Another Speedwriting Anthology

by Decaf


Exactly One [Comedy]

"It would have gone off without a hitch if you hadn't opened your big mouth!" said Applejack.

"Hey, it wouldn't have happened in the first place if you were just willing to rob that train!"

"I won't steal. Why is that so hard for you to understand?"

"Stealing from a thief isn't actually stealing! The two stealings cancel each other out."

"That ain't how it works."

Rainbow scoffed. "Like you would know. You have to do some stealing every once in a while to know if it's bad or not!"

"That's… I don't even know where to start with that."

"And furthermore, selling bootleg merchandise is a kind of stealing."

"It wasn't bootleg! It was an artistic interpretation of its source material!"

"Which just so happened to look exactly like Daring Do with a different mane color."

"I was pressed for time!" said Applejack. "I would have come up with something better if I could, but fifteen minutes is just too short."

"It looked like an infant drew it."

"I ain't no artist! I just needed to have something to sell."

"Just sell apples," said Rainbow Dash. "That always works."

"How many times do I have to tell you apples don't grow in the winter?"

"Well, more than you have, obviously."

Applejack groaned. "Couldn't you just have left me alone?"

"And let you besmirch Daring Do's good name with whatever those t-shirts were supposed to be? Never! It is my duty as a fan!"

"You know Daring ain't gonna hang out with you just because you have a creepy obsession with her, right?"

"Well, she might."

"No she won't."

"But--"

"No. She. Won't."

Rainbow Dash sighed. "I'm just saying that robbing a train would have been the more respectable choice."

"Respectable!"

"It would have been so cool!"

"Rainbow Dash, it is more ethical to sell bootleg t-shirts of copyrighted characters than it is to rob a train."

"Not if the character is cool."

Applejack groaned. "I expect you to chip in with my legal fees."

"What? Why?"

"It's your fault I'm in trouble."

"Well, you were going to get caught eventually."

"I didn't 'get caught.' There was a misunderstanding about the legality of the situation."

"Because you were infringing the copyright."

"I didn't mean to! I just sat down to draw something and that's what came out. Nopony would have noticed if you hadn't shouted at everyone that it was a knock-off. Which it wasn't, by the way."

"Oh come on! Anyone with eyes could see it was just Daring Do in a cowboy hat."

"It's an original character!"

"A cowboy hat isn't a character trait."

Applejack gasped. "You take that back right now."

"Not until you apologize to Daring Do!"

"Not until you apologize to me!"

"Not until… wait, who's apologizing now?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Say you're sorry for ruining my sales in a tight financial time."

"I didn't ruin your sales."

"You got my booth shut down! You ruined my sales!"

"But you sold some before that happened, right?"

"I sold exactly one t-shirt," said Applejack.

Rainbow Dash smiled. "Well, you know what they say… one is better than none!"

Applejack gave her a harsh look. "I made three bits, and owe the Daring Do estate two thousand. If I hadn't sold anything, the fine would only be one hundred."

"But at least you made some money, right?"

"Rainbow Dash, sometimes I don't understand how your brain works."

"You know, I think better when I'm robbing a train. Or at least, I think I do. I've never robbed a train before."

Applejack slammed the door in her face.

"Unbelievable," said Rainbow Dash.