My Little Pony XX: Appletastic Treats

[tonberrian]

Alright, I refuse to let the possible death of my good computer stop me from writing, no matter what the threats may be! And to prove that I am not giving up, I hereby present, in honor of the fact that the series will be starting in September:

Midnight and Shimmer's Guide to Dating, Preview #2

Spoiler

Show

Alright, so dinner had been a disaster. There was no getting around that, but it was still early in the evening, and there was plenty of time to turn the date around.

And this? This couldn't fail.

A beautiful summers evening, the stars already starting to twinkle in the sky. The soothing, almost hypnotic sounds of Lyra's harp, as she played for the small audience that had gathered quietly for this outdoor recital.

It was going so well that Midnight didn't even mind the fact that she was almost assuredly getting grass stains on her dress. The stress of the disastrous dinner was starting to evaporate into the night air, and she felt a gentle weight start to press against her side, felt Shimmer's head lean up against her own.

"This is so nice..." Shimmer whispered, looking adoringly up at the lime-green performer up on stage. Midnight felt her cheeks flush with delight. She knew Shimmer absolutely loved Lyra (to the point where if Midnight was a different pony, she might be jealous!), so when Midnight had learned that she was putting on a concert on the night of their date, she had pulled out all of the stops to get tickets.

And it was worth the camping trip! Midnight turned her head, to look at the lovely pegasus who was her company. Yes, this was the perfect moment, it was exactly what Midnight had hoped for, and so, she leaned in, intent on kissing the cheek that was presenting itself to her...

"Hark, my beloved!"

Midnight flinched back, and looked around fearfully, a chill running down her spine. Ponies around her looked about in irritation, trying to find the source of the noise that had interrupted the atmosphere that had been so carefully constructed.

No, it couldn't be him. He was safely back at Canterlot, far, far, far away from her.

Even if was him, surely he wasn't there for her. She would pretend that she had never heard that voice. She snuggled closer to Shimmer, who smiled, having not been distracted from the music by that voice. Shimmer turned to look at her, delight sparkling in her eyes, and that chill down Midnight's spine was replaced with a delightful tingle. They began to lean forwards, their lips about to meet...

"Ah, my beloved! I have found you once again!"

The moment evaporated as quickly as it had began, as that voice repeated itself, closer now. The two slowly looked up at the pony who had so rudely interrupted them, and Midnight let out a despairing sigh.

He really was the spitting image of his father. Midnight knew ponies took after their parents, she was proof at that, but Prince Blueblood II looked so much like his father that Midnight was privately convinced that he had simply, one day, budded off of his father in some sort of strange form of mitosis. It would certainly explain a few things.

"What are you doing here?" Midnight hissed quietly, poor Shimmer looking confusedly between her and the intruder into their privacy. Blueblood flashed a dazzling smile, that might have enraptured young mares that didn't know any better.

"Why, I have come to this...delightful little town...to enjoy this music, of course! My father thought it would be a good chance to spent time with my fiancee, and here I find you, in the arms of another mare! How scandalous!"

They were starting to get more of an audience at this point, as pony eyes turned towards the drama that was starting to unfurl in their midst. Midnight felt her eyebrow twitch, a slight headache forming behind her eyes.

"Fiancee? Midnight, what's going on? What is he talking about?" Shimmer asked, the confusion evident in her voice. Midnight had to head this off at the pass, before it got any worse, before Shimmer got the wrong idea.

She sprung to her feet, as quickly as her dress would allow her.

"Blueblood, you are not my fiancee! We met twice, after the Gala, and that was because your father kept shoving you into my path! I don't know what ideas he's been feeding you, but it's not going to happen! Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm trying to spend some time with my marefriend."

Blueblood blinked, and looked between the standing, seething Midnight, and the sitting Shimmer, who was blushing ever so slightly as Midnight's rather loud exclamation that they were lovers.

"Marefriend? You are attempting to tell me that this is not some form of youthful experimentation? Princess Midnight, you cannot be telling me that you are a fillyfo-"

He was cut off immediately.

"You use that term, and I will force-feed you my bustle. I'm not sure which part of this dress is the bustle, so it might take a few attempts!" Midnight yelled, anger clear and rising in her voice. Anypony around her, thinking about it later, would have sworn that for the briefest of moments, Midnight's eyes went from blue to green. Blueblood (The Second) took a step back, and it looked for a moment that he had given up.

Instead, however, he turned from the seething Princess, to Shimmer, who was still sitting down, casting an almost scornful gaze upon her.

"You, filly. What can you possibly have to offer her?" Shimmer blinked at the question, and took a moment to collect her thoughts.

"Well, I'm a writer..." She began, and Blueblood scoffed.

"A writer? How...plebeian. You are looking at Prince Blueblood (The Second), of the illustrious Blueblood line. I can trace my lineage back a thousand years!"

"Midnight doesn't seem to be too impressed by that..." Shimmer quirked a smile, looking a tad more confident. "She seems to like my writing an awful lot, though."

Midnight blushed furiously, and stepped to move closer to Shimmer, to show her support.

Unfortunately, at the same time, her confidence building, Shimmer had elected to start to stand as well. Her hoof came down on a part of Midnight's dress.

Now, Midnight had never been especially graceful. Oh, sure, she could move properly as long as she put her mind to it, but it didn't' come naturally to her. She was, in fact, prone to tripping, bouncing her head off things, and just general klutziness. But even she couldn't hope to match Shimmer in the four-left-hoof department. Their relationship had, in fact, started when they had literally crashed right into one another!

And so, the end result of this particular moment of dual-klutz was a sickening tear of fabric, Shimmer sent tripping to the ground, her legs somehow getting bound in the strip of silk that she had accidentally torn from Midnight's dress. She began to struggle, only making it worse.

Midnight stooped to help her, only to hear a scornful laugh behind her.

"You're thinking of choosing that graceless pegasus?" Midnight's eye twitched painfully, and she whirled on Blueblood II, painfully poking his chest with a hoof.

"Shimmer has more grace and dignity tied up than you do ever! Get this through your thick head, Prince. You are not my fiancee! I am not, and I repeat, not interested in you!"

With that, she turned back to Shimmer, starting to help untangle the struggling pegasus, looking apologetically at her. Blueblood was quiet for a long moment.

"Ah, I understand..." He began, and Midnight blinked. Had she finally gotten through his thick skull? Did he finally understand?

"Of course! How silly of me. Of course you are not interested in me! You are Princess Midnight! Daughter of one of the rulers of Equestria! Heir to the Throne of the Night! You must be impressed! Yes, I understand now! I must undertake some grave Quest for the hoof of my Lady!"

Midnight and Shimmer just looked at him, neither knowing what to say. He flashed them another smile.

"Fear not, Lady Midnight! For I, Prince Blueblood The Second, shall complete a task that will impress you so much, it shall send you spiraling into my waiting hooves!"

The two simply blinked, stunned. With one last flourish, the noblepony dove through the crowd, heading out on his grand Quest.

Midnight let out a sigh, as she finished untangling Shimmer, and helped her up.

"I'm really sorry about that, I...didn't expect..." She murmured, looking unhappy. This was going so well, and now...

"It's alright, you couldn't have...eep..." Shimmer trailed off, her eyes widening. Midnight blinked, and began to look around, and soon determined why.

Everypony was looking at them. Not just the audience, but Lyra up on stage, irritation clearly etched upon her face, her hooves no longer playing upon that harp.

Midnight let out a nervous chuckle.

"Uhm...Encore?"

I am trying so hard not to laugh right now. I'm at work, supposed to do work things, not ponies, and you are absolutely going to spoil my cover!

[Kris Strife]

Why not?

You know how some old dresses make the wearer look like their backsides can carry passengers? That's what the bustle does.

I think on a pony, the bustle would either have it's function filled by the rest of the pony's body, or be vertical.

[Thanqol]

Alright, I refuse to let the possible death of my good computer stop me from writing, no matter what the threats may be! And to prove that I am not giving up, I hereby present, in honor of the fact that the series will be starting in September:

Midnight and Shimmer's Guide to Dating, Preview #2

Spoiler

Show

Alright, so dinner had been a disaster. There was no getting around that, but it was still early in the evening, and there was plenty of time to turn the date around.

And this? This couldn't fail.

A beautiful summers evening, the stars already starting to twinkle in the sky. The soothing, almost hypnotic sounds of Lyra's harp, as she played for the small audience that had gathered quietly for this outdoor recital.

It was going so well that Midnight didn't even mind the fact that she was almost assuredly getting grass stains on her dress. The stress of the disastrous dinner was starting to evaporate into the night air, and she felt a gentle weight start to press against her side, felt Shimmer's head lean up against her own.

"This is so nice..." Shimmer whispered, looking adoringly up at the lime-green performer up on stage. Midnight felt her cheeks flush with delight. She knew Shimmer absolutely loved Lyra (to the point where if Midnight was a different pony, she might be jealous!), so when Midnight had learned that she was putting on a concert on the night of their date, she had pulled out all of the stops to get tickets.

And it was worth the camping trip! Midnight turned her head, to look at the lovely pegasus who was her company. Yes, this was the perfect moment, it was exactly what Midnight had hoped for, and so, she leaned in, intent on kissing the cheek that was presenting itself to her...

"Hark, my beloved!"

Midnight flinched back, and looked around fearfully, a chill running down her spine. Ponies around her looked about in irritation, trying to find the source of the noise that had interrupted the atmosphere that had been so carefully constructed.

No, it couldn't be him. He was safely back at Canterlot, far, far, far away from her.

Even if was him, surely he wasn't there for her. She would pretend that she had never heard that voice. She snuggled closer to Shimmer, who smiled, having not been distracted from the music by that voice. Shimmer turned to look at her, delight sparkling in her eyes, and that chill down Midnight's spine was replaced with a delightful tingle. They began to lean forwards, their lips about to meet...

"Ah, my beloved! I have found you once again!"

The moment evaporated as quickly as it had began, as that voice repeated itself, closer now. The two slowly looked up at the pony who had so rudely interrupted them, and Midnight let out a despairing sigh.

He really was the spitting image of his father. Midnight knew ponies took after their parents, she was proof at that, but Prince Blueblood II looked so much like his father that Midnight was privately convinced that he had simply, one day, budded off of his father in some sort of strange form of mitosis. It would certainly explain a few things.

"What are you doing here?" Midnight hissed quietly, poor Shimmer looking confusedly between her and the intruder into their privacy. Blueblood flashed a dazzling smile, that might have enraptured young mares that didn't know any better.

"Why, I have come to this...delightful little town...to enjoy this music, of course! My father thought it would be a good chance to spent time with my fiancee, and here I find you, in the arms of another mare! How scandalous!"

They were starting to get more of an audience at this point, as pony eyes turned towards the drama that was starting to unfurl in their midst. Midnight felt her eyebrow twitch, a slight headache forming behind her eyes.

"Fiancee? Midnight, what's going on? What is he talking about?" Shimmer asked, the confusion evident in her voice. Midnight had to head this off at the pass, before it got any worse, before Shimmer got the wrong idea.

She sprung to her feet, as quickly as her dress would allow her.

"Blueblood, you are not my fiancee! We met twice, after the Gala, and that was because your father kept shoving you into my path! I don't know what ideas he's been feeding you, but it's not going to happen! Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm trying to spend some time with my marefriend."

Blueblood blinked, and looked between the standing, seething Midnight, and the sitting Shimmer, who was blushing ever so slightly as Midnight's rather loud exclamation that they were lovers.

"Marefriend? You are attempting to tell me that this is not some form of youthful experimentation? Princess Midnight, you cannot be telling me that you are a fillyfo-"

He was cut off immediately.

"You use that term, and I will force-feed you my bustle. I'm not sure which part of this dress is the bustle, so it might take a few attempts!" Midnight yelled, anger clear and rising in her voice. Anypony around her, thinking about it later, would have sworn that for the briefest of moments, Midnight's eyes went from blue to green. Blueblood (The Second) took a step back, and it looked for a moment that he had given up.

Instead, however, he turned from the seething Princess, to Shimmer, who was still sitting down, casting an almost scornful gaze upon her.

"You, filly. What can you possibly have to offer her?" Shimmer blinked at the question, and took a moment to collect her thoughts.

"Well, I'm a writer..." She began, and Blueblood scoffed.

"A writer? How...plebeian. You are looking at Prince Blueblood (The Second), of the illustrious Blueblood line. I can trace my lineage back a thousand years!"

"Midnight doesn't seem to be too impressed by that..." Shimmer quirked a smile, looking a tad more confident. "She seems to like my writing an awful lot, though."

Midnight blushed furiously, and stepped to move closer to Shimmer, to show her support.

Unfortunately, at the same time, her confidence building, Shimmer had elected to start to stand as well. Her hoof came down on a part of Midnight's dress.

Now, Midnight had never been especially graceful. Oh, sure, she could move properly as long as she put her mind to it, but it didn't' come naturally to her. She was, in fact, prone to tripping, bouncing her head off things, and just general klutziness. But even she couldn't hope to match Shimmer in the four-left-hoof department. Their relationship had, in fact, started when they had literally crashed right into one another!

And so, the end result of this particular moment of dual-klutz was a sickening tear of fabric, Shimmer sent tripping to the ground, her legs somehow getting bound in the strip of silk that she had accidentally torn from Midnight's dress. She began to struggle, only making it worse.

Midnight stooped to help her, only to hear a scornful laugh behind her.

"You're thinking of choosing that graceless pegasus?" Midnight's eye twitched painfully, and she whirled on Blueblood II, painfully poking his chest with a hoof.

"Shimmer has more grace and dignity tied up than you do ever! Get this through your thick head, Prince. You are not my fiancee! I am not, and I repeat, not interested in you!"

With that, she turned back to Shimmer, starting to help untangle the struggling pegasus, looking apologetically at her. Blueblood was quiet for a long moment.

"Ah, I understand..." He began, and Midnight blinked. Had she finally gotten through his thick skull? Did he finally understand?

"Of course! How silly of me. Of course you are not interested in me! You are Princess Midnight! Daughter of one of the rulers of Equestria! Heir to the Throne of the Night! You must be impressed! Yes, I understand now! I must undertake some grave Quest for the hoof of my Lady!"

Midnight and Shimmer just looked at him, neither knowing what to say. He flashed them another smile.

"Fear not, Lady Midnight! For I, Prince Blueblood The Second, shall complete a task that will impress you so much, it shall send you spiraling into my waiting hooves!"

The two simply blinked, stunned. With one last flourish, the noblepony dove through the crowd, heading out on his grand Quest.

Midnight let out a sigh, as she finished untangling Shimmer, and helped her up.

"I'm really sorry about that, I...didn't expect..." She murmured, looking unhappy. This was going so well, and now...

"It's alright, you couldn't have...eep..." Shimmer trailed off, her eyes widening. Midnight blinked, and began to look around, and soon determined why.

Everypony was looking at them. Not just the audience, but Lyra up on stage, irritation clearly etched upon her face, her hooves no longer playing upon that harp.

Midnight let out a nervous chuckle.

"Uhm...Encore?"

Well, it's just past midnight (hurr) so this has won the 'coolest thing I'm going to see all day' award. Which would have covered yesterday but for the S2 announcement. NOW SLEEP.

[Titanium Fox]

I am trying so hard not to laugh right now. I'm at work, supposed to do work things, not ponies, and you are absolutely going to spoil my cover!

Same. I'm actually saving this story until quitting time specifically so I DON'T blow my cover. Then again, when my desktop background is Applejack, and I'm listening to "The Rise of Luna" while I work already, I think all pretense is gone.

[EsperDerek]

I really want to know what happened over dinner.

It's great. I'm curious, is Prince Zapp Brannigan Blueblood the Second going to be a recurring character in this fic, or just one shot?
Also, don't tease me about past scenes Esper, now I really want to know what happened at dinner!

Heh, that's actually one of the scenes that is currently sitting on the ruins that is my other computer, so I'm either going to have to dig those out or rewrite them. I just picked up where I left off when I started writing.

As for Blueblood (The Second), he at least has one more scene in this fic. It's gonna be a memorable one, too.

Maybe try writing in the other place, too?

It's why I'm writing on my bad computer!

On a related note, I was wondering what a bustle was, and after looking it up on Wikipedia, I don't think a pony dress would actually have one.

I would absolutely argue that a pony dress would have a bustle.

I am trying so hard not to laugh right now. I'm at work, supposed to do work things, not ponies, and you are absolutely going to spoil my cover!

Mwahaha! You have discovered my true plan!

Well, it's just past midnight (hurr) so this has won the 'coolest thing I'm going to see all day' award. Which would have covered yesterday but for the S2 announcement. NOW SLEEP.

Excellent. I am pleased! You have a good night now.

[Trixie]

It's why I'm writing on my bad computer!

...I said other place. You know, the one you wrote into 3 days ago? :P

I would absolutely argue that a pony dress would have a bustle.

Yeah, most of them already look like they have one. Proof in OP

[tonberrian]

Mwahaha! You have discovered my true plan!

Just you wait, Midnight! I shall write a fic about Ponyville's craziest cupcake contest. It will be hilarious. You shall read it and burst into laughter. My revenge will be complete when you realize that your outburst occured out in public and you are shunned FOREVER!

[Capt. Ido Nos]

You know how some old dresses make the wearer look like their backsides can carry passengers? That's what the bustle does.

I think on a pony, the bustle would either have it's function filled by the rest of the pony's body, or be vertical.

I swear one of the ponies wore something that looked like that. It's going to drive me crazy all day trying to think of who...

It wasn't Photo Finish, she was wearing like a skirt, right?

[Grif]

Well, spoilers now are fair game, but...

Yeah, I agree, I'd like to preemptively repeat my request from past season to keep all after-episode stuff spoilered until after HD version premieres. No, we're not interested in the episode's quality/opinion, either, not in any witty-spoily oneliners, too, until we see it ourselves

Yes. This.

Though I'm now lowering my standards to a minimum of 360p. I still refuse to watch any pony episode that has lower quality than that.

@EsperDerek
You have a bad habit of making me squeal in my own room.

[Kris Strife]

Yeah, most of them already look like they have one. Proof in OP

That's exactly why I don't think pony dresses would have them. That's a lot of effort for something that doesn't serve a purpose.

[Titanium Fox]

On an unrelated note to the thread, I have just tasted coffee strong enough that it went down like rum. I am in heaven.

Related to the thread, however. I've been listening to this on repeat. I'm hoping I can parse the notes out with enough repetition and create a four piece video of me performing the entire thing on the individual instruments. (I hear Drum, Keyboard, Electric Guitar, and Banjo in there.) :D

That's exactly why I don't think pony dresses would have them. That's a lot of effort for something that doesn't serve a purpose.

Tell that to, I don't know, anyone who's ever worn one. Including those way back in settler days. They sure as **** didn't serve a purpose back then, but they existed anyways.

[Kairaven]

I swear one of the ponies wore something that looked like that. It's going to drive me crazy all day trying to think of who...

It wasn't Photo Finish, she was wearing like a skirt, right?

Twilight and Rarity's Gala Dress appears to have bustle, else the skirt should collaps upon the tail.

[Capt. Ido Nos]

Twilight and Rarity's Gala Dress appears to have bustle, else the skirt should collaps upon the tail.

Right right! After all, she has a good enough build that when wearing her dress she wouldn't look like a tank. Of course!

[Trixie]

Yes. This.

Though I'm now lowering my standards to a minimum of 360p. I still refuse to watch any pony episode that has lower quality than that.

Eh, to me, problem is sound. I'd watch even 360p as long as it has nice sound, but usually, inept compression butchers sacrifice that first and resulting file is completely unwatchable (for me). I'd gladly dropped my standards, but even on HD I sometimes have problems

[Titanium Fox]

Eh, to me, problem is sound. I'd watch even 360p as long as it has nice sound, but usually, inept compression butchers sacrifice that first and resulting file is completely unwatchable (for me). I'd gladly dropped my standards, but even on HD I sometimes have problems

Hey, it's better than how I saw Superbad back when a friend saw it early. He streamed it live off of a camcorder in the theater to a livestream account. Now THAT was bad quality.

[Sunken Valley]

I say thread XXI should be called "epic level ponies" or "epic pony".

[Capt. Ido Nos]

I wonder if there are any pony wallpapers for multiple monitors? I'm tired of my current setup...

[Vent Reynolt]

Alright, I refuse to let the possible death of my good computer stop me from writing, no matter what the threats may be! And to prove that I am not giving up, I hereby present, in honor of the fact that the series will be starting in September:

Midnight and Shimmer's Guide to Dating, Preview #2

Spoiler

Show

Awesomesauce with a dash of Phoesauce!

Of course Blueblood II can trace his lineage back 1000 years! He budded off from Blueblood I, and Blueblood I is the result of Celestia purging herself of all of the dark parts of her personality to take the mantle of God-princess. There, 1000 years of lineage.

... I think I'm getting some continuities mixed up here.

[MCerberus]

I'm from the future. It turns out Blueblood the Third is an international thief of renown and cunning. He gets into many misadventures.




I don't think I've seen a Lupin the Third pony crossovers yet come to think of it.

[Capt. Ido Nos]

edit for accidental double post: Speaking of poor streaming quality, I wonder if my office internet will ever be good enough to function on a basic level?

[Titanium Fox]

Speaking of poor streaming quality, I wonder if my office internet will ever be good enough to function on a basic level?

Spoiler

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[Capt. Ido Nos]

Spoiler

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Yeah, you're probably right...

[Grif]

I say thread XXI should be called "epic level ponies" or "epic pony".

Is that a D&D reference? It is, right?

Perhaps we'll be getting back to actual pony discussion by Thread XXI.

@Titanium Fox
I was pretty surprised at some of the bloopers actually. The scene where Twilight wore her saddlepacks into Rarity's boutique had her bags missing at one point. Rainbow Dash also lost her cutie mark as well in another scene. (with Opal in the tree.)

Not to mention recycled ponies, but that one is understandable.

[Orzel]

I see Rarity as the alliance builder. In the early game, it's a small favour here, a little loan there, I'll scratch your back now if you scratch mine later. Towards the mid- and end-game she picks a target and starts calling in those early favours and seemingly innocent alliances to overwhelm them.

Her downfall is her obsession with perfection and detail e.g. in Monopoly every property she owns has to have a hotel on it ASAP; in Risk she won't advance until she's 100% sure her exisiting holdings are well defended from any attack.

In about half the games she loses early or mid-game due to Rainbow Dash's agressive play, Apple Jack's willingness to take bigger risks, or Pinkie Pie's randomness. The other half she ends up in a long, drawn-out, head-to-head with Twilight and/or Fluttershy.

So Rarity is the first one with a hotel but no money. But she brought rent immunity from Twilight and Fluttershy. Yeah, I think Rarity abuses house rules.

I'm going to write a fic of them playing a board game.

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"Why do I keep rolling fours?"

"Pay up, AJ. 5 bits."

"But I'm broke"

"I'll sell you a petting zoo."

"Pinky... I don't have any bits"

"You should not have spent all your bits on hat shops. Sell something."

"Rainbow Dash, I will give you my last ten bits and Manehattan for free hats from your hat shops."

"Umm.. Rainbow Dash.. I don't think that's such a good idea."

"DEAL!"

"Pleasure doing business with y'all."

"Oh here we go."

"Not again."

"My turn, everypony. A 6! Pass Go. Collect 20 bits. Land of Dash's hat shop. Upgrade this hat shop to a dress shop."

Yeah...

[Kurgan]

Alright, I refuse to let the possible death of my good computer stop me from writing, no matter what the threats may be! And to prove that I am not giving up, I hereby present, in honor of the fact that the series will be starting in September:

Midnight and Shimmer's Guide to Dating, Preview #2

Spoiler

Show

Alright, so dinner had been a disaster. There was no getting around that, but it was still early in the evening, and there was plenty of time to turn the date around.

And this? This couldn't fail.

A beautiful summers evening, the stars already starting to twinkle in the sky. The soothing, almost hypnotic sounds of Lyra's harp, as she played for the small audience that had gathered quietly for this outdoor recital.

It was going so well that Midnight didn't even mind the fact that she was almost assuredly getting grass stains on her dress. The stress of the disastrous dinner was starting to evaporate into the night air, and she felt a gentle weight start to press against her side, felt Shimmer's head lean up against her own.

"This is so nice..." Shimmer whispered, looking adoringly up at the lime-green performer up on stage. Midnight felt her cheeks flush with delight. She knew Shimmer absolutely loved Lyra (to the point where if Midnight was a different pony, she might be jealous!), so when Midnight had learned that she was putting on a concert on the night of their date, she had pulled out all of the stops to get tickets.

And it was worth the camping trip! Midnight turned her head, to look at the lovely pegasus who was her company. Yes, this was the perfect moment, it was exactly what Midnight had hoped for, and so, she leaned in, intent on kissing the cheek that was presenting itself to her...

"Hark, my beloved!"

Midnight flinched back, and looked around fearfully, a chill running down her spine. Ponies around her looked about in irritation, trying to find the source of the noise that had interrupted the atmosphere that had been so carefully constructed.

No, it couldn't be him. He was safely back at Canterlot, far, far, far away from her.

Even if was him, surely he wasn't there for her. She would pretend that she had never heard that voice. She snuggled closer to Shimmer, who smiled, having not been distracted from the music by that voice. Shimmer turned to look at her, delight sparkling in her eyes, and that chill down Midnight's spine was replaced with a delightful tingle. They began to lean forwards, their lips about to meet...

"Ah, my beloved! I have found you once again!"

The moment evaporated as quickly as it had began, as that voice repeated itself, closer now. The two slowly looked up at the pony who had so rudely interrupted them, and Midnight let out a despairing sigh.

He really was the spitting image of his father. Midnight knew ponies took after their parents, she was proof at that, but Prince Blueblood II looked so much like his father that Midnight was privately convinced that he had simply, one day, budded off of his father in some sort of strange form of mitosis. It would certainly explain a few things.

"What are you doing here?" Midnight hissed quietly, poor Shimmer looking confusedly between her and the intruder into their privacy. Blueblood flashed a dazzling smile, that might have enraptured young mares that didn't know any better.

"Why, I have come to this...delightful little town...to enjoy this music, of course! My father thought it would be a good chance to spent time with my fiancee, and here I find you, in the hooves of another mare! How scandalous!"

They were starting to get more of an audience at this point, as pony eyes turned towards the drama that was starting to unfurl in their midst. Midnight felt her eyebrow twitch, a slight headache forming behind her eyes.

"Fiancee? Midnight, what's going on? What is he talking about?" Shimmer asked, the confusion evident in her voice. Midnight had to head this off at the pass, before it got any worse, before Shimmer got the wrong idea.

She sprung to her feet, as quickly as her dress would allow her.

"Blueblood, you are not my fiancee! We met twice, after the Gala, and that was because your father kept shoving you into my path! I don't know what ideas he's been feeding you, but it's not going to happen! Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm trying to spend some time with my marefriend."

Blueblood blinked, and looked between the standing, seething Midnight, and the sitting Shimmer, who was blushing ever so slightly as Midnight's rather loud exclamation that they were lovers.

"Marefriend? You are attempting to tell me that this is not some form of youthful experimentation? Princess Midnight, you cannot be telling me that you are a fillyfo-"

He was cut off immediately.

"You use that term, and I will force-feed you my bustle. I'm not sure which part of this dress is the bustle, so it might take a few attempts!" Midnight yelled, anger clear and rising in her voice. Anypony around her, thinking about it later, would have sworn that for the briefest of moments, Midnight's eyes went from blue to green. Blueblood (The Second) took a step back, and it looked for a moment that he had given up.

Instead, however, he turned from the seething Princess, to Shimmer, who was still sitting down, casting an almost scornful gaze upon her.

"You, filly. What can you possibly have to offer her?" Shimmer blinked at the question, and took a moment to collect her thoughts.

"Well, I'm a writer..." She began, and Blueblood scoffed.

"A writer? How...plebeian. You are looking at Prince Blueblood (The Second), of the illustrious Blueblood line. I can trace my lineage back a thousand years!"

"Midnight doesn't seem to be too impressed by that..." Shimmer quirked a smile, looking a tad more confident. "She seems to like my writing an awful lot, though."

Midnight blushed furiously, and stepped to move closer to Shimmer, to show her support.

Unfortunately, at the same time, her confidence building, Shimmer had elected to start to stand as well. Her hoof came down on a part of Midnight's dress.

Now, Midnight had never been especially graceful. Oh, sure, she could move properly as long as she put her mind to it, but it didn't' come naturally to her. She was, in fact, prone to tripping, bouncing her head off things, and just general klutziness. But even she couldn't hope to match Shimmer in the four-left-hoof department. Their relationship had, in fact, started when they had literally crashed right into one another!

And so, the end result of this particular moment of dual-klutz was a sickening tear of fabric, and Shimmer being sent stumbling to the ground, her legs somehow getting bound in the strip of silk that she had accidentally torn from Midnight's dress. She began to struggle, only making it worse.

Midnight stooped to help her, only to hear a scornful laugh behind her.

"You're thinking of choosing that graceless pegasus?" Midnight's eye twitched painfully, and she whirled on Blueblood II, painfully poking his chest with a hoof.

"Shimmer has more grace and dignity tied up than you do ever! Get this through your thick head, Prince. You are not my fiancee! I am not, and I repeat, not interested in you!"

With that, she turned back to Shimmer, starting to help untangle the struggling pegasus, looking apologetically at her. Blueblood was quiet for a long moment.

"Ah, I understand..." He began, and Midnight blinked. Had she finally gotten through his thick skull? Did he finally get it?

"Of course! How silly of me. Of course you are not interested in me! You are Princess Midnight! Daughter of one of the rulers of Equestria! Heir to the Throne of the Night! You must be impressed! Yes, I understand now! I must undertake some grave Quest for the hoof of my Lady!"

Midnight and Shimmer just looked at him, neither knowing what to say. He flashed them another smile.

"Fear not, Lady Midnight! For I, Prince Blueblood The Second, shall complete a task that will impress you so much, it shall send you spiraling into my waiting hooves!"

The two simply blinked, stunned. With one last flourish, the noblepony dove through the crowd, heading out on his grand Quest.

Midnight let out a sigh, as she finished untangling Shimmer, and helped her up.

"I'm really sorry about that, I...didn't expect..." She murmured, looking unhappy. This was going so well, and now...

"It's alright, you couldn't have...eep..." Shimmer trailed off, her eyes widening. Midnight blinked, and began to look around, and soon determined why.

Everypony was looking at them. Not just the audience, but Lyra up on stage, irritation clearly etched upon her face, her hooves no longer playing upon that harp.

Midnight let out a nervous chuckle.

"Uhm...Encore?"

This is great. Thanks for sharing. Though I must wonder how Blueblood managed to procreate...

Eh, to me, problem is sound. I'd watch even 360p as long as it has nice sound, but usually, inept compression butchers sacrifice that first and resulting file is completely unwatchable (for me). I'd gladly dropped my standards, but even on HD I sometimes have problems

I'm not too picky about video quality, but I have to agree with you on sound. If the sound is off, even by the slightest amount, it just gets at me.

That's exactly why I don't think pony dresses would have them. That's a lot of effort for something that doesn't serve a purpose.

Eh, just look at real life and you will see pointless fashion designs everywhere.

[otakuryoga]

dont know if it has been brought up in the previous 20 threads 8)

but with ponyism getting so big and attracting attention from various circles(hello Steven Coltbert)
---would anyone be surprised if the upcoming season of South Park has a Pony episode?

i could totally see the craze taking root there
and the boys responding maybe by making their own animation to try and get rich...maybe the adventures of Cownan the Barbarian?
(which would give them their almost required 2nd pop reference for the episode)

[Grif]

but with ponyism getting so big and attracting attention from various circles(hello Steven Coltbert)

This is too delicious not to post again.

[MCerberus]

Although really, Colbert should be riding Hipsterjack. Oh, you counter culture.

[Titanium Fox]

dont know if it has been brought up in the previous 20 threads 8)

but with ponyism getting so big and attracting attention from various circles(hello Steven Coltbert)
---would anyone be surprised if the upcoming season of South Park has a Pony episode?

i could totally see the craze taking root there
and the boys responding maybe by making their own animation to try and get rich...maybe the adventures of Cownan the Barbarian?
(which would give them their almost required 2nd pop reference for the episode)

I would absolutely love to see this. Hell, they did a Pokemon / WWII crossover episode.

This is too delicious not to post again.

I counter your Applebert, and raise you a Lunabert.

[Lix Lorn]

World of Warcraft has a story ? I was under the impression that MMOs in general, WoW included, had little to no story to speak of.

Zevox

Actually, it does. It has long running stories about the entire global continuity, such as the escape of Deathwing, the Rise of the Lich King, and things like that. And it has shorter storylines that generally tie all the quests in a chain together: For instance, I recently played by Tauren Druid through a chain of quests where I worked for an unempathic Overlord named Krom'gar. One of his generals eventually had one of his underling's sons assassinated as an excuse to bomb civilians. The underling then had you help kill the general, and you went to Krom'gar to explain it... and he thought that the underling was the problem.
The leader of the horde then came along and, long story short, through that *"(%*@ Krom'gar off the side of a cliff.
'This is what it means to be horde. Honor. No matter what the battle, NEVER forsake it!'

So you can complain about uncompelling plot if you MUST, but I'd call it good enough myself. Now excuse me while I help save Azeroth. (Again!)

I'm afraid I must decline, despite for the first time in about ten years, only having one RPG group to handle (we combined our two groups). What time I'm now not spending preppng converted module after converted module I'm either now spending on wargaming, or even theoretically actually getting around to writing my own quests again.

(Also, pbp would probably play havoc with my perfectionist preparation DMing style; not too mention all my legions of modifications and house-rules would be a tad...cumbersome...to give out. I tend to run 3.5 with most of the bells and whistles (though by FAR not all of them!))

But, Lixie, in the remote chance you should, by some strange, freakish fortune end up around Derby, I'm sure I could find a slot for you...

Now that's a shame.

Hmm, Derby... ack. That's like a days travel. No surprise glompings for you.