Last extra one for a while. Vignette - Flash Cards · 2:01am Jan 17th, 2022
Sunset double checked her slides. She flipped through each one, ensuring that the timing was correct. The others were doing well in Japanese One-O-One. Rainbow Dash had recovered from her initial tailspin, all because Fluttershy had inspired her in a way that she learned to enjoy the language. In between her soccer matches, classes, and studying, Dash was finding the time to put a huge dent in the anime series Fluttershy had hooked her on.
Now it was time for Sunset Shimmer to help her friends study. It was almost midterms, so she had compiled the list of words they would need to know on electronic flashcards. Those cards would be used in a game to quickly buzz in the meaning of the word. They also have to pronounce the word in Japanese correctly. The points would be kept with candy, which would also be their reward.
Pinkie Pie was getting the candy. She would keep score since they were in the advanced class. Fluttershy would be present, but not a participant for the same reason.
This game would hopefully spice up the time-tested study method. Sunset had reserved a classroom for the contest as well as a projector, clearing away the desks except for the four they would need for each “contestant” and placed a buzzer on each.
None of them knew the actual game that was going to be played, only that it was a competition. Twilight was a master at flash cards, but hopefully the pressure would push her out of her comfort zone. Rainbow and AJ only had to be enticed by the promise of a competition with real stakes. Rarity was oddly competitive over the text exchange. Sunset was guessing that she was currently at the top of their class and wanted to keep her position.
Pinkie Pie skipped in with several overflowing bags in her hands and Fluttershy in tow.
“I’ve got the candy!” Pinkie exclaimed. “I even got each player’s personal favorite for extra enticement. Fluttershy brought the bowls.”
Fluttershy pulled out four dog bowls from her backpack. “The shelter got them in last night, but currently they aren't needed. They will be a sturdier base than a regular bowl in case someone knocks, kicks, punches, or jumps on their desk in the heat of competition.”
“Now I feel weird about the name tags I made to put on the bowls,” Sunset commented. She shrugged. “Oh well, too late to do anything about it. Let’s do this. I’ll be focused on the flash cards. Pinkie, if you can give out the rewards, and Fluttershy, if you can help moderate and figure out who buzzed in first, that would be greatly appreciated.”
“Sure,” Fluttershy said as she set a bowl on each desk and then taped their names, written in Hiragana, on a bowl. As a test to ensure they could read their names, Fluttershy mixed up the colors. Blue was Applejack, purple was Rainbow Dash, red was Rarity, and orange was Twilight Sparkle.
Pinkie Pie put a pile of candy beside Sunset, for snacking, as the others came in.
“So, what's the game?” Rainbow immediately asked.
“It’s simple,” Sunset said, joining everyone in the middle of the room. “You all know flashcards. On the screen I will project a card, the first person to buzz in gets to answer it. The catch is that you have to pronounce the word correctly and then give its meaning in English. If you get it right, I ring my bell and you get a piece of your favorite candy. If you don’t, I hit my buzzer and the next person to buzz in gets to answer. You have five seconds to buzz in and hands must stay flat on the desk.”
“Do we lose points for a wrong word?” Applejack asked.
“No, you don’t,” Sunset said. “Our setup isn't that sophisticated. We are borrowing clean, never used, dog bowls from Fluttershy’s shelter to hold the candy.”
“I was wondering why it was dog bowls,” Twilight commented.
“If there are no questions, take your assigned seats,” Sunset said.
The colors mixed up Applejack, who went for the orange bowl without thinking. Dash sniggered as she went to the purple bowl and sat at the correct desk.
With everyone seated, Sunset flipped the first card onto the screen.
Twilight immediately buzzed in. “It’s Nihõ̞ɴ, translated Japan, as in the country.”
“Correct!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, flicking a piece of candy into Twilight’s bowl from where she sat. “That was an easy one.”
Sunset chimed her bell and flipped to the next card. The words had been shuffled, varying the difficulty. There were several close ties for buzzing in as they progressed. As a group they went fourteen for fourteen. Fifteen was flipped up and no one buzzed in. Sunset hit her buzzer after 5 seconds, indicating time was up.
“Zasshi,” Fluttershy said. “Magazine or journal, as in I read the latest issue of the fashion magazine today.”
The next card tripped them all up again and Fluttershy answered it reflexively when Sunset hit the time buzzer. It was Akachan, meaning baby.
They took a break after thirty minutes to let everyone relax and go to the bathroom if they needed to. Rarity was in the lead by two candies over Twilight. Dash and AJ had a tied number that was respectable, but if they couldn’t react faster, they would be battling each other to not be in last place.
“Did you make these cards just for this game?” Twilight asked as she ate a piece of her winnings. “We have gone through a lot and I have a feeling you aren't close to being done.”
“This is what I use for my own studying,” Sunset explained. “The program randomly shuffles the cards for me. I just have to manually input the cards. I have them coded in by textbook chapters, so I was able to screen out the words you have not been taught yet.”
“That is a handy program,” Twilight said. “I would love to get a copy.”
“I can certainly provide you with it,” Sunset nodded. “How are you liking the competition side of flashcards?”
“Tests are kind of my thing, so I'm not worried about our midterms, but I am enjoying being pushed,” Twilight admitted. “I don’t want to hear the buzzer, I do want the candy, and three contestants ups the stakes and difficulty. I feel like I know the words, but am competing against the others, which I assume is the goal.”
“Yes,” Sunset nodded. “That is the goal, as well as learning.”
“Rarity has quick fingers,” Twilight added.
“It’s from years of sewing, Darling,” Rarity replied. “I am enjoying this competition. I am also surprised at our current standings.”
“Well, Applejack went to the wrong seat,” Dash goaded. “And I'm not close to an A in the class. I just got into the B range.”
“You know your grade?” Twilight asked, surprised and clearly a bit jealous.
“Yeah, Sakura Sensei’s letting me know where I sit and helping me get my grade up to an A for the exchange program,” Dash explained. “It’s been good motivation and she wants to see me be more than a jock. She likes that my eyes are on a prize that isn’t on a field or court. I’m just glad our midterm will have more time than this game has.”
“Your exam will be easy,” Fluttershy mused. “I have to translate poetry. Both into Japanese and into English.”
“That sounds like fun and not pointless like how most early language testing feels,” Twilight said. “I know it has a point, the exams are designed to build our knowledge up, but it can seem disjointed for certain languages like when you just turn a word into the proper tense and have simple, multiple-choice questions.”
“My test is in Kanji,” Fluttershy clarified. “Entirely in Kanji, except for what I have to translate into Kanji. And dealing with poetry always means that you will use words in slightly different ways than conventionally in order to fit the correct prose. Still, it should be fun. Translation exams do tend to be the best at showing the student’s grasp of the language as a whole.”
After a few more minutes of chatting, they went back to the competition. On the last card, Twilight buzzed in first. She pronounced the word correctly, but got the translation wrong. Rarity buzzed in before Sunset rang the “wrong” buzzer and got it all correct, taking the lead and winning. Dash had slid into last place but AJ didn’t have many more points than she did. There was a wide gap between Rarity and Twilight, and AJ and Dash.
“Honestly, you all did quite well,” Fluttershy said. “Not that I doubted you, but a four-way competition against time isn’t easy. You all seem ready for the midterm, assuming you have the grammar rules down as well as you do the vocabulary.”
Dash’s lips pursed in a mischievous smile. “We should pit Sunset, Pinkie, and Fluttershy against each other.”
“Sure,” Sunset shrugged. “But later. Our time in this room is almost up and I have other studying I need to do.”
“Same,” Pinkie Pie said. “Except I have baking to do. I bought plenty of candy for us to do rematches! Or new matches. Maybe teams?”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Sunset chuckled as she went to unplug her computer. She had no idea how teams would work.
For those wondering, no I won't expect you to learn Japanese. I don't even know the language. I'm working on learning, but uses of Japanese words will be either obvious, or taught right there. The story should be treated as already translated for you to read.
that was amusing!
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I'm glad. It was supposed to be amusing. lol
I never got around to replying to the last vignette, so I'll say that it's good that Dash found a show she likes. Anime is a medium, not a genre. Just like with books, movies, and western TV shows, there are many different types of Anime for all different ages. If Dash needed another show, there are plenty of Sport shows that she might like. I haven't seen any myself, but I've heard good things about Run With the Wind and Haikyu!!.
On that note, Fluttershy could probably find shows that each of them would like
Twilight might like something with science or psudo-science involved. Dr. Stone or Stein's Gate might be a good fit for her.
Sunset could either love or hate isekai, seeing as she's living in one already. In either case, she'd probably like seeing how the creatures in a Fantasy series compare to the Equestrian counterparts. Maybe something with a badass female protagonist as well.
Applejack is a bit harder to pin down. Maybe something to wind down with after a day of hard work? Or maybe something with more competitive action? Family or sibling focused shows might also appeal to her.
Rarity would probably either like a romantic drama, or something with good character design. I wouldn't even know where to start with the romance, but she might just like watching Jojo or Cardcaptor Sakura for the outfits.
Pinkie Pie would come down to interpretation. On the more innocent side, Mahou Shojo shows would probably fit her. Any of the Pretty Cure series would be good. I could also see a version of her watching stuff with more lewd humor, like Shimonetta or Monster Musume. Food Wars and Restaurant to Another World would also be high up on her list.
Spike would just like something with talking animals. Meanwhile, he'd be oblivious to the fact that he's the only male character surrounded by seven cute girls.
It's good to see that the story is in progress. Quick question. Will you be posting ruby palace on AO3 like you did with EQG:SAO? I kinda switched over to archive during my vacation from pony-fiction so it would be nice to have it over there if I'm not back on this site when you release it.
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Yes, it will also be released on AO3.