Healthy Rivalryby HapHazredChaptersChapter OneChapter TwoChapter ThreeChapter FourChapter OneRainbow Dash sighed wistfully. The tiny orange furball, overflowing with energy buzzed around her hooves as she left the Sugarcube Corner, her continued presence forcing Rainbow to give up on the very notion of having a half hour of free time. Scootaloo, on the other hoof, was having the time of her life: it was no secret that Rainbow Dash was her idol, and hanging around her was like bathing in the glow of a multicoloured sun. "Ooh! Where are we going now? Where?" she asked with the sort of enthusiasm that could only be found in several pounds worth of sugar, condensed into a single being. Rainbow Dash tilted her head. She looked over towards Sweet Apple Acres longingly... but despite it's aching proximity, it was unattainable. "Uh... left, I guess." she replied. Scootaloo rushed ahead, as exited as a little filly could be to go left. Rainbow Dash trudged after her, in the opposite direction of the orchard. She shook her head, her eyes tired. She needed a nap: she hadn't slept all day. "So, uh, Squirt... aren't you gonna' play with the rest of your little Crusader gang?" she asked tentatively. Please say yes, please say yes... "Oh, Applebloom's with her sister, and Sweetie Belle is out of town, so no. Too bad, we were gonna' do some wicked crusading this week..." Curses. Rainbow Dash couldn't be too mean, of course... she really did like the kid. She was brave, energetic, and fun... but unfortunately for Rainbow Dash, she was still just a kid, and Rainbow was terrible with children. She could probably handle them for, well, if she tried, a few hours at best. On second thought, two hours. Well, an hour and a half. It didn't help that Scootaloo couldn't fly... Rainbow would feel awful soaring above her, whilst the little filly could barely hover at all. It was just plain unkind, as far as she was concerned. But if she stayed for too long on the ground, she'd start to feel sick. It was one of the downsides of being brought up in a floating city. Rainbow Dash was starting to feel a little sick now, in fact. "So, wait... the Sweetster is gonna' be gone for how long again?" she asked. "She's off in Manehattan with Rarity for the whole week!" Scootaloo explained. As the filly's words registered in her mind, Rainbow's heart plummeted down into her stomach. Did that mean she was going to have to foalsit all week long? She bit her lip anxiously. It better not. Her wings itched uncomfortably: she desperately needed to fly, and the petrifying stillness of the ground was starting to make her sway a little, her stomach churning horribly. There was nothing else for it... "Hey, Scoots... Do you mind if I take off? I..." Scootaloo didn't even blink before answering. "Sure thing! Boy, I love seeing you fly." Rainbow Dash grinned awkwardly. "Heh... I meant as in go home? Like, I'm sleepy." she replied. Horsefeathers... now I feel bad. Scootaloo deflated immediately. Rainbow couldn't blame her... after all, when she was a filly, she hated being left on her own. But being around a kid all the time was just too much for Rainbow... she needed her space, her sleep, her sky, and above all, she wanted to go down to the orchard. "Uh, yeah. Okay." Rainbow Dash felt like banging her head on a lamp-post... dammit, why were kids so hard? Was this like some sort of retarded motherly instinct she didn't want, or was Applejack making her go soft? Her and her stupid family... stand around that sort of pony for too long and you'd get infected by them, in Rainbow's opinion. Thinking of her friend triggered an idea in her mind: of course! Applejack dealt with annoying siblings all the time, and she never seemed angry at all! She'd know how to handle Rainbow's problem without any difficulty at all. "I get to see you tomorrow, though, right?" Scootaloo asked, getting over her dissapointment. "I don't want to be all alone all day..." Rainbow bobbed her head a few times without thinking, agreeing to everything Scootaloo said... she was too engrossed in her own wild imagination at this point, trying to figure out what kind of cool advice she'd get and how awesome she'd look being a good sort-of sister to Scootaloo. She grinned. It also gave her a really good reason to head down to the orchard... "Sure thing, squirt. Gotta fly!" she exclaimed, all pretence of fatigue lost as she took to the skies. One flap of her wings later, and she was comfortably gliding above the clouds, leaving Scootaloo in her dust. "Darn it! Stop kickin' the tree like that, you'll just bruise yoursel'... and the tree." Applejack shouted as she dragged the heavy cart, filled to the brim with the day's harvest, across the muddy ground, leaving deep tracks in the dirt behind her. She grunted: she had asked Applebloom to oil the damn thing, but she obviously wasn't going to be getting her cutie mark in vehicle maintenance any time soon. Which was a pity: the Apple family could use a good mechanic. "Ah just need to try a lil' harder!" Applebloom shouted back in her tiny little voice. It was a shrill thing to hear, very similar to Applejack's own, aside from being higher in pitch. Some ponies found it adorable, but Applejack was finding it increasingly infuriating as time went by without finding some sort of release. If only Big Macintosh were here: together they easily shared the burden of taking care of their destructive little force of nature. About three seconds later Applejack heard her sister give a short, sharp exclamation of pain. "Ow!" "I told you..." Applejack muttered as she ducked under the carts harness to go and find Applebloom, who was shaking her rear leg angrily, as if trying to throw the pain off like a spider stuck to a sleeve. Thankfully, it didn't look like much more than a bruise. "I think I'd better try somethin' else..." Applebloom commented once she had calmed down. "That'd be best, sugar." Applejack trotted back to her cart, already dreading what sort of mischief Applebloom might inadvertently get herself into behind her back. Before she was halfway there, she heard a suspicious rustling in the leaves above her. Worried that it might be a bird of prey, or some thieving animal out for her crop, she looked up, her hoof reaching towards her shovel, resting casually next to a tree. A familiar blue head popped out of the foliage, failing to camouflage itself amongst the bright red apples. "Hey, AJ!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. Applejack's hoof pulled away from the shovel. "Man, were you really gonna' hit me with that?" Applejack wished that her friend had arrived at a different time... any time but now, in fact, when she needed to get her chores done and take care of Applebloom. With a wistful sigh, she realized she simply wouldn't have any time to spend with Rainbow at all. "No, I weren't goin' to hit you with my shovel. Can you make this quick? I kind of have a sister situation, and loads of chores to do." Rainbow glanced over at Applebloom, who was probably in the middle of failing at farming some more. Why she persisted, Applejack didn't know why... It was always when she ended up trying too hard that everything she did fell apart. "So, I suppose that means you're in the same boat I am, huh?" Rainbow asked. Applejack raised her eyebrow. "How so?" "Scoots." Rainbow replied gloomily, giving Applejack all she needed to know through the name and the tone in her voice alone. Applejack collapsed into a laughing fit instantly: something about Rainbow being in as much trouble as she was just struck her as amusing. Rainbow glared at her, annoyed. "Hey, cut it out! It's really difficult for me, okay? I don't know how to deal with... fillies like you do." she said. Applejack pointed towards Applebloom, who had managed to knock over a bucket of apples whilst tending to her foot. Applejack raised her eyebrow, suddenly as serious as she could manage. "Well, I hate to break it to you, but I ain't perfect neither. Usually I just share her with Big Mac and the Crusaders and it all works out, but my brother's out on a delivery to Dodge Junction and I don't know where the other Crusaders are..." "Sweetie has gone with Rarity. Scoots... is with me." Applejack nodded. "That makes sense. They can't crusade without the whole gang." she muttered. "Just as well, I suppose..." "How so?" "They're easier to find when they're all in one place." Just follow the screams... Rainbow Dash agreed, and then they both fell into silence. "So... what, we don't have time for each other?" she asked, downcast. The thought was horrible. "I guess not." Applejack answered sullenly, causing Rainbow to wince. Her ears flicked around her head as she began thinking. "Or..." Rainbow payed instant attention. Did Applejack have an idea after all? "Or?" "Or... we would have them bother each other instead of hangin' around us all day." Applejack suggested. Rainbow snorted, rather unimpressed with the idea. "Hey... believe me, I've thought of that one, too. But you can't get them to go crusading without the whole gang. They won't do it." Applejack nodded. "Sure... but then we just don't get them to go crusadin'. If I were t'ask you what the most addictive, pulse-poundin' activity was, what'd you answer?" Rainbow Dash didn't hesitate for a second. "Competition." Applejack grinned like a shark sizing up a school of fish. "Exactly. And if it worked for us... why shouldn't it work for them?" Rainbow lowered her head towards the ground, letting herself zone out on the grass as she considered Applejack's suggestion. Slowly but surely, the corners of her lips curled into a cunning smile. After all, she couldn't argue with the results of their contests... they had hardly spent time with anypony else, they were so dedicated. Dedicated to winning, of course, she considered. That was the big one... to start with. Then we just became dedicated to each other, which felt a bit different even though we were really just adding another activity on top of all the old ones... "Applebloom is a lot like you... she won't take doing anything less than her best lightly. You've seen how much she commits to crusading, after all..." "And even if Scootaloo weren't like you, she'd try her very best to be." Applejack added belligerently. "And that means she won't think about anything other than winnin'." she finished, whilst pointedly ignoring that Applebloom had run off into the orchard somewhere for the time being. She'd catch her later, she thought. "It's foolproof!" Rainbow Dash concluded. The farmpony looked a little less enthusiastic. "Not sure I'd go that far... but yeah, I guess so. I can't think of a reason why it won't work, after all." "That's because there isn't one, dum-dum." Rainbow replied cockily, prancing on the spot gleefully. If competition can get us together once... heck, it can do it again. Chapter TwoRainbow Dash didn't care that she had to travel on hoof: her destination was well worth the wait. Scootaloo was close behind her, sticking so close she was almost treading on Rainbow's tail as she struggled to keep up. "Now, Scoots... Let me tell you a secret, 'kay, about how I became as cool as I did." Rainbow Dash began. "Ooh! Okay!" Hanging on my every word... heh. "Well, I used to be a bit... lazy. I wouldn't do much all day, I wouldn't spend every waking second practicing... you get the idea." she continued as they followed the path winding through the orchard. "Well, that's no way to get better, of course. To improve yourself, you need drive, and there's only one best way to get it." Scootaloo tilted her head as she wrapped her mind around Rainbow's poorly formulated last sentence... Rainbow continued, regardless. "Scoots... I'm gonna' give you a rival." "A rival?" "Yeah! See, when I got to Ponyville after my, uh, after I left Cloudsdale, I met this other pony, see." And wasn't she the most gorgeous mare in the whole town... "...And wasn't she just the most annoying, puffed up old cheesecake there ever was." she finished. "Always going on about her work ethics, her duty, her family, her duty to her family, and all that garbage I was unburdened with... well, it drove me crazy. I swore then and there to always be better than her, no matter what!" "And that made you better at flying?" Scootaloo asked incredulously. Rainbow hesitated. "Well... I was already a better flyer than she was, since she didn't actually have wings exactly, but it really improved my... running. And weight lifting, and...." And my work ethic, and my sense of duty, and even gave me a family of sorts... all that garbage... "...stuff." "Oh. Well, running is cool too... I guess." Scootaloo replied in a voice that hinted that she would have far preferred a more flying centric activity, despite her inability to do so. "It is, isn't it? Anyway, I was talking to he- a friend and she tells me that she's got the perfect rival for you. That way you'll be able to get better and better!" If it had been any other mare telling her this, Scootaloo might have been dubious... but it was Rainbow Dash, and Rainbow Dash was never wrong, at least according to the young filly. She was already anxiously anticipating what she expected was going to be a fun afternoon of awesomeness. "Who is my rival, then?" "Uh... Applebloom?" Rainbow answered, realizing that this was possibly the part where her plan would fall down. Scootaloo frowned, visibly unsure. "Wait... but if Applebloom is going to be my rival, won't Sweetie Belle feel left out?" Rainbow Dash snorted. "No! 'Course not. This has nothing to do with crusading, see... it's all about... sports." And me getting some well deserved alone time with Applejack... "Sweetie Belle hates sports, doesn't she?" she asked Scootaloo, in order to validate her point. "I guess..." "Then it's settled! Come on, move it! We're almost there!" Applejack was waiting with Applebloom under one of the larger apple trees by the farm, next to a tall hill overlooking the town. She smiled when she saw her rainbow maned friend arrive, little orange fur-ball in tow. Her eyes flicked towards Applebloom. She hoped to Celestia this would work. "So... what games will we be playin'? That have nothin' to do with crusadin', that is?" Applebloom asked. Applejack grinned in response. "Competitive ones! The kind that helped me grow into a tough, strong mare. I figure the best way for you to get good at applebuckin' is to hone your skills against an opponent!" "I thought you said practice makes perfect?" Don't lie to family... Applejack hesitated. She didn't like being anything less than completely honest with her family... but in her heart, she knew that both verions were true. Her own experiences with Rainbow and their contests, both on the field and in their personal lives, had forced her to push herself to new limits, mostly to avoid Rainbow's incessant boasting. Any victory Applejack would enjoy was short lived, too... Rainbow never rested until she got the better of her after a defeat. It didn't matter if it was racing, jumping, baking or singing. Their very first Winter Wrap up together had even escalated into an operatic duel between the two... which largely resulted in their teams being confused, leaderless, and deafened. How they had gotten picked as leaders the next year was a mystery to Applejack. Perhaps the mayor was a slow learner. It was during that little event when Applejack had noticed Rainbow had a magnificent singing voice. It had been so full of passion, yet slightly delicate, and it had taken all Applejack's control to not be mesmerized by the voice during the Wrap Up. Unfortunately, they both lost their voices for a full week afterwards, they had driven themselves so hard. Yes, there was no doubt that having something to compete for would benefit her sister immensely. It was consoling to know that she wasn't lying... she was doing this to help Applebloom too, whatever her other motives were. "Practice is great, but competition is good too, sugarcube." she told her sister confidently. Applebloom seemed satisfied by that, and a good thing, too. All Applejack needed was for her to play along just long enough for them to saddle her with Scootaloo, then they'd be home free... well, almost. Applejack wanted to keep an eye on them, and make sure they wouldn't do something stupid. The two pegasi were trotting up the last legs of the path towards them. Rainbow Dash waved one of her wings at Applejack as she approached. Applejack spat the sprig of wheat out of her mouth and stood up. "It's go-time, Applebloom. Now remember... do the best you can, and you'll never really lose." she encouraged. Applebloom nodded, barely paying attention to her sister now that her friend had arrived. "Hi Scootaloo!" "Hi! Man, so we're gonna' be rivals, huh?" Applejack found Scootaloo's comment funny. She grinned at Rainbow Dash. "Rivals? Wait, did you go and put that idea in Scootaloo's head?" she asked. Rainbow Dash nodded energetically. "Sure I did... I'd have thought that you, as my rival, would understand the importance of having one." Applejack snorted: she found the whole idea of the fillies being 'rivals' very amusing indeed. Scootaloo looked back and forth between the pair, surprised. "Wait... Applejack's your rival?" she asked, incredulous. No sense for secrecy any more, I suppose... not that there was much to begin with, aside to preserve my air of mystery... "Yeah, sure she is. AJ here helped make me the pony I am today, and I'm sure that if you try your best you'll end up the same as us." Well... with a few exceptions. Applejack glanced into Rainbow's eyes, briefly, impressed at the very mature stance her marefriend seemed to be adopting. She had half expected her to come in sports gear blowing a whistle, berating Scootaloo for every small mistake she made. The pegasus stuck her tongue out at Applejack, dispelling any appearance of maturity instantly, and leapt over the two fillies towards her. "Don't worry, Scoots is just a bit nervous...She's all ready to go!" she whispered. "What did you plan?" Applejack chuckled. "I started small, with a lil' game of horseshoes." she said, both to Rainbow and the two fillies. To Rainbow in particular, she added: "Like we did when we started hangin' out... for real, that is." She turned her attention back to her younger audience. "Then, I got you Granny's favourite game: chess! It's more of a mental type thing, but it should be lots of fun." she told them. "Chess isn't sports..." "It ain't applebuckin' neither..." "Well, it's still fun, so quit your whinin'." Applejack snapped. "Then I set up a tough obstacle course through the orchard." She pointed out the horseshoe field, and then in quick succession placed the chess box in front of them, and gestured towards the beginning of her obstacle course. "Any questions?" "Nope!" "Nah, I got this." Applejack grinned. "Then we'll leave you guys to it! Have fun." she exclaimed. She turned towards the hill, but barely took a few steps before she felt Rainbow's hoof gently wrap around her own. She nudged the pegasus awkwardly in the ribs. "Not in front of the..." she began nervously, but Rainbow stopped her when she squeezed her hoof reassuringly. "Hey, it's just holding hooves... they probably won't even notice." she said. Applejack mellowed, and the pair continued onwards, leaving the two fillies behind them to figure out how to play horseshoes on their own. Chapter ThreeOnly a short time had past since the two adults had left the pair to enjoy themselves on their own, but they had already managed to finish two games of horseshoes, Scootaloo winning both. Applebloom was feeling very optimistic about this latest game, though, since she had a couple of decent throws, but they were all around a foot from the bullseye, and her opponent had been getting closer and closer with every throw. Scootaloo threw the last horseshoe towards the post, her whole body almost falling forwards due to the weight of the solid metal lump. She tripped forwards, trying her best to see where it was going to land... and to her delight, it bounced against the post, landing only a few inches away. "Aw, yeah!" she exclaimed, her excitement carrying her a full foot from the ground. Applebloom kicked the dirt angrily. "Darn it! I was sure I had this one in the bag." "Heh... well, looks like I'm still number one! You want another rematch?" Applebloom grumbled. "No. That was my last one. Let's go play chess instead." she replied miserably, trotting towards the open box. All the pieces were scattered around the container, but Applebloom knew what they were and where they went: Granny had taught her how to play the game, and she considered herself a skilled player. "You know the rules?" she asked. "Yeah, I know them." Scootaloo replied. Applebloom grinned. "Great! Then I won't have to go easy on you!" she exclaimed, and then they began. On top of the nearby hill, Applejack was half curled up next to Rainbow Dash. Rainbow was pointing out the different clouds in the sky with her hoof, a little habit she would always fall into at night whenever she couldn't sleep, helping her relax. Applejack guessed that it reminded the pegasus of home, and she found it oddly soothing, causing her to often prompt Rainbow into describing a few to get her started, especially when nothing special was going on. Being a weather-mare, Rainbow knew them all, and never tired of describing the difference between an alto-cumuli and a cirrus cloud. Applejack stretched her legs a little to avoid getting cramped up, and peered down the hill towards the two little specks that were sat around the table below. It looked like the two fillies had moved on to play chess. "...and that's a cumulonimbus. They sort of pile up into the sky, and are used to transport lots of water in bulk quantities... hey, what is it?" Rainbow noticed Applejack was looking down at the young fillies below, and stopped talking. "Oh, I'm just makin' sure they're doin' okay. You know, some ponies take this sort of thing too seriously." she said. Rainbow chuckled, and leant down towards her marefriend, nuzzling her aggressively until she was thrown onto her back. "Well, they should be able to handle it... they take after us, after all, right?" she asked. Applejack smirked. "I hope not too much... I'm not sure I like the idea of mah sister hangin' out with a good for nothin' daredevil." she replied. Rainbow Dash gaped in mock horror, despite having thought something similar earlier. "Is that how you see me? Applejack, you break my heart." she moaned, clutching her chest melodramatically. "...and how is it you see myself?" Applejack asked quietly, abruptly becoming quiet and cautious. "Do ya'll really think I made you who you are today?" she asked, referring to Rainbow's previous statement from half an hour ago as the pegasus stopped playing the heartbroken mare. Rainbow leant over her prone figure, a little unsure if this was serious talk or not. Eventually, she nodded. "Sure you did." She ran her wings across Applejack's stomach, causing the mare to burst out in uncontrollable laughter as the feathers tickled her skin. "But don't let it go to your head!" she added jokingly. Applejack managed to sit up out of reach from the deadly feathers, catching her breath in short, ragged bursts. "You're messin' with me." "I only mess with ponies when I want something. What could I possibly stand to gain?" "Ya'll could be tryin' to butter me up for more free cider." "Mm. Free cider..." "My thoughts exactly." Applejack said, triumphant. "And remember where that got us last time?" Rainbow did her very best to look innocent. "Buttering you up or me getting free cider?" "Gettin' free cider." "It got me waking up behind the town hall with a headache." "What a coincidence. Ah remember havin' a headache that mornin' too: mainly to do with clearin' up your mess." "Hey, I didn't start that drinking contest." "Well you sure as hay won it." Rainbow Dash smiled viciously. "Ah ha! I think I see the real problem... you're just sore about losing to me, aren't you?" Applejack was taken aback slightly by the accusation. Rainbow leered forwards, still smiling that silly little smile of hers. "It were my cider, I should have been the pony t' drink the most." Rainbow Dash's wing's flared in triumph. "Knew it! Man, and I thought I was a sore loser." All Rainbow Dash felt next was the soft feeling of grass as Applejack tackled her to the ground, her light frame easily pinned by the heavier, sturdier farmpony's muscles. Rats! Curse my petite form! "Aagh! Stop it! Or I'll tickle you again." Rainbow threatened. "Nope. Not budgin'." Rainbow Dash struggled, but to little avail. Eventually she was forced to resume her assault on the ticklish pony, causing both of them to collapse on each other, laughing uproariously. The pair rolled around on the grass until they flopped over onto their backs, breathing heavily. Once they had caught their breath once again, they both sat up, leaning against each other, enjoying the warmth and comfort of each other's fur on their shoulders and sides. After the silence had just started to become a little stale, they looked over at the two fillies below them. Applejack peered the most, her neck muscles tense from trying to see as clearly as she could, like an astronomer leaning into a telescope. "We should manipulate them more often." Rainbow commented with a smile, watching Applejack intently. "I hope they're havin' fun, all the same." Applejack replied. "Remember when we competed for the first few times? You were always such a good sport, keepin' on coming back better'n before.." A good sport? Funny... I remember being rude, selfish, and mean... "I don't remember me losing." she replied instead, keeping her negativity to herself. Applejack tutted. "Looks like nostalgia is playin' tricks on your mind." Rainbow pulled her tongue out at her, but it went unseen. Applejack had already looked back at the two young ones, still as curious as before. Rainbow Dash stood up. "Hey, if you want, I could give you a ride over there. They'll never know, and you'll be able to make sure they're fine." Applejack pondered, eventually conceding. She didn't really want to spy, but she also wanted to make sure that her younger sister was having a good time with her friend. Rainbow soared up into the sky, exited to practice sneaking around. She returned with a small white cloud. "What's with the cloud?" Applejack asked. "What, you don't think a pegasus holding an earth pony in the sky is too obvious?" Rainbow asked sarcastically. "This is so we can hide, silly. Now hold on tight: I need my hooves to push this thing." Scootaloo slid her knight across the board, staring at the board intently, letting it rest between Applebloom's bishop and pawn. She wouldn't admit it to Applebloom, but she was finding this much harder than horseshoes, and she didn't like it one bit. Not too far above them, just within earshot, hovered the tiny cumulus. Concealed within, Rainbow Dash laid herself out, her weight spreading across it's fluffy surface evenly. Applejack had only one thing to support her, however, and Rainbow was beginning to remember why it was she didn't enjoy flying Applejack anywhere. "Hey! Mind my wings, I'll need those later!" she grunted. "Forgive me, but ya'll aren't the one who's going to fall to their death if they let go." "I might if you rip my wing off!" "I'll do mah best to be careful. Can you hear what they're sayin'?" The cloud became silent. Rainbow Dash strained her hearing to it's limit, but heard nothing. The two fillies weren't talking, too engrossed in the game being played. "They're not saying anything." "You sure?" "Yes, I'm sure." Below, Applebloom trapped one of Scootaloo's pieces. It was hardly an elaborate ploy, but one that her opponent was forced to respond to nonetheless. Applebloom had baited her into a bad situation, and one more pawn was taken from her side. "What's goin' on?" "I don't know, I can't see through clouds. If you could see through clouds, there's be no point me hiding inside a cloud, would there?" "Well, can't you stick your head out or somethin'? I'm curious who's winnin'." Shortly thereafter Rainbow's head popped out the bottom end of the cloud, her piercing pegasus eyes scanning the board. "It looks like Applebloom is winning." she said, her voice betraying her disappointment. "That's mah girl!" "I'm sure Scoots is just giving her a false sense of security." Rainbow replied, defending her favourite filly. "That's what you always say when you're losin'. And I always feel very secure after I win, so ya'll must be doin' a good job of it." "Good thing it's not me playing, then, is it?" Rainbow retorted tersely. Applejack cackled gleefully. "Applebloom's learned from Granny... she's as good a player as Ah am. And since Scoots is probably as good a player as you are, my guess is my sis' is gonna' to be fine." Rainbow's head popped back inside the cloud. "Say that again!" "All I meant was that I'm sure Scoots is as good a player as ya'll are, and that you should be proud of her." Rainbow Dash bit back a retort: she knew her marefriend was teasing her, and if she answered back, she would only be providing more ammunition for even more teasing. Instead, she turned towards Applejack, still clutching her tightly, a sly smile playing her lips. "Hey, how about I go get my chess set from home? It's been ages since I've beat your flank at that." Applejack grinned. "You ain't never beat mah flank at chess... bring it on." As the small cloud floated away, both Applebloom and Scootaloo briefly stopped playing. "Do you think they realize we can hear everythin' they're sayin'?" Applebloom asked. Scootaloo shrugged. "Eh... who cares." she replied, and quickly shifted her rook to the side. After all, it was Rainbow Dash they were dealing with: she probably meant to be noticed. "Check." Another half hour passed. The game was straining Scootaloo's brain to it's limit, yet she wasn't able to do much more than keep reacting to whatever it was Applebloom was playing at... and she kept on losing pieces, one by one, but all she seemed able to take were lousy pawns. It was after that short interval of time that Applebloom gave a victorious cry. "Ha! Check-mate." Scootaloo's face fell. "What? How?" "Well, your king is blocked in a corner, and mah queen and rook have every escape row blocked. It's the most basic way to win, dum-dum." Scootaloo growled. She didn't like being called a dum-dum. "I'm not a dum-dum! Come on, let's do this obstacle course instead. I'm gonna' win, this time." Applebloom laughed and trotted after her. Her Granny had taught her well indeed, and this well earned victory gave her a fuzzy sense of elation. Applejack looked up into Rainbow's eyes, trying to gauge what she was thinking. She glanced back at the board, following her adversary's eyes. They seemed to be moving in random patterns across the board, and Applejack simply couldn't figure out what she was planning. "Tryin' to figure out how t'get your rook out of danger?" she asked after a while, subtly trying to disrupt her concentration. Rainbow Dash shook her head. "No, I'm trying... to figure out how to make the pieces spell my name... once I do this." she said, and moved her bishop across the board. "Check mate." Applejack gaped. It was true: she was in check mate, but what was even more alarming was how the white pieces were strung together to form the letters 'D-A-S-H'. Applejack wasn't even sure that was possible, but somehow it had come to pass. "How'd..." Rainbow Dash grinned. "You know a few months ago when you put beat me five times in a row?" she said, as nonchalant as she could. "Well, I practised since then." Ah yes, that classic Rainbow Dash syndrome: if you lose, don't eat, sleep, or drink until you're sure there's no chance of a repeat performance. Applejack's shoulders sagged. "Well... I don't know how I could have beat that. I didn't even see it coming." she sighed, a little disappointed. She had always fancied herself a rather decent player. Rainbow Dash chuckled. "Think that's impressive? Watch this." she said, and turned the board around. The black pieces, Applejack's own pieces, from this angle, curled around to form a heart shape, right next to the letters 'A-J'. "Show off." Applejack grumbled, but couldn't help but feel a little warm at the message the chess pieces conveyed: somehow, Rainbow always managed to make even losing seem like a fun prospect. Rainbow Dash couldn't help herself when she saw Applejack scrunch up her nose, and laughed. "Looks like you've got to practice a bit more, Apples." "Looks like I do." she muttered. Rainbow leant in over the board and kissed her on the cheek. "Well, don't go practising too hard... I don't want to make a spelling mistake later on." Rainbow joked. "You're evil." Applejack replied. "Next time, you're not going to find winnin' as easy." The pair began clearing away the chess-board, but were interrupted by the sound of angry exclamations and shouts from inside the orchard. They belonged to young voices. Both mares became alert instantly, each worried for their respective filly. "Scoots..." "Applebloom..." They were both on their hooves and galloping down the hill as fast as they could, leaving the un-tidied chess board behind them. Chapter Four"Crud." It turned out that Rainbow Dash had underestimated just how well their plan would work: a quick bit of investigation revealed that both fillies had broken the first rule of competition: don't get mad at each other. It had started much as they should have expected: Applebloom had accused Scootaloo of cheating, and understandably Scootaloo had gotten angry, and now, well, Rainbow Dash was wandering through the orchard after her, far away from the pony she had done everything in order to be with in the first place. "Scoots? Hey, squirt, where are you?" she called, but there was no answer. She sighed. If she tried flying, she wouldn't be able to see through the thick canopy of trees, which made getting a birds-eye view useless. She was grounded. Searching on hoof took forever. "Kiddo? Seriously, where are you?" Out of the corner of her eye she spotted the small orange pony next to one of the apple trees. She gave a small sigh of relief: at least she hadn't done something really stupid like going to the Everfree Forest. "...over here." Scootaloo called half heartedly. Rainbow trotted over to her, folding her wings by her side. "Hey... uh, what's up?" "I'm sitting." she replied. After a brief pause, she confessed: "I really hate losing." I know the feeling, squirt. "Yeah, that happens. I guess it's tough being rivals, sometimes." Rainbow explained. "I guess. How'd you manage it?" Aside from falling in love with my rival? Well, let's see... "Lot's of practice, squirt." she said. "I guess it was a bit unfair of me to expect you'd be fine with it when it took me so long to get the hang of proper rivalry in the first place." Scootaloo shrugged. "I suppose..." she said, unsure. Rainbow figured she should explain further. "The trick is turning it off. Don't tell anypony I said this, but..." Rainbow began, then looked around conspiratorially, checking nopony was listening in. "...when I became rivals with Applejack, I was... a sore loser." Scootaloo continued listening in silence as Rainbow Dash remembered some of her less glamorous times with the farmpony. "Sometimes, I'd be mad for days until I beat her. It wasn't until much later that I realized that all that time she had been giving me something I really needed, something to aim for." And later, she gave me everything else... "Even then, there was still getting the hang of taking losing in my stride. Trust me, that's tougher than it sounds." "How long did learning that take?" "Eh... still getting there, squirt." the older mare replied in a rare moment of humility. "AJ figured it out a while ago, though... even though she might not always act like it." "How am I gonna' face Applebloom now?" Scootaloo asked, despairing. "I was really mean..." "Oh, don't worry about that. Applejack's giving her a talk too about how stupid she's being, too." Rainbow replied. "You're maybe too young to get it, but being rivals with somepony is a pretty special relationship, and it's not worth losing over some stupid fight. Otherwise you'll just be enemies, and that's not the same." And sometimes it can grow into something more... "Uh... yeah. I guess I was a bit silly." Scootaloo admitted with a half hearted smile. Rainbow Dash snorted. "Yeah, well at least you don't have to write a letter to your ruler every time you mess up." she muttered. "Be glad for that, by the way. Postage costs go through the roof." Scootaloo laughed, the chipper noise echoing through the trees. Rainbow leaned back against the tree, smirking to herself, glad she'd been able to cheer her sort-of sister up. When Scootaloo stopped, she looked back up at Rainbow. "Do you and Applejack really like being rivals? It seems like such hard work." Rainbow Dash chuckled. "Yeah, well... lemme' tell you a secret, kid. Even though me and AJ are rivals, well, we like each other. A lot." "Uh, yeah. You're friends, right? Like me and Applebloom and Sweetie Be-" "Heh, nah, more like your mum and dad. Except younger. And more flexible." Scootaloo took a minute to run that through her head. Eventually she nodded. "Oh." "Yeah." Scootaloo thought some more about the whole ordeal, before smiling, and nodding. She looked up at Rainbow Dash with a smile. "I think I understand what you mean." Rainbow shook her head. Taking a deep breath, she decided to get the awkward bit out of the way, and do what she probably should have done in the first place. "No, Kiddo, you don't. What I mean is, I really need a bit of free time so I can see Applejack alone. 'Kay?" "Oh." Scootaloo scratched her head awkwardly, understanding dawning upon the young pony. "Okay, I can do that." An idea struck Rainbow Dash. "And you can distract Applebloom so she's not there too?" she added hopefully, tapping her hooves together mischievously. "Sure thing." "Great... great." Rainbow Dash replied, smiling. She looked up at the sun, which was at this point dipping over the horizon of mountains to the west. She got to her hooves. "Well, we'd better get you back to Applebloom so you can say good night, huh?" Scootaloo was fine with this arrangement. Rainbow Dash beamed: she had solved both Scootaloo and Applebloom's argument and arranged to get Applejack alone. This was still an awesome evening. Applebloom had calmed down too by the time the pair returned to the farm. Applejack and Rainbow Dash kissed, briefly, when Applejack thought that the fillies weren't looking. Despite a rather rough ending to their date, it had been very nice indeed. Applejack moved away from the two young ones so she could talk to Rainbow in private. "I guess we should have been a bit more careful." Applejack said, smiling wanly. Rainbow shrugged. "Yeah, well, contests usually do work... Who can blame us?" "I can." Applejack muttered. Rainbow felt like she should say something, but sometimes she just had to let Applejack's familial concern run it's course: interfering was a sure way to get the talk. "I guess we won't be seein' each other until Rarity get's back..." Applejack added after a brief pause. Rainbow Dash glanced over at Scootaloo, remembering their secret deal. "Hopefully not... but no more healthy rivalries, that's for sure... not until they're older." she replied. Applejack nodded: she was certain that that, at least, was true. She rested her neck on Rainbow's shoulder, the talk with Applebloom having sapped her strength this late in the evening. Rainbow Dash shifted a little, making sure she didn't get too comfortable. "Before you fall asleep on me, let me take Scoots home. Don't want her to get lost in the dark or anything." "Sure thing." Rainbow Dash disentangled herself from Applejack, and headed over to Scootaloo. "Okay, you ready to head?" she asked. The young filly nodded. "Yeah, I'm good to go." Rainbow Dash picked her up with one smooth motion in her hoof, much to Scootaloo's surprise. "Okay then... I hope you don't mind me going too fast." she warned. To Applejack, she said: "I'll be back for my chessboard, okay? Just give me five minutes to drop this off." With that, she flew off, Scootaloo tucked in one hoof, leaving a distinct rainbow trail in her wake. "Back for your chessboard... yeah right." Applejack sneered. Rainbow Dash shrugged casually. "What? You didn't want me giving the real reason in front of Applebloom, did you?" she asked. "Heh. I'm just sayin' I think it's still lyin' around outside." Rainbow Dash peered out the bedroom window, but it was useless: the chessboard would be hidden in the dark, scattered far away on the hill, quite invisible. "Ah, horseapples. I'll have get it tomorrow." The pair snuggled closer, the large window letting in the dim light from the night sky. "Heck of a day." Applejack said suddenly. "I guess, but it all turned out okay in the end, right? And this way, we know that making other ponies compete for our amusement isn't necessarily the right thing to do." Applejack chuckled, sleepily burying her face into the pegasus's furry blue chest. Rainbow still kept her eyes open despite the late hour. She felt fidgety, and there were some things about the day that still bothered her. She decided to do the thing she usually did these days, and began talking to Applejack. "Do you ever get tired of being rivals?" She asked. "Always one-upping each other, and all that?" Applejack didn't bother moving her head so that her voice could be heard clearly. "Ya'll really thought we were rivals?" she asked bluntly. "Is that a yes or a no?" "Sorry, sugarcube, Ah guess Ah never thouht of you as real competition." Okay, now I'm being teased, Rainbow thought as Applejack messed her fur up by giving her an affectionate rub. I guess I'll not get an answer tonight... ah well. Worse things have happened at sea. "Yeah, yeah, keep telling yourself that." she replied roughly, making it clear that she very definitely was real competition. Applejack made a muffled noise that could have been either a laugh or a snort. Rainbow wasn't entirely sure which. It might have even been a yawn or snore: it was simply too distorted by the pegasus's own body to be identified correctly. Rainbow opened her mouth again. "Do you think that-" Applejack raised her head slightly and looked out the window, interrupting Rainbow's question before she could finish her question. "Hey, can you tell me what cloud that is?" she asked sleepily, and dropped her head back down on Rainbow before she even waited for an answer.
Chapter OneRainbow Dash sighed wistfully. The tiny orange furball, overflowing with energy buzzed around her hooves as she left the Sugarcube Corner, her continued presence forcing Rainbow to give up on the very notion of having a half hour of free time. Scootaloo, on the other hoof, was having the time of her life: it was no secret that Rainbow Dash was her idol, and hanging around her was like bathing in the glow of a multicoloured sun. "Ooh! Where are we going now? Where?" she asked with the sort of enthusiasm that could only be found in several pounds worth of sugar, condensed into a single being. Rainbow Dash tilted her head. She looked over towards Sweet Apple Acres longingly... but despite it's aching proximity, it was unattainable. "Uh... left, I guess." she replied. Scootaloo rushed ahead, as exited as a little filly could be to go left. Rainbow Dash trudged after her, in the opposite direction of the orchard. She shook her head, her eyes tired. She needed a nap: she hadn't slept all day. "So, uh, Squirt... aren't you gonna' play with the rest of your little Crusader gang?" she asked tentatively. Please say yes, please say yes... "Oh, Applebloom's with her sister, and Sweetie Belle is out of town, so no. Too bad, we were gonna' do some wicked crusading this week..." Curses. Rainbow Dash couldn't be too mean, of course... she really did like the kid. She was brave, energetic, and fun... but unfortunately for Rainbow Dash, she was still just a kid, and Rainbow was terrible with children. She could probably handle them for, well, if she tried, a few hours at best. On second thought, two hours. Well, an hour and a half. It didn't help that Scootaloo couldn't fly... Rainbow would feel awful soaring above her, whilst the little filly could barely hover at all. It was just plain unkind, as far as she was concerned. But if she stayed for too long on the ground, she'd start to feel sick. It was one of the downsides of being brought up in a floating city. Rainbow Dash was starting to feel a little sick now, in fact. "So, wait... the Sweetster is gonna' be gone for how long again?" she asked. "She's off in Manehattan with Rarity for the whole week!" Scootaloo explained. As the filly's words registered in her mind, Rainbow's heart plummeted down into her stomach. Did that mean she was going to have to foalsit all week long? She bit her lip anxiously. It better not. Her wings itched uncomfortably: she desperately needed to fly, and the petrifying stillness of the ground was starting to make her sway a little, her stomach churning horribly. There was nothing else for it... "Hey, Scoots... Do you mind if I take off? I..." Scootaloo didn't even blink before answering. "Sure thing! Boy, I love seeing you fly." Rainbow Dash grinned awkwardly. "Heh... I meant as in go home? Like, I'm sleepy." she replied. Horsefeathers... now I feel bad. Scootaloo deflated immediately. Rainbow couldn't blame her... after all, when she was a filly, she hated being left on her own. But being around a kid all the time was just too much for Rainbow... she needed her space, her sleep, her sky, and above all, she wanted to go down to the orchard. "Uh, yeah. Okay." Rainbow Dash felt like banging her head on a lamp-post... dammit, why were kids so hard? Was this like some sort of retarded motherly instinct she didn't want, or was Applejack making her go soft? Her and her stupid family... stand around that sort of pony for too long and you'd get infected by them, in Rainbow's opinion. Thinking of her friend triggered an idea in her mind: of course! Applejack dealt with annoying siblings all the time, and she never seemed angry at all! She'd know how to handle Rainbow's problem without any difficulty at all. "I get to see you tomorrow, though, right?" Scootaloo asked, getting over her dissapointment. "I don't want to be all alone all day..." Rainbow bobbed her head a few times without thinking, agreeing to everything Scootaloo said... she was too engrossed in her own wild imagination at this point, trying to figure out what kind of cool advice she'd get and how awesome she'd look being a good sort-of sister to Scootaloo. She grinned. It also gave her a really good reason to head down to the orchard... "Sure thing, squirt. Gotta fly!" she exclaimed, all pretence of fatigue lost as she took to the skies. One flap of her wings later, and she was comfortably gliding above the clouds, leaving Scootaloo in her dust. "Darn it! Stop kickin' the tree like that, you'll just bruise yoursel'... and the tree." Applejack shouted as she dragged the heavy cart, filled to the brim with the day's harvest, across the muddy ground, leaving deep tracks in the dirt behind her. She grunted: she had asked Applebloom to oil the damn thing, but she obviously wasn't going to be getting her cutie mark in vehicle maintenance any time soon. Which was a pity: the Apple family could use a good mechanic. "Ah just need to try a lil' harder!" Applebloom shouted back in her tiny little voice. It was a shrill thing to hear, very similar to Applejack's own, aside from being higher in pitch. Some ponies found it adorable, but Applejack was finding it increasingly infuriating as time went by without finding some sort of release. If only Big Macintosh were here: together they easily shared the burden of taking care of their destructive little force of nature. About three seconds later Applejack heard her sister give a short, sharp exclamation of pain. "Ow!" "I told you..." Applejack muttered as she ducked under the carts harness to go and find Applebloom, who was shaking her rear leg angrily, as if trying to throw the pain off like a spider stuck to a sleeve. Thankfully, it didn't look like much more than a bruise. "I think I'd better try somethin' else..." Applebloom commented once she had calmed down. "That'd be best, sugar." Applejack trotted back to her cart, already dreading what sort of mischief Applebloom might inadvertently get herself into behind her back. Before she was halfway there, she heard a suspicious rustling in the leaves above her. Worried that it might be a bird of prey, or some thieving animal out for her crop, she looked up, her hoof reaching towards her shovel, resting casually next to a tree. A familiar blue head popped out of the foliage, failing to camouflage itself amongst the bright red apples. "Hey, AJ!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. Applejack's hoof pulled away from the shovel. "Man, were you really gonna' hit me with that?" Applejack wished that her friend had arrived at a different time... any time but now, in fact, when she needed to get her chores done and take care of Applebloom. With a wistful sigh, she realized she simply wouldn't have any time to spend with Rainbow at all. "No, I weren't goin' to hit you with my shovel. Can you make this quick? I kind of have a sister situation, and loads of chores to do." Rainbow glanced over at Applebloom, who was probably in the middle of failing at farming some more. Why she persisted, Applejack didn't know why... It was always when she ended up trying too hard that everything she did fell apart. "So, I suppose that means you're in the same boat I am, huh?" Rainbow asked. Applejack raised her eyebrow. "How so?" "Scoots." Rainbow replied gloomily, giving Applejack all she needed to know through the name and the tone in her voice alone. Applejack collapsed into a laughing fit instantly: something about Rainbow being in as much trouble as she was just struck her as amusing. Rainbow glared at her, annoyed. "Hey, cut it out! It's really difficult for me, okay? I don't know how to deal with... fillies like you do." she said. Applejack pointed towards Applebloom, who had managed to knock over a bucket of apples whilst tending to her foot. Applejack raised her eyebrow, suddenly as serious as she could manage. "Well, I hate to break it to you, but I ain't perfect neither. Usually I just share her with Big Mac and the Crusaders and it all works out, but my brother's out on a delivery to Dodge Junction and I don't know where the other Crusaders are..." "Sweetie has gone with Rarity. Scoots... is with me." Applejack nodded. "That makes sense. They can't crusade without the whole gang." she muttered. "Just as well, I suppose..." "How so?" "They're easier to find when they're all in one place." Just follow the screams... Rainbow Dash agreed, and then they both fell into silence. "So... what, we don't have time for each other?" she asked, downcast. The thought was horrible. "I guess not." Applejack answered sullenly, causing Rainbow to wince. Her ears flicked around her head as she began thinking. "Or..." Rainbow payed instant attention. Did Applejack have an idea after all? "Or?" "Or... we would have them bother each other instead of hangin' around us all day." Applejack suggested. Rainbow snorted, rather unimpressed with the idea. "Hey... believe me, I've thought of that one, too. But you can't get them to go crusading without the whole gang. They won't do it." Applejack nodded. "Sure... but then we just don't get them to go crusadin'. If I were t'ask you what the most addictive, pulse-poundin' activity was, what'd you answer?" Rainbow Dash didn't hesitate for a second. "Competition." Applejack grinned like a shark sizing up a school of fish. "Exactly. And if it worked for us... why shouldn't it work for them?" Rainbow lowered her head towards the ground, letting herself zone out on the grass as she considered Applejack's suggestion. Slowly but surely, the corners of her lips curled into a cunning smile. After all, she couldn't argue with the results of their contests... they had hardly spent time with anypony else, they were so dedicated. Dedicated to winning, of course, she considered. That was the big one... to start with. Then we just became dedicated to each other, which felt a bit different even though we were really just adding another activity on top of all the old ones... "Applebloom is a lot like you... she won't take doing anything less than her best lightly. You've seen how much she commits to crusading, after all..." "And even if Scootaloo weren't like you, she'd try her very best to be." Applejack added belligerently. "And that means she won't think about anything other than winnin'." she finished, whilst pointedly ignoring that Applebloom had run off into the orchard somewhere for the time being. She'd catch her later, she thought. "It's foolproof!" Rainbow Dash concluded. The farmpony looked a little less enthusiastic. "Not sure I'd go that far... but yeah, I guess so. I can't think of a reason why it won't work, after all." "That's because there isn't one, dum-dum." Rainbow replied cockily, prancing on the spot gleefully. If competition can get us together once... heck, it can do it again.
Chapter TwoRainbow Dash didn't care that she had to travel on hoof: her destination was well worth the wait. Scootaloo was close behind her, sticking so close she was almost treading on Rainbow's tail as she struggled to keep up. "Now, Scoots... Let me tell you a secret, 'kay, about how I became as cool as I did." Rainbow Dash began. "Ooh! Okay!" Hanging on my every word... heh. "Well, I used to be a bit... lazy. I wouldn't do much all day, I wouldn't spend every waking second practicing... you get the idea." she continued as they followed the path winding through the orchard. "Well, that's no way to get better, of course. To improve yourself, you need drive, and there's only one best way to get it." Scootaloo tilted her head as she wrapped her mind around Rainbow's poorly formulated last sentence... Rainbow continued, regardless. "Scoots... I'm gonna' give you a rival." "A rival?" "Yeah! See, when I got to Ponyville after my, uh, after I left Cloudsdale, I met this other pony, see." And wasn't she the most gorgeous mare in the whole town... "...And wasn't she just the most annoying, puffed up old cheesecake there ever was." she finished. "Always going on about her work ethics, her duty, her family, her duty to her family, and all that garbage I was unburdened with... well, it drove me crazy. I swore then and there to always be better than her, no matter what!" "And that made you better at flying?" Scootaloo asked incredulously. Rainbow hesitated. "Well... I was already a better flyer than she was, since she didn't actually have wings exactly, but it really improved my... running. And weight lifting, and...." And my work ethic, and my sense of duty, and even gave me a family of sorts... all that garbage... "...stuff." "Oh. Well, running is cool too... I guess." Scootaloo replied in a voice that hinted that she would have far preferred a more flying centric activity, despite her inability to do so. "It is, isn't it? Anyway, I was talking to he- a friend and she tells me that she's got the perfect rival for you. That way you'll be able to get better and better!" If it had been any other mare telling her this, Scootaloo might have been dubious... but it was Rainbow Dash, and Rainbow Dash was never wrong, at least according to the young filly. She was already anxiously anticipating what she expected was going to be a fun afternoon of awesomeness. "Who is my rival, then?" "Uh... Applebloom?" Rainbow answered, realizing that this was possibly the part where her plan would fall down. Scootaloo frowned, visibly unsure. "Wait... but if Applebloom is going to be my rival, won't Sweetie Belle feel left out?" Rainbow Dash snorted. "No! 'Course not. This has nothing to do with crusading, see... it's all about... sports." And me getting some well deserved alone time with Applejack... "Sweetie Belle hates sports, doesn't she?" she asked Scootaloo, in order to validate her point. "I guess..." "Then it's settled! Come on, move it! We're almost there!" Applejack was waiting with Applebloom under one of the larger apple trees by the farm, next to a tall hill overlooking the town. She smiled when she saw her rainbow maned friend arrive, little orange fur-ball in tow. Her eyes flicked towards Applebloom. She hoped to Celestia this would work. "So... what games will we be playin'? That have nothin' to do with crusadin', that is?" Applebloom asked. Applejack grinned in response. "Competitive ones! The kind that helped me grow into a tough, strong mare. I figure the best way for you to get good at applebuckin' is to hone your skills against an opponent!" "I thought you said practice makes perfect?" Don't lie to family... Applejack hesitated. She didn't like being anything less than completely honest with her family... but in her heart, she knew that both verions were true. Her own experiences with Rainbow and their contests, both on the field and in their personal lives, had forced her to push herself to new limits, mostly to avoid Rainbow's incessant boasting. Any victory Applejack would enjoy was short lived, too... Rainbow never rested until she got the better of her after a defeat. It didn't matter if it was racing, jumping, baking or singing. Their very first Winter Wrap up together had even escalated into an operatic duel between the two... which largely resulted in their teams being confused, leaderless, and deafened. How they had gotten picked as leaders the next year was a mystery to Applejack. Perhaps the mayor was a slow learner. It was during that little event when Applejack had noticed Rainbow had a magnificent singing voice. It had been so full of passion, yet slightly delicate, and it had taken all Applejack's control to not be mesmerized by the voice during the Wrap Up. Unfortunately, they both lost their voices for a full week afterwards, they had driven themselves so hard. Yes, there was no doubt that having something to compete for would benefit her sister immensely. It was consoling to know that she wasn't lying... she was doing this to help Applebloom too, whatever her other motives were. "Practice is great, but competition is good too, sugarcube." she told her sister confidently. Applebloom seemed satisfied by that, and a good thing, too. All Applejack needed was for her to play along just long enough for them to saddle her with Scootaloo, then they'd be home free... well, almost. Applejack wanted to keep an eye on them, and make sure they wouldn't do something stupid. The two pegasi were trotting up the last legs of the path towards them. Rainbow Dash waved one of her wings at Applejack as she approached. Applejack spat the sprig of wheat out of her mouth and stood up. "It's go-time, Applebloom. Now remember... do the best you can, and you'll never really lose." she encouraged. Applebloom nodded, barely paying attention to her sister now that her friend had arrived. "Hi Scootaloo!" "Hi! Man, so we're gonna' be rivals, huh?" Applejack found Scootaloo's comment funny. She grinned at Rainbow Dash. "Rivals? Wait, did you go and put that idea in Scootaloo's head?" she asked. Rainbow Dash nodded energetically. "Sure I did... I'd have thought that you, as my rival, would understand the importance of having one." Applejack snorted: she found the whole idea of the fillies being 'rivals' very amusing indeed. Scootaloo looked back and forth between the pair, surprised. "Wait... Applejack's your rival?" she asked, incredulous. No sense for secrecy any more, I suppose... not that there was much to begin with, aside to preserve my air of mystery... "Yeah, sure she is. AJ here helped make me the pony I am today, and I'm sure that if you try your best you'll end up the same as us." Well... with a few exceptions. Applejack glanced into Rainbow's eyes, briefly, impressed at the very mature stance her marefriend seemed to be adopting. She had half expected her to come in sports gear blowing a whistle, berating Scootaloo for every small mistake she made. The pegasus stuck her tongue out at Applejack, dispelling any appearance of maturity instantly, and leapt over the two fillies towards her. "Don't worry, Scoots is just a bit nervous...She's all ready to go!" she whispered. "What did you plan?" Applejack chuckled. "I started small, with a lil' game of horseshoes." she said, both to Rainbow and the two fillies. To Rainbow in particular, she added: "Like we did when we started hangin' out... for real, that is." She turned her attention back to her younger audience. "Then, I got you Granny's favourite game: chess! It's more of a mental type thing, but it should be lots of fun." she told them. "Chess isn't sports..." "It ain't applebuckin' neither..." "Well, it's still fun, so quit your whinin'." Applejack snapped. "Then I set up a tough obstacle course through the orchard." She pointed out the horseshoe field, and then in quick succession placed the chess box in front of them, and gestured towards the beginning of her obstacle course. "Any questions?" "Nope!" "Nah, I got this." Applejack grinned. "Then we'll leave you guys to it! Have fun." she exclaimed. She turned towards the hill, but barely took a few steps before she felt Rainbow's hoof gently wrap around her own. She nudged the pegasus awkwardly in the ribs. "Not in front of the..." she began nervously, but Rainbow stopped her when she squeezed her hoof reassuringly. "Hey, it's just holding hooves... they probably won't even notice." she said. Applejack mellowed, and the pair continued onwards, leaving the two fillies behind them to figure out how to play horseshoes on their own.
Chapter ThreeOnly a short time had past since the two adults had left the pair to enjoy themselves on their own, but they had already managed to finish two games of horseshoes, Scootaloo winning both. Applebloom was feeling very optimistic about this latest game, though, since she had a couple of decent throws, but they were all around a foot from the bullseye, and her opponent had been getting closer and closer with every throw. Scootaloo threw the last horseshoe towards the post, her whole body almost falling forwards due to the weight of the solid metal lump. She tripped forwards, trying her best to see where it was going to land... and to her delight, it bounced against the post, landing only a few inches away. "Aw, yeah!" she exclaimed, her excitement carrying her a full foot from the ground. Applebloom kicked the dirt angrily. "Darn it! I was sure I had this one in the bag." "Heh... well, looks like I'm still number one! You want another rematch?" Applebloom grumbled. "No. That was my last one. Let's go play chess instead." she replied miserably, trotting towards the open box. All the pieces were scattered around the container, but Applebloom knew what they were and where they went: Granny had taught her how to play the game, and she considered herself a skilled player. "You know the rules?" she asked. "Yeah, I know them." Scootaloo replied. Applebloom grinned. "Great! Then I won't have to go easy on you!" she exclaimed, and then they began. On top of the nearby hill, Applejack was half curled up next to Rainbow Dash. Rainbow was pointing out the different clouds in the sky with her hoof, a little habit she would always fall into at night whenever she couldn't sleep, helping her relax. Applejack guessed that it reminded the pegasus of home, and she found it oddly soothing, causing her to often prompt Rainbow into describing a few to get her started, especially when nothing special was going on. Being a weather-mare, Rainbow knew them all, and never tired of describing the difference between an alto-cumuli and a cirrus cloud. Applejack stretched her legs a little to avoid getting cramped up, and peered down the hill towards the two little specks that were sat around the table below. It looked like the two fillies had moved on to play chess. "...and that's a cumulonimbus. They sort of pile up into the sky, and are used to transport lots of water in bulk quantities... hey, what is it?" Rainbow noticed Applejack was looking down at the young fillies below, and stopped talking. "Oh, I'm just makin' sure they're doin' okay. You know, some ponies take this sort of thing too seriously." she said. Rainbow chuckled, and leant down towards her marefriend, nuzzling her aggressively until she was thrown onto her back. "Well, they should be able to handle it... they take after us, after all, right?" she asked. Applejack smirked. "I hope not too much... I'm not sure I like the idea of mah sister hangin' out with a good for nothin' daredevil." she replied. Rainbow Dash gaped in mock horror, despite having thought something similar earlier. "Is that how you see me? Applejack, you break my heart." she moaned, clutching her chest melodramatically. "...and how is it you see myself?" Applejack asked quietly, abruptly becoming quiet and cautious. "Do ya'll really think I made you who you are today?" she asked, referring to Rainbow's previous statement from half an hour ago as the pegasus stopped playing the heartbroken mare. Rainbow leant over her prone figure, a little unsure if this was serious talk or not. Eventually, she nodded. "Sure you did." She ran her wings across Applejack's stomach, causing the mare to burst out in uncontrollable laughter as the feathers tickled her skin. "But don't let it go to your head!" she added jokingly. Applejack managed to sit up out of reach from the deadly feathers, catching her breath in short, ragged bursts. "You're messin' with me." "I only mess with ponies when I want something. What could I possibly stand to gain?" "Ya'll could be tryin' to butter me up for more free cider." "Mm. Free cider..." "My thoughts exactly." Applejack said, triumphant. "And remember where that got us last time?" Rainbow did her very best to look innocent. "Buttering you up or me getting free cider?" "Gettin' free cider." "It got me waking up behind the town hall with a headache." "What a coincidence. Ah remember havin' a headache that mornin' too: mainly to do with clearin' up your mess." "Hey, I didn't start that drinking contest." "Well you sure as hay won it." Rainbow Dash smiled viciously. "Ah ha! I think I see the real problem... you're just sore about losing to me, aren't you?" Applejack was taken aback slightly by the accusation. Rainbow leered forwards, still smiling that silly little smile of hers. "It were my cider, I should have been the pony t' drink the most." Rainbow Dash's wing's flared in triumph. "Knew it! Man, and I thought I was a sore loser." All Rainbow Dash felt next was the soft feeling of grass as Applejack tackled her to the ground, her light frame easily pinned by the heavier, sturdier farmpony's muscles. Rats! Curse my petite form! "Aagh! Stop it! Or I'll tickle you again." Rainbow threatened. "Nope. Not budgin'." Rainbow Dash struggled, but to little avail. Eventually she was forced to resume her assault on the ticklish pony, causing both of them to collapse on each other, laughing uproariously. The pair rolled around on the grass until they flopped over onto their backs, breathing heavily. Once they had caught their breath once again, they both sat up, leaning against each other, enjoying the warmth and comfort of each other's fur on their shoulders and sides. After the silence had just started to become a little stale, they looked over at the two fillies below them. Applejack peered the most, her neck muscles tense from trying to see as clearly as she could, like an astronomer leaning into a telescope. "We should manipulate them more often." Rainbow commented with a smile, watching Applejack intently. "I hope they're havin' fun, all the same." Applejack replied. "Remember when we competed for the first few times? You were always such a good sport, keepin' on coming back better'n before.." A good sport? Funny... I remember being rude, selfish, and mean... "I don't remember me losing." she replied instead, keeping her negativity to herself. Applejack tutted. "Looks like nostalgia is playin' tricks on your mind." Rainbow pulled her tongue out at her, but it went unseen. Applejack had already looked back at the two young ones, still as curious as before. Rainbow Dash stood up. "Hey, if you want, I could give you a ride over there. They'll never know, and you'll be able to make sure they're fine." Applejack pondered, eventually conceding. She didn't really want to spy, but she also wanted to make sure that her younger sister was having a good time with her friend. Rainbow soared up into the sky, exited to practice sneaking around. She returned with a small white cloud. "What's with the cloud?" Applejack asked. "What, you don't think a pegasus holding an earth pony in the sky is too obvious?" Rainbow asked sarcastically. "This is so we can hide, silly. Now hold on tight: I need my hooves to push this thing." Scootaloo slid her knight across the board, staring at the board intently, letting it rest between Applebloom's bishop and pawn. She wouldn't admit it to Applebloom, but she was finding this much harder than horseshoes, and she didn't like it one bit. Not too far above them, just within earshot, hovered the tiny cumulus. Concealed within, Rainbow Dash laid herself out, her weight spreading across it's fluffy surface evenly. Applejack had only one thing to support her, however, and Rainbow was beginning to remember why it was she didn't enjoy flying Applejack anywhere. "Hey! Mind my wings, I'll need those later!" she grunted. "Forgive me, but ya'll aren't the one who's going to fall to their death if they let go." "I might if you rip my wing off!" "I'll do mah best to be careful. Can you hear what they're sayin'?" The cloud became silent. Rainbow Dash strained her hearing to it's limit, but heard nothing. The two fillies weren't talking, too engrossed in the game being played. "They're not saying anything." "You sure?" "Yes, I'm sure." Below, Applebloom trapped one of Scootaloo's pieces. It was hardly an elaborate ploy, but one that her opponent was forced to respond to nonetheless. Applebloom had baited her into a bad situation, and one more pawn was taken from her side. "What's goin' on?" "I don't know, I can't see through clouds. If you could see through clouds, there's be no point me hiding inside a cloud, would there?" "Well, can't you stick your head out or somethin'? I'm curious who's winnin'." Shortly thereafter Rainbow's head popped out the bottom end of the cloud, her piercing pegasus eyes scanning the board. "It looks like Applebloom is winning." she said, her voice betraying her disappointment. "That's mah girl!" "I'm sure Scoots is just giving her a false sense of security." Rainbow replied, defending her favourite filly. "That's what you always say when you're losin'. And I always feel very secure after I win, so ya'll must be doin' a good job of it." "Good thing it's not me playing, then, is it?" Rainbow retorted tersely. Applejack cackled gleefully. "Applebloom's learned from Granny... she's as good a player as Ah am. And since Scoots is probably as good a player as you are, my guess is my sis' is gonna' to be fine." Rainbow's head popped back inside the cloud. "Say that again!" "All I meant was that I'm sure Scoots is as good a player as ya'll are, and that you should be proud of her." Rainbow Dash bit back a retort: she knew her marefriend was teasing her, and if she answered back, she would only be providing more ammunition for even more teasing. Instead, she turned towards Applejack, still clutching her tightly, a sly smile playing her lips. "Hey, how about I go get my chess set from home? It's been ages since I've beat your flank at that." Applejack grinned. "You ain't never beat mah flank at chess... bring it on." As the small cloud floated away, both Applebloom and Scootaloo briefly stopped playing. "Do you think they realize we can hear everythin' they're sayin'?" Applebloom asked. Scootaloo shrugged. "Eh... who cares." she replied, and quickly shifted her rook to the side. After all, it was Rainbow Dash they were dealing with: she probably meant to be noticed. "Check." Another half hour passed. The game was straining Scootaloo's brain to it's limit, yet she wasn't able to do much more than keep reacting to whatever it was Applebloom was playing at... and she kept on losing pieces, one by one, but all she seemed able to take were lousy pawns. It was after that short interval of time that Applebloom gave a victorious cry. "Ha! Check-mate." Scootaloo's face fell. "What? How?" "Well, your king is blocked in a corner, and mah queen and rook have every escape row blocked. It's the most basic way to win, dum-dum." Scootaloo growled. She didn't like being called a dum-dum. "I'm not a dum-dum! Come on, let's do this obstacle course instead. I'm gonna' win, this time." Applebloom laughed and trotted after her. Her Granny had taught her well indeed, and this well earned victory gave her a fuzzy sense of elation. Applejack looked up into Rainbow's eyes, trying to gauge what she was thinking. She glanced back at the board, following her adversary's eyes. They seemed to be moving in random patterns across the board, and Applejack simply couldn't figure out what she was planning. "Tryin' to figure out how t'get your rook out of danger?" she asked after a while, subtly trying to disrupt her concentration. Rainbow Dash shook her head. "No, I'm trying... to figure out how to make the pieces spell my name... once I do this." she said, and moved her bishop across the board. "Check mate." Applejack gaped. It was true: she was in check mate, but what was even more alarming was how the white pieces were strung together to form the letters 'D-A-S-H'. Applejack wasn't even sure that was possible, but somehow it had come to pass. "How'd..." Rainbow Dash grinned. "You know a few months ago when you put beat me five times in a row?" she said, as nonchalant as she could. "Well, I practised since then." Ah yes, that classic Rainbow Dash syndrome: if you lose, don't eat, sleep, or drink until you're sure there's no chance of a repeat performance. Applejack's shoulders sagged. "Well... I don't know how I could have beat that. I didn't even see it coming." she sighed, a little disappointed. She had always fancied herself a rather decent player. Rainbow Dash chuckled. "Think that's impressive? Watch this." she said, and turned the board around. The black pieces, Applejack's own pieces, from this angle, curled around to form a heart shape, right next to the letters 'A-J'. "Show off." Applejack grumbled, but couldn't help but feel a little warm at the message the chess pieces conveyed: somehow, Rainbow always managed to make even losing seem like a fun prospect. Rainbow Dash couldn't help herself when she saw Applejack scrunch up her nose, and laughed. "Looks like you've got to practice a bit more, Apples." "Looks like I do." she muttered. Rainbow leant in over the board and kissed her on the cheek. "Well, don't go practising too hard... I don't want to make a spelling mistake later on." Rainbow joked. "You're evil." Applejack replied. "Next time, you're not going to find winnin' as easy." The pair began clearing away the chess-board, but were interrupted by the sound of angry exclamations and shouts from inside the orchard. They belonged to young voices. Both mares became alert instantly, each worried for their respective filly. "Scoots..." "Applebloom..." They were both on their hooves and galloping down the hill as fast as they could, leaving the un-tidied chess board behind them.
Chapter Four"Crud." It turned out that Rainbow Dash had underestimated just how well their plan would work: a quick bit of investigation revealed that both fillies had broken the first rule of competition: don't get mad at each other. It had started much as they should have expected: Applebloom had accused Scootaloo of cheating, and understandably Scootaloo had gotten angry, and now, well, Rainbow Dash was wandering through the orchard after her, far away from the pony she had done everything in order to be with in the first place. "Scoots? Hey, squirt, where are you?" she called, but there was no answer. She sighed. If she tried flying, she wouldn't be able to see through the thick canopy of trees, which made getting a birds-eye view useless. She was grounded. Searching on hoof took forever. "Kiddo? Seriously, where are you?" Out of the corner of her eye she spotted the small orange pony next to one of the apple trees. She gave a small sigh of relief: at least she hadn't done something really stupid like going to the Everfree Forest. "...over here." Scootaloo called half heartedly. Rainbow trotted over to her, folding her wings by her side. "Hey... uh, what's up?" "I'm sitting." she replied. After a brief pause, she confessed: "I really hate losing." I know the feeling, squirt. "Yeah, that happens. I guess it's tough being rivals, sometimes." Rainbow explained. "I guess. How'd you manage it?" Aside from falling in love with my rival? Well, let's see... "Lot's of practice, squirt." she said. "I guess it was a bit unfair of me to expect you'd be fine with it when it took me so long to get the hang of proper rivalry in the first place." Scootaloo shrugged. "I suppose..." she said, unsure. Rainbow figured she should explain further. "The trick is turning it off. Don't tell anypony I said this, but..." Rainbow began, then looked around conspiratorially, checking nopony was listening in. "...when I became rivals with Applejack, I was... a sore loser." Scootaloo continued listening in silence as Rainbow Dash remembered some of her less glamorous times with the farmpony. "Sometimes, I'd be mad for days until I beat her. It wasn't until much later that I realized that all that time she had been giving me something I really needed, something to aim for." And later, she gave me everything else... "Even then, there was still getting the hang of taking losing in my stride. Trust me, that's tougher than it sounds." "How long did learning that take?" "Eh... still getting there, squirt." the older mare replied in a rare moment of humility. "AJ figured it out a while ago, though... even though she might not always act like it." "How am I gonna' face Applebloom now?" Scootaloo asked, despairing. "I was really mean..." "Oh, don't worry about that. Applejack's giving her a talk too about how stupid she's being, too." Rainbow replied. "You're maybe too young to get it, but being rivals with somepony is a pretty special relationship, and it's not worth losing over some stupid fight. Otherwise you'll just be enemies, and that's not the same." And sometimes it can grow into something more... "Uh... yeah. I guess I was a bit silly." Scootaloo admitted with a half hearted smile. Rainbow Dash snorted. "Yeah, well at least you don't have to write a letter to your ruler every time you mess up." she muttered. "Be glad for that, by the way. Postage costs go through the roof." Scootaloo laughed, the chipper noise echoing through the trees. Rainbow leaned back against the tree, smirking to herself, glad she'd been able to cheer her sort-of sister up. When Scootaloo stopped, she looked back up at Rainbow. "Do you and Applejack really like being rivals? It seems like such hard work." Rainbow Dash chuckled. "Yeah, well... lemme' tell you a secret, kid. Even though me and AJ are rivals, well, we like each other. A lot." "Uh, yeah. You're friends, right? Like me and Applebloom and Sweetie Be-" "Heh, nah, more like your mum and dad. Except younger. And more flexible." Scootaloo took a minute to run that through her head. Eventually she nodded. "Oh." "Yeah." Scootaloo thought some more about the whole ordeal, before smiling, and nodding. She looked up at Rainbow Dash with a smile. "I think I understand what you mean." Rainbow shook her head. Taking a deep breath, she decided to get the awkward bit out of the way, and do what she probably should have done in the first place. "No, Kiddo, you don't. What I mean is, I really need a bit of free time so I can see Applejack alone. 'Kay?" "Oh." Scootaloo scratched her head awkwardly, understanding dawning upon the young pony. "Okay, I can do that." An idea struck Rainbow Dash. "And you can distract Applebloom so she's not there too?" she added hopefully, tapping her hooves together mischievously. "Sure thing." "Great... great." Rainbow Dash replied, smiling. She looked up at the sun, which was at this point dipping over the horizon of mountains to the west. She got to her hooves. "Well, we'd better get you back to Applebloom so you can say good night, huh?" Scootaloo was fine with this arrangement. Rainbow Dash beamed: she had solved both Scootaloo and Applebloom's argument and arranged to get Applejack alone. This was still an awesome evening. Applebloom had calmed down too by the time the pair returned to the farm. Applejack and Rainbow Dash kissed, briefly, when Applejack thought that the fillies weren't looking. Despite a rather rough ending to their date, it had been very nice indeed. Applejack moved away from the two young ones so she could talk to Rainbow in private. "I guess we should have been a bit more careful." Applejack said, smiling wanly. Rainbow shrugged. "Yeah, well, contests usually do work... Who can blame us?" "I can." Applejack muttered. Rainbow felt like she should say something, but sometimes she just had to let Applejack's familial concern run it's course: interfering was a sure way to get the talk. "I guess we won't be seein' each other until Rarity get's back..." Applejack added after a brief pause. Rainbow Dash glanced over at Scootaloo, remembering their secret deal. "Hopefully not... but no more healthy rivalries, that's for sure... not until they're older." she replied. Applejack nodded: she was certain that that, at least, was true. She rested her neck on Rainbow's shoulder, the talk with Applebloom having sapped her strength this late in the evening. Rainbow Dash shifted a little, making sure she didn't get too comfortable. "Before you fall asleep on me, let me take Scoots home. Don't want her to get lost in the dark or anything." "Sure thing." Rainbow Dash disentangled herself from Applejack, and headed over to Scootaloo. "Okay, you ready to head?" she asked. The young filly nodded. "Yeah, I'm good to go." Rainbow Dash picked her up with one smooth motion in her hoof, much to Scootaloo's surprise. "Okay then... I hope you don't mind me going too fast." she warned. To Applejack, she said: "I'll be back for my chessboard, okay? Just give me five minutes to drop this off." With that, she flew off, Scootaloo tucked in one hoof, leaving a distinct rainbow trail in her wake. "Back for your chessboard... yeah right." Applejack sneered. Rainbow Dash shrugged casually. "What? You didn't want me giving the real reason in front of Applebloom, did you?" she asked. "Heh. I'm just sayin' I think it's still lyin' around outside." Rainbow Dash peered out the bedroom window, but it was useless: the chessboard would be hidden in the dark, scattered far away on the hill, quite invisible. "Ah, horseapples. I'll have get it tomorrow." The pair snuggled closer, the large window letting in the dim light from the night sky. "Heck of a day." Applejack said suddenly. "I guess, but it all turned out okay in the end, right? And this way, we know that making other ponies compete for our amusement isn't necessarily the right thing to do." Applejack chuckled, sleepily burying her face into the pegasus's furry blue chest. Rainbow still kept her eyes open despite the late hour. She felt fidgety, and there were some things about the day that still bothered her. She decided to do the thing she usually did these days, and began talking to Applejack. "Do you ever get tired of being rivals?" She asked. "Always one-upping each other, and all that?" Applejack didn't bother moving her head so that her voice could be heard clearly. "Ya'll really thought we were rivals?" she asked bluntly. "Is that a yes or a no?" "Sorry, sugarcube, Ah guess Ah never thouht of you as real competition." Okay, now I'm being teased, Rainbow thought as Applejack messed her fur up by giving her an affectionate rub. I guess I'll not get an answer tonight... ah well. Worse things have happened at sea. "Yeah, yeah, keep telling yourself that." she replied roughly, making it clear that she very definitely was real competition. Applejack made a muffled noise that could have been either a laugh or a snort. Rainbow wasn't entirely sure which. It might have even been a yawn or snore: it was simply too distorted by the pegasus's own body to be identified correctly. Rainbow opened her mouth again. "Do you think that-" Applejack raised her head slightly and looked out the window, interrupting Rainbow's question before she could finish her question. "Hey, can you tell me what cloud that is?" she asked sleepily, and dropped her head back down on Rainbow before she even waited for an answer.
