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Resnagging Pool.

Prompt: Pool.

(Kinda want to turn this into a series.)

Salt Block Saloon was one of those places that you went to after you'd been thrown out of or barred from everywhere else in town; it was dank, it was dingy, and the drinks were better for burning a hole in your stomach lining than quenching your thirst. The Wild West décor wasn't my thing either. Of course, you could be forgiven for being a mite jumpy with a blunderbuss – loaded or not – in grabbing distance of every nutcase this side of Ghastly Gorge.
The batwing doors flapped open gingerly – or at least, the person entering the bar was doing so very gingerly – and we recoiled instinctively from the shards of sunlight that probed deeply into our beloved darkness; it wasn't so much the light itself that we were reacting to, though that was certainly irritant enough to those of who were habitual creatures of the night, but the depressing revelation we were being made to face: it was early afternoon, it was a beautiful day out, and we were doing our level best to blot out that reality and replace it with a drunken haze.
A girl approached and took the empty stool next to me; she was young, fresh-faced, and my eyebrow raised in interest as my gaze swept her entire petite frame in record time. No, that sort of interest. Well, not entirely, though that mauve skirt and teal blouse accentuated a rather slim, attractive figure. I'm suddenly aware that, with my raven hair and monastral dress, I probably look like I'm on my way to the grimmest, Gothest rave ever.
She didn't look the sort to frequent this type of establishment; she sat rather formally, square-shouldered and straight-backed, and her mulberry eyes, so naturally inquisitive-looking, were studiously avoiding making contact with anyone or anything. Not even the barkeep attempting to take her order. Can't blame her, considering the clientèle this place attracted.
“Cider, please,” she said in a cultured accent that sounded familiar to me, but one that I hadn't had the pleasure of hearing in a long time. My drink-fuelled mind tried to join the dots, but … well, it was exactly like trying to join the dots after you'd spent most of the day pouring colourless, volatile liquids into your body in an attempt to blot out every mistake you'd made.
“I'll get that,” I said to the barkeep, throwing a couple of gold coins onto the counter, while flashing the girl an insouciant grin who merely frowned at me in response. “You're not from around here, are you, new girl?” What can I say? Even when you're half-sozzled, some people just inspire you to bring your A-Game.
“No,” she replied, taking a small sip of her cider and, I guessed from the upward quirk of her lips and slight incline of her head, finding it acceptable. This far from Apple Country, no one orders cider; I'm surprised they even have it in stock here, and to be honest, I find it surprising anyone wants to order it. Horrible, gloopy, sugary stuff. Give me a sharp, charcoal-filtered creamy vodka any day of the week.
Most days of the week.
Okay, every day of the week. Give me a break. I'm bored and lonely.
“So.” That's as far as I get before my brain decides to go AWOL, possibly in the direction of the clacking balls of the pool table behind us; I never have a problem starting a conversation normally, but this girl with indigo hair, streaked through with pink and purple, is making it difficult for me to find the words. Is it the fact that she looks so innocent, but is trying not to show it? Like a young girl forced into the role of a woman? I wonder if she's even old enough to be in here. It's not the kind of place that pays much heed to crazy notions like age-appropriateness, nor have I ever heard of anyone being asked for identification in all the long years I've been coming here.
How many years is it now? Feels like a frickin' thousand of them at this stage. Exile's no fun, let me tell you.
I bring out the big guns. “My name's Nightmare Moon. What's yours?”
“Twilight Sparkle,” she said. She hesitates for a moment before extending a lean, purple hand in my direction. “Nice to meet you, Miss Moon.”
I stifle a slobbering, drunken laugh while taking her hand in my own. “Miss Moon is my mother. Most people 'round these parts call me Moony. They find Nightmare Moon to be a bit of a mouthful, especially after a few mouthfuls, if you know what I mean?”
“I can imagine,” Twilight Sparkle said, quickly taking in the diverse array of patrons drowning their sorrows at the bar, the ghost of a smile flashing across her delicate, youthful face. “Nice to meet you … Moony.”
“What brings you out this way? All the way from … Canterlot?”
“Work.” She takes a sip of her drink.
I'm starting to think that this girl isn't in the mood to be hit on by some random, older stranger in a bar. But then, why would she be in here in the first place? No one loves cider that much. “Work, huh? What do you do for a living?”
Her upper lip twitches slightly and her shoulders sag ever so slightly.
“Forget I asked,” I said, deciding to cut my losses. She isn't that cute, anyway, though I'm a trifle irked at the money I've just wasted.
“I'm here to see you,” said Twilight Sparkle, running a hand through her hair and turning her head in my direction for perhaps the first time in the conversation. “I'm filling in for Luna at Canterlot High School while she's on sabbatical, and Celestia thought it might be time for you to return in order to ease some of the burden we're under.”
“What happened to Luna?” I asked, my face contorting into a frown. I'd barely thought about my two sisters since they'd kicked me out of CHS when they'd finally got sick of my loutish behaviour. I'd been scraping a living as a part-time tutor out here in the boondocks, not expecting to ever hear from them again. And now, Celestia herself had sent this perky young thing to rescue me? I was almost flattered. Did she think I would be enticed more by the offer coming from Twilight Sparkle in person rather than a simple 'phone call? Oh, sweet Celestia, you know me too well.
“She, uh.” It was clear that Twilight Sparkle was fishing around for her best diplomatic tone. “The stress has been getting to her a lot lately, and she had a bit of a nervous breakdown after, um, an incident involving an exchange student. She's out of the hospital, though, and recovering well at home, but it'll still be months before she can be declared fit enough to return to work.”
“Huh.” I wasn't sure what I was feeling. It was no secret that I'd always been jealous of my more popular sisters, and truth be told I'd thought plenty of times how wonderful it would be if they were out of the way and I could run the school the way I wanted to. Now that something was up with Luna, I was possibly feeling a little bit … sad? Guilty? Like I was somehow responsible, stupid as that idea was? That, if I'd been there sharing the hardship, my dear little sister wouldn't have cracked?
“Are you all right?”
It surprised me how warm and wet her eyes had become at that moment. Twilight Sparkle wasn't just being polite, she actually did care about people, even complete strangers. I felt a knot blossom in my stomach, my body's way of letting me know when I'd been a jerk; my clumsy pick-up attempts just felt crass in the face of all this now, and as surely as I know anything I knew that the girl was way out of my league.
Still.
If I accepted my sweet sister's offer, I'd be working alongside Miss Sparkle every day and I'd get the chance to lower her to my level. “I'm fine,” I finally said, slamming my glass down on the moist bar top. “So. When do we leave?”
“Are you sure you don't want to take a couple of days to think about it? I mean, it's probably a lot to take in,” said Twilight Sparkle.
My eyes quickly roved over Twilight Sparkle's lithe form once more. “Oh, I've definitely made up my mind.”

New prompt: Cheesecake.

Note: Luna's breakdown was first referenced in this prompt of mine from the Twi/Chrys collab. I dunno if we're allowed to do sequels to stories from other prompts. It's not necessary to have read that one, of course, but I found it kinda amusing to mesh the two together.

3991538
Now, you say it's not a challenge, but by saying that, you make it seem like a challenge.

Getting mixed signals here, boss.

3992349 if you plan on making this a series, I'll start construction on the bandwagon

3996208

It worked so well for Daisies.

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3967241

Audacious

Sequel to Eidolon

Twilight lay alone on the cold stone ground. Her breathing was ragged. She didn’t know how longs she had been lying there.

Everything hurt.

Thrown through the door. Fire burning in the hearth. Warm.

She shivered, her mane in disarray about her head. This wasn’t her usual cell. It was darker, somehow. She squeezed her eyes shut, biting her lip. Her back felt like it was on fire, lines of pain running across it in every direction.

Half-lidded green eyes. Familiar. A smirk.

Hissing in pain, she pushed herself to her feet. Her legs throbbed, and the pain in her back reached new heights. Scabs that had just started to form cracked, causing new blood to trickle out. She shook on her feet but remained standing. Her eyes cracked open and looked around the room, squinting in the darkness. It was completely bare, save for a small wooden pallet and a blanket.

Flickering shadows. Hunger. Lying down. A bed.

She hobbled over to the small pallet and collapsed onto it. It was rough. It creaked and groaned beneath her. She didn’t care about that.

Crumpled sheets. Laboured breathing. Disgust.

She feebly pulled the blankets over herself, shivering once again in the frigid air. She panted loudly, fighting to stay conscious. Her eyelids were heavy.

Bitter. Detached. Mechanical.

She trembled beneath the blanket, teeth clenched and eyes wide open. Anything to stay awake.

Fake.

She didn’t regret what she had done. She wasn’t glad she had done it either. She was numb. Numb from the pain. Numb from the encounters. Her eyelids were becoming heavier. She shook her head, trying to wake herself up.

Long. Longer than usual. Tiring. Panting breaths. Sweat.

It was probably a mistake. She didn’t even know how she had got here. She had been delirious with pain when the guards had left her here.

Anger. Hopelessness. Despair.

She was so tired.

A bite.

Just as her eyes were fluttering closed, a piercing, bright light shone through them. She started, and then hissed, first in surprise, then in pain from the sudden movement. She was there. Again.

The failure.

Screaming. A metallic taste. Red. Flying. A wall. Pain.

The two stared at each other from across the confines of the cell. The Spectre glowed brightly with a strange light, her expression one of immeasurable sadness.

“Oh, Twilight...” she murmured.

Twilight didn’t respond immediately. Silence hung between them.

Guards grabbing her. Yelling. Threats. Screaming. Green eyes. Betrayal.

“I thought I told you to leave,” whispered Twilight, still lying curled up under her sheet.

The Spectre’s ears flattened to her head and she shuffled her hooves. After a moment’s pause, she slowly replied, “Twilight, I... I couldn’t leave you here alone.”

She snorted. “Could have fooled me.”

The Spectre winced. “You were angry at me. I thought that if you knew, you wo—“

“I would what? Shout at you some more? Oh, give me a break, you are dead!” Twilight closed her eyes and took a deep breath. After a few seconds of silence, she opened them again, and stared directly into the Spectre’s eyes. “So you didn’t leave. You stayed and watched me fall.” She paused. “Just like you I guess. Though a little slower, I suppose.”

Pain. Crying. Begging. Bargaining. Red.

The Spectre grit its teeth and looked down to the ground. Pushed herself off of the pallet and rose shakily to her hooves before continuing. “What, are you thinking that I’ll rise up and defeat the evil queen or something?” She laughed hollowly. “Sorry to get your hopes up.”

Slicing. Bruising. Slapping. Sobbing.

“I’m done,” she said, her voice empty. “I did what I did because I thought she might kill me. I’m as done as I can be. So why aren’t you?”

The Spectre said nothing, but simply winced, averting its eyes from Twilight’s abused form.

“Why are you still here?”

“Twilight, please—“

“Why are you still here?”

Being dragged through the halls. Handled roughly. Scraping against the floor.

The Spectre stood stock still, her lips pursed. It stared at Twilight, and she stared back. After
what felt like hours, it bowed its head, seeking to escape from Twilight’s gaze. “I thought... I hoped...”

“Hoped?” asked Twilight. “What, was I right? You thought I was going to lead some kind of rebellion or something? I mean, I suppose I did just hurt her, but I did that so she would kill me. I’m not fighting to free everyone.”

At the mention of killing, the Spectre flinched again. Twilight giggled. “What? Shocked? I don’t blame you, I probably would be too. No way to tell, but I’m at least ninety-five percent sure that I’ve snapped at this point and you’re just a hallucination.”

Rattling keys. Creaking hinges.

She stomped her hoof against the ground, her eyes watering in pain. “I just... don’t want to be here anymore...”

Twilight opened her mouth again as if to continue, but no sound came out. She looked around helplessly for a few seconds before she simply slumped back down onto her pallet.

The Spectre stepped forward, making for Twilight. It had taken two steps when she had suddenly looked up at it. Her eyes, filled with anger, with pain, with helplessness. It paused, biting its lip. Slowly, it hung its head and turned away from Twilight.

Twilight did nothing, simply stayed slumped on her makeshift bed.

Being thrown inside. Crashing against the unforgiving stone. The door locking behind her.

Still facing away from her, the Spectre spoke again. “She won’t... she won’t kill you.”

Twilight looked up at it slowly. “What?”

“She won’t,” continued the the Spectre. “She can’t. She’s... obsessed with you, Twilight. I don’t think she can let you go.”

Twilight sat up straighter, wincing in pain. “Stop!” she called out weakly. “What are you saying?”

“Goodbye, Twilight,” whispered the Spectre. It turned back to her and smiled wryly, its eyes filled with sadness. “You’ve been so brave...”

And then she was gone.

Alone.

Next Prompt: Cold

3986550

Golden shoehorn would be nice. It works I think? Meh.

3998715
Well, I'm afraid I only lend my shoehorn out to those who need it. You certainly don't.

I however, might.
Claiming Cold.

Cold
Sequel to Carpe Noctem

“Are you alright?” Twilight asked quietly, eyes closed and pawed softly at the mattress beneath her. “I meant to ask before we left, or on the way, but I just wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible.”

She turned to the sound of Nightmare Moon’s magic and the rustling of her wings. A few moments passed before Nightmare Moon spoke with a sigh. “The Elements have left their mark upon me, but other than that, I am physically fine.”

“Their ‘mark’?” Twilight cocked her head. “I don’t understand. Are you hurt?”

“No.” Another sigh accompanied another rustle of wings. “Where the chains laid upon me, the fur has become… discolored. White. No magic that I have attempted will restore it, nor has shifting my form. It is purely aesthetic and thus, I am fine.” She chuckled. “It is a small price to pay to cheat death. Yours, though… you do not seem bothered much by your loss.”

“I-” Twilight turned away and laid her head on her forelegs. “It just hasn’t hit me yet, I guess. I’ve been keeping my mind busy, trying not to think about it.” She chuckled. Even to her own ears, it sounded empty. “I mean, of the pacts I’ve read about, ponies have had limbs, organs, their voice, their mind, even their magic taken from them. Compared to them, I’d say I got off easy… right?” She let out a short, dry laugh at Nightmare Moon’s silence. “I-“

“Twilight, are you up here?”

Twilight turned her head toward the sound of Celestia’s voice, the sound of her hoofshoes alerting her that the princess had reached the top of the stairs. She laid her head between her hooves, a feeling of dread welling up inside her.

“Your friends had told me that you were hurt and had left with Nightmare Moon.” Celestia’s voice was flat, even. “I am happy to see that the former is no longer the case, but why have you allied yourself with this monster, Twilight?”

Twilight shifted uncomfortably where she lay. “She’s not a monster. She might not be an upstanding pony, but she isn’t a monster, princess. And I’m with her because I had no other choice.”

“Do not attempt to dodge the question, Twilight, why are you with the creature that possessed my sister and drove her mad?”

Twilight felt her hackles rise as the dread in her stomach shifted to anger. She lifted her head and turned toward Celestia, staring at her through unseeing eyes. “I am with her because I did what I had to do to live, Princess,” Twilight growled as memories, no more than fleeting images, began to fill her thoughts.

She closed her eyes at the sound of Celestia’s gasp. “That mark… Twilight, you didn’t-“

Twilight continued, her voice low. “Nightmare Moon didn’t… she didn’t possess Luna. Luna… she was upset. Every time she tried to speak with you, you either ignored her or brushed her off, always putting matters of the state before her. When the two of you started seeing each other only at morning and dusk, she began to feel abandoned. She… “

“ She... loved you. She needed you. Not her advisors, not her guards, not her co-ruler. She needed you, Celestia, her sister. But you did nothing but brush her off time and time again.” Twilight spoke through gritted teeth. “In the end, she cried out into the night, and the night answered.” Twilight shuddered as she reigned in the anger building inside her.

“Imagine how it must have felt to have this creature she didn’t know, a creature that didn’t even know or have any obligation to her, offer her comfort when her own flesh and blood ignored her. Can you say with a straight face that you wouldn’t put your trust in someone like that?” Twilight sighed at Celestia’s silence.

“In the end, she asked for Nightmare Moon’s assistance, asked for her power. What was given by both was given freely. Was it foolish on their part? Maybe, but if you’re looking to place the blame, you hold as much of it as either of them.

“The three of you made mistakes, and maybe I made one too by making a pact with Nightmare Moon, but Luna is back now. You should go, Princess. Try to make amends with her.” Twilight lowered her head, laying it between her hooves which clenched the sheets, her body shaking both in anger and fear.

“I- I will not-“Twilight shuddered, hearing her mentor’s voice break before Nightmare Moon cut her off.

“Celestia, you know of the empathetic link between pact-partners. I suggest you to do as she says and go tend to your sister. I would also advise you to not tell Luna what you have learned from this Fool Pony. That information should have been kept even from her, but I am still adjusting and my mental block slipped.”

Silence reigned for a while, causing Twilight to raise her head in Celestia’s direction. Finally, Celestia broke the silence with a sigh. “Very well. Twilight, I will make arrangements for you to stay here as long as you want. Just… know that you will always be welcome back in the castle. I will keep in touch.”

“Princess?” She heard Celestia pause on the steps. “Would you take Spike with you? I don’t want him to have to go, but… I don’t know how well I can take care of him right now.”

Celestia breathed a sigh of relief, causing Twilight to cock her head to the side. “Of course,” Celestia said softly and continued down the stairs.

She turned toward Nightmare Moon as she approached the bed. “I did not mean for you to get upset. I am not used to keeping my emotions in check, away from another pony. But I must say, your reaction surprised me. After digging through your memories, I wouldn’t expect such vitriol toward anyone from you, let alone your mentor, your princess.”

Twilight slumped and moved to the head of the bed, lifting the cover with her magic. “As much as no one else gets to see or wants to admit it, she is also a pony. And my friend. Ponies are allowed to make mistakes, so long as they try to correct them… she told me that.”

She laid down, pulling the cover over her. “I didn’t say what I did out of hate or spite; I wanted her to know what she did and how she could avoid doing it again. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to get some sleep.”

“You did not strike me as one who slept during the day.”

“I’m sorry, but I’ve spent the better part of the last three days up worrying about your return, dealing with the Summer Sun Celebration, running around a forest, dealing with, well, you, and I just all but said that my mentor was as cold-hearted as she thought you were,” Twilight snapped back. “I am physically and mentally exhausted; I don’t think a bit of sleep is too much to ask.”

A chuckle and a gentle gust of air were soon followed by the sound of Nightmare Moon’s hoofsteps fading down the stairs.

--------------------------------------------------------

Hours later found Nightmare laying on a couch in the main room of the library, watching as yet another pony peered through a window, only to flee upon seeing her. It had been entertaining at first: A pony would enter the library, oblivious to her presence, before galloping right back out the door. The cries of terror had begun to grate on her nerves, so she’d barred the door. Which lead to more ponies looking in to investigate why the library was closed, which, in turn, lead to another fleeing in terror.

A vicious circle… Nightmare thought with a grin.

Her grin soon faded when a heavy weight settled in her chest, pulling her attention from the flight of the most recent pony. Sighing in recognition of the feeling, she rose from the couch and made toward the stairs. The feeling of overwhelming despair was something she had become well accustomed to.

It seems the realization has finally sunk in. Amazing that she was able to keep it at bay for so long.

Slowly, quietly, she ascended the stairs. Soft sobbing greeted her just outside the doorway to the bedroom. Sticking her head through the doorway, she saw Twilight lying with her head to the foot of the bed, a book held open between her forehooves. Even from the entrance, she could see Twilight’s clouded eyes desperately attempting to scan the pages as her magic turned them.

Rising on silent wings, she landed beside the bed. The twitch of an ear and the jerking of her head up from the tear stained book told Nightmare that she had heard her landing. Still, she didn’t turn toward her, instead bowing her head and choking back another sob. Nightmare sat on her haunches as Twilight began to speak.

“I… I can’t- nothing I’ve tried will let me see it. How am I supposed to read – how am I supposed to study magic if I can’t even see the damn spell forms or read the theories?” Nightmare gently lifted the tome in her magic. “Magic is supposed to be my talent… How am I supposed to learn or improve if I can’t see the effects or what I’m casting at?”

When one must perform a blind teleport, the caster should first surround themselves in a shield denser than the expected-

“I know that already… wait, what?”

Nightmare couldn’t help but chuckle at Twilight’s wide eyes as she turned to face her. “As yours is mine, my knowledge is also your own. What you know, I will know. What I learn, you will learn.”

“That’s amazing! But, I couldn’t ask you to study everything for me, it would take up so much of your time and-“

“Dry your tears, Fool Pony.” Nightmare grinned at Twilight’s cocked head and confused expression. “I know more than any of these books could teach you. There is much that I know that I am sure has been forbidden to be written or distributed. Shadow magic, dark magic, magic of the mind; all forbidden even before our banisment. You need only ask and the knowledge will be given.”

The sense of overwhelming joy was not a feeling Nightmare was very experienced with. The feeling of being hugged, even less so. Still, as Twilight pulled her close and nuzzled against her neck, she gently laid a wing over her, enjoying the touch of another pony.

Slowly, Twilight backed off, her head bowed and blushing. “Sorry, I just… you have no idea how much it means to me that I can continue my studies.” Twilight laughed softly. “Actually, I guess you do. Still… thank you.”

Nightmare nodded in an automatic response. “No thanks are necessary. Go back to your rest, Fool- “

“Twilight,” Twilight interrupted. “You keep calling me ‘Fool Pony’. My name is Twilight, and I know you know that by now.”

Nightmare laughed and made her way to the stairs leading down from the loft. “Very well, Twilight. I will leave you to your rest, then.”

“You don’t have to leave.” Nightmare paused at the top of the stairs. “I know that you were uncomfortable down there. I felt it when I woke up. If you want, we could share the bed.”

Nightmare blinked at the suggestion, silently weighing her options. It wasn’t a hard decision, watching ponies flee had quickly lost its charm. Being close to another pony hadn’t been bad, either, she decided. Hesitantly, she climbed into the side opposite of Twilight, facing away from the unicorn.

“Thank you again, Nightmare.”

“As I said, your gratitude is unnecessary. But you are welcome none the less.”

I'm not sure how I feel about this. It was an experiment and, either writing from a blind character's perspective is hard, or I'm just dumb. Likely both with a heavier weight on the latter. Either way, I doubt I'll continue on with it.

Word count: 1975
New prompt: Massage

4002506

I thought it was awesome and I hope you will continue with it.

3968607 Hey, Kean?
I really hate to burst your bubble, but, uh, I published Sweet many, many MoonLights ago.

Disclaimer: Please have your Form ML-OTP filled in triplicate before submitting stories.
Those who refuse to comply have a choice of penalty:
A) Endure being hooked up to Twilight's FOR SCIENCE! machine as she tries to understand what makes MoonLight shippers tick [min. 6h session]; OR
B) Endure Nightmare Moon's cackling about how she wins at being adored by shippers [min. 1h session]

Regards,

Management

P.S. Kean would like you to know reading is hard, and Sour is a prompt.

All Prompt Stories Published under Full Moon Fever in Publishing Order
1 Armor by TheWraithWriter
2 Slowly by ArguingPizza
3 Lotion by Habanc
4 Balcony by Knight of Lycaeus
5 Grumpy by ultra1437
6 Kitten by Knight of Lycaeus
7 Onyx by lyra_lover777
8 Rose by ShinyMoon
9 Hammer by Knight of Lycaeus
10 Recalcitrant by ShinyMoon
11 Dictionary by Toratchi888
12 Runes by Pearple Prose
13 Hammer 2 by lyra_lover777
14 Sweet by Toratchi888
15 Research by Fuzzyfurvert
16 Advantageous by Kean
17 Chase by lyra_lover777
18 Structure by lyra_lover777
19 Structure 2 by Macho Madness
20 Bombardier by Toratchi888
21 Mercy by Knight of Lycaeus
22 Mirage by lyra_lover777
23 Tumultuous by Toratchi888
24 Onyx 2 by TheMusicalBoy93
25 Disparity by lyra_lover777
26 Melt by hockeygoalie1992
27 Raven by Knight of Lycaeus
28 Nightmares by lyra_lover777
29 Provocation by Kean
30 Wrath (7DS) by Myrandall
31 Pride/Hubris (7DS) by Macho Madness
32 Gluttony (7DS) by Toratchi888
33 Envy (7DS) by Knight of Lycaeus
34 Sloth (7DS) by Habanc
35 Greed/Avarice (7DS) by Kean
36 Lust (7DS) by TheLastBrunnenG
37 Fangs by Toratchi888
38 Trickery by Toratchi888
39 Subterfuge by Toratchi888
40 Mask by lyra_lover777
41 Rapture by Toratchi888
42 Eternity by Knight of Lycaeus
43 Jaded by lyra_lover777
44 Blood by SeanoftheDead
45 Ensorcellment by lyra_lover777
46 Hurricane by Starfall13
47 Serf by lyra_lover777
48 Dangerous by SeanofTheDead
49 Help by Toratchi888
50 Dat Ass/Asinine by Toratchi888
51 Insipid by lyra_lover777
52 Hail and Farewell {ave atque vale} by Knight of Lycaeus
53 Adorable by Toratchi888
54 Trollestia by SeanoftheDead
55 Impoverished by lyra_lover777
56 Fire by KibaWR
57 Cupcakes by Kean
58 Shame by Fuzzyfurvert
59 Fall of the Sun, Rise of the Moon by superpony55 (prompts Color, Games, and Song)
60 Comfort by Knight of Lycaeus
61 Confectionery by SeanofTheDead
62 Precocious by ultra1437
63 Science by Knight of Lycaeus
64 Pool by Kean
65 Dissident by Knight of Lycaeus
66 Dark by Kean [part 1 of “Broken”]
67 First Among Equals {primus inter pares} by Toratchi888
68 Astromancy by Toratchi888
69 Ocean’s End by Knight of Lycaeus
70 Death by Kean [part 2 of “Broken”]
71 Alcohol by Draven Eclipse
72 Astonishment by Kean [part 3 of “Broken”]
73 Crazy by Kean
74 [I See Stars] {I See Fire} by Toratchi888
75 Persecution by Knight of Lycaeus
76 Frozen by Kean
77 Eidolon by auramane
78 Carpe Noctem by Kean
79 Pool (2) by palaikai

Prompts Awaiting Publication
Audacious by Auramane [sequel to Eidolon]
Cold by Kean [sequel to Carpe Noctem]

Prompts Otherwise Claimed (Please Review)
Prank: lyra_lover777
Tasty Murder: SeanoftheDead + Foals Errand + ???
Winter by Toratchi888
Damocles by Draven Eclipse
Art by ZOMG
Date: Foals Errand
Forgiveness: Foals Errand

Prompts With No Recent Activity (please review claims)
Runes 2: darthrex
Revolution: Myrandall
Hazard: Fuzzyfurvert
Judicious: Midnight herald

All Open Prompts (please review claims)
Birth
Conversion Bureau
Cheesecake
Dressage
Massage
Passion
Squirrels
Sweet Sour [anyone for pork?]
Turkey

4020275
Hey now, reading is hard, okay?
Changed it to Sour.

4020330 This is acceptable, plebeian.
Kindly submit your Form ML-CORR-1 to Ms. Twilight Sparkle...
...if you can pry her away from Nightmare Moon's lips long enough to get her to stamp the thing...


Oh, damn...
*SMACK!*

4020415
Don't worry about the form. I already submitted it. To the trash can. On fire.

4020467 "You fiend! That's a waste of paper! And destruction of official property!"

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I'm okay with it.

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I've filled the offical forms for Moonlight out once (triplicate is highly excessive) to claim the prompt "Birth".

In which I demonstrate my limited ability to properly stay on topic and instead deviate from a prompt greatly to ramble on about the mythical creation of one part of my headcanon world, the Lunar Ponies return in this sequel to "Persecution".

Prompt: Birth
“If I had known how easily you were entranced by the revelation of knowledge especially those that have been largely lost to the ages then our first meeting would have ended quite differently,” Nightmare commented in a teasing tone as she took stock of the wandering gaze of her fellow Alicorn.

Twilight’s ears perked up at this and she broke her gaze from observing and examining the city and citizens around her and turned to face the smirking Alicorn standing next to her. “This is a rare chance to be in the hidden colonies although that's not to say I haven't heard about them. I’ve heard of them as many Ponies have before, but it’s almost hard to believe they do exist in spite of knowing that Lunar Ponies do walk among us. From what little I’ve heard many of these places are closed to outsiders,” Twilight said as her gaze left the other Alicorn and began examining and comparing the city to ones she knew.

Nightmare’s smirked faded as she gave a sad smile, “As unfortunate as that may be, it was necessary for the Lunars to seclude themselves from the world. Though I have not walked this world in many millenniums I have far too often heard of the persecution that Lunar Ponies faced from others believing them to be the spawns of demons, monsters, or beasts. If not for their seclusion it very likely they would not have weathered through the turbulent years of confusion and upheavals, although I am glad that Luna has taken them as integral members of her staff and her Court and perhaps one day these cities will open their days to outsiders.”

Twilight returned her focus towards Nightmare and gave her a brief nod, “That is more than just hope as I know that since Luna’s return I have seen more and more of Equestrian society learning about and sometimes interacting with Lunar Ponies.”

As their conversation finished Twilight allowed herself to get swept up by the festival going on around her and from the sounds and general feeling of those around her, she could tell that the festival was quite light and there quite a bit of chatter from the denizens enjoying themselves especially so as their Goddess had returned and deemed fit to join them on this special night. That was until the crowds slowly quieted down even the foals had gone quiet, the crowd had turned to face a slightly elevated dais that was situated just before a large and imposing statue; the statue depicted a Pony, a darkly coloured mare in full armour who looked much like an Alicorn except for the noticable curve of her horn and the absence of feathered wings, but instead she possessed long leathery wings.

Slowly the growing silence was broken by the slow movements of a Pony who slowly climbed onto the elevated dais before the gathered festival goers. The stallion who had walked out was rather thin, his coat dull with age and at places his fur was rough and patchy from uneven growth, his Mark was difficult to see clearly among the milling crowd and by the angle that he faced the gathered crowd. Contrasting his generally unkempt appearance was the highly polished necklace he wore, the necklace was a braid of various coloured threads woven around each other and threaded through smooth stones carved into delicate shapes.

“Ah, excellent there is indeed one of them here tonight,” Nightmare said breaking Twilight’s observation study of the newly arrived stallion.

“One of them?” Twilight asked only to for Nightmare asking for her to be silent.

‘Before you ask, this is indeed telepathy and well within my abilities. It would be possible to teach you how it is done, but that should wait. Right not it would be best for you to remain quiet and listen, Ponies such as he who walked before us are important among the community. He is of importance and I think the closest translation of what he is would be Echoer, an Echoer would be the equivalent of one of your storytellers and like the Solar races each of the Lunar races refer to their own differently and an Echoer is for example the term for a Thestral storyteller, all storytellers tend to be well regarded for their speaking skills and given the nature of the language it can be quite challenging,’ said Nightmare.

Twilight nodded in understanding before asking, ‘ Okay, that does sound interesting although I have two questions. What do you mean by the nature of the language and how would I be able to understand him as translation spells rely on linking the knowledge of two language to help create understanding of speech and writing and the language of the Lunar Ponies are largely unknown.’

Nightmare lit her horn and Twilight could feel the soft touch of some subtle magic although she was having some difficulties determining its intent. At this time the stallion standing before them began to speak, his voice belied his frail appearance as there was strength, richness, and calm comfort backing his voice.

“Tonight, I spin a tale to you all. A tale heard many times before yet we should do well to never forget-,” said the Thestral stallion.

Twilight’s eyes widen before she turned away from the stallion to face Nightmare, ‘How? That spell you just cast, that was a language spell! That’s how I can understand him.’

Nightmare gave a subtle nod, ‘It is a language spell of a sort although you are more or less correct. Nevertheless you should be able to hear his words as they were intended to sound yet still understand them in the Equestrian you are familiar with. The language of the Lunar Ponies is remarkably different from the Equestrian you speak, it is a more tonal language and there are more subtle nuances to the tongue however our written language pales in comparison. It is more of the circumstances that shaped the two languages, Lunar Ponies relied more verbal communication and thus our written works are few. Those that exist were written either by the few sympathetic Solars or Lunars who had embraced more of the outside world. They have painstakingly done all they could to transcribe the Lunar language on paper although the language there is still greatly limited. Now please, I will answer more questions after the Echoer has finished.’

Twilight nodded and returned her focus to the rhythmic speech of the standing Thestral.

Tonight, I spin a tale to you all. A tale heard many times before yet we should do well to never forget, but always remember its importance. This tale I bring to all of you on this night reminds of us not only where we came from, but also our duties and obligations. It is a story that we all have passed from our ancestors and it is one of most important stories. I tell you all this tale now in the same manner that I was told and so that you may one day pass on to those who come after.

Our tale begins long before this world, long before most everything existed. In these early days of only the forces that governs our world existed. Yet one sought to change that and with the force it wielded, many worlds teeming life were brought to exist and forevermore shall this one be known as the Creator, the Shaper of Worlds and the Architect of Life. The Creator however was not alone for another being who existed was our Goddess, she who existed long before Creation and will exist long after the Creator’s work fades away.

Our Goddess is the Night and all that it defines and encompasses. There came a time when She Who Is Night and All Its Domains came to fashion for Herself beings that would tend to Her and serve our Her will. From the darkness of the void the Night created Her First Servants as they would be known forevermore. One with webbed wings of starlight was known as the Hunter, with whom was charged as Her envoy among the Stars. Another with curved horn of deepest shadows was known as the Wayfarer and was charged to find and protect the Secrets of the World keeping them safe from those who would use them unwisely. To the Keeper, claws sharper and harder than the keenest blade and strong eyes were granted so that the Realm of Dreams would remain well protected from intruders. The Warden was given a shimmering coat that reflected and absorbed all light so it would be able to unveil the lurking nightmares that would come to haunt and feast upon the world.

With their gifts the First Servants met their task with great fervour and upheld the Goddess in the highest respect, but despite their work for their Goddess none had yet to meet Her except in the briefest moment of Their Creation. Hearing the pleas of the First Servants to meet Her once more the Goddess took upon Herself one more task and the Goddess then took form with features similar to her First Servants. Her First Servants welcomed Her warmly into this world and in return they were granted more Servants alike in features to the First Servants they were to created to aid. Thus is the story of our Creation, of how our Goddess created herself and her First Servants.

New Prompt: Storytelling

4032525 Interesting. The Wayfarer sounds like Sombra...

Claiming Storytelling

Decided to at least try one more for Pact, so I should be able to faceroll my keyboard and make this idea work. No shoe-horn will be needed, thankfully.

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4020302
4032525
"Audacious" is up. I'm about a week behind in getting prompts posted, but I'm alive.

Totally didn't get half way through yesterday then get distracted by video games.

Here's Storytelling the final part of Pact:

Twilight held her breath, feeling waves of magic flow over her face. She released a frustrated growl as the magic seemed to just slide off instead of taking hold. “It’s been weeks.” She kicked at the floor, scuffing the wood. “No matter what we’ve tried, nothing works,” She moaned, hanging her head. “I can’t even hide it behind illusions; they fade as quickly as I can cast them.”

“The gods will not be cheated of your sacrifice so easily, Twilight.”

Twilight scoffed at Nightmare’s remark, choosing instead to begin pacing an already well-worn path and continuing to talk to herself. “I could bind my sight to an object… no, I tried that with an illusion already. When I tried transformation for the first time, I could see for a moment, right?” Nightmare knew well enough that she wasn’t actually asking her. “But that would mean constantly transforming just my eyes. Requires too much focus; too much magic… Maybe there’s a loophole, or some way out of the pact…”

She stopped her pacing, feeling anxiety well up inside Nightmare. She faced the alicorn, her confusion evident on her face, if not through their connection. “What? What do you know?”

An image of gold and sapphire flashed through her mind before Nightmare could reel it back. “I… come. Sit,” Nightmare said with a sigh. Carefully, Twilight approached the divan where Nightmare sat, the layout of the library’s main floor burned into her mind through constant trial-and-error navigation.

Five paces forward, divan is just below chest, lift up- no, that’s Nightmare. As soon as she situated herself, she felt Nightmare tentatively lay a wing over her withers. She suppressed a giggle when Nightmare tensed at her leaning against the larger mare. Still, she frowned as the wing tight4ened slightly around her, Nightmare’s anxiety only becoming more apparent.

“I do know of a way to return you sight. I was wary to tell you because you may find the means unacceptable.” She paused and Twilight felt her shift uncomfortably. “No, that is a lie. I fear that you will find them acceptable.”

“What, would I have to replace my eyes with somepony else’s?” Twilight chuckled. “I already thought of that, and no, I won’t be doing that.”

“It is far simpler than that, I’m afraid. Tell me, do you know of the first dragon bound solely to the land?”

Silence fell while Twilight relaxed further against Nightmare, sifting through her memories. “Yeah, it’s a foal’s story. The dragon was greedy, scavenging and pillaging any gold or items that had value for its hoard until it crossed the wrong pony and had its wings taken from it and its hoard all but destroyed. It’s meant to teach foals the dangers of avarice. But it’s just a story; a legend.”

“Oh? And I suppose Luna and I are just legends as well?”

“That’s different. Your story was based on… wait, are you saying that it’s true?”

“Well, no. Not entirely as you have been told, at least. Many legends have some truth to them. All started with the proper wording, emotions, and inflections, but as they were passed down orally to the young, much was lost until only the core remained. In this case, only that a dragon made a mistake and lost its wings was retained.”

“But how would you know? You couldn’t have-“The gold and sapphire image filled her mind again, this time in focus; detailed: A dragon, shimmering in the fading sunlight flooding a cave. Its maw a shining gold, long, crystalline sapphires extending up from its upper jaw as if they were a crown. Every golden scale, tipped with sapphire, and embedded with gems along its lithe, powerful body shimmered. Behind each shoulder ran a long, black trail: the only thing marring the pristine beast.

“You knew him?” Twilight asked in awe.

“Her. And not so much, no. She was a legend even in those times. A dragon that was not openly hostile to those who showed her no hostility; A dragon that did not show even the slightest interest in building a hoard?” Nightmare chuckled. “It was unheard of. Many ventured to her dwelling. Many questioned her about her hoard. None received answers. Few thought to question her about her wings. Of those few even fewer received an answer.”

“But you did,” Twilight stated, her curiosity bubbling up.

Twilight felt her finally relax and sigh, as if resigned to her fate. “Even my memories are susceptible to the passage of time. I cannot recall names or locations, but yes, I can tell you the story which she told me, but whether it is true or not, I cannot say…”

Twilight nudged her. “You’re stalling.”

“Yes, I suppose I am,” Nightmare sighed. “Just… promise me that, when it is finished, you will not make a rash decision.”

“When have you seen me do anything without thinking about it first?”

“Need I remind you why we’re both here?”

“I- that was- hmph! Fine, I’ll think about it first,” Twilight conceded.

Twilight felt Nightmare’s barrel expand; heard the slow release of air from her nose as she settled herself. When she spoke again, her voice was distant, low, and monotone; inflectionless.

--------------------------------------------------------

Even deep within in the forest where I once hunted, I could see it, smell it: the burning of wood, the stench of death. Columns of smoke rising high above the tree line, marring the beauty of the sky, led me to a village nestled just on the northern edge of my forest. There was no panic, as I had expected. No ponies running for water, or their weapons at my approach.

Instead, they lined the roads, eyes wide, forever set to watch their home burn around them. You ponies only provide a satisfying taste when fresh; alive. So I ignored the corpses.

Still, where there are ponies, there are gems and gold. So foolish to use something so precious, so beautiful, as a trade good, though it does make acquiring them much easier for us. I suppose I cannot fault you.

I had finished sifting through the wreckage of my third house when I felt something slip under a scale, pressing against the skin of my neck. I was foolish, careless. I stood silent and still. Had the pony thought it was I who had done this, I would already be dead.

He wanted my help, he’d said. Wanted revenge. He didn’t take my word; he wasn’t stupid. He demanded a pact; wanted the speed of my wings. In return, I would keep anything we found the on the raiders and anything left in the village upon our return. What was I to do? I could already feel the blade slicing my skin with what little pressure he had on it, it would surely cut through easily. I accepted.

I will say one thing: You ponies are quite stout when set on a goal. When the pact was complete, our souls merged, he found himself with only two legs: one hind and one fore on opposite sides. Still, he did not whine like a foal. He climbed upon my back and we set off.

He was a foraging, he told me, when the village had been attacked. He was leagues deep in the forest, unable to assist or die with his kin. Some would call him fortunate. Others would call him a coward. I said nothing; it was unimportant to the task.

For three days we searched. For three days we found nothing. Whatever had raided his village was intelligent enough to cover their tracks and hide their scents. He was wary of me the entire time.

He was right to be. On the fourth day, the search bearing no fruit and wasting time I could have otherwise been using to build my hoard, I betrayed him; devoured him. He knew that I had broken our pact before I even made a move against him, as his missing limbs had been returned. Even so, the emotions filling him from the betrayal only made the delectable taste sweeter.

Only in the morning when made to take my leave did I realize my folly. The pact had been broken; the gods had taken pledge from me. The same runes that marked his missing legs now marred my hide and I knew: I would never again take to the skies.

The forest I spoke of no longer exists; I made sure of that. With nowhere left to hide, those responsible for starting the chain leading to my loss were easily found; easily crushed. I claimed my reward and returned to my hoard.

Everything I had collected over my centuries of life, I burned; melted into slag before bathing myself in it. Why? Perhaps it was anger, or perhaps it was penance. I cannot tell you. I was quite mad.

--------------------------------------------------------

Nightmare finished with a sigh and Twilight felt her lean back against the back of the divan. “That’s it? She didn’t say anything else?"

“Nothing but a few threats to get out of her dwelling before she ate me,” Nightmare chuckled nervously.

“I see… “Twilight mused, turning to bodily face Nightmare. “So all I’d have to do is find some way to have you break our pact…” Locking down her emotions behind a mental barrier, she stepped over Nightmare and placed her forehooves over her shoulders. She grinned, feeling Nightmare’s breathing speed up; at the worry building up through their connection.

“Thank you for telling me how easy it would be to regain my sight,” She continued, her voice low. “But, you are the fool this time.” She pressed her lips firmly against Nightmare’s, smiling as the alicorn’s breath caught. She pulled away, laughing at the confusion filling their connection. “After all you’ve done to help me, after all you’ve taught me, did you really think I’d want you to do that? I know what you pledged; I’d never ask anyone to do that.”

Twilight sighed contentedly, laying her head on Nightmare’s chest as she wrapped her in hooves and wings. They laid there in silence for a while, with Nightmare finally broke it, asking, “What will you do about your sight now?”

“I don’t know. I’ll think of something.”

“And if nothing works?”

“I-“Twilight paused. “At least you’ll still be here, right?”

“Of course.”

Word count: 1,884
New Prompt: Tied

So, I did something I wouldn't normally do and edited out the ending of storytelling. I only did it because it felt far too forced, even by my standards. I hope that's alright.

Also, I'd like to claim Prank, if 3755335 you're not doing anything with it.

So, Lyra_lover777 hasn't been on in eight weeks. I wrote a prompt for Prank, but if someone has a problem with me taking it, I don't mind if it doesn't get posted.

Prank (Or, it it takes a bottle and a half of Fireball Whiskey for Kean to tell modesty to go jump in a lake.):

"So, who wants to go first?"

Celestia's question was met with silence from the empty throne room. Perhaps "empty" was the wrong word, as a few maids roamed the room, polishing the floors and washing down the windows, while her usual guards stood at theirs posts at the entrance and on either side of the raised dais on which she sat.

But, they were not as they should have been: their bodies shimmered and wavered, as if they were non-corporeal; ghosts. However, three very real, very corporeal alicorns sat in front of the dais.

On the left sat a soaked and disgruntled Nightmare Moon, her ethereal mane waterlogged and hanging down the side of her face, covering one eye. Next to her sat Luna, stock still and stoic, except for the slight upward curve of her lips that betrayed her mirth. And finally, there was Twilight, currently succeeding in avoiding Celestia's gaze with her own, but utterly failing to hide the glances she kept taking of Nightmare.

"Twilight?" Celestia kept her voice even, as always, but still Twilight startled, her wings twitching nervously.

"Y-yes, princess?"

Celestia sighed inwardly at the use of her title. She won't look at me, won't call me by name... The culprit was obvious enough, but it would be wrong to not at least hear her out. But first...

"Would I be right to assume that you at least know how we ended up here?"

Twilight fidgeted and stared at the floor as she shuffled her forehooves. "Yes, Princess."

"And would I be correct in assuming that you don't know how to get us back? At least, not at the moment?"

"Yes, Princess," Twilight answered as if condemning herself to death.

Celestia sighed once again. Some things would never change. "Do you know how you brought us here? Would you be able to bring something from our... side to this one?"

Twilight blinked before rubbing her chin with a hoof. “It depends on what It is. I’d also need to know what it looks like and where it is. Not just a description, I would actually have to know it or be able to see it.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem.” Celestia smiled. “I just need something from my chambers: The small cabinet by my bed. The one behind the nightstand. The one locked with enchantments that I caught a certain over-curious filly trying to dispel one night.”

Twilight ducked her head and nodded. “Yeah, I know the one. I’ll need a second.”

A full minute passed before the aura around Twilight’s horn faded. It was strange, Celestia thought, because, from what she remembered from being transported here, it had been instant. One moment she had been ready to greet the guards outside the dining hall before breakfast, the next; they had been translucent and unresponsive.

“Your wards are stopping me from teleporting it here, but it should be on this plane now.” Twilight’s reserved voice brought her from her musing. She nodded and, with a flash, the cabinet appeared beside her.

“Thank you, Twilight,” She said. Seeing, and choosing to ignore, Luna raise an eyebrow, she dispelled the enchantments surrounding the cabinet and levitated out a single glass tumbler and a bottle of amber liquid, a stylized Griffin, reared up on its hind legs and spitting fire painted on the side of it. “A gift, from a Griffin ambassador some two hundred years ago,” Celestia chuckled, filling the glass half way. “I’m thinking this will be worth opening it for. Since none of you volunteered to speak, however, I think Twilight should start.”

With a grimace, Twilight looked to Luna and Nightmare. Luna continued to stare ahead, stoic and unresponsive. Nightmare shrugged and nodded.

Sighing, Twilight began, “As you know, ever since my last trip through the mirror, I have been studying the possibility of other alternate dimensions.” Celestia nodded for her to continue. “I haven’t gotten anywhere on that, but I did find out that there are different… not dimensions, but planes, I guess. Alternate planes that mirror our world, but are different.

“Using myself as an anchor point to bring them back, I sent crystals enchanted to record their surroundings through. Sometimes the difference was minor. Maybe light reflects off of surfaces slightly differently, resulting in colors being off. Or it could be a minute or so ahead or behind the time here. Or, at the other end of the extremes, I found one where everything was on fire. “Twilight shrugged. “The only constants were that, unless I sent it there, nothing could be affected by what was on the other side, and that they were always uninhabited.”

“And with you being here, you have no anchor which to pull us back to,” Celestia proffered, refilling her glass for the third time.

“Right.”

“And, exactly, did we get here?”

Nightmare cleared her throat. “I was assisting Twilight at the time, helping her record the data the crystals brought back.”

“And distracting me every chance you got,” Twilight muttered with a grin.

Nightmare grinned right back at her. “What can I say? The way you get when you’re researching something new is just far too… alluring.”

Luna, finally showing that she hadn’t become a statue, rolled eyes. Before she could say anything, Celestia cut in. “So Nightmare distracted you and you miscast the spell?” Celestia grinned, refilling the glass once again. “And here I thought I did well in teaching you proper focus, Twilight.”

“Wait- no- I- That’s not what happened!” Twilight sputtered. “Well, not exactly…” She sighed and composed herself. “I figured out that I could set parameters – “

”Parameters?” What are you getting at, Twilight?

“– for planes I could send the crystals to. Before casting the spell, I can specify what I want the plane to be like: Change the gravity, how magic works, the temperature, the speed at which time passes, relative to our plane, and so on. I could even make a portal to one exactly like our world.” For the first time, Twilight met Celestia’s eyes, her expression serious. “If I ever needed a private place to talk to someone about something important, without worrying about interruptions.”

Oh…

She looked away again, grinning, blushing, glancing at Nightmare. “Or other things, but you get the point.

“As for how I miscast the spell, well, I had actually wanted to get some work done, so I sent Nightmare to get some more crystals and, well, Luna, would you like to explain?”

Luna huffed. “It was meant to be a practical joke. A bucket of water placed above the door, set to dump its contents when the door opened. Twilight has been quite boring lately, having her nose buried in dusty old tomes for days on end. I sought to shock some life back into her.”

“Only, from where I see the carpet is wet, it was not Twilight the water landed on?” Celestia proffered, suppressing a laugh and hiding her smile behind the glass.

“No,” Nightmare growled.

“I heard her shout and, when I looked up, the way her mane and tail were laying, the way the morning sun shone off her wet fur…” Twilight cleared her head with a shake, but it did nothing to remove her still deepening blush. “I had prepared to send another crystal through, here, and, distracted as I was, I wasn’t thinking and accidentally added another parameter: Alicorn.”

“And so it pulled all of us through instead of just you and Nightmare.” Twilight nodded. Celestia took another drink, noting that the bottle was only a fourth empty. She turned back to the group, lips tight, holding in her laughter.

Nightmare took advantage of the silence. “Had I known it was so easy to hold your attention, I’d have kept my mane wet more often. I may have to make it permanently so.”

Celestia could have sworn she heard her student’s mind grind to a halt. Twilight sat stock still, her eyes distant, and wings twitching. A short chortle escaped, signaling the breaking of her dam. Luna waving her hoof in front of Twilight’s face only to receive no response solidified it.

“Oh dear, I think I broke her,” Nightmare laughed and levitated Twilight on to her back before turning to leave. “I will have to turn her on again.”

“I‘m still not entirely acquainted with modern terms, but I believe the phrase would be “Turn her off and on again.”” Luna said, eyebrow cocked.

“Yes, that too,” Nightmare called back over her shoulder as she exited the throne room.

Celestia watched the two leave with a smile before turning to Luna. “Luna?”

“Yes, sister?”

“Would you accompany me to my chambers? I believe it will be some time before Twilight figures this out and I would like to speak with about something.” Celestia offered her sister a genuine smile. A smile that shifted to a grin as she raised the bottle. Shaking it gently, she said, “I wouldn’t mind having someone to drink with, either.”

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Panting, Twilight smiled, feeling Nightmare wrap her hooves around her chest and pull her close, her back against her chest. She shuddered as Nightmare nipped gently at her ear. “Is this where you tell me that you really should get to work on finding us a way back?”

Twilight chuckled and rolled over to face Nightmare. “I know how to get us back.” She grinned at the confusion evident on Nightmare’s face. “We were never stuck here. C’mon, you know better than to think I wouldn’t be as careful as possible when dealing with something like this.”

“Then why are we here?”

“Well, I wasn’t lying when I said it was for ‘other things’. Like what we just used it for.” She kissed Nightmare gently on the chin. “It was supposed to be for Hearts and Hooves day, but when I saw the chance – had an excuse to bring both Luna and Celestia, I decided to take it.”

Nightmare placed a kiss on her forehead. “Again, why are we here. Not that I am complaining, but you could have just as easily brought the two of them here.”

Twilight laid her head on Nightmare’s chest. “When I was younger, Celestia used to tell me stories about a mare. A mare who was kind and caring, strong and brave, intelligent and silly. A mare who was just as beautiful as she could be fearsome. She said that she balanced her. I had the feeling that she idealized the mare; loved her. But when I asked Celestia what happened to her, all she would say was that she ‘drove her away’.”

Twilight sighed as Nightmare began to run a hoof through her mane. “Last year, we spent Hearts and Hooves day together. Not together together, but neither of us had someone to be with, so we kept each other company. I had all but forgotten about the mare she used to tell me about, but she started talking about her again, about how she wasn’t able to – and still couldn’t – find a way to tell her how she felt, it sort of just clicked in my head.”

“Luna?” Twilight nodded. “So in the span of a few moments, using Luna’s failed prank, you came up with this plan to have them alone together for an undefined amount of time?” Nightmare chuckled. “Remind me to hire you to plan my next uprising.”

Twilight lightly hit Nightmare’s chest. “No, I’ve had the idea for a while now, I just took a gamble.”

“Oh? What about the Flaming Griffin whiskey?”

She shrugged. “Lucky break?”

“And do you believe Celestia knows that you gave her this chance?”

Twilight nodded. “I think so. But I’m more worried about how Luna will react. Do you think she-“ She was interrupted by a long, pleasured moan echoing throughout the castle. Twilight ducked her head against Nightmare’s chest, shaking from holding in her laughter. “O-okay, new param-parameter: Limited auditory distance.”

The sound faded as a bubble surrounded them, Nightmare’s horn glowing faintly.

After regaining control of herself, Twilight pressed her lips to Nightmare’s before rolling her onto her back. Lying atop her, she grinned down at the dark mare. “As I said, this was originally meant for our Hearts and Hooves day.” She leaned down to whisper in Nightmare’s ear. “But if you’d like to… test anything out…”

Twilight smiled as Nightmare’s breathing increased in speed. “Anything?”

“Mmm-hmm.” She gently kissed Nightmare’s cheek. “There are toys in the dresser on your left. Ropes, whips, blindfolds, gags, and more in the one on your right.” She pressed her lips against Nightmare’s again, gently parting them with her tongue. She shifted her hind leg and pulled away grinning at the sound and feel of her breath catching.

“And spells?” Nightmare asked, panting softly.

“As long as you teach them to me afterwards.”

Nightmare wrapped Twilight in wings and hooves, pulling the smaller mare into a deep kiss.

Word Count: 2,159
New Prompt: Moral

Been quiet lately, which is why I've been stretching out the prompt publications.

Also my apologies for not having a Valentine's special thingy, which seems to have been popular with other collabs. Given that we're approaching 100 entries, we'll cook up something soon enough. Maybe bunnies.

I'm still alive, still have Winter, still have winter...

Disclaimer: Given the sheer size of this list, I will henceforth only feature the last 5/10/15/XX or so prompts published.

All Prompt Stories Published under Full Moon Fever in Publishing Order
75 Persecution by Knight of Lycaeus
76 Frozen by Kean
77 Eidolon by auramane
78 Carpe Noctem by Kean [Part 1 of Pact]
79 Pool (2) by palaikai
80 Audacious by Auramane [sequel to Eidolon]
81 Cold by Kean [Part 2 of Pact]
82 Birth by Knight of Lycaeus [sequel to Persecution]
83 Storytelling by Kean [Part 3 of Pact]
84 Prank by Kean
85 Moral by auramane
86 Winter by Toratchi888
87 Pointless by Kean
88 Squirrels by Kean [Part 4 of Broken]
89 Sour by PearpleProse

Prompts Awaiting Publication
Wanderer: Knight of Lycaeus
Lord of the Rings: Kean

Prompts Otherwise Claimed (Please Review)
Damocles by Draven Eclipse
Art by ZOMG
Date: Foals Errand
Forgiveness: Foals Errand
Tasty Murder: SeanoftheDead + Foals Errand + ???
Tied: Toratchi888

Prompts With No Recent Activity (please review claims)
Revolution: Myrandall
Hazard: Fuzzyfurvert
Judicious: Midnight herald

All Open Prompts (please review claims)
Cheesecake
Conversion Bureau
Dressage
Fever
Massage
Passion
Regret
Retribution
Turkey
Wanderer

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Taking Moral.

4092932
4056237
4089097

Here goes nothing.

Moral

Moral;

Noun:

Principles or habits with respect to ethically right or wrong conduct.

---

Twilight's face soured as she stepped up towards the edge of the pit. She peered down into the depths, straining her eyes for any hint of a bottom. There was nothing. Just like the last 12 times she had looked.

No pony truly knew if Tartarus had a bottom.

She sighed, and once again, turned away from the edge and trudged back.

With a groan of frustration, she slumped onto the ground and affixed it with a tired glare. After a few moments, she shook her head and turned her gaze to the black box hovering above her head, wrapped in her sparkling aura. She glowered at it.

"All your fault," she grumbled, pushing herself to her hooves. The box hovered above her, almost mocking her indecision.

She rubbed her eyes and grimaced.

What should I do? Luna doesn't even know I have her, Princess Celestia told me to get rid of her. The essence of this monster is right here, and I could remove her forever!

But...

Could I really do that? To anypony?

Whatever she may have done or wants to do, she is still a sapient creature. Can I condemn her to an eternity of imprisonment, no hope of change, freedom or reprieve?

Would it even be eternity? She is technically an alicorn, but she's just a consciousness, not a full pony... An interesting question—

—Focus. Not the time.

Celestia has always been adamant about not doing harm. It's why she never taught me any combat magic. Why would she want me to do this? I suppose I'm not really harming her technically, but still...

—wait, could this be some kind of test? Maybe she doesn't actually want me to do it, she wants me to show compassion! That must be it, she would never ask me to do this to anypony, no matter their crime!

But maybe she's testing something else.

My resolve? My loyalty? It... doesn't really seem like her. The princess wouldn't really make me do this, would she?

Twilight groaned and shook her head. It was too much, there wasn't enough information.

It just doesn't feel right.

She grit her teeth and stormed back up to the edge of the pit, the box following behind her. She stood resolutely on the lip, gazing down one final time into the black depths.

I have to make a choice.

That was certainly a thing. Anyway, next prompt:

Pointless

Hope everyone enjoyed.

Ah, crap, I thought I'd claimed Pointless like an hour ago

Well, here's me claiming it.

And here's me posting it:

I couldn’t do anything but stare in disbelief as Nightmare Moon shattered the Elements. Ignoring her cackling taunts, I looked behind me, hoping beyond hope that my new friends were on their way to help.

They weren’t.

Either they had fled, thinking that I was destroyed by Nightmare Moon’s magic, or they couldn’t locate where she’d taken me. Either way, it didn’t matter: I was alone with a mad goddess. I turned back in time to see her start to stalk toward me, her muzzle curled in a victorious smirk. I tried to turn to run, but my body wouldn’t listen. I tried to build my magic into an attack, or at least another teleport, but the spells fled my mind before I could release them.

When she reached me, all I could do was close my eyes and wait for the end. Hearing her hoofsteps come to a stop in front of me and the soft feathers of a wing lift my chin, I chanced a look at her. Eyes hard, but with a soft smile, she looked down at me and whispered, “Relax…”

I blinked, staring up at the moon through the decaying ceiling. Even this room couldn’t withstand the test of time, but at least the bed was soft. Probably made out of clouds, I mused with a smile. How I had gotten to the bed didn’t matter. All that mattered was that I was safe, out of the reach of Nightmare Moon.

I felt the bed shift ever so slightly around me and found myself looking up at the afore mentioned dark mare. She had removed her helmet, allowing her astral mane to flow freely, creating a stunning backdrop to her face. I stared silently into her eyes. Gone was the anger, the hatred that seemed to fuel her. She smiled, mesmerizing me with her now soft, caring eyes.

It was wrong – something was wrong, but I couldn’t stop myself from wrapping a hoof around her neck at the base and slowly, gently running it up the back of her neck. Her black fur, which I had assumed was some form of firm, protective enchantment, surprised me. Each hair that brushed against my own, brushed against my skin, was softer than anything I’d ever felt. Her head dipped lower as my hoof rose, her lips meeting my own when it brushed through her mane. The cloud bed, her fur, neither had anything on her mane, which I could only describe as running my hoof through liquid silk.

I felt as though I was in a trance, my hoof gently stroking the back of her head, even as I knew I shouldn’t be. I felt her lips part, her tongue gently caressing my lips, asking for admission; a request which I happily granted. A forehoof snaked around the back of my head and we held each other in the kiss until we needed air. She pulled away, both of us panting. Something in the back of my mind kept trying to tell me something wasn’t right.

With a grin, she leaned back down, placing kisses on my neck, down my chest, along my belly, leaving cowlicks whenever she decided to use her tongue as well.

Something was wrong, but I didn’t care. Ecstasy took control as I looked down at her. Aroused with desire, I nodded to the unasked question and couldn’t help but writhe at even the first touch. Whether it was her experience, or my own lack thereof, my body felt like it was on fire and I knew I wouldn’t last long. A hoof across my barrel told me that she did as well. My eyes clenched shut pre-emptively and I gasped…

…Only for them to snap open, staring up at the canopy of my four-poster bed. Panting and lying in a pool of already cooling sweat, I looked around the crystal walls of my chambers.

Another dream…

Sighing, I rolled myself off the bed and removed the coverings with my magic. Rolling them up, I tossed them in a nearby hamper before remaking the bed with fresh sheets. A well-known routine by me now, I climbed back in to bed and stared at the canopy once again, lost in thought.

Ever since Tirek, ever since holding all the alicorn magic – Luna’s specifically, I guessed – I’d been having these dreams. They didn’t always start the same way, but they always ended with Nightmare Moon and I together somehow. While I wouldn’t say that they were exactly terrible, they were a bit disconcerting.

I tried every spell I could think of to keep them at bay: Wards around my room and bed, clearing my mind – both through my own will and with magic – before I fell asleep. Everything I could do ended up being pointless and a waste of time and energy.

Even Luna had been powerless to stop them when I asked her to watch over my dreams. “She – if it truly is Nightmare – is hiding your dreams from my sight. At best, I could wake you physically. Do not worry, though. There is very little she can do to you unless you allow it,” is what she told me.

Yet, still Nightmare Moon comes to me in the night, in my dreams. I’d be lying to myself if I said I wasn’t worried about her possessing me. But I’d also be lying if I said I could resist the touch of that mare.

I don't know if any of that is too much.
I've been up for fifty-four hours with nearly an hour and a half worth of sleep, so I may be a bit delirious, but I think that this works. If it's barely coherent, well, that's why.

Brought to you by: Sleep deprivation and too much Judas Priest:

Word count: 911
New prompt: Fever

Oh, god, I actually wrote that? I thought it was a dream. I'm sorry.

Send help.

Winter

The dark and terrifying creature formerly known—okay, somewhat less terrifying but still known—as Nightmare Moon laid in the darkness at the bottom of the stairs leading down from the Golden Oaks Library Reading Room into Twilight’s basement laboratory. Her eyes alone glinted in the weak ambient light as she looked up the stairs.

The door at the head of the stairs was cracked open slightly; not enough to allow a pony to push her hoof or snout through, but enough to allow Twilight to call down whenever she felt she had ignored her guest for too long.

She shook her head, allowing it to drift down to her crossed hooves, but snorted and lifted her head once again as she heard conversation upstairs; her star-studded, ethereal mane swirled about her unclad body as she moved.

“…see you and Night—er, Aster tomorrow morning, then, sugarcube?”

“Absolutely! I can’t wait to show her Winter Wrap Up! Do you know she’s never seen it before?”

“Aha, well, neither had you when you first came, Twi, so I guess that’ll be somethin’ special for the both of ya. Anyhow, I’ll take my leave.”

The door clicked shut; Nightmare—Aster—heard a thump of saddlebags dropping to the floor. She discorporated into a starry mist—the same substance as her mane—and slithered up the steps and through the door.

She rose up behind Twilight—who had levitated several scrolls from her bags—and coalesced. “I take it the apple farmer still fears me.”

Twilight jumped, but relaxed when she spun around and saw her guest behind her. “Goodness, Asteris! Why do you always do that?”

Aster smirked. “It’s too easy to get a start from you, Twilight Sparkle.”

Twilight frowned. “Not that—I’m used to that. I mean, why do you always talk down to my friends? You don’t really do it to me anymore…”

Aster blinked, then turned her head away. “I… They do it, too! They still think of me in the old way…”

“I think it’s just a habit,” Twilight replied, turning slightly to float her scrolls onto the librarian’s desk. “It’s why we wanted to change your name, right?”

“Asteris Creperii,” she muttered with what might have been a sneer. “At least I’ve been upgraded to a Star, even if I’m still an Unknown Quantity.”

Twilight pouted. “I thought it… suited you. I know it’s old Roano-Grequine, but…”

Aster blinked and pawed the ground. “I don’t… hate the name.”

Twilight cocked her head. “Really?”

Aster narrowed her eyes. “I just—I don’t care! Your friends can act however they like; it’s fine with me!”

Twilight shook her head. “Asteris, you’ll get to know them better; give them time. I tell them the same thing: get to know each other. You’re… you’re really…”

Aster snorted. “What? Dark, broody, inscrutable—”

“Thoughtful.”

Aster’s self-deprecating invectives cut short at that. “‘Thoughtful?!’” Aster rolled her eyes. “Sweet merciful stars, Twilight Sparkle! ‘Thoughtful?’”

Twilight skittered back. “Um, I don’t mean… um… I…”

Aster rolled her eyes again.

“I, um… Anyway, I have to get going; I have to head to Rarity’s to, uh… check the fit of my vest.” Twilight trotted upstairs.

“What vest?” Aster called after her.

“My All-Team Coordinator Vest!” Twilight replied. She trotted to the landing, the gold-trimmed green-and-blue vest floating beside her and sparkling in her magic glow.

Aster snorted. “Twinkle, twinkle, Twilight Star. Shiny little shirt, isn’t it?”

Twilight blushed. “Rarity has a talent for using gems, after all, and she did make the vest for me two years ago.”

Aster blinked. “Two years? You’ve been here that long? Good grief…”

Twilight frowned and made her way down the stairs. “Aster… I really don’t understand why you can’t just… make friends.”

Aster sneered. “I guess I’m just not a pretty pony princess like you.”

Twilight’s frown deepened. “Anyway, I’ll be out for a little while, and so will Spike. The Library’s closed today, so you… shouldn’t be disturbed.”

Twilight levitated her saddlebags from where she had left them, folded the vest neatly into the left-hand bag, strapped the bags on, and trotted to the door. Opening it, she paused a moment, her head half-turned back as though to look over her shoulder; then she left, shutting the door behind her.

Aster’s eyes narrowed at the closed door. “…she doesn’t have a scarf…” She glanced about, taking in the main library room. “Hmm…” She snorted. “I suppose the Princess of the Library would look in a book to find a solution to her problems…”

Having spent the better part of the last two years as Twilight’s guest, Aster had—however unwillingly—learned a little bit about practical library service. Though the sorting system…

Aster moved to the center of the room, giving the circular reading seat to her left a small berth. She pointed her hindquarters at the door—glancing over her shoulder and sparking her magic to lock it as an afterthought—and faced her head towards the inner library shelves.

Aster shut her eyes and lit up her horn. Tendrils of magic reached around her and began to pull books out. They began to swirl around her, slowly at first and then faster.

Aster’s eyes snapped open, lit white by her magic. Books began to fly past her face just slowly enough to skim their titles. Useless ones flew back to their shelves, while crafting books settled beside her on the reading seat.

When she had a dozen crafting books settled, she toned down her magic and leisurely floated them up before her. She skimmed the titles with her non-magicked eyes, frowning as she concentrated.

“Knitting,” she snorted. Sounds like something the apple-farming grandma would do on a Sunday night in front of the fire.

…suppose that would be cozy…

Aster floated the several books on knitting onto a shelf set aside for “returns,” plus a book on Neighponese folding-paper crafts that had escaped her notice before.

“Hmm… The Beginner’s Guide to Crochet by Threadloop.” Aster flipped open the cover page. “‘Welcome to the wonderful world of crocheting! With this book you will learn the basics of crochet, including abbreviations, terminology, working in rounds, and basic stitches such as the single crochet, double crochet, and treble crochet. There are also exercise patterns with which to practice, including wash-cloths, hats, and scarves.’”

Aster flipped to the exercise patterns, skipping the wash-cloths and hats. After perusing a few scarf patterns—turning them down for, variously, being too fancy or too difficult—she found one she liked. “This one will be just right. It looks like it would be warm, and I suppose it’s pretty.

“Now I need… …supplies.” She sighed. “Guess I have to go out.”

* * *

Aster braved the trek through town in the cold air to retrieve crochet supplies.

Actually, that’s a lie; she went discorporal and invisible, and teleported to her destinations.

First, she went to Sofas & Quills, reasoning that if they sold quills, they might sell other crafting or stationary supplies.

Alas, it was not to be; Davenport only sold Sofas and Quills at Sofas & Quills, though he tried to sell her a nice sofa on which to crochet. She glared at him and vanished, next reappearing at the Ponyville Hardware Store.

Sadly, the Hardware Store—while well-stocked with bolts and screws, flashlights, brooms, pliers, and various other goods—it did not possess crochet supplies. Aster only gave a moderate glare at the clerk before disappearing again.

* * *

Aster floated above Carousel Boutique an agitated, invisible cloud. Mentally gritting her teeth, and swallowing her pride, she reappeared herself at the front door and rang the bell.

“The door is open! Please come in!”

Aster pushed open the door and entered. Rarity appeared a moment later from behind a screen.

“Ah, Asteris! What an unexpected… How are you? What can I do for you here at Carousel Boutique?”

Aster gazed away. “Crochet.”

“Hmm, I don’t get too much call for crochet’d items hereabouts, but I find it a delightful pastime. I’d be happy to make you some—”

“I’M crocheting,” Aster retorted as her gaze snapped back to Rarity.

“Oh! Well, I have plenty of crocheting supplies! What are you looking for in particular? I have many different hooks—”

Rarity trotted to the back of the shop and opened several drawers, floating up a clutch of crochet hooks. Aster walked forward warily.

“This is a large hook, excellent for large, loose stitches—like you would see in a Spring or Autumn blanket—and it’s lovely solid silver with the little sapphire in the pommel.

“If you want a really tight stitch you want a small hook like this gem! This is a very small steel hook used mostly for making small stitches, perfect for doily making, and finished with a lovely chrome shine!

“And if you come this way I can show you my yarn and thread supply! See here; I have everything from size 30 crochet thread—which is the smallest I carry without getting into sewing threads of course—up to yarn weighted 8. Over there is a heavy and very warm yarn, but it can be a bit tricky to work with. And this is the Whitetail Warm and Soft brand, perfect for winter blankets!”

“Pardon—” Aster began as even more equipment began floating up.

“And over here are stitch markers, particularly useful when you are working of continuous rounds. I have many different colours here, and many of them are made of different material! For example, these ones here are aluminum with a pink metallic finish on them, and these are platinum here! Aren’t they just darling?! Oh, and would you like to see the yardage counters I have? They are right this way! This will help you keep track of how much yarn you’re using, and how much you have left!

“Do you have a pattern in mind? If not, I have plenty of magazines and books with patterns in them over here! Of course, I’m sure with you staying with Twilight in the library you have at least browsed some of the books she; but if you haven’t found any you like in there, feel free to look in those books over there. What about instructional books? Do you need any of those? If you do they are all here, ranging from your first ever project to very complex ones for professionals!”

“I’m making a scarf!” Aster blurted, just below a yell.

“Ooh,” Rarity squealed, “a winter scarf! How romantic! What does your pattern say you need for yarn and hook size?”

“6.00mm hook, weight-4 yarn.”

“Well, that’s common enough. And who is it for, if I may inquire?”

“…Twilight.”

“Ah.” Rarity stopped mid-stride, supplies hovering about her expectantly. She cleared away much of the creative detritus as she made a delicate little cough. “Twilight, you say? Indeed. Curious…”

“What’s that?” Aster growled.

“Oh, no, nothing, darling! I meant nothing by it. What colours do you need?”

“It needs to match that vest you made her. For the Winter Cleanup thing.”

Rarity’s mouth dropped open very slightly. Aster’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “What?!” Aster snapped

“N-nothing at all, darling! I know the vest well; her All-Team Coordinator vest, for Winter Wrap-Up.”

“That’s the thing.”

“Yes, of course! I’m quite proud of the piece, and I think Twilight is as well. Let me get all that for you…”

* * *

With Rarity’s enthusiasm reigned in, Aster was able to exit the Boutique within a few minutes with her purchases. Rarity kindly agreed to allow Aster to deliver payment within the week, since—obviously—Aster had to pay Rarity without arousing Twilight’s curiosity.

Returned at last to the Library, Aster sat down with her supplies and her book in the basement. “I’ll work all night if I have to…” she muttered. “And if that froufrou unicorn can do this with magic, I can certainly do it as well. Now, to start…”

* * *

“So, first I have to make a slip knot. Done. Okay. Chain… what’s that? Oh, that’s easy enough. Wait… I have to do how many?!”

* * *

“Hmm… now what does that mean? Now I have to double… Oh, this is getting tricky. I yarn over, then put my hook through there… is that right? Hmm… I don’t think I did that right. Start again…

* * *

“Okay, there’s one! Wow, I have to do that again in the same spot? I’m not sure I’m reading this right, but okay…”

* * *

“Now I do that in each stitch?! Sigh… This is going to take a while…”

“Aster!”

“What?”

“Are you okay? I hear you muttering down there.”

“I’m fine! I’m… just reading… aloud.”

“Okay, that’s fine. There’s some food if you want it.”

“Fine.”

* * *

“Oh, I put five in that one? Will that fit? …there it goes. Now I do WHAT?! Get. In. There! There! Okay, now I’m at the end of the round. How do I change colours? Oh, that’s easy. Now I chain up, and do that all over again…

* * *

“…change colours, and now only one double crochet all around. Hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm—DONE!”

Aster lifted the product of her work before her, a slightly manic grin on her face as she ran her eyes over the scarf. It was ruffled, the folds undulating over each other along the length of the scarf. Its design was also roughly concentric, with pale yellow in a double row at the center, two green rows around that, and blue rows in the outermost rings.

Aster’s head snapped around as a soft knock sounded at the upstairs door.

“Aster? It’s almost dawn. I have hot oats for breakfast, if you’re ready.”

Aster discorporated and slowly floated up to the door. She opened it with her magic and flowed past Twilight, who turned as Aster reappeared in solid form in the middle of the library.

“Aster, you were down there all night talking to yourself; are you okay?”

Aster faced Twilight and levitated the scarf around the latter’s neck. “I made you a scarf to go with your vest, b-b-because I don’t want you to catch cold. It’s not like I care or anything! It would just be inconvenient to find another place to live, is all.”

Aster turned away, her cheeks darkening under her fur with a blush.

Twilight gaped in amazement, then smiled. She trotted over behind her desk and levitated something up.

Aster peered at the shape as it unfolded and wrapped around her neck: It was a long, rectangular scarf made of black velvet, with small silver tassels at the ends and innumerable small stones dotted along its length.

Aster’s eyes widened as she took it in. “T-T-Twilight, did you…?”

“I had Rarity make it for you,” Twilight replied softly. “This is your first Winter Wrap-Up, and I wanted it to be special for you like it was for me. I guess we were both thinking how to make it special for each other.”

Aster pawed the scarf, lost for words. “…thank you, Twilight.”

Twilight smiled again. “Let’s get some breakfast, and go wrap up Winter.”

“Like a scarf,” Aster smirked.

They both laughed.

Author’s Note: Crochet technical consultation provided by Jessica Jacquot, of Jessica’s Crocheted Creations. Check out her work on Facebook (search Jessica Jacquot or Jessica’s Crocheted Creations.)

Word Count: 2,550

Next Prompt: Wanderer

Claiming Tied.

With much hope, the finale of Darkness is Beauty, Beauty is Magic will not take 3 months.

Claiming Squirrels

This may take a bit longer than normal...

Someone linked me that the pre-alpha for Unreal Tournament 4 is available. That's my current excuse for time. I have a better, proper excuse, but that's the one I've chosen to use right now.

Squirrels will be done soon™.

Claiming "Wanderer".

So... heh, how many words does it take before "The rules are more like guidelines" is no longer a valid excuse?

Disregard that last post, thought it would be longer than it is.

And now, for Kean's list of excuses: UT4, CS:GO, I can't write Celestia, Warframe, life, can't write Celestia, editing something for someone, constantly distracted by people with stupid things, and I cannot write Celestia.

But, yeah, here's Squirrels, part 4 of Broken:

No shoehorn was used this time. No matter how much it seems like it was.

”You know, I’ve been wondering… How did you manage to return?” Twilight asked, her head resting on Nightmare’s chest. Since the likelihood that Nightmare lodging in town wouldn’t cause at least a few problems was next to none, Twilight had offered to let her stay in her castle, finding only after the arrangements were made that the Tree had included bedrooms for her, her friends, and Spike, but no proper guest rooms.

At least, that was the excuse they went with.

“Thinking about it, when we used the Elements on you, I’m sure I felt them tear you from Luna. And then, well… “Twilight rubbed her chin. “Nothing,” She finished lamely.

Nightmare chuckled. “Would you believe that I broke free from Tartarus? That I fought my way out from the deepest pit, destroying any who dared attempt to stop me, and even fooled the guardian Cerberus?”

Giggling, Twilight shook her head. “Nope.”

“And why not?”

“Because Cerberus isn’t outside pawing at the castle doors for me to let him in so he can take you back. And yes, I said ‘pawing’. I know him – sort of. Well enough that he wouldn’t just break down the doors to my home. I think.”

“Oh my, my love is so powerful that she even tames denizens of Tartarus?” Nightmare swooned. “I shall have to remember to remain on my best behavior.” Her actions earned her a swat on the chest.

“Stop that. I’m serious, I want to know.” Twilight grinned cheekily. “And Cerberus isn’t a ‘denizen of Tartarus’. He stands guard outside the gates.”

Nightmare shook her head, smiling down at her. “Very well, though my return does involve Tartarus, if not in such a fantastical way…”

--------------------------------------------------------

Lying on Celestia’s bed, her head resting on Nightmare’s shoulder, Twilight winced, feeling Celestia’s magic manipulate what little was left of the nerves in her left cheek. “Healing” was too kind a word for what was essentially fusing together the pieces of tissue, perineurium, and axons that hadn’t been completely burned away.

When they had returned, Luna had gone to relieve Cadance and Blueblood and take over day court for Celestia, who had “chosen to stay behind a bit longer on their joint impromptu ‘sabbatical’”. Due to the unplanned nature of their being there, Cadance and Shining Armor had had to immediately return to the Crystal Empire, though they were both told that they would more than likely be needed again, and to be ready.

With a sigh, Celestia sat back on her haunches, the light from her horn fading. “I have repaired what was left. There wasn’t much, and even my magic cannot create something from nothing. You will likely not have full feeling.”

Twilight sighed, feeling Nightmare brush a wingtip along the exposed skin on her face, feeling it only from the top of her cheek to the top of her jaw line. Still, she smiled. “That feels wonderful. Thank you, Celestia.”

“I shouldn’t have waited so long. The moment you didn’t return, I should have-“

“Celestia, stop.” Twilight turned to face the sullen mare. “I told you: I understand. You had limited options and none of them were acceptable.” She smiled lightly at the arched eyebrow the comment received. “I thought about it while I was resting with Nightmare.” Closing her eye and laying her head on her forehooves, she spoke low but firmly.

“You could have gone to war on the notion that they had taken me – with only minor evidence to support your claim. Of course, the guard and the military would undoubtedly follow you, but who’s to say how long it would have taken to get to me? Assuming I was found, how many would have died? And if I wasn’t found, ponies would begin to question if it even was the Griffins that took me. Eventually, you would have to give up, wasting the lives that had been lost. I know that you wouldn’t be okay with either and I wouldn’t find either acceptable.”

She paused and opened her eye, looking expectantly at Celestia. When the princess nodded mutely, she continued.

“You could have come yourself, of course, but what would you have done? Demanded that the king return me? He denied any involvement even staring me in the face; he would have done the same to you. Would you have begun destroying towns and cities until you found me? Even Nightmare couldn’t find me until she ripped the information out of one of the king’s advisor’s minds. The first would be pointless and would only lead toward war. Can you say that you would be okay with the second?”

“Yes,” Celestia stated firmly.

“Of course n-” Twilight blinked and jerked her head up, mouth agape, staring at Celestia. “What?”

Celestia smiled sadly. “The loss of life would be regrettable, yes, but it would be acceptable, to me, if it lead to your return.” She raised a hoof to forestall Twilight’s objections. “You are my student and friend. You have done much for me and Equestria: You brought my sister back to me when I could not, you defeated not one, but two of my greatest adversaries where I was powerless and you’ve defended Equestria multiple times, putting yourself in harm’s way to do so.

“But even without any of that, you are family to me.” She raised her gaze to Nightmare before returning to Twilight. “And I and should do whatever is necessary to protect my family.”
Twilight continued to stare silently, her outburst against Nightmare replaying in her mind. “’Shiny doesn’t deserve that…’” She repeated softly. A prodding wing from Nightmare snapped her out of it, her unfocused eye returning to Celestia. “Thank you, Celestia. I understand. I wouldn’t want you to do it, but I understand…”

--------------------------------------------------------

Laying her head back, Nightmare sighed and began idly running a hoof through Twilight’s mane. “You are right to say that you felt the Elements tear me from Luna. Or at least you felt them try. Luna did not simply borrow my power or take on my form; we merged. Completely. She was me as much as I was her. To separate one would have meant death for one, if not both of us, and I do not believe that the Elements are capable of taking life.

“I’m still not entirely sure of this, but I believe they attempted to ‘balance’ Luna instead. Most of her anger was… subdued; locked away inside her mind. And I went with it.”

Twilight gasped. “That’s terrible! How could they do that? Did Luna know?”

“It wasn’t so bad. I was not entirely aware the entire time. I knew somewhat what had happened, but, for the most part, I would compare it to a long nap with short moments of lucidity. And while I would have much preferred being conscious and active, it was certainly preferable to being banished again. As for Luna having knowledge of my continued existence?” Nightmare shrugged. “She did nothing about it that I can remember.
“But I will spare you the details of the half-memories from the time. When Tirek resurfaced…” Nightmare shuddered. “Just the thought of him puts a foul taste in my mouth.” She paused and smacked her lips before grinning down at Twilight, who in turn, stared back, head cocked slightly to the side. “I may need something to remove the taste before I can continue…”

It might have been a bit mean to bribe the young alicorn, but the way her eyes darted around the room, presumably searching for a drink to give her, before her ear twitched when she realized what Nightmare had meant, and the way she ducked her head with a nervous smile while her eyes jumped between Nightmare’s and the bed, even after having been together for weeks, always made it worth it.

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“So does that mean that if – when Skytalon finds a way to force us into a war, can I count on you to assist me with dealing with it, in any capacity I might need you?”

She felt Nightmare shift, but Celestia spoke first, her gaze unsure. “Of course, but you can’t possibly already have a plan. We’ve only been here a few hours.”

Twilight smirked. “No plans, no. But I had a lot of time to think back there and, while most of those ideas aren’t exactly feasible, I do still have a few. I still need to test whether or not what I still have is even theoretically possible, of course, but all of them will require more magic than I have at my disposal.” She touched the collar still around her neck. “Even with this.”

“You have plans, but how do you know you will be able to act on them? They could very easily attack tomorrow,” Nightmare countered.

“They could, but they won’t.” Twilight shrugged. “They are Griffins. And, while it tends to cause problems, their pride and honor is legendary. Even if Skytalon has no honor himself, the council, the soldiers, and even the general population won’t even act without at least a spoken declaration.”

Shaking her head, Nightmare smirked. “Why did I even begin to think you hadn’t thought this through?” Her horn surrounded in a cyan aura, she asked, “Celestia, when is the next meeting between our councils?”

“We meet in a month.”

“I want it recorded.”

Celestia arched an eyebrow. “Of course, our scribes will make a record of everything said.”

“No,” Nightmare grinned, a crystal filled with magic matching her aura materializing in front of her. With a burst of magic, an image matching Nightmare’s view appeared above it. With another pulse of magic, Celestia’s mane began to flow and Nightmare’s voice emanated from the gem.

”I want it recorded.”

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Nightmare smiled softly as Twilight pulled away with a contented sigh, eyes still closed and returned her head to Nightmare’s chest. She licked her lips and began running her hoof through Twilight’s mane again. “Much better. Now, where was I again?”

“Tirek,” Twilight muttered.

“Ah, yes. He isn’t important.”

“But you said-” Twilight blinked, staring up at her before pouting. “You didn’t have to do that…”

“No, perhaps not-” Nightmare grinned down at her. “-But you’re cute when you’re flustered.”

“I- that’s not-” Twilight sputtered indignantly before letting out a frustrated groan. “Just get on with it.”

“Very well,” Nightmare chuckled. “As much as it pains me to commend her for anything, it was Celestia’s plan, the transference of all the alicorn magic, that finally broke the elements’ hold on me. I am a being of magic and, with Luna in full control of herself, I was hers to give.”

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With a sigh, Twilight pulled herself off the bed, Nightmare close at her side, wary of the slight wobble still in her step. She smiled gratefully up at Nightmare before turning to the door. “We should get going.”

“You’re leaving?” Celestia asked. “There are plenty of rooms available in the castle, if you’d like to stay.”

Twilight shook her head. “Thank you for offering, but no. I want to start preparing as soon as possible. And I want to let at least my friends know I’m back.” Twilight paused before turning toward Celestia. “Speaking of which, how much does everypony know?”

“Your friends know that you were taken by the Griffins during your visit.” Celestia chuckled at Twilight’s questioning gaze. “Suffice it to say that it is difficult to sleep or even think when your guards are chasing Pinkie Pie while Rainbow Dash beats on your door, demanding answers.”

Twilight turned away with a small smile, but said nothing.

“As for everypony else…” Celestia sighed, her shoulders sagging. “We said that you stayed in the Kingdoms to learn more of their customs and culture.”

Twilight nodded, but again, said nothing.

Nightmare gently raised Twilight’s head with a wing, looking down at her, her gaze soft. “As much as I’m sure you’d be loath to do so, you should consider removing that collar; perhaps consider leaving it here in Celestia’s care.” Twilight pulled her head away, shaking it profusely. Nightmare sighed. “It is likely to raise questions.”

Twilight’s horn lit, her lavender aura surrounding the collar. The sides began to thin out and flatten against her neck, falling until it rested over her shoulders, while the front followed suit, elongating and curving down against her chest. With a pulse of magic, a starburst indent appeared in the center of the front, the metal around her neck thickening as the metal shifted. When she finished modifying the collar and released it from her magic, the indent was flooded with lavender magic. When it filled, the magic took on a reflective sheen, imitating a gem, while the collar itself shifted to brushed silver.

“There. No one will question a torc, right?” Twilight asked with a smug grin. “All of you have one, so it shouldn’t be surprising that I have one too, right?”

Celestia and Nightmare traded wary glances. “Very well,” Nightmare sighed. “There is still the matter of your face, since you are set on keeping this hidden. Perhaps an illusion?”

“Yeah, that’d be simple enough.” Twilight brushed a hoof against her torc. She blinked and looked at Celestia. “Celestia, are the royal armorers on duty?”

“They are. I can send for them, if you’d like.”

Twilight glanced out the window, noting that the sun had moved well past its apex, on its way toward the horizon. “Could you have them meet me in a few hours? There’s something I need to do first.”

“Of course. I will tell them to meet you in your old study an hour before sundown.”

Twilight nodded. “That’ll be fine, thank you. Also, is the meditation room we used to use still available? The one that’s warded to keep magic from getting in or out?”

“It is,” Celestia said with a wry smile. “The wards should still be strong enough to maintain their barrier, but please do not test them. We don’t need the staff panicking. Again.”

“That was one time,” Twilight huffed. “And you told me to test them,” She added with a soft smile, starting toward the doors. She paused, her magic surrounding a handle. “Thank you again, Celestia. For everything.” Her smile turned to a grin. “And make sure to tell the armorers to be willing to get creative.” She chuckled and continued out of the room, looking up at Nightmare. “You’re good with mind magic, right?”

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”When you received Luna’s magic, you also received me.” Nightmare laughed at Twilight’s wide-eyed stare. “Believe me; I was as surprised as you. Waking up in your mind was… jarring, to say the least.” She gently stroked Twilight’s neck. “I will say, coming from Luna’s mind, your memories were refreshingly sharp and focused.”

“My memories?” Twilight squeaked. “You searched through my memories without my permission?”

“I promise you, I did not pry on anything intimate or embarrassing, but, as far as I knew, you were to become my new host. I wanted to know how you might react to my presence should I reveal myself to you.”

“You could have just talked to me.”

“I could have-” Nightmare nodded. “- but, as I recall, you had your hooves full at the time. I doubt you would have welcomed the distraction during your flight into a mountain.”

Twilight shuddered against her. “That’s… fair, I guess.” She blinked, her ears perking up. “Does that mean I gave you to Tirek when I gave him all the alicorn magic?”

“No,” Nightmare said softly. “Whereas I was part of Luna, and thus part of her magic, you and I were not bonded in the same way. You contained me, but did not control me. But, at the same time, I could do nothing to help you.” She grinned and resumed stroking Twilight’s neck. “And believe me, had I the ability at the time, I would have done anything I could to help you remove the last centaur from this plane.”

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The meditation room was a simple affair: circular and empty except for four pillars arrayed in a square in the center of the room, fitted with a single inward facing iron sconce that provided light by way of blue mage-fire.

Twilight was sitting on her haunches in the center, facing Nightmare, who stood across from her. “Twilight, explain to me again why we’re here.” Twilight opened her mouth to speak. “This time without sounding like a mad pony.”

Twilight groaned in frustration. “Okay, look. You’re good with mind magic, right? Illusions, manipulation, making ponies think that something is happening when it actually isn’t?” Nightmare nodded slowly. “I want you to make me feel fear.”

Nightmare leveled her with a flat stare. “So, you want me to make you believe that you fear me?”

“No, I wouldn’t-… no.” Twilight rubbed her chin in thought. “How about something that even the most irrational pony wouldn’t fear?”

“So, a rabbit?”

“No,” Twilight snickered. “We both know that rabbits can be Tartarus-spawn.”

“Very well,” Twilight heard Nightmare reluctantly say before her horn was surrounded in her sapphire aura and she disappeared in a flash.

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I rubbed away the spots from my eye, unprepared for Nightmare’s spell. Looking back to where she stood, I found that she was gone, in her place, a group of… squirrels.

She’d made a scurry of squirrels.

I wanted to fall over laughing as I watched them hop around in front of me, their tiny little paws clacking against the stone floor. There was no way that any pony would be afraid of them, even if those tiny claws could dig into my flesh and tear it from my bones.

I blinked. That wasn’t right. They are squirrels; docile. And even if they decided to attack me, I could do nothing as they swarmed over me, claws and teeth tearing wherever they could get a hold.

I stopped myself from taking an involuntary step away and shook my head, trying to get the image of one of them holding my eye, its teeth poised to bite into it, out of my head. I knew they weren’t real, knew that nothing could happen to me, but I still couldn’t stop myself from shaking.

Clenching my eye shut, I stepped forward toward where Nightmare had been standing, my hooves passing through the illusions without trouble. As I moved through them, I could feel their claws scratching at my legs, could feel them climbing on me.

Everything inside me was telling me to run, to bolt through the doors and find somewhere where they couldn’t get to me and curl up. I pressed on for what felt like hours until I finally felt something unyielding. Looking up, I saw Nightmare looking down at me worriedly. Still shaking, I nuzzled into her chest, laughing.

“That was…”

“Too much?” She asked, her hoof running through my mane.

“No.” I grinned and looked back up at her. “It was perfect. Teach me.”

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”When you unlocked the Tree’s gift and, in turn, released everypony’s magic, I could not return to Luna. The laws of Tartarus would not allow me to enter and rules of the world supersede any rules we set upon ourselves, even through magic.

“Yet, even though I was free, I was weak, unable to even maintain a simple pony form, let alone this one. And so, I hid within the Everfree to recover.”

“Why the Everfree forest? Why not somewhere safe?”

“And where would you have suggested that would not have caused panic had I been discovered? No, the forest was safe enough and has plenty of untapped magic that I could siphon to hasten my recovery.” Nightmare’s visage darkened. “I will admit, I was quite angry in the months it took me to recover and I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t been planning some sort of revenge against Celestia, Luna, and… well, you.”

Nightmare caught Twilight’s chin with the tip of a wing as she tried to duck her head, muttering apologies. She smiled softly down at her. “There’s no need for that. Any ill will I harbored in that time has been forgotten.” She leaned down and pressed her lips against Twilight’s, holding the kiss until she felt the smaller mare relax before pulling away and wrapping her in her wings and hooves.

“After all, how could I hold a grudge against the mare who returned my freedom?”

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Silence is a funny thing: It can be calming or foreboding, it can be a sign of acceptance or condemnation, but, most of all, it gives you time to think. To think on what you’ve just said, on what you’ve done, on what’s happened. Whether you want to or not.

I had been doing my best to keep myself distracted, to keep myself focused on anything other than the past year. But with nothing left to focus on, nothing to even say as Nightmare absorbed my plans for the spell…

Silence is a terrible thing.

“Twilight-“

“Hey.” My voice was calm, low. “You said before that I was immortal, but not invincible. That means I can die, right?”

She stared at me and before she stopped herself, I could see the answer in her narrowed eyes. “Why?” Her voice was even, colder than I’d ever heard from her.

“I don’t…” I searched for anything to say, to hide my reason. In hindsight, it was simple: ‘I want to know how careful I should be.’ Of course, hindsight is always twenty-twenty. “I don’t know how I’ll deal with… well, everything. Right now, I’m focused, but when this is all over… I don’t know. What if it drives me insane? What if… I just want to know if it’s an option.”

Even before I finished and she began to approach me, I expected her anger. I expected her to be upset. I didn’t expect my vision to snap to the right or pain to flare across the freshly healed nerves in my face.

I turned back in time to see her lower her hoof, her face hard, eyes filled with anger. She continued to advance on me and I started backing away. “You would dare,” She growled. I felt my flank hit one of the pillars. Still, she didn’t stop. I found myself on my hind legs, pinned between her and the pillar before she finally stopped.

“After all we went through, all I, Luna, your brother and even Celestia did to recover you, you would dare ask if it was possible to end your own life?”

“I-“

She drove her hoof against the pillar behind me. I heard the stone crack. “Don’t. I spent the entire last year worried, searching. I ran myself ragged, sleeping only when I could not continue, eating only when this body would give out if I hadn’t. I broke-“

“You don’t under-“ She hit the pillar again and I felt the entire thing shudder from the blow. Just like the squirrels, I was certain that she wouldn’t actually harm me. Yet, again, I could not stop myself from shaking as her slitted eyes bore into my own. I tried to teleport away, only for the spell to be interrupted by her grinding her horn painfully against mine.

“I broke one of the few rules of magic that I have respected for millennia, violating another creature’s mind to find you. Had I known that you would make it all worthless…” She let out a pained laugh and rested her forehead against mine, her anger visibly fading as she sagged. “Had I known, I still would have come for you. Because you are the reason I am no longer bound to Luna. Because I owe you. Because I love you.”

I felt her magic begin to flow. So close to my horn, I could tell that it was the same spell she’d used to link our minds when she first found me. I tried to pull away, but she stayed with me, the back of my head against the pillar. “You say that you don’t know how you will handle the memories. I asked you before to speak to me about what happened. I ask you now to share them with me.”

Staring into her already shimmering eyes, I knew that she wouldn’t force the issue if I said no. Despite that, or maybe because of it, I reluctantly lowered my mental barriers and mirrored her spell.

I immediately regretted it.

The researchers had said, many times, in the beginning that everything they did to me was an experiment: Tests for them to learn more about alicorn magic and physiology. I chose to call it that as well for a reason. By the end, when my captors started flaying skin from different parts of my body just to see where it would heal faster, when they reached into my mouth and tore out most of my tongue and I laid there hoping that, for once, I’d be allowed to choke to death on my own blood, even they couldn’t hide behind the pretense of ‘research’.

I hadn’t told her much, hadn’t said anything to anyone else. Not because I didn’t want her to know what had happened, but because I didn’t want anyone to have to experience it, even second-hoof. When I felt her quivering against me, saw her breaking down as she experienced everything through my memories, I was prepared to break our connection again. But, again, I was interrupted, this time by her lips pressed against mine.

It was a desperate kiss: Desperate for some form of comfort, desperate to know that I – that somepony – was there for her. And as I wrapped my forehooves around her neck, brushing my tongue against her lips, something in the back of my mind wondered if the first time I kissed her in the lab, after recovering my wits, was just as desperate.

I heard her laugh in my head, her voice pained even in thought. ”Oh, believe me, it was. Except, I’m not dragging you down to the flo-“ I pulled away from the kiss to see a teasing smile on her muzzle. Even that seemed off, to me. She rested her forehead against mine again, panting lightly, still shaking.

“I will not stop you from seeking the answer yourself. As much as it would pain me, I would not be so selfish as to stop you if you found it necessary to take your own life,” She whispered almost inaudibly. “But, I ask you to share this burden with me, allow me to carry some of the weight. And if, when this is over, you find that there is no other option… Then, I will answer you.”

--------------------------------------------------------

The month leading up to the council meeting was thankfully uneventful. My friends had greeted me in my castle that night. How they knew I was returning baffled me until I saw the cake Pinkie had baked waiting in the dining room. What surprised me the most, though, was how quickly Rarity saw through my illusion. It shouldn’t have: she would be the one to notice a minute difference, even if it was just my left eye being a few centimeters off from where it had been when I left.

Honestly, it made it easier, made me have to explain – in minor detail – what had happened to them and what was likely to happen. By the time they left that night, I don’t think I’d managed to convince any of them that any participation by me in the coming conflict was a good idea or even necessary. Still, Dash agreed to help me with my agility in the air and Applejack with my physical endurance.

Would it have been better to learn from a royal guard or soldier? Probably. But I wanted to limit the chance that it would get out that I was training for combat.

--------------------------------------------------------

A month later, Nightmare and I were lying in bed, her on her back with me lying on top of her. With how busy the two of us had been, planning and working with Celestia and Luna to bolster the most likely avenues of attack, nights were the only time we had for the pleasure of being alone together, being able to push everything else out of our minds, to just block out everything that wasn’t us, if only for a time.

I sighed, content to just lay there wrapped in her hooves. I felt the magical disturbance, the air by the nightstand vacating as something was being forced into existence where it once occupied. With a muted pop, a scroll bearing Celestia’s seal appeared on the nightstand, a gem filled with golden magic clinking against another filled with purple and sapphire as it came to rest on the nightstand.

I'm not entirely happy with this one. This came out a lot different than I had originally planned. The second half was originally, in my head, Twilight losing it over a simple joke made by someone who knew nothing, but then I got drunk, told myself it was stupid, and went with this. I like this better anyway. Made it easier and less forced to use the prompt, which was not shoehorned in in any way. I wanted something that shouldn't be feared and I sort of... forgot that 'squirrels' was a prompt for a long time.

Also, any time I started working on it, someone would drag me away to do something. I swear someone installed a damn sensor in my seat. So if something seemed to start going somewhere, then went somewhere else, I'm putting blame on that.

Word count: 4,718
New prompt: Retribution

G-docs link since there's ~70 sets of BBCode tags. Probably too many...

Prompt: Sour

Twilight woke up in the darkness, and she was cold. It was a deep coldness that she felt – a coldness that permeated her skin and bones and deadened her limbs 'till she could no longer feel the downy softness of her pillow against her coat.

These cold winter nights tend to get pretty nasty, Twilight figured. She reached out and fumbled, blindly, for her duvet, but she felt nothing. Twilight frowned, opened her eyes, and lit her horn.

Or, at least, she tried to. She couldn't feel her magic, and her horn did not ignite. She could no longer hear Spike's deep, throaty snoring.

Twilight got to her hooves. She was lying on the floor, although it was certainly not her floor. Ear cocked, she heard the sound of running water (although the sound was subtly off, in a way she couldn't quite put her hoof on) in the distance, and began to walk. Her hoofsteps clacked against the stone beneath her, but the echoes were deadened in the vast silence that surrounded her.

Twilight did not know where she is, but she did not feel scared. She just felt tired, and alone.

The darkness began to recede, as she walked, or perhaps it was being replaced. Stars grew, in this void, and they watched her silently as she passed. Judging. Knowing. Their light was harsh, and it hurt Twilight's eyes, but she knew that they did not hate her. If anything, it was the opposite.

She knew lots of things, now that she really thought about it. She just hadn't been in the right frame of mind to realise it until now.

The echoes of her footsteps grew louder. The stars bled blue blood and it seeped through the sky until it was stained the colour of night. The moon rose. Twilight walked on.

Eventually, Twilight could see a tiny island, in the centre of a huge sea, and she was walking on a bridge. The moon's light was soft, softer than the stars, at the very least.

Twilight could see her now. She was standing there, waiting. Smiling.

It began to rain. The rain was heavy and sunk into her coat.

"So," she said, as Twilight approached. "You've returned. Welcome home."

Twilight's voice was flat, when she spoke. "Thanks. Although, I don't think I ever really left."

The other mare's teeth flashed white against her deep, dark coat. "You're a good thinker."

Twilight shrugged. "I assume you're just buttering me up so that I slip into your trap easier, or whatever this is."

"Why would you assume that?" she asked. She seemed almost genuinely hurt by it. She was a good liar.

"Because..." Twilight frowned. She couldn't remember. It had been so long ago, hadn't it?

The other mare noticed her distress, and she draped a great wing across Twilight's back. Twilight didn't notice her when she moved, but accepted the gesture grudgingly. "I understand. Sharp minds need to rest, you know, and that's exactly why you're here."

"But I was just sleeping."

"You were. You still are, technically, but you won't be waking up any time soon." Silence, for a moment. "I'm sorry."

"I don't think you are."

"And yet I am." Her eyes glowed a deep teal. Her irises were thin slits, the eyes of a predator, but they held no malice when Twilight looked into them. Only regret, and sadness, and something else that Twilight had forgotten. "Is that so hard to believe?"

"Perhaps," Twilight said. "But you don't act like I remembered you do."

The mare shook her head, and offered a forsaken smile. "That wasn't really me. My image was taken in vain. She asked me for it, and I could not refuse. I do not resent her for it."

"You should," Twilight told her, neither approving nor disapproving.

"But I cannot. I love her too much," the Nightmare said. "And you, as well. Are you satisfied with how you left things?"

Twilight pondered. Her hooves shook, and her bones creaked, and her back ached under the weight of her wings. "Not really, no. But I'm a hard pony to satisfy. A lot of things were left undone, and a lot of things were done that I shouldn't have, and in the end I wonder how things might have gone. Ponies left me behind. I left ponies behind. Things that seemed constant were not so. Things that seemed like a fleeting pain would last forever. And yet, despite it all, I do not wish to go back and undo all I have wrought." Twilight shook her head. "But you know all this, don't you?"

The Nightmare smiled. She did know. She was perhaps the only one who ever would.

Twilight stepped closer on trembling and unsteady hooves. The true Mare of the Night smiled widely and accepted the little purple alicorn into her embrace.

"I love you," Twilight whispered.

"And I love you too. I always will." The sound of rushing water grew louder.

Nightmare Moon held Twilight Sparkle close, and the darkness flooded them both. It was warm, and Twilight sighed.

She was satisfied.

4208606 I admit it took me a bit to remember what had happened previously in this series. I looked back through your prompts and realized that you had two active series(I counted Pact as active since it wrapped up on this thread page) and it made everything a lot clearer. As for this, it was beautiful, as is the rest of your work. It would not be an exaggeration to say that every time you post a new prompt, I check your profile looking for other stories by you. I hope you consolidate your prompts some day. I can't wait for the next part of Broken.

4210880
First off, thank you.

Second, I honestly do not have the attention span to actually sit down and write an entire story, even in small increments. I'll start something, see a game's patch notes, go, "Oh, they changed/added/removed <insert weapon/map/ability/literally anything>. Time to go see what they broke this time..." (Because I'm a cynical bastard when it comes to patches.) or some other distraction and I'll end up losing interest in what I'd started. Not that I don't want to finish it, I just... ehh. And trying to complete it when I'm not interested just makes me hate it. I guess the prompts sort of refute that, but they normally only take a few hours and it's also the whole "I said I'm going to do it, so I'm going to do it." mentality after claiming one. But I'm rambling.

As for consolidating my prompts, I doubt it will happen for anything other than Broken. Other than Broken and Pact, I don't have any plans to continue any others, and even Pact is unlikely.

But I'm glad that you've enjoyed my other prompts. Broken will be put up on it's own when it's finished and I clean it up and edit it/get it edited, because I harbor no doubt that it needs editing.

Prompt: Wanderer
Darkness, thick and deep with an almost oppressive force bore down on the small light attempting to drive it back with little success. Despite this the owner of the small light pushed onward relying on what little light there was to guide her way. In the end her perseverance was rewarded by the treasure she sought.

“Hello Nightmare,” Twilight greeted as walked close by the dark Alicorn who was nearly invisible in the darkness of the chamber.

“You followed me again,” Nightmare commented her eyes never moving away from the wall she was studying. “I thought you would be like most others and that surely you would have left the matter behind and abandoned me by now.”

“I’m not them Nightmare, I’m myself and I choose to follow and find you,“ Twilight said as she gently nudged the other Alicorn. “Although I must admit this time it took me longer than usual to determine where you’ve gone off to.”

Nightmare sighed softly and closed her eyes, “I choose to leave Twilight Sparkle. There is no reason for you to find me.”

Twilight shook her head even while realizing how pointless the gesture was in the darkness, “Yet each time you leave you return again and when I think you will stay the cycle begins again. There is more to why you choose to leave; you’ve lived in Ponyville for nearly a year before vanishing.”

“I remained in Ponyville to regain myself, nothing more, nothing less,” Nightmare said.

“If that was the case then you would have found a quiet place; a place where nopony would recognize you for who you are and yet you chose to stay in the same town that you first made your appearance.”

Nightmare ran her hoof over the wall in front of her and with a small click a few alcoves around the room opened allowing small amount of moonlight to enter the chamber. “Very well, if it is answers you seek then it is answers you shall find.”

Nightmare turned to face Twilight, “Allow me first to ask a question of my own. Every time that you find me is there something about that place that always holds true?”

Twilight tapped her chin with a hoof thinking back to each instance, “Wherever you go it seems like there’s no pattern, all the places you’ve visited are far from each other. Yet no matter where that place is I always find you in dark chambers and every place I’ve been to, are marked by signs and sigil that represent the night.”

Nightmare nodded, “Indeed.”

Nightmare began to pace around the perimeter of the room, “My journeys are not aimless as they may seem though they are indeed far reaching.” Nightmare sighed, “I travel to these far off places not to sate my desire to see this world for I have done that many times over. The truth is I travel to find myself.”

“Find yourself?” Twilight asked. “Find yourself in what way?”

“It is not my identity that I seek for I am sure of myself and who I am. You know that I have lived a long life and these places I visit are places that were built by Ponies and other beings from long gone to worship me. You know a little of my nature do you not?”

Twilight nodded, “You’ve mentioned it a few times. You’ve discussed a little about how you’re something else, and that you’re not the same as the Alicorns that govern Equestria and the Crystal Empire. You mentioned being something more.”

Nightmare stopped her pacing and moved over to another wall and with another click a hole opened in the ceiling further illuminating the room. “Take a glance around this chamber. This was one of the greatest dedications that Ponies have made to worship me. I am in nature much like the Chaos Serpent, Discord. We are both beings that are closely tied to the forces that govern this universe even more so than your fellow Princesses.”

Twilight walked over to one of the reliefs and she could see the immense detail that went into each piece. “I assume what you are has something to do with why you travel so much.”

Nightmare sighed again, “I am not whole; in times long ago I lost myself to my powers and descended into madness. It is one of the greatest limits on our power, Discord and myself could be more closely defined as the physical forms of the forces of this world. In essence we could be considered the avatars of what people long ago once thought were divine. For them the forces of this world were governed by divine beings alike in form, but far greater in power. Returning to my earlier point, in my madness I split myself granting power to those who served me well and to those who I tempted to follow my guidance.”

“In doing so you left your magic behind and your magic was more than just power, but a part of yourself,” Twilight concluded as she left the wall to walk over to where Nightmare was standing. “It makes sense now, your nature means your being and your magic are closely tied.”

Nightmare wrapped a wing around Twilight, “Finally one who understands. It has been a long time since one has understood what I am. But that is the truth to my wanderings; it is not for pleasure, but to regain all that I was. The Realm of Dreams and Nightmares is not Luna’s alone, she is gifted yet I hold far stronger power over that domain. It is in the Realm of Dreams and Nightmares that I sometimes see fleeting glimpses of what had happened long before and I journey there in search of what I left behind. That is what drives me each time to leave and find what I had once lost. My reason for remaining in Ponyville is simple; Ponyville holds a stronger concentration of my own splintered magic for Luna possessed my powers for quite a time before she revealed herself in her new guise.”

Twilight leaned into the larger Alicorn, “How many more places are there?”

“That I am uncertain, I lost myself in madness for centuries and I am certain that in my madness I splintered my magic many times over granting slivers of power to living beings and artifacts alike. It could be a long time before I regain all that was once mine.”

“Then let me help you,” Twilight said. “You said most of these places were likely old temples, so we could try and find those lost places. Your magic must have a unique signature I could isolate and use to help find more of them. This way you don’t have to rely on seeing small glimpse every now and again.”

“Isolating my magic’s signature is not easy Twilight for I and others have tried, yet if you believe it can be done than perhaps it can be done. Nevertheless I am grateful for the offer of assistance and I would welcome the aid in finding what once had been lost.”

New Prompt: Lord of the Rings

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It's three in the morning, the final weekend of the month, which means I got plastered with friends, and I come home to see this prompt.

I'm so not sorry.

Lord of the Rings

Who likes overused jokes? No one? Too bad!

My faithful student,

Enclosed within this scroll, you will find a single golden ring. What it’s for and what it does doesn’t matter. What matters is that it is an artifact of great evil and must be destroyed. Your task is this: Return it to Mount Doom and cast it into the fires from which it was forged. Really: It’s that simple.

Regards,

Celestia

P.S. Take Nightmare with you. She’s been bothering Luna almost non-stop for the past few weeks. We believe that she needs to get out more and this is the perfect opportunity.

Twilight stared at the letter, then the ring laying on the table, then the letter again, ignoring Nightmare, who was reading over her shoulder, and Spike, who wouldn’t take his eyes off the small gold band.

“Mount Doom? That’s over one thousand leagues away!” Twilight groused. “And it’s in the Badlands. Changeling territories. Why couldn’t she just…” Twilight sighed, resigned to her fate. “Fine. With flight and teleporting, it should only take us about two weeks back and forth if we don’t-“

“No.”

She turned to Nightmare, pulling the ring away from Spike with her magic. “’No’?”

“We must walk,” Nightmare said resolutely.

Twilight picked Spike up in her magic and tossed him in a closet before locking it for attempting to vault over her to get at the ring. “Walk? No, that would take weeks, if not months, to get there if we walk. Flying would be faster.”

“It is not about getting there, Twilight, it is about the journey.” Nightmare nodded at her own words. “And besides, your friends will no doubt want to go with you and not all of them can fly.”

“I- but-” Twilight let out an exacerbated groan. “Fine. But don’t complain to me that your legs hurt half way there.”

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Twilight was… somewhere within the Everfree. Applejack had lead her away from the group, taking her to a small ruin that must have been blasted away from the old castle. She sighed, leveling a blank stare at the farmer as she demanded Twilight give her the ring.

“And what, exactly, are you going to do with it? You’re an earth pony; you can’t use its magic, and you don’t have anything it could fit on to wear it,” She stated, unamused. “The most you could do with it is use it as a paperweight.”

“I don’t wanna use it,” Applejack stated as if it were the dumbest thing she’d heard. “I’m gonna sell it. That there ring is gold, innit? It could keep my family fed for years! We could even hire a few extra ponies year round and not have to worry about money. So just give it here.”

“You- you think-” Twilight shook her head, holding back laughter. Applejack was normally always level-headed, but when it came to her family… “You want to sell it based on its value in gold? A bit has more pure gold in it than this. And, seeing as it’s an ancient evil artifact, anypony who does know what it is would probably just steal it from you anyway.” Twilight shrugged. “Steal it, or kill you, and then steal it.”

Twilight left it at that, only acknowledging Applejack’s apology with a nod, intent on finding the source of the sound of rushing water. She heard what sounded like a fight as she neared the source, a river, but ignored it. It was probably just Rarity trying to blast Rainbow for her taunts again, or Nightmare attempting to subdue Pinkie because she was driving her mad. Again. Either way, it wasn’t important.

What was important was finding a way across the river. Teleportation was out – Nightmare would sense it. Flight was out – Rainbow might see her. Luckily, someone had left a boat on shore on the side she was on. A boat. Who in their right mind goes boating in the Everfree? At the sound of Nightmare calling her name, she stopped questioning her luck and galloped toward it. With a push of magic and a leap, she landed in the boat, another push putting her halfway across. She grinned inwardly, seeing Nightmare standing on the shore.

I’ll just get far enough into the forest that she can’t sense me, teleport out, and fly the rest-“ Her thoughts were cut off by as the boat rocked with a solid thud. She turned to see Nightmare folding her wings, a triumphant smile on her muzzle. “That’s not- You said no flying!”

“Ah, but I did not fly. I simply made myself lighter, jumped, and glided,” Nightmare replied smugly.

“That’s the same thing!” Twilight stamped her hoof in frustration. “You can’t just…“ Feeling wetness on her fur, she looked down to see that she had put her hoof through the wood and water was starting to flood in.

“Son of a…”

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Twilight stood alongside Nightmare, staring over a cliff at a column of ponies marching through the Badlands, armed to the teeth with spears, bows, and armor. “You’re telling me that they’re all mercenaries, hired by the changelings, with the promise of wealth and power?”

“Yes.”

“And that the only reason that the changelings are mobilizing and gathering an army is because they know we have the ring, and they want to stop us from using or destroying it?”

“Yes.”

“So, then, are you going to admit that it’s your fault that so many are going to die in a war because you won’t let me fly? Because this would be over by now if I did. What exactly does this thing do, anyway?”

“It is said that it holds many abilities. Most notably that it can control those who wear others like it. But it also increases the wears innate magical power it also-“

“Well, I don’t really need that. I could just blast anything that tried to threaten Equestria until it gave up at this point. And if that doesn’t work, there’s always the-” Twilight smacked her face with a hoof. “We could have just used the Elements on it…”

“-renders the wearer invisible,” Nightmare finished without missing a beat.

“Oh, well, that’s just amazing, isn’t it? I know at least twelve different spells to make myself invisible, and none of those include the ones that are in the restricted archives in Canterlot!” Twilight shouted, not caring if the ponies below heard. “I can make every part of my body transparent, I could make my fur perfectly mimic the colors of my surroundings, or I could make my fur not reflect or absorb any light. And that doesn’t even begin to get into what I could do with illusions. So far, this thing is on par with a fourth year foal at Celestia’s school.”

“It’s also said that it’s possessed, that it has its own will,” Nightmare proffered.

Twilight lifted the ring to her muzzle. “Hey there, ring, how’s it going? What’s that?” She raised the ring to her ear, nodding to it. “Uh-huh, uh-huh. What’s that? You always wished you could fly?” She turned the ring toward Nightmare, staring at her through it, her eyes narrow.

Nightmare was silent for a while, focusing on the marching ponies. “Twilight…” Nightmare muttered.

“Hmm?”

“My legs hurt.”

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Twilight stared up at her changeling captor, now hovering a few inches above the floor with the aid of a sword surrounded by a sapphire aura through its barrel. She blinked and it fell, revealing Nightmare standing behind it. Nightmare lifted her to her hooves with one of her own and looked down at her, worry evident on her face. “Are you well?”

Twilight bristled. “I was paralyzed by a giant spider, wrapped in a cocoon, and captured by changelings. What do you think?” She calmed quickly, seeing Nightmare hang her head. She stepped forward and gently nuzzled her cheek. “Sorry. Thank you for rescuing me.”

Nightmare nodded with a small smile. “Of course. Though I wouldn’t have had to had you not listened to Spike instead of me.”

Twilight groaned, dragging a hoof down her face. “How was I supposed to know he wanted the ring that badly?”

“He is a dragon. The ring is a golden magical artifact. The signs were there.” Twilight conceded her point with a nod. “We are close to our goal. We should procure some armor so we can make the rest of the trip unnoticed.”

Twilight stared at the recently deceased changeling. “Changelings use their carapace for protection, they don’t make armor.”

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“This is stupid.”

“Shh.”

“This isn’t going to work.”

“Shh.”

“You had to stitch three of them together to fit you!”

“So?”

“They’re going to notice you.”

“Shh. We are close.”

“We’re going to die.”

--------------------------------------------------------

“Wipe that grin off your face. Just because it worked doesn’t make it any less stupid.”

--------------------------------------------------------

Twilight stared over the precipice, looking down into the fires of Mount Doom, the ring held over the undulating magma. “You know what?” She turned to face Nightmare. “After all this, I think I’ll keep it.” She laughed at Nightmare’s questioning stare before placing the ring on her horn and disappearing. “And the next time there’s a problem that being invisible would simplify? I’m sending you. And I’m going to make you have to do it while glowing!”

Nightmare moved to intercept her, but felt something land on, then jump off her back. She looked up to see Spike vaulting over her yelling, “Mine!” He stopped in mid-air, grasping Twilight’s invisible head before opening his mouth wide and biting down. Twilight cried out and flung him off her head, the ring slipping off her horn, stuck between Spike’s teeth.

“Twilight, help!” He screamed as Twilight watched impassively as he flew over edge, into the magma.

“You’re a dragon. You’ll be fine.”

There was a pause.

“Oh, yeah.”

Twilight sighed. “Whatever. Let’s just go home.” As she turned to leave, the entire mountain began to shake. “Oh, come on!”

“This is gonna be awesome!”

--------------------------------------------------------

Twilight and Nightmare stood watching the magma swallow the entire side of the mountain except for the outcropping they occupied. Spike floated by, waving as he lazily swam through the magma on his back. Twilight sighed, shaking the ash and soot from her wings, only for them to be recoated almost immediately. Even if they hadn’t been weighed down, the air was too turbulent to even take off.

“We could teleport,” Nightmare proffered.

Twilight turned on her, but calmed quickly, sagging. What’s the point? “No, you wanted to do this without teleporting or flying. We can wait this out.” She moved to the edge of the outcropping and laid down. Nightmare laid next to her.

“So we wait here for death?”

Twilight looked over her shoulder before shrugging. “It shouldn’t reach us before it starts to cool. Unless something falls on us, we’ll be fine. If it gets close, we can teleport.” She leaned against Nightmare, watching the magma swallow everything in its path.

Sometime later, Twilight blinked wearily, feeling something dig gently but securely into her shoulders. She looked up to see a large creature above her, its large wings powering through the turbulence. Rainbow Dash peeked over the side, grinning. Twilight followed the powerful legs down from the creature’s body and sighed, seeing the gleaming golden talons.

She looked behind her at Nightmare, also being carried by a Griffin. “Now I see the reason why we don’t want to go to war with you.”

The Griffin carrying Twilight looked over her shoulder at Rainbow who shrugged.

“You’re actually allowed to use your bucking wings!”

If this takes anyone's actually decent idea, I won't mind theirs taking it's place. I'll probably wake up tomorrow and hate myself for this, but that's sober me's problem.

Edit: Well, I wasn't wrong. This is why I only get as drunk as I did last night once a month. Normally make a fool of myself. If you don't want to use it, that's fine, I'll leave it here as a testament to my sheer lack of shame when plastered.

If it's found acceptable, new prompt is Regret

At least I learned that the "right" tag doesn't work in comments...

Sup? I am back and for what it's worth am now writing everything I used to. Just one major change has taken place. I am not writing this on my phone or my computer, PS4 baby. PS4. Woot!

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Good show, all! Glad to see some activity here. I'll make with the posting.

Sorry for the delay, all.

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You're up next, probably tomorrow.

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Then you.

Muhahaha, I am everywhere!

Claiming: Regret

I'm dropping it now, it turned into a Star Wars tale...

Claiming "Regret".