This original side story is my entry for Equestria Daily's SHH&HLE event. It is an anthology of short stories featuring as many ships as I can shake a stick at, but has the advantage of most of the stories not being connected, so readers can enjoy the ships they support, and skip the rest. The connected stories will be indicated by their daytimes, and list one pony in a pairing twice. Also, fair warning this fic features nearly all of my original characters. Do try to keep track. Ready? Lets go!
It is the first Hearts and Hooves Day since the return of the Crystal Empire and the Crystal Heart. The day is young, and many a mare or stallion see a great opportunity to get together with her or his intended beloved, at least for the day. Join Princess Cadence, Shining Armour, and the other married couples of 'FiM' as they tell the tale (or tail) of what can happen to many a heart in just one day!
Any evaluations you might have on this fic would be appreciated, even though it is clearly a shipfic. Just know that if you only give a Like or Dislike, I cannot really use that as feedback to improve my next effort, which is likely to be the Third Gear main story. Anyway, if you have anything you would like to share, please do leave a comment below.
Note: No, Ba'ast isn't in this one. It's just a fun picture, and it seems I like to cause a little chaos myself now and then.
Y'know, I love Dislestia, but this just took all the fun out of it somehow. :/
The characters are flat, Trend especially, and you didn't do any actual shipping. I'm sorry, I don't want to read twenty thousand more words of this.
5680735 I'm sorry you feel that way, however I can't just go all lovey-dovey from nowhere, and you know, some of these ponies haven't even MET yet, but I KNOW the pairings would work. I think some of these couples wouldn't even act lovey-dovey with each other anyway, because they have a different dynamic than that. With Dash and Soarin' and also Prism and Rook, it's about pushing each other further or competition.
I arranged this so it's possible to skip around without losing anything. If you want the stories with more warmth, try:
- Dawn and Gearhead
- Dusk and Ivy (they might actually end up marrying, I'll have to see).
- Fluttershy and Gearhead
Maybe Luna and Mac too.
Of course, you're as free to have your own opinion as anypony else. Myself included, I hope.
Would you care to have a look at my main series? First Gear is done, and I just started publishing Second Gear. I have something like 10 readers.
...You invented a male Rainbow Dash to ship with Applejack. Just ship AppleDash. I'm not saying that as anything against straight shipping, I'm saying that because it's kind of tacky to make an OC that's so much like a canon character.
Seriously:
[Rainbow Dash] had come to Applejack because, despite being a daredevil, a prankster, and a bit of a slacker when the situation allowed for it, growing up the [Cloudsdale] way and training with [the Wonderbolts] had given [Rainbow Dash] a deep appreciation for those who worked hard, putting in their best effort for the best results.
5686171 You've got it wrong. Contrail is more disciplined than Dash because he grew up in a military unit, whereas Dash is a drop-out. Contrail has an ability that grants others speed, whereas Dash's ability gives her speed. Contrail also had a crush on Prism, where Dash has no interests in canon.
Besides, I ship Dash with Soarin.'
Dash is faster than Contrail and Rook, but a little slower than Prism -- until she kicks in with the Sonic Rainboom. But if Con's there too, he can make Prism faster than Dash with his Contrail Booster.
I needed someone gutsy to ship with AJ because I figure what she needs most is someone who can push her beyond her limits. While I have a whole bunch of other OCs, including Prism's brothers, I haven't really explored them all that well. I have, however, included all of Prism Flight in my writings. Rook is more stable and rock-steady, which is the type of partner speedy Prism needs. That left Contrail without a partner. He deserves happiness just like everyone else.
Anyway, long story short these short stories really aren't my forte. I recommend starting at the beginning, with First Gear. I publish a new chapter weekly.
5687210
I must have missed this somehow.
I'm really more into canon characters, especially AJ (which is why I picked that chapter), though I have no problem with canon/OC shipping when it's done well. And I have to say, you certainly seem to have a handle on your OCs, which is good. It's just that in practice Contrail really does come across like a male Rainbow Dash, which sets off alarms to me because a lot of people do that for not so subtle "ew, lesbians" reasons.
But if your longer work goes into his character more deeply, you're probably good. Like I said, it's not really my thing, but good luck!
5737350 I can assure you I've got nothing against lesbian couples, although gay couples have a squick factor for me. If someone chooses homosexuality in real life, that is their choice. People should always be supported for who, not what, they are.
What I wanted to show in the chapter was how Contrail encourages others to do things they would not consider otherwise, and how well he works with those others. The very nature of his ability is that it only works on others, so he's definitely team-oriented. The daredevil bit means he's primarily responsible for most of Prism Flight's riskier manoeuvres. But the riskier they are, usually the higher the pay-off. And it works, especially during the Changeling invasion. The prankster aspect of him... there's not so much of that left anymore. But he's still pretty innovative.
Honestly Contrail isn't a big focus character for me, at least not yet. We'll see how I can shift things after Prism gets over her crush on Gearhead. I do want to cover the romantic aspect of their stories, but that will evidently take a back seat to the drama and politics of Third Gear. And then everything just goes haywire. We'll see how things change, but at least now I have a plan.