Purple Prose

Part 1

She couldn't believe that she'd never been there before. It was a quaint bookshop inside the glorious walls of the fortress city of Canterlot; tucked away in a quiet, well-lit back-alley. The crown glass windows were coated in a thin layer of dust, dampening the daylight that filtered in. The light showed up as faint rays in the air, making the rest of the shop seem much darker by contrast.

She trotted in, pushing open the ornate oak door. A bell jangled merrily, bringing her to the attention of the elderly shopkeeper. He smiled and nodded politely, letting her go about her business.

She made her way through the crooked stacks of hardback volumes; overflowing boxes and stuffed shelves that stretched to the ceiling. It was messy, but at the same time as neat as could be. It was a sort of organised shambles. It reminded her of the Ponyville library on a good day.

Levitating the book she sought off of its high shelf, she blew some of the dust away. Quantum Magicanics and Its Use in Modern Spell-casting by Red Herring. She struggled to wrap her head around the finer points of theoretical magic, but she had been meaning to read it as part of her research, and this was the updated version. She quickly flicked through it, sampling the first few pages to get a feel for the way it was written.

Tiny font.

Big words.

Vague diagrams.

To any other pony, reading such a book would have been difficult; perhaps too difficult, but not too difficult for Twilight Sparkle.

After paying for her new book, she bid farewell to the shopkeeper and wandered back outside. Her friend Rainbow Dash was waiting for her. “Ugh, finally!” she complained; her husky voice tinged with frustration. “You were in there forever.” Twilight frowned.

“I was in there for about five minutes.” Rainbow pouted and folded her forelegs, hovering a few feet above the ground.

“Well it felt like forever.” Before Twilight could get another word in, Rainbow carried on. “I don't know why I had to come to Canterlot with you, anyway.”

“You didn't have to; not at all. You wanted to come, remember?” Twilight raised an eyebrow. Apparently, Rainbow Dash had selective recollection.

“No! Well, yes; I mean maybe I said that, but-”

“Let's just go, okay?”

“Fine.”

Twilight set off through the back-alley towards the main street. Rainbow sluggishly flapped along behind her. She thought that she was going to get a chance to do something exciting. When Twilight asked her if she wanted to help with some research on 'cutting-edge technology'; books were not the first things to cross her mind.

“Okay, so we'll head back to the castle and get to work taking notes. We need to at least get a summary of this book written out by next week, then we can-”

“Twilight.” Rainbow interrupted.

“Yes? What is it?” Twilight asked with mild annoyance.

“Do you really think we could do that in just one week?” Rainbow dreaded the long hours ahead.

“I am perfectly confident that we could get the basic principals of this book down in just one day, if we put our minds to it.” Twilight tried to reassure the pegasus looming over her shoulder, but she was still definitely in a bad mood.

“That book is so long though!” Rainbow wailed, throwing her head back dramatically. “It's gotta have like a million words in it or something.” Twilight looked at the spine of the book poking out of her saddlebag.

“No, Rainbow Dash; it's not going to be that many words.” She laughed, hoping that taking the light-hearted approach would raise her friend's spirits. “Definitely not a million. More like two-hundred thousand.” A pained groan was the immediate reply.

“Really? Two-hundred thousand words? And you want to sum it up in a few pages?”

“Only the basics.” Twilight shrugged, not seeing what the big deal was.

“Look, Twilight. I can barely wrap my head around basic magic; let alone Quilted Magic Can Tricks-”

“Quantum Magicanics.” Twilight corrected her.

“- or whatever it is.”

“So, are you going to help me or not?” Twilight had almost reached the end of her rope on this issue. Rainbow had been whining non-stop since they arrived in Canterlot. Rainbow had to think very carefully about her reply. It wasn't something she normally did, but a sharp edge to Twilight's voice was enough to make her stop and take notice.

“I...It's not like I don't want to help you, Twilight. I just don't think I'll be able to.” Twilight stood still. Rainbow sailed past her and circled around to get a look at her face. “I'm just not as smart as you.” When the unicorn didn't respond, Rainbow worried. “I mean, I'd probably hold you back in your research and stuff.” Still no reply. “You are so much better at all of this than I am.”

“Just save your breath, Rainbow Dash.” Twilight trotted on ahead, trying to pick up some speed. Rainbow kept up with her. “Do whatever you want.” The hurt in her friend's voice stung more than she anticipated. It slowed her down to a crawl; only able to watch as Twilight continued out to the street and turned out of sight.

She had really messed up on this one.

“Twilight! Wait!” she yelled, suddenly zooming after her. After she quickly caught up, she tried to make amends. “I'm sorry Twilight. I promise I'll do what I said I'd do.”

“I don't want to make you do something that you don't want to do.” Twilight glared ahead as she carried on her way.

“C'mon Twilight. I'm sorry; really. I said I'd help and I'm going to help you.” Her apologies were blanked. “Please, let me make it up to you!” She wanted to nip this in the bud before it got out of hand.

“All you have done is complain since we got off the train!” Twilight lost her cool, yelling at the top of her lungs. She blushed and peered around to make sure nobody was watching.

They were.

“Please, Twilight. I'm sorry. I'll do anything to make it up to you.” Rainbow begged, pressing her front hooves together. Twilight stood still in the street, trying to look smaller. Her little outburst had turned a few heads and she was starting to feel self-conscious. Quietly, she replied:

“Anything?”

“Yes, anything! I don't want you to be mad at me.” Rainbow looked hopeful.

“Will you please help me do my research?”

Back at their room in the castle, Rainbow Dash and Twilight set to work trying to summarise the enormous volume. Stacks of notepaper adorned various desks and lecterns, and Quantum Magicanics lay open between them on the floor.

Twilight scribbled furiously with a quill, pausing occasionally to replenish her ink. She uttered the odd thoughtful hum, sticking her tongue out as she thought hard about what to write and what to omit.

Rainbow Dash focused hard on the tiny font in the book; staring as though concentration would somehow squeeze a meaning from them. It was no use. She held a pencil between her teeth, ready to write at a moment's notice, but it never arose. She shook her head. Twilight was counting on her. She needed to get at least something done or this trip would have been for nothing.

Start at the beginning. That's the right way.

She read each word with deliberation, rolling the meaning around in her head. Over and over it tumbled, flying high over turning gears. It soared higher in the clouds; punching through the soft white wisps of cooling vapour. The sight from up there was incredible; what she lived for. It was so beautiful; the green and yellow fields stretching for miles. Mountains in the distance beckoned, begging to be explored. And explore she would, with the blue sky above her and the sunny land of Equestria below. The good weather showed no signs of giving up. A dazzling rainbow stretched from horizon to horizon.

A rainbow.

Rainbow.

Rainbow...

“Rainbow! Rainbow Dash!” Twilight's voice brought her back down with a thump.

“Huh? Oh! Sorry, Twilight I wasn't-”

“-concentrating.” Twilight frowned. This was turning out to be more hassle than she had anticipated. She looked down at the paper in front of her friend. “Rainbow; you've not written anything!”

“Have too!” Rainbow Dash tried to defend herself.

“We've been here for an hour and this is all you could come up with?” Twilight levitated the page in front of her friend's face. A highly detailed 'The' adorned the top-left corner, with intricate shading and patterns woven between the letters.

“An hour?” Rainbow flopped a hoof dismissively. “Nah, it's not been an hour. We've only just sat-” Twilight cut her off, pointing to the clock on the wall, then to the small stack of neatly piled notes in front of her.

“An hour.” Her scowl was quite terrifying. Ponies never usually saw Twilight Sparkle angry. Then again, it was easy to mistake her anger for simple annoyance.

“I'm sorry, Twilight; I am. I just don't get this book at all!” Rainbow was trying her best to sound distraught. “I want to help; I really do, but it's just so hard!” For a moment, she was unsure whether Twilight was going to yell; bracing herself.

After a stony silence, her face softened. She sighed. “No, I'm sorry. I'm probably just expecting too much of you. Your talent lies in athletics, and I keep forgetting that I've been studying this for a lot longer than most.” Rainbow Dash kept quiet. “I guess I just wanted somepony to help because I really wanted some company.”

“What about Spike?”

“He'd already planned to help Rarity find some gems this week.” Twilight answered with a smile and a slight eye roll. Rainbow chuckled.

“Boys.” They shared a laugh at the dragon's expense.

Twilight stood and stretched our her legs. “How about we go and get something to eat? Then we'll come back and figure out what we're going to do.”

“That sounds good.” Rainbow stretched as well, feeling a crick in her neck. “We should totally get the cooks to make us a feast!” she suggested with a mischievous grin.

“No, I've got a better idea.” Rainbow looked disappointed. “We'll go to a little place where I used to eat when I lived in Canterlot.”

“Okay, but can we at least abuse our position just once before we go?” The question made Twilight turn to face Rainbow Dash with a look of suspicion.

“Excuse me?”

“It's just something I always wanted to do. Room service to the extreme.” Rainbow's hopeful expression was almost too much to bear.

“We'll see.” Twilight replied after a short pause; a smirk turning up at the corner of her mouth.

When they returned an hour later; full to bursting but content, they both sat down next to the book once more. “That was great!” Rainbow beamed. “I've not eaten like that for ever! It's funny though; I never really liked those red peppers much before.”

“I know; it's just so good. And cheap too; so there's that.” Twilight chuckled quietly. “Brought back so many pleasant memories.”

“So, when should we get back to work?” Rainbow asked. “Where do I start?”

“Oh, you don't have to worry about that.” Twilight waved her off casually. “I could tell you were getting pretty distracted.”

“You're not mad, are you?” Rainbow Dash felt as though she'd let her friend down.

“Well, I was,” her ears dipped, “but not any more.” They perked up again. “I know I shouldn't expect you to be doing quantum magicanics; it's hard enough for me, and I've read up on the basic theory for months.”

“So, what do I do now? Our train back is not for six more days.” Rainbow asked; wondering what use she was to her friend now.

“You could just fly home, if you want.” Twilight didn't see the suggestion as being something difficult. She knew Rainbow Dash loved flying above all else, so she thought she would jump at the idea. Something didn't sit well, however.

“I dunno, Twilight. I wouldn't want to leave you all alone up here. It's super boring.” She looked down at the book and snorted.

“Oh? And what will you do while I'm working?” the unicorn asked. “You going to just sit there?”

“I guess I'll think of something.”

She was grateful of her companion's commitment to making sure she didn't get lonely. It was noble indeed. Of course, she shouldn't have expected anything less from the Element of Loyalty. “Thank you Rainbow Dash. You are a true friend.” Twilight put a hoof on her friend's shoulder.

After some silently implied thanks, Twilight got back to work. She settled down in one corner of the room with her book, quill and a stack of unwritten papers.

Rainbow Dash meandered over to her bed and slumped down on to it. It was definitely more comfortable than the floor. Princess Celestia certainly knew the right place to get her mattresses from; it was like sleeping on a cloud, or perhaps even better.

She stayed for a while, just listening to the scratching of quill on parchment and the occasional clink of the ink bottle. It was quite soothing.

She let her mind wander.

Rainbow Dash was back in the sky once more; flitting from cloud to cloud; cumulus to cirrus. She laughed and cheered as she soared above the land, swooping from great heights. It was the rush she always craved. It wasn't long before she realised she wasn't alone. Sharing her merriment was an old friend. At least, she thought it was an old friend. A dark grey mane and tail stood out against her golden coat. They flew together, challenging each to perform better than the other. It was exhilarating and liberating; finally having a friend to compete against. Back in Ponyville, nobody could match Rainbow's speed or finesse, but now even she was having a hard time keeping up.

The other pegasus had a sweet hat too.

Her eyes opened again; she must have been dreaming. Lying comfortably on her back, she glanced up at the clock. She was out cold for about thirty minutes.

Only thirty minutes?

She stretched out her forelegs and grunted as she felt the muscles flex. “Must have been tired after lunch.” she uttered to herself. Twilight paid no notice; feverishly working on her Quadrangle Marsh Manics or whatever it was called.

It'd only been half an hour, and Twilight was probably going to be working for another few hours at least. Rainbow didn't want to just sleep the day away; knowing that she'd have to sleep at night too. The thought of what to do next escaped her; leading to nothing but blank frustration. Peering about the room, she tried to draw inspiration from her surroundings.

It was no use.

Nothing but paper, pens and expensive-looking décor.

Her mind went back to the dream she was having. It was vague, but she could draw back the main points of it in to her imagination. It was about Daring Do, she was sure.

She thought of going to look through the library for the series, but she had already read them all. It would probably have been too much effort.

Nothing but paper, pens and...

Paper and pens! That's it!

If she couldn't read a new Daring Do novel, she would write one of her own.

It was going to be the best Daring Do novel ever written.

Rainbow Dash reached for the stack of paper she was using before, discarding the top sheet so she could start fresh. Flipping over on to her stomach, she started scribbling down the first lines of her masterpiece; pencil putting her mind to the page.

Twilight paused to take a quick break; feeling her mind starting to tire of the complex magical science in front of her. Taking a deep breath, she put the quill down, giving her magic a rest.

The sounds of writing continued.

It took a moment for the thought to click, but when it did, she looked over to Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow was sprawled out on her bed; eyes darting this way and that as she kept on scrawling the pencil across the page. It looked as though she was concentrating very hard. Twilight became aware of her softly speaking her way through a sentence as she wrote.

She quietly made her way over to look at what Rainbow was writing.

“You found something to do. That's great, Rainbow Dash.” The pegasus almost leapt off of the bed in fright. The pencil clattered across the floor.

“Twilight! You startled me!” She ruffled her wings and slumped back down on the blankets.

“I'm sorry; I shouldn't have disturbed you.” Twilight felt bad for having scared her, but Rainbow was very rarely scared, so she hadn't anticipated it.

“No, it's okay.” She sighed, flicking an ear.

“What are you writing, by the way?” Twilight looked over at the papers on her pillow. There was a page already completed, and another page with roughly a hundred words written. “Is it a story?”

Rainbow felt suddenly embarrassed. She knew she wasn't the best at writing, and having an egghead like Twilight around was bound to show that. “It's nothing. Just scribbles, really.” She placed her forelegs over the pages to try and obscure them.

“Oh, c'mon Rainbow; I'm just curious.” Twilight smiled to try and soften her up.

“No, it's nothing!” Rainbow pulled the pages against her chest, crumpling the paper slightly.

“Hey, don't screw it up.” Twilight plucked the paper out of her grip using her magic. Rainbow panicked. “You should be proud of what you do.” A soft giggle punctuated her last sentence, showing her good intentions. The pegasus didn't fight it; waiting with a blush on her cheeks as Twilight read.

Her smile slowly wilted as she tried to make head or tail of the text. “Uhm, it's...” was all she managed before Rainbow rolled over and off the other side of the bed.

“I know; it's bad.”

“It's really not that bad.” Twilight walked around to see her friend slumped on the floor. Something in her voice was uncertain.

“Really?” Rainbow asked, looking up hopefully.

“Well... okay, yeah it's pretty bad.” Rainbow flopped down again, avoiding eye contact. “The idea is great though!” Twilight tried in earnest to take back what she'd said. “It just needs a bit of sprucing up.” Rainbow stayed still.

“I don't know how, Twilight. I suck at writing.” The self-pity was obvious. Rainbow Dash never liked to be second-best at anything. She regretted even starting the story.

“You don't.” Before she was even able to think about it, Twilight made an offer. “I'll help you, if you want.” Rainbow looked up at her.

“Really? You'll help me write it?” She sat up attentively. She had so many ideas in her head, but was struggling to put them across.

“I... I guess so.” Twilight looked over to her textbook. “I suppose I've already done a lot of work today.”

“Thanks Twilight!” Rainbow jumped up and hugged her friend, squeezing just a little too tight. Twilight choked.

“No problem.” she rasped. After Rainbow Dash let her go, Twilight continued. “I have to say, I really like the idea of the plot, but the pacing is all over the place.”

“Pacing?” Rainbow tipped her head. Twilight tried to think of a way of putting it in to perspective.

“Well, pacing... Pacing is like... You know, when you run a race, you don't want to tire yourself out too much; right?” Rainbow nodded. “Well, it's the same in writing. You need to spread out your plot points a bit to keep the reader interested. Don't rush ahead too early.”

“Got it.”

“So, where you've got Daring suddenly confronting a bad guy, that's too fast.” Twilight pointed at the first paragraph. “There should be a build up before you introduce him, in my opinion.” Rainbow nodded again. “And maybe we shouldn't make him a draconequus. Just a suggestion.”

“Right.” The only bad guy that Rainbow could think of was Discord.

“And maybe– ” Twilight drew out the 'maybe' to emphasise it. “– you shouldn't put yourself in to the story either.” She smiled, trying to appeal.

“I guess so.” Rainbow was quiet for a moment. “So, how do you think it should start?” Twilight thought on it.

“Well, she's on her way to this big city. We can come up with a city name later. I'm sure we can figure something out.”

"Well, this is still a work in progress, right?" Rainbow Dash sounded a lot more hopeful now.

Twilight read the top line again. “Maybe it should go something like: 'She couldn't believe that she'd never been there before...'”

Author's Note

So, here it is.

Chapter 3... or 1... or part 0... I don't even...

Whatever.

This is something I've been planning since the start, anyway. I wanted to tag on something about RD and Twilight writing Rain or Shine as an Epilogue, but I figured it would probably be better to write two stories in parallel instead.

I really like the idea of keeping them as one story with alternate chapters. If you really wanted to, you could skip Purple Prose all together, or Rain or Shine. Purple Prose is more of a Slice of Life story, but I won't tag the story as such unless people want me to.

It will only contain references to previous chapters of Rain or Shine, so don't worry about spoilers.

Hope you like it, anyway. I had fun writing it!

-Sy