Well if it isn't THE Rainbow Dash
It was a long day for Applejack, and all she wanted was a nice long snooze on the hay of the barn. She had been going at those trees all day, never stopping for even one measly moment. There had been about one hundred new trees added to the orchard this year, and three of the Apple family were barely enough to keep up with the pace of Applebuck season. In her mid-thirties, Applejack was starting to have problems in her knees, as most ponies do nowadays. She had taken her painkiller, but even magically enhanced pills couldn't keep her in tip-top shape all day. Now, she had to run a few errands while her drugs set in.
This took her on a short walk to the outskirts of Ponyville, the opposite side of the farm. If there was anywhere Applejack still loved going to, it was Fluttershy's old cottage. All the animals were still there and loved to see Applejack. Of course, she couldn't take care of them like Fluttershy did, but she did her best to ensure their safety. Feeding them, petting them, and just generally being there once a day was enough to give the critters joy in their little lives.
However, there was still a sense of sorrow. Fluttershy was the last to leave of her five friends, so only Applejack knew about her absence. There was much trouble up in Vanhoover with the moose population, so Fluttershy was offered to take care of them and write down observations. There was a large amount of bits - enough to feed her and all her animals for another thirty years - that Fluttershy simply had to take, but she couldn't take her animal friends. She asked Applejack to care for them, and since Applejack's schedule was already enough to drive her bonkers, this just added to the amount of insanity she faced.
Her next stop was across the meadow down to the marketplace to pick up a few new blankets for the family. The ones the three of them had were not enough to keep them warm during the cool autumn nights, so Applejack had Sweetie Belle sew up them for her. Now, the Apple family was certainly not in the hole they once were several years back, but they didn't want to end up there again. They had been cutting back as much as they could to ensure a good future for the family, so Applejack had ordered the lowest quality Sweetie Belle would let her. Sweetie Belle was just like her sister; always giving, but never knowing when to know her health is going out the window.
Rarity had been the third to leave the town, but it wasn't by choice necessarily. She had gone to Las Pegasus to show off her dresses in a fashion competition and won, and is now living the high life of a celebrity. Sweetie Belle had taken up the owner of the boutique in Rarity's absence and was now the full time designer. Sweetie still pursued her dream of being on a Hoofway Musical, but this was a fine job for now.
Now that the Cutie Mark Crusaders were no longer in their hooves, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo have taken the role as the Elements of Harmony. Just like Applejack and her five friends, they had lives outside of saving the world, but it was anything but average. In the past for Applejack and the present for Apple Bloom, there were dragons they had to take care of, mysterious horses that had to be dealt with, and, most importantly, villains were all over the place. Nowadays, the most exciting thing Applejack would encounter would be finding bunny chocolate all over the floor, courtesy of Angel. Until today.
The route continued to the tree library. Apple Bloom had wanted to read the Daring Do books for quite sometime now. 'Just 'cause' was the only answer Applejack could seem to muster up from her. She did remember Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash having quite some history with those books, but Applejack couldn't find a reason not to get her the book. Apple Bloom couldn't get it herself because of the damage she caused the place during her Crusading days, and Big Mac had some bad experiences with the new librarian, so Applejack was the only person that could be in that place from her family.
"Good evening, Applejack," said Cheerilee with her voice slightly withered with the erosion of time. "What can I do for you today?" Cheerilee looked up from her reading of 'Twenty Spells you Probably Never Knew' and faced Applejack with her wrinkly old smile. That old thing is just the perfect replacement for Twilight. Having a bookworm in the place is something to witness.
"Daring Do, please. The first book in the series, if you have it." Applejack swallowed, trying to get her voice from the sandpaper state it was in. She had barely used her voice in the few days that had passed, but she was still able to get out a few words whenever she needed. Cheerilee went searching for the book, alongside Owlicious, as Applejack reminisced.
From the first time Applejack had been in here trying to find out what the hay was going on with Nightmare Moon to the slumber party with Rarity to trying to win the tickets for the Gala, this was the center of things that seemed to go on between the six of them. No matter how bizarre things could get, it all seemed to revolve around this tree. It made no sense to Applejack, obviously, but she still had to feel sad about not being able to just have a nice little conversation in the soothingly quiet library from time to time. If only she hadn't been the first to leave. Maybe Prince-
"Due October 27th," muttered Cheerilee, sliding the book across the desk with her nose. "Have a nice day, Applejack!"
"Thanks, Miss Cheerilee," stated Applejack as she turned to leave, "and may the wind be forever at your back." Applejack looked just as confused as Cheerilee did, until she realized she had been reading a laminated poster with a quote, probably some book Twilight had read. "I uh mean... have a nice day as well." Applejack swiftly exited the room.
Her last landmark of her journey was Sugarcube Corner. This was owned by Mr. and Mrs. Cake, but their business took off and was soon an nationwide chain. It even got so popular, it was rated the number one sweet shop in Equestria. Naturally, they had to move to a much more populated location, so they decided to move to Manehatten where these types of stores were booming. Them leaving meant Pinkie was out of a job until the cake twins, Carrot Cake and Pound Cake, were old enough to run the store themselves.
Unfortunately, this was the only job Pinkie could have, so she followed the Cakes to their head shop. She was the fourth to leave. Applejack has been there, and Pinkie really wants to come back to her hometown, and now that the Cake twins own the shop, Applejack still doesn't understand why she hasn't come back...
"Hey, Applejack!" screamed Carrot Cake. She zoomed over to Applejack to greet her. "How's the harvest going? I heard you're five days in already." The girl couldn't run her mouth like Pinkie - nor was she as energetic - but it was a nice replacement.
"The harvest is going great, thank you," said Applejack, trying not to be harsh. She walked up to the counter, the mare Carrot Cake bussing tables behind her. She used her Magic fairly well for being decently young. At 16 years old they were efficient enough to work the store properly.
"I'll have three milkshakes, all vanilla chocolate fusions." Just thinking about the smooth liquid running past her gums was enough to make her stomach growl. The store was empty, so the twins heard it and chuckled, almost in unison.
"Here you go," said the hardy voice of Pound Cake. The stallion had grown into a fine pegasus, one worthy of being on the Royal Guard in Canterlot. He intimidated Applejack with his voice. In fact, it kind of reminds me of a certain cat's voice, one that was dusty and- "Well? You can't stand here all day." Applejack had forgotten for a moment.
"Hehe... sorry. This place brings back memories. I kinda got distracted." That statement was entirely true. Memories hit her like a wall as she dropped the drinks neatly in her saddlebags and said goodbye. This place reminds her of all the times they shared. From Gilda the Griffon's party to eating with the Princess, this place hosted many important parties. Pinkie always was the party pony. Without her, the parties are just, dead. Even if Vinyl is playing her rockin' tunes, she gets tired after a while and leaves.
More than anything though there was one mare nopony could replace... Applejack shook the thought from her head. You have to forget about it, she scolded herself. She's gone and she ain't never comin' back to Ponyville, no matter how much I want her to. She simply moved on with life and started to walk down the road.
Then she heard a chugging noise. A lady sounded the bell and shouted, "Arrival from Cloudsdale!" Driven by curiosity, Applejack headed toward the train station.
Rainbow Dash was having a rough day, but it was definitely worth it. All the name calling, the dirty looks, and most of all her lieutenant position; she had earned her vacation, but at a high price. This meant everything in the world to her, so all of that didn't matter. The Wonderbolts were a thing of the past. She was coming home.
She wondered how her friends were. Twilight was gone, she knew that, but she couldn't wait to see Pinkie Pie and have her throw Rainbow a party for coming home. She was excited to see Applejack, her Ponyville racing buddy, working on the farm after so long. Rarity... she could deal with her. But most of all, she was worried about Fluttershy.
Fluttershy had sent Rainbow Dash a letter earlier that month saying not to come back, apparently she wouldn't like it here anymore. How can that be? she mused. Fluttershy was her best friend since the beginning, and she was telling Rainbow not to come back. Driven by curiosity and homesickness, she had to come back.
She was not expecting what met her at the train station.
As the train appeared, Applejack sat there, her bags weighing her down. The train slowly came around the bend of a hillside as it screeched and sputtered to a stop. It was a small car, barely able to fit more than a couple passengers. Must be a private train, Applejack thought. But who would be able to afford one? Her answer was more than promising.
Out onto the platform stepped Rainbow Dash. she looked around, a sense of nostalgia across her face. As she looked more closely to her surroundings, she noticed Applejack, mouth gaping. Rainbow Dash was not as shocked to see her, but a meeting on the train was not expected. She slowly walked up to Applejack, a dignified stride accompanying her. With a toss of the hair, Rainbow Dash declared, "It's been too long."
"Well if it isn't THE Rainbow Dash, second in line for the Wonderbolts. I can't believe you came back!" And with that, Applejack flung her arms around Rainbow Dash, Rainbow following shortly, a tear quickly streaked down Applejack's cheek. "So," said Applejack, ending the embrace with a sniffle, "how are things goin' 'round your part?"
"Uh about the, uh-" Rainbow Dash chuckled "-Wonderbolts: I froze my position. I took a vacation for six months, and six months exactly. No more no less. However, I still am on the team in case of an emergency call."
"That's something to be proud of, Rainbow Dash. I just, I didn't think any of you ponies were ever gonna come back at some point. I thought it would be me alone in Ponyville, spending the nights at home with my family. Thank Cel-"
"Hold on a second!" interrupted Rainbow Dash. "What do you mean, 'alone in Ponyville?' I thought Rarity, Pinkie, and Fluttershy were still here." Applejack quickly explained what had happened to those ponies. "Oh, you gotta be kidding me! I'm gonna round 'em all up and bring those dimwits back here."
"Can we wait until tomorrow? You just got here for Pete's sake! Take at least an hour's rest before flying off like that again." Applejack grounded Rainbow Dash by grabbing her tail to make her intentions clear.
"Alright," complied Rainbow Dash. "For now we can go to the barn, I know how much Applebuck Season means to you." Applejack stalled for a second, stunned that Rainbow Dash remembered what time of year it was. "Let's walk and talk."
And down they headed to Sweet Apple Acres, catching up on random gossip, such as 'So you finally found Lightning Dust?' and 'So Scootaloo finally took flight, huh,' and so on. There were many tears to be shed, questions to be had, and stories to be told. If they hadn't been on the road, they wouldn't have realized that it was well past the time Rainbow Dash was supposed to depart. They finally reached the barn, and Rainbow Dash remembered the bomb dive she did on what once was standing here.
That's when the question came up. "Rainbow Dash, can you believe it's been ten years since we handed the Elements of Harmony to the - or what used to be - the Cutie Mark Crusaders?" Rainbow Dash came to a halt at the door.
"No, I can't," said Rainbow Dash solemnly. She rubbed her shoulder, revealing a scar that she had been trying to hide. Applejack immediately went to respond, but Rainbow Dash answered even quicker, "They were from the war against the dragons. Sure, there wasn't many, and we defeated them in under three months, but almost all of us were injured, some killed. I got lucky, Spitfire didn't..." Rainbow Dash's voice trailed off for a second, reminiscing the day she saw Spitfire plummet to her death. She quickly got back on track though, "Well, I need to find some ponies and you have trees to buck, so we better get to it." Rainbow Dash was stopped by Applejack once again.
"Here, take this." Applejack showed Rainbow Dash some saddlebags, and Rainbow Dash adjusted them, preparing to take off. "Just remember that I am here," uttered Applejack, still not getting over the fact that Rainbow Dash was leaving already. Applejack could feel the tears streaming again, apparently not gone from the many times she cried the way here. Rainbow Dash could see this and decided to do the one thing she promised herself she would never do. As Applejack looked up, Rainbow gave a quick peck to AJ's cheek.
Yet again paralyzed by Rainbow's actions, she didn't realize Rainbow was already long gone from her home. Big Mac and Apple Bloom walked to AJ's side. She could only say one thing, "This is going to be the best six months of my life."
HAPPY 1,000 MEMBERS APPLEDASH