Thirty Minute Pony Stories

One of my fellow mods linked this video to me, and I thought...

alexanderkrizak — Sat, 18 May 2013 23:30:18 -0700

One of my fellow mods linked this video to me, and I thought nothing could more appropriately wrap up this prompt than posting it.

Prompt #353: "Two Minutes to Love," by rwlart

rwlart — Sat, 18 May 2013 23:00:00 -0700

Six mares. Fifteen combinations. Infinite possibilities.

Rainbow strutted around in the black flight suit that clung to her lithe body, and Rarity’s eyes followed every twist and turn of the smooth, nearly glistening fabric as Rainbow tested it with every stretch of her limbs.

“Damn, Rarity. This feels awesome.”

Rarity gave Rainbow a kiss and slid a hoof against Rainbow’s chest, feeling her handiwork, before grabbing the zipper.

Rainbow grinned. “What’re you doing?”

Rarity snorted. “Taking it off.”

* * * * * *

Fallen apples litter the orchard, and Applejack stands at Fluttershy’s side instead of walking down the rows of trees picking up every last one, and they watch as an army of rabbits, squirrels, and birds clean the apples hungrily.

“I told you they could do it,” Fluttershy said, smiling as she leaned against Applejack.

Applejack grinned at her. “Wonder what we could do to pass the time instead.”

Fluttershy squirmed and spread her wings as Applejack’s lips met hers.

* * * * * *

Pinkie Pie stares into the room in silence, looking at all of her friends, the party hats, the cake, the confetti, the presents.

“You… you surprised me,” she finally said.

Twilight just smiled even wider as she walked up and gave Pinkie a kiss.

“I told you I was studying Pinkie sense for a reason.”

* * * * * *

Twilight nodded as she listened to Fluttershy describe her morning routine of feeding the animals. She started with the birds because they always gave her some nice music to listen to while she fed the others. Next was Angel because he got testy if she fed the others first. And so on, Fluttershy described every detail of her routine.

“Anyway, I know it’s kind of silly,” Fluttershy said. “I just like to have a system.”

Twilight swallowed her tea before leaping across the table and wrapping her arms around Fluttershy.

“You have no idea how turned on I am right now.

* * * * * *

Applejack snorts as she looks up at the hotel ceiling. The Wonderbolts didn’t pinch pennies when it came to accomodations. But she couldn’t taste the smell of apples drifting in from the orchard. She couldn’t hear the rooster in the morning.

She heard flapping wings, and she turned to see a grinning blue face poke in through the window, holding an apple in her teeth.

When Applejack tasted that apple it was like a sweet slice of home. Too much like home.

“…Did you fly halfway across the dang world just to get me an apple from home?”

Rainbow just grinned.

* * * * * *

Cogs and gears and propellers whirred all around Rarity and Pinkie as they sailed into the cool night sky. The machine was ugly and it shook and Rarity’s mane was a mess as the wind rushed through it and she clung to Pinkie for dear life.

But as Rarity looked down at the dim, scattered lights of Ponyville and the bright lights of Canterlot above it, she couldn’t feel anything other than awe.

Pinkie just smiled at her, pedalling to keep them aloft.

* * * * * *

The streets of Manehatten were crowded, so much so that Rarity had to duck from side to side to avoid being rammed into by ponies with their eyes everywhere but where they were going. Applejack seemed to cut through the crowd without effort, until she stopped at a streetcorner and turned to a pony wearing a suit that was probably supposed to look fancy.

“Excuse me, sir, could you direct me to the art gallery?” Applejack asked.

Rarity’s jaw dropped. She didn’t hear his answer, and she didn’t care. She grabbed Applejack and pulled her close.

“We’re going back to the hotel.”

* * * * * *

“Oh, wait! I almost forgot!” Pinkie said.

She reached into one of her saddlebags and pulled out a party hat, grinning wide when she put it on.

When Fluttershy opened the door to her cottage, Pinkie leapt inside and started wishing a happy birthday to the animals who’d been born that day. When Fluttershy had told her celebrating every animal’s birthday would be like a neverending party, it had not dissuaded Pinkie like she thought it would.

* * * * * *

“So yeah, I’ve always shipped Daring with Rosetta. I mean, they’re enemies and all, but come on. That scene in the Everfree Forest ruins? So hot.”

Rainbow blushed as she noticed she’d been talking about her shipping headcanon’s for the past half hour, and she looked everywhere other than at Twilight’s face.

“I can see that. But I always liked her with Living Stone. I feel like they’d have a lot in common.” Twilight giggled. “I saw a story with all three of them together once. It was really good.”

Rainbow’s blush was spread by a reluctant grin. She’d never been so happy to feel like a dork.

* * * * * *

Twilight twirled around, looking back at the brilliant azure dress adorning her body. It fit loosely around the middle, and the folds in the fabric made it impossible to tell she had wings. She let out a sigh as she stared at herself almost nostalgically, and she smiled at Rarity.

“You don’t want ponies to know how you’re dating a princess?” Twilight asked.

Rarity smiled and shook her head. “They’ll know I’m with somepony special whether they can see your wings or not.”

* * * * * *

“Oh, excuse me,” Fluttershy said.

The other pony didn’t even look at her after nearly knocking her over, and kept walking on whatever his business was. Rainbow’s face clenched up, and she glared back, her wings twitching.

She took a deep breath, and she turned to Fluttershy to give her a kiss on the cheek. All the hurt and embarrassment faded from her face, and she smiled.

If you want to kick somepony, just kiss Fluttershy. That was her rule. It made both of them much happier than a fight would.

* * * * * *

Pinkie Pie grinned and wiggled her rump as she watched Applejack chew her latest version of the chile cupcake. Applejack frowned in thought, and Pinkie waited, holding her breath to hear what her baking buddy thought.

When Applejack finally swallowed, Pinkie thought she’d almost burst.

“Still a mite spicy,” Applejack said. “But it’s gettin’ there.”

Pinkie sighed and nodded, but she smiled and gave Applejack a hug, because knowing Applejack took her seriously enough to be honest was better than anything else.

* * * * * *

Applejack heard her wings before she saw her, and she smiled when she turned to see Twilight fly down to stand beside her in the orchard.

“Hey, need any help out here?” Twilight asked.

Applejack nodded. “I could always use an extra set of hooves.”

“Thanks,” Twilight said. She sighed and rubbed her hooves in the dirt. “I could use some dirty work after being in Canterlot all day.”

Applejack grinned. “We could get dirtier later if you like.”

* * * * * *

Fluttershy blinked when she looked down at Angel, dressed up in the fanciest, tiniest tuxedo she’d ever seen, holding the door open for her and smiling. She continued to feel speechless as she stepped inside and saw each of her animal friends just as dressed up, welcoming her inside as though her cottage were a fancy restaurant.

Angel guided her to the dining room, where Rarity sat wearing her finest dress and grinning at her.

“I thought your animals ought to be dressed for our night in, so I threw a few suits together. I hope you don’t mind.”

Fluttershy couldn’t take any more, and she let out a squee and clapped her hooves together.

“Oh my goodness, it’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen!”

* * * * * *

“You sure about this?” Rainbow asked.

“Oh yeah. Do it!” Pinkie replied.

Rainbow took a breath, and she released her hold on Pinkie, letting her drop down into the sky, squealing in joy as she fell through clouds.

In an instant Rainbow spread her wings and sped down after her, waiting as long as she could until coming in to catch her.

When she looked into her eyes, Pinkie was grinning and panting and her hair was even wilder than usual. She didn’t even say anything before grabbing Rainbow as tight as she could and kissing her in passion.

Krizak Comments!

A story paying tribute to the premise of The Combinatorics Project, one of my favourite fanfics of all time? That’s only the best possible result of this prompt. And it’s not just the tribute paid that makes this story great; each one of the fifteen little vignettes gives us a glimpse into a beautiful moment between two of these six wonderful ponies. Some are sexy, like the opening RariDash segment or the TwiJack part. Some are sweet, like Pinkie taking Rarity on a flight or Dash controlling her anger by thinking of her marefriend. But all of them are so perfect that I want them all in one big beautiful world together… and I notice that there’s nothing in them to prevent them from all coexisting…

Prompt #353: "Silent Libraries" by Versulia

versulia — Sat, 18 May 2013 22:30:24 -0700

“Twilight, I’m scared. Help me.”

No matter how many times he said it, the library was still dark, and the world outside a bright red. With only lantern in his claws, Spike rushed through the halls. And heard the sound of claws scraping against a wooden floor grow louder.

At the end of the hallway Spike turned sharply. He found no stairs, but rather the same stretch of bookcases.

The stairs should have been there. Spike was old enough to clearly remember the layout of the library. The spines of the books quivered in the flickering light. They were old— far too old to be used as library books— but the titles of the books, embossed with a fading layer of gold leaf, could still be read.

“Growing Older— and Acting Your Age,” a cover read.

Spike sniffled and turned away from the books. No matter how many times he across the floor, he ended up next to the books. Hoping to find an answer, Spike reluctantly pulled a book and opened it.

The book said only one sentence, repeated on hundreds of pages:

“Grow up and don’t run away— and act your age, like a dragon.”

Heavy breaths sounded. Spike felt a warm breeze flow past him. Immediately he ran.

“Twilight! Where are you?” Spike called.

No response. The scraping noise grew louder.

The hallways zipped past Spike. Occasionally, he took glances at the bookcases to see if they changed. They didn’t. The same set of books, described as books to help children while they aged, remained. They were useless to Spike, so why did he keep seeing them?

He glared at the books, eyeing another one of the covers. “Maturing with a Proper Disposition,” it read. Spike growled.

The grating noise began to make Spike’s ears ring. Spike turned his head.

He screamed.

Under the faint light of the lantern Spike saw a pair of scaly, gigantic legs of a purple color. A large body attached to an even longer pair of claws stretched before him, greedily reaching at Spike. From the red light of the windows, he saw a dragon’s mouth open wide, too small to keep its teeth inside its jaws.

An overgrown, old dragon, Spike realized. Chasing after Spike as if it were his treasure.

“Twilight! Twilight!” Spike yelled, “help me!”

Spike ran. Swinging both arms, the lantern in one arm swung violently. When he pulled an arm in front of him, the lantern rose and hit Spike in the chest. He tumbled to the floor.

The purple dragon grew closer. Spike called for Twilight, but no answer. The dragon lifted Spike by the tail and brought him closer to his eyes. They were green, like Spike’s. The frills on the side of his face— even the crest on his head— they all looked like Spike.

“A-Are you me?” Spike asked.

The dragon smiled.

“No! I don’t want to look like that! O-Or be like that!”

Spike flailed, continuing to call for Twilight. He brought Spike closer, making him see their similarities— and that the only difference was age.

“You have to help me, Twilight!” He looked at the dragon’s menacing appearance, the claws and teeth sharpened with age. No longer kind. “I—I don’t wanna grow up!”

The dragon blinked.

“That’s crazy, Spike. You shouldn’t be afraid,” a voice answered, “and you shouldn’t be running around in the library— especially if you need my help!”

The dragon dropped Spike. Spike scrambled away from the dragon, who had been stopped by the voice. When he tried to run away, a wall appeared, blocking him.

Keeping him near the same bookcase full of advice books for a growing child. Even with the dragon immobilized, he couldn’t run from that. Run from age.

Spike raised a claw at the books, but collapsed and began to cry. Closing his eyes, he let tears fall from his face.

“Twilight,” he said softly, “I’m scared. I don’t want to grow up.”

He felt a warmth cover him. Eyes still closed, he wrapped his arms around the warmth.

“Why?” the voice— Twilight— asked, “you’re still a baby in the eyes of dragons. And that’ll take some time.”

“But I’m gonna be like them one day. Chasing after things, being greedy,” he said, “I’m scared of that. The bookcase— all of it scares me.”

“You shouldn’t be,” Twilight said after a pause.

Spike sniffled. He opened his eyes and saw that the red darkness of the other world had disappeared. The bookshelves once more were filled with different books. The stairs had returned to their rightful place as well.

And the old dragon disappeared, too old to stay.

Spike closed his eyes and buried his face in Twilight’s coat.

“Spike?” Twilight asked.

He didn’t reply.

“Are you feeling better?” she asked after a moment.

Spike nodded his head slightly.

“Do you feel any different? Like an older dragon?”

He shook his head.

“That means you’re still the same for the time being. There’s no need to be scared.”

Spike tightened his grip on Twilight.

“‘For the time being,’” Spike repeated. After a moment, he asked, “I can’t run from it, can I?”

Twilight didn’t answer. She just held Spike closer and reminded him he was still young.

Krizak Comments!

I’ll confess, I didn’t realize this was related to the Silent Ponyville series until it was pointed out to me. Once it was, however, I smacked myself in the head for not realizing the twisted yet familiar environment, the antagonist born of Spike’s own fears, or the bizarre books lining the walls were hallmarks of those stories. Spike truly is lucky at simply being able to wake up from Silent Ponyville, though; some others have not been so lucky.

Prompt #353: “This Is Not a Ship Fic (No, This Is a Tribute)” by Donny's Boy

donnys-boy — Sat, 18 May 2013 22:01:00 -0700

Okay, so, there’s this really cheerful pink pony, right? Right. And she’s basically the best pony in the entire world, nay, the entire multiverse, because she loves everybody and she wants to make everybody happy and yet she has hidden depths and gloriously angsty backstory, because absolutely nobody wants to grow up on a gray and lifeless rock farm.

Right? Right.

I mean, how do you even grow rocks? What do you do with the rocks once they’re grown? There are a lot of unanswered questions here.

So anyway, there are these other ponies, who are the pink pony’s friend, and they are all secretly in love with the pink pony because, let’s be honest, who wouldn’t be in love with her? I’m just saying. Anyway, so they’re all in love with her, but none of them tell her, because they do not want to be the ones to upset the delicate and volatile dynamics of the entire friend group. The pink pony goes on sadly unaware of her five friends’ feelings, never knowing the truth, never knowing the sweet, sweet embrace of another mare.

It is tragic. Completely and utterly tragic. But isn’t love unrealized always a little tragic? Yes. Yes, I think it is.

The universe abhors a vacuum, however, and similarly the universe abhors a pink pony not receiving her due allotment of kisses. So one day, probably a Thursday, because terrible things always happen on a Thursday, fast blue pony approaches pink pony and confesses her long-withheld, gloriously angsty feelings. Or maybe white fashion horse does or orange apple pony. Or maybe all three of them! Yes, all three of them barge into Sugarcube Corner, like the sheriff entering a saloon for a showdown with outlaw bandits, and they confess to their long-withheld, gloriously angsty love.

In response, pink pony sings a song, because that’s pretty much her default reaction to everything. But then, after the song and after the encore, pink pony cries out, dramatically, “Alas, my dearest friends, I cannot accept the love which you hath offered! For these many moons, now, I have been rendezvousing in secret with the noble Princess Twilight and the fair Lady Fluttershy!”

Except she doesn’t say that at all, and instead she says, “Oh, wow, that’s super duper great! ‘Cause I love all you girls, too, so that means we can—oh, but wait. I’m already dating ‘Shy and Twilight. Is that gonna be a problem?”

At this point, the unicorn, earth pony, and pegasus retreat to a corner table to confab. There’s lots of quiet, urgent conversation and hushed whispers, if by “hushed whispers” you mean loud yelling and by “urgent conversation” you mean ponies blowing raspberries at one another. But that’s only because apple pony insulted fashion horse’s dress, in passing, and not because they are fighting over pink pony. For you see, all three ponies are also in love with one another, because let’s be honest, they’re totally in love with one another.

“We accept your kind offer, madam,” they tell pink pony, once they emerge from their corner, except that’s not really what they say. But I’m pretty sure I cannot transcribe for you what fast blue pony actually said, because it is a bit risque, and by “a bit risque” I mean “blatantly and totally pornographic.”

So the four ponies go to round up alicorn librarian pony and yellow beast-master pony, and they offer up their proposition, in both the pretty mundane and pretty scandalous meanings of that word. The alicorn and beast-master accede to this proposition, and by “accede” I mean …

You know what? I’m sure you can figure out what “accede” means on your own. Yeah. Yeah, let’s just go with that.

They hold a big old wedding, and everyone comes, and every pony who ever wronged them cries in remorse at their sins, and there are ten trillion Sonic Rainbooms and everyone’s parents cry entire oceans of tears, and it’s pretty much the best thing ever. Which you knew it would be, because how could it be anything else? And the six of them all live together for many, many years—and no, I did not forget all about the baby dragon, because c’mon, he’s got to grow up and leave the nest sometime, and would you want to sleep right next door to where your older sister is banging all her wives?—and anyway, they all live together and love one another very much and fight a whole lot, especially on Thursdays, and are as disgustingly happy as any six mares could ever hope to be.

Until pink pony gets pregnant, at least, but that’s an entirely separate story. One that involves a lot more alcohol and a lot more cake frosting.

Krizak Comments!

So this is obviously a tribute to the sort of thoughts that are constantly percolating within the head of Donny’s Boy. (No, seriously, chat with the man sometimes, this is how he thinks!) I love how it flows, the random asides dealing with the mysteries of rock farming or the formal declaration of Pinkie or the definitions of certain words with whole new and wonderful meanings. Tragedies on Thursdays and the question of Spike wrapping everything up was wonderful, and this whole exercise made me laugh a lot. Well done!

Prompt #353: "Tenacious Dash" by Esle Ynopemos

esle-ynopemos — Sat, 18 May 2013 21:31:18 -0700

“Sharks.” Twilight leveled an incredulous expression at Rainbow Dash.

“Yeah, sharks!” Rainbow waved her forehooves open and closed in imitation of a pair of enormous jaws.

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “But you said she was a mile in the air.”

“She was,” Rainbow said. “These were flying sharks.”

“Flying sharks,” Twilight repeated.

“I know, isn’t it awesome?” Rainbow grinned wide. “They’re just as dangerous as regular sharks, but they can fly!”

“Uh huh.” Twilight tapped her hoof on the desk.

Rainbow dug under a pile of papers. “I forget how she gets out of that one, but she does, and it’s really awesome. Where did I put it?”

“You know,” Twilight said, picking up a pile of discarded papers. She winced as she found some of them stuck together with bubble gum. “It wouldn’t be such a problem to find this, um… ‘piece of literary history’ if you kept your place better organized.”

“Yeah yeah.” Rainbow waved her hoof. Her head was completely buried in her desk as she dug for the missing document. “I don’t have time for any of that stuff when I’m ‘in the zone.’ I get that burst of inspiration, you know, and I just gotta write it out. I can’t be wasting time putting it all in neat stacks!”

“No, clearly this is a much better way to do it,” Twilight said, rolling her eyes.

“Aha!” Dash stood up, a stack of papers clenched between her teeth. “Pfound itbh.” She dropped the manuscript on the desk in front of Twilight, who began reading.

“Spitfire let out a long, languid moan as the sure, steady hoof traced a circle around her heaving…”

Rainbow snatched the paper away. “Oops, that’s the wrong one!” she said, a faint touch of red rising to her cheeks. “I mean, that one’s awesome, too. Of course it is, I wrote it, but it’s uh… it’s not ready yet.” She pulled open a drawer and shoved the manuscript inside.

Twilight cleared her throat. “Well, maybe it might help you find it if you said what the title was?” She highly doubted the stacks of wrinkled, ink-smeared papers were arranged alphabetically, but who knows, right?

“Oh, yeah!” Rainbow Dash grinned. “It’s called ‘Daring Do and Commander Hurricane and the Fountain of Eternal Awesomeness.’ Guest-starring Captain Badflank.”

“Captain who?”

“Captain Badflank,” Rainbow said again. “She’s my own original character. Nopony can tell her real identity underneath her Wonderbolt uniform.”

Twilight resolved to try and refrain from rolling her eyes so much. She was getting tendonitis in her eye sockets.

Rainbow went back to digging through the reams of paper. “You’re gonna love it when I find it, Twi!” she promised. “It’s my masterpiece. The best fan-fic ever!”

Krizak Comments!

More stories need to start with the word “sharks.” What I loved about this is that we never actually see Rainbow Dash’s “masterpiece;” we only get various descriptions of it, allowing it to build up to something far more terrible in our heads. I liked the description of Twilight’s growing exasperation as well, both concerning the story and the attempt to find said story. Dash’s little Spitfire clopfic was a funny little moment that helped glue everything together.

Prompt #353: "To Share an Apple" by Shutaro

alexanderkrizak — Sat, 18 May 2013 21:01:06 -0700

The potion dripped into the little plastic cup. Three ounces of the concoction that would change his life. Thomas looked around the chamber a last time. The metal top of the table was uncomfortably cold against his naked backside, the hospital gown only covered the front.

“You can still go back, if you want,” the pure white stallion reminded him. “It is a free choice, nobody will judge you if you decide to quit, even now.”

The smile on the ponies muzzle seemed genuine to Thomas. His human assistant, however, was stealing a look at the clock, he noticed. Then a stomach rumbled. “Sorry doc Whitecoat, sorry Thomas. I missed breakfast today. I can’t wait till lunch.”

Two weeks ago Thomas would have simply ignored him or he might even have gotten a bit angry that his “conversion experience” was dimmed by this unprofessional assistant nurse. But now, with his life as a human coming to an end, he felt oddly serene. He smiled at the nurse. “I’ll try to make it quick Jules. I’ll share my first apple with you” he joked. He wiggled his toes, flexed his fingers one last time. “I still think I’m gonna miss those.”

Krizak Comments!

I’ll be honest, I was never a fan of The Conversion Bureau. Too much self-indulgent wish fulfillment for my tastes. Having said that, this was an amusing little look at the transformation process. I like how they touch on things like missing fingers and how much ponies can actually do with their hooves. The deal involving the apples is also a nice touch.

Prompt #353: "A Novel Night" by Shutaro

alexanderkrizak — Sat, 18 May 2013 20:30:48 -0700

“It’s three in the morning,” Twilight grumbled as she walked through the library main room. “Whoever that is, they have some nerve to disturb me at this hour.” Her magic lighted a candle and she opened the door. “Do you have any idea …” Outside stood a really wet and tired looking baby dragon. ”Spike, I was wondering when you’d come back. It’s three AM, I have just started my second pot of tea. Come in, let’s get you dry before you catch a cold. You should have been in bed hours ago.” Twilight took a step back and let the dragon walk in.

The dragon whelp suppressed a yawn as he walked in. “I know, but Rainbow Dash wanted to complete the latest chapter of her story. You know that novel she has been obsessing over for the last weeks?”

A towel floated over from the bathroom in Twilight’s magic. Spike grabbed it from the air, and started to rub his skin until he was dry again. Then he opened a closet and got a mop to clean up the small puddle he had left on the floor.

Twilight sat down at her desk and shooed away Owlowiscious before he could swipe a cube from her sugar bowl. She gave the bird a hard stare. “Oh, I know what you’re up to, mister!”

“Who?”

Krizak Comments!

Oh, wow, that story is not going to survive Twilight Sparkle’s editorial wrath, now is it? I’m surprised that Spike is willing to spend so much time writing down Rainbow Dash’s story, let alone give her the advice he’s gleaned from spending so much time in libraries. I was amused by how Twilight seemed to finally accept that Dash’s story might be worth her time only to have it shoved in her arms moments later.

Prompt #353: "Usurper" by InfluentCRAINE

alexanderkrizak — Sat, 18 May 2013 20:06:30 -0700

Wings, white as snow, flared widely. And ageless, domineering eyes hardened.

A sneer that burned. A glare that killed. Blue eyes that commanded obedience with thundering silence. Eyes half-curtained behind blood red bangs. Every reason she was respected—every reason she was feared—held in that gaze. And it shook two little fillies to pieces.

It wasn’t fair. She knew that. And her heart would sink with every beat, knowing it had to be done. But perhaps the worst of all; not knowing how she’d punish her beloved offspring. She glared on. Unfaltering. Unflinching. Waiting for the excuse she knew was coming.

“Mother, I… I can explain-“

“Then do so, Celestia.” She nearly winced at her own tone, the sharp echo that shook the throne room ever so lightly. “I was quite clear that you were forbidden to leave the castle.”

The moment her oldest daughter reeled back with wet eyes, she nearly broke. She nearly crumbled before her children, and showered them with endless apologies. But they wouldn’t learn that way. She knew that too.

“So explain to me,” she continued, trying shamefully hard to calm her voice, “why it seemed like a good idea to disobey me.”

“Wait. Please, Mommy?” She slowly turned toward her youngest, eyes narrowing even more. “I-It wasn’t all Tia’s fault. I… I could’ve stopped her, but-“

“Silence.”

Her ears wilted at Luna’s shriveled squeak, and felt her own eyes moisten when she saw those damning tears. “What were you two thinking?” Her voice unsteadied, barely below a shout. “You could have been killed.”

Both fillies sunk to their haunches. Beady eyes stared up at her, begging for mercy. Begging for understanding. With a quivering lip, Celestia tried to speak. “We… I wanted to see if the stories were tr-“

“You are not to leave this castle. “ She had to turn away. She couldn’t look at them anymore. “Ever.”

“But-“

“You are dismissed!”

She heard their shilled gasps, heard their hooves skitter across the pearl tile. Running from her. Her teeth drove into her lip, eyes tightly sealed. Now alone before her jeweled throne, the ruler of Equestria willed herself to stand. Willed her tears unshed. There was no time for tears. Of this, she knew as well as the sun or the moon.

She had a kingdom to rule. Two fillies to raise, to teach and nurture. And now, as she turn to face the empty throne room, eyes gleaming from shiny pillars, Solaris had an intruder to deal with.

“The aspect of ‘stealth’ eludes you,” Solaris said, cold and calculated.

A light chuckle swam through ceiling, swam through the walls, through the mind. Bouncing. Reverberating. Solaris’ eyelids lowered shut, slow and deliberate. Her teeth grounded as the laughter continued. Growing. Deepening. Then her eyes opened, stoically gazing at the creature now standing meters away.

“It seems I’m losing my touch. Eh, princess?”

Solaris didn’t respond. She merely stood there, carefully folding her large wings.

“Don’t like to talk? Fine. I suppose an explanation is an order.”

Solaris narrowed her gaze. Just a little. Just enough to send a clear message.

A lion paw and an eagle claw lifted defensively. “Relax, your Highness. Geez. No wonder you’re single.”

Solaris lips pulled over her teeth. “Tell me why,” she demanded behind a clenched jaw.

Another hollowing laughter escaped gray lips. “I assumed you, of all creatures, would figure it out by now.” His voice was low. Chilled as a winter’s blizzard. “You were taking your sweet time confronting me. Had to get you moving.”

A sharp pulsed lifted Solaris’ hoof and dropped it with tile-cracking force. “Hundreds, Discord! Thousands! And for what?!” she shouted, her eyes wide.

Discord scoffed. “Well, I don’t always lay a town to waste. But when I do, I leave witnesses,” he said with a toothy grin.

Blue eyes widened in disbelief, searching the floor, the walls—anything—for Discord’s meaning.

“Oh, Solaris, don’t look so lost. How can I properly rule a kingdom if nopony knows of me? Surely you’ve heard the rumors. ‘The monster that sails through oceans of ruin, consuming all in its wake’. ‘The creature with laughter so dark, it blots the very sun’. Funny how children find these stories so fascinating—“

“Enough!” Whatever sense of decency Solaris had left was cut like stretched yarn. “Publicity? That’s it?! That’s how you justify this… this… THIS!” Her horn went aglow. And with it, with it, came the grizzly images of Discord’s campaign.

Towns scattered in ruin. Lakes desert-dry. Crops rotted away. And fields of ponies… lifelessly spread among it all. The images swirled around him like accusing ghosts, as wavy as the ocean between lands. Discord looked on. Smiling. With a snap of his fingers, the images shattered like frozen glass.

“Play ‘the victim’ to your heart’s content.” Discord tilted his head, holding his crooked grin. “The fault is ours to share.”

“How dare you!” The corridors rumbled with her cry, showering the air with falling pebbles. “Your crimes are your own, draconequus!”

This time, Discord laughed harder, throwing his head back, and holding his serpent belly. “Is that what you think? Allowing this to happen? Watching it for weeks on end? Sacrificing so many lives just to see if the rumors were true? And you think you’re innocent?” Immediately, his laughter died. But his smile remained. “Well, wake up. I’m real. And soon…”

Discord flung his arms out, reveling in energy only he felt. “Soon, all shall know my visage,” he declared, dauntless and proud.

“No.” Without her knowledge, her wings spouted, tense as the air that choked her. “They won’t.”

Discord’s own wings sprouted, and a bushy brow lifted. “Oh really? And who should see me fail?” He marched toward the throne. Slowly. “You? A failed monarch, set in her ways? A dishonored wife? A cruel mother? You’re the one who will stop me?”

Solaris could almost hear her teeth crack as they gnashed with every insult. She mimicked Discord’s march. Clacking of hooves on tile. Growing louder. Stabbing into the other’s ear like bundled knives. In seconds, they were nose to nose, one sneering, one grinning with a squint.

“Do not test me, Discord…” Solaris warned.

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Discord replied. “Because we both know… how this will end.”

By the skies, it would have been so easy. So easy to gore this vile creature with her long horn. Nose crinkled, and white fur needling out, Solaris almost did.

A flash of light glared into her eye. When she turned her head, nigh every thought slipped away. There—wailing in spiked cages— were Solaris’ two offspring. Bound by chains.

“I spared your offspring for a reason, Solaris,” Discord said, his voice barely above a whisper. “Observe the stakes. And choose your next move with care.”

Anything and everything Discord said was but a blur. And so was every thread of logic and reason that came to her. In an instant, the experience honed from eons of rule flew out of her head, out the window, out of the very castle.

And with a throat-stabbing shout, and a blind tackle, so did her and Discord.

Krizak Comments!

I’ve not read the fanfic this is a tribute to, but I am intrigued by what you have written here. I liked how this story feels like two complete separate parts, until Discord brings in the subject of the former in a truly sadistic move. Discord in general is far more terrible here in the past than we ever saw in the present, though I’d almost be curious if it is mainly in response to being confronted by such a strict and orderly figure as Solaris is.

Prompt #353 Played It Loud!

alexanderkrizak — Sat, 18 May 2013 19:05:25 -0700

I can’t really tie this into the narrative I set up in the warnings. I just wanted to use this image.

A 'Tribute, eh? Could this tribute relate to anything in the FiM-verse?

Sat, 18 May 2013 15:11:00 -0700

While this prompt’s original intent was for authors to write tributes to what they might believe to be the “Greatest Fanfic in the World,” this prompt, like all prompts, is open to interpretation, and as long as a story is obviously connected and inspired by the prompt (and follows our other rules), it will be accepted.

Alexander Krizak is not the greatest mod in the world, merely a tribute.

Prompt #353: "Tribute"

alexanderkrizak — Sat, 18 May 2013 12:01:59 -0700

Well, me and Dash, we looked at each other, and we each said… “Okay.”

And we wrote the first thing that came to our heads,
Just so happened to be,
The Best Fanfic in the World, it was The Best Fanfic in the World.

Look into my eyes and it’s easy to see
One and one make two, shipping’s that easy,
It was destiny.
Once every hundred-thousand years or so,
When Celestia shines and Luna glows
And the love doth grow…

Needless to say, Discord was stunned,
Whip-crack went his serpent tail,
And the beast was done.
He asked us, “Be you alicorns?”
And we said, “Nay. We are but ponies.”
Rock!
Ahhh, ahhh, ahhh-ah-ah,
Ohhh, whoah, ah-whoah-oh!

The Prompt: This is not The Greatest Fanfic in the World, no, this is just a tribute.

This is a thirty-minute writing prompt; you have thirty minutes (not including time spent thinking and planning) in which to write a story inspired by today’s prompt. Because this is Super Saturday, you have seven hours from the start of this prompt to submit your stories; submissions will be closed at 7:00pm PDT, 10:00pm EDT, and 2:00am GMT. If you don’t happen to have a Tumblr account, you can submit your story by emailing it (in the body of the email, not as an attachment) to thirtyminuteponies@gmail.com; do not submit using Tumblr’s email submission system, as it tends to deliver us only the titles of the stories submitted using it.

Prompt #352: "Pooped" Compliation

babysealburritos — Sat, 18 May 2013 11:45:32 -0700

The Prompt: My favorite way to unwind

Or

The Prompt: The best way to calm down

Stories to soothe the soul?

“Eversion” by Rwlart

“Smoke” by Versulia

“Her Time” by Shatteredscribbles

“Downtime” by Brony Incognito

“Repertoire” by Shingo

“Refreshing the Mind” by Thundertempest

“Tea” by Yukoasho

“How to Properly Nap” by Esle Ynopemos

Prompt #353 Rises Like the Phoenix!

alexanderkrizak — Sat, 18 May 2013 11:01:35 -0700

All of a sudden, there shined a shiny draconequus in the middle of the road. And he said, “Write the best fanfic in the world, or I’ll eat your souls.”

(The prompt is in one hour, at 12:00pm PDT, 3:00pm EDT, and 7:00pm GMT.)

Prompt #353 Picks Its Own Destiny!

alexanderkrizak — Sat, 18 May 2013 09:03:07 -0700

A long time ago, me and my marefriend Dash here… we was racin’ down a long and lonesome road…

(The prompt is in three hours, at 12:00pm PDT, 3:00pm EDT, and 7:00pm GMT.)

Prompt #352: "How to Properly Nap" by Esle Ynopemos

esle-ynopemos — Sat, 18 May 2013 00:20:25 -0700

Hey squirt, what are you doing?

You’re kidding, right?

No. No no no no. You can’t just flop on a cloud and shut your eyes, and call it a nap. That’s not a nap. It’s an insult to the whole idea of napping!

Move over, squirt, lemme show ya.

First thing is, you gotta pick the right cloud. You got most of that right, I’ll give you that. It’s got just the right amount of fluff—not so soft that you sink through it, but not so firm that it leaves you sore when you wake up.

Problem is, it’s in the wrong spot. Look at where you’re at, Scoots. Anypony in Ponyville can find you here! And if they can find you, they can wake you up and bug you.

Yeah, I know. Till you can fly on your own, your choices are limited to the clouds that drift low enough to climb to. Hang on tight, squirt, I’m gonna move this thing.

There. Much better. You got shade, and privacy, and trees for you to climb back down.

Wait, what are you doing? Just ‘cause you found the right spot doesn’t mean you’re ready to start napping. You haven’t stretched yet.

Oh sure, right now you’re a filly and nothing gets tight or sore for you. But trust me, you’ll thank me when you get older. You get in the habit now, and years from now you won’t wake up with a sore everything.

Heh, yeah, a lot of ponies don’t appreciate how much work goes into a real good nap. It’s a lot more complicated than it looks. I mean, anypony can just lie down and snore, but it takes a real expert to squeeze all the rest out of a nap.

Okay, so, next you gotta shape the cloud. Push the extra fluff over to one end like this, so you can use it as a pillow. If it’s chilly out, you can make a blanket, but we don’t need that today.

Just like that, squirt. You’re getting the hang of this.

We’re almost ready to settle in and do some quality snoozing. All that’s left is to get into the right frame of mind.

I like to think about flying. Close your eyes, and just see the blue all around you. The ground is nothing but a memory, it’s just you and your wings, sailing through the sky. Feel the wind tug at your feathers. Hear it whisper in your ears. Taste its coolness on your tongue.

Easy, now. It’s not a race, you’re just gliding. Spread your wings out and just float on the sky. There ya go, squirt. Just relax.

There ya go, Scoots. That’s… *ya-awn* …that’s how you take a nap.

Sweet dreams, kiddo.

—-

BSB Comments:

Rainbow Dash teaching Scootaloo how to properly nap is just precious. I like the idea that RD has an entire system devoted to napping and that she takes it one hundred percent seriously. This was just really nice and feel good-y and I enjoyed ending the night on a bit of Scootalove. Nice work.

Prompt #352: "Tea," by YukoAsho

yukoasho — Sat, 18 May 2013 00:10:26 -0700

Fluttershy smiled softly as she sipped her tea, sitting across from Princess Luna, who was also grinning happily. After a long day both in and out of her cottage, it was always nice to have a sip of tea, and having guests always made it sweeter.

“It’s so nice of you to come by, Princess,” Fluttershy chirped happily.

Nodding, Luna flashed a smile as well, dong nearly as good a job holding her teacup in her hooves. “It’s my pleasure to be here.”

The two of them looked at one another for a moment, and Fluttershy couldn’t help but think back to that Nightmare Night when they’d first met. If only she’d known how sweet the Princess was back then, perhaps they could have…

Fluttershy shook her head suddenly, trying to purge those thoughts from her mind. Fate had already conspired against a relationship between her and the Princess. Pondering it only soured her mood.

Luna raised an eyebrow, as if sensing distress in the yellow pegasus. “Is something the matter, Fluttershy?”

“N-no, not at all!” Fluttershy replied quickly, her voice carrying a higher pitch. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she sipped the last of her tea and laid the teacup on the table. “Though, I’m rather worried about you, Princess. I heard you had a problem with an Ursa Major in Manehattan last week.”

Luna’s lips tightened, though Fluttershy could still tell the Princess was gritting her teeth by the way her jaw moved. “Naught but my… Pride is wounded, dear Fluttershy,” Luna forced out, trying to sound calmer than she was.

Silently, Fluttershy took the teapot and refilled her own teacup before looking over to the Princess. “More tea, Princess Luna?” she asked sweetly.

“No, that’s quite all right,” Luna replied, shaking her head slightly. “I’m rather worried about you, actually.”

Fluttershy bit her lower lip and sank into her seat, hiding behind her long, flowing mane as she did. “M-Me?”

“Yes.” Luna set her teacup down. “Tell me, dear Fluttershy, have you seen this vigilante pony who’s been making the news lately? This… Green Lantern?”

“No.” Blushing softly, Fluttershy coughed. “W-well, yes, in the papers. She’s quite, um, smitten with you, it seems.”

“Yes, it would seem so…” Looking down at her teacup, Luna took hold of the teapot with her magic, filling her cup before going on. “That kiss has been rather heavy on my mind of late. One does not simply make out with a mare and fly off, especially when said mare is one of the rulers of Equestria.”

Struck silent, Fluttershy simply let out a whimper and began to look around nervously, as though seeking an exit.

Completely calm, Luna simply levitated her tea to her lips, content this time to use her magic to hold the cup. “Her lips tasted quite peculiar. Of chamomile and sugar.”

Fluttershy was suddenly very stiff, not much enjoying herself at the moment as she looked at her tea. The tea Luna had just described. “Y-you can’t be accusing m-me of…”

Waving a dismissive hoof, Luna cut in. “No, of course not. The Green Lantern has no wings. To accuse a pegasus of such a mantle would be… Foolhardy.”

Like air leaving a balloon, Fluttershy simply slumped into her seat, still blushing quite deeply as she suddenly had trouble holding her teacup. “T-Then why did you bring it up?”

A calm laugh escaped the lunar diarch’s lips. “Simple gossip,” she replied. “My sister isn’t as keen on idle thoughts. As for me…” A wistful smile escaped her lips as she took a sip, “I wonder who my savior is. Such a dashing, brave pony would be a fair catch, don’t you think?”

Flinching, Fluttershy could only nod as her hopes were again dashed. She was about as far from dashing and brave as a pony can get. “W-well, it could be any pony, really,” she meekly said. “Though how an earth pony is able to fly is quite curious indeed.”

For some reason, that brought about a chuckle from Luna. “Well, I should ask about flying earth ponies, that should narrow my search.”

The two of them shared a laugh, though Fluttershy’s was a tad more forced, before moving onto other topics of discussion.

—-

“I can’t believe you’re dragging me here in the middle of the night!” The regal white Princess Celestia hissed as she flew through the skies silently with her darker sister. More to the point, she was behind her sister, who was leading her to Fluttershy’s cottage.

“I need your help to amplify my power, tia!” Luna shot back. “I haven’t been able to enter Fluttershy’s dreams since this Green Lantern started showing up. I can only assume that, if I’m right, that power of hers is blocking me.”

Celestia couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “So, you intend to brute-force your way in?”

“We are the two most powerful ponies in all Equestria,” Luna reminded her. “Let us save this argument for later, however! Her cottage comes into view, and we must be silent, lest we wake her animals!”

—-

BSB Comments:

How curious. It’s interesting that Luna seems perfectly aware that Fluttershy is the Green Lantern, but doesn’t want to really confront her about it. And her dragging Celestia along to the cottage in order to peer into her dreams at the end seems like an odd way to go about whatever she’s attempting to do with this information. Hopefully Fluttershy will be on her guard and not be fooled by Luna’s act. Good work today.

Prompt #352: "Refreshing the Mind", by ThunderTempest

babysealburritos — Sat, 18 May 2013 00:01:02 -0700

It was practically a guilty pleasure for him, these days. A way to unwind from the stresses of duty and diligence, to get his head screwed back on straight. Being the stallion that he was, he didn’t get chances to do things like it often, but it was a way to escape his responsibilities for a while. And now that he was married, and a co-ruler of the Crystal Empire, he had even fewer chances for it. And so, Shining Armor made a decision, and snuck out of the Crystal Palace in the middle of the night, left a pre-written note where his beloved wife would see it, and ran with all his might towards the train station. Once there, he bought a ticket for the next train to Manehatten.

Once on the train, the soft rocking of the car, and the gentle click-clack of the train as it passed over the tracks soothed Shining’s mind, and he was soon fast asleep once more. The conductor was kind enough to wake the captain of the guard when the train was due to pull into Manehatten as the sun rose over the eastern sea. Upon disembarking, Shining headed straight for the ticket office, and the list of trains leaving that day. There was one about midday, which would take him all the way over to Los Pegasus. Booking the ticket, he then wandered out into Manehatten, to find himself some breakfast, and to waste time before the next train.

Shining Armor looked out of the window as the train rolled over the tracks, watching the scenery pass by, as the noises of the train all but drowned out his thoughts. Out here, in this train, he wasn’t Shining Armor, Captain of the Royal Guard. He wasn’t the Life-Partner of Princess Cadence, or Ruler-In-Partnership of the Crystal Empire. He was simply one of the many ponies who used the rail system every day. Here, he could just sit and watch and listen. In this space, this state of mind, his mind calmed, and he re-centered himself. He could clear his mind and magic like this and get his focus back onto things that mattered.

It was nearly three days, and several more trains later when Shining Armor finally returned to the Crystal Empire, and his wife, a much more relaxed stallion than when he left. He cantered easily into the Crystal Palace with an easy smile on his face, and greeted his wife.

“I’m back, Cadence.”

—-

BSB Comments:

As a person who also enjoys relaxing on modes of transport, I enjoyed this little insight into Shining Armor. The thought that he could just get on train after train and be just another face in the crowd for a while to get his head back on straight is one that I enjoy. Hopefully he’s all refreshed and ready to tackle whatever comes his way. Nice work.

Prompt #352: "Repertoire" by Shingo

shingo-tong — Fri, 17 May 2013 23:50:45 -0700

Rarity often tried her best to meet deadlines. She would always set a deadline that seemed both reasonable for her and her client. Six out of ten times she would have the finished product ready long before the deadline. Three out of ten times she would barely have enough time to sew the final stitch in a dress, but would have it ready. Though rare, there would be times when she couldn’t get past the sketching stage, even if there was less than a day her client expected the dress. Unfortunately for her, she was going through one of those rare moments.

Rarity had been asked by a Manehattan boutique to design ten new dresses for the spring season. Seeing a chance to expand her business to the east side of Equestria, she happily obliged. She had completed nine of the dresses that her client had asked for three days prior her deadline. Creating the first nine was as simple as breathing. The design for the tenth eluded her though. Rarity stood in her inspiration room with three pieces of parchment floating around her. She had a fourth in front of her with a pencil weaving along it. Her mane had strands of stray hairs sticking out while her left eye twitched under her glasses.

“No,” she said. Rarity put more pressure on her pencil. It slashed through the parchment as she moved it forward. She turned to the other designs floating around her, slashing through each one. “No, no, no! This is wrong! They’re all wrong!” She dropped her pencil, eye still twitching. “This can’t happen now. The last dress is due in nine hours, and I don’t even have a design picked out. Why, why must artist’s block appear in front of me now?! If I don’t have it ready, then I’ll have my reputation ruined forever, then I won’t be able to sell any of my dresses, and then I’ll be forced to live on the streets sewing rags together just to…”

Rarity closed her eyes. She took in a deep breath, taking off her glasses. She placed her glasses on her desk. Rarity descended down the steps outside her room towards her backyard, legs twitching with every step. She pushed the stray strands back in place as she walked out the door. Rarity turned to her left approaching a wooden dummy that had been set up across one of her gardens. The dummy had three identical arms sticking out from it, one above the other. The highest was sticking out slightly to the left, the arm beneath it stuck out to the right just below the first, and the final sat in the exact center a foot beneath the other two. A leg sat at the bottom, hooked and sticking out at an angle. Rarity stood on her hind legs in front of the dummy with her forelegs up in a defensive stance.

I need to clear my mind. Panicking won’t get me anywhere. She hit her left foreleg against the top arm while simultaneously hitting the one below it, a dull thunk coming from each impact. Rarity wrapped her foreleg around the top arm, pushing at the base of the dummy. She slid to the right, forelegs connecting with both arms. With her right hind leg she kicked against the dummy. She followed her rhythm, moving side to side along it. The tempo of her strikes increased as she added other movements to her repertoire. She’d push up against the top arms while kicking the dummy and at times would focus on quickly punching the top. Through the movements, her worries faded away. Rarity smiled as she shifted to the left.

That’s much better. She pushed a hind leg against the leg. Rarity resumed her movements, wrapping a hoof around the middle arm. The other designs, they all seem to share the same characteristics. Symmetrical, each uniform in their own colour, a three accessory minimum. I’ve been working so long with the same formula; perhaps this last dress needs something different to complete the set. After all, she did say she needed ten, not ten in a set. Rarity slide to the right, pushing a hoof against the right side of the dummy. She caught a glimpse of a small plant that didn’t match the other flowers. The plant was a straight stalk of light green wood with a single branch sticking out of its right side.

Rarity raised an eyebrow at it still continuing her routine. Bamboo? Now why would there be bamboo in my… She groaned, tapping the center with a bent foreleg. Sweetie Belle. She must have thought that floral arrangement would be something that she’d be good at. The bamboo clashes with the other colours of my flowers. Rarity focused on the bamboo. Her hits to the dummy became stronger and faster. It clashes, doesn’t fit, so why am I focusing on it? Her eyes widened as she put all of her strength in pushing against the top arm. The arm snapped off the dummy forcing Rarity to fall back onto her forelegs.

“Eureka!” she screamed. She lowered her head to the bamboo, stars sparkling in her eyes and a relieved smile stretching across her face. “You’re the answer. You’re asymmetrical, two toned in colour, and you don’t have any accessories that are needed for your beauty. I must get to work immediately!” Rarity ran back towards the boutique’s back entrance, picking up the arm along the way. I really should get better quality materials for this. This is the fourth one this month that I’ve broken. She threw it into a pile of broken arms in the corner of her inspiration room. Rarity lit her horn bringing a parchment and a new pencil to her desk. Immediately, she got to work on the final dress.

—-

BSB Comments:

I like the idea that Rarity would do something physical to work through frustration and artist’s block like this, and I choose to believe that this is indicative of her being a secret martial arts champion. The bamboo shoot inspiration coming from Sweetie Belle’s attempts at gardening and how that fit in with the dresses she’d designed already was pretty good too. Well done.

Prompt 352: "Downtime" by Brony Incognito

bronyincognito — Fri, 17 May 2013 23:40:27 -0700

“‘Tis Twilight’s fault.” Luna’s voice was muffled by the pillow she’d buried her head under. She was sprawled across the luxurious sofa in the Royal Sisters’ shared entertainment room. A half-full bottle of mead sat on a nearby table. An empty lay on the floor.

Celestia, sitting on the loveseat with a wineglass floating beside her, found the energy to smile at her sister. “Why would you say that?”

“She has stolen the ambassador’s intelligence and taken it for her own. There can be no other explanation.”

A wisp of green smoke swirled in through the fireplace. It gathered itself up over Celestia’s head, spun and imploded with a small pop. A crystal materialized as the smoke vanished, which Celestia caught with her magic.

“It seems my student has sent us a report, and she used her new toy. Perfect timing, wouldn’t you say, Luna?”

Luna peeked out from under her pillow. “Verily. Please, put it on lest I return to that griffin with baster in hoof.”

Celestia hid a chuckle behind her glass as she levitated the crystal over to the contraption they’d imported from the Crystal Empire.

**********

A blurry image appeared on screen.

“No, not that knob, turn it left,” Twilight’s voice said. “The other left.”

The image cleared and sharpened to show Twilight Sparkle wearing her trusty pith helmet and looking into the camera. Rarity was beside her, but was looking away from the camera. The two were in shadow and surrounded by leaves and twigs. Rarity was holding two branches apart, leaving a hole to see out of the bush and to let light in.

“Why isn’t Spike doing this?” Rainbow’s voice asked from off camera.

Twilight gave the camera a nervous smile. “Well, I don’t really feel comfortable bringing Spike for this. Especially not with Rarity here.”

“Yeah, okay.”

Twilight cleared her throat and settled directly in front of the camera. “Dear Princess Celestia. Today, my friend Rarity came over and told me that I needed to get out of the library for a while. I’d only been studying for two days, but she said it was bad for my complexion.”

Rarity looked over her shoulder at Twilight and, in a deadpan voice, said, “Twilight, darling. It’s Thursday.” She turned to look out the hole again.

Twilight blinked. “Four days…” She coughed into her hoof. “Anyway… she’s taking Rainbow and I out, um…”

“Stud spotting, darling.” She glanced over at Twilight again. “Really, Twilight, I thought everypony knew about the Society.”

“There’s a society?” both Twilight and Rainbow said together.

“Why, of course.” Rarity gave Twilight and the camera a smile in turn. “We’re dedicated to appreciating the male form, unobtrusively, of course.” Her face screwed up. “Oh, Rainbow don’t look at me like that, there are rules. We aren’t… uncouth. But yes; what better way to forget one’s troubles than to appreciate living beauty, in all its wondrous forms.”

Rainbow’s voice said, “yeah… that’s totally not creepy.”

“Aha! And there we are.” Rarity waved Twilight over. “One of the finest in Ponyville.”

Twilight moved to the hole. The camera shifted as well, moving between the two mares and looking out. In a nearby field there was a large, red stallion pulling a plow.

“Big Macintosh?” Twilight asked.

“Of course. Wonderfully fit, and a pony of few words,” Rarity said. “Though I have heard that when he does talk, one can’t help but listen. It’s earned him quite the nickname in the Ponyville’s Society.”

“Really? What is it?”

“The Filibuster, a rare triple entendre.” Rarity pulled a card out of her saddlebags. “And worth five points.”

Twilight turned to Rarity, her face in profile to the camera. Her eyebrow arched, then her brows knitted together. Finally, her cheeks turned pink. She coughed again, glancing to the camera, which was shaking now. Faint snickering could be heard. “How is that a triple?”

The snickering got louder and the camera shifted to show Twilight’s hooves.

Rainbow said, “I know this one. Your argument is invalid, Macintosh is huge.”

“Huh? Oh! Wait, what? Rarity, you said this wasn’t uncouth.”

“It isn’t. We only observe in public places, and never anything private.”

“What in tarnation are you lot doing?”

The camera shifted up again. Applejack’s face now filled much of the hole. She was glaring at Rarity.

“Rarity, what did I tell you about snoopin’ on my brother?”

“Five bits per pony?”

“That’s right.” Applejack peered into the camera. “That one of them picture gizmos? Who else is gonna be seeing this?”

“Just the princesses.” Twilight said. She’d backed away from Applejack and now only the edge of her mane showed on camera.

(time)

“Very well, Applejack, that’s five of us.” Rarity reached back toward her bags, but stopped. “Oh, Applejack, do you still offer the hosing service?”

Applejack, whose face still filled most of the image, grew a wicked grin and gave a slight nod. “Twenty bits.”

Rarity pulled a small ruby out of her bag with her magic. “You do still accept gems, yes?”

Applejack took it with a hoof and slipped it under her hat. “That’ll do nicely. You girls have a nice day now. It’ll be a few minutes for me to get the hose.” She turned and left the frame.

Twilight’s head reappeared and stared after the Earth pony. “What just happened?”

Rarity smirked. “You didn’t think she could afford to charter a train with a sleeper car just on apples, did you? Now, just watch.”

Twilight looked at Rarity, then turned back to the camera wide-eyed. “Turn that off!”

************

The image faded back to black. Celestia, still on the loveseat, was biting her lip to keep from laughing. Luna, however, had long since fallen off the sofa.

Another pop and a scroll fell to the floor near Celestia. She unrolled it and read aloud.

Dear Princess Celestia,

Would you please send back that crystal? Spike sent it by mistake. It’s a little private.

Thank you for your understanding.

Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle.

Celestia’s magic pulled a quill and paper from one of the tables.

Dearest Twilight,

Of course, my student. Though I believe Luna would be very interested in joining Rarity’s Society. Would you please ask her for us?

Your teacher,
Princess Celestia.

Celestia rolled up her scroll with the crystal inside and cast the spell that dissolved it into green smoke and sent it on its way.

Luna pushed herself onto her belly and wiped a tear from her eye with a fetlock. “Must you torment her so, Sister?”

“I’m afraid it’s a weakness, Luna. She’s just so cute when she’s flustered.” She stood up and stretched. “But, thanks to her, I think I’m ready to talk to that griffin again.”

—-

BSB Comments:

The idea of a Society like Rarity’s, along with the score cards, is kind of amusing although slightly sketchy. But appreciating the male form is indeed a good way to relax, as is watching Twilight Sparkle get flustered while appreciating the male form. Good work today.

Prompt #352: "Her Time" by ShatteredScribbles

shatteredscribbles — Fri, 17 May 2013 23:30:25 -0700

This was her time. Derpy sighed as she looked out at the water. The bright midsummer sun reflected on the water, shimmering, almost dazzlingly. Almost. But not quite. She breathed out slowly, enjoying the warmth of the sun on her fur. Her eyes closed as a small smile spread across her lips.

This was her time. Carrot Top had taken Dinky to the park so she could play with her friends. She had finished her mail run for the day. There was nothing left to do. Normally, her world centered around her daughter. Normally, she was making sure the house was in order, that dinner was planned, that Dinky was doing well. Normally. But not always

This was her time. She opened her eyes, breathing a controlled breath out as she released the last of the tension in her back. She walked to the water. A lake was nothing like the ocean she grew up next to, but it was still nice. The water was chilly to her sun-warmed skin, but she welcomed the cool. The water quickly rose up her side as she walked, until it reached the base of her wings. She fluttered them out, slowly dipping them in the water and moving them back and forth. She grinned.

This was her time. She picked her hooves up off the lake floor and began soft strokes to warm up. She had loved swimming since she had been a filly. And she was good at it. Her cutie mark on her flank proved it. Moving through the water had always been therapeutic, but she didn’t get a chance to swim much in Ponyville. The lake was always open, of course, but she had so many things to do. Now wasn’t the time to think of that, though. No.

This was her time. She let her worries go as the water flowed between her feathers. All negative thoughts subsided as she dove below the water. All stress vanished as she broke the surface and breathed in breaths of sweet air. She wasn’t sure how long she was out there for, but the sun had made considerable progress as she lazily swam back to shore. Her blonde mane stuck to her face and her eyes were red from getting lake water in them. But she didn’t care. She grinned as she trotted her to towel and dried off before heading home, where Carrot Top had promised to make dinner. Thoughts of Dinky drifted into her mind as she left the lake, and her smile only widened.

That had been her time. But then, Dinky was her time too. And she hadn’t seen her daughter since breakfast. Taking to the sky, she flew the short distance home.

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BSB Comments:

I like the thought that Derpy’s cutie mark has to do with swimming, and it seems fitting that she’d enjoy that as a means of relaxation after having a lot to do with her job and Dinky. The little bit about Dinky also being her time was really sweet. Good work.