Quills and Sofas Warehouse Sale
by Zontan
First published
Bulk rates on Quills and Sofas speedwrites. Now open to the public.
A compilation of all my entries for Quills and Sofas Speedwriting that either weren't long enough or weren't polished enough to warrant their own story.
Chapters are unconnected and have more detailed tags at the top.
If At First You Don't Succeed
Author's Notes:
My entry for contest #5, "We Tried."
Tags: Twilight, Dark
Entry #1,981
I don’t know how long it’s been since my last entry. I don’t know why I’m making this one, really. It’s amusing to go back and see what I thought was important back in the beginning, but so little of this has mattered for so long. My little ponies are content and perfect. I’ve moved on from such petty things. Still, even I can indulge in a little nostalgia, right?
Entry #1
This journal will contain my notes regarding the newest artifact to have come into my possession. For now, I am referring to it as Artifact C-2, but I’m sure I’ll come up with something less clinical once I am clearer on what it does. For now, a description will suffice: It is a small round device, with somewhat stylized wing designs on either side, and a large eye in the center topped with a series of stars. It passively measures six thaums of radiation, which most closely match the signature of chronology magic, hence my designation. Given the nature of its enchantment, I will be closely documenting my experiments with it.
Entry #17
I have successfully activated C-2 for the first time. It worked mostly as I projected it would, and has returned me to yesterday morning. This morning, I suppose. For now, I believe it is prudent to keep the day as close to my memories of it as possible, lest there be unforeseen consequences to changing the timeline.
Entry #18
This might actually be entry #19 or 20, I’m not sure. The problem with time magic is that resetting the timeline resets your notes, as well. That’s going to be a problem I need to solve, first thing. I can’t be working without my notes.
Entry #20
I’ve made a mistake. I was doing simple experiments, minor changes, nothing too complicated - and I wasn’t thinking. It was just a test, but I made Fluttershy cry. I didn’t even mean it, I was just… She ran off before I could explain. But I can fix this. I said I wasn’t going to make major changes this soon, but I can’t leave this in the official timeline.
Entry #35
10:30 PM, Loop 12.
Today was almost right. I think I may have offended Rarity slightly - she seemed cold when I left. I’m not sure what it was I said that upset her, though. I should have documented our conversation as soon as I left. No matter - tomorrow I will write it down, and make changes as necessary to smooth things over for the true day I keep.
Entry #204
7:24 AM, Loop 282.
No entry for the last loop. I thought it was going well, too. I managed to get Discord’s attention and was able to spend most of the day extracting a wealth of useful information on the nature of the universe (see attached Appendix D). He grew suspicious after several hours, and eventually tried to destroy the Time Twirler. I believe he said something about “powers beyond my comprehension.” As if anything could be beyond my comprehension, when I have all the time I could ever need. That said, he almost removed my ability to reset. Will have to avoid him in future loops - he is simply too risky.
Entry #1,302
6:15 PM, Loop 1422.
My experiments on the Elements are coming along nicely. It’s been so promising I’ve been neglecting to write proper entries in this journal. I’ve been compiling my full notes into Appendix E, for future reference. But I think it’s very promising. With a few more loops, I should be able to channel the full power of all the elements without the need for any other Bearers. If I’m right, that should allow me to use their power without needing a friendship problem. With that level of control, I could rewrite just about anything.
Entry #1303
3:02 PM, Loop 1429
The experiment was successful. There’s so much I can do with this power! I made all my friends alicorns, of course. It’s only fair, given how much they contributed to this research. I think I’ve solved every friendship problem the town has, and I’ve got some ideas on how to set up a system to solve all future problems automatically. I think it’s time I moved my research to Canterlot. There’s only so much I can really do here.
Entry #1479
Loop 21xx
I told Celestia about the time loops. I hadn’t planned to, but there was information I needed and she started to give me her usual about how I wasn’t ready. She doesn’t understand that I’ve had so much more time than she thinks I’ve had. Days or weeks of learning in the blink of an eye, thousands of times. Without an explanation, she was never going to give me the knowledge I need. She objected, of course. It doesn’t matter. I’m so much stronger than her now. I’ll get what I need, sooner or later. I can try as many times as I need to.
Entry #1501
Loop 22xx
Alicorn functioning is so fascinating. There’s so much to be learned from the other alicorns - each one is unique in their own way, and there’s so little really known about them. And I can do what no one else could ever do, now. I can put them under stresses they’ve never experienced, open them up and see how they tick, all with no consequences. She said it was dangerous, but I’ve expanded the realms of pony knowledge a hundredfold already. And there’s so much more that can be done.
Entry #1722
I dealt with Chrysalis this loop. She wasn’t that hard to find, really, and she was even more pathetic than I remembered her. I bound these events into the timeline about three years ago, so she’ll have been dealt with only a little while after Thorax took over. Really, it was amusing to see how few ripples that caused. Apparently she made clones of my friends and I at some point? I hadn’t even noticed. What a joke.
Entry #1795
I removed Celestia and Luna. They’re not really necessary anymore, and they didn’t seem happy doing what they were doing. Not like they noticed any problems anymore anyway. They’ll be much happier in retirement.
Entry #1980
Loop 5xxx
I’d almost forgotten how many loops I’ve done. They don’t really mean much anymore, but it’s a nice bookend, I think. I don’t think I need this journal anymore. Everything is in my head these days. My little ponies are happy, there are no threats to Equestria, and the timeline is as stable as it needs to be. Perhaps it’s time to stop worrying about such petty mortal problems, anyway. My legacy will last forever, after all.
Everything Changes
Author's Notes:
My entry for contest #6, "Do you ever think about leaving?"
Tags: Discord, Fluttershy, Slice of Life, Sad.
“Do you ever think about leaving?”
“Leaving? Leaving Ponyville?”
Fluttershy raised her teacup to her lips, giving the draconequus a long look. “No, not really. I couldn’t, not with the School and the Sanctuary and the girls. You know that.”
Discord let out a chuckle. “Well, of course I do. The question was purely hypothetical. What if… you didn’t have all those things? There’s so much world out there to explore. What if you could live anywhere, and didn’t have to leave anything behind?”
Fluttershy considered. “Anywhere? Well… it would have to have a lot of animals.”
“Of course.”
“And… not too many ponies. I couldn’t live in a big city. And… not Cloudsdale, or anywhere too much like it. I left for a reason, after all.”
Discord nodded. “Yes, yes, those all sound like good criteria. But it doesn’t narrow it down much, does it?”
Fluttershy took another sip of her tea. “Are you sure this question is hypothetical?”
Discord blinked, before pulling a sheet of paper out of nowhere and adorning a small set of reading glasses. “Yes, I’m sure. Look, it says so right here.” He turned the paper to her, showing off the word “hypothetical” written in massive block letters.
Fluttershy raised an eyebrow.
“Hmph! Fine then. What if it wasn’t? You already said you’d never leave, so it hardly matters. Let’s talk about something else.” Discord turned away, his claws fidgeting before he folded them together to make them stop.
The pegasus reached across to touch the draconequus with one forehoof. “Discord,” she said softly. “Do you want me to leave?”
“No! Of course not. How could you even ask that? Taking you away from your friends and your… rabbit. Besides, I have Ogres & Oubliettes with Spike, and I couldn’t miss that.”
Fluttershy gave him a soft smile. “I thought it was just me who was leaving,” she pried, patient as ever.
Discord paused, then replayed what he had just said in a small window in front of his face. He frowned, then played it again. When it started a third time, it was clear he was just stalling for time.
“Discord,” Fluttershy interrupted, taking to the air and flying through the picture so he would look at her. “It’s alright. Just talk to me.”
There was another moment of silence before the draconequus spoke. “I’m the spirit of chaos. Chaos, Fluttershy! I don’t do well with stability. Or routine. Or… contentedness. I was a statue for a thousand years and that was about a thousand years too long of being in the same place. And now the Princesses are retiring and you’ve built a whole sanctuary and everyone is moving forward and I’m just… same old Discord. Can’t fix your problems, don’t get a seat at the table, stagnant Discord.” As he spoke, a slow, creeping gray slid up his limbs, as if he was turning to stone all over again. A few moments before it seemed like it would set in, he shook himself and the stone shattered and fell to the floor, soon replaced with new limbs, healthy once more.
“I need a change, the same way you need water. And… I guess I hoped... You’d come with me.” He took a breath, then shook his head. “But obviously you can’t, and a true friend wouldn’t even ask, I suppose.” He turned away again, and a stick with a polka-dotted bag at the end appeared in his claw. He started to reach up to open a door in reality, but found a butter-yellow hoof on his arm.
“Discord,” Fluttershy said softly, pulling him back down to the couch. “It’s alright.” Once she was sure he was settled and wasn’t about to vanish on her, she continued. “I don’t want you to leave. But I think… if you need to go, then you need to go, and that’s okay.”
“But-”
Fluttershy raised a hoof; she wasn’t done yet. “Sometimes, friendships have to change. Sometimes that means you go from ignoring somepony to playing Ogres & Oubliettes with them. And sometimes it means leaving, and not seeing each other for a while. But that doesn’t mean it’s over. It’s just different.” She took a breath. “You know I can’t go with you. I have too many responsibilities here. But it won’t be the end, and it won’t be forever. You of all creatures should know nothing lasts forever.” She was smiling by the end of this, tears shining in her eyes but not falling.
Discord seemed a little stunned. “You’re not mad?”
A shake of the head.
“But you’re not coming.”
Nod.
Discord seemed morose for a moment, before finally coming up with, “Well, I suppose you’re just one more rewriting of reality away, if you think about it.”
Fluttershy let out a soft giggle at that, her sadness cut through by surprise, and fluttered down to envelop the draconequus in a hug, rubbing her face into his fur. “Everything changes, right?”
“Everything changes.”
Time to Burn
Author's Notes:
My entry for contest #16, "Back to Back / A Stitch in Time." Written in collaborations with rainsilent.
Tags: Spike, Rarity, Slice of Life, Romance
Even though the Friendship Council was technically a government organization now, the six friends who made it up spent as much or more time simply reminiscing and catching up as they did working on official business. There was talk of assignments, of course—things like making sure Rarity spent at least some of time in Harmonizing Heights encouraging hippogriffs to integrate further into Equestrian society, and not use all of it on her new shop there. Checking in on how the latest monster was settling into Fluttershy’s sanctuary. Convincing Applejack that she could spend a little more time on friendship business, and a little less time on the farm, with Sugar Belle settling in so well.
But those things only took so long, and the day was barely half over by the time they found themselves lounging around the Canterlot meeting room—a room that had been designed to look much like the old map room of Ponyville—just talking and catching up.
“How’s Royal Advisor treating you, Spike?” Rarity asked idly, taking a sip of her tea.
Spike grinned. “It’s pretty great, actually. I mean, you know I always helped Twilight with everything anyway, but it’s nice to be doing it officially. I mean, get this - last week, I was in griffonstone, and a griffon actually bowed to me. I didn’t think griffons bowed for anything less than princesses, y’know?”
Rarity smiled. “That sounds lovely, Spike. I’m glad for you.”
There was a stretch of silence, before Spike awkwardly piped up, “So… how’s the Boutique? Or, well… I guess, Boutiques.”
Rarity smiled at him. “I thought you’d never ask. Harmonizing Heights is absolutely delightful, and it’s such an interesting new challenge to design for hippogriffs. I mean, structurally of course they’re very similar to pegasi, but their culture is so far removed that what they consider fashionable is very different. It’s infused new life into my work, and I can’t wait to bring some of the designs back here.”
“That’s cool, Rarity,” Spike nodded. “I’m glad things are working out.”
Another silence stretched between them. Rarity looked around the room, observing the rest of her friends. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were deep in conversation, the pegasus waving her forelegs animatedly as she spoke. They had been spending a lot more time together lately, even outside of these councils. Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Twilight were in another corner of the room, talking quietly and eating some of the cookies Pinkie had brought. Pinkie Pie always had something to say, and of course as Twilight’s position had increased, so too had Pinkie’s workload of celebrating it.
Rarity sighed. It seemed like all her friends were still perfectly capable of finding common ground, but she barely saw any of them outside of these meetings, always travelling to new locations for work.
“Spike…” she finally began, causing the dragon to look up from the gemstone he’d just stuffed into his mouth. “Am I… neglecting our friendship?”
Spike hastily swallowed the gem, coughing before answering. “What? No! Of course not. I mean, we do all sorts of things together.”
“Like what?”
“Well… we went to that Power Ponies convention together.”
Rarity sighed. “Spike, that was three years ago.”
“We… uh… we had… lunch, that one time…”
“At this Council, yes.” Rarity shook her head. “It is true, isn’t it? I’ve been so focused on work…” she looked around again. “I haven’t done anything with any of you besides the bare minimum.”
Spike gulped. “Well, I mean, we’re all super busy these days. I have Ambassador duties, and Rainbow Dash keeps getting new recruits to train, and Applejack is working on that Sweet Apple Acres extension… it’s not your fault.”
Rarity gestured with one hoof towards Applejack and Rainbow Dash. “Tell me, Spike, do you think they’ve only been seeing each other for work?”
“Well… no…”
Rarity nodded. “That settles it, then. Spike, we are doing something nice together.”
Spike blinked. “Like…” he hesitated. “...a date?”
Rarity paused, before forging bullishly ahead. “Yes! Why not? We’re both adults, aren’t we? We can have a nice meal and spend quality time together just like anypony else.”
Spike blushed, and after a moment, Rarity realized that most of her friends were looking across the room at her.
Oops.
Rarity found herself unexpectedly nervous as she waited at Sugarcube Corner for Spike to arrive. It had been ages since she’d actually eaten there, but the Cakes had welcomed her in like they’d just talked to her yesterday. Fortunately, it seemed like Pinkie was on party planning business elsewhere, because Rarity didn’t want to try to explain what this was to her. She wasn’t even sure what it was.
It wasn’t really a date, right? Yes, Spike had used that word, but Spike had also been in puppy love with her ever since they’d met. She’d never paid much attention to it, dismissing it as a child’s infatuation and assuming he would grow out of it. And he had, she’d thought. But the way he’d reacted when she agreed with him made her wonder.
She didn’t have time to resolve that train of thought, because Spike walked in the door. Once again she was surprised at how big he’d gotten over the past few years. She had to look up to meet his eyes now, and no one could miss the muscles he’d developed in the course of his duties.
Spike’s face broke into a wide smile as he spotted her, and he walked over to her booth. With a flourish, he pulled out a single red rose and presented it to her. “For you, Lady Rarity,” he said, his voice formal but still with a hint of a smile in it.
“Oh,” Rarity murmured, taking the flower in her magic. “It’s lovely. Thank you, Spike.” Why was her heart beating like that?
She pulled the flower close, and then hesitated, not sure where to put it. She was about to ask Mrs. Cake for a vase, when Spike took the rose gently from her magic, and then tucked it carefully into her mane. “It suits you,” he said easily. “But then again, you’ve always had an affinity for beauty.” He slipped into the booth across from her.
Alarm bells were sounding in Rarity’s head. What had happened to sweet, innocent little Spikey-Wikey, and when had this suave young dragon replaced him? Had she really been paying so little attention to her friends these past years, and just not noticed?
“Rarity? You alright?”
Rarity blinked, and realized she’d been staring directly into Spike’s abs, and blushed. “Yes, yes, of course,” she fibbed. “Just glad you’re here. Did you want anything? I’m sure they still make your favorites.”
Spike nodded, apparently willing to let that go. Mrs. Cake stepped up, took their orders, and gave them a knowing smile as they left, which Spike completely missed and Rarity felt was really quite unnecessary.
It took a moment for the conversation to start, and longer for it to feel natural again. But as their food arrived, their conversation found their old patterns again, and soon they were reminiscing about times past. Rarity felt herself relax, finally, and soon she almost forgot it was Spike she was talking to. The mental image of the irreplaceable, but still subservient assistant was fading, and it was being replaced by the confident young adult across from her, who knew her so well but no longer felt like a child.
Eventually, a break in the conversation presented itself. “Why don’t we take a walk, Spike?” she asked. “I have to get to the Boutique before it gets too late.”
“Sure,” Spike replied, suddenly seeming disappointed. “Is it alright if we take the long way around?”
Rarity smiled. “Of course.” With that, they stepped out into Ponyville.
They walked by the town hall on the way to Carousel Boutique. The walk had brought back memories for both. Upon reaching the town hall the memory that came to Spike was of the time they first met. It caused him to stop. How he saw her and instantly fell in love. His amusement at Twilight’s messy hair had disappeared in an instant when he got his first glimpse of her. He had seen many ponies like Rarity in Canterlot thanks to Twilight’s position of being Celestia’s student however none of them ever caught his eye like Rarity had.
“Are you listening, Spike?” Rarity asked.
“Huh?” Spike replied as he was jolted back to the present, “Oh, sorry. I was just thinking back to when I first met you when you were decorating the town hall for the Summer Sun Celebration. I was instantly smitten, yet you were focused on Twilight’s mane.”
“Yes. Honestly I wasn’t ever thinking about you as I was focused completely on Twilight. At the time such a relationship was rather unheard of between a dragon and a pony. She was in a hurry too as she left the instant I went looking for a dress.”
“She was almost paranoid about Nightmare Moon’s return. She was in a hurry to get back to studying that. Can’t blame her seeing as she was right. She doesn’t panic as often anymore, but at least she still has me around when she does.”
“Some things never change,” Rarity laughed as she started again for Carousel Boutique, “It was a busy day for me as well, so getting to know you was out of the question, unfortunately. Thankfully we had a lot of time.”
Spike starts walking with her as they continued on. Carousel Boutique was just on the other side of the buildings on the south-west corner of the city square. When they rounded the corner and saw the boutique they both stopped.
“Spike this has been… wonderful. I’m sorry that I have to end it so soon.” Rarity gave Spike a soft smile. “I’ve really enjoyed myself.”
“So have I,” Spike replied, “You don’t suppose we could hang out for a bit longer do you?”
“Alas my dearest Spike I fear not. I have to go to Manehattan tomorrow and I have a few things to finish before I go.”
Rarity couldn’t help but notice Spike smile after that. “Spike why are you smiling like that? Didn’t you just say how you wished we could spend more time together?”
“I also have to go to Manehattan tomorrow. Why don’t we pick up where we left off?” Spike said with a sly smile.
Rarity gasped, “I would love to.”
The Mirror Room
Author's Notes:
Written for the Halloween contest. Prompt was "Mirror."
Tags: Starlight, Twilight, Dark, Horror
No one really knew how big the Castle of Friendship was, in the early days.
It was certainly bigger than it needed to be, and everything Twilight needed could be found relatively close to the map room. There was a library, a kitchen, a whole wing of guest rooms, and everything else she really needed, usually before she knew she needed it. Besides, she had more important things to do than wander through empty corridors.
As such, it took her a while to find the mirror room. That seemed to be the only logical name for it, since its only defining feature was a massive mirror on one wall, stretching up almost two stories. Otherwise, it was empty and unadorned. It didn’t seem to have a purpose - certainly there were other mirrors in the castle, inside sensible rooms with a reason for existing - so Twilight wrote it off as a quirk of the castle and didn’t see a reason to return. Over time, its existence faded almost entirely from her mind.
It wasn’t until she was giving Starlight the grand tour of the castle that she even remembered it existed. She stepped in, looked around, and announced, “This is the mirror room,” and turned around to move on.
“What’s a mirror room?” Starlight questioned, stepping in past her. “Whoa.” She trotted up to the mirror, putting one hoof lightly on the glass. “What do you use this for?”
“Nothing,” Twilight said impatiently. “It’s just here.”
“Isn’t that a little weird?”
Twilight shrugged. “The Elements of Harmony making me a castle is a little weird. There’s all sorts of strange stuff here.”
“Huh,” Starlight muttered, and turned to follow Twilight to the next stop on the tour.
Just before she left, she turned to look at the mirror again. Her reflection looked back, and she frowned softly as she closed the door.
——
It wasn’t long before Starlight found her way back to the room. Sitting there, watching her reflection, felt peaceful. There was nothing to distract her from her thoughts, and her reflection was a silent presence that didn’t judge her or ask her to learn friendship lessons. Much as she appreciated Twilight’s help with making her a better pony, sometimes it was nice to hide away in this room Twilight never entered, just to collect herself.
Before too long, she started talking to her reflection, musing out loud about the latest thing she’d messed up, or advice Twilight had given her. Her reflection was a good listener. Sometimes it felt like it was really contemplating her words, or she’d imagine it reaching out a hoof to comfort her, only to find it sitting just as she was when she looked back. Sometimes she would just lay her head against the glass, and she could almost feel the fur of the Starlight on the other side.
Twilight noticed, of course. Asked her where she was when she vanished for hours on end. The first time, Starlight almost told her. But then she shrank away. Twilight would take the room from her. She would come find her when she wanted to be alone. The room was hers. So she’d lied. It didn’t fool Twilight. But the alicorn hadn’t pressed her, and instead just assigned more friendship lessons.
She vented to the mirror about it, of course. The mirror understood.
She found herself beginning to dread seeing Twilight. Twilight always looked at her with suspicion now, her brows furrowed and a frown on her face. She asked Starlight how she’d been, asked if she’d been spending time with Trixie. Inquired about friendship lessons. Starlight wished she’d just stop talking. Every question was a trap. A chance for her to make a mistake, and let Twilight know about the mirror.
The mirror was the only pony that understood her. It would come to her in her dreams, tell her everything was alright. Listen to her worries, and tell her Twilight would never find them. She’d wake up to the kind smile of her reflection, and a motherly tousle of her hair before she was ready to face the day.
Someday, the mirror told her, everything would be fine. Someday, she wouldn’t have to worry about Twilight anymore. Someday, she wouldn’t have to deal with the alicorn’s accusing glares and probing questions. The mirror would fix everything.
The mirror would fix it.
Tribute
Author's Notes:
Written for contest #20. The prompt was the song "Fear and Delight" by The Correspondents.
Tags: OC, Slice of Life
The dragon of Mount Ferrier was, in the grand scheme of things, not particularly notable. It was rare to see a dragon of their age and size this far from the dragonlands, but not unheard of. Usually they would settle in Pegasi lands, where the ground was uninteresting to the inhabitants, or in high mountains among the Earth Ponies, where the land was bare and could not be farmed. Mount Ferrier, however, was in Unicorn territory, and normally the unicorns would drive out such a threat—powerful as they were, even adult dragons had much to fear from a large enough group of wizards.
This dragon, however, was allowed to stay. There had been an accord.
The village of Crimson River was small, but prosperous. Nestled in the foothills of Mount Ferrier, it enjoyed good weather, bountiful harvests almost unheard of among unicorns, and a lack of banditry that most attributed to the dragon that protected them. Most unicorns could go their entire lives without ever seeing the dragon, but all were assured of its existence by the contract under glass in Town Hall. Peace, prosperity, and protection for the land, in exchange for a small price, once every two hundred years.
Most didn’t think about what the price was. Rarely did anyone read the fine print of a contract made hundreds of years ago. But every year, the village celebrated Dragon Day, a festival of thanks for their mystical protector.
This year’s festival was different. As evening wore on, the town gathered in the square to hear a proclamation from Mayor Nightbane. He walked onto the stage with a bowl held in his magic, filled with scraps of paper.
“As you know,” he began, “We owe our village’s prosperity to the dragon in the mountain.” There was a cheer from the assembled ponies, which he allowed to peter out before he continued. “Most years, the dragon asks nothing from us in return. This is not one of those years.”
His gaze scanned the assembled ponies, before continuing. “Today, we give back to our protector. This bowl contains the name of every pony in this town. I will pull one name at random, and that pony will go to the dragon, and never return.”
A hush fell over the crowd. The mayor, finished with his speech, lit his horn and pulled out a single piece of paper. He looked at it for only a moment before announcing, “Luminance.”
The crowd parted, all eyes suddenly on the silver-yellow mare who found herself standing alone. A moment ago, she had been whispering with her friends, not really paying attention to the speech. Now those same friends had stepped back, looking at her with something between sorrow and relief.
Luminance turned to one of them. “Daystrider…?” she whispered, and the stallion shook his head. “Oh.” She bowed her head, and then murmured, “...well, goodbye, then.”
Slowly, she approached the stage. The mayor whispered a few words to her that she didn’t hear over her own thoughts, and cast a spell. A flowing, ceremonial cloth settled over her shoulders, and soon, a pair of town guards were leading her away from her life, and up the side of the mountain.
Luminance walked for what felt like hours. The night grew darker around them, and attempts to engage the guards in conversation fell flat. Finally, they arrived at the mouth of a cave, near the top of the mountain. With a telekinetic nudge from one of the guards, Luminance stepped inside, into the pitch black in front of her. “Hello?” she called, her voice trembling. She lit her horn, casting a soft light in front of her that did little to light up the gloom. A glance back, and the guards were already gone. For a moment, she thought to run. But there was only one path back down, and no way she would make it without being seen and sent back.
With a deep breath that felt too loud, she stepped deeper into the cave, picking her way carefully across the rocks in the dim light of her horn. She didn’t call out again, not sure she really wanted anything to answer.
Finally, a light shone out in front of her, growing steadily brighter. She emerged into a larger chamber, large enough that the soft light from the center didn’t reach the walls. It was there that she got her first look at the dragon.
It was massive. Easily the size of several houses, with pale blue scales that reminded her of the sea. Its eyes were closed, and it was breathing steadily. As she watched, it let out a snort, opening its mouth to reveal teeth as big as she was. She gulped, and crept slightly closer.
“Hello?” she whispered, surprised to even get that much out. The dragon didn’t stir, and she pulled back. If it wanted to sleep, she thought it probably seemed wise to let it. She settled down at the edge of the circle of light—it seemed to have no source beyond perhaps the dragon itself—and waited, nervously glancing at the beast across from her.
She wasn’t expecting to fall asleep.
When she awoke, the dragon was watching her.
“Eep!” she squeaked, attempting to stumble to her hooves, but getting her legs tangled in the blanket around her and crashing to the floor. Her ears rang with the impact, and she brought a hoof to her head, trying to steady her vision.
It took her a moment to realize the dragon was laughing. “Glad you’re happy,” Luminance muttered, before clapping a hoof over her mouth. She was trying not to anger the thing that was probably going to eat her, wasn’t she?
The dragon only seemed more amused at that. “You must be the tribute,” he said—and now that he spoke, it was definitely a he—”I am glad you made it here unscathed. I apologize for not being awake to meet you.”
Luminance blinked, and slowly got back to her hooves. The dragon was apologizing to her? “I… thank you?” she ventured. “I…” she swallowed, and tried again. “I… don’t really know how this works.”
The dragon chuckled. “I wouldn’t expect you to.” He brought his head closer, and Luminance shrank back, for all the good it did. “My, you are young, aren’t you? Good, that’s probably good.”
Luminance blinked. Whatever she had been expecting, it wasn’t that. With another gulp, she ventured, “Are you going to eat me? Because if you are, there’s a few things I’d like to ask—” Her words came tumbling out, almost as if she was afraid she might be snapped up before she got the chance to finish, but she stopped as she realized the dragon was laughing again. “Are you… not going to eat me?” she ventured, allowing a note of hope into her voice.
The dragon grinned down at her. “Not today, at least.” His voice made it clear he thought the whole thing was very funny. “You never read the contract I have with your village, did you?”
Luminance shook her head.
“Then let me make it more clear. You are a tribute, mine to do with as I please. I get only one pony every two hundred years. Do you really think I’d waste such a thing on a quick meal?”
Luminance shook her head again, slower this time.
“Good. Let’s get you settled in. I think you’ll like your accommodations, the last tribute made quite an effort to make them homey.” With that, he turned deeper into the cave.
Luminance dared to breathe for what felt like the first time in ages, and followed the dragon to her new home.
Nostalgia
Author's Notes:
Second place in a PANIC! Fiction. Written in twenty minutes. The prompt was "Reunion."
Tags: Celestia, Luna, Drama
“My sister, I understand that thou hath missed me, but if thou could remove thyself from thine person, please.”
Celestia let out a little ‘oh’ and released her hold on her little sister. “I’m sorry, Luna. I’ve just missed you so much these last thousand years. It’s been so lonely without you—”
“Yes, yes, we understand,” Luna said frostily. “But tis only a thousand years for you, mine sister. For Us, ‘twas yesterday. And while the elements may have removed the dark influence from Our mind, they have not erased Our memories.”
“Oh,” Celestia repeated, her voice small. “I didn’t realize. I… I suppose you’re still mad, then.”
“You banished Us to the moon. You took the most glorious part of Our night, the night We hoped ponies would appreciate further, and turned it into a symbol of the monster We became! You made Us a child’s boogeymare! Yes, We are still mad!” Luna boomed out in the Royal Canterlot Voice, making Celestia wince.
“Luna…” she whispered, folding her wings close and becoming as small as she could make herself. “I was wrong. I neglected you, and I didn’t see that you were hurting. And for that, I will apologize every day for the next thousand years, if that is what you need me to say. I… I felt I had no choice, that day when we fought. I didn’t know what the Elements would do, and… I couldn’t let the Nightmare hurt my little ponies. I am so sorry for what happened that day, but… I just want my sister back. Please.”
Luna’s gaze remained stormy. Even with Celestia trying to make herself smaller, she still had to look up to see her older sister’s face, the Elements having robbed her of her stature, as if to add one final insult to her injury. She opened her mouth to snap out another retort, but then she paused, seeing the look on Celestia’s face. Her ears were drooped, her mane lying flat against her neck, rainbow colors hardly flowing at all. Her eyes watered, tears threatening to flow but just barely being held back. Luna found her voice dying in her throat, and she looked away.
“Damn you,” she finally muttered. “‘Twould be easier to fight. We betrayed thou. Thou should be furious.” She fell quiet for a moment, before murmuring, “It is easier to be mad when thou are furious.”
Celestia reached one wing forward, instinctively reaching out to wrap Luna in an embrace, but she stopped before it got there. Finally, she pulled back, and spoke again. “Being mad was what pushed us past the point of no return. I gave you a target for your anger, and it consumed you. I am done being angry. I don’t want to fight you, Luna. I never did.”
Luna sniffed, and suddenly she was the one crying. “Not even for old time’s sake?” she asked, but as she said it, she had turned back, smiling softly through her tears.
Celestia dared to smile. “Perhaps one day. But… it’s too early to be nostalgic. After all, it was only yesterday.”
Luna let out a snort, before clamping a hoof over her mouth. But it did nothing to quell her laughter, and a moment later, she had embraced Celestia. Her sister, once again.