Applejack let out a sigh of relief as she and her family began to close up shop. Every day of every cider season was always successful, but today seemed to be even more so. She was pretty positive she'd served nearly every pony in Ponyville and then some.
Conspicuous by her absence, however, was Rainbow Dash. It was not at all like Rainbow to miss a single day of cider season. That girl was crazy over the stuff, so much so that AJ was almost worried about just what she'd do to get it. Something -really- important must have come up to keep her from jumping on today's line. AJ figured she'd pay her friend a visit after they'd finished packing up.
Applejack sighed happily as the family finished packing up. She'd come up with a perfect plan a few years ago, and it had been working perfectly ever since. For a while before coming up with this plan, she'd always be bothered over the fact that she rarely had a chance to enjoy her own cider while she worked. Her mouth would always be watering as she served the ponies of Ponyville, but due to the tendency to run out of cider mid-line, she'd often get complaints from the waiting ponies if she tried to pour herself a mug. She couldn't just give herself the last mug, either; everypony would notice and complain if she did. Her problems all stopped when she came up with her grand plan. She would bring a cooler with her each day, and she'd pay for and pour the first mug for herself. The cooler would keep it nice and cold, and when the day was over, she'd have a nice, cold mug of cider waiting for her. The idea was genius in its simplicity.
Applejack felt her mouth watering as she pulled the cooler out. She opened it, staring in wonder at the waiting mug. She slipped her hoof into the handle and prepared to drink...
"Applejack!" a voice called out. AJ nearly spilled the sweet, ambrosial beverage in surprise as Rainbow Dash zipped up to her side.
"Rainbow!" Applejack said, trying to hide the mug. "Where were ya today?"
"A lot of stuff came up," Rainbow responded, panting. "And don't think I didn't see that mug. You holding out on me, AJ?" Applejack smiled nervously. She had been waiting all day for this mug, and to give it up now would be, as Rarity would say, "the worst possible thing." Rainbow was a great friend, and the tiny bit of a crush she had on her made her seriously consider giving it up...but she just couldn't. She wanted this cider so bad, she could taste it, and she was hoping to move that usage of "taste" from the figurative sense to the literal.
"Rainbow," Applejack said. "I've been waiting for this mug all day, and I'll be hogtied if I was gonna give it up, even for..."
"I'll do ANYTHING!" Rainbow shouted, grabbing Applejack under the forelegs.She nearly dropped the mug a second time, but barely managed to hang onto it. She opened her mouth to yell at Rainbow for nearly making it so that nopony could enjoy this mug. Then she stopped.
"...Anything?" the farmer asked, her eyes beginning to glisten.
"Anything!" Rainbow repeated, letting go of Applejack. AJ's grin grew.
"Well then..." Applejack said, her eyelids dropping to half-mast. "I reckon I've got a few ideas."
"Lay 'em on me!" Rainbow begged. AJ's smile grew even wider.
"Alright, Rainbow," she said. "First, you're gonna help us carry all this stuff back to the farm. And no flying or going fast. I want you to just trot along with me."
"You got it!" Rainbow answered quickly.
"Then you can drink it," Applejack continued. "But only on the condition that you do a couple more things for me afterwards."
"For that cider?" Rainbow said. "I'll do whatever you want!"
"I got that the first time, RD," Applejack said with a chuckle. "So once you've finished it, you're gonna come up to my room."
"...Yeah?" Rainbow said, her ears starting to perk.
"Eeyup," AJ responded. "And I've got myself some nice plans for you when we get up there." Rainbow blinked, starting to sweat a bit. She'd had her eye on the earth pony for a good while now and had secretly fantasized about this kind of thing, but she'd never expected it to actually happen. She felt her usual bravado start to wane, but she attempted to keep her cool.
"A-and then what?" Rainbow asked, one corner of her mouth curling up.
"Oh, you'll see," Applejack responded, giving her a look that nearly knocked her off of her hooves. "There's a chance it might even take all night long." Rainbow felt her wings rising outside of her control. Everything was turning out far better than expected.
"Okay!!" Rainbow answered, the eagerness of her response betraying the cool composure she was trying to keep. Applejack giggled lightly, then slipped the harness of her cart onto Rainbow's back. Rainbow gleefully began pulling. It bothered her to be moving at this pace instead of bolting through the sky like she wanted, but she'd agreed to trot alongside AJ, and trot alongside AJ was exactly what she did. Applejack's pace was much slower than she wanted; it almost felt like she was purposely going slow just to mess with Rainbow. It would all be worth it, though, when they got back to the farm.
Applejack and Rainbow soon arrived back at the farm, the rest of the Apple family having arrived earlier. Rainbow let the cart down as soon as she was told to, then stared eagerly at Applejack. She wasn't sure what she was more excited for now; the cider or the rest of the evening.
"Go ahead and drink up, Rainbow," Applejack said, passing her the mug. "We got a long night ahead of us." Rainbow grabbed the mug and got to drinking. Her eyes rolled back in pleasure as she poured the sweet, sweet cider down her throat. She swished some around in her mouth, savoring every last moment. She felt her body quiver with joy as she enjoyed the cloying flavor, reveling in every last drop.
"There ya go, Rainbow," AJ said. "I gave you my last mug of cider. The one I'd been saving all day for myself. Now you owe me, bigtime."
Rainbow tried to answer, but she could barely speak, stuck in ciderface.
"Now come on upstairs, girl," Applejack continued, striding past her and giving her nose a dusting with her tail. "We got business to take care of."
No more convincing was needed as Rainbow followed Applejack upstairs.
~~~~~~~~~~
Applejack smiled as she arrived at the place where the family would be selling their cider today. Her smile was accompanied by a yawn; she'd barely gotten any sleep last night, but it was absolutely, undeniably worth it.
Rainbow toddled behind her, looking decidedly less happy than her friend. This stupid costume was way too bulky and hot, and she knew that today was going to be a long one.
"Now let's see that dance, Miss Red Delicious!" AJ said, smirking. Rainbow sighed and began to do the dance that AJ had spent all night teaching her. The steps were made all the more difficult by the giant apple costume she was wearing, but she still managed it, reluctantly as it was.
"Atta girl!" Applejack said as she set up shop. "The customers are gonna love this!"
Rainbow rolled her eyes as she continued her dance. It was going to be a very embarrassing few hours, but as she thought back to the delicious cider that put her in this position, she figured that it was almost worth it.
