't. The map table was still useful, even if it wasn't throwing us at friendship problems every other week. A few charges from my horn got all the lights and other housekeeping spells working, and it was almost like normal again.
I had Pinkie Pie organize a huge party for my birthday, inviting all the citizens of Ponyville. It cost me nearly all of my share of the profits from our first voyage, but it was worth every bit. The main hall of the castle was done up in elegant style, with an orchestra and formal dancing for the ponies who liked that sort of thing, and the rest of the grounds were a chaotic carnival of food, music, and games for the majority of the population.
I relied on Pinkie to advise me on the little gifts I wanted to give out to everypony attending. Her files were invaluable. I also prepared quite a number of extra presents in case travellers or relatives of citizens were in town on that day. They were all color-coded by wrapping paper and ribbon to signify what age and gender the gift inside would be appropriate for.[4]
----------
[4] That was my idea. Left to Pinkie, they all would have contained chocolate cupcakes.
----------
It went perfectly, exactly as I had planned, except for the pirate attack.
I was in the castle, talking with Mayor Mare in a quiet corner of the ballroom, when Periwinkle approached and demurely cleared her throat.
"Yes?"
"I'm sorry for interrupting, Your Highness, but something's come up which requires your attention."
"I'm sorry, Mayor," I said, putting my drink down on a side table. "Will you please excuse me?"
"Of course, Princess! Thank you again for the beautiful gavel."
Periwinkle walked by my side as I left the room, and motioned to the stairs that led up to the grand balcony. "This is a bit unusual," she began.[5]
----------
[5] That should have tipped me off right there. Periwinkle had been with me since shortly after my castle had sprung out of the ground like a giant, glittering toadstool, and after all the things she'd seen, labeling something "unusual" was a highly significant act.
----------
"Dangerous unusual?" I asked as we climbed the stairs.
"Yyyee… I'm really not sure." She bit her lower lip. "He seemed very polite, but he's got a sword."
"Perhaps you should start at the beginning."
But by then we'd reached the doors to the balcony and they swung open on a suspiciously timed gust of wind, revealing the scene beyond.
"Well! If it isn't Princess Twilight Sparkle!" came a deep, silky-smooth voice. "Or should I say, Captain Blackmane?"
He was a buckskin pegasus stallion who looked like he'd stepped off of the cover of a fantasy romance novel. He wore a red bandanna on his head and had a cutlass hung on a baldric over his muscular shoulders. Behind him a small sleek airship was moored to the balcony railing, and several more piratical types lounged around the balcony, making free with the dessert buffet.
"Should I get the guards?" Periwinkle asked, nervously backing away.
"Oh, no need to be involving them," the handsome stallion said, making a motion with a wing to one of his crewponies. "This is between the captain and me."
The crewpony tossed a cutlass onto the floor near my hooves.
"I'll get the guards," Periwinkle said.
"No, it's alright," I said to her as I levitated the cutlass up and fitted my right fore hoof into its grip. "Just keep the guests off the balcony until this is settled, please."
"Are you sure, princess?"
I nodded and swung the doors shut with my magic.
"Rules?" I asked the stallion. Several of his crewponies laughed at that.
"No magical hanky-panky. Otherwise…" He shrugged.
"Terms?"
"I win, and you acknowledge that Dashing Blade is King of the Northern Fleet, and swear never to meddle with me or mine again!"
"And when I win?"
"Oh-ho! Very sure of yourself, aren't you, lass?" He grinned, and I had to admit that it was a charming, if roguish expression. "Name your forfeit if you win. No need to waste breath on fantasies."
I grinned back. "Stop talking and start fighting."
He was strong and fast, but I was a bit quicker. I tried for a bind on his blade and managed to deflect his first cut, but didn't get the disarm I had been going for. Cutlasses are terrible for thrusting, so that's exactly what I did. Four lighting-fast thrusts at his face and neck surprised him enough to get him to back away from the doors, giving me room to maneuver.
He came back with two savage downward chops that I easily dodged. They were slow enough I didn't need to parry, but they were only the setup for his third attack.
He snapped both wings downward and together, flipping himself up and over my back, slashing out as he reached the apex of his leap. I dropped to the floor and snapped my cutlass into a parry septime. The sound of our blades clashing together came an instant before the sounds of his hooves hitting the marble behind me.
"Ooh," he said mockingly as I spun to face him. "Fancy blade-work, that. Bet you learned it in a nice comfy school somewheres."
I had learned it from Maestro Flèche, who, often as not, had Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and I practicing dirty tricks outdoors in all weathers. A master of the sport of fencing, he was also an eminently practical stallion who had a great deal of experience with blades in the real world. And had the lack of scars to prove it.
I struck a perfect en-garde and took three precise steps forward in an advance that would have earned a nod of approval in any salle in Equestria. Then I pretended to stumble, knocked the pirate's blade aside with a savage beat in the instant he was distracted, and hammered my hilt into his belly in a completely non-regulation sucker-punch.
It felt like I'd slammed my hoof into a stone building, but it knocked him back a bit and certainly surprised him.
We traded a flurry of blows, dancing back and forth across the balcony. Sometimes we took to the air, but he didn't seem to care for the additional complications that aerial maneuvers added any more than I did. It was a down-and-dirty fight.
We threw kicks and wing-strikes into the mix and I toppled the cupcake cart into his path just in time to save myself from an unexpected rush. Pretty, it wasn't.
What it was was a whole lot of fun.
I banged my rump into the balcony railing, and Dashing Blade seized the opportunity to force me into a corps-à-corps. His chest pressed against mine and our hilts locked together below our chins. He opened his mouth to deliver some clever quip and I thrust my muzzle forward, mashing my lips against his and sliding my tongue deep into his mouth.
He tensed up for an instant, and then melted into the kiss, his tongue sliding against mine. That's when I hooked a hock around his hind leg and yanked with all of my strength.
He crashed to the floor, his cutlass spinning out of his grip, and I followed him down. He was far too strong to be pinned by my lighter body, but my cutlass laid sideways across his throat made up for that disadvantage.
"Time to name my forfeit, I think," I cooed down at him, grinning from ear to ear.
"Well then…" He thought about it for almost a full second. "Nopony can say Captain Dashing Blade doesn't honor his word. Name your prize, lass."
"You're mine for the night," I told him, getting to my hooves and tossing aside the cutlass. "We'll see if you have other talents beside brawling."
His eyes went wide for a moment, and then a slow smile spread across his face. "This isn't how I thought this would go, Twilight."
"I'm glad I can still surprise you." I smiled, and conjured up a length of soft cotton rope to truss up my prize. "You can wait in my bed until I arrive. If you're lucky, I may bring you some dessert."
I slowly ran a hooftip over his chest and down his taut belly, then teleported him into my private chambers.
The "pirate" crew were grinning their heads off as they got back aboard their airship. I gave them a cake that had survived the mayhem. "It's a long way back to Canterlot," I said. "Scurvy pirates need snacks."
I found Pinkie Pie and got her to break out the emergency backup desserts for my guests, then headed for my rooms. I thought it would heighten the anticipation to keep Luna waiting, but I couldn't resist for long.
It was a memorable birthday.
= = =
I woke some time before dawn and turned to nuzzle against Luna's neck. She made a soft mmmm noise and lifted her chin so I could nibble at the soft skin below her cheek. "How did you know it was me?" she asked quietly. "I made sure to damp all traces of magic, and I'm very good at that."
"Well, it was a rather improbable scenario, but the kiss gave it away." I gave her a peck at the corner of her mouth. "You can't disguise that wonderful technique of yours."
Luna started to smile and then it hit her. "What? Thou didst not know before then? Thou wouldst kiss a strange stallion in such a wanton manner?" She turned her head over her shoulder to stare at me, aghast.
"He was a very handsome stallion! And I hadn't seen you in nearly a week!"
She was so taken aback that she overlooked my terrible acting and began to sputter in outrage.
I turned aside as if unconcerned, and nonchalantly examined the edge of a hoof as if looking for imperfections. "Oh, and the first parry I made, I could tell the edge of your cutlass wasn't sharp, even though it looked like it was. Nice illusion, by the way."
Luna gave a wordless cry of outrage followed by a pillow to the back of my head. "Thou art an impossible rogue, Twilight Sparkle!"
I couldn't help laughing, even under the multiple strikes of both pillows. "Also… hahaha… you shouldn't have… oof… picked your name from one of Rarity's bodice-rippers! Hahahaha…"
She abandoned her physical attack and settled for a Royal Pout. "I should be sore vexed with thee, but thy visage in such disarray couldst charm a manticore!"
A few delightful kisses mended the quarrel.
I sighed as our lips parted and said, "It was a wonderful gift. Even if it turned out I was the one doing the ravaging."
"That was not your birthday gift, lover," she said with a grin. "It was your gift to me."
I chuckled. "That's good, because what I'd planned on giving you was a home-made tea cozy. It has badly cut-out felt moons all over it."
"I would treasure it," she said. "From a great distance."
I gave her a playful swat on the rump with a wingtip. "Okay, maybe there's something else around here… oh yes…"
She was delighted with the little music box that played one of her favorite tunes. "'Tis cunning work. So tiny, yet the sound is full and rich… and no magic in it, for a wonder."
"The artisan is an earth pony from Baltimare. He's making quite a name for himself."
"Well deserved," she said and set the box down on her belly. "Speaking of cunning…"
A wrapped package appeared in a flash, and I caught it in my magic. I didn't even have to unwrap it to know it was a book.
"Fear not, my love. It is a tome that you have not read."
"Okay," I said, grinning at her. "Is it a book about mind-reading?"
Her expression grew serious. "In part. It certainly is a glimpse into the mind of some ponies."
Intrigued, I opened the wrapping. It was old. Very old. I could sense the subtle spells woven into the binding to keep it supple and free from dirt and mold. There was a heraldic sun embossed on the cover, overwritten by the title of the book.
THE PRINCESS
by
Nicker O. Marechiavelli
"Nay," Luna said, once again anticipating my reaction. "You have not read this book."
I opened the cover and turned past the fly leaf, title page, and dedication. And on the very first page of the text, I saw why the volume was so unique. The familiar text of the book was there, obviously printed with very early movable type. The page layout was the same as the early books that were individually copied in quill and ink, with wide margins, suitable for making notes. And there were notes. Copious notes.
"I know this penwork," I said, softly, my chest tightening.
"Yes," Luna said. "It is a presentation copy of the first edition, given to my sister by Marechiavelli. It is a gift from the both of us."
It took a while for me to control my breathing enough to gasp out, "Thank you."
= = =
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Worst horse pun I've made is "erlenmare flask". Well, worst one I remember at least.
7036258
I admit I was a bit lost when the pirates arrived, but as Twilight said the kiss gave it away
Great chapter, keep it up!
7031970 I'm also really struggling to keep track. What happened to the consequences of the crystals in the ponies? Trying not to spoil!
The timeskips in this story are killing me. I keep thinking I'm only reading every third chapter or so. I gave up on trying to follow the actual plot, so now I'm content to stick around for delicious chapters like this one, where (and when) ever they may fall.
7036266
Beat you to it!
I was expecting that Twilight's "request" wasn't legit, but I didn't think that it was Luna in disguise (mostly because it's been a while since I've read the earlier chapters, and I assumed Dashing Blade had appeared before).
I was expecting her to leave him tied up on her bed all night while she did other business, or use him as an experimental subject, or the like.
But you know, with the characterization that you've given Twilight in these stories, had Twilight not been in a relationship with Luna, I would have been entirely unsurprised if the invitation for implied sex had been real.
7036258 I remember that terrible pun. Still not the worst I've seen.
7036333 Twilight doesn't know yet, because she's busy detoxing from dark magic.
That was a sweet chapter
By impure coincidence, the story I'm currently writing prominently features the work of Macavallo, 'cavallo' being Italian for 'horse'.
I, for one, like the time skips as a device. I suppose they make keeping track of the story between each week a little more difficult, but I think that when the story is complete they will flow much better as you can read everything at once instead of having a weekly delay.
Also, I love gratuitous TwiLuna.
Switching between past and present is nice, but this chapter needs something at the beginning, the switch totaly blindsides you after the last chapter.
7036561
What is it about pastel ponies and amoral political scheming that makes them go so well together? 
Luna? You are currently still dating a heterosexual mare. She is very good at finding workarounds.
7036831
Excellent point!
7036831
Possibly Lunasexual, at this point.
7036698
Intrigue! Deceit! Assassination! Ponies go well with everything!
In my case it's because of Diamond Tiara. But well, you'll see when it's ready.
7037031
Oh, suffering stars! That sounds interesting. (And terrifying.)
7036990
Yeah... with the shape-shifting and all, that covers quite a bit of ground!
OMG!!
BWA-HAA-HAA-HAAA!!!
7037841
Hey, I find making literary references takes some of the sting out of horse puns. And heck, in Machiavelli's time puns/wordplay were the height of wit and comedy.
I suddenly see a snippet of time where Twilight is penning a note to Sunset, gushing about the wonderful birthday she had, at which point she mentions the book. If she hasn't already read the Equestrian version, Sunset might snag a copy of "The Prince" from the school library (or wherever she is if she's graduated by this point,) and write back in a few days, "You sure you're ready to swim in those waters, Twilight? I don't know Luna from Starswirl, to be honest, but Celestia was always kind of... intense... when she got focused on her schemes. Ponies tend to get caught in the crossfire. Sadly, I speak from experience."
Or something like that. :)
"for a moment and then a slow"
"moment, and then"?
"you,” I smiled, and"
"you.” I smiled and"?
"over-written"
Ought that to be hyphenated?
"It is one of the unfortunate facts of life, that when one indulges in horsewords, one must be prepared to suffer the occasional egregious equine pun."
:)
7038038
That is an interesting thought! Sunset, having indulged in Machiavellian tactics in the first EQG movie, must has some familiarity... or maybe she's a natural?
7038216
Fix'd, thanks.
Such TwiLuna. Much romance. I approve wholeheartedly!
That pirate kiss did throw me off for a bit.
Oh for crying out loud Luna! Do you want Twilight to end up as a benevolent tyrant? Giving a mind like hers the local equivalent of The Prince (and I know that she's already read The Arts of War) is basically inviting her to set herself up as a dictator of some sort!
7039569
This is an excellent question. The folk of Twilight Town might have an opinion on it.
7038799
You're welcome.
...Um. Hm. I wonder why my comment's downvoted, though. Twice? The only things in it are reports of possible mechanical errors, suggested fixes for said possible mechanical errors, and... approval of the comment about puns? Are puns that much of an inflammatory issue?
7040135
One of the upvotes is mine.
Huh. No idea.
7039725 I have this image of Celestia very thoroughly interrogating Twilight about what she did during her missing few months. And when she inevitably demands to know why Twilight thought creating a pocket monarchy was a good idea, Twilight just sort of blushes, ducks her head, and admits that she got most of the idea from their gift to her.
Celestia just blinks a few times, takes a deep breath, and says, "Oh. Well. Carry on, then."
7040867
Oh, thanks.
I seem to have gained a third upvote on it, too...
7041232
Recipe for disaster and a town?
K.
7041232
OK twiluna goodness. back on track now.
7036696
The chapters always alternate between the past and the present, and the date(s) appears under the chapter titles.
I now have Rock You Like a Hurricane by The Scorpions stuck in my head...
So I decided to read all three stories because they were very well done. Now I have 486 notifications to look through going back a week or so.
No!! Not RAPTOR!! It's called RADIO. The first letter of every word makes the word RADIO. I was waiting for the moment when someone would say RADIO. *pout* ;)
that "make love on the wing" made me think of a book, "the black Griffon": in that story, Griffons had to make love on the wing in order to actually have children.
Good that I decided to skip a bit ahead after I started getting really uneasy about Twilight's and others' behaviour. This chapter cements it, the 'heroes' are actually doing more underhanded moves than anyone else. That localised implosion spell they want to introduce made me feel really sick.
Might keep checking the story of, in hopes that Chryssie notices the treachery and stealthily subverts it or disables it. I mean, any changeling dealing with that artificier should immediately feel that something's wrong by her emotions.
And back to the past, and really really don't want to skip this but REALLY want to see where it's going......GAAAAAHHHH!!!!!!!!
Well okay then, a kind of, calm before the storm before everything goes to shit?
You two had quite the fun time last night then I take it?
Well I'm sure there is something you can do to get her more awake...........
D'awwww seriously where was more of this earlier? it's so adorable.
Okay Luna, what's going on?
And Twi DID notice, good.
And a very good thing for Luna to keep in mind... or anyone really. But yes, Luna you KNOW Twilight has trouble taking hints.
And yes, did figure it was most likely something else Luna was feeling upset about, and more self recriminations.
OOOOHHHH it took me way to long to puzzle out what the issue was.... so.. Luna have a secret Domination fetish? Or, want Twi to be the "Stallion" in their relationship for a few nights?
Luna, Twilight, both of you, repeat after me "Thou shalt not Kink Shame." Seriously, she won't now open up.
And VERY good way of wording it Twilight.
She does have a point.
that went from sweet, and touching, to hilarious but still touching so fast, and it's so brilliantly done.
Okay, I REALLY like this way better, just get right to the point and, damn Twilight, got a few Kinks of your own you want to try out?
Huh, was not expecting that one. that, That seems fairly interesting, and noting at all to be ashamed of. Can see the thrill to it.
Not the least, I mean, not sure I would go for it, but, still, that could be interesting and, hell who am I kidding you I would, if I could fly.
Hell yeah Twilight.
And of course she did.
Wait, is this the same trip she was on at the start? Just, the one long one or, go out, smash the pirates, come back? Or, go smash, and keep going for a year?
Well, keep on your toes, errr hooves and don't let them surprise you.
Okay, so one LOOOOONG trip And, that makes sense. She wants Twi to stay safe...........and it DID save their lives.....
AHHHHHH! See I was thinking she'd find them after looting the Pirates treasures. But, yeah if they don't come back to Equestria after that.....
So many of which you REALLY should not be trying given your state of mind.
Twi this is you..... casting it will likely mean catastrophic in ANY sense.
Huh I thnk I see where she is going with this.. link two ponies, use one as a 'template' to restore the other.....
Well, not the first thing I'd go for but, it's better then anything else so far.
Nope, she is so used to it.
Wait..... WHAT! Again HATE that name and, so, your solution is, to FORCE ABLY altered living being agsint their will strip them of everything that makes them THEM... once more, would you be fine slicing off all pegasi wings? No? There is NOTHING different here.
Okay, I get this is serious but...... That is crossing a line.
okay.. wait, just something to keep track, monitor... not outright disabling them? Okay.. this is more reasonable.
Find out if Chryssi is planning something big.... alright.
And taking her using "Shrugged off" as being how Twi interpreted it. But, having that kind of trump card... could be needed..... however, can't go for something that would just disable them? And are you doing this to ALL of them, or JUST the ones serving Chryssi?
Yes... she has a point, and yeah brought that up. You can NOT trust her.
See this is a start, and gee, shouldn't that have been you know, right around the first book when you made friends with Cshaaree?
Oh so she DID get demoted from 'Friend" then?
Okay, once again, what about Cshaaree's hive? Or are they getting their own, untampered versions?
"I learned something today. Really old wizards, did not get that way by being easy to kill."
..... okay........ putting aside potential issues with 'racism' here, not a huge fan of this but do understand it. SO LONG as it ONLY targets Chryssi's Changelings, not Cshaaree's. Because as I said in the last rant-ish bit, Changelings as individuals, and Changelings as minions of Chryssi ARE two different things. The later, yes they are threats. So long as this ONLY effects that group.. well I'm for most of it. I do agree with Celestia that they need a trump card to pull on Chryssi, and we see a year from now, something is still going on and the Hive either expands or moves. My bigger issue is going right for the 'lethal' option, rather then including a lesser one they could use first, in case of something else. Yes I get Celestia's POV, I'm just not sure why they can't also add in some kind of sleep or paralysis spell as a middle ground. That's really my only issue with this plan, the lack of a non-lethal option. Not even the inclusion of the lethal one given what a threat Chryssi is, just the lack of another one as well. Also, Luna kind of going to far with things, BUT it is to keep Equestria safe........ Yes it's a grey area, and, I'm fine with it on the whole, again so long as they make SURE to distinguish between Chryssi's minions, and non-minion Changelings, or those serving Cshaaree.
Huh, interesting idea, that it's the tree powering this stuff..... Even odder nopony working there sent her a note saying all the lights had gone out.
Wait, Pinkie Parties AREN'T government subsidized.... well technically they kind of are in this case... but that WOULD explain how she throws so many.
Sadly, don't think you can bar Twilight from the dance floor at her own party.....
Ah so Hobbit style birthday.
Well, she has a point, also, because of course it was Twilight.
No way they are stupid enough to attack something like this..... one of her friends spicing things up?
Oh or, is this a pirate attack somewhere near-ish, but not attacking the party itself?
Given Twi's life... that is an understatement.
Ooookay, tel me you are not this stupid?
They are that stupid? What are they up to?
And what is to stop her from pinning you all upside down to the ceiling before tossing you in a dungeon for ever?
You are an idiot..........
Shouldn't you also be stronger? Earth Pony and all?
The thing they'd never suspect and so not have any idea how to deal with, smart.
Ah a practical teacher, I like him.
I Definitely like him
... How does that work on ponies? Their belly should be really hard to reach.....
Oh most certainly.
Okay, no way this is going where he hopes it's going.......... unless........
LUNA! Well, she wants to be sure Twi can hold her own, and would explain so much. Still, very VERY nice move there Lulu.
Most fun those guards have had in ages. okay THAT was awesome!
Just because Twilight has moved onto accepting Luna as she is, fully and completely.. doesn't mean they can't still have some shapeshifting fun times too.
Figured that was the final clue.
Hey, if it gets her a win. Also likely the lack of feeling like she needed a gallon of mouthwash and maybe some dragon fire to cleanse the foul taste from her mouth after.
Leave it to Twilight to spot these details.
Yup, Still kinky.
Huh, well then... should have seen that coming.
OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, Well, If you two hadn't worked so hard before this, Twi would have just nerdgasmed all over the place.
Okay so yeah a nice little send off before the serious END OF THE WORLD! So time to move on, and yes Twi-Luna is so adorable.
Some light hearted sword thrashing is a nice way to turn down the suspense a bit after back-to-back chapters of the world apparently being about to end.
This is the best footnote of the story, IMO.
Ah, who am I kidding? An excellent subversion!
7133232 that reminds me of a different story where Twilight invented a device she called a "talkie-trottie"...but her brother didn't like that name, and kept calling it "the communication device".
and then there's the online comic "general protection fault": one of the main characters invented a mysterious device that somehow produced huge amounts of energy apparently from nowhere...and he called it the "veloceraptor".
it was 7am and I was not prepared... nor was anyone in my house
RADIO. That's the correct ancronym.
I mean... ok
Okay, so a lot of this chapter made me deeply uncomfortable. But I liked seeing how observant Twilight is, that was cool.
I'm starting to actually see what was previously only hinted at about Celestia. I don't like what I see.
Good, glad to know 1000 years of peace hasn't made you soft.