Luminescence

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Lotus smiled to herself, once again the teamwork of the sisters had worked its magical charm. She stepped back slightly, lowering herself to all fours again as she finished her massage. "Well Miss Harvest let me see now," she replied, "My sister has already taken care of the mud bath and you really shouldn't move too much after a massage...you can end up pulling something...perhaps you'd like to relax in the sauna for a time? What do you think Aloe?"

Well despite my own lack of confidence in my drawing ability I've decided to start up my own Tumblr. It's certainly going to be long slog but I felt this idea deserved an artistic approach rather than my usual fanfic style of creativity. I've only just started so there isn't much up yet but I would appreciate comments and criticism all the same. I'm going to try for a weekly update pattern but I'll see how it goes and how much free time I have available as we progress. So without further ado I present Metaphorical Future! A story set in a future version of Equestria where all is not as happy and joyous as it is now. What caused this fall? Can anything be done? All will be revealed...in time. Enjoy!

As Lotus continued her work she pulled a thoughtful face. "Well let me think now," she mused, "As you say you can't be coming here every day...hmm...perhaps some incense...uh! Maybe something for the bath? Aloe what do you think?" Whilst Lotus knew she was talented in certain fields she also knew her sister had her own wealth of knowledge. This was very much Aloe's area, balms and salves...if there was something that could help Carrot Top Aloe would know.

Not a problem, thanks for looking.

Well to be honest all I'm looking for is someone who is interested enough to keep up a somewhat regular schedule. Maybe one update a week or a couple of single panels, something like that. ^^ Anyway, I checked out your tumblr. Actually got a few chuckles out of me so you just earned yourself a watch...I love tumblrs so much. ^^ Kinda why I want to be a proper part of it. Anyway thanks for the good wishes, good to know I've sparked a little interest. If you wanna know a bit more about the ideas I have just let me know.

Well I guess I'm just testing the water for now. I have an idea for a fairly large story focused (and possibly part 'ask' blog) that I'm wanting to run on Tumblr. Problem is, whilst I do have a small amount of art skills myself, I'm nowhere near cut out to illustrate this project on my own. So I was just wanting to ask if there were any artists out there who fancy taking on the project with me. I have a good idea of where I want to take the project but everything is still open right now. I'm including my own OC in the story so anyone who wants to help would be more than welcome to throw their own OC in too, only fair. Anyway, the idea itself. In its most basic form I guess you could call it a bit of a Grim category story but its not Grim Dark in the same way as some of the other blogs on Tumblr. Rather its set in a grim world but focuses on the positives and how good can triumph over evil even in the face of immense obstacles. But yes, I just want to find out if anyone is interested. If you want to ask me more questions please feel free to ask away.

Lotus smiled to herself at Carrot Tops exclamation. It wasn't an uncommon reaction at all although the most common was her customer 'melting' into the bedtop. "Thank you Miss Harvest, I do love my work and it nice to hear such comments." She moved her hooves slowly down Carrot Top's back, occasionally pulling a slight face to herself as she went. "You really do have a lot of tension in your back Miss," she commented as she put a little more force into her massage for a moment, "Its not surprising with how hard you work though...although if I may say, you should try and relax a little more. You could injure yourself if not."

"Correct Miss Harvest, its a resin thats extracted from a tree...quite an exotic item one could say. We used an awful lot of it yesterday and I was afraid we had run out," replied Lotus as she gave a sideways smile at her sister, "I'm surprised you checked our inventory Aloe, I'll make a business pony of you yet." Lotus gave a little chuckle, this was one of Lotus' methods for blowing off steam, teasing her sister. Having spent many years being the subject of Aloe's relentless pranking Lotus had found she was able to tolerate it by poking fun at her sister occasionally. It was never meant to be malicious though. "Anyway just relax Miss Harvest and let my hooves do the work. As you've not had a massage before it may feel a little odd and you may experience a few tingles but it shouldn't hurt so please do tell me if you feel any discomfort," she continued as she looked over at Aloe for a moment, "I think I've got everything I need for now Aloe. What did you have planned next for Miss Harvest?" As Lotus finished speaking she picked up the bottle of oil in her mouth and wandered over to the bed Carrot Top was lying on. Carefully she poured a small amount over her shoulders and a little over one of her hoofs before setting it down on a nearby table. With a slight jolt of her flanks she pulled herself upright, standing on her hind legs and steadying herself for a moment with her forelegs against the bed. Standing on hind legs wasn't a natural position for a pony to be in. Some ponies could do it more easily than others and Lotus was fairly apt at it. Enough at least to maintain her position. She quickly rubbed her front hooves together, spreading the oil over both hoof and then gently lowered them to Carrot Tops back. She then proceeded to lightly rub the previously applied oil into Carrot Tops back using long slow swipes of her hooves. When she was done she settled her hooves at the top of her back and began to gentle rub in small circles slowly moving outwards from her spine towards her shoulders.

Lotus found herself stuck between emotions for a brief moment as Aloe explained the situation. On one hoof they were using valuble spa supplies with no payout at the end but on the other it was as Aloe had said, a chance to expand the business to new customers. To be honest she shouldn't have been surprised, Aloe was always kind and the more she thought about it the more she realised that Aloe was right...at least in a moral and social way if not financially. That said there was always going to be more customers. She turned with a smile as Carrot Top entered, giving a small sigh in Aloe's direction before looking at Carrot Top herself. "Don't worry about it my dear. I've survived this long with Aloe as my sister, it would take more than a simple act of generosity to come between us. Besides, if what she says is true then you most certainly needed some time to relax. No it is my pleasure to serve." She bowed her head slightly and then motioned towards the beds. "Yes ma'am, just pick any bed you like and make yourself comfortable, if you lie on your front that would be best," she instructed, "Aloe would you set up an oil burner, frankincense would be marvelous if we have any left after yesterday. Now Miss Top, are you alergic to nuts at all? The massage oil I usually use is a mix of almond and peanut oil with lavender. Very relaxing but I always have to ask new customers just in case."

New topic started here to avoid issues with Hasbro:

As Lotus entered the room she smiled broadly at Aloe and Carrot Top. "Allo Miss Carrot Top, of course I recognise you although if my memory serves me right you've never been to our spa before." Lotus gave another smile. This was great, a new customer! Having a regular customer base was a good thing but without new ones the business would never grow. She turned to look at her sister. "Aloe, thank goodness you were here when Miss Top arrived," she said as she looked back at Carrot for a moment, "I do hope your treatment has been acceptable so far. I see you've been having a mud bath, your coat looks amazing! Well now, my sister mentioned you were ready for a massage? I'll just go and prepare the massage bed. Come right through when you're done dying off." Lotus couldn't stop smiling. With a simple nod to her sister she dashed through another door into the next room. Here a number of low lying beds were set out in a row, each covered in a thin pink sheet with a stack of towels at one end. She quickly set to work, rushing from one cupboard to the next and the next gathering lotions, oils and various other supplies that she needed. This was always her favourite part of any treatment, massage never failed to relax anypony she had met. She double checked her supplies as she waited for Aloe and Carrot Top.

[OOC: Hi guys, incoming Lotus.] Lotus hummed happily to herself as she trotted across Ponyville's centre. Lunch had been such a nice break, sat in a corner of Horte Cuisine's cafe with a sandwich and a good book. Time certainly flies when one is enjoying themself. She wondered what the afternoon would bring, they had no bookings as of yet and the morning had been slow so she was hoping somepony would pop by. If nothing else it would give Aloe and herself some company...it could get a little lonely at times. Lonely, hah! Lotus was never alone when Aloe was around, it was almost like they were one pony in two bodies. Besides if the afternoon was quiet it would give her time to work on restocking the lotion and oil cabinet. As she approached the spa though she stopped and looked at the front door curiously. The 'Closed for Lunch' sign had been removed from the front door. Lotus took a moment to look back over her shoulder at the Ponyville Clocktower. Three minutes before they were scheduled to open, Aloe must have come back from her break early...or maybe it was a customer! Lotus' eyes lit up at the thought as she rushed forwards towards the door. Pushing it open she glanced around the waiting area only to find nopony there. "Allo? Allo Aloe?!" she called, her accent causing all the words to sound pretty much the same, "Sister dear are you here?" She quickly unbuckled her saddlebag and dropped it behind the front desk. Reaching out she picked up the booking list from the desk but there was nothing marked on it. It there was a customer Aloe hadn't written it down. Lotus gave a mild frown, yet more paperwork for her to chase up at the end of the day. Putting the list down she started to walk across the waiting room towards the far wall where another door led into the spa itself.

Well I have to admit I did have a bit of a spazz out moment when I read this stuff on ED. Not in the bad sense more a 'OMG I wasn't expecting this' kinda way. Actually I'm still getting little jolts down my spine when I think about it. Heheh, kinda exciting in its own way. I can see it being a bit of a crowd splitter but I just love the show way too much to hate anything they do. Actually correction, this is VERY exciting news...not to mention the Gordan Freeman news as well. I mean...THAT might be weird...really weird....but you know what the hay! XD Bring it on!

Hahah, been waiting to watch this all day with my mates. We ended up getting together and eating rainbow dash cake as we watched it. XD Good one, certainly not my fave episode ever but near the top. A little rushed towards the end yeah but what can you do with a 20 minute show? My friends and I enjoyed it greatly, was nice to have a fresh dose of pony after so many weeks. ^^

Lumi was so focussed on Rising Star and Imperio that she didn't notice Huscarl until he spoke. She jumped slightly, turning to look over her shoulder at the dragon. "Ah well, no I don't know this pony...and don't worry about earlier, I'm just really really on edge tonight you know...big event and all," she said quickly before turning back towards Rising, "Nice to meet you, I'm Luminescence but do call me Lumi. Welcome to the Sapphire Lake Observatory. I take it you're here for the opening event? Do come inside now." Lumi smiled broadly, turning back into the observatory as she continued to talk, "You too Mr Dragon, come on every pony!" Lumi began to trot into the observatories main room, raising her voice as she did, "Alright everypony gather round, gather round now. I'd like to welcome you all and also thank you for your support. I do hope you enjoy your evening."​

As Huscarl stuck his snout in Lumi couldn't help but take a step back. Like Artsy she wasn't the most outward going pony ever but seeing Artsy stand up to the dragon did encourage her a lot. "My name is Luminescence although you may call me Lumi if you wish, my name can get a little cumbersome at times," she stated quickly looking straight at Huscarl. She paused slightly, glancing briefly behind the dragon and noticing the mess that followed in his wake, "My floor! Oh by Luna's mane! Do you know how long it took to...uuuuuuuuuuh! Now see here Mr Dragon, you are most welcome to stay but please try to be a little lighter underhoof. And what in Tartarus is that racket outside?!" Lumi turned her attention to the main door where yells were coming from. She shook her head, "Nevermind, I'll check. Please go back to enjoying yourselves everypony, I won't be a moment and then the show will begin!" With that Lumi gave a short bow once again and trotted quickly towards the door. She hope nopony saw her as being rude with her constant flicking from onepony to the next but it seemed the evening was quickly getting more and more frantic as it went on. As she arrived at the front door she quickly noticed Rising Star but her attention was drawn more towards what she was shouting at. She looked up at the bird, taking a moment to realise what it was doing, "Hey! Get down from there!"​

Lumi was in the next room vigorously running a napkin through her mane to remove the frosting as Artsy nervously addressed her. She paused for a moment before replying, the dirty napkin sailing across the room encased in her magic before dropping into a bin. It was easy to see that Artsy was a little timid, a trait that Lumi recognised in herself all too well. As she had grown older she had managed to conquer her nerves a little but even so she found herself getting a little uncomfortable in larger groups. "Thank you sweetie, I've had to put a lot of work into getting this place up and running again...you won't believe the state it was in when I arrived," she replied with a smile trying to ease the tension she could feel in Artsy's words, "Frosting does make for a tasy addition I agree, do you bake yourself? Oh goodness where have my manners gone, I haven't even asked your name!" Lumi tilted her head, giving a questioning look at Artsy.​

"F-frosting...eh heh...." Lumi absently raised a hoof to her mane and ran it through her hair a few times before lowering it. Sure enough a few drops of icing were present. She felt like she could die of embarressment. First the yawn and now icing...what was...next....?Lumi paused in her thoughts as Huscarl walked in. Sure an adolescent dragon wasn't as big as a full grown dragon but...well concidering Lumi hadn't ever seen a dragon before, of any size, except for those pictured in books it was more than a little daunting. She let slip a slightly nervous laugh, her eyes flicking from one pony to the next, or rather one pony to the dragon, and back again. She could feel her knees going a little faint. She had expected tonight to be busy but things were already way more busy than she had ever dreamed of. She shook her head, no! This was her big night and everything was going to be fine. Granted things hadn't started all that well but that didn't mean they couldn't end well. "Oh...well, yes...I was just adding the final touches to the buffet," she said quickly, trying to rescue the situation as best she could, "Well do come in everypony...and uh dragon...make yourself at home! The buffet is through those doors over there and if you care to look around there are plenty of displays to look at. The main events will begin shortly so do enjoy yourself until then. If you'll excuse me a moment I shan't be long." Lumi gave a small semi bow of her head and turned towards the far doors. She felt like running but didn't want to make a bad impression. First things first she had to clean out her mane and then she'd be free to greet her guests properly. She sighed slightly, tonight was going to be a long one.​

Lumi looked up sharply as the voice echoed around the main hall. The magic glow coming from her horn stopped as she did causing the items she had been levitating to clatter to the kitchen top. This may not have been such a problem had it not been for the fact that she had just been dropping a fresh batch of icing from a bowl into a piping bag. As the bag and bowl landed icing went everywhere including all over Lumi. She hardly seemed to notice though, hastily levitating a towel from its rail and quickly rubbing it across her face. Dashing from the kitchen she skidded to a halt at the door that lead out into the main hall. For a moment she studied the purple unicorn standing in the far doorway. She bit her lip, this was it! She couldn't let her shyness get in the way. Stepping out she made sure to hold her head high as she trotted towards the unicorn. "Greetings, welcome to the Sapphire Hill Observatory," she said politely, her Canterlot accent elevating her voice into the realm of the posh and privilaged. Well it would have done had it not been for the large dark bags under her eyes and the remains of cake icing that was still evident in her hair from a moment ago. Lumi was still grinning though as she continued, "I'm Luminescence, who might you..." Lumi's face twisted as if she recognised what was about to happen. A moment later a massive yawn erupted across Lumi's face, the mare's mouth opening possibly as far as it could and staying there for a number of seconds before the yawn ended. As it did Lumi dropped her gaze to the ground as a vibrant red blush spread straight across her face. Had that really just happened? "Um..oh my...I do apologise...um...hmm?" Lumi paused in her apology as Huscarl's voice drifted in from outside.​

Well everyone the topic is up, you're all welcome to join. ^^ You can find it here:

Lumi couldn't believe it. After years of her life searching, months of hard work and many sleepless night she had finally reached her goal. Looking up she took a moment to admire the large embroidered banner that hung over the entrance to the building. It read 'Sapphire Hill Observatory - Grand Opening'. She gave a happy sigh and sat down, her rear making a sizeable thud as it hit the ground. High above the evening sun was already dipping behind the horizon casting long rays or orange light over the building. The observatory itself looked more like a Hearth's Warming Eve tree than a building though. Long coloured banners were stretched between windows and the eaves and lanterns hung from every position she could manage. Even the large telescope that poked out of the roof looked festive. It was wrapped up like a candy cane, spirals of coloured fabric twisted round its length and the edge of the main lens had been decorated with bows and candles. "SQUEE!" The noise came from Lumi's mouth before she even realised it. She quickly shoved her two front hooves into her mouth and blushed heavily glancing around to see if anypony had heard her. Nopony was even around though, at least not yet, and Lumi quickly relaxed, giggling slightly behind her hooves for a moment. She was so excited, she just hoped everything went as planned. The last few months had been busy for the mare. Not only had she numerous repair jobs to do on the building itself but she had been organising the shipment of a new focus lens for the telescope, the old one having been cracked when she had arrived, and working on advertising. Given her habit for staying up all night she had found these tasks difficult to manage and had constantly fallen asleep during her day. In fact the last three days had left her with nothing but a few cat naps in terms of proper sleep, the evidence of her long night visible as growing bags under her eyes. Still she was determined not to let anything slip. With luck ponies would be coming from far and wide tonight...at least she hoped so after the work she had put in. Just then the smell of fresh baking began to fill the air, drifting out of the observatory. Lumi perked her head. "Uh muffins!" she said to herself quickly before dashing inside. Like the exterior, the interior of the observatory was decorated as well with banners, ribbons and lanterns. High above her the gantry leading to the telescope made up much of the ceiling space and meant that a lot of the floor space was unusable. To the outside of the room though were numerous tables and displays showing various bits of information on the stars and moon. Lumi quickly made for a second room off the main one, slowling to a walk as she passed through and open set of double doors. This room was much lower and was set out with long tables that were all full of various food. A large cake shaped like an observatory had been placed in the centre of the room, a feature that Lumi had ordered from one of the bakeries in Canterlot for the occasion. The other tables were covered in sandwiches, snacks and various drinks. Lumi was making for a third room though, a small kitchen just off the buffet room. The smell of baking increased as she walked through the doors, a large oven in the corner being the source. Lumi smiled to herself as her horn began to glow white. The oven door opened on its own and several trays of fresh muffins slid from the racks inside and landed on the kitchen table. She quickly glanced at the clock. "Just enough time left to ice them," she proclaimed as she set about her next job. ​[Topic info]