“How under Celestia’s sun did Night Rain get through this?”
Rainbow glared at her own story as it sat on her living room table, as though she could intimidate it with her eyes into becoming a better story. It wasn’t that it was unreadable to her - accustomed to her own poor spelling and grammar, she could read it just fine… but on second inspection, she could definitely see how other ponies would have problems with it. For that matter, she was amazed Twilight had gotten through it without the logical part of her brain - aka, almost all of it - imploding.
Actually, it wasn’t the spelling and grammar that bothered her - it was the plot. Night Rain was right, there were definitely parts that, to say the least, seemed simplistic. It seemed, in retrospect, foalish to make some of the decisions she’d made.
She didn’t like her work and was having serious self-doubt about her potential as a writer… and yet, she hadn’t thrown away the draft. She knew the work still had potential, and she knew both Night Rain and Twilight felt the same way. Besides, the thought of making this story into the best Daring Do fanfic ever (even if she didn't have anything to compare it to but the Daring Do books themselves) was irresistible, even if she weren’t determined to not give up.
And yet… she didn’t know what to do next. She’d tried and failed… but she knew she could improve, that her skill as it stood was not the best she could be. She just didn’t know how to improve. She was caught in a place where her story was too bad to publish, yet too good to abandon.
In a way, it would have been easier if it was a total failure.
Rainbow finally took her eyes off her draft and leaned back in her chair. How does a pony get better at writing? When I want to get better at something I usually just practice and train… would that work here? She sat up and took flight, heading for the room where her typewriter was located. Well, it's the best idea I’ve got… I'll make it work if I have to!
Moments later she was seated at her makeshift writing desk, staring at the typewriter that Twilight had lent her. Her mind felt as blank as the paper. She sat still for several minutes - possibly breaking her record for “time spent sitting without fidgeting” - before she growled irritably. What am I even supposed to write about?
Well, what kind of things did she want to write about? Daring Do, of course, but she felt it would be odd to write about Daring Do when she was doing this little writing exercise to get better at the other Daring Do fanfiction. Maybe it was a valid option, but… she just didn’t want to write about that right now. But she really didn’t have any better ideas.
Clearly, she needed to pay a visit to somepony more knowledgeable about books than her…
“Twilight!” Rainbow rapped on the door with her hoof, too impatient to care if anypony heard her. “You there?”
The door was enveloped in a purple glow before it opened, and from the other side of the doorway Twilight gave Rainbow a smile. “Good afternoon, Rainbow. What’s the occasion?”
“I, uh…” Rainbow scrunched her muzzle, trying to figure out how to phrase things. “Let’s talk inside.” She walked forward, with Twilight backing up to give her room to enter. Once inside, she cleared her throat and said, “I… need a recommendation.”
Twilight tilted her head, brow furrowed slightly. “What kind?”
“Well… I was thinking that maybe I could write something else, and that might help me improve my big project somehow.” She reached a hoof up the back of her neck and scratched at it. “...I just don’t know what.”
Twilight grinned. “Perhaps what you need is inspiration!” Her horn lit up, and from across the library a dozen different books slid off their shelves and flew towards the pair. “I’ve always felt your reading tastes were a bit narrow, especially if you plan on writing fanfiction. I’m glad you like Daring Do so much, of course, but it might help if you were to broaden your literary horizons!”
Rainbow stood still, flatly staring at Twilight rather than the books orbiting around her. “Really?”
“Yes!” Twilight nodded, still grinning. “Reading multiple styles of writing will help you to become aware of different techniques, and help you become a better writer! It will, of course, also enrich your life by giving you more to read!”
Rainbow had to resist rolling her eyes - of course Twilight saw reading as a good thing in and of itself. She probably read the encyclopedia for fun as a foal. Still, Rainbow wasn’t going to turn down help at a time like this. “Well, what do you got?”
“Thankfully, I’ve already prepared a list of books similar to Daring Do’s style that you might like. I’m certain you’ll like them… I mean, I do have a good track record for giving recommendations, after all!” Twilight winked, and brought one of the books up to Rainbow’s face - the title read The Collected Adventures of Roanan the Barbarian. “This one’s a bit older, but it really set the standard for the genre of fantastic adventure stories for the past half-century!” Twilight then drew it back, immediately sending another book to take its place in front of Rainbow for her to view: Adventures in the Eternal City. “This one is probably the closest to Daring Do in premise, although the writing style is-”
“Thanks, I’ll take it." Rainbow reached a hoof out to swipe the book from the air, mostly to cut Twilight off - there was no telling how long she’d ramble if allowed. “Just this one for now, don't want to overload myself.” If I don't like it, I’ll return it in a day or two, she thought. …If I do like it, I’ll probably finish it in a day or two.
“Excellent!" Twilight smiled, levitating the books over into a neat pile on the center table. “I’m glad you're finally expanding your reading horizons, Rainbow! Just make sure you set aside enough time for…”
Rainbow tucked the book under a foreleg. “Don’t worry, I won’t forget to practice my skills - flying or writing!” She flashed Twilight a smirk, then took flight, pausing only to open the door to the library, before continuing on her way, completely heedless of whatever else Twilight was going to say.
A week later, Rainbow was curled up on her couch, reading. The book she held in her hooves was not the first, or even the second book she had borrowed from Twilight, although she had enjoyed the previous two books quite a bit. She was now on the third, and there was no doubt in her mind that it would soon be replaced by a fourth.
Rainbow finally set the book down on the table and stretched, looking out her expansive living room windows. The day was still young, but she needed to stretch her wings…
Meanwhile, the typewriter sat on her desk, its pages blank. Over in her bedroom, the calendar had the next day circled with the date of the Wonderbolts History Exam. Not that Rainbow was worried… she’d get around to studying, and writing… after she had some fun flying.