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Twilight Sparkle takes Rainbow Dash to a Creed concert.

I'm gonna go ahead and say writing Creed into a story is a bannable offense here at TwiDash.

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I'm sure Rainbow Dash would agree, but poor Twilight would never understand.

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Lol, alright, I guess I'll Take the Sacrifice prompt. To avoid getting even more story ideas though, I'm going to use the canon from one of my current series. Probably fit it into the series as well.

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Sacrifice
This is based on the Canon of my Alicorn Imperium universe that started with Child of Misery.

"You'll have to let me train her," Twilight told Rainbow as they entered the library together. "She'll have to learn to use her Pegasus magic consciously and then practice until she can do so automatically."

"Hey, that's cool Twi. If it means getting Scoots flying, I'll gladly let you take over her training for now." Rainbow said with a shrug. "I'd do just about anything to get Scoots in the air."

Twilight gave her a smile. "I know you would," she said, but then her smile faded. "Rainbow, there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about concerning Pegasus magic actually."

Rainbow glanced at her. "What do you mean?"

She sighed, worried about how Rainbow would take it. "When I said I know a lot more than I did about Pegasus magic... that may have been a bit of an understatement. I inherited all of Achlys's knowledge about Pegasus magic."

"Really?"

Twilight nodded. "I have all of Achlys's knowledge on all kinds of magic."

"Wait, then does that mean you can do that tornado thing by just waving your wing?" Rainbow asked sounding excited.

Twilight rolled her eyes and with a gentle wave of one wing, she created a tiny whirlwind, just enough to ruffle Rainbow's feathers.

"That's so Awesome! Can you teach me how to do that!?"

She laughed. "Yes, I can if you want, but Rainbow, there's something else... I... Among the rest of what Achlys knew about Pegasus magic, she knew how to push Pegasus magic to its limit."

"What do you mean?"

Twilight sighed. "I mean that, while I'm not sure if I'm in good enough condition physically, I know how to use my magic to fly faster and more agilely than just about anypony alive... maybe even you."

Rainbow just stared at her a moment, blinking. "Are you serious?"

Reluctantly Twilight nodded. Rainbow just stared at her a moment more then turned away from her.

"Achlys claimed she was faster than me..." Rainbow said softly. "Does this mean that you're able to do Rainbooms?"

Twilight swallowed nervously. She knew how much it meant to Rainbow, being the best flyer in Equestria, but at the same time, she couldn't bring herself to lie to her. "Possibly," she admitted, "I won't know for certain if I'm physically up to it until I go out and do a few trials, but, well... Part of Achlys's knowledge includes how to use Pegasus magic to control super-sonic flight."

"Then Achlys could do Rainbooms? She wasn't bluffing?"

"The legend had to have come from somewhere..." Twilight said softly, and Rainbow's shoulders slumped. She looked so dejected; Twilight couldn't stand seeing Rainbow like that. "Rainbow... I know how much it means to you, being the best. I... I just won't try. I'll fly like I normally do. I won't..."

She was silenced by a hoof against her snout and she looked up to see Rainbow smiling back at her. "Twi, I won't let you do that for me," she said softly. "I know that you'll want to see what you're capable of, if only for your egg-head science."

"But, Rainbow..."

"If it turns out you can outfly me, it just gives me something to shoot for. After all, what's the point of being the best if you know the competition was holding back?"

Twilight looked up at her, tears coming to her eyes. "I don't want to take this away from you," she whispered.

"Twi, you are the one pony I wouldn't mind being beaten by." Rainbow said with a sincere smile. "Besides, it would be nice to have somepony to train with that can actually keep up with me. And we don't know yet if you can outfly me." She grinned. "You're not exactly the most athletic mare out there."

Twilight smiled hesitantly. "You're really alright with this?"

Stepping forward, Rainbow pulled Twilight into a hug. "Yes, Twi, I'm really alright with this. I don't want you holding back on account of me."

Twilight hesistated a moment then slowly returned the hug.

"What do you say we go out flying tomorrow, and let's see what you can do." Rainbow said with a grin as she Released Twilight.

Twilight slowly smiled and nodded. "Just the two of us?"

"Well yeah, unless you know somepony else who could keep up."

Twilight laughed. "Probably not... I think I'd like that."

Rainbow nodded. "I'll come get you around ten. Then we could get some lunch after we've worked up an appetite."

"Alright."

Rainbow smiled. "Well, I probably should get going for now, I wasn't expecting the whole thing with Apple Bloom and Scoots, and I've still got some weather work to take care of. I'll see you tomorrow Twi," she said, heading for the door.

Twilight nodded. "Bye, Rainbow," she called even as Rainbow took off.

Rainbow flew quickly up to a secluded cloud and landed. Taking a deep breath, she let it out. She hadn't wanted Twilight to see how much it really hurt her to hear that she might not be the best anymore. They weren't sure, of course, they wouldn't know until tomorrow if Twilight was physically able to make full use of her Pegasus magic, but still, the possibility was there.

She'd worked for so long and hard to get to the level she was at. True she had a natural talent, but talent would only take you so far. The rest was hard work... and now Twilight had just inherited knowledge that could let her surpass Rainbow. Sure she had literally died to gain that knowledge... but Rainbow couldn't help but feel a little jealous.

But she'd been honest when she said Twilight was the one pony she wouldn't mind being beaten by. Taking a deep breath she resolved not to be upset if it turned out Twilight could outfly her tomorrow. After all, she cared about Twilight more than being the best.

She smiled thinking of Twilight. Maybe soon she'd have the courage to tell the alicorn her true feelings. Maybe even tomorrow...

Next Prompt: Cold

Accidently posted my last one before it was finished. Its finished now though.

Lol, whoops. Just did a word count on it... got a little long; 1005. Oh well.

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Claiming Cold

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Cold

Twilight Sparkle paced around the main room of the Golden Oaks library. Occasionally she would glance up at the clock on the wall, her wings twitching in agitation every time she did so. Spike had passed out almost twenty minutes ago, after spending almost as much time trying to calm her down. She stopped her pacing, glancing up at the clock again with a growl of frustration.

“This is ridiculous! It’s been over an hour, she should have been back by now! I’m going to go look for her.” she said to no one in particular.

Rainbow Dash, being the weather manager for Ponyville, had been out helping to set up the big winter storm. Due to some kind of issue in the weather factory in Cloudsdale, they were almost a week behind schedule for the start of the snowy season. They had to make this storm pretty big to get the weather schedule back on track, and given the howling of the wind outside, it was going to do it’s job.

Rainbow had told her that it shouldn’t take them more than an hour to get things started. Twilight had planned for two after factoring in all the different issues that the weather team could possibly have run into, including having them all happen. The problem is, it had now passed the two hour mark and Twilight was now on the verge of a panic attack.

She knew that snow storms weren’t as dangerous as the thunderstorms Rainbow put together on a regular basis, but they did come with their own dangers. Cold winds and the snow itself could mix together and create ice on her feathers, causing her to crash. The winds themselves were bad enough to keep any normal pegasus grounded.

Twilight put on her boots and scarf, casting a warming spell on herself to keep out the chill of the wind. Once she had everything on, she quickly strode over to the door to begin the search for her marefriend.

At least she would have if she wouldn’t have almost gotten hit by the door as the wind nearly blew it off its hinges, the handle leaving a crack in the wall. Twilight didn’t care about all this, however, as she slowly pushed her way against the wind, using her magic to shut the door behind her.

The wind blew hard against her, threatening to push her over and whipping her mane and tail violently. She could barely see through the thick snowfall, not being able to see more than a few feet in front of her. The wind stinging her eyes caused them to water, reducing her visibility further.

“Rainbow!” she shouted at the top of her lungs. She started walking in a random direction. Her panic induced search didn’t even have a planned route of locations Rainbow could have gone to. She simply wandered the empty streets, screaming Rainbow’s name every few steps.

Somewhere near the fountain, which she could only tell what it was by the distinct shape of the statue in the center, she tripped over something that was concealed by the snow. She muttered several curses as she stood up, using her magic to brush the snow out of her coat. Keeping her horn lit, she turned around to find out what she had tripped over, so she could blast the offending object to Tartarus.

When she looked down, her breath froze in more than one way. She had managed to roll the object out of the snow when she tripped over it, the rainbow hairs that were now billowing in the wind letting her know that she had found what she was looking for. Without thinking, she grabbed Rainbow in her magic and teleported both of them back to the library.

They appeared with a flash in the middle of the room, Twilight called out for Spike as soon as she had materialized. She had told him to bring her every blanket they owned. Once she had given him the instructions, she moved Rainbow over beside the fireplace, throwing a couple of extra logs onto the fire and using her magic to instantly set them ablaze.

Now that she was sure that there was enough heat, she turned her attention to the still unconscious Rainbow Dash. Too scared to touch her, for fear of the worst, she stared at her chest for a few moments to see if she was breathing or not. When she saw that her chest rose and fell, if only just slightly, she moved in and gave her a full body hug.

She instantly jumped back as soon as she made contact with the blue pegasus. Rainbow Dash was freezing! Her first thought was to use the warming spell that she had used on herself earlier. She caught herself right before she was about to cast the spell, if she warmed her up too quickly, she could cause more harm than good.

“Spike! Where are those blankets!” she yelled impatiently, dancing on her hooves, wishing the little dragon would hurry.

“Right here!” Spike called down from the top of the stairs where he had a huge pile of blankets. Twilight used her magic and pulled the blankets over to Rainbow, almost knocking Spike down the stairs.

She unfolded the blankets and began layering them over Rainbow, gently using her hooves to rub her through the material. She had read somewhere that it would help to stimulate the blood flow. Once she had layered all of the blankets onto her marefriend, she touched her forehead with a hoof, jerking it back at the feeling of cold.

This isn’t working! She’s not warming up fast enough! Think, think, think, think, think! Come on Twilight! Think! You can’t lose her!

Another idea suddenly popped into her head. It was something she had read that they taught to ponies who would be going on expeditions in extremely cold areas. Laying down behind Rainbow on the floor, she used her magic to pick up all of the blankets, levitating them into the air. Stretching out her legs and both of her wings, she took a couple of deep breaths to prepare herself.

She reached out with her magic and grabbed Rainbow, taking another breath, she braced herself, pulling the rainbow mare into her body, wrapping her legs and wings around her, before letting the blankets fall back on top of them. It took only a couple of moments for her to begin shivering hard enough for her teeth to chatter.

Closing her eyes, she tightened her grip on the mare, recasting the warming spell on herself in an attempt to stave off the cold that she was absorbing from Rainbow. Her teeth slowly stopped chattering as the spell warmed her, she could still feel the cold coming off of Rainbow, but it was less intense now.

---

Several hours later she was awoken from her exhaustion induced slumber; the mare in her arms was finally stirring.

“Twi?” Rainbow asked, her voice barely audible in their dark sanctuary underneath the pile of blankets.

“I’m here Rainbow. I’ve got you.”

“So. Cold.” Rainbow said, before going silent again.

“I know, Rainbow. I know.” she gently kissed the back of her head, tightening her embrace and recasting the warming spell on herself to give her as much heat as she could.

Next Prompt: Sunshine

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Time to write some sickeningly-sweat Twidash? I think so.

Claimed.

EDIT: Unclaimed due to time constraints. The prompt "Sunshine" is back on the market.

Hi, my name is Rainbow Dash. I believe. It’s been so long since I came here, or so I think. I can’t really remember. it’s been a few years or minutes maybe, I haven’t been paying attention.
So I’m here, in this big sky. If you can call it that. The only thing I know for certain is that the sun comes and goes, and when it goes, I decided to call it night, everything goes dark and a little scary, but I’m not alone, I have my guardian. It’s a big round thing like the sun, but less bright. I call it the moon. But that’s not the point. The point is that when the sun comes back sometimes a new pony appears, but they quickly go away. I try to call them and ask if they know where we are. But they don't hear me. They rush to go away to some place. Maybe I should follow them to get some answers. But I can’t or rather I don’t want to. I feel that I must wait here for something to happen. And so I do.
---
One day a pony appeared. It was a purple unicorn. I felt that I should know her. At least I think it was a she, the sunshine was blinding me, but something within me told me so, like if I knew it from the start. but I don’t remember her right away.
She came to me, her eyes a lovely shade of violet, and her mane a dark blue with two stripes, one pink and another a purple darker than her coat. She kind of smelled like lavender.
“Rainbow, I’m here!” she said to me as she hugged me tightly. How could I ever forget her?
“I’m glad you took your time, Twi.” I responded extracting myself from the hug enough to see her face covered in tears, my own not faring any better. I didn’t have much time to see her face, as she kissed me a few seconds later. My eyes closing as I forgot everything but her.

I thought of it a few months back, but I remembered it just now.
Next prompt… Happiness!

I'll claim that one for today's evening

Not claiming.

Just so it's clear. From this point on, by doing a "prompt" in this thread you automatically agree to allow it to be posted to The TwiDash Prompt Collab, unless you specifically state in your post you do not want it posted. You are still free to use your prompt however you wish.

All other rules in the OP remain unchanged. The OP will be updated as soon as I get a hold of batsy.

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Just gonna leave this here...

I'll unclaim since I don't find the time to write it (Tomb's sick since today)

Current Prompt: Happiness

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I don't mind, I posted it here because it went well with the prompt and I couldn't make it a proper oneshot.
This way at least it gets read.

Hello. Is there a way I could find out the active prompts for this collab? I'd be interested to join in

3960964 Just scroll back up a short ways to find the last short story. This time it was by Ratsnenkio 3950622 and the prompt is Happiness.

3961879 Then I'll claim Happiness

Happiness:

Rainbow Dash had always thought speed was what made her happy. For all her life, she had wanted to test the limits, break the boundaries, and achieve the impossible. She always loved swooping through the skies, performing incredible aerobatics the likes of which nopony had ever seen before. Dips and dives and loops and twirls were only the warm up manoeuvres to her. But freefall dives from one thousand feet over a rocky gorge, or loop-de-loops through flaming hoops, those were the tricks and stunts she lived for. Yes, in her mind, flying was the only thing in the whole wide world that would ever make Rainbow Dash happy.

But now, standing here, looking out at the sorrowful faces of her fellow ponies while she retold the tales of her closest friend… she realised she was wrong. It was never the swoops, or the dives, or even the sonic rainboom that gave her happiness. No, in recent years, Rainbow Dash had come to realise what it was that made her truly happy when she performed these feats. And it wasn’t the crowds of ponies who loved and adored her while she zoomed across the sky with reckless abandon. It wasn’t the thunderous applause she received when she completed her displays. Nor was it the rush of endorphins and adrenaline she got from riding the fine line between awesomeness and near-suicidal-recklessness. What made her happy… was seeing the look of adoration on her face when she returned to the ground in one piece.

Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle had been in a happy relationship for two years now, and Rainbow had felt happiness like she had never expected. But it was only now that she realised it. Now, while she read from a sheet of paper she had Spike scribe for her, with the clear glass box in front of her, holding her lover just within reach, but tauntingly inaccessible behind a glass wall did she understand what truly made her happy all along.

The Pegasus’ eyes watered as she told the precession before her how wonderful Twilight was; as a pony, as a friend… and as a wife. She thought to herself how she hated those nobles for having sneered at the Princess of Friendship. How she loathed them for besmirching her beautiful name at every turn and, in the end, how they had ended her life in cold blood.

The prismatic pony looked out to the front row of the spectators, and her eyes settled immediately on Pinkie Pie, who was cradling a bundle of linen, and smiled as a curious little purple snout peered over the robes, her violet eyes glittering in the light and her rainbow coloured mane falling across one eye as the one final gift Twilight left her made her presence known. Rainbow smiled at her daughter and blew her a kiss before finishing her goodbyes and returning to her baby, holding the tiny bundle close as she made a silent promise to her beloved.

I love you, Twilight. And Rainbowrise will never know sorrow, for as long as I live. I’ll be with you one day, Twilight. Always. And we’ll live happily ever after, just like you wanted us to.

Sorry that it isn't a happy story Don't know why I wrote it like this. I'll make the prompt Changeling

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I think part of my brain shut down to avoid having to handle those feels. That's odd, considering the last Twidash I wrote. *shrugs*

Changeling? Ooh, that's right up my alley. Claimed! Let's see if I can manage a little something in the next four hours.

Edit: Three hours and ten minutes later, I've written three half-assed pseudo-sentences. Wooo. Time to focus!

I'm about done... I think. If you'll have some patience, you'll likely see it within half an hour. If not... Well, the prompt is free game now. If you'd like to snag the "Changeling" prompt, I won't stop you.

Edit: I lied.

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I think perhaps it's time to move this along. I'll take it from here.

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Eeeee!

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There we go. Now that's out of the way.

"What kind of question is that?"

Rainbow's cheeks gained a rosy sheen that was almost invisible in the moonlight. She looked down at the covers and watched her hooves play with a corner of her pillow. "N-nothing. Never mind. I-it was dumb."

"I don't think it was, Rainbow," I said, sitting up. I reached out with my magic and lighting the wick of my bedside candle. "'What if I was a changeling?' That's a pretty serious question. Why would you ask it?"

"I-I don't know!" she said, groaning and covering her eyes with her hooves. "You ask those kinda questions sometimes. 'What if I wasn't a Princess?' 'What if you never met me?' 'What if I'd said no when you'd asked me out?' I just thought..." Rainbow's voice trailed off as she rolled over. Her orange bangs covered her eyes when she plopped her chin back down on her pillow and let out a sigh. "I dunno, okay?" She spoke softly--almost like she'd regretted asking the question in the first place.

I breathed out and leaned back against the headboard. "No, it's fine. I was just wondering why you'd ask something like--"

"Just forget it, okay?" she snapped. My ears flicked back at the harshness of her tone. "It's nothing."

I bit my lip and stayed quiet. Rainbow could get rather defensive when she opened up unless she was approached a certain way. I'd clearly already messed up, so I decided to give her some time to cool off. If that extra time gave me a few moments to think, then all the better.

"Changelings change their forms to match those of somepony's lover so that they can feed on that pony's affection," I said, softly. "They honestly lead a rather sad existence. They are individuals who are unable to be unique in their own right. Their original forms are almost identical, yet their only other option is to steal the visage of somepony else."

I watched Rainbow carefully as I spoke. She didn't move much, but the occasional flick of her tail betrayed her feigned disinterest in what I was saying. "So," I concluded, rubbing my hoof on her shoulder, "what you're really asking is whether or not I'd still love you for who you are, right?"

When she didn't answer me, I knew I'd struck home. There's no way my little toughie would ever admit a worry that "pathetic," as she'd no-doubt describe it. Still, I couldn't help but smile when her ears turned to face me.

I slid down beside her and wrapped my foreleg around her before draping my wing over her back. It wasn't something I was used to--usually, Rainbow demanded to be the big spoon--but the change wasn't unwelcome. I'd gladly be there to comfort her as the world fell apart if she let me. "And, if that's the case," I whispered, "I want you to know that if you were a changeling, I'd shower you in love every day until you grew fat and lazy." I nuzzled her neck and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. "And if you were a griffon, I'd go hunting with you every day until your talons fell off." I brushed her bangs to the side and smiled into her glistening eyes. "And if you were a dragon or a diamond dog, I'd find you a gemstone so large, you wouldn't know what to do with it.

"But you're a pegasus, Rainbow," I whispered. "And I'll fly next to you until the day we both fall out of the sky."

A smile broke out on Rainbow's face as I finished. She sniffled and buried her muzzle into my neck. The cold wetness of tears stained my coat and made me shiver a little, but I pulled her in closer with my hoof and held her tight--but not nearly as tightly as she was gripping me.

"Thank you, Twi."

Man, you can see how bad I've gotten after over a year of no writing... Ew.
Next prompt: Anxiety

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Write, people!

4006544 I'm going to give this another time, Maybe this will help me break my no writing streak.

4006655

When I can and feel like, I do write from time to time.

Daring Do :P

4006544 I'm going to reclaim this, I was pulled away from writing last night and not able to finish it.

4006544

Claimed and shite

4026249 oh yeah I claimed it before you, I knew I was forgetting something... oh well, good luck with the prompt.

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4 hour time limit and all that. Anywho...

4006544
Anxiety

Rainbow Dash glanced back up at the clock hanging over the waiting room. It had only been three minutes since the last time she had looked. She looked toward the double doors that led to the rest of the hospital. Nothing. She resumed her pacing, making a circuit around the chairs that filled the room.

It had been over an hour since she had been whisked out of the room and into the hall. Something about complications, and then a nurse escorted her to the waiting room. Her friends, who were already waiting, swarmed her buzzing with questions. She filled them in with what little information she had, and set to her routine of pacing, glancing up at the clock, then the door, then back to pacing.

Rainbow’s friends had long given up trying to calm the nervous pegasus, and had nestled in to watch her pace nervously around the waiting room. Fluttershy was doing her best to stay awake; a head propped up with a hoof, every so often her head bobbing down before shooting back up. Pinkie had thrown out subtlety and was currently sprawled across two chairs with her mouth hanging open, dead to the world. Applejack and Rarity sat shoulder to shoulder their heads resting gently against each other, using each other as makeshift pillows.

The bang of the double-doors sent five mares jumping into the air, and a pink mare to the floor. Six heads turned towards the noise to see a doctor scanning the room.

Rainbow knew this doctor. He was Twilight’s doctor. They made eye contact, and the doctor gave the briefest of smiles before making his way over toward the group.

That was all the information Rainbow needed and shot past the doctor, through the swinging doors. Her wings beating furiously she scanned the room numbers as she flew down the hallway. 106, 107, 108...There! She flared her wings, but her momentum was too great and she came to a crashing halt straight into a medicine cart. Not sparing any more time to make sure she was uninjured or to help clean up, she shot through the door that she knew led to Twilight.

Rainbow froze before the door even closed.

Twilight was propped up in bed. Her eyes were closed, and had a tired, yet content, smile on her face. Her mane looked like she just got out of a windtunnel

It was the most beautiful thing Rainbow had ever seen.

Rainbow looked lower and saw a tiny face peeking out from the bundle of blankets Twilight was holding in her hooves.

Make that the second most beautiful thing.

Implied RariJack, because screw you Tcherno

Next prompt: Wicked

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Perhaps it should be a rule that if no one claims a prompt in over two weeks that someone can suggest a new prompt... Or perhaps people just need to reminded that the thread exists.

This thread caught my eye and I'm highly intrigued to give this a try, provided the thread gets active again.

4111073 That's what we tended to do in the AppleDash prompt tag thread. If it hadn't been taken after 4 hours (this was when the thread first started, mind you), another prompt could be taken. These days though it's usually longer than that.

4111152
I'd like to see a mod re-post the thread again. Not replacing or erasing this one, mind... like... 2.0

4111160 Not sure that would do much, to be honest. What with the hiatus, people are posting less, or prefer to keep their ideas for if/when they write actual stories, and so on. Reposting might get 2-3 posts initially but it'll go back to the slower rhythm soon.

4111164
I dunno the whole 'prompt' idea strikes me as more of an exercise than writing an actual story. Sure it could lay the groundwork for a whole story, but who's saying you can't go flesh that out on your own?

Anywho, I'm impatient and can't wait so allow me to breathe new life into this thread by saying
4026300 CLAIMED.
Prompt: Wicked

(First time posting something like this; be gentle!)

4026300 Wicked

Ponyville lay behind the two of them, one a pegasi, the other a newly-ascended princess. Over the rushing sound of wind ripping through the air, Twilight could barely hear Rainbow Dash's hollered instructions. Still, they carried to her, borne on that wondrously tomcoltish voice that nopony else could mistake as anyone other than the brash pegasus.

"Remember to keep your eyes focused on the horizon! Tuck your forelegs and don't forget to flex the anterior ligaments! Just like we practiced, Twi!"

"Right!" Twilight hollered back, setting her sights on the distant horizon, gritting her teeth in preparation.

"Just like you practiced, Twilight." A brief memory of the past few months spent training with Rainbow Dash came to her, borne on the gossamer wings of nostalgia and more than a few ciders.

'Can't get distracted by her flank just yet.' Twilight grimaced as some other not entirely unwanted memories resurfaced. Pushing those to the back of her mind, Twilight flapped harder, gaining speed until the wind drowned out even Dash's shouted encouragements.

Slowly, Twilight banked to her left, tilting until the world seemed to slide sideways, the pit of her stomach dropping down to say hello to her tail.

She kept tilting, focusing on the horizon. Her wings adjusting to carry her downward momentum through the roll and back up again. For a brief moment, the world was right again, and then it slid back into the bizarre as she entered another upside-down spin. And another. And another!

It felt like her bones were rattling insider her coat, and the horizon became harder and harder to focus on. Vertigo set in, but Twilight saw it out. She had practiced this dozens of times over, with Rainbow Dash right there to see her through it all.

’I have to do it. I have to finish this; for Rainbow Dash!’

The world snapped into clarity as Twilight pulled out of the aerial maneuver, her heart soaring just as high as she and her lover; high into that wild blue sky that stretched on forever above them.

"TWILIGHT!" Dash jetted up along side her, wrapping their hooves together in a midair hug. "That was your first aerial trick! You were so cool! That... that was WICKED!"

Twilight frowned at her.

"How can a barrel roll be malevolent?"

Dash just face-hoofed.

Next prompt: Sickly

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Nicely done. Though Candles was used on the previous page. Not saying prompts can't repeat, buuut....

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Edited.

4111307
Sickly

Rainbow Dash winced and tried not to stumble or spill the tray she carried on her back as the entire castle shook. It was only thanks to her wings that she managed to keep the tray steady. That was a big one… she thought and hurried on her way, a little worried about what she’d find at her destination.

Two more tremors shook the castle by the time she got there. Hesitantly, she pushed the door open to Twilight’s bedroom.

“Is it safe to come in?”

A groan came from the direction of the bed. “Probably not.”

“I’ll just have to stay on guard then,” Rainbow told her with a slight grin, and stepped in.

The room was a disaster, despite most of her possessions having been removed from the room as soon as she’d realized what she was coming down with. Scorch marks covered the walls, two of which were still smoldering. The carpet was shredded and the drapes were in tatters. There was also a giant orange were there should have been a large dresser, and one of the bed posts sported a bushy mustache near the top.

“I brought you some hot soup,” Rainbow told her as she trotted over to the bedside. A corner of the bed’s comforter was blackened and smoking.

“Thanks, Rainbow,” Twilight said with a weak smile. She didn’t look much better than her room. Her mane was a mess, hairs sticking out, every which way; some, like her horn, appeared to have been burnt at the ends. Her eyes were bloodshot and appeared glossed over, and her snout looked sore and slightly swollen. Even her coat seemed faded and was matted in places after days in bed.

“I’m just glad I can help,” Rainbow said, sliding the tray off her back onto the bedside table that had so far escaped the carnage.

“That smells goo… uh… ah... Ah…!”

Rainbow realized what was about to happen and leaped back as Twilight scrunched up her snout, trying in vain to stop the inevitable.

“…CHOO!” A wave of magic erupted from her horn as she sneezed, slamming Rainbow into the wall and shaking the castle. Years of stunt practice allowed her to recover quickly from the impact, and it was a good thing too. After the initial blast, Twilight flopped back in the bed, too dizzy to even sit up as lightning sparked from her horn, evidence of a powerful magic charge that would have to be released faster than Twilight could control. Spells began leaping at random from the alicorn’s horn. Most would be harmless enough as Twilight didn’t know a lot of combat magic, but there were a few that could cause some damage.

Rainbow ducked one spell then threw herself into the air as another struck the ground where she’d just been. Two more spells were coming her way and she twisted her wings, throwing herself into a roll, dodging the beams of unknown magic only to find a third that she hadn’t seen headed straight for her. There was nothing she could do, the spell hit her and with a bright flash, she fell to the floor.

“Rainbow!” Twilight cried, having seen Rainbow take the hit.

Silence descended over the room as the last of the out of control magic dissipated.

“Rainbow?” Twilight repeated, almost a whimper, unable to see her past the edge of the bed and afraid to lift her head and look.

“I’m alright.” Rainbow answered finally and with a slight groan, stood up. Something did feel off though. “At least I think I am…”

Twilight’s eyes widened and she covered her mouth in shock.

Then she laughed.

“What?” Rainbow asked, looking herself over to see what was so funny. She found out when she looked over her shoulder. In place of her normal wings were two translucent butterfly wings with a rainbow of colors matching her mane and tail. “Heh, well that’s new…”

“I’m sorry, Rainbow.” Twilight said, smiling apologetically.

“Don’t worry about it, Twi,” Rainbow told her with a shrug.

“But, your wings…”

“They’ll go back to normal when the spell wears off right?”

She nodded. “Yes, but…”

“Then don’t worry about it, I can handle being a butterfly pony for a few days.”

Twilight smiled sadly. “You shouldn’t be risking yourself like this. I’ll be alright…”

“I’m not about to let you suffer alone,” she said firmly as she sat by the side of the bed and picked up the bowl of soup from the miraculously lucky table that had once again escaped harm.

“But you could get hurt!”

“Hey, you stuck by my side the entire time when I had the feather flu. I wouldn’t be much of a marefriend if I didn’t do the same.”

“The feather flu doesn’t cause thaumatic discharges that could take off a pony’s head.” Twilight replied in a flat tone.

Rainbow just shrugged. “Only if they hit you.”

“But…”

“Twi, shut up and eat your soup,” Rainbow told her, holding out a spoonful of the hot broth and vegetables.

Twilight just smiled sadly and accepted the food, knowing all too well that she was too weak to feed herself, but worried all the same that Rainbow could get hurt. It was clear though that the pegasus wasn’t going to leave her, no matter the danger. And as Rainbow again fed her, nursing her through her illness as she had been for the past three days, Twilight couldn’t help but wonder how she’d come to deserve such a devoted marefriend.

Next Prompt: Misunderstanding

Misunderstanding

CLACK!

On instinct, Twilight’s ears folded back and she winced at the echo of hoof against crystal reverberating through her home. She briefly considered a sound-dampening spell, but realized she didn’t have one in her repertoire. Not that it would help. Across from her, Rainbow Dash glowered with such intensity anything short of a full-energy-matter shield would be useless. Perhaps, she could be diplomatic about this.

“Please, Rainbow, calm down.”

This was statistically a poor thing to say given the situation. If only she could think properly in Rainbow’s presence, she might’ve responded with something a little less likely to catastrophically fail. And fail it did. Rainbow’s frown drew up so far, Twilight was unsure if it was still a frown or just a massive overdose of Pinkie’s Powerful Pucker-Up Powder. But given the nearly instantaneous response of: “I am calm! Don’t I look calm?” indicated her suspicions were correct.

Another stomp, followed by a snort. Rainbow nearly growled and spread her wings. “Do you know what I’ve been through? I got up early. Early, Twilight! Do you know how hard that is for me?”

Twilight nodded dumbly, not quite sure where this was going.

“That’s right! Me, Rainbow, master napper, fastest cloud-pusher in Equestria, got up early to go to work. Skipped my hay-waffles, my hay-bacon strips, my Wonderbolts approved high-octane power juice, just so I could get to the library right when it opened.”

“You did!” Twilight responded, perhaps a little loudly, all the shouting seemed to be affecting her. Or maybe it was the glisten of energy she could see in Rainbow’s eyes.

“Then, I flew right to you. My best friend, the princess egghead of books, the very pony who got me into Daring Do in the first place, and you tell me I can’t check it out?” Rainbow’s forehooves crashed against the crystal floor once more. “You said it was on reserve for me!”

“It is!” Twilight shouted, her voice straining to match the boundless energy which seemed to radiate from every one of Rainbow’s jerky motions. The countless muscles delightfully tensing and relaxing with each punctuated word beneath that beautiful blue coat.

“Then where is it! Why can’t I have it?” Rainbow demanded, her mane tossing back. Specks of sweat launched themselves from her forehead, glistened through the air, and landed on a visibly panting Twilight Sparkle.

“It...it’s Wednesday.” Twilight gasped out, her wings spread ajar—twitching and struggling to stay folded in a neatly coordinated fashion.

“So?” Rainbow leaned forward, her eyes piercing into Twilight’s own, demanding, seeking, desiring...

“Thursday.” Twilight croaked out, her senses surrounded by Rainbow’s presence. “It comes out on Thursday...” She sucked in a deep breath and watched as the world around her melted. The fiery pink hues of Rainbow’s eyes softened, Rainbow’s cheeks darkened, and those taunt muscles relaxed. They shared their closeness for but a moment longer before Rainbow drew back.

“Oh.”

Twilight nodded, catching her breath.

They stared at each other for a moment, the sudden defusal leaving both a little unsure of what to do. Twilight reached into the vast depths of her mind for a solution. The obvious answer was always there.

“Book...” Twilight stammered, “I mean, do you want to read the last book. You know to get pumped for the new one tomorrow.”

Rainbow turned back and looked at the door and then back to Twilight.

“Because, uhm...” Twilight shifted uncomfortably, “well, not many ponies come in this early in the morning. And we haven’t really read together in a while.”

Rainbow opened her mouth, paused, and wondered what else she might be doing. A small smile grew on her lips. “Alright, it’s the least I can do after blowing up like that.”

“It’s okay Rainbow, we can all get excited for a good book. I should know.” Twilight’s horn lit and she retrieved a copy of the latest Daring Do hidden safely beneath the counter and trotted to Rainbow’s side.

“Always prepared, huh Twilight?” Rainbow grinned.

“Always.” Twilight grinned back.

Next: Delay

Delay

A strong breeze rolled through the dark streets of Ponyville, carrying the detritus of fall along with it. Only a few ponies were outside to feel the stinging chill that the wind brought, the ones who did tightening up their scarves and further buttoning up their jackets. All except Rainbow Dash, that is.

The cold bite of the wind affected her all the same, but she had not thought ahead to bring a winter jacket; she wasn’t even supposed to be out this late. She grimaced and pulled her head closer to her torso as the wind pulled at her mane and fur, both of her eyes closed.

After a few moments, the force died down and her mane returned to its normal frazzled look. She opened her eyes and glanced at the clock on the wall.

“It’s really almost midnight …?” she said, her voice unable the hide the hurt she felt.

Rainbow sighed, thinking back to the letter that she had left open next to her unwashed dishes in her sink. Twilight had explained that it was finally time, she was gonna come home. After an entire year of being abroad, her trip was coming to an end. The note had included a copy of Twilight’s train ticket home, the arrival date scheduled for nine pm that very day.

However, that had been a week ago.

“Maybe tomorrow,” Rainbow whispered to herself as she pried her frozen body from the metal bench she had been waiting on. She cast one last look at the train station’s unloading dock, fully aware that the train hadn’t arrived in the minute that she hadn’t been looking. Besides, she’d have heard it anyways.

She stretched her body, popping her joints as her wings opened up. As she lifted into the air and prepared to fly home, she made a promise to nopony in particular. “Don’t worry, Twi. I’ll be back again tomorrow, eight PM. I swear, I will be here when you finally return home.”

Little did she know that a second letter related to Twilight’s arrival had been placed in her mailbox that very night.

Next prompt: Almonds

Prompt: Almonds

“We have to break up.”

“I’m sorry?” Twilight said looking up from her book.

“We have to break up,” Rainbow said again matter-of-factly.

Twilight squinted in confusion. Where was this coming from? As far as she knew the couple were doing great, in fact Twilight couldn’t be happier.

“Okay, and where exactly is this coming from?”

Rather than saying something, Rainbow smiled thinly and merely pointed.

Twilight followed to where the hoof pointed just to the right of her to a bowl of almonds. This only raised further questions for Twilight.

“. . . Almonds?”

“Yup.”

“What do almonds have to do with anything?”

“You eat them.”

“And?”

“They’re gross!”

“So? You don’t taste them when I eat them!”

“Yes, Twilight, I do. You shove those disgusting things into your mouth, and then you shove your tongue down my throat. It’s gross!”

Twilight blinked. “So, what, instead of saying ‘Hey, Twilight, could you rinse your mouth out before you kiss me,’ we’re just gonna break up?”

“Or you can do the rinsing thing, I guess,” Rainbow shrugged noncommittally.

Twilight groaned. She honestly wondered how she was always able to put up with this. “Next time just say that.”

Rainbow shrugged, again. “Oh, and I got the mail for you,” she said putting a few envelopes next to the bowl of almonds.

Rolling her eyes, Twilight lifted the first letter from the stack with her magic and began to read it after opening it. It was from her parents . . .

“Hey, Rainbow, you’re free this weekend, right?”

“Pretty sure, what’s up?”

“My parents are coming to town this weekend. It would be a good time for them to officially meet you.”

“. . .”

“. . . Rainbow?”

“We have to break up.”

Next prompt: Cider

Prompt: Cider

“Gimme a cider, AJ.” Rainbow Dash grumbled as she plopped down on a stool in front of the drinks table. Her eyes remained fixed on a couple several tables away.

“S’customary to say ‘please,’ sugarcube.” Applejack replied, sliding a mug of cider across the table nevertheless.

Rainbow mumbled her thanks into her drink as she tipped it up and took a long pull. She slammed the still half-full mug down with a scowl.

“Real cider, AJ. Not the foal’s stuff.”

Applejack arched an eyebrow. “You sure, Rainbow? Remember what happened to ya at the last Summer Sun Celebration.”

Rainbow waved a hoof behind her at the couple that had commanded her attention. “Take a look over there and tell me I don’t need a real cider.”

Applejack didn’t even bother to look. “Alright, sugarcube, but just one.” She downed the rest of Rainbow’s first mug herself and refilled it from a red-banded barrel behind the table, attaching a similar red ring to the rim of the mug. “I still say you're overreacting.”

Rainbow choked in the middle of her first sip, coughing and spluttering as she glared at Applejack. “How would you react if one of your best friends was dating...YOU!”

The crowd parted just enough for the pair at the drinks table to clearly see Twilight Sparkle sitting with one large wing wrapped around another, nearly identical Rainbow Dash. The only visible differences being a slightly longer mane and the black-and-white ball she carried around with her.

“I’d be happy for ‘em, sugarcube.” Applejack said, letting out a deep sigh.

“I just don’t get it.” Rainbow grumbled, sipping her cider as she watched the pair of them. “Did she have the hots for me and this is her way of getting back at me for being taken?”

“I doubt it, sugarcube.” Applejack rounded the drinks table and sat down next to Rainbow with her own red-rimmed mug of cider. “Y’all might look alike over here, but deep down yer two different ponies, er people. So stop frettin’ so much an’ just be happy that your friend and princess found herself a sweetheart.”

Rainbow snorted, watching the pair of them nuzzling over the rim of her cider mug. “I’m trying, okay, but she’s ruining my rep by getting all mushy and kissy-faced.”

Applejack chuckled. “Ain’t nothin’ wrong with that. You an’ Rarity might try it yerselves sometime.”

As Applejack continued giggling and Rainbow spluttered into her drink, they watched as Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom trotted up to Twilight and her Rainbow. Scootaloo’s tail flicked as she tried to speak and the other two had to keep her from turning to run, but she eventually said whatever it was she had to say, finishing with her small front hooves resting on the ball by Rainbow’s side.

“There, see?” Applejack poked Rainbow as the pair of them watched the other Rainbow ruffle Scootaloo’s mane and then stand and trot over to an empty section of the field with the CMC, Twilight, and her ball in tow. “I don’t think your ‘rep’ is in trouble at all.”

Rainbow blinked, setting her mug down as she watched ‘herself’ talking to Scootaloo and the others while twirling the ball on the tip of a hoof. Applejack nudged her.

“Why don’t y’all go join ‘em. Looks like they’re fixing to learn a new game, an’ I bet it’d be more fun with even teams.”

Rainbow nodded slowly as she got up and trotted toward the group.

Next prompt: Bookmark

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I'm out of practice, so I thought I'd warm up a little with one of these:

Prompt: Bookmark

“That’s strange...” Twilight trailed off as she rotated the book mid-air with her magic, peering at the tightly packed pages protected perfectly by a hardcover shell. Thinking back, she distinctly remembered setting a bookmark within these pages the previous afternoon after a joint-reading session with Rainbow. Glancing to the side, she queried Rainbow with her standard inquisitive look of possible suspicion but received no further confirmation other than a small shrug and a smile.

Accepting the loss, she settled down on a cushion and opened the book in front of her. Nudging it a little to the right with her magic, she waited for Rainbow to get comfortable on the cushion next to her.

“So.” Twilight paused and considered a very small possibility in the back of her mind. Her bookmarks only seemed to disappear when Rainbow Dash was reading with her, not that any pony else read with her, but the pattern was there. “Since the bookmark is missing, again.” Twilight paused for emphasis, and noted the the sudden tensing of the pony next to her. “Where should we start reading again? From the beginning?”

“Yeah! Let’s read it from the beginning!” Rainbow chipped in immediately.

“Or,” Twilight floated a small notepad over. “We could just start from the chapter I jotted down the last time you were here, since so many of my bookmarks have been disappearing.”

“Oh.” Rainbow’s volume dropped noticeably, her apparent enthusiasm quenched by the cold harsh reality of organizational note taking.

A long pause swirled between them.

Twilight glanced over to Rainbow, but Rainbow was looking away, her ears flopped down against her skull. Clearly, the pegasus was uncomfortable in the sudden swelling of silence.

Scooting a little closer to Rainbow, Twilight opened the book slowly to the chapter they left off at last time. “You know, Rainbow. You don’t have to leave when we’re done reading.”

“Really?” Rainbow’s ears perked up as she turned to face Twilight.

“Of course. After all, you’ve stayed later all the other times my bookmark has gone missing and we ended up reading a little more than usual. How about you stay for dinner afterwards? Spike always makes too much food anyways.”

“That’d be awesome!” Rainbow grinned ear to ear.

Twilight’s heart thumped hard in her chest. A happy sensation of a suspicion confirmed.

Next prompt: Breathmint