Last chants for the slow dance

Today isn’t half as beautiful as yesterday.

Applejack can’t help but yawn. The sky is cloudy like it’s going to rain again and she is behind on her chores. But that is still no excuse to fall asleep on the job.

Applejack is working her Saturday stall at the market. She sells apples, various apple products, and some apple paraphernalia. It’s important to advertize for the upcoming cider season. Most residents of Ponyville know, but the past years the town has grown a lot, and there are always tourists it is important to let know as well.

She watches Rainbow Dash fly into the market.

Applejack calls, “Well look who it is. The big fancy Wonderbolt come down to grace us little folk.” Her voice has less conviviality than intended.

Rainbow Dash hears her and walks up to the stand. “Yeah, that is good or not. There is so much Wonderbolts stuff to have doing.”

Applejack raises a brow at Dash’s speech. “I suppose I can understand that. My farm keeps me busy, running it and all.” Her eyes scan Dash and Applejack thinks she looks noticeably worse this month than the last. A bit battered and anemic, almost like the pegasus looks a little deader.

“Yeah. Good things for you,” she says like she would rather keep talking about Wonderbolts.

“Well, what brings you here?” Applejack persists cordially.

“I was just going to visit the dentist stall. Have to need to get toothpaste, for our big show for Princess Celestia. It’s going to be the best one ever!”

Applejack thinks Rainbow Dash says that about every show. “Well is not that nice.”

Twilight’s been watching out the library window. She hasn’t seen her dragon boy in a while. She just saw Rainbow Dash go by. It is early Saturday so they are both probably off doing something stupid. Most ponies are at the market. The time is perfect.

Giggling eagerly, Twilight picks up her karaoke microphone, bright purple with stickers, and speaks into it.

Applejack watches Dash get a strangely passive look. Then she says, “I need to buy something. Hey Applejack, I need to buy something stupid like a pegasus would.”

“...I think you said you needed toothpaste?”

“Yeah. Nah. That’s too far, I’m right here. What are you selling in stupid? I need to buy.”

“But the stall is right over—” Applejack blinks but then decides it is about time for Rainbow Dash to get self aware. At least she will get money for the family.

Applejack gestures to display her products. “Lots of stuff!” She looks back at them and realizes in her haste to catch up on chores she forgot to bring the other merchandise.

“Not much,” she corrects herself. “We have apples, and we have apple paperweights... And for the tourists, Apple Family tshirts.” She holds a peach one up that says, ’Tastes like Apple Family apple!’ “Course they are in peach color because the manufacturer was out of apple red.”

“Okay, okay, I will take one.” Rainbow Dash reaches to take it but Applejack holds it out of reach.

“...You saying you’re a tourist?”

“If how that is what gets me a shirt.”

That does not seem right and Applejack can not tolerate a lie. She puts the shirt back. “Don’t you go calling yourself a tourist! What about us? No, forget those shirts. They are for the tourists.”

Rainbow Dash makes a frustrated face. “Who cares!” she says, pushing up on the counter. “It’s fine, I’ll take it. Time to buy, I want that shirt and let me at it!”

“No.” Applejack is firm. That is important when you represent the farm. “Here, buy a paperweight. That I can sell you.” She passes one to Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow Dash chucks it at her forehead. “Keep your dumb apple rocks and take these bits. I need to buy—No, now sell! Sell stupid things!”

Applejack clutches her forehead and glares at her. But before she can respond properly, Rainbow Dash trots over to Colgate’s stall.

Fuming, she watches the interaction at the nearby stall. Colgate is first smiling but it soon morphs into a frown. Rainbow Dash argues with the dental mare, trying to sell her paperclips. Colgate shoos her away and their voices rise.

“Look, buy this. It’s small and metal, it could be good for teeth.”

“What the hell? Rainbow Dash, I am not buying a paperclip.”

“Only a bit! Half a bit. Give me a bit and I will break it in half.”

“Please no - go bother somepony else! You are being weird. I am trying to run a stall.”

“Must sell! There’s no leaving until I sell something! Don’t like the paperclip, fine, have then about this ticket!” Rainbow Dash picks up a discarded movie ticket at her hooves and thrusts it in the air. “See a movie, 2:00 o’ clock showing Friday, it’s already happened!”

“Rainbow Dash, get out of here. No pony is going to peruse my white and fresh wares with you freaking out!”

“Fine, fine.” Rainbow Dash stands in the middle of the square. She resorts to shouting and jumping at passerby.

“For sale being a paperclip and a movie ticket! Buy it now, buy it while I’m still stupid! I wish I was a unicorn! I’m a Wonderbolt so get it!”

Faces turn sour. Ponies avoid her and the market starts to empty of potential customers.

Dash continues to shout with a jilted march, unnoticing. It’s not even that embarrassing, just mostly pathetic, as though all that stunt flying finally wore her down. She has been going at breakneck speed for too long.

Applejack looks away to clouds in the distance. She is mad but also feels a heavy sense of pity.

Pinkie Pie slurps her milkshake. And the milkshakes of the children who didn’t finish theirs. It was only really good the first few sips and she is hoping more will bring the taste back.

It is Saturday night and she’s taken a big group of them to Burger Palace. The parents welcome her taking the kids off their hooves and she gets paid in cookies, which is a beneficial arrangement for everyone.

They are playing in the indoor playground. She’d be in there playing with them but you aren’t allowed to eat in there. She needs to keep her energy up because that’s important when dealing with groups of foals, and because it drowns out despair.

Her ears prick as she notices the song playing in the background. “This is that new song by Messymane,” Pinkie says with a bob of her head. She feels strange bouts of pride when she recognizes bands and her friends don’t. Now her friends mostly are foals so they never recognize it.

Walking and walking. Spike keeps walking to be away from alicorns, and forests, and the things stalking him that he can’t see. Some kind of snake bit him and since then he has been woozy. One foot after the other he tells himself. His thoughts are on his feet when he finds himself out of the forest and in view of Fluttershy’s cottage.

And he’s doing fine, finding himself steadily transitioning to the cottage in a slideshow of images, until he steps on a rock. His scaly foot recoils but the rigid motion of his march can’t accommodate

He loses his balance and topples to the dirt. He tries to get up but thinks he would have a better chance if he hadn’t taken so much venom from that snake bite. He dimly stares at the rock until his eyes can’t stay open any longer.