Spring Break: Saturday, Again
Twilight gave me a ride to Canterlot in her Lamborghini. She was a very responsible driver and refused to race Rainbow Dash, who flew along with us because the car only had two seats.
“Where did you even get a license?” Rainbow called as she flew alongside.
“Just because you live on Earth doesn't mean you're the only pony who learned how to drive,” Twilight replied. Rainbow rolled her eyes and flew a little higher.
The three of us had packed outfits in the car’s trunk for an event in Canterlot. Twilight was keeping quiet about it. Spitfire would be there, but that was about all she had revealed. Despite my own curiosity, Rainbow seemed more intent on finding out what was planned.
“Come on, just a little hint?” she asked over the sound of the wind as she stuck her head between Twilight and I. She hung onto the bodywork behind the seats, her wings spread and the rest of her hind legs trailing behind in the slipstream.
“It’s a surprise,” Twilight told her, and not for the first time today.
Rainbow huffed and let go, flying above the car. While I wasn’t pushing Twilight for information, I was also curious about where we were going.
Driving with the top down was pleasant, although my hair was getting blown in the wind. I assumed that since all three of us were bringing dresses that I would have some time to fix my hair and makeup before going to whatever event Twilight had scheduled.
Canterlot came into view in the distance. I had heard about the Equestrian capital before, but never seen it with my own eyes. The castle on the mountain was iconic, however, and I recognized it instantly.
A few minutes passed as we drew closer. Twilight slowed down, navigating the narrow streets that had been around centuries before cars had been imported. To my surprise, she drove right up to the castle. Lowering her sunglasses, Twilight waved to some guards that were standing outside and drove through the gate into the castle courtyard.
While I had watched some documentaries on old European castles, seeing a palace that was still in regular use and well taken care of was a whole different experience. I definitely got the feeling that this was someplace special.
There was a mare wearing what appeared to be a maid uniform waiting on us. She seemed to know Twilight. We got out of the car and opened the trunk to collect our things.
“Let me get those for you,” the maid said. “I’ll show you to your rooms.”
“Wait, what?” I asked.
“Your vacation ends tomorrow,” Twilight said, addressing Rainbow and me. “I thought that you might like to stay here before going back. You can use the dimensional doorway terminal in Canterlot.”
My inner little girl squee’d with joy at staying in a castle. “Wow, thanks Twilight!”
She smiled. “Thank the princesses; it’s their palace. They also invited you to dinner to thank you for your help when I was traveling during the last few days.”
Squeeeee
I did kind of wonder if I had really done that much to deserve such an honor, but as they say: it’s not what you know, it’s who you know. Apparently I had made the right choices in friends.
Rainbow seemed pleased, but not quite as excited as I was. I asked her about it.
“Well, I’ve met the princesses before.” She shrugged. “It’s not a big deal. They’re way more approachable than most human leaders.”
I certainly hoped so. A little bit of my giddiness had begun to bleed away and I thought about the implications of meeting royalty. Even if they were approachable, I was going to have to use my best social manners. Now, if I could only remember which was the dessert fork and which one was for salad…
At least there wouldn’t be cigarettes on my breath, but I could feel a few nicotine jitters coming my way. All that was forgotten, however, when I stepped into the guest bedroom.
The canopy bed was draped with silk and other fine cloths. The room was decorated with enough fancy that I was concerned a careless breath the wrong way would break some of them.
“Is it not to your liking?” the maid asked, seeing me just standing there.
“No, it’s perfect,” I quickly replied. “Just a lot to take in.”
I was left alone and I opened my suitcase. Resisting the urge to touch anything that looked fragile, I used a large mirror to get dressed and work on my hair and makeup. I was stuck trying to decide how much effort to use. On the one hand, this was a serious event, so I wanted to look my best but not overdo it. On the other hand, how much did ponies appreciate human cosmetics? In the end, I decided to just stick to the basics.
The dress, however, was anything but basic. It had color, and it had style. Several styles, actually, and I couldn’t come close to naming any of them. Every inch of it was decorated somehow. It fit wonderfully, but I felt like I was going to some sort of psychedelic wedding.
Shortly after I finished primping, Rainbow and Twilight came to collect me. Rainbow was groomed better than I had ever seen her, which considering her tomboyish college habits wasn’t hard to do. She seemed a bit uncomfortable with the garments that Rarity had probably also made for her. I noticed she wasn't wearing her fetlock bands or anything else she usually had at school.
Twilight looked a little more at ease. I figured she had gone through events at the castle before. The three of us were led by a stallion in a uniform to the dining room. The place was so lavish that it took me several seconds to notice the two princesses in the room.
Rainbow and Twilight lowered their heads in what seemed like a familiar bow, and I impulsively copied them. I’d never met royalty before, especially not two – if the rumors were true – immortals.
“Please have a seat,” Celestia invited with a smile. “Dinner should be served in a few minutes.”
While the dining room could certainly hold a lavish table, it contained a cozy round one with six seats. I studied it, trying to figure out where I should sit. I was still a little nervous around the princesses.
Just then, the door opened and Spitfire hurried in. “Princesses, please excuse me. I had a mountain of paperwork to do before leaving the squadron.”
Beside me, I felt a little quiver of excitement go through Rainbow. She and I took seats together. On Rainbow’s other side was Spitfire. In the shuffle, Luna ended up beside me with Celestia and Twilight filling in the rest of the table.
“How are you?” I heard Spitfire ask Rainbow. I turned my head to listen. It distracted me from the two alicorns that I was sitting so close to.
“I’m good,” Rainbow replied, sounding happy just to be talking to her idol. “It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other.”
“I still feel bad about turning you down for the Wonderbolts,” Spitfire replied. “You’re one of the best fliers I’ve ever seen, but we couldn’t make it work.”
“I’m working on something else now,” Rainbow told her.
“Somepony told me you started going to school on Earth?” Spitfire replied.
Rainbow nodded. “I want to fly jets.”
Spitfire’s eyebrows went up. “Well, going to Earth was probably the best way to make that happen. I wish you the best. I’m sure you’ll be great.”
While I listened, I carefully tucked my napkin in. I had been on edge ever since sitting down to eat with the princesses, and I was sure they noticed. I tried to keep my fingers from shaking. This was not the time to drop anything.
“How is your school going?” asked Princess Celestia.
I jerked my head up, realizing she was talking to me. “Oh, it's fine.”
I paused. It felt like I should say something else. “Education is very important to me. To everyone, I suppose.”
“Interesting,” Celestia mused. “I was just talking to Ban Ki-Moon the other day, and he said something of the same thing.”
I took a moment to remember who that was. Oh right. The Secretary General of the United Nations. That Ban Ki-Moon. He was Celestia's pal apparently, no big deal.
Princess Luna was studying me. “Is everything all right? You look rather nervous.”
“Er...just not used to events like this,” I replied, fumbling words.
“Do you meet well-known people or ponies often?” asked Celestia, shifting the conversation.
I thought for a moment. “I once saw Neil Armstrong at a science event. That's about my only prior brush with fame, though.”
“I met him once,” recalled Luna. “The conversation was a bit dull, however. Neither of us could find more than one thing to talk about.”
I almost asked what. Fortunately, dinner was served before I could make a complete fool out of myself.
There was no meat, but it was all so tasty that I didn’t mind. In fact, if college could get chefs like the princesses had at the castle, I would go vegetarian in a heartbeat.
After we’d gone through the main courses and the table had been cleared in preparation for dessert, Celestia looked around the table and said, “I’ve gathered us all here tonight to celebrate what Twilight has done for the country in the past week and to recognize the rest of you for what you did to help.”
“I was wondering if I was going to get an explanation,” I said. I quickly added, “If it’s not a state secret or something.”
That got a few chuckles. Celestia said, “Go ahead and tell the story, Twilight.”
Nodding, Twilight began. “Well, I was on my way through the portals to Earth, but I was concerned that the luggage scales at the terminal were not to correct specifications. Of course I couldn’t let that stand – what if somepony got the wrong mass? – so I went to see the Equestrian Bureau of Standards about it.
“They said that their information came from Earth’s International Bureau of Weights and Measures, but the secretary I talked to didn’t know where that organization was located. That’s when I called you the first time, Denise.”
Twilight paused and a slight blush came to her cheeks. “I’m not proud of what I did next. When I got to Paris and tried to get in to borrow the Kilogram to calibrate the luggage scales, I had to bribe one of the standards agents.”
There was a general chorus of astonishment from around the table. Twilight went on. “I had to watch his pet chinchilla for the afternoon while he filled out the mountain of paperwork it took to get me access to the Kilogram.”
“And you took the chinchilla to Bolivia?” I asked, connecting the dots.
“Well, I figured that I could watch the chinchilla and also continue working on my luggage scales project, so I headed back to the portal terminal and had to go through back and forth a couple of times to test some theories. I grabbed lunch in Bolivia while I was at it and that made me think about what chinchillas eat; it was feeding time.”
I guessed that made sense, but I waited to hear the rest of the story. Twilight paused to recall and then continued. “After that, I made it back to Paris but even after all that paperwork was done there were a few days to wait before my application could be approved.”
“And what about the spell you had me read from that book?” I asked.
Twilight frowned. “Spell? Oh! No, that was just Latin. I got to be friends with that Frenchman at the Bureau, and while I was getting to know him he talked about being Catholic. Of course, I had to learn more about that to really understand him and so I went to the Vatican. Going back to your question, that’s why I needed a few phrases of Latin. That’s basically the only place where they speak it.”
“I heard a lot of noise in the background of the call,” I remembered.
“Yes, there was quite an event going on there,” Twilight recalled. “That led me to a new topic in Catholic holidays: Mardi Gras. The most notable place to learn about that was New Orleans, even if it was the wrong time of year to actually observe it taking place.
“While I was there, I learned about the nearby Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans, which is a terribly confusing name, but it reminded me what Rainbow wants to do with her career and so I stopped by to have a look. A component of NORAD – a giant air defense system for North America – is located there. They were having some sort of wargame drills going on and I got a little caught up in the excitement with my new friends. I helped them win their simulation with some missile information from Spitfire.”
Nodding, Spitfire said, “I’m still wondering why they just let you come onto the base and give them advice.”
“Twilight was traveling on diplomatic status,” Celestia said. She arched an eyebrow. “Although this had very little to do with her mission.”
Twilight blushed. “Yes, well, after that I went straight to Beijing to talk to the Chinese about foreign policy and make friends like the Princess asked me to.”
There was a long pause. Rainbow broke it. “That’s it? That’s what you were doing? Then where does all that other stuff come in?”
“Well, after finishing up in China I went back to France and used the Standard Kilogram to get a proper calibration for luggage scales. In the terminal, I saved the Crown Prince of Dubai from having to check luggage that was supposedly overweight. We really hit off a friendship and he gave me a Lamborghini.”
Just then, dessert was served. That was good, because I had lost track of the conversation a few minutes before. One thing came to me, though. Didn’t Rarity also help out by telling Twilight how to get to the Forbidden City in Beijing? Well, maybe she had already been compensated by being paid for the dresses we’d worn to dinner.
Rainbow wasn’t so quick to let things go, however. “So Twilight, you get sidetracked by a small detail at the terminal and go off on a multi-country quest for information and get involved in everything along the way. That’s so like you, Twilight. You never change.” She chuckled.
Twilight smiled, recognizing the humor. “I do get carried away sometimes. How would you have done things differently?”
“Well, if I noticed a problem with the weight I would have just argued about it and won,” said Rainbow. “It’s the American way.”
She quickly recognized her slip, but Twilight had already picked up on it. “American? Actually, I would say that’s like you, Rainbow. Maybe you haven’t changed as much as you thought since going to school.”
Rainbow appeared to consider that. She'd already told me her fears about being assimilated into Earth society. Twilight's words seemed to allay her fears, however. She smiled. “Thanks. I worry about that sometimes. It's hard to live in a place and not pick up some of the habits.”
“I understand completely,” said Twilight. “In fact, the United States has had even less effect on you than I expected from studying culture immersion experiments. If you'd been someplace like Canada the results might have been different.”
“Although there’s nothing wrong with being American,” Spitfire said, interrupting before Twilight could go into a lecture on human society. “Especially if you want to be one of their fighter pilots. You’ve already got the attitude down.”
“Well, I guess if I should thank my teacher,” Rainbow said. “Living together, Denise has taught me a lot about being human.”
“Sorry, what?” I said, already halfway through my dessert.
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Blarg! That ended abruptly.
Still, I'm only half surprised that all that "important" stuff was just Twilight being Twilight.
Waiting eagerly for the next chapter.
Why do they call it cold turkey, eh?
... You just made all that up on the spot, didn't you?
Are you kidding me? You're leaving it like this?
Well that makes me sad...
3427958 I love your profile picture. It looks familiar. What is it from?
NO PLEASE MORE I
YOU TOTES NOT A BRONY!!!!
Princess Luna and Neil Armstrong have nothing in Common?
Man that made me bust a gut,
they both been on the MOON.
3428127
You know, when you think about that, that must have been terrifying. To be hurtling at 1000 miles an hour through space, with the fact that if something goes wrong you could be stuck thousands of miles from home with absolutely no help, left to slowly die in the black abyss, lingering over your head. Neil Armstrong had some fucking balls, man! No wonder nothing beats an astronaut!
3428179 That's more like
15,000miles per hourEdit: Did some research. Going to the moon is closer to 24,000 miles per hour.
3428127 I think that was meant to be the one thing they had in common.
3428179
Agreed 1000%.
3428205
Still it made me laugh.
3279739
"eh"
you did that on purpose didn't you?
3427924 What "next chapter"? This is the last one.
Figures. Once I find a good story, the author announces that they might not continue the story or disappears for months at a time. Ergh
So Denise now has a two degree separation from the Secretary General, and it's through a pony princess. Interesting times.
Figures it was all just Twilight being Twilight.
Behold the power of friendship.
Twilight paused. "Really, the whole thing about the mad scientist with the anti-matter bomb was just a side-track thing."
3428119
I think I saw it used on one of those 4chan mlp thread simulators
so I googled it
Now this is amazing, this story makes me wonder what it'd be like if I met any one of the mane six at my college. Not a cosplayer mind you, but the real deal.
Because if Dash had come to Canada, our Communist government would have immediately forced her to suffer the burden of free health-care. Within a month, she would have been eating back bacon (i.e. real bacon) with maple syrup at every meal, riding a polar bear to class, and watching/playing hockey every night before going to sleep in her snuggly igloo dorm. All in a very polite way, eh?
I love my country's stereotypes.
3428313
“That led me to a new topic in Catholic holidays: Mardi Gras. The most notable place to learn about that was New Orleans, even if it was the wrong time of year to actually observe it taking place."
Strange that Twilight never heard of Brazil.
NOOOOO there must be moooooore!!!
3428179
You ever watch Apollo 13?
Here's something interesting about that: In the movie their reactions and arguments and such were completely exaggerated. They remained remarkably professional pretty much at all times.
Astronauts, man.
Nothing beats a fucking astronaut
3432302
Then why is it labeled everywhere as a Coke product?
3428127
Yeah, that's the one subject. Man, try to keep up...
3432376
No clue what you mean. Europe aside, I've only ever heard it referred to as a Coke product at restaurants, and that's only as a catchall. Same thing goes for it being called a Pepsi product. In fact, the latter happens more often since Coca-Cola owns Mr. Pibb, so most places with Coke products are actually serving that instead.
this was an excellent story. it did end kinda abruptly tho with a 'sorry I wasn't paying attention' then The End. defiantly has the feel that there's going to be another chapter to really close it. Regardless I enjoyed it for what it is.
It would be interesting to have a sequel. Maybe something where they or another human became neighbors with RD after college and some time past. could even call the story The Neighbor.
3428313 shh dont give him ideas
3428304
Yes. Yes I did.
3446357 The two main characters of both stories can be related: Huckleberry Finn to Denise, Jim to Rainbow. Jim is a runaway slave - he doesn't fit in with the white men's world, just like Rainbow in an alien world. Huckleberry and Jim found something in common - they are both running away from "imprisonment" - Huck from his drunken father and Jim from slavery - into pursuit of liberty. Many times they both argue and at one point Huck considers turning Jim in because he felt guilty for helping a "widow's" property escape, but he realized he will feel just as bad doing so and builds on their friendship.
Edit: One thing that links Huck and Jim together is the journey through the Mississippi River on a raft, and college dorm keeps Denise and Rainbow together.
3446580 I never considered it quite like that. Hmm.
Missing an opening quote, there.
So, what now?
3449413 Thanks, I'll fix that.
Well, I do have a few ideas for about three more chapters. No idea if or when I'll ever get around to writing them.
You know, Twilight's story deserves its own movie!
Can't wait for more hijinks in Equestria/college with Denise and RD
I have a giant backlog of stories, so at some future date I'll be reading the rest of yours. And I expect MOAR at that undetermined future time.
3559012
first of all, an independent clause is a clause with at least one subject and at least one verb, with or without objects or modifiers.
example1: I am eating ("I" is the subject, "am" is the helping verb, "eating" is the action verb)
example2: I am eating and drinking (same as above, except with two action verbs)
example3: She is a pony ("She" is the subject, "is" is the linking verb, "pony" is the object)
example4: Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash are ponies and pegasi (same as above, except with two subjects and two objects.)
on the other hand, a dependent clause is a clause with a subordinating conjunction in front that cannot stand alone by itself.
example1: because I am eating
example2: if she is a pony
now, there are three types of sentences.
- Simple sentences contain a single independent clause.
- Complex sentences contain an independent clause and a dependent clause. When the dependent clause comes first, it needs a comma after it. When it is following the independent clause, it does not. I think of it as a simile: the independent clause is strong and bold, like Rainbow Dash. The dependent clause is bashful and diffident, like Fluttershy. When a storm is approaching, if Fluttershy is in front, she needs a comma to hold on to give her confidence. If Fluttershy is on the back behind Rainbow Dash, she doesn't need the comma.
example1: (sub. conjunc) dependent clause + comma + independent clause.
Because Rainbow Dash was hungry, she eats lunch.
example2: independent clause + (sub. conjunc) dependent clause.
Rainbow Dash eats lunch if she was hungry.
- Compound sentences contain two or more independent clauses. They must be linked by a comma plus a coordinating conjunction. When no comma or coordinating conjunction is present, it is a run-on.
example1: independent clause + comma + coord. conjuc + independent clause.
Rainbow Dash ate flowers, and she drank cider.
run-on1: Rainbow Dash ate flowers she drank cider.
run-on2: Rainbow Dash ate flowers, she drank cider. (also known as "comma splice", debatable)
run-on3: Rainbow Dash ate flowers and she drank cider.
solution1: Rainbow Dash ate flowers; she drank cider. (use a semicolon)
solution2: Rainbow Dash ate flowers. She drank cider. (start a new sentence)
solution3: insert a comma and/or a coord. conjuc, depending on what is missing. refer to example1.
*note that since both independent clauses uses the same subject, you can remove the subject of the 2nd independent clause in run-on3 to correct it into a simple sentence with two action verbs and two objects.
the seven coordinating conjunction are "for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so". They can be remembered using the acronym "FANBOYS".
you can even combine the two types above to form a 20% cooler compound-complex sentence.
3559246 This was very informative. Thank you.
good chapter but you should of made denise a astrounat
3559970 With a name like that, I'm not surprised you would think so.
I do have Rainbow as an astronaut if you want to read that story.
Also, welcome to FIMFiction.
3432376
Dr Pepper is bottled by both Coca-Cola and Pepsi Co, because Dr Pepper doesn't have their own infrastructure for it. But the product itself is not owned by Coke/Pepsi.
3535742
THERE ARE CARS IN THIS STORY?!?!
loved it the character development, the story. you said a possibility of more that's good enough for me. looks like i play the waiting game(in which i have the high score) 100% bishop approved
stay classy
Well. This story, as far as it is and in hopes of more chapters, was really good. I like the idea and what you made of it.
Please consider doing more of it in not too far in the future.
Dragon
4936413 ew
5154554 Hey, don't look at me. I have barely any idea what that was for.
just finished reading this again god i missd this, good times
you've earned thisi492.photobucket.com/albums/rr289/axlthehedgehog_2008/responses/nose%20boop/rainbow_dash_nose_boop_interactive_by_sheandog-d7p07bo.jpg
stayclassy
What? No conspiracy? Oh, come on...
Great story.
6017991 Sorry for spamming... and no, I have never heard of that before, but I am living in germany, and we have some rather shallow view on the US... and we don't have campi that big that they would need their own police district
3428190 What do you have against Canada?
6112493 Nothing at all. I used a Canadian for a joke because most of the users on this site are from the Anglosphere and would be more likely to get it.