5298403 Ah!

None of that. All kind of tribes in Ponyville. That's discrimination.

It's everypony's town.

5298418
As long as things are done the earth pony way. No magic in wrapping up winter!

5298426 I'm sorry, I was having a hard time noticing everyone doing winter wrap up the earth pony way what with all the pegasi flying around bringing snow-clouds and getting the birds down south.

Or was that part of the Earth pony way too?

5298437
Oh, so maybe it's just unicorns.

5298445 Now that you mention it...

Yeah. Kinda.

5298445
5298455
Considering all the years of (probable) persecution against Earth ponies in the pre-Equestria days, I for one think it's a grand thing that Earth Ponies finally get to dictate to the other races for a change :P

: Vive la revolution! Ain't that right Pinkie?
: You know it, you ma mudpony!
: You ma mudpony!
(hoofbump)

5298464 Only if Earth ponies wuz silly.

They had all the food. They had a complete monopoly. They could have starved the whole of Pony-dom.

What could the pegasi do? I guarantee the pegasi would want to eat food before the Earth ponies wanted more weather.

'If you don't give us food we'll stop giving you weather!'

'Okay. No food for anyone. We've got the biggest stockpiles. Come back when ya got money.'

'But...'

'Shush! I have a delicious plum pie waiting for me at home. Oh, and no matter how hungry you get, don't eat the yellow snow.'

'...'

5298471 I don't know...would you want to antagonise a race that could call down bolts of lightning on your house?

5300019
Valid point.
"Why is it still raining? The land is flooding!"
"If we don't get food, nopony gets food!"

5300019 Would you want to rain lightning bolts down on the place that provides you with food?

More than once, that is?

5300022 how do you think they have winter? Or why?

5300060
When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.

"Why'd you burn down our food storage?"
"Why didn't you give us food?"
"So it's our fault you called down lightning and flambeed everything?!"
"Yes!"

5300080 And in the meantime, the pegasi still don't have any food.

Earth ponies just go hungry for five minutes before eating grass or something, but I don't see the pegasi up in the clouds (you know, the civilians) being all that chuffed about the whole situation. Worse still, imagine what the unicorns would say when they find out the reason they don't have anything to eat is because the featherbrains weren't playing nice with the mudponies.

Earth ponies have so much food they use it as ammunition. Pegasi still can't eat clouds. At best, getting into a fight with the earth ponies means you might at least get a tasty snack with your concussion, because I'm not convinced they're about to run out.

Scootaloo
_____________________________________________________________________

Despite what I thought as a filly, being a Wonderbolt was no walk in the orchard. My wings felt like lead blocks strapped to my back, and at the end of the day, I was all too grateful to be back on my hooves again. The crunch of the gravel beneath them felt so comforting and familiar that I trudged through the pathway to the farmhouse slowly, enjoying the sensation of rocks lodging themselves in my hooves. It was getting late—the sun had just dipped below the apple trees, and the family had long since wrapped up their daily chores and headed in for dinner.

Mmm, dinner. Oh, how my stomach longed for food that wasn’t from the Wonderbolts cafeteria. I could smell the apples on the trees around me, their sweet scent wafting in the warm evening air, but I held off in hopes of an even better meal.

A tired smile drifted to my face as I approached the farmhouse, and I reached out, already envisioning those freckles and a long, warm hug.

My hoof hadn’t even reached the door before it was shoved open.

“Rainbow Dash!” It was not a voice I expected to hear, and to be honest, not quite the one I wanted to hear right now. “How was your first day as a Wonderbolt? Have you done a show yet? Oh my gosh, you’ll be all over the papers tomorrow!”

“You bet I will be, squirt,” I said, trying to convey my excitement through my weariness. “Though it was only the first day. I’ve got a lot to brush up on before we do any performances.”

The house was thick with the scent of fresh apple pie and cinnamon, and I struggled to focus on the filly’s zealous words through my hunger and tiredness.

“Scootaloo, Sugarcube, give her some space. Dash’s plumb tuckered out after all that flyin’,” Applejack’s voice drawled. She smiled and wrapped me in a strong, warm hug.

“Glad to have you home, Dash. Are you alright?” She whispered into my ear.

“Uh huh,” I said, mumbling softly into her mane. I wrapped my sore lead wings around her. All they seemed good for now is for holding her closer.

Later that night, after a belly full of delicious food, a warm bath, and a mare’s tender affections, I laid on our bed thinking. I had melted into the sheets, spread my wings, and closed my eyes with a sign, enjoying Applejack’s gentle and much-needed preening.

“AJ?” I prompted, a little too timidly than I would have liked.

Between pulling straight my wet flight feathers and fluffing out newly grown ones with her teeth, Applejack responded, “Yeah, hon?”

I wasn’t sure how to tell her how appreciative I was of this, of her giving me a place to come home to after working so hard. Not like my cold, lonesome, fancy cloud house. A real place, full of family, friends, warmth, music, stories, good food, and more love and sappiness than I knew what to do with. I mean, I had everything I dreamed of—impending fame and fortune, awesome talent, and adoring fans. But at the end of the day when none of that mattered, she was still here for me, holding me, cleaning the gunk out of my feathers, and feeding my dumb self who barely knew how to make a hayburger. How in the world was I supposed to thank her for all that?

“…Thanks.” I finally managed. It felt weak and inadequate to my ears.

“’Course, Sugarcube.” She nuzzled into my feathers, a feeling that always brought a smile to my lips. “You know I love preenin’ you.”

“Not… just for that. I mean, for everything. For always being here for me. When I’m up in the clouds for so long, I forget just how much warmer it is near the ground… Near you.”

Two green eyes and a grin popped up from between my half-preened feathers. She slowly slid over me, cupping my cheek with a hoof and drawing nearer.

“Who are you and what have you done with Rainbow Dash?” Applejack said.

She laughed melodically as I shoved her. “Very funny, AJ.”

I knew then I didn’t have to thank her. The world could be ending, and we'd still be here, playing and roughhousing like there's no tomorrow.

_____________________________________________________________________

none of you are allowed to judge my half-done prompt, at least i wrote something

Next Prompt: Roughhouse

none of you are allowed to judge my half-done prompt, at least i wrote something

I was totally gonna write something! I just...y'know...wanted to let someone else have a turn...

So in that case, I'ma claiming Roughhouse
EDIT: DONE!

“Wait, Applejack was what?” Twilight spluttered, spilling her tea over the floor.

“She was bleeding!” Fluttershy responded, shuffling in her throne as a grumbling Spike tended to the split beverage. “I saw her at her stall in the market and she had a bloodied muzzle. I suppose it was lucky it was the red apples in front of her and not the green ones...”

Twilight set her cup back down on the Cutie Map. “Did she seem like she was in pain?”

“Not really. In fact I don’t think she even noticed.”

“Well she is pretty hardy. It’s probably just some rough work on the farm. You know how she is.”

“But this isn’t the only time!” Fluttershy banged her hoof on the table for emphasis. Well...lightly tapped it anyway. “She seems to have more and more cuts and bruises every day now!”

“Every day?” Twilight tapped her chin thoughtfully. “When did you start noticing this?”

Fluttershy looked down at her own cup, hiding her face within her mane.

“Fluttershy?” Twilight asked more insistently. “What aren’t you telling me?”

“Um...I don’t...I don’t want to say...”

“Come on, if there’s a problem, I need to know.”

Fluttershy took a deep breath, after which her words came out all at once. “It was just after she and Rainbow started seeing each other! Oh I know it’s not right to suspect, and I can’t believe Dash would ever-”

“Wait a second!” Twilight cut in. “You’re not seriously suggesting that Dash is...I mean...I feel like that’s not the kind of thing A.J would take lying down...”

“But that’s just it!” Fluttershy sat up straighter in her chair, desperate to make Twilight understand. “I’ve noticed that Dash is also getting more cuts and scrapes lately. Just three days ago she had this horrible looking black eye!”

Twilight sank back into her throne. It seemed unthinkable. The news of her two friends beginning a new relationship had been such a cause for celebration. But now, the idea that two were engaging in...”domestic disputes”... The two had always been rather short tempered, not to mention quick to trade blows if it came to it, but this was another level. If this sort of thing were to happen at the farm, where Applebloom might see...

“That’s it!” She jumped to her hooves. “We’re going to Sweet Apple Acres to get to the bottom of this!”

---

Down at the farm things seemed peaceful as ever. Twilight, Fluttershy and Spike had asked Mac about his sister’s whereabouts, but he hadn’t seen her since the morning. None of them felt comfortable telling him about their theory regarding his sister and her...special friend. They wanted to make sure they were right before the stallion got his hooves on Rainbow.

They decided to go ahead and search the farm just in case, and were eventually rewarded when they spotted their two targets emerging from the barn.

They each gasped at what they saw. The situation seemed worse than ever. One of Rainbow’s wings looked bent and she was limping. Applejack was sporting a massive bruise on her barrel as well as a split lip. Twilight’s heart sank. The two had seemed so happy at first, but here it was. Evidence that this relationship was clearly not meant to be. There was no other option. She had to intervene and recommend that they break up. It was for their own good.

She approached them with a heavy heart. “Um...hi girls.” Where to even start?

“Well howdy Sugarcube!” A.J greeted her with a wide smile and bright eyes. Poor Applejack. She must be trying to hide what was going on for the sake of everyponys’ feelings. “What brings you round these parts?”

Twilight took a breath and steadied herself. “Applejack. Rainbow Dash. I know what’s been going on. And it has to stop.”

“Um...stop what?” Rainbow asked, a look of confusion on her face. “And what do you thinks’ been going on?”

With no other choice, Twilight steeled herself up and explained everything she and Fluttershy had been discussing. Fluttershy herself soon burst into tears, but Twilight held strong. She had to be. For them.

And yet, when she had finished her story...Applejack and Rainbow just laughed.

“Aw Sugarcube,” Applejack spluttered between guffaws, “y’all seriously think me and Dash would do a thing like that?”

“Yeah Twi!” Rainbow was on her back, hooves in the air, laughing like there was no tomorrow. “You think I’d lay a hoof on A.J? Where’d you come up with an idea like that?”

“Well...” Twilight was honestly a little offended at them not taking her concerns seriously. “Look at the pair of you!”

“Huh?” Rainbow looked up from the ground. “What about us?”

“Y-you’re...you’re hurt!” Fluttershy had calmed down enough to still talk, but the sobs still came through here and there. “You’re always getting hurt! If you aren’t doing this to each other, then who is?”

Applejack and Rainbow stared at the three for a moment. Then they stared at each other. Then they collapsed into hysterics once more.

“Hey come on!” Spike raised his voice. It didn’t seem nice of them to be laughing at their friends’ concerns like this. “We’re worried about you guys!”

“Aw heck, Spike. “A.J wiped a tear from her eye. “Don’t you worry none. Ain’t nopony doin’ anythin’ bad to us. We was just roughhousin’ in the barn a little.”

“What?”

“What!”

“Um...what?”

Rainbow finally got to her hooves. “We just like to wrestle now and then. Y’know, it’s a way to blow off steam. Jeez guys, don’t take everything so seriously!”

“But...but...” Twilight struggled to find the words. “You’re limping! Applejack’s bleeding!”

Applejack shrugged. “Just a scratch or two, ain’t no big deal.”

“Besides A.J started it.” Rainbow added.

The farm girl rounded on her. “I beg your pardon?”

“You stepped on my wing!”

“You punched me in the mouth!”

“Only cuz you kicked me in the leg!”

“That was an accident!” A.J stopped and smirked. “Guess I didn’t realise how delicate you were.”

Rainbow’s eyes narrowed. “Excuse me?”

“Ain’t nothin’ to get upset about Sugar. Ain’t your fault if you don’t have the endurance.”

Rainbow shoved her face straight into A.J’s, their noses touching. “Oh yeah? I’ve got like, ten times the endurance you have!”

Applejack pushed back, still smirking. “Wanna put that to the test, Dash?”

Rainbow smirked back. “Always.”

“Fine. First one to say uncle has to do Big Mac’s chores for three days!”

“You’re on!”

Before Twilight and the others could say anything, a blur of orange and blue fur hit the ground and began rolling over the grass.

“So um...maybe we should go?” Spike asked. The other two nodded and they quickly made their exit as the roughhousing continued.

“Hey! No biting!”

“What’s the matter Sugarcube? You goin’ soft on me?”

“Grr!”

Twilight and the others hastened their departure.

So I've noticed lately there's been a trend where people post a word from their own stories as the next prompt. Which seems to me like a blatant case of sequel baiting.

But never let it be said that I can't blindly follow a trend!

Next Pompt: Sequel

Did I do that right? I'm not sure I did that right...

5341661

I was totally gonna write something! I just...y'know...wanted to let someone else have a turn...

That's me right there...

Maybe next time.

5341668 Well there's a brand new prompt right there! Sounds like "next time" could be right now

5341789 ... Nope Nope Nope Nope Nope Nope Nope Nope Nope Nope! No, nope Nope Nope Noppy-Nope!

Never... I, uh, have working to do!

U-until next time!!! *Runs Away*

Claiming Sequel, just got an idea. Hopefully, it'll breathe some life into this thread again.

Prompt: Sequel

Twilight could barely contain her excitement. She grinned at her friends, seated as usual around the Cutie Map table, and began speaking. "Last week, an expedition set out to explore a recently discovered tunnel in the caves of Canterlot Mountain. They ended up finding an ancient town — one that dates all the way back to the founding of Equestria!"

This was met around the table with surprised faces and curiousity. Even Rainbow Dash gave an interested eyebrow-raise.

"Gosh, they must be uncovering all sorts'a interesting info about those times!" Applejack said.

"Oh, you bet!" answered Spike from Twilight's right side. "Already, they've found the journal of Clover the Clever herself! It details everything that happened after the Windigo incident — which has previously been a huge blank in history books! Even the Princesses barely remember anything from so far back."

"And that brings us to the reason we've called you here," Twilight said. "You see, Princess Celestia wants a play based on those events to be created." She could practically feel her eyes sparkling as she continued, "After centuries of remaining virtually unchanged, the traditional Hearth's Warming play is going to have a sequel — and since our performance a few years ago was popular, Celestia would like us to act in it!"

Once they found their voices again, the other ponies enthusiastically agreed. Then Rarity wanted to know about the costumes they would wear, Fluttershy asked whether her animal friends could be of any help, and a pleasant buzz of conversation quickly filled the room.

---

Finally, once the basic details had been sorted out, the others went to return to their homes.

Twilight bit her lip. This was the part she'd been nervous about. "Applejack? Rainbow? Could you stay for a few more minutes?"

The two in question shot a curious glance at each other, then shrugged and returned to their seats. "What is it?" asked Rainbow.

Twilight waited until she heard the front door close behind Rarity, Pinkie, and Fluttershy before responding, "Well, you see… we didn't want to mention it in front of the others so it wouldn't get more awkward than necessary, but…" she trailed off uncomfortably.

"…um, well, it turns out that about a year after Clover and the others all befriended each other…" Spike continued.

"…Commander Hurricane and Smart Cookie… they, um…"

"…they sort of, uh… fell in love?"

Rainbow's jaw dropped a little at that. Applejack's expression showed some kind of emotion — probably several — but Twilight had no idea what.

Applejack opened her mouth to speak. Nervously, Twilight cut her off. "Of course, it's perfectly okay if you want to back out of the play!"

"Yeah, we completely understand if you'd feel awkward with… you know…" Spike added.

"…there being scenes where you'd have to… to…"

"…to kiss each other, and stuff."

Twilight bit her lip again. She tried to monitor her friends' response.

She still couldn't read Applejack's face, and Rainbow was still slack-jawed. Suddenly, the pegasus said, "…I'm okay with that."

Her eyes became slightly dreamy, the corners of her mouth tugged upwards, and her cheeks showed a hint of pink. "…I am definitely okay with that."

"Is that so, sugarcube?"

Rainbow yelped and scrambled off her chair, having seemingly forgotten Applejack was in the room. "Wha— no, I… I mean… I didn't mean it like—"

Applejack cut her off. "'Cuz I was thinkin' we should find a nice, quiet spot, just for the two of us, so we can…" she slowly lifted an eyebrow, "…rehearse."

Rainbow's face turned fuchsia. "Y-Yeah, that sounds good." She made a poor job of concealing her eagerness as she half-trotted, half-galloped outside, and Applejack followed.

Twilight and Spike stared after them in silence for a moment.

Finally, the dragon asked, "So does that count as method acting?"

Took a bit longer than I'd wished, but I had some annoying RL stuff. Plus, starting in university.

Next prompt: Daily.

5473162 Hearth's Warming 2: Electric Boogaloo!
Though I'm most looking forward to the next sequel: Hearth's Warming Harder!

Best line:

Applejack cut her off. "'Cuz I was thinkin' we should find a nice, quiet spot, just for the two of us, so we can…" she slowly lifted an eyebrow, "…rehearse."

5473162
5474035
And then, they were late to the play XD

5474600 Spike and Big Mac were forced to go on as the understudies, and they didn't talk to AJ and RD for a month. Guy's Night was never quite the same after that...

5475023 that's not professional at all!!! totally worth it!

5475485
So when are you gonna quit dragon your feet and pop the question?





You're no fun...

5477432 you have to love those guys! And Discord would be using this inside the game!!!

5473162

Prompt: Daily

"Hey?"

"Yeah?"

"You ever get so bored for such a long time that you start forgetting stuff?"

"Like what?"

"Like going completely insane."

"Forget what?"

"I dunno, things, okay?"

"Like what, RD?"

"Like, what day it is, did you feed Tank, what's going on, whether you talked to somepony today..."

"Did y'all feed Tank?"

"I dunno, I think so?"

"Why're y'all so bored, then?"

"Because I'm on fog-duty. Do you know how interesting fog is?"

"Nope."

"Exactly. It's nope levels of interesting. Every day. I just have to sit here looking at stupid thick clouds too heavy to take off. Every day."

"Every day, huh?"

"Yeah. Monday, fog duty. Tuesday, fog duty. Wednesday... is it Wednesday?"

"I dunno. Is it?"

"Maybe. But Wednesday too. And you can't see anything, either. It's just a whole day of nothingness. And boredom."

"Uh-huh."

"Honestly, if it wasn't for you, I'd probably have gone nuts."

"No problem, sugarcube. I'll always be there for you."

"Aw, thanks. Love you."

"Love you too."

"..."

"..."

"Hey AJ?"

"Yeah?"

"You ever get so bored you start to forget things?"

"Like what?"

"Like who you're talking to?"

"Who are you talking to?"

"...Who am I talking to?" Rainbow frowned. "I'm on fog-duty. Nopony can find me whilst I'm on fog duty."

Rainbow shot through the fog and into the air, emerging above the thick milky carpet of clouds that blanketed the countryside. Rainbow scratched her head.

"Huh," she muttered as she drifted back into the fog. "Guess I was talking to myself."

"That's what daily fog-duty'll do to ya."

"Yeah, I guess. Thank Celestia you're here. You keep me sane, AJ. You keep me sane."

"Anytime."

"Hey, uh, RD?" Applejack asked. "Why're ya talkin' to yourself?"

Rainbow frowned. "I'm not talking to myself. I'm talking to..." She stopped, and looked at Applejack, who cut through the fog like a knife. "Oh. Hey AJ. I think I'm going a bit insane. You ever been so bored for so long you start forgetting things?"

Applejack raised an eyebrow.

"Just wanted to say thanks for watchin' the fog. The humidity is great for the crops, y'know," she said. "Dunno why it needs watchin' every single day, though."

"Keeps it from running off. Fog's tricky, y'know."

"And you couldn't send one of the others 'cause..."

"They wouldn't do it right."

Applejack nodded apprehensively.

"Hey, RD?"

"Yeah?"

"I was, uh... listenin' for a while 'fore I said hi, and you were... talkin' in my voice?" Applejack paused. "Ya said somethin' 'bout 'me always bein' there for you'... and stuff..."

Rainbow frowned.

"Wait, are you real?"

"I am this time."

"Crud."

"Well? Anythin' you want to tell me?"

"...I'm not apologising. You are here for me."

"Well, you got me there, sugarcube."

I'll be honest, I went a bit insane myself trying to think of something for this prompt, so this is what you get for making me stare at a screen for an hour. You know how much the light grey of this site starts to look like fog after an hour?

New Prompt: Dialogue

5486954 In reading this prompt, I think I finally know what it is to go mad

Cute though...

5487714 Try spending a week alone in an empty university flat, where the ceilings are low and there's nobody to talk to.

I realised only after leaving that I had been having conversations with people who had left on holiday. Oh, that was a fun realisation. Everybody thinks hallucinations are going to be all fun and games until they actually happen.

5487725 So thinking about it...you don't really know for sure that even this conversation is real...

5487777 Well, I'm not stuck alone any more.

I'm fairly confident this is real.

Mostly.

Probably.

Right?

5487777
5487782

What I am doing im a stranger conversation? But seriously, this is real, I know because in hallucinations you can't feel pain (can you?). So this is real!

What were we talking about???

5488692 If it helps, everything that happens in our brain is the result of a chemical reaction that may or may not be an accurate reflection of reality.

Have fun with that.

5488692
5488699
But what if both pain and chemical reactions in the brain are hallucinations??

What if the hallucination itself is the real hallucination??

Ow..my psyche...

5488976 Well, that's rather the problem.

In super-gross terms, hallucinations are caused by chemical reactions. Normal senses are caused by chemical reactions.

Which chemical reaction is the real one? Can you hijack the process? Is it happening right now? Outside the chemical reactions that make up our perception of the world, is what's real actually depicted accurately by these reactions?

Oooh, what fun.

5488699
5488976
5489032

Oh my head!!!! I give up!

Prompt: Dialogue

“Aw yeah!” Rainbow pumped a hoof in the air in excitement as she leaned back into the farmhouse’ old couch. “You ready for movie night?” She grinned as she smoothly laid a foreleg around the shoulders of her favourite cowgirl.

“I guess.” Applejack grunted in response. She cast a wary glance at the cover of the film Dash had chosen. Daring Do and the Gilded Cage. “Coulda sworn it was my turn to pick the movie though…”

“Ah, ah, ah, ah!” Rainbow cut in hurriedly, almost as though she was trying to discourage Applejack’s train of thought. “Come on, movie’s starting!” She grinned again as Applejack heaved the massive bowl of popcorn into her lap, holding it close enough for Rainbow to share. She couldn’t wait for A.J to see this movie! She was going to love it!

---

“How much longer is this darn thing?”

She did not love it. Applejack was slouched over, her foreleg leaning on the arm rest, propping up her chin. She regarded the film through half closed eyes. She could not have looked more bored if Twilight were here, giving the two a lecture on the properties of various types of celluloid used in filming.

“What’s wrong?” Dash couldn’t help feeling annoyed. Trust A.J to butt in right at the most exciting part! Daring was hanging off a ledge suspended above lava! How was she going to get out of this one??

Okay, technically Dash already knew how, seeing as she had watched this movie more times than she could count, but still...

“It’s just...”Applejack hesitated.

“Just what?” Rainbow took a gulp of her soda, waiting impatiently for an answer.

“The dialogue in this movie is just plumb awful!”

PFFFFT!

---

Rainbow could only stare in shock while Applejack cleaned up the soda Dash had spat out, all over the screen.

“Darn thing’s gonna be all sticky now...” Applejack was muttering to herself. The sound helped Rainbow find her voice.

“Whaddya mean, the dialogue’s awful?”

Applejack turned around to find a very angry Pegasus right in her face. Her teeth were gritted, her eyes were narrowed and she was clearly looking for a fight.

“Oh come on Dash.” Applejack rolled her eyes. “That bit where Darin’ talks about her past lovers while flirtin’ with that one feller. Who talks like that?”

“What’s wrong with the way they were talking?”

“Just kinda cheesy, that’s all...”

Rainbow scoffed. “Daring Do isn’t about the talking, Applejack. It’s about the action! The excitement! The explosions!”

“Whatever darlin’...”

“Whatever?! How can you say that?”

“I’m just sayin’ action and excitement’s all well and good, but if you stop and really listen to the way they talk, you have to admit, it ain’t the best written dialogue out there.”

Rainbow just stared.

Applejack sighed. “Look, I’ma head to bed, alright? Gotta big shipment to Seaddle to organise tomorrow.”

Rainbow flinched as Applejack gave her a quick peck on the cheek and left the room. She snorted in defiance and grabbed the remote control. She leapt back onto the couch and pressed play. She didn’t care what Applejack thought! This movie was great and she was going to watch it all the way through, with or without Miss Nitpicky-Pants!

---

Applejack was still sat up in bed, reading a novel when Rainbow entered the room in a huff. She waited for the Pegasus to speak, but she was surprisingly silent.

“Um...Sugarcube?”

“I’m not talking to you.” That was all Rainbow said before she got into bed and turned to face away from A.J.

“Uh huh.” She turned the page and kept reading.

Wait for it.

...

...

...

Wait for it.

“You’re a jerk, you know that?”

There it was. Applejack rubbed her forehead and set the book aside. “Oh for the love o’... Really? You’re mad at me for not likin’ a movie? You remember the time we went out to see Ponies of the Caribbean? You were whinin’ the whole time, and you walked out halfway through! And on our anniversary...”

A moment’s silence.

“You said you weren’t mad about that anymore.”

“I ain’t!”

“You sound like you are...”

Applejack slapped a hoof over her eyes. Okay. Time to calm things down before they got worse. She laid a hoof on Rainbow’s mane and stroked her gently. The Pegasus seemed to relax slightly at her touch. “C’mon Sugar, it’s just a movie. It don’t matter if we don’t like all the same things, right?”

Rainbow sighed. She sat up to face the other mare. “I know. I don’t care if you don’t like Daring Do.”

Applejack squinted in suspicion. Rainbow stilled looked downcast. “So what’s the real problem?”

Rainbow stared at her pillow for a long time. “Well...”

---

She leapt back onto the couch and pressed play. She didn’t care what Applejack thought! This movie was great and she was going to watch it all the way through, with or without Miss Nitpicky-Pants! She lay back and the film started and grinned to herself as Daring escaped the lava. This was gonna be awesome!

As Daring faced down Ahuizotl, he made a grand speech about her imminent doom. Rainbow’s grin started to fade away.

During a quiet moment, Daring whispered something romantic to her sidekick, comparing his eyes to stars in the night sky. Rainbow’s teeth clenched and her eye twitched.

As Ahuizotl lay defeated, Daring monologued about the nature of good versus evil and the importance of love and friendship. Rainbow’s jaw hung open in disbelief.

---

Rainbow sat across from Applejack in the bed, forelegs crossed over her chest. She refused to look A.J in the face as she sulked.

“I just want you to know, you’ve totally ruined Daring Do movies for me now.”

Applejack tried to flash her an apologetic smile. “Hehe...oops?”

You ever have someone criticise a movie you love and it ends up totally spoiling it for you?

They are terrible people.

Next Prompt: Pickup Lines

5568604 this remember me about Indiana jones and the lost ark.

And no, it's kind of hard to ruin a movie for me, being spoilers or plot holes. It has to be so popular and have a lot of people near me gushing about it to ruin it (aka Naruto, Bleach, Harry Potter, etc) and shipping real people.

Okay, I guess it's time to be brutally honest.

I've come to this thread about five times in the past three weeks, but I've not been able to think of any good pick-up lines.

I feel like I've failed somehow. If it were puns... perhaps things would have been different.

Maybe in a different time... a different life... I could have written a decent prompt for this.

5632682 Don't feel bad, I suck at them too, and don't reconoicess them either.

Anyone else has ans idea or we get to vote for a new one?

5632682

I've not been able to think of any good pick-up lines

Who said they had to be good pick up lines? ;)

Hey babe. If I said you had a hot body, would you hold it against me?

5632937 EDIT: Well if no one can think of anything for the prompt, how about this?

Alternate prompt: Role Play

5632942 I'm sure there's something to be said about me thinking that's a good pick-up line.

Nothing flattering, I'm sure.

5632966 Oh dude, if you think that's a good one, you should hear the rest of my repertoire!

If I could rearrange the alphabet, I'd put U and I together!

Buck me if I'm wrong, but have we met before?

Do you have some Pegasus in you?
No...
Would you like to?

Stop thief, you've stolen my heart!

I've lost my phone number, can I borrow yours?

Did it hurt when you fell from heaven, you angel?

Your dad must have been a thief.

Because clearly he stole the stars from the sky and put them in your eyes.

I got a million of 'em!

The fact that no girl has ever fallen for them is entirely besides the point...

5632942 so that's a pick up line?? That would explain a lot of things...

5633012 I think I own an apology to some guys...

5633124
As an older brother…
You probably don't.

5633277 Good to know! Thank you!

5568604 Well, let's move past my inability to come up with even the most basic pick-up line with Role play.

Besides, everyone knows that all the best AppleDash prompts start with

Rarity tapped her hoof impatiently. She was pursing her lips so hard she could have used them to die-press steel. The glare she was giving the castle's front door could cut through titanium.

"Rares, give it a rest," Applejack said. "She's only twenty minutes late."

"She was twenty minutes late half an hour ago," Rarity said. "Don't think I've forgotten how tardy you were!"

Applejack backed away. Twilight, Fluttershy, and Pinkie all elected to remain silent on the matter, although by the look on her face, Twilight was definitely siding with Rarity. Punctuality was very important, especially in the Castle of Friendship.

The large double-doors creaked open. A small rainbow maned head peered inside.

Tragically for Rainbow Dash, Rarity was just slightly out of sight.

"Psst? AJ? Is Rarity around?"

Applejack made quick cutting motions across her neck. Rainbow blanched.

"You're late," Rarity snapped with a voice that could freeze solar systems.

"I was, uh, busy with..."

"Busy with what?"

"We did have a meeting scheduled..." Twilight pointed out, visibly not very impressed with Rainbow's timekeeping abilities.

Rainbow's eyebrow twitched.

"Like you needed me to be here to start talking and stuff," she muttered, trotting into the throne room.

"Excuse me, darling?"

Rainbow groaned. "Ugh!" In an instant, her mane changed shape, flowing into a neat, curly style that would have, for a normal pony, taken at least twenty minutes worth of brushing. "Oh, I'm Rarity," she said, her voice patterns matching the fashionista's speaking habits perfectly. "I find it positively dreadful when ponies are even the slightest bit late, even when I don't have anything better to do!"

Rarity spluttered. "Was that supposed to be me?!" she exploded. "It's absolutely..."

"Dreadful! I don't sound anywhere near as stuck up," Rainbow went on.

"Ooh, that's really good!" Pinkie exclaimed. "How'd you make your eyelashes grow longer?"

"It is not 'really good'!" Rarity continued.

"Well, it's not bad," Twilight pointed out, curiosity overriding her annoyance at Rainbow's lack of punctuality.

Rainbow ruffled her mane, getting it back to its normal, unkempt shape.

"Sorry, that just kinda came out," she said.

"I didn't know you were good at imitatin' ponies," Applejack said.

"I saw her do it once!" Pinkie said. "She did Twilight really well!"

"Can you do all of us?" Twilight asked.

Rainbow scratched the back of her neck. "Well, I mean, I prefer some over others..."

"Oh yeah?" Applejack asked. "Do me."

Rainbow coughed.

"I mean, imitate me. Is what I meant."

"Right," Rainbow said. She shook her head, her mane becoming more rounded and soft. It even glistened more golden than usual. She rolled her neck, easing out the cracks, and that's when Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie and Fluttershy all felt very, distinctly uncomfortable.

"What's the deal?" Applejack asked. Or rather, one of them asked.

"That's... a really good imitation," Rarity said, her anger subsiding completely in the wake of utter amazement.

"What? She don't look nothin' like me!" Applejack pointed out.

"Well, neither do you," said the other Applejack.

"We're as different as..."

"...Apples 'n oranges!"

"That's my line!"

"Then how come I said it, sugarcube?"

The feeling the other four ponies felt was an odd one. It was the sum of a thousand tiny things that their minds couldn't properly reconcile, like their eyes telling them that there were two Applejacks whilst their brains said that there was only one. It was the small gestures that Rainbow had to have been imitating that were practically twisting their arms to make them think that she was Applejack.

What was truly eerie, however, was their voices. There was no denying they were identical. A perfect, complete match.

Twilight grunted. With focus, she could make out the differences Rainbow was subtly compelling her to ignore. Things like the cutie mark, the wings, and coat colour.

"You're the real Rainbow," she said, sweat beading on her forehead. "How'd you do that?"

"Misdirection," Applejack said. "Y'all can't see the forest for the trees." She ran her hoof across her mane, ruffling it back to normal. Applejack became Rainbow once more. "Pretty good, huh?"

"Well, I weren't impressed," Applejack said.

"Of course you can't tell," Rainbow said. "You spend all day not looking at yourself."

Applejack coughed.

"I mean, not that I spend all day looking at yourself either. I just, like, do it more. Because my eyes are outside your head."

"Right."

"Right."

"Seriously, though," Twilight interjected, "How?"

"Well, I just, like, watch. You pick up a lot of things when you watch ponies whilst flying," Rainbow said. "Like how ponies walk, how they flick their mane, how they lean to the side, how they kinda tilt their head when they're not quite sure if somepony is..."

"Spyin'?" Applejack asked.

"Passing by unannounced," Rainbow finished. "AJ just happens to be outside a lot."

"And you just happen to fly above my farm a lot."

"R-right."

"Right."

"Ooh! Do Rainbow!" Pinkie said.

Applejack and Rainbow both coughed.

"I mean, imitate Rainbow."

"Sure," Applejack said, and cleared her throat. "Ahem. Uh... I can't do the mane change thing she does, okay?"

"That's fine," Rainbow said. "It's a trick."

Applejack tried loosening her shoulders. "Um, 'kay. Here goes."

Pinkie bounced up and down, excited.

"Uh... hey guys! I'm Rainbow Dash! I'm the fastest pony in Equestria to spend all day watching AJ work. I sure love keeping an eye on her every day, because I'm the most awesome pony ever! I'm totally not lonely."

"I'm not..."

"All I'd have to do is fly down and say hi, but underneath my tough, super-cool exterior, I'm kinda shy, so instead I just keep quiet and hope AJ notices my subtle hints."

"I don't..."

Applejack cleared her throat again. "Sure you don't, sugarcube."

"Well, the voice was spot on..." Twilight pointed out. "Come to think of it, you do have rather similar voices..."

"Sugar, instead of spendin' all day watchin' me, feel free to say hi from time to time," Applejack said.

Rainbow had evidently decided to role-play as Twilight at this point, as her blush turned her a bright shade of purple.

"Okay..."

Next prompt:

Space

5636092

Rainbow coughed.

Applejack coughed.

Applejack and Rainbow both coughed.

Awful lot of coughing. Must be a bug going around...

Pretty good prompt, though I am deducting one point for not a single use of a pick up line

You must be a parking ticket!

Cuz you got "fine" written all over you

5636092 she does has a lot of free time!

5636481 I don't get it!

5636481 I've always loved Rainbow's imitation thing. I even made a blog post about it back when I was writing many complications.

It's practically a Pinkie Pie level random ability. There is no logical reason why Rainbow Dash would happen to be a talented imitator. Yet here we are.

What a world.