Fanfics
by Jay David
First published
Twilight reads her friends' fanfiction
Rainbow Dash has taken it upon herself to write her very own fanfiction. Naturally, being Rainbow, she thinks it's awesome, and thus wants Twilight to read it. Unfortunately, Twilight is less than thrilled with her friend's creation. And as Twilight soon learns, she isn't the only one of her friends to take this up as a hobby.
Rainbow's Bad Fanfic
There were many situations Twilight had found herself in over the years that she considered disturbing and uncomfortable. Getting worked up over an upcoming magical test by Celestia? Uncomfortable. Having to flee from dangerous creatures of the Everfree Forest? Uncomfortable. Facing down eldritch horrors bent on world domination? Most definitely uncomfortable. And yet, somehow, having one of her closest friends standing and smiling at her eagerly, as Rainbow Dash was currently doing, managed to trump every single one of those experiences. Twilight had, until la few moments ago, been quietly minding her own business, just reading a good book on one of the many park benches in the middle of Ponyville. But suddenly, out of nowhere, Rainbow Dash had arrived and started looking at her with a look of excitement that Twilight instinctively knew wasn't going to mean anything good. A great deal of time passed with nothing but silence between the two mares, until Twilight finally let out a sigh and closed her book, speaking up.
"Can I help you with something, Rainbow?"
Rainbow's smile widened even further before she answered.
"Oh, I'll say! Guess what I've just done?"
Twilight thought that question over for a while, figuring that Rainbow was probably here to brag about something to her, and so tried to figure out what she might have accomplished that would warrant disturbing her like this.
"You...beat a new flying speed record?"
Rainbow shook her head.
"Nope!"
"You...got invited to a party by the Wonderbolts?" Twilight asked again.
"That would be awesome...but no," Rainbow answered.
Twilight let out a groan before finally giving up.
"Okay, Rainbow, what is it?"
Rainbow was practically bouncing with excitement in a manner that was rather reminiscent of Pinkie Pie, before reaching behind her and pulling out what Twilight now saw was a few sheets of paper. Twilight raised an eyebrow at that but was somewhat startled as Rainbow pushed them into her hooves.
"I just finished my first fanfic!"
Needless to say, Twilight was rather taken aback by that.
"Wow, Rainbow. I'll be honest, I never took you for the type to write your own stories."
Rainbow shrugged her shoulders at that.
"Time was I’d agree with you. But I figured I once said the same thing about reading books, and look how that ended. So I figured, why not?"
Twilight had to admit, she'd heard worse reasons to get into writing. However, as she looked from Rainbow, to the papers in her hooves and then back to Rainbow, she couldn’t help but feel confused about it all. But, with the way Rainbow was watching her eagerly, it soon dawned on her what this was all about.
"Ah...you want me to read it, don't you?"
Rainbow, still having an image to maintain, tried her best to strike an "I'm cool and I don’t care pose", complete with leaning against Twilight's bench.
"Well...ya know...if you don't have anything better to do."
Twilight chuckled at her friend’s behaviour, but nevertheless gave her a short nod and a smile, letting her know that she was willing to do this for her. Rainbow, despite her earlier attempts at seeming aloof at the whole thing, struggled to resist smiling over her friend's agreement. Twilight, still smiling, looked down to the papers she had. Well, you never know, she thought to herself, it's always nice to see more ponies getting into literature. And with that mind-set, Twilight reasoned that this might actually be a fun read, and so began taking up a more comfortable position on the bench before starting to read her friend's story.
.............................
It was an awesome day, and Dash Rainbows was...
............................
Twilight hadn't even reached the end of the first line, and already she felt the need to plant a hoof into her forehead. Seeing this reaction, Rainbow watched with confusion as Twilight turned to look at her.
"Rainbow, if your intent was to have a self-insert character as the lead, that's fine. But...Dash Rainbows? Seriously?"
The cyan pegasus shrugged her shoulders at that.
"What? I’m no good at names, alright?"
Twilight couldn’t fault her for that, given her own history with coming up with decent titles to her own writing in the past, and so decided to give her the benefit of the doubt in this matter. With that settled, she got back to reading.
............................
...and Dash Rainbows was flying through the sky, being awesome. After coming to the ground, she...
...........................
Twilight let out another sigh after reading that.
"Rainbow..."
"What now?" Rainbow replied.
Twilight looked at her with some worry in her face. She didn't want to dash her friend's desire to continue writing this, but at the same time she had a responsibility to let her know the truth of the matter.
"I'm sorry...it's just...you just said she was awesome, but then didn't do anything afterwards."
Rainbow tilted her head in confusion, prompting Twilight to explain herself.
"Look, you want your character to come off as impressive and capable, right? Okay, fine. But you can't just say something like "she's awesome" and move on. You have to show why she's awesome. Have her do some stunts or perform an act of heroism, something like that. It's an old saying; show, don't tell."
Rainbow raised a hoof and scratched her head a little before replying to that.
"But...wouldn't readers just take our word for it?"
Twilight shook her head with a serious look on her face, giving Rainbow her answer.
"If somepony told you that they had great flying skills, would you believe them? Or would you ask that they prove it?"
Rainbow considered that and very quickly saw Twilight's point, looking down at the ground rather sheepishly. Twilight, not wanting her to feel disheartened at this, gave her a quick nudge with a hoof and a reassuring smile, which Rainbow then returned. Turning back to the story, Twilight carried on reading.
................................
When she reached the ground, Dash Rainbows suddenly found herself surrounded by a huge and dangerous-looking pack of Timberwolves. But she wasn't scared in the slightest, instead smirking at them and laughing.
"Ha! If oyu htink this is gonna scare me, htink again!"
..............................
Twilight narrowed her eyes a little, re-reading that passage a few times before looking up at Rainbow. She saw then that her friend had been peering over her shoulder, reading the same section she'd been looking at, and thus knew exactly what Twilight was going to comment on next.
"I...okay, maybe I need to check my spellings a bit better next time."
At least she recognised the issue this time, Twilight thought to herself.
............................
The Timberwolves struck, but Dash leapt up into the air before coming crashing down, smashing several of her foes at once.
.........................
After having read that, Twilight suddenly considered something, as shown by the raised eyebrow she now bore.
"Wait...why doesn't Dash just try and escape from them?"
Rainbow let out a laugh before answering her.
"Duh! She's surrounded!"
Twilight stared at her in silence for a moment before speaking up again.
"But she can fly."
Rainbow opened her mouth to give a response, but then gained a look that showed that she'd only now realised what her character could do. She gave Twilight a brief glance, wherein he saw that her friend was clearly waiting for an answer, and soon. However, Rainbow simply tightened her mouth shut even more and turned her head away, not wishing to look Twilight in the eye on this. Letting out a brief chuckle at this reaction, Twilight resumed reading.
............................
It was a fierce fight, but soon enough, it was over. Dash Rainbows stood triumphant over the now-shattered bodies of the fallen Timberwolves. Feeling proud at this, Dash smiled widely for a while before hearing the flapping of wings above her. Looking up, she saw, to her amazement, that somepony new had arrived. And who else could it be but the legendary Daring Do! The famous adventurer looked up at Dash before speaking.
"Yo Dash! You were awesome in that fight! Wanna go on an adventure?"
Dash considered that for a moment before proudly nodding.
"Yes. Yes I do!"
..........................
That reading earned Twilight another self-inflicted hoof to her face as she let out a groan. Rainbow watched her, knowing that yet another criticism was coming her way, causing her just the slightest bit of annoyance. But she nevertheless remained silent as Twilight turned to her and spoke.
"Rainbow, I know you're a die-hard Daring Do fan and all...but is there any real reason for her to be in here, aside from the fact that you'd love to just have her in her story?"
Rainbow considered that for a while, giving Twilight the distinct impression that this had been Rainbow's reasoning from the start. Eventually though, Rainbow gained a look that wouldn't have gone amiss with a lightbulb glowing above her head, just before giving Twilight an answer.
"Well...ponies love Daring Do, right? So it makes sense that they'd love anything she's in, right?"
Twilight chuckled a bit at that.
"You'd be surprised how often that way of thinking doesn't turn out as well as ponies would like it to. People like Daring Do because her stories are well-written and because she's always portrayed as an interesting and adventurous character with understandable reasons for doing what she does. Your interpretation just has her arrive out of nowhere, for no reason, and just flat-out says she wasn't to go on an adventure with a mare she's only just met."
Rainbow listened to her friend's words and thought them over carefully. After dwelling on them for a bit longer, her ears began to drop down a bit.
"You don't like the story, do you?"
Twilight had been worrying about this potential reaction in her friend, but was nevertheless prepared for it as she let out a sigh.
"Look, Rainbow. It's good that you're going out there and trying new things. Don't feel down just because your first try didn’t turn out perfect. Nopony ever starts out great at what they do. It takes time and experience. Great writers have to go through a lot of duds before they make something ponies like."
Rainbow raised an eyebrow at that, prompting Twilight to think over what she'd just said.
"Okay...that probably sounded more encouraging in my head."
But, rather than be upset by any of that, Rainbow just let out a laugh, which eventually led to Twilight doing the same, albeit not as heartily as Rainbow. After a while of this, the two calmed down and Rainbow gave her friend a quick pat on her shoulder with her hoof, nodding to her and silently letting her know that she appreciated what she did for her. Twilight returned the smile before reaching over and passing Rainbow's story back to her. Rainbow gave another nod after having taken her work back from Twilight, before stretching out her wings and flying off, allowing Twilight to finally get back to her book. Rainbow, in the meantime, flew through the skies of Ponyville with her fanfic in hoof, before finally seeing a suitable place to drop back down on the other side of town. There, waiting for her, was none other than Rainbow's self-appointed number one fan, Scootaloo, who was watching her eagerly.
"So? Did she like it?"
Rainbow looked down at the papers in her hoof before smiling nervously at the young filly.
"Er...yeah! She loved it!"
Scootaloo bounced up and down with joy over that.
"Awesome! I knew you'd write a good one! So...does this mean we can try her out with volumes two to thirty-four?"
Rainbow stared at her young fan with that same look of nervousness before eventually forcing a more confident look.
"Nah! There's only so much awesome a pony can take in one day!"
Fluttershy's Nice Fanfic
There was no question about it. Fluttershy’s cottage, at the edge of Ponyville, was undoubtedly the most idyllic spot in the entire place. With its little pond, tweeting birds and bright and beautiful flowers, it was the kind of place that looked as if it had probably just sprung from the pages of a fairy tale. And that, coupled with the brilliantly bright sunshine, made this a good place to visit. And so it was that Twilight, with a smile on her face, was merrily trotting towards her friend’s home, a pair of saddle-bags upon her back as she did so. Once she’d reached the front door, she raised a hoof, knocking upon it. She waited a moment or two before seeing the door finally open, and when it did, she smiled even wider at the sight of her friend on the other side.
“Good morning, Fluttershy.”
Though Fluttershy’s smile was smaller, it was still a genuine one, and she gave Twilight a nod before stepping aside, allowing her entry. As the young alicorn made her way in, she took note of a few animals around the place, all busy with what had presumably been a very recent feeding. But, as she looked to them, Fluttershy closed the door behind her, walking alongside the princess before finally speaking up to her.
“Thank you so much for agreeing to help out today, Twilight.”
Twilight gave a nod before replying to that.
“It’s no bother. Anything to help.”
Smiling back, Fluttershy began to make her way towards her kitchen.
“I’ll get us some tea first, then we can make a start on fixing up the chicken house.”
Nodding, Twilight stayed where she was, watching her friend walk off. As soon as Fluttershy was out of sight, she continued to look around, sighing at just how peaceful this cottage was, even with the constant sounds of animals feeding in the background. However, as she began to hear the sound of a kettle boiling in the next room, the young princess caught sight of something. A small table off on one side of the room, and upon it, a single piece of paper beside a quill. Even from here, Twilight could see that there was writing upon it, and with curiosity overcoming her, she took a few steps forward. However, before she got close enough to read it, she was stopped by a squeak to the side of her. Turning, she saw that Fluttershy had returned, looking utterly terrified as she saw what Twilight was about to do, leading to her rushing forward, coming in-between Twilight and the desk.
“No!” she called out.
Naturally, Twilight was quite taken aback by this behaviour, which caused her to take a step backwards before speaking in a surprised manner.
“Wha…what’s wrong, Fluttershy?”
Realising how she must have appeared, a massive blush appeared on Fluttershy’s face, and her eyes darted from left to right for a while before she started to speak up again.
“It’s…it’s…it’s nothing! Just…something silly!”
Raising an eyebrow at that, Twilight started to speak up again, her voice calm and collected.
“Fluttershy…there’s nothing to be worried about. What could possibly be written on that paper that could make you so concerned?”
The yellow pegasus paused, staring her friend right in the eyes, wondering to herself what to do, which was something plastered all over her face at this point. She glanced over her shoulder, to the paper on the desk, before looking back to Twilight. After a long wait between the two mares, Fluttershy eventually let out a sigh, turning around and gathering up the paper in her hooves.
“It’s just…I heard about what Rainbow did, writing a story. And…well…I wanted to write one of my own.”
Hearing that, Twilight looked a little surprised. She still remembered well the story Rainbow had attempted and shown to her some time back, but to hear that another of her friends wanted to partake of that hobby was clearly not something she’d been expecting. Even so, for the sake of her friend, she soon grew a small smile.
“That sounds wonderful, Fluttershy. Would you like me to look it over?”
Fluttershy looked to her, clearly still nervous, prompting Twilight to speak in a calmer voice.
“I promise I won’t judge or make fun of you for it. I was just thinking that, maybe, you’d like an outside opinion on it?”
The timid mare looked down to the paper in her hooves for a moment before glancing back up to her friend. It took a while, but eventually, she nodded, granting consent. However, while Twilight was happy about this, she nevertheless gestured over to the other side of the room, to a pair of comfortable-looking chairs. Fluttershy noted this and understood immediately what was being suggested. So, nodding back, she joined Twilight in making her way over to the chairs, placing the paper down on a small table in-between them. However, before she sat down, she rushed to the kitchen, having just remembered that there was tea to be had. Twilight got herself comfortable in her chair while she waited, an in a minute’s time, Fluttershy returned, a pair of filled tea cups in her hooves. After setting them down gently on the table, she picked up the paper and offered it to Twilight.
“It’s…it’s my first try.”
Smiling, Twilight nodded, using her magic to levitate the paper so that it was now hovering in front of her face. After clearing her throat a little and watching Fluttershy get into her own chair, she began to read the story out loud.
“Once upon a time, there was a little rabbit named Angel. He had lots of friends who loved him very much, and he was always happy every day. But then, one day, he realised that he hadn’t had his carrot, and was beginning to get hungry. Then, one of his friends, a squirrel, surprised him by offering him a carrot of his own! Angel thanked him, and together, they ate the carrot. And they lived happily ever after.”
Twilight read the passage over and over again, occasionally flipping the page over, just in case there was something written on the back. There was not. In the silence that followed, she lowered the paper, looking Fluttershy in the eye, seeing the nervousness still there. It was a sentiment reflected in her voice when the young pegasus finally spoke up.
“I…I know it’s not very long. I’m…I’m sorry about that.”
Twilight looked down at the story she’d read, and let out a sigh, forming a smile upon her face as she looked back up to Fluttershy.
“You don’t need to worry about its length, Fluttershy. It’s…nice.”
But Fluttershy did not seem happy about that, and turned away.
“You don’t like it, do you?”
Twilight raised a hoof in an almost defensive manner.
“No! No! It’s not that! It’s just…”
But, she was interrupted when Fluttershy spoke up again.
“I know it’s not like a lot of the other stories you like. It’s not long. It’s not complex. It’s not got big adventures or deep characters or…”
However, this time, it was Fluttershy’s turn to be halted, as Twilight raised a single hoof, catching her attention. After a few moments of silence, Twilight finally spoke up again.
“Fluttershy…if you really feel that way about your writing…why did you write it at all?”
The yellow mare looked away again, poking her hooves against one another as she fumbled with a response.
“Well…um…I thought about what I liked in a story, and…well…that was it. I’ve never really liked stories where bad and dangerous things happen to people, especially to characters I liked. So…that was how I wrote. Nice animals and nice things happening to them.”
Slowly, she looked back to Twilight.
“Why do you ask?”
After a moment or two, Twilight cracked a small smile.
“I asked…because what you want to write is all that matters.”
At first, Fluttershy seemed confused by this, prompting Twilight to explain herself.
“If you say you want it short, simple and with nice and likeable animals in it, then you go right ahead and write it that way. Don’t let anypony tell you that your story isn’t worth it, just because it isn’t like other stories.”
As before, Fluttershy seemed taken aback, as well as a little unsure of herself right now. Twilight, seeing this, reached forward, placing her hoof upon Fluttershy’s, gaining her attention once more.
“Hey…you want to know a secret?”
Fluttershy paused for a moment before giving a hesitant nod. Seeing this, Twilight smiled before continuing.
“I actually prefer short and simple stories.”
Fluttershy’s eyes widened with surprise at hearing that.
“R…really?”
Twilight nodded.
“Yep. Adventure and intrigue and complexity are always nice, but, if it comes down to it, a simple story about two people just spending time with each other…”
Briefly, she gestured to the nearby tea cups.
“…maybe just two friends enjoying some tea together…that’s still a good story to me. Not everything has to be big and flashy, or dark and ponderous, Fluttershy. Sometimes…”
Twilight chuckled a little before continuing.
“…sometimes…short and sweet is all we need.”
Fluttershy stared at her friend, seeing the honesty in her face, and gradually, she joined her in smiling. Together, they both giggled over the whole thing, and when the laughter finally died down, Twilight used her magic to levitate Fluttershy’s story over to her again. Taking the paper in her hooves, Fluttershy read the passage herself, smiling warmly at her writing, before finally looking back up at her friend.
“Thank you, Twilight.”
The young mare nodded back to her, picking up her tea cup with one hoof and raising it to her.
“No problem, Fluttershy. And here’s to you making more stories that you like.”
Giggling again, Fluttershy set her paper aside before picking up her own cup and raising it in turn.
“And here’s to me liking what I write.”
Author's Notes:
Published December 18th 2015