Luna's Librarian, Twilight's Moon

by TheLastBrunnenG

Your Turn

Around a flickering campfire on the outskirts of the sprawling orchards of Sweet Apple Acres sat five mares, warming their hooves on a cool autumn night. Crickets and crackling firelogs were soon drowned out by the clattering of a bouncing pink pony carrying a jingling, jangling drawstring sack.

“Ooh! Ooh! Party game! Even better than ‘pin the toupee on Cranky’!” Holding the bag open proudly, she looked expectantly at the four ponies eying her suspiciously.

“Pinkie, dear, do you really expect us to thrust our hooves into that bag, completely unawares? Why,” scoffed the white mare, “the last time I did such a thing, I was cleaning alligator spittle off my hooficure for days! Positively ghastly.”

The party pony rolled her sly-blue eyes and thrust the bag closer. “Well, duh! Next time don’t wash your hooves with alligator-bait flavored soap, silly! Now, everybody reach in and pick one. Super-neato, I promise! It’ll be like Truth or Dare, only not.”

Reluctantly each pony put a hoof in the bag, looking at each other hesitantly before retrieving its contents. Four of them now held a golden torc apiece, sparkling jewels forming the centerpiece of each. The fifth, a cerulean Pegasus, held a golden tiara topped with a magenta star.

“Pinkie!” gasped Twilight, “where did you get these? We can’t use the Elements of Harmony for a camp-out party game! We have to get these back to Canterlot! Oh, Princess Celestia’s going to have my horn for this…”

“Relax, sugarcube!” The purple mare cocked her head as Applejack tapped the circlet she held against a rock, each knock forming a dull, clunking thud. “See? They ain’t the real Elements. Mighty good fakes, though.”

Pinkie giggled, nodding furiously. “Mighty righty! Now, here’s the game. Whatever Element you’re holding, you have to do or say something that fits it. I call this game, ‘Comfort Zones are for Wusses’. Oh, oh, can I go first? Yes, me, I can! You can. We can. Okay, here goes…” She held up a shining neckpiece featuring a multi-faceted jeweled apple. Inhaling deeply, she held her breath for a long moment before offering, “Everypony thinks I’m an indiscriminate pansexual polyamourous slut because I try to make everypony happy and smiling and rolling in the hay nonstop with everypony who had a frownie would be one way to do it. Do it! Get it? Anyway… I’m actually a virgin.” Four ponies gasped collectively and stared at her. “I can make ponies happy with games and parties and cupcakes all I want, but there’ll only ever be one first time, and I’m saving that for somepony special, because it’s a gift I hope will make them smile more than a party ever could. And that’s the Honest truth.” She put the Element back in the bag and shrugged. “Okey dokie, Dashie, your turn!”

Shaking her head as if waking from a strangely lucid dream, Dash held up the golden tiara. “Magic? You gotta be kidding me! Do I look like an egghead? Or a unicorn? Sheesh! Okay, okay… I, uh, I admit it. I’m jealous of unicorns. Yeah, I know, laugh it up, ‘horn envy’ and all that. Truth is, I’m terrified of anything happening to my wings. They’re what makes me so awesome. If anything ever happened to them, the only way I could fly again would be through magic. With a spell like the one Twi used on Rarity, just maybe not as un-cool as gossamer butterfly wings. So – yeah. The last time I saw a shooting star, I wished I could do magic, just… just in case, you know?” She tossed the tiara into the bag and sat heavily on her haunches.

Twilight saw the four look at her as she twirled a circlet in her hooves, its gemstone balloon shining in the firelight. “Laughter, huh? Not sure if this will make everyone smile, but here goes.” She cleared her throat but kept looking down, orange flames and blue sparkles dancing in her eyes as a slight frown creased her muzzle. “Last week I said I had to return to Canterlot to answer an important question from the Princess. I said I had to do some research in the Canterlot Archives and I told you all I was working on a new spell. When you all wished me luck with Celestia – well, I lied. I wasn’t there to see Celestia. I wasn’t working on a spell, and I never even went to the Archives.”

Applejack put a hoof on the purple pony’s shoulder. “Sugarcube, you’re right, that ain’t exactly makin’ us laugh. it ain’t like you not to be honest with us. We’re your friends, and whatever made you say all that, Ah know you had a right good reason for it. So why’d you really go back to Canterlot?”

As she looked up, a widening grin crossed the lavender unicorn’s face and her blush was evident even in the warm firelight. “Well,” she smiled, “I was going to see a Princess, and she did have a question for me.” She put down the Element and reached up with both hooves, slowly parting her pink-streaked mane to reveal a gleaming golden band at the base of her horn. She barely had time to whisper, “And I said ‘yes’!” before four smiling mares tackled her and peals of laughter broke the orchard's midnight peace.

Author's Note:

TMP Prompt #169: “Alternates”. The Mane Six are the bearers of the Elements of Harmony … but not the Elements they currently possess.

Retrospective and extended Author's Notes:
This was a relatively early prompt, and it shows. I don't think it came off like I envisioned it. Serious LUS in effect, too. It needs more rewrite than I care to give it this long after the fact.

Yes, Fluttershy missed the campout. Insert cliche about an "animal emergency" here. In truth the prompt was only 30 minutes and I was already running long, so her part got cut. Applejack and Rarity made it to the party but their scenes got cut as well.

Comments

[The Tyrannical]

Twilight gets around.
arch.413chan.net/Twilight_Sparkle_is_smug-%28n1299468485642%29.jpg 1652768

[wingzero]

so i think it could use a lot more details

[King Sombrony]

Will there be more?

[Wyvern1998]

I feel as if these chapters are really short. Like, you should do a lot more with each chapter...

[Willow Arqueiro]

MOAAAAAARRRRR

[Seether00]

I liked the third one the best.

[Willow Arqueiro]

1653727

[TheLastBrunnenG]

1652739
Thanks!

1652966>>1653162>>1653205>>1653174
There are several more installments like the first three. I need to do a little editing before I push them out. If they seem short, that's because they are. Keep in mind that these were all written for a 30-minute writing prompt, so they top out around 1000 words each. I might add a sentence or two before posting them here, but essentially they're the same as I originally wrote them.

Next two chapters are a doozy, and include the most d'aaawww-y, diabeetus-inducing chapter of the bunch. Should be up by Thursday.

[TheLastBrunnenG]

1653445

I dug that one too. It's one where if you knew the writing prompt that spawned it, it would ruin the suspense, but by itself it still works.

[RF and AG]

Hmm...well then...I have only one thing to say to you my good sir!

pictures.mastermarf.com/blog/2010/101120-haz-moar.jpg

[TheLastBrunnenG]

1653799
Heh! That was the sub-tactical d'aaawww missile. The theatre-level strategic d'aaawwww bomb drops in the next chapter or two.

1653821
Heh. Heh. Heh.

[wingzero]

1653797 oh i didnt know that sorry in that case good job.

more pleas NOW

[TheLastBrunnenG]

1653843
MOAR indeed. Already written, just awaiting editing.

[RF and AG]

1653879

Only a sub-tactical d'aaawww missile??
scranton.mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw6245-Mother_of_me....png

[Nyronus]

themeparkreview.com/forum/files/thumb_not_bad.jpg

Pretty solid stuff here. This site needs more fluffy slice of life. And more good TwiLuna.

[khatre]

Must ... get insulin ... before diabetes ... kills ..me ...

[King Sombrony]

1653797 tis wondrous news my friend

[Something Eight]

I read this story, and . . .

images.gamebanana.com/img/ico/sprays/diabeetus.png

Type 2. Just from how D'AAAAAAWWWWWWWWW inducing these stories were. I see that it's marked incomplete. Please tell me that there's more.

[Rainbow_Dashtruction]

HAHA! No Regidar to be seen.

[Mister Morden]

This story is just too cute!

I love the dynamic here. TwiLuna is just too cute!

[TheLastBrunnenG]

1654393

847 re-reads and I still got the count wrong! This was written for Thirty Minute Ponies, of course, emphasis on the 'thirty minute' part. So,trivia: Your Turn was written with a scene for all of the Mane 6 but as the 30-minute deadline loomed, I had to cut Fluttershy out completely, while Rarity and AJ had no individual scenes and just a couple of lines each. That's why the count is off - it was written for 6 ponies, then edited to show just 5 with only seconds to spare on the deadline. The count in Twilight Hustle should be "four friends" then "three smiling mares [plus Rarity]" because Rainbow isn't there (had to cut her scene for time) and Twi is invisible until the end. Edits now complete for both.

[TheLastBrunnenG]

1654820
Glad somebody caught that!

1654488
Yep, more in the queue! Just need to tweak them a little and you'll have a diabeetus-induced sugar coma by Thanksgiving.

[Dragon Angel Knight]

if I ate a bowl full of candy, I wouldn't get diabeetus as bad as this gave me, especially that third chapter. I look forward to more.

[Eastwing]

Here's the most original comment yet...
D'AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

[Lucky Fire]

I love it ^^ looking forward to the next chapter

[LunaTheFox]

See? I told you I'd give you a thumbs up (incidentally, I was browsing the front page and didn't even realize it was you that wrote these :rainbow laugh:). These are too cute and I can't wait to see more!

[S-K Of The Flame]

Oh, tell me this isn't the end?! PLEASE tell me there's more!?

[Iron Nebula]

Oh Lordy. right in the happy feels. Can't wait to read more!

[BenRG]

So the plot thickens. Does that make her Princess Twilight? The Consort of the Moon? (Neat formal title, huh?)

[Archvile]

*applause*

[TheLastBrunnenG]

1655329>>1655680>>1655875>>1656102>>1656331>>1656679
Thanks, all! There's definitely more. I was going to post the next few after Thanksgiving, but you guys have been such good sports, my plan now is to slack off of work and get my edits done today. You know what they say: "Something familiar, Something peculiar,Something for everyone: Diabeetus tonight! Something appealing, Something appalling, Something for everyone: Diabeetus tonight!"

1656674
Better than Royal Concubine, I guess! Officially, it's Princess Consort. But not until after the next two chapters.

[Silvernis]

I actually have diabeetus, and a crapton of insulin, so bring on the D'AWWWs.

[Regidar]

1654879 I have to sleep sometime.

[TheLastBrunnenG]

1657515
Finally! I was beginning to feel neglected.

[Regidar]

1657536

[coandco]

it ain’t like you not to be honest with us.

"It" should be capitalized.

[Poco]

1655090

what would Fluttershy's and Rainbow Dash's stories have been had you had enough time?

[TheLastBrunnenG]

1659973
Good question! I think I'll add those later but it'll be after I run out of TwiLuna material.

[Chaosglory626]

I'm kind of sad we didn't get to hear a nice heartfelt speech from everyone. I wanted to hear Fluttershy strongly declare, if you don't mind that is, that she will do her best to make sure her timidness doesn't stop her from standing by her friends, pretty please. I wanted to see AJ guaranteeing the first barrel of next season's cider to Dashie. I wanted to hear Rarity praise her friends even through their roughest behavior. You should have had Twilight go last. Still it was really nice.

[KibaWR]

What a twist^^ I seriously didnt expect that^^ And lol to Pinkie Pie^^ I seriously didnt expect her to think that way^^

[LeoValkenhein]

Damn man, these stories are awesome, and so freakin cute! I'm gonna have an adorable overload!

[Kapuchu]

So. Much. D'aaw!

[Archivist Nightwatch]

The thing I find about this is it would actually make a very good story and not just a few short stories.

[The Princess Rarity]

dashie.mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw4884-rainbow_dash_animated_avatar_2_by_metalbeersolid-d3ichoi.gif
ZOMG, THE D'AWWWWWWS! I'm out for insulin for the diabetes!!!!!!!!

[Forefront1]

1653174
Quantity vs. Quality and I say there is a lot of quality in this

[statoose]

OH
MY
HNNNNNNNG

Goodness, this just keeps getting cuter and cuter.

And this made me laugh:
-I call this game, ‘Comfort Zones are for Wusses’.
:D

[articunos bitch]

1652966 There is a story on the authors page about Luna's proposal. It's new, and packed with d'aww. Wear an IED disposal suit when handling it.

[BenjiCG]

I kinda feel bad about mentioning these but they were the only one's I noticed haven't been changed

With a spell like the one Twi used on Rariry

(hehe it sounds like a yeti trying to say rarity in my head)

'orchards of Sweet Apple Acres sat five mares' and
'before four(?) smiling mares tackled her'

(just wondering where Flutters went?)

[PrincessLunaTheGamer]

TAKE MY FEELS!! TAKE THEM!! YOU ARE TRYING TO KILL ME WITH CUTENESS HERE!!!

[Starlight Shadow]

‘Comfort Zones are for Wusses’.

Best game ever, Pinks.

This is my favorite chapter.