Tales of Little Consequence and Other Such Nonsenseby littlerobotbirdChaptersTMP Prompt #138: Indignity [Sad]TMP Prompt #139: At the Royal Academy of Magic [Dark][AU]TMP Prompt #146: Page 287 [Humor]TMP Prompt #147: Silly Bit of Nonsense [Humor]TMP Prompt #149: Wings Under the Big Top [Humor]TMP Prompt #153: Beneath the Harvest Moon [Nightmare Night]TMP Prompt #155: Spirited Sweets [Humor/Nightmare Night]TMP Prompt #202: Egg On Her Face ["Dumb Meme!" /SB]TMP Prompt #223: "Up to the Mountain's Peak" [Adventure][Historical]TMP Prompt #352: Pooped [Slice-of-Life] TMP Prompt #221: Rotating Fields [Slice-of-Life]TMP Prompt #98: Awareness [Drama]TMP Prompt #99: Ninety-Nine Times [Sad][Slice-of-Life]TMP Prompt #150: The Escape [Humor]TMP Prompt #138: Indignity [Sad]The Prompt: Princess Luna visits an old friend. “It is not as though we had no finer times…” she began hesitantly, the gleaming stone of the monument casting long shadows over the gardens. “We may recount many a time of frivolity and joy during our youth.” She stared at it, expecting. Perhaps expecting it to bend down to greet her. Perhaps confirming that all of this were some elaborate prank that had gone on far too long, whiffing on its punchline. “We daresay that the joyous occasions mayhaps even outnumbered those of a more... odious nature. But…certainly not in their length.” She paused to paw at the damp earth beneath her hooves. “Nor even in their severity.” With a sigh, she planted herself unceremoniously in the sodden earth with a disconcerting squelch. A most undignified pose, we’re certain, she mused to herself with a dismissive snort, keenly aware of the guard’s eyes upon her as well as her failure of decorum. “What you have done is unforgivable…there is no doubt of that…there are no excuses that we may make for it, hope as we might to reconcile our memories,” she stated in a cold tone, eyes narrowing in anger before softening as they drifted downwards to the saturated soil. Casually, she lifted a hoof to her eyes, watching as the unnatural mixture dripped from her well-worn hoof cuff. “But…you allowed us laughter…your…your…” She frowned as the words came to mind haltingly. “Your…lightness of spirit helped to raise our own and…we’re are uncertain what can replace you.” Rising from the mud, flanks caked uncomfortably in the odd slurry but uncaring for the moment, she glared at the chimeric statue. “Perhaps there may be another time, dear Discord…” she murmured sadly as she turned to her entourage, their eyes straying from her out of respect. With a sigh, she strode back towards the shell of what was to be a grand monument, a soaring tribute to order over chaos. It made her feel sick, a dark knot twisting in her stomach. And perhaps it may come sooner than later… [Original] TMP Prompt #139: At the Royal Academy of Magic [Dark][AU]The Prompt: The day everything changed. She felt the eyes on her, each of them with a clipboard and quill in grasp, plumage quivering as they scratched out notes and critique at a constant clip. Her heart thudded in her chest as she glanced back to the purple, speckled egg set out before her on a pedestal. “Well, Ms. Sparkle?” She shuddered, giving her parents a sidelong glance as they sat in the nearby stands, stone-faced. I can do this…I’ve practiced for this for months… she thought to herself, eyes closed as she mustered up as much of her will as she could, channeling her energies at the egg as best she could before… …nothing. She opened her eyes to find the egg unmoved much less hatched. She stared up at her horn, cross-eyed as she watched the whole of her concentrated magic cease to be in a pitiful flickering of magenta. I…I failed… She mewled quietly, hardly resisting the urge to sink to the floor as her thoughts drifted towards what happened to little colts and fillies that couldn’t pass their examinations. Fearfully, her eyes strayed back to her parents, their stolid veneer cracking for moment as her mother urged Twilight on silently, an almost unnoticeable smile shimmering like a mirage across her face. No…I can do this… she thought quietly, banishing the fears and phantoms from her mind and focusing herself fully on her magic. I just have to try harder. She reached out, grasping for the stream of magics that ran throughout the land, that all ponies tapped into in one way or another. She reached for it with her own magic, her seemingly insignificant aura seeking a place of entry, a means of linking herself into the great stream. Then she felt it. The barest hint of possible entry. The tiniest seam in the resistant field surrounding it. She pressed at it carefully, feeling it give ever so slightly beneath her urgings. Just a little more, she thought to herself, keeping herself calm, level. Just a tiny bit mo— Her concentration shattered as an explosion rocked the examination room, filling it with all the colors of the rainbow, an alarm following shortly on its heels. She had little time to reflect upon this, however, as her careful exploration of the barrier had, in a moment of panic, become a breach... A breach from which pure magic flowed without rhyme nor reason. From which pure magic flowed through her and into the corporeal realm. She felt her body twist and shudder as magic shot out from her body in all directions. She could no longer sense the world anymore as she was used to, with her eyes or ears. Instead, she saw it through a filter. She saw beneath the surface, through things. She saw the aura’s of all things, her own magic, rent by the sudden influx of energies, reaching out and manipulating them as her thoughts and imaginings were set out before her, the entirety of her life seeming to take place all in one single moment until her underdeveloped mind could hardly take it any longer. It was a blessing as she felt herself severed from the stream and consciousness by a blunt object impacting the back of her skull. ~o~0~o~ She woke some time later in a dark room with her ears ringing. She waited, forelegs clutching something soft between them as her eyes adjusted to find that she was in a small, dark room, hardly large enough for the cot that dominated its hoofprint. “…a danger to all of us,” she heard a voice say as the ringing subsided. “If we cannot control her, of course.” “Of course,” another concurred. “And what of the parents?” “It's the darnedest thing. A pair of potted plants.” Twilight shivered as she recalled a mix of details. Magic, her magic, reaching towards her parents…an egg…the judges…and beyond…. “It seems that the spell matrix has solidified, however. We are still examining them…but for all intents and purposes, they have been declared deceased.” “Hm…I’ll see to it that the corporal is informed. Shame to have such an emotional burden placed on such a promising officer." “And…what's to be done with her, sir?” Twilight panicked as the door faded from sight, backing up until her hindquarters contacted the cool steel of the cot. “She is to remain under quarantine until further notice,” a large stallion stated, glaring at her coldly. She remembered her brother saluting him, the captain of the royal guard. “Perhaps she can, in time, be useful to the Empire. I assume there are no objections, Miss Sparkle.” He didn’t await a reply, turning back to his subordinate. “Keep the ring on her at all times, lest we have another incident. I will be briefing his lordship on her at once.” “Sir, yes, sir.” The cell door rematerialized as the captain left. The room fell silent as Twilight slumped to the floor, tears falling from her eyes as she clutched Smarty Pants tightly to her chest. [Original] TMP Prompt #146: Page 287 [Humor]The Prompt: Tell me a story about a mythical creature that lives in Equestria. Preferably something that hasn’t been seen in the show yet. “Okay…now, just what exactly were you trying to do when this all started?” Twilight asked, face half-obscured by a forlorn hoof. “Wellll…I got up super early to open Sugarcube Corner and then Rainbow Dash came by with super awesome prank idea, but I had already made plans with Fluttershy and still had to babysit for the Cake’s that night and start working on the Mayor’s Hearth’s Warming office party—you would not believe how much sarsaparilla she ordered. Mayor Mare really must need a lot of sass for January, which I guess makes sense with the election coming up and—” “Pinkie.” “Oh, right…sorry. Well, I was looking at my schedule and saw that I had a 12:37 appointment to hang out with my favoritest, most bestest unicorn named Twiligh—” “Pinkie…” “Okay…well, I was looking at how packed my schedule was getting—I didn’t even used to need one!—and I was at the library and you always seem so on top of your schedule and all.” “You could have just asked for some pointers, Pinkie.” “I know, but when I came in through the window—I’ll, um, get that fixed by Friday by the way, Pinkie Promise—and I hit the bookcase—” “And Starswirl’s Systematic Studies of Sorcical Structures fell out—” “And landed on page 287,” Pinkie finished for her. Twilight was silent for a moment, looking over her shoulder at the ruination of Ponyville, a trail of smoking debris weaving through the market. She cringed slightly at the distant roar of the giant, pink golem as it headed towards Canterlot. Tightening her grip on the branch, clinging to what little remained of the Books and Branches Library, she glanced back at Pinkie, a sheepish grin on the earth pony’s face as she hung, suspended by her tail at the end of the same branch. “Well…that explains that then.” [Original] TMP Prompt #147: Silly Bit of Nonsense [Humor]The Prompt: Discord saves the day! “You are kidding, right?” She shook her head, smile widening. “A thousand years of chaos? Mass destruction of all of ponydom?” She considered this a moment, shrugged and continued smiling hopefully. “Master of Trickery? Lord of Misery?” Another shrug. Another smile. “You’ve freed me…knowing all this…for what?” ”My tea party ran out of chocolate milk,” the tiny filly replied, lower lip trembling. “Your…tea party…ran out of chocolate milk?” "Yes, Mr. Discord, sir.” “Tea party…chocolate milk…” “Please, Mr. Discord. Pleeeeeeease.” “Oh, fine!” the draconequus declared, the delighted smile on his snaggletoothed face a mismatch for his harsh tone as he snapped his fingers. “But I best get the nicest cup and not Mrs. Higglebottoms. I mean, look at her hair, it’s positively dreadful. The nerve of someponies to attend a social function in such a state.” The filly watched in awe as the world spun about them, the grassy surface of the statue gardens becoming a posh dining hall carved from a candy store. She blinked, jaw open in a most unladylike manner as chocolate began to drizzle down from ceiling tapestry spun of cotton candy and attached by caramel-coated pretzels to chocolate marbled walls. “But, I suppose, exceptions will be made for the sake of propiety, milady,” Discord presumed, peering down through a monocle as he took a look sip of tea, his chimeric form now dressed to the sixes and sevens in Canterlot’s finest as imagined by a deranged sugarsmith of the highest order. The filly cheered, hugging her flowery dress around her before taking a bite of it. It was made of daisy-flavored gummy! “I do say, my dear little pony, we will have to talk about expanding your guest list.” More ponies? This was going to be a the best tea party ever! [Original] TMP Prompt #149: Wings Under the Big Top [Humor]The Prompt: Ponies attend a religious service. “Get your hooves up in the air, ponies!” she shouted, one hoof on the microphone as the other led her flock. “Show your love! Your admiration! Show all that—!” Whatever she had been about to say was swallowed up by a cacophony of explosions, pops and pows as the stage lit up with fireworks and sparklers forming the name of their deity. “Keep those hooves up, ponies, and they will—” “RAINBOW!” Rainbow Dash froze mid prognostication, the lights behind her fading as her eyes lowered. “Oh, hey, Applejack.” “What the hay do you think yer doin’, Rainbow?” Applejack demanded, mane frazzled beneath her uncharacteristically askew hat. “You’ve got half the town about to come down here an’ string you right up 'cause this racket!” “But we’ve got to practice!” Rainbow whined, dropping down from the stage to the dirt floor. “It's got to be absolutely perfect! Isn’t that right, Sister Scootaloo?” “Amen, Sisther Dash!” Scootaloo replied in around the microphone cord held in her mouth, Rainbow's movements having left the little pegasus balanced precariously at the stage's edge, wings buzzing for balance. “Fer cripes' sake, Rainbow! It's a school night!” Applejack cried out, pushing Dash back just far enough so that Scootaloo could get all four of her hooves down. “Now, jus' what’s this all about?” “The Wonderbolts’ Jubilee, duh!” she stated matter-of-fact before cracking into an enormous smile. “It’s going to be the best thing ever!” “All this,” Applejack began, waving a hoof towards the enormous tent packed full with speakers, rows of empty folding chairs, flower chains, hoof-woven tapestries, statues and, seemingly, enough fireworks to level Ponyville twice over, “jus’ fer a jubilee?” “No, not for just a jubilee. The Wonderbolts jubilee! It only happens once a year!” “I…” Applejack simply shook her head, grumbling. “Jus'...” she shook her head again before simply storming out of the tent. “Jus' wrap it up quicklike! Someponies have ta sleep!” Rainbow just stood there for a moment, thoroughly flummoxed by her friend's reaction. "Ignore her, Miss Dash. With my expert planning and your… let's call it showmareship, this will surely be the greatest and most fantastic show the Wonderbolts have ever dared be a part of,” a voice reassured from just behind the stage. “You really think so?” Rainbow asked excitely, her ceremonial robes swirling about her as she spun to face the voice. “Naturally, Miss Dash,” the blue unicorn stated as she stepped from behind the stage. “Lulamoon Industries knows showmareship. You would do well to remember that,” she stated with a biting edge of irritation to her voice. “Now,” she called out with a sharp clop of her hooves, “Again! From the top!” “Yes, ma’am!” Rainbow saluted before she took her spot at center stage once more, the tent filling up and the eyes of the Wonderbolts upon her. It was going to be so awesome. [Original] TMP Prompt #153: Beneath the Harvest Moon [Nightmare Night]The Prompt: It came from the Everfree. Where is she? the little filly wondered, frowning as she stepped through the tangles of roots and fallen leaves scattered across the path. Gah, it’s so dirty and gross here! A tiny smile creased her lips. She’s probably terrified. She let out a quiet giggle before a distant howling set the fur on the nape of her neck on end and a shiver down her spine. I hope I find you soon, sis…it’s starting to get really, really dark… The sun had dipped beneath the horizon mere minutes before, but already the long shadows of sunset had been replaced by a suffocating twilight. It suffused the very air of the forest, filling her vision with the indistinct and the barely seen. It filled her subconscious with phantoms and figments, the weight of her own folly pressing down upon her. Her ears twitched at every rustle of branches, every snap of a twig, and every crackle of a dry leaf underhoof as she quickened her pace, eyes scanning the seemingly endless treescape for some sign of her sister. "Come on, Sweetie Belle," the filly whispered to herself. "It's just Whitetail Woods…nothing to be afraid of..." Another howl set her on edge as she glanced about. It seemed far off, but far off was still too close. Sis…why would you come out here? And on Nightmare Night of all ni— Suddenly, she felt a tremor beneath her, the ground shaking as the echo of her crunching hoofsteps ceased. Her eyes, previously on the foliage to her side, slowly, surely shifted to take in the shadowy figure set before her. Oh, sweet Celestia… Shimmering blue orbs stared down from the beast, built of branch and thorn. It pawed at the ground, carving a furrow through the dirt as a rustling growl drifted up from its throat, a twisting bush of a tail swaying behind it eagerly. A timberwolf... The filly halted, rooted to the spot as her hide trembled with terror. N-no sudden moves…be slow…deliberate, she recalled the lessons she had been taught for facing wild animals, but those had been for lesser creatures. M-maybe it works on these too… She shook terribly as she concentrated on her right hind hoof, making to take a tentative step back, away from the beast and towards safety. Sweetie had lifted her hoof no more than an inch from the ground when she cried out, the beast leaping towards her with an angry roar, maw opened to reveal a chasm of gleaming thorns. She immediately threw herself to the ground, hooves covering her head as she tried to make herself as small as possible, screwing her eyes shut as tight as she could as she awaited the worst. But it never did. Sweetie's eyes popped open, a chorus of growls and yips and cries coming from behind her. She twisted her head around to find that a pack of them had flanked her. However, their attention was not on the potential morsel of a filly but rather on the white timberwolf plowing violently through their ranks. Run… She watched in shock as the creatures tussled, the white one scratching and biting at any that dared come close to claw. Run. The white timberwolf bucked at one unlucky timberwolf, its hind legs connecting. The sickening crunch of branches snapping filled the air. The hay are you doing? RUN! The filly immediately snapped from her rigor mortis and lept to her hooves, galloping as fast as she could. The movement drew one of the beast’s attention as it gleefully gave chase. Sweetie Belle simply fled, curving and weaving through the trees, paying no attention to the fight she had left behind. Just keep running, just keep running, just keep running, she echoed over and over in her head. Her eyes widened as she saw the lights of Ponyville just beyond the trees, the edge of the forest and safety close at hoof. She heard it, just before she felt it impact her. That unnatural roar before she felt the bark-like flesh of its body scraping at her coat, thornclaws scratching at her as it tackled her, sending both tumbling through the roadside brush. Sweetie hadn't even the time to process the blow before she found herself on her back, staring up at that gaping maw. She felt stomach heave with fear and adrenaline, hind hooves kicking wildly at the beast before, just as suddenly as it had struck, it was gone. What? In its place stood the white timberwolf, growling as it stood between the pack and her, its attention focused squarely on the pack. I...what? She watched as the two groups snarled at one another before the pack reluctantly relented in its hunt, disappearing one-by-one into the woods to lick their wounds. Sweetie trembled as the white timberwolf turned to face her, but she relaxed as it leaned down to give her a quick nuzzle, a soft whimper like the gentle rustle of apple trees in an evening breeze emanating from it. Slowly, the filly stood, with the aid of the creature's careful nudges, and looked the creature over. Where the other timberwolves had been a mishmash of tree and brush, this one seemed almost carved. It seemed to have been formed wholly from chunk of birch tree, the only flaw in its otherwise white surface a trio of… “Sap?” Crystallized sap… set on its hindquarter... a trio, each of which was shaped like a diamond… Sweetie stared dully at it before glancing up into the glowing blue eyes of the timberwolf, her face a mix of shock and awe. “Rarity?” [Original] TMP Prompt #155: Spirited Sweets [Humor/Nightmare Night]The prompt: Don’t eat the cupcakes. I'm late! I'm late! Twilight chanted over and over in her mind as she galloped through the streets, costume jangling as it bounced up and down on her flanks. It seemed as though it had been noon just a few hours ago, but there she was, running as the moon rose higher and higher in the sky. Starswirl, why did you have to be so brilliant?! she swore silently. She could apologize later to her hero-antecedent. For now, it was nearing midnight and the party would be half over. As she turned the corner onto market, the music reached her and her eyes filled with the sight of Sugarcube Corner fully lit. Had she not taken several course in architecture and structural engineering, she would have sworn the shop was literally bouncing off its foundations. With her chest heaving, she slowed to a trot a few yards from the building, the intricate rings of her costume settling. She could feel the music vibrate up her hooves as she approached the door. As she moved to open it, the door swung suddenly out to reveal a swaying, singing pair of ponies. "Oh, Twilight, darling!" Rarity yelled out, slurring as she made to hug the purple unicorn, instead sending herself, Twilight and a blushing, yellow ghost tumbling into the dirt. "Oopsie! Terribly sorry, dear." "It's um..." Twilight began, shaking her head to rid herself of the ringing in her ears before realizing it was in the song, coming in and out of focus as the door swung lethargically before finally shutting. "Oh, you look grand, Twilight!" Rarity said, helping Twilight to her hooves before making a show of cleaning up her costume. "I daresay, it accentuates your curves rather nicely!" "Rarity!" "Oh, come now! It's a compliment," Rarity reproached her friend with a girlish giggle. "I'm sure you'll have quite the line of suitors, should you choose so." "That's just," Twilight verbally seethed even as her face flushed with embarrassment. "Culturally insensitive!" "Oh, Twilight, dear. You can't tell me that you've dressed in such an outfit without any ulterior motives," Rarity said, pressing herself closer and closer to Twilight, hoof jangling the intricate "I…I..." "And surely you did not think me unaware that Zebrican shamans only wear such outfits for...oh how shall I put it…fertility rituals," the white unicorn stated with a wide smirk before losing her balance as the ghost slipped beneath her. "I…um..." "Oh, no shame in it, darling! I daresay I wish I had thought of it first!" Rarity laughed aloud, giving Twilight a friendly jab with a hoof. "Enjoy the party, darling! For now, I must fly!" Rarity pressed out her hooves, giggling madly as the ghost walked slowly, carefully away. As Twilight watched, the ghost turned and lifted its sheets a moment to say something. "Take it easy on the cupcakes," Fluttershy warned, before letting the sheet fall back into place, walking slowly away. Twilight stared, slack-jawed, at the pair before turning her attention to the bouncing Sugarcube Corner. Inside, she could hear the sound of hooves, music and minor acts of vandalism. She glanced down at her outfit, a mix of metal and cloth meant to evoke the gods of a foreign nation. Well…she had chosen the outfit for a reason. She made a mental note to watch out for Pinkie's patented Nightmare Night Noshings cupcakes and went inside. [Original] TMP Prompt #202: Egg On Her Face ["Dumb Meme!" /SB]The Prompt: You can’t make an omelette without cracking a few eggs. "Oh, Celestia! Oh, Luna!" the little filly cried out, tears streaming from her eyes. "Oh, please, Luna!" Hooves scrabbling for traction on the slickened metal floor, she followed her companion through the twisted halls. She could feel their breath billowing from behind her, the red heat of the lamp singeing her hindquarters as she buzzed her wings hard as she could. Through the darkened halls they went, certain death behind them as the beasts' words floated before them. "Mmmm…Canterlot Fried Scootaloo..." "Oh you have got to be kidding me!" Scootaloo yelled out, chancing a look back only to find the gnashing jaw of the masses snapping at her tail tip. Beating her wings even harder, she shot past her companion and down a side tunnel. Then she felt it. Just barely at first, but getting stronger as she galloped for her life. A breeze. A cool, faint breeze, but a breeze just the same. And a breeze meant outside and outside meant escape. "C'mon! We're almost free!" Scootaloo called over her shoulder as she turned a corner and saw it, a sliver of blue light. Escape was within their grasp. "Almost there!" She skidded the last few feet towards the end of the hall, the tiniest sliver of blue the only hint of the door hidden there. "C'mon, let's--" Scootaloo cut herself off as she turned to grab her companion only to find her farther behind than expected, red tendrils curling about her. "Elizabeak!" "No, don't come back!" the chicken yelled, scratching at the monster with her claws as best she could, dripping fangs descending towards her. "Chicken..." the mob grumbled from a thousand muzzles, the monstrosity filling the hall with red light as flames whipped from its coagulated hide of bone, blood and beak. "Tasty chicken..." "No, I won't leave you!" Scootaloo dashed back for her companion, slamming into the monstrosity shoulder first, sending it back, but going with it. "Ewww..." She gagged loudly as she stuck fast to it, the slime that formed the creature sticking to her, hide and hair. "Scootaloo! You idiot!" Elizabeak growled, fighting towards the little pegasus pony. "Now, we're both doomed!" Scootaloo coughed, the smell overwhelming her as a tiny smile formed on her face. "I'm sorr--" Scootaloo put a hoof to the chicken's beak. "Nah, we had a good run." She grinned, teary eyed as more and more of her body sunk into the beast, fur burning away, unfelt. "Yeah…I guess we di--" Elizabeak disappeared as the mass of red crawled up Scootaloo's vision. And then... ~o~0~o~ ...darkness. Scootaloo stared up at the ceiling, tummy rumbling and swaying as if she were out at sea. She could hear the familiar snores of her compatriots next to her as she tried to recall the dream. Chickens... It was always chickens. With a growl, she rolled over and socked Apple Bloom right in the shoulder. "OW!" Apple Bloom yelped, shooting up in her sleeping bag. "What the hay was that for, Scoots?!" Scootaloo just glared through the darkness, Apple Bloom shrinking back a bit. "Scoots?" "I'm not a chicken." "What?" "I'm NOT a chicken." "Fine, y'all ain't a chicken." "That's right," Scootaloo stated with a smirk before snuggling herself back into her sleeping bag. "Jeez..." Apple Bloom mumbled to herself. Wanting for an apology for her smarting shoulder, she settled for simply glaring at the back of her friends head before turning over in her sleeping bag. "Someponies jus' can't take a joke…t'ain't like it was some big thing or nothin'." Apple Bloom gave one last glance at the slumbering pegasus before settling back down. "Wonder what set her off..." ~o~0~o~ Elsewhere, Celestia sat in her chambers, up rather early that morning as she let the light fade from the crystal ball before her. There was satisfied smile upon her face, one that grew in satisfaction as her sister, bedraggled and sighing, trotted into the room. "I trust that was to your satisfaction, sister." "Yes, Luna." The elder princess rose from her bed to embrace the younger. "It was indeed." "Well," Luna began, pausing momentarily to fight down a yawn, "now that I have played my part in whatever it is you may be scheming, sister, I do believe I shall retire for the day. These…nightmares of yours…they give me quite the headache." "Oh, do stay up awhile longer. The kitchens have just sent up the morning's menu." "Oh?" "How does eggs benedict sound?" Celestia asked, grinning wide as her sister gagged before glaring at her. [Prompt] TMP Prompt #223: "Up to the Mountain's Peak" [Adventure][Historical]The Prompt: Lips like wine, a tongue like honey. [OR] Water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink. Clover groaned as her body smacked down heavily upon the rock-strewn mountain path, sore hooves thanking her even as her belly protested its uncomfortable resting place. She glanced back to find her traveling companions still behind her, their faces as wearied as her body, before looking forwards at the cave, its dark entrance flanked by grand crystal columns on either side. They'd reached the penultimate step. After so many days trekking through the Everfree, sneaking through dragon and gryphon territories alike, they had made it…together. "Y'all ready for this, Clover?" Smart Cookie asked, resting a hoof on the unicorn's back before withdrawing it nervously. "Yeah… I think so." Clover smiled back, the hoof returning to its place before the earth pony helped her to her hooves. I am ready…aren't I? "Y-you will be careful, won't you?" came the almost whispered voice of Private Pansy, the pegasus's nerves frayed, not so much by the journey anymore but by what was to come if her nervous peeks at the cave were any indication. "'Course she will," Cookie declared, smiling almost ruefully. "Ain't called 'the Clever' fer nothing, right?" "Heh…right." Clover let out a wheezing chuckle. "But…maybe we should take a break first." "Breaks good! I second taking a break!" Pansy broke in, smiling a bit too wide as she swooped for their packs, grabbing them in her maw before beginning to set things up… at the far end of the mountain plateau, as far from the cave as she could muster. "I guess we're taking a break then..." ~o~0~o~ Soon enough there was a campfire going, flicking about gently in the high breeze, each of the three ponies having settled into a spot around it. Save the crackle of the fire and gentle breeze, all was silent upon the mountaintop, the trio of ponies seeming to have decided unconsciously to all focus their attentions upon the flicking flame. This could be the end… couldn't it? The question hung in the air. It had dogged them the entire way. Between braving the illusions of Everfree, the gryphon patrols and the impromtu migration of dragons, the question lingered. The potential of failure in the back of each pony's mind. Clover looked to her companions. She could see it written on their faces. Fear beneath hope. Potentialities obscuring potentialities. "We up to this, Clover?" "Huh?" "We up to it?" Cookie's eyes bored into her, their focus unnerving at the least, demanding something that Clover had hardly the heart to give. "I…I don't know..." A non-answer was preferred to the answer she held in her heart. "If Starswirl believed we could…I want to believe him." "But what about you?" Pansy broke in. "What do you think?" "I…the theory is workable. If the legends are true…then a powerful enough unicorn should be able to make it." Clover glanced sidelong at the cave entrance in the faded light of the perpetual dusk. Cookie glanced east towards their homeland. The sun and moon hung suspended above it, half-obscured by the strange storm brewing beneath. The occasional flash of light offered a fleeting glimpse of it, the land a twisted mockery of the paradise they had once settled. All because of him. "It's funny…all this time I thought it rested with you unicorns..." "To be honest…so did I..." "I gathered...Platinum sure didn't seem to know either." Smart Cookie broke into a tiny smirk as she glanced back at her unicorn companion. "She sure is gonna be mad when we get back, ain't she?" Clover stayed silent, face flushing with embarrassment. "Well, assuming those guards of hers got her down from the ceiling." Clover flushed an even brighter red, face falling. "I'm going to be thrown in a dungeon, aren't I?" "Well, I'm going to be court marshalled," Pansy chirped, raising her hoof like a school filly. "An' I'm sure the council ain't gonna look too kindly on me bein' out here chasin' fairy tales with everythin' that's goin' on." "Yeah..." "Aw, chin up, Clover." "I'm going to be sentenced to the dungeon and that's all you can say? 'Chin up'?" Clover demanded, her eyes panicked. "Hey, if'n this don't work out we can always get to livin' on the road," Cookie offered as Clover stared at her hooves in sorrow. "Can have ourselves a merry band of misfit ponies." Clover laughed at the mental image of a the trio, unicorn, earth pony and pegasus, living out of a caravan, singing merry little songs for coin. "But we won't have ta do that anyhow." Clover looked up at the earth pony. "You're gonna be right an' we're gonna be send that bastard back wherever he came from." "She's right, Clover," Pansy reassured, Clover jumping slightly at the sensation of the pegasus' hoof on her. She hadn't noticed the pair inching towards her. She kinda has to be... Clover thought bitterly, shaking her head to rid herself of the dark possibilities. "I think I'm ready." "Oh! Are you sure?" Pansy yelped. "I mean, you need to be at full strength, right? Otherwise y-you won't be able to overcome the crystals." "Pansy." "You'll be ripped to shreds!" "Pansy." "Torn limb from limb!" "PANSY!" Cookie shouted. "Oh!" the pegasus relaxed, letting Clover out of her bone-crushing grasp. "Um…sorry." "It's okay..." Clover panted, trying to recapture the oxygen that had been so forcibly squeezed from her. "It's just that…um…everypony is counting on us...all of Equestria and… Oh dear, I'm just making things worse, aren't I?" "That's alright, Pansy." Clover sighed. "We all know what we're here for." "You sure you're recovered enough?" Cookie coughed, focusing her attention on a few stray fibers of her hat's plume. "I mean…we can wait another lil' bit. Ain't no sense in rushing this." "No…the longer we do nothing, the longer everypony suffers under Lord Discord." Clover looked up, staring at Cookie as the earth pony avoided her eyes. "I'm rested enough." "Good… good luck, Clover." Pansy smiled, rising alongside the unicorn. "Yeah…good luck." "Cookie?" "Jus'…do be careful, okay?" "Hey, they don't call me Clover the Clever for nothing, right?" "Right." Cookie smiled, rising and trotting towards the cave alongside her companions before suddenly they were halted. A barrier shone as the reached it, sending Pansy and Cookie back onto their rumps as it flashed with arcane light. Clover stood at the barrier, horn glowing as she pressed in on it with her aura. "Guess you weren't kidding when you said unicorn's only, were ya?" "I only wish we could go with you..." Pansy murmured solemnly, testing the barrier with a hoof. "So do I..." Clover whispered almost inaudibly, eyes closed as she moved slowly, carefully into the bubble of magic before suddenly she found herself thrown forwards, all resistance gone. "Clover!" came the worried cries as Clover picked herself up off the ground. "Fine…fine…that was just… easier than I thought it would be," she replied with a sheepish grin, Cookie shooting her a disapproving glance. Okay, get it together, Clover, she berated herself. This was serious after all. She was dealing with an almost unknown with the fate of all Equestria on the line, with the fate of the world on the line for all she knew. There were too many variables hidden from her to be anything less than one hundred percent careful. This was where Starswirl was... "Clover." This was the exact spot where he…where he... "Hey, Clover, can you hear us?" And they... she glanced up at the crystal spires flanking the entrance. She could feel them radiating magical energies, pulsing with latent magics the likes of which the unicorn could hardly comprehend. If they could do that to Starswirl... "Clover?" "I'm fine!" she shouted much more loudly than she had meant, her voice cracking audibly. "Clover…just…deep breaths..." Clover only just noticed how fast her heart was beating, the rivulets of sweat coursing down her face, the trembles running down her spine. She breathed, shallowly at first, then deeper and deeper. "Deep breaths...just slow and deep..." Slowly, but surely her body calmed. She glanced back to find Pansy with her hooves on the barrier, pressed against it. The pegasus radiated calm, her kind demeanor ever reassuring. Clover sat, hard. "'Only the highest level unicorns can even hope to comprehend the magicks at the entrance, much less combat and subdue them,'" Clover murmured verbatim. "'What could such magicks be designed for if not for the power of day and night itself. We unicorns think ourselves as the holders of this power. We think ourselves worthy, but we are but the chosen shepherds, using this power only by the grace of its true, divine holder. To truly hold sway over sun and moon, one would have to best its true holders.'" "Clover?" "That's what Starswirl believed. That's why they laughed him right out of Unicornia even after all he had done." Her companions simply looked on, hooves pressed against the barrier. "I-I was still just an apprentice when they all but banished him. I looked up to him…I'd have followed him anywhere..." "And you followed him here..." "Yes." "Listen, Clover. You're the probably the smartest unicorn, heck, the smartest pony I've ever known…don't be dumb." "What?" "Cookie!" "Lemme finish!" Pansy settled down, wings still flaring in agitation. "I know y'all probably think that you can't even hope t'hold a candle to him." Clover's face sank. "But I know better, Clover." "Yeah, well…you're just an earth pony." "Yeah! I'm just an earth pony! What the heck would I know about magic?!" Cookie shot back. "I didn't mean it like--" "Yeah you did. It's alright. An' I don't rightly know much about you unicorns an' your fancy horn magic. But I know that that ain't the only kind." Clover glanced up from her shame at the earth pony's gentle smile. "You remember when we were in that cave?" "Yeah?" "You remember how we were pretty much doomed to die?" "Yeah..." "You remember how we didn't?" Clover stayed silent, turning the memory over and over in her mind. "You did something that day." "But that took all three of us." "Yeah, but wouldn't have happened without you. It wasn't Starswirl. It wasn't your fancy pants high council of magic. It was you." Cookie jabbed a hoof, sending a ripple of magic cascading outwards across the barrier. "She's right…I felt it too," Pansy stated, sitting down and folding her wings meekly. "We helped…but you were the…the conduit for it." "Conduit?" "Magical Preparedness Training by Gale Force," Pansy offered matter-of-factly. "'All ponies have some form of magic, but only unicorns have a foci, allowing them to before acts of will beyond those of hoof or wing. Among unicorns, power level is determined by the strength of this foci element.'" "That's true..." "So you are the highest level unicorn. Objective fact," Pansy stated, veritably glowering at the unicorn. "And on the battlefield, objective fact is everything." "I..." Clover bit her lip. "If'n it makes y'feel any better, you're subjectively the best unicorn I know too." Cookie smiled. "Okay…okay…I think I'm good," Clover decided with a nervous chuckle. Maybe she didn't really believe them. But maybe that's good enough. Windigos, gryphons, dragons...why not a crystal barrier that probably hasn't been breached for millennia. "Get along there." Okay…let's do this... Clover whispered silently, stepping lightly towards the entrance proper. Baby steps…baby steps... Clover stared up at the towering crystals, looking for any sign of disturbance as her horn flared brightly in reflex. Careful…carefu-- She flexed her aura as she felt it, the barest tendril of magic curling about her. She felt herself being dragged towards the crystals before she yanked into the air. "CLOVER!" The unicorn concentrated her magic, keeping her shield tight about her body as the tendrils multiplied, wrapping around her as she hung, suspended between the crystals. Then, without warning, it breached. Smart Cookie and Private Pansy were sent flying back, the earth pony tumbling across the mountain plateau before skidding to a stop while Pansy flipped through the air before righting herself in the air, alighting beside Cookie as the earth pony hopped back to her hooves. "Where'd it go?" Pansy murmured as Smart Cookie raced to where the unicorn had been but a moment ago. Motes of stray magic fell about the pair as they came to the spot where the cave had stood. It was gone. All of it was gone. The cave, the crystals and Clover, all gone. "I…I don't know…but I think she did it...she really did it..." ~o~0~o~ "Smart Cookie?" Clover echoed as she spun, seemingly weightless and without any sense of down or up. "Pansy?" She looked around but found only darkness as windmilled her forelegs in an effort to curb her momentum. "Girls?" "WORRY NOT FOR YOUR FRIENDS, UNICORN!" Clover cried out, more in pain than shock as the booming voice seemingly assaulted her from every which way. She flung her hooves over her ears as it echoed ceaselessly. "WORRY NOT FOR THEY!" another boomed. Clover curled about herself as the darkness flared with a sudden light, nearly blinding her. She felt heat curling about her and, with the echoes of the voices fading away, she peered out between her hindlegs, a pair of glowing, pure white eyes meeting her. "WORRY FOR THINE OWN SELF!" the voice shook her, the sound itself vibrating through her as it bounced around the confined space, formed entirely of crystals that she now found herself in. Clover stared fearfully into the white hot eyes, uncurling enough to find them attached to a pony-like figure, only much larger. And made of fire…don't forget made of fire... Clover thought as her eyes widened at the heat on her flanks. But… She wasn't burning. It was hot to be sure, but more the heat of blankets warmed before the hearth than that of a fire. And... "Whoa!" Clover threw her limbs out as she felt the fiery pony's touch on her flanks. She flailed wildly in an effort to get away but found herself against the cool, crystal wall of the rather small cave. The fiery beast balked at Clover's action, but otherwise did little as it was joined by another. Both were larger than any equine Clover had ever seen, being at least twice her own height. The pair were seemingly comprised of flames, an almost blinding orange for the first and a gentler blue hue for the second. "WHY HAVE YOU COME?" the orange one asked, its voice seeming to have been reduced, if only slightly, as it was joined by its counterpart. "Ce-Ce-Ce..." Clover's tongue twisted, uncooperative, in her mouth, head throbbing still from the aural onslaught. "SPEAK, INSECT! WHY DOTH YOU DISTURB THE SANCTUM OF THE SISTERS OF SUN AND MOON?!" the second demanded in as loud a voice as it could apparently muster, Clover snapping back into a shuddering ball. Clover, for a moment, heard only a soft whine as her ears recovered, but soon enough she could hear murmurs from just beyond her. Parting from herself a moment, she looked to find the pair debating amongst themselves, tones hushed as they snuck glances at her. Her eyes only widened as they ceased their conference, the blue seeming to sulk as the orange snaked through the air towards her. Oh dear... Clover shook as it drew nearer but relaxed as she felt its warmth snake over her form, her eyes half-lidded at the comforting touch. "Apologies…my little unicorn..." Clover's eyes widened yet again at the voice, deep. It flowed through her brain like honey, filling every crevice of her being. "It seems that we have gotten off on the wrong hoof, so to speak." "I-I-I..." Clover was flustered as she melted into its grasp, flames licking at her body, flicking at her fur. "We have been here so long," the goddess whispered in her ear, sending shivers through her. "We have been so lonely. So few ponies have graced us with their presence…so few have been worthy even to come so far." "Th-thank you?" "Oh, no, thank you, dear one." Clover felt it covering here entirely now, her mind melting into goo as she stared into its strange, beautiful eyes. What's…what's happening here... Her thoughts bubbled up from the murky fog of her brain, a sudden pinprick of fear running up her spine. This…what'd he say... what was it? "You should stay, dear pony…forever…and ever..." Its maw drew nearer, she could feel a overwhelming heat upon her lips, something building up inside. 'To truly hold sway over sun and moon, one would have to best its true holders.' And then Clover exploded, magic bursting out in all directions as her brow knit with concentration. The warmth left her as the fiery pony was thrown back from her, its temptation going with it. She hung a moment, suspended in the air, the cave glowing with her aura before everything…broke. ~o~0~o~ "Dang it!" Smart Cookie cried out, throwing her hat down in disgust. "How the hay'd you manage that?" "I…just lucky, I guess." Pansy murmured, unable to keep the smile of victory from her lips. "Wanna go again? Best of twenty-nine?" "Heck yeah I wanna go ag--" A sudden burst of magic nearly sent the earth pony flying from the mountain, her hooves digging in as she skidded towards the edge. She glanced back to find Pansy tumbling through the air before she too righted herself, shooting back towards the mountaintop. "Clover!" Pansy shouted excitedly as she spotted the unicorn coughing amidst a fog of magic. Running headlong into the magical field, the pair of ponies nigh tackled the unicorn to the ground. "We knew ya could do it!" "I…I did?" "Didn't you?" "Let's do that again!" a voice cheered, piquing the interest all three mares. There, standing in the settling fog, were a pair of fillies, one with coat as white as snow, the other with one as dark as midnight. The darker one hopped up and down in place, excitedly while the other sat, forehooves laced over her chest with a rather cross look on her face. On their flanks, a pair of cutie marks of sun and moon. "Y-you!" Clover blurted out, thrusting a hoof accusingly at the light filly. "You're just a filly!" "Yeah! Well you're a butt!" the lighter coated filly huffed, sticking her tongue out at Clover before turning up her nose as the unicorn retched at the realization. [Original] Author's Note Oh, there's an author's notes bit now... well, might as well use then, right? Well, as for this ficlet... this would likely be the end of part one were this ever turned into a legitimate fic with the first part being the set up for the dilemma (Lord Discord) and the journey for their macguffin (power over day and night). And the second part would be the journey back, likely replete with bizarre/awkward Clover/Celestia shipping (and probably them journeying for the Elements maybe... iunno... I mean, I might have to have that, but mostly awkward shipping because there needs to be more awkward shipping). TMP Prompt #352: Pooped [Slice-of-Life]The Prompt: My favorite way to unwind [OR] The Prompt: The best way to calm down The water stretched out in front of them like fresh-scrubbed pane of stained glass, etched with the reflections of the far shoreline and distant mountains. "Granny! Mackies on mah side again!" "Ennope! Y'all is on MAH side!" A baby's cry. The gentle bobs of their blures caused hardly even a ripple. "Granny! Bloom ain't bein' quiet!" An impatient stomp of a hoof. "She jus' a baby, AJ!" "Still ain't bein' quiet!" Sounds of a scuffle, curses muttered under their breath. "Quit shakin' her, AJ!" “I got this! I got this!” Their lines had long been cast. They hadn't had even a bite, but that didn't matter none. "Eugh! All over mah new horseshoes!" "Granny... Granny Smith, I think I'm gonna… gonne …gonn--" A second splatter on wood. "By Celestia! Pull over, Granny! Pull over now!” The sun listed quietly towards the horizon, casting oranges and pinks over the lake. The fresh air tickled her nostrils. Soon enough they'd have to be heading back. "Granny Smith?" "Huh, wuh?" The old mare jolted her granddaughter leaned against her, shaking her from her quiet reverie. "This was nice. Even if we didn't catch nothing." Granny Smith blinked a moment, turning from the impending sunset to Applejack's soft smile to the shore where Big McIntosh and little Apple Bloom were carefully crafting a behemoth of a orchard in the sands, a thousand twigs organized into neat little rows. "Think we can come down here next weekend?" Granny Smith froze a moment. "Quit it, Mac!" "Ain't doin' nothin'!" The acrid scent of spent apples lingered. "Yes you are! Y'all got your stinky hooves on mah side o'the cart again!" "Nope!" "Yup!" Her eye gave a little twitch, the old mare quickly shaking herself from her recollections before turning to face the fading sun. Closing her eyes, she took in a deep breath, ears twitching at the distant sea birds' cries and the salty airs stinging at her nose. She looked back over to the shore where little Apple Bloom was playing the part of a unexpected Everfree dervish through the crops, giggling with delight in that way only foals can, Mac's raucous laughter joining it. Granny Smith looked down at Applejack, the little filly's hooves pressed against her side as she peered up expectantly. The old mare smiled her nigh toothless grin, hugging the filly tight to her side as the sun set on the day. "I reckon we could." [Prompt Link] TMP Prompt #221: Rotating Fields [Slice-of-Life]TMP Prompt #221: Rotating Fields [Slice-of-Life] The Prompt: I resolve to break out of loops. Alternate Prompt: I resolve to break out of loops. Sun rises. Down to breakfast. Up to the bathroom. Out to the fields. Rotate the fields. Load up the cart. Stack them even. No, too much to the right. Are you listening? Pull it. Put your back into it. Dump them out. Get a feel for the field. Get a feel for the crops. Follow the lines. Feel them. Concentrate. That tingle in your hooves. Run a hoof over the rock. Another one. Another. Another. Feel it again. Success. Now repeat that. Just like he taught you. The family business. In for lunch. No talking. No horsing around. It’s the middle of season. Don’t you know? Up to the bathroom. Out to the fields. Sun sets. In for supper. Up to the bathroom. Into the tub. Clean and ready for bed. Put it off. Drag out your friends. Sisters laugh. Don’t mind. Just smile. Keep smiling. Go to sleep. Sun rises. Down to breakfast. Up to the bathroom. Out to the fields. On your own today. Alone. Lonely. Work slow. Work steady. Nose that rock along. Find its home. Just like yesterday. Just like the day before that. The week before. The month. The year. Just like tomorrow. Just like the day after that. The week after. The month. The year. Look up. Sigh. Give in. Ground shakes. Shocks. Something comes. Something wonderful. You can’t look away from the wave of pure color as it sweeps towards you, a twitch in your flank telling you that you should run, that you should hide. You ignore the twitch. It sweeps over your, shocking you and nearly sending you sprawling back. You feel something. Just like the rocks, but different. The clouds are gone. The sun is shining and a beautiful rainbow appears in the sky as mist settles down around you. You know what the feeling is as it tugs at the corners of your mouth and widens your eyes to the world and its wonders. It’s joy. And you’ll never let it go. [TMP] TMP Prompt #98: Awareness [Drama]The Prompt: Write a story in a hundred words or less. The boutique was empty, quiet save for the occasional snip of scissor through fabric. She considered following her friend Or... rather… she wished to follow, but something kept her rooted to the spot. She glanced at her legs oddly even as her forehoof strayed unconsciously towards the needed pin cushion. “Ouch!” She snapped her hoof back, its fellows instinctively retreating from the source of danger. As she watched, a stray droplet of blood weaved through the strands of white fur and down over her hoof That had never happened before… “Rarity?” She turned to find another friend there. “Pinkie?” “We need to talk.” [Original] TMP Prompt #99: Ninety-Nine Times [Sad][Slice-of-Life]The Prompt: Ninety-nine times I didn’t tell you that I loved you … and one time that I did. How many times have I looked away? Looked down? Looked right? Looked left? Looked anywhere I could but at you, my cheeks burning with embarrassment? Too many times… How many times have I avoided your eyes when you looked at me from across the room… expecting something that it seemed I couldn’t, wouldn’t give to you? Something you gave freely, but I withheld? Too many times… How many times did you smile anyways? How many times did you smile happily at me? How many times did you forgive me? Too many times… How many times did I forgive myself? Forgive myself for rationalizing my avoidance? This gap between us two? This wall of unlove? Of quiet loathing? Too many times… Ninety-nine times I looked away. Ninety-nine times I didn’t say what I knew deep down out of fear, out of cowardice. Ninety-nine times led to this all too short, insufficient apology to the most important mare, most important pony I’ll ever know. Ninety-nine times I was sorry, but this one time I don’t have to be… Mom… I love you. [Original] [Haphazard Expansion] TMP Prompt #150: The Escape [Humor]The Prompt: The Big Breakout. Beads of sweat rolling down his brown, hair on the back of his neck standing on end, he waited. He waited for the perfect moment, the moment that he would slip through the impenetrable walls that kept him bound, that kept him from the sweet taste of freedom on the other side. He had watched them for too long. Enjoying themselves. Oblivious to his persecution under an intolerant system that bound him to rules without his consent or input. But for no longer would he sit idle. His patience would be tested, but he knew that sweet release would be his when the moment came. And it did. He watched as the watchful eyes drifted away and he struck with a mighty leap. "Angel Bunny!" came the shrill cry of the authority as he bounded across her withers and towards the sweet succulence of the evening's meal. "No, that's a bad bunny, Angel!" He cared not for her petty words as he tore a bowl from a hapless goose and broke for the door. He heard the authority call for him as he slipped out the small door within the authority's larger entrance and to freedom. "That'll double time on the naughty stool for you, Angel Bunny!" A carrot had never tasted so sweet. [Unsubmitted: Compilation Post]
TMP Prompt #138: Indignity [Sad]The Prompt: Princess Luna visits an old friend. “It is not as though we had no finer times…” she began hesitantly, the gleaming stone of the monument casting long shadows over the gardens. “We may recount many a time of frivolity and joy during our youth.” She stared at it, expecting. Perhaps expecting it to bend down to greet her. Perhaps confirming that all of this were some elaborate prank that had gone on far too long, whiffing on its punchline. “We daresay that the joyous occasions mayhaps even outnumbered those of a more... odious nature. But…certainly not in their length.” She paused to paw at the damp earth beneath her hooves. “Nor even in their severity.” With a sigh, she planted herself unceremoniously in the sodden earth with a disconcerting squelch. A most undignified pose, we’re certain, she mused to herself with a dismissive snort, keenly aware of the guard’s eyes upon her as well as her failure of decorum. “What you have done is unforgivable…there is no doubt of that…there are no excuses that we may make for it, hope as we might to reconcile our memories,” she stated in a cold tone, eyes narrowing in anger before softening as they drifted downwards to the saturated soil. Casually, she lifted a hoof to her eyes, watching as the unnatural mixture dripped from her well-worn hoof cuff. “But…you allowed us laughter…your…your…” She frowned as the words came to mind haltingly. “Your…lightness of spirit helped to raise our own and…we’re are uncertain what can replace you.” Rising from the mud, flanks caked uncomfortably in the odd slurry but uncaring for the moment, she glared at the chimeric statue. “Perhaps there may be another time, dear Discord…” she murmured sadly as she turned to her entourage, their eyes straying from her out of respect. With a sigh, she strode back towards the shell of what was to be a grand monument, a soaring tribute to order over chaos. It made her feel sick, a dark knot twisting in her stomach. And perhaps it may come sooner than later… [Original]
TMP Prompt #139: At the Royal Academy of Magic [Dark][AU]The Prompt: The day everything changed. She felt the eyes on her, each of them with a clipboard and quill in grasp, plumage quivering as they scratched out notes and critique at a constant clip. Her heart thudded in her chest as she glanced back to the purple, speckled egg set out before her on a pedestal. “Well, Ms. Sparkle?” She shuddered, giving her parents a sidelong glance as they sat in the nearby stands, stone-faced. I can do this…I’ve practiced for this for months… she thought to herself, eyes closed as she mustered up as much of her will as she could, channeling her energies at the egg as best she could before… …nothing. She opened her eyes to find the egg unmoved much less hatched. She stared up at her horn, cross-eyed as she watched the whole of her concentrated magic cease to be in a pitiful flickering of magenta. I…I failed… She mewled quietly, hardly resisting the urge to sink to the floor as her thoughts drifted towards what happened to little colts and fillies that couldn’t pass their examinations. Fearfully, her eyes strayed back to her parents, their stolid veneer cracking for moment as her mother urged Twilight on silently, an almost unnoticeable smile shimmering like a mirage across her face. No…I can do this… she thought quietly, banishing the fears and phantoms from her mind and focusing herself fully on her magic. I just have to try harder. She reached out, grasping for the stream of magics that ran throughout the land, that all ponies tapped into in one way or another. She reached for it with her own magic, her seemingly insignificant aura seeking a place of entry, a means of linking herself into the great stream. Then she felt it. The barest hint of possible entry. The tiniest seam in the resistant field surrounding it. She pressed at it carefully, feeling it give ever so slightly beneath her urgings. Just a little more, she thought to herself, keeping herself calm, level. Just a tiny bit mo— Her concentration shattered as an explosion rocked the examination room, filling it with all the colors of the rainbow, an alarm following shortly on its heels. She had little time to reflect upon this, however, as her careful exploration of the barrier had, in a moment of panic, become a breach... A breach from which pure magic flowed without rhyme nor reason. From which pure magic flowed through her and into the corporeal realm. She felt her body twist and shudder as magic shot out from her body in all directions. She could no longer sense the world anymore as she was used to, with her eyes or ears. Instead, she saw it through a filter. She saw beneath the surface, through things. She saw the aura’s of all things, her own magic, rent by the sudden influx of energies, reaching out and manipulating them as her thoughts and imaginings were set out before her, the entirety of her life seeming to take place all in one single moment until her underdeveloped mind could hardly take it any longer. It was a blessing as she felt herself severed from the stream and consciousness by a blunt object impacting the back of her skull. ~o~0~o~ She woke some time later in a dark room with her ears ringing. She waited, forelegs clutching something soft between them as her eyes adjusted to find that she was in a small, dark room, hardly large enough for the cot that dominated its hoofprint. “…a danger to all of us,” she heard a voice say as the ringing subsided. “If we cannot control her, of course.” “Of course,” another concurred. “And what of the parents?” “It's the darnedest thing. A pair of potted plants.” Twilight shivered as she recalled a mix of details. Magic, her magic, reaching towards her parents…an egg…the judges…and beyond…. “It seems that the spell matrix has solidified, however. We are still examining them…but for all intents and purposes, they have been declared deceased.” “Hm…I’ll see to it that the corporal is informed. Shame to have such an emotional burden placed on such a promising officer." “And…what's to be done with her, sir?” Twilight panicked as the door faded from sight, backing up until her hindquarters contacted the cool steel of the cot. “She is to remain under quarantine until further notice,” a large stallion stated, glaring at her coldly. She remembered her brother saluting him, the captain of the royal guard. “Perhaps she can, in time, be useful to the Empire. I assume there are no objections, Miss Sparkle.” He didn’t await a reply, turning back to his subordinate. “Keep the ring on her at all times, lest we have another incident. I will be briefing his lordship on her at once.” “Sir, yes, sir.” The cell door rematerialized as the captain left. The room fell silent as Twilight slumped to the floor, tears falling from her eyes as she clutched Smarty Pants tightly to her chest. [Original]
TMP Prompt #146: Page 287 [Humor]The Prompt: Tell me a story about a mythical creature that lives in Equestria. Preferably something that hasn’t been seen in the show yet. “Okay…now, just what exactly were you trying to do when this all started?” Twilight asked, face half-obscured by a forlorn hoof. “Wellll…I got up super early to open Sugarcube Corner and then Rainbow Dash came by with super awesome prank idea, but I had already made plans with Fluttershy and still had to babysit for the Cake’s that night and start working on the Mayor’s Hearth’s Warming office party—you would not believe how much sarsaparilla she ordered. Mayor Mare really must need a lot of sass for January, which I guess makes sense with the election coming up and—” “Pinkie.” “Oh, right…sorry. Well, I was looking at my schedule and saw that I had a 12:37 appointment to hang out with my favoritest, most bestest unicorn named Twiligh—” “Pinkie…” “Okay…well, I was looking at how packed my schedule was getting—I didn’t even used to need one!—and I was at the library and you always seem so on top of your schedule and all.” “You could have just asked for some pointers, Pinkie.” “I know, but when I came in through the window—I’ll, um, get that fixed by Friday by the way, Pinkie Promise—and I hit the bookcase—” “And Starswirl’s Systematic Studies of Sorcical Structures fell out—” “And landed on page 287,” Pinkie finished for her. Twilight was silent for a moment, looking over her shoulder at the ruination of Ponyville, a trail of smoking debris weaving through the market. She cringed slightly at the distant roar of the giant, pink golem as it headed towards Canterlot. Tightening her grip on the branch, clinging to what little remained of the Books and Branches Library, she glanced back at Pinkie, a sheepish grin on the earth pony’s face as she hung, suspended by her tail at the end of the same branch. “Well…that explains that then.” [Original]
TMP Prompt #147: Silly Bit of Nonsense [Humor]The Prompt: Discord saves the day! “You are kidding, right?” She shook her head, smile widening. “A thousand years of chaos? Mass destruction of all of ponydom?” She considered this a moment, shrugged and continued smiling hopefully. “Master of Trickery? Lord of Misery?” Another shrug. Another smile. “You’ve freed me…knowing all this…for what?” ”My tea party ran out of chocolate milk,” the tiny filly replied, lower lip trembling. “Your…tea party…ran out of chocolate milk?” "Yes, Mr. Discord, sir.” “Tea party…chocolate milk…” “Please, Mr. Discord. Pleeeeeeease.” “Oh, fine!” the draconequus declared, the delighted smile on his snaggletoothed face a mismatch for his harsh tone as he snapped his fingers. “But I best get the nicest cup and not Mrs. Higglebottoms. I mean, look at her hair, it’s positively dreadful. The nerve of someponies to attend a social function in such a state.” The filly watched in awe as the world spun about them, the grassy surface of the statue gardens becoming a posh dining hall carved from a candy store. She blinked, jaw open in a most unladylike manner as chocolate began to drizzle down from ceiling tapestry spun of cotton candy and attached by caramel-coated pretzels to chocolate marbled walls. “But, I suppose, exceptions will be made for the sake of propiety, milady,” Discord presumed, peering down through a monocle as he took a look sip of tea, his chimeric form now dressed to the sixes and sevens in Canterlot’s finest as imagined by a deranged sugarsmith of the highest order. The filly cheered, hugging her flowery dress around her before taking a bite of it. It was made of daisy-flavored gummy! “I do say, my dear little pony, we will have to talk about expanding your guest list.” More ponies? This was going to be a the best tea party ever! [Original]
TMP Prompt #149: Wings Under the Big Top [Humor]The Prompt: Ponies attend a religious service. “Get your hooves up in the air, ponies!” she shouted, one hoof on the microphone as the other led her flock. “Show your love! Your admiration! Show all that—!” Whatever she had been about to say was swallowed up by a cacophony of explosions, pops and pows as the stage lit up with fireworks and sparklers forming the name of their deity. “Keep those hooves up, ponies, and they will—” “RAINBOW!” Rainbow Dash froze mid prognostication, the lights behind her fading as her eyes lowered. “Oh, hey, Applejack.” “What the hay do you think yer doin’, Rainbow?” Applejack demanded, mane frazzled beneath her uncharacteristically askew hat. “You’ve got half the town about to come down here an’ string you right up 'cause this racket!” “But we’ve got to practice!” Rainbow whined, dropping down from the stage to the dirt floor. “It's got to be absolutely perfect! Isn’t that right, Sister Scootaloo?” “Amen, Sisther Dash!” Scootaloo replied in around the microphone cord held in her mouth, Rainbow's movements having left the little pegasus balanced precariously at the stage's edge, wings buzzing for balance. “Fer cripes' sake, Rainbow! It's a school night!” Applejack cried out, pushing Dash back just far enough so that Scootaloo could get all four of her hooves down. “Now, jus' what’s this all about?” “The Wonderbolts’ Jubilee, duh!” she stated matter-of-fact before cracking into an enormous smile. “It’s going to be the best thing ever!” “All this,” Applejack began, waving a hoof towards the enormous tent packed full with speakers, rows of empty folding chairs, flower chains, hoof-woven tapestries, statues and, seemingly, enough fireworks to level Ponyville twice over, “jus’ fer a jubilee?” “No, not for just a jubilee. The Wonderbolts jubilee! It only happens once a year!” “I…” Applejack simply shook her head, grumbling. “Jus'...” she shook her head again before simply storming out of the tent. “Jus' wrap it up quicklike! Someponies have ta sleep!” Rainbow just stood there for a moment, thoroughly flummoxed by her friend's reaction. "Ignore her, Miss Dash. With my expert planning and your… let's call it showmareship, this will surely be the greatest and most fantastic show the Wonderbolts have ever dared be a part of,” a voice reassured from just behind the stage. “You really think so?” Rainbow asked excitely, her ceremonial robes swirling about her as she spun to face the voice. “Naturally, Miss Dash,” the blue unicorn stated as she stepped from behind the stage. “Lulamoon Industries knows showmareship. You would do well to remember that,” she stated with a biting edge of irritation to her voice. “Now,” she called out with a sharp clop of her hooves, “Again! From the top!” “Yes, ma’am!” Rainbow saluted before she took her spot at center stage once more, the tent filling up and the eyes of the Wonderbolts upon her. It was going to be so awesome. [Original]
TMP Prompt #153: Beneath the Harvest Moon [Nightmare Night]The Prompt: It came from the Everfree. Where is she? the little filly wondered, frowning as she stepped through the tangles of roots and fallen leaves scattered across the path. Gah, it’s so dirty and gross here! A tiny smile creased her lips. She’s probably terrified. She let out a quiet giggle before a distant howling set the fur on the nape of her neck on end and a shiver down her spine. I hope I find you soon, sis…it’s starting to get really, really dark… The sun had dipped beneath the horizon mere minutes before, but already the long shadows of sunset had been replaced by a suffocating twilight. It suffused the very air of the forest, filling her vision with the indistinct and the barely seen. It filled her subconscious with phantoms and figments, the weight of her own folly pressing down upon her. Her ears twitched at every rustle of branches, every snap of a twig, and every crackle of a dry leaf underhoof as she quickened her pace, eyes scanning the seemingly endless treescape for some sign of her sister. "Come on, Sweetie Belle," the filly whispered to herself. "It's just Whitetail Woods…nothing to be afraid of..." Another howl set her on edge as she glanced about. It seemed far off, but far off was still too close. Sis…why would you come out here? And on Nightmare Night of all ni— Suddenly, she felt a tremor beneath her, the ground shaking as the echo of her crunching hoofsteps ceased. Her eyes, previously on the foliage to her side, slowly, surely shifted to take in the shadowy figure set before her. Oh, sweet Celestia… Shimmering blue orbs stared down from the beast, built of branch and thorn. It pawed at the ground, carving a furrow through the dirt as a rustling growl drifted up from its throat, a twisting bush of a tail swaying behind it eagerly. A timberwolf... The filly halted, rooted to the spot as her hide trembled with terror. N-no sudden moves…be slow…deliberate, she recalled the lessons she had been taught for facing wild animals, but those had been for lesser creatures. M-maybe it works on these too… She shook terribly as she concentrated on her right hind hoof, making to take a tentative step back, away from the beast and towards safety. Sweetie had lifted her hoof no more than an inch from the ground when she cried out, the beast leaping towards her with an angry roar, maw opened to reveal a chasm of gleaming thorns. She immediately threw herself to the ground, hooves covering her head as she tried to make herself as small as possible, screwing her eyes shut as tight as she could as she awaited the worst. But it never did. Sweetie's eyes popped open, a chorus of growls and yips and cries coming from behind her. She twisted her head around to find that a pack of them had flanked her. However, their attention was not on the potential morsel of a filly but rather on the white timberwolf plowing violently through their ranks. Run… She watched in shock as the creatures tussled, the white one scratching and biting at any that dared come close to claw. Run. The white timberwolf bucked at one unlucky timberwolf, its hind legs connecting. The sickening crunch of branches snapping filled the air. The hay are you doing? RUN! The filly immediately snapped from her rigor mortis and lept to her hooves, galloping as fast as she could. The movement drew one of the beast’s attention as it gleefully gave chase. Sweetie Belle simply fled, curving and weaving through the trees, paying no attention to the fight she had left behind. Just keep running, just keep running, just keep running, she echoed over and over in her head. Her eyes widened as she saw the lights of Ponyville just beyond the trees, the edge of the forest and safety close at hoof. She heard it, just before she felt it impact her. That unnatural roar before she felt the bark-like flesh of its body scraping at her coat, thornclaws scratching at her as it tackled her, sending both tumbling through the roadside brush. Sweetie hadn't even the time to process the blow before she found herself on her back, staring up at that gaping maw. She felt stomach heave with fear and adrenaline, hind hooves kicking wildly at the beast before, just as suddenly as it had struck, it was gone. What? In its place stood the white timberwolf, growling as it stood between the pack and her, its attention focused squarely on the pack. I...what? She watched as the two groups snarled at one another before the pack reluctantly relented in its hunt, disappearing one-by-one into the woods to lick their wounds. Sweetie trembled as the white timberwolf turned to face her, but she relaxed as it leaned down to give her a quick nuzzle, a soft whimper like the gentle rustle of apple trees in an evening breeze emanating from it. Slowly, the filly stood, with the aid of the creature's careful nudges, and looked the creature over. Where the other timberwolves had been a mishmash of tree and brush, this one seemed almost carved. It seemed to have been formed wholly from chunk of birch tree, the only flaw in its otherwise white surface a trio of… “Sap?” Crystallized sap… set on its hindquarter... a trio, each of which was shaped like a diamond… Sweetie stared dully at it before glancing up into the glowing blue eyes of the timberwolf, her face a mix of shock and awe. “Rarity?” [Original]
TMP Prompt #155: Spirited Sweets [Humor/Nightmare Night]The prompt: Don’t eat the cupcakes. I'm late! I'm late! Twilight chanted over and over in her mind as she galloped through the streets, costume jangling as it bounced up and down on her flanks. It seemed as though it had been noon just a few hours ago, but there she was, running as the moon rose higher and higher in the sky. Starswirl, why did you have to be so brilliant?! she swore silently. She could apologize later to her hero-antecedent. For now, it was nearing midnight and the party would be half over. As she turned the corner onto market, the music reached her and her eyes filled with the sight of Sugarcube Corner fully lit. Had she not taken several course in architecture and structural engineering, she would have sworn the shop was literally bouncing off its foundations. With her chest heaving, she slowed to a trot a few yards from the building, the intricate rings of her costume settling. She could feel the music vibrate up her hooves as she approached the door. As she moved to open it, the door swung suddenly out to reveal a swaying, singing pair of ponies. "Oh, Twilight, darling!" Rarity yelled out, slurring as she made to hug the purple unicorn, instead sending herself, Twilight and a blushing, yellow ghost tumbling into the dirt. "Oopsie! Terribly sorry, dear." "It's um..." Twilight began, shaking her head to rid herself of the ringing in her ears before realizing it was in the song, coming in and out of focus as the door swung lethargically before finally shutting. "Oh, you look grand, Twilight!" Rarity said, helping Twilight to her hooves before making a show of cleaning up her costume. "I daresay, it accentuates your curves rather nicely!" "Rarity!" "Oh, come now! It's a compliment," Rarity reproached her friend with a girlish giggle. "I'm sure you'll have quite the line of suitors, should you choose so." "That's just," Twilight verbally seethed even as her face flushed with embarrassment. "Culturally insensitive!" "Oh, Twilight, dear. You can't tell me that you've dressed in such an outfit without any ulterior motives," Rarity said, pressing herself closer and closer to Twilight, hoof jangling the intricate "I…I..." "And surely you did not think me unaware that Zebrican shamans only wear such outfits for...oh how shall I put it…fertility rituals," the white unicorn stated with a wide smirk before losing her balance as the ghost slipped beneath her. "I…um..." "Oh, no shame in it, darling! I daresay I wish I had thought of it first!" Rarity laughed aloud, giving Twilight a friendly jab with a hoof. "Enjoy the party, darling! For now, I must fly!" Rarity pressed out her hooves, giggling madly as the ghost walked slowly, carefully away. As Twilight watched, the ghost turned and lifted its sheets a moment to say something. "Take it easy on the cupcakes," Fluttershy warned, before letting the sheet fall back into place, walking slowly away. Twilight stared, slack-jawed, at the pair before turning her attention to the bouncing Sugarcube Corner. Inside, she could hear the sound of hooves, music and minor acts of vandalism. She glanced down at her outfit, a mix of metal and cloth meant to evoke the gods of a foreign nation. Well…she had chosen the outfit for a reason. She made a mental note to watch out for Pinkie's patented Nightmare Night Noshings cupcakes and went inside. [Original]
TMP Prompt #202: Egg On Her Face ["Dumb Meme!" /SB]The Prompt: You can’t make an omelette without cracking a few eggs. "Oh, Celestia! Oh, Luna!" the little filly cried out, tears streaming from her eyes. "Oh, please, Luna!" Hooves scrabbling for traction on the slickened metal floor, she followed her companion through the twisted halls. She could feel their breath billowing from behind her, the red heat of the lamp singeing her hindquarters as she buzzed her wings hard as she could. Through the darkened halls they went, certain death behind them as the beasts' words floated before them. "Mmmm…Canterlot Fried Scootaloo..." "Oh you have got to be kidding me!" Scootaloo yelled out, chancing a look back only to find the gnashing jaw of the masses snapping at her tail tip. Beating her wings even harder, she shot past her companion and down a side tunnel. Then she felt it. Just barely at first, but getting stronger as she galloped for her life. A breeze. A cool, faint breeze, but a breeze just the same. And a breeze meant outside and outside meant escape. "C'mon! We're almost free!" Scootaloo called over her shoulder as she turned a corner and saw it, a sliver of blue light. Escape was within their grasp. "Almost there!" She skidded the last few feet towards the end of the hall, the tiniest sliver of blue the only hint of the door hidden there. "C'mon, let's--" Scootaloo cut herself off as she turned to grab her companion only to find her farther behind than expected, red tendrils curling about her. "Elizabeak!" "No, don't come back!" the chicken yelled, scratching at the monster with her claws as best she could, dripping fangs descending towards her. "Chicken..." the mob grumbled from a thousand muzzles, the monstrosity filling the hall with red light as flames whipped from its coagulated hide of bone, blood and beak. "Tasty chicken..." "No, I won't leave you!" Scootaloo dashed back for her companion, slamming into the monstrosity shoulder first, sending it back, but going with it. "Ewww..." She gagged loudly as she stuck fast to it, the slime that formed the creature sticking to her, hide and hair. "Scootaloo! You idiot!" Elizabeak growled, fighting towards the little pegasus pony. "Now, we're both doomed!" Scootaloo coughed, the smell overwhelming her as a tiny smile formed on her face. "I'm sorr--" Scootaloo put a hoof to the chicken's beak. "Nah, we had a good run." She grinned, teary eyed as more and more of her body sunk into the beast, fur burning away, unfelt. "Yeah…I guess we di--" Elizabeak disappeared as the mass of red crawled up Scootaloo's vision. And then... ~o~0~o~ ...darkness. Scootaloo stared up at the ceiling, tummy rumbling and swaying as if she were out at sea. She could hear the familiar snores of her compatriots next to her as she tried to recall the dream. Chickens... It was always chickens. With a growl, she rolled over and socked Apple Bloom right in the shoulder. "OW!" Apple Bloom yelped, shooting up in her sleeping bag. "What the hay was that for, Scoots?!" Scootaloo just glared through the darkness, Apple Bloom shrinking back a bit. "Scoots?" "I'm not a chicken." "What?" "I'm NOT a chicken." "Fine, y'all ain't a chicken." "That's right," Scootaloo stated with a smirk before snuggling herself back into her sleeping bag. "Jeez..." Apple Bloom mumbled to herself. Wanting for an apology for her smarting shoulder, she settled for simply glaring at the back of her friends head before turning over in her sleeping bag. "Someponies jus' can't take a joke…t'ain't like it was some big thing or nothin'." Apple Bloom gave one last glance at the slumbering pegasus before settling back down. "Wonder what set her off..." ~o~0~o~ Elsewhere, Celestia sat in her chambers, up rather early that morning as she let the light fade from the crystal ball before her. There was satisfied smile upon her face, one that grew in satisfaction as her sister, bedraggled and sighing, trotted into the room. "I trust that was to your satisfaction, sister." "Yes, Luna." The elder princess rose from her bed to embrace the younger. "It was indeed." "Well," Luna began, pausing momentarily to fight down a yawn, "now that I have played my part in whatever it is you may be scheming, sister, I do believe I shall retire for the day. These…nightmares of yours…they give me quite the headache." "Oh, do stay up awhile longer. The kitchens have just sent up the morning's menu." "Oh?" "How does eggs benedict sound?" Celestia asked, grinning wide as her sister gagged before glaring at her. [Prompt]
TMP Prompt #223: "Up to the Mountain's Peak" [Adventure][Historical]The Prompt: Lips like wine, a tongue like honey. [OR] Water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink. Clover groaned as her body smacked down heavily upon the rock-strewn mountain path, sore hooves thanking her even as her belly protested its uncomfortable resting place. She glanced back to find her traveling companions still behind her, their faces as wearied as her body, before looking forwards at the cave, its dark entrance flanked by grand crystal columns on either side. They'd reached the penultimate step. After so many days trekking through the Everfree, sneaking through dragon and gryphon territories alike, they had made it…together. "Y'all ready for this, Clover?" Smart Cookie asked, resting a hoof on the unicorn's back before withdrawing it nervously. "Yeah… I think so." Clover smiled back, the hoof returning to its place before the earth pony helped her to her hooves. I am ready…aren't I? "Y-you will be careful, won't you?" came the almost whispered voice of Private Pansy, the pegasus's nerves frayed, not so much by the journey anymore but by what was to come if her nervous peeks at the cave were any indication. "'Course she will," Cookie declared, smiling almost ruefully. "Ain't called 'the Clever' fer nothing, right?" "Heh…right." Clover let out a wheezing chuckle. "But…maybe we should take a break first." "Breaks good! I second taking a break!" Pansy broke in, smiling a bit too wide as she swooped for their packs, grabbing them in her maw before beginning to set things up… at the far end of the mountain plateau, as far from the cave as she could muster. "I guess we're taking a break then..." ~o~0~o~ Soon enough there was a campfire going, flicking about gently in the high breeze, each of the three ponies having settled into a spot around it. Save the crackle of the fire and gentle breeze, all was silent upon the mountaintop, the trio of ponies seeming to have decided unconsciously to all focus their attentions upon the flicking flame. This could be the end… couldn't it? The question hung in the air. It had dogged them the entire way. Between braving the illusions of Everfree, the gryphon patrols and the impromtu migration of dragons, the question lingered. The potential of failure in the back of each pony's mind. Clover looked to her companions. She could see it written on their faces. Fear beneath hope. Potentialities obscuring potentialities. "We up to this, Clover?" "Huh?" "We up to it?" Cookie's eyes bored into her, their focus unnerving at the least, demanding something that Clover had hardly the heart to give. "I…I don't know..." A non-answer was preferred to the answer she held in her heart. "If Starswirl believed we could…I want to believe him." "But what about you?" Pansy broke in. "What do you think?" "I…the theory is workable. If the legends are true…then a powerful enough unicorn should be able to make it." Clover glanced sidelong at the cave entrance in the faded light of the perpetual dusk. Cookie glanced east towards their homeland. The sun and moon hung suspended above it, half-obscured by the strange storm brewing beneath. The occasional flash of light offered a fleeting glimpse of it, the land a twisted mockery of the paradise they had once settled. All because of him. "It's funny…all this time I thought it rested with you unicorns..." "To be honest…so did I..." "I gathered...Platinum sure didn't seem to know either." Smart Cookie broke into a tiny smirk as she glanced back at her unicorn companion. "She sure is gonna be mad when we get back, ain't she?" Clover stayed silent, face flushing with embarrassment. "Well, assuming those guards of hers got her down from the ceiling." Clover flushed an even brighter red, face falling. "I'm going to be thrown in a dungeon, aren't I?" "Well, I'm going to be court marshalled," Pansy chirped, raising her hoof like a school filly. "An' I'm sure the council ain't gonna look too kindly on me bein' out here chasin' fairy tales with everythin' that's goin' on." "Yeah..." "Aw, chin up, Clover." "I'm going to be sentenced to the dungeon and that's all you can say? 'Chin up'?" Clover demanded, her eyes panicked. "Hey, if'n this don't work out we can always get to livin' on the road," Cookie offered as Clover stared at her hooves in sorrow. "Can have ourselves a merry band of misfit ponies." Clover laughed at the mental image of a the trio, unicorn, earth pony and pegasus, living out of a caravan, singing merry little songs for coin. "But we won't have ta do that anyhow." Clover looked up at the earth pony. "You're gonna be right an' we're gonna be send that bastard back wherever he came from." "She's right, Clover," Pansy reassured, Clover jumping slightly at the sensation of the pegasus' hoof on her. She hadn't noticed the pair inching towards her. She kinda has to be... Clover thought bitterly, shaking her head to rid herself of the dark possibilities. "I think I'm ready." "Oh! Are you sure?" Pansy yelped. "I mean, you need to be at full strength, right? Otherwise y-you won't be able to overcome the crystals." "Pansy." "You'll be ripped to shreds!" "Pansy." "Torn limb from limb!" "PANSY!" Cookie shouted. "Oh!" the pegasus relaxed, letting Clover out of her bone-crushing grasp. "Um…sorry." "It's okay..." Clover panted, trying to recapture the oxygen that had been so forcibly squeezed from her. "It's just that…um…everypony is counting on us...all of Equestria and… Oh dear, I'm just making things worse, aren't I?" "That's alright, Pansy." Clover sighed. "We all know what we're here for." "You sure you're recovered enough?" Cookie coughed, focusing her attention on a few stray fibers of her hat's plume. "I mean…we can wait another lil' bit. Ain't no sense in rushing this." "No…the longer we do nothing, the longer everypony suffers under Lord Discord." Clover looked up, staring at Cookie as the earth pony avoided her eyes. "I'm rested enough." "Good… good luck, Clover." Pansy smiled, rising alongside the unicorn. "Yeah…good luck." "Cookie?" "Jus'…do be careful, okay?" "Hey, they don't call me Clover the Clever for nothing, right?" "Right." Cookie smiled, rising and trotting towards the cave alongside her companions before suddenly they were halted. A barrier shone as the reached it, sending Pansy and Cookie back onto their rumps as it flashed with arcane light. Clover stood at the barrier, horn glowing as she pressed in on it with her aura. "Guess you weren't kidding when you said unicorn's only, were ya?" "I only wish we could go with you..." Pansy murmured solemnly, testing the barrier with a hoof. "So do I..." Clover whispered almost inaudibly, eyes closed as she moved slowly, carefully into the bubble of magic before suddenly she found herself thrown forwards, all resistance gone. "Clover!" came the worried cries as Clover picked herself up off the ground. "Fine…fine…that was just… easier than I thought it would be," she replied with a sheepish grin, Cookie shooting her a disapproving glance. Okay, get it together, Clover, she berated herself. This was serious after all. She was dealing with an almost unknown with the fate of all Equestria on the line, with the fate of the world on the line for all she knew. There were too many variables hidden from her to be anything less than one hundred percent careful. This was where Starswirl was... "Clover." This was the exact spot where he…where he... "Hey, Clover, can you hear us?" And they... she glanced up at the crystal spires flanking the entrance. She could feel them radiating magical energies, pulsing with latent magics the likes of which the unicorn could hardly comprehend. If they could do that to Starswirl... "Clover?" "I'm fine!" she shouted much more loudly than she had meant, her voice cracking audibly. "Clover…just…deep breaths..." Clover only just noticed how fast her heart was beating, the rivulets of sweat coursing down her face, the trembles running down her spine. She breathed, shallowly at first, then deeper and deeper. "Deep breaths...just slow and deep..." Slowly, but surely her body calmed. She glanced back to find Pansy with her hooves on the barrier, pressed against it. The pegasus radiated calm, her kind demeanor ever reassuring. Clover sat, hard. "'Only the highest level unicorns can even hope to comprehend the magicks at the entrance, much less combat and subdue them,'" Clover murmured verbatim. "'What could such magicks be designed for if not for the power of day and night itself. We unicorns think ourselves as the holders of this power. We think ourselves worthy, but we are but the chosen shepherds, using this power only by the grace of its true, divine holder. To truly hold sway over sun and moon, one would have to best its true holders.'" "Clover?" "That's what Starswirl believed. That's why they laughed him right out of Unicornia even after all he had done." Her companions simply looked on, hooves pressed against the barrier. "I-I was still just an apprentice when they all but banished him. I looked up to him…I'd have followed him anywhere..." "And you followed him here..." "Yes." "Listen, Clover. You're the probably the smartest unicorn, heck, the smartest pony I've ever known…don't be dumb." "What?" "Cookie!" "Lemme finish!" Pansy settled down, wings still flaring in agitation. "I know y'all probably think that you can't even hope t'hold a candle to him." Clover's face sank. "But I know better, Clover." "Yeah, well…you're just an earth pony." "Yeah! I'm just an earth pony! What the heck would I know about magic?!" Cookie shot back. "I didn't mean it like--" "Yeah you did. It's alright. An' I don't rightly know much about you unicorns an' your fancy horn magic. But I know that that ain't the only kind." Clover glanced up from her shame at the earth pony's gentle smile. "You remember when we were in that cave?" "Yeah?" "You remember how we were pretty much doomed to die?" "Yeah..." "You remember how we didn't?" Clover stayed silent, turning the memory over and over in her mind. "You did something that day." "But that took all three of us." "Yeah, but wouldn't have happened without you. It wasn't Starswirl. It wasn't your fancy pants high council of magic. It was you." Cookie jabbed a hoof, sending a ripple of magic cascading outwards across the barrier. "She's right…I felt it too," Pansy stated, sitting down and folding her wings meekly. "We helped…but you were the…the conduit for it." "Conduit?" "Magical Preparedness Training by Gale Force," Pansy offered matter-of-factly. "'All ponies have some form of magic, but only unicorns have a foci, allowing them to before acts of will beyond those of hoof or wing. Among unicorns, power level is determined by the strength of this foci element.'" "That's true..." "So you are the highest level unicorn. Objective fact," Pansy stated, veritably glowering at the unicorn. "And on the battlefield, objective fact is everything." "I..." Clover bit her lip. "If'n it makes y'feel any better, you're subjectively the best unicorn I know too." Cookie smiled. "Okay…okay…I think I'm good," Clover decided with a nervous chuckle. Maybe she didn't really believe them. But maybe that's good enough. Windigos, gryphons, dragons...why not a crystal barrier that probably hasn't been breached for millennia. "Get along there." Okay…let's do this... Clover whispered silently, stepping lightly towards the entrance proper. Baby steps…baby steps... Clover stared up at the towering crystals, looking for any sign of disturbance as her horn flared brightly in reflex. Careful…carefu-- She flexed her aura as she felt it, the barest tendril of magic curling about her. She felt herself being dragged towards the crystals before she yanked into the air. "CLOVER!" The unicorn concentrated her magic, keeping her shield tight about her body as the tendrils multiplied, wrapping around her as she hung, suspended between the crystals. Then, without warning, it breached. Smart Cookie and Private Pansy were sent flying back, the earth pony tumbling across the mountain plateau before skidding to a stop while Pansy flipped through the air before righting herself in the air, alighting beside Cookie as the earth pony hopped back to her hooves. "Where'd it go?" Pansy murmured as Smart Cookie raced to where the unicorn had been but a moment ago. Motes of stray magic fell about the pair as they came to the spot where the cave had stood. It was gone. All of it was gone. The cave, the crystals and Clover, all gone. "I…I don't know…but I think she did it...she really did it..." ~o~0~o~ "Smart Cookie?" Clover echoed as she spun, seemingly weightless and without any sense of down or up. "Pansy?" She looked around but found only darkness as windmilled her forelegs in an effort to curb her momentum. "Girls?" "WORRY NOT FOR YOUR FRIENDS, UNICORN!" Clover cried out, more in pain than shock as the booming voice seemingly assaulted her from every which way. She flung her hooves over her ears as it echoed ceaselessly. "WORRY NOT FOR THEY!" another boomed. Clover curled about herself as the darkness flared with a sudden light, nearly blinding her. She felt heat curling about her and, with the echoes of the voices fading away, she peered out between her hindlegs, a pair of glowing, pure white eyes meeting her. "WORRY FOR THINE OWN SELF!" the voice shook her, the sound itself vibrating through her as it bounced around the confined space, formed entirely of crystals that she now found herself in. Clover stared fearfully into the white hot eyes, uncurling enough to find them attached to a pony-like figure, only much larger. And made of fire…don't forget made of fire... Clover thought as her eyes widened at the heat on her flanks. But… She wasn't burning. It was hot to be sure, but more the heat of blankets warmed before the hearth than that of a fire. And... "Whoa!" Clover threw her limbs out as she felt the fiery pony's touch on her flanks. She flailed wildly in an effort to get away but found herself against the cool, crystal wall of the rather small cave. The fiery beast balked at Clover's action, but otherwise did little as it was joined by another. Both were larger than any equine Clover had ever seen, being at least twice her own height. The pair were seemingly comprised of flames, an almost blinding orange for the first and a gentler blue hue for the second. "WHY HAVE YOU COME?" the orange one asked, its voice seeming to have been reduced, if only slightly, as it was joined by its counterpart. "Ce-Ce-Ce..." Clover's tongue twisted, uncooperative, in her mouth, head throbbing still from the aural onslaught. "SPEAK, INSECT! WHY DOTH YOU DISTURB THE SANCTUM OF THE SISTERS OF SUN AND MOON?!" the second demanded in as loud a voice as it could apparently muster, Clover snapping back into a shuddering ball. Clover, for a moment, heard only a soft whine as her ears recovered, but soon enough she could hear murmurs from just beyond her. Parting from herself a moment, she looked to find the pair debating amongst themselves, tones hushed as they snuck glances at her. Her eyes only widened as they ceased their conference, the blue seeming to sulk as the orange snaked through the air towards her. Oh dear... Clover shook as it drew nearer but relaxed as she felt its warmth snake over her form, her eyes half-lidded at the comforting touch. "Apologies…my little unicorn..." Clover's eyes widened yet again at the voice, deep. It flowed through her brain like honey, filling every crevice of her being. "It seems that we have gotten off on the wrong hoof, so to speak." "I-I-I..." Clover was flustered as she melted into its grasp, flames licking at her body, flicking at her fur. "We have been here so long," the goddess whispered in her ear, sending shivers through her. "We have been so lonely. So few ponies have graced us with their presence…so few have been worthy even to come so far." "Th-thank you?" "Oh, no, thank you, dear one." Clover felt it covering here entirely now, her mind melting into goo as she stared into its strange, beautiful eyes. What's…what's happening here... Her thoughts bubbled up from the murky fog of her brain, a sudden pinprick of fear running up her spine. This…what'd he say... what was it? "You should stay, dear pony…forever…and ever..." Its maw drew nearer, she could feel a overwhelming heat upon her lips, something building up inside. 'To truly hold sway over sun and moon, one would have to best its true holders.' And then Clover exploded, magic bursting out in all directions as her brow knit with concentration. The warmth left her as the fiery pony was thrown back from her, its temptation going with it. She hung a moment, suspended in the air, the cave glowing with her aura before everything…broke. ~o~0~o~ "Dang it!" Smart Cookie cried out, throwing her hat down in disgust. "How the hay'd you manage that?" "I…just lucky, I guess." Pansy murmured, unable to keep the smile of victory from her lips. "Wanna go again? Best of twenty-nine?" "Heck yeah I wanna go ag--" A sudden burst of magic nearly sent the earth pony flying from the mountain, her hooves digging in as she skidded towards the edge. She glanced back to find Pansy tumbling through the air before she too righted herself, shooting back towards the mountaintop. "Clover!" Pansy shouted excitedly as she spotted the unicorn coughing amidst a fog of magic. Running headlong into the magical field, the pair of ponies nigh tackled the unicorn to the ground. "We knew ya could do it!" "I…I did?" "Didn't you?" "Let's do that again!" a voice cheered, piquing the interest all three mares. There, standing in the settling fog, were a pair of fillies, one with coat as white as snow, the other with one as dark as midnight. The darker one hopped up and down in place, excitedly while the other sat, forehooves laced over her chest with a rather cross look on her face. On their flanks, a pair of cutie marks of sun and moon. "Y-you!" Clover blurted out, thrusting a hoof accusingly at the light filly. "You're just a filly!" "Yeah! Well you're a butt!" the lighter coated filly huffed, sticking her tongue out at Clover before turning up her nose as the unicorn retched at the realization. [Original] Author's Note Oh, there's an author's notes bit now... well, might as well use then, right? Well, as for this ficlet... this would likely be the end of part one were this ever turned into a legitimate fic with the first part being the set up for the dilemma (Lord Discord) and the journey for their macguffin (power over day and night). And the second part would be the journey back, likely replete with bizarre/awkward Clover/Celestia shipping (and probably them journeying for the Elements maybe... iunno... I mean, I might have to have that, but mostly awkward shipping because there needs to be more awkward shipping).
TMP Prompt #352: Pooped [Slice-of-Life]The Prompt: My favorite way to unwind [OR] The Prompt: The best way to calm down The water stretched out in front of them like fresh-scrubbed pane of stained glass, etched with the reflections of the far shoreline and distant mountains. "Granny! Mackies on mah side again!" "Ennope! Y'all is on MAH side!" A baby's cry. The gentle bobs of their blures caused hardly even a ripple. "Granny! Bloom ain't bein' quiet!" An impatient stomp of a hoof. "She jus' a baby, AJ!" "Still ain't bein' quiet!" Sounds of a scuffle, curses muttered under their breath. "Quit shakin' her, AJ!" “I got this! I got this!” Their lines had long been cast. They hadn't had even a bite, but that didn't matter none. "Eugh! All over mah new horseshoes!" "Granny... Granny Smith, I think I'm gonna… gonne …gonn--" A second splatter on wood. "By Celestia! Pull over, Granny! Pull over now!” The sun listed quietly towards the horizon, casting oranges and pinks over the lake. The fresh air tickled her nostrils. Soon enough they'd have to be heading back. "Granny Smith?" "Huh, wuh?" The old mare jolted her granddaughter leaned against her, shaking her from her quiet reverie. "This was nice. Even if we didn't catch nothing." Granny Smith blinked a moment, turning from the impending sunset to Applejack's soft smile to the shore where Big McIntosh and little Apple Bloom were carefully crafting a behemoth of a orchard in the sands, a thousand twigs organized into neat little rows. "Think we can come down here next weekend?" Granny Smith froze a moment. "Quit it, Mac!" "Ain't doin' nothin'!" The acrid scent of spent apples lingered. "Yes you are! Y'all got your stinky hooves on mah side o'the cart again!" "Nope!" "Yup!" Her eye gave a little twitch, the old mare quickly shaking herself from her recollections before turning to face the fading sun. Closing her eyes, she took in a deep breath, ears twitching at the distant sea birds' cries and the salty airs stinging at her nose. She looked back over to the shore where little Apple Bloom was playing the part of a unexpected Everfree dervish through the crops, giggling with delight in that way only foals can, Mac's raucous laughter joining it. Granny Smith looked down at Applejack, the little filly's hooves pressed against her side as she peered up expectantly. The old mare smiled her nigh toothless grin, hugging the filly tight to her side as the sun set on the day. "I reckon we could." [Prompt Link]
TMP Prompt #221: Rotating Fields [Slice-of-Life]TMP Prompt #221: Rotating Fields [Slice-of-Life] The Prompt: I resolve to break out of loops. Alternate Prompt: I resolve to break out of loops. Sun rises. Down to breakfast. Up to the bathroom. Out to the fields. Rotate the fields. Load up the cart. Stack them even. No, too much to the right. Are you listening? Pull it. Put your back into it. Dump them out. Get a feel for the field. Get a feel for the crops. Follow the lines. Feel them. Concentrate. That tingle in your hooves. Run a hoof over the rock. Another one. Another. Another. Feel it again. Success. Now repeat that. Just like he taught you. The family business. In for lunch. No talking. No horsing around. It’s the middle of season. Don’t you know? Up to the bathroom. Out to the fields. Sun sets. In for supper. Up to the bathroom. Into the tub. Clean and ready for bed. Put it off. Drag out your friends. Sisters laugh. Don’t mind. Just smile. Keep smiling. Go to sleep. Sun rises. Down to breakfast. Up to the bathroom. Out to the fields. On your own today. Alone. Lonely. Work slow. Work steady. Nose that rock along. Find its home. Just like yesterday. Just like the day before that. The week before. The month. The year. Just like tomorrow. Just like the day after that. The week after. The month. The year. Look up. Sigh. Give in. Ground shakes. Shocks. Something comes. Something wonderful. You can’t look away from the wave of pure color as it sweeps towards you, a twitch in your flank telling you that you should run, that you should hide. You ignore the twitch. It sweeps over your, shocking you and nearly sending you sprawling back. You feel something. Just like the rocks, but different. The clouds are gone. The sun is shining and a beautiful rainbow appears in the sky as mist settles down around you. You know what the feeling is as it tugs at the corners of your mouth and widens your eyes to the world and its wonders. It’s joy. And you’ll never let it go. [TMP]
TMP Prompt #98: Awareness [Drama]The Prompt: Write a story in a hundred words or less. The boutique was empty, quiet save for the occasional snip of scissor through fabric. She considered following her friend Or... rather… she wished to follow, but something kept her rooted to the spot. She glanced at her legs oddly even as her forehoof strayed unconsciously towards the needed pin cushion. “Ouch!” She snapped her hoof back, its fellows instinctively retreating from the source of danger. As she watched, a stray droplet of blood weaved through the strands of white fur and down over her hoof That had never happened before… “Rarity?” She turned to find another friend there. “Pinkie?” “We need to talk.” [Original]
TMP Prompt #99: Ninety-Nine Times [Sad][Slice-of-Life]The Prompt: Ninety-nine times I didn’t tell you that I loved you … and one time that I did. How many times have I looked away? Looked down? Looked right? Looked left? Looked anywhere I could but at you, my cheeks burning with embarrassment? Too many times… How many times have I avoided your eyes when you looked at me from across the room… expecting something that it seemed I couldn’t, wouldn’t give to you? Something you gave freely, but I withheld? Too many times… How many times did you smile anyways? How many times did you smile happily at me? How many times did you forgive me? Too many times… How many times did I forgive myself? Forgive myself for rationalizing my avoidance? This gap between us two? This wall of unlove? Of quiet loathing? Too many times… Ninety-nine times I looked away. Ninety-nine times I didn’t say what I knew deep down out of fear, out of cowardice. Ninety-nine times led to this all too short, insufficient apology to the most important mare, most important pony I’ll ever know. Ninety-nine times I was sorry, but this one time I don’t have to be… Mom… I love you. [Original] [Haphazard Expansion]
TMP Prompt #150: The Escape [Humor]The Prompt: The Big Breakout. Beads of sweat rolling down his brown, hair on the back of his neck standing on end, he waited. He waited for the perfect moment, the moment that he would slip through the impenetrable walls that kept him bound, that kept him from the sweet taste of freedom on the other side. He had watched them for too long. Enjoying themselves. Oblivious to his persecution under an intolerant system that bound him to rules without his consent or input. But for no longer would he sit idle. His patience would be tested, but he knew that sweet release would be his when the moment came. And it did. He watched as the watchful eyes drifted away and he struck with a mighty leap. "Angel Bunny!" came the shrill cry of the authority as he bounded across her withers and towards the sweet succulence of the evening's meal. "No, that's a bad bunny, Angel!" He cared not for her petty words as he tore a bowl from a hapless goose and broke for the door. He heard the authority call for him as he slipped out the small door within the authority's larger entrance and to freedom. "That'll double time on the naughty stool for you, Angel Bunny!" A carrot had never tasted so sweet. [Unsubmitted: Compilation Post]
