Applejack sat on her haunches, eyes wide and hat in hoof, staring at the scene unfolding in front of Ponyville’s Golden Oak Library. Leaning slightly to the side but unable to tear her gaze away from the impending carnage, she muttered, “Them two been together, what, a year now?”
Cowering behind her quivering pink mane, Fluttershy nodded. “Oh, I think so. Should we, um, intervene?”
“And do what, Sugar?” Donning her hat again and pulling it low, she shook her head. “Rainbow Dash could Sonic Rainboom half o’ Ponyville into a crater. Y’all saw how she helped demolish Barn Four? An’ Twilight could turn everypony in the whole durn town into salamanders or newts or some such without even breakin’ a sweat.” Turning down the lane to give the Library a wide berth, she added, “Nope, I ain’t gettin’ ‘tween them two.”
“Salamanders would be okay. They’re very nice.” Fluttershy ruffled her feathers and followed the farmer, still shaking with every step. “You’re right, but I still don’t want to see our friends in an argument.”
“It’s not an argument!” screamed the purple and blue ponies.
Muzzle to muzzle with the Ponyville Regional Weather Director, Twilight’s lip curled as she snarled, “You’re joking, right? I was born for this! This is what I trained for! It’s in my blood, Featherbrain, and if you know what’s good for you you’ll call this off before somepony gets hurt.”
Dash flared her wings and dropped her forequarters. Her magenta eyes narrowed as she growled, “Oh, no, Egghead. You brought this on yourself. Rainbow Stupendous Dash does not back down from a challenge, especially one she’s got locked up! Back off, Twi - this one’s in the bag and it’s all me.”
“No way, no day!” sneered the librarian, her horn crackling with bolts of lavender lightning. “You’ve been getting by on reputation and history. What have you done lately to back it up? Nothing! I didn’t spend my life learning from Princess Celestia herself just to let some overgrown bluejay insult me and everything I do!”
“Oh, so little Miss Purple Pointy Pony thinks she can do better? If that’s the way you wanna play, filly, then you’re on!” Lifting an azure hoof, she spat on it and offered it to her challenger. “Shake on it, Sparkle! You know the terms, right?”
Twilight grinned and returned the gesture with a slickly spitty hoof. “You’re on. And I know you remember what’s going to happen when I win.”
“I know what you wish would happen,” leered Rainbow, “but you can forget it. This one’s a slam dunk for yours truly! Two weeks, Egghead. Go!” The librarian vanished in a popping flash of purple sparks as the pegasus rocketed into the sky, trailing rainbows as she shot toward a floating cloud-house.
Some days later Applejack was closing her apple-stall for the day when she spotted a diminutive purple dragon trudging through the market district, an overloaded red wagon slowing his every step. “Spike,” she called, “need a hoof there? Sweet leapin’ Luna, think y’all got enough quills an’ ink? Looks like y’all musta’ cleaned out the scroll store, too!”
Spike paused, panting, and shook his head. “Nope, I’m okay. Gotta get this stuff back to Twilight. I haven’t seen this little of her since her final exams in Magic class!” Picking up the wagon handle, he continued as he walked away, “Funny thing, though. Half this stuff she uses and the other half she leaves out on the balcony every night. Gone every morning, too. That mare just gets weirder and weirder.”
Two weeks after the confrontation, Twilight and Dash smiled and waved cheerfully as the mailmare deposited two large packets in the library’s mailbox and wobbled off on her route. Twilight offered a sealed envelope to Rainbow as she grinned. “You first, Dash!”
Dash stopped whistling and flexing her wings long enough to take the letter in hoof. “Good news before bad, huh, babe? Okay, here we go! ‘Dear Prismatic Charge, Cloudsdale Aeronautics Quarterly is happy to announce that your article Techniques for Control and Dissipation of F4+ Tornadoes has been accepted for publication. It will appear in the Autumn 1007 AE (7 ALR) issue. Included here please find an offprint for review and final corrections. Sincerely, C.A.Q. Editorial Board’.” Pumping her hoof in the air, she leapt to treetop height and shouted, “Yes! Who’s the mare? I’m the mare!”
Twilight waved a hoof nonchalantly and smirked as she said, “Hold your horses, Rainbow, the best is yet to come! And here for the victory, I present… ” Opening her envelope, she bowed and read, “ ‘Dear Ms. Sparkle, We thank you for your submission entitled Use and Abuse of the 53rd Sub-Magical Element in Cross-Polyvectoral Transformation. We found it exceedingly well-written and researched. However, though ours is a well-read and technically savvy readership, we found the article perhaps too technical and erudite for even our most magically advanced unicorns to comprehend. We must therefore decline your submission at this time, and we hope you will consider re-submitting a less-advanced piece in the future. Yours, Editorial Staff / Canterlot Journal of Advanced Magical Theory'.”
Eyes wide and watering, jaw hanging open and ears drooping, she dropped the letter to the dust. Moments later she felt hot breath in her ear as Dash whispered, “So. Totally. Awesome! You knew the bet, and it's time to pay up. Here, Twi, I took the liberty of writing the letter for you. Just have Spike send it, and we’re even.”
Dear Princess Celestia,
Rainbow Dash is the sexiest mare in the air. She makes my heart quake and my booty shake.
Sincerely,
Dashie’s new pet,
Sparky T
No comment.
*spittake*
That brightened my morning.
2057760 I'm glad I wasn't drinking anything. I would've ended up spraying it a ten thousand dollar soundboard.
Heh, I like this one, and not just because it feels like a companion to the aforementioned Twidash piece I did. These two can be so adorably nerdy and naughty.
Also, I must admit I'm tempted to write something about what happens next.
Poor Twi'.
Dashie’s new pet,
Sparky T
that make my day
Saw this on TMP. This is just plain silly.
I like it.
It was kinda humorous but for some reason I felt it mean. That's just me I guess.
"Y’all she how she helped demolish Barn Four?"
Should be saw.
"we found the article perhaps too technical and erudite for even out most magically advanced unicorns to comprehend. "
Should be our.
Now for Celestia's reaction and response letter...
I swear, if I keep reading this, I'm either going to be slayed by cute or die laughing.
I was totally expecting both articles to get in, then we'd have to have a tie-breaker.
What would've happened if both their manuscripts were rejected or published?
Also:
7 ALR
been together for a year
That means that the start of this happens six years after the show's beginning... I'm guessing?
Can´t wait to see what Twi gonna cook up to make Dashie her pet for a day. <3
Totally lost it at the final letter. Priceless.
lol that was funny, twilight being too technical with her reports was typical
Hilarious! Love it!
That was so awesome! I anticipated it was something romantic/sexual/funny as the "reward" for both sides, but that letter just made the whole thing work. That was awesome. I was slightly concerned in the beginning that you were planning to have some romantic difficulties thrown in there, and I'm glad you didn't. You manage to always keep this lighthearted and fun.
Thanks again!
Why didn't we get to see Celestia's reaction?
Wow. I laughed long and most joyously. This has got to be the most adorable shipping in history, period, end of story. I absolutely love your characterizations and the cute little plots you run them through. Simply amazing. Keep on writing, man. You regularly make my day.
However...
Quite.
2058000 I must concur with the aforementioned sentiments.
Oh my god, that ending. This is easily one of my favorite chapters.
Now we need Celestia's response.
"I'm sorry Twilight Sparkle, you're just too smart... Or so we think, we didn't actually understand that article you wrote but it sounded sciency."
Lol that letter, it was priceless. My ribs
2057830>>2058651>>2058374>>2058303>>2058197>>2058127>>2058112>>2058000
Glad you enjoyed it!
2057849
Wasn't meant to be. Twi and Dash are having a little good-natured fun at each others' expense. They're both perfectionists and more than a bit competitive, so it risks getting out of hand pretty quickly.
2057878>>2058316
Fixed. Thanks!
2058316
Aww, yer makin' me blush!
2058592
That's the idea. Twi lost because the overachieved - which is exactly what RD knew would happen.
2058307>>2058426>>2057970
Chapter idea!
2058089
Ask Silvernis!
2058031
Another chapter idea! Twi and RD are keeping score in a friendly competition to see who gets published more, but then when one starts losing, somepony's gonna get jealous...
2058049
See above for tiebreaker idea. Also, I'm still making up my mind about dates and timing of all this. Currently yes, 1007 AE / 7 ALR would be 7 years after Season 1 Episode 2. I might dial it back a year or two. Maybe I need to finally break down and write a "story bible" for all my fics...
2057824 Ditto /)
friggin' hillarious! can't wait for Cellestia to respond!
>.>
<.<
>.>
Heh.
Dear Faithful student, You lost another bet to Rainbow Dash didnt ya?
~Big C
Twilight, the journal can't even handle you right now!
But isn't it a win for Twilight because her's was too good to publish? Whatever, at least the next chapter should be interesting. At least if the pet thing happens.
2059646
Being incomprehensible isn't a good thing.
2058815>>2058837>>2058880
Happy you enjoyed it!
2059377
That about sums it up. She'll make an appearance eventually, no doubt.
2059646>>2060034
Dash wins by technicality - not stated explicitly in the chapter, but the race was to see which one would get published first. Tiebreaker would have been fun, but Dash knew Twilight would overshoot the target. This RD isn't cocky just to be cocky, she's a tactical genius. And yeah, the pet story would have been unreal, but Silvernis beat me to it. I imagine Twi would have her looking like this... with a collar.
I'm calling bullshit on this one. She lost the bet because the people she submitted her article to were too STUPID to understand it!!!
That is so much fucking bullshit.
Haaah! That was golden.
I guess there is such a thing as being too smart.
so, no Best Pet comment yet?
Bwhahahahaha Her writing was too advanced lol that is my Twi Well RD is going to have some fun during the time there wager was Looking forward to the next slice hopefully soon.
I think that Celestia may need to carry out some kind of intervention here before the two of them dare each other to try to blow up the planet or something.
Dashie’s new pet,
Sparky T
LOL that was pure gold! Man this story is so good! :D
Yuck
Hated this chapter.
2061269
It happens. I think they probably understood her research but decided the article itself was too dry, technical, and / or obscure to publish. Also possible that Twi submitted her article to the wrong journal, choosing one that was 'general interest' when she should have picked one that specialized in whatever kind of magic she'd researched.
2061416>>2062269
Heh! At least she should learn when and how to show it off, and to whom.
2062112
We all know that Dash is Best Pet.
2062329
We'll see Princess Celesita eventually. I have a feeling she's having enormous fun following Twilight's relationship. Which reminds me, we haven't seen any of Twilight's friendship reports about her marefriend! I'll have to fix that.
2063845
Glad you liked it!
2072849
Apologies for... actually, I'm not sure for what. Technical and formatting problems, subject matter, style? Help me out here! I realize that given the format limitations (30-minute writing prompts, reposted here with minimal editing) some things aren't easily addressed, and that quality may be uneven. Depending on my mood and the prompt I flip-flop between 1st and 3rd person, limited and omniscient, past and present tense - though hopefully not in the same story! Sometimes I try an all-dialogue chapter or an MST3K'd Daring Do piece. Some of it works, some doesn't. You're a prolific editor, so I'd love to hear your opinions on this or my other stories, here or via PM.
2072966
Subject matter, your writing is good and I like reading your stories.
Anything to do with severe submission however makes my skin crawl and my vision fog over in the red spectrum
2073013
Got it. Keep in mind that what Twi and Dash do here (at least the parts that I'd write) is all in good fun. There's really no D/S play between them, at least not like Twi and Luna occasionally enjoy in Luna's Librarian. At worst they have a mutual competitive streak that sometimes gets the better of them, like when they make silly bets over who gets published first.
BTW, Dash's bet (if she won) was that she'd get to write Twilight's next letter to Celestia and that Twi would have to send it, sight unseen. That line got cut for time in the original story; I'll retcon it in here shortly. A future chapter will definitely deal with the ensuing shenanigans.
2075832
Is there any other way to write a good fic?
2077838
There are all kinds of references in my stories. I don't call out all of them (like "frell"), just the big ones. In If the Flight Suit Fits I gave Dash the middle name of "Rainbow Aeryn Dash".
2096521 That's.... epic.
2096521>>2097006
Glad your inner engineer enjoyed it! That's how I want Dash to come across here: she's an expert on all things weather and flight, as much as Twilight is with magic.
2098438
Rainbow Sparkle. *snort* *hehe* BWAHAHAHAAAA!
2098444
That's our girl!
2115971
Happy you liked it! They're just such a fun pair to write.
2116251 You pulled it off perfectly. Especially with the point that while she may be trying to act cool, you don't get to be equestria's top flier on just coolness, it takes some tactical advantage through strategic maneuvering principles that one would only know after having educated ones' self.
Honestly, Professor Dash (or Dr. Dash) is sexy Dash. And twilight, ahem, getting *engaged* to Professor Dash when she's in lecture mode... that part just made me lol at how awesomely correct it was. Twilight would do that.
Twilight is on the verge of tears. Dash's reaction is to rub it in her face.
Thank you for reminding me why I hate that pony so much, I was beginning to forget after all the Winningverse stories made her somewhat likeable.
booty shake
SHAKE IT, BAKE IT, BOOTY QUAKE IT, ROLL IT AROUND
"Well, this is certainly an interesting development."
2121544 Why are you here again? Because this is Twidash (not a 300 reference), and, as far as I'm concerned, you can't like Twidash if you don't like Dash.