Chapter 5: The Guts Test
Feeling the warm rush of water pour down her aching body made Twilight Sparkle give a pleasurable moan of relief, the unicorn having her eyes clenched shut as she sat silently in the shower. True to her promise, Rainbow Dash had paused her games for twenty minute to give Twilight a chance to clean up. Even though Dash enjoyed getting dirty and showing off the labors of all her hard work, she knew that Twilight didn’t deserve THAT much humiliation. She was already doing a fine job of humiliating herself as it was, so remaining as a muddy pony with nagging injuries lingering on her body was enough of a reason to let Dash give Twilight a little reprieve.
“Ooh…this feels so good…ah, my joints are killing me,” Twilight gasped, her body squirming a little as she felt the warm water applying gentle pressure to the more delicate parts of her sore body. “This is all so stupid…I really should just give up. Yeah, I’ll just give up, write a letter to the princess about how to know your own limits and not try to prove a point that is too complicated to really succeed, and then just suffer through Dash’s mockery for a week or so before she moves on to something else to tickle her fancy. Yeah, that sounds like a good idea…I think I’ll do that.”
Twilight sighed and banged her head against the wooden wall of the shower stall she was using. She knew she couldn’t quit. That was just the nagging of her mind. Her intelligent mind. But, all the same, Twilight had learned a long time ago that listening to her heart was almost just as important as listening to your head, and her heart was telling her to not just give up. This little display of poor athletic ability might be pointless and may only be entertaining Rainbow Dash rather than teaching her a lesson, but the unicorn felt a strong urge to push the thoughts of quitting aside. Something was eating at her, but she couldn’t understand what it was.
The longer I play into this, the more…strange I feel, Twilight mused, shaking her soaked mane out of her face as she gathered her thoughts, I just don’t really understand why, but…the feeling of being out there and competing…while Rainbow Dash watches…is so…so…oh, what’s a good word I’m looking for? Tantalizing? Exhilarating? Riveting? Hmm…I don’t get it! Why does my heart go into overdrive when I feel Rainbow’s eyes watching me? Why am I risking my pride, my health, my mental stability, and my dignity just to prove a point? Why does the thought of actually winning and becoming Rainbow’s pet make me…curious? I don’t understand! I wonder if I have a book on this somewhere…
“Yo, Twi, you done yet?” Rainbow Dash opened the shower door and glanced inside, but immediately widened her eyes and blushed when she saw that Twilight was still showering. “Oh…whoops, my bad.”
“DASH! G-G-GET OUT OF HERE!” Twilight shrieked, her face igniting into a beet red visage as she whipped her head around and spied the peeping Pegasus. “CLEARLY, I AM NOT DONE YET! DIDN’T YOU HEAR THE WATER STILL GOING?!?!”
“Sorry, sorry!” Rainbow Dash quickly slapped a hoof over both of her eyes and wrenched her head back out of the tiny stall, slamming the door shut behind her. A second later, the humiliated Twilight heard the door to the shower house close, meaning Dash had made a quite departure. She knew that her friend got rather impatient sometimes, but that was ridiculous. Clearly she had heard the water still running, which any pony would’ve known meant she was still taking a shower.
Her breaths coming out in quick, deep spurts, Twilight placed a hoof over her quickening heart and tried to calm down. Having already washed her mane and scrubbed her body down twice with body wash, Twilight had just been soaking for a while and gathering her thoughts. With the usual red glow surrounding her horn, Twilight magically twisted the nozzle on the shower off and allowed the warm, refreshing water to stop cycling. The soaked, embarrassed and annoyed unicorn was left sitting in the small shower stall, contemplating on what had just happened. Now that she had gotten a chance to catch her breath, Twilight gave a little frown and began to think again.
Ugh, peeking in on me washing…how rude! If I had been Rarity, it’s easy to say that Rainbow Dash would most likely be heading towards the hospital by now. A deep growl escaped Twilight’s throat, the heat in her cheeks still keeping her flushed as she thought about the Dash having peeked in on her. I mean, true, this isn’t really anything different than…oh, say, running around outside during the rain. But, all the same, Rainbow Dash should know better than that! I’m going to have a little talk with her about decency and respecting other pony’s privacy! After that, I’m going to…oh no! I forgot a towel!
Momentarily forgetting that she could’ve just used her magic to summon a towel, the dripping wet unicorn sighed to herself and gently rose to her hooves. She began to shake her body back and forth, thankful that she wouldn’t be getting Rarity soaked this time. It just seemed that the day was getting worse and worse for Twilight. First, one of her best friends was trying to choose a pet like it was game instead of treating it like a loving and personal decision. Second, she was getting beat up and very humiliated during Rainbow’s games. Third, she was experiencing very strange and unusual feelings that she didn’t understand. Now, she was missing a towel.
“Oh all the annoying…hmm?” Twilight blinked as she happened to glance up to the top of the wall of the shower. A blue towel was hanging over the side, as though having been placed there without her knowledge. That towel hadn’t been there when she first entered the small shower house that was near Rainbow Dash and Applejack’s training grounds. Plus, the color seemed to indicate that it was owned by a certain Pegasus. Twilight sighed and shook her head.
Dash, Dash, Dash…what am I going to do with you? If you wanted to lend me your towel, you could’ve just said…oh, right, my magic. Rolling her eyes at her own momentary lapse in judgment, Twilight used her horn to levitate the towel down and gently draped it over her soggy body. The side of the towel that had been hanging over the other side of the wall was rainbow colored, decorated in a vibrant red, a husky orange, a sparkling yellow, a mesmerizing green, a tranquil blue, and a beautiful violet. It almost looked like Rainbow Dash as a towel, and when Twilight began to snuggle it onto her body to dry off, it had a gentle warmth to it that made her sigh.
Do they make these in Cloudsdale or something? I’ve never seen them in town, and I’m SURE Rarity would’ve known about something as comfortable as this! Twilight’s thoughts continued to pour out of her mind as the pony continued using the towel to now dry her mane and tail. It feels so powerful, like it’s made from the stronger fabric and clothing materials that a pony could find! But, at the same time, it feels so warmth…and almost feathery…oh my gosh, did I accidentally turn Rainbow Dash into a towel?!?! That’s it, isn’t it? I turned Rainbow Dash into a towel!
Bursting out of her shower stall, Twilight frantically looked around to make sure no one else was watching, then she sat down on her sore rump and clutched the beautiful towel in her hooves. “Oh, Rainbow Dash, forgive me! My magic must’ve been acting on its own again! I…I really didn’t know this would happen, I swear! It must’ve happened while I was thinking about how annoyed you made me and how I also needed a towel…oh, this is horrible. Just HORRIBLE! If the princess finds out I accidentally mishandled my magic and used it to transfigure one of my best friends into an inanimate object…I’ll be sent back to Magic Kindergarten!”
“Uh…Twi…what are you doing?”
Twilight sobbed and buried her face into what she assumed was Rainbow Dash as a towel. “Oh, Dash, I’m SO sorry! Even if I change you back, it won’t excuse the fact that I once again made a stupid, STUPID mistake! I could’ve easily turned you into something worse, but…” She blinked, then gasped and held the towel up with her hooves and stared at it. “Did…did you talk? Rainbow Dash, you can still talk, even while as a towel? Oh…oh my…this is incredible!”
“Twi…you’re scaring me.”
Twilight, now gone from sorrowful to thrilled, giggled in delight as she observed the towel more thoroughly than she had before. “This is a breakthrough, Rainbow Dash! To think that you could still be talking, even when you have no mouth and no other visible body parts, is astounding! How are you doing that? Ooh, this is so cool! Maybe this means I can turn Spike into a flowerpot when he annoys me, but he’ll still be able to talk and apologize for what he’s done! Yes, yes, this could work! Oh, Dash, thank you SO much for being my unexpected guinea pig for something I didn’t even know I did!”
“Okay, Twi? Seriously, this has gone from amusing to just plain freaky.”
“Oh, you’re telling me, Dash…um, I’m very, very sorry for…using you to…dry my body.” Twilight blushed, giving the towel she was holding a very weak grin of embarrassment. “I…uh…kinda used you to dry all of my body, didn’t I? Yeah…including my…” She wiggled her rump, blushed even deeper, then coughed and quickly continued on. “Well, um, I’m very sorry for that…if I had known it was you, I really wouldn’t have done it, I swear!”
“Ugh…Twilight Sparkle, have you gone insane? I mean, really! What the hay?”
“Don’t worry, Rainbow, this’ll be just between the two of us.” Twilight gently set the towel down in front of her, giving it a gentle pat with a hoof before then breaking out a little scolding. “But, you know, you kinda had it coming for peeking in on me in the shower. That was NOT funny. So, I guess you can kinda call us even now, right? Hopefully this experience as a bath towel made you learn to never peek in on one of your friends when she is CLEARLY not done yet! If you want, I can help you write that letter to the princess. I’m sure she won’t punish me, knowing that there was a good lesson involved here, not to mention the fact that you can still apparently breathe and talk in your towel form, so it all worked out.”
“TWILIGHT, YOU EGGHEAD, TURN AROUND!”
“Huh?” The purple unicorn blinked in confusion, then glanced behind her back. She widened her eyes in horror when she saw a very annoyed Rainbow Dash sitting there with her forelegs crossed and a little frown stretched across her lips. “Rainbow Dash?!?! But…but…if you’re there…then who’s THIS?” She whipped her head back around and snatched up the towel in her teeth, then turned once more to present the bath item to the Pegasus.
Giving a deep moan of impatience, Dash shook her head. “Twi…that’s my towel. It’s my special towel that I use for my showers, and I also use it as a sweat rag for when I do some heavy workouts and some flying tricks during hot days. I left it on your shower stall when I saw that you didn’t have one. Sure, I guess you could’ve just summoned one or something, but…well…yeah, I thought you’d appreciate it.”
“Wait, wait, wait…sweat rag? EWW!” Twilight hacked and spat the towel out of her mouth, shivering in disgust and taking a step back. “Gross! Rainbow Dash, that’s disgusting! Why didn’t you tell me that’s what you used that thing for?”
Angrily, Rainbow Dash snatched up the colorful towel and held it in her forelegs while giving Twilight an incredulous look. “I’m not as dirty and unclean as you might think, Twilight. I do clean this baby every time I use it, you know. Didn’t it smell fresh when you used it to dry yourself with? If you didn’t want to use it, you should’ve just gotten your own. Don’t insult my towel…it’s very special to me.”
“Rainbow Dash…thanks for letting me use it, but…it’s just a towel that happens to look like you…so much that I mistook it as you.” Twilight coughed and meekly rubbed the back of her drying mane, realizing she had just made a foal of herself in front of Dash. “But, um, when did you get here anyway? How much…did you hear…of what I said?”
“I came back at almost the same time you burst out of the shower screaming your head off. I guess you didn’t hear me open the door to this little shower house back up. I didn’t want to disturb your silly little egghead rant, so…yeah, I basically heard it all.”
Twilight moaned and held her head in her hooves. “I was afraid of that.”
A small grin returning to her face, Rainbow Dash gently rose to her hooves and tossed her towel onto her back. “Now it looks like I have something else to tease you about! Man, Twi, you’re just TOO easy. You walk right into these things, I swear.”
“Yeah, yeah…I’m our group’s punching bag, I know…”
“Nah…you’re more of our…dart board. No matter how much we play with you and end up picking on ya, you always stand tall through all the damage you sustain and continue to make us all see just how amazing you really are.” Rainbow Dash’s taunting grin turned into a sincere one as she trotted forward and draped a foreleg around Twilight’s shoulders. When Twilight glanced up at the Pegasus, she saw a gentle smile, showing her that she was actually being serious for once.
“Heh…is that right?” Twilight grinned, playfully butting Rainbow’s foreleg with her head, “So, I guess that makes you my dart, huh? What’s my bull’s-eye?”
“Your heart.” Rainbow Dash wrapped the unicorn into a hug and gave a little sigh. “Your heart is your bull’s-eye. It’s the hardest place to hit, and it’s the most coveted and special part of a dart board. When a dart hits it, it’s a joyous and amazing feeling! But, to hit it is like trying to stay in the same room with Pinkie Pie for more than one hour; it’s almost impossible. But, ya see, Twi…you’re our dart board, and the five of us…AJ, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Rarity, and myself…we’re your darts. We all cling to you, because we go together, and your heart is the part that keeps us all going and makes us want to keep coming back for more.”
Twilight’s face was heating up as she listened to Rainbow Dash make such a stunning analogy. The Pegasus was never known for her words of wisdom or her poetic charms, but she had just explained something that had touched the unicorn right to the heart. Despite being slightly crude and even a bit ambiguous, Twilight’s fast-working mind managed to grasp the basic meaning of what Rainbow Dash was trying to get across. The unicorn almost got a tear to her eye when she heard the Pegasus’ explanation, and as she stared at the mare, she began to blush again.
Where…where did that…explanation come from? Twilight thought, staring deep into Rainbow’s eyes and trying to get a lock on her own thoughts, What warranted such a deep and thoughtful, if not unusual, response? Is Dash…maybe…starting to see my point? Did she finally decide to stop this silly contest while I was in the shower? Rainbow Dash…what is on your mind?
“Hey, Twi?” Dash gently released her foreleg from the unicorn and gave her a little chuckle.
“Y-yes, Dash?”
“I didn’t mean to get all mushy and junk…I just wanted to let ya know that I really do care for you and stuff.” Rainbow Dash shuffled awkwardly. “When I saw you all muddy and hurting…it made me think of just how badly you were willing to go just to prove…uh…whatever it is you’re trying to prove. As funny as it is to watch you fail…you’re my friend, and I don’t like seeing my friends get hurt. So, when I realized just how mean I was being, I wanted to come and tell you just how important you are to me. But, uh…” She glanced at Twilight and gave a sheepish grin. “…I kinda got impatient and forgot that you were still showering. Once again, my bad.”
“Oh…well, that’s…alright, I guess. No harm done, Dash…thanks for apologizing, and…um, thanks for your…considerate words.” Twilight really didn’t know what else to say; she never really had anypony tell her just how special she was before. Sure, Princess Celestia and Spike always told her how important she was, but the way Rainbow Dash had explained it was…different. In what way, she didn’t understand. But, Twilight didn’t get the same feeling she got from the princess and her #1 assistant when they complimented her. It really confused and aggravated the unicorn; she HATED not knowing something.
“From here on out in my games, I promise to not put you or the other competitors through any more tests that revolve around physicality,” Rainbow Dash promised, “I don’t need ya taking more pain just for some stupid research or science mumbo-jumbo. So, for the next tests, I promise that they won’t force you to get all hurt and stuff, okay?”
Twilight’s ears sagged as she heard Dash’s words. “Oh…so, you’re still going on with the competition then?”
“Uh…like, DUH! You didn’t think I was actually canceling my games, did you?” Rainbow laughed and gave Twilight a gentle slap on the back. “Nice one, Twi! Man, first the towel thing, and now this? You’re SO funny! But, seriously, I ain’t stopping. I can’t wait to see who emerges as the best pet! My bet is on the falcon, but it’s still anyone’s game! Ooh, I’m so excited just thinking about it! You’re free to continue playing as well, if it makes you happy, Twi…oh, and that turtle too, I guess.”
“He’s a tortoise.”
“What I say?”
“Turtle.”
“Is there actually a difference?”
“Yes, actually. I’m no expert, like Fluttershy, but I have read a few books on reptiles, since I have a certain one living with me. Tortoises and turtles are both reptiles from the family of testudines, but the major difference is that the land-dwelling ones are called tortoises and the water-dwelling ones are called turtles. A turtle’s shell is mostly flat and generally light-weight. A tortoise’s shell is usually dome-shaped, and is usually heavier than a turtle’s. Another difference is that a turtle has webbed feet with long claws, while a tortoise has short feet that are very sturdy with bent legs. Their diets include…”
Rainbow Dash let out a fake snore. “BOOOOOORING! Sorry, Twi, but that’s all I can stand and I can’t stands no more.” She playfully patted the annoyed unicorn on the head, then headed for the door. “Now, come on, the next test will be the contest for guts! Let’s see if you’re got the guts to be my pet.” She snickered, then pushed open the shower house door and began to exit, the frustrated Twilight Sparkle slowly following in her wake.
Why do I even bother with you, Dash? Twilight sighed, shaking her head and trudging along. Her body was still sore, including the bruises on her tush still being visible, but the shower had helped boost her spirits immensely. Even though she had wished that Dash had come to see reason and had stopped the games, it seemed to have been wishful thinking.
Following Rainbow Dash along the training grounds, Twilight wondered what the devious Pegasus had in mind for the guts test. A few scary thoughts crossed her mind, but she tried to push them out of her head; Dash DID say that there wouldn’t be any more tests that had to feature her physical features, or something like that. Rainbow Dash wasn’t always the best with keeping her word, but Twilight did hear sincerity in the mare’s voice during her heartfelt speech, so she decided to trust her. Soon, the two girls made it to Rainbow’s next choice of destination, which was actually rather close to the park. All the flying creatures, along with the tortoise, were all waiting and eager to get onto the next test.
“Thanks for waiting for me, even though I know it’d be hard to ever get tired of waiting for THIS,” Dash grinned, patting her chest and striking a cool pose and causing Twilight to roll her eyes. The Pegasus still had the colorful towel wrapped around her back, which Twilight had neglected to inquire about. Why was it so special to her? Either way, it had certainly fooled the unicorn with its stunning similarities to the Pegasus herself.
“Yes, Dash, we’re all so FASCINATED with you, but if you don’t mind, could you stop showboating and get on with it?” Twilight asked calmly, wincing a little as she sat down at the tortoise’s side. Her sore tush wasn’t going to make this easy for her.
“Boy, Twilight, you sure are a downer,” Dash scolded, returning to her normal behavior as she pulled out the dreaded clipboard, “Guess I have to deduct a few points for bringing down the mood! Such a shame, too; you had gone quite a while without losing any.”
“Somehow, I really don’t care.” Twilight shook her head in dismay as Dash made some more random scribbles on her clipboard. The flying animals all seemed to snicker at Twilight, but the tortoise seemed to sympathize with the pony’s plight. The little reptile was probably the only one who was actually treating Twilight with any dignity and respect at all.
“Now, as I already told our resident purple egghead, the third challenge will be the guts test!” Dash explained, putting her clipboard away and grinning, “My pet has to have a lot of guts and willingness to do dangerous things, just like me! Now, don’t worry, this doesn’t involve anything physical or straining, even though I think only ONE of you actually cares…” She cast a mock grin over in Twilight’s general direction, then continued with the speech. “So, one by one, the ten of you will all attempt to take Opal’s favorite mouse toy away from her.” She pointed with a hoof to the right. The flying animals, the tortoise, and Twilight all looked to see Rarity’s pet cat, Opalescence, glaring at the group with her angry green eyes flashing dangerous at them. In front of her, guarded by her long and sharp claws, was her little white mouse toy. The cat was just daring anyone to try and take it away from her.
“Rainbow…you can’t be serious,” Twilight gulped, feeling a little nervous, “This is possibly one of the hardest tests yet! That’s like walking into a lion’s den!”
“Heh, like I said, Twi, my pet has to have some guts.” Rainbow Dash leaned against a nearby tree and propped her hooves behind her head, crossing her hind legs in front of her and striking a relaxed pose. “So, as I said, one by one, each of you gets your chance to snag that kitty’s toy. Let’s see how you all do! Who wants to go first?”
All eight flying creatures glanced at one another in terror, Opal’s hissing easily causing them all to shiver in fear. Twilight knew, as always, that she could use her magic to simply levitate the toy away from Rarity’s cat, but that would be cheating and she still refused to resort to Dash’s tactics to win. The tortoise also looked scared, but seemed to be thinking out a strategy in his head as he eyed the feisty feline. When Rainbow Dash coughed loudly and shouted out “Today, please”, the 10 would-be pets knew they had to get going.
Deciding to be the first brave souls, the three birds of prey took the first risk. First, the hawk tried to dive-bomb towards Opal’s toy, but all he got was a quick swipe in the face and was thrown away. Next, the eagle attempted to fly circles around the white kitty, but upon getting a loud hiss of anger, the eagle backed off in fright. Then, the falcon attempted to give Opal a taste of her own medicine at being intimidating; it flew right into the cat’s face and let out a loud screech. Without even breaking a sweat, Opal simply leaned up and sank her fangs into the bird’s beak, causing him to squawk and fly away.
The flamingo went next, and tried using its long legs to its advantage. However, when Opal decided to taste those tasty bird legs, the pink bird was sent packing. The little hummingbird tried to use its great speed to flutter circles around the cat’s head, trying to get her dizzy. It almost worked, but when the hummingbird tried to steal the mouse, the poor bird realized that it was too heavy to carry. It would then have to fly away in a hurry when an angry Opal cleared the dizzies from her head and nearly snapped her jaws down on the tiny avian creature.
The owl attempted to entertain and distract Opal by rotating its head, but all Opal did was give the bird a bored look. Dejected, the owl hung his head in shame and backed away. The bat tried to use its powerful shriek to stun the cat, but all it did was intensify Opal’s anger; she would give the bat a return snarl, which sent the bat flying away in a panic. All the while, Rainbow Dash kept shaking her head in disgust while making markings on her clipboard. With only Twilight, the tortoise, and the butterfly left, it looked like Opal was going to win out.
“Come on! Are you all just going to let that kitty cat get the best of you?” Dash snapped, slamming her clipboard down in frustration, “I want to see some action! I want to see some bravery! I want to see some GUTS! Come on already!”
Deciding to go next, the butterfly came up with a strategy that it thought it work. Flapping its beautiful multicolored wings, it carefully fluttered over and hovered inches away from Opal’s face, just out of reach of the cat’s vicious claws. Opal hissed and bared her fangs, slashing the air in front of the butterfly as a warning, but in doing so, she ended up staring right into the flapping wings of the animal. Slowly, the blindingly-fast flapping of the butterfly’s wings began to blend the animal’s patterns into a dizzying blur. Opal tried to look away, but she was soon left mesmerized and struck frozen in shock. Taking this chance, the butterfly flew down and grasped the tiny mouse toy before carrying it away.
“Ah, FINALLY! What an awesome display!” Rainbow Dash gushed, holding out her hoof as the butterfly carried the toy over to her, “Full marks for you, butterfly! The only would-be pet who managed to show enough guts…and brains…to get that toy away!” She chuckled and made a note on her clipboard, much to the butterfly’s delight, before tossing the toy back towards Opal. “Guess that just leaves Twilight and the turtle.”
“TORTOISE!”
“Whatever.”
Twilight frowned over at Rainbow Dash, then glanced back over at Opalescence. The cat shook her head and eventually cleared the mesmerizing trance that she had been put in. Angrily snatching her toy back up, she hissed and glared at Twilight and the tortoise. Being last, after being humiliated by a butterfly, wasn’t a good sign for the two final would-be pets in facing the enraged cat. Twilight and the tortoise both looked at one another, before Twilight gave a weak grin and patted the little guy on the head.
“It’s okay…I’ll let you go last and give you some more time to strategize. I…I should be able to do this. Opal knows me; she wouldn’t attack me!” Twilight took a deep breath, tried to ignore the tortoise’s scared expression and Dash’s smirk, and slowly began trotting towards the glaring white cat. “Hi there, Opal! It’s me, Twilight Sparkle! You know, Rarity’s good friend?” Opal’s tail swished back and forth behind her, but she did nothing. Twilight inched closer. “Could I…possibly trouble you…for that mouse? I promise it’ll be the last time…well, other than my tortoise friend’s attempt, but…I only need it for a second to show to Rainbow Dash. That’s not asking too much, right?” Opal’s tail swished even faster, her beady eyes locked on Twilight and focusing on her every move, but still the cat did nothing. “Yes, that’s a good kitty…good kitty cat…I’m your friend. You can trust me!”
Twilight’s sheepish grin grew even wider as she continued to inch closer to Opal and her favorite toy. She had read somewhere that you should not be afraid of an animal; they’ll sense your fear and then in turn act vicious or retaliate in kind. Twilight, restricting her use of magic, knew that she was bigger and faster than Opal, but the pony had seen what the cat could do with those claws and teeth. It wasn’t pretty. Plus, underestimating an animal, no matter WHAT the size, was just asking for trouble. Either way, as Twilight kept inching closer to Opal, a single bead of sweat started to dribble down from her forehead. Opal’s eyes lit up as she noticed the sweat, soon followed by Twilight’s twitchy eyes and lips, and an evil smirk slowly began to stretch out across the kitty’s face.
“Um…Opal?” Twilight froze, mere inches from the white Persian cat, upon noticing the cat’s hungry and evil grin. “I…I really don’t like the way you’re looking at me…” Seeing Opal’s tail swishing even faster behind her, and seeing the cat unsheathe all four pairs of claws, Twilight’s face paled. “N-n-now, Opal, you know b-b-better! I-I-I’m your friend! I’m Rarity’s friend! She’ll f-f-find out about this!” Slowly, Opal bent her legs and locked her eyes on Twilight’s. The confidence was gone and now pure terror had taken residence. “OPAL, WAIT, PLEASE, HAVE MER…!” But the rest of her cry was cut off as Opalescence let out a loud hiss of delight before lunging straight at Twilight’s face, her claws outstretched.
The carnage that took place was horrific, so much that Rainbow Dash turned white herself and was forced to look away. The tortoise quickly withdrew his head into his shell to not watch the slaughter. All the birds that had fallen prey to Opal all flinched and turned away out of respect as well. The butterfly seemed to shake its head in dismay, but turned away as well. Twilight Sparkle’s horrific screams of pain and Opal’s yowls of anger filled the air for the next five minutes, with no end in sight.
She just doesn’t learn…man, she is SO stupid! Rainbow Dash thought, closing her eyes and giving a little sigh as she tried to block out the brutal noise, I’d help her, but…seriously, rescue her from a cat? She did this to herself. She’s going to have to learn a lesson the hard way…again. Hopefully, Opal will finish up while there’s still some of my friend left over. I really don’t want to explain what happened to Twilight to our friends; they’d probably blame ME!
A few more minutes passed, and Twilight’s shrieks of pain and the sounds of ripping, tearing, clawing and spitting courtesy of one Opalescence soon died down. When Dash turned back around to see what had happened, she gulped at the mess that was formally Twilight Sparkle. The pony looked like she had gone through a tornado, a hurricane, an earthquake, and an avalanche, and that was only just the beginning of the genocide that had taken place.
Half of Twilight’s mane and tail were gone, while the halves that were left over looked as though they had been through a lawnmower. Massive amounts of Twilight’s beautiful purple coat were clawed off, almost making her look like a cousin of Zecora with how many “stripes” she had. Her body was coated with deep red claw marks, her tongue was sticking out of her mouth and was coated with white cat hair, and her butt had once AGAIN taken a hit. The pony’s rump had yet another deep red mark to go with the others she had sustained, not to mention a good chunk of the purple hair covering her rump was gone, leaving it partly naked. Nearly, Opal was busy grooming herself with her mouse still in front of her.
“Yikes…what a battle…” Dash laughed meekly as she walked over to her massacred friend, “Heh…um, Twi? You still with us?”
“Depends…on what you mean…by with you…” Twilight moaned, weakly spitting out the cat hair in her mouth, “Ugh…gross…Rainbow Dash…do I look…terrible? I can’t turn my head…too much in pain…”
“Um…well…” Rainbow Dash slowly walked around Twilight, closely examining all of her injuries. When she got to the pony’s sore rump, and seeing that it was close to naked without half of its purple hair, she blushed fiercely and quickly moved on. Upon reaching Twilight’s other side after a full circle, the Pegasus gave a sheepish grin. “…not bad, actually!”
“You…are a poor liar…Rainbow Dash.”
Sighing, Rainbow Dash rubbed her forehead as she tried to comfort her embarrassed and hurt friend, not even noticing the tortoise having his own go at Opal and her toy. “Sorry about that…I really didn’t think you’d get beat up…again. I guess Opal just had your number. These things happen.”
“Rarity…will be so thrilled…to hear that her cat…knows how to kick her friend’s flank.” Twilight coughed out some more cat hair, then went on. “Plus…I just know…she’ll want to give me a makeover…once all this nonsense is done with…”
“You’re still free to quit, you know. You once again failed miserably at this test, and it’s not really looking good for you…”
“I’M…NOT…QUITTING!”
“Well, in the very least, use your magic! Is not cheating really worth your health?”
“…I’m not Trixie. I value my dignity…before I resort to using the easy way out…thank you.”
“You’re more stubborn than AJ!” Rainbow Dash frowned, shaking her head down at the unicorn, “Fine, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. This is your own fault! At LEAST use your magic to make your hair grow back, would you? Trust me, you need it.”
“Once I feel like moving…I’ll get right on that.” Twilight planted her face into the ground and allowed herself to whimper. “Why…do I feel a draft…on my hindquarters?”
“Er…heh…yeah, about that…” Rainbow Dash hesitated for a moment, wondering what to do. Then, she remembered her towel. It was still wrapped around her back. Grinning as the light bulb went off in her head, she unwrapped the towel and very gently used its large length to cover up her friend, only allowing her head to poke out. “There. Feel better?”
Upon feeling the same wonderful warm feeling of Dash’s towel being laid upon her destroyed body, a weak smile returned to Twilight’s sore face. Even though it still should’ve been a little damp from being used earlier, there wasn’t a hint of water located in the towel at all. In fact, for a moment, Twilight got the image of Rainbow Dash herself lying on top of her to cover her up and keep her warm. She didn’t know where the image came from, or why she even thought about that, but her brain DID imagine it and her heart instantly fluttered at the thought.
“Thank you…Rainbow Dash,” Twilight whispered, closing her eyes and letting her body regenerate.
“Anything for you…you crazy little egghead,” Dash chuckled, sitting right at the unicorn’s side while gently patting her back, patiently waiting until she could get her strength back and continue on with her games. Nearby, Opal was going crazy and clawing up the tortoise’s shell, but Dash didn’t pay any mind.
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Dat towel... did Dash have a twin brother or sister at one point before they pissed her off? Maybe she blackmailed Rarity into turning what was left of them into a towel.
Either way, the thing is totally magical. Knowing Dash, it's probably something inappropriate.
Also, Stupid Sexy Twilight needs to stop letting Rarity's pussy run roughshod all over her like that.
Yeah, I said it.
Pay attention to the teacher? Nah, I got things to do.
This is so weird.
Weird is good.
Right, the opal attack scene was a little over the top if you ask me.
The rest of it was pretty good though.
You know, I rather enjoy your style of writing, it flows well and conveys emotion easily.
Still, I think that the over the top manner in which you go about this harms the overall experience. Instead of a sweet love story, well, this often seems like a farce. I would suggest adding a "comedy" or "random" tag to this story as well, since it becomes increasingly hard to take it seriously the further it goes, both Twilight and Rainbow are starting to feel like caricatures of their real selves.
Some jokes also seem forced out. That whole shower scene was silly by its own simply because Twi and Dash have already taken a bath together, as have all the other girls. It's quite a stretch to make her so embarrassed just because Dash happened to walk in on her when wet.
I agree that the Opal scene there was rather over the top as well.
Anyway, this is just my opinion of course. As long as you're having fun writing it, that's really all that matters :).
Good work. I was actually wondering when this would be updated and I see a new chapter. Awesome. I'm happy to see Dash's good side showing up, and that was a nice speech she gave that was not at all out-of-character.
180866
I feel so many different levels of dirty and wrong from this comment
School, who needs school, this story is much more important.
sleep is peace twilight
I get why the towel is so important to Dash now... Especially after Twi used it...
180866 *brohoof*
LOL Tortoise ad below the chapter!
Can one of thesed ponies just kick the shit out of opal for once?
Cheers
~iraqlobstah
I have been waiting FOREVEERRRR for this to update, thankfully I wasn't disappointed.
181158 I got a CSI: Miami ad... What are they trying to say?
180955 I agree that it should have a comedy tag. But showers are a lot more private then going in a hot tub. And I'm glad there isn't another sickeningly sweet love story about Dash finally appreciating reading and Twilight learning to live more. They were good the first few times I read them, but they're getting old.
Always happy to see a new chapter of this
I laughed so hard at the section where Twilight thought Rainbow was a towel... reminded me of that Spongebob episode where they thought they turned Squidward into ice cream.
Teensy Tiny Little Thingies:
for twenty minute to give Needs an s
All the flying creatures, along with the tortoise, were all waiting Take out the second all
Okay, this story is really good, but Twilight should have at least won this one.
Opal the next akuma?
Have to agree that the entire scene where Twilight thought she'd turned Rainbow into a towel was hilarious.
I'm really liking the way Dash and Twilight are written; like some other folks have mentioned, way too many ship-fics try to over-idealize the characters to make things sweet and sappy. It's nice to see the ponies' flaws being as important to the story as their good points.
Kind of curious to see if Twilight is ever going to actually win a contest instead of being horribly mangled every single time. Not that seeing her get battered isn't fun.
181627
DAMN YOU.
I was going to say it reminded me of Spongebob!
That was awesome! I was giggling like crazy at the towel scene - too funny!
Any now for some reason, I want to re-read the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.
Twi's freakout over the towel... I think I like. The mental image was priceless
"Why does the thought of actually winning and becoming Rainbow’s pet make me…curious?" It's called role-playing, Twi'. Or a fetish. Take your pick.
The towel thing was hilarious. Between "it's special to me" and it being "feathery" I at first thought for sure it was going to be made out of Dash's feathers or something. Then I realized her feathers aren't multi-colored and that the feathery description was probably just to add to the idea that the towel was Rainbow Dash. I don't know, the towel just really interests me.
180920 & 180955 I agree with both of you completely. Unfortunately, Zanzibar, if I remember correctly Tailslover's enthusiasm for this fic dried up a couple of weeks ago. That's why you may not have liked this chapter very much. Don't expect too much from this fic in the future. (not implying that it will be bad, just that poor Tailslover doesn't really like writing this fic anymore)
I still love it though! I always end up sounding like a mule in comments, but I really do love this fic!!
Nnnngg, I love this story. <3
Dash got so poetic there! That was beautiful and meaningful.
I laoughed so hard and soo long! The gag with the towel was brilliant! So damned funny, I was crying for laughing so hard,
And then then Dash being so sweet about her friend and how much Twilight means to her,
Fantastic chapter.
dumpyourphoto.com/files3/94677/FWMD7eP.png
That high-pitched noise in your ears is the sound of me squeeing.
183556
Cutest pic ever.
I just have to say, that is one fanTASTIC analogy! It was so well written into Dash's character so that it wasn't too mushy, or lovey-dovey for a lack of better terms, but it still conveyed the general idea, and quite well, I might add. Truly amazing! I can't wait to read more later on. Also if what "Dash is Best Pony" said is true, and you no longer enjoy writing this, than I hope you either remember why you originally started writing this (if it was significant enough) and it inspires you to keep going with your previous level of enthusiasm, or you take on a different project, as I'm sure it would be equally amazing, if not more so. Good luck in whatever endeavors you undertake,
-A Very M.A.D. Man
DAT ANALOGY .... DA-R-T ANALOGY
We want moar!
But you know, take your time. We want quality work here.
Also, just write your own thing. Don't go out of your way to please us readers.
Just reading the first chapter made me laugh for 10 minutes! This story is hilarious, great job!
Can't wait for the next update!
while it is well written, I feel like the romance aspect is being rather forced. While their overall emotions are fine, there is no real reasoning behind the crushes the two of them seem to have on one another (lets not forget the blatant lead-ins to them in the first chapter alone). SO while this is a fun, well written fic overall, I feel as if the shipping is leaving something to be desired.
I do suppose my dislike for twidash hardly makes me like it any better either. (though this does not make my attempt at an objective comment above any less true)
But Twi has faced down not on but two I repeat two mad god/goddess I think she has this test in spades
Loving this, Twilight totally is being best pet material here... must have more!
Ok, this story is weird, it's like a parody of a ship fic, or possibly ship fic comedy.
But anyway, in the defense of Dash, she is looking for a pet that can keep up with her, someone that can share her life, and this is the kind of things she does, every, day, of, her, life, if they can't keep up, better know now.
I'm sucker for pretty much any Twilight shipping... Got my vote. Hope you win the elections sir. Tailslover13 fer president!
moooooooooooooooooooooooooore
I'm not thumbing up this story, but I am tracking it. I'm a sucker for anything TwiDash. And I'm curious!
Please, please, please! You have to upload the next chapter soon
moar?
MOAR!!!
Why you no update?
whens the update yo!
WHY YOU NO UPDATE???
Herp Derp
Wait a sec... About that shower part... It's not like they ever wear clothes, so what does it matter if she's in the shower?
OI, AUTHOR
UPDATE THIS
I COMMAND YOU
DO IT NOW
YOU HAVE BEEN PROCRASTINATING FOR FAR TOO LONG
THATS WHY YOU SHOULD UPDATE THIS
IM YELLING BECAUSE MAYBE YOU NEVER HEARD ANYONE ELSE ASKING TO UPDATE THIS
DO IT NOW
ET CETERA!
Gonna read it soon, but dat pic... instafav
Last update in Feb? Seriously? I guess I can't espect more at this time. This is just sad.
Story was great
It's a shame this hasn't updated in a while. I really was enjoying it. Still, take your time, it's better to wait for motivation than to force it out. I know this for a fact.