Gold

Back at the Sugarcube Corner...

“Vanilla again?” asked Pinkie. “But, Twilight, we always had vanilla cupcakes every winter! I mean, don’t you ever get tired by the same white flavor every year?”

“Well” said Twilight “What would you suggest on the flavor of the cupcakes?”

“I’d say strawberry!”

“But does it match with the season?”

“We’ll put vanilla in it then.”

“No, it would ruin the flavor.”

“Then what would you suggest?”

“Hmm…I know! We’ll put vanilla in strawberry. That way, it would look very nice and attractive and we won't have to use the same old flavor again and again.”

“Now, why didn’t I thought of that before?”

“No time to waste. Leaves are already falling and the winds are starting to cool down.”

The trees are now dead and everypony was busy preparing for the upcoming winter season, which would be probably tomorrow.. Twilight is coordinating the preparation, Pinkie Pie is making the cupcakes for dessert, Rarity is preparing some thick, cotton clothing, and Fluttershy (along with Discord) was preparing the animals for hibernation. As for Applejack, instead of working in the fields, she searched for Rainbow Dash at the Everfree Forest. She looked high and low, far and wide, above the clouds and under the tress, yet no sign of the pegasus anywhere. Rainbow Dash was also looking for Applejack until she stopped by at Sugarcube Corner, hoping she was there.

“Hey, Rainbow! Oh my, what happened to your face? It’s all wounded and…”

“No time to explain; has anypony seen Applejack?”

“I saw her once, but then she was gone in a rush looking for you.”

“Do you know where she is now?”

“Well, no; not that I know of.”

“Do you have any idea where she went!?”

“Hey, calm down. I’ll try to ask somepony who knows where she is. Hey Pinkie, do you know where she went?”

“I think so. The last time I saw here, she went to Everfree forest. I tried to call her, but she won’t notice me. You know how Applejack is when…”

“She what!?”

“Hey, it’s not nice shouting at someone while she’s talking.”

“Oh no, I need to find her right now!”

“We can go with you, if you want.”

“No, I need to find her alone. It’s my fault she’s looking for me. If I only listened to her in the first place, she’d never enter a problem like this.”

“Twilight’s right, Rainbow; it’s getting late and you know how dangerous it is to go into the forest at this time of the day. I mean, it’s the Everfree Forest. It’s big and spooky and full of trees and…”

“Then I’d better be off now.”

As Rainbow said this, she spread her wings and attempted to fly once more.("And there she goes, leaving while I'm talking. Did her parents even teach her manners?" she whispered to herself).

“Wait Rainbow, your wings!”

“I don’t care. I need to there as quick as I can.”

Rainbow Dash flew so fast that she (almost) broke the sound barrier. She doesn’t care the pain surging in her wings. In fact, it’s like she doesn’t feel anything at all, except the wind and leaves wheezing at her face.

The sun was already halfway down the moment she got to the forest. Although the sun is still shining brightly, it’s like nighttime already there. She got on her hooves and ran to look for the orange pony.

“Applejack!” she shouted “Where are you?”

But there was no response, only the breeze.

“Applejack!? Look, I’m sorry ok? I know I’ve been rude towards you recently. Just come out wherever you are. It’s getting dark, Applejack!”

Still, there’s no sign of Applejack anywhere.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Everfree Forest…

“Rainbow Dash?” shouted Applejack. “Are ‘ya anywhere here?”

No sign of the cyan pony anywhere.

“Rainbow Dash, please. Ah don’t know where to look for you anymore. It’s almost night time and I’m getting scared. Please, Rainbow…”

And again, no sign of Rainbow Dash anywhere.

Applejack was getting tired of looking for Rainbow Dash for hours so she decided to sit down beside the nearest tree and slept. It was getting windy, which means that winter evening is about to fall sooner or later. Without Applejack’s knowledge (she’s too sleepy to know what’s going on) the wind took her hat and tossed it high nearly above the trees.

It’s already night. The moon glistened brightly in the liquid sky. Everypony went inside preparing for the snowfall sooner or later, the animals slept quietly inside each tree, and grass started to fade down. The wind howled cool and quiet as Rainbow Dash was still looking for Applejack.

“Applejack, it’s already night!” she shouted “Applejack where are you?”

And like always, nothing was heard. Only the wind and some leaves cracking.

“Oh no, maybe something bad happened to her” she thought. “She might be trapped now, or maybe stuck under a tree trunk, or maybe…”

Her thoughts were suddenly abridged as a brown straw hat fell from above and to her face. She took the hat from her face.

“Wait, this is Applejack’s. Then it must mean…”

Rainbow Dash quickly ran as fast as she could to find the source of the hat. She looked far and wide, high and low; she even attempted to find Applejack at the Tree of Harmony. Rainbow Dash decided to fly above the forest (by the way, her wings are feeling a bit fine) and searched for her below the clouds. After a few minutes of flying, she found her still asleep.

“Applejack!” she cried, thinking she was dead.

Rainbow shifted down abruptly and took the sleeping mare in her hooves.

“Applejack! Are you alright?”

“Hh-huh? Rainbow Dash, is that you?”

“Oh Applejack, I’m so sorry…”

“It’s alright. Ah was just sleeping.”

“Why were you sleeping like that? You really scared, you know.”

“I’m just tired. 'Ya know, looking all over Equestria for you. I’m sorry on how I acted earlier.”

“It’s not your fault; I was the one being the rude one and I should be the one saying sorry. Besides, I was the one who got you into this mess the first place.”

“Say, I don’t mean to interrupt but it’s getting cold out here. Maybe we should stop by at my house, ‘ya think?”

“Well, yeah, maybe we should. Hey, Applejack, I’ve been thinking for a while and…”

“Well?”

“Well…it’s just that you’re…I mean we should, well…uhh…”

“Come on; Just tell me and don’t be shy. I’m list’ning.”

“Applejack, is it too early to say…uhmm…will you…marry me?”

“Oh, uhm…Rainbow Dash, I can’t…well…it’s not that I don’t…uhh…I don’t know.”

“It’s alright for me if you don’t want.”

“It’s just that…isn’t it too awkward for two mares to marry?”

“Well…do you love me?”

“Of course ah do!”

“I love you too. Is that awkward?”

“Well…no.”

“Then would you?”

“What'd ya’ think will I answer?”

“Uhmm…yes?”

“Then it's yes indeed.”

Rainbow Dash was brightened by the words of Applejack. She suddenly leaped on the farmer, hugged her and kissed her.

“I love you Applejack, and I’ll always will.”

“I love ya too Rainbow Dash.”

“Oh look, it’s snowing already.”

“We’d better go back now. Why not stay at our house?”

Meanwhile, behind Rainbow Dash and Applejack…

“Did it work?”

“Yes it did. Wow Discord, I didn’t know you were in to these things, I mean, you know where is Rainbow Dash and Applejack, you know how to bring them back, and you can make wind out of your breath.”

“Oh, you know, just wanna see them happy and just straightening things up.”

“So, this is the marriage you’re talking about?”

“I know and…hey, it’s snowing already.”

“Oh my, we better go inside before it gets any worse.”

“Maybe we should. And when we get back, let’s prepare the wedding ceremony.”

“Oh you…”