> Dark Paradise: the TwiLuna Group Collab > by Habanc > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Troubled - Spark_and_Twilight > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Spark_and_Twilight ~~One week after Twilight's coronation, Grand Canterlot Observatory~~ "Aha I knew you were around here somewhere" the lavender mare mumbled peering through the eye piece of the telescope "Now...where is..." "Is there a reason you snuck into my tower at such an hour Twilight Sparkle?" A voice asked behind her making the younger princess jump. "WAUGH!" She yelped spinning around nearly falling off the seat as she spotted the source of the comment "O-oh Princ-" she started. Waving it off with a hoof the Lunar Mare continued forward "If you call me by my title one more time when we are alone Twilight Sparkle I shall ensure the punishment for such is most severe..." Twilight flushed, considering the LAST punishment had involved an enchanted pair of saddlebags making her perform the chicken dance in front of Princess Celestia for two hours, there was no way she was taking any chances "S-sorry Luna, you just startled me. And as for why I'm in here...I couldn't sleep..." Luna frowned gesturing for Twilight to join her on one of the padded benches around the edges of the room, fluttering down the bookish mare soon sat next to her friend "But do you not have a meeting scheduled with a most important pair of ponies early tomorrow?" "That's just it Luna, I haven't spoken to either of them for over a Month, they have no idea I was even coronated, or that I'm even an Alicorn! What if they're upset with me, what if they're scared or treat me differently, or even disowmph" her rant was cut off in mid build up by virtue of a silver clad hoof pressed against her mouth. "Peace young Twilight, I sincerely doubt your parents will disown you, I do admit they are likely to be surprised by your transformation. But one of the virtues of being a parent is the ability to love thine foals no matter what." She explained simply, lowering her hoof slowly. "B-but..." she started slowly. With a small sigh the Lunar mare cut her off again "If it will help you calm down. I shall accompany you to your parent's tomorrow if you so desire." "Y-you mean it? But aren't you supposed to sleep during the day?" Nodding she continued "Most of the time yes, but getting up early one day to help provide moral support for a dear friend will not kill me Twilight. I promise you that, I shall simply have to take a nap before dusk falls." Twilight smiled softly "Thank you, that would be wonderful Luna" she replied softly yawning slightly as the late hour started to make itself known, slowly leaning over to support her suddenly tired form against the taller mare's shoulder. she was still uneasy about meeting her parents the next day, but somehow knowing she'd have Luna there to back her up, helped sooth the young alicorn's troubled thoughts enough for her to find sleep's sweet release. > Summer - Piece Bot > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Piece Bot Princess Luna was having a fine day outside Canterlot Castle. The breeze was blowing, the birds were singing, the fillies were playing in the maze ... What? Luna walked over to where she thought she heard the CMC playing but there was nothing there. Oof! Luna fell down as she felt something jump onto her back. "Hello Luna. How are you?" Twilight laughed at Luna's face. "I got you again!" Luna growled a bit and pushed Twilight off of her. She got up and stared back into Twilight's wide, lavender eyes. "Nice weather, isn't it?" Luna asked, being nonchalant. "In Summer it's beautiful. It's just the right weather oh wait. That's Autumn." Luna giggled a bit. “Yes, that is Autumn. Why don’t we enjoy the sunshine and fly around a bit?” Luna ruffled her wings a bit and took off. When she got up to the first cloud she spotted, she alighted down on it and saw that Twilight was already there. “You are getting better Twilight.” Luna commented. “Yes, but that’s only because I had the loveliest teacher to teach me.” Luna saw Twilight blush a bit. In response, she felt her own cheeks flush. “Luna, are you crying?” Twilight walked up to Luna and laid a touching wing on her marefriend. “Yes. But that’s only because I’m so happy.” Luna leant into Twilight’s shoulder and they both watched the sunset on that beautiful summer day. > Happy - Fuzzyfurvert > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Fuzzyfurvert “Luna! Come quick! You’re not going to believe your eyes!” Twilight hopped in place, a huge grin stretching from ear to ear. Her wool-lined parka wobbled off her head as bounced in the middle of the hatchway that lead to the Princess’ personal chambers. “What is it?” Luna raised her eyebrow and set her quill aside from where she had been writing. Twilight’s abrupt entrance a few seconds earlier had startled her and already a few blots of ink had splattered on the page she had been working on. “You have got to see this for yourself! It’s unbelievable!” Twilight stomped her hooves and let out an excited whoop. She turned in the hatchway and wrenched open the outer hatch with a burst of magic before diving out into the night without so much as re-donning her hood. “C’mon! This is incredible!” Luna groaned as she spared her work a final glance. It could wait. Twilight was likely to take a tumble out in the darkness in her youthful exuberance. She pulled on her own parka and closed both hatches to her temporary domicile as she made the short walk to the Observatory. She thanked her sister for the foresight to get enchanted parkas when she found Twilight inside the main viewing chamber shivering and trying to catch her breath. Twilight’s condition did not seem to calm her excitement any. Twilight shuffled a dozen or so loose sheets of scroll parchment on the huge table. Each sheet was covered in her scratchy hoofwriting. Even the margins were filled in with equations on mass, density and particle distribution in vacuum. Twilight coughed, her lungs rattling with the effort and the air fogged considerably before it drifted to and merged with the cloud floor beneath them. “What is it you wanted to show me, Twilight? Have you found another exo-planet to put under your claim?” Luna glanced up at the enormous telescope that loomed above them. Twilight has overseen every aspect of its construction, enchantment and placement here in the Ultra High Altitude Geo-Stable Observatory Cloud. “This!” Twilight shoved two pieces of paper across the table. Luna leaned down and examined the annotated math that drove Twilight to smile wider than Pinkie was even capable. She squinted, the numbers tumbling through her mind. It was impossible. Improbable. If any other pony had showed her such unbelieveable findings, Luna would have thrown them out on their plots. Not this mare however. Twilight Sparkle didn’t make errors this egregious. “Are you sure?” Luna looked up, her eyes narrowed. “Really, really sure, Twlight? It’s not just some trick of light or angle of perspective?” Luna jabbed a hoof at the last number on the sheet in front of her. “This number cannot be, Twilight. It throws everything we know about the laws of our world out the window!” “Oh I’m sure.” Twilight’s grin turned into a smirk as she gestured at the telescope. “Wanna look at it?” “Buck yes I do!” > Strangers - Pearple Prose > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Pearple Prose At the beginning of the night, we had been strangers. The princess had arrived in Ponyville on Nightmare Night, hoping to introduce herself to the fair folk. Unfortunately, it had not quite gone as planned. It turns out that an eon on the moon doesn't help with your social skills. And so I had done what I do best: I lectured her. It was all very proper; I introduced myself, we had a small chat, and then I introduced her to my friends. There wasn't anything deeper to it, really. She was a princess, I was her subject. She was a stranger to me, and I to her, friendly as we were. It was over the course of the night that something... changed. Changed in the dynamic. I can't point out when, precisely, that it happened. I mean, the first thing I noticed about her, of course, was how beautiful she was, but that goes without saying. Complimenting her on it would have meant nothing, for it was a simple fact of her station. If anything, her appearance was more than a little intimidating. But looking back on it, when she let down her barriers — when she stopped being so... royal, I suppose — realise now that I saw something. A kindred spirit. it never crossed my mind at the time. That night, I could only think of how much I wanted us to be more than strangers. I wanted to truly know that mare underneath. And so, at the end of that night, I blurted out: "Luna!" She looked at me in confusion, and with, dare I say it, a spark of hope. "...Tea?" At the end of that night, we became more than strangers. > Disaster - happyowl > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: happyowl I pushed the front door open and let my vision became used to the half-light. Of what was once a standard apartment remained only empty rooms sprinkled with broken objects and litters, whose walls displayed marks of ancient furniture and childish writing, obvious token of the precedent owners. A thin ray of golden light crossed throughout the piece, coming from a unknow source. I breathed slowly, the air was warmth and stifling; nopony had aired it for a long time. It was irritating, I was worried for the pony who lived here, and I wanted to open violently the windows and clean everything, but a stronger feeling pressed me to advance along the walls. I followed the sunbeam as far as the bedroom and sat down in the shadow of the door. She was here, slouched on her desk, writing tirelessly the fruit of her research without taking the time to sort out and tidy up the parchments which covered the floor. It took me time to capture her expression, hidden behind an hourglass, in fact every places of the room were occupied by an object: scientist materials, trinkets, books and a way too many empty bottles. “Twilight...” I began, knowing she had waited for me. She stopped writing and turned slowly her head toward me. Messy hair, rings and bloodshot eyes, she wore her old white blouse now stained and disentangled. Her look sheltered nothing but anger, and a certain sullenness. “How long?” She asked abruptly. “Seven, it’s been seven years.” “And you continue to return every months...Luna, what do you want exactly?! Give me a break, for Celestia’s sake!” A sharpness characteristic in her voice which turned my heart over. I was tired of this comedy, I had to take action. “It been too long now Twilight, you can’t go on like that. Celestia said you needed some time alone, but I can’t stand seeing you down.” I moved forward, cautiously for not to frighten her. “I know you’re scared, and yet you continue to shut your eyes. It’s useless, they’ll never return.” She went back to her scrolls and her work, she never stopped since this madness has begun. I could now see her frown and the pain hidden in her eyes. I sighed. If I wanted to bring her out of her dumbness, I will have to challenge her dignity. “Nopony forced you to leave, you know, it’s you who transformed your life in a disaster. As I see you now I have more pity for you than sadness. You can’t-” “I can do this, I can’t do that, Luna you’re not my mother!” “No, but even her gave up on you. I’m just worried about you...” I knew my words will have an effect on her. “And I don’t need your pity!” She stood up abruptly, knocking down the chair and opened her wings threateningly. “Leave me alone! And get out of my apartement!” I moved back, never stopping to look straight in her eyes, my hooves shaking and my heart pounding in my chest. I felt like crying, but it was necessary. “No...” I muttered. In my head, I wanted to shout it. A fragment of surprise passed on her face before it took the feature of anger, and I lost precious seconds thinking that even angered, she was still beautiful. But it was time for me to act. With a nimble movement, I hurled myself toward her and tackled her against the floor. She struggled but as skinny and weak as she was, she could do nothing against my 80kilos of nerves and muscles. “Twilight...” She remained paralyzed, panting, the regard agitated. Her expression passed from anger to fear, as if she didn’t know in which side she have to be. “It’s okay, I forgive you.” My words, trivial for anynopy but a metaphor of so much more for her, became the relief Twilight needed. She flew into my arms and cryed. It’s with a new joy I held her tight against my chest as she tryed to explain herself, and even if I didn’t understand her blabbing I already knew the content. It been too long that I didn’t hugged her like this and I was delighted to feel her heart calm down, to play with her mane and to whisper this words she seemed to forgot... “I love you Twilight, I’ll always be with you.” > Stalker - Pearple Prose > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Pearple Prose Princess Luna was using a telescope. It was quite the impressive contraption, she thought. A collection of mirrors and lenses arranged in such a way that the reflected light would allow for viewing of far-away objects in the cosmos, all contained within a simple cylinder mounted upon a stand. A device for viewing the night sky... such ingenuity! Truly, it was an example of just how far pony creativity could extend. All of these reasons, and more, made Luna feel a little ashamed that she had decided to use said contraption to spy on her crush. Only a little, mind you. "Blasted gizmo. Your princess demands that you ZOOM-!" Luna slapped a hoof over her mouth, eyes darting around in panic. After a minute of silence, she pulled her hoof away and sighed gustily. What am I doing? Luna thought despairingly. Why can't I just... go to her? Luna already knew why, of course, but she wasn't sure she wanted to admit it to herself. "Well, no more!" Luna shouted, leaping to her hooves. "I am going to walk right up to Twilight Sparkle, and I am going to say 'I love y-'" Something moved in Twilight's window. "Ohwhatamisayingimacoward." Luna dived for the telescope, practically shoving her eye onto the lens as she stared at the distant treehouse. Pain flared in her eye, making her hiss, but she ignored it. Her trembling hooves held the telescope steady, as she peered closer... closer... closer... "Luna?" The telescope snapped in half from the force of Luna's spasm. Ever-so-slowly, her head turned around to stare at the door. Twilight Sparkle stared back. "Um, what are you doing?" Luna's eye twitched. Her jaw fell open with a rusty clunking sound. "Ok... I'll just... go, I guess." The purple unicorn slid out of the room, leaving the door to slowly shut on its own. Luna slumped to the floor of the balcony as soon as the other mare disappeared from view. She sighed again, perhaps even more gustily than before, and crawled into the bathroom. She glanced into the mirror, and froze. Around her eye, there was a clear, black ring. She knew. She knew. Luna dashed with a mad, stumbling, gait to the door, opened it slowly, then peeked her head out. She spotted the object of her - somewhat unhealthy - desire trotting down the corridor. As she watched, Twilight glanced over her shoulder, winked, and, without warning, lifted her tail. Luna glanced for barely a second before flattening herself against the wall, hoof held against her pounding heart. Distantly, she heard the echoes of soft giggling. What... Luna thought, smile threatening to split her face in half. ...have I gotten myself into? > Satisfaction - Fuzzyfurvert > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Fuzzyfurvert Derpy pumped her wings harder as she climbed toward her delivery point. Thermal streams helped her ascend faster in the magically stilled air around the Ultra High Altitude Geo-Stable Observatory Cloud, but at this height there was serious risk of ice forming on her feathers or fur. Thankfully she only had a single envelope to haul along with a re-breather and an under-wing slung oxy tank. Derpy released a grateful sigh when she finally set her hooves on the super dense cloud bank. She pulled her wings as close to her core as the tank and her mostly empty satchel would allow. The tip of the giant telescope glinted in the light of the setting sun from another three hundred meters above her, pointing into the black. She looked around, trying to spot a pony to give her envelope to. Derpy shook her head and reached up to her chest to press the rubber bulb on the mail horn. A moment later two heavy parka covered ponies trotted out from thick mists, moving it aside with little flicks of their heads and the haze of unicorn magics. “Hey Derpy! We weren’t expecting anyone until the next resupply run.” Princess Twilight Sparkle doffed her hood and smiled. “Did you bring news from Celestia?” Derpy bowed as shallowly as manners allowed and shook her head. “Nope! I have something else for you Princess!” She did her best to return Twilight’s smile around the re-breather clutched in her teeth and opened her satchel. “It just came in this afternoon. Supposed to go out with tomorrow’s mail and wait back at home but… since you’re fellow Ponyville alum,” Dery shrugged, “I figured I’d bring it by.” “Aw, thanks Derpy!” Twilight pulled the mailmare into a tight hug that threatened to drive the oxygen she had left out of her lungs. Twilight let her go after a moment and tore the envelope open, pulling out what looked like a short form letter. Derpy silently crossed her feather tips, hoping that she hadn’t accidentally delivered bad news. Princess Luna leaned in and looked over Twilight’s shoulder at the note. “Well?” Twilight whooped and jumped a good three feet in the air. “They’re going to publish it! The magazine is going to publish my paper on that superluminal object we found! It’s my first professionally published work!” Twilight spun in place and grabbed Luna by the shoulders, knocking the older princess’ hood back. Luna smiled happily and laughed until her eyes went wide when Twilight pinned her in a lip lock. Luna took a step back but Twilight just continued to lean into her. The kiss slowly became less one sided and both mares blushed furiously when they finally parted. Derpy blushed and scuffed the tip of one hoof into the cloud floor. “Well, glad it was good news. Hehe.” She turned and looked back at the princesses who were still trying to find their voices. “I think I’ll go see what Carrot Top is up to.” > Medicine - Pearple Prose > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Pearple Prose "Aaaaaaah... CHOO!" Luna snorted, her eyes snapping open. A moan sounded off from the pony lying next to her in the bed. She turned around to see her marefriend sitting up, wiping her nose with a hoof. "Good morning, Twilight!" Luna chirped cheerfully. "Bleh." Twilight bleh'd blearily. "How are you feeling on this beautiful morning?" Luna asked as she leapt out of bed and walked over to the window. Twilight responded by way of an askew glance, coupled with a very wet and disgusting snort that — somehow — managed to sound rather indignant. Luna turned her head away and smirked. This was just too perfect. "Oh, would you just look at this beautiful day?" Luna said, hamming up the "morning pony" attitude that she knew s despised. "Oooh, maybe we should go out for a stroll around Ponyville! Wouldn't that be just divine?" Twilight groaned as the stream of sunlight struck her eyes, half-heartedly lifting a purple wing to protect herself from the unholy rays. "Nuuuuurr..." She mumbled, before sneezing again. Luna's eyes were clenched shut with the effort it took to stifle her sniggering. The sight of the normally collected pony in such a ridiculous state was becoming too much for the Night Princess to hold in. Twilight looked at her giggling marefriend, then crossed her eyes to peer at her snivelling snout. "I thing I hab a cold." She declared, after a few moments of deliberation. Then sneezed again. That was all it took. Luna immediately burst into fits of laughter, rolling on the floor of Twilight's bedroom while the pony herself looked on with a frown. "Shnot funny." She huffed. Luna eventually gathered herself back together, crossing the room to examine the bleary, bedridden alicorn, who glowered at her with sleepy eyes. "Oh, I'm sorry, love. I will admit, I have been quite impolite as your guest." Twilight glared at her. "Yur could shay that." Luna coughed out another chuckle, then painted on a look of motherly concern. "Oh, my darling Twiley-poo's caught a frightful cold! Now, don't you worry dear, Lulu is here to help!" With that, she scurried out of the room. Twilight watched her go with confusion, amusement, and more than a little bit of abject terror. She let out a sigh and sank under the covers. Well, it wasn't that bad, Twilight admitted. It was actually pretty funny. She imagined herself going cross-eyed, and giggled. I'll let her have her fun. She's deserved it, after all. Twilight relaxed with a bashful smile. There's still that one experiment with the socks that I don't think she's forgiven me for quite yet. Ten minutes later, Luna still hadn't returned, and Twilight was starting to get anxious. Her optimism from earlier was threatening to fade. It's okay, Twilight. Maybe she's just- The bed-ridden alicorn perked up. Maybe she's making breakfast! Twilight drooled slightly at the thought of pancakes, dripping with syrup. She wondered if they'd get topped with baked apple slices this time... "Twiliiiight~" Luna called from outside the bedroom. "Yeah, Luna?" Twilight hollered back, eyes still closed peacefully. "Do you, perhaps, remember that one incident with the socks...?" Twilight's eyes snapped open. For a moment, she swore that her heart stopped beating. "Oh no." A voice whispered right next to her ear. "Oh, yes~" And to this day, the ponies of Ponyville still remember the mad cackling, against a backdrop of screams. > Snuggle - Jondor > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Jondor Standing on the balcony of her room in Canterlot Castle, Twilight Sparkle let out a sigh of relief that had been building up for a week. Only seven days ago she had proved to the Elements of Harmony that she truly understood the magic of friendship. Just seven days ago she had taken the most powerful magic in Equestria into her body and it had transformed her. She spread her practically virgin wings and felt the gentle breeze flow across her feathers. For the entire week since becoming an alicorn, she’d had very little rest. She’d made several trips back and forth between Canterlot and Ponyville via sky chariot overseeing the preparations for her coronation. She had officially been crowned an Equestrian princess mere hours ago and now, with the celebrations finally winding down, she could take some much needed rest. Unsteadily at first, she beat the air with her wings, as Luna’s advice played back in her mind. She reached out to the air currents, as if to levitate an object that was not there, but with a great effort of will, channeled the magic through her wings instead of her horn. It worked; the air became paradoxically more solid, in order to support her weight, and more fluid, to allow her to pass through it. A brief and somewhat nervous flight later, Twilight landed on a large cloud, bathed in moonlight. She tucked in her wings and lay down next to her lover, snuggling up against the warm body of the Princess of the Night as a large, dark wing draped across her like a blanket. Twilight let out a soft coo as some of Luna’s feathers brushed against her own. They lay in silence for quite a long time, gazing at the night sky together, needing no words to express their mutual feelings. Finally, Luna broke the stillness of the night. “My love, I had not the chance to query thee previously. Didst thou enjoy thine first flight?” “It was... different.” Twilight finally decided. “It’s like nothing I’ve ever felt before.” Twilight rested her head against Luna’s chest, flexing her wings slightly so their feathers brushed again. “Was that how you felt during your first flight?” Luna chuckled. “It would be more appropriate for thee to compare it with me casting mine first spell.” She grinned down at the younger alicorn. Twilight’s eyes went wide with shock. “You first sp—but then you were a pegasus?!” Luna nodded in confirmation. “But all the history books say you were a unicorn...” “Tia was, ‘tis true, but not I. It matters not now, but ‘tis an amusing mistake, is it not?” Twilight gave a half-hearted chuckle while wondering just how many more ‘historical facts’ were amusing mistakes now. As Luna’s wing hugged her closer and she felt a soft pair of lips touch her horn, she decided that was something she would worry about later. > Cake - Fuzzyfurvert > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Fuzzyfurvert The private living chambers that Celestia and Luna shared at the castle were comforting in their simplicity and spartan furnishings. The dining room held a single unadorned table large enough for ponies of the Princesses proportions and a few cushioned seats. Twilight adjusted her position on her chair, sitting up straight and did her best to project an aura of patient calmness. Across from her, Luna sipped from a cup of coffee as she read today’s copy of the Canterlot Times, her plate of cake half-finished. Celestia sat at the head of the table, her plate clear, her nose crinkling as she read over the latest report Twilight had turned into to her after returning with Luna from the Ultra High Altitude Geo-Stable Observatory Cloud. Twilight shifted her weight, waiting for Celestia to finish the report and start grilling her with questions. That was quickly becoming her favorite part about her new Princesshood. Celestia always allowed her closer than most other ponies, but now she was privy to so much more ‘behind the scenes’ real life moments with her mentor. Celestia cleared her throat and Twilight went rigid at attention in her seat. “Twilight,” Celestia clicked her tongue and looked back at the parchment she held, “I won’t pretend to understand these numbers as well as you and Luna do. However, if I am following this correctly, then you have discovered an object in a neighboring star cluster that appears to be moving considerably faster than light itself?” Twilight grinned and nodded her head. “Yes! Though, it isn’t an object, per se. We actually discovered evidence of something massive moving in a predictable pattern faster than anything we’ve ever encountered before. It might not actually be anything, of course. We’ll need to observe it more to confirm that it isn’t just an optical illusion or false reading.” “Interesting.” Celestia fell silent for a moment, a small smile playing across her lips. “Before you returned, I learned something myself that has yet to be confirmed. Something that a young mailmare mentioned in passing while making a delivery to the castle. I’m curious to know what you or Luna might make of what must surely be a fictitious rumor about scandalous behavior happening on royally owned cloud facilities. You two were there after all.” Luna’s cup of coffee started to shake in her magical field, the hot liquid sloshing about as she found a very interesting article on page seven. Twilight blushed and swallowed hard, her wings rustling. “Um…” Twilight’s eyes flicked about, unable to rest on anything or anypony. “I… we…w-we don’t know anything about that! Do we, Luna?” Luna shrank in her seat, her Canterlot Times shaking violently as she buried her face as deeply into the fine print as it would get. “No n-nope! W-we know nothing about any s-scandalous behavior! Tis but rumor, Tia! You know how ponies talk…” Celestia smirked and helped herself to another slice of red velvet cake. “Yes Luna, I most certainly do.” > Memes - Fuzzyfurvert > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Fuzzyfurvert “Twilight, I do not understand the purpose of this periodical.” Luna looked up from her reading as she called out to her companion. They were both staying in a spacious flat in a newly constructed area of Canterlot that commanded a view almost as awe worthy as the one from her personal chambers at the castle. Truth be told, it was too large for just two of them and Luna found herself frequently having to go in search of her friend. Luna sighed after a moment of silence and folded the paper up under one wing and headed toward the other side of the house. “Twilight? I have discovered another modern puzzle.” Luna poked her head into the kitchen and then headed toward the side office. “I have just an article with accompanying images of the both of us. It purports to recollect a…a…” Luna paused and opened the paper again. “A ‘romantic getaway for two’ that I do not recall us actually taking.” “What?” Twilight’s voice floated down from the second floor walkway. The unicorn looked over the railing and down at Luna. “What are you talking about Luna?” “This!” Luna sat back on her haunches and tapped the article with one hoof. “There are pictures from our grocery shopping trip the previous week. The editors of this publication have placed text upon the images in a very odd manner and I cannot tell if it is to be description or dialogue. I cannot recall ever saying any of these things.” Luna squinted at one grainy picture. “And their spelling is atrocious!” Luna felt Twilight’s magic tip back the front page of the newspaper. “What are you reading?” Twilight gasped. “The Canterlot Questioner?! Luna! That’s a cheap tabloid, they don’t report real news. They make up sensational garbage about celebrities like Vinyl Scratch and fictional societal issues. If we’re in there, then they must be trying to drum up drama to sell more copies!” Twilight groaned and facehoofed. “The pictures are done with text in what is known as a ‘meme-style’—which is totally inaccurate--by the way. It’s popular with the younger ponies these days. It is meant to comedic, but it’s usually just childish.” Luna raised an eyebrow. “’Meme?’ I am unfamiliar with this word.” “It’s a fairly new word in Common Equestian. It has multiple meanings. The meaning popularly ascribed to it is only vaguely related to its Oxenford Dictionary definition. Several terms have mutated like that in recent times.” Luna grinned as she wiggled in place. “Can you give me a lesson on them Twilight?” Twilight Sparkle smirked and shook her head. “Sure, but only if you wear that cute hoodie I like.” “Only if you wear those ‘socks’ I so adore on you.” “Goddess, you’re insatiable, you know that, right?” Twilight chuckled and started walking toward their bedroom. “I am going to teach you so hard tonight.” > Hunger - Pearple Prose > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Pearple Prose Twilight stared at Luna. The book before her flopped to the floor in its death throes. She was vaguely aware that her lower jaw was hanging at some undignified angle, and if her brain wasn't so distracted, she would have probably already calculated said angle, written a research paper on it, and sent it to the Canterlot University professors. Unfortunately, she was a trifle too busy deciphering the sounds that had just escaped her marefriend's mouth. "I-I'm sorry," Twilight tried not to stutter, and failed horribly. "I didn't q-quite catch that...?" Luna remained unperturbed by her love's catatonia, continuing to stare into the fireplace in front of them, occasionally glancing down at something in her hooves. Twilight swore that she was smirking a little bit. "I said that I was akin to a changeling, if you were paying attention." "Oh." Twilight stared at Luna some more. If she was being honest, she didn't really know where that left them. She did, however, think that the Encylopedia Equestria on the floor in front of her would make for an excellent blunt instrument. It wasn't every day that your loved one declared, out of the blue, that they were not too dissimilar to shapeshifting emotional parasites. May as well err on the side of caution, Twilight thought. Luna looked at her expectantly, and only responded after the silence had become sufficiently awkward. "Oh, for the love of..." she groaned, slapping a hoof down on a glowing, heavy, leather-bound tome that had snuck up towards her. "I was just being poetic, Twilight!" "O-Oh." Twilight stuttered, still staring at her marefriend. "Of course." More silence. "You don't get it, do you." "No." Luna looked at her, then started giggling. Twilight both loved and loathed that giggle; it sounded like the stars themselves were singing, yet more often than not, Twilight tended to be the butt of the joke. Once again, she found herself blushing as she heard Luna laughing daintily. And once again, she hated how much she wanted to keep hearing it. That beautiful laughter died away after Luna noticed how Twilight had shoved her head in-between the pages of her book, as if trying to transpose her face onto the pages. She placed her hoof on the book and gently tugged it away, revealing Twilight's flaming face to the world. Luna wrapped a wing around the blushing alicorn and pulled her closer. "Love is everything to a changeling." Luna began, stroking her marefriend's mane with a hoof. "It nourishes them. Sustains them. Empowers them. Feeds them." She paused, and looked Twilight straight in the eye. "It is as necessary to them as food and water is to you, me, and everypony on the planet. Perhaps even more so." Twilight couldn't look away. Those perfect teal eyes were as entrancing to her as the stars she saw through her telescope, night after night. Luna continued. "And I wasn't lying. You mean everything to me, Twilight. My love for you is what gets me out of bed in the morning, and your love for me is what keeps me going. The memories of my life before you..." She buried her face in Twilight's mane, relishing in the softness, the smoothness, and the feeling of knowing that this pony loved her, above all others. "It's just so dark and empty without you, my Star." "You nourish me." She kissed Twilight's neck. "You sustain me." She nibbled her ear. "You empower me." She nuzzled her tenderly. "And above all..." Twilight felt a whisper of warm breath on her cheek. "You feed me." And Twilight's words were lost in the lips of her love. > Unrequited - Fuzzyfurvert > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Fuzzyfurvert “Twilight.” The Princess smiled as she leaned down, speaking in a soft tone. “A word, if you please.” It wasn’t a question. It wasn’t exactly an order either, but no pony denied the Princess, least of all Twilight Sparkle. Twilight nodded and waved over to Luna where she was adjusting the ropes that secured their supplies and equipment to the hot air balloon. “Luna! I’ll be right back!” She stepped off the launch pad and trotted across the walkway to castle’s roof access door where Princess Celestia stood calmly. As she got nearer, the Princess retreated into the access stairwell and made room for the smaller pony to join her. Celestia smiled as Twilight entered the small landing, the Princess’ magic closing the door behind her. “Yes, Princess?” “Twilight, speak nothing I am about to say to you, to my sister. Do you understand?” Celestia gazed down at Twilight, her smile gone, replaced by a firm line. She leaned down, her horn pointed at Twilight. Among high society unicorns such body language meant a deep seriousness and honesty. It was not done lightly. Twilight swallowed, her wings rustled nervously. “I understand. You have my word.” She moved forward half a step and touched the tip of her horn to Celestia’s, returning the gesture of honest seriousness. “Do not break my sister’s heart. She is still freshly returned to the world and myself and I do not wish to see her harmed.” Celestia’s eyes softened as she raised her head back to her full height. “Understand Twilight, I don’t think you would do so lightly, or even intentionally. I can see the true affection you share for each other. However,” she sighed, “don’t do it even by accident. Never let her love go without reciprocation. Don’t let your work or her duties get between you.” “Of course I-I won-“ Celestia’s hoof pressed itself to Twilight’s snout, halting her mid-stammer. “Promise me. Promise me you will fight harder than you have ever fought for anything--myself and all of Equestria included—to keep Luna’s love and friendship. I have done wrongs to her that I cannot repay, Twilight. But you can. You can make my sister happy and whole and at peace.” Celestia shook her head, her eyes closing for a moment. “Let me be selfish in this one thing. Let me task you with healing her heart so that she may find it within herself to truly forgive me one day. Do this for me, Twilight. Don’t let her know the heartache of neglect on top of betrayal and imprisonment. Twilight gently pulled Celestia’s hoof from her face and smiled gently at her mentor. “I promise I will not let her love go without being returned in kind. She means everything to me now. I don’t think I could live without her.” Twilight paused and then tilted her head. “Will you promise me something in return?” Celestia nodded. “Anything.” “Stop spying on us so much. I want it to be a surprise when one of us gives you a new niece or nephew, ok?” Celestia blinked and fell back on to her plot, blushing slightly. “Um… yes, of course. I-I promise.” > War - The Princess Rarity > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: The Princess Rarity "Don't." Luna murmured, as she placed a hoof on her lover's shoulder. "Twilight, please." "Luna, I..." the Element of Magic hesitated as she glanced down at the scroll before her. "If we don't sign this-" The Princess of the Night shook her head. "It is a royal's duty to rule their nation with the wellbeing of the commoners in mind, is it not?" she inquired, not bothering to give Twilight a moment to reply before she continue. "If we were to sign this, it would only cause more uproar." "But what if we didn't? What would happen then?" Luna let out a sigh. "I'm afraid that things would not change," she admitted. "But I want them to." Twilight declared. "Shouldn't all ponies have equal rights?" She slammed her hoof against the finely crafted wooden desk and levitated over the quill. "It's only fair." Releasing a deep breath, Luna gave a small nod. "Yes, it is fair, but you don't understand," she explained. "You can't sign something like a law just because you believe it's fair. You have to walk along with the minds of those you are leading, and think about whether or not they would approve of your decision." She brushed denim colored locks from her marefriend's face and looked deep into that lavender gaze. "If we sign this, we would only be thinking of ourselves." Tears sprang to Twilight's eyes, clouding her vision and glanced down to the law before her. "It would only cause war," Luna murmured. "I want to agree it just as much as you do, Twilight, but we can't." She placed a soft kiss on her lover's cheek and let out a sigh. "Perhaps, someday, we can." And so, with that, Twilight screwed her eyes shut, levitating up the paper and tearing it in half. -xoxo- Equestria Daily On this day forth, it has been officially decided by the Rulers of Equestria that same-sex marriage is now officially short-lived. After being temporarily allowed, the Princesses were summoned to reconsider the law after outrage burst across the nation. And so, with much anticipation, the allowing of same-sex couples to be wed is now banned. {See more on pg. six} "We did the right thing," Luna murmured softly, nudging Twilight, who stared down at the newspaper in silent disbelief. "Don't dwell on it." With a small nod, the Princess of Magic hung her head and leaned up against her marefriend, silently praying that someday, somehow, things would change. ...For the better. > War (2) - Piece Bot > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Piece Bot Twilight Sparkle was running around frantically, trying to find her marefriend. “Ah. Found you.” Twilight was slightly out of breath but she managed to find Luna in the Canterlot Archives. “What do thou want?” Luna asked. “Why are you in here and not in your room?” She asked the lunar mare. Luna just blinked slowly. “I decided to do a bit of light reading.” Twilight looked around at the stacks of books that surrounded her. “Light reading? I think I’m rubbing off on you.” By this time Twilight had sat down on the cushion opposite Luna. “What are you reading anyway?” “If thou must know, then I am reading the war between Griffins and Dragons.” Luna said with a slight harrumph to her voice. “But, that’s fiction.” “So? It’s still about war isn’t it?” Luna asked politely. “I guess, even if it is fiction.” Twilight relented. Luna then proceeded to tell Twilight about the war between Griffins and Dragons, even though Twilight had heard this story many times before. > Impossible Annoyance - TheLastBrunnenG > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: TheLastBrunnenG "Impossible!" Luna growled as her hoofstamp echoed through the vast gold-domed cavern of the Royal Observatory. "A pox on the entire Astronomers' Guild!" As she sat snarling over a tangle of charts and reports a tiny voice broke the midnight silence behind her. "Everything okay, Luna?" came the small and trembling words. Luna's ears perked and she sat bolt upright before snapping her head around. "Twilight Sparkle?" She took a few trotting steps to meet the diminutive unicorn as the barest of grins rose on her muzzle and faded as quickly as it had come. "Yes, I - no, Twilight. I am frustrated. Annoyed, in truth." Twilight shifted on her hooves, the weight of a heavy saddlebag dragging her aside. She glanced out the observatory's open dome, past the great brass telescope that dominated the room and into the star-strewn night. "Still trying to fix the stars?" Luna nodded as her nostrils flared. "Indeed. Upon my return I found my precious stars scattered 'cross the heavens, my own skies barely familiar. 'Twas but two short years ago, and e'en now the task eludes me." She stalked across the room, Twilight in tow, and settled to her haunches on the observatory's balcony, now open to the evening air. "Verily, I cannot blame my dear sister. She was much occupied with sundry more pressing tasks, and tried her best with unfamiliar stars. With her attentions elsewhere, the state of Equestrian astronomy fell to disrepair. Neither can I blame the Guild, I suppose, for they could not rightly be expected to investigate stars whose movements may change year to year, or night to night, as Celestia's attentions waxed and waned." "Speaking of which," Twilight muttered as she sat down by Luna and set aside her saddlebag, "where are the Royal astronomers, anyway? The staff said I'd find you here, but on a perfectly clear night like this I expected they'd be fighting over the telescope." "Gallivanting about Canterlot on account of some holiday or another, it seems." Luna snorted and silence crept over them as Twilight seemed to shrink back a little. She shook her head and pointed a hoof at the star-marked saddlebag. "So what's this burden you've brought tonight, Twilight?" A soft magenta glow from Twilight's horn opened the saddlebag and lifted from it a heavy tome, thicker than her hoof and plain-bound aside from a pair of stars stamped on its cover. "This is…" she began, her voice mouse-quiet and faltering. "I, um, I brought this for you." She levitated the book toward the alicorn and deposited it feather-gentle at her hooves. Opening the book in her own indigo magic, Luna sifted through page after page packed with charts, diagrams, and notes in a script both dense and precise. "Star charts?" she asked as she ran a hoof over the reams of data, "and… more, it seems?" "A chart of stellar drift over the last thousand years," Twilight said softly. "I dug up old star charts from the Archives and compared them with observations over the last thousand years. I sorted them by magnitude and spectral class, starting with the brightest. Using this, you should be able to restore most of your stars to their correct positions relatively quickly." A smile almost dared its way across her face before she looked quickly down and away. "At least, the first thousand or so. That’s as far as I got." "The impossible seems suddenly less so," Luna said quietly as she slowly closed the book and eased a hoof across its cover. "Twilight, this book represents hundreds, perhaps thousands of hours' work. All of this you did… just for me?" Twilight inhaled deeply and bit her lip. Looking up to meet Luna's eyes with her own, she whispered, "Happy Hearts and Hooves Day, Luna." > Sundown - Jondor > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Jondor “It’s fine, my little ponies. Nothing to worry about. Continue your rounds.” Celestia addressed the half-dozen guards in the courtyard. She had just stepped down from the ceremonial plinth where she and Luna most often controlled the rising and setting of the sun and moon. It was not strictly necessary, so she had not suspected anything amiss when Luna was not present to raise the moon in her wake. However, now that the sun had been set for a good ten minutes and the moon had not yet risen, she knew something was keeping Luna occupied. Celestia trotted quickly down the palace corridors, searching for her sister. She could not rule out foul play, but considered it highly unlikely. The truce with the Griffon Kingdom was holding, Discord had kept true to his word, the changelings were scattered and ruler-less, and Sombra’s remains had been found and laid to rest. Keeping one eye out for anything suspicious nonetheless, she searched all the usual places Luna tended to lose track of time in. The Royal Observatory was empty. None of the telescopes had been touched for hours. The Royal Library was occupied only by a couple of old scholars poring over ancient texts. The recently added comic section had at least a few days worth of dust buildup. Running out of places to search, Celestia finally tried the kitchens. If hers and Luna’s roles had been reversed, that would have been the first place to look for her, probably wolfing down a slice of delicious cake, and lamenting the effect it would have on her hips. She shook her head to clear the visions of red velvet and double chocolate encroaching on her consciousness; she had a wayward sister to find. “Lulu!” Celestia cried out, spotting the ethereal midnight mane and broad, dark back and wings of her younger sister. “I would not have expected you, of all ponies, to be eating cake while neglecting your duties. How often do you chastise me for such behavior?” The smacking sounds died away at once, and Celestia could see Luna’s back visibly tense. “My apologies, Tia.” Luna’s voice was hoarse and uneven. “Is it time to raise the moon? I fear I lost track of the hour.” “For nearly a half hour now. Apology accepted, so long as you have not eaten the slice of double chocolate I was saving.” Celestia plodded across the room to the ice chest, noticing that Luna tensed even more. “Are you having some trouble raising the moon, Lulu? Or are you not turning around because you did eat my cake?” “Nay, neither!” Luna said, abruptly. “But pray, do not step closer, Tia. I..” Luna’s wings twitched. “I am unwell, and do not wish to spread the illness.” She gave a most unconvincing cough. “Lulu, that didn’t even work on me a thousand years ago.” Celestia trotted toward her sister and turned her around with a hoof. She gasped in shock. Concealed by Luna’s larger frame was Twilight Sparkle. Her mane was completely dishevelled and her muzzle covered by both a deep crimson blush and several dark lipstick prints. Celestia raised an eyebrow at her sister and her student before she grinned and let out a joyous laugh. “Don’t let me disturb you two. I shall take my cake elsewhere, for I have some friendship reports to reread. I believe I shall discover new meaning in the most recent ones.” Luna and Twilight blushed harder as Celestia winked and left. > Lilac - Pearple Prose > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Pearple Prose If a pony were prone to understating the reality of things, they would have described Princess Luna as being "a little grumpy" that day. Her sister, diplomatic as she was, would have argued that she was "still adjusting", but her guards, who were accustomed to her eccentricity at this point, would have just said she was "as batty as usual". Prince Blueblood had a very different opinion of the Night Princess on that day. One that included a variety of uncharacteristically crude curses and no small amount of frightened sobbing. To be fair, calling her marefriend a common whore probably wasn't the best idea he'd ever had, in hindsight. In a rather rare moment of reflection, Blueblood peeked past his hooves and pondered the celestial embodiment of perfect darkness on the dais before him. To say she was glaring daggers at him wasn't really accurate. It was more like "aiming twin white-hot rage beams". Yes, he thought. Probably not the best of ideas. "Nephew." Both syllables roared in Blueblood's ears, and he swore he felt something tightening around his neck. "Would you kindly repeat yourself? I'm having a hard time staying... civil, at this precise moment." Oh, Celestia have mercy on my humble, handsome soul. Blueblood tried not to imagine a sword dangling over his head as he unwrapped his limbs from around himself. He ahem'd once. It sounded far too loud in the dead silence. "I-" He managed to squeeze out one letter before his royal nose pulled his attention away again. He sniffed slightly, and caught a flowery whiff. Most ponies would describe it as sweet, the scent of spring. Blueblood would say it was the greatest smell he had ever sniffed, or would ever sniff again. The divine darkness looked up from the noble stallion —said stallion had to force himself not to collapse with relief — and visibly began to shrink. He heard her mutter one word: "Lilacs..." before the doors creaked open behind him. "Luna?" Blueblood looked over his shoulder and saw a lavender alicorn peeking in sheepishly. What in the world is she doing? He wondered, disbelieving. Can't she see Auntie is going... to... He took that moment to glance back at the princess. Instead of an eldritch nightmare being, he found a beaming Princess Luna relaxing in her throne. "Just a second, Twilight!" she called out. Luna looked at Blueblood, and said "We hath decided to forgive your trespass this once, Blueblood. Thou may leave our presence." A disbelieving Blueblood nodded drunkenly, and then stumbled his way out of the throne room. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Princess Twilight smiling apologetically at him as he closed the doors. Dimly, he could hear giggles from inside the chamber, aided by the smell of lilac. > Lilac (2) - Fuzzyfurvert > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Fuzzyfurvert “You shall have to do better than that!” Luna smirked as flapped her wings lazily, hovering just above the clouds, forelegs crossed over her chest. She watched as Twilight struggled with the balloon carrying their supplies and equipment. Twilight had insisted on doing this task herself, citing a ‘need to practice’ with her wings. Luna giggled as Twilight cursed under her breath between pants, the balloon’s weighted basket catching for a moment on the cloud floor. Twilight pushed the balloon gingerly into the giant dome where it would be stored for the next couple of weeks while they were staying at the Ultra High Altitude Geo-Stable Observatory Cloud. “Well, do my eyes decieve me? Twilight Sparkle, you ARE getting better at using your wings!” Twilight flew next to Luna as the balloon coasted into position and eased to a halt in the magically stilled air. She wobbled only slightly when she landed. “See? I told you that I could do it by myself!” Twilight beamed at Luna. The Night Princess shook her head and smiled. “I see that you indeed could. Now, if you are quite done showing off your physical prowess, then I shall secure our transport and we may begin unpacking. If we hurry, we can catch the sunset before setting up tonight’s viewing.” The work went swiftly and silently as the two alicorns magically organized a few long tonnes of gear and foodstuffs to the awaiting shelves. By the time they were finished the sun had already started its final descent. “I really love watching the sunset and moonrise from way up here. It’s very different from the view on the ground.” Twilight swayed as they walked, her side coming to rest against Luna’s. “Up here, the whole world is on display. The sheer, elegant…er, awesomeness - to quote Rainbow Dash - of it all is more intense than I ever imagined. And best of all? I get to spend it with you.” Luna tried to fight off her blush as they sat on the edge of the clouds and gazed down at Equestria below them, sparkling like a jewel in the dying light of day. She stole a quick kiss as she draped a wool blanket over the two of them and looked out toward the curved horizon of the planet. Celestia must’ve been in a good mood when she saw them off earlier for the sky was painted a brilliant shade of gold which faded to a red umber that slowly gave way to a swath of lilac that was an exact match for the coat of the mare snuggling against her. As her eyes continued upward into the stratosphere, Luna gasped as the lilac merged with a dark navy that matched her own coat before giving way to the black and the stars. “I think that’s your sister’s way of saying she approves.” Twilight gently tugged Luna’s jaw until the two mares were looking at each other. She leaned forward and all the kisses exchanged the rest of the evening were given instead of stolen. > Argument - Fuzzyfurvert > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Fuzzyfurvert “Luna, I must protest! These scrolls will simply not do for my important Friendship Reports to Princess Celestia, your sister and ruler over all of Equestria! She deserves the very best and I am her very best student. I will only send her reports on the very best scrolls, which these are not!” “I do not see why you can not use these scrolls, Twilight Sparkle. The castle staff uses these very scrolls! If it is good enough for TPS reports then they are goods enough for Friendship Reports. Furthermore, these were the scrolls that arrived after I placed an order to the scroll factory!” “These scrolls are made from cheap papyrus and are the wrong length. They smear easily and smell cheap! Also, the ink here is unworthy to be used on a report the Princess will see with her own eyes. I can only use ink that has been properly treated and refined. You are incompetent and a horrible kisser!” “Gasp! I am not a horrible kisser!” “Yes, you are! Now that I am the Princess of Magic or whatever, I will do all the shopping for ink and quills and scrolls. I am competent and a better Princess than you are!” “How dare you! I will buy whatever I want and you will like it, Twilight Sparkle! Also, I will show you that I am not a horrible kisser! I challenge you to a make-out race!” Twilight and Luna rushed toward each other, their frosting connecting first and mixing purple, pink and blue colored sugariness, crescent moon and star shaped sprinkles going everywhere as Pinkie Pie made kissie noises. Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow as Pinkie continued her pantomiming pastry puppet show across the table they sat at in Sugarcube Corner. Applejack snickered quietly beside the pegasus, shaking her head slowly. “Pinkie Pie, you are going to give us our food, right?” “Shucks RD, let Pinkie have her fun. It’s been a good long while since we’ve seen either Twilight or Princess Luna. You know how she gets when one o’ us is away. You can wait a few more minutes.” “But,” Rainbow Dash gestured at the growing mess of sprinkles and frosting, “those are OUR cupcakes that she is forcing to make out!” Applejack laughed and elbowed Rainbow Dash in the ribs, nodding at the white frosted cake that Mr. Cake arrived with. Rainbow Dash licked her lips, her cupcake momentarily forgotten. As she reached for it, a swift pink hoof shot out and pulled it close to Pinkie. In a freakishly good impersonation of the real pony, the cake proclaimed, “I am Princess Celestia! I have come to stop this senseless arguing between my two favorite Princesses - sorry Cadence - by teaching you both how a true alicorn kisses!” The white cake then bumped into the two mashed together cupcakes while Pinkie Pie made even louder, more obnoxious kissie noises. Rainbow Dash dropped her head on the table with a muffled ‘thump’ and Applejack started to shake with mirth until her eyes began tearing up. > Art - Pearple Prose > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Pearple Prose It was midnight, and Canterlot was asleep, save for the sprinkling of lights visible from the bedroom balcony. A lavender alicorn sipped from her steaming mug of cocoa and huddled closer under the indigo wing draped over her withers as a chill breeze swept over the two. Twilight sighed happily, beaming up at the stars in the night sky. They twinkled cheerily in response. "Thank you for dragging me out here, Luna. The nobles were getting kinda grating." "Mhm." Luna mhm'd. She continued to stare at something hidden between her forelegs, horn glowing. Her tongue peeked out the side of her mouth as she concentrated. "On the bright side, Blueblood hasn't bothered me once since that incident in the throne room. In fact, he bought me some thank-you chocolates just the other day! Had the cutest little blush too." Twilight began giggling. "I think he likes my new shampoo!" The giggling transformed into a laughing fit. Luna hummed. "Mmm, shampoo is nice..." The laughter petered out. "Um, I... guess?" Twilight frowned slightly, then painted the smile back on. "Oh, so the other day, the Princess walked into the throne room." "Mhm." "Celestia, I mean. She's the Princess." "Yes, love." "Because there aren't any others." "I agree, darling." Twilight growled. "Anyway, my favourite princess, Celestia, declared her undying love for me the other day." "Oh?" "And then we made sexy forbidden love right there on the steps." "That was nice of him." At this point, Twilight was visibly snarling. The frayed ends of her wits snapped, and she rounded on the alicorn at her side. "Luna! Are you even paying attention to-!" "HUZZAH!" Luna suddenly leapt to her hooves, holding a small rectangle of canvas aloft in her aura. "We hath finished it, my love! Our masterpiece!" The ensuing silence drew her attention to the Twilight Sparkle that was currently splayed out on her side. It would have been an adorable sight, Luna thought, if it weren't for the bloodthirsty look on her marefriend's face. "Oh, uh... Oops." Luna sat back down and used her wing to roll Twilight back into her seat. She coughed awkwardly. Twilight maintained her pout for a few moments, then released it with a sigh. "This had better be good, Luna." Luna let her take the canvas from her grasp. The first thing Twilight noticed were the eyes; two shining amethysts, gazing wistfully up at the night sky. In them, she could see the reflection of the stars, lit up by the warm orange light of the city below. Those two perfect eyes were set in the face of a lavender alicorn, with an indigo mane that fell neatly across her brow and curled around her ear. The mare was smiling happily, and the steam drifting off the top of the mug in front of her curled into a tiny heart halfway up the canvas. She heard a cough, and she tore her eyes from the portrait to see Luna looking at her worriedly. "Is it good? Do you like it? I am so, so sorry, love, for ignoring you, I just I saw it and you and the stars and I couldn't I had to-" Twilight cut her off with a boop on the nose. "It's perfect, Luna. "Absolutely perfect." Luna smiled at her gratefully. Then her ears perked up as she recalled something. "Oh, and about that Celestia comment..." "Oh. Hehe, yeah, sorry about-" "I was actually wondering when she would come clean. I'm happy for her." "...What." > Underwear - Pearple Prose > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Pearple Prose It was a mystery, is what it was. A mystery on par with the age of Applejack's hat — Twilight was sure it dated back to the Paleopony era — or even Pinkie Pie, dare she say it. "Luna," said Twilight, "whose underpants are these?" Unfortunately, hangovers were abound that morning, so that may have affected their perceptions somewhat. "Blargh." Luna reflected. Twilight agreed. "Mine or yours?" "They're pink." "Pink?" "Yes." Twilight confirmed. "Diabolically so." "I don't have any pink underwear." "Nor do I." Twilight heard a ponderous hum from the blue lump on her bed. "Anything else?" Sniff. "They smell like elder flowers." "Huh." Pause. "Wait, how can you tell?" "Experiments." Luna nodded. "Ah, of course." She said, as if that made all the sense in the world. And it did. Finding Leylines requires a trained whiff sensory device. Get your mind out of the gutter. "So," said Luna, after a time, "where does that leave us?" "Well, they're not yours. Your rump smells like blueberries." "And yours carries the scent of lavender. Quite splendid." Twilight nodded thoughtfully. Then she stopped. She looked back at her flank. Her eyes widened, with the look of someone who had just comprehended something they had never dared to comprehend before. "Luna." She breathed. "Mrrrgh." Luna threatened. "What?" "We don't wear underwear." The library bedroom was silent as the grave. Or as quiet as a library is generally supposed to be. "... What." "I don't know." "Is there... some kind of panty pilferer on the loose?" Twilight mulled over the question. "But we have not lost any panties. Rather, we have acquired them. We do have a sock thief, though." "Really?" "Well, you try explaining how they keep disappearing." Luna had to concede that point. The two lovers sat in silence for a while, listening to the song of the morning birds. "So." "So." "... Want to snuggle?" "Of course." And they totally did. A second later, the bathroom door opened, heralded by the flush of the toilet and a faint smell of elder flower. A dripping wet Rarity stepped out, towel perched on her head, akin to a bird's nest. "Good morning!" She sang, far too cheerily. "Have either of you seen my underwear?" The Amorphous Mass of Snuggle considered unwrapping itself. It opted in favour of remaining adorable. > Radiance - Fuzzyfurvert > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Fuzzyfurvert “Are you sure this is safe? I’m not certain this is safe.” Twilight glanced around nervously, her eyes aglow with barely contained magical power. The Celestial Realm stretched endlessly in all directions around her and Luna. “Everything is perfectly alright, Twilight.” Luna’s semi-transparent form smiled reassuringly at Twilight Sparkle. “I am with you.” “Yeah, in spirit… er, so to speak.” Twilight started walking forward, her nervousness forcing her pace even without true ground on which to stand. “Why couldn’t you be here in person? This is creepy without you or Princess Celestia with me.” Luna’s image floated along next to Twilight. She reached out and her hoof passed through Twilight’s shoulder. “We couldn’t risk throwing off the harmonics of the spell channel. It has to focus on you to be effective, or else all we’ve done to prepare will be for naught.” “Well, could it at least hurry up? It… I’m uncomfortable when we’re apart, Luna.” Luna smiled sweetly. “It should not take long. After the channel is fully charged, it should manifest and crystallize itself around you, just as it did for Tia and myself. We don’t want to miss this chance.” Twilight sighed and turned to her relative left for no other reason than feeling like she should. The Celestial Realm seemed to hum just outside her auditory range, like some sort of deep rumble that she could feel with her horn. The sensation was strange, but not unpleasant. Twilight paused and looked back the way she had come and marveled at the bright purple mana trail she left in her wake. “Wow. I wonder what that would look like if I flew?” Twilight spread her wings and gave them a quick test flap. She frowned when nothing happened and she failed to even generate a slight breeze. “It should be starting any moment now, Twilight. Do you see anything around you? The Realms often make curious displays before shifting the arcane weave around.” Twilight looked around herself again and then turned to Luna’s image. “No, nothing so far. Just you and me. What did it look like when you got yours?” Luna sighed wistfully. “All became dark in a most comforting way. Then stars appeared all around me before all sped off, as if I were moving very quickly. There was a beautiful sound unlike anything I have ever heard before or since and when it cleared I - !” Twilight blinked as Luna’s image disappeared mid-sentence. She felt around for the spell connection feebly. “Luna? Hello?” The low rumble of the Celestial Realm changed pitch, quickly climbing into her audible range. It pulsed and warbled like some sort of universal heartbeat or orchestral techno a moment before a bright light flashed around Twilight and she wrapped her wings in front of herself. When it faded, Twilight lowered her feathers and blinked the spots out of her vision. She felt an unfamiliar weight on her chest and legs for a moment until she was lifted and crushed in one of Luna’s Royal Glomph Hugs. “Twilight!” Luna beamed at the younger princess. “You’re back!” Around the two of them, the Royal Court starred in surprised silence. Twilight returned the hug as best she could and looked down at her new regalia. “Yeah… um,” she coughed, “now I look like a real princess, huh?” > Divinity - Knight of Cerebus > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Knight of Cerebus ***** Luna's cheeks were burning. Nay, burning did not do justice to the great forest fire of pink-crimson that had spread across the Royal Highness' cheeks. Words spluttered out of her mouth, finding no purchase on her slack jaws. "Bjwmyngah...jun Num...buwha?" Attemtping to retrieve some dignity in the face of such a disturbing sight, she managed to rehinge her lips from dangling like a pair of discarded socks to forming a most frustrated, yet still very royal, pout. "That is..." Not fair? My property? Treason? Against schedu-- Luna banished her line of thinking when she was hit by the realization that dating Twilight was slowly morphing her into a fussbudget. "Tia taught me how." The words came from the younger pony's mouth with such simplicity that it took all of Luna's resolve not to abandon her duties for the night in a quest for vengeance against her treacherous flesh and blood. Luna settled upon closing her jaw again to watch the sight in silence. For the first time since she had heard news that her sister had been caught twiddling tongues with Discord, she was left speechless. This time by a pony she thought she had pegged down as knowing inside out. Being linked to the moon such, her marefriend raising it in her place made it feel as though she were awash in Twilight's gentle, firm and exacting (she could even feel backup forcefields on the left maria) touch. She suppressed a shiver as the lavender alicorn brought the rising of the spectral ball to a climax, setting it squarely within the sky. She felt the touch rekindle as the moon was shifted 20 degrees to the right in order to make sure the pathway was exactly clockwise on a straight circular orbit. She at last found purchase on her words, wrapping a wing around the creature--the goddess--her goddess--in front of her. "That is...incredibly sexy." > Insidious Velvet - Fuzzyfurvert > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Fuzzyfurvert ***** Why is it that I always seem to find myself hiding in closets? I am a grown mare for crying out loud! Luna groaned quietly, burying her muzzle in a musty smelling winter coat to muffle the noise. Outside the darkened closet there was a low growl, like a predator does when getting close to the prey it was stalking. Luna froze, not even daring to breathe. The light coming through the cracks around the door blinked out for an instant as something passed nearby. It was searching the small bedroom. Searching for her. Go away go away go away! I’m not here! Luna grimaced. Just a short hour previously she'd been enjoying a joyous dinner of lasagna with the family Sparkle. Her relationship with Twilight had become public knowledge and it was only proper that she formally meet with Twilight’s family for dinner. Night Light, Twilight’s father had greeted them with great fanfare and put on a display of asking Luna about her intentions with his daughter. It was all played for laughs and quite humorous. Twilight’s brother, Shining Armor shared an alcoholic beverage with her in the family’s backyard, speaking of nothing important while Cadence reclined in a hammock and they awaited dinner to be ready. Twilight’s mother, Twilight Velvet, was the only pony that seemed unenthusiastic about her presence. She was certainly more reserved than the others. Twilight retired to the kitchen with her to speak privately while dinner cooked. When the table had been set, they all sat together and the family toasted the two of them. Velvet had been smiling happily for her daughter. It all went wrong so quickly! Luna frowned to herself. One side comment and everything went to Tartarus in a hoof-basket. Velvet didn’t take it well. It was supposed to have been a joke. Velvet didn’t find it funny. As she huddled in that dark closet, fearful for her life, Luna couldn't help but appreciate the fact that Twilight got her skill at levitating and fine manipulation from her mother. The multiple knives and forks that peppered the wall behind where she had been sitting attested to that. Velvet was quick and had deadly aim too. “MOM!” Luna could hear Twilight yelling from somewhere else in the house. “IT WASN'T LIKE SHE REALLY MEANT THAT! YOU'RE FORGETTING THAT LUNA IS STILL CATCHING UP TO OUR MODERN LANGUAGE!” The growl sounded again just outside the closet door. It sounded annoyed. There was a shuffling noise and it seemed to move away from the door after a moment. Luna slowly let out the breath she'd been holding. I'll just wait until she goes to sleep. Then I can sneak out. I’ll inform the guard that Twilight Velvet is not to be allowed anywhere near whatever room I'm in! Yes! If she ever finds me, it'll be up to Cadence to give her grandfoals! > Collectables - Pearple Prose > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Pearple Prose ***** It was horrible. It was infuriating. It was degrading. Above all, it was humiliating. In Rarity's own words, Luna thought, this is. The. Worst. Possible. THING. Twilight's head popped out of the material mountain that had, upon the opening of the closet, decided to appear spontaneously in the bedroom. She blinked blearily, then peered at Luna, eyebrows located somewhere in the room above them. Except that was impossible, because Luna's chambers were at the top of a tower, so actually they were located either on the roof or somewhere in the atmos- DAMMIT LUNA STOP PONDERING YOUR METAPHORS AND SAY SOMETHING "Um," began Luna – rather eloquently considering her overwhelming terror – "I can explain everything." Twilight didn't respond. Instead, she pulled an adorable "Best Princess!" sock out of her mouth, and made a show of studying the ten thousand other socks that were currently devouring her, all while Luna watched her with an inescapable feeling of sheer dread. A minute of terse silence passed as Twilight engaged in a staring contest with a googley-eyed garment, embroidered with the name 'Mr Sock'. Eventually, it was broken: "Can you, Luna? Can you?" "Yes, actually." "How-?" Twilight was cut off by a wide-eyed Luna shoving a rather bemused Mr Sock into her face. "Look at those eyes, Twilight." Twilight went cross-eyed trying to keep up with the wildly googling eyes of Mr Sock. "Look at them and tell them that they will never be worn by a chilly filly on a Winter's evening." Luna shoved them even further, pressing Twilight back into the swarm of saccharine sockiness. "Tell them that they will never be loved." Luna abruptly pulled her socked hoof back and began stroking it tenderly. Twilight remained cross-eyed for a moment, before shaking it off and glaring at her marefriend. "Luna, they're just out of fashion. I mean," Twilight gestured to the sunlight streaming in through the window. "It's the middle of summer!" Luna barked out a harsh laugh, and petted Mr Sock even more vigorously. "Hah! That's what they all say, isn't it. 'Oh, it's out of fashion Luna, just throw them away.' To them, I say: Poppycock! Balderdash! A sock is your treasured friend and companion, but come summertime, oh noooo, they're just trash." Luna peered up at Twilight with watering eyes. "Somepony has to give them a home, my love. All I'm doing is collecting them so that they won't feel all alone..." Luna sniffled, cooing softly to a stoney-faced Mr Sock. A tear shone in the corner of Twilight's eye. "Luna... that was beautiful." Luna looked up, hope lighting up her face. "R-really?" "No." Twilight wiped the tear away. "I have sock fibres in my eyes. Now get out while I figure out what to do with these." She held out a hoof. "Give me Mr Sock, and nostocking has to get hurt." Luna pouted, throwing Mr Sock at her marefriend's face with a "Phooey!" and proceeded to stomp out of the bedroom. Twilight peeled the googly-eyed sock off of her face. She stared at it. Glancing around, she leaned in closer. "Finally, my love. We can be together." She whispered tenderly. Mr Sock sighed with relief. "Oh, how I have waited for this day." He said. Twilight smiled. > Darkness - Craine > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by Craine *** Stupid. That’s what it was. And it was the one word screaming in Twilight’s head as she stared into darkness. Pure, unquenchable darkness. An element of the universe. A misty veil for the unknown. A gateway to thoughts beyond thoughts, questions beyond questions. And now, as it had been the moment she learned to crawl, darkness was Twilight Sparkle’s worst nightmare. Stupid. Stupid, all of it. Twilight had battled foes infinitely more threatening than this. Darkness couldn’t drown the sky in chocolate-raining cotton candy, and turn everything she’s ever known inside out. Darkness couldn't enslave an entire empire and crush the freewill of its people with a dictating hoof. Darkness couldn’t infiltrate the Equestrian Capitol and blast Princess Celestia into next week. Yet, there Twilight stood, shaking like a leaf in still wind, gazing into a starless sky on the dark side of the moon. Twilight had to do this. She knew that. Twilight never failed an assignment, an accomplishment she wore like a badge of honor. But becoming a princess, learning to raise the sun AND the moon, finding her place among the alicorns she came to call family… Twilight was still afraid. And there was no other word for it, but ‘stupid’. Setting and arranging the stars before moonrise was supposed to be simple. Luna had mastered it, Celestia had managed it, even Cadence found her way around the canopy of night. Without it—without the stars to splash detail around the moon—Equestrian nights would be empty. Toneless. And if Twilight couldn’t stop shaking for two lousy minutes, that night would fit the profile. And it would be all her fault. A hoof tenderly planted on Twilight’s shoulder, and she yelped. Twilight faced the intruder, inexplicably relieved by the wavy stars cascading in Luna’s mane. It was the only source of light for miles. Luna disregarded Twilight yelp with a soft chuckle. “Twilight? Do you—” “Of COURSE I’m not afraid of the dark! Why would you even ask that? I’m insulted!” Twilight whipped her head from Luna with a loud ‘humph!’ Luna laughed again. “I was going to ask if you needed help,” she said between chuckles. Twilight blushed. And just as she opened her mouth to speak, Luna darted into the starless void, leaving a jarred Twilight cold and alone. Her hooves ground into the moon’s cold surface and her wings twitched and churned. “Don’t go…” Twilight wanted to scream it—at most, she wanted to soar after Luna, after the light that cut the dark—but could only whisper as the darkness choked her. “Luna, don’t go…” Next Twilight knew, white dots sprang to life. Before her very eyes, stars of many shapes and size strung along the darkness. Cutting through it like it was never there, twinkling amongst themselves in a dance nopony could ever understand. Nopony… expect for the mare who danced with them. With every wing-flap, legions of stars clustered into the constellations Equestria knew today. With every hoof-thrust, shooting stars set the sky with a gentle blaze, sprouting countless other stars in its wake. And with every twist of a delicate indigo form—darting to and fro, swimming through that starry black ocean—Twilight’s breath left her lungs and followed her fellow princess. Before that night, like many, many nights before, Twilight Sparkle could recall every reason she feared the dark. But that night? That night, Twilight Sparkle found the only reason to love it. > Plot - Fuzzyfurvert > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Fuzzyfurvert ***** Luna dropped her quill in frustration. She resigned herself to the fact that they weren’t going to get any more decent observations of the M82-UO001 anomaly for another few nights until Equestria’s rotation brought the Ultra High Altitude Geo-Stable Observatory Cloud into line of delineation again. Twilight had given up hours ago with a huff and turned to her newest pastime; writing original science fiction. Luna closed her notebook and glanced at her partner across the room, sitting at her own writing desk, back hunched and horn aglow as Twilight’s quill scribbled furiously. Luna smiled as she recalled a conversation that Twilight’s latest work had sparked. “Plot is an incredibly important aspect of a story, Luna. A good plot is all about organizing ideas in a way that is appealing to the readers. It is also, and more importantly, the guideline that helps the author make sure she doesn't get lost on all of the ideas and characters that start to come up whilst the book is written.” Twilight had smiled at her and levitated a scroll over to where the two were relaxing in their shared quarters. “Look. I even made a list of what makes a good plot!” Of course her Twilight had made a list. Luna stifled a chuckle as she remembered Twilight going over her seventeen steps to a good plotting in gory detail. She’d failed to hold in her giggles originally, whenever Twilight said the word ‘plot’. Her crash course in modern slang terminology never failed to make spoken Equestrian a great deal more humorous. Luna stood and stretched as best their cramped room allowed before coming up behind Twilight and nibbling on one of her ears playfully. The younger alicorn squirmed a little and grunted contentedly, her focus remaining on the paper in front of her. Luna smirked and nibbled down the ear from tip to base before resting her chin on Twilight’s shoulder. “Working on another alien invasion masterpiece?” “No…” Twilight murmured quietly. She moved slightly so Luna could see what she was working on. Luna looked down at the manuscript in front of Twilight and raised her eyebrow as she realized that it was a diagram and not a short story. Her other eyebrow shot up as she registered just what it was a diagram of. Her dark cheeks flushed as Luan read over the device’s specs. “I was thinking of calling it the ‘Plot Destroyer’.” Twilight grinned wickedly. Luna gulped. "We could craft a prototype out of cloud stuff." "Um... I-I, um..." Luna blinked rapidly, her blush flaring up to co-mingle with her eyebrows. "My favorite feature?" Twilight licked her lips and leaned into Luna, her voice lowering to a bare whisper. "It's a two-seater." > Humans - Fuzzyfurvert > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Be warned: this tale may be too saucy for some. ~PP Written by: Fuzzyfurvert ***** Twilight blinked the sleep out of her eyes as the sun started to rise on her first day at a new school. She was used to getting up early, but dawn was still hours before she'd need to get up. Twilight yawned and shifted slightly on her side. School wasn't the only new thing in her life. The warm presence spooning her from behind was new too. So was the hand gently palming her breast. "I'm not a virgin anymore..." Twilight smiled tiredly. Last night was magical. They had met innocently enough a couple of weeks previously in the park, the both of them there to sky gaze as the stars came out. They started up a conversation about constellations. Her name was Luna. She had eyes prettier than any celestial body. Twilight wondered just how obviously she'd been smitten with the older woman. They talked about everything each night they met under the stars. It was as if their ages meant nothing. They spoke as equals, peers and friends. Until last night. Luna had seemed distracted. She called off their stargazing and asked Twilight if she liked Thai food. Luna drove. The Thai Pad Noodles were tasty. Luna talked about her job starting soon. They'd never spoken about it before and she didn't go into details. She was worried they wouldn't be able to meet again. Twilight reassured Luna that they would see each other. Twilight wanted their friendship to continue. Luna said she really liked Twilight but things between them might be seen as inappropriate. Twilight was of the opinion that it wasn't anyone else's business what their relationship might be. So long as two people cared for each other, what should it matter? When they were back in Luna's car, Twilight made her feelings known. The kiss started out awkwardly with her just pressing her lips against Luna's. Then Luna took over. Her fingers slipped through Twilight's hair and cradled the back of her head. Luna's tongue slipped into her mouth and taught Twilight's tongue how to dance. She became the teacher and Twilight her faithful student. The rest of the night was a blur of skin, lips, fingers, kisses and caresses. Now, here she was watching the dawn from the bed of a woman easily ten years her senior. Twilight sighed contentedly and then gasped as the blue hand cupping her right breast squeezed. "Mornin' Twi..." Luna groaned and stretched. "I don't mean to rush you, not after last night, but if we get up now I can fix us breakfast before taking you home. I have to work today so we probably won't see each other for a while." Twilight rolled over to face Luna. She traced her fingertips down Luna's belly and over the swell of her hip. "We'll see each other again Luna. Last night wasn't a one time thing." Luna smiled and leaned in to plant a quick kiss on Twilight's lips. "God, I hope not. That was... that was just what I needed. We'll have to be careful. My job-!" Twilight put her hand over Luna's mouth. "I know. Believe me, I understand. I'm just a senior in highschool. You could get in trouble." "Wait, you're a senior? At which school?" "Canterlot High. I just transferred. Why?" Luna facepalmed. " I think we're going to be seeing each other more often than not..." > Creepy - Pearple Prose > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Pearple Prose ***** Luna loved Nightmare Night. And if she was being honest with herself, Twilight could understand why. There were a lot of good memories linked with the old holiday; they'd bonded over this very night, exactly two years ago. Twilight loved the way Luna's eyes lit up when she saw the date on the calendar. She adored the way her marefriend would squeal with excitement as the clock turned midnight, almost like a filly when they received their cutie mark. Twilight loved Nightmare Night. Well, she used to. And that was the problem, when it all came down to it. There was a place in Twilight's mind, one that she liked to call "Pandora's Box". It wasn't like the other mental constructs she had devised; this one was locked up tight, concealed to the point that even she herself was almost unaware that it existed. It was necessary, in order to prevent the contents from interfering with her thoughts during the day. But during the night, the Box would open, enough for things to... leak out. Twilight watched Luna's chest rise and fall gently. If she listened carefully, she could hear her breathing softly. Usually, this never failed to make her smile. But then, she could usually keep the worries, the fears, the doubts, the envies, all the little toxins of the mind locked away, safely. This was not one of those nights. Twilight imagined the upcoming Nightmare Night celebration. They were visiting Ponyville once again this year, and there was going to be a whole attraction set up just for "Nightmare Moon". It would go off without a hitch, as usual. As Twilight tried to remind herself. But Twilight could only imagine the excited shrieking turning to bloodcurdling screams. She could only imagine the moon glowing a bright red, reflecting the burning streets below. She could only imagine a pair of teal draconic eyes, gleaming in the brutal darkness of the Eternal Night. Twilight loved Luna, and she would always be there for her. And the Box would always be there for Twilight. > Ocean - Fuzzyfurvert > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Fuzzyfurvert ***** Equus shimmered like a blue and green jewel below Luna. She watched the clouds swirl as a hurricane creeped across the eastern ocean. The sun was hitting it, warming the water and adding torque power to it’s lazy turns. The weather ponies were going to have their hooves full in a week or two from that one. She turned her eyes west to the larger sea and focused on a tiny dot of green near the equator in the middle of all that turquoise-blue. Luna could just make out the hint of yellow gold that lined the island. One section of coast formed a gentle crescent around a shallow, reef protected bay. From her vantage point, Luna couldn’t see the small bungalow that she knew sat just off of that golden sand in the shade of the tall palms, or the young alicorn that slept inside of it. Luna smirked as she reached her hooves around behind the planet and gripped her moon firmly. She was going to catch flack for this stunt back in Canterlot, she knew. She hoped it would be worth it. She began to move the moon with minor adjustments, bouncing it up and down and back and forth off center by a few hundred kilometers each way. The oceans responded as gravity and tidal forces followed the gigantic mass’ movements. Waves changed course and the seas sloshed drunkenly even as Luna tried to be as careful as could be. She smiled as the water in the bay far, far below her started to lap the shore in a way they never had before. Luna shaped the sand and coast with the tides as she manipulated the moon. Any unicorn with the time and mind to do so could move the beach into the outline of a heart. But only she, of all ponies, could do it with the tides themselves. Twilight would appreciate that little touch. _____________________________________________________________________________ Luna nudged the tiny cloud slightly to the left and then flew above it to check the positioning. She grinned as the cloud’s edge lined up with her reference point on the beach below her. The setting was perfect. She glanced over her dark sunglasses to check the sun’s position in the sky. By her reckoning, Luna had about an hour before Twilight would wake up in their bungalow. Luna readjusted her glasses and blinked the spots out of her vision left by the glare as she landed lightly on the cloud. Luna rubbed her hooves together and started molding the resilient wisps into a table and a couple of reclining cushions. When she had that task complete, she teleported herself to the darkened interior of the bungalow. She tip-hoofed through the main room into the kitchen and quickly scooped up a few plates and fluted glasses. Luna pulled out the ice bucket and loaded it up with ice and a bottle of wine that had aged for half of her banishment. The oven held the breakfast quiche she’d prepared earlier. A quick duck out the back door nabbed her a bouquet of fresh picked island flowers. She chuckled quietly as she teleported back to the cloud and set the table. Once everything was set properly, the enormity of the situation started to make Luna’s heartbeat speed up. Her breathing started to come out in short gasps as she loosened her regalia and pulled out a tiny black box. It floated gingerly in her magical grip as if alive and made of lightning. Luna swallowed and lifted the flower bouquet, sliding the small box under it before she dropped the flowers back on the table. Twilight would find it when she picked the flowers up. Luna shivered and rustled her feathers to calm herself. “Ok Luna, go wake up Twilight for breakfast. Play it cool… yeah… just a normal everyday meal with your wif - er, marefriend.” > Meta - Jondor > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Jondor ***** meta - prefix: 1. Later in time 2. Beyond; transcending; more comprehensive “What troubles you, dear?” Luna held her young lover close and stroked her mane. Twilight had been shaking slightly, the way she always did when a disturbing thought entered her mind. After some moments, Twilight began shakily “Luna, what happens after?..” She trailed off. “After? Pray tell, after what?” “After… After I’m gone.” Twilight choked back a sob. “I know I’m not immortal like you and Celestia. I’m not even sure I want to be, but what will happen?” Twilight’s voice broke, and she could not continue coherently for some minutes. “Will you remember me, or forget me. Will you pine away out of loneliness, or be taken by the darkness again? Luna… I’m frightened, I didn’t think this through.” Twilight’s body shook with sobs against Luna’s chest. Luna simply held Twilight, stroking her mane and enfolding her in her large wings until the worst of her sobs had ceased. “Twilight, my love. The answer I have is probably not one you want to hear, but it is truthful.” Luna pressed her lips to the top of Twilight’s head, letting their horns gently touch. “The truth is, I don’t know.” Luna raised a hoof to Twilight’s lips before the younger pony could interrupt. “Twilight, I am about to tell you something that is for your ears only. I do so only because I trust you completely. This should not be spoken to any other living being. Promise me?” Twilight gulped, turning to Luna’s forehooves to face her, and swore that most sacred of oaths, the Pinkie Promise. “Very well.” Luna leaned in so that her lips brushed Twilight’s ear. “My sister and I are not as immortal as you have been led to believe.” Twilight gasped as Luna continued. “It is not all as you would have it, I fear. Our bodies will not age, so long as the Sun and Moon are in the sky, but as for injury and illness, we are just as susceptible as the next pony. “So, the truth is that I do not know. I may outlive you, or you may outlive me, or we may die together in celebration, or in ignorminity. What is important is that we have now. What comes after is a matter for a later time.” Twilight was silent for some time, her eyes clearly showed that she was digesting this piece of deep philosophy. Finally, she spoke. “Luna?” “Yes, my dear?” “Shouldn’t we give some thought to what comes after, like leaving some kind of legacy? I… I always pictured having foals, even though I could never picture a husband.” Her eyes darted to the side and her muzzle flushed scarlet. Luna chuckled and held Twilight close again. “My dear, that is a wonderful idea, and I believe we can accomplish it.” Luna brought her lips close to Twilight’s ear again and gave it a little flick with her tongue. “An adventure is called for. For, we may not even require a donor stallion, unless all the ancient secrets have been lost. It will be dangerous, will you journey with me?” Twilight shivered pleasurably. “Luna, I would love to share my now with you.” > Constellations - Knight of Cerebus > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Knight of Cerebus ***** "This was the one we made when we beat Discord." Luna smiled with shaky pride, pulling Twilight out of her awed thoughts. Looking back to the ancient artist, Twilight saw she was blushing, looking away from Twilight again. Twilight didn't know why this happened when they were alone together. Or when she praised Luna. Or when she was especially close to the Princess. She really didn't know why Dash asked her about the hoofball team she played for after that. She decided she'd think about that part later. "Do you...like it?" The fear in Luna's voice was painful. Twilight's eyes softened, and it was only the weeks of practice she'd had with her friend Fluttershy that gave her the courage to even approach such an insecure question. She gave her most gentle smile, trying her best to emulate the face she'd been comforted by through a decade of uncontrolled magic and nervous breakdowns. Luna's face fell, to her surprise. "It is okay. We see that 'Tia has taught thee well in the ways of grace, and we would not bore thee further. Thank you for humoring me for so lon--" "What?!" Luna looked up, the hope that the face Twilight had made was not her practiced imitation of her sister's oft-false smile naked upon the blue-maned Princess' face. The look of horror and guilt on Twilight's face was enough to confirm her wish. "It's, it's beautiful! Why would you...Luna..." Twilight sighed. "I'm not the best with ponies. I mean, I only realized what it meant to have friends a bit more than a month ago. A-and I'd really like to be. Your friend, I mean. If you'll let me, that is..." Luna blushed again, this time more fiercely. Twilight's lips pursed slightly at that, and Luna looked away. "O-oh...okay...well, I, um, sorry..." Luna looked back up at Twilight to see her turning away, ears folded downwards. She was interrupted by a racing alicorn, who stopped Twilight with a hoof to her chest. "Please." Luna's eyes shined against Twilight's. "Don't be." "You made all that just for me?" Twilight looked up, breaking Luna out of her thoughts. The heat of the junior alicorn's breath and the motion her cheeks made as she on Luna's neck certainly helped. "I've done a lot for you, have I not?" Twilight flushed at this, leaning into Luna as she did so. Her lips curved into a teasing smile. "I'm not sorry." "You shouldn't be." > Jealousy - TheLastBrunnenG > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: TheLastBrunnenG ***** “Luna, I’m telling you, it’s me,” Twilight sighed as she sat across her bedroom from the Princess. “There’s no other explanation for it.” “Preposterous! The fault ‘twas mine alone.” Luna bellowed as she pointed a midnight-blue hoof at the little unicorn. “Be not so quick to make of thyself a martyr, Twilight. ‘Tis a blame I must shoulder, and I will not have you thieving it from me.” Twilight shook her head and tapped her hoof on a hock-high stack of books, papers, and carefully creased charts. “I’m sorry, Luna, but you’re wrong. I searched the Royal Archives, the Ponyville Historical Society’s records, newspaper clippings, and every history text that even mentioned the area. I interviewed every pony alive who remembered Ponyville from when it was just a few scattered farmsteads.” Luna snorted and wrinkled her nose. “I fail to see the relevance.” “The relevance, Your Highness,” Twilight hissed, “is that for all the recorded history of Ponyville, they’d never had a single significant encounter with hostile non-pony creatures. I found reference to a few sightings of timberwolves prowling the Everfree,” she said as she unfolded a minutely detailed graph and squinted to read it by candlelight, “but none that ever approached the town. There was a single reported sighting of a manticore overflying an outlying farm but it lacked corroborating evidence and was probably just an overweight Pegasus with a bad mane cut. Even the parasprite outbreak eighty years ago was contained within an hour and involved fewer than half a dozen parasprites. The conclusion is perfectly logical, Luna.” Twilight drew herself up to her full and still diminutive height and took a deep breath. “I,” she declared with a dramatic hoof-wave, “am a monster magnet.” The fuming alicorn glared at her companion, ears twitching. “Thy importance to Ponyville’s recurrent brushes with doom is overrated, young Sparkle. Clearly their continued trials and tribulations are to be laid at my hooves. When I returned under Nightmare’s influence, the vast and terrible magics I bore twisted the area. Monsters are drawn to their own kind, and such was I. The local ley lines were surely warped by my unholy presence, drawing supernatural terrors and events to poor Ponyville.” Twilight stalked around Luna, looking up but keeping their muzzles a hoof’s width apart. “Except for the facts that continued deep-field scans of the area reveal no ley-line distortions, and that widespread thaumaturgic damage of that magnitude would have rendered the entire town a magical disaster area.” Luna took an involuntary step backwards and stammered, "But - " "And Nightmare Moon appeared in Ponyville for under two minutes, hardly enough time to create a dynamic conjurational nexus. Nightmare spent the rest of the fight in the Everfree, miles outside Ponyville's borders." Twilight pressed her attack, inching forward and volume rising with every word. "Since I arrived in Ponyville, the town's been under siege by dragons, manticores, parasprites, hydras, ursas, gigantic three-headed hounds, chaos abominations, demon goddesses, and the occasional artifact-corrupted unicorn tyrant sorceress." Snout to snout with Luna, she beat her hoof on her chest and growled, "Monster. Magnet!" After long seconds she backed down a half-step, grinning. "And you're jealous!" "I am not! I am…" Luna shook her head, then hung it low and released a drawn-out sigh. "Conceded," she grumbled. "Yes, I envy thee. I am Darkness Visible, Shadow Empress and bringer of nightmares, Twilight! I have a reputation to uphold! Last week I opened a shopping mall, Twilight Sparkle. A SHOPPING MALL. Dost thou not remember the words of Mareiavelli? 'Tis better to be feared than loved if thou canst not be both? How am I to strike fear when by my side, the virtuous and pure Twilight Sparkle is the one to whom all dark creatures flock?" Twilight bit her lip before her grin broke wider. "Well," she smiled, "if the monsters all follow me, and you follow me too, then maybe you're…" "Point taken, Sparkle. So," Luna whispered as she snuffed the candle, "am I thy favorite monster?" "Maybe," said a purring voice in the darkness. "Do you bite?" > Piercing - Fuzzyfurvert > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Fuzzyfurvert ***** Prince Shining Armor smacked his lips after swallowing down a mouthful of Vanhoover Blue Ribbon. He set the can down on the balcony banister and turned to regard his sister. “So, Twily? How’s the married life working out for you?” Shining smirked and fixed his gaze pointedly on the mithril and onyx band that rested at the base of Twilight Sparkle’s horn. Twilight shrugged as she took a pull from her own beer before sputtering and coughing. “Ugh...Shiny, you’re a prince now, remember? You don’t have to drink swill.” Twilight rubbed a wing across her mouth and stepped over to the edge of the huge balcony overlooking the crystal pony town below the Crystal Palace. “Married life. It’s...growing on me, I suppose. I like it, actually. Spending time with Luna in any capacity makes me feel happy.” Shining chuckled and picked his can up. “I know the feeling.” He took a small sip. “Look at us, Twily. Both of us married into royalty. The folks really weren’t expecting both of us to bag Princesses.” Twilight grinned. “No. Especially not me. At least Mom and Luna made up after that disastrous dinner a few months ago. Luna has even taken to teasing her by randomly slipping into the most archaic and overly complex form of Old Equish she can muster. You should see Mom fume!” Twilight giggled to herself. Shining smirked again and shook his head. “I can imagine. How is Luna’s reintegration coming along anyway? I can’t imagine that she’s caught up on an entire millennia of lost time in the past two years.” Shining’s sister sighed, her smile fading a little. “It’s a day to day thing. Sometimes she is just like everypony else, then bam! She slips back into her old ways and gets confused. Or she confuses everypony around her. Sometimes it’s funny, other times… well, let’s just say that she can be a little intense at times.” Twilight’s brother nodded sagely and downed the remaining dregs of his beer. “That’s why I wanted her to spend some time with Cadence. She’s the only one of us with practical experience at being a modern alicorn. I’m learning and Princess Celestia is… Princess Celestia.” Twilight shrugged again. “She is a modern girl.” Shining Armor crushed the can in the grip of his magic and flung it into a rubbish pail set near the door back into the castle. “I used to lose sleep over the fear that Mom would find out about her getting me to spank her in my room after putting you to bed for your naps.” “Aaahhg! TMI much, Shiny? Sheesh!” Twilight nursed another sip from her VBR. She looked back at the castle and up to the lit windows of Cadence’s royal chambers. “What do you think they’re talking about in there?” “Cadence is probably showing Luna her exotic piercings.” Shining stated flatly, watching his sister cringe out of the corner of his eye. “I hope she talks Luna into a tongue stud. That would feel awesome.” Twilight smirked evilly. If Shining Armor wanted to play the TMI Game, then she was going to play to win! > Domesticity - Pearple Prose > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Pearple Prose ***** Twilight Sparkle wasn't used to normal things. Normal things implied common, regular, everyday occurences. Things that you'd wake up to find in your bedroom and not even give a second glance; things that you would certainly not use an ancient magical artifact of unrivalled power to turn said objects into stone. In this way, Twilight Sparkle is far from normal. As far as she was concerned, normal things were just things that happened to other ponies. It was a way of thinking that naturally comes to one who is exposed to a quirkily quaint little village called Ponyville for an extended period of time. And so, when Twilight Sparkle woke up in her bed one morning and found a princess-shaped void in the bed next to her, her reaction was quite expected in its own rather unexpected way. "GUARDS! GUARDS! PRINCESS LUNA HAS BEEN KIDNAPPED! QUICKLY, SUMMON THE ELEMENTS, AND POSSIBLY CELESTIA TOO IF SHE HAS THE TIIIIiiiiiiiime..." Her delusional ravings trailed off as she saw the guards standing at the door staring at her awkwardly. Clearly, some more tact was required. "Um... If you wouldn't mind...? Please?" The guards looked at each other, smirked, and said, "Of course, your Highness. Why don't you go search for Princess Luna while we guard Mr Sock for you?" Twilight blushed violently, and ran out of the door and tried to ignore the intolerable sniggering. She loathed sniggering. Sniggering was never a good sign for somepony as socially inept as her. She made a mental note to outlaw sniggering of any and all kinds. Her ears perked as she wandered through the corridors of the castle; she could hear singing. There wasn't any particular rhythm to it, just a tuneless melody that nonetheless managed to worm its way into her head. She followed the humming down some stairs and through several more corridors, before she found herself in the kitchen. Wearing a pretty pink apron—adorned with the slogan, OSCULATE THY CHEF— and rather clumsily manipulating a pan over the burner, was Luna. Her singing was accompanied by an occasional rump wiggle and spontaneous giggle. Behind her was a table with a feast fit for a princess sat atop it. Trying not to drool at the two very delicious things standing in front of her, Twilight hesitantly spoke up, "Luna? Are you... cooking??" Luna stopped humming, and turned to look at Twilight with a bright smile on her face. "Oh! Fair morning to you, love! And yes, we had heard of these tantalising treats known as 'pancakes' and decided to experiment. Such fun!" Twilight didn't hear her; she was staring at the breakfast spread with her jaw agape. "Maple syrup, jelly, Frosted Filly Flakes, toast, butter—" "Actually," Luna interjected, eyes focused intently on the sizzling pancakes, "it's not butter." "Really?" "Uh-huh." Twilight gazed at the not-butter with newfound respect. "I can't believe it!" Luna's tongue stuck out the side of her mouth as she flipped the pancake into the air. After a moment of intense silence, it landed safely back in the pan again. "HUZZAH!" Luna bellowed. A glass of orange juice shattered. "Success!" If she were to look up now, Twilight was somehow aware that she would find several flat pastry treats stuck to the ceiling. After her ears stopped ringing, Twilight wandered over to her ecstatic wife with the glazed-over look of a pony who still wasn't quite in tune with reality somehow. "So how was your morning, sweetie?" Luna asked, smile as bright as moonlight. Twilight waved her off. "Not bad. Thought you were kidnapped for a moment or two. The guards thought it was hilarious. Oh, and remind me to outlaw sniggering at some point. Speaking of mornings..." Twilight gestured vaguely towards the great spread. "Where did all this come from?" To her eternal credit, Luna took Twilight's response in stride. "I can't rightly say. I suppose the inspiration just struck me, you know? The muse is an odd beast. Also," Luna carefully flipped the pancakes onto a plate, and brandished them with a flourish "ta-daaaa! Breakfast is served!" Twilight clapped her hooves excitedly. Without further ado, she lathered her pancakes in syrup and a sliver of not-butter. She felt Luna sit next to her and kiss her on the cheek. "I do hope you enjoy them, love. And how about afterwards..." Luna's voice dropped to a sweet, sensual whisper. "...We have breakfast in bed?" Twilight gulped, and smiled a smile that clearly said "I am the luckiest pony in the world right now", complete with a vivid blush. So this is a "normal" morning, then? She thought, popping a slice of pancake in her mouth. I could get used to thi— "GUARDS! GUARDS! PRINCESS SPARKLE HAS TAKEN ILL! QUICKLY, SUMMON THE ELEMENTS, AND POSSIBLY CELESTIA IF SHE ISN'T EATING CAKE IN HER CHAMBERS AGAIN!" "Yes, your majesty! You, fetch the stomach pump! The princess was cooking again!" Twilight Sparkle isn't a normal pony. And she'd like to keep it that way, thank you very much. > Creepy (2) - Archonix > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Archonix ***** "—forever!" Twilight screeched and jumped from her seat as cackling, nightmarish laughter echoed around her study. Which was appropriate she realised, as she turned to face the source of her torment, a night-black alicorn that towered over her in a cloud of star-studded mist and power. She let out a breath and closed her eyes; her attempts to will away the flurry of emotion brought on by Luna's chosen disguise was harder than seemed fair. "Luna, for Celestia's sake..." "My love?" The night princess lowered her head toward Twilight, her gleeful grin banished and replaced with a wide-eyed, soulful pout. "Nightmare Night is but a few days hence! I thought... I thought I might again return as she who once tormented all, and what better way to practice than this? It is customary to 'surprise' the foals, is it not?" Frowning, Luna looked down at her armour and pouted. Then, like the moon exiting its eclipse, the light of realisation brightened upon her face. She closed her eyes and lowered her head yet further. "Of course, I should have warned you of my intent." With a sigh Luna turned away. Slouching to her haunches, she tugged the helm from her head and held it in her forelegs, lifting it to her face to examine her reflection. "I have lived in this new age for many years, yet I am still unable to account for such simple things as the fear this form might generate in our subjects. Or even in my love." She raised her head again, turning her demonic eyes to Twilight. The sight sent a shiver down the young alicorn's back; she instinctively fluffed her wings against the non-existent cold, but refused to meet Luna's gaze. The night princess closed her eyes and turned away. "I see. Then perhaps I shall choose a different disguise this year." Twilight mumbled something beneath her breath. It had sounded dark and inanimate, though Luna couldn't quite discern the words. The young alicorn's cheeks flushed as Luna's eyes snapped to her once again. "Twilight?" Despite the burning of her face, Twilight looked up at Luna and smiled as she stalked the short distance between them. She glanced at Luna's helm, then seized it in her own magic. "I defeated her once," she said as she examined her reflection in the cold blue steel of the helmet. Twilight's eyes flickered to Luna's face, and to the night Princess's great surprise she raised the helmet back over her lover's head and slid it firm against her scalp. Before Luna could fully understand what was happening, she felt Twilight's hoof pressed firm and fierce against the armour across her chest. Twilight's voice was unusually husky when she spoke. "To the victor go the spoils." > Giggle - Fuzzyfurvert > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Fuzzyfurvert ***** “Is it safe?” “I wouldn’t count on it.” “We haven’t heard anything for--!” Luna stiffened, the lantern in her grip rising up to better illuminate the reinforced titanium composite door. Beside her, Twilight leveled her glowing locator device at the entrance. A faint noise came from outside the tiny chamber where they had sealed themselves. “Damn!” Twilight frowned and slapped her device sharply, forcing it’s crystal screen to snap into focus. A flashing dot appeared for a moment and then vanished again. “They’re getting closer.” “How close?” Luna glanced around and hooked the lantern’s handle over the corner of a near by shelf. With her magical grip freed, she hefted a large, near ballista-sized crossbow. Luna pulled back the draw and loaded a black fletched bolt. “Twenty meters.” Twilight started to turn slowly, eyes glued to the screen. “They must have stopped moving.” Luna swallowed hard and brought up the crossbow, lining her sights on the door. The sound of something soft and organic sliding across a metallic surface came from outside. “Twenty meters! Eighteen! Fourteen and closing! They’re moving fast now!” Twilight whipped around to face the door and took a shaky step back. “Luna…” Luna planted her hooves into the floor and stood her ground. The noise was getting closer. She swore she could hear it breathing in little erratic, irrational bursts. “How close Twi? How close?!” “Eight meters! Six! Four! They’re right outside the doorway!” The gurgling chirp could be easily heard now. It seemed to come from everywhere at once. It hiccuped and snorted in a distressing high pitch. “Three meters!” “Where are they?! That’s right on top of us!” “Two point five meters?! Two!” Twilight yanked her head up, looking around her, despite what her motion tracker told her, she and Luna were the only things moving in the room. “One! Zero meters!” “Zero? What the hell, Twi?” Luna flicked her eyes around but kept trained on the door. “I don’t see anything!” The sound was loud, permeating the room from floor to ceiling. They were laughing. Laughing and coming for them. Twilight stared at her locator device in disbelief. Suddenly, it dawned on her. “They’re in the walls. Luna, they’re in the walls!” Luan hauled her crossbow across her right side and loosed the first bolt into the aluminium alloy wall. It hit with the dull thud of hollowness. Another followed it, to the left this time. Then another. Another. Luna wasn’t even aiming, she loaded the crossbow as quickly as she could to pepper the walls with iron tips and ashe shafts. The noise was deafening. It was too little, too late. A ceiling plate crashed to the ground between them. A mass of pink poured through the opening. The lantern dropped and went out. Twilight and Luna held out as long as they could, but no pony could escape the fun. It was over in seconds. No pony could resist the fun. They would all have fun. Forever. In with a roar; out with a giggle. > Applejack - Craine > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Craine ***** Princess Luna was, and called herself, many things; regal, spunky, compassionate, and—more often now, than ever before—beautiful. Used to be, The Princess of the Night thought the exact opposite of such praise; traitorous, incompetent, reclusive. All of those, and more, stood between Luna and the acceptance of her subjects. But not Twilight Sparkle. Not she, who’d braved dangers dark and cold to find the Elements of Harmony, and wrest the Nightmare from Luna’s soul. Not she, who’d stood before Luna and smiled, where so many others quibbled in terror. Not she, who dared to say Luna was beautiful on that very same night. And did so again many nights after. Yes, Princess Luna was many things. And among her most dominant, most recognizable flaws, especially to her own sister, was her jealousy. The same jealousy that made her curse the ponies that slept her perfect nights away. That same jealousy that made her listen to whispers—tempting, promising whispers—that, even to this day, make her skin maddening to wear. And now, that same jealousy stilled her body atop a dark cloud, glaring at the scene—no—the travesty below, and all but fantasizing about the terrible things she’d do to the farm pony ogling her mate. But, no. That would be absurd. Luna surely didn’t mind if Twilight had friends. Hell, friendship was the very reason Luna lowered the moon every morning. Friendship is how Luna’s first Nightmare Night became several, and how Twilight Sparkle gave meaning to every other night since then. Of course, if excessive nuzzles, much-too-long stares, and laughing at jokes that weren’t funny spelled ‘friendship’, than Luna was entirely sure Twilight wasn’t allowed to have friends. At least friends like Applejack. ‘Applejack’… The name rolled in Luna’s head like thunder, and left her tongue molted and dry. “Just look at her,” Luna muttered, pawing at the cloud below her. “Witch. Temptress. Surely she doesn’t believe she’s worthy of Twilight.” Luna eyes went astray. “Surely Twilight sees through her treachery.” Another laugh escaped into the night air, darting Luna’s eyes back to its owner and the farm pony smirking at her. Disgusting. Utterly disgusting how close they sat together on that bench, how Twilight’s hind hooves scraped together when she laughed, how Twilight’s wings twitched and ruffled when she spoke to Applejack. “Surely Twilight will not be swayed,” Luna muttered again, finding it harder and harder to look away. “Surely my faith in her in not misplaced. Luna’s heart screamed the exact opposite when Applejack shimmied closer to Twilight. “Surely, they’ll never find the farmer’s body,” she said behind clenched teeth. ‘A midnight stroll,’ Twilight said. ‘A chance to catch up,’ she said. Luna had agreed hours before. She’d even encouraged it when Twilight noticed the earth-shattering twitch in Luna’s face. And indeed, through one insistence after another, Twilight had returned to Ponyville and spent every waking moment with her friends. That was nice—refreshing, actually. Not only had Luna forgotten the last time she was so alert during daylight, but had also forgotten the last time Twilight smiled long enough without getting face-cramps. Then there was Applejack. The sherbet whorse that pulled her beloved Twilight aside after the others retired for the night. That was hours ago, and neither seemed winded in the least. In fact, Applejack seemed to have more energy than Twilight, unless those freckled cheeks were always that dark— “I dare you…” Luna whispered, her eyes slowly—very, very slowly—changing from turquoise to red. “I. Dare. You. Suddenly it was quiet. Too quiet. Where, at least, the crickets should have chirped, there was only silence. Where the leaves should have rustled in the wind, they were still. Everything died down, and Luna could hear them talk. “I had a wonderful time, Applejack,” Twilight said. The farmer laughed. “Now how can ya say that, when the best part ain’t even happened?” she asked. Luna’s wings jutted into the night. “Oh?” Twilight said in that dorky excitable way. “Well the nights still young. What else did you have in mi—“ Applejack kissed her. And every spirit, demon, and god trembled at Luna’s roar. “INFERNAL HARLOT! I WILL DEVOUR YOUR SOUL!” > Hate - Pearple Prose > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Pearple Prose ***** Hate is a very strong word, in Luna's opinion. Disliking somepony was normal, common even. But hate? Hate is a much rarer, darker beast. Many ponies knew to avoid it, and learn to love and tolerate equally. A cohesive community is a happy community, after all. Hatred has little use in such a world as Equestria. That doesn't mean that hate didn't exist, however— hatred is akin to an infection; spreading and manipulating, digging its hooks in and not letting go. For some ponies, hatred had transcended mere emotion and become a way of life, of sorts. Luna had known King Sombra. More so than any other pony, in fact. She had seen firsthand the effects that hatred could have on a soul. She had peered into that abyss of loathing, darkness, and self-destruction, and had come away from that precipice with newfound understanding and more than her fair share of scars. And when tensions had been stretched to the breaking point, the infection that had taken root in her heart had offered her a way out. A new destiny. A new world; a world of darkness, dreams, and dominance. In the end, Luna had gone down that path. When she returned, she swore off hatred forever. "...and so I picked up that cactus, and I..." Luna glared over the rim of her teacup at the two ponies sitting and chatting opposite her. On the left sat a pretty little lavender mare, hair cut cleanly across her brow, just above two beautiful eyes of amethyst. She was smiling brightly. Luna, normally, would be over the moon when she saw that smile. It was what made her world go round, after all. No, her glare was aimed at the pony that Twilight happened to be smiling at. Not Luna, oh no. Celestia finished her story with a burst of cheerful laughter, like ringing silver bells. Twilight joined in, giggling in a way that stabbed at Luna's heart. She loved that laugh. But there was something wrong about it this time. Something different. Luna looked at Celestia again. Just what is that look in her eye...? Luna shook her head wildly. "No, no, silly Luna, those are silly thoughts. Everypony is happy and so are you." She whispered hurriedly under her breath. Despite her own words, their laughter continued to needle at her. Breaking down her will. Allowing the voice into her head; thoughts of envy, greed, and... No. Not hate. Luna watched her sister wrap her wing around Twilight. Luna watched Twilight lean into her sister's side and nuzzle her neck. Hate is a very strong word indeed. > Student - Knight of Cerebus > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Knight of Cerebus ***** Today was perfect. Today was a day when Equestria was in celebration. Everything was just fine. Except, of course, for one blemish. But Luna was nothing if not helpful. She knew that her first friend in Equestria and her beloved sister deserved this after all their struggles for her, all of their sacrifices. Twilight Sparkle was a crucial part of this perfect day, of course. The preparations would be perfect, as she would oversee them personally. The ceremony would be perfect, as it would be for her. She would look as perfect as she was, because it was her day. Luna's cheeks flushed as she thought of it. Memories danced across her mind, bittersweet tormentors that they were. A late night study session she had interrupted to learn new words from her. An evening spent exploring the Everfree together. A sleepover under the stars on Twilight's balcony. A stammering confession. A first kiss. Cakes. Love letters. The feeling of her wrapped in her hooves, breath pushing against Luna's chest gently. A disagreement. Small, at first. Jealousy and insecurity were the root, of course. A glance at another pony given a stern glare. A tension when moments were shared with her sister. An ignorance to feelings of being trapped, of being not good enough. A fight. Tears. An empty bed. Distance. A void. A replacement. A rebirth, and a new love altogether. For one of them, at least. Luna sighed. Her sister and her old love deserved a perfect day. They had saved her from her madness, reintroduced her to society, loved her without judgement or fear. She only ruined things for them. Corrupted them and their perfect joy. Luna stepped off her balcony and spread her wings, beats of the powerful limbs taking her towards her home of a thousand years, trying not to listen to the bells ringing in the tower above her, back facing the banners of lavender and white. The lunar body called to her. Lonely. Flawed. Empty. It was the perfect home for a wretch like her. Today was the union between eternal sun and unending friend, adoring student and doting teacher, and today would be perfect. She had taken so much from both of them, been so often a weight on both their shoulders. Today she would not darken the day. At last she would give back to the mares she had taken so much from, by taking herself away. Today she would forever cease to darken their days, and, perhaps, give them a thousand perfect days more. > Rejoice - Pearple Prose > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Pearple Prose ***** She just wanted her back. For too long, she had watched happiness fall away from her. For too long, she had sat alone while all that she held dear withered, aged, and died. Not this time. Not when, for the first time, she had experienced true love. True happiness, without the constant fear that she would be rejected for who she was. No, Twilight loved Luna for all that she was; the light, the dark, and everything in-between. Luna flew through the icy night air at legendary speeds, lightning illuminating her anguished features, and the rain pounding at her flesh like bullets. She needed to be there for her. She'd promised that much, after all. It didn't matter that they had fought; it didn't matter that, for a short time, they had been apart. None of it mattered. They were destined to be together, Luna knew it. Faster. Trees whipped by, the branches slashing at her sides. She ignored them. Faster! Lightning struck. Too close. She careened out of control, before guiding herself back with sheer willpower. FASTER! Twilight felt empty. She had been for a while now. She had expected their separation to be hard. She had expected it to be painful. She had not expected the horrible feeling of a void inside her chest, like a piece of her heart had been stolen from her. But what was she supposed to do? Luna wouldn't want her back now. Not after that. She could have any pony she wanted, now that Twilight was out of the picture. She didn't need her. Twilight lay on her bed and stared up at the ceiling. Lightning flashed, thunder roared, and her soul wept. There was a crash on the balcony, loud enough to shock Twilight out of her ennui. She looked up to see a sodden, dirty, dripping, beautiful alicorn, standing there gasping and panting. Their eyes met. Luna leapt onto the bed and bombarded her with kisses, holding her as if she were some precious, delicate treasure—gently, as if she would shatter at any moment, yet with a need to hold her tight and never let her go. Twilight hugged her love tightly, and wept with equal parts joy and regret. She felt two wings wrap around her, shutting out the outside world and leaving only them. The moon and the stars. "I'm so sorry!" Twilight said, over and over and over, until the words became meaningless and yet so very meaningful at the same time. Luna stopped kissing. She held Twilight at an arm's length, and silenced her with one word. "Twilight." "I love you." And then she kissed her, right on the mouth. An instant later, Twilight kissed her right back. That night, the moon and the stars rejoiced in their love. > Names - Fuzzyfurvert > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Fuzzyfurvert ***** “I don’t understand it! How could this even happen?” “I wish I knew, Twilight. It troubles me that my night sky has changed so much.” Luna sighed tiredly, marking with a quill on the star chart the newest position of one of what she’s always thought of as ‘her’ stars. Several dozen of them had changed position in the last week. It happened at random, and no force in the universe that she could think of could explain the apparent movement of several quadrillion tons of plasmatic matter, per star, across entire sections of space measured in light years. Her sister was the only creature she’d ever known to be able to move such an object. The thought of other such powerful beings roaming the cosmos sent a chill down her spine. “Maybe…” Twilight huffed and pulled her eye away from the telescope to look at Luna. “Maybe, it has something to do rogue black holes?” Luna shook her head. “We’ve been over that. If it were black holes, there would need to be hundreds of them, all moving at impossible vectors and speeds to do this. Besides, we’d see other evidence of their passage through systems. For all the stars affected by this, they each stand as lone unconnected events.” “Wormholes?” Twilight ventured weakly. Luna shook her head again. They’d gone over that scenario too. Even hoofwaving aside the fact that wormholes were purely theoretical and relied on a dozen other theoretical physic principles, there would need be hundreds of huge, stable wormholes to achieve what they were seeing. “Well… I’m tired, Luna. Let’s head back to the bunker and heat up some food and coffee.” Luna smiled at that. Whenever Twilight lead her away from a problem, it meant that she wanted to refocus, look at it from a different angle. Personally, she tended to focus on things a bit too much. Something that blocked her from seeing the larger picture. Twilight opened the hatch from the main Ultra High Altitude Geo-Stable Observatory Cloud observatory and threw on her enchanted parka to save her from the bitter chill of the thin air outside. Luna followed her a moment later, tying the parka around her throat as she closed the hatch. Their personal bunker was only a few meters away. Perhaps after some food, she could talk Twilight into a hot shower. “Luna!” Twilight jolted Luna out of her thoughts and tapped her sharply on the shoulder. “What? What is it, Twilight?” “Look!” Twilight jabbed her hoof upwards. Above them, Luna’s night sky was ablaze with stars. The vast majority of them were in the places where the laws of gravity and thermodynamics and the whims of Faust had placed them. Right in the middle of the sky however, hundreds of stars twinkled in constellation-sized letters. They said, ‘DisCorD waz herE!’ and below that, in slightly smaller text, ‘Eat at Joe’s’. Luna frowned and the night around her darkened. “DISCORD! I WILL BUCKING KILL YOU!” > Teabaggin' - Knight of Cerebus > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Knight of Cerebus ***** Luna stood amongst a pile of corpses, sniper rifle cocked upon her shoulder. 'HUZZAH! Such pitiful resistance is a pittance before the queen of the night! Approach my position with all your courage, male siblings!" Luna pressed her advantage, descending the stairs with a stolen machine gun. "I have purchased your obedience in bullets, foals! 'Tis as our subjects do say! Ownage! Ownage!" Luna ignored the buzz of comments to her side. Fiends! They would not distract her with idle chit chat! A particularly difficult opponent by the name of "Eggyhead38" was finally downed when an ally began shooting at him from behind, causing him to break focus against her and return fire. "Victory is ours!" Luna lowered her hips over the corpse of her fallen enemy's head, performing the custom ritual of victory in the modern era. Abruptly, her screen returned to the start menu. "WHAT?! WHAT IN THE NAME OF MY NIECE'S HAIRY NIP--" Luna cut her curse short, blinking at the notification in her inbox. "...What is...."griefing"?" Abruptly, a scroll materialized in her lap. Dear Lulu, Please stop shooting me when we play together. Love, Twiley. > Witchcraft (Fluffy) - Pearple Prose > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Pearple Prose ***** "Okay... How about now?" Twilight peered up at the night sky through her telescope, her eyes dancing back and forth between the constellations and the star maps by her hooves. After a few moments of terse silence, she nodded. "Yep. Everything checks out." Twilight ticked off her checklist. Luna sighed in relief, wandering over to a nearby cushion and collapsing onto it. "I am glad! Always a bother getting the stars back a certain trickster god messes with them like that." Luna glanced up at Twilight, who was idly clearing up the star charts and getting ready to turn in for the night. "I thank thee for thy help, my love." Twilight chuckled, walking over to her lover and curling up next to her on the seat. Luna wrapped her wings around her and rested her head in the curve of her neck. "No problem, Luna. Though, I'm kinda curious; does moving the stars drain you at all?" Twilight felt Luna's contemplative hum against her neck. "The actual magic itself does not draw from a mana pool, like unicorn magic does. Rather, alicorn magic flows from the world itself. Some old-fashioned types called it "witchcraft". I suppose you could say that it is a mechanism of the world, and that we are the ones who maintain it." Twilight hummed. "So what else can you do? Moving the celestial bodies is one thing." "Well, there is one thing..." "What is it?" Luna didn't reply. Instead, Twilight heard her hum. The hum slowly got louder, and she started whispering words in a forgotten language under her breath. "Look at me." Luna commanded, her words thrumming with power. Trembling, Twilight turned to face her. Then Luna booped her on the nose. "See? It makes you look cuter." Twilight glared at her. "You're a real witch, you know that?" > Witchcraft (Dark) - Pearple Prose > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Pearple Prose ***** "Okay... How about now?" Twilight peered up at the night sky through her telescope, her eyes dancing back and forth between the constellations and the star maps by her hooves. After a few moments of tense silence, she nodded. "Yep. Everything checks out." Twilight ticked off her checklist. Luna sighed in relief, wandering over to a nearby cushion and collapsing onto it. "I am glad! Always a bother getting the stars back after a certain trickster god messes with them like that." Luna glanced up at Twilight, who was idly clearing up the star charts and getting ready to turn in for the night. "I thank thee for thy help, my love." Twilight chuckled, walking over to her lover and curling up next to her on the seat. Luna wrapped her wings around her and rested her head in the curve of her neck. "No problem, Luna. Though, I'm kinda curious; does moving the stars drain you at all?" Twilight felt Luna's contemplative hum against her neck. "The actual magic itself does not draw from a mana pool, like unicorn magic does. Rather, alicorn magic flows from the world itself. I suppose you could say that it is a mechanism of the world, and that we are the ones who maintain it." Luna chuckled ruefully. "Well, that is the theory, at least. Many call us gods, but truthfully we are as bound as any mortal. More so, in fact. Our cage is just far more gilded." The two fell into a solemn yet thoughtful silence as Twilight mulled over the new information. "So... Were you worshipped? Did they always think you were deities?" There was a pause. A rather ominous one. "No," Luna said. "We were not always seen as such. That was only after we defeated Discord." From where she lay, Twilight couldn't see Luna's expression of anguish. Oblivious, Twilight pressed on: "Oh? What about before then?" "...They called us witches." After a moment, Twilight laughed. "Witches? But that's so silly!" She elbowed Luna playfully. "Come on, be honest. Nightmare Night was days ago!" "Tis no lie. We realised early on that, while our friends and neighbours grew old and failed, my sister and I still looked young and fresh. It didn't bother us at first, but when we discovered that our magic was growing, seemingly without limit... well, things got rather grim." Twilight's playful smile withered and died. She felt Luna squeeze her tightly, but her voice remained flat and cold. "They tortured us. Tied us to cinder blocks and dropped us in lakes, watching as we drowned. We couldn't actually die, of course, so we just waited until they got bored, more often than not." Luna wasn't hugging her now; it was more like a pony adrift at sea, clutching desperately to a piece of driftwood. "Then they burned us at the stake. Celestia went first. I can still hear her screams. I was so angry. I wanted to burn them all. And then the sun rose, all on its own. Celestia's body glowed just as brightly. She came back, with wings aflame with the fires of judgement. Eyes glowing with all the power of her charge." The room fell into grim silence. Twilight didn't speak, just allowing Luna to hold her tightly. She was trembling. "..What happened next?" Luna barked out a harsh laugh. "She forgave them, in the end. She always was the more benevolent of the two of us. But I wasn't. I destroyed them, with all the divine might of the moon and the night itself." Twilight’s eyes widened. “You mean—” “Yes. Nightmare Moon was born that night.” Luna laughed. It sent shivers down Twilight’s spine. “Witches? Not too far from the truth, honestly.” > Soar - Fuzzyfurvert > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Fuzzyfurvert ***** Luna smiled as she watched Twilight stargaze. The heavens blazed with light from thousands of stars and belonged to just the two of them. The longer she watched Twilight, the more her smile evolved from simple pleasure with her company to a smirk at the hilarity of Twilight’s current appearance. Luan reached over and tapped Twilight on the shoulder to gain the mare’s attention and levitated a small whiteboard in front of her. It said, ‘You look funny.’ Twilight frowned and brought up her own whiteboard and made a hasty note with her marker. It said, ‘You’re one to talk. You look bald.’ Luna raised an eyebrow at that and looked up trying to see her own head. She wiped her board clean and wrote a new message: ‘Keep talking like that and your walking home.’ ‘You used the incorrect form of ‘your’ and your penmanship could use work.’ Twilight waggled her eyebrows at Luna and smirked. Luna rolled her eyes and wrote carefully in calligraphic script. ‘Upeth thine, miscreant.’ ‘Well I know who is sleeping on the sofa tonight.’ Luna moved her mouth silently. She huffed and they went back to stargazing for a while more. Eventually, she brought up her whiteboard again. ‘I’m sorry. But your suit just looks so big and bulky. I couldn’t resist.’ Twilight smiled and shook her head. ‘I know it looks dumb. I asked them to paint flames on it, but EASA said no.’ ‘They could have at least put a rocket pack on it.’ ‘I know, right?’ Twilight laughed silently in her helmet for a moment and then adjusted her orientation to gently bump into the Night Goddess’ side. Luna wrapped a wing about Twilight and kissed her faceplate before yanking them through the night sky and out past the Belt where they could watch Neighley’s Comet throw off tons of ice and space dust as it inched toward the inner system. She settled them into a lazy orbit and released Twilight so she could look around. She thought about writing Twilight another message about what the suit did to her backside but decided not to. She’d have all the time in the world to tease her later. > Rarity - Knight of Cerebus > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Knight of Cerebus ***** "Oh come on, darling, it wasn't that bad" Rarity patted Twilight's shoulder lightly, earning a deadpan glare for her troubles. "I said that the bat looked nice in her hair." Rarity gave a sigh. "Yes, you did, I suppose. And maybe that was not the best choice of words, but it was hardly reason for you to bolt from the room. Luna is not going to despise you forever based upon a singular faux pas." Twilight moaned, her head hitting the pillow. "Why can't I ever just talk to ponies without making a fool of myself every other sentence?" Rarity clucked her tongue. "It's just something that comes with experience, darling. You've not been very sociable. But for the record, when we have a little crush, even the best of us make fools of ourselves." "It's not a little crush though, Rarity! It's a stupid, constricting, overwhelming crush! I want her to take me--" Rarity's breath caught in her throat "--on cruises," and released again ",and write sweet nothings in the nebulae surrounding the moon for me, and talk about the scientific veracity of celestial body observations until we're both dizzy with excitement!" Rarity pursed her lips again. "That all sounds very...romantic...but don't you think that it may be prudent to pace things? Romances do not always spring up overnight, after all." "Of course, Rarity. I'm not just going to waltz on in wearing a wedding dress and hope for the best." Rarity breathed a sigh of relief. "I have a book that comes with a pre-planned list of steps to take in finding a lover. I'm sure that with sufficient study and application I--Rarity? Is something wrong with your head?" Twilight looked at Rarity banging her head against the wall with concern. "I am...fine, darling. That said, I think I may have a better strategy for gaining Luna's attention." ----- ／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼ ------- Twilight tripped and collapsed against Rarity, their dance--if the stumbling, seizure-like performance from Twilight could be called that-- coming to a disastrous end. "That was...perhaps...one of the single worst ideas I have ever come up with." Rarity confessed, trying to pick bits of fresh corn dog out of her mane. "I'm sorry, Twilight. Tonight does not seem to be your night." Twilight gave a weak smile. "It's okay, Rarity. One night I'll be able to look back on this night and laugh...you know....laugh...that's kind of the same as crying, isn't it?" The shine in her eyes gave Rarity flashbacks to Sweetie Belle's moments of distress. Fortunately, her heartstrings were spared any further assault by a blue hoof tapping on Twilight's shoulder. "Excuse us, Twilight Sparkle. We could not help but be enchanted by your griffonic war. It was truly an interpretation of passionate avian hatred the likes of which have not seen Equestrian dance floors in eras. Truly, we wish to partake in such feats of passion. Might we share a waltz with you?" Twilight's jaw dropped, her eyes sparkling with something very different from tears as she turned to Rarity. "Don't just stand there!" Rarity hissed at her. "Say yes!" "O-of course, L-...Luna. I'd love too. You know, err, if you want to." "Marvelous! We shall take to the floor in good faith that you shant be far behind! We await thee anxiously fair Twilight!" With a flap of midnight wings, the eccentric alicorn was gone. Rarity was preparing to give a speech on taking things slowly when she was interrupted by a hug, and, if she counted correctly, no fewer than seventeen 'thank you's. As Twilight slipped away, Rarity gave a happy prance in place, squealing to herself. She had brought together young love! A crash brought her back to the real world, screaming ponies running from the pair's dance-based expression of this new found passion. "...Perhaps not entirely for the better..." She added with a wince. > Hunger - Fuzzyfurvert > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Damn it Fuzzy, you always have to push the teen rating. One of these days... Seriously though, the sauce is strong with this one. ~PP Written by: Fuzzyfurvert ***** Luna grunted around the bridle in her mouth as another strike landed on her hip. It wasn’t from the pain so much as the surprise. She couldn’t see when Twilight was about to swing due to the blinders she wore as part of her tact gear. There wasn’t any more pain than she could handle; Twilight had proven herself to almost freakishly good with a riding crop. She knew when to use the softest of touches with the flat of the leather, and when to drag the rough edge down Luna’s spine. She knew how to make the strikes tingle pleasantly or send a sharp jolt while never leaving a mark or bruise. Luna found herself enjoying the sensations Twilight was sending through her. She liked the tight bindings that held her firm, wings and legs spread with her face in the bed and rump in the air. Luna worked her tongue against the bit as she listened to Twilight giggle and move around the end of the bed. Her girlfriend enjoyed these little diversions far more than Luna herself. She’d taken to her role as the domme with almost scary devotion. Luna wiggled her hips and flexed her wing muscles, getting as comfortable as she could in the harness that held her. She could smell the fruity aroma of her favorite lubricant. Twilight was preparing something and doing it slowly, but obviously out of her sight, teasing her with the anticipation and the unknown. Luna moaned deep in her throat as her tension mounted. Not for the first time, Luna wondered what gave Twilight her need – her hunger – to be domme. She was a sweet girl from a well-to-do family who enjoyed the company of several close friends and the Royal Sisters. She was a natural leader with a deep sense of empathy and sympathy. She enjoyed a tightly controlled life and schedule. She had every indicator that she should be the one bound and displayed before Luna. Luna savored that mental image for a moment. The bed shifted as Twilight climbed up behind her and placed her warm hooves on either side of Luna’s tail. Luna could feel the heat coming off Twilight as she was caressed. “I would suggest that you don’t clinch up, but I know you like it rough.” There was a hint of a growl in Twilight’s voice that sent a shiver up Luna’s spine. She relaxed as best she could and gasped around her bridle when Twilight brushed her tail out of the way to expose all of her. Now that she thought about it, perhaps the opposite was the actual truth. It wasn’t Twilight’s hunger to be domme that drove her, but instead, it was Luna’s own hunger to be dominated that pushed the younger pony. Twilight did as she always had. She gave her all to please her Princess and to be the best at it. She did it all for her love. This revelation loosened something in Luna’s mind even as a part of her body tightened from the ministrations Twilight was giving her back end. With a sigh, Luna laid her hunger bare in her voice as she groaned, “Yes, Mistress…” > Energy - Pearple Prose > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Pearple Prose ***** "Any luck yet, my love?" A brush of a wing against her flank dragged Twilight Sparkle's eyes up from her notebook. Princess Luna sat down next to her and peered over her shoulder at her scribblings. "Oh, hi Luna. No, I haven't discovered anything new yet. I mean..." Twilight peered upwards for a few seconds. Far above them, an enormous vein of crystal, shaped like a snowflake, glimmered in the half-light. "It just looks like regular old crystal so far, but that doesn't explain why it was built like this. How does it even work?" Luna smiled indulgently. "I am sorry that I cannot help you any further in this matter. I was never very familiar with the workings of the Crystal Empire, even before my banishment." She hummed thoughtfully. "I did not know that this—" Luna gestured vaguely at the subterranean chamber surrounding them. "—even existed. Nor did young Cadence, for that matter. However, I have no doubt that you can figure this out in the mean time, my dearest." She kissed Twilight on the cheek affectionately. Twilight blushed. "Aheh. I do hope so. The benefits of this discovery could be revolutionary. The Crystal Empire has only been around for a few years now – who knows what kind of secrets it holds?" Twilight's smile drooped slightly. "And... well, that's kinda the problem, actually. The whole thing is just... so insane. It has the power to influence the mindset of an entire nation on its own. I have nothing to compare it to!" Subconsciously, Twilight began to rub her hooves together, her eyes widening as she continued to speak. "I just don't get it! It's casting some kind of spell, somehow, but there's nothing here to cast! Is there some kind of rune system? No, they couldn't have worked all this time without breaking, but – Oh! But the whole Empire was frozen in time wasn't it? No, that's impossible it had to be—" Twilight was cut off by a deep blue hoof on her lips. Luna looked at her with a frown, but her eyes glinted with worry. "Twilight. Be calm. Take a deep breath, like Cadence taught you." Wordlessly, Twilight nodded, before breathing in slowly, pulling a hoof towards her chest. She exhaled deeply and pushed her hoof out from her chest. "Thanks for that, Luna. I was getting kinda... excited there, for a second." Twilight blushed bashfully. Luna just chuckled, pulling her favourite librarian in for a cuddle. "Do not even mention it, my dear. I must admit, the prospects are exciting me as well." She grinned, then kissed Twilight on the nose. "Just not quite as much as that cute little blush of yours does." Twilight squeaked once, her blush threatening to consume her features as she darted back in to steal a kiss on the lips. All at once, she felt her horn tingle. The crystal above her lit up like a star, and they heard a distant explosion of energy from far, far above. A blanket of contentment and good cheer settled over the kissing couple. The couple glanced upwards in wonder as they finished their kiss. Twilight whispered. "It just cast a spell. But how?" Luna just smiled. "Isn't it obvious, Twilight? It seems that love is the most powerful energy of all." > Hate (2) - Knight of Cerebus > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Contains Season 4 spoilers. You have been warned! ~PP Written by: Knight of Cerebus ***** "There shall only be one Princess in Equestria, and that princess shall be me!" Twilight's eyes widened, hurt overtaking her voice. "But...Luna, why?" Luna didn't respond, dark magics flowing and weaving around her as she lifted into the sky. Insane laughter chimed like infernal bells around the two Princesses, night and darkness consuming the world. "I thought I was your friend. I thought you liked spending time with me. Luna...why? What did I do wrong?" Twilight's voice cracked. The alicorn of the night's eyes became reptilian slits, pupils constricting to daggers. Her teeth filed themselves to jagged edges, a venomous snarl overtaking her muzzle. Twilight swallowed. "Luna! Please, I don't want to hurt you! Think about this! I-I'm not a good princess! I don't even deserve to be princess! You want my wings, take them! It's not worth hurting you if I have them!" Her legs moved up to shield her head. Luna reared up, eyes flashing with murderous intent. "I-I love you!" Luna swooped down. "Twilight?" Celestia touched the quivering ball of pony that was her former student with a gentle hoof. Twilight eased into the pressure, leaning against the same comforting touch that had brought her out of her breakdowns both mental and magical across the years. "Twilight, it's alright. It's just a memory." Twilight stilled her breathing, the betrayal gradually trickling out of her eyes. She nodded shakily. "Let's find your sister." > Reunion- Knight of Lycaeus > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- A continuation of Knight of Cerebus's spoileriffic chapter Hate. Also they're both called Knight of [something]. Weird, huh? ~PP Written by: Knight of Lycaeus ***** Luna hugged her tightly, relishing the feeling of holding her again and that she was back with her. Glad that the madness of Nightmare Moon was gone and she could be by her side again. "Luna are you okay?" Blinking her eyes, she saw not the grey surface of her moon but the lavender alicorn sitting in her bed. "Are you okay Luna?", she asked repeating the question. "Fine", slightly embarrassed that her thoughts had brought her back to when she was first freed from the madness of Nightmare Moon. The stars and the moon, these were her only friends so long ago and once she had control of them, she had gone to see them again. This time around however things were different, she had friends now especially the lavender alicorn sitting in front of her. The one who had helped save her from the depths of madness not once but twice now and who loved her as much as she loved the lavender alicorn. Glad to be back with the lavender alicorn she kissed her softly on the lips before embracing her in a hug, "Yes, my love. Everything's fine now." > Sleep - Fuzzyfurvert > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Fuzzyfurvert ***** My name is Luna. I am the Princess of the Night. Or, to quoth the vigilante; I am the Night. Ponies associate many things with the night. Darkness, primarily. The moon and stars too, of course, but the thing most closely associated with it, on a personal level, is sleep. I am intimately familiar with sleep and dreams. Dreamhopping is even a little hobby of mine, but don’t tell Tia that. She nags. However, not only am I intimately familiar with sleep, but I am also familiar with the lack of it. I’m experiencing it right now. My partner, Twilight, is asleep in the bed behind me right now. Mocking me with her blissful snoring. She looks very comfortable. I envy the way she can just fall asleep when she gets in the bed. She can take naps. Sometimes it’s hell waking her up, but Faust dammit, at least she can sleep! I stay awake. I don’t have to. Frequently, I want to. I just do. ‘Insomnia’ is what the doctors call sleeplessness these days. Apparently, I have this in abundance. Pardon me if I don’t laugh at the irony of a goddess of the night that cannot sleep. But insomnia isn’t the only thing that keeps me awake. Oh no! Like a true champion of old, I am a master of not sleeping! I cannot lay comfortably for long and toss about until I rob myself of what little rest I do get. The quacks call that ‘restless leg syndrome’. I call it annoying. They say, when I am sleeping, between my nightly bouts of unconscious dancing with my pillows, that I snore. They are not the hideously adorable noises that my Twilight is making behind me. No. It is a racket that could wake the dead, or the sleeping, such as myself. And even should that not wake me; I. STOP. BREATHING. It is only for short moments, I am told. They call that ‘apnea’ or some such prattle. Altogether every major sleep disorder, as modern medicine defines it, resides within me, the Princess of the MOTHERBUCKING Night! Irony, it seems, knows no limits. Twilight just snorted and cooed in her sleep. I can see her eyes fluttering about behind her lids. She is dreaming of something that makes her smile. Seeing that - even as I write in my journal, seething with quiet rage and eternal semi-exhaustion - I smile. Maybe I’ll go see what my sweetheart is dreaming about, since I’m still up. > Cheese - Jondor > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Jondor ***** “Twilight, how many times must I tell you, that is nothing but a foal’s tale.” Luna sighed, slipping off her royal shoe to press a hoof to her forehead. “It’s nothing but a myth, invented by children too young to know any better.” “And how many times do I have to tell you, the moon is made of cheese.” Twilight stamped a hoof, her feathers bristling. “Reach out and feel for yourself.” Luna rolled her eyes, her horn lighting up to humor her girlfriend. Her eyes stopped in mid-roll, nearly bugging right out of her head, and her hoof completely missed slipping back into her shoe. “See!” Twilight insisted. “I told you I’m not going crazy!” “I’m sorry, dear.” Luna capped her apology with a kiss. “I should know better than to dispute you in the realm of magic.” Twilight kissed back, raising a hoof to stroke Luna’s cheek. “I know you have a soft spot where the moon is concerned, but you were separated from it magically for so long that you’re still not completely attuned to it again. Other powers can still slip in without your knowledge.” Twilight sighed and frowned. “And I can only think of one power who would do something like this.” “I believe you are correct, Twilight. We’ll have to go see my sister to summon him. It’s a pity you no longer possess the element of magic.” “But, I had to give it up, Luna.” Twilight suddenly hugged Luna tight. “You and Celestia were trapped. I had to free you. I love your sister for being my teacher all those years, and I love you…” Twilight gave a sniffle. “I love you for being you and for loving me back.” Luna lifted Twilight’s chin, gazing into her eyes for a moment before kissing her softly on the lips. “I love you too, Twilight Sparkle. "Now, come. Let us see my sister and deal with this menace. Perhaps afterward, we can tackle the problem of reattuning myself to the moon. I believe I will require the assistance of an expert in magic, and I only know of one who is sufficiently qualified.” Twilight blushed and nodded her agreement. > Octavia - Knight of Cerebus > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Knight of Cerebus ***** "So you're saying that fighting Nightmares is a duty you want my help with?" Twilight gulped. Luna gave a "meep" and nodded once, blushing. "Why?" "We have found time with you to be most...sweet. The battles with the Nightmares We engage in are quite...difficult. We doth find they bring...memories...of that which We would wish to forget. Your company would be appreciated." Twilight herself was blushing. She gave a mumbled set of words, looking at an especially interesting tile seventy degrees clockwise from Luna's hooves. Luna managed to pry the word "I guess" from amongst the mess of dulled words. ----／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼---- "Trains?" Twilight tilted her head as they walked through a large caboose. A muffled tune of strings music echoed through the hallway, the train car buffering against the sound. "The Nightmares are more...unreal in their natural state. Miasma appeared to me as a weeping moon hid behind a grotesque smiling white mare's face. In truth they have no real form. This Nightmare seems to be afflicting a music patron. She visits her marefriend in Ponyville by train." "You know her?" Twilight inquired. Something seemed...off about Luna's speech tonight. "She has had a running length of nightmares about being withdrawn from this marefriend. I have tried to help her before, but since she cannot reconcile my advice with acts on them in day's light, she has attracted the black attention of a Nightmare." Luna's eyes widened as the train began to move of its. own accord. "It has found us." Train car after train car rocketed past them, the doors having slammed open to allow them into the site of corruption taking place. The music began to grow louder. Twilight was faced with a creature more bizzare than Discord. A mermaid's tail draped from a set of knight's armor, a tattered cape and a bright pink bow tie wrapped around its neck. A bladed treble cleft was clutched in its hand, and its head was framed by a heart-shaped collar. Luna lowered her horn. "Well met, night terror. But we are thine true master, and the only life that shall be claimed tonight shall be thine!" The creature roared, wheels the size of a stallion appearing over its head. It brought them crashing down all around Luna, some being deflected by blasts of magic. Luna charged. Powerful wings brought Luna towards the head of the creature, black fire sprouting from her horn. The creature did not back down, raising its treble-clef over its head. The sword came crashing down. > Alive - Drizzle Quill > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Drizzle Quill ***** She had never felt more alive. Wind and adrenaline whipped through her mane, through her pelt, through her blood and bones and her very being. Her wings sliced silently and effortlessly through the air, beating every few seconds in uneven patterns to keep her suspended in the sky like a puppet hanging from strings. The night sky enveloped her in darkness, stars twinkling like little fireflies in front of her, little fireflies she could try to reach out and touch with one hoof but fail every time. Little fireflies that lit her way. “Do you like it?” she heard over the adrenaline – a voice snapping her out of her trance, a voice dragging her back down to reality. Turning her head to the left she saw the dark blue figure making even pace with her, occasionally pulling ahead but never too far. She laughed. “Yes!” Luna pulled up so that she was side by side with the newly coronated princess. “You truly have not experienced the thrill of flying in the nighttime before now?” Twilight shook her head, heart still pounding as she did a small nose-dive before quickly snapping her wings open once again and pulling up next to Luna. “I never realized how beautiful it is in the nighttime sky.” Luna simply smiled. What followed was much like a dance – a dance in the night sky. A dance of wings and hooves and horns and stars; a dance of twirling, a dance of rolling, a dance of bodies pressing against each other and muzzles touching as they slowly touched down to the soft grass below. Blue eyes met violet. Luna moved forward first. When their muzzles finally met in a locked kiss, wings pressing around each other’s bodies, so close each could feel the other’s heartbeat, that was when Twilight Sparkle truly felt alive. > Celebration - Piece Bot > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Piece Bot ***** Twilight looked on in awe as she gazed at the luxurious place that Luna asked her to meet at. She shook her wings to help keep herself warm and waited for the Princess of the Night’s arrival. When Luna finally arrived it was close to midnight. “Sorry I took so long Twilight Sparkle.” Luna said. Twilight just sighed and shook her head softly. “Why do I put up with you?” Twilight asked her marefriend. “Because you love me?” Luna asked hopefully. Twilight chuckled a bit and leaned in close for a kiss. They shared a passionate kiss until they broke apart due to lack of breath. They both chuckled and hugged each other. “Yes I do love you. Now why don’t we go to a restaurant that’s open all-night and celebrate one year of being together? This is what we were supposed to do earlier tonight.” Twilight led a sheepish-looking Luna towards a sort-of fancy restaurant which was only three stars at best. Luna let Twilight lead her in and they got seated at a table in the corner. It was cozy enough for Twilight’s liking. They ordered their food and made small talk. After their dinner they talked some more at the park that was nearby. They hugged each other one last time and went to their own homes. When they both fell asleep they each dreamt of each other. > History - twilight the scribe > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: twilight the scribe ***** Nightmare Moon. The dusty, old book that Twilight had found shoved into one of the deepest shelves in the Restricted Section of Canterlot castle's massive library. The spine of the book was cracked, the cover worn with age. Intrigued, Twilight had gingerly rescued it from the shelf. the cover portrayed a monstrous mare of darkness with a starry blue mane, a feral snarl on her face as she flew in front of the white moon that took up the top half of the cover. below her, ponies writhed in fear and screamed. Twilight shuddered at the image. It was truly terrifying. She toyed with the idea of opening it and reading. It was a part of history, after all. A history that few had dared to record down for fear of Celestia's wrath. almost guiltily, she glanced backwards, where her marefriend was engrossed in a book detailing modern Equestrian culture, humming to herself. But she knew Luna wasn't like that. During Nightmare Night, almost two months ago, she had seen the real mare. Luna was a fun loving princess who had only desired that ponies appreciate her night more. a beautiful princess, with amazing creativity and attention to detail. after all, how else could she have so beautifully decorated the blank canvas of the night sky with scores of twinkling stars? Arranged into breathtaking patterns which scholars have recorded and ponies have told stories about time and time again? and the moon! Celestia had obviously tried her best during the thousand years Luna had been gone, but she couldn't replicate the perfect night that Luna created so effortlessly. Luna was a truly wonderful mare, who truly cared for her subjects. that much she had proved during that night. And now in this era, where ponies now appreciated the night and often stayed up late, (herself, for one, and also that party mare from Canterlot, the one with the purple shades) She was truly happy and vibrant. And now, Twilight was thrilled, but not as thrilled as Luna to see ponies everywhere accepting their princess of the night again. It made Twilight happy to see Luna so positively joyful, and she knew Celestia was pleased too, if the extra-beautiful sunrises and sunsets they had gotten lately was any indication. Twilight looked again at the cover of the book, then levitated it to the trashcan, dumping it inside. she didn't need to read it after all. She didn't need a probably biased opinion of a dark time in her marefriends life. She had the real thing right beside her, and she couldn't wish for anything better. If Luna wished of her to know what had happened during those dark days, she would be there to listen. but for now, it didn't matter. Luna looked up from her book curiously. "What was that, Twilight?" Twilight smiled fondly at her. "Nothing, Luna." she looked out the window, where the sun was just sinking below the horizon, sending out its last rays of golden red light. "Shouldn't it be time to raise the moon?" Luna giggled. "Alright, Twilight." her gaze turned hopeful. "Would you like to join me? I wanted to show you how to place the stars in the sky tonight. that is, if you want to, of course." Twilight grinned in excitement. "*I would like nothing better, princess." > Telescope - Fuzzyfurvert > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Fuzzyfurvert ***** Luna rummaged through her toolbox until she found a suitably clean softcloth and plucked it out with her magic. She grunted as she wriggled on her back to get under the massive telescope optical tube where she could reach the access hatch. The hatch creaked loudly in the chill air of the Ultra High Altitude Geo Stable Observatory Cloud when she released the latch. Luna used the light from her horn to guide her to the secondary mirror and began to wipe it down gently. “How’s it coming with the secondary mirror?” Twilight’s voice rang loudly through the giant metal tube Luna’s head was currently stuck inside. “I’m wiping it down now, Twilight.” Luna shook her head and started to fish around with her hoof blindly, searching for the polish jar. “Did you remember to give it a dry wipe before using the polish?” Luna grit her teeth at the enhanced volume of Twilight’s voice coming up the telescope’s frame from the floor some twenty hoofspans below. “Twilight, I may be a princess who is usually attended to by numerous guards and servants and one overzealous librarian, but I am the world’s foremost experienced astrologer! I know how to care for a telescope, no matter how big it may be.” She huffed and smirked as her hoof found the jar of polish. Luna pulled it in and applied a small dab to the corner of her softcloth before she started over the surface of the mirror in tight circular motions. “I know, I’m just anxious!” Twilight’s voice got a little softer. “It’s just that I went through a lot of crap to get Archimedes Twelve built and installed here. This is it’s first scheduled clean up. What if we find a flaw in the mirrors or lenses?” Luna smirked at the Telescope’s name. Giving everything a name was a decidedly odd custom of the modern times she’d found herself in lately. “If there were any flaws, we would have caught them by now. Your precious telescope is as perfect as it’s designer.” Twilight was silent for a long time. Luna was just finishing up her second coat of polish when she felt a tug on her leg and heard Twilight’s voice come from just outside the tube. “Hurry up Luna. I want it to be ready for tonight’s viewing and there is still something we need to do before that.” Luna shimmied out from under the telescope, slapping the hatch closed as she moved. “What else do we nee-!” Luna blinked as Twilight scooped her up in her magenta aura and pulled her into a quick kiss. Her love blushed as Luna temporarily lost power to her frontal cortex. “Um...there’s something else that needs your expert touch… in our bunk… yeah, that’s the ticket.” > Travelling - TheLastBrunnenG > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: TheLastBrunnenG ***** Miss Sparkle, Attached please find the excerpts you requested from the mission logs of your archeological expedition to Saddle Arabia. As these are the Night Guard forces’ CrystalCom transmission records, the expedition itself is referred to herein as “Operation Dusk Endeavour.” I must remind you that the following excerpts are classified material and that they are not to be distributed. You have been granted access to them by special permission of Princess Luna, or “Night Mother” as her callsign indicates. Sincerely, Musty Tome Archivist, History/Military/Political materials Royal Canterlot Library ------------------------ [BEGIN EXCERPT] ------------------------ FROM: NIGHT MOTHER TO: CMDR HEAVY GORGET, FCOM/OP DUSK ENDEAVOUR SAY AGAIN, COMMANDER. LAST TRANSMISSION UNCLEAR. RESTATE MISSION STATUS. ------------------------ FROM: CMDR HEAVY GORGET, FCOM/OP DUSK ENDEAVOUR TO: NIGHT MOTHER TS IS DOWN, REPEAT, TS IS DOWN. SOME KIND OF ANTI-MAGIC EXPLOSION. TS’S ARABIAN ESCORT UNDER ATTACK. MULTIPLE HOSTILES POURING OUT OF THE RUINS AND SURROUNDING TERRAIN. STANDBY FOR SITREP. ------------------------ FROM: NIGHT MOTHER TO: CMDR HEAVY GORGET, FCOM/OP DUSK ENDEAVOUR ASSESS AND REPORT IMMEDIATELY, COMMANDER. ARE SADDLE ARABIAN FORCES ABLE TO MAINTAIN LOCAL CONTROL? ------------------------ FROM: CMDR HEAVY GORGET, FCOM/OP DUSK ENDEAVOUR TO: NIGHT MOTHER NEGATIVE. LOCAL FORCES TAKEN COMPLETELY BY SURPRISE. THEY’RE REGROUPING AND ATTEMPTING TO HOLD POSITION BUT ARE OUTNUMBERED BADLY. ESTIMATE COMPLETE COLLAPSE OF SADDLE ARABIAN ESCORT FORCES IMMINENT. WE FAILED, NIGHT MOTHER. NEVER SAW IT COMING. REQUEST PERMISSION TO BREAK COVER AND ENGAGE. ------------------------ FROM: NIGHT MOTHER TO: CMDR HEAVY GORGET, FCOM/OP DUSK ENDEAVOUR APOLOGIZE LATER, COMMANDER. PERMISSION GRANTED. ENGAGE HOSTILES AT WILL. NEW MISSION PRIORITY IS RECOVERY OF TS. ALL OTHER CONSIDERATIONS SECONDARY. ------------------------ FROM: CMDR HEAVY GORGET, FCOM/OP DUSK ENDEAVOUR TO: @DUSK ENDEAVOUR; NIGHT MOTHER ALL UNITS, ALERT CONDITION DYNAMITE. WE ARE R.O.E. RED, WEAPONS FREE. RECOVER AND PROTECT TS AT ALL COSTS. ENGAGE, ENGAGE, ENGAGE. ------------------------ [REDACTED] ------------------------ FROM: NIGHT MOTHER TO: CMDR HEAVY GORGET, FCOM/OP DUSK ENDEAVOUR COMMANDER, REPORT MISSION STATUS. ------------------------ [REDACTED] ------------------------ FROM: NIGHT MOTHER TO: CMDR HEAVY GORGET, FCOM/OP DUSK ENDEAVOUR REPEAT. COMMANDER, REPORT MISSION STATUS. HAVE YOU RECOVERED TS? CAN YOU DISENGAGE AND FALL BACK? ------------------------ FROM: CMDR HEAVY GORGET, FCOM/OP DUSK ENDEAVOUR TO: NIGHT MOTHER NEGATIVE, NIGHT MOTHER. TS RECOVERED BUT STILL UNCONSCIOUS. HOSTILES JUST KEEP COMING. HAVE ASSUMED DEFENSIVE POSITION IN THE RUINS BUT WE CANNOT HOLD. NIGHT GUARD FORCES AT FIFTY PERCENT AND FALLING. AIR ASSETS DEPLETED. REQUEST FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS. ------------------------ FROM: NIGHT MOTHER TO: CMDR HEAVY GORGET, FCOM/OP DUSK ENDEAVOUR HOLD THY POSITION. REINFORCEMENTS INBOUND, ETA NINE MINUTES. ------------------------ FROM: CMDR HEAVY GORGET, FCOM/OP DUSK ENDEAVOUR TO: NIGHT MOTHER SAY AGAIN - NINE MINUTES? REPEAT, NEAREST KNOWN ADDL EQUESTRIAN FORCES EST 12 HRS OUT PER CINC NGF ARABIA SECTOR. UNABLE TO AWAIT REINFORCEMENTS. WHAT FORCES ARE YOU SENDING? ------------------------ FROM: NIGHT MOTHER TO: CMDR HEAVY GORGET, FCOM/OP DUSK ENDEAVOUR HOLD THE LINE. RELIEF FORCE INBOUND, ETA SIX MINUTES. ------------------------ FROM: SGT FALLINGWATER, ACTING FCOM/OP DUSK ENDEAVOUR TO: NIGHT MOTHER CMDR GORGET AND OTHER OFFICERS ARE ALL KIA. TS STILL UNCONSCIOUS. WE’RE OUT OF TIME. I’M SORRY, PRINCESS. ------------------------ FROM: NIGHT MOTHER TO: SGT FALLINGWATER, ACTING FCOM/OP DUSK ENDEAVOUR STAND FAST. RELIEF FORCE INBOUND, ETA THREE MINUTES. ------------------------ FROM: SGT FALLINGWATER, ACTING FCOM/OP DUSK ENDEAVOUR TO: NIGHT MOTHER WHAT DO YOU MEAN, RELIEF FORCE? WE’RE ALONE OUT HERE! LAST THING WE NEED IS A BLUE ON BLUE INCIDENT. WHAT REINFORMCENTS ARE YOU SENDING? ------------------------ FROM: SGT FALLINGWATER, ACTING FCOM/OP DUSK ENDEAVOUR TO: NIGHT MOTHER PRINCESS, WHO’S ON THE WAY? THERE’S ONLY FIVE OF US LEFT AND WE’RE BLASTING ANYTHING COMING THROUGH THE DOOR. WE CAN’T AFFORD FRIENDLY FIRE. FOR THE LOVE OF CELESTIA, WHO ARE WE WAITING FOR? WHO’S COMING?? ------------------------ FROM: SGT FALLINGWATER, ACTING FCOM/OP DUSK ENDEAVOUR TO: NIGHT MOTHER REPEAT, NIGHT MOTHER, WHO IN ALL FLAMING TARTARUS IS INBOUND?!? ------------------------ FROM: NIGHT MOTHER TO: SGT FALLINGWATER, ACTING FCOM/OP DUSK ENDEAVOUR I AM. > Meteor - Pearple Prose > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Pearple Prose ***** "Luna," Twilight began, for the third time that evening, "why are we up here again?" Luna just looked at her, smirking as she caught her facial expression; it was rather like she had just taken a bite of a lemon as she was about to sneeze. Her wings flapped sporadically, like a pegasus filly on its first flight. Luna thought it was adorable. "You'll see in a moment, love," Luna replied, once again, with that same enigmatic smile. Twilight would have glared at her if she weren't so busy trying not to fall. The purple alicorn gulped. Was this even safe? Probably not. Luna had assured her that she would be there if she slipped up, but she had her doubts. Flying up above the atmosphere was definitely not a good idea for a neurotic sheltered introvert like Twilight. "But you told me that there was meteor storm happening tonight," Twilight complained. "Why are we all the way up here?" Again, Luna just smiled in that mysterious way of hers. Luna glanced back and saw her marefriend struggling, and danced through the wind towards her. "Remember not to look down!" she said. Twilight looked down. Far, far, far below lay the continent of Equestria, so distant that she could see over the horizon on either side, so small that cities and mountains were indistinguishable from one another. The night hugged her tight, like the indigo wings that enveloped her as her own gave out from under her. "I told you not to look down," Luna rebuked her, despite the edge of worry in her voice. Twilight just smiled bashfully. Hugging Luna tight, Twilight watched as the once-distant stars drew closer, hovering in the void like enormous lanterns. Slowly, the couple glided over to one solitary ball of light, and—against all rational sense—landed gently on the surface of the sphere. Twilight looked down at the star with awe. "How is this... I thought..." Her face scrunched up in thought. Luna laughed, like the tinkling of silver bells. "There is more to this world of ours than what can be found in a book, Twilight Sparkle. Certainly, the foundations are rooted in that most wondrous of things..." Her horn lit up, and the star below them resonated. "Magic." As Twilight watched, the stars in the sky fell, plummeting through the aether and leaving a trail of sparkling light in their wake. The star they stood on shifted, and it too began to fall. "Luna!" Twilight said. "What's happening?" Her wings fluttered in panic. The odd sense of lightness flooded her body, as gravity enacted its toll. "Follow my lead, love!" said Luna, as she took wing once more. "Remember: magic is the key!" And with that, she pulled in her wings and dove down, down towards the planet below them. Wind rushed past her and made her astral mane fan out and billow like a parachute of star-stuff. Twilight gulped again, then glided out into the void again, stars brushing past her as they plummeted faster and faster. She closed her eyes. Reaching out with her senses, she pulled in the energy surrounding her, imagining herself as a bright, burning star, falling through space as a meteor. The magic pulled in tighter, draping over her being as a cloak of pure energy. She felt her mane blow in the wind, and she opened her eyes. Twilight saw the stars around her, streaks of light in a sky of blacks and blues and violets. By her side was Luna, screaming and laughing as she wove through the falling heavens. Twilight, herself, was falling, but she didn't feel it. Instead, she was in perfect control, guiding herself with the magic that flowed through her form. She couldn't help it; she laughed. Celestia peered up at the sky through her telescope. The night was alight with streaks of falling stars, with two particularly bright ones dancing with one another as they fell past the horizon. She smirked. "Show-offs." > COLLABCEPTION > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Collabception ***** (Fuzzyfurvert) Luna breathed in the cool air high above Ponyville through her nose before letting it out slowly to mist around her muzzle. Snow fell gently from the cloud she sat on; the white flakes flashing through several different colors as they reflected the sparkling lights that adorn The Golden Oaks Library. The sounds of a happy Hearth’s Warming celebration floated up to the low hanging cloud where Luna gathered her courage. “I hope you like my present, Twilight.” Luna sighed and hefted the wrapped parcel she had brought with her from Canterlot. The wrapping seemed gaudy to her eyes, patterned with images of snowponies and foals hurling snowballs. The whole thing was topped with an oversized bow and gold gilded lace ribbons. “Well,” Luna rustled her feathers and looked down the library below, “Let's see what this holiday has morphed into in my absence. It can’t possibly any worse than last year’s party at the castle with the nobles.” Luna leaned forward, letting gravity do its work and begin pulling her toward the ground. She flared her wings, catching the air and angling herself downward in a lazy spiral. As she passed the upper boughs of the library tree, Luna could hear the music inside swell. Through the windows, she caught a glance of several someponies moving about the gaily decorated interior. With a quick flap, Luna arrested her momentum and landed in front of the door where the snow had been compacted under the press of many hooves. She checked the package in her magical grip again before lifting a hoof and knocking. It took barely a moment before the door opened and warmth and light poured out into the darkness. Twilight stood there, framed in that warmth, her Hearth’s Warming cap sat crookedly on her brow, and smiled. “Luna! You made it! I’m so glad you decided to spend the night with us.” Twilight stepped aside to let Luna enter and in that very moment, Luna knew that while the traditions of the holiday had certainly changed, the spirit of it remained strong. (twilight the scribe) Twilight loved Hearth's Warming. it had always been her favorite festival of the year, with everypony just being together and having fun. The chill of the snow outside couldnt possibly compare to the warmth inside every home. The Party was already in full swing, with Pinkie leading the room in a rousing carol when she heard the knocking at the door. That must be her! She thought, eagerly trotting towards the door. She lit up her horn and pulled the door open, revealing the midnight blue alicorn standing nervously at the door. "Luna! you made it! I'm so glad you decided to spend the night with us!" She pulled the older alicorn into an hug with her wings, noting how cold she was. "Come on in and warm yourself up!" Luna shyly walked into the room, taking care to conceal something under her wing. She smiled at everypony, and Twilight was happy to see that they all responded with welcoming smiles and hugs of their own. some of Luna's initial trepidation seemed to melt away, and she started enjoying herself too, and when Pinkie started up a game of Pin-the-tail-on-the-pony, she even volunteered to go first. The night was spent in partying, caroling, games and eating. Luna had been so happy when she realized that the party was going to last all night! Twilight didn't know why, but she loved to see Luna smile and laugh. she was so radiant and beautiful when she was happy. throughout the night, she stayed close to Luna, laughing, talking, and even dancing with her. But what was this strange feeling in her chest? (Piece Bot) Princess Luna was enjoying the dance with Twilight Sparkle and all the party games. A lot has changed in the past thousand years that she's been away. During Pin-the-Tail-on-the-Pony Pinkie Pie had accidentally switched her tail with the one from the game although how she did that ... nopony knows. Especially without any pain as that must have really hurt. Luna wandered outside to escape the thrill of the Party for a few minutes. 'I fear I've drinken too much of the ale. Or is it eggnog now?' Luna thought to herself. After being stuck on the moon for a thousand years she missed the beverage. She headed back inside to get some more. SOMEWHERE IN DISTANT SPACE .... Soon. Soon I will have my revenge. Soon. BACK IN PONYVILLE .... Luna was amazed at Pinkie's ability to go all out on a keg of beer without even getting drunk. "How is Pinkie Pie doing that?" Luna asked Twilight. "Trust me. You don't wanna know." Twilight visibly shuddered at that. After the fifth or so keg of beer Pinkie Pie passed out on the floor. Everypony was shocked that she lasted that long. (Pearple Prose) Luna's wings fluttered as she watched the party unfold in the humble Ponyville library. The gift under her wing poked at her chest and her sensitive wings, as if it were pushing her towards the lavender unicorn making a delightful fool of herself on the dance floor. "Not now," she rebuked it, with a hash whisper. The present, to her dismay, continued to poke. Luna almost shushed it, before realising that she was talking to a gift-wrapped mass of inanimation, and promptly facehoofed. "Luna?" a voice said, from right next to her. "What are you doing all the way over here?" Luna peeked from behind her hoof and saw Twilight, staring at her with those big purple eyes, full of concern. It saddened her, somehow, that such perfect eyes could ever be anything but happy. "Oh. I was just, uh... getting some more of this wonderful beverage!" Without looking, she picked up a random cup and put it to her lips. Immediately, the taste of strong alcohol hit her like a freight train, and the image of Pinkie Pie chugging an entire keg popped up in her mind. Luna put down the drink and immediately went to her happy place. The sound of Twilight's sweet giggling broke her from her self-induced catatonia. "Well, do you want to join in the dance again? Vinyl Scratch finally showed up, so we don't have to listen to Pinkie's one-pony band anymore!" Luna hesitated. "We are... not sure..." "Oh, come on! You only danced for, like, ten minutes before!" Twilight playfully grabbed Luna by the hoof and tugged her to the centre of the dance floor. Again, Luna's wing twitched, and, again, she hesitated. There was something else, this time—More than the present that was burning a hole in her side. ~~~~~~ Outside the golden hearth light of Golden Oaks library, the snow continued to fall. Slowly, the trees began to dance in the wind, the howling gale that only increased in intensity as the seconds passed. Before long, leaf and branch whipped to and fro in a mad frenzy as the blizzard descended on the small town. The pitch-black night sky poked a hole in the dense layer of cloud. The darkness bent, ever-so-slightly, before a piece of the night itself split off and floated toward the street below, forming and reshaping itself as it fell. Eventually, midnight hooves descended, and touched the ground like a delicate whisper. Where they landed, the stone froze over with ice. White mist emanated from its form as it took in the warm light of the Golden Oaks library. (Fuzzyfurvert) Luna giggled as she twirled around Twilight, her hooves skipping across the hardwood floor in time to the quick beat of the music. The present, neatly tucked under her wing, jostled against her side, a constant reminder of her ulterior motives for the night. She only needed to wait for the right moment to present it. ~~~~~~ On the other side of the dance floor, Spike was thumping his tail into the floor along to Vinyl Scratch’s holiday remix as he watched Rarity dance. The scales on his crest perked up when he heard a knock on the door. Everypony seemed to already be in attendance, so he decided to ignore it. Rarity dipped and bobbed, her hips shaking in a way that gave young dragon hearts palpitations. The knocking at the library door came again, more incessant this time. Spike frowned and huffed to himself. “Fine. I’ll get it… nopony else worry about it…” Spike walked to the door and pulled it open, launching into his welcoming spiel. “Hi! Welcome to the Hearth’s Warming Eve Party of Twi-iiii-iii--TWILIGHT!” ~~~~~~ Twilight grinned and leaned in to sweep her wings over Luna in a complicated dance move that Dash had shown her a few weeks previously. Luna blushed as the move brought them face to face. Luna looked like she was about to say something when Spike’s yell startled them both. Twilight turned gasps as a cold wind hit her like a hoof to the chest. The fire in the fireplace went out like a candle and the party plunged into murky shadows. At the door, a tall, slender-built pony stepped over the threshold, its coat as black as night and its eyes aglow. Each hoof step coated the library floor in a thin covering of ice crystals as the eldritch mare stalked towards the two alicorn princesses. “You… you dare to celebrate this night? To enjoy the company of ponies near and dear to you? To share stories and play the night away in these warm confines? You dare - WITHOUT ME?!” Twilight shuddered as all the windows in the library rattled in their frames and more than a few books fell from their shelves. She gulped and looked up at the towering form above her, her mouth working silently as she tried to stammer out a response. Her knees felt weak as she caught a look at the moon shaped cutie mark on the visitor’s flank. “Um… I-I-I didn’t know…” “Let me handle this, Twilight.” Luna stepped forward, her chest thrust out in what she hoped was a regal and intimidating pose. “We did not know where to send the invitation, oh Nightmare! But you are welcomed here so long as you cause us no strife!” The Nightmare glared back and forth between the princesses for a moment and then snorted. Then huffed and blew a strand of ephemeral mane out of her eyes. “Perhaps getting mail into Limbo might prove difficult. I apologize for my rude behavior.” The Nightmare shrugged. “And for freezing your dragon servant in a block of ice. I suppose.” (Piece Bot) "You what? You froze Spike in a block of ice!?" Twilight ran over to the still-swcreaming drake. It turns out that he was trapped in a block of ice. There were crystals coming out of his nose and everything. She turned on the Nightmare and prepared to unleash a spell that would banish the Nightmare back to wherever it came from. “Twilight. What are you doing?” Luna trotted in front of the mare that she’s grown fond of. She leaned in and whispered, “Whatever you are doing, please stop. She is here only for the celebrations.” “But she froze Spike.” Twilight felt tears begin to well up in her eyes. “You can use a flame spell on him.” At that, Twilight’s eyes lit up and she turned on Spike. She quickly changed tactics and unleashed a torrent of flames that engulfed Spike and the area around him. Spike unfroze in an instant but then noticed everywhere else was lit up in eldritch fire. “What did you do Twilight!?” Spike turned on Twilight and prodded her with a claw. “I, uh, whoopsie?” Twilight nervously smiled before putting out the flames. She couldn’t believe what she just did. “Why did you do it Twilight?” Luna asked. “You told me that I could use flames to unfreeze Spike. I unfroze him and I applied a bit too much power into my flamethrower spell.” Twilight chuckled nervously as everypony looked at her. The Nightmare did nothing during this change except look on and observe. ‘NOW!’ She thought. Nightmare leapt forward and grabbed Princess Luna before teleporting off to somewhere on the other side of Equestria. “Where did Princess Luna go?” Pinkie Pie asked Twilight. Twilight was too shocked to speak. She looked down at the ground and noticed a present with her name on it. (twilight the scribe) With a flash, the two alicorns reappeared in an open field. Nightmare Moon trotted around agitatedly while Luna watched with a bit of exasperation. "Are you still unhappy about not receiving an invitation? I thought we made it perfectly clear that you were welcome there." She remarked. "NAY, IT IS NOT THAT WHICH TROUBLES US, LUNA." Nightmare Moon replied in the Royal Canterlot Voice. Luna rolled her eyes. "Are you mad that the little ponies are enjoying a festival other than Nightmare Night?" "NAY, IT IS NOT THAT EITHER!" Luna sighed and contemplated rolling her eyes. Now that she was on the receiving end of the Voice, she began to understand why the other ponies had been put off by her initially. "Then what is it, Night? What troubles you?" Nightmare Moon turned and gazed at her nervously. "WE ARE...WE ARE..." she then hung her head so her next words eluded Luna. Luna raised an eyebrow and trotted closer, bending her neck until she was level with Night's head. "I couldnt hear that, Night. You'll have to speak louder." Nightmare Moon (Night) took a deep breath. "We are...not sure how to act. We are...afraid." She then tried to hide her face behind her flowing blue mane. Luna blinked. Night? afraid? She barely restrained the small smile that crept up her face. she touched her horn to Night's and giggled. "you know, that sounded like exactly how i felt my first Nightmare Night when i came back from the Moon." Night flinched. "Because of my image, I suppose." Luna put her wing around Night. "There is no need to feel ashamed for our mistakes of the past. And there is certainly no need to fear the ponies. they are a loving and accepting race, and they truly care for each other. Twilight Sparkle taught me that that night." She smiled, recalling how Twilight had tried her best to get her accepted, and how they had become the best of friends ever since. Night looked up at her hesitantly. "Do you...do you think they would still accept me? They fear me. They could accept you because you weren't me anymore. You're Princess Luna, Celestia's sister now. I'm still Nightmare Moon, the pony who tried to blot out the sun." Luna rubbed Night's back with her wing comfortingly. "Come now, the past is the past. We were confused and angry and made rash decisions. The Elements of Harmony have cleared our minds. They gave both of us a second chance. You no longer need to remain under that shadow. I have stepped out of it. You can too." Night sighed and pawed the ground nervously. "Do you really feel that?" she asked quietly. "I do. now, I want to take you to meet Twilight Sparkle. she's the Princess of Magic and one of the best friends i could ever wish for." Luna smiled fondly as she felt for her gift under her wing. she froze. her gift was gone. had she dropped it? Panicking, she teleported to the Golden Oaks Library in a rush. Night stood where she was for several minutes, then took a deep breath and focused her magic. she would give this a chance. A small smirk tugged at her mouth. Luna spoke so highly of Twilight, could there be something between them? That would be something to tease them both about, if it was true. She then disappeared from the cold field in a flash of light, into the warmth and happiness of the party. (SHL) "Damn it!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "That evil and twisted mare kidnapped Princess Luna! We must find them!" "Dash, calm down, ok?" The voice of AJ sounds worried, but also a little bothered with the pegasus. "We don't know what happened and where they could be. So, yelling like a little filly doesn't help." Dash groaned after calming down a little, with the others looking at the point where the two night alicorns were before they disappeared. Twilight was still in shock, her eyes fixed on the present with her name on that sat in the floor. It was Rarity who broke the silence again. "Darling, do you know where they could be?" Twilight shook her head. "No... I can't follow the trail of their magic, so they could be even in the moon." She tried to draw her attention away from the present and focus her mind on the problem. Had Nightmare Moon really kidnapped Luna? Was her appearance a plan to possess Luna with evil intentions? They didn't have the Elements of Harmony anymore, so that was a very good moment for the Nightmare to attack. If that was the case, she had to do something, anything, to warn Princess Celestia. But maybe that could be avoided... "Ok, girls, here is what we go to do." Twilight spoke, looking at her friends while she grabbed the present with her magic to pot it apart. "Maybe they went too far, so Rainbow and I will do aerial reconnaissance of Ponyville and his surroundings. The rest of you stay here. Spike, start writing a letter to Princess Celestia telling what happened, just in-" Before she could end the sentence, a flash of light appeared in the center of the room, bringing back Princess Luna and Nightmare Moon. Nightmare had her head down and her ears fixed to her skull, in a look of... embarrassment? Fear? Twilight and her friends looked at the two taller mares without saying a word. Well, Pinkie wasn't saying anything because she had her mouth full of Hearth Warming cookies. "Hello again, girls." Luna said, smiling softly. "Sorry for the sudden vanishing. Nightmare wants to tell you something." She pushed the darker alicorn a little with a wing. "Come on. Go ahead." Nightmare swallowed, muttering next. "W-we're sorry for what happened. We... We were scared about how everypony will react before our presence." She raised her head to look to the ponies in the room. "We are still scared a little." (Fuzzyfurvert) Twilight stared at Luna and the Nightmare with wide unblinking eyes; a torrent of questions and responses running through her mind. Should she confront the Nightmare about her attempted royal kidnapping? Should she make sure Luna was ok first? Should she just welcome them back? She lost her chance to say anything and her grip on the box in her aura as the last mare Twilight would have bet on being an arbiter of peace swooped forward and landed in front of the two alicorns. Rainbow Dash landed with a soft ‘thud’ and fixed her trademark smirk on the Nightmare. “Hey. You don’t have to be scared here, we’re all friends. It’s Hearth’s Warming Eve for cryin’ out loud! There isn’t a holiday more about forgiveness and friendship than this!” “Except for Friendship Day!,” Pinkie supplied from near the snack table. Dash rolled her eyes. “Anyway, all are welcome here. No one is going to ruin this holiday for us, or you, since we’re the super-awesome-amazing Rainbow Dash and Five Other Ponies!” “We never ratified that name, darling,” supplied Rarity from near the door where she was helping to warm up Spike. “Whatever!” Rainbow Dash shrugged and stepped closer to the two alicorns. “You came back, nobody is seriously hurt and the night is only half over. That means to me, we still got plenty of party left in us.” Dash flared her wings and pulled both Luna and the Nightmare into a three-way hug. While they embraced, Rainbow passed the present back to Luna and whispered, “You should get a move on Princess, the night is almost over and you still haven’t given Twilight her present yet. If you don’t hurry, somepony else is going to beat you to it.” (Pearple Prose) Twilight watched from her balcony as ponies trotted, stumbled, fell, flew, tumbled, vomited, and generally made a mess out of the front door. Despite the late hour and the unforeseen interruptions during the party, the whole night had been a great success. Twilight waved goodbye to an irritatingly sober Pinkie Pie—who happened to be supporting the weight of one catatonic Rainbow Dash on one shoulder—and sighed in content. Behind her, two sets of teal eyes watched from behind the door to the room. One pair looked to the other and asked, "So you are going to leave now?" Nightmare Moon gazed over to Luna. "Yes. Honestly, I don't understand how or why I was able to manifest here, on this night." She held up a midnight hoof, and watched as it began to disappear. "Perhaps I was the one part of you—the one part of the Night—that was in conflict with the rest. Perhaps I am but your anxieties, your fears, given a familiar face." Nightmare shrugged, then glanced at Luna's wing, a smile gracing her lips. "I see you still haven't given her your gift yet." Luna blinked, then blushed. "Yes, yes, I know, it's silly of me. I just... Couldn't find the right time. Or place. Or... pony. I don't know. Do you think she'll want it?" She looked up at her counterpart, eyes dancing with worry, excitement, and what Nightmare knew to be genuine hope. A great black wing settled gently over Luna's withers. "Believe me, Luna—this is more than a gift from one pony to another..." Nightmare Moon smiled, as her body disappeared into the aether. "This is a gift from the Night itself. I will be watching, Luna." And before she knew it, Nightmare Moon was gone. Luna breathed out, gathered her nerve, then knocked on the door to the bedroom. ~~~~~~ "...A gift?" "Yes," Luna said, tearing her eyes from the starlit sky above them. "I wanted to give it to you earlier, but..." she cleared her throat. "We all got rather distracted." Twilight looked down at the small box. "Well, gosh, Luna, I don't know what to say!" Taking hold of the pretty pink bow in her magic, Twilight carefully unwrapped the paper, and found one small black box. She removed the lid, and gasped. Inside sat a simple silver necklace, with a silver chain clasped around a shard of lunargentum, which had been shaped into a small crescent moon and star. "D-Do you like it?" Luna suddenly asked. "I made it myself from my—uh, Nightmare Moon's old helmet. It's not too tacky, is it? Oh, gods in heaven, it is, isn't it? I am a failure! A waste of a friend! I—" She was promptly cut off by a pair of purple lips pecking her own. "Yes, Luna," Twilight said, giggling. "I like it." > Craft - Knight of Lycaeus > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Knight of Lycaeus ***** Another stroke here and a touch more paint there and the painting should be done. The night was growing late and Twilight sighed a bit as she worked, she had begun to work on a small painting as a present for Luna. She had convinced herself that it shouldn't be that difficult; it was just a few simple steps besides she had done some painting before but this piece just had her stumped. "Luna makes this seem simple, the way she places her stars it makes the sky truly shine and it's flawlessly how the sky is with all those stars and how amazing it is to look at" as she remembered all those nights she spent looking at the wonderful sky above her. Returning her focus to her work she silently continued; her intense focus on her work muted her to the sounds of wings, to the sound of a soft landing on the balcony, to the gentle sound of hoof steps making their way towards her. "Twilight, that looks wonderful" Shocked Twilight dropped her brush and turned to the new arrival in her room. "Luna, I thought you had a meeting tonight." "I did and it has finished." Twilight stole a quick glance at the clock and realized that it was getting late. "Must have lost tracked of time." "Indeed, so may I ask about the painting?" Twilight froze for a moment, she had finished but was in the process of checking it over. Now though Luna was standing beside her asking about the gift Twilight had been working on for her. Motioning for Luna to step closer she said, "It is a present for you, something to celebrate us being together" as she allowed Luna a better view of her work. Luna looked at it before turning towards Twilight, "This is beautiful thank you Twilight" as she pulled Twilight close and kissed her. > Music - Fuzzyfurvert > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Fuzzyfurvert ***** Twilight groaned as she frowned at the empty throne at the end of the great court hall. Luna had indeed abandoned post. Again. She sighed and rubbed at her temples for a moment before turning to the nearest Nightguard. “Excuse me, but where is Princess Luna this time?” The guard snapped a quick salute. “Her majesty has retired for the evening, as there were no petitioners to her night court.” Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Um… I’m here. She even knew I was coming!” The gaurdspony shrugged. “Sorry Miss Twilight. Princess Luna did leave word to direct you toward her tower.” Twilight rolled her eyes and turned around without thanking the guard. Luna’s tower wasn’t very far away, but all the stairs tended to make her thighs hurt before she was even halfway to the top. Good thing she knew a little magic to make things a little easier. As soon as she was around the first turn of the stairway, out of sight of the hallway and any of the guards, Twilight’s horn glowed and flipped her local gravity, turning the long stairs into a quick slide. Just as she was coming around the final bend, Twilight canceled her spell and dropped back down to walk the rest of the way to the landing like a normal pony. The Princess’ chamber doors were closed and oddly unguarded, but she she got closer, Twilight could hear muffled music. After introducing her to modern playback devices, Twilight found Luna to be quite the voracious consumer of music. Luna tended to enjoy the classics from her time period the most, but recently had taken to listening to more contemporary fare. The music Twilight heard coming from the Princess’ chambers now was decidedly recent with a quick, heavy beat and a liberal amount of electronic distortion. As she stood on the landing listening, Twilight was surprised to hear what sounded like a dubstep remix of an old Motown hit by Aretha Fetlock. Twilight knocked gently and the door fell open slightly at the light pressure, the volume of the music jumping impressively. “Um… hello? Luna?” Twilight pushed the door open slowly, not wanting to intrude on the Princess in her private sanctum. “Luna, your door was open and I…” Twilight blinked, her jaw hit the floor a second later as she absorbed the sight before her. Luna, Princess of the Night and Diarch of Equestria floated a few feet off the floor, but it wasn’t her wings or magic that held her aloft. Her thighs were wrapped around a silver pole that spanned from ceiling to floor, holding her body up as her back arched and her starry mane hung to the floor. Luna’s wings dropped and pushed against the floor to start lifting her torso in rhythmic jerks and bounces that kept up with the beat of the music. When she could reach, Luna pulled her body close to the pole with one hoof while her other worked its way across her belly and then up her chest and around her back to sweep up her hair until it was like a blue cloud surrounding her head. Her tail flicked to the side, swatting herself right on her Cutie Mark with an audible slap the made Luna gasp. Twilight tried in vain to pull her jaw back up off the ground as the Princess started to spin on the pole. Luna had all four legs wrapped around its silvery length and her abs rolling in sync with the music so perfectly it would make professional belly dancers weep. Luna’s wings flared and folded, spreading across her body in a fan dance, giving hints at her curves as well as propelling her lazy spin until she was facing directly away from Twilight and presenting her with the sensual curve of Luna’s back. The Princess let go with her legs, holding the pole with her forearms, and planted herself with a wide stance, tail held high. Twilight could see both of her Cutie Marks and noted idly that the black part did, in fact, meet in the middle. Luna looked back over her shoulder and gave Twilight a mysterious smile before running her tongue slowly up the silvery pole. “Ah, Twilight. Did you need something?” Twilight twitched. She might have been trying to form words, but the Princess never heard them as Twilight chose that specific moment to topple onto her side, her horn flashing with the sparks of some half-formed spell or release of pure mana, and passed right the hell out. > Carrots - Fuzzyfurvert > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Fuzzyfurvert ***** Luna smacked her lips and looked down at the bottle again. “And you say this carrot juice is fermented? It seems fine to Our palate.” “Nononono… it isn’t fermented!” Twilight chuckled gently. “It has fermented spirits added to it by Carrot Top.” “This Carrot Top is a brewer, by profession, We take it?” “No, she’s a gardener. A sort of small scale farmer that uses a patch of land leased from Sweet Apple Acres to grow small batches of legacy vegetables, which she then sells at the Ponyville market. I get my tomatoes and carrots from her. As well as this oddly tasty carrot moonshine.” Luna raised her eyebrows at the mention of moonshine. “If this Carrot Top is a serf, then from whence doth the spirits hail? And, pray tell, why are they called ‘moonshine’? This modern form of nomenclature wouldst imply it comes from Our great duty.” Twilight grinned, the moonshine bringing a blush to her cheeks and loosening her mouth a little more than she might have planned. “Carrot Top gets the booze from Berry Punch, who - before you ask - is actually employed as a Florist of all things. She just happens to run a ‘still out of the woods behind her house. Somehow, Berry can drink the stuff straight. They rest of us have to have it cut and mixed with juice.” Twilight leaned over, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper even though there were no other ponies to overhear them in the empty library. “Rarity prefers hers with frozen fruit slush, but don’t tell Applejack that. She thinks we all drink her family cider.” Luna’s nose wrinkled at the smell of alcohol on Twilight’s breath. “Don’ get me wrong, we all like AJ’s cider, but she only produces th’ stuff for three months out the year! What else are we supposed to drink the other ten months?” “Fair Twilight… perhaps you have had enough? We can smell it from here.” Luna narrowed her eyes, looking the purple mare up and down. “You seem to Us to be well into your cups. A proper lady of Canterlot birth knows when she has reached her limits. We do not mean to lecture...We ourself are not known for Our own restraint, but since Our return We have tried to present a better role model.” Twilight continued to lean in close to Luna and remained silent for a long time. “You have a really pretty voice, Princess.” Luna blinked. “And reeeeeally purty...prety...pretty eyes.” Twilight took another sip from her bottle. “Theres a real good story behin’ the moonshine name. If you wanna hear it, we could go up to my room.” “I got books.” Twilight added as an afterthought. Luna looked at her own bottle and then back at Twilight. “Is it unbecoming of Us if...if We had a mind to take you up on your offer? It has been so long since last We visited the bed chambers of another pony.” Twilight blinked. “Sorry Princess, is that a ‘yes’? I’m kinda tipsy.” Luna nodded vigorously. “Oh good! Then let’s-!” Twilight’s eyes bulged and her turned quickly in her seat, her mane and body blocking Luna’s sight as she evacuated her stomach rather loudly. Luna placed a concerned hoof on Twilight’s shoulder as the other mare heaved. “Are we going now… or should We wait while you refresh yourself?” > Cold - Pearple Prose > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Pearple Prose ***** "Achoo!" Luna sneezed. For a normal pony, this would not be particularly notable. However, for someone with alicorn-sized lungs, something like a sneeze could, in fact, send something roughly the same weight and shape as their marefriend tumbling out the doors to their bed chambers. "Thorry, Twilight..." Luna mumbled, with a gunky snort. A purple head poked back into the room. "it's alright, Luna," Twilight chirped as she limped back towards the bed piled high with pillows. "Just focus on getting that cold out of your system!" "B-But Twilight—" Luna reared back as if to sneeze, and Twilight tensed up instinctively. A moment passed, and Luna continued to speak. "Ith not gettig any bedder..." Twilight tutted. She lit her horn, and a mug of hot chocolate levitated over to the fevered princess. "Well, maybe a bit of your favourite drink will help~?" Twilight said. Luna's eyes lit up with glee as she saw the cocoa, and she sat up and reached out with her hooves and took it. She didn't say anything, choosing instead to stare into the brown liquid, hypnotised by the warmth that suffused her very being. She felt something pressing against her—Twilight was hugging her. "Th-Thanks, Twilight," Luna said. She attempted to move the mug to her mouth, and frowned when she realised she couldn't move her limbs. She grunted, forcing her arms to bring the chocolate to her mouth. She was so focussed that she only passively acknowledged the light in the room slowly disappearing, the cold that covered the floor in an icy sheen, and the weight that pressed harder against her. "Urgh!" Luna's numb arms began to move slowly towards her muzzle. The draught was blowing in now. It ruffled her mane and made strands of hair snap against her face, but she continued to grunt with the effort. Eventually, slowly, Luna inhaled a mouthful of the hot chocolate. And then she spat it right back out. It didn't taste like chocolate. It didn't taste hot, either. It had the taste and texture of frozen dirt. Luna looked up, and noticed, for the first time, that she was sitting in pitch black, ice-covered room. Howling winds tore at her skin. Her body was numb, and a huge, titanic weight pressed down on her. She turned and saw Twilight slowly treading away from her, out the door to the transformed chamber. "Twilight!" Luna called out. She grunted and threw the pillows and covers off her frozen body. "My love, come back!" But Twilight didn't come back. She continued to walk towards the effort, without once back. "Twilight! Twilight!" The door swung shut with a crash. Luna woke up to pitch blackness. Immediately, she tossed her limbs and screamed. Her entire body ached and froze and hurt, but her limbs thrashed at the overwhelming darkness enveloping her as if it were a beast attacking her. Light blinded for a moment. She couldn't breathe. She was drowning. Luna crawled towards the light, and surfaced in an unending plain of snow and ice. A blizzard tore at her mane and skin. Luna's mind was barely working, but it managed to conjure a single thought. One lonely mantra that brought vigor to her dying limbs. Turning toward the mountainous horizon, she continued on her journey. Twilight. I need to bring Twilight back. > Fire - Fuzzyfurvert > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Fuzzyfurvert ***** “I saw that.” Captain Leadfeather of the Canterlot Dayguard continued to stare straight ahead stoically at the floral print wallpaper. “Saw what, ma’am?” “That grin.” Celestia smirked, her horn glowing as she concentrated on the job before her. It had been many years since she had last seen to this particular task personally, but Celestia felt it was important enough to warrant her attention. “I’m afraid you are mistaken, your Highness. Had those tendons snipped years ago.” “Yes, I recall ordering it.” Celestia chuckled gently to herself as finished up. “Something about a certain young sergeant with a notorious habit of smiling during diplomatic functions.” “Only the ones where you pulled the wool over the eyes of the other parties, ma’am.” Celestia ‘tsk’ed’ and turned to look down at her seasoned guardian. “You cost Equestria twenty bits and over a thousand hectares of arable land at the gryphon kingdom’s international poker championships back in ‘74.” “Came out of my pay, I seem to recall.” “I made doubly sure of it!” Celestia giggled to herself. “So what broke years of training and a medically induced lack of expression Captain, if you don’t mind my asking?” Leadfeather kept his position and expression neutral as Celestia moved around the table to retrieve a box of safety pins in her telekinesis. “Well ma’am, it struck me that over the years as a guardspony in general and as a personal security pony to your Grace, I’ve seen and heard a lot of things - from you most often - that the public and even most of the castle staff never know about. We’ve talked about a lot of things because you mistake me for a smart stallion despite my repeated assurances otherwise. I have served you faithfully for the majority of my adult life and will continue to do so until you give me leave to lay down dead and stay that way.” “You are going to need to save up a good deal of vacation time for that, Captain.” Leadfeather nodded in response to the old joke. “What I mean to say, your Highness, is that I’ve taken a lot of crap from you but this is the first time in my memory that it was actual crap.” Leadfeather wrinkled his nose and tapped the near by waste basket with a rear hoof where the faint scent of infantile leavings still wafted up. “Well,” Celestia smiled as she lifted a freshly diapered foal from the changing table and nuzzled his belly. “it’s a special situation. It isn’t every century that I get an adorable new nephew. The least I can do is watch him and change a few diapers when his parents need a break.” “We invented nannies and foalsitters for that. Where are the prince’s royal mothers?” “Taking a much needed nap, I suspect. I’d give a more firm answer, but Twilight had me promise not to spy on them so much.” Celestia sighed and bounced the tiny red colored unicorn in her magic. “Don’t take it too hard, ma’am. I would imagine they just don’t want you to catch them at making more nephews and nieces for you.” Captain Leadfeather allowed himself another micro-grin as Celestia snickered. “Perhaps.” Celestia shook her head. “Is it gross that I hope that is the reason? I want more foals in the castle again that I can call family. Though, I do hope Prince Nova here is the only special case. It’s… unsurprising really, considering his parentage, that he’s already showing an aptitude for--” Celestia was cut off as the three month old prince burped and his horn flashed along with it and erupted a gout of blue-white hot fire directly into the monarch’s face. “--fire magic.” Celestia smiled proudly. “Just like auntie!” Princess Celestia the Undimmed, Her Serene Majesty of Equestria coo’ed and started to babble as she wrapped her wings around Prince Nova and blew raspberries onto his stomach, eliciting giggles and laughter from the foal. “Ma’am? The ceiling is on fire again.” > Ghosts - Fuzzyfurvert > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Fuzzyfurvert ***** “Ow!” “Be careful Luna, there are a lot of little pits and outcroppings down here. I still think it was amazing neither Cadence or I broke an ankle while we were trying to escape.” Twilight bent over and helped her companion back to her hooves. “Thank you, Twilight. Do you truly think we’ll encounter spirits in these old mines?” “Not really.” Twilight raised her head, her glowing horn illuminating the gloomy crystal-filled cavern. “We’re pretty near the old Canterlot subway tunnels. The rumors we’ve heard are probably just ponies getting spooked by the wildlife.” “Wildlife?” Luna pulled up, looking around herself at the shadows cast by Twilight’s magelight. “Cockroaches mostly, but you have to worry about the tatzlwurms. You can hear them burrowing through the walls if you listen close.” Twilight sighed. “They can grow up to 30ft long and weigh in at almost two tons!” “Cockroaches? Ewwww…” Luna stuck out her tongue and pranced in place. “I HATE cockroaches!” Twilight chuckled and shook her head. The tunnel stretched on into the darkness ahead of them and she had a sudden idea to lighten the mood. “Hello!” Luna froze mid-prance and glanced at Twilight just as the echo of the shout bounced back their way. Hello, hello hel..lo, looo… “Hey!” Twilight grinned at Luna. Hey, hey hey…ey… Luna smirked and let her shoulders slump as her tension went away. Two could play at this game. “Hey!” … Twilight blinked and looked back down the tunnel. Silence reigned between them and the underground for a very uncomfortable matter of seconds. LUUUUUUUUUUNNNNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! Luna turned on her heel. “That’s it, I’m leaving!” > Sun - Pearple Prose > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Pearple Prose ***** "Come on, Luna. Why don't you just come out of the shade for a minute or two?" Luna pouted, sticking her nose up in the air like a spoiled filly. "Shan't." Twilight rolled her eyes, and made herself comfortable in the small piece of beach that she'd claimed in the name of the Throne. She sank into the heavenly sand like liquid, sighing blissfully as the sun beamed down on her. Luna, however, just grumbled from beneath her small patch of thundercloud. She hated sunbathing. It didn't make any sense – what enjoyment was to be derived from lying underneath that sweltering fireball and letting yourself be willingly roasted to death? Then again, not all ponies were the perfect colour to absorb all the heat like sponge. Not that she would admit that, of course. "You look silly, you know," Luna grouched, "with that silly outfit." Twilight peeled her eyes open and looked down at the bathing suit she had on. "What? What's wrong with it?" "...You look silly in it." Luna folded her arms and glared at her marefriend. "No. I look sexy in it." Twilight smiled and wiggled her rump in the sand. "Sexily silly, perhaps." "So you admit that I look sexy, then?" Twilight gave Luna a half-lidded grin of pure bliss. "Bah!" Luna flopped into the sand and fruitlessly attempted to obscure her blush. "I'd sooner tell Celestia of her, ahem, 'Thunderous Thighs'. No, you look... squishy." Twilight sat up and gasped. "You don't meant to say..." Luna sniffed haughtily. "Yes. You look like an overstuffed pillow, or Miss Smarty Pants after her stitching began to come undone." She stuck her tongue out at Twilight. Twilight held a hoof to her forehead and pretended to faint. "But you said you loved my squishiness! What did you call me that one time? 'My fluffy schnookums'? 'My perfectly plump purple p–" "I keep telling you that twas meant in jest!" Luna exploded. And then the thundercloud did too, right on top of her. "See? Was that so hard?" Luna glared at her, or she would have done if her dripping wet mane didn't hang over her eyes as it did. "A hex on thee." "Aw, come on, there's no need for that," Twilight said, closing her eyes and shifting in the sand. Luna sighed, then turned to stare up at the sunny skies. "Alright, alright. I... apologise, dearest." Suddenly, she felt a hoof on her lips. She looked up to see Twilight Sparkle in a tight bathing suit looking at her with a half-lidded gaze. "Please. Call me your fluffy schnookums." > Time - Piece Bot > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Piece Bot ***** “Now what was that spell again …?” Twilight Sparkle sat in her library with a sleeping marefriend in her bedroom. That marefriend was none other then the Princess of the Moon herself, Princess Luna. Twilight rapidly flipped through spellbook after spellbook to try and find the correct spell. Twilight heard a groaning coming from the upstairs bedroom. She momentarily stopped her hurried ruffling when she then heard hoofsteps on the stairs. “Twilight Sparkle? Are thou still reading through those spellbooks? Thou knoweth thou will never be able to find it.” Princess Luna tiredly said. When Luna was tired, her old Canterlot speak would come through. “Yes, I'm still trying to find that damn spell! I've been trying to find it ever since I got back from Starswiel the Bearded archives.” Princess Luna just sighed and walked down the rest of the steps. Draping a wing over Twilight's back, she then teleported them to the Starswirl the Bearded Archive in the Canterlot Library. “Oh. That's why I haven't been able to find it.” Twilight said in embarrassment. She meekly looked at the ground before racing off to try and find the time spell. Princess Luna smiled and slowly followed after the excited Unicorn. Luna soon found Twilight in the section of spells that had anything and everything to do with time travel. She could see that Twilight had a massive smile on her face as she saw all the spells and secrets about time. “Ooh! I can't wait to read all these secrets! But I still have to find that spell so I can extend the time period.” Twilight muttered the last part to herself. She quickly went through all the scrolls and books until sometime around sunrise, she found it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ “Are you sure this is going to work Twilight Sparkle?” Princess Luna asked her marefriend worriedly. “Yes I'm sure Luna. Don't you worry about a thing. Now if I can do this right ...” Luna just facehoofed and waited for the inevitable explosion to happen. > Mischief - Knight of Lycaeus > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Knight of Lycaeus ***** Twilight walked slowly into Luna’s bed chambers, she had no idea as to why she had been called up here but as entered the usually dimly lit rooms she found them instead filled with light. Plastered on every available space on the walls and ceiling were diagrams and notes while the floors were stacked a large number of odds and ends. “Luna?”, she called out unable to spot the midnight mare. “Over here on the balcony” came the reply. Twilight slowly made her walk through the room and onto the balcony where Luna sat with a diagram on the floor in front of her, beside Luna was a chalkboard covered in writing. “Hello Luna”, she said as drew close. Luna looked up from what she was reading and leaned over to kiss her, “Hello there Twilight.” “So what are you doing out here, I just got a letter from you telling me to come to your rooms.” “I indeed asked you here, you see I need your assistance with something.” “Oh, what do you need help with?” “To face the most gravest of problems.” At this Twilight started to panic slightly, “What problem is that, another great evil returned after a thousand years. The gates of Tartarus are opening, the return of that giant mar-. The ranting list was stopped by a blue hoof over her mouth, once she managed to calm herself did the hoof remove itself. No, my dearest Twilight it is none of these yet it is possibly just as dire.” “Alright, if it’s not any of these than what is it?” Pointing a midnight blue hoof over to the chalkboards she waved over a an image of pony with the emblem of a sun and long figure with mismatched body part. “No, her face and her voice flat and serious, “what we face is Discord and my sister in the most epic of pranking wars that this castle has ever seen.” What followed was an outcry that awoke citizens across Equestria and convinced many that the Gates of Tartarus were breaking down. > Stairs - The Princess Rarity > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: The Princess Rarity ***** Twilight began dashing through the hall, looking all around for any indication of where the Gym might be. If she was going to become Princess of the Fall Formal, the sooner she signed up, the better. The only problem was that this school was more confusing than Castle she had ever been in before. Now, to be fair, she had only been in one Castle, but nonetheless, that was still simple enough to navigate around. It seemed that in this strange new world, no one wanted to give her the time of day. She noticed a sign next on one of the doors, and skidded to a quick halt, looking to see what it read. It labeled three different places - the library, the exit and the gymnasium - with three different arrows pointing in various directions on where to go. Apparently, the sign said that one should take the stairs to get to the gymnasium. Stepping forward, Twilight swung open the door and noticed a flight of stairs heading downwards. Perfect. With a small victorious smile, she began her trek down... ...however, hew new pair of legs failed her yet again for the umpteenth time that day and she began stumbling down the stairs. She tripped over her own two feet, missed a chance to catch herself on the railing and fell straight onto the platform. She let out a groan of pain, and rubbed her back, blinking a few times from the harsh florescent lighting up above, when she saw a figure tower over her. "Goodness! That was quite a tumble, are you alright?" the figure's voice spoke up. Like everything else in this world, the voice was familiar... Releasing a deep breath, then finally managing to focus her gaze, Twilight almost gasped as she took note of who this was. The form was different, obviously, but the outer features gave it all away. Standing over her was a young woman, one that Twilight immediately recognized. With soft pale indigo skin, piercing cerulean eyes, and long wavy hair in two tones of blue, the woman was wearing all purple and soft aqua colors. The little moon logo on the collar of her shirt was enough to confirm the accusations. In fact, the name almost slipped off of Twilight's lips. "I - I'm fine," she said quickly, with a wave of her hand and a nervous chuckle. The woman outstretched her hand to help Twilight up off of the floor, and the two shared a small smile. "I don't believe I've seen you around before. Are you a new student?" In that moment, Twilight could feel her heart fall. Ok, so no one in this world knew who she was, or what Equestria was, but ... this hurt. In a sort of indescribable way that burned her soul. Why exactly, she didn't know, but it was painful. She had seen those starry blue eyes before. She had felt this touch - strange how it didn't change. She memorized that smile long ago. But here, she was lost. "Yes, I am," was all Twilight managed to get out. "I had assumed that much," the woman said, with a nod. "Welcome to Canterlot High." "Thank you," Twilight replied, swallowing a deep breath. "Um-" She hesitated. What could she say? More importantly, what did she want to say? "Are you a teacher here?" After all, if Celestia was the principal- "I'm the Vice Principal, Luna-" Twilight hadn't managed to catch the ending of the sentence, seeing how Luna was cut off by the bell ringing. Well then. This was probably the biggest downside of this other world. Not only were her best friends strangers, but... so was her shooting star. Her Princess. Her lover. ...her marefriend. "I'll, uh, be heading to class now," Twilight stuttered out as she pointed to the door, and slammed right into it clumsily. She let out a nervous laugh, and pushed it open, escaping away from Luna's gaze. Oh, how Twilight hoped she wouldn't run into her again. > Dogs - Fuzzyfurvert > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Fuzzyfurvert ***** Twilight raised an eyebrow at Luna in silent questioning. They had an unexpected guest with them for lunch in the Canterlot Gardens. Luna had arrived fashionably late with the guest. Twilight had heard them chatting amicably as they approached and while she would normally have simply asked, her new royal status required her to wait for proper introductions. She found it difficult to control her expression as Celestia had taught her though as the guest turned out to be the fluffiest, potentially female, diamond dog she’d ever seen. The diamond dog was very well groomed with white curly fur that faded to chocolate around the eyes and over the ears. The diamond dog’s coat was buzzed short over the haunches and upper legs and arms, making it look even bigger than it really was. The puffy afro that partially covered one of it’s eyes didn’t help Twilight keep her face carefully neutral. Never one to waste time, Luna nodded in formal greeting before gesturing at their visitor. “Princess Twilight Sparkle, may I present to you Ambassador Beatrice of the Northern Equestrian Alliance of Diamond Dog Packs. Ambassador Beatrice, may I present her highness, Princess Twilight Sparkle, Element of Magic.” Twilight spread her wings and bowed in formal curtsie. “Greetings Ambassador. It is a pleasure to meet yo-mphfffghblt!” Twilight gagged as she found herself sudden scooped into a tight bearhug, her face buried in the ambassador’s thick curly chest fur. “Oh Princess Magebutt! You are too cute! Me love Princess Magebutt!” Luna chuckled and muttered Twilight’s new nickname under her breath. “Ambassador Beatrice is here to help shore up diplomatic between our peoples. When sis asked her what she wanted, Beatrice pointed at the stained glass window of your ascension and just kept wagging her tail.” Luna shrugged. “So you can blame all this on Tia. It’s her faul-mmmphhffftbl!” “Princess Moonmoon! So cute! Hug all the princess!” Twilight frowned as best she could while having her face shoved against a furry chest and the surprised face of Princess Luna. “Ow doh yoew kep getnnin meg intow ese setuatuns?” > Elevator - Piece Bot > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Piece Bot ***** Twilight looked at the contraption in front of her. It was a small-scale model of what is meant to be Equestria's first working elevator. She was inspired to build this from a book she read; about how ponies used to use a pulley system to lift things of a greater weight than they could handle. The Unicorn looked at the finished product from all angles, trying to see if there were any blemishes that needed to be sanded out. Confident that there wasn't, she left it to go and find something to munch on. Princess Luna looked around for her marefriend. She couldn't seem to find her anywhere so, on a whim, Luna decided to look in Twilight's old study. Once there, Luna found a model of a contraption. She didn't know what it was but looking at the design more closely, she realised it was a pulley of sorts. Probably something to do with lifting ponies or something. “Princess!? What are you doing here?” Twilight was shocked that Princess Luna was there. She was so sure that hiding out in her old study would give her some much needed time to finish the elevator. Which she had. “Twilight! I .. uuh ...” Luna was at a loss for words as she tried to rectify the situation. “Doesn't matter. I was planning to show this to both you and Celestia at the next Equestria Meeting.” Twilight huffed. The Equestria Meeting was something that Twilight had come up with to try and improve Equestria's technology. The first meeting was about actually scheduling when the meetings would be held. Ever since then, there have been various meetings to try and decide the future of Equestria based on technology. Luna blushed from embarrassment and quickly walked from the room. “Luna. Wait.” Twilight said as she ran to catch up with her. Luna stopped and looked at the ground. “I wasn't mean to see that was I?” Luna asked quietly. “No but you saw it so there's no use hiding it.” Twilight said with a sigh. She led Luna back to the room and began to earnestly explain what the elevator would do. ======================================================================= “ … in conclusion, Equestria can benefit from this in it's multi-story buildings.” Twilight finished. Luna politely stomped on the floor and walked up to inspect the model. “And this is going to work is it?” Luna asked doubtfully. Twilight shook her head and smiled. “Yes I'm sure Luna. Why do you always doubt me?” Twilight asked teasingly. “Because I can and I like seeing the negative side of things.” Luna huffed. Twilight giggled at that and hugged Luna. > Demon - archonix > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: archonix ***** The light flickered and died in the returning rumble of fading echoes reflected from distant mountain peaks. From her distant vantage, Luna could only watch in horror as her beloved fell from the sky, limbs flailing piteously against the frozen air. Her wings dug deep as she sought to match Twilight's fall, thrusting with such speed and power that even here immortal frame burned and ached with exertion. The very air itself stood in her way, a near-impassable barrier that stretched and warped like a thing alive. So close. So very close. Moments before her hooves touched down she had to look away, yet Luna couldn't hide from the sickening crunch that reached her ears. Then the ground shattered beneath Luna's hooves, flinging crystal shards all around. She continued on, collapsing into the earth's welcoming embrace, unable to hold back the wail that escaped her battered body. When she opened her eyes to the dust-shrouded world, Luna found she had slid to mere inches from Twilight's prone form. Shivering, though she felt no cold, Luna reached out to stroke Twilight's mane and face. She snuffled through the dirt until her tear-tracked muzzle wetted Twilight's cheek. The dust and grime of battle had left the young mare's coat matted and grey; it was impossible to tell where she ended and the piled up dirt began. No breath seemed to flow in her, nor did she appear to move. So close. I could bring her back, said a voice, deep inside, that she had been able to ignore all these years. Luna closed her eyes and laughed, though her mirth soon decayed to dust-filled choking as she sucked down on the cloying, filthy air. "You could not bring her back," she murmured. And then a deep voice growled: "As if anything would compel me to do so." The newcomer's words echoed strange and loathsome, a gravelly bass that so suited the shattered air of their battlefield. Luna lifted her eyes across Twilight's still head to watch as a figure coalesced from the twisting smoke and debris. Cloaked in the finery of ages past, moving with predatory stillness, Sombra circled slowly to Luna's right, his sickly-glowing eyes never once straying from her face. "You are beaten. Surrender, that I might end you with more dignity than this..." Sombra's eyes flickered briefly to Twilight; his mouth twisted into a mockery of humour. "Abomination." "That you dare speak so—" Luna's response collapsed beneath a renewed fit of coughing. She held her foreleg against her mouth to breath, in the vain hope that it would keep some of the dust from her lungs. "You are vanquished." Sombra resumed circling the pair, paying them no attention even as Luna struggled to stand. Instead he walked with his eyes to the darkening skies. "Your sister hides away in her palace, the usurper lies broken-winged and hornless at the foot of my throne. The heart is mine. Its power..." he slowed to leer at Luna. "Is mine." Ignoring him in her turn, Luna crawled across Twilight's body. She could still feel the heat within, the remnant... or perhaps something more. The voice returned, insistent, ringing clear in her mind. I could bring her back! "Were I to agree, she would not want to come back," Luna replied beneath her breath. Sombra's ear twitched as he passed by, and a moment later he looked toward her again. Luna ignored him still and brought her face down close to Twilight's ear. "Sleep, my love. I pray you are never woken to face forgiving me." She closed her eyes, and held out a single, empty thought. Silence was all the assent she required. The shadows had already begun to drift around them when Luna opened her eyes. With her head still lowered, she lifted her gaze to Sombra, who watched her with one eyebrow lifted and a knowing smile upon his face. "I see old habits die hard." Luna shook her head. Already she could feel the ephemeral skeleton of a helm upon it. "You see naught but your destruction, King Sombra." "My destruction? At the hooves of this mewling quim, this weakling brought low by the loss of a disgusting parody of ponykind?" He shook his head in the growing black mist that surrounded them, yet it was impossible to hide the nervous timbre that had entered his voice. "Pathetic." "You speak ill of a goddess, thief." Sombra reared back, eyes abruptly aglow with arcane energy. "Thief say you! Watch your tongue, princess! You dare speak so of I who vanquished the gods themselves? I who am the Emperor of Crystal, I am am king of the great spire, I who am the god you shall gladly worship when my work is done!" Black cloud swirled around the mighty stallion as his hooves crunched against the shattered crystal paving. Sombra looked around, as if noticing for the first time how thick and dense the darkness had become. As the power faded from his eyes he took a step back, staring at Luna, unable to quite push the stupefied expression from his face. "And yet thief is all you are." Luna stepped away from Twilight, barely even pausing as the black mist crawled up her limbs and clung to her coat like ice. "You who stole the heart of love. You who took from me the one that made me whole, and free, and who contained my madness within her love." Luna felt cold steel pressing down on her chest and neck as her armour manifested. Behind her, the air flashed with momentary fire, and a familiar magic intruded on her senses. Then it was gone, and she was truly, utterly alone. "You look upon me well, oh king of glass, and despair in what you see." Luna's eyes opened, but it was no longer just Luna that looked at Sombra through them. He quailed at the sight, shaking his head back and forth, and mouthed unspoken pleas that he knew even then would go unheeded. She took a step, and her mane billowed out like a cloud. Another and her tail joined it. A third and her body seemed to lose itself in the impenetrable darkness that surrounded them. All that remained was the glow of her eyes and the light of ten thousand stars. "For I am the great Moon’s wrath," she growled, in a voice that echoed from the frozen depths of time itself. "The Nightmare unending, the vengeance of she who released me from my prison. By your evil you have brought me forth, and by your own hoof you have loosed me upon this earth like a storm!" > Game - darkstone57 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: darkstone57 ***** Twilight looked at the mare in front of her with intense focus. She watched as her face slowly pulled away from Twilight’s. A nervous frown slowly formed on her face as the seconds rolled by. She was waiting for Twilight to say something... anything to kill the tension. Her eyes darted to the left to Twilight to the right as the silence continued. Only a few moments prior, the bottle sitting in between the two mares stopped spinning and the tip pointed at the larger blue alicorn. The same alicorn who said ‘Dare’ straight away as the bottle stopped. The same alicorn who’s patience was wearing thin under the pressure. “Well?” Luna asked suddenly with irritation present in her tone as she looked at Twilight intently. Twilight didn’t flinch at her question and continued to stare down Luna. The purple alicorn’s mouth opened slowly as if to say something. Luna smiled as she watched her marefriend’s mouth open but her smile dropped once Twilight’s mouth closed, her gaze unchanged. After a few moments, Twilight opened her mouth again. “I..” Twilight began. Luna raised an eyebrow at her mare friend. “Dare you..” Twilight continued. “Yes?” Luna asked anxiously. “To..” “Yes?” Luna nodded, her smile widened as she was finally about to get the chance to do a dare for the first time in a thou- “To-fly-round-the-castle-three-times-at-high-speed-upside-down-going-‘Woooooop’-then-go-into-the-chefs-kitchen-and-grab-the-largest-bottle-of-white-wine-you-can-find-with-two-glasses-and-then-come-back-at-full-running-speed-not-looking-out-any-window-and-the-entire-time-you-are-doing-this-you-will-not-think-of-anything-else-but-whether-or-not-to-say-‘yes’-or-‘no’-to-the-next-question-you-recieve-from-me-when-you-return, Ooook?” Twilight finished with a gleeful smile from cheek to cheek. Luna’s mouth dropped to the floor, registering everything she just said. She was amazed at the pace her marefriend spoke, it reminded her of something that their friend Pinkie would do. Letting out an exasperated huff, she nodded at the challenge that was given to her. Lighting her horn up, Luna opened the balcony windows and stood up. As she walked to the balcony and began to open her wings, the mare looked over her shoulder back at her marefriend who was waving at her, gesturing to Luna to begin. The Princess of the Night took off to the sky. After gaining some momentum, she twisted her frame upside down and continued her flying speed. She kept her eyes on the castle’s towers as she increased her speed. Feeling comfortable, she took her eyes of the castle and looked at the stars that flickered in the sky. It was exhilarating, to feel nothing but the wind blow on her body, mane and tail. Even though it was one of the conditions of the dare, she wanted to let it out anyway. “WOOOOOOOOOO!!!!” Luna roared with complete joy. She was ecstatic with the feeling and she was pleased that Twilight suggested this game. She hadn’t felt this alive in quite some time. She wasn’t restricted by setting an example, nor royal position. She didn’t care if anypony saw her either. It felt great. As the blood rushed to her head, she looked at the castle once more and realised she wasn’t counting how many times she went round. Luna quickly turned herself upright, which was a mistake; the blood went to the head more and made her wobble about. She looked down to the royal gardens and saw the entrance back to castle, from there; it was the quickest way to the royal kitchen. She began to descend towards the door, however, all the blood in her head was still making her unbalanced. Weaving from left to right on her descent, the tried to regain her posture but no avail. As she landed before the door, she used her magic to open the doors. As the doors slammed open with a loud slam against the castle wall, Luna wobbled inside the castle, still recovering from her rush. Shaking her head and looking to down the hallway on her right, the princess finally regained her composure and readied herself to sprint off. Her moment concentration was broken when a guard approached through the double doors with speed, realising the guard was going to waste time, she lowered her body a bit more to prepare to take off down the hall. “Your Highness, are you-“the guard began to speak his concern until. Woooosh! Luna took off with great speed. “Alright..?” The guard watched with mouth agape as his superior took off down the hall and swiftly turned round the corner. Leaving multiple guards shocked with her speed, Luna was close to her destination as she sprinted through the great halls of her home as if she was running a marathon. Turning right and dashing down the last corridor, Luna burst through the kitchen doors. Putting the brakes on her momentum, just stopping her from crashing into one of the trolleys, Luna looked around the kitchen and couldn’t see any bottles of wine in sight. Fortunately for Luna, one of the maids was in the kitchen, was standing right next to the sink, unfortunately for the maid she was the only one in the kitchen. Luna glanced at her with glee. “You there, maid!” Luna called out. “Yes!?!” The maid’s body shot into an upright position as the voice of her master rung through her ears. “Your largest bottle of red wine and two wine glasses, post-haste!” Luna ordered. “Yes!” As the maid responded, she dashed round the kitchen and retrieved exactly what the princess of the night asked of her. The maid her out the items with her magic in front of the princess, whilst catching her breath, looked at her highness and saw one of the warmest smiles she has ever had the pleasure of seeing. “Thank you very much, I’m very grateful.” Luna said as she took hold of the wine and glasses with her magic. Once she had a firm grasp, she darted out of the kitchen and rushed through the castle towards her room as fast as she could, all the while thinking; ‘Yes or No’ repeatedly and nothing more, focusing on nothing but the direction she was heading. Bursting through her bedroom doors and once again stopping herself once she was through, Luna tried to catch her breath as she looked around to see where Twilight was. “Over here.” Twilight called out. As Luna drew her attention to her marefriend who was sitting at the balcony, Twilight used her magic to close the bedroom doors. Ignoring what Twilight just did, Luna walked towards her and stepped out once more onto her balcony. Luna placed the items she was dared to retrieve by Twilight and sat in front of her. As Luna began to wonder why she made go through all that, she noticed how beautiful the moon shone on her marefriend. It was a moment like this that she wouldn’t trade for anything. “Luna.” Twilight said calmly as she pointed her hoof up. Following the direction her hoof was pointing she gazed upward at the stars. They were unusually close together and some of them where shining brighter than others, in fact from what she was seeing - they were forming words. Taking a few moments to make out what the words were, her mouth slowly opened more and more, tears filling her eyes as she realised what they said. What they said was as follows: ‘WILL YOU MARRY ME?’ Luna brought her attention back to Twilight and saw a heart-warming smile on her face and noticed her magic was holding a bangle just in front of her. A silver bangle with sapphire diamonds encrusted on it. It took her a few moments but as the tears flowed down her face, she finally opened her mouth. “Yes. A thousand times, Yes.” Luna said to Twilight, who began to let out the tears of pure joy. The princess of the night lifted her left hoof and watched as Twilight’s magic gently placed the bangle on the forepart of her front left leg. She returned her gaze more to Twilight, closed her eyes, and leaned for a kiss. Twilight did the same. Time seemed to have stopped for the two mares that locked lips under the moonlight, both of them couldn’t be happier as they embraced each other for what would be for the first times as an engaged couple. > Serendipitous - Pearple Prose > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Pearple Prose ***** Twilight discovered, to her horror, that someone was sitting in her seat. This was, in fact, an unprecedented disaster. It had never been a problem before today: it wasn't a particularly desirable seat, that one in the gloomy corner of the coffee shop, far away from the windows where one could watch people amble to and fro across the pavement. It was an old chair, too, and looked it might topple over and collapse at any second. Why the shop decided to keep it around, Twilight wasn't sure, but she was grateful nonetheless. She eyed the woman sitting in it with baleful eyes. That was her seat. She liked sitting in the gloomy corner, and she liked the weathered wood of the old chair, too. And this woman – this thief – was sitting in it as if it belonged to her. Twilight swore she would have marched over there and taken it, had she not been so... distracted. It was the hair, really. It was long and blue and almost seemed to sparkle and shimmer, as if it was a piece of the night sky. That was probably just a trick of the light, Twilight thought, but it was dazzling nonetheless. Before she knew it, Twilight was sitting down in the seat opposite the object of her ire/intrigue, pretending not to notice the look of confusion as she pulled out her books and laptop and set her coffee down on the table. Twilight seethed slightly at the indignation of having to sit in a different chair, but found herself ever more enraptured by her nemesis's appearance - her skin was pale, very pale, almost silver. It reminded her of moonlight. She was wearing a simple blue shirt and black skirt with matching leggings, and she had a silver crescent moon necklace around her slender neck. "Uh, excuse me, miss?" Twilight was snapped out of her reverie, and looked up to see the woman looking at her with concern. "Whuh?" she said. "Are you okay, miss?" the woman asked again. "Oh. Oh, yes, yes I'm perfectly fine," Twilight rambled. Then she laughed. "Haha." The woman tilted her head and smiled. Twilight caught herself staring at the graceful curves of her neck. "Oh. OK then," she said. "Did you want to sit here, or...?" Yes. "No." The woman blinked. "No?" "No! No, it's just... just fine and dandy." The woman nodded, but still looked bemused. "Ah. Sorry, you just keep... staring at me, like that." "That's because you look amazing and I want to rub my face in your hair." Twilight didn't know what produced those words, and probably would have exploded in a ball of embarrassment and social anxiety in any other coffee shop, or with any other person. But the woman sitting in her seat laughed – a rich, heavenly laugh that made Twilight feel warm and gooey inside. "You're funny," the woman said, smiling as warmly as Twilight's face was becoming. "What's your name?" "Twilight Sparkle," Twilight said, "and yours?" "Luna. Call me crazy, but I get the feeling that I was very lucky to have met you today, Ms. Sparkle." "You know what?" Twilight said. "I do too." And she smiled. > Future - The Princess Rarity > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: The Princess Rarity ***** "Why do you have to go?" Luna looked back, and her heart shook as she noticed who exactly was standing behind her in the door. Tears were brimming lavender eyes, and uneasy breaths slipped out of the young mare before her. "Everypony else has been gone - and now you have to leave as well?" "Astra, you wouldn't-" "Tell me. Mother died of natural causes, Aunt Celestia suddenly left and now, off you go as well? What is my fate in a thousand years time? Will I even live to see that?" Releasing a sigh, Luna stepped forward towards her daughter. Princess Astra had grown beautifully over the years - into a young, smart and mature mare. So much like Twilight, Luna thought as she mused over her late wife. It had been twenty years now since Twilight's death had rocked the nation of Equestria, and just now was Luna's heart starting to repair itself. But now was the time for change in the land - for the rule of the Sisters had gone far too long. Celestia had left only months ago, after her daughter - Princess Cassara - had gone through with a proper coronation. Now, it was Luna's turn... "You were born an alicorn," she explained. "You will live as long as you like until you feel it is your time to depart from this land." "So it's suicide," Astra snapped. Luna shook her head. "It is not death, but rather a spiritual experience," she said simply. "You know your duty when I'm gone." "I don't want you to go," Astra begged. "I would have nopony." "You will be ruling side-by-side with your cousin. You have her," Luna replied. "And I'm positive that you will find somepony special to love, as fate would allow it." She gently brushed voluminous sparkling purple curls from her daughter's vision and gave a hopeful smile. "You will be a fantastic ruler, Astra, I can guarantee it. And worry not, I will visit... in my own way." The younger Princess looked up, and met her mother's gaze. "How?" she whispered. Luna gave a bittersweet smile. "It's a surprise," she murmured. "I will appear when you least expect it." She let out a sigh, and shook her head. "Besides, I am beyond old, even for an alicorn - I stopped keeping track of my age after I hit four thousand years. It is my time to leave." "I'll miss you," Astra choked out. "Don't cry, little star," Luna said softly. "Be brave, for me. For the rest of your family. For Equestria. The future of the nation will do just fine in your hooves." Holding onto her mother, Astra did as she was told and pushed back the urge to cry. Luna was right. Equestria had to move on and become a new world - a new nation - with new rulers. The passing of the torch to the younger Princesses had finally come around full swing. Responsibility-wise, they were ready for it. However, relationship-wise... Astra stepped away, and let out a light sniffle, giving a nod to her mother. "I won't fail you," she declared. "I'm glad to hear that," Luna smiled. "So is this goodbye?" Astra said carefully. "For now," Luna responded. "But not for long." With that said, her body suddenly dissolved into a fog of stars and moonlight, swirling up into the air and beyond the clouds. It soared up high, until it hit the brightest star up in the sky, and disappeared. "Goodbye," Astra whispered. And that night, all of Equestria could hear the young Princess's cries. ~ * ~ "Do you think she'll be alright? She looks so broken. How could you have left her like that? It wasn't for me, was it?" Luna couldn't help but give a bittersweet smile as she looked up and saw the spirit of Twilight floating before her. "If she's anything like you, she'll be just fine," she murmured. Twilight let out a sigh, and shook her head. "I didn't mind waiting for you," she replied. "You could have stayed." "Astra would not have learned if I had stayed," Luna said, with a sigh, as she laid down on the clouds next to her wife. The two of them looked out over the horizon, and saw their daughter on the balcony of the castle, crying. The sight was like a trainwreck - a horrible scene to face, but neither of them could look away. Twilight blinked back tears of her own. "Do you think she'll be alright?" she repeated. Luna nodded. "I know she will," she murmured. > Marshmallow - Silver Scrolls > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Silver Scrolls ***** "I swear I am not cheating on you Luna." Twilight stomped her hoof. "It was an accident." Luna turned to Twilight, her eyes brimming with tears. "I surprise you with a visit and I find you in bed with another and you claim it to be an accident. Did you fall into the bed, did you fall between...did you..." Luna trailed off as tears spilled from her eyes. Twilight jumped across the room to hug Luna. "It's not like that between us. It was a sleepover nothing more. I was only half awake and hungry. It looked like a marshmallow." Luna pulled away from her marefriend with a sniffle. "A likely story." "I swear to you, it's not like that. I don't care for her in that way." Twilight hung her head. "I could never do that to you." Luna looked around the room at all the pictures and gifts that had been shared between the two, her eyes coming to rest on the photo of their first date on the bedside table. She stared at it for a minute before moving on and the picture of Twilight with her six friends became the center of her attention. Tilting her head to the side Luna hummed a little. "She does look a bit like a marshmallow." Twilight perked up. "I know." Luna chuckled a little but it quickly turned to a laugh. Twilgiht tilted her head confused. "Are you okay love?" Luna wiped a fetlock across her eyes. "Yes. I just realized how ridiculous this is. We have been together ten years and you have been more faithful than I would have ever thought. Did she taste like a marshmallow?" "HEY! What buissiness of yours is it how I taste." Rarity crossed her forelegs and glared at Luna. Twilight luaghed and walked up to lean on Luna. "I prefer the taste of stars but yes, a little bit." Rarity;s jaw dropped. "Well I, some friend you are. Not only did you bit me in a very sensitive spot but now your sharing how I taste. This is the last time I share a bed with you." Luna raised an eyebrow. "You have done this before?" Twilight blanched and started sweating. "No, of course not." Rarity grinned. "Only once, and no that didn't happen. Much to my chagrin. She said I could only have her if you were there and could partake." Twilight blushed and lowered herself to the floor as Luna grinned. "I see, well perhaps we should make her watch." Twilight groaned and whimpered. "How did this happen, why me?" She was wrapped in a blue aura and shifted to the bed as Luna trotted across the room to a very shocked looking Rarity and the lights dimmed and the door locked. > Three - Pearple Prose > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Pearple Prose ***** The Stars looked upon the world of the immaterial, and tilted their metaphysical head in curiosity. "What is this?" They said. They had no method to produce sound in the void of the world beyond worlds, but in the world of dreams, thoughts were as loud as words. The Moon was there, wrapped in and around the Stars, providing them with clarity. "This is the Beginning, my dearest Twilight. The place where gods are born." The Stars perused this new knowledge thoughtfully. "So... When you said that we could..." The Moon gave a metaphorical nod. "Yes. Biology may limit us, Twilight, but divinity has none. I warn you, however..." The Stars imagined the Moon shuffling its hooves nervously as it paused. "It is quite... intimate." "Intimate?" "Yes. More so than any kiss. More so than any magic. We will meld our essences, our very souls, in order to spawn a new life. A new piece of eternity." The Stars pondered this. "Are you sure this is okay, Luna?" they spoke. "Does Celestia approve?" "Oh, I do." The golden light poured forth from a burning orb of white soulstuff. The Sun looked down upon the Moon and its Stars, and warm benevolence washed over them. "Show-off," the Moon said. "Hush you. In response to your question, Twilight, I heartily approve. There's a limit to what we can do with just us three, after all. I think it's time for a change." "What about Cadence?" the Stars asked. "She is a different being. Related, but ultimately a different concept. And concepts are everything here, if you have not yet realised." The Moon and the Stars looked at one another. "So uh," the Stars said. "Intimate, huh?" "Hush, my Twilight. Only dreams now." Without further preamble, the Moon and the Stars mixed and merged together, the two ideas spawning something new. Something greater. In the world beyond worlds, three became four. > Duet - Knight of Lycaeus > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Knight of Lycaeus ***** She knew tonight would another lonely night, her family would be of little assistance. She yearned for her love to return home, misunderstandings between them had driven a wedge and her love had asked for sometime apart. Something like this she knew could happen, lovers could fall into quarrel and this time it was no different. The first time they met everything seemed right yet as time had proven misunderstanding could ruin a wonderful relationship. She sighed again, this was only the latest of a series of disagreem-, no this time a fight would be more accurate. With a lonely night ahead she turned on the radio hoping for something to soothe herself while she sat watching the stars, something both of them enjoyed together. It seemed so fitting that the caretaker of the Moon and the caretaker of the Stars would enjoy the quiet nights stargazing and the bright days discussing about all there was to be found in the heavens. All had seemed right until this latest fight between them, the time apart could be soothing for both and perhaps presented a chance to reconcile things properly. Tonight however she wanted peace from these thoughts; the world however seemed to be against her, the song playing was quiet and sad speaking of a relationship that the singer wasn't sure would work. Soon she found herself singing the chorus, "Wherever you go, whatever you do I will be right here waiting for you. Whatever it takes or how my heart breaks I will be right here waiting for you." "I wonder how we can survive this romance," a second voice cutting in making her jump. She turned and saw her lover standing on the balcony, "But in the end if I'm with you I'll take the chance." The unexpected guest came closer and nuzzled her, "I'm sorry, misunderstandings is something we both need to work on and to do that we need to talk” she said as the chorus started again, “Any chance we can we start over?" > Dream - Fuzzyfurvert > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Fuzzyfurvert ***** “What am I looking at here?” Luna looked up from the slim unadorned tome before her on the table and up at Twilight Sparkle who seemed extremely interested in the crepes on her plate as she sat across from the princess. “Only the most...embarrassing thing I’ve ever written.” Twilight licked her suddenly dry lips. “It’s my dream diary.” Luna nodded solemnly and remained silent for a long moment. She opened the book to its forward and read the short passage there about the book’s purpose and what it contained. Twilight looked up at her as Luna smiled when she reached the various warnings Twilight had written to discourage others, specifically Spike, from reading further. “I take it that the enchantments have been removed?” Twilight nodded quickly. “Oh, yes, of course! It’s safe to read.” “Then let us see what you dreamed about me, shall we?” Luna smiled supportively, her cheeks blushing slightly. What followed was an indeterminably long period of the quiet shuffling of pages and the soft breathing of one of the two ponies as they sat together in Ponyville’s lone library. Twilight held her breath as Luna read. Her heart threatened to stop every time she heard Luna pause or gasp quietly at the scandalous contents of the diary. She could feel her confidence from earlier fading with each passing second. With every page flip, Twilight grew increasingly convinced that showing Luna her dream diary with her recordings of the erotic dreams she had been plagued with was a bad idea, regardless of their newfound closeness. Finally, Luna closed the book. Twilight kept her head down and waited for Luna to break the silence. Her heart was beating in her throat so loudly, Twilight was certain she wouldn’t have been able to speak if called on. The sound that came from the princess shocked Twilight. A low in the chest, almost musical chuckle drew her eyes up to the cat-like grin on Luna’s face. “Twilight,” Luna practically purred her name, “I never knew you felt this way. Or that you were such a… kinky girl. This pleases your princes-” “No! Nonononono, Luna wouldn’t say something like that!” Twilight reached over the table and pressed her hoof against Luna’s muzzle. “Go back, try it again.” ~~~discontinuity~~~ Finally, Luna closed the book. Twilight kept her head down and waited for Luna to break the silence. Her heart was beating in her throat so loudly, Twilight was certain she wouldn’t have been able to speak if called on. Luna drew a deep breath in through her nose and gently pushed the book across the table to Twilight. “I...I never…” Luna looked uncertain of her words, her mouth hung open as she searched for the proper phrasing. “I never knew you harboured such feelings. I would be remiss if I didn’t offer a hooves-on dream-counselling. Perhaps we could re-enact the second entry?” Twilight growled, her brows furrowed as she shot a glare at Luna. “You are getting it wrong! Princess Luna most certainly does NOT feel that way about me! Not after what happened…” Twilight shook her head. “Do it again. From the top.” ~~~discontinuity~~~ Finally, Luna closed the book. Twilight kept her head down and waited for Luna to break the silence. Her heart was beating in her throat so loudly, Twilight was certain she wouldn’t have been able to speak if called on. “Yeah…” Luna drew out the word, her eyes on the open book. She tapped one page with the edge of her hoof. “This part here on page six is kinda hard to make out. We’re both girls, so your use of feminine pronouns is really exaggerated and that makes it hard to tell just who is licking whoes-” “Now you’re just doing it on purpose!” Twilight stood, knocking her stool back. “You are supposed to be helping me prep for the real thing when I talk to Luna later tonight!” Twilight leaned on the table and pinched the skin between her eyes and she grumbled under her breath. “Once more, from the top.” “The top of what?” Twilight frowned and started to open her mouth when she realized that the Luna sitting across from her was actually the real Luna now and at some point when her eyes had closed the table had been dressed in a red satin cloth, set with candles and a silver pail filled with ice and a dark bottle of wine. Her small unadorned dream diary sat in a tiny display pointed at the princess with bright purple ribbon marking one page. “Um.” Twilight blinked. “Oh, did you select something for me to read?” Luna clapped her hooves together happily. “I’ve wanted to read more modern fare! Shall we discuss it over dinner?” Twilight blinked again. “Bwah?” Somewhere in the void beyond the dream, the Nightmare smiled. > Poltergeist - ivolkov > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: ivolkov ***** Princess Luna, co-ruler of Equestria, the goddess who raises the moon and paints the sky each night trotted as fast possible without actually running, like a filly that is afraid of the dark running to bed after shutting off the light. Behind her was the entrance to the old Canterlot mines and a lavender alicorn trying to keep up. "Luna, stop!" Twilight shouted, trying her best not to become frustrated with her lover, who was apparently a big scardy cat despite her status and power. 'How can the powerful mare who vanquishes nightmares and protects us from demons while we sleep be afraid of a spirit, if that's what it even was.' she thought to herself. "Think about the scientific breakthrough if spirits are truly something more than fiction made to scare ponies, we have to go back!" Luna shot twilight a death glance, then immediately calmed her expression, trying but failing to seem calm as her entire body was shivering. "I apologize Twilight, you can go back, but I uh.... have this... thing, that I forgot about until just a moment ago! What? Oh, thou thinketh that we are afraid? Tis would be a most humorous event!...ha...ha" Luna accidentally added the nervous laugh and reverted to old Equestrian toward the end. "Luna what is this about?" Twilight asked but only received silence in response and let out a sigh, knowing that her stubborn lover wouldn't give in until after she had calmed down. "Fine we can go back, you wi-" Twilight was cut off as she was enveloped in a soft glow and the sensation of a familiar spell, when the spell receded she found herself alongside Luna in Luna's chambers. Far below Princess Celestia emerged from the old mines chuckling as the glow faded from her horn. Twilight could see that the princess was still shaking quite bad and decided to calm her down the best way she knew how. Abruptly Luna found herself locked in a loving kiss with the smaller alicorn, and she felt her fear slowly leave her as she realized how silly she was being, even if it was a spirit, Twilight was right there with her. 'Besides,' Luna thought 'It isn't like spirits can cause any harm anyway...' Almost as soon as she thought that a mane brush flew from a nearby desk and hit the lunar princess right in the flank. "What the..." Luna jumped around and landed in a defensive stance ready to send anypony that dare interrupt her perfect moment with the pony of her dreams straight to the moon without another word, but was confused when she saw nopony there, and instead ended up banishing a royal lamp. 'Damn, how will I read daring do fanfiction at night now, I suppose I could hang Twilight upside down and make her cast a mage light...' Luna thought, but before she could come up with a way of suspending Twilight her thoughts were brought to a halt as another object decided to fling itself at her feet, knocking her over. "Luna this doesn't seem like magic, at least not unicorn magic." Twilight stated as she noticed the lack of a tell-tale glow that would indicate unicorn magic. Out of the blue objects all over the room started lifting from their proper places and flying about the room for no apparent reason. "Oh, BUCKING FANTASTIC! Now I have a poltergeist following me around!" Luna shouted over the ruckus of things smashing into the walls. Luna could no longer contain her fight or flight response and gave in, along with her anger for the annoyance she decided then and there that if some creepy spirit wanted to throw stuff at her and her beloved, she could at least strike fear into its soul even if she couldn't harm it directly. Luna unleashed an unbridled wave of magic in every direction, Twilight just able to shield herself in time. They both watched, as if in slow motion, all the small objects in the room slowly burst into purple flames and then disintegrated into stardust, and they both noticed at the last second an extraordinarily familiar looking sock with googly eyes at the other end of the room. Both Luna and Twilight would swear later on that a look of horror flashed across Mr. Sock's face along with a single tear of betrayal before he was engulfed by the spreading hurricane of flame and stardust. "NOOOOOOOO!" Shouted both alicorns in unison. Down the hall in a supply closet sat an enchanted scrying mirror with an alabaster alicorn sprawled out on the ground in front of it, laughing so hard she was about to pass out from lack of oxygen, and a draconequus literally falling into little tiny pieces from head down as they both watched the scene play out in front of them. "Great idea making everything come to life, Discord." Celestia said, pausing to glance around the small closet and the huge mess of popcorn. Months later there was a royal funeral. Two sobbing princesses sat in the front row, crying for their loyal friend Mr. Sock, who passed away from a tragic accident before his time. > Grace - The Princess Rarity > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: The Princess Rarity ***** "Isn't that Princess Twilight?" "I dare say it is! What in the wide world of Equestria is she doing?" "...it almost looks erotic." "My goodness!" "Do my eyes deceive me?!" "Always knew Princess Luna was a barrel of fun - but this is just bizarre." There, in the center of the ballroom, was two of Equestria's Princesses. The music had been turned up for the first time ever on this boring night, and all of the nobles were talking amongst each in loud whispers, all baffled at the scene before them. The ballroom was meant for dancing, but what Princesses Twilight Sparkle and Luna were doing wasn't that at all- -or was it? The performance that the two of them were displaying was almost like a massive body seizure that flailed all around, completely offkey to the music, but it seemed that the two of them didn't care at all. They were having fun, and that was all that mattered. Then, the upbeat song died down and so did the crazed movements of the two Princesses. "Now that, Good Citizens of Equestria, is how you party!" Luna declared, with a loud laugh. Twilight blushed at the sudden outburst and let out a nervous chuckle as she patted down her mane, which had gotten ruined during her erratic dancing. "Thank you for dancing with me, Luna," she mused. "Most ponies just back away slowly in fright when they see me get on the dancefloor." Luna smirked, and wrapped a foreleg around Twilight. "I never fell in love with you for your gracefulness, my dear," she murmured. "And I would happily dance with you again, if you'd like." With a nod, Twilight nuzzled up against Luna. "But... could you teach me to waltz right now instead?" she chuckled. > White - ivolkov > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: ivolkov ***** White, that was all Twilight Sparkle, a very astute pony, could discern from the image her eyes where feeding to her brain. At first Twilight thought this must be some kind of trick, Luna must have been using modified dream magic to confuse her brain. The more Twilight observed with all of her senses, the more she confirmed the image from her eyes, A giant wall of white. Twilight used all her magical prowess to deduce that yes, this was all very real. Twilight could not pick up her jaw that was hanging down to the ground for in front of the lavender alicorn lay a giant castle of pure white snow, rivaling the elegance of Cantelot castle in design and towering over her tree home in size. Twilight wouldn't have imagined in a hundred years that her lover could produce such an awe inspiring masterpiece in a matter of hours. The young princess instantly regretted throwing a snowball at the deity of the night earlier that day, if she knew then that it would lead to this... war, for lack of a better term, she would have collected allies and supplies first. "Deploy the tar!" The midnight alicorn could be heard shouting from somewhere on the other side of the wall to the giant snow fortress. Before Twilight could react she saw a black liquid raining down on her from the sky. 'Luckily it isn't real boiling hot tar.' She thought. As soon as the weird substance touched her, it started hardening. No where but her face had refuge from the liquid as she quickly became completely unable to move, freezing in place mid stride. A portion of the wall opened up and Princess Luna strode forth, in all her glory. "HUZZAH!" Luna shouted. "Thou shalt make the perfect centerpiece to our personal statue garden, in the newest castle of Equestria! Our sister will be overcome by jealousy when she sees that I have bested her, for she hath desired thy flank despite our official courting of thou. Now thou shalt be mine, and only mine!" Luna seemed to have broken down into old equestrian for added effect, it was pretty intimidating. In the distance Twilight could make out a snow fortress being erected by hundreds of ponies, easily rivaling in size to the Lunar Princess'. 'Oh Celestia, what have I gotten myself into...' The ensuing blizzard of snowballs that consumed Ponyville would forever become known as the greatest and most fierce battle between the two ruling sisters that Equestria has ever known. Some would even dare say it to be greater than the Nightmare Moon incident in historical significance. Well, until Celestia suspected Luna to have stolen her last piece of red velvet cake later the very same week. > Cheater - Piece Bot > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Piece Bot ***** Twilight woke up to find a mare in her bed. A mare that wasn't Luna. 'What happened last night!?' Twilight thought to herself. She looked closer at the mare and saw that she had a black coat and a purple/blue mane colour scheme. She held her head and groaned slightly. “Hangover. Must have been drinking a lot last night. I got separated then everything else became a blur.” Twilight muttered to herself. She took her hoof away and slowly climbed out of bed. Leaving the mare there she tiptoed across the room and opened the door. Twilight closed the door behind her and let out a sigh. Peeking over the balcony that overlooked her library, she could see that a Pinkie Party had taken place. A very heavy-drink-em-up Pinkie Party. There seemed to be a few ponies lying on the floor, out cold. A couple were draped over the railing and a few more were sleeping on the stairs. 'What happened here?' Twilight thought. Shaking her head to try and clear it, she went to the bathroom and splashed some water on her face. It helped but she still felt that she was intoxicated. Walking out, she felt woozy and thought to sit down for a bit. When she did sit down, a blue aura of magic enveloped her and transported her. “What fresh hell is this?” Twilight winced as some harsh light was given to her retinas. A midnight blue mare swam into her vision. “Princess Luna? Where am I?” Twilight asked. She didn't have any clue as to her whereabouts because all that she could see was a harsh light playing off of Luna's coat. Everything else inside her line of vision was pitch black. “You are in a place accessible only to me.” Princess Luna sounded vague. Switching tact, Twilight decided on a different approach. “Okay. Then why am I here?” Twilight asked, hoping to get a different answer. “You are here because you cheated on me!” Princess Luna nearly went into her Royal Canterlot Voice but held herself in check. The Princess of the Night began to walk around the rope-bound mare. Twilight tried to follow her by turning her head but found it locked in place by ropes. Her hooves were bound just as tightly. “Ch-cheat? Why w-would I ch-cheat on you?” Twilight stuttered nervously. Princess Luna stopped behind Twilight's head. “I don't know. Why would you cheat? Hmmm? Let me try and make it more clear, seeming you are confused about the issue. Last night perhaps? Pinkie threw us a random party? Starting to get your memory back?” Luna asked condescendingly. Twilight couldn't move as she struggled against the ropes. She then thought about her magic, and tried to untie herself that way. She concentrated and all she got was few fizzles. “I put a dampener on your horn. Didn't want you running away.” Luna said. “Last night? Last night, Pinkie threw us a random party, yes, but by the time we were intoxicated we had split up. I thought you went home. I then found a random mare and slept with her instead.” Twilight gasped, finally cracking under the pressure. “Home? Twilight, I live with you.” Luna pouted. “Yes, but you were needed at the castle for something or other.” Twilight said flippantly. Luna just chuckled and resumed walking around her captive. “Think you can let me go now?” Twilight asked hopefully. “Why would I do that dear? You sill haven't had your punishment.” Luna said with an evil glint as she stopped walking. Twilight could just see Luna's flank in the corner of her eye. > Meal - Fuzzyfurvert > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Fuzzyfurvert ***** Twilight held the camera up and turned it so that Luna could see the tiny buttons along its side. “You simply press the Record button and then point the lens at what you want to film. Understand?” Luna nodded. “Yes, I believe so.” Luna took the camera from Twilight in her own horngrip, turning it over as she examined it. “And after it is filmed, it may be played back on this little screen?” Twilight grinned. “Yep! We can even watch it on the larger screen TVs or on the computer. Many ponies use cameras similar to this to film short videos and upload them to a service called ‘Youtube’ where ponies all over Equestria can view them whenever they like.” “How peculiar.” Luna smiled. “But perhaps this is a way we can show everypony what life here in the Castle is truly like?” “Yeah. Want to get started?” ~~~*Some Creative Editing Later*~~~ Upload complete. Video set to Public. Click to Play. ~~~*Click!*~~~ “Salutations motherbuckers!” Luna smirked as leaned forward onto the kitchen counter where the camera was set. “Tonight We and our homeslice, Twi-Sizzle, are cooking up a four foot long - deep fried - hay twinkie! And when that shit is all golden and hot and drippin’-wif-sause, we’re gonna eat like it’s 999 up in the Canterlots!” Twilight stood silently next to Luna with sunglasses on at night, totally not giving a buck. “Hold on to your horseapples, it’s Princess Meal Time!” ~~~*Jumpcut*~~~ Luna gestured broadly at the large pots and cookware arranged before her while Twilight mixed a goopy batter. A Grams of Fiber counter appeared in the corner of the screen. “We got all fixin’s. We got creeeaaam; made from the milk of minotaurs. They didn’t like that. So I had to...send ‘em to the Moon!” Luna tilted one huge mixing bowl to show the thick contents. “Twi-Sizzle is mixin’ the batter. Doing it with magic ‘cuz she ain’t real strong. But she got game. Batter believe it!” ~~~*Montage*~~~ “Now We pour that sweet ass batter into the pan.” Luna narrated as a close up shot displayed just that. “It goes into the oven and cooks for 35 minutes! While we wait on it, We start makin’ the real piece da resistance: sweet and sticky sause!” The view changed to show Luna rapidly stirring a pearlescent syrup, little globules flying out of the bowl as she did so. “I like mine like I like your mom: smooth and rich.” ~~~*Edited in Oven Timer Noise; Montage 2*~~~ “Next we pull the hay cake outta the oven then we smother that beast in cream like we smothered my sister with a pillow last night.” Luna cleared her throat and continued in a mumble. “Not really. Love ya sis.” The quiet background music swelled as the montage of cream spreading continued. “Now that it’s rolled up, we apply the sause! We deep fry it and apply the rest of the sause.” Luna tipped the large mixing bowl over and started to spoon the creamy topping onto the huge twinkie. After a moment she gave up with the ladle and just dumped the bowl before tossing it over her shoulder without looking. “We here on Princess Meal Time only take our sause one way: liberally.” ~~~*Jumpcut to Dinning Table; Consumption Montage*~~~ “Now We and Twi-Sizzle are going to swallow four feet of sticky log. Let’s see Tia top that. We’re gonna doubleteam this shit from both ends! So keep yer peepers open wide as we get sensual as hell with this twinkie.” Luan moved to the oppisite side of the table from Twilight as the younger alicorn sliced and split the twinkie down the middle. They started slowly with decorum but it qiuckly devolved into the two ponies stuffing their maws with pound after pound of fried hay twinkie. ~~~*Jumpcut to Empty Plates*~~~ Luna wiped a hoof across her muzzle, smearing the white syrup more than clearing it. “Next time: we eat a car. Yeah, the whole thing. Like with a fork.” > Insomnia - Starlight Shadow > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Starlight Shadow ***** Twilight tossed and turned. She had to stop reading so late into the night; her head was so abuzz with information she couldn't sleep. She yawned and continued throwing herself around the bed like a dying otter. She'd only seen an otter once, at Fluttershy's cottage. Maybe she could write a paper about them and give it to Fluttershy as a present - Gah! "Can't sleep?" Twilight jumped. Luna was standing on the edge of her balcony, spectral mane blowing about in all its glory. "Mind if I come in?" "No, of course not, come right in." Twilight stifled a yawn. Luna stepped into Twilight's room, and sat down beside her bed, giving Twilight a nuzzle. "I could tell you weren't asleep, so I came over here to check on you." "Were your Luna senses tingling?" Twilight giggled. Luna rolled her eyes. "For the last time, I am not Spider-Mane; I don't have a 'Luna sense'." "Luna..." Twilight hesitated. "What?" Luna tilted her head in curiosity. "I know we only just started dating, but..." She stared at the rug. "Could you...snuggle with me?" Luna slipped into Twilight's bed. "Of course." In the grasp of her marefriend's arms, Twilight finally fell asleep. > Bird - TheLastBrunnenG > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: TheLastBrunnenG ***** "Oh, Twilight, I'm so sorry Mister Beaky didn't work out for you. He's sorry too." Fluttershy smoothed a ruffled tailfeather on the little macaw and lifted it onto a nearby perch. "Well, not really, but I can be sorry for both of us. Is that okay?" "It's fine, Fluttershy. I know I said I wanted something more pet-like, now that Owlowiscious has taken over more of Spike's duties, but I just don't think Beaky here is the pet for me." Twilight smiled and turned to leave the pegasus' little cottage. "Maybe next week we can make another pro and con list of other potential animal companions." From behind the curtain of her mane Fluttershy dared a wispy little smile. "Oh. Okay, if you're sure." She pawed the floor with a hoof for a few moments, then asked, “Um, Twilight?” She turned, hoof on the door. “Yes?” “If it’s not too much to ask, and I really hope it’s not – please tell me if it is – can I ask why you’re returning Mister Beaky? I mean, it would be nice to know what we need to work on if I’m going to help find him a forever home, and, well…” She trailed off into mumbling and whimpers, the floor suddenly immensely interesting. Twilight looked at the ruffled little bird and her eye twitched, just a little. “I, ah...” “Was he too insistent at mealtime? Oh, I should have reminded you how particular macaws can be about their food…” “No, he was a perfect gentlebird at feeding time." "Did he not get along with Luna's opossum? I know sometimes she leaves Tibbles with you, and they can be such shy little friends." "No, they got along fine. It's just that Beaky is especially - well, he’s…” Twilight gulped and her grin froze a little. “…vocal”. Fluttershy looked up and nodded. “Oh. Yes, that’s a species trait. They do vocalize a good bit, especially at night. Was he, um, too nocturnal? Keeping you up?” “No, I’m usually up late anyway.” “Was he too talkative?” “Well…” *SQUAWK!* POLYVECTORAL TRANSFORMATION? ARE THEY CRAZY? *BRAAWK!* Fluttershy held a hoof to her muzzle and giggled, “Aww, Mister Beaky sounds just like you!” *CHIRRUP!* SPIKE, I NEED MORE QUILLS! SPIKE, WE’RE LOW ON SQUID INK! SPIKE, DID I REMEMBER TO EAT TODAY? *SQUARK!* “He must really have taken to you to learn your favorite phrases so quickly, Twilight.” “Yes, that’s the issue. It’s not a problem that he’s so adept at mimicry, it’s that…” *RUP! RUP! RUP!* I’M A NAUGHTY LIBRARIAN! *BGAAAK!* “…he’s….” *CHREET!* OOOH, MY DECIMAL SYSTEM IS GETTING DEWEY! *KRAAWK!* “…so…” *BRAAAK!* USE THE CROP, LUNA! USE THE CROP! *REEP! REEP!* “…very...” *SQUAARK!* HEY PRINCESS, WANNA GAZE AT MY STARS? *CHIRRT!* “…observant.” > Ponies - Knight of Lycaeus > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Knight of Lycaeus ***** Luna had finally managed to calm Twilight down, no easy feat given her love’s tendency for panicking; the news that Celestia AND Discord were at wars didn't help either, it was a prank war but still a war. Luna and a now calm Twilight stepped out of the Lunar Princess’ chambers and down into the castle, “Dusky Primrose?” Luna called out for her seneschal. A pony appeared though not a purple and red earth pony mare but a grey and black thestral stallion. “Captain Night Tempest. Here to deliver the report on the status of the castle and its personnel”, he said calmly while saluting the Princesses. “Where is Dusky Primrose?” asked Luna. “Fled, Your Majesties.” was the short reply. “What of the castle staff and could you provide some details please?” asked Luna. “Fled, Your Majesties. I believe that all staff, nobles, and citizens of Canterlot have sought refuge at the Golden House, the Grand Dining Hall at the End of Equestria. From intel that I received a sizable portion of the citizens of Equestria within a-” he checked the scroll he carried, “actually most of Equestria has fled to the Golden House. They intend to form a new Diarchy centered around Duke Blueblood and Archduke Fancypants.” “What of the ambassadors and delegates” Luna asked again hoping somepony or someone was still here. “Fled, Your Majesties. Even the gryphons and yes even the lone dragon ambassador, all have claimed the need for a vacation and will be sure to return within the next century or so to address any concerns directed at or about their nation.” “Wait, even the dragon?” asked a surprised Twilight. “Of course, Your Majesties; Equestria on a global sense has been upgraded to Mostly Harmless since Discord was declared reformed and made a citizen of Equestria.” “Explain Captain, of why Equestria is labelled as such and why Discord is the only real threat to them?” “Of course, Your Majesties; the Equestrian Army has fought in almost no wars since the Lunar Rebellion, apologies my Princess.” He bowed slightly before continuing, “Princess Celestia has not invaded any nation in centuries, the Royal Guards are seen as little more than eyecandy by many visitors convincing them that Equestria was Harmless, Discord upgraded it to Mostly Harmless. “What about my brother and Cadance?” Twilight asked the Lunar Captain. “Here, Your Majesties. If the intel I have is correct, the Crystal Emperor had taken control of the Solar Guards while the Crystal Empress leads the Crystal Guards.” “Good, maybe they cou-” Twilight was cut short by another voice. “Sir Shield of the White I shall finally defeat you!” “Never! Lady Heart of the Crystal, I shall be the one to defeat you!” Twilight facehoofed and sighed, “Not again. I thought they ended it but no, they just had to continue their stupid game.” “Game?”, Luna asked. “Shiny used to play Oubliettes & Ogres a lot with his friends, sometimes Cadance or I or both of us would join him. His games with Cadance eventually became less working together and more of sending armies against each other. Somehow those two combined Oubliettes & Orges and chess into a game, it’s always ends in draw neither has ever won but now they both using their guards for their game.” “Our last hope then, where are the Lunar Guards?” asked a desperate Luna. “We must always be one with the night and shadows. We shall evermore remain the hidden dagger and cloak of Equestria” he paused, “That’s the official response. Permission to speak freely?” Luna nodded. Forgoing his earlier composure, “We may be sworn to serve and protect but we’re not dealing with Discord or Celestia in a pranking war. After our last incident with Discord which involved butterfly wings, twenty lengths of rope, and a dozen hammers. None of us wants to deal with him.” blurting out his words quickly. “My report’s done and I’m leaving before they get here.” He sped out the window and headed off to the horizon. “There’s no hope left is there?” asked Twilight hugging Luna. “None.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Our World and Beyond (42th Edition, Revised) Nation: Equestria Population: Ponies (Sub-species of Pegasi, Unicorns, Earth Ponies, Alicorns) Government: Triarchy (Alicorns are the leading royalty) Status: Mostly Harmless Hazards: Rainbows, overpowered (and insane) divine royals, chaos god. > Whistling - Habanc > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Habanc ***** "I mean... I can't. She's just– ugh." Twilight slouched back against the bar, words slurred. "Why not, dear? It sounds soooo simple. Just... Just do it." Rarity sipped from a crystal glass beside her, half-filled with burgundy. The two were slumped on the classy, silver-framed stools that lived beside a chic and modern bar, crafted from a black granite that glinted with flecks of white. The garden beyond hummed with the conversations and bickerings of Canterlot's elite, while the star above shined with humble glow of the moon and its starry companions. Blue-tinted lights fell over the clearing within the royal gardens, enough space to host dozens of ponies alongside entertainment, food, and of course, a full-sized bar. How they dragged the hunk of pristinely-sculpted rock, Twilight did not know, but that was the least of her worries. The Blue Moon Social had been designed for the nobility to meet their rulers once again. With court being slimmed down, as three ponies divvied the workload between them, the nobility had complained. Of course they would. They appealed that they could not have time to meet with each one of her majesties, and thus felt left out. A bid for more face time, and thus, more influence. But their political weight and resources could not be dismissed so easily. Unfortunately, some small concessions had to be made. She had gone in expecting to put up with the guests of the evening. But now, five, six – seven? No, it was definitely six – glasses of vintage wine under, her focus shifted drastically. She wanted to be noticed. She wanted to be heard. She was going to get what she wanted, and by Celestia's beard, she wouldn't let anypony or anything get in her way. Words were one such thing. Such pointless, trivial little blots of meaning upon a canvas of the indescribable, unpredictable, indetermine lives they all lived in. They felt very much of out of place, and thus, unnecessary. Yes, words would have to go. Luna walked by them both, shooting Twilight a grin as she went. Her hooves dragged through the grass, posture bent forward, stumbling from side to side. A wine glass wobbled in her grip. "Now, Twilight!" Rarity hissed, prodding her along with a giggle. "Okay, okay..." she steadied herself. Inhale a breath that quaked with tangible anixety, she placed a hoof to her mouth. This was it. Fate ended here, and faith took up the helm. A faith that one's wings would grow strong enough to fly while one fell towards the earth, hundreds of meters below. Or the moon, should she be cast there in punishment. Oh well. A whistle rose the murmur of the social, splitting the air like a thunderclap. It pierced the heavens with its high note, before swirling down into the lower frequencies. Thankfully, few noticed, most being too intoxicated – either in their drinks or their scheming. However, Luna froze. Her head creaked around, trying to pick out the origin of the catcall. As instructed, Twilight caught her eye and winked, before drawing a sultry glare down to Luna's flanks. She held it there, to make her desires all the more obvious. Not that she minded, anyway. They were toned and slender, adhering to a muscular curve that drove Twilight crazy. She bit her lower lip, a silent plead to entice her target. Luna regarded her with the grace of a pogo stick on a speeding treadmill. Her cheeks lit up hotter than the sun, nearly fumbling over her own hooves as she attempted to turn around. Twilight wished she hadn't, as the view was intoxicating. Drunk or not, she had no problem admitting to herself that she fancied the mare; she was clever, intellectual, kind, with a personality that appealed to her. Luna's klutzy nature was an unintended, extremely adorable bonus. But with alcohol in her bloodstream, Twilight allowed another admittance of the starry alicorn: she was hot. No two ways about it, Twilight had sufficiently flung herself head over hooves for her, and Luna's lithe, appealing figure certainly played a role. Her own cheeks flustered as she imagined the ongoings betwixt the bedsheets– Get a hold of yourself, she scolded her wandering and lecherous mind. She's coming over! – uh, oh shhhiit. I– I didn't quite plan for her to do this. What do I do?! I don't know how to pick up mares!" "Twi– Twilight Sparkle!" Luna slurred as she stood before her. "Did... did you whistle at me?" In the corner of her eye, Twilight saw Rarity far off in the distance. She must've escaped during her daydream. She was, in one sense of the phrase, all alone. But if you play this right, you might not be come morning! her mind piped in. Swallowing, Twilight put on her best assertive mask and prayed for the best. "Oh, well, of course." "And why would you do such a thing?" Luna stepped forward, sipping from her glass. Here it was. Do or die. Go time. Sweat beginning to bead along her hairline, Twilight, even in her drunken haze, knew she had to move fast. Her liquid courage, for all its potency, did not have the endurance to hold her up for much longer. The beams were already beginning to whine and creak. "I liked what I saw." Luna blushed harder, but her boldness fed off of Twilight's blunt, succinct tactics. "And what... what exactly did you see?" She closed in around her, her face less than a meter away. Twilight's skin seemed to itch and burn with anxiety. She felt as if she couldn't bring the next sentence to bear, to be permanently locked away within the confines of a shy mind. But not tonight. "Your butt." The incredibly crude reply caused Twilight to snicker. "I mean, it's very... alluring." The two sat facing eachother, as Luna's hindlegs gave out and she plopped down on her afforementioned rear. Her cheeks had already reached their final color. The seconds passed. The gears appeared to tick inside the older alicorn's head, until finally her mouth edged open to speak. "Would you like to... see it again?" Luna wondered, her voice small and tiny. "These nobles bore me, but– well, spending the rest of the night with you would be anything but." Twilight nearly shot out of her seat, her puffed out wings projecting her from her spot against the bar. Her whisper was desperate and shuddered with desire. "Please." > Midnight - Pearple Prose > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Pearple Prose ***** It began at midnight, the same instant as the bell rang in the silence of the sleeping city. When it began, Twilight Sparkle awoke, suddenly and seamlessly. She didn't remember falling asleep, and she didn't quite recall waking up either – she simply became aware of herself as she was trotting down the empty hallway in an eerie darkness. Moonlight shone, blisteringly bright, almost alien in its intensity. There was a lilting sound on the cool night breeze that flowed through the palace. It was barely an echo, but Twilight felt an odd need rise within herself, the urge to hear this sound in its full intensity. And so she ran, her rapid hoofbeats creating a discordant melody in the somber halls. She didn't really consider where it was she was going at all. Rather, it was as if the path was being whispered into her ear. Twilight turned another corner, and found herself at the top of a grand staircase. The sound was louder now, hauntingly close. It was deep, and mournful, and graceful, and made her soul twist as if it were a physical force, and as she listened and hummed in sync, her hooves carried her down the staircase. But as she descended the stairs, the song became more distant, harder to recognise. Twilight looked around her, and saw the huge opulent walls around her crumble, screams of fear and defiance ringing in her ears as flames licked at her hooves and consumed the grand wooden steps beneath them. Panicking, she began to run for the great doors ahead of her, but the flames and the screams built higher and higher until they reached a crescendo, and Twilight touched the doors just as they exploded open with white light. In the next moment, she was standing in an old, tattered courtyard. Around her were the remains of an ancient castle, open to the night sky above her. Behind her, an enormous bell tower stood, still pealing. Twilight turned back to face ahead of her, and noticed a small gray form sitting alone, facing away from her, in the centre of the yard. From where she stood, Twilight could see only a limp gray mane, a cracked horn, and a pair of tattered wings hanging loosely from its back. Twilight stepped forward. As she approached, she began to hear sobbing. Not the loud, hacking sobs of despair – rather, they were quiet sniffles, ones that a filly would make. She stepped faster, until she was standing right by... her. It was a her, that was it. She was staring at something intently. Her focus was unflinching, even with Twilight standing right next to her. Twilight followed her gaze, and realised that she was looking into a small pond, right by their hooves. In the pond was a thing of darkness. Two draconic eyes stared unblinkingly from the midst of a black void, right back at the crying pony by Twilight's side. Twilight turned to look back at the pony, and simply watched for a while, as tears trickled down her cheeks. Slowly, she lifted her hooves, and wrapped them gently around the crying pony's neck. Her coat was soft, like fine sand, and her mane smelled of moonflowers. She held tighter, and became aware of her own voice whispering sweet nothings into the pony's ear. Her mane was glowing. It was soft, gradual at first, but it was there. The limp gray mane darkened and thickened, with pinpricks of bright light shining through. The stars were here, in this pony's mane, and Twilight felt herself smile. She saw the pony smile too. She heard her laughter, felt her return the hug, and together they stared down into the pond. They saw a bright light wrap around a thing of darkness, and the blackness vanished, revealing a deep blue smiling pony in its place. Yes. Yes, that's right, she was blue. She heard a giggle, and she turned just as her vision became filled with stars. And when she became aware again, she was flying. Flying far away, with the deep blue pony with the mane of a starry sky and the moon emblazoned on her flank. Her horn was long and resplendent, and her wings were impeccable. And as they laughed, the land below growing father and farther until it was just them, Twilight and Luna – for that was her name, she remembered – together in the infinite sea of stars. And it ended as it began, with the eternal ringing of the bell in the sleeping city. > Fix - Knight of Lycaeus > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Knight of Lycaeus ***** “I’m telling you this time it was your fault”, accused Twilight. “My fault?” Luna roars back at almost Royal Canterlot volume. “You left it outside!” Twilight calls back. “Surely it is your fault since you wanted me to bring out with us.” Luna responds. “I only asked because I know how much you like having it around.” “That does not give it justified excuse that it was my fault!” “It does since otherwise I wouldn’t have brought with us.” Luna huffed, “Fine! Whoever! It’s still needs to be fixed and you should fix it since you had it last.” “No, since it belongs to you.” Twilight retorted. “Yet you always like having around as well.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Outside Luna’s chamber were a pair of therstal guards, one was clearly younger than the other given his nervous shaking from hearing Their Majesties in a heated argument. The other was older, more decorated and much more used to Their Majesties, rather frequent, departures from sanity. “Is something wrong Private?” “No, Captain sir!” he squeaked out, surprised at the sudden question. The Captain just glared at him. “Actually there is sir. How can you be so calm about those Their Majesties argument, it sounds fierce.” “Private, this is rather normal.” “Normal?” asked the surprised guard. “Of course, Their Majesties may be great and powerful princesses with power over all but even they are pony. This is actually rather routine.” “What?” yelled the guard though his yell was in no way louder than Luna’s Royal Canterlot Voice would could still be heard arguing with the newest princess. “The last time something like this happened was a few months ago, one of Their Majesties had forgotten that Her Majesty Princess Celestia had gone on a diet at the advice of the Royal Physician and had gotten her some cake. This led to the Great Cake Armageddon in which Their Majesties attempted to fix it by getting Princess Celestia back on her diet.” The other guard’s eyes widened as he remembered the chaos as Princess Celestia tore through the castle looking for cake before then setting out into Canterlot looking for more.” “Then there was the time before that, almost half a year ago when one or both had gotten drunk and did a very colourful remake of the night sky. So yes, routine.” As if on cue the guards could hear the argument settle down. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ “Alright fine, it doesn't matter who’s fault it was but let’s just fix this together” Twilight suggested. “Fine,” Luna responded lighting up her horn as Twilight did the same. Both of their magic enveloped the broken object in front of them and wrapped in the twin streams of magic was fixed to how it was before. “Mr. Sock Jr.!” called out a happy Luna, “And Twilight of course.” She looked over at her Stars and wrapped her wings around her. Seeing Twilight’s slightly annoyed expression she said,“Don’t worry, you’re better” as she kissed her. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Outside one guard stood stunned and the other with a calm expression; the Captain said to the Private, “Routine.” > Ashes - SPark > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: SPark ***** The sound of the waterfall that fell down the slopes of the Canterhorn was a distant rumble as Princess Luna sat on a ledge near the mountain's peak. It was cold, so high above the city below, and the tears on her cheeks felt like ice. She turned her head up to the starry sky above, looking at a constellation of five smaller stars clustered irregularly around one large one. The tears streamed more freely down her face. "I locked my heart away so long ago. I hid it behind a wall, and warded it with a Nightmare. Thou didst slay the Nightmare. Thou didst climb the wall. Thou alone hath touched my heart. I set thee among the stars..." she broke off, a sob interrupting her. For a time she wept in near-silence, the distant sound of the waterfall hardly louder than her soft sobs. "I thought thy heart was mine, as mine was thine. I was a fool." A soft thump made Luna turn her head. Her sister had landed on the ledge behind her. She walked over and sat beside Luna, folding a wing over her. For a long time the pair sat in silence. Eventually Luna looked back up at the stars and said, softly, "Mayhap I should remove those six stars." "She didn't mean to hurt you, Lulu," said Celestia gently. "I don't think she even knew. You were her friend." "I know, 'Tia. 'Twould be easier if she had acted knowingly. I could hate her then. Her and the stallion who took her from me! Yet I cannot." "If there's anything I can do to help?" "Just leave me to mourn, sister. There is naught to do but mourn, now." Celestia hesitated a moment, then rose and gave Luna one last nuzzle before departing, her vast, white wings carrying her silently into the night sky. Behind her, Luna whispered, "I locked my heart away so long ago, until thou didst come and hold it in thy hoof. Now thou hast burnt it from my breast, and ever after all I shall know is ashes." > Ice - Pearple Prose > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Pearple Prose ***** Twilight's breath was misty in the cold night air of the Frozen North. There was a frosty sheen on the crystals that formed the balcony where she and Luna lay wrapped in one another's hooves. "It's beautiful," Twilight said, looking out over the Crystal Empire with a sleepy smile on her face. Luna hummed in agreement, her head resting on top Twilight's own. "It does bring back memories. This place is a relic of the past, really – I feel something of a kinship with it." Twilight lifted her head and wrapped her neck around Luna's in such a way that she could speak quietly into her ear. "It's still not as pretty as you." She buried her muzzle in Luna's mane and listened to her laughter. "Such bold words," Luna said with a smile. "One dares to ask where this confidence is coming from?" Twilight just shrugged halfheartedly, still drinking in the scent of Luna's magical mane. It smelled vaguely of blueberries. "Iunno. You look nice with the crystals and all." She hummed for a moment, before pulling her head back and asking, "So, you've been here before?" She paled. "Uh, I mean, obviously before... that." If Luna took note of Twilight's blunder, she hid it well. "Hmm... Once or twice. The first couple of times were diplomatic meetings with the Cadenzas." Luna grinned preemptively as she heard Twilight's gasp. "And yes, Our fair niece does indeed have roots here. The noble family who used to rule the Empire are Cadence's ancestors. Celestia discovered this soon after she adopted the girl, I do believe. Tis extraordinary." Luna's smile turned to a slight frown. "And... There was a time after that, I think." Four black hooves landed gently on the crystal floor of the Palace with a melody of sharp clacks. The midnight black mare they belonged to shook herself clean of the snow that clung to her coat. Her features formed a razor sharp frown as she looked back at the blizzard that raged outside the balcony window she had entered through. "It is beautiful, is it not?" A sultry voice slithered out of the shadows. The mare suppressed a shudder and turned to face the ash grey stallion that smiled softly at her from the darkness. "The snow and the crystal sparkle so perfectly in the moonlight." He faked a shocked gasp. "Oh, but where are my manners – It is an honour to finally meet you, my Queen." He bowed low to the ground, his muzzle scraping the floor Luna snorted. "Get back to your hooves, you sniveling sycophant. Tell me why you called me away to this pathetic hole." Something flashed across King Sombra's face, so brief that Luna wasn't sure she'd seen it at all, before he got back to his impressive height. "Of course, of course, her Highness has important business, I'm sure." The smirk on his face made Luna's skin crawl – He wasn't so pathetic as to mock her, was he? He circled Luna slowly as he began to speak. Luna's eyes never left him for an instant. "It's quite simple, really. I admire you, Princess– Queen Luna. I can give you power. I can give you the honour you deserve. And I think, together, we could create something beautiful." He swept his hoof towards the balcony once again. "Just look." Luna did look. She saw the moonlight reflecting of the icy crystals of the sleeping city. She saw it sparkle as brightly and as brilliantly as her own night sky in the background. She felt the darkness crawl across her fur as she watched, in wonder, as the storm danced to the song of the night. "It does look... beautiful," she said, with grudging awe. She heard a voice whisper in her ear. "It's still not as beautiful as you." Luna reached out and, with a twist, tore the darkness from his grasp. With a flicker of a thought, she sent the stallion crashing to the icy floor behind her. "Are you truly so pathetic?" Luna snarled. She wore the darkness as a cloak, as armour, as her own skin. "You tempt a goddess, Sombra – We have no need for your kind words and your little display. Our night is beautiful without your meddling, and We shall have the entire world know that. Now, begone. Your sight offends Us." The shadows, sharp as daggers, descended on the speechless Sombra, who whimpered in fear and crawled away from the wrathful being of darkness that stood before him like an ancient war god. He staggered to his feet and shouted, "I could have given you everything! I could have made you an empress! But no, return to your little hovel with your sister that hates you and your country that ignores you. See how much the world loves your "beautiful night", you wretched bitch." Luna wondered, for a moment, how it would feel to crack that handsome face like an egg in her hooves. She pondered the feeling of his body impaled on her horn, and the metallic bite of his blood on her tongue. After a minute of idly watching the pony tremble in his shoes, Luna turned and vanished into the night as a fleeting shadow, his final words to her echoing in her mind. "Luna? Are you alright?" Luna started. She felt warm tears dripping from her muzzle. She batted ineffectually at her eyes and forced a smile onto her face. "Yes, We are fine. Thank you, Twilight. For everything." > Dolphin - Habanc > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Habanc ***** There were times when fate forgot its designation, when each of life's tumblers clicked at the same time, when, for once, the governing heads of Equestria found themselves with a light workday. Each of the three handled it in their own special ways, and coincidentally on a spectrum of activity. Celestia preferred to shudder the walls in snoring sleep, while Luna, now unchained from the horrors of desk work, burst into play like a supernova. Twilight preferred a warm medium, a delightful bout of relaxation in the cozy company of a book. Rest for the body, energy for the mind. However, seeing as she was willingly, romantically, and in very rare cases, physically chained to Luna, she had to compromise. It had been a year ago when Celestia became disillusioned with her weight. Like her flanks weren't genetically meant to be that large, Twilight had scoffed at the time. It made no sense, and to top it off, the solar sissy decided to install a pool for exercise. Right where her favorite reading spot was. "It puts less pressure on your joints!" they told her. "It'll keep you looking ages younger!" As if shearing away twenty years really meant anything. "You'll be the envy of stallions everywhere!" Hah. She wasn't already? Besides, her little tête-à-têtes with any handsome, young guard was Canterlot's biggest unkept secret. And guess what? She hadn't even used it once. But the solar sissy would be damned if anypony got near it, even her own sister and prodigy. Therefore, Twilight had relented because of this, and willingly went through with Luna's plans. Curled up on a plush beach chair, enjoying the foreign feel of sunbathing while nose-deep in Brave New Stable, it seemed this was one of Lulu's better ideas. Much better than that whole incident with peanut butter, anyway. "Twilight, you must come and relax with me for awhile!" Luna called, distant splashes heard over the rumbles of helicopters and whispers of hypnopædia. "In a minute," she mumbled, trying to focus on the paintings of the savage reservation. "You said that an hour ago!" Her partner whined. "I– I know, I just have to get through this last part." She couldn't pull herself from the hungry quicksand of good literature. Carnage could rain from the heavens, manticores could establish a democracy within Manehattan, and Gummy could lead a band of revolutionary guerrillas to banish the evil grasp of cauliflower, but that would matter little until she finished a chapter. "Twilight!" She could hear more splashes growing closer. A hoof clopped on what she presumed to be the marble-tiled edge of the pool. "Twilight, I want to enjoy this wonderful session of relaxation together. The stars have aligned for once – I promise on my moon that I only nudged them slightly – and we are in dire need of time together." Twilight's reply was slow in coming. "Mhmmm. Hold on." A page flipped by her nose, with another pleasurable burst of book scent. "Twiliiiiight. My heart withers, my soul threatens to tear itself apart! I cannot hope to continue on the treacherous path of life without your love-light to guide my lost soul! I require you immediately, as the flower does the sun. Oh cruel fate, what a mare have you cast upon me?" A thud hit the tiles. Oh for pony's sake. Twilight put down her book and gave Luna an unimpressed look. Only the midnight mare's head was visible, her wet, unenchanted, cyan mane falling over her face. But as soon as Twilight gazed upon her, a tiny smile grew on her features, like a puppy before a treat. "Well, if you think the fates are cruel, you should see when somepony interrupts me from reading," Twilight warned her before going back to her novel. But those words formed a funny itch in the back of the head. It wasn't as if Luna was a mischievous pony, right? She didn't prank the kitchen into submission, did she? She also didn't place anti-enchanting and blue-dyeing runes on Celestia's shampoo bottle, of course? No, no, of course not. A splash of water hit her straight in the face, covering her and her beloved book. Her conscious shed a mighty tear then and there, as ink dripped away in unison. The defender of diction released her former charge and rose from her seat, using one giant flap from her wings to launch herself towards the pool. Adjustments from her primary feathers gave her the accuracy of a laser-guided missile, coming down upon the giggling perpetrator. But Luna was goddess of the moon, and the seas were her vassals. There was no better aquatic combatant. That, and for one reason or another, her body simply refused to go under. Luna, shortly after being pounced upon, jabbed a hoof between Twilight ribs. With the her partner paralyzed by laughter, Luna promptly dunked her under water. Twilight arose from the great five-foot depths, coughing and sputtering, using a hoof to clear her mane-shrouded eyes. Luna was swimming away, but still clearly within striking distance. However, no matter what she tried, she couldn't bring herself to. A goofy grin captured her features. "Luna, what are you wearing?" The alicorn in question glanced down around her shoulders. Floaties were inflated around each leg, keeping her afloat while she paddled around the pool. "What, you mean these?" "Yes," she cooed, followed by a giggle. "You do know those are just for foals, right?" She set off into the deeper end, swimming by her own accord. It was rather calming, the ripple and flow of water along her body, she decided. Luna gasped in shock. "You know not what you speak! Mr. Dolphin is a rightful and reliable friend!" The decal of a dolphin adorned the sides of the floaties. "He allows Us–" she halted herself as an archaic tongue tried to set in amidst her emotions, "–me to enjoy the relaxation of swimming without tiring. I have no fear of failing to keep my head above water, but I would be devastated if a single session in the pool could disable my plans for the rest of the day!" "Right." Twilight rolled her eyes as she drew close. She pecked her on the cheek. "I think it's cute." Luna docked against a wall of the pool, allowing Twilight to rest her hooves on the shallow ledge of the floor before it dipped away. "Really?" "Yes," she affirmed as she nuzzled her again. It was hard to resist. "I do not understand..." Luna murmured. "Twilight, would you try these on? I am confused as to how they are attractive to another." "Me?" Memories flashed through her head. Memories of coughing and flailing like a foal beneath the water before Celestia fished her out with a chuckle. Memories of having to take swimming lessons in gym class. Memories of putting those dreaded, plastic lumps of air on because she learned a little late. "Oh no, I possibly could–" But her brain came up with another interesting note of information. A delicious, wonderful thought. "–could... Could definitely be able to!" Luna smiled and began to take them off in earnest, putting them on the edge of the pool. When she was done, she faced her partner. "Twilight, why have you not put them on yet? I would dearly like to know, and should they make you appear, as you put it, cute, then that would be a nice boon as well." Twilight smiled at her, saccharine sweet. "Luna, I want you to know something." Luna took a step closer, curiosity brimming in her eyes. "What is it, my dear?" "I want you to know that I love you very, very much, and that despite whatever mischief you put me through, that will never change." She pecked her quickly, before whispering in her ear, "That, and you should never let your guard down." A field of telekinesis took a hold of the poor alicorn and launched her across the pool. > Foals - The Princess Rarity > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: The Princess Rarity ***** "I think I'm having second thoughts about this," Twilight muttered, as she was practically dragged down the walkway. Her spunky five-year-old was apparently stronger than she thought. "Luna, are you even listening to me?" Her wife stifled a chuckle. "Of course I am," she assured. "It's just amusing." Twilight raised an eyebrow. "What is?" she asked. She stopped for a minute, and heard whining. Her hoof was being tugged on. "Mama, come on." "That," Luna said, with a soft laugh. "I'm gonna be late!" "Well, I'm glad you can find this entertaining," Twilight whispered. "Because I don't." "Mama-" "Astra Selene, what have I told you about interrupting?" The little filly frowned. "To not to," she said, with a sigh. "But what about school?" "We're here earlier than we have to be," Twilight assured. "Don't worry." She kissed her daughter's forehead and gave a comforting smile. "Wait here for a minute, ok? I have to talk with your mother about a grown-up thing." Astra nodded, and patiently stood by the gate of the school while she watched her mothers take a few steps away. "Do you really think this is a good idea?" Twilight murmured. "I thought we agreed it was fine for Astra to attend public school," Luna mused. "The teachers promised not to give her any special treatment, she's not the type to misbehave, and she's old enough for this. Let's not forget you've been drilling knowledge into her head since Day One. She'll pass every test with flying colors." Twilight let out a sigh. "I know, I know, I just-" She glanced over her shoulder and frowned. Astra looked far too grown up dressed in the school's plaid uniform, with her sparkly black and pink saddlebags slung over her back, and her mane tied with a blue ribbon. Luna nuzzled her wife. "She's still our little girl," she said softly. "Not for long," Twilight sighed. They made their way back over to their daughter, who was practically hopping up and down with joy. The very second her mothers rejoined her, Astra pushed open the gate and bolted into the play yard of the school, her eyes were sparkling as she saw the building. The Canterlot Academy for Gifted Foals was prestigious but still low-key enough to allow Twilight to relent. After all, if she was going to send her only child to a public school, it was going to be the best of both worlds. "So, we'll pick you up at three 'o clock, alright?" Twilight spoke up. However, her daughter was far too entranced by the school and the playground, which was full of bustling colts and fillies her own age, playing and laughing. For somepony who had been in the castle for as long as she could remember, it was like a dream come true for Astra to be out beyond her comfort space. "Astra?" Twilight said hesitantly -- but she was soon taken by surprise as her daughter quickly hugged her, and then Luna, only before she ran off without a word. Twilight frowned. "Love you!" she called. "Love you too!" Astra yelled back. Luna wrapped a wing around Twilight. "Let her go," she murmured. "After all, she'll make friends." A small spark caused Twilight to have a bittersweet smile. "I guess you're right," she said. > Statistics - Draven Eclipse > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Draven Eclipse ***** Luna watched as Twilight ran past her in a panic, while simultaneous levitating four chairs, an end table, and a box of industrial strength foam. While normally this might alarm anypony who knew Twilight, Luna was far past being surprised. If anything, she was taking the news of her recent pregnancy well. Perhaps not in the sense of a normal pony, but for Twilight she was finding this quite tame. “My love, perhaps you are going a bit overboard” Luna suggested diplomatically. Twilight spun around “Overboard? OVERBOARD?! I am not going overboard! I am going to make sure this place is the safest place in the entire country!” Luna arched an eyebrow as a few more hairs sprung from Twilight's mane to begin a life separate from the others. “There is such a thing as being too cautious. I am pretty sure we reached that point when you converted every sharp object in the room into foam.” Luna accented this point by poking what had previously been a lovely oak nightstand she received from a Minotaur ambassador. “Do you know the statistics of workplace and home accidents are!? We live and work at the same place! The statistics have been doubled!” Twilight replied with only a hint of mania in her voice. Luna sighed and motioned for Twilight to join her on the bed. Once the mare joined her, Luna positioned Twilights ear next to a barely noticeable bump on Lunas belly. “What am I…” Twilight began before being hushed by Luna. “Shhh, just listen” Luna said, as her horn began to glow. Twilight obeyed and pressed her ear closer. At first all she could hear is the thumping of her beau’s heart. Slowly however, her hearing grew sharper and she heard a fainter, yet steady second heartbeat. It took Twilight a moment to realize what she was hearing. It her child's heartbeat. Tears welled in her eyes as she looked up at Lunas soft smile. “Do you hear that? Does that sound like the heart of somepony who has to worry for their safety?” “But...but the stati-” Twilight was silenced once more by a gentle hoof on her lips. “Dear Twilight, those statistics were made about ponies who didn’t have two powerful alicorn princesses watching over them. The moment I saw your smile at the news, I knew this filly would be safe from even the worst things Tartarus could conjure. Even before the foam” Luna teased. Twilight sighed realizing that she had indeed been acting like a silly mare, protective yes, but even she realized that all things should be in moderation. It was just a little tougher to remember sometimes. “I supposed the guards would like to have their weapons back” “Yes, I do believe they would” Luna replied and the two mares burst out into giggles. “Lulu, do you think I’ll be a good mom?” “I can’t think of anypony more qualified” > Wait... What? - Habanc > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Habanc ***** Twilight and Luna shoved open the doors of Watering Hole Tavern, stumbling out into the dying street traffic of Canterlot. Their regalia discarded, they made somewhat unrecognizable ponies in the shroud of darkness. However, their mouths betrayed their stealth. "Oh my gosh, yessssss," Twilight squealed, holding onto Luna's neck as they staggered down the sidewalk. "We totally should, like, like, yes." Luna looked over at her, grinning like a drunk fool. ...Wait. Nevertheless, she slurred in ye olde butchered Equestrian all the same. "Twilight, tis thou... thou art the true genius of this most grand idea." Twilight unhooked one of her forehooves and jammed it in Luna's mouth. "No no no, stop. I will not– I will not have that kind of tone, young missy." She decomposed into a fit of giggles, to which Luna couldn't help but join in with. "You are not going to speak Middle Equestrian. You hear me? Princess Luna is no snooty relic! She's speaking High Modern Equestrian! She's a strong, proud, beautiful mare!" She finished the last two words with a cry, throwing a hoof up into the air. Ponies nearby stared and gawked, but neither of them minded. Luna smiled at her. "Wait... what?" Twilight, still latched onto Luna with a hoof by her neck, spun in front of her. Placing her hooves on the alicorn's shoulders, she swayed but ultimately stood upright. Her mane was dappled over her eyes, which she shook away as she drew her face close to Luna's. "Listen to me, you. You are perfect, and nopony– NOPONY can say different. Because I said so. And what I say is right, because I'm, I'm a motherbucking Princess." Luna snickered at her. "But Twilight, aren't we all Princesses?" "Shush!" Twilight shook her head with as much stern steel as a nun with a yard stick. "Listen to me. You are..." Twilight remained silent for a moment, eyes studying Luna. She frowned. "...You are sooo pretty. Just look at you. Your mane is sooo pretty. Like, why can't I be as pretty as you?" Luna tried to look at herself, but a hoof pulled her back to face Twilight. "Look, so what if ponies sleep during the night, you don't! You do whatever the buck you want, you hear me!? What I'm trying to say is, you don't have to take anypony's crap! You... you raise the moon! Who else does that?" Twilight's voice rose high up into the sky. "You can probably pick up the entire palace with your magic!" "I don't know–" "You banished Discord! Like, that is pretty bucking awesome!" "But didn't you–" Twilight frowned again. "And your flanks are perfect. Like, why? How? Hoowwwwww do you do it? They're so toned and I bet they're firm and," she broke off into a sigh. "I just want to touch them, y'know?" Luna smiled, too preoccupied to notice the heat flaring on her cheeks, among other places. "Wait... what?" Twilight spun around Luna, giving her a hearty slap on the rump. "Onward!" she proclaimed, pointing her hoof to the stars. "Onward to the palace, and uh... Civilization!" Luna, now recovering, swaggered beside her. "Civilization?" "Yeah!" Twilight cried. "Just like... like that song we heard back inside!" Luna giggled, before belting out: "The beating of a millions drums," "Duh duh, dunna duh duh!" Twilight added. "The fire of a million guns," "Duh duh, dunna duh duh!" "The mother of a million suns!" "Duh duh, dunna duh duh!" Twilight leaned close to Luna as they joined together on the street, with every eye on them: "Civilization!" -~- Steamy breath whispered into her ear, "C'mere, you." Twilight toppled onto Luna, driving them both onto the night-sky bed. Before Luna could so much as move, lips were pressed on hers, forcing her down. The lunar mare could hardly believe it, but she wasn't in a position to complain. She kissed back, weaving her hooves through Twilight's mane. Their desperate making-out was interrupted by quick gasps for air, hot breath running down Luna's neck. Twilight was hungry, and with alcohol or without, Luna secretly admitted that she had no problem with whatever plans the librarian-cum-royalty had for her. "Okay okay okay," Twilight giggled as she pulled away. "Can I just say how long I've been waiting for this?" Luna's tongue lolled out like a dork. "For what?" "You," Twilight claimed, running her hooves down Luna's side and stroking the base of her wings. She giggled again as Luna spasmed beneath her. "Hah, hah..." Luna's vision rolled around the room before resettling on Twilight. "Wwhhat do you want with me?" "Everything," Twilight purred, continuing her hooves along Luna's wings and to her flanks. Luna could hardly contain herself. "Oh, by the stars..." Outside the palace, on the high spire of a tower, Luna's window appeared pitch black. Then, in the blink of an eye, it flashed magenta. "Twilight? What– what did you do?" She giggled. "I just added another member to our party." "Wait... what?" > 100 Prompt Special: Sequels! > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Humans 2 - Fuzzyfurvert Original by Fuzzyfurvert ***** Twilight fidgeted as she sat on the plush couch in Luna’s livingroom. It wasn’t like the livingrooms of any of her friends - well, the livingrooms of her friends’ parents mostly. Rainbow Dash technically had an apartment of her own with Sunset Shimmer, but their livingroom consisted of a single beanbag and all the boxes they hadn’t unpacked since moving in. This livingroom though - it was fit for a princess or something! Everything was color coordinated and the furniture all matched. Bookshelves lined the walls and science magazines sat in an artful pile on the black glass coffee table. Luna even had framed, blown-up images of the moon taken by early NASA flybys and the Apollo missions. Those had made her grin like a maniac the first morning after she’d slept over. Everything was neat and measured and in it’s place like one of those cool show rooms at IKEA. Music, an instrumental cover of some older classic rock song, played from the cleverly hidden speakers while Twilight twisted her hair around her finger idly and tapped her foot against her backpack which was stuffed with clothes instead of books for a change. Luna was in the adjacent kitchen, humming along to the music while she prepared lunch. “Twilight?” “Yes!” Twilight jumped, startled when Luna poked her head into the livingroom. “Lunch is ready, if you are?” Luna held her hand up to cover her smile as she watched the flustered younger woman. “I was thinking we might watch a movie later? I want you to be comfortable when you visit me...so, we’ll take things as slowly as you need to.” ‘Um,” Twilight blushed and blinked quickly as she got to her feet, “I am comfortable, Luna. This just... new to me.” Luna nodded. “New to me too. It’s been a long time since…” Luna looked away, her face dark for a moment before she flipped her hair back and flashed those gorgeous teal eyes. “Lets not talk about that though. We have the whole three day weekend ahead of us and my sister is safely on the other side of the continent!” “And my folks on vacation.” Twilight blushed harder and she looked away from Luna to the small stack of tomato and bacon sandwiches on the table. They really did look delicious but at that very moment it wasn’t what she’d really rather be eating. That line of thought only made her blush grow hotter on her cheeks and Twilight quickly moved to take a seat at Luna’s small dining table. ‘Want something to drink?” Luna opened her fridge and made a show of checking the contents while pointing her posterior at Twilight. Or maybe she didn’t, Twilight wasn’t really sure she was a good judge of subtle seductive nuance at the moment. Was it getting warmer in here? “I have water, milk, soda.” Luna looked back over her shoulder with a sly smile. “I have rum and tequila too, if you want it.” Twilight sputtered for a moment as she registered what she was being offered. Wasn’t there supposed to be playful banter in a healthy relationship? She was sure she’d read that somewhere. “V-vice principal Luna! Are you trying to ply a student with alcohol? Such a scandal Canterlot High has never seen before!” Twilight grinned with pride for a moment before affecting a mock look of shock. “Besides, if you’re trying to get me out of my skirt, you only need ask nicely.” Twilight giggled as she watched Luna blush and bristle while she pulled a couple of sodas from the fridge. The older woman took a moment to compose herself and took a seat next to Twilight and set the cold cans on the table with the sandwiches. After a moment, Luna looked Twilight in eye, teal meeting deep purple. “Twi...I really like you. I know this is a new thing for both of us, but I want this...I want us to be based on more than just some mutual interests and sex.” “It’s really good sex. N-not that I’m speaking from experience! I-I mean I’ve seen some porn - like once or twice - it j-just seems that it’s…I just really like it…” Twilight swallowed hard and fumbled for her drink to keep her hands occupied. “Yes, well,” Luna chuckled lightly and grabbed one of the sandwich slices, “it is good sex. Really good. Speaking from experience.” Luna bit into her little slice of bacony heaven and munched quietly for a moment. “Wait, you’ve watched porn?” Twilight shoved half of her own sandwich in her mouth and nodded slowly as she chewed and swallowed. “Uh...um, I might...uh, I might have done a tensy bit of research since you invited me over last weekend.” Luna blinked, stunned for a moment before she leaned in and pulled Twilight into a hug. “Oh Twi! That is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me! See? It’s the little stuff, like that, that I want us to have! I want us to know each other, to be friends just as much as bedroom gymnastics partners.” Luna sighed and hugged Twilight close. “I want to be loved again, no matter how weird I am.” “I want that too, Luna.” Twilight wrapped her arms around the person she was coming to think of more and more as her girlfriend. “I think I love you...really, I’m just not sure. I’m just new at this and you’re still just so pretty and mature and out of my league.” “Don’t say that.” “It’s true.” Twilight sighed and breathed in the scent of Luna’s hair and skin. She could smell the lightest hint of mint and some sort of flowery perfume and underneath it all the scent of a woman. “Sometimes I fear this is all a dream.” “You aren’t asleep, Twilight. I’m just as real as anyone and my feelings for you are real too. Never doubt that.” Luna pulled back gently and looked into Twilight’s eyes again and planted a soft kiss on the girl’s lips. She became putty in Luna’s grip, Twilight’s body molding against Luna’s as much as their chairs would allow. ‘Wow...Luna, you are worse than the boys at school. I could seriously fall for you forever…” Luna smirked and fixed Twilight with a cheesy bedroom leer. “I’m worse than the entire football team, sweetheart. Just wait til you get a look at my toy chest!” ***** Demon 2 - Pearple Prose Original by Archonix ***** The wind howled against the mouth of the cave in the mountainside as a icy storm thrashed against the rock and wound through the desolate peaks. Water dripped and echoed loudly, creating a steady beat that resounded throughout the cave. A metal shod hoof reached up and clung tightly to the lip of the cave entrance. It slid uncertainly on the icy stone, before finding purchase on the uneven crag. Muscle rippled beneath black fur and a pitch black alicorn heaved herself up with a grunt, collapsing against the floor of the cave. She allowed herself a moment to breathe before dragging herself further into the dark crevice, away from the howling gales and biting cold. Shudders wracked the alicorn’s body. Blood dripped slowly from fresh wounds and slashed skin. Cracked and twisted shreds of armour still clung to her chest, legs, and head. Her battered wings hugged a small purple body tightly to her side. A hacking cough racked her body. She was alive – barely. That wasn’t important, though, not as important as her precious cargo. The Nightmare slumped against the wall and numbly unfurled her wing. A muddy and bloody purple alicorn slipped out from beneath it, and she hugged her tightly to her body and wrapped her wings around her to conserve heat. The Nightmare couldn’t feel anything at first, and she fell so very, very close to losing what sanity still remained. But she pushed the dark thoughts away and went about cleaning the comatose body of Twilight Sparkle carefully and lovingly with her tongue, grooming her hair and mane and licking away the blood and mud that coated her. Then, she felt it – the faint beat of a heart inside Twilight’s chest. Tears stung the edges of the Nightmare’s eyes, but she didn’t bother to wipe them away. Instead, she slumped over, and curled up around her love. There was silence in the cave, save for the steady drum of the water and the matching thud of Twilight’s heart in the Nightmare’s ears. Twilight began to stir. Nightmare opened one teal eye and watched her features shift and her eyes open, slowly. Twilight looked at her, purple eyes glazed over with pain, and there was fear there. Nightmare– Luna– Whoever she was now, she stroked her love’s hair and shushed her as she began to whimper. Her horn glowed and the battered and cracked champron slid off her head and dissipated into ether once more. “Luna…?” Twilight whispered. “Is that you?” Teal eyes flickered to draconic slits and back again. “Yes, dear.” She tried a smile. “‘Tis Us, in the flesh.” “I… I thought I was…” “No, Twilight. You’re okay. We’re all okay.” Luna repressed a sob and hugged Twilight tighter. “It’s over now. It’s all over.” Twilight whimpered and pushed her feebly away. “B-But you’re hurt! Luna, you’re bleeding!” “It doesn’t matter.” Luna held her close and whispered reassuring nothings into her ear. “It’s okay, Twilight. Just rest.” The cave was quiet again. Liquid shadows mixed with blood as they ran down Luna’s back and pooled in the cracks of the cave. Her mane dimmed and corporealised as the magic receded. “...What happened to Sombra…?” Twilight asked quietly. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was laboured. Luna didn’t say anything at first, just lit her horn and swept a healing spell across Twilight’s bruised and broken body. “We’re going to be okay, Twilight.” Luna repeated. Twilight nodded. She understood. Luna’s magic went out with a small, pitiful spark. She collapsed again, breath escaping with an ominous rattle in her lungs. Her light blue mane fell limp across her face and clumps of black shadow still stuck to her indigo coat. “Luna!” Twilight tugged at her with her hooves. “Luna, wake up!” Luna didn’t respond. Twilight choked on a sob. This couldn’t be happening. Not now, not after all they’d done to survive. She lit her horn and gathered the darkness that coated the floor around them. The shadow mixed with her magic, dying it a thick black. Ignoring the pain that threatened to tear her horn apart, Twilight wrapped her and Luna in a thick cocoon of solid dark magic, cutting off the unearthly cold and the howls of the blizzard outside. And as the spell finished, Twilight collapsed onto her marefriend and blacked out. ***** Impossible 2 - Draven Eclipse Original by TheLastBrunnenG ***** Just past midnight, Twilight found herself in the same position she had been in for the past several nights, pouring over endless texts and comparing the data she found with her telescope. While it wasn’t imperative that she spend every night on the task, she felt that nothing was quite as satisfying, even sleep eluded her when she knew she could be making progress on her study. She grinned as she finished comparing the final page. It was a heavy old tome that required her to learn ancient Gryphonic to properly translate. However it was all worth it as it allowed her to avoid seeking help. While a certain princess would be more than willing to help her, Twilight wanted to keep the project a secret. Twilight stifled a tiny yawn as she realized what time it was. The determination that was keeping her awake at such an hour fled upon finishing the task set before her. She might get an entire nights rest for once, something that was sounding very nice. After all, it was hard to sleep at night when thats when your marefriend decided to visit. Twilight hear soft wingbeats before the clattering of hooves upon the balcony announced the arrival of the princess of the night. Twilight grinned and finished recording the last bit of information on the pages and closed the leather journal and light bound its securing ribbon of cloth. Luna made her way to the smaller alicorn and laid on some preplaced pillows next to her body. Twilight was pulled into the larger mares hooves and flushed as her left ear was lightly nipped. “Court was incredibly dull tonight, love. You should stop by some time and liven things up, I never see you there anymore” pouted the princess. Twilight giggled and nuzzled her snout into the mares neck, comfortingly. “I’m sorry I haven’t been there in a while. I’ve had a project I’ve been working on for a while now and I finally finished it tonight. I was planning on giving it to you tomorrow, but now is just fine to.” Twilight turned and faced the older mare who was still holding her. She levitated the journal she wrote in and handed it off to her. Luna carefully removed the cloth and began reading through the journal, what she saw made her jaw drop. It was the remaining star charts thought to be lost to the ages. “T-Twilight, how did you get this? You’ve saved me once again, I will finally be done fixing my night!” “A long time ago I assisted a Gryphon scholar with a project to help purify the rivers polluted from river flow in the gryphon territories. Ever since then he has owed me a favor. It turned out his family is a line of tactician and scholars dating back to when you…left. Soldiers found it easier to travel at night, using the stars to guide them instead of marking cliffs and mountains. So they would often record the positions. It took a while to find them and translate. But he got me the original charts. I love you Luna, and want your night to be as perfect as you are. Happy Anniversary.” Luna stared at the journal in silence for what felt like eons, before she finally spoke. “Dearest Twilight Sparkle. Two years ago when you gave those charts, you gave me hope on two things that I had deemed impossible. That I could fix my night, and more importantly, that I could love somepony again” Luna said, stroking the mares face with tears in her eyes. “And now here we are, two years later, showing me the end of the tunnel I’ve been striving so long to reach. But before me is another realization, a new impossibility that will never be overcome or proven false. It is impossible for me to ever stop loving you. I can only hope this gift will tell you what words are unfit for.” Luna placed her horn among Twilights locks and a flow of magic spread throughout. In Twilights mane, a light wind began to move her mane, and a familiar twinkling began to appear. Twilight gasped as she realized what happened. Luna had given her stars. “L-Luna, are you…?” Twilight began as her breathing quickened. “Yes dear Twilight I wish to share not only my heart, but my night. Not just for now, but forever. Twilight Sparkle, will you marry me?” Luna only had a moment to place the journal out of harms way as Twilight dove on top of her, burying her in a flurry of yes's and kisses. ***** Happenstance/Serendipitous 2 - Archonix Original by Pearple Prose ***** When Twilight woke, it was to the scent of Evening Primrose and the warmth of tangled limbs and silk sheets. She inhaled as she drew closer to her lover's body, while her face sank deeper into a thick, dark expanse of hair. In response Luna slid her hand across Twilights' arm – stretched over her chest and shoulder – and let out a contented sigh. "I seem to be in your side of the bed again," she murmured. "It's your bed," Twilight replied from endless depths of Luna's hair. She yawned and smacked her lips, before trying to wet her mouth. "I don't know what we did last night, but I swear I'm seeing stars." "We did nothing that we have not done before. You simply drank more than you should have." Luna rolled languorously onto her front, exposing Twilight to the morning light that inched through the thick curtains of Luna's bedroom, along with the entirety of her slender frame. Her pale blue eyes came to rest on Twilight's face. The effect of her smile was ruined somewhat by the smear of lipstick across her cheek, but Twilight really didn't mind in the slightest, even despite the fact that the shade was totally unsuitable for Luna's complexion. "I see that look," Luna said, with another smile. Twilight felt herself blush at the sight, not to mention the attention. How could this woman do this to her so easily? "What look?" Luna wiped a finger across her cheek, catching the lip stick. She stared at the bright colour staining her finger, frowning, as if some other thought had occurred to her. "The one you get when you don't know how to tell me something. Remember when I had that lump of spinach in my teeth? You spent half the evening picking at your gums and squishing your lips into all those adorable little shapes, I thought you were trying to tease me about what we would do together that night." "I—um," said Twilight, as Luna stretched up to wipe her finger on a towel behind the bed, leaving her breasts to hang tantalisingly over Twilight's face. She blushed again. "And the chair," Luna continued, once she had laid herself down again, and entirely oblivious to Twilight's dazed expression. "Though I'm not complaining much about the outcome there. Still, you need to tell people what you want more." "I—I guess I could try," Twilight mumbled, though by now she was more concerned with the way her hand seemed to have developed a mind of its own and was sliding across the bed to Luna's torso. She watched, fascinated, as it inched slowly across the sheets. "I suppose we should get up. Unfortunately I have a meeting with the board of directors this afternoon, otherwise I'd..." Luna looked down at Twilight's hand, which had stopped moving as she spoke. Rolling her eyes, she shuffled closer to Twilight, took her wrist and gently tugged the hand to her breast. "Otherwise I'd be able to spend the the whole day with you." Twilight gave her hand an experimental twitch. It seemed to be behaving again, but she didn't really feel like moving it any more. "Oh. It's okay. You're still coming out with us this evening, right? My friends are starting to think I made you up." "Ah yes, the main five..." Luna's smile broadened. "As long as you let me pay. I'd be remiss to—" There was a loud crash of a slamming door in the hall, accompanied by muffled swearing that went on far longer than seemed strictly necessary. Twilight and Luna turned to face the bedroom door as the sound of footsteps approached, only to halt on the far side, and a moment later that door, too, crashed open and an elegant, almost regal figure stepped through, accompanied by a cloud of glittering light. "Celestia?" "Can't talk, home plumbing's busted, need a shower," Celestia grunted as she strode across the bedroom. Dust trailed from her hair, hanging in the sun like curtains of glittering light until it reached the floor, where it left a track of white talc across Luna's velvety dark carpet. "Couldn't you use the one down the hall?" "Your en-suite runs hotter," Celestia replied. She stopped in her tracks to stare at Twilight; the young woman abruptly tugged her hand from Luna's body and stuffed it under the sheets. "Huh. You could try and be a little more discreet, Lulu. And don't forget you and I have a meeting with the board this afternoon." "Tia..." Celestia just laughed as she waltzed to the en-suite and slammed the door. A moment later they heard the hiss of running water, and a moment after that the first bars of a very loud rendition of Walking on Sunshine echoed through the door. Luna sighed as she gathered the sheets up across her chest. She lay back. "You know, it's times like this that I weigh up the satisfacting of thumping her in the face against spending another six months in prison. The thump is winning." Twilight settled back and lay her head on Luna's shoulder. She let her hand rest on Luna's stomach, her fingers gently tracing around Luna's navel, while her mind roamed over their plans for the evening. It was just a shame she'd not be able to— "Wait. You went to jail? What for?" "Well... I may have punched my sister. At a bar." Luna pulled the sheets over her head. "In front of two police officers and a newspaper reporter." "Oh..." "In my defence, she'd just managed to steal my boyfriend. Again." "Boyfriend?" "Boyfriend." Luna shrugged. She dropped the sheets back to her chest and rolled to her side to face Twilight. "It was a very confusing time, and it was a long time ago as well, and to be honest I'd rather talk about something else instead." "But—" "Twilight." Luna put her hand on Twilight's shoulder, before moving it to the side of her head. "We all have things in our past that we regret. Well. Mostly regret..." She sighed a wistful sigh and smiled. "The question is whether we remain bound by the past, or whether we grow toward the future. I do not resent my sister and as far as I'm aware she has chosen to forgive me as well, so I see no need to think of it as anything but an amusing anecdote. I chose to grow," she concluded. With those long, slender fingers teasing at her scalp, Twilight found herself barely able to think, and when she didn't respond, Luna leaned forward and kissed her gently on the forehead. Twilight managed a jerky half-nod in response, which only served to brush Luna's fingers deeper into her hair, and then tipped her head back to receive the kiss again. When they broke, Luna glanced toward the shower with a raised eyebrow. Then, giggling, the pair fell at one another. Luna would later remark that it was fortunate her sister had decided to take such an unusually long, loud shower. Twilight didn't have the heart to explain. ***** War 2 - Knight of Lycaeus Original by The Princess Rarity ***** “Luna?” called Twilight into the darken room of her marefriend. “The balcony, Twilight.” answered Luna. Twilight walked over to join Luna on the balcony. Once she reached her spot next to Luna, her marefriend wrapped a tight wing over back. Luna looked over at Twilight and her haggard expression, “So my suspicions are true, you’re still experiencing frustrations over the marriage law we had to pass into law a few back previous.” Twilight sighed, “I am, I just didn’t want to agree to a law that would prevent same-sex couples from ever marrying. It has been difficult, when we’re together in public I just want to be close to you, treat you as we do when we’re alone together but we can’t. There’s only so much we could do together while outside my place or your’s and since the marriage law was repealed there seems to be more crackdown on same-sex couples in general, even more so than usual.” Luna nodded, “I know it’s difficult, I do wish for us to be together but far too many ponies disagree with the notion of two mares or two stallions in a committed and deep relationship especially about making said relationship official through marriage. I do carry hope that things will change for the better, it has only been a few months and ponies are generally reluctant to change. We enjoy the consistency of our world, as the sun and the moon rise at their appointed time, as the weather arrives when it is scheduled, when the crops bloom and bear fruit in their correct seasons. Our world is one of consistency of a constant change we can count upon not of changes we can not, it will not be easy to alter the minds of ponies to accept new changes. Even if we were to force them to accept new laws, it would only exist in theory not in practice.” Twilight pushed herself closer, “I know, but it’s frustrating. I want us to be public and it’s hard sometimes being around even friends and family, most have no idea we’re even together and I’m scared of how they would react if they found out.” Luna nuzzled Twilight, “Change is never easy, with our structured world even more so. However some of our friends and family are aware and do support us. When we met on Nightmare Night we were strangers, I only knew you as my sister’s student and my saviour and little else. From you I’ve learned about friendship and our current relationship is because of our friendship. You taught me much about being a true friend and I’m certain if your friends were true they would come to understand or at least accept about us.” Twilight returned the nuzzle, “Right, at this point only Celestia and Spike know for certain. Celestia was a bit shocked at first but she understood. Spike also understood although I’m guessing it’s because of his own feelings for a relationship that likely will never come to fruition.” Luna snortd, “Sister of course understood, her own tysts over the centuries included some interesting paramours and so I had little doubt she would support us. From what you told me of Spike, he grew up in your company and mine sister’s, he too would be more understanding about unusual relationships especially as he is a dragon who holds you a pony in high regards and shares with you a very close relationship.” “Spike would understand, he’s been with me through everything since the day I hatched him. He’s been with me through the good and the bad and he’s been one of my strongest supporters through everything. My friends, I’ve only known them for a few years but I do hope they would understand. It’s my family I’m worried about, Cadance is almost like love ponified but she’s open minded about relationships and so I have little doubt she’ll accept it, Shining may take a little time but I think he’ll come around, but my parents are more traditional so I’m also scared of their reactions.” Luna still with her wing draped over the lavender mare’s back leaned to kiss her, “Regardless of what happens I will be here for you. But I asked you here for another reason. The future is uncertain but there is hope, I hope to allay some of your fears but showing you something.” Twilight turned to her attention to the mare she was cuddling with, “Now I’m curious, what do you have planned?” Luna smiled, “A power of mine is the ability to walk the Dreaming Plains, for me it is much easier but others may learn in time, although I rarely enter the dreams of most unless one is in the throes of a nightmare but I am capable of glimpses of what one may dream of.” Luna turned her head to look at Twilight directly, “There are ponies, few in number but some who dream of greater equality much like you do. Some are like us, in a same-sex relationship but can not express themselves for fear of the repercussion but others are not in such a relationship but disagree with the repealed law. The dreamers are from all walks of life and some are in positions of power. I have watched Equestria closely since my return and this Equestria so different from what I once knew has changed greatly and is continuing to do so. It is far more open between ponies, between ponies and non-equines. The old guard who are set against same-sex marriages are a slowly dying breed, given time and some effort society will change. I wish to teach you Dream Magic, my reasons are twofold. So we may have more time together but also for me to give you hope, the hope that I feel that society is indeed changing and things will get better in time even if it does not seem like it. Perhaps in these brief glimpses we could have ideas of whom we may approach in time to aid in our efforts when the time comes.” Luna lit her horn, “So shall we?” ***** Candy 2 - Maddielittle1998 Original by Maddielittle1998 ***** "Twilight Sparkle! So nice to see you again!" Came an authorative but smooth voice. Twilight winced before she turned around to see her secret lover grinning at her. "V- vice principal Luna!" Twilight looked around her nervously. She always got nervous when she was out in public with her girlfriend. She was almost ten years older than her and if anyone found out... Oh gosh, was Luna wearing a tight black shirt? Oh my... Twilights vision was blurred as her girlfriend greeted her. Her blouse seemed to be just the right fit.And very, very attractive. "Twilight? Are you alright?" Luna said, she had a look of concern on her face, but stayed professional since there were other people around the locker area. Twilight shook herself out of her daydream and nodded quickly. "Of course Luna!" She said in a fake cheery voice. "Gotta go, bye!" She turned and dashed out of the hallway before anyone could see her cheeks turning a deep crimson. Phew! Twilight thought. I really hope we can keep this going... I really care about her. I don't want anything to ruin this relationship. I .... I think I love her.... Meanwhile, Luna stood in front of the students locker area with a surprised look. Twilight has been acting so strange lately. Thought Luna. She hardly has time to come over anymore, she avoids me all day long at school and she doesn't even say much when we are together in secret! She used to be so crazy about Luna that Twilight was the one almost giving them away. It seemed to Luna that Twilight was getting bored of her. This thought almost brought Luna to tears. All this time she figured she was the one who had control in this relationship. She was older after all. But Twilight made her so happy, she was starting to be more dependent on her purple student. Luna walked back to her office in silence. Maybe she has been realizing I'm too old for her and wants another girl her age. She has been hanging out with that one girl lately. What's her name? Applejack? Yes, I think that's her name. Thought Luna bitterly. Twilight and that southern girl were together alone a lot lately. Luna saw them walking home together for the past few days now. When she asked Twilight to come over to her house last week, Twilight had answered her saying she couldn't because Applejack and her were going to do a project together. Luna quickly opened the door to her office and hurried inside. As soon as she sat at her desk, she covered her face with her hands. Please, don't let this be true! > Promise - Knight of Lycaeus > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Knight of Lycaeus ***** “Are you free this weekend?” asked Luna. Her companion seated at a sturdy desk populated by the mountains of paperwork gave her only a terse response, “No.” Luna sighed, “When will you be available then?” “Not soon.” another terse reply. “You do need to leave this room eventually.” Luna argued, “You have more or less shut yourself in for the last few weeks. I do miss having you around and even now I rarely see you during the day.” “Luna….” she began before pausing, taking a deep breath to help calm herself, “Luna, please. I was tasked with going over some of the final reviews for the newly proposed spells that the Magi Council put forth. I really need the time to finish this.” Luna snorted, “Yes, a new excuse like the others. Are you certain you still wish to be with me? Perhaps it is best we end this before either of us hurts the other.” At this Twilight broke her concentration from her work and turned to face her friend, her companion. She sighed, “You’re right, I’ve been burying myself with something or another for well a few months now. Maybe a relationship at this point was not the best idea….” “Maybe not but I do not want to see it just end. So perhaps you could promise yourself this weekend off, let us be together for the weekend and see if we want this relationship to continue as it is?” Twilight thought this over, occasionally glancing at her unfinished work. Taking a deep breath, “You’re right, a weekend off from this would be good. A weekend off with you is even better, perhaps we do need to reevaluate if we want this to continue. Any plans in mind?” Luna gave a slight smile, “Oh, there are some ideas.” > Candy - Maddielittle1998 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Maddielittle1998 ***** Twilight looked at the candies that were neatly placed in rows atop the counter. Joe's Candy shop always had the best selections of sweet and tarty candy. And only the best would be tolerated for this hardcore sweet tooth. She stuck her tongue out in concentration as she observed the two pieces she was contemplating buying. There was the massive rainbow twist jaw breaker. Her taste for it lasted quite a long time during long nights of studying. Then, on the other hand, there were the special limited edition skittles which were also the color of the rainbow which was perfect for when she rested outside on the porch of her house for stargazing. It reminded her of when she was little and used to eat them everyday for a treat. Just when she was about to reach for the last bag of skittles, a blue hand touched hers. "Huh?" Twilight turned to see her vice principal right behind her, smirking. She wore a simple black and blue suit, with her silk blouse showing off her curves very well. She also had on a crescent silver moon necklace that went well with her deep teal eyes. "Why hello, student. So nice to see you." Her sea colored eyes shone with mischief. Twilight nervously looked around the candy shop to see if there were any other people around. Luckily there wasnt anyone in the particular aisle her and the "Vice principal" were in. "Luna! Did you follow me from school?" Twilight said in a hushed whisper. Luna placed her hand on her hip, and one on her chin. "Hmm, it's hard to recall really. Don't worry darling, no one will suspect anything." Luna smiled and booped Twilights nose. "Stop it!" Twilight swatted her girlfriends hand with her own. "If someone sees us...." Twilight sighed and shook her head. Her shoulders slumped slightly. "Why do I keep trying." Luna smiled deviously and gently placed a hand on Twilights arm. "My place? Bring some sweets with you, I have a craving for some raspberry chocolates." Twilight huffed and glared at her secret girlfriend walking out of the aisle. But before she turned the corner, Luna took a blueberry lollipop off of the stand near her, unwrapped it and stuck it in her mouth. Twilight watched as Luna winked at her and turned, disappearing out of her view. Twilight couldn't help but smile. > Daisies - Knight of Lycaeus > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Knight of Lycaeus ***** Twilight stood outside the doors to Luna's chambers, she carried nothing just as Luna had requested and just as requested she had not touch the mountains of paperwork sitting on her desk since last night. This weekend was for the two of them, no work and certainly no crisis dealing. Luna stepped out, "Ready to leave?" Twilight nodded, "Yes, although I wished you would tell me where we're going." "A surprise Twilight" as she wrapped a wing over the smaller alicorn. She lit her horn and the pair disappeared. They reappeared in middle of a large field dotted with flowers of all types and colours. "Do you remember the place?" Luna asked. Twilight looked around, "I do. We came here the first time we went stargazing beyond Ponyville." "Indeed it is." "It's beautiful here even during the day, but why are we here?" "This field is full of flowers", she used her magic to lift one up, "The most notable are the daisies. A simple flower but for Earth Ponies of old there was special meaning to such a simple flower. I'm unsure if those meanings persist but to them the flower represented innocence, purity, beauty, patience, and simplicity but most importantly it represented a loyal love. All traits that you possess." "B-but how? I've been busying myself, how could you still consider me loyal in spite of that?" "Because you are. There's an old adage which was that the greatest love one could give to another is to sacrifice their life for them, to lay down their life for their friends. You've done that", Luna sighed, "That first night we met you risked life and limb to face a deadly foe and in doing so, you saved me from the Nightmare. We may not have been friends yet, but to me it counted. When I returned to Ponyville for Nightmare Night, you stayed with me even as others fled and you helped when no pony else would. You've demonstrated that you are self-sacrificing and loyal. I know that these last few months have been difficult, the transition of your new role has not been all that smooth but I suspect there is more to it. All I ask is that you tell me when you are ready for I am here and ready to listen." Twilight was stunned and took a while to respond, "T-Thank you Luna. I'll admit there are things bothering me but also that I'm not really ready to talk but thank you, when I'm ready I'll tell you." Luna smiled, "Good, now for the other reason we are here." Her magic brought out a picnic basket, "Lunch?" > Sun - Fuzzyfurvert > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Fuzzyfurvert ***** Luna groaned into the filthy heap of straw that served as her pillow and bedding. It smelled of sweat and bile and sickness but it kept her warm and off the hard stone floor of the cave. Her head swam and felt like it was on fire while her back was one numb ache. She was supposed to be dead. The fever took every pony that came in contact with it. It had taken her parents just a month ago. Luna rolled her head and hacked up a mouthful of...something. It didn’t taste of sickness. It was sweet and thick like syrup. She didn’t recall drinking anything since the fever had robbed her of balance and she had collapsed into the hay that cradled her now. “Wha...?” Luna gurgled and coughed again. “Sister?” Luna forced her eyes open and looked up at the last pony she expected to see. “Tia? Is...is that truly you or am I imagining things again?” Celestia, resplendent in her golden armor with flowing rainbow mane and old jagged scars, stood over her with the stupidest looking grin Luna could recall seeing on her sister. “I am not a dream, Lulu. I returned from my quest just this morn to find our parents passed and buried and you about to venture into the void with them.” Celestia eased herself into a comfortable seated position, her legs tucked under herself as her plate armor clacked and jingled like a dozen dull bells being rung at once. “I was almost too late. Some protector of ponies I am.” Luna smiled slowly. “I thought I would never see you again but here we are. So, I suppose those freak wings of yours are good for something.” Celestia’s grin fell slightly and she looked uncomfortable. “About that...how do you feel, Lulu?” “Quite not dead, thank you. My head still feels thick and my back is numb from the shoulders to my haunches.” Luna let her head rest back against the straw and looked past her sister and out the cave mouth into the swirling snows. “I had a very strange dream as I lay here waiting for death.” “A dream?” “More a vision.” Luna breathed deeply as her mind resorted the images and sounds she experienced in the grip of fever. “I saw a great white castle. And a small lavender mare with eyes similar to yours. Her’s were prettier though.” Luna smirked at the irked look on her sister’s face. “She was a great hero, I think, like you. An evil threatened the castle and I could not find you, no matter where I looked. This little pony came to save us, I think? Or, maybe I saved her? We were companions...I think?” “My sister, the seer.” Celestia snorted. “Are you always this articulate when you speak with others in the dreamworld?” Luna frowned. “No. Usually I don’t make sense at all.” She giggled softly. “My own dreams are...hard to describe. They are layered in a way that makes storytelling hard. And that is when I remember them. This was so vivid though, Tia, I could feel it. Feel her.” “Feel her?” Luna blinked rapidly and blushed. “Well...you know what I mean. But...we were close, I think, this pretty mare and I. She laughed with me, sung songs with me, we danced...maybe and maybe we did more. I think she loved me. It’s hard to remember it all and put it in words. She was very important to me. To you as well, though I cannot recall why. Maybe you taught her to fight?” Luna sighed. “I remember that the evil threatened the castle and all ponies. You were...missing? I had to save everypony and this mare helped me.” Luna fell silent for a while. “Does a star surrounded by five smaller stars mean anything to you? It seems important for some reason.” Celestia shook her head. “No, it means nothing to me. But this wouldn’t be the first time you’ve divined the future, sister. Perhaps it will be important later.” Celestia leaned forward, the light reflected from her armor casting strange shadows as she did so. “Do you remember telling me how you dreamed of flying by my side on day?” Luna nodded. “Yes, that was many years ago now. I was still a daydreaming foal then.” She watched her sister’s face carefully. “Why do you bring that up?” “Because now that my quest is over, we can see about that making that a reality.” “My magic is for dream hopping, Tia, not cloud hopping.” Luna smiled and tilted her head slightly. “Is it truly over? Are we safe?” “All the titans have fallen, Lulu.” Luna’s smiled widened and she started to laugh, her body feeling less ill and heavy with every gaffaw. “Really? You are the last?” “Well…” Celestia looked uncomfortable again. “Perhaps I am not the last, nor shall I ever be. I have you with me, Lulu, forever now.” “What is that supposed to mean?” Luna lifted her head as her body continued to regain its strength. She forced a hoof underneath herself and started to work her way up. “The other titans are no more, right? They won’t prey upon ponies again...right?” “No.” Celestia looked down, her eyes hard. “I took care of that. They will never return. I am the only true born titan that still walks this world. That’s why...I did what I must. As I have always done.” Luna opened her mouth to speak but said nothing as Celestia gestured at Luna’s sides with a graceful sweep of her horn. Luna turned again and got her other forehoof under herself as she looked at her still numb back. It looked red and ugly. Her matted coat needed a good brushing, she noted idly. Sprouting from her once smooth and graceful shoulders were two huge wings covered on downy plumage the same color as her fur where it wasn’t covered in dried blood. Flight lessons would have to wait however. Right now, Luna could only scream. > Rainbow - Fuzzyfurvert > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Fuzzyfurvert ***** Twilight mumbled to herself, working the end of her quill with her teeth into a ratty mess, as she glared at the pile of paperwork in front of her. She looked over at the abacus by her side for what must have been the hundredth time and huffed loudly. Luna watched Twilight in silence. She’d seen the behavior often enough to know when Twilight was stuck in some problem and didn’t like the answer, so she kept checking and re-checking to find where the mistake was in her math or logic. Luna shook her head as Twilight turned back to the paper and start then stop, only to start and then stop again in frustration. Twilight spat out the quill in her mouth and stood up quickly in their cramped quarters and turned around to look at the large rainbow colored spectrometer graphs. “This is impossible!” “What is?” Twilight looked over at Luna where she reclined on their shared bed. “This planet’s composition. It’s way too big to be a rocky planet!” “Twilight, we’ve found other super-equus planets before. What makes this one so special?” Luna grimaced and shifted position slightly. “Talk me through it, my love. I’ve been stuck away from the telescope all night.” Twilight’s face softened and she stepped over to the glorified bunk where her wife was relaxing. She took a seat on the edge and ran a hoof through Luna’s mane. “You remember that sun-like star in the Keplar system we found a last year and detected a significant wobble? We both thought it was a gas giant that was causing it. Last night I got the data in to do the calculations. According to the Doppler measurements of the wobble, this planet is big. Almost seventeen times the mass of Equus.” “That is quite the mass.” Luna smiled at Twilight and moved to rest her head in the younger alicorn’s lap. “It is nowhere near the largest planets we’ve measured though.” “True, but all of those planets are gas giants.” Twilight sighed and stroked her hoof along Luna’s brow. “Once I had the mass, I did the calculations for the volume assuming a spherical body and measuring the occults of the stellar surface to get the diameter.” “Mmmm...talk calculus to me. Slowly.” Luna purred as she rubbed her cheek into Twilight’s tummy. “And don’t stop rubbing my temples. These new duties of mine don’t exercise my mind so much as frustrate it.” Twilight chuckled and started to work her hoof in circles around Luna’s horn. “Well, as you know finding the density is merely as simple as taking the mass and dividing it by the volume. When I did, that’s where this little problem comes in. The density is five point four, Luna.” “Oh my.” Luna closed her eyes and sighed. “Oh my your hoof feels good...keep it up, my sweet Evening Star.” “Pay attention, please!” Twilight sighed and rolled her eyes. “Five point four is practically the same density as our own planet! It’s a rocky planet that is as big as a gas giant! Everything we’ve pieced together about how planets are formed says that is impossible.” Luna groaned wordlessly and rolled over slightly and opened her bright teal eyes to gaze up at Twilight. “Nothing is impossible, Twilight, you know that. It simply means that we re-evaluate what we know about planet formation. But if it will make you feel better, I will check the calculations to make sure, ok? Besides, I believe it is your turn to feed Nova. I think I’m running dry.” Luna shrugged the heavy woolen blanket off herself and gestured at the red colored foal attached to one of her teats. “A warning however, he is starting to bite pretty hard.” Twilight groaned and let herself fall backward into the bunk. “Do I have to? Fathers don’t breastfeed!” Luna lifted their foal to her chest and fixed Twilight with a glare. “These are new and strange modern times indeed, eh? Welcome to my world. Now feed him or I will unorganize your historical charts and graphs collection.” > Original - Starlight Shadow > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Starlight Shadow ***** Luna stared up at the night sky, brow furrowed in concentration as Twilight sat on her back wrapped in a blanket and made corrections to their little pet project. "Move that one over just a little bit please..." Luna let out a quick sigh that sounded like an annoyed puppy. They were trying to make an original constellation, one that wasn't even remotely similar to any other. That required charting stars, moving stars, moving the stars around them so they didn't throw any cosmic balance off, and repeating the process over and over and over again. Oh, and a few calm-down potions for Twilight. "No, maybe it should go there instead..." "Twilight?" Luna asked, trying to hide the slight annoyance in her voice. "What?" Twilight peered at Luna from up on her back. "Do you think we could just leave it like this? I think it looks how we wanted it to." Twilight climbed down off of Luna, looking up at their constellation. It looked like two wings, each star within the outline perfectly arranged to give the appearance of feathers. It was in just the right place in the sky so they would be deep purple, similar to both Twilight and Luna. Twilight hugged the princess. "You're right. It's fine. Completely original, by us." "By us, and for us." Luna returned Twilight's embrace. > Tourist - Knight of Lycaeus > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Knight of Lycaeus ***** After the picnic lunch both ponies settled to calmly enjoy the day. For a few hours they relaxed in each other's company. Just before the moon was to rise Luna moved to stand up. "The moon needs to be raised soon" she turned to face the seated alicorn, "Before I had asked if you would like to aid me in rising the moon and you had declined. Perhaps tonight you will join me?" Twilight sat still thinking it over before nodding, "I would love to" she said as she rose to her hooves. "What should I do?" "Allow your magic to flow as mine does, allow your power to travel from yourself to the moon. To raise it is unlike the sun, the sun needs strength while the moon requires a gentler touch as it is much closer and has a more profound direct effect." Together the two alicorns lit their horns, the elder of the two began weaving the flow needed to guide the moon upwards while the younger followed adding her own magic to spell. Together they raised the moon bringing it to its path in the sky. Then the elder painted the night skies in the lights of the stars while the young settled to watch the sky become awash in the light of the risen moon and stars. Luna instead of joining Twilight on the grass when the spectacle finished remained standing, "Twilight, will you come with me?" Twilight was slightly confused, usually after Luna raised the moon and the stars she would join Twilight in their mutual hobby of stargazing. Despite her confusion he rose again and found Luna's wing draped over her back. Together the pair disappeared from the field of flowers. When Twilight looked out again she saw rocks, dust, plains as far as the eye could see. The air was silent and coupled with the empty lands gave the feeling of the void. Looking up however revealed even more lights shining from above than ever before but she saw no signs of the moon only a sphere of blue and green.... "Luna" she cried her voice filled with awe as the pieces fell in place, "Is this the moon?" Luna smiled, "It is. I have wanted to show you the moon for sometime now and here we are. A land barren of life yet easily sees a place brimming with life. A place so quiet and so different from the bustle of the planet." "It's amazing. I never thought I could see the stars so well, seeing them here is nothing like seeing them back home." A brief thought flashed in her mind, "Luna are you okay with being here?" Twilight said in a concerned tone, "I don't want to be here if you aren't." "Being here is fine with me. My time locked here was hazy at best, much of it was in hibernation awaiting my chance to one day return home. The reasons I brought you here are twofold, the first is that I wish to share myself with you. The moon is part of who I am, I am the moon and it is me; my powers are drawn from the moon and its magics. We may not have been together long but I found myself savouring every moment that we are together. It is too soon even for me, me a being more accustom to the traditions of days long past, to know how things will come to be between us or if it will last. But that is my hope, that we as a couple will last." Twilight swallowed, "Luna, that's what I hoped for as well" she turned her eyes towards the other alicorn, "Everything has changed so quickly, I'm so unsure of what the future is like now. For so long I had control, I knew what I wanted out of life and where I wanted to be or so I thought. I then made friends I never anticipated having, saved the world which I thought I would never do, found love that I always thought wasn't for me, then I ascended and became a Princess. A role I still question, am I worthy or even right for this role, can I lead ponies, can I help them. These are only some of the doubts and problems I've been carrying lately and part of why I've been so distant. Throwing myself into work, any work is how I used to cope with things." Twilight moved to embraced Luna, "I'm sorry. You were right though, a romance at this juncture may not be the best idea but at the same time I don't want to lose you." Luna returned the embrace with a gentle kiss, "You shall not lose me, this weekend was for us to reconnect. For us to recover and hopefully rediscover the spark between us. In spite of my long years I cannot claim to know everything but I will try. Especially if it is for us. This was for the other reason I had brought you here. You welcomed me and guided my transition to the new Equestria, one alien from what I once knew. I wish to return that favour, I wish to open your eyes to locales others have never glimpsed nor will likely ever see. In our youth sister and I visited dimensions and places so similar and so different than our own. You know of the dining hall my sister had built in a remote location as well as the other less well known remote eatery she had built. Both are pale imitations of places we saw on our travels, someday I wish to bring you there and show to you the true depths of the mysteries and wonders our world and ours have to offer. To your unspoken question, travel is nigh impossible for most. For alicorns and others like us travel to these locales is possible; you are young in your powers and I wish to wait some time more for you to grow into them so that travel would be easier." Twilight stunned sat thinking of Luna's words, "Luna, to see the moon like this was a dream come true. I never imagined how the stars could look like from here. I'm already glad you brought me to such an important place for you and someday I would love to see those places." > Sermonolatry - Starlight Shadow > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Starlight Shadow ***** Clover knelt in prayer on one of the many mats within the small church, murmuring her prayers feverishly. She was praying to Luna, as she always did during the last vestiges of evening, when the sky grew dark as the Ever-Glorious Luna called forth the moon, and the candles that were always at the ready were lit, giving the room an almost ethereal atmosphere. She was going to be a High Priestess someday, she was destined for it; that was what the priest had said, and the priest spoke nothing but truth. And as such, she had to pray. Pray every day, twice a day, at dawn as well as at her usual time, to make up for the feelings she had been experiencing. Clover the Clever had a crush on the Ever-Glorious Luna. She had for a month now. How could anypony not fall in love with such a perfect creature? She was benevolent and wise, as well as beautiful and all-knowing. She was Clover's everything. But such feelings were as good as banned. How the priest had scolded her when she told him of her crush. The Ever-Glorious Luna was a deity, a goddess made flesh. She was beneath her, nothing more than the dirt on her pristine silver shoes. But pray as she might, block out the thoughts as best she could, it was hopeless. She finished her prayers with "Amen" as she always did, and a sigh. She exited the church, the silver crescent moon connected to a sun that she wore around her neck gently whacking against her chest as she speed-walked out. As soon as she closed the doors, making sure they locked behind her, she heard a voice. "Clover the Clever?" She turned to face the speaker before gasping and throwing herself to the ground in a sloppy bow. It was the Ever-Glorious Luna, regalia and all, right in front of her. "Rise, young pony." Luna assessed the violet mare as she scrambled to her hooves. "We would like to tell you that we admire your dedication in your prayer." She gently nuzzled Clover. "We would like to see you around the castle sometime." "Y-yes, t-thank you, O Ever-Glorious Luna." Clover stuttered in reply. Luna nodded and walked off toward the castle where she and her sister lived. Clover's heart skipped several beats. She nuzzled me. She admired me. She likes me too. > Coltfriend - The Princess Rarity > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: The Princess Rarity ***** Luna was furious. No, she was livid. Positively rage-filled. This wasn’t possible. Most importantly, it didn’t make any sense. She was pacing back and forth in the main hall of Canterlot Castle, thinking hard to try and figure out how all of this was possible. It just didn’t add up. She was trying to make heads or tails of anything that was occurring in the other room down the hall, but her result was always confusion. Her anger was dissolving into perplexion. All she wanted was an answer… and it was one that she didn’t want to realize. Laughter was heard in the dining room, and Luna hesitantly stepped forward, pushing the door open ever-so-slightly. She was spying in on the dinner she should have been attending, but she couldn’t sit at a table where everything was so strange to her. Time didn’t simply fly by - it was as if somepony had pressed the fast forward button and now it was stuck. For a moment, Luna felt herself freeze as she met Twilight’s gaze. With a silent head-shake, as if to keep her whereabouts hidden, Luna disappeared back into the hall. She let out uneasy breaths and screwed her eyes shut. This was a bad dream. It had to have been. She would wake up, and instead, it would be exactly like it was before… ...years ago, when their daughter was still a young, innocent child. Now, in that dining hall, Princess Astra Selene was twenty-three years old and engaged to a sergeant in the Royal Guard who was a part-time librarian. Luna’s constant question, was how? It seemed like it wasn’t that long ago Twilight was fainting in the delivery room on the day Astra was born. Luna smirked at the memory. And so many other recollections of their daughter -- full of joy, pain and bittersweetness. From the time they found out Astra had dyslexia to the day she showed how generous she really was, by opening up shelters for homeless ponies. Their little Princess really did grow up to do great things: just as Luna had always hoped and predicted. But now? Inside that dining hall, they were planning a Royal Wedding. While Luna was happy for her daughter, she was still in shock and disbelief at the news. By all standards, Astra was definitely not stupid. She knew how to judge ponies easily, even if she had a golden heart that could be vulnerable from time to time. Besides, she had been dating this Solar Flare colt for a little over five years. He was no stranger, and seemed very proper, with a good soul. Before, Luna was happy. Her daughter was content and in love. Then, suddenly, the tables were turned and the world flipped upside down. “What are you doing out here?” Luna froze as she heard her wife’s voice. A sigh escaped her, and she looked over her shoulder. “Just thinking,” she admitted. Twilight closed the door behind her, and looked back to her wife, raising an eyebrow as she did so. Her expression clearly gave away the fact that she wasn’t buying it. With a wave of her hoof, she encouraged Luna to continue speaking her thoughts. “It’s nothing important,” Luna grumbled. “Luna,” Twilight said, in a stern yet heartfelt tone. “Talk to me.” “I --” Luna felt herself getting defensive and she scowled. “It doesn’t feel right. I can’t sit there, and face the truth.” She swallowed. “Whatever happened to the little filly who would tear apart your library and disorganize everything? The one who woke me up at the crack of dawn?” A breathless laugh escaped her. “Our little star isn’t so little anymore. She used to run through these halls, screaming because that pesky owl of yours scared the living daylights out of her. We taught her how to fly here, and I remember how she would beg and plead every night to help me raise the moon.” She threatened to cry, but wiped away the single tear that almost slid down her cheek. “I feel like such a silly sentimental old fool.” Twilight now had a bittersweet smile on her expression as she leaned in and affectionately nuzzled her wife in a comforting manner. “I know,” she murmured, as she placed a kiss on Luna’s forehead. “I miss all of that too.” She chuckled. “I’m still upset that her first word wasn’t Book.” The slight joke made Luna cough out a laugh. “It’s just… now, she’s getting married. For heaven’s sake, at her age, I was co-ruling an Empire, not worrying about a wedding,” Luna muttered. She glanced back to the door and released an uneasy breath. “I’m happy for her, I really am, but I can’t help but wonder.” “Astra is going to make an amazing ruler when she gets older,” Twilight assured. “Right now, she’s still growing up. And we did promise we wanted a normal life for her, right? Luna nodded. “But if only we could turn back time, just for one day,” she mused. Twilight sighed. “I know,” she whispered. The two of them were suddenly surprised as the door to the dining room swung open, and there stood their daughter -- Astra, all grown-up. Memories of the rambunctious, intelligent and talkative filly that they raised flashed in Luna’s mind as she spoke up. “Forgive us, Astra, we were simply taking a break,” she said. “How are the plans going?” “They’re going well,” Astra assured to her mothers. She looked between the two of them for a moment, and cleared her throat. “Mom, can I talk to you for a little while? Alone?” Luna’s confusion temporarily returned, but she nodded. “Of course.” Astra smiled, and waved a wing. “This won’t take long,” she said. With the slightest bit of reluctance, Luna eventually started following her daughter through the halls of the Castle. An odd moment of silence passed, when Astra broke it -- speaking up in her chipper and sweet, yet solid and stern tone of voice. “I wanted to ask you a favor.” “Anything you want,” Luna replied, with a warm smile. Anything your heart desires, little star. All of that and more, it’s yours. was the promise she used to tell Astra every night before bedtime. And throughout the years, Luna could proudly say that she had done very good on her promise. “Would you be the one to lead the ceremony?” Astra inquired. “I… I would really appreciated it if you did. It would mean a lot to me.” Luna nodded. “I’d be honored,” she murmured. Astra smiled wide. “Thanks, Mommy.” she beamed as she wrapped her forelegs around her mother in a tight hug. “You… haven’t called me that in a long time,” Luna observed. “I know,” Astra said. “Sorry.” As mother and daughter pulled away from the hug, Luna genuinely smiled. “No need to apologize, little star,” she assured. “I understand.” “Thank you,” Astra repeated. Seeing the joy and happiness sparkling in the identical pair of stardust-colored eyes that matched her own, Luna couldn’t wipe the grin off of her face. While having the younger version of her daughter might have been more preferable… this moment was fine, right here, right now. Children grow old while their minds and souls mature. That was a rule in life, but Luna realized that growing up was a flexible thing. Astra still had that sweet spirit… ...so no matter what, Luna would always have her little girl. > Paparazzi - Starlight Shadow > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Starlight Shadow ***** Twilight coughed and nudged Luna, discreetly gesturing to the photographers lurking in the nearby bushes. Luna rested a hoof on Twilight's, silently telling her to ignore them. They were out at Crescent Cafe, their preferred place to sip coffee and discuss astronomy. It was a lovely place, with the kind of simple homeyness not usually found in the austere city of Canterlot. After about a half hour which consisted of three cups of coffee and pretending not to notice the photographers, Twilight snapped. "You know what? I can't do this. Ever since Astra was born, the paparazzi have been all over us. I love her, really Luna, but it's nice to have a little me-and-you time, you know?" Luna nodded, letting Twilight rant before the inevitable. "And I can't even have that!" She stormed over to the bush where they were hiding. "Out of there, now." she ordered. The paparazzi (of which there were three) quickly jumped out of the bush and faced Princess Twilight. She took the photos from one of them and destroyed them with a quick burst of concentrated fire. She pointed at all of them in turn. "You three will leave us alone or I'm going to toss you in prison for harassment. Or something." She grabbed Luna by the hoof, tossing a few bits onto the table. "Come on, Luna." As the royal couple headed off, they were unaware of the paparazzi snapping pictures as they left. > Sled - Starlight Shadow > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Starlight Shadow ***** "Luna, are you sure this is a good idea?" Twilight asked anxiously as she strapped on her helmet and knee pads, as well as wing guards. "Positive. Besides, it's for science." Luna said, crouched in a predator's stance while she gripped the plastic sled firmly in her magic, waiting for Twilight to give her the go-ahead. Twilight sighed. "I guess you're right." She was doing some research on propulsion magic, and after a few calculations, she had come to the conclusion that it was possible to fly across Canterlot without wings or chariots. Luna overheard this and gleefully suggested they test this theory. And since it was the middle of winter, they decided it was only logical to use a sled. And that's why Twilight Sparkle was currently on the roof of Canterlot Castle above her study being strapped into a plastic sled and numerous pieces of "armor", including but not limited to a thick winter coat, wing guards, a helmet, goggles, and a few pillows. She now resembled a stuffed toy. With a final snap, Luna fused the ends of the thick strip of fabric they were using as a seatbelt to each side of the sled. "Are you ready?" Twilight lit her horn in preparation for the spell and nodded. "Launch in three, two, one..." "FOR SCIENCE!" The second Luna pushed Twilight, she detonated her spell, and she went rocketing off the castle roof and into an arc across the sky. To ponies safely on the ground, it would look like a screaming purple pony-sized marshmallow was flying through the air while Princess Luna flew under it. Twilight was having the ride of her life. She was flying through the air without her wings or a chariot or any sort of aide. It was almost like teleporting, only much more frightening and with a much higher chance of failure. And in the midst of her terror, she noticed with alarm she was falling. "Luna!" And then she wasn't falling anymore. She was safely in the grip of the navy blue alicorn that she loved, and she was alive and safe and she was still buckled to the sled. She un-fused the fabric strip and planted a kiss on Luna's lips just so she could know the sensation of it and reassure herself that she was indeed alive. She snuggled a little deeper into Luna's embrace as they flew back into her study window. Once they were safely inside the heated castle, Twilight took off all her winter gear and safety measures. Then she immediately rushed to her desk, scribbling notes. "Twilight..." Luna started, but Twilight ignored her. "I need to reconfigure these calculations, and this spell matrix here most likely, figure out what went wrong..." "Twilight. Relax for a little while, please. You worry me." Luna gave Twilight a hug. Twilight gave her a cheery smile. "Isn't that why you love me?" "One of the reasons why, yes. Now, come here and snuggle with me before you work yourself anymore." Luna picked Twilight up despite her half-hearted protests, and placed her on the cot Twilight had in her study to make sure she slept at least a little, and gently stroked her mane until she fell asleep. > Filly - Knight of Lycaeus > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Knight of Lycaeus ***** They spent the rest of the night on the moon, Luna had used her magic to conjure a small dwelling with enough food and comforts to last them the night. They settled in to watch the stars which shone more brightly and more clearly than they had back in Equestria. The next morning or what Luna claimed as morning looked no different to Twilight than night on the moon had although she attributed to the different rate of rotation of the moon. Luna guiding their teleport the pair left the moon for their usual destination; nights spent stargazing was common for the two as was falling asleep in each other's hooves. The following morning likewise had a similar ritual, it seemed mundane compared to the previous night but no less important, breakfast at Pony Joe's. The Triarchs of Equestria all held fondness for the shop, its friendly shopkeeper, and its delicious wares, so much so that it inevitably became part of Twilight and Luna's regular stargazing ritual. Invigorated now by fresh donuts and steaming hot cups of tea and coffee, the second and last day of their weekend together began. Today Luna led Twilight to a few places across the world, these were forgotten locales. Locations once of great significance but now people and time had forgotten leaving them to ruin. Their last stop was also where Luna had planned to have dinner. "You brought us to your old castle for dinner?" asked a confused Twilight. "Indeed, the Everfree Castle is a place of importance for us both." Twilight turned to face Luna, "You're fine being here?" Luna sighed, "Despite what did happen here it is still somewhere I have fond memories of." she closed her eyes thinking of the time she spent here, "This place once served as the last bastion from Discord's chaos, the powerful magics in this forest sheltered us which is why it and the castle bears the name "Everfree". I do not mind being here, I have been striving to not let the past weigh me down and being here and on the moon were part of that." "If you're sure" Twilight began before trailing off. "I am, the past will always be with me. With the many millenniums I've been alive that especially holds true." Luna paused when she noticed the slightly distracted look on Twilight's face. "Something else is still troubling you, more than what you told me before." Twilight sighed, "There is, it's something that has always been with me in a way. From what Celestia and you have discussed, alicorns are ageless capable of surviving many centuries." she looked over at her wings, "I'm one now, ascension was never something I even thought was possible but my new role makes me stand out. Again." "Elaborate for me please, I know the present you but little of before." Twilight nodded, "Growing up as a noble in Canterlot meant I was supposed to distinguish myself and my family. But I had a different problem, I've always enjoyed keeping to myself as the many librarians of the city will attest to. But I also had the challenge of being above others, I never wanted to put myself so above everypony but they saw me as above and even beyond them. My intelligence and my sheer raw power in magic isolated me, pushed me out in front of others. Becoming the Ponyville librarian was a fresh start in a way, ponies didn't stare at me in fear of what I could do or beg me to help them. I was one of the community, an equal. Ascension and coronation placed me outside again, even among the others Princesses I feel alone. All of you have a better grasp and understanding of your roles, I feel caught between my role as Ponyville's bookworm librarian and as Equestria'a newest Princess with an uncertain role." Luna just stood there, her mind mulling over each thought her marefriend was bringing to light. "I understand. More than maybe you know right now but I understand. I too have felt as an outsider, in the before I was the "lesser" Princess yet I was also a skilled mage. I was once one of the more respected experts on magic yet few knew that, even fewer ever approached me about it. Now in the after, I feel alone again. Alone in a world so different than what I had left, returning to a role so similar yet different, not the warrior-princess of old as our role now is to negotiate through words not by the sword. Words is my sister's strength not so much mine. I have also found myself woefully inadequate as a mage, outclassed not by the Archmage but by a humble student in magic." At this Luna stepped closer to Twilight to embrace her, "I found myself outclassed, even my millenniums of knowledge paled to what you could do and what potential you possess. I am caught between the rougher world of before and the peace of now. Perhaps this is a reason why we found solace with each other. In a way we both understand what it means to stand out, what it means to be caught between roles and expectations, we are kindred spirits. We are alone save for some who know us; save for even fewer who understands us. If you are caught then I am as well, the words I spoke last night was the truth. You shall not lose me and I will be with you as you are with me, we walk together in learning and understanding what our roles are, of who we are now and who we are meant to be." Twilight just stood there as Luna defeated her fears and insecurities, everything she had been struggling with. "Thank you Luna. I'm glad you're here with me. Thank you for this weekend, I glad to learn I'm not as alone as I thought. I love you Luna" leaning in to kiss her tenderly on the lips. > Typo - Drizzle Quill > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Drizzle Quill ***** “It has to have been a typo.” Twilight Velvet glanced over at her husband, furrowed her brow, and shook her head. “It can’t have been. Nopony would mess up so horribly on such an announcement. But…” She swallowed. “It doesn’t make sense. My Twili would never…never…” “We both know that.” Night Light prodded the parchment with one hoof. “That’s why it has to have been a typo. This isn’t Twili. This isn’t who she is. And quite frankly, I doubt it’s who the princess is either.” Velvet’s mouth opened in a perfectly round ‘o.’ “But it could be,” she countered. “You don’t think Luna forced this onto poor Twili, do you?” Night Light’s eyes bulged. “By Celestia’s name…” “She did use to be Nightmare Moon,” Velvet murmured under her breath. “Who knows how much of that disgusting personality she still has left in her?” Husband and wife stared at each other in utmost horror. “We have to tell Twilight,” Velvet breathed in a hoarse whisper. As if on cue, there came a loud rap at the door, followed by said Twilight making her way inside. She seemed unusually happy, skipping about with her eyes sparkling like stars. She was even humming some obscure tune that her parents had never heard before, and launched onto her mother like glue, enveloping her in a choking hug. “Hi, Mom!” With a little squeal she did the same to Night Light, nuzzling him and giggling despite herself. “Hi, Dad! Did you guys hear the good news?” Velvet and Night looked at each other. “Good news?” Velvet asked cautiously. “Have you not heard the announcement yet?” Twilight asked, detaching herself from her father and trotting around him. “No, we’ve heard the announcement,” Night said. He gave his daughter a sheepish grin before turning away. “And…we’re not sure we want you and Luna to go through with this.” Twilight’s excited smile fell as fast as one could say ‘oh.’ “Oh,” she said, blinking in surprise. “But…you…” Her voice caught. “You…you aren’t…?” Velvet, never one to enjoy seeing her daughter in pain, swallowed. “Oh, Twili…it’s just not something we approve of, is all.” Twilight’s next mumble was little more than a whisper. “But…you’re not homophobic, are you?” Night actually fell backwards in surprise. “Of course not! My best friend in school was – never mind that. We’re not concerned about that, we’re concerned, about…well…” “You don’t like that we’re getting married?” Twilight shot back. The room fell so silent you could hear a pin drop. “That’s…not what the announcement says, dearie,” Velvet finally managed to squeak up. Twilight cocked her head to the side. “Sure it does! ‘You are hereby invited to the bonding celebration of Princess Twilight Sparkle and Princess Luna of Equestria.’ That’s what it says, right?” She stared at her parents, expression slowly faltering. “…right?” Night swallowed. “It’s supposed to say ‘bonding celebration’?” “Yes. Luna wanted it printed that way. She says it’s how they did it in olden Equestria, though I think she just wants an excuse for our marriage – bonding – to sound even more special.” Twilight smiled for a moment, and then frowned. “So what does it say, then?” No answer. “Mom? Dad?” Slowly Velvet pushed the paper to her daughter. Twilight skimmed it, then blinked, face going red. “Oh! Oh! No, nononono! I – I…this is a typo, Mom. Dad, I promise you this is a typo.” Night sighed in relief; Velvet enveloped her daughter in a hug. “Don’t worry, dearie.” She laughed sheepishly. “We knew it was a typo all along.” ‘You are hereby invited to the bondage celebration of Princess Twilight Sparkle and Princess Luna of Equestria.’ > Father - Starlight Shadow > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Starlight Shadow ***** Night Light smiled and laughed along with everypony else as they sat and talked about the reception and congratulated the happy couple. They were discussing their honeymoon now. Everywhere from Fillydelphia to Zebrica had been suggested, and Twilight had jokingly suggested the moon, which caused everypony to crack up. He was happy for them, really - but he still blinked away tears. Twilight was married. His little girl. His Twily was all grown up. Every parent knew that some day, they had to let their children go. Teach them to fly so they could leave the nest someday. But that didn't make it any easier. Both their children had flown rather early. Shining Armor had left as soon as he was eighteen to go join the Guard. They had accepted his decision, and were extremely proud of him. He could see him across the table with Cadance, smiling uncontrollably and patting Twilight on the back. Twilight had flown even younger, when she was seven. Seven. They'd seen her last at her brother's wedding, and she was a full-grown mare. They had missed her first crush, her first zit, her first dance. So many firsts all slipped between him and Velvet's hooves. She had become a princess a year ago. Now she was married to Princess Luna. It felt like he had opened a book right at the end, when the main character succeeds, and missed all the steps in between to see how they got there. He sucked in a watery breath as his eyes began to burn. Hours later, when Twilight and Luna were about to depart for the castle, he grabbed his daughter and pulled her in for a hug. He was crying freely now, getting her shoulder all wet, but he didn't care. "I love you, Twily. Don't forget to write." Twilight sniffled. "I love you too, Dad." > Fortress - FinestFantasy13 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: FinestFantasy13 ***** "Twilight, look out!" Luna yelled, dashing forward and slamming her baseball bat into the face of a BLU Pyro while Twilight worked to heal the RED Heavy, Big Macintosh. "Thanks." Twilight replied, turning her Medi-Gun on Luna, who leaned forward and nuzzled her lovingly. "We need to get out of here." Twilight said flatly. "We're gonna get killed out in the open. Let's head for the base. You've got the intel, right?" "Yes." "Alright. Time for an Ubercharge!" Luna's body became wrapped in a red metallic aura as the two of them bolted off towards the RED base. "That was close." Twilight said, running a hoof across her forehead and climbing off of Luna's back. "If that was close, then that Soldier saw my bat flying towards his face." "I guess you're-" Twilight was cut off by Luna lunging forward and kissing her deeply. "These walls are soundproof," Luna told her, " and there's nopony else around." She leaned over and whispered in Twilight's ear, resulting in a heavy blush erupting on the lavender mare's cheeks. The RED Demoman, Soarin', walked through the base's door, looking for the source of the strange noise he had heard. What's that noise? It sounds like... yelling? Is something going on in there? "Show yourselves-" Soarin' stopped in his tracks, seeing Twilight and Luna on the floor in the base. "Leavingnowbye!" He shouted, running out of the room looking as if one of his grenades had gone off inside his head. > S'Mores - Knight of Lycaeus > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Knight of Lycaeus ***** “Camping?” asked a confused Luna, “Are we planning to flee from here or perhaps flee from a dangerous beast that has been loosen upon this world?” “It’s not like that Luna” as Twilight tried to calmly explain her plans for a camping trip for the two of them this upcoming weekend. “Camping is meant to be a recreational activity for all ponies to enjoy. Most see it as a break from civilization but also as spending a bit of time outdoors.” “So camping is not not referring to the temporary stops as we fled from dangers but has become a simple activity to leave the city?” Luna was now sounding more vexed about the issue than confused. “Yes, it has. The greater peace of these past centuries had lessen most of the terrors that ponies face. Most like the idea of camping as it is usually smaller groups spending time together to relax and enjoy being together.” Twilight could see Luna’s slight irritation on the subject and was working on trying to keep Luna calm while she explained things out. “Perhaps we could, but what does one do while on a “camping” trip?” as Luna’s tone moved back towards confusion. :Well when my parents took Shiny and I camping, we would tell stories, maybe sing a song or two….” Twilight trailed off as she noticed Luna didn’t really seemed to enjoy those ideas. “But mostly I took time to go stargazing with my family” at this she saw Luna perk up slightly hearing how camping could involve one of their favourite mutual hobby. “But we would also roast marshmallow and make s’mores.” Luna truly was confused at this point, “What is this s’more, I vaguely recognize the term marshmallow from tales that ponies once spun from their travels in distant lands.” “Ah, a marshmallow is made from a plant. It’s made into a powder and mixed with sugar and some stabilizing ingredients to form a sweet treat. S’mores is using roasted marshmallow with chocolate and graham crackers to make any sweet treat.” “I’m still confused over what ‘camping” is now or what a s’more is but it might be a good way to spend the weekend with you. So I agree, we shall go this weekend.” > Angels - Bekdontraz > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Bekdontraz ***** Twilight curled deeper into the corner of her cell. She found it odd she was still alive, but assumed Shining Armor had something to do with it. The cold metal of her restraining anklet was a strange reminder of the cruel order she’d been a part of. Looking back she found herself counting all the times she’d passed a Unit on her daily routine. How many had helped her Lab work? How long has she ignored the blatantly obvious? A shudder ran through her form and she swallowed, she’d almost done the same to Luna. She stifled tears, how could she ever make this right now? Luna was most likely dead, if not worse. Another cold shiver ran down her spine, Worse. What would they turn her into? What abomination would they create using her? Twilight’s eyes were so tightly shut she didn’t notice the sliver of moonlight making its way down the far wall of her cell. She’d failed to notice the tiny window when she’d been roughly shoved into this small hole to die. It was only a few moments later when she’d stopped wallowing and stood to look around that she say the silver light. She walked over to it as if in a daze and gently pressed her hoof to the wall. Turning she caught sight of the window and blushed feeling the moonlight against her coat. Luna was Alive! She didn’t know how she knew this, but she felt the presence of her angel. Luna had escaped somehow! Twilight laughed, she threw her head back and cackled in mad glee. She turned to stare at the door with wide manic eyes. “See! You aren’t as all powerful as you would pretend!” She found herself screaming with an energy she’d never felt before. A Security Unit marched down the hall, a slit opened on her door and mechanical eyes fed the view of her cell back to the security room. A grim stallion sat behind his console and rolled his eyes. With a press of a button a shock ran up Twilight’s foreleg knocking her out. “Bucking Lunatic..” He muttered to himself before returning to his crossword. Twilight twitched in her induced “sleep” a smile crossing her lips as she was met by her angel in the dreamscape. They’d made a mistake in keeping her alive it seemed, though Luna didn’t explain much. Twilight was content to snuggle into her just happy she was alive. Luna held her little pony in her wings vaguely wondering why Twilight was muttering of angels. > Gold - The Princess Rarity > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: The Princess Rarity ***** “No,” Luna muttered as she eyed the various pieces of jewelry in the chest. “No, definitely not.” She rummaged through irreplaceable diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds and pearls, but nothing seemed to stand out to her. It had to be perfect. But alas, despite their priceless worth, the Canterlot Jewels weren’t enough. “I still say that you’re making a big fuss out of nothing,” Celestia spoke up. “Perhaps you could quit sitting around and help me?” Luna retorted, with a roll of her eyes. She went back to sifting through the gems and necklaces, but nothing stood out to her. Celestia let out a sigh. “You realize that Twilight won’t care about expensive the ring is,” she declared. “She isn’t a material mare, you know.” Despite this, her sister ignored her and emptied the entire chest out on the floor. “Oh, for stars’ sake, Luna, honestly?” Luna shook her head. “You wouldn’t understand, Tia,” she muttered. “I know that she doesn’t care if the ring has jewels or not, but I care. She deserves it.” Celestia gave a small smile. “You really love her, don’t you?” Luna tossed a medium-sized diamond in the air and caught it. “More than anything,” she murmured, looking at her reflection in the gem. “And I know that love is counted in actions, not items, but I can’t help but feel as if--” She let out a frustrated groan. “I - I don’t know. What should I choose? It shouldn’t be too over-the-top, but still something worth marveling over, don’t you think?” “Well,” Celestia pursed her lips, and sifted through the gems. “Perhaps something traditional?” “I’m no expert, but I would say diamonds on silver clashes,” Luna said. She lifted up a golden chain and looked at it thoughtfully. “Aren’t necklaces popular these days?” Celestia shrugged. “I suppose so,” she mused. “Haven’t you thought of a jewel that means something?” Luna levitated up a piece of rose quartz. “I’m not very informed on meanings of gems,” she replied. Celestia gently moved the jewels around, and held out a hoofful of them. “Sapphires, kunzites, labradorites, garnets and amethysts are known to be symbols of pure love,” she explained. “I’m not sure if we have every one of those here, but that’s just an idea. If you’re looking for a gem that would work best--” She dropped most of the gems and held out a single amethyst. “I would suggest this one.” Luna smiled. “It would match her eyes,” she murmured. Celestia placed it into her sister’s hoof, and returned the grin. “Consider it,” she said softly. “And maybe, with this?” She levitated over a golden band that had silver streaks throughout. “A good contrast.” “This was Mother’s,” Luna whispered breathlessly. She took the band hesitantly, and swallowed. Queen Galactica had proudly worn this ring all through her years, even after King Solaris’s death. When she was murdered, with no body found, all that’s left was her regalia… and this ring. “Tia, I - I couldn’t-” “-it’s what you’re looking for, Luna. Simple, yet worth extreme value.” “But-” Luna swallowed. “-should I? Really?” Celestia nodded. Luna placed the amethyst right over the band and held them together. She had a bittersweet smile, and released a heavy breath. “Well, then,” she said. “A trip to the jeweler’s should fix this. And then-” Her expression morphed into anxiety. “-do you think she’ll say yes?” Celestia let out a soft laugh. “How could she not?” Luna gave a hopeful grin. “Don’t get your mare of honor dress out just yet, Sister,” she teased. She looked to the ring and the jewel once more, and held them next to each other. Twilight would look positively radiant... > Dance - Honey Mead > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Honey Mead ***** “Art thou certain?” Twilight gulped a breath. Her coat was heavy with froth and her legs aching and tired. Still, she nodded. “Yes…” Luna, however, wasn’t fooled. “Neigh, Twilight, you are exhausted. ‘Twouldn’t do—” Glaring at her hooves, Twilight’s voice took on a strange mixture of pleading and demanding, “No. Please, I can do this!” The tip of her wing, Luna forced their eyes to meet. “Neigh, I say again. Tis no shame—” Again, Twilight cut her off. “No! This… this is important. I need to get this right and we don’t have time for breaks.” Luna sighed, but nodded in acquiescence. Restarting the record player with her magic, the couple moved back into position to await the music. A duet of piano and cello drifted out of the brass speaker, and they began to move. Stepping together, their necks crossed, barrels pressed together as they took their first steps together. Luna led, using the contact to guide the younger alicorn through the movements. In perfect synchronicity, their wings opened and reached forward, creating a canopy over their heads. After making a circuit around the floor, they finally broke apart, Twilight’s left wing never leaving contact with Luna’s right as she turned. Side-by-side, they took a slow trot halfway back. There, they reared up and spun together, forehooves pressed together, using the other for support. The stance was awkward and Twilight’s already worn hindlegs quivered under the added weight. Still, she preserved. Their pace picked up along with the music’s tempo. The movements became quick, stepping forward and backward in rapid succession. It was when they broke contact that everything fell apart. Twilight spun away from Luna, making three complete turns before her right leg gave out. She yelped in pain and shock, too tired to teleport. Her eyes squeezed shut in anticipation of cracking her head on the hardwood floor. A loud pop preceded the creak of wood protesting a sudden application of weight. Instead of an unforgiving floor, she was met by a squishy cushion of a cloud soft mattress. A ceiling of stars greeted her surprise opened eyes. Tears welled up in her eyes, the first sob escaping her control just as Luna joined her on the bed. “I’m sorry!” she cried between her sobs and Luna’s emphatic sushing. “I just… I just wanted—” Luna’s lips interrupted her. The kiss was soft but passionate and lasted until Twilight calmed. Pulling away, Luna placed another peck on her nose. “Prithee, my love, fret thee not over this. My heart is already thine.” “I know,” Twilight sighed in defeat. “I just… I don’t want to embarrass you.” “Oh dearest Twilight”—Luna kissed her left eye—”I have witnessed thine dancing, and”—then her right—”‘twould be the greatest honor to be ‘embarrassed’ by it on our wedding day.” > Honey Mead - Bekdontraz > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Bekdontraz ***** The dark warrior leaned back in her chair taking a long pull from her flagon as her men at arms celebrated around her. The dragon that had plagued the countryside was no more and she felt a smug sense of accomplishment for that, she would like to see her sister slay the beast as quickly as she. Her dark thoughts were interrupted as the door to her hall was thrown open. One of her guards rushed in carrying a woman in her arms. Standing Luna moved quickly to her and leaned down finding a dark skinned young woman, only a few shades lighter than Luna’s own. She wore strange clothing a skirt that barely reached her knees, and a top with no sleeves. Luna looked up at her guard. “You found her like this?” She asked her eyes narrowed, if she found any action of her guard had left this young woman in her state of undress. “Yes, Your Highness. I found her stumbling through the snow. She was babbling nonsense and stumbling along the path. I rushed her in here as soon as I got to her.” The woman said her red eyes showing no signs of dishonesty. “Leave us, and summon the doctor.” Luna said waving her men off. The warriors all stood leaving, reluctantly, at her request. They soon had a new fire built outside. Luna busied herself as she checked the woman over. Her top was obviously some form of sleeveless cold weather gear, yet her legs were bare under her less than modest skirt. She stirred slowly violet eyes opening and blinking up at Luna. She gasped and started to mutter something. Even the words Luna caught were strange and somehow degenerate from what she knew. “Calm yourself, I am Luna, Princess of this realm. You were caught in the snow, Can you tell me your name.” Luna asked. The woman’s eyes seemed to focus and fill with fear. She started babbling rapid fire trying to sit up. Luna helped her up, but kept her from standing. “I fear I do not understand you, where are you from that they speak so strangely?” Luna asked again slowly. The woman blinked and closed her eyes as if thinking deeply. “Equestria..” She finally answered, her words spoken like a child out of practice. “I..I am from Equestria.” She looked up at Luna hopefully. Luna sat back and stared at the strange woman “Not with those clothes, and speech” She responded bluntly. “I..I am not..” She struggled rubbing her head “My name is Twilight Sparkle, and...and I might have messed up a spell..” She said clearly struggling for the right words. Both of them paused to see Luna’s doctor standing at the doorway. Luna motioned the Zebrican away, the mohawked woman nodded and slipped once more out the door. “Twilight Sparkle, tell me what you mean” “What year is it?” Twilight asked with a blush. “The 300th year of Unification” Luna responded using the lay calendar “The 100th of the Two Sisters..” “I really bucked up a spell..” Twilight said her accent growing worse. She cleared her throat and smiled slightly. “I’m from nearly 1600 years into your future.” She said bluntly. Luna blinked and then burst out laughing. “Do you take us for a fool? Only one man has ever dared attempt temporal manipulation, once he returns from wherever the old goat sent himself I’m sure he’ll tell you it would take more power than even my mother wielded to travel more than a few days..” Luna recoiled as as Twilight’s magic slaps her across her cheek. The younger woman glared, and stood slowly. “I was trained by your sister personally..” Luna’s eyes widen to find Twilight standing glaring at her. With a grin Luna launched herself forward her wings forming as she slammed into Twilight’s stomach. They twisted and turned, Twilight striking with her spells as Luna relied on her strength and wings. Soon Luna once again regained the upper hand and slammed Twilight down onto one of the tables. “I believe that! you fight just like she does!” Luna taunted and slammed her head forward into Twilight's before the young woman could cast another spell. She left her laying dazed on the table to retrieve her mead. She grins taking a sip. and holding the flagon out to a very confused looking Twilight. The woman once more slipped into her native tongue and blushed taking the drink and looking at it strangely. “Drink, after feeling your magic on me I almost believe your story, though I must ask why you were practicing spellcraft in your underwear.” That statement, and Twilight inexperience with the drink, had the desired effect and mead was sprayed across the room as Twilight coughed and blushed. . “These are my normal clothes! Fashion has changed in my time!” Twilight said after several moments of babbling for her words. Luna smiled and ran a gloved hand up Twilight’s leg “I’m sure..” She added stepping away, she glanced back and smirked finding Twilight’s gaze following her hips sway. “Perhaps you are one of my sister’s harem?” She asked causing another coughing and sputtering fit from the girl. “CELESTIA DOES NOT KEEP A HAREM!” Twilight screamed loudly stumbling to her feet. Her hands glowed in a familiar arua for a moment before she stumbled forward. Luna caught her with a warm smile. “First time drinking mead?” Luna asked “First time getting into a fight with royalty, being sent back in time, nearly freezing, and….yes..” Twilight said looking up into Luna’s eyes. “Twilight Sparkle, you will stay with me until such time as I make for my sister’s camp. You’ve proven yourself a capable enough warrior.” Luna grinned scooping Twilight into her arms. “Now have customs changed so much that it would be wrong of me to take you to bed?” The look on Twilight’s face was worth the impropriety of her asking. Luna threw her head back laughing as she carried Twilight into her room. “Do not worry yourself, it was a joke” Luna told her as she floated another mead barrel and flagons into the room. “Now, tell me more of your story.” Twilight let out an exasperated sigh, but found herself snuggling into the furs of Luna’s bed. She was thankful for the mead, perhaps it would help her relax > Transistor - Starlight Shadow > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Starlight Shadow ***** "Twilight?" Luna called as she roamed the castle halls. She hadn't seen hide nor hair of her for two days, and she was getting worried. "Twilight, where are you?" As she turned the corner, she heard a loud bang and a yelp coming from the entrance to the library, where Twilight used to spend her days before she went to Ponyville. That's most likely where she is. Luna pushed open the door and carefully made her way through the bookshelves like a skittish cat. She found Twilight in the corner, where at least four or five different chemistry kits were stacked on top of a large wooden table, along with numerous bits of metal and machine parts. The purple scientist in question was up against the opposite wall, breathing quickly. A big black scorch mark was right next to her head. She caught sight of Luna and ran toward her. "Luna, I did it! It works!" Her expression was one of pure jubilance. "What works?" Luna asked, stealing a glance at Twilight's lab table. A particular device caught her eye - a combination of springs and wires that currently crackled with leftover magic from some spell. "My transistor!" Twilight tugged off her goggles, her eyes shining. "It redirects electricity, and I thought this one was going to work and so I used a mild electricity spell on it and it worked and and and-" "When's the last time you ate?" Luna interrupted. Twilight's stomach growled, and she blushed. Luna rested a wing across her shoulders. "Let's go eat, then you can show me your transistor." > Corset - The Princess Rarity > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: The Princess Rarity ***** Stunning. That was the only word that came to Luna’s mind as she stared longingly at Twilight, who was normally adorable and clumsy. For once, Twilight seemed… graceful. Jaw-dropping. Sexy, even. Lingerie could do wonders. And Luna had never considered what red and white would look like on Twilight. “Happy Hearth’s Warming,” Twilight whispered, with a small smirk as she noticed her marefriend’s eyes clearly enjoying the view. All that could come out of Luna’s mouth was a soft unintelligible mumble. In an instant, she had pinned Twilight onto the bed, and their mouths were melded together into a hot, passionate kiss. Luna was overwhelmed: plenty of times she had seen her lover look beautiful, radiant and mesmerizing, but this clearly deserved a place on it’s own. She felt her breath quicken with every touch, never had she been this turned on. Silk ribbons and satin fabrics wrapped up her present: and Twilight was loving how desperate Luna really was. Clothing was a higher upper commodity in Equestria, but certain pieces of apparel were saved for special ‘occasions’, to put it gently. This was obviously one of those occasions. This kind of clothing was meant to be torn, and ripped at - ruined on purpose for the sense of looking attractive. Something about it. Luna softly gasped when one of Twilight’s sock covered hooves cupped her face, and another one fondled her wing joints. The feeling of cloth fixed in with such affectionate gestures was a sensation like no other. Their kiss broke apart, and Luna moved her lips onto Twilight’s neck, peppering kisses along the way, while she tore at the ribbon holding the saddle. It was tossed onto the floor for now, but Luna made a mental note to definitely use it later. A few bites here and there were placed under Twilight’s lavender fur, and Luna omitted a light moan as her wings began to receive a full-out massage. “You tease,” she murmured, placing another bite on her marefriend’s neck. Twilight giggled, but she was cut off with a sudden gasp when her lips reconnected with Luna’s in an open-mouthed kiss. Their tongues danced in a lustful tango as they felt one another everywhere and anywhere, relishing the other’s embrace. Luna breathed heavily as they broke apart for a moment. She smiled. “Planned this, did you?” she inquired. Twilight managed a small nod, and bit the sock on her left forehoof, sliding it off, in an attempt to be seductive. Apparently, it worked, and somehow, this drove Luna even crazier. She intertwined their hooves, as she held Twilight even closer, if such a thing was possible. Wild, fast-paced and frenzied, while the main event hadn’t even begun yet. This was going to be a fantastic evening, no doubt. However, there was a slight roadblock. From the very beginning, Luna had noticed that Twilight was sporting a very fluffy, and quite bold, corset. Like the saddle, it was tied on, but unlike it, Luna had to struggle with the strings. “...how do you untie this infernal thing?” she grumbled. Luna continued fiddling with the string, even taking it in between with her teeth when magic refused to work, but the knot refused to budge. In fact, it was actually getting smaller, thus diminishing any chances of Luna untying it and finally opening up her present... “I’ll go get the scissors,” Twilight sighed. > Funhouse - Night_Song > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Night_Song ***** Twilight Sparkle let out a piteous moan, her forehooves wrapped tightly around her fillyfriend's. "Lunaaaa!" she whined, "I want to go to the carnival! Why won't you go with me?" The Night Princess snorted, the sound of derision sounding unusually loud in the stillness of her bedroom. "Carnivals are for foals, Twilight. Surely you can think of something more...mature, for the pair of us to do?" she asked, looking down at the younger alicorn with a small smile playing about her lips. "Dearest Twilight...can you not think of anything we could do?" she asked sweetly, giving the studious mare's tail a tweak with her magic. Twilight yelped, jumping to her hooves and looking at Luna curiously. "Again? Really, Luna, you're insatiable!" she said, sticking her tongue out at the other mare with a giggle. "I'll make a deal with you!" she announced. "Come with me to the carnival, and afterwards, we can do it again, how's that?" she asked, cocking her head to the side curiously. Luna sighed, hanging her head in defeat. Why did she have to be so adorable? "Very well, I shall attend this...carnival with you," the Moon Princess acceded. "Who knows? Perhaps it shall be fun on the scale that I had that first night in Ponyville," she mused, tapping a forehoof to her chin as the pair set aside their royal regalia and left the castle, one walking along pensively, the other bouncing happily in circles around her. "I still do not see the appeal of this, Twilight," Luna muttered as she followed her excited fillyfriend through the carnival's boisterous atmosphere. The midnight blue alicorn was laden with plush toys, prizes Twilight had won in several of the carnival's games, her remarkable skill with her magic showing through. Twilight just giggled at Luna's consternation. "It's the atmosphere, Luna! It's all so festive and free!" she chirped, bounding back to the Night Princess like a hyperactive kitten. She took one of the plush toys Luna held and plopped it on top of the Lunar Diarch's head, settling the stuffed likeness of her elder sister behind where her crown normally sat. "There! Now I have the best Princess ever, and the best teacher I ever had, at the same time!" Twilight giggled, nuzzling against Luna lightly before bounding away again. A sharp gasp stopped her in her tracks, and Luna looked up to see Twilight practically vibrating with excitement. "Ooh, a fun house! I haven't been into one of these since I was a filly! Come on!" she squealed, telekinetically dragging the older Princess behind her and into the large, tent-like structure, all of Luna's protests and complaints about the fun house being for foals passing her by, undisturbed. Once inside, Twilight relieved Luna of her fluffy burdens, dropping the bundle of them on the poor colt working the admittance booth. "Two, please!" she said to him, hoofing him two bits and receiving two tickets in turn. Taking Luna's hoof, they left the gawking colt behind, and trotted into the fun house proper. Grinning in a almost disturbing fashion, Twilight led Luna to the first mirror, grinning at her reflection's rather engorged head. "Look! My head matches my brain, now!" she giggled, nudging the Moon Princess in an effort to get her attention. Luna glanced at the mirror and couldn't help herself; she snickered, covering her mouth with a hoof. "You look ridiculous, Twilight!" she said, poking at the mirror with her hoof. "What magic causes this mirror to function in such a way?" she asked, looking back at her fillyfriend, only to find her gone. "Twilight? Where did you go, little sparkler?" she asked, looking around for the younger alicorn with a frown of consternation on her face. "Come find me, Luna~" the younger Princess' voice floated from the surrounding area, a distinct teasing note in her tone. The tone gave Luna pause, and she shook her head, smiling at Twilight's silliness. Giving a resigned shrug, the Moon Princess set off into the fun house at a slow, steady pace, her hooves thumping on the sawdust covered, wooden floor. Assorted mirrors greeted her gaze, and every so often she caught a glimpse of a shapely purple flank, or a flash of Twilight's magic. Turning to and fro, the Lunar Diarch sighed in frustration and sat down in the direct center of the fun house with a slight plop. "Twilight? Where are you?" she asked the room at large morosely. "I am lost in this place, without you. I doubt I could even get out, at this point," she said softly, pouting. Her melancholy came to an abrupt end, though, when she felt a warmth against her back and saw a lavender wing wrapping around her gently, squeezing affectionately. Gotcha, Luna thought, grinning at how well her little gambit had paid off. Turning, she pounced, tumbling to the floor with Twilight beneath her. "Hi!" she chirped, grinning down at the now-flustered alicorn beneath her before planting a kiss right on her lips to stifle any forthcoming protests at her cheap move. Twilight pouted up at her for a brief moment, but relented at the kiss, and she melted into it with a slight groan. Once the kiss was broken, however, she found herself slightly worried at the look of growing rage on Luna's face. "L-Luna? What's...what's wrong?" she asked hesitantly, a bit concerned. Luna muttered something and gestured with her head toward one of the mirrors surrounding them. Twilight looked at it and snorted, breaking up into giggles. At Luna's hurt look, she tried to stifle her mirth, waving a hoof. "Sorry, sorry...it's just that you look so silly in that mirror!" Luna scowled, stepping away from Twilight and towards to mirror in question. She stomped a hoof hard enough to splinter the wood beneath her, and bellowed at the mirror, full Royal Canterlot Voice, "'TIS A LIE! 'TIS 'TIA WHO ART AS BROAD AS A BEACH BALL, NOT I!" Her volume cracked all the mirrors within range and blew the sawdust on the floor about like a sandstorm. She reared back onto her hind hooves and slammed her front down again, splintering wood again. She blinked at Twilight's shriek, and, looking about, noticed that she had literally split the fun house in half, leaving a wide split through the center of the whole building. Snatching Twilight up in her magic, she sprinted out of the building, pausing only to grab Twilight's plush toys on her way out, the colt behind the counter having already vacated. The pair of princesses booked it back to the castle, dodging and weaving through the crowds to avoid questions. Luna lay on the bed she shared with Twilight a few hours later, her face flushed and her breathing heavy. Glancing over at the other mare on the bed, she smirked. "See? I told you this would be more fun, Twilight." Twilight looked up at the Moon Princess and grinned. "Yeah, but then, I never expected you, of all ponies, to be insecure about her figure," she teased, plopping her Celestia plush back atop Luna's crown. "And anyway, spending time with you is fun no matter what we do, silly filly," she said, laying her head along Luna's shoulder. Luna looked back at her lover, running a hoof along her side and smiling. "Agreed. Now, hold still so I can braid your tail properly, you squirmy little thing!" > Key - Habanc > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Habanc ***** "Gah!" Twilight sprung away. She didn't get far, however. A sharp pull on her hoof dropped her like a sack of potatoes. "Oof!" Luna lurched up, her stomach having been crushed by Twilight's weight. Looking around, she tried to break free, only to find her forehooves immobile. "Twilight?" "Hey there, Luna..." Twilight trailed of sheepishly. She tried her best to look anywhere but her equine cushion. "What– what are you doing here?" Luna, for her part, was doing her best keep her composure. "I... I don't know." Luna paused for a moment, the cogs in her head finally sputtering to life. Her eyes drifted from the bed and up towards Twilight. "Did we–" "Maybe?" Twilight blurted out. "So that's why you're–" "–Yeah." "But I can't remember anything." "I can't either." "Well, this is awkward." "I know. But– no, nevermind..." "What?–" "–Nothing." "Twilight–" "–It's nothing." "Fine." The two laid there, avoiding each other's gaze. Luna looked up. To her surprise, her hooves were encased in magical hoofcuffs, bound by a magenta beam of magic. "Did... did you do this?" Luna asked. "I would think so. Although," she lifted up one of her own hooves with its own cuff, a navy band of energy connecting it to one of Luna's forelegs, "you did it too." "Dammit," Luna murmured. "Do you remember the key you set?" Twilight shook her head. "No." She focused her own magic on Luna's hoofcuffs. "I... I can't break the foreign magic deflection, either." Luna scanned her own arcane work. "I– I must've made this myself. There's no way I can remember the combinations now." "So, are we stuck here?" Twilight's voice quieted. "I... I think so." Luna groaned. "Whip me with Orion's belt, I'm such a fool!" Twilight's ears and cheeks tinted. "Well, I mean, if you want me to, I guess I wouldn't mind..." "Huh?" She flushed further. "N–n–nothing." Luna sighed, fixing the young alicorn with a stare. The moments passed by, and Twilight began to shy away. "You're hiding something," Luna surmised. "What?" Twilight perked up, looking down at her. "You keep muttering things and then denying it." "I do not!" Luna regarded her flatly. "What is it, Twilight?" "N– nothing." "See!" Luna jangled her forehooves about, in a pitiful effort to wave them. "There's that 'nothing' again." "N– no!" Luna paused for moment. "Was... was last night your first–" "–No!" Twilight clamped her free hoof over Luna's mouth. Her face was beet-red. "No, it was– just no!" Luna waggled an eyebrow at her. "I mean it!" Twilight took her hoof off Luna's mouth and threatened her with it. "Fine..." Luna sighed. "Then, that only leaves one more possibility." She gave the younger alicorn a sympathetic look. "You must be completely, maddeningly, uncontrollably smitten with me." Twilight pressed her hoof into Luna's chest, leaning in close to her. "I– I– I am not!" Luna nodded gravely. "I'm afraid to say this, but you are. All the tell-tale signs are there. The blushing, the stammering, the obvious exclusion of the fact that you would like to bed me again. It's plain to see." "Luna!" "Fortunately, I know just the key to unlock this conundrum. Come closer, Twilight, and I shall tell you." Begrudgingly, Twilight drew nearer. "Closer..." Twilight was nearly breathing on her. Luna sprung forward and kissed her. When she drew back, she found the wide-eyed, astonished Twilight Sparkle. "Granted, I do not stammer or blush like you do, but... I fear I am sick too." > Stuck - palaikai > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: palaikai ***** Luna hadn't expected things to change overnight, but a year was taxing her patience. Not that she'd ever had a lot of it to begin with. Wherever in Equestria she went, she was met with guarded stares, if not outright apprehension. Foals who had been fed a diet of dark tales, she could understand, but the disgust she saw in the eyes of grown mares and stallions … she had tried to brush it off as no more than the anxiety one would feel around royalty, but seeing how openly they interacted with her beloved sister … no, there was no point in denying it any further. They still saw the evil Nightmare Moon, not the reformed Princess Luna. Hell, the word nightmare had since passed into common vernacular to describe bad dreams thanks to her actions. Not that she would ever admit it to anypony, even to Celestia herself, but she was hurting because of this; anger, bitterness, resentment … these feelings would never dominate her soul again, the nightmare had ended, but despite this, she knew not how to go around convincing everypony of that fact. Well, there was one pony. Twilight Sparkle, much to her chagrin, was – not to put too fine a point on it – enamoured of her. It was rather embarrassing, being the focus of the studious unicorn's attention; Twilight had a keen mind, and she absorbed new information in much the same way most ponies inhaled oxygen. Twilight, when her friendship studies allowed, would often travel back to Canterlot to visit her family and Princess Celestia, but she always made time for Luna, too. The endless questions about the night sky that was her domain had made the Lunar Princess feel awkward at first, but very soon, she grew to love those long talks that would last into the wee hours of the morning. What thrilled her most was Twilight Sparkle's attitude toward her; she never felt uncomfortable in her presence, never put on a smile to make her feel welcome, never betrayed a sliver of fear in her eyes. There was only the pure, unbridled joy of learning. Maybe even of comity, too? Luna certainly liked to think so. One night, while they were sitting on a balcony, discussing the phases of the moon, Luna realised something; Twilight was babbling something about waxing this or waning that, and her mulberry eyes were radiating with such intensity that they shone as brightly as any of the heavenly bodies high above them. The unicorn seemed unaware of Luna's discomfort and continued her spiel; Luna felt something stirring within her, something she hadn't felt in more than a thousand years. Celestia had tried to prepare her little sister for everything that she might face on her return, but her classes hadn't included affairs of the heart. Her brutal past would've served as a deterrent to all but the most determined of suitors, anyway. So young, and already so brilliant, so talented, and indeed, so beautiful, the Lunar Princess thought, watching Twilight's muzzle move, but failing to comprehend the words. Luna realised that she was stuck: there was no way in Tartarus that she could tell Twilight how she felt, but at the same time, her bosom ached with a loneliness that could not be filled by her dear sister's companionship alone. No, Luna told herself, Twilight's attention, her friendship, will suffice. Even if she felt something for me in turn, it could never work. A delicate hoof-touch brushed against her foreleg. “What?” snapped Luna, shook out of her reverie by the slight contact. “Sorry,” said Twilight, recoiling slightly from Luna's outburst. “You were zoning-out pretty hard, there. Was I that boring?” she added sheepishly. “No, not at all,” replied Luna, “you were most interesting. I was simply distracted.” “Nothing important, I hope?” “Nothing important at all.” Luna suppressed a sigh, letting her heart break just a little more. She'd had a thousand years of it, and it was nothing she couldn't handle. > Icing - Foals Errand > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Foals Errand ***** Twilight warily watched, as Pinkie showed her, once more how to bake a cake. She chewed her lip. “Can’t you just bake the cake Pinkie? I mean, you know how hopeless…” Twilight was quickly silenced by a pink hoof. “Absoulutely not Princess Sparklebutt!” She giggled, “Sparklebutt I get why Discord calls you that! Anyway, nuh uh you have to do this by yourself!” Twilight groaned but dutifully listened to the lesson once again. Luna landed on the balcony and stretched her wings out, cracking her neck a few times. It had been a very long night, but, she was very glad to be home. She walked in slowly with a slight frown. Her wife was missing, normally Twilight would be at the desk studying whenever she got off duty. However, this morning all that was there was a lit candle. Luna’s shoulders slumped as she looked around their bedroom. Finally she sat down on the bed. Well, Luna you shouldn’t be so surprised I mean how could she possibly… “Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Luna, happy birthday to you.” Luna looked up to see her wife standing in front of her smiling sweetly, levitating in front of her what appeared to be a pile of icing with a candle stuck in it. Luna let out a soft sob and blew out the candle. ‘Ho-how did you know?” “I’m your wife, was I not supposed to know. Now have a bite of cake?” Luna stared at the pile of icing. Theres cake under there? She grinned and opened her mouth wide for a bite. Best cake ever > Edge - ultra1437 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: ultra1437 ***** Twilight stood at the edge of a cliff. Looking down apprehensively, she flapped her brass-colored mechanical wings twice, feeling their power start to lift her from her hooves. Luna stood next to her, watching her marefriend’s apprehension. “You are sure you want to do this?” The mechanical wings folded back up at Twilight’s side. “I have to, Lu. I must follow through with this experiment. After all, I triple-checked my numbers, and have successfully hovered for several minutes without winding myself or crashing.” The unicorn turned, stepping away from the edge. Luna heard Twilight mumble something softly. “What was that, my little star?” Twilight partially turned her head back to her lover, a tear in her visible eye. “If… if I fall, will you catch me?” Luna stepped toward Twilight, wrapping a wing about the unicorn-turned-faux-alicorn. “Most certainly, my little star. I would not let you fall unless I fell with you.” Twilight nuzzled the blue alicorn’s neck. “Then jump with me. It would make me feel safer to see you with me.” Luna released her little unicorn. “I would love to, Twilight.” As one, both ponies turned and sprinted for the cliff’s edge, their wings spread. At the last second, they both leapt over the edge, into new adventures. Two years later, Twilight stood at the same cliff she’d once leapt off with Luna to complete her experiment. This time around, her wings were real. Her then-marefriend and now-fiance, Luna, spoke softly only a few meters away. “You have the same expression.” Twilight shot a confused look to Luna as she approached the larger mare. “What do you mean?” “Two years ago. You had the same look on your face with those mechanical wings.” Luna chuckled lightly. “Your real ones look much more beautiful than those did, by the way.” Twilight blushed lightly at the praise. “Y-you really think so?” Luna stepped forward and nuzzled along one of Twilight’s wings. “I know so, my little star. Those mechanical ones were so… cold and, I know it is an obvious truth, artificial. Truth be told, I did not like them on you. Those artificial wings did not suit you like these ones do.” Twilight reluctantly pulled away from Luna, back to the cliff’s edge. “Well, we do have an experiment to perform, then.” “Oh?” Luna followed her, standing at her side. Twilight nodded. “Yeah. Are my wings better than those mechanical ones?” “We both know my thoughts on the subject,” Luna stated simply. Another nod. “We do. But you know I must have the numbers to back it up.” “Or what, you’ll cut your wings off and replace them with those mechanical wings?” Luna turned and looked at Twilight’s wings. Twilight looked shocked at her fiance’s morbid joke. “Never. That means I’ll just practice and train until I can beat them.” Luna smirked before brushing a wing along Twilight’s back. “Well then, my little star, let us perform an experiment.” Luna winked. “And do not worry. Just like last time, if you fall, I shall catch you.” Twilight blushed at the contact before nodding. “Let’s get started.” Both ponies dashed to the edge, much like last time, leaping as one into another adventure. > Experiment - kochamara > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: kochamara ***** "Princess...I need you to help me with an...experiment," Twilight looked up at the elder alicorn, eyes glinting with what might have been mischief. Luna tilted her head to one side, an eyebrow raised. She leaned downward in a kind of conspiratorial interest. "An experiment, Twilight Sparkle?" There was something odd about Twilight's voice, a little bit of eagerness only reserved for the most interesting of experiments. Luna could not contain her excitement on the subject. "Color me curious. I would like to partake in this experiment of yours!" "Excellent," Twilight squeaked. "I hoped you'd say yes. Everything is all ready now!" Luna opened her mouth to speak, but before any words could be said, Twilight galloped off. Luna sighed and shrugged off Twilight's bizarre behavior, before taking off after the younger mare. Luna followed Twilight, and almost immediately noticed that something was amiss. "Twilight, the laboratory is in the opposite direction. Just what kind of experiment am I partaking in?" "You'll see! You'll see!" Twilight clopped her forehooves together. Luna expected this kind of behavior from her, and knew that the best reaction was to go along with Twilight. As they kept walking, their destination quickly became apparent. Luna's curiosity grew and mingled with excitement. She was clever enough to deduce Twilight's plan, and if her hunch was right, their day was certainly going to be interesting. "Twilight...Just why are we outside my bedchambers?" "Why do you think?" A grin stretched across Twilight's muzzle. "Where else would we be if we were to study the intricacies of a romantic union?" "Oh, you devilish mare!" Luna beamed and forced her lips against Twilight's. With her aura, she flung open the door to her bedroom, revealing a rather romantic setup. She squealed with excitement, firmly locking the door behind them. "Oh, I am going to love this experiment!' > Paraphernalia - Habanc > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Habanc ***** Down the darkening halls of Canterlot Palace, six silhouettes made their way over the marble floors. They laughed, they sang, and one lost its balance and tumbled into a set of armor, knocking it over. "C'mon, RD, git up!" Applejack hollered. "No. Nooo. No, I won't." RD crawled up against the wall and sat their, forelegs crossed. "You, you... You already beat me once tonight, but no more! I... I am not going to get up and let you start telling me around!" She belched, and then giggled at it. Applejack closed in further. "Ah said git!" she hissed. "Jus' 'cuz we're here with Twilight don't mean wec'n make a mess!" "So what?" Rainbow squinted at her. "It's... It's not like this place isn't full of, well, I'unno... servants and maids, right? It's not like nopony has evveeer knocked one of these down, right?" The farmpony fumed. "Ah swear when we git back to our rooms I'mma tan yer hide–" "She's coming!" Pinkie Pie cried out, as the other girls erupted into giggles and whispers. "Who's comin'?" Applejack turned and asked. "Twilight Sparkle!" A voice rang down the halls. With hooves clopping loudly on the tiles below, the Princess of the Night approached, in full regalia. The pony in question headed out to meet her, as if the leader of their motley crew. Unlike the formal dignitary approaching, she had taken a much more relaxed route to her appearance. For instance, three shoes was so fresh and chic, and slanting one's crown gave off a bit of zest. To top it off, a bottle of hard liquor was swirling in her grip. "What is this?" Luna demanded. Twilight wobbled on her hooves and drew the bottle closer. She strained her eyes to read. "I... I think this is some sort of rum." She shrugged and giggled. "W– would you like any?" "No. Twilight, I mean to ask why are you wandering through the halls like some sort of homeless drunkard?" She swayed and rolled her eyes. "Because I'm drunk." Pinkie Pie whooped in the background. "Yeah, girl! You tell her what's what!" Luna stared her down and sized her up. For the seconds that passed, she kept her gaze fixated on the petty delinquent before her, unmoving. "Humph. Very well," she spoke at last. "Come with me, Twilight. Alone." Without waiting for a response, she spun around and marched down the hall. As Twilight followed her, she was trailed with a cacophony of snickers, whistles, and jeers. One voice loudly proclaimed, "Oh, Twilight's so getting in right now." "Shut yer yap, RD!" Luna led her into her own private chamber, closing the door behind Twilight. Floating her crown over to it's rightful stand, she mused, "You know, it isn't befitting of a leader to be weak before their own herd. Honestly, I have no clue–" "Woah, is that a Brushie Brittany doll?!" Twilight charged over to an opened armoire, leaking out what lay inside. "I haven't seen one of these in, like, years!" "No!" Luna yelped. With a flash of teleportation, she slammed the armoire doors shut. "Stay out!" But it was too late. The vase had already fallen out of arm's reach. The clock had already ticked noon. Twilight already had the bright, fuschia doll in her grip, giggling contentedly. "I never had a clue you liked these," Twilight mumbled as she spun it around, evading Luna's every swipe. "T– Twilight!" Luna stammered as her face flushed. "Put that down this instant!" "But it's cuuute," Twilight protested. "I said put that down!" Luna cried. Charging her horn, she plucked Twilight off the ground and started floating her over. Twilight erupted with laugher. "Stop it, that– that tickles!" She fell on her back, flailing her limbs about. "Luna, Luna! Stop! I– I can't take this anymore!" As she continued to be dragged, one kicked-out leg hit the armoire. Luna cried out, and her magic died. Twilight hit the ground with a thud. Out spilled a dozen other, often rare and of the collectible variety, Brushie Brittany dolls. As Twilight looked up, there were even more. High into the wardrobe, sitting in perfectly proportioned shelves, were dolls of all colors and editions. So surprised was she, that the original Brushie Brittany fell from her grasp. After the initial shock passed, Luna swept the room with her telekinesis, grabbing every doll and slamming them shut behind the doors. She placed herself between Twilight and the armoire, guarding it from further threat. Twilight could hold it in no longer. Laughter erupted from her stomach, tears coming from her eyes as she rolled on the ground. "I... I had no clue. Really! Honestly!" "Let us be clear," Luna hissed, "you did not see anything." Rising to her shaking hooves, Twilight wiped the tears from her eyes. "I don't know..." "What? What do you mean you don't know?" "I mean, why... why should I have to do what you say? What do I get in return?" Luna recoiled. "Are you attempting to blackmail me?" Twilight giggled and swayed on her hooves. "No, of course not. It's just... You can't be the only one having all the fun. You and your dolls... heh." Luna frowned. "Twilight, I'm afraid I don't understand. My–" she cast her eyes down and sighed, "–my Brushie Brittany dolls are merely for collection and admiration, not for playing as a foal would–" "It's cute," Twilight blurted out. She leaned in close and jabbed a hoof into Luna's chest. "I never thought, y'know, the grand princess of the night and all would be brushing little dolls in her free time, but hey," Twilight shrugged, "I've certainly done worse." Luna straightened up, getting right back in Twilight's face, trying her best block out the pervasive smell of alcohol. "Once again, I do not play–" "But now that I think about it," Twilight gabbered on, shutting Luna off completely, "I think it's adorable. Y'know? Like, it's totally cute. Sooooo cute." She sighed and looked into Luna's eyes, head tilted and lips smirked. "Luna, why are you so cute? " "P- Pardon?" Luna sputtered, face flushing. "You heard me." Twilight closed in. Luna's rump bumped up against the armoire. "I- I- I believe the alcohol has had some odd effects on you, Twilight. Would- would you like to sit down and, er, cool off?" Twilight giggled, and ran a hoof along Luna's cheek. "You're the one who's heating up." "I have no c– clue what you mean," Luna lied, her whole body on fire. Twilight leaned in and nuzzled Luna's neck, earning a shiver from her. "C'mon, don't be coy. Relax. Just answer my question." Luna sucked in a breath. Sweat was beginning to form along her hairline, and her heart was threatening to erupt from her ribcage. She looked around for an escape, somewhere, anywhere! Instead, however, she only found the expectant gaze of Twilight. Luna gulped. "I– I don't know." "Don't know what?" "Why– why you find me cute." Twilight rolled her eyes. "Would you like me to tell you? Come on, I've seen the looks you give me... Wouldn't it be nice to know I return your little crush?" Luna didn't reply, her eyes fixated on the pony before her. She chewed at her lip, but no words would come out no matter how hard she tried. Not like she knew what was the right thing to say, either. Twilight sighed. "Or, I suppose I could just kiss you now and get it over with." She waited patiently for a reply that never came. "So, what will it be?" Luna stared at the ground. She could feel Twilight's breathing tickling her chin, where in another moment she would relish the sensation. There wasn't much she could register at the moment, as this drunken alicorn had managed to see right through her, grab her heart, and tempt her with it. Oddly enough, that left little room for second-guessing and doubts. In a voice unlike the regal brick wall she usually donned, she whispered, "Can I have both?" Looking up sheepishly, she found a genuine smile over Twilight's lips. She leaned in close, nuzzling her chin. "As long as you don't shut yourself in soon after, like your little doll collection." Luna closed her eyes and nudged forward. "Deal." > Renegade - ultra1437 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: ultra1437 ***** “GDI Infantry barracks under attack.” EVA, their base’s AI called out. Six red, black and silver blocky tanks rolled toward their target, a building serving as their enemy’s barracks. Instead of traditional tank cannons, they bore a pair of large flamethrowers on each side of their turrets. “We’ve got Flamers incoming! Can you distract them, Luna?” Twilight talked into her headset from her sniping perch. She watched over the entrance to her team’s base and picked off any NOD soldiers that dared to venture into her sights. “Consider it done.” A powerful engine fired up and a Mammoth tank rolled out of the War Factory, intent on destroying the incoming attack force. “I bet my sister is leading this charge. Take her tank down and the rest will fall in the resulting disarray.” Twilight looked over the flame tanks to see explosions ring out against their hulls. “Agreed, but I can’t do anything to them with my rifle.” Twilight secured her rifle across her back, grabbing her explosive charges as she ran down the hill she’d hunkered down on. Quickly building speed, her wings opened and she leapt into the air. “Fluttershy, could you help repair my tank quickly?” Luna watched as the first two flame tanks had closed enough distance to start burning away her armor. “Oh, um, I’m on my way.” The Mammoth tank was quickly starting to melt away under the tanks’ heat. “Please hurry. I have gotten their attention and they are none too pleased to see me.” Luna called out calmly, but inside she was scared the battle was already lost. Six on one was not good odds, even for a Mammoth tank. As she backed away slowly from the two tanks, she hit a button triggering her tank’s rocket pods. Six missiles screamed from their homes and slammed into the two tanks, blowing them and their occupants apart. As she turned to the other four tanks, she only spotted two. “I’ve lost two of them, Twilight. I fear they’re–” “GDI Refinery under attack.” EVA called out. “–At our refinery.” Pumping her wings harder, Twilight screamed through the sky to their refinery. It was tall, even moreso for a building supposedly mostly underground. Circling around it with flames spewing were the two missing Flame tanks, intent on burning it to the ground. Taking stock of her explosive charges, she all but threw two at each tank, followed by a timed charge. ‘Hopefully it’ll stay alive long enough.’ The rest of their team had noticed the attack and was only now moving to respond with technician ponies moving in to patch up the refinery before it was destroyed. Luna loosed a warcry as she fired her freshly reloaded rocket pods and fired her cannons, annihilating the last two tanks to face her. A sniper took out the two pilots a second later. As the timers finally ticked to zero, two explosions rang out on the last two tanks’ hulls. Twilight gave them no time to recover as she hit her own remote detonator, blowing them to kingdom come. She brought her rifle out and picked off both pilots before they could get to cover. “I got the last two tanks, Luna.” Twilight landed next to the barracks to restock on ammo. “Good job, just finished my third and fourth here. Thanks for the help, Fluttershy.” “You’re welcome, Luna,” was Fluttershy’s reply as the dust settled after the last flame tank had exploded. Twilight spoke up again, “Did you kill Celestia? She wasn’t in either of the tanks I took out.” “No, she was not…” The Mammoth’s turret slowly surveyed the base, looking for a sign. “Nuclear Strike beacon deployed.” The voice droned again. “Crap! Find it! Finditfinditfindit!” Twilight called out as she took to wing again. “Warning! Nuclear strike approaching.” EVA’s voice drowned out any conversation. “You have thirty seconds to reach minimum to reach minimum safe distance.” ‘Thirty seconds, please hurry!’ Twilight soared over to the War Factory, listening intently for the telltale pinging sound of the beacon. “Twenty five.” After a few seconds, it wasn’t there. “Twenty.” She sped toward the barracks. A voice called out loudly over their radio, “The AGT! It’s at the AGT!” Not even slowing down, Twilight turned and made a beeline for their only major defensive structure, the Advanced Guard Tower. Though it wasn’t much help against the tanks, its many miniguns would tear an infantry strikeforce to pieces. “Fifteen.” Luna soared up next to her, Mammoth tank left behind. “We’ve got this, Twily. You just keep me covered and this little nuke won’t stand a chance.” She touched her wingtip against Twilight’s softly. Luna spotted the beacon next to the tower, flashing red ominously. She dove, tucking her wings in. As her hooves hit the ground, she already had her repair gun out and aimed at the beacon. “Ten.” “Cover us!” Luna yelled, spotting Fluttershy landed right next to her and they both unleashed a disarming beam at the beacon. It would take several seconds, but working together it would go even faster. “Five.” A red beam of light whipped past Luna’s head. Surprised, she ducked as she tried to keep her beam focused on the beacon. It seems Celestia played for keeps this time. Twilight looked up to see a missile in the sky, pointed directly at their base. “Four.” “SBH! SBH! I see her!” A shot rang out and the beams suddenly stopped. Celestia’s Stealth Black-Hand character suddenly became visible as it slumped to the ground. “Three.” From her readout, Luna could see they would finish in time! ‘We did it! We win!’ “We got it this time, sister!” Luna jumped for joy. “Two.” Twilight could almost make out the fake-serial number on the missile it was so close. “One.” “Nuclear Strike Beacon disarmed.” And almost like magic, the missile vanished. Twilight landed next to Luna as a chorus of cheers came across her headset. Crisis averted! “Now, Twilight, let us take the fight to my sister,” Luna spoke, stomping a hoof on the ground. “If she intends to play for keeps, let us play for keeps.” Twilight smirked as Luna made her way back to her tank. ‘Oh, ‘Tia. It’s totally on for that.’ As Luna’s tank slowly made its way out of the base, Twilight stopped off at the barracks one last time. To pick up an Orbital Ion Strike beacon. > Marriage - The Princess Rarity > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: The Princess Rarity ***** As of now, the New Year was only moments away. The fireworks were being set up, the parties were in full swing and the hype was all across the nation. However, this year was unique, bigger and better than any other. Tonight, the wedding of the century would be taking place-- --or, it would have been, anyway. If one of the brides wasn’t missing. In the secluded part of the library in Canterlot Castle, pacing back and forth, Twilight Sparkle was ridiculously anxious. Every one of her nerves were on edge, and by now, she knew that she had run a crease into the carpeting. She had ran off just before she was supposed to walk down the aisle, and now what? She couldn’t go back now; even if she was courageous enough to do so. She would look like a fool, on her own wedding day. Twilight let out a sigh, and flopped down onto one of the lush chairs. Her gown was torn and tattered, her mane was ruined and her makeup was streaked because of the earlier stress crying. Even for somepony who didn’t care too much about appearance, she knew that she looked like a wreck. She wanted to get married, she did-- --but she also didn’t. Twilight nearly jumped out of the seat as she noticed a shadow on the walls. However, when the pony exposed themself, she felt her heart sink. “Luna,” she muttered. “You left me waiting at the altar,” Luna said, with a halfhearted smile. “I… I know,” Twilight whispered shamefully. She curled up and looked away. She swatted her dress, and let out a sigh. With a smidgen of hesitation, Luna eventually made her way over and sat down next to Twilight, who was visibly distraught. “Sorry,” she mumbled as she hung her head. “I shouldn’t have ran off. I just ruined our own wedding.” “Nonsense,” Luna declared. She placed her hoof over Twilight’s, and she gave a reassuring smile. “You did no such thing. We may have missed it, but you most certainly did not destroy it. After all, I wouldn’t want to marry a nervous wreck, would I?” “You’re not helping,” Twilight said, with a soft chuckle. “Listen to me,” Luna whispered. “I could care less if you don’t want to get married at all. That’s fine, so long as I know that you love me, it doesn’t matter.” “I know, I know,” Twilight replied. “But that’s the thing: I want to marry you, I really do. There isn’t a doubt in my mind, it’s the crowd that’s killing me. Is there anyway we could-” She scoffed, and rolled her eyes. “Oh, who am I kidding? It’s not like we can go to Las Pegasus and get married by a Sapphire Shores lookalike. That’s for on-the-run couples, not us. We could never pull it off.” Luna pursed her lips, and tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Well, if we use transformation spells--” Twilight rolled her eyes playfully. “Don’t finish that sentence,” she smirked. Luna let out a laugh. “Technically, we could, though,” she defended. Twilight kissed her lover’s cheek, releasing a soft chuckle. “What am I going to do with you?” she teased. Luna gave a half-hearted shrug. “I would say marry me, but you screamed that answer loud enough for all of Equestria to hear a few months back,” she replied, with a smirk. Twilight giggled. “That was embarrassing,” she admitted. She hesitated for a moment, and then she kissed Luna on the lips softly. “We’ll get married on the next New Year,” she suggested. “Small ceremony. No news broadcasters. We won’t even have the ceremony in the Castle. Just family and friends.” She raised an eyebrow. “Who invited the Duchesses of Scoltland and Trottingham anyway?” “I haven’t the faintest idea,” Luna said. “But, it’s a good thing I grabbed this on my way here.” She reached back and pulled something out from between her feathers. It shimmered in the dim light, and she smiled. “You won’t have a problem being engaged, will you?” “Of course not,” Twilight murmured, as her smile grew. She blushed when Luna kissed her and slid the ring onto her hoof. In the distance, a few fireworks went off, and now… the New Year was officially here. Twilight made a resolution silently to herself; let love run it’s course. The wedding was a splendid idea, but she would have a while. Marriage could wait. > Insomnia - Knight of Lycaeus > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Knight of Lycaeus ***** "Luna?" Twilight asked as she walked on the balcony of Luna's suite in Canterlot Castle. "Good evening Twilight" said the mare who sat the edge of the balcony gazing at the city and beyond. Twilight shook her head, "You know evening is long past us, I know you can feel the time by the movements of the moon and sun." Luna sighed as Twilight closed the distance to sit next to her, "I am aware of the hour. I am tired but my mind is also uneasy." "This has been how many nights that I find you seating here saying that we tired and unable to sleep?" "One could certainly count but it has been far too often." Luna looked at Twilight, "Though I just as often find you out in the night here or in Ponyvile for the same reason." Twilight sighed, "Seems like we both have issues sleeping." Luna nodded, "It is rather ironic in a sense. The nights were when I used to be awake but there is less need for that than before. There are less monsters that prowl so near settlements and fewer enemies who so threaten our borders. I may spend some nights running the Lunar Court or some element of my half of the Diarchy but not to the same extent as before when mine and my sister's duties were more strictly divided." Twilight leaned herself in allowing herself to rest slightly on the larger mare, "You still patrol the Realm of Dreams, you still guard us from dangers even if it less physical than what it once was. But I have noticed you sleeping less since the more recent…. crisis." Luna wrapped a wing around Twilight before sighing again, "Part of my problem rests with the escape of Tirek. Tirek when I was a foal was told as a foalhood story meant to scare us to behave. Tirek the Endless Devourer whose maw was infinite and he hunted down all without impunity seeking their magics to add and bolster his own. I may not have been a foal for many long millenniums but his story still resonates with me." "I have heard of Tirek in a few tales here and there but I never imagine how terrifying he would be in person. Even diminished he still seemed more, more than the terror Nightmare Moon inspired, more than the madness of Discord, more than the destruction that Chrysalis wrought, more than the hatred that Sombra cloaked himself in." Twilight shuddered, "He was more, more in ways I couldn't even begin to put into words." "Tirek's return has set me on edge and as a result, I have slept poorly as of late. It is not entirely from old foalhood stories but from the feeling of being drained and being powerless to stop him." Luna's eyes hardened, "I was once known as a terror and not just for Nightmare Moon! I led our armies to face terrifying foes that we could seldom imagine exist in the bare light of the day!" Luna sighed and her eyes became downcast, "Being so powerless is far too much like when I was a Dusk Bringer. I was young during the waning years of the Kingdom of Unicornia; for me and many others the unification seemed to be a long awaited godsend. It finally ended the long fighting and uncertainty, for a time we thought we were safe, safe from fighting with other ponies and safe knowing we had a new land to call our own. Then Discord came…. In the Years of Madness we fled to the Everfree, the only sanctuary in the chaotic storm and there we stayed. For so long we were unable to bring down the Mad Tyrant from his ever shifting throne. After we did I knew I never wished to feel so…. helpless again. Yet Tirek in his endless hunger for magics brought me down again, down to where I never wished to be again…. How could I feel safe enough to sleep, to rest again? I fear that this is a mere lull before the next threat." Luna gave a dark smile, "All those threats sealed so long ago seem to be awaking from their slumber once more. I know not of all the terrors and monsters that I and others before me have locked away only for their imprisonment to be lost to time." Twilight hearing this only leaned in closer, "I can't even imagine anything like that. You are right; this world is so different than the one you once knew. Ancient beings aside this is an age of peace, ponies have been safer than ever before and not just from the Royal Guards and the Equestrian Army that protects us but other nations have likewise settled. So few nations are willing to fight once more on the battlefield knowing that advances in magic and technology would render our world uninhabitable and yet and the same time many have come to enjoy the prosperity this peaceful age has brought." Twilight paused for moment before leaning to nuzzle Luna, "I know what you mean though about Tirek. You've been finding me here as much I've been finding you here far too late in the night. I haven't slept well either with Tirek's rampage still running in my mind." Twilight sighed, "I can imagine him destroy my home, my friends, my family, everyone and everything. Nothing would stop his endless quest. We came so close to losing everything, no other threat came as close as he did in destroying everything. I understand what you mean by how it seems we're in a state of peace now only for another ancient evil to return. But the peace, the downtime is certainly something we should appreciate. I learned before that worrying endless about the future does nothing, there are some things we can change and others we can't but we'll face them when it comes." Luna stood up and offered a hoof to Twilight. Once both we're sanding did Luna speak, "Thank you, I know I should not worry so but Tirek was a powerful reminder of the terror I once knew. The hour is growing ever late but perhaps we could still have a few hours rest." Twilight nodded hearing the unspoken request to stay and followed Luna back inside. > Kismet - Taranth > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Taranth ***** "I wish he'd come home soon," asks a pegasus mare, the first petitioner at my Stellar Court tonight. I smile, and grant her wish, without ever laying eyes on her. There are four princesses in Equestria, and as such there are four courts - Solar, Lunar, Crystal and Stellar - but they are four very different things, managed by four very different princesses. The Solar court dealt with affairs secular - government, money, power, and so on, and was based in Canterlot. The Crystal court, as might surprise nopony, was one for matters of the heart, and primarily dealt in marriage and negotiation, and was firmly based in the Crystal Empire - though Cadance occasionally had a habit of appearing where she was needed, without warning or explanation. It seems to be a thing about pink mares. Two data points is a trend, right? The Lunar court, on the other hand, had no physical basis at all, and dealt in dreams and mysticism, secrecy and knowledge. But my court is everywhere, throughout the night. All you had to do was wish upon a star. Magic. Friendship. Stars. Wishes. Fate. It all tied together, and though I might not be able to provide the direct rule of Celestia, the knowledge of Luna, or the empathy of Cadance, I could guide the stars themselves, the fates of ponies, and nudge... Fate, destiny, kismet, call it what you will, but it held a lot of power over the lives of ponies. Before or after my ascension, there would have been few who understood that more than me. The stars shimmer, and circumstances change... a path becomes easier, a yearning for home becomes stronger... and two long-separated ponies become fated to soon come together again. I smile. Cadance would be pleased. "I wish I can do well on my test tomorrow!" hopes a young unicorn stallion. I laugh at that. On the one hand, it's kind of cheating... but I could appreciate a pony doing everything he could to do his best on the test. As I gave him a boost to his focus, removing distractions and providing clarity, I realise I recognise the pony. Not personally, but... well, the funny thing about fate is that time is kind of an... optional thing. The stars exist beyond the time and space we know and understand, and provide their fate widely. And though I received the wish tonight, and granted it tonight, the test in question was years ago. I remember seeing the touch of altered fate on him then, not knowing why - well, he seemed fairly happy then, so hopefully he'll take advantage of this opportunity... "I wish I could get my cutie mark," wishes a young earth pony colt, staring out his window. I chuckle - that was a common one. I remember, long ago, a young filly begging me for just that same thing, but at the time, there was nothing I could do… Once, Celestia had told me, they were called 'kismet marks', the marks of fate; not even she or her sister knew when or who that got corrupted into the modern wording... I could do it, now. I embody the twinkling points of fate, and I could force them to grant a cutie mark for that colt. I could probably even choose it myself, and he'd never truly know it had happened... But of course, I would never twist fate like that. It's best to keep a light touch, because every fate touches every other fate around them. I didn't railroad ponies into their destinies - I had no intention of living a pony's life for them - but I could create opportunities, guidance... And even though I didn't know that colt myself, nor what he sought to do, the stars knew him, and given instruction, gave him the opportunity... I wouldn't be surprised if, should chance lead me to see him in the weeks to come, he would be proudly displaying the new image on his flank... "I wish my mother would get better," cries an earth pony mare to the heavens, from her rooftop. My smile vanishes. Not all the wishes are happy, for fate had its limits, and this wish is beyond them. The connections in the stars tell me that the mother has little time remaining. Perhaps I could extend that by a day or two with a bit of power, but at this time... The heavens shift - with nothing more than a twinkle seen below - and bring a measure of peace to the crying mare, and to her mother. I link together her friends and other family, guiding them to stay close, to offer support in her time of need. It is the best I can do, and hopefully it will help them through their time of loss. I’ve never met the mare, or her mother, but I still have to hold back a tear or two. I sigh, looking something more encouraging after that... "I wish I had someone to love me," gripes a miserable young mare from a balcony. Ahh, that was the sort of thing I was after. I throw forth the nets of fate, letting the stars decide, setting in motion events that would lead a likely partner to this young mare. An easy piece of work, though the rest woul-- Whoa! No, wait, what? What is... ahhhhh! Power! Power streaming out, as the heavens shake! I think I'm screaming, my horn is burning, the rest of my body numb as the careless change I set in motion cascades. I don't think I've ever handled power like this in a single spell before, not even when I had all the powers of the other three together, and it's only getting stronger! The little part of my mind sitting aside and watching the torrents of power seems somehow detached, shunted out of my body to watch as if it's happening to somepony else. I can't even remember the last time I even felt the slightest bit drained from the use of magic, but right now I can feel my reserves growing emptier. The change is chewing through my magic like Pinkie through a five-layer cake, and I can't stop it, and if it doesn't stop soon I'm going to have nothing left and nobody will ever... ...And then it finally stops without warning, shoving my mind back in control of my body and leaving me to collapse in a heap on the ground, barely dregs left of my power, panting and unable to move. What in Tartarus was that? It was just a wish to find someone to love! What on earth would make that use enough power to tear the stars from the sky? When I can focus again, I try to extend my mind back into the heavens, and soon enough find that that is apparently exactly what I have done. Instead of the subtle movements that guide fate, my magic has torn stars from their places, setting them free-wheeling on a new path. One, two, three… no, four stars... why does that sound familiar? Who made that wish? I follow it back to its source, seeking more knowledge of the wisher, and see a young, purple unicorn mare - barely into adolescence - slumped miserably on Canterlot castle's balcony... her dark mane blending into the night except for a pink streak o-- ...No. I... Oh Celestia, I remember... I'd been excited to hang out with Shiny, but he'd been dragged off by Cadance... and Celestia was busy, and so were my teachers... and I didn't have any other friends yet... It had just been a little lonely fit of teenage angst, years before I had even first gone to Ponyville. Forgotten the next day, when I'd gone to visit my parents, but I just had that one little moment of feeling lost, alone and unloved... And I'd wished, without thinking... But, why would that tear free four stars from the sky, to... And then suddenly the door to my chambers crashes open, tearing me away from the stars and the past to the present, and the presence of a mighty Alicorn warrior. Luna blazes with power, the sparks of her etheral mane hissing and flicking, clad in armour of darkness and wielding a blade of moonlight and energy, an avenging valkyrie staring around the room. "Twilight Sparkle! What has happened here? We felt your surge from Canterlot and feared you under attack! Are you hurt?" And I stare at the dark mare before me, who had rushed to my defence, from Canterlot to Ponyville in minutes, ready to smite... The fates... the stars didn't demand, or force... they just provided opportunities. And the best opportunity for love for me had brought about... The stars shall aid in her escape. Unable to help myself, I burst out laughing. Still weak from the incredible working I had wrought, I lose my balance entirely and collapse to one side, laughing joyously, as a bemused Luna looks on. "Are you well, Twilight? What has happened here?" Her armour and weapon begin to fade away as she sees no immediate danger, and trots over to me to help me up. As I finally regain control of myself I let her guide me to my hooves, looking over the mare before me in a new light as she checks me for hurt. She’s rather beautiful - of course she is, she’s one of the Princesses - but I’ve never before found my eyes lingering across her star-speckled form as they do now. Of course, I probably look a mess - using that sort of power is never easy on the mane. It had been a wish in the heat of the moment, given with all the conviction of a spurned teenager but forgotten soon after, given no more thought in all the years since. I'd not given any consideration to such matters since I ascended, let alone with Luna, but... Opportunity is opportunity, and who am I to argue with the kismet I give myself? "I think..." I smile knowingly as I meet the eyes of the confused and worried Princess of the Night. "I think it might possibly have been the start of something beautiful." > Shadows - Kean > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Kean ***** I remember, I was with Luna in a diplomatic meeting with the Griffin council. They had threatened war over not being informed beforehand that Equestria was to have another princess, like it was a slight made purposefully against them. We tried everything we could to placate them. In the end, it was decided that I was to meet with their council. Celestia had been too busy dealing with our own whining upper class, so Luna volunteered to be my only escort (She had persuaded the guards assigned to us to stay behind.). The meeting had been going well. At least, I thought it was. It was kind of hard to pay attention what with Luna using her magic to constantly tease me throughout the session. I made a special note to make sure she paid dearly for that later. Everything was fine until one of them, the head of the Skytalon clan, said something about not expecting Nightmare Moon to be so reasonable. I remember that moment perfectly, because Luna’s latest assault ceased, the room went silent, and a chill blew through the air, even though it was the middle of summer. It was meant as a joke, of course. A poor joke, but a joke none the less. I expected to find myself high above the tower, watching it and its inhabitants crumble to dust in a few moments. Or maybe that’s what I wanted to happen. Or maybe it’s what I wanted to do. “And We had expected the leaders of such a proud race to be far less incompetent. It seems only one of us is pleased,” Was her reply and by the looks on their faces, far more effective than bringing down the tower. Apparently their guards took offense to that. I remember a click, and a flash of silver. Then, nothing. For a short time, anyway. I awoke on a cobblestone floor, four stone pillars evenly placed around me with a single brazier on each. Other than that, though, there was darkness. It probably should have bothered me the way the shadows seemed to consume everything the light from the lit braziers didn't touch, but when you wake up more often than not in the unnatural darkness of the Princess of the Night’s bedroom, you tend to get used to it. I rose to my hooves and a loud, deep, male voice spoke through the darkness. “ Twilight,” It boomed. I took a reflexive step back before lighting my horn, bringing my magic to the ready. “Twilight! Yes you! You are dead!” Dead? But how could I be dead? I can still feel my body and I’m still breathing. There was that flash and… Oh No! If I’m dead, what happened to Luna? I began to panic, looking in every direction for whatever was talking. I heard shuffling from my side and turned to face it, magic at the ready. I fell to my haunches and stared slack-jawed at the being that emerged from the shadows. It was a short, bipedal skeleton. The top of its head – most of which was blocked by a scroll floating in front of him - barely rose to my chest. He – I guessed it was a he from the voice – wore a black robe and green shoes, both of which were too long at the ends. In one hand, he carried a scythe, in the other a megaphone, which squealed when he attempted to speak into it again. “Deader than a – “He was interrupted by the squeal “ – bloody ridiculous contraption!” He yelled, and threw it to the side where it disappeared into the shadows. “Can’t be arsed with it right now anyway, so many Griffins to be processed.” Without the megaphone his voice was a much higher pitch and took on a Trottingham accent. “You know what’s nice about Griffins? Even though they’re half cat, they die just the same as eagles. None of that ‘nine lives’ crap. Bloody pain in the arse that is.” “Who are you?” I managed to ask, finally shaking myself out of the stupor from seeing a walking, talking skeleton. He waved a bony hand at me, still staring at the scroll. “My name’s Gregg, the Grim Reaper. Don’t laugh.” Seems a bit short to be a Grim Reaper, I thought. He brought a finger up to the scroll and began moving it down. Even without seeing it, I knew it was a checklist. I already liked him. “Here we are: Twilight. Surname?” “Sparkle.” “Ah, a pony. Don’t seem many of you these days. Guess it’s not all sunshine and rainbows up there after all. Now then, race?” “Um, Alicorn.” “Right, Alicorn…” He trailed off, the scroll disappeared and he finally looked at me. It wasn’t long before he began shaking and rubbing his head. “There’s another one of you? They went and made another bloody Alicorn.” He groaned. “Is something wrong?” “Yes. You’re like those bloody cats. Such a pain in the arse. You’re a special case.” “Special case?” Maybe I can use that to get out of here. He stopped his head shaking to look at me. “You Alicorns live so long as the magic you are connected to flows through the world,” he explained, not bothering to hide the annoyance in his voice. “So I’m not dead?” “No, you’re dead, but not quite. Any time you die, you will be sent here while your body recovers. Just like those bloody cats. Hate those things.” “I noticed.” “Well aren’t you the snarky little smart arse? Now look here, just because your body recovers doesn’t mean you get to leave. I have to send you back. I do have other dead souls to deal with, so don’t expect me immediately, got that?” “Of course. But, um, I was kind of in the middle of something important, could you send me back?” “Yes, yes, whatever. Don't make a habit of this.” He snapped his bony fingers and a larger hand picked me up by the tail. Even through the wind rushing past my ears I could hear him. “Immortal bloody horses. At least they don’t piss everywhere like the cats.” I awoke again, this time in the hooves of Luna. Before I could say anything, her lips were against mine. When she pulled away, there were no tears as I had expected, instead she was grinning. “First time meeting Gregg?” She asked, her voice teasing. “Yeah… Hey, Luna? Why does he hate cats so much?” “I do not know, Twilight. Perhaps we should ask him the next time we meet.” I laughed. “I don’t intend to be dying again anytime soon.” Her grin only became wider. “Are you so sure?” A hoof guided my head, turning it to face a legion of Griffins charging right at us. > Belly Rubs - ultra1437 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: ultra1437 ***** Luna looked up from her book as a knock sounded at her door. She made her way over and opened it up. “Twilight! What a pleasant surprise. To what do I owe the pleasure?” Twilight absently kicked at the floor with a hoof as she spoke, “Ah. Princess Celestia may have mentioned that you were getting a little shut-in after Nightmare Night. She called me up to see if I could help!” Luna looked back to the massive stack of books she’d finished in the last week. “I can see where ‘Tia thought that, yes. Oh! Come, I know one way to have some fun, even at night!” Twilight followed Luna to one of the largest hallways in the castle. From its look, it’d been freshly waxed and polished. “Come! Let us slide like foals! ‘Tis a most enjoyable ride!” At her own words, Luna took off running, before flopping down on her belly, sliding. Twilight looked on like Luna had gone insane as the latter reached the end of the hallway. “Twilight! Come join me! You must try this activity!” Luna was already halfway back. Shrugging, Twilight stepped forward. “Alright, Luna. I’ll give it a try.” Not a minute later, the pair ended up sliding across the freshly polished floor on their stomachs. Luna yelled and hollered the entire time, and she looked over to Twilight to see the unicorn’s body heaving as a hoof covered her mouth. Luna paused as Twilight froze. “Twilight, are you… ticklish?” Twilight’s ears pinned back as she failed to send a convincing look Luna’s way. “No. I am not!” “Then maybe you would not mind if I did–” With a wing, Luna reached out and flipped Twilight before she stroked a hoof along the smaller mare’s barrel. “–this!” The hoof suddenly shot to Twilight’s belly, rubbing and teasing her vigorously. The purple mare nearly instantly gave herself away before the first laugh escaped her. “No! Stop! Please!” Twilight was laughing uncontrollably from her torturer’s actions. “What was that? I cannot hear you over your delighted squealing.” Standing over Twilight, Luna added her wings to the mix. “Stop! Please! Mercy!” Twilight cried out, she felt a familiar feeling . “Luna! Stop, please!” Luna’s speed only increased further. “I gotta pee-hee-hee!” “Oh fie. I guess that I must stop, lest you have an accident.” Luna’s wings retreated, but her hoof still held Twilight as they both laughed for several seconds. “That does not mean I will not tickle you again.” The hoof released Twilight, and she stepped out from under the larger mare. “What’s with all the yelling out here? Some of us are trying to sleep!” A large white mare rounded the corner at the end of the hallway. “Meteors and stardust! My sister! Run!” Luna took wing and was soon out of sight. Twilight was left behind, frozen in fear as her mentor nearly stomped up to her. Celestia’s anger melted as she noticed her most faithful student. “T-Twilight? What are you doing out here?” “I-I…” Twilight’s eye twitched rapidly and Celestia looked on as Twilight.exe stopped working. While waiting for Twilight’s brain to reboot, she drew her student into a hug, hoping to calm her down. After a moment, Twilight seemed to have returned to consciousness, actively returning her hug. “Now, Twilight, would you mind explaining what you were doing out here yelling about?” In a small, pitiful voice Twilight replied, “Don’ wanna.” Celestia asked again, “Please, Twilight?” Even softer came the reply, “No… too embarrassing.” “I’m sure whatever it is can’t be that bad.” Twilight’s head shot up, nearly catching her horn on Celestia’s jaw. “Can’t be that bad?!” Twilight found her voice as she shrieked, “Can’t be that bad! Luna found out I’m ticklish! Then she nearly tickled me until I peed myself!” Twilight’s eyes widened, and she suddenly buried her head in Celestia’s fur, weeping openly. Celestia hushed and cradled Twilight until she fell asleep against her. Standing up, she set Twilight on her back and made her way to Luna’s room. Not even bothering to knock, she entered, finding Luna reading a book. “Sister. We need to talk.” “Itwasnotmyfault!” Luna surprisedly leapt to the other side of her bed, before misjudging and falling off. “Luna. Please.” Celestia set Twilight down on the bed, before sitting next to her. Twilight unconsciously curled herself into Celestia’s warmth. Luna looked away sadly. “I am sorry for being so loud tonight, sis–” Celestia interrupted her. “Luna.” “–ter. I did not mean to–” Luna was interrupted, a little louder this time. “Luna!” Her head snapped back around to face her sister. “Yes, ‘Tia?” “You still think I’m angry about being woken up?” She motioned to Twilight, tear streaks and snot still on the youngest mare’s face. Luna’s eyes widened. “Oh meteors. What happened?” “You tickled her, Luna. Without her permission. After you ditched her, she was inconsolable and cried herself to sleep in my hooves.” Celestia’s stern look said it all. “I-I just…” Luna’s eyes had tears. “I was just having fun, ‘Tia. I didn’t mean anything by it.” “I know you didn’t, but did she?” Celestia’s wing wrapped around Twilight. “The way you left her behind in a hurry said a lot to her, too, I imagine.” Luna’s face turned resolute. “I will make it up to her. I swear.” Celestia added, “And no tickling. Not without permission.” Luna nodded. “That as well. No tickling without permission.” A third voice joined. “And ice cream for all.” Celestia surprisedly looked down into her wing. Luna chanted. “Ice cream for all!” Then her brain registered what had been said. “Wait, what?” “Luna. Ice cream,” Celestia said as she pointed to the door. “Three bowls, please.” “Three? But it is-” Celestia lifted her wing, revealing Twilight attempting to clean herself up. “Three it is. For what it is worth, Twilight, I am sorry.” Twilight smiled. “No apologies necessary, Luna. Only if you get the ice cream. But please, don’t tickle me like that again.” Luna shook her head. “No, Twilight. I am still apologizing. What I did was wrong, and I do not know what I can do to make it up to you.” Celestia chuckled. “I believe ice cream would be a good start.” Twilight nodded wholeheartedly. Luna laughed. “I will be right back with the ice cream, then.” > Gender Change - Foals Errand > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Foals Errand ***** Luna stood outside her wife’s laboratory with a pursed brow. ten minutes ago she had heard a small explosion of some type from within, this in of itself was not an uncommon occurrence, though normally after a few moments of silence, Twilight’s voice would call out. “I’m okay!” Luna frowned as the eleven minute mark came and went and still nothing from Twilight, Luna, wasn’t to concerned, after all, it took a lot to injure an alicorn seriously. Finally though at the twelve minute mark she snorted and opened the door. “Twilight? Twilight art thou… er are you alright beloved?” Silence Luna lit up her horn to better see and slowly walked down stairs, “Twilight? Twilight answer us… answer me please!” Luna hated to get worried it always caused her to slip back into ancient speech. “Twilight?” “I… i’m alright!” Luna felt her pulse return to normal at the sound of her beloved voice but stopped. Something was wrong it seemed far too forced? As if who ever was speaking was forcefully pitching their tone. “Twilight are you certain you are unharmed?” “Perfectly unharmed Luna! I promise, why um, why don’t you back upstairs? I’ll be up in just a little while ok?” Luna frowned, but, turned to head back up the stairs when she heard a loud crash and a low curse. Her ear twitched That did not sound like my Twilight. Luna extinguished her horn and let her body sink into the shadows themselves. She took to the air and flew down into Twilight’s lab. “You really did it to yourself this time didn’t you Sparkle?” Luna’s eyes narrowed as she gazed at the purple pony picking itself up, the pony was larger than her wife. Luna’s teeth gritted together but she calmed herself Wait, watch, and listen. Remember what Twilight has been teaching you. The larger pony ran a hoof through their short messy mane, and looked at the destroyed lab equipment. “Alright Sparkle think, what are you going to do? You can’t keep Luna waiting forever,and shes going to start to suspect something if you never come out of your lab again!” Luna’s ear flicked, she took in the information in front of her readily. Alright, this pony is calling itself Sparkle, it does share the same color fur as well as the same cutie mark as our beloved. She watched the strange pony lift a fallen piece of equipment, the pony cursed then unfolded large wings and took to the air to get an aerial view of the destroyed object. “Buck, completely destroyed.” An alicorn, but, Luna glanced up at the hovering pony and immediately her cheeks turned red. A Male alicorn? Being as there were only four known alicorns living anywhere, Luna was forced to a conclusion. My wife is… a colt? Twilight landed on the floor with a thump he let out a groan not at all used to his new bulk. “Alright, realistically working non stop this will take, two months to fix. Then I need to deduce what actually went wrong. There is no way I can hide this from Luna for that long. What am I going to do?” He sunk to his belly carefully rearranging himself before doing so. When he first changed he hadn’t been so careful and, well now he understood his brother’s pain. He buried his head under his hooves and tried not to scream. Luna was certain now that this was her Twilight, her wife, and this… was covered in their vows wasn’t it? in sickness and in health? Her Twilight was most certainly ill right now. With that decided Luna walked out from the shadows and lowered herself next to her wife, draping a large wing over his back. Luna smiled as she felt him startle at the touch then settle. “I… i was starting to lose it again wasn’t I?” He asked uncovering his head. “You were, but I have known a long time that such was always a possibility my love, now, would you like to tell me why it is that you are a colt instead of the filly I married?” Twilight sighed and opened his mouth but his stomach growling stymied him. He looked up at his wife with large purple eyes. “Food first? I’ve been down here all day Lulu.” Luna nodded giving him a nuzzle, “very well, food first then an explanation.” She hesitated then licked his nose. “Come on Twily.” > Orbit - Cytotoxin > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Cytotoxin ***** "Do we have any strawberries left?" - a mundane question, but asked in an odd environs, reverberating against the tight metal walls across the little station. Luna frowned and shook the container. It was dishearteningly inertialess. "Sorry. We finished them last evening. With whipped cream." - a voice responded from somewhere inbetween metal pipes - "There should be plenty of raspberries, though." Heaving a little sigh, moon princess reached for the container. Raspberry wasn`t among her favorites, but... Beggars can`t be pickers. She scooped out hefty selection of berries, taking care not to let a single one float away, and dumped them into the shaker. A scoop of cream followed. "Are you gonna be there long?" - she quipped, carefully doling out raspberry-laden cream onto the pancakes and rolling them up - "Hurry before your lunch floats off on a space adventure." Moments later, a lavender hoof poked out from behind the water recycler, followed by the rest of Twilight Sparkle. "Well, that`s it." - she said matter of factly - "I fixed it, but we`re down to two hundred gallons. Next shipment`s in a week, so we`ll have to ration the water a little. Hope you don`t mind sharing showers." Luna blushed faintly. Sometimes, Twilight could be brazenly forward without even recognizing it. Considering they were still in kisses and hugs stage, sharing shower was quite a bold suggestion. Still.... "...What is it, Lulu?" - quipped lavender alicorn curiously, as her companion paused to daydream and blush. A moment later it finally dawned on Twilight just what she suggested. The blush was readily doubled. "I`m sorry, I`m sorry, I`m sorry, I didn`t mean it like that!" - she offered quickly, rubbing her hooves together nervously - "I swear, I was just thinking about water conservation." Luna placed her wing over Twilight`s back, shushing her. "It`s OK." - she proffered back, still blushing, but quite at ease - "Nothing to be ashamed of, dear. After all, it`s just practicality, no?" Twilight grinned back gratefully. Her grin quickly grew sheepish, however, as her stomach growled. With a chuckle, Luna levitated a pancake in front of Twilight. "Say aaah, dear." Dear Princess Celestia. We are fine here. A little short on strawberries, but next cargo ship should be here in just a week. Terraforming of Equis Quatro is proceeding as planned. Surface temperature is down to ninety degrees in shade already. In about three weeks, we expect ammonia condensate to settle completely. It would be nice to have the comet here by then, but there is no hurry. Cooling has stabilized and even if we were to abandon the project now, the planet would go through the ice age naturally over the course of next few thousand years. Of course, with extra ice to introduce and silver iodide provoking massive downpours over the surface to stabilize the environs into quarter-oxygen atmosphere, we can expect a Green-2 class climate to establish within two years. Additional weather restructuring will likely be necessary however, or maybe even tectonic engineering. A mountain range along the equator tends to shape the whole climate in the temperate zones to monsoon pattern, but I`m confident it`s effects can be ameliorated with some judiciously emplaced wind tunnels through the range. How are things on Secundus? We`ve heard the news about Rarity`s new zero-g fashion line, but past that, we`ve been quite in the news void, as it were. Speaking of news... I have to say - you were right. It`s been awkward at first, but me and Luna had reached an accord quite easily. I`m sorry for doubting your insight, and you may consider this letter an IOU for one triple-layered vanilla-strawberry-pishachio Pinkie Pie patented party cake. Yours, Twilight Sparkle. > Cause and Effect - ultra1437 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cause and Effect Written by: ultra1437 -~- After an exhausting Nightmare Night festival, Princess Luna and Twilight Sparkle retired to their shared chambers to rest.  The door opened and the pair practically dragged themselves through.  In their magic, each pony had a large bag of candy and was roughly deposited in one corner for later. Twilight took one look at their bed and yawned loudly.  “That was fun.” Luna was already halfway to the bed.  She blinked once, “Indeed.  That was entirely too much fun, but ‘tis time now for rest.”  She climbed in, nearly toppling over into the satin sheets.  Rolling onto her back, her wings spread and she moaned lewdly before slipping under the blanket.  “Oh, that feels so nice…” Twilight, blushing hard from Luna’s moan, climbed in right behind her, snuggling right into Luna’s larger form.  Yawning again, much like a cat, she whispered, “G’night Luna.” Luna wrapped her hooves around Twilight’s barrel, pulling the smaller alicorn close.  “Sweet dreams, love,” she replied before closing her eyes. Twilight stirred, some noise rousing her from a deep sleep.  She lifted her head up and looked around to try and find the noise’s source.  After several seconds she found nothing and snuggled back into her big, fluffy, blue, alicorn-shaped pillow and was asleep in seconds. Several minutes later, she woke up again.  Again, a sound disturbed her.  More awake this time, she lit her horn and looked for a minute.  After hearing nothing but silence, she laid her head back down to get back to sleep. After a minute, a colossal snore ripped through the room.  Now Twilight was awake.  She looked at Luna, just in time for the alicorn to shift her position and snore loudly again, right into Twilight’s face. Blinking twice, Twilight thought, ‘I’m not dealing with this now…’  She slipped out of Luna’s grasp and headed for the doors.  As she reached them, she wrote a small note for Luna, stating that she’d be sleeping in Celestia’s room, and would explain later.  Pinning the note to Luna’s horn and timing opening the door so as to not disturb the rest of the castle with Luna’s vigorous snores, she exited surprising the guards outside. A small trek down a stairwell, two hallways, and back up another stairwell, she arrived at Celestia’s room.  The guards looked at her funny, but didn’t stop her from entering Celestia’s room. No sooner had she closed the door when a familiar noise ripped through the room.  Twilight stood shocked.  ‘Oh come on!  I just want to sleep!’  She exited Celestia’s room, and made her way back to her own and Luna’s room.  Yawning as she approached the door, she struck upon an idea.  She retrieved a pillow and two spare blankets from her room, and made her way to the hallway, the guards giving her a queer look the entire time. Setting the pillow on the floor outside, next to one of the guards, she finally noticed the looks.  “What?” “What are you doing out here, your highness?  Aren’t you supposed to be sleeping?” The farther away of the pair asked. “I can’t sleep.  Luna’s snoring.”  She laid a blanket down on the marble flooring, and a pillow on top of that. “So?  Begging your pardon ma’am, she always snores,” the other adds. “Not like this.  I’m just gonna sleep out here.”  Twilight yawned and laid down on the blanket and pillow, tossing the second blanket on top of herself.  She waved a hoof.  “You two… just go about whatever you were doing.” They share a look and shrug, returning to guarding two of the three triarchs. Luna woke up feeling absolutely divine.  Sitting up, she noticed Twilight was missing and a note was stuck on the tip of her horn.  After reading the note, she got up and made her way out into the hall.  The guards were standing in place, but were smiling softly and watching something just out of view.  They hadn’t noticed her yet, so Luna investigated and found Twilight sleeping soundly next to one of them. A soft little snore escaped Twilight, and one of the guards physically suppressed a giggle.  “Yes, she’s adorable when she snores like that.”  Almost as if one being, the pair jumped and spun to find Luna smiling cheekily.  They opened their mouths, but Luna’s magic shut them just as quickly.  She softly spoke, “No, no.  I don’t need to hear any excuses.  Twas but a simple prank.  Anyways, what might be the reason my beloved Twilight is sleeping out here, instead of with me, or barring that, her mentor and mine sister?” The magic around their muzzles ceased and the guard to her right opened her mouth, “Sorry.  She said something about you snoring.”  They both cringed, expecting a reprimand.  After a moment, they looked back to their charge to find her thoughtfully looking to Twilight. “Ah.  I figured that might be the case.”  Both guards raised an eyebrow questioningly.  “When truly exhausted, and resting peacefully, both myself and mine sister do snore a fair bit.”  That explanation garnered a knowing nod from both guards. Luna’s horn lit and she levitated Twilight, blankets and all, back toward their room.  “Now that I’m up, I’ll let her have the bed.  Please, send for me when she wakes.”  She tucked Twilight in, kissing her on the forehead, before making her way back out into the hallway. ‘It’s a beautiful morning.’  She spread her wings and launched out an open window. > Races - Draven Eclipse > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Races Written by: Draven Eclipse -~- Luna could not believe what she was hearing. After dating the love of her life, Twilight Sparkle, for more than five years, she thought she knew everything about the studious alicorn. She was wrong. It was hard to believe that such foul words could come from such sweet lips. Her stomach churned at every word that was spoken. “I’m sorry you can’t handle what I have to say Luna, but it’s the truth” Twilight sighed. “Surely you can’t mean such words Twilight, we thought a mare of your upbringing would be better than this. Surely you can see that all races are equal” Luna pleaded, praying her love would take her words back. Twilight placed a bookmark in her lastest scientific journal and set the book aside. She really didn’t see what the big deal was, plenty of ponies didn’t like other races. She knew for certain that Applejack could only tolerate a few races herself. So why Luna was making such a big deal was beyond her. “Luna, I see where you’re coming from, but not all races are equal. I just believe that all other races are inferior. You don’t see me trying to change your beliefs” Twilight responded, rubbing her temples. “We cannot look upon thee right now, Twilight” Luna said with a sob, “We shall speak to thee when you can see reason.” The dark alicorn sprinted out of their beddroom as fast as her hooves could carry her. She ingored all the servants and guards of the castle that attempted to comfort her. Twilight was smacking her head against a book when a concerned Celestia walked into the room. It had been some time since she saw her sister in such a state. She was surprised to say the least, when she heard of her students views. “Twilight, what is this I hear about your disdain for other races?” Celestia questioned in a firm voice. “I’m….sorry” Twilight grumbled, crossing her hooves over her chest. “I just don’t see a point to any other races when the one hundred meter dash is so efficient.” > Instant Regret - Habanc > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Instant Regret Written by: Habanc -~- Somewhere below, off the nearby cliffs, she could hear the lake rippling against the rocks, quiet noises that were only allowed to come out during the void of night. And then Applejack burped. Loudly, in fact. The girls around the campfire all broke into laughter, collapsing against one another. They all knew they were somewhere within White Tail Wood, but the specifics were hazy. To be honest, almost everything was hazy. Bottles littered around the logs they used as seats. It was a cider of five years' past, aging perfectly in a barrel kept in the basement of Sweet Apple Acres. It tasted wonderful a few hours ago; now it flowed like water. "Luna. Lunaaa." The lunar princess rolled her head around, coming to her equal. She was sitting beside her, albeit on another log. "Y- yes, Twilight?" "I'm bored." Twilight pawed at her foreleg. "Do something funny." "Uh," Luna mumbled as she took a moment to go over her options. "No." "Come onnn. I figured you'd actually be fun like this, not all stuffy and... and pompous like in Canterlot." Twilight tilted her nose up into the air. Luna recoiled, and almost too far as she had to keep from falling off her seat. "What? Takest back thy foul words!" "Okay, nevermind." Twilight giggled. "The archaic speech is– is actually kinda funny." "We shall not– what? Art thine words true?" "Yes," she confirmed with a nod. Luna sputtered internally, not sure what to make of this. Perhaps it wasn't too bad. Twilight certainly liked it, or at least laughed at it, and that made her heart flutter. "Dost thou wishest Us to continue Our dialect?" "No, no..." Twilight paused for a moment, happily gazing out into the distance. "No, but it's funny every now and then." Luna fought to keep her faltering spirits up. "I see. Well then, what do–" "Hit it, Applejack!" rang out Pinkie Pie's voice. Within seconds, a harmonica began playing at a lightning pace, folky and inviting all at once. Bewildered, Luna looked to Twilight. "Come on!" The unicorn rose to her hooves. "I'm bored! Let's dance!" Before Luna could complain or contest, she was whisked away to just outside the camp, along the grassy knoll by the bluffs. Drunken and unashamed, Twilight began to... do something between a rocking chair impression and a dying worm. Luna watched her in equal parts confusion and amusement. It was adorable, really – or so her inebriated goggles told her. Luna coughed into her hoof to hold in her laughter. "What do you call this, uh, dance?" Twilight looked up to her as she spun around in circles, hooves bucking out and flailing. "No clue! It's freestyle!" She panted for breath between sentences. "You just, y'know, let it all flow through you. Feel the music!" It's demonic, Luna quipped. Never before had she seen this outlandish side in Twilight, and after tonight perhaps she wouldn't want to either. She smiled. "I see! Well then, can I join you in this pagan blood ritual?" "Of course!" Twilight brushed the damp hair out from her face. Taking a deep breath, her courage fully enforced by alcohol, Luna tried to mimic her. Front legs out, hind legs out... and that leaves no hooves on the ground. Luna crashed into the earth. Grass was firmly shoved into her teeth, the womp of her landing still echoing into the night. Returning to her hooves, Luna breathed pure relief as Twilight made no indication that she saw. Again, she started, placing her hooves as carefully as a drunken mare could. It was rough at first, but soon she was getting the hang of it. "There you go, Luna!" Twilight called out. Luna nodded in turn. There was too much concentration on her hooves to be able to do much more. Looking up for a moment, Luna caught her eyes, and watched as Twilight winked at her. It was gone in a flash, but by all things divine she was sure she saw it! Excitement surging in her heart, Luna pushed her hooves faster. She danced harder and harder, not sure why other than to perhaps-maybe-possibly impress Twilight, but she dare not admit it to herself yet. In the blur of vision that overtook her spinning form, Luna nudged her steps closer and closer to the purple blotch that could only be Twilight. Perhaps she'd think of something brilliant, witty, or romantic! Or maybe all three! She didn't think of why she was going to her, only of what she might say when she got there. And yet, so wrapped up in her own hopes, dreams, and delirium, Luna failed to heed how close Twilight was growing. Her rear hooves actually connected with something. Something that yelped. Stumbling about as she spun out from her dance, Luna watched the purple blur fly over the bluffs, descending towards the blue water below. There was a large splash, followed by a bright flash of light. Regret – over everything, over this whole stupid, silly dance – sunk in her stomach like a weighted witch. The next thing Luna knew, a large weight came crashing down on her. Tumbling into the grass, Luna's bleary vision began to pick up the other body atop her. It was familiar... In fact, it was the same purple blur as before! "Wooow..." Twilight's voice murmured. "That was fun." Cogs scrambling into place, Luna nearly shot out of her skin. "Wha-! What!? I– I kicked you across–" Twilight burst into giggles to silence her. "I know, but I– I don't mind a dip in the water every once in awhile. That was fun, Luna." "Twilight, you... well, you and I, I suppose, are both heavily inebriated. Don't you realize the weight of what I've done?" Luna squirmed, trying to get out from under her. "Well, of course. I weigh a perfectly healthy amount." She smiled and stuck her tongue out at Luna. "But– but–!" Twilight planted a hoof over her lips. "Shh... I said I was bored, and you did something to fix it. That's all I care about. Th– thank you, Luna." "M'okay," Luna managed from under her hoof. Pulling her hoof aside, she leaned in and planted a kiss on Luna. She held it for just a few seconds, and those rose back up. "Now, come on! I have a few other "pagan blood rituals" I wanna try to this next song." > Sticky - neovika > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sticky Written by: neovika -~- It had only been a few days since, Twilight sparkle received her new alicorn status. She had been invited to the castle to prepare for her coronation as a princess. She had a lot to learn and so was now heading toward the canterlot archives to find some books on the subject. As she trotted down the corridor that lead to the archives, she came to a crossroads and was about to go past, that is until Princess Luna crashed into her and the honey pot she was carrying spilt all over them. “Twilight sparkle are you okay?” Luna asked with concern in her voice Twilight groaned “Yes, I am fine Princess Luna, If a bit sticky now.” Luna giggled “Well, that is what happens when one doesn’t look where they are going.” Twilight internally sighed, Her and Luna’s coat were covered in honey. ‘Luna’s voice is so beautiful.’ Twilight examined every inch of Luna’s body intently. Twilight quickly broke from her reverie and turned away and blushed. silence reigned, that is until Luna made a suggestion. “How about we both get cleaned up?” Luna suggested still blushing Twilight responded “Yes, okay I’ll just go to my-” Twilight was cut off as Luna teleported them into her bathroom. It was a large room with light blue tiles all around even on the ceiling and sunken into the floor was a large square bath. That was suspiciously already drawn. Twilight gently walked into to large bath that had to be five body lengths wide on all sides. Luna soon joined Twilight opposite her. Twilight watched as she lay down the water coming up to her withers. Luna was still blushing but now she was also fidgeting nervously. Luna was the first to break the silence. “So Twilight how do you like being an alicorn?” “I honestly don’t know Luna, It’s was just so sudden. I am glad my friends are all supportive, but i fear I may not see them as much anymore.” Twilight said sadness in her voice. Luna’s face sunk, her head hung and ears drooped. “Oh I didn’t know. I am sorry Twilight.” Twilight got up and trotted up to Luna, who looked up at Twilight with tears in her eyes. Just as she got half way there she slipped and fell Luna grabbed Twilight for her forelegs to catch her and then their muzzles met, their lips joining together. Both Twilight and Luna were wide eyed, Twilight tried to back away, but then she noticed Luna’s amorous eyes too late as Luna wrapped her forelegs around Twilight’s neck and pulled her in for a long and deep kiss. Twilight blushed as she melted into Luna’s kiss and embrace. it seemed like an eternity. Luna pulled back to look at Twilight, Twilight and Luna were panting their tongues stuck out as a string of saliva connected them. Twilight was the first to speak “Luna, will you be my marefriend?” “Yes Twilight!” Luna kissed Twilight again.