#prompt 254

[wonderful-prompts]

Prompt #254

A cabin in the woods hides monstrous beings called humans.

[thirtyminuteponies]

Prompt #254 compilation: "Love Triangle" (Theme Week, Day One)

The prompt: Three ponies get together for love. Special rule: At most, only one of the ponies in this trio can be in the mane six.

Check out this batch o' stories from the first day of this month's theme week!

"Quiet as Seasons Pass" by Stagmanparty 

“Sacrifice” by Versulia

“Anniversary” by Donny’s Boy

“Apples and Oranges” by Baby Seal Burritos

“Letters in Moonlight” by Brony Incognito

“You Never Specified The Type” by icemoonbankai

“Sweet Candy and Cider” by Kyronea

“Great Minds Think Alike” by TheLastBrunnenG

“Impropriety” by Rawtooth

[thirtyminuteponies]

Prompt #254: “Impropriety” by Rawtooth

The dingy hotel room smelt of sweat, smoke and other less savory scents.  The three of them laid in bed together, a thin sheet barely covering their bodies, a concession to modesty that made little sense considering the acts the trio had just been up to.  But it was the proper thing to do, and while the room was cheap, the mares themselves were not.

“More champagne darlings?”

The words, lilting and a bit slurred, came from the white-furred unicorn seated to one side of the bed.  Between her cutie mark, a trio of blue diamonds, and her mane, a gorgeously rich plum, there was little question to her identity as Rarity of Ponyville, bearer of the Element of Generosity and current darling of the fashion world.  The fashionista was currently levitating a chilled glass bottle from the bucket of ice atop the nearby dresser and giving it a gentle shake in the direction of her two lovers.

The nearest, an earth pony mare with an ash grey coat and a taupe grey mane, merely shook her head curtly in the negatory.  She was Octavia, the world famous cellist and composer, albeit a pony not as visible in the public’s eye as Rarity.  Once upon a time, Rarity would have pushed Octavia to work on her public image, telling her that she needed to “put herself out there” if anypony was recognize her face on the street.  But that was a topic Rarity brought up no longer.

“I would love some my dear.”

Where Rarity’s inflection was proper and precise, the third pony’s response flowed like honey over silk.  She was tall, far taller than her two bedmates, with a delicate pink mane that looked fashionably styled even after the evening’s strenuous activities.   It was only fitting that Fleur de Lis, one of the greatest courtesans of Canterlot’s courts, could manage to look so graceful after such savory uncouthness. 

Bringing up a crystal glass, Rarity filled it to the brim with the bubbly liquid, before passing it along to her fellow unicorn, who accepted it with a gracious nod.  Setting down the bottle, Rarity found herself staring at how delicately Fleur drank from the glass.  Watching that thin pink tongue flick in and out of that well-formed mouth brought to mind other recently vivid images.  By the time Fleur was finished, Rarity found herself panting slightly.  Catching her gaze, Fleur gave the seamstress a wink before setting aside the glass.

“Did you enjoy what you saw Lady Rarity?”

Her breath hitching at the realization of being caught, Rarity gave a small cough, the better to disguise her sudden blush, before answering.

“As always Lady de Lis, I do so enjoy a piece of art such as yourself.”

Fleur had opened her mouth to continue the playful banter that Rarity enjoyed so when the two were interrupted by a grunt from the pony laying between them.   With a frown, Fleur looked down at Octavia and Rarity followed suit.

The earth pony looked distantly disgruntled, an impressively expressionless state she had perfected over long months touring the country and being the most proper of proper musicians.  But to Fleur and Rarity, she may as well have been wearing a sign that said “Upset Pony Here!”

“I hate my job.”

The words, ground out in a monotone, stung more than a thousand slipped needle pricks or ill-timed court comments to the two.  They listened on as Octavia continued.

“I hate my job, I hate traveling everywhere, and most of all, I hate that I only get to see you two once every month.”

Rarity pursed her lips at the statement, carefully considering her words before speaking.  It had always been a sticking point in this … arrangement that the trio had, that they only allowed themselves to see each other infrequently at best.  Octavia most of all had protested against it, the musician all too happy to expose their relationship to the world instead of hiding it away.  Fleur on the other hoof had always been in favor for it, pointing out that her life as a courtier required as few scandals as possible, lest a rival gain an edge on her.  For her own part, Rarity had enjoyed the clandestine meetings and saucy weekends with the two, the entire thing presenting a sordid atmosphere that tickled her fancy just so.

But as she looked over Octavia’s body, catching Fleur’s pink eyes with her own, Rarity realized that maybe the impropriety of the situation had gotten a bit out of hoof.  Leaning down close to the musician, Fleur mirroring her on the other side, Rarity whispered into Octavia’s ear.

“Perhaps … perhaps we can arrange something a bit more stable, ‘Tavi, my dear.”

The smile that the normally stolid earth pony gave was as bright as one of Pinkie Pie’s.

---

BSB Comments:

I liked the trio you picked out here; a very interesting mix while still remaining rather plausible. The different attitudes about their arrangement and how their different vocations factored into that was interesting to read, and I wasn't expecting Octavia to be the one to argue against it. This was fun. Well done!

[thirtyminuteponies]

Prompt #254: "Great Minds Think Alike" by TheLastBrunnenG

Luna raised an eyebrow and glanced at the pink alicorn walking beside her through the halls of Canterlot Castle. "Princess Cadance, art thou certain my sister meant to schedule a meeting of this import for such a late hour?"

"That's what she wanted," nodded the smaller Princess, "and she was very specific. Celestia asked that we meet outside of our usual chambers - something about a fresh setting inspiring us to think outside the box, 'try something outside out comfort zone', I think she said. She even volunteered to oversee Night Court for the evening."

The dark mare's muzzle wrinkled a bit. "And we are to discuss what, again?"

Cadance lit her horn briefly and a set of great wooden doors swung open as they walked down a torchlit hallway. "Crisis management. Auntie Celestia wants us to compare our experiences from the changeling invasion and the fight against King Sombra."

Walking on but closing her eyes, Luna moaned, "And could we not merely have compared written accounts?"

Cadance giggled softly, an odd sound which echoed down the passageway above the clip-clop of their hoofsteps. "Well, we could have, but it's so rare to have the three of us together in one place that we couldn't pass up the opportunity."

"Three of us?" Luna said, "Will Tia be joining us? Or your husband?"

"No," Cadance answered with the tiniest of grins, "it'll be the two of us plus Twilight. Celestia thought that since Twilight was present for both battles, she'd have valuable insights on - "

Luna's ears shot up and her wings fluttered as she ceased walking and began to canter down the corridor. "Twilight Sparkle? She is here?"

"You bet! She's waiting for us on the Observatory balcony. Celestia thought it would be worth bringing her here for the night," said Cadance, her smile widening, "and of course I agreed." Torchlight twinkled in her eyes as she sped to keep up with the nearly-bouncing mare by her side. "You seem rather enthusiastic about our little strategy session now, Luna. I knew you two were friends, but…"

The Moon Princess coughed and set her gaze on the cobblestone floors below, her midnight-blue cheeks now blush-purple in the passing firelight. "We… I, ah… Yes, it will be good to see Twilight Sparkle again! There is - there is much I would discuss with her."

Cadance hummed a sprightly tune and beamed a face-wide smile as she motioned with a wing toward a pair of golden doors ahead. "Good, because here we are!"

There on the sweeping balcony which ringed the great dome of the Royal Observatory stood several tables laden with steaming dishes and racks of bottled wines. Beside them stood a diminutive unicorn, the pink streaks in her purple mane barely visible in the nighttime darkness. Turning at the sound of the creaking doors, her eyes shot wide and she bolted forward and lay a tight hug on the Crystal Princess. "Cadance! I haven't seen you since your coronation!" Stepping back from the embrace, she inhaled a sharp breath as her cheeks flushed. "Luna! Cadance, you didn't tell me Luna was coming!"

"Didn't I? Must've slipped my mind." Gesturing to the table, Cadance said, "I hope you don’t mind that I had our meeting catered. We'll be here a while and I didn't want anypony going hungry, after all. Before we begin, I - " A flash of magic erupted before her as a scroll appeared and hovered a hoof's length from her muzzle. Her brow furrowed as she read, and as she rolled up the scroll her ears drooped. "Oh, no, not now!"

Luna cocked her head a bit and asked, "What troubles thee, Cadance?"

Cadance signed and shook her head. "Apparently some ponies came before the Night Court demanding the right to strip-mine half the Crystal Empire. It sounds ridiculous, but Celestia thinks it's urgent enough that she wants me there to deal with it personally." Her shoulders dropped as she turned toward the doors. "I'm so sorry, everypony. I brought you both out here for nothing, I guess. I'll be dealing with this," she said, rolling her eyes as she waved the scroll about, "all night, most likely. We'll have to call off our meeting. There's no sense wasting the meal, though." Looking over her shoulder with a smirk as she left the balcony, she added, "Why don't you two stay and enjoy a little... private dinner together?"

Hours later the vaulted chambers of the Night Court were empty save for white and pink alicorns seated on the dais near the Ebon Throne and giggling madly. Celestia bent down and whispered, "They were that obvious? And you didn't even have to use your magic?"

"Not at all!" beamed the smaller mare, "They're just so perfect together! I'm so glad we decided to - wait, they're coming!" The two Princesses sat back on their haunches and fought to drop their grins as the Night Court doors opened. Luna and Twilight cantered forward, smiling broadly, tails entwined, with Luna's great indigo wing draped across Twilight's back. They stopped and looked at each other before turning to the two smirking ponies.

"Celestia! Cadance!" Luna said, "Twilight and I wish to thank you! You have done us a great service! We have something we wish to declare. Twilight and I could think of no better way to have - "

"Oh, it was nothing!" Cadance laughed, "I just knew you two would hit it off! "

" - spent our four-month anniversary together. I thought my court duties would occupy me through the  blessed event, and Twilight's research threatened to keep her in Ponyville as well. We have you to thank for bringing us together this glorious night!"

Cadance waved a dismissing hoof. "I told you, it was no problem, really. I  - " She froze and a pink ear twitched a bit. "Wait, did you say 'four month anniversary'?"

"Indeed! 'Twas at the last Nightmare Night celebration that Twilight and I confessed our mutual attraction." Luna leaned down and lay a kiss behind the ear of a suddenly-blushing Twilight.

Cadance's eye began to tic as she stammered, "You mean I bribed the Royal Astronomers to give up the whole Observatory for the night, got the weather ponies to clear every cloud for miles, and catered a thousand-bit dinner, and you two were already together?"

Twilight nuzzled Luna's neck and purred, "Well, you could have just asked."

Commentary from Donny's Boy

I like the subversion at the end, that unbeknownst to Cadance, Luna and Twilight have already been a couple for a while. I also liked Luna starting to canter once she realizes they're going to be seeing Twilight and Celestia giggling like a school filly with Cadance over their devious little plot.

I'll be honest, though, and say that this almost got bounced for not fitting the prompt. Prompt subversions are something most of the TMP mods appreciate, but this doesn't read like a thoughtful prompt subversion--it reads like a mangling of the prompt in order to write one of the two or three ships you always write.

The writing prompts are a chance for writers to spread their wings and flex their muscles. Please consider embracing the spirit as well as the letter of the prompts and broadening your horizons a bit.

[thirtyminuteponies]

Submissions for Prompt #254 are CLOSED

That's all for our pony threesomes! Thanks to everyone for writing, and we'll have those stories posted shortly.

[thirtyminuteponies]

One hour warning for Prompt #254

"...You made us dresses?"

"Well, of course! You two are dating a dressmaker, you know. What did you expect?"

"I didn't expect them to be matching dresses."

"I'm not comfortable with this."

"There's a third one for myself, of course."

"I'm not sure that makes it better."

"Why, whatever's the matter, darlings? Don't you like them?"

"Well... I dunno how I feel about going out in that."

"G-going out?! Goodness, darlings, these are for private use only!"

"...Oh! Well, that changes everything."

Come see what ponies get up to in private at 2:00pm Pacific, 5:00pm Eastern, 10:00pm GMT. Make sure to dress for the occasion!

[thirtyminuteponies]

Three hour warning for Prompt #254

"Hm. Well, I've got Monday, Tuesday, and Friday open."

"Twilight."

"You've got Friday, Saturday, and Sunday open."

"Twilight."

"And she's got Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday open."

"Twilight!"

"Huh? What is it?"

"We're all together right now."

"Well, yeah. For scheduling."

"Couldn't we be doing something else?"

"Not if it's not on the schedule!"

"Ugh!"

The schedule says the prompt goes up at 2:00pm Pacific, 5:00pm Eastern, 10:00pm GMT. Don't be late!