It was a beautiful morning as Twilight Sparkle stepped through the door to her castle. She turned, trotting toward the market, ready to begin the day's tasks. That didn't last long, though, as she soon stumbled across an unusual sight, and she froze in shock as she gazed upon it.

At the outer edge of the square, just by the edge of the stream, Rarity was on the ground, her normally-coiffured mane pulled into a simple ponytail and a sweatband around her forehead. As Twilight watched, Rarity heaved herself upwards, then back down, then up again - only with the repetition did Twilight realize what she was seeing, and she stepped forward. "Rarity?" she called out.

Rarity paused mid-pushup, turned her head, and smiled. "Hey, Twi," she called out, and Twilight received a fresh shock at the lack of her normal cultured tones. "Something wrong?"

Twilight's mind froze as she tried to process her response. "I- you- pushups?"

Rarity's smile didn't change, but the rest of her face scrunched in confusion around it. "Well, yeah," she said, "I gotta be at my best when I face AJ, right?"

Twilight, after her brain restarted itself, tried again. “You don’t find anything odd about you doing pushups?”

Before Rarity could answer, another voice, also familiar, came from behind Twilight, apparently having found the accent Rarity had misplaced. “Whyever should there be anything odd about that, Darling? Dear Rarity has always been one for that sort of rough behavior, after all.” Then, as Twilight spun, Rainbow lowered herself slightly. “Do forgive me for not coming to rest, Twilight, but it wouldn’t do to let the hems get dirty, after all.” And, indeed, the trailing edge of her dress (her very fashionable dress, part of Twilight’s mind gibbered), was holding position about three inches off the ground.

Twilight’s head seemed to spin as she stared between her two worried-looking friends, and then she gulped and jumped back. “I’m sorry,” she stammered out, “I must have been sleep-casting! I’ll figure out how to turn you back to normal, I promise!” Without another word, she spun on her hooves and ran back for the castle.

As she disappeared in the distance, Rainbow glanced down. “You know,” she said, in a voice suddenly entirely hers, “we really oughta let Twi in on the gag before she tries to ‘reverse’ us into each other for real.”

“Quite,” Rarity replied, “but perhaps not just yet.” She stood up, stretching out and shaking the mud from her hooves. “Ecch,” she said, followed by “I do believe a visit to the spa is in order.” She looked up towards Rainbow. “Would you care to join me, darling?”

“Nah, no thanks.” Dash flapped about four feet upward, then stared back down. “Thanks for helping me prank Twilight, though. I didn’t think you had it in you.”

The Prompt:
Pranks for Everything

This is a thirty minute writing prompt, meaning you have thirty minutes to finish your story from the time you start writing. You may take as much time as you wish to think, plan, or outline before you begin, but once the first word is on the page, the timer begins. When you are finished, post your story to this thread, and, in the tradition of the TMP mods of yore, I will read and give it a comment when I can.

Traditionally, TMP prompts would have a six to eight-hour window in which to submit, but for these legacy prompts, there will be no limit after the prompt is up. Go ahead and post something a year from now, if you like. Just bear in mind that I'm less likely to respond with feedback to anything submitted more than a week or so after the prompt. Good luck!

My mind refuses to do pranks and a debilitating head-cold has helped nothing. Sorry to have nothing to offer for this one.

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I've gotten halfway through a couple responses for this prompt and I just can't get the pranks to work. I feel bad there's no response, 'cause I did like the prompt story and all.

5101961

As usual, not quite up to what I'd like to call my standards. Still though, hopefully it's alright!

It was another quiet, peaceful day in Princess Twilight Sparkle's castle. She sat idly reading through a book she was fairly certain she'd already been through twice, as the birds twittered pleasantly outside and warm breeze filtered through the windows.

It was nice, in a way. Quiet and peaceful meant that nopony was hurting or in trouble, but it was also a bit boring. Which is why the sound of galloping hooves (and the pat-pat of baby dragon feet) was both a welcome distraction and a bit of a concern.

"Twilight! Twiliiight!" Spike's voice called out loudly.

Rainbow Dash's voice followed after. "Hey, Twilight! You're in here, right?"

Twilight set a bookmark in her book, and then stood before calling out to them. "I'm in here. What do you two need?"

Spike burst through the door, running as fast as his little legs could carry him, with a scroll clenched in one hand. "Twilight! I got this letter from Princess Celestia yesterday, but-"

"But he forgot to bring it to you until now!" Rainbow Dash came soaring in after him, up in the air like usual.

"What? Spike! You know better than to hide letters from the Princess!" Twilight took the letter in her magic, while Spike's face fell. She glanced over the royal crest, but then broke the wax seal and unrolled the scroll.

Rainbow grinned, and held out a hoof to Spike. Spike just glanced aside, nervously.

Twilight's eyes moved left to right as she read. "My dearest Twilight, an urgent matter has come up in Canterlot, and I need you to come alone to my chambers, as quickly as possible."

Twilight paused, before continuing. "My royal guard will not be expecting you, but you must come immediately. -Princess Celestia."

She turned the scroll over, and then back again, frowning. ".... That's all it says."

Spike held his tail in his hands and fidgeted a little with the spines. "Sorry I didn't give it to you earlier, Twilight, I.. uh, forgot?"

"It sounds pretty bad, Twilight. I mean, you know, Princess Celestia asking you to go all the way to Canterlot." Rainbow tried to look serious and worried.

"That's... true." Twilight spoke, half-distracted. "But why alone? Why wouldn't' she tell her guards? It's like she doesn't want anypony to know I'm coming."

Rainbow nodded again. "Yeah, sounds serious, right?"

Twilight nodded and scanned over the short text again. "And the writing... it's not quite like her. Hm."

A few moments passed, and then Twilight set the letter down, and spoke as if coming to a sudden decision. "A changeling. Princess Celestia is being impersonated by a changeling!"

Rainbow's eyes went wide. "What? No, I uh, I mean, that's kind of..." She rubbed the back of her neck. "Not likely?"

"Yeah, come on, Twilight. No changeling could replace Princess Celestia!" Spike squeezed his tail nervously.

Twilight shook her head, starting to pace back and forth in an unpleasantly familiar way. "No, it's the only thing that makes sense. Why else would she want me to come alone, when a real crisis would need all my friends? Why wouldn't she tell the guards? This way she could replace me and nopony would even suspect anything!"

"Uh..."

"Nope! I know what to do. I'll just have to teleport right there, and show that impostor who's boss!" Twilight's horn glowed brightly, and before anypony could react, she disappeared in a flash of purple magic.

"No wait!" Rainbow leaped forward through the air, but too late. "Wow, she's really going to go blast... we've gotta go, Spike!"

"But wait!" Spike started, before Rainbow scooped him up in her forelegs and darted out of the room in a rainbow-colored trail.

Twilight waited until they were out of sight before giggling quietly to herself. The invisibility spell had worked perfectly, even if Spike might have learned enough about magic over his lifetime to recognize that she hadn't really teleported. Twilight glanced over the letter from Princess Celestia again. It was plainly Spike's handwriting, and he'd even misspelled 'immediately'. Of course, knowing Rainbow Dash, they'd be halfway to Canterlot before he could manage to get a word in.

She settled down to her book again, still invisible. A little excitement could be fun on a boring day, after all.

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RAINBOW used PRANK! It's not very effective.
TWILIGHT used COUNTER-PRANK! It's super effective!

Ah, the joys of watching someone else's prank fall apart around them. Please take a bow and pick up your bow, Twilight, because you just played Rainbow like a fiddle. It's interesting watching the initial prank build, seeing that Rainbow, at least, is fully expecting whatever she's planning to work. And just what is it she's planning? It almost sounds like Rainbow is attempting some shipbuilding... or at least, something which implies shipbuilding, given that she's trying to get Twilight and Celestia alone together. And Twilight's 'decision' that this means changelings is obviously something Rainbow never counted on.

Well played, HoofAndQuill, well played.

Wow never wrote so many words in 30 mins. Though I'm not sure its really finished but..: Also there's some talking head syndrome because I assume editing beyond spelling and such is against the rules?

Rainbow Dash had been flew over Ponyville, noticing each and every pony beneath.. Fluttershy was out shopping for supplies for her animals.

Excellent, this was exactly what she had been waiting.

She flew to Fluttershy’s cottage, arriving in a heartbeat and knocked on the door.

“Discord!” She thumped on the door.

After a fashionable delay, the draconiqus appeared, arching an eyebrow.

“Rainbow Dash? Whatever could you want with me?”

Rainbow Dash lowered her head.

“So you probably heard about that incident with the cupcakes.”

“Indeed your friends played you like a violin.”

Rainbow Dash gnashed her teeth together but managed to keep back a withering retort.

“So I can’t play pranks on anypony without permission, and Pinkie Pie won’t prank with me because she thinks I’m “addicted” and need to cold turkey or something so…….”

Discord leaned against the door frame.

“So what?”

Rainbow Dash flew level with his eyes

“Discord I challenge you to a prank war!”

For a second Discord was silent, then he burst out laughing.

“STOP LAUGHING!”

“AHahahaa. “ Discord wiped away a tear. “I’m sorry but your challenging me to a prank war? I’m Discord sp-“

Faster than he could imagine, Rainbow Dash had styled her mane into his, and imitated her posture, putting on a pompous voice.

“Hey everyone look at me! I’m Discord spirit of chaos! I’m so important! I spread chaos and Fluttershy sempai please notice me!”

Discord grinded his teeth together. His voice still sounded calm but his eyes told a different story.

“Ok Rainbow Dash, have it your way!” He snapped his fingers.

Rainbow Dash heard a familiar moan and suddenly, zombified versions of all of Fluttershy’s animals, from Angel the Bunny to Harry the Bear
advanced on Rainbow Dash, with the same rainbow frosting around their mouths. However, their hollow, dead eyes told Rainbow Dash that these were real Zombies.

She let out a short scream, then flew into the air, out of reach of Harry’s claws. Discord laughed.

“See? You’re no match for me!”

“Nuhuhu” Rainbow waved her hooves. “You didn’t let me finish!”

“Pish posh, pranks aren’t supposed to have rules and conditions.” He sighed. “Apart from you ponies insisting it has to be consensual.” He snapped his fingers again and one of Rainbow Dash’s wings disappeared. She waddled in the air, flapping her one remaining wing in a desperate attempt to stay in the air, but crashed into the thattage roof. Discord smirked.

“That makes it 2 to zero. Do you really wish to go on?”

Rainbow Dash pulled her head out.

“I was trying to say that anyone could prank if they had your powers!”,

“That is true, what of it?

“If your really as good as pranks as you think you are, you wouldn’t need you cheap powers. I mean anyone can do pranks when you can change everything around you or turn the other pony into a chicken.”

“Ohhh that’s a good one. Maybe I should-“

“NO! If you really the better prankster, you should be able to outprank me without your powers.”

“My powers are as much a part of me as your ability to fly! I’ll have you know I worked hard to get this good at causing chaos.”

“Really? Cause to me it just looks like you snap your fingers and it just happens.”

“That’s because I’m so good at it! Don’t other ponies look at you and think flying is easy?”

“My point is, you have an unfair advantage. And if you really want to prove you’re the better prankster, you can beat me without it!”

Discord scratched his chin.

“Hmm.. true that would make things a little more challenging. Very well, what are your terms?”

“We prank each other, but you can’t turn me, my friends, Fluttershy's animals or any other ponies into… ANYTHING or mess with their minds or mess with our bodies and you give me back my wings.”

“Very well, I’ll still easily win.” He smiled, in a sinister way he had not done so in a long time. “You have no idea what your up against!”

“Ha! I’ll show you! May the best prankster win!”

Rainbow Dash tried to meet his hand with her hoof , so they could shake on it, but spiraled down and slowly crashed into the ground.

“And give me back my wing.”

Discord laughed, but snapped his fingers, restoring Rainbow Dash’s and returning the animals to normal.

“Which is totally going to be me.”

“Bring it!”

Dash flew away. Discord still smirking to himself.

“I can’t believe she thinks she has a chance against me.”

He headed inside the cottage and sipped a cup of tea, only to find it stuck to his paw.

“Really Rainbow Dash? Gluing a cup to my paw? That is so unimaginative.”

Rainbow Dash must have hid inside the cottage. He looked around for any sign of her, suddenly feeling a shape moving around the coach. “AHAHA!”
He whirled around triumphantly, only to be pecked by birds.

“Ah! Get away from me!” He swatted at them.

Rainbow Dash’s laugh pierced the air, and she triumphantly held a box of bird seed “Gotcha!”

Discord returned a withering gaze.

"You win this round, Rainbow Dash."